CMT Dukes Institute VP - Controversy

[Brian Coltrane]

Christopher Nelson, a/k/a "Slick", was awarded the $100,000 contract by CMT to be the voice of the Dukes of Hazzard fandom. As the VP of the Dukes of Hazzard Institute of CMT, he has little to do other than watch the Dukes, write a blog, and smile for the camera. It's a job that anybody would love to have - and let's be honest, it's a job that just about anybody could probably do. And so when Nelson was announced as the winner, the HazzardNet staff gave a collective shrug and wished him well.

Since that time, we have been made aware of some details that cause us to seriously question CMT's choice. We will share these details as objectively and factually as possible.

Disclaimer: I myself applied for the position. No bias is intended, but I wanted to be honest there.

This editorial is a work in progress. Given the volume of information, it ain't possible to nail everything in one post. But here is the statement that started it all, that gave some creditibility to the rumblings we heard from other fans:

"Most of the planks in Slick's "campaign platform" could be considered offensive to a significant number of people, so we'll just share one... "Legalize prostitution as long as it's in an RV..." and leave it at that." - CNN

Let's look at that statement again. "Offensive to a signfigant number of people."

How and why, then, did this guy get the job? And how "offensive" is offensive?

Another question to explore, is one I recently posted on the Dukes Institute board:

"Did this dude even belong to any Dukes fan clubs, yahoo groups, or message boards of any kind, before this gig? Just curious. I'll give the guy a chance but it sounds like there's some questions on the credentials. I mean, ANYBODY would become an instant Dukes fan for $100,000. If this dude had zero involvment with the fandom on any level prior to this gig...how can we buy the "contributions" he's gonna make to the promotion of the show? "

And so we open the can of worms.

Brian

[MinDuke]

Brian--

Hnet isnt the DOH place curious about the new Vice President. From articles I've read and messages left on CMT message boards, a lot of other DOH fans are wondering about CMT's choice as well.

The "Slick" website disappeared pretty quick and so do did the website associated with the band that the new VP is involved with. Ive read posts where fans have pointed out the negative lyrics to the bands songs that pretty much were offensive to every group in this country. The fans also stated that the new VP is being paid a great deal of money to watch the Dukes and write blogs about them, yet his associations are morally questionble, rude, insulting...in a nutshell, anti-Duke.

And as for opening the can of worms... I think DOH fans have a right to question the VP, especially the person representing such a loved show. And most especially when everything around this guy seems fishy.

So by all means... grab a can opener.

Jax