I just got this urgent CNN news alert on my phone:

[grantcart]

The Romneys sat down with hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan in an interview scheduled to air next Tuesday that covered various topics, including whether he knew much about MTV's "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi.

"I'm kind of a Snooki fan," Romney confessed. "Look how tiny's she's gotten. She's lost weight. She's energetic. Just her spark-plug personality is kind of fun."

Apparently he is doing "Live With the Person who used to sit next to Regis" with Ann and favored us with some idiotic banter and CNN felt it important enough to send me the news about Romney and Snooki.

I feel ashamed to know that out of curiosity some time ago I actually took the time to find out what a 'Snooki' is and trying to understand my daughter better watched an episode of the program that she is on.

Romney also likes peanut butter.

Mr. and Mrs. Romney would love to have dinner with Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.

Mrs. Romney finds it difficult to keep up with the Kardashians (again I actually know who these people are because my Thai wife has asked me why the American people find them interesting, to which I had no answer. To these kinds of questions I simply say "I don't know I am Canadian" and she know it is simply another instance of me being unable to interpret certain aspects of the popular culture.)

You can read the details in this AP version here;

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/politics&id=8810886

I don't know which bothers me more, the absolutely aggressive need for the Romneys to attempt to appear to be normal Americans or the fact that CNN had to send me an urgent update on this at the same time that we are receiving back the bodies of Ambassador Stevens and three others were being received and an entire region of the world was in deep unrest.

If Romney were to win I would be faced with either a symbolic self immolation at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave or getting rid of all media of all kind for the next 4 years as I find this kind of banality beyond human endurance.

[Initech]

1. Do we need any further proof that they're the least interesting people in the world?

[sufrommich]

2. That's what passes as a news alert at CNN??nt

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Permit me to recommend the get-rid-of-media option.

Symbolic (or otherwise) self-immolation sounds like such a drag...

[Kali]

4. banality - indeed

not sure what is worse - people like the booshes and rmoneys pretending to be regular folk or dumbass trailer trash thinking they have a shot at living life at the 1% level and thinking the repukes give a shit about them.

[spanone]

5. mitt pivots back to.....Snooki

for cnn this is some factual reporting!!!!

[southernyankeebelle]

6. I got news for you many americans have never seen either show. I don't think much of

a mother who pimp's her daughter's sex tape and pushes all their daughters out there to make her money. She is nothing more then a pimp, period. And Snooki is nothing but a drunk and a terrible example what a lady should be like. Another loser on tv. I don't see anything interesting about any of them.

[grantcart]

8. I can only hope that you mean that one of the Kardashians was involved in a sex tape.

The alternative is simply too revolting to even comprehend.

[southernyankeebelle]

9. It really saddens me people like these who make it on their bodies and looks are millionaires.

While there are struggling families out here just trying to put a roof over their heads and food and clothing on their families. Thing is wrong when we all get interested in reality shows. It sickens me. A girl can make a sex tape and she becomes a millionaire. I honestly can't stand her.

[Angry Dragon]

19. I have not watched either show ........

[ohnoyoudidnt]

7. For those of you who need to know what a Snooki is:

[central scrutinizer]

10. Rmoney and Snooki are peers on so many levels

both are ignorant attention-whores, both are plastic media creations, etc.

[Bucky]

14. OUCH! Take *that*, Snooki!

[Gregorian]

15. This is a good place to post that I am on Youtube treating myself to live Zappa concerts.

There is only so much we can do to combat ignorance. It's really like weightlifting. They have to do it for themselves.

So, be kind to your brains and hang out with people who aren't batshit crazy. Or CNN. Or my realtor.

[blogslut]

11. "She's lost some weight"?

Yeah, Mittens. They call it "giving birth".

[rugger1869]

12. Nelson Mandela is not interested. n/t

[Bucky]

13. Psst, did you know Romney likes to sleep naked...

... in your back yard?

[asjr]

16. Mother Teresa is dead. Maybe they could have a seance and

they could hear what she says.

[grantcart]

17. They did say someone who they would have like to had dinner with, but it makes you wonder if they

have gone back and baptized her.

[Barack_America]

18. Then why not Jesus?

Scandalous!