Thank you to everyone who participated in the informal have you been ostracized? poll. The results were interesting. More “in the closets” than I expected, and as I read the words, “just keep my mouth shut,” I became rather angry that my fellow Big Hollywood readers feel bullied in the workplace. Because that is what it is: bullying. When a human being fears that he may lose his job if he has the wrong thoughts, he is being bullied. Period. It doesn’t matter if the taunts are in your face or hovering unannounced in the air, only a bully uses his size and power to intimidate others into toeing the line.

Several of you indicated that you have lost your job, left your career or been blacklisted, which is even more disheartening.

Graphic designers and people in advertising, according to the comments, feel compelled to keep a very low profile. It makes sense, because this is an industry where the work must be commissioned. In order to stay employed, the artist needs to stay in the good graces of the powers that be.

The film industry, as we all might have predicted, is one of the meanest, according to those who participated in the poll. The hatred is vehement, and many conservatives feel thoroughly gagged for fear of being ostracized. The bully factor, at times, feels amplified tenfold compared to other industries. Nevertheless, as the individual gains some seniority in the business and experiences success, he or she is far less likely to just sit back and listen. This is comforting news, and as I sorted through the results, I found another inspirational trend.

The more opportunity for independence – self publishing and indie films, for example – the more likely the artist feels free to express himself openly. In fact, self-published authors seem to sing with a sense of unadulterated freedom, knowing that they will never have to bite their tongues again.

THAT is the freedom we need to seek. The more conservative voices that spring up in the entertainment industry, the more ground we will reclaim from those who push a socialist, anti-American, class war agenda. We may yet win this battle for hearts and minds in favor of free markets and individualism. So let’s support one another in a mission to let our voices be heard!

As bass player Nathan Ballein wrote in the comments, “I’ve been outspoken ever since I realized that while getting fired for my political beliefs is a drag, the peace of mind is way worth it.”

Those of us appalled by the idea that Sony Pictures and their politically-mercenary filmmakers would use a universal American triumph and our selfless troops in this partisan manner, need to find something to do with our sudden ten-dollar windfall. It’s quite likely that by the time the film’s released, just a few weeks prior to the election, America might need that ten bucks to buy a gallon of gas or milk. But let’s be optimistic and dream a little…

Me? Thanks to reader Carol, who emailed with the marvelous idea, I’m going to give the money to a military charity.

Via Wikipedia:

Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer.[1] He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive voice, walk and height. He was also known for his conservative political views and his support, beginning in the 1950s, for anti-communist positions.

A Harris Poll, released January 2011, placed Wayne third among America’s favorite film stars,[2] the only deceased star on the list and the only one who has appeared on the poll every year since it first began in 1994.

In 1999, the American Film Institute named Wayne 13th among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time.

13th, AFI? Really? Today John Wayne ranks as the third most popular movie star in the country.

 Might be time to take another look at that, no?

Today from Rasmussen Reports:

Political activist Michael Moore was an Oscar winner several years ago for a documentary film and has made several high-profile films since then[.] … 48% of adults have an unfavorable opinion of him. Thirty-four percent (34%) view him favorably. These findings include Very Favorables of 13% and Very Unfavorables of 31% for Moore who was most recently in the news when he appeared with protesting public union workers in Wisconsin. Seventeen percent (17%) have no opinion of Moore.

Contrast that with what Rasmussen found during the last full month of George W. Bush’s presidency, December of 2008, when the embattled president’s approval rating sat at 35% – one point higher than media darling, “everyman,” Michael Moore. Of course, Bush’s approval ratings have rebounded since. He even beats Obama in some match-ups.

Stuff like this probably doesn’t help Moore. Or this. Or this. Or this.

Maybe now we know why the Oscar-winner’s last two films flopped so hard.

Guess what else is less popular than Bush during his last month of office…?

That would be Hollywood. In a poll released just last year only 33% viewed the industry/community favorably.

Aaron Sorkin is up for an Academy Award this year for his “Social Network” script, a film many on the left have criticized for its demeaning portrayal of women. Here at Big Hollywood, we’ve also documented at length Sorkin’s raging obsession with Sarah Palin, a dark anger with a life all its own that likely goes well beyond partisanship and says something about Sorkin himself. After all, he never criticized the former governor based on any kind of substance, never says here’s where she’s wrong on this issue or that — which would be perfectly fine. Instead, we’re aways treated to this nasty but revealing streak of name calling and personal attacks. What drives this? What drives a man who has everything to demean women in such a public way, both onscreen and off?

Well, we’re not psychiatrists and coming to any kind of conclusion regarding whatever Sorkin’s troubling personal issues are would only be speculation. So we thought, why not ask you? When the American people chime in, they usually get it right, so please do take our poll and help us to understand where this bizarre behavior might come from.

Take the poll below the fold:

There’s a terrific debate going on in this earlier post defending Democratic Congressman Cohen’s right to call us Republicans Nazis without a bunch of media Speech Policers publicly shaming him into shutting up. It’s fine to criticize his hypocrisy and argue that he’s wrong on the facts, but to criticize his speech… That’s something else entirely.

