Stripes letter on the Nick and Jessica Show

[lebkuchen]

Show was ‘charade,’ ‘phony’

I, like everyone else I spoke with who went to the Nick and Jessica show, felt used.

Unlike all the other United Service Organizations shows where the stars are there to entertain the troops and to boost morale, this show was not created for us. It was created to give the ABC television network ratings and to make a few bucks off of us.

The whole show was planned and scripted. Before and throughout the entire show, we were even coached and briefed on how to behave, when to applaud, and what to say. They even had us chant “ABC.”

Everything about it was a charade. It was so phony that the producers had planned to do a surprise reunion between a husband and wife (the husband had been deployed for a long time); however, the husband’s plane did not arrive on time. Instead, they had the woman go on stage and Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson said their scripts and the woman pretended that her husband just walked in and she ran toward him excitedly. The actual reunion was to take place at a later time and will be edited into the show.

I was so embarrassed to even be a part of this masquerade. They had to stop and do retakes over and over. People stood for five to six hours for the entire ordeal. A lot of people left because they were disgusted by the whole thing and those who stayed were waiting for the promised surprise guest that never came. Maybe the surprise guest will also be edited into the show to make it look like he or she was there.

I would have expected this from ABC, but I wouldn’t have thought the USO would have been a part of it.

We felt used. They took advantage of our patriotism, our love and concernment for our deployed loved ones, and our compassion for our injured soldiers.

Dana Strunk
Ramstein Air Base, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=28859

[caligirl]

1. At least he woke up to finally see what we always knew,

"They took advantage of our patriotism, our love and concernment for our deployed loved ones"

How do they think Bush got this thing started to begin with?

[BillZBubb]

3. Too bad the troops won't see that bigger picture!

They've been used from the get go.

[lebkuchen]

4. Who do you think might be the edited-in guest? (CLUES)

CLUES HERE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rotling/12506908/in/datetaken

Bush Prepares for Four-Day European Trip

Five days before President Bush meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the White House urged Russia to renounce the Soviet Union's decades-long domination of Eastern Europe to ease tensions with once-occupied countries.

The suggestion was made Wednesday by Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser, as Bush prepared to leave Friday on a four-nation European trip centered on celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050504/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_diplomatic_tightrope;_ylt=Alode6dfYf1h2sl98UOvsJCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2bW85OXIzBHNlYwNwbA

[FreedomAngel82]

7. Yep

Really sad. :(

[DS1]

2. Aww man, I was hoping the surprise guest would be Jack Osborne

touting the benefits of intense Thai kickboxing and high-colonic regimens

[mantis49]

5. Who in the hell are Nick and Jessica?

[MissB]

6. Trust me on this one.

You are better off not knowing who these two are.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. They are pop singers

They had this reality show on MTV that followed them around as newlyweds. Jessica started out singing Christian music but the label went down and they still helped her land a deal and Nick started out in a boyband called 98º that was okay and he now has out a cd.

[mantis49]

12. Thanks.

I guess I don't feel real deprived.

[LibDemAlways]

9. I think it's great that the USO sponsors

shows to entertain the troops. But I've never felt comfortable with entertainers turning these shows into tv specials to benefit their own bank accounts. Bob Hope was the worst offender. Now I see Nick and Jessica are following in his footsteps. Disgusting.

[lebkuchen]

11. It will be even more disgusting if Bush ends up the "mystery guest"

edited in, of course, to cheering troops.

Bush arrives to Europe in a few days. Rumor has it he's due on base for the "welcome home celebration." Setting will likely be exactly the same as for the Nick and Jessica show.

[Demonaut]

10. Dog and Pony show, but pony is giving Nick too much credit

nt