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I'm Calen Crossley and this is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen and the reporting that never reached our radar. We're going to look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on community and alternative presses for a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. We'll top off the hour going tring from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with ragtime a tour of the tabloids and a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next on the Calla Crossley Show from gumshoe reporting to gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi Singh. The country saying the

biggest month to month jump in new jobs since 2006 but the Labor Department reveals that more unemployed Americans started looking for work again in April pushing the unemployment rate up to 9.9 percent. We have more on this from NPR's Yuki Noguchi. There were a couple of surprises in the report. One was the sheer size of the new jobs the addition of 290000 jobs far surpassed what analysts expected and most of those gains came from private sector employment posting the largest gain in business employment in four years. Perhaps is a sign that many believe the employment picture is improving. More out-of-work people started looking for work since the unemployment rate does not count those who've given up looking their re-entry pushed the jobless rate up. There are still plenty of people who consider themselves under employed in this economy and want more work. That broader measure of unemployment rose slightly last month to seventeen point one percent. Yuki Noguchi NPR News Washington.

U.S. stocks are rebounding a day after one of the most tumultuous days on Wall Street where the Dow plunged nearly a thousand points before it recovered some losses last check Dow is down more than 80 points at ten thousand four thirty five. The sharp drop was attributed in part to Greece's ongoing debt crisis and its potential impact on other European nations. Greece is making deep budget cuts and getting emergency money from IMF and the European Union. Today President Obama says he told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he supports the rescue plan. We agreed on the importance of a strong policy response by the affected countries and a strong financial response from the international community. I made clear that the United States supports these efforts and will continue to cooperate with European authorities and the IMF during this critical period. In Louisiana today family and friends will gather to remember Keith manual one of the 11 workers killed when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up in the Gulf of Mexico. NPR's Larry Abramson has more from Eunice Louisiana. Keith Blair Emanuel was 56 years old when he died in the explosion fire that

sank the Deepwater Horizon oil platform last month. He's the last of the 11 workers to have a memorial service. It's being held in Eunice in southwestern Louisiana where his parents still live. They proudly say he was the only Real Cajun working on the rig. Keith manual had only been at the facility for a couple of days when the explosion occurred. He was sent out there by the contractor he worked for to replace another worker at the last minute. As with the other victims Keith manual's remains were never found. His family and friends will drop messages into a memory box which will then be buried. Keith manual leaves behind three daughters. Larry Abramson NPR News Eunice Louisiana. Meanwhile in the Gulf of Mexico a crew is working to get a metal chamber over the leak from the damage well deep in the water. This is NPR. The Icelandic volcano that disrupted European air travel last month is still spewing ash into aviation air lanes. But as Larry Miller tells us from London aviation officials have been trying to dodge the cloud to keep

planes in the air a thousand mile long cloud of volcanic ash is hovering off the Atlantic coast of Ireland during the last few days. The ash cloud closed airports and forced flight cancellations in Ireland Northern Ireland and Scotland. It's also forced that a version of transplanted flights according to European air traffic officials. The ash cloud is moving south squeezing available air space and forcing planes into now overcrowded Spanish airspace causing delays of up to two hours in April a blanket flight ban cost European airlines more than three billion dollars and stranded thousands of passengers around the world. European transportation officials are developing ways of avoiding further ASH related disruption before the busy summer travel season. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. U.S. and Pakistani authorities are examining the information the Times Square suspect Faisal Shazad has been giving investigators. One is whether he got help in allegedly planting the bomb or worked alone. U.S. investigators say she's admitted to

receiving explosives training from militants in Pakistan but. The Pakistani Taliban denies any ties to Shahzad. NATO's is confirming the deaths of two more service members in Afghanistan this week. One was killed in a mortar or rocket attack in eastern Afghanistan another was killed by enemy fire in the southern part of the country. At least 10 NATO's troops have been killed in Afghanistan in the last seven days. Lakshmi Singh NPR News. Support for NPR comes from us on college he united with 13:00 on colleges nationwide to help patients fight cancer online at us on college E dot com. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Kelly Crossley Show. Today is our Week in Review and we are here with our contributors Marcella Garcia Metta and Howard Manley of the bell they state then our

rocky week. A lot. Talk about that so let's get right to it. The Boston water crisis what was that about. I like to know how in communities of color this news was reported are not reported as you know we talk about the Week in Review for the news that was not reported so under the radar in communities of color. How was that news reported pretty much. I you know we really didn't report extensively because it was it was too quick Plus we were consumed with the immigration march and everything. I did notice though that at least in the Latino community there were messages sent out in Spanish but not general like. I notice that some people did not get them. But at the same time I think people really didn't you know have to understand for the Latino community in an American community like I never stop drinking the water I never stop doing anything and I was completely fine.

