Yeah, um, actually, there is a LOT of dogfighting here. And people training pit bulls to defend their pot plantations and meth labs.
Kids from poorer neighborhoods and public housing don't think "Lassie" when they see a dog. They think, "Run! it's going to eat me."
However, this isn't the Deep South. Just the strip mall capital of the world.

People care about Michael Vick due to American's unnatural and fanatical obssession with dogs. Wake up people, they are wild beasts, not some wannabe child of yours. Of course, I'm not going around torturing animals and I don't condone it at all, I'm just saying, like Whoppi is, PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. I'm going to have a ham and cheese for lunch - where's the outrage for the poor pig? No one cares, but if it is a dog that dies, watch out, people will literally want to kill you for an animal that doesn't have a clue and smells and craps and pisses all day long. That is bizarre.

I'm not a fan of schlocky slapstick humor, which is pretty much the limit of Lewis's "talent."
----

Jerry Lewis was, in the 1950s-1960s, an incredibly inventive film director, which is why he's beloved in France. If you don't know that you don't have the journalistic qualifications necessary to write this blog.

and that's sad sad commentary on your education.

It's not about dogs versus pigs versus people, or whatever inane comparison people are STILL trying to make, all these weeks into it.

It's about taking pleasure in the pain of another living thing. We talk about kids who pull the wings off flies-- it's not a good thing. And we're not saying that the flies are our surrogate children. Just that it's sick to seek out suffering as entertainment.

As a person with roots in the deep south, I don't want Whoopi speaking for my people. She clearly either doesn't understand the issue, or doesn't think we're capable of any better behavior. That's what's come to be known as the bigotry of low expectations, and she should be called on it.

People in the south marry their first cousins, that doesn't make it right.

I had a hard time voting on the last question because while I don't believe either should (or will) be outright fired, I do feel that some sort of consequences should occur. At least Lewis already appologized.

And I agree with WDC - its not about people caring too much about Dogs or pets in general, its about being a decent human being who doesn't seek out to torture another living thing. This kinda goes with Gene's don't ask don't tell meat-eater policy. I'm sorry ham sandwich!

you know... we used to say keeping slaves was part of our cultural heritage too...

Wow - I was gonna defend Whoopi (and believe me, I'm a mushy pet person), but Quintilis Varus knocked the wind out of my sails with that dead on comment. I give - cultural heritage is NO excuse.

Jerry Lewis is a fossil from a very different time. Look at him as a history lesson and let him wither in peace.

Do I think all those comments were wrong? Yes. Well, not necessarily Whoopi's. She didn't advocate it, she was just trying to defend Vick.

But I think everyone is being pretty self-righteous in how they're coming down on all of these celebrities. Are you telling me that you have never said, let alone thought, a stereotype of some sort? I'm getting pretty sick of it all, to be truthful. Everyone has said something dumb and offensive, so quit with the holier than thou art crap.

From Liz:
"And, despite his continued commitment to raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky."

Let's word this another way...

"Since I don't find Jerry Lewis particularly amusing, he really should consider suicide."

Um...are ya sure you want to go there?

I can't stand Jerry Lewis and never could, but saying "it's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky" is boneheaded, too.

People in the south marry their first cousins, that doesn't make it right.

Are you serious? In what state are you talking about? How ridiculous and ignorant that comment is. Right up there with Whoopi herself.

While I disagree with dogfighting I also disagree with hunting, trapping use of fur and other things.

Micheal Vick was wrong agreed but we've got hunting seasons and that's not being put on trial or receiving constant press to have it stopped and designers are still showing fur in their collections. If we're going to be outraged about the dogfighting let's be outraged about the rest of it as well. Aren't there still fishing vessels that catch sharks cut the fins and dump the bodies back into the ocean? There's ton of stuff that we do everyday that affects or injures some animal. Where's the outcry?

