The Blog I Never Thought I’d Write

by Bob Sparrow

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony – known in ‘the industry’ as EGOT!

I like a good story well told, but I’ve never been a big fan of Hollywood types, so I don’t look forward to this time of year when our entertainers/celebrities practically break their arms patting themselves on the back while red carpet hosts comment on ‘who’ they are wearing.  Yes, it’s ‘Awards Season’ and here are a few you’re probably familiar with, but believe me, there’s lots more:  Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Award, GLAAD, NAACP Image Award, People’s Choice, Golden Globes, Emmy, Tony, Grammy and Oscar.

But, instead of taking the ‘easy pot shots’ at this group of thespians for being self-centered snobs, which many of them are, I thought I’d look for the smart, the charitable and the less self-centered of the group.  And surprise, I found some..

I first looked for actors/actresses who are on the high end of the intelligence scale; so first, just in case you’re like me and not on the genius side of IQs, here’s the general rankings:

120 -140 – Very Superior intelligence                                                                                                                                            110 -120 – Superior intelligence                                                                                                                                                        90 – 110 – Normal, or average intelligence                                                                                                                                      80 – 90 – Dullness, rarely classifiable as feeble-minded   (typically where our politicians fall)

So, here’s what I found . . .

Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Psychology.  She speaks five languages fluently and has co-authored 2 technical research papers in neuroscience, which were published in reputable journals

Natalie Portman

Sharon Stone is reputed to have an IQ of around 150. Sharon was considered academically gifted as a child and entered the 2nd grade when she was five years old.  She was admitted to University of Pennsylvania on a creative writing scholarship at age 15.

Cindy Crawford has an IQ of about 150; studied chemical engineering on scholarship at Northwestern University.

OK, let’s let some guys into this club . . .

David Duchovny has an IQ around 150 and a degree in English literature from Princeton University and an M.A. in English literature from Yale University

Ashton Kutcher has an IQ of 160 and was offered a scholarship to attend MIT, but didn’t.  He once said, “The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart.”

James Wood has an IQ of somewhere between 160 – 180; he dropped out of MIT one semester short of graduating.  He was going to be a surgeon before acting got in the way.

Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong was pre-med at Duke University before getting into acting, and then completed his medical degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995.

Conan O’Brian has an IQ of 160; he graduated from high school as valedictorian.  He went to Harvard where he graduated magna cum laude in History & Literature.

Not an actor, but a rock star, who typically have similar personalities, Brian May, lead guitarist for the rock band  Queen, has an IQ of around 170 and has a PhD in astrophysics.

OK, so there are some smart entertainers, actually a lot more than I thought, but who’s doing some good with their celebrity?

Top of the list has to go to Taylor Swift; it’s hard to pin down all that she donates, as it’s $100,000 here and $1,000,000 there, and amounts she doesn’t disclose for causes she believes in that need financial help.  Class act!!!

Taylor Swift

Oprah Winfrey, another noted ‘giver’ who has donated more than 40 million dollars through her Oprah Winfrey Foundation, to help women and children with education and health care around the world.

Mel Gibson has given 10 million dollars to reimburse hospitals for health care given to children, as well as his contributions to Holy Family Catholic Church in the sum of over 15 million dollars.

George Clooney is known for donating generously to charity. He has given away millions of dollars to various causes, most notably to the Not On Our Watch charity, which works to prevent and stop genocide. He has given a total of more than $14 million to the organization.

Of course, there’s more, actually lots more, but I came away from this ‘research project’ with a little different attitude; yes there are still lots of egotistical, selfish entertainers, but as noted here, there are some really good and smart ones too.

 

 

WHAT A COUNTRY!

Headlines:  Only in America.

On Thursday Oscar Ramiro Ortega was arrested on the spot,

For driving to the White House to take a well-aimed shot.

The details of the incident show just how diverse we are:

A Latin shooter wields a Romanian gun and drives a Japanese car.

Money:  Honey, I think we need a bigger outlet.

Lincoln still is clueless with their MDX make over,

It’s gets 19 MPG every time you turn it over.

 And AAA announced today that gas prices will give us no relief,

No wonder 20,000 people have reserved themselves a “Leaf”.

Sports:  He didn’t bring his “A” game.

Golf was big this week with the start of the President’s Cup,

But Tiger’s game was absent and he and Stricker just blew up.

Steve Williams, Tiger’s ex-caddie, must be loving this new win,

But one can only hope he’s learned to keep his private thoughts within.

 

Life:  The good, the bad and the “we totally saw this coming”.

This week Justin Timberlake danced at the Marine Corps Ball,

And it turns out Justin Bieber isn’t a father after all.

Regis is leaving Kelly, but the biggest news of course,

Is that Ashton’s little flings made Demi file for divorce.

Don’t be left out in the cold…order your redposey holiday gift today!

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Only 104 Shopping Days ’til Christmas

Thank you all for a record viewing weekend and your nice comments about our 911 tributes.  Now back to something lighter.

Monday, September 12, 2011

You know that Rick Perry was once a big Dem.?

Now as governor of Texas, he can hardly stand them.

He campaigned for Al Gore at their national convention

And prob’ly had a hand in his Internet invention.

A$ I wandered through Co$tco on a day in $eptember,

I $aw holiday trinket$, like it wa$ December.

We all know the rea$on for thi$ premature cheer;

 Gue$$ it’s good-bye to $ummer and Happy New Year!

The streets are again now free of some thugs.

While domestic abuse, the guns and the drugs

Are all in decline around this time of year;

The National Football League season is here.

Ashton Kutcher is now the new ‘Man’ on the scene;

He is taking the place of whacked-out Charlie Sheen.

On the set he is always seen laughing and grinning

And why shouldn’t he, he’s the one that is ‘WINNING!’

 —

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