Beware: Next comes the Oscars' 'smear campaign'?

Ron Howards isn't a saint at all. He's a pretty good director, but I've never seen a product of his be truly worthy of the Oscar (as have a number of winners, for that matter).

Drudge started this BS? Who'd a thunk it.

maybe there should have been a smear campeign for Titanic. Jack and Rose...NOT REAL!!! that was a fake story and fake love affair. It was completely dreadful. hollywood seems to think reality or true stories dont contain enough drama to keep our attention. they think youre dumb and not sophisticated enough. so they spice it up a little. they make sure that every 14 year old kid in america can watch a movie and understand whats going on. its nothing new.

go drudge!

i work in the film industry and i can say the liberal mind set is far more fascist than anything i have experienced in my republican hometown deep behind the orange curtain. i was even asked to leave a film i was shooting because the director found out i was a conservative. you would have thought she saw the devil. talk about tolerance. what a joke.

joe mccarthy is alive in well in hollywood. it's just that he's now wearing green, drives a prius, and hosts fund raisers for liberal politicians who will sell them out for the next incarnation of obama.

i'm happy to have my golden statue displayed next to my mossberg 590 safe out of reach from the carbon neutral hypocrites north of the 605. and to think i'm not even a wasp - lol.

god bless mel!!!

Whaaaaat???????? I thought everything was BUSH'S fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've always found it interesting that Drudge is so Hollywood obsessed whilst denouncing the evil liberals that seemingly pervade the film industry. And he never misses a chance to post unflattering photos of dems but never the d'ohs. And go Ron! I forgive you for "Willow!"

The hilarious thing is that Matt Drudge doesn't have a bent to the right. His website just points to articles already written in other papers from across the political spectrum. The people who label Drudge do nothing but reveal their own prejudices!

Dirty tricks political campaigns against presidential candidate Michael Dukakis ? You mean when he was photograhed in a tank? Howard is delusional.

Ron Howard is not in the ""Clan"", he ain't gonna get it !!

Boo Hoo, Hollywood is upset because Matt Drudge read the book and he doesn't like Oppy? How many votes does Drudge have in the Oscar races?

What is with the worship on the altar of Drudge? Hate the slander of liberal media? HA! Beats the slanderous propaganda from the right wing spin machine.

I hate haters who hate the press.

Moto?

Drudge has more common sense than any main Stream Media new paper or networ news casts.

If Albert Gore can get an award then why should anyone else that twist and stretches truth not get one?

Hey Lone wolf. Give it a rest. You will never get through to these people. Fact will only get in the way. My personal favorite is when these dimwits cite that jet fuel does not burn hot enough to fatigue steel. They never stop to THINK that maybe the buildings were filled with acres of carpeting, paper, wood, plastic and pretty much anything else you can imagine in a typical office that can burn. By the way, "America Deceived" is avialable on e-bay and even it weren't, as a private enterprise they could choose not to carry it. That is not censorship. Even if Amazon did "ban it" you can always buy the stupid book elsewhere. Idiots. All of them.

Amen, Stu....brilliant analysis.

When Hollywood stops RE-Writeing history the public will give more of a crap about their whiney problems.When the American Public once agin learns histroy in school...the writers will know what the facts are.Right now...Movies ARE History 'books' for this dumbed down under 50 folks.

Posted by: Stu | November 07, 2007 at 04:48 AM

The movie didn't portray 100.000% of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? How can that be? Aren't all Hollywood movies encyclopedias of fact that scholars use for serious research?

I statyed for the closing credits (if you didn't, you misssed a really weird final scene), and there was a disclaimer, something like "this movie is based on real people, but some of the events and characters have been changed". Another big disappointment to many will be that the dog on screen wasn't really killed.

The day Hollywood makes a movie that sticks to the facts - or even one that sticks to a book the way the author wrote it - there'll be pie in the sky. Consider, if you will, the abominable screenplay somebody put together for "Troy". Homer would not have recognized much of it. Did anybody piss and moan because "Troy" didn't follow the book?

For my part, it was an excellent movie. Ridley Scott kept the pace goint and wrung out every drop of tension, both Washington and Crowe were deeply into their characters.

