Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 42114
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2025/07/08 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/8     

2006/3/6-8 [Politics/Domestic/Gay, Recreation/Media] UID:42114 Activity:kinda low
3/6     http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/what-did-i-tell-you
        Hollywood blogger says:
        a) "this year's dirty little Oscar secret was the anecdotal evidence
           pouring in to me about hetero members of the [Academy] being
           unwilling to screen Brokeback Mountain"
        b) I told you so:  Crash might win because of homophobic Academy voters
        c) Crash and Brokeback "both good, if flawed, films"
        d) There was "hardly at all" any controversial political statements
        d) "The forces that hate Hollywood salivated for Brokeback to win Best
           Oscar", but oh well
        \_ As someone with connections in Hollywood (including members of
           the Academy) let me say that a) and b) seem very unlikely
           given the prevalence of gays in Hollywood. It didn't seem to
           stop them from voting for, say, "Monster". As you know,
           "Brokeback Mountain" has been well-received by Hollywood. I
           think this blog is full of crap.
           \_ blog entry:
              "I found horrifying each whispered admission to me from Academy
              members who usually act like social liberals that they were
              disgusted by even the possibility of glimpsing simulated gay
              sex."
              Okay, granted it's a blog, but it has a lot of history behind
              it and cred to lose.  Who are you and how reliable would you say
              you are?  I can understand if you don't think it's worth it.
              \_ I would say I'm pretty reliable given that my girlfriend
                 works in Hollywood. Her boss won a freaking Oscar (producer)
                 and is a member of the DGA. Her officemate was a screenwriter
                 for "Walk The Line". I think this blog person is trying to
                 stir up shit. If the Academy was that biased they would have
                 never nominated it. Hollywood is full of gay people. Even
                 though some of the members are older and more conservative
                 I really doubt they are homophobic. Are you telling me
                 they won't vote for Dreamworks movies, too, because of
                 David Geffen? Or Digital Domain movies, because of the VP
                 (a lesbian)? Titanic did pretty well! Come on! Next thing
                 I'll hear is that they are biased against Jews! --dim
                 \_ Props to you for ID'ing yourself.  Turns out blog author is
                    also columnist for L.A. Weekly:  http://www.laweekly.com
                    see bottom-right.  Could be she's totally wrong, after all
                    it's all "anecdotal".  Natural hetero aversion to watching
                    man-on-man romance shouldn't be enough to sway
                    sophisticated academy types from voting for it if it truly
                    deserved it.
                    \_ The major complaint I've heard about BB from people
                       in Hollywood is that it's boring. I think some
                       people want to champion it because it's a gay film
                       and the reality is that there are some people who
                       might have said: "I am not voting for that because
                       it's a gay film", meaning "Just because it's a gay
                       film doesn't mean I like it" and not "I refuse to
                       vote for it because I hate gays."
                 \_ There's a difference between supporting the concept of
                    gayness, and wanting to watch a movie fairly graphically
                    (for Hollywood) depicting gay sex.  But I don't really
                    think that's why it didn't win; it didn't win because
                    it was subtle, and Hollywood hates subtlety.  -tom
                    \_ It's not about 'wanting to watch... gay sex.' People
                       don't want to watch serial killers and yet 'Silence
                       of the Lambs' won. If it was about gays then why
                       did Hoffman win for 'Capote'? I am not really sure
                       what the 'Hollywood hates subtlety' line is getting
                       at, BTW. Hollywood appreciates subtlety a lot more
                       than the average theater-goer does.
                       \_ Your analogy needs work.  People are far more
                          comfortable with depictions of violence, even extreme
                          violence, than they are with sex - heterosexual,
                          homosexual, or otherwise.  That said, the sex
                          scene in Brokeback was pretty damn tame.
                          \_ It's not an analogy. It's an observation that
                             you don't have to be comfortable with the
                             subject matter (or want to watch it) and yet
                             still praise a movie. There are some disturbing
                             movies I'd never want to see again that I can
                             still find merit in. It's not supposed to be
                             'most entertaining movie' or 'movie most people
                             would like to see if given a chance' or 'movie
                             best suited to repeat viewing'. It's supposed
                             to be the best movie. Again, if there is
                             a bias then why did Ang Lee win? That's
                             pretty good evidence that there's no bias.
