The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is far from over.
Yes, the disgraced billionaire allegedly took his own life last year while awaiting trial on numerous counts of sexually abusing minors.
That corrosive legacy lives on in the faces of his victims, some of whom speak out in the Netflix docuseries “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.” These women – hardened, angry, and eager for justice – forge the heart of the four-part series.
The saga reminds us of some uncomfortable truths about wealth and power in our society, but it doesn’t push much beyond what we already know. The series repeatedly attacks former Trump labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, a key figure in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-labor-sec-alexander-acosta-helped-epstein-plea-deal-2019-7">slapping Epstein on the proverbial wrist.</a>
It’s a drubbing he may richly deserve.
Other targets include liberal legal eagle Alan Dershowitz, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, and longtime Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell. How she isn’t rotting in jail after the revelations here is astounding.
Still, the documentary pulls some punches, from glossing over President Bill Clinton’s time on Epstein’s <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-lolita-express.html">“Lolita Express”</a> to the people above Acosta who may be just as guilty as he.
The first two minutes of “Filthy Rich” are all you really need to see. Epstein, with a calmness born from arrogance, repeatedly pleads the Fifth during a 2010 deposition. An unseen interrogator asks, over and again, if he ever solicited sex from minors in various parts of the globe.
Sickening. Nauseating. And the worst part is obvious. He knows he’ll wiggle out of this trap, and he’s right.
We then meet the women lured into Epstein’s web. They all share similar stories, “graduating” from Epstein’s $200-a-session masseuse to his sexual plaything. The women come across as reasonable, credible. It helps that they share details of Epstein’s lair that match the physical descriptions.
Plus, the Epstein method rarely changed, even if it involved the girls themselves inviting their school chums into his clutches.
The tone here is somber, appropriately enough, with the kind of slick production values worthy of a Netflix production. The victims’ crush of stories is, after a while, unnecessary. Still, they’re allowed to tell their story, and that’s important.
Epstein’s powerful friends proves a secondary narrative, from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump. The series treads oh, so lightly on the Clinton connections while repeatedly showing images of Epstein and Trump. Given the sorry state of liberal media bias, the tilt here is restrained but unmistakable.
We learn little about Clinton’s Epstein ties until late in the series. Then, we re-learn how flight logs show Clinton flew with Epstein 26 times. More damning? An Epstein employee stationed at the billionaire’s remote island recalls seeing the former president there.
Team Clinton shared a dramatically different version of his Epstein ties, including a denial that the former president ever set foot on said island.
In short, they lied.
It’s the kind of detail a documentary should dig deeper into, but that doesn’t happen here. Doesn’t the creative team behind the series remember Clinton’s appetites and how much he risked to feed them over time?
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The series does confirm sexual abuse allegations against Prince Andrew, even including his<a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a29835327/prince-andrew-bbc-interview-jeffrey-epstein-disaster/"> train wreck interview</a> on the subject last November.
We also meet an Epstein employee who says he saw the Duke of York aggressively fondling an underage girl on the billionaire’s island.
Dershowitz, Epstein’s former lawyer, is accused by one of Epstein’s victims of assaulting her, too. He offers a full-throated denial of the charges. It’s a mesmerizing sequence, whether you believe him or not.
Early in the series we meet a Vanity Fair journalist with an early scoop on Epstein’s predatory behavior. The story seems solid, if not stunning, with two sisters sharing how the financier repeatedly abused them. It’s enough to bring anyone down, even a billionaire with endless connections.
Right?
Carter, a major force in magazine journalism, spiked it for legal reasons. His explanation echoes what journalists heard for years while trying to report on<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/weinstein-stain-entertainment-journalism/"> film producer Harvey Weinstein</a>.
Just ask <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/business/media/ronan-farrow-weinstein-producer.html">Ronan Farrow.</a>
It all smells like a cover up, down to the threats Carter received during the investigation, including a cat’s head appearing on his property. Carter later said they <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/epstein-used-bullet-dead-cat-to-intimidate-graydon-carter.html">didn’t influence</a> his decision not to publish journalist Vicky Ward’s story.
So what did?
“Filthy Rich” bounces back and forth in time, using a spinning calendar visual to ground each turn. That gives the series plenty of ways to attack Acosta and tie him to Trump.
We’re also told, oh so briefly, that the ridiculous plea deal Epstein secured had to be approved by the U.S. Attorney General at the time – circa 2008. Is that accurate? What other key players were part of this process? The docuseries lasts roughly four hours but leaves no time for these details.
Acosta may be guilty as sin, but it’s clear he didn’t act alone.
More importantly, that slap on the wrist proved even more farcical than at face value. Epstein freely left prison during his 13-month incarceration, and the documentary shows he flouted the parole rules once he gained his freedom.
Money. Power. Influence. It’s gross and deserves to be spotlighted. For the most part, “Filthy Rich” does a meticulous job of just that.
The fourth and final installment shows how the Epstein case overlapped with the budding MeToo movement. The filmmakers couldn’t predict that the feminist revolution would crash and burn to save Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
That’s a documentary for another day, although one Hollywood would never make.
Also left out of “Filthy Rich” are the glitterati, from <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/katie-couric-woody-allen-jeffrey-epsteins-society-friends-close-ranks">Katie Couric to George Stephanopoulos</a>, who partied with Epstein after he was officially registered as a sex offender. Still, the series wraps on a beautiful note, empowering Epstein’s victims to write their own endings.
“Epstein did not act alone … there are so many of them out there. None of them have been held accountable,” one victim says of the late billionaire’s enablers and fellow abusers. “The monsters are still out there, and they’re still abusing other people. Why they have not been named and shamed yet is beyond me.”
She’s right. The full story of Jeffrey Epstein hasn’t been told, and it may never happen. It’s chilling to see how Epstein’s power, his sphere of influence, didn’t die with him.
“Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” debuts on Netflix Nov. 27.
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Jeffrey Epstein

TOTO: Netflix’s ‘Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich’ Lets His Victims Speak

Bill Clinton

Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton

Netflix

Hollywood’s progressive stranglehold on the culture is beyond debate.
Liberal messaging infiltrates much of what we see on screens large and small, from late night shtick to historical films designed to warp reality.
That doesn’t mean conservative-themed films don’t pop up every now and then. In fact, some of the most conservative movies come from unlikely sources. Think a director suffering late-stage Trump Derangement Syndrome and a star who once called Occupy Wall Street “<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-politics-george-clooney-angelina-jolie-fox-news-oreilly-sandra-bullock-red-carpet-295781">the beginning of the revolution</a>.” This list is by no means complete. You could suss out conservative themes in most rom-coms, for example, and double the number of films included. That genre’s goal is the essence of social conservatism. Boy meets girl, sparks fly … and monogamy ensues after a crush of comic obstacles.
These 23 films, in no particular order, speak to conservative values in ways audiences can cheer. Even better? There’s not a clunker in the bunch.
1. “Little Pink House” (2017) – This indie gem introduces us to Susette Kelo (Catherine Keener), the woman who battled on behalf of both her humble home and property rights. Susette stares down a plan to scrape her home in favor of Pfizer pharmaceutical’s expansion. What follows lacks a traditional happy ending, but it’s a beautifully rendered tale that illustrates the flaws behind Eminent Domain.
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2. “No Safe Spaces” (2019) – A decade ago this docudrama wouldn’t make a list like this. Back then, liberals defended free expression as loudly as your average conservative does now. That’s no longer the case, as this excellent film explores. Dennis Prager and Adam Carolla guide us through the horrors of modern university life, but the most poignant free speech defense comes from avowed liberal Van Jones.
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3. “Gosnell” (2018) – Nick Searcy’s conservative bona fides are beyond dispute, but as a director he’s not keen on shoving them down your throat. Restraint rules in this smart, sharp procedural highlighting the title figure’s ghastly crimes. Searcy, who also co-stars in the film, shames the media’s shocking indifference to Gosnell’s house of horrors in one brief but critical scene, all the while underplaying the film’s pro-life message.
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4. “Still Mine” (2012) – A quick Google search reveals actor James Cromwell’s progressive bent, including praise for the unwashed Occupy Wall Street throng. That didn’t stop him from starring in this gentle yarn about a man desperate to build a special home for his dementia-addled wife. The villain here isn’t Lex Luthor or Big Pharma. It’s bureaucratic red tape which may prevent him from completing his heartfelt task.
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5. “Ghostbusters” (1984) – No, Bill Murray and co. didn’t slay the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man by reading passages from “Atlas Shrugged.” The film’s pro-capitalist, anti-nanny state plots come well before that epic battle. Consider the quartet’s transformation from lazy academics to hungry entrepreneurs. “I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results,” Dan Aykroyd’s character says with a shudder. Later, he and his mates clean up with their unique services.
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6. “Knocked Up” (2007) – Rob Reiner may be the director suffering from the most severe form of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Judd Apatow is a close second. His movies still pack some conservative themes, from monogamy (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) to the pro-life sentiment powering this 2007 gem. Seth Rogen knocks up the lovely, out of his league Katherine Heigl and they decide to have the baby anyway. Imagine the reaction had that story come out today.
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7. “Richard Jewell” (2019) – Leave it to Hollywood’s longest-serving conservative to direct a story that hit the right-of-center zeitgeist. Sure, the ballad of Richard Jewell happened in the 1990s, but a tale centered around overzealous FBI agents and Fake News reporters couldn’t speak any louder to our current woes. Awards season voters mostly ignored the film as did audiences. It’s an instant classic all the same.
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8. “Can We Take a Joke?” (2015) – Consider this part of the “No Safe Spaces” shared universe. The 2015 documentary shows how political correctness is making comedy culture less funny and more defensive. Rebel comics like Adam Carolla and Gilbert Gottfried defend basic free speech values, but the film drew plenty of heat following a screening at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Consider it a preview of our current culture war battles.
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9. “American Sniper” (2014) – It’s Eastwood, again, directing a film the Left attacked for most of the wrong reasons. The story of celebrated U.S. sniper Chris Kyle, brilliantly portrayed by Bradley Cooper, wasn’t a pro-war screed by any stretch. It did touch on all-American values, speaking directly to heartland audiences with Kyle’s sense of duty, sacrifice and family. That triggered the Left and gave Eastwood his biggest box office hit to date. Not bad for an 80-something auteur.
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10. “Chappaquiddick” (2017) – Just the facts, ma’am. That’s all the creative team behind this unsung 2017 gem needed to shame the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. The narrative doesn’t devolve into fictional flights of fancy or cheap shots. Instead, the approach is methodical, and mesmerizing, as we watch the future “Lion of the Senate” cover his monstrous tracks.
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11. “Lone Survivor” (2013) – Director Peter Berg’s admiration for blue-collar heroes can be seen in “Battleship,” “Patriots Day” and, of course, this film based on Marcus Luttrell’s best-selling memoir. Berg shows the heroism, sacrifice and camaraderie of four Navy SEALS on a terrifying mission in Afghanistan. It’s pulse pounding when required, but there’s a level of storytelling sophistication that some war movies lack.
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12. “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) – The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s woke future seems a fait accompli given the “Captain Marvel” franchise and MCU puppeteer Kevin Feige’s <a href="https://collider.com/kevin-feige-mcu-diversity-shang-chi-cast/">recent interviews</a>. Christopher Nolan once showed another way to bring comic book heroes to the big screen. The director built on “The Dark Knight’s” right-leaning themes with “Rises,” landing an upper cut to socialism’ jaw in the process. It’s also just as enthralling as “The Dark Knight,” with a delicious turn by Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.
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13. “Chef” (2014) – What happens when your career gets pulled out from under you? You cook up a zesty plan B. Literally. Director/actor Jon Favreau’s character bounces back from a partially self-inflicted career wound by bringing his food directly to the public. Sure, the love story angle feels like wish fulfilment as Favreau’s character shuttles between Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara. The food truck sequences will make you salivate while you cheer the father-son bonding.
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14. “The Death of Stalin” (2017) – Laurence Olivier famously asked Dustin Hoffman, “is it safe?” in “Marathon Man.” It took more than six decades for Hollywood to deem it safe enough to torch the Soviet Union. This withering satire isn’t the gut-buster some said, but it’s smart and scathing where it counts. And now, with some feeling the warm fuzzies for socialism anew, the “Stalin” team deserves kudos for this pitch-black refresher course.
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15. “13 Hours” (2016) – Michael Bay is a critics’ punching bag for good reason. He’s wildly uneven behind the camera and gave us one of the worst films of the past decade – 2017’s “Transformers: The Last Knight.” Still, he dialed down his corny impulses to craft this heroic tale of the men who stared down a terrorist attack in Benghazi. The film eschews heavy-handed political attacks, but you don’t need bifocals to see who didn’t do enough to help these heroes.
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16. “The Founder” (2016) – This McDrama proved a dud at the box office, but the bigger picture is far friendlier. Michael Keaton plays a slick entrepreneur who created the biggest fast food franchise of them all. Ray Kroc pulled it off by playing fast and loose with the McDonald brothers who crafted the speedy techniques that made fast food possible. It’s capitalism at its best, and sometimes ugliest, an honest assessment of a flawed but superior economic engine.
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17. “Gran Torino” (2008) – Why, it’s almost like Eastwood knows Heartland USA better than just about any creator alive. This time, director Eastwood is in front of the camera, playing a Korean War veteran with a problematic tongue. He’s still someone who can learn from his mistakes, see the glory in other cultures and put his life on the line to help his fellow man.
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18. “The Lives of Others” ( 2006)– Not sure communism is a laughing matter, even if it involves a dead dictator named Stalin? This justly heralded film shows a Stasi agent questioning why he spies on his fellow citizens. The chill of a state-controlled life starts early and never relents. What’s amazing, when viewed today, is how eager most modern artists are to conform to the state’s will instead of, you know, resisting.
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19. “Red Dawn” (1984) – It’s the prototypical red meat movie, and age hasn’t diminished its testosterone. The film itself is certainly flawed, but its spirit and power overwhelm our critical senses. Today’s teens fear using the wrong pronouns more than losing their democracy. These Wolverines knew what had to be done.
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20. “Shane” (1953) – It’s the best western not starring John Wayne, and a perfect primer on America, masculinity and more. A retired gunslinger (Alan Ladd, Jr.) joins a tight-knit community against a cattle baron with designs on their property. Memorable brawls, not one but two killer endings and a treatise on what it means to be a man ensue. This 1953 gem has it all, and it’s OK to cry at that final, heart-wrenching goodbye.
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21. “Dirty Harry” (1971) – Eastwood’s vigilante, debuting in 1971, gets a nod if only for reducing liberal film critics to blubbering messes. Fascist, they cried, a term they conveniently ignore when the vigilante is female – see “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/good-woman-hard-to-find-review/">A Good Woman Is Hard to Find</a>” or “Peppermint” for recent examples. Conservatives uphold the rule of law, though, something “Dirty” Harry Callahan discarded when necessary.
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22. “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006) – Will Smith took a break from saving the world for this heartfelt ode to capitalism. Smith plays Chris Gardner, a down on his luck soul sticking to both his precocious young son (Jaden Smith) and the American dream. Hard work, perseverance and an unwillingness to become a victim power this remarkable true tale.
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23. “Team America: World Police” (2004) – “America … bleep yeah!” goes the song in this outrageous slab of satire. Yes, the pranksters behind “South Park” – Trey Parker and Matt Stone – attack both sides of the political aisle in this raunchfest. So why is it conservative? Right-wingers love comedy that takes no prisoners, for starters. Plus, any film that shreds Hollywood liberals, with marionettes no less, deserves a hallowed place in a conservative’s heart.
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John Krasinski

