Is Jon Gosselin's reputation worth $5 million - or 5 cents

Sometimes you hear of the things that celebrities do and you wonder what the hell they were thinking. Jon Gosselin has made me wonder that often over the past few months.

But the thing that got me laughing, was when I saw that he was countersuing TLC Network. This is part of the tit-for-tat that has been going on since the split between Kate Gosselin and Jon became public knowledge. A month ago Jon was sued by TLC for breach of contract. The cited that he has appeared on various programs and has been paid for his appearances, which he was clearly not allowed to do because of his contract.

Jon has now decided that the best thing to do is to sue TLC for $5 million. His reason is that TLC has prevented him from being able to work because thay have ruined his good name and reputation. Yeah, that is the funny part.

I find it hard to believe, and impossible to prove, that TLC was responsible for the bad name Jon Gosselin has. He was the one that left his 8 children and wife. He is the one that took $180,000 from a bank account potentially leaving his children without a means of support. He is the one that has stated publicly that he wants to get away from his kids. And various news and tabloid programs have covered all of this and more. Including Jon prancing around on television with a girlfriend - something I'm sure was a real fun situation to be explained to his children.

When a supposed man abandons his kids, as Jon has done, that smudges his image and reputation. Even in a society that is filled with celebrities acting badly, this stands out. Add to that the fact that 8 children are involved and we get an exponetial result. Plus it might just be possible that there are executives in Hollywood with some semblance of morales, enough that they done want to be associated with a low-life that Jon Gosselin appears more and more to be.

TLC didn't make Jon Gosselin look bad. TLC didn't parade Jon and various women infront of paparazzi. TLC didn't make Jon abandon his kids.

Jon Gosselin does not deserve $5 million. In fact I don't think he deserves $5. If he can get a job as a dishwasher I'd be happy, except that he should pay to help support his 8 children. Because regardless of his problems with their mother, the kids don't deserve the treatment he is giving them. Because a real man takes care of his own, always.

I hope that someone has kept a record of all the money Jon has made so far, off of this public divorce. I hope that someone ensures that a good portion of that money is set aside for his kids. It doesn't make up for the embarassment and life-long trouble that this has created for them, but it at least will help ensure they won't be impoverished as they grow and the eventual attention of the media turns to some other sordid and troubled celebrity.

I hope the judge that deals with this countersuit laughs in Gosselin's face and slaps him down good for such an outrage to common sense. But that's me. Is anyone will (or able) to defend Jon Gosselin?

Jon Gosselin - looking worse every day

A while back, before news first broke of Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin divorcing, I took a position that the media was being unfair to the couple. I defended his ability to go out with friends to have a drink. To have time to just be around friends and have a little time off from the 8 children that required 98% of his time everyday. At that time it looked like the media was just dad-bashing.

Since that time Jon Gosselin has done just about everything he can to make me feel bad about the position I took. He has flaunted the broken marriage, separated himself from his kids, and allowed the media into a divorce that is anything but friendly. He has become more of a louse than anything else.

I still believe that the media intrusion into the life of the family did not help anyone in the Gosselin family. Maybe they would have stayed together without the cameras, maybe not. But there is no question that the added stress of public life did not help the situation.

That said, this is even worse for the kids than I imagined. Not only are their parents divorcing badly, essentially before millions and directly in front of those they live around, but they will have the added issues that any child goes through when parents divorce. Plus there is the fact that neither parent seems to be a shining beacon of decorum..

Perhaps the thing that upset me most is the fact that Jon Gosselin took $180,000 from the joint account he had with Kate. I doubt if that was every penny in the account, at least I would hope not as the needs of 8 children require ample funds available. Such an act irritates me, and I have to comment on it though I prefer to leave the private issues of celebrities alone.

It is a sad statement of our society when a man can remove the security blanket of his family solely to cause pain and anger to his wife. Especially when the media is there to watch it all happen. It's a negative message at every level. Young men are being taught that fame and money are far more important than marriage and family responsibilities.

I like to think that Jon Gosselin is above that. But that is not what is being reported. And the media is all over both of the Gosselin's enough that even if there is a media bias against all fathers, his actions still stand as problematic.

