Archive for October, 2011

Hollywoodland

Michael Moore Desperately, Flailingly, Shamelessly Denies He Is the ‘1 Percent’

by Hollywoodland

From CNN:

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Michael Moore was asked a question from a Twitter user who pointed out the seeming incongruity of the filmmaker’s personal wealth and his criticism of capitalism. Morgan seemed intrigued by the line of questioning and pressed Moore on the issue. After saying “that’s not true” to the assertion that he’s worth millions, Mr. Moore had this to say:

Well, then, if you believe that about me, then that’s really something, isn’t it? That, even though I do well, that I don’t associate myself with those who do well. I am devoting my life to those who who have less and who’ve been crapped upon by the system. And that’s how I spent my time, my energy, my money on trying to upend this system that I think is a system of violence; it’s a system that’s unfair to the average working person of this country, and it was a mistake to ever give me a dime, from the day Time Warner, actually, gave me money to buy Roger & Me… I hope they rue the day that they ever allowed me up on the movie screens.

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John Nolte

BET Hip Hop Awards: And Now We Pause for a Pro-Burqa, Anti-Israel Moment of Trutherism

by John Nolte

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You have to see this to believe it. And yes, that’s a Palestinian flag Lupe Fiasco is proudly waving — which goes perfectly with the song lyrics posted below.

Big Journalism editor Dana Loesch, who watched the show, tells me that she found Erykah Badu performing in a “fashionable” burqa especially ironic when BET is the same network airing PSAs about black female empowerment.

As long as they look cool and are all multi-cultural, I guess symbols of female enslavement aren’t necessarily all bad.

“Words I Never Said” (lyrics)

It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said
I can’t take back the words I never said

I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets
How much money does it take to really make a full clip
9/11 building 7 did they really pull it
Uhh, And a bunch of other cover ups
Your childs future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, that’s on the up and up
Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the uppercrust
You get it then they move it so you never keeping up enough
If you turn on TV all you see’s a bunch of “what the fucks”
Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such
And that ain’t Jersey Shore, homie that’s the news
And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit
That’s why I ain’t vote for him, next one either
I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful
And I believe in the people.

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AWR Hawkins

Obama Asks Hollywood to Help Him Re-Write History of Last Three Years

by AWR Hawkins

During a speech this morning in Denver, President Obama spoke of how it’s going to take time to build an economy that gives opportunity to all people and not just those at the top. The President also discussed how difficult it is to build such an economy when Republicans refuse to play along.

In summary, he used his usual tactic of “divide and conquer” by setting “the people” against the “the rich,” which his ongoing attempt to place the blame for the Obama economy on the backs of Congressional Republicans and wealthy Americans.

Ironically, while trying to talk to “average Americans” (as if he were one of them), Obama didn’t mention the “undisclosed meeting” he’d held with some of Hollywood’s rich execs yesterday. The President didn’t mention that he’d asked those execs for “their help to engage the Hollywood community, in particular, and the general public at large.” Nor did he point out that his whole persona is so fake, so truly fraudulent, that he’s literally hoping these wealthy, influential Hollywood elites can “help [him] shape the national political conversation heading into a tough race in 2012.”

Note to President Obama: The conversation template is already set. That template is a discussion of your absolute failure as a president.

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John Nolte

Director Jonathan Demme Films ‘Occupy Wall Street’ So We Can Laugh At Them

by John Nolte

Look, Ma! No job! No self respect! No hygiene! No purpose! No direction! No sense of duty or personal responsibility!

The stench of self-involved narcissism is everywhere in Demme’s unintentionally hilarious video. How in the world does a country as great as this one breed such a pathetic bunch of self-important freeloaders? Contrast these losers to the young men and women who serve in our military, and only then can you get a sense of how badly they all need a boot in the backside.

Academy Award-winning director (‘Silence of the Lambs’) Jonathan Demme filmed this video, and his hilarious thoughts on the oxygen thieves known as Occupy Wall Street are quoted below.

And yes, it is all about re-electing Barack Obama.

