Clooney/Jean/Cooper Telethon and more Haiti Earthquake TV

Unfortunately, tragedy often unites us around our tv -and other assorted media- but definitely around our TV. Haiti’s earthquake is a tragedy of epic scale and television brought it into our homes. Here is some of what’s been going on:

HELPING OUT:

TV and the internet united to help Wyclef Jean and his Yele Haiti foundation make money throught texting. Even as of now,you can text Yele to 501501 and donate $5 to Jean’s Haiti-centered charity’s releif activities. This was announced on CNN and, of course, on the web. It should be noted this was followed up by a SmokingGun.com story that Jean’s foundation misuses funds and profits Jean and his associates. CBS has also looked into this. Jean denies wrongdoing.

That issue notwithstanding, Jean and George Clooney are taking to the airwaves to raise money for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Here are the details:

The telethon will be a two-hour special, aired commercial-free on the following networks: ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT on Friday, January 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Everyone’s going to be running this thing, short of the Weather Channel. And they should.

The event will be anchored by Clooney in Los Angeles, Jean in New York City and Anderson Cooper from Haiti, and proceeds will directly benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross UNICEF and Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation.

TOUGH TO WATCH

Speaking of Cooper, if you have been watching CNN’s coverage of Haiti, you know Anderson Cooper has seen a lot of horrible things. Saturday’s report had him almost in tears. I’m sure he will be sharing some of the stories of people he’s encountered during the telethon.

I have to say, I can’t take watching too much footage of people trapped in buildings or dead bodies on the street- and Im not sure such footage really helps people “understand” what’s going on or give more. Even Cooper and his colleagues have said things to that effect: if you’re not there, you can’t even imagine the scene. However, they keep showing this brutual footage. Is it maybe too much? I didnt see Ivan Watson’s coverage of the rescue of a girl who ultimately died, but apparently, even he himself suggest the network cut away. Campbell Brown and Fox’s Steve Harrigan have broken down- and who wouldn’t? I don’t know. I guess, unlike the people of Haiti, we can change the channel. But still, is it perhaps unnecessary? Does it drive viewers away, even?

But there is much to praise about the news coverage, at least what I’ve seen - and I’ve mostly been watching CNN. Obviously, it is important to hear directly from the victims of the earthquake; and reporters are giving them a voice. I respect that the reporters are trying to make it clear how horrible the situation is. Sanjay Gupta twitterd that he thought it seemed “hopeless” - that wasnt an evaluation, I don’t think, as much as a human, gut reaction to the chaos and its scale. Since then, he has been updating people online and on tv about his medical work and the obstacles medical teams are facing. I think these reporters truly ‘give a damn’ and I think while some of what we have been shown isn’t really helpful, they are doing a tough job and doing it well.

And as far as TV MVP’s go, among them must be the Domincian/Australian tv crew that dug a girl out of the rubble. “Good on ya!”

FUNNY ‘HA-HA’ or FUNNY PECULIAR?

I was sort of annoyed by the ongoing public feud between Leno, Conan and NBC and the prominence it’s been getting in the respective participants monologues and also in the press. Not only are the jokes about “now I have to work at a coffee bar” or ‘NBC only cancels good shows” redundant after the first night, and not only are they kind of self-serving and self-pitying, but, really, they just weren’t that funny. I know both men care about their reputations, the integrity of their shows and their work, and the well being of their staffs. And I am not bashing either of them personally. But, for real, enough was enough this week.

Plus, I sort of wish Conan (or someone) would admit he didn’t (couldn’t) get the Tonight Show viewers Leno did. I sort of wish Leno would recognize that the fact he’s only able to be a hit within a certain time slot isn’t, like, a sign he’s awesome. Neither of them TC of their respective B and they seem to be blaming that on NBC. NBC, for it’s part, has it’s head up it’s peacock. Anyhow, the point is, all the lame trash talking and — and Im including Jimmy Kimmel in this - and self-back patting and whining by multi-millionaires coming at us right after we heard about so much horrific disaster on the news from Haiti was just sort of tacky. And more to the point, it wasn’t funny. And if a comedian has any job, it’s to make us laugh when we most need it. I think this was a week when we needed it.

Elsewhere, Jon Stewart had an impassioned bit about Pat Robertson’s dummy of the year statement but I liked his railing against politicizing the relief efforts better. It’s hard to find anything funny about this whole thing but the DS worked it out to make a point as they often did. It wasn’t maybe something that needed to be said, but it was all right.

ALSO…

ESPN has been following the stories of athletes with Haitian connections. On OPRAH, Lady Gaga pledged her profits from an upcoming concert will go to Haiti relief. Michelle Obama is taping a TV PSA to urge people to donate to relief efforts. Online, Olivia Wilde of House promoted the efforts of her group Artists for Peace and Justice, Alyssa Milano of Charmed made a $50,000 pledge and asked for corporating matching on the Huffington Post. Also on the Huff Post, Simpsons voice Harry Shearer is advocating for a grassroots organization he is connected to, Lambifund.

And in front of TVs and internet screens people all over the world wait and hope for the people of Haiti to see the light at the end of this horrible tunnel.

There are many agencies soliciting aid right now. Please consider donating to the group of your choice.