King raised $242,370. Not too shabby. Clearly, this is a commendable and gracious effort on the part of King. It says a lot about his character. But when you bring it into context with past King quotes and his overall liberalism, it brings up an interesting hypocrisy in what famous liberals and 1 percent types do and say.

In the past, King has stated that he thinks people who make as much as he does should be taxed as much as 50 percent. Why? Has King fully thought about a world where 50 percent of his money is taken by Big Government and then they decide where it goes? Just because it goes to the government with the “best intentions” does not mean it will help heat fellow Mainers’ homes. Yet liberal entertainers like King continue to beg Obama to tax them more when they are fully capable as individuals who have found financial success to use their disposable income anyway they see fit, including helping those they see as needy.

How Stephen King has not connected his actions with his beliefs is really quite amazing.

Has he imagined a world where the government taxed him less? Imagine how much more good he could do with that disposable income!? Or not. It’s really his choice. When giving becomes forced giving, then the whole act has lost merit. Why is it liberals cannot imagine a world where people with money make the right decisions? Why is it they oppose choice so often, yet turn around and exemplify choice with their own income?

King not only raised almost a quarter of a million dollars in the name of charity, but he also owns the very radio station through which the contest was held. Think about that. King, as a 1 percenter, is able to provide jobs not just through his writing but through his radio station. In the dystopian future where liberals want to take us, there is no such thing as men earning a living, becoming successful, starting businesses, providing jobs and giving back to those in need. In their world, there is a defined upper class that pays for the lower classes as they deem appropriate. The whole capitalist system becomes handicapped and people become trapped. King, himself a liberal, gives into this philosophy of taking in order to give when he is a perfect example, in some respects, of opposition to that liberal philosophy. He became successful at what he loves, then started a business that provides jobs and regularly gives back to those in need.

King is the most successful author in the world, and he shows no signs of slowing down. His new novel, “11/22/63,” has become a New York Times Bestseller, and he has a new miniseries, “Stephen King’s Bag of Bones,” on A&E. But this article is not meant to criticize the man’s art. His art is almost beyond criticism because of its wild success and popularity. This article is simply meant to point out the common sense of situations that so many liberals seem to miss. They applaud men like King when they talk about needing to be taxed more and then they applaud him again when he creates jobs and helps others with his disposable income. Yet they cannot put together the obvious points.

Men like King exemplify the best of capitalism. He found what makes him happy and then became financially successful doing it. Would he be able to do such philanthropic things if he made half what he makes now? How much more could be do with all the money he earns? With his money he provided a better life for himself, his family and others by creating jobs and donating. He did this all in a system of choice and American capitalism.

Why is this so hard for King and other liberals to see?

This is Vintage Now, released a few weeks ago, is a retro music compilation that isn’t designed to cash in on nostalgia– rather, it’s a harbinger of a growing movement to revive not only the style but the values of classic culture. Featuring 10 songs from artists of all ages and nations, This is Vintage Now embodies the sound of classic jazz, rock, and pop music but doesn’t come off as pure nostalgia. Producer David Gasten, who appears on the record with his band The City Kids, explains the reason the disc doesn’t sound like a cynical ploy preying on older generations’ memories:

The Vintage Movement is a new social movement of people who are essentially trying to escape back to the 1940’s, 1950’s, and early-to mid-1960’s. Many times attempts at bringing a period back have been short-lived (e.g. the Nineties Swing Revival) because they were not rooted in a inside-out, values-based way of doing things. People come to these older styles because they want to escape. They want to visit an alternate world where class and quality are the rule, not the exception. They want to be excited about life and culture instead of slimed by the same old garbage over and over again. And they want to get along with others, have good conversations, flirt, dance, enjoy great music and movies, etc. The ladies want to be treated like ladies, and the gentlemen want to be able to be gentlemen.

