Sky has said it will not air a TV programme about Michael Jackson after his daughter said she was “incredibly offended” by the portrayal of him.
The episode – part of a series called Urban Myths – had been due to air on Sky Arts.
Sky released a statement on Friday saying they had pulled one episode after concerns were raised by Paris Jackson.
The broadcaster said it “never intended to cause any offence”.
The episode told the story of Jackson taking a road trip from New York to Los Angeles with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando after the 9/11 terror attacks.https://twitter.com/ParisJackson
Actor Joseph Fiennes had said he was shocked to be given the part of Michael Jackson last year.
The news comes after Paris expressed that she felt it was “obviously intentional it was for them to be this insulting, not just towards my father, but my godmother liz as well.” when the ****** tweeted her to find out her thoughts on the matter.
Statement from Sky:
“We have taken the decision not to broadcast Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon, a half hour episode from the Sky Arts Urban Myths series, in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson’s immediate family.
“We set out to take a light-hearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offence. Joseph Fiennes fully supports our decision.”
Source: BBC News | MJVibe
Paris-Michael K. J. @ParisJackson 4h https://twitter.com/ParisJackson4 hours ago
Paris-Michael K. J. Retweeted Asa Soltan Rahmati
i'm surprised the family's feelings were actually taken into consideration for once, we all really do appreciate it more than y'all know.
Paris-Michael K. J. added,
Asa Soltan Rahmati @AsaSoltan
A great decision. So happy to see that they respected the very valid feelings of family members and pulled the project. @ParisJackson https://twitter.com/asasoltan/status/819925221784203264 …
http://www.papermag.com/michael-jack...188716466.html
UPDATE: SKY TV AXES CONTROVERSIAL SHOW WITH JOSEPH FIENNES PLAYING MICHAEL JACKSON
Carey O'Donnell01/11/17 at 10:41AM
UPDATE: British broadcasting company, Sky TV, have announced that they will no longer be airing the episode of their satirical Urban Myths show featuring Joseph Fiennes as the late Michael Jackson. The decision comes after Jackson's family, especially his daughter Paris, voiced their disgust with the show. "Where is the respect?" she said, mentioning she was also offended by the portrayal of her godmother, Elizabeth Taylor. "They worked through blood, sweat and tears for ages to create such profound and remarkable legacies. Shameful portrayal."--
UPDATE: Paris Jackson, the only daughter of the late Michael Jackson, has tweeted her disdain for Fiennes' inexplicable portrayal of her dad.
Urban Myths withdrawn by Sky Arts
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Re: Urban Myths withdrawn by Sky Arts
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Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando’s Rumored September 11 Road Trip: The Truth Behind the Myth
PeopleJanuary 20, 2017
Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando’s Rumored September 11 Road Trip: The Truth Behind the Myth
More
It’s one of the most irresistible, if improbable, Hollywood stories of recent times. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, did Elizabeth Taylor escape New York City by getting in a rental car with Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando and driving all the way to Ohio?
Not so, says, Tim Mendelson, a close friend and trustee of Elizabeth Taylor’s estate, who was with her that week in Manhattan at the St. Regis Hotel. “There was never any road trip,” he says. “Elizabeth was in New York after 9/11 with Debbie Reynolds. She didn’t want Debbie to be alone.”
The story of the unusual road trip took hold of the public’s imagination after it was first reported in 2011. Last week, as part of an ongoing TV anthology series called Urban Myths, British network Sky Arts was set to air a controversial episode that touched on it. That episode, which featured Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson, was ultimately canceled following public outrage over the white actor’s casting, including criticism from the late music icon’s daughter, Paris Jackson.
Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor photographed in Sept 2000
The renewed attention prompted Mendelson to share his account with PEOPLE of what really happened that day.
“On Sept. 11, Elizabeth was in New York City to attend Michael Jackson’s two concerts, which were taped for television,” recalls Mendelson. “Michael was celebrating the 30th anniversary of his solo career and she escorted Michael both nights to Madison Square Garden.”
