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Words are powerful - Thoughts shape - Ideas have consequences

James Hirsen

Newsmax.com
Posted January 26, 2004

The Left Coast Troops Invade Iowa and New Hampshire
A Political Look at Hollywood

1. Gwyneth Paltrow's Weird Embarrassment

The London weather seems to do something strange to the celebrity head. Like some of her famed Brit-smitten buddies, it looks as if Gwyneth Paltrow's brain has fogged over. From her overseas haunt, Paltrow accused the president of misleading the public and of not paying attention to the rest of the world. Translation: Bush doesn't kiss enough U.N., French or German keister.

The "Shallow Hal" gal said, "I think George Bush is such an embarrassment to America in the way that he doesn't take the rest of the world into consideration." Paltrow appeared to be reading from greenie cue cards. She said: "... it all seems to be for him and his friends to keep getting richer at the expense of a nation, at the expense of the environment. It's like a full-scale assault on the environment."

The Oscar-winning mother-to-be also recently had sort of an anti-U.S. tizzy. "I worry about bringing up a child in America," Paltrow told World Entertainment News Network. "At the moment there's a weird, over-patriotic atmosphere over there, like, 'We're number one and the rest of the world doesn't matter.'"

The Left Coast Report wonders if Paltrow has been bitten by the same political mosquito as Madonna. Could it be that a plastic British accent is right around the corner?

2. U.N. Gets Intellectual With Carmen Electra

For celebs that want to regain control of their Internet domain names, the U.N. is increasingly becoming the cyber court of choice. The latest star to seek U.N. help is former "Baywatch" lifeguard Tara Leigh Patrick, better known for the last 10 years as Carmen Electra.

In a ruling by a United Nations panel called the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the actress won control of the Internet name www.carmenelectra.com. The panel ruled against a Canadian company that had registered the name. It reasoned that use of the Carmen Electra Web site address created a likelihood of confusion that the site was sponsored, endorsed or affiliated with Electra.

The WIPO recently weighed in against the same operation and aided a slew of celebrities, including Pierce Brosnan, Michael Crichton, Kevin Spacey, Pamela Anderson, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Left Coast Report warns: When it comes to the U.N., we'd better watch our e-backs.

3. Prime Miller Time

Some clever execs at NBC have decided to revitalize the CNBC cable channel with a daily dose of Dennis Miller. The "Dennis Miller" show is set to air weeknights at 9 p.m. EST beginning Jan. 26. The program will feature his unique perspective on current events, interviews with top newsmakers and an eclectic round-table discussion.

Miller has been entertaining the public with his rants for years. But the comedian/actor/author and all-around stand-up guy notes that 9/11 changed a lot of things, including his politics. He recently shared some of his views on national security with the press. In analyzing a situation where a "psycho from another country" plans to blow up things on our soil, Miller said: "... I expect my government to kill him preemptively. I guess that makes me a right-wing fanatic, and I'm more than happy to bask in that assignation." With Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial win, California Republicans are buzzing about the possibility of a Senate seat duke-out between Barbara Boxer and Miller.

The Left Coast Report doesn't mean to go on a rant here, but the "Dennis Miller" show looks poised to give CNBC that boost its been looking for and bring in some ratings sunlight.

4. Sean Penn, Foreign Correspondent

It's true. Sean Penn filed his first article as a foreign correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle. Penn got the reporter job from the estranged spouse of Sharon Stone, Spicoli buddy Phil Bronstein, who also happens to be the editor of the Chronicle.

To insure that Penn's political compass remained on L, left-leaning groups, which included Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Global Exchange and Institute for Public Accuracy, guided him. Unfortunately, Penn's pen produced a pack of pessimistic pap, including this item: "People from all sides of the debate acknowledge that the insurgency movement builds every day in manpower and organizational strength."

On another grim note he wrote, "The Iraqis I speak to say that the U.S. policy of de-Baathification is devoid of consideration of long-term goals, human nature and Arab culture and thus could ignite a powder keg." Penn even claimed to have found an unnamed Iraqi source that confirmed the actor's prior "war for oil" outbursts. He wrote, "'Your government has come to liberate the people from Saddam,' one man asks me, 'or to liberate oil from the people?'"

The Left Coast Report imagines that, when he saw his article in print, reporter Spicoli dropped his pizza.

5. Left Coast Troops Invade Iowa and New Hampshire

Celebrity endorsements currently seem to be reflecting the split in the Democrat Party. Up until now, the front-runner in garnering Tinseltown support has been Howard Dean. Starting with an early endorsement from Rob Reiner, the former Vermont guv has managed to reel in several more, including ones from Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Michael Douglas, Paul Newman, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. Rob Reiner, Janeane Garofalo, Joan Jett and Sheen were actually spotted in Iowa, firing up the Dean devotees.

