Why is the TODAY show so obsessed with sex and violence?

Or maybe I missed the memo about semi-nude photos of semi-celebrities, killer moms, and how to get killer abs being hard-hitting news.

Seriously, what is TODAY's obsession with Miss California, Carrie Prejean? Did you really need to feature her AGAIN, and in the first hour this morning? I know, I know, the possibility of Miss California losing her crown for supposedly setting a bad example for America's young women by posing semi-nude when she was 17 is big news. But if you're going to cover (or uncover) Miss California and pageants in a.m. prime time, what about discussing the bad example the Miss California pageant set by paying for Carrie Prejean to get breast implants weeks before the Miss USA pageant?

And while I applaud TODAY for discussing teen pregnancy, was Bristol Palin really the best you could do? (For more about this, check out Gail Collins's extremely funny Op-Ed, "Bristol Palin's New Gig," in today's NYT.) Btw, TODAY's intro showing a very pregnant Bristol and teens making out with the hard pumping music in the background was totally worthy of E! or Access Hollywood or TMZ. And, oh yeah, I totally agree, Todd Palin is the perfect guy to discuss abstinence and setting a good example. Not. (And speaking of Todd, does Bristol's ex, Levi Johnston, look just like a younger Todd or what?)

And while I could, I won't go into TODAY's incessant coverage of serial killers, killer moms, and how to get killer abs. But what gives? Did corporate send out a memo telling the producers to go out and find the seamiest, silliest, or saddest stories they could or not come back?

I like Meredith Vieira, but I hate how seemingly since her arrival TODAY, which used to be my favorite morning news show, has turned into just another early morning gossip fest -- where even the gossip is stale.