Newt Gingrich and the Sundance Film Festival

[Primetimedonna]

Can anyone help me find information on whether there is a connection between Newt Gingrich and the Sundance Film Festival? I have a nephew who is an actor who has been telling anyone who will listen that New Gingrich has taken over the board of the Sundance Film Festival (and is being joined by Jerry Falwell). He says that all new filmakers, and any gay themed movies, will be outlawed. According to him this is proof that the Vast Right Wing conspiracy is now trying to take over the Film Industy, just like Roger Ailes and Fox are trying to take over the news media. I'd love to debate him on this, but have unfortunately been unable to get any information on this subject. I had to sit silently on Saturday as he spouted this info as gospel truth at a gathering including Doctors, Judges and others who took his word for it as an expert since he is a working actor in films and TV.

Does anyone have any info on this to help me debate him! Love him dearly but would love to set him straight if this is untrue! Thanks!

[dfwgator]

Robert Redford: "This is perfect. Why didn't we think of it sooner? This town still has some charm left, not the mess we turned Park City into."

Phyllis: "Forgive me for being observant, but, won't we just end up doing the same thing to this town?"

Robert Redford: "Yes. And the town after, and the town after that. Like termites, we will move this film festival from town to town until we have used it up. And then move on, until every quiet mountain town is like Los Angeles."

Phyllis: "Why? Why would we do such a thing?"

Robert Redford: "Because we have to live in L.A. And if we can't live in quiet, simple, peaceful mountain towns, then nobody will! [Laughs maniacally] Waitwaitwait. Zoom in to a close-up of my face when I do that. Ready? Then NOBODY will! [the camera moves in as he laughs maniacally again] That's it."

[agooga]

Don't knock bare-back-pudding-eating until you've tried it.

[Primetimedonna]

"Have you ever used the Search Engine for Yahoo or Google? Find the info that way, if it exists. You and your nephew must wear the same size tinfoil hats."

Yes, I did many searches and was unable to find the info. I had even tried emailing and such and have gotten no replies. Excuse me, but I thought that Freepers were interested in helping each other out. Sorry if I offended your sensibilities. Just trying to inform myself so I can have intelligent conversations with those who spout this kind of info. Tinfoil gives me a rash, so I avoid wearing the hat whenever possible.

[Primetimedonna]

America is stuffed to the gills with idiot nephews. Mine believed that the draft was being reinstated because someone sent him an email saying it was true.


My email on the draft came from an idiot niece! Guess my problem is that being in California, I have more than my share of idiot nephews AND nieces! ;)

[Primetimedonna]

Bwa-ha-ha-ha. Don't get so testy unless this is a post and run

Nope, been a long time lurker and a short time freeper (July) If you look, I do participate, and I do have a sense of humor. it's just that I made the mistake of thinking I could actually ask for assistance. Sorry.

[RedWhiteBlue]

Redford Kicks Off Sundance on a Political Note

According to him this is proof that the Vast Right Wing conspiracy is now trying to take over the Film Industy

"Sundance" isn't exactly "the film industry." Maybe I'm wrong, but when I think about "the film industry," I think about the major movie studios and the big, massively expensive films that they bankroll and produce. That is not what Sundance is about -- it exists to showcase the low budget films made by the independents that otherwise might not ever get an audience. So Newt Gingrich is going to control all of those hundreds or thousands of little, independent film makers? Hogwash! Send your nephew a tin-foil hat.

[Primetimedonna]

Thank you for actually giving me some info. That article
sure doesn't sound like Redford is giving up control. I
do realize that it's a leap to go from taking over Sundance
to taking over the Film Industry, but here in the Blue
States unfortunately leaping is a cottage industry. Don't need
to give him a tin hat, he's already got quite a collection.

Again, thanks for a serious answer ;)

[RobFromGa]

so I can have intelligent conversations with those who spout this kind of info.

I can help you with this one- forget about it. It's been tried before and it never works.

Arguing with a liberal is like wrestling with a pig in mud ... Sooner or later you realize the pig enjoys it!

