Harry Connick Jr. is currently a judge on the Australian talent show Hey Hey It's Saturday, but he wasn't happy the other night. A group called "The Jackson Jive," several white guys in black makeup, appeared on the show and Connick gave them a "0" for the performance. The host tried to get him to change the score and then apologized to him for what happened. Connick said if he knew they were on he wouldn't have been on the show.
This isn't the first time they had been on the show, they actually appeared on the show in the '80s too. So is Connick right or was it just goofy funny and everyone's too PC now?
Harry Connick Jr. shocked by Australian talent show
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
10-08-2009 @ 3:08PM
Anita said...
Although I can see two sides of the coin, I don't think it was 'this world is too PC now.' Connick's from the south, is friends with Marsalis, and has been pretty involved with Hurricane Katrina. Although they probably didn't mean it in the 1920s blackface realm of things (who, technically, did it all in good fun, themselves), it probably still hit a little too close to home and calling themselves Jackson Jive, although great alliteration, didn't exactly help. Sometimes when Robot Chicken has rape jokes, I get a little ruffled but then I shake it off. I think if it had been another American judge who hadn't grown up with the echoes of it in his culture, it would've been fine -
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10-12-2009 @ 1:41AM
Soleman said...
Dont Forget Harry Connik Jnr's Impersonation Of A Black Preacher. I Personally Think Harry Should Look In His Own Back Yard Before Turning A Bad Act In To Racism. He Should Have Done What He Was On The Show To Do Jude Indiscriminately But Dont Turn Something That Was Not Intended To Be Racist Into Racism. Also The People In The Act Were Italian,Sri lankin,Greek,Lebanese. Not Caucasian Australians.
10-12-2009 @ 1:40AM
Soleman said...
Harry Connick Jnr Should Mind His Own Buisness As He Is Just As Bad For Portraying A Black Preacher In A Comedy Skit In The USA Maybe We Should Critisise Him On That As He Is Such A Professional On The Matter. Besides Why Did He Turn A Bad Act Into Racism Also The People Who Did The Act Were Of Sri Lankin,Greek,Italian,Lebanese Decent Not Caucasian Australian's As The Media Would Have You Believe Harry You Should Just Have Done What You Were Paid To Do Jude Indiscriminately By The Way Racist Harry Connick Jnr I Give You Minus 5 For Your Portrayal Of An African American Preacher Very Pathetic.
10-08-2009 @ 3:20PM
bsgfan2003 said...
HC Jr. handled it quite well. He expressed his disdain in a reasonable fashion. They took the criticism well, said they were sorry and everyone learned something.
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10-08-2009 @ 3:38PM
Pingles said...
There are tasteless acts everywhere but blackface is pretty immature.
Ted Danson couldn't even pull it off.
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10-08-2009 @ 5:20PM
Aussie said...
Firstly a correction for you're blog-
- Hey Hey It's Saturday is not a "talent show". That was just one segment which searches for usually the worst acts they can find with no talent. I don't know if youtube has any previous segments but if you search for "red faces" you might find some and gain an understanding for what the segment is about.
The segment was not ment as a blackface routine. It was a send up of the Jackson brothers done for a bit of fun. The only thing I can really see as offensive in this act is the blackface costuming. However, I can only speak for myself when I say I honestly had never heard of blackface or the offense it causes till the aftermath of this skit. This might be ingrained in the American culture but it certainly isn't in Australia.
Maybe this is food for thought for the American public whom are now ripping the apparent 'racist Australians' to shreds on their blogs?
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10-08-2009 @ 9:44PM
bsgfan2003 said...
The Australian image is not tarnished by this. It is clear that they had no notion this was hurtful. Don't let it bother you so.
We know you all are nice folks with lovely accents ;)
10-08-2009 @ 11:41PM
Brisso said...
OK folks. I'm an Aussie who's lived here for 20 years. That's half my life and I reckon that gives me some kind of knowledge about both places.
In my opinion, Australia could give a rats arse (ass) what you think about a TV show produced in a country that is not yours. You have no clue how Aussies think, you don't relate to their sense of humour, and you have very thin skin. I have unintentionally offended many an American in 20 years because of my Aussie nature. Time to pull up your panties and show some real concern for the absolute dung heap this country is sitting in due to pure greed and stupidity, not what was on the telly 11,000 miles away. After reading some of the posts here, I would like to bring forth a few facts that you probably did not know about your friends down under. Australia is not behind the times:
- Just (this week) voted #2 by the United Nations for "best places to live in the world" and no the U.S. was not #1, it was not in the top 10.
- Australia is the ONLY country on the planet who has fought in every war along side the US since WWII. And very well I might add.
