Right Wing Entitlement Culture: Pt. I - Hollywood

Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air ( I do so love that name, since it's quite fitting for their subject matter ) is touting a new documentary intended to expose that evil "liberal bias" in film and television:

What does Hollywood really think of conservatives? Ben Shapiro talked to the movers and shakers in Hollywood to find out — and recounts his adventures in his new book, Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV

This is something the Modern American Right love to do - play the role of the ultimate victim in society. This is readily apparent when Morrissey does post like this, as it not only shows how ignorant he is of film narratives but how his definition of "conservativism" shifts to fit a particular time and day.

The real story behind all of this noise and pity party posturing is that the Modern American Right don't want to have to deal with that which they champion most - Free Market Principles. Do they honestly expect studios to produce programming and feature films that don't have an audience that will bring them a profit? Actually, yes, they do. But we all saw what happened when Atlas Shrugged was a giant disaster at the box office, though Hot Air was sure to make excuses for that as well.

Having studied film for the better part of my life, I now that producers and studios can make really bad decisions and end up losing a lot of money, but using the consistent drumbeat of "we are a Center Right nation" that the Modern American Right doles out at every conceivable opportunity, coupled with the fact that the Tea Baggers are somehow "the voice of the people", why do you think Hollywood doesn't make more films like Atlas Shrugged? The answer is quite simple - they don't make money.

With that in mind, one has to ask whether or not this selective love affair with the Free Market travels outside the world of film and television? Does the Modern American Right think that there are business that sell toys, cars, or even food that cater to an exclusively "Far Left" audience? The answer is most likely a definitive yes, considering the group we are discussing.

But what is troubling most of all is how the Modern American Right define "conservativism".

Having grown up on a family farm in Western Kentucky, I saw what true conservativism was. It wasn't predicated on isolating people, but favored the noting that "I am my brother's keeper", as the community helped one another when the time called for it. It was about defending all of America and not just a specific, even fringe, element within it. The broader point is that the Modern American Right have taken the word "conservative" and melded it with "Libertarianism" and "Extremism" and attempting to convince people that this is what makes up a plurality of American thought. The only problem is that this isn't the case, and they will complain until their final breath that they are the target of a malicious attack because the majority won't openly embrace the minority.

What's Wrong With Comedy Central?

Seriously, who's running this network now?

It’s the end of the road for Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, which has been canceled after 3 seasons despite a Twitter campaign to save it. The show earned Silverman a lead actress Emmy nomination last year. But it also was on the brink of cancellation in 2009 when she and fellow executive producers Dan Sterling and Rob Schrab threatened to quit after the cable network asked them to slash the series’ budget by more than 20%. A last-minute deal with sister network Logo was reached to co-finance the series, so a 10-episode third season was ordered. But midway through Season 3, which wrapped last month, the network bumped the series from 10:30 PM to midnight, hinting at its intention not to continue with Sarah. At the beginning of the year, Comedy Central went through a regime change, with former New Line executive Kent Alterman taking over for Lauren Corrao as head of original programming. Silverman, meanwhile, is keeping busy promoting her bestselling book The Bedwetter and signing on to co-star in the Sarah Polley movie Take This Waltz.

Not only do they seem to play the completely unfunny series of "Blue Collar" stand-up specials on endless loops every Saturday and Sunday, completely get cold feet over possibly upsetting someone and needlessly censoring South Park's religion episode recently, but now they are cancelling Sarah Silverman? What gives?

Hey, HBO execs, I know who your next call should be to. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Ratings Versus Accuracy

This really isn't surprising, and I'll explain why.

Fox News Channel has been the top-rated cable news network for a long time, but until this month it was only for double-digit months.

Well it’s now official – FNC is number one in April for the 100th consecutive month.

The streak began in January 2002, when FNC became the most watched cable news channel in prime time and total day in total viewers, surpassing industry leader CNN. It hasn’t looked back.

And while it hasn’t looked back, the look hasn’t changed very much at all. While CNN and MSNBC have undergone major changes, prime time looks just about how it did back in January 2002. Bill O’Reilly was there, Greta Van Susteren came one month later. Sean Hannity was there (although he shared a show for most of the time with Alan Colmes). Shepard Smith has been the lead news anchor since then as well. It goes without saying how incredibly rare to see the sustained success of this fairly untouched group.

In reading this, I'm reminded of Christopher Nolan's film "The Prestige". There is a scene in that film where Micheal Caine's character describes how a great magic trick is done.

He describes how that audience is set up, how they are distracted, and finally how the magician concludes his trickery to make the audience believe what they have seen is real. Fox"News" is a perfect example of this.

I have said this multiple times and it is no less true even today. Higher ratings in no way equal accurate reportage. This is something that is touted by Bill O'Reilly on a virtual daily basis. And make no mistake, Fox's water-carriers abound. I honestly feel sorry for them in most cases, but I also know that magic and trickery can easily seduce.

Fox"News" is successful primarily because of the consumerist nature of most Americans - we thrive off of entertainment, scandal, and things that shock our senses. I must admit that I watch Fox"News" throughout the evening, but not because I see it as a source of information, but to monitor and evaluate it's ability to take a story ( or create one ) and mold it into this twisted visage in order to frighten the average viewer.

From the start of the broadcast day until the final "live" hour of transmission, you can literally see how the conservative point of view is folded into literally every program. Anyone should be able to see this, but this certainly isn't the case.

