Buddy's required reading

Here are some recent web articles that I have found online and which I am sure Buddy Wayne Barefoot would also have felt passionate about:

• Daniel Hemric won the Legends Million, the auto race I have referenced several times here on this site because of my character's decision not to compete in it. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular David Ragan finished fourth. Here's the story.
  
• ESPN ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer, one of the top executives in the history of televised sports, cuts the network he is following a new one on its coverage of the announcement that LeBron James was to sign with the Miami Heat.
• An obituary of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Vernon B. Davis honors not only his heroism, but his dignity in fighting in a U.S. Army that was still segregated. Comment #2 at the end of the article expresses the perversion of media priorities that Barefoot has railed about for a long time.
  

Odds and ends: Buddy's not racing, Brittany's pregnant, fundraiser

Some recent events in my world:

• Buddy Wayne Barefoot disappointed some of his fans by choosing not to participate in next week's Legends Millions at Lowe's Motor Speedway. However, he will be on hand for some ceremonies and to present the trophy. "If my life after NASCAR racing was not fulfilling, and that's true for many people, I would have been tempted to return," he explained. "However, I have always said that my racing career is not the reason for my existence. So I am happy to stay retired." The final day will be shown live on Speed on Saturday night, July 17.
• Brittany Spears, Barefoot's wife, revealed that she is pregnant and that the child, a girl, is due in mid-September.
• The Barefoot Fund, the charity that supports efforts to save family histories, held its first fundraiser at the new NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 23. The highest bid among the 22 items available in an auction was for a cruise to Greece, Italy and Malta with Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Mark Martin; that went for $11,000. Blondie and Bubba Brister performed.
  

Heaven TV: a closer look

Of course, this blog references My Ideal World, a television show on a network that I had Buddy Wayne Barefoot create in the book. The network was made out of seed money from a blockbuster feature film pooled together with money from Bud Paxson, a real life media magnate from Florida. I called it Rebel after the original film.

As it turns out, I have decided to expand the concept and change a few other things about it. For one thing, I would give it a new name: Heaven TV. The idea is to present what life is like in the world beyond for those who live in the here and now, and to be the official network for the world to come as described in the Bible book of Revelation.

Heaven TV would present the same kinds of shows that air on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, except with a strong Christian message. It also presents programs that reflect the overall theme of heavenly life, "What life was before and will be again." In other words, nostalgic and timeless subjects prevail tying together the past, present, and future.

Here are some of the other primetime programs:

• BunkMaster: Operation X - This is also mentioned in the book. Bunky Barefoot plays a character best described as part James Bond, part Mick Jagger. He travels the world to solve mysteries.
  
• The Barney Show - Barney is one of the most common names ever for comedic characters, but this one is different. Barney Laughinghouse and his family star in an improvisational sitcom that combines "reality television" elements with strong messages.
• The New Black - Singing star Melanie MacMelville plays fashion-magazine writer Melanie Black, who tries to balance family life and her magazine work.
• King and Queen - Married rodeo stars Billy Bob Bryant and Krista Bamburg star as a pioneer couple in modern-day Arizona. This is the first Western series on primetime television since The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. went away in 1995.
• Escape to Reality - Sixteen characters who are reminders of reality TV shows live together and try to use their talent in the context of the outside world. But as in the worlds they have left, one at a time are eliminated until there is a winner.
• Bellinger Island - A cast comprised mainly of African-Americans play out drama, romance, and suspense in a world left for them by their former slaveholders after the Civil War.

Add a nightly newscast with Magdalena Babblejack, regular morning and late night shows, some daily game shows, a soap opera, a primetime newsmagazine, children's shows, and Sunday church services, and there is Heaven TV. It's a mix of religious and mainstream television that would be unique, and suitable for all family members.