West, reportedly wearing his signature accoutrement, couldn’t stay long since he was quickly mobbed by the masses. Simmons reflected on his time with the protest on his blog Global Grind:

“It was amazing to see how people loved seeing Kanye West at Occupy Wall Street. His music and his art has always been about the voice and the power of the people. Kanye just wanted to come down and experience the growing movement that has opened the eyes of many around this country and around the world of the struggles of poor people. The energy at Liberty Plaza was electrifying and the momentum to get the money out of politics is growing quickly.”

No word on whether either megastar would be redistributing any of their wealth directly to their new best buds. And one wonders if Simmons drove to the protest in these fine wheels?

Celebrities traditionally love to depict themselves as humanitarians, often rushing to seize headlines in relief efforts following natural disasters.   But are Hollywood celebrities politically selective when publicizing human tragedy?

The problem is that celebrity showcasing of natural disasters, such as concerts for domestic relief, can be politically touchy: They imply governmental inaction or mishandling, hence the “need” for private fundraising, and second, they highlight tragedy and suffering by Americans in our country.  Together these are political buzzkill for an administration in full reelection mode desperate to keep a happy face on the state of the union.

Does Hollywood tend to publicly spotlight American suffering when Republicans control the White House?  Recall FarmAid during the Reagan Administration?  Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp rallied to “help” the suffering of farmers facing foreclosures under a backdrop of relentless media presentation of their suffering.  Yet during the Obama Administration, more homeowners have suffered foreclosure and repossession than anytime in history.  Yet no sweet music there.  No nationally publicized Hollywood relief to emphasize the suffering plight of Americans under Obama.

During Bush 43’s Administration, “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” was thrown together with, well, whirlwind speed and nationally broadcast on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC, showcasing artists including Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis and Tim McGraw. Matt Lauer of the “Today” show acted as host of the telethon.  ”Shelter From the Storm” was another big Hollywood fundraiser featuring a Bush-bashing Kanye West.  Such star-studded Katrina fundraising is still ongoing.

Yet in May 2011, as hundreds of Americans have been killed and thousands made homeless in the storm and flood ravaged Midwest and South, the headline-grabbing stars of Katrina and FarmAid are strangely absent.  No Kayne West attacks on government inaction, no Sean Penn boat rides to New Orleans.

By contrast, and far from Hollywood, the Bible Belt/gun rack/Country Western music crowd has already stepped up with the “Music Builds: CMT Disaster Relief Concert” aired live on CMT and CMT.com.  But such Bible Belt bitter-clingers hardly count as part of the true Hollywood elite pop culture warriors.

So why has the Hollywood Elite ignored Midwest flood and tornado victims?  Just like movie releases, timing is everything.

With a liberal president inoculated against criticism by virtue of his race, the media moguls in Hollywood know better than to kill the golden goose.  Hollywood liberals won’t gear up their media machine unless a domestic disaster can be spun as political commentary against a sitting Republican adversary or until it can be spun to political advantage.  A cruel irony for disaster victims is that, if John McCain had instead won the White House, Hollywood would likely be rushing to their aid and turning these heartland natural disasters into a commentary on heartless Republican policies faster than an overnight twister. 

But to be fair, Justin Bieber’s youthful sympathy tweet has set the stage for a Midwest youth revival concert.

If Hollywood really cared, if it weren’t the political partner of the DNC, the recent weeks’ devastation and flooding would have been enough to set aside political allegiances to help those in need.  The announcements would have already gone out.  PSAs would be airing.  The donation text messages to millions of celebrities fans and followers would have already flooded as would breathless appeals through Twitter and Facebook.  There’s been plenty of time for Tinsel Town to shine for those regular Americans who watch their movies and buy their concert tickets.

Never let a natural disaster go to waste.

While we at Big Hollywood are quick to point out that celebrities can use their soapbox to do some good, but each time they open their mouth to tell us how to behave, they run the risk of losing the magic of their screen persona.  So to help remind you who spoke up on behalf of “all people” this year, here is a rundown of the 10 most asshat celebrity comments of 2010:

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10.  When Whoopi Goldberg went on O’Reilly to discuss her reason for walking off The View (i.e. plug her new book Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there?”) rather than defend her position about the world having a “Muslim problem,” the two also touched on the issue of whether a Jewish kid or a Muslim kid is more likely to be bullied in the US because of his religion.  O’Reilly had the facts but like most good, Hollywood liberals, Whoopi just said, “I don’t believe it.”