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Via DHD:

I’m from the hippie generation, I came aware in that age of protests and demonstrations,” he said. “These young people are living that sense of potential change, and when you go downtown to see it, it’s such an oxygenated atmosphere that it’s thrilling. Many people dump on Barack Obama, they say once he got in office he didn’t do anything. But neither did we, the people who supported him and then went off and lived our lives. The only voice that has been in his face has been the Tea Party and I promise you, if Occupy Wall Street had taken root when the president was elected, we’d be living in a different country by now. This is a voice that cannot be ignored, and it is fantastic that young people are spearheading it. They turned out and helped get Obama elected, they evaporated after, but here they are and they are passionate. These kids are deep in student loan debt, trusting there would be positions for them, and either they can’t get jobs or they’ve been laid off. There is justifiable outrage.

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John Nolte

Morning Call Sheet: Spielberg Rips ‘Crystal Skull,’ I Heart Glenn Close, and Time to Forgive Netflix?

by John Nolte

WHOA: SPIELBERG RIPS ‘CRYSTAL SKULL’

Is it just me or did Empire bury the lead here:

And Crystal Skull? “I’m very happy with the movie. I always have been… I sympathise with people who didn’t like the MacGuffin because I never liked the MacGuffin. George and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin. I didn’t want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings. But I am loyal to my best friend.["]

Gawd that movie blew.

The good news is that Lucas is working on ‘Indy 5,’ so maybe ‘Indy 4′ won’t be the worst of the franchise.

Don’t tell me I’m not a glass half-full kinda guy.

APPLE EFFORT TO DEVELOP TV IS SAID TO BE LED BY ITUNES CREATOR JEFF ROBBIN

I understand Apple has a device now that allows you to watch iTunes video on your television, but there’s no way I’m going to start buying one device per provider. What a pain that would be. As of right now, if it isn’t available through my Blu-ray player there’s no sale. Apple’s apparently cooking up something that will allow you to interface with more than just Apple, including Netflix, but I’m still not interested. My universal remote is ready to explode as is.

No more devices. No more wires. No more remotes. No more purchases until this is settled once and for all between all platforms.

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John Nolte

After Grilling Cain and Bachmann, Jay Leno Embarrasses Himself Sucking up to Obama

by John Nolte

The quickest way to become a jerk in this country is to defend someone in the entertainment business, which is exactly what I did when I defended the recent  interviews ‘Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno did with Rep. Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain.

In both of those interviews, Leno made the central point of his conversation the perceived gaffes and weak points in the GOP candidates’ statements and policies. What I defended was that at the very least, as Leno grilled them, his guests were given the chance to respond. And, at the time, it made sense for Leno to drill down on those issues because they were the elephants in the room.

Well, when President FailureTeleprompter arrived on the ‘Tonight Show’ set, you would think the herd of elephants that follow Obama everywhere had never existed at all.

Here’s a rundown of Leno’s talking points questions:

How awesome is your foreign policy? How great is is that you and Hillary came together for America? How about your approval rating being three times higher than Congress?  Do you find Mitch McConnell’s desire to defeat you as unpatriotic as I do? Great job quitting smoking! How do you cope with the awesome responsibility of being President? How were those chicken and waffles? How’s the family? How about that heartbreaking NBA lockout?

Nothing about the failed stimulus. Nothing about Solyndra, Fast and Furious, unemployment or record deficits.

As a longtime defender of  Jay Leno, I think he’s done real damage to his non-partisan everyman image.

At least he has with me.

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Kurt Schlichter

‘Occupy Hollywood’ – The Left Begins to Eat Itself

by Kurt Schlichter

You’re not a conservative if Kim Kardashian making millions for being a half-witted, no-talent reality TV star bothers you. In fact, if you feel “there oughta be a law” somehow regulating, limiting or otherwise controlling in any manner at all how much dough she rakes in from the drooling morons who choose to fling it at her, you are part of the problem.

This woman took very, very little in the way of ability and somehow provided a service – of a kind that frankly baffles me – that millions of people nevertheless want to spend their money on. Regardless, it’s none of your or my business, and it’s especially none of the government’s business.


