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Hey Hey: Global reactions

Updated: International media speaks up on the Red Faces sketch. Daryl Somers apologises again while Harry Connick Jr. issues a statement.

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hhwFollowing last night’s ‘Blackface’ sketch on Hey Hey the Reunion, it is triggering reactions from international media.

Meanwhile the Herald Sun reports the skit was approved by producers despite some questioning prior to the show.

“All six of us discussed this at length whether or not we should put this on because we realised it may be controversial,” said Dr Anand Deva, who played Michael Jackson.

“We did go to the trouble of checking with the production staff and they seemed to OK it.”

Dr Deva said he and his friends came from ethnic backgrounds and were all too aware of racism.

“Two of us come from India and one of us comes from Lebanon so we can’t afford to be racist to be honest,” he said.

“If we did offend him (Connick Jr) we truly didn’t mean to.

A selection of international responses follows.

NYMag:
Well, this is pretty awful. On yesterday’s reunion special for long-running Australian variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday, a group of singers calling themselves the “Jackson Jive” performed a galling version of the Jackson 5’s “Can You Feel It” in blackface makeup, to predictable boos from the studio audience. Guest American judge Harry Connick Jr. took issue, thankfully, giving the Jive a “0” and telling the tone-deaf host, “If they turned up like that in the United States, it’d be like Hey Hey There’s No More Show.”

MovieLine:
Apparently enough time had elapsed since Michael Jackson’s death that a cheeky comic tribute to him and the Jackson 5 seemed in good taste. At least it seemed that way a troupe of Aussie TV performers, who rounded out last night’s performance as the “Jackson Jive” in full-on blackface. The crowd ate it up, but an American judge who knew better ground the show to a halt until somebody apologized.

Defamer:
But what did the crowd do when they stopped the music. They booed! Harry Connick Jr, one of the guest judges gave the team a zero score and the judge who gonged gave them a one, even though the crowd was roaring to give them a 10! One female judge gave them a 7 out of 10 because she is apparently ignorant or, beause she’s a sweet female sitting between two men judging a singing competition she thought she was Paula Abdul and took a handful of pill before the broadcast, so she didn’t know better. The amazing thing is that, as the show tells us, in 1989, the same group doing a very similar act won the competition! So, in 20 years, we’ve gone from this offensive form of comedy being wildly popular to being still popular with the masses, even though some people know better. In America, blackface is one of those things that you can only show if you’re talking about how awful it is because, well, it is pretty awful. Sure, there are culture differences, but it’s not like they don’t have black folks in Australia who would get pissed off by this.

Guardian (UK):
Seemingly oblivious to the point being made, the host cheerily points out that this is a comeback of sorts – the Jackson Jive in fact performed this act on the show twenty years ago. You know, in the olden times of 1989, when blacking up was totally acceptable. Anyway… If you take a look at the mind-boggling video clip, you will note that we rejoin the show after the break, during which the host seems to have had a somewhat unconvincing epiphany.

Newsweek:
Asked to appear on the Australian variety hour Hey Hey It’s Saturday as a guest judge, Harry Connick Jr. sputters in disbelief when a Jackson 5 impersonation group entirely in blackface appears onstage. He first gives the group a 0 scorecard for the performance while the audience boos; later, at about 4:40 into the clip, Connick launches into an impassioned race-relations lecture explaining why blackface is a bad thing. “If I knew that was going to be a part of the show, I definitely wouldn’t have done it,” Connick declares on live TV. The host appears genuinely surprised.

ChicagoNow:
Shame on the host and the other judges for trying to act like this performance was acceptable in any part of the world. I seriously had to look at the calendar to see if I had somehow gone on a really bad time travel a la HG Wells. Anyone considering coming forth with the Wayans-White-Chicks-defense, don’t even bother. There is no history of “whiteface” that comes anywhere close to the embarrassment that blacks suffered during this period in Hollywood.

