because these are not competing images. Adults are complex, and have different personas. Kids understand this on some level. It's why we teach them to knock on our bedroom door.
Melanie's previous roles have no bearing on her current job performance. It will be difficult to find a replacement who has never uttered a curse word or made an adult reference on film! Go with a proven winner; bring Melanie back.
I agree with so many others that it is hard to explain to my 4 year old why she is gone for something that she did 7 years ago. I understand the moral dilema about the content of the current videos in general, but even i noticed her unexplained absense and I find the reasons deplorable and undermining our preaching forgiveness. It's not child porn or abuse she was accused of for heavens sake
The kids want Melanie back. They keep asking where she is. They are too young to find out what she did such a long time ago and wouldn't understand it if they did. By firing her you have made them ask questions and wonder what is going on. You have created a problem where there was no problem before.
Melanie made my kids happy. Shes a sweet and bubbly person who doesnt deserve this. Thoses videos were done so long ago. They wernt even that bad. It wasnt like she was promoting somthing bad. Why would you punish all of these innocent littlechildren for somthing she did so long ago? my babys are heart broken that shes gone. her personality made them laugh and very happy.She had changed her hair and they had added star. The show was getting better and then ......BAM!!! It was gone ,what were you thinking pbs? please Bring her back!Besides, I had no idea those videos even existed until now so what harm could they have possibly done?
Any parent that lets their child watch a video called Technical Virgin should not be worried about Miss Martinez as a role model. We have had Presidents who smoke pot, snort coke, drive drunk and dodge the draft I think we can all forgive Miss Martinez for her humorous mistake.
what do she do that was so wrong? none of the parents or kids who watch her program would ever see the parody. I doubt if anyone was even aware of its existence, unless they saw it on youtube.com
even though I'm not a parent and I don't exactly agree with the concept of PBS Kids Sprout as a channel (c'mon, TV for babies?), the termination of Melanie reeks of certain politically-based agendas forced onto PBS and others ("Postcards from Buster" "Sugartime!" episode.)
I think the firing of Ms. Martinez is ridiculous. The ad was a spoof, and can hardly provide a bad image unless the toddlers that watch the show are fully informed about it...which is pretty much impossible.
That's a very good point about George Carlin that I didn't think about. Alec Baldwin is also on some of the Thomas episodes and look at some of the movies that he has made. As well beating up photographers and everything.
Martinez's firing is a mindless response to work she did for a non-profit years ago. Anyone who's looked at the statistical details for the teen abstinence programs should get quite a thrill. Spoofing them was a public service that Martinez should not be punished with by firing her.
My son very much enjoyed Melanie and the Goodnight Show. Unless of an extremely indecent nature, prior work (especially for comedy) should not be held against a performer. This is an opportunity to show our children real lessons about reasonability and rationality.
It was 7 years ago, and it was a satire of 'questionible' issues. She didn't have sex or show any questionible moral reprsentation. PBS neds to take a look at their shows and guest,too.
because actors should not be fired from one show because of past acting work. Actors are paid to play roles and take on new personas and to fire someone based on the content of a past role suggests a fundamental failure to understand the craft of acting.