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9. Mel Gibson finds himself on the list for having a long history of racist rants, drunk or not. He gets an extra asshat mention for not checking for a wire when being honest in the face of a Russian.

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8. When Hollywood leftists cannibalize one another as if they were a bunch of Troglodytes forced into an out of control Kubrick film, it sends a spool-of-drool to my mouth like a Pavlovian dog. In April, Sigourney Weaver served up this little dish about her showbiz sister Kathryn Bigelow while in Brazil promoting Pocahontas… I mean Avatar.  “Jim didn’t have breasts, and I think that was the reason,” she told told Folha Online, a Brazilian news site. “He should have taken home that Oscar.”

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7. After apologizing profusely throughout 2010 for grabbing Taylor Swift’s spotlight at the 2009 Grammys, Kanye West did an about face and complained that, after he dissed her onstage, he was disappointed that Taylor Swift “didn’t have my back.” Why would she have his back? He’s the one who humiliated her!

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6. After doing what all celebrity women who can’t maintain a healthy relationship do–buy a child–Sheryl Crow got back up on perch to tell Katie Couric about it for Glamour magazine last June. After Crow complained in the interview that Americans have become too blasé about politics and that nobody has taken to the streets to cause “a riot or a revolution,” Couric correctly pointed to the Tea Party as an example of modern day activism.

“What do you think of the Tea Party movement? Because that is the specific sort of group of people who would say we’re out there, we’re getting involved in the process…” asked Katie Couric.

“I appreciate the fact that those people are out there and that they are fired up,” responded Crow, before adding that Tea Partiers “haven’t educated themselves…they’re just pissed off.”

“My main concern is that [the Tea Party is] really fear-based,” said Crow, a cancer survivor and environmental activist. “What’s coming out of the Tea Party most often, especially if you go onto YouTube, and you see some of the interviews with these people who really don’t even know what the issues are, they’re just swept up in the fear of it and the anger of it.”

“They’re not sure what they’re angry at,” Crow continued. “[T]hey don’t understand what’s happening on Wall Street.”

This from a woman who every year tours the country in custom buses so people can hear music inspired by Eric Clapton, Don Henley, Owen Wilson, and Lance Armstrong.

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5. Gwyneth Paltrow said that losing her baby weight after the birth of her second child, son Moses, in 2006, was “by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” the Huffington Post reported on July 11. “It was really hanging on. It was not easy…but I really was seeing results so it motivated me to just work through it,” Paltrow said. She added that her celebrity trainer, Tracy Anderson, helped her lose the weight by having her work out for two hours a day. Two hours a day!  I don’t know any mother with small children that have time or energy to work out for two hours a day.  Oh, but it gets worse.  Paltrow explains: “Every woman can make time–every woman–and you can do it with your baby in the room. There have been countless times where I’ve worked out with my kids crawling around all over the place. You just make it work, and if it’s important to you, it’ll be important to them.

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4. As reported by Hollywoodland, Ben Affleck on NPR said, “The banks shouldn’t — people shouldn’t make such a giant profit off just moving money back and forth. And CEOs’ pay shouldn’t be 200 times the average worker. It used to be nine times.”

NPR didn’t ask whether that sentiment about overpayment counts for movie stars that make $250,000 for simply showing up at a casino grand opening.

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3. When not backing homophobic and misogynistic rappers on their latest “art” and winning awards from the Gay and Lesbian Community, Pink is thinking about beating her unborn child.  “It’s a great idea to spank your children!” And she’s not just talking about a light tap on the butt, either: “I think parents need to beat the crap out of their kids,” the 31-year-old pop star said to Access Hollywood. “Yes, I think the whole spanking and how it’s all gotten P.C. is just for the birds,” says Pink. Apparently Pink herself got paddled on the butt a time or two as a child by her dad. “Oh, he put me through a wall,” says Pink. “It’s the only reason I’m still here. It’s the only reason I’m still alive.” Thanks Dad.

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2. In her self-made YouTube PSA, Kathy Griffin reaches out to young gay teens the way tobacco companies hope today’s youth will bum a “fag,” light up, and pay their future bills. In it, Kathy sympathizes with gay kids stuck in a Bible-belt closet because of evil Republicans practicing trickle-down homophobia. Because Hollywood knows what’s best for everyone, Kathy also reminds us of how wrong Prop. 8 was and how the courts must overturn it. Laws only apply when they favor Hollywood’s agenda; when the law doesn’t and sides with the majority, Hollywood bullies everyone with a differing view. Days later, hosting VH1 Divas Salute the Troops, Griffin decided to bully Bristol Palin about here weight on “Dancing with the Stars,” shedding a light of shame on all young women who struggle with weight issues and don’t have access to personal trainers.

