Christians Claim that Ellen's Gayness is Killing American Idol, Suggest Roman Polanski As Next Reality Judge
On the heels of American Idol's lowest season finale numbers ever, a Christian news site is making such a claim so ridiculous that it's almost funny: Ellen DeGeneres' sexual orientation is responsible for Idol's drop in ratings. And while they're at it, the site also alleges that television is on a "pro-homosexuality bender" and that adding Ellen to Idol is just as bad as giving Roman Polanski a seat on the Dancing with the Stars judging panel. Wait, what?
Christian Newswire director Gary McCullough claims Fox's decision to appoint a "lesbian activist" to the Idol judging panel resulted in the show's slow erosion of viewership. Here lie some of McCullough's most offensive claims:
DeGeneres' "Yes, I have loved a woman," comment from the May 11th show, was the most obvious lesbian-one-liner, but it wasn't the only one, and it is hurting the show's ratings. I can hear the bloggers loading their homophobe-blasters, but think this through with me. If one of the judges was an abortion activist, or a political right winger -- and continued to insert comments in line with their activism -- the same criticism would be true, and the show would suffer. The advice, "Shut up and sing!" comes to mind.
At this moment in entertainment history, network television is on a pro-homosexuality bender. The producers of American Idol chose to be a part of this push; it was a huge mistake. The consequences of this choice were a drop in market share and a reduction in advertising dollars. While many entertainers who profess an alternate sexual lifestyle are individually accepted and enjoyed by the public -- when sexual behavior becomes their identifying trait in a specific broadcast, it limits the audience they will draw.
Beyond that, it actually drives away a significant market share of parents and teens who used to watch the show together, until mom and dad decided that the subtle promotion of an "alternate lifestyle" to their kids was not worth the entertainment trade off. Sorry Ellen, you're just not worth it.
And here's the kicker:
Network television producers may or may not stop promoting homosexuality; but for certain they will learn to keep homosexual activism separate from the cash-cow of "family entertainment." There is of course the insane possibility that Hollywood will forsake ratings - and the dollars that follow - and continue down the path of change. Perhaps next we will see the pro-pedophilia group NAMBLA use its influence in Hollywood to have "Dancing with the Stars" seat Roman Polanski as a judge.
First off, I think we can all agree that American Idol's ratings started dropping long before Ellen DeGeneres joined the judging panel. If Idol's lowest finale ratings happened to coincide with Ellen's term, that has nothing to do with her sexuality or her "lesbian one-liners." Not everyone can be Paula.
Before forming his claim, McCullough must not have considered Ellen's talk show either -- which is currently on its seventh season thanks to viewers who care more about the talent than the sexual orientation of their television personalities.
And oh yeah, if Fox viewers have such a problem with programming that champions "alternate lifestyles", then they wouldn't be tuning into the network's breakout hit Glee. And in turn, Fox would not have ordered a second and third season of the series already.
Besides, I think we all know that Idol's dwindling numbers are part of Simon Cowell's master plan for world domination, right?
· Claim: Ellen being gay hurt Idol ratings [THR]
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Comments
Oh those wacky homophobes...such a tolerant bunch.
If Ellen occasionally making reference to the fact that she is gay on American Idol counts as "gay activism" as this group implies, then does mentioning your own hair color or home town also count as activism? How is it activism to reference something basic about yourself?
Also, of course Christian Newswire's statement wasn't content to just pull the Hollywood-is-a-bunch-of-gay-activists card, they also just couldn't resist comparing homosexuality to pedophilia. By this line of reasoning, we should keep kids away from Christianity at all costs because it might lead to Scientology.
Adding Ellen to American Idol has nothing to do with the show dropping in the ratings. It passed its sell-by date several years ago. It's possible Paula had a bigger fanbase than anyone thought, so people may be tuning out simply because she's not there anymore, just as the ratings are going to nosedive without Simon. To use Ellen's orientation (which hasn't seemed to have harmed her hugely popular daytime talk show) as justification for Idol's problems is silly and so-20th century.
Don't confound this "Christian news site" with the views of the other Christians who live normally in the world every day. I am a Christian and I do not agree with the views of the people who write that site because there is no place for intolerance in my religion. The Christian Newswire is not the news source for any of the educated Christians that I know! I think Ellen is great, and I think Idol's ratings have gone down because the show hasn't produced a star in forever!
