Disgust and uplift...

It's not every day I blatantly paste in someone else's stories and try to pass it on to you folks... every other day, sure! But, then, it's not every day that I read two stories back to back that both fill me with disgust and uplift me at the same time. And certainly not on such sites as IMDB.com! But...

Here you go.


... Disgust:

Church Ad Rejected by Networks
Viacom's CBS and UPN networks have rejected a paid public service announcement by the United Church of Christ in which an announcer says, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we. ... No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here." In a statement, Viacom said: "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations. .. and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the networks." NBC has also rejected the ad as "too controversial," the church said. In a statement, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the church's president said that it was ironic that "an ad with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed too controversial. What's going on here?" The ad was accepted by Viacom's black-oriented BET cable network and its Nick at Nite channel as well as by ABC Family, Fox, Hallmark, and many Turner Broadcasting channels.

And just so you know, it's not the commercial that offends me or the church... but you probably guessed that.

... Uplift:

'Super-Size Me' Director In Deal with FX
Morgan Spurlock, whose Super Size Me became a rare documentary hit at the box office this year, has signed a deal with News Corp's FX cable network to produce a reality series, 30 Days, which will place an individual for 30 days into an environment that is completely at odds with his or her beliefs, upbringing, religion or profession. In the pilot episode, a Christian insurance salesman from West Virginia will move into the home of a Muslim family in Michigan, where he will learn to understand what it's like to be considered a security threat in one's own community. "I thought it would be great to create a television show that examined social issues without being preachy and didn't tell you what to do but deals with problems in a way that is palatable and entertaining," Spurlock told today's (Wednesday) Los Angeles Times. "We literally take somebody and have them walk in someone else's shoes and question their own belief structure."

Intelligent TV? It'll never last!