Examiner:
Harry Connick, Jr. was both shocked and amazed at an act that was impersonating Michael Jackson and his brothers, as he acted as guest judge on the show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, an Australian show. Connick gave the group a “0” score for the performance, as the audience booed; later, Connick gave a race-related speech explaining why black-face is a bad thing. “If I knew that was going to be a part of the show, I definitely wouldn’t have done it.’

The Daily Swarm:
Understandably, Connick was less than amused, giving them a zero out of ten and noting that the show would be yanked from the air in America. Really, we’d like to think it wouldn’t have made the air in 1989 either.

It was also reported on the BBC, The Times, The Mirror and The Sun in the UK.

UPDATED: Meanwhile a Nine spokesman issued a brief apology this afternoon. “It was never intended to offend and we regret any offence the Red Faces act caused,” he said.

Daryl Somers told Sky News: “If there were any Australians who were offended … on behalf of the show I apologise.

“To most Australians I think it’s a storm in a teacup.”

Somers said he did not want to diminish the incident but said he believed it had been blown out of proportion.

“I think it was a light act … they were going to be gonged off,” he said.

Meanwhile Harry Connick Jr. has issued a statement to the Daily Telegraph which in part says:

“I have watched the media storm that has erupted over my reaction to the Hey Hey blackface skit.

“Where I come from, blackface is a very specific and very derogatory thing. Perhaps this is different in other parts of the world, but in the American culture, the blackface image is steeped in a negative history and considered offensive.

“I urge everyone in the media to take a look at the history of blackface to fully understand why it is considered offensive.”

You can read the rest here.

Source: Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun

126 Responses

  1. Somone made a good point on Facbook here is what she said…..

    White people get it too 4 different reasons but we just laugh it off like Julie said. Remember the 1st show when comedian of Muslim background made joke about himself having to change his name 2 b able to work in RSL clubs in OZ. At least he can laugh with us which makes him a whole better person than HC Junior will ever be.

  2. Quite seperate to the “black face” bit, the sketch wasn’t funny then or now. Why HHiS bothered with this when they had so many acts to choose from that would have been more entertaining.

    Well done on Harry taking his stance and making his comments. It was handled well given the circumstances (but the production team should have had better sense).

  4. I don’t get it, Americans still use Blackface and call it “satire” to excuse it, like the movie Tropic Thunder.

    In fact Americans hide racism as satire all the time, I haven’t seen too many American comedy shows but I have watched Drawn Together and South Park on SBS a few times and was shocked at the blatant racism both shows featured.

    The world is too overly sensitive and nothing is politically correct, the world has lost its sense of humour.

  5. It is ironic that through all this Harry Connick Jr. has not been questioned as to his background with similar comedy sketches ripping off black preachers.

  6. Low points in Australian TV and radio 2009;-

    1. The Chasers sketch on terminally ill kids

    2. Kyle Sandilands making jokes about child rape and concentration camps.

    3. Brendan Fevola’s Brownlow medal drunken antics

    4. The racist and unfunny Jackson Jive sketch

    5. The 2.3m+ Australian viewers who actually think the racist and unfunny sketch is family entertainment!

  8. racist issues aside, only because it opens a huge pandora’s box of comments, its a win, win, for hey hey and harry connick jnr, hey hey are trying to get the show back on air and harry connick jnr has got a new record or c.d, out = untold amount of free publicity from the spin doctors of both camps, it just about makes sense, world wide knowledge of the brand name hey hey & h.c. jnr most who would never of heard of ethier, absolutely brillant p.r. on behalf of both teams, well done . anyway thats my theory, i hope i have not offended anyone that thinks i am offensive and if i have in future i will try and not be offensive so that i dont offend anyone who feels offended by my none offensive comments.

  9. Harry Connick Was There For ehearsals and saw the skit in full dress, Harry a washed up singer needs the public eye caused a scene and surprised the Live Tv Show Crew with his outburst all for a publicity stunt…Harry Your An Idiot…Did you not forget Harry you’re doing the same skit here!!!!! [deleted]

    Red Faces are now on you Harry!! You fool!!

