PBS Sprout fires children's host over old video satirizing Religious-Right

[Ian David]

Dumb People Make Children Cry
PBS fires young, female kiddie-show host over old, naughty video. Smart people groan

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Friday, July 28, 2006

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Apparently, the PBS Sprout Network just fired one of its on-air talents, name of Melanie Martinez, the host of a nightly, three-hour show called "The Good Night Show," which, according to the AP story, "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."

<snip>

But then, a shocker. Turns our lovely Melanie Martinez is not what she appeared to be. Turns out Melanie Martinez had, prior to her gig smiling a lot and keeping your kids company for three solid hours while you join me in surfing for porn on the Internet, turns out she had a tiny sliver of an adult life before she took the gig at PBS. And what's worse, it's on video. On the Internet.

Oh. My. God.

Yes indeed, before joining PBS (a full seven years before, mind you), Martinez apparently appeared in two harmless, 30-second satire videos called "Technical Virgin" in which she spoofs PSAs by joking about -- say it with me now -- sex and virginity. Gasp. And PBS found out about it. Because Martinez told them.

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Now might be a good moment to point out the dozens of adult actors (male, of course) who appear in countless kiddie movies and TV shows, most of whom have happily raunchy personal histories. Haven't George Carlin, Ringo Starr and Alec Baldwin all appeared in that sweet little choo-choo train show, "Thomas the Tank Engine"? What about Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Chris Rock? What of all the big (male) stars who appear on, provide voices for, even produce kiddie shows? Is it because they're famous? Because they're rich older men, whereas Martinez is a nonfamous youngish sexual female and is therefore an eternal danger to all mankind everywhere? Don't you already know the answer?

More:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2006/07/28/notes072806.DTL

[gatorboy]

1. This is moronic in two ways.

One: your toddler will care less what Melanie did before this gig. That one's obvious.

The other? Letting your TV put your kids to sleep with bedtime stories. Do parents not do this anymore?

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. When I first heard about this my first thought was

'I wonder what producer she refused to go to bed with'.

She obviously pissed someone off, for them to dredge up this nonsense.