Hollywood and I: Both Wrong About Michael Jackson

It’s important to be honest with yourself – even when it turns out you were wrong. As it turns out, I was apparently wrong about Michael Jackson and I just wish that the rest of the people in Hollywood who keep talking about how wonderful he was would take a moment to consider that maybe they’re wrong, too.

On the eve of Michael Jackson’s death, I penned a column for FOX News in Michael Jackson’s defense arguing that he should be remembered for all his charitable accomplishments as opposed to the unproved accusations against him.

“Sure, Jackson was prosecuted twice, and although this reporter can’t acquit him of any charges, he was never convicted of a single crime,” I wrote. “He certainly didn’t deserve the tabloid innuendos that only fueled a toxic fire that was burning his reputation to a cinder in the court of public opinion.”

I stand by that statement, but there’s a difference between tabloid innuendos and facts, and to my surprise it turns out that although the most damning evidence against Jackson is indisputable, Hollywood and the media have paid little attention to it. (more…)

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Tags: Andrew Breitbart, child pornography, Gavin Arvizo, Hollywood Interrupted, Jason Francia
Posted Dec 29th 2009 at 7:03 am in Celebrity News, Featured Story, Law, Media Criticism | 286214594 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jsshapiro/2009/12/29/hollywood-and-i-both-wrong-about-michael-jackson/Hollywood+and+I%3A+Both+Wrong+About+Michael+Jackson2009-12-29+15%3A03%3A22Jeffrey+Scott+Shapiro

Stand Up Notes From Flyover Country: Lady HaHa

I was doing a little channel surfing a few weeks ago and happened across some sort of music awards show. I believe it was The American Music Awards but judging from the level of the performances it could have been some sort of reality show. What caused me to stop for a moment was seeing who I thought was Madonna doing a little dance number in combat boots.

Madonna is famous for, among other things, reinventing herself. “Reinventing” is show business talk for falling to a new level of depravity. You never see the Hollywood press praising someone for finding faith or cleaning up their act but if they demean Christian values or morality, they get raves. So I was interested to see if this was some sort of political or religious statement or just the latest fashion craze.

So I watched the performance for a few moments. The woman who was the focus to the number then moved to a piano inside a glass case which later ignited in flames. I started to suspect that this wasn’t Madonna because to the best of my knowledge she doesn’t play the piano and is old enough to remember that the late Michael Jackson set himself on fire awhile back. At the end of the song the woman leaned back with outstretched arms as if to say I have exhausted myself as an artist by dancing and lip syncing for three minutes.

(more…)

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Tags: American Music Awards, Andy Kaufman, Borat, Lady Gaga, madonna
Posted Dec 28th 2009 at 7:04 am in Entertainment, Music, Political Humor | 284238110 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/12/28/stand-up-notes-from-flyover-country-lady-haha/Stand+Up+Notes+From+Flyover+Country%3A+Lady+HaHa2009-12-28+15%3A04%3A51Jeffrey+Jena

‘This Is It’: A Genuine Thriller

Michael Jackson was the epitome of a human Rorschach test. To his fans, he was a Messiah of entertainment, seemingly able to transcend the mere mortal abilities of nearly anyone in the history of show business. To his detractors, he was an eccentric who was also repeatedly accused of molesting children. To yet others, he was both. 

When he died of an apparent drug overdose just shy of his 50th birthday on June 25, while rehearsing for an intense 50-show engagement in London, it seemed that this conundrum would never be solved and that his life and legacy would be forever shadowed. Then word emerged that concert promoter AEG had decided to sell extensive footage it shot of the show’s rehearsals and put it up for bidding war, which Sony Pictures won for $60 million. Debate raged throughout Hollywood and the business world about whether this was an appropriate outcome, or if it reeked of exploitation.  (more…)

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Tags: "This Is It", concert, documentary, drugs, Michael Jackson
Posted Oct 28th 2009 at 10:33 am in Film, Music, Reviews | 25433471 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2009/10/28/this-is-it-a-genuine-thriller/%27This+Is+It%27%3A+A+Genuine+Thriller2009-10-28+17%3A33%3A14Carl+Kozlowski

‘NewsBusted’ 9/04/09 — Fake News from the Right

(more…)

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Tags: C.I.A., Chris Matthews, Dick Cheney, DNC, Global warming
Posted Sep 4th 2009 at 6:07 pm in Media Criticism, Political Humor, Video | 21791412 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/newsbusters/2009/09/04/%e2%80%98newsbusted%e2%80%99-90409-%e2%80%94-fake-news-from-the-right/%E2%80%98NewsBusted%E2%80%99+9%2F04%2F09+%E2%80%94+Fake+News+from+the+Right2009-09-05+01%3A07%3A27NewsBusters

Lonewolf Diaries: Mourning Dead People Who Suck

When a toolbag dies… How are you supposed to handle it? Are you supposed to honor them? Post-mortem, does a pedophile become the “greatest musician of all time”? Does a killer become an “American Icon”? Does death in itself wipe the slate clean, exempting the deceased from all judgment?  Or are you supposed to view them just as you did in life (be it good or bad)?

