“I never said there was no fire.  It just wasn’t a
raging forest fire.  It was a small kitchen fire that
could have been put out with an extinguisher.” 
– Kevin Spacey responding to Bill Maher’s observation about his multiple
accusers, “Come on, man, there’s too much smoke to be no fire”.

Virtually every week The View makes some sort of news, which is probably why it kicks off its 30^th year on the air in September.  As the ladies prepare to go on summer hiatus, they’re going out with a bang.  This most recent scandal is one that hasn’t gotten much press, but one which I think my readers will particularly find, dare I say, titillating.  The guest was Jennifer Garner, who was promoting The Five-Star Weekend (which looks like fun).  They talked about what her “love language” is (don’t get me started on that).  It was the always-newsworthy Joy Behar who had this confounding question: “You say that food is your love language.  You use it to connect with your three children.  What are their names?  I have to know…I love to know people’s names.”  This is so perplexing on many levels.  First off, I’ve never heard Joy mention being enamored of anyone’s name – including the name of some guests!  Secondly, kids’ names are public knowledge –why the question, unless there’s a point.  And it was obvious there was a point because Garner looked panicked.  That’s when Whoopi jumped in to the rescue with some made-up names (Lasagna, Bobby and something I couldn’t quite make out).  Garner seemed relieved and went on to talk about the kids’ ages and what they are like in generalities.  It all seemed kinda odd.

Even odder is that the entire exchange was crudely cut from the show’s west coast feed and from the version they post online (the original and edited versions can be seen on our website).  Why?  We don’t know for sure, but it is worth noting that the Garner/Affleck middle child was formerly known as Seraphina, came out as transgender, and is now known as Fin.  Perhaps Garner didn’t want to get into this discussion.  But did her people ask that the question be cut, or did “The View” do so preemptively?  Inquiring minds want to know.

But that wasn’t the only View-related headline.  As we all know, Sunny Hostin is a lawyer (like Star Jones before her).  And Sunny has an intriguing new client – her son.  Last month, Gabe Hostin was out jogging near the family’s home in New Rochelle, and inadvertently crossed onto railroad tracks owned by Metro-North.  The cops cited him for trespassing, which led to Mrs. Hostin going to the scene and meeting with the officers.  Despite reports to the contrary, she was calm, cool, collected, and above all, respectful and professional (and appears to be in full hair and makeup).  The cops were likewise chill and simply following protocol.  After the fact, Sunny wrote a letter to the DA asking for the case to be dismissed.  “My client is a 2025 Harvard University graduate with no criminal history or prior contact with the criminal justice system.  He is an avid runner and former Junior Olympian track athlete who was in the area training.  He reasonably believed the area was accessible and had no intention of entering private property unlawfully.  The facts demonstrate that this incident resulted from an honest mistake rather than any criminal intent.  Dismissal would avoid imposing unnecessary consequences on a young man who has demonstrated exceptional character and achievement and who poses no risk to the community.”  His court date is July 31^st.  You can see the police body cam video on BillyMasters.com.