T Dog’s Four Pack

The best and the worst in media for the week ending May 9:

Winners:

– Perfect. The City of Oakland and the word “perfect” often goes together as Playboy models and science-fiction conventions. But the city gets to celebrate for one day as Dallas Breaden pitched a perfect game Sunday for the hometown Athletics against the Tampa Bay Rays. Now that’s a great Mother’s Day present.

Futurama returns June 24.
Comedy Central announced the return of the animated sci-fi comedy during their upfront on Thursday. Can’t wait.

– Betty White on SNL. The veteran 88 year-old actress – alum of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mama’s Family, and The Golden Girls – was spectacular on the often dull Saturday Night Live two nights ago. She can make anything funny, even something called “MacGruber”. Beautiful Betty rocks!

-Chicago Blackhawks set another ratings record. Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinal between the Hawks and the Vancouver Canucks earned a 10.1 household rating Wednesday night on Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, breaking a ratings record set only a few days earlier when the Hawks played Nashville in the earlier playoff round.

Losers:

– American Idol. This past week, Idol hit its lowest point in the ratings since its first season way back in August 2002. With Paula Abdul gone and Simon Cowell’s foot already out the door (and not to mention a bunch of unexciting contestants), the shark has already jumped.

– Apple. First, Steve Jobs slams Adobe’s Flash and called their product inferior, then  bought music-streaming service LaLa.com and killed it, and now Ellen DeGeneres was forced to apologize to Apple on her talk show last week because she made fun of a Apple product. You know that Justin Long guy in those Apple vs. Mac ads? He’s been replaced – by Mayor Daley. That alone should tell you how uncool Apple has become as of late.

– Chicago sports media’s obsession with Milton Bradley. Hasn’t the former Cubs player moved on to Seattle? Maybe those who work in sports media in this town should do the same.

– Tyra Banks.
It’s one thing for an unruly guest to go nuts on a talk show such as Jerry Springer or Maury. But the host? Watch this clip here and see Tyra Banks do her best Stepin Fetchit imitation. My God, how disgusting – she might as well appeared in blackface. Canceling this piece of s**t show can’t come soon enough (first-run episodes of Tyra ends later this month.) If you want to read a past rant by yours truly on Miss Thang, click here.

Nobody celebrates racial stereotyping more than Tyra Banks does.

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