I tried really hard to ignore this story - I really did - but the siren song of an Erin Andrews story is impossible to resist. Also, I was attempting to uphold With Leather’s philosophy not to make light of other people’s problems, but here we are - as hard as we try, it is too difficult to overlook what occurred this weekend.
The sick, twisted prick that recorded Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room has been brought to justice. Michael David Barrett joins other nefarious individuals that the media insists on referring to with their full name (think Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wayne Gacy, Malcolm Jamal Warner) after getting arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
Michael David Barrett faces federal charges of interstate stalking for taking the videos, posting the videos online and trying to sell them to celebrity Web site TMZ, the FBI said in a statement. He’s scheduled to make an initial court appearance Saturday morning in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The charges were filed in Los Angeles, where TMZ is based. Andrews is identified in the federal complaint as E.A.
Barrett, 48, was arrested after returning from a trip to Buffalo, N.Y., authorities said.
Seven of the eight videos posted online were taken through a modified door peephole while the 31-year-old Andrews was alone and undressed in hotel rooms in Nashville, Tenn., in September 2008. Investigators believe the eighth video was taken in a hotel in Milwaukee in July 2008. via.
Our friends at Deadspin have a copy of the full criminal complaint against Barrett, and as Tommy Craggs puts it, “It’s like a masturbator’s remake of The Conversation.” Heh.
Where do we go from here? Obviously, it is a great relief that a person has been arrested and, if the charges are legitimate and Barrett is found guilty, he will be forced to face whatever justice the courts decide to mete out, but are we as so-called internet troglodytes supposed to go back to how things were before the video surfaced? Or should we have learned our lesson and give Erin Andrews the respect and privacy she - and everyone else, for that matter - rightfully deserves?
Either way, I guess no matter how things turn out for Barrett, there will always be a contingent of mouth-breathers lurking in the commenting sections of blogs and on message boards demonstrating their wit by regaling us with statements like “I’ll give her a microphone to speak into! LOL!”
Of course, I’m not talking about the wonderful and sophisticated commenters here on With Leather. I expect far cruder, more tasteless, and better constructed proclamations out of you guys.
Why worry about going through the trouble of rehabilitating Erin Andrews when you can just rebuild her? Not rebuild necessarily, but you know, find another 20-something woman from the University of Florida with sandy blonde hair and a kickin’ bod and a generous helping of forehead and bam!
Jenn Brown was just hired by ESPN to work for their ESPNU channel. She’ll be traveling to American colleges week after week and inspiring young men to want to have sex with her. Something tells me she has some experience with that. via, via. Thanks to Joe for the heads-up.
Power Rankings are a waste of everyone’s time, especially on a Friday afternoon. Except when we do them. Then, they kick ass.
1. Erin Andrews. Her interview with Oprah aired earlier today to talk about the peephole video. So I guess after that and the GQ spread, we have the green light to start objectifying her again.
2. Joanna Krupa. Joanna knows that topless women photographed with consent will always find a soft spot in our hearts and a firm spot in our pants.
3. LaGarrette Blount’s right hand. If only he could have rushed during the game the way he threw down after the game. The more I think about it, the less I like qualifying this as a “sucker punch.” If some guy walked up to you, running his mouth and all, and then happened to be looking at a butterfly or something as you fed him a knuckle sandwich, is that really your fault?
4. A new golf blog? Guys, are we sure that’s Michelle Wie in the leopard print skirt?
5. The Ben Roethlisberger Hype Machine. Ben’s one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. But is he one of the league’s best? Not according to this guy.
6. 1980s Cris Collinsworth as Wooderson. He likes girls that aren’t all that bright.
7. David Wright’s batting helmet. Short and curvy, but way too loose for a big leaguer’s taste. And oh by the way…he switched back!
8. Alona Bondarenko. I think I just double-faulted in my pants.
9. Getting stuck with the check. A $14,000 dinner check? That’s the life of a rookie, I guess.
10. Bacon. I missed International Bacon Day last Saturday. It’s alright. I’m a Reds fan. I’m used to waiting until next year. Even if it is for bacon-flavored ice cream. Thanks, Gimp, for that link.
Everyone’s favorite sideline reporter Erin Pageviews is in the new issue of GQ, and ta-da! There are pictures. And some words. But mostly pictures. Which is kind of disappointing. I mean, I think we’ve all seen everything Erin has to offer — wink wink, nudge nudge, curl ya hair in the nude much? — so I would have liked a little more than the paltry quarter-page she got. Something in the neighborhood of 5000 words. That included her home address and phone number.
But I digress. Below are some pretty pictures of Miss Andrews, and I don’t wanna brag but one of these is EXCLUSIVE!!! to With Leather. That’s how important this blog is. You can see a slideshow and video from the shoot over at GQ.com. I’ve heard it’s tasteful and non-nude, and that Erin even knew she was on camera. Hence the clothes.
Photos: Martin Schoeller/GQ
The attorney for noted ESPN sideline personality Erin Andrews has issued a press release regarding a lot of video images featuring a tall, naked blonde through a peephole in a hotel room. Those videos were the subject of an internet post that speculated whether or not the woman was in fact Erin Andrews. Now, one could presume that the speculation is over:
“While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin’s privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities.” [link]
We’ve long respected Andrews’ ability to take what seems like a throwaway job on many broadcast teams and use it to enhance our enjoyment and understanding of the contest at hand. She was only recently beginning to enjoy some of the ancillary perks of her job, recently lending her voice to Electronic Arts’ video game, “NCAA Football 10,” and, according to a source, posing for the August issue of GQ. It seemed she had finally realized that she was this generation’s Dick Vitale, and was finally okay with it, ready to take the Erin Andrews persona out for a spin. And then this.
The reactions around Blogfrica have been relatively muted. The source of the videos has not been identified, though there’s been some solid guesswork as to where that person might be. As for us, we’re just sad. Sad that someone so well thought of could have been targeted like this. Erin was, and still is, Our Girl. And whoever was responsible for this had better hope that the authorities find out who this guy is before we do.
But let’s end this on a brighter note. Let’s celebrate Erin the way we’ve always loved her: with her clothes on. And not pressing charges.
Saint Andrew’s Net is With Leather’s daily link dump. We spend a lot of time trying to find good links that will interest you, but you only care about the pictures of girls. You’re so insensitive.
By now you’ve seen the picture of Marisa Miller topless in the bathtub, but you should know that GQ also got Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Stam all sexy for that photo shoot, as well. |on 205th|
