Stop Exploiting Jennifer Hudson

Posted at 2:02 PM Oct 29, 2008

By Kenny Herzog

I said my peace regarding the Jennifer Hudson situation the other day. But I neglected to realize every bottom-feeding TV tabloid show was still scavenging the remains of the story to milk the old ratings as a buffer between now and Election Day. So without going on a counterintuitive tangent, I just had a few requests for guidelines in the tactful media handling of the actress' family murders:

1. No more correspondents who enter the split-screen fame with a faux-concerned, somberly nodding head when introduced, only to robotically transition into spritely, collagen smiles when the program segues to its next topic.

2. No more beamingly optimistic pundits trying to keep us glued yet remain appropriately sympathetic by reminding us how inspiring Hudson's nationwide network of fan-and-celebrity support has become. Chances are she doesn't really give a shit.

3. No more morons like Extra's Carlos Diaz drawing parallels between Hudson's capacity to identify the body of her nephew and the "mental and emotional fortitude" she displayed in standing out amongst the Dreamgirls cast. She's a grieving daughter, sister and aunt, not a fucking professional wrestler.

4. No more cheap, egregiously exploitive ratings ploys like setting up an 800 number for fans to leave voice mails on the air. I'm sure if people are concerned or saddened about the realities of their own families' vulnerability, they'll grieve more effectively by dialogung with each other than by getting sucked into some perverse, 30-seconds-of-fame seduction.

5. And finally, no more tabloid-TV hosts conveying their incredulity that neighbors in the Hudsons' low-income neigborhood didn't call the police when they heard gunshots. Don't white people suck enough as it is?