Sadly, I seem to be spending more and more time gagging on the tabloidization of the entertainment media. We've always been a whorehouse, but every hour wasn't spent trying broadcast the tv-safe version of the Dirty Sanchez.
Now this, in defense of the memory of Heath Ledger, who the publicists have no financial benefit in protecting, only the opportunity to stop vomiting for a moment as the media becomes even more abusive that the most abusive personal publicist ever considered being...
Tonight Entertainment Tonight/The Insider are previewing an extremely distasteful segment regarding Heath Ledger. The segment centers around a two-year old video ET purchased for a large sum of money in the hopes of stirring up a salacious and exploitive story about Heath, which would win them big ratings on the first day of sweeps. The two outlets did not even have the courtesy to wait until after Heath’s burial to broadcast this segment. They intend to air the full segment tomorrow.
For the sake of his grieving family and friends, his child, and common decency, we hope to pressure Entertainment Tonight and The Insider to do the right thing and pull the spot. This is not journalism, it is sensationalism. It is a shameful exploitation of the lowest kind, to a talented and gentle soul, undeserving of such treatment.
We are asking the Hollywood community to pressure Entertainment Tonight to pull the segment. Please take action so that Heath’s family can grieve in peace. Please forward this message to everyone you know and ask them to personally call Linda Bell Blue at Entertainment Tonight and Brad Bessey at Paramount to express their outrage and request Entertainment Tonight to pull the distasteful spot. Their information is listed below. Thank you.
Linda Blue
323.956.1937
linda_bell@paramount.com
Brad Bessey
323.956.4857
brad_bessey@paramount.com
ADDED...
And it gets even more disgusting.
This from the grotesque Perez Hilton, who received a pre-air cease & desist from Paramount...
"NOTICE OF ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT AND THE INSIDER’S EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS REGARDING PROPRIETARY MATERIALS OF HEATH LEDGER AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT ON APPROXIMATELY JANUARY 29, 2006
**************************
THIS IS TO ADVISE YOU THAT ET AND THE INSIDER HAVE EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN AND TO PROPRIETARY MATERIALS OF HEATH LEDGER AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT ON APPROXIMATELY JANUARY 29, 2006
ANY BROADCAST OR USAGE OF THIS MATERIAL IN ANY MANNER NOT AUTHORIZED SHALL CONSTITUTE AN INFRINGEMENT AND VIOLATION OF ET AND THE INSIDER’S VALUABLE EXCLUSIVE AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS AND WILL CONSTITUTE INFRINGEMENT AND TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE BY THE INFRINGER, EXPOSING THE INFRINGER TO SUBSTANTIAL MONETARY DAMAGES.
THIS RESTRICTION APPLIES TO ANY AND/OR ALL UNAUTHORIZED USES OF THE EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL.
PLEASE IMMEDIATELY ADVISE YOUR AFFILIATES, LICENSEES AND SUBSCRIBERS OF OUR EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS AND THESE RESTRICTIONS."
So... I guess this officially means that ET and The Insider KNOW that this is not use - which would put it into the fair use category - but exactly the same detritus as tabloid shots of Lindsay Lohan's vagina.
What a proud moment for all involved! The pimp warning the prostitute at the start of the evening that she will be beat if she doesn't being back ALL the cash.
*** TMZ. *** Nikki Finke. *** Mainstream Media for lowering their bar under the pressure of these unrepentant gossipmongers. And *** us all for smirking as we slow down at the car accident to see the severed body parts that the show business highway patrol now leaves in the wreck for a few hours, convincing themselves over lunch at Mozza that they are just being good journalists or that if they weren't doing it, someone else would.
Hitler had the trains running on schedule... let's not bother ourselves with the smoke from the chimneys.
Read the complete post at http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2008/01/how_ugly_will_i.html