So while that debate’s rocking and rolling, let’s move part of the discussion back onto the grounds of hypocrisy. While we’re being told the use of the word “crosshairs” is wrong, the term “job-killing” is verboten, and Nazi references unacceptable, we’re currently left wondering if an exception we’re unaware of has been granted to Stephen Colbert.

Unless we missed it, there was no media criticism or Jon Stewart humiliation-logues after Mr. Colbert launched this profane, insulting and objectively non-New Tonish attack on Governor Sarah Palin:

• coded talking points mixed in with words picked up at random from a Thesaurus.
• self-promoting ignoramus
• encouraging insurrectionists
• pathetically unstatesmanlike
• shut up for just ten fucking minutes
• media troll

From what we can see, both Jon Stewart and the Media Elites gave Colbert a pass on this one. We understand there were other “crosshairs” dragons to slay, but that is some pretty ugly and mean-spirited rhetoric spewing from Mr. Colbert — at least from our point of view. Before we call all the New Toners out on their hypocrisy, though, let’s take a poll and see what you think…

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After you’re done watching….

In the comments, rate 2010 for movies overall. Good year, lousy year, average?

Which films did you like the most and least?

July 15th, 2009 – a day that shall live in comedic infamy.  The Obama administration’s first direct hit from reliably friendly allies. Former Saturday Night Live star, now stand up comic Dana Carvey was the guest on the new Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.  When O’Brien asked Carvey his opinion of Obama, Carvey trotted out some fresh material. “I’m worried. The economy just had a heart attack, but Barack just wants to work on the knee,” Carvey riffed. ”Should we do CPR? No, we’re gonna fix this knee. We can do CPR when it’s efficient and cost effective, but right now we’re going to work on the meniscus. “Carvey concluded the bit suggesting George W. Bush would have used an economic “crash cart.” “Tax cuts for everybody – CLEAR!” The audience roared.  Were they laughing at Carvey’s “dumb guy” Bush impression, or was it the excitement of more money in their pockets as an economic remedy? No matter the audience response.   Carvey saw fit to address economic policy in his comedy. That’s telling.

At the same hour, on the same day – The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart opened fire. ”Last night, Obama threw out the first pitch at the All Star game. He even played short-stop for a time,” Stewart said. “There’s nothing he can’t do…except create jobs.” Ouch. The audience laughed tepidly. It was as though they couldn’t believe what they’d heard, and Stewart moved past the line quickly.

During the same show, Stewart went on to skewer the healthcare reform fight in Washington. Initially mocking Republicans for sounding the alarm on Obama’s ultimate desire for a “single payer” system, the joke took an unexpected turn. ”…that’s just a Republican scare tactic. The Democrats are not proposing a government takeover of health insurance. And they’re certainly not trying to “Trojan horse” us into some European or Canadian-style single payer system,” said Stewart.  With that, Stewart played some grainy campaign video from 2008 in which Obama told a cheering crowd, “I happen to be a proponent of single-payer health care.”  The next shot is a dumbfounded Stewart back at the desk as he coldly confessed, “Wow. That Communist sounded a lot like our President.” 

Since this watershed event in comedy, the Daily Show has taken on a new tone. A day after President Obama declared Cambridge cops “acted stupidly” in the arrest of his friend “Skip” Gates, Stewart took it head on.  “Now, I wasn’t at the press conference last night, and I don’t have all the facts. But I think it’s fair to say that Obama handled that question…oh, what’s the word I’m looking for?  Stupidly?”  

In another segment of the same show, Stewart playfully cheered as Nancy Pelosi and President Obama suggested increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans to pay for health care reform. He pretended to be surprised when he was “informed” in his earpiece that he, in fact was wealthy. ”Oh, so they’re coming for me…ok,” Stewart said sheepishly. Remember, Stewarts’s a New York-based millionaire.  Theirs is the highest taxation in the country, and President Obama and New York want more from him. Is Stewart sensitive to that?  Again, economics and federal budgets as punch lines? You’ve got your answer.

Last week’s Daily Show also featured a montage of the President refuting criticisms of his health care plan. After the string of presidential rebuttals Stewart concluded, “You know a sales pitch is in trouble when it starts with “Look, you’ve got to trust me. We’re not going to kill your grandparents.”

The impression shouldn’t be left that comedy’s liberal leanings are absent. The bias for this president is still deeply entrenched in comedy writers. But writers and performers are also wealthy, privately insured, and often well educated. They have lost much of their own wealth in the markets while beginning to realize the finest doctors and insurers who serve them are growing nervous. Comedians have families and friends in medicine, finance, and industry. Reality is setting in.

The truth of the nation’s growing pessimism and skepticism in Washington is at historic highs and on display every day. Comedians’ choice is clear.  Continue to cheer and cover for a president in whom they emotionally invested so much. Or realize the investment just didn’t pay off as they’d hoped and get back to the honesty in their craft. 

Never have there been so few jokes directed at a President who deserves so many. 

Jon Stewart was just voted “America’s most trusted” by the online readers at Time Magazine after Walter Cronkite passed away. He led the likes of Couric, Williams, and Gibson – all network news anchors who “play it straight.” Meanwhile, Gallup polling reports Obama’s job approval among likely voters age 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 has dropped 6 percent in the last month.

Obama is losing Jon Stewart.  The question is: Can Obama get him back?