At a U.N. event promoting gender equality some had their priorities straight. From the AP:
"Our goal must be clear," the U.N. chief said. "No tolerance of the use of rape as a weapon of war. No excuses for domestic violence. No looking the other way when it comes to sex trafficking, so-called `honor killings' or female genital mutilation."
Some didn't have their priorities straight, like actress Geena Davis:
"At the dawn of a new millennium — in a world that is over 50 percent female — the message the media sends is that women and girls have far less value than men and boys," she said.
Davis said research shows that there are three male characters for every female character across all film ratings and that the vast majority of female characters "are stereotyped and hyper-sexualized."
Correct me if I'm wrong.....but hasn't Geena Davis played some "hyper-sexualized" characters herself?
Here is James Cameron claiming that he might lose the Oscar to a female director because she's a female. Geez, what happened to giving awards to the more talented person?
Pure fiction. I've always thought the most compelling episodes of these crime television shows are the one's that have realistic story lines, "straight from the headlines." But in Hollywood its Christians that are doing the suicide bombing. Sigh.
Why does the White House feel the need to invite Hollywood actors and actresses to the White House and award them? It's not like the Hollywood crowd doesn't award themselves enough. Barbra Streisand and Morgan Freeman already have Academy Awards, do really need another award from the White House? First, I think the White House has better things to do. (Sixty-seven years ago Pearl Harbor was bombed. Perhaps, something honoring WWII vets would be better?) Secondly, how about honoring little known artists whose work actually helps their community or something? Maybe someone who would have appreciated the award:
Does Streisand wish President-electBarack Obama was hosting instead?
"That would have been lovely," she said with a laugh, "or Clinton."
Another quote the AP article:
WASHINGTON – Barbra Streisand is visiting the White House on Sunday but says she'll play nice. "Art," she says, "transcends politics this weekend."
So Barbra Streisand, who is always blabbing about politics in interviews and on her Web site (look at her blog roll), decides to shut up when she is face to face with the actual politicians she despises.Interesting. Maybe President Bush should have invited Natalie Mains from the Dixie Chicks to White House and perhaps she would have shut up and actually sang something.
Heh. Matt Damon is funny. He is scared that Palin is the Republican Vice-President nominee because he "doesn't know anything about her." Mr. Damon, have you taken some time out of your busy Hollywood lifestyle to think about why you didn't know a single thing about her until a week and a half ago? Perhaps, it's because she is a rising star in the Republican Party, who is extremely popular in her state, and the news media didn't want you to know about her until McCain selected her and they were blind-sighted. How come everyone in the conservative blogosphere were familiar with Palin except our mainstream media? I had even written about her in my little ol' blog before she was nominated. And honestly how much did the American people know about Sen. Obama until January, when he started winning? Mr. Damon, are you telling me you were a Clinton supporter back in January?
Mr. Hollywood perhaps you should visit "really small" towns everyone once in a while and you wouldn't be a complete snob. And when did Matt Damon become a freaking a doctor? He said, "There's a 1 out 3 chance he'll survive," where did he get this number? He doesn't even play a doctor in T.V.
Matt Damon do me two favors: Shut up and don't make anymore movies.
This is just a thought I had today while I was reading this column and I wanted to throw it out there:
You know how Hollywood makes movies criticizing America's supposed Military-industrial complex. For example, the movie 'Iron Man.' Also, Hollywood actors like to tell us how to vote. I have another term that academics like to throw around: Cultural Imperialism. Funny how Hollywood elites are so eager to criticize American foreign policy but seem to overlook their own "imperialism." A quote from this article:
In the contemporary world, Hollywood, CNN and Disneyland are more influential than the Vatican, the Bibe or the public relations rhetoric of political figures. Cultural penetration is closely linked to politico-military domination and economic exploitation
That's right! Hollywood you are bunch of imperialists!
Exit question: Do you think we will ever hear George Clooney talk about cultural imperialism?
All the cool people will be attending. But always remember who will be the biggest celebrity there: Barack Obama. Have you donated yet to have a chance to go backstage to meet Barack?:
Susan Sarandon, if you are going to threaten to leave the country because your guy lost the election: Do me a favor and keep your word! Here's what she said:
"If McCain gets in, it's going to be very, very dangerous," she says.
"It's a critical time, but I have faith in the American people. If they prove me wrong, I'll be checking out a move to Italy. Maybe Canada, I don't know. We're at an abyss."
I hope you enjoy your sub-standard socialized health care. I'm sure the long waits will be fun. The high taxes won't make difference for you because your extra rich from the money working in America has made you.