In my humble opinion… None of the above. Death is not only a passing on, but a time for everyone else to truthfully reflect on one’s life. To skim through the unsavory parts (or in Kennedy/MJ’s case, skip entire chapters all together) is to do the world a disservice. How are the rest of us shmucks supposed to learn from past mistakes if we can’t even acknowledge them to begin with?

The fact that the media decided to smooch the Kennedys’ rears through the death of Ted is appalling. Not only was there no mention of the Chappaquiddick river “incident” or his character assassination of Clarence Thomas, but the coverage was carried out in a way that assumed everyone was in agreement with the man’s misguided agenda. (more…)

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Tags: Chappaquiddick, Clarence Thomas, death, mainstream media, Media bias
Posted Sep 1st 2009 at 5:59 pm in Celebrity News, Culture, Lone Wolf Diaries, Media Criticism, News | 216386131 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/09/01/lonewolf-diaries-mourning-dead-people-who-suck/Lonewolf+Diaries%3A+Mourning+Dead+People+Who+Suck2009-09-02+00%3A59%3A11Steven+Crowder

Precision Voting

31 August 2009
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

The historical Afghan elections scheduled for 20 August were days away. While the west mostly continued to vote for Afghanistan, the big question was, “Will Afghanistan vote for itself?”

The latest media wave splashed into the main voting centers in places like Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat and Lashkar Gah. The larger cities only account for perhaps 20% of the Afghan population. Whereas the easy and obvious stories are in the cities, a crucial and larger dimension—the other 80%—would unfold in the boonies. Most Afghans would have no chance to vote. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, FLETs, healthcare, Helmand Province, Kajaki Dam
Posted Aug 31st 2009 at 2:26 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 21528619 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/08/31/precision-voting/Precision+Voting+2009-08-31+21%3A26%3A29Michael+Yon

No Justice, No Rest in Peace

This week’s Washington Times column:

With the deaths of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Michael Jackson, the summer of ‘09 marked the merciful ends to Camelot and Neverland, iconic American fairy tales whose story lines should have come to merciful ends long ago when their charismatic protagonists took dark and irredeemable turns.

Our country was not built to support blood dynasties or to elevate the rich and famous to a higher ethical or constitutional plain. But through the power of celebrity, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Jackson worked the media to twist truths. They manipulated their constituencies and fans to obscure their misdeeds. They played the faithful to confer this manufactured innocence on the rest of us. And, in the end, they placed themselves above the law.

My condolences go to the Kennedy and Jackson families, who should not be stained by the sins of their kin. But there is no time like the present to ensure that those masterfully produced, over-the-top, all-star televised funerals don’t serve to canonize talented and charismatic men who failed to own up to their public wrongs and who continued to flaunt the behaviors that got them into trouble.

The result was Mr. Kennedy needn’t do more than show up for work to atone for his calculated selfishness. Without apology or contrition, Mr. Kennedy crafted a public career in which he spent taxpayers’ money – certainly not his own – to make up for his unspeakable behavior. (more…)

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Tags: camelot, Chappaquiddick, Edward M. Kennedy, Elizabeth Kubler-Ros, healthcare
Posted Aug 30th 2009 at 6:19 pm in Celebrity News, Featured Story, Media Criticism, News, Politics | 214378122 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/abreitbart/2009/08/30/no-justice-no-rest-in-peace/No+Justice%2C+No+Rest+in+Peace2009-08-31+01%3A19%3A36Andrew+Breitbart

NBC’s Reality TV: To Catch a Terrorist

When I learned of a new NBC-TV series called “The Wanted,” about an elite investigative team tracking down terrorists-at-large, I naturally assumed the terrorists in question would be Homeland Security priorities: white Christian conservatives building abortion clinic bombs in church basements, anti-government Tea Partiers, and disgruntled military veterans, whose volatile mix of post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia of big government could cause them to snap at any moment and take out the nearest Obama-appointed czar (after all, there are more czars than there are Secret Service agents to protect them).