-Australia leads the world in many sciences, one of which is medicine - look it up.
- The first 'Australians' were convicts (slaves), white ones. Convicts to white folk. Balls and chains style. Mostly for trying to survive by stealing a loaf of bread or something of that nature. Our ancestors know all about it too.
- When male family members or good mates greet, you make fun of each other, call each other fowl names. We're very good at it. It's what we love to do - make fun of each other. If you don't like someone you would never be so affectionate toward them as to make fun of them.
- Aussies come over every year and help you fight your fires.
So without further ado, my personal message is (and I'm only speaking for myself) - Buzz-off, pull-your-head-in, it's none of your business, you don't know what you're talking about and lighten-up before you alienate one of the last 'friends' that you have on this planet.
My goodness!
10-08-2009 @ 5:54PM
Max said...
While I understand the umbrage some folks take at white actors in blackface make-up, I take equal offence at black actors/singers playing period Europeans in plays & operas: condescending multiculturalism.
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10-08-2009 @ 6:01PM
PhilJ said...
Harry Connick Jr. is such a hypocrite. I will not defend the black face skit, but Harry isn't any better. For him to say he wasn't portraying an African American preacher on SNL is ridiculous. I saw the skit and his speech and artificial darkness of his skin was definitely meant to portray him as such. He is just trying to put his name back in the news seeing as how his career is in the dumps. Come one, look at the program he was on. He's just about to hit rick bottom.
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10-08-2009 @ 6:34PM
Prateek S, said...
Look, I can take a joke as much as the next guy, but I think you guys aren't familiar with the concept of the blackface. It was done in the 20's/30's as a carnial minstrelly type event. It was definitely done not out of fun or amusement but as a way to laugh and mock a whole race of people. I don't care if Australia is behind in the times. Just because it wasn't prevalent in Australia doesn't mean it's okay to do. By that logic, I guess Australia never had a concentration camps, should they have those as well?
As for the example white-face... yes that is somewhat acceptable, but it is not done as a mocking thing or even a joke it is done for the sake of an impression, there are plenty of places on tv where it's still acceptable, SNL does it when trying to portray the skintone. The australian thing was not funny. They were clearly doing it for the sake of being shocking, plus they dressed up exactly the same way as a minstrel show black makeup red lips. Absolutely inappropriate.
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10-08-2009 @ 8:56PM
skim said...
Yeah, all television broadcasters in all countries should be sensitive to what Americans find offensive. And if other countries don't find those things offensive, then, well they should, because Americans know best. Sure, America broadcasts plenty of things that people in other countries find offensive, but they're not important.
10-08-2009 @ 9:45PM
GL said...
@skim: If you are going to have an American judge, you have to assume he will act accordingly.
10-09-2009 @ 5:26AM
a woodrow said...
Dude,
Are you for real?
10-09-2009 @ 6:13AM
Lee said...
Oh so someone on SNL can have a white face in order to portray skintone but no one can have a black face when impersonating the Jacksons? That's a bit hypocritical don't you think?
10-08-2009 @ 6:31PM
Lee said...
Harry needs to get a life and stop being a hypocrite and a liar. There is video footage in existence showing him with a darkened face and mimicking an African-American preacher. The recent controversial act was aired in Australia and understood by the majority of Australians to be a parody of the Jacksons, not a mockery of African-Americans in general. Even numerous Aboriginals have admitted they fail to see the racism in the skit. Two of the men accused of being racist for painting their faces are Indian and one is Lebanese. In my experience those who are obsessed with finding racism in absolutely everything are usually the people who have the problem with different races.
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10-08-2009 @ 9:59PM
dkaarma said...
What about whenever Morgan Freeman plays God?
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10-24-2009 @ 3:48AM
bobbaft said...
But it's okay for the Wayan brothers to dress up as white chicks?
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10-08-2009 @ 11:09PM
DefconDan said...
"So is Connick right or was it just goofy funny and everyone's too PC now? "
So are we SERIOUSLY insinuating here that being against blackface comedy is being too PC? Really?? REALLY??
Connick was right, this stuff was never funny ever, no I'm not black and yes I am aware that people make inappropriate impersonations of different cultures/races all the time (me included) and yeah, it can be funny.
Except that blackface goes beyond a voice change or exaggerated gestures. Its purpose was, since its creation, to be belittling.
The problem is not being too PC (which personally I hate... @#%$ PC people and the horse they ride in on), the problem is people are idiots. And the idiots are starting to outnumber the rest of us.
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10-09-2009 @ 11:00AM
a woodrow said...
yer, with you at the front of the queue