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City’s Budget, a Tough Decision for Council

2009-02-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Caswell

The Fairfield City Council voted Tuesday night to close the curtains on its support for the theater, despite supporters’ pleas. The city is trying to close a $6 million budget gap.

The vote was 4-1 in favor of the proposed budget cuts, with the biggest hit being taken by the Cultural Arts Awards Programs (CAAP) grant.

Many arts supporters attended the meeting to plead with city council to keep the program going.

“One thing I do know is theaters bring in money. Even if they go through McDonald’s, money is being spent,” Pam Spearing, who came to plead the theater’s case said. “We’ve got to work together.”

The CAAP grant contributes to the city’s art programs, which includes funding for the Fairfield Civic Theatre. The city will be saving $116,000 by eliminating the grant.

Sean Quinn, city manager for Fairfield, presented to the council and the public the budget proposal to keep the city from going bankrupt.

“This is uncharted territory,” Quinn said. “If the economy continues to stall we’ll have to cut more than now.”

Quinn said without the cuts he is proposing, Fairfield will be in a deficit within a year.

An 8.38 percent surcharge is included in the budget proposal. It includes technology and indirect cost surcharges for people using the city’s Web site to pay fees, according to a report released on the city’s Web site.

This surcharge is expected to raise $400,000 for the city’s general fund. Without this money, the city will be forced to cut more jobs and services, according to the report.

Councilwoman Catherine Moy was the only member to vote against the proposed budget because of the surcharge.

“I think it’s the nastiest times to raise taxes,” Moy said. “I see this hurting people. What about the seniors? What about the children who need daycare?”

Vice Mayor John Mraz called on his fellow council members to forgo their salaries to help with the budget crisis.

“If I took this job to make money, you don’t need me in this job,” Mraz said.

Quinn is giving up his annual cost of living raise and his company cell phone.

“Save everyone’s job – it’s a matter of sacrifice,” Quinn said.

One police captain will be demoted and another vacant position will be eliminated.

The captain will return to his previous position as a lieutenant.

Five police department vacancies will not be filled, along with one dispatch position.

Two fire inspectors will be laid off and a vacant fire captain position will be left unfilled at the Fairfield Fire Department.

Altogether, the budget cuts will eliminate 35 city jobs. According to the city report, 53 percent of those jobs are currently filled. Seven of those currently employed have the option to move to another position in their department.

“We need to listen to the people in Fairfield,” Councilman Richard Vaccaro said. “We’re stretching the rubber band and it’s definitely going to break."

A Lesson Learned From a Stressful Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Caswell

Thanksgiving and the holidays is not my cup of tea. Now before you call me a scrooge, please keep reading. It’s not because I don’t like the holidays, but because there’s not much for me to usually do on those designated family days.

That old saying, be careful what you wish for, rang true to my Thanksgiving holiday this year.

I have grown accustomed to not having a big holiday celebration. Every year, I’m alone because my family lives in Arizona. I'm usually kind of bummed I don't get to be with them.

I have lived with my boyfriend Zack for the past 3 years and we haven’t had many holiday celebrations. He works as a conductor for Amtrak Railroad and he typically works on the holidays.

But, this year Zack had Thanksgiving off. I was happy when I heard the news. I thought, “Finally a year where we can be together and not worry about work.”

Little did I know that Zack had something else planned for Thanksgiving. His plans and my plans were on opposite ends of the holiday spectrum that’s for sure.

He decided that since he had the holiday off, it would be a good year to host our very first Thanksgiving. This is not exactly what I had in mind for my day off.

At first I tried to fight it. I was simply mad that he had invited everyone to our house without talking to me about it first. What did he expect me to do, be Superwoman? Last time I checked, I was a very busy college student with papers consuming my every wakened second.

What I really wanted to do was go to another family member’s house to eat. If we couldn’t do that, then a turkey dinner at Marie Callendar’s was just around the corner. I would’ve perfectly content with that.

But before I knew it, cooking the turkey and buying enough Tupperware was suddenly on the list of things to do, along with the 10 page paper due next week.

So what’s a girl to do when faced with this problem? I could scream and bitch about it, or I could just go with the flow. Well, I decided to scream and bitch about it for a few days. Hey, at least I’m being honest. It didn’t last for very long because it wasn't worth the stress.

After all of the complaining was out of the way, I decided to get my rear in gear. If I was going to have a Thanksgiving at my house, I might as well go out Martha Stewart style.

When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, I cleaned my little butt off. I made sure the kitchen was spick and span and then moved onto the rest of the house.

The best part about it was that I didn’t have to worry too much about cooking the turkey. I had assumed that I would be the one cooking it, but Zack was great. He cleaned and cooked the turkey without any assistance.

The guests began to arrive around 2 p.m. It was nice to welcome people into my home.

It wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought. I thought I was going to have to entertain people like a court jester juggling for a king, but people came in and just did their own thing.

Some people watched the television, others sat outside in the sunny weather drinking a little bit and the ladies were in the kitchen.

It kind of just came together. It’s amazing what a fridge full of beer and some wine can do to help a party.

The dinner was great. We had all the trimmings that a Thanksgiving is suppose to have, from the stuffing to the sweet potatoes.

But most importantly I learned a good lesson; nothing is as bad as it seems at first. If I would’ve taken a second before Thanksgiving to stop griping so much, I could’ve enjoyed more days prior to the holiday, rather than just the holiday itself.

