Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Saturday Thanks Don't End At Thanksgiving Photo: November 28, 2009
Photo by Geoff Forester, courtesy Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
In a related note, we've noticed some complaints in comments on various blogs about the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington not being identified on-air. In fairness, none of the choirs that performed were named on air, save for the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club, which was introduced by Tiger Woods.
Update, 3:15 p.m.: Both HBO and the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) are pointing the finger at each other for not airing the invocation. A rep from HBO told AfterElton.com last night 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."
Meanwhile, Josh Earnest of the PIC told AMERICAblog, "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." Never mind the reports that audio malfunctions caused thousands in attendance to miss the invocation.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
We definitely couldn't hear it, except the last few lines, from the crowd -- at least where I was by the reflecting pool. The whole crowd started chanting "turn it up" and then pointing up (a pretty cool sight actually), and then the sound did go up right at the end. I had figured out it was him, but only because I knew he was going to do the invocation, I don't think anybody around us had a clue. I was pretty disappointed.
Really moved by the Gay Men's Chorus, but also wouldn't have registered it was them if I hadn't known thanks to DCist....
I thought the concert was great! It reminded me a lot of the 9-11 tv special they did the friday after the attack. I'm hoping there is a cd being made, but more likely they will just market a dvd.
I watched the concert on tv and it's true, there was no invocation broadcast. Not sure Obama is to blame. Probably HBO's decision. It's possible the sound was not left low maliciously since, fromherefornow, you say it was turned up by the end of the invocation, but pretty lame not to have done a proper soundcheck.
BUT, fromherefornow, not being able to tell the Gay Men's Chorus just by looking?!? Watching on HBO you could've turned the sound off and still been able to tell. No Gaydar even needed on that one.... No shame in obviously being the Gay Men's Chorus, especially considering how great they looked and sounded.
Ah...nice to see that We Are One...except, of course, if you're not a vanilla heterosexual. But hey, at least it's warm here under the bus. Thanks, Barack!
Oh yeah, this move has Barack's name all over it...I'm sure he personally intervened to make sure Robinson was kept off the air after he invited him. It was probably Obama who was tweaking the soundbooth knobs too in order to make sure half the crowd couldn't hear Robinson.
Obama had just better hope that his ultra-secret plan to establish gay internment camps doesn't leak before the inauguration.
You know, it is possible to pick a conservative pastor who will appeal to the evangelicals among the voting electorate who doesn't believe in marriage equality and doesn't believe that homosexuality is anything but a "lifestyle choice" who hasn't equated homosexual relationships to beastiality and pedophilia.
I'm sure Barack had a hand in picking Rick Warren.
I suspect it has more to do with the religious content then the fact that Robinson is gay. I don't really understand the need to have a prayer before a concert anyway.
Apparently HBO is claiming that the inaugural committee requested that it remain as part of the "pre-show" though it was unclear as to whether or that meant that HBO could not air it.
I watched it live on HBO.com and yeah, it was pretty clear that it was a gay men's chorus (and I assumed it was Washington's). I figured that out without knowing ahead of time they were going to perform. They were fantastic!
Re: Fr. Robinson - wish they had shown it. His inclusion has stirred up the division in the Episcopal church (even more than it was already stirred) again. I say good.