God bless the networks! Every one of them! They want to provide a public service to the community in some way — I mean, the public is the one that keeps them on the air. Thing is, while their meaning is good, the results are normally embarrassing for the network and laughable for the rest of us.
Take, for instance, the holiday-themed PSAs for the CBS Cares project. The title of these short videos — Prostate PSA Holidays. No, I’m serious! It says so at the CBS Cares video site! In this series of 10-second shorts, stars of various CBS shows ask you to celebrate the holidays by signing your man up for a prostate exam. There’s one for generic holidays, one for Christmas, and one for Hanukkah. Strangely, there’s no PSA for Kwanza or Festivus. Though, the scene of a bare metal pole would probably send shivers up a strong man’s spine.
There are a few things I wonder about with these holiday prostate PSAs. First, why didn’t they just use the slogan “CBS wants you to sign your husband up for a prostate exam. Give him a thumbs-up (and sometimes fist-up) for Christmas.” The other item I’m curious about is how they got these folks to do these PSAs. I could see if one of their family was affected by prostate cancer. But, what if that wasn’t true. I could see the conversation going like this…
Big Network Exec: We need you to do a PSA about prostate cancer.
Big Network Star: Sure, no problem. When do I need to do this?
B.N.E.: For the holidays. You’re going to be doing the Hanukkah prostate PSA.
B.N.S.: Excuse me?
B.N.E.: Give your man a prostate exam for Hanukkah.
B.N.S.: Is that Kosher?
B.N.E.: Is that Ko…How the hell should I know? Look, it’s in your contract to do one of these PSAs, and you’re going to do the Hanukkah Prostate PSA!
B.N.S (in angry tone): Fine.
B.N.E.: And, you’re going to need to smile slyly when you say “Prostate exams save lives, and prostates.” Almost like your flirting with all the guys watching CBS who have enlarged prostates.
B.N.S.: You’re kidding me?
B.N.E.: ‘Fraid not.
B.N.S.: Shit. Bet this stuff doesn’t happen over at TNT.
Meanwhile, over at TNT…
B.N.S: Ray (Romano), we need you to do a Christmakwanukah PSA for erectile dysfunction.
Ray Romano: Shit. This never used to happen to me at CBS.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fun9s4lsPI8
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Dec 11, 2009 @ 17:34 EST5EDT
Yeah, my husband almost choked at the “Give your wife the gift of a Pap Smear” one the other day. Definitely icky.