Hollywood’s Greatest Year: 1939

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Hollywood’s greatest year, 1939. Accordingly, Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the anniversary this month by showing 39 films released in ‘39, starting with The Wizard of Oz. Throughout the month, TCM will also screen a new documentary, 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year.

It’s a truism among fans of classic movies that 1939 was the Hollywood cinema’s greatest year. But if it has become something of a cliche to say so, it’s only because it’s so undeniably true.

It’s really rather amazing to consider how many classic or transcendentally classic films were released during that annus mirabilis. Among the most highly praised then and in the ensuring years were the following: (more…)

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Tags: Allegheny Uprising, Another Thin Man, Babes in Arms, Classic Hollywood, Dark Victory
Posted Jul 5th 2009 at 7:03 am in Featured Story | 175546Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/07/05/hollywoods-greatest-year-1939/Hollywood%27s+Greatest+Year%3A+19392009-07-05+14%3A03%3A29S.T.+Karnick

Open Thread Sunday

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Posted Jul 5th 2009 at 5:08 am in open thread | 173870Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/07/05/open-thread-sunday-4/Open+Thread+Sunday2009-07-05+12%3A08%3A25Big+Hollywood

My 4th of July Hero: Helen Thomas

I have been more or less one of the resident class-clowns here at BH. Having been been so appalled at the bizarre news coming out of Washington on a daily basis, I’ve been unable to write anything, that isn’t from a satirical viewpoint. I must set off the political ‘Whoopee Cushion’ on these pages regularly, in order to keep my sanity and (pardon the expression), blow off some frustration amidst this dealership closin’, bank grabbin’, climate Goreing, march to socialism. The absolute lies, baloney and insanity streaming down from Washington, (all being completely ignored by the most of the press) have forced me to assume my old high school role of Goofball-Deluxe. Comedy hides pain? Okay maybe, but I don’t have to be B.F. Skinner to admit to you dear reader, that my satire was just an extension of the frustration caused by the real farce that has been taking place amidst one of our dearest freedoms; that of The Press.

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However, my dear wittle wabbits; please to knock me over with a feather (imitation of course, not from a eagle or a dolphin).  The savior of my week was none other than the far-left lady from the great state of Bush-Bashachussetts: Ms. Helen Thomas.

She (for the time being) has undone my jaded eye-rolling hopelessness–she has (for at least this article) turned me into a reporter of sorts. Brava lady. Brava. Okay, it took the longest running member of the White House Press Corps to get any of the mainstream media to actually pay attention and not sweep it away with their “Right Wing Conspirator-Fox News” broom - but hey, whatever dudes! This week the news was the news. (more…)

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Tags: Bush-Bashachussetts, Chip Reid, Fox News, Helen Thomas, obama
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 5:57 pm in Media Criticism, News, Video | 176118Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/emannix/2009/07/04/the-unlikely-fourth-of-july-hero-helen-thomas/My+4th+of+July+Hero%3A+Helen+Thomas+2009-07-05+00%3A57%3A25Ernie+Mannix

July 4, 2009…What Are We Celebrating Today, Exactly?

I’m one of the last liberal believers in American Exceptionalism, and as I look around the political and media landscapes around me, I’m damn lonely. Not just liberals, but conservatives - like Andrew Bacevitch - seem to be shedding any idea that America is more than just another country with bigger shopping malls than most.

I don’t agree, and I think it matters that I be right and they be wrong.

It matters because in a world where the power of images and ideas is becoming stronger every day - where people defend themselves against men with guns by using cellphone cameras - we seem to be fresh out of ideas.

There’s a physical war going on out in the world with us on one side - and on the other a group allied in large part by their rejection of our beliefs as much as their rejection of our power. They are fighting us with bullets and bombs - and with YouTube videos, discussion forums, and impassioned manifestos. They believe, alright. If you ask them, they will clearly tell you that they do and tell you in what. (more…)

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Tags: 4th of July, abraham lincoln, American Exceptionalism, Andrew Bacevitch, Beyond Survival
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 5:27 pm in Politics | 176802Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mdanziger/2009/07/04/july-4-2009what-are-we-celebrating-today-exactly/July+4%2C+2009...What+Are+We+Celebrating+Today%2C+Exactly%3F2009-07-05+00%3A27%3A16Marc+Danziger

