There’s not enough to say about several topics, so I’ll jump around a bit. My computer died, so I don’t know what number “Plays Of The Weak” this would be. For newer readers, this is one of my potpourri pieces….

GLAAD To Be An Idol
When are people just going to lighten up? Everyone gets so easily offended. It’s sad. Sorry, I mean GLADD.

According to published reports, officials at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) were “appalled” by homophobic remarks made by judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the first show of the new season, which aired last Tuesday (January 17).

On the program, Cowell told one “effeminate wannabe” to “shave off your beard and wear a dress,” while Jackson asked another audition hopeful, “Are you a girl?” Both contestants were rejected.

Now I reluctantly admit I watched some of that program. I didn’t see the “shave” comment or contestant, but I did see the segment with contestant Zachary Travis, and I admit if I didn’t know his name, I would’ve thought he was a girl. Not that there’s anything wrong with that….

Of course we go from “appalled” to “GLAAD is reaching out to the show’s producers to discuss our concerns and the concerns of community members and allies, who have contacted us about this matter.”

As I will get to this point further in the column, GLAAD should remember that Hollywood isn’t a talent city anymore. Looks are everything now and talent is a distant second. If you go to an audition in provocative attire, that’s how you’ll be perceived, and with all the self-adulation over “Brokeback Mountain”, to think that a mega-hit Hollywood television program would be homophobic is absurd.

Jim Verraros, a gay finalist from American Idol’s first season, said he feels the tone comes from the top. “I honestly think that if I had come out (as gay) while I was on the show, Fox would’ve edited it out.”

Maybe they should create a spin-off called “American Victim.” That way, all the losers can find someone to blame. If they could sing, they would have stayed in the competition longer. Just being gay isn’t a reason to go deeper into the competition. That is unless we formulate AAG: Affirmative Action for Gays.

You never know….

Day-O News
He just can’t let it go. Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration’s harshest critics, has now compared the Homeland Security Department to the Nazi Gestapo and again called President Bush as a liar.

“We’ve come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended,” Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference.

“You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel,” said Belafonte.

I’ll not bore the informed amongst us and get into the difference between an American citizen and an non-uniformed enemy combatant/terrorist. Needless to say the artsy-fartsy crowd including singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame loved what Harry said.

Now while he reportedly acknowledged that the Sept. 11 attacks demanded a response by the United States, Belafonte said the policies of the Bush administration were not the right response. During a October 22, 2002 appearance on Larry King, Harry let us all know what policies he would favor….

“Go through the United Nations and follow the Council and the principles of the international family. That’s what we do about it. Stop bullying the world. Stop saying, That you do it our way or no way counts. That is not civil. If the United Nations decides to take action, then I would stand by the United Nations.”

Although I’ve not heard Harry comment on the French/UN child-rape-pornography scandal in the Congo (yes, on black children), he saved his wrath for America.

“Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression.”

If Belafonte were right, as soon as he made his first anti-Bush remark, he would’ve disappeared. Most fascist nations torture and kill dissenters. Harry is still out there slinging mud, and I personally doubt his legendary status as a Calypso singer has garnered him the status that shields him from true government terror.

Or maybe Bush isn’t as bad as Harry says. Nah, that can’t be right….

Zone Self Defense
This one was a lose-lose.

Now while I’ve been very critical of the National Basketball Association that’s gone thug over the years, I’ll have to side with New York Knicks Antonio Davis on this one.

He was suspended for five games for entering the stands to defend his wife Kendra, who was being harassed close up and personal by 22-year-old fan Michael Axelrod. Knicks coach, Larry Brown, had no problem with Davis’ action during a 106-104 Detroit Piston overtime victory over New York.

“Come on, that’s his wife. That’s entirely different. I was worried about Kendra. That’s why he went in the stands, he saw her falling back. That thing that happened in the stands had nothing to do with the two teams. That’s a man concerned about his family.”

According to reports, Davis (ironically president of the NBA players’ association) went up about 10 rows into the stands, and there was no physical confrontation.