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1. Watching The Joy Behar Show on Headline News is akin to watching dead tuna dry in the sun–and the only thing that squashes this tuna melt more is when her guest is the man who inspired the term “jumping the shark.” I’m not sure what tank Henry Winkler’s been swimming in since he starred in that hit movie Heroes in 1977, but I wish he’d stayed there. Winkler, on the show to promote his children’s book that deals with dyslexia, felt the need to debase an American family that’s done nothing to him other than be different. In the clip, Winkler says this about Sarah Palin and her family: “I do know that she is the most articulate person in her family.” He and Joy then go to criticize Palin for living the good life they have enjoyed for many years.

Who are your Hollywood Asshats of 2010?

10.  Gorillaz, “Empire Ants”

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“Empire Ants” is one of the few songs on Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach that doesn’t take a single awesome loop and drag it out for four or five minutes.  Instead, it’s got two loops!  That said, though it’s unsubtle, it’s mystifying as a tranquil, dreamy tune that morphs into a hip-hop trance track.  When the beat kicks in, it hits you like a ton of funky bricks, and it’s held together by melancholy vocals from former Blur singer Damon Albarn and guest Little Dragon.

9.  Robyn, “Hang with Me”

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Maybe there is hope for pop music after all.  Swedish pop star Robyn’s open embrace of ’90s electronic pop way after its heyday is a sign of authentic enjoyment rather than a cynical cash-in.  “Hang with Me” is a pop song that gets at a fundamental truth about love: strong companionship trumps exciting romance all the time. Robyn entreats her potential lover to confront and correct her when she’s in the wrong, to keep her confidence, to be present.  All that’s harder than it sounds, and to focus on these elements of relationships while warning against falling “recklessly, headlessly in love with me” is the kind of maturity pop music could use a lot more of.

8.  Kanye West, ”Lost in the World”

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There are so many different elements bouncing around in this song, and Kanye just lets them build and build.  It’s like a little leak in a dam cracking up more and more concrete until the flow is a flood and the spectacle is truly awe-inspiring.

7.  The National, ”Conversation 16″

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Whether you’re a Christian or not, at some point in your life you have to come to grips with the fact that you are demonstrably fallible, flawed, and full of desires and actions that are pure evil.  The National’s “Conversation 16″ understands that fact and brings us a powerful, cathartic admission of it. Singer Matt Berninger guides us through vignettes of unraveling domestic life with lyrics that swerve from darkly comic to despairing to majestically poetic, like a Chekhov play.  In the chorus, he abandons his trademark mumble for a brazen shout: “I was afraid I’d eat your brain, ’cause I’m evil.”  The song explodes into a furor of pounding drums, heavy piano chords, and vocal harmonies that make Berninger’s weary baritone voice soar.

6.  The Innocence Mission, “God is Love”

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There’s something powerful in the quavery voice of Karen Peris, the lead singer and songwriter of the veteran indie group The Innocence Mission.  You hear her singing about her faith with the kind of conviction you’ll never hear from the fame-hungry flavors of the week in contemporary Christian music — a quiet, fearless challenger to mockers and deniers.  While most of her songs focus on seeing the incarnation of goodness and redemption in man, “God is Love” is concerned with the shortcomings of man.  If we were able to find unfailing love, virtue, or trustworthiness in any person, place, or thing, why would we look for it in someone we can’t see, touch, smell, or taste?  “God is Love” is a song for the moments of disappointment and disaffection in our lives, a song to remind us of the only true source of all that is good. And with its humble but powerful expressiveness, the song is a worthy tribute to the subject of its title.

5.  ceo, “White Magic”

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“Just when you thought you had it, out of nowhere, White Magic.”  Recounting a period of psychological and spiritual confusion and despair, Erik Berglund of the Tough Alliance forgoes any further lyrics to describe the awakening and revival he experienced.  Instead, he tells the story instrumentally, indulging in a generous dose of noble savage fantasy.  Unsettling jungle drums give way for a MIDI pan flute loop that somehow communicates tranquility without whitewashing the turbulence and uncertainty that the song’s narrator is escaping.  Redemption in the face of overwhelming evil is one of the most powerful themes you can communicate, and Berglund does it in a way that’s both universal and fresh.

