From the Editor

Our contest for the best use of “multicultural” to mean “good” or “worthy” produced many amusing entries-and one clear winner. Mr. Tom Rood of Decatur, Illinois, sent in the following Knight-Ridder advance puff for Disney’s forthcoming television Cinderella:

“Disney’s newest Cinderella passes multicultural muster with flying colors. The title role belongs to singer-actress Brandy [who is black] . . . Her prince is Paolo Montalban, a newcomer of Hispanic descent. Milk-skinned Bernadette Peters has the role of the wicked stepmother whose two haughty daughters are played by white and black actresses [Ugly Sisters under the skin, presumably]. Whitney Houston is the fairy godmother, Jason Alexander [is] . . . the Prince’s loyal steward, Lionel, and Whoopi Goldberg gets to be Queen Constantina.” (My brackets.)

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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Our contest for the best use of “multicultural” to mean “good” or “worthy” produced many amusing entries-and one clear winner. Mr. Tom Rood of Decatur, Illinois, sent in the following Knight-Ridder advance puff for Disney’s forthcoming television Cinderella:

“Disney’s newest Cinderella passes multicultural muster with flying colors. The title role belongs to singer-actress Brandy [who is black] . . . Her prince is Paolo Montalban, a newcomer of Hispanic descent. Milk-skinned Bernadette Peters has the role of the wicked stepmother whose two haughty daughters are played by white and black actresses [Ugly Sisters under the skin, presumably]. Whitney Houston is the fairy godmother, Jason Alexander [is] . . . the Prince’s loyal steward, Lionel, and Whoopi Goldberg gets to be Queen Constantina.” (My brackets.)