Did the Tony Awards also cause Bret's appendectomy?

k

It was reported at the time of the accident that he had missed his mark and was struck by a piece of scenery; so I don't see where his lawsuit has any teeth.

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Getting conked on the head had nothing to do with his appendectamy whatsoever! It did, however, directly enable him to win last seasons Trumps reality show. EVERYONE knows that!

Once a month: You are right that Bret's health problems made him winner of the Apprentice. That's for sure.

Funny: he misses his mark and no one thinks he should sue.

An actor misses his safety check in Spiderman, and people pull out the pitchforks.

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That wasn't funny or appropriate

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One of the major points in his law suit seems to be that no one told him they'd be changing scenery after his performance. Duh. I guess he has an IQ of 10 and despite being in show business has never, ever seen any kind of awards show before?

Ok, I do think that it is ridiculous that he's suing nearly 2 years later and I'm not convinced at all that the injury had anything to do with the subsequent health problems.

However, if he really wasn't made aware of the flying scenery then I really do think that someone from the Tony Awards was responsible for the injury. If he didn't rehearse with the flying elements someone from stage management should have talked him through what was going on, especially since he and the rest of the band would be so close to the moving parts.

Also, whoever was watching or operating that particular wall should have made sure everyone was clear before completely bringing it down. I know that was a ton going on at that point, but someone should have been paying attention to the large moving scenery coming down inches from people on stage.

I still think this lawsuit is silly, but if he wasn't walked through what was going on, even if he did miss his mark, I don't totally blame him for what happened.

Ummm, Bret walked RIGHT INTO the set piece. He should be the one paying for any damage he did to the set. If he didn't see it coming down, it's his own damn fault for a) not paying attention and b) having his cowboy hat on so low. What a tool.

I agree the ridicule is uncalled for, Tag. Whatever you think of the man, he was badly injured. However...whether it's rehearsed extensively or not, the automation guy is watching, as are stage managers. No one takes this sort of thing lightly. The automation operator most definitely has access to an e-stop button. The problem is, a huge set piece like that does not stop quickly, and by the time Bret decided to take another bow, it was far too late to stop it. No one could know he was going to do that.

Interesting if you parse out Bret's lawyer's statement. He says that Bret was not told at the rehearsal that a set piece would be moving. Of course not. He wasn't at the rehearsal. His band was though, and you see them get clear in a hurry. Do you really believe that the professionals that run the Tonys didn't tell him about the set piece - or even his band? It's a ridiculous claim to make.

He didn't take the warnings seriously, and maybe like the people who cross the street against a light, he just assumed they'd stop it or slow it down for him.

There were three ways to avoid that accident: As MandyMoo suggested, you could make sure everyone is clear before completely bringing the piece in, which is not really possible. The piece is either moving at its programmed speed or it isn't. There really isn't an in-between. They could have teched it less tightly, making sure everyone was completely clear before bringing the piece in, which would affect the next performance which had already begun and/or add time to the show, which the Tonys definitely don't need - or Bret could have just done what he was supposed to do.

A stage can be a very dangerous place to be, and the people onstage bear responsibilty for their own safety. The set did not come in early. The technician did not make a mistake. BRET did. He was not where he should have been. I'm sorry for what happened to him, but I lay the blame squarely on his shoulders.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 02:52 PM

What I think some people are missing is that the set piece apparently didn't come down on him. He was totally clear of it when it was flown in. But then he turned and walked into it. I'm not sure how anyone on the fly deck is to make sure that someone isn't going to walk into a set piece after it's lowered. That's a lot different from making sure the area you are flying something into is clear at the time.

And he admitted he wasn't where he was told to be, right? Did he think they told him where to be just for fun and not for a reason? Is he so stupid that he didn't understand that backstage during an awards show is a dangerous place to be?

There's a reason accidents are called accidents. It's because they are accidental. I get tired of people looking for blame when there really is none to be given.

I guess that Almira didn't see this thread was posted a day before his/hers.