Always Be Closing

We definitely live in at least two realities on this planet these days - the real world and the surreal world. In the real world, the Prez makes nice with Russia and works the G8 in Italy while Lil' Kim Jong-Il launches Cyber warfare against mankind. In the surreal world, meanwhile, the headlines are screaming as to the whereabouts of the Corpse of Pop as we shake our collective heads over the sordid double life and grisly death of Steve McNair and his Dave and Buster's wack-job side dish.

MJ it seems can elude the paparazzi even in death, more mobile than Bernie on the weekend as he sneaks out of his own memorial, gold casket and all sliding through the tunnel under the Staples Center and onward to what we can only imagine is his final reward. Maybe he's decided to do those 50 shows over in England after all. The show must go on.

I'm not sure why the 'dark lifestyle' of Steve McNair is any surprise - the do-gooders of the world are always the ones with a graveyard full of skeletons in their closets. From Thomas Jefferson to Martin Luther King to Bill Clinton, the guys who could get things done - who are natural leaders - and who are able to do the most good in the world seem to be the ones who have a huge appetite for the forbidden and sometimes just the tawdry.

Obviously, MLK is in another league with regard to his influence on history, and Clinton was a pretty darn successful president. McNair, in the end, was simply a not-quite-hall-of-fame-caliber NFL football player. But he did do a lot for his community and for charity. He liked to drink and he liked the ladies and he had some piss-poor judgment that killed him. And we'll no doubt be slammed over the head with the details of that via an endless parade of 20/20, E True Hollywood Story, 48 Hours, Lifetime TV Movies, and probably lots more.

Hopefully not too many kids lost a hero this week. Me, my heroes were always the ones with their skeletons in plain sight - Give me Hunter Thompson, Robert Downey, Jr. and William Burroughs and you can have Albert Schweitzer, Mother Theresa and Mahatma Ghandi. And Bono for that matter. I can only hope for the sake of our country that smoking is not Obama's biggest vice. I supported and voted for you, Mr. President - I'm counting on something more. :-)

As for comments related to the real world? Ahh - I don't know what to think (the Daily Show is in reruns this week - I'll think again come Monday).