You know, I hate stupid spineless TV execs that do stupid things.
If you have kids, you may know of a show on the PBS Kids Sprout cable network called the Good Night Show. It starred a girl, Melanie who “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.” ( Kids’ show host fired over ‘Virgin’ video – AP Story/CNN) It was schmatlzy, my wife wanted to get the girl a change of clothes because the outfit was god-awful, but my son liked it.
Well, Miss Melanie had a bit of a comedic past. She starred in a couple of 30-second bits called “Technical Virgin” which lampooned PSAs for staying a virgin though,lets say other means. This was 7-years ago, and when PBS found out, they canned her. You can find them on Google Video.
Like my 2-year old is ever going to see that? He has not asked where she went yet, but she is clearly confused by the show being gone.
I like the column that By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist wrote, and he mentions some of the things I did in my Letter to PBS.
Speaking of which, here is the body of my letter to PBS….
I’m writing to express my displeasure with the dismissal of Melanie Martinez from the “PBS Kids Sprout Good Night Show.” I feel the act was rash and short-sighted on the part of Sandy Wax.
My 2-year-old son is a fan of the show and watches part of it each night. He is going to miss seeing her, and change can be tough for toddlers. I have watched one of the “Technical Virgin” videos on the Internet as to investigate the incident regarding her dismissal. Although Melanie Martinez’s part in them is certainly not appropriate for children, I see no reason why any Sprout viewer would ever know that she did them or what difference it makes. I would not allow my 2-year-old to watch George Carlin’s comedy, but Mr. Carlin does a wonderful job in doing the voice-over for “Thomas the Train.”
This double-standard reeks of sexism, and I implore management to reconsider this action … and don’t you dare remove the Thomas episodes that Mr. Carlin does in order to “level the playing field.” Ms. Martinez is a good show host that appeals to toddlers, and that is your audience after all.
To which I got this….
Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding PBS KIDS Sprout’s decision to no longer have Melanie Martinez appear as the host of The Good Night Show. Ms. Martinez has been an important part of Sprout and we are saddened that this difficult decision had to be made.
Our foremost priority is maintaining the trust of the parents and families we serve. With this in mind, the management of Sprout determined that the short films in which Ms. Martinez appeared were inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host. We apologize for any disappointment that our decision has caused you and your family.
Sprout remains committed to The Good Night Show as a valuable tool for parents to help children wind down after a busy day. Plans are in development to launch a new season of the program with a new host in late 2006. In the meantime, regularly scheduled programs within The Good Night Show (e.g. Dragon Tales™, Bob The Builder™, Thomas & Friends™) will continue to air in their designated time slots with new short-form content replacing Ms. Martinez’s segments.
Thank you again for your comments.
Sincerely,
Amelia
Viewer Services
Pretty much a “we don’t really care what you think” answer.
Not sure what more to do about this really… other than get the word out that their overreaction. Feel free to Write PBS and let them know how you feel.
Overall, it held up better than Please Teacher! Please Twins is funnier than its predecessor, and has more likeable characters, but what bothered me this time around was the overall youth of the cast and the underling sexual tension and connotations/risk of potential incest. (Who is the relative and who is the stranger?) The creepy factor is particularity overt with the minor character of Matagu Shidou, at least that little perv gets some payback in the end.