Education
In 1994, the Texas-born Martinez graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts.
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Melanie Martinez
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Martinez has appeared in a number of theater plays, including roles in Caesar and Cleopatra at Cocteau Repertory and in a verse play, The Death of Don Flagrante Delicto, written by Kirk Wood Bromley. In the summer of 2000, Martinez was cast to play the role of a student in two 30-second videos, I Have a Future (filmed in July 2000) and Boys Can Wait (filmed in February 2001). Both short films spoofed abstinence-only public service announcements.
In July 2006, Public Broadcasting Service Kids Sprout terminated Martinez as host of the Good Night Show when it learned of these videos, which it deemed "inappropriate for her role as a preschool host."
Michael Getler, a Public Broadcasting Service ombudsman, criticized the decision.
Writing that "it would have been a greater bow to freedom of expression and against guilt by association for the program and Public Broadcasting Service to stick by her.. it struck me as ironic that at the very time Public Broadcasting Service is fighting against new Federal Communications Commission rulings about indecency that the network argues will inhibit documentary filmmakers and freedom of speech, it delivers a subjective punishment to a popular performer for something done seven years ago that was clearly a spoof". She"s not an actress--she really is supposed to embody the service itself."
In an August 5, 2006 article on the front page of the Arts Section of The New York Times, Martinez says: "I"ve done lots of roles and worn many costumes.
I did not think a spoof P.S.A. would come up like this again."
In popular media
The controversy was featured in a number of novels, including New York Times bestseller The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf. Why We"re Liberals A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Eric Alterman and Real World Media Ethics: Inside The Broadcast and Entertainment Industries by Philippe Perebinossoff.
Melanie Martinez appeared has appeared in public service announcements for Rock The Vote, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the New York Youth Literacy Campaign.
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Public Broadcasting Service President Paula Kerger defended the decision saying "what we are looking for in the host of Sprout is someone that is really representative of Public Broadcasting Service and Sesame and kids" entertainment.