But now, here comes “Occupy Hollywood,” a hilarious exercise in poetic justice in which the left proposes to chase its own tail by attacking the same cretinous celebrities who have been the first to parrot every commie slogan the bongo-playing degenerates of Occupy Wall Street have misspelled on their placards.

Jo Piazza, the author of some remainder bin perennial titled Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money, is leading the bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-athon with an article in The Huffington Post called “Occupy Hollywood: Why It’s Time To Call Out High-Earning Celebrities.”

For some reason, she thinks what movie stars make is some sort of problem:

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Christian Toto

Your Horror Movie Tip Sheet – The Sleeper Edition

by Christian Toto

You don’t need a critic or video store geek to tell you to watch ‘The Shining’ this time of year.

It’s practically required viewing for horror buffs. The same holds true for ‘Halloween,’ The Exorcist’ and ‘Psycho.’ If you haven’t seen those chiller classics, then drop everything and add them to your Netflix queue (assuming you still have one).

This is a different kind of list, one drawing attention to sleeper horror films which still deliver the goods. They may not have film critics lining up to sing their praises, but here’s betting they raise a few goosebumps just in time for Halloween.

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Hollywoodland

‘Iron Lady’ Screenwriter Swears Film Isn’t a ‘Left Wing Fantasy’

by Hollywoodland

Conservatives have been mighty suspicious of the upcoming Margaret Thatcher biopic ‘The Iron Lady.’

The film stars liberal actress Meryl Streep as the iconic British Prime Minister, and it’s coming from an industry which regularly wears its disdain for the right on its cinematic sleeve. Big Hollywood’s peek at the film’s script did nothing to quell fears the film would diminish Thatcher’s accomplishments. And associates of the now-ailing ex-leader who have seen the film have called it “insulting.”

Now, ‘The Iron Lady’ screenwriter Abi Morgan is speaking out about the film to IndieWire – sight unseen.

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Jaci Greggs

‘The Three Musketeers’ Review: Airships, Flame Throwers and Ninjas, Oh My!

by Jaci Greggs

If you’re any fan of Alexander Dumas’ novel ‘The Three Musketeers,’ save yourself the aneurism and pass on its latest screen incarnation. (Warning: There will be spoilers)

The new ‘Musketeers’ opens with a prologue where the famous Three – Athos (Matthew Macfayden), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Luke Evans) – are working on mission for the King along with Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich). After a successful plot to steal an ancient Da Vinci plan for a flying battleship – yes, really – Milady drugs the Three and steals the plans for the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom).


Flash forward a year later, and we meet young D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman), sent off by his parents to join the king’s Musketeers. Initially at odds with the Musketeers, he quickly is accepted by them as they team up against the Cardinal’s Guards, led by Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen). Meanwhile, Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) is conspiring to seize power from King Louie (Freddie Fox) using Milady to provoke a war with England.

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Hollywoodland

Michael Moore: Obama’s First Term a ‘Heartbreaking Disappointment’

by Hollywoodland

Consider Michael Moore the latest celebrity to see the sour side of Hope and Change.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker won’t be voting for Rick Perry, Mitt Romney or Herman Cain next year, but he’ll pull the lever for President Barack Obama with a heavy heart. And no, that’s not a fat joke.

Michael Moore Team America

Moore described Obama’s first three years in office to the BBC as “heart-breaking” and a “disappointment.”

“He did not come into office like I hoped that he would, to do what Franklin Roosevelt did in his first few months where he came in and said, you know, ‘I’m in charge, this is the way we’re doing things, if you don’t like it, throw me out of office,’” Moore said.

Moore said Obama spent the past three years “running the ball in the wrong direction” before making somewhat of a turnaround with a jobs bill and other economic plans.

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John Nolte

Morning Call Sheet: ‘Dark Knight’ Prologue, Playboy Preys, and a Redbox Win

by John Nolte

CONFIRMED: ‘DARK KNIGHT RISES’ PROLOGUE TO PLAY BEFORE IMAX ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’

Truly a piece of genius marketing. Expect more of this.

I’m well aware I’m calling this idea a success before the results are in, but it’s a no-brainer.

