Better not invite director Barry Levinson and New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley to the same cocktail party. Levinson is livid about Stanley's negative review of his new documentary Poliwood, which documents the often uncomfortable crossing of celebrities into the world of politics. Levinson says he doesn't begrudge the fact that Stanley doesn't like his movie. However, he eviscerates her professional credentials in an op-ed on The Huffington Post in which he accuses her of using misleading information in her review. For good measure, Levinson also digs up Stanley's negative assessment of Walter Cronkite and his coverage of the JFK assassination! Click here to read

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By Lee Pfeiffer

Cinema Retro generally stays away from the world of cable news, but this is a big story. Lou Dobbs, the last of the original CNN news personalities, shocked viewers by announcing he will be leaving the network after his Wednesday night broadcast. He has been with the network since its inception 29 years ago. Dobbs prides himself on being "Mr. Independent" and, although he primarily espouses conservative viewpoints, he was harshly critical of many aspects of the Bush administration. Those views were virtual love letters, however, compared to his nightly lambasting of President Obama and his policies. Dobbs, who once anchored finance-oriented shows, has been a lightning rod for controversy since he switched to analysis of hard news. Dobbs' signature issue - criticism of both Republican and Democratic administrations over weak enforcement of immigration laws - has drawn protests from Hispanic groups that accuse him of being racist. In reality, Dobbs is married to a Hispanic woman and has repeatedly reiterated he is only against illegal immigration and actually endorses increasing legal immigration limits. Hispanic advocacy groups have been petitioning CNN to drop Dobbs and they are claiming credit for causing his departure. However, there is no clear evidence that this is the case. Dobbs did not give a reason for his sudden resignation, except the old standby that he is looking at other options to spread his brand of public advocacy. (At least he didn't say it was to spend more time with his family, the familiar refrain chanted by scandal-scarred politicians.) CNN could have insisted that he continue his program through 2011 but the network president allowed Dobbs to end his contract early. Both Dobbs and CNN indicated his departure is amicable but its abrupt nature is fueling speculation that he was pushed.  

By Lee Pfeiffer

The next time somebody tells you that America has a monopoly on politically correct idiots, you can tell them to drop dead. A plan to commemorate the late, legendary British comic Benny Hill on a postage stamp has been shelved because politically correct bureaucrats feared that Hill's gentle humor (often involving chasing after busty, scantily-clad women) could be seen as a violation of the Royal Mail's policy on sexual harassment. If you need further proof that the inmates have taken over the asylum, the Royal Mail also refused to depict a traditional English fry-up on a stamp because the food shown would be deemed to be too unhealthy! For more click here