You're Emily Rooney. You really did not stop her. You know what I mean he was he wasn't because I was cynical or anything it's just that my stomach is great at resisting because I think because of the area and the water is not as good over there. OK. I don't know I think there's a little bit of that to it. You're right about that. Yeah I don't know that. And what I was out of town and I came back and sun and you hear this water crisis and you see these signs on the Mass Turnpike saying boy a warder and you go like OK so now this is what it's like to live in a third world country Mohan's like it but what was interesting to me and we just did the sort of the basic story just to make sure that everybody knew. And here are some steps that you can take to make sure that the border that is now supposedly clean that you can use is have the ball seemed in command and that was an interesting thing that he took control. Got it done and I thought that was a very positive thing for him not only as the governor of the state but also for his re-election campaign so that was interesting but no overall Badwater to black

communities and Latino communities. I mean that's not a new thing. But did but did the word get out. Did you get. I mean because a lot of people have been talking not just in communities of color found out by accident. You know they're going about it about their business they never got any phone call they never heard anything they overhear somebody else and I got to go buy bottled water like what's that about that oh no. So I was just curious about the communication. I went to a couple grocery stores and it's the typical thing about OK there's a blizzard coming and yeah you go to the grocery store and then you have that panic thing and you always have OK you can just buy a case of water. I mean think about your fellow citizens but know there are people with carts with three four five six cases of water you know please. I mean you could boil the water like the water was right you know and I started running. I think it was the nature of the whole situation that led people into panic and of course as word gets around but in the wrong way. Yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean I was at the Grove Hall Stop and Shop and I mean people are just going

crazy you know really. Obviously they got the word or they don't go there. You didn't get the word they got it when they went to the grocery store girl did you hear. And that was that you know. OK well I'm one of those people that panics when it snows so I can't I don't I'm not complaining about people who panic but I understand and I do think that we did overreact. We citizens in terms of buying four times the amount that we needed in AZ Marcellus and you could boil it all right. Regular lazy that's for show yeah you didn't want to boil the water period so you go in you know and get some water and then that creates this domino effect in people were you know I should better you know buy more water but but have that yeah breaks up I don't know I mean you get to the technical part about the pipe and the water main and then there's some clamp and they can't find it. So I thought that was very interesting to me to find out how did that happen. Yeah and I think the Globe did a pretty good job. Oh yeah. The public out there different from the OK of this app something like this happens again will people be more

responsive more quickly or will they be more cynical. The way you are. Probably because they say that the water was fine to be had and with they tell they didn't know until after they didn't know right away it was just a precaution. Then you have somebody suing the city if they drink the water and get sick of it. I remember during 9/11 one of the threats or potential threats was to go poison the waters are right and so you got all that in the back of people's mind and in the light of the New York Times guy getting busted for trying to blow up stuff I mean you just don't know you hear all this stuff on the news and then you just parrot better. Better to respond better to respond. OK we are talking with Howard Manley the executive editor of the Bay State Banner and Marcella Garcia the managing editor of and this is our weekly Week in Review. Now of course the story that got subsumed in all of this water conversation was the one about the immigration marches on May 1st. Talk to us a little bit about that Marcella. There were a lot of people attending the march that started in Everett walked through

5000. Yeah. Chelsea and then ended up in East Boston and I think it was a very it was a better well attended that people thought that it was going to be less but in light of the immigration laws passed in Arizona I think that energized people to go out in the streets and protest. So yeah between 3000 and 5000 people that's a big amount for the Boston area. So so that was good but you're right it really got brushed aside because of the water story. But under the radar Yeah. Yes but we reported on and we got we got a lot of pictures obviously the marches people show up with a lot of props you know and that was very interesting to see because he really you can get to see what's on people's mind and a lot of it was our Sona and how they really wanted to stand against that and the Arizona law is a very tricky thing. And you know again there's some very real problems with immigration in terms of who is actually coming over in the sort of damage that they can cause

with the drug trafficking trade. The other criminals that are coming here so it's a legitimate issue for state officials particularly in Arizona to pay attention to. The problem is police discretion who they stop and to give them open license. Hey I believe and the police and they got a job to do. But at some point you just can't go around and usurp people's civil liberties in asking for their papers. That's just wrong and I think the reaction here in Massachusetts a city and town folks that believe in civil liberties they're going to protest like crazy on that and you saw that down in the city council. Exactly and this is a majority minority city to a lot of people don't realize it but it is. And communities of color lots of folks in communities of color have a very real firsthand experience with being profiled. Right now it has a different meaning to them. It was exactly I mean it's a well-intentioned law we get it. I mean that taxes are going up in Arizona you have all the school bills that folks have to pay in the medical and health care. But again

