January 5, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Pop Culture Items Seemingly Swept Under the Rug:

1. Bill Clinton: Not too long ago in an oval office far, far away lived a man who tried to find interesting ways to use cigars, lie to millions of people about his infidelities, nearly get impeached and become the poster boy for how forgiving we are as a nation. Today he's one of the most beloved and decorated former United States presidents of all-time while his questionable actions are little more than an afterthought in the annals of history.

2. Michael Vick: ESPN, NFL Network and virtually every other credible news source torched Vick for his role in an organized dogfighting ring. Pretty much everybody labeled Vick "Public Enemy #1" with many even going so far as to burning Vick's #7 jerseys and memorabilia. Michael Vick sportscards, which once sold for over $1,000 were now selling for nearly 10% of that on Ebay. After serving time in prison and a brief stint playing third string for the Philadelphia Eagles, most of the country seems to have forgiven former Vick for the dogfighting scandal. In 2010, Vick was voted to the Pro Bowl by the fans and the NFL named him the Comeback Player of the Year.

3. Britney Spears Completely Loses Her Mind (and hair) - Remember just a few short years ago how Britney Spears married a total douchebag, popped out some kids, went completely nuts, shaved her head bald, hit paparazzi with an umbrella, got kicked off of an airplane and seemed to consistently place her kids in danger? Seems nobody else does, either. Her 2011 album "Femme Fatale" debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, earning platinum certification. Too bad this crazy bitch doesn't have the PR team Britney Spears has...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0isvS19AGs

4. Celebrity Cheaters: Remember when Hugh Grant cheated on one of the most stunningly hot women on the planet by having sex with a woman most would consider a typical Maury Povich guest? All it took was a memorable appearance on Jay Leno for the world to seemingly forgive and forget that Grant did something so ridiculous. Jude Law seems to sleep with everything that moves despite being married and yet nobody boycotts his movies or bats an eyelash. Perhaps we've just gotten jaded in this world by celebrities who cheat.

5. Motley Crue's Vince Neil Commits Manslaughter: In late 1984, Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks was on their second American tour. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and the other members of the band visited Neil's home and spent the day at Redondo Beach. After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to take a trip to a local liquor store in Neil's car. Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage and Dingley was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. In July 1986, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz, Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail, five years probation, $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash and 200 hours of community service. Neil got out of jail in 15 days for good behavior. Did it hurt his career? Not a bit. Crue's next three records would all go multi-platinum.

6. Spygate: Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots found themselves in hot water in 2007 when it was discovered that they were videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches in a 2007 game. The incident was just the beginning of what would later be known as the Spygate Scandal. Former Patriots employees started coming out of the woodwork accusing the Patriots of illegal videotaping activities that allegedly dated back to 2000, before the Patriots won their first Super Bowl. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the Patriots fined $250,000 and stripped of their 1st round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl in 2007 and the scandal is scarcely ever mentioned again leaving many to wonder if the NFL swept the controversy under the rug.

7. Pete Rose: In 1989 MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti imposed a lifetime ban on MLB's all-time hits leader for his involvement in a betting scandal that rocked the baseball world. Considered a "Cardinal Sin" by baseball enthusiasts, Rose was found guilty of betting on baseball during his playing and managing career. The lifetime ban included Rose's exclusion from the MLB Hall of Fame, of which he was not yet eligible for at the time the punishment was levied. Today there's a large outpouring of support for Rose, who many believe has paid his debt to society and deserves to be a member of Cooperstown - a massive change in public opinion from how people felt about Rose when the scandal broke in 1989.

8. Tom Cruise's Antics: Once upon a time Tom Cruise was the king of the box office, starring in such classics as Top Gun, Mission Impossible, Rain Man and Jerry Maguire. It seemed there was nothing that could change the public's perception of Tom Cruise - that was until a fateful day on The Oprah Winfrey Show in August of 2005. Never before had the world seen Cruise act like such a crazed lunatic than when he announced to the world that he was in love, REALLY IN LOVE, with former Dawson's Creek star Katie Holmes. Cruise bounced around the set, jumped on Oprah's couch and acted like a manic person who didn't take his meds. Cruise followed up by criticizing Brooke Shields for taking medication following the birth of her child, force feeding the public his Scientology beliefs and calling Matt Lauer "glib" on The Today Show. Long time movie partner Paramount Studios dropped Cruise and the world turned its back on the former heartthrob. This week Cruise's Mission Impossible 4 debuted at #1 at the box office and though we still think he's crazy, he's mostly recovered from the incidents that nearly derailed his career.

9. Marv Albert's Sexual Escapades: in 1997 Albert went on trial for felony charges of forced sodomy after a 42 year-old woman accused Albert of throwing her on a bed, biting her and forcing her to perform oral sex. Another woman named Patricia Madsen later accused Albert of sexual misconduct from incidents dating back to 1993 and 1994. Masden claimed that in Dallas, Albert called her to his hotel room to help him send a fax, only for her to find him wearing "white panties and garter belt", where he then asked her to "serve him up a facial". After tests proved that the bite marks were his, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges, while the sodomy charge was dropped. Albert was given a 12-month suspended sentence, and that charge was dropped after a year. Today Albert currently works for TNT, CBS, and the YES Network and the incident seemingly forgotten.

10. Martha Stewart Goes to Prison: According to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Stewart avoided a loss of $45,673 by selling all 3,928 shares of her ImClone Systems stock on December 27, 2001, after receiving material, nonpublic information from Peter Bacanovic, who was Stewart's broker at Merrill Lynch. The day following her sale, the stock value fell 16%. On June 4, 2003, Stewart was indicted by the government on nine counts, including charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice. Today, her career seems undamaged by the scandal.