SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

WHAT AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT – From CNN:   The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) announced through its website on Wednesday (July 1) the promotion of Filipina-American ballerina Stella Abrera to principal dancer of the company.  Abrera's promotion makes her the first Filipino-American principal in the company's 75-year history.  Born in Manila, Abrera first started studying dance at the age of five and in 1995, she received the Gold Medal at the Royal Academy of Dancing's Adeline Genée Awards in London.  Abrera first joined ABT as a member of its corps de ballet in 1996 and was named a soloist in 2001.  Asian Americans often get short shrift in news media, despite their record of accomplishment.  This outstanding woman deserves special mention, as American Ballet Theatre is one of the world's most prestigious ballet companies.

SHOCKING CULTURAL NEWS – From the New York Post:  Lindsay Lohan isn’t being deluged with starring roles in Hollywood blockbusters — but she still has enough pride to turn down a humiliating Burger King commercial.  The flame-haired actress was asked to wear a Spicy Chicken Fries box, smoke a chicken fry like a cigarette, and vamp a “spicy” monologue.  “We were gob-smacked. It was making fun of her issues,” an insider told me.  Lohan and her managers at Untitled Talent suggested some alternate concepts to no avail.  If the signers of the Declaration of Independence only knew...

DON'T LAUGH, THE MAN CREATED AN INDUSTRY – From The New York Times:   Lawrence R. Herkimer, who elevated cheerleading into an aspirational goal for generations of youths and a highly successful business for himself, organizing camps for would-be cheerleaders and selling the clothing and gear they would need, died on Wednesday in Dallas. He was 89.  The cause was heart failure, his grandson Michael Dewberry said.  Mr. Herkimer was often called the grandfather of modern cheerleading and Mr. Cheerleader. Not only did his enterprises achieve sales of $50 million a year, he also patented the pompoms that have become a staple of cheerleading and invented a leap known as the “Herkie jump” that is widely used by squads across the country.  Sis-boom-bah.  I've always had a soft spot in my heart for pompoms.

July 4, 2015