David Arquette: Making a Difference in a Box
by Alexander MarlowThursday night, the AP reported David Arquette, best known for the “Scream” franchise and for being Mr. Courtney Cox, is going to “live in a box to raise money for the hungry.” In typical Hollywood fashion, this stunt is trumped up, if not downright goofy. To sum it up, Snickers is sponsoring Arquette to sit in a cushy box in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, eight hours per day, to raise hunger awareness. Consult facebook.com/snickers for more.
Apparently, the AP’s definition of “living” in a box is two eight-hour shifts over two days. Using that logic, I’ve lived at Peet’s Coffee in Westwood, the Mac store at The Grove, and Breitbart’s basement in the last month alone.
In a gesture of solidarity with America’s poor, Arquette’s Plexiglas abode will be furnished.
Their not-so-ambitious goal: to raise $250,000, probably the amount Arquette makes off royalties from “Scream” DVD rentals every Halloween. I bet it will cost at least that much just to promote the event.
In what might be a hunger-awareness first, Arquette plans to chow down while in the box, and considering the event is put on by Snickers (part of the Mars, Inc.), he’s likely to gain weight over the two days. But this event is not about hunger or charity or starving people–it’s about selling chocolate bars. I’m a free market guy, so I don’t mind that Snickers hired a celeb to pimp their product, but nougat gives me moobs and not even David Arquette in a publicly displayed human-sized fish tank (complete with ottoman) can change that.
Besides, among America’s poor, very few are starving but very many are obese and wrongly fed as opposed to underfed. If we are serious about fighting against deficient nutrition in America, should the people behind the best-selling candy bar of all time lead the charge? The problem isn’t starvation, it’s Snickers.
But hey, it might work. The stunt certainly grabbed my attention, and that’s Hollywood’s spell. It certainly can’t do much harm, and in a satisfying twist, any charity done will go to American human beings.
Still, if I were putting on the the event, it would be Courtney Cox in the Plexiglas box and Trader Joe’s would be the sponsor. That would be delicious and nutritious.
On a more serious note: According to Charity Navigator, Feeding America is an efficient use of your charity dollars, so be encouraged to make a donation to them. You can help some people in need and you’ll have leverage to complain about their lame celebrity spokesmen.
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95 Comments
Can't he just write them a check?
But then he wouldn't have the pleasure of grabbing attention with his gimmicky little stunt
That would be "his" money then…….. Can't have that……………
How 'bout doing something for the troops? Oh yeah, I forgot…
Wow, what a trooper.. eating candy bars and sitting in the same place for eight hours….. damn, that actually sounds like a REAL JOB…….publicity stunt that MARS should just give the charity a check….instead of some BS stunt!
I should have known not to click on the "moobs."
Thanks. Now I'm going to have to go get some cleanser and scrub out my eyeballs.
I wonder if the box will be anything like the one Courtney keeps his testicles in.
From the Wish-I'd-Said-That Department:
"Besides, among America’s poor, very few are starving but very many are obese and wrongly fed as opposed to underfed. If we are serious about fighting against deficient nutrition in America, should the people behind the best-selling candy bar of all time lead the charge? The problem isn’t starvation, it’s Snickers."
While I'm all for patronizing Peet's, try Espresso Profeta on Glendon. Really good espresso drinks, lighter roast than Peet's. Just a different coffee experience.
Me too, LOL!
Snickers is usually one of the things people on food stamps buy. Not only that but women on food stamps are less likely to view themselves as overweight.
I don't think this says much about David's career that this is the best publicity stunt he could come up with. But then, we're talking about him aren't we?
In terms of making-a-difference– this is beyond silly.
Great picture of the Snickers bar…I don't even like Snickers and that picture makes me hungry for one.
Anyways, I'm about to unload my geekiness on you all for a moment. I was a huge fan of that tv show Angel while it was on, and one of the episodes in the 2nd season revolved around a fundraiser that the evil lawfirm on the show was sponsoring for this underpriviledged teen charity. Angel tried through most of the episode to deter the girl running the charity from taking part in the fundraiser, because in his words, "They're going to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, then take most of the money because of fees or expenses…in the end, you're going to see 5%, tops (I'm paraphrasing)."
