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 | 244974112 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

dun DUN: Rene Balcer Murdered ‘Law & Order’

When “Law & Order” first hit the airwaves in September of 1990, I was an immediate fan. The concept, the ignoring of the personal lives of the lead characters, the wonderful acting and especially the endless plot twists hooked me a few seasons before the public would catch on and make the show a regular ratings hit. The first four seasons are among four of the best ever produced for dramatic television, thanks mainly to Michael Moriarty’s exceptional work as Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone, a resourceful, Robert F. Kennedy-style hard-nosed prosecutor determined to see justice done (though the whole cast was top-notch).

After 88 episodes Moriarty left, Sam Waterston (one of my favorite actors) took his place, and while the show was never quite the same, it remained regular viewing until around 2002.

The program’s eventual deterioration was a case study in the boiling frog theory. The quality of the production and acting remained, but the politics slowly shifted to the far left almost without my noticing. And it wasn’t the actual politics that first became apparent; it was the negative effect of those politics on the quality of the storytelling. (more…)

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

Tags: "Memos from the Darkside", Dick Cheney, law & order, Michael Moriarty, Rene Balcer
Posted Oct 1st 2009 at 1:16 pm in Entertainment, Politics, Television | 238714183 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/10/01/dun-dun-rene-balcer-murdered-law-order/dun+DUN%3A+Rene+Balcer+Murdered+%27Law+%26+Order%272009-10-01+20%3A16%3A35John+Nolte

‘Law & Order’ Jumps the Shark

The only surprising thing about hearing that Law & Order was going to take on the Bush administration over “torture” is the realization that Law & Order is still on the air.  This car-wreck of a series has been bouncing around NBC’s schedule since the first Bush administration doing the impossible – making lawyers look even worse.  Thanks, guys.

Law & Order’s mysteries are as unpredictable as where the sun will come up tomorrow morning.  In a typical episode, when the cops arrest a gang member you can safely bet the climatic trial denouement will reveal the real killer to be either the wealthy corporate executive,  the ambitious conservative politician or the hypocritical Christian preacher.  You know, kind of like in real life. (more…)

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

Tags: 9/11, bush, Conservatives, Geneva Conventions, law & order
Posted Sep 29th 2009 at 5:03 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 236382145 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/09/29/law-order-jumps-the-shark/%27Law+%26amp%3B+Order%27+Jumps+the+Shark2009-09-29+12%3A03%3A49Kurt+Schlichter

Round Up of Hollywood’s Polanski Supporters

This is how degenerate Hollywood’s become: Today it’s more damaging to your career to buck the “cool kids”  and speak out against the child rapist than it is to be the child rapist.

The round up below took twenty-minutes to put together. Who knows who or what else is out there. And don’t forget it’s early. Hollywood’s Rally ‘Round the Child-Sodomizer is only 36 hours old.

Harvey Weinstein:

“We’re calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation,” Weinstein said. Sources close to The Weinstein Company said the mogul would reach out to Hollywood to lobby against any move to bring Polanski to the US, where he could face up to 50 years in jail.

Patrick Goldstein: (more…)

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

Tags: Jeff Wells, Patrick Goldstein, roman polanski, Zurich Film Festival
Posted Sep 28th 2009 at 8:48 pm in Entertainment, Politics | 237042152 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/09/28/round-up-of-hollywoods-polanski-supporters/Round+Up+of+Hollywood%27s+Polanski+Supporters2009-09-29+03%3A48%3A48John+Nolte

Tina Fey: Downright Mean

Tina Fey recently won an Emmy for her uncanny resemblance and venomous impersonation of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.  In accepting her award, Fey was her typical, obloquious self saying, “Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin!”

2008 marked a departure from the memorable, more cordial years of Chevy Chase as a clumsy Gerald Ford or Dana Carvey’s hilarious H.W. Bush: “wouldn’t be prudent.”  Fey was downright mean.

