Celebrities And Politics

[Damien]

If Gary Busey's supporting Newt Gingrich, that's good enough for me. Has Charlie Sheen endorsed anyone yet?

[criddic3]

Interesting. I don't avoid anyone's work just because of their political beliefs. I do dislike Michael Moore, but that's because he slants the facts to his views without regard for the whole picture. He says he's trying to expose the truth but is actually molding it into his preconceived opinion.

Other than him, I like every other celebrity mentioned in this list. At least their work. Jane Fonda and Sean Penn have some political views I detest, but each has done remarkable acting (and Penn proved himself as a director with Into the Wild). By the same token, an actor like Mel Gibson should not be avoided simply because he has done dumb things. Now if you say you can't watch O.J. Simpson's work anymore, that might be understanable. I believe in the premise of freedom to speak your mind as long as you don't harm anyone in so doing. Some people would claim that Fonda, in particular, did harm to the troops and their mission by her actions during Vietnam. That can be debated. But she's a very good actress.

Oprah's main problem in making such a high-profile endorsement was that it made part of her audience feel betrayed in some way. As a long-time TV host, people like neutrality when it comes to elections. But she had the right to do it. And Whoopi Goldberg is usually fair-minded when it comes to most issues, but of course conservatives don't like liberals (and vice versa). I don't boycott her work, though. That would be silly.

Arnold now has more issues than just politics, and I'm sure some conservatives and independents are turned-off by his behavior. Not everyone will avoid seeing his next movie.

I'm surprised that Democrats are so against Scientology. Maybe there's more universal objection to that "religion" than I thought.

[Big Magilla]

Ten celbrities Republicans and Democrats hate:

Michael Moore

Sixty percent of all GOPers reject the filmmaker.

Hot button issues: Criticism of President George W. Bush, healthcare system, corporate America.

Jane Fonda

Forty-eight percent of Republicans say they're likely to avoid the Barbarella star's work because of her politics.

Hot button issues: Criticism of Vietnam, Iraq wars

Whoopi Goldberg

The View co-host is the third least-liked entertainer in Republican eyes: 47 percent of respondants say they boycott her work.

Hot button issues: Walking out on Bill O'Reilly on The View.

Oprah Winfrey

The talk show host -- who once claimed she doesn't consider herself political -- had never endorsed a political candidate until the 2008 presidential election, when she backed Barack Obama for president. Still, 46 percent of Republicans are likely to avoid her because of her political views, which many claim lean to the left.

Hot-button issues: Endorsing President Barack Obama in 2008

Sean Penn

The gun-toting liberal that Republicans love to hate has 40 percent of the GOPers boycotting his work. The actor has joined pro-democracy demonstrators in Egypt, met with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to help free two Americans jailed in Iraq, set up a camp in Haiti for citizens displaced by the 2010 earthquake and defended pal Charlie Sheen after his media implosion.

Hot button issues: Willingness to romanticize dictators like Chavez and Fidel Castro

Mel Gibson

The actor-director has fallen from Democrats' graces after a drunken antisemitic tirade in 2006. He was Democrats' least-liked entertainer with 36 percent rejecting him and his projects.

Hot button issues: Racism, homophobia, antisemitism, domestic violence

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Republican actor may have ruled as California's governor for two terms but that did not endear him to Democratic voters: 30 percent of Dems in THR's poll say "no thanks" to the Terminator star's projects because of his politics.

Hot button issues: Infidelity, "girlie-men" comment, getting tough with unions.

Tom Cruise

Scientology apparantly doesn't sit well with Dems: 27 percent of those polled won't take part in any of the "Mission: Impossible" and "Minority Report" star's projects.

Hot button issue: Scientology, criticism of psychiatry and anti-depressants

Kelsey Grammer

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer is one of Democrats' least favorite entertainers: Fourteen percent of respondants say they avoid his projects.

Hot button issue: Co-founded conservative online network called Right Network.


Jon Voight

The Midnight Cowboy star won an Oscar for portraying a paraplegic Vietnam vet in Coming Home (opposite Republican target Jane Fonda), but his real-life tirades against President Barack Obama are among the reasons that 13 percent of Democrats now avoid his work.

Hot button issues: Outspoken Tea Party support

[Big Magilla]

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Actor and Celebrity Apprentice contestant Gary Busey is siding with a Republican presidential hopeful.