Maybe next year I’ll offer to host again. Well…we’ll see.

Television Equals Unhappiness or You’re Just Lazy

2008-11-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Caswell

If watching a lot of television makes you an unhappy person, then writing this column should make me and a lot of other television column writers from around the world pretty damn miserable.

A study released by two sociologists at the University of Maryland is saying that people who are unhappy watch more television. On the other hand, people who describe themselves as “very happy” spend more time reading and socializing.

“TV doesn't really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does,” said University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson. “It's more passive and may provide escape - especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise.”

The study also says that with the economy going down the drain, television watching is only going to go up.

With people having so much time on their hands these days, the only logical thing to do is to turn on the tube.

People can’t get jobs, which then turns into being bored with no money, and then that turns into a lot of hours of being a couch potato with the remote as your ally.

But is it really pure laziness or is it an addiction?

“Addictive activities produce momentary pleasure and long-term misery and regret,” said University of Maryland sociologist Steven Martin. “People most vulnerable to addiction tend to be socially or personally disadvantaged. For this kind of person, TV can become a kind of opiate in a way. It's habitual, and tuning in can be an easy way of tuning out.”

Television being compared to a drug may seem like a bit much, but television can be a much needed fix at the end of a long day’s work for some people.

Maybe it’s because television can be your best friend without asking for anything in return.

The study suggests that television viewing is “easy.” Through television, we can do or be whatever we want.

“Viewers don’t have to go anywhere, dress up, find company, plan ahead, expend energy, do any work or spend money in order to view. Combine these advantages with the immediate gratification offered by television, and you can understand why Americans spend more than half their free time as TV viewers,” says the study.

It’s obvious that watching the television is easy. Maybe that’s why people relate television watching to people being lazy. Easy equals lazy for some, but for others the television is an escape.

“TV is not judgmental nor difficult, so people with few social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it,” says the study.

This quick fix for the socially challenged will not help in the long run, the research also suggests. Most likely, it’ll lead to overall unhappiness for most people.

So what is the solution for the unhappy socially challenged people who like to watch too much television?

Well, the best suggestion is to get up off your butt and engage in some other kinds of activities besides watching the television all day.

It’s easier said then done is probably ringing in your heads, but the best way to find out is to try.

The best part about tying a new activity is that at the end of the day if all else fails; you can always go back to watching your television alongside me and all of the other miserable television column writers around the world.

Former "American Idol" Contestant Commits Suicide

2008-11-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Caswell

“American Idol” is just around the corner and people are already anticipating that Simon Cowell will again be rude and demeaning to the contestants trying for their big showbiz break.

The season is scheduled to kick off in mid-January, but it’s already a little different from other seasons.

Different because people are now questioning how far is too far when it comes to Cowell criticizing the contestants.

All of this came from a former tryout contestant, Paula Goodspeed committing suicide near the home of Paula Abdul in Los Angeles.

Abdul is a judge for the hit show, alongside Cowell and Randy Jackson.

Goodspeed was obsessed with Abdul and while on the reality television show, she revealed many life-size pictures that she had drawn of the former 1980s pop singer and Lakers girl.

“It appears to be a suicide by overdose,” Detective Robert Bub of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Police found Goodspeed’s body in her car along with prescription drugs. Pictures and CDs of Abdul were also found in the car.

So is this the case of an obsessed fan or someone who was so hurt by the judges’ rejection and Cowell’s ridicule that she would take her own life?

Well let’s just say that she may be a little different, but Cowell should feel terrible for the way he treated her when she went in for her audition.

Goodspeed stood before the judges with a smile on her face and Cowell told her that he noticed a resemblance between her and Abdul. Goodspeed replied, “I take it as a compliment because you’re beautiful.”

“I meant as a compliment,” Cowell said.

She then performed Tina Turner’s hit “Proud Mary.” The judges weren’t so nice after they heard her rendition of the song that wasn’t exactly up par.

“Well Paula, I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say,” Abdul said.

She continued to say that it wasn’t a good thing that she was speechless and Cowell kept the critique going by making fun of Goodspeed’s appearance.

“I don’t know any artist on earth that could sing with that much metal in your mouth anyway,” Cowell said. “You have so much metal in your mouth.”

He then made a comment that Goodspeed’s braces were like a bridge and used his hands to point out the size.

Some psychologists are saying that the way Cowell treated Goodspeed was wrong and that “American Idol” should’ve never aired the insults towards her.

“For someone that may have an unstable personality or not a clear, solid sense of themselves or self-esteem, that can really destroy them,” said therapist Julie Albright, a lecturer at the University of Southern California to Yahoo! News.

Goodspeed had a Myspace and after the show she blogged about her experience.

“I have to believe there is something good about me,” Goodspeed wrote.

There were probably many good things about Goodspeed. If you watch the clip of her on the show, she was an amazing artist. Hopefully, Cowell along with the other judges will take into account how they make people feel when they criticize them.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened at what transpired yesterday,” Abdul said in a statement. “My heart and prayers go out to her family.”

Good Eats in Natomas

2008-11-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Caswell

If you’re ever in the Natomas area of Sacramento, Calif. please take the time to eat at Malabar. It has tasty food, good service and a nice atmosphere—so long as you can figure out the parking.