For her part, Palin was an easy target — a conservative woman and mother. And seemingly abhorrent to Fey and friends, Palin had small town values, a small town family and — as Fey chafed on Palin’s world view — “I can see Alaska from my house.”  The impersonations were sometimes funny, but more often foul.  ”I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers…,” Fey roasted during one of the skits… an innuendo on Palin’s pregnant, unwed daughter.  Her satire strayed from the issues into catty, sexist territory — intellect, pregnancy, family attacks and even sexual riffs. (more…)

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

Tags: bush, Chevy Chase, dana carvey, Eddie Murphy, Ford
Posted Sep 19th 2009 at 6:54 am in Entertainment, Politics | 225170259 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/09/19/tina-fey-downright-mean/Tina+Fey%3A+Downright+Mean2009-09-19+13%3A54%3A31Jason+Killian+Meath

Daily Gut: ACORN: The Movie

So when two scrappy DC journalists bring down a President, it’s turned into “All the President’s Men,” winning accolades and Oscars. When an unemployed single mother of three takes the fight to an energy giant, it becomes a blockbuster vehicle for Julia Robert’s cleavage. And when a former Vice President exposes man’s inhumanity toward Mother Earth – “An Inconvenient Truth” crowns him the most majestic whistle blower ever.

But when two amateur journalists (in their early twenties, poorly dressed as sex workers, with under two grand in their budget) casually take down a sleazy behomoth that leeches off American taxpayers, you’d think Hollywood and the media would be all over this. I mean, what Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe did to Acorn – leading to the House approving to cut off all their funding – is the whistle blowing film to end ALL whistle blowing films. These two kids did what Michael Moore could never come close to accomplishing: uncovering lurid incompetence, affecting policy, and saving Americans millions of dollars. (more…)

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

Tags: ACORN, ACORN: The Movie, All The President's Men, Hannah Giles, hollywood
Posted Sep 18th 2009 at 12:18 pm in Daily Gut, Entertainment, Political Humor | 228874121 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/09/18/daily-gut-acorn-the-movie/Daily+Gut%3A+ACORN%3A+The+Movie2009-09-18+19%3A18%3A40Greg+Gutfeld

Jay Leno Monologue: ‘ACORN: We’ll Help You Get Away With Stuff’

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

Tags: ACORN, acorn scandal, jay leno, tax fraud, voter fraud
Posted Sep 17th 2009 at 10:05 pm in Entertainment, News, Political Humor, Video | 22833833 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/09/17/jay-leno-monologue-acorn-well-help-you-get-away-with-stuff/Jay+Leno+Monologue%3A+%27ACORN%3A+We%27ll+Help+You+Get+Away+With+Stuff%272009-09-18+05%3A05%3A14Big+Hollywood

Romero’s Latest Zombie Film Has Political Slant, As Usual

Filmmaker George Romero has had exactly one good idea in his life: the original, 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead. Since then, he has been coasting on a reputation as a maker of smarter than average horror films. Although he has made some good movies since Night of the Living Dead, few of his films have above par for the horror genre, and the average quality of horror films in the decades since his breakthrough movie is a very low bar to surpass. 

In particular, Romero has revisited the zombie film in quite a few movies over the years, usually providing the press with some serious intellectual/social/political commentary his latest film is supposed to make. So it is once again with his new film, the Venice Film Festival entry Survival of the Dead. Reuters reports that Romero, age 69, said his new film deals with questions about when it’s right to go to war:  (more…)

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

Tags: George Romero, Iraq War, Night of the Living Dead, Survival of the Dead, Venice Film Festival
Posted Sep 16th 2009 at 8:31 am in Entertainment, Politics | 224794101 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/09/16/romeros-latest-zombie-film-has-political-slant-as-usual/Romero%27s+Latest+Zombie+Film+Has+Political+Slant%2C+As+Usual2009-09-16+15%3A31%3A01S.T.+Karnick

Aren’t You A Little Old To Watch Cartoons?

…Why, yes. Yes I am!

But considering the plethora of culturally and politically “controversial”  (read: “contrived to be offensive for promotional notoriety”) ‘toons currently offered up for consumption like a plate of live centipedes in Interzone, the silly stuff is more than refreshing.  It’s soul food.