The Real 4th of July

“A revolution principle certainly is, and certainly should be taught as a principle of the Constitution of the United States, and of every State in the Union.” — James Wilson, Scottish lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence, a major force in the drafting of the Constitution, a leading legal theoretician and one of the six original justices appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Each time July 4th rolls around, whoever lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue makes speeches celebrating American freedom and some other stuff like baseball and apple pie. But the guy at that address never gets down to lauding what the 4th of July is really all about: It’s a celebration of violence to achieve what most would agree was a just political end. (more…)

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Tags: American Constitution, John McCain, Navy SEALs, obama, Rudyard Kipling
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 3:11 pm in Politics | 176090Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/04/the-real-fourth-of-july/The+Real+4th+of+July2009-07-04+22%3A11%3A40Dan+Gifford

The Ideals of Independence Day

July 4, 1776. One of the greatest days in the history of the human race. For this is the day the founders of this country executed the Declaration of Independence and declared themselves free from the British Empire. It is a day we should be reverent about and a day in which we should remember those who have fallen in order for the ideals of the Founding Fathers to be upheld.

It is a day the whole world admires whether they be Western or whether they be the people rebelling in Iran against the tyrannical regime in power. It is a day the South Koreans think of whenever they fear the Communist empire to the north. And, it is a day all people throughout the world who want to be free cherish and remember. (more…)

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Tags: "1776", 4th of July, iran, Jefferson, obama
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 11:04 am in Politics | 176142Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/fdemartini/2009/07/04/independence-day/The+Ideals+of+Independence+Day2009-07-04+18%3A04%3A10Frank+DeMartini

Top 5: American Moments

More like my top five available American moments on YouTube but still entertaining and not from the Golden Era. A reminder that the Hollywood we’re stuck with today can still throw a bone our way.

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1. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - A beautifully crafted uniquely American movie where, for once, the antagonist isn’t “the system” or “the racist system.” Chris Gardner (a superb Will Smith) wants something from life. He believes in this country and understands the key to achieving the dream is simple: never, ever give up. A superb script, based on a true story (the real Gardner has a touching cameo in the closing scene) never once takes the grinding pressure off, but aided by genuinely decent people (white Wall Streeters, no less) and driven by a love for his son, rather than play victim, Gardner keeps moving forward long after most of us would’ve surrendered to self pity. Movies don’t get much more conservative than this. (more…)

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Tags: dragon: the bruce lee story, Rocky Balboa, Rudy, Superman II, Sylvester stallone
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 10:03 am in Top 5, Video | 176642Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/04/top-5-american-moments/Top+5%3A+American+Moments2009-07-04+17%3A03%3A15John+Nolte

The Force is With Sarah Palin

Not to go an analogy too far, but Sarah Palin seems to be taking a page from the Hollywood playbook of George Lucas.  She has just completed her own introductory trilogy, and it was an astonishing success.  

First, she was a fantastically successful conservative governor lurking beneath the mainstream media’s radar.  Next, she was a vice-presidential candidate who, even though she lost, still did more to electrify the base than the headliner.  Third, she has now drawn the curtain on her post-election career as a sitting governor, a period that saw her deftly turn the tables on mainstream haters like David Letterman.   Like “Star Wars,” she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but her fans are rabid and chomping at the bit for the next installments.  And as to these future installments, the question is whether the next step is going to be “The Phantom Menace” or something that doesn’t suck. (more…)

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Tags: Alaska, George Lucas, Katie Couric, sarah palin, Star Wars
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 7:44 am in Politics | 176502Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/07/04/the-force-is-with-sarah-palin/The+Force+is+With+Sarah+Palin2009-07-04+14%3A44%3A28Kurt+Schlichter

Reborn on the Fourth of July

Every Independence Day, L.B. Mayer (1884 - 1957) would shut down production at MGM and celebrate twin holidays: America’s birth, and the birthday of L.B. Mayer.

Flags and bunting graced every building and sound stage. There was band music and rows of picnic tables groaning under the weight of food.

L.B. Mayer, a man without a birth date

Every MGM star was expected to attend and pay homage to America-and to L.B. Mayer. For in Mayer’s mind, the two were inseparable. All complied, except Greta Garbo, a woman far too narcissistic to lavish attention on any country or person other than her own mirrored island.

Though Yiddish was his first language, L.B. Mayer delivered a rousing Fourth of July speech. Mayer could be a forceful English speaker, mixing deeply personal anecdotes—usually about his beloved mother—and soaring rhetoric about his adopted home, America.

