Tonight while at work, a co-worker as me if I had heard the news about the stabbing death of Harry Potter in a brawl. WHAT?! I was shocked to say the least. She was not sure if it was true or not but she thought she saw the headline flash across the CNN ticker earlier today. Thank heaven she asked me this with 15 minutes before closing time, I do not think I could have withstood 8 hours not knowing if the report was true or not. Of course, this would not be the first time one of the actors in the franchise had met with tragedy. Prior to the theatrical release of the second movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Richard Harris who played Professor Albus Dumbledore passed away. Subsequently, Michael Gambon has played the role in the remainder of the films.

However, it was not Daniel Radcliffe himself. Another young actor named Robert Knox (who just completed filming his scenes as Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) was untimely struck down outside a London tavern over something as trivial as a cell phone. Senseless, tragic.

Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-6)

Perhaps in an attempt to cash in on the Indiana Jones craze sweeping the nation (not to mention this blog), a treasured crystal skull was stolen from a New Age store in Claremont, California.

Hunt for the Crystal Skull Begins Early

Let me just point out that I was nowhere near California on the date in question.

Perhaps authorities should begin by questioning the two three young men (?) responsible for grave robbing to retrieve a skull to use as a bong. I was surprised to learn of the laid-back nature of the store. Although they have never had any trouble with shoplifting in the past, it would seem that such a high profile item would draw considerable attention. As with the MacGuffins (the Ark of the Covenant, Sankara stones, and the Holy Grail) used in the previous 3 Indy adventures, the crystal skull does have its basis in reality perhaps just not as widely known as some of the others.

Skip the lines. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull tickets on sale now!

This will be my first and only post on this subject so as not to beat it over the head but at the same time give my opinion on the matter. The past week has been drenched with the controversy that is Miley Cyrus. It must be terribly difficult to be a 15 year-old girl who is a “star” with a hit Disney Channel show, singing career, and millions of adoring fans but at the same time feel the pressure of “looking ahead a few years” and feeling the need to re-invent herself and “grow up” as her audience grows. However, I do not think that she thought about her entire audience that stretches way beneath her 15 year-old age. Not to mention the company that she is contractually obligated to.

It may not have been solely her responsibility as her father (country singer Billy Ray Cyrus) and her mother were present during the photo shoot and both felt that it was a tasteful, artistic display. In my opinion, a teenager appearing to be wearing nothing but a bed sheet pulled up over her with a rather “come-hither” expression on her face  does not look too tasteful. The best explanation for the shoot seems to be that it is too hard to say “No” to famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. A bit of peer pressure coming from an adult.

My question is: what are the parents of the fans to do about all this? Do they attempt to shield them entirely from it? Do they wait until the children ask about it? Do they wait and hope the controversy blows over? Or do they entirely forbid their children from watching Hannah Montana? In an attempt to make amends and save her contract (which is more important?), Miley has issued an apology. But will that be enough to prevent her from becoming the next Britney Spears who ironically started on The New Mickey Mouse Club?

On Monday in a very small rural community in Ohio (approximately 60 miles west of Toledo), a very intelligent individual attempted to rob a small bank in broad daylight while several people looked on. It seems that the would-be robber got out of his vehicle with a heavy coat, pulled on a ski mask, and got his weapon from the back seat. Some of the employees saw the suspicious gentleman and ran out of the bank. A chase involving townspeople ensued. Apparently, the perpretator did not know the area very well as he was forced to turn his car around and re-enter the village.

Residents near Ohio-Ind. line help snag bank robbery suspect

I’m not sure if this is normal behavior for a bank robber. It would look awfully suspicious to me if a man put on a ski-mask, a heavy coat, and produced a gun from the back of his car in the middle of a 60 degree sunny day. Maybe, he was TRYING to make it on a broadcast of “World’s Smartest(?) Criminals.” At least the man was intelligent enough to attempt the robbery on a Monday. On Friday, the street is generally populated by patrolmen who enjoy lunch at the local steakhouse. OOPS…. I hope I did not give any bright ideas.

I find it truely fascinating when I discover little tidbits about today’s youth. Recently, a first grade teacher quizzed her students on proverbial phrases. She began by handing each of her 26 pupils a slip with half of a popular saying and asked them to complete it. I was amazed at the number I did not known…..

1. Don’t change horses……………………………..until they stop running
2. It’s always darkest before……………………… Daylight Saving Time (true)
3. You can lead a horse to water but……………..How?
4. Don’t bite the hand that………………………….looks dirty (very wise)
5. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll…………………stink in the morning (don’t know that one)
6. An idle mind is……………………………………..the best way to relax (don’t I know it)
7. Where there’s smoke there’s……………………..pollution
8. Happy the bride who……………………………….gets all the presents (what about the groom?)
9. A penny saved………………………………………is not much (so true…. and won’t get you much gas for your car, either)
10. Two’s company, three’s…………………………..the Musketeer‘s
11. Laugh and the world laughs
with you, cry and………………………………………you have to blow your nose
12. There are none so blind as…………………….. Stevie Wonder (surprised 1st graders know who Stevie Wonder is)
13. Children should be seen and not…………………spanked or grounded
14. When the blind lead the blind……………………get out of the way
15. A bird in the hand………………………………….is going to poop on you (HAHAHA)

I came across this insightful tidbit while glancing at our copy of “Now Hear This” the newsletter from Kenwood Hearing Center in Toledo, Ohio.

Apparently someone who was attempting to clean up the state he governed needed to look in his own backyard. As more details rise from the controversy surrounding the sex scandal of New York governor Eliot Spitzer, one of the leading stars involved in the prostitution ring is an aspiring actress/singer named Ashley Dupre. It is really unfortunate that a young person would feel the need to become involved in such a lifestyle…. even living with the governor in an apartment in Manhattan until he walked out on her. Although she does not want to be though of as a “monster,” who can say whether or not she will ever be seen as anything but the governor’s plaything. It just seems like a lot of young ladies (and men) who want to become stars are prone to controversy. Britney, Jamie Lynn (good name… wrong spelling), Lindsay Lohan, and several others seem to grace entertainment periodicals and news broadcasts everywhere. Not very good role models for teenage youngsters. The evils that celebrity leads to.

Which is not to say that the main character in the mess is the young lady. On the contrary, it is disgusting that the man who had been praised for reportedly decreasing the amount of crime and smut in New York state would be such a hypocrite.