Jeffrey Jena

Jeffrey Jena

In his 30 years as a stand-up comic, Jeffrey Jena has appeared on over thirty five national television show, including “The Dennis Miller Show,” HBO, "Comics Unleashed," and many other bad cable shows.

As an actor he has been seen on “Murder, She Wrote,” “Hunter,” appeared in shows with Jenny McCarthy and Weird Al Yankovic and in several films including "Raising the Dead" with Allison Eastwood.

Jeff is also a frequent radio guest on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Show” and has appeared live at almost every dive in America.

He is the founder of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and blogs about all things right wing at jeffreyjena.wordpress.com and about comedy at myspace.com/jeffjena.

Jeff is married, has one son, and makes his home in a small town in Ohio. For more information, go to jeffreyjena.com.

Hollywood’s New Production Code: Tracy Morgan Enters Re-education Camp

by Jeffrey Jena

That chill wind Hollywood liberal Tim Robbins warned about is indeed blowing and every stand-up comic and performance artist should be worried. However, it isn’t coming from some frustrated, prudish Christian right winger. It’s coming from the open-minded, diversity embracing, tolerant other side of the aisle. Free speech is just a concept that was rejected at the pitch meeting. Artistic expression isn’t for the less enlightened. Tracy Morgan is now officially under reeducation by the Hollywood left.

In case you missed it, here is the back story: Tracy Morgan, stand-up comic and one of the stars of the NBC hit sit-com “30 Rock” was busted doing a stand-up routine at the Ryman Theater in Nashville. Unlike back when St. Lenny was being busted the cops didn’t rush the stage and drag Mr. Morgan off. No, a single audience member got offended and reported Mr. Morgan to “the authorities” through Facebook.

The verboten topic was lack of empathy for homosexuality. The “authorities” are the liberal media. A gay man in the audience, Kevin Rogers took offence and wound up on CNN chatting about how horrible the show was.

I wasn’t there and I doubt there is a recording or transcript but from reports the “bit” was pretty raw. What I have read and seen on the Internet is that Mr. Morgan was doing a rant where he imagined his son came home and announced he was gay. Mr. Morgan said if that happened he would stab him.

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The Oscars 2011: Which Cause Will Inspire the Most Obnoxious Political Statements?

by Jeffrey Jena

Well it’s that time of year when all of the rich leftists in Hollywood get out their $40,000 dollar gowns, put on their millions in jewelry, climb into their limos, and head up to the Kodak Theater to pat themselves on the back for being working class heroes. I couldn’t care less about which picture or actor gets a trophy, I just love listening to the political correctness and monumental hubris on display for the world to see.

In the past I have tried to guess the Oscar winners by trying to decide which films best fit into the current liberal Hollywood zeitgeist. My favorite nomination this year is the truly mediocre “The Kid’s are Alright.” It’s about a lesbian couple’s kids who seek their biological father and realize the moms make better dads! If this movie had ended with the one woman admitting she digs guys and leaving her lesbian partner, do you think it would have been nominated?

This year I have decided to add my own category. The category is: Which liberal cause will come up most often during the evening. And the nominees are:

Republicans Destroying Unions:  Starring: The State of Wisconsin, Screenplay by John Trumka and Mitch Stewart.  I predict that at least three people will mention how they stand in solidarity with the government workers in Wisconsin, and around the world. Forget the fact that the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA, the two largest performer’s unions, don’t allow their “poorer” members access to the union health care plan or pension at any price. Multimillionaire union actors will stand with their brothers and sisters who are being asked to fork over a few bucks for their lavish benefit packages. As we already know, SAG has been drumbeating for the folks protesting in Wisconsin already! I love how my unions spend my money on causes with which I don’t agree, but I’m getting off the subject.

Revolutions are Us: Starring: Countries throughout Africa and the Middle East, Screenplay by Google and The Muslin Brotherhood from an original work by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I’m sure someone will mention how great all the revolutions are in Africa and the Middle East. Forget the fact that the first people who an Islamic government will line up against a wall are Jews, homosexuals and artists.  