Since the premise of The View panel is to provide various perspectives, perhaps Whoopie was doing just that. It's quite likely that she was just keeping the conversation going by adding a little fuel to the fire.

"And, despite his continued commitment to raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky."

Your comment is way more offensive than either of the stars. I don't agree with what Lewis said, but wishing death on someone is a bit much.

And, let's leave Dean out of this.

First cousin marriage is legal in Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. While there's definitely a southern bent to it, it's really part of our national cultural heritage. Alas, my cousins just aren't that hot...

Whoopi's comment was an attempt (if ill considered) to acknowledge that we may have one country but we have many different cultures. That's a completely different matter than abusing the airwaves with slurs. Meanwhile, whatever comic career she's had, she is one of the more enlightened panelists on The View and it's about time! Cut her some slack!

10:56 -

"Jerry Lewis was, in the 1950s-1960s, an incredibly inventive film director, which is why he's beloved in France. If you don't know that you don't have the journalistic qualifications necessary to write this blog."

You then proceed to malign Ms. Kelly's education. I have no idea if her education is worth a damn, frankly, but I like Liz, and your statements seem to have some inaccuracies, so I feel compelled to point them out.

Jerry Lewis' 1950s directorial credits, according to IMDB.com:

[there were none]

Jerry Lewis' 1960s directorial credits, according to IMDB.com:

"The Bold Ones: The New Doctors" (1969) (TV Series)
The Big Mouth (1967)
Three on a Couch (1966)
The Family Jewels (1965)
"Ben Casey" (1 episode, 1965) (TV)
The Patsy (1964)
The Nutty Professor (1963)
The Errand Boy (1961)
The Ladies Man (1961)
The Bellboy (1960)

...so I don't think it's "inventiveness" for which the French have honoured him.

In any event, we all missed Mr. Lewis' 1972 film, "The Day the Clown Cried", which is synopsized thus: "A circus clown is imprisoned by the Nazis and goes with Jewish children to their deaths." It's said to be among the worst films ever made and the IMDB says "Jerry Lewis has the only copy locked in a private vault where he vows to keep it from ever being viewed again."

sheesh, Liz- not a fan of Jerry's slapstick, 50's era humor either, but wishing that he "follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky" is pretty harsh- do you really wish he would die because he made some offensive comments? Whoa honey, I don't want to ever cross you.

Thank you, Byoolin. I couldn't have said it better myself.

The hilarious thing about all this is that if you actually watched the View - Whoopi wasn't defending Vick. She was trying to point out that there are people who honestly don't see the problem with dogfighting and that they need to be reeducated. While it doesn't read that way, it certainly didn't view as a defense of Michael Vick... (And it points out that clearly Whoopi's not used to making soundbites)

That said, I'm not endorsing nor defending Vick myself. It's just funny that the press was making a big deal out of something that wasn't actually said.

Liz, you should see how I suck up to the "qualified" bloggers.

"And, despite his continued commitment to raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky."

Wow. If raising millions and millions of dollars for charity isn't enough to get a guy a pass in the "death wish" department, imagine if he was only, say, a celebrity gossip blogger or something...

"I can't stand Jerry Lewis and never could, but saying "it's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky" is boneheaded, too."

I concur. That was really mean, Liz.

And Whoopi is not some talentless hack, either. In fact, I think there are many many people who will disagree with you there. She's a respected actress, not just for her amazing(!) role in "The Color Purple," but also many other films. I can think of a few right off the top of my head: "If these Walls," "Corrina, Corrina," "The Long Walk," "Girl, Interrupted" "Ghosts of Mississippi," and not to mention lots of other comic performances.

Also, she, like you and I, is entitled to her opinion. She does not need to apologize for s#@$. So, if you think she does, you can kiss her a$$ and mine.

Liz, I'll see your Jerry Lewis and raise you a singer that's not a singer (Brit), an actress that's not an actress (Lilo), and the entire cast of SNL (funnymen who arent funny). Just let me get out my notebook.

