No Politics at the Oscars, Please

Townhall.com ^ | March 13, 2010 | Bill O'Reilly

[Kaslin]

For the first time that I can remember, there were no politically charged comments at the Academy Awards ceremony last Sunday. And I was ready. We had left-wing bomb throwers like George Clooney, Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand and co-host Alec Baldwin all lined up in the "let it fly" zone. But the show turned out to be the silence of the lambs.

What's going on?

The answer to that question is money, pure and simple.

The rise of the machines has dislocated entertainment all over the country. Now you can program your life on your computer and endlessly amuse yourself with iPods, DS games and BlackBerry phones. No longer do you have to drive to a movie theater to see something interesting.

Therefore, the pool of movies, recordings, books and other forms of entertainment is becoming shallow. For the most part, companies are not throwing around big dollars to actors and singers anymore. Now you have to earn your bread by selling product. And alienating potential customers is not a good business model.

You may remember Clooney, for example, saying the federal government under President Bush was run like "The Sopranos." That was in 2003. Since that time, Clooney has pulled back from provocative political statements. I am guessing commerce has something to do with it.

Baldwin continues to toss grenades at the right, but even he has tempered his commentary. Back in 2002, old Alec told a Florida audience that George W. Bush's victory in 2000 did as much damage to America as the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Last Sunday night, he was like your hip uncle, a few wisecracks and then off to the bar.

Even Penn, as rabid a left-winger as can be imagined, refrained from blasting anyone. A few days earlier, however, he did say that he hoped his critics died "screaming from rectal cancer." I guess it's comforting to know that some things never change.

Streisand continues her political website, but what used to be bombs-away prose has turned surprisingly mild. Streisand has resumed touring and recording, so again, marketing may be in play.

Mass-market entertainers simply cannot survive by alienating much of the country. Polls show that 40 percent of Americans currently identify themselves as conservative. As Streisand well knows, people need people to buy their records and see their movies. That's the way we were and continue to be -- with apologies to everyone for those lines.

I kind of miss the embarrassing Oscar moments, where some celebrity would bash his or her country or call out a right-wing politician. Yes, those were cringe-worthy experiences, but they broke the tedium of the long-winded Academy Award telecast.

Next year we should have a retrospective of the crazy stuff said during past Academy Award programs. Michael Moore could host it.

[Carley]

Instead we have Tom Hanks out there bashing America for being racist for wanting to win the war in the Pacific and the war against the terrorists.

Hanks is an ignoramus who makes Penn seem intelligent.

[mlocher]

The movies themselves are politically charged as it is. There is little need for the Oscars to continue this assault against American society and its values.

[RightOnline]

I used to respect Hanks.

No longer.

[ripley]

“...there were no politically charged comments at the Academy Awards...”

That’s because the brilliant, really-really smart, intellectual-Democrat good guys are in power and there’s no need to be nasty this year.

/s/

IMHO

[fatnotlazy]

Also, they may figure that as long as their hero Obama is in power, everything is hunky-dory.

Wait till his taxes start hitting them in the pocketbook. Or they find out that all their money won’t get them adequate health care when they need it.

[HarleyD]

The reason there were no political charged comments at the Oscars this year is simply because the liberals are in control of the White House and Congress. Hollywood is NOT about to bash their heros. Does anyone, except Bill O’Reilly, really believe that if McCain/Palin were in we wouldn’t have heard about it at the Oscars?

[RayChuang88]

After that horrible PR fiasco from Michael Moore's acceptance speech for Bowling for Colombine (which was probably the last straw), the Oscar producers included very strict dictims for the pressenters NOT to get political for any reasons. Given I know both Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg fairly well, both of them told me that Moore's acceptance speech in the long run ended up costing Democrats votes during the 2004 elections.

It's not the first time it happened, too. Remember Vanessa Redgrave nearly killing her career for that infamous speech at the Oscars supporting the Palestinians? (Gawd, did that go over well given the strong representation of Jews in the entertainment community.) Or Richard Gere making a speech in favor of a free Tibet?

