The following appeared in the Ottowa Sun, written by Mr. Allen Wigney:

 

Friday, October 19, 2007;

Hugh Laurie can't sing.

That's the conclusion one must draw from the fact that while he is featured as a performer on the closing track of the new release House: The Original Television Soundtrack, the show's star contributes only a piano part to an ensemble reading of You Can't Always Get What You Want that also showcases the instrumental talents of a Desperate Housewife and a Hero.

The makeshift group, playing for a number of charities, is fittingly dubbed Band From TV. And its funky attempt at the Rolling Stones classic is, if nothing else, sincere.

But it is also a missed opportunity. Here, we have actors closely identified with popular television characters, forsaking the opportunity to bring those characters to life in musical form.

True, Dr. House does play piano, so for all we know Laurie may be tickling the ivories in character.

If so, it presumably took at least three failed takes to settle on an appropriate course of action that would assist rather than kill the track.

So let's assume the piano is indeed played by Gregory House, MD. (And that his former team might have advised a fourth take.)

And should Band From TV opt to make a full album, we deserve to hear Hugh Laurie sing. Television could use a return to some of the traditions of its glory days. And encouraging non-singing actors to sing is a great equalizer whose revival is long overdue.

 

It's time for our favourite doctors, escapees and other heroes to step up to the mike and show us how it's done.

If for no other reason than to make us feel better about ourselves

 

 

Then after receiving MANY emails  correcting his mistake, Mr. Wigney wrote this retraction;

 

 

 

Sat, October 27, 2007;

 

People often ask me what it's like to never be wrong. I tell them to ask my wife.

(Nyuk nyuk.)

For, dear readers, even I can err on occasion. And, as a flood of e-mail messages of no fixed level of politeness has informed me, I was wrong last Friday. Big time.

For those of you who kept that column, if only for the purpose of muttering 'Harrumph!' at the sight of my outdated photo, well, if you could paste the following sentence over last week's start, I'd really appreciate it.

Hugh Laurie can sing. And does so on House: Original Television Soundtrack. (Though not in character. At least I was correct about that.)
 There.

 

And this:

 

I have been sufficiently humbled to make a donation to Save the Children, a charity for which the actor sings on The Original Soundtrack.

 

 

This, in part was what LOtH sent  off to Mr. Wigney in response;

 

 

 I want to thank you for your emails and the serving of humble pie you sliced for yourself in your recent column. I am sure it was a little dry going down but you never got a crumb on you. Impeccable table manners!

I do want you to know a little bit about this man I admire for more than his large blue eyes and his ability to make me laugh, cry or sing along.

 

Hugh Laurie has Save The Children in his blood. His father, Dr. William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, known as ‘Ran’ rowed for Britain in the 1948 Olympics held in London where he and his teammate won the gold medal. Laurie joined the Sudan Political Service in 1936. In 1954 he qualified as a doctor, working for thirty years as a General Practitioner in Blackbird Leys, Oxford. He also chaired Oxford's Duke of Edinburgh Awards Committee between 1959 and 1969, and chaired the Oxford branch of Save the Children from 1986 to 1989. Source : The Independent, October 10 1988: Obituary: Dr Ran Laurie, by Christopher Dodd

 

Hugh’s sister, Susan Lassen, helped found Save the Children’s Long Island Volunteer Chapter and was a member of Save the Children’s Board of Trustees. Source:

http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2007/band-from-tv-concert.html

 

He gives of his time to many charities via House MD. He gives of his time and talent to Save The Children via Band From TV.

 

Many celebrities have chosen Save The Children as their cause du jour. Check the ‘Get Involved’ section at www.savethechildren.com to see what the stars are doing to help.

 

Thank you again Mr. Wigney! You are an honorable man and that is the highest complement I can give to anyone.

 

 

Kudos to Mr. Wigney for taking the time to look into his misjudgment, admit his mistake and write a worthy retraction and apology.  And a BIG thank you for his donation to BFTV for Save the Children!  We applaud you kind sir and raise a cup of Earl Grey in your honor!

-LOtH

 

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