Respectful Insolence

It’s good to see that the organizers of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation finally realized its mistake:

Actress Jenny McCarthy has been dumped again. McCarthy won’t be in Ottawa for Bust A Move.
The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation reacted today to a public backlash in signing the anti-vaccine campaigner to the Ottawa breast health fundraiser.

As I said before when I first noted the extreme idiocy of their decision to feature an anti-science twit like Jenny McCarthy, whose antivaccine activism directly endangers cancer patients, I can’t figure out what the organizers were thinking. I can’t figure out even now. At least Jenny has been booted. Having her represent a legitimate medical charity, as opposed to the antivaccine propagandists at Age of Autism, is something that should never happen.

Comments

#1 BA
February 2, 2013

I guess it will be a happy Groundhog Day.

Strike up the music the band has begun the Pennsylvania polka…
#2 Skeptico
February 2, 2013

Wow. At least they admitted their mistake. Better late than never.

Thanks for keeping on top of this Orac. You are so more diligent than me.
#3 daijiyobu
http://naturocrit.blogspot.com
February 2, 2013

I wonder if Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation has any loose ties to the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre which is owned by the Toronto naturopathy college and it is touted as “scientifically grounded, evidence-informed natural cancer care.”
#4 Ken
Wisconsin
February 2, 2013

Word is getting out. It’s only been seven years since she first hooked up with TACA.
#5 al kimeea
www.quackademiology.com
February 2, 2013

I think the charity still had to pay the loon for her attempt at being charitable
#6 Andy
February 3, 2013

The charity seems to think it owes her but McCarthy apparently claimed it was her decision to quit the contract due to conflicting schedules. If she’s telling the truth, surely she should pay the charity.
#7 flip
February 3, 2013

My hypothesis is they outsourced their marketing and someone just didn’t bother to research who they were approaching. When it comes to things like this celebrity status and how much you have to pay for it is more important than making sure that celebrity is science-based. People are going to turn up to the charity event if you have a stripper, not if you have a Nobel prize winner.

@Al Kimeea

I think the charity still had to pay the loon for her attempt at being charitable

I think in most of these situations, people agreeing to do a charity event waive their usual fees. At least, that’s been my very limited knowledge of events management. On the other hand, it doesn’t surprise me that charities shell out to ensure they have a ‘draw card’ to their event.
#8 Dangerous Bacon
February 3, 2013

“The charity seems to think it owes her but McCarthy apparently claimed it was her decision to quit the contract due to conflicting schedules. If she’s telling the truth, surely she should pay the charity.”

Good point. Someone is, um, shading the truth here.

You’d think McCarthy would be embarrassed about taking money from a cancer foundation over a non-appearance, but evidently she feels getting paid is more important than the money going to serve cancer patients.
#9 Marc Stephens Is Insane
February 3, 2013

flip,

I posted this on other Jenny McCarthy thread, but I organized several benefit events in my previous career and the artist always gets paid. Plus they get all their tour expenses covered, hotel, food, travel, etc. Sometimes they kick back some of their fee to the charity in exchange for a tax receipt, but that’s only if it’s a charity they also believe in.

I know of at two Canadian bands who make a nice living doing charity concerts across the country. They lend their name to the event which sells tickets, they get paid, and the charity gets what’s left. Oftentimes the charity uses the event to sell other fund-raising items like lottery tickets or merchandise.

This of course doesn’t apply to major high-profile events like the Hurricane Sandy relief concert. Although I heard from people involved there that at least one of the major acts was pissed they weren’t going to get paid anything. Hint: it’s the band that performed the shortest set of the entire evening. And it’s the band with one of the longest careers and biggest recorded outputs that performed that night.
#10 flip
February 3, 2013

@MSII

I’m behind on my reading (again) so hadn’t seen the other thread. Maybe it’s different here but I’ve only ever heard of the people involved waiving fees. I can understand wanting to get paid to cover certain costs, but honestly isn’t the point to raise money for the charity and reduce the amount that goes to paying admin/set up? If you’re more interested in getting paid than in supporting the charity, then just don’t be involved – you’re only there to get ‘street cred’ for doing charity events even though you don’t give a crap about it.

Ahem, anyway the practice of taking fees for charity do’s is stoopid…
#11 Adam
February 4, 2013

People who contract leukaemia can die from complications caused by their collapsed immune system – lung infections, flu etc. Stuff an ordinary person could fight off.

It’s totally inappropriate that this woman should be in any way associated with a cancer charity. This woman whether she cares to acknowledge it or not has killed people with her anti vaccine ignorance.
#12 Karl
Toronto
February 4, 2013

I went to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation site to make a donation. It’s easy to rage “I won’t donate” when they do something like this but when they admit their mistake, it seems fair to reward them. Alas, there’s no place on the page to make a donation.
#13 Matt Carey
February 4, 2013

Is this the correct website: http://www.ottawacancer.ca/en/home.aspx

?

If so, there are two places with “Donate Now” where one can click.

There is a statement on the org’s facebook page:

“If you’d like to show your support for Tommy Europe’s participation in Bust a Move, please donate to his personal fundraising page: http://bit.ly/Vt2anh”

Sounds like a good place to start.