Spanning a wide range of styles, from Beverley Kenney’s whimsical ’40s-era piano ballad to Big Jay McNeely’s raucous boogie-woogie to The Necro Tonz’s edgy jazz to Caro Emerald’s catchy neo-swing tune “Just One Dance” (see the YouTube Video below), This is Vintage Now is a well-paced, engaging listen, and its intent is exactly the type of culture-changing  media we need to combat the values-destroying narcissism and nihilism of the world’s currently dominant “artists.” TIVN is available from iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and other online retailers, or you can order it directly from the compilation’s home website to get extra tracks from a special Release Party edition.

Lady Gaga’s relief efforts in the wake of Japan’s giant earthquake and tsunami have come under scrutiny from a Michigan legal network. The entity known as 1-800-LAW-FIRM has slapped Big Hollywood’s favorite singer with a lawsuit claiming that she has pocketed some of the proceeds from the sale of $5 wristbands bearing the words “We Pray for Japan,” though she claims all proceeds have gone to tsunami victims. A Gaga spokesperson claims the lawsuit is “without merit,” so we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I think we can at least agree one must exercise caution buying charity products “designed” by celebrities. I mean, really– is Gaga really “designing” by choosing four words to stamp on a piece of rubber?

The Arcade Fire’s short film with Spike Jonze (poser indie director of the truly atrocious Where the Wild Things Are), “Scenes from the Suburbs,” has been released as a companion piece to the group’s Grammy-winning album.  The film follows the lazy summer days of a group of teenagers whose neighborhood– wait for it– is under martial law… because of Iraq… or something. The facepalm-inducing trailer gives us a good understanding of why the music community was so willing to give this middling record the Album of the Year award.

Weird Al Yankovic has finally released the music video for his Lady Gaga parody “Perform this Way” which almost didn’t see the light of day thanks to his deference to the egos of his parody target. Fortunately, after news of Gaga’s apparent snub went viral on Twitter, the alleged Lady changed her mind and allowed Al to sell the song on his upcoming LP Alpocalypse and produce said music video. It’s slightly NSFW, not so much for partial nudity as for how disturbing it is to watch Weird Al’s head digitally grafted onto the body of some lithe young woman.

Big Hollywood’s own Seth Swirsky has released a new album, As Far as Yesterday Goes, through his band The Red Button, a delightful pop collaboration with Mike Ruekberg. Though Ruekberg’s voice isn’t quite as distinctive or velvety as Seth’s, the pair share the mic quite liberally, and the same strong songwriting that defined Swirsky’s 2010 solo work is on full display here. It’s a brighter, bouncier, less melancholy record, and while it may not ultimately have the staying power of Watercolor Day, As Far as Yesterday Goes is definitely worthwhile summer entertainment. Pop it in your car and take a long, leisurely ride, and you’ll forget how much money you’re burning away with your gas.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Album of the Month: Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Justin Vernon, a folk songwriter from Wisconsin, exploded into the indie music world with a self-produced album titled For Emma, Forever Ago in 2007. His music stood out for its stark, lonely atmosphere, stacking multiple tracks of acoustic guitar and soulful, falsetto vocals which Vernon would sometimes heavily auto-tune– overcoming the stereotypes of the digital tool by using it as an artistic statement rather than a crutch for lazy singing.

In 2008, he released an EP, Blood Bank, which caught the attention of pop superstar Kanye West, who collaborated with Vernon on his bestseller My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, pulling the singer-songwriter further into the national spotlight and increasing speculation about what direction his sophomore LP might take. Well, here it is: Bon Iver’s self-title new album, released June 21st, is not only the best album of June by far; it’s certainly jockeying for first place come 2011’s best-of lists.

