“It never got there…but everything else.”
– Charlie Sheen, when answering Bill Maher’s question about his role in gay sex –
“Which were you?”  Charlie clarified – “You mean when you’re changing the
fitted sheet and it says Top or Bottom?”

Violence is never the answer.  And I say that as someone with a big mouth (you’re welcome).  If someone was going to be a target, I’d be at the top of the list.  In 30 years, I’ve pissed off just as many as I’ve titillated.  I own that, and am happy to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – as long as they aren’t real arrows (real slings are fine).  I have taken issue with people and then run into them days later.  But you know what’s never happened?  Nobody’s ever taken a swing at me.  The most violent act was when a gay celebrity couple threw a dinner roll at me.  I mean – carbs!  For the most part, people are civilized.  Could we keep it that way?

Which brings us to Tyler Perry.  I’ve not had any major interaction with him, so there is nothing personal in this story.  We’ve heard it all before.  Mogul meets hot cater waiter.  They exchange digits.  Cater waiter gets cast on the mogul’s show.  Mogul makes a pass.  Waiter declines.  Waiter is killed off the show.  Nothing to see here – move along.  Still, you may ask if I have a problem with any of that?  Not really.  If everyone’s getting what they want, great.  If someone isn’t and they want to end the “association”, that’s also fine with me.  Quid pro quo.

Since we’ve discussed the specifics of this story before, why are we going into it again?  Because said waiter, Derek Dixon, did an interview with ABC News last week.  It doesn’t sound like he’s backing down or even considering a settlement.  He feels that he was sexually harassed on a job and is going forward with his suit.  How do I feel about that?  Again, fine with me.  If a line was crossed and he legally prove that, great.  But is it worth $260 million?  That’s a whole lotta pigs in a blanket.  When asked how he came up with that amount, he said, “Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of the show.  The other part of that is a deterrent for…you know, how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this.”  Thank you, Derek, but you lost me at the word “million”.  I call that a money grab.  You got a job.  You got paid for the job.  You also got some additional “perks”.  You said no, and got fired.  If you want to sue to get what you would have been paid for another couple of seasons, fine.  $260 thousand sounds more reasonable to me.  But millions?  I don’t think so.