Stars come out on 'Prop. 8 -- The Musical'

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Musical genius Marc Shaiman of "Hairspray" fame (among so many others) has reunited with Adam Shenkman (who directed the film version of the musical) to create a star-studded music video showing Proposition 8 backers and foes debating gay marriage in song.

Earlier this month, Shaiman was vocal in his displeasure with a Sacramento theater director's contribution to the campaign that called for a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

The video, "Prop. 8 -- The Musical" is available at the website Funny or Die.

Read more at our sister blog, LA Now.

--Lisa Fung

Comments

[Ella Porter]

This has to be the stupidist thing I have ever seen. Does anyone still wonder why proposition 8 passed?

[ruby eliot]

this video is really embarrassing. i can't believe Sharmain did it.

On the actual video notes he says, I should have done this six weeks ago-- I don't think it would have helped.

A. it just perpetuates the "hate" against people who believe in the bible
B. it's filled to over flowing with fallacies (for example, one could argue that shellfish was not "clean" back then because it was dangerous--there wasn't a lot of knowledge about how to properly prepare seafood, and...then one could make the argument, that homosexuality is still an unhealthy lifestyle...)
C. the music is terrible.

I was laughing out loud this was so irrelevant.

the only people who will take this seriously, are high school students.

(...which....sounds like an education issue...)

i'm surprised Jack Black contributed.

i'm totally over the "against gay marraige" = homophobia.
this post has some interesting points regarding this fallacy:
http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/ho%E2%8B%85mo%E2%8B%85phobe-n/

[David]

I think the video is great. It is no secret that the Bible is full of hypocritical meanderings, which the video pointed out. Though I know it's hard for evangs to take things with a grain of salt and really think things through, in the end that is what will happen. With sexual abuse, teen pregnancy regarless of abstinance, and divorce at an all time high within church goers, I think at some point reality may sink in and changes will happen. I liked the positive portrayal in the last 1/3 of the movie, it really rings well for all of us to help each other be together in this human race where we are all here trying to see each other clearly without judgement. I think that is originally what church was supposed to be about, it is unfortunate it lost it's way so badly.

[Nancy Vega]

I think this was great. I love how actors are standing out and showing their support for the No on H8 fight.
I guess you don't get out much to see plays that often do you Porter?
By the way, i know why prop 8 passed. It's because the majority of our society is still uneducated and ignorant. Just look at California' drop out rate, its almost the same percentage of Yes on 8 voters. Coincidence?

[Zach]

Ella - Actually it was hilarious and not stupid at all.

[Jay]

I love the video, though it is too optimistic: most of the Bible-thumpers who voted for Proposition 8 are impervious to logical arguments. And, moreover, though they call themselves Christians, they obviously do not heed Jesus's commandment to love thy neighbor and to do unto others as they would be done unto.

[Rev. Kate Maver]

Actually, Shaiman's Jesus is right on the mark (and very cleverly cast!). The Bible does say a lot of things. When "Jesus" pops a shrimp in his mouth, it reminds me of all the Biblical rules the real Jesus broke while the pharisees looked on in horror. The message of the 1st century Jesus was, in a nutshell, exactly the same as Shaiman's Jesus' message . Choose love instead of hate. Brilliant. (And yes, I am a real Reverend--ordained in the United Church of Christ)

[Donovan]

Should we put any stock in what Hollywood celebrities think about anything? They are celebrities! They live in a bubble. Most of them aren't paid to use their brains. Why should their opinions matter more than anyone else's?

[Donald Frazell]

REd states and blue states exist primarily becaues of excesses in the media areas of NY LA, and SF. If they would stop trying to shove thier agendas, which are particular to thier areas, down teh throats of others there would not be such a backlash. being decadentt and arrogant, very artsy attributes of self absorbed ignorance.

Those of us who are straight but against Prop 8 supporters equal nonsense are embarrassed, and many driven to the other side. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between, but neither siade will admit it. So extremists control the arguments. And drive the middle away. Thank god Obama won and is going straight up the center, no pun intended. Well, a ltitle bit.

