The most-watched TV shows are reality shows. Don’t you want to watch shows where people are worse off and nastier than you? And let’s not forget “The Walking Dead,” a show about zombies, which some would say is also a reality show. What redeeming values. And then there are shows like “Greys Anatomy” where doctors and nurses are getting it on like rabbits before Easter.

Aren’t these shows what people want? Apparently not. Reality, zombie and vampire shows are popular among our youth. “The Bible” series pulled in more than 13.1 viewers, of which 5.6 million were between 18 and 45. Wow! Who would have thought 18-year-olds were interested in Bible stories?

These numbers are considered an enormous audience by normal TV broadcast standards. What happened? Those liberal fruitcakes in Hollywood think good, wholesome programming with solid family and moral values won’t sell. Obviously they’re wrong.

Tyler Perry has repeatedly proven them wrong, as well. His “Madea” series has made hundreds of millions of dollars, and he has written directed and produced many other feel-good, wholesome, God-centered movies that have also gone on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Go figure.

So why wouldn’t Hollywood want to cash in on this viewership? Because they are so sold out to their godless, moral-less agenda that they are willing to make less money. Instead we are bombarded with shows like “The Simpsons,” “Family Man” and “South Park” – shows that force the notion on our young people that parents, fathers in particular, are so inept that they are not to be listened to or obeyed. The family unit, religion, moral values and just good clean TV are not what we should subscribe to.

What, then, should we be watching? Vampire and zombie movies that show a romantic side to death, right? That dark side is kind of sexy and fun. We are so turned around as a society. They even tried to shove a show like “GCB” (Good Christian Bitches) down our throats because they loath what Christianity stands for and want to discredit it. What cowards. Were they also going to produce “Good Islamic Bitches” or “Good Buddhist Bitches”? Doubtful.

“The Bible” series, the Tyler Perry movies, “The Cosby Show,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Fairly Odd Parents” are but a few of many, good wholesome shows that make, and made, money, and keep making money in syndication. They have good characters with good parents in them with wholesome story lines and a useful lesson to every show.

The cable channel “ME-TV” is doing fantastic, making money, and has a rapidly growing audience. Why? Listen up, Hollywood! Because people want some good, clean, wholesome programming. But instead, the industry keeps pushing broken families, sexual perversion and down-trodden, no-way-out garbage on us, and you, the general viewer, allow it.

If you want good programming, fight back. Don’t support the shows and stations that don’t promote your values, and let them know you’re doing it.

As those Hollywood executives are sitting around trying to figure out how and why this happened, show them you care. Show them they must stop treating you like a bunch of mindless, careless idiots. Take time to see what your kids are watching, and don’t support those that sponsor these moral-less shows.

Joe Messina is the host of a Nationally Syndicated radio show
The Real Side w/Joe Messina

www.TheRealSide.com

In the 2008, America elected “the biggest celebrity in the world“, Barack Obama. Oh yes, America, we got “one cool president!” However, that “cool” seems to be wearing off- even in Hollywood!

First, one of Obama’s strongest supporters in 2008 has now retracted his support of President Cool!  Matt Damon is quite disappointed in Obama, and, in a very strange turn of events, even complimented President George W. Bush for his progress on various AIDS initiatives. He went so far as to say he could kiss Dubya!

Then there’s the now famous rant from comedian Jon Lovitz, for which he is now being accused of threatening Obama. In a report from The Blaze, Jon Lovitz made an appearance on the Dr. Drew Pinsky show, Mr. Lovitz said of Obama:

“…he’s creating a class warfare in a country where there is no class structure. Anybody can go from being broke to being wealthy.”

In Mr. Lovitiz original tirade that sets the stage for the accusation from Dr. Pinsky, the comedian said:

“…I voted for the guy and I’m a Democrat.”

Finally, there is Ariana Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post. On Monday, Ms. Huffington made an appearance on CBS “This Morning”, where she said the “spiking the football” ad put out by the Obama campaign, which politicizes Osama bin Laden’s death, “is one of the most despicable things you can do.”

Many Americans who voted for Obama in the 2008 election have said they will not vote for him again. Now, celebrities are disappointed in President Cool.

So now the real question for Mr. Damon, Mr. Lovitz and Ms. Huffington is this:

Will you vote for Barack Obama in 2012? Or will you dare to cross over the “political line” and vote for Mitt Romney? Or will you simply stay home and not vote?

