Bullying Screen Actors Guild Does More Harm Than Good

A few months ago I wrote a column about the effect IATSE’s wage increase in Michigan would have on future production in Michigan.  Just recently, the company I have my first look deal with decided to produce another picture in Michigan and was informed my column made it impossible for IATSE to negotiate or help us in any way.  They basically said this is the deal, take it or leave it if you want to shoot here; your employee ruined it for you. 

My company then proceeded to disavow any knowledge of my column and said that what I write is of my own doing and not the policy of the company.  This is true.  It is my own doing.  No one tells me what to write or censors my editorial content. 

I still believe IATSE is harming the burgeoning film industry in Michigan.  I believe that if IATSE was doing the right thing in Michigan, the state of Michigan would be putting all of the other tax-incentive states out of business.  Producers would be running there in droves. 

Unions are supposed to be the mechanism to level the playing field for the working man.  Their job is to protect the working man from “the man,” and to keep their members employed fairly.  Isn’t employment what unions are really all about:  Especially now when unemployment is so rampant all over the United States, particularly in Michigan and California.  You would think the unions would be bending over backwards to work with “the man” in a mutually beneficial situation.  Let us all do whatever is necessary to keep employment in the United States; not Eastern Europe or Asia.  (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: IATSE, IndependentFilm, Michigan, Nu Image, SAG
Posted Oct 29th 2009 at 5:02 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, News | 25426237 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/fdemartini/2009/10/29/bullying-screen-actors-guild-does-more-harm-then-good/Bullying+Screen+Actors+Guild+Does+More+Harm+Than+Good2009-10-29+12%3A02%3A48Frank+DeMartini

Sean Penn Off To Interview Uncle Fidel

If you didn’t know any better, you would almost think that Sean Penn wants to make it extremely easy for conservatives to criticize Hollywood for being overly liberal. He’s flown to Cuba to interview his hero Fidel Castro:

Oscar-winning actor and political activist Sean Penn flew to Cuba hoping to interview its revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, entertainment news website TMZ reported Sunday.

“Sean (Penn) is going to the land of Fidel as a journalist, writing a story for Vanity Fair (magazine) about how the (Barack) Obama administration has affected Cuba,” TMZ reported…

“Barclays sources say Sean and Diana are going to meet (Fidel) Castro — presumably because that’s what Diana told them,” the website reported. Penn’s representative also told TMZ a meeting was possible.

(more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Cuba, Fidel Castro, Obama, Raul Castro, sean penn
Posted Oct 26th 2009 at 9:29 am in Entertainment, Politics | 252518102 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mvandergalien/2009/10/26/sean-penn-to-pay-homage-to-his-hero-fidel-castro/Sean+Penn+Off+To+Interview+Uncle+Fidel2009-10-26+16%3A29%3A38Michael+van+der+Galien

I’ve Seen the Future and It Is…Safe?

This is an awkward way to begin, but I must start off with two apologies. First I apologize for being too long absent from this site, due to many deadlines, too much travel to wonderful places, and a protracted bout with that deadly killer flu thing that is the current deadly killer flu thing going around. I intend not to stay away so long from now on.

Next I must apologize to the non-geek contingent of our readership. The essay which follows might not be your cup of tea Klingon blood wine. It hinges too much on a presumed knowledge of obscure science fictiony things that only those with a truly Jonah Goldbergian depth of geek arcana can fully appreciate. Then again, I might be underestimating the level to which the fantastical subdivision of pop culture has permeated the mainstream. You might grok this if you know at least two Vulcans other than Spock, who Tim Drake is (as opposed to Dick Grayson), what the Kzinti are, and where the word ‘grok’ came from. If not, you’re excused without penalty. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Chris Roberson, Flight Rings, flu, Flying cars, future
Posted Oct 25th 2009 at 4:44 pm in Culture, Entertainment, Featured Story | 250806125 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bwillingham/2009/10/25/ive-seen-the-future-and-it-is-safe/I%27ve+Seen+the+Future+and+It+Is...Safe%3F2009-10-25+23%3A44%3A05Bill+Willingham

To Boost Plummeting Sales Initial DVD Releases Might Become Purchase-Only

The Los Angeles Times:

“For those who like renting movies, Hollywood may soon have a message: Prepare to wait.

“In an effort to push consumers toward buying more movies, some major film studios are considering a new policy that would block DVDs from being offered for rental until several weeks after going on sale.

