You've probably heard, seen and read a lot about Bill Cosby this week, but I think today's Nose panel tears into the topic in some interesting ways. I hope you'll listen and maybe even comment down below. Later in this show, you'll hear us talk about Mike Nichols, a disagreement about how many people can live as a family in a one-family house, and whether Allison Williams can forbid us from live tweeting her live NBC appearance as Peter Pan.
Watching the horrible Bill Cosby saga unfold this week, it was hard not to think there is something you might call celebrity privilege. True, he has been convicted in no court but he's also been given a pass by us, the media, for many years on something that should have been thrashed out one way or another.
As the great writer Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote this week, it's not a matter of his word against somebody else's. It's a matter of his word against fifteen women telling more or less the same story spread out over thirty years.
Giving Cosby the benefit of every doubt -- I mean, he wouldn't be the first black man falsely accused of assaulting white women -- it's nonetheless amazing and appalling to see the way this story lives in a weird media limbo. At least, it did for decades.
What did the panel endorse? This movie coming to Trinity Cinestudio (James). Reading this book before the movie "Wild" comes out (TC). Speaking of wild, an upcoming Wildweeds reunion (Jim). The addictive podcast Serial along with some of the criticisms of it for missing ethnic cues, for not being hardnosed crime reporting and for being unfair to the victim's family.
What do you think? Comment below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.
GUESTS:
- Jim Chapdelaine is a musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer
- Theresa Cramer is a writer and the editor of E-Content Magazine, where she covers the world of digital media
- James Hanley is the co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College
SONGS:
- "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel
- "I Won't Grow Up" featuring Mary Martin