I don’t want to come off as overly macho, but to you men reading this, what would you do if someone was verbally abusing your woman and you weren’t sure if it would escalate. Would you just stand there and wait for a security guard to get between the stranger and her? Most of us would intervene immediately.

To you women out there, what would you do if you were being verbally abused by a stranger who was in your face and your man was just standing there watching and waiting for a security guard to intervene. Is there a couch big enough for that man to sleep on for the next three months?

This suspension is wrong. Maybe NBA Commissioner David Stern would let some fan get in the face of one of his family members and he would just sit back and wait for security as not to violate a league rule, but there are very few men amongst us that would let that abuse slide.

Especially now that the taunter expects to be paid because he feels he was the victim here. According to the Associated Press, “The fan accused of harassing the wife of New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis will drop threats of a lawsuit if the couple says it’s sorry, the man’s attorney said Friday.

I’m happy to report that the Davis’ response was, “I’m not apologizing to anybody for anything. I don’t think that my wife did anything wrong, I don’t think that I did anything wrong.” Axelrod’s Attorney Jay Paul Deratany wants the couple to make a donation to a charity that prevents violence against women and children.

The nerve, then again, why are we surprised when a lawyer’s involved?

Kendra Davis replied, “I’ll apologize to Michael Axelrod when he apologizes to my son and to me. We can apologize to each other, but there’s no way on earth I would apologize.”

Deratany said he was disappointed with the Davises’ response and that Axelrod was still considering legal action.

Duh.

“In terms of Mr. Davis’ statement, that’s just unfortunate because we gave him the perfect opportunity to act like a gentleman and he didn’t take the opportunity. As far as Mrs. Davis, she made outrageous comments, further slandering Mike.”

Deratany said he planned to sue Davis and his wife for more than $1 million, alleging battery by Kendra Davis and slander by her husband. But later he admitted the $1 million figure was inflated, but declined to say how much his client would seek.

Being consistent, I had problems with the original NBA policy of suspending players for responding to fan abuse without equally responding to the fans with possible prosecution. That could lead to fans strategically using the rule to remove key players from opposing teams rosters.

Now fans can verbally, and possibly physically abuse the wives and kids of opposing players, get them suspended, and sue them as well.

No wonder I seldom watch the NBA anymore.

Quote Of The Week
In my youth, I used to watch those old Hammer horror flicks on Saturday morning, and I always like Christopher Lee. I like him more now.

I’ve always said that those who are now running the entertainment industry are a bunch of lazy song sampling, remake lovers who show little ability to create, thus the drawn-out slumping of box office and record sales. Lee, whose personal career has retaken speed after appearing in the recent Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies, let today’s youngsters have it.

“The problem today is that there are quite large numbers of very young men and women – boys and girls to me – from 18 to 30, and they are playing very large parts in huge films and they simply, through no fault of their own, don’t have the background and the experience and the knowledge to pull if off. It’s dangerous for them because if they are in one failure after another, sooner or later people are going to say, ‘well, he may have a pretty face but he’s not bringing the public in’.”

Lee said he had considered quitting showbiz because of falling standards. “I have said to my wife ‘why do I bother anymore?’ Show business has changed so much.”

The box office slump, going on for years now, is a direct result (in my opinion) of the lack of creative talent making product. I heard there’s yet another remake in the works where Eminem is going to play the title role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with Vin Diesel playing Cameron Frye. Again I ask, is this necessary?

When I lived in Los Angeles, I used to see around two or three movies a month, but why should I pay upwards of ten bucks to see a remake, complete with non-trained “actors” whose lines are mumbled? Watch any older flick and you’ll see actors who learned the basics and annunciate. Today’s artists are selected on their looks, thus the ability to sell kids their movies, television specials, and CD’s; all of which are equally mediocre.

Lee concluded, “So many of these good-looking – sometimes even pretty – boys and girls are getting these good roles and it’s not fair on them. At some point it’s going to catch up.”

Not soon enough… sheesh.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2006 at 11:31 am and is filed under Bob Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.