“Under the plan, new DVD releases would be available on a purchase-only basis for a few weeks, after which time companies such as Blockbuster Inc. and Netflix Inc. would be allowed to rent the DVDs to their customers. The move comes as the studios are grappling with sharply declining DVD revenue, which has long propped up the movie business.

“Reed Hastings, chief executive of DVD-by-mail company Netflix, revealed that he had discussed delayed-rental proposals with several of his biggest suppliers. People close to the situation at several studios confirmed that such plans were under consideration and probably would take effect next year. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: DVD, DVD sales, hollywood, home video, Netflix
Posted Oct 24th 2009 at 2:02 pm in Entertainment, News | 25223873 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/24/to-boost-plummeting-sales-initial-dvd-releases-might-be-purchase-only/To+Boost+Plummeting+Sales+Initial+DVD+Releases+Might+Become+Purchase-Only2009-10-24+21%3A02%3A46Big+Hollywood

A LOVE LETTER (To Glenn Beck)

I think of you often.       

I’m getting my fake fingernails put on and I’m thinking of you. I have a pitch meeting at Pie Town tomorrow and I chewed all my real fingernails off last night watching Anita Dunn express her admiration for Mao Tse Tung.  Thank you for exposing yet another enemy of our freedom.  You are so passionate and curious and smart and real.  Sigh.  I look at my Vietnamese manicurist and pedicurist and smile.  I ask them their names.  Katie.  Kathy.  Hmm.  I glance around the nail salon.  The decor is Greek columns with 1920’s lamps in between. There is a 1970’s Disco Bar in the middle of the room with a 1930’s Art Deco Chandelier in the center.  There is a Faux Greek Mural and then Post Modern New Age Sterile Minimalist Lights sprinkled in between.  It’s “Psychedelic International.”  Just like the New America.  I ask Katie and Kathy what their real names are.  They look at me suspiciously. Hang and Gnoc.  Okay.  (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: 9-12, Barack Obama, Glenn Beck, healthcare, Love Letter
Posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 6:55 am in Entertainment, Politics | 25084654 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/10/23/a-love-letter-to-glenn-beck/A+LOVE+LETTER+%28To+Glenn+Beck%292009-10-23+13%3A55%3A04Victoria+Jackson

Michael Moore: Epic Failure or Right-Wing Double Agent?

Besides being intellectually dishonest, anti-liberty and just plain wrong, the Daily Kos, HuffPo, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Michael Moore all have another thing in common: a smidgen of my respect for being upfront regarding their political agendas. Each fights dirty and dishonestly, but at least they’re in uniform — unlike those left-wing spies hiding pompously behind “objectivity” at CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, PBS, NPR, CBS and NBC.  

I digress…

I like Michael Moore. I like his movies and while there are a number of stories floating around describing him as an awful human being, he seems affable enough during television interviews and personal appearances. Most of all, I like him because he lays completely bare his anti-all-things-freedom agenda for the world to see. He’s my ideological enemy, but unlike the coward Bill Maher who hides behind libertarianism and the coward Jon Stewart who hides behind being a “comic,” Moore makes no secret of the Statist goals he shamelessly pursues.

Too bad for his side he sucks at it. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Bowling For Columbine (2002), Capitalism: A Love Story (2009), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), michael moore, Roger & Me (1989)
Posted Oct 21st 2009 at 5:06 pm in Entertainment, Political Humor | 25066664 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/10/21/michael-moore-epic-failure-or-right-wing-double-agent/Michael+Moore%3A+Epic+Failure+or+Right-Wing+Double+Agent%3F2009-10-22+00%3A06%3A54John+Nolte

When Late Night Attacks: Left Worries Obama Becoming Punchline

As a candidate, Barack Obama was just as comfy on a late night couch as he was on the stump. The late night comedians and writers spared Obama from the barbs and prods they use to turn formidable politicians into laughing stocks. After all, they had their scopes set squarely on you know who… (paging Tina Fey).