Baldwin tweeted on Tuesday: “Lobbying Congress 2day 4 federal funding 4 the arts. Those $s create jobs and tax revenues, raise kids’ test scores, build communities..”

@ErinHaust replied, “Y not pay for it yourself?” and “U have $$ & a commanding audience. Y not start a charity instead of digging ur hand into taxpayer pockets 4 ur pet project?” Haust asked, “R u saying only the govt can save the arts?” and “How does SPENDING tax $ RAISE revenue?”

These couple of tweets started a wave of activity from both Baldwin and Haust followers.  Baldwin jabbed, “The Defense Dept is the pet project of rich Republicans. You got a problem with that?” and “if we don’t secure our cultural heritage, what are we fighting 2 protect? Big Macs? Video games? Shopping malls?”

Followers of Haust responded in kind with statements like:

“next time we get attacked We can send the artists into battle to protect us” – @Rightwingdharma

“Seriously? American families can barely afford milk & gas. Why not just write a check yourself?” – @TheMommyLobby

Baldwin was in D.C. as special guest speaker at the National Press Club luncheon on Monday and touted his meetings and lobbying activities in his speech. Calling out representatives from Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico and 3 other states for what he called “favorable” and unfavorable actions in regards to funding for the arts, Baldwin said that he was pleased with his success.

This begs the question, is it ethical to lobby representatives that are not YOUR representatives from your district?

Baldwin doesn’t get it.

Despite his claims that funding for the arts creates jobs and tax revenues, Baldwin failed to see the irony of his thinking.  He tweeted, “You sound like all GOPers. They only love any regs and tax policy that stimulate the Dow.”

Was he not using job creation and revenue as argument FOR federal funding?

As @MShack87 pointed out, “Yep. Most hard working American’s pensions & 401k’s are invested in the market. You dont care about them?”

Most conservatives are actually in favor of some funding for the arts and architecture that preserve American heritage but, as G Linzmayer suggests, most would be “happy to see them spend more for the arts – IF they took it away from some other BS program that isn’t working…”

Baldwin had recently visited Europe and mentioned several times his affinity for the art and architecture of Rome, Paris and London. He said that they are “doing it right” in Europe by creating a culture appreciative of the arts.

In the same moment, however, that he is praising Rome for “doing it right,” he is complaining that money from the National Endowment for the Arts and other federal funding for the arts typically comes with strings attached.  He made reference to state and local governments not allowing “obscene” art and artists having to give the funding back to the government should their art be found inappropriate.

Respectfully, Mr. Baldwin is not taking into consideration several things when it comes to art and architecture in Europe.  First, Roman emperors, senators and dignitaries dictated what the architecture in Rome would look like.  They designed the structures and sculptures.  They told their musicians what they wanted to hear in their music, what they wanted painted on the walls.  Kings in France and England did the same.  Any ‘government funding’ of the arts in Europe, even in recent times, has had heavy strings attached.

Also worthy of consideration is the fact that the art and architecture in Europe is thousands and thousands of years old.  America can’t possibly, no matter how much federal money is spent, have the kind of historical context associated with the art of Europe.

Alec Baldwin, like many in Hollywood with similar views, fails to see the greatness that true freedom of expression provides.  Hollywood seems all too eager to lobby, push, advertise and admonish tax payers into funding that which makes them feel generous and righteous, even when they could solve the problem with their own money.

Perhaps Baldwin could gather some of his fellow 1%ers and use the money they would have spent on the Buffett Rule tax plan to start a charity to expand the arts, sans strings, throughout the country.

From the BarackObamaDotCom YouTube Channel:

“Remember how far we’ve come. From Academy Award®-winning director Davis Guggenheim: “The Road We’ve Traveled”.

This film gives an inside look at some of the tough calls President Obama made to get our country back on track. Featuring interviews from President Bill Clinton, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Elizabeth Warren, David Axelrod, Austan Goolsbee, and more. It’s a film everyone should see.”

courtesy of Sal Montag (@saltyhollywood)

Following the tragic loss of Andrew Breitbart, the Conservative blogosphere and media have been filled with memorials and accolades to his life, principles, and tenacity in achieving his goal of setting the Conservative message against the main stream media. The constant theme of them all is that Breitbart was a warrior for the cause, and an example to set before all involved in fighting the barrage of skewed information presented by the main stream media. Andrew set out to ensure that even media in pop culture was countered when he created “The Bigs” and added Big Hollywood to its ranks.

