HOLLYWOOD ROCKS!!
J. Marquis of "Are We There Yet?" makes an excellent comment over at his blog. Click on the link to get there. An excerpt:
"The conservatives need to put their money where their mouth is. Make a movie that condemns homosexuality. Make one about Roe v. Wade. Make one about why we need a military budget that equals the next 18 countries combined. I dare you."
I responded with the following comment there, which I have added to here:
Right on, J. You said it better than I ever could right there. They do love to talk about how we on the left whine and whine and never have any ideas about what to do to solve the problems we "whine" about. This is the way they are with Hollywood. They whine and whine and whine some more about how awful, how "liberal" Hollywood is, how filmmakers have a "queer agenda", etc. ad nauseum... but you are right: for all the money they have, they don't make movies, or at least they don't make good ones. I noticed when they pathetically attempted to counter "Fahrenheit 9-11" with their own slam on Michael Moore, and they titled it "Fahrenhype 9-11"... I'm pretty sure it was a straight-to-DVD release. I didn't watch it, but it sure looked like quickly-generated Bush-apologist claptrap, anyway... plus, it was relegated to the $1.99 bin pretty quickly. Of course Ahnold hasn't been making movies lately, although his antics could make a good plot for a black comedy of sorts. Anyway, they don't know how to effectively counter films like the ones Michael Moore makes. Instead, they counter with "fat jokes".
George Clooney was saying he doesn't believe Hollywood "drives" American culture as much as Hollywood's films are a reflection of America. I agree with him. Filmmakers want to take on issues that are challenging, they want to stimulate thought, AND they want to entertain. A successful film does ALL those things and more, in my opinion.
Let the conservative Hollywood-complainers whine and whine some more. It's what they are best at. They obviously don't know how to make movies. They DON'T want to take on challenging issues unless it is to do so by silencing their opposition, they DON'T want to stimulate thought unless it's a fight-or-flight fear reflex or creating a voter reaction at brainstem level, and they DON'T want to entertain. In fact, they are probably mortified at the suggestion that somewhere somebody might be happy, having a good time, and heaven forbid, enjoying a movie.
I say: screw 'em.
Hollywood rocks! May it long be a bastion of creativity, imagination, intellect, and tolerance. Because it is that way now, we see very few conservative actors and actresses. The Hollywood-whiner conservatives would just want to put a lid on all the creativity, imagination, intellect, and tolerance because they possess few of those qualities and it makes them mad that they don't. I shudder to think of what Hollywood's films would look like if conservatives ever took over. Any of you remember the old educational films from the 50's we used to have to watch in school? I think they would probably look a lot like those. Instead of remakes of TV shows, we might see remakes of all the Shirley Temple films, or multiple bad remakes of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Ben Hur". In the based-on-real-life film category, we would see films on the life of Terri Schiavo, and ones on Waco, Ruby Ridge and Elian Gonzales, replete with lessons about sanctity of life, big bad government, and other things they whine about. And you know what? They'd lose out on the business end of that kind of approach, because stuff like that would FLOP.
America knows what it likes. America knows it wants to see films like "Crash", "Brokeback Mountain", "Transamerica" and "Capote" as much as it wants to see films like "King Kong", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Star Wars"; as much as it wants to see romantic comedies starring Matthew McConnaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker; as much as it wants to see Michael Moore's films (which, whether one likes or hates Michael Moore, tend to do quite well at the box office). There is room in there for a wholesome family film, something great from Pixar, a sad remake of an old Disney classic (doesn't that upcoming remake of "The Shaggy Dog" just look awful?); and even room for a religious film from time to time, like Mad Mel's bloody Christ thing which I still have not seen, or for "The Last Temptation of Christ" which the Hollywood-whiner conservatives roundly criticized though few actually saw the movie (same thing happened with Monty Python's "Life of Brian").
Anyway, America knows what it likes. So conservatives, if you're going to whine, whine about something substantive, then go watch a movie. According to your leader, the more dollars you spend, the more you will help grow the economy and keep the terrorists from winning. And that should also include spending money at your local movie theater!
