Michael Moore Calls Capitalism ‘Evil’

Michael Moore solidified his position as one of the biggest phonies of our times while at a recent Venice Film Festival outing.

He debuted his latest sham documentary called “Capitalism: A Love Story.”

Thanks to the free enterprise system, Moore has become super wealthy, which makes the two-hour flick a case study in hypocrisy.

“Capitalism is an evil,” Moore proclaims, “and you cannot regulate evil.”

According to Moore, regulating capitalism doesn’t work, so his prescription is, “You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy.”

Guess it all depends on what the meaning of “democracy” is.

Fidel, Hugo, Van, Nancy, and Harry might have a similar definition. Someday someone might ask the president what his is.

In any event, the flimflam filmmaker even stoops so low as to bring in some liberation theology clergy to endorse the idea that capitalism is actually anti-Christian…

Excerpt – for more click here

Johnny Depp to Play Carol Channing?

by James Hirsen

I’m not kidding.

Johnny Depp is making a play for the lead role in a movie biography of singer-actress Carol Channing.

Forty-six-year-old Depp was out promoting his latest flick, “Public Enemies,” when the subject of future role choices came up.

According to the U.K. Daily Mirror, the actor is ready to get in touch with his inner songstress.

“My dream role would be to play musical legend Carol Channing in a biopic of her life,” he explained.

“I love her, I really do. She’s amazing,” he added. “With all the digital technology available these days, I could probably pull it off.”

Jack Sparrow-turned-Dolly?

Well, he got the mascara thing right but he’s going to need some major hair highlighting help from Kojo.

Lindsay Lohan: ‘I’ve Been a Target’

In what appears to be a pity ploy, Lindsay Lohan recently tried to explain why she’s having trouble finding work.

It’s not the ailing economy or any mistake she herself may have made.

No, according to Lindsay, she’s a victim of a media conspiracy.

In a recent appearance on the “Ellen” show, the “Mean Girls” star spoke of a specific gig she had lost.

“I had a really good opportunity with an amazing actor and it’s been put on hold because of this coverage that’s been coming out,” Lohan contended.

Somewhat disgusted, she added, “I didn’t get into this to be a celebrity on the cover of tabloids and I’ve been a target and I’m not that interesting but it’s distracting; it distracts people, studio heads, everyone – they get nervous.”

Someone should tell Lindsay that when execs read reports of eating disorders, drug abuse and unstable relationships, it’s their job to get nervous.

Still trying to make her case, Lohan had a message for her prospective Tinseltown employers.

“I’m ready to work and I’m responsible,” she said.

Disney Dumps ‘Narnia’

Disney has announced that the studio will not co-finance the third installment of Walden Media’s “Chronicles of Narnia” franchise, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”

It is widely believed by Hollywood insiders that Disney dropped the project because of the lower than expected box-office take for the second “Narnia” flick, “Prince Caspian.”

The first “Narnia” piled up $745 million internationally while “Caspian” only raked in $419 million.

Although the economic downturn is making Disney execs a tad more timid, they’re partly responsible for the skimpier “Caspian” numbers.

Unlike the first “Narnia,” rather than a Thanksgiving or Christmas release the sequel came out in the spring, and it was up against superhero summer fare like “Iron Man” and “Indiana Jones.” Disney tried to market it as an action flick with limited success.

Thankfully, Walden remains committed to C.S. Lewis’ remaining books.

And if Fox is as clever as its name it’ll jump into Disney’s old spot, snag a profit and hoist entertainment content higher at the same time.

James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in Media Psychology, is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and professor at Trinity Law School.

Natalie Portman Stymied by Celibacy

Why would actress Natalie Portman turn down the chance to be in a film with Oscar winning Meryl Streep?

The answer lies in Portman’s attitude toward Roman Catholic vocations.

“Doubt,” a film adaptation of the successful play by John Patrick Shanley (who, incidentally, directs the movie), tells the story of two nuns (Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) that confront a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whom they suspect of abusing an altar boy. Themes of religion, morality and authority punctuate the dialogue.

