Just Act: Response to Will Ferrell

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Tags: Barack Obama, celebrity, health care, healthcare, jon david
Posted Oct 5th 2009 at 9:47 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 24077811 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jdavid/2009/10/05/just-act-the-gravity-of-health-care/Just+Act%3A+Response+to+Will+Ferrell2009-10-05+16%3A47%3A44Jon+David

Hollywood and Health Care: Because They Know Better

To quote my good friend Tom: Thank God I have Hollywood to tell me how to think.

As many of you probably already know, Will “Elf” Ferrell is leading Hollywood’s latest band of Obama’s Merry Men, in a joint effort with MoveOn.org, in a satirical bid to tell you and me how grateful we should be for ObamaCare and how we should despise those dastardly insurance company executives who make millions of dollars by exploiting us.

My friend Kitty’s thoughts on the video: “I’m sure O’s supporters will think it’s hilariously creative, but I honestly thought these people could do better. There’s nothing subtle about the video, and satire needs subtlety. All politics aside, I was disappointed.”

The creative juices of Hollywood keep on flowing, folks!

I suppose since Obama has Hollywood’s back – he’s continuing to cheapen the office of the President by shilling for George Lopez’s new show on TBS – it’s their turn to “give back.” And since it’s been eight long years since they’ve been proud to be Americans, it’s not surprising that all of that choked back patriotism is coming out in a rush. (more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, celebrity, health care, hollywood, Obama
Posted Sep 26th 2009 at 6:47 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 233626139 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/09/26/hollywood-and-health-care-because-they-know-better/Hollywood+and+Health+Care%3A+Because+They+Know+Better2009-09-26+13%3A47%3A42Pam+Meister

Celebrity Inferiority: Genetics or Environment?

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Tags: Britney, celebrity, clooney, genetics, racism
Posted Sep 25th 2009 at 1:03 pm in Celebrity News, Video | 23583873 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aklavan/2009/09/25/celebrity-inferiority-genetics-or-environment/Celebrity+Inferiority%3A+Genetics+or+Environment%3F+2009-09-25+20%3A03%3A48Andrew+Klavan

The Shattered Glass of Celebrity

The Hollywood star system: Rest in Peace.

Nowadays, when I trawl through Blockbuster aisles, I find films with major stars that never saw the dark light of a theater. I’ve never even heard of some films. And I wonder about the parallel between society and film. History may be defined as the intersection of amazing events with amazing people. Will Mallory make the climb up the cliffs of Navarone? People created history by their choices, hesitations, fears, desires, whimsy, obsessions and visions.  Will the Colonel give in to Saito’s brutality? Great films, anchored by magnetic personalities, cast wide nets across our consciousness. Will Lawrence survive the Devil’s Anvil?

“Epic,”film producer Frank McCarthy (”Patton”) once told me, “is defined as a man who changes himself, his community and his world.”  In short, all the great character arcs in a movie script have driven the creation of events and epics which, in turn, are pushpins in World History. A noted script consultant, Chris Vogler,  distilled and explained the work of Joseph Campbell, an expert on tribal storytelling and myth. Vogler explains the hero’s journey through the Ordinary World, the Call to Adventure, the Refusal of the Call, Mentor, Threshold, Tests by Allies and Enemies, Approach, Ordeal, Reward and The Road Back. (more…)

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Tags: "JCVD", blockbuster, blogs, Blue Ray, celebrity
Posted Aug 24th 2009 at 5:03 am in Art, Celebrity News, Film | 19372641 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mmandaville/2009/08/24/the-shattered-glass-of-celebrity/The+Shattered+Glass+of+Celebrity2009-08-24+12%3A03%3A54Michael+Mandaville

Another Reason to Like Chris Isaak

Red-blooded males aren’t supposed to stock their CD shelves – or iPod Shuffles – with songs by handsome crooner Chris Isaak. But I’ve got plenty of Isaak’s music spread throughout my eclectic collection – being a fan of both Dwight Yoakam and the Monkees qualifies the “eclectic” label.

