It all just happens so fast

You know, the death of Anna Nicole Smith got me thinking earlier about Zinedine Zidane. The World Cup is such a strange event for us Americans, because it's so big and honestly, it's so dull. The problem is that the Zidane headbutt, while hilarious enough to transcend that insitutional cultural roadblock, would have probably been way hilariouser if we cared. I submit that we all missed out on the opportunity for some great jokes about this guy. But because we don't follow soccer, we, collectively as Americans, just wouldn't get them.

Now, Anna Nicole Smith has been the butt of jokes for pretty much as long as people knew her name. I don't think anybody expected her to die, and this may sound horrible, but I was just thinking about how we're not likely to hear about the absurdity of her television show anymore. We may have missed an opportunity to amuse ourselves with this cultural touchstone. I am a little bit horrified that I just referred to ANS as a cultural touchstone, but I guess she is. That's a pretty serious legacy, when you think about it. She was a Playboy Playmate who had a case go to the Supreme Court. I still haven't quite wrapped my head around that.

Opportunities are only so frequent, though. I've been thinking about that a lot, too, as I go to interviews and what not (although the what not is probably more personally important to all of us). There will probably be another crazy sports event soon -- after all, Terrell Owens is being coached by a guy that nobody's ever heard of, something bad is going to happen -- and there will be more celebrities who have no business being celebrities on the scene doing weird stuff. Whether it's a joke or a what not, don't hesitate to make that joke. Because this morning, I really wished I could use a photoshop picture of Zidane headbutting a kitten and have it be relevant somehow.