Aunt Catherine Ponders Reviews of the President on The View for Mass Communications 101

On Saturday, May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday" to then president, John F. Kennedy, in such a sultry manner that it was amazing that the microphone itself didn't melt under the steam. Yet, in those days, one could hardly imagine Walter Cronkite discussing the underlying connotations of the event on the CBS Evening News. And, as we give a nod to the late, great Walter Cronkite, would he have ever given today's vapid, quasi-celebrities a moment of his precious airtime?

Whether that question was meant to represent Lindsay Lohan (whose off-screen antics far surpass any achievements on-screen) or Snooki (all antics, all the time), both of these women came up during a casual conversation with President Obama during his appearance on The View.

CBS News.com covered the president's interview in their Celebrity Circuit section, which mentioned Mr. Obama's views on his daughters, what was currently on his I-Pod, and his knowledge of the vast wasteland of pop culture when the ladies of The View quizzed him about Lindsay Lohan, Snooki, and Mel Gibson. Ever the gentlemen, "he sidestepped a question about Mel Gibson's latest troubles ("I haven't seen a Mel Gibson film in a while") (Dershowitz)," then claimed ignorance of Snooki's existence, and made quick work of commenting on La Lohan, according to Celebrity Circuit. The article went on to cover his dealing with his daughters as they transition from little girls to teenagers, and the rapid graying of his hair since he took office. A fluffy article to be sure, but entertaining and somewhat informative.

In stark contrast, we have The Huffington Post's garbage (too strong a word?) that focused primarily on the president being "flustered" by questions regarding the unholy pop trio mentioned above. More low-brow slop to accelerate the propulsion of our youth into a real- life Idiocracy. Bleh.

Did I mention that President Obama recently celebrated his 47th birthday? Happy Birthday, Mr. President!


Derschowitz, Jessica. "'The View': Obama Talks About His iPod, Lindsay Lohan, and His Daughters." CBS News Entertainment. CBSNews.com. 29 July 2010. Web. 31 July 2010.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President. ManonMaru. You Tube. Video. Web. 05 August 2010.

Idiocracy. Dir. Mike Judge. Perf. Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, and Dave Herman. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 2007. Film.

"President Obama on 'The View' : Flustered By Mel Gibson and Snooki Questions." The Huffington Post. Huffington Post.com Inc. 29 July 2010. Web. 31 July 2010.