(more…)

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Tags: Anne Rutherford, Assimilation, Colleen Moore, Fourth of July, Jewish Studio Moguls
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 7:03 am in Classic Hollywood, Featured Story | 174238Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/07/04/reborn-on-the-fourth-of-july/Reborn+on+the+Fourth+of+July2009-07-04+14%3A03%3A47Robert+J.+Avrech

Open Thread Saturday

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Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 5:13 am in open thread | 173914Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/07/04/open-thread-saturday-3/Open+Thread+Saturday2009-07-04+12%3A13%3A43Big+Hollywood

Review: ‘Whatever Works’

Woody Allen’s told his share of dark stories. “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989) and “Match Point” (2005) immediately come to mind. Both are remarkable films that delve into the auteur’s well-traveled theme of what morality means in a world he sees as godless and pointlessly random.  In each, the protagonist plots and carries out a cold-blooded murder. Neither is caught or punished. In fact, both prosper. Without condoning the behavior, Allen expertly uses the dramatic extreme of murder to illustrate his belief that we live in a world where if you can get past the law and over your own conscience, it’s all relative. And you need not agree to find this idea fascinating.

With “Whatever Works,” a deeply unpleasant, unfunny “comedy” starring Larry David, Allen takes a disturbing stride towards condoning this form of nihilism. We’re far beyond “The Heart Wants What It Wants,” the memorable theme explored so tenderly in Allen’s 1986 masterpiece “Hannah and Her Sisters.” In that film there were at least very real and human consequences to infidelity and other selfish, romantic pursuits. No more. “Whatever Works” might as well be titled “Whatever Works Works.” (more…)

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Tags: "Whatever Works", Ed Begley Jr., evan rachel wood, Hannah and Her Sisters, Larry David
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 6:59 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 176422Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/03/review-whatever-works/Review%3A+%27Whatever+Works%272009-07-04+01%3A59%3A57John+Nolte

Fred Travalena, a Great Comic Passes

In all the recent celebrity deaths the one you may not have noticed hit me a little harder than the rest. Lost among the others you may have missed the passing of a great comic, Fred Travalena.

Fred was one of those guys who I saw on TV when I was a kid growing up in Kentucky. My Dad loved comedy and would laugh out loud at the comics on late night shows. Fred Travalena, the young and unhip George Carlin, John Byner, and a host of others were the ones that inspired me to get into stand-up. Years later it was a great thrill when I got to meet a lot of them. I met Fred on a cruise ship when we worked together several years ago. He was gracious and friendly and we talked about comedy for several hours one afternoon. (more…)

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Tags: comedians, Fred Travalena, Show business deaths
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 5:18 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment | 176150Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/07/03/fred-travalena-a-great-comic-passes/Fred+Travalena%2C+a+Great+Comic+Passes2009-07-04+00%3A18%3A23Jeffrey+Jena

The Real Meaning of the 4th of July is Revolution

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, fifty six of our forefathers signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. They brought forth a new nation conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

They started a war. My ancestor, Francis Lightfoot Lee was one of those men. They started the revolution that birthed this nation. 

Now we are engaged at a crossroads of history, testing whether the leaders of this nation so conceived and dedicated, still hold those same truths and ideals to be self-evident. 

Iranian citizens have taken to the streets of their cities in the pursuit of freedom and liberty. They sought, and deserved, their own revolution. The Iranian government murdered and persecuted them for it. Our government voted present.  (more…)

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Tags: Declaration of Independence, Fort McHenry, Francis Lightfoot, Honduras, iran
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 3:23 pm in Politics | 175682Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cburgard/2009/07/03/the-real-meaning-of-the-4th-of-july-is-revolution/The+Real+Meaning+of+the+4th+of+July+is+Revolution2009-07-03+22%3A23%3A21Chris+Burgard

Democrat Utopia Nothing More Than a Fantasy

Cap and Trade, the biggest tax increase in American History, sailed through Congress without anybody even bothering to read it. What will prove to be perhaps the biggest historical change to the American way of life seemed nothing more than a Congressional mouse click, the Terms of Service Agreement on a new software installation. What is it about Democrats that they have such trust in other Democrats?

There was no debate, no discussion; in fact the bill wasn’t even finished when they started voting on it. Yet they all knew they would like everything in the bill, and rushed the vote. I’m somewhat envious of the common goal they all seem to share, but I’m also suspicious of why nobody bothered to read it. Granted it was fifteen hundred pages, Fourth of July recess, and the deposit on the Martha’s Vineyard cottage wasn’t refundable.

