Will ‘The Stoning Of Soraya M.’ Get An Oscar Nod?

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

Returning once again to the land beneath the Big Hollywood sign for a most important poll question. “The Stoning of Soraya M.” has received powerful rave reviews across the political spectrum. The buzz is hot. From the leftie pundits at HuffPo (who only seem to be discovering the true human rights horrorshow nature of that regime now, most curious) to the Righties at Big Hollywood and elsewhere, SORAYA M. is a must-see movie that will linger with you long after you’ve left the theater.

Strangely enough, Amnesty lnternational’s Elise Auerbach doesn’t like it. Because stonings in Iran are so rare, don’t you know. No suspension of disbelief for Ms. Elsie. I’m sorry, what’s her job again? Oh yeah, Iran Specialist for Amnesty International. Go figure. Personally, I happen to think one stoning is one too many. And it wasn’t the only one, not by a country mile! But that’s just me. I’m not an Iran specialist for AI. Like, say, Ms. Auerbach. Nice work if you can get it, huh, Ms. Elsie? (more…)

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Tags: Academy of Motion Picture arts and Sciences, Adolf Hitler, Ali Khamenei, Amnesty International, AMPAS
Posted Jun 29th 2009 at 8:18 am in Entertainment, News, Politics | 1692142 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jtsimpson/2009/06/29/poll-question-will-soraya-m-get-an-oscar-nod/Will+%27The+Stoning+Of+Soraya+M.%27+Get+An+Oscar+Nod%3F+2009-06-29+15%3A18%3A32John+T.+Simpson

From Fourth Estate to Fourth Branch of Government

I remember when the term investigative journalism used to mean something. My first introduction to it was through Peter Maas’ seminal classic The Valachi Papers at the tender age of eleven. Hooked me right away. A year later, at the age of twelve,  I devoured William L. Shirer’s monumental and award-winning ‘Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany.’ A very heady 1250 pages of fine print in paperback, and I do mean fine print. Worth its weight in gold.

From that point on, I was addicted. I couldn’t get enough of Peter Maas, Robin Moore, Woodward and Bernstein, Nick Pileggi, Ovid Demaris, James Bamford, James Michener, Cornelius Ryan, anything from the Ballantine Espionage/Intelligence Library, and too many others to list here.

I only recently read Michener’s The Bridge at Andau, an account of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising based on hundreds of eyewitness accounts, written in novelized form to protect identities at the time. It takes you right into the chaotic and revolutionary Bupapest of the day as though you were there. (more…)

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Tags: abc, Albert Speer, Arthur Sulzberger, Ballantine Espionage/Intelligence Library, cbs
Posted Apr 27th 2009 at 8:40 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 1147024 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jtsimpson/2009/04/27/from-fourth-estate-to-fourth-branch-of-government/From+Fourth+Estate+to+Fourth+Branch+of+Government2009-04-27+15%3A40%3A43John+T.+Simpson

Love, War – and Gay Marriage

Late last year, when the gay community was working itself into a frenzy over the passage of Proposition 8 -the measure to amend the California State Constitution to define marriage specifically as a union between one man and one woman – I realized I didn’t trust the community anymore.  And I’m gay. 

The realization didn’t come overnight; it had been forming for some time.  But the Gestapo tactics over Prop 8 – McCarthy-style blacklists, boycotting of otherwise gay-friendly businesses, apologies coerced out of individual supporters who made the “wrong” choice, enforced politically-correct donations to the Human Rights Campaign - clarified it for me.

I hadn’t left the community, it had left me.  When did the gays get so mean, anyway? 

Well, isn’t it “mean” for California voters to deny us our basic civil rights?  I can hear the retort.  And I understand the anger, believe me, to a degree.  Feelings have been hurt.  I also agree that changing any Constitution over this issue is a bad idea. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Al Pacino, Anita Bryant, Berlin Stories, Christopher Isherwood
Posted Mar 19th 2009 at 5:05 am in Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 76946129 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/03/19/love-war-and-gay-marriage/Love%2C+War+-+and+Gay+Marriage2009-03-19+12%3A05%3A05Charles+Winecoff