Not so fast, LATimes.com scribe Tom O’Neil …

O’Neil suggests that “The stunt only fuels old fears that (Eminem‘s) a secret homophobe.”

Now, there’s no defending some of Eminem’s lyrics . And, a good part of the humor from last night’s MTV Movie Awards stunt came from bare-butted Bruno plopping down on the prickly Eminem. But to assume that Eminem’s reaction, pre-planned or not, was homophobic, ignores the fact that most people:

… would not want to have Sacha Baron Cohen‘s sweaty, feather-covered body plopped heinie-first on their faces; and

… would not want to have said plop happen in front of a crowd, during an event that is being broadcast to millions of people.

So, not to put too fine a point on it, but … hot lights … crowded building … body swaddled in feathers … it all adds up to hot, sweaty mancakes. Is it really a stretch to assume that, like most people, Eminem wouldn’t welcome Sacha Baron Cohen’s sweaty, feather-covered body plopped heinie-first on their faces in front of a crowd, during an event that is being broadcast to millions of people?

Not to mention, it’s not like Eminem was uncharacteristically crabby in his reaction; remember when he freaked out on Triumph the Insult Comic Dog? That was just some dude with his hand stuck up a puppet getting in his face. It’s not so hard to believe, or understand, why Baron’s bare butt – and some other body parts that were a little too close for comfort, oh by the way – might set him off when they landed In. His. Face.

Bottom (ha!) line: It was a crude, rather dumb, stunt. Funny as hell, and given the media coverage it sparked, also smartly planned (Mark Burnett, and Cohen, you mad geniuses!). But, still gross, and gross by most standards.

So, is Eminem homophobic? Maybe. But not because he didn’t want to go home reeking of Eau de Bruno Butt.

Agree?

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• Filed in Comedy, TV News
• Tags: Bruno, celeb feud, Eminem, Feud, incident, Mark Burnett, MTV, MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen, scandal, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Here’s the official line-up from ABC, followed by the network’s description of its new series:

ABC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009
(All Times ET)

MONDAY
8PM – Dancing With the Stars
10PM – Castle

TUESDAY
8PM – Shark Tank
9PM – Dancing With the Stars results show
10PM – The Forgotten

WEDNESDAY
8PM – Hank
8:30PM – The Middle
9PM – Modern Family
9:30PM – Cougar Town
10PM – Eastwick

THURSDAY
8PM – Flash Forward
9PM – Grey’s Anatomy
10PM – Private Practice

FRIDAY
8PM – Supernanny
9PM – Ugly Betty
10PM – 20/20

SATURDAY
8PM – Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8PM – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9PM – Desperate Housewives
10PM – Brothers & Sisters

…Read more

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• Filed in Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: ABC, Cougar Town, Courteney Cox, Eastwick, Ed O'Neill, Elizabeth Mitchell, Flash Forward, Hank, Happy Town, Jerry Bruckheimer, Julie Bowen, Kelsey Grammer, Mark Burnett, Modern Family, Neil Flynn, New fall schedule, New fall season, Patricia Heaton, Rebecca Romijn, Shark Tank, The Deep End, The Forgotten, The Middle, Upfront, V