Siegfried and Roy are back in the news. This week the
press has reported:
-- Roy Horn's first pubic appearance sinnce the attack
-- The refusal of the show's producers tto give government investigators
video footage of the attack and its preceding moments
-- The upcoming NBC animated series, &quuot;Father of the Pride" based on
the Siegfried and Roy show.
You'll find USA Today's coverage of Feld Entertainment's
refusal to release the footage at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-08-25-roy-horn-video_x.htm?POE=click-refer
The article headed, "Producer won't share tiger mauling
video" opens with:
"The company that produced the Siegfried & Roy magic show has refused to
turn over video to federal authorities investigating the tiger attack on
illusionist Roy Horn, The Associated Press has learned.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture attempted to obtain
video of the show through two recent subpoenas but Vienna, Va.-based Feld
Entertainment would not hand over the footage, a USDA source familiar with
the case said Tuesday.
"Under the federal Animal Welfare Act, the USDA has been
investigating the Oct. 3 attack in which Horn was mauled by a 300-pound
tiger during a live performance at The Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
"Horn survived the attack but suffered a stroke that left
him partially paralyzed and the successful show closed.
"USDA spokesman Jim Rogers said Tuesday from Washington
D.C., that the probe into the tiger attack remains open and confirmed that
the show is under investigation for possible violations of the Animal
Welfare Act."
Other articles have reported that Feld is allowing the
USDA to view the tape but will not release it to the agency's care. It has
been reported that the company is worried about the footage being aired on
the news. In the day or two immediately following the incident, some
reports mentioned that Roy Horn had been hitting the tiger on the nose
with a microphone just before the attack -- it is not tape that circus
proponents would want to have aired widely.
The Thursday, August 26 edition of USA Today (LIFE; Pg.
9B) reports on the new NBC series in an article headed "Tooth and claw:
NBC puts 'Pride' in prime time." You can read it at:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-08-25-pride-main_x.htm
The show has received poor reviews. The current, September
3, edition of Entertainment Weekly heads its review "Animal Instinks" and
gives the show a C+.
The Los Angeles Times has a particularly interesting large
story about the new series on the front page of the Friday, August 27,
Business section, (Page C1.) It is headed, "With 'Pride' Problems, NBC
Finds It's a Jungle Out There;" and sub-headed "A mauling put the series
in doubt. Its content has raised concerns."
It opens:
"Scripts had been written, voice tracks recorded and millions of dollars
spent on DreamWorks Animation's upcoming TV comedy about the animals in
Siegfried & Roy's Las Vegas show. Then tragedy intruded.
"Roy Horn was mauled by a 600-pound Siberian tiger and
dragged off the stage during an October performance. He was near death,
his prognosis uncertain.
"Back at DreamWorks' facility in Glendale, executives were
confronted with a delicate but inescapable decision: Should production
continue on the computer animated show "Father of the Pride"?
Jeffrey Katzenberg is quoted explaining the theme of the
show: "What would it be like to be one of these animals and to raise a
family, and live in the Jungle Palace and go to work every day at a place
where the CEOs are these two eccentric guys, Siegfried & Roy?"
We learn that after the October 3 attack "In Burbank, most
NBC entertainment executives figured they should pull the plug. They
worried that the mauling would make a satirical look at Siegfried & Roy
and the animals seem in poor taste. Zucker, however, continued to champion
the project, as did Katzenberg."
And we learn about an upcoming prime-time special focused
on Horn's recovery called "Siegfried & Roy: The Miracle," hosted by Maria
Shriver and scheduled to air Sept. 15.
The Times reports:
"For a while, NBC executives considered running the Shriver special on the
same night as 'Father of the Pride.' They changed course after hundreds of
advertisers were left cringing in their seats during NBC's presentation of
its fall lineup in May."
You can read the full Los Angeles Times report at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-fi-pride27aug27,1,2088143.story
Stories about Siegfried and Roy, and the new show, present
perfect opportunities for letters to the editor regarding the suffering of
wild animals in circuses. You'll find loads of information on that issue,
including distressing circus animal training tapes at: http://www.circuses.com
USA Today takes letters at:
http://www.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18
This Tiny URL might work better: http://tinyurl.com/2yw46
The Los Angeles Times takes letters at: [email protected]
And please consider a letter to your local paper.
You'll find more information about the upcoming NBC show
at: http://www.nbc.com/nbc/Father_of_the_Pride/
You can view video excerpts. They include a line in which the head lion,
after slapping one of the lionesses on the butt, says "God I love this
business."
I doubt it.
NBC is taking email regarding the show at:
[email protected]
The general feedback address (perhaps for feedback regarding the Shriver
hosted special) is [email protected]
There is no institution in modern society more powerful
than the media. Therefore, for the sake of the animals, animal advocates
must do all that we can to befriend the media. It is never a good idea to
send hostile notes to stations. However, a flood of polite email
expressing much disappointment at the station's choice could be very
useful. Stations take their feedback seriously.
Please write.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at
animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the
relevant media outlets.
You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at
http://www.DawnWatch.com.
To unsubscribe, go to
www.DawnWatch.com/unsubscribe.php. If you forward or reprint
DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title
and include this tag line.)
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