Those corporate fat cats in Hollywood just got another tax break, courtesy of Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown.

Variety reports Brown signed a bill late Sunday, the legislation’s final day of eligibility, extending California’s film production incentive program for another year.

Assembly Bill 1069 will provide a one-year $100 million extension to California’s 3-year-old Film and Television Tax Credit Program. In its three-year history, the California program has allocated credits totaling $400 million and will allocate its final $100 million by next July.

The bill, authored by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, received a 77-1 approval in the Assembly in June when it provided for a five-year extension.

“I’d like to applaud Governor Brown’s leadership in signing AB 1069 today,” Fuentes said in a statement early Monday. “By creating tens of thousands of jobs and pumping billions into our economy, the film and television tax credit program has truly been a statewide economic stimulus package.”

A recent study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. showed that the first two years of the program has generated $3.8 billion dollars in economic activity statewide, created more than 20,000 jobs and over $200 million dollars in tax revenues.

Sounds like those hygienically challenged Occupy Wall Street types have a new front in their battle against The Man and his fat cat friends.

America’s biggest import, by far, its biggest influence on the global community is itself. Its values, its ideals, its ridiculously inflated opinion about itself. Its idea of celebrity … And how is this export disseminated? Movies, TV, music. You are a cog in this cancerous lie spewing machine. — “Frank or Francis”

The Wrap:

TheWrap got an early look at the script, which [Andy] Kaufman will direct. Here’s his Hollywood 101:

Moviegoers are dumb sheep who flock to idiotic movies and don’t know how to handle anything the least bit out of the ordinary.

Movie bloggers are ill-tempered losers who live with their parents, except when they’re pretentious snobs scared to be creative and desperate to tear down other people’s creativity.

Actors make deals with the devil (or whatever equivalent they can find) to have success.

Oh, and it’s also a musical.

(more…)

Here we go again. Prepare to be shocked, appalled — even offended! — by another attack on Christians, namely Catholics, by none other than pope hater Sinead O’Connor. I’m just kidding about being offended; it’s obvious she’s screaming for attention (killing the pope? bet it took her a few weeks to think up that one) and, unfortunately for her, this article won’t just be about her but all of Hollywood. Sorry, Sinead.

What the formerly relevant singer said is not surprising, but then again, it’s never surprising to hear a celebrity disparaging Christianity. Remember this gem from Rosie O’Donnell?

I have news for Hollywood. It’s not risque to attack Christians, and it’s long been a cliché even for our side to say it’s overdone. If you want to be risque, attack Islam, atheists, or agnostics. My husband is a cradle Catholic (meaning raised Catholic), and he says most of these attacks just roll off his back. Most don’t offend or bother him anymore because it’s simply become the norm. But that doesn’t mean it should be ignored or criticism should be spared for trite offense-mongering like Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” video.

If you don’t want to watch the video, I understand. Lady Gaga is dressed in a blood red habit and swallows a rosary. This desecration of the rosary is offensive to Catholics because of our veneration (not worship) of Mary, mother of God. The director of the video claims Lady Gaga just wanted to take in the Holy. As a lifelong Catholic, Miss Gaga should know better than that, and if she wanted to “take in the Holy,” there are ways of doing it that won’t cause as many digestive problems, like attending Mass and taking Communion. (more…)

In recent weeks, I have read a number of Big Hollywood articles concerning Hollywood’s and the media’s treatment of the September 11th attacks in the years since they occurred. In particular, there have been some interesting and provocative articles about the historical treatment of the attacks and the movies created so far. Prior to these articles, there was another questioning the quality of “conservative” films and why/if they should be supported by the conservative community, as though most artists on our side of the aisle shouldn’t be supported.

While I definitely respect all these points of view, I have to question why many of us are questioning Hollywood instead of questioning ourselves. And what we should be asking ourselves is why many of us complain so much about Hollywood’s output but at the same time fail to support the burgeoning artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers in our own community?