[JW]

There's more in the Bible about usury than homosexuality and I do believe more people have been impacted by the banks than what a gay couple does. I know what's coming next: Someone is going to say something about dispensation. It's the only way they can try to make sense of a book that doesn't make sense.

Come on, the bible is FULL of contradictions and the only way these guys can justify their picking and choosing is due solely to their own bigotry and hatred ("I hate you because god told me to").

Well, my imaginary diety says, "You're wrong!"

Have fun!

[Adrock]

I wish these people who do not read the bible would stop pretending they understand it, or even worse, preach it wrong. Old Law vs New law. Sacrifice vs Sacrament. Eye for an Eye vs Beattitudes. If you want to know what is in the bible, read it. Do not try and learn it from youtube videos.

[Sue]

OF COURSE Jesus said LOVE EVERYONE, but he made no allowance for sin. Love the sinner(all of us sin), but not the sin is a simple concept. I don't know why those opposed to prop. 8 can't see that. A yes on 8 vote DOES NOT equate with hate.

[chaddy sands]

I can't figure out who hates whom more. Is it the "bible-thumpers" hating the gays or the gays hating the bible-thumpers? People should be allowed their views without being mocked and shamed. We did have a vote on this, and we can vote again.

[Daris]

The point is that calling homosexuality a "sin" because "the Bible" says so means that you're making the statement that whatever "the Bible" calls a "sin" is a sin.

Therefore, to have any moral standing upon which to say "being gay is a sin," you have to actively prosecute EVERY SINGLE SIN IN THE BIBLE in order to maintain the moral authority you need to make that blanket pronunciation about homosexuality.

Therefore: if you eat shellfish, because the Bible says that eating shellfish is a sin, you may no longer say that being gay is a sin just because the Bible says so because clearly you don't think that everything the Bible says is a sin, is actually a sin.

See, this is called "logic."

Stop hiding behind the Bible. If you voted for Prop 8 you're a bigot. You're prejudiced and hateful, and that means you're disqualified from being a Christian, and that means you can't hide behind the Bible to justify your vote.

I was raised Catholic. I turned my back on the Church because "Christians" are 99% utterly full of it and a collection of hypocrites, and even as a child I was smart enough to recognize that.

The point is, I know my Bible very well - and it's full of contradictions. You cannot accept it at face value. It is a meaningless defense to support for Prop 8.

Homosexuality is not a moral issue - because you can't point to any consistent system of morals which designates it a "sin." Morals need to be consistent or they don't have any meaning, so if you're going to use the Bible to justify your hatred, you had better be obeying EVERY SINGLE LAW in the Bible.

Otherwise, that makes you a sinner, which means you lose the right to judge anyone else, which means you should voluntarily recluse yourself from any vote on issues like Prop 8 because you're a sinner and you don't get a vote anymore.

Sorry, there's that "logic" thing again...

[The Truth]

There are surprisingly misinformed people being quoted left and right in this article and speaking up on this thread.

Prop 8 is as constitutional as any law that has ever been passed. Does “We the People” ring a bell? That’s something that no amount of rainbow waving at crying foul at the will of the people will ever change.

Now, to the bigots: Shame on you for bashing Mormons, Evangelicals, or any other human beings who have stood up for what they felt was right. By doing so, you set yourself firmly in the place of those inflammatory voices you would oppose. Bigotry never fixed anything.

Now, for the issue of separation of church and state: It is a myth. That’s right, a myth that is not aligned with reality at all. Laws are established based on values, and values tie directly to religious beliefs. Therefore the underlying, core religious beliefs of the majority will always surface as values, then ultimately as laws. So by contending the passing of Prop 8, you stand on a foundation that is not aligned with the will of the people (values based on religion). No wonder gays are attacking religious groups. The religion of homosexuality is a base form obsession with a sexually confused misuse of genitalia. Nothing more. It is the unnatural, amoral value of wanting what is not possible: Long-term happiness in doing what is wrong.

