What a crock of crap!

[K Frame]

NEW YORK (AP) -- The PBS Kids Sprout network has fired the host of "The Good Night Show" after learning she had appeared in videos called "Technical Virgin."

The host, Melanie Martinez, had alerted network officials about one of the videos late last week and she was immediately taken off the air.

"PBS Kids Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character's credibility with our audience," said Sandy Wax, network president.

Airing for three hours each evening, "The Good Night Show" airs soothing stories and cartoons designed to get an audience of 2-to-5-year-olds ready for bed. Each night, Martinez guides a puppet character into dreamland. Martinez is a stage actress and mother of a toddler.

In the two "Technical Virgin" videos -- made before she landed the children's show job -- she spoofs PSAs about how young women can keep their virginity.

PBS Kids Sprout airs children's programming 24 hours a day and is seen in about 20 million of the nation's 110 million television homes. "The Good Night Show" has been temporarily replaced by cartoons while a search is conducted for a new host.

[mtnbkr]

Have you seen those videos?  I have.  I agree with their statements.  

Not that they weren't funny as hell, but they're not the type of material you want your toddler show's host appearing in.

Chris

[K Frame]

Yes, I've seen the videos.

In fact, I think I might be the one who informed you of their existence.

A few thoughts may be in order...


Toddlers are going to be surfing the internet unsupervised, find that site, and connect this woman to the girl shown in those ads... why?

Toddlers are going to understand the innuendo and nuance on that website... how?

Given some of the conversations we've had around your dinner table with your daughter in the vicinity, how well would you, your wife, or I fare in a similar situation where it becomes a question of "appropriateness of former actions" when dealing with a toddler?

Sorry, I think it's a ludicrous overreaction by PBS, especially given some of the crap that they air during times when children are up and about.

As a kid, some of the first female nudity in a sexual context that I ever saw was on PBS in the early evening on the weekend. That's OK, though, as it was that high class British artsy crapola....

My take on this?

This is ONLY an issue, and I mean ONLY an issue, because Janet Jackson showed her tit during a Super Bowl and the FCC started to salivate over the new powers that they could derive from that.

[mtnbkr]

It's not the kids they're worried about, but the reaction from the parents.  It's hard to present a wholesome image when your host is known for her appearances in videos promoting anal sex as an alternative to regular sex.  It has an effect on the credibility of the show, at least in the minds of some parents.  

Private conversations aren't the issue here, recorded performances available to the public are the issue.  

The FCC has nothing to do with this.  The original videos were never broadcast over the air or via cable, they were only available on the Internet.  AFAIK, the FCC does not have jurisdiction there...yet.  There are plenty of current and former porn stars who make appearances on broadcast TV in more respectable roles or shows without drawing the ire of the FCC.  I don't recall Stephen King's Tommyknockers being blacklisted from broadcast because Traci Lords had a role.

It's not about the kids, it's about the show and the damage that could've been done to the show.  Personally, I don't have a problem with her being on the show, but I can't fault their logic from a public relations perspective.

Chris

[SteveS]

As the parent of a toddler, I don't have a problem with as long as the current material is appropriate for children.  What she did in a previous job doesn't seem all that relevant in this situation, but I am sure that some people would complain.  PBS should have discovered this before they hired her.

[mtnbkr]

Steve, I agree.  However, I can also predict the sort of responses they'd get from parents if this got out before she was canned.  It's all about damage control.  

Chris

[K Frame]

"It's all about damage control."

Bingo. It has nothing to do with appropriateness, it's all about damage control.

And yes, despite what anyone would want to believe otherwise, the FCC is a looming presence in this issue due to the new series of accountability requirements and the new fine structures.

Broadcasters everywhere are running scared right now.

I stand by my initial comment that it's a crock of crap.

It's not as if she were showing up naked in a video banging Gerry the Genital Giant, four midgets, and a stalk of celery.

The website/videos were obvious satire. They weren't promoting anal sex as an alternative to regular sex any more than Chris Rock promotes cough syrup as a cure for a broken leg.

[mtnbkr]

If the FCC is a factor in this, then we're going to see the end of broadcast TV and radio very soon.  I can think of many, many shows and actors that will not be able to get work if their actions in non-FCC controlled environments are a factor in FCC fines.  The fines have increased and it's easier to get the fines, but you still have to do something on the air to have a fine levied.  They're not fining thought crimes yet.

What's more likely is a parent will be offended and complain to the show's producer and/or sponsors.  If the sponsors get a complaint, they may fear losing customers and choose to pull ads to prevent offending their customers.  Not only is that the more likely scenario, it is one with precedent.

I have no problem with her getting canned as a damage control technique if they feel their investment is threatened by her actions.  I may not personally have a problem with her, but I don't write the checks or negotiate with the sponsors.

Chris

[mtnbkr]

Final note:

Rather than getting pissed PBS about this, shouldn't you be pissed at the idiot parents who would make this an issue in the first place?  It starts with them.  PBS is simply responding to a situation played out over and over in other venues.

Chris

[K Frame]

"Rather than getting pissed PBS about this, shouldn't you be pissed at the idiot parents who would make this an issue in the first place?"

You don't think I am?

This is just another indication that far too many parents have relinquished, to my view gladly, to others the role that they should rightfully be playing in judging what is and what is not suitable for their children. It's just as evident that PBS has willingly picked up the role of being the arbiter instead of saying "Uh, parents? Get a grip on what your whelps are doing before you expect us to parent them for you."

The FCC is not an active factor in this particular incident, it is, as I said, a looming presence. The FCC has proven that it is more than willing to land on broadcasters based on fewer than 5 complaints and has in the past acted on complaints of an extremely dubious nature. The FCC has absolutely no published standards as to what constitutes indecency, and in fact refuses to publish such standards.

And I beg to differ regarding the role of the FCC as the thought police. If you were to read their own position statements and the extent to which they're attempting to take control over broadcast, yes even cable and pay services, not just open air broadcast, you're left with a very chilling picture of what the FCC wants to be.  

And finally... Tracie Lords. Remember her? The under-aged porn queen who made the jump to mainstream TV?

Know anything surrounding her first ventures into TV, and FCC's involvement?

Makes for an interesting story....

Some of the things that the FCC was looking for included overtly sexual movements, suggestive poses, and facial expressions, and they did so with a fine toothed comb.

Because of her past, she was exposed to far greater scrutiny than an actor in similar role (but without the previous history).

Your tax dollars at work.

[280plus]

Heck, I'm still ticked off from when they pulled Pee Wee...

Maybe pull isn't the best word to use there. Hmmm...

So if she's "technically" a virgin what's the beef? Wouldn't you WANT a virgin to read to your kids?

People in this country make way too much of a big deal out of sex. They all seem to forget that each and every one of us is here as a result of some sex act or another. Sounds like just another example of people sticking their noses into other peoples business to me. We had  or probably still had some of those around here. Picketing the strip joints and all. Oh well, I think I'm rambling, time to shut up.

[Antibubba]

I guess my show won't make it into production after all.   It's too bad, because "Nina Hartley's Kiddie Hour" showed a lot of promise.