Sure, I've made a less-than-tasteful joke on occasion. And I feel our society in general is becoming overly sensitive and could probably use a sense-of-humor injection.
But am I the only one who's put off by late-night one-liners aimed at the Heaven's Gate cult?Hearing Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Bill Maher joke about the poor misguided souls who took part in that methodical mass suicide conjures up a sense of deja vu - I felt the same way about O.J. Simpson jokes during and after his criminal and civil trials.
In both situations, people were killed. To me, this is tragedy, not comedy.
Having said that, I recognize that a thin line separates the two. To paraphrase Mel Brooks, if I get a paper cut, it's a tragedy; if you fall into a manhole and die, it's comedy.
But maybe we shouldn't remove ourselves from the equation. Maybe we should put ourselves in the shoes of the grieving families and friends of the victims. If Jay Leno's wife or David Letterman's mother were among the dead, would they still be making jokes about it?
And now ABC announces that a TV movie on Heaven's Gate is in the works.
Let's just hope it's not a comedy.
(BULLET) JAZZED OFF: Of course, no one likes to be the butt of a joke in any form, and this really came home to me last week as I was censored by the Utah Jazz.
If you attend any Jazz games you may have seen my face on the Jumbotron (during the first timeout of the second quarter), offering quick-clip reviews of three movies and making a pitch for the Deseret News.
This is the second year for this ad gimmick, and until last week no one seemed to care about the little jokes I occasionally made about basketball in general or about Michael Jordan's appearance in "Space Jam" or about how much Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story" looks like Craig Bolerjack.
But apparently losers can't be laughers, and a mild gag miffed someone on the Sacramento Kings team.
As usual, a set of three reviews was prepared for the Wednesday and Friday games, when the Jazz played Sacramento and Vancouver, respectively. The third review in the set was for "The Sixth Man," a "basketball fantasy about a star player who dies and comes back as a ghost to help the team."
And this was my closing line: "Maybe Sacramento and Vancouver could use someone like that!"
It seemed harmless enough to me. But when it played, someone on the Kings team heard it and complained to the Jazz.
Two days later, when the same set of reviews ran on the Jumbotron during the Vancouver game, the last line had been clipped.
Now I'm not writing this to whine just because the Jazz made this arbitrary decision . . . although it was made without calling me or anyone else at the Deseret News (and if I understand this correctly, we pay for those spots and they aren't cheap).
But I do have one question.
Why wasn't the person who complained listening to the coach instead of my movie review during a time out?
Perhaps that lack of concentration explains why the Kings lost the game by 31 points.
(BULLET) MORE "STAR WARS" STUFF: "Star Wars: The Special Edition." Are you sick of it yet?
It was great fun while it lasted, but let's face it . . . enough already. Enough with the hype, enough with the Darth Vader Taco Time ads, enough with the Princess-Leia-in-her-cast-iron-bikini cardboard standee . . . enough, enough, enough.
Well, maybe not the standee. I do have a birthday coming up.
No, let's not quibble. Let's be strong. Enough with all that is "Star Wars."
Except, of course, for the music.
If I don't see the movies again for another decade, no problem. But the music can go on forever.
All three "Special Edition" soundtrack albums ($34.99 each, RCA Victor) are terrific, right down to the nifty, picture-packed booklets, jam-packed with information about John Williams' stirring scores for "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Each is a double-disc set with raised-art packaging and loads of extras (bonus tracks, alternate takes, etc.).
Listening to all six discs back-to-back is akin to a marathon symphony. And what a symphony. If ever there was a movie that was enhanced by its music, it's "Star Wars" - and with each sequel, Williams only upped the ante.
Interestingly, as with the movies, it is the first sequel - "The Empire Strikes Back" - that is the richest and most fully rounded of the three. Williams' bombastic themes are laced with more subtle orchestrations that gracefully manipulate the emotions of the listener as well on a CD as on a movie screen.
If you're interested but can only buy one of these pricey albums, go for "Empire."