Even his recent cease-and-desist letter to the TLC network about filming his children takes on a disingenuous tone. It seems more akin to a punishment for Kate Gosselin than to protect his kids. The money and fame was fine while he was there, but suddenly when he is not it is too much. That may not be the way it is, but it does look that way.

Ultimately I feel bad for the children. If there were no other reason for the parents to be quiet publicly, to appear amenable, it would be for the sake of the kids. Because while the tabloids are laying the groundwork for a lifetime of painful memories for the children, none of them will be around for any positive effect on those kids. Once all this is over, the tabloids will walk away, and wait for the poison they have injected to these kids lives to surface so they can cash in again.

Jon Gosselin is not helping this. Kate Gosselin has issues as well, not least of which is continuing with the show (to be called Kate plus 8). But as a man, I look at Jon and know that men are supposed to behave better - even in a bad situation. He has made the worst of the media hype believable and fair.

I said this before, there is no upside from all of this. The media and the Gosselin's combined are in the wrong. I just hope they all can shut up publicly and do what is best for the kids. Because when its all said and done, they are really the only ones that matter at all.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 – the show must go on

Actually it shouldn’t. I have been disgusted with the tabloid coverage of this couple. The media frenzy over their marital difficulties was abominable. And it all culminated with the show this evening.

After the endless speculation and paparazzi attempts to confirm the worst of thoughts, Jon and Kate Gosselin have publicly declared they are getting a divorce. And television, especially reality television has found a new low in its search for the common denominator.

With the pressure and unforgiving presence of the media, a family now is broken. And millions got to watch it happen. It is perhaps the largest mass media sadomasochist event so far in the history of the medium. The money generated by this event will never make up for the lives that have been ruined.

The lives I’m speaking about are the 8 children of the Gosselin’s. None are old enough to full understand what has happened. But they are old enough to feel every repercussion of this event. And thanks to television and the media at large, they will be able to relive this all their lives. A fact that television executives I am sure are happy about.

There are so many reasons why this is wrong. The effects of this will last far longer than the “reality” show. In the end, the pain inflicted will likely not be seen until it hits a headline down the road. Yes, all 8 children are now 1000% more likely to become part of a more tragic statistic than growing up with divorced parents. They may become part of the child stars that have lives damaged permanently – like Dana Plato, Todd Bridges, Lindsey Lohan, Tatum O’Neal, Danny Bonaduce, Britney Spears, Brad Renfro, Michael Jackson and so many others.

Just for the momentary amusement of the public. The joy of letting someone feel better about their own lives by watching someone else’s problems. And it only took the infliction of pain on the minds and lives of children that can’t even understand what has happened.

Would this have happened anyway? Maybe. But there is no question that having the parents chased down by the vulture hordes of cameramen looking for any failure in their lives made raising so many children just that much more difficult. There is no question that the pressure of having their lives documented for the watercooler commentary of the masses did not make it easier. Not getting a chance to just be loving parents, or a married couple, just ensured what was announced today.

Yes, over 50% of the people married today get divorced. Yes, society does not view divorce the same as say 30 years ago. In fact, it is now considered as much a part of marriage as anything else. But do we really need to be a part of this happening? Do we really need to know intimately how this happens to a family in weekly episodes?

But millions have gotten their pound of flesh. They are reminded that the Gosselin’s are just like them. Television has found a new low to sink to. The commercial success of this family breakdown guarantees executives duplicating the events for even higher profit.

So when you see the Gosselin kids in the headlines in 10 years, don’t be surprised. When you see the paparazzi chasing them down courthouse steps, or seeing their mugshots, feel as smug as when you watched their parents announce their divorce. Because every viewer, the cable network, television, the tabloids, the major media, all helped it to happen.

What a proud moment for the tabloids. What a grand experience for America. What a heyday for the viewing public, indeed.

Reality television is voyeur sadism

Well I was away at a wedding for the past couple of days, so I haven’t said anything. But the long trip did give me a chance to listen to some 20 hours of news. And it was quite interesting. To say the least.