YouTube Complete Opening Theme by Bowling For Soup with Fan Credits

–

Enjoyable as it is to see conservative and libertarian viewpoints deemed worthy of existence in “South Park,” and as side-splitting as the adult humor and pop cultural references, sans a blatant political agenda, may be in “The Venture Brothers,” there has long been a need in the human psyche for pure, unadulterated lunacy.  (more…)

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

Tags: cartoons, disney, Entertainment, Phineas and Ferb
Posted Sep 16th 2009 at 6:48 am in Art, Entertainment, Reviews | 22404259 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sgraves/2009/09/16/arent-you-a-little-old-to-watch-cartoons/Aren%27t+You+A+Little+Old+To+Watch+Cartoons%3F2009-09-16+13%3A48%3A42Scott+Graves

If Jay Leno Wants Better Reviews He Can Start By Removing the Lapel Flag

Critics love David Letterman. They love him because he’s mean and liberal and does everything they demand: further the leftist agenda through the brutal use of humiliation to target any public figure (or their child) who might derail Leftist causes.

And contrary to conventional wisdom, Letterman’s not edgy. In fact, he’s just the opposite. Doing exactly what those who can criticize you want you to do is not edgy. Kissing the big Manhattan/Los Angeles bi-coastal ass of the elite is not edgy. He’s their jester; their puppet; their bitch. Worse, he’s about as funny as watching your old, half-deaf Uncle intimidate, humiliate and demean your Aunt and then smile at the rest of the family as though he’s just reaffirmed his manhood. Letterman reminds me of the Jason Robards character in “Parenthood” in more ways than you can imagine. In other words, he’s a jerk, but in a sad end-of-his-life kind of way.

Oh, and how the elite critics resented nice ole’ Jay Leno for cleaning Letterman’s ratings’ clock all those years. And now that Jay’s back eating up primetime, they couldn’t wait to jump all over him with sniffing disapproval fed through a filter of wrist-flicking dismissal.

After exactly one show the knives came out: (more…)

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

Tags: David Letterman, jay leno, L.A. Times, nbc, New York Times
Posted Sep 15th 2009 at 4:57 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 225946166 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/09/15/if-jay-leno-wants-better-reviews-he-can-start-by-removing-the-lapel-flag/If+Jay+Leno+Wants+Better+Reviews+He+Can+Start+By+Removing+the+Lapel+Flag2009-09-15+23%3A57%3A24John+Nolte

The Speech: Patrick Swayze’s Epic Bad-Assery (NSFW)

And remember: (more…)

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

Tags: "Road House", "The Speech", Dalton, Patrick Swayze
Posted Sep 15th 2009 at 12:07 pm in Entertainment, Video | 22557043 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/09/15/the-speech-patrick-swayzes-epic-bad-assery-nsfw/The+Speech%3A+Patrick+Swayze%27s+Epic+Bad-Assery+%28NSFW%292009-09-15+19%3A07%3A27Big+Hollywood

Kanye West Vs. Joe Wilson

Some listeners to my Barely Legal Radio Program are asking me if Taylor Swift has a defamation case against Kanye West for his recent actions against her at the VMA awards, and if Barack Obama has a defamation case against Joe Wilson. Although it would be unimaginable to see her pursue this, Swift actually has a couple decent causes of action against West.

In a suit for defamation you need damages. Provable damages in this case would center on the value of the airtime Swift was deprived of to speak about her recordings. Expert witnesses would testify as to the “bump” typically witnessed after an acceptance speech in such a valuable forum. Arguably, West deprived Swift of this sales bump. (more…)

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

Tags: defamation, healthcare, Hip-hop, Joe Wilson, kanye
Posted Sep 15th 2009 at 11:01 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 224634121 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jescalante/2009/09/15/kanye-west-vs-joe-wilson/Kanye+West+Vs.+Joe+Wilson2009-09-15+18%3A01%3A58Joe+Escalante

Ladies of the ACORN Video I Will Hire You

I just found out that the two women featured on the undercover ACORN video posted on our sister site Big Government were fired by the community organizing group.  This is really good news.  First, it proves that the ridiculously funny and unbelievable video is real.  At first glance, it’s so over-the-top that one assumes it must be fake.  Now, we have the proof that these women really were ACORN employees and not the most talented improv actors to ever live.  Secondly, it means that these two women are now unemployed.