23 Conservative Movies That Defy The Hollywood Trend

Conservatism

Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes back in 2013, but we all had a good laugh about it later.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host faked a video where the subject, stuntwoman Daphne Avalon playing a YouTube EveryGirl, twerked so hard she set her buttocks on fire.
It was pure Kimmel circa 2013 – silly, outrageous and unexpected. Who could hold a grudge against the late-night prankster, especially after the clip racked up millions of views in short order?
Turns out Kimmel never stopped pulling the wool over our eyes, but now it’s no laughing matter.
The comic took a hard-left turn in recent years following President Donald Trump’s election, and he’s been serving up Fake News betwixt his angry monologues and fawning celebrity chats.
Most recently, Kimmel aired a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-apologizes-mike-pence-empty-boxes-video-1294312">selectively edited video</a> designed to humiliate Vice President Mike Pence. Kimmel got caught and served up a snarky mea culpa with about 2 percent raw apology inside.
That’s more than he’s done in the past. He routinely gets away with sharing false information on his show, while the majority of media reporters either silently cheer or ignore his mistakes.
Not here.
Here’s six other times when Kimmel peddled Fake News for all to see … sans consequence, of course.
1. The China &#8220;Conspiracy&#8221;
Earlier this month Kimmel tried to savage President Trump by weaponizing the country behind the pandemic against him.
Really.
Kimmel mocked the President for <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jimmy-kimmel-china-trump/">suggesting a Chinese lab</a> held the key to the flu’s origin.
<blockquote>He is also pushing U.S. Intelligence to find evidence for this theory that the virus was accidentally released from a lab in Wuhan. That’s his new angle to feed the wingnuts, to treat this virus like it was a conspiracy of some kind … Tomorrow he’ll blame the Spanish flu on Antonio Banderas.</blockquote>
It’s almost funny, and it’s likely inaccurate. Many U.S. intelligence agencies say the virus came from that Wuhan lab. That isn’t a conspiracy theory, that’s an opinion rooted in reality.
2. Resistance Fiction 101
The Resistance lives for the kind of conspiracies Trump’s critics routinely pin on him. You won’t find a better example than this March exchange <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-jimmy-kimmel-asks-joe-biden-if-trump-can-postpone-election-due-to-coronavirus/">between Kimmel and Vice President Joe Biden</a>.
“Is it possible that Trump could postpone the election? ” Kimmel asked.
“No, he doesn’t have the authority to do that,” Biden said, but added that “it’s possible they may start a drumbeat saying it should be postponed.”
Based on … absolutely nothing. Nada.
3. Schiff over Nunes
Kimmel treats Democrat guests like the Queen of England. They yuk it up, slam the “other” party and make like longtime buddies. That proved embarrassing, in retrospect, when <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2020/02/29/column-jimmy-kimmel-slobbers-over-schiff">Kimmel groveled before Rep. Adam Schiff</a> while slamming Rep. Devin Nunes earlier this year.
History hasn’t been kind to Schiff regarding the Russian collusion hoax, an understatement for the ages. Remember how many times Schiff said he held proof of the Russia/Trump relationship?
We’re still waiting …
Tell that to Kimmel, who probably doesn’t even regret how he fawned over Schiff or savaged Nunes.
“Devin Nunes, who for whatever reason just kind of came out of nowhere, and really has devoted his life to protecting Donald Trump, for reasons that are unknown to me … “
Kimmel added, “I don&#8217;t know if he&#8217;s dumb, if he&#8217;s evil, if he&#8217;s some combination of the two. I&#8217;m pretty sure he&#8217;s dumb. I won&#8217;t speak to evil. But what&#8217;s going on there?”
The most embarrassing part? This chat came in February, long after the Russian collusion hoax was partially dismantled by cold, hard facts. The hoax collapsed entirely in recent days, but even then Kimmel should have known better than to stop reading the dated DNC talking points verbatim.
4. Don’t Know Much ‘bout History
Kimmel is no scholar, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about there. He’s a comedian, not a university professor. Still, if you’re going to wade into political waters, you <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20190620/fact-check-is-jimmy-kimmel-right-that-nixon-was-last-president-to-be-impeached">should know some fundamentals</a>.
“Richard Nixon was the last president to be impeached by a ‘witch hunt,’” Kimmel joked at one point, hoping Trump would join that sad list.
Sadly, Kimmel went 0-2 with the gag. President Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. And, of course, President Bill Clinton got impeached before the Democrats slapped the label on President Trump.
The only shock here? PolitiFact actually called Kimmel to task for the double mistake.
5. The Invisible Mueller Report
Kimmel, like every Hollywood celebrity, knew in their bones the Mueller Report would bounce Trump out of the White House. One star even bought a <a href="https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/christian-toto/2019/03/14/patricia-arquette-says-she-prays-to-a-robert-mueller-devotional-candle-n64420">votive candle</a> with the prosecutor’s mug on it.
Their collective hopes died when the Mueller Report proved a stink bomb, although not as catastrophic as Mueller’s subsequent testimony on the subject.
Still, anyone could pick up their own copy of the Report at Amazon.com following its release. Tell that to Kimmel.
Last June, he invited Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on his show, and the <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/aiden-jackson/2019/06/01/jimmy-kimmel-we-havent-had-chance-see-mueller-report">following exchange</a> took place.
“Have you read the Mueller report?” Once Pelosi admitted that she has indeed read the report, Kimmel made a statement that makes one ponder whether he is truly paying attention to anything outside of his liberal bubble or the news in general. “Oh, interesting. I would want to see it, but you know&#8230; we haven&#8217;t had a chance to see the Mueller report.”
A look at Amazon shows at least one version of the Report came out two months before that Kimmel-Pelosi exchange.
6. Kimmel Has Plenty of Company Here…
You almost want to cut the late night host some slack for this last item.
Kimmel, like so many actual news reporters, took President Trump’s words out of context to pretend he called the Nazis marching in Charlottesville “fine people” following the tragic death of Heather Heyer.
It’s a lie that lives on, even in the Oscar-winning Spike Lee film “BlacKkKlansman.” Still, Kimmel joined <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jimmy-kimmel-president-trumps-reaction-charlottesville-total-disaster/story?id=49249349">the Fake News chorus</a> in spreading the falsehood.
&#8220;[The president] is a total disaster &#8230; now he does need to go.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Jimmy Kimmel

6 Times Jimmy Kimmel’s Tried To Pull The Wool Over Everyone’s Eyes

In a perfect world Dave Rubin wouldn’t have to write “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Burn-this-Book-Thinking/dp/B07W8H9WX7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=P7VE3SUAPN3L&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=don%27t+burn+this+book+dave+rubin&amp;qid=1588614905&amp;sprefix=don%27t+burn+this+book%2Caps%2C195&amp;sr=8-1">Don’t Burn This Book</a>.”
The “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJdKr0Bgd_5saZYqLCa9mng">Rubin Report</a>” host wants his fellow Americans to agree to disagree and maybe share a craft beer later. Sounds like ye olde American experiment, right?
Not the 2020 version, sadly.
Rubin accidentally joined the Intellectual Dark Web by chatting with folks from both sides of the aisle. Now, he’s using free speech’s decline as a tool to share his life story, and more, in his easily digested memoir.
“Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason” wants to open our minds while sharing his right-leaning take on the culture at large.
Rubin shows a flair for self-awareness while trashing what passes for journalism today.
“If it weren’t for [the mainstream media’s] abject failure to do their jobs, you’d have no idea who I was,” he writes.
“Don’t Burn This Book” offers a primer on Fake News as well as Rubin revealing what happened when he shamed a journalist for trafficking in it.
If you follow any of the biggest names in news the answer won’t surprise you.
Rubin, who is gay, defends straight white men mid-book, a section sure to trigger the usual suspects. It’s more about the Left’s sense of “self-loathing” as much as how Leftists clash with a certain civil rights leader’s <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_115056">famous line.</a>
Part of the book finds Rubin weighing in on a series of hot button issues &#8212; the Second Amendment, abortion and more. He peels off a few nuggets about each, taking firm but reasonable stances along the way.
It still feels like a detour, and an unnecessary one. His whole thesis revolves around thinking for yourself. Perhaps he could break down in depth how he came to a few of these conclusions, a primer for processing facts en route to a bedrock principle. As is, the chapter marks the book’s weakest point.
“Book” also isn’t as riotous as one might expect given Rubin’s stand-up chops. A few laugh lines prove ineffective, though others more than live up to his background.
Far better is watching Dave Rubin, the media personality, spring to life. The author shares some personal struggles, both mental and physical, that led to his unexpected fame.
Rubin remains kindred spirits with Jordan Peterson, the Canadian intellectual who enraged the Left for telling people to clean their rooms and smiting government speech codes. They make an odd pair, but the chapter dedicated to their tour offers some humble life lessons.
Dress for success may sound obvious, but Rubin frames the old saw in a way that could make a difference. Even better is sharing Peterson’s knack for knowing his own limitations.
In today’s age of scorching hot takes, it’s more than acceptable to say, “I don’t know.” In fact, it’s refreshing and raw. Rubin’s thoughts on how we “catastrophize” everything in our First World lives is equally valuable, although it, too, could be better fleshed out.
The author burns plenty of calories repudiating the woke mob, giving specific techniques to keep the pitchforks at bay. He’s right, of course, but for many people the short-term costs will be considerable.
Rubin famously left the Left, which he says fueled the book’s initial premise. That transformation’s fallout, including hateful messages from former “allies” who now see him as Public Enemy Nos. 1-5, must be read to be believed.
Here’s a sample:
<blockquote>“Suddenly longtime friends are leaving venomous voice mails, calling me racist and misogynistic, while others send emails denouncing me as a hateful bigot who deserves to die.”</blockquote>
The scariest part of Rubin’s book is how he describes cultural forces aligning to silence dissent. He name checks an Economist story that dubbed The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro “a pop idol of the alt-right” as Exhibit A.
Yes, those eager to squelch free expression are on the march, but Rubin and “Don’t Burn This Book” have our backs.
“You’re not a Nazi, you’re just somebody who thinks for themselves,” he writes about Americans who don’t tow the progressive line. That sentence alone justifies Rubin’s cultural ascension. It’s also why “Don’t Burn This Book” should be read by every torch-wielding member of the social media mob.
A version of this review was also published at HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Dave Rubin

