Little Press Respect For Michael Crichton
by Christian Toto
The Nov. 4 death of novelist Michael Crichton took most people by surprise. Who knew the best-selling author of “Jurassic Park” was even sick?
Crichton, 66, died the day of the U.S. presidential elections, so news coverage of his passing was muted. That’s understandable given the gravity of the election – and its historical implications.
So it wasn’t unreasonable to expect the year-end media tributes to make up for the lack of coverage. After all, the man directed major motion pictures (”Westworld, “Coma”), co-created one of the longest running, most beloved TV shows of all time (”ER”) and wrote some of the best page turners of the past three decades.
Wrong again.
Check out Time magazine’s recent tribute-heavy edition, dedicated in part to remembering the big names who left us in 2008. You won’t find a mention of Crichton. The same holds true for the magazine’s separate Year in Review issue. Nothing.
People magazine gave Crichton little space in its own tribute section, with only a smattering of text and a tiny photo. Newsweek featured a quick mention of Crichton’s passing, but managed to give more play to the death of Larry Harmon (AKA Bozo the Clown).
Parade, the Sunday newspaper magazine distributed across the U.S., didn’t mention Crichton either, but to be fair its recent tribute section was modest in size. Still, Parade did save room for the late Suzanne Pleshette, a fine comic actress but someone who had a fraction of Crichton’s cultural impact.
That begs the question – why? Hate to sound conspiratorial, but could it have anything to do with his skepticism over global warming? The New York Times touched upon the topic in its obituary.
“Environmentalists raged against his skeptical views on climate change, first expressed in the 2004 novel, “State of Fear,” and subsequently in various public forums.”
Upon Crichton’s passing, The L.A. Times said the prolific author was “probably the only person in America ever to have a No. 1 book, No. 1 movie and No. 1 TV show all at the same time.”
So why did so many major media outlets treat him with so little respect? Could his views on global warming have cooled journalists’ interest in giving him a fair send off?
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73 Comments
Crichton didn’t walk in lockstep with the Hollyweird ideal. The media always punishes those who don’t walk the walk. For a group of people that are supposed to be so different and individual, they all seem to share the same brain. And I do mean 1 brain. The problem is, no one is ever sure who has it at any given time.
I am currently reading Disclosure.
He was a great man. I still get sad just thinking about his death.
He was ahead of his time.
He did a speech on what he viewed as the extinction of the American media, when Sean Hannity was still a nobody (no offense, Sean).
He lambasted the media for speculating.
He was never afraid of controversy. He took on the anti-male prejudice and bigotry in the book DISCLOSURE and his essay Men’s Hearts.
He took on wacky medical and genetic patenting in the book NEXT. (Did you know that certain diseases are patented by companies and can only be
studied by those companies?)
And most importantly . . .
He gave us a world in which the mightiest of creatures returned to roam the Earth.
A reviewer on Amazon.com said that if you give a non-reader the book JURASSIC PARK, you will have a book-lover for life. I can attest to that. It was the first major novel (more than 100 pages) I read at around age ten. For that reason alone, he will always have a place in my heart.
He will, in time, receive the justice due to him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIH4UYY_AWg
(taken from the Michael Crichton RIP thread on Mr. Nolte’s old site):
When I was in high school, Sphere was released in theaters and the regular science students had to read the novel for class. I didn’t because I was in the advanced class but I even asked my teacher if I could read it anyway, perhaps for extra credit. He declined.
I’ve been on a Crichton kick lately (in between Star Trek novels). In his memory, I think I’ll try to seek out The Great Train Robbery at the library this weekend and read it with Jerry Goldsmith’s score for the film playing in the background.
On a lighter note, a friend and I saw Crichton’s movie Runaway last year (in HD!). I had only seen bits and pieces of it before but, afterwards, we couldn’t have a conversation without one of us calling the other one, “Ramsaaaay!” No wonder Gene Simmons doesn’t act more often.
(taken from another thread and lengthened):
When I was in high school, Sphere was released in theaters and the science students had to read the novel for class. I didn’t because I was in the advanced class but I even asked my teacher if I could read it anyway, perhaps for extra credit. He declined.
I’ve been on a Crichton kick lately (in between Star Trek novels). In his memory, I think I’ll try to seek out The Great Train Robbery at the library this weekend and read it with Jerry Goldsmith’s score for the film playing in the background.
