Yesterday I complained that it was a bit quiet on the Bionic front, and like clockwork we have another article about Isaiah Washington.

So the lastest article that i’ve read on the matter comes from Deseret Morning News. It has the same quotes from Ben Silverman, and all of the previous stuff, but their take on the affair is interesting.

Asked if he was worried that Washington’s presence would alienate some viewers, Silverman answered without answering at all.

“You know what? I think people are tuning in to the ‘Bionic Woman,’ and whatever support we can give to the ‘Bionic Woman’ as possible, we will give,” Silverman said. “And I think that he is a wonderful actor. I think he is really talented.”

Read that again and decide for yourself if Silverman answered the question.

“Bionic Woman” executive producer Jason Smilovic almost broke his arm patting himself on the back for hiring Washington (at Silverman’s behest, it must be added).

“We believe in second chances. We are not here to make judgments,” he said.

Excuse me, but by hiring Washington, you are making a judgment.

They also pose the question of whether some forms of bigotory are more acceptable than others:

And, no, NBC would not be touting the hiring of an actor who had used the “n” word and then unrepentantly suggested he was the victim of some sort of conspiracy.

You won’t seen Michael Richards guest starring on on “Bionic Woman” anytime soon.

Some forms of bigotry are more acceptable than others at NBC

He’s right you know, you can’t have it both ways..and that’s something that NBC, Bionic Woman and Isaiah Washington will just have to contend with. At the same time, I do believe in second chances, but most of all I believe in this show - I hope it doesn’t become tainted. But we shouldn’t shy away from these issues - if they exist in the Bionic realm then we just have to confront them.

You can read the whole article here

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Yes folks, it’s that time again - yet more ABC-Washington-NBC saga. This time it’s the respective presidents, NBC’s Ben Silverman and ABC’s Steve McPherson, who are engaging in a war of words (if you can call it that). BuddyTV report that McPherson has responded to comments made by Silverman last week:

Silverman was aghast that ABC had fired Washington, saying that he had even started talking with the actor “before he became available.”

Silverman continued: “When he told me he was available I was like, ‘You are? Wait, I don’t understand. What do you mean? You’re a huge star on a star television show.’” he said. “I don’t quite understand what had gone on there.”

This drew the ire of ABC president Steve McPherson, who responded that “if [Silverman] was in fact talking to him before he was available, that’s inducement to breach. So I don’t know, he’s either clueless or stupid.” Regarding the circumstances of Washington’s firing, McPherson added, “Was he living in a cave?”

I don’t think i’m the only one who is getting tired of all this - it’s gone past the stage where it is helpful to Bionic Woman’s image. Can we just move on guys? In Ben’s defence, I do think he was simply trying to make Isaiah feel wanted and important - trying to ‘rebuild him’, one might say. So McPherson shouldn’t have suggested that he’s “stupid”, because you don’t want to be firing Washington for making out of order comments and then making the same mistake yourself, do you, Mr President..

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