Retraction Request: Roger Ebert
by Retracto, the Correction AlpacaRoger Ebert has been on our radar since we noticed his twitter tirades against Sarah Palin and “teabaggers” last week. We have identified yet another tweet we would like him to retract:
We have established that we differ on the last sentence, but his claim he did not know that “teabaggers” is a pornographic term until the MSM (mainstream media) told him is provably false. We know it’s false because in 1998, Prof. Ebert reviewed a film containing this scene (NSFW):
The above clip is from the John Waters’ film “Pecker” starring Edward Furlong. Not only did Ebert review the film, but he acknowledged the ”tea-bagging” scene in his review.
His sister Tina (Martha Plimpton) is the emcee in a male go-go bar, issuing dire warnings against such misbehavior as “tea-bagging.”
So he was aware of the term at some point, but is it fair to say this tweet is a lie? Perhaps we should give Ebert the benefit of the doubt and assume he had simply forgotten this scene and his own review. But what about all those other “teabagging” references that may have occurred in any of the countless films he has scrutinized with his professional eye over his decades-long career? Take for example, this scene (even more NSFW) from a 2008 movie Ebert also reviewed called “Step Brothers“:
Given Ebert’s professional body of work, it is clear he was aware of exactly what the term “teabaggers” means and has been aware long before the Obama-era “teabaggers” ever held their first rally. We kindly ask Prof. Ebert to post a retraction to his statement.
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313 Comments
Mr. Ebert, stop digging!
Ebert is destroying his legacy…
In return for one that no one cares about; i.e. preaching to an ever shrinking choir of inner city letfies. What was onec a darn good film critic- he was never leftist in his film views until recently- is now a bitter, hateful old man with serious health issues and a short lease on life.
He feels a resurgence by feeding the desires of a small clique of citified losers who feel life owes them everything. He is trying to be 'cool' and 'hip' with his Tweets, one of the 30-somethings who feel disenfranchised by those who actually work for a living.
Jealous of Richard Roeper, maybe.
Either way, on subjects like this he is best ignored…
didn't Captain America just go after Palin and the Tea Party?…
When you do not believe in a Higher Authority, and politics becomes your religion- liberal left secular politics, to be sure- then everyjting becomes a vehicle to advance your agenda; to inflict your nitwittery on those who DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT.
They'll say it anyway. Can't help themselves- it's who they are…
I agree he is destroying his legacy, but he's been doing that with his reviews for the last 10 years or so, beginning with 3 1/2 stars for The Phantom Menace.
Like the story of the scorpion and the frog. "It's in my nature. You knew that."
spot on…
At least we know they can't be reasoned with. It does help avoid meaningless negotiations.
Like with Iran or the NK's.
Add the hard core secular left to the list of intransigents…
Yet another famous libtard who can't keep his mouth shut and so ends up, "hung by the tongue."
It's sad when somebody spends a lifetime building up public goodwill and then squanders it in their dotage.
ho!
So, he's an idiot AND a liar.
I always liked his reviews and I watched At the Movies, but he has gone off the deep end.
Great find!
Who's he kidding, Ebert knows about teabagging from personal experience, of that I am convinced.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
roger is the best example of the radical liberal elitist
non-rreligious hate everything that is
faker-
because his wife is a miniroty (albeit rich and successful)
they got cut in on a casino or two
designed for "ppor minorities
they got a golden share
Roper is almost as bad with ghis faux masculinity and liberla ditribes
glad he was dumped from at the movies
hey roger at least you habe thr ights to 2 thumbs up
This is really pathetic. Stalking a film critics twitter looking for phony outrage. Just rename the blog. BigOutrage.com. I thought the left was whiny but you guys take the cake.
this is pathetic. ya bunch of losers. phony outrage served here all day.
Next thing we'll hear from Mister Ebert is that he's an inside-the-closet teabagger himself.
I always liked Bruce Springsteen's music, but I'm pretty sure that him and Ebert have always been off the deep end, it just ends up in the public at some point or another.
I think Roger Ebert deserves our pity and support. Anyone who can subject themselves to thousands of utterly meaningless, awful movies over the course of decades should be under a more regular psychological evaluation schedule.
The fact that we, the Puffington Host, or normal-minded Americans should even begin to care what Ebert thinks is baffling to me. Clearly, the man has been scarred for life due to all of the "hits" his mind has taken over the years. An individual can only take so much abuse. I wouldn't listen to a punch-drunk Muhammad Ali on matters of governmental policy, why should we care what a punch-drunk Ebert thinks?