At a holiday party this past weekend, Busey said that he would be endorsing former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich as he campaigns for the GOP ticket.

"I've never met Newt but I know what he stands for," Busey told The Hill. When asked whether he identified himself as a member of the Republican party, Busey responded, "I'm a Texan."

Busey made clear that even though he was from Texas, he wasn't supporting current governor Rick Perry just to remain loyal to his home state.

"He's a good guy, he just doesn't belong in the race," Busey declared.

Busey, who appeared on Donald Trump's reality competition series Celebrity Apprentice, had nothing but nice things to say about Trump. The media mogul had been eyeing a potential presidential run earlier this year.

"Donald would be great. He's a good friend," Busey said.

The 67-year-old has appeared in Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger and received an Oscar nomination in 1978 for The Buddy Holly Story.

[Sonic Youth]

I've always found Jackson Browne to be a bore, but this is much better than the Third Eye Blind song. It's what an effective protest song should be. Simple, direct, and with a chorus that uses the power of chant to make the song memorable. Now if only someone could combine TEB's contemporary sound and youth appeal with Browne's songwriting capability, and the movement may finally have a protest song for the ages.

I'm also liking the husky quality Browne's voice is taking on as he gets older. Click on the link to listen to the song.

---------------------

Jackson Browne debuts new protest song at Occupy Wall Street

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... t-20111201

Jackson Browne and Dawes played a brief, spirited acoustic set at the Occupy Wall Street protest at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park this afternoon, which included this new tune by Browne that expresses solidarity with the Occupy movement.

"It's really hard to write a song about issues," Browne tells Rolling Stone. (Watch our interview with Browne below.) "On the other hand, a movement like this doesn't need every song to be a movement song. Somebody asked me the name of that song, and I thought, well, I'm actually not sure what the title is. Maybe 'Which Side Are You On?' That's, of course, the title of an old Civil Rights marching song that I grew up singing when I was 16, 17 years old."

"For me, being 26 years old, growing up, there's always been a negative connotation with the term 'protest,'" says Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith, who performed a few of his band's originals alongside Browne at the rally. "Now, for the first time, there's a pride that goes along with it."

[Sonic Youth]

Click below for the video.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-573 ... ?tag=stack

NBC exec apologizes to Bachmann over Fallon song

(AP) ST. PAUL, Minn. - GOP Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann received an apology from an NBC executive after an off-color song was played during her appearance on Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night," her spokeswoman said late Wednesday.

The Minnesota congresswoman received a personal letter from NBC's vice president for late night programming, Doug Vaughan, a day after she appeared on the show. As Bachmann walked onstage, the show's band had played a snippet of a 1985 Fishbone song entitled "Lyin' Ass B——."

Vaughan wrote that the incident was "not only unfortunate but also unacceptable," Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart told The Associated Press. She said Vaughn offered his sincerest apologies and said the band had been "severely reprimanded."

Fallon also apologized to Bachmann when they spoke earlier Wednesday, she said. He'd tweeted earlier, saying he was "so sorry about the intro mess."

"He was extremely nice and friendly and offered his apology, and she accepted it," Stewart said, adding that the comedian said he was unaware the band planned to play the song. "It's just unfortunate that someone had to do something so disrespectful."

Bachmann lashed out earlier Wednesday at NBC for not apologizing or taking immediate disciplinary action. In her first comments on the flap, Bachmann said on the Fox News Channel that the Fallon show band displayed sexism and bias by playing the song.

"This is clearly a form of bias on the part of the Hollywood entertainment elite," Bachmann said. She added, "This wouldn't be tolerated if this was Michelle Obama. It shouldn't be tolerated if it's a conservative woman either."

She went further on a national radio conservative radio show hosted by Michael Medved, calling the incident "inappropriate, outrageous and disrespectful."

On Fox, Bachmann expressed surprise that she's heard nothing from the TV network. She suggested that discipline for the show's band, The Roots, was in order. She said she believed Fallon's comments to be sincere.

One of Bachmann's congressional colleagues, New York Democrat Nita Lowey, had called on NBC to apologize for its "insulting and inappropriate" treatment of its guest.

An NBC spokeswoman didn't return a phone message from The Associated Press.

