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Posted Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11:39 AM

Harry Connick Jr. Blows Up at Blackface Michael Jackson Impersonator

Sarah Ball


Asked to appear on the Australian variety hour Hey Hey It's Saturday as a guest judge, Harry Connick Jr. sputters in disbelief when a Jackson 5 impersonation group entirely in blackface appears onstage. He first gives the group a 0 scorecard for the performance while the audience boos; later, at about 4:40 into the clip, Connick launches into an impassioned race-relations lecture explaining why blackface is a bad thing. "If I knew that was going to be a part of the show, I definitely wouldn't have done it," Connick declares on live TV.  The host appears genuinely surprised.

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Member Comments

Posted By: bobbi_ko (October 12, 2009 at 12:50 PM)

SteadyEddie may not have articulated his point very well, but I do accept the point he is making.  Hey Hey Its Saturday used the blackface skit because the September 11th Dancers weren't available.


Posted By: soook (October 12, 2009 at 2:38 AM)

This is funny, real funny."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpo_MREQ-sg&feature=related  ",but not racist  (maybe to some)


Posted By: spiggits (October 11, 2009 at 8:16 AM)

SteadyEddie,

Please don't speak for an entire nation.  Those are your views, and thankfully, not a fair repesentation of how Australian's think.

I am, by birth, Australian.  However being brought up in a country with an active 'racial' discourse (NZ), I believe I have a pretty fair idea of what racism looks like, sounds like and feels like.

There is no debate that a blackface routine has racist connotations.  Absolutley stupid to debate that fact.  Even the performers have admitted this.  The offence was unintentional, but it was there, for lots of us.  The fact it wasn't intended isn't the issue.

You have no right to make claims on behalf of Australians.  Make your points, but do not be so self centered to assume you talk for all of us.

Lastly, SteadyEddie, any comment about Australians 'racial history' made in this dicussion has not be slander.  In fact, its been rather lite.  The history of race relations between white immigrants, and the First Nation people here is TERRIBLE.  Total erridication policy, managing aboriginal peoples under the 'flora and funa' act, until 1969.  Yes, not a typo, 1969.  Whole mobs wiped out through poison, small pox infected blankets, and arsnic in the flour.... and thats just the history of the people in a 50km radius of my home...

But I wont go on.  Read your own history before speaking.  Understand it.  Speak your truth then.  But please, don't make us look worse than we already do.