The highest compliment I can think of is that Bon Iver sounds like Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz semi-unplugged. That magnificent record (the best of 2010, if I may say so) fully blended aggressive synthesizers, rock instrumentation, and a full orchestra. On the much more muted Bon Iver, we hear more acoustic instruments ringing over a far emptier space. There’s a thread of hushed synth saws weaving in and out of the songs, electric guitars swooping from lonely, single-note noodling to even sadder, full-chord strumming, and a revolving cast of characters including low-register woodwinds, pianos, banjos, string quartets, and the most magnificent use of electric piano ever. Ever. Equipped with better recording equipment, we don’t hear his signature auto-tune as often; Vernon sings louder, more confidently, even dipping into his lower register a few times.

All these elements are arranged and recorded perfectly; whereas Age of Adz pulls its listener into an intimate, emotionally wrenching personal drama, Bon Iver sweeps one away to a waking dream, surveying the beauty of the world through wide-scoped views of its landscapes (all the song titles are or are related to the names of various North American towns). Though they differ in their particulars, both albums are significant in that their respective artists attain complete control of the orchestration and engineering of their music, fully utilizing the potential of the recording studio to create transcendent works which stand wholly apart from the comparatively banal conventions of their contemporaries. Lightning has struck once again, folks; this one is not to be missed.

But even as he’s attained the highest of comedic success – including his upcoming third standup special for Comedy Central, which will debut July 4 – Titus has kept his eyes and heart open to the hardships of others. He’s established the charity Project InSight to organize annual stand-up shows to benefit various faith-based, private organizations that work to improve the lives of teens who are homeless or in foster care.

Saturday night, May 7th, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Titus will perform in a special show called “Laugh You A$$ Off, Save the World” with stellar talent including Kevin Nealon (“Saturday Night Live,” “Weeds”), Billy Gardell (star of CBS’ hit sitcom “Mike & Molly”) and Dana Carvey (“SNL”, “Wayne’s World”) to raise funds for the Olive Crest center for troubled teens. The event will be hosted by Jillian Barberie of Ch. 11’s “Good Day LA,” who is a former foster child herself, and is aiming to raise funds for the program’s comprehensive care services.

“There’s 56,000 foster and homeless teens in Los Angeles, and that’s a big deal for me,” says Titus. “We want to eradicate the problem of teens being homeless from Los Angeles by 2020. I had a tough childhood, with a tough dad and an insane mom, but can you imagine living in the bushes by the 101?”

Titus is particularly concerned about teenagers in the foster care system because of the general societal attitude that holds that troubled children must be reached at a young age or else it’s too late to do anything constructive for them. He notes that many teens spend their entire lives in foster care and then are forced out into society without ever having had anyone to truly care about them, develop their interests and train them to deal with the real world.

Project InSight seeks to work with private, faith-based charities because Titus believes that state-run foster homes are often houses where the foster caregivers “are just out to cash a check,” and that private programs make more effort to truly help their wards. He also strives to find efficient organizations, stating that many bigger charities have such large bureaucratic structures that up to 40 percent of the money they raise goes to maintain their payroll and public relations.

This year, he chose to help Olive Crest because it has provided wraparound services -including safe houses, counseling and education for both the troubled youths and their parents so that the families have the best shot at staying together before kids get sent into foster care – for more than 50,000 kids in California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest since 1973.

“Right now they’re trying to fill a $150,000 shortfall for their counseling program,” says Titus. “I really learned about these issues by volunteering with a Hollywood day shelter called My Friend’s Place. They told me these kids live in the bushes by the freeway, and I was like ‘Holy shit.’ This is freakin’ Los Angeles, one of the most beautiful cities on earth, and economically we set trends and that’s not one we should be setting.”

Plenty of other social issues are upsetting Titus these days, fueling the outraged comedic sensibility that flourished during the three-year run of his sitcom “Titus.” His new comedy special is called “Neverlution,” and is rooted in the frustration he feels.

“We’re a society built on revolution, but now we’re placated by Starbucks and IPads and so we’re never going to get angry enough to have a revolution again,” says Titus. “We spend $900 billion on bullets and defense, and $90 billion on education. Why is Singapore kicking our ass on math and science? We’re not paying attention to what matters. I’m not Democrat or Republican, but that’s just messed up.”