And I want to hire them immediately.

These women can navigate the tax code so well that they managed to gin up dependent child tax credits for underage El Salvadorian prostitutes.  They provided detailed instructions on how to obtain a low interest, government subsidized mortgage for a brothel.  They gave clever insight into laundering a pimp’s take of prostitute earnings into a campaign account for a would be Democratic politician. (more…)

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

Tags: ACORN, AIG, capitalism, communism, Darwin
Posted Sep 15th 2009 at 5:02 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 22229890 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lscott/2009/09/15/ladies-of-the-acorn-video-i-will-hire-you/Ladies+of+the+ACORN+Video+I+Will+Hire+You2009-09-15+12%3A02%3A59Leigh+Scott

Patrick Swayze Died Today

Terrible news. Fox News just reported that actor Patrick Swayze lost his fight with pancreatic cancer today at the age of 57.

Swayze arrived on the scene in a big way in 1983, with a starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders.” Distinguishing yourself among the likes of Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Matt Dillon in that film was no small feat. And while all would go on to enjoy very successful careers, none would star in “Road House” and “Red Dawn.”

My definition of a great actor is one who convinces in the role; one who doesn’t take you out of the story with all the tics and technique. By that standard Swayze never disappointed. A trained dancer, his physical abilities sold the action, his sincerity brought heart to the romance and a complete lack of pretension made him accessible — made him something that is all but extinct today: a real-live movie star.

Time is what creates the classic film, not critics or box office, and time has made clear that Swayze made a mark on cinema few might have expected twenty years ago. “Road House,” “Point Break,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” live endlessly on cable television and DVD players everywhere.  They are a immortal part of our culture and … they are Patrick Swayze movies.  (more…)

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

Tags: "Black Dog", "Dirty Dancing", "Grandview U.S.A.", "Next of Kin", "Point Break"
Posted Sep 14th 2009 at 6:21 pm in Entertainment, News | 225050143 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/09/14/patrick-swayze-died-today/Patrick+Swayze+Died+Today2009-09-15+01%3A21%3A02John+Nolte

Adios Hank: The Conservative World of ‘King of the Hill’

The most annoying creature in the pantheon of Hollywood cliches is the “free spirit,” the heedless, hedonistic waif whose responsibility-free lifestyle shows us uptight squares just how empty and soulless our lives of meeting obligations and delaying gratification truly are.  But there’s nothing free about free spirits in real life – they flit along like eternal infants while other people get to pick up the figurative and literal bill – people like you, and me and TV’s most amusing everyman Hank Hill.

Tonight Fox will run the series finale of King of the Hill, the saga of Hank and his gang of associates living in their exurb paradise of Arlen, Texas.  King has a helluva a pedigree.  It was created by fellow UC San Diego grad Mike Judge, who also developed the criminally under-appreciated Beavis and Butt-Head.  The co-creator was Greg Daniels, who previously worked on The Simpsons  and wrote the classic Lisa’s Wedding episode.  Together, they made King the most subversive comedy on television. (more…)

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

Tags: "Extract", "The Goode Family", Beavis and Butt-Head, Greg Daniels, King of the Hill
Posted Sep 13th 2009 at 6:44 am in Culture, Entertainment, Politics | 219118102 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/09/13/adios-hank-the-conservative-world-of-king-of-the-hill/Adios+Hank%3A+The+Conservative+World+of+%27King+of+the+Hill%272009-09-13+13%3A44%3A56Kurt+Schlichter

Toast of Venice Film Festival Accuses Israel of Genocide

A quote from Oliver Stone’s soccer body, Hugo Chavez:

“The question is not whether the Israelis want to exterminate the Palestinians. They’re doing it openly,” Chavez said in an interview with Le Figaro[.] …

“What was it if not genocide? … The Israelis were looking for an excuse to exterminate the Palestinians,” Chavez said, adding that sanctions should have been slapped on Israel.

