Image by feastoffun.com via Flickr
What could be cuter than America's favorite pop star/goof-ball paired up with America's favorite fur ball? I know, right? Unfortunately, we won't get to see it on PBS, who will air just about anything and call it educational.
What I love best about Katy Perry is not her music, which is not that inspired, but her irreverent, self-deprecating attitude. She's not out to write a masterpiece, she's just having a good time. That's what made last year's hit,
"I Kissed a Girl" such a success.
Perry's outfits are always sexy and glamorous, but in a very deliberate way that pays homage to vintage Hollywood pin-up girls, which means that, like Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe and countless others before her, the boobs are always up and out. That's her style. That's what the people pay for. That's what the producers at Sesame Street should have known before they asked her to appear with Elmo in a parody of her hit, "Hot N Cold". So why are they going ape shit about it now that the video is done?
This whole thing reminds me of the time, back in the 80's, when Roseanne was hired to sing the national anthem at the baseball playoffs. She sang it badly, couldn't hit a note to save her life, grabbed her crotch and spit, just like every ball player on the field has done. The world exploded in mock outrage that a comedian did what comedians do and had fun with the national anthem. They didn't hire Whitney Houston, they hired Roseanne and they got
Roseanne.
This brings me to my point. Sesame Street hired Katy Perry and they got Katy Perry. Now they've decided they don't like her, because a bunch of moms in a focus group decided they didn't want to expose their toddlers,
who just got off the boob, to boobs. Are they afraid their kids will backslide? Granted there may be a legitimate concern about Katy's sexy image and the appropriateness of airing it on a kiddie show. But that's something that should have been taken into consideration before they called Perry's agent, not after the shoot was in the can and ready for broadcast.
As someone who doesn't have kids, I've noticed that, all too often, when adults are constantly surrounded by kids, they start to think and act like them. I think the producers at Sesame Street need a time out to sit and think about what they've done. I think they should have their TV privileges taken away for a while too until they start acting like grownups.
