A rebranded Hollywood sign sums up the sad place to where we are headed
Depots, hackers and terrorists should never be allowed to win. This week, despite shows of defiance in Australia and Pakistan, it was Hollywood that caved in when Sony pulled the comedy action film The Interview in response to threats from hackers with links to North Korea.
This morning, President Obama remarked of the decision:
“I think (Sony) made a mistake… I wish they’d spoken to me first. I would have told them, ‘Do not get into a pattern in which you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks’.
Michael Lynton, Sony’s chief executive officer responded:
“We had no choice… I would be fibbing to say I wasn’t disappointed by what the President said… The President and I haven’t spoken. I don’t know exactly whether he understands the sequence of events that led up to the movie’s not being shown in theaters”.
“I mean, I understand on the one hand that my fellow CEOs and everybody else have their own commercial concerns and they themselves were worried about becoming a target. And it did make this entire enterprise to be a very, very lonely affair. But on the other hand, this is a moment when you’d expect the industry to rally around and support you”.
Our Picture of the Week, shared with us by the writer, poet and producer Amanda Eliasch, shows a Photoshopped version of the Hollywood Sign adapted to read North Korea. It sums up the disappointing sell-out that has happened perfectly.
The basic purpose of the real Hollywood Sign was meant to be aspirational and its message was: “This is a place where magic is possible, where dreams can come true”. This week, the entertainment industry gave up on that. In giving into criminality, they killed that dream.
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Obama has balls after all, let them bring it on…….The American film industry who bankrolled Obama’s Presidential election campaigns are Liberal spineless cowards, but they make action films with brave characters and all. What a bunch of pussy’s.
Oh, to be back in the land of Coca Cola
Mark my words; this is the equivalent of Pearl Harbour
A pre – emptive strike into the heart of the sleeping giant
This the new warfare ………
America is the land of the Gold Dollar and Texan, Lexington cigarette brands. Coca Cola is a Japanese brand. The Americans have lost their way, they are no longer a kick-ass, no nonsense nation. They have also become a equal oppertunity employers like the CarMike Cinema group who operate over 2600 screens in many States in America. The major film studios used to operate their own cinema divisions. 20th Century Fox operated a global cinema division, including Africa. Sony is hostage to these independant exhibitors. The Major production houses must reinforce their own cinema chains and regain the monopoly they had in the past.
Very disappointed that Sony has forgotten they once had a backbone.
The independent exhibitors like Odeon and Vue have to pay 70% of the box-office takings to the distribution companies such as UIP- WARNERS. The box office revenue hardly covers the operational costs. The profits come from the catering, and the prices of their goods are sky high and a rip off. Sony must kick ass, they can’t exist without product………..
How did we ever getaway with Johnny English and Thunderpants? In the words of Kenneth Williams ” Rank stupidity” What about the re-release of the old Tarzan films they should not offend anybody. We must take a political correct approach in the production of comedy films in the future. Safety first, remember we are not allowed to defend ourselves in a Liberal society, they prefer us to be the victims.