Also, do you realize the rantings of those you in Hollywood actually hurt Democrats?
While Moore said the new film would go beyond Bush, he dropped strong hints that the president would remain in his sights.
"Our biggest enemy that we should have been afraid of during these last eight years was perhaps an internal one, and I don't mean ourselves," Moore said. "I mean people that were up to absolutely no good when it came to what was best for this country and best for the world.
He's an embarrassment to movie making. I'm apologize. This man is not a film maker: He's deals in socialist propaganda. I think Hollywood in the years following after September 11th has been a complete embarrassment to our country. They are shameful. There are so many heroic stories from our soldiers coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq and do you think these Hollywood types would even consider telling one of those stories on the big screen? I wouldn't hold my breathe.
I think good stories have a way of depicting good and evil. Hollywood has lost out to moral relativity. Therefore, they can no longer tell stories about war. It is also why very few watched "Stop-Loss," "Lions for Lambs," "Rendition," and all those other duds.
I give Hollywood a big fat "F" for the way they have conducted themselves during war time:
Our foreign policy has changed so much under the Bush administration that I forget that nation-building use to be Democratic issue, not a Republican one. George Bush during the 2000 debates said he was clearly against nation-building, yet that's what we are doing in Iraq:
Then I read Angelina Jolie's piece in the Washington Post saying that we need to stay in IraqandI'm reminded, yes, there use to be a time when when liberals use to be nation-builders. I know Angelina Jolie has never said she's a liberal or a Democrat. However, I have a gut feeling she probably agrees with most liberal positions, from social to economic, except for the issue of staying in Iraq.
Here's a portion of what Ms. Jolie writes:
What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money -- but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.
As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.
I was so surprised to read a Hollywood actress calling for us to stay in Iraq. Then, I thought, "Wait, why should I be?" Remember, not only has Bush changed his position from 2000 but so has the Democratic Party.
I just finished reading an excellent piece by Mark Steyn (h/t Hotair). In much of the article Steyn argues film makers love to make movie with U.S. government conspiracy plot lines. Here is the killer line in the article:
"There’s a kind of decadence about all this: If 9/11 was really an inside job, you wouldn’t be driving around with a bumper sticker bragging that you were on to it. Fantasy is a by-product of security."
And just look at recent movie releases such as, "Rendition," and "The Kingdom" where, according to this article, the United States government is ultimately the bad guys. I think that Steyn has a point here. If our government was the oppressive entity that Hollywood wants you to believe then wouldn't they try to censor these movies since they hit a little too close to the truth. So why isn't our government doing that? Because it is total nonsense!
I also found this poll done last year that showed that young adults and people who regularly use the internet are more likely to believe in 9/11 conspiracy theories. This is not a coincidence. Young adults are saturated with media (films, television, and internet), thus, more likely to believe the whole "our government conspires against us" messages sent from these films. Also, since young people are so media saturated and since
most Americans viewed 9/11 from our television sets, they were not able
to separate the real life and tragic events from that day from other media events. I recently listened to this interview with a 9/11 truther and when the interviewer asked him what made him change his mind about 9/11 he didn't give any secretive, yet, tangible evidence only he had like in in the movies. What was his whole for reason for believing 9/11 was an inside job? A movie he saw, Loose Change. Yes, a movie! But movies are just movies, right? They have no influence on people whatsoever.
Instead, of trying to unite Americans in undertaking such a massive endeavor that is fighting terrorism what are movie studios giving us? Paranoid and negative images of our government. This from the guys that often tell us that things are not black and white or good or evil. There's shades of gray. Well, not when it comes to America. The United States government is always bad and is always trying to cover up something. Enough of the anti-establishment rhetoric, Hollywood, we ain't buying it.
I don't think that a little prayer can hurt. Entertainment media is the number one American export so it wouldn't hurt if we prayed for what is going in that particular business. Here is the Web site for more information. I subscribed to their newsletter.
A Fox News article discusses the consequences of the "sexualization of girls." Researchers found a "Girls Gone Wild" effect on young girls who post nude photos of themselves online. Here are the mental health issues mentioned in the article that this oversexualization can lead to: Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualization and objectification undermine a person’s confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety. Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women—eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood. Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.It is disturbing that so many females think that the only value they have is their outward appearance. As a young woman I've always gone against this trend. I want to be a woman of substance. When I talk about the issues of our day I want people to listen to what I have to say. Women throughout history and even today have suffered too long and hard to get our voices heard. I don't want to undo the all the work that has been done and be reduced to such superficiality.
