Patricia Heaton
Posted on 01/18/2003 9:09:01 PM PST by Z in Oregon
For "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Patricia Heaton, the last straw came when a performer at the 30th annual American Music Awards made graphic references to three-way sex. That, and, perhaps, Sharon Osbourne's joke about what she called Mariah Carey's "fake" endowments.
Patricia Heaton |
Though the actress was at the awards show to introduce a pre-recorded retrospective of executive producer Dick Clark's annual music show, enough was enough. She walked out of the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, disgusted by what she called "an onslaught of lewd jokes and off-color remarks."
A two-time Emmy winner for her portrayal of Debra Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond," the sitcom star had grown increasingly upset with the raw and raunchy comments made by presenters, performers and the hosts for last Monday's show – the infamous Osbournes.
"I'm no prude, but this was such a vulgar and disgusting show," Heaton told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Heaton marches to the beat of her own drummer in an industry not known for such politically incorrect thinking. She even boasts Rush Limbaugh among her personal friends.
"I arrived a little late and was seated in the audience," Heaton said. "I was going to present what's called a video package – a look at 30 years of the American Music Awards. Well, what was passing for humor basically ranged from stupid to vulgar, and I just thought, 'I'm not going to be part of this.' So I walked out and said, 'Get me my car. I'm leaving.'"
Even the show-business industry publications and reporters covering the event noted the Osbournes and other performers kept the ABC network censors working overtime. Print advertisements for the live awards event showed a roaring Ozzy Osbourne saying, "I'll be bleeped!"
"The entire evening became about bleeping," said Heaton. "It was as if they were trying to become more like the MTV awards. But it's one thing if this kind of stuff is on MTV at 10 at night. It's quite another if it's on ABC at 8 o'clock. I don't know what Dick Clark was thinking."
She continued: "I really didn't know what I was getting into. I mean, there was Ryan Seacrest pulling open his co-presenter's shirt, then noticing there was a 12-year-old girl in the front row. And he says, 'Don't worry, honey, you'll have a pair of these soon.' And everybody went crazy. It felt like I was in the Roman Colosseum. As far as I'm concerned, it was an affront to anyone with a shred of dignity, self-respect and intelligence."
Will Heaton take heat in Hollywood for her decision? She's not expecting it.
"And if there is," she said, "who cares? When I was waiting for my car, one of the security people came up to me and said, 'I just want you to know how much I admire what you're doing.' So I wasn't the only one who felt this way. The camera coordinator for the awards was our camera coordinator from 'Raymond.' And when I walked on the set the next day, he started applauding."
Very cool.
Utterly fearless.
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I wrote her just such an e-mail and asked her to do what she could to clean up the language on ELR. Every episode contains one or more of the following words: Crap, ass, bastard, hell, bitch, damn. Ironically, there has been at least one episode poking fun at fake breasts.
Yes, yes, I know these are mild compared to the repeated use of the "F" word but still, ELR is a family show and those words are not family friendly.
I hang on Fox News, A&E (esp. their historical movies like Horatio Hornblower, The Crossing and Benedict Arnold), and the Travel Channel. And the Weather Channel, I'd rather see "fightful" snowstorms than listen to frightful language.
I'll bet she already is but has to pick her battles.
Done
Shes principled i say thumbs up we dont have that caliber of people show up in hollyweird often in fact i think you could be able to count them on one hand MAYBE!
That all depends on whether people like you express support for her actions.
e-mail at http://www.everybodylovesray.com
I liked them until the AMA when i sat down to watch them with my family that took any kind of like i had for them completely away they were an disgrace to say the least my children dont need to see such things on standard telivision needless to say 15 minutes in it was changed to something else!
By the way my kids dont watch the osbornes on MTV either so that was the first time she seen them and if i have anything to do with it it will be her last at least untill shes old enough to understand ignorance in humans.
RIGHT ON i love woman with intelligence
How anyone can watch that drug-addled buffoon is beyone me.
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