my 2yr old daughter watches the goodnight show and she loved melonie. I don't beleive that this is a valid reason to fire her. I don't think that it would affect my child in any way.
How about getting rid of Thomas the Engine to since GEORGE CARLIN, for God's sakes, does the voices! Remember his original seven dirt words: "shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits"?!!!! Unbelievable!!
George Carlin was on PBS for years on Thomas the Tank Engine, I am hoping he could lend her some support.
Betty Aberlin was a regular on Mr. Rogers when she was in DOGMA.
Chuck Aber was on Mr. Rogers when he was in many rated R films including Silence of the Lambs and Creepshow.
Maggie Stewart was in Passed Away. Dr Ruth is on Between the Lions.
Not to mention while on PBS, Sonia Manzano (Maria) from Sesame Street has been on violent Law and Order episodes as well as in the Vagina Monologues.
Dr Ruth is on Between the Lions.
I am withdrawing my support of PBS and I will not suport my local station until she is reinstated.
My daughter loved Melanie. PBS, shame on you. First of all, 2-5 year olds don't get access to iFilm to see a silly fun project Melanie did. Otherwise, lets pull "Thomas the Engine" because of George Carlin, at least for Alec Baldwin reasons alone. Lets pull Sesame Street for numerous special guest for questionable past projects. Get real PBS!! Remember this...Ye who casts the first stone, won't make it out the fight alive!
Did she do anything wrong while on the air or during her time with PBS? NO! Did she have my 2 year son sitting next to me watching her show before night night time? YES. Will PBS explain to my son why something we did together everynight to calm him down before bed is so much different. Watch the show now and it's just shows after shows, no more bedtime stories. No more Star Bright and no more Melanie. Now that PBS has taken something away from my son maybe I should take PBS away from him. I have more then enough DVDs we can watch. Maybe PBS should rethink what they did and bring her back. She made the network before the Goodnight Show. She was the Goodnight Show and PBS Sprout.
If she ends up on Noggin or Nick so will we. She was a great host and connected with my son and other children.
because life is impossible to predict and no-one can live as dull, humourless, zero-personality virgins just in case a kids TV channel picks them up. And that person wouldn't be as charming/funny as Melanie even if they did exist.
My kids are traumatized by not having Melanie on the good night show. She handled this professionally. How does a 2 year old understand what this is all about.
Melanie is the only reason why we watch this station. My son just smiles from ear to ear when she's on TV. Please bring her back, but not that Star puppet.
Melanie is a key member of our family come bed time....we NEEd her. We don't care what she might have done in the past. It was so long ago...she's a changed woman and deserves the right to continue doing the wonderful service she started a year ago. Reinstate!!!!
Firing someone for their honesty is complete b.s. I don't see that was so wrong about it, PBS needs to look at more important things rather than what someone did in the past.
So, she tries to handle it professionally, and this is the professional answer?!?!?!? Bring her back!! And, if you do not I hope she pursues a lawsuit in regards to this...I WOULD!!!
This wouldn't have been a big deal if PBS hadn't overreacted and fired Melanie; it would have been a blip on a blog. BRING HER BACK!!! If you don't, I hope that PBS examines the past of each of its executives.
My daughter watches Melanie as she get ready for beds every night, I think it is a shame that PBS thinks that something she did/said 7 years ago (for 30 seconds) would affect our children, your audiences now. We as parents have the responsibility to monitor what our children see and hear in their forming years. Not PBS. I hope that another network will pick her up and create a show around her wonderful ability to entrance children and encourage them to learn. I have been a big supporter of PBS for my children's outlet for watching television during a time when most cartoons are filled with violence. I am sad to say that I have lost my support for PBS and your products and your belief that your way of thinking is the only way. Shame on you.
the only people that would ever see the PSA Spoof are adults. My daughter who is a year old would never see it nor would she remember it. Put her back on the show and stop this nonsence
I support this petition because it was something she did before her reign on the Goodnight Show. She was perky and my kids love her. Granted the material may not be the image PBS wants, but the only reason people know about this is because it was brought to light this way.
the children are the ones who are watching, learning and being entertained by this, not the adults. Tell me how a toddler/preschooler is going to find these videos and watch them? And, I am sorry, if these videos are enough to have her removed from a PBS show, how about George Carlin? Didn't he narate Thomas the Train for quite some time, and his stand up act was FILLED with 4 letter words and such - why is that okay?
Melanie should not have been fired over something she did before she worked for sprout! I mean come on. Sprout hardly had a personality to begin with now it has NONE! its a infomercial for HIT enterainment.
There is a logical separation between Melanie Martinez' work on Kids Sprout and any previous work. PBS - which in the past has been one of the few bastions of truly independent American programming - is bowing to imagined pressures. Never mind that those pressures are completely unfounded - Ms. Martinez' prior work, though not intended for a toddler audience, is no more 'scandalous' than anything seen on late-night network sketch tv. How does this possibly make her an 'inappropriate' host for a PBS program? And in what way does this previous work affect the children that are the intended audience of Kids Sprout?
