What On Earth?-Column #36, May 2005

Here we are at Mother's Day month. Besides sending cards and candy to your mom, some will take her out to eat or shop. And in addition, it's Memorial Day, where we remember our troops and veterans who fought and died protecting America. With THAT in mind, let's get onto the usual nitty-gritty.

As usual, the violence continues in Iraq. It's been 2 years since Bush declared major combat operations over, and he said this on the deck of the USS Lincoln, with a banner reading "Mission: Accomplished." Well, it looks like "Mission: NOT Accomplished." Too many casualties, and it's gonna get worse. AND, to add to the trouble, it's been ONE year since the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Do we condemn torture? You bet. And we won't take it.

It's been 2 years since the redrawing of the Texas lines by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to get more Republicans elected. And it showed in the election, especially in the 32nd District, where Pete Sessions (R) and Martin Frost (D), 2 Texas incumbents, were battling it out to see who'd represent that district. Eventually, Sessions prevailed, sending Frost home. However, I AM STILL A DEMOCRAT. I HAVE NO TRUST IN REPUBLICANS.

It's ALSO been one year since Massachusetts paved the way for legal same-sex marriages. As was the case in San Francisco, this set off a huge debate on both sides. You know where I side with and what party I'm affiliated with, as you should by now. And if you don't, well, SHAME ON YOU.

Well, as is the case every May, some of TV's best shows are saying goodbye with series finales, and those include JAG, Everybody Loves Raymond, Third Watch, and Enterprise. Wait until the fall to see who takes their places (and no, Survivor and The Apprentice are staying put).

From entertainment, we head to sports. As you can well imagine, baseball is underway, and with it, comes the controversy of players using steroids. Some of those players testified before Congress that they've never used the drugs, and this stems from a book by former MLB player Jose Canseco. And, if you've been keeping up, MLB's getting tough with those who use steroids. Anyone who uses them for the first time gets a 10-game suspension, and second means lifetime suspension. We, like the players, want to keep baseball clean. We saw the hearings on Capitol Hill, where current and former players have testified, and they are doing everything in their power to keep it clean.

And, as is the case, every Memorial Day, it's the Indianapolis 500, the grandaddy of all car races. Just like golf, expect the ladies to go against the guys in another battle of the sexes. We've seen what happened with Annika at the 2003 Colonial, and Billie Jean King in tennis. And it's happening in almost every sport!

From sports, we go to game shows. And as you can also imagine, it's getting down to the wire with Jeopardy's ULTIMATE Tournament of Champions, which began in February. It began with over 100 of the show's greatest players of all time, all vying for a chance to play for a $2 million grand prize, and play against the show's juggernaut, the Salt Lake City software engineer who won that much money. Yes, you guessed it, KEN JENNINGS. Third place wins $250,000; and Second place wins $500,000. And, like all TOC's, this tournament features all Teen Tournament and College Championship winners, as well as players from previous TOC's, including ABC's Super Jeopardy, and the show's Million Dollar Masters Tournament from NYC (which Brad Rutter won, and he held the record for most Jeopardy! winnings until Jennings came along). Obviously, some of the players were those who were 5-time winners from the past 19 seasons, but we're also including those champions of the new "Sky's The Limit" Rule, where players keep going as long as they keep winning. Ken Jennings took that rule really seriously, winning over $2.5 million in 74 shows, before finally being defeated by California realtor Nancy Zerg. Obviously, I am a fan of the show, and a huge fan, too.

From game shows, we go into music. It was 20 years ago, May 1985, when The Go-Go's, the first all-female rock band to make it big onto the music scene, broke up for the first time. The band consisted of Belinda Carlisle (Lead vocals), Charlotte Caffey (Lead Guitar and Keyboards), Kathy Valentine (Bass Guitar), Jane Wiedlin (Rhythm Guitar), and Gina Schock (Drums). As you may expect, the drugs and fighting were the big cause. Fast-forward 16 years later to May 2001, and they return with a new album of all new material, the first since 1984's Talk Show, appropriately titled God Bless The Go-Go's, with the hit single "Unforgiven", co-written with Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong (and coincidentally, they promoted their album with a performance of the aformentioned song on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", and had a short interview session after they sang). That same year, they released a DVD of their performance at Central Park, later that year, and just to make the fans happy, they included their classic stuff that fans associate them with (Hits such as "Head Over Heels", "Vacation", "Our Lips Are Sealed", and their so-called Anthem of "We Got The Beat"). It was TWO years ago, that I got hooked on them, as well as Belinda (the most successful of the bandmates in doing solo work), who's famous for solo hits as "Heaven Is A Place On Earth", "Circle In The Sand", and "I Get Weak", All from her 1987 album "Heaven On Earth" (not to be confused with the lead track, which almost sounds like the album name). Nonetheless, the Go-Go's themselves paved the way for future all-female bands, such as the Bangles. And believe it or not, the members of both bands have worked with each other on each individual's solo projects, and you can find out about that, by clicking HERE. Nonetheless, the Go-Go's will always be the ones who helped break down barriers and pave the way for future all-women bands. It's not everyday you see an all-female rock group in person, but it IS everyday you get to listen to their music.

Well, that wraps up another column. This is John Lee saying "Go HOME!"