I think there is also something else at work here: Democrats tend to have more faith in the system than they have in the individual. When President Reagan tried to close the Department of Education, he was considered to be against education. It’s not just spin, Democrats really think that way. They feel it’s important to keep the Department of Education, because without it, there will be no education. Without the Department of Health, we would all be sick; without the Department of Commerce, the economy would fold. Ditto for the FDA, the FCC, FAA, and the rest of the alphabet soup. (more…)

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Tags: Al Gore, Cap and Trade, charit, Congressional Budget Office, Department of Commerce
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 11:56 am in Politics | 175046Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2009/07/03/trust/Democrat+Utopia+Nothing+More+Than+a+Fantasy2009-07-03+18%3A56%3A03Tim+Slagle

Obama-Care Can Kill You

I went to the post office today.  I know, there was no way to avoid it, I’d rather have a root canal, but I had to mail this very large package.  So I’m standing in this long line…watching as the three pleasant but weary postal workers attended, very slowly, to the customers.  Each new customer was greeted with a forced-pleasant, “Hi, how are you?” and then attended to the customer’s request.  This one had three odd-sized packages.  That one wanted to buy some of those new stamps.  Another wanted to send a registered letter.  The line slowly moved along.

On the up side, it gave me a chance to study all the people in line.  An occupational habit, I study people wherever I go, particularly when I’m a captive to some long, slow-moving queue.  The line moved so slowly, in fact, that I had the opportunity to memorize what all 32 line-standers were wearing, the color of their hair, the shape of their faces, my best guess at their ethnicity, their height….and as I was starting to indulge myself with guessing each person’s weight and how I would do working at a carnival, my thoughts began to wander.  (Did I mention the line in the post office moved very slowly?) (more…)

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Tags: AARP, Britain, California Medical Assoc., Canada, health care
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 9:21 am in Featured Story, Politics | 175770Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggraham/2009/07/03/obama-care-can-kill-you/Obama-Care+Can+Kill+You2009-07-03+16%3A21%3A16Gary+Graham

Malden Brought Depth, Morals to Film Roles

Actor Karl Malden, who died at age 97, was a fine performer who stood for good principles and conveyed a sense of moral responsibility in his performances.

Malden was instrumental in pushing the Motion Picture Academy to give a lifetime achievement award to writer-director Elia Kazan, who directed Malden in perhaps his best and most memorable role, that of Father Berry in “On the Waterfront.”

Kazan had been an outcast in Hollywood for several decades before the 1999 award, because of his opposition to communism. Malden’s support of him carried a great risk of ostracism by Hollywood’s political correctness police.

A measure of Malden’s integrity is that he was married to the same woman for seventy years and was surrounded by family members when he died. (more…)

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Tags: "One-Eyed Jacks", "The Streets of San Francisco", Baby Doll, communism, Elia Kazan
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 7:03 am in Classic Hollywood | 175470Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/07/03/malden-brought-depth-moral-responsibility-to-film-roles/Malden+Brought+Depth%2C+Morals+to+Film+Roles2009-07-03+14%3A03%3A45S.T.+Karnick

Open Thread Friday

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Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 5:09 am in open thread | 173850Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/07/03/open-thread-friday-4/Open+Thread+Friday2009-07-03+12%3A09%3A58Big+Hollywood

President Obama and the “C” Word

Well, they are finally starting to use it.  I think you might remember I was the first.  I bravely spoke it to the Hollywood Congress of Republicans (October, 2008), who put it on the Internet; and then I spoke it on O’Reilly and Hannity.  My husband scolded me.  He said no one would take me seriously if I was such an alarmist.  I got hate mail.  I lost friends.  I probably lost jobs.  I didn’t want to be mean.  It really isn’t mean.  It’s probably a compliment to the President since he likes to quote his Marxist professors, and by his own words and actions is trying his very best to “change” our country from Capitalist to Communist.  I kept repeating, “but Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, so what’s the difference between Marxist and Communist?”  No one had an answer.

