"Difference between Mike Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders is that Bloomberg is trying to buy the election with his money and Warren/Sanders are trying to buy it with yours."
Have been out at a property trying to get a water well operating decently, so i wasnt around for that thing that *everyone* watched (or should have....)
The Golden Globes.
But Holy Smikey.... get a load of Ricky Gervais's monologue to open.
Almost as funny is the reaction from the gathered celebrity-dom.....
"If ISIS started a streaming service, you'd call your agent, wouldn't you? So if you do win an award tonight, don't use it as a platform to make a political speech, right. You're in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg."
I tend to think that actors/actresses/singers get a raw deal from the public. Sure there are some that grew up as kids of other stars or directors. But plenty of them grew up as just normal kids to normal families. A few easy examples (I don't have this memorized, just looked up a few):
Jennifer Lawrence - grew up in Indian Hills, Kentucky; parents were construction worker and summer camp manager
Chris Pratt - grew up in Virginia, Minnesota; parents worked at grocery store and in mining/construction
Zoe Saldana - born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents in Passaic, New Jersey
Leonardo DiCaprio - born in Los Angeles, parents were a legal secretary and comic book writer/publisher.
Brie Larson - born in Sacramento, both parents homeopathic chiropractors
Johnny Depp - born in Owensboro, Kentucky to a waitress and civil engineer
Cameron Diaz - born in San Diego to an import/export agent and an oil company foreman
Matt Damon - born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a stockbroker and professor
Seth Meyers - raised in Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire, mom was a french teacher and dad worked in finance
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2020 11:56 AM by mrbig.)
(01-09-2020 11:55 AM)mrbig Wrote: I tend to think that actors/actresses/singers get a raw deal from the public. Sure there are some that grew up as kids of other stars or directors. But plenty of them grew up as just normal kids to normal families. A few easy examples (I don't have this memorized, just looked up a few):
Jennifer Lawrence - grew up in Indian Hills, Kentucky; parents were construction worker and summer camp manager
Chris Pratt - grew up in Virginia, Minnesota; parents worked at grocery store and in mining/construction
Zoe Saldana - born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents in Passaic, New Jersey
Leonardo DiCaprio - born in Los Angeles, parents were a legal secretary and comic book writer/publisher.
Brie Larson - born in Sacramento, both parents homeopathic chiropractors
Johnny Depp - born in Owensboro, Kentucky to a waitress and civil engineer
Cameron Diaz - born in San Diego to an import/export agent and an oil company foreman
Matt Damon - born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a stockbroker and professor
Seth Meyers - raised in Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire, mom was a french teacher and dad worked in finance
As a step-grandfather of an aspiring thespian, I agree that many even most actors have ordinary backgrounds.
I don't think the stuff Gervais is talking about is the result of their upbringing. I think it is fostered by the echo chamber which means you either espouse the liberal views or else you don't work. Just watch what happens to Gervase. They are already accusing him of being (gasp!) right-wing! Few publicly conservative actors. Key word - publicly.
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2020 12:24 PM by OptimisticOwl.)
(01-09-2020 11:55 AM)mrbig Wrote: I tend to think that actors/actresses/singers get a raw deal from the public. Sure there are some that grew up as kids of other stars or directors. But plenty of them grew up as just normal kids to normal families. A few easy examples (I don't have this memorized, just looked up a few):
Jennifer Lawrence - grew up in Indian Hills, Kentucky; parents were construction worker and summer camp manager
Chris Pratt - grew up in Virginia, Minnesota; parents worked at grocery store and in mining/construction
Zoe Saldana - born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents in Passaic, New Jersey
Leonardo DiCaprio - born in Los Angeles, parents were a legal secretary and comic book writer/publisher.
Brie Larson - born in Sacramento, both parents homeopathic chiropractors
Johnny Depp - born in Owensboro, Kentucky to a waitress and civil engineer
Cameron Diaz - born in San Diego to an import/export agent and an oil company foreman
Matt Damon - born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a stockbroker and professor
Seth Meyers - raised in Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire, mom was a french teacher and dad worked in finance
And presently they, as a group, comprise the richest, most-privileged group on the planet, who continuously seemingly preach to everyone how everyone should live. That stands independent from 'how they grew up.'
(01-09-2020 11:55 AM)mrbig Wrote: I tend to think that actors/actresses/singers get a raw deal from the public. Sure there are some that grew up as kids of other stars or directors. But plenty of them grew up as just normal kids to normal families. A few easy examples (I don't have this memorized, just looked up a few):
Jennifer Lawrence - grew up in Indian Hills, Kentucky; parents were construction worker and summer camp manager
Chris Pratt - grew up in Virginia, Minnesota; parents worked at grocery store and in mining/construction
Zoe Saldana - born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents in Passaic, New Jersey
Leonardo DiCaprio - born in Los Angeles, parents were a legal secretary and comic book writer/publisher.
Brie Larson - born in Sacramento, both parents homeopathic chiropractors
Johnny Depp - born in Owensboro, Kentucky to a waitress and civil engineer
Cameron Diaz - born in San Diego to an import/export agent and an oil company foreman
Matt Damon - born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a stockbroker and professor
Seth Meyers - raised in Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire, mom was a french teacher and dad worked in finance
And presently they, as a group, comprise the richest, most-privileged group on the planet, who continuously seemingly preach to everyone how everyone should live. That stands independent from 'how they grew up.'
On the flip side, why should someone be discouraged from speaking about what they believe in, just because they're rich and have worked to gain that privilege?
