but I must share this news.  The baby that my husband Matt and I were expecting has died.  We lost her at 20 weeks gestation.  We named her Parker Hope Lindstrom, and are terribly sad to be going through this grief again having lost our first daughter, Brady Judith to SIDS when she was 3 1/2 months old.  Ollie, our 2 year old is happy and healthy, and is making this process much easier on us. 

I thought it was important for you to know so that those of you who have followed my pregnancies are aware of why this one won't be referred to any longer.

I will be returning to my normal duties at the radio station in a couple of weeks after I have had a chance to get back on my feet again.   Thank you all for your support and kindness in this time of private grief.  

The Scoop:  Look quickly, because this video is bound to get removed any second by youtube.  Omarosa was a guest on the Wendy Williams TV Talk Show on FOX to promote her new book, and instead behaved... well... exactly how we might expect.  However, it's still a little shocking. 

Colleen says:  I'm less fired up about her behavior at the beginning of the show than I am about the topic of her book.  First of all, there is a second part to this interview that I didn't post, and didn't even watch, but I hear it gets heated again.  Back to the book, "The Bitch Switch."  Wherein Omarosa claims that every woman has the ability to turn into a raging bitch to get what she wants. 

Okay, first of all, if all you wanted was attention, negative or positive, then yes, that might work (as it has for Omarosa).  I really take offense at the notion that this bitch trait is one that is innate to women, and that we should "get in touch" with it.  I don't wanna be a bitch.  I don't think that makes me appear to be stronger.  I think it makes me appear to be meaner.  Even when I have (to use Omarosa's term) "flipped my bitch switch,"  I never feel good about it.  I don't want to be a person who disrespects others to get what I want.  I want to be the kind of person who is firm about what I want and need, but is respectful of the feelings and beliefs of others.  In other words, I would argue, what we need is an "integrity switch."  Maybe I'll write that book. 

Enough of perpetuating the "mean girl" movement.  I don't understand why we're being put in these categories of "mean" and "nice."  Can't we be strong women without sacrificing respect and integrity?  I like to think we can do it!

The Scoop:  From the AP:

Among the most notorious on-screen gaffes ever, Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction" on CBS during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show drew a $550,000 indecency fine from the Federal Communications Commission. Now a federal appeals court has thrown it out.

A panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the FCC "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine for the fleeting image of nudity, which it noted lasted just over half a second. An estimated 90 million people watching the Super Bowl heard Justin Timberlake sing, "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," as he reached for Jackson's bustier.

The court said the FCC deviated from its nearly 30-year practice of fining indecent broadcast programming only when it was so "pervasive as to amount to 'shock treatment' for the audience."

Duke University law professor Stuart M. Benjamin, a telecommunications law expert, called the decision "a slap in face for the FCC." But the long-term significance of Monday's ruling is uncertain, given the Supreme Court's decision to take up a broadcast indecency case later this year _ the first since 1978.

FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin said he was "surprised by today's decision and disappointed for families and parents."

"I continue to believe that this incident was inappropriate, and this only highlights the importance of the Supreme Court's consideration of our indecency rules this fall," Martin said.

Lurking behind the case, Benjamin said, is a "really big First Amendment issue: Is there really any difference between broadcast and cable, Internet, books, et cetera?"

"If we apply the same First Amendment scrutiny to broadcast as we do to other forms of communication, all these broadcast indecency rules are almost certainly unconstitutional," he said.

In siding with CBS, the 3rd Circuit panel found that the FCC strayed from its long-held approach of applying identical standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency.

"Like any agency, the FCC may change its policies without judicial second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for its policy departure."

CBS said it hoped the decision "will lead the FCC to return to the policy of restrained indecency enforcement it followed for decades."

"This is an important win for the entire broadcasting industry because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material, despite best efforts," the network said.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman of the Media Access Project, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a group of TV writers, directors and producers, said the ruling helps preserve creative freedom on the air.

"The court agreed with us: the FCC's inconsistent and unexplained departure from prior decisions leaves artists and journalists confused as to what is, and is not, permissible," he said.

But Tim Winter of the watchdog organization Parents Television Council said the decision "borders on judicial stupidity."

"If a striptease during the Super Bowl in front of 90 million people _ including millions of children _ doesn't fit the parameters of broadcast indecency, then what does?" Winter said.

The FCC had argued that Jackson's nudity, albeit fleeting, was graphic and explicit and CBS should have been forewarned.

At the time, broadcasters did not employ a video delay for live events, a policy remedied within a week of the game.

In challenging the fine, CBS said that "fleeting, isolated or unintended" images should not automatically be considered indecent. But the FCC said Jackson and Timberlake were employees of CBS and that the network should have to pay for their "willful" actions, given its lack of oversight.

The $550,000 fine represented the maximum $27,500 levied against each of the network's 20 owned-and-operated stations.

Shortly after the 2004 Super Bowl, the FCC changed its policy on fleeting indecency following an NBC broadcast of the Golden Globes awards show on which U2 lead singer Bono uttered an unscripted expletive. The FCC said at the time that the F-word in any context "inherently has a sexual connotation" and can trigger enforcement.

NBC challenged the decision, but that case has yet to be resolved.

In June 2007, a federal appeals court in New York invalidated the government's policy on fleeting profanities uttered over the airwaves in a case involving remarks by Cher and Nicole Richie on awards shows carried on Fox stations. The Supreme Court will hear the case this fall.

Colleen says:  My interest in this ended about 5 minutes after it happened.  So, it's been 4 years, and my interest is still hovering at 0.  Seriously, whether or not this happened by accident or on purpose might remain one of life's mysteries.  Like, how many licks does it take to get the center of a tootsie pop?  Or, who let the dogs out?  Or even, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?  So, can we all just put the image of Janet Jackson's pierced nipple out of our minds and get on with our lives? 

I'll lead the brigade, won't you come along?

I saw this video on perezhilton.com and i got super nostalgic about Sesame Street.

Feist on Sesame Street:

One of my favorite music performances on Sesame Street was REM: 

I am definitely in the Sesame Street years with an almost 2 year old.  In the interest of full disclosure, Elmo is what keeps our son calm before breakfast and allows us an extra half hour of laziness in the morning.  We plop him between us on the bed with a truck and turn on Sesame Street (thank goodness for Kids On Demand!).  It's not my proudest parenting confession, but it's the truth... so there.

I love that I am experiencing Sesame Street again as an adult.  Some things seem to be the same, but many things have changed on Sesame Street.  My husband and I are right on an imporant cusp, I remember when nobody could see Snuffy but Big Bird, and my husband only remembers a time where everyone could see him.  We are only 5 months apart, but those 5 months apparently are very important in knowlege of Sesame Street history.  When I was young, there was no Elmo, there was no Zoe, there was no Stinky the flower.  There was Mr. Hooper (who is greatly missed these days), Gordon is still hanging around, so is Maria, lots of familiar faces.  Many of the voices have changed, but Big Bird hasn't changed the decor of his nest too much. 

Yesterday we got on the topic of Barkley the dog.  These are the important things that get talked about over dinner at the Lindstrom house.  Apparently we lead quite a boring life.  I digress.  I noticed that Barkley the dog hasn't shown up in any of the recent Sesame Street episodes that I've seen.  So, what happened to Barkley?  Did he die?  Did he run away?  Did he just get older and more lazy and suddenly was no longer interesting?  I tried to google it, but lost interest quickly in having to work so hard to find an answer.  I can't possibly be the only person wondering what happened to Barkley... could I?

The Scoop:  The official trailer for High School Musical 3:  Senior Year premiered Monday on the Disney Channel.  Here it is: 

The movie will be released in theaters on October 24.

Colleen says:  I seriously can't wait.  I am totally buying tickets to opening night.  I recognize that I'm a 31 year old woman, but I feel like I have no business behaving like an adult when High School Musical is my guilty pleasure. 

I'm not going to lie, I got into Camp Rock too.  I love the theme song - it's already on my iPod. 
Those Jonas Brothers are class acts.

Last night I was asked to use my DVR powers for good instead of evil.  I recorded the ABC Family movie Picture This! for my pre-teen neighbor girls.  This evening the whole family next door came over for tacos and we had girl's night upstairs and boys night downstairs.  The girls watched Picture This!  The guilty pleasure part of me loved it.  It was just what the doctor ordered, but the parent in me couldn't believe the way the subject matter was handled.  Trust issues between parent and child, a whole lot of lying, LOTS of sexual references.  I was disturbed - yet suddenly quite aware of the messages that our children are receiving at such a young age.  Now, I recognize that the majority of the innuendos go right over the kid's heads.  I mean, I watched Grease when I was young and I don't think I understood the notion that the girls would cream from Greased Lightening until just a couple of days ago.  So, maybe we're safe, for a little while at least.  What do you think?  Did you see that movie?  What did you think?