Melanie Martinez will no longer be putting toddlers to bed on PBS's Sprout Network.
My toddler regularly tunes in to "The Good Night Show" on the Sprout Network run by PBS. Sometimes, I come home and he will be watching it and I will say, "Are you watching your show, sproutlet?" which usually leads to some giggling [Sproulet is the term they use to call young viewers].
The show was hosted by this pretty dark-haired woman, who my son would point to and call his mommy. I would say, "No, that's not your mom!" And we would giggle about it together.
Well, last week, Melanie Martinez, disappeared. My wife and I thought it was kinda strange. All of a sudden, she was gone. Vanished. Poof. We wondered why. Was she OK? Did she die or something? Did they cancel the show?
Well, thanks to a link on Drudge, we all know why now: ["PBS Kids' Show Host Fired for Video"]. After reading the story, I did a Google and found the comedy videos which, granted, were a tad racy, and found this statement by PBS:
This is disheartening on many levels, most of which is that as an actress, women are going to be held to this huge standard for the choices they make in their career and immediately not be able to apply for certain work based on past roles, no matter if they are qualified or not.
So I say, Save Melanie! Bring back the babe who my son likes to look at and let's not be making a big deal about such trivial things.
The show was hosted by this pretty dark-haired woman, who my son would point to and call his mommy. I would say, "No, that's not your mom!" And we would giggle about it together.
Well, last week, Melanie Martinez, disappeared. My wife and I thought it was kinda strange. All of a sudden, she was gone. Vanished. Poof. We wondered why. Was she OK? Did she die or something? Did they cancel the show?
Well, thanks to a link on Drudge, we all know why now: ["PBS Kids' Show Host Fired for Video"]. After reading the story, I did a Google and found the comedy videos which, granted, were a tad racy, and found this statement by PBS:
A Notice To Parents Regarding The Good Night ShowWell, as a parent, I must say that I'm extremely disappointed by this action. Should she really be fired for previous work she did seven years ago? I mean, come on. It isn't like it was full-nude porn, Playboy, or prostitution. She wasn't a corrupt Congressman or some intern earning her presidential kneepads and now TV babysitting to very small children. So, she did a questionable comedy video back when she was a struggling actress. Big deal. Shouldn't she be judged by her current work? She did a good job on "The Good Night Show." My son really enjoys watching her and the show. He doesn't know anything about her previous work and wouldn't. All he knew was that the girl who looks like mommy is on TV and now isn't.
Late last week, Melanie Martinez, host of The Good Night Show, alerted us to the internet posting of an independent short film that she appeared in seven years ago. 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. As a result, PBS KIDS Sprout has decided that she will no longer appear as host of The Good Night Show. Melanie has been an important part of our network and we are disappointed that we had to make this difficult decision. PBS KIDS Sprout’s foremost priority is to do what is best for our young viewers and their families. We remain committed to The Good Night Show, which debuted last year, as a valuable tool for parents to help children wind down after a busy day. Regularly scheduled programs within The Good Night Show (e.g. Dragon Tales™, Bob The Builder™, Thomas & Friends™) will continue to air in their designated time slots with new short-form content replacing Melanie’s segments. We are developing plans to launch a new season of The Good Night Show with a new host in late 2006.
This is disheartening on many levels, most of which is that as an actress, women are going to be held to this huge standard for the choices they make in their career and immediately not be able to apply for certain work based on past roles, no matter if they are qualified or not.
So I say, Save Melanie! Bring back the babe who my son likes to look at and let's not be making a big deal about such trivial things.
2 comments:
Call the PRESIDENT of PBS Kids Sprout. Her name is SANDY WAX and her TELEPHONE NUMBER is 215-667-2750
God forbid a woman should make two short spoofs -- and be honest about making them -- and expect to keep her day job. This in a society where we accept that Madonna is a children's author. (Well, some people do, but I don't!) This from a network that has no problem with George Carlin narrating the American version of Thomas the Tank Engine. I can't figure out the Melanie firing when juxtaposed with George. There are only two differences I can figure: he has said far more things that aren't appropriate for little children, and he has a penis. . . guess which one is why he's still PBS-approved? (For the record, I like George Carlin!)
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