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Remember the mid 70’s, during the first ever season of “SNL” when breakout star Chevy Chase did his bumbling Gerald Ford impersonation? One of the big, unspoken jokes of that routine was that Chase intentionally did absolutely nothing to either look or sound like Ford. There was really nothing more to those skits than watching Chevy Chase bumble around. Dan Akroyd might have sported a mustache while playing Jimmy Carter, but at least he got the rest right. In the meantime, Chase was doing the worst impersonation in the history of show business and bringing down the house (and maybe a president). Chase was criticized for being lazy but I thought it was genius, though it would be impossible for me to articulate why.

What’s sad about the Obama/O’Reilly routine above is that these guys don’t even seem to know they’re not trying. Obviously no one at “SNL” wants to land any kind of serious satirical blow on Obama (election year coming donchaknow) — so there’s no comedy there, but the guy playing O’Reilly is so sure that a simple amplification of “The Factor” host’s qualities will do the job for him that this long, laborious skit depends on only that and runs out of steam within seconds. I like O’Reilly, but I’m also willing to admit that, like most nationally known, larger-than-life personalities, he’s pretty ripe for satire. When it comes to hitting the comedic mark, those people are as hard to miss as the side of a barn and … ”SNL” missed the side of a barn.

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With so many repulsively liberal Hollywood moments in 2010, where does one start? So many uninformed celebs ranting angrily about Fox News, Sarah Palin, Bristol Palin, Glenn Beck, and the Tea Party Movement, so little time. This was a tough year for liberal Hollywood A and B-listers. With their President Obama taking a swan dive in the polls and a real (not astroturf) grassroots citizens movement rising against him in a way only Frank Capra himself could have envisioned, movie and TV stars were on the progressive warpath in all ways petty, ignorant, and stupid.

Here are a few of my favorite repulsively liberal Hollywood moments of 2010:

10. Smallville’s last season. Yes, it’s a silly TV show but this is about the state of our uniquely American icon, Superman, and how flaky TV writers misused the character for political potshots this season. After making history as the longest-running comic book based series in television history (10 seasons), “Smallville” writers finally let loose and began idiotically tossing in anti-conservative insults. Case in point: this season’s “Smallville” villain is a conservative radio talk show host taken over by the supernatural forces of hate and fear.

Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as annoying if the lightweight writing of the show were better.

9. Kathy Griffin attacks Bristol Palin on VH1’s “Salute to the Troops.” In a desperate grab for media attention, comedienne Kathy Griffin targeted Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, on the VH1 special. Quote the liposuctioned-Griffin:

“She’s the only contestant in the history of the show  [“DWTS”] to actually gain weight.”

Surprised by the loud booing from the troops, Griffin tried again.

“No, come on, come on. She gained like 30 pounds a week, I swear to God, it was fantastic. She’s like the white Precious.”

Griffin later admitted she likes to attack the Palin family because it gets her mentions on “The View” and “The O’Reilly Factor.” Once upon a time, there was a strict media prohibition against attacking the kids of politicians. However, with the Palins’ advent onto the politician scene, that taboo has long been abandoned. Instead of taking it on the chin, though, the Palins have been creatively fighting back ever since. (more…)

Only in present-day Hollywood would a filmmaker have to try and cut off the media-created narrative that his creation was too patriotic. And it was this article written by left-winger Steven Zeitchik of the L.A. Times that created the kerfuffle Stallone responds to below. Obviously, this was Zeitchik’s goal. Yet again, our cultural enforcers attempt to toxify a hit film that doesn’t adhere to their left-wing worldview in order to make those thinking of reproducing the same think twice about the media misery that always comes with it. 

How far Hollywood has fallen. Today, accusations of making a patriotic film must be defended against. But there’s no political blacklisting or anything…  

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I can’t find the link and I’m already late for a screening, but earlier this week, someone at a fairly high-profile film-site claimed I had declared “The Expendables” the most patriotic film ever, or something similar to that. After reviewing the only two pieces (here and here) I’ve written since seeing Stallone’s box office hit, what I can declare is that she’s just making that up (I do remember she was a she). Nowhere did I state “The Expendables” was flag-waving or even patriotic — unless clear storytelling lines between good and evil and masculine heroes who selflessly risk their own lives are now considered, by default, elements of America jingoism. Which is kind of a terrible thing to say about the rest of the world. (more…)

UPDATE: The bounty is now $100,000 for any audio/video footage of the N-word being hurled at Congressmen John Lewis and Andre Carson.

