Posted on 11/23/2006 10:58:29 AM PST by Roberts
LOS ANGELES (AP) - First he went on national television to apologize for his racial tirade against two black hecklers. Now Michael Richards is taking his contriteness to the next level: he's hired a public relations expert with deep contacts in the black community.
New York publicist Howard Rubenstein took on Richards as a client Wednesday after being contacted by the actor-comedian. He then arranged for Richards to call the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
"I've known those gentlemen for many years," Rubenstein told The Associated Press.
"Michael apologized profusely. He wants to heal the tremendous wound that he's inflicted on the American public, and on the African-American community," he said.
Jackson, reached by phone, said Richards called "expressing his remorse and his confusion."
"He's embarrassed. He got caught on tape. That's a big part of his anxiety now," said Jackson.
"Clearly he needs some race sensibility training, and some psychiatric help. His anger is volatile and dangerous to himself and others," Jackson said. "I hope he gets the help he needs. But the culture that's producing this kind of animosity toward blacks must be addressed. ... We're increasingly facing cultural isolation in Hollywood, in the movies and in TV."
Jackson added, "We have to evaluate the use of the n-word and categorize it as hate speech, no matter who uses it."
Calls to Sharpton's home and to his National Action Network on Wednesday were not returned.
Richards, who played the kooky neighbor Kramer on the TV show "Seinfeld," lashed out at the hecklers last week during a performance at West Hollywood's Laugh Factory. A video of his rant then appeared on TMZ.com.
In a subsequent satellite appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show," Richards said his remarks were fueled by anger, not bigotry.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said in a statement Wednesday that the tirade and anti-Semitic comments by Mel Gibson earlier this year point to a pervasive trend in American culture, and that Richards' declaration "is indicative of the type of denial that too often accompanies racist rhetoric."
Rubenstein, whose media relations firm specializes in "crisis management" according to the firm's Web site, said he had never met or spoken to Richards before the actor called him.
Clients of Rubenstein's firm include Amazon.com, the New York Yankees, ABC Inc., Walt Disney Co., Time Inc., News Corp. (NWS), Columbia University, the NAACP Image Awards and Bloomberg L.P., according to the Web site.
"I've been very involved in the African-American community for 25 to 30 years," Rubenstein said. "It would be a tragedy if this exacerbated our race relations. I hope I can help. ... It's always been an effort on my part to improve African-American and Jewish ethnic relations."
As for reports that Richards shouted out anti-Semitic remarks during another standup comedy routine in April, Rubenstein confirmed his client did, but that he was only role-playing.
"He's Jewish. He's not anti-Semitic at all. He was role-playing, he was playing a part. He did use inappropriate language, but he doesn't have any anti-Semitic feelings whatsoever," Rubenstein said.
If Lenny Bruce were alive today, they'd want to string him up! But nobody seems to remember Lenny.
"Ah made it back to the leadership in the Senate mahself. Groveling is good. Groveling works." -- T. Lott
His being confused as a Jew because of the character he played can result in some strange consequences and excuses.
I am willing to bet he is not Jewish, "Unnamed sources" and all.
.......................................................
KRAZY KRAMER WENT OFF ON A JEW RANT, TOO
By HASANI GITTENS and DAVID K. LI
November 23, 2006 -- Michael Richards spewed anti-Semitic rants during a show earlier this year, witnesses said yesterday, as sickening new details of the comic's recent racist tirade came to light.
Two customers at a Richards performance last spring told the celebrity-news Web site tmz.com that the "Seinfeld" comic - who is Jewish - lashed out at Jews after he was heckled onstage.
"Michael Richards said, 'You're a f- - -ing Jew.' Your people are the cause of Jesus dying," said witness Carol Oschin, recalling an April 22 act at The Improv in Los Angeles.
Richards soon stormed off stage, leaving audience members as confused as they were offended, said Oschin and another witness, J.P. Fillet.
"We didn't know if this was part of the act . . . He was getting very [verbally] violent, very agitated," Oschin said.
Richards, in frantic damage-control mode, hired New York p.r. maestro Howard Rubenstein yesterday. And the famed mouthpiece confirmed his client used anti-Semitic words that night in California.
"He is Jewish and he said, 'I'm absolutely not anti-Semitic,' " Rubenstein said. "He acknowledged that he said those things. He said that he was role-playing and playing a character. He said, 'There is no way I'm anti-Jewish.' "
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11232006/news/regionalnews/krazy_kramer_went_off_on_a_jew_rant__too_regionalnews_hasani_gittens__________and_david_k__li.htm
Excellent as usual. Looking fine, too!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and the horde too!
Yes, a black UT on one of the cable shows defending Richards insisted he was Catholic, but I'll take it from Rubenstein's mouth.
Richards had a certain antic charm, but he fell victim to the Seinfeld Curse, as his talents were meager and his whack-job persona unfortunately close to his real persona. A real one-trick pony!
And the blacks in the audience weren't even heckling him, according to attendees at the event, but talking to each other and ignoring him, which probably insulted this thin-skinned marginal-sociopath past the breaking point.
When he told them to shut up, reportedly they kidded that he couldn't even get hired in a movie, which sent him ballistic. Then the n-word spewed out of his mouth.
If this Jew wants to make amends with the black community, why doesn't he hire a black PR expert, instead of a grandstanding jackass masquerading as a friend of the black race? Or like the leftie blogs, put on blackface?
Notice the quote. Rubenstein says he is Jewish. Richards is only quoted as saying "I'm absolutely not anti-Semitic,"
I'm betting this issue will be clarified in the next few days.
To all,
I don't recall if Pee Wee Herman apologized to anyone but he certainly hasn't worked much since he offended whomever it was that he offended.
He wants to heal the tremendous wound that he's inflicted on the American public
Thank you! We'll be feeding them a ton of food in a couple of hours.
Well, he's certainly got the irrational thinking of the liberal crew down pat. . . is there any liberal who's not a hypocrite?
PULEEZE!
We all need that crisis expert!
Enough of this idiocy!
No one gives a rat's patootie what he called those idiots.
Why fall for this fake "news"? It's total crap!
Once again, who cares a wit about "Kramer"?
I agree, how many times have you heard a white person refer to another white person as cracker or honky?
yep, that's exactly why i feel as i do. saw him on t.v. and made me think. imagine that, thinking. what a concept.
I'll take it one step further. It's okay for mexican and black comedians to refer to whites as crackers and honkys and "you white people" in their routines. Nobody seems to be outraged when this occurs, and it occurs on a daily basis in clubs, television and recordings. We've been so desensitized and dumbed down to accept this form of reverse discrimination. This whole issue is hypocricy at it's finest. I don't advocate name calling period. But if an "ethnic" comedian does it, it's acceptable? And if a white comedian does it, it's not? Bullcrap. Rules apply across the board in my book.
Second school of thought on this is I agree with a few other posters hinting on this being a "stunt". Those old enough might remember Richards pulling off a "fight" during a skit between himself and Andy Kauffman back in the 80's on an ABC show called "Fridays". For years the public thought it was a real fight and some still believe it was. Years later RIchards would publicy grin about the issue as if you say, you make up your own mind. So it was publicity at it's finest for both Richards and Kauffman (Kauffman was a publicity whore rather than ingenious talent IMHO anyway). But that scene alone launch Richards into the limelight.
Yes! The deranged Bush=basher retort cures all ills.
Yes! The deranged Bush=basher retort cures all ills.
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