4.  Panda Bear, “Alsatian Darn”

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The other half of Animal Collective’s songwriters is no stranger to solo endeavors and success.  What kept me from enjoying his lauded sophomore album Person Pitch was its monotony.  Even though he created incredible loops that would build into overwhelmingly saturated soundscapes, ultimately he was only working around a single chord, and the tracks often felt more like monastic chants than songs.  However, with his three singles released in 2010, he’s crafted real songs with traditional structures and stripped-down guitar and drum arrangements to carry his trademark multitracked vocal harmonies.  ”Alsatian Darn” is easily the best of his new tunes, a thumping, staccato romp that shifts from mystery and longing to optimism so palpable, you can feel sunshine breaking through the seams in your speakers.  I really can’t tell what he’s saying at all, but regardless, this song (and the single You Can Count on Me on which it resides) shouldn’t be missed.

3.  LCD Soundsystem, “Dance Yrself Clean”

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Normally I’m bored outta my skull when a song reaches five minutes’ length; too many songwriters just don’t have the creative heft to stretch a single idea that long without pulverizing the interest and goodwill I had at the start.  However, James Mercer’s opening track to what is purportedly the final LCD Soundsystem album, This is Happening, is absolutely engrossing all the way through.  Starting so simply, with slight percussion and a single bass synth bouncing back and forth between two notes, it allows Mercer to sing a stark, misanthropic dirge highlighting his disconnection from fans, friends, and himself.  Around three minutes in, the volume goes up, a real drum set kicks in, and Mercer starts wailing and shrieking his way through the song.

You’d be in total rapt attention if you weren’t involuntary dancing; even in your comfy computer chair, you’re bobbing your head and swaying your shoulders.  The synth breakdowns are amelodic, a representation of Mercer’s mind zipping around in every direction, finally settling back into the calm, predictable routine of those first two bass notes.  He’s shouted for our attention and received it, but then, what is he to do with it?  Just retreat, just retire.  When all is said and done, there’s nothing to show for being a rock star, so maybe it’s better to quit while you’re ahead.  ”Dance Yrself Clean” is a fitting opening to the “goodbye for now” that is This is Happening.

2.  Pogo, “Wishery”

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I probably last saw Snow White on VHS when I was four-years-old, and this remix of the film’s audio elements brings me right back to that time, discovering a work of art which is entirely groundbreaking for its medium and masterfully executed.  This isn’t Australian DJ Pogo’s first or most famous piece based on a classic Disney film, but it’s his absolute best.  Whereas previous hits like “Alice” remain low-key and subtle, “Wishery” is vibrant, bold, and busy — a celebration of how human creativity can transform disconnected sounds (or bottles of ink) into meaningful beauty.

1. Deerhunter, “Helicopter”

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Take the nostalgia of “Wishery,” take away any defined object for it, and give it lyrics and a melody you can sing along to, and you’ve got the new shoegazing classic “Helicopter” by Deerhunter.

Singer Bradford Cox begins with a timid revelation of impending death, an inescapable, overpowering force symbolized by “helicopters circling.”  Then when the chorus hits, he does what any sane human does in this situation: prays to God.  The sublime, fuzzy guitar chords come through in rolling waves as the narrator finds relief in the peace of God.  Light pours into his cave; all the failures of his life such as drugs and detachment wash away.  Close your eyes, and you’ll feel your own burdens falling away for these few brief minutes.

Finding a single by an influential indie group that not only faces the vanity of this life but reveals the correct response to it is a true marvel.  My golden rule is that taste is subjective, but if you can’t get into this song I don’t want to be friends anymore.

Stay tuned for the top 10 albums of 2010.

Now that that’s out of the way, Kanye West has a new album out, and it’s pretty darn good.  Not as good as all the other critics are managing to say once their spit glands dry up, but pretty darn good.  Entitled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, aka “The Kanye album with the naked armless chick,” which everyone will call it in 6 months cuz that title is just truly dumb, West’s latest work is, as always, an ode to himself, his career, and how much his success invalidates the people who hate him.  That’s narcissistic, you may say, and you’re right.  West’s music has always been about the tension between his pride and vulnerability, the brief flickers of soul and morality from his Christian upbringing vs. the pleasures and temptations brought on by his considerable skill.