An article in The Atlantic Wire makes the thought provoking statement that Andrew himself was trying to make: the Conservative movement can’t just happen in blazer and cocktail dress filled rooms, or in e-vite organized Tea Party events, or even on Twitter and Facebook groups. It has begun to surface in the places that would have made Andrew more happy than anything: in pop culture. And it’s growing.

Movies like “Act of Valor” , endorsements by celebrities of Conservative candidates, and the willingness of more celebrities to talk openly about being Conservative, are what Conservatives need to encourage to help keep up with the constant barrage of anti-conservative messaging in pop culture.

The Atlantic Wire mentions Breitbart’s quest for a Punk Rock Republican as being unfinished. I would suggest that the author of that post never met the guys from Madison Rising. A recent interview with lead singer Dave Bray, and talking with the band in general, has proven that Breitbart was on to something. These guys fully intend to do their share to bring Conservatism to the rock area of pop culture.

When you are a part of what has been called “the best show on television” by critics, you would probably be forgiven a little ego. Maybe even a lot of ego. You might even be forgiven a little disconnect with the real world and all of it’s problems. Surprisingly, pleasantly so, The Wire actor Chris Ashworth is about as down to earth and as humble as they come.

I honestly don’t remember how I was introduced to Chris, exactly. I know it was on Facebook over a year ago and I am fairly certain he contacted me over a political post ( what else?) and that we became “friends” shortly after. Later, we connected on Twitter, and we have kept in touch off and on since. I have always been impressed by just how interactive Chris is with both his personal Facebook account and his “page” for his fans. His Facebook posts are personal,encouraging, and honest. He chats with his real life friends and his fans on a level that leaves you with no doubt that he is genuinely interested.

During a recent conversation with Chris, he let me know that he has a new project in the works that he is extremely excited about. “Excited” is the word he used, but after talking with him about it for awhile, I began to think “called to do” was more along the lines of what he meant. Chris is a devout Christian, a Conservative, and I now realize that he believes that he is in a place to use his career as a way to reach out, to give a louder voice to the problems that we all face and the issues that we are all struggling with today. It’s admirable, and humbling, to listen to his passion when he talks about the opportunity he sees before him.

Chris was gracious enough to call in to my show not too long ago and talk with me about his career, his personal values, his faith and his new project. If you have a few moments, give the show a listen here and take heart that there is some honesty, integrity, grateful and humble left in Hollywood. Chris is what my family calls “good people”, and his excitement for his new project is contagious. He loves God, his country and his family and friends, and he is happy to tell anyone. You can find his fan page on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. Ask him about his in-the-works MMA related project, because he would love to tell you more and tell you more about why he is doing it.

Chris is the kind of integrity I want present to balance out the prevelant on television and in the movies. He is the kind of guy I want my entertainment money going to, and his new endeavor is the kind of thing I can personally understand and support. If you are so inclined, you can help get his new project off the ground. Send him a little Christmas gift via Paypal, if you can help out, to ChrisAshworthMMASponsors@Gmail.com .. and I guarantee that the gratitude you get back from him personally will be heartfelt, genuine and not forgotten.

Will Miley Cyrus’ new song, “It’s A Liberty Walk”, become the new “anthem” of the #Occupiers?

Oh, but WAIT! Isn’t Miley Cyrus one of those horrible “1%ers”? Oh yes, it’s different, because she’s in HOLLYWOOD, and that makes her completely ok, because she “understands the plight of the people”, right? (insert massive rolling of the eyes and sarcasm here!)

This is the description from the YouTube video posted on Miley Cyrus’ official YouTube page:

This is Dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in. Miley Cyrus

Let’s give some love to Larry O’Connor and give him congratulations (and stuff) in the comments!

On the drive home I started thinking about that. Why do we need to make a concerted effort to diversify?  When it comes to church, Black people are different from White people in many ways.  They are more interactive, they worship differently, and they hear messages differently.  That is not a bad thing. It’s a cultural thing.  Attracting more Black people would mean having to change the whole approach to services, and if you do that, then aren’t you letting the quest for diversity trump genuine message?  Church is not for meeting your weekly diversity quotient. It’s for fellowshipping with other believers and spreading the Word. For those who aren’t drawn to a particular service, there are other churches with different ways of worshipping that may work better for them and that is why God made diversity, so there could be a myriad of choices for folks of different stripes.

