The public relations hit Hollywood took during their tone-deaf Rally ‘Round The Child Rapist Movement last September was pretty devastating for the entertainment industry as a whole. It was also probably the first time The Beautiful People had to confront the reality that their propaganda wing known as the entertainment media could no longer control the image of their narrative. Blogs, talk radio, Fox News and other truth tellers gave the child-rapist apologists a serious taste of accountability, and it stung.

In order to recover, the film industry can only play the revisionist game and try to rewrite their sordid Polanski support in the hopes that those of us who don’t think directing “Chinatown” earns you a free pass to anally rape a child will somehow forget. So, a little too late, along comes the Daily Beast’s Kim Masters who gives it the old college try with an article arguing that Polanski doesn’t really have as much Hollywood support as some of us might think.

After portraying himself as a victim in his public letter earlier this month, the fugitive director has lost support in the movie industry that once defended him.

Roman Polanski had better hope his recent statement—breaking his silence on his arrest last September and asking “to be treated fairly like anyone else”—falls on more sympathetic ears in Switzerland than in much of Hollywood. Because if industry power players were judging whether to extradite the 76-year-old director, chances are he would be on the next flight to Los Angeles.

Well that sure sounds a like a too-late moral awakening, but an awakening nonetheless. A quick perusal between the lines, however, tells the real story. (more…)

CORRECTION:  This post failed to include numerous essays on the site critical of the filmmaker’s actions. While the site did include several strong commentaries speaking out in favor of Polanski, the site’s anti-Polanski posts outnumber them. I should have dug deeper and apologize for the error. –C.T. END CORRECTION

The Huffington Post has made it crystal clear where it stands on the news that director Roman Polanski may have to answer for his 31-year-old crime of child rape: “Move on, everyone. Nothing to see here. Keep on directing, Roman. Love ya!”

The popular liberal site has posted numerous essays since news that Polanski was arrested in Switzerland broke over the weekend, each arguing vehemently against the Oscar winner’s persecution.

• Kim Morgan: “Roman Polanski understands women” – starts with her exasperation over the Polanski witch hunt.

• Bernard-Henri Levy: Let’s start a petition in support of Polanski.

• John Farr: Leniency for Polanski.

But HuffPo readers aren’t buying it. And boy, are they angry.

Check out the comments left on each of these essays and you’ll see faithful HuffPo readers aghast that the site could be defending the indefensible. (more…)