The latter has caused him a ton of personal trouble, from simultaneously dealing with a broken engagement and seeing his mother die from cosmetic surgery complications to becoming Public Enemy #1 after his VMA rant launched the “I’mma let you finish” meme.  And for how admittedly flawed he is, this latest album further cements how skilled he is, working as both producer and vocalist– quite a rarity in the hip-hop world.  He claims to “do the rap and the track– triple, double, no assist” on “Monster,” but in reality, he often does concede the mic to guests, acting more as an emcee or ringmaster than a spotlight hog.  More contradictions– one of the biggest egos in rap is also one of the most generous collaborators.

The primary theme of the album is the value of expression and the human voice itself, with West fusing together the roles of vocalist and producer.  Opener “Dark Fantasy” prominently features a heavily-layered chorus with strong pitch straightening and octave shifting, and the use of multi-layered and sampled choruses continue through “Power,” “All of the Lights,” the intro and outro of “Monster,” and the penultimate track “Lost in the World,” which gloriously expands a vocal sample from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Vernon describes his collaboration with West, claiming “some of the stuff I was doing with my voice was more weird and instrumental– basically building what would sound like a synth part with vocals.”  That experimentation shows up with West himself, who concludes the ballad “Runaway” with a heavily distorted, auto-tuned vocal track, shattering the distinction between singer and instrument.  It’s obviously nothing incredibly novel, but it’s an affecting expression of his view of his role in the music world.

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While his songcraft has progressed well, West also shows he can still rap after singing his way through 2008’s 808s & Heartbreak, cycling through bravado, arrogance, humor, and soulfulness.  The first released track “Power” shows West discussing the ups and downs of his celebrity– an unapologetic ode to his pride that somehow culminates in him contemplating suicide.  In “Monster,” West riffs on his bad reputation, bringing in Jay-Z and song stealer Nicki Minaj, who obviously relish the goofy old-school monster movie imagery they present (the song was first released right before Halloween).  The song builds and builds through the dynamic performances of each guest, bolstered by some no-frills pounding drums to create a song that’s so full of pure fun, you don’t even notice it’s almost 7 minutes long.

However, some songs are still unable to overcome weaknesses in the rap genre.  ”Gorgeous” and “So Appalled” repeat a single ho-hum, mid-tempo loop through their entire runs, which would be fine if their vocal performances were dynamic enough to keep our attention.  The Kanye-to-mumbly-singers-and-back structure of “Gorgeous” turns it into a snoozefest, and unlike “Monster,” we lose interest as more and more guests show up on “So Appalled.”  Take away these songs, and the album loses nothing; it becomes tighter, less unwieldy.  To find a good metaphor for the album as a whole, I only need to look to “Devil in a New Dress:”  a near-perfect exercise in experimental soul gets dragged down by totally unnecessary content (in “Devil”’s case, a mood-crushing guest verse by Rick Ross).  Even the hype magnet “Runaway,” to clinch its cloying sentimentality, is bogged down by an extended instrumental coda that virtually doubles the length of the track.

And aside from the musical missteps, there are some moments of lyrical facepalms.  There’s the dopey assertion that the government intentionally spreads AIDS among blacks.  There’s a sampled monologue where Gil Scott-Heron calls America the result of Freedom raping Africa and giving it VD… or something.  There’s West’s (and virtually all of rap’s) trademark lasciviousness that presents itself in new and even more perverted ways, which further undercuts his professed Christianity (“pussy and religion is all I need,” he crows on “Hell of a Life” while delving into the juvenile fantasy that porn stars really like getting raped all the time and want their marriages exactly like their careers).

George Bush's unlikely defender.

It’s kind of disappointing to see, after the introspection of 808s, West has swung back the other way to a level of prurience he hasn’t indulged in before.  That said, he does conjure some genuinely emotionally compelling moments:  “Lost in the World” responds to malaise with optimism, “All of the Lights” oddly fuses a memorial for Michael Jackson with the career-long pathos West has maintained for the issues working-class people experience, and “Blame Game” takes a filthy Chris Rock comedy monologue and makes it a poignant bookend to a song about the profound pain of a breakup.