For full disclosure:  yes, I am a conservative, and yes, I am a filmmaker trying to get my art out to the greater world. For the life of me, I have never understood why we monetarily and spiritually support artists, studios and media companies while simultaneously berating them for what they offer us. If someone delivers crummy pizza that smells weird, tastes worse and gets me sick, would I still call the same pizza place every time? No. So, why do we do the same when making entertainment or artistic purchase choices? (more…)

Morgan Freeman may want to hold his tongue the next time he thinks about calling the Tea Party ‘racist.’

Freeman, currently co-starring in ‘Dolphin Tale,’ made that accusation last month in the run up to his film’s release. And while the movie is performing well at the box office, it’s clear it could be doing even better, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The entertainment outlet just posted the results of a new study tracking how actors’ political comments affect the public’s willingness to buy their products.

(more…)

Tune in for the next installment of Kyle Andrews’ Starlette – a satirical, dystopian thriller that pulls the red carpet out from under Hollywood’s stylish stilettos.

Hollywood. The glitz and glamour of movie stars, shining down upon the world from giant two-dimensional thrones. Projections of majesty. Icons. Myths. For years, they told us how to dress; how to speak; how to feel; how to think… And in one night, they were gone…

Andrews has woven together such an original mixture of satire, suspense, and drama it is hard to compare it to other novels. With subtle wit and gorgeous prose he paints an ominous world where a mass murderer commits genocide on the entertainment industry and Hollywood hopefuls go underground – literally.

Before the Hollywood Apocalypse, entertainers went about their daily business. Attending the Golden Me Awards was just another obligation for the elite members of the community.

(more…)

Alec, you need to stop treating American soldiers like they were members of your own family.  They deserve better than that.

Not content with achieving Father of the Year Emeritus status for his unique, outside-the-box parenting skills, Alec Baldwin spent yesterday evening on Twitter to once again offer his nuanced, carefully researched insights into a variety of important topics.  In doing so, he offered a powerful challenge to such innovators as Oliver Stone, Sean Penn and even Hanoi Jane for the coveted title of “Hollywood’s Biggest Idiot.”

In the past, I’ve even taken to these pages to defend Alec as a performer.  But as amusing as he is on screen, the fact is that he is a moral illiterate who refuses to let his manifest ignorance hinder his desire to have himself taken seriously as something more than an actor. 

Alec wants to be just like Ronald Reagan, except he’s handicapped by some challenges the Gipper didn’t face – like being a leftist, a jerk and a fool.

The bloviating buffoon apparently got agitated because Georgia decided to execute a cop killer who had spent 22 years failing to convince any jury or judge that the overwhelming evidence against him was inadequate.  Ironically, the police officer Troy Davis finished off with a bullet to the head was an Army veteran – and judging from Alec’s attitude toward our warriors as manifested in his subsequent tweets, he probably thought that fact supported sparing the killer of Officer Mark MacPhail, Sr.

Here’s a selection of some of his inane tweets from his Twitter timeline.  Let’s see who fails to live up to Alec’s exacting standards!

Well, Michelle Malkin certainly does:

(more…)

Not long ago, my wife and I had a dinner meeting with two business colleagues. To call it a dinner is actually a bit of a stretch. It was a tasting of appetizers for an event we would be hosting just a few days later. After about four rounds of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres, and a glass of wine with each, our male companions revealed that they were both gay. It wasn’t something they needed to tell us – my wife and I have highly evolved gaydars. Our line of work, friends, and proclivity for fashion tends to place us, happily, in gay-friendly environments.

At some point the conversation turned even more personal. “I feel comfortable with you guys,” said one, as he proceeded to tell us his coming out story. It was a fascinating and heartfelt account of a teenager who was dating a classmate, only to find himself attracted to her brother. The other, inspired by his colleague, also began spilling the beans on his very recent coming out. His was a relatively late confession for a gay man in his late 20s living in Los Angeles. Both accounts were different in many ways but carried a common theme – fear of judgment. Each had worried about how those around them would react to their admission. One had even lived among some who outwardly expressed, in vulgar terms, their vehement disgust for the gay lifestyle – an intimidating environment for anyone that has yet to publicly divulge their sexuality. The fear of losing friends and alienating family members was at times crippling, they both conveyed. There was a constant concern of whether those around them would shun, or embrace, who they were.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a coming out story, but this time something was different – their experience felt a lot like mine.