When you pull in, you drive up to back side of the restaurant and if you don’t pay enough attention, you’ll end up parking in the back and thinking it's the front.

Once I figured out I was on the back side of Malabar, I pulled around to the front and still thought that it looked like the back of a restaurant.

The exterior is very modest and the door is not an inviting glass door like you see at most restaurants. It’s a single wood door that opens to the right with no windows.

The building does have windows, you just can’t see into them from the outside.

But all of the outside confusion was made right when I walked inside the boring door into a cool vibed restaurant.

The mood of the restaurant makes you feel like you just stepped into a lounge in New York City where business men just got done with their 9 to 5 jobs.

As I walked in the hostess approached Eric and I and sat us immediately.

We waited for the others to arrive and chatted a bit. The waitress Marianne was prompt on getting our drinks. I originally wanted a Diet Pepsi but, Marianne told me that Malabar only carries Coke products. I was disappointed, but moved on with a freshly brewed iced tea.

Group members arrived one by one and we all decided to order an appetizer.

The appetizer menu was pretty large. It had everything from Spicy Chicken Wings to Dungeness Crab Cakes. We all agreed on the Three Cheese Garlic Bread at the modest price of $3.95.

It was good for the price. I wasn't blown away. It tasted like cheesy garlic bread that you can throw in the oven yourself.

The service was great and Marianne was on point. As we ate the appetizer and waited for our entrees, our drinks were kept full and anything we asked for was accommodated to.

The entrees finally arrived and by then I was ready to get my grub on.

I ordered the Roasted Garlic Shrimp Ravioli. I took a bite and thought it was delicious. I actually wanted to stuff my face but, didn't want to finish my food in one minute when everyone else had only taken one bite. It was $17.50 and worth the price.

The sauce on the ravioli was a porcini cream and it brought out the taste of the shrimp inside the ravioli and also the artichoke that was served with the pasta.

The menu was very diverse, which I liked. It had everything from pizza to steak sandwiches.

After I finished my delicious entree, I was ready for dessert.

Marianne promptly brought us the dessert menu and my eyes were drawn to the Double Delicious Double Fudge Chocolate Brownie. It was $6.50 and in my chocolate loving eyes, worth ever penny.

The bill finally arrived and Marianne put all of our orders on one ticket but, we wanted to pay separately. When we told her she quickly fixed it and gave us each our own ticket.

All in all, I think Malabar may not have an inviting outside but, it makes up for that when you walk through the door.

The service was prompt and my drink was always full. That’s all I can ask for in a restaurant.

Media Coverage Biased?

2008-11-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

McCain May Think So

By Jessica Caswell

We’ve seen the ads, the debates and the money being poured into this presidential election but, what do you think about how the candidates have been treated by the media?

Well, it seems that presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain hasn’t received fair and balanced coverage from the evening news.

According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, Sen. Barack Obama has the lead in the fight to get good press from the news networks.

This isn’t much of a surprise now that election season is coming to end. These days it seems if you say you’re a Republican, you might as well get ready for a look of disbelief.

Maybe the media has something to do with it because the data from this study sure swings in favor of Obama.

The study is calling it, “Obamamania” and is saying since the Democrat and Republican conventions, the evening newscasts of NBC, CBS and ABC have had 65 percent more positive comments about Obama.

For McCain the positive comments aren’t coming as easily. The study shows that McCain has received a much less 36 percent in positive comments from the same networks.

The study came from 585 election news stories that aired from Aug. 23 to Sept. 30. It included: ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, and the first half hour of FOX Special Report.

Gov. Sarah Palin’s numbers aren’t much better than her running mate’s numbers. Comments about her have been only 42 percent positive.

“For whatever reason, the media are portraying Barack Obama as a better choice for president than John McCain,” said Robert Lichter, a George Mason University professor and head of the center to the Associated Press. “If you watch the evening news, you'd think you should vote for Obama.”

But, surprise surprise, the study found a difference in the way that FOX covers the race for the White House.

Obama’s coverage from the biased news channel has been only 28 percent positive in contrast to McCain’s 38 percent positive coverage.

Palin got positive comments from FOX almost half of the time the study says.

So, where you get your news is definitely a big indicator of where you stand on partisan issues.

According to a study released by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 52 percent of people who got their news from FOX News Channel said they are Republican, 17 percent are Democrats and 30 percent identify themselves as Independents.

But, regardless of where you get your news, all the major network news stations will be setup to give minute by minute election coverage.

ABC will be broadcasting from Times Square, while NBC will be in Rockefeller Plaza covering the results.

FOX News Channel is scheduled to debut its new High Definition studio on election night and Katie Couric will be hosting election coverage for CBS in New York City.

So with all those studies, all the news coverage and all the hard work put into both of these campaigns the only good news and its 100 percent sure, is that we have only 78 more days of President Bush in office.

"Dancing with the Stars" Season of Drama

2008-10-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

“Dancing with the Stars” is only half way through the season and it already has enough drama to fill seasons to come.

So far this season there has been six injuries.

Model Brooke Burke and soap opera legend Susan Lucci both have foot injuries.

Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor dropped out of the competition because she ruptured her Achilles tendon.

Comedian Jeffrey Ross suffered a corneal abrasion when his partner Edyta Slwinka poked his eye out during a rehearsal for the live show.

Professional dancer Derek Hough was rushed to hospital when he fell causing him to black out during a rehearsal.