The Roots' bandleader, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, has said the song was a "tongue-in-cheek and spur-of-the-moment decision."

Bachmann, who is lagging in presidential polls, has spent the week promoting her new autobiography in national television interviews.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

[Sonic Youth]

Third Eye Blind releases Occupy Wall Street song

Not terrible, but an effective protest song needs to be rousing and easily memorable. This is neither.

[criddic3]

Justin Bieber would have an, ummm, interesting time of it in the hoosegow.

By the way, regarding his political beliefs, the little brat is strongly anti-choice.

Good for him!

[Sonic Youth]

Joan Baez sings 'Joe Hill' at Occupy Wall Street

Folkie protest singer Joan Baez sings for OWS protesters too young to know her
Anti-war folkie performs on Veteran's Day
BY Matthew Lysiak & Corky Siemaszko
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, November 11 2011, 4:53 PM

Folk singer Joan Baez serenaded hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters Friday, most of whom weren’t even born when she became famous for singing out against the Vietnam War.

The irony of Baez performing on Veterans Day was mostly lost on the demonstrators, who had marched from their base in Zuccotti Park to Foley Square, just up from City Hall, for the concert. In fact, some weren’t quite sure who Baez was.

“She’s a war hero who served in Vietnam, I think,” said 19-year-old Luke Fields, who hails from Morningside Heights. “She saw first-hand that war was a nightmare.”

Told that Baez was a singer, Fields changed his tune. “It’s great to have her here,” he said. “She’s a legend, but no, I can’t say I can name the songs.”

Fields was not alone. When Baez urged everyone to sing along with her first song, “Where’s My Apple Pie,” only a handful did because most didn’t seem to know the lyrics. But there was loud applause when Baez changed the lyric from “where’s my apple pie,” to “it’s time to occupy.”

Baez is not the first 60s throwback to sing in solidarity with the mostly youthful protesters. David Crosby and Graham Nash performed at Zuccotti Park on Tuesday.

[Sonic Youth]

It's probably going on now.

Folk music legend Joan Baez to perform at Occupy Wall Street rally
Iconic protest singer headlines Veterans Day event
BY Matt Lysiak & Helen Kennedy
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, November 10 2011, 6:23 PM


Legendary 1960s protest singer Joan Baez will headline an Occupy Wall Street rally Friday.

"It’s official. Joan Baez will be here tomorrow," said organizer Aaron Black. "She’s an icon. We are unbelievably excited. In the ‘60s, protests and music went hand and hand.”

The “11/11/11” Veterans Day Rally will be held at at Foley Square from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The slogan for the day: "Honor the Dead, Fight Like Hell For the Living."

Ignoring the weekday timeslot and the short notice, Black said he expects big crowds - possibly tens of thousands of people. "It's going to be our biggest gathering yet. The whole world is watching now,” he said. "It’s going to be an unbelievable celebration of music and culture.”

Baez, born a New Yorker, is an icon of the 1960s who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez, dated Bob Dylan and Steve Jobs, and sang about civil rights, human rights and the Vietnam War. Her performance of "We Shall Overcome” at the 1963 March on Washington made her rendition a classic.

The concert/rally was originally planned for Washington Square Park but city officials balked. They allowed Foley as a compromise.

Famed civil liberties crusader Norman Seigel was helping out. He came to Foley Square with Black to review the protocol for the concert.

"We have a lot of work to do. This is going to be huge," said Black.

Siegel said he is working the case for free. “I believe in the principles and goals articulated by the movement,” he said.

The final lineup for the rally was not final, but others appearing are: Marine Sgt. Shamar Thomas, who became famous in a YouTube clip berating NYPD cops for their lack of honor in arresting protesters in Times Square; folk singer Ryan Harvey; activist Max Rameau from “Take Back the Land;” and a speaker from the Iraq Veterans Against The War.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fol ... z1dQp0Oyfw

[Sonic Youth]

David Crosby and Graham Nash to perform at Zuccotti Park for Occupy Wall Street protesters
Concert will include acoustic set of protest songs
BY The Associated Press

Longtime musicians and activists David Crosby and Graham Nash are scheduled to perform a concert at the Occupy Wall Street protest site in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. The Occupy Wall Street website says the Tuesday afternoon concert will be an acoustic set of protest songs.