On a lighter note, a friend and I saw Crichton’s movie Runaway last year (in HD!). I had only seen bits and pieces of it before but, afterwards, we couldn’t have a conversation without one of us calling the other one, “Ramsaaaay!” No wonder Gene Simmons doesn’t act more often.
I read “State of Fear” about a year ago. WOW!!! The Bibliography in the back is priceless. From it I have read Bjorn Lomborg’s “Cool It:…”
I think it is fair to say that Mr. Crichton angered many, many, liberals with that one and the MSM is not going to forgive him anytime soon. He, apparently, became a “non-person.”
Whoops – sorry about the duplicate post. (Stupid old computer at work.)
In line with what Kit wrote, about Jurassic Park turning a non-reader into a reader:
I have vivid memories of getting on a school bus right around when Jurassic Park (the novel) had just come out, and I saw a friend reading it on the bus, with that great, simple cover illustration of the T-Rex skeleton, and I was instantly hooked. I read it, loved it, and proceeded to mow through the rest of Crichton’s oeuvre, even the stuff that never really made it big, everything.
The man could flat out make anything fascinating. Sexual harassment? Fascinating. Global warming? Fascinating. Cultural/political machinations between Japan and America in the early 90s? Fascinating.
Beyond that, he also dreamt up stuff that anyone could make interesting, but that he made impossible to put down. He could take a ridiculous, pulpy idea, something that kids come up with when they’re five (Andromeda Strain, Eaters of the Dead, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Timeline) and make it entirely believable, so that adults didn’t feel like idiots walking around with a copy of his books. There’s a reason so many of his books were adapted into movies. They guy was just a phenomenal storyteller, who also put in the time and had the innate brilliance to make the scientific grounding not only believable, but really really interesting.
However, on that note, has there ever been a writer who has had more perfectly filmable writing completely ruined by hack directors or bad scripts and acting? How can you make a bad movie out of Sphere? Or Timeline? Or Eaters of the Dead? Maybe Philip K. Dick has room to complain there, but no one else…
Agreed on Crichton. Now can we all agree that “begs the question” refers to a logical fallacy dealing with circularity, not a synonym for “raises the question”? I see that mistake constantly in print these days. Different things, folks. Words have meaning.
Sad really. I didn’t get a new novel by him for Christmas this year and not again. Two titans – Crichton and Donald E. Westlake – passing away leaves a space on my shelf.
And I agree – his outspoken views on politicized science caused Hollywood to reject his later novels for film – “Prey”, “State of Fear” and “Next” – all bestsellers.
He wrote thrillers under the pen name John Lange, two of which are available from Hard Case Crime – “Grave Descend” and “Zero Cool”.
Just like the environmental community, the media never forgot State Of Fear. I have no doubt they, in response, took their anger out on Crichton’s last published novel, Next, when they were reviewing it. And, frankly, I’m not surprised they would largely ignore him when crafting their tributes to those celebrities who passed away.
RIP, Mr. Crichton. I love that he didn’t have to care what our corrupt and sick leftist elites thought about him; he wrote intelligent thrillers that appealed to real people, and we bought his books and watched his movies by the millions.
Thinking about Michael Crichton makes me remember with sadness the decline of Stephen King, once a bright light and now a sadly deluded leftist whose writing is so bad I can’t read it any more. With his great fortune he wouldn’t have to hide, like so many conservatives have to. Chrichton took his great fortune and used it to write incisive books about our popular culture. King chose to embrace leftism, and look what happened. Sad.
Not surprised the media has ignored Michael Crichton. They remember State Of Fear and no doubt, in my opinion, responded by taking their anger out on his last published novel, Next, when they reviewed it. One act of “dissension” is all it takes to wipe away all the great achievements.
Great point about the power of an author, or even just one book, to make someone a reader for life.
For me, it was “It” by Stephen King. I think King’s subsequent work has been wildly uneven, but I’ll never forget the fact that he made me into a voracious reader of fiction.
I just reposted the same thing, but didn’t realize it until it was too late. Don’t know what the heck is going on, but sorry about the reposting.
“For me, it was “It” by Stephen King. I think King’s subsequent work has been wildly uneven, but I’ll never forget the fact that he made me into a voracious reader of fiction.”
The same thing happened to my brother when he first came across It. In fact, because of my brother, I became introduced to It and thus the works of Stephen King. Almost solely because of It and how great a novel it is, I am very grateful to my brother.
