Group Banned From Future Telethons
Review of the Fantastic Four Episodes "The Origins of the Fantastic Four Pt. 1"
NEW YORK CITY—A television network has been forced to apologise when a charity telethon became a thinly-veiled ploy by the superhero guests to promote their latest business venture.
The self-described "Fantastic" foursome were guests on Dick Clark's annual Scholarship Drive. Each year, it raises money to help underpriviledged children get in to college. In previous years, it has seen popular guests such as Iron Man, the X-Men and wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper help achieve the event's goal.
Despite raising five million dollars, it was the first year the marathon had failed to surpass the previous year's efforts. Last year, viewers donated just over ten million after Doctor Doom threatened to blow up the East Coast if the target was not met.
A spokesperson for MBN said they were "horrified by the behaviour of the guests and apologise to all of our viewers and the audience for the distress the episode may have caused."
The television network also announced an indefinite ban on the superhero team from appearing on future broadcasts.
The episode was filled with controversies, lead by the ego-driven Reed Richards and his self-righteous entrepreneurial girlfriend. When asked by host Dick Clark to share with the audience how they achieved their powers, Ms. Storm explained that they would be giving a very brief statement on the subject and "the whole story is here in our book".
While being advertised to only appear on a short section of the show, the Fantastic Four remained on the couch past their allocated time as they continued to plug the book. Despite Sue Storm saying that the book was written "especially for [your] telethon" and that all proceeds would go to the fundraiser, an insider for the show said the majority of the funds were being kept by the group. This is on top of the alarmingly high appearance fee the four had demanded for the show.
Sue Storm then appeared to give a discreet signal to the orange rock creature on the team, who she referred to as "a thing" to aggressively sell the book to the audience at home.
During one of the rock-man's rampages in the studio, he lifted a cameraman in to the air and began holding him in a threatening manner. It can be revealed the lawsuit filed by the employee is just one of many that has been filed against both the Fantastic Four and MBN.
The man's lawyer, Matt Murdock, said "my client does not expect to go to work not knowing if he's going to make it home alive that night. After the show, Reed Richards made a half-hearted apology and offered to give him a signed copy of the book. If he's going to sign something, it's going to be a cheque."
At the MBN press conference, the show's host Dick Clark was said to be full of praise for the way his studio team handled the situation, saying "I want to say that I am extremely proud of everybody's efforts. We still raised five million dollars, which was a fantastic result despite our unfantastic guests."
Tweet