Hollywood And God

[Dr. Shane]

Hollywood And God

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A survey conducted among the 104 top television writers and executives found that, of the 104 who were asked if adultery was wrong only, 49% said it was. That means that 51% maintained that they believe that adultery is morally right. Meanwhile 85% of the rest of America believes adultery is wrong.

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When questioned if they had any religious affiliation, Hollywood came in at 45% saying that they didn't, while the percentage of Americans who had no religious affiliation was a mere 4%.

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[Dr. Shane]

Now, who doesn't want to know what Pat "Wheel-of-Fortune" Sajak has to say? (Even though his TV late show was a flop <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

The Disconnect Between Hollywood and America

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Rosie O'Donnell -- a daytime talk show host -- goes public with her sexual preference, and she is lauded as brave. What exactly is brave about that? First of all, who cares? And what's brave about getting the chance to be interviewed by ABC and landing on magazine covers? I characterize it as bravery-as-a-career-move.

I don’t mean to pick on Ms. O'Donnell, but it's just another example of the self-importance that Show Business can bestow on you -- the idea that your sexual preference matters to anyone other than your immediate family and your partner, or partners, seems rather silly to me.

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Speaking of silly, Alec Baldwin, an actor, recently compared the election of George W. Bush to the terrorist attacks of last September. This is the same Baldwin brother who promised to leave the country if Bush were elected. Sadly, he reneged on that one. Baldwin also went on Conan O'Brien's late-night show during the Clinton impeachment to say that Illinois Republican Congressman Henry Hyde should be shot -- along with his family.

Do remarks like that get you chastised in Hollywood? Ostracized? Marginalized? No, it's Alec Baldwin. He's an actor. He's in Show Business. He's important.

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Filmmaker Rob Reiner -- a cofounder of Castle Rock Entertainment -- is reportedly upset by what he sees in many films these days, and he plans to do something about it... So what’s got Rob so upset? Gratuitous violence? Casual sex? Disrespect toward Christianity? Bias against Big Business? Is that what he wants to cut down or eliminate? No, of course not. That would be censorship. He wants to get rid of smoking. There's too much smoking in movies.

To quote Mr. Reiner, "Movies are basically advertising cigarettes to kids." No knock on Rob. In fact, I agree with him. But why is smoking open to censorship and not these other issues? And what happened to Hollywood's argument that movies and TV shows don't cause bad behavior, they just reflect it? Or is it merely a health issue?

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And, perhaps worst of all, it's the phenomenon that allows movie studios and television networks to program with an utter disregard for your kids and your communities. It's not that they're evil people. They have kids, and they care about them. But they see no connection between what they do and the results of what they do. And, besides, you're not really families and communities. You're ratings, demographics and sales.

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[Neil D]

[:"green"]A new book I have just written, called, What Hollywood Believes explores an area that has rarely been examined before--the faith of the famous. This hasn't been an easy task. It has taken a great deal of meticulous research. This is because actors in the past have been strongly discouraged from making public their thoughts about God. Up until the success of "The Passion of the Christ," Hollywood had been under the illusion that America wasn't interested in God. That's because the town lives in a world of its own. It doesn't resemble core America. Gallup polls reveal that over 90% of Americans believe in God, and that as many as 40% attend worship services regularly, but this hasn't been reflected in the movies or on television.***

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There are certain things that isolate people....One is thier homosexuality. Another is the creed that they live by, or thier religion. At one point in time in the not too distant past, a southern baptist was a pariaha to a catholic because of thier opposition to all things catholic. A CAtholic was automatically concidered to be against everything Adventist, Southern Baptist, Mormon, and a great many other religions.

The book about Hollywood and God makes an assumption that colors the whole book....

[:"green"]This is because actors in the past have been strongly discouraged from making public their thoughts about God. [/] While this is true, what is left out is the reason for this discouragement. That is, any declaration on religion is to place that actor into the "us vs them" catagory. This removes the actors voice, from the audience. This typically causes less people going to the movie, and less revenues.

Contrary to belief, Tinseltown is not dumb....and the almighty dollar diffinately speaks...As Harrison Ford once said, "Hollywood is a business." and the public relations aspect is a part of getting you to buy/watch thier product. If you will buy a ticket to a movie because you like Cary Grant, you had better believe that Tinseltown will provide you with Cary Grant on the big screen. Thier PR is to take money from you, or better yet, have you give the money...

Hollywood is believed to be godless...but if truth be known, Hollywood is claimed up shut regarding religion. And they are not going to tell you, at least voluntarily. Untill it is popular to do so...And even then, I suspect that they will get the bible wrong....