Lump Yourself In With "A Famous"

A few weeks ago, a kid approached a TV meterologist I know and asked, "Are you a famous?"

On the grand scheme of things, this meterologist is certainly locally famous... She's just one step away from being nationally recognized. All she has to do is say something dirty or inappropriate on live television.

What's struck me lately is that there are not only degrees of fame, but also degrees of infamy. Just ask dirty shock jocks like Bubba the Love Sponge or Howard Stern. Both are the reason Clear Channel Communications have been heavily fined (they both have spoken some incredibly inappropriate things on the air. Where both paid the piper and got fired, both seem just as happy to move to satellite radio, where they can exercise their free speech rights to the galaxy.

Don't even get me started on the famous 'wardrobe malfunction' incident...

The United States' great morality leveler is, of course, the FCC. It seems that neither money, age, sex, nor job seem to matter in regards to acceptable broadcast decency. What's said/done is said/done. You can't take it back...

The most recent broadcast 'oopsie' surprised me. It didn't happen to 'a huge famous' - but to a mere NY Times bestselling author. The FCC doesn't care who you are - once you're in the fray, you're in the fray.

Author/Commentator John Feinstein said the ‘F-word’ during his radio broadcast of the Navy/Duke game. More specifically, he announced his opinion of the referee to the world: “That was a bad f-ing call…” He reported that after the deed was done, he looked around the booth to see who said it. He then took himself off the air, found the Navy commandant or athletic director, and offered to resign. (I'm writing stuff from an NPR story I can't find online - sorry if I'm paraphrasing... Sorry, John, if I'm misquoting you...)

A ’77 Duke Graduate, Feinstein has written quite a few best-sellers, including ‘A Good Walk Spoiled,’ ‘A Civil War,’ ‘A Season on the Brink,’ ‘The Last Amateurs,’ and ‘The Punch.’ He has chronicled the Army/Navy rivalry, and is an expert on all things Golf. He is a noted national columnist. His voice frequently graces National Public Radio, as well as miscellaneous Patriot League contests.

One of the benefits of being an author is that all of your potty-mouthed comments will be edited before publication. Not so on John's live microphone.

I met the in-famed author when I was stage managing for live basketball a few years ago - I thought he had an ego, yet could back it up with great writing and an impressive memory for sports statistics - and at times, he was a pretty good story teller. The best story I've heard him tell, however, was his apology on NPR this weekend. He explained that his mother told him his worst habits would one day come to light... Unlike Howard and Bubba, however, John will maintain his job at Navy - AND, as reported on NPR, is happy to say he's been 'swear-free' for five days - and hopefully one more.

Waydago, John! I wonder if there are any 12-step potty mouth programs for all those "famouses" out there.