To paraphrase Pogo (Walt Kelly) “We have met Big Brother and he is us”

Good one!

And there have been several articles/stories - maybe even a couple books - about how the current loss of privacy, even though many people think they still have it, is basically voluntary. Because we want that software program, or that new phone or whatever. And what they all pretty much say, sometimes in fine print and sometimes not-so-fine, is "you agree to let us spy on you."

@FormerlyKnownAs said:

@CalabrianQueen said:

@censorshipsucks06 said:

@CalabrianQueen said:

@censorshipsucks06 said:

AJ's signature role for me is C.J. Kregg in THE WEST WING.

As for the Oscars - I saw the last 30 minutes. We used to make a big deal of it - mainly because I am a huge movie fan. However, these current Hollywood hypocrites bug the living piss out of me. I don't need to see a guy like Jimmy Kimmel lecturing me on #Metoo - when he got his career catapulted by hosting "THE MAN SHOW" - which serially was essentially about men drinking beer and ogling women. Then to watch idiots pass by to 'punish' Ryan Seacrest - a man accussed but investigated TWICE and cleared of harassment - but then stand and CHEER Koby Bryant - a guy accused, charged and who was being PROSECUTED for RAPE - but got out of it by paying off the victim so she stopped cooperating with the D.A.. The same people who sucked up to Woody Allen for years, and had petitions and fundraisers for ADMITTED and CONVICTED CHILD RAPIST Roman Polanski. It's hard to find a group of people who are more self righteous and despicable than the group in Washington DC, but Hollywood is up to the task. Oh - lest I also get lectured by people surrounded by armed guards, and who GLORIFY violence and guns - but then think I shouldn't be allowed to have one.

The show is less about movies each year, and more about politics and preaching. Thanks for wrecking the evening Hollywood.
What used to be a night of fun has turned into the Grand Finale of an Awards SEASON. I've never seen another industry that spends so much time telling themselves and the public how great they are.

**Great point on Kobe,like but remember, a lot of people, probably the majority, thought he was innocent. **He never became persona non grata after that hotel story.

A lot of people thought OJ Simpson was innocent too.
It's just the hypocrisy that bugs me. They blow off Seacrest and treat him like a pariah, but applaud Bryant. If you're gonna lecture me Hollywood - at least be consistent in your outrage. This selective outrage bugs me beyond words.

I understand why it's hypocritical but it's the Halo effect at work. Kobe is a sports hero to a lot of people so he's seen in good light. People tend to dislike Seacrest because he's so Hollywood and artificial. They aren't going to be treated the same.

Lest not forget that timing was on Bryant’s side. Until the #MeToo volcano erupted, along with sports heroes there were some other “Teflon” groups. The ones that come to mind are celebrities, folks with a family-name, and big $$$-folks.

And since, as far as I know, there was no mad dash of women to their lawyer's office to accused Bryant of similar behavior, I'm torn. (There was an ugly scandal here a few years ago involving members of the athletic program of a prestigious university. Had one of the athlete involved not surreptitiously recorded some of what happened on his cell; all of them would have, no doubt, received jail time. And, considering the seriousness of the charges—probably would still be in jail.)

Not downplaying anything that happened in the Bryant case/not defending him—just saying that “reasonable doubt” shouldn’t automatically be discounted just because of the nature of the accusation.

Great point. If the Kobe situation happened in the #MeToo/ #Timesup era he'd be royally screwed.

Well since Woody Allen has been dug up for this thread how about the controversy over best pic nominee "Call me by you name" (a gay romance between a 17 year old and 24 year old). It has been called out by the likes of James Woods and Cory Feldman as glorifying peodphilia and sexual grooming by an older man. Just to toss out one more thing to stir things up here.

At 17, it can be statutory rape, but it's not pedophilia.

@Knixon said:

At 17, it can be statutory rape, but it's not pedophilia.

Poster said that Woods and Feldman sited it as "glorifying pedophilia..."---didn't say they said it was pedophilia.

Also, since it is set in Italy--it's neither.

That being said; a couple of general thoughts…

-1.I’m always a little put off when casting folks get around the legal-age-issue in certain movies by casting a 21-year-old who looks 12.

-2. It’s a movie for adults, and not marketed to kids. I didn’t see it, so can’t comment on Woods and Feldman’s objections; or on anything that happened in the movie. Is it “art”? Is it depravity? I don’t know. But, what I do is that as an adult I don’t want anyone else making that decision for me.

-3. Sickoids don’t need any encouragement, reinforcement, or any other “ment”—a movie is NOT going to make or unmake them.