Oh, “It” by Stephen King. Only book to ever scare me so badly I couldn’t even get off my bed. It collapsed a bit on itself in the end, but greatness always seems to.
Michael Crichton is a genius. My biology is a massive fan…he’s making us read Jurassic Park for genetics, and later State of Fear (which is amazing and anyone who hasn’t read it isn’t).
State of Fear is one of my favorite Crichton books not just for the story but the lampooning of environmental and Hollywood leftists. Especially the Martin Sheen character and what happens to him at the end. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t read it.
Just about the only place I saw Crichton’s death mentioned at the end of the year was in a video aired on TCM. This is all just another great example of the “mainstream media” burying themselves in irrelevance.
MORGAN,
“Just like the environmental community, the media never forgot State Of Fear.”
Rest assured, *I* will NEVER forget that book!! Mr. Chrichton will be vindicated, probably sooner than later.
On the positive side, Michael Crichton was far too intelligent and well centered; and thereby chose to spend his time on this earth working – with passion and firm direction – and simply did not waste his time concerning himself with what the narrow minded thought about anything he did.
By barely acknowleding his death, the media really paid him the highest compliment and gave him the sweetest professional reward. He got to them, in a big way. It cracks me up how the liberal mind works.
I am reminded of another situation – San Francisco wants to name a sewage treatment plant after George Bush. They think they are the cleverest joes around. However, isn’t one the main purposes of a sewage treatment plant to clean up (crap) to make the local environment livable?
Just saying.
I hate when I make errors.
*My biology TEACHER…
Funny…IT Was my first fiction novel as well! That got me hooked on Horror novels and led me to Koontz (King and Koontz so close on the shelf, I couldn’t help it. Koontz Sci-Fi/Horror opened me up to Crichton.
Congo was my first Crichton novel and it was good enough for me to start reading all of his work. I had already seen the movie Jurassic Park, and was leery about picking up the book to a movie that I had really enjoyed -afraid that I would be disappointed. Luckily for me, Crichton told such a phenomenal story that I couldn’t help but love that novel! I finished it in a weekend and was depressed when I turned the last page…but he kept my hope alive -with his last paragraph- that there would be a sequel.
RIP Mr Crichton. You certainly impacted my life and have entertained and informed me for years.
Just recently got into Chriton’s novels, I always thought that his books would be hackneyed like Stephen King has become. What got me interested in him was his commencement address to some college, it really was informative and stirring. Read State of Fear first, I already had my mind made up on the subject, but his take on it was interesting.
In the forward to the book he said that he did not intend on writing a book debunking anthropological climate change, but as he did research for the book he came to the conclusion that it was all BS.
The reaction by the liberals to his death gives a lie to their claim of tolerance.
Me, I blame “Eaters of the Dead”…
No, not really. They actually hated him for being un-apologetically correct so many times.
That’ll pi** people off every time.
BROOK,
“However, isn’t one the main purposes of a sewage treatment plant to clean up (crap) to make the local environment livable?”
Oh, the sweet irony of it!!
Hey, I loved “Eaters of the Dead.” Although maybe I’m the only one. Great twist of true historical records and reworking old literature.
Crichton was one of my favorite writers, and I’m still shattered that he’s gone. No one else so patently refuses to dumb down their work. You might not know anything about genetics or quantum theory or nanotech when you start reading his books, but by God you will when you’re done.
Ditto, Mr. Toto. Maybe the Non-Jurassic media can compensate for the ever-more zombified mainstream scribblers.
Here’s our own humble tribute to the late Mr. Crichton: http://infinitybound.com/index.php/category/michael-crichton/
He had a mind of his own, obvioulsy with so many #1’s. Hollywood, despite claiming to be so liberal and bleeding heart, being compassionate to a fault to people and thier lifestlyes and needs, hates if you have a mind of your own. Hollywood today hates if you don’t blindly follow ‘their’ beliefs. Don’t like global warming, no matter who you are you are blacklisted, as eveidence by Mr Crichton. Sad but I am not surprised. Hypcritc the lot of them RIP Michael Crichton
During my senior year of college as a pre med student I read Travels a mini autobiography he wrote. It may sound ridiculous but it changed the way I thought about the world. It expanded my own expectations for my life and my curiosity for the world around me. Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro is at the top of my bucket list thanks to him. Whenever I travel abroad I always try to take the path least traveled. Sure see the major sights and tourists spots but try to hit the back streets and back woods as well.