Indeed, Titus is fiercely independent politically, finding serious faults with the approaches of both parties. But most of all, he believes that individuals should find a charity that they believe in and get involved with their donations and volunteering, so that private citizens can solve the country’s problems rather than waiting on the gargantuan and financially strapped government to do it for them.

“Just remembering what a screw-up I was as a teenager, I was a horrible student at 17 and they wouldn’t give me my diploma because I had to go to summer school still to graduate,” Titus recalls. “But I turned into a guy with a Writers’ Guild nomination. Who you are is a choice, what you want to be is a choice – and sometimes people don’t give these kids a choice.

“We need to give money to groups that give kids counseling and a different life,” he continues. “Maybe they’ll start a charity, follow a dream, get into standup or music rather than just try to survive every day.”

“Laugh Your A$$ Off, Save the World” takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 7th, at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Tickets are $35 to $250 and are tax-deductible.

Call (818) 243-2538 or visit in-sightyouth.com for more information and to learn how to help if you can’t attend.

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And on the way down here I drove and I heard about this guy in Wisconsin, his name was Walker and apparently he wanted to stop collective bargaining. That’s supposed to balance the budget. That’s the magic bullet. So you’ve got [Republican Governor] LePage in Maine, Walker in Wisconsin, you got [Republican Governor] Scott in Florida. It’s Larry, Curly and Moe. That’s what we got right here.

Now you might say, what are you doing up there? Aren’t you rich? The answer is: thank God, yes. Because I grew up poor. I lived in a family where my mother asked donated commodities from a Republican administration and got turned down. That’s where I came from. And you know what, as a rich person I pay 28% tax. What I want to ask you is why am I not paying fifty? Why isn’t anybody in my bracket paying fifty? …

Because [politicians opposed to raising taxes] come from the party of Ronald Reagan, the Great Communicator, who one year put down on his taxes that he gave $10,000 to charity. Well, my wife and I … we try to make up the difference, the shortfall, that 22% we don’t pay, by giving it away. But you know what, I haven’t seen a lot of that going around.

Doesn’t Stephen King kind of answer his own question here? Yes, his elitist, holier-than-thou and arrogantly mistaken belief that a whole lot of people in the most charitable country in the world aren’t as charitable as he is, is off-putting in the extreme. But that he’s able to give that 22% of his income not swallowed up by the blackhole of the government directly to the causes he believes in is a beautiful thing. This is exactly why raising taxes is a terrible idea. Regardless of what people do with their money, whatever they do with it is better for this economy than what the government does with it. Obama’s failed stimulus settled that argument, especially when you compare the results of that to the roaring economy that resulted from Reagan’s huge tax cuts.

But King’s politics are, unfortunately, based on this arrogance, his high opinion of himself, his sanctimonious position that others aren’t as noble, good, generous and charitable as he is. And so therefore we simply must have a totalitarian government swoop in and force Americans to do what Stephen King thinks they should do. To heck with liberty and freedom, to heck with the fact that the Federal Government just spent a few trillion dollars and failed to create a single job. Stephen King knows what’s best and wants people forced to obey.

Also, King ripping on Reagan giving “only” $10,000 to charity one year is hilarious.  Even if it’s true, I’m happy to play that game. Could someone remind Mr. King that in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Barack Obama gave a TOTAL of just over $10,000 to charity. But please don’t remind King that Vice President Joe Biden’s charitable giving was beyond laughable, I’d hate to see a best-selling author cry.

Then there’s this. Newsflash, Stephen King: You wouldn’t be so gosh-darned alone in your awesome philanthropy if someone like Ronald Reagan was president.

Second newsflash: Conservatives give more to charity than liberals. So it looks as thought that loneliness you feel is in your own ideological backyard.