[ETL]

Penn Hangs Again With Pal Chavez:
http://www.newser.com/story/40507/penn-hangs-again-with-pal-chavez.html
__________________________________________________________

Sean Penn Applauds as Venezuela's Chavez Bashes Bush:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291855,00.html
__________________________________________________________

From National Public Radio (NPR):
August 29, 2006
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764
__________________________________________________________

From CBS-News:
July 29, 2006
"Chavez pledged that his country would 'stay by Iran at any time and under any condition,' state television reported. Ahmadinejad said he saw in Chavez a kindred spirit." "'We do not have any limitation in cooperation,' Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. 'Iran and Venezuela are next to each other and supporters of each other. Chavez is a source of a progressive and revolutionary current in South America and his stance in restricting imperialism is tangible.'":
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/29/world/main1847331.shtml

[sklar]

As usual, O'Reilly is wrong. There was no politics at the Oscars this year because the Dems rule everything, so there are no targets for their li'l "punchlines".

As long as the Dems hold power, you won't see politics at the Oscars. The minute Conservatives take over, the political “humor” and politically barbed acceptance speeches will come roaring back, more vicious and hateful than ever.

[ETL]

Ex prez jimmy carter with michael
moore at 2004 demonRat convention
Note: This was 3 months *after* Moore made
the following comments on the war in Iraq
________________________________________________________

Michael Moore (quote), from his website, April 14, 2004...

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win. Get it, Mr. Bush?"
[actual quote from Michael Moore (2004). It still appears on his website]
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2004-04-14

[Freddd]

I don’t go to the movies anymore. I don’t rent or buy DVD’s of the ‘stars’ anymore. i’ll never Madonna at concerts propagandizing the young and insulting the parents of those that are at her concerts!, , movie ‘stars’ putting down the system that made them rich. Athletes get filthy rich so they too can demean the very citizen’s who pay to watch them play, no sirree. I do not need to spend my dollars for them to amuse or entertain me for a temporary fix, and be propagandized and lied to in the process. I do not need to watch black mean belittling white women/girls or hear them or pay for their continued lifestyles. I will not help JLO continue to be seen or heard calling Governor Palin a bitch. What has JLO contributed to our country? She has certainly gotten rich from it....Julia Roberts is in the group, George Clooney, all of hollwood practically. I used to be huge on movies, have several hundred. No more. I even cut my cable package back out of rebellion. Not because I couldn’t afford the movie channels, but because I will not fund these attacks by these ‘stars’ on our Country.

I don’t save that money that I don’t use on movies and the ‘stars’ .
I use it to donate to TEA party candidates and candidates of my choice who are running for office, all across this country!

America does not fall on our watch. Not our watch.
To Islam or Communism or tyranny.

[mewzilla]

For anyone who missed what Hanks has been saying...

FR search using "Hanks"

FWIW, I stopped wanting to watch the guy when I found out he'd been dumb enough to donate to Toon's defense fund.

[Carley]

And of all people, Ozzie Guillan has criticized Penn for his support of Chavez.

The world has turned upside down.

Hanks ought to be ashamed of himself.

[3722535r]

Could not believe what Hanks is speaking on camera.....Completely turned us off immediately......Haven’t been to a movie theatre in over a decade.....Not only the films with the liberal tones, but the audience is loud and rude....I said never again and have kept that promise.....Oh how I miss the days of riding the bus downtown with my cousins as young teens (it was safe then) and going to a huge movie theatre that had only one screen!!!!!!.......

[Kaslin]

As usual, O'Reilly is wrong. There was no politics at the Oscars this year because the Dems rule everything, so there are no targets for their li'l "punchlines".

You didn't read between the lines, did you?

[mewzilla]

And because I just stumbled across this, an an oh, BTW....

Iranian-Americans among top donors to Clinton defense fund

[bushfamfan]

They just don’t want to bring any more attention to the epic disaster, horror they supported. Let them bash away at conservatives or anyone who challenges their philosophy because if it wasn’t apparent then it sure is now that they don’t have a clue what the real world is.

[Kaslin]

That’s all you need to know

[Freddd]

The ‘stars’ are about to find out who pays their rich and extravagant lifestyles....of course they already did their damage in the last few years and the last election.

But like Hollywood is discovering, WE THE PEOPLE are the source of their income. And we are rebelling against them.

Congress and government will find this out soon enough as well. WE THE PEOPLE are tired of being robbed by those who don’t pay their taxes and who write the tax laws, make the banking and Insurance rules and are exempt from the laws and rules they write. We the people are the purse they are stealing from. They work for us not the other way around.

Now when we start reading about ‘stars’ who have to sell their homes or go bankrupt, then they will have my attention.

I will especially delight in Oprah’s downfall. Oh sure the media covers for her for now, but one day someone will have the guts to do the right thing...