The saga of Jon & Kate Plus 8 has hit a fever pitch. The likelihood of a divorce between the 2 is imminent. And the media is all over this. The speculation is filling the airwaves. Without a scarce thought to how the children will be affected, both now and in the future.

Just like how Susan Boyle has be led to exhaustion in England, I expect little better for Jon and Kate Gosselin. I can’t even imagine the effect on their children. Truly the outcome will be anything but good.

Yet swarms of people are circling around the carcass of this marriage via the reality television show and tabloids. The season starting episode drew about 10 million viewers, the most ever for the show and the best for TLC Network. In fact it was the most watched program of any broadcast or cable channel that day. Which really is sad.

But I don’t know if I should be surprised. I mean I just came from a wedding where the pastor essentially was inferring that there was a time limit on the marriage. That at best the expectation was years, and not a lifetime. With that kind of view, I almost understand how the relationship of Jon and Kate Gosselin is high entertainment.

Add to this the programs that fill the airwaves. The Real Housewives of D.C. is the latest in a series of shows about nothing. There is the Rock of Love, or Bad Girls Club, or I Love Money, or I Love New York (the nickname of a woman without talent and not the city). In each case we have a reality program, designed to highlight the most trifling of human emotions and reactions. And virtually all of them (and a multitude of other reality programs) are fictional to some degree or another.

But we have become a society of drama and disaster. The only reality that is worthwhile is one where someone is being devastated. Where we watch people act as buffoons, without common sense, all for money and/or a few moments in the national eye. And things are really interesting if we can gossip the next day about how miserable someone else’s life is on some show as compared to ourselves.

Of course we forget that for us, and any child that might see these same programs, we are instilling a sense of how to behave. We reinforce the expectations of society. We promote the very results we see. Because approval is something we all want, and if behaving like an ass, and having self-destructing relationships is what maintains our attention it is also what we will create more often. Television is a wonderful tool of subliminal teaching. If you see it often enough, it becomes the norm. And if we add the moniker of reality, then we are given the seed of thought that this is the most we are expected to live.

Reality television, and the nature of what happens on these shows, feeds directly into the ultimate lowest common denominator of society. It has no benefit to provide us. But it will sap away hours of our lives. And it will provide us with the impetus to repeat exactly what we have seen.

There is no upside to watching a family disintegrate. We learn no lesson in the manner this is being presented to us. The only people who gain from this are television executives and tabloids. Neither of those groups of people have a concern beyond the income they can generate.

The thing that just strikes me the most though is that so many are deriving pleasure from the pain of others. People are obviously captivated and interested in the suffering of Jon and Kate, and/or Susan Boyle. As if in some way it vindicates whatever ills they live everyday as well. Honestly I thought we all were better than that. But in 20 hours of news over 3 days, it seems that I am wrong.

So the losers right now are not just the children of the Gosselin’s, and/or Susan Boyle, but everyone that is drawn to these breakdowns like carrion feeders. We effectively have become voyeuristic sadists. That’s not entertainment to me, it’s just depressing.

Tabloids not done with Jon & Kate Plus 8

Last week Jon Gosselin was the target of accusations of cheating. This week People has targeted Kate Gosseling. I expect that next week both will be accused by some tabloid of being swingers. And in short order stories of abuse of their 8 children will appear.

It's ludicrous. Not just because the stories appear to be completely fabricated and meritless, but because the tabloid media is building upon the fluff that it is hyping. And the damage of their actions seems to be inconsequential to the ratings and sales they hope to make of this family.

The price of fame these days seems to include the destruction of any semblance of normality and happiness. Paparazzi vultures circle the even quasi-famous, searching for a photo that can be taken to have duplicitous meanings. Tabloids exploit any action that might present even a hint of negativity.

I realize that 'reality television' is the new 15 minutes of fame. I recognize that tabloids are being hit in this economic struggle as much as any other media. But do we all really need to bask in the difficulties and hyped fantasies of failure of even the most obscure celebrities? Does anyone's life become enriched by pondering a photo of a celebrity doing something as normal as getting a ride home from a bar, encircled by text declaring it may be a sexual jaunt? Will any person's day become miraculously better because marital strife is decried to have occurred in the life of someone on tv?