On the morning of Sept. 11, Jose Eber, Taylor’s longtime hairdresser, called Mendelson to inform him of the terrorist attacks in downtown Manhattan. When he went to Taylor’s hotel suite, Mendelson says, “She was well aware of what had happened. She took me by the hand to a window from her suite and pointed down Fifth Avenue, where we could see the towers burning.”
Despite the shock, he says, “Elizabeth was strong and comforting. Even though we didn’t know what to think at that point, she kind of kept us all calm. Elizabeth had been through a lot of things in her life.”
Later that day, Mendelson called his good friend Carrie Fisher, whom he’d first met through Taylor. Fisher said that her mom, screen icon Debbie Reynolds, was in New York City — by herself. “When I told Elizabeth that Debbie was alone, she told me, ‘Oh my God, get her over here immediately, and take care of her. Have her be part of our group!’ “
Reynolds moved into the St. Regis, taking one of the suites rented out by Taylor and her entourage of friends and family. “I remember them both trying to be strong for everyone else,” says Mendelson. “They were emotional — we all were, but they were stalwart. It was the kind of women they were.”
Still, he recalls, Reynolds “tried to lighten the mood. She would come over every morning very perky, and sometimes Elizabeth, who liked to sleep late, would say, ‘Okay I’m not ready to wake up’ — but that’s how they acted together.”
Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in 1958
Taylor and Reynolds, of course, had long moved past one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals after Taylor had an affair in the late ’50s with Reynolds’ then-husband Eddie Fisher, whom she later married.
“They had known each other for decades,” says Mendelson. “They went to the little red schoolhouse together on the MGM lot. They had been through hard times, rough times and also great times. They were both very strong women but also so familiar with each other. They teased, and cajoled and they poked fun at each other — they had a deep connection. Debbie was very inside Elizabeth’s world, so they could talk and understand each other.”
The week was a surreal one, including solemn visits to a local church where Taylor prayed for the families — and a dinner one night at the 21 Club, which Reynolds also attended. “I remember President Bush encouraging people to go out and carry on,” Mendelson recalls, “so Elizabeth tried to do that.”
Later in the week, Taylor visited the Armory, in downtown Manhattan, where families and friends had gathered to look for the missing. “She wanted to be of service, if she could, to the families,” says Mendelson. “She was just trying to embrace people and wipe their tears away.”
While there, he says, a policeman came over to speak to the star. “He said, ‘Miss Taylor, this really isn’t something that we are supposed to do but would you like to go down to Ground Zero?’ Being Elizabeth, she said yes, and they took her there with her security guy.”
Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando’s Rumored September 11 Road Trip: The Truth Behind the Myth
PeopleJanuary 20, 2017
Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando’s Rumored September 11 Road Trip: The Truth Behind the Myth
More
It’s one of the most irresistible, if improbable, Hollywood stories of recent times. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, did Elizabeth Taylor escape New York City by getting in a rental car with Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando and driving all the way to Ohio?
Not so, says, Tim Mendelson, a close friend and trustee of Elizabeth Taylor’s estate, who was with her that week in Manhattan at the St. Regis Hotel. “There was never any road trip,” he says. “Elizabeth was in New York after 9/11 with Debbie Reynolds. She didn’t want Debbie to be alone.”
The story of the unusual road trip took hold of the public’s imagination after it was first reported in 2011. Last week, as part of an ongoing TV anthology series called Urban Myths, British network Sky Arts was set to air a controversial episode that touched on it. That episode, which featured Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson, was ultimately canceled following public outrage over the white actor’s casting, including criticism from the late music icon’s daughter, Paris Jackson.
Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor photographed in Sept 2000
The renewed attention prompted Mendelson to share his account with PEOPLE of what really happened that day.
“On Sept. 11, Elizabeth was in New York City to attend Michael Jackson’s two concerts, which were taped for television,” recalls Mendelson. “Michael was celebrating the 30th anniversary of his solo career and she escorted Michael both nights to Madison Square Garden.”