I think criticism regarding hypocrisy is very valid, especially for all of the issues Gervais brought up (he absolutely destroyed the room with respect to some very real hypocrisy).
But I think public figures championing causes, even those that "preach how everyone should live" can be very powerful and do good. Looking at that list, Chris Pratt is VERY vocal about his faith, and I think it's good to see someone be able to speak openly about their faith and be a little preachy. Same when it comes to other topics important to people.
But yeah, don't lecture people about politics if you aren't walking the walk.
To be clear, I don't have any problem with Gervais's criticisms/jokes. I was making a more general point that a lot of actors and singers grew up middle class or even poor. So to the extent they get criticized with suggestions that because they are wealthy now they don't really know how normal people live, I think that is an unfair criticism. I'm not super wealthy any means, but I was raised by a single mom and spent many of my formative years living in a trailer park. We never owned a house when I was growing up. Having a big house in Uptown New Orleans now hasn't somehow divested me of my experiences (and beliefs based on those experiences) growing up. And I feel the same way towards actors, singers, and any other wealthy person who started out as just a normal person growing up. They still have those life experiences informing their current beliefs and many of them aren't really "out of touch" just because they are now wealthy.
Also to be clear, even though most people think of the Hollywood elite as being liberal, my statement is meant to be apolitical. Chris Pratt and Lance Berkman are easy examples who are famous, wealthy, and likely right-of-center.
edit: another example - when Hambone10's son makes it big as an actor and is swimming in a pool of money like Scrooge McDuck, it would be unfair to pretend like he wasn't raised as the son of a lonesome kicker.
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2020 04:46 PM by mrbig.)
I think, regardless of how they came up, making $20M a picture for a while tends to make one take it as normal. JMHO.
Now, for the bio portion of tonight's post:
My dad was an entrepreneur. He started businesses, he owned businesses, and sometimes he was well off and sometimes he was broke. But he always worked and never took a dime from the government in good times or bad.
We owned a home when I was six. At seven, a flood put him out of business. At eight, we moved to a rented house in a town 400 miles away. A 2-1, meaning I, as the only boy in a family of five, got to sleep in the dining room of that rented house. And every other rented house we lived in until I went to college. At age twelve, I asked my parents for a door to my room for Christmas. Serious request. Later on, he had some success, and built a house. But I was 21 by then, married with a kid. I never lived in that house.
So I too was not rich growing up. Not poor, not so much that I noticed, but not a lot of money to spare.
(01-09-2020 05:39 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote: You do make me smile sometimes.
I think, regardless of how they came up, making $20M a picture for a while tends to make one take it as normal. JMHO.
Now, for the bio portion of tonight's post:
My dad was an entrepreneur. He started businesses, he owned businesses, and sometimes he was well off and sometimes he was broke. But he always worked and never took a dime from the government in good times or bad.
We owned a home when I was six. At seven, a flood put him out of business. At eight, we moved to a rented house in a town 400 miles away. A 2-1, meaning I, as the only boy in a family of five, got to sleep in the dining room of that rented house. And every other rented house we lived in until I went to college. At age twelve, I asked my parents for a door to my room for Christmas. Serious request. Later on, he had some success, and built a house. But I was 21 by then, married with a kid. I never lived in that house.
So I too was not rich growing up. Not poor, not so much that I noticed, but not a lot of money to spare.
FYI
Thanks for sharing. These kinds of details don't mean much when we are discussing sports (unless someone played or coached the sport). But I do think they help us personalize each other while we have disagreements over politics and policy. Sometimes they can even help frame a person's beliefs and opinions.
(01-09-2020 05:39 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote: You do make me smile sometimes.
I think, regardless of how they came up, making $20M a picture for a while tends to make one take it as normal. JMHO.
Now, for the bio portion of tonight's post:
My dad was an entrepreneur. He started businesses, he owned businesses, and sometimes he was well off and sometimes he was broke. But he always worked and never took a dime from the government in good times or bad.
We owned a home when I was six. At seven, a flood put him out of business. At eight, we moved to a rented house in a town 400 miles away. A 2-1, meaning I, as the only boy in a family of five, got to sleep in the dining room of that rented house. And every other rented house we lived in until I went to college. At age twelve, I asked my parents for a door to my room for Christmas. Serious request. Later on, he had some success, and built a house. But I was 21 by then, married with a kid. I never lived in that house.
So I too was not rich growing up. Not poor, not so much that I noticed, but not a lot of money to spare.
FYI
I definitely think you right that people's views become, for lack of a better word, warped by making large sums of money - and not even in the $20MM per film amount.
Interesting story, and definitely one that shows a lot of determination.
Gotta say, though, that the line about taking government money made me immediately think of the video below:
In 1945, while Dad was in the US Army, one of his business partners looted the safe and disappeared into mexico. Dad came back to a whooping tax bill from the IRS and no money. It took ten years, but he paid every penny. He also had setbacks in 1949 and 1953, one of them the aforementioned flood, which wiped out a lumberyard. He never had to file for bankruptcy, but he made out with what was left and made it do. He never left a bill unpaid, no matter how hard the times. He was half Mexican, half Anglo, but never traded on his ethnic background.
I said things got better for him. Here is one way to trace it.
I rode a school bus to school.
The middle sister (3 years behind) drove a 7 year old car. (one kid in college - me)
The youngest (8 years behind) drove a new Mustang.
/
Something a tad lighter