The movie was full of contrasts and parallels: Roberts' failed marriage vs Lucas' family; Lucas' organization and the New Jersey cops' corruption; violence by the organization and by the cops; Lucas' business collapsing with the end of the VietNam war...

Forrest Gump wasn't a real person?????

Matt Drudge kicks ass. I hate the liberal media. Slander when you can is their moto.

Some of us of the pre-Britney era remember the JFK conspiracy, too. And Marilyn, Mary Jo, Jack Ruby, etc.

hehehe... people get worked up over the stupidest things. Why does it seem everyone in this country is ultra-emotionally attached to every contrived controversy out there, who cares about all this? Why the hell did I read this? Why am I responding? Stupid, stupid brain... it's all Drudge's fault. :-)

Ugh. I hate when people type before thinking. Michael Thomas, while I agree that the Italian mob is a stereotype, I don't think black/Latino people are the new "American gangsters." They simply commit some crimes in urban areas (white people commit these crimes too by the way). Secondly, of course The New York Times is going to review "gansta" rap CDs, just like they review the latest from Britney Spears or a new classical piece. It's all popular music. As for lyrical content, while what you describe is what's popular now, that is not the only kind of rap nor are there other musical genres that commit the same offenses. Oh, and if everyone can't stand liberal Hollywood or award shows, why do you read Gold Derby?

Only someone who lives in Hollywood, the narcissitic center of the universe, could possibly care a whit about this drivel. Smile and wave, smile and wave. Try to say something intelligent now without your writers.

Dirty tricks against Michael Dukakis, one of the worst candidates for national office in the last 100 years? Oh my!

A tempest in a teapot ... Who the f*** cares about any of this stuff ?

Ron Howard is the best director in Hollywood and the most unrecognized and underappreciated Director. I think it is scandulous that he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

Jack D, does Professor Steven Jones have a theory as to how it is possible to strategically plant explosives in the upper floors of two high rise buildings without attracting the attention of the thousands of people occupying those buildings 24/7 and contrive and coordinate an elaborate multiple plane hi-jacking and fly them into the buildings as a cover?
Just wondering

Obviously Mr. Ricardo Maxwell has also been duped by Hollywood's plethora of films and TV shows that depict Italian-Americas as gangsters. This perception was prevelant in the decades before Italian actors actually even were allowed to 'portray' gangsters. Jewish actors ,i.e. Edward G. Robinson, George Raft, were employed to subvert the American consiousness about Italians.
Now if anyone believes that the todays American gansters (and have been for the last 3 decades) are not African Americans and Hispanics, they must be living in Iceland or glued to the tube watching the next Sopranos episode of dreck!
I live in New York City my friend, check out the daily police blotters in cities like Detroit, Washington,D.C., Houston or any big urban city and then welcome to 'reality;.

The African-American gangsta Rappers have also had a huge impact on our society and children for more than 3 decades, which is also promoted by the 'velvet Mafia' in Hollywood!
Even the New York Times actually reviews these 'Gansta' Rappers CD's and live shows!
Imagine if an Irishman, Italian, Jew or Muslim were making CD's with lyrics that were misogynist,homophobic and spewed out rants about Jews, Italians or for that fact whites in general and put guns, drugs, murder and the exploitation of their young woman on a pedestal.

Everyday I wake up wondering what Hollywood will be doing to day. Can we impeach Bush for not making the Earth rotate around Hollywood instead of the Sun? Bla bla bla... Hollywood could care less what I think, all’s they care about is their bellybutton..... I’m rambling

pep

Ricardo Maxwell, apparently you've never heard of Frank Lucas, an African-American drug dealer from the 1970s, who is the subject of "American Gangsters."

Very little of what comes out of Hollywood is worth the price of admission. Movies fit for family viewing that makes millions and millions of dollars are completely ignored when it comes time for the Hollywood crowd to give recognition or an award but let some movie riddled with political inaccuracies , thinly veiled political agendas and attempts to brainwash the public and Hollywood will literally fall all over themselves to declare it a Masterpiece. Michael Moore and Al Gore are perfect examples of this. Fortunately, Americans aren't nearly as stupid as Hollywood believes us to be and we vote with our dollars. If a movie is a dog the word gets out pretty fast from the early goers. Hollywood hasn't broken this code yet and probably never will.

