By SARA HAUFF DORAN
If you are not in shape right now or you don’t exercise regularly, you can blame your parents. That’s right, yet another thing to point the finger to your upbringing.
My parents continue to make exercising a priority. And not surprisingly, they are both at a healthy weight. When I was younger, both of my parents played tennis throughout the year and skied in the winters. We have fond family memories of our annual ski trips. Now in their 70s, they’ve changed their exercise regime to going to a physical trainer and walking regularly.
There was not a specific moment when my parents told me that exercise is important, but they didn’t have to. Just by their example of keeping fit, they spoke volumes.
The way to stay fit and healthy is to start at a young age. With my parents’ encouragement, I played tennis, swam in the summers, took dance lessons, and later was a cheerleader, and ran track and field in high school. Running is something I still do now regularly — competing in 5Ks.
Yes, it kept me very busy which is another reason for young people to try out different sports. Sports can keep children out of trouble, away from other less productive activities. Also, it teaches them discipline, people skills (winning and losing graciously) and starts them on the right path to staying fit for life.
Parents should allow their children to try out different sports to find ones that they enjoy or excel at. It’s harder for adults to try new things whereas children are usually more open to new experiences and more accepting of failure. It’s easier to falter while trying a new sport when most of the others are new to the sport too.
Children should also be expected to follow through with a new sport. Quitting midway through should not be an option unless medically necessary. Too often children are given an easy way out by their well-meaning parents.
You really are giving your children the best start possible by pointing them in the direction of a sport. Once your children are older and out of your house, it’s up to them to continue on the path you’ve set for them. But at least you’ll know as parents that you have done your best to make their future a fit one.
November 19, 2009
FAT KIDS? MAYBE PARENTS ARE THE BLAME
BIRDS HAVEN’T LEARNED FROM HISTORY
By ERIC FISHER
“What do they say? If you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result, you’re kind of kidding yourself.”
– Eagles president Joe Banner—
Banner uttered this paraphrasing of the famous quote about the definition of insanity following the Eagles’ loss to Arizona in last season’s NFC championship game. Banner later tried to quell the firestorm created by his statement. Although insisting that he thought his quote was unambiguous, Banner stressed that Andy Reid is a “heck of a coach” and that “we can win a championship with those people … we’re very lucky to have them.”
Now let’s fast-forward to this season. Lack of commitment to the running game. Poor clock management. Wasted timeouts. Inability to convert short-yardage situations. An apparent failure to adjust during games.
Or is that a rewind to last season? Or the season before? Or the one before that?
The reason it’s difficult to figure out which year those problems refer to is because the list of problems remains the same year after year.
The Eagles (5-4) aren’t a bad team. In fact, if the season ended today, they would earn one of the NFC’s wild-card berths based on tie-breakers. But the obstacles that have prevented the Birds from winning the Super Bowl remain the same year after year.
Remember the Eagles’ difficulty in converting on short-yardage situations last year? The Eagles addressed that problem by revamping their offensive line. They replaced aging tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan with younger tackles Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews. Stacy Andrews then moved to right guard, switching positions with younger brother Shawn. We all know how that move worked out.
The Eagles also finally brought in a true fullback, Leonard Weaver, to serve as a lead blocker or power runner in short-yardage situations.
So, when the Eagles faced first-and-goal on the 1-yard line Sunday at San Diego, they ran the ball right into the end zone, right? Um, no.
Weaver got stopped on first down. Inexplicably, the Eagles had McNabb throw a low-percentage pass to the far side of the end zone on second down. The pass fell incomplete.
The Eagles trailed 14-0 at this point. Getting seven points was imperative. So in this crucial third-and-goal situation, Reid had Donovan McNabb hand the ball to Eldra Buckley, whose previous NFL rushing experience consisted of three meaningless carries in two blowout wins earlier this season.
Buckley was stopped. To be fair, however, it wasn’t as if he missed the hole. There weren’t any holes. On fourth down, Reid had David Akers kick the short field goal.
As if these decisions didn’t cause enough head-scratching, Reid reversed the pattern later in the half when the Eagles had first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. An incomplete pass on first down was followed by a Brian Westbrook run to the outside on second down, resulting in no gain. Why would you run on second-and-goal from the 8 when you didn’t run on second-and-goal from the 1?