Make sure to watch the whole video. King standing up for high-speed rail is a doozy, just another former hippie who sold out to The Big Government Man and remains all-too eager to strip everyone else of their freedoms if they don’t conform to King’s world-view.

 Remember when these people preached personal freedom, choice and liberty? Yeah, neither do I.

My husband owns a recording studio, declared as one of the top 16 in the world by Mix Magazine so it wasn’t unusual when an artist named Becky Kelly called them to present a track, titled “Where’s the Line to See Jesus,” that she wanted to turn into a professional recording. What was unusual was the message: simplistic, heartfelt; one distinct melody with a lesson that extends beyond the boundaries of the holiday season. Along with the song Becky and Chris created the accompanying video below.

I’m proud of all the hard work everyone put into this and especially proud of the song’s biggest benefactor – it’s not Becky, it’s not the studio, but a charity called CFS that has long helped families in need and children who need temporary or forever homes. The charity operates solely on private donations but due to tumultuous economic times, those funds are shrinking. We can’t cede the privilege and responsibility of helping our fellow man to the government; that’s not who we are or what we believe and using the arts is a fantastic way to raise funds and awareness.

Becky writes how the song and video came to fruition:

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, “where’s the line to see Jesus”?

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios. It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus… with goosebumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special.

The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville… still no response. Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD’s, iTunes, anything… we had nothin’.

After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious and recorded a studio-quality version of song and accompanying professional video. We headed back into the studio this past spring… this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs… the real deal…. and here we are today. Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together… remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand.

Hopefully Spencer’s observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are giving part of the proceeds to this amazing organization that helps families and children in need.  They offer counseling, foster care and adoption placement as well as other resources and rely on donations to operate.

We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.

- Becky

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To buy the song via iTunes and Amazon and learn more visit http://wheresthelinetoseejesus.com/

Bono’s anti-poverty foundation ONE is under pressure to explain its lavish salaries after it was revealed that only a small percentage of money it raises reaches the needy.

The non-profit organisation set up by the U2 frontman received almost £9.6m in donations in 2008 but handed out only £118,000 to good causes (1.2 per cent).

The figures published by the New York Post also show that £5.1m went towards paying salaries.

While the organisation’s gameplan has never been direct handouts on the ground, many who admire the Irish rock legend may be surprised by the figures.

Bono was playing Brussels last night with U2 as the world’s leaders – so many of whom he speaks to directly – were meeting at the UN assembly in New York to assess the progress, or lack of, in reaching the Millennium goals they set.

The Post revealed it had received a number of gifts from ONE in the run-up to the event, such as leather notebooks, bags of coffee and water bottles.

In the UK, the organisation has laid on a series of high-profile, celebrity-supported events since it launched in 2002 to fight poverty in Africa and Aids worldwide.

In 2009, the group campaigned to have enshrined in British law a commitment to development assistance abroad.

ONE spokesman Oliver Buston has now defended the way the organisation is run, insisting the money is used for promoting its campaign and raising awareness rather than being given  straight to those who need help.

Read the full article here.

By raw statistics, that would indicate over a quarter of the entertainment business is Republican. Now it could just be that Republicans are more generous.  Democrats are notoriously cheaper than a Barney Frank ferry ride. Al Gore spent more money on harassable masseuses than he gives to charity. Bill Clinton’s idea of charity is giving away used underwear (though in fairness, some of the clothing he soiled is now considered museum quality). Joe Biden spends more on polishing his tooth marks out of his shoes than he routinely gives away.

Democrats are as hypocritical as Leonardo DiCaprio’s private jet. They talk all the time about the uncaring rich not helping the poor, but come tax time, the charitable giving recorded on their Schedule As is dwarfed by their mortgage interest on their luxurious abodes. Democrats think their public service and undying support of a powerful state is tantamount to charity.

Perhaps showbiz Republicans give more, since their money says the words they can’t speak at work. When you have to put in eight-plus hours alongside people who can’t hold back their opinions about the ignorant bigoted tea-bagging Republicans, you’re bound to come home and take revenge with your checkbook.