Last but not least, his sister Julianne Hough was also taken to the emergency room for stomach pains last week.

With so many injuries you would think this was an injury list for a professional football team and not a ballroom dancing competition.

There's other drama for the show surrounding the 82-year-old fireball Cloris Leachman.

People are surprised that Leachman has lasted this long because she’s not as skilled as the other celebrities.

''We thought it would be fun to have Cloris on and expected her to maybe make it through one or two weeks. But now it's gone from people being amused- similar to the way it was with Jerry Springer- to being downright concerned,'' said a staffer to the Chicago Sun Times.

She did the tango two weeks ago and that was the first time the judges thought they actually saw the elements of a ballroom dance from her.

Leachman is also unpredictable during the live show saying things like, “skanky hoe” and “bitch” for the entire world to hear.

People from the show are a tired of her kooky antics too according to the Chicago Sun Times.

A source who’s been working for the show since the beginning told the Chicago Sun Times that Lucci and host Samantha Harris are tired of her obnoxious shtick.

Last week, Harris snapped at Leachman for interrupting an interview she was trying to conduct with kids competing to win the junior competition of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“Stay away from the kids,” Harris told Leachman while on the air.

“After we were off the air, Samantha, Susan and a lot of others were saying they had had it with Cloris,” the source said.

With an anonymous source telling the Chicago Sun Times these rumors we’ll never truly know if the accusations from Harris and Lucci are true but, it’s no secret that the competition is about ballroom dancing and Leachman is not at level of the other celebrities.

She’s great at entertaining but, not at ballroom dancing. People shouldn’t really be surprised though, knowing that she’s 82-years-old.

Maybe America should give Leachman a break. We should applaud her for joining the competition and lasting this long.

With the competition only half way through we’ll have to wait and see what other drama is in store. Surely, Leachman will have more in-your-face humor for us to see Monday night when the final seven celebrities compete in a group routine, as well as learning a new dance.

UPDATE: Julianne Hough will be going into surgery to treat endometriosis. She'll have her appendix removed tomorrow and hopes to back to dance next week. While gone, Edyta Silwinska will take her place with her partner, Cody Linley.

"Project Runway" May Run Away for Good

2008-10-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

All you fashion lovers out there, WARNING: It may take you a little longer than expected to get your "Project Runway" fix.

NBC Universal is battling it out in court with the Weinstein Co. over the show every fashionista loves to watch.

All of this came after the Weinstein Co. made a surprising announcement in April that it would move "Project Runway" from Bravo to Lifetime for a five year deal.

But NBC Universal wasn’t letting the show go that easy. It filed suit claiming that it had a right of first refusal to match any offer the producer received for the program according to www.adweek.com

The suit claims that Weinstein Co. is in breach of contract because it did not stick to that deal.

“NBC Universal is pleased that the court granted our motion for a preliminary injunction against The Weinstein Co.,” NBC Universal said in a statement.

"The overwhelming evidence demonstrated that the Weinstein Co. violated NBC Universal's right of first refusal to future cycles of 'Project Runway.' After hearing all of the evidence, the court issued an order prohibiting the Weinstein Co. from taking the show or any spin-off to Lifetime."

The production of season six is currently in progress. Lifetime scheduled the show to start airing its sixth season on its channel in November, but has now pushed it back to January because the legal mess.

However, Lifetime is determined to get "Project Runway" on its network.

"We are disappointed with the court's decision to grant the preliminary injunction against the Weinstein Co. It's unfortunate that the people hurt most by this ongoing dispute are the loyal fans of 'Project Runway'. In the meantime, Lifetime will pursue all measures to uphold its valid and binding agreement reached with the Weinstein Co. for season six of 'Project Runway,'" said a spokesperson for Lifetime.

The judge in the case, Richard Lowe III, explained his concern for the viewers in the ruling.

"What is of concern for this court is the time 'Project Runway' will be off of the air during the course of this litigation," said Judge Lowe.

The judge is right! It’s sad the show’s viewers have to deal with this court battle when all they want to do is watch a show they enjoy.

"Project Runway" is a great reality series with a fashion twist. It shows the viewers from start to finish how fashion is created and executed on the runway.

It makes everyday people see what it’s like behind closed doors for the people who create clothing for the stars we love to see walking down the red carpet.

Lifetime announced on Oct. 17 it's taking the case to another level saying that it wants to take the case to federal courts.

"Lifetime today removed the 'Project Runway' lawsuit from state court to federal court," the network said. "We did this because any issue relating to Lifetime's exclusive right to air future cycles of 'Project Runway' is a matter of federal copyright law and therefore should be heard by a federal court."

We will all have to wait and see what this means for "Project Runway." Hopefully, the sixth season will air before we find another reality show to win us over. Seems the only one worried about the viewers in this is the judge.

The Man Behind "The Ethicist"

2008-10-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

Ethics has always been something we wonder about. Did we make the right decision in that sticky situation? What if you questioned whether you made the right decision or not?

Well have no fear Randy Cohen, writer for The New York Times Magazine is here to answer all your burning questions about life’s moments when you think, “Should I or shouldn’t I?”

Since 1998 Cohen has been writing the column The Ethicist for The New York Times Magazine. Cohen has answered questions ranging from whether or not it’s OK to use Wi-Fi that’s not yours to whether or not to tell your friend their husband “propositioned you.”