My thoughts turned to Hollywood and their seemingly never-ending modern quest for diversity. What I find most frustrating about this is how it is so deliberate and methodical.  It’s as if there is a formula that must be adhered to in order to receive the diversity stamp of approval.  I’ll call it the Rainbow Formula.  1 Black + 1 Asian (any type) + 1 Hispanic (any type) + multiple White people = officially diverse.  Sorry, Native Americans.  You don’t make the cut unless the script calls for something to happen on an Indian reservation.

I suppose I appreciate the effort, but the result is a “false diversity” that ends up bleeding cultural appeal and uniqueness. The Rainbow Formula creates a “vanilla” diversity that adheres to a color quota, but denies any other relevant differences between the cultures other than the superficial aspects.  Cue sassy Black friend, cue nerdy, overachieving Asian friend, cue clueless, rhythmless White friend.

This false diversity is not only offensive, it’s bad for business.  I believe Hollywood could be creating a lot more revenue if it strove for a genuine assortment of offerings.  In other words, the diversity doesn’t come in the casting, it comes in the programming.  Recognizing that different cultures perceive, laugh, love, work and interact differently could be the key to creating a diverse arrangement of shows that appeal to Americans in many different, but lucrative ways.  Take BET, for example.  Two of their most popular offerings in the history of their channel cater specifically to the sensibilities of Black people.  The Game and Girlfriends.

Of course, it’s not only Black people who watch those shows, but they are marketed to Black people in the respect that they approach issues from a specific cultural perspective.  The fact that they do that unapologetically and organically ends up making the shows palatable to all races, while recognizing their cultural market.  Black people flock to those shows and they’re happy to do it because it’s a show for them and about them.  It’s just too bad that those millions and millions of Black viewers have to navigate their dollars to the nether regions of cable when they could and would be just as happy to turn their televisions to any of the major networks if only their programming was more… diverse.

We’ve seen hints of this diversity model in the past.  Both Fox and the CW built their fan base on Black shows (Living Single, In Living Color, Moesha, etc.) before abandoning that audience.  They ignored programming diversity in favor of the Rainbow Formula, forgetting that those shows were popular precisely because they celebrated cultural identity instead of sanitizing it.

Modern liberal Hollywood’s sad obsession with false diversity effectively reduces every person to nothing more than the color of his or her skin.  It erases individuality and very real cultural differences.  The Rainbow Formula becomes more important than solid entertainment.  Its born of a twisted need to prove that they are not racist like the great unwashed masses of middle America, a guilt that transcends time and reason.  It ends up whitewashing (if you’ll forgive the term) the unique cultural flavors that have gathered to make up America. Ultimately, and by Hollywood terms almost unforgivably, it throws away the significant entertainment dollars of minority communities (see Tyler Perry’s Tyler Perry for more information about harnessing that particular revenue stream).  It sends the message that those communities have no important stories to tell that don’t include Jim Crow or “white knights” riding to rescue the natives.

Perhaps the real problem is the almost religious connotation liberal Hollywood has given the word ‘diversity’.  There is no inherent virtue in diversity.  Diversity, as we use the term today, is a joke and applied almost exclusively to color while ignoring culture.  Hollywood needs to give up this stifling quest and start working on creating real programming choices.  That is where the money is, and ultimately, the viewer’s heart.

http://youtu.be/puV1ahaXtHc

Sean Penn can’t seem to open his mouth without spewing some sort of hatred about the right while praising dictators on the left. In fact, it’s almost safe to say that here in America; Hugo Chavez has had no greater friend. The left-most ring of the Hollywood circus also has “documentarian”/activist Michael Moore who tends to make millions off of capitalistic systems then completely denounces and attacks them to make even more money. Lastly, I’d be remiss to leave out our (annoyingly pretty) pal Olivia Wilde who teamed up with MoveOn.org to make a pro Obama video that told it’s viewers that if Republicans won, the future was doomed. Humorously doomed, but doomed nonetheless.

It’s no wonder that when a Hollywood actor does say something even remotely conservative that, we on the patriotic right cling to their words like it’s the last piece of floating flotsam from a sinking ship. We want Hollywood, a very powerful force in media, the economy, and our culture, to represent who we are as a nation, and not denounce it as it has since as a lot of us can remember.

Take for instance the latest statements made by nerd princess and all round Hollywood hottie, Mila Kunis, who said communism was “good in theory, in execution it fails.” She would know, her family experienced the epic failure that communism is firsthand. When those words hit print, an idea was lit within the conservative community that maybe, just maybe, there was hope somewhere in that vast, lib infested, disappointment.

