Checking out CNN.com

Two items from CNN.com today, as I putz around.

1) A contestant on NBC's Contender committed suicide. They've been filming for six months, so let's hope that his outcome on the show didn't affect this suicide! That would be quite sad. The show itself has been heavily advertised recently, and despite numerous schedule changes (which typically are a bad sign), the commercials look pretty good. Seems like they are going to go with very personalized stories for each of the contestants, and follow families and friends as they watch the contestants. If I were to watch this show, I would hope that it doesn't have games and races (like other reality TV), but instead had a bunch of boxing matches after in-depth profiles on the boxers.

2) On another note, I think that CNN.com must have an "absurdity" filter, where its news wire feeds labels stories as "absurd" or "meaningless," and then posts one of them in the top headlines under "More News." Today's entry is about how Madame Tussaud's had to break up the wax Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. Are these stories written by junior reporters trying to make a name for themselves or by senior reporters who now just want to sit back and rest on their laurels?