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George Clooney Takes Credit for John Kerry's 2004 Loss James Hirsen
THE LEFT COAST REPORT
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. George Clooney Takes Credit for John Kerry's 2004 Loss When it comes to self-absorption, Hollywood reigns supreme. But George Clooney seems to have taken the narcissism level up another notch. Clooney recently revealed that when it comes to election results the single most important factor in winning or losing is the presence of, well, George Clooney.
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According to Ireland Online, the actor-director believes that John Kerry lost the 2004 U.S. presidential race because Clooney turned down an invitation to ride on Kerry's election choo-choo. "Kerry asked me to ride on his train - he had a train going cross-country after he was nominated and some actors went on board. I called him and explained that I couldn't do it," Clooney said, adding, "I'd hurt him. I'd actually caused him harm at the polls."
2. Rob Reiner Suspected of Airing Illegal Ads Taxpayer groups are demanding that taxpayer-funded ads, which are currently airing in California on radio and TV and appearing in major newspapers, be immediately pulled. Rob Reiner is the Hollywood figure behind a Golden State initiative that is looking to have the state provide universal preschool and have the taxpayers once again foot the bill. The proposition has already qualified for the June 2006 ballot. The actor-director knows how to work the proposition system. He's done it in the past. Rumors about his potential political aspirations continue to circulate. It is illegal in California to use taxpayer funds to support ballot initiatives. But evidently the $18 million ad campaign that sings the praises of preschool is being paid for with just that. Reiner has typically held fast to the wealthy Hollywood lib position of forcing working class folks to fork over their hard-earned money to pay for pet socialist projects.
How does he expect the new state-run preschool bureaucracy to be financed? By getting a sizable enough number of voters to vote for what could lead to another tax increase. "Rob Reiner should do the right thing and pull the ads immediately," said Larry McCarthy, president of the California Taxpayers' Association. "He needs to step in to prevent even the whiff of political impropriety." The Left Coast Report smells what's up and believes that rather than a faint whiff it's more like a major stink.
3. Gene Shalit Regrets 'Brokeback' Comment Critcs are often asked to modify their reviews, but it's really rare when someone actually does. One recent revision was made, though, and it seems like political correctness was the impetus behind it. Apparently someone forgot to tell Gene Shalit that it was politically incorrect to in any way pan "Brokeback Mountain." The "Today" show film critic not only had the gall to give the flick a less-than-favorable review, he also described Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack character as a "sexual predator" who "tracks Ennis [Heath Ledger] down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts." After the gay community complained, Shalit did something critics virtually never do - he backtracked. Shalit wrote a letter that read, in part: "In describing the behavior of Jack, I used words that I now discover have angered, agitated and hurt many people. I did not intend to use a word that many in the gay community consider incendiary." Shalit also wrote that he "had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone in the gay community or on the community itself," adding, "I regret any emotional hurt that may have resulted from my review of Brokeback Mountain." The Left Coast Report regrets the regression of free expression.
4. Heath Ledger Insults Utah and West Virginia Recently Heath Ledger took a swipe at a couple of states. When he found out that two Utah theaters had refused to show "Brokeback Mountain" on their screens, he described the action as "hilarious" and "immature." "Personally, I don't think the movie is [controversial] but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it's hilarious and very immature of a society," Ledger told the Australian Herald Sun. Ledger was also peeved at a possible rejection of the movie by the state of West Virginia. "I heard a while ago that West Virginia was going to ban it, but that's a state that was lynching people only 25 years ago so that's to be expected," Ledger said. The Left Coast Report suspects that a guy who thinks lynching was going on in the U.S. in 1981 is factually "hilarious" and intellectually "immature."
5. Golden Globe Gaieties In contrast with the Academy Awards where approximately 6,000 voters pick the winners, about 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association determine the outcome of the Golden Globes. The Globes are thought to be fairly reliable predictors of the Oscars. We'll have to wait until March 5 to see if the pattern holds true. The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show proved to be a politically charged affair. The first award set the tone for the evening. It went to George Clooney for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in "Syriana." During his acceptance speech, Clooney said, "I thought Paul Giamatti was gonna win ... this is early. I haven't had a drink yet." Then he added what has come to be the perfunctory political reference. Clooney said: "I want to thank Jack Abramoff ... you know, just because. First one up, get the ball rolling." Rachel Weisz took home the Supporting Actress prize for "The Constant Gardener," a liberally distorted conspiracy thriller. Geena Davis won Best Actress in a TV Show for the incessantly promoted Hillary conditioner, "Commander In Chief." Davis focused on the cuddly woman-as-president theme in her carefully prepared acceptance speech. She said, "As I was coming in, I felt a tug on my skirt and it was a little girl 8 or 10 in her first party dress and she said, ‘Because of you, I want to be president some day.' The audience responded with a collective "Awwwww" and Davis added, "Well, that didn't really happen. But it could have." An awards show these days wouldn't be complete without a drug reference. Leave it to last year's Oscar host Chris Rock to do the dishonors. While introducing the nominees for Best Actress in a TV Series, Rock explained that Mary-Louise Parker of "Weeds" "plays a suburban mom who deals dope." He added the commentary, "Ain't that what America's all about? Yeah." Parker was up against four of the "Desperate Housewives" stars. Rock quipped, "You kinda feel sorry for Louise Parker. …'Desperate Housewives' is one of the biggest shows on the planet and 'Weeds' is only watched by Snoop Doggy Dogg." Much to Rock's and everyone else's amazement, Parker beat out the four inquisitive residents of Wisteria Lane. As expected, the most politically correct flick, "Brokeback Mountain," snagged the biggest awards. The "unconventional" cowboy film won Best Picture-Drama, Best Director for Ang Lee, Best Screenplay and Best Song. (The song was co-written by Bernie Taupin, titled "A Love That Will Never Grow Old.")
Ang Lee's win makes underdogs of George Clooney and Woody Allen for the Best Director Oscar. Philip Seymour Hoffman took the award for Best Actor in a Drama for "Capote."
The Globes picked the anti-American "Paradise Now," a sympathetic portrayal of suicide bombers, as the Best Foreign Language film. The Left Coast Report says watching the awards show, I thought now more than ever, cinematically speaking, we're not in Kansas anymore. And likewise the Kansas farmhouse is swirling farther and farther away from Hollywood. Editor's Notes:
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