Those who seek to alter the voice of the people on Prop 8 may be better suited with living in a communist country. Then they could really cry and whine about inequality.

Now, to the issue of tolerance: This is not about tolerance. It never was. Tolerance is not a virtue, it’s a flaw. If you embrace everything, you become nothing. That goes for America, too. If we embrace and legalize prostitution, thievery, murder, and homosexuality, then our country will tear itself apart within a generation.

Now, to the issue of equality: Individuals who have chosen the path of homosexuality already have individual rights provided by the Constitution. They have freedom of speech, worship, and the pursuit of happiness. And, they have the right to marry anyone they want as long as that person is of a different gender. In the same way that they aren’t allowed to legally marry someone of the same gender, they are not allowed to marry their mother, sister, or pet horse. Bottom line: Stop whining about equality and start appreciating the freedom you have to actually be responsible and live a life that actually can achieve true happiness. And, yes, that is based on the will of the people. Welcome to America!

[Greg]

Shame on the alleged Christians who lied to ram PROP 8 and similar measures into effect. You are entitled to your views, but you are not entitled to deny anyone's right to EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER THE LAW because of your personal religious viewpoint.

The same religious arguments you use today were used just a generation ago to keep people of different races from marrying. If the Civil Rights act had been put to a state-by-state ballot question, we'd all be drinking from separate water fountains.

And, to those who would say we should "just be thankful to live in America," you have obviously have never had to face institutionalized discrimination. It is ridiculous for Christians to claim that THEY are the victims of hate speech when it is THEIR rhetoric that drives hatred and acts of violence toward gays. Let me know when Christians start getting bashed in the head on the way home from church, then I'll feel some sympathy for your oppressed minority status.

May each of you be blessed with a gay child so that you can TRULY learn what Christ's lessons of love meant. When it is your child, you will finally understand.

[Donald Frazell]

The courts will decide if this is about equal rights or social attitudes. thsoe are not to be ruled by law, but affected by thoughts of right and wrong. For me, this is neither. I was against 8, but also know that marriage is an institution about FAMILIES, NOT individuals. dumbass artistes think everything is about them.

Marriage is about two families bonding as one, for the growth of thaht family through and for CHILDREN. Everything else is just gravy, marriage is necessary for this reason for society to continue. Chaos reigns without it.

Veritas

art collegia delenda est

[Donald Frazell]

To "the Truth" You are ignoarant of history. The "Founding Fathers would all be atheists by your accounts. They were all of the Enlightenmnet, Episcoplaina, Universalists, Free Masons. We are born of both secular thinking from the Greeks on, mixed with a certain type of Christianity. One that was all about the advancement of man, not the advancemtnof dogma. They wre all agaisnt such things, completely. The US being born of those from persecution in their mother countries. Separation of church and state was to keep the state from imposing a single view of god and life on all, and wuld be safeguarded through a variety and freedom of religion, ANY religion. Islam, judaism and even Buddhism and Hinduism which they knew a little about from the breadth of the English Empire

Ignorance reigns, from both extremes.

Veritas

art collegia delenda est

[John S.1]

People go to movies to be entertained. People go to Church for a spritual uplift. The people who go to Church regularly don't rely on Hollywood for their interpretation of the Bible.

Shaiman can produce all the movies he wants and have all the familiar actors he wants in it -- and guess what. He is just wasting his time. He doesn't understand Christians. They are not fooled by silly actors.

And another thing - calling Christians names won't help your cause. There was an above post that said "Christians" are 99% utterly full of it and a collection of hypocrites"

Perhaps Gays are the ones with the image problem. If they don't get their way they thow temper tantrums, call everyone else bigots, make silly movies and reinterpret the Bible.

[Jay]

Thank you Mark Shaiman and all the actors in the skit. It is a wonderful parody in musical comedy form. Like most musical comedies, it indulges in some wishful thinking. The fundamentalist Christians and Mormon cultists are not likely to be swayed by anything Jesus says. Still, it is fun to show them up for the narrow-minded haters that they are.