'It Is What It Is,' The Sequel: Britney Leads the Deflections

By: Shawn Moynihan In a recent column, I took up the battle against use of the inane phrase "It is what it is," which is currently in danger of being adopted fully into the vernacular. I didn't expect to stop, or even slow, that train now that it has left the station -- but it's discouraging to find the expression still getting very wide play, especially in the sports and gossip pages.

In an Associated Press story published this week, Britney Spears, who will surely win no "Mother of the Year" awards for her parenting skills, tried to accept responsibility for being caught on film driving with her baby, Sean Preston, sitting in her lap.

"It's kind of like I made a mistake and so it is what is, I guess," Spears said on "Access Hollywood."

Read between the lines here: The expression is often used to communicate "What could I do?" But now we're on to using it to deflect accusations of putting a child at serious risk? Lovely.

In a similar vein this week, Milwaukee, Wisc., Police Chief Nannette Hegerty told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that "It is what it is, and we are going to move forward" after two police officers were fired for their roles in the severe beating of Frank Jude Jr. The case, in which officers were accused of punching and kicking Jude to a pulp at a party, has made headlines for days.

One comparatively harmless -- but no less annoying -- example came from veteran Oscarcast producer Gil Cates, who told the AP this week that he believes it is "immoral" for stars to use their precious Academy Awards airtime to make political statements. But he added that once the curtain goes up, it's out of his hands: "It's a one-take show. It is what it is."

Another example recently spotted (feel free to send your own to letters@editorandpublisher.com): "People expect the Steelers to win this game. Oh well, we're not getting caught up on it. It is what it is," Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said before Super Bowl XL.

Then there's Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who said during a visit to Baghdad in late January that he's proud to have National Guard troops from his state deployed to Iraq.

"But that's not to say this doesn't put an enormous drain on us," Doyle said. "It is what it is."