The Left Coast Report: A Political Look at Hollywood
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Jane Fonda’s Tweets Prove Ill-Timed
2. Brandy Goes Partisan for Bristol Palin
3. Mike Tyson Fancies Pigeons on Camera
4. ‘True Grit’ Lassoes No. 1 Spot
5. Left Blaming Right for Giffords Tragedy
1. Jane Fonda’s Tweets Prove Ill-Timed
Jane Fonda can’t seem to use restraint when it comes to political matters.
That’s hazardous in the age of social media, when a blunder can go viral in an instant.
Fonda recently used her Twitter page to tell the world who she thought was responsible for the tragic shootings in Tucson. Unfortunately, it was before the facts were fully known.
According to Fonda, the blame for the senseless violence fell squarely on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, talk show host Glenn Beck, and the tea party.
“Progressive Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is shot,” she wrote, revising Giffords’ Blue Dog Democrat identity. “In her ads, Sarah Palin had her targeted in a gun site. Inciting to violence.”
In another posting Fonda tweeted, “Glen Beck guilty too. Shame. It must stop!”
Not yet finished, the actress added, “@SarahPalinUSA holds responsibility. As does the violence-provoking rhetoric of the Tea Party.”
Looks like Ms. Slip of the Lip was influenced by Mr. Mouth of the South.
2. Brandy Goes Partisan for Bristol Palin
As a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” Bristol Palin drew stinging barbs from comedian Kathy Griffin and shock jock Howard Stern, both of whom took cheap shots at her weight.
Stern made the crack that she “must be eating everything in sight.”
During VH1’s “Salute to the Troops,” Griffin called her the “White Precious.”
Brandy Norwood, who competed against Bristol on “DWTS,” told the Fox411 website that the talk about Bristol’s weight offends her.
“She shouldn’t be treated unfairly,” the singer said.
Identifying herself as part of “Team Bristol,” Brandy said, “You won’t ever catch me saying anything negative about Bristol.”
Why so much loyalty on the part of Brandy for Sarah Palin’s daughter?
“It was just one of those things where you feel a connection and you don’t know why but you just feel a comfort,” Brandy shared. “I felt like I was her big sister.”
3. Mike Tyson Fancies Pigeons on Camera
Mike Tyson has acquired some negative titles since his days as a heavyweight boxing champion, including ear biter and convicted rapist.
On the positive, he’s done TV cameos (“Entourage,” “Brothers”) and appeared in a hit movie (“The Hangover”).
Now Tyson is seizing another screen opportunity: reality star.
“Taking on Tyson,” slated to air in March on cable’s Animal Planet channel, will follow the former champ as he returns to his old Brooklyn neighborhood to race pigeons.
Apparently raising pigeons has been a lifelong passion. The series will reveal how “Iron Mike” cut classes to escape bullies but found comfort in his feathered friends.
The cable show will feature Tyson and a group of other enthusiasts training their birds.
“This is what we do,” Tyson told the press. “Our lives are dedicated to pigeons, even when I have been fighting or getting locked up.”
4. ‘True Grit’ Lassoes No. 1 Spot
“True Grit,” celebrated in last week’s Left Coast Report as a return to the classic Western, unexpectedly topped box-office charts last weekend after three weeks in wide release.
In a slow post-holiday week, the Coen brothers flick brought in $15 million, beating out the vacuous comedy “Little Fockers,” which took in $13.8 million, according to studio estimates.
“True Grit” saw a decline of only 39 percent from its previous weekend while “Fockers” fell 47 percent.
“Season of the Witch,” the newly released Nick Cage fantasy action movie, totaled a disappointing $10.7 million.
The Gwyneth Paltrow musical flick “Country Strong” had a weak $7.3 million in receipts.
“Season of the Witch” cost Relativity Media around $40 million to make while Sony spent only about $12.5 million for “Country Strong.”
While both studios have a ways to go before they’re in the black, Relativity Media has the harder row to hoe.
5. Left Blaming Right for Giffords Tragedy
As some on the left try to politicize the Gabrielle Giffords tragedy in Tucson, it would be wise for them to go back and examine some of the toxic words that have emanated from their own side of the political aisle.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Madonna, while on her Sticky & Sweet Tour, decided to add a few political rants to her musical mix. Sarah Palin, the then-GOP nominee for vice president, was the object of Madonna’s disaffection.
The singer threatened to “kick her a**.”
When confronted with her contentious statement at a red carpet premiere, Madonna dismissed the language. “It's a metaphor,” she said. “She's in the Republican Party; I'm in the Democratic Party.”
In October of 2009, MSNBC host Chris Matthews shared a malicious fantasy involving radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.
“You guys see ‘Live and Let Die,’ the great Bond film with Yaphet Kotto as the bad guy, Mr. Big?” Matthews asked. “In the end, they jam a big CO2 pellet in his face and he blew up. I have to tell you, Rush Limbaugh is looking more and more like Mr. Big and at some point somebody’s going to jam a CO2 pellet into his head.”
In October of 2009, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann went on the attack against best-selling author and commentator Michelle Malkin. He pinned her with the “total mindless, morally bankrupt, knee-jerk, fascistic hatred” label and said that without such attributes she “would just be a big mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick on it.”
In February of 2010, MSNBC host Ed Schultz concocted some sick imagery involving Dick Cheney. Schultz was engaged in a discussion about the former vice president’s health and its political implications.
Schultz referred to Cheney’s heart as a “political football.” He then said, “We ought to rip it out and kick it around and stuff it back in him.”
In November of 2010, Bristol Palin, a mere contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” was the recipient of death threats, which necessitated heightened security measures and even evacuation of the premises. Powder resembling anthrax had been mailed to the show’s studio.
In December of 2010, Salon, a left-leaning online magazine, published a letter to the editor, which called for the murder of Sarah Palin.
Sadly, the left, opportunistic partisans, and the mainstream media are laying guilt on shoulders and sullying reputations in the worst possible way.
From the earliest moments of the shooting’s aftermath, some have pushed a narrative. Several of the charges were implicit, others explicit. The narrative was meant to convey that in one fashion or another, the right was to blame for the murderous rampage.
This is not only untrue, it is unethical and unconscionable, as would be the case if the right were trying to pin such a tragedy on the left.
As human beings, we strive to keep our emotions in check and weigh our words carefully, especially at times like these. These are noble goals but also constant struggles.
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