Ted Haggard takes responsibility

January 29, 2009 · Posted in Entertainment, People in the news, Religion, Things to think about · Comment 

Up until the Good Morning America interview this morning, whenever hearing the name Ted Haggard, I would have rolled my eyes and hrmmphhed and said something about hypocritical Christians and how I hated that people like that were influencing followers by passing judgments while comitting the very sins against which they preached.

As a refresher, you’ll remember that Ted Haggard was a minister of a 12,000 member super church in Colorado where he often preached that homosexuality was a sin, but in 2006 was exposed by a former lover who claimed Haggard frequently paid him for sex and crystal meth.

At the time, Haggard fought it for a little bit trying to save face, but the evidence far out weighed this discredited minister’s claims. He was removed from his church, apparently rushed off to gay-rehab and little more was made of the situation, save several punchlines to a few gay minister-hires-male-prosititute jokes.

So this morning when watching Good Morning America, I was skeptical and was about to change the channel, but before I had a chance, they showed a glimpse into his life, post rehab. The news of yet another young man surfaced earlier this week, alleging that Haggard exposed himself and preyed upon the man’s young vulnerabilities. It is alleged that the mega-church paid off the man, not to keep him quiet, but more to help him start a new life, go to college and get a good footing in life. Not sure who judges that claim.

But this morning on GMA Haggard and his wife were accountable, apologetic and owned up to his past. I was floored and intrigued. Tonight there is a documentary on HBO called “The Trials of Ted Haggard” which promises to show how Haggard and his wife are trying to move forward. They have bounced from borrowed house to cheap motel, worked several laborious jobs and seem to really be taking the steps to move forward.

In his interview, he flat out told Robin Roberts that he was sorry, that yes he was irresponsible and did take advantage of young worshipers and that it was his actions and he own up to it. HUH? Yep, I was shocked as well. There he was with his whitened veneers, sitting straight up and rather than blaming others, he looked Roberts right in the eye and was…..dare I say….accountable?

When she asked if he planned to return to the pulpit, he said absolutely not – he has too much baggage to haul up there to the pulpit. He said he’s happy just selling insurance for right now.

If you have HBO, I would suggest watching the documentary tonight or catch a repeat when you can. I think it looks to be a very interesting insight into how someone struggling with so many demons has found rock bottom, accepted it and is pulling himself up.

Follow up – I think I need to follow up and reiterate something here as well – I think what Ted Haggard did was inexcusable.   His actions, most specifically with young members of his church,  were awful and probably scarring to those young men.  I am absolutely not condoning his actions or how he let his urges overtake right from wrong.

My point here is that I think it is refreshing for someone like Haggard to admit his actions, say ‘yes what I did was wrong and I am trying to be better’ and do his best to become more responsible.

Read more about his past indescretions and his go-forward plan on CNN also.

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Leave Britney Alone!

December 2, 2008 · Posted in Entertainment, Music, People in the news, Things to think about · 2 Comments 

What I am about to say does not make me proud and I am not bragging but  – I watched Britney Spears on Good Morning America this morning. I waited to go to work until she was done with “Womanizer”. There I said it. I own that.

Our fascination with Britney over the years

Our fascination with Britney over the years

I can’t tell you what my, or anyone’s, fascination with her is. We loved her for her youthful beauty and exotic performances in the 90’s. We loved her for her train-wreck marriages (remember her 48 hour Vegas marriage!) and gawked at her very public breakdowns, following her from her GI-Jane recreation to the umbrella attacks.

When she made her ‘comeback’ at the VMA’s everyone dogpiled on her for lack of effort, and a really sloppy performance. After that, she buckled down – let her dad take over the reigns, got in shape, laid low and dropped a new album.

Look at her sad eyes

Look at her sad eyes

With the release her latest album, Circus, I was hearing really great things for her. She was back, she had that flare again and she was taking on the world!

That Britney did not show up on GMA this morning.

