Former NBC sportscaster Marv Albert, who pleaded guilty to a sexual felony misdemeanor charge by his accuser, Vanessa Perhach, last month and was given a year’s probation, began his road to redemption Nov. 7 in an interview with Barbara Walters on “20/20.”
Whether the public will embrace Albert the way they forgave actor Hugh Grant for his arrest a few years ago for soliciting a prostitute is still too early to predict. Grant’s scandal it seems has not affected his acting career.
I never thought the day would come when America would stoop to the level of what director Oliver Stone was trying to say with his fictional biographical film, “Nixon” (1995). There is one scene in particular, even if it never happened, that says everything about this country when it comes to celebrity’s and politician’s downfalls.
The scene has James Woods Bob Haldeman and J.T. Walsh’s John Erlichman talking privately shortly before the president fires them.
Haldeman tells Erlichman that if Nixon had told the public three things about his role in the Watergate burglary in 1972, “the public would have forgiven him.”.
“I was wrong. I covered up. I’m sorry,” Haldeman says.
Today, it is those three sentences that makes the public sympathize with people like Albert who are divided in opinion on what happened.
As the 1996 presidential election drew closer, a couple friends of mine and I argued about why we are or aren’t going to vote for Bill Clinton or Bob Dole. I kept telling a friend of mine even though him and I agree what President Clinton did in the 60s was wrong such as dodging the draft, smoking grass, and cheating on his wife, not everyone else felt the same way because he admitted it. My friend refused to see the point I was trying to make in the discussion and said society is in an “immoral abyss.”
Then another friend of mine threw the JFK thing back in my face saying, if I don’t like Clinton, why do I have a library of Kennedy books in my room?
“As much as you like JFK, that man wasn’t perfect,” he said. “And neither is Clinton.”
I admit I have a weakness for famous writers and had JFK not become president, he might have probably pursued political journalism.
The fact is Kennedy’s stories of adultery, well known in the press at the time but never reported, illnesses, and ties to organized crime did not come out until after he was assassinated. That is the reason why society still holds high regard for JFK as a young, catholic president and family man.
The problem I have is society no longer cares about what a celebrity or politician did in the past. They don’t care about right and wrong. Who cares if Clinton is being sued for sexual harassment by Paula Jones? The public feels what is important is we have a president who has charisma and knows how to sell himself to the public. A president must have a personality.
Along with that I suppose is we are all human and make mistakes. Politicians and celebrities are no worse. They shouldn’t be put on a high pedestal as people who could do no wrong. Doing that will only destroy the high regard believers may have had.
I was surprised to hear of Albert’s arrest earlier this year. Much the same way, I and everyone else was shocked that O.J. Simpson was accused and acquitted in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.
I have no doubt a few years from now, Marv Albert will be back on the air possibly doing sports again or maybe even hosting his own radio show. But that will not erase all the supposed stories of cross dressing and rough sex the public heard about during the short trial. Albert said on “20/20” half the stories reported didn’t happen. The scandal, however, is like a police record. It doesn’t go away and it is permanent.
“I realize there will be skeptics, no matter what I say here or elsewhere,” Albert told Walters in the interview. “I know that this is a stigma that will be out there. I have to be able to deal with that and I am a big boy and I have to deal with it.”
©11/19/97
Whether the public will embrace Albert the way they forgave actor Hugh Grant for his arrest a few years ago for soliciting a prostitute is still too early to predict. Grant’s scandal it seems has not affected his acting career.
I never thought the day would come when America would stoop to the level of what director Oliver Stone was trying to say with his fictional biographical film, “Nixon” (1995). There is one scene in particular, even if it never happened, that says everything about this country when it comes to celebrity’s and politician’s downfalls.
The scene has James Woods Bob Haldeman and J.T. Walsh’s John Erlichman talking privately shortly before the president fires them.
Haldeman tells Erlichman that if Nixon had told the public three things about his role in the Watergate burglary in 1972, “the public would have forgiven him.”.
“I was wrong. I covered up. I’m sorry,” Haldeman says.
Today, it is those three sentences that makes the public sympathize with people like Albert who are divided in opinion on what happened.
As the 1996 presidential election drew closer, a couple friends of mine and I argued about why we are or aren’t going to vote for Bill Clinton or Bob Dole. I kept telling a friend of mine even though him and I agree what President Clinton did in the 60s was wrong such as dodging the draft, smoking grass, and cheating on his wife, not everyone else felt the same way because he admitted it. My friend refused to see the point I was trying to make in the discussion and said society is in an “immoral abyss.”
Then another friend of mine threw the JFK thing back in my face saying, if I don’t like Clinton, why do I have a library of Kennedy books in my room?
“As much as you like JFK, that man wasn’t perfect,” he said. “And neither is Clinton.”
I admit I have a weakness for famous writers and had JFK not become president, he might have probably pursued political journalism.
The fact is Kennedy’s stories of adultery, well known in the press at the time but never reported, illnesses, and ties to organized crime did not come out until after he was assassinated. That is the reason why society still holds high regard for JFK as a young, catholic president and family man.
The problem I have is society no longer cares about what a celebrity or politician did in the past. They don’t care about right and wrong. Who cares if Clinton is being sued for sexual harassment by Paula Jones? The public feels what is important is we have a president who has charisma and knows how to sell himself to the public. A president must have a personality.
Along with that I suppose is we are all human and make mistakes. Politicians and celebrities are no worse. They shouldn’t be put on a high pedestal as people who could do no wrong. Doing that will only destroy the high regard believers may have had.
I was surprised to hear of Albert’s arrest earlier this year. Much the same way, I and everyone else was shocked that O.J. Simpson was accused and acquitted in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.
I have no doubt a few years from now, Marv Albert will be back on the air possibly doing sports again or maybe even hosting his own radio show. But that will not erase all the supposed stories of cross dressing and rough sex the public heard about during the short trial. Albert said on “20/20” half the stories reported didn’t happen. The scandal, however, is like a police record. It doesn’t go away and it is permanent.
“I realize there will be skeptics, no matter what I say here or elsewhere,” Albert told Walters in the interview. “I know that this is a stigma that will be out there. I have to be able to deal with that and I am a big boy and I have to deal with it.”
©11/19/97
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