Cohen has won awards for his writing including an Emmy Award for his work on the Late Night with David Letterman show. He was the lead writer for The Rosie O’Donnell Show and also wrote a book called The Good, The Bad and The Difference.

His book, The Good, The Bad and The Difference is a collection of Cohen’s work, but with updates from his original replies of what happened after he gave the advice and reactions from the readers.

Cohen grew up in a Reform Jewish household and said that changed the way he saw the world according to an interview he did with Gothamist.com. But he also made sure to include that other than Bah Mitzvahs and weddings he has not been inside a synagogue in thirty years.

Recently, Cohen was on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he answered questions alongside Faith Salie who writes for O, The Oprah Magazine.

Winfrey called Cohen and Salie “the ethics dream team.” The pair was there to go through some ethical dilemmas for Winfrey’s viewers. In the end, they seemed to rarely agree on any of the questioned asked.

Mary, an audience member, wanted to know what she should’ve done 15 years ago when two of her friend’s husbands propositioned her for sex. Should she have told them or not?

“When it’s a one-time misstep, I would let it go. If there’s wine, if there’s candlelight, if there’s moonlight, we all make mistakes. We’re all human,” Cohen told Mary and Winfrey, who seemed shocked at his answer. “But if it’s a persistent behavior, if someone would do this again, then I think you have to tell…I use the sort of guideline ‘Once is never, twice is always.’”

Winfrey and Salie didn’t agree with Cohen’s argument and told him they would want to know. But, Cohen fought back by telling them that when this question has come up in his column that half say they would want to know and the other half say they wouldn’t want to know.

Questions like this one come up all the time in Cohen’s column, but he will be the first one to say that he thinks that anyone can do what he does.

“I love my job and hope my bosses know that, but believe that a hundred different people could do it and do it well,” Cohen said.

If you get a chance to read one of Cohen’s columns you will walk away with a little bit understanding of life’s everyday situations. You may not always agree with him, but surely he will make you scratch your head and think, “Hmmm.”

If you would like to read Randy Cohen’s column click here:
The New York Times Magazine

VOTE YES ON PROP 2!

2008-10-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

"The Hills" Generation

2008-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

The girls of the hit MTV reality show “The Hills” are finally going to see what they look like on television from someone who sees the humor instead of the drama in the girls’ everyday situations.

When we watch the show we get entangled in the drama. We think, “Oh my gosh are Heidi and Spencer splitting up? Are Lauren and Audrina going to make it through this terrible fight?”

As much as people out there hate to admit it, they probably know what “The Hills’” star Lauren Conrad and her gang is up to on a weekly basis.

Even if you’re not an avid “Hills” viewer, the media keeps you posted on what the cast is up to when the season is not running.

Just recently, Conrad was accused of hooking up with Audrina Patridges’ on again off again boyfriend, Justin Bobby Brescia. Both Patridge and Brescia are part of the show’s cast.

“After I found these rumors out, she chose to talk to me through the tabloids and not come directly to me or call me, as a true friend,” Patridge told Ellen DeGeneres on her show about how Conrad handled the situation.

With all the drama on and off the show it’s nice to see MTV finally took the show and put a new spin on it that people of the YouTube world have been doing for years.

MTV is starting a new show on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. called “The Hills: According to Me.” This fresh show is taking some of the best moments of the original show and parodying them. This will definitely make you laugh and maybe, just maybe get you into “The Hills.”

Comedic actor Derek Miller is playing all the girls in their most memorable scenes. No cast member is safe with his hilarious take on the show. Miller dresses like the girls and pokes fun at their “oh so serious” conversations.

Here’s a couple sneak peek YouTube videos into the new hilarious parody.

In other “Hills” news it has been confirmed that in early 2009 we will get to see Whitney Port’s spin off as she travels to New York City to jump start her fashion career.

The show is going to be called “The City.” How original!?

In the show, Port is going to working for a famous fashion designer and we’ll get to see her make new friends and new love interests.

“Just as ‘The Hills’ organically evolved out of ‘Laguna Beach’ ... we are now following another compelling character,” MTV's Tony DiSanto told www.zap2it.com. “Now it's Whitney's turn. We're bringing you her story as she leaves Los Angeles to break into the exciting Mecca of the fashion world, New York City. She is someone the viewers have grown to love.”

Regardless of the type of spinoff MTV has in store for the show's fans, it’s proves the weight that the original show has with this generation. People either love to love it or love to hate it. But no denying it has made a huge impact on reality television.

"Dancing with the Stars" Has Something for Everyone

2008-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

Put the Tango, the Cha Cha, the Jive, a bunch of celebrities who know nothing about dancing together and you get ABC's reality show “Dancing with the Stars.”

Last Monday the show took the top spot for the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. hours over CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” at 8 p.m. and “Two and a Half Men” and “Worst Week” at 9 p.m.

Since the show’s American premiere in 2005, it has been taking its viewers on a journey with a new group of 13 celebrities every season tackling the difficult skill of ballroom dancing.

What’s great about the show is that it has celebrity for every kind of fan to enjoy. It's has the supermodel, the athlete, the Olympian, and even the teen heartthrob this season.