police discretion is always gives minorities a cause for pause. It just it just hasn't worked out that well for us. OK well now what's happened here very recently in response to the Arizona law is that the resolution which was sponsored by Felix Arroyo of the Boston City Council and Michael Ross. So what you think about that myself I think it was a very. People don't realize how diverse the Boston City Council has become and I think it's a reflection of that. And I I was really happy to see that Felix at all you was the one spearheading this initiative he did it. He acted pretty quickly. And the fact that he was in an enemy's decision again reflects the diversity of the Boston City Council now is really starting to reflect a little bit the diversity that Boston has in terms of its population Ayanna Pressley was obviously very supportive of the resolution so it was a no brainer. The other thing is that there was a lot of opposition. I think after they announced there was they were going to study the

resolution has they started to see or get a lot of emails from people opposing and to counteract that when the when the vote was happening there were a lot of people from local immigrant organizations there to support the bill and to counteract some possible opposition but nobody nobody showed up to oppose the the resolution so it was very good to see that happening very very nice as far as I know. I think we are the major the first major city battling San Francisco and honestly right. SIMON Yeah but I know the New York City and D.C. are considering similar measures at the city level. Can it be effective. The icon is more symbolic I think it's symbolic and he keeps. I think it keeps the conversation in the right direction. We you know we're not going to we're not going to stand quiet then we have to say something in a symbolic as he may be just like the basketball team or the NBA the sun's going with Los Lobos.

You know this is a song it's a love song. Yeah. Explain that yeah. Yeah well they a couple of players on that team Steve Nash of the potential Hall of Famer was outraged by this and decide it and the team agreed to use spank Spanglish for their logo on their basketball uniforms during the playoffs. And so again we were talking about the direction that this is going and it's going to go to the White House and at some point the president is going to have to somehow i mean i know you got beat up at health care and I know you've got the economic stimulus package but immigration is that big giant issue that is going to need federal intervention. Yes. Well Bush tried it well and Bush has tried a lot of things and so now it's up to Barack who by the way gets things done. Do we talk about health care when we talk about the rich. I raise that because you know you can't accuse former President Bush the second one being some wild eyed liberal you know and he try to well remember or remember the last time it was brought up it was John McCain and it was Kennedy the late Kennedy

and John McCain has completely gone on the other side of the issue he supports the Arizona bill and then again it has to be ready for office exactly right. I'm running for office. You know he's going to face opposition in his next term so of course he just went to the other side but I don't know these needs to gain some traction and that's what Howard and I were talking about earlier how the fact that the thing in Arizona happened maybe needs needed to happen to bring the issue back to where it needs to get totally resolved which is at the federal level. And yet people are going to get enraged but maybe this is good people talking about it so I don't think it's good. And if you don't want to do it. Court and have that sort of legal back. You want some sort of political consensus about what we should do in terms of immigration policy in 2010. That's the issue. So once or for all let's get it on the table and duke it out. Well but you do have some some issues for example Lindsey Graham now backing away from saying you know he might have been involved in a bipartisan effort to really

discuss immigration reform but he's angry that the climate bill get pushed aside for this as as in I think in his mind a sort of knee jerk reaction to what was happening on the ground in Arizona. So I can you tell which way the politics are going to be I can tell you the policy is not going to deal with anything contentious until after the these upcoming election. OK. Yeah. All right we're going to continue this discussion after the break I'm Kalee crossing and we're looking at the news that went under the radar with Howard Manley of the Bay State Banner and Marcella Garcia of El planeta. We'll be back after this break stay with us. With. With the.

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theatre and art. Learn more at WGBH daughterboard slash learning tours. I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Kelly Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're hitting the rewind button and looking at the news that went under the radar this week. Joining us to talk between the headlines are Howard Manley the executive editor of the Bay State Banner and Marcella Garcia the managing editor of Elle planta. Now before we went to break we were talking about the Boston City Council resolution that just passed sponsored by Felix Arroyo and Michael Ross to really essentially keep Municipal Employees from traveling and spending money in Arizona. And this is being this is a resolution that's being carried out in other places but what I want to talk to you guys about is what do you think about the anti boycott response to this because there's already been some discussion by people who are angry as you said Marcella who said I am not now going to spend money in Boston I'm a do my own little boycott so I'll go outside of the city limits

and spend money and see if Boston likes it. If they are going to be boycotted as well because where and because they believe that the law in Arizona is just one or if even if they don't believe that it's none of our business. I think it is. I mean I hadn't heard that. By the way about people just responding to the boycott with another. Yeah I hadn't heard that but I guess and I think it's just a good thing that it's symbolic. Maybe it won't mean anything but it does it does mean something again to keep the conversation going in the right direction and in I don't know I think we just have to keep saying and voicing our opposition to it because something has to happen at the federal level and again going back to the March for example. That's exactly why make people go out in March. I'm thinking of three or four years ago actually four years ago the May 1st marches were very very. Well you know people were