Or maybe we just have more to spend. Usually people don’t discover Republicanism until they’re in the upper tax bracket. It’s strange how money looks from the other side of the fence. I know a comedian who once had a line about nobody needing more than three million dollars a year, that any dime you make above three million should be confiscated, because if you CAN’T make it on three million dollars a year, you’re an idiot and don’t deserve it anyway.

The last time I saw him joking about a maximum wage I knew he had made good, because he was now claiming that nobody needed more than $150 million a year. I’m glad that he’s doing well for himself, and he’s learned that three million dollars is not as much as a starving artist might imagine. Especially in show biz, where 25% is taken straight off the top, before the IRS and the State of Wherever-You-Unpack-Your-Suitcase get their share.

But I truly suspect that the amount of Republicans in the industry is far underestimated. Democrats just tend to be louder so it appears like there are more of them.  Here at Big Hollywood, there are only a handful of showbiz types who have revealed themselves. I think more need to come out of the attic, at least for the inner peace they will find. It isn’t healthy for everyone to keep their opinions locked up inside.

I say come out of your hiding places everyone. I think there are more of us out here than anyone can imagine. It’s really liberating to no longer pretend that the economy is in great shape, and the President is competent. And the next time your co-worker claims that at least He’s not as bad as Bush, remind them that a four percent unemployment and a deficit under a trillion dollars would be a welcome relief right about now.

Debbie Schlussel posted a long piece last evening about a charity that Sean Hannity is affiliated with, accusing them of malfeasance and mismangement.

Frum Forum has done an exhaustive investigation of the charity in question, Freedom Alliance, and found enough evidence to substantially rebut each of Schlussel’s claims. I’ll approach them one by one. 

Schlussel Accusation: Sean Hannity improperly benefited from Freedom Alliance by charging private jets, hotel stays and luxury cars.

Freedom Alliance’s press release today stated categorically that they have “never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean [Hannity] … to be clear Sean pays for all his own transportation, hotels, and all related expenses for himself and his family and friends and staff.” We are satisfied that this is true.

It is true that Freedom Alliance spent $60,000 on aviation services in 2006, but there is no evidence that this was for Sean Hannity’s benefit, and it seems unlikely that the money was used to lease a Gulfstream 5. Rates for G5 aircraft average around $8,000 an hour. $60,000 would not buy much at that rate.

We have also been able to confirm that Sean Hannity has no operational control over the organization. Nor is he even a member of the group’s board.

If Schlussel stands behind her statement, then she will have to do better than a quote from a blind source, who is, as she admits, a friend of a friend. 

Schlussel Accusation: Too Little of Freedom Alliance’s Spending Has Gone to Program Outcomes.

Frum Forum has intensively investigated Freedom Alliance’s 990 Forms, which have been submitted to the IRS and checked by an independent auditor.

Debbie Schlussel alleges that only $1 million of the organization’s $8.8 million in revenue was going to soldiers and scholarships in 2008. This figure is the product of a misleading and selective reading of the organization’s tax forms.

The numbers that Schlussel cite refer to direct financial transfers to individuals – that is, if there is a direct grant that Freedom Alliance gives to a soldier. This does not include all the positive work that doesn’t involve a direct grant.

Freedom Alliance also spends money on non-cash benefits for military families, involving things like taking soldiers to sporting events and sending care packages to troops.

The highest paid employee earned $152,000 in 2006. The second highest paid employee earned $83,000. In 2007, Freedom Alliance spent about $1 in $7 on salary and benefits.

Total staffing costs may seem high, but they are not out of line with what is spent at many other charities. For example, the Armed Services branch of the YMCA spent about $1 in $2 on salaries and benefits in 2008.

Be sure to read the whole thing here.

