Professionally offended
Some people make a career out of taking offence, and Madonna’s Confessions tour has brought a number of them out of the woodwork.
As part of the show, Madonna appears on a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns, which has annoyed a number of Roman Catholics. And Muslims. And Jews. The Scientologists haven’t had anything to say yet, but that’s probably only because no-one has asked them.
According to Father Manfredo Leone of Rome’s Santa Maria Liberatrice church:
Being raised on a cross with a crown of thorns like a modern Christ is absurd. Doing it in the cradle of Christianity comes close to blasphemy.
So that’s Rome, the cradle of Christianity. If I was interested in scoring a cheap point - which I am - I’d observe that that makes it one-nil to Brian Flemming.
Back in Britain, the first episode Armando Ianucci’s Time Trumpet was shown last night. And very funny it was, too.
But before the series started, MPs were rushing back from their holidays to tell the Daily Mail how offended they are - or intend to be - and call on the BBC to pull the show.
The politicians, and the Daily Mail, are jumping up and down over an Oscar-style ‘Terrorism Awards’ sketch that hasn’t been transmitted yet (although you can see it for yourself by clicking here).
As well as the al-Qaeda attack, and a picture of Blair with a bullet hole in his head after being ’shot as he slept beside his wife’, the sketch also features a Hamas bombing in Tel Aviv.
BBC newsman Peter Snow and presenter Philippa Forrester introduce the nominees, and applause and laughter has been dubbed on afterwards.
The BBC has defended the series, pointing out that the sketches should be seen in the context of the whole series.
‘It is a satire set in the year 2031, looking back at the events and people of today. This particular [terrorism] episode tries to play tricks with visuals and make viewers question what is real and what is fake.
‘Iannucci is a leading satirist and he’s pushing the envelope. The scenarios are so ludicrous that viewers will immediately recognise them as satire.’
Which assumes, reasonably enough, that the average TV viewer is more intelligent than the average Daily Mail leader writer.
Friday 04 Aug 2006 | Paul | Italy, UK