We owe him a debt of gratitude for watching movies like Pecker so we don't have to. Give the man some rest and leave him to drool in the corner of his funny farm.
what IS pathetic is your 'stage name' and the supposed self righteous indignation you spew.
If you meant to offend, you did. No phonies here-
except YOU.
This is a great point, and one that's becoming more obvious every day. TEA Party protests are nearly always infused with good natured folks, while liberal protests are violent and shrill. Most conservatives I know are ticked off at the government and especially the politicians but happy with life in general, whereas libs want more and more hands to them but get worse and worse mannered about it. Heck most conservatives are even willing to take our share of the blame for being complacent and letting the inmates take over the asylum, while it seems almost oxymononic to hear a progressive apologize, even when they're caught utterly red-handed (Climategate anyone)?
Despite the horrible state of the union, darned if most conservative folks I know aren't happy campers. And you know what? As conservative values re-emerge throughout the country, I suspect we'll see better books and TV and movies just as a natural consequence of getting the nabobs of negativity out of the way.
It's interesting how those on the left are obsessed with homosexual behavior. I suppose it's a byproduct of their mental illness.
Who cares. How Petty.
What has the tea party ever done to Ebert to provoke such a bitter string of tweets? It makes no sense.
I vote for Ebert getting slightly "elderly" in the mental facilities category–if you know what I mean. I guess that puts me in the pity camp.
What we need? That's right…
Robot Roger Ebert and Red Eye Robot Theatre. Guest starring Robot Ken Jennings!
I think what he meant was that he wasn't aware that the term had a negative connotation. Seemed liked a good way for him to make friends.
What has the tea party ever done to Ebert to provoke such a bitter string of tweets? It makes no sense.
Look at it through the prism of mental illness and it all makes sense.
How ironic is it that the left will do most anything to promote and sanctify the gay lifestyle then turn around and use the term "tea bagger" as an insult.
BJT:
So stupid it had to post twice,
Well, I suppose Ebert could get out of admitting he knew what the term was by simply saying that he's been having his Sun-Times movie reviews ghostwritten for over a decade, and has been fooling the public about that since around the time Siskel died. But I really don't think that's going to help Roger's cause, either.
ebert is overrated.
As I said in another thread, I think Roger is on the fast track to a breakdown. I expect him to soon withdraw from public view due to *health* reasons.
I've been a long time fan of Ebert- going back thirty years. I believe he is an excellent journalist- one of the finest ever.
That said- his over the top hatred of the right is a very sad way to end an otherwise outstanding career. He's hit a real low point here.
Sorry, folks, but this does not hurt Roger Ebert's career. Roger Ebert says the things he says so that people in Hollywood will like him. And the sad fact is, the more people like us whine about an Ebert, the more "brave" he is considered in Hollywood.
I suspect that he also has a girlfriend to impress.
BJT:
So stupid it had to respond.
Yeah I have seen that. And I think it deserves a Pulitzer. It's a lot more clear headed than anything Ebert has written in a long time.
I wouldn't say petty so much as…hilarious. Isn't life just great sometimes?
And, 'to spend more time with his family'.
I don't see the point in asking for a retraction. I prefer it when the left wingers let everyone know exactly who they are. I'd actually have more respect for Ebert if he sticks to his guns rather than give some insincere excuse or apology.
I love when you bust these guys : )
More likely a boyfriend.
What happened is the propaganda got so heavy it became impossible to ignore. The more we recognized the propaganda and howled about it, the heavier the Eberts and company ladled it on. Now it's reached the point of ridiculosity. Most of us are no longer irked with them, we see them as pathetic and silly.
Yes, Ebert's tweet was indeed petty.
He's been married for over a decade. Nice try.
Waaah! Teabaggers is pornographic. Sarah is a victim! lol!
I guess it bears repeating that the Soviet Union often branded enemies of the state to be suffering from mental illness. I guess the irony of statements like yours is lost on you.
I suspect there's also a degree of desperation in the Lefties who've been propagandizing us for years now that we've caught on and stopped paying them to insult us. Ebert's reviews used to carry weight; people went to films based on what he said. He had power of a kind. Now that we know who and what he is, just another shill for the Democrats, he no longer can "make or break" a movie with his review. Loss of power. Who to blame? Most of us here at BH are out in the ether — we don't have a name — so he's settled on the Tea Partiers and Sarah Palin to vent his bitterness. He's a sad, pathetic old man who doesn't know when to get off the stage. The only reviews I pay attention to are here at Big Hollywood, specifically those by Nolte.
