Kiss rocker Gene Simmons may be master of his hard-rock domain, but when it comes to off-the-cuff remarks about the U.S. tax system, he’s, well… you decide. In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune (July 4), Simmons, boasting of his wealth, said, ” ‘I have been part of the 1 percent for the past 30 years.’… “What’s it like being part...

My opportunity to give a little advice (some ethical, some not), short and sweet. Memo to: Adam Silver (NBA President) CC: All other sports franchises Kudos on your handling of the Donald Sterling crisis: from first reaction to investigation to decision… in three days! Now, don’t let him or the owners off the hook. Continue to press and use this event to broaden race...

Every year at Oscar time, Hollywood’s best and brightest are acknowledged. And while the category of Best Documentary Short Subject is part of the annual ceremony, I’ve no doubt that most people rarely if ever, see any of the films in this category. Nonetheless, one remarkable 38-minute film has made this year’s list and needs to be seen by anyone and everyone...

“You CAN’T handle the truth!” Hands down, this is my favorite rationalization for lying offered up by Jack Nicholson in the movie, A Few Good Men. The film tells the story of Marine Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Nicholson) a bigoted veteran officer who not only commands respect but lives by the creed: my way or the highway. The death of a...

In the category, “Something You Don’t See that Often,” the award goes to… composer Bruce Broughton! In surprise move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rescinded composer Bruce Broughton’s nomination for the song, Alone, Yet Not Alone, from the little seen film of the same name. The decision was prompted by the fact that Broughton, a former Governor of...

Loveable Duck Dynasty graybeard Phil Robertson has had his “indefinite suspension”… suspended! After Robertson came out in a GQ interview describing homosexual acts in crude terms and labeled it sin, A&E officials suspended him “indefinitely” after the patriarch’s comments embarrassed the cable channel, sponsors and offended much of the L.G.B.T. community. Upon hearing of the suspension, the remaining “cast members” of the Dynasty clan,...

It’s Christmas and while everyone and their dog is having fun ice skating, Charlie Brown is glum. The always self-conscious little bald kid is depressed. This comes as no great surprise to the many millions that watch the perennial favorite each year. So what is he depressed about this time? “I like getting presents,” he tells Linus, “and sending Christmas...

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, right; says so in the First Amendment. So what’s all this fuss about A&E’s Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson sharing his opinions with a few million Americans? Well, if you’re A&E, the cable network jointly owned by the Hearst Corporation and Disney/ABC, you might want to step back and consider the impact Phil’s “opinions” have...

Oprah Winfrey hit a racial hot-button recently when she compared the death of Trayvon Martin to Emmett Till. “Trayvon Martin parallel to Emmett Till, let me just tell you. In my mind, same thing.” Winfrey is referring to the 1955 Mississippi case where a 14-year-old black teen was brutally tortured and murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman. His...

Growing up, my brother and I were devoted Disneyphiles. From Walt Disney Presents to Disneyland, we loved all the fantasies as well as the marketing. When Disney’s Song of the South aired on TV, we soaked up the colorful collection of Uncle Remus stories completely unaware of the film’s racial overtones. One story has Br’er Fox entrap Br’er Rabbit with a Tar Baby – a...