People in the News for July 25, 1997

Friday, July 25, 1997 | 9:14 a.m.

Perhaps he's lost a little something off his screwball. For some reason, anyway, the once-funny Steve Allen has apparently given up trying to make us laugh and would rather poke his finger in our chests and harrumph about the woeful state of American entertainment. The last time he appeared in People in the News, he was crabbing about potty-mouthed comedians. Today it's the electronic media, which -- and this will come as a shock to anyone who hasn't, say, actually turned on a TV set in years -- is aiding society's "slide down a moral sewer." He says that as if it's a bad thing! "The love of ratings is the root of a lot of evil," he pronounced. Hmm, but if ratings are high, then many people must want to slide down the moral sewer ... Hey, don't try that fancy-schmantzy logic on Steve Allen! A majority of Americans are disgusted by their media diet, he insists, singling out "Married ... With Children" and Madonna. His suggestion: Television writers and producers should appeal to networks to clean themselves up! But don't let this tirade give you the impression that Steve's a prude. "I'm not putting down sex," he said in what can only be called a quip. "I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of it."

Briefly

In the cards

Forget "Married ... With Children"; this, people, is the splash of America landing in the moral sewer: Each copy of John Tesh's latest CD, "Victory: The Sports Collection," comes with two Tesh sports cards and a catalog for Tesh merchandise. The cards depict the Yanni wannabe in a variety of sporty activities somehow linked to his music. The diving card, for instance, refers to his composition "Barcelona." The front shows Tesh as a diver -- please, please, please tell us he's not wearing a tiny Speedo -- while the back breathlessly informs you, "Diving ... produces great images and motions from which John draws musical inspiration." We appeal to you to choke and strangle this proposal.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets