SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

ROSEANNE – The major historical news of the day was Roseanne Barr tweeting a foolish, racially tinged message, then getting her show cancelled as a result.  She was also dropped by her agency.  She has a history of doing and saying foolish things, so the episode was not that shocking.  But there are red lines you cannot cross, and she crossed several.  However, a backlash is already building.  Plenty of people on social media are asking why she's fired, yet entertainers who say the most vile things about the president, his family, and conservatives, are kept on.  Of course, we know the answer.  Hollywood is left, and applies double standards as a matter of principle.  Roseanne's show, although successful, was an embarrassment, as it tilted conservative.  My own sense is that the A-list party crowd in Hollywood was looking for a way to get rid of her, and, unfortunately, she gave them the route. 

WHAT A WHOPPER – FROM VARIETY:   Netflix has inked a multiyear deal with the Obamas for original programming — but the content from the former First Couple will not have any political bias, according to chief content officer Ted Sarandos.  “This is not The Obama Network,” said Sarandos, speaking Tuesday at the Paley Center for Media in New York. “There’s no political slant to the programming.”
Sarandos was interviewed by journalist Ken Auletta at the event. Noting that the Netflix exec is a Democrat, Auletta asked what he would say to Republicans about Netflix’s seeming political push to the left — including the appointment of former Obama adviser Susan Rice to its board.  “Umm, wait for the programming,” Sarandos responded.  I can't wait.  I'm sure it will be inspirational and non-political.  Just like Obama's presidency.  Choke.

RESEARCH DOLLARS AT WORK – FROM BRITAIN'S TELEGRAPH:  It may seem merely a cliche born of centuries of educated people straining their eyes in dimly-lit libraries, but new genetic research suggests those who wear glasses really are more intelligent.  Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analysed the genetic data of more than 44,480 people.  They found that, overall, those who were more intelligent were nearly 30 per cent more likely to have genes indicating they require reading glasses than those who scored poorly. 

May 29, 2018