Fly to your happy place!
Emmy Plane Crash Skit Called InsensitiveMonday, August 28, 2006 9:10 AM EDT The Associated Press By GARY GENTILE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was meant to be funny. But a fake plane crash during the opening Emmy awards skit made many cringe on Sunday — the same day 49 people died in a fiery plane crash in Kentucky.The skit, aired live at the start of NBC's Emmy telecast, brought a swift response from the general manager of NBC's Lexington, Ky., affiliate, WLEX."It was a live telecast. We were completely helpless," Tim Gilbert was quoted as saying on the Lexington Herald-Leader's Web site."By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home," Gilbert said.
The prerecorded opening segment began with Emmy host Conan O'Brien boarding a private plane to Los Angeles. Asked by a stewardess if he was nervous about hosting the show, O'Brien answered "Nervous? What could possibly go wrong?"The plane then shook and pitched violently, sending O'Brien out of his seat and seeking shelter in an overhead baggage compartment.The skit didn't show the plane crashing. Instead, it cut to O'Brien emerging from the ocean onto an island resembling the one in "Lost," where he meets a cast member.
The skit aired live on NBC just hours after a commuter jet in Kentucky crashed into a field and burst into flames, killing all aboard except a co-pilot.Gilbert said he plans to ask NBC for an apology."They could have killed the opening and it wouldn't have hurt the show at all," Gilbert said. "We wish somebody had thought this through. It's somewhere between ignorance and incompetence."
There's an acronym on the Internet that sums up this situation nicely. STFU. Why Dalt, you insensitive bastard! How dare you! Well kids, it's simple. First off, stuff happens. As long as there's gravity and we try to beat it, planes will crash. What about the other TV shows and movies that showed plane crashes that aired that night? Should we have "killed the opening" (nice word choice Gilbert, how insensitive) or maybe the entire show? What else should we have put in place? Happy waterfalls and meadows? Grow up! Bad things happen, but we face them and move on. The other point is, maybe the producers didn't know that a plane crashed. Is there a staff position that scours the news, looking to find stories that relate to the show about to be aired, ready to "kill" the potentially insensitive segments? No? Well, there should be. I have the right to never be offended, to never be exposed to reality. If the preceding sounds as questionable to you as it did to me, you can stop reading now. As for those of you who vehemently agree that you have the right to never be offended or troubled by reality, listen up. Find a tall building, at least say, ten stories, and fly away to your happy place. Just think happy thoughts and fly! Everything will be fine and you'll make everyone else around you happy too!
LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was meant to be funny. But a fake plane crash during the opening Emmy awards skit made many cringe on Sunday — the same day 49 people died in a fiery plane crash in Kentucky.The skit, aired live at the start of NBC's Emmy telecast, brought a swift response from the general manager of NBC's Lexington, Ky., affiliate, WLEX."It was a live telecast. We were completely helpless," Tim Gilbert was quoted as saying on the Lexington Herald-Leader's Web site."By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home," Gilbert said.
The prerecorded opening segment began with Emmy host Conan O'Brien boarding a private plane to Los Angeles. Asked by a stewardess if he was nervous about hosting the show, O'Brien answered "Nervous? What could possibly go wrong?"The plane then shook and pitched violently, sending O'Brien out of his seat and seeking shelter in an overhead baggage compartment.The skit didn't show the plane crashing. Instead, it cut to O'Brien emerging from the ocean onto an island resembling the one in "Lost," where he meets a cast member.
The skit aired live on NBC just hours after a commuter jet in Kentucky crashed into a field and burst into flames, killing all aboard except a co-pilot.Gilbert said he plans to ask NBC for an apology."They could have killed the opening and it wouldn't have hurt the show at all," Gilbert said. "We wish somebody had thought this through. It's somewhere between ignorance and incompetence."
There's an acronym on the Internet that sums up this situation nicely. STFU. Why Dalt, you insensitive bastard! How dare you! Well kids, it's simple. First off, stuff happens. As long as there's gravity and we try to beat it, planes will crash. What about the other TV shows and movies that showed plane crashes that aired that night? Should we have "killed the opening" (nice word choice Gilbert, how insensitive) or maybe the entire show? What else should we have put in place? Happy waterfalls and meadows? Grow up! Bad things happen, but we face them and move on. The other point is, maybe the producers didn't know that a plane crashed. Is there a staff position that scours the news, looking to find stories that relate to the show about to be aired, ready to "kill" the potentially insensitive segments? No? Well, there should be. I have the right to never be offended, to never be exposed to reality. If the preceding sounds as questionable to you as it did to me, you can stop reading now. As for those of you who vehemently agree that you have the right to never be offended or troubled by reality, listen up. Find a tall building, at least say, ten stories, and fly away to your happy place. Just think happy thoughts and fly! Everything will be fine and you'll make everyone else around you happy too!
posted by Dalt Danyon at 11:49 AM
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