Jamie Foxx special

I just received this email from a friend

Subject: FW: Jamie Foxx - Music Special Controversy on NBC

cc

Subject Jamie Foxx – Music Special
Controversy on NBC(Document link: Andrea Harrison)

Please take the time to forward the below message to everyone in your address book. NBC is not doing any marketing & publicity on Jamie's Music Special on NBC because he stood his ground and wouldn't have any white guest as they requested. To make it even worse he had two controversial guest stars, that do not fit the "NBC profile" on his show. Tune in to find out who they are. They are purposely putting his show up against the second week of American Idol in hopes that it will fail. This will give them the excuse to never give another black person a music special because "it doesn't work". Let's show them that it does work, and that we support each other. Tivo Idol, and watch Jamie. I saw the taping, it is a good show.

J Foxx making history on NBC. This is the first time NBC
has ever aired an entire young urban African American cast on a
music special. We need to show support. This was not an easy sell for
Jamie and he stood his ground to make it happen the way he saw fit.
JAMIE FOXX MUSIC SPECIAL WILL BROADCAST WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25TH @ 8:00PM PST on NBC. PLEASE MAKE IT A POINT WATCH! There will be surprise special guests.

Where do I start...I guess first, it's fair to say that I put a call into NBC in order for them to comment on this. I should also put a call into Jamie Foxx's people to see if they have any comments- but I will wait for the official NBC position before I do that.

My gut reaction and my overwhelming suspicion is that the only true part about this is that Jamie Foxx is having a special on NBC. If this email was started as a way to pump the show amongst the black community then whoever started the chain should be tracked down and prosecuted...if, of course, the allegations are made up. These people would not be doing the black community or any community any good by fanning the flames of prejudice with their own prejudicial and destructive actions.

Just for arguments sake, let's say the story is somewhat true; for me a few pertinent questions come to mind:

Is it ok for a black man to specify that he does not want white people on his show?
- flip that around, let's say it was a Guns and Roses special and they specifically asked that no blacks appear, should black people be outraged?
Did NBC request to have a performer on the show and was turned down because the performer was white?
- again flip it, and think about how blacks would react.

If there was no specific exclusion by color by Jamie Foxx of the guests on his show, but NBC wanted to include a guest specifically because they were white- then NBC was in the wrong. If that were the case, then the tone of this email maligns Jamie Foxx and casts him in a bad light, and he would be owed an apology by the author of it.

If it had been stipulated by Foxx from the start that no white people would be allowed, then the KKK may as well just send him an honorary card allowing him into their ranks- they would effectively share the same mindset.

There may have been a few wrongs committed here, but no matter how you slice it, the greatest wrong being committed here is by whoever authored this email. They managed to make Jamie Foxx look bad, they managed to make NBC look bad- all the while trying to promote them both; ironic isn't it?