Excellent article!
I am a bleeding heart liberal, agnostic and lesbian, the last person you'd expect to agree with Joe Lieberman on entertainment, but I do.
I'm also a mom of a 15-year-old son who clamors to see "American Psycho," "The Cell," "8 mm," etc. What to do? I believe Hollywood is not providing a balance. That is all anyone should ask. A balance of films in all ratings categories so a parent has an option. And, I absolutely believe the non-stop violence viewed primarily by our young men is responsible for the increase in violent behavior.
Loved the article, the cynicism and the unique political view of Democrat Joe Lieberman.
-- Kelly Livesay
I was very excited to see that someone as well respected by the entertainment industry as Joe Eszterhas was chosen to write this commentary on Hollywood's fears of Joe Lieberman. It seems that lately Eszterhas has become very opinionated on the morality of other high profile personae in this country, while possibly forgetting that such wonderful pieces of art-house film like that insightful documentary of Las Vegas dancers, "Showgirls," could be one of the reasons that Hollywood is being subjected to such pressures. Perhaps he is just trying to shift the Lieberman/Gore attention to morality directly onto the television and film industries and far away from the publishing industry where he has somehow found a safe haven for the time being.
-- Dylan Morss
Frankly, I agree that "Friends" should be shown later, like at 3 a.m. There used to be this "family hour" from 8 to 9 p.m., when parents didn't have to censor what their 8-year-olds watched. Is it too much to ask that shows shown during this time have premises other than sex between unmarried adults?
Nobody, including Lieberman, is saying that Hollywood can't produce these shows; what they are saying is that these shows (and even our president) do not reflect our values, or our experiences. How many men do you know that were left standing at the altar because their fiancie ran off with a lesbian [as occurred on "Friends"]? Well, that's not a fair question to Eszterhas, because he lives in Hollywood.
Please allow Lieberman to voice his opinions. The only thing Democrats really want from Hollywood is its money, so just keep it coming and stop your whining!
-- Steve McCormack
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