Crosby, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer of Crosby Stills and Nash fame, visited the park last week.

[Damien]

Justin Bieber: Sen. Klobuchar should be 'put away in cuffs' October 28, 2011, 1:49 pm by Judy Kurtz
TheHill.com



A group lobbying to kill the legislation, Fight for the Future, claimed in a press release earlier this month that if Bieber didn’t pull the videos he posted from the internet, “he could be prosecuted and sent to the slammer for five years on felony charges.”

Justin Bieber would have an, ummm, interesting time of it in the hoosegow.

By the way, regarding his political beliefs, the little brat is strongly anti-choice.

[Sonic Youth]

Justin Bieber: Sen. Klobuchar should be 'put away in cuffs' October 28, 2011, 1:49 pm by Judy Kurtz
TheHill.com

Oh, “Baby!” A battle is brewing between teen pop star Justin Bieber and Sen. Amy Klobuchar over an anti-piracy bill she is sponsoring.

The baby-faced Canadian pop star told D.C. radio station Hot 99.5 on Friday that the Minnesota Democrat should be “put away in cuffs” for her support of a bill that would make it a felony to post unlicensed content online 10 times in 180 days. The bill is backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Bieber, 17, rose to fame after YouTube videos he posted of himself singing became viral hits.

The entertainer told radio DJ Kane, “Whoever she is, she needs to know that I'm saying that she needs to be locked up — put away in cuffs." The “Never Say Never” singer added, "People need to have the freedoms...people need to be able to sing songs. I just think that's ridiculous."

Klobuchar’s office has yet to comment on the teen sensation’s remarks.

A group lobbying to kill the legislation, Fight for the Future, claimed in a press release earlier this month that if Bieber didn’t pull the videos he posted from the internet, “he could be prosecuted and sent to the slammer for five years on felony charges.”

Linden Zakula, a spokesman for Klobuchar, had disputed the claim at the time that the proposed bill would send Justin Bieber to jail, telling The Hill,“The bill language specifically targets people who willfully engage in copyright infringement for commercial advantage or private financial gain.”

Zakula added: “The bill does not criminalize uploading videos to YouTube or streaming videos at home.”

[Damien]

Some 1972 nostalgia:

"Will they snort coke in the White House?"

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninsca ... atty_s.php

[Sonic Youth]

'Survivor' favorite to run for Indiana governor
Associated Press
updated 10/22/2011 8:26:53 PM ET 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — Rupert Boneham won over TV viewers during 2004's "Survivor: All-Stars" — earning a nifty $1 million as the overwhelming choice for fan favorite on the reality show. Now the bushy-bearded Boneham is hoping Indiana voters will find him just as charming.

Boneham, 47, announced Saturday that he's seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for Indiana governor, saying he wants to take on the state's political establishment because he feels voters deserve better.

At a news conference in Indianapolis, Boneham said he's the best candidate to replace Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has reached his term limit and can't run next year, because he's "not beholden to any special interests."

In prepared statements circulated later by his campaign, Boneham said he wants to run as the Libertarian candidate because he thinks Indiana voters deserve an alternative to "the dysfunctional state of our current government."

"I have only one interest: Empowering Hoosiers to give back to their communities. If the government puts up roadblocks, then they should be repealed," Boneham said.

"Hoosiers have consistently voted in professional politicians and look at the results. Hoosiers should have a different choice in 2012," he said in the news release.

Boneham, who's known for wearing tie-dyed shirts, won $1 million when he was voted fan favorite in 2004's "Survivor: All-Stars." He donated a portion of his winnings to his Indianapolis-based charity, Rupert's Kids, which provides mentoring and job-training to at-risk youths.

Boneham formed an exploratory committee in August for a possible gubernatorial bid and said he wanted to gauge public support to see if people are ready to elect him.

Among the candidates who are seeking to replace Daniels, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence and former Democratic Indiana House Speaker John Gregg are the early favorites.

Sam Goldstein, the state chair of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, said he's "very excited" about Boneham's announcement.

"His nomination would be a great asset to the party and I look forward to working with him and his campaign team should he win the nomination at our convention next spring," Goldstein said in a statement.

The party, which will hold its convention April 14, said Boneham has been a supporter and a member of the Libertarian Party for nearly a year.