I Thought They Were 18 Hours Ahead, Not 60 Years Behind

In the growing category of "you've got to be kidding" comes the talent segment of the long-running Australian TV show "Hey Hey It's Saturday" with a bunch of white guys in blackface as the "Jackson Jive" (with one guy in whiteface -- he's Jacko, geddit?). Unfortunately for them, Harry Connick Jr. was one of the celebrity judges, and he pointed out, accurately, that they could not get away with that on American TV. Or American anything. See it here; it's jaw-dropping. But a lot of folks in Australia think that Connick overreacted, that there sas no racist intent, so it shouldn't be taken that way. But there's a different history in America. And thanks to Spencer Howson at 612 ABC/Brisbane, who has more here.

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