The offensive linemen change. The fullback changes. The ballcarriers change. But one thing remains the same: the Eagles continue to have difficulty in short-yardage situations.
So what’s the common denominator? The play-calling.
Play-calling is a huge problem for the Eagles. And it’s a much larger problem than these two series.
Reid seems determined to prove that he can win a Super Bowl with a pass-first offense. Game after game, year after year, Reid abandons the running game and relies overwhelmingly on the passing game.
The Eagles have experienced success using Reid’s formula. The attempted comeback during Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Chargers was a good example. The Eagles offense was most effective when McNabb was throwing all over the field to tight end Brent Celek and receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant.
There are times, however, when an NFL team must be able to run the ball. A team must be able to run the ball when it’s ahead. That takes time off the clock. Good teams also must be able to convert short-yardage situations.
How can the Eagles be expected to convert in short-yardage situations when they don’t run the ball very often? Linemen who spend almost the entire game dropping back in pass protection are expected to suddenly drive-block and push defenders backward.
You might think the connection between the paucity of running plays called and the lack of success in short-yardage situations would occur to Reid. Wrong. There was a glimmer of hope when, following the disgraceful 13-9 loss to Oakland, Reid admitted that maybe the Eagles should have run the ball more often. That hope was quickly extinguished.
Reid keeps returning to the same formula. Game after game. Year after year. Not surprisingly, the results remain the same.
There are only two ways the results could change. Either the coach changes his philosophy or the Eagles change coaches. Neither is likely to happen.
Why not? To paraphrase another famous quote, the Eagles haven’t learned from history, so they seem destined to repeat it.
COUNTRY CREEPS TARGET TAYLOR
By MOLLY DAVIS
The Taylor Swift “opinions” keep on rolling in.
It seems that every time something amazing happens in the country cutie’s career, there are naysayers that want to take her down a notch.
Or several notches.
Wynonna Judd is the latest to jump on the Kanye West express.
You’d think that after the verbal backlash of Kanye’s stunt at the MTV VMA’s this year, where he jumped on stage and interrupted the PA native as she was accepting her “Video of the Year” moonman award, people would learn something.
Nope.
Wynonna Judd is trying to remove her cowboy boot from her mouth after stating her opinion about Taylor’s big win at the CMA’s.
The country singer has apologized on her Web site (where else – who does personal apologies anymore?) for her slamming Swift, who became the youngest artist ever to win the Country Music Association Awards’ Entertainer of the Year trophy.
“I understand that my comment . . . came across as a negative statement,” Judd writes.
Prior to the awards show, Judd told USA Today that the 19-year-old’s nomination was “too much, too soon . . . Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. It’s just too much of a good thing soon . . . I want kids to earn it.”
Really, Wynonna?
Do you think Swift hasn’t “earned” her success?
I beg to differ — as do her legions of fans and supporters.
Judd tried to backtrack: “My intent was not to take anything away from her talent and contributions to the country music industry…all of which are truly unprecedented for an artist of ANY age.”
She adds: “Taylor is a beautiful, hard working young woman that deserves the success she has had and I support her as an artist and as a woman in the business.”
Too little, too late.
It smacks of jealously masked as “concern.”
This coming for a 45-year-old irrelevant country “star” who is famous for being the daughter of Naomi and the sister of actress Ashley Judd.
Does she have talent?
Sure.
But not like Taylor.
Jumping on the Taylor-dissing bandwagon is creepy country crooner Randy Travis.
He said, “As a writer, she is a phenomenal talent. When you look at the body of work that she has written at the age when she came into this business, it’s remarkable. It really is. But do I think that entertainer of the year might have been a little early? In my opinion, yes, for whatever that’s worth.”
It’s worth nothing, Randy.
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all – didn’t your momma’s teach you that lesson?
Apparently not.
Next time these two want to share their opinions, when they put cowboy boots in their mouth by uttering something stupid, I hope they choke on their spurs.
THE TALE OF TWO TAYLORS
By ASHLEY DOS SANTOS
Oh young love. It isn’t easy for anyone, especially if you’re under the media microscope with your love life on one end and studio execs, paparazzi and a nation of tweens on the other.