Imagine my astonishment when I discovered that “the wanted” of the show’s first two recent episodes (you can see them here; four more have been produced but are not presently scheduled) were Islamic terrorists.  This is an encouraging new development, considering that Western governments and media have increasingly made taboo any reference to a connection between Islam and acts of terror (of course, the Islamists themselves never got that memo, because they insist on quoting Islamic theology to justify their murder and mayhem). And the left-leaning entertainment industry has virtually ceased pitting heroes against the real-world threat of jihadis, falling back instead on more fashionable stock bogeymen like corporate executives, Marvel Comics supervillains, and, well, corporate executives.  (more…)

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Tags: 9/11 hijackers, al qaeda, Ansar al-Islam, Bristol Palin, Czars
Posted Aug 7th 2009 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Military, Politics, Reviews | 19910633 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mtapson/2009/08/07/to-catch-a-terrorist/NBC%27s+Reality+TV%3A+To+Catch+a+Terrorist2009-08-07+12%3A03%3A40Mark+Tapson

(We’re Quickly Becoming) A Nation of Idiots

Michael Jackson died and the media cried. But don’t worry; they were tears of joy, not despair. After all, what better time to sacrifice journalistic integrity for the sake of high ratings and bloated ad revenues?

In the weeks following Jackson’s death, the level and scope of coverage was and continues to be mind-numbing. Sure, MJ’s death was tragic, but tragedy doesn’t warrant the widespread disengagement of American media outlets, nor does it permit the dumbing down of pertinent information. To borrow from John Ziegler, the obsessive coverage of Michael Jackson’s death is yet another glaring symptom of the malpractice that is all too common amongst today’s media elite.

It’s no surprise that CNN and others are jumping on the bandwagon. Jackson’s collapse and subsequent death fueled increased viewership and network interest. According to CNN co-founder Reese Schonfeld:

“Jackson’s death brought all sorts of new viewers to the cable news networks, and it’s obvious that most of them turned to CNN. CNN is still seen, by most people who are not news junkies, as the place to turn to for news they really care about.”

(more…)

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Tags: CNN, Eric Holder, iran, Joe Biden, john ziegler
Posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 5:07 am in Media Criticism | 19472273 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bhallowell/2009/08/03/were-quickly-becoming-a-nation-of-idiots/%28We%27re+Quickly+Becoming%29+A+Nation+of+Idiots2009-08-03+12%3A07%3A50Billy+Hallowell

The Case Against Mortarboarding

I have received a number of e-mails over the years from disgruntled parents griping about the left-wing indoctrination their kids are forced to undergo at colleges and universities all over America.  One minute, it seems, the kids are sane, or at least as sane as one can expect of 18-year-olds, and the next thing you know they’re parroting the likes of Ward Churchill, William Ayers and Noam Chomsky, bad-mouthing America and yodeling the praises of such left-wing troglodytes as Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers and Barack Obama. I feel their frustration.  Even if the little nincompoops can’t do long division or write a coherent sentence, parents feel like child abusers if they don’t pony up the dough to send their kids off for what is laughingly referred to as higher education. 

If I were running things, most high school grads would enter trade schools.  America will always need nurses, plumbers, carpenters, glaziers and mechanics.  What nobody needs is some 21-year-old schnook who’s wasted four years and most of his inheritance majoring in black, Hispanic or lesbian, studies.  And, then, to make matters worse, because like the Scarecrow of Oz, they have a sheepskin, they’re actually convinced they’re smarter than their parents. 

One of my readers, Penny Alfonso, of Glendale, California, shared a conversation she had with her daughter.  “I told her I won’t pay the tuition for any classes that end in the word “studies”.  I have also told her that while I have no right to tell her how to think, if she comes home hating America and spewing the lies of the leftists, I will tell her I love her, and that she has the right to believe whatever she wants to believe, but I don’t have to pay for it.  In the 20 years of her life, if she’s learned nothing else, she has learned that I am completely serious about this.”  (more…)

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Tags: Al Capone, Castro Brothers, Hugo Chavez, lesbian, Michael Jackson
Posted Jul 28th 2009 at 8:36 am in Politics | 193606127 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bprelutsky/2009/07/28/the-case-against-mortarboarding/The+Case+Against+Mortarboarding2009-07-28+15%3A36%3A40Burt+Prelutsky

Deepak Chopra’s Hatred for America

So yesterday on the Huffington Post, Deepak Chopra published yet another anti-American screed – this time lamenting the fact that we’re the last remaining superpower. He says the world would be a better place if the US just packed it in as a leader, and to quote Lennon, “give peace a chance!” In it he writes, “America leads the world in arms dealing, starting wars, and developing new methods of mechanized death,” conveniently leaving out all the incidental stuff that comes with being a heavily armed, supercool, superpower. Meaning, saving millions of lives by ending world wars, getting rid of dictators, stopping famine and assorted civil conflicts, and preventing mass disease. Chopra also hilariously vomits that, “Peace is achieved by being peaceful, no matter what the military-industrial complex claims to the contrary.”

