Thursday, January 02, 2014

The Corsair Predictions 2014




Every year around this time for many, many years The Corsair gives some predictions on politics, culture, media. In 2012 this blog made many predictions -- a lot of them close. Some of them were wa-a-ay off. Like: "Charlie Rose will be forced to cut back on his hyper-media schedule due to health concerns. Walter Isaacson will replace him on his late night talk show." That's humbling.

But this blog also got some predictions near correct, like, in 2012: "ABC's Good Morning America will come within a whisker of tying NBC's Today, leading to some consternation among the suits at 30 Rock as to whether or not Ann Curry was a good replacement for Meredith Vieira." Also, in 2013 The Corsair predicted: "Samantha Power will be nominated to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations;Susan Rice will be named National Security Advisor."

Media-Politics-Culture Predictions for 2014:

Robert Redford and Sandra Bullock will win the Best Actor and Best Actress nods at the Oscars this year for their largely lonely performances, leading to talks of an "existential" drift in American cinema.

In Spring, in the "Mile High City," Hillary Clinton will give a serious, but occasionally funny argument on why marijuana should be legalized ("while it is not for me ... government should not stand in the way of the pursuit of happiness of millions of Americans"), signaling her intent to run for President.

Chuck Todd will replace David Gregory as host of Meet the Press.

The war between the neocons and the libertarians and the Establishment Republicans will leave the party damaged. Further, the Pope will visit the US right before the elections in the Fall, delivering a message that will help Democrats -- in PA, OH particularly -- nearly take back Congress. The near loss of the House will result in Eric Cantor being elected the next Speaker of the House.

Ann Curry will join CNN. Dan Rather will host an interview program on Al Jazeera America. 

Donald Trump will not run for anything, but will milk the free publicity.

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, will make moves to run for President, holding speeches in Silicon Valley (wooing the $$$). He will eventually run -- to the left of Hillary Clinton.

The Arab Spring will finally hit Pakistan as protesters march against the military, looking for a stronger judiciary role in the government as a hedge against the Generals and Intelligence.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo will offer Bill de Blasio $250 million in targeted state monies for pre-K spending as an olive branch instead of pressuring Albany to raise taxes on the city's wealthy.

Brooke Shields will become a daytime talk show host for a major network by mid-year.

Rand Paul will quietly, behind-the-scenes, become a very effective Senator. He will not cut a large public profile, hoping, instead, to craft serious legislation across both sides of the aisle, waiting for Ted Cruz to implode and then strike, eventually winning the GOP nomination in 2016.

Chris Christie will lose so much weight by the summer of 2014 that late night comedians will pile on, ribbing him about his ambition and his declining waistline. His wife will parenthetically joke, perhaps to Oprah, "sometimes it feels as if I am cheating on my husband with this slim stud." Christie, perhaps aware of the increasing profile of Ted Cruz, will attack his inane public persona on late night TV -- Colbert, Stewart, Leno -- throughout the latter half of 2014.

Al Gore will huff and puff throughout 2014 about making a run ... but then decline.

Waiting tables will continue to be seen a very cool vocation among working class hipsters, particularly as jobs will remain scarce for entry-level young people. Several reality shows and sitcoms will be based on waiting tables by mid-year.

Jerry Seinfeld will get involved in a minor car crash while filming Riding in Cars with celebrities. No one will be hurt. 

Melissa Harris-Perry will be suspended from MSNBC for two weeks for the ill-advised Romney granchild attempt at humor on her panel.

Rob Ford will handily lose re-election as Mayor of Toronto in October 2014. The word "buffoon" will be bandied about in post-election editorials.

John McLaughlin will quietly retire from The McLaughlin Group after a series of embarassing gaffes, showing an increasing senility, go viral in the middle of the year.

Elizabeth Spiers will be named editor of New York magazine after Adam Moss steps down from his successful editorship. Spiers will focus on digital, expanding their offerings, and hiring an impressive roster of talent to expand NYMag's already formidable stable.

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