I’ve gained a healthy respect for Kanye West as an artist and a person, revisiting his earlier catalog around the time he began releasing weekly tracks from his “Dark Fantasy” sessions.  The man has used his microphone to talk about whatever he thinks is important as honestly and as skillfully as he can.  His “George Bush hates black people” crack wasn’t a poseur move made to get “in” with the establishment media; it was a genuine moment of uninformed, misguided rage (which I’m sure none of us have ever succumbed to… ever).  More importantly, he was able to empathize with Bush, admit he was wrong, and defend the man’s humanity when the majority of West’s audience probably isn’t satisfied unless W. is portrayed with both a Hitler mustache and a noose around his neck.

Between these sorts of in-concert rants and his Twitter feed, West’s quick rebound in public esteem can be chalked up to his PR-bypassing connection with fans, where his self-effacing genuineness charmed us into forgetting “I’mma let you finish.”  I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I’ll embrace a disgraced honest screw-up rather than a disgraced fake, calculated goody-goody.

But personal issues aside, West is still on his top game, making great music by taking chances and expanding his musical palette.  Despite falling into the common foibles of rap and leaving in too much filler, he’s doing his best to transcend the genre and make, in his own words, “pop art”– experimental music with universal appeal.  It’s worth a listen, if you don’t believe that rap is a musical genre with no artistic merit.  If you do, how have you made it this far?

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Good to know Kanye West is capable of shame. There might be hope for him yet. Who would’ve ever guessed that after eight years of the worst kind of cruelty and vitriol aimed at President Bush that West would be the first to publicly take it back. Knowing the left as we all do, Kanye is likely to be the last.

My wife downloaded “Decision Points” to her Kindle yesterday and I made the mistake last night of thinking a few pages might help me doze off and ended up reading until way past 1am. According to the Kindle gizmo-thingy, I’m 17% in — which is who knows how many pages, but thus far it’s a riveting read and much more of an autobiography than the title implies.

The book’s been pitched as the memoir of a president looking back at how he came to make a certain number of key decisions throughout his personal and political life, but that’s really just the storytelling frame Bush uses to tell the story of a very interesting life, a life that most certainly did not point to him becoming one of the consequential president’s of our time.

The best part of the read is how the President’s voice comes through on every page. Like the man, the prose is direct, humble, frequently funny, and always humane. He’s probably one of the most decent men to ever hold that office and if you think you miss him now wait till you read “Decision Points.”

For which group is there more evidence of members assenting to racist comments:  the Tea Party or the NAACP?  

While the national leftist media outlets continue to fall over themselves trying to figure out a spin on the story that sticks, we at Big Hollywood thought we’d double down with some analysis of the NAACP’s treatment of racism in the entertainment industry.

For 41 years, the NAACP has awarded “Image” awards to black entertainers who achieve excellence in the arts.  Despite its rightful role in celebrating the accomplishments of people of color in the arts, the awards show has also been beset by controversy.  Several nominees and winners of awards have engaged in openly racist behavior.  For example, Jamie Foxx, a winner of multiple NAACP Image awards, called Miley Cyrus a “little white bitch” who should “catch chlamydia on a bicycle seat.”  The NAACP has yet to comment on Foxx’s remarks.  Going beyond hatred for one white person, rapper Ice Cube released a song in 1993 titled “Enemy,” with lyrics that state:

[Referring to Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech]

You gonna grow old holdin’ crackers’ hands
Before you hold each others’ hands?
You gonna walk with your enemy
Before you learn to walk with one another?
How sick can you be? …
Please don’t [shoot] til you see the whites of his eyes,
The whites of his skin, the whites of his lies.

Two years later, Ice Cube was nominated for an Image award for his role in the film Higher Learning.

His other songs are reprehensible as well. “No Vaseline” makes derogatory statements about Jews, but the actual focus of the song revolves around anally raping and shooting/lynching his former N.W.A. colleagues.  “Black Korea” is unabashedly racist against Asian-Americans.  After peppering the song with slurs (“Oriential one-penny counting motherfuckers,” “little Chinese motherfucker,” “your chop suey ass”), Mr. Cube says, “So pay respect to the black fist/ Or we’ll burn your store right down to a crisp.”  Sounds a little too close for comfort to the racially incendiary art of another Image award winner. No NAACP statement has ever been made condemning his endorsement of racially motivated violence.

