Poor Pitiful Jon

This is one of those little things I knew about from the beginning but didn't bother to write because it's just more minutae, but since a few people have asked here it is. It provides a good example of Jon intentionally manipulating the media.

There was lots of speculation about whether Jon would be able to see the six on their birthday. He even was videotaped sounding speculative in the Wyomissing Toys 'R' Us parking lot exclaiming "I want to see them on their birthday, but I don't know. I'm hoping that Kate lets me see them on their birthday."

Jon, get real. You knew you were going to see the kids on their sixth birthday because you and Kate agreed beforehand that you would see them. I heard about the ridiculous video when it came out and then later Kate's team made it public to counteract your moping. So why are you acting all sad and forlorn, as though the poor little kiddies might never get to see the loving gifts you bought them? Is making your relationship with Kate sound worse than it currently really is, or making it sound like mean old Kate might not let you see your sextuplets on their six birthday, really going to help anyone, especially the children? And now it's online, for them to see forever.

Good News For The Gosselin Kids, We Hope

Jon is moving into a large apartment in Reading, the hub of Berks County in which Wernersville is located, according to this report. Now let's hope he can get that original custody agreement revised. Since Kate now owns the home and has primary custody, what's to keep her from moving the kids out of the home they love and into a whole new state and lifestyle, not to mention more cameras and media attention?

Oh, That Obnoxious Papparazi!

On DWTS tonight Kate said the Lady Gaga song Papparazi speaks to her because there are papparazi waiting for her outside her door every day. I don't know what door she's talking about but I live in Wernersville and hoards of papparazi outside her door hasn't been the case for some time. And what little paps do show up from time to time would go away if she would stop going on TV and talking about how awful it is to be in the press all the time. It's been said before and no doubt will be again: Stop feeding the sharks and they'll stop circling.

I also love how she talked about having to wear a happy mask because of the events of the past year. Obviously the past year has been hard on everyone in the family, but get a clue! The events of the past year were not the problem, they were the symptom. A family that pretends to be happy so the show can go on in order to make more money, while the parents have not actually been in a relationship for some time, has to be psychological hell on not only the adults but the kids. The healthiest thing that happened to this family in the past year was Jon coming out about the marriage and show being a sham and him pulling the kids out of the big phony mess. He had the kahoonies to tell the truth no matter how unpopular it made him.

One last note about Kate's hair and makeup on tonight's DWTS. Remember that old movie Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Well, tonight we found our answer. . .

What It Takes To Be Famous Today

According to this article, Jon is no longer with his Utah girlfriend Morgan Christie. She's complained that he's a lazy bum and used her for friends instead of making his own (although that's kind of what happens when someone moves into a friend's home a thousand miles away, right?)

Hopefully she will quickly fade into oblivion and not try to hang onto her fifteen minutes the way Hailey seems determined to. According to Radar Online Hailey's planning to move to L.A. and has ambitions of legalizing marijuana. That fits perfectly since her Twitter page background shows a head shop with all sorts of drug paraphernalia. She's also reportedly been signed to her own reality show. Based on what? Having dated someone semi-famous for a few months, then complaining on Twitter about his deficits including how small his penis is?

Remember the good old days before reality TV when people had to actually do something admirable to be famous? Like stop a crime, create great works of art or walk on the moon? Remember when people did good things because it felt good to do them, not just to become famous? It seems like nowadays fame is confused with infamy, and it's the goal no matter what you have to do to get there.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

He makes the real Jon Gosselin look like Cary Grant (okay, so I'm dating myself.)

You'd have to be really drunk to think he's really Jon.

You'd have to be even more drunk to actually sit next to this smarm and have your picture taken with his arm around you.

He pesters women and has been pursuing one woman in particular relentlessly for a few months now. What a jerk. Hopefully he'll step over the line and be arrested real soon.

Too Much Information

No news lately. The locals don't seem to talk about J&K much anymore. Most folks seem to be glad the press has dried up. The less we hear, the more the townsfolk of Wernersville seem to like it. Jon has always been pleasant and gracious when approached but Kate has not ingratiated herself with the locals, and neither of them has really been active in the neighborhood. If they hung around The Cone or The Trolley Stop and people got to know them as familiar faces that would be great, but everyone's had it with the papparazzi.

The witty Al Walentis had this entry about Jon's ex Hailey the other day. I've never understood people who share intimate information about former lovers, but in this case I think Hailey Glassman is really discrediting herself. At one point she was suspected in the case of Jon's NYC apartment burglary, and then Jon himself was suspected of having staged the whole thing for more publicity. While observing the chronological tabloid reports about their affair it seemed to me that Hailey was becoming another one of those people that begins to believe their own press. As our tabloid culture has grown over the past twenty years, and especially in the past ten, people, especially young people, seem to not understand the differences between notoriety, infamy, and fame. They seem to think if you're in the press, you're famous, and that's always a good thing. Then, when they start to fade out of the public eye, they start to feel like failures, not realizing that all the press they were a part of never meant they were successful in the first place.

