Monday, February 20, 2006

Marguerite Perrin vs. Jeanne D’Amico Flisher

Trading Spouses: Psycho Fundy / Neo-Pagans

I don’t watch much reality television as a rule… that is, other than home improvement shows (and this season, Beauty and the Geek).  Of course, I make exceptions for those shows where religion is an issue, such as the Wife Swap episode where one of the families was that of the Infidel Guy, and of course, the Trading Spouses episode (rerun this past weekend) that introduced the world to Jeanne D’Amico, a kind and lovely woman with an open mind… as well as the horror show known as “The God Warrior,” Marguerite Perrin.  The Fundy From Hell.

Within hours of the first airing of the show, the Internet was abuzz about the God Warrior - there was even a fucking bobble-head of this crazy woman on eBay, which apparently sold for over $800, and was presented to Marguerite on Jay Leno (I didn’t see it, mind you… I’m just reporting what I’ve read).  I went to the official Trading Spouses boards after seeing the episode, because that’s what we board whores do after seeing a show that creates a strong reaction of whatever sort and have to rant. To my horror, there were more than a few people who actually defended this woman’s looney religious fervor that had her talking to God, rebuking a psychic, fearing gargoyle statues, and having a full-blown psychotic tantrum when she returned home.  Now, I know damned well much of the show is the result of editing, but you’ve got to have raw footage to start with, and this broad is a certifiable nut with a deadly addiction to Jesus.

There were actually people (women, mostly) who cited Jeanne’s HAIR as clear proof that she was “ungodly” or “dark-sided.” Of course I had to chime in and let them know that that is just Dago girl hair, and they were just jealous because Jeanne was very sweet and pretty, while Marg was more like a crazed warthog!

So of course, it’s the lunatic Jesus freak that gets all the press, puts up a website and is selling a CD… while talking shit about the freethinking NICE mom and her family.  Meanwhile Jeanne just has a little blog, where she tries to set things straight as she continues to deal with the changes in HER life.  It’s bad enough her family had to be subjected for a whole week to a crazy Christian woman whose OWN family cowers in fear during her tirades and “spirit-filled” rantings, while she gave Marguerite’s family what was probably the best week of their lives; now she’s got to have this crazy bitch posting gossip about her, and going behind her back to talk to her (now) ex-husband, Chris Flisher?  Jeanne’s left to pick up the pieces of her life, while Marguerite’s flying back and forth to media events capitalizing on her extended 15 minutes of fame, simply because she went psycho for God on national television?

America has gone stark, raving mad.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Justices in the Amaani Lyle vs. Warner Bros. Case Agree with ME!

In May 2004, I wrote about the ridiculous sexual harassment lawsuit brought against Warner Bros. and “Friends” by Amaani Lyle, a writer’s assistant who felt her 4-month stint exposed her to a hostile work environment because of the writers’ crass language and overly sexual comments while brainstorming.

Here’s what I said:

The fact of the matter is that in spite of the strides made by women in the workplace, it’s still a man’s world and boys will be boys… especially in the entertainment industry where eternal Peter Pans keep the machine going by giving the people what they want - the idea that whatever’s in front of them will somehow get them laid.  Sex sells, and the entertainment industry sexualizes anything and everything.  Any woman who expects to be treated with kid gloves in the business is woefully naive and deserves to be run off if she’s too easily offended AND can’t bring herself to tell the boys when they need to shut the fuck up already.  When you’re playing with the boys, you’d best have balls enough to stand up for yourself once in awhile or you’ll get chewed up and spit out in short order.  Hooray for Hollywood.

It would appear that the California Supreme Court Justices hearing the case on Tuesday are inclined to agree, according to this article on Law.com yesterday, Crass or Creative? Harassment Case Involving ‘Friends’ Sitcom Reaches Calif. Justices:

Joey Tribbiani would be thrilled.

On Tuesday, the justices of the California Supreme Court seemed inclined to keep their fingers—and jurors’ second-guessing—out of the creative process that helped breathe life into his sex-obsessed character, and others, on the sitcom “Friends.”

The court, in a case televised live by the California Channel, had been asked to rule that writers’ sexually crude comments and simulations while hashing out TV scripts could constitute sexual harassment serious enough to cause a hostile work environment, especially for women and minorities.

But the six justices on hand for oral arguments appeared uncomfortable with the thought of forcing writers to curb their thoughts, words and actions even if they often push the boundaries of sexual harassment.

“This case is unique, is it not, in that it arises in the context of this creative environment,” Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar said.

Justice Ming Chin, recovering from surgery, was absent, but will participate by reviewing tapes of the arguments.