A few weeks ago, a funny thing happened — call it a late night political paradigm shift. Conan O’Brien put some extra bite to his bark by featuring a tape of Sesame Street characters who earlier in the day had visited with the First Lady to talk about healthy eating. Conan overdubbed the clip and, suddenly, instead of talking about food, the muppets questioned Obama’s ‘United States birth certificate’ and his ’socialist health care agenda.’ In the past, satire like this might have been automatically assumed to be an attack on the right, but the skit ended up taking some Obama fans aback. Perhaps it struck a nerve. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Conan O'Brien, Late Night, Obama, snl
Posted Oct 21st 2009 at 6:44 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 246230131 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/10/21/snl-isnt-funny-but-left-still-worry-obama-may-become-punchline/When+Late+Night+Attacks%3A+Left+Worries+Obama+Becoming+Punchline2009-10-21+13%3A44%3A30Jason+Killian+Meath

Review: U2 360° — Great Music, Bi-Partisan Politics

OK, first things first: U2 put on a great show in FedEx Field in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.

This was a relief, because the previous Saturday they had turned in a dismal, oddly disjointed performance on “Saturday Night Live.” But three days later the boys were back in fighting shape; it was, in fact, one of the hardest rocking shows I’ve ever seen them give — and I have seen my share of U2 shows (my lifetime total is now somewhere in the double digits).

The show opened with several numbers from the woefully under-appreciated new album No Line On The Horizon; the thrilling and unique “Breathe,” segued into “Magnificent,” a tune which doesn’t quite soar as as high as it wants to, but comes closer live than on record. The lackluster “Get On Your Boots” was followed by Zoo-era favorite “Mysterious Ways,” bringing the stadium down and prompting Bono to remark, “Well, it’s a warm night after all!” He then gave a preview of the rest of the set: “We have old songs; we have new songs; we have songs we can barely play!” (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Bono, FedEx Field, Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge, U2
Posted Oct 16th 2009 at 4:37 pm in Entertainment, Music, Reviews | 24403840 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mpatterson/2009/10/16/review-u2-360-great-music-bi-partisan-politics/Review%3A+U2+360%C2%B0+--+Great+Music%2C+Bi-Partisan+Politics2009-10-16+23%3A37%3A14Matt+Patterson

Dennis Miller: Applying a Caveat to Forcible Rape

Dennis Miller in today’s Washington Examiner:

I guess I’ve been hearing it for years now as the country has slid into knee-jerk relativism. Till now though, it’s merely been an equivocating grandfather clock in the background, metronomic, at worst nettlesome. It was at the beginning of l’affaire Polanski, though, that I realized how much I’ve come to detest the word “but.”

One liberal pundit or another (banality = interchangeability) was bleating on and on, and I actually heard the words “what Roman Polanski did was wrong but …” and it hit me like an air horn in a Trappist monastery. With a simple wave of the conjunctive wand, we now believe that we can explain away absolutely anything!

I know man does not live by declarative sentences alone, although you can certainly do a lot worse than Hemingway. Purely and simply, there are certain times in life that you have to pull up short of the logic abyss that is the word “but” and pitch camp on the near side of it. This is one of those times. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Dennis Miller, hollywood, roman polanski, whoopi goldberg
Posted Oct 16th 2009 at 9:09 am in Entertainment, Politics | 248254129 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/16/dennis-miller-applying-a-caveat-to-forcible-rape/Dennis+Miller%3A+Applying+a+Caveat+to+Forcible+Rape2009-10-16+16%3A09%3A03Big+Hollywood

List of ‘Organically’ Created iParticipate Television Programs

From the leaked network memo:

President Obama has called for a new era of responsibility. … We can turn up the volume for service and volunteerism, engage more people and make it part of who we are and what we do to bring the country together. …

Campaign Elements: …
“To ‘organically’ create and produce as many shows as possible about service and volunteerism[.] …

Ideally storylines will touch on one or more of the key issues that have outlined as the country’s top priorities for services: (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: EIF, iParticipate, networks, Obama, Service
Posted Oct 15th 2009 at 11:41 am in Entertainment, Politics | 247762209 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/15/list-of-organically-created-iparticipate-television-programs/List+of+%27Organically%27+Created+iParticipate+Television+Programs2009-10-15+18%3A41%3A21Big+Hollywood

LEAKED NETWORK MEMO REVEALS: Obama Controls Your Television Set

On September 10th of this year the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) posted a press release informing the world that “from October 19-25, more than 60 network TV shows [will] spotlight the power and personal benefits of service,” and that this “unprecedented block of TV programming is the first wave of a multi-year ‘I Participate’ campaign.”