                             \_ no, it's not.
                                \_ Yes, it is. The movie won several awards,
                                   so obviously people in the Academy had
                                   no problem voting for it when they feel
                                   it deserved it.
                                   \_ You're begging the question.  If we
                                      assume that Brokeback is at least as
                                      good as, say, Titanic (which it's much
                                      better than in reality), and Titanic
                                      won 11 Oscars and Brokeback won 3,
                                      there must be some bias going on.
                                      Personally, I think the bias is that
                                      the Academy has no taste, but it's
                                      entirely plausible that there's a bias
                                      against the gay theme.  -tom
                                      \_ Tom, are you a closeted gay?
                                         \_ Are you asking for a date?  -tom
                                      \_ This sounds too stupid to be tom. --dim
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www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/what-did-i-tell-you
Way back on January 17th, I decided to nominate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Bunch of Hypocrites. That's because I felt this year's dirty little Oscar secret was the anecdotal evidence pouring in to me about hetero members of the Academy of Motions Picture Arts and Sciences being unwilling to screen Brokeback Mountain. For a community that takes pride in progressive values, it seemed shameful to me that Hollywood's homophobia could be on a par with Pat Robertson's. So in the February 1st issue of LA Weekly, I warned that, despite the hype you saw in the press and on the Internet about Brokeback, with its eight nominations, being the supposed favorite to take home the Best Picture Oscar, Crash could end up winning. Hollywood showed tonight it isn't the liberal bastion it once was. That's pitiful if you're a progressive, and pleasing if you're a conservative. After my column came out, it was picked up by the Drudge Report. Hundreds of angry emailers accused me, and Hollywood, of trying to promote "the homosexual agenda" by somehow "forcing" them to see a movie they found sexually reprehensible. What those emailers failed to comprehend was that the Oscar voters shared their distaste for it. At the time, I explained that the real Best Picture issue wasn't which film was better. I found horrifying each whispered admission to me from Academy members who usually act like social liberals that they were disgusted by even the possibility of glimpsing simulated gay sex. The forces that hate Hollywood salivated for Brokeback to win Best Oscar. But that it wasn't the favorite was foreshadowed at the Screen Actor Guild awards, when Crash topped it for best picture and Philip Seymour Hoffman won over Heath Ledger. The excuse given was that Crash only won that award because the producers had sent the film to every SAG member, which is something of a rarity. It became part of America's lexicon, it generated a nightly joke or two on Leno and Letterman, it spawned innumerable parodies. I found Crash and Brokeback both good, if flawed, films. Oscar-worthy since they were about something, a prerequisite. Crash makes up in aesthetic bleakness what it lacks in subtlety -- Los Angeles is a city of minorities divided but colliding, duh! Brokeback gives us closet-case sheepherders tastefully presented so they redefine the notion of love. I sounded a note of extreme caution about Brokeback's Oscar chances because, in Hollywood, the cowboy has been an iconic figure in motion pictures through the ages. Many geriatric Academy members not only worked on oaters, but also worshipped Audie Murphy, Gene Autry, John Wayne and other saddle-sore celluloid heroes. And I noted that only an equally iconic figure like Clint Eastwood could redefine the genre in Unforgiven in a way that didn't turn off the old-timers. I was talking baby boomers and younger Academy members sketched out about seeing Brokeback. I knew there was a chance that, even without seeing the movie, Oscar voters could feel guilt-tripped or succumb to a herd mentality to vote for the "gay-cowboy" movie and strike a blow against Republican wedge politics and extremist religious hatemongering. But they didn't, and Brokeback lost for all the Right's reasons. So, red-staters licking their lips to give Hollywood a verbal ass-whooping will be chagrined tonight. I've been keeping a running tally on just how political were the 78th Academy Awards. GOP politicos hoping to use that old saw of "Boy hidey, those show-biz folk are just a homo-promotin', liberal-media-embracin', minority-lovin', devil-worshippin', pimp-hustlin', terrorist-protectin' bunch of pansies, commies and traitors" are going to have to find another way to discredit Hollywood's actor activists when they campaign come the midterm elections in November. Turns out Hollywood is as homophobic as Red State country. I was right about Rachel Weisz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reese Witherspoon, Ang Lee, and Crash.
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