Looking up or looking down?

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Bill Cosby is all over the news for his alleged inappropriate activities. Many people struggle with accepting that Dr. Huxtable could have done the things for which he is accused. So I ask this: Is there a celebrity scandal that would really upset you, simply because you love that celebrity/hold him or her in high esteem? Has it already happened? If there's no celebrity, is there a person in your real life like that?

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic:
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

A month or so before the big Cosby scandal became a news story, there was a situation in DC involving an Orthodox Rabbi. I don't want to go into all the details again and I don't really have a personal connection since I never went to his shul, but at the point in time of our shul choosing a new Rabbi, it's given everyone a lot to think about. And since it involved the mikvah, I'm definitely checking for anything out of the ordinary whenever I go to the one close to my house. I know the situation has affected people who used to go to that Rabbi's shul and the reactions could be seen as post-traumatic stress. I remember one of my friends posting on Facebook that she's not sure she'll be able to completely trust any Rabbi. Scary to think about since they're leaders for our faith. I've never encountered problems with any of the Rabbis whose shuls I've attended, and I hope I never have to come into such a situation.

Having said that, time to move on to celebrities. Obviously, I'm having trouble reconciling Cliff Huxtable with the accusations made against him. It seems so unreal (and not in a good way, obviously). I remember when people made accusations about Michael Jackson and his relationships with children. I don't know how much of it is true and don't really want to either. I was a fan of Michael Jackson when I was growing up, but eventually lost interest in his music. I think that was around the time people started turning against him. Here's a recent story of such accusations against him. What can even be done about it now that he's dead?

Then there's Pee Wee Herman's movie theater incident. Upon reading about it again, it was at an ADULT theater. He wasn't doing anything in front of kids, nor was he touching anyone except, allegedly, himself. What else do people do during adult movies? Isn't it expected that it would happen. I don't really see what Paul Reubens does on his personal time has to do with his character of Pee Wee Herman. It doesn't stop me from wanting to show my kids Pee Wee's Big Adventure. It was a funny movie and it came out before the incident anyway. Comedic actor Fred Willard was also arrested for a similar situation. The charges were dropped shortly afterward. I should probably hold him to the same standard that I hold Pee Wee to, right? For some reason, I keep picturing him as his character from A Mighty Wind and saying "Wha' happened?" while he was, to put it nicely, entertaining himself.




George Michael was also arrested for a lewd act in the late 90s. Except this was in a public bathroom. There's a time and place for everything, but it's harder to excuse this than something that happened in an adults only theater. Good thing I wasn't really interested in him at the time, but I still like Wham's music.

A few years ago, Kevin Clash (the voice of Elmo) was accused of sexual abuse. This past year, the charges were dropped. At the time, however, people were blaming Elmo, like he had some control over what happened to the guy who gives him a voice. I'm glad to hear the charges were dropped though.

There are certain celebrities that I would never want to hear about any scandals from. If that happened, it would be a travesty!

* I know Mr. Rogers has been dead for over 12 years, but if a scandal were ever dug up about him, that would completely turn everything on its axis. I recently heard from someone that he is as good of a person as he appears on his show, so that's a relief! I watched his show every day when I was a kid and still see him as this gentle guide when it comes to parenting and even talking to kids about the difficult things in life.

* As you know, I'm obsessed with The Mindy Project and feel that Mindy Kaling can do no wrong. If she ever tarnished her image, I would be extremely disappointed and would be questioning whom I admire going forward.

* While I don't watch Ellen DeGeneres on TV all that much, I still admire her. She's funny, generous, friendly, and--most importantly--the voice of Dory! She even got the Golden Tweet award and it was for something cute and fun. So I can't even imagine her doing anything scandalous or shameful.

* Candace Cameron was my TV best friend growing up and I even got to interview her at Chick Lit Central last year. She has good family values and always seems positive and encouraging. The fact that people had to pick her apart for how she keeps her marriage going strong only shows that there's nothing shady about her. Now her brother, on the other hand.... Let's just say Candace may be boasting about her religious beliefs, but she doesn't cram them down our throats or use them as ways to back up hatred of any population.

* I don't watch The Tonight Show, but I hold Jimmy Fallon in high esteem. I've always thought he was funny and talented. He had me at his impression of Adam Sandler. In any case, I've seen his rise to fame and there have only been good things about him in the news, magazine articles, etc. He loves to entertain and make people laugh and he seems like a total family man too. So I can't see him messing that up anytime soon, nor would I want to.

* My kids were into The Laurie Berkner Band for a while and my younger son even won a Skype chat with Laurie herself. She not only sings cute and fun songs that the whole family can enjoy without getting annoyed, but she's also really nice to all her fans and so down-to-earth too. I think Earth would fold in on itself if she ever did something unsavory.



* Finally, there's a semi-new TV dad whom I totally admire. That dad is Phil Dunphy from Modern Family, played by the ever-so-funny Ty Burrell. I really didn't think much of him when I first started watching the show. He was just another nameless, faceless, TV dad at the time. And he was being overshadowed by all the other equally funny and talented actors on the show. However, he managed to surprise me and win me over pretty quickly. And then I kept seeing him pop up in movies, whether he's a French detective in Muppets Most Wanted or a talking dog in Mr. Peabody and Sherman. These days, if Ty Burrell is in it, you know it's going to be good. I recently heard that he's going to do a voice in Finding Dory, starring the abovementioned Ellen DeGeneres. (He was even on her show this past year.) So, needless to say, I hope Ty stays on the good side of the news for many years to come because I really don't want to see Phil meet Cliff's fate.



What celebrity scandal would really upset YOU?