On its face this all sounds rather benign in that silly, liberal do-gooder kind of way. The networks have launched these kinds of campaigns before and other than some clunky exposition awkwardly inserted into your favorite show to meet the mandate — no harm, no foul.

But this year there are a couple new strangers in town: “Volunteerism” and “Service.” You’ve heard of them. Their names have been bandied everywhere since President Obama took office, and this internal memo from the EIF to network showrunners obtained by Big Hollywood shows that the entertainment industry is well acquainted and eager to introduce both to as vast an audience as possible: (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: EIF, Entertainment, Entertainment Industry Foundation, I Participate, nea
Posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:04 am in Entertainment, Politics | 246630849 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/10/15/leaked-memo-reveals-the-white-house-has-control-of-your-television-set/LEAKED+NETWORK+MEMO+REVEALS%3A+Obama+Controls+Your+Television+Set2009-10-15+10%3A04%3A39John+Nolte

Part II: Obama Controls Your Televison Set — Search and Ye Shall Find…Left-Wing Advocacy

My ten-year-old daughter loves “So You Think You Can Dance.” I suspect most eight to eighteen-year-old girls do.  So, my question to the producers of this hit show is: “Why are you pointing my daughter to a web page asking her to work at Planned Parenthood?”

Next week the networks will coordinate their shows’ story-lines to promote volunteerism.  At the September 10 press conference in New York announcing this unprecedented message coordination, Ashton Kutcher got his famous Twitter feed displayed on the Times Square jumbo screen.  It said:  “2Day, I activate my citizenship by participating. I Participate! Do u? www.iparticipate.org.”  (Damn he’s good at this whole “Under 14o characters” thing.)

In the press release announcing the initiative, all four network execs were positively boastful about their ability to inspire their viewers to ask “How high” when told to jump: (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: 9/11, ACORN, Barack Obama, EIF, healthcare
Posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:03 am in Entertainment, Politics | 246730295 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/10/15/part-ii-search-and-ye-shall-find-left-wing-advocacy/Part+II%3A+Obama+Controls+Your+Televison+Set+--+Search+and+Ye+Shall+Find...Left-Wing+Advocacy2009-10-15+10%3A03%3A40Stage+Right

Part III: Obama Controls Your Television Set — Serve.gov or Serf.dom?

National service and volunteerism is a top priority of both the President and the First Lady. A broad effort has been launched to promote this priority. We’ve seen this in the May 12th White House briefing, the August 10th and 27th art community conference calls, and now in a new effort by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, entitled iParticipate, that is encouraging broadcast media to infuse national service stories into their show plots. The First Lady has even created a video expressing the importance of national service.

All of these efforts are driving would-be volunteers to Serve.gov. The question is, for what purpose?

Buffy Wicks

Encouraging volunteerism is a noble effort undertaken by every US President. However, this Administration’s national service outreach has led on multiple occasions to outright policy advocacy. I’ve shown this throughout my writing on the subject, with a primary focus on the National Endowment for the Arts. However, the Corporation for National and Community Service is playing an even bigger role in this White House effort, and I don’t think general volunteerism is the only goal in mind.  (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: artists, Buffy Wicks, iParticipate, nea, Nell Abernathy
Posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:02 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 24659878 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pcourrielche/2009/10/15/obama-controls-your-television-set-part-iii-serve-gov-or-serf-dom/Part+III%3A+Obama+Controls+Your+Television+Set+--+Serve.gov+or+Serf.dom%3F2009-10-15+10%3A02%3A31Patrick+Courrielche

Move Over Talk Radio – Comedy Needs the Fairness Doctrine

October 6th, 2009 –the Comedy Fairness Doctrine was conceived.  A liberal civil war was declared.  CNN versus Saturday Night Live.  The cable news network turned their heat seeking missiles of truth detection on the laser-guided precision of punchlines delivered on a variety show.  The weekend preceding this historic day, Saturday Night Live returned for a new season of shows.   Their signature opening sketch featured President Barack Obama (played by Fred Armisen) reading off a laundry list of agenda items he pledged to do, and has yet to accomplish since winning the presidency. 

