Take daytime programming.
Watching Nickelodean's ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, it's hard not to feel like you're being pulled into the sewer.
Oh, sure, there are morals here and there as the Chipmunks (or 'Chipmunks') take on bullies or try to steal baby sitting jobs or what have you.
But there's always the creepy, the never ending creepy.
The three little ones are still being raised by human David Seville, yes.
But the three little ones no longer look like chipmunks.
They still have the tails but they have children's faces and bodies -- and a human father.
How are you not supposed to wonder if some cross-species mating took place?
And how are you supposed to watch ELLEN and not wonder what the heck you're watching when daytime talk show hostess Ellen DeGeneres can't stop fawning over Hillary Clinton?
Ellen did that in 2008 -- with Hillary and with Barack Obama. But in 2012, where was Mitt Romney on her show?
No where to be found.
Which makes Ellen look like a cheap entertainer who misuses her platform and her audience to push politics.
We like Ellen.
We don't think she's very smart politically.
Her actions during presidential elections only confirm that.
When did she book Cynthia McKinney as a guest?
Or Jill Stein?
Or Ralph Nader?
People don't need entertainment hosts pontificating on their cutesy talk shows about what politics are or are not.
Ellen doesn't know a damn thing about politics and never has and it cheapens her image when her show -- embraced by millions -- is misused by her to promote one political party.
Say what you will about Jimmy Fallon -- and there's much bad to say there -- but at least he's willing to bring on both of the the two major political parties (like Ellen, Jimmy appears to have never heard of third party or independent candidates).
Ellen doesn't own the airwaves.
If she's going to bring on her personal favorite candidate for an election cycle, respect for democracy dictates that she bring on the other candidates.
On THE TONIGHT SHOW, Jimmy Fallon recently scored a win with his impersonation of Donald Trump (who is seeking the GOP's presidential nomination).
He even did the impersonation when he had Donald on.
But he also did it last week when he had Hillary Clinton on.
Is there a reason Jimmy can't do a Hillary Clinton impersonation?
Is there a reason he can't do a real interview with her?
As bad as Ellen and Jimmy's sucking up has been, at least no one (except maybe themselves) would ever mistake them for smart, political or even journalists.
What's John Dickerson's excuse?
The new host of CBS's long running public affairs program FACE THE NATION had the first chance for a real interview with Hillary after Clinton had finally apologized for her e-mail scandal.
Instead of probing that scandal today, Dickerson let Hillary present the 'facts' (which often were not facts) and set the narrative.
As bad as that was, the all time perverse moment in the softball interview had to have been when Hillary insisted, "I am a real person."
When you're having to insist you are a real person, your campaign is clearly in trouble.
And when you're the host on which Hillary asserts that claim and you don't follow up with anything meaningful, you are clearly in trouble.
Remember David Gregory didn't think he'd ever be dropped from NBC's MEET THE PRESS.
The most perverse thing about television today may be realizing how little the entertainment factor matters anymore. Oh, they're swinging it and selling it for someone -- it's just not for the viewers.