LINDSAY LOHAN TO POSE NUDE IN PLAYBOY

The only thing worse than the Hollywood gossip media that feasts off the slow-motion train wreck of human beings who also happen to be celebrities is the infrastructure in place to capitalize on the train wrecks many stops along the way. The clubs, the dealers, the hangers-on, the elite rehabs, and of course Playboy. Instead of rallying to protect this young woman from herself, Playboy will exploit her need for money and addiction to attention.

Hell can never be hot enough. (more…)

Hunter Duesing

HomeVideodrome: ‘Captain America,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Winnie the Pooh’

by Hunter Duesing

This week’s HomeVideodrome podcast finds us debating the pronunciation of the last name of John Cazale, discussing the lovely disposition of Tommy Lee Jones, as well as the goings on at the Austin Film Festival.  Of course, we also go through this week’s crop of releases in the most chaotic manner possible.  So go listen, and enjoy!


Captain America: The First Avenger is the next step in Marvel’s massive attempt at crafting a cinematic universe for their comic book creations.  Marvel’s days of licensing out their characters for stand-alone Hollywood movies are thankfully over, with Jon Favreau’s excellent Iron Man ushering in a new era of comic book moviemaking.  The visionary approach taken by Marvel is that with each movie they make, they are crafting a larger mythos, a new universe for their classic characters to play in, not unlike the Ultimates line of comics they launched years ago.  We’re getting films less concerned with being stand-alone entities, that instead have more freedom to tie into, reference, and cross over with each other.  In other words, this is the way comic book movies should be.

Chris Evans, who previously played a Marvel’s Human Torch in Tim Story’s lackluster Fantastic Four films, fills the boots of Steve Rogers, the scrawny, strong-willed nobody destined to become the Cap himself.  With the Nazi menace sweeping Europe, Rogers attempts over and over again to sign up to go fight the good fight for good ol’ Uncle Sam, however his sickly physical attributes consistently result in his rejection.  Rogers’ determination to enlist catches the eye of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist who has found asylum in the U.S., who wants to use the good-hearted Rogers to test his super-soldier serum.  The experimental drug turns the scrawny Rogers into a super-man, however he ends up being used as a marketing tool to sell war bonds on the home front under a persona called “Captain America,” rather than fight the enemy at their doorstep.  But when one of his best pals gets caught behind enemy lines by a rogue Nazi organization called Hydra, Rogers springs into action on his own, and soon Captain America and his Howling Commandos tear a swath in the European countryside, battling the wicked Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his Hydra troops.

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John Nolte

Celebs Speak Out On Occupy Wall Street

by John Nolte

Watch Billy Bob Thornton and Aaron Eckhart make perfect sense as Amber Heard practically breaks down crying at the beauty of it all…

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Occupy Wall Street does remind me of the 60’s anti-war movement inasmuch as they were both based on a lie. The dirty, filthy hippies didn’t care about the Vietnam War; what they wanted was an end to the draft. That’s why, after Nixon ended the draft, the anti-war movement broke up even though the war would rage for a few more years.

OWS is based on the same lie. These smelly, selfish, narcissistic, spoiled loser creeps want their student loans forgiven. They claim to be outraged over the government’s bailout of Wall Street (which is worth being outraged over) and yet they want their own government bailout and in large part support President GoldmanSachsFailureTeleprompter.

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Christian Toto

Exclusive: Adam Carolla Blasts Hypocritical Comics, Radio Lethargy

by Christian Toto

Adam Carolla isn’t shocked most comedians’ acts tilt toward the left.

“It’s an easier team to back if you live in Hollywood,” says Carolla, host of the most downloaded podcast on the Internet, ‘The Adam Carolla Show.’ What’s hypocritical, Carolla says, are the dual identities many lead in their professional lives.

Adam Carolla

“These bigger name guys, they go out and do corporate gigs, they do casinos and theaters, they make 200 grand a pop,” says Carolla, whose own ideology defies simple labels. “Then, they come back to their pulpit and talk about Joe Sixpack and how times are tight.”

“They never talk about the money they make… and you pretend you’re one of them? Bullshit,” he says.