Isn't there some christian commandment against idols?
I'm not gay nor a Christian but I respect all other religions. That being said, didn't Jesus say "Judge ye not lest ye be judged?" I lnow he didn't say "Love thy neighbor, unless they're ..." These "Christians" need to put their bigotry in check.
This season's Idol had some of the the worst talent this year than all the other previous seasons. While I'm glad that the last 2 standing made it, some of the judges opinions were really bad. Whether we're green, purple yellow, blue, etc. we're all God's kids.
I've always loved Ellen no matter what or who she is. I don't care who or what anyone is as long as they are respectful. And I'll watch Idol next year, too. Hopefully they'll have better talent.
I stopped watching idol because Ellen is on there. And I know a lot of others that stopped watching it also. Hollywood is making gayness look popular and cool. It is an abomination before God and I will continue to pray for those struggling with that.
Cristian News Wire. Who are they?,What are they?. With that attituded and way of thinking ( starnge homophobes )the might be such a snall minority that it does not show up in he strongest microscope.
maybe they can get some of those fine christian priests who have a hinkering for little boy's to judge idol. perhap's they can blame ellen too for the 100's of years these fine christians have been mollesting little boy's! give me a break you holler-than-thow simple minde idiots!
If NAMBLA were not ficticious, it is still reasonable to think that "North American man-BOY love association" would not use their power to promote a HETEROSEXUAL who is charged with sleeping with an underaged GIRL.
Since a significant percentage of the SINGERS on idol are probably gay too, I really find it funny that the Christian Idiots like these people would complain that one of the judges are too. But contradictions, and logic are not the strong point of Bible thumpers are they?
So Adam Lambert you were OK with, but Ellen is too gay?
I don't really care about the gay community. Whatever they do is their business. If this is a sin then God will judge and not me. However, I am getting tired of Hollywood thinking they can surprise us by throwing out the gay card. The shock has worn off and now everybody knows that in almost every show on TV and almost every movie that deals with relationships will either have an openly gay character or one will come out of the closet. The shock has worn off and the annoyance has started. I don't think people are upset about a gay co-host as much as they're tired of having traditional families looked upon by the mainstream as something of a bygone era or even worse, as a bunch of "Bible-toting freaks."
Do yourself a favor Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood and create originally shocking scripts for your TV shows and movies, and stop pulling from the cookie-cutter bin of ideas. The gay thing is just becoming another movie cliche.
Gayness isn't cool or popular... unless you're in bed with a hot well-hung guy. Then it's pretty damned awesome!
Oh phooey, we all know Idol's biggest audience killer is Kara DioGuardi!
FOX loves Family Guy for fuck sake. They don't care about spreading wholesome values. The conservative impression they give off is only there to attract viewers. The people who watch FOX news are the ones who actually believe that homosexuals are destroying the world. FOX is just a television network... as you can see these "Christians" prefer to drown in naivety and irony.
Idol isn't losing viewers because it added a gay judge. It's losing viewers because the show is 8 years old and growing stale. And if people don't watch a show because Ellen is on it then why is her talk show one of the most popular in the country? I really wish Christians would think before they spoke. It would make me feel less embarrassed to be one. Oh and by the way, you ever read the Bible. LOT of gay people in that book.