On the New Hampshire front, Wesley Clark, the candidate who not so long ago said that Bush "should be proud" of sticking to the policy to wage war in Iraq, has been spending time vogue-ing with Madonna. And in a letter, deceitful dude Michael Moore explained to his ultra-liberal cult following the reasons he's supporting Clark. "I have met Clark and spoken to him on a number of occasions," Moore wrote. "I have found him to be the real deal, someone whom I'm convinced all of you would like, both as a person and as the individual leading this country. He is an honest, decent, honorable man who would be a breath of fresh air in the White House." Moore also pointed out some of Clark's positions that he finds delightful, such as his opposition to the war in Iraq, his support of mandatory racial preferences and his stance on socialized medicine. Additional celebs that are stumping for Clark include Alan Alda and Christopher Guest.

John Kerry has apparently captured the political hearts of Jamie Lee Curtis, Kathleen Turner, Dennis Hopper, Aaron Sorkin, Moby, James Taylor, Bradley Whitford, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael J. Fox, Penny Marshall, Peter Yarrow, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmunds, Quincy Jones, Carole King and Uma Thurman.

Barry Manilow, Courtney Cox Arquette and Chevy Chase are in the Dick Gephardt fold.

In addition to Ben Affleck, Deepak Chopra, Ed Begley Jr., Casey Kasem, Ed Asner, Linda Blair, Jerry Springer, Jeff Bridges, Elliott Gould, James Cromwell, Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt, Dennis Kucinich has the backing of Castro lover Danny Glover.

John Edwards has attracted Glenn Close, Ashton Kutcher, Glenn Frey, Ali McGraw, Hootie and the Blowfish too.

I suspect that Joe Lieberman may be paying a price for pointing out the virtue void in Tinseltown, because Hollywood seems to be saying no go to Joe.

6. Margaret Cho's Stupid Fixation

In an interview with BuzzFlash, standup comic Margaret Cho recently tried to justify MoveOn.org's ad contest entries that compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler. BuzzFlash asked Cho, "What do you think specifically upset so many of the bigot 'freepers' that they sent you hate mail?" "I think it was because I said that they were stupid, which they are. I actually respect a lot of conservatives. And I understand there are people that actually are smart on the right, but they're totally embarrassed by the dummies out there in the right wing. And when you call people stupid, if they are stupid, they get so mad that all they can do is just implode," answered Cho.

Cho gave her theory about why she was criticized after saying this about the RNC and the president: "Despite all of this stupid bullsh-- that the Republican National Committee, or whatever the f--- they call them, that they were saying that they're all angry about how two of these ads were comparing Bush to Hitler? I mean, out of thousands of submissions, they find two. They're like fu--ing looking for Hitler in a haystack. You know? I mean, George Bush is not Hitler. He would be if he fu--ing applied himself." She chattered on about members of the GOP: "I think this last year has just proven how stupid Republicans are."

According to Cho, people singled her out either because she's an Asian or because she's a woman. She said: "I don't think that anybody else had the same kind of backlash from being involved with MoveOn.org as I did. And partially it's racial, of course, and it's gender-based. And it's that people just don't see that Americans are of other ethnic backgrounds."

The Left Coast Report is disappointed to see Cho dealing from the bottom of the deck and, when criticized for it, start playing the race and gender cards.

7. Mel Gibson's Film Gets Passionate Support

It increasingly looks as if foes of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are destined for disappointment. One reason that, post-Fat Tuesday, they may be sporting long faces is because of the enthusiasm of folks such as Arch Bonnema of Plano, Texas.

In anticipation of the release of Gibson's film, Bonnema has bought out all 20 screens of the Cinemark Tinseltown so that members of Prestonwood Baptist Church can experience the movie on debut day. Bonnema also plans to give half of his thousands of tickets to theology students, Bible study groups and others. And like Bonnema, churches across the nation are buying large blocks of tickets in advance of the film's release on Feb. 25, Ash Wednesday.

Which brings up a question for "Passion" antagonists.

The Left Coast Report asks: Can you say blockbuster?

Reprinted by permission by James Hirsen

James Hirsen is a New York Times best selling author, commentator, news analyst and law professor. He is sought after for his expertise on current events and cultural matters, and has appeared on the O’Reilly Factor, Weekend Live with Tony Snow, Scarborough Country, CNN’s People in the News, Fox and Friends, ABC’s Politically Incorrect and numerous other television programs. He is also a frequent radio guest of Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, Dennis Prager, Michael Reagan and hosts his own daily nationally syndicated radio program. Hirsen is author of the popular weekly column, “The Left Coast Report,” and the New York Times bestseller Tales from the Left Coast: True Stories of Hollywood Stars and Their Outrageous Politics . He teaches law at both Trinity Law School and Biola University in Southern California and is admitted to practice in the California and Washington, D.C. Bar Associations as well as the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Prior to this James Hirsen worked as a professional musician and for a number of years was keyboardist for one of the most legendary groups of all times, the Temptations.