An interesting blend.
The actress, best known for her role on “Desperate Housewives,” comes from a father who was of Welsh and Choctaw Native American ancestry and her mother was of French, German and Syrian Ancestry.
The cast of “Happy Endings.”
I don’t know if I’m watching more TV this week or if it is simply a growing trend, but I saw for the first time a sitcom on ABC the other night (though the show is going into its 2nd or 3rd season this fall) called “Happy Endings.” In the show, one of the featured couples is a mixed married couple, played by Damon Wayans Jr. and Eliza Coupe. Though I only saw one episode, from what I can see as is the trend with other shows and commercials, nothing is made of the pairing that makes it seem like anything other than just a normal relationship.
Once again, way to go Hollywood.
Not the most forward thinking kind of show.
A group of Nashville residents led by football players Nathaniel Claybrooks andChristopher Johnson said Tuesday they will file a class-action lawsuit against the ABC dating competition series The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for racial discrimination. The potential plaintiffs point out that over 10 years of the show and 23 seasons, the programs have not featured a single person of color as the featured Bachelor or Bachelorette.
I must admit, I never even thought of this. And to some degree I am torn over thinking this is silly and who cares and yet I do see the point that it is very unfair that in all those years there has never been a non-White bachelor or bachelorette. As one commenter put it, as stupid as the show is, other ethnicities deserve the right to be as shallow as the Whites on the show. So why shouldn’t others get a chance?
As a producer myself, one thing I know is that these decisions are not made by accident. Casting is one of the most thought about aspects of producing, so there is a reason they have only selected Whites. The most obvious reason being the producers probably fear, maybe rightfully so, that the masses of Whites who follow the show, will not want to watch a season with a Hispanic, Black or Asian love interest and suiters. And I do understand that point as valid. The show has to make money. It is owned by a private company so forcing them to make what they believe is a bad decision is a bit murky.
Of course it doesn’t help when a producer on the show gives an answer as silly as this one:
Last year, Entertainment Weekly asked Fleiss whether The Bachelor would ever feature someone who wasn’t white. Here was his reported response:
“I think Ashley is 1/16th Cherokee Indian, but I cannot confirm. But that is my suspicion! We really tried, but sometimes we feel guilty of tokenism. Oh, we have to wedge African-American chicks in there! We always want to cast for ethnic diversity, it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.”
Here is the full article on the lawsuit.