I think people are getting really confused over why this dog fighting thing is such a big deal. It is a big deal because it is the ongoing torture and harm of a living thing over many years. The meat=animal cruelty argument doesn't hold up (unless we are talking about veal or foie gras) because cows and pigs aren't tortured and forced to fight for their lives for 3-4 years before they are killed by hanging, bludgeoning, etc. And there IS outrage over inhumane practices involved in the raising of veal and foie gras (as well as other animals), and both are being banned in cities and restaurants across the country.

And Michael Vick does not deserve to have his crime rationalized or reasoned with in any way just because he happened to be raised African-American south of the Mason Dixon, that is an insult to black southerners everywhere who don't break the law. Dog fighting is ILLEGAL, and M. Vick knew it. AND LIED ABOUT IT. It was not a mistake, it was an ongoing crime committed with the full knowledge that it was wrong. Would you rationalize his behavior if he was selling drugs, or killing people because he was raised in a drug infested neighborhood or had witnessed killings? Just because you were raised around it doesn't make it okay for you to do it, and the same should go for dog fighting. It is illegal, everyone who participates in it knows it's illegal, and if you get caught committing that crime you should face the consequences.

Sorry for the long rant, people who don't understand the outcry over animal cruelty need some serious counseling on empathy, in my opinion. But they probably were the kids who pulled the wings off flies and ate the paste, so meh.

"Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?"

I'm specifically talking deer here, but hunting is about population control. I am not a hunter, but I think it's far crueler to let animals reproduce to the point of starvation than it is to (ideally) kill them instantly with one shot. Also the amount of roadkill is bad enough without adding an unchecked deer population to the mix.

The same cannot be said about dog fighting.

Byoolin and Liz, sittin in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g...

Sheesh, Liz is a witty, capable, marginally-evil gossip blogger. Let her fight her own battles, willya?

Anonimis, I couldn't think of another way to work in that bit about the The Clown Who Cried.

...and I feel compelled to quibble with your choice of the adjective "marginally."

Unless you're eating Amaglian Major Cow at Milliways, and unless you're Jain, I have a feeling you're involved in the death of things that might well prefer not to be dead. That's part of life for the vast majority of us. We here generally dont find it pleasant (if we did, we wouldn't live in a society where the closest thing to hunting meat comes from ripping open the plastic wrap beneath the styrofoam tray it comes on) - we are involved - but we dont like to be reminded of it.

But the treadmill behind Vick's house used to train his dogs? Do you know how they train dogs to run on that treadmill? Why, they hang cats in front of them. Then after a good long running session - they reward the dog with the cat. It's a special moment for a proud dog owner when his dog mauls that little kitty that's been watching those slavering jaws lunging after it for the last hour...

So while you're working on that death note liz... save some space.

"Jerry Lewis was, in the 1950s-1960s, an incredibly inventive film director, which is why he's beloved in France. If you don't know that you don't have the journalistic qualifications necessary to write this blog.

and that's sad sad commentary on your education."

Whoa, she doesn't know that Jerry Lewis was a huge innovator of film and that's a sad commentary on her education!? THIS PROVES THAT EDUCATION IN AMERICA IS A TRAVESTY. We need more maps!! Such as.

I have to agree, that the comment about Jerry Lewis dying was pretty foot-in-mouth. If you say something that you shouldn't say while criticizing celebrities for saying things they shouldn't say, does that make Liz transcend the metaphysical levels of commentary on celebrity, wait, my mind just exploded.

Not sure what's worse...the celeb comments...or your wish for Jerry Lewis to die. will prob stop reading your posts, now.

Way too go!

"So while you're working on that death note liz... save some space."

Okay, Vick was definitely wrong and greedy and stupid and mean and cruel and he deserves his punishment, but let's not get excessive.