On the morning of Sept. 11, Jose Eber, Taylor’s longtime hairdresser, called Mendelson to inform him of the terrorist attacks in downtown Manhattan. When he went to Taylor’s hotel suite, Mendelson says, “She was well aware of what had happened. She took me by the hand to a window from her suite and pointed down Fifth Avenue, where we could see the towers burning.”
Despite the shock, he says, “Elizabeth was strong and comforting. Even though we didn’t know what to think at that point, she kind of kept us all calm. Elizabeth had been through a lot of things in her life.”
Later that day, Mendelson called his good friend Carrie Fisher, whom he’d first met through Taylor. Fisher said that her mom, screen icon Debbie Reynolds, was in New York City — by herself. “When I told Elizabeth that Debbie was alone, she told me, ‘Oh my God, get her over here immediately, and take care of her. Have her be part of our group!’ “
Reynolds moved into the St. Regis, taking one of the suites rented out by Taylor and her entourage of friends and family. “I remember them both trying to be strong for everyone else,” says Mendelson. “They were emotional — we all were, but they were stalwart. It was the kind of women they were.”
Still, he recalls, Reynolds “tried to lighten the mood. She would come over every morning very perky, and sometimes Elizabeth, who liked to sleep late, would say, ‘Okay I’m not ready to wake up’ — but that’s how they acted together.”
Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in 1958
Taylor and Reynolds, of course, had long moved past one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals after Taylor had an affair in the late ’50s with Reynolds’ then-husband Eddie Fisher, whom she later married.
“They had known each other for decades,” says Mendelson. “They went to the little red schoolhouse together on the MGM lot. They had been through hard times, rough times and also great times. They were both very strong women but also so familiar with each other. They teased, and cajoled and they poked fun at each other — they had a deep connection. Debbie was very inside Elizabeth’s world, so they could talk and understand each other.”
The week was a surreal one, including solemn visits to a local church where Taylor prayed for the families — and a dinner one night at the 21 Club, which Reynolds also attended. “I remember President Bush encouraging people to go out and carry on,” Mendelson recalls, “so Elizabeth tried to do that.”
Later in the week, Taylor visited the Armory, in downtown Manhattan, where families and friends had gathered to look for the missing. “She wanted to be of service, if she could, to the families,” says Mendelson. “She was just trying to embrace people and wipe their tears away.”
While there, he says, a policeman came over to speak to the star. “He said, ‘Miss Taylor, this really isn’t something that we are supposed to do but would you like to go down to Ground Zero?’ Being Elizabeth, she said yes, and they took her there with her security guy.”
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Re: Urban Myths withdrawn by Sky Arts
Joseph Fiennes Still Thinks His Michael Jackson Portrayal Should Be Seen
I’m sure there comes a time in an actor’s life when he has a role he regrets. For example, I’m sure John Travolta regrets Face Off. And Jamie Foxx regrets the black version of Taken. I fully understand the concept of “a check is a check.” But in the case of Joseph Fiennes and a role we’ll never get to see, he still wishes people could see the short movie in which he played Michael Jackson.
For what, though?
In an interview with Vulture about his role in Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Fiennes discussed his part earlier this year in Sky TV’s Urban Myths. Fiennes played Jackson in the urban legend about a road trip the late pop star took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando after 9/11.
But remember, no matter how light Jackson was because of vitiligo, he wasn’t a white man like Fiennes. The casting caused an uproar, because most people felt there was no way he should portray Jackson. And would they have even thought about casting a black woman as Taylor—because after all, it’s just satire, right?
In the interview, Fiennes spoke about why he took on the role of Jackson:
Well, it’s a satire, so we have to look at it through that lens. The depiction of the three characters is very satirical, comic, lighthearted, to examine the disconnect of iconic celebrity. But it’s good that people stand up for [what they believe], and I’m all for that. I’m all for that discussion, and it means a lot to me and my fellow actors to talk about casting, getting it right, getting it wrong, and then if there’s a mistake, to examine that mistake and talk about it. Maybe the controversy is good if it brings about discussion. But it is satire. It’s a 20-minute sketch, and it’s lighthearted.
