Today, in one swoop, we'll address our periodic requests to increase our coverage of political stories.
Lee,
I really laughed at your recent posting of the "The Most Hilarious Political Speech" of all time. I've sent you links to some crazy clips involving Christine O'Donnell - how come you never ran them?
Jim Stavers
Retro responds: Jim, the benefit of our international readers, I will explain that Ms. O'Donnell is running on the Republican ticket for Senator in the state of Delaware. I believe such information makes most readers' eyes glaze over because no one comes to Cinema Retro to read about politics. There are occasions when show biz and politics cross over and a legitimate news story emerges. However, we don't embroil ourselves in political races and whether you support or oppose Ms. O'Donnell, her controversial comments dominate virtually every newscast, so there's no reason to cover them here. As for the "The Most Hilarious Political Speech of All Time", which was given by a minor candidate for a minor office in Ohio, we got a great response to it- probably because it had nothing to do with political ideology. This guy just happened to be a Republican, a fact I didn't even realize until I posted the link. However, virtually everyone got a laugh out of it- and it would have been just as funny if he was a Democrat.- Lee Pfeiffer
Cinema Retro;
You say you cover TV News, but you've been completely silent on the firing of CNN show host Rick Sanchez, who was let go because he called Comedy Central's Jon Stewart "a bigot". Isn't this something you should cover for your readers?
A. Walker
Retro responds: Dear "A"- Again, I think our American readers don't often realize that we have a very wide international audience who don't know who many of these folks are. For their benefit, Sanchez was a long-time CNN host who got in hot water for calling Stewart a bigot and making some anti-Semitic remarks last week. He was subsequently fired, which caused quite a media sensation and has seemingly given Stewart and every other comedian enough material for the next six months. However, it's still primarily a story about cable news, not TV, per se. Those are treacherous waters to cover, as no matter how objective you try to remain, people on both the left and the right will accuse you of being biased. Thus, we stay away from that minefield. Cinema Retro does cover TV stories, but mostly on the entertainment side. I might as well mention why I've not covered Stewart's forthcoming rally in Washington, D.C., which some have sent links about. Although Stewart is by far the most influential satirist in America, his rally is still primarily a political event. If we were to cover it or link to information about it, we'd immediately hear from people who would complain that we didn't cover rallies dedicated to opposing viewpoints. It's our position that we should primarily stay out of politics so this site can be a place where people of all different opinions can share a common interest in the movies they love. (How's that for a cornball kumbaya moment?)- Lee Pfeiffer