Sinead rips pope’s picture on ‘SNL’
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBC
switchboard was still getting
calls Monday from people who
couldn't believe their eyes
when singer Sinead O’Connor
tore up a picture of the pope on
Saturday Night Live.
' "There was an immediate
viewer response that continued
on Sunday and continues to
day." said NBC spokesman
Curt Block.
From the show’s conclusion
through Monday, tho network
received more than 900 calls
from poople who didn't like the
show — and seven who did.
”1 was offended; tho execu
tive producer, Lome Michaols,
likewise was offended and sur
prised." said Block. "1 huvon’t
talked to the cast."
"I want to emphasize it was a
spontaneous act on her part
and unauthorized," he said.
The segment was aired na
tionwide, including on the
West Coast, whore the show Is
tape delayed.
“There wore discussions after
tho show on what to do. One of
the thoughts was that in editing
it out. It could oven druw more
attention to it." ho said "In
hindsight, seeing what tho reac
tion has been, wo might have
Tornadoes
undetected
by old radar
PINELLAS PARK. Fla. (AP)
— Outdated weather equip
ment is to blame for tho lack of
an early warning before killer
tornadoes raked the Tampa Bay
area, tho region's chief meteor
ologist said Monday.
"The current technology is
definitely archaic," said Robert
Balfour, chief meteorologist at
the National Weather Service
office In Ruskin on the east side
of Tampa Bay.
"The best wo can do with
this radar is dotect it as it's hap
pening. It wasn't designed to
delect tornadoes. It was do
signed to dotect rainfull," ho
said. “Thoro was no indication
of a tornado."
Tornadoes swooped across
Pinellas County on Saturday,
killing three women and leav
ing a path of wreckage through
residential neighborhoods In
Plnollas Park and the Largo
area One woman was missing
The storm injurod 53 people,
leaving six hospitalized, most
with fractures. It also destroyed
125 homos and damaged 350
others.
Balfour and his boss, Paul
Hebert, the service's Florida
manager in Miami, found no
fault with tho way forecasters
did their job. "In my opinion
they did as woll as they could
with tho information and
equipment they had." Hebert
said.
The Kuskin office put out
warnings after receiving two
calls reporting a tornado on the
ground.
Weather servico offices are
getting new radar units that
muasure air movement inside
clouds and can give up to a 40
minute wurning of tornadoes.
Two have been installed in
Florida at Melbourne, on the
state's east owst, and Eglin Air
Force Base, in the Panhandle.
The 35-yoar-old system at Rus
kin isn't scheduled to be re
placed until 1995.
Meanwhile, authorities con
tinued to search for Amelia
Riehl, 80. who disappeared
during Saturday's storm.
managed it differently."
O'Connor, who was In Eng
land on Monday, wants the ac
tion to speak for itself, said
spokeswoman Elaine Schock.
The stubble-haired Irish sing
er, appearing early Sunday,
stood behind a Rastafarian scarf
and several candles while sing
ing “War," a song by the late
Jamaican performer Bob Mur
loy. who also was a critic of Ca
tholicism.
"Wo have confidence in the
victory of good over evil,"
O'Connor sang
'Tight the real enemy." she
said. Then she held up an H-by
12 photo of the pope and slow
ly ripped It into several pieces
O’Connor paused, then blow
out the candles and walked
away A commercial break fol
lowed.
"There was total silence in
the audience: no hissing or
booing, no scattered applauso,"
said Block. "In the control
room, there was surprise."
At the dross rehearsal Satur
day afternoon. O'Connor loro
up a picture of a child ''While
that might he offensive to some
viewers, we could allow that to
go on the air,” said Block
That night, "when she went
to the stage with a picture in
her hand, no one thought any
thing of it." he said
After the number, O'Connor
immediately went to her dress
ing room, reappeared for the
"goodnight” segment, then left
the building within to minutes
"To mo, what she did was an
act of hatred and promoted In
tolerance.’' said Joseph
Zwilling, a spokesman for New
York's Roman Catholic Arch
diocese
The singer hus publicly
railed ugainst the church-state
relationship in Ireland. Includ
ing prohibitions on divorce and
abortion and warring among
Catholics and I’rolestanls The
singer sometimes weurs a T
shirt hearing the phrase. "Re
covering Catholic "
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