Happy Dew Year; The Exploitation of Dick Clark for Ratings and Money Has to Stop

As Dick Clark hosts the 39^th edition of Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve, it is clear that the stroke victim is being exploited for ratings, money and entertainment purposes.

Clark, 81, was once known as "America's Oldest Teenager". He was known for his good looks, spry physical presence, and a professional approach with first rate production values; all of these both behind of and in front of the camera.

Clark's two signature franchises, the aforementioned New Year's Eve special, and the rock and roll and music based American Bandstand, both became cultural landmarks and core pieces of Americana. The New Year's Eve show, which started on December 31, 1972, has become synonymous in some ways with New Year's Eve in America; it generally starts at 10:00 pm ET with young, hip acts.

Clark in recent years hasn't appeared during the first hour, but is there for the second segment of the show, which begins at 11:30 pm ET (a half hour break is given for local newscasts) and climaxes with the famous ball drop in New York City's Times Square, which Clark helps countdown. For decades, Clark seemed to be the perfect host for the show as he spanned generations and had an historical perspective while being known for his optimistic tone and look towards the future. Dick Clark, it seemed, was the face of youth and the future, no matter how old he really was.

In 2004, however, Clark suffered a massive stroke and he missed the show for the first time. He came back the following year and his delivery and speech patterns were significantly impacted. While many gave Clark credit for soldiering on, the show took on a very different vibe. Since then, Clark has taken on less of a role on the show, handing much of the responsibilities off to the younger Ryan Seacrest.

However, Clark is still heralded as the 'Master of Ceremonies' for the show, and it is increasingly uncomfortable for many. While the mainstream media is generally afraid to appear insensitive, and criticizing the performance of a stroke victim is clearly politically incorrect, the fact is, Dick Clark cannot properly do the job anymore. The job, at least as it has been defined by Clark himself for years, is to speak with an upbeat, breezy and enthusiastic style. He's more than once yelled "Happy Dew Year!" during the telecast. During the New Year's Eve 2009 show, Clark suffered the ultimate indignity, as he lost his way several times when counting down to the New Year from 20. Shock jocks such as Opie and Anthony and Howard Stern dedicated entire segments on their shows to mocking him.

So why is Dick Clark still hosting Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve? Simply put, it is always about money in television. Ratings rule the night, and there is undeniably enough people still tuning into see Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve (the ratings were up last year), to continue to prop Dick Clark up and say what he can say to the extent that he can say it.

While some may tune out because they are uncomfortable watching Dick Clark try to do a job he can no longer do, there are surely those who tune in to see how bad he might slur, and how awkward he might move, each year.

On some level, the struggles that Clark goes through to try to perform some very basic tasks are actually helping the sustainability of the franchise. And that, frankly, is macabre.

Somebody, whether it be a member of Clark's family or the ABC Network has to put an end to this and get through to Clark that his time has passed and he cannot perform the basics of the job any longer. The final memories of Dick Clark should not be as a slurring confused old man who stayed too long at the party. The show could pay homage to him each year and perhaps have him appear in a limited capacity.

But don't allow the man to continue to stumble and mumble and speak unintelligibly to a nation of rubberneckers; the Dick Clark legacy deserves better than this.

Source:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?entry_id=54444