I didn't think I was actually going to get angrier after watching Entertainment Tonight promote their ongoing rape of Heath Ledger's dead body.
But I did.
Because they were doing something even worse that I saw coming.
They are trying to position this shite as not only a healthy choice on their part, but one that can help others.
First, they blame the video being shown on Australia’s Channel 9... while they negotiated for the exclusive and as noted in an earlier entry, were already threatening people to prevent infringement on the "news."
Is pretending that you are covering a breaking news story when you are busy buying rights to old, exploitative, private video a lie or just spin?
Then they trotted out Jess Cagle, now at People, selling their coverage of Ledger’s drug use.
Then they bring out Dr. Drew Pinsky, speculating that this tape could offer insight into how and why Ledger died… even though at his time, there is no indication that illegal drug use had anything to do with Ledger’s death. And I assume he was lying by omission when he talks about having seen the Ledger drug tape "floating around Hollywood." Please! He didn't see it in the ET office before spouting hs crap about the tape "scaring someone straight" and "maybe saving a life?"
And unless it is the rarest of tapes of people doing drugs, is it really more "tragic" than an average Saturday night on Mullholland? Are we at the point where celebrities doing coke at a party is actually shocking? Are we really comparing cocaine use at parties, however dubious a choice, and the major addictions that so many have struggled with in this town? Has anyone ever met a 26-year-old actor that was a brooder without being a major drug addict? Or is it just hypocritical posing? If it turns out that Ledger's death had zero to do with illegal meds, will Dr Drew be spending time apologizing for embarrassing a dead man over his use of recreational drugs?
And what if it turns out that he was an addict? Shouldn't the media be waiting until it clears some sort of journalistic hurdles before we start spreading it all over? Can't we wait to learn our lesson (and sell more ads)?
I will allow myself the belief that Pinsky is sincere and is being used, not throwing out his Hippocratic oath. But he should be busy thinking about the ongoing loss of those in Ledger's life and trying harder to make sure he isn't being used as a rationaization for what cannot be rationalized as anything but the raising of blood money.
The show used 2 of the first 3 minutes of a 23 minute show to sell their blood wares, sticking a camera into Farrah Fawcett’s cancer in between. Then they did another disgusting 3 minutes in which Cagle talked about how the family is trying to keep things private and how there is a rush to judgment on the drug issue... after having participated in ET's rush to judgment in the opening segment.
Do unto others, muthaf-ers…do unto others…
Read the complete post at http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2008/01/you_know.html