HBO shoves Rev. Robinson and D.C. Gay Men’s Chorus in the Closet

[bluedawg12]

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/
Gene Robinson’s Invocation Shoved Into HBO’s Closet
Jim Burroway
January 18th, 2009

When the Obama Inaugural committee announced that the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal Bishop, would deliver the invocation at the “We Are The One” concert at the Lincoln Memorial, it was seen as an olive branch to the gay community, still seething over the selection of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation for the Inauguration itself.

The announcement that Rick Warren was selected came just days after Warren compared gay relationships to incest, child rape and polygamy. But by pointing out that Rev. Robinson’s invocation would come at the start of the HBO-aired live concert in front of one of America’s best-loved memorials, this high-profile announcement was portrayed as a separate-but-almost-equal bookend to Warren’s invocation at the Capital steps.

Well, except it turned out not to be nearly so equal. In yet another deep insult to injury, HBO did not air Rev. Robinson’s invocation. The salve to the gay community meant to calm the outrage over Warren’s selection was for naught. Hundreds of millions around the world will hear Warren’s invocation on Tuesday. But today, the only ones to hear Rev. Robinson’s prayer were those thousands who were present at the mall. Robinson’s prayer wasn’t aired live, nor was it aired during the 7:00 p.m. rebroadcast.

And guess what else was shoved into the closet? The D.C. Gay Men’s Chorus singing with Josh Groban. Unlike every other performer, they came and went without being identified.

These snubs are inexcusable. Did HBO cave in the face of conservative outcries over Rev. Robinson’s selection for this event? Did the Inaugural committee rush Rev. Robinson onstage and off before the broadcast was slated to begin? Whatever the case may be, this is a cold slap. HBO has some serious explaining to do, as does the Inaugural committee.

Harvey Milk is screaming in his metaphorical grave right now.

You can call HBO at 212-512-1208 Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Update: Courtesy of Mike Tidmus, here are some additional contacts at HBO:

Quentin Schaffer
Executive Vice President
HBO Corporate Communications
Phone [phone]

Jeff Cusson
Senior Vice President
HBO Corporate Communications
Phone [phone]

[Chovexani]

1. That is pretty ironic

Considering one of HBO's best shows has incest, child rape, and polygamy on it (and they've been showing promos for it non-stop). But oh noes we can't show teh gayz and their prayer. :P

I wonder wtf was on their mind? HBO usually isn't like that, and it's not like there are advertisers they need to avoid offending. Besides, the average HBO viewer is not a pearl-clutching fundie.

Was this a directive from someone on the planning committee or something?

[Vanje]

2. Well Damn

Just damn

[zazen]

3. prob. more insensitive than deliberate--harder to sell the DVD with _any_ prayer at the top

Also, I think there were a few different choirs that they didn't identify, right? I never saw the first (and main) one identified--only the Marine glee club, and was their female lead singer a member or someone else?

I really do think HBO was thinking of this more in terms of a tightly managed TV production, which has its own implications, and that having any prayer (by a Christian, Jew, Hindi, straight man, gay woman, what have you) at the beginning would make it a tougher sell in the months and years ahead. The minister delivering the invocation was only recently named, which tells me it wasn't ever front and center of their planning. It probably didn't occur to them what an affront this was until afterward.

[bluedawg12]

11. Don't they like have an edit thingy button?

:eyes:

I thought they said, he'd been invited for a long time?

[dkf]

4. Now we have to listen to sermons simply because the person is pro GLBT?

As an agnostic I find this offensive. I'm glad I didn't have to listen to a sermon. THANK YOU HBO!

[Zuiderelle]

7. I see that you've been keeping up with the whole Warren/Obama controversy here.

:eyes:

[bluedawg12]

12. We were hoping for inclusion and validation on a national level.

I think of it less as a prayer, more like words of wisdom.