I own a jet charter service that operates a fleet of Boeing 737s. Haiti needs medical supplies, surgeons, nurses, rescue workers, food, water and the only way to get it there quickly is by air.  Haiti needs to Medevac the critically injured to US hospitals, and orphans need to be flown to homes in the US. The vital link in all the countless ways people are providing help in Haiti is air transportation.

This is our mission, to support the ongoing relief effort in Haiti with air transportation logistics.

We have three Boeing 737’s and two King Air turbo props. What we don’t have is fuel (yet).

We need you. We need immediate donations to cover our fuel and related expenses. Fuel costs money.

Please visit www.airlifthaiti.org and give. Time is of the essence and many lives are precariously hanging in the balance.

Andrew Breitbart’s passion and enthusiasm for this project as well as his many connections to people in all walks of life, and his dedication and hard work are nothing short of inspiring.

Please join with us in this, the noblest of all missions — saving lives.

Some of your favorite bloggers from biggovernment.com, bigjournalism.com and bighollywood.com are rolling up their sleeves and will be traveling with us, not just as embedded writers, reporters and videographers, but as volunteers to work alongside the many other heroes who have found their way to Haiti.

You can contact us at info@airlifthaiti.org.

Thank you in advance for anything you can do.

Eric Haymes
Icon Jet, LLC
468 North Camden Ste 353
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-385-9163

**UPDATE**

We understand the difficulties getting aircraft getting in and out of Port-au-Prince, that is why we are working in concert with the organization already on the ground.  We are providing the logistic support for these relief networks already functioning in Haiti; we move at their direction.

The comment is sure to cause a few ripples from the man who once played the son of a preacher man in the spiritual A River Runs Through It.  What’s more, Pitt advises there is no use thinking about God or a higher power — we’ll find out when we get there, he says.  Umm, get where Brad?  The Beverly Hills Hotel in the sky?  It never ceases to amaze to hear celebrities speak out about religion – or a lack thereof.  In a business where vainglory is king, perhaps it is not surprising many in Hollywood are said to lack religion.  Que Sera Sera — free country, right?  

Pitt’s charity work after Katrina has been widely applauded, but how does a soul become so adrift in the face of such good works? Through his Make It Right Foundation, he has undoubtedly spent many hours of hard work toiling over ways to rebuild New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.  Much of the work seems highly concentrated in green architecture, a luxury to most.  But hey, if he can make it affordable to those who desperately need a roof over their head, so be it (worth noting: he seeks stimulus funds to build these designer homes). And, in a funny twist, the name of the first neighborhood to receive the fruits of all this labor is an embodiment of Christianity itself… the “Holy Cross” section in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Pitt might look even closer around New Orleans, his “second home” and the place where he feels a deep connection to the people. The city is a melting pot of religion so profound and powerful, it would take a thousand Katrinas to eclipse. Perhaps he would be surprised at the ways residents in the Lower Ninth Ward have turned to religion and community churches as an unorthodox way of fighting crime in neighborhoods that struggle for survival. Perhaps he should visit an African-American congregation on Sunday morning and listen to the bustling choirs (if your soul is still unmoved, you need to check your pulse). Or, he could always find some rowdy Creoles or a few Voodoo Queens to really shake up his spirit.

If he’s still searching after all that, can’t he find a spark of spirituality in the innocent eyes of one of his six children — adopted or biological?  As a parent, the purity of mind, body and spirit of a child is often miraculous and can move the soul quite unexpectedly.  Pitt, and his wife Angelina Jolie, have traveled the world finding children — scooping them from war zones, disease and poverty — giving them opportunities in life they never would have dreamed possible. Still running on empty Brad?

Oh well, there’s always Deities-R-Us! Look, I don’t have an ax to grind with Brad Pitt — I enjoy many of his films — and I’ve just written a book singing praises of his extensive charitable work with Jolie.  My only point is this: it’s a curious case indeed when one can’t find a little spirituality in leading such a charitable life.