Spielberg has pulled out of the Chinese Olympics to protest the lack of progress on Darfur. Variety reports:
I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual,” Spielberg said. “At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur….
“Sudan’s government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing suffering there,” Spielberg said in his statement. “China’s economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change.”
hat tip to kubrickfan
While TheMiddle has taken tribal pride in the PATENTS story posted today, I secretly gleamed with tribal pride last night when I heard that Spielberg publicly withdrew from the Beijing Olympics. What a rollercoaster of news it has been today reading the NYTIMES…, first the Spielberg story, then a story on the Israeli brothers at Tel HaShomer hospital, then the story on Edison Chan in HK and his xxx rated pics with HK starlets (none Jewish), and finally, a one star erview of the newly rechristened Second Avenue deli in NYC…. whew… and the day isnt even over yet
Food, sex and moral heroism. Can’t beat that combination.
The Chinese will pay a heavy price for aligning themselves with ruling cliques, in Sudan and elsewhere in Africa.
Good for Spielberg. Really. It’s clear he made a proper decision. But, am i insane for wanting more from the man? Where has he been for the past 10 years or more as far as Israel is concerned? Why can’t we get even one Jew in Hollywood to talk about daily rockets into Israel?
I agree with Yitzi, it’s about time he did something right. I still agree with Robert Duvall though:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/08/people.duvall.reut/
“Robert Duvall slams Spielberg
‘I’ll never work at DreamWorks again’
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Actor Robert Duvall probably won’t be making any movies for DreamWorks any time soon.
In a CBS “60 Minutes II” interview set for broadcast Wednesday, the Oscar-winning performer sharply criticized filmmaker and DreamWorks SKG studio co-founder Steven Spielberg for visiting Cuba in November 2002.
“Spielberg went down there recently and said, ‘The best seven hours I ever spent was actually with Fidel Castro.’ Now, what I want to ask him, … ‘Would you consider building a little annex on the Holocaust museum, or at least across the street, to honor the dead Cubans that Castro killed.’ That’s very presumptuous of him to go there,” Duvall told Charlie Rose, according to excerpts of the interview released by CBS.
The actor, who won an Academy Award for his role in the 1983 film “Tender Mercies,” added, “I’ll never work at DreamWorks again, but I don’t care about working there anyway.”
….”