[bicyclerepair]

R. REDFART is an idiot.

Yesterday on Animal Planet they had a show about "Political Animals", y'know, donkey demonrat, elephant repubbie. AT the end they said, whether you're a donkey democrat or elephant repub or some kind of OTHER animal (then showed michael moore) etc....... it was funny.

[TChris]

Excuse me, but I thought that Freepers were interested in helping each other out. Sorry if I offended your sensibilities. Just trying to inform myself so I can have intelligent conversations with those who spout this kind of info.

That isn't info; its pure absurdity. Your fellow FReepers are, not so gently, pointing out that you should be able to spot this obvious lunacy for what it is. You can't find information to disprove it just like you won't find anything on Google to disprove that Ronald Reagan was from the planet Phobos in the N'langium quadrant.

Over-the-top conspiracy theories don't deserve your time to debunk them. They deserve to be at least ignored, and probably ridiculed.

[BushisTheMan]

Why don't you just say: "I doubt it is true because you're not providing any proof of your allegation. However, even if it is true, isn't that going to be a good thing for America? 80% of the people don't believe in gay marriage so why should the majority have to put up with unChristian values from the Hollywood elite?

[Primetimedonna]

Thanks for the warm and friendly FR welcome!

I realize it sounded absurd, but all I was asking was if anyone could help me find a listing of the Sundance Film Festival Board of Directors, which would be any easy way of debunking this, rational or irrational aside.

[flyingbear]

Try this link - seems to list the staff. http://institute.sundance.org/jsps/site.jsp?resource=pag_ex_about_contact&sk=xxcGU8nU3VfYVEjD

[Primetimedonna]

Thanks!

I'd e-mailed them to ask if there was a separate list of a Board of Directors, and if this was a current list, but didn't get an answer.

Again, many thanks for the help.

[westmichman]

That's fine. There are lots of jokesters here and they usually are not vicious, just having some fun.

[AZ_Cowboy]

This is classic lib tinfoil stuff. They do this all the time in my local paper. The goal is to dream up an absolutely ridiculous conspiracy and get it into the public via a semi-credible institution. Preferably, they make them multilayered and very elaborate. They also absolutely love to point out that they have a PhD, graduated from a local school, or served in the Military at some point.

Invariably, someone like myself will be on hand to debunk the myth, at which point they simply insinuate you are too stupid to connect the dots, then proceed to throw out ten more kook theories. A few dedicated people might have to work for hours to debunk these things, and they know that most of us on the right have far better things to do than frisk down kook letters every day. Even if you did, there is no way in hell that a newspaper would print your letter debunking literally hundreds of kook theories, because it'd take thousands of words and would need cited sources to add credibility. In short, your best bet is probably to ignore it. Anyone dumb enough to believe that stuff will be hard to convince. We'll come back to them when all the other folks living within the bell curve have been convinced.

I hadn't heard about the Newt Gingrich kook theory, though. By all means, though, don't stop these folks. It's sad, but it is some of the best proof of the assertations some of us make about libs. Here are a few other "popular" conspiracy theories out there on the nut-fringe, courtesy of various MSM sources:

1. Diebold in Ohio having rigged the vote
2. The UNOCAL pipeline as the true driving force behind the invasion of Afghanistan.
3. The government rigging 9/11
4. Halliburton (anything to do with Halliburton, of course!)

I could go on and on with other ones, but you get the idea. I haven't even scraped off the second layer of the hats of these people!

[GOP_1900AD]

Gingrich taking over would mean that things would become even more liberal, since he is a faux "conservative."

[Primetimedonna]

Thanks.

I really do love joking, sarcasm, and banter. I'm usually not thin skinned, and come from a long line of Smart A--es. But I really did just want to try to shut my nephew up since he comes across a lot of people, and I'd love to stop him from repeating this drivel if it isn't true.

[Primetimedonna]

Thanks for your post. You're right about not being able to debunk most of the things you read. I was just hoping to have some hard evidence to throw into the mix next time I had to listen to this (it's my nephew's new favorite talking point) to shut him up.

[rabidralph]

LOL! I have that episode cued up and I'm trying to find the time to watch it.