talking about because you felt like it was time for immigration reform and people went out on the streets. So maybe that's what people are going back and thinking of the I don't know if you guys remember but four years ago they were talking about people who were asking immigrants to not do anything for a day. Yes. Remember they have got it right. Have them set him right so right. You know maybe we need to do something like that again. I know people are considering are talking about it but whether the boycott or not the anti boycott is going to work I don't know I think it's just I don't know yet couple angry folk. Yeah exactly lives and New Hampshire and if you go back to my residence. OK you're right you know it. But you gotta remember when Arizona refused to pass the MLK holiday and they came but we did against that and then it took major institutions like the NFL to threaten not to have the Super Bowl over there that year and when you have the sort of

yes everybody is entitled to do their own reaction but I mean this law goes to the very heart of what America is fundamentally except founded on which is the right to have. You know the privacy I mean you've got to have civil there I mean this is a reasonable expectation that again it wouldn't have caused such a problem if there was confidence in the police department and discretion is not one of their strong suit is just not because what they do and I don't blame him. Just arrest them. Or ask everybody. And that's OK but that's a problem. You know we need to keep pressuring and like you were saying with the n the NFL the Major League Baseball or I least people are asking the MLB to not have their. I think the All-Star Game. Thanks to you Larry so not a lot of money that's a lot of money and I think we have to keep with the pressure. Yeah. So if you remember from Newton it's not going to threaten Boston just exactly when the Boston City Council were considering when they were considering the measure like I was saying earlier they they got a lot of angry e-mails but then what happened nobody showed up.

Right OK all right well we're going to transition and I just want our listeners to know that next week Monday Felix Arroyo who is a co-sponsor of the legislation is going to be joining us here in the Calla Crossley Show so we'll have a chance for to get his thoughts on it. But you mentioned the police reminds me of a story in the Bay State Banner Howard about the task force a team task force. Tienes Tell me Tell me about that. OK well this goes to the same thing police discretion in several several years ago. BTA and their police force was call to the State House to answer why all these kids were being arrested given Cory's for no real reason and so they had to do a lot of changes that there was going to be this sort of as Blanket questioning kids throwing their hands up against the wall so now we have a real resurfacing of this problem. And so what a couple kids in the Hyde Square area they are in this taskforce and they've gone out and they're going to document you know by talking to maybe a thousand kids that used to be. Have you ever been harassed

or been arrested and that the overwhelming majority from our reporting is that yes the great majority of them and they're not. There's always going to be one with some weed in his pocket or who has a fight over something right we get that but just for the mass majority of those kids they're not threatening anyone and so this document now they're going to go back to the state house I would assume and say look I mean this is a little bit much. And again this goes to the police discretion that you know now Corey what is that. Corey is your police record so. There's been a lot of debate specially with teenagers about how do you interpret that. How do you get it sealed. And so if you've been arrested for say assault battery but it's thrown out you're not guilty. It's very difficult to read that report because of the coding and all this other stuff. So now when you go to a job you have. So it's a life time problem for something that should have been a raised or never even should have happened. So that's And there's all sorts of other problems with trespassing. You know

I want to take the team go back in to be charged with trespassing so the court reporter is the longstanding permanent mark on your record. If you get caught up in one of these little steps that substantiate it. Yes charges by the in the da cops. What do you think about that story. So you know we have been reporting on the current situation because there's a lot of Latinos involved in that fight as well. And I don't know I just have to say that any time that there's teens involved in getting getting involved politically and actively for their communities I think we were always sort of reporting that in going back just for a minute to the immigration thing and the Eyrie Sona thing we also report and how one of this Latino groups that work for and with youth we're also trying to get their members involved and they were asking them to boycott some of the resort abates companies

that we have here. And again I think any time that the youth getting involved gets involved to you know pass the exactly of way. We're always there reporting it because you know it's pretty remarkable that first of all Latinos immigrants it's hard to get them involved. It's really hard to get them to vote to get counted to do anything. So I think it's great. And one of the things that you see out of this is that this whole idea of grassroots activism is really the burn I mean this is a very real thing. Yeah and with the electronic. New technology it's very easy to gather. I mean there's another meeting this Saturday with teens trying to get involved here so you don't you need this and then you know how do you know that they're about talking about the one bag but you don't see these kids that are getting America getting organized trying to have a platform I mean there are 17 18 years old. You know it's pretty remarkable that I can't you know that can exist.