In the book he writes about a his meetin with a psychiatrist at Harvard that worked with med students. He tells the Doctor that he wants to quit Med Schhol. to his suprise the Doctor tells him.”So? Quit then.”. Which floors Crichton. He was looking for coddling but all he got was a dose of stop whining and do it or get out so another can have his shot. I often wondered who that doctor was.
My 15yr old son has also read the book. I often give it to kids just graduating from high school or college. Sure the metaphysical portions are a bit much but that was the Explorer in Crichton.
Hell I have even tried my hand at writing my own novel…which I contine to fail at.
But I tried…
Thank you Mr. Crichton
Regardless of the “current media politics”, Wikipedia has a great review of Michael Crichton and his productive life (as a very tall dude at
6-foot, 9-inches) with a great mind for the sciences and the persistence to see through so many diverse projects:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chrichton
History will give him much credibility, just be patient and give it time.
Yes, thank you very much Michael Crichton!
I haven’t read Next yet, but I will as soon as I can. As for Stephen King, I just finished The Duma Key and I thought it was one of his best books, but it was badly marred by Bush bashing. That’s going to date it badly and all it really serves to do is piss off readers like me who really don’t want a lecture on politics in their horror novels.
Let’s not forget he died on ELECTION DAY. Even the Evil Lefty Media might be forgiven for having their resources focused elsewhere. I think “Coma” was the first thing of his I experienced. Loved it, it scared me to death. He got less coverage when he died than Paul Newman did, but Crichton was more of a ‘behind the scenes guy.’ Authors/producers tend to get less, no matter how prolific they are. I thought Eartha Kitt (who died on Christmas) and Miriam Makeba deserved more coverage on their deaths as well.
I don’t think anyone could combine science/technology and a good story like Michael Crichton could. Jurassic Park will go down as a modern classic, and even though State of Fear is more a polemic than a novel, it does make one think. Too bad so many leftists hate to think.
Vinnie – Yeah, I read Travels after stumbling upon it at a friend’s place, saw the author, figured, “Hey, why not?” It’s one of the most honest memoirs I’ve ever read, even if you don’t buy a lot of what he’s going through (the whole inner journey/meditation stuff), it’s still a fascinating tale, and goes a long way towards shining a light on the motivations and thoughts of a man who was obviously infinitely curious about the world around him.
And I should have included Congo in my list of novels that should have been made into a kick-ass movie. Instead, they butchered it.
As Hamlet said of his father: “I will not come across his like again.”
I can remember, as a young boy, when we were riding in the car through a very wooded area, imagining that there were dinosaurs in those woods. Just like in Jurassic Park. Sometimes I still do.
And Tanya, I loved EATERS OF THE DEAD too.
Nick- The Aura stuff was really over the top for me. But his trance/hypnosis session dealing with his father, and the huge black fantasia demon, dwarf demon and ant size demon…kinda freaked me out. My father was in the Navy too kinda similar expectations. Plus I was 20 in college. So everything related to me…lol
Congo…baaaaad!!! Laura Linnys gorilla side kick…wow that was lame. Almost as bad as the gorilla with the TV on his head in Invaders from Mars.
Brook,
I’ve often had the same thought. After all, for both George Bush and the San Francisco Sewage Plant, the job description reads, “Take all of the crap that comes out of liberals and do a job they would rather not do. They will hold their noses when they walk by you, but without you, their precious little Utopia would be reduced to a wasteland.”
Kit, right on. My heart still hurts for his passing. I was in High school bored waiting for class to start and saw a copy of Andomeda Strain on a table. I can still remember what the fist paragraph said and my love for his work only got stronger. Not too long ago I begged the book store at Denver Airport to open early and to go through their cardboard boxes to get me a copy of Next because I knew it was to be released that day.
I did notice on a press release that His publishing company did apply for a ISBN number for a un-named title of his to be released in May of this year. I hope I will have a chance to have just one more part of his work. RIP Michael.. I research, assess and question my work much better because of you. Not to mention question junk science.
OK State of Fear is on my list to read. I have to say how much I loved the way he portrayed the Hubris’ of the science behind Jurassic Park. That to me is one the worst sins man has, Hubris. We think that because we know how something worked that the why doesn’t matter and that we can control it. We can’t. Awesome stuff.