TOTO: Read Dave Rubin’s ‘Don’t Burn This Book’ Before It’s Too Late

Ben Shapiro

First Amendment

Free Speech

Jordan Peterson

Media Bias

Political Correctness

Social Media

Late-night television might get a jolt if Dave Rubin has anything to say about it.
The host of “The Rubin Report” tells The Daily Wire he’s exploring a late-night show of his own. And, given his unofficial membership in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dave-rubin-will-smith-welcome-intellectual-dark-alexander-ruiz">Intellectual Dark Web,</a> he might just revolutionize the format.
For now, Rubin is sharing his anti-P.C. sentiments in “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609625/dont-burn-this-book-by-dave-rubin/">Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason</a>.” Part memoir, part teaching guide, the book asks readers to make up their own minds on hot button issues without fearing the woke mob.
“I’m not saying everyone should agree with me … [the book is] a framework for people to think about the issues of the day,” Rubin says.
“Don’t Burn This Book” excoriates the mainstream media, which he calls “deeply corrupt” and social justice scolds who eschew nuance and context.
That common-sense philosophy comes with a price in today’s culture. It’s something he explores in great depth in the book, but it’s also happening now. He cites a “massive coordinated campaign” on sites like Reddit to sink the book’s Amazon.com reviews.
“That is a modern book burning … It’s not actually tossing books into a bonfire. You burn a book because you don’t want its ideas to get out,” he says, noting his tome cracked the New York Times’ bestseller list despite the protests.
“Don’t Burn This Book” lets Rubin share how his shift from progressive to classic liberal cost him plenty of friends and even his mental and physical health.
He’s now a target due to his right-leaning ways, but liberals can’t escape the mob, either. He recalls a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/461264-marianne-williamson-clarifies-hot-mic-moment">frank moment</a> from former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson about the Left/Right divide.
&#8220;What does it say that Fox News is nicer to me than the lefties are? What does it say that the conservatives are nicer to me,&#8221; she asked.
The far left “has become this giant movement of destruction, not a movement of creation,” Rubin says, something even select left-leaning guests share off-camera with him.
Rubin’s show hails from California, home for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Yet those same celebrities rarely have his, or our, backs on free speech matters.
“They’re a bunch of cowards,” he says flatly. “Hollywood is filled with more cowards than most industries… they’re not providing anything that’s unique. Even the greatest actor could be replaced by a marginal actor tomorrow and we’d still go see movies.
“I have actor friends who agree with me on some [free speech views],” he adds, but they won’t say so publicly.
Rubin’s mission on and off the page is to bring back lively, vigorous debate. He thinks he knows partly why it’s suddenly gone out of vogue. For too many people, the political fight is front and center in our lives.
And that’s only hurting us.
“If politics, the day to day … if that thing is you guiding philosophy every day you’ll wake up to be miserable,” he says, adding it’s why Leftists get so emotional when anyone critiques their world view.
The latter plays out on college campuses nationwide.
“This has become a condition of the Left. We must silence everyone we disagree with,” he says.
If a radical like the far-left activist Linda Sarsour attempts to speak at a university, conservatives will either not show up or assemble a small, peaceful protest against her ideas. Rubin notes. That’s hardly the case when a Ben Shapiro or Dennis Prager touches down on those same universities. Instead of protecting their right to be heard, campuses often kowtow to the woke mob.
“They’ll also tell you words are violent … and the same people say it’s OK to ‘<a href="https://reason.com/video/ok-punch-nazi-berkeley-students-campus/">punch a Nazi</a>,’” he notes of those far-left voices.
He playfully compares the treatment of conservatives to how the Jedis were eliminated by “Order 66” in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
Yes, Rubin is a “Star Wars” enthusiast in between book deals and streaming interviews.
Not every liberal thinks this way, of course. Rubin cites <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/maher-save-democrats-trump/">HBO host Bill Maher</a>, who he calls the “last liberal fighting” for free speech.
“Most of them are completely cowed into silence,” he says.
Should Rubin join the late-night TV fray he doesn’t sound afraid of the competition. That’s particularly true during the current pandemic.
“We’re seeing how irrelevant these quote-unquote comedians are … they’re barely funnier than your neighbor, and they’re all ideologically the same, all Leftists,” Rubin says.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Dave Rubin Explains What Drove Him To Write ‘Don’t Burn This Book’

Dennis Prager

Movie drug dealers crave that bling.
It often ends badly for them, but for a while they live like kings. The antihero in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9139586/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast">Arkansas</a>” sees the gig differently. Liam Hemsworth’s character has few ambitions. He just wants to get the job done and soak in life’s smaller pleasures.
<ul>
<li>Beer</li>
<li>Companionship</li>
<li>Survival</li>
</ul>
It’s partly why “Arkansas” matters more than your average drug yarn. The rest of the credit falls at director Clark Duke’s feet. The actor turned auteur delivers a smart, quirky story and a villain we’ve never seen before.
Yes, Vince Vaughn’s career resurgence shows little sign of letting up.
Hemsworth stars as Kyle, a low-level gangster dealing drugs in the rural midwest. He’s teamed with Swin (Duke), a fellow grunt with more brains than ambitions.
Together, they work for the mysterious Frog (Vaughn), an unseen drug lord who pulls their strings, no questions asked. The introduction of Frog’s handlers (John Malkovich, Vivica A. Fox) complicates both the narrative and Kyle’s humble crime spree.
There’s murder, betrayal, and a heaping helping of confusion. Kyle and Swin aren’t dumb, but what they don’t know about the power structure behind their deals could hurt them.
“Arkansas” tears a page or two out of the Tarantino playbook. The violence isn’t as graphic, but the fuzzy storytelling and overlapping narratives are undeniably Quentin-esque. The results hardly feel like an homage or creative thievery.
Duke knows why he’s folding the story atop itself. There’s a purpose here, a rhythm to the jigs and jags “Arkansas” takes us on.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8JwiDjiSSBs" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Vaughn’s performance holds the threads together, even if they seem eager to break at times. The “Wedding Crasher” finds a new way to brand evil, blending entrepreneur pluck and savagery. He’s sly and sophisticated, a man who knows the game and won’t take unnecessary chances.
Need another curveball?
Swin falls hard for Johnna (Eden Brolin, daughter of Josh), a local gal willing to put up with his oddball hours. They’re quite a duo, and screenwriter Duke takes better advantage of Johnna’s presence than others might.
Does everything click in “Arkansas” as expected? Not even close. Still, there’s a freshness to the approach, a sense of surprise than doesn’t stop until the final confrontation.
The film’s moral compass wobbles from start to finish. We’re meant to root for Kyle, but he frequently reveals why that’s a lousy choice. Hemsworth ensures we’re never too close to Kyle, a smart way to tackle the character. Still, a better actor would summon hidden levels in Kyle’s personality. The Aussie star doesn’t have that depth at his disposal, even if “Arkansas” might be his best screen performance to date.
Duke’s directorial debut could have careened off the rails or wallowed in its admittedly deep well of weird. The veteran actor doesn’t let that happen, keeping his fractured, fascinating story front and center.
HiT or Miss: “Arkansas” may be 2020’s nicest surprise, a sophisticated drug drama with thrills, surprises, and a villain for the ages.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.

Vince Vaughn

TOTO: ‘Arkansas’ Offers a Fresh Way to Say, ‘Crime Doesn’t Pay’

Crime

Liam Hemsworth

movies

President Bill Clinton is following in the Obamas’ footsteps.
The nation’s 42rd president struck a deal with The History Channel to executive produce a new docuseries about life as a U.S. President “through challenging times.”
Like MonicaGate, perhaps?
The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8297949/Bill-Clinton-signs-deal-produce-History-Channel-series-presidents-challenging-times.html">writes</a>:
<blockquote>The series, set to air on the History Channel, is expected to explore the history of the Commander-in-Chief position and will delve into struggles of American leaders.
Clinton is said to be &#8216;fully immersed&#8217; in the project and is expected to appear onscreen in the documentary, which is so far untitled.</blockquote>
The History Channel has every right, nay obligation, to seek Clinton’s participation in a project like this. Why the executive producer title, though?
Does anyone think the show’s creative team won’t pull some punches when Clinton is either on set or just looming over the production?
Clinton, like the Obamas, grasps popular culture’s considerable reach. Clinton learned that firsthand when he played the saxophone on “The Arsenio Hall Show” during his first presidential campaign.
The moment indirectly tied to Richard Nixon saying, “<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/1968-when-nixon-said-sock-it-me-laugh-tv-was-never-quite-same-again-180967869/">Sock it to me!</a>” decades earlier on “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In.” That 1968 cameo, which Team Nixon initially rebuffed, helped soften the Republican’s stony images.
The recent Clinton maneuver comes after a flurry of pop culture deals by his Democratic successor.
The Obamas have been mostly quiet since leaving the White House three-plus years ago. Their biggest moves have taken place well outside the Beltway.
The former First Couple signed a <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/flashback-obamas-netflix-not-political/">mega-deal with Netflix</a>, promising a full slate of films and TV-like projects that reflect their values.
This week alone we saw what that means. “Becoming,” a cinematic love letter to Michelle Obama, debuted on the streaming service. The documentary captures the former First Lady as she tours the country on behalf of her best-selling memoir.
The movie currently has a 92 percent “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
The Obamas also signed a massive memoir deal with Penguin Random House and inked a partnership with Spotify for future podcasts.
Heck, even Joe Biden has a podcast to call his own, dubbed “Here’s the Deal.”
Democrats fully grasp what it means to tap into pop culture’s enormous potential. The Obamas raised that skill to a fine art during their eight years in the White House.
Michelle Obama danced with Jimmy Fallon, sang on Carpool Karaoke and announced the Best Picture winner at the 2013 Oscars ceremony. <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/news/a17308/michelle-obama-interview-pop-culture/">Harper’s Bazaar</a> called her the “First Lady of Pop Culture,” and It’s hard to argue against it.
So where are the conservatives?
Right-of-center politicians have a huge disadvantage here. First Lady Melania Trump, a former model, has yet to grace the covers of Vogue, Elle, or other women’s magazines since moving to Washington, D.C.
Nor has she yukked it up with Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert.
Those late night hosts wouldn’t let anyone from the Trump family grace their stages … unless they agreed to enter a dunking booth.
In 2015, Donald Trump hosted “Saturday Night Live.” The next year he appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Progressives still seethe over those isolated moments.
Current tech advances allow conservative politicians to make an end run around cultural gatekeepers.
Just ask Sen. Ted Cruz. The Texas Republican has his own podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” co-hosted by The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles. Congressman Dan Crenshaw hosts “Hold These Truths,” where the rising star weighs in on political issues and more.
“The Devin Nunez Podcast” lets the California Republican sound off above and beyond his D.C. megaphone.
These Republicans are far ahead of the curve, but their access to Hollywood, Inc. remains restricted. And given the industry’s increasing activism, those doors may soon be bolted shut.
Clinton and co. know they have a sizable advantage here, and they’re not afraid to flex it.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

TOTO: Democrats Flex Their Pop Culture Muscle. Again.