Tell that to the Iranian voters, jackass. (more…)

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Tags: Deepak Chopra, fighting evil, Huffington Post, iran, Iranian protests
Posted Jul 21st 2009 at 12:06 pm in Daily Gut, News, Politics | 188930298 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/07/21/deepak-chopra%e2%80%99s-hatred-for-america/Deepak+Chopra%E2%80%99s+Hatred+for+America2009-07-21+19%3A06%3A09Greg+Gutfeld

Michael Jackson: NAMBLA Gets a Messiah

Michael Jackson was an inspiration to many groups of people all over the world. One group in particular saw him as the perfect messenger for their crusade, the North American Man/Boy Love Association – NAMBLA. NAMBLA is set for Michael Jackson’s return with the hope that he’ll set the record straight about loving young boys. They’re ready for a global love fest and it’s BYOJJ (Bring your own Jesus Juice.)

NAMBLA is an organization with a goal to eliminate age-of-consent laws. Arguing those younger than 18 have the mental ability to make decisions, they claim it is unfair to the youth to prevent them from doing so. They oppose forcing sexual relations on anyone, regardless of age. They do not advocate breaking the law, but work to change the law.

On June 15th 2005 the men of NAMBLA rejoiced when the pop singer Michael Jackson was found not guilty of all charges of sexual molestation of boys and of providing minors with alcohol. The group considered Michael Jackson’s acquittal to be a vindication for their Association. “Michael’s innocence is something that is held very dear to us,” said a representative at the time. “We can all relate to wanting to love a child. Many of us have small children that we love and many of us take small children to bed with us every night. Loving a child is not a crime and Michael has proven that to everyone.” Some NAMBLA members felt this was breaking new ground for them and hoped to see laws amended such as mandatory curfews for minors and the legal age of consent lowered to nine years of age. (more…)

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Tags: 60 minutes, Michael Jackson, NAMBLA, Neverland, pedophile
Posted Jul 17th 2009 at 8:39 am in Celebrity News, Featured Story, Politics | 185106140 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlindsey/2009/07/17/nambla-gets-a-messiah/Michael+Jackson%3A+NAMBLA+Gets+a+Messiah2009-07-17+15%3A39%3A01Joseph+Lindsey

Michael Jackson and the Supremes

As we endure the endless hours of Sotomayor testimony, let’s remember that rehashing the bizarre lives of dead pop stars can be SO much more interesting than 99.9% of Senate testimony. That said, in researching my new book “Hollywood on the Potomac,” I found an historic tidbit that spoke volumes about both Michael Jackson and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He wasn’t Chief Justice at the time… but when John Roberts was a young lawyer in the Reagan White House, he was very much concerned with Michael Jackson.

The year was 1984 and Michael Jackson was the biggest sensation since Elvis – moonwalking was rapidly replacing blue suede shoes in America’s pop culture lexicon.  Jackson’s notorious publicity machine was becoming a global tour de force, and he was sending the White House requests for visits, concert tickets and more!  Most of all, Jackson was keen on having Reagan present him with a major award. (more…)

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Tags: George H.W. Bush, John Roberts, Michael Jackson, ronald reagan, Sotomayor
Posted Jul 16th 2009 at 11:32 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 18321080 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/07/16/michael-jackson-and-the-supremes/Michael+Jackson+and+the+Supremes++2009-07-16+18%3A32%3A30Jason+Killian+Meath

The King of Pop, Sir Paul, and the Right to Reclaim Copyrights

This may be a shocking revelation to all but the most avid news-followers, but it is apparently true: pop star Michael Jackson recently passed away.  A handful of media outlets found time to cover the story, and some of them have mentioned Jackson’s feud with Paul McCartney over Jackson’s ownership of the publishing rights to some of the Beatles’ biggest hits-rights acquired when Jackson outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono in the mid-1980’s. 

