By Darcy Hickey
A&E Assistant
No more soap operas, daytime talk shows, nightly sitcoms or reality television — this is wartime.
It seems as though all communication includes the issue of war lately. Not only are conversations full of debates of how President George W. Bush should solve the problem with Saddam Hussein, but protests, war updates and music have filled the television and radio as all other programs have been given less importance.
The Academy Awards even conformed to the war by toning down the usual glitz and glamour of the red carpet and changed the format to a more somber tone.
Some stars, including Angelina Jollie, Cate Blanchet and Will Smith were dissuaded from attending the show by the recent war escalation, according to AOL Time Warner.
A Barbara Walters special, scheduled to air before the Oscars featuring interviews with Nicolas Cage, Renee Zellweger and Julianne Moore, was canceled to allow more time for war updates.
“With such serious issues facing the nation, it was the right decision to postpone the special,” Walters said in an interview with ABC.
A delay has been placed on the release of the Paramount Pictures movie with Meg Ryan, “Against the Ropes,” according to BBC News. The studio was weary about losing money by purchasing advertising for the film between TV programs that may be cancelled due to war coverage.
“The issue is the advertising gets pre-empted, and you end up losing your message,” said a Paramount spokeswoman.
One show that will not be canceled because of the war is “Friends.” A rerun of the program aired Thursday with 10.83 million viewers — 4 million more viewers than ABC news, according to the Yahoo! Web site.
Even news programs, such as “Access Hollywood,” “Extra” and “Entertainment Tonight,” have decided to change the format from nonchalantly gossiping about celebrities to a more serious tone with coverage of the war.
“We realize that some of the stuff we cover is frivolous,” executive producer of “Access Hollywood,” Rob Silverstein told the New York Daily News. “At times of war, we’ll be incredibly sensitive to what’s going on.”
Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, senior executive producer of “Extra,” agreed.
“In a war, the news anchors and network correspondents become the celebrities of the moment,” she said in the Daily News in February.
Longtime CBS anchorman, 86-year-old Walter Cronkite, stated his opinion of the situation in the Middle East to students and faculty at Drew University after war broke out. He criticized Bush and those who believe the war will be a quick, smooth operation that will end with Saddam Hussein out of office.
In his speech, Cronkite said the United States is taking great risks entering Iraq, because “our only ally would probably be Great Britain. That is not good enough. I see the possibility if we do that of really setting forth World War III.”
Aside from the film and television industries, the music industry has also been packed with strong opinions.
At recent concerts, Columbian singer Shakira shared her view of the war through a short film depicting two puppets of Bush and Saddam playing chess, with the Grim Reaper as their puppeteer.
“They just want to continue playing their little game of power,” Shakira told MTV. She added that it is the citizens’ responsibility to demand our leaders provide us with a peaceful world.
Country singer David Worley disagrees with peace advocates, such as Shakira, in his song, “Have You Forgotten?” He asks peace protesters if they have forgotten how they felt to see their “homeland under fire and her people blown away.”
Other songs that have filled the airwaves are John Mellencamp’s anti-war song, “To Washington.” His lyrics include: “What is the thought process to take a human’s life, what would be the reason to think that this is right?”
The Beastie Boys also oppose Bush’s decision, calling it a “mid-life crisis war” in their song “In a World Gone Mad.”
Expressing a neutral stance on the war, 3 Doors Down’s “When I’m Gone,” simply conveys their support for the troops. The band has also taken time out of their regular touring schedule to embark on a goodwill tour on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and various Naval bases for troops and their families.
Even MTV, a station devoted to giving viewers music all day long, has devoted much of its time to covering the situation in the Middle East while following a CNN correspondent.
March 27, 2003
