I particularily enjoy the actors/actresses with a high school or below educations telling the world all about economics, the fine points of political law and international relations. I know everyone has their own point of view on these topics, but most of the real intellect has the same basic starting point. Tom Cruise is the latest; his expert medical advise is wonderful.

I continue to like Tom Cruise in movies but think he might not have both oars in the water in real life.

Really good topic.

Thing is to totally separate the artist from the art. That way you can enjoy the art without being distracted by the fact that most really talented artists are totally wacked.

This isn't something recent. It's a tradition for good artists, poets, musicians, et al, to be freaks of society.

Then when I still have trouble separating the artist from the art, or when someone points out something particularly stupid about a famous musician or actor, I try imagining what kind of totally stupid things I would do if I were famous, rich, lived in California, and had a whole lot of idle time on my hands. I could top them all with stupid human tricks.

Bill

TOP GUN is the *best* movie Tom Cruise ever made! I watch it all the way up until his jet leaves the flight deck (in the opening sequence) and then so do I.

There's always that book "Shut Up and Sing"--good advice for these entertainers who insist on lecturing the rest of us. Or maybe in the case of a couple of these people, I can pass on the singing, too.

It's according to how 'hard' they sell their anti-Americanism as to if I can watch them on film. I find it amazing that so many of them hate the country that gives them so much, that they're being taken in by the tune of Ben Laden's pipe. That they continue on and on to produce propaganda type movies and tv shows for the left. They're mostly a bunch of snot-nosed-snobby-kids who never grew up. I miss John Wayne!

I had an agent at the William Morris Agency (handled only writers) who called actors pinheads. He knew. It's fine if they want to parade their vapid, uninformed, uneducated opinions down the *red* carpet of idiocy provided we are not at war, but when we are, there is a word for that.

I loved it when Johnny Depp called America one sick puppy or some such nonsense and then after 21 days of unrestricted riots in his adopted home of France, he decided that was a little too "culturally mature" for him as well.

The list grows longer of what supposed artists I will not financially support.

I have always like Johnny Depp. Edward Sissor Hands was odd be cool like so many of his.

Anyway it impressed me that Brad Pitt, when asked for a political opinion said, "Why are you asking me that? I am an actor!"

Isn't that refreshing :-)

Greg

Brad Pitt, when asked for a political opinion said, "Why are you asking me that? I am an actor!"

Tell that to Reagan

I asked him and he said

"Mr. Gorbachov, Tear down this wall"!

I miss John Wayne!

AMEN.

I take it you're not a fan of Janeane Garofalo?

(tee hee)

I really liked The Truth About Cats and Dogs. Now I can't watch it without thinking about Ms Garofalo's (shrieking, strident) political POV. Spoiled it.

Some actors are intelligent enough to come in out of the rain; some even have college degrees. I wouldn't even want to make an assumption as to the ratio of smart-to-stupid and then compare that to the s-t-s ratio of the general public. As alluded to above, I really can't understand why so many in Hollywood seemingly hate the country in which they live; what gives them the ultra-liberal bent?

Paul, who thinks we are becoming a dichotomous society and I am stuck smack dab in the middle making enemies of both "wings."

Paul, who thinks we are becoming a dichotomous society and I am stuck smack dab in the middle making enemies of both "wings."

You have every right to make enemies with Texas (or Oklahoma) football....

I miss Reagan

Hortist: I really could care less about those guys. I still am an Iowan at heart and my enemies tend to be Michigan and Ohio State. That being said, Oklahoma was on the list because Chuck Long was on the coaching staff at Ok. and was the defensive backs coach when my son played for Iowa. Long was the most hated coach on the staff and a personal unfavorite of my son and therefore, me, too.

Right now I don't like Forida.......GO HAWKS!!!

the real question is who the heck pays any attention to actors when they're not on stage - or maybe what makes you think they're NOT acting when they do the 'stupid' off-scrren things that gain them the public attention they need to get to the top of the acting 'profession'

I've always seen actors as folks who are real good at impersonating others, mostly because they have no actual life of their own, or maybe wish desperately they were someone else - why get sucked into believing their roles are reality?

Bill

I can completely separate the role/music/whatever from the public persona. If I sit in a movie theater and all I can think of is the actor's idiocy, then they arent much good at acting either. But if they take me to another place and time, they've done their job and I'm happy.

The only thing that disturbs me is the number of people who apparently do take them seriously. What kind of airhead would you have to be to take anything said by most celebrities to heart? It frightens me that people have their beliefs shaped by them without questioning their qualifications as long as their name recognition is high.

Sherry

Are we talkin' about the same John Wayne who spent WWII in Hollywood?

"The only thing that disturbs me is the number of people who apparently do take them seriously. What kind of airhead would you have to be to take anything said by most celebrities to heart? It frightens me that people have their beliefs shaped by them without questioning their qualifications as long as their name recognition is high." [Sherry]

Amen! Have you ever gotten totally captivated by an individual's or a group's music ... and then actually talked to the musicians (who are generally among the most airheaded humans on earth) in depth? Not at a superficial level like groupie drool ... but a really serious discussion of anything other than musical technique.

Sherry, unfortunately many, many people will believe a half-baked actor who goes off half-cocked just because he is an actor. In reality, these actors are in their own little worlds and have no idea what reality even is. If they did, I don't think they would come across as a "secular progressive" who has as part of his agenda that capitalism is evil. Without capitalism, they wouldn't be employed and they don't even realize it.

The problem with so many actors today is that we have a cult of personality so when you see Tom Cruise in a movie you're
aware that it's Tom Cruise first and foremost. Very few actors can make me forget who they are. Meg Ryan is always Meg Ryan. Tom Hanks--oh look at what Tom Hanks is doing, the same I am Spartacus bit he did in the last movie.

It's more important to most of these people to be famous rather than skillful.