No Bishop on HBO

[sjbouza]

As many of you have seen, if you watched the concert on HBO last night, there was an absence. Rev Robinson's long awaited prayer was not aired. Many of you may be asking why. Well from what I have been reading, it was Obama's people that made the decision.

Here is from JoeMyGod...

After days of controversy and outrage from the religious right, openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson opened Barack Obama's inauguration concert on the National Mall today with a request that the nation pray for "understanding that our president is a human being and not a messiah."

But only the people AT the concert heard that, because HBO did not televise Robinson's message. Who engineered this blackout of Robinson? I suspect we'll hear lots about this in days to come.

UPDATE: It turns out that a lot the people at the concert did NOT hear Robinson either. There were sound "difficulties" and most of the estimated 500,000 in the audience could not hear his invocation. Only those very close to the stage could hear.

UPDATE II: The 7PM rebroadcast of the show was identical, no Gene Robinson.

UPDATE III: The full text of Robinson's prayer is here. If you'd like to express your unhappiness to HBO, you can do that here. My gut tells me the call was made elsewhere.

UPDATE IV: AfterElton.com has spoken to HBO, who says the decision to cut Robinson was made by the Obama transition team.

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.

Another point was that everyone that performed at the event was announced, except the DC Gay Men's Chorus. I do have one good thing to say, Obama did throw us a bone in his speech. He did mention "gay" when he was referencing bringing the country together.

Here are some contact numbers for HBO. Let them know about your disappointment. I don't know how much good it will do, as it looks as if it was Obama's people that made the decision, well according to HBO that is. I wonder what Obama will have to say about this, if anything?

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 212-512-1329

Jeff Cusson
Senior Vice President
HBO Corporate Communications
Phone 212-512-1343

Click here to read Rev Robinson's Invocation. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/01/18/8137#more-8137)

Peace,
Scott

[nmwolfboy]

Another point was that everyone that performed at the event was announced, except the DC Gay Men's Chorus. I do have one good thing to say, Obama did throw us a bone in his speech. He did mention "gay" when he was referencing bringing the country together.The failure to include +Gene's prayer in the broadcast is deeply disappointing. However, i must point out that many of the vocal groups singing behind the main celebrity performers were not announced, at least during the first live broadcast that we watched. While +Gene's exclusion is troubling, i'm much less disturbed that the DC Gay Men's Chorus wasn't more prominently billed.

Joe Jervis at the gay newsblog Towleroad reports (http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/washington-dc-g.html):
In a historic first, yesterday the Washington DC Gay Men's Chorus performed to a national audience in the live broadcast of Barack Obama's inauguration concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Backing pop stars Josh Groban and Heather Headley, the chorus performed My Country, 'Tis Of Thee wearing suits adorned with the red AIDS ribbon. The ribbon was the only indication that the chorus was gay, because like several other choruses that performed yesterday, their name was not announced or listed onscreen.

[dsdrane]

This is an excerpt from www.queerty.com (http://www.queerty.com/):

There's no easy way to say this: We were hoodwinked. Cynics will say, "Well, what did you expect?", but the answer is, "We expected more." The concert itself was inspiring, hopeful and a media event, but the exclusion of Robinson once again highlights the reality that gays and lesbians sit at the back of the American political bus.

Read the whole post, which includes +Gene's invocation text, as well as the inevitable, breathless comments from the peanut gallery, here (http://www.queerty.com/live-blogging-obamas-inauguration-concert-20090118/).

I guess my question is: what do we make of this? There will be some who blow their tops; there will be others who think it's a tempest in a teapot; and there are others who will take a "wait and see" approach. I'm inclined to side with the latter group, but I'm glad there will be some angry reaction as well. There needs to be, but it needs to be directed at the people responsible, not Obama. Yet.

I'm having trouble understanding how someone who can speak so eloquently on issues of race and any number of other issues still has yet to find the right words for gay issues. I tend to believe Obama "gets it", but he'll need to articulate what he gets to the people who work for him.

And he'll need to do it soon, because, so far, his team's relationship with Gay America has been mixed at best.

[Daniel]

Robinson will be in NPR today at 2 PM. That's 40 minutes from this posting.

[Matt Algren]

Robinson will be in NPR today at 2 PM. That's 40 minutes from this posting.
Consarnit, I can't get NPR here.

I did blog on the thing last night, though. There is video of the invocation provided by Christianity Today. You has to go to my blog to see it.

If I were getting paid for this blog thing, I'd be ROLLING in it!

[BruceChris]

There's a lot of that going around these days. :eek: . :mad: . :confused: . :smashy:

Now listening to the bishop, 1:05 my time. It looks like NPR is spending the hour discussing the omissions, talking with Gene Robinson and taking listener calls. The fact that he's getting some criticism at least means that the message is getting out.

