sonjabailes.com

I’m willing to bet at some point in your life, you’ve made the trek to Graceland and checked out Elvis’ mansion, the jungle room and seen his gravesite. I admit it. I went there for my third time last month. Hey, what can I say? My 6-year-old is a huge Elvis fan. I still love his music, too.

Well, in the next few years, you MAY be able to tour the estate of the King of Rock-n-Roll’s  former son-in-law — Michael Jackson. Yep, while it’s just talk, there is speculation that Neverland Ranch could be turned into a tourist attraction like Graceland.

Of course, Bubbles the chimp won’t be there or Jackson’s menagerie of  animals. They’re already gone. So are many of the amusement park rides, trains and carousel. But supposedly the house itself is over-the-top, as you can imagine.

Neighbors aren’t too thrilled with the prospect of thousands of tourists in the area, day in and day out. Graceland sure stays busy, with 600,000 tourists a year.

So if you were in the area, would you pay to see the King of Pop’s Neverland Ranch?  Or did his previous scandal — which he was acquitted of — tarnish any hope of you paying homage?

If you’ve watched TV at all this past week, it’s been inescapable.

Coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and the break-up of Jon and Kate Gosselin of TLC’s “Jon and Kate Plus 8″ have dominated air waves. And don’t think people aren’t watching. Sunday’s BET awards — which became a celebrity tribute to Jackson — were seen by 10.7 million viewers. That’s more than any other program on a cable TV show this year.

BUT it narrowly beat last Monday’s edition of “Jon and Kate,” when the couple with multiples announced they were splitsville. Separated. Jon had moved out after rumors had been swirling that he was seen in bars with other women. Even people I know who never saw the first episode of the show tuned in for the break-up edition.

What is it about tragedy or a person’s misfortune that draws us in? Is it compassion? Voyeurism? Reassurance in a way, because we’re not the only ones grieving a loss, going through trials and tribulations or experiencing marital woes?

Whatever it is, these are two topics that have people’s interest. Human nature is certainly a curious thing isn’t it?

  “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” With the exception of cost cuts.

   You’ve probably heard the Postmaster General has asked Congress to allow the U.S. Postal Service to scale back mail delivery from six to five days a week. No Saturday delivery would supposedly save $3.5 billion. While lawmakers mull over that, the USPS is now looking at closing or consolidating some 3,200  post offices and retail outlets.

  McKinney Boyd with the USPS told me they’ll be looking at offices in medium to larger-sized cities — Shreveport being one of them. It will take 60 to 90 days before a decision is made as to which ones are left on the chopping block.

  It could mean the next closest post office to you will be really far away … an idea that sticks some people in a bad way — kind of like the price these days for a first class postage stamp.

News today of Shreveport’s GM plant closing leaves an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Even more so for those of you employed there or with one of the many GM suppliers. One viewer e-mailed me, saying her husband works for a supplier and has already registered with a temp agency, only to be told they can’t find enough jobs for all the CDL drivers needing jobs.

Folks, this is scary. The trickle down effect is huge. When GM closes, suppliers shutter their doors. That means fewer people eating out, shopping and making discretionary purchases. Fewer tax dollars to fund city services, open public pools or maintain venues that add to our quality of life. It also leads to less advertising dollars and newspapers and TV stations hurting. Staff reductions have already become reality … not just a possibility.  

I told someone a while back, when the rest of the nation was chalking up high unemployment numbers, that it just hasn’t hit here yet. I felt the worst was still to come. I hope I’m wrong … but right now, I’m not seeing our city’s economic future through rose-colored glasses.

Your thoughts?

  News flash: We’re in a recession, finances are tight and people are being laid off  left and right. But that hasn’t affected ticket sales to Britney Spears’ 2009 Circus tour — including at Bossier’s Centurytel Center.

  Just out of curiosity, after hearing a friend say she paid $129 to grab a ticket during a pre-sale, I thought SURELY that would buy one of the best seats in the house. Ha! A quick search shows tickets upwards of $800 … even $900  apiece.

