I realize that there’s probably a line somewhere in there, and i would probably draw the line myself if i thought someone was providing direct material support to terrorists, etc. My main beef was with those who boycott liberal or conservative artists who are doing little more than expressing a political point-of-view. I don’t have much time for Arnold Schwarzeneggers politics, and i certainly hope he doesn’t become California’s next governor, but it’s not going to stop me watching T2 again. If i boycott some Arnie movies, it’s because they suck (e.g. True Lies).
As far as personal behaviour goes (drugs, violence, alcohol, etc.), i tend not to pay much attention to that sort of stuff. Also, except when such things actually make it to the courtroom, we often only get a very distorted view of the story from the media. After quite a lot of Google searching, for example, i still can’t find what i consider to be a really reliable source confirming that Sean Penn tied Madonna to a chair and beat her.
I’m not saying that what these celebrities do off-screen doesn’t matter at all, i’m just saying that, in the frequent cases where evidence is slim, i choose to ignore the issue and concentrate on artistic merit.
I could say the same about the Kobe Bryant case. Even if he is found innocent of sexual assault, he still admits fucking around on his wife. I think that makes him an asshole. It won’t stop me appreciating his basketball talent, however. If he is found guilty of sexual assault, the point might become irrelevant, because he will certainly lose his endorsments, and might end up playing prison ball for a while, where none of us could watch him anyway.
I try very hard to keep what happens off screen not ruin the performance on screen.
But sometimes you just can’t look the other way.
Jeffrey Jones is one of them, though his performance in Ferris Buellar is stellar.
**Woody Allen ** has always creeped me out, but his comedy for the most part, I really like. Keep it to the voice overs and I am ok.
Courtney Love is just down right …I don’t know what, but she just is creepy to me.
Barbara Streisand I have never liked, not her music, not her movies, not her politics. I cannot understand why this woman is popular at all.
Celine Dion and her creepy May-December marriage to her husband/manager.
Latrell Sprewell he choked his coach and somehow is a wonderful person now. Yes, I’m sure everyone deserves a second chance…
Mel Gibson I have always loved him as an actor, but his wacked out views are just plain scary. So, after his latest flick comes out I will probably boycott anything he acts in after. I can’t give up Martin Riggs or Porter. Sampiro do you have a link to that John Wayne article in Playboy?
it’s a current hot topic right now in france.
Famous singer/songwriter Bertrand Cantat from “Noir Desir” recently killed actress Marie Trintignant. It took place in Lithuania where she was shooting an adaptation of the life of Colette. It seems they had a fight while drunk about her ex husband, he hit her and she died later in hospital after a day in coma. He’s currently held in jail in Lithuania while the investigation is taking place.
Lots of people and the medias talked about boycoting or not Noir desir but I work in a music store and believe me whe have never sold as much albums since the accident, there is every kind of customer from the “I’m just curious to see what kind of man he was” to the “i’ve always been a fan it’s got nothing to do with what happened”
Anniee, a sedevacantist (Latin for “the chair is empty”) is a traditionalist Catholic who believes that the last lawful pope was John XXIII. The usual reasoning is that the Second Vatican Council, called by John, introduced so much heresy into the Church that no pope has been validly elected since then.
I dunno, I can respect that on some level. It’s not the best way to make a point, obviously – when you show yourself to be an extremist, you just make it easier for others to dismiss your entire opinion/agenda because you’re a kook, even if you started out with a valid point to make. But as long as you’re not hurting others, there’s a level of passion and dedication and sincerity there that shouldn’t be so quickly dismissed. Want to go to Iraq to be a human shield? Yeah, whatever. Want to go to Iraq to show support for the Iraqi people? Good for you. Want to go to Iraq to show support for the Iraqi military against US invaders? Don’t bother coming back and try to make a fortune selling workout videos, unless it’s required community service as part of your prison sentence.
Guin, after posting I realized that I had overgeneralized. There are various flavors of sedevacantists; some believe, along with Gibson pere, that John XXIII was a Mason and therefore automatically excommunicated, while others believe that the heresy entered with the end of Vatican II, and that John was the last valid pope. There are likely other variants as well. Some of the groups have elected their own popes, and have shown a tendency to fragment into ever smaller feuding groups.
Shirley Ujest and sampiro
I have tried to find a link for the John Wayne Playboy interview but I don’t think it is on the 'Net (at least not a free website). I believe I just might have that very issue of Playboy. If so, I will scan it and send it to each of you. Give me a few days though.
Ahhh, thanks for the replies on sedeva whatsis. Heh; I don’t mind Mel in some things (Braveheart for example, or anything where he’s funny) and have no ethical complaints against watching him, but IMO he’s pretty obnoxious in making himself the much-sung hero of everything he’s ever in. It is just way too much pap for me.
About Jane Fonda… I would never have supported the Vietnam War (had I been around then), I don’t support the current administration, and I think Dubya is a fraud who stole the presidency. I think it’s safe to say that my politics are just maybe ever-so-slightly to the left of center. I consider Jane Fonda to be one of the finest actresses of the last forty years and 9 To 5 is one of my favorite (guilty pleasure) movies of all time. For years, I’d heard people refer to her as “Hanoi Jane” and call her a traitor and all sorts of nasty things and thought they were just disagreeing with her politcs. Then I read this page at the Snopes website. I was floored. And yet, I’m still able to watch her movies and my feelings about what she did in Vietnam aside. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad person.
Also, I find it odd that no one’s mentioned Victor Salva yet. He directed Powder, Jeepers Creepers, and the upcoming Jeepers Creepers 2. He also spent some time in prison for molesting a boy and, if memory serves, videotaping the act. I didn’t see Powder, but I absolutely loved Jeepers Creepers and can’t wait to see the sequel. I also loved Rosemary’s Baby and Death and the Maiden, both directed by Roman Polanski. I find it disturbing, though, that a lot of people bash Victor Salva (usually around the time one of his movies is being released) and boycot his movies, but ignore Roman Polanski and his movies. I’m certainly not defending the actions of either man; I think they both did truly vile things. And it’s true that what Roman Polanski did happened a long time ago, but still… When Jeepers Creepers was realeased on DVD, there was a review of the DVD in the local paper. The reviewer went on and on about how much he hated Victor Salva for what he’d done and couldn’t really enjoy the movie even though he thought he would have liked it under different circumstances. Of course, the thought running through my mind then was: Well, then why did you even review it in the first place? But I wonder how many positive reviews he’d given to Roman Polanski’s films over the years. It’s ceratinly possible he reviewed them in the same fashion, but somehow, I doubt it.
I always wanted a good excuse to never see Arnie on screen again. Wanna be politician works for me. It’s a damn shame he couldn’t be president I can just imagine “Iraq…I’ll be back” rolling off his tongue.
Hearing that Tom Sizemore is now on trial for beating his ex-girlfriend, Heidi Fleiss (see here), bums me out. I liked him a lot as an actor, but now I can’t look at him without revulsion.
Danny Masterson (Hyde from THAT 70S SHOW) and his brother Chris (Francis from MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE) were reared as Scientologists and are still practicing.
I consider Jane Fonda to be one of the finest actresses of the last forty years and 9 To 5 is one of my favorite (guilty pleasure) movies of all time. For years, I’d heard people refer to her as “Hanoi Jane” and call her a traitor and all sorts of nasty things and thought they were just disagreeing with her politcs. Then I read 