Roger Ebert has gone the way of Danny Glover, Sean Penn, Janine Garofolo, Harry Belafonte, Matt Damon, Tim Robbins and so many other high-profile, wealthy entertainers who WOULD be tea-bagging this President and then some if they didn't have their feet in their mouths all the d*mn time!
I have lost all respect for these leftist Hollywood loons.
Go try and get rich and be anti-government in an actual Communist country and count the mere minutes before you disappear from the face of the Earth…
That's what I'm thinking. Once someone goes through a very difficult operation certain aspects of "rational" thought become cloudy. I have seen this first hand and it's sad.
was that ebert sitting at the bar? it looked like him.
Ebert has always inflated left-leaning movies. I figured that out 20 years ago – any leftist message, however veiled, and he'll give it a thumbs up so you'll go see it and leave a Marxist.
Everytime this cockroach lets out with another "teabagger" comment, or any of the other left-leaning media types, espeially those on Huffington Post, I will just close my eyes and repeat to myself-"it comes from the mind and mouth of a douchebagger". I believe that being a "douchebagger" is far worse.
I stopped taking Ebert seriously when he slammed Fight Club; as for his Frank Rich-like foray into politics — ugh.
Somebody as ugly as him needs to keep his fat mouth shut….
You people are adorable! Really, how in the world are people suppose to take you seriously?
Only a democrat would give credence to the MSM–such independent thinkers these liberals, ay?
Way to go, Rog. I'll bet you haven't received this much attention in a long time, huh?
Why are we still talking about this clown?
This is an idiot who doesn't know where he is. He is obviously senile. He better pray that D'bama healthcare doesn't kick in, or he would be the one for the purple pill that D'bama mentioned.
This is what happens when a man wastes his entire life watching and bathing in the garbage from the sewers of hellywood. We are what we eat, and eating includes visually.
It's too late or I would recommend the Ebert get a life, but his is all used up and the Ba'al-outs for clunkers has expired.
The movie "Catch and Release" from 2006 includes several scenes with the character "Sam" (played by Kevin Smith) wearing an athletic-style jacket with "Tea Baggers" lettered on the back. I wonder if Roger Ebert reviewed this movie.
Yeeeeeeeah…..interesting choice of words there. "Hung by the tongue". You do realize that Mr. Ebert hasn't been able to physically speak for several years don't you?
Ho Ho Ho.
Of course, if you actually knew anything about Mr. Ebert above and beyond what Andrew Breitbart tells you, you'd realize that because of his cancer, Mr. Ebert hasn't been able to speak, eat, or drink for several years. If you checked his website, you'd see any numbers of musings he's penned about his circumstances.
Just remember that if you ever find yourself in a similar circumstance that people would be kinder to YOU than you're being to Mr. Ebert.
Oh, I'm sorry, does the First Amendment only apply to conservatives or the physically attractive? He has inalienable rights to say whatever the hell he wants. He also has the right to disagree with you (and vice versa)
What has the Tea Party done that insulates them from any form of criticism?
It never ceases to amaze me how some on this site manage to combine an unearned sense of superiority with a ceaseless persecution complex.
If you don't like what he said, it's your right. But it is also his right to speak his mind as well. The First Amendment applies to everyone after all.
Oh, you mean like his cancer that robbed him of the ability to speak, eat, or drink?
I guess it's been so long since the Dixie Chicks, that you clowns are just itching to find someone to make an example out of for daring to criticize a conservative.
What exactly does a hollyweirdo being married have to do with having either a girlfriend or boyfriend to impress?
So you are saying that he should get a free pass on being an obnoxious moron?
Nice work, Retracto!
Of course he was being disingenuous when he pretended not to know what "teabagging" meant. Or did he expect us to believe he was raised in a convent?
Yet another of my idols has fallen. Growing up in Chicago, I loved Ebert, even took his "film class," hanging on his every word as if it were gospel truth. What a fool I was.
Conservative anthem: Won't get fooled again!
I think he has never recovered from when the movie Godzilla made fun of him and made him the incompetent mayor of New York City. That was probably what pushed him over the edge…that and the Nutter Butters.
People who make their careers out of critiquing art – and I use the word "art" lightly since we are talking about movies – more likely than not have never contributed anything to the art form they judge so smugly.
And history usually proves them wrong time after time. Look at the history of jazz as an example. In every era, the jazz "critics" got it wrong on a monumental scale.
So I say let Mr. Ebert say whatever he says. No one will remember him anyway.
I guess he's just another Lipton Liberal.
