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.
When it comes to getting what they want, Hollywood's darlings use their fame and fortune to speed up the process, which has many wondering if they won't jump to the front of the line to get COVID vaccinations. However, it seems that won't be the case as the entertainment industry is more interested in protecting the tattered reputations of Tinseltown's elites than stepping over the rest of humanity to get theirs.
COVID Vaccine v. Public Opinion of Hollywood
"If there's any chance that we're getting [the vaccine] earlier, well, that's not something that anyone wants to talk about," a Hollywood executive told The Hollywood Reporter. It makes sense that they'd want to work on their image. There was the college admissions scam, which sent Lori Loughlin to prison for a short time. Then a video went viral and caused an uproar when a small business owner showed how her place could not be opened, but right outside was a catering tent being set up for the NBC series Good Girls.
In addition, there are the anti-vaxxers of Hollywood who speak out and get reprimanded. For example, Letitia Wright (Black Panther) questioned whether people should get the vaccination and then was harassed so much for it that she deleted her Twitter account. One crewmember stuck up for the actress saying: "We should be asking questions about what we put in our body."
Executives haven't said whether they will require participants in productions to be vaccinated as some employers have suggested doing, but they have expressed concerns about travel restrictions. If COVID passports become mandatory, what happens to the jet-setting actors who need to travel to different filming locations?
The Governator Speaks Out
Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, former California governor, and Republican, said the election scandal was "evil." Just before the Capitol protest, the ex-bodybuilder from Austria wrote an op-ed for The Economist, shaming those who consider the election a fraud and claiming that there is no doubt who won the election. Schwarzenegger described attempts to question the November 3 result as " stupid, crazy, and evil." He added:
"Today, I'm deeply concerned for my country. As an immigrant, as an American and as a Republican, it is my duty to speak up. I grew up in the ruins of a country that gave up on democracy and faced the consequences. You may think I'm being overly sensitive about this — but when you've lived through the aftermath as I did, trust me, you worry."
Schwarzenegger said the phone recording of Trump asking to find 11,780 votes in Georgia was "a low point in American history," and:
"For those in my party considering standing up against the voters on January 6th, know this: our grandchildren will know your names only as the villains who fought against the great American experiment and the will of the voters. You will live in infamy."
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.
Zena Chastises Hercules
Lucy Lawless took her Zena warrior princess skills to Twitter to upbraid former co-star Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) for his Trump-supporting views. After an image of some of the protesters who swarmed inside the Capitol surfaced, Sorbo said: "They don't look like patriots to me…" Lawless shot out her own barb, saying:
"No, Peanut. They are not Patriots. They are your flying monkeys, homegrown terrorists, QAnon actors. They are douchebags that go out and do the evil bidding of people like you who like to wind them up like toys and let them do their worst. #keepingYourFilthyHandsclean #enabler."
Clooney Calls out the Trump Family
There was no shortage of Hollyweird's finest taking to social media to condemn the Capitol breach, but George Clooney thought to include the entire Trump family in his scolding. In an episode of The Business weekly podcast, the actor said: "This puts Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, all of them, into the dustbin of history. That name will now forever be associated with insurrection."
Tune in next week to see what else Tinseltown has planned.
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Read more from Kelli Ballard.
