• Have you heard about the teenager who burned himself after watching Johnny Knoxville set himself on fire on Jackass? People are trying to say that MTV is at fault for what happened, which is absolutely ridiculous. If the kid had actually watched the show before he copied it, he would have noticed that Johnny Knoxville was clearly wearing fire-retardant clothing. Not surprisingly, all the reactionist cowards of the media are now trying to say that Jackass should be banned from the airwaves. Give me a friggin' break! Kids were tying blankets around their necks in the 1950's and jumping off their roofs, all because George Reeves could fly in Superman. Did anybody expect DC Comics to take away Superman's ability to fly? Of course not, because people were smart enough then to realize that kids will always try stupid stunts like that, no matter how much you censor the product.
We're living in the year 2001 now, though, where you don't ever have to take credit for your own mistakes. Remember when MTV had to take all the fire references out of Beavis and Butthead because a little kid roasted his brother? Or how about the little kid who blamed his brother's murder on the WWF? The Baby Boomers have raised a generation of kids who aren't able to take any responsibility for their own actions. And why should they? These kids grew up with a president whose wife blamed her husband's infidelity on "a vast right-wing conspiracy." They were raised in a world where a football player can murder his wife in cold blood and then blame it on the LAPD's racism... and get away with it. How can we possibly expect these kids to take any responsibility for their own actions? Their parents didn't, so why the hell should they? Jackass obviously isn't at fault for that kid's stupidity, but I'm not a bit surprised that he blamed television. It sure beats the hell out of admitting you did something stupid.
• I'm not a big football fan, but I can't wait until the XFL makes it debut next week. I have always been a big admirer of Vince McMahon's marketing skills, and I hope that he makes a considerable dent in the NFL's armor. I'm sick of watching ex-cons like Ray Lewis dominate the field in the NFL, and I'm tired of the outrageous salaries that those greedy bastards demand. In the XFL, the players will be paid to win - which is the way it should be.
Speaking of the NFL, this year's Super Bowl should have been called the Super Bore. I tried to sit through the entire game, but that crap was one of the most boring games I've ever seen. I changed the channel after less than an hour. Plus, did you hear the commentary? Those guys sounded like they were on the verge of death. In the XFL, they have guys like Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler calling the action; people who actually know how to entertain the audience. The NFL should wake up and take a page out of Vince McMahon's book, and realize that football is still supposed to entertaining.
• I have a meeting this week with the production company that I've been talking to, Second Sight Productions. I'm trying to find a studio to tape a pilot episode of The Bob Freeman Show for television, since I need something to pitch to TV companies, and I'm hoping that Second Sight can point me in the right direction. You might want to check out their website - Second Sight has done some great work for their clients.
Well, that's all the time I have for this week's Freeman's Fire. Be sure to tune in to this week's show, because Big Tone and Rave get into an argument that leads into a legitimate fight. It's hilarious stuff.
