Jane Fonda on The View

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strikeout

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Don't know if any of you caught The View on Monday, Feb. 23rd. When I heard Jane Fonda was going to be on talking about the Broadway play, 33 Variations, I thought, "Wow this is great". As many of you know her character has ALS. Well, when they start talking about the play, her character is described by both Jane Fonda and Barbara Walters as having "failing health". My husband and I are sitting there saying, "are you kidding me". What a letdown . Here was a perfect opportunity to raise awareness to ALS. With the large audience The View has, what a shame no one took advantage of mentioning this cruel disease. I felt compelled to write to The View, ABC, and even on Jane Fonda's blog about my disappointment. If anyone wants to join me in my crusade, it can't be a bad thing. Let them know it was a blow to the ALS community.
 
That's a terrible shame. Can we draft up some sort of response and have as many people from the forum sign it? There is a way of doing a petition through google documents and making it live on the internet... i learned to do it a little while back and i'm sure i could re-remember myself....

i know petition isn't the right way of describing it, but it's works on that principle.

i agree, characterizing als as "failing health" is more than a little offensive.
 
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count me in

I would sign the letter. Let me know. It is a shame that such an opportunity to bring this disease to the public was overlooked.
 
rocmg,
If you could figure out how to get the "petition" going that would be great.I'm sure it would get alot of signatures. Also if the network and show could be bombarded with mail about missing this opportunity to bring ALS to light, maybe something positive could come of it. ;)
 
I'm not a Jane Fonda fan. Her pop, Henry, quite a guy!

A lot of the ALS community was excited at hearing she was going to be on "The View" and were anticipating her to speak about ALS. I cannot believe Jane Fonda cares to connect with the ALS community. My viewpoint is that she chose a challenging role and when the play is over, her involvement with ALS is over.

Some speculate that if she were to speak about the play and the disease on "The View" that may have served to depress the viewers and discourage them from seeing the play. I don't agree. She is an actress and it is a part to be played. Her dad would have made a wonderful advocate.

Personally, I don't think she cares to be an advocate for ALS. Hope I'm wrong and she does a bang-up job, stirs the pot and a cure is developed out of it. It could happen!

Zaphoon
 
rocmg,
If you could figure out how to get the "petition" going that would be great.I'm sure it would get alot of signatures. Also if the network and show could be bombarded with mail about missing this opportunity to bring ALS to light, maybe something positive could come of it. ;)


strikeout, i'm off on a little holiday with mum tomorrow and friday, but will definitely get to work on putting something on the web this weekend.

great comments by Zaphoon. i couldn't help but feel a little bitter when Fonda got a round of applause for reaching 71. kind of ironic since many PALS won't ever live to that age.

i hope others will chime in on this issue.

talk to you all soon.

god bless.
 
rocmg,
Have a great time with your mum. How wonderful you two are enjoying a holiday together! Also, thanks so much for your help. You know, you are so right about the applause she received. I didn't even think of that.
 
Ms Fonda was on the Today show about 2 weeks ago. I saw it and the interviewer said ALS so fast that if you were not listening carefully you were going to miss it. In her defense, the interview was rushed and from my point of view, poorly planned on the show's part. I have expressed my disappointment to Moises Kaufman, the playwrite.

AL.
 
Hey folks. If you'd like to post comments here I can email Moises and get him to read our comments. He joined here when he was writing the play and picked my and a few others brains for information about living with ALS. We still keep in touch.

AL.
 
Al,
I'm sorry to hear The Today Show wasn't much better either. I think that would be great if Mr. Kaufman could read our comments. Thanks in advance for that.
 
Yes, AL, count us in if you want comments or to sign a petition of sorts. Rick isn't fond of Jane because of the Vietnam war and what she said about it. I thought this might improve his opinion, but not.
 
perhaps directing Mr. Kaufman to this thread would be the friendliest way to be disapproving. is that an oxymoron? anyway, if i haven't seen the play and would go out of curiosity (the Eugene O'Neill theater is right by where I live in NY) if only I weren't in Ireland with my mum who has probable ALS.

There is very little in reviews or advertising about the play that mentions ALS in any meaningful way. Of course, not everyone has to be an advocate, but it seems exploitative to use ALS to fuel the emotional intensity of a drama, without trying at least to raise a little bit of awareness about the disease and how prevalent and devastating it actually is.
 
Are any of the proceeds from ticket sales going to ALSA or MDA I wonder?

From New York Law School's Leonard Link:

So, Fonda plays the musicologist, but her performance at the preview I saw yesterday seemed much a work in progress and not too convincing yet. She looks too healthy to be an ALS sufferer. She even looks healthy in her wheelchair towards the end. I was actually more enthusiastic about some of the supporting players.

Musicologists will be thrilled, but pALS will not...
 
Hi all, Im really shocked to hear about this. That Jane Fonda played a character that suffered from Als and this wasnt highlighted in an interview? How could that be? Als is such a life changing, disabling disease, surely it played a big part in the play?
Was it a major role? I just find it soo strange that it wasnt talked about.

We have an actress from one of our soap operas here in Dublin that has had to retire because of her diagnosed with mnd. Her voice got so bad that it was difficult to understand her, and so they wrote her off the show, in a good way. She has been on our biggest talk shows, talking about her retirement but mainly about her diagnosed. They had my mums neurologist on it, and a spokesperson from the Irish Motor Neuron association, and it was all over the papers, we got great awareness out of it. It was amazing how much my phone rang that night, and even now I have people saying, Is that what your mam has, what the actress has? It worked for us, surely it should have worked for you too...

Put me down for any petition going!
 
Add me to the petition list. Definitely at least 2 lost opportunities to bring attention and support to this horrific disease.
 
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