Granted, none of that show ever tried to be realistic, however they had a good point with that…if these people and companies really wanted to help, they'd actually just cut a check for whatever they're supporting instead of go through a big to-do. But it's never been about that, and it'll never be about the charity and only the people involved.
This is so totally beyond satire. This is like something out of Network or Dr. Strangelove. A company that makes sugary treats sponsoring an actor to sit in a box to raise money for the homeless? Amazing. Why not cut out the middleman and donate that sponsorship money directly to an organization that feeds the homeless? Why bother with a box at all? Wait, wait… will the box have the Snickers logo on it? Like it's a race car?
Dude, who actually gave you thumbs downs over your preference in coffee??
Bingo! We have a winner. Charity is best when it doesn't cost you anything.
They probably consider the Code Pink demonstrations outside the recruitment offices as a fundraiser.
Maybe next they can do shopping cart races, sponsored by NASCAR?
Career?
I know, on the one hand it's too bad we are even talking about him and this stunt. On the other though, one of the things I have always liked about Breitbart and BH is it affords lots of opportunities to ridicule these people (something they have long felt is their exclusive domain to do to others.)
Good point. What does one call David's ….. eh….job?
I'm always happy to have celebrity nuttiness pointed out. Somebody's got to do it.
That picture doesn't make me hungry for one, it just makes my teeth ache.
I thought the Canadian's bombed the Arquettes?
LOL!
Heh heh heh. +1 for everyone!
Ha! Seinfeld already did the episode where Kramer and Newman hire the homeless to pull rickshaws. (A highlight in an otherwise bad ninth season).
You know, it's gotten to the point now where every time I read the phrase "…in a box" I think of the "D— in a Box" song from SNL. Sad, I know.
Only if Courtney will let him have her checkbook.
Unfortunately I see those same things every day
ROFL…
[Snickering]
Will the box be airtight? If he stays in there long enough, it would be worthy of a donation.
Maybe Arquette's heart is in the right place, but this is simply encouraging symbolism in place of real charity. There is no real sacrifice here. Unless you count his eight-hour shift as his sacrificing watching a Dodgers game and a dinner at a trendy restaurant as a sacrifice. It reminds me of those 'rolling fasts' that were the big thing at one time. Each celebrity doen't eat for an hour, then another 'celebrity' takes the next hour .(Hell, there are plenty of actresses in Hollywood with eating disorders, so where's the 'sacrifice'?)
In all honesty, I believe that true charity is taking a significant part of your time and life and doing for others, without a publicist, agent or official photographer announcing how wonderful you are for doing this. It's a means of enriching your own soul without ever receiving, or expecting a reward. Maybe that's expecting too much from a relatively souless town like Hollywood.
SQT: His title is Giggly Gigolo.
Well I've heard them, but this one? Methinks that life at home may not be so sweet. He'd rather spend 2 days in plexiglassed cell, lounging in a lay-z-boy, popping snickers & cheezy poofs until his eyes bleed, while all of Manhattan awaits on his every move, than quality time with the willowy Ms. Cox. He's telling her he's doing it for hungar.
Why doesn't my agent get me good s&*^ like this to do?
At first I thought you said Giggedy. I think that's going to be my new name for him. Giggedy Gigolo.
Um… that seems a little odd. His wife is the skinny one, right? I believe in helping the poor eat better, but Snickers isn't the way to go. This sounds more like a last gasp of a dying career.
Remember when that weird David Blaine guy lived in a box for a few weeks? He didn't just do it in 8-hour shifts. And people made their own fun by throwing Big Macs at the box, just to taunt him. Why do i think that sort of wholesome fun won't be allowed??
Just another example of thinking inside the box.
To help raise awareness about homelessness, I'm going to step outside for a minute today, and pretend my house isn't there.____Please send checks
+1 for South Park………………..A good South Park reference guarantees a thumbs up! At least from me.
Brilliant idea! I'd give a banana boat full of money to see that.
That was the Baldwins.
I need a seat belt for my chair when your around………..
The Arquette's were also victims at the hands of Canada's warlords.
It's ridiculous, isn't it? That the food that's so bad for us is the cheapest, and the food that's actually good for our bodies is so expensive. It's no wonder that the poorer you are, on average, the more likely you are to be overweight. If you can't afford fruits and vegetables, you end up buying junk, because that's usually on sale.
I'll do what most liberal celebrities do and donate you my time. I can't buy a new BMW with my time. I have to use your money.