It's a real problem for them right. And they're going to be using some video you know. These are kids who are you know we've done video right. So later in the document some of these kinds of charges are what they feel is inappropriate hassling. Yeah that's going to be documented in an organized way. Right right right. And this is not a strange problem. I mean former state senator Dianne Wilkerson had several hearings on this and it forced the BTA to redo their whole policies about this but it's just one of those things that keeps coming back up. Well this is a Congress position I think of something that often happens with teens of color. Yeah because if they are gathered Yeah if they're gathered they appear to be a threatening force they get caught up in another car they put them in another context exact you know make them suspicious yet allow their talking trash to him and that could be threatening to some people. And then because you throw your plastic bottle of water on the ground I'm subject to be frisked or something I don't know. Well I will say that as someone who spends a lot of time on Martha's Vineyard to scam up on Martha's

Vineyard. Now there's no TV there there are kids hanging outside the ice cream shop it's a route for teens and there was a whole back and forth between communities about whether or not these kids stand outside the ice cream shop where in fact Threadneedle hang out there right. You know that you know and I might it's been your people. Yeah you know. And one of the things I could say the proper urban planning is that you have to factor in because kids when they want to and they want to be shot either they just don't so we have. So I know a place in Silver Spring Maryland for example they they have like maybe a three block area that has like the sort of ice cream shop in the movie theater and the cops are not really harassing people but they're around their presence is known but the kids can hang out. Yeah you know just do what they do and think it's out of control. So that's a you know it's an urban policy question as well and I don't even know if Mark has been to has an urban policy planning department where they didn't think they need to I will say though the connection to that so that people are listening thinking why weren't you come up with that is that I notice that Joseph

Carter was so good to there you go to to take care of this or to look into this. I mean actually right and Joseph Carter used to be the chief of police on Martha's Vineyard right. And he also happens to be a person of color. So now I've brought it full circle for those of you just you know if you go on with this. I cannot leave this conversation Marcella without talking about your interesting editorial about Cinco de mio. Yeah that was really something. Yeah I mean it's really a personal issue for me because when I first moved back to move here to Boston it really was completely foreign for me why these people I am sorry to call this. I didn't mean to sound like I was I was thinking to my is we just got a sense of OK oh it's just another very small holiday back in Mexico is just a battle that we want to get them for it. A French army but he wasn't that meaningful he's just it's a very regional holiday kind of like Patriots Day here for England. And he does get celebrated in that area of the country. But it's not a federal holiday nothing happens we obviously don't have

parades and believe me we have parade to Mexico for every. Saying we don't so for me was very I felt like it was my mission to sort of inform people because what I found out too is that when I started telling people the real story behind they were completely shocked him back home to when I told my family and friends that you know they celebrate Cinco to my you they were like they did what. And so you know I wrote this thing a few years ago and the Globe ran it and I sort of run it every year in Spanish as well because it's also a piece of good information for other Latinos from that don't come from what you see people celebrating it this is what inspired your editorial. Yeah exactly it's just a beer commercial holiday. You know in another role really taken over by you know I'm sorry but you know you know I don't even want to say the brandy because. But ya know they really this is how they make their money so they turn it into a big huge holiday and you know generally these does have some roots here in the Latino community in the United States.

This holiday was taken by Chicanos in the night in the 60s and 70s but just a very symbolic celebration and all of a sudden took a life of its own because the beer companies injected a lot of money into making it happen and so that's that's why everyone gets caught up in this yeah let's celebrate Cinco de Mayo and happy Cinco in my. It's just it's unreal. So so yeah i interesting Lee enough. I find it very shocking that I get so many comments every year because people don't know about it. Well you talk about the people stumbling out of the bars and whatever you know. Yeah it's a very I mean really you know I mean that's that's what that's what I think about St. Patrick's Day as well. It is gotten out of control and I know we have some meaningful connotations to Irish but it's nothing like it's back home. It's nothing like it like we celebrated here so is there something like that in the black community wants or wants. If you're OK it is a made up holiday. I'm like a

guy you know is telling me No no no it's created by a guy in California. Oh and I go yeah but but to celebrate you know some heritage and to get you know and I mean it was a good thing yeah I you know I get that for example going I think I might you know I think people some people in the Latino community but this is a good thing we have to bear and I think that it's a good thing. Do another one of your take it why hijack I think you know I think you know right here I make it a May 5th in a sense kind of cool I have to say CINCO DE might like that you know you know the name is very catchy like Bastille Day. Yeah that was a real thing in Quonset to see you know it happens in every community and you know that there is no Santa Claus. I mean yeah. Yeah all right from you to what do you see that got overlooked that you think should have gotten more attention this week. I'm kind I mean. I don't want to say migration because that really has been discussed in the media. You know every possible way nationally not around here not only

