Home
When Sinead O'Connor's notorious potshot at the Pope was excommunicated from a recent Saturday Night Live repeat, the bit joined a long list of lost moments in entertainment. Below are some of the notable no-nos we may never see or hear again. WHAT Madonna's 1989 Pepsi ad featuring ''Like a Prayer'' WHY Rev. Donald Wildmon and a Texas bishop attacked the ad not for its own content but for the images of burning crosses and a black Christ figure in Madonna's ''Like a Prayer'' video, which was released simultaneously. WHERE IT STANDS The commercial was shown once, then yanked off the air. Madonna's payoff: $5 million.
WHAT Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, director Todd Haynes' campy 1987 film about the '70s singer WHY Karen's brother, Richard, objected to the Carpenters' music being in the film, which uses Barbie dolls to portray characters. WHERE IT STANDS $ In 1990 Richard got a court order to have all prints in distribution destroyed. A few underground copies remain.
WHAT The last four minutes of Michael Jackson's 1991 ''Black or White'' video WHY The King of Pop smashed up car windows with a crowbar, shattering his image as a role model. WHERE IT STANDS Overwhelmingly negative reaction and the charge that the video condoned violent behavior forced Jackson and Sony's Epic Records to excise the final four.
WHAT Prince's Black Album, scheduled for a 1988 release WHY The Purple One is reported to have nixed its release because he thought the material too depressing. WHERE IT STANDS Only 26 copies remain; one sold recently for $13,500. There are no plans to release the album.
WHAT Pee-wee's Playhouse, cut from CBS' Saturday- morning lineup in 1991 WHY Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman) was charged with indecent exposure in a Florida theater that shows X-rated movies; he pleaded no contest and paid a $50 fine. WHERE IT STANDS According to his agent, Reubens has not yet opened bidding for syndication rights but could at any time.