This season’s line up is:

-Lance Bass, singer and teen heartthrob
-Toni Braxton, Grammy winning singer
-Brooke Burke, model and host
-Rocco DiSpirito, celebrity chef
-Maurice Green, Olympic gold medalist
-Kim Kardashian, reality television star and actress
-Cloris Leechman, Oscar winning actress
-Cody Linley, actor
-Susan Lucci, soap opera legend
-Misty May-Treanor, Olympic gold medalist
-Ted McGinley, actor
-Jeff Ross, comedian
-Warren Sapp, former pro football player

Let’s say you're a sports fanatic sitting on your couch flipping through the channels- all of a sudden you see Warren Sapp doing the Paso Doble and he's nailing it- you're going to be shocked that a 300 pound man can glide across the floor with ease. That alone will keep your attention.

The voyage the celebrities take during the show with all the different dance styles keeps me coming back.

Week after week we get to see someone we may idolize do something that any Joe Schmoe can try to do. Most people want to think of celebrities as everyday people and I think this show does that.

We love to make a connection with someone and root them on. Just like sports fans feel a bond with their team, “Dancing with the Stars” fans feel a bond with the celebrity.

We may never be able to see what a celebrity is like in their personal life, but we can go on a six week journey with them and see what life is like for them in that little six week window.

The hosting of the show is something to look forward too as well. Tom Bergeron does a great job filling in empty time and keeping the show moving. Samantha Harris’ quick questions in the back after a celebrity is finished are quick and help us see how they’re feeling when they step off that dance floor.

Last season, Marie Osmond fainted on live television while waiting for her scores from the judges and Bergeron pulled it together to keep the show moving forward.

Bergeron has witty jokes and can usually make me laugh out loud to some of his light hearted humor.

All in all, I give this show a big thumbs up. It’s got something for everybody and can keep you smiling all the way through- that’s unless you saw Jeff Ross’ Cha Cha two weeks ago-man was that painful to watch.

Two Fairfield Councilmen Die in Same Month

2008-09-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

Driving down North Texas Street in Fairfield, Calif., is a constant reminder of the loss of 22-year-old Councilman Matt Garcia.

His picture with the saying, “Keep the Dream Alive” lines the streets; it is on every pole, in every window and on t-shirts that loved ones made in his memory.

Sadly, Garcia was shot and killed on Sept. 1 outside of friend’s house in Cordelia, a quiet Fairfield neighborhood.

He was rushed to the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek after the shooting and declared brain dead on Sept. 2. He died four days later.

Garcia was one of the youngest elected officials in the history of the state and had a goal to make Fairfield a safer place to live.

"Most kids in Fairfield couldn't give a damn about this city, but Matt loved Fairfield," said his friend Ryan Kelly, 22, to the San Francisco Chronicle. "I don't know what it was, but he thought this was our place, and he was going to make it better no matter what."

Since the shooting, Henry Don Williams, 32, of Fairfield, has been arrested along with Gene Allen Combs, 45, of Suisun City.

Nicole Stewart, 33, was also arrested but was later released after a review from the District Attorney’s Office.

Stewart will be a material witness to the case. It is believed she was driving the car when the shooting took place. She is currently in protective custody.

On Wednesday, Williams pleaded not guilty for the murder of Garcia. He faces first degree murder and could be sentenced up to 51-years-to-life in prison.

Combs will appear as the codefendant in the case and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The slaying of Garcia was allegedly due to a case of mistaken identity.

But sadly that’s not the end of the tragedies that Fairfield residents have faced this month.

On Sept. 20, a day after 54-year-old Councilman Frank Gardos was convicted for felony assault against his ex-girlfriend, he killed himself.

His attorney, Daniel Russo, told the Contra Costa Times that he was destroyed by his conviction and he was worried for Gardos’ children.

"I think he felt like he lost his life. All he did was talk about his kids," said Russo.

Since the charges were filed against Gardos he was fired from his assistant principal job at Armijo High School and he would have had to leave the city council by his sentencing date.

Now Fairfield City Council has the job of filling two councilmember’s seats.

For the Garcia family their confusion of why their relative was shot and killed still remains unanswered.

A Web site for Garcia, which was made for him while running for office, is now a place where mourners can leave their condolences.

“Matt, you may be gone physically but your spirit, inspiration and motivation will live in everyone you have touched and no one can take that away, no one,” an anonymous commenter wrote.

As a member of the Fairfield community, my heart goes out to both families. September has been a hard month for the people of Fairfield. Now, we can only move forward and “Keep the Dream Alive” as Garcia would have wanted.

"90210" Stars Too Thin

2008-09-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

If you’ve turned on your television lately, you probably noticed a blast from the past. The modern version of the 1990s hit show “90210” made its television premier on Sept. 2 and has already got Tinseltown talking.

US Weekly released a front page story this week claiming the women of the famous zip code are too thin for television. It spotlights actresses Jessica Stroup, 21, and Shenae Grimes, 18, with a six page spread titled “Too Thin for TV.”

Both girls have leading roles on the show and neither breaks 110 pounds. Dr. Joyce Peters, a weight-management expert in Beverly Hills, told US Weekly that Stroup who stands 5- foot- 8 inches is between 100 and 105 pounds and Grimes is 5 foot-3 inches weighing a mere 90 pounds.

The pressures of Hollywood must be knocking at the actresses’ door because they look much healthier in past photos. But is the pressure really there or are these women just naturally very thin?

You be the judge. Here’s before and after shots of both women.