Here are some famous folks rumored to be Republicans:
Ronald Reagan
Sonny Bono
Fred Grandy ("Gopher" of "The Love Boat")
Fred Thompson (former Senator now on "Law and Order")
Bruce Willis
Sylvester Stallone
Kelsey Grammer
Pat Sajak
Ben Stein
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bo Derek
Ted Nugent
Wayne Newton
Shannon Doherty
Delta Burke
Dennis Miller
Charles Barkley (former NBA star)
Leslie Nielsen
Lots and lots of country singers and NASCAR drivers
And the following comes from http://perspectives.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=87113&forum_id=5, for what it's worth:
Alice Cooper, Wilt Chamberlain, Robert Duvall, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelsey Grammar, Don King, John Malkovich, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, Pete Sampras, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Rooney, Jessica Simpson, Frank Sinatra, Ben Stein, Jimmy Stewart, John wayne, Tony Danza, Charlton Heston, Kurt Russel, Gene Simmons, Tom Selleck, Jerome Bettis, Pat Boone, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Gates, Sammy Hagar, Lou Holtz, Bobby Knight, Heather Locklear, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Jerry Seinfeld, George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, James Woods, Lara Flynn Boyle, R. Lee Ermey, Dennis Hopper, Karl Malone, Dave Mustaine, Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling, Lynn Swann, Vince Vaughn, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Charles Barkley, Ben Stein, Chuck Norris, Author Tom Clancy, Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, Dixie Carter, George Lucas, Jean Claude Van Damme, James Woods, Kelsey Grammer, Mel Gibson, Norm McDonald, Pat Sajak, Richard Petty, Joe Pesci, Robert Duvall, Regis Philbin, Shannon Doherty, Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Drew Carey, Pat Boone, Lee Ann Womack, Michael W. Smith, The Gatlin Brothers, 3-Doors Down, Adam Sandler, Ann Margret, Angie Harmon, Barbra Mandrell, Art Linkletter, Billy Bob Thornton, Bo Derek, Blind Boys of Alabama, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, Don King, Erika Harold, Fleetwood Mac, Freddie Prinze, Jr., John Travolta, Kid Rock, Kurt Russell, Lynrd Skynrd, Merv Griffin, Winona Judd, Shirley Temple Black, Tom Selleck, Tony Sirico, Jason Priestley, Jon Voight, Johnny Lang, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ric Flair, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Sean Hannity, Patricia Heaton, Daniel Rodriguez, Daize Shayne, Jaci Valesquez, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Ron Silver, Ricky Martin, Dana Glover ...
Some of the above are pretty obvious, others not so much, and who really knows how accurate it is... but that's quite a list. A long-enough list to suggest to me that Hollywood and the entertainment industry might not be as totally leftist as many of the whiners seem to like to say it is. It's the kind of list that Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly would tend to downplay.
"The conservatives need to put their money where their mouth is. Make a movie that condemns homosexuality. Make one about Roe v. Wade. Make one about why we need a military budget that equals the next 18 countries combined. I dare you."
I responded with the following comment there, which I have added to here:
Right on, J. You said it better than I ever could right there. They do love to talk about how we on the left whine and whine and never have any ideas about what to do to solve the problems we "whine" about. This is the way they are with Hollywood. They whine and whine and whine some more about how awful, how "liberal" Hollywood is, how filmmakers have a "queer agenda", etc. ad nauseum... but you are right: for all the money they have, they don't make movies, or at least they don't make good ones. I noticed when they pathetically attempted to counter "Fahrenheit 9-11" with their own slam on Michael Moore, and they titled it "Fahrenhype 9-11"... I'm pretty sure it was a straight-to-DVD release. I didn't watch it, but it sure looked like quickly-generated Bush-apologist claptrap, anyway... plus, it was relegated to the $1.99 bin pretty quickly. Of course Ahnold hasn't been making movies lately, although his antics could make a good plot for a black comedy of sorts. Anyway, they don't know how to effectively counter films like the ones Michael Moore makes. Instead, they counter with "fat jokes".
George Clooney was saying he doesn't believe Hollywood "drives" American culture as much as Hollywood's films are a reflection of America. I agree with him. Filmmakers want to take on issues that are challenging, they want to stimulate thought, AND they want to entertain. A successful film does ALL those things and more, in my opinion.
Let the conservative Hollywood-complainers whine and whine some more. It's what they are best at. They obviously don't know how to make movies. They DON'T want to take on challenging issues unless it is to do so by silencing their opposition, they DON'T want to stimulate thought unless it's a fight-or-flight fear reflex or creating a voter reaction at brainstem level, and they DON'T want to entertain. In fact, they are probably mortified at the suggestion that somewhere somebody might be happy, having a good time, and heaven forbid, enjoying a movie.
I say: screw 'em.
Hollywood rocks! May it long be a bastion of creativity, imagination, intellect, and tolerance. Because it is that way now, we see very few conservative actors and actresses. The Hollywood-whiner conservatives would just want to put a lid on all the creativity, imagination, intellect, and tolerance because they possess few of those qualities and it makes them mad that they don't. I shudder to think of what Hollywood's films would look like if conservatives ever took over. Any of you remember the old educational films from the 50's we used to have to watch in school? I think they would probably look a lot like those. Instead of remakes of TV shows, we might see remakes of all the Shirley Temple films, or multiple bad remakes of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Ben Hur". In the based-on-real-life film category, we would see films on the life of Terri Schiavo, and ones on Waco, Ruby Ridge and Elian Gonzales, replete with lessons about sanctity of life, big bad government, and other things they whine about. And you know what? They'd lose out on the business end of that kind of approach, because stuff like that would FLOP.
America knows what it likes. America knows it wants to see films like "Crash", "Brokeback Mountain", "Transamerica" and "Capote" as much as it wants to see films like "King Kong", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Star Wars"; as much as it wants to see romantic comedies starring Matthew McConnaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker; as much as it wants to see Michael Moore's films (which, whether one likes or hates Michael Moore, tend to do quite well at the box office). There is room in there for a wholesome family film, something great from Pixar, a sad remake of an old Disney classic (doesn't that upcoming remake of "The Shaggy Dog" just look awful?); and even room for a religious film from time to time, like Mad Mel's bloody Christ thing which I still have not seen, or for "The Last Temptation of Christ" which the Hollywood-whiner conservatives roundly criticized though few actually saw the movie (same thing happened with Monty Python's "Life of Brian").
