blackface

People

Kamahl Gives Up On Wondering Why Hey Hey Is So Unkind

9:40AM Clem Bastow | One stalwart of the Hey Hey salad days who was noticeably absent from the pair of reunion shows was Malaysian-born Aussie crooner Kamahl, whose “Why are people so unkind?” cry became something of a punchline for the variety show. While he always appeared to take the show’s comedy-at-his-expense on the chin, he has now decided – after an endurance-testing 25+ years of their hazing ribbing – to speak out. More »
Small Screen

‘Jackson Jive’ Spokesman Wins Pulitzer Prize For Comedy

8:44AM Clem Bastow | Hopefully soon Australia will work out exactly what it is about blackface that is offensive and racist, but in the meantime, team of “intelligent” doctors that made up “The Jackson Jive” continue to amuse/horrify with their naive quote-spewing. Are you ready to LAUGH? More »
Flotsam & Jetsam

Blackface: A Guide For The Average Australian

5:43PM Clem Bastow | Are you an average true-blue Aussie keen to comment on a news item regarding last night’s Hey Hey/Red Faces gaffe? Do you, like many average true-blue Aussies, think that “blackface” just means “pretending to be African American, like Robert Downey Jr. in that funny movie about the Vietnam war”? More »
Small Screen

Hey Hey We’re Not All Racist Down Here, You Know

10:37AM Clem Bastow | In case you needed any clue as to the implications of last night’s Red Faces blackface routine, “The Jackson Jive”, vis Australia’s worldwide cultural/diplomatic standing, our American friends in fact beat us to the cringing punch this morning. Now, we just need to chuck another prawn on the barbie, sit back, and bask in the rest of the world’s collective horror: More »
Small Screen

In Australia, Blackface Is Still Only Slightly Offensive

4:29AM Brian Moylan | Last night an Australian variety show aired a skit with five white men in blackface performing as the Jackson 5. And the audience cheered! Thank goodness Harry Connick Jr was there to be the voice of reason. More »