If you guessed underweight you were right. Both of these girls are too thin, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's weight chart.

Times have sure changed for the show in the weight department. The first show may have had some issues due to drama between the cast, but the battle of the bulge was not one of them.

“Weight was never an issue,” the earlier show’s costume designer, Jane Trapnell told US Weekly.

Trapnell even kept her original wardrobe files and revealed that some of the cast wore a size five and six. That’s a big no-no in today’s Hollywood.

It’s well known that being good looking is part of the job requirement to be a star. However, some stars may take it to the extreme. Just look at Calista Folckhart of the hit show “Ally McBeal.” She admitted to having weight issues.

“I started under-eating, over-exercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system. I guess I just didn't find time to eat,” Flockhart said. “I am much more healthy these days.”

If you go pick up any women’s magazine like Glamour or Cosmopolitan the front page will always have some sort of diet promising you a new and improved look.

The contradiction here is- we live in a weight obsessed world, where on a magazine it tells you how to be skinnier in every issue, but if you’re too thin- they’ll bash you for it.

However in this case, the women of “90210” do seem to be thinner than normal. So why do people care if they’re underweight? Well, because their fan base is mostly teenagers. The show is based in high school and it gives girls a false sense of what they should look like at that age.

These actresses should really think hard about their audience and help to guide young minds in the right direction.

Stroup and Grimes made no comment to US Weekly about their weight, but we’ll see in the months to come where they stand on the topic. If they pack on the pounds, then maybe they realized they are too thin. If they don’t try to gain weight, they must not care about the message they send to young teen girls who are very impressionable.

Virgin Being Auctioned Online

2008-09-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

Sacramento State finally made national headlines last week. Unfortunately this time it was for all the wrong reason. "Why?" you ask. It seems the university has a money hungry student on its hands who has put a price on her virginity.

Natalie Dylan, 22, announced that she would be selling her virginity to the highest bidder to continue her education at Sacramento State's graduate school program.

Dylan is planning to lose her virginity at the infamous Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Nevada. The brothel is currently taking bids online on its Web site, and has received bids up to $275,000 according to The State Hornet.

"It’s empowering women to be the best that they can be," Dennis Hof, the owner of the infamous Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel said in an interview with CBS13 last week about Dylan having sex for the first time at his establishment.

So if Dylan is empowering women to be the best they can be, then she should be right up there with Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Empowering women isn’t exactly where this moral dilemma seems to be going. Women are probably not going to stand up on the rooftops and shout, "I want to sell sex for money! Come and get me baby!"

Instead, women should be shouting, "What the hell?" and "Why is this OK?" If women can sell their own bodies legally online, then what’s stopping the prostitutes on the street? If someone’s selling sex for money, then they’re a hooker. It doesn’t matter whether someone is soliciting in the ghetto on the corner, or having sex for money in a penthouse suite in Beverly Hills- they're still a hooker.

So Dylan may be a hooker but she says she’s looking for more than just money.

"I think I’m very intuitive and I can sense if a person is being genuine or not. I’m definitely going to be looking for that," Dylan told CBS13 about the qualities she’s going to be looking for in the man she has sex with for the first time.

Using the word "genuine" in a situation where a man is going to be paying for your services doesn’t seem to go hand in hand. Someone could never be genuine when paying for sexual favors. What exactly would she want them to be genuine about if she's just looking for the highest bidder? If someone seems genuine and is only bidding $10,000 opposed to a $275,000 bidder who is not genuine, do you think she'd take the lower bid? Probably not.

Not to mention, Dylan supposedly received her degree in women’s studies and is hoping to someday become a marriage and family counselor. Maybe that’s why she’s not using her real name. If Dylan thinks she is making a good career move, then why use a pseudonym? It's because this would most likely hurt her credibility in the future. She must know this, or there would be no reason for the use of pseudonym. But, Dylan is citing "safety issues" as her reason for the fake name.

That old cliché, ‘if you got it, then flaunt it,’ may be ringing in some of your heads right about now. But this isn’t "Pretty Woman" where in the movie; a prostitute played by Julia Roberts is swept off her feet by the rich businessman played by Richard Gere. This is real life and lines need to be drawn.

Regardless of all the glorification and humorous quality this story has, there are many people out there who feel that this is wrong.

"She's just giving it to some random person. And I just think she should be giving it to someone special she loves," said one student on campus to a CBS13 reporter.

Nevada laws seem to be behind other states in prostitution laws. The New York Times ran a story about an online prostitution ring where four people were arrested in New York for online solicitation. Two of the women involved were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws. Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted. The two other people involved were accused of prostitution and money laundering and face up to 25 years in prison. Should Dylan face the same?

Some companies out there seem to have a moral compass though. Dylan originally tried to auction off her virginity on EBay, but was turned down. However, she still managed to make our school look bad by putting us on the map for all the wrong reasons. What could be next for Sacramento State? Should it just start a huge black market community selling livers and babies? Then we’ll not only make it to national headlines- we’ll go international.

Television is Definitely Overrated

2008-09-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

Have you ever wondered how your favorite television show gets rated the number one show in the country? There are thousands of programs out there, but why is that one program considered to be the best? You may not know it but, television companies are trying very hard to get you to be faithful to that special show you just can’t stop talking about. This November, television stations will duke it out during one of the most important months in television, sweeps month, to get that coveted number one spot.