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Grading the Super and Not-So-Super ‘Super Bowl XLV’ Ads

by Jeffrey Jena

[Ed. Note: For a refresher course, you can watch every Super Bowl ad right here.]

Before I get started on my review of this year’s Super Bowl commercials I want to come to the aid of a lady in distress. Can we lay off of Christina Aguilera and her muffed line in the National Anthem? Look, she was nervous, under pressure, and out of her element. The NFL asked her to sing fully clothed and without a stripper pole to hang onto. While I’m on the subject of the Nation Anthem why can’t the football players show a little respect when the country is being honored? Their sideline slouching was shameful! Roger Goodell, get out your paddle and take some of those guys to the woodshed.

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Once again, the folks who thought Super Bowl 45  was a good way to spend their investors dollars, spent slightly more than the gross national product of Niger and Ethiopia combined with, in most cases, very mediocre results. With so many ads it’s hard in a short piece to hit them all so I am skipping all the promos and movie trailers although the Fox/House parody of the 1980 Mean Joe Green was one of my favorites.

I think I have finally figured out that GoDaddy.com is run by a horny fifteen year old boy out of his parents’ basement. What in the world does trying to make me think Joan Rivers is hot have to do with getting a domain name? Joan is a safe distance from “hot” no matter how many body doubles they used. I don’t know how much money Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels are paid to debase themselves in what year after years have been the unsexiest and unfunniest ads, but it isn’t nearly enough. The ads beg us to go to their website to see the “uncensored” endings to the ads. I wonder how many frustrated high school boys went to GoDaddy thinking they were going to see Ms. Patrick and Ms. Michaels in the buff but only found a lame joke/dance number instead. Can someone tell me who GoDaddy’s biggest competitor are because I am moving my domain name.

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‘Huckleberry Finn’: A Word about ‘The N-Word’

by Jeffrey Jena

Thank God civility is returning to literature! Thanks to some faceless editor at New South Books and alleged Twain scholar Dr. Alan Gribben, a new sanitized versions of “Huckleberry Finn” will be published. The word so offensive that it can’t even be printed here has been removed. All is now safe.

Dr. Gribben is afraid that the language in the book has stopped people from reading Twain. I am sure this brilliant move will encourage students everywhere to put down the video game controller. It will also save overworked teachers from actually having to teach the context of the use of the word. In order to do that, they might have to do some research and, heaven forbid, read the books themselves. What teacher has time for that when there are condoms to be distributed and prayer circles to be broken up?

Of course, elitists who have jumped up to protest this censorship. Movie reviewer and social gadfly Roger Ebert made the mistake of using the word that shall not be spoken or written in a tweet opposing the new edition. He thought because of his lifetime of liberalism and marriage to an African-American woman he was on the white guys allowed to use the word which shall not be spoken or written list, but alas he was not and was roundly “critweeted.”  (This is a new word I have invented to describe the criticism of a tweet by tweeting.)

Now that the looming “Huck Finn” controversy is finally behind us, we can get to the business of creating jobs. Think of all of the unemployed and underemployed English majors we can busy doing the task of politically “correcting” the rest of the great and not so great works of literature. We could hire half a Bryn Mawr graduating class just to edit the works of Toni Morrison. (more…)

‘Top Gear USA’ Review: For Car Lovers Only

by Jeffrey Jena

There is a long history of cultural exchange between British and American television. Sometimes the American results are better than the British versions, like Sanford and Son. Some are wildly successful without making major changes, like American Idol. Some are carefully adapted, taking into account the cultural differences of two countries separated, as Winston Churchill said, by a common language, like Law and Order: UK. Others are humiliating failures because the producers didn’t have a clue what made the original great. All three American versions of Fawlty Towers would fall into this category.

Unfortunately for the Americanized version of the long running BBC hit Top Gear, it is trending into the third category. The show is lacking three elements: originality, chemistry among the hosts, and humor. That’s a shame because it has a lot going for it. The best asset of the show, after the cars, is comedian Adam Ferrara. I will readily admit that I have a bias towards my fellow comics doing well but the problem is that the producers of the show seem to lack the humor gene. In the six episodes I have seen thus far they haven’t let Adam loose. The closest they came was when he got a ticket for speeding on the causeway to Key West.  After watching the rest of the episode I wasn’t sure if this was an actual event or staged for the camera.