I'll do what most liberal celebrities do and donate to you my time. I can't buy a new BMW with my time. I have to use your money.
Why would he try to deter her from taking part? Isn't 5% better than 0%?
LAME.
Having said that, because of it, Alex wrote this, and because Alex wrote this, I spent 5 minutes on the Feeding America site (I had not heard of Feeding America), and because I was impressed with the work they do, I made a donation. Sorry to bum everyone out with the roundabout efficacy of such a lame stunt, but it looks like a good group doing good work.
P.S. I am subtracting my donation from Alex's bonus. Is that wrong?
I can't hate on David Arquette. He seems like a decent guy, at least I've never heard anything about him that says he's an a-hole. I thought he was pretty good in Eight Legged Freaks (I know, I know….I dig some bad movies). Sitting in a furnished box is a little odd to promote awareness for hunger….but whatever…..
Plus he scored Courtney Cox so…..
Ok. You can help keep the damn homeless people off my street while I raise awareness about homelessness.
As the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity! BTW, whatever happened to Mia Farrow's hunger strike? You don't suppose she's still at it…?
If they really want to raise some serious dough, stuff Courtney in a bikini and put her in the box.
I once heard those stainless steel ones go for around $200 new. Maybe they could get a good price on them as scrap.
i, too, had to click on the moobs link because i didn't know what they were. Thanks for the laugh!
Is that a charity auction? I could put in a bid. Is she on eBay?
This is so totally beyond satire. This is like something out of Network or Dr. Strangelove. A company that makes sugary treats (confession: I'm more of a Hershey fan) sponsoring an actor to sit in a box to raise money for the homeless? Amazing. Why not cut out the middleman and donate that sponsorship money directly to an organization that feeds the homeless? Why bother with a box at all? Wait, wait… will the box have the Snickers logo on it? Like it's a race car? Will we get a reality special?
I'm usually not this callous about such matters but sometimes even I'm thrown for a loop by this stuff.
Every time I see a charity connected to an action, I like to think of the opposite. Here's what I mean…Eat yogurt, and the company (Yoplait?) will give money to cure breast cancer. The flipside is that If you don't eat yogurt, women will die.
But on another note, moobs can result from a number of causes. Any teenage boy knows that hormones can do it. And any older male knows that hypertension meds can do it too. Trust me, it isn't a whole lot of fun.
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I always think of Dr. Seuss when I hear that phrase. . . would you. . . could you. . . detox. . . in a box. . . with Megan Fox. . .
SQT: They tried it first by throwing a Snickers bar into a swimming pool where Arquette was taking a bath (there are no bathtubs in homeless encampments), but they discovered it didn't work as well as a Baby Ruth for the proper effect. They should have consulted with Bill Murray first.
I remember hearing about a city's (San Fransciso ?) plan to help the homeless. They were going to give them new shopping carts. Yes ladies and gentlemen helping them did not include job training or medicine or food or a clean safe place to sleep, it was a shiny way to lug around their stuff.
At first I thought you said Giggedy.(Family Guy) I think that's going to be my new name for him. Giggedy Gigolo.
Yes.
Now, give it back to him before I come over there and give you a Beantown nuggie, Larry.
Alex rocks!
I got the air-bag and crumple-zone package for my desk.
Two 8 hour shifts over two days? I have worked much harder raising gambling awareness at Las Vegas poker tables over the years. Arquette's a rank amateur.
My eyes! The goggles block nothing!!!!
Damn! I fell out of the chair again! Is there a lawyer in the house?
I put a windshield on my keyboard. I've ruined far to many hanging around here…..
Some things are just beyond satire and this is one of them.
Now let's not go bringing lawyers into this, they're busy enough ruining the country.
Arquette seems like a decent enough guy. I can't think of ever hearing him say anything nasty about Republicans or our country. Good for him if he wants to support a charity.
Good point. Remember during the 2004 (I think) election cycle, Sarah Jessica Parker was hand-wringing that one of her auntie wouldn't get medicine if Bush was elected. The same question came up. Why don't you just write a check? Did these morons forget the 7+ figure bank account totals they have? Liberals love spending other people's money.
