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 …

– The Eminem/Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) brouhaha from the MTV Movie Awards got all the press, but how deliciously campy was it when Kristin Cavallari showed up at Spencer and Heidi‘s wedding wearing the exact same color dress as her old Laguna Beach enemy Lauren Conrad on last night’s ep of The Hills?

– More Hills news: The stars of the show are upset that Paris Hilton called their show fake. Insert your own joke here about the pot calling the kettle fake.

– BTW, the winners at last night’s Andy Samberg-hosted MTV Movie Awards included Heath Ledger for Best Villain and waaaaaay too many popcorn statues for the Twilight cast.

– Wanna guarantee yourself a reality TV deal? Apparently fertility drugs, and a heaping side dish of crazy, are the answer. As creepy as she is, Octomom Nadya Suleman has signed a deal to film a series starring her brood, though no American network has agreed to air it. Yet. Meanwhile, did you know that she actually likes the Octomom nickname, so much so that she’s trying to trademark it?

– Bob Saget‘s Surviving Suburbia couldn’t survive the summer TV line-up. Better Off Ted, meanwhile, will get some summer lovin’ from ABC, as the quirky comedy rejoins the line-up on June 23.

– Susan Boyle losing Britain’s Got Talent … as shocking as Adam Lambert losing American Idol?

– Ray Romano talks about his upcoming dramedy, how he thinks Jay Leno‘s new show will do and about what he watches on TV. Hint: Lots of reality stuff and 24.

– And speaking of 24, Freddie Prinze Jr. as a wannabe Jack Bauer and now Forrest Gump‘s Mykelti Williamson as the new Bill Buchanan on the next season of 24 … it’s almost sounding like a whole new show, isn’t it?

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• Filed in 24, American Idol, Celebreality, Comedy, Drama, Reality, TV News
• Tags: 24, Adam Lambert, American Idol, Andy Samberg, Better Off Ted, Bob Saget, Britain's Got Talent, Bruno, Eminem, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jack Bauer, Jay Leno, Kristin Cavallari, Laguna Beach, Lauren Conrad, MTV, MTV Movie Awards, Mykelti Williamson, Nadya Suleman, Octomom, Paris Hilton, Ray Romano, Sacha Baron Cohen, Spencer and Heidi, Spencer and Heidi wedding, Spencer Pratt, Surviving Suburbia, Susan Boyle, The Hills

… or was he really surprised, and ticked off, when he got butt-faced (and junk-faced?) by Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) at last night’s MTV Movie Awards?

The rapper looked surprised, and angry, and Ryan Seacrest Tweeted last night that he had been told Eminem was definitely not privvy to the bit and immediately hightailed it out of the show with his bodyguards.

But check out the clip of the incident below. Sure, Slim Shady looks ticked off, but his bodyguards didn’t immediately react. Bruno actualy landed, butt-first, in Eminem’s face, but the bodyguards just sat there until Eminem, rather colorfully, requested that he be removed … so either he was in on the joke, or he might need to rethink his security detail and their reaction times.

Either way, funny stuff.

Or did you find the whole bit crude (and, given Eminem’s beef with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, and Howard Stern‘s butt-baring entrance as Fartman at the ’92 VMAs, totally unoriginal)?

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• Filed in Comedy, TV News, Ya Gotta See This!
• Tags: Bruno, butt, butt in face, Celebrity feud, Eminem, Fartman, Feud, Howard Stern, MTV, MTV Movie Awards, Ryan Seacrest, Sacha Baron Cohen, Triumph, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Twitter

Well, the Reno 911! star tells you exactly where he’ll kick you – it’s not a good place – in this clever FunnyorDie.com clip in which he campaigns for you to give him your vote for “Best Kiss” at the MTV Movie Awards. By the way, check out the I Love You, Man buss between he and Paul Rudd and vote for the fellas here.

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• Filed in Comedy, Ya Gotta See This!
• Tags: Best Kiss, FunnyorDie.com, I Love You, I Love YOu Man, kiss, Man, MTV, MTV Movie Awards, Paul Rudd, Reno 911!, Thomas Lennon, Tom Lennon, Vote

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– The Sunday New York Times magazine has a great profile of Conan O’Brien, as he prepares to begin his stint as the new host of The Tonight Show. And yes, he too was surprised that Leno‘s getting that nightly 10PM timeslot.

– The next edition of The Real World, The Real World: Cancun, debuts on MTV on June 24. It’s the show’s 22nd season.

– Even reality TV stars are haggling for more money. The New York Post reports that the Real Housewives of New York City want more than the $50,000 per episode they received for season two (up from $5,000 per ep for season one). Whaddaya think? Are they worth it?

– Wanna keep up with all those celebrities are Tweeting about? E! will begin running a crawl of celebrities’ Twitter postings at the bottom of the screen during its programming.

– Just what every desk needs: a Jeff Probst bobblehead.

– TBS might save My Name Is Earl.

– Chuck creator Josh Schwartz says not to worry about those rumored cast cuts; he thinks we won’t even be able to tell where the budget cuts are being made when we watch the show next season.

– MacGruber, the movie, is an idea whose time should definitely come.

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, Chuck, Comedy, Drama, Late Night, Reality, TV News
• Tags: bobblehead, Cancun, Chuck, Conan O'Brien, E!, Jay Leno, Jeff Probst, Josh Schwartz, MacGruber, MTV, My Name Is Earl, Real Housewives of New York City, Real World, Real World: Cancun, TBS, Tonight Show, Twitter