Dennis Hopper Dissed at Presidential Party

Fox ^ | 1/21

[ambrose]

Dennis Hopper should be hopping mad, some Hollywood actors said this week.

Hopper, who organized The Creative Coalition's Ball after the Ball Thursday night as part of the activities surrounding President Bush's inauguration, apparently got a surprise phone call from the Presidential Inaugural Committee Wednesday night - telling him not to come to his own party.

"I feel terrible that the White House inaugural committee that invited Dennis decided to disinvite him," "Sopranos" actor Joe Pantoliano told reporters at the event, where the entertainment - aside from mingling with some of Tinseltown's stars - was singer Macy Gray.

Hopper reportedly was not given an explanation for the insult. A call to the PIC had not been returned by press time.

Thursday's ball at the Reagan Building in Washington featured names such as Pantoliano - the group's co-director - along with actor and director Tony Goldwyn, Mario Van Peebles, Joe Piscopo, Matthew Modine and other actors. Various politicos like Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., also attended.

But many were sorry about the absence of Hopper, who was the organizer and chair of the event and who personally wrote letters to and called the evening's headliners to invite them.

"I was very disappointed. I was told he was all of a sudden disinvited by the Inaugural Committee ... but he's with us in spirit," Goldwyn, who played the dark character Carl Bruner in the 1990 smash-hit "Ghost," and more recently co-starred in "The Last Samurai," told reporters on the red carpet Thursday.

Hopper, a Hollywood icon and long-time actor, director and producer who has starred in films such as "Speed," "Easy Rider" and "Apocalypse Now," is a hard-core supporter of Bush, although his wife did partake in fund-raising activities for Sen. John Kerry, Bush's Democratic challenger in the 2004 presidential election.

[wardaddy]

It's wierd.

I'm an unabashed Southron cultural conservative but it boils down to respecting folks who support ya.

I agree...even though I am more theocon than not....that we should not snub loyalists.

We all have a past....at least anyone who has really lived does.

Mine is mighty tawdry but I wouldn't change a thing. Took that to get here..

Regards.

...'sides, Hopper's diatribe in True Romance should get him a pass to any party.

[jwalsh07]

WD, the story smells from here to the hills of Tenn.

How does the "official inaug committee" exert control or influence over an unofficial inaug bash?

Answer, it can't and didn't. Its garbage.

[JeffAtlanta]

Not sure why they are being accused in this, and no one seems to have any evidence of a connection, or if they do it hasn't been presented to me, despite requests.

Dobson and Wildmon both lead "pro-family" religous groups. Dobson is kind of ok, but Wildmon is really over the top. WorldNetDaily.com is very much over the top and barely more credible than NewsMax.

Wildmon and WorldNetDaily lead the charge to get KidRock disinvited from one of the parties (not an official ball) due to some of songs having curse words in them. Of course, KidRock wasn't going to perform those songs at an innagural party but that didn't matter. Many of us were disappointed because Kid Rock really supported the troops and he could show the youth culture that the GOP really is cool after all. The theocons would have none of this.

Dobson is currently leading a crusade against Sponge Bob because he heard a rumor that he is promoting homosexuality to young children. It seems that Dobson's people got information from two similar sounding organizations mixed up and that their really is no problem.

These names are coming up because they are usually on the forefront of promoting "decency" (in their minds anyway). They love to get the masses running wild with a rumor of some company or fictional character attacking "family values."

[Happygal]

Great! Thanks for the explanation. Puts things in focus for me, reading the thread...really appreciate you taking the time to explain.

And yeah! I am Irish Irish! *LOL*
Don't hold that against me. I'm not completely stupid, or alcoholic, or a dreamer, or a nutcase. *LOL*

Although a mild combination of all four, might not be too far from the truth! *LOL*

[unbalanced but fair]

"Get the masses running wild with a runor." Sounds like this article about Hopper.

[AZ_Cowboy]

If we had a "BS" thread, this would be on it by now, folks. Maybe you should quit eating each other and go after the libs.

Now, which group will you all pigeonhole me into with that? Am I a "gap-toothed backwoods Southern Baptist type"? Perhaps I am a member of the "Taliban Wing", whatever the hell that is. Am I a "Theocon"? Did James Dobson or Joseph Farah put me up to it?

