- HOLLYWOOD -- In a stunning
development, Michael Eisner, Disney CEO has announced that his company
will distribute Mel Gibson's, 'The Passion'. Most unusually, Eisner himself
made the announcement.
-
 After Fox declined to distribute
the film, Eisner began private negotiations with Gibson for the rights.
Eisner had been given a private screening of the film with Gibson and stated
that he was moved to tears by the suffering of Jesus during his last hours.
"I have always admired Mel's work and am honored to be associated
with this, his greatest film. The message is in complete accordance with
the spirit of Walt Disney." Eisner, a Jew, emphasized that he would
have had nothing to do with the film if it were even remotely anti-semitic.
"Any viewing puts the lie to that contention", he said. "I
have been a lapsed Jew but after viewing what Christ did, I am returning
to the faith of my fathers. Jesus was a reformer who wanted his people
to live their lives in accordance with the principles of Moses and the
prophets that many of his contemporaries had forgotten. I'm going to try
to do the same."
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- In further stunning developments, a coalition of Hollywood's
brightest luminaries has announced that they have collected over $100 million
dollars to help defray the costs of the distribution. Liberal activists
James Garner, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman and Steven Speilberg have
contributed undisclosed amounts to the fund. Susan Sarandon, with her husband,
Tim Robbins by her side, announced the founding of the committee that is
spearheading the fundraising drive. The personnel who are supporting effort
reads like a Who's Who of Hollywood.
-
- The Oscar winning Ms. Sarandon has often been affiliated
with freedom for the arts activities. At the hastily arranged press conference,
she said, "We would be hypocrites if we did not unite behind Mel Gibson
in this endeavor. Mel's movie is free artistic expression at its utmost.
It can not be permitted to die on the vine'. At the conference, Cher, another
oscar winner, came forward and brandished a check for $10 million that
she was contributing. "If Susan had not formed this committee, I would
have', she stated. . .
-
- Barbra Streisand, yet another oscar winner, could not
be reached for comment but was rumored to have also donated $10 million
to the effort. Steven Spielberg's contribution is a closely guarded secret
but an unnamed source said that it matched Gibson's cost of making the
film which was around $25 million. Spielberg, also Jewish, was so impressed
by the film that he said the public must be permitted to see and appreciate
'this transcendent work of art'.
-
 As the conference continued, additional
names were bandied about as contributing, all from Hollywood's liberal
glitterati. Harry Belafonte, Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Tom Cruise, Ted
Danson, David Geffen, Whoopi Goldberg, Mary Steenburgen and Arsenio Hall
are all listed as contributors. "As liberals and artists, we can not
condone censorship in any form", Asner, a former president of the
Screen Actors' Guild said. Asner angrily denounced efforts by The Anti-Defamation
League and other liberal organizations to prevent the distribution of the
movie and label it anti-semitic.
-
- Since the controversy over Gibson's movie erupted, observers
wondered what liberal Hollywood would do. The reluctance of established
activists to step forward and back Gibson's efforts was taken by many on
the right as an example of Hollywood's selective application of tolerance.
This latest effort by Sarandon, et al, is expected to put to rest any accusations
of hypocrisy and any contentions that Hollywood is only concerned about
leftist causes, especially in censorship cases.
-
- It would be wonderful if all of this were true but it's
all a hoax. I hope readers enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. But
isn't it the truth? Hollywood is exposing itself for the huge bunch of
hypocrites they are. Mel Gibson is lucky to be enough of a star that he
will likely survive this. Will a lesser star survive? Let's see what happens
to James Caviezel who plays Jesus. He's been regarded as one of the best
young actors around.
-
- My bet is that this movie will be such a huge box office
success that materialistic Hollywood will line up to do another project
like it. Like all great leftist institutions, Hollywood worships its sole
God - money.
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- "<http://www.etherzone.com/>Published originally
at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink
intact."
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- http://www.etherzone.com/2003/beam090303.shtml
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