I agree. He has lost his legacy and I am very sorry to read of him acting this way. I followed him, Siskel, and Roper for a lot of years, watching At The Movies on PBS every Saturday. It was fun. It is not fun anymore. You know, come to think of it, a lot of media that used to be fun to me, I cannot stand to watch anymore because proglibs such as this have become so agenda heavy, and vehement to anyone who does not agree with them, it is no longer fun. Movies are no longer fun. Most TV is no longer fun. Comic books are no longer fun. I have been accused of being a spoil sport by proglibs on these blogs because I disagree with their agenda, but I have to say, it is not me who took the fun away. Just look in a mirror Roger and everybody else. I miss the fun, and I know we are beyond that point and it is not going to come back. So I let go of it.
Why pay to read a trashy movie review from delusional Ebert?
It is impossible to be concerned about anything Egbert says because he is completely irrelevant. Neither his opinion, nor the cinematic tripe that he's made a carreer blabbering about, have any socially redeeming value.
Usher, have you seen the video review of Phantom Menace? Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI
but then how do we explain Jimmy Carter?
It might not hurt his "career" but it does hurt his legacy with many of his former fans.
I'm hoping someone with half a brain around him will cut off or at least closely monitor his computer/blackberry access.
There IS a difference between an attack and criticism–at least out here in the rational world.
He's right about the 'baggers owning the term now, at least. Are we pretending that they didn't adopt it themselves, before its meaning was pointed out to them, or are we revising history *that* quickly these days?
I keep forgetting this fat *&^@ is still alive. Way to stay relevant Ebert!
Nolte finally ran out of Avatar sucks pieces?
Apparently you did enough to post.
No.
I mean Roger Ebert appears to be working himself up in a hate-filled frenzy, and will soon USE his cancer and other health issues as an excuse to withdraw from public as he will be unable to function mentally.
Further, if you were reading and not simply reacting, you would see that Mr. Ebert is not being made an example of for "criticizing a conservative." He is being chastised for knowingly and willfully using a pornographic term to degrade a group of people for daring to criticize positions HE holds dear.
does the First Amendment only apply to conservatives
Yep, new rule. Think of it as an executive order, if that helps you cope.
Well I'm proud to be a teabagger's daughter.
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?ci...
For all the praise the man has lavished on movies filled with leftist messages and soft-core porn, he certainly hasn't been lavish with his financial support for the usual suspects.
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?ci...
For all the praise the man has lavished on movies filled with leftist messages and soft-core porn, he certainly hasn't been lavish with his financial support for the usual suspects.
I would just ignore Silent Eb, if I were you. Let him Tweet, Toot and Teabag all he wants. He's playing you for hits to his dying movie review site.
Eb will not change. There's no point in trying to make him. He's too heavily invested in trying to impress Hollyweird and all the boys there.
Of course, they couldn't care less what a jowly middle-aged midwesterner thinks. That's the real joke on Jowly Eb.
score!
Nice zinger, Big Hollywood! What say you now, Mr. Ebert? Hmmmmm???
[...] Retracto the Correction Alpaca over at BigHollywood.com has caught the porcine reviewer in a lie. Retracto links to a review In a review of John Waters’ “Pecker,” Ebert wrote in [...]
Well he can't talk due to cancer so I guess you got your wish! What a classy bunch you are!
I'm sure Rog knows more about tea bagging then he's letting on.
The 'Baggers' don't own it … the anti-tea partiers own that phrase.
"I keep forgetting this fat *&^@ is still alive" & "Someone as ugly as him should keep his fat mouth shut."
It appears that he is barely alive, and that he is keenly aware of his "ugly" disfigured appearance. Excellent profile of Ebert and his travails in this month's Esquire at:
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/roger-ebert-031...
It doesn't matter to the ghouls at this site. The funny thing is that if they actually read the article, they won't change their bile towards Mr. Ebert a whit. Yet, they probably consider themselves to be "good Christians".
This is sad. It's a silly tirade upon a tweet in which he said he was reminded of a term – REMINDED, of a term – and the author played two clips from some completely silly movies, and perhaps forgettable in the scheme of ten years and, oh, maybe CANCER and LOSING THE ABILITY TO EAT AND SPEAK. Wow. If this is what people are concerning themselves with then success for their "opponents" is not far away. Seriously. Find something of worth to fight your fellow humans.
In fairness, he does say he was "reminded" that the term was pornographic, not that he never knew it was. That said, I still don't buy his explanation.
Wow, seriously? I'm pretty certain he was purposefully feigning ignorance for the sake of a joke.
That you would waste so much of your time over a tweet is just unbelievable. You've now entered the realm of self-parody.
You found "over the top hatred" in that tweet? You and I have very different ideas of what hate is.
Goooooooo Retracto!!
You people are damaged. For real.
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