If you have a right-of-center worldview and live in Hollywood, you can understand what I’m saying. Coming to the realization that you don’t think the same, politically, as most of the people around you was a truth I came to just recently. When you first recognize this fact, one learns pretty quickly to tread lightly when the topic of politics is broached. There is nothing so telling as the look on the face of a liberal-minded Angelino as they first learn that you are from that other camp. That glazed look is unmistakable. At best, they are guarded when they speak to you next. At worst, they spread the word to those on their team, dinner schedules no longer show availability, and calls are no longer returned. It’s a soft bigotry that you have to experience to fully comprehend.

(more…)

Editor’s Note: Please welcome Tommy Wood and encourage his return! — JN

Could it be that somewhere, someone is targeting our kids?  Not with bullets made of lead but with surgical strikes of agenda.  A scheme scripted and softly veiled (sometimes not) into the nonsensical programming they love so much.  As if the ridiculous plot points and mind-numbing hyperactivity aren’t bad enough, there is something else in play that’s even more contrived than their recycled storylines.  Some might think me hypersensitive, but consider this…  if you see it in media, it is on purpose.  It was written, rehearsed, shot, edited and delivered. 

If it’s in there, it’s intentional.  Never forget that.

How about a date?

So what, then, am I so tweaked about?  I’m a father of three children; ages six, eleven and thirteen.  For years, it has troubled me that a selection of children’s shows were laced with strains of propaganda and amoral thought.  Some suggest they have scientific proof that modern children’s programming dumbs one down.  But, it has the potential to be much more dangerous than that.  No matter what side of the political fence you are on, there is one thing upon which I think we can all agree.  We don’t want our children exposed to certain subject matter before they are ready, much less have someone else’s opinion subconsciously embedded in their minds.

I’m guessing by now you would like an example.  I’m cool with that.  As funny as the show can be, one of the repeat offenders is Nickelodeon’s iCarly.  They follow the standard “aimed at tweens” obsession with first kisses, gross-out gags, rebellion and celebrity status.  The show is full of small desensitizing moments that include a half-naked chubby boy, made up “cuss” words and disrespect for adults.  Not too long ago, an episode called iWant MY Website Back aired.  Spencer, Carly’s crazy adult brother, dressed in elderly drag in order to hoodwink the grating Nevel.  The affable Jerry Trainor, who plays Spencer, sold the gag and yes, it was funny when an older man was mistakenly taken with her… I mean him.  If it stopped there, fine.  Of course, it did not.  Later in the episode the doorbell rings, and it’s the old man.  With a desperate tone, he tells Spencer to put the wig back on, and they can try again.  At a minimum, this brings into question sexual orientation.  So many issues are layered in that moment that we almost have to applaud the writer’s skill at subtext (just kidding).  Still, should this content be couched in a primetime kids’ show on a kids’ network? 

Don’t answer yet.

I have an even more unsettling example.  Remember … if it’s in there, it is on purpose.

(more…)

This series was inspired by the a six part, video examination of Dimitri Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.

Before you go to sleep, however, or bump up another article, stay with me and this article’s title.

The cited video is Michael Tilson Thomas’ exceptional and exceptionally moving tribute to the soul of Dimitri Shostakovich and the hidden meanings within his Fifth Symphony that has profound relevance to the direction we are headed into with the Progressive New World Order.

—–

The Tilson Thomas complete video is an intensely condensed portrait of Stalin’s Russia. I consider the Tilson Thomas lecture/documentary a “must-see” for anyone viewing America primarily through the eyes of Hollywood and the performing arts.