People not familiar with copyright law might be surprised to hear that McCartney-one-half of music’s most-successful songwriting duo-must pay royalties to perform his own hit songs.  The fact certainly seemed to grate on McCartney, who frequently made mention of it in interviews.  But even more surprising, at least to those not acquainted with the intricacies of copyright law, is that Sir Paul will one day be able to re-acquire the rights to his music without even having to pay to buy them back.

(more…)

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Tags: Beatles, Congress, Copyright Act, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney
Posted Jul 14th 2009 at 10:21 am in Entertainment, Law | 18104271 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/carledge/2009/07/14/the-king-of-pop-sir-paul-and-the-right-to-reclaim-copyrights/The+King+of+Pop%2C+Sir+Paul%2C+and+the+Right+to+Reclaim+Copyrights2009-07-14+17%3A21%3A24Chris+Arledge

Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice

This month marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind.

Mr. Armstrong is still alive, and, as far as I know, in good health.  But alas, one day, like all of us, Armstrong will shuffle off this mortal coil.  When he does, his passing will no doubt be news – it will lead on all of the broadcast and cable news programs, and decorate the front pages of the daily papers.  He might even for a brief moment replace The Chosen One’s smiling visage on the covers of the etiolated news weeklies which grow thinner in size and substance with each passing week.

But will millions tune in to watch the funeral proceedings from across the globe?  Will thousands descend into the streets in tears, inconsolable at the loss?  Will there be a sports arena filled with famous and non famous mourners, gathered to celebrate his life?  Will models and preachers and sports stars proclaim his heroism? (more…)

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Tags: Apollo 11, Culture, Michael Jackson, moonwalk, Neil Armstrong
Posted Jul 14th 2009 at 8:38 am in Celebrity News | 180978177 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mpatterson/2009/07/14/moonwalker/Moonwalker%3A+The+Difference+Between+Achievement+and+Artifice2009-07-14+15%3A38%3A47Matt+Patterson

The Media: Wrong on Jackson, Wrong on Palin

I have been driving around the Midwest for the last six days with my son playing golf, watching baseball games, visiting old friends and doing a few shows. There are a lot of benefits to this well-timed vacation. The weather was perfect and I missed the entire hullabaloo known as the Michael Jackson memorial. I didn’t see a minute of the lead-up coverage, the “service,” or the postmortem, no pun intended.

I was listening to evil talk radio in the car and did hear and read a number of reports on the event.  Depending on whom I was listening to, it was a freak show/circus, a fitting memorial or “not as bad as I thought it might be.”

I always thought of Mr. Jackson as a talented singer/dancer/songwriter who had poor impulse control. I thought this was due to the fact that the leeches and toadies who depended on him for money never said one simple word to him: “No!” Apparently I was very wrong! Until I heard and read reports from his memorial, I was unaware of his role in our society as everything from a civil rights pioneer to basketball coach. Martin Luther King Jr. and Pat Riley, take a break, the king of pop has got your back. I heard he was quite the philanthropist too; although there isn’t a Michael Jackson Foundation, he did at one time donate a reported $22 million to a single California family. (more…)

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Tags: Chicago Tribune, Christians, journalists, Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson
Posted Jul 13th 2009 at 5:03 am in Celebrity News, Media Criticism, Politics, Religion | 180658237 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/07/13/jackson-palin-and-the-media/The+Media%3A+Wrong+on+Jackson%2C+Wrong+on+Palin2009-07-13+12%3A03%3A16Jeffrey+Jena

Bad

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Tags: "Bad", G8, Michael Jackson, Obama, thriller
Posted Jul 12th 2009 at 11:22 am in Art, Political Humor | 181698109 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/07/12/bad/Bad2009-07-12+18%3A22%3A12Chris+Muir

‘NewsBusted’ 7/10/09 — Fake News from the Right

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Tags: CNN, First Lady Michelle Obama, Fox News, Iraq, Michael Jackson
Posted Jul 10th 2009 at 8:12 pm in Political Humor, Video | 18073810 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/newsbusters/2009/07/10/%e2%80%98newsbusted%e2%80%99-71009-%e2%80%94-fake-news-from-the-right/%E2%80%98NewsBusted%E2%80%99+7%2F10%2F09+%E2%80%94+Fake+News+from+the+Right2009-07-11+03%3A12%3A55NewsBusters

A-holes and Insects – or Mother Nature Doesn’t Care If You’re a Good Liberal

Decades before George Clooney began using “Darfur” to swat away the unfashionable nuisance of “Iraq,” the hollow eyes and distended stomachs of starving Biafran children gave America’s impressionable “me generation” a reality check during commercial breaks.  Parents shook their heads and wrote checks.  “We have so much,” went the refrain.  “The world is so unfair.”

