'We Celebrate Life' canceled due to manhunt in Boston

This interesting and timely article shows what I can do when I combine my fantasy world and real life.

No aspect of American life was left untouched by the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon this past Monday.  As with previous acts of mass casualty - whether natural or man-made - the same pattern emerged: disbelief at the scope of the disaster, thoughts and prayers for those no longer with us, and stories of heroism in its wake.

And how the search for the suspects ended on Friday ironically had a negative impact on a show that was supposed to help the victims of the bombings and all those victims of mass casualties, and their families.

Some years ago, Brenda Barefoot began the Bluebird Fund.  Named after her son Buddy Wayne's record-setting hit song, it took her compassion and made it tangible, by funding grief counseling in the short term, followed by financial and legal assistance long-term.  "It doesn't matter if it was a one-car accident on the highway or an enormous world-famous event.  If someone died or was seriously injured needlessly as a result, we're there for them."

Because April is the designated month for awareness of this cause, Brenda decided to team with veteran Hollywood producer Nigel Lythgoe (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) for a two-hour telethon, to air on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW, MyNetworkTV, and 22 non-broadcast networks.  Called We Celebrate Life, the program was scheduled for Friday, April 19.  Both the "roadblock" distribution and the show's production style was influenced by America: A Tribute to Heroes, which aired after the last major terrorist attack in the United States - 9/11.

However, as the minutes ticked down to showtime, police closed in on one of the two Chechen brothers who were suspects in the bombings, Dzokhar Tsarnaev (the other, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed earlier).  It became apparent that the four major broadcast networks couldn't show the telethon, as protocol dictated that they couldn't just ignore the events.  By what was supposed to be the end of the first hour, the suspect was captured alive.  During what was to be the second, U.S. president Barack Obama spoke briefly on the day's developments.

Since the master control feed controlled what went out to all 28 of the scheduled networks and could not be separated, organizers had no choice but to cancel.

But here's the thing: Brenda had made a complete show rundown and generously made it available to anyone who asked.  So if the telethon had gone forward, here's what viewers would have seen:

• Opening remarks from Brenda and co-host Kevin Frazier
• Coldplay - "Fix You" with dance by Lacey Schwimmer and Travis Wall
• Mark Wahlberg and Aly Raissman - remarks from Boston natives
• Angie Miller - "I'll Stand By You" (footage from Wednesday's Idol)
• John Hickenlooper - governor of Colorado on Aurora and Columbine H.S. shootings
• Brittany Raylene - "You Are Not Alone"
• Feature on marathon runners who ran to raise funds for Bluebird Fund
• Beelzebubs - "Sweet Caroline" (footage from The Sing-Off in 2011)
• Dwayne and Paula Muffett - Bluebird Fund-affiliated counselors who lost their home due to the 2011 Joplin tornado in Missouri
• Boyz II Men - "It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
• Camera pans left to right to show phone banks (see below)
• Phillip Phillips - "Home"
• Geno Auriemma (head women's basketball coach, UConn) - recalling Newtown shootings
• Aerosmith - "Dream On" (1990s concert footage)
• "Boston" Rob Mariani and Emily Maynard - reality-show competitors
• Bubba Brister - "Hallelujah"
• Brittany Ramos with remarks of how these events affect children
• Jennifer Hudson - "One Sweet Day"
• Jon Bon Jovi - remembering 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy
• Buddy Wayne Barefoot - "Bluebird"

Phone banks were also set up in Los Angeles with those affected by various mass shootings, natural disasters, and accidents since 2001, and also in Kansas City, KS with various NASCAR personalities (Brenda, remember, has two sons and a nephew with a total of six championships in its top series).

Brenda admitted to the adverse circumstances and said in a late Friday press conference that she wants to do it all again next year.

Note: Aerosmith and the Beelzebubs (the Tufts University glee club) were scheduled to perform at the Berklee College of Music in Boston; however, the city's day-long lockdown prevented anyone from reaching the site.  In both cases, videotape was substituted.