More on that in just a few minutes. Let me back up and admit I am a huge fan of the British version or the show. The three “presenters,” as they are called in the U.K., seem to have a real friendship and mutual respect even though they constantly “slag” on each other.  I realize that relationship has been built over the years but even when I go back and look at older seasons of Top Gear on DVD that chemistry is still there. The two other hosts of the American show, Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood, seem to be a little out of their element as hosts, despite the fact that Mr. Wood has experience as a reporter for NASCAR and Speed Network.  I don’t want to be too negative about Mr. Wood. He has a “good old boy” hominess that I think could work to his and the show’s advantage, but it seems that the producers haven’t figured that out just yet.  Secondly the British version is anchored by Jeremy Clarkson; though one of  three hosts, he’s obviously the boss and the center of the show.  I believe having a “boss” on screen would help give the American show some definition and Mr. Ferrara would be a natural fit. (more…)

WWSKD: What Would Sam Kinison Do?

by Jeffrey Jena

[Ed. Note: Video is NSFW]

Following my recent article on the dust up over the use of the word “gay” in a joke in the movie “The Dilemma” I engaged in an email discussion with our fearless leader, Big Hollywood editor John Nolte. The question John posed to me was in the new era “everything is deeply offensive to someone” could guys like Sam Kinison, George Carlin and even Saint Lenny make it today?  Could three of the greatest comic voices ever survive in today’s comic environment?

 

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My first impulse was to say a quick yes, give John a virtual eye roll, and get back to making funny Facebook status updates about the TSA. Then I considered his question a little more deeply. I was too young to have known or seen Lenny Bruce and only got to meet Carlin three times, so I didn’t know him well. Sam, that was different. I got to know him pretty well back in the late seventies in Texas. We stayed friends and even worked together a few times through the years. I’ll get back to Sam in a minute.

Lenny Bruce got arrested a number of time for his language. Back in the sixties few people objected to making ethnic jokes. The word “gay” still meant filled with joy and to most Americans a “fag” was a Lucky Strike. Lenny got in trouble for his scatological references. “Cocksucker” was a big one. Most of the stuff Lenny suffered for seems mild in comparison to today’s cable fodder. However, one of Lenny’s greatest bits, which heavily features the notorious “N” word, couldn’t be broadcast today even on cable. Today it couldn’t even be written in a transcript without serious repercussions. It is however one of the most brilliant bits of comic social commentary ever performed. Dustin Hoffman does it justice in the movie, “Lenny.” Lenny also foreshadowed today’s political correctness in another bit featured in the movie when he substituted the word “blahblah” for “cocksucker.” Quoting Hoffman as Lenny in the movie, “It’s the dirtiest bit I have ever done and they can’t touch me!” (more…)

For the Children: Let’s Go Full Fascist and Stop All Comedic ‘Bullying’

by Jeffrey Jena

Director Ron Howard’s “The Dilemma” isn’t going to be released until January but is already generating big press. In case you haven’t heard, in an early trailer for the film one of the stars, Vince Vaughn, who plays an auto designer, says:

“Ladies and gentlemen, electric cars are gay. I mean, not ‘homosexual’ gay, but, you know, ‘my parents are chaperoning the dance’ gay.”

Even though Universal Studios withdrew the trailer after protests, Howard says he will keep the line in the film. Now more protests are threatened unless the joke is cut entirely from the actual movie. This line has sent gay activists into a tizzy and has now made any reference to “gay” in a humorous way, the moral equivalent of carrying Mein Kampf into a synagogue.

One gay activist is quoted as saying the joke promotes “hate and homophobia.” Ellen DeGeneres says it is a form of bullying. Anderson Cooper of CNN agrees, ”We’ve got to do something to make those words unacceptable ’cause those words are hurting kids!” Good for you, Andy. And I’m sure you’ll be apologizing to all the Tea Party activists you called “tea baggers” (indirectly mocking them as“gay”), now that you have seen the light.

