Pepsi Cancels Ludacris Deal

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Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thanks for watching us tonight.

A mountain of mail piled up overnight about the Pepsi-Cola Ludacris controversy, but there was a stunning development late today.  I can't believe this.  It's the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.

Last night Talking Points hammered Pepsi for hiring thug rapper Ludacris to do a commercial on the MTV awards program.  Ludacris espouses violence, intoxication, and degrading conduct toward women.

Apparently thousands of you let Pepsi know Ludacris was unacceptable, and today they canceled him.  In a statement issued a short time ago, Pepsi says, quote, "We've heard from a number of people that were uncomfortable with our association with this artist.  We've decided to discontinue our ad campaign and we're sorry that we've offended anyone."

Well, we applaud Pepsi's decision.  But there's a bigger story here, and that is a growing trend in America to reward disgraceful conduct.

Examples, while on vacation last week, I got a look at this Anna Nicole Smith Show on the E! cable channel.  And I got to say, Miss Smith is a complete embarrassment.  She's mindless, self-absorbed, has nothing to say, and looks bad saying it.  Why does she have her own TV show?  The answer is that E! has hired Miss Smith because she's notorious.  She bought large breasts, then posed naked, then married an 89-year-old rich guy and got a ton of money when he died.  So that's the woman's resume.

E! should be ashamed, because there are thousands of other talented American women that could do a decent program.

Likewise, Fox Sportsnet, The Best Damn Sports Show is a very entertaining program.  I've been on it twice.  But now they've hired former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin.  Irvin was constantly involved with drugs and scandal in his career and brings nothing to the program.  He's there because he's notorious, while other talented sports guys don't get a chance.

How about Monica Lewinsky?  She's been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by a variety of loons because she had sex with Bill Clinton.

The point is that some Americans are apparently fine with rewarding abysmal behavior.  Eminem gets a Grammy.  Mike Tyson gets a boxing license.

But as Factor viewers proved last night, other Americans will not stand for this any more.  Thus Pepsi was forced to sack Ludacris, and it is you that made that happen.

Talking Points says let's continue using that kind of power.  Americans should let the merchants of bad taste know that hiring corrupters and incompetents is not acceptable.  Let the companies know how you feel.  Capitalism swings both ways.

Sorry about that, Ludacris.

And that's The Memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day."

Time is tight a at the Jim Beam distillery in Kentucky.  The company has told workers they can't go to the bathroom unless they plan ahead.

Only one spontaneous bathroom break is allowed per eight-hour shift, three other approved in advance bathroom breaks are allowed.

Now, this could cause a collision, if you know that I mean, with mother nature, and some of employees say they are wearing protective undergarments, which may be ridiculous, and not at all conducive to attending happy hour after work.

— You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com