J.J. Abrams triumphed where Joe Paterno failed

J.J. Abrams on the set of "Star Trek."

Never thought you'd see those two names in the same headline, did you?

After all, what could Hollywood writer and director J.J. Abrams possibly have in common with Joe Paterno, the legendary college football coach who recently was fired amid the furor over the child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State. The case is complicated, in case you've been somehow ignoring it, but Paterno lost his job because some people believe he failed to act properly when he learned a longtime former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, allegedly was caught molesting a young boy.

That's a very simplified and toned-down version of the story. If you want to make yourself sick, you can read the grand jury report by clicking here.

Back to Abrams.

This past week, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times by Dawn Chmielewski and Harriet Ryan, Abrams was instrumental in Los Angeles Police launching an investigation into a convicted child molester who had changed his name and was casting actors, including young children, for movies.