What's Trending, What's most Popular and When's The Latest Upgrade?

There is so much information out there these days that it seems like all anyone pays attention to are:

*What's trending according to Yahoo News
*Most Popular on Youtube
*Most Popular on Facebook
*When is the newest iPhone upgrade is going to be released?

It's as though the news creators, of which there are countless, realize you have too many choices.  To combat this, they narrow things down into bullet point headlines, scrolling news timelines and screenshots to make it easier.  [Or more than likely, to steer you toward the things they want you to read about.]

I believe it may have been Walter Cronkite who first coined the term, infotainment, to describe how the reporting of hard news was morphing into something else entirely.  He spoke of the concept way back when the internet was still in its infancy and most people I knew (including myself) didn't have a cell phone yet and e-mail was a mind-boggling concept.

The informative news broadcasts of current events from our parents' day and age, is becoming more and more diluted by popular culture.  Now, there are no boundaries to what constitutes "news."  In fact, what's trending is more driven by the public than ever before.  Just look at the shows that hit the top ten on the Nielsen Ratings any given week.

Things that made headlines this week:

Nurse Jackie actress, Merritt Wever wins best supporting actress in a comedy and proceeds to give the quickest Emmy speech ever-- out of what can best be described as good old-fashioned stage fright.  I watched the video, as did many people.  In my opinion, it's far from newsworthy, more like a fluff of a news item.  I will admit that the frightened Wever is adorable as she flees the spotlight, Emmy in hand.  Her reaction is much like many of us would have-- if we were convinced we were a dark horse in an Emmy race and then we end up winning.




Sarah Silverman is still Jewish.  After an appearance on FXX's Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, the Jewish comedian is spotted wearing a cross necklace.  Oh, the horror!  Who the f*** cares?  Sarah must be laughing about this.  I mean, really.  I'm not Jewish, but I do have a Star of David necklace that I've worn out in public.  No one gives me shit about it.  Ever.  But then again, maybe they think I really am Jewish.  I sorta look the part, I suppose, but I'm not a public figure so no one cares anyway.  Everyone feels the need to be nitpicky about crap when you're a public figure like Sarah.  Wear whatever you want, Sarah.  Oh, and also, when you're done with those rock-star black boots you were also wearing during that interview, I'll take 'em off your hands, er feet.    

Louis C.K. hates cell phones.  The Youtube video of the comedian's appearance on Conan this week, quickly went viral.  For the record, Louis C.K. never actually said that he hated cell phones.  He was just commenting on how they've taken away a few crucial elements that make us human:  Things like face-to-face interaction, the ability to feel empathy, being unafraid to be sad, really, f***ing sad, and the ability to just be-- without anything else.  Louis C.K. was just giving his own opinion on things that the more intelligent of us have already thought.  And that, by the way, is one of the secrets behind the popularity of his FX show, Louie.  Minus the phone and the little screen, take some time to just sit there and stare at a wall and get to know yourself and your own thoughts.  You may in fact, learn something.

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