As public shock wears off from seeing the image of comedian Kathy Griffin holding President Donald Trump’s fake severed head, more and more artists and commentators are rallying to defend her.

Griffin herself spoke out today, first by asking her fans to believe the unbelievable, that she “never imagined that [the photo] could be misinterpreted as a threat of violence against Trump,” according to her attorney. Then she echoed the deflection tactic many of her supporters have used, pointing out how other celebrities have committed similar sins.

At the top of list is rocker Ted Nugent, who in 2008 said Obama should “suck on my machine gun” and in 2012 urged Republicans to ride into figurative battle and chop off the heads of Democrats. Griffin and others are crying hypocrisy, saying conservatives have no license for outrage at her if they didn’t condemn Nugent. Both political camps, however, are guilty of upholding the double standard.

Hollywood and media had so many chances to stop Griffin before it came to this. In 2005, she made a joke on the E! cable channel about preteen actress Dakota Fanning going to drug rehab. E! fired Griffin from the gig but then picked up her reality show, My Life on the D-List, for its British channel. In 2007, she blasphemed Jesus in her Emmy acceptance speech. That same year, CNN hired her to host its New Year’s Eve special.

Griffin lamented today that the Trumps are personally trying to ruin her, blaming them for the loss of her job at CNN and the cancelation of numerous planned appearances. But TV channels and entertainment venues don’t need the Trump family to tell them that Griffin just isn’t funny anymore, and working with her is bad for business.

The Griffin affair gives media outlets a good reminder to check their professional and social networks for so-called “edgy” provocateurs who are bound to one day go over the edge. And individual consumers should do the same with their media habits and internet accounts, remembering the psalmist’s admonition, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1).

Superhero showdown

Wonder Woman lands in theaters today, introducing viewers to the final key player in DC Comics’ Justice League universe. The Justice League is DC’s ambitious attempt to compete with Marvel’s wildly successful Avengers series—an attempt that has so far fallen short. Even the worst movie in the Avengers library, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, got better reviews than DC’s best-received Justice League tale, Man of Steel, according to RottenTomatoes.com. WORLD’s Megan Basham says Wonder Woman has a lot more to offer than her predecessors Batman, Superman, and the Suicide Squad, and reviews of the film have so far been positive. The Justice League film is due out this November, and DC has another superhero poised to assist the franchise, though he won’t appear on screen. Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed Avengers, was hired last week to finish post-production on the film for director Zack Snyder, who stepped down after the death of his daughter. —L.L.

It was 50 years ago today …

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band turns 50 today, and, just as when the funky Beatles album first debuted, everyone has something to say about it. Rolling Stone has compiled the backstories of every song on the album. And perhaps most intriguing is Paul McCartney’s lengthy discussion on his website of the album’s origins, including how a mumbled request at dinnertime gave him the idea for the character Sgt. Pepper and how the Beatles left Jesus out of the album cover’s collage because they didn’t want to offend Christians. An anniversary edition of the album was released last week and is No. 1 in the United Kingdom. —L.L.

Girl interrupted

The Fearless Girl statue placed opposite Wall Street’s famous bronze bull in March had some unwanted company earlier this week. Artist Alex Gardega, who has called the girl statue ‘corporate nonsense,’ sculpted a small dog with its leg hiked and set it right next to the girl’s left boot. Gardega said he intentionally made the dog look sloppy. “I decided to build this dog and make it crappy to downgrade the statue, exactly how the girl is a downgrade on the bull,” Gardega told the New York Post. Financial investment company State Street Global Advisors commissioned Fearless Girl “to take steps to increase the number of women” on corporate boards. Arturo di Modica, the artist who sculpted the Wall Street bull (itself a piece of pop-up art that became an iconic part of the streetscape), said the girl was a veiled advertisement that twisted the meaning of his artwork so the bull now looks like it’s attacking women. Gardega only left the dog in place for a few hours before removing it. —L.L.

Ramblin’ Man at rest

Gregg Allman, one of the founding fathers of Southern rock, will be buried Saturday next to his brother and former band mate, Duane Allman, in Macon, Ga. The ceremony will be private, but fans are expected to line the streets for the funeral procession through town. Just before his death, Allman recorded an album that is set to be released this September. —L.L.

Younger Frey, Vince Gill join Eagles

The Eagles are getting back together again, with help from family and friends to fill the void left when founder, vocalist, and guitarist Glenn Frey died in 2016. Frey’s son Deacon Frey and country singer Vince Gill will join the band for The Classic festival in July, with shows at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Citi Field in New York. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eagles singer Don Henley called the gig an experiment and hinted it might lead to something longer-term. —L.L.

Culture beat

“Culture Friday” is back on today’s The World and Everything in It. John Stonestreet, president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview answers more questions from World Journalism Institute students about how Christians should engage secular culture. —L.L.