All posts by Amok

blog, diversity, journalism, news, politics, race, sports

Manti denies he’s in on hoax, speaks to ESPN: “No, never ever would I be a part of this.”

On Friday night, Manti Te’o broke his silence on the dead girl friend prank heard ’round the world. In an off-camera interview with ESPN, he denied being part of the prank, saying that “never, ever would I be part of this.”

The report said three people were behind the prank, led by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, a friend of Te’o’s who confessed to him earlier this week by Direct Message on Twitter (naturally).

Te’o laid out a timeline for ESPN that said the internet relationship with someone named “Lennay Kekua” began three years ago on Facebook.  It was intermittent until 2011, when more phone and web contact took place. A first meeting on New Years Eve 2012 in Hawaii ended in disappointment when Kekua did not show up.

But the relationship didn’t die, and Te’o told ESPN, when he learned Kekua had leukemia, the two conducted long sessions on the phone and internet studying the Bible. Even Te’o’s parents took part.

It was the day after Te’o’s grandmother died that he got a call from someone saying they were a relative of Kekua with news of her death.

He mourned by sending flowers to an alleged home in Carson, California. But a few months later he was stunned when he got a call from someone who said they were Lennay.

Manti gets a big hint here.  It was on Dec. 6th. “I didn’t know what was going on,” he told ESPN.

But he carried on with the tale, and admits to some fudging, his “biggest regret.”  By now he’s thinking what we are all thinking. This guy is in love with someone he never met. Now she’s dead. So he wasn’t absolutely truthful at this point saying, “I didn’t want people thinking I was some crazy dude.”

OK, he’s not crazy. Just a young, gullible kid who got played.

Tuiasosopo wasn’t available to ESPN, so maybe that’s the imaginary interview we should do. If Te’o’s the victim, he’s the perp. But he’s nowhere to be found.

Te’o was in Florida when he talked exclusively to  ESPN.

“I think it started out as a joke, a joke that got out of hand,” said Te’o, who told ESPN his pranksters never asked for money.

And now that Te’o has spoken, do we know the whole truth?  The off-camera interview was recorded for audio, accompanied by still photos.  The restriction wasn’t explained. Why couldn’t he face up to the world? So while ESPN scored a news coup that leaves us closer to the truth,  there are still some questions that remain about the three perps (supposedly a Tuiasosopo and two women)  For all we know, they could be imagined. Like O.J.’s real killers. And Lennay Kekua.

That’s the level of trust we’re left with when it comes to Manti Te’o.

 

See my original post on the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

blog, diversity, journalism, news, politics, race

Manti Te’o? Oh, yeah, I talked to him…sure

OK, not really. But given the imaginary world of Te’o and his recent silence, well making up the truth is the next best thing.  The itnerview was set up by his imaginary girl friend.

Considering how loosely people want to play with the truth these days,  check out my post at www.aaldef.org/blog

Just today I heard former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger say “he never lied” about having that child out of wedlock with his family’s  nanny.

I guess acting a lie is different from actually speaking a lie in Arnold’s world.

And then we have, Lance Armstrong, and even our dearly beloved president. Although is it  really a lie when you say you’re going to end a war, but don’t?

Or when you say you’re going to end the invasive eavesdropping laws, or closed Guantanamo, but don’t?

Find the elusive truth here.

 

 

blog, diversity, journalism, news, race

Apology politics’ double standard: Why ESPN on Miss Alabama but not CNN on Kathy Griffin?

To hear the media hubub about Brent Musburger’s “appreciation” of Katherine Webb, Miss Alabama USA 2012 during that boring Notre Dame game the other night, you’d think he was drooling on camera like some creepy perv.

When I actually heard what was said,  I was offended that people took such offense. It was a gross overreaction to Musburger. He was simply admiring (like a person of his generation) Webb’s beauty, and trying to be playful during a game that had zero entertainment value.

Sure, it would have been better if there was a real game being broadcast, so that Musburger’s attention wasn’t so easily distracted.

But was he really leering and did that merit an apology?

Webb was on The Today show Wednesday saying she was “flattered” by Musburger’s attention.  But she indicated she took no offense.

I’m upset that ESPN felt compelled to apologize.

Apologies do mean something.  But when you get trigger happy with your apologies (remember they apologized for comments about Jeremy Lin last year) they become devalued as a quick PR ploy to simply move a story out of the headlines and into the trash bin.

In the meantime, ESPN  won’t stop showing scantily clad cheerleaders at pro or college events, or pretty wives and girlfriends of players, nor will they start featuring cosmetically challenged sportscasters (of any gender).

ESPN’s apology doesn’t change any of its real sexist ways.

How about this? Maybe ESPN will start showing the partners of WNBA stars? And have the sportscasters say great things about their dating choices?  Do you ever see that when it’s not a traditional heterosexual relationship?

You see, hollow apologies don’t really matter.

Meanwhile, for the truly outraged, it’s funny how  the simulated oral sex act on the CNN New Year’s Eve broadcast doesn’t exactly get the same rushed apology treatment.

I actually like both the performers involved, Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper.  Sure, cable can and should stretch limits on the premium channels, but not on basic cable, general news, even after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Remember midnight EDT was 9pm prime time PDT.

I’m no prude, but something other than a big ball dropped that night. And no network big wig thinks an apology is necessary.

animal rights, blog, movies, news

HBO gets sued over alleged horse deaths in “Luck”

I wrote extensively about this when the abuses on the HBO series “Luck” were exposed by whistleblowers through PETA last year.

Now the American Humane worker who says she was fired because she tried to protect the horses is suing HBO and others connected with the production of “Luck.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-cancels-luck-horse-death-peta-dustin-hoffman-300201