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After 14 months of committing 100% to health care reform, the day after the signing of the Health Care bill was to mark the Democratic Party’s new primary concern: destroy the uprising, annihilate by all means necessary, the Tea Party movement.

The first sign that a plan was in place was the ham-fisted, high-camp posturing of the most controversial members of the Democratic caucus walking through the peaceful but animated “Tea Party” demonstrators on Capitol Hill. There is no reason for these elected officials to walk above ground through the media circus amid their ideological foes. The natural route is the tunnels between the House office buildings and the Capitol. By crafting a highly symbolic walk of the Congressional Black Caucus through the majority white crowd, the Democratic Party was looking to provoke a negative reaction. They didn’t get it. So they made it up.

The proof that the N-word wasn’t said once, let alone 15 times, as Rep. Andre Carson claimed, is that soon thereafter — even though the press dutifully reported it as truth — Nancy Pelosi followed the alleged hate fest, which allegedly included someone spitting, by walking through the crowd with a gavel in hand and a shit-eating grin on her face. Had the incidents reported by the Congressional Black Caucus actually occurred the Capitol Police would have been negligent to allow the least popular person to that crowd – the Speaker – to put herself in harm’s way.

That crowd was a sea of new-media equipment. Not only were tens of thousands people armed with handicams, BlackBerrys and iPods, so also was the mainstream media there, covering every inch of the event. Why did not one mainstream media outlet raise the specter that perhaps a video would exist to prove the events occurred? I am still dealing with the same press telling me we didn’t prove that ACORN was aiding and abetting criminal activity because we “did not provide enough audio and video evidence.” (Insert laugh track.) Is there not a blatant double standard at play here? Nancy Pelosi tipped her hand that race was a central part of her strategy. She invoked the Civil Rights Act and compared it with the universally reviled health care bill. Her caucus is doubling down on the civil-rights rhetoric. There are no coincidences.

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It’s a Trap!!!

Admiral Ackbar is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars franchise.  He still looks more real than any CGI character today despite being brought to life by 1982 technology.  He also has the immortal line, “It’s a Trap,” when the rebels discover that the Death Star is “fully armed and operational.”

In case you missed it, here’s Ackbar reacting to other “traps.”

Conservatives have walked into a trap of late, or as Michael Steele might say, “have stepped in it.” Why should the liberals, with their rogues gallery of freak shows and incompetents, even sweat it when the Conservatives are too busy fighting with each other?  How much time on blogs, cable news, and Sunday talk-shows is dedicated to Conservatives arguing about the direction of the “party” or challenging each other on the authenticity of their Conservative credentials? (more…)

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Given the choice between watching Letterman or Leno, I choose Leno and have for years.  Leno lines up much better politically and I think his humor is much stronger than Letterman.  I also think Letterman is shallow.  Not much between the ears.  He pans to those who really aren’t well informed because he isn’t well informed.  He can give you a headline but no content.  When I have seen or heard his “Top Ten,” it’s most often just dumb and not worth the energy to even smile.  He’s a book with no pages.  During an exchange with Bill O’Reilly I caught on Fox this week, I was reminded why Letterman’s a dweeb.  Letterman wanted to talk about Rush Limbaugh, “He’s too smart to believe what he’s saying.  You (O’Reilly) are too smart to believe what you say.”  HUH?  I don’t know about you, but when someone says that to me, I get a little hot under the collar.  How do you say “thought police?” (more…)

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Wake up…… (more…)

As a kid, I wanted to be James Bond. Sneaking into villainous volcano lairs in-between hayloft romps with the likes of Pussy Galore is very appealing to a twelve-year old … and a forty-two year old. For a lucky few, that glamorous life may be somewhat of a reality but as someone intimidated by both violence and pretty girls, the life of a super spy was not to be. However, had the world been my toy box, had the power and influence to shape my environment to my liking been available to me, right now I’d be slugging it out with faceless henchmen on a nuclear sub.

Good thing for me that’s not reality. Because if it were, I’d be a fool unaware the whole world was laughing at the effort that went into my self-important delusion.

Which brings me to Keith Olbermann. (more…)