Completely Inappropriate

The rent is too damn high.

It's been a long week here at Thinking Hard. It all started with pictures like this from the upcoming issue of GQ:



That's "Glee" stars (left to right) Dianna Agron, Cory Monteith and Lea Michele. GQ decided to do a racy photo spread with the ladies. When I first saw the pictures, I thought "Hey, that's pretty hot. I mean, even though the girls play teenagers on TV, I know enough about the real world to know that they're in their early 20s and of legal status to look attractive in whatever they choose." Then the Parents Television Council got a hold of the pictures. If you're not familiar with the PTC, they're the people who think parents don't do enough parenting, so they fight the "smut" on TV, like pro wrestling. The PTC is up in arms for the image the pictures present to young "Glee" fans out there. Even Katie "Take a REAL Good Look at My Colon" Couric expressed her disappointment. My thought? Get over it. Dianna Agron responded to the criticism saying the photo shoot didn't represent who she is as a person, but she also didn't walk away from it. She also went on to point out there aren't many children who read GQ and maybe it's the PARENTS' responsibility to make sure they don't leave a copy of GQ laying out at home. Good call. There aren't a lot of good parents out there. But also, I came to the realization that there's something wrong with ME if I think a blonde and a brunette in their early 20s are attractive. Despite what my driver's license says, I think of myself as young. But I now know it's not how I perceive MYSELF that matters...it's how I'm viewed by others. And others would think that's skeezy. So, thanks, GQ, for making me feel dirty.

One more thing I'd like to hit on this week (no pun intended)...NPR fired "journalist" Juan Williams after he went on Fox News and said he gets nervous every time he boards a flight and sees a muslim in full religious garb on board. Fox News then expressed outrage at the firing and offered Williams MORE airtime. People on both sides of the issue say it has to do with the muslim debate. Personally, I think has to do with Williams. He's been touting himself as a "journalist" on NPR for years, while at the same time "contributing" to Fox News. In other words, he's been reporting on NPR and offering his opinion on Fox. Anyone else see that as a conflict of interest? There's a certain acceptance that when a reporter speaks on-air on ANY outlet, that person will be talking about the facts of a story. But when said reporter starts spouting opinions, that line gets blurred. I don't want to see Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly or Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews report from the scene of a burglary because I believe they'll just offer their two cents worth during the report. Likewise, I don't give a rat what Brian Williams or Lara Logan think about the muslim debate...just give me the news. But if you start blurring the line between reporter and "person with opinion," the future of news gets blurred as well. And people ALREADY don't trust the media. Just saying.

Imagine a world where every newsroom is run by people who value the internet more than what you see on TV. What would News Director Natalie do:



You think THAT'S a train wreck? Try watching a nerd dance-off at video game convention...hosted by, of all people, JAY MOHR:



Seriously, Jay Mohr hanging out with people half his age? Now THAT'S inappropriate.
Happy election day.

-B-