Tuesday’s case was filed by Amaani Lyle, a former writer’s assistant for “Friends,” who claimed that the vulgar language and graphic antics used by the show’s male writers during her four-month employment in 1999 subjected her to a hostile work environment. She argued that constant talk about anal sex, blow jobs, “schlongs” and degrading descriptions of women as “bitches” and “cunts” had nothing to do with the show—which was much tamer on air—and was simply lewd, frat-boy entertainment for the writers.

The writers and Warner Brothers Television Productions, which produced “Friends,” responded by claiming that dirty talk and lewd actions—such as simulating masturbation—were part of the free-rolling, creative process that made “Friends” one of the most popular shows ever on TV.
[Whoa, deja vu!—OB]

“It was one of the tools of the trade,” Adam Levin, a partner at Los Angeles’ Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp who represented the writers and Warner Brothers, told the justices Tuesday.

[snip]

On Tuesday, the high court seemed to be in Levin’s corner, with more than one justice noting that Lyle had been warned before she took the job that she would be exposed to foul language of a sexual content.

“If she’s told there’s going to be sexual banter back and forth—and that happens—where’s the alteration to conditions of employment?” Chief Justice Ronald George asked Scott Cummings, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Lyle.

George was referring to provisions of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act that prohibit harassment so pervasive that it alters some condition of an employee’s job.

Levin had earlier argued that Lyle faced no change in employment conditions because exposure to sexually charged speech was part and parcel to her work.

Even so, Justices Werdegar and Carlos Moreno played the devil’s advocate by asking whether writers had absolute immunity from harassment claims or if there were limits on what could be said in writers’ meetings.

Levin said there “are limits, no question about it,” such as not being able to direct racial epithets at minority employees. He also said that writers for the movie “Finding Nemo” or the TV series “Sesame Street” likely wouldn’t engage in such banter.

Amaani should have stayed at Nickelodeon if she’s so goddamned sensitive to crude humor and the sort of sexual banter that goes on between adults, especially in an environment where a “sexy” show is being written.

Stupid fuckin’ cunt, heh.

I’m glad the Justices seem to be aware of the chilling effect ruling in favor of Ms. Lyle would have on the creative process, and that making an exception due to the “intensity” of some of the comments she’d “endured” simply because of her sex would be unfair.  According to the statute, harassment must be “because of a person’s gender”, and there’s “no indication that the writers’ comments and actions were based on sex.” So tough titties to you, Amaani!

Get used to the frat-boy humor and sex jokes, babe, or you’ll never make it in this town!

(Found via the Free Speech X-Press Newsletter)

Monday, February 13, 2006

Dickin’ Around with YouTube

Since everyone seems to be doing it, I figured I’d test out this YouTube thing by uploading the Real file of my 15 minutes of fame on “Win Ben Stein’s Money” back in 2000.

And just so I can save it… Here’s the Permalink URL

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Lovin’ the Sheeples!

Normal Bob Smith has put faces to the folks whose hate mail is laugh-out-loud and piss-your-pants hilarious.  Check out The Sheeples!  Here’s one of my favorites:

Yeah, the First Amendment only protects speech as long as it’s not offensive to Christians… at least in the utterly delusional world in which they must live to continue believing. Heh.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Home Improvement vs. MySpace Addiction

So, losing my job midway through the kitchen remodel really sucked major dick, since I only had enough money put away to install the new counters.  That’s finally done, but now I have to do all the cabinet refinishing myself.  I was originally going to strip the old cabinets and then stain them and the new cabinets so they’d all match.  After spending 4 days stripping and sanding, I was able to actually stain 2 doors—and not only did they look like SHIT, but I couldn’t even get them to match each other, which didn’t bode well for matching them to the NEW cabinets.  So, onto Plan B:  Faux finishing everything.  It’s definitely not easy, but I’m starting to have fun with it now that I’ve done a couple of doors and they came out pretty good.  Once it’s all done, I’ll get a gallery of pictures up.

A while back, I created a MySpace Page but I just recently started adding friends and whatnot, at the behest of The Infidel Guy, to help him get new members and get the word out about his show and Free Thought Media.  Darwin help me, I’m fuckin’ hooked!  I’ve found several people I haven’t seen for years and years, and have found some really cool new people that have become friends (MySpace friends that is) too.  Including one of my heroes, George Carlin!  I find myself checking for new friend requests or messages in between coats of primer, paint or glaze; and I spend altogether too much time going off on tangents by clicking on other people’s friends, which leads me to other people and their friends… and so it goes!  I really need a clone of my own so I can be everywhere I need to be all at one time!

Now, here’s a plug for one of my newest buddies on MySpace, Jesse Blaze and his band BLAZED.  I’m not just biased because Jesse’s the son of my all-time favorite front man, Dee Snider… the band truly kicks ass!  I liked their songs enough to order the CD, and I’m hoping they’ll play a gig out here one of these days because I’d really like to see them live.

OK, back to Home Improvement Hell!