James Hirsen
Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005

THE LEFT COAST REPORT
A Political Look at Hollywood

Kevin Bacon Goes to Bat for Pedophiles

Following in the surreal footsteps of Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon has taken on a monster-type role of his own. And like Theron, he's also speaking out on behalf of a criminal element.

In the flick "Monster," Theron played the character of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who was removed from society via the death penalty in October of 2002.

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While on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart asked Theron to comment on whether or not Wuornos was "just a vicious psychopath."

The actress responded that "there was a lot of gray in her story ... it's very easy in our society to kind of label people like her."

For her sympathetic monster efforts Theron was labeled the Hollywood way. She received accolades from every corner and was awarded an Oscar.

In "The Woodsman," which was the award winner at the London Film Festival, Kevin Bacon plays a convicted pedophile who attempts to find life after prison.

Bacon told the BBC that it's misleading if movies "100 percent demonize" pedophiles, adding that "these guys don't have horns, they're not monsters." 

"If they were monsters we could send a superhero out to kill them, or a guy with a big sword - and that would make life a lot easier. The reality is much, much more frightening than that - they are friends of the family, in our churches, in our schools, riding on the bus next to us," the actor explained.

Bacon, who played a similar character in the 1996 film "Sleepers," was apparently attempting to humanize the particular pedophile.

"I never set out to make him sympathetic -- I only set out to make him human, and the audience will hopefully make their own decision about whether they empathize with him or not."

The Left Coast Report expects Bacon to be added to the Michael Jackson witness defense list.

The Cop and Kid Rock

News sources reported that Kid Rock was arrested recently in Nashville and charged with assault.

While at an adult entertainment establishment, the singer is alleged to have punched out a disc jockey.

As Country Weekly recounted, there's more to the story. Before Kid Rock went to the club, he had apparently been at a memorial service for Hank Williams Jr.'s manager.

Afterwards Rock, Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt, Big & Rich, Aaron Tippin and others went out for dinner.

Kid Rock and John Rich were planning to go to a Nashville nightspot called "Bourbon Street." While Rock was revving around in Rich's brand new Corvette, he was pulled over by a Vanderbilt University police officer for speeding.

Evidently, the officer was a fan and accepted an autograph from the singer in lieu of a field sobriety test. Unfortunately, the cop was subsequently canned for giving preferential treatment to a celebrity.

The Left Coast Report says it just goes to show that Bush supporters aren't that easy to peg.

Russell Crowe Clocks Clooney and Kidman

In a recent interview with GQ, Russell Crowe slammed some of his fellow celebs for doing ads abroad.

"I don't do ads for suits in Spain like George Clooney or cigarettes in Japan like Harrison. It's kind of sacrilegious, a contradiction of the contract with your audience. DeNiro advertising American Express - gee whiz," Crowe crowed.

Clooney was miffed enough to respond to Us magazine. He commented, "I'm glad he set us straight because Harrison, Bob and I were putting a band together called Grunting for 30 Feet [referring to Crowe's band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts], and that would also fall under the heading of ‘bad use of celebrity.' Thanks for the heads up."

Crowe once worked as a musician known as Rus Le Roc. He called his first single "I Want to Be Like Marlon Brando."

Although not specifically named, Nicole Kidman reportedly was also ticked. She just inked a multimillion-dollar deal to plug Chanel No. 5.

Kidman and Crowe were supposed to be co-stars in an Australian film called "Eucalyptus." The production was canceled around the same time the verbal duel took place.

A source revealed to the San Francisco Chronicle that "they [Kidman and Crowe] had a shouting match and she is feeling very hurt."

The Left Coast Report thinks it could be that Crowe hasn't had too many product endorsement offers of late, except maybe for that request to be the front man for Deepak Chopra aftershave.

The Case of the Counterfeit Chers

The police in Arizona recently broke up a major crime spree.

Yes, Americans are now safe from the distribution of some hazardous contraband: unauthorized Cher T-shirts.

I guess a T-shirt with Cher's image can be a dangerous thing.  After all, if left in the wrong place, such an item could ruin a guy's reputation.

The crime scene was the Tucson Convention Center, the site of Cher's second farewell tour (not to be confused with her first farewell tour, which went through the same place in 2003).

Undercover officers were on the spot. They purchased some Cher shirts from the offenders right before cops swooped in to arrest the 13 suspects.
 
According to Scott Simonson of the Arizona Daily Star, those accused include a convicted murderer and a convicted kidnapper. They will purportedly be charged with felonies that carry up to 3.5 years in prison for a first-time offender.

Simonson points out that "Cher probably doesn't need to worry about having enough money to keep herself well stocked with sequins, tattoos and plastic surgeries" because her 2004 tour raked in $29.1 million, according to the Associated Press.
 
The Left Coast Report is convinced that the last thing Cher would have wanted to be associated with was something that wasn't genuine.

Margot Kidder Fights for Tax Credits?

Maybe it's a fresh-air thing.

Some Hollywood luminaries who have transplanted to Montana are now calling for tax credits in order to bring movie and television production to the area.

Actress Margot Kidder (best known for her portrayal of Lois Lane in the "Superman" movies) and filmmaker Patrick Markey (producer of "A River Runs Through It" and "The Horse Whisperer") have become advocates of lower taxes to help business -- show business, that is.

Both Kidder and Markey are residents of the Big Sky State, where Markey filmed his two aforementioned flicks.

And both have asked the Montana Legislature to back the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act, which would offer motion picture and television industries tax incentives for filming there.

Montana went from having $40 million spent there in 1997 to $5.7 million in 2003. It doesn't help that Canada and some other states give tax breaks that Montana doesn't.
 
"This is really competitive," Kidder said. "The time to move is now."

The Left Coast Report suggests that for American tax policy to improve, maybe more Hollywood types need to move to Montana.

Editor's Notes:

• David Horowitz scores victories on college campuses -- Read his Letter Here.
• Rush Is Back -- get NewsMax's Special Report and find out why Ed Asner hates Rush and Hannity -- Go Here Now.
• Find out the true story of China's future war with the United States -- Go Here Now.
• The Clinton-Gore Years -- Shocking Truth -- Go Here Now.