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John Grisham Faces Real Courtroom Drama James Hirsen
THE LEFT COAST
REPORT Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. The Beckham-‘Narnia' Connection The $250-million contract that brought soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria (aka) Posh Spice, to Los Angeles is the talk of Hollywood. Because the new scorer for the Los Angeles Galaxy has leading-man looks, the studios are abuzz as to when Beckham will begin his movie career. A glance at who owns the Los Angeles soccer team may provide a clue. The Galaxy is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group; that's Christian billionaire Phil Anschutz, who also owns the company that produced "The Chronicles of Narnia," Walden Media.
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Anschutz is known for his business savvy and pro-family film aspirations. Beckham may just be Anschutz's star of the future. Tom Cruise isn't wasting any time jumping on the Beckham family bandwagon. Cruise is planning a movie based on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and has cast Victoria to play the lead in a movie tentatively titled "The Thetan." Mrs. Beckham's role will be that of an "alien bride." The Left Coast Report suggests that for the alien husband Cruise should see if he could snag Dennis Kucinich.
2. Violent Television on the Rise In a 2002 study published in Science magazine, researchers at Columbia University found that adolescents who watched more than three hours of television daily were more likely to engage in aggressive behavior as adults.
Even with this evidence, according to the Parents Television Council, violence in network prime-time programming is more pervasive than ever, having gone up 75 percent from 1998 to 2005. The study found an increase in the number of violent scenes during prime-time programs on all the major networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN, and the WB. The report titled "Dying to Entertain" labeled the fall of 2005 as "one of the most violent in recent history." "Not only was there more on-screen violence than ever before," according to the study, "but the discussions of violent crimes were more explicit and the violence depicted was far more graphic than anything TV viewers had ever seen before." "Violence has shifted from being incidental to the storytelling to being an integral part of the program," the study indicated. Disturbingly, an increasing number of violent scenes include a sexual element.
Violent scenes in "Law and Order," "CSI," and "House" have all featured storylines containing sexual violence. The Left Coast Report hopes parents demand that networks offer better ratings to assist in determining whether shows are kid-appropriate before Congress gets into the act. 3. John Grisham Faces Real Courtroom Drama Best-selling legal-thriller writer John Grisham finds himself embroiled in a courtroom drama of his own. The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that a lawsuit against Grisham and other defendants should continue. Grisham and Alan Swanson with his wife, will have to answer allegations that they deliberately caused a woman's emotional problems by accusing her of sending anonymous letters. The writer of "Runaway Jury," "The Pelican Brief," "The Firm," "The Client," and "The Chamber" served on the board of directors of a private school where Alan Swanson teaches. Between 1996 and 1998, Swanson's wife received several handwritten letters accusing her husband of infidelity. In 1998, Grisham, a Charlottesville area resident, also received an anonymous letter. Plaintiff Katherine Almy claims Grisham and the Swansons used handwriting experts, materials from a baseball league where Grisham coached Almy's daughter, and confidential records from her children's files at the school to prove Almy had written the letters. Almy also alleges in her suit that the defendants convinced authorities to send a police officer to Almy's home, which she alleges resulted in severe emotional problems. The Left Coast Report wonders if springing from the experience will be a new gripping Grisham novel, "The Lawsuit." 4. Bill O'Reilly vs. Stephen Colbert: A Time for 'Truthiness' On Jan. 18, 2007, Comedy Central and Fox News Channel will jointly participate in what is being called "a colossal media event." Satirist Stephen Colbert will journey to the "No Spin Zone" to banter with the man who is the inspiration for his Comedy Central persona, Bill O'Reilly. If that's not enough to change the magnetic field of the planet, later the same night, according to a press release issued by the two networks, "O'Reilly will grab his American passport and head over to 'Colbert Nation' for his debut appearance on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report." Each of the hosts has issued a pithy statement in anticipation of the event. "It is an honor to speak face-to-face with a broadcasting legend, and I feel the same way about Mr. O'Reilly," Colbert quipped. O'Reilly said, "I'm really looking forward to speaking to a man who owes his entire career to me!" The Left Coast Report anticipates a Battle of the Talking Points. 5. Nancy Pelosi's Daughter Takes Christians' Side Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Alexandra, has been busy making political documentaries, which include "Journeys With George," a profile of George W. Bush, and "Diary of a Political Tourist," a film that, according to the HBO Web site, takes "a road trip with the [2004 presidential] Democratic hopefuls." The latest endeavor of the speaker of the House's daughter is a made-for-cable film called "Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi." The movie examines conservative evangelical Christians including some prominent pastors like Jerry Falwell and Joel Osteen.
The primary Christian personality in Pelosi's movie is former president of the National Association of Evangelicals Rev. Ted Haggard, who, after Alexandra had completed production, was accused of buying drugs from a male prostitute and forced to step down. Featured in the movie are a drive-through church, a Christian wrestling federation, a Christian stand-up comedian and an evangelical Elvis, among other spiritual marvels. Alexandra is wary about involving Mama Speaker in the movie biz. She told The New York Times, "The last thing I need is her [Nancy] editing my film." "She'll be subtle, the same way she comes to my house and says I need to drop one of the baby's feedings. You don't get to be speaker of the House by being subtle." Despite the film's spotlight on some religious peculiarities, Alexandra had some uncharacteristically kind words for the Bible-believing subjects of her film.
"I believe in the culture war," she explained. "And you know what? If I have to take a side in the culture war I'll take their [Christian conservatives] side. Because if you give me the choice of Paris Hilton or Jesus, I'll take Jesus." Editor's Notes:
The Left Coast Report is put together by James L. Hirsen and the staff of NewsMax — The Left Coast Report Archives Get your FREE copy of James Hirsen's new book 'Hollywood Nation' — Click Here Now.
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