Remember, we can all go back, and replay this hour from NPR archives.

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[Matt Algren]

So I heard what happened. This does not bode well.

:sigh::

[Daniel]

Consarnit, I can't get NPR here.!

Took me while to find it, but here is the link to the broadcast today.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99557462

[dsdrane]

Found here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/19/exclusion-of-gay-bishop-f_n_159114.html).

UPDATE:
The PIC has responded to an inquiry from John Aravosis at AmericaBlog (http://www.americablog.com/2009/01/obama-wed-always-intended-for-hbo-to.html):

"We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson's invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday's program. We regret the error in executing this plan - but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event." -- PIC communications director Josh Earnest

Lame.:mad:

[dsdrane]

Another update (http://www.queerty.com/nobody-knows-why-robinsons-prayer-wasnt-televised-20090119/#more-37981) via www.queerty.com (http://www.queerty.com/).

I think it's pretty clear someone on the Obama team messed up. The question for me is: was it intentional?

Either way, "we regret the error" isn't even close to an adequate apology.

[Matt Algren]

Another update (http://www.queerty.com/nobody-knows-why-robinsons-prayer-wasnt-televised-20090119/#more-37981) via www.queerty.com (http://www.queerty.com/).

I think it's pretty clear someone on the Obama team messed up. The question for me is: was it intentional?

Either way, "we regret the error" isn't even close to an adequate apology.
The answer is: yes.

Because they honestly are so insulated that they don't think that the political fallout of the President-elect and Vice-President-elect being photographed with a gay bishop is worth the trouble of a few queers on the interwebs getting upset.

/cynic


BTW, I just read elsewhere that Bishop Robinson is scheduled to be on The Daily Show Tuesday night. Should be an interesting conversation.

[Unmasked]

There are going to be a lot of queers around the world angry. The streets will run with mustard, and that smell is NEVER coming out. NEVER!

[sjbouza]

Well according to Boxturtlebulletin (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/01/19/8169) via Rev Gene, he recieved the itinerary moments before he was to go on.

In remarks to NPR, Bishop Robinson said that he learned that he would be excluded from the broadcast when he saw a copy of the final schedule, which had him speaking at 2:25 and the broadcast starting at 2:30. He didn’t see the schedule until sometime shortly before he went on.

That doesn't sound like an "error" to me, it sounds like someone didn't want him to be on TV. These things are planned out to the minute, not done on the fly. They have weeks if not months to plan each and every moment down to the second so "errors" are less likely to happen. I know this because I have worked in TV, albeit local, it is still the same. They knew well beforehand that Robinson would not be broadcast. They planned it that way.

I am tired of the "excuses". Take some responsibility for your actions. I encourage everyone to write letters or send email to Obama stating your outrage in no uncertain terms. We helped get him elected, and he is just snipping us at every turn.

Maybe he was a mistake. I will still reserve judgment, however if there are many other "errors" I will truly begin to lose faith and definately not help him in 2012. Hell, I will help the Palin campaign before Obama if he goes back on his promises.

Very Pissed off,
Scott

[dsdrane]

Watch the clip here (http://www.queerty.com/rachel-maddow-on-gene-robinson-20090120/).

[tdogg]

Pick Warren to pray at the inauguration, hear angry gay people, toss them a bone by having Robinson pray at Sunday's concert, then 'closet' Robinson by keeping his prayer out of the concert broadcast.

Hmmmm. Starting to think like Matt now. Ok, wait and see but not holding my breath. Will Obama stand up and make good his promises, or will he cave like the others before him and ignore GLBT people. At least, if you toss us a bone, let us gnaw on it for a while before taking it back. Damn.

[Unmasked]

He's starting to get more approval of the conservative independents. The diehard Republicans are still being retarded and making me want to castrate them for their sheer stupidity, but I stand by what I said when he was elected. I have opted for hope. Even if Obama is not for us, I will consider myself blessed if he simply does not stand against us. If he repeals DOMA as he and Senator Clinton both swore to do, if he upholds Roe v. Wade (unrelated to us maybe, but since "pro-life" and anti-gay are almost synonymous, holding on to that will keep them busy), and if he gets Don't Ask, Don't Tell changed, we'll have gained a lot of ground, and he won't even have to give us an "awkward Warren hug".

[dsdrane]

Watch the clip here (http://www.queerty.com/gene-robinson-openly-gay-bishop-funnyman-20090121/).

+Gene is not only a great man...he's also funny.:D

[dsdrane]

Hat tip once again to Queerty...check it out here (http://www.queerty.com/hbo-will-air-inaugural-concert-again-this-time-with-gene-robinson-20090121/).