He Wrote The Music, He Wrote the Words

Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo for almost thirty years, was caught in a bit of a dust up this week. As soon as it cropped up however, it quickly disappeared.

He was apparently accused of having a sexual relationship with a man when he was sixteen. See those two words right there. The two that immediately tell the story? "when he." So first off it reveals that Kevin is gay. That isn't a problem nor should it be a revelation. He's been open for the most part for a while. It also reveals however, that his occurred some time ago. It in fact occurred seven years ago. The accuser came to Sesame Workshop (and we'll get back to that) in June with the allegations and through investigation they found Kevin to really not do anything other than improperly use the internet. It's unclear if their "policy" applies to internet use on their facilities or a blanket "code of conduct" policy that applies outside of the job. Either way, they dealt with it internally and disciplined Kevin accordingly. That didn't stop the accuser from going public however, and that led Kevin to temporarily leave production of the show to defend his good name. Now he was probably told to leave to protect Sesame Workshop from scores of "WHY DOES HE STILL WORK FOR YOU!" nuts making a big deal out of it. In any case, it wasn't looking good for him. But my how the tables turn.

For one thing, this looked a bit suspicious from the jump. The accuser went to Sesame Workshop, not the police. Why? How would Sesame Workshop properly punish Kevin for the crime you're accusing him of? They wouldn't. They'd fire him and you'd get the satisfaction of knowing you ruined his career. Strike 1.

Second of all, seven years? You wait seven years to reveal this? Why so long? I understand that in some situations people are scared to come out with something like this out of fear for retaliation from the accused or supporters of the accused. But coupling this with going to his place of work puts the wait under severe scrutiny. Strike 2.

And before strike 3 could fall, the accuser has now recanted his story. It is unclear if this was because he knew this was going to be revealed as bull or if he was offered a crap ton of money, but boy was that fast. Kevin did admit that he had a relationship with him, but it was after he had reached the age of consent. Hopefully now, he'll get back to work and that this will fade away as nothing more that scorn from a relationship gone sour (that's my theory, anyway). It was so quick and Sesame Workshop had pretty much said that they agreed with Kevin, that Elmo's reputation won't be adversely affected as they go along. Good for him.

J out.

IT'S OVER!

I just posted about "Law and Order" being on the fence between canceled and renewed. Well it is official. "Law and Order's" final episode will air May 24th as the season finale would have.

I am deeply saddened that "Law and Order" will not break "Gunsmoke's" record. While this seemed like the right move from a business stand point, I have to say they should have let go for that record-BREAKING season, instead of giving it the status of record-tying.

Once again, I don't think it is fair to cancel it when they didn't give it a chance to thrive in it's Wednesday spot. They put it against the 2nd strongest CSI and Castle, the program following DWTS. In that case, they should've put at Tuesday @8pm to kill it faster.

Goodbye Law and Order. You've been around one year longer than I have. I'll miss you. J out.
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EN: For those who say that it doesn't matter because "The Simpsons" have already beat Gunsmoke, that was for overall primetime show. This is drama. There is a difference because I don't find myself laughing at "Gunsmoke" and "Law and Order" like I do "The Simpsons."

There will be more to come on the forthcoming end to this venerable series.

Law and Order. . .On the Fence

So "Law and Order" is on the fence. There have been reports of NBC saying it will be back and there have been reports that it will be cancelled. This, of course, is very big because 'LandO' would break the "Gunsmoke" record. That is the longest running primetime drama, if it makes it to its 21st season. Ratings have been down lately, but NBC couldn't possibly carry LandO this long and NOT carry it over the finish line. It is NBC's fault in the first place LandO is in the perdiciment it is in now.

LandO killed at 10pm on Wednesday. By the 16th season it had dropped some, but still did well. However, NBC decided it would be best to move it to Fridays. It dropped to 73rd place from 36th. (Smooth Move Exlax!) They realised the mistake and put it back and it hoped back up into the top 40. Yet it wasn't to last long because they wanted to try revolutionizing primetime television with Jay Leno. They moved it back to Fridays, but at 8. It did well. Yet, we all know how Jay Leno went. So it is at Mondays at 10. Up against stiff competition, LandO has fallen.

CSI:Miami, perhaps the strongest of the CSI, is on CBS and Castle, with rating juggernaut DWTS(1) as a lead in, is on ABC. They are very strong against LandO and I think LandO should be moved back to Wednesday. The old way of LandO on Wednesday and SVU on Tuesday worked well. Currently, SVU has the Wednesday slot. It is usually in a steady race with CSI:NY. Either CSI:NY wins viewers and SVU the demographic or vice versa. SVU should move back to Tuesday, LandO on Wednesday. Parenthood (Tuesdays @10) should go to Monday or Thursday, or to the 9pm slot on Wednesday.

All I can say is LandO better be renewed. To cut Dick Wolf short before this record is just cruel. I mean I know he's getting a Los Angeles branch of LandO, but keep the flagship. We won't know until Upfronts for the major networks next week (post to possibly come). So here's to crossing our fingers. X J out.

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1. Dancing with the Stars