TVSquad

According to Saturday's New York Times (free registration required),  Jay Leno now has license to make fun of Michael Jackson during his trial on child molestation charges, as long as the "comedian" doesn't mention specific areas of the case on which he might be called to testify. So this is a great victory for the first amendment, right? Well yes, it is. But can we all sit back at take a minute, here? Leno's first amendment rights were never really at risk. It's pretty clear that and any judge who blocked him from joking about the trial would be over-turned. What the lawyers were making sure of, was that Leno could, in front of tens of millions of people, make fun of Michael Jackson every night.

Let's look at this with the caring, compassionate eyes of 2005 America (yes, I am kidding). Michael Jackson is a deeply disturbed product of an allegedly abusive father (Svengali, anyone?) who became pretty famous at about 5 and later became the most famous person on the planet. Think about that for a second. You're Michael Jackson and out of 6.5 billion people, more of them know who you are than anyone else. More people know you than the Pope. More Americans know who you are than know who the president is.

Now, let's all go make fun of him, ok? Oh, please. This is a pathetic man who is the product of an upbringing none of us can imagine and who needs serious psychological help. I'm not trying to belittle the crimes of which he is accused nor the many victims of sexual abuse around the world. If you want to paint him as a cold-calculating villain, go ahead. I disagree, but that's your right. But the key question here is...where's the funny? Why is a child molestation trial even remotely humorous, regardless of who is accused? How about we save our ridicule for those who deserve it? Like the president who appointed an ambassador to the UN who hates the UN. Or the people who continue to watch Yes, Dear, The Swan and the  new hit reality show, Americas Biggest Pants Poopers. Or how about we ridicule the media that covers things like the Michael Jackson trial, Martha Stewart's post-jailhouse coffee thoughts or, well, Billy Bush?

P.S. There is no such thing as Americas Biggest Pants Poopers, but I bet it would be a big hit.