—–

Here’s a link to Cherry Tree Media.

Politico:

Instead, the teen heartthrob from the ’80s sitcom “Growing Pains” became a parent, headlined one of the biggest movie sleepers in recent memory (“Fireproof”) and today addressed the conservative conference CPAC about his latest project.

Cameron’s “Monumental,” hitting theaters next month, mourns a nation in decline and looks to the past for a brighter future. The actor turned activist told CPAC attendees why he made the film:

As I look around I get this sinking feeling that we’re off track, that there’s something sick in the soul of our country,” Cameron told those gathered at the conservative conference in Washington on Thursday. “I examine the fruit that’s hanging on the tree of America and I can see that it’s rotting. And that concerns me deeply.”

The actor went on to list what worries him most: the economy, decreased spirituality and what he sees as a nationwide moral decline.

“The family is falling apart. Divorce is at an all-time high,” he said. “Teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol – things that used to be shameful 50 years are now normalized in public school and celebrated on television.

***

Have you heard about “Poetry Night” at the White House?  I find it appalling and very inappropriate (yet not at all that surprising) that the Obamas have invited “Common”, a rapper who grew up in the pews of America-hating “Reverend” Wright’s church, who he describes as an “intelligent, strong individual…a great man…a conduit of love.”   He denigrates women with his misogynistic lyrics, promotes killing cops, and burning (President) Bush. Isn’t that special?  His lyrics have been praised by a Fox News reporter as being “very positive.”  Are you kidding me?

Hi Caliber

This is just another tactic this administration is using to convince young Americans that Barrack Obama is just that “cool” and that these are the kinds of artists your kids should be listening to.

Please.

In the New York Times Bestseller Obama Zombies:  How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation, author Jason Mattera describes how liberals successfully launched their highly successful technology-based campaign to take advantage of and brain-wash his generation into becoming “zombies” for Team Obama.  They used every facet of new media to reach our youth through their computers, iPods, and cell phones via new media venues and services like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and text messaging and “rocked the vote” in favor of “That One.”

Thankfully, we conservative keyboard warriors are fighting back with those very same tactics to reach our young voters using every weapon in our arsenal (e.g., conservative websites, blogs, video rants, music, books, artwork, and the list goes on).   In less than two years (since the 2008 elections), through the effective use of  new media, the TEA Party movement managed to rise up and put a major hurtin’ on the Democrats in the House and Senate in the mid-term elections.  It was interesting to note that younger voters seemed less than enthusiastic about voting in 2010.  Perhaps voter’s remorse is setting in?

Good.

Make no mistake, we have our work cut out for us and it is up to us to reverse the damage done by the left to our kids.  We need to keep hammering away at them with the truth, we need to speak their language, and present the conservative message in ways they are more apt to take notice.  One way is through the music they listen to.

Allow me to introduce Hi Caliber.

Hi-Caliber, one of our fine culture warriors at BigDawg Music Mafia, is a conservative hip-hop artist, a proud TEA Party member, and political talk radio guru.  His mission is to battle the left-wing media with a tool rarely used by his fellow right-wingers.  That tool is hip-hop.  Hi Cal states:

The goal is to show our youth that being patriotic is “cool” and that not all conservatives are rich, racist, hatemongers as some would have them believe.

After a political and spiritual awakening in 2001, Hi Cal discovered conservative talk radio and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  It was shortly after that he decided to combine his life-long passion for hip hop with his new-found passion for politics.  His first “buzz” came during the 2008 election when he recorded a song called Use Your Brain which gained multiple spins on the Imus in the Morning show.

Hi-Cal  had heard a lot about the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2009 and decided he needed to be there. With absolutely zero contacts or connections, a backpack loaded with copies of his first CD Mr. Conservative, and $30 to his name, he showed up in an old beat-up Buick carrying a sign that said “Support Conservative Music”.   He was approached by liberal blogger, Max Blumenthal, who was looking to depict him as a nut job.  Hi Cal “spit” a couple rhymes on camera which later showed up on the Daily Beast and Breitbart.tv.

