An incident involving actor/singer Harry Connick Jr. during his appearance as a judge on an Australian variety show is causing an international stir. The evening turned tense when an act performed in blackface, prompting Connick - himself once entangled in the sensitive issue - to give some tough talk on-air.
The show in question, "Hey, Hey It's Saturday," is a bit of a cultural institution in Australia, having run from 1971 to 1999; Connick was on the show to judge a reunion special. The controversial skit involved five doctors, aka "The Jackson Jive," performing a parody of the Jackson Five. The group, host Daryl Somers told viewers, had performed the identical routine 20 years ago when they were medical students.
Here's the "Today" show segment on the incident. (Viewers should be aware that footage from the show and blackface skit is featured).
After a visibly uncomfortable Connick gave the group a "0" for their performance during the judging portion, the show cut to commercial, when Connick made his alleged abrupt exit. Back on air Somers apologized for offending Connick, a New Orleans native whose musical schooling came from many of the city's African-American jazz musicians: "I know that to your countrymen, that's an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologize to you."
In response Connick said: "We've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart ... If I knew that would be part of the show, I probably, I definitely wouldn't have done it."
His stance has garnered praise but the publicity's also resurrected an ironic incident from Connick's own past. In 1996 he slightly darkened his skin to portray an African-American preacher when he appeared as a guest on the American sketch comedy show "MADtv." Some comments, as noted in this Movieline.com post, have turned heated, with Connick a target. "If you want a perfect example of hypocrisy, then look at this skit," writes user Ranz Sunni of the YouTube clip of Connick's sketch.
In a statement on the firestorm Thursday Connick spoke for the performers and himself: "Those of you who have seen my shows or seen me in several comedic skits on TV know that I have absolutely no problem with comedic send-ups or making fun of myself or others ... I do not believe that the performers intended any harm."
-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.
