I am not going to be too harsh on Hollywood for this one. Maybe nobody on the Emmy production team was paying attention, or maybe since the skit didn't show the actual plane crash, they thought it was okay. But this is a great time to remember the canceled Emmy of 2001. Remember that once, just for a little while, Hollywood realized the true nature of their importance in society. Let's look at what Hollywood was thinking back in 2001.
Some actors, such as The Soprano’s star James Gandolfini had already decided not to attend the event. It seemed almost inappropriate after last month's tragedy to celebrate while the rest of the nation grieves. After the attacks, it was almost inevitable that the Emmys would be canceled completely. Academy Chairman Bryce Zabel said in a press conference, "Things have changed. America is at war." Reruns of favorites such as Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens were shown in place of the telecast. - buzzle.com
"Things have changed, America is at war." Wow, not judging by the dearth of A list celebs signing up to go on USO tours now it seems. What a difference 5 years makes.
Others were making their own preparations as word got out. Producer John Wells--whose NBC shows ER, The West Wing and Third Watch were up for awards--tells the Hollywood Reporter that "everyone was hopeful that it wouldn't take place," adding that it would have been "grossly inappropriate to continue under these circumstances. eonline.com
Meanwhile, more details are being revealed about the show that never was. Aside from opening remarks by iconic newsman Walter Cronkite and closing comments by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Emmycast producer Don Mischer said the ceremony was to include tributes to those lost in the September 11 attacks, as well as segments on rescue workers and New York police officers, narrated by NYPD Blue star Dennis Franz. (Franz, like others, said in a statement: "I support the decision to postpone the ceremony.") eonline.com
And it is interesting to note that making fun of the President (much less claiming that he is morally equivalent to the Iranian President as Bill Maher is making a career out of doing) was in bad taste:
Out: sketches featuring Saturday Night Live's Will Ferrell as George W. Bush - St. Petersburg Times
Now I am not saying it is inappropriate to make fun of the President. That is an integral part of American philosophy, nobody is above reproach. But, wouldn't it be nice to have a Hollywood that was able to see itself as it did for a little while in 2001, as self-indulgent prattle? But even then, there was a sign, a germination of a thought process about to go horribly wrong in Hollywood.
Host Ellen DeGeneres, who had just finished a morning rehearsal when she received word that her second attempt would be scrapped, told the Los Angeles Times she was devastated by the whole situation. "I feel so many different things," DeGeneres said. "I'm thinking about those poor, innocent people in Afghanistan." - eonline.com
Feeling sorry for the people we are bombing because they launched the 9/11 attacks on us? That sounds more like the Hollywood of 2006, than the Hollywood of 2001.
Soooo, Michael Moore gets an award for his 911 movie, but Flight 93 doesn't?
uh-huh
Posted by: | Monday, August 28, 2006 at 12:45 PM