Whoop is right the dog-fighting sport has been a part of rural, poor, southern culture (especially in the years before radio and TV). If you had English 101 then you read about such instances in the works of Faulkner, Wright, etc, and you remember your southern roots, you had one red-neck cousin who used to bet on dog-fights.

BTW: Jerry Lewis is not a comedian, but a form of mental torture.

Should Liz lose her gig because of her statement?

Yes, she should be banned from future blogging and never work in cyberspace again!
7%

No, she does not deserve any career-related consequences. She should just apologize as many times as Isiah Washington had to.
77%

Total Votes: 368

Not to defend Jerry Lewis' comment, which was very offensive, but it's true that he was an inventive filmmaker. I'm not about to analyze his films and career in this comment section, but... He actually invented video assist, which is used on every major film set today. It allows a director to watch, via video, exactly what shot is being exposed to film (which takes days to develop and print).

Listen, Miss South Carolina put Maps on the Map! So you show her asome respect!
Michael Vick might have killed some dogs but I think he should be commended for not calling the animals fa--ots. Jerry was just doing a bit of improv. Ignore the words of a decrepit old man. How will tv producers DEFY the FCC next??? Violence and curse and now whoopi? Degustin'

Whoopi was not defendding Vick, she was merely offering a slight glimspe into his reasoning. Has this country become so mad that one cannot play devil's advocate w/o being tarred and feathered? God forbid someone having and expressing a different opinion than the mob. Should she apologize? I don't think she has anything for which to be sorry. But to make nice with the masses, she will probably apologize just to shut people up.

"It's time for Jerry to follow his old pal Dean Martin to the great soundstage in the sky."

Jerry had a slip of the tongue, Whoopi stated an unpopular opinion, you are an idiot.

Liz, your Friday list topic should be obvious.

Which celebrities deserve to die?

(You could have special categories for 'slow and agonizing death', 'in compromising position', or 'by seppuku'.)

You're welcome.

"In 1960 Paramount needed a quickie feature film to fill its release schedule, and asked Lewis to produce it. Lewis came up with The Bellboy. Using the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami as his setting, on a small budget, a very tight shooting schedule, and no script, Lewis shot the film by day and performed at the hotel in the evenings. Bill Richmond collaborated with him on the many sight gags. During production, Lewis developed the technique of using video cameras and multiple closed circuit monitors, allowing him to view scenes while he was filming them. This allowed him to review his performance instantly. Later, he incorporated videotape, and as more portable and affordable equipment became available, this technique would become an industry standard known as video assist."

Seems like he did create an industry standard.

"Liz, your Friday list topic should be obvious.

Which celebrities deserve to die?"

Byoolin, you know that Diane Keaton would be topping her list, well above any other celebrity. :)

As to Liz's Jerry Lewis comment, yeah, that reads harshly. Instead of wishing him ill, it's better to wish for him to drift into peaceful celebrity obscurity. Also, there is one film he did where he didn't have to rely on slapstick: "King of Comedy" with a rather restrained Robert De Niro.

Wow, people are doing google research! I think Liz was betting on a readership more like me, someone who doesn't give a rat's a$$ about Jerry Lewis. Alas, she was wrong and it seems he deserves a modicum of respect.

am I the only one who read Liz's Jerry comment as tongue-in-cheek? I mean, it was placed in a blog about celebrity statements and stepping in it. No? Maybe we need to wiki or google neo-ironic after we IMDB Jerry Lewis...

cee-jay: love your verbs

to those of you who didn't understand that my comment about marrying first cousins was another joke sterotyping southeners, i apologize...next time i'll just end the sentence with "GIT R DONE", then maybe you'll get the joke.

For those of you keeping score:

Michael Vick: ill-advised hobby killing animals, deserves jail, lose career, found Jesus (praise Jesus!).

Jerry Lewis: ill-advised comment, shouldn't lose career, invented video assist (but is no Truffaut), doesn't deserve to die.