My pretty fourth-grade teacher, who taught us everything from math and history to a dash of entomology (study of insects), didn’t think so.  One day, unprompted, she told her class of 10-year-olds that she wasn’t really concerned about the Biafran babies because mass starvation was just nature’s way of controlling overpopulation.  (My parents were mortified.)

Margaret Sanger

Hard to fathom how, less than three decades after the Holocaust, any educated person could harbor such cold acceptance of the cruel suffering of fellow human beings - much less voice it (and to children, no less).  But whoever said the human race is on a one-way path to progress?

It’s widely assumed that, in every moment we’re alive, we’ve reached a new pinnacle – of modernity, experience, knowledge, enlightenment – that we always move forward, never back.  But what if we don’t?  What if we’re fated to make the same mistakes (disguised with innocuous new names) over and over again? (more…)

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Tags: Ahmadinejad, ants, Betty Friedan, Biafra, Census Bureau
Posted Jul 10th 2009 at 5:02 am in Featured Story, Politics, Religion | 164862210 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/07/10/a-holes-and-insects-or-mother-nature-doesnt-care-how-liberal-you-are/A-holes+and+Insects+-+or+Mother+Nature+Doesn%27t+Care+If+You%27re+a+Good+Liberal2009-07-10+12%3A02%3A16Charles+Winecoff

Daily Gut: Pop Goes The Nukes

So if there`s one thing we learned recently, it`s that it`s not nuclear war that can wipe everything off the map. It`s the death of a pop star. Think about the things that mattered back in June: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, cap and trade, that insipid health care infomercial – and ask yourself what happened in regard to any of those issues in the last few weeks.

A. Nothing?
B. Anything?
C. A lot?

The answer is C, but we just didn`t see it.

We know that some of our brave troops died fighting for freedom. Protestors in Iran were violently silenced too, fighting for a glimmer of what we have. You can also be certain that the opportunity to actively undermine fascism in Iran has passed – our President choosing “wait and see” over “hope and change.” He also snuck a few hundred pages of climate-bill baloney past us in the dead of night. (more…)

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Tags: "Project Runway, Afghanistan, arms reduction, Cap and Trade, Charm School
Posted Jul 9th 2009 at 10:51 am in Daily Gut, Politics | 17998239 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/07/09/daily-gut-pop-goes-the-nukes/Daily+Gut%3A+Pop+Goes+The+Nukes2009-07-09+17%3A51%3A01Greg+Gutfeld

Power of Pop Culture: Michael Jackson’s Final Makeover

To anyone paying attention, Michael Jackson died sometime before 1989. Tragically, in just a few years following 1982’s “Thriller,” this unbelievably attractive and talented young man had switched races, started down a grotesque road of self-loathing, disfigurement and, through a series of increasingly bizarre antics, lost his status as a star by perfectly meeting my definition of celebrity: One who doesn’t let dignity get in the way of fame. Everything that happened after 1989 was so increasingly off-the-charts those of us who made fun of Elvis probably owe him an apology.

Yesterday’s clampdown of the news media and worldwide outpouring of grief for a man whose narcissism was so complete he had himself buried in a 14-karat gold coffin like some demented, disfigured, predatory pharaoh was nauseating. Sure, celebrate the music, but defying explanation is the lamenting and hushed, effusive praise for the man, a man so indulgent he reportedly left behind $400 million in debt, a man who admitted sharing his bed with young boys, hired a gay porn producer as his personal videographer, dangled a newborn baby over a third-floor balcony and laid out millions for a settlement rather than clear his name of child molestation charges. But there you go. Such is life in Celebrityville where all is forgiven except attempting to hold yourself to a higher moral standing. (more…)

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Tags: Jackson Memorial, media, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson Death, pop culture
Posted Jul 8th 2009 at 10:44 am in Celebrity News, Media Criticism | 178754186 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/07/08/power-of-pop-culture-michael-jacksons-coverage-more-favorable-than-self-made-governor-of-alaska/Power+of+Pop+Culture%3A+Michael+Jackson%27s+Final+Makeover+2009-07-08+17%3A44%3A00John+Nolte

‘NewsBusted’ 7/07/09 — Fake News from the Right

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Tags: Afghanistan, Best Buy, EPA memos, Global warming, Joe Biden
Posted Jul 7th 2009 at 7:57 pm in Political Humor, Video | 1785626 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/newsbusters/2009/07/07/%e2%80%98newsbusted%e2%80%99-70709-%e2%80%94-fake-news-from-the-right/%E2%80%98NewsBusted%E2%80%99+7%2F07%2F09+%E2%80%94+Fake+News+from+the+Right2009-07-08+02%3A57%3A32NewsBusters

Celebutard of the Week: Joe Jackson

In the unappetizing race to scavenge the remaining flesh from the bones of Michael Jackson, Joe Jackson, the star’s Daddy Dearest, is turning the singer’s death into a spectacle unimagined by Barnum & Bailey.