Barack Obama

Democrats

Michelle Obama

Socialist filmmaker Michael Moore is used to fawning media coverage. It started when he unveiled his debut documentary “Roger and Me” and never let up – despite creating a ream of fact-challenged films, including the abominable 2018 “documentary” “Fahrenheit 11/9.”
Until now.
Moore’s newest project, “Planet of the Humans,” is a dire look at climate change and the so-called heroes trying to save the planet.
Falling under the banner is Al Gore, considered an enviro-prophet second only to Greta Thunberg by most global warming advocates.
Not in Moore’s film, a project which excoriates the green movement. And that’s a key reason why some on the Left are all too eager to cancel “Humans.”
Literally.
The most prominent “Humans” denier is Josh Fox. The Oscar-nominated director of “Gasland” declared war on “Planet of the Humans” recently on social media.
Fox didn’t stop there.
Fox, whose work has come under heavy fire from documentary filmmaker Phelim McAleer, crafted a petition to force YouTube to remove “Humans” from the platform.
The film debuted for free late last month on the video service, and it’s racked up more than five million views since then.
Fox teamed with <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/planet-humans-film-moore/">The Nation</a>, which called Moore the “new flack for oil and gas” in blasting the film:
<blockquote>Because the film is so dangerous, so wildly off-track and full of misinformation, fossil fuel industry taking points, and unfounded, wacky statements you could be forgiven for thinking it was created by Breitbart News or Steve Bannon and not the erstwhile bastion of progressive bombast that is Michael Moore.</blockquote>
Several high profile liberals, including climate scientist Michael Mann and Naomi Klein, signed Fox’s petition to “<a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-on-letter-to-michael-moore-demanding-an-apology-and-retraction-of-planet-of-the-humans?source=direct_link&amp;">retract</a>” the film as it currently stands. Adding insult to injury? Moore must apologize for letting it loose on the unsuspecting planet.
Among the petition signees include documentary filmmakers Steve Liptay and Gregory King.
Yes, Moore’s fellow artists want to ban a film with an opposing point of view.
YouTube, which happily yanks down content by medical professionals sharing contrarian pandemic views, hasn’t yielded to the woke mob.
Yet.
Moore, whose tales of death threats <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/michael-moore-lying-attacks-life/">have never been investigated by the mainstream media</a>, does have one august body in his corner.
Pen America shared a blistering message attacking those eager to censor Moore’s movie.
“Calls to pull a film because of disagreement with its content are calls for censorship, plain and simple. Those who take issue with the film have every right to make their concerns and arguments heard, but first and foremost, the public also has the essential right to view Moore’s film and make their own judgements,” the message states.
That’s a sound argument for any work of art, even if Pen America has stood down during recent Cancel Culture battles.
Moore, whose marketing instincts far exceed his directorial chops, jumped in with a chest-thumping declaration of his own.
“How quickly the values of an open society – freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to be wrong (or right), vanish when some people’s sacred cows – or should I say, sacred solar panels – are challenged,” Moore said.
He’s right, of course, even if Moore has been as quiet as Pen America regarding other Cancel Culture-style attacks. This one, apparently, hit too close to home to ignore.
A good way to expand the army against Cancel Culture is to invite liberals to join the battle.
The Left is none too eager to defend free speech today, but when it personally nips them in the butt, they have a change of heart.
That happened last year when both <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jim-gaffigan-woke-film-critics/">Jim Gaffigan and Sarah Silverman</a> got pulled over by the PC police.
Will Moore get “red pilled” by this experience? It’s doubtful. He remains first and foremost a political creature, and the next time a conservative artist comes under attack, it’s likely he’ll retreat to his cone of silence.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Michael Moore

TOTO: Cancel Culture Comes For Michael Moore

Climate Change

Global Warming

Some Hollywood reporters knew more than they let on about Harvey Weinstein.
Hard-left entertainment journalist Kim Masters bragged about just that recently. Masters shared a tweet revealing that she once confronted the uber-producer about sexual abuse allegations and “he didn’t exactly deny it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I said ‘I’ve heard you rape women’ and he didn’t exactly deny it.”
– Editor-at-Large at The Hollywood Reporter, Kim Masters, on her meeting with Harvey Weinstein 20 years ago<a href="https://twitter.com/kimmasters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kimmasters</a> |<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Newsnight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Newsnight</a> <a href="https://t.co/QgrbT8Rj51">pic.twitter.com/QgrbT8Rj51</a>
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight/status/1232077907918499841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
Other veteran scribes likely heard the same rumors the stars did over the decades. They, too, stayed silent. In their defense, bringing Weinstein to justice for them was … complicated.
Weinstein, one of the industry’s most powerful figures, vowed to sue anyone who uncovered the truth about his lecherous ways. For reporters and editors alike, that’s a potentially career-ending threat that couldn’t be taken lightly.
The same Hollywood reporters have no excuse this time for failing to do their jobs.
None.
The Hollywood press has done all it can to ignore the credible sexual abuse allegations against Joe Biden, similar to how the mainstream press had to be dragged into its current “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-brian-stelter-tara-reade-joe-biden">coverage</a>.” The very same outlets, from Variety to The Hollywood Reporter, <a href="https://variety.com/results/#?q=biden">routinely cover political stories</a> these days. It’s no longer outside their content wheelhouse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hillary Clinton made her announcement during a Joe Biden campaign town hall to discuss the coronavirus and its effect on women <a href="https://t.co/xerBErDGnl">https://t.co/xerBErDGnl</a>
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1255222543608397825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
That’s not the most embarrassing part of their extreme bias.
These outlets spent years covering every molecule of Hollywood’s MeToo movement, from the celebrity-packed Women’s Marches to the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle.
The latter showed a galaxy of stars demanding Kavanaugh be denied a seat on the Supreme Court due to the flimsiest charges imaginable from <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/04/blasey-ford-attorney-admits-abortion-supported-motivated-anti-kavanaugh-accusations/">pro-abortion activist Christine Blasey-Ford.</a>
Here’s a refresher:
<blockquote>No evidence emerged in support of the allegations, and the four witnesses Ford named all denied any knowledge of the incident. She said she was unable to remember the date or location of the alleged event, or any other specific information that could be independently evaluated. The witnesses, who included Ford’s lifelong friend Leland Keyser, said they remembered no such event, even though some of them remembered the summer in question quite well.</blockquote>
“Believe all women,” Hollywood roared anyway. And Hollywood news outlets did everything they could to amplify those voices … without a hint of cynicism.
Naturally, these same reporters took a knee when Tara Reade, an ex-Biden staffer, accused the former vice president of sexually assaulting her in 1993. Reade’s charges are seemingly backed up by a number of sources, including an episode of Larry King’s old CNN talk show, her brother, and a neighbor.
Plus, Biden refuses to release his old Senate records, which Reade insists contain her formal complaint about his supposed lechery.
The #MeToo Hypocrisy is off the charts. Which brings us to <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/alyssa-milano-joe-biden-metoo/">Hollywood’s hypocritical “It Girl,” Alyssa Milano.</a>
No one in the industry shrieked louder about #MeToo, women’s rights, and specifically, the Kavanaugh hearings, than the former “Charmed” star. Milano essentially rebranded herself as an actress/activist, drawing sizable media mentions with every Tweet.
Her Twitter flock ballooned to more than 3 million followers as a result.
So when she stayed mum over the initial Biden allegations, it mattered. Naturally, Hollywood media outlets ignored her silence. Then, Milano gave a pathetic interview in which she <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/04/alyssa-milano-joe-biden-tara-reade-allegations-guest-column-1202921826/comment-page-3/#comments">defended her support for Biden</a>.
That was before the King CNN video emerged and a new witnesses reportedly backed Reade’s allegations. It’s worth noting this dwarf’s the microscopic “proof” Blasey Ford offered up two years ago.
What happened next was all too predictable. The far-left <a href="http://deadline.com/">Deadline.com</a> gave Milano space to defend the indefensible – her raging #MeToo hypocrisy over Biden’s allegations.
Milano declares Kavanaugh “guilty” sans trial in the piece, ignoring mountains of evidence to the contrary. Her op-ed is also riddled with nonsense.
<blockquote>Brett Kavanaugh’s actions, told consistently over decades by his victim (and supported by her polygraph results), were clearly wrong.</blockquote>
About that <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/christine-fords-polygraph-test-has-just-been-released-it-tells-us-nothing">polygraph test</a> … and about that <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/10/03/christine-blasey-ford-changing-memories-not-credible-kavanaugh-column/1497661002/">consistency</a>.
Need more whoppers? Milano delivers:
<blockquote>Believing women was never about “Believe all women no matter what they say,” it was about changing the culture of NOT believing women by default.</blockquote>
Now she tells us.
Reader comments ran the gamut on the site, which caters to a liberal crowd. Some cheered Milano’s bravery. Others, like this commentator, nailed the story better than any entertainment journalist to date:
<blockquote>This essay is nothing more than an admission your motivations have always been political.</blockquote>
It’s amazing a random site reader can suss out that simple truth while Hollywood reporters won’t go anywhere near it.
A version of this article appeared on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Alyssa Milano

TOTO: Alyssa Milano’s MeToo Hypocrisy Has Plenty Of Company

2020 Election

Joe Biden

MeToo

Sexual Assault

Tara Reade

The movie industry won’t stay shuttered indefinitely.
In fact, Georgia just announced that theaters will be <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/04/georgia-movie-theaters-reopen-coronavirus-1202912947/">one of the business categories</a> set to re-open in mere days. Other theaters nationwide will follow suit, albeit slowly.
The flow of patrons will be similarly quiet, at least at first. Normal 2.0 is coming.
Having said that, what will Hollywood 2.0 look like? What will change about the film industry, and what will continue as if nothing ever happened? How will studios and bean counters alike adapt to the cultural changes forced upon them, and us?
The following 7 questions will go a long way toward determining what vision of Hollywood emerges once the pandemic fades.
Will the movie theater experience go the way of “Charlie’s Angels” reboots?
No. Not a chance.
We’ve been hearing this prediction for decades, first when affordable television sets arrived in the 1950s and later when cable TV offered new-ish movies at home. People crave going out to the movies – to flirt with dates, to bond with friends, and to soak in the communal bond theaters provide.
What’s more exciting? Watching “A Quiet Place Part II” in your living room or a darkened theater with a hundred popcorn-clutching strangers?
No contest.
A variety of factors weakened the theatrical experience in recent years, though.
<ul>
<li>The dramatic uptick in quality streaming fare</li>
<li>The rise of divisive actors insulting their audiences</li>
<li>The death of the Movie Star as a must-see attraction</li>
<li>A reliance on formulas at the cost of original storytelling</li>
<li>Social media platforms distracting film’s go-to demographic – teens</li>
</ul>
All of the above hurt the film industry, and they’ll continue to erode viewership over time. Audiences will still return to their local cineplex. Eventually.
Will mid-range movies still debut in theaters?
That’s another topic entirely. Very few actors can “open” a movie in 2020. Ben Affleck sure can’t. The “Good Will Hunting” alum did the press rounds early this year to gin up interest in “The Way Back.” The basketball drama offered a rich character study that brought out the best in Affleck.
It still flopped.
Now, would that film fare better as a top-tier VOD release? Maybe. So far, Hollywood is <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/trolls-world-tour-vod-revenue-impact-universal-1202225471/">stingy on sharing numbers</a> from recent movies given an early VOD platform due to the pandemic like “The Invisible Man” and “Trolls World Tour.”
Chances are, a film like “The Way Back” would be a perfect fit for audiences who’d rather stay home, thank you. It’s hardly catnip to teens or 20-somethings. Maybe in a year, or less, similar movies will follow the VOD path.
Studios have plenty to think about in the coming weeks.
Which producer will lead the post pandemic comeback?
That’s easy. Jason Blum.
The Blumhouse Productions guru traffics in low-budget titles that make tidy profits. That gives him a huge advantage as theaters come back, even slowly. There’s far less pressure on his films to make back their budgets.
Even his “flops” manage that feat in a weekend or two. Plus, his films focus on audience-friendly genres – think thrillers and horror fare.
Even better?
Blum likes stoking national debates with films like “The Purge” (societal violence) “Get Out” (racism) and, most recently, “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/the-hunt-review/">The Hunt</a>” (our divided political age).
Blumhouse titles are a snug fit for the theatrical experience (see the communal description above).
Will Hollywood’s political machine take a hit from the crisis?
Oh, yes.
That’s not just a conservative talking. In recent weeks, we’ve seen mainstream and liberal news sites <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-pandemic-proves-once-again-that-celebrities-are-not-just-like-us">mocking celebrities</a> for their tone deaf antics. Remember the “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/gal-gadot-imagine-fallout/">Imagine</a>” debacle?
More recently, prominent stars like Stephen Colbert, Albert Brooks, <a href="https://society-reviews.com/2020/04/21/jimmy-kimmel-slams-citizens-protesting-lockdowns-they-want-to-die-and-theyre-taking-us-down-with-them/">Jimmy Kimmel</a>, and Patton Oswalt have slammed ordinary Americans fed up with their livelihoods getting locked down.
That’s one critical element. Another is Hollywood hypocrisy so massive you can spot it from space.
The industry’s #MeToo movement, so loud during the Kavanaugh hearings, <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/alyssa-milano-joe-biden-metoo/">fell silent</a> the moment Joe Biden was credibly accused of sexual assault.
Combine all of the above, plus an effort to elect a man in obvious mental decline, will decimate what’s left of Hollywood’s moral leadership.
Will indie films experience a bump from the pandemic?
It’s debatable. Indie films are coming fast and furious to VOD platforms everywhere, but so far the quality of the titles has been suspect. For every winner like “Man Camp” or “Resistance” we get clunkers (“Endings, Beginnings,” “We Summon the Darkness”) or movies that can’t live up to their promise (“The Quarry”).
This was indie film’s moment, and it’s unclear if it’s taking full advantage of it.
How long will it take before the first blockbuster reaches theaters?
I suspect we may get some mid-budget films to test the waters first. Fine. Good. What about “Wonder Woman 1984?” “Tenent?”
Some big movies had summer 2020 release plans lined up, and the pandemic changed most of that. When will Hollywood trust the market enough to release titles that need to generate hundreds of millions just to break even?
July is very optimistic at this point.
Can drive-ins make a legitimate comeback?
It’s doubtful. Some drive-ins currently offer the only movie experience in town, and the format remains a wonderful blast from our cultural past. Still, some states (Colorado among them) aren’t allowing them to pick up the cinematic slack.
The market conditions that drove so many drive-ins out of business, like <a href="https://qz.com/235155/there-are-barely-any-drive-in-movie-theaters-left-unless-you-live-in-south-dakota/">rising real estate costs</a>, will still exist post-pandemic. The current crisis may extend the lives of select drive-ins, though, a true silver lining in the chaos.
BONUS: How will movie theaters woo customers back?
It won’t be easy. Audiences will be wary to go anywhere outside their homes for a short spell. Then, they’ll need to be convinced that the theatrical product is superior to the crush of streaming shows flowing into their home.
The hardcore movie fans will come, no questions asked.
It’ll be up to theaters to sweeten the deal initially. Why not lower prices at the concession stand, if only for a limited time. Or, the existing membership deals from AMC, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and their competitors can slash their fees.
Ultimately, the films themselves will have the final say. If we get more “Birds of Prey” and less “Wonder Women,” the industry could be in for a protracted slump.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.

