Mark Fiore: Hollywood arrogance 101

While almost all of America is caught up in anthrax scares, the bombings in Afghanistan and fears of further terrorist attacks, Hollywood, as usual, is caught up only in itself. From The West Wing to the Emmy Awards and everywhere in between, show business has displayed its true colors since Sept. 11 -- and those colors are most assuredly not red, white and blue.

Take Oprah Winfrey, for instance. Not content with telling women how to connect with their inner spirits, the holier-than-thou talk-show queen became school teacher for a day earlier this month with her show, "Islam 101."

During the one-hour crash course on Islam, the leftist Oprah paraded out a group of Muslim women to prove her point that Islam is "the most misunderstood of the three major religions."

So we're supposed to look to Oprah to clear up any misunderstanding?

Please. Not only was the preachy spectacle sophomoric, but it was so slanted that nary a critical word about Islam was uttered. All religions have points of debate, but apparently not Islam, so says Oprah.

The preaching, of course, did not stop with Oprah. After all, what would The West Wing be without a lecture on terrorism and tolerance? Determined to add his radical voice to the celebrity saga, West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin delayed the show's season premiere two weeks to write and air "a very special episode" in early October.

The condescending and simplistic show centered on a group of high school kids -- whose queries made them appear more like kindergartners -- asking questions of the executive staff while stuck in the White House during a security lock-down.

The moral of the show? All Americans are bad, very bad, for being skeptical and cynical during this time of crisis. Another point? All Americans are stupid, very stupid.

And so it's up to Sorkin and his liberal characters to show Americans how they should really behave. Spare us.

Then along comes the sad story of the Emmy Awards. Initially postponed after the Sept. 11 attacks, the show was rescheduled for Oct. 7. That Sunday just so happened to be the day that the United States launched air strikes on Afghanistan.

Logically, the show's producers said it would have been "inappropriate" to go forward, and canceled the show.

Now the awards ceremony is back on. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced last week that the show will take place Nov. 4 in Century City, Calif., and will air live on the East Coast. Thank goodness.

Of course there was a chance that America would never have gotten to see the Emmys at all. But several snooty superstars thought they might actually be terrorist targets. Certainly, if they all gathered in the Shrine Auditorium at once, Osama bin Laden would have been quick to send over a bomb.

Are these self-absorbed actors for real? Do they honestly think they are that important?

Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura apparently thinks so. More celebrity than politician, the governor announced earlier this month that he would no longer be releasing his daily schedule to the media. "The Body" has long had a history of pomposity and tension with the media, but this one topped his previous scandals.

Before backtracking on his decision, Jesse apparently thought he too was a target. Sure, Jesse, an al-Qaeda terrorist has been standing outside the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn., just waiting to take you out.

Take a cue from President Bush, who has continued to release his schedule in a modified manner. The president is certainly a bigger target than you are.

Even the star-studded two-hour telethon that aired shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks reeked of Hollywood arrogance, with performers more concerned about promoting themselves than uplifting the country. The King of Pop was apparently peeved when the event's producers gave him a big "no thanks" after he sought to be part of the show.

The producers say they feared Michael Jackson's performance would have been more about himself than about the country. What else would be new?

While the telethon raised millions of dollars, Hollywood has remained outrageously stingy during the national crisis. With few exceptions -- like Julia Roberts, who donated $2 million to relief funds -- the same actors and musicians who rushed to donate money to Al Gore's election bid have kept their wallets nicely tucked away.

As pollster Frank Luntz put it last week on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, "I've been in eight cities since Sept. 11, and there's only one city where you couldn't find virtually everybody with a flag or a ribbon or something red, white and blue -- and that's Los Angeles, home of Hollywood."

Mark Fiore is a third-year Law School student and a 1999 College graduate from Spring Park, Minn.

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