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Administrator
Currently Offline
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Posts: 556
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Here's an interesting story from Salem.
*****Controversial 'Bewitched' statue besmirched by red
paint
By Bruno Matarazzo Jr.
Salem News
View as a multiple pages
SALEM - Someone armed with red spray paint and an
American flag defaced the statue honoring the
nose-twitching witch, Samantha Stephens, from the
popular '70s show "Bewitched" during the overnight
hours yesterday.
The statue's face was covered in red, and a big "X"
covered the chest of the bronze rendering of Elizabeth
Montgomery at Lappin Park. On the ground, just below
the statue, the word "mockery" was written, also in
red spray paint, and a small American flag was placed
in the statue's left hand.
Police and executives of TV Land, a cable television
station that specializes in reruns of classic
programs, are puzzled by the vandalism but not
entirely surprised.
Two surveillance cameras mounted above the Army
Barracks store on Essex Street are aimed directly at
the statue. The cameras are paid for by TV Land, which
anticipated some type of vandalism, according to
police.
Salem police Detective Tom Brennan said footage from
the cameras is sent directly to a hard drive at TV
Land's offices in New York.
Brennan hopes the footage will provide a picture of
the culprit or culprits.
"Some people think it could be kids, but I don't
know," Brennan said. "I'm praying for a nice clear
video" of the vandalism taking place.
Ever since the statue was proposed for the downtown, a
vocal group of critics has maintained that the statue
in Salem trivializes the Salem witch trials and the 19
men and women killed in 1692.
The vandalism comes just days before a convention on
"Bewitched" here, from July 22 to 26. One of the
topics to be discussed is the controversy generated
from the statue, according to the convention's Web
site.
The other statues funded by TV Land - Mary Tyler Moore
in Minneapolis, Ralph Cramden in New York, Andy
Griffith and a young Ron Howard in Raleigh, N.C., and
Bob Newhart in Chicago - haven't been as controversial
and have never been vandalized to the extent of the
"Bewitched" statue.
"It's kind of unfortunate," said Rob Pellizzi, senior
vice president of TV Land. "Many people love this
statue ... and it's a shame the voice of a few are
ruining that for people."
Pellizzi confirmed that his company is gathering video
footage from Lappin Park but would not say if there is
a clear picture of the vandal or vandals.
TV Land, which has an agreement with the city to
maintain the statue, said a professional cleaning
service will be called in to remove the red paint.
The statue was installed in Lappin Park last year
while Mayor Stanley Usovicz was in office. Police are
also investigating the vandalism done to the brick
wall in front of the former mayor's home on Botts
Court.
The letters "WCK" were written on the wall in blue
paint. Brennan was not sure of the letters
significance, or even if it had anything to do with
the statue vandalism.*************************
Now who in the world would want to mess with Samantha Stephens?
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People are just generally evil and unnaturally stupid - they don't care what symbol they attack - it could be the American flag - they don't care. Bewitched was always one of my favorite mindless sitcom shows. I don't know why TV Land has decided that it is not worthy of showing or why they have put Extreme Home Makeover on as a "classic," a show that we could ALL do without and I will NEVER watch. I think the execs at TV Land need to clean out their ears and wash the greed out of their eyes. Who the world wants to see that drunken Ty Pennington give away free homes to bums......