The Soviet Union ravenously fed on the terror we can find breathing beneath the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. The nightmare is only there, however, and can only be perceived if we begin to understand the musical code with which Shostakovich is constructing an obligatory deception.

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a lie?

How do you appease a terrorist, the homicidal Communist Joseph Stalin, while, at the same time being true to yourself and your calling as an artist?

With that challenge in mind, why would I ever come up with the title, Bringing America Home Again?

The history of Stalin’s Russia is vitally important as a measure of how far the Progressive New World Order has dragged America and Americans away from their original faith in individual freedom and individual responsibility.

(more…)

From The Wrap:

Hollywood donors are high on the list of political donors whose money is presumed lost in an alleged embezzlement scheme that led to the arrest last week of a longtime Democratic operative.

Sony, Disney, News Corp., labor group IATSE and the Motion Picture Assn. of America are among the top donors whose funds have been lost, along with several million dollars in the campaign war chest of California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein (left), according to Opensecrets.org.

Feinstein says her campaign treasury has been “wiped out” by Kinde Durkee, a treasurer and political operative who apparently also misused funds from an unknown number of other politicians’ accounts in the state.

Congresswoman Susan Davis, a Democrat from San Diego area, suggested that Durkee might be “the Bernie Madoff of campaign finance treasurers.” (more…)

It’s well known Hollywood is a liberal town so I went into all of their 9/11 specials with caution. I was expecting jabs at President Bush, Republicans, or even sympathy for radical Islam. I’m shocked, literally shocked. The majority of the specials managed to put politics aside and concentrate on truth and the celebration of those who survived and died on September 11, 2001. The people came first, which is how it should be. There were many specials, but I’ll pick the best of the best.

My personal favorite was President George W. Bush’s interview on NatGeo. It was handled beautifully. We couldn’t hear the questions, but I’m going to safely assume National Geographic just asked him vague questions to allow him to tell us what he went through — his thoughts on 9/11 and the days after. It also gave gave Bush an opportunity to explain why he stayed with the kids that day in the classroom. He explained that as a leader he needed to show calm and strength during the crisis.

YouTube

—–

Another great special aired on the Discovery Channel and covered the building of the new towers and the memorial. This special took us behind the scenes. The most significant part would be the tridents from the original building going into the new building. It just slipped right into place and one of the men said, “It wanted to be home.” We also learned that vehicles damaged on 9/11 have been inside a hangar at JFK for the past 10 years and they’ll finally see the sun again when unveiled at the memorial.

(more…)

As someone who lost a friend in the Towers (Port Authority officer Donald Foreman ), I still have a hard time thinking of 9/11 without gritting my teeth in anger. I do remember in those early days after the attacks thinking that the entertainment industry did a good job embracing the public’s heartache and sharing messages of hope and patriotism. I watched David Letterman’s return to the air and tried to laugh with him, but my pain was too raw and he somehow did not come across as sincere.

On the other hand, I was very moved by Jon Stewart’s monologue and there was no doubt about his pain.

It didn’t take long, however, for the entertainment industry to jump on the Bush derangement syndrome bandwagon and every film, show or play to be tainted with liberal hate.

Jon Stewart should take a look back on his feelings that day and tone down his contempt for all things conservative.

(more…)

The Washington Times is wrong. Hollywood wasn’t AWOL in the War on Terror. In fact, just the opposite is true. Hollywood summoned every ounce of financial and star power at their disposal to fight this war.

Unfortunately, they chose to fight for the other side.

If our history is written by honest brokers, this generation of Hollywoodists will be remembered as those who openly enabled evil and spent hundreds of millions of dollars making bombs for the enemy — box office bombs. Over a dozen of them, specifically engineered with equal parts lies and hate and propaganda to undermine morale at home and on the battlefield in the hopes that we would lose this war.

Never forget the crime committed in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon on that terrible day.  And never forget  how Hollywood turned on your country.