  11. More Gold. Oh boy this is fantastic {yes moderators you know I’m loving it}. Australians up in arms about Americans and ‘PC’ people here and the world over gone mad. Hence why this is still an issue in this country (and yes elsewhere too).

    The amalgamation of two great topics, inherent racism and the media to which panders to its audience (no matter what). Yes maybe it was just a stunt by the producers to get some attention, but it’s after the fact, so not easy to get ratings on it now (well maybe ACA will do a story on it 🙂 and pretty tough to ride any wave of a comeback on the back of that (an apology show maybe? hehe).

    I have to congratulate Channel 9 on holding up a mirror to its audience showing ourselves 20 years ago and now (as in, ‘we think it’s funny, so you’ll think it’s funny, hahah we’re all still racists’). Maybe it is a good thing to bring it out and talk about is it funny or not (and maybe influence some opinions by weight of numbers)? But will it work and bring the debate forward or backward? Or are us ‘PC’ folk in the minority?

    What’s the talk around the water cooler today? Thumbs up or Thumbs down? I know where my thumbs pointing 🙂

  12. This reminds me of a time a couple years back at school. We had an assembly and an Aboriginal elder came to speak, though only about 5% of the students were of that race. You know what he said – “don’t let the white boys walk all over you, fight back”, and there was nothing said about it. However, if you ever called one of the Aboriginies a “black boy” you would have got suspended.

    This world is suffering from Political Correctness. If it was of a group of males painting their faces black and doing disgraceful things then sure it would be offensive. However it was an act to tribute a group of native American singers, a highly popular one at that. I saw no disgraceful act coming from that.

    People need to learn to lighten up a little.

  15. @Mac if you’re behind Connick then you’d want the show to come back. The reason he was on was because he was a regular in the past over the years and he even said to Daryl he’d hate it if this was the last time he was on, and wanted to take it up with the PM to get it to come back.

  18. The performers were white. They were impersonating black people so they put make up on. What is the big deal? If they were impersonating Adam Gilchrist they would have big ears on. If they were impersonating a women they would have make up and a dress on.

  19. jay jay: Exactly what I was thinking! Here we have the US throwing stones at us as if they are without fault. The skit was not done with racist intentions, and not only that, there are far worse things happening in the US! Mention illegal mexican immigrants to the average US citizen and I’m sure you wouldn’t get a nice response.

    What about their ‘right’ to bear arms, which results in thousands of gun related murders each year! That is far worse than an innocent Jackson 5 tribute band.

    Also, think back to that Australian episode of the simpsons (the one where they visit Australia). During one of the chase scenes, there is quite a racist depiction of an aboriginal running after bart and homer. Yet, you don’t see Australia going off like those US newspapers. (on a personal note, I love that Australian episode of the simpsons, because I ‘get’ the humour)

  20. The whole point is what was expectable in the past is not so now, we (as a world) have moved on but shows like Hey Hey are stuck in the past! Someone should be fired over this entire mess. IMO it’s worse that the Chasers skit from a few months back.

  23. so everyone is saying that blackface is acceptable for Satire but nothing else? Im sorry but if you are crying racist over last night, then you need to be consistant with what you find racist. With the serious history of blackface that some of you are using as your reasons for being offended, it shouldn’t matter what context it is used, it baffles me how you can accept one use but not the other. Blackface is blackface.
    It hilarious what people find offensive. Half of you ready to lynch Hey Hey probably have kids with Golliwog dolls.

  24. Percy summed it up ..this show is way past it’s used by date..Jack Strom should have apologised too , as he must know that “black face”is offensive to Americans, as it was used to portray blacks as monkeys and of low intelligence…..this has nothing to do with being PC, but everything to do with being so stupid as to allow this black face skit to go worldwide and have the rest of the world view us as being racist..

  25. Funny how the American’s think that Red’s score of “1” shows how he didn’t approve!

    And with the audience booing, weren’t they booing Red for hitting the gong?

    Couldn’t help but think of “The Castle” with the Burpinator…. “Gong him Red!!”

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