Posted on 03/01/2009 7:41:40 AM PST by DogByte6RER
FORUM: What's with Hollywood bailout?
By RICK REISS - Temecula resident
I have always loved the movies. Whether it's a spaghetti Western, a thriller with a hungry shark, a heroic war drama, a romantic comedy or a thought-provoking science fiction film, Hollywood has always had the ability to entertain and enlighten.
Yet Hollywood is quickly wearing out its welcome.
Case in point: the recently approved California state budget.
This newly inked leviathan has a porky provision giving Hollywood $100 million per year in tax incentives. No ---- that is not a mistake. $100 million ---- per year for five years.
Why is an industry that pampers bratty Hollywood actors getting such a huge slice of state bacon? Most everybody else in California is going to feel the economic pain of being stuck with higher sales taxes, higher DMV fees and higher income taxes. Does anybody really think that the price of a movie ticket is going to drop after this $100 million giveaway? Please.
I detest welfare. It doesn't matter whether the welfare is for lazy people who sit around watching TV all day long collecting a check or billion-dollar corporations getting sweetheart deals from the government.
This Hollywood welfare provision in the state budget will only end up subsidizing the lifestyles of the sick and infamous. Yep, just more money to fuel the booze and drug parties. More money for inebriated actors and movie executives to smash up sports cars on Sunset Boulevard. And, of course, there will be more money for these spoiled glitterati to jet around in private planes and limousines while preaching to you and me that we have to conserve energy to save the planet.
Is there an Academy Award for B.S.?
It's ironic that so many of these super-rich Hollywood elites are enamored of Barack Obama. After all, President Obama campaigned last year on "spreading the wealth" when asked about economics by a plumber in Ohio.
More recently, President Obama has declared that corporate CEOs receiving federal bailout money can only be paid $500,000 per year.
In this same spirit, anybody in Hollywood connected to this $100 million state tax break should also be paid no more than $500,000 per year. While this will shrivel many of those fancy Rodeo Drive pocketbooks, it's the principle that counts.
A Forbes list details the top 100 celebrity earners. Here is just a sampling:
-- Oprah Winfrey, $260 million
-- Jerry Bruckheimer, $120 million
-- Steven Spielberg, $110 million
-- Johnny Depp, $92 million
-- Jay-Z, $83 million
-- Tom Hanks, $74 million
-- George Clooney, $25 million
-- Angelina Jolie, $20 million
Last month, the elegant and very liberal actress Susan Sarandon said of Barack Obama at an inaugural party, "He is a community organizer like Jesus was. And now, we're a community and he can organize us."
Organize indeed, Ms. Sarandon. A great start would be for you and your Hollywood pals to forgo your multimillion-dollar salaries and only accept no more than $500,000 per year.
It's time to put your money where your mouth is, Hollywood. Spread your wealth.
Rich Reiss lives in Temecula.
It’s not “trickle down” when they do it.
Movie industry gets a break in California budget: http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilNews/idUKTRE51J15K20090220?sp=true
California budget includes tax relief for film, TV shoots: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-filmtaxcredits20-2009feb20,0,3114875.story
I’ve seen only one 2009 movie......a trailer on Youtube. That gave me enough info to decide it wasn’t worthy of my money.
Penn Hangs Again With Pal Chavez:
http://www.newser.com/story/40507/penn-hangs-again-with-pal-chavez.html
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Sean Penn Applauds as Venezuela's Chavez Bashes Bush:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291855,00.html
Great movie....
Celebs compare Obama to Jesus, Gandhi: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/stars-heap-praise-on-obama-2009-01-21.html
These “stars” have always been hypocrites. They mouth communist principles but live like wealthy capitalists.
I agree, if they are going to get bailout money then let’s limit their compensation to half a mill a year.
"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
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The Communist Party USA (CPUSA):
"We are a party of unity in action. We are an integral part of every struggle and movement for change to eliminate poverty and joblessness, against racism and for full equality. We are participants, initiators and leaders of every movement to make life better now and much better in a socialist future." Yeah, so they supported an oppressive dictator, like the Repubs and Democrats haven't? The CP is still around, has apologized for that whole Stalin thing, and has a quickly growing youth section.