Movie goers

TOTO: 7 Burning Questions For Hollywood And The New Normal

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Late Night TV has aggressively chased half of America away in the age of Trump. The hosts’ anti-conservative rhetoric all but drowns out what used to come first from the format.
Jokes.
The Kimmel-Meyers-Noah-Colbert-Bee-Oliver-Maher Borg spins progressive narratives before any gut-busting gags. It’s why the term “<a href="https://ricochet.com/210993/archives/laughter-vs-clapter/">clapter</a>” captures the new format so well.
The current crisis finds some of these far-left hosts doubling down on their anti-Trump rhetoric. Seth Meyers, for example, called President Trump a “sociopath.”
The host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” attempted to savage Trump for his handling of the pandemic … before Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/crenshaw-wrecks-bill-maher-over-trump-coronavirus-response-internet-erupts-likely-run-for-president-one-day">Dan Crenshaw schooled him</a>.
Something else is sneaking into these late-night sermons – an elitist streak that could turn off even some left-leaning viewers.
Maher himself inadvertently kicked it off last year when he cheered on a recession in order to topple Trump. That arrogance multiplied in recent days thanks to the pandemic.
For example, the host of TBS’s “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” served up a disturbing rant earlier this month. The far-left comic, as Trump-obsessed as her peers, trashed the President for a curious reason.
Trump has been offering a beleaguered nation hope of a better tomorrow via his daily pressers. He’s the Optimist in Chief, and a nation literally shut down by COVID-19 could use a dash of that pluck.
Enter Bee, who <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/samantha-bee-trump-hope/">fired back</a> against that sentiment.
“He IS a cheerleader. He even came up with his first cheer!” she cried, then played a clip of Trump spelling out COVID.
Here’s betting some of Bee’s viewers hope the president is right.
We think.
Over at Colbert’s “Late Show,” the Trump-hating host <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/colbert-trump-coronavirus-protestors-985703/">took his fury out on average Americans</a> struggling to pay their bills. Colbert is collecting his usual paycheck, which <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/10/stephen-colbert-extends-cbs-contract-host-the-late-show-august-2023-1202762277/">last year got a sizable bump</a>. He previously earned <a href="https://money.com/stephen-colbert-net-worth/">$15 million a year</a>.
The progressive host punched down, big time, by attacking Ohio and Michigan residents eager to get back to work.
Protestors demonstrated outside their respective state houses, blocked traffic (not that there’s much traffic right now with shelter-in-place orders in effect), and waved giant flags, including Confederate ones. “Because nothing says ‘never surrender’ like a Confederate flag,” Colbert said with a wink.
Meanwhile, a clueless James Corden turned to the women who, on Feb. 24, endangered many lives with these <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-hits-pelosi-for-urging-crowds-to-assemble-in-chinatown-as-coronavirus-spread">public statements</a>.
“It’s exciting to be here, especially at this time, to be able to be unified with our community,” Pelosi told reporters. “We want to be vigilant about what is out there in other places. We want to be careful about how we deal with it, but we do want to say to people ‘Come to Chinatown, here we are – we&#8217;re, again, careful, safe – and come join us.&#8217;”
Yes, multi-millionaire Nancy Pelosi, also known as the Speaker of the House, appeared on “The Late, Late Show” for a stilted, laugh-free segment.
The “highlight?” Viewers got a glimpse of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-shows-off-eating-ice-cream-rubio-expertly-trolls-her-cruz-joins-in">Pelosi’s massive refrigerators</a>, stuffed to the brim with ice cream.
Marie Antoinette would be proud.
These hosts thrive, in part, due to our increasingly splintered landscape. “The Late Show” typically rules the ratings roost today, but its numbers can’t compare to Johnny Carson’s audience in his “Tonight Show” prime.
That’s no longer the goal.
Colbert and co. can afford to chase away large numbers of viewers as long as their far-left base sticks around. Those fans will cling to their monologues in perpetuity.
Independent viewers, or just those feeling the vise-like grip of the national shutdown, may seek out different shows should their elitism continue.

Stephen Colbert

TOTO: Late Night Elites: Bee Mocks Hope, Colbert Trashes Protestors

Late night

Leftism

Samantha Bee

Seth Meyers

FX on Hulu won’t have the final word on conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly.
“Mrs. America,” which debuts its first three episodes today on the streaming platform, recalls Schlafly’s successful fight against the Equal Rights Amendment.
Early reviews suggest the 9-part series paints the social conservative in a most unflattering light.
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, an executive producer on the project, takes center stage as Schlafly. The series covers far more than the pro-life leader, though. We also meet Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale), Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), and Betty Friedan (Tracey Ullman).
These powerful women collide, argue, and debate the merits of both the ERA and feminism in the late 20th century. The series is “based on true events,” according to Hulu.
Early reviews describe a prolonged assault on the woman it dubs “Mrs. America.” The far-left Hollywood Reporter says the series casts Schlafly as <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/mrs-america-review-1288076">more than merely a hiss-worthy conservative.</a>
Destined for the series’ Emmy reel are the many scenes in which Schlafly, in encountering the proud racists, murderous homophobes, and anti-papal evangelicals whose numbers she needs but whose stances she can’t publicly support or personally abide, tries and fails to twist her face into something resembling polite disagreement. Blanchett lets the contempt show.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIpTIPKTOkU" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Other critics depict a balanced portrait, saying the series grants Schlafly<a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/mrs-america-phyllis-schlafly-fx-series-review"> some of her humanity.</a>
“Mrs. America” is not exactly a sympathetic portrait of Phyllis Schlafly, but it is at pains to put these speeches into the mouth of its protagonist, to humanize her, and paint her as a woman who triumphs over adversity and sees what women are really up against.
The series, from “Mad Men” creator Dahvi Waller, gets a strong rebuttal from “Red Pilled America” starting today.
The right-leaning podcast spins stories the mainstream media won’t touch. That’s likely true again with its latest episode, a look at Schlafly’s life story.
The hosts, Patrick Courrielche and Adryana Cortez, dub the episode “counter-programming” to the Hulu series.
<iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=HSW6569972918&amp;light=true" width="100%" height="482" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
“Through our research, we believe the show’s creators intend to misrepresent Phyllis Schlafly’s life experiences and soil her legacy,” Cortez says. “This can be seen in the limited video clips that have been released and the interviews they’ve given.”
The hosts note “Mrs. America’s” creators didn’t seek out Schlafly’s children or the organization she created, the Eagle Forum, to learn more about her life and legacy. Anne Schlafly Cori told this reporter she attempted to contact the production <a href="https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/producers-nine-part-series-phyllis-schlafly-freeze-out-social-conservative-icons">with no luck</a>.
Cortez notes that “Mrs. America’s” executive producers <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/04/stacey-sher-mrs-america-contagion-the-devil-in-the-white-city-1202907345/">Stacey Sher</a> (“Pulp Fiction”) and Blanchett (“Carol,” “I’m Not There”) both benefited from now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein over the years.
“The irony that those two individuals are involved in a character assassination of a female conservative icon is not lost on us,” she says.
Sher opened up about her <a href="https://variety.com/2020/voices/columns/mrs-america-equal-rights-amendment-1234574952/">political leanings</a> and her involvement in “Mrs. America” in a Variety guest column.
<blockquote>There is a direct link between the anti-ERA housewives and the women who felt disrespected by Hillary Clinton asking if people expected her to “stay home and bake cookies….”
Finally, it is utterly incomprehensible that enshrining these simple words — “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex” — in the Constitution is still so controversial.</blockquote>
Cortez fears the film will dissuade viewers from an actual role model – Schlafly herself.
“Her life story is the canvas that speaks to the fact that women can have it all – family and career. Phyllis understood perfectly that our value is tied directly to the fact that we are women, not men,” she says. “We will not stand by and allow Hollywood to tarnish her good name and via Red Pilled America strive to counter the narratives that seek to rewrite history.”
A version of this story appears on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Mrs. America

TOTO: ‘Red Pilled America’ Challenges Hulu’s Schlafly Series

Hulu

Phyllis Schlafly

Amazon, the online superstore, has its hands full supplying goods to a quarantined nation while protecting employees from COVID-19.
The behemoth still appears to have found the time to yank a documentary title off its service.
“Hoaxed,” the 2019 film savaging the current state of journalism, is no longer available for rental or digital purchase at Amazon.com. The DVD of the film, featuring rabble-rousing journalist Mike Cernovich, appeared to remain in stock after he Tweeted the news about “Hoaxed&#8221; to his followers.
The “Hoaxed” DVD is no longer available now, either.
“Amazon told us that ‘Hoaxed’s’ removal was not a technical issue but that they don’t have to give us any more specific reasons as to why they banned it,” Cernovich said via email.
The film’s co-director, Jon du Toit, confirmed Amazon’s removal.
“They pulled it without giving our distributor, Random Media, any warning,” du Toit said, adding that he’d been told by some who previously bought a digital copy of the film that they can no longer access the documentary.
The film finds Cernovich smiting modern journalists for promoting liberal narratives, ignoring news that matters to many citizens, and giving little attention to the truth. Among the unconventional talking heads assembled for the film – Jordan Peterson, “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, new media journalist Tim Pool, and InfoWars personality Alex Jones.
It’s possible Jones’ presence alone triggered Amazon’s decision. The conspiracy monger has been deplatformed by Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. “Hoaxed” paints him in a mostly positive light.
Cernovich has said he’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/hoaxed-mike-cernovich/">counseled Jones to tone down his shtick</a>, but he included him in the film because he’s been ahead of the curve on some issues, like Big Tech invading our privacy.
Think Facebook and Amazon’s Alexa device, for starters.
Jones currently appears in “After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News,” but he’s framed as a villain, not a savvy pundit. The HBO documentary can currently be viewed via Amazon Prime’s HBO channel.
“Hoaxed” also shows Pool attempting to investigate Swedish police who allegedly avoid neighborhoods where violent Muslim immigrants flourish. Local police not so gently escort Pool from the area in question, and it’s all on video.
Cernovich’s team initially said it didn’t know what made Amazon memory hole their film. His website later posted a story saying the film’s critical coverage of Amazon’s <a href="https://www.cernovich.com/hoaxed-movie-is-the-top-selling-documentary-on-itunes/">$600 million CIA contract</a> cost him a slot on the service.
Right-leaning artists often get their work booted from big tech platforms, though, often with little or no explanation.
YouTube routinely marks PragerU video lessons as “restricted,” which means they reach a significantly smaller audience. The clips aren’t profane or violent, and PragerU’s attorneys have unsuccessfully, to date, sued to reverse that policy.
Late last year, <a href="https://society-reviews.com/2020/02/02/society-reviews-banned-from-letterboxd/">black</a> libertarian film critic Jacob Smith got temporarily booted from Letterboxd.com, a site allowing members to post their reviews online. The site’s team said Smith had violated its community standards but couldn’t say in what way or how.
The site eventually restored four years’ worth of Smith’s reviews.
Conservative comedian Steve “Mudflap” McGrew spends much of his day in “Facebook jail,” and he often <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/conservative-comics-facebook-banning/">doesn’t know why</a>. The platform says he’s run afoul of Facebook’s spamming features, but he claims he’s following the letter of the social media law.
“Hoaxed” is still available on other platforms, for now, including YouTube, Vimeo, and iTunes. The film <a href="https://www.cernovich.com/hoaxed-movie-is-the-top-selling-documentary-on-itunes/">shot to the number one spot</a> on the latter’s documentary charts following Amazon’s banning.
Cernovich is right of center, but his film occasionally crosses the aisle to hammer home its points. It even features a member of the Black Lives Matter group. Plus, the film drew praise from at least one left-of-center viewer.
A self-described lifelong liberal cheered <a href="https://medium.com/@anton.fletcher.3/review-of-hoaxed-a-documentary-produced-by-mike-cernovich-41b96f0421bc">“Hoaxed” on Medium.com,</a> including this prescient caveat.
“‘Hoaxed’ will go down as the most subversive documentary, perhaps film, of the current decade.”

