I am not a Belieber.

I do respect the Kid’s accomplishments, but he does not appear on my iPod.

Justin Bieber has come under fire recently for writing in the guest book at the Anne Frank house that he hoped Anne would have been a Belieber.

So what?

As a Jew and a PR practitioner, not only do I not find this remark offensive, I think the backlash is unwarranted.

The fact is that Anne Frank was a teenager obsessed with Hollywood. She had posters of movie stars. Is it THAT offensive to say that if she was a teenager in 2013 she would likely enjoy Justin bieber’s music?

Was his message self-obsessed? Yes.

Was his message controversial? I guess so.

But the fact remains that Justin Bieber has a target audience of teenage girls. And saying he hoped a teenage girl from any era would be a fan of his music is hardly a crime. Honestly, it’s not even a big deal.

What is a big deal is that Bieber went to Anne Frank’s house, which will inspire millions of people to learn her story of hope and strength.

Perspective: The real, true tragedy is that Anne Frank will never get to tell us exactly what she thinks of Justin Bieber’s music.

Super Bowl XLVII has come and gone.

Outside of the Baltimore Ravens winning (yay!!!), the game will be remembered for the 35-minute power delay that halted the momentum of play, confused an entire nation and set social media ablaze.

All in all, I think it was a down year for commercial creativity. Few ads really stood out, at least at my viewing party.

I look at the following criteria when analyzing the ad:

- Did I find it captivating/interesting/entertaining?

- Was it easy to know what we being advertised?

- Do I remember it (and the brand), unprovoked, the next day? (I’m writing this Monday morning)

Which ones stood out for you?

Honorable Mention: The Jell-O campaign bringing free packs to San Francisco as a consolation prize is a brilliant move.

Honorable Mention #2: I liked the spot that used Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” but since I have no clue what the product was, it misses the cut.

Best Integration of Social Media: Tide’s #MiracleStain:

And now the Top 5!

1. Taco Bell

2. Budweiser

3. Dodge

4. Best Buy

5. M&Ms

[Disclaimer: Kevin Clash is 100% innocent until proven otherwise. I am not comparing his alleged actions to those of Chris Benoit. However, this post will discuss the change in public perception that comes when an actor or celebrity commits or is accused of committing a crime.]

I vividly remember the news breaking in late June 2007. Professional wrestler Chris Benoit was found dead in his suburban Atlanta home, along with his wife and son.

Benoit had long been one of my favorite wrestlers. I even got a chance to meet him briefly in the mid-1990s.

When the report came out, I was crushed. Little did I know that the worst – and the truth – was about to be revealed.

Information about the murder continued to unfold, leading officials to declare the tragedy a murder-suicide.

Chris Benoit, who had entertained millions of fans worldwide for well over a decade, killed his wife. Then killed his son. Then killed himself.

His end forever changed how I looked at his past. Was it possible to watch his old matches and not think of the ungodly acts he committed in his final hours? Should I throw away the countless DVDs of his matches I owned? All these years later, it’s still difficult to sort through this.

Fast forward to the present day, November 2012.

Kevin Clash, one of the most well-known puppeteers in the world, is leaving Sesame Street after nearly 30 years, after continued allegations of sexual relationships with underage boys.

Clash created the Elmo character, one of the most popular fictional characters of all time and a staple in millions of households. Elmo’s reach is beyond the daily TV show. Licensing agreements have brought him to books, toys of all types, food packaging and even starring roles in movies.

Murder-suicide and statutory rape are hard to compare. One is the end of life, another creates permanent scars. Both are evil deeds. And while Clash has not admitted to rape or been convicted of it, two potential victims have made allegations in less than a week.

Like Benoit, Clash is solidly in the top-tier of his profession. Which begs the following question:

Is it possible to enjoy the work of someone who committed atrocious acts? 

It’s difficult to separate character from actor. Look at the hordes of young girls swooning for Robert Pattinson when they are really chasing after Edward. Or Jacob. Whichever one he plays.

Clash is not alone among real life celebrities facing criminal accusations – Michael Jackson stood trial for child molestation charges, yet remains one if the most iconic entertainers of all time.. Ray Lewis was convicted of obstruction of justice around a murder and is still regarded by many as the best NFL linebacker ever.

On the flip side, OJ Simpson became persona non grata, even after he was acquitted of double murder. Pete Rose, one of the greatest baseball players ever, completely tarnished his legacy because of a gambling scandal.

Last week, I discussed how Clash and Sesame Workshop perfectly handled the first round of allegations. Perhaps Clash resigning is the best move as allegations persist. Of course, stepping down is not an admission of guilt. Far from it. But it sure doesn’t look good.

Nobody could play the “role” of Chris Benoit. Nobody could substitute as Michael Jackson (though countless have tried).

But someone else can and will play Elmo.

It just won’t be the same.

Your Turn: Is the Elmo character tarnished for you based on these developments?  

In what can only be called the “meme-eist” mash-up of all time, PSY performed his global sensation, “Gangnam Style,” at the American Music Awards…then he joined with MC Hammer for “Too Legit 2 Quit.”

I do believe the Internet just exploded.

When I was a kid, I wanted nothing more than to be a newspaper reporter. 

Every month, I’d read about how Clark Kent would uncover and expose injustices in the world for his newspaper, the Daily Planet, then do something about them as Superman.

I know I’m not the only person inspired by Superman’s story.

So I know I’m not the only one a bit sad to hear that Clark Kent quit the Daily Planet. The Daily Planet, with Editor-in-Chief Perry White, reporters Kent and Lois Lane and photojournalist Jimmy Olsen, was a bastion of good just blocks away from the evil Lex Luthor.

I know it’s a plot device. Remember when Superman died? Or became a blue lightning guy? I get it. A fictional character quit his job at a fictional company.

But this one kind of stings a bit.

Add it to the announcement last week that rocked the print industry, Newsweek ending it’s print circulation, and it forms a bleak picture for print.

Why do I compare the Daily Planet’s loss to Newsweek’s digital shift?

Easy. Monkey see, monkey do.

My journalism drive came from what I saw. And what 12-year-old me saw was a top-shelf newspaper reporter who saved the world. And that inspiration is gone.

Newsweek, in print for 80 years, has been a constant in the ever-changing newsstand. And now it’s all in bits and bytes.

Change is inevitable.

But while Superman will always be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Clark Kent as a “mild mannered blogger” just doesn’t sound right.

I can talk Muppets all day. I can talk social media all day.

Combine the two and my head may explode.

There is an online fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to fund production of a documentary following Carroll Spinney, who has portrayed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969.

Click here for more information about the campaign. As of this writing, they were over 68% of the way there. We need to make this movie happen!

Time for a clip: When Sesame Street came to China, they needed to train people to play the signature Muppets, including everyone’s favorite ridiculously tall yellow bird. And here is a brand new glimpse into the training room: