September 05, 2006

crikey! where's the love for the croc hunter?

Like most of you who turned on the tube this morning, I was (dare I say) shocked to find out that the beloved Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, had been killed. In fact, I had to do a double-take and rewind TiVo a bit just to make sure I had heard correctly. Could it be? Steve Irwin, the man who had earned his fame and fortune by surviving deadly snake bites, dodging angry crocodiles, and petting aggressive sharks, had been killed? Seriously?

I thought back to all the rumors I had heard over the years that the obviously crazy man (Who else is going to taunt a deadly python jumping out of a toilet??) had been killed by a beast of the desert or river or ocean. It's kind of like the rumors that the original Blues Clues host (oddly enough, his name was also Steve) had died of a heroin overdose. Then, they would just keep coming back.

Only, the Crocodile Hunter won't be coming back anymore. I kept waiting this morning for a punchline. I kept waiting to hear, "Fooled again, right?" but sadly, those words didn't come from the Today Show this morning.

And something else began to occur to me as I watched the news throughout the day: the Media didn't appear to have much to say in the way of sympathy either. Certainly, they informed the public, but the tone seemed to be more of a mother's I-Told-You-So response, "Well, what have we learned, boys and girls? This is what happens when you play with fire!" 

Let's not forget the Steve Irwin that entertained us American folk for nearly a decade (and Aussie folks even longer) with his always-entertaining stunts with larger-than-life spiders, angry rattlesnakes, and, of course, the always deadly snap of the croc. Most of us can remember the first time we flipped through the channels only to find a crazy bloke in the Austrailian outback waving for us on the other side of the camera to come closer and get a look at the angry rattler inside the open Jeep engine! "Croikey! Almost got me there!" He would say as he jumped back while holding a large stick above the snake that continued to jump out at him. "And boy, does he look mad, too!" It was kind of like a train wreck that you can't quite turn your head from. You have to see just what this man is capable of.

Irwin, while often seen as controversial (especially after a dangerous stunt involving his son three years ago), was an animal lover. Pure and simple. And as sad as it is that he left a wife and young family (two small kids) behind, he did die doing what he loved. I hope the Media will give him a proper goodbye in its People Magazines and TV Guide Magazines and that, even in its unconventional way, it will be known that Irwin was a man who was at peace with nature, no matter how deadly or unrealistic that may seem. 

Rest in peace, Sir Irwin. Rest in peace.

04:47 Posted in Current Events , Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, television

May 31, 2006

Goodbye, Katie

You've been our inspiration in the mornings. Our mornings won't be the same without you. I have always had a certain loyalty to NBC television, but it looks like we may be flipping to CBS during the evening hours. There's a magic about you and America is cheering you on as you move onto the big news desk. Thanks for the good mornings.

13:49 Posted in Current Events , Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: Katie-Couric, Today-Show, NBC, CBS, Evening-News