Amazon

TOTO: ‘Hoaxed’ Doc Canceled By Amazon, But The Story Doesn’t End There

documentary

Hoaxed

Animated movies shouldn’t get the attention of free speech warriors like Dennis Prager and Adam Carolla.
Most kid-friendly films balance whimsy with old-school themes, like the power of family and friendship. And, on occasion, they pack an eco-lecture along the way.
We’re looking at you, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/11/the-mild-climate-change-agenda-of-happy-feet-two/248692/">“Happy Feet 2.”</a>
“<a href="https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/trolls-world-tour">Trolls World Tour</a>” is a little different. Yes, it hammers home the glory of diversity and being, well, different. There’s another equally worthy message, one floating above the franchise’s jukebox musical trappings.
Listening to other viewpoints only makes us stronger.
What sounded obvious just a few years ago is now a radical concept embraced <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/no-safe-spaces-censorship-real-time/">primarily on the right</a>. Maybe that will change, if only by a smidge, after youngsters watch this sweet, finger-snapping sequel.
Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are back from the first film, but poor Branch is knee deep in Friendville as the story opens.
What’s a fella gotta do to catch his love’s eye in a world overrun with glitter?
The first “Trolls” sequel isn’t obsessed with their courtship, though. The main story follows the Trolls’ complicated history, one built on a legacy of music (natch!) and division (whoa!).
Once upon a time six different Troll tribes (Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock) existed across the landscape. Now, a Troll glam rocker named Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) wants to unite those musical factions, but under her iron fist.
That’s an excuse to run through even more pop covers, but this time sampling a variety of musical styles. Kelly Clarkson’s character, a mountain of hair atop a cutie pie face, handles the country crooning.
It’s a nice surprise to see, and hear, Sam Rockwell take on Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” as the inscrutable Hickory. Is there anything the Oscar winner can’t do?
Too bad the songs selected this time aren’t as infectious as before. Did anyone need to hear “Who Let the Dogs Out?” – even if only for a few bars? Other selections aren’t given enough time to heat up, as is the case with the umpteenth cover of “Barracuda.” Just when we’re ready to hear more, it’s time for another cover.
Yes, the pacing in “Trolls World Tour” can be frantic, and some of the comic beats feel infantile even for a kiddie film. Still, the vocal cast is pitch perfect, with apologies to Miss Kendrick. And try not to grin when you realize that’s the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, voicing Queen Barb’s dithering daddy.
The movie’s moral compass never gets lost in the musical morass, and that’s a good thing in a film that overdoses on colors, sights and sounds.
Poppy may be a Queen now, but she’d be wise to listen to the ones she loves a little harder. Let’s hope that same message gets through to the mover and shakers in La La Land.
They might learn a thing or two from these older, wiser “Trolls.”
HiT or Miss: “Trolls World Tour” delivers all the candy-colored treats we expect, even if you’ll forget much of it a few hours later. That’s good enough news for both kids and parents.
A version of this article appeared on <a href="http://Hollywoodintoto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>

Trolls

TOTO: ‘Trolls World Tour’ Sings A Song Hollywood Should Heed

Trolls World Tour

Alyssa Milano generates far more headlines today for her politics than her Hollywood roles.
The veteran actress rebranded herself as a full-time activist following Donald Trump’s election. Now, media outlets cover her every move or thought, especially regarding Milano’s #MeToo activism.
That goes for traditional Hollywood reporters as well <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/year-ago-alyssa-milano-started-conversation-about-metoo-these-women-n920246">as mainstream scribes</a>.
That came to a screeching halt this week. The same liberal bias infecting mainstream media is even more pronounced in entertainment journalism.
We’re seeing just that right now.
Conservative media outlets have been calling out the “Charmed” alum for ignoring the credible, serious sexual assault allegation against former Vice President Joe Biden.
Tara Reade, an ex-staffer for the presidential candidate, said Biden assaulted her back in 1993, but she’s struggled to get her story out to the public over the years.
Even <a href="https://prospect.org/politics/perils-of-ignoring-tara-reade-sexual-assault-claim-biden/">liberal outlets</a> are calling out the media for its lack of interest in the Biden allegations.
Milano backed Biden’s current presidential bid months ago. More recently, she  stayed silent after Reade’s shocking allegation went public. For that, her “Charmed” co-star, Rose McGowan, slammed her as a “fraud.”
Milano fractured her silence on the subject this week, telling sympathetic interviewer Andy Cohen why Biden’s allegation <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/alyssa-milano-joe-biden-metoo/">shouldn’t derail his presidential dreams</a>.
“I just don’t feel comfortable throwing away a decent man I’ve known for 15 years in this time of complete chaos,” she told Cohen. “Believe All Women,” we were suddenly told, came with a big, ol’ asterisk.
Given Milano’s silence, position in the #MeToo hierarchy and recent fame, her honking double standard should have been catnip to Hollywood media outlets. Think The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline.com, Variety and TheWrap.com.
Yet a good-faith web search on all those platforms showed they treated the Milano confession like a “dog bites man” story from Smalltown, USA.
They ignored it.
Variety has even less excuse than the other outlets. The site previously published an op-ed from Milano, so it’s clearly connected to the starlet.
For example, Variety published Milano’s rant <a href="https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/alyssa-milano-brett-kavanaugh-guest-column-1202973036/">excoriating Brett Kavanaugh</a> based on a sexual abuse allegation as flimsy as any in recent memory.
We heard from President Trump and from Judge Kavanaugh himself how he was the real victim. And from that group of 11 Republican men on the Judiciary Committee, we heard about what a great man Kavanaugh is. Even after Dr. Ford’s powerful accusations became public, those men painted a picture of the honest carpool dad filled with integrity.
Yet Variety thought Milano’s comments on Biden weren’t worth a single story?
It isn’t just entertainment sites ignoring Milano’s obvious double standard. Enter “Alyssa Milano Biden” into Google News and you’ll see only conservative outlets covering the matter.
Hypocrisy is one of the biggest news drivers on any topic. A pro-life politician paying his paramour to have an abortion. A climate change warrior whose home has a massive carbon footprint.
The same holds true for a loud and proud feminist ignoring a woman’s cry for justice, the same cry that too often got ignored in our pre-Harvey Weinstein world.
The bigger question remains. Why would outlets ignore such a click-worthy story? Don’t they care about traffic and, more importantly, ad revenue created by viral stories?
Perhaps.
They care far more, though, about protecting Hollywood stars whose world view aligns with theirs. It’s impossible to report on Milano’s recent Cohen interview and come up with any other conclusion than she’s insincere about the #MeToo movement.
To put it bluntly, Reade’s harrowing story matters far less than Biden’s presidential aspirations.
Of course Milano isn’t alone in her silence. The vast majority of Hollywood stars took a knee once the Biden allegation surfaced. McGowan may be the most notable actor to speak out on the matter.
Their celebrity peers stayed mum on the issue, another blow against their #MeToo activism.
This episode also reveals how little we should trust entertainment journalists when a story intersects with the political landscape.
Forget, “if it bleeds, it leads.” The new mantra is, “all the news that’s fit to print … assuming it supports our progressive agenda.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/limbaugh-crazy-bernie-drops-out-and-media-goes-nuts">Limbaugh: ‘Crazy Bernie’ Drops Out And Media ‘Goes Nuts’</a>

TOTO: Media Stone Silent On Alyssa Milano’s Hypocrisy

Brett Kavanaugh

Christine Blasey Ford

Feminism

Rose McGowan

The same Hollywood that allowed Harvey Weinstein to prey on starlets snapped into action after the producer’s actions finally got exposed in the press.
Some of the industry’s players, including actress Kerry Washington, Ashley Judd, Eva Longoria and Reese Witherspoon, created the “Time’s Up” legal fund and movement.
The former vowed to defend women against predators past and present. The latter? It trained much of its fire power on President Donald Trump.
They cited sexual assault allegations against Trump prior to his election, as well as “uncovered” audio where Trump described grabbing women by their genitals as proof he needed to go.
All the while they mourned how the country’s potentially first First Husband, Bill Clinton, wouldn’t be returning to the White House.
Yes, that Bill Clinton.
Nor would the woman who ran defense for Bill Clinton, burying sexual abuse scandals rather than “believing all women.”
Yes, that Hillary Clinton.
That Hollywood hypocrisy is happening again, and this time at a nuclear-grade level.
Former Joe Biden staffer Tara Reade says the future vice president (and potential president) sexually assaulted her in 1993. Reade claims she’s tried to tell the story previously but ran into resistance.
Her recent attempt to recruit the Time’s Up legal group failed when it refused her plea on <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/03/24/joe-biden-metoo-times-up/">a technicality</a>.
Guess who else is ignoring her case?
Hollywood, Inc.
The stars who have previously protested President Trump’s “war on women” at both marches and Sundance Film Festival rallies reads like a who’s who of Hollywood: Katy Perry, America Ferrera, Chelsea Handler, Jessica Chastain, Zendaya, Melissa Benoist, Charlize Theron, Aisha Tyler, Kristen Stewart, John Legend, Joshua Jackson, Laura Dern and Jennifer Beals.
“Charmed” alum Alyssa Milano transformed her career from actress to activist in the Trump era, with her specific focus on women’s issues.
Are any publicly supporting Reade in her moment of need?
No, not yet, anyway. The abuse allegation story is at least a week old, so it’s not like they haven’t heard about the charges.
The Reade allegations are all over social media, and a smattering of news outlets have covered them – albeit with less vigor than if the politician in question had an R affixed to his name.
Other august outlets have <a href="https://reason.com/2020/03/30/joe-biden-tara-reade-sexual-assault-media/">essentially looked the other way</a>. The Reade story isn’t an outlier, either. Several other women have <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/joe-biden-accuser-accusations-allegations.html">accused Biden of inappropriate touching, too.</a>
This week, Milano decried Sen. Bernie Sanders for staying in the race, throwing her support once more behind Biden.
What about Reade’s claims? Milano isn’t talking. And she’s not alone.
The industry that cried, “Believe All Women” now wants us to, “Change the Subject.” Or, more accurately, “This Woman Could Hurt Our Last Chance to Beat Trump So We’re Standing Down.”
That puts their silence into the proper perspective.
That silence is even more telling, more damning, given its plethora of platforms from which it can speak. Blogs. News articles. Podcasts. Social media. Interviews.
And it’s not the first time this hypocrisy rose up from Tinsel Town in the post-Weinstein era.
Where was Hollywood when not one but two women accused Virginia’s Lt. Governor, Justin Fairfax, of sexual assault? <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/hollywood-hypocrisy-northam-fairfax-omar/">Did they march to remove him from office?</a> Did stars create a hashtag campaign against him? Did they “believe the women” in question?
To be fair, Milano sent out a Tweet saying Fairfax should step down. Did she do more than that, or was a single Tweet her cover?
Fairfax recently said he plans to run for Governor. Will Hollywood rise up to stop that from happening?
Don’t hold your breath. Remember, he’s a Democrat.
Do we need to even summon the Brett Kavanaugh saga to reveal more raging hypocrisy? Stars like Amy Schumer literally got themselves arrested protesting Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court, clinging to the flimsiest of assault charges to smite a Republican president’s nominee.
They believed accuser Christine Blasey Ford when even the woman’s own father <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/christine-blasey-fords-dad-supported-kavanaugh-ryan-saavedra">had doubts about her story</a>.
To her credit, the actress who helped bring Weinstein down isn’t staying silent on Biden. Rose McGowan deployed her Twitter account to mock journalists for not covering the assault allegations and failing to ask Biden during numerous press interviews about them.
At least she’s consistent. Her peers can’t say the same.
Perhaps we should have taken Handler at her word.
In 2018 she told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/arts/chelsea-handler-womens-rights.html">The New York Times</a> that the #MeToo movement was “a complete referendum on Donald Trump being elected to the presidency.”
So it’s not about protecting women, apparently?
Got it.