(more…)

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

Tags: Hugo Chavez, Israel, Oliver Stone, Venice Film Festival
Posted Sep 12th 2009 at 4:14 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Politics | 22386248 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/09/12/toast-of-the-venice-film-festival-accuses-israel-of-genocide/Toast+of+Venice+Film+Festival+Accuses+Israel+of+Genocide2009-09-12+23%3A14%3A52Big+Hollywood

Larry Gelbart: An Appreciation

It was a little over 30 years ago that I first laid eyes on the remarkable Larry Gelbart.  The occasion was our high school’s 50th anniversary.  I had been selected to host the celebration in the auditorium.  It was also my duty to talk about what Fairfax High had been like when I was there during the 1950s.  It was Larry’s job to report on the 1940s.  As I recall, producer Mike Frankovich handled the 30s and singer Martha Tilton recalled the 1920s. Although I got to introduce Gelbart to the audience, we didn’t actually meet.

Several months later, in a weekly column I was then writing for the L.A. Times, I took exception to the constant trashing of TV.  For all its obvious faults, I pointed out that over the years TV, not Broadway, books or the movies, was the place to find the best comedy in America.  I went on to mention ten or twelve of the anonymous men most responsible for writing the funniest lines.  Naturally, Larry Gelbart was one of the names on my list. (more…)

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

Tags: "Rough Cut", Larry Gelbart, MASH, mensch, obituary
Posted Sep 12th 2009 at 1:58 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, News | 22377029 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bprelutsky/2009/09/12/larry-gelbart-mensch/Larry+Gelbart%3A+An+Appreciation2009-09-12+20%3A58%3A06Burt+Prelutsky

Honoring September 11th: We Remember

WE REMEMBER 9-11 

Smoke billows rolled
As planes shattered glass
Concrete and steel
The trees and the grass 

An enemy attack
On the Land of the Free
How could this happen
How could this be 

Our hearts gripped with fear
In sheer disbelief
Unbearable sorrow
One hardly could speak 

As evil sought triumph
Through catastrophic strife
Towers fell and buildings crumbled
Tragically ending innocent lives  (more…)

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

Tags: 9/11, Evil, remember, September 11th, Terror
Posted Sep 11th 2009 at 11:10 am in Culture, Entertainment, Featured Story, Military, Politics | 22243855 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cstanton/2009/09/11/honoring-september-11th-we-remember/Honoring+September+11th%3A+We+Remember2009-09-11+18%3A10%3A12Chele+Stanton

(Perhaps) The Last Words I’ll Write About Michael Moore

For better or worse, I have spent the last six years or so as a “go-to” authority on Michael Moore. In 2002, he said some things about my country that I was hurt by and some things about life that I held to be untrue. I set out to make my first film, a little documentary called “Michael Moore Hates America” and began a journey that would be at times inspiring and disheartening. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people have seen that movie, but I’m now ready to close that chapter of my life with a few words about Mr. Moore and his opus on the death of American capitalism.

In the 1980s, Michael Moore was broke. He saw things he believed to be wrong in the world and set out to tell a story about them. His first movie “Roger and Me” was a success. He followed it with a bomb called “Canadian Bacon” and then rebounded by winning Oscars and smashing box office records. He built a better life for his family and put his daughter through private schools by creating and marketing a product a lot of people bought. He became a multimillionaire because of the power of the unrestrained liberties we know in America as Capitalism and Freedom of Speech. (more…)

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

Tags: capitalism, michael moore, “Capitalism: A Love Story”, “Michael Moore Hates America”
Posted Sep 10th 2009 at 5:03 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Film, Politics | 21943464 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mwilson/2009/09/10/perhaps-the-last-words-i%e2%80%99ll-write-about-michael-moore/%28Perhaps%29+The+Last+Words+I%E2%80%99ll+Write+About+Michael+Moore2009-09-10+12%3A03%3A20Michael+Wilson