"We turned down Tommy Lee"

The University of Nebraska Football was not the only school pitched "Tommy Lee Goes to College." It was just the only school dumb enough to take it on. Here's an email I received from a public relations official at another major state school, this one located in the Southeast:

I just read your column on "Tommy Lee Goes to College." Before the producers of this program approached Nebraska, they pitched it to several other colleges and universities, including my employer ... As soon as I received the pitch for Tommy Lee, I turned it down. This program would do nothing to enhance the academic mission of (our school) and at best, would prove disruptive to students, faculty and staff during the production. It isn't as though (we turn down) all entertainment programming ... (but) "Tommy Lee Goes to College," portrays academia as a side show, with no consideration for the rigor "real" students face to obtain their degrees.

I do not wish to disparage my colleagues at Nebraska ... I simply want to share with you my disbelief that any reputable institution of higher education would have ever given this proposal a second thought.

Comments

[anonymous]

I disagree with this woman. What university WOULDN'T want a 1/2 hour on NBC prime-time every week? I watched the show and thought the school came off fine, whereas Tommy is the one who looks lost and confused. Take a chill pill!

[Chuck]

Sour grapes. This is a publicity bonanza for the Nebraska people. Take a look at the press....there's miles of it.
http://news.google.com/news?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&tab=in&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8985472/

It's difficult to concieve of anything else the University could have done -short of developing a cure for cancer- that could have produced this much media attention in so short a period of time. Smart move by their administration.

[tc]

Good on her! Who needs a pseudo-porn star/untalented rocker/noone cares about him Surreal Life reject defiling the halls of higher education? Thank God some institution had the sense to reject such a craven publicity ploy.