On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 8:36 PM, David Bruggeman <[email protected]> wrote:
> Song choice is probably a factor. Dark lighting is a bit much. Having Jon > Stewart and Ben Stiller read copy without making a joke is kind of stupid. > (I'll forgive doing the same with Chris Rock, since he was with Ali.) > > Whoever thought that the 9/11 telethon needed to be like the open wound we > were trying to recover from could use a good shaking, because that's what > we've been subject to ever since. > > And the freaking length of the on-the-ground clips is out of control. > > Let's think about the Labor Day Telethon. It mixes stuff up, has plenty of > lighter material, and still reminds you often enough about why they need the > dough. There may be plenty of other reasons why you aren't a fan, but it's > not persistently dour. > I see what Kevin and others are talking about, but I am not willing to praise the Labor Day Telethon too much. They lighten things up with corny humor, but they also manipulate with cheap exploitation and schmaltz. But I will give them this - the Lewis Telethon people, for the most part, have been committed to their cause throughout the year, and are not just showing up to do 10 minutes for tv exposure. These recent crisis telethons have much higher star wattage, but if they were cracking wise it would be harder to avoid the charge of dilettante-ism. They not only come across as dour and gloomy, but also as smug and self congratulatory for how sensitive and serious they are. But one shudders to think what Madonna and some of these others might do if the muzzles were taken off, so the straight jackets may be necessary. I do like the listen ins to the calls with the celebrities - you could just hear the female pastor who talked with Spielberg shout to friends as she hung up "Oh My God!..." which provided a little of the energy and excitement the rest of the program lacks. Bill Clinton was at Madison Square Garden this evening, did a half time interview from the court and schmoozed with Woody Allen - that was probably around 9:00 or 9:30 eastern time. Then I turn to my recording off of the pacific time telethon and who to I see but the Big C. I have lost track of the timing of these events, but it looks like he did his telethon pitch and then went over to the Garden - is that right? -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