The list was comically, painfully long and the audience applauded and laughed at the real-life, obvious absence of leadership the sketch had captured in President Obama.  It is key to remember this is the work of comedy writers who could not find something funny about candidate or President Obama for nearly two years.  They did all they could to mock anyone and everyone around the man as to avoid skewering the “One” bearing gifts of “hope and change.”  But we’re coming up on a year in elected office and the liberals have grown restless.   (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: CNN, Comedy Fairness Doctrine, Fairness Doctrine, Saturday Night LIve, talk radio
Posted Oct 14th 2009 at 4:51 pm in Entertainment, Political Humor | 24647839 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cstigall/2009/10/14/move-over-talk-radiocomedy-needs-the-fairness-doctrine/Move+Over+Talk+Radio+%E2%80%93+Comedy+Needs+the+Fairness+Doctrine2009-10-14+23%3A51%3A17Chris+Stigall

Big Hollywood to Premiere the Movie Al Gore Doesn’t Want You to See

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Al Gore, climate change, Global warming, Not Evil Just Wrong
Posted Oct 14th 2009 at 3:57 pm in Entertainment, Film, Politics | 24653464 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/14/big-hollywood-to-premiere-the-movie-al-gore-doesnt-want-you-to-see/Big+Hollywood+to+Premiere+the+Movie+Al+Gore+Doesn%27t+Want+You+to+See2009-10-14+22%3A57%3A19Big+Hollywood

Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies Suck

Everyone seems to have an opinion as to why DVD sales have cratered since hitting their peak in 2006, but no one’s looking at the obvious answer. Plunging sales have been blamed on piracy, competing technologies such as video games and low-priced rental outlets like Redbox … everything but the quality of the actual films.

First and foremost, I’m a movie lover. Nothing competes for my attention in this regard, including dollar rentals and the like. But I’m just not buying anywhere near the number of new releases I did just ten years ago. Obviously, this is anecdotal evidence, so make your own comparisons:

1998  – I purchased 15 of the top 20 money makers…

1999 — 18 of the top 20.

2000 — 16 of the top 20.

2001 — 14 of the top 20. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: box office, Box Office Mojo, DVD, DVD sales, Home Video Market
Posted Oct 13th 2009 at 2:31 pm in Entertainment, News | 245754201 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/10/13/maybe-dvd-sales-collapsed-because-movies-suck/Maybe+DVD+Sales+Collapsed+Because+Movies+Suck2009-10-13+21%3A31%3A34John+Nolte

Animated ‘Astro Boy’: Marxism Aimed at Your Kids?

Moviefone:

Crude posters of Lenin and Trotsky adorn the threadbare walls of an office in a desolate part of town, and a group of outcast revolutionaries hatch a scheme to overthrow the ruling powers and bring equality and a classless society to mankind. The beginning of an Eisenstein film? Bunuel? Renoir?

Try ‘Astro Boy,’ the upcoming animated film featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell about a boy robot (Freddie Highmore) that leaves his scientist father after finding out he isn’t human. Ostensibly a film for children — with a fringe following of fanboys, thanks to its comic book series — the movie features very adult ideas of ownership and class structure that will most likely be future fodder for college philosophy classes around the country. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: animated films, astro boy, leftist. Moviefone, Marxism
Posted Oct 13th 2009 at 8:32 am in Entertainment, Politics | 244938114 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/13/animated-astro-boy-marxism-aimed-at-your-kids/Animated+%27Astro+Boy%27%3A+Marxism+Aimed+at+Your+Kids%3F2009-10-13+15%3A32%3A52Big+Hollywood

10 Reasons Why Pastors Avoid the Culture War

As far as I’m concerned, a silent or waffling pastor in today’s paranormal climate is unnecessary. I don’t care how much the minister likes kitty cats, candy canes, and if he cries at Celine Dion concerts. Look, Voiceless Vicar, if you’re not currently in the middle of this crucial cultural squabble, pointing out what’s putrid and cheering on what’s proper, then you’re Dr. Evil in my book. 

Given that the culture-dividing issues, thanks to Obama, are more obvious than Joan Rivers’ last lip implants, it is mind-boggling to me that many ministers are mute or side with parties, policies and principles that are antithetical to the Judeo-Christian worldview. I don’t know if you got this memo in seminary but pastors are not only supposed to salvage souls but also build the good society. 