It isn’t just Isaak’s retro music, a heady crush of rockabilly and no-nonsense pop that endears him to me. It’s his attitude. He’s hopelessly self deprecating, a singer with talented pipes and a movie marquee mug who never gets lost in his own hype.

He’s also smart enough to know his limitations. Just listen to him dodge a baited question from a Washington Post interviewer over the weekend. (more…)

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Tags: California, celebrity, chris isaak, Politics, Washington Post
Posted Jul 30th 2009 at 8:58 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 19225888 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2009/07/30/one-more-reason-to-like-chris-isaak/Another+Reason+to+Like+Chris+Isaak2009-07-30+15%3A58%3A09Christian+Toto

Do The Warhol— Part 2: The Cult(ure) of Personality

“In fifteen minutes, everyone will be famous.” —Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol also spoke that jewel of wisdom, presumably demonstrating a sense of humor in referring to his most famous quote.  Or was it, perhaps, prescient, albeit unintended foreknowledge?  Pity he’s not around to toy with Twitter.

Bridge as visual metaphor, Media as bridge, Pittsburgh.

Looking back at Part 1, we considered a couple of insights into Andy’s Pop Life with the aim of solving some problems surrounding Mr. Breitbart’s incisive assertion that conservatives must come to terms with popular culture, and more, use it to advantage, or fail catastrophically in countering the negative effects of said culture and restoring public confidence in fundamental ideals.  Narcissism, amorality, and an attitude of entitlement, as examples, speak poorly to the future of democracy, while the virtues of valuing others, the practice of ethical discernment and choice, and the elevating ideas of individual liberty and self-reliance are greatly to be desired in the body politic, and traditionally set America apart from typical “statist” governments around the world.  Evidence abounds of the former set of attitudes in common currency as reflected in pop culture; the latter set, highly prized by conservatives, goes sorely wanting for attention in movies, TV, music, etc. (more…)

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Tags: "The Good", American Exceptionalism, Blair Witch, celebrity, Culture
Posted Jul 24th 2009 at 6:56 am in Art, Classic Hollywood, Politics | 18009821 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sgraves/2009/07/24/do-the-warhol%e2%80%94-part-2-the-culture-of-personality/Do+The+Warhol%E2%80%94+Part+2%3A+The+Cult%28ure%29+of+Personality2009-07-24+13%3A56%3A06Scott+Graves

Michael Vick and PETA – a ‘Hollywood’ Marketers Dream?

Now infamous NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s prison term is over. He’s now a free man. Vick, of course, was involved in the cruel act of dog fighting, but most stories I’ve seen this week mostly revolve around his chances of making a football comeback (perhaps this is due to the amount of sports radio I listen to?).

Having played football myself, I can tell you Vick is incredibly talented. As a person of compassion, I can tell you he is still in need of continued rehabilitation – which makes for much speculation about which team(s) would be interested in having him in the huddle.

One “team” who seemed interested in having him in the huddle was PETA, a group so aggressive in their marketing methods that they put both Madison Avenue – and Hollywood – to shame.

As you may recall, they apparently proposed a bizarre idea a while back — Vick would appear in public service ads for the group. The ads would ostensibly serve to discourage the cruel practice of dog fighting, but they would also have been a major marketing coup for PETA, helping raise their profile — and, no doubt, lead to more members and national attention (and donations). (more…)

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Tags: celebrity, hollywood, Michael Vick, PETA
Posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 2:35 pm in Celebrity News, Featured Story, Politics | 19040250 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kblackwell/2009/07/23/michael-vick-and-peta-%e2%80%93-a-%e2%80%98hollywood%e2%80%99-marketers-dream/Michael+Vick+and+PETA+%E2%80%93+a+%E2%80%98Hollywood%E2%80%99+Marketers+Dream%3F2009-07-23+21%3A35%3A35Ken+Blackwell

Review: ‘Bruno’

One of the great Hollywood con jobs of the last five years was in convincing a mostly indifferent American public that a film with fewer domestic ticket sales than “Click,” “Mission Impossible III,” “Over the Hedge” and “Superman Returns” was some sort of cultural phenomenon. Wildly profitable? Sure. But any reasonable analysis of a modest $127 million haul shouldn’t be described as anything nearing a “phenomenon.” Luckily for “Borat” (2006) the right people were on board to hype up this nonsense-machine.

