Prop 8 'musical' is latest FunnyOrDie.com viral hit
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BY JAKE COYLE / The Associated Press
Since Proposition 8 passed in California, much of Hollywood has been up in arms. Now, they are singing and dancing, too, in a new Web video called “Prop 8: The Musical.”
The video was posted Wednesday on FunnyOrDie.com, the video site co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The site has found a niche in getting professional talent to quickly create topical comedy videos.
“Prop 8: The Musical” may be a 3-minute Internet video, but it has a blockbuster cast — including Jack Black (who plays Jesus), Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, Rashida Jones and others.
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Though Jesus doesn’t bring the two sides together, Harris has better luck. He argues gay marriage could save the economy: “Every time a gay or lesbian finds love at the parade, there’s money to be made.”
The video was conceived and written by Marc Shaiman, the Tony-winning composer of “Hairspray” and “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” McKay, who had previously collaborated with Shaiman on the song-and-dance routine Ferrell, Black and Reilly did at the Oscars earlier this year, sent him an e-mail floating the idea of a video.
As of Thursday, the clip had clearly ascended to viral status, with more than 1.1 million views on FunnyOrDie.com. Given the sensitivity of the issue, comments also have been flying, with well over a thousand posted.
Shaiman had been involved in a more serious debate over Proposition 8.
After voters approved Proposition 8, which changed the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage, it was revealed that Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theater in Sacramento (the state’s largest nonprofit musical theater company) had donated $1,000 to the “Yes on 8” campaign.
Shaiman’s “Hairspray” had played at the theater, and he said he would never allow anything he wrote to play there because of Eckern’s donation. Others protested and Eckern resigned in November.
In an interview Wednesday, Shaiman regretted that it came to Eckern losing his job and said: “It’s a tragedy for everyone involved. You’ll certainly see that no one called for him to resign.”
The video for Funny or Die was a lighter-hearted protest.
Shaiman wrote the piece in a day, recorded it the next and shot it in a single day last week.
“It was like, ‘Eureka! That’s right, that’s what I do!’” said Shaiman of the mini-musical. “If I’m going to stand on the soap box, at least let me sing and dance.”
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However, like I said before, the people have voted--fairly, and decided they do not want it. That is democracy in the purest form. To have people come back and belittle that by protesting and DEMANDING that it be repealed/overturned/thrown out is just simply facism. If that is what they stand for, then that is how the people should be labelled. The problem here is that they cannot win in the arena of ideas, so they must silence and overthrow the will of the majority--that is facism, plain and simple. "
Hilarious and oh oh so true wrote on December 4, 2008 5:15 pm:
The video(Do watch this its FABULOUS) points out something that I've thought for years, states, cities and counties could make $$$$$$$ if they allowed Gay marriages and Divorces Want a new stadium? Want a new Arena. The Revenue would be great.
Also, since the Churches decided to join in on this issue they should give up the tax exempt status, if you want to make political contributions you should loose your exemption.Think of all new revenue we could get from that. "
WCG wrote on December 5, 2008 7:31 am:
And "really," I suppose it's just fascism when abortion opponents keep protesting, even after the "people have spoken" in voting down drastic restrictions? Like it or not, this IS democracy. And since we have the rule of law in this country, if there is a legal reason for the overthrow of Prop 8, then that's what should happen.
I don't know if that's the case, myself, but you know this won't go away. This is today's civil rights issue. It took a LONG time for racial civil rights to be accepted (and you heard nearly the exact same arguments for that, including about how interracial marriages were anti-Christian and non-traditional), and this won't be any easier. Personally, I fail to see the problem. If two men or two women want to get married, that doesn't affect me at all. Why is it even any of my business? I really don't get it. "
mark wrote on December 5, 2008 8:26 am:
He should hope that he would only be judged by humans. Scary future for some of these folks. "
mark wrote on December 5, 2008 8:46 am:
Why are minorities' thoughtful moral choices marginalized? "
Hey Really wrote on December 5, 2008 12:27 pm:
Check your definitions. You may not like the protests...but then, neither did many during the civil rights marches. Hey, there's a nice comparison. The 'people had spoken' and voted to make laws to keep Blacks separate and unequal. Guess there shouldn't have been any protests about something that had passed a voting test, huh? "