I always feel stupider after reading about Hollywood "news".

Keep in mind, this industry is based on entertaining it's customers. I for one, have been highly entertained just watching these so called "elites" as they realize that their ship is sinking. It's a better story line than anything they have been producing.
And the battleship "Hollywood", once strong and mighty and influential, is sinking fast. When you come out of port, and continuously steer left, eventually, you're going to smash into the dock and sink.

Recardo Maxwell said:
"To place a black man in the role of classic American gangster, when all of America knows that they are usually immigrants (Italian, Irish, Jewish), is typical of Hollywood and the "entertainment" industry. After all, we must have at least one of each minority in every film and TV show. While the twist to this plot might be refreshing (How many more Italian gangster movies can we take?), it is obviously not based on reality."

I agree with everything you said until this. This was based on a true story, and the gangster was in fact a black man who went against the prevailing crime families. Dispite the discrepancies from the real life version, this was a very good movie.

First of all, I don't think people are going to get riled up about this controversy. Second, since people aren't riled up, I don't think anyone is going to start the "smear" campaign thread. Third, I don't think this will hurt the film's Oscar chances at all. Fourth, (this is entirely opinion) "A Beautiful Mind" could have been interesting but was boring and weak and neither it or Ron Howard should have won Oscars for it ("Apollo 13" was eons better and should have won over "Braveheart"; it was also directed tighter).

Lastly, Ricardo Maxwell's comment is not only incredibly offensive, it also makes no sense. If Frank Lucas wasn't a big time drug dealer why was he arrested twice for a drug trafficking organization that once rivaled the Italian mafia in sales. Racism is a funny; now black people can't even be compared to white criminals.

What the hell? There are people that expect a fictional movie to be factual? Just how stupid has our culture become?

American Gangster wasn't even that good.

It won't take a "smear" campaign (albeit one from the actual subject of said film) to destroy its Oscar chances. It just wasn't good enough.

Srsly.

If the Hollywood movies that are selected to win the Oscar's are supposed to be true and accurated, how do you explain Al Gore winning for his fictional documentary? It's entertainment, not real life to be taken seriously.

Please learn you history. American Gangster is based on the life and times of a black man, Frank Hughes. A real person living in N.J.

Yep, We, the people, are just on the edge of our seats waiting with baited breath to get to the bottom of this mess, afterall, hollywood is important, right?
As has already been mentioned above, you have the media/journalists, who no longer have the trust of the American people because WE KNOW they're biased, WE KNOW they lie, and then you have a crop of, generally under-educated and under-intelligent, folks who sit around just waiting to hear what hollywood has to say... but the vast majority of the American public has time and again made it clear to the factually challenged socialists in hollywood that 1)We aren't buying what you're selling 2) YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO US, YOU ARE ENTERTAINMENT, pure and simple, and 3) We don't particularly care about you - see 2. All of you, actors, directors et al are very easily replaced in our lives.

Keep having your pathetic little marathon pat each other on the back sessions extolling your greatness, afterall, that is what you do best, and we'll keep ignoring you and not watching you fawn all over each other.

I guess when hollywood figures out they're the modern equivalent of the court jester we may actually start seeing something worth seeing and hearing a whole lot less of stupid people instructing us how to live. Personally, I'm paid to think for a living and, well, hollywood you aren't.

Nash wasn't portrayed as saintly at all. He was portrayed as a jerk when he was not crazy and he almost drowns the baby in the bathtub out of neglect.

So you were calling the people at the studios and expecting they would tell the truth? Huh? What? Is that accurate?

YAWN !!!!!!!!!!!

Don't use exclamation points for emphasis. It's really stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey KC, 9/11 keeps lingering because the so called msm reporters refuse to report the facts and irregularities of that day. I'd be questioning things too when crash sites have no wreckage or video is confiscated by the FBI minutes after the crashes. Our gov't brings it on themselves hiding evidence that would either exonerate or indict them in a minute.

I remember Brad Pitt and "Seven Years in Tibet" when hollywood tried to whitewash an Austrian Anti-Semite, Its always the same story- like Chinese illegal contributions to the Clintons, they keep coming back

Even PBS 'documentaries' are filled with innuendo and other beliefs that might not be supported by facts. To start a firestorm two that cannot really stand true scientific scrutiny are evolution and global temperature change. You can find anecdotal evidence galore, but where are the true link creatures? And look at the temperature of Alaska over the last 100 years. If you discount Pacific Water warming trends that ebb and flow you will see the average temperature is not rising with any dramatic increase if at all.

