Reading is Fundamental

Posted by bsriter in Porn Feed

Unless you happen to be a former porn star

Reading has become a lost art. With the television, You Tube, and smart phones that are smarter than you, people just do not feel the need to pick up a book anymore. This is especially true for the younger folk. Harry Potter helped a little, but why read Harry Potter when you can buy the Box Set on Blu-Ray and passively take in the story with awesome CGI action? Unless we instill the love of reading in the publiconce again, our children are destined to become brainwashed vegetables incapable of deciphering documents that do not have LOL, LMFAO or U contained them.

Sasha Grey, former porn star now more known for her appearance in HBO’s “Entourage” series is aware of the dangers of illiteracy and has chosen to do something about it. Last November, in an effort to encourage kids to do more reading, Ms. Grey made an appearance at Emerson Elementary School in Compton CA as a guest reader. Honestly, if I was a kid at that school and I had some hot actress come in and read to me, I would definitely be thinking about picking up a book.

While the school touted Sasha as a verifiable mainstream actress with roles in actual Hollywood productions, a lot of parents and people with nothing better to do pitched a bitch fit. They were verklempt that the school and the National Education Association’s “Read Across America” program would dare allow a former porn actress get so literally close to the children. The NEA, which is a teacher’s union, declared that they and their program had nothing to do with Sasha’s appearance and that they would never allow a hot young former porn star into a classroom for the sole purpose of enticing children to read.

It was not as if she came into the classroom wearing a g-string and pasties, started reading “Letters to Penthouse” to the kids and then passed out condoms afterwards. Looking at the TMZ video, she looks like any other pretty young actress dressed in a nice button down shirt reading a regular children’s book (with lots of pictures) to a group of kids. However, being a former porn star (one that just quit the biz last April) and an uber famous one at that, does have its downside on this side of the mainstream, especially if you want to get involved with any programs that concerns kids. While the kids could probably give two shits about her past, there is still enough uptight puritanical juice in this country to have something like this cause a stir with a certain segment of the population. We would rather have our kids be illiterate than be exposed by six degrees of separation to such smut.

Butting In

While some might consider this whole mess to be a way to keep Sasha’s name in the headlines as she looks for more mainstream projects to not be naked in, I think that Ms. Grey was truly trying to encourage our nation’s children to read more (as well as to prove that former porn stars are capable of reading too). However, as they say, the path to Hollywood Hell is paved with good intentions and this is why this story is once again coming back up to bite Sasha on her pretty little rear. After the whole debacle, a new studio called Assence Films (guess what their niche is) decided to support Sasha’s reading program by donating part of their proceeds from their newly released “Anal Artists” to the NEA Reading program in honor of Sasha. The movie includes a previously shot scene featuring Grey performing her one talent that is not acting, writing, music or modeling and is touted to be one of the very last scenes that the actress shot.

No Thanks

The NEA, however, has decided to turn down this generous gift from the Ass Niche studio, telling the press that “Sash Grey is not affiliated” with the group in any way (unless she goes back to school to become an English teacher) and that it “will not accept proceeds from her latest, or any of her films.” Ouch, that is harsh. This means that even if Sasha made an appearance in “Reading Rainbow the Movie” they would not take any of her tainted money. According to Howard Levine, the head of Exile Distribution which released “Anal Artists”, the NEA is being discriminatory in their attempts to be overly politically correct. According to Sasha, she believes that “Education is a Universal Right” and that “illiteracy contributes to poverty”. She also states that her past does not define who she is and that she plans to continue to support education.
We don’t want your money

Despite the fact that their reading program is severely strapped for cash, the NEA still refuses to be associated with the former Porn Star in any way, shape or form. Some commentators on the story even suggest that Sasha should focus on other charities deemed appropriate for former porn stars such as animal rescue. I say let Sasha read to the kids. It is not like she is spoon feeding them semen.