East Coast Gossip

I used to live in the D.C. area. Remember Monica Lewinsky? In 1998, right before I moved out to California (coincidence--really!), it was Monica 24/7 in D.C. A friend went to San Francisco on a business trip and reported back that beyond the Beltway, the Lewinsky scandal rated only a brief mention on the evening newscast. It was stunning news. How could this NOT be the only thing happening in the world?

Then I moved out to Los Angeles and I noticed very different topics of interest on the news--car chases and pit maneuvers, anti-aging and botox injections, movies and celebrities. Movies and celebrities? Really? Britney and Lindsey are more newsworthy than Monica Lewinsky? Then the reason for the disconnect dawned on me. In Los Angeles, movies and celebrities are "The Business." The whole town practically is involved directly or tangentially with the entertainment industry. Whereas in D.C., "The Business" is politics.

I was reminded of that when my friend John sent me a link to Wonkette, a blog dedicated to D.C. Gossip. It's like the east coast version of Defamer--snarky, snide and funny as hell! Ah, yes--in L.A. we have George Clooney, but D.C. has Fred Thompson. Oh wait--Fred's a movie and TV celebrity running for President. Hmmm--I guess there really isn't that much different between D.C. and L.A. after all...