[nichomachus]

20. Actually, this agnostic found it quite good

You should stop your knees from jerking and read it

[meegbear]

5. At least America was saved from catching 'Teh Gay' ...

Lord knows what would have happened.

[bluedawg12]

13. There would have been wanton chaos. Like the marching band.

shamless approval of "that lifestyle."

[Creideiki]

22. And we don't have Nazis, armbands, and concentration camps

to protect us. Remember: this is all to protect us gays.

[NorthCarolina]

6. It was the Obama Team and not HBO

Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson's prayer, HBO said via email, "The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show." Uncertain as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show, we followed up, but none of the spokespeople available Sunday night could answer that question with absolute certainty. However, it does seem that the network's position is that they had nothing to do with the decision.

[bluedawg12]

14. Interesting. Sounds so familiar, off the bus, not even under.

[PerpetuallyDazed]

8. Was it on CSPAN?

I missed the Obama event coverage this weekend, but hubby says he was watching it on and off on CSPAN.

[bluedawg12]

15. Don't know. I watched it on MSNBC and there was nothing about GR

just the wait for the PE, his brief speech and that's all I saw, not sure if the chorus was on or not, I had to leave. Anyone watch it on CNN or MSNBC.

[Critters2]

19. The concert wasn't on CSPAN. Only HBO was contracted to show the concert.

At the same time, CSPAN was showing Bill Press's event with progressive talk radio personalities. Which was great!

[Crowman1979]

9. HBO isn't what it use to be!

Back in the 90's they were actually pretty informative and had some great shows like "Dream On," "The Larry Sanders Show," and "Real Sex." Plus they use to make pretty good movies such as the film adaption for "And the Band Played On." Nowadays its all about shock value and glorifying morbidly obese italian mobsters.

[Chovexani]

26. LOL. Dream On. Okay.

The fact that you think The Sopranos glorified the mob tells me you never actually watched it. I also have to LOL at citing Real Sex as an example of the "old, good" HBO and then complaining that the network is all about shock value now. What possible reason was there in showing old people wearing bonnets and rolling around in jello? (And I say this as someone who likes the show--which, btw, is still going strong despite being made completely irrelevant by the internet.)

HBO is still consistently putting out the best original series on TV. Carnivale was fucking brilliant, as was Rome, and Deadwood, and Six Feet Under, and lord help them they even managed to turn those shitty Sookie Stackhouse books into a halfway decent show. John Adams pretty much swept the Golden Globes for good reason. Pretty much every smart or "edgy" show on regular cable is trying to ape them, for good reason.

If I sound like a ranting HBO fangirl, I am, because if it wasn't for them no one would know about the West Memphis Three case outside a tiny handful of Wiccan organizations. By championing both documentaries on it, it gave that case so much publicity, probably to the point where three wrongly convicted men are still alive today because of it.

[Crowman1979]

28. OK, you have me with Carnivale!

That show was awesome! Plus I haven't watched TV on a regular basis in years.

[donco6]

29. Whatever happened to Carnivale, anway?

I was just getting into it and POOF, gone.

[xchrom]

10. quelle surprise. nt

[bluedawg12]

16. "Prop8 the Musical" parent Co. hires DOMA author, see a pattern?

Money corrupts and more money corrupts more absolutely. :evilgrin:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=115278&mesg_id=115278


We shall see, the details will come out as to who turned a national prayer and symbolic affirmation into a "missing event."

[tbyg52]

17. >>Unlike every other performer, they came and went without being identified.

I'm assuming this was during the actual concert, so they (whoever the heck "they" turns out to be) can't claim it was "pre-ceremony" like "they" did with Robinson?

That one is even more over the top, to me. I don't see how it could have been accidental.

[jberryhill]

31. That part is not true

And I've FF'd through the replay twice now. There were several unidentified choirs backing up solo performers. The solo performers were identified in the broadcast, but there was no identification of the choir which backed up Bruce Springsteen, the one which backed up Garth brooks, etc.