Portman reportedly wanted to co-star in the movie but turned down the part for what seems like a fairly flimsy reason, considering that she’s supposed to be a professional.

“We asked Natalie Portman, and Natalie was very interested but kept saying she had a problem. And we finally nailed down as to what the problem was: she basically said she didn’t understand celibacy,” Shanley told the GossipSauce Web site.

If it took so much brainpower to understand celibacy, Portman probably could have benefited from a class in abstinence.

Instead she’s likely to find out that she made a bad career move by ultimately denying herself what actors lust after most, and that is prestige, which in Hollywood comes in the form of a little gold statue.

“Doubt” opens in limited release on December 12, just in time to qualify for Oscar’s attention.

James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in Media Psychology, is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and professor at Trinity Law School.

Davi Creates Compelling Entertainment with ‘Dukes’

“The Dukes” brings back elements of cinema entertainment sorely lakcing from the current Hollywood fare.

Even if you don’t know the difference between Doo Wop and Hip Hop, it is worth your time to catch Robert Davi’s directorial debut of “The Dukes.”

Here’s the little movie that could, a potent directing debut for actor Robert Davi.

The old-fashioned story is aided by surprisingly smooth direction, as well as likable performances from Davi himself, Chazz Palmintieri, and a perfectly cast Peter Bogdanovich.

“The Dukes” is a wry comic tale of a down-and-out Doo Wop band who take a bumbling detour into burglary in their endless quest to make good on their dreams. Featuring an accomplished ensemble cast and the directorial debut of beloved tough-guy actor Robert Davi, the film is a rollicking caper that is also deeply candid about life, love, friendship and the heart it takes to keep on struggling to find meaning and connection as life takes one absurd turn after another. Punctuated by a retro rock n roll soundtrack, the fun begins as The Dukes – once hit-makers in the 1960s– are barely making ends meet in 2007. Band leader Danny DePasquale (ROBERT DAVI, “Die Hard,” “License To Kill,” “The Goonies”) is horrified by the fact that he can’t even afford to help his ex-wife fix his darling son’s teeth. Meanwhile, his partner, George Zucco (Academy Award® nominee CHAZZ PALMINTERI, “Bullets Over Broadway,” “A Bronx Tale”), drowns his financial sorrows by indulging his passion for plus-size women.

Even as their manager, Lou Fiola (Academy Award® nominated director-producer-writer-actor PETER BOGDANOVICH), searches to find gigs for an act that has gone utterly obsolete, Danny and George take jobs in their feisty Aunt Vee’s (MIRIAM MARGOLYES, “Being Julia,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) Italian trattoria. The Dukes are determined to resurrect their flagging hopes and self-esteems. They daydream of money-making schemes that would allow them to build an updated Doo Wop nightclub from which they could stage a fresh comeback. Then, opportunity knocks. When they hear of a shady dentist’s lab brimming with cavity-filling gold, the temptation is irresistible. After recruiting a semipro safecracker (Emmy winner BRUCE WEITZ, “Hill Street Blues”), the heist is on!

Dubai’s Dubious Debut

Over the past several years, many of the studio blockbusters have been financed with Wall Street and hedge fund money. With the current financial mess we’re in, Hollywood found itself in the position of having to look elsewhere for film budget assistance.

It turns out it didn’t have to look for very long. The oil rich government of Abu Dhabi has committed a $1-billion-plus fund to make movies and digital content via Abu Dhabi Media Co., a government controlled entity.

Using a newly formed subsidiary called Imagenation, Abu Dhabi made its first deal with Participant Media, a U.S. company well known in the Middle East for producing the Islamic terrorist friendly flick, “Syriana.” Two-hundred-fifty-million dollars has been set aside for 18 movies to be made over the next five years. Participant’s head Jim Berk told the New York Times that the films will “entertain” but will “also raise awareness of issues and inspire social change.”