Whoopi Goldberg: ill-advised comment, shouldn't lose career, nothing really good since The Color Purple, that whole Ted Danson thing.

Liz: ill-advised comment, unqualified for but shouldn't lose career, marginally evil.

Diane Keaton, Ameglian Major Cow: Do deserve to die, only the latter good to eat.

byoolin: feeling a bit hungry.

Anon: Maybe they didn't get the joke because it is such a lame cliche?

Yes, perhaps....

byoolin you make me actually laugh out loud.

That means you've mixed your meds with tequila again, I think. :-)

Jerry Lewis: I'll get to him soon enough.

But Whoopi's comment was worse because dogs are pretty much defenseless animals, while f**s can stand up for themselves.

lol...

The Grim Reaper - It's painfully obvious why you think Whoopi's comment was worse: It's an illusion perpetuated by your raging homophobic, self-hatred.

Now...blink three times, hit the side of your head with your palm, and try again.

(I've heard that's how you cure the gheys...)

Hmmm, I didn't realize Virginia Beach (Newport News) was the "deep south."

neo-ironic = mean and pompus?

The best meal I ever had was fillet of Cocker Spaniel in an oyster sauce reduction. It was delicious.

nice Fred... only i think the flamewar you're looking for died in rec.pets.cats in 92. You're late.

to:" " no, no, no. neo-ironic means stop being lazy and look it up! geez, don't you read LDM's chats or anything else on the post.com to waste time? are you trying to make the rest of us feel bad by spending your time at work doing actual work? show-off

The Grim Reaper - It's painfully obvious why you think Whoopi's comment was worse: It's an illusion perpetuated by your raging homophobic, self-hatred.

Now...blink three times, hit the side of your head with your palm, and try again.

(I've heard that's how you cure the gheys...)

Huh, gays are lower than animals? Do you really mean they can't stand up for themselves.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Everybody knows gays are lower than animals. I mean, at least animals have fashion sense...or is that the gays?

"Do you really mean they can't stand up for themselves."

Depends on how wide their stance is I imagine...

"neo-ironic = mean and pompus?"

"no, no, no. neo-ironic means stop being lazy and look it up! geez, don't you read LDM's chats or anything else on the post.com to waste time?"

Ah, the neo-irony...

Whoopi's defense of Michael Vick isn't much dumber than many of the other opinions voiced on the View, but it also shouldn't be a huge surprise that the comments about Southern tradition weren't well received. Even if she had a valid point (I grew up in a low-income Southern home and am personally unaware of this "tradition"), she was not was very careful in the way she went about expressing it.

Hey-I liked "Sister Act"!

Also, to add to the choir, the Jerry Lewis death-wish is a bit harsh. But then, I'm pretty sure I've said worse in my life.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Everybody knows gays are lower than animals. I mean, at least animals have fashion sense...or is that the gays?

Well, I was being a smart a$$. I mean, really, people have certain skills animals don't. One of which is talking and being able to stand up for their selves.

Whoopi has a right to her opinion. That's what The View is about. Women with different points of views bickering with each other. I've heard a couple of comments from that show that I personally found offensive but no one was fired! Should Whoopi lose her job for trying to put light on a situation that is actually part of communities the same way hunting is...no. I mean really, people act like Vick is the only person in this country to fight dogs. People have cock fights and all type of "sporting" events involving animals and wealthy people sponsor and attend these events all the time. Yet this is a major thing now because a black young successful athelete is involved (yeah I went there!!)

No I do not agree with what Vick did, but the way people are reacting to this situation is completely beyond me. You would think that everyone is a vegeterian the way they are reacting to this. I mean we have people who hunt deer and rabbits and other defenseless animals yet there is no outcry about this. I mean the way they house and kill the animals we enjoy on our dinner table is not the most humane process in the world, yet no outcry.