Liberalism = symbolism, not reality
God bless Big Hollywood! The very best comments are here. The Wall Street Journal would be so much more enjoyable if some of you guys would comment there.
is this an offshoot of snl's d**k in a box?!
i dont see you out living in a box to raise money. do you do anything. dont call the kettle black guy he is trying you just sit and type
Just wonderin' ….has anyone ever measured the results of "raising awareness?" I just remember the '80s and '90s when every awards show had presenters pointing to their lapels and saying "we're wearing these red ribbons to raise awareness of AIDS."
Enough of the Box. When is David coming out of the closet?????
he and his wife have gone on the record against both Republicans and Bush and for Obama. he's one of those "truthers" who believes that the US government knocked down the WTC.
http://news.superiorpics.com/2007/04/29/ARQUETTE_...
http://www.popsugar.com/2468404
http://www.911blogger.com/node/7902
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributi...
Hey, maybe they can just leave him there!
OH yeah, and he's the guy that killed that WCW wrestling show. I have to admit, that show was interesting for a wrestling show, for a while anyway.
love the guy. very funny. but a box. in florida we give them tents. as always most just want to live that lifestyle. like the birds they travel the north-south pattern. what i hate are the fake ones who stand at off ramps begging for money as a job. they park there cars (yeh cars) spend all day begging for money, and america being nice at a good spot can make $50-100 a day. i offered a guy who had a sign that said will work for food. so i stopped and said he could mow my lawn for $10 and dinner from my wife and family. he said no thanks just give me $10. i have never rolled my window down again
I can't hate David Arquette, he's a nice guy, a semi-talented actor (meaning that he doesn't come off as much as an airhead as Megan Fox when repeating someone elses likes for a grossly inflated paycheck)… oh screw that nonsense. He's a meathead, so why not sit in a box? It sounds like something natural for an actor to do, they're mostly out of work for any given week of the year, and actually doing something to alleviate hunger (like growing crops, writing checks, campaigning against brain dead global warming schemes that will shut down farms) wouldn't bring nearly as much press as acting like a mental midget for 8 hours in the name of "Awareness"
Hey Dave: THE HUNGRY ARE ALREADY AWARE. TAKE A PAGE FROM GARY SINESE's BOOK AND DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.
I scanned through the comments, and I can't believe it took 78 comments for someone to make a Justin Timberlake joke (congrats pattiann) – seriously, that stuff writes itself. Step one, you cut a hole in the box…
He'd be better off donating the money or volunteering in a soup kitchen. It's obvious the guy has a hidden agenda with this (and that's to get attention – what's the last thing he's been in anyway). Nobody's getting on his case for trying to do something good for society – what we're complaining about is the fact that he feels compelled to get attention for himself in the bargain (and of course, for Mars to get publicity for their products instead of being like the company that makes Hot Pockets and just put a charity's logo on their boxes and donating the proceeds to charity).
Look, if they want me to pony up, they'll have to put him in the airtight plexiglass box that Another Carolyn mentioned above. With no food. If he survives, I donate, if he doesn't, I just laugh. Really, really hard. What a load. Maybe Demi and Asston can do this stunt. Killing two nuts with one box. I like it.
Another Hollywood tool. Sheesh.
PlusPlus for Angel reference!
I catch reruns of that show each morning before I head out to work.
I've got the series on dvd and always enjoyed it…more for the actors/characters than anything else, but the action and the storylines could be entertaining.
Agreed – as I get older, candy is becoming less and less fun to eat. I try to eat a bag of sour patch kids these days and I feel like screaming when I go to brush my teeth.
Hey Mr Marlow et al! Your sarcastic remarks won't help the poor either. At least David Arquette is doing something. Of course he's not going to live on the street, would you? OK, so he's a celebrity living a good life, but he's earned it. So instead of trying to make yourself sound clever, ditch the sarcasm and negativity. He dose'nt have to do anything, but he is. Surely anything that helps is a good thing. Good on ya David!
that one's on my wish list for the moment. I agree about the characters/actors as well. Joss seems to have a knack for putting the right people together.
If he ingests his own excrement, I will donate.
Dude, your allotment of 15 minutes was up about 3 years ago, you no-talent, unfunny loser. The only thing done in your life was conning some POA to put up with your sorry a$$.
Vegatables are cheap enough. There's a strong correlation between poverty and lack of education. Individuals on poverty are less likely to know about good nutrition, and therefore have a poor, fattening diet.
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