We all applauded last year when a bad movie, “The Punisher,” was filmed here. The city could not have been more accommodating, and it was worth it. The production crew liked what they saw; it meant a seven-figure economic impact; and Tampa looked pretty good.
More recently Tampa put out another red carpet – literally this time – for the star of “Citizen Verdict,” which made its local premier at Tampa Theater. The movie is billed as a reality TV show parody – if that’s even possible – and prominently features Jerry Springer, the king of cultural bile. “Citizen Verdict” was made here in the Bay Area.
A comic book movie with over-the-top violence and pyrotechnics is bad enough — unless you’re a teen-aged male. But, hey, it was John Travolta and Thomas Jane.
But rolling out the red carpet for Springer, who embodies everything we ought to hate about trashy, exploitative media that panders to the lowest common denominator? Why not a strip of linoleum – or at least red shag — if he had to be in our midst?