Thursday, October 26, 2006
Patricia Heaton, Others Counter Michael J. Fox Ad
Patricia Heaton and other celebrities are countering Michael J. Fox's pro-science ad irunning in Missouri with their own ad arguing against stem-cell research. Certainly Fox wins on artistic points: the Michael J. Fox ad is moving and direct; the Patricia Heaton ad looks like it was filmed by high school students, with bad audio. And as Andrew Sullivan says, is Jim Caviziel speaking in tongues at the beginning of the ad? (I assume it's Aramaic or Latin or some such language to appeal to Christian conservatives, but isn't it awfully off-putting to everyone else since you spend half the ad wondering what he said? On the other hand, Fox News' Roger Friedman suggests it's a surprise Patricia Heaton is a conservative. But she's been open about her views for many years, speaking out while she was on "Everybody Loves Raymond" in favor of pro-life/anti-choice legislation and still won Emmys. The suggestion that her political views will hurt her career is out of date: it would have happened a long time ago and the industry wouldn't have given her its hiughest award if they wanted to ostracize her. Has she had other hits since "Raymond?" not so much, but most TV stars rarely have more than one hit.
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3 comments:
Isn't the bigger news here Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding the Michael J. Fox ad?
"Now, this is Michael J. Fox. He's got Parkinson's disease. And in this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He is moving all around and shaking. And it's purely an act. This is the only time I have ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has…. this is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting, one of the two."
Also, the Heaton ad included such luminaries as Kurt Warner, Jeff Suppan, and Mike Sweeney. Wonder how their fans feel about that. Could you imagine Derek Jeter or Eli Manning doing something like that?
Joe,
Everyone has known where Warner has stood for years and Sweeney comes to the plate with DC Talk's "Jesus Freak" playing. I didn't know that Suppan was in the same camp, but I would say that fans of these players are already well aware of their social, political and religious leanings.
Now, if Jeter or wither of the Mannings came out in an ad like this it would be a huge story since they all have been very PC throughout their careers.
I don't think there's anything un-PC about taking a political stance. If it's okay for Suppan, it's ok for the Dixie Chicks though. Done respectfully and at appropriate times, I don't think fans would care about Jeter or anyone making their views known. As long as they're not linked to some radical hate stance, what's the problem? People of good faith can politely disagree on stem cell (even though the vast majority of Americans support scientific research). If Giambi can wear a t-shirt that says "Play like a superstar, party like a rockstar, fuck like a porn star" then why should anyone else be offended by someone proclaiming their faith. I skipped the Limbaugh stuff (which was truly vile) because I was a day late and a dollar short. I do think anyone who wants to go on Limbaugh should have to condemn that hateful comment. How long do people like Limbaugh and Coulter have to say radical, extremist things before people like the Vice President feel embarrassed to appear with them.
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