I think it has something to do with the McCarthy era, when everyone was using the “C” word, and pointing fingers at everyone and getting everyone in trouble.  But it’s different now.  Anything goes, and we’re all “tolerant” and “inclusive”, right?  I think we can use the word if it fits the situation.  Words are just letters and sounds we use to communicate our ideas.  Of course, words are powerful and should be used politely and accurately, so I assumed an attitude of kindness, and did my homework.  (more…)

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Tags: communism, Marxism, obama, pelosi, socialism
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Political Humor | 175790Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/07/03/president-obama-and-the-c-word/President+Obama+and+the+%22C%22+Word2009-07-03+12%3A03%3A42Victoria+Jackson

Obama and North Korea: Featuring Lil’ KimJong

I’m sure many leftists will assume me a racist because of this one. I shan’t lie… I find Kim Jong Il’s accent incredibly funny, and won’t apologize for it. Also, before you start worrying about the legal ramifications, Lil KimJong signed a release allowing us to use this footage so it’s totally cool.

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Note: No Koreans were harmed during the making of this video… Unless you count South Koreans. Then there were probably thousands of them hurt through oppression and starvation. Bear witness, folks!

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Tags: Kim Jong-Il, missiles, North Korea, nukes, obama
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 5:28 pm in Political Humor | 175622Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/07/02/obama-and-north-korea-featuring-lil-kimjong/Obama+and+North+Korea%3A+Featuring+Lil%27+KimJong2009-07-03+00%3A28%3A06Steven+Crowder

Review: ‘The Hurt Locker’

Katherine Bigelow’s direction of “The Hurt Locker” is masterful and might very well place her back where she belongs, at the top of anyone’s list looking for a top-shelf action director. But that’s not enough to save the film from episodic plotting, jarring and unnecessary political statements, a troubling depiction of our troops and an even worse portrayal of the Iraqi people. This is a movie you want to like, but an unsettling after-taste lingers long after the thrill of the set-pieces fades.

Produced and scripted by Mark Boal (who embedded with a U.S. Army bomb squad operating in Baghdad), the year is 2004 and Iraq is a country under siege, thanks mainly to determined insurgents and roadside IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) that seem to be everywhere and frequently come with nearby triggermen lying in wait for the opportunity to do the most amount of damage, preferably to American servicemen and women.  Charged with the dangerous and technically complicated job of defusing these bombs is a three-man EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) team led by Staff Sergeant James (an excellent Jeremy Renner) and his squad mates Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). (more…)

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Tags: Blackhawk Down, Brothers At War, Hurt Locker, Iraq, Jeremy Renner
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 4:20 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 175562Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/02/review-the-hurt-locker-2/Review%3A+%27The+Hurt+Locker%272009-07-02+23%3A20%3A53John+Nolte

The Real Housewife of South Carolina

Guys like South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford are killing the Republican Party. You can’t turn up your nose at Bill Clinton and Elliott Spitzer and then make excuses for Mark Sanford. One of the reasons I usually vote for Republicans is that I like to think they reflect my conservative political and moral values. I like to think that their personal values will be reflected in the way they govern. When your personal life is in the gutter, it’s hard to take the moral high ground. I have to question the judgment of any politician who engages in risky behavior in his personal life. Bad personal life judgment means bad professional judgments.

There are a lot of other things in this story that make me question Mark Sanford’s judgment. How can any sane man think that he can jet off to South America for a week and have it go unnoticed? My brother runs a pizza joint and if he shows up fifteen minutes late the place is in chaos. How can a guy who runs a state think he can go off the grid for a week? I have long believed that a secret is only a secret if just one person knows it. How did the Governor’s love email get out? Gov. Sanford’s mistress claims her account was hacked. That means someone knew where to look for these love letters. (more…)

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Tags: "Family Values", 2016, adultury, affairs, Gov. Mark Sanford
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 2:11 pm in News, Politics | 173514Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/07/02/the-real-housewife-of-south-carolina/The+Real+Housewife+of+South+Carolina2009-07-02+21%3A11%3A24Jeffrey+Jena

Karl Malden Has Died

Some of you might remember the 1999 Academy Awards, the year the great Elia Kazan was finally given an honorary Oscar. The decision to honor Kazan was met with controversy and anger, especially among those who pride themselves on their tolerance, open-mindedness, charity and forgiveness. You see, before Kazan knew better he flirted with Communism, but being a true liberal with an open mind, after learning of the horrors of Stalin’s regime he turned against it and then committed a Hollywood sin worse than furthering an ideology responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths, he named names.

Knowing full well what it would mean, it was Karl Malden, a former Academy President, who proposed and publicly pushed for Kazan to receive this long overdue tribute. And that, along with a 70-year marriage, says an awful lot about the man.