While not a great writer but a good one, Crichton was a genius at revealing our scientific foibles and the political hypocrisy that shielded ignorance. His mark on popular culture is indelible. I’ll reread “State of Fear,” and lament that we won’t be hearing again from this brilliant mind.
What a shame and how sad these idiots wouldn’t even acknowledge a great American’s passing. I will be very curious to see if ER does anything special during its final episode this year. Michael Crichton was scary smart and it is unfortunate he left the earth when he did, but the world is a better place because he was in it.
After his passing, the NY Times had 3 different articles critical of this author. Besides the obituary,there were 2 other pieces including one by a supposed expert on the sci-fi genre. All could be characterized as negative….Surprise, surprise…
Par for course. Remember the AP hatchet Obit on Tony Snow? It’s really a shame that even in death there is no respect from ideologues for those whose only crime is to think differently.
Crazy.
Charlie Rose was the only media guru who gave Crichton his due praise.
“Eaters of the Dead” simple socialogical explanations of the differences
between the Nordic and Arab worlds were classic.
Look at the Actors that were attracted to all his projects and works.
Crichton’s characters made their fame. R.I.P.
Michael Crichton: An Inconvenient Truthteller
Crichton also wrote on his own adaptations. He didn’t let his books get butchered as bad as some authors did. I respect that a lot.
I want to add my name to the millions of fans who will miss Mr. Crichton’s and the many who have already commented. I was both shocked and saddened by Mr. Crichton’s passing. As one who eagerly awaited his work, I had no idea that he was sick. I must agree with the sentiment in the article and the subsequent comments about his “estrangement” from those with whom he differed. I loved all of his works, but my favorite novel ever is “State of Fear”. His excellent work exposing the rottenness at the core of so much of the environmental movement converted me. The book had a profound impact on my view of what it means to care about the natural world in which we live. Due to the constant stream of “authorities” proclaiming the “science is settled”, I had no idea about the volume of dissenters or the validity of their work. Since I read the novel several years ago, I have done a considerable amount of subsequent research and I truly believe that history will recognize Mr. Crichton for the genius he is.
As someone who considers himself an environmentalist, I continue to get angry and frustrated by the alarmists who will go down in history as damaging our world on a scale that we can scarcely fathom. Besides eliminating all credibility for the many good causes that impact our environment (who does not want to have cleaner air, less pollution, more natural beauty or open space) by focusing on bogus scare tactics meant to control people, they have found a way to divert so much critical funds into meaningless holes that could have made so many lives better. Regardless of your views on “global warming” (or climate change as the revisionists are now calling it), I cannot believe how many people (especially the Hollywood elite) continue to express outrage by something that has no impact on the lives on real people, while real issues (AIDS, global hunger, poverty, etc.) could be solved with a fraction of the resources the charlatans who preach the religion of global warming divert to enrich themselves and control others. My only consolation is that history will judge and expose these thieves for what they are.
His books were a lot of fun if you turned your brain off. But his science was so laughably wrong to anyone who graduated from 7th grade.
After reading “State of Fear”, I would suggest following up with “A Case of Need” published originally under the pseudonym JEFFREY HUDSON, a murder/mystery set in Boston before abortion was legal. Crichton spanned the political spectrum, didn’t limit or label himself, lived a private life and couldn’t have cared less what people thought of him as long as they thought for themselves.
Christian Toto,
Did you contact any of the outlets mentioned in your article and ask them about Crichton and the lack of coverage? It would be curious to see what they mention the reason for not covering his death was.
I don’t care about Crichton’s politics, but his books were rubbish. Robin Cook/Jeffrey Archer/Danielle Steel-level crapola. You’d have to read Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye for worse dreck.
Jurassic Park was the first PG-13 movie my mom let me see in the theater. I was 10 years old (sorry for making some of you feel old
). All I remember was it was LOUD! I think it was the first film with a DTS track and I had to cover my ears half the time. I also remember the NBC making-of special hosted by James Earl Jones. I said, “See Mom, that’s how they do it! I won’t be scared!”
Congo is one of my guilty pleasures. I can’t explain it. It’s one of those “hey, look what’s on HBO at 2 in the morning!” movies. Gotta love Tim Curry and a scenery-chewing Joe Don Baker (and the Bruce Campbell cameo). I doubt Laura Linney talks about this movie during awards season (or ever).