I think I mean I don't want to say the census but the census and I read that in this community in Dorchester Oh that was a globe I think. I think we should be hearing or reading more about the census response and why people didn't participate or because it's under I guess they didn't get a very good response. There was really interesting. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. But in general that in general Yeah exactly so now they are at the at the stage where you have to go and get people counted by you know they're sending people out of the communities. So I don't I think it's still a good story to report on it and I hope we can. I guess the import of it is not been given a lot of attention. I mean you're correct if we're just even reporting about the fact that people haven't haven't you know turned in their forms us one thing. But again just making it clear just exactly what's going to happen if these numbers aren't right. I don't think a lot of people understand about particularly losing representation and to my mind then those people who are in those communities that are not responding who are representative ought to be in front. How do you think

Howard. I think again the story that may have got a little attention but I think the ball is leadership during this water crisis was fairly significant was this other story that didn't get a lot of traction but because it's the governor's race. I don't know if you guys remember Charlie Baker in the lie about the shelters and immigration I mean you know that was totally out of vogue came out and rushed him well. Yeah explain that. Well Charlie Baker had announced declare that it was wrong to accept immigrants or undocumented immigrants in shelters because he was probably taken. They were probably taking spaces should go to citizens and then he totally backtracked on that issue. So and then the ball. Yes Zain I mean where does Mr. Baker come off dictating who could go to an actual

shelter and then having the state question people's lifestyles and all that and it was very wrong on Charlie Baker to even bring that up in the light of this Arizona thing. Exact but it was very good that the ball answered that right away right off the top. And just made that a non issue and so the bar's been very feisty in the early days of this campaign. And then you have to be those those poll numbers yeah yeah yeah. And Baker has been very feisty against Cahill. So this is this is a good way to get it out every so you can have some room. So OK well you know all of these issues will come back again and it's a nother interesting discussion with the two of you we've been talking news with Howard Manley executive editor of the Bay State Banner and Marcella Garcia managing editor of Elle. Thank you both for joining us. Thank you. Coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids. We'll be back after this break stay tune to eighty nine point seven.

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Crossley Show the new eighty nine point seven WGBH. It's brag time. A few of the week's coverage in tabloids. It's a low brow examination of the salacious to the ridiculous and everything in between. With this being public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts are pointy head of pop culture Thomas Connelly and Rachel Reuben Thomas Connelly is a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Reuben is the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston. Welcome you too. Hello again Dolly. Well I want to start right off with letting our listeners hear a little bit of Michael Jackson to set up a possum a scandal involving his dermatologist. Once.

You. Can run. I mean. OK. That was Michael Jackson Man in the mirror and we just learned in the past few days that his dermatologist male assistant claims a long term affair with Michael Jackson and the dermatologist backs him up. Tom I can't get Jermaine Jackson's Fala laden invective and rage contorted face out of my mind right now. There may be his brother. Yeah the reaction to this is just extraordinary the fury the frenzy which is nothing like anything I can recall hearing about when the pedophilia charges were brought up about Michael Jackson. I think it says a lot about the recent the posthumous canonization of Michael Jackson. And unfortunately some not so lean homophobia that it is still around us. But this this

character who's come out of the woodwork or from under a rock to claim you know this long term relationship. I don't care if it's true or not but there's something about him I just don't trust. And the dermatologist says well how is it that these stars with millions and millions of dollars somehow never seem to have medical attendants who look like they are board certified. I don't know the dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein and the guy who is claiming the affair is Jason Pfeiffer and he now says that he's getting death threats Rachel because he came out and said that this relationship was real. Now that's absolutely right and he is on the run apparently in hiding out in friends houses and so forth. And it's funny because you know it's for first people to come forward after somebody who's you know essentially a pop star and claim a relationship is entirely normative. You know I'm remembering with great fondness for instance when when Sibel Shepherd said yes I slept with Elvis.

And you know. So there's a way in which and it happens all the time and there is so there is a way in which this claim you know whether it's true or not is the most normative thing anybody has said about Michael Jackson's sexuality. And it's you know it's absolutely it's very upsetting to me. The the language that's being used in response to this and even you know in supposedly neutral context a newspaper saying you know that he accused Michael Jackson of being gay for instance. So I absolutely agree that you know the homophobia in the responses is frightening. The other strange aspect is it couldn't be true. Look at this guy Michael would never be attracted to someone like so interesting very very bizarre. Yeah. And I do take your point that it's it's fascinating that there's so much rage as opposed to the pedophile when the pedophilia charges were made so now in contrast of that maybe this week Country music star Shelly Wright came out by way of People

magazine this was the scoop predicted last week. And she said but but but we said what anybody paying close attention to her hit single white female probably knew her sexuality long ago here's a clip of it even if you do it to the person you give them a discount at the end. I'm enjoying the kids. But I'm so shy. And. Look. At you. So it goes on. I mean the lover part is really say man. You know at the end she kind of cheats and says Man what do you think Rachel. Well the song you know if nothing else it's incredibly playful for her to be singing the song it's all about self identification right and sort of naming your categories. So whether she's Figes that at the end or not I think it's kind of