—–

“The Lord put this country together, or we wouldn’t be like we are.”

In the very best sense of the term, Jane Russell was what you call a “classy dame.”

In November 2010, I attended a planning meeting for the just-concluded Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2011) as one of at least 60 Participating Organization representatives present at that particular meeting.  When then-Chairman of The American Conservative Union (CPAC host), David Keene, asked everyone to introduce themselves, I got a few audible chuckles in response to my introducing myself as “Lisa Mei Norton of BigDawg Music Mafia” as this was our first time participating in the largest annual gathering of who’s who in conservative circles.

I just smiled, sat back, and listened intently during the two-hour discussion which consisted of reports and recommendations from the sub-committees on potential speakers and panels.  At the end of the meeting, David Keene asked if they missed anything to which I replied, “Yes…yes you did.  I see nothing on the agenda that addresses conservative pop culture.” 

I explained how, in the past two years, having written and performed several original political/protest songs for local, State and National conservative events, I had met many great, conservative, grassroots artists doing the same exact thing, traveling around the country on their own dime to share their conservative messages through their music, books, comedy, etc. 

We believe the TEA Party movement underestimates the power pop culture has on influencing the hearts and minds of folks who don’t normally engage in political debate.  The left uses this very successfully to promote their agenda.  Why shouldn’t we?

I suggested the CPAC committee add a panel to discuss this topic and was thrilled to see at the subsequent meeting that they had taken my suggestion and added the panel entitled “Engaging America Through Conservative Pop Culture.”  I was even more encouraged to see a couple other panels addressing pop culture being sponsored by other Participating Organizations such as the Bank of Kev Productions panel, “Getting Started in Hollywood,” and was honored to be invited to take part in that panel as well.  That is where I met John Nolte, Editor-In-Chief of BigHollywood.com who wrote a wonderful recap that evening and was very gracious in offering me the opportunity to write a bit about our site and our mission.

BigDawg and I recognized that while each artist brings wonderful, unique abilities to the “fight,” working together as a united front would enable us to make a much louder noise in the name of liberty.  With that in mind, we launched BigDawg Music Mafia last August to provide a platform for conservative artists to share their gifts, network, collaborate on projects, keep each other informed on upcoming events, and help ignite a conservative pop culture “revolution” of sorts.  We are pure grassroots (no “Astroturf” here, Nancy).  Our membership consists of some amazingly gifted musicians, songwriters, comedians, poets, authors, bloggers, photographers, videographers, filmmakers, and more. 

Through aggressive marketing via social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube, we have been showcasing our members and their works to our growing list of online friends and followers. Sponsoring events like CPAC, Smart Girl Summit, and the upcoming National TEA Party Convention in Memphis (April 7-9, 2011) has been invaluable in getting the word out about our site, our mission, and our fantastic conservative culture warriors. We also have a fabulous “virtual street team” of “keyboard warriors” comprised of family, friends, and fans who regularly share our site with others on some great conservative sites, blogs, and radio shows.

During CPAC, ten of our members, including former SNL star, Victoria Jackson, Chris Cassone, Bobby Powers, Sherry Marquelle, Brian Futch, Norm Cady, Hi Caliber (Enemy of the State), Robert Mansfield, and Eric Golub pitched in to secure a booth for all three days and a ballroom for a two-hour “Liberty Fest” with live music & comedy.  We worked the booth and invited several attendees to join us.  And they did!

The networking that took place in those 3-4 days is already paying off.  We had several new members join us in the past week due in large part to John Nolte’s BigHollywood write-up and a piece on FoxNews.com; I was invited to write about our site right here on BigHollywood.com; multimedia companies are now looking to us for talent for upcoming projects; radio talk show hosts are asking to use our music, and many other great opportunities are in the works in the coming months.

