Mr. and Mrs. Kim Kardashian

As far as TigerBlog can figure, there's never been anyone in American pop culture quite like the Kim Kardashian.

Oh sure, the whole group of them seems to be a bit, uh, narcissistic, and TB can't imagine the utter self-absorption that goes along with mundane, every day tasks, such as picking out the right outfit to go to the store, a process that probably takes hours.

Still, the leader is 30-year-old Kim Kardashian, who has achieved extraordinary, unthinkable levels of fame and fortune for having - well - for having big boobs and no shame. And for coming along at a time in America when she could fully exploit both.

Look at Lindsay Lohan, for a moment. While she is her own kind of train-wreck, at least she's been in movies, some of which were actually successful. And no, she's not particularly talented in anyway, but at least she was in a real movie.

There are some others who have no real talent but have the right look, and at least they had an album or were in a sitcom or something.

Not Kim Kardashian.

What? The same is true of the cast of Jersey Shore or any number of other reality shows? Yes, it is, to a certain extent.

Nobody, though, represents fame for the sake of fame like Kim Kardashian.

Her last name first became famous when her late father was part of the dream team of lawyers that got O.J. Simpson an acquittal in his double-murder trial. There are some people, by the way, who believe that he might have actually been guilty.

Then there was the, um, home movie that Kim starred in that launched her onto the national pop culture stage. Since then, she has built on that start to became a cultural phenomenon.

TigerBlog, for one, can't really understand what the lure is in watching a show that follows her family through its everyday life. Why do people watch this? What do they care?

Whatever the answer is, it goes a long way to explaining where American culture is in 2011. There's an escapism factor, a glamor factor, a voyeuristic factor, combined with an envy of those who found their way to easy money and fame.

What there isn't is a value in hard work and genuine talent, but hey, whatever.

Anyway, as some of you might have heard, Kim got married this past weekend, to an NBA player named Kris Humphries.

TigerBlog was fascinated by all of the comments he read under the various stories he saw about the wedding. Most of the comments said they'd be divorced soon, how could he marry a tramp like her, how was this news, etc. And yet, they all read the story.

The TV network that does the regular Kardashian show will be doing a four-hour wedding special in October. TB will watch none of it, but enough others will that it earned Kim $15 million. There was also another $2 million for wedding photos for a magazine, as well as unbelievably expensive things like cakes and invitations and gowns that were given for free.

TB thought, for some reason, that Humphries went to Colorado, but it turned out he went to Minnesota. It was Jay Humphries, who apparently isn't related, who went to Colorado before playing in the NBA.

When TB saw that Kris Humphries went to Minnesota, he wondered if he had played against Princeton several years ago. TB couldn't remember the exact year that Princeton played at Minnesota, though he did remember several things about the game:

1) TB thought about going to see his friend Larry Zucker, who lives in Eden Prairie
2) TB instead watched it on TV and heard the TV color commentator, when told that Princeton had a 16-day break for exams coming up, said something along the lines of "that's a little too much commitment to academics."

The game actually was played on Jan. 10, 2004, and Minnesota defeated Princeton 57-53.

Humphries was the leading scorer in the game, with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting fro the field and 7 of 8 shooting from the line. He also had eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 31 minutes. The only other Golden Gopher that TB heard of was Stan Gaines, who transferred to Seton Hall.

Princeton's starting five?

Andre (not Andrew) Logan, Judson Wallace, Scott Greenman, Ed Persia and Will Venable.

Logan led Princeton with 16, while Wallace had 13.

Venable had seven points, six rebounds, four assists and no turnovers. Venable, of course, is now an outfielder for the San Diego Padres.

Humphries went from Minnesota to be the 14th pick in the draft, chosen by the Jazz. He has bounced around, going from Utah to Toronto to Dallas and now to New Jersey, though his contract was up at the end of last season.

He has averaged 5.6 points per game for his career, though he did average 10.0 for the Nets last year, a career-high.

And now he's married to the most famous person in American pop culture.

Good luck to the happy couple.

And to America.