Anyway, America knows what it likes. So conservatives, if you're going to whine, whine about something substantive, then go watch a movie. According to your leader, the more dollars you spend, the more you will help grow the economy and keep the terrorists from winning. And that should also include spending money at your local movie theater!
Here are some famous folks rumored to be Republicans:
Ronald Reagan
Sonny Bono
Fred Grandy ("Gopher" of "The Love Boat")
Fred Thompson (former Senator now on "Law and Order")
Bruce Willis
Sylvester Stallone
Kelsey Grammer
Pat Sajak
Ben Stein
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bo Derek
Ted Nugent
Wayne Newton
Shannon Doherty
Delta Burke
Dennis Miller
Charles Barkley (former NBA star)
Leslie Nielsen
Lots and lots of country singers and NASCAR drivers
And the following comes from http://perspectives.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=87113&forum_id=5, for what it's worth:
Alice Cooper, Wilt Chamberlain, Robert Duvall, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelsey Grammar, Don King, John Malkovich, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, Pete Sampras, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Rooney, Jessica Simpson, Frank Sinatra, Ben Stein, Jimmy Stewart, John wayne, Tony Danza, Charlton Heston, Kurt Russel, Gene Simmons, Tom Selleck, Jerome Bettis, Pat Boone, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Gates, Sammy Hagar, Lou Holtz, Bobby Knight, Heather Locklear, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Jerry Seinfeld, George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, James Woods, Lara Flynn Boyle, R. Lee Ermey, Dennis Hopper, Karl Malone, Dave Mustaine, Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling, Lynn Swann, Vince Vaughn, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Charles Barkley, Ben Stein, Chuck Norris, Author Tom Clancy, Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, Dixie Carter, George Lucas, Jean Claude Van Damme, James Woods, Kelsey Grammer, Mel Gibson, Norm McDonald, Pat Sajak, Richard Petty, Joe Pesci, Robert Duvall, Regis Philbin, Shannon Doherty, Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Drew Carey, Pat Boone, Lee Ann Womack, Michael W. Smith, The Gatlin Brothers, 3-Doors Down, Adam Sandler, Ann Margret, Angie Harmon, Barbra Mandrell, Art Linkletter, Billy Bob Thornton, Bo Derek, Blind Boys of Alabama, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, Don King, Erika Harold, Fleetwood Mac, Freddie Prinze, Jr., John Travolta, Kid Rock, Kurt Russell, Lynrd Skynrd, Merv Griffin, Winona Judd, Shirley Temple Black, Tom Selleck, Tony Sirico, Jason Priestley, Jon Voight, Johnny Lang, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ric Flair, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Sean Hannity, Patricia Heaton, Daniel Rodriguez, Daize Shayne, Jaci Valesquez, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Ron Silver, Ricky Martin, Dana Glover ...
Some of the above are pretty obvious, others not so much, and who really knows how accurate it is... but that's quite a list. A long-enough list to suggest to me that Hollywood and the entertainment industry might not be as totally leftist as many of the whiners seem to like to say it is. It's the kind of list that Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly would tend to downplay.
5 Comments:
Those were great posts by you & J.
As far as the list goes, there are many on there that are Democrats. Jerry Seinfeld & Dave Mustaine are Dems for sure, and as far as Frank Sinatra is (was) concerned, wasn't he "connected" to the Kennedy's in some way?
George Lucas was hanging out with Nancy Pelosi and others a few weeks ago and making jokes about this administration.
And let's not forget Episode 3...Lucas is a Dem.
That's an excellent list of Hollywood people who are Republicans. It always bugs me when rightwing bloggers go on and on about "Hollywood values" and "Hollywood doesn't speak for us," etc. I always feel like saying "yeah, tell Tom Selleck and Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis to shut up." But I had no idea there were so many of them.
Ina bicephaled power you don't get much democracy (at least trough Portuguese's system election). For the Hollywood personality's nuances I can not pick all that detail.
George Clooney was a guy who in E.Room used a open book with a paper with the difficult words, gives me the notion that he's mental balanced and I liked a lot his speech about the Academy's role in the past about subjects, like AIDS, that where mere topics of conversation and avoided too often.
But, Snave, you have a word gift, man (not forgetin' J.Marquis, but I can read all the information in blogs). Here in Portugal the show was at 2.00 in the morning, but I like it in direct. If Ted Nugent is Republican I'll break my 2 vinyl albums and my Dutch double CD printage of Great White Buffalo live show.
So, wahthafuck? America is the country of all kind of "credos" and "inteligências" and "ideologias"....
Oh, GTX, don't break your vinyl! BAck then, Ted was THE NOOGE!!! I still like to listen to stuff like "Snakeskin Cowboys" and "Stormtroopers" once in a while! I still like "Total Recall" too, even though it stars the abhorrent Ahnold Schwarzenegger!!
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