And lest we forget one of Crichton’s closest collaborators: the late composer Jerry Goldsmith who scored Pursuit, Coma, Runaway, The Great Train Robbery, The 13th Warrior, and Congo.
it is a badge of courage to NOT be lumped in with all the losers that the “media” holds up to high esteem.
Yeah, it is tragic how little was said about his passing. His books were not the best in the world, but each and every one was fun, which I’ll take over immaculately crafted downers any day of the week.
Best comment I ever heard about the man was that Jules Verne was a sort of “19th century Crichton”.
I thought the obituary in the Washington Post was mean spirited at the time, I see there was more of the same from other media outlets. I stopped reading Time a long time ago.
When Michael Crichton died, I felt like I’d lost a good friend whom I never met. I feel the same about Dirty Harry’s Place.
The world is a darker place without Mr. Crichton.
Michael Crichton was a great writer (I recommend State of Fear to every lib I know), and a great man. I will really miss him. His works were all brilliant.
Speaking of King, there was a mention of Dean R. Koontz by Sim. Koontz is a former atheist liberal who is now at least a religious middle-of-the-roader, lives behind Andrew Breitbart’s sainted father-in-law, and was the primarry editor of Orson’s last book (BTW, when “Mail For Mikey”, the movie, comes out, I will be there).
Lots of people with talent out there to make non-lefty movies.
For all you Crighton fans, check out one of his first books, called Travels. That book HOOKED me! I found it in a used book store in Savannah and I’ve been a big fan ever since!
The reason Mr.Michael Crichton has been dissed by the elite media, and by elite I don’t mean elite in intellegence, is that Pres. Bush was caught in a photo leaving the Pres. Helo with “The State of Fear” in his hands.
You do the math, hate anyone the Bush supports.
If you like Chrichton at all, you have to read his autobiography, Travels. It is a mind blowing and bending book that will expand your mind. It’s my favorite book of his and taught me to question everything and make up your own mind.
Guys:
I was hanging out at another website about Dinosaurs(hey I LOVE the dang things) and because Crichton had written Jurassic Park, his passing WAS talked about on said site; more than a few of the posters(PROFESSIONAL Men of science all!) question whether Crichton had a ‘brain tumor’ which would have ‘explained’ his taking an ‘anti-science position’ like being a ‘global warming denier’;
It really doesn’t matter what the MSM thinks or reports. We who love Mike’s work, from Andromeda Strain to Prey, will remember him and his great body of work. If small minds choose not to, that’s their problem, not ours.
Point is, Crichton will endure, which is perhaps more than you can say for many of the newspapers which chose not to honor his memory for the most petty political reasons.
A true icon… Considering the way Hollywood likes to butcher his works, I bet they’re going to make State of Fear about a group of enviornmentalists out to stop an Evil Corporation who are trying to convince the world that Climate Change won’t kill us all.
But his prose and command of English were without equal in our modern times. He knew how to work every level and angle.
It’s much better to be known by who your enemies are than by those who claim to be your friends.
That the shallow leftists -(who inhabit the fantasy lands of Hollywood and academia where reality is whatever the consensus in the cocoon needs it to be) – rejected a man of substance like Michael Crichton, is a great compliment to him. He knew who they are and what they stand for and they can’t deal with anyone knowing that.
“I have been asked to talk about what I consider the most important challenge facing mankind, and I have a fundamental answer. The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance. ..” ~ Michael Crichton
To read more, click link and scroll down to “Environmentalism as Religion” Remarks to the Commonwealth Club by Michael Crichton, San Francisco, September 15, 2003 http://www.michaelcrichton.net/speeches/index.html
RIP Mr. Crichton. Your worthwhile contribution to this world will stand you in good stead for all eternity.
Crichton wrote an article or was interviewed a few years back recounting his epiphany from Hollywood liberal towards a more centrist or right-of-center political outlook.
He said it happened when he and his daughter were held at gunpoint by burglars. It occurred to him then that the world does, in fact, have plenty of evil people in it and they must be controlled. At that point, with his daughter in mortal danger, he decided that liberalism’s kid gloves approach to such people was disastrous.
He further alienated Hollywood’s liberal set when he published “A State of Fear,” not one of his best novels but chock full of actual climate change research. (The appendix alone is worth the price of the book.)