Did you ever hear the expression, "all press is good press"? Well, guess what? That's just wrong. Helping a kitten down from a tree or returning someone's money-filled wallet = good press. Telling the world you think your former sweetie's penis was inadequate while posing like a desparate porn star when your fifteen minutes were clearly up some time ago = bad press. All I can say about the whole Jon/Hailey sordid affair is "tacky, tacky, tacky" and so is continuing it by Hailey's airing her opinion about Jon's wingwang. This is the kind of crap the Wernersvillagers are so very sick of.

Jon Gosselin Spotting

Reading area opthalmologist Adam Altman sent me this picture tonight. It was taken earlier this evening when he ran into Jon Gosselin at Third & Spruce Cafe' in West Reading. Adam said Jon was sincere, gracious and friendly when asked to take the picture.

Adam is married to my friend Robin, who writes a hilarious blog. Read back through some of her entries and you are sure to at least giggle, if not fall on the floor painfully clutching your ribs. And if you like her humor be sure to buy her book, Shrink Rap: An Irreverent Take on Child Psychiatry. Robin is a child shrink, parent and standup comic, all of which qualify her to write a very funny (and really quite helpful) book on parenting.

Hmm...book on parenting. Wonder if a certain neighbor who lives on the other side of Penn Avenue, and who will be hitting the road with her very own talk show which will require her to spend lots of time away from her children in the spring, and to whom parenting comes first, foremost, and always, might like a copy?

Happy Holidays to Eight

According to online news this morning, Jon and Kate will both be spending Christmas day with their little ones. Good job, both of you, for doing this for the kids. May you have a sweet-memory filled, acrimonious-free day.

And good for you, Jon, for coming out of the showbix fog you seem to have gotten lost in during the earlier part of this year. You are not only being a better father because of it, you're being a better person too.

Read the interview here.

Another Letter To Jon Gosselin From A Neighbor

Dear Jon,

Great quote from you to E.T. online news on the Internet today:

"What she does on TV, that's her career. I'm happy for her career," the father of eight told "ET." "I hope she can be happy for my career [and] we can have a career on TV, kind of together, but our kids will come off."

C'mon Jon, make it true!

Hugs,
Your neighbor,
Polly

Faster Than a Speeding Kate Gosselin

The story I heard was last Thursday night Jon was "flirting it up" with a server at Wyomissing's Viva, and then after the bar closed he took two (implied hot) girls out to breakfast at 2:30 AM. The following morning he was in Phila at 9 AM for a walk on autism. Then that afternoon he was back in the Reading area, where he "eyed up" the waitresses while having lunch at Hooters.

Here's what bothers me about these reports. What is "flirting it up?" What is "eyeing up?" What's wrong with meeting new people and going out to eat with them after the bars close? And although I am certainly far from a fan of Hooters, let's face it, it ain't about owls.

At this point I really question if Jon can go anywhere without people looking to see if he's trying to stick Mr. Happy somewhere it shouldn't be.

Here's what really offends me: Kate's driver going over 100 MPH to lose photogs the other day, with Kate and the kids in the vehicle. Guess what, Kate? You can't promote yourself all over America and then come home - even to little Wernersville PA - and expect to be invisible. What do you want? Do you want to be a brand, with the photographers and lack of privacy that lifestyle entails? Or do you want to be a regular citizen who can go places without being followed? By now you surely know you can't have it both ways. But whichever way you want it, don't endanger your kids' lives and the life of their mother by playing stupid games with your children inside four tons of steel hurtling at 105 miles per hour.

Free The Gosselin Eight!

Jon's on Larry King Live right now and he's saying all the right things...the kids and family are a priority, his values got off track, etc. Yippee, Jon! Keep up the great work! If you stick to this, in twenty years you are going to be so glad you did, not only for your own sake, but more importantly, for the sake of your children.

A Note To Jon Gosselin

Dear Jon,

I hope this isn't about you being squeezed out of J&K+8, having your income threatened, possibly losing the opportunity to do "fun" things like utilizing hookers in Vegas, or trying to finally show Kate once and for all who really wears the pants.

I hope this is about the welfare of your children.

I hope this is about you valuing the mental health of your children over money.

I hope this is about you wanting to get rid of the cameras and get back to human values that are most important...having fun together, quiet play time, sharing feelings, appreciation of nature, developing family traditions, being goofy just for the fun of it, role-modeling parents who may no longer be in love or even be married but who still treat each other with dignity and respect anyway, appreciating what you have instead of always having to have the best of every high end rich label thing, giving to others who are less fortunate than you, helping your children develop good human values, and settling in to enjoy the wonderful life this small community has to offer you, to name a few...all with no cameras.

I hope.

Sincerely,
Your Wernersville Neighbor