This week, thousands took to the street to protest taxes, judgment
falls on a legendary producer, the world’s most famous dog makes his
debut and Burger King manages to give an entire country indigestion.
These stories and more shaped the second week of April, 2009.
Phil Spector Found Guilty
Six years after the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson in his Los
Angeles home, Phil Spector was convicted of second-degree murder on
Monday. The legendary music producer was immediately remanded to
custody awaiting a May 29 sentencing. The crime carries a sentence of
15 years to life, and the 69-year-old Spector was also convicted of
weapons charges that will add between three to 10 years to his
sentence. The jury heard testimony describing Spector’s history of
threatening women with guns. According to rock ‘n’ roll lore, Spector
also threatened The Ramones and The Beatles with guns.
Madden Retires
John Madden ended a three-decade career as an NFL
announcer on Thursday. Madden made the announcement on his radio show,
saying: “I’m a grinder. You just grind and get through it and when it’s
all over, you think about it. You don’t rush into any decisions.” He
said he’s in good health (it’s all that heart-healthy turducken, no
doubt), but wants to spend more time with his family. The 73-year-old
will be replaced by Cris Collinsworth, who doesn’t say “Boom!” nearly
enough for our tastes. Football won’t be the same without him. No one
else can make painfully obvious statements or weave unintelligible
analogies quite like Madden.
Tea Parties
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday to protest
government spending in “tea party” protests. Some protestors threw what
appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House causing a brief
lockdown. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry attended a tea party at Austin City
Hall and decried the federal government. The tea parties were promoted
by a conservative nonprofit advocacy group and led by former Republican
House Majority Leader Dick Armey, now a lobbyist.
Burger King Ad Offends
Burger King has promised to scrap an ad for its new “Texican Whopper”
after complaints about its racial stereotyping. The poster, which ran
in Europe, depicted a tall American cowboy standing next to a short
Mexican man draped in his country’s flag. Mexico’s ambassador to Spain
said the posters inappropriately displayed the Mexican flag. Burger
King said it would replace the ad “as soon as commercially possible.”
While the ad does seem offensive, we’re surprised no one has yet raised
a moral uproar about that horrifying plastic-faced King.
White House Dog Debuts
The First Family debuted its newest member on Sunday. Their new pet, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog named Bo, was a gift from Sen. Ted
Kennedy. The dog’s name is apparently a reference to legendary singer
and guitarist Bo Diddley. The dog has already struck a book deal. Very
few things make us feel as inadequate as a dog with a book deal.