The “right people,” naturally, are mostly coastal elites who loved watching the everyday folks they so loathe cynically set up and manipulated to a point where they could be edited into unappealing, buffoonish caricatures, which isn’t to say a few weren’t truly unappealing and buffoonish, or that when it wasn’t gross-out disgusting the adventures of Sacha Baron Cohen’s clueless foreigner didn’t serve up a few honestly-earned laughs. But just the thought of joining up with the superior, self-satisfied smugs imperiously chuckling from Hollywood Hills and Manhattan skyscrapers as their personal jester demeaned we peasants cast a mean-spirit over everything.   (more…)

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Tags: Borat, Bruno, celebrity, Gay, Sacha Baron Cohen
Posted Jul 8th 2009 at 6:04 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 179590139 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/08/review-bruno/Review%3A+%27Bruno%272009-07-09+01%3A04%3A17John+Nolte

Susan Boyle: Celebrity, Reality and Therapy (UPDATED)

You probably know who Susan Boyle is by now.  She’s the 48-year-old frumpy, triple-chinned, thick eye-browed, unsophisticated singer from the show “Britain’s Got Talent” who recently became an overnight sensation.  During her audition, all three judges laughed at her when she expressed her desire to become another Elaine Paige (Britain’s First Lady of musical theater known for her roles in  Evita, Hair and Cats).  Based on their assumption that an ugly old fat women can’t sing, once Boyle opened her mouth and began to vocalize “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables”, the judges’ jaws dropped, the audience gave her a standing ovation, and the world went into shock (author and some readers excepted).  

Sure, she has a good voice….an excellent voice.  But you’ve heard great voices before, right?  Boyle’s voice was not out of the ordinary spectrum of good talent.  The real reason for her sudden rise to fame was the stark contrast between the low expectations placed on her due to her appearance, and the fact that her voice was dissonant with those preconceived notions.  (more…)

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Tags: American Idol, breakdown, Britians Got Talent, broadcast, broadcast regulation
Posted Jun 16th 2009 at 5:03 am in Celebrity News, Featured Story | 1616342 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dweiss/2009/06/16/susan-boyles-therapy/Susan+Boyle%3A+Celebrity%2C+Reality+and+Therapy+%28UPDATED%292009-06-16+12%3A03%3A21Deborah+Weiss

What Would the Media Say if Obama’s Frequent Hollywood Guests Were Oil Execs?

Barack Obama’s White House is beginning to look a lot like a Joan Rivers special.  Celebrity after celebrity is showing up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., demonstrating, as Obama has told us time and time again, that the President is indeed outside the bubble, interested in the common man, and a representative of the little guy. 

Or not. 

Last Monday, according to Politico.com, Tiger Woods sat down with Obama.  Tuesday, Toby Keith stopped in.  Wednesday, Usher chatted with White House staff about malaria.  Friday, Forest Whittaker showed up.  And that’s leaving out Brad Pitt’s recent visit to Capitol Hill and George Clooney’s briefing on Sudan.  (more…)

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Tags: celebrity, clooney, Darrell West, hollywood, Obama
Posted Apr 28th 2009 at 8:17 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 1184225 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bshapiro/2009/04/28/what-would-the-media-say-if-obamas-frequent-hollywood-guests-were-oil-execs/What+Would+the+Media+Say+if+Obama%27s+Frequent+Hollywood+Guests+Were+Oil+Execs%3F2009-04-28+15%3A17%3A25Ben+Shapiro

R.I.P. Perez Hilton! (Featuring Perez Hilton)

Oh Perez Hiton… What will you do next? If my recent column took aim at “Perez Hilton the PR stunt,” this video addresses “Perez Hilton the man.”  In a nutshell; Perez Hilton is the epitome of everything that is wrong with America today.  You may think that this is a little harsh… But I think it’s about time for Perez to “die by the sword.”