clever. So you know absolutely fascinating as as you said her coming out by way of People magazine in this carefully orchestrated thing. I think that it really could be meaningful to young people you know and there has been a lot of talk about how you know there's no out a country music stars which is certainly true and there is basically no out gay musical stars in any genre of American musical. It's very hard to think of them. You know the British do a tiny bit better for the most part when people come out it's you know on the way out like when they're when their careers are basically over though. Again it's very hard even to think of people who have done it so it really it has been courageous for her to do this. Where do you think. Well from trailer parks to NASCAR Ellis to meth labs the reaction is a big yawn. Most of the blog comments I read were Who is she. Oh yeah 10 years ago.

How do you pronounce her name. The contrast between the Michael possumus Michael Jackson announcement and this alleged star is remarkable. Also the. To me I just regard the cynically May 4th she comes out with a book May 5th she comes out of the closet. It's a pathetic attempt to revive what according to what a lot of country-Western sites say is a non-existent career. The only support I could find for her isn't what friends of mine if a shared me is a marginal lesbian page called Curve which which said this is really great. Sort of the boilerplate you know you go woman. But really most commentary seems to be ho hum. Well I have to say that we were sort of teased last week by people that this might be a cover story and she's way inside on page 87 have the magazine in front of me and the front page is Bret Michaels and it could be because you know he is a very he's the. The singer and also the guy who is on The Celebrity Apprentice who just had an aneurism and so he's on the cover properly because that was quite

shocking news but it was it's kind of interesting that she wasn't even in one of those little pictures on the side. There's other people so I want that me and I did. Going to checked that you know so far nobody's ever helped their country music career by coming out as a lesbian. So I feel really really can't see how that would be like a calculator we're talking about her. Yeah well OK. You know I thought she might want to. This is my take from reading the article and people she wanted to apologize to some people publicly. For example Brad Paisley even mandated for a long time and never told what show she was raked over the coals for commenting that she used to weep during intercourse I mean I know that I bring that up if you cared about it wow ok I think she apologized publicly I'm going to give her that somebody I'm not going to give any. Number two is Lindsay Lohan. I mean is this like what is this court now. It's been announced that she is going to play Linda Lovelace a well-known porn star of some years ago. I what is she doing with her career.

I you know first of all is this going to make it to the Cannes Film film festival will will she's still be a compliment to us or even physically alive by then. The poor thing I do I have a smidgen of sympathy for it given her family background. Her father has dropped his conservator lawsuit you know trying to take control of her life. But for her to play the part of Little of us a woman who everyone knows was horrifically victimized and manipulated by all aspects of the entertainment industry. Lindsay loan I think brings a family drama to it. You know what you know of her background that added to what we know about what Lindsay Lohan's manager and slash boyfriend who held a gun to her head to make her do the scene was a la Linda Lovelace Yeah yeah yeah. It just it makes it all the more sleazy sleazy and also more much more horrified fascination to really watching a flaming train wreck going off a cliff. OK Rachel what do you see. You know I you know it will really depend on how it goes I mean I do I do have some sympathy for her but

it is really fascinating in that you know it's like perhaps the farthest distance and character zones from anybody I can think of the beginning of her career to the end of I know some freaky friday so yeah some freaky friday exactly indeed. But and it's for the movie itself you know it will obviously have to draw on when to love us is you know several memoirs and you know it would just it will depend on will depend on how much it's it's an interesting movie to make you know in 1972 Deep Throat comes out and I always say. Think about it together with the movie from 1975 The Stepford Wives and these these two like they're both science fiction movies of a certain kind and they're both sort of projecting these male fantasies about womanhood at a time when you know women's role is completely changing. And then of course the movie Deep Throat making it into the consciousness as this sort of male in-joke around the Watergate informant you know. Right you know that's how a lot of our hero particularly women would have learned about we would have learned about that movie.