Again, let me re-iterate I don’t follow Britney’s music. If I’m honest, the only thing I really know of her is what I see on TV, read in magazines and hear on the news. I don’t seek out her albums, I probably can only name a few of her songs and don’t really know the lyrics to any of them. What I do know from the few times I’ve heard her music is that she is a product. Her voice tracks are produced, her moves choreographed. She is not a vocalist, she is a performer.  Don’t believe me? 
via videosift.com Watch and listen.

She really did used to be one hell of a performer, and I’m pretty sure that’s where my interest in her was. I can appreciate a great performance just as much as anyone and I really admire the effort and passion people put into doing their craft.

This morning was her big birthday performance on ABC’s morning program. We all expected her to lip sync, so that was not a surprise. What was surprising to me is her total disinterest in the performance.

Sure, she knew what moves to do. She knew what words to lip sync – so it’s already better than the MTV awards show, but her spark is just not there anymore. The mysterious twinkle in her eye is gone. She hit her marks as choreographed, but with mechanical effort – not the POP that she used to snap into every move she made.

Maybe my addiction to Dancing with the Stars has tainted the way I watch dancers now. I know that we should expect a hip pop and a real commitment into every movement if we’re to be dragged into the performance. I expect a total immersion into every move, almost an exaggerated snap with every hip shake and arm extension. (oh dear Lord could I sound more like Len Goodman?! sheesh!) But that type of passion is just not in her anymore.

Which is OK.

That’s why I’m saying leave her alone. I promise I will not make a youtube video and scream into the camera (again) but the genesis of this entire thought for me was what happened after her second performance.

Since this is her birthday, GMA had a HUGE circus cake made up for her. They said it took 60 hours to make and it took several people to carry it, it was really cool. When they brought it out to her after her performances, the look of joy and excitement on seeing the giant cake made just for her was actually a little touching.  Compared to the look on her face while she was going through the motions of her dance numbers, the sight of the cake produced a twinkle in her eye and a smile from ear to ear. An honest, true joy.

So right then and there it donned on me. I think Britney just really wants to be left alone to be a productive young woman. When she was a teen, she had it – fame, fortune, beauty – and she did it up right. But I think down to her core, she has outgrown that part of her life, but it seems unfortunately the people who make money off of her have not. Remember during her divorce process, it was claimed that even when she does not put out an album or tour she still makes around $700K/month. I’m pretty sure that’s enough to live a happy life – and I think she knows it.

The conversation she was having with Diane Sawyer showed genuine happiness and giddiness over celebrating her birthday and talking with a grown up not wanting something from her.  She actually looked like a gal that any of us would enjoy having a late lunch with or run up and down the aisles at TJ Maxx, seeing who can find the silliest shirt on the clearance racks.

Today’s performance seemed like an obligation to her. Maybe Larry needs a new house, or her parents both need to upgrade their respective homes and cars, but Britney, in her soul, does not need the attention anymore.  Its just not where her passion is.

Maybe I’m wrong. Admittedly, this is total speculation on my part. Ten years ago, I would have probably given a smarmy smirk and said “she gets what she brings on” and shrugged it off as a wasted ten minutes. Today, having already been the age that Britney is now, with young kids, I speculate that she just wants a chance to go away somewhere, spend some time on finding the true woman inside her – not the media monkey put in the limelight to make more money.

Perhaps taking true time off -  not being in the Thirty Mile Zone, living such a boring life for such a sustained period that paparazzi just cannot take the mundane-ness of her raising her kids – and coming back in 5-10 years as a mature singer would be more wise. There is a level of sophistication that maturity brings to performances. She cannot, as a 27 year old, perform and be the same as the 19 year old Britney was. She’s lived through too much to pull off the naive-but-sexy pop star. Madonna adapted and reformed herself how many times? Britney has the stage presence and the ability to be a true grown-up performer. She can break the shackles of the pop princess and command the stage and captivate an audience as a woman.

So, I’m saying “leave Britney alone” so she can find her true self and grow that person. Don’t force her to walk through soulless motions on national television to generate her own economy. She is a person, she deserves the self respect that only she can find.

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