Note: No “method acting” was used in the making of this video… Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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Tags: celebrity, hollywood, Miss California, Perez Hilton, Perez Hilton impersonation
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 4:37 pm in Political Humor, Video | 1144502 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/04/23/rip-perez-hilton-featuring-hilton-himself/R.I.P.+Perez+Hilton%21+%28Featuring+Perez+Hilton%292009-04-23+23%3A37%3A06Steven+Crowder

The Indie Documentary: ‘Christmas In Darfur’

Several years ago, a ragtag group of internetizens decided to go to Darfur, then the subject of a good deal of hand-wringing and tutting by Concerned Important People – including, of course, a number of Hollywood celebrities of one or another of the alphabetical lists — to see what conditions were like in that genocide ground.  Their idea was that they would create a documentary – though none of them had any experience doing so – and so they scraped together whatever money they could by emptying bank accounts and begging from friends, family, and online for equipment and travelling money. Then, after convincing their wives they were going to attend a web technology conference in Vegas, they went first to Addis Ababa, then Chad.  There they visited refugee camps full of exotic people of color, and eventually met up with rebel fighters.  After a long struggle, and many, many apologies, they’ve managed to bring their documentary to the public.

It’s called Christmas in Darfur, though it could be called Lip Service.  And because that’s so, I thought it would be a perfect fit for Big Hollywood.  The introductory segment features some of the heroic exploits of actors and musicians in order to throw into relief the puny efforts of determined regular people to try to make a difference.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll come forcibly to the conclusion that only celebrities and high-profile policy wonks and UN diplomats are capable of focusing the world’s attention on such a problem in a way that will make any difference at all. (more…)

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Tags: celebrity, Christmas in Darfur, Darfur, documentary, genocide
Posted Feb 9th 2009 at 6:45 am in Media Criticism, Politics, Video | 4260227 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dcollins/2009/02/09/dan-collins-piece-christmas-in-darfur/The+Indie+Documentary%3A+%27Christmas+In+Darfur%272009-02-09+14%3A45%3A08Dan+Collins

The Artist and the Entertainer: Or How Narcissism Has Taken Over the Entertainment Industry

Several years ago, after I emerged from the fog of knee-jerk Liberalism that envelops most of the entertainment business, I began to wonder why it was that so many of my colleagues remained mired in the magical thinking that so often seems to characterize the Left. After all, many of my colleagues were reasonable, kind, and intelligent people. Among my friends, were musicians, actors, photographers, and writers – all of whom were highly creative and dedicated to their craft yet, as is typical of those on the Left, they couldn’t be swayed by facts if those facts contradicted the prevailing winds of Liberal dogma. So, the big question emerged: why is the entertainment industry so disproportionately skewed to the Left?

I soon decided that some of it could be explained by the pervasive insularity that characterizes the creative community. Musicians hang out with other musicians, actors, with actors, etc. And it quickly became apparent that despite the grandiose pretensions that entertainers maintain about being free thinkers, the incestuous idea-swapping of Liberal slogans was the easiest way to stay in the “club” and not have to waste too much creative juice on real societal problem solving. (more…)

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Tags: beethoven, celebrity, nartcissism, sophie's choice
Posted Jan 27th 2009 at 11:57 am in Entertainment, Politics | 3157878 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ebalogh/2009/01/27/the-artist-and-the-entertainer-or-how-narcissism-has-taken-over-the-entertainment-industry/The+Artist+and+the+Entertainer%3A+Or+How+Narcissism+Has+Taken+Over+the+Entertainment+Industry2009-01-27+19%3A57%3A56Endre+Balogh

I Pledge

Rush transcript of the celebrity Pledge of Obama Allegiance video (for educational purposes only)

[Fade in; cue pseudo-soulful electric piano dirge]

Courtney Cox and her husband, what’s-his-name: I pledge.

Demi Moore: I pledge.

Cameron Diaz: Me pledge too!!

(more…)

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Tags: celebrity, demi moore, I Pledge Obama Video, kutcher
Posted Jan 20th 2009 at 12:48 pm in Celebrity News, Featured Story, Media Criticism | 2529756 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dburge/2009/01/20/i-pledge/I+Pledge2009-01-20+20%3A48%3A46Iowahawk