Fortunately for most of us, Fiennes’ episode will never be aired, but he still doesn’t seem to get why.
“Should we shut down the arts and directors and writers based on that, which has happened?” Fiennes said. “If you don’t like the comedian, don’t go see him, but do you shut him and his satirical material down? Do you become a totalitarian state where you go, ‘That’s offensive’?”
The writer went on to explain the history of blackface to Fiennes, and he seemed to come to his senses a little. And kinda, sorta apologized if he offended anyone:
If it comes anywhere near that criminal and hateful sensibility, then I’m deeply regretful and embarrassed, but there’s a part of me that would love people to see it and get into a discussion. I’d love to sit down and examine that as a subject. But that is abhorrent, and if it treads anywhere near that, then it’s good that it’s shut down.
And before you jump up and down and say, “Well, Michael wanted to be white!” here’s his interview with Oprah from 1993, in which he said that he didn’t want anyone white playing him because he’s black. Jackson went on to discuss his vitiligo:
It’s my face as a child in the commercial. Me when I was little. Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a black American. I’m a black American. I’m proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. That’s like you [Oprah] wanting an Oriental person to play you as a child. Does that make sense?
http://thegrapevine.theroot.com/jose...ray-1794710488
I’m sure there comes a time in an actor’s life when he has a role he regrets. For example, I’m sure John Travolta regrets Face Off. And Jamie Foxx regrets the black version of Taken. I fully understand the concept of “a check is a check.” But in the case of Joseph Fiennes and a role we’ll never get to see, he still wishes people could see the short movie in which he played Michael Jackson.
For what, though?
In an interview with Vulture about his role in Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Fiennes discussed his part earlier this year in Sky TV’s Urban Myths. Fiennes played Jackson in the urban legend about a road trip the late pop star took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando after 9/11.
But remember, no matter how light Jackson was because of vitiligo, he wasn’t a white man like Fiennes. The casting caused an uproar, because most people felt there was no way he should portray Jackson. And would they have even thought about casting a black woman as Taylor—because after all, it’s just satire, right?
In the interview, Fiennes spoke about why he took on the role of Jackson:
Well, it’s a satire, so we have to look at it through that lens. The depiction of the three characters is very satirical, comic, lighthearted, to examine the disconnect of iconic celebrity. But it’s good that people stand up for [what they believe], and I’m all for that. I’m all for that discussion, and it means a lot to me and my fellow actors to talk about casting, getting it right, getting it wrong, and then if there’s a mistake, to examine that mistake and talk about it. Maybe the controversy is good if it brings about discussion. But it is satire. It’s a 20-minute sketch, and it’s lighthearted.
Fortunately for most of us, Fiennes’ episode will never be aired, but he still doesn’t seem to get why.
“Should we shut down the arts and directors and writers based on that, which has happened?” Fiennes said. “If you don’t like the comedian, don’t go see him, but do you shut him and his satirical material down? Do you become a totalitarian state where you go, ‘That’s offensive’?”
The writer went on to explain the history of blackface to Fiennes, and he seemed to come to his senses a little. And kinda, sorta apologized if he offended anyone:
If it comes anywhere near that criminal and hateful sensibility, then I’m deeply regretful and embarrassed, but there’s a part of me that would love people to see it and get into a discussion. I’d love to sit down and examine that as a subject. But that is abhorrent, and if it treads anywhere near that, then it’s good that it’s shut down.
And before you jump up and down and say, “Well, Michael wanted to be white!” here’s his interview with Oprah from 1993, in which he said that he didn’t want anyone white playing him because he’s black. Jackson went on to discuss his vitiligo:
It’s my face as a child in the commercial. Me when I was little. Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a black American. I’m a black American. I’m proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. That’s like you [Oprah] wanting an Oriental person to play you as a child. Does that make sense?
http://thegrapevine.theroot.com/jose...ray-1794710488