I’m sure the people at GLAAD would have come down on Mr. Cooper had they realized what he had said, but they were probably just really busy that year and missed the “joke” that was all over TV and the Internet. Thankfully the folks from GLAAD have finally spoken up and are now trying to end “gay” jokes. I say “bravo,” it’s about time to end all of this “attack” humor.  

We must take a stand and stop letting comedy and comedians offend people.

I know! Let’s get a whole list of banned words and topics together! For the children… (more…)

Jon Stewart Still Trying to Claim His Anti-Beck Rally Isn’t

by Jeffrey Jena

Love or hate his politics Jon Stewart is a funny guy. Unlike his comedy compadre Colbert, who has grown tiring with his one joke caricature of conservatives, Stewart does occasionally give a blast to the left as well as the right. The recent “The Race Card is Maxed” sketch with Larry Wilmore is a great example. He is at his best when he is shooting from the hip, being self-deprecating and not taking him too seriously. Is he balanced and evenhanded?  I don’t expect him to be. Just as I would not expect Dennis Miller to be “balanced” when he is on O’Reilly.

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It’s no wonder failing and flailing CNN would want to have him on for an hour and promote it heavily. I am sure that his ratings outperformed the recently acquired Spitzer/Parker yawn-fest or any given hour of the ironically named Joy Behar Show on sister network Headline News.  For the past week CNN was pushing the appearance of the Daily Show host on Larry King Live,  as an hour of Jon Stewart Opens Up.

I would have loved to see Stewart open up for an hour however that isn’t what I got. The show got off to a good start when Stewart made fun of the falling rating of CNN and the fact that Larry King was leaving just before the ship went down. I especially liked the riff he did about Piers Morgan replacing King.

Then, unfortunately Mr. King tried to take control of the show and what followed, with the exception of a few moments when Stewart wrested control back, was enough to make me want to watch an hour of Christiane Amanpour do stand up or Andy Griffith shilling seniors for Obamacare on an endless loop. (more…)

Colbert at Congress: One-Note Comedian Finally Jumps the ‘Snark’

by Jeffrey Jena

Now that Steven Colbert’s congressional “testimony” has had its fifteen minutes, I think it’s time for someone to say his whole shtick has run its course. I don’t want to discuss if it was appropriate for a comedian to be at a congressional hearing. If it weren’t, Al Franken could just have his check direct deposited and show up to vote once in awhile. Come to think of it that is just about what happens. Mr. Colbert is an acceptable sketch comedy actor who has taken a character he developed for John Stewart’s “Daily Show” and parlayed it into his own low-rated show. I don’t begrudge him his success, in fact I say well done!  I think it is a tribute to the greatness of our country that a guy with one joke and with some help of his friends and a simpatico entertainment industry can become a multimillionaire. In the words of Max Bialystok, “Flaunt it, baby!”  

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Calling his recent appearance before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration “comedy” may leave Mr. Colbert open to legal action for lying to Congress. There were also several points in his testimony that were of questionable, as he would say, “truthiness.” Political comedy in sketch form is tricky, but as stand-up it is a balancing act that requires great skill. To my mind there are two rules: first you must, as my friend Will Durst says, be an equal-opportunity smart ass. Unless you are willing to slap at both sides of the aisle or only work highly partisan events, you lose at least fifty percent of the audience from the first joke. The second is that no matter who or what you are attacking, it must be funny. Mr. Colbert’s stand-up or sit down in the case of his Congressional gig, fails on both counts. Mr. Colbert’s one-dimensional, highly partisan act has run its course. We get it, Steve — any sincere conservative is a dim witted, xenophobic, racist, Christian numbskull who just doesn’t understand the issues.

It is difficult to take a sketch character and develop it into a more than a series three minute scenes. One only has to look at the number of horrible Saturday Night Live spin off character films that have been made to prove that point. It is even harder to take a character out of the sketch and build it into a stand-up routine. Mr. Colbert has now proved this to be the case…twice. (more…)

Lady Gaga Judges No One … Except the U.S. Military

by Jeffrey Jena

Is there no end to the many talents of Lady Gaga, already recognized as the greatest Madonna impersonator of this century? Of course we all know her as a singer, musician, fashionista and female impersonator, but recently she has revealed herself as maven in two new areas: military expert and political advisor.