The actor was just as impressive. The simple way to describe him would be as a beefy everyman, but that too easily dismisses a natural and very real screen presence that made him one of the most recognizable faces in the country. Malden worked with some of the most powerful actors of the last fifty years, Brando, McQueen, George C. Scott, Burt Lancaster, and yet he never got lost in the scene. He knew how to watch another actor, he knew how to listen and this kept our eye on him as we waited for what he’d do next. (more…)

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Tags: Baby Doll, Elia Kazan, Fear Strikes Out, Karl Malden, Streecar Named Desire
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 11:07 am in Classic Hollywood, News | 175418Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/02/karl-malden-has-died/Karl+Malden+Has+Died2009-07-02+18%3A07%3A26John+Nolte

Karl Rove: Shining a Light in the Wilderness

Last Tuesday evening I was privileged to attend a dinner at which Karl Rove was the keynote speaker.  The event was put on by the Heritage Foundation, the premiere conservative think tank of Washington, DC, of which I am proud to be a supporting member.  While Mr. Rove’s speech covered numerous topics, one point that he made has stuck with me and, I believe, should serve as a light for conservatives as we travel through the political wilderness. 

While Mr. Rove has been defined by the media and Hollywood elite as a partisan attack dog and nicknamed forebodingly as “The Architect,” he came off as anything but and emphasized that conservatives should be careful to work with our current president in a respectful manner.  When he mentioned President Obama’s name, a few overzealous members of the audience shouted out their less than positive feelings about the man; and Mr. Rove quickly and gently reminded them that our president has made some decisions that conservatives should applaud. From the surge in Afghanistan to military tribunals, Mr. Rove explained that President Obama has taken the right steps in regards to some very important issues that face our nation.   (more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, Conservatives, Heritage Foundation, Karl Rove, political wilderness
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 9:17 am in Politics | 173482Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smitchell/2009/07/02/karl-rove-shining-a-light-in-the-wilderness/Karl+Rove%3A+Shining+a+Light+in+the+Wilderness2009-07-02+16%3A17%3A42Seth+Mitchell

Celebutard of the Week: Joe Jackson

In the unappetizing race to scavenge the remaining flesh from the bones of Michael Jackson, Joe Jackson, the star’s Daddy Dearest, is turning the singer’s death into a spectacle unimagined by Barnum & Bailey.

Joe, to whom his son left nothing in his will, is the architect of the star’s final world tour, putting him on display like a freakish piñata. Joe also disrupted a weird press conference this week to promote his record label, unable to resist waiting a millisecond to profit from what is shaping up as the biggest celeb death of the decade.

This is why Joe Jackson is my Celebutard of the Week – in keeping with my book, Celebutards: The Hollywood Hacks, Limousine Liberals and Pandering Politicians who are destroying America. (Kensington.)

In his life, the superstar was clearly damaged beyond repair, reconfiguring his face and allegedly sleeping with underage boys. You need to look only as far as Jackson’s relationship with his father to understand where it all began. Jackson has said in interviews that his father was a tyrant, beating him mercilessly if he missed a dance step, ridiculing his dark skin and wide nose. (more…)

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Tags: Barnum & Bailey, Celebutards, Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson, pedophilia
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 7:09 am in Celebrity News | 175094Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/apeyser/2009/07/02/celebutard-of-the-week-joe-jackson/Celebutard+of+the+Week%3A+Joe+Jackson2009-07-02+14%3A09%3A27Andrea+Peyser

Open Thread Thursday

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Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 5:14 am in open thread | 173830Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/07/02/open-thread-thursday-2/Open+Thread+Thursday2009-07-02+12%3A14%3A20Big+Hollywood

Gwyneth Paltrow in Another Touching ‘America Sucks’ Moment

Ah, Gwyneth. Obviously being fabulously rich and famous just isn’t enough for some people. A few years ago, after making the decision to make her home in London with beta male rocker Chris Martin of Coldplay, she told us how much she prefers living in Britain to her native country:

I love the English lifestyle, it’s not as capitalistic as America. People don’t talk about work and money, they talk about interesting things at dinner…I like living here because I don’t fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans.

