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Barbara Walters Goes Rosie, Praises Hugo Chavez James Hirsen
THE LEFT COAST
REPORT
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. Barbara Walters Goes Rosie, Praises Hugo Chavez Communist dictator Hugo Chavez is "passionate," "dignified," and "intelligent," according to ABC's Barbara Walters and Robin Roberts. The empress of "The View," the place where American leaders are routinely called liars and murderers, apparently thinks that a guy whom every human rights group has condemned is a real sweetheart. Although Chavez has threatened to shut off oil to the U.S., called our president a "devil" and also referred to him as a "political corpse," Walters assured her audience that the outspoken dictator "does like this country."
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Ignoring the fact that Chavez has destroyed any semblance of freedom of the press or property rights in his country, co-hosting Roberts referred to the despot as the "controversial president of Venezuela" and gushed, "He is a passionate man that's very apparent." The audience learned from Walters that Chavez is not crazy but does drink 26 cups of coffee a day. Chavez boasted, "I would win an election campaign against Bush, if I were an American, of course, if I were a U.S. citizen." He's correct, if voters had the IQ of "The View." 2. Hollywood Nation Spotlight: Valerie Plame Liberal dream girl Valerie Plame was a recent witness in a staged Capitol Hill production put on by Democratic Bush haters. The sometimes spy acknowledged things that were already known, like the fact that she and hubby Joe Wilson are die-hard Dems. Interestingly, the former ambassador's wife was never asked about the central issue of the investigation that claimed "Scooter" Libby for a collateral offense. Plame was not specifically asked whether her status was, in fact, covert, within the meaning of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. Plame predictably claimed that her work was covert despite the fact that she was listed under Wilson's listing in "Who's Who in America." Using the phrase "I'm not a lawyer," Plame described her work status without reference to the statute.
As Bill Gertz reported, Plame's cover was actually exposed by a Russian spy in the 1990s. The CIA had sent classified documents to the Swiss embassy in Havana where Cubans got a hold of Plame's name. Criminal lawyers in D.C. know that if Plame's job fell within the parameters of the statute, eager-beaver special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald would have made a beeline to indict the guy he knew had revealed Plame as Wilson's wife, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. The truth is, there is nothing covert about Plame and Wilson. They have sought publicity and money ever since they became cause celebs of the left. Keeping themselves overtly in the public eye, they posed for the cover of Vanity Fair, negotiated book deals and a Hollywood production contract, and became multimillionaires. 3. Tables Turned on Michael Moore Filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine set out to film a biography of someone they truly admired. However, while producing "Manufacturing Dissent," the two made a discovery that their hero, Michael Moore, was far from the person, or for that matter the professional that they had imagined. During their movie making experience, Melnyk and Caine learned about Moore's fabricated persona; in particular that he did not grow up in working class Flint, Mich., but in Davison, a wealthy nearby suburb. They discovered that Moore was not removed as editor of Mother Jones for political reasons as he has claimed, but was fired for bad editing. They learned that Moore shot footage of himself and interspersed it with other events to imply things that never actually happened (such as Moore asking Roger Smith, former CEO of General Motors, a question at a shareholders' meeting). The most devastating information unearthed, though, is that Moore actually did speak with then-GM chairman Roger Smith, whose supposed evasion is the central premise of "Roger & Me," but withheld the footage from the film. (Premiere previously reported this but "Manufacturing Dissent" actually displays footage of Moore interviewing Smith.) Other well-known documentary filmmakers such as Errol Morris ("The Fog of War") express disdain in the film for Moore's documentary style. By evading interviews with the filmmakers, Moore and his staff behave like the corporate targets that Moore despises. At one event, the filmmakers' soundboard is unplugged while other reporters are allowed to tape. At another event, a staffer kicks the filmmakers out of an arena and throws their camera to the ground. An indication that the makers of "Manufacturing Dissent" have had a serious change of heart about Moore is revealed in the tagline used to market the film. It reads: "Michael Moore doesn't like documentaries. That's why he doesn't make them." A slogan that appears on movie posters also conveys their dampened sentiments: "It's Never Been so Hard to Get Michael Moore in Front of the Camera." Because the criticism of Moore comes from self-described "progressive liberals," who were originally motivated by their admiration for Moore before they reluctantly concluded that he was not what he appeared to be, the mainstream press are actually treating the film differently than similar polemic material from the Right. Here is a sampling of some recent mainstream media takes:
Moore's talent has been to bring humor, a brisk pace and controversy to the documentary genre. "Manufacturing Dissent" demonstrates that Moore also brings fabrication. The Left Coast Report thinks maybe now there will be more skepticism about Moore from left-of-center folks who in the past refused to question his work. 4. Mr. Zsa Zsa Sues Bill O'Reilly Zsa Zsa Gabor's eighth husband, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, has filed a lawsuit against the Fox News Channel and Bill O'Reilly for damage to his reputation. He is asking for $12 million in damages. Von Anhalt is one of many who claim to have fathered the late Anna Nicole Smith's baby, Dannielynn Hope. Von Anhalt's lawsuit is based on O'Reilly referring to him as a "fraud." Zsa zsa's hubby claims that since the show with the derogatory reference aired, people give him dirty looks when he goes shopping. "They say, 'Look, here comes the fraud,'" Von Anhalt says. Apparently, adultery holds no comparable stigma. 5. Hollywood Heavyweight Phil Spector on Trial Expect the courtroom to be standing room only when the press of the world crowd in to report on the murder trial of legendary record producer Phil Spector. Spector is accused of killing movie actress Lana Clarkson. Jury selection begins this week for those who will decide whether on Feb. 3, 2003, the reclusive Spector murdered Clarkson after bringing her from the House of Blues to his home. Spector gained fame in the 1960s for his "wall of sound" recordings. He has written such rock classics as "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Be My Baby" and "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling." He also produced the Beatles's "Let It Be" album and George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh."
Clarkson acted in Roger Corman's cult film "Barbarian Queen." She was working as a hostess at the House of Blues when she was spotted by Spector. Spector's chauffeur, Adriano De Souza, told a grand jury that Spector had said, "I think I killed somebody," and that Spector had emerged from his home with blood on his hands holding a gun. The court battle will center on the question of who pulled the trigger. The coroner's office noted that Clarkson had gunshot residue on both of her hands and may have pulled the trigger. A slew of forensic scholars is expected to demonstrate expertise in front of the jury. Spector has pleaded not guilty and has remained free on $1 million bail since being arrested after the shooting. If convicted, he faces life in prison. Evidently, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler didn't learn much from the O.J. debacle. He has decided to let the trial be televised. 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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