It’s an oxymoron to even suggest Hollywood has values. The home of the casting couch and rampant leftism is also the place many go to sell their souls for five minutes of fame.
Yet, California governor Gavin Newsom wants Hollywood to act as California’s moral compass. Thus, he’s calling on Tinsel Town to ban conservatism at every turn. In fact, Newsom called for movie producers to “take stock of your values” and put a stop to filming in Georgia, Oklahoma, and any other state that banned abortion after the overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling.
As Fox News explains:
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the Hollywood film industry to bring back production moved to Oklahoma and Georgia amid pandemic lockdowns and rising crime, criticizing the Republican-controlled states over policies against abortion in a new ad published in Variety.
The full-page spread, paid for by the Newsom campaign, is titled: “Hollywood: Your values, Your choice.”
“California is the best place in America to create. For 100 years, we’ve been the home for storytelling and storytellers. Together we built a creative community that includes unrivaled cast, crews, craftspeople, infrastructure, and technology. Robust tax credits and other incentives. The best culture,” the ad says. “Most importantly, we share your values. So now, it’s time to choose.
“Over the past several years, the legislatures of states like Georgia and Oklahoma have waged a cruel assault on essential rights,” Newsom, who is reportedly quietly mulling a 2024 presidential run, wrote. “Now, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s abhorrent decision overturning Roe v. Wade, those same states are quickly moving to strip reproductive freedoms.”
Democrats don’t care about dead babies. They don’t care about saving babies. What they care about is the almighty dollar. Don’t be fooled.
It’s is all about money.
This comes as Newsom also announced on Wednesday his support for a bill