There was a time when the lawyers and PR firms of those accused of crimes and misdemeanors asked that their clients not be judged in the court of public opinion but given a fair trial in a courtroom far from the prejudicial tendrils of the media. But now these same spin doctors are eagerly embracing the media in hopes that it will acquit their clients. Case in point: TMZ.com is reporting that “reps for suspected wife killer Drew Peterson have contacted the producers of the new show ‘Moment of Truth,’ asking to hookup their client to a lie detector test on national television.”
You read that right. A man accused of murdering his missing fourth wife and suspected of murdering his third, who has thus far resisted submitting to a polygraph test at the local police station, would be willing, according to his reps, to go on a game show–and not a very good one at that–to ostensibly prove his innocence? Where does one even begin?!?
In my review of the show, I wasn’t certain what the ethical implications the show would be, hooking people up to a lie detector in order for them to earn cash prizes. But I hadn’t even allowed myself to take to the conceit further: Turning “Truth” into a national confessional. But apparently the creator and Executive Producer of the show, Howard Schultz, had.
While a FOX spokesperson tastefully declined to comment on the Peterson rumor, Schultz was busy sending embattled Major League Baseball star Roger Clemens a letter asking him to become a contestant. Schultz posits that it would be a win-win situation since Clemens could clear his name in connection with the steroid scandal engulfing baseball and any winnings could be given to charity.
“This show could let the world know that you are an incredibly courageous person, as well as to clear your name in front of a nationwide audience, all in the name of charity,” wrote Schultz.
Ya know, Mr. Schultz, you embody a type of indelicate courage–shall we call it by the less offensive cohones?–even writing that letter.
But, hey, this is FOX we’re talking about, the arbiters of good taste that brought us such fare as “Temptation Island” and “Married by America.”
Obviously, the Clemens stunt casting is a ploy for even bigger ratings than the show already has, and will be taken with the requisite grain of salt one must consume to endure and enjoy modern entertainment. As for Peterson’s possible involvement with the show, well, that just sounds like a good way to contaminate a jury pool to me.
