The red faces reprise skit(on HEY HEY Reunion)of a 1980's send up of Michael Jackson first caused "dismay by a visiting US star then 'world wide' racist controversy".

This was widely covered in news teasers by other commercial TV stations.

From what I under understand the international comment was no more than a 15 second news item in UK.

It was expanded to a couple of talking heads and less than 30 seconds on US Fox.

Given the the show was a ratings grabber for 4 hours prime time over two weeks.

Is this "controversy" :
- a storm in a tea cup,
- sulking other commercial TV networks,
- misplaced satire (just plain tacky),
- an example of background racism in Aust,
- an example of abuse of the media's self serving cheer leading
(creating, by sensationalising), rather than simply reporting real news?

I would like to know how else anyone could do a parody of the Jacksons? Or are the Jacksons and other black identities exempt from parody? Should they have left out the paint and just held up signs saying "the jacksons"? Wouldnt have been very funny or much of a parody would it?

If that connick fool hadnt been there or hadnt said anything it would have passed without a murmur. The same way all the sexism, bigotry and childishness that is hey hey gets ignored and forgotten as the lightweight tripe it is.

I have never before seen such a mass hysteria incident over something so petty.

The whole thing is a media beat up.
And the bloke who started it a fool.
No racism here just highlighting Jackson for some is a figure of fun.
Put me in that number his color change is weird I know a bloke who has that illness he is a wonderful bloke but his skin is patchy not uniform.
Poor old adopted Aussie star has been bought into this but he too by his manner and actions has often been his own reason to be laughed at.
Would we be offended if it was a black man in white face?
I think not humor is not always well based but it was harmless here.

Unfortunately incidents like this always provide fertile ground for feigned indignation.

The American himself who made up all the fuss had previously painted himself as a black preacher in a very mocking way. Total hypocrisy. You can't make comedy of a man who at very best slept with young boys but its fine to make fun of black preacher. Very similar to the Bush/Howard haters who complain and scream racism every time Obama is mocked.

Examinator:

I too watched "Hey,Hey" and I personally was astonished to see the self-serving beat-up by Connick and I felt very sorry and embarassed for Darryl having to apologize to "the world" for a simple comedy sketch that Connick turned into a farce of perceived racial prejudice, to simply make mileage for his obviously, and now understandable, waning public image!

Harry Connick Jnr should wake up to himself and clean around his own back-door before he starts making big issues out of nothing, simply to gain cheap media attention!.....( I don`t know whether anyone else has noticed but he even sings with a sneer on his face!).