I would call that a resounding success…but we are just getting warmed up.

Our pop culture must be fought for aggressively if we are to succeed in this battle. It will not be easy but we believe it is essential…and we can’t do it alone.  We sincerely appreciate those who share this belief, support conservative artists, and afford us the opportunity to share our mission and our gifts. 

If you are looking for some amazing talent from some great conservative artists or have a gift to share and would like to join the “fight” for our pop culture in the BigDawg Music Mafia “foxhole”, we highly encourage you to check out our site and join us at www.bigdawgmusicmafia.com.  We are “using the magical powers of music and the arts to make a difference…” and so should you!  Rock on!  Godspeed, Lisa Mei and BigDawg

Now, I don’t know much about Herman Cain. But last week, I read up on him and found out three things.

He was once the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, a delightful product I often devoured while watching reruns of the Golden Girls from my bunk bed in the closet. The second thing is, he’s a conservative. He spoke at CPAC the other day, and wowed the audience without ever having to toss flour in the air.

The third thing is, he’s black.

I know, crazy.

Well, there are some people who have a problem with his skin color. And surprise: they’re liberals. Someone who calls himself “Chauncey deVega” wrote this at AlterNet, a liberal blog of some sort:

It is only fitting that in the great tradition of the freak show, the human zoo, the boardwalk, and the ‘great midway worlds fairs of the 19th and 20th centuries, that there is a Borneo man,a Venus Hottentot or a tribe of cannibals from deepest darkest Africa or Papua New Guinea on display. For CPAC and the White Conservative imagination, Herman Cain and his black and brown kin are that featured attraction. We always need a monkey in the window, for he/she reminds us of our humanity while simultaneously reinforcing a sense of our own superiority.

You know, my instinct is to ignore this racist crap, for I assume this cowardly creep really only likes black people if they submit to his views.

My second instinct is to point out that the myth about blacks not being conservative is undermined by surveys revealing high religiosity and strong moral principle. But Chauncey would just call those people monkeys too.

My final instinct is simply to report this on Red Eye, so we are reminded that a dirtbag like Chauncey exists – an anonymous, lowly figure who calls a brave, smart black man a “monkey” from the luxury of a veiled cubby hole in a low-rent condo.

You know he’d never do that to Cain in person. If he did, Cain would pound him into pizza.

And if you disagree with me, you sir are a racist homophobe.

Tonight:

Lauren Sivan

Paul Mecurio

Kevin Williamson

Also, here’s the Imus link from this morning.

Not Ray Stevens.

The man behind smashes like “The Streak” and “Everything is Beautiful” can’t stop recording, and he often does it with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Consider Stevens’ latest song, “The Skies Ain’t Friendly Anymore,” a swipe at the current security measures making life rough for today’s travelers.

I took off my shoes, my rings and watch

Then a guy said I need to check your crotch

And I’ll need to see all your liquid toiletries

He gave me a grope, a squeeze, and a pat

And I’ll tell you friends when I go to the vet

They treat my old bird dog with more dignity

“It’s a funny song, first and foremost,” Stevens tells Big Hollywood. “We gotta have security, but they’re going about it the wrong way. There needs to be a little more common sense used when we’re screening passengers.”

A simple song won’t change the world, but the conservative singer thinks songs can be a stealth weapon against societal ills.

“The human brain is a funny thing, it’s very susceptible to tempo and melody,” he says. “You put the right words to it and it becomes very influential.”

Stevens hasn’t flown since the latest batch of security measures hit the scene, but he’s heard enough stories to give the song his signature bite. He’ll take to the air this week to appear at CPAC.

“I plan on wearing a cup,” he jokes.

The Nashville-based Stevens isn’t just an award-winning crooner. He’s a shrewd businessman able to tap into the latest marketing trends. He’s sold more than 25 million records the traditional way but also turned to direct marketing and the Web in order to promote his products.

Today, he’s right at home online even if the medium leaves him ambivalent.

