Who I’d Like to Be When My Blog Grows Up
Catching up on my reading, I see that local blogger Militant Angeleno recently confessed his desire to one day become the “New Huell Howser,” should the popular PBS personality ever retire or meet with some otherwise unfortunate end.
Now this is a problem. You see, watching Howser’s roving reportage has always been one of my guilty pleasures as well. If the Southern-draling visitor/interviewer ever does exit the scene, you can bet I’ll be right there in the KCET-TV lobby alongside Militant, resume in hand.
Truth be told — as long as we’re admitting to fantasy alter egos — Howser isn’t the only local media icon I admire. Secretly, I also want to be Cecilia Rasmussen.
Don’t be alarmed. This isn’t some weird gender-bending thing. It’s just that growing up, I always enjoyed her “L.A. Then and Now” pieces in the Times. Thanks to her breezy, humorous style, Rasmussen manages to infuse life into even the most mundane of historical tidbits. She has a special knack for discovering and introducing readers to the wildly offbeat people, places and events that characterize this region’s past. (Who says history has to be boring?)
In the end, both Howser and Rasmussen have profoundly inspired my interests in local history and culture. I’ll probably never replace Howser at Channel 28, or unseat Rasmussen at the Times. But the local blogosphere is still open, unclaimed territory. And I have an inkling that amid the glut of hipster, “sense of place” blogs, there’s an audience in search of something more. Something a little different. Something along the lines of what Howser and Rasmussen have brought their respective audiences. Something I’d like to offer here.
Ambitious? Audacious even? Maybe. But a guy can still dream, can’t he?
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Cecilia Rasmussen is one of the few reasons I still have a subscription to the Sunday Times.
I have to echo that sentiment, Melinda. I’m no longer a subscriber myself, but I always make sure to scrounge up a copy at the coffee shop. Her features are worth every penny. — MI
The Militant called dibs.
Yeah, I’m late to the party on this one. But something tells me it doesn’t matter much. I don’t think Howser’s leaving the scene anytime soon. — MI
Oh yeah…well…um…didn’t everyone assume Rick Dees would be the morning man on KIIS-FM for life?
Actually the Militant takes that back. To put it in SAT-ese, if “Militant Angeleno is to Huell Howser what Ryan Seacrest is to Rick Dees,” that would just suck.