I hope the kind moderators will let this comment through in its entirety. By doing so, you would be making your own display of tolerance, which is not in the least a subtle point in your article. 🙂
A lot of people have stopped watching, yes. For what reasons, who really knows. Does Hollywood, including AI, have a pro-gay agenda? Well let's call it like it is--yes. Are Christians concerned about that because the Bible has passages of scripture about God hating homosexuality? Yes! But others are correct in mentioning that the Bible also talks about "judging not" and "loving your neighbor"--and yes, that means the gay neighbors too! Funny how Christians conveniently forget about that part. In any case, the Bible must be read fully to understand that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Today's society is so hedonistic, it is very difficult for people to understand that God created rules and boundaries to protect us, not only because he loves us, but also because He has a bigger plan that is beyond anything we humans could comprehend. These days, everyone is concerned about what feels "good" or what feels "right" and not so concerned with their heavenly Creator or what His plan or purpose is for their lives. The thing is, we are ALL sinners, even the "Christians" or the "saved" people. Many will ask what it means when to be a "Christian" or be "saved." Well, the Bible says that God is perfect and holy. People are sinful. You probably already know that about yourself. Try being "perfect" for a day and you'll quickly find out you can't do it. Sin separates us from God. Sin means either not understanding or caring about what is right. The Bible also says that sin leads to death. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death" and Isaiah 59:2 says, "It's your sins that have cut you off from God." Because God is perfect, He cannot have anything to do with us because we are sinners. He wants to have a personal relationship with us but He can't because of our sin. So what did God do? He gave us His only son, Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME." Jesus died to take the penalty for our sins. He took our punishment so we wouldn't have to. I Peter 3:18 says, "Christ [Jesus] suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit." Now, because of Jesus, the way is prepared for us to have the ability to have a personal relationship with a holy God. However, the fact of salvation means nothing unless a person accepts it for themselves. It is a gift, but one has to accept it for themselves. God has given each of us a choice. Romans 10: 9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your hear that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." So, you simply need to believe. That doesn't mean you don't have lots of questions or that you understand everything. It simply means you recognize you are a sinner and are in need of the Savior. You recognize that you cannot be good enough for a perfect God on your own. And you recognize the fact that God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to save you. Pretty simple, huh? Lots of love to EVERYONE!
I am not an American Idol fan but I've watched it on a few occasions both before and after Ellen DeGeneris was on the panel and she certainly adds nothing to the show but I doubt that her gayness is responsible for the show's drop in the ratings. I find her reconstructed face more off-putting than her sexual orientation - she looks like a android. (Or is it a cyborg?)
On the other hand I find nothing particularly offensive about McCollough's comments. In fact, I agree with him. Consenting adults should be free to engage in whatever sexual practices they choose but when they advertise it on television it falls into the category of TMI.
w
P.S. I'm not a Christian.
I am not sure I agree with the last comment.
While I can't work up enough disgust to get militant about this, the so called "Christian News Network" could easily push me to that. I'm a Christian who happens to be gay. I don't think it's a contradiction in terms. I think Christians who exhibit bigotry, however, make the rest of us look very ignorant and bad. Ellen is a kind-hearted PERSON who happens to be gay. If she isn't using Idol as a platform for promoting conversions to gay, why can't she make a passing statement once in awhile? If it's acceptable to make that same statement, coming from the mouth of a man, then it's acceptable coming out of the mouth of a woman. Sorry, folks, but you can't have it both ways. And that's what the right-wing Christians try to do. I know...I've been persecuted by them. (but I still pray for them...Jesus Christ said I need to do that, so I do) But, thanks for allowing both sides of this to be shown. People of ignorance need to learn, too! Maybe the people involved with the afore mentioned news group have learned something from it!
Why are you bashing Christians so much? It's bad enough already that our rights are being taken away as Christians such as prayer in school, and public discrimination. If a judge on American Idol claimed to be a full out Christian, they were be hammered to death by the media. It's a two way street. But hey, it's your soul. You get to decide where you go. I just hope that you can see truth before it's to late. Look up! 🙂
Reality check! Christianity doesn't have catholic priests. Enough said
ellen's frequent comments and or gay inuendos..how many straight people make heterosexual inuendos or boast of being hetro in public.gays wear their sexuality like an effing badge. and the bible? read what it claims about 'lewdness, using coarse language,dressin immodestly(which btw meant manner of dress whereby exposing one's body to the degree of being sexually enticing in any manner or form),and i could mention quite a bit more,but liberals see nothing wrong with morals as they claim morals are merely a matter of one's opinion .these are the same liberals generally who don't believe in psyhiatrists or psychologists,also claiming what they are only their opinions..this why i think most liberals are morons.duhhhh...lol--oh yeah..straight guys have the attitude that a guy insertring his rod int o another guys derriere is gross gross gross!!!gay activists claim that attitude or opinion is gross and literally expect straight guys to change that attitude.that's how crazy these goofy activists are. until straight people change their opinions to accept that a cramming a tube up their bottoms might feel quite good,gays won't be fully accepted and there will be friction big time(no pun intended).i certainly don't plan to just suddenly feel as though it's nice clean fun.yuck!!ahhh!!!tain't normal..typical straight guy attitude that gay activists hate.the stupid simpletons..and american idol's ratings climbed back up not long after ellen left btw.
my typos in my post above reflect my lapse of proof reading abilities,not my eloquent raisin bran cereal