HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Harry Connick Jr. may think twice before he signs up for another television gig.
The 42-year-old crooner was left speechless when a group parodying the Jackson Five performed with black faces Wednesday on an Australian variety show called “Hey Hey It’s Saturday.” Connick, who was serving as a guest judge, gave the performance a zero score.
“Man, if they turned up looking like that in the United States … it would be like, ‘Hey Hey, there’s no more show,'” said Connick.
The show’s host, Daryl Somers, later apologized to the Grammy winner at the end of the show.
“I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a black face routine like that on the show, so I do apologize to you,” said Somers.
Connick responded by talking about the racial strides made by the U.S. over the years.
“I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart,” he said.
“Hey Hey It’s Saturday” ran for 27 years before going off the air in 1999. In an ironic twist, last night’s broadcast was the second “reunion show” aimed at resurrecting the long-running program.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAyGewq37w&feature=related]