In some kind of ascending order, it seems to me there are 10 reasons why pastors and priests avoid political and intense cultural issues and thus aid and abet evil:  (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: belief, Bible, Culture, Pastor, Religion
Posted Oct 13th 2009 at 5:05 am in Culture, Entertainment, Featured Story, Religion | 244958263 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgiles/2009/10/13/10-reasons-why-pastors-avoid-the-culture-war-doug-giles/10+Reasons+Why+Pastors+Avoid+the+Culture+War2009-10-13+12%3A05%3A33Doug+Giles

Obama Spoofs: ‘SNL’ Chooses Unfunny Over Hurting Their Guy

Big Hollywood’s Alexander Marlow has written a spot-on assessment of “Saturday Night Live’s” skit about Obama. This video clip of Chevy Chase on CNN bolsters Marlow’s claim and reveals the truth behind “SNL’s” political parodies: 

–

To paraphrase Groucho Marx, a child of five could improve on this immensely.  Anyone could make these parodies of Obama funnier.  Obama’s mannerisms, speech patterns, physical oddities (ears) etc. are ripe for satire. Add Michelle Obama and Joe Biden to the mix and it only gets better.  The audience would be rolling in the aisles. Obama presents a comedy writer with the potential for endless comedic situations.  Obama is a unique character who offers a buffet of satire, pregnant with possibilities. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Chevy Chase, nbc, Obama, satire, snl
Posted Oct 12th 2009 at 10:14 am in Entertainment, Politics | 244974111 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/asking/2009/10/12/obama-spoofs-snl-chooses-unfunny-over-hurting-their-guy/Obama+Spoofs%3A+%27SNL%27+Chooses+Unfunny+Over+Hurting+Their+Guy2009-10-12+17%3A14%3A27Andrea+Shea+King

Debating Leftists is Like Debating Charles Manson

Keith Olbermann’s recent hour-long commentary was quite revealing.  Like Michael Moore’s “capitalism hasn’t done anything for me” comment, the outpouring of support and sympathy for serial pedophile and admitted rapist Roman Polanski, and President Obama’s shenanigans at the U.N. and G-20, it drove home a simple, powerful point…

These people don’t know what they are talking about.

They do not know their kiesters from a hole in the ground.  They are a few fries short of a happy meal and a few cards short of a full deck.  Their phasers are permanently set on “clueless.”

Once you come to this realization, as many of us have, you are forced to approach their ideas and spokespeople from a position of reality.  Not from some sanctimonious position of civility and “debate.” (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Barack Obama, Charles Manson, Congress, health care, michael moore
Posted Oct 12th 2009 at 5:04 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 242858329 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lscott/2009/10/12/debating-leftists-is-like-debating-charles-manson/Debating+Leftists+is+Like+Debating+Charles+Manson2009-10-12+12%3A04%3A58Leigh+Scott

Dear Harvey: Please Get Over Yourself

Americans are debating whether Roman Polanski should be brought back to America to serve the sentence he skipped out on over 30 years ago for having sex (well, raping her, but he pleaded to the lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor) with a 13-year-old girl. A large portion of society seems to believe that Polanski should face the music for what is truly a disgusting crime, but as we all know, he has his defenders for several reasons: a) he’s a nice guy, b)he’s a brilliant director, c) the art world is being made to suffer, and d) gosh — it was over 30 years ago. To coin a phrase, let’s just “move on.”

We all know that many Hollywood insiders live inside a magical bubble where there are no consequences for anything. Serial affairs, alcohol, drugs — everything is forgiven as long as you can make money for the machine (but they are against capitalism, natch), except that most heinous of crime of all: being a conservative.  And we all know that many of them place themselves on a higher plane than those of us little people down here in the theater and stadium seats and in front of our television sets, without whom, of course, Tinseltown would be nothing but a very large (and broke) collection of overinflated egos.

Proof of this “holier than thou” attitude comes right out of the mouth of one of the biggest bigwigs himself: Harvey Weinstein of Miramax pictures: (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: 9/11, harvey weinstein, Kanye West, Katrina, National Day of Service
Posted Oct 10th 2009 at 6:43 am in Celebrity News, Culture, Entertainment, Featured Story | 23927869 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/10/10/dear-harvey-please-get-over-yourself/Dear+Harvey%3A+Please+Get+Over+Yourself2009-10-10+13%3A43%3A33Pam+Meister

Confessions of a Letterman Intern

David Letterman inspired my broadcasting career.  Twenty years ago, he was an awkward, self-deprecating guy who wore tennis shoes with his blazer and tie. He was edgy, silly, and unconventional compared to the traditions of variety television at that time.  He resonated with an awkward high school kid watching at home in Missouri.  Carson was still the king of late night, and some guy named Leno filled in for him a lot.  But Dave was cool because he didn’t seem to fit in.  Yet, when Carson announced his retirement, Letterman was said to be the heir apparent to the Tonight Show. 