Some would state that it was simply that; one actress’s opinion that just so happened to agree with our conservative beliefs, but it’s a tad more than that. The bigger picture is someone with a golden megaphone spoke our mind to millions that up until then, weren’t listening. See, messages are important but that’s simply the core of it, often times, it’s who delivers the message that really makes it effective.

Do you think Reagan’s speech at the Berlin wall would have been half as effective if it was delivered by Dane Cook? The defense rests.

But Mila, who may or may not have just merely stumbled into our good graces, isn’t the only one touting right wing ideology. Little known for his Conservative opinions is Iron Man himself, (and my favorite actor) Robert Downey Jr.

“I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.”

His story is that of a Hollywood man that found out through trials, self imposed hardships, and bad mistakes that the liberal mentality just isn’t a valid working model. Will you hear this story on Entertainment Tonight? Probably not. In fact if I were to take a poll amongst conservatives, I’m sure most would likely assume that Downey was likely a liberal…

…and I have a problem with that.

What conservatives nowadays have done is write Hollywood off as a bastion of liberal ideology and a platform where leftist ideas can flourish and find light, and that is a huge mistake, because sadly, we’re right. We’ve given up the silver screen for lost, and somehow have become okay with complaining about it in the background, and we have to change our thinking on this.

As Andrew Breitbart said in his book, Righteous Indignation, “Hollywood is more important than Washington. It can’t be overstated how important this message is: pop culture matters”, and he’s right. Not everyone watches Fox News, CNN, CSPAN, and I think a couple people watch MSNBC, but nearly everyone watches non-news television, or goes to see movies. Messages like these are important and we need to show support for those in Hollywood who believe them.

People like Graham Beckel, who recently starred in the movie (I highly recommend) “Atlas Shrugged” should not be running the conservative fame train solely. Beckel touts his conservatism in spite of the leftist atmosphere he’s surrounded in, but his voice is still small. Sean Penn and Michael Moore are only loud because we’ve practically given them and their like, the stage.

Clinging to the scraps we get from the proverbial table isn’t going to be enough. We need a strong presence in Hollywood, because it’s in Hollywood that our message will flourish by leaps and bounds. Atlas Shrugged was in my opinion, a miracle movie, but that’s a sad fact, not a triumphant get. I say, these types of things need to be commonplace.

I mean honestly, if Penn, Baldwin, and Sarandon are the best that leftist Hollywood has to offer it shouldn’t be too hard to topple their tower anyway.

At the grocery store, out for dinner or drinks, at the office, at a barbecue - wherever – when someone decides to bring up a fiscal or social topic, Conservatives often take the high ground and say nothing. Sure, you’re supposedly not supposed to talk religion or politics in social settings – so the left takes advantage, spews their garbage and assumes there is no real opposition to their way of thinking.

Hollywood is a prime example.  Ben Shapiro wrote an entire book about how Hollywood’s elite are pushing a highly progressive agenda. Shapiro shared some of the insights from his book in a U.K. Independent interview in May.

“I was shocked by the openness of the Hollywood crowd when it came to admitting anti-conservative discrimination inside the industry,”  ”They weren’t ashamed of it. In fact, some were actually proud of it.”

Actors and crew who feel otherwise are bullied into silence. In such a hostile surrounding, I can imagine a young actor or cameraman nodding their heads to keep their jobs, while avoiding the urge to vomit simultaneously.

The problem is not limited to out-of-touch world of the super-rich Hollywood left. Conservatives have been effectively painted as extremists by the media. It emboldens liberals and quiets the opposition.

I dealt with a similar situation at work and did what many of us might do in a work environment. I work out in the gym at work. Since I was the first one in, the rule is, I get to choose what to watch. I put it on Fox News. 10 or so minutes later, another person came in and asked if she could change it. I let her know that I was watching it. She responded, “Good Lord, you’ll turn me into a pillar of salt”. I could have turned it into a lively discussion on immorality on television, but was satisfied with getting to watch what I wanted.

What if I had spoken up instead? What if I had asked her what news channel she would watch instead? Then ask if that news channel represents her Christian faith better or worse than Fox News and ask for examples. Later, when she gets home, she might think about what I asked, her faith and watching her beloved CNN,  perhaps question her own choices. Maybe she’s choosing a political tradition in her family over the teachings of her own church.

Planting the seed of doubt is our responsibility. Silence only nurtures the liberal belief that their extremist ideas are popular. That’s how propaganda works.