Yes I think dog-fighting is horrible and he should pay a fine and do community service for it, but to be put in jail is ridiculous and for Whoopi to shed light on this and put her two cents in is no reason for people to call for an apology or her resignation. Lets be serious people, we don't complain when congressmen/celebrities put human lives at risk with there actions/policies. No everything is okay there, but a person who participate in dog fighing is the next antichrist!!

RIGHT!!!!

I liked her in Ghost, too...

Does Liz really mean to say that Jerry Lewis needs to die? And this was way not his 9th annual MDA telethon. Clearly our Liz is having a VERY BAD day. Quite frankly, her statements offend me more than either Jerry's or Whoopi's.

I liked Liz, until today! Now, I want to stone her until every bone in her stupid body breaks and she dies a slow, painful, torturous death.

Jerry Lewis is a saint among men for all he does for the kids. And aside from calling someone a fag on national television and killing innocent dogs, wishing someone dead is the worse thing a person can do online.

Yes, neo-irony sucks it is bad to wish people dead on the net.

Do any of you know how many times I have been called a "breeder" by gay people?

A lot and if it's not okay for them to be called names, it's not okay for me either.

"Jerry Lewis ends his 42nd Annual Labor Day Telethon with a record-setting $63.8 million in donations and pledges."

Yup, not his 9th.

"I liked Liz, until today! Now, I want to stone her until every bone in her stupid body breaks and she dies a slow, painful, torturous death."

How is this any better? Actually, this seems way worse.

"People have cock fights and all type of "sporting" events involving animals and wealthy people sponsor and attend these events all the time."

I like where this is going...
Money + Wrong = Just Fine

I am from the rural, deep South, and I assure you, dog fighting and animal torture are NOT accepted in that culture! I know no one who would defend such cruelty. Prevailing attitudes toward animals there are dictated by compassion. Granted, most people in south Georgia would scoff at the idea of taking a cat to an oncologist, but that's not for lack of love of animals. Rather, they believe it's better to spare a pet pain by putting him to sleep than force painful treatments because they want to keep their beloved pet a while longer.

And the person above who defended deer hunting is correct. In many areas, they would overpopulate and starve to death because they have no natural predators. I respect people who choose not to eat meat because they do not believe an animal should die for their nourishment. I don't understand, though, people who do eat meat but think hunting is cruel and barbaric. I'm far more comfortable eating a deer that lived free and was killed before it could starve to death than a cow that spent it's life crowded in a shed or a chicken that lived it's entire life in a tiny cage. And veal?! Now that's cruel.

oh, why can't we all just get along?

i think whoopi wasn't really trying to defend vick, but just the same, it's how she sounded on paper.

but, we can probably blame it all on the deplorable state of geography education. people need more maps.

whoopi does anyway, i live in the "mid-south," and i am pretty sure that tidewater va. doesn't qualify as the "deep south."

as for jerry, he's old. he's probably fried the part of his brain that used to fire up and say "shut up!" before he blurted out stupid things. but, you know, he's always said some stupid stuff, so maybe his age has nothing to do with it.

hey...this blog has been a great read today. good work byoolin. you made me proud to be an American (where at least i know i'm free to read celebritology and make anonymous post dissing celebrities and other well knowns) in your heartfelt defense of our goddess, Liz.
well done, sir! well done! (wipes tear from eye)

cee_jay, are you from nc? i think we went to college together. hahahaha. this is like facebook!

Ms Kelly does wish Jerry Lewis dead. Her comment cannot be taken any other way. What's worse...a rude comment or wishing another person to die? Actually both are just as evil. That makes Ms Kelly a hypocrite. The problem is that Ms Kelly cannot tell her "right hand from her left" Read the book of Jonah from the Old Testament to know what is meant.

by the way, Newport News, Virginia (where Vick is from) is NOT in the "Deep South" . . .if anything, it's more like Delaware and Rhode Island . . .it's an East Coast Navy Town that also has a "poor side," but it's not in the "Deep South." Come on, Whoppi, get your geography right at least.

