Estrangements

Dr. Joshua Coleman on NBC's Today Show, Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

Dr. Joshua Coleman, family therapist and author of When Parents Hurt will be appearing on NBC's Today Show on Friday, December 21, 2007 in the 8 o'clock hour.

Followup note: I watched the segment (video link here). Call me a curmudgeon if you must but I was disappointed that the Today Show didn't give this topic more time. It seemed like one minute. Maybe it was two minutes. They showed the text of a few emails from parents who are in pain over estrangement. They had a brief segment of Coleman being interviewed. He was asked to give three tips for parents. He suggested, "Take responsibility. Stay in the game. Get support." And then, of course, there is his book. Which is an excellent book which would be the most helpful for those who are in situations where they have a conflict which has not yet reached the point of estrangement. The most positive thing that might come ouf of the Today Show is that parents may buy his book. MSNBC has this on their website now about Coleman and family estrangement.

I had been looking forward to the Today Show's coverage of this topic so was very disappointed that, in my viewpoint, the coverage was only crumbs of information. Not a full meal. Not even an appetizer! But maybe I am not seeing it the right way. I am seeing the cup as 80% empty when I could look at it as 20% full. One fifth of a cup is better than an empty cup! So perhaps I need to see the Today Show coverage as a needed acknowledgment of the painful losses that so many experience through estrangement. And I need to thank the Today Show for their two minutes of coverage of family estrangement. After all, time is valuable. And they have so many other things to discuss. Hmmmmmm. Like Christmas presents or something.

So much power is in the media and then they don't use it. They spend more time on cooking recipes than on important issues that affect people's everyday lives.

Grrrrrrrrrr!
Ginny (who likes food as much as anyone but wishes that the media would present food for THOUGHT sometimes and not just food for the stomach.)

Tonight, Nov. 30, on Larry King Live, Jerry Lewis ...

At 9 PM Eastern Time, Larry King will interview Jerry Lewis. From the page on CNN: "Jerry Lewis shares memories about his friendship with Dean Martin. The real story about their triumphs and tragedies."

Some visitors here may be too young to remember much if anything about Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Results of Google Search for Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin

Jennifer Aniston last night on Larry King

I tuned in for the interview and watched the whole show. It was mostly about the movie Derailed that Jennifer Aniston is in with Clive Owen. About acting and celebrity and papparazzi and the desire for a private life. Aniston did not want to talk about recent events in her private life or about private life at all. Larry King made some attempts to get her to talk about her private life with no success.

The media hysteria about the end of her marriage to Brad Pitt and the media hysteria about her in general has been obnoxious. She clearly wants the focus to be on her work as an actress and not on her private life.

My impression of her in the interview was of a very strong woman with a clear sense of direction. I could sense pain behind the words at times but also acceptance and determination to go forward.

I had hoped that she would talk about some things that interest me but understood why she wouldn't. In her position as a respected and popular actress, her opinions on some of the things that she has been through and what she has learned could benefit a lot of people if she was willing to share them. Maybe she will be willing to talk about them some day when she is ready.

Snicks

Jennifer Aniston tonight on Larry King

Jennifer Aniston recently reconciled with her mother, Nancy Aniston, after a 9 year estrangement. Jennifer will be on Larry King tonight. I am hoping that she talks about her estrangement and reconciliation during the interview.

Years ago after the estrangement began, her mother wrote a book: Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir.

Some of us express ourselves in print on paper. Some of us express ourselves online in pixels. Some of us keep it all inside. We all do something different to cope. Some of us don't cope.

I am so happy that they reconciled.

Snicks