[see: MichaelMoore.com-->Links-->PoliticalAction (bottom of the page--CPUSA promo)]
http://www.michaelmoore.com/links/index.php?linkType=Political%20Action
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From Monday, April 21st, 2008...
My Vote's for Obama (if I could vote) ...by Michael Moore
Friends,
I don't get to vote for President this primary season. I live in Michigan. The party leaders (both here and in D.C.) couldn't get their act together, and thus our votes will not be counted.
So, if you live in Pennsylvania, can you do me a favor? Will you please cast my vote -- and yours -- on Tuesday for Senator Barack Obama?
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2008-04-21
There are a couple of differences, though.
1. BabBam is a vicious, traitorous crook; and
2. Unfortunately, BamBam's community hasn't crucified him -- yet.
They probably realized one of the reasons so many movies (even “Hollywood” movies) are filmed elsewhere (Toronto and the Czech Republic being two of the big faves) is that they throw a lot of incentives in the deal. There’s a lot of work-a-day folks, set building, food services, electricians, that make their money in the film industry. For every Spielberg or Hanks that’s involved in a movie there’s 100 people that if they get lucky will make middle class wages for the year. With the way productions have been fleeing Hollywood the last 15 years this is actually a long over due move. If they want to stay the center of what’s still a very lucrative industry (9.6 billion last year in just domestic theatrical grosses) they need to earn it.
Better yet -- let's restrict most of them to what they are worth.
By the way, what is 2/3 of the minimum wagte?
It always pains me a bit to see Robert Redford spouting off some of his far left nonsense, as I really like some of his movies. A River Runs Through It happens to be my personal favorite... *sigh*
Just for the record, a Spaghetti Western isn’t a Hollywood movie. They were typically made in Spain and Italy with Spanish and Italian directors. Westerns, yes. But European imitations of American Westerns.
It always pains me a bit to see Robert Redford spouting off some of his far left nonsense, as I really like some of his movies. A River Runs Through It happens to be my personal favorite... *sigh*
Just for the record, a Spaghetti Western isn’t a Hollywood movie. They were typically made in Spain and Italy with Spanish and Italian directors. Westerns, yes. But European imitations of American Westerns.
If Hollywood is getting bailout money, shouldn’t the Hollywood stars be subject to the salary caps applied to corporate executives in bailed out companies?
FYI: There is a Clint Eastward marathon on right now on AMC. The current film is 'Hang Em High'.
AMC Schedule for today, Mar 1, 2009:
(times are given in Eastern)
http://movies.amctv.com/schedule
That's chump change. Warner Bros. could blow that on one second-string flop.
Everybody knows when you go to the show,
You can’t take the kids along.
You’ve gotta read the paper and know the codes
Of G, PG and R and X.
And you gotta know what the movie’s about
Before you even go.
Tex Ritter’s gone and Disney’s dead
And the screen is filled with sex.
Whatever happened to Randolph Scott,
Ridin’ the Trail alone?
Whatever happened to Gene and Tex
And Roy and Rex the Durango Kid?
Oh, whatever happened to Randolph Scott,
His horse plain as could be?
Whatever happened to Randolph Scott
Has happened to the best of me.
[ guitar ]
Everybody’s tryin’ to make a comment
About our doubts and fears.
True Grit’s the only movie I’ve really
Understood in years
You gotta take your analyst along
To see if it’s fit to see.
Whatever happened to Randolph Scott
Has happened to the industry.
Whatever happened to Johnny Mack Brown
And Alan Rocky Lane?
Whatever happened to Lash LaRue?
I’d love to see them again.
Whatever happened to Smiley Burnette,
Tim Holt, and Gene Autry?
Whatever happened to all of these
Has happened to the best of me.
Whatever happened to Randolph Scott
Has happened to the industry.
FYI: "Liberal" Susan Sarandon is one of many prominent Hollywood celebrities and demonRat leaders (House Judiciary chair/Bush-Cheney-Rove 'investigator' John Conyers inc!) who have given their endorsements to the Revolutionary Communist Party's "World Can't Wait" movement...(the org will probably soon be dropping the "Drive Out the Bush Regime" portion of their title, perhaps replacing it with "Drive Out the Capitalists!")
