If you're wondering "Why on earth is she going on The Today Show, out of the blue, with apparently no show business to promote, to announce this?" you're not alone, but it turns out Meredith was drawn out of her private life by tabloids who threatened to reveal her "secret," and decided to own the story herself. After three failed marriages, she realized seven years ago that she was a lesbian; she told her kids and friends, and was living openly with her partner, Nancy, without feeling any need to announce it publicly until the tabloid situation arose. So basically, it's really no big deal. But Meredith did say that she hopes that people who remember her from her Family Ties days (aww!) will think of her when issues of gay rights and social equality come up, and have a more open mind. In a week full of scandals and famewhores, Meredith's lack of sensationalism and matter-of-factness is refreshing. Below is the segment in its entirety (don't miss the weird part where Matt asks her if she had a "B-movie moment" in which she ran to the mirror screaming "I'm gay! I'm gay").

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The day Hoda (Peabody Award winner, Edward R. Murrow Award winner) just walks right off the set.

Earlier: Hoda Kotb Is Going To Snap
Karrine "Superhead" Steffans To Hoda Kotb: "No Man Is Gonna Want You"
Hoda Kotb Is Down Like That

In this Today show segment, you'll see that she teaches ballet, tap jazz, hip-hop, etc — to students between 2 and 12. She's awesome. Clip above.

Related: Amiya's Mobile Dance Academy [Official Site]

I hate writing about idiotic non-issues that are taking up valuable news time. Seriously?

Let's look at the facts:

• The first lady was on vacation
• hiking the Grand Canyon
• in 106 degree heat
• coming back to 95 degree DC swap heat
• and stepping off a plane

But, no - apparently, this is a major issue.

So now I'm writing open letters.

Dear Huffington Post:

I hope you meant this as a joke.





Don't encourage this.

-Latoya

Dear Today Show:

Five minutes? Really? And you found two people willing to wake up and go on your show to talk about Michelle's shorts? At least your host expressed a "WTF?" on the air.

-Latoya

Dear Robin Givhan:

Yes, press photos are important. But no one ever made as big of a deal of Dubya bending over all the time while clearing brush. A candid is a candid, let's move on. It's not like she showed up in shorts to a state dinner.

-Latoya

Dear Americans who actually voted in these polls/tuned into specifically watch shorts commentary:

You better not be the same mofos forwarding around emails about Muslim invasions forcing everyone to cover up and wear burkinis. Check yourself: You are asking if it is appropriate for a woman to wear shorts. She's a grown ass woman! She covered her arms, what more do you want? I am sick of this madness. Don't let me see you in the street, because I'm smacking people on principle.

-Latoya

Dear Universe,

For the fuck of shit.

-Latoya

Dear Jesus,

Why are you punishing me? I want to concentrate on Sin Nombre, border crossing, if we're thinking about health care reform the wrong way, manga fashion, and vegan soul cooking. Why is this a news item? I know you're shrugging at me, but still - can you please put this on the official record? I tried, Jesus, I tried to talk about interesting things but I was smited by the news industrial complex and their insatiable need to scrutinize every part of Michelle Obama until she snaps and ends up on Lifetime.

-Latoya

Michelle Obama's Shorts: Does The First Lady Have The Right To Bare Legs? (PHOTOS, POLL) [Huffington Post]
First Lady's Fashions Pushing the Envelope? [Today Show/MSNBC]

Perhaps it's because no one has argued the case against the talk show host - and his writers - in a way that truly resonates with me. Or maybe it's simply because I really like Dave and really dislike Governor Palin; proving, sadly, that my East Coast, liberal prejudices are hard to shake, even in the face of misogynist, questionable verbal assaults against women. Perhaps it's because the protestations of Governor Palin herself seem more a way of scoring political points and press attention than sincere repudiations of misogyny in the media or eruptions of her protective, inner "Mama Grizzly Bear". (I couldn't put my finger on why I wasn't more viscerally offended on behalf of Palin's daughter - Willow or Bristol - but a commenter on the blog Reclusive Leftist summed it up nicely: "What's really annoying about the last two videos is that he's just using Palin's daughter as a prop to make jokes about notable MEN (Spitzer and A-Rod). The effects are that she ends up being portrayed as a prostitute or a rape victim, but those effects are secondary to the punchlines about the men in the jokes." At first glance, this seems to absolve Letterman and his band of merry, mostly male, comedy writers of some responsibility: The jokes were about widely-mocked men! But of course, this also means the Palin daughter(s) become pawns, faceless, nameless vehicles with which to score comedic points. Yes, not cool.)