There were some exceptions, however, and chief among them was Joel Surnow, the co-creator of “24.” Each week, for eight seasons, he gave this country a hero who openly loved America, did what was necessary to protect her, and who was willing to pay a terrible price for it. ”24″ also delivered the goods. Cathartic, exciting and righteous without being self-righteous, the addictive adventures of Jack Bauer became an oasis in a cesspool of Hollywood product delivering the exact opposite message.

(more…)

AFP:

For many people, the images of commercial airliners hitting the Twin Towers, and of Manhattan engulfed in a huge dust cloud as they collapsed, looked like a Hollywood apocalypse-style movie.

But despite that — or maybe in part because of it — 9/11 has not generated as large a number of movies as previous epochal events such as World War II or Vietnam.

Industry insiders say experience shows that 9/11 movies just don’t work at the box office — adding that the attacks may even have pushed Tinsel Town to produce even more escapist movies than it normally would.

In the decade since, only two Hollywood studios have produced films directly inspired by the most deadly attacks ever on US soil: Universal with “United 93” by Paul Greengrass and Paramount with Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center.”

This despite an initial surge of Hollywood interest following the September 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York.

“There was certainly an enormous amount of interest in 9/11 and the wars that happened afterwards,” said producer Bonnie Curtis, who has worked on films including Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.”

“I think that creatively, a lot of people started working on a material that normally wouldn’t even exist without the event itself,” she told AFP.

(more…)

There’s been a lot of discussion this summer about the failure of so many superhero films. They’re making money, but not nearly as much as expected. And until Captain America came along, it seemed to be getting worse with each passing film. Any number of explanations have been offered for this underperformance. Some suggest ticket prices are the problem. Others say it’s because the current crop of superheroes are second tier guys, i.e. the B-Team. Some blame oversaturation. But I don’t find those answers satisfying.

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The B-Team.

If ticket prices were the problem, then you would see a drop for all films. But there’s been no such drop. The “second-tier superhero” argument doesn’t wash either. It’s hard to argue that Iron Man or X-Men were “first tier” superheroes before they hit it big in theaters. And nothing is more first tier than Superman or the Incredible Hulk, yet both have struggled — not to mention Wonder Woman, who can’t even get a series off the ground.

The oversaturation argument is intriguing. On the one hand, oversaturation cannot be THE problem because people wouldn’t turn out for surprise hits like Captain America if they were just sick of superhero films generally. Also, if oversaturation really was THE problem, then why don’t slasher flicks or romcoms suffer from this? Those genres have been steadily turning out the same film year after year for decades. Still, I do think oversaturation plays a part in this puzzle. In particular, oversaturation makes these films less special, which makes people more selective. Being more selective means people are less likely to see films they don’t think are worth their time or money. But what is it that is causing people to choose some superhero films over others? In a word: plot.

Hollywood is using a bad formula for superhero films.

(more…)

Washington Times:

Jeremy Jackson auditioned for the lead role in the “Conan the Barbarian” remake, which opened Friday. But the part went instead to hulking “Game of Thrones” actor Jason Momoa.

“They told me I was neither big enough nor buff enough,” Mr. Jackson said.

He wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Jeremy Jackson

“I was thinking of becoming an action star,” said the 30-year-old actor best known for playing David Hasselhoff’s teenage son on the television show “Baywatch.” “I saw maximizing my hormonal levels as something that would facilitate my business.”

Mr. Jackson’s capital investment in his physical equipment came to include the abuse of testosterone, human growth hormone, insulin (he is not diabetic) — even a drug normally reserved for pre-slaughter cattle. His bulk-building melange of illegal steroids was enough to add 40 pounds to his 5-foot-10-inch, 170-pound frame — and ultimately landed him on the series “Celebrity Rehab.”

Chris Evans as Captain America gained a reported 20 pounds of muscle for his superhero role. (Paramount Pictures via Associated Press)Performance-enhancing drugs: They’re not just for jocks anymore.