Endorsers of the [World Can't Wait] Call to Drive Out the Bush Regime Include:
James Abourezk, Aris Anagnos, Rocky Anderson, Anti-Flag, Edward Asner, Russell Banks, Ed Begley Jr., Harry Belafonte, St. Clair Bourne, Gabriel Byrne, Margaret Cho, Ward Churchill, Paulette Cole, US Rep John Conyers Jr., John Densmore, Jesse Diaz Jr., Michael Eric Dyson, Steve Earle, Niles Eldredge, Daniel Ellsberg, Eve Ensler, Laura Flanders, Jane Fonda, Martin Garbus, Senator Mike Gravel, Andre Gregory, Sam Hamill, Suheir Hammad, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., Mumia Abu-Jamal, Rickie Lee Jones, Sarah Jones, Brig. Gen. (Ret) Janis Karpinski, Jonathan Kozol, Rabbi Michael Lerner, US Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Robin Meyers, Mark Crispin Miller, Tom Morello, Viggo Mortensen, John Nichols, US Rep. Major Owens, Grace Paley, Harvey Pekar, Sean Penn, Michelle Phillips, Harold Pinter, Michael Ratner, Mark Ruffalo, US Rep. Bobby Rush, Susan Sarandon, Richard Serra, Jeff Sharlet, Rev. Al Sharpton, Cindy Sheehan, Martin Sheen, Nancy Spero, Gloria Steinem, Lynne Stewart, Serj Tankian, Sunsara Taylor, Studs Terkel, Gore Vidal, Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Walker, Naomi Wallace, US Rep. Maxine Waters, Cornel West, Ann Wright, Howard Zinn, and thousands more who have already joined us.
http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2538&Itemid=2
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World Can't Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime is a Maoist-revolutionary movement organized by the Revolutionary Communist Party. Scroll down the list that appears (after clicking link) to find the World Can't Wait organization (rwor.org is the website of the Revolutionary Communist Party):
http://rwor.org/a/rwlink/links.htm
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From David Horowitz's FrontpageMag.com /DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
Profile: World Can't Wait (WCW)
*Revolutionary communist movement that stages protests against the Bush administration
*Organizes college and high-school students
*Founded in June 2005 by Charles Clark Kissinger, a longtime leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7213
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The RCP calls for the armed overthrow of the U.S. government...
From the website of the Revolutionary Communist Party (revcom.us or rwor.org) :
"Create Public Opinion, Seize Power: We are preparing minds and organizing forces for the time when there is a major crack in the system, whenever it comes and wherever it comes from: an opening that makes it possible to bring the future Revolutionary Army of the Proletariat (R.A.P.) into the field and wage a revolutionary armed struggle that actually has a chance of winning.
And we have said that building our party itself is the most important part of organizing forces for revolution. This is true now, and it is true looking forward to the creation of that future R.A.P. and the waging of that armed struggle.":
http://revcom.us/a/v20/1000-1009/1000/barw.htm
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Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA [Maoist]
Revolution interview with ["Peace Mom"] Cindy Sheehan: October 29, 2005:
['Revolution' is the newspaper of the Revolutionary Communist Party]
http://rwor.org/a/021/cindy-sheehan-interview.htm
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[Revolution] Interview with Bill Ayers, Revolution #63, October 1, 2006:
"On Progressive Education, Critical Thinking and the Cowardice of Some in Dangerous Times"
http://rwor.org/a/063/ayers-en.html
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"This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English..."
In Gran Torino Clint Eastwood didn’t deliver the rough justice that I’ve come to expect from his character.
Given the story location of Michigan, which is a 50 year Blue state with the resulting ‘justice’ system, he delivered today’s PC ‘justice’, which is no justice at all.
If this had happened in a Red state, say WY, the justice part may have been crediable.
I’d like to say more to support my assertion, but I would give away the ending, and spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it.
I give it 3 out 5, and that’s being generous. He was within a whiskers reach of 5 of 5 but he choked. Not Eastwood-like at all.
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