Carolla isn’t shy about telling tales of woe from first class flights or how he feels uncomfortable around his nanny. Nor does he mind being in a cutthroat entertainment business, one that cast him aside in 2009 for failing to live up to Howard Stern’s ratings legacy on the FM dial.

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Christian Toto

‘Attack the Block’ DVD Review: Aliens No Match for Gritty Inner City Gang

by Christian Toto

Genre movies offer filmmakers the chance to step a toe or two on the soap box of their choice. Think George A. Romero’s anti-consumerism vibe from ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and the immigrant’s lament at the heart of ‘District 9.’

‘Attack the Block’ pits an unruly gang against a wave of aliens, and darned if the movie doesn’t touch on class envy as well as nature versus nurture arguments amidst the creature attacks. But writer/director Joe Cornish refuses to let sloganeering mar his feature film debut.

Cornish also risks audience sympathy by making heroes out of a gaggle of petty thugs. He’s piled so much on his plate it’s a small miracle a taut science fiction thriller emerges from the wreckage.

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John P. Hanlon

Trailer Talk: ‘This Means War’ Looks Like a Bromantic Version of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’

by John P. Hanlon


What’s to Like:

McG, who previously directed ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘We Are Marshall,’ is at the helm of this new film about two CIA agents who realize they are dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). This action comedy looks like a bromantic version of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ In fact, one of the film’s writers is ‘Smith’ screenwriter Simon Kinberg. However, in this film, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy will be the ones battling it out instead of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I enjoyed ‘Smith,’ so I think ‘War,’ which seems to follow a similar format, has potential.

What’s to Dislike:

The trailer strikes a tired note when it shows the two agents flipping their computers around to reveal they are dating the same woman. The whole love triangle angle feels a bit tired, especially for Witherspoon, who was caught in a love triangle in her recent pic ‘How Do You Know.’ Also, Chelsea Handler’s presence in the film makes me want to steer clear. (more…)

Michael Moriarty

Part IV: Bringing America Home Again: Runaway America

by Michael Moriarty

The little boy sitting with a cop in a diner could have been myself sitting with my police surgeon father on a morning of “custody fights” between my “mom” and my “dad.” I wasn’t a runaway yet. I would be.

George Moriarty, my father – tacitly known as a “Little George” to my grandfather, “Big George” Moriarty – was easily as “big” as that police officer in Norman Rockwell’s ‘The Runaway.’

Over a decade older than that boy in the painting, I ran away to New York City and London only to face a painfully humiliating return to Detroit where I was born.

Norman Rockwell Runaway

Oh, well … we’ve all had those moments in our lives … and, as I’ve learned, “God had other plans for me than my own” and God’s plans turned out more blissfully rewarding than the ones I’d dreamed of as a boy.

However, it seems like more than 40 percent of Americans are now running away from the defining principles of America and America’s individual freedom. They applaud Barack Obama’s efforts to “fundamentally transform the United States.”

Why do I say that?

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Hollywoodland

Will MTV Bring its Biased Reporting to Occupy Wall Street Special?

by Hollywoodland

You can say one thing about MTV; it knows its demographic better than most TV channels.

The “music” network is prepping a new documentary focusing on the youthful Occupy Wall Street movement.

Occupy Wall Street

Now the network said it will use its Emmy-winning True Life documentary platform to air True Life: I’m Occupying Wall Street on Saturday, November 5 at 6 PM ET/PT. MTV said it embedded cameras with three people at the protests for a two-week period to “capture the day-to-day realities” of the protesters as the movement gains visibility — even among MTV’s target youth demos.

Deadline serves up a five-minute preview of the upcoming special. Does the clip focus on the group’s political demands? Their crush of slogans and prime directives? The fact that they’re interfering with the lives of many New Yorkers?

Nope, nope and nope.

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Hollywoodland

Actor Orlando Jones ‘Jokes’ About Killing Sarah Palin?

by Hollywoodland

The headline has a question mark because the Twitter account isn’t verified and therefore there’s no way to know if this is this THE Orlando Jones.

If it isn’t, it is someone posing as the actor:

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