As is commonly criticized in rap lyrics, the “N” word is all too often used and abused.  Jay-Z and Whoopi Goldberg have each stated that they use the term to delineate brotherhood and try to co-opt its original hateful meaning, which I understand completely.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve called myself an evil neocon in jest, attempting to turn a stupid pejorative into a word with no power to intimidate or silence any person by grouping him or her with a label that immediately assigns hate and ostracism.  But in rap music, the use of “n*gger” is often derogatory, not uplifting.  Consider lyrics from Image award winners R. Kelly, Tupac Shakur, and—oh yes, nominee Jay-Z.  Perpetuating the “N” word’s use as a hateful and demeaning slur against African Americans is exactly what the NAACP should be denouncing, not rewarding.

And for these artists, the racially insensitive expressions are not limited to lyrics themselves.  In the music video for “Run This Town,” a collaboration between Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Rihanna (all three are Image winners & nominees), the artists lead a flame-engulfed riot, dressed in outfits similar to groups that promote racially motivated violence:  the PLO (keffiyehs), the KKK (pointed hoods—but they’re black!), and the Black Panthers (plain, all-black shirt & pants with black beret—but, of course, this could just be a reference to beatniks, right?).

And, to top it all off, this past year the NAACP gave an Image award to Van Jones, the former Green Jobs Czar who casually singled out “white polluters,” stereotyped that “only white suburban kids shoot up schools,” and decried Israel’s “occupation” of Israel.  Benjamin Jealous gave Jones the NAACP President’s Award at the 41st annual Image Awards.  “Van Jones is an American treasure,” he reasoned. 

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Now, the temptation here is to use the tactics of the left, to declare these men and women wholly bad and to disregard any artistry, charity, or basic humanity for which they should be shown respect.  To do that, or to label the NAACP as an organization that tolerates and welcomes racism as the Left has labeled the Tea Party movement, would be disingenuous and irresponsible.  One person making racist statements or statements construed as racism indicates nothing about the people who constitute the majority of and define the values of a group.  But let’s look at how said majority has reacted to racism in both the Tea Party and the NAACP.

This last April 15th, a small movement of agent provocateurs mobilized to try and embarrass Tea Partiers at nationwide protests.  In several locations, individuals espousing white supremacy or other hateful sentiments were booed and forced away from the crowd.  Whether these people were leftists trying to forge some evidence for the “Tea Partiers are Racist” meme or genuine racists trying to piggyback off the Tea Party’s popularity, the overwhelming majority of Tea Party members showed that racism has no place in their movement. 

Compare this with the NAACP’s reaction to clear racism in both the political and entertainment world.  Ms. Sherrod’s remarks, before revealing her change of heart, were greeted by her audience with murmurs of approval, chuckles, and absolutely no objections.  Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s audience has been a tad more enthusiastic in response to his hateful comments, with no rebuke from Mr. Jealous’ organization.  The NAACP has nominated the aforementioned artists for Image awards, given them the prizes—sometimes more than once—and never once condemned their openly hateful speech.  At the very least, even if the opportunity to deny an artist a nomination has passed, the organization could issue a statement saying that such behavior is not appropriate for those who have been honored with Image awards. 

The NAACP ought to hold those it designates as role models for the black community to higher standards than this.  If it continues to ignore the propagation of racially incendiary and violent expression, the group has no leg to stand on when condemning the Tea Party.

Nashville is drowning and Hollywood is nowhere to be found. Country singer Julie Roberts has lost her home and yet Julia Roberts has yet to send help. Julie Roberts wrote my wife’s favorite country song  which goes, ”…men and mascara, always run…” Where are Brad Pitt and the rest of the Hollywood liberal elite who rightfully rushed into New Orleans now that culturally significant sites like The Grand Ole Opry and The Country Music Hall of Fame are under water?

When will Bono write a song?

The President has yet to tour Nashville and give comfort to the American families hit by this disaster. So where is that rude fellow Kanye West? Why isn’t he on television proclaiming that the current President hates country folks since he has taken no real action to help Nashville? Why doesn’t he step up to take the mic from Taylor Swift again and match her $500,000 donation to the relief efforts?

To anyone who dares look at the ugly underbelly of the situation the answer is obvious: racism! You see the majority of the folks who have been affected by the flooding in Nashville and the surrounding areas are white. I am sure they are also perceived to be redneck hicks who might be conservatives by the Hollywood elites.

There are some relief efforts underway.  On Thursday evening, May 6, a group of country stars had a telethon on a local channel featuring Vince Gill, who was directly affected by the flooding, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar, Steve Wariner, Buddy Jewell, Lonestar, Bo Bice and Lee Roy Parnell.