Nielsen Media Research is the company responsible with the task of deciphering through all the data of the television world and crowning the winners. It measures ratings on a daily basis but, sweeps is the most important time for television stations. Basically, the more people who watch a show during sweeps, the more the television stations can charge an advertiser to run a commercial.

Television 101

First, to understand how the programs get rated number one, you have to understand what is getting rated. The three main types of television are cable, broadcast and syndication.

Broadcast television is the main channels and what I like to call the heart of television. It’s the big networks like CBS, ABC, and NBC. Also, you can usually get them at no cost by putting an antenna on top of your television. However, in February 2009 it’s going to change because all networks are switching to digital.

Cable television shows are provided by a cable company like Comcast, and customers pay a fee to get a package of channels. With cable programming, you can get the basic, which provides standard channels like CNN and Disney. But if you choose to pay more money, then you can get the premium channels like HBO and Encore.

Syndicated television is the sale of the right to broadcast television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. Basically, it includes programs like “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Judge Judy.” The shows are not dedicated to one single broadcast network.

Inside the Rating System

OK, now that you've learned the different kinds of television, lets talk about how Nielsen actually works its magic. No, it doesn’t have magical powers and dancing fairies in your living room to suddenly make “Grey’s Anatomy” number one. It takes a lot of hard work and data analysis for the company.

According to Nielsen’s website, the company’s electronic metering technology is the heart of the rating process. It has two different kinds of meters. One is a set meter that lets the company know the channels that are being viewed and the other is a people meter that helps the company to monitor the demographics watching.

The company also measures some markets by diaries that are mailed to viewers. The viewer logs the shows he or she is watching and then sends it back to Nielsen to analyze. This is only in smaller markets like Honolulu, Hawaii.

Breaking Down the Ratings

The ratings are also separated into time slots. Ratings are measured at all times of the day but, the prime time hour slots, which are from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., are usually the most important for television stations.

Other types of ratings data released by Nielsen are the top broadcast television networks, the top shows in the age 18-49 demographic and top syndicated shows.

All of this information may appear like a lot but, it really is quite simpler than it seems. Just think of it as a mass survey. The object is to see what shows are being watched the most and who is watching it. This is how advertisers know when to run that Ford truck commercial during the “Monday Night Football” game and the Neutrogena skin commercial during “Ugly Betty.” At the end of the day, it’s all about what you, the viewer, want to see.

On a final note, here's the shows that were big this week in television. These are the national ratings released by Nielsen for Thursday, Sept. 11 according to www.zap2it.com.

8 p.m.
1- CBS “Big Brother 10”
2- NBC “America’s Got Talent” and “My Name is Earl”
3- FOX “Hole in the Wall” time period premier

9 p.m.
1- CBS “CSI”
2- ABC “Grey’s Anatomy” rerun
3- FOX “Kitchen Nightmares”

10 p.m.
1- CBS “Flashpoint”
2- ABC “Private Practice”
3- NBC “The Office” and “30 Rock” reruns

Sex for School?

2008-09-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Caswell

College is an expensive asset to have these days. So expensive, a Sac State graduate is willing to sell her virginity to continue on at Sac State for her master’s degree. That’s right everyone--her virginity.

Most people would probably say that you can not put a price on something as special as one’s first time in sack. But, 22-year-old Natalie Dylan (not her real name) thought this just might be the way to pay for graduate school. Now, the moral issue of this situation isn’t the point trying to be made. However, the fact that students nowadays have to go to such extremes to be able to pay for their college degrees is ridiculous.

Sac State students might not know some of the fees that are included when paying thier tution. If students are not aware of these extra fees, why is it OK to charge the fees without making it an option? Below is the list of fees students pay, assuming they signed up for more than six units at Sac State.

-State University Fee- $1,524
-Student Body Association Fee- $129.50
-University Union Fee- $189
-Facilities Fee- $3
-Instructional Related Activities Fee- $8
-Health Services Fee- $71
-Hornet Newspaper- $2.50

The grand total of the fees is $1927. That is up $200 from last semester.

What some of these fees are seems to be another issue for students? What exactly is an instructional related activities fee? Most students have no idea what it applies to in their college education.

“I have no clue what that is,” Sac State student Julie Tcha said. “I didn’t even know we got charged for it.”

Well, we do. Doing research on the Sac State website isn’t always the easiest of tasks either. It’s like the university doesn’t want someone to find this information.

So after all of that, the definition of the fee was even more confusing to understand. Its example of the fee was laboratory experiences, which are at least partially sponsored by an academic discipline or department and which are, in the judgment of the President, integrally related to its formal instructional offerings.

What the heck does that mean? If anybody knows please feel free to comment and help everyone understand it. This also does not include the cost of textbooks and parking fees.

Another fee students have to look forward to at Sac State, is the fee to take the writing proficiency exam. That’ll cost a student $25. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the fee to apply to graduate, which is $43. Isn’t the point of going to college to graduate? If something is mandatory to graduate, a fee will follow. The student has no choice but to fork out the cash.

What’s a college student to do in these situations? Well, there’s not much anyone can do. The fees have to be paid if the student wants to attend the university but, there are ways to help pay for college. Students should go into their college’s financial aide office to see what options are out there.

Maybe that’s the route Natalie Dylan took and nothing else seemed better than selling sex over the internet. Surely others out there would probably beg to differ.