'No Limits' - Why the fiasco over "The Reagans"? CBS abandoned adult supervision.

Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday November 7 2003 - 1201 Hrs | DANIEL HENNINGER

[Brian Allen]

Why the fiasco over "The Reagans"? CBS abandoned adult supervision.

On the other hand, part of me is disappointed that I won't be able to see CBS's movie, "The Reagans," in about a week. I wanted to invite my pals over to watch James Brolin acting his heart out to be the Gipper. You don't get that many chances to see the first screening of a movie that was headed straight for that rare, wonderful ranking in the paperback movie guides--BOMB.

[Brian Allen]

<< Artistic freedom? I am coming more to the view that in a time in which artistic freedom means anything goes, [Britney Roto-Rootering Madonna in front of 10 million people] the world is filling up with chin-dribble. >>

Wow, Mark Steyne, better watch out.

With paragraphs like that one Mr Henninger is definitely breathing down your neck!

HehHehHeh

[Brian Allen]

ping

[JohnHuang2]

Thanks for the ping, amigo

[Brian Allen]

Welcome, Hermano.

How goes it?

[MEG33]

Great column.

[JohnHuang2]

How goes it?

Just fine, bud. Thanks for asking. Hoping the same for you and yours.

[Kangaroo Court]

"Mr. Brolin's wife, who gave up a successful career as a singer and actress to become a Web blogger,. . . ."

Ouch! Good stuff for sure.

[Bonaparte]

Moonves has publicly admitted that the film is "quite biased toward the Reagans." IOW, he acknowledges that it's a hit piece. And yet he's licensing it to showtime so that millions of viewers can be treated to this trash anyway. Afterall, he can't let Viacom take a complete loss on it and there are still some leftist compadres to mollify, aren't there?

If somebody made a film like this about Moonves and his wife and then aired it to millions of people, he would be on the phone with his lawyer in about two seconds.

Viacom should be punished.
_________________________________________________________________

Viacom/Redstone media interests...

CBS
BET
MTV
VH1
Nickeledeon
UPN
Comedy Central
Showtime
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Television
Blockbuster video
Infinity broadcasting (185 radio stations)
Outdoor group (billboards)

Simon & Schuster publishers -- here's a list of all their divisions/imprints and a list of their distributed lines

Sumner Redstone, who owns 68% of Viacom, also holds interest in...

National Amusements theatre chain (Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas -- 1400 screens)
Paramount Parks (5 theme parks)
Movietickets.com

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Ping!

[Miss Marple]

Thanks! Excellent column!

RobfromGa gave CBS a 7.2 on the Wellstone Funeral scale.

[BunnySlippers]

I read Daniel Henninger all the time. I never realized he was this funny. Wonderful!

[BunnySlippers]

RobfromGa gave CBS a 7.2 on the Wellstone Funeral scale.

:-D

[Beck_isright]

"On the evidence of their recent output, CBS, the New York Times and the BBC had become free-range meadows of liberal-to-leftwing impulses."

Sums it all up quite nicely.

[eccentric]

Simon & Schuster publishers----didn't they publish the Rush Limbaugh books?

[veronica]

Artistic freedom? I am coming more to the view that in a time in which artistic freedom means anything goes, [Britney Roto-Rootering Madonna in front of 10 million people] the world is filling up with chin-dribble...

Freedom and license are two different things. The license to lie and distort cannot be defended as "freedom."

That by the way is why Holocaust denial/revisionism is illegal in some countries. Holocaust denial/revisionism is a dirty business with an evil intent.

Knowing what I know about Hollywood, I know that Les Moonves knew exactly what he was getting, as this movie had to be in development for over a year. Under any other circumstances a whole chain of people at the network (and the prod. co's) would lose their jobs over a debacle like this one. We'll see if the Libs protect their own now.

[MeekOneGOP]

Good article. I got a chuckle out of the Spears/Madonna comment too, LOL !

Though media companies operating inside the orbit of the First Amendment and "artistic creativity" are susceptible to these confusions, other large organizations have suffered similar reversions to adolescent ego. The people running Enron, Tyco and now some mutual funds seem to have had more in common with a backyard boys club than a grown-up business. The failure by managers and administrators to establish boundaries between individual entitlement and institutional responsibility will inevitably beget danger for their institutions. This is especially the case in an increasingly competitive, high-stakes world in which more institutions--whether marketing media or merely making money--conclude that to hit their numbers they have to live on the edge.

But if you're living on the edge of a cliff it helps to have a good sense of balance, unless the laws of gravity have been repealed. It is worth noting that "The Reagans" is now going to appear on the minor cable network called Showtime. Showtime's logo includes the phrase, "No Limits." Alas in real life, there still are.

[MeekOneGOP]

[Brian Allen]

<< Freedom and license are two different things. The license to lie and distort cannot be defended as "freedom."

...... Knowing what I know about Hollywood, I know that Les Moonves knew exactly what he was getting, as this movie had to be in development for over a year. >>

Me too. I have one film project presently in "pre-production" that has been "in development" since 1996!

And of course "'artistic' freedom" is not license to lie and pervert and libel, slander and distort.

Unless you are Al Franken, Mick Moore, Mrs or Mr Babbsy Streisand, Hitlery KKKli'toon, any other damned "DemocRAT" -- and/or Moonves.

[international american]

Of course Les Mooncalf...oops, thats WC Fields Moonves knew...they ALL knew. The most unfunny comedian in the history of the world (AL Franken) probably knew. They merely underestimated the power of the people, and probably
ate 10 mil...Sumner Redstone's petty cash account.

[TheEngineer]

It is worth noting that "The Reagans" is now going to appear on the minor cable network called Showtime.

Sounds like it's about time to cancel Showtime from my cable account.