I believe that you should fire someone because of job performance. You should not fire someone because of something they did before they started working for you, unless it is illegal.
Acting in a video such as "Technical Virgin" is not illegal, and shows a level of thought that is rare in entertainment today.
You made a poor decision, and in making it, blew the situation out of proportion.
I think that if Melanie had originally stated that she had done this video she would not have been hired in the first place, so PBS definitely needs to give her her job back.
Ms. Martinez is an actress. She is acting when she talks to the fish, Hush, on the Goodnight Show and she was acting in the videos years ago. She's good at what she does and should keep her job as long as she does it well.
This is really absurd. You fired a woman for making a 30 second joke that can only be accessed on the internet. My understanding is that she made the video a few years ago before she was even host of The Goodnight Show. She did a good job on the show and just because you dig up something you didnt like from a few years ago doesnt mean that you ahould have fired her. The little people watching her show obviously wouldnt even be watching the clip. Or maybe you did do the right thing...Think about it, if you did something years ago, maybe you shouldnt be allowed to entertain children. The point is you are a bunch of hypocrates! George Carlin on Thomas the Tank Engine...James Gandolfini on Seseme Street...those should have never been allowed...Whats next - dig up some dirt on the man in the big bird or barney costume?? What you have done to this actress is a disgrace and an outrage...I will no longer support your programming in any way, shape, or form...I will not buy your videos, products, or watch your shows with my children. you must have the most ignorant and narrowminded executives around and you make me sick!!!
PBS is being prudish and ridiculous. Melanie is one of my granddaughter's favorites, and projects and extremely wholesome image to these young children. This is either political, hypocritical or both. If this is the standard, then George Carlin should never be allowed to appear on Thomas either.
As a mother with a young child, and an adult who is personally distressed by the prevalence of "abstinence only" sex ed for teens, I actually thought the Technical Virgin parodies had a good point. In any case, I don't think that material is relevant to Melanie's current job. Kids' lives will be much more disturbed by her disappearance from the show than by her appearance in an old Internet joke.
Shame on you PBS. Since when did you decide to "play-it-safe?"
Haven't you always been a proponent of education, growth, and change? Wouldn't you then also practice what you preach and use you knowledge to help your employees grow? Where's the tolerance and understanding for Melanie? The real question should be who allowed Sandy Wax to get this far with her decision? and how does that decision reflect on the company image?
because the video could probably get a pg rating anyway and if a kid watching a kids show saw this then he would know about that kind of thing anyway so it wouldn't matter
#1 The kids will never know - and in the event they ARE allowed to see such material - does it really matter then if the host of a kids show has a past?
#2 The grown-ups who are making a big deal about this need to lighten up a bit - the videos aren't THAT bad... geez.
Person's past lives, especially their pre-'adult' lives should not bear on who they are now. If one readily admits to their 'transgressions' forgiveness is the logical action, not dismissal. We err because we're human. Does PBS collectively laugh at the same jokes they used to??
I supposrt this petition because, as many others have pointed out, it is ridiculous that the likes of George Carlin and Alec Baldwin are "appropriate" for Sprout, but not Melanie Martinez. Just what does PBS consider to be appropriate for young children?
In line with what others said. "even bad credit is forgiven after 7 years".
Also, I am quite sure I saw James Gandolfini of Sopranos fame on Sesame Street awhile back...what he has to do with appealing to a 3yo I have no clue..but Melanie is well loved by my preschooler and I hope you bring her back.
Melanie was a great host and both of my young children enjoyed watching her. As a parent, I would have no problem with her continuing to host the show. The videos were made a long time ago and were a joke. If Richard Pryor could have his own kids show at one time and George Carlin could host Thomas The Engine what's the problem!
This is ridiculous. The kids that the show appeals to should not be trolling the internet looking for TECHNICAL VIRGIN spots. This is a ridiculous firing and I am quite upset with PBS. If she appeared in this video while working I can see some merit, however, she was not promoting the Technical Virgin on the show. I see no problem with the promos and am upset at how scared networks are. Stand up for your employees. It happens everywhere, the FCC shuts down the RADIO and increases fines, but tv can show graphic deplorable violence and get away with more curses than radio. In a country gone mad we the people must stand up for what is right and wrong and the network is quite wrong in this instance. PBS SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! SHAME ON YOU!
I support this petition. I cannot believe that PBS would be so short sited to remove Melanie for something that my children won't see as it is my responsibility to monitor what they watch. I guess next Thomas the tank will go as George Carlin once played the conductor, and his adult "material" is certainly not appropriate for my children. Keep up the good work PBS.
As the father of a 2 year old and 5 year old, I fully support this petition. It's not as if my children will ever see those videos, and I highly doubt any parent that would encourage their child to watch PBS would show their children the technical virgin spots featuring Melanie.