When she says she doesn’t fit into the “bad side of American psychology,” she means she’s become one of the cultured elite overseas whose life mission seems to be badmouthing those mouthbreathing colonials from across the pond - although she’s happy to accept their money. (more…)

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Tags: American Beauty, architecture, Blackberry, bush, Chris Martin
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 5:08 am in Celebrity News, Featured Story | 175222Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/07/02/gwyneth-paltrow-in-another-touching-america-sucks-moment/Gwyneth+Paltrow+in+Another+Touching+%27America+Sucks%27+Moment2009-07-02+12%3A08%3A28Pam+Meister

Review: ‘Public Enemies’

Striving for cinematic greatness is always a risky proposition. The risk is that when you fall short there’s no mistaking the swing-and-a-miss. To his credit, this is the position Director Michael Mann loves to put himself in. He always strives, always puts himself out there and the result is a number of unforgettable films but also a few obvious and glaring misses. “Public Enemies” misses. Not as badly as “Miami Vice” or “Ali,” but other than a couple of sequences, “Enemies” never gels, grabs, bites or takes hold. Instead, the narrative just kind of rolls along hitting insistent beats en-route to the inevitable.

Johnny Depp is John Dillinger, a criminal before crime was organized who specializes in bank robberies and jail breaks. His dash, audacity and refusal to steal from the common folk has made him something of a folk hero to Depression-weary America, but J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) sees an opportunity to use Dillinger’s exploits as a way to firm up his fledgling national police force (the F.B.I.), but first he’ll have to prove his modern, centralized methods work. (more…)

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Tags: "Public Enemies", Baby Face Nelson, Christian Bale, Frank Nitti, John Dillinger
Posted Jul 1st 2009 at 6:18 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 175314Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/01/review-public-enemies/Review%3A+%27Public+Enemies%272009-07-02+01%3A18%3A37John+Nolte

Politicians Are What’s Wrong With Politics

So, Mark Sanford had an affair.  Big deal.  Who really cares?  He screwed up his own life.  He screwed over his wife and kids.  It happens everyday.  His family will deal with it.  He will pay a personal price, either by losing his family, the mistress he claims to be in love with, or most likely both.

The media and the Muckadoos on the Internet think that this is once again an example of “conservative hypocrisy.” I’ve seen no less than ten news segments dedicated to discussing whether or not the GOP needs to shift focus away from family values, religion and morality because even the standard bearers of the ideology can’t stay the course.’

Two things.  First off, if this is “conservative hypocrisy” isn’t every Democratic scandal involving money an example of “liberal hypocrisy?” The statist agenda is to take your money and have the government spend it because, supposedly, they can do it better and fairer than you can.  So when we indict a Democrat over bribes, theft, or kickbacks why don’t we talk about how that effects their agenda?  Shouldn’t the Rod Blagojevich scandal generate a full Anderson Cooper show about how the Democrats are going to proceed in telling us that they should take care of the cash when they are all a bunch of crooks? (more…)

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Tags: communism, creeps, pedophiles, politicians, sanford
Posted Jul 1st 2009 at 2:45 pm in Politics | 172586Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lscott/2009/07/01/politicians-creep-me-out/Politicians+Are+What%27s+Wrong+With+Politics2009-07-01+21%3A45%3A53Leigh+Scott

Daily Gut: Why Obama Hates Obamacare

So Obama is holding a townhall meeting right now (cue hearty applause from a sea of clapping seals) to tout his monstrous health care overhaul – more evidence that we’re entering the hard sell phase of something so unnecessary it’s actually turning our President into a sweaty huckster. But thankfully for him, he doesn’t have to do it all himself–the networks are doing Obama’s pitching (and catching) for free.

Look, with this sort of thing, you gotta go with your gut: when someone is trying to sell you something way too hard, the thing he’s selling ain’t good.

And the only thing you have to remember about health care is this: if Obama had to choose between the current system and the system he’s envisioning for all of us, he’d run screaming to the former. You saw him in that ABC infomercial - when asked by a neurologist (which is a real doctor, I think) what he would do if his wife or child got seriously ill. Wouldn’t Obama want the best damn care possible, nationalized health care bureaucracy be damned? At that point, Obama started thinking like a human again, not a teleprompter, and could no longer defend his plan. Instead, he said, “it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.” (more…)

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Tags: ABC infomercial, healthcare reform, nationalized health care, obama, Obama family
Posted Jul 1st 2009 at 12:56 pm in Daily Gut, News, Politics | 175114Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/07/01/daily-gut-why-obama-hates-obamacare/Daily+Gut%3A+Why+Obama+Hates+Obamacare2009-07-01+19%3A56%3A10Greg+Gutfeld