“It’ll get you out there, but it can diminish your income,” he says of the Web. “The inclination of the public is to steal [music] … it is what it is.“

Stevens’ remarkable career is a testament, in part, to an ability to embrace the latest trends. His “We the People” YouTube video has been played more than four million times.

“I enjoy being informed and keeping up with what’s going on. I’ve been very lucky to parlay that into success in what I do as my business,“ he says.

In recent months, Stevens has poured his support into the Tea Party movement, joining the grass roots effort in both body and song.

“It’s just good people who are worried about the country, and legitimately so,” he says. Stevens doesn’t mince words about President Obama or his administration, either.  “The people in charge of the government right now hate America,” he charges. “They want to bring down America, and the method they’re using, and it’s working, is to break the bank, break us economically.“

Stevens, 72, is celebrating 50 years in the entertainment industry, and he shows little sign of slowing down. Stevens just shot a video for “Skies,” which should go online soon, and is putting the finishing touches on a new 11-track disc of patriotic songs called “Spirit of ‘76.” It’s a companion piece to his recent record, “We the People.”

And then there’s his upcoming project tentatively called “The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music,” an epic endeavor which could spread over as many as eight CDs, he says.

When Stevens thinks of his country, his thoughts often go back to President Ronald Reagan and how he turned the nation around following the late ‘70s malaise of the Carter administration. Stevens lived in Georgia, a short distance from former President Jimmy Carter, but he reserves his admiration for the man who took over for him in 1980.

“He’s always been a hero of mine,” he says of Reagan.

—–

Here’s the first look at the Paul Johannson’s “Atlas Shrugged: Part 1,” which hits theatres, quite appropriately, on April 15th. The film has had a major presence here at CPAC. The producers are obviously eager to get the word out and quite proud of their production. Considering all the speculation over the film’s reportedly low budget, you can see a lot of work went into making the production look like a feature film. One thing we do know for sure, the people involved are determined to remain faithful to Ayn Rand’s story and philosophy. Had that not been the case, nothing else would’ve mattered.

We’ll know a lot more in a couple of months. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and what should be a vibrant discussion in the comments.

More on the film here, and here’s the website.

Last year, with the 100^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth approaching, we set out to create a film that captures of the essence of why the Reagan Ranch is important–not just as a historic site, but as a place that reflects the character and ideas of Ronald Reagan. We needed a film that connected Ronald Reagan’s timeless principles to the Ranch in a way that looked forward to the challenges we face today, not simply back on Ronald Reagan successes of the 1980s.

And so we went to the person who created one of the best feature-length Reagan documentaries to date – In the Face of Evil, based on Peter Schweizer’s fantastic book, Reagan’s War. That is a film that has the power, conviction and artistry that we knew was needed capture the majestic beauty of the Reagan Ranch and the powerful lessons it holds. The man for our film was Stephen K. Bannon.

(Bannon’s previous films have also included outstanding The Tea Party Trilogy: Generation Zero, Fire from the Heartland, and Battle for America.)

As our film project moved forward, we faced a structural challenge. How do you best communicate the timelessness of Ronald Reagan’s words and ideas to an audience who doesn’t remember the gas lines of the 1970s or the key figures of the Reagan Revolution? Bannon and his team hit on a simple answer: You rely on Ronald Reagan’s own voice, and almost nothing else, save for the few choice words from our talented narrator, Patrick Warburton.

Today, Young America’s Foundation is proud to announce that our inaugural film production, Still Point in a Turning World: Ronald Reagan and his Ranch, will have its East Coast premier on Friday, February 11 at 8 p.m. in the Delaware Ballroom during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at the Marriott Hotel Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Still Point in a Turning World is Young America’s Foundation’s inaugural film and the definitive examination of Ronald Reagan’s beloved ranch and the way it reflects his philosophy and values.  Ronald Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo, the “Ranch in the Sky,” was not just a respite from the chaotic world that his Presidency encountered, but also a living embodiment of the values he held dear. The Ranch was where hard work and self-reliance showed themselves in the principles he championed for all Americans: Freedom, Prosperity, Victory.

