Could there be a Pee Shy Curse, similar to the Seinfeld one? 'Cause not only did Pee Shy break up, but now -- a mere 12 years after she and Helen A.S. Popkin shared the stage with Cindy, Jenny and Bil one glorious night at the Stone Lounge in Tampa -- Gina Vivinetto has gotten the boot from the St. Pete Times.Her crime? Blogging.
Yes -- imagine that! By day, Gina called herself a responsible citizen, a loyal patriotic American, an ethical (though "bad-ass") journalist and music critic, a "relentlessly fun, super sassy and hyper intelligent ...one-of-a-kind lesbian," a Crayola fan and even an amazingly talented musician and award-winning short story writer, in that admittedly little-known giant-headed-supermodel genre.
But that was just a front. For beneath it all, Gina had a dark side. A secret life.
She blogged.
That might make her, oh I dunno ... wait for it .... a blogger.
And not only that, but she posted comments on other people's blogs -- scurrilous blogs that, believe it or not, someone was writing anonymously. I know, that's hard to comprehend. I get the vapors just thinking about it.
One of these sites was about Hillsborough County Commissioner Rhonda Storms, a conservative whom some people (not me, naturally) seem to regard as a crazy, nudity-obsessed, homophobic, rule-bending, self-promoting wingnut who may or may not bear some resemblance to the Wicked Witch of the West.
Again, that's what some folks say. I don't live in the Tampa area, so beats me if any of this stuff is true. It seems, however, that some of Ms. Storms' critics have launched not just one but but two fake Rhonda Storms blogs. And it was on the second such site that Ms. Vivinetto, using the name of an art/music gallery she owns in St. Petersburg, posted the comments that proved so fatal to her journalistic career. To wit:
- "You left your panties here."
- "The panties had a red inscription, over the crotch: 'T.G.I.F.' And, they were musky."
- "Can we expect you Friday night at Bombshell, hot stuff? There will be a lot of HOT, YOUNG LESBIANS!!"
Shocking stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.
Now, you Vivinettan apologists out there might say hey, wait a second -- didn't the Times pay for Gina to write a (not too funny) parody of MTV's The Real World that mocked Rhonda? Didn't Gina host a political fund-raising concert last year aimed at opposing Ms. Storms' agenda, not to mention her role in producing a documentary rebutting some of the commissioner's comments, with no apparent objections from her editors? Hadn't Ms. Vivinetto's somewhat outré sense of humor been on display all these years, what with that "Mr. Brady is Gay" column she'd been writing for the newspaper? Doesn't an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, the nonprofit journalism school that owns the Times, seem to agree that Gina "has a point" in sensing some inconsistencies in her bosses' actions?
Sorry, it won't wash. Clearly, the Times had no choice but to sever its ties with Gina, lest she taint the newspaper's august Stuck in the 80s podcast. One minute, she might be reminiscing about A Flock of Seagulls or Toni Basil or that Cyndi Lauper song "She Bop," and the next second she might blurt out another Rhonda Storms panty joke.
No, Gina's bosses simply had to demand her resignation. Even if they had to do it while she was hooked to an IV tube while recovering from surgery to remove a tumor. I feel safer already.
Now that Gina's gone, can someone go after all those anonymous bloggers?
2 comments:
Gina is one of the best vocalists (ever) on the Tampa scene.
Did you read Tommy Duncan's (at Sticks of Fire) post on the fake Ronda Storms Myspace site? He linked it to sexual predators. I told him that was silly and his peanut gallery came to his defense. Tommy said he didn't say that and I quoted his words back at him. Silly blogger who sings backup in the Johnny G. Lyon Band. Remember Don't Let Satan Fool You? Worst song on the two Tampa Smokes LPs.
I had my suspicions before the controversy came out that Gina created the Ronda Storms profile. She had the fake Ronda as a buddy on all three of her profiles. She also has a photoshop image of Storms with the word bigot. I thought that was odd when I was searching for her band the Peabodies. Then again, it might be Norwood. Although, I think only the blog is his doing.
I blog about Storms a lot. The woman is out there. She one said a puppet (on public access TV) made a death threat against her. Her reaction against the Myspace profile is not surprising. She yells at people at commission meetings, but can't stand up to attacks. That is the sign of a true coward.
Gina shouldn't of been fired for making comments on a profile. People like Josh Marshall and Andrew Sullivan have written for the New Republic and New York Times and they blog. They write things on their sites that people disagree with. Neither of them would have a hard time getting hired by a newpaper or magazine. Gina's problem is she doesn't have their media star power.
If Gina did create the Fake Ronda Storms profile then the Times would have reason to fire her. I'm not sure the Times terminated her for that reason. They should be more forthcoming. Considering that they are own by Polyter.
P.S.
I remember Helen Popkin in a body stocking once. Seriously hot.
Say, thanks Michael Hussey! I *was* seriously hot, wasn't I?
Helxo
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