Aren't we all better than that? Or have we sunk to a point where anyone who makes more money, or is more famous, than the average must be displayed with flaws and riddled with barbs of anger. Could the lowest common denominator of tabloids and television scraped so low that this is considered fair treatment and entertainment of the masses?

Look, if Jon and/or Kate are having difficulties they should be left alone to resolve them. It's not like the media does not have enough access to their daily lives. The small bit of privacy they have should remain theirs.

Better yet, I would love to hear from anyone in the tabloid industry, or the paparazzi, that is willing to explain the reason why we need to know these things about any entertainer. Why the potential destruction of a family is justified for ratings and sales. How the private lives of anyone is less important than the ability to infer disharmony and flaws projected to the masses. And if any of them do respond, I dare them to place their names on such a response.

Honestly, I don't expect them to answer. They are to cowardly, in my opinion, to dare face the masses with honesty or an explanation. Rather they would prefer to hide behind their business and cameras, maintaining their anonymity, and collecting money.

Still the largest blame might be best left to the masses themselves. Because if no one purchased the trash they produce, out of necessity it would have to end.

Jon and Kate plus 8 - the tabloids are the real problem

What is it with the tabloids? Are they getting in too much trouble with the paparazzi circling stars like vultures that they now are after reality tv stars? And what cost does this all have?

Case in point is the drama surrounding Jon and Kate plus 8 stars Jon and Kate Gosselin. They are the parents of 8 children, and have a television show that highlights their daily tribulations in taking care of their little troop. I’ve seen the show from time to time, it’s not great television but it does surpass most of the ‘reality’ television fare out there.

The Gosselin’s are not a perfect couple. They get tired, stressed, and annoyed. Just like parents of far fewer kids. And like every other parent in the world, they occasionally look forward to having time away from the kids. But they are good parents in a good marriage, from what can be observed.

That of course is motivation enough for the paparazzi and the tabloids. Any successful relationship seems to be the fodder of their ire. And now they are stirring a hornet’s nest of trouble.

If you haven’t heard, recently Jon was photographed in a car with a woman other than his wife. He was exiting a bar. His wife Kate was on a promotional tour for her book at the time.

Does that sound like a scandal? That he was out cheating on his wife? To the tabloids it does. Though all the people involved insist that it was merely a night out away from the kids with a friend. Still they twisted the wording and laid down accusations all the same.

Of course this has lead to the usual paid dirt. You know, when someone related to or familiar with someone in this situation sell a story to the tabloids that backs up or infers truth on some part of the paparazzi driven drivel. You would be amazed what some people will do for $10,000 (a common amount paid for such “inside” information), or just a few moments of fame.

But what is the ramification of all this? Has anyone at these tabloids stopped for one moment and thought how this could affect the 8 children?

I mean the best thing that a tabloid could have happen is that they instigate a marital fight. They put undue pressure on the already difficult task of raising so many children, and hope that something pops. And if it does the paparazzi will be there in droves to film every second of it.

But what if this tabloid driven version of a married guy going out for a drink with a friend, who happens to be a woman, in a public place by the way leads to divorce? Neither of the parents are millionaires or even rich (8 kids will do that I am sure). Life for either Jon or Kate will instantly become more difficult.

But the real losers will be the young children. None are old enough to understand divorce. Hell, grown kids often don’t understand it. What kind of trauma might this mean for 8 innocents, still learning the basic building blocks of life.

Maybe it’s just me, but the private lives of entertainers and celebrities are private. Paparazzi and tabloids are a poison to the lives of everyone they touch or go after. There is no justification for what they do, nor any way to determine the damage they create in their wake of going for the photo.

Maybe Jon is innocent. Maybe he is not. But no matter which is the case, having the lesser part of the national news media (if such a thing exists) exacerbating the situation makes it all worse.

No child deserves this. And even if I am the only one to think so, I will say that the media needs to back off. Some things aren’t worth a minor bump in ratings or an extra couple of dollars in profit.