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It started at the MTV Video Music Awards. That is ironic in itself since I think that MTV stopped being a music channel sometime in the 1990’s. Ms. Gaga, (I don’t know if “Lady” is a title or simply the first part of her pseudonym) appeared in a costume made of meat. When asked the meaning of her get-up by Ellen DeGeneres, she explained it wasn’t a slam on vegans.  

“As you know, I am the most judgment-free human being on the earth,” Gaga replied.  

Wow! Did the irony of that statement knock anyone else down into their La-Z-Boy? That might be the truest thing she has ever said. It wasn’t too long ago that having judgment skills was considered a plus. Not anymore!

Be that as it may, the whole idea was to call attention to the plight of gay folks in the military. If you don’t see the linkage between “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” narcissistic self- indulgence and wearing a Porterhouse, come on over and sit on the terminally un-hip bench with me while I try to figure it out.  (more…)

RIP Gloria Winters: Pining For Sky King’s Penny

by Jeffrey Jena

Every generation of teen aged and prepubescent boys have their iconic women. For some it was Bo Derek, Farrah Fawcett, or Cheryl Tiegs. Young preteen boys today may swoon for Miranda Cosgrove on “iCarly” or the vocal stylings and videos of Demi Lovato, but for guys of a certain age our “it” girl will always be Gloria Winters.

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You may remember her better as Sky King’s niece, Penny. A perky all-American blond who was immortalized in song by Jimmy Buffet in his homage to all things fifties, “Pencil Thin Moustache” She was the girl next door for millions of American boys. It looked like Penny had the perfect life for someone growing up in small town Kentucky; no parents, not a lot of school and a cool uncle with an airplane who lets her get involved in his adventures.

Ms. Winters died last week at her home in Southern California. She will always be remembered as the wholesome Penny because Ms. Winters had the good sense to quit acting before she became a failure as an adult actress or fell into alcoholism or drug addiction. From accounts I have read she did exactly what her character Penny would have, got out while the getting was good and lived a normal life. (more…)

How Insulated Can You Be?: ‘American Prospect’ Claims Obama Too Awesome For Comedic Ridicule

by Jeffrey Jena

I was surfing the internet yesterday and came across an article about the current state of political comedy by Paul Waldman. The article “The Joke is on Us” was posted on the far-left website “The American Prospect.” The subtitle of the site is “liberal intelligence” which is, of course, an oxymoron. That aside, the premise of Mr. Waldman’s article is that there is a dearth of humor about Barack Obama. It reminds me of when Nixon was elected and New York Times film critic Pauline Kael being shocked because only one person she knew voted for him.

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Mr. Waldman postulates that this lack of Obama material is because Obama is so cool, so intelligent, and so unflappable that he is immune to being made the butt of any jokes! He actually says, “…our current political leadership isn’t all that funny.”  I assume he includes the Vice President in that statement – so apparently he and I hear different Joe Biden sound bites. I strongly doubt he has ever listened to Rush or Glen who daily skewer Obama, Reid and Pelosi.

Mr. Waldman, like Ms. Kael suffers from having a limited circle of exposure.

Before I get further into that, let me just say a big “thank you” to Mr. Waldman for reinforcing a concept that I have written about several times: Conservatives have a better sense of humor and are more willing to be self-deprecating than lefties. You see, my fellow right-wing nut jobs, in Walden World, Bush, Rush, Palin and anyone else who isn’t hastening the “Marxization” of America is a moron who should be belittled for their obvious lack of intellect. Leftist, on the other hand, never do anything foolish. All of their causes are above mocking.  Let me illustrate: (more…)

Bring On ‘The Expendables’: Sly, Why No Chuck Norris?

by Jeffrey Jena

Like any other red-blooded, rock ribbed, slightly overweight and out of shape movie loving American man, I am waiting to see “The Expendables.”  I am waiting for the body count of the summer to begin with all of my favorite 80’s and 90’s actions stars! I heard they were in there. I went over to IMBD to take a look at any early information about the movie and sure enough there were Stallone and Lundgren. One can only hope that there is some homage to Rocky IV in the movie.