The article also talks about bad role models like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I'm the same age as Britney Spears. I remember when she first came out with her first video. Back then I never (I guess I was too young) thought of the possible consequences of young girls dressing provocatively at such a young age. When your 16, you don't think 16 is all that young. You think you are an adult and want to dress cool. With what this article is saying I don't think it is unfair to speculate that perhaps Spears's recent and very public mental breakdowns are related to her sexy persona at such a young age.
I try not to write too much about celebrities because I think it is all gossipy and superficial. But I do see a dangerous trend and I want to address it.
Party girls Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan have all recently been in trouble. Paris is set to go to jail for a DUI and then evading her probation, Lindsay crashed her car and drugs were found in the wreck and now is in rehab, Britney just got out of rehab.
Hollywood has always sold the public a party lifestyle. The lifestyle of drinking all night, casual sex, and club hopping. But now it has come back to haunt them. They are seeing their talent (I use the term loosely) self-destruct before their very own eyes. And if you think self-destruct is too harsh of a word I give you one name- Ann Nicole Smith.
I guess what makes the recent cases unique is because now it is females who are partying hard. I believe they have bought into the "Sex and the City" lie. Females should smoke like the boys do, drink like the boys do, and have casual sex just like the boys. But they forgot to mention one crucial thing, the partying bachelor is probably one of the most unhappiness, loneliness beings on Earth. The smile on the person in the alcohol ad is huge lie.
When you see images of these girls' eyes they are vacant and most importantly they are soulless. They have a void, an emptiness that can only be filled by God. These party girls have wealth, fame, and can party all night but there is still something missing in their lives.
I wish all these celebrities the best in their struggles and I hope they find their souls again. But most importantly I wish the best for the girls' in the general viewing audience that have also bought into the lie but don't have a fancy rehab facility in Malibu to go to.
Paris Hilton was recently spotted buying a Bible. I wonder how she interprets Genesis 1; figuratively or literally. I'm just kidding. How many of you think she'll read past "In the beginning God created.."?
I read this interview with 'Arrested Development' actor Tony Hale, who is graduate of the same Christian grad school I went to. He talks somewhat about being a Christian in the entertainment business. I am always interested in these types of interviews because I imagine it is difficult for someone of faith to be in a business that often portrays sin graphically. Where does an actor draw a line on what is appropriate to play and what is not?
I am a creative type. When I was younger I often considered a career in acting and I even majored in Communication with an emphasis on media studies in college. But this very issue has made me content that I never full heartily pursued this path. Do not misinterpret me. I am not one of those people that call all of Hollywood as immoral. Hey, I'm still a television addict till this day.
As a business I believe the entertainment sector needs to assess why they have to have sex, violence, and even drug use in their plots to tell a compelling story. And as a society we need to evaluate why we continually watch.
Another interesting topic brought up in the interview was consumerism in the Church. You know the whole Christian t-shirt, book, music, ect. It find it isolating. I feel that now some pastor's get into ministry for that Rick Warren book deal. Here is what Hale said:
Yes. Consumerism comes from our fear. We’re afraid that we’re going to have to have questions or make sacrifices for Christ. Weird and ironic as this is: it’s in the challenges and the things I fear the most, where my faith is most strengthened. Faith doesn’t come in a Hallmark package. On the other hand, when we try to create Utopia, like many cultures do, Christian cultures included, when we try to create Pleasantville, that’s when we’re going to hit a brick wall. And it’s not going to be pretty.
Ok, I'm going to go watch Kill Bill now... just kidding.
I hope you didn't think I meant that a Hollywood weirdo actually stepped into a church. Because we all know that would never happen. James Cameron, director of 'Titanic,' claims in a new documentary that the tomb of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their son Judah was uncovered in 1980. I think I'm going to take Cameron's word on this one and abandon all my religious beliefs. After all, he was right on in telling the true life story of Jack and Rose and the sinking of the Titanic. I know because I was there.
This is something I've been wondering about; don't ask me why. Are droopy eyes attractive or not? Some people actually find droopy eyes attractive. For example, the droopy eyed celebs pictured below make the covers of magazines and Tom Cruise jumped on a couch for a slanted eyed girl.
But then I've heard some people say they make you look tired and so on. I have the droopy eyes thing going on and I have been often asked, "Are you ok, you look tired." I then answer, "No, I'm not tired." I proceed to slap the person across the face with all 115 lbs. of me.