Founded in 2004 by former eBay exec Jeff Skoll, Participant has specialized in “message” movies including “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Good Night, and Good Luck” along with “Syriana.” According to the Khaleej Times, Dubai seeks to establish “a strong regional and global media presence through successful implementation of public diplomacy.”

Wonder how many ways they can come up with to make a “Syriana” sequel.

Angelina Jolie Tilting Toward McCain?

As Hollywood celebrities queue up for presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama, one superstar is giving the Obama campaign some shivers.

It’s none other than Brad Pitt’s main squeeze—Angelina Jolie.

In a statement to Variety, Jolie indicated that she hasn’t made up her mind about whom she’s going to support.

Then came the scary part for Dems. She seems to be leaning McCain’s way.

“I have not decided on a candidate,” Jolie said. “I am waiting to see the commitments they will make on issues like international justice, refugees and how to address the needs of children in crisis around the world.”

It just so happens that Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Her endorsement would certainly have some clout, as she is well known and respected for her humanitarian activities.

Sounding like a staffer from the McCain campaign, Jolie penned an op-ed in the Washington Post in which she made the case for staying in Iraq.

She wrote, “Today’s humanitarian crisis in Iraq — and the potential consequences for our national security — are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won’t explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?”

“What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made,” Jolie added.

You may recall that not too long ago she and Pitt spoke out in favor of gun ownership.

Jolie’s father, Jon Voigt, has endorsed McCain, and he recently criticized Obama in an op-ed that was published in the Washington Times.

In a campaign season where Hollywood celebs are presumed to be in Barack’s camp, so far Jolie has refused to jump aboard the Obama train.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said, “I think people assume I’m a Democrat. But I’m registered Independent and I’m still undecided. So I’m looking at McCain as well as Obama.”

James Hirsen is a media analyst, Trinity Law School professor, and teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University.

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X Files’ Rapper-Actor Xzibit a Non-Believer in Aliens

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In the upcoming movie, “The X Files: I Want to Believe,” which is set for release in late July, a rapper with the perfect name to act in an “X-Files” flick, Xzibit, does a decent job playing an FBI agent

Xzibit, a.k.a. Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, is also known for hosting the MTV reality show “Pimp My Ride.”

When asked about his personal beliefs with respect to the existence of extra terrestrial life, Xzibit seems to have taken a cue from fellow rapper Kanye West.

“I don’t believe in aliens,” Joiner tells People magazine. “I don’t think aliens or ghosts like black people. We never get abducted; our houses never get haunted. It always happens in rural areas, where no ethnic people live. The day I see somebody from South Central Los Angeles say, ‘Man, I got abducted yesterday,’ then I’ll believe it.”

Xzibit might want to check out one of the most famous alien abductions from the 1960s; that of Barney Hill, along with his wife Betty.

Barney was an African-American that aliens apparently liked enough to have a close encounter with.

James Hirsen is a media analyst, Trinity Law School professor, and teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University.

Lauren Hutton’s ‘Sex and the City’ Gripe

Who’s been influencing Lauren Hutton? The actress-model recently aired her complaints about the way women are portrayed in the “Sex and the City” TV show and new movie of the same name. Much like concerns expressed by a lot of parents, Hutton raged about the promiscuous lifestyle of the women in the storylines. Hutton blamed writers for turning the female characters into floozies. While appearing on NBC’s “The Today Show,” the actress decried “Sex and the City” for perpetuating what she sees as the myth of female sexual promiscuity somehow being a natural behavior. “It’s written by guys, who happen to be gay, who are sluts,” Hutton commented. “Let’s face it, most men are sluts. That’s what testosterone is supposed to do. As a hunter, if you stayed alive after 30, nature wanted your genes out there. Women were just trying to get the best sperm to make a masterpiece.” “You have a bunch of guys who are sluts, writing for women and telling them they are supposed to act like this,” Hutton lamented.