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

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Did AT&T help Kris Allen win American Idol? Allegedly so.

– Everyone loves a good case of schadenfreude, but it makes you wonder just how insufferable Jon and Kate Gosselin are that no one seems to be coming to their defense these days, don’t it? BTW, nearly 10 million viewers watched the season five premiere of Jon & Kate Plus 8 … again, schadenfreude. I wonder how far that number will drop for next week’s new episode, especially since the premiere made it pretty clear that the Gosselins can barely stand to sit next to each other on a couch.

– As the New York Daily News points out, the Gosselins are hardly the only exploiting their children for reality TV dollars.

– Jessica Simpson just isn’t going to go away, and TV may be helping that.

– Whoa … Is Susan Boyle really a potty mouth?

– If you doubt The Big O’s influence, tune in Thursday night for CNBC’s The Oprah Effect (9PM ET), a special that delves into how just a mention on her show can mean the difference between a business thriving and filing for bankruptcy.

– Hoo-ah! Al Pacino‘s headed to the tube, playing suicide doc Jack Kevorkian in an upcoming HBO movie.

– 24, which begins production on season eight today (yay!), has added another pair of new cast members, including Kissing Jessica Stein star (and girlfriend of Mad Men star Jon Hamm) Jennifer Westfeldt.

– And, there’s plenty of serious TV business to talk about today, but for some comic relief, and just plain old fun summer TV watchin’, you can’t beat tonight’s return of Wipeout (ABC, 8PM ET) and The Big Red Balls.

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• Filed in 24, American Idol, Celebreality, Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: 24, Al Pacino, American Idol, AT&T, big red balls, controversy, Gosselins, HBO, Jack Kevorkian, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jessica Simpson, Jon, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Jon Hamm, Kate, Kris Allen, Mad Men, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, scandal, Summer TV, Susan Boyle, The Oprah Effect, Wipeout