Clarion-Ledger reporter on Colbert Nation

Jerry Mitchell
www.colbertnation.com

A story that just doesn't fly

A few days ago, I caught an episode of Wife Swap, the ABC reality show where two wives, whose families are generally complete opposites, switch places for a social experiment. It featured the Heene and Martel families.

The Heenes were carefree (or careless) daredevil storm chasers with few boundaries. The Martels were safety-oriented and cautious. But it only took a few minutes to realize there was something seriously wrong with the Heene family.

Richard Heene spoke to his "new wife" in a demeaning and sexist way, explaining that the reason he married his wife, Mayumi, is because she was childlike and laughed at everything he said. He told his "new wife" that women started going downhill when they hit 25.

He also seemed to have the maturity level of his youngest son, Falcon, and laughed when the young child used the "F" word on national television to the woman who had temporarily become part of his family.

In the other home, Mayumi tried to convince the Martels that they shouldn't be so cautious. They should give their children free reign to do what they wanted. When they explained they would prefer that their kids remained alive even if that meant teaching them to be cautious, Myaiami disagreed with their parenting philosophy.

At the end, Richard Heene tried to make amends with his temporary wife during the final interview portion of the show by singing an apology rock-star style while she sat wide-eyed, apparently in disbelief that it was happening, as did I. Words that came to mind were "attention-seeker," "immature" and "narcissist."

So when I heard that "Balloon Boy" was one of the Heene family members today, I wasn't all that surprised and immediately thought that his "flight" had to be a publicity stunt. I think this interview on CNN tonight sums it up when Falcon says his parents told him to do it "for the show."

Fright Night costumes

Still trying to decide on a Halloween costume? Check out today's Weekend section in The Clarion-Ledger to see what styles will be popular this year. Witches, vampires and pirates top the list for adults, while princesses, witches and Spider-Man will be the top costume for kids. Most pets will dress as pumpkins this year.

Kayak Mississippi

Kayak Mississippi was founded by Keith Benoist and Melissa Morrison, who wanted to bring their love for kayaking to their hometown, Natchez.

They established a race course in their backyard on the Mississippi River and now host the Phatwater Kayak Challenge annually. It's happening this weekend. Visit their Web site for more information.

The Little Green Dress

Mississippi State University graduate Meredith Walker Sullivan handles business for the New York City-based Doucette Duvall clothing line. Read more about the company here. The eco-friendly line offers a seasonal "little green dress."Check out our previous post.

Good things are goin' on in Mississippayyy . . .

Saw this blues tune on the Net today.

Patchwork chairs and the Mississippi sky

I ran across a cool decor article today on the Ready Made blog about a Brooklyn native who moved to Starkville and furnished her new business with patchwork chairs.

Because architect and designer Annie Coggan couldn't afford to spend a lot of money on new seating for her restaurant, she scavenged for sturdy old chairs, refinished them and pieced some together to form unique works of art. The result gives the Little Building Cafe originality.

She painted the chairs with Mythic paint (a company based in Hattiesburg) "Medicine Blue, described as "a hue that matches the peculiar color the Mississippi sky turns as storms are gathering."


Photo credit: Caleb Crawford

Personalized jewelry

Personalized jewelry has been making a comeback. Here are a few photos of monogrammed necklaces sent to be today from Sorella Jewelry Studio.

National Geographic reviews Oxford's Taylor Grocery

National Geographic Traveler published a favorable review about Oxford's Taylor Grocery today. The building constructed in 1889 was once a general store, but in 1977, the owners began cooking catfish, its signature dish. Today, it's known as "The Catfish Place" with the motto "Eat or We Both Starve." Read the National Geographic review here.

Paramore's Mississippi connection

While reading Tweets this morning, I ran across an interesting Mississippi fact about the band, Paramore, whose song Decode was the lead single for the film Twilight. Lead vocalist Haley Williams was born in Meridian.

Williams moved to Franklin, Tenn., when she was 13 and met brothers, Josh and Zac Farro, who became bandmates along with Jeremy Davis. Their second album Riot! went platinum in the U.S. and gold in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand in 2007. The third album, Brand New Eyes, is scheduled to be released tomorrow.

In 2007, Rolling Stone called Paramore "Ones to Watch," and the band was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy earlier this year, but lost to Amy Winehouse. Another song called I Caught Myself is also featured on the Twilight soundtrack.