Gold Derby meets Roller Derby

The difference between Thelma Adams’ engaging interview with Melissa Leo and Tom O’Neil’s unwarranted smear campaign is the difference between HuffPo and Puff Ho’.

I really encourage anybody who’s wondering how this exploded into such an overwrought uproar to check out the original article in the Huffington Post.

When did the esteemed Gold Derby turn into a steamed Roller Derby? If you read O‚ÄôNeil‚Äôs ‚Äúre-imagining,‚Äù you‚Äôll find him scrambling to twist Leo‚Äôs words into something as ugly as his own motives. Not trusting us interpret events on our own, Tom feels the need to stomp his feet in two different posts, and translate the ‚Äúincident‚Äù so we can see what it looks like though his jaundiced “insider” eyes.

Leo demands that the producer: “Talk to her!” Translation: tell this amateur hack to grovel or I’m outta here! Jeeeez.

Leo screams to the producer, “Talk to her!” Now we all know what that means: hey, put that serf in her place, pronto!

See, this is why I’m a defender of “alt media” and have less and less respect for mainstream “news” coverage (at least what’s left of it, as corporate newspaper conglomerates continue to commit hari-kiri and cut their own guts out with slashing cutbacks).

I’m fond of quoting people too, but I like to use their own actual words, instead of fictionalizing the reality for maximum trashiness. Here’s Tom O’Neil, in his own words:

“There were a dozen other ways Leo could’ve dealt with that situation with kindness, consideration and class…”

Tom O’Neil, LATimes authority on “kindness, consideration and class.”