(more…)

Great films need great actors and great actresses. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t do great actresses anymore. . . it does Barbies. In truth, Hollywood never was great with actresses, but it’s gotten much worse lately. Talent, apparently, no longer matters when casting actresses, just looks. To be a modern “actress,” you need to be under 35 years of age and look like every other Hollywood ditz. What’s worse, Hollywood is now trying to pass off sexual exploitation as “strong roles” for women.

Megan Fox adjusts her "talent" before their next scene.

1. Dear Hollywood: Stop The Age Discrimination

Age discrimination is a problem in Hollywood. Seriously, what is the fascination with jamming twenty-somethings into every role? It doesn’t work. These young girls simply don’t have the maturity or the depth to play the parts of women. It strains credibility beyond the breaking point when they cast some silicon enhanced girl to play the nuclear scientist or the head of a corporation or. . . well, any woman in a position of authority. I know powerful women, professional women, and women with a great deal of maturity, and none of them look or act anything like Hollywood seems to think.

And please stop casting girls as the wives of old, old, old male actors. It’s creepy. Teri Garr and Richard Dreyfuss worked in Close Encounters because they looked like a couple. Septuagenarian Harrison Ford married to Megan Fox doesn’t. Not only can we not see them getting together in the first place, but we can’t see them as a “normal, loving couple.” Instead, the words “gold digger” and “cradle robber” and even “grave robber” come to mind. And holy cow, stop casting “mothers” who are only a year or two older than their movie “daughters.” Was there a plague in Hollywood that wiped out all the women over 40?

(more…)

So here we are into the first year of the Chevy Volt, and President Obama’s prediction of selling 15,000 vehicles by the end of the year, is still about 12,000 short. It’s not a good start for the Administration who expects to have a million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. So Hollywood is ramping up the propaganda machine.

In a Hollywood Reporter article, Hollywood plans to help their favorite President, by making the electric car cool. That is, if you really think Hollywood has that much power. It’s a classic chicken and egg story: is smoking cool because Humphrey Bogart did it; or was Humphrey Bogart cool because he smoked? Perhaps now that they’ve made comic book conventions cool, Hollywood believes it has gained super-powers.

Chris Paine, known for his documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” is now working alongside his former nemesis, with “The Revenge of the Electric Car.” If current lackluster Volt sales continue, Chris Paine might someday be the star of a third picture, “Who Killed GM?”

Unfortunately I can’t see anything ever making electric cars or Hybrids cool. My nephew Joey informs me that high school kids refer to the Prius with an affectionate name, more commonly used for feminine hygiene products. It’s like trying to sell Christian Rock: if the kids don’t think it’s cool, nobody ever will.

(more…)

I prefer writing about films and offering constructive thoughts on how to make Hollywood better, but this issue needs to be addressed. In an interview with Nightlight last week, ’80s child actor Corey Feldman made some pretty sensational claims that need to be investigated. Specifically, he claims that he and fellow child-actor Corey Haim were “surrounded” by pedophiles when they worked in Hollywood and that they were both molested.

—–

Let’s start with some of what Feldman said:

The number one problem in Hollywood was, is and always will be pedophilia. It’s all done under the radar. . . But it’s the big secret.

There’s a lot of good people in this industry, but there’s also a lot of really, really sick, corrupt people in this industry. And there are people in this industry who have gotten away with it for so long that they feel they’re above the law, and that’s got to change. That’s got to stop.

I was surrounded by them when I was 14 years old. Surrounded. Literally. Didn’t even know it. It wasn’t until I was old enough to realize what they were and what they wanted and what they were about. . . till I went, ohmygod, they were everywhere like vultures.

There was a circle of older men that surrounded themselves around this group of kids. And they had power or connections to great power in the industry.

IF this is NOT TRUE, then Feldman is besmirching a lot of good names by casting suspicion upon an entire industry of people. Investigating these claims is the only way to clear Hollywood’s “good name” and remove that suspicion.

IF this IS TRUE, then serious consequences must follow. (more…)