So, when Hollywood which has to sensationalize everything has a true story they can resist punching it up, or if the character is more inline with their beliefs then they will sand down the rough edges so to speak.

First you decry an alleged Hollywood conspiracy and then end your piece by conjuring up one of your own? Do you have one shred of evidence that "What was really going on" was that Matt Drudge behind it all? Give me a break.

The only thing that gets smeared in Hollywood is the United States of America. The American People don't care about what Hollywood 'celebrities" say and do anymore. Hollywood has proven itself to be full of drug-addled nutcases. What comes out of Hollywood is nonsense.

Even if films are not accurate (what movie is?), this is all about the First Amendment. Let's not follow the gov't down the path of censorship. After all, censorship is becoming America's favorite past-time. The US gov't (and their corporate friends), already detain protesters, ban books like "America Deceived" from Amazon and Wikipedia, shut down Imus and fire 21-year tenured, BYU physics professor Steven Jones because he proved explosives, thermite in particular, took down the WTC buildings. Free Speech forever (especially for movies).
Last link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

And "Inconvenient Truth" is a documentary, right? One thing for sure this time around, not a single Oscar juror read the actual IPCC report. Gore's movie is science fiction, "Water World 2".

You realize, of course, that you're going to have loads of comments from the legions of Drudgebots that are going to read this linked story. And you're going to be accused of taking part in some obscure "liberal" conspiracy. I'm just sayin'.

You are right, many Americans are drawn into the web of a supposed conspiracy. Look at the traction that the 9/11 truthers were getting, until, one by one all of their theories went the way of many other urban legends.

In the end, this will have much less traction, afterall, who even goes to movies anymore? Most of America, you know, the majority of the country that the elites call "fly over country", don't care for the tripe that Hollywood has been putting out and consequently don't spend their hard earned dollars and time to be talked down to. Note the deafening silence of America at the supposed tragedy of the writers strike. Soon the elites can have their own pity party, similar to their awards shows, where rather than saying, "you're great, no you're great, no you're great", they will be saying, "why are you irrelevant, no, why are you irrelevant..."

who really gives a sh*t. the whole "ocsar" thing is promoted and handed out for the sole purpose of generating revenue. i mean really, the best actor is ...... or the oscar goes to........ there is no such thing as the best in art. the most popular, maybe. if someone really wants an oscar just follow harvey weinstein's lead and buy one.

The trouble with these "fact-based" Hollywood movies is two-fold.
1) Many times the "facts" are boring, controversial, or not in line with Hollywood's kooky left wing "values". Writers, producers, and directors (a la Oliver Stone) inject their own versions of the "facts" as it suits them and their political beliefs.
2) Movie making is entertainment and primarily fiction, something Hollywood has perfected over the years. To expect ANY film to be truthfully accurate shows a lack of contact with reality!
The trouble is that viewers with small minds, like those consuming a steady diet of network newscasts, absorb this bunk like sponges and accept it as reality.
To place a black man in the role of classic American gangster, when all of America knows that they are usually immigrants (Italian, Irish, Jewish), is typical of Hollywood and the "entertainment" industry. After all, we must have at least one of each minority in every film and TV show. While the twist to this plot might be refreshing (How many more Italian gangster movies can we take?), it is obviously not based on reality.

Am I to understand that somehow this was all Matt Drudges fault?

When Hollywood stops RE-Writeing history the public will give more of a crap about their whiney problems.When the American Public once agin learns histroy in school...the writers will know what the facts are.Right now...Movies ARE History 'books' for this dumbed down under 50 folks.

And if it doesn't get nominated, this will be the excuse the lazy pundits use, rather than the fact that just because a musical/crime drama/etc. wins one year, you can't just assume that the Academy will go the same route the following year, especially if you don't have someone like Martin Scorsese helming it.

Ron Howard wasn't *that* inevitable that year. Don't forget, Tom, that Robert Altman took the Golden Globe, and many thought he could take the Oscar, too.