Joe, to whom his son left nothing in his will, is the architect of the star’s final world tour, putting him on display like a freakish piñata. Joe also disrupted a weird press conference this week to promote his record label, unable to resist waiting a millisecond to profit from what is shaping up as the biggest celeb death of the decade.

This is why Joe Jackson is my Celebutard of the Week – in keeping with my book, Celebutards: The Hollywood Hacks, Limousine Liberals and Pandering Politicians who are destroying America. (Kensington.)

In his life, the superstar was clearly damaged beyond repair, reconfiguring his face and allegedly sleeping with underage boys. You need to look only as far as Jackson’s relationship with his father to understand where it all began. Jackson has said in interviews that his father was a tyrant, beating him mercilessly if he missed a dance step, ridiculing his dark skin and wide nose. (more…)

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Tags: Barnum & Bailey, Celebutards, Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson, pedophilia
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 7:09 am in Celebrity News | 17509487 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/apeyser/2009/07/02/celebutard-of-the-week-joe-jackson/Celebutard+of+the+Week%3A+Joe+Jackson2009-07-02+14%3A09%3A27Andrea+Peyser

Late Night Awards of the Week

While the President was pitching health care and the Speaker was rounding up support for Cap and Trade, the Late Nights were focused on Mark Sanford: a Republican governor that seemed like a comeuppance for Democrat Rod Blagojevich. In fact many of the hosts brought up the Illinois Governor in their jokes.

Craig Ferguson said after Spitzer and Blagojevich, the most normal governor was Jesse Ventura. He also said that a family values governor having a mistress is like Al Gore needing four SUVs to bring his lunch to him.(It was disappointing that Ferguson didn’t see the irony in his remark, because Al Gore DOES require multiple SUVs when he travels) Funniest line went to Conan O’Brien, who said the affair was a shock, because usually, Republicans don’t do well with Hispanic women. (more…)

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Tags: Blagojevich, Cap and Trade, Chastity Bono, Conan, jimmy fallon
Posted Jun 29th 2009 at 4:03 pm in Political Humor | 17330663 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2009/06/29/173306/Late+Night+Awards+of+the+Week2009-06-29+23%3A03%3A33Tim+Slagle

Priorities in Life

And so I found myself awake at 2:29 Friday morning. Unable to sleep, thinking of Marc Lee. 

Marc Alan Lee, a brave young man, who made the ultimate sacrifice, on August 2, 2006, while serving with our troops in Iraq.  He was 28 years old. 

I had first learned of Marc, on Thursday morning, as I clicked onto Big Hollywood to get my daily fix of politics and pop culture. What I didn’t know at the time was that this was a different kind of day at my favorite website. The content and articles printed were dedicated solely to the military and their families. 

And so I found myself, reading a letter from one, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc A. Lee. (more…)

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Tags: Debbie Lee, Jimmy Arone, Marc A. Lee, Michael Jackson
Posted Jun 28th 2009 at 10:04 am in Military | 17205019 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jarone/2009/06/28/priorities-in-life/Priorities+in+Life2009-06-28+17%3A04%3A15Jimmy+Arone

EXCLUSIVE—Investigation: Debbie Rowe Allegedly Made Claims Michael Jackson Not Father of Her Children

**UPDATE** (7:36am PST): New of the World reports, “Mother of Michael Jackson’s children Debbie Rowe confesses he was not their father.”

Saturday night, Brian Oxman, former attorney to Michael Jackson told me that News of the World will report on Sunday that Debbie Rowe made claims just before Michael Jackson’s passing that he was not the father of her children and that she has made similar claims in the past.

Oxman explained that if Rowe has in fact made these claims that she is in violation of a confidentiality clause in an agreement that she signed which stated she would never talk about this issue.

“The contract says she would hold the birth of the children, the lineage, their parenting and how they were taken care of in confidence and not be disclosed in public to anyone,” said Oxman. “That agreement survives the death of Jackson. In other words, she’s still bound to keep all of these things confidential even though he’s passed away.”

Oxman, who handled the custody dispute between Jackson and Rowe said that Rowe has made conflicting statements about the lineage of her children.

