“Insensitive idiots”: Channel 7 slammed for airing unauthorised Newton-John biopic
Channel Seven has come under fire from fans for airing Hopelessly Devoted To You, an unauthorised Olivia Newton-John biopic the same day the iconic actress and singer passed away.
The 2018 miniseries, starring Delta Goodrem as a young Olivia, hit a sour note for fans grieving on Tuesday night, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.
“We should be honouring Olivia, not have this horrible wood duck imitation on,” one fan tweeted.
“Why am I watching Delta Goodrem play Olivia Newton-John on TV and not... I don't know, Olivia Newton-John? 😭” wrote another.
“Australia doesn’t want to see Delta Goodrem as Olivia, you insensitive idiots,” one quipped, before adding, “We want to see original music featuring Olivia.”
“In the haste to put something on tonight Olivia Newton-John related, Channel 7 miss the mark with Olivia biopic starring Delta Goodrem,” a third shared.
“I’d rather watch something ACTUALLY starring Olivia, not someone pretending to be her!”
To make matters worse, some savvy users pointed out that one media outlet used a photo of Goodrem as Olivia in their post breaking the news of Newton-John’s death.
The post has since been deleted and the outlet reshared the news with two photos of Newton-John.
It comes after Goodrem paid tribute to Newton-John, describing her as a mentor, friend, and inspiration in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“The whole world will feel this heartbreak today because the entire world felt Olivia’s unmatched light,” she wrote, sharing two black-and-white photos of the pair.
“A force for good. A force for nature. Strong and kind, my mentor, my friend, my inspiration, someone who always guided me… she was always there for me. Family to me.”
“I don’t have all the words I would like to say today but I hope everyone will join in celebrating our beloved Olivia, her heart, soul, talent, courage, grace… I love you forever.”
Image: Lifetime