[tbyg52]

32. Yes, I'd heard that

(Not seen, as I don't have cable, unfortunately - too cheap.)

I still wish they had introduced all the choruses.

[jberryhill]

33. So do I

Given the evident effort and pride they all demonstrated, it would have been nice if they were all identified.

One might think that a decision was made not to identify any of the choral groups, so that the gay chorus would not be identified. I could believe that.

[tbyg52]

35. I could *easily* believe that. nt

[bluedawg12]

18. It wasn't "just a prayer" the reich wing understood what it would mean

to show openly gay people on world wide TV--and as we have read from Dr. GarywingnutCass, they hated it.

>>The Flamboyant Homosexual Inaugural

Barack Obama's inauguration will have the dubious distinction of being the most perverted in our nation's history. Obama is not being subtle about either. One of America's most radical and destructive homosexual activists, "Bishop" Vickie Eugene Robinson of New Hampshire, in official inaugural activities will be offering the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial.

Robinson will be appearing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington D. C. which forces all Christians around the world to compromise their character if they want to watch the inauguration. <<

Let's reach out to Teh Gays but not overtly,thus, forcing "all Christians around the world to compromise their character if they want to watch the inauguration."

[nichomachus]

21. Don't blame HBO for the Robinson snub

Apparently, it was the Obama people who insisted that Robinson be part of the untelevised "pre-show."

http://www.afterelton.com/blog/michaeljensen/developing-hbo-not-blame-exclusion-gene-robinson

Sunday afternoon, HBO televised the Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial — a concert planned by the Presidential Inauguration Committee — to kick off the festivities surrounding Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.

Openly gay bishop Gene Robinson delivered the opening prayer before the start of the concert, but the prayer was not included as part of HBO's broadcast.

Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson's prayer, HBO said via email, "The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show."

[bluedawg12]

23. I posted that at 3:00 AM, since then new info has come out from HBO.

The PIC team placed Rev. Robinson on the pre-show schedule and guess what, he was not on the show, hence, pre-show.

[Libertyfirst]

24. That offends me even more than the selection of Warren. What

the hell else was in the "pre-show?" Well, if the "christians" had to compromise their "values' to listen to the Gay Mens Chorus, think of the compromise every decent American will have to make to see ( I damn sure will hit the mute button) Warren on the podium with Obama.

I think it can be said that gay america was pushed back in the closet yesterday.

[Chovexani]

27. I knew it couldn't have been a network decision

That is such typical bullshit for Team Obama though. Way to treat one of the most loyal Democratic constituencies like the crazy old aunt you keep in the attic away from company.

[HillbillyBob]

25. Oh I ll be calling, I would rather write, I can stop and think the best way to

put their eye out figuratively. We watched HBO, and I thought I had just misplaced that he was to be there, now Im pissed and we have HBO for Bill Maher and events like this , we got satellite or we might as well not bother. No cable in the boonies we had the landline taken out because it was so bad that if I wanted to call 911 pfui.
Shoot got sidetracked. I was in the pickup listenin to NPR and it came up.
I was flabbergasted (tryin to use something like polite language), I was offended, I had to come look in here to see if there was a thread on it.
I Will Be calling though.
My partner said there was a notice on HBO that there were 'technical problems'
Apology bs.

[patrice]

30. I'm disappointed and I'm not the only one. I don't see how that benefits team Obama."Technical

Difficulties"? Is sabotage possible? Robinson's exclusion seems VERY odd to me.

Please don't flame me. This just doesn't make sense. Having Bishop Robinson there was ONLY all win for Democrats.

GLBT is one of the most committed, organized, and powerful constituencies out there and you have had a foot in both parties historically. Who would benefit the most from pissing you off? Would sabotage really be so hard to do? There's a lot at stake and those who implemented the deaths of 10s of thousand of innocent people can and will do anything.

[MNBrewer]

34. I foresee lots of "technical difficulties" for gay rights, and gay visibility in the near future.