Paula Poundstone Arrested.

June 27, 2001 7:24 PM

Paula Poundstone Arrested. The details are sketchy and the most that's released is there was "lewd" behavior. What's interesting is the backdoor commentary on the whole affair, and I wonder if people immediately think she's a "dyke" child molester simply because she is who she is. Is she? These trolls seem to think so.
posted by tiaka (32 comments total)

Hmm...

People on the left, we hate the people on the right, we are intentionally flying askew so that you can see the coolest shit on the left side.
posted by tiaka at 7:25 PM on June 27, 2001

It took me about 3 full minutes before I realized you were using one of her jokes, and not making some sort of political statement about Right and Left, tiaka.

..No, no! Don't look all at once...
posted by jpoulos at 7:34 PM on June 27, 2001

And they did this shit to Lenny Bruce years ago...
posted by Postroad at 7:38 PM on June 27, 2001

man. yahoo trolls are the BEST!

i don't even have to read beyond the subject line.
posted by jcterminal at 7:52 PM on June 27, 2001

Does anyone know what she's purported to have actually done? "Lewd and lascivious" can cover a lot of ground.

And since when is Paula Poundstone a lesbian?? I saw her New Years show here in like '92, and she was at the bar chatting up the local swains like ten minutes after she walked off the stage...?
posted by UncleFes at 8:41 PM on June 27, 2001

i believe that in some states, paying to attend a Paula Poundstone New Years Show is considered lewd and lascivious behavior.
posted by donkeysuck at 8:55 PM on June 27, 2001

since she was born?
posted by machaus at 8:55 PM on June 27, 2001

jcterminal: you got THAT right.

it looks like a sidebar illustration of "flame wars" for some book on online culture ... er... cyberculture.

as to this actual thread, I hope this is all a misunderstanding of some kind.
posted by artlung at 9:46 PM on June 27, 2001

Oh GOD! This totally sucks! Paula is my absolute favorite comedian ever! I mean, I can deal with the whole "love the artistic ouput, hate the artist" thing, but I would be so sad if PP is guilty of what she's been charged with.

On a side note, there is an argument to be made that artistic types are mentally unstable as a rule, and we shouldn't be surprised when they have horrific flame-outs.

I sincerely hope that is not the case here, since I've loved PP for more than 10 years, ever since I saw her in 88 at Comedy Central in Houston.
posted by acridrabbit at 10:19 PM on June 27, 2001

I don't know her any better than any other image on my TV screen, but something doesn't jibe here.
posted by dong_resin at 11:56 PM on June 27, 2001

Didn't Paula Poundstone adopt a child or two in recent years? I'm wondering if some of the kids involved are her own.
posted by Dreama at 12:39 AM on June 28, 2001

Stories like this are terrible if she is found to be innocent, because you know the story about how she did nothing wrong won't be found on the front page of Yahoo!, or on the New York Times. You'll be digging through Yahoo! News, or on D8 in the paper.

That is if she is found to be innocent.

On a lighter note, her bit about her cat's when she is in the shower is top notch.

Cat (paraphrase): We saw you in there, and water was all over you, and there was nothing we could do!
posted by Mark at 12:43 AM on June 28, 2001

Hey, bad press is better than no press at all.

I'm just waiting for her, Harry Anderson, Harry Blackstone, Mr. Wizard, Chaka Khan, and the guy who played Father Guido Sarducci to hi-jack a plane or rob an armored truck.
posted by ttrendel at 1:56 AM on June 28, 2001

The Yahoo news item bothered me. It had kind of a dirty day time talk show feel about it. They tell us that the arrest was for three counts of lewd acts on a female under the age of 14, and that Paula Poundstone looked haggard and didn't say much. It's probably my imagination, but if you kind of read between the lines it sometimes feels like a lot of news stories are done with that fake Jerry Springer like detachment. People who report these stories are like carnival barkers hinting at what we might see inside the tent. I think we (society at large) are just the rubes paying to look inside the tent.
posted by hwright at 3:40 AM on June 28, 2001

Paula Poundstone is still alive? I figured she'd commit suicide after her career resulted in appearing on that shitty game show remake of To Tell the Truth. She's always been a horrible comic, maybe this bad press will help her like it did Paul Reubens. Wait...he's hosting a game show now. I don't know which is worse. Being a guest "celebrity" on a game show, or hosting one every day. Blech.
posted by Spanktacular at 4:01 AM on June 28, 2001

It was her appearences on obscure, allegedy funny public radio shows that made her do it.

At least you can't say she's fallen so far and is now so obscure she couldn't get arrested.

I've never "got" women comics. I find them all painful. Elaine on Seinfeld was funny, but she was an actor mouthing a writing team's lines (a team mostly composed of men). Come to think of it, most male comics aren't funny either, but that isn't as painful to experience.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:05 AM on June 28, 2001

[jpoulos takes two big side-steps away from PP, before the melee begins]
posted by jpoulos at 5:22 AM on June 28, 2001

yeah, what's gonna happen on "wait, wait, don't tell me" this weekend?
posted by cheesebot at 5:23 AM on June 28, 2001

Paramus is really Jerry Lewis!!!
posted by Mick at 5:44 AM on June 28, 2001

And this is my telethon!
posted by ParisParamus at 5:48 AM on June 28, 2001

jpoulos, did you ask "Mother May I?" before you took those two big side-steps?