I gotta say that Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were pretty good entertainment to young kids in the fifties. We moved on, of course, but every kid deserves a Jerry Lewis.

sorry, I spelled Whoopi's name wrong. Guess I need to go back to spelling and she needs to go to geography or civics or history . . .the Deep South is Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana ...maybe parts of Georgia and North Florida qualify, but DEFINITELY not Virginia. This is coming from a native Mississippian, history major, living in the Upper South now (South Carolina!)

Byoolin, your talents are too great to be confined to a comments section.

Hey, Washington Post. Please give Byoolin her own column.

I want to read it.

Please, more Byoolin!

(Seriously Byoolin, you should be pursuing something like this.)

Michael Vick is not going to jail for cruelty to animals. He is going to jail for CONSIPIRACY TO GAMBLE.

Perhaps Whoopi's point was:

in the deep south, and now all over the country, BETTING is part of the culture.

In fact - Virginia, the state of Vick's horrible conspiracy crime - has a STATE LOTTERY.

I don't like football or care how rich Mr. Vick is - but I am against prosecuting people for gambling when the state runs a lottery.

Mr. Vick should have been prosecuted on the state level for cruelty to animals (a misdeamnor) - NOT on federal charges.

I agree with Whoopi - whom I actually find extremely annoying and whose movies I found boring. Southern Virginia is deeply southern in CULTURE - unlike No. Va.

Liz should be ashamed, Mr. Lewis is rightfully embarrassed. Whoopi will likely go on to say something actually offensive - but this wasn't it.

Amelia, get your facts straight

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20417707/

All gambling charges were dropped (that more than anything would risk his NFL career)

He plead guilty to buying and transporting dogs for dog fighting; being involved with dog fighting and a kennel set up for that purpose,

and he ADMITTED to being involved in the death by drowning or hanging (as well as other methods) of 6-8 dogs. I consider HANGING a dog pretty cruel.

Byoolin, Jerry Lewis started directing The Bellboy in the 1950s. Sorry if I was unclear, your apology is accepted in advance.

I liked Whoopi in Star Trek, New Generation.
Oops, wrong blog.

Isn't the real issue here that dog fighting is illegal? If Vick got caught dealing drugs would Whoopi have also excused him because there was rampant drug use where he grew up? He would go to jail and lose his endorsements. If Whoppi wants to take on the validity of anti-dogfighting laws, she can go for it, but as long as it is illegal, Vick should go to jail and serve his time. The Falcons, the NFL and his corporate sponsors can then decide whether they want a convicted felon to represent him. People are entitled to their opinions on the seriousness of dog-fighting as a crime, but for now it is one and he should be punished.

methinks, while I am delighted that you are proud to be an American, I'm Canadian. (Didn't you notice the way I spelled words like "favour," "colour" and "labour"? Dead giveaways, eh.)

6:06, I'm honoured (there's another one!) that you're touting me for a column in this esteemed publication. Also, I must tell you I'm a he, not a she.

9:24, If I may quote from a far better apology than any I could think of on my own, "I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future." Also, that shirt looks good on you.

wtf?

i can never watch sister act again...

Growing up in the deep south (tiny, rural GA town), dog fighting did not occur in our areas, nor did we decide to "put our dogs down" with a bucket of water and some jumper cables. That woman has lost her f-ing mind. That "kid" is just a thug. This has nothing to do with race. His brother is a thug. Their mama sure as heck did not raise them right!

Sorry B, for the gender mixup.

I sent my post before I had read through the entire comments section on line at the time. It would have made me realize my mistake. I assume (maybe wrongly) that my gender is usually overrepresented in celebritology, so I lept to the wrong conclusion.

Again, sorry. But the urging and encouragement still stands. You're gifted. Explore it. Maximize it. Do it!!

to not bluto: sorry, not from NC, so i think that i am not who you think i am (intenionally awkard phrasing ala "dodgeball")