One can't but marvel at the audacity and unblushing dishonesty of Fox executives and employees. I say this, because it's further proof that greed ( whether for money or power ) is such a motivating force in this country. On any given day, you can literally see how various Fox"News" personalities are attempting to gain just an inch of spotlight by saying and doing things that would make them appear to be the greater "magician" on the network.

As television viewers, we seek the programing that is going to hold our interest. The same can be said of news networks. And while it's true that MSNBC has more liberal opinion programs in primetime, they certainly know how to separate their hard news programs from them. CNN, in my opinion, is a peculiar creature that tries too hard to be all hard news and ends up looking like an abject fool - especially since they hired Erick Erickson.

Fox"News" is always going to draw a crowd because they are the car wreck on the side of the interstate that we have to crane our necks to see as we drive past. We stare in shock and wonder at what we see, but then we move on. Out of the millions that do watch, I often wonder how many of those people are watching for the same reasons that I am. I wonder how long they are watching. Are they watching an entire program? Did they stop just long enough to hear Sean Hannity call Obama a terrorist sympathizer? Or did they leave the television on all night just to have some background noise and ended up falling asleep when the Ambien kicked in?

Fox"News" is a magician - but not a particularly good one - since most of us have figured out how they do their tricks. It's just a shame that people keep going back to see their act. It's like it's so bad that it's become comical.

Women Of The Decade

It's been said that behind every great man there is a woman. More often than is given credit for, behind every great action there is a woman as well. And it is for that reason that I have come up with the list of some of the greatest women of the decade. Granted, this is strictly in the realm of music, movies, and pop-culture, so no offense is meant to any women within alternate categories.

1 - Cate Blanchett



From a cold-hearted mother willing to sell her daughter in The Shipping News, to The Queen of the elves in LOTR, to THE Queen Elizabeth, and even Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett is my pic for actress of the decade.

2 - Kari Byron



No one makes science or myth-busting more entertaining and fun than Kari. She's a nerd icon and can handle her own against any challenge that the boys often aren't up to.

3 - Sarah Silverman



Her absurdist/controversial/existential humor makes stands out as a pioneering force in comedy. What more can be said.

4 - American Ferrera



No longer the Rubenesque girl that she portrayed in her debut film "Real Women Have Curves", she is the "every-girl" icon in Ugly Betty that has shown us that image isn't always everything when it comes to women in the modern age.

5 - Alison Krauss



One of the most overlooked women in modern musical history, Alison Krauss made a name of herself amongst the bluegrass enthusiasts in America as fronting the group Union Station but virtually flew under the radar outside of the Nashville-set. That being said, simply being recognized as a household name doesn't make you a great artist. Her true power shined in 2007 when she joined with Robert Plant to record one of the greatest albums of the decade - Raising Sand

6 - Christiane Amanpour



A titan of a female journalist amongst a gaggle of hacks. Often far more honest and hard-hitting than most, which often ends with her being labeled as controversial. A true voice within the journalism community that shows that women are equally as powerful.

Sunny Days

Sesame Street has come a long way since I was a child first watching it. Coming up with what is arguably the worlds penultimate childrens learning program in it's first decade ( even though I don't remember those early days ) I do have fond memories of the show and it's cast. It's been a long and wonderful journey revisiting the place where it was always sunny and the air was clean.



The aliens would have loved late 80s techno.



It wasn't until I was in high school and discovered Monty Python that I first postulated that it was highly possible that Frank Oz and Jim Henson may have borrowed some from this classic Python skit for the "fly in my soup" scene.



And Bert and Ernie were the lovely blend of the Odd Couple and Jay and Silent Bob



There are far to many great moments from Sesame Street from not only my memory but the entire timeline of the Jim Henson classic series. But as times change, the better the guests get.







And now we have the First Lady taking part in the show.

Shock ----- could this be indoctrination? What would Glenn Beck and Michelle Bachman say?!?!?!?!?!





It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years since we first ventured down the street to meet up with Oscar, Big Bird, and learn about reading and what makes our own neighborhood special.

But there was always something about Sesame Street that no other children's program has ever done. They taught us about life lessons, about how the world around us effects us and shapes us. It they taught us about the end, even when the reality of the show and it's cast met with the message that they gave to the children every day.



Happy Birthday old friend. I'm glad you're still around.

The Prisoner Is Coming

Can't wait until this come out.

I first discovered The Prisoner back when I worked at a Hollywood Video in college. I was amazed at the surreal nature of the program and how it stood out in virtually every aspect from any other show of its time.

From his extensive Shakespearean roots to his knockout X-Men and Lord of the Rings roles as Magneto and Gandalf, Sir Ian McKellen boasts a prowess so refined that he’s now playing a role, The Prisoner’s power-hungry villain Number Two, previously inhabited by not one actor but 17.

Yet McKellen insists this isn’t your grandmother’s Number Two.

“There’s no point in wondering how am I going to measure up to the other Number Twos, because it’s just a different script altogether,” the soft-spoken knight explained to Wired.com after addressing an auditorium of TV reporters at Hollywood’s Universal Hilton earlier this year.

Here's the intro to the original:



Considering AMC track-record of original programming ( AMC also had Breaking Bad and Mad Men on their roster ) I'm sure that the revamp of The Prisoner will be nothing short of spectacular.

This is a fantastic time to reboot a program like The Prisoner. With the original dealing in secret government programs, espianoge, surveillance, and technology, it's a whole new world for Number 2.

The trailer for the new Prisoner premiered at Comic-Con.