As a fan, I didn’t want Letterman to move into Carson’s chair.   Not because Letterman couldn’t handle it.  It just seemed too refined for someone as eccentric and edgy as Letterman.  Turned out NBC saw it that way too when they awarded “Tonight” to Leno.  It pained Letterman.  But it helped to foster that continued edgy, underdog status that led fans like me to follow him to CBS. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Carson, cbs, Late Night, letterman, Midwesterner
Posted Oct 8th 2009 at 6:41 am in Entertainment, News, Uncategorized | 242486104 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cstigall/2009/10/08/confessions-of-a-letterman-intern/Confessions+of+a+Letterman+Intern2009-10-08+13%3A41%3A34Chris+Stigall

So, Now You Tell Us?!

I have always been fascinated and frustrated by the phenomenon in our public dialogue that when we get new information after a “debate” is deemed to be over, that the original dispute is never “reopened.”

For instance, when Barack Obama threw Rev. Jeremiah Wright “under the bus” a month after he was praised lustily by the media for not having done so in his famous “race” speech, the history of that event was never rewritten. Similarly, the dramatic positive impact of the surge in Iraq never came close to altering the media’s premature conclusion that the war there was a “disaster,” and the most recent data on the global temperature drop has done next to nothing to change the notion that the debate of global warming is “over.”

In the past week we have seen two classic examples of this quirk in the unwritten rules of media history.

The Obama/Oprah led flameout for Chicago’s hopes to host the 2016 Olympics certainly fits in this category. Much has already been said about the disastrous nature of this development from the economic and political perspectives. However, not nearly enough has been stated about how this event seems to prove that one of the basic foundations of the argument for Obama’s election was a complete lie.   (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Barack Obama, chicago, David Letterman, Jeremiah Wright, Megyn Fox
Posted Oct 7th 2009 at 6:44 am in Entertainment, Politics | 241538141 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jziegler/2009/10/07/so-now-you-tell-us/So%2C+Now+You+Tell+Us%3F%212009-10-07+13%3A44%3A58John+Ziegler

Michael Moore On ‘Hannity’

Parts II , III, and discussion points after the jump:

(more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: 9/11, Al Gore, Christianity, God, Hannity
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 11:31 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Film, Politics, Religion, Video | 241982117 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/06/michael-moore-on-hannity/Michael+Moore+On+%27Hannity%272009-10-07+06%3A31%3A51Big+Hollywood

Daily Gut: Wolf’s Confusion, Fred’s Misery

It amounted to breaking news for CNN`s Wolf Blitzer: Saturday Night Live doing a skit, in which they skewer Barack Obama. It was a concept so profoundly distasteful, that it left Wolf incredulous – worse than when he was humiliated on Jeopardy.

At any rate, this first ever comprehensive fact-check of an SNL skit might be the strangest piece of media analysis I’ve ever seen.

Check it out, check-it-outers. (ROLL TAPE)

–

Now, wouldn`t you know, according to CNN`s analysis, the skit “missed the mark.” This is a not a fair portrayal, they whine – which is not surprising, coming from a network blinded by the President`s pocket lint. But forgive me for being both flabbered and gasted, but have you ever seen a news network review a comedy sketch for fairness? Did CNN ever do this when SNL went after Bush, Palin, or any other Republican? (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: CNN, Fact Check, Obama, satire, snl
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 12:13 pm in Daily Gut, Entertainment, Media Criticism | 241398159 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/10/06/daily-gut-wolfs-confusion-freds-misery/Daily+Gut%3A+Wolf%27s+Confusion%2C+Fred%27s+Misery2009-10-06+19%3A13%3A44Greg+Gutfeld

The War on Propaganda

“The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it.” Joseph Goebbels

There is no shame in artists receiving monetary compensation to sell ideas, products or a presidential agenda. When everything is transparent and contracted aboveboard, this is called advertising. When this process is whispered into being, strategized and set into motion from the shadows of government and from behind closed doors, it is propaganda.

From Sun Tzu to Psy Ops, propaganda has won wars, toppled cultures and changed civilizations. As a self-identified enlightened and educated culture, we  thought ourselves beyond such base manipulation. We were wrong.

