I would confess my love of Jesus Christ Superstar as a guilty pleasure but I’m honestly not the least bit guilty about it. It’s musically the strongest of all the “rock operas” that made it to Broadway in the late 60s and early 70s. Thanks to the power of the source material, it’s a much more compelling musical than any of Webber’s later work. Though Christians may object to portions of it (Judas is portrayed more as a victim of God’s machinations than The Great Betrayer), most of it the story is recognizably faithful.
And broadcasting a live musical on network television? That’s the sort of risk-taking that deserves to be rewarded.
The torrent of Endless Media Pervbag revelations that started with Harvey Weinsetin has zoomed past water-hose, torn through fire hydrant, and is now at raging river conditions.
The latest skeaves caught? Today show host Matt Lauer and Prairie Home Companion windbag Garrison Keillor.
As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Lauer once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, which left her mortified.
On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis. After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act.
You may wonder what genius at NBC approved that expense, but look on the bright side: They probably turned down his request to build a secret bondage dungeon as “too expensive.”
"Hey, boss, you need to sign this requisition." "What's it for?" "A button on Matt's desk allowing him to lock the door." "Why does he need that?" "Do you really want to know?" "Good point. Here." https://t.co/ypbJ20FfVu
By contrast, the details about PBS canning Keillor seem considerably vaguer:
Garrison Keillor, creator of A Prairie Home Companion, has been evicted from his longtime radio home at Minnesota Public Radio after reported “inappropriate behavior” by the 75-year-old host.
MPR communications director Angie Andresen confirmed his dismissal in a statement posted to the broadcaster’s website Wednesday that did not detail the nature of the allegations. The organization announced it would “end its business relationship with Keillor’s media companies effective immediately.”
The broadcaster will erase Keillor, one of public radio’s most famous voices, from its air and website, including renaming Companion, the variety show he created in 1974 and hosted until 2016, when he retired and handed over creative control to his handpicked replacement, musician Chris Thile. In addition, MPR will no longer air rebroadcasts of Keillor’s old shows, nor will it produce or distribute his remaining syndicated series, The Writer’s Almanac.
I’m not a fan of Keillor, but it almost seems like someone at MPR had a long-standing grudge against him and used a single complaint to make him an unperson.
Said Keillor: “If I had a dollar for every woman who asked to take a selfie with me and who slipped an arm around me and let it drift down below the beltline, I’d have at least a hundred dollars.”
And who can doubt that women are irresistibly drawn to his smoking hot, sensual body?
And as long as we’re talking about Keillor, here’s The Simpsons on his special brand of humor:
Some final tweets:
Area Woman Quietly Satisfied To Have Concrete Evidence Backing Up Years-Long Hatred Of Matt Lauer https://t.co/2AOkQUwJsz
Termination of US news reporter Matt Lauer is devastating blow to enthusiasts of vapid morning banter with mindless celebrities. pic.twitter.com/Ppdc0Y70sw
