I am a huge fan of Susan Sarandon. She’s one of the finest actors of her generation and she’s one hot 59-year-old! She and her husband have taken a lot of hits for their political beliefs and their willingness to stand up for what they believe. I don’t always agree with them, but I respect that they have the guts to speak out. Of course, if you visit any right wing website you get their hatred for all things liberal Hollywood; late night talk show hosts like Jay Leno, who bristles if accused of being a Democrat, makes jokes about Sarandon and Robbins being accidentally bombed by American missiles; hell, even avowed centrists like Jeff Jarvis, who seems to have developed an astounding disdain for Hollywood after spending so many years making a living off it, doesn’t mind taking a few cheap shots at outspoken celebrities. (I always find it odd when I read these remarks on Jarvis’ website since he’s always prattling on about Citizens Media — maybe he thinks egotistical celebrities aren’t part of his little group of "citizens.")
The Sarandon/Robbins case always struck me as extraordinarily vicious. These are people, these are Americans, who endured threats on their lives; had to put up with groups canceling appearances because they were perceived not being patriotic; had to put up with nieces, nephews, and their son being ridiculed in class by their teachers! Now, these rich celebrities don’t need me to defend them, but what kind of country are we living in when children are ridiculed and threatened by the very people who should instilling a love and respect for our country’s ideals in their students? And you know what, they didn’t back down. They still stand up for what they believe. That’s patriotic. That’s what it means to be an American. These two Hollywood lefties are an example for all Americans that no matter how hard it gets, if you don’t have the guts to speak out, to stand up, to look your detractors in the face, then you don’t deserve our hard-won freedoms.
And it’s not just Hollywood Liberals. There many of everyday Americans, who don’t have easy access to the spotlight like Sarandon, who are putting up with the same thing. Under the Bush II years, our country has taken a huge step backward. Americans freely allow the government to undermine our constitutional freedoms on an almost daily basis. Granted, some of it is fear. Hell, I blog anonymously because in a previous attempt at blogging with my real name it became too difficult to deal with some of the hateful comments I was getting. But for so many Americans, too many Americans, it’s a lack of caring. Many of us have gotten to a point where we think that if what goes on in Washington doesn’t touch us personally then we can look the other way. That kind of lazy thinking is what gets us in the kind of trouble we’re in today.
Why does Rolling Stone hate America?
Uh oh, looks like Hollywood’s gay agenda is now taking over daytime television! I don’t really get a chance to watch Ellen anymore, but I always liked her talk show. It was funny, Ellen is a great interviewer who lets her guests shine, and the show was a nice change of pace from the usual talk shows out there. I’m glad she’s getting the recognition she deserves.
Not since churches rallied around The Passion of the Christ have I seen so much hoopla about a film, specifically The Da Vinci Code. In my area, several churches are holding weeks long programs debunking the "theories" put forth in the book (I won’t get into the theories because I’m sure you’re all part of the millions upon millions of people who read it); the Vatican is, of course, calling forth its minions to boycott the film; and I have no doubt the right wing fanatics in this country will soon call for the same. Here’s a thought: It’s a book; a work of fiction! I will admit the Brown has done enough research to make one think, but when it gets right down to it all it’s a work of fiction. Then again, parishioners who think have never been welcomed by religious leaders have they. If people think, they often question, and we’re not supposed to question the Bible.
What’s really sad is these people are doing nothing but ensuring the film will be a success. Granted, I don’t think it will a HUGE success because most of the world has already read the book, but by fanning the flames of controversy church leaders have made sure that people will go see what all the fuss is about. I’m sure Sony pictures is in heaven!
It’s rare when a major corporation is willing to ignore the boycott threats of the gay-haters. Well, add Kraft to that very, very short list. Of course, unlike many smaller companies, Kraft is more than able to thumb its nose at the gay-haters. Considering the number of Kraft products used by millions of Americans a threat by the AFA and their ilk can do little damage. Regardless, there are still many companies as large or larger than Kraft who would buckle at the first mention of a boycott.
Why does the administration believe Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice making surprise visits to Iraq would be a boon to the troops? It’s one thing if the president shows up. He is, after all, the President of the United States. Hell, even I would be thrilled to suddenly meet him face-to-face. However, I couldn’t give rip about Rumsfeld and Rice, and it looks like some of the troops agree with me.
I hope all those idiots who voted for President Bush are seeing what they’ve wrought. An America in which dissent is quickly becomming an act of treason.
I may agree with the LA Times, but who in the Bush administration would give a flying fuck what the LA Times thinks. Certainly not President Bush himself who seems to be under the demonic influence of Cheney. Cheney could sleep his way through January, 2008, and I doubt the president would say a jack squat.
You can’t visit a sci-fi site these days without reading some story or comment on the "rediscovery" of Star Trek by Lost and Alias creator J. J. Abrams. I read these articles with some trepidation because as a long-time Star Trek fan I’ve never thought that it needed to be "rediscovered" just invigorated with the some new ideas, and yes maybe some new blood. The years of Star Trek under the control of Rick Berman and Brannon Braga nearly spelled the end of the franchise, so I don’t see a problem with them being removed from the process if that’s the case. However, after reading some of the articles about Erik Jendresen’s idea for a triology bridging the gap between the end of the very bad Enterprise and Star Trek: The Original Series featuring the Earth-Romulan War and an entirely new cast of characters was one of the best ideas to come along in a very, very long time. Moreover, unlike Berman and Braga, Jendresen seemed to have a strong respect for accepted Star Trek mythology.
Now comes the idea of a Starfleet Academy movie featuring the early days of Spock and Kirk. Well, I have some problems with that. First of all, Spock is many years older than Kirk as Vulcans tend to live a good century longer than humans. They would not have been in the Starfleet Academy together. Second, Spock served under the Enterprise’s original captain, Christopher Pike, so again he was not at Starfleet Academy with Kirk. Granted, they may create a situation in which Kirk and Spock aren’t actually together but serving in different areas: Kirk at the Academy, Spock on a ship prior to his Enterprise years, who knows.
Granted, I like J. J. Abrams’ work, and maybe he’s a Trek fan, but right now I’m not all that excited by what I’m hearing. However, the movie might be just what’s need to revive franchise. Good or bad, people will most likely turn to see what Abrams does. The Trek films have never been mega-box office smashes. According to Box Office Mojo, the highest grossing Star Trek film was for the fourth one to feature the original cast, The Voyage Home, which grossed nearly $110 million, the rest never made it to $100 million, and most of them barely grossed $75 million. Granted, with overseas sales and DVD the movies are more than successful. If Abrams can revive the franchise, bring in grosses that match or exceed the highest grosses of the previous films, it just may do the trick. I’ll wait and see.