I have always found PP (Paula, not ParisParamus!) to be very funny...I've watched her "Cats, Cops, & Stuff" special about, oh, a dozen times so far, and I always wind up laughing, even when I know the punch line is coming. I *hope* the charges are false...but I dunno. My wife has always felt that there is something "odd" about PP, and she is not surprised at all. But, as referenced in first few posts, if she is not guilty, the damage to her career may already be too severe to recover. And the difference between her and PW Herman is that the allegations against her involve other people (kids, no less), while he didn't involve anyone other than his "little friend."

BTW, I saw "You Don't Know Jack" last night and was sorely disappointed...I expected challenging trivia questions, not Regis-style "What color is chocolate ice cream?"-type questions.
posted by davidmsc at 7:21 AM on June 28, 2001

Here's a novel idea, everyone -- let's reserve judgment until the facts are known

I know, I know, seems unreasonable to ask folks here to wait until the fuller picture has been developed....someone's going to find a way to turn this into the Thursday Right vs Left Screamfest, and facts usually get in the way of a good argument.
posted by briank at 7:37 AM on June 28, 2001

I am with Brian. What is she really accused of here? They say absolutely nothing about any alleged acts. It seems to me that the media is just pouncing on the story, splashing it across the front pages and not having any hard info on what really happened. What she is accused of and the fact that it involves children really needs to be handled a bit better than the way they are doing it, if they are wrong it is their asses. If she is guilty, then it is her ass.
posted by a3matrix at 8:40 AM on June 28, 2001

>Hey, bad press is better than no press at all.<

not true. I read a few years ago that it was widely known and accepted that those child molestation charges against michael jackson *were* an extortion attempt - that he is innocent. but you never hear that. once a scandal of this type is attached to your name, people associate you with the charges, and never even register the innocent verdict.... - rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 9:10 AM on June 28, 2001

To answer my own question, left hanging out there, Poundstone hasn't adopted but is a foster parent. There is no word on whether she was guardian to any of the kids in question. Even if this isn't true (which I hope to G-d it isn't for everyone's sake) I have a feeling that she won't be a foster parent for too much longer.
posted by Dreama at 9:13 AM on June 28, 2001

Wait, Wait is actually supposed to be taping Saturday's show tonight live on stage in Chicago. I have no doubt they can scare up a replacement in time, with so many past guests to draw on, but it's going to led a somber tone to the evening. I would have bought tickets if I had a job.

I can't be any more specific for obvious reasons, but some people I'm close to had to endure an investigation of unsubstantiated molestation charges. It's a nightmare, and some people never quite believe in your innocence. Even if this comes up squat on the criminal charges -- say, they were all fabricated -- her career is pretty much over.
posted by dhartung at 11:07 AM on June 28, 2001

via RobotWisdom, a recent interview with PaulaP.
posted by Ned at 11:10 AM on June 28, 2001

Since I live in LA I got to see her talk to reporters when she "appeared haggard and said little." She looked and sounded as if she had been crying for a VERY long time, and was visibly shaken by the allegations.

As for her comedy, I think she is one of the funnoiest female comics I've ever watched. She doesn't do routines like most comics; she'll start with a few pre-fab jokes then move into a dialogue with the audience, where she plays off whatever they say with skill and true mirth.

Last night's news reported that when she returned to her home (she has quite a few adopted children, and no this act did not involve any of them) she was greeted by a banner that read "We love you Mom." I hope the allegations are false, but regardless her career is mortally wounded. And to all that say she has no career to speak of: she's a constant panelist on a nationally syndicated daily game show, plus she works stand-up frequently, and appears on radio. Just because a performer isn't Russell Crowe or Tom Hanks doesn't mean they don't work everyday doing something they love.

I think the whole fiasco sucks and smells of questionable intent.
posted by Awol at 10:20 PM on June 28, 2001

I've already heard the first crappy joke about the situation, from a taste-impaired colleague of mine:

What did Michael Jackson say to Paula Poundstone?
"Got two fives for a ten?"

Sigh...
posted by darukaru at 11:19 PM on June 28, 2001

I have no opinion on Paula Poundstone's guilt or lack of (too early).

But I am shocked that 4 or 5 people in this thread alone find her funny. I would have thought the number closer to 1, or maybe even 0...
posted by justgary at 12:12 AM on June 29, 2001

davidmsc, her "oddity" is what makes her so funny. I think it's a long jump from finding her odd to abuse of children. I'm with brian, I will reserve judgement.

I saw her post-arrest video outside the police station I believe and she looked haggard and very stressed. If she is guilty, this is pretty bad. But if she's not guilty it's also pretty bad.

There have been numerous recent cases in the DC area where school-aged children have *falsely* accused teachers of molestation. I think, for everyone's sake, it's important not to jump to conclusions.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:51 AM on June 29, 2001

Rather than be accused of double-posting by putting this on the front page, I thought maybe people who were still interested in this story might be interested in this LA Times article that goes into a little more depth about PP. Doesn't offer much more info about the specifics of her case other than to mention that she is now in rehab for a drinking problem, but does offer some insight into her as a celebrity and comedian.
posted by briank at 9:36 AM on July 10, 2001