Editor’s Note: Whether on screen or off, Hollywood can always be counted on to keep us entertained. This is especially true when it comes to politics. Join us each week as we shine the spotlight on Tinseltown’s A-listers and their whacky and sometimes inspiring takes on today’s current events.
Alyssa Milano (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
Former Hollywood star Alyssa Milano and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) have both made a name for themselves on and off camera and the pair found themselves in the spotlight again recently – for different reasons. Sen. Cruz got himself into hot water after calling the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot a “violent terrorist attack.” That did not go over well with conservatives, and some constituents have even suggested he ruined his political career.
Milano vs Cruz
Alyssa Milano has sparked irritation for her strong stance against abortion and was recently arrested while advocating for voting rights. The actress made an appearance on The View and talked about her 2019 meeting with Cruz, which she had written about in her book, Sorry Not Sorry. “I wanted to try to tap into his humanity, find common ground,” Milano said.
The topic she chose was gun control. She explained on the ABC show:
“And so, you know, I looked at him in the eye and I said ‘How many more children, innocent children, have to die by AR-15’s before you actually do something?’ And it was really that moment that I realized that he really is a jack— and just does not care.”
Milano didn’t bother to reveal what Cruz had responded to make her feel so affronted, but she did follow up with this:
“He has been completely bought. I feel like he’s been bought by the gun lobbyists. And you know, part of me feels like we should make these politicians wear like sponsorship uniforms, like NASCAR drivers do, so we can see where the money is, and where their allegiance lies.”
Imagine, a Republican senator from Texas who supports the Second Amendment?
Cancel Culture Strikes Again
News today seems to be more about sensationalism than anything else – more opinion than fact – and if one happens to trigger a liberal, it’s time to get canceled. Legendary journalist Ted Koppel was a guest on Dan Abrams Live last week, and he said the mainstream media is not as it used to be:
“I’m terribly concerned that when you talk about The New York Times these days …. We’re not talking about The New York Times of 50 years ago … We’re talking about organizations that I believe have, in fact, decided as organizations that Donald J. Trump is bad for the United States.”
He continued to explain that opinions “belong on the opinion page. That’s why they call it the op-ed section … I don’t like seeing opinion being expressed on the front page of a great newspaper.”
Cancel culture is in full swing. Social media giants have decided to “fact-check” anything that doesn’t fit their narratives and are banning anyone they feel doesn’t follow those guidelines. Recently, Liberty Nation reported on Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) announcement that he will be exiting YouTube as well as Dan Bongino getting temporarily suspended from the video platform.
But it’s not just social media. DirectTV is rumored to be dropping One America News Network (OANN) later this year. In October, a Reuters report claimed the right-wing network was mostly funded by AT&T, though the latter company disputes the report. AT&T is the former owner of DirectTV. Under new leadership, the conservative network is being let go.
Performing arts and entertainment suffer the cancel culture wrath as well. Comedian Steve Harvey, star of ABC’s new courtroom show Judge Steve Harvey, said he can’t do comedy because it would ruin his career:
“The only way I can do one more special, is that it would have to be at the end of my television career, because it will end my television career. We’re in the cancel culture, and nobody, no stand-up [comic] alive that is sponsor-driven can say anything he wants.”
Harvey added that only Dave Chappelle can get away with it because “he’s not sponsor-driven, he’s subscription-driven.” Although there have been protests against Chappelle’s comedy act, which have included what some have called insults to trans, Netflix has refused to cancel the show.
Cheers And Jeers
Sometimes, HollyWeird players make headlines for silly or bizarre happenings, so here is a collection of newsworthy doings — honorable and dishonorable — by the tenants of Tinseltown.
Sarah Palin Wants Her Performance on The Masked Singer Kept From Jurors
Sarah Palin (Photo by Michael Schwartz/Getty Images)
Did you know former candidate for vice president Sarah Palin was on The Masked Singer in March 2020? Did you also know she sang “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot while wearing a blue and pink fuzzy bear outfit? Well, she did – and then the backlash struck becuase the song can be considered demeaning to women. Palin, however, insists that was not her intention. “The bear is part of my nickname growing up, and the whole mama bear thing,” she explained. “Did you guys notice I changed the lyrics? It was all about men’s butts, not women’s!”
Now the former Republican Alaska governor is concerned that the performance will damage her lawsuit in a defamation case against The New York Times. According to her lawyers, it would cause “unfair prejudice and confusion.” In 2017, Palin sued The NYT for the editorial “America’s Lethal Politics,” claiming it defamed her by linking ads from her political action committee to the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). The trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 24.
Kayne West in the News Again
Former wannabe presidential candidate Kayne West made headlines again, this time for being a suspect in a battery charge. The incident occurred on Jan. 13 outside the SoHo Warehouse, a member’s only club, in downtown Los Angeles. West, who now goes by Ye, reportedly got into an altercation with a fan. A spokesperson for the police department said the investigation is ongoing and did not indicate whether this was a potential misdemeanor or felony charge.
Cyrano de Bergerac Loses His Nose
(Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Cyrano de Bergerac’s large nose will not be the main feature in the upcoming musical that will be in theaters starting January 28. Director Joe Wright said he wanted to concentrate on making the story more modern and with a focus on being unworthy of love. Although he said he didn’t want to make it about a physical attribute, the star of the show is Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and his height will have a part in the film.
Celebrity Tweets
Celebrities say the darndest things …
Meghan McCain
“Anytime I screw up from now on I’m simply going to say ‘the science has changed.’”
Jim Gaffigan – Comedy Monster
“They should bundle all the streaming services together and call it cable.”
Tune in next week to see what else Tinseltown has planned.
~ Read more from Kelli Ballard.