So it really will be interesting to see what the filmmakers do with it. But I think there's a lot there and yeah well maybe she returns her acting chops. You know she could be something different for I don't know. Now listeners Here's a sample of the Muppets 20th century brand of humor I will tell you what this is about coming out after. I didn't think it would have a kind of thank you to the Brits. Never again believe those rats were responsible for this. Why not. They were also responsible for the bubonic plague. OK so g s in is going to put on a Muppet adult oriented Muppet Show called Late Night Liars. And if you can believe it and I'm shocked the Muppets will be alcoholic. And I guess. Profane. And this is supposed to be fun. I don't get it. Well the Muppets Jim Henson Jensen started on an adult television at Rolf the first the original Muppet was on the Jimmy Dean Show which

was a variety show for adults and one of the alcoholic. I mean he did he did have some some problem met a lot of medical problems. OK you know they've said this is you know inspired by Avenue Q But there's also you know a fairly substantial. I vant Gard adult puppet theatre world out there. Yeah OK it's a racial song. Have some other puppets why Mick why make the Muppets be part of it. You know that really it's funny. I mean I think it's good for the Muppets to be part of it and here's why. And as you know as somebody who has watched Sesame Street with a couple at least a couple of kids Sesame Street has become so in Scottsdale as you know the iconic completely trusted one would say you know sacral eyes entertainment or educational entertainment for children that that it seems really startling to use the Muppets in this new context but I think it's good to question things like Sesame Street. You know you don't want to just make too many assumptions just based on no brand recognition and trust.

But the thing that really tickles me about this is that you know they're on this game show and they're puppets and it's one of those instances where pop culture tells on itself. Right it's saying here we are on a television game show and we were just puppets about it. All right I'm just to you know let's speaking of brand I what I've got to get this in because it just kills me. Brand Recognition. This is Apple not taking a joke. Earlier this week Ellen DeGeneres had to apologize to Apple for mocking the iPhone. Here's a sample of her controversial humor or just a. Member. I didn't mean to send them. OK that's not what I would defend. To say he didn't mean to send that. Son. Just a minute. No. That's something I think I have. Can you help me with this. Yeah. What Apple didn't think was so funny.

They thought that I made it look like it's hard to use and I just want to say that I'm sorry if I made it look like the iPhone is hard to use. It's not hard to use I have an iPhone Porsche has an iPhone. I just learned how to text on an iPhone it's only phone that I can text on. And I love it I love my pad. I love my iPod. I love I hop. If you have any. So everybody at Apple Steve Jobs Mr. McIntosh. What do you think Rachel I have to say you know when I first heard Ellen made this joke that has the Apple people made up. Has the Apple people you know all worked up. I thought it was going to be there about the i-Pad because that was a new is right thought she was going to I was thinking is she does she say does it come with wings right now which a lot of are right. Yeah. You know after that the far as the apology goes which was probably funnier than the original skit you know.

But the fact is these people are you more or less I mean you're in a way that you can you do have fat fingers you cannot text on that thing. They're gonna be ok. When I first I was angry at Steve Jobs but listening to this again I'm I'm really angry with Ellen Degenerate for for caving like this I don't think the lawyers made her say that she's laughing at the end so it's clear to me that she did have a choice in this. You know that it was mean which is ridiculous because despite recent Supreme Court decisions corporations are not people you can't really apologize to them and you shouldn't have to. Yeah. Well numbers are down on a very popular show. And it's American Idol. And what do you think about that. I think it's lack of talent. I think people are bored. I think people are tired of waiting for Simon to leave. The young people that I talk to that I you know my students they couldn't care less. They were really turned off by the Sinatra imitations and Harry Connick does not sing to us. Age group and I just think the show is tired and worn out.

OK. And even with the help of Ellen you know Rachel you know even with and it's funny because you know a Merican Idol is you know right now it seems complain that it's all about the delivery of the commercials because the number of those has increased and the the age group that advertisers most seek out because of the way they spend does not coincide with the kind of music that the show has decided would be the most inoffensive you know so if they really want to capture that age group they got to have them do in rock and roll they gotta have them doing hip hop you know they they gotta like gotta not like try so hard just not to offend that's not what music did Adam Lambert scare them that much you know guess guess what shows beating them. Tom Dancing With The Stars and that they are going bad that's hard. I don't you know pay in this way. Because we cannot make it out of this show. But I gotta say they're not exactly the cutting edge of music no dancing with the Stars Oh sure you know.

So what are we talking about. Well I don't think a dance with the Stars doesn't have any pretensions to being on the edge whereas. Well I don't understand why they think they can but American Idol still thinks it is somehow on the pulse of America. But the other thing is that that's the disconnect is the ad revenues are up even though the ratings are down. All right. Well listen perforation Professor Rachel Rubin a professor Tom Conley thank you for joining us for another edition of ragtime It's always fun. Now we're going to go out on a song. BETTY WHITE LINES performed by the St. Paul of glee club because I stand corrected. I have to issue a formal apology to our listeners last week I said that Betty White was hosting Saturday Night Live on Friday April 30th. In fact for the record she is hosting it this Saturday and I want anybody to miss it. So tomorrow night Betty White SNL. And this is the Kelly Crossley Show today's program was engineered by Allen Madison produced by Chelsea Merz a production assistant is an a white knuckle beat. We are production of WGBH radio.

Live from New York. Good Saturday. And Sunday morning.