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The new tough guys Li and Statham are in the movie along with extreme fighter Randy Couture and fake fighter Steve Austin. There are cameos by Willis and the Democrat Governor of California Schwarzenegger. All the action heroes are there…except my favorite, Chuck Norris!

My favorite Chuck Norris movie is the 1985 cop drama “Code of Silence.” “Delta Force” and “Missing in Action” have better action and more blowing up of stuff, but they lack something that “Code” had: me! I got my first chance to be in a major film when they shot “Code of Silence” in Chicago. I was cast as an extra and later got to be an uncredited cop in a scene with Mr. Norris. It was an awesome experience for a young comic. He was friendly and personable and chatted between takes with everybody. (more…)

Ashley Judd Doesn’t Speak For All Us Hillbillies

by Jeffrey Jena

Armed with her Master’s Degree from Harvard, which she earned in less than a year, Ashley Judd is back in public and showing off her smarts. She was recently in Kentucky to protest against a type of coal mining. Everybody, please boo loudly at the evil coal company if you love Mother Gaia.

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Seems environmentalist Ms. Judd has a problem with coal mined by the mountain top removal method. Fair enough! I am sure she came to Kentucky, which she claims as her “home” even though she was born in California and has never maintained a residence there in her adult life, by public transport or maybe by carpool.

While giving a speech to the National Press Club last month she tried to poke a little fun at the coal mining folks and a  golf event they were hosting by saying, “”I’m not too keen on reinforcing stereotypes about my people, but I don’t know a lot of hillbillies who golf.”  Being one of “her people” I would like to tell Ms. Judd that even though she has a phantom degree from U.K. and a quickly earned degree from Harvard, she as we say in the South, “really showed her ass.”  For those of you who might not understand that idiom means Ms. Judd has yet again showed her ignorance. (more…)

Everybody’s a Critic … Some Will Behead You

by Jeffrey Jena

Art is a tricky subject. Everyone’s a critic and some react a little more strongly than others. Just ask Molly Norris. Art critics in the Muslim world have put her on a hit list for some of her work.

Ms. Norris is a cartoonist who stood up for freedom of speech…for awhile. After the animated show “South Park” bowed to pressure and threats and removed a piece from a show showing the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit, Ms. Norris started a movement called “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.” The idea took off and groups both left and right got behind the idea of standing up for freedom of expression.

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Radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki

Some liberal cowards like Atlanta Journal Constitution “political cartoonist” Mike Luckovich didn’t join in because they were already aware of the way Islamic critics give a bad review. As were the folks at one of my favorite shows “The Simpsons.” After the “South Park” incident they had Bart do his punishment on the chalk board by writing, “South Park – We’d stand beside you if we weren’t so scared.”

I’m not sure of Molly Norris’ political leanings but after her crusade for freedom took off, she backed away. She apologized to Muslims for offending them. She was honest as to why she was backing away when she drew a cartoon with herself saying, “I said that I wanted to counter fear and then I got afraid.” (more…)

4th of July: Hollywood Sticks Up For America and the Men Who Protect Her

by Jeffrey Jena

The first Fourth of July after we moved back from California my son and I road our bikes to Main Street bikes to watch the parade. We had decorated our bikes with some red, white and blue streamers in the wheels and a small flag. The town we live in is so small that when we showed up we were asked if we wanted to be in the parade.

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That afternoon there were some thunderstorms and we were inside for some TV watching. I happened upon “The Best Years of Our Lives,” a film by William Wyler. To say it’s the kind of film that Hollywood doesn’t make anymore is the mother of all understatements.

Made in 1946, the film follows the lives of three American servicemen who are returning from “The War.” They are viewed heroically by the filmmaker and the other characters. In two shorts scenes (one is above) where minor characters try to say that the war was wrong or that the country was duped, those same characters are strongly and quickly rebuked. (more…)

BOOK REVIEW: Sarah Silverman’s ‘The Bedwetter’

by Jeffrey Jena

As a conservative I can’t afford to limit myself to entertainment choices that I agree with politically. I read Ms. Silverman’s book hoping to get some insight into why so many people seem to think she is the modern Lenny Bruce. My thinking was even if she isn’t my particular cup of Earl Grey at least I could see what all the buzz is about. I also figured that if Rush and Sir Elton can get along maybe I could find something to like in Ms. Silverman’s comedy.

