Not Prime Time News

On the way home from work, I usually listen to TMZ Live. It's a one hour program that features the people who run TMZ.  It often veers more toward ethics discussions based on celebrity happenings rather than celebrity news. It's nothing like the television show, much to my disappointment.  The owner is a former lawyer and reporter who has worked in Hollywood forever.  Somehow in my head, it lends a little more credibility than the infotainment shows a person sees on the television.

An instance I can provide is that they were talking about Britney Spears stock portfolio, which on surface sounds like Tabloid News. What they were actually discussing was whether or not it was a conflict of interest in that she did commercials for Pepsi, yet had stock in Coca-Cola.  They decided that while it is a little wince-inducing for the Pepsi people, it wasn't an ethical error.  Also a point made was "Who thinks Britney actually  CHOOSES her own stocks?"

The other case they debated was the David Tutera dividing up his twins between he and his soon-to-be ex-husband.  The debate began as whether or not that was a good idea. (overwhelmingly no) and then turned into a discussion about the new challenge of divorce and custody in the gay community.

While reporting the most recent douchey thing the Biebs has done, they often veer into discussions like "Would his behavior be considered age appropriate if he was a normal kid?" and the long-lasting effects of being a Hollywood child star.

Something they often discuss is strangely & not without irony, the paparazzi.  Where I respect TMZ is that they fire photographers that disrespect, break the law, or otherwise harass people.  They also don't run with "news" (I'm in no way pretending they provide a worthwhile service) unless it is confirmed in multiple ways.

I just find the discussions they have as interesting.  It's frequently not about the star but the surrounding or resulting circumstances.  Often, I've mentioned a discussion to Kevin at the dinner table and we've debated it further.  (he agrees: it's impossible to believe that Britney chooses her own stocks)

(Not a sponsored post, although it reads like it.  TMZ Live is on Sirius/XM Stars #106, if you're interested)