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What a crock of crap!

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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.

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