TOTO: Biden Accusation Puts Hollywood Hypocrisy On Full Blast

Harvey Weinstein

We’re living in the golden age of streaming content, but that comes with a significant catch.
Platforms deliver more content than at any other time in pop culture history, and some of it flat out stuns. Think “Breaking Bad,” “The Americans,” and “The Man in the High Castle” on the TV front alone.
The rest? Well, you have to sift through tons of mediocre fare, and worse, before you stumble upon the gold.
The same holds true for Amazon Prime. The Netflix competitor boasts a huge array of junk lurking within its content corridors.
To guide you through that maze, here are 9 titles (both films and TV productions) that didn’t get enormous publicity upon release. Some fared poorly at the box office. No matter. They’re all worth your time, easing the pain of our self-quarantining times.
Fighting with My Family: This 2019 charmer had everything – humor, heart, and a story based on a real-life success story. Add box office catnip Dwayne Johnson to the mix, and you’ve got a guaranteed hit … that nonetheless disappointed at the box office.
Rising star Florence Pugh (“Little Women”) plays Paige, a Brit whose family obsesses over professional wrestling. She and her brother try out for the WWE’s training program, hoping to become the next Rock, but only she makes the cut. Is she WWE material, or will her family’s dreams die with her? Johnson appears briefly in the film, but it’s Pugh who’s the main attraction.
The Descent Part 2: Most horror fans name check “The Descent” as one of the best modern horror movies, and for good reason. The little-seen sequel couldn’t measure up to the original, but so what? It’s still an action-packed return to the underground lair that meant doom for the original film’s heroines.
Final Girl Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) inexplicably returns to the scene of the crime where her old “friends” await, and they’re still famished. “Part 2” is a respectable sequel that banks on what made the source material so chilling – that sense of claustrophobia and those milky white creatures.
Escape at Dannemora: The true story behind the woman who helped two convicted murderers escape from a New York prison proved compelling on its own. What director Ben Stiller (yes, that Ben Stiller) fashioned from that material is one of the best limited series in recent memory.
That’s primarily thanks to Patricia Arquette and Benicio Del Toro, cast as the prison employee and convict enmeshed in the escape. Both are mesmerizing in their own ways, and co-star Paul Dano is nearly as impressive.
Stiller corrals these great performances, along with a palpable sense of a prisoner’s despair, for a sublime seven-part experience.
Blow the Man Down: Both Amazon Prime and Netflix deliver original movies to compete with first-run Hollywood fare. It doesn’t always end well, though – think Michael Bay’s unwatchable Netflix original “6 Underground.” This bleakly comic thriller is a welcome exception.
Two sisters living in a Maine fishing town cover up an accidental murder, but in doing so unearth their community’s deepest, darkest secrets. The great Margo Martindale steals the film as the town matriarch whose fingers touch both kindness and corruption.
Some critics compared “Down” to old-school Coen brothers fare. It’s not that good, but it does capture a hint of the duo’s coal black aesthetic.
Train to Busan: Sick of zombies yet? It’s hard not to be, given the flood of undead tales of late. The anti-Trump dud “The Dead Don’t Die” could have killed off the genre all by itself last year.
This South Korean import feels as fresh as 1968’s “Night of the Living Dead.” A divorced dad attempts to reunite his daughter with her mother, but their trip is interrupted by a full-scale zombie outbreak. “Busan” peddles some left-wing talking points between the mayhem, but you won’t care given the ferocity of the zombies and relentless pacing. It’s the best zombie feature since “28 Days Later,” no questions asked.
Rise of Jordan Peterson: It’s bittersweet watching this balanced, thoughtful documentary today. Peterson’s health isn’t good, and it’s unclear if he’ll ever return to public life.
Still, this feature expertly captures his “Rise” along with his conflicting views on fame. It’s a sly character study and an essential watch for those eager to make him into a monster. He’s a man in full, and an impressive one given our woke age. Plus, the movie lets some of his harshest detractors speak without filter.
Warrior: Had this “Rocky” -esque tale hit theaters today, given its stars and MMA storyline, it might be a sensation. Nine years ago, it came and went without a trace.
Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton star as estranged brothers who both gravitate to Mixed Martial Arts. Nick Nolte earned an Oscar nomination for playing their gruff Pa, adding another layer to the family dynamics in play.
The story’s template may feel familiar, but director Gavin O’Connor (“The Way Back”) makes every element soar.
The Last Stand: Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t a superstar by accident. He routinely teamed with first-rate directors (think James Cameron and Ivan Reitman) to enhance his A-list status. So when he resumed his film career in 2013 after playing California’s governor, he turned to little known director Kim Joe-woon for help. Schwarzenegger saw something in Jee-woon’s resume that suggested he could revive a dormant action career. He was both right and wrong.
“The Last Stand” is a hoot, a film that doesn’t ignore the star’s advancing years but leans on his stoicism and screen presence. The film bombed at the box office, though, the first hint that audiences had <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/schwarzenegger-box-office-poison/">moved on from Ah-nold’s glory years</a>. That doesn’t diminish the film’s ‘80s-style bona fides.
Bone Tomahawk: S. Craig Zahler’s reputation is growing, thanks to uncompromising fare like “Brawl in Cell Block 99” and the recent “Dragged Across Concrete.” His career began with this neo-western with more than a dash of horror thrown in.
Kurt Russell stars as a sheriff with the biggest, baddest mustache a man can carry. He’s tasked with retrieving two towns folk kidnapped by a cannibalistic tribe of Native Americans. That simple plot allows for some grotesque visuals, unabashed heroism, and ripe Western dialogue. It’s not for the squeamish, but those who miss classic westerns will see plenty of the genre’s DNA baked into this chilling tale.

Movies

TOTO: 9 Must-Watch Amazon Prime Titles For Our Quarantine Times

Amazon Prime

quarantine

It sounded like a parody at first.
Conservatives have long accused Marvel Comics of going woke at the expense of solid storytelling. A similar sentiment, others said, leaked into the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/25/white-male-and-brawny-feels-tired-is-this-the-age-of-feminist-marvel-movies">Marvel Cinematic Universe</a>. Now, the fabled comic book company is <a href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/introducing-the-new-new-warriors">introducing a new array of heroes</a> straight from <a href="https://twitter.com/TitaniaMcGrath">Titania McGrath’s</a> wish list.
Marvel’s updated “New Warriors” title, out April 15, will be passing the heroic baton to characters unlike their predecessors.
Let’s meet a few of the new New Warriors, created by “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” writer Daniel Kibblesmith and artist Luciano Vecchio (“Ironheart”).
The Psychic Twins
<blockquote>Snowflake, a cryokinetic, can materialize snowflake-shaped shuriken projectiles for throwing. Safespace can materialize pink forcefields, but he can’t inhabit them himself, the reflex only works if he’s protecting others. They’re hyper aware of modern culture and optics, and they see their Super Heroics as “a post-ironic meditation on using violence to combat bullying.”
“…it’s this idea that these are terms that get thrown around on the internet that they don’t see as derogatory. [They] take those words and kind of wear them as badges of honor….
Snowflake is non-binary and goes by they/them, and has the power to generate individual crystalized snowflake-shaped shurikens. The connotations of the word ‘snowflake’ in our culture right now are something fragile, and this is a character who is turning it into something sharp.</blockquote>
Trailblazer
<blockquote>Trailblazer is &#8220;a regular kid scooped up into the world of teenage Super Heroing. Her “magic backpack” is actually a pocket dimension with seemingly infinite space, from which she can pull out useful or random objects—it’s not always under her control.
She claims to get her power from god, but “not the god you’re thinking of.”</blockquote>
The updated Marvel title came with a video introduction. And that’s where things get interesting. Viewers didn’t embrace the concept at first blush.
In fact, they loathed it.
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Look at the “thumbs up, thumbs down” ratio on the page in question. As of March 21 the former counted around 2,800+ approval votes, an impressive number. The latter camp?
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A staggering 102,000+ down votes.
Here’s a sampling of the comments:
<blockquote>Literally the worst idea Marvel ever had. Hands down. If Marvel has any interest in their stocks they should run from this man. Nearly 100% negative feedback.
I guess the villain is called “the white privileged heterosexual predator” or something like that
I was expecting the next thing out of his mouth to be: “they don’t actually fight the villains, they just start hashtags on twitter to get them cancelled”
When you cater to about 4% of the population, don’t be surprised when about .004% of said population is interested in your product. How have you not learned?</blockquote>
Certainly those comments don’t reflect the feelings of liberal readers, the kind eager for more diversity.
Think again.
Marvel apparently missed the cultural memo on going woke. You can never, ever be woke enough.
Consider the Tweets reacting to Marvel’s New Warriors announcement. Many excoriated the premise, like the aforementioned YouTube commenters. Others who presumably agree with the concept, on paper, weren’t happy, either.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Please get some LGBT people of color in the writing room&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;
&mdash; milesdraws (@milesdraws1) <a href="https://twitter.com/milesdraws1/status/1240414015043571716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I get the intention, and the intention is (presumably?) good, but this reeks of not actually consulting queer PoC creators and just steamrolling ahead without consideration. If people aren&#39;t sure whether or not it&#39;s a joke, that&#39;s not points in your favor.
&mdash; goji @ animal crossing babey (@gojiberry_bbq) <a href="https://twitter.com/gojiberry_bbq/status/1240384207307919361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Even a popular comic book YouTuber, who wanted to like the concept, slammed Marvel’s new title.
<iframe title="Safespace and Snowflake are Insulting, Not Inclusive [Marvel Comics]" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c7VWTScVLr8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“I don’t make reactionary stuff,” warns YouTuber Comic Drake, using the term to let viewers know he’s not part of any Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. He’s also on board with more diversity in his comic book fare.
Still, he’s aghast at Marvel’s new woke title.
“I cannot defend this one … at all,” he says.
“The new, new team is like peak, peak cringe. This is some of the worst stuff that I’ve ever seen from Marvel,” he says, citing another woke Marvel title, the<a href="https://www.polygon.com/comics/2017/12/22/16810138/marvel-exec-insists-wave-of-cancellations-not-motivated-by-books-diversity"> short-lived “America Chavez”</a> as more sub-standard writing.
He reserved most of his ire for the Psyche Twins – Safespace and Snowflake.
“The names alone … wow,” says Comic Drake, a self-described straight cis white man who shares his pronouns on his page. “This does not seem like representation done right.”
The YouTuber added he’s not alone in his assessment.
“When I Tweeted about this … some of the people who are the most angry are non-binary folks,” he says. “This seems like these characters would fit right at home inside of some super bigoted parody book.”
A version of this article was also published by <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/fans-scorch-marvel-woke-new-warriors/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
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Marvel