The Hollywood superstar character he portrayed in the novel was shallow, narcissistic, uneducated, and held opinions based primarily on what he either had just heard from someone else or based on the latest talking points fed to him by some environmental NGO. In short, the character was like about 80% of Hollywood’s current leading men who stupidly lend their celebrity credibility (is that an oxymoron?) to murderers like Castro and Chavez and to causes that seem warm and fuzzy without examining them beyond their names.
He offended so many people in Hollywood and in the MSM (another theme in the book) that had he not already had such a successful career, he would have been relegated to the margins immediately.
Crichton had two Harvard degrees – Anthropology and medicine. That alone made him a real anomaly in Hollywood where it seems to me that most actors and actresses who think they actually have something profound to say in support of ultra-liberal causes are the kinds of pretty boys and girls I knew in high school who were popular just because they were pretty. Come SAT time, most of them learned they were going to have to learn a trade or trade on their looks.
He stuck a knife into too many exposed nerves and those who wanted to diss him knew they didn’t stand a chance in a face to face debate with the man. He would have made apparent their shallowness and ignorance.
One of the few ways they could retaliate was only after he could no longer respond.
Just one more reason I’ve come to loathe ultra-liberal Hollywood.
Keep up the good work, Big Hollywood. You are now one of my permanent bookmarks for daily reading.
RIP Michael Crichton. You are sorely missed.
It’s really very transparent, and far too simple an answer; he was miles smarter than any number of them and they couldn’t admit it. He was a true intellectual visionary, and sorely missed.
sadly ingored,
this past month I watched Andromeda Strain, again, love it holds up very well and shames the new TV movie which was poorly done in every way
then watched Disclosure, great fun, hear the book is even better
and listened to the audiobook of state of fear ( recommend it to any believer, they will change their mind)
what is amazing is his prescience, the technology in Andromeda that has come to pass is so cool but even better is that Al Gore is now on the climate CRISIS bandwagon just like in state of fear, in fact exactly like, and the explanation about going from global warming to climate change to climate crisis, is exactly what happened, Al Gore is in crichtons script ( except for precipitated the climate disasters…. I hope).
love to site, thanks Christian , love in dennis Miller too)
OMG i luvvvvv those picccsss
Oh with a doubt, the media is playing 'oh, yeah? Take that!" to Crichton's memory and contribution. Without a doubt, they are punishing him and his memory for the blasphemy of questioning the validity of Global Warming (in uppercase, always). How dare he? What makes that writer (with considerable scientific background) an authority on science? How dare he?
Well, he dared. And look what it got him: a quiet, say rather, ignored departure from the farce known as 21st Century America. Well, maybe that's for the best.
Because in ten years from now, or fifty, or a hundred, folks will still be reading his books, watching his movies, and enjoying his television stories. He will continue to inspire others to become doctors and scientists and writers, even.
I don't think anyone will be reading old issues of Parade or Time or Newsweek and be inspired to be any part of that Lost World, do you?
Oh with a doubt, the media is playing 'Oh, yeah? Take that!" to Crichton's memory and contribution. Without a doubt, they are punishing him and his memory for the blasphemy of questioning the validity of Global Warming (in uppercase, always). How dare he? What makes that writer (with considerable scientific background) an authority on science? How dare he?
Well, he dared. And look what it got him: a quiet, say rather, ignored departure from the farce known as 21st Century America. Well, maybe that's for the best.
Because in ten years from now, or fifty, or a hundred, folks will still be reading his books, watching his movies, and enjoying his television stories. He will continue to inspire others to become doctors and scientists and writers, even.
I don't think anyone will be reading old issues of Parade or Time or Newsweek and be inspired to be any part of that Lost World, do you?
It has been my experience that scientists can be some of the most subjective, opinionated and petty people I have come in contact with. It's a myth that they are objective. A complete myth. The New Scientist did a study and found that scientists can be the least scientific of the professional fields, when the issue is connected to their strongly held beliefs or theories. If facts don't support their 'strongly held beliefs' (sounds like religion, doesn't it?) they question the facts with a ferocity that is manic and fully emotional bordering on obsession. If the facts do support their strongly held beliefs, they embrace them without even a cursory examination, gleefully adding them to their list of sources.
No, the world of science, the professional world of science that is, is as corrupt and tainted as the field of journalism, only more hidden from view.
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