Posted on 11/21/2006 1:56:08 AM PST by mcg2000
Comic Relief held its 20th event Saturday night from the Harrah's property in Las Vegas to help raise money and awareness for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
That's a noteworthy cause, to be sure, and we in South Mississippi were gratified to hear that more than a year after the storm, people still recognized we need help here.
Of course, that was before the pre-event press releases came out, advertising appeared and the show itself was aired simultaneously on HBO and WTBS.
The media advances talked about how bad New Orleans was affected. The billboards and at least one full-page ad in Esquire magazine touted, "Make New Orleans Laugh" to promote the event.
Surely that couldn't be right. Whoopi Goldberg was on the Coast just a few weeks after the storm prior to hosting the Mississippi Rising concert at Ole Miss. It's not like she doesn't know about South Mississippi. She saw it firsthand.
As a Mississippian and Coast resident, I was starting to get ticked. The Mississippi coastline was absolutely flattened by Hurricane Katrina. Obliterated.
South Mississippi has prided itself on its perseverance and resilience since Katrina struck, but having national organizations - and the national media - ignore the fact that Mississippi was hit just as hard as New Orleans really hurts.
In fact, the Sun Herald published a front-page editorial on Dec. 14, 2005, "Our Invisible Coast," because of the way Mississippi had been pushed aside in national news reports in the aftermath of Katrina.
So when Comic Relief started touting its show as a New Orleans event, I went to the source. I e-mailed HBO (because I couldn't find a contact for Comic Relief) and asked about whether or not money raised from the event would go to Mississippi.
The response I got from an HBO rep follows:
"It has always been the intent of HBO, TBS and the Comic Relief organization that distribution of the funds will include the Gulf Coast area. Any report that New Orleans would be the sole beneficiary of Comic Relief funds is in error.
"Operation Comeback and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund are among two of the organizations being granted funds. Others, including one to focus on the Gulf Coast, will be named soon. As in past Comic Reliefs, expectations of funds to be raised are not discussed prior to the show.
"Comic Relief took advisement from Walter Isaacson, vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and president and CEO, Aspen Institute, to help with the decision-making process in choosing the charities."
A fact sheet at Comic Relief.org on Hurricane Katrina goes on for 10 pages about response, infrastructure, people and human rights, environment, health, culture, rebuilding contracts, housing, employment and economic impact.
Mississippi is mentioned by name just seven times.
The actors and comedians on the show went out of their way to tell the audience that New Orleans isn't forgotten and that help is on the way. I didn't see the show from start to finish, but did see most of it - Mississippi wasn't part of it.
Would it have hurt the Comic Relief organization or HBO to tape one of their pleas for donations on the Mississippi Coast? To let the people of Mississippi know that they haven't been forgotten, either?
I sure hope the money they raised won't be as inequitable as the attention paid Mississippi on Saturday night's broadcast.
Right now, we're not laughing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a column of opinion by Kate Magandy, the city editor for the Sun Herald. She can be reached at 896-2344 or at kmagandy@sunherald.com
More specifically than just New Orleans they will reference "the ninth ward", excluding other areas of the city that were hit just as hard but had too many white people for a compelling tv shot.
Do we really want help from a bunch of comedians? As we've seen from Michael Richards, they've shown themselves to be a bunch of leftist racists.
I'm quite happy with the relief the churches are giving us. Let Louisiana have the comedians.
This may be a BFO - blinding flash of the obvious - but professional victims make for better footage than people who have rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work. The Gulf Coast is self-sufficient; the ninth ward waits for the government to make everything better. I for one will take my family for a vacation in Biloxi.
Surfing, I saw just enough of roseanne barr to make me vomit. I would never donate money to this bunch of commies.
It's shameful the way Mississippi has been treated by the media since Hurricane Katrina. I was recently in NYC and I was talking to this guy at my hotel and he was asking me about living in Mississippi. When I mentioned Hurricane Katrina he actually said "It hit Mississippi too?"
Overall I suppose most people hate my state, as evidenced in what Charlie Rangel said in asking Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi. Well I do Charlie.
I am going to say this then I will be accused of racism.
If Mississippi expects to get money from these people they will have to get their blacks out there saying how badly they have been discriminated against by FEMA and by George Bush. These Hollyweird leftists could care less about white people who suffered. Whites are expected to take care of themselves.
I applaud Mississippi and its people of all races for working hard to resume their lives. Mississippi deserves more help than it is getting ,unfortunately its the squeaky wheel that gets the grease and New Orleans is shrieking.
After Billy Crystal did his impression of a black man 9th ward resident would you want him to do an impression of a Mississipian?
When Rangel says "Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?", someone within microphone range needs to say "Only those who finally escaped Harlem!"
No reflection on you, of course, but a dig at the idjit himself.
"After Billy Crystal did his impression of a black man 9th ward resident would you want him to do an impression of a Mississipian?"
I lasted about 30 seconds watching Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. They sucked. Not even a little bit funny.
I dont like any of these three people, I have to say that I am unfamiliar with the skit you mention,because I did not watch the show,and feel I am the better for not watching. I cannot make a comment on something I did not see.
Wlcome to FreeRepublic. We hope to see future posts.
You might be right. But so you're familiar with the gist of it, Crystal donned a clarinet and pretended to be a black man complete with voice and accent. It was just horrible to watch the minstrel show he put on.
I felt the same way, and as it happened our church was able to help with what was for us a substantial sum. We contacted a friend in GA who put us in contact with a Baptist association which sent work teams into Mississippi to put new roofs on churches there. So the church sent the money through that group.
I seem to remember Ted Danson or one of Whoopi's boyfriends appearing in black face and causing a stir.
Is it that if they appear with Whoopi white people get some sort of immunity from the slings and arrows of blacks?
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