recommended reading...

[radiofriendly]

feel free to disagree, but i just finished reading "Hollywood Vs. America" by Michael Medved for the 2nd time, and at the very least, this book is fascinating. a little outdated in film, but still holds interest to today. if you haven't heard of it, it discusses how Hollywood has lost touch with America, as well as the moral decline in the cinema(as well as the declining quality of movies in general), and how it might parallel with society in some ways. some of it is a stretch, but there was an amazing amount of research put into, and there are some truly irrefutable points made in the book. It steers clear of politics, and that's what i like about it, and focuses on straight family values. anybody read it? heard of it? love/hate michael medved?

here's a quote, gives you the general jist of his book:

Americas long-running romance with Hollywood is overAs a nation we no longer believe that popular culture enriches our lives...Instead tens of millions of Americans now see that the entertainment industry as an all powerful enemy, an alien force that assaults our most cherished values and corrupts our children. The leaders of the industry refuse to acknowledge this rising tide of alienation and hostility. They dismiss anyone who dares to question the impact of the entertainment they produce as a "right-wing extremist" or a "religous fanatic". They self-righteously assert their own right to unfettered free expression while condemning as "fringe groups" all organizations that plea for some sens of restraint or responsibility. In the process, Hollywood ignores the concerns of the overwhelming majority of the American people who worry over the destructive messages so frequently featured in today's movies, televison, and popular music.discuss...

[JWKingofNerds]

feel free to disagree, but i just finished reading "Hollywood Vs. America" by Michael Medved for the 2nd time, and at the very least, this book is fascinating. a little outdated in film, but still holds interest to today. if you haven't heard of it, it discusses how Hollywood has lost touch with America, as well as the moral decline in the cinema(as well as the declining quality of movies in general), and how it might parallel with society in some ways. some of it is a stretch, but there was an amazing amount of research put into, and there are some truly irrefutable points made in the book. It steers clear of politics, and that's what i like about it, and focuses on straight family values. anybody read it? heard of it? love/hate michael medved?

here's a quote, gives you the general jist of his book:

discuss...
To this I must respond with a quote from Mr. Bill Maher:

"And finally, New Rule: There's no such thing as Hollywood values. In honor of the Oscars Sunday, let me just say that every time I see some pundit say that Hollywood is out of touch, I just want to take my big screen plasma TV and march it right down to the end of my private road and throw it over the big iron gate!! Thank you.

Hollywood versus America. It's a tactic that works very well as conservative red meat. It's kind of continuation of the red state-versus-blue state theme of the last election, where blue-staters were convinced that everything between New York and L.A. was one giant forest where Ned Beatty is constantly being sodomized by hillbillies.

And red-staters were told that people like me and Tim spend all our time performing abortions and figuring out ways to desecrate the flag. Please, they're just hobbies!

But, politically, it's always been advantageous to divide people, to make America a place of warmongers versus wimps, elitists versus morons, gun nuts versus people with normal size penises. The only problem is, it's not true. Hollywood isn't your cesspool, America. It's your mirror.

We made all those movies with the smirking sex and the mindless violence and the superheroes beating the shit out of zombies because that's what you wanted. It's what the whole world wants. Movies are the one thing about America the rest of the world still actually likes. It's America's last export. I mean, besides the torture.

And even the ones being tortured are like, "Hey, cool, this is just like in 'The Deer Hunter.'"

So to those of you who think that if we just put "Leave It To Beaver" back on, that the gay people would come to their senses - I say to you, this: "Stop worrying. Hollywood won't turn your daughter into a nymphomaniac or get her hooked on drugs...I will."

And I'll tell you something. She'll still be better off for it, because I'll teach her that there's more to values than reciting things and praying and voting for Bush; that being moral actually involves making choices guided by principles like fairness and tolerance.

For example - for example, this week, a woman in Alaska cut off her husband's penis and flushed it down the toilet. So, yes, I would agree our morality is in decline. Because ten years ago when Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband's penis, she didn't flush it down the toilet where it could never be retrieved. She threw it out the window of a moving car where it could be retrieved, and was.

So, come on, America, just admit it, when it comes to Hollywood, "You love us, you really love us!!""

[radiofriendly]

To this I must respond with a quote from Mr. Bill Maher:

"And finally, New Rule: There's no such thing as Hollywood values. In honor of the Oscars Sunday, let me just say that every time I see some pundit say that Hollywood is out of touch, I just want to take my big screen plasma TV and march it right down to the end of my private road and throw it over the big iron gate!! Thank you.

Hollywood versus America. It's a tactic that works very well as conservative red meat. It's kind of continuation of the red state-versus-blue state theme of the last election, where blue-staters were convinced that everything between New York and L.A. was one giant forest where Ned Beatty is constantly being sodomized by hillbillies.

And red-staters were told that people like me and Tim spend all our time performing abortions and figuring out ways to desecrate the flag. Please, they're just hobbies!

But, politically, it's always been advantageous to divide people, to make America a place of warmongers versus wimps, elitists versus morons, gun nuts versus people with normal size penises. The only problem is, it's not true. Hollywood isn't your cesspool, America. It's your mirror.

We made all those movies with the smirking sex and the mindless violence and the superheroes beating the shit out of zombies because that's what you wanted. It's what the whole world wants. Movies are the one thing about America the rest of the world still actually likes. It's America's last export. I mean, besides the torture.

And even the ones being tortured are like, "Hey, cool, this is just like in 'The Deer Hunter.'"

So to those of you who think that if we just put "Leave It To Beaver" back on, that the gay people would come to their senses - I say to you, this: "Stop worrying. Hollywood won't turn your daughter into a nymphomaniac or get her hooked on drugs...I will."

And I'll tell you something. She'll still be better off for it, because I'll teach her that there's more to values than reciting things and praying and voting for Bush; that being moral actually involves making choices guided by principles like fairness and tolerance.

For example - for example, this week, a woman in Alaska cut off her husband's penis and flushed it down the toilet. So, yes, I would agree our morality is in decline. Because ten years ago when Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband's penis, she didn't flush it down the toilet where it could never be retrieved. She threw it out the window of a moving car where it could be retrieved, and was.

So, come on, America, just admit it, when it comes to Hollywood, "You love us, you really love us!!""haha! funny quote, but it doesn't really address the subject other than to turn it into a stereotypical red and blue spectacle, which it is not. i don't think he really provided any evidence or connection in that entire quote(though it was pretty clever). there's a lot of strong support in this book, and once again i suggest that everybody at least glance at what Medved has to offer

[Bishop]

We made all those movies with the smirking sex and the mindless violence and the superheroes beating the shit out of zombies because that's what you wanted. It's what the whole world wants. Movies are the one thing about America the rest of the world still actually likes. It's America's last export. I mean, besides the torture.


Yes, that's why Hollywood is having some of it's record setting low box office sales.

[Justin_stacy]

To this I must respond with a quote from Mr. Bill Maher:

You ever read When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism by Bill Maher? It was quite an interesting read, particularly from my standpoint.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1893224740/qid=1129083478/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/102-4762865-3505759?v=glance&s=books&n=507846