  I admit I’d almost like to go … just to see the ’spectacle.’ But I’m not paying that kind of money.  The cheapest seats — in the nosebleed section — are nearly $60. That’s before all the add-on fees.

  So, is seeing Britney Spears’ “Circus” worth it?  Is there anybody who you’d be willing to spring those kind of bucks to see?

Take a look at this friendly competition Friday morning on KTBS 3 First News. Several of Shreveport’s  fire stations will host open houses this weekend, so fire chief Brian Crawford came on the show to talk about it and brought a couple of fire suits for Jennifer Gray and me to try on. It became a timed race to see who could suit up the fastest. I admit … Jennifer smoked me!

All I can say is darn suspenders! I never liked ‘em during the “Mork and Mindy” days and still don’t — especially after getting caught up in one and couldn’t get my pants on.

Anyway, enjoy! The laughs are on me … and at my expense! I’m picking up the tab.

Mom has been asking me for quite a while now to help her clean off the patio. Boxes have been stacked up on it for years and the birds, rats –even a litter of kittens — had really made a mess of things.

So yesterday, heavily gloved, I started the extrication process — dragging boxes over to my mom’s chair so she could look individually at every cotton-pickin’ book that was water damaged, stuck together and pooped on. Personally, I would’ve just thrown it all away. But not Mom. Stuff that most people would scoff at, she thinks is still valuable. Heck, she wouldn’t even let me throw away the red foil that comes wrapped around poinsettias at Christmas. She said she could use it again around a plant this Christmas.  That’s her generation, though. Waste nothing, save everything. 

But had Mom not painstakingly gone through it all, I would have missed out on these finds — several elementary school yearbooks, my first cookbook, even a book about Leif Garrett. Remember him? OMG, I thought I was in love back then when he came onto the Hollywood scene.

We didn’t get anywhere close to finishing our task at hand. There are still many boxes to go through … and trips to enjoy down memory lane. Thanks, Mom!

  Such a sad story out of Rusk County, Texas. A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by two American bulldogs — initially reported as pit bulls — Monday. The boy had played with the dogs before at his friend’s house.

  Some states have out-lawed pit bulls. But officials at Caddo Animal Services repeatedly tell us it’s not the breed of dog but rather how it is raised that plays a role in its aggression and probability of attacking. The Centers for Disease Control conducted a 20-year study on breeds of dogs that attack the most. The results?

1. Pit Bulls 2. Rottweillers 3. German Shepherds 4. Husky types 5. Malamutes

  What do you think?

Date night — even with your spouse — doesn’t come cheap or easy.

An article I was reading talked about factoring in the cost for a babysitter, dinner, the movies, etc. — and you’re talking some serious cash. Heck, the babysitter alone can be upwards of $8 or more an hour. Multiply that times five hours and you’re talking serious coin. That’s why, given the recession, so many people are staying home.

So has the economy forced you to forgo date night? How much does it cost for a typical night out on the town? What are some cheaper — even free — alternatives you’ve found?

This gives a new meaning to the saying, “he showed his butt.”

It’s been a funny week for me. It started with my son shooting me in the mouth with a plastic arrow to wake me up. Then a Sonja Bailes-look-alike puppet took over my cubicle at work. Now, the latest  incident.

This morning I was in Springhill doing live shots for the rodeo. I was on Ranger, the horse. The man I was interviewing was on Slick Willie. Right when it was my cue, my horse bit the other horse on its butt! So instead of walking the horses side by side like we’d planned,  Ranger makes a sharp turn-around and points his butt at the camera. I’m doing all kinds of contortionist moves to interview the man … joking all the while about my horse wanting to show his back-side this morning.

It’s all in a day’s work. Just some of the funny moments that happen behind the scenes — and sometimes on live TV — that keep this job interesting! Yee-haw!