Farrah Fawcett cancer show to air on NBC
Posted at 12:00 PM May 06, 2009
By Andrea Grimes |
"Farrah's Story," a two-hour special, will air May 15 at 9 p.m. It will include video Fawcett shot during her struggle with anal cancer. "This film is very personal," said Fawcett, 62, in one of the clips. "At the time, I didn't know if anybody would ever see it. But at some point, the footage took on a life of its own and dictated that it be seen."I guess there's something that happens to a person who's been famous as long as Fawcett. And I guess that something is "If this doesn't go on television for the world to see, it might not really be happening to me." You'd think that anal cancer would be one of those things you might actually try to wish away by pretending it doesn't exist. But I'm not Farrah Fawcett's brain. The article goes on to tell us exactly how we will benefit from seeing Fawcett's struggle, even if it doesn't question the appropriateness of making a television special out of cancer.
"This is an incredibly intimate and moving story about Farrah's struggle," Doug Vaughan, NBC's senior vice president of specials and alternative development, said in a statement. "Farrah wanted us to see the face of cancer and she wanted to set the record straight regarding her diagnosis, her treatment and her outlook on the future."I find this incredibly creepy in a Celebrity Rehab way. Obviously cancer isn't something you sign up for, but there's something intensely saddening about watching a washed up celebrity (sorry, Farrah) put this kind of pain and tragedy on display.
Even within a conversation about awareness, there's the fact that, according to the Daily News, "Farrah's Story" is explicitly in dialogue with the tabloids who've been predicting her death for ages. Not only does this acknowledge a media culture of shameless voyeurism, but it encourages it by further monetizing it.
Comments
I just read that Farrah herself shot the film when she was (re) diagnosed.
Cancer sucks.
Posted 05/07/2009 at 07:33:39 PM