No. All I can say is that the lurkers watching you eat various components of your own (all of which we all need) must be delighted. The regionalist, anti-religious dialogue of some of you is exactly identical to that of the far left. What is going on here is wrong, and you can't honestly sit here and tell me that cutting off any group of the party or movement is beneficial at all. If you go either way, you will alienate large swaths of the population. It's really a flash in the pan, this Hopper affair, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts its just a tabloid rumor aimed at fracturing our community. For all you know the guy might have had a problem and they did this to save him the trouble of explaining it.

[blam]

"I know he was just acting, but after seeing him in "Blue Velvet", I am scared of him."

Some movie, huh?

[SerpentDove]

But are Dobson and Farah actually connected to this story, or are they, in this case, victims of the overzealousness we both despise?

[AZ_Cowboy]

I had no problem with Kid Rock, incidentally. I really wouldn't have cared about Hopper, either. It bothers me that some folks get so angry about rumors, though.

[nmh]

Sure he was invited?

Just because you are from Hollywierd doesn't entitle you to an invite. He could have bought a ticket and attended also. I don't see him as better than anyone else that helped elect Bush. Being from Hollwierd or representing them, does NOT have any privilege.

[SerpentDove]

Well it's really cool to correspond with a real leprechaun! (Just kidding again). No, really, it's cool to correspond with someone from Ireland.

I am familiar with stereotypes, being from Texas.

You know, that place where everybody wears cowboy hats, says "Howdy, ma'am" and has an oil well in their back pasture.

[Torie]

So tell me about your time in the devil city. Isn't that a more worthy endeavor than punching at yet again that punching bag of yours known as "curiousity," who does not have the tools to deal with you adequately. I generally prefer to pick on folks that are somewhat in my neighborhood intellectually. Beating up those who cannot put up a fair fight just doesn't do much for me. :)

[SunnySide]

but if he is a hard core supporter of Bush, why was he disinvited.?

Maybe word got out his Kommi-kook wife was up to no good?

[JeffAtlanta]

But are Dobson and Farah actually connected to this story, or are they, in this case, victims of the overzealousness we both despise?

I don't think Dobson is. One of the posts in this thread mentioned that a religious group was upset that Hopper was attending and tried to stop it. If that is true (not saying it is - everything is just rumor now), then Farah and Wildmon would be the usual suspects especially since they were the key players in the very similar sounding Kid Rock situation.

Many are still upset about the Kid Rock situation so its really not hard to believe. To be honest, its disappointing that something like this is not hard to believe about our party.

[SerpentDove]

I guess I'll wait for the facts to roll in. Best not to be hasty to accuse.

[Happygal]

I'd be horribly disappointed if I visited Texas and people didn't say 'How'dy ma'm' to me.

I really would.

I think that is SOOOOOO sexy!

[Ichneumon]

Try as I might, I can't ignore your post--what is a "guick"?

Heh -- well, it's a typo in post #29, cwb typo'ed "quick Google search" as "guick Google search". As with any funny-sounding typos on FR (e.g. "stuned beeber")people started to have fun with it.

My "wouldn't you really rather have a guick" was a play on the decades-old ad campaign for Buick cars, which (over-)used the slogan "wouldn't you really rather have a Buick"...

[SerpentDove]

Ummm...why thank ya, ma'am!

;-)))

[SerpentDove]

I used to be a Guick man, but the parts are so expensive, and it's gotten so you can't work on them yourself.

[jwalsh07]

He hit me with hubris right out of the gate. I'm cutting him down to size a bit. :-}

We are having a good time. My brother and sisters left today but my wife and I are staying on with the grandkids until the MArch for Life on Monday.

Security was tight. We waited in line for two hours to get in to our assigned area and never did get in. They were funnelling hundreds of thousands through about 6 security tents. On the Metro this evening a Navy Captain and myself came to the conclusion that FUBAR applied.:-}

Nah, it wasn't that bad, we did manage to get to see the speech from way, way , way in the back!

The ball was fun. I like to dance, even if I don't do it well, and my grandkids, wife and daughter all took turns keeping my heart rate at aerboic levels. Governor Huckabees band is a real good bar band, the never break, they're into southern rock and they enjoy what they're doing. My kind of folks.

A lot of guys in uniform were their which was great to see and Sauropod did a great job on the video they showed highlighting some of FR's more virtuous and humorous doings.

Wish you had been there.