Speaking of jokes: I suspect my tepid defense of Palin and her brood it has a lot to do with the difference between "comedy" and, well, rhetoric. David Letterman, however unfunny or inappropriate, was making jokes when he went after Palin and her daughter(s) earlier this week. With assertions that cracks like his directly contribute to assaults on young women and an epidemic of low self-esteem, however, Palin, whose relentless verbal assaults and insinuations during the presidential campaign are hard for me to forgive or forget, bypassed reasoned disagreement and went straight into rhetoric-land. Take her appearance this morning on Today (clip above). Host Matt Lauer questioned the Governor on the Letterman flap, pressing her on some of her more provocative statements about situation, asking, "Are you suggesting that David Letterman can't be trusted around a 14 year old girl?" Her response: "Take it how you want to take it." Later, she sarcastically made mention of "the candidate who must be obeyed," i.e. Barack Obama.

There was more where that came from. Last night on Sean Hannity's Fox News hate fest, conservative columnist S.E. Cupp placed the blame for Letterman's remarks squarely on Obama.

"This is the enduring legacy of the Obama campaign. I'm not saying this to be inflammatory, I blame Barack Obama because he allowed his surrogates in the media and Hollywood and everyone else on the left to do this dirty talking for him," she said, adding, "I want Barack Obama or Michelle Obama to come up and say, this kind of rhetoric will not be tolerated."

Leaving Ms. Cupp's strange definition of "rhetoric" aside, it seems to me that coming to a passionate, spirited, coherent defense of a United States Governor and one or more of her daughters regarding a late night comedy show bit is well below President Obama's pay grade at the moment. Sadly, considering my obviously muddled feelings on the subject, it's also below my current cognitive, critical abilities...or sympathies.

Conservative Columnist Blames Obama For Letterman's Palin Joke [HuffPo]
David Letterman, The Voice Of Dude Nation [Reclusive Leftist]
Palin Forces America To Become Aware of Her Once Again [NY Mag]
Did Letterman Get A Free Pass? [Salon]
Palin, Letterman, Still At Odds Over Comedian's Joke [AP]

In the first photo, a woman who appears to be Prejean wears pink panties and looks over her shoulder while holding her breasts. Pop Crunch reports that Alicia Jacobs, a Miss USA pageant judge who criticized Prejean's views on gay marriage after the pageant, has seen all six photos and says the others are more revealing. She thinks the photos may have been taken after Prejean's breast augmentation, which the Miss California USA organization paid for.

Prejean, 21, originally said the photos were taken of her when she was 17 (which would make them child pornography) according to the clip from The Today Show below:

In a statement released this morning, Prejean didn't emphasize that she was a minor when the pictures were taken, but said, according to E!:

I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive.

The text posted along with the photo on TheDirty.com does describe Prejean as a "self-proclaimed bible thumper," and concludes:

So much for being a good role model for the state of California Carrie. Looks like your Dirty photo shoot makes you a sinner too.

Though the site makes jokes about Prejean's religion, it seems the intent was to attack the hypocrisy of her presenting herself as the poster girl for squeaky-clean traditional values, rather than mocking her belief in God. If Prejean were any other Christian Miss USA runner up, it's unlikely the photos would have generated much national interest or focused as much on her religion. But, if photos of another state pageant winner came to light, that woman's most likely response would be to apologize and relinquish her crown in disgrace. Though Prejean's attempt to frame herself as the victim of religious persecution is somewhat ridiculous, the pictures were obviously released to discredit Prejean by revealing that she's an ignorant slut because she's posed for a half-dozen semi-nude photos! (Uh, like many young women her age?)

Prejean has already proven through her words that she's a poor spokeswoman for the anti-gay marriage movement. Posing for vaguely racy photos doesn't mean Prejean couldn't have an intelligent or articulate point about gay marriage, but not knowing much of anything about the policies she's advocating does. Christian conservative groups like the National Organization for Marriage have already shown they are willing to tolerate her ignorance on the issues, but it remains to be seen whether they will accept a spokeswoman who doesn't fit their view of how a "moral" woman should behave.

Exclusive: Miss California Carrie Prejean Exposed [TheDirty.com]
Miss California Nude Picture - Carrie Prejean Naked Photo Scandal [PopCrunch]
Miss California Denounces Racy Photo Leak [E!]

Earlier: Who Needs A Scholarship When You Can Get Sponsored Breasts?
Miss California Opens Mouth, Exhales Inanity
Celebrity Missives About Miss California Make Us Wish For World Peace

Earlier: It's Official: The Today Show Is Making Me Crazy

In the clip at left, psychologist Judith Sills explains that while once the term "lady" had a "prissy, withheld, repressed" connotation, "today's lady" should strive to be "confident, strong, but soft around the edges." A survey found that 89% of women would like to be described as "confident" and "gutsy" but don't particularly care to be called a "lady," but, according to some dude from Esquire all it takes for us to make the jump to "lady" is class. So you can be an assertive, confident woman, just remember your manners, make sure you always look cute, and bat your eye lashes while you're at it.