“At one point she would say that Michael was the father, the next time she would say he was not the father. The number of contradictory statements coming from her was incomprehensible. I’d say Debbie, tell me straight is he the father and she’d say, yes he’s the father, and the next time she was upset she’d be yelling and screaming, he’s not the father!” (more…)

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Tags: Brian Oxman, Debbie Rowe, DNA tests, Michael Jackson, News of the World
Posted Jun 27th 2009 at 11:38 pm in Featured Story, News | 17283461 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jsshapiro/2009/06/27/investigation-debbie-rowe-allegedly-made-claims-michael-jackson-not-father-of-her-children/EXCLUSIVE%E2%80%94Investigation%3A+Debbie+Rowe+Allegedly+Made+Claims+Michael+Jackson+Not+Father+of+Her+Children2009-06-28+06%3A38%3A36Jeffrey+Scott+Shapiro

Mourning Celebrities

What exactly is the proper response to the news that the most famous and most talented accused-child molester in America has died? Talk about mixed emotions.

Like most shallow, self centered knuckleheads in show business, I place an inordinate importance on talent. I love talent! It’s the one thing I wish dearly I had more of (and, on many nights, comedy club audiences throughout the tri-state area have wished the same…)

I’m a great audience member. I laugh easily, I applaud heartily. I’m always impressed with performers who can do things I can’t (which is why I’m impressed with most performers). Show me the hackiest ventriloquist act in the business, and I’m just amazed they can talk with their mouth closed. I once sang and danced in a Broadway musical (I played Vince Fontaine, the libidinous deejay, in the 90’s revival of Grease – ramma lamma lamma ka dingidy ding da dong…). I can’t sing or dance. I love people who can, even those who can’t do it very well. (more…)

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Tags: Cory Kahaney, Dave Konig, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Grease
Posted Jun 27th 2009 at 6:47 am in Celebrity News, Featured Story | 17149829 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dkonig/2009/06/27/dead-celebrities/Mourning+Celebrities2009-06-27+13%3A47%3A18Dave+Konig

On Michael Jackson

By happenstance, I was in Hugh Hewitt’s studio yesterday when the news about the one-time Prince of Pop (that’s all I’ll give him, sorry) broke.  We spent much of the next three hours talking about his death and what it meant.  You can scan through and hear me jousting – all in good fun – with Hugh, James Lileks and others.

I focused on his creative output and what it meant to musicians and culture as best I could in our impromptu conversation.  In other words, we didn’t dwell on the fact that it SURE seemed like he was a serial molester of male children.  His music will stand alone.  HUGE talent, obsessive artist, stratospheric career from childhood into his thirties.  Iconic images and motion pictures of him, dancing and performing unforgettably at his peak, will probably always be tainted for our generation by what he became, by what many of us now know he was for a long time.  His strange celebrity outran his music, but maybe now it will stop running… all this will be said better over the next few days and probably weeks by others. (more…)

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Tags: death, Michael Jackson, Music, Neverland, scandal
Posted Jun 26th 2009 at 5:47 pm in Celebrity News | 17157824 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jude/2009/06/26/on-michael-jackson/On+Michael+Jackson2009-06-27+00%3A47%3A29Jude

Debbie Lee: Americans Celebrate Michael Jackson, Ignore Troops

I’m sitting at the desk in my hotel room after just completing our eight hour Troopathon at the Reagan Library. I’ve gone over and over in my head trying to figure out why this year, even though we had a better set, added celebrities to our line-up, and had better media coverage, our final funds raised to support the troops were half of last year’s.

I turned on the TV and clicked through the channels trying to find coverage of our event. I had heard earlier in the day that Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett both had died. As I clicked through the channels, I found every single channel had coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, even Fox News.

As I am not an “Idol” worshipper, it always amazes me how engulfed people can get in the lives of celebrities. I had an “ah hah” moment and realized that could be part of the reason our event was not as successful as we had hoped. We had lost viewers to the “Breaking News.” (more…)

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Tags: America's Mighty Warriors, Farrah Fawcett, Fox News, gold star mothers, Marc Alan Lee
Posted Jun 26th 2009 at 3:58 pm in Celebrity News, Media Criticism, Military | 17225813 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gsmothers/2009/06/26/debbie-lee-americans-celebrate-michael-jackson-ignore-troops/Debbie+Lee%3A+Americans+Celebrate+Michael+Jackson%2C+Ignore+Troops+2009-06-26+22%3A58%3A42Gold+Star+Mothers