Where were the voices of dissent on the NEA conference call when so called “artists” were asked to further the President’s agenda?

I have danced ballets and I have done commercials; one side art, the other side business. What side were the NEA recipients on? (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: 9/12 DC rally, Constitution Revolution, Goebbels, hate speech, Hitler
Posted Oct 5th 2009 at 6:46 am in Entertainment, Politics | 23500294 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cburgard/2009/10/05/the-war-on-propaganda/The+War+on+Propaganda+2009-10-05+13%3A46%3A35Chris+Burgard

Trivia Time: Can You Tell the Difference Between Lennon and McCartney?

Time out from all things politics. Instead, let’s turn our attention to “all things Beatles trivia” for this short essay/game.

I went on Amazon yesterday to purchase The Beatles Stereo Box Set and was informed it was still on back order. Borders noted that the set will be available on a limited basis in October on a “first-come, first-served” basis. The Mono version, which sells for $30 more than the Stereo version, is also on back order. So the Beatles obviously remain popular.

One topic I have always found interesting is the distinction between Lennon’s songs and McCartney’s songs. Of the 200 plus songs the Beatles wrote, perhaps about 30 had some form of  collaboration between the two, with maybe 20 being jointly written completely. Yet, I have always found this distinction very misleading. Their influence on each other was so deep that their individual songs really were effectively collaborations. Besides the obvious difference in sound between, say, Wings and McCartney written Beatles songs, I have constructed a “Beatles” trivia quiz below to demonstrate this point.  I assert that we think we can tell the difference because most of us know the songs well. But in reality, they were highly influenced by the other and are more similar than we sometimes realize. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Beatles, Lennon, McCartney, The Beatles Stereo Box Set
Posted Oct 3rd 2009 at 10:40 am in Entertainment, Music | 23343051 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mrulle/2009/10/03/trivia-time-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-lennon-and-mccartney/Trivia+Time%3A+Can+You+Tell+the+Difference+Between+Lennon+and+McCartney%3F2009-10-03+17%3A40%3A34Michael+S.+Rulle+Jr.

Michael Moore Goes After…Himself?

Last weekend, Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott reviewed, among other films, Michael Moore’s latest farce, “Capitalism: A Love Story.” I don’t know their track records or political leanings, but Phillips for one noticed that Michael Moore is growing tiresome. He didn’t mention the blatant hypocrisy of a multi-millionaire who has reaped the benefits of capitalism calling for its demise, but still, he’s getting tired of the schtick, which leaves me hopeful.

A.O. Scott raved about the movie, and I agree on one hand that Michael Moore has finally chosen the most logical topic for his kind of film. At least Michael Moore has the nerve to finally say it: he doesn’t like capitalism. It’s absurd, it’s ridiculous, it’s akin to Lieutenant Kaffee rising and sleeping under the very blanket of freedom that Colonel Jessep provides, then questioning the manner in which he, Colonel Jessup, provides it.  I’m sure Goldman Sachs would rather Mikey just thank them and go on his way… but I digress… (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: A.O. Scot, ann coulter, capitalism, Capitalism: A Love Story., Colonel Jessep
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 4:13 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Film, Politics | 23691429 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ccannon/2009/10/02/michael-moore-goes-after-himself/Michael+Moore+Goes+After...Himself%3F2009-10-02+23%3A13%3A20Cam+Cannon

Daily Gut: Letterman’s Jokebag Has Gotten Smaller

So David Letterman just admitted on his Thursday show that someone had been blackmailing him for $2 million. That someone apparently claimed he had information on the comic doing “creepy things.” Instead of paying up, however, Letterman set him up – and the blackmailer, a CBS producer, was promptly arrested.

Now, a lot of people are laughing at the sweet irony of it all: a comedian who makes millions poking fun at the predilections of politicians gets nailed for a few of his own (I`m dying to know why he won`t dismiss the adjective “creepy;” whatever he was doing must make Marv Albert blush).

But I`m not one of those people. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: affairs, David Letterman, Marv Albert, staffers
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 11:35 am in Entertainment, News | 239478134 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/10/02/daily-gut-lettermans-jokebag-has-gotten-smaller/Daily+Gut%3A+Letterman%27s+Jokebag+Has+Gotten+Smaller2009-10-02+18%3A35%3A23Greg+Gutfeld