None of the major networks carried it live, of course. I guess white folks drowning in rivers and being ignored by Obama isn’t as newsworthy as the evil-doings of George Bush. Perhaps the Obama Administration is still researching some way to blame this on Bush before making a statement.

Hey, where is Ashley Judd? I thought she was a country kind of girl.

Here’s a link to Nashville station WKRN and a list of organizations helping with relief.

We all know that many Hollywood insiders live inside a magical bubble where there are no consequences for anything. Serial affairs, alcohol, drugs — everything is forgiven as long as you can make money for the machine (but they are against capitalism, natch), except that most heinous of crime of all: being a conservative.  And we all know that many of them place themselves on a higher plane than those of us little people down here in the theater and stadium seats and in front of our television sets, without whom, of course, Tinseltown would be nothing but a very large (and broke) collection of overinflated egos.

Proof of this “holier than thou” attitude comes right out of the mouth of one of the biggest bigwigs himself: Harvey Weinstein of Miramax pictures:

In an interview, Weinstein said that people generally misunderstand what happened to Polanski at sentencing. He’s not convinced public opinion is running against the filmmaker and dismisses the categorization of Hollywood as amoral. “Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion,” Weinstein said. “We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.”

Let’s repeat that, shall we? “Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion. We were the people who did the fundraising for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.”

Well, thank goodness for Hollywood. Without them, nothing would get done. Yet, where were we, Harvey? Where exactly were “the little people” during these tragic times?

Let’s see: 403 firefighters, police officers and paramedics died on 9/11 while trying to save the lives of thousands of others, not to mention the respiratory problems of some 300 firefighters afterward and the 422,000 New Yorkers who suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. An estimated $1.4 billion was donated by regular Americans to 9/11 charities. Let’s not forget those who stepped forward to volunteer to help in whatever capacity they could. (This is not to be confused with the “National Day of Service” that is supposed to take the place of a proper day of remembrance.)

Mentions of 9/11 at the next Academy Awards? 26.

Nearly $4 billion was raised by private, non-profit organizations for relief after Hurricane Katrina. (Sadly, much of it was misspent, but that’s not the fault of those who donated.) More than 1 million volunteers made their way to the storm-ravaged area, giving up weekends and vacation plans to help.

Yes, Hollywood held a telethon — to which average Americans donated money — where Kanye West declared, “George W. Bush doesn’t like black people.” I love those touching Kumbaya, bring-the-nation-together moments.  Don’t you?

And who could forget Sean Penn’s valiant effort to save helpless victims as he went down, shotgun in hand, and boarded a boat loaded down by his entourage that included a photographer, and ended up bailing out his sinking boat with a red plastic cup. Mission accomplished!

Last, but certainly not least, when it comes to disasters at home and around the world, we cannot forget our fabulous military. When deployed, they always act efficiently and with compassion. And our government is usually quick to donate millions to disaster-ravaged areas too, like pledging $350 million to help in the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia back in 2004.

By the way, when’s that telethon to help the victims of the tsunami in American Samoa scheduled?

Don’t misunderstand: if Hollywood wants to hold telethons and concerts and whatever else to raise funds for a good cause, no one’s going to complain. But let’s keep it in perspective. To quote Eugene Robinson (a Washington Post lib, no less):

The Los Angeles Times quoted Weinstein as saying in an interview that he doesn’t believe public opinion is running against Polanski — or that Hollywood is out of step. “Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion,” Weinstein said, according to the newspaper. “We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.”

Hollywood was there, all right, whenever the tragedy was distant, the victims were anonymous and the “compassionate” concert or telethon had acceptable production values that made all the stars look their best. How heroically they rearranged their busy schedules!

Indeed. It brings a tear even to my jaundiced eye — the red carpet, the fabulous gowns, fawning celeb mag fotogs, the goodie bags worth thousands of dollars, the after-hours VIP parties in exclusive clubs…

Back in 2007, Americans gave just under $300 billion to charity, with individuals giving a combined 75.6 percent of the total, donating almost twice as much as the next most charitable nation, the UK . And those in the poorest income brackets donate more per capita than their wealthier counterparts. Was there a star-studded telethon that year (aside from the usual Jerry Lewis gig)? I can’t recall. But how strange that many celebs are reluctant to publicly declare how much cold cash they personally donate to a cause.

So, Harvey, please, take your “moral compass” and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. I think Americans are doing just fine without your overrated “guiding light.”