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Youth Chorus Creatively Accepts Apology For Insulting Remark
Should Cohen have been more sincere, especially when dealing with children?
Do you remember the youth chorus from New York’s PS 122 that sang the final song at the Oscars last month? Then you might also remember who the following day, Bravo‘s Andy Cohen ridiculed the kids on MSNBC.
Specifically, he said, “It was the worst. I was looking for a knife to stick in my eyes, it was so terrible.”
While many thought it was an unnecessary and thoughtless comment, probably no one was as upset as the youth chorus and their director Gregg Breinberg.
After all the buzz surrounding the performance and the hard work and dedication it took to get a youth chorus to sing at the Academy Awards, Cohen’s remark was insensitive at best.
On Friday, Cohen did offer a brief apology on his program Bravo show, “Watch What Happens Live.”
Then he sent a short hand-written note to the choir:
“Sometimes adults say really dumb things and don’t think before they speak. I am sorry for my thoughtless remarks and wish you and the kids continued success.”
So in a bold but creative gesture, Breinberg had his chorus respond to Cohen’s apology through verse and on video. The kids sang a rendition of the song “Apologize,” by One Republic, where the repeating verse is “It’s too late to apologize.”
The video was put up on YouTube but has been since taken down under order of the Board of Education.
In the video, Breinberg talks directly to Cohen saying:
“We accept your apology. It could have been a little longer and you should have done it in person, but we accept your apology.”
What do you think? What this an appropriate apology by Cohen? Was the video an appropriate response? And what, if anything, did this apology and its acceptance show the kids about forgiveness and criticism?
Source: NY Daily News
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5 Comments
Kelly commented on Mar 09 11 at 4:51 pmandy was overly harsh but I don’t think he really meant it, it was like he was playing it up for TV and he’s used to making fun of people (adults) on his Bravo show. however, I did think it was odd that the choir sang – what’s a children’s choir doing at the Oscars?
La Rêveuse commented on Mar 09 11 at 5:37 pmWay to teach kids to be catty! And in public no less! Wow, way to go, choir director. Insincerity is exactly what I want my child to learn…
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 09 11 at 6:46 pmI think the kids were very sincere. They also learned a life lesson about public figures and how they will say anything to cover their asses.
Amanda commented on Mar 10 11 at 9:25 amCohen was a bit harsh in the way he said it, but I agree with him, in a way. The choir sounded ok, but their outfits and weird dance moves and gestures seemed so out of place at the Oscars.
Danielle Sullivan commented on Mar 10 11 at 10:05 amI think I agree with all that was said above: Cohen was definitely too harsh for children, the chorus was a strange choice, the kids definitely did learn a hard lesson about public figures, and the acceptance to the apology could have been handled much better!
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