Yes, it appears that Wyomissing native and pop-music golden child Taylor Swift has found a new beau in “New Moon” hunk Taylor Lautner. Or maybe not. In fact, neither Swift nor Lautner will confirm or deny their relationship, feeding into the tabloid machine that has proclaimed them young Hollywood’s new “it” couple.
If you’re wondering why their publicists are keeping this so ambiguous, there is a very simple, PR-based rationale. The not-knowing keeps the public talking and the tabloids interested. And that’s how you turn a client’s 15 minutes of fame into a lucrative career.
Swift secured her famed status after Kanye West’s social gaffe during September’s MTV Video Music Awards, putting a damper on his career and skyrocketing Taylor to a level of fame even she wasn’t expecting.
Combine that with actual talent and you’ve got a megastar. Her sophomore album “Fearless”, which has sold nearly 4 million copies and millions of digital downloads, was so successful that it was recently re-released with bonus tracks, and is likely to be the biggest album of 2009.
Suffice it to say Taylor Swift didn’t need Kanye West to make her truly famous: she did that all on her own.
So what’s Taylor Lautner’s story? Lautner, who presented Swift with her now infamous MTV award, is starring in the movie “New Moon” that comes out this Friday – the sequel to the cash-cow tween-sensation “Twilight”. Landing the role of the hunky teen werewolf helped him achieve what can only be described as mythic celebrity status among the nation’s tweens (and even some parents).
For the part, Lautner gained 30 pounds of muscle and is now essentially more famous for his ripped abs than he is for his acting chops. Though he may not be as famous as Swift, Lautner is likely to have a successful career for the next few years, assuming his future roles prominently feature him while shirtless.
Put the two Taylors together and you’ve got a media frenzy. Speculation about their relationship first began when Swift and Lautner filmed romantic scenes together for the upcoming movie “Valentine’s Day”. After photos of their on-screen kiss appeared, bloggers were begging to see Taylor and Taylor as a real life couple.
When the two were spotted at a hockey game together, the speculation turned into rumor mania. In Swift’s recent appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” she sang her opening monologue, which included a Lautner mention while blowing a kiss and winking at the camera. That small gesture not only scored Swift major media attention and boosted the sales of her record even further but also brought more attention to Lautner just in time for the “New Moon” release.
So is this relationship a farce concocted by Hollywood executives to drive ticket and record sales?
The jury is still out. Yes, it is convenient that they both have starring roles in major projects. But if you ever had a teenage romance, you may want to cut the Taylors some slack.
If you can imagine combining the angst of your first romances with the unimaginably intense pressures of celebrity, then I think it’s fair to assume that the Taylors are doing the best they can in extenuating circumstances. Buy into the media machine if you must with “Fearless” and “New Moon” and embrace their effort to be an adorable young couple trying to live a normal life in the very un-normal glare of the spotlight.
—
Ben Grinspan contributed to this article.
—
Ashley Dos Santos serves as a senior account executive at Crosby~Volmer International Communications in Washington D.C. She received her bachelor of arts degree in women & gender studies and romance languages from Dartmouth College.
OUR VIEW: PALIN’S POWER
Sarah Palin’s reemergence on the national stage for her book tour has shown that she could be a potential frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. If she wins the nomination, Palin could actually win the presidency. But a long time is stretching out between now and the election, and Palin still has a lot of work to do.
A key point to Palin’s appeal is that people are fed up with the federal government. Deficits are increasing, but government spending, specifically in the form of a government stimulus designed to create jobs, is not helping the economy. Many Democrats seem intent on ramming a health-care plan through Congress, even though many people do not support it, and such legislation likely would only add to the deficit.
Palin stands for less government and lower spending. Even though people may debate her record as Alaska governor, people identify her with these fiscally conservative principles, and she is a credible spokesperson for them.
As her book tour has shown, she commands attention, certainly more attention than any other Republican politician and potential Republican presidential nominee.
If Palin is to emerge as a serious contender for the presidency, though, she must use this publicity wisely. Even though she is a credible fiscal conservative, Palin must do more to articulate these principles. She must demonstrate that she can talk about the economy in a way that gives people confidence in her leadership.