Given unprecedented access to both the Ranch and the Foundation’s film archives, the filmmakers explore Rancho del Cielo as few have, giving viewers a glimpse of why it “cast a spell” on the man who became one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

The film premiered on the West Coast during Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan 100 birthday celebration, featuring Vice President Dick Cheney and Governor Sarah Palin. Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Foreign Influence, attended the West Coast premiere of the film and afterwards raved:

“Still Point in a Turning World“ is a must-see for all Americans.  This incredible documentary provides a unique glimpse into Ronald Reagan the president and Ronald Reagan the man via his unbreakable bond with 688 magical acres outside Santa Barbara, CA.  No lover of all things Reagan will want to miss this film.  Until you have seen Still Point in a Turning World, your understanding of President Ronald Reagan just isn’t complete.

College students at the celebration, our primary intended audience for the film, had perhaps the strongest reaction to Still Point in a Turning World. One young woman admitted following our West Coast premiere that, “The movie showed how the Left belittles our country and its great people. Reagan’s words, on other the other hand, were so empowering that I cried.”

Still Point in a Turning World: Ronald Reagan and his Ranch is a co-production between Young America’s Foundation and Victory Film Group.  Ron Robinson, Kate Obenshain, and Andrew Coffin acted as executive producers for the film.

Andrew Breitbart sits in an Aeron chair at an iMac computer gazing out the sliding glass door of his Los Angeles home office. On the patio, a hula hoop and a portable basketball rim await his children’s return from school. Breitbart, 41, dressed on this late-winter day in his standard work uniform of a dirty oxford-cloth shirt and grungy khaki shorts, looks more like a surf bum than one of the most divisive figures in America’s political and culture wars. Then his BlackBerry rings.

The woman at the other end of the line, conservative fulminator Ann Coulter, is among Breitbart’s staunchest allies, and they soon are engaged in a spirited attack on liberals. “Their entire structure is writhing in diseased agony on the side of the road, and they don’t even realize it,” Breitbart says. But the left isn’t the only object of disdain. “I’m sick of this effete GOP nothing sandwich,” he adds, growing more animated. “As long as everyone is so pristine and socially registered, we’re going to lose.” Shortly before signing off, Breitbart says, “The second I realized I liked being hated more than I liked being liked — that’s when the game began.”

It’s a game he plays extraordinarily well. Breitbart has become the Web’s most combative conservative impresario — part new-media mogul, part Barnumesque scamp. Last fall, he launched Big Government, the flagship of his wickedly right-of-center sites, which also include Big Hollywood, Big Journalism — which described the House’s March 21 passage of the health care reform bill as a “socialist putsch” — and the news aggregators Breitbart.com and Breitbart.tv. On its first day of business, Big Government produced a scoop: undercover filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles — the would-be Borats of the right — had shot videos that appeared to show workers at ACORN, a liberal organization that lobbies for affordable housing, offering tips on how to open a brothel. For Breitbart, the videos proved to be a gold mine, putting the left on the defensive and Big Government on the map. That the filmmakers were accused of entrapping their subjects and editing in footage of O’Keefe dressed as a pimp seemed almost beside the point.

The stunt gave Breitbart — who like many online scribes had spent much of his professional life toiling in anonymity — a public persona. In January, O’Keefe was arrested in New Orleans on charges of entering the offices of U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu under false pretenses while preparing another undercover video. That only boosted Breitbart’s profile. At the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville in February, Breitbart introduced the star speaker, Sarah Palin, and delivered a rousing jeremiad of his own. Assailing national reporters for portraying the movement as “racist and homophobic,” he used the dais at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to speak his version of truth to mainstream media power: “It’s not your business model that sucks. It’s you that sucks.”

Read the full article here.