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I went to Amazon.com and read the forward, afterword and figured if I selected the “surprise me” tab often enough and opened and closed the browser several time I might get to see the whole book for free. After an hour of being cheap and trying to scam a free read I saw a used copy for $14 and rationalized that this money was going to the reseller and not to Ms. Silverman, so I ordered the book.

I have a number of comedy pet peeves and one of them is the “fake funny quote” on a comic’s resume or promo material. The problem is that that has been done to death, and most of the time it isn’t really funny. Yet, there on the cover of a book written by a comedian who is reported to be on the leading edge of comedy are the quotes from her childhood “friends.” (At least I think that is what the joke is supposed to be.)   (more…)

Alec Baldwin Exploits Gulf Tragedy, Calls For Boycott That Will Bankrupt Small Business Owners

by Jeffrey Jena

Every time Alec Baldwin opens his rather large pie hole I feel like Strother Martin in the movie “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.”  There is a scene where Butch and the Kid are riding down a mountain with Martin who plays the boss of a mining camp. They are looking for bad guys at every turn. Martin tells the guys there is very little chance of being robbed while they are going to get the payroll and them utters, “Morons! I am surrounded by morons!”

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In case you aren’t familiar with some of Mr. Baldwin’s more erudite comments, let me walk you down the memory lane of some of his greatest hits. Way back in 1998, Mr. Baldwin called for the killing of a federal official. Here’s the quote:

I’m thinking to myself if we were in other countries, we would all, right now, all of us together, . . . would go down to Washington and we would stone [Republican U.S. Representative] Henry Hyde to death! We would stone him to death! Wait! . . . Shut up! No, shut up! I’m not finished. We would stone Henry Hyde to death, and we would go to their homes and we’d kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families.

He later claimed he was “joking.” (more…)

Hollywood, Nashville, The Gulf & Stereotypes

by Jeffrey Jena

I was reading Pam Meister’s excellent piece here on Big Hollywood about Hollywood’s lack of attention to the continuing ecological disaster in the Gulf. In it she echoed my sentiments from a month ago when I wrote about the lack of Hollywood’s attention to the floods in the home of country music.

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This would seem a disaster custom made for Hollywood liberal involvement. Look at the elements: A Big Ugly Corporation, the environment, animals suffering, and a chance to jump up and down and say we were right about off-shore drilling.

However speaking out on this disaster would perhaps mean taking a position where one might have to criticize the President. I have also noticed that most of Hollywood’s liberal elite’s never seem to take a position in opposition to the current administration. For example, how much outrage have we heard about Guantanamo lately? Answer: none. How many anti-war demonstrations have we seen since President Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan? Answer: very few. Now that I’m thinking about it, how much media coverage do we see about far left true believers like Cindy Sheehan who are still protesting since the new administration took over? Answer: darn little. (more…)

Elayne Boosler ‘Unfriended’ Me on Facebook for Being Conservative

by Jeffrey Jena

Have any of you been dumped on Facebook for being racist, homophobic, gun toting morons lately? Have some of your tolerant, diversity-seeking “progressive“ friends tossed you under the bus for having the temerity to express a conservative opinion based on facts?

Jeffrey Jena unfriend

I got “unfriended” on Facebook a few months ago by comedienne Elayne Boosler. Out here in the real world I wasn’t really “friends” with Ms. Boosler. We had met a few times and I think we may have shared a stage or two somewhere along the way but that was it. Our Facebook friendship was almost as brief. When I disagreed with one of her political postings I was soon scratched from her “friend” roster. It seems that Ms. Boosler does not like to have her opinions challenged. She is one of many “progressives” who believe in diversity of appearance but not of thought. Fair enough.  You want to be narrow minded and intellectually lazy so you don’t have to defend your opinions, that is your right as an American. Second in my mind only to the right to be as stupid as you want to be is the right to put your fingers in your ear when someone who disagrees with you is so rude as to start throwing facts at you. (more…)