This propensity of TMZ's to report breathlessly on completely irrelevant and lame stuff - are they joking with this shit? Like the other night when they threw up a "Breaking News" graphic for the story about Britney Spears having a toothache. I swear to you, there was a comedian who used to do a bit about MTV News, where he would made some joke about them reporting that Madonna had a headache. That seemed outlandish at the time. But TMZ has managed to make that absurdity real. That's when you know things are sliding downhill - when the satirists can't keep up with the real thing.
Now, TMZ has surpassed itself. This afternoon they reported on a bomb-threat being phoned in to the E! Channel, and the staff being evacuated. Okay, fine - that's newsworthy. Any terrorist threat is, bogus or not. Whether it's a legitimate story is not what's at issue - it's the way their cretinous writers handled it. Here's that bit of world-class reporting in its entirety:
TMZ has learned that just moments ago, "E! News" host Giuliana DePandi and a slew of other E! Entertainment Television employees were evacuated from their Los Angeles office building after a "bomb threat" was phoned into security.
Sources tell TMZ that two threatening phone calls were made from two different overseas locations.
We're told that Ryan Seacrest was not in the building at the time of the evacuation. Police sources tell TMZ that a security guard on scene reported the threats, and LAPD is currently at the location.
The EMI-Capitol Music Company and the G4 Network are also occupants of the building. The structure was used as the D&D Ad Agency in "Melrose Place."
A source tells us that occupants of the building are being told that they will be kept out for at least an hour.
UPDATE: We're told that people are finally being let back inside the building.
All right Crabbie, you may be saying. What exactly is your beef with that story? I'll tell you my beef. The third line. "We're told that Ryan Seacrest was not in the building at the time of the evacuation." This piece of information the TMZ people thought to especially emphasize. Employees of E! have been threatened by a possible mad-bomber, but oh my God, thankfully Ryan Seacrest wasn't in the building. Cause that's the real concern here. Who cares if they blow up a whole fricking building, as long as Ryan Seacrest is okay? And these assholes expect me to take them seriously as reporters? What a farce.
TMZ - you should be ashamed of yourselves. But I know you're not.
(source)
