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Loading ...New star-studded video protests Prop 8
12.04.2008 12:34pm EST
(New York City) Since Proposition 8 passed in California, much of Hollywood has been up in arms. Now, they are singing and dancing, too, in a new Web video called “Prop 8: The Musical.”
The video was posted Wednesday on FunnyOrDie.com, the video site co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The site has found a niche in getting professional talent to quickly create topical comedy videos.“Prop 8: The Musical” may be a 3-minute Internet video, but it has a blockbuster cast – including Jack Black (who plays Jesus), Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, Rashida Jones and others.
Though Jesus doesn’t bring the two sides together, Harris has better luck. He argues gay marriage could save the economy: “Every time a gay or lesbian finds love at the parade, there’s money to be made.”
The video was conceived and written by Marc Shaiman, the Tony Award-winning composer of “Hairspray” and “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” McKay, who had previously collaborated with Shaiman on the song-and-dance routine Ferrell, Black and Reilly did at the Oscars earlier this year, sent him an e-mail floating the idea of a video.
Shaiman had been involved in a more serious debate over Proposition 8.
After voters approved Proposition 8, which changed the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage, it was revealed that Scott Eckern, the artistic director of the California Musical Theater in Sacramento (the state’s largest nonprofit musical theater company) had donated $1,000 to the “Yes on 8″ campaign.
Shaiman’s “Hairspray” had played at the theater and he said he would never allow anything he wrote to play there because of Eckern’s donation. Others protested and Eckern resigned in November.
In an interview Wednesday, Shaiman regretted that it came to Eckern losing his job and said: “It’s a tragedy for everyone involved. You’ll certainly see that no one called for him to resign.”
The video for Funny or Die was a lighter-hearted protest.
Shaiman wrote the piece in a day, recorded it the next and shot it in a single day last week.
“It was like, `Eureka! That’s right, that’s what I do!” said Shaiman of the mini-musical. “If I’m going to stand on the soap box, at least let me sing and dance.”
Okay, I know this is going to come off as kinda nit-picky so I just wanna preface my statement with an appreciation of any support as it will be necessary for the future of our struggle….
That being said…
Does anyone else feel that all this support we’ve gotten since Prop 8 passed feel like its a day late and a dollar short?
What good does this do?
It’s a musical. Are there really that many people who watch musicals that aren’t already in favor of equal marriage rights?
I mean, come ON!!!
Yes, Ross …it does feel that way… I blame part of it on EQ CA who said that they had everything well in hand…just send them money and they would produce ads.
Well, we did and they did, but they were ‘horrible’, not one addressing ….the problem of GLBT relationships being considered, immoral, sinful and second classs.
So we lost…and so many were counting on California marriage to swing others to our view of wanting everyone to be able to LOVE, and have families and security in homes, and jobs and health… the 1000+ ways HET couples are different.
So NOW we must continue the fight… but we all must stay loud if it is not being done correctly.
Want some good discussion on this? See PHB today … where
the writer reminds us that in this country EQUAL CIVIL RIGHTS for minorities need to be LOUDLY spoken up for and DEFENDED. e.g. Rosa Parks was fed up with being treated as a 2nd class citizen and SAID SO!…look what it started?
so remember …. “It’s not group popularity that wins struggles like ours. It’s perseverance! If you really believe your cause is just, then you won’t let legal or political setbacks stifle your activism. ”
(pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=C790DB004CB407A8B4BE3D8B628C093F?diaryId=8485)
I agree with the other posts.
The movement could use more political pragmatism and less day-late-dollar-short attempts to preach to the choir to show how cool they are with our struggle. I can’t think of a purpose that video serves other than to revel in how much we all already agree with each other. It’s not going to “create movement” on the issue.
True Ross. Maybe a lesson learned?
Quoted from above.
Shaiman’s “Hairspray” had played at the theater and he said he would never allow anything he wrote to play there because of Eckern’s donation. Others protested and Eckern resigned in November.
In an interview Wednesday, Shaiman regretted that it came to Eckern losing his job and said: “It’s a tragedy for everyone involved. You’ll certainly see that no one called for him to resign.”
~~~~~~~~~
The hypocrisy of this statement is so abhorrent that it goes beyond belief. Shaiman “refuses” to let any of his pieces play there, others call for a boycott of the theater, threats of violence are mailed and called in to the theatre, and protests are threatened.
These acts of violence were all from the gay community who preaches tolerance of different view points. But, as soon as they decide you aren’t following the party line, they pull out all the stops and ruin the career of a man who has been very supportive of gay playwrights, actors, stage hands and crew.
What, do you think he staffed all of his shows with straights?
Maybe Shaiman didn’t call for his resignation, but he helped create a toxic, hostile, and dangerous environment that forced him out.
Disgusting.
Advizor said: “Maybe Shaiman didn’t call for his resignation, but he helped create a toxic, hostile, and dangerous environment that forced him out.”
Maybe Eckern should have thought about that before he decided to donate $1,000 to Yes on 8 which helps to create a toxic, hostile, and dangerous environment for LGBT people.