Fans Scorch Marvel’s Uber Woke ‘New Warriors’ on YouTube

LGBTQ

Progressivism

A talking head in HBO’s documentary tackling Fake News says the quiet part out loud.
“The worst part of 2016 is what we did to ourselves,” Georgetown University “disinformation expert” Molly McKew says about the subject in hand, revealing, well, everything.
We’ve seen the mainstream media, along with Hollywood and the Democrats, throw a three-plus year long tantrum over Donald Trump’s electoral victory.
Three-plus years!
And, given the very existence of “After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News,” it’s not over yet.
The documentary debuts at 9 p.m. EST March 19 on the premium channel – check the <a href="https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/after-truth">official HBO site</a> for the full list of release dates/times.
At first glance, “After Truth” is a timely effort showing why our already low opinion of journalism cratered following Trump’s election. Instead, the film avoids that reality while punching so far down it might reach China before the end credits roll.
Did you know Infowars anchor Alex Jones was a fraud? That he makes stuff up while peddling nutritional supplements? What about how people use Facebook to share obviously false stories that, sadly, some take as the Gospel truth?
Thank you, “After Truth.”
Not only does the documentary state the obvious. It does so over and again. Anything is better, apparently, than diagnosing the rot infesting journalism today.
The term “Fake News” came of age because the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/10/facebook-fake-news-election-conspiracy-theories">media tried to blame fraudulent news stories</a> for Hillary Clinton’s loss. (Clinton herself later used it, along with a<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/hillary-clinton-expands-list-of-election-loss-excuses-to-include-dnc-assumption-she-would-win"> dozen other excuses</a>, to explain her shocking defeat).
President Trump turned the <a href="https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-trump-weaponized-fake-news-for-his-own-political-ends">phrase on its head</a>, and the mainstream media followed right along. How? By generating more Fake News than any time in modern journalism history.
Peruse any right-of-center news site and you’ll find endless examples of Fake News, all of it aimed at either Trump or the GOP. Here’s the <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2019/04/22/top-51-fake-news-bombshells-media-spread-russiagate/">mother of all such lists</a> from John Nolte of Breitbart News. His essential checklist is a year old, though, and was by no means complete.
His list might double today if he gave it a thorough update.
Nolte’s article doesn’t rely on obscure blogs, mind you. Think NBC News. BuzzFeed. The New York Times. ABC News. CNN.
Want another Fake News compendium, but this time from a<a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/01/20/beyond-buzzfeed-the-10-worst-most-embarrassing-u-s-media-failures-on-the-trumprussia-story/"> liberal source</a>? Try Glenn Greenwald’s scathing takedown.
Or, you can log onto Twitter pretty much any day ending in “Y.” This tweet is two days old.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Why does <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@twittersupport</a> allow verified accounts to deliberately spread misinformation.
This is dangerous and deliberate, ment to incite panic and violence. <a href="https://t.co/f8Sj7ikoGa">https://t.co/f8Sj7ikoGa</a>
— Greta Ocasio-Nolte (@NolteNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NolteNC/status/1239892346604527616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
NOTE: Baker is the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, according to his Twitter bio.
None of that, and we mean not one fake story on those lists, gets a close up in HBO’s “After Truth” documentary. Instead, we spend endless time revisiting the Pizzagate scandal, something tied to one news source – the oh, so credible Infowars.
Oh, and some tweets, too. The film uses tweets as hard Fake News proof. A lot.
The poor pizza shop owner who lived through the conspiracy deserves all of our sympathy, no doubt. Still, which Fake News scandal did a greater disservice to the country – a false meme which threatened an entrepreneur and his eatery, or serial lies designed to overturn the will of the American people?
The film, executive produced by <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/aiden-jackson/2019/10/22/brian-stelter-were-just-stating-truth">Captain Media Bias himself, CNN’s Brian Stelter,</a> blurs the line between misinformation spread on social media and “legitimate” news outlets.
That’s likely on purpose. It’s also why the film’s split personality can’t be reconciled.
We certainly could use a documentary about how digital misinformation (Facebook, Twitter and more) creates real world chaos, especially one savaging liars on both sides of the aisle.
<ul>
<li>How does it spread?</li>
<li>Why are we so susceptible to stories that don’t pass the smell test?</li>
<li>What are credible steps to battle it that don’t morph into censorship?</li>
<li>Why did we start tuning out mainstream news outlets in the first place?</li>
</ul>
That last one matters most.
“After Truth” flirts with some of those questions, but in a mostly insincere fashion. Hearing journalists rage against a hoaxster trying to pin a sex crime on Robert Mueller is, sadly, amusing. Remember how the same journalists dubbed the craziest sex accusations against Brett Kavanaugh “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/book-reveals-allegations-brett-kavanaugh-fbis-handling-probe/story?id=65625607">credible</a>?”
Or, consider a documentary about how Fake News caught fire in the Age of Trump. You’ll never see that because journalists are incapable of shame and/or self-reflection.
So we’re left with this Frankenstein’s monster of a documentary. And boy, do the stitches show.
The mission is equally clear:
<ul>
<li>Explain away Trump’s 2016 election win (again)</li>
<li>Attack the GOP (we see a T-shirt of Trump urinating on the CNN logo)</li>
<li>Lay the ground work for questioning the 2020 elections should Trump win</li>
<li>Russia, Russia, Russia!</li>
</ul>
The film obsesses over Russian “interference” in the 2016 election as if the Mueller Report never hit Amazon.
Still. Yes, after Mike Bloomberg sent $500 million down a hole to upend the Democratic race, we’re to believe Russian bots swung a presidential election for Trump.
This <a href="https://pjmedia.com/trending/first-no-collusion-now-no-actual-russians-in-muellers-disastrous-russian-collusion-illusion/">recent bit of Russian collusion news</a> is equally inconvenient for the film, directed by Andrew Rossi.
“After Truth” comes closer to paydirt by <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/08/749392506/conspiracyland-debunks-theories-about-murder-of-dnc-staffer-seth-rich">re-examining the death of DNC staffer Seth Rich</a>. Remember how Fox News’ pundit Sean Hannity pounced on that wafer thin conspiracy for all it was worth, while Rich’s surviving family members cried foul … and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/3/23/17129414/seth-rich-fox-news-lawsuit-conspiracy-theories">lawyered up?</a>
The channel’s news side put up a story on the Rich scandal, too, but later retracted it in no uncertain terms. But where’s the apology, the movie asks, ignoring how many news sites pushed bigger lies without an ounce of regret, let alone any mea culpas.
The film does have its upsides. The production values are top notch, and few dull moments emerge. Watching hucksters like <a href="https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/11/29/jack-burkman-press-conference-m-reese-everson-went-nowhere/">Jacob Wohl and lobbyist Jack Burkman</a> reveal their true selves, and their hunger for social media affirmation, is a virtue in any setting.
“Are we trending on Twitter?” Wohl asks at one point. Gross.
A team of veteran journalists dismantle the duo’s pathetic scheme to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/26/robert-mueller-hoax-how-jacob-wohl-created-sexual-harassment-plot/2993799002/">smear Robert Mueller</a> during “After Truth.” Still, why give the takedown so much attention since it didn’t leave a scratch on Mueller’s good name? The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/media-response-muellers-testimony-brutal-james-barrett">special counsel’s congressional testimony</a> last July, though, is another matter.
Still, here’s betting the next time either Wohl or Burkman stage a press conference, more than a few scribes show up. It’s another aspect of the film left unexamined. Why do they draw a crowd in the first place?
The film’s wobbliest attempt at balance, and there aren’t many, involves a fake Facebook campaign meant to hurt Republican Roy Moore’s Alabama senate race. We meet, at length, the Democratic operative behind the deceptive effort.
See, Democrats game the Fake News system, too!
The segment ultimately savages the GOP, though, while the provocateur paints himself as a patriot for illuminating the system’s flaws. Hey, somebody has to be the hero, right?
“After Truth” inexplicably runs out of Fake News long before the end credits. Go back and look at all the examples listed above and consider how that’s even possible.
Instead, it revisits the PizzaGate scandal, Facebook’s culpability in Fake News, and Jones’ one-man clown act. The latter allows the assembled journalists to Speak Truth to Power one more time.
Embarrassing. It’s like Kramer staring down a squad of children in his kara-TAY class.
Facebook critic Kara Swisher gets endless screen time savaging the social media platform. And speaking of platforms, the documentary cheers Jones’ getting de-platformed while ignoring the bigger problem afoot. What about other right-of-center souls getting deplatformed or harassed for simply sharing conservative views?
Think <a href="https://www.prageru.com/press-release/prageru-takes-legal-action-against-google-and-youtube-for-discrimination/">Prager U</a>, for starters.
Where do we, as a culture, draw the line?
Again, it’s an important argument completely ignored here. And it gets a bit scary when Swisher says some of Jones’ rants aren’t “free speech.”
Oh, yes they are, as ugly as they might be.
Why lavish so much attention on Jones in the first place, though? Your neighbor’s toddler can tell he’s a scam artist from a simple glance.
Well, because he’s vaguely right of center, and movies like “After Truth” can use him as a cudgel against the conservative movement.
Otherwise, the best approach to Jones’ vile shtick is simple. Ignore him. Or, in the case of the Sandy Hook parents aghast at his suggestion their children’s deaths were fake, sue him into oblivion.
HBO’s own press release describes “After Truth” this way:
<blockquote>…features exclusive access to the victims and perpetrators of false news stories as well as a variety of experts and journalists who contextualize its impact and reinforce the importance of quality journalism.</blockquote>
The term Fake News means shoddy, biased journalism, the very antithesis of what reporters should produce. “After Truth” twists that meaning so far, so aggressively, that it amounts to a denial of extreme magnitude.
Anyone following journalism in 2020, though, won’t be surprised by that at all. That includes Nolte.
Just this week the Breitbart News editor at large amassed a new collection of Fake News from the mainstream media. This time, the lies <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2020/03/17/nolte-all-the-establishment-medias-dangerous-coronavirus-lies/">connected to the Coronavirus</a>, the pandemic killing thousands worldwide and forcing American life to grind to halt.
Coronavirus is not a D.C. food fight. Like the CNN Race Riots of 2014, it affects everyday people: we have shut down our economy. The stock market is going insane. People are scared, worried, stressed, and have reason to be. Even if you remove the fear of the virus, no one can escape the fear of the panic, and the media’s blatant lies are only adding to this uncertainty and fear – and are doing so by design.
Someone ought to make a documentary about that, no?
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://Hollywoodintoto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

New York Times

TOTO: HBO’s ‘After Truth’ Perfectly Captures Why Journalism Is Dying

Journalism

Conservative routinely drub Hollywood, Inc. and for some very good reasons.
Can you <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/leonardo-dicaprio-climate-battle-lavish-lifestyle/">say Climate Change hypocrisy</a>?
Still, that doesn’t mean the industry lacks a compassionate side, something we see in the very worst of times.
Think of previous hurricanes and other natural disasters. Stars have written some very big checks to ease the suffering caused by Mother Nature. After 9/11, stars rallied on stages, screens, and via a high-profile telethon to support grieving families and First Responders alike.
So, how will celebrities respond to COVID-19, currently cancelling much of what we’ve come to appreciate about our 21st century lives? So far, it’s a mixed report card. The mood certainly isn’t as positive, or bipartisan, as Hollywood’s 9/11 reactions.
The scourge of Orange Man Bad remains partially to blame, to the industry’s shame.
Let’s start with the best Hollywood reactions, including the most prominent name afflicted with the virus.
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks and his bride, Rita Wilson, shared their positive diagnosis last week. Since then, they’ve used social media to brief us on their continuing good health and even better humor.
“There’s no crying in baseball,” Hanks shared, citing one of his many famous film lines. Hanks and Wilson are doing no small measure with their good cheer. They’re letting people know the virus isn’t a death sentence, and hope is very much part of our future.
Actor Idris Elba struck a similar note when he shared his positive diagnosis.
The “Luther” star also squashed an <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/idris-elba-conspiracy-theories-black-people-coronavirus-1203537477/">insipid rumor</a> in the process: “Stop sending out these stupid WhatsApp messages about black people not getting it. That’s ridiculous. You’re making us all look stupid. Just know you have to be as vigilant as every other race. This disease does not discriminate.”
<a href="https://www.techhive.com/article/3533259/chris-martin-john-legend-perform-online-concerts-amid-coronavirus.html">John Legend and Chris Martin</a> brought their music into our quarantined homes through the wonders of streaming media. No long lines, no cheap seats. Good for them. Other artists quickly followed their lead.
“Music can heal, music can bring us together,” Legend said during his online concert.
Matthew McConaughey leaned, hard, on his “all right, all right, all right” persona to <a href="https://people.com/movies/matthew-mcconaughey-offers-inspirational-message-during-coronavirus-pandemic-just-keep-living/?fbclid=IwAR0C26anzK8m_6BEEdyOXKHSWAM5LY9i2vcRNlvI4MHu0FWBjhydUfRx2bM">share positive vibes via Twitter.</a>
“In these crazy times that we’re in with the coronavirus, let’s take care of ourselves and each other,” McConaughey starts off. “Let’s not go to the lowest common denominator and get paranoid. Let’s do our due diligence and take the precautions we need to to take care of ourselves and those of us around us, right now more than ever.”
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively took a more direct approach. They cut a $1 million check for two food banks to help those who are suffering from the rampant closures happening across the nation, not to mention supermarkets greeting customers with bare shelves.
Leave it to legendary funny man Mel Brooks to make us smile and share solid advice in under five minutes.
Brooks teamed with his son, “World War Z” author Max Brooks, for a funny video urging everyone to embrace social distancing. The accompanying hashtag, #DontBeASpreader, hammered home the point with love and humor.
More kind thoughts and charity will likely follow, yet not everyone in La La Land is focused on healing during these difficult times.
Let’s start with director Rob Reiner, a man with the highest level of Trump Derangement Syndrome possible. Reiner raged that Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rob-reiner-donald-trump-removed-from-office-coronavirus">must step down</a>, now, because he said so.
“We will get through this. But unfortunately not with the help of this President,” <a href="https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1239556505013063680">Reiner wrote</a>. “First he must be removed from the public square to let competent experts take over, then he must be removed from office to allow US to heal.”
Debra Messing, who famously vowed not to work with Trump supporters in Hollywood, used the virus as another way <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/debra-messing-maga-die-trump-coronavirus">to blast the president</a>.
“LIAR-IN-CHIEF,” <a href="https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/1239960967678656512">Messing began her tweet</a>. “#Maga have been unmoved by the 16500 lies 45 has made since elected. Now that innumerable people (including MAGA) will die, because of his lies and inaction, I wonder if MAGA will recognize that 45 must be voted out?”
Several stars, like George Takei, used the virus’ proper verbiage (the Wuhan Flu, the Chinese Virus) as a cudgel to strike Trump. Never mind that many media outlets used the same verbiage for days and days without a peep of protest.
Perhaps the ugliest celebrity missive came from Rosanna Arquette. The veteran actress initially shared a conspiracy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actress-rosanna-arquette-issues-vicious-tweet-jewish-conspiracy-behind-coronavirus">theory attacking Israel,</a> not China, as the possible source of the virus.
Arquette, who is Jewish, <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/312350/rosanna-arquette-apologizes-for-israel-coronavirus-tweet/">later apologized for the tweet.</a>
We likely won’t get a mea culpa from Bette Midler. The Divine Miss M’s recent Tweet directly blamed the president for the virus’s devastation on U.S. soil.
Facts? She doesn’t need any facts. She’s got Twitter and, amazingly, more than 1.9 million followers.
“I AM TRYING NOT TO ADD TO THE NOISE AND CRAZINESS, BUT DONALD TRUMP IS A F***ING MADMAN,” Midler <a href="https://twitter.com/bettemidler/status/1240051665920765953?s=21">tweeted</a>. “HE THINKS WE DON’T REMEMBER ALL THE JIVE HE SPEWED FOR TWO IMPORTANT MONTHS. One more thing. None of this would be happening if he were not President.”
So, while some stars are giving their time, creativity and cash to heal a battered country, others are doing all they can to stoke the divide for partisan political purposes.

TOTO: Meet The Hollywood Heroes (And Villains) Of The COVID-19 Nightmare

Idris Elba

Tom Hanks

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