A positive about Palin is that she compares favorably with Obama. While Obama seems polished, Palin seems real. Palin seems more able to connect with the average voter. Before he became president, Obama had about as much experience in government, arguably less, than Palin does. This fact could backfire against Palin, if voters decide they now want a more experienced candidate after Obama.
At this point, Palin shows promise. She must use her book tour as a springboard for her next step. Given the current situations facing the country, and Palin’s popular appeal, her political career may take off to an even greater extent.
November 11, 2009
TERRIFIC TAYLOR RULES ‘SNL’
By MOLLY DAVIS
Taylor Swift knocked it out of the park Saturday night.
She hosted “Saturday Night Live,” and has added another career to her already overflowing plate of accomplishments.
Comedienne.
She began the night in a glittery black number, guitar at her side, and performed the comic “Monologue Song (La, La, La).”
She wowed the audience.
The usually soft-spoken, PC girl stepped aside and was replaced by an edgier version of herself.
In the number, she took a lyrical swipe at Joe Jonas, her ex-boyfriend, calling him a “dbag,” and let him know, as if he already didn’t, how amazing she’s doing and her accomplishments of the past year.
She also took a verbal swing at Kanye West: “You might be expecting me to say/ something bad about Kanye…But there’s nothing more to say/ cause everything’s OK/ I’ve got security lining the stage…”
About her rumored love life, she belted out: “And if you’re wondering if I might/ be dating the werewolf from “Twilight”/ I’m not going to comment on that in my monologue.”
Then she blew a campy kiss and winked at maybe-boyfriend Taylor Lautner, but she’s “not gonna comment.”
Her skits were hilarious.
They included:
Deftly channeling one of my favorite targets, Kate Gosselin, in skit skewering “The View.”
Taylor even looked good with the crazy “Kate” asymmetrical hairdo — which is no small feat — that ‘do is not easily pulled off.
“My hairdresser was halfway through giving me ‘The Rachel’ when his blowdryer exploded on the back of my head,” Swift as Gosselin said, explaining the evolvement of “the Kate.”
Taylor donned another wig to play a Bella-esque lead in an over-the-top dramatic spoof of “Twilight.”
Only in her version of the lovesick teen, dubbed “Firelight,” Swift is not crushing on a vampire — her love interest was Frankenstein.
“I know what you are,” her character says. “You’re green… You have bolts in your neck… You freak out around fire…”
Swift nailed Kristin Stewart’s trademark lip-biting and constant tucking-hair-behind-her-left-ear moves.
It was hilarious.
She had a maniacal laugh in a bit about being interviewed by manipulative celebrity reporters.
In another segment she played a teen, fed up with all the talk about “Driving While Texting,” who starts campaigning against the dangerous things that parents do, including “Driving While Arguing with the GPS” and “Driving While Singing Along To a Song You Don’t Know the Lyrics To.”
The texting teen came complete with headgear and the excess saliva mouth orthodontics cause.
And she was still adorable, mouth metal and all,
The only skit I thought was a little stretch for Swift?
The prisoner “Skeet Deadly,” complete with cornrows, facial hair, prison-issued jumpsuit, Timberlands, and badass attitude in a “Scared Straight” parody.
She was playing a dude.
I just have trouble seeing the uber-sweet singer playing a male, tatted up gang member.
She ended her skits on a high note — the last being an impression of the hip shaking, throaty singer Shakira.
Oh, and she sang her little heart out.
I actually forgot she was also the musical guest, but she reminded me quickly where her roots are firmly grounded.
She performed “You Belong With Me” as her first musical number and “Untouchable” as her second song.
She rocked.
As usual.
“This has been the best week of my life,” Swift said at the close of the show.
SIMILAR PROBLEMS HAUNT PSU, BIRDS
By ERIC FISHER
To borrow an infamous line from former NFL coach Dennis Green, maybe “they are who we thought they were.”
Penn State and the Philadelphia Eagles both lost critical games last weekend. Both games were at home. Both were against archrivals.
The similarities, however, don’t end there. These losses may also have revealed these teams to be what many of us expected.
The football season is filled with peaks and valleys. A monumental victory provides us with a one-week high. A loss sends us tumbling down into the depths of despair.
Our teams rarely are as good as we think they are after an exhilarating triumph. And they’re rarely as bad as we think they are after a bitter defeat. The truth often can be found somewhere in the middle.
Penn State is not as bad as it appeared during Saturday’s 24-7 loss to Ohio State. If the Nittany Lions were that bad, they wouldn’t be 8-2.
The loss, however, did expose problems. The Nittany Lions, much like the Eagles, aren’t consistent on offense. Also like the Eagles, the Nittany Lions’ problems on offense start with their offensive line.
Continuity is a huge factor for offensive lines. The line must work as a cohesive unit. The longer the members of the offensive line play together, the better the line usually performs. The more players are shuffled in and out of the lineup and shifted from position to position, the more difficulty the offensive line has in developing consistency.
Penn State’s offensive line consists of five players new to their starting positions. Even the two returning starters, center Stefen Wisniewski and left tackle Dennis Landolt, are playing new positions, with Wisniewski moving from guard and Landolt flipping from right to left tackle to protect quarterback Daryll Clark’s blind side.
The offensive line has played well in stretches, but it hasn’t developed consistency. Several players have started at guard and right tackle. All those elements make it difficult to develop consistency. That’s why the line looks good in stretches, but struggles against better opponents.
The offensive line’s struggles are evident in the running game. Even if Stephfon Green’s ankle problems are taken into account, the running game has declined since last season. That makes it easier for opposing defenses to focus on Clark and the passing game. Clark doesn’t have as much time to make a play, which makes it more difficult for the receivers to get open.
Remember, the Nittany Lions lost receivers Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler to graduation. They lost starting offensive linemen A.Q. Shipley, Rich Ohrnberger and Gerald Cadogan. They lost defensive ends Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines, as well as the entire starting secondary.
So maybe two losses is about right for the Nittany Lions. I thought they had an opportunity to be a one-loss team and qualify for a BCS bowl, but a two-loss season is probably about right. In other words, the Nittany Lions are who we thought they were.
Whether the Eagles are who you thought they were depends on who you thought they were. If you had Super Bowl aspirations or envisioned the Eagles as a 12-win team, you’re probably disappointed (and a bit delusional).
If, however, you viewed the Eagles as an inconsistent team that may struggle to sneak into the playoffs, as they did last year, then the Eagles are who you thought they were.
One week, as against the Giants, the Birds look terrific. Another week, as against the awful Raiders, the Birds look like roadkill. That is why they are 5-3 despite a first-half schedule that included Washington, Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
The Eagles’ inconsistency was not unexpected. As I wrote before the season, “The Eagles have too many changes, from defensive coordinator to middle linebacker to most of the offensive line, to be consistent.”
Like the Nittany Lions, the Eagles’ problems begin with their offensive line. Three of their five projected starting offensive linemen were different than last year. They replaced veteran tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas with Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews. That plan lasted until Andrews hurt his back during a conditioning run on the first day of training camp.
The situation got worse when starting guard Todd Herremans suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Stacy Andrews, Shawn’s brother, has struggled in his return from a knee injury and is now a very expensive backup guard.
Center Jamaal Jackson has been the only constant on the Eagles offensive line. Is it any wonder that the offense has been inconsistent?
The team has been inconsistent, but some of the problems experienced during Sunday night’s 20-16 loss to Dallas are constants. The Eagles still have difficulty converting in short-yardage situations and covering tight ends, time management is an ongoing problem and the Michael Vick/wildcat experiment is a bust.
But the inconsistency wasn’t unexpected. The only thing you can expect with the Eagles is that you never know what to expect.
Like the Nittany Lions, the Eagles are who we thought they were.
November 5, 2009
WHY WE LOVE TAYLOR
By MOLLY DAVIS
I don’t like country music.
But I like Taylor Swift.
Correction — I love Taylor Swift.
Who doesn’t?
The angelic artist is the epitome of class, grace and elegance.
Not to mention she’s one little bundle of adorable-ness.
The 19-year-old Wyomissing native has attracted millions with her honesty, subtle humor, independence, tenacity, and her ability to inspire girls.
An incredible talent, her draw is that she appeals to all ages, young and old.
Her fan base extends well past teens – she more than 3 million copies of her latest effort, “Fearless,” and her 2006 self-titled debut album went triple platinum.
She won album of the year at the 209 Academy of Country Music Awards — the youngest singer in history that can claim the title.
Her music speaks to her fans — young and old alike.
You’ll never see her caught in a compromising position, mouthing off about her rivals, or partying into all hours of the night – and that really says something in today’s culture.
When Swift’s acolytes are busy having public feuds or swilling vodka at the latest trendy LA club, Swift is nowhere to be found.
She’s a trendsetter, not a Hollywood hanger-on.
Following up on the heels of this year’s many successes is her double duty as host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 7 — a high honor only bestowed on the worthiest of celebrities.
And since everything else in her life has fallen into place, the next logical step would be her own real-life “Love Story.”
Which seems to be blossoming in the form of 17-year-old Taylor Lautner.
Taylor squared?
These two have been seen hanging out at hockey games, he sits in the front row at her concerts, and Hollywood gossip sites are dishing about Taylor/Taylor dalliances.
Reports of the two cuties kissing and holding hands are spreading like wildfire through the ranks, but Miss Swift is shy on the topic, saying she “didn’t know” whether or not the two were dating.
The pair are starring on the big screen together in 2010’s big budget “Valentine’s Day.”
I think it’s a match made in heaven.
So do her fans, who unfailingly root for Swift.
You remember the MTV “VMA’s?”
Never has there been such a public outcry for some Tinseltown justice as there was on the heels of “Kanye-gate.”
When Taylor won Best Female Video for ‘You Belong With Me,” Kanye jumped onstage, grabbed the mike from the country singer’s hands and delivered this rant:
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time,” he yelled. “Of all time!”
He was booed at the show, and publicly shunned immediately following the debacle.
Swift had to perform the song about five minutes after Kanye’s outburst.
She gave an unbelievable performance. She was the picture of poise and class, and absolutely shined.
As usual.
Swift was more gracious about the event than her fans, saying she didn’t want to start anything and declined to bash her tormentor.
But her supporters did it for her — she is truly loved by her fans and the entire entertainment industry.
Kanye apologized.
She forgave him.
Her fans did not, and probably never will.
But Taylor, ever humble, has moved on to bigger and better things.
She has no time to waste on such trivial drama — she’s worked too hard and long for her standing.
Because while her female contemporaries, singers Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood, had huge backing to get their start (Disney and “American Idol”), Swift had nothing.
No fancy agents, no launching vehicles — just tenacity and pure, raw talent.
So while it took her longer to reach the top of the heap, where she presently resides with some self-absorbed status seekers, the journey has paid off.
And keeps accumulating with every new feat she conquers.
Success will never spoil Miss Swift.
KATE’S SOB STORY
By MOLLY DAVIS
Kate Gosselin always has to have the last word.
Her teary TV interview, “Kate: Her Story,” aired Monday night on TLC.In her “heart-to-heart” interview with NBC’s “Today” anchor Natalie Morales on , Kate addressed the end of her 10-year marriage, saying, “Whatever happened, it happened so quickly … I remember thinking, ‘We’re not going to recover from this.’”
There were three rounds of tears.
Crocodile tears?
In my opinion, yes.
She has no credibility as the victim in my eyes.
She recalled her bumpy marriage, and soon-to-be ex-husband Jon Gosselin didn’t have much sympathy for her either.
Jon, wanting to get the last word, shot back, in what is turning into a war of public apologies.
On Tuesday he was all a-twitter. Via Twitter.
He posted, “Kate even slipped last night and admitted we split up a year ago!” the octodad tweeted. “Though she claims she ‘didn’t remember’ who called it quits. Hey at least she said ‘didn’t remember’ instead of lieing. [sic]”
I’ll excuse the spelling.
Enter Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
That’s right. I said Rabbi.
No, Jon is not Jewish.
Not even close.
But he’s seeking “spiritual guidance” from Rabbi Shmuley, and hosted a public discussion at the West Side Jewish Center Sunday, where he apologized to Kate and said he has “decided to calm things down until the divorce, just until the divorce” about his relationship with 22-year-old Hailey Glassman.
“I don’t want to ruin things with Hailey like I did with Kate,” he said. “We just need to slow things down. I don’t want another failure in my relationships.”
Jon copped to some bad behavior in the last few months.
“Half the stuff I’ve done, if I look at my moral compass, I shouldn’t have done,” he said. “Every day I look in the mirror and I wonder [why I'm famous]. I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I’m not a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I just had eight kids and I had a show on TLC.”
Jon also said he plans to apologize to Kate.
Rabbi Shmuley says he’s “working on Jon’s moral development.
Jon was once a good husband and father and somewhere along the line that changed and I am helping him to return to his former self.”
This may be a job for a priest, as Rabbi’s aren’t known for their exorcism skills.
When I heard about the Rabbi, my spidey sense tingled…
Shmuley had his on show on TLC,”Shalom in the Home.”
Conicidence?
Doubtful.
Shmuley seems to be as big a media whore as Jon and Kate, appearing on “Oprah” whenever he can and is was well known for “advising” Michael Jackson.
It smacks of publicity.
Is this whole thing an act?
Not just the goings-on of late, but the entire Jon/Kate drama?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
What would surprise me are the couple’s phenomenal acting chops.
“And the Academy Award goes to…”
JON & KATE PLUS A RABBI
By ASHLEY DOS SANTOS
As thousands of Americans dressed up as Jon and Kate Gosselin for Halloween last week, Jon Gosselin also donned a new costume: spiritual pilgrim.
Jon, despite identifying as an evangelical Christian, recently had a very public meeting with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for spiritual guidance on his quest to extend his 15 minutes of fame.
If there is one thing that the Gosselin media circus was missing, it was a good old fashioned dose of artificial piety.
Before their tabloid explosion, Jon and Kate Gosselin were actually considered role models by some religious communities because of their refusal to use selective termination when they found out that they were having sextuplets.
Now, it seems like Rabbi Shmuley is about the only religious figure willing to interact publicly with Jon Gosselin.
If the name Rabbi Shmuley sounds at all familiar, it’s because he was linked recently to Michael Jackson as his spiritual leader for a short time. The Rabbi’s book, chronicling the singer’s most private and confidential sentiments, was released in September after Jackson’s untimely death. Now that those 15 minutes of fame are up, Shmuley has conveniently found a new advisee in Jon Gosselin. You do the math.
Jon’s visit with the Rabbi is his latest public effort to clean up his image. We’re all painfully aware of Jon’s recent philandering, and how the slew of bad press forced TLC to drop him from his own television show.
So what did Jon learn throughout his deep spiritual quest? Jon told reporters after the meeting, “I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values…I have allowed myself to become somewhat severed from my own moral anchor and be carried away by the challenges of fame.”
That’s an understatement, Jon. Just wait until your kids are old enough to Google you. Then try to teach them life lessons about morality and see how they react.
If there is one positive outcome from this ridiculous event, it’s that Jon Gosselin has reportedly “slowed things down” with his 22-year-old party-girl companion Hailey Glassman.
Previously, rumors were swirling that Glassman and Gosselin had discussed marriage, sending shivers down America’s collective backs.
The idea that this 22-year-old, whose Facebook profile is rife with photos of binge drinking and drug use, could possibly serve as a stepmother to 8 children under the age of ten would be laughable if it weren’t so utterly sad.
So while Jon Gosselin deserves credit for making one good decision, it’s pretty clear he hasn’t reached nirvana.
This meeting with Rabbi Shmuley conveniently took place a few days before Kate Gosselin’s highly publicized interview with NBC’s Natalie Morales aired on TLC. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to figure out that this is yet another publicity stunt from a man who is watching his fame wane as his soon-to-be ex-wife’s stardom keeps rising.
To paraphrase a famous Bible verse: “It’s easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle… [than to get a man with tabloid money, hair plugs and a trashy college co-ed girlfriend into heaven].” Let’s hope Jon takes this message to heart and uses his new spiritual side to turn away from spending time with media-loving Rabbis and other C-list celebrities to focus on the truly important people in his life: his children.
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Ben Grinspan contributed to this article.
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Ashley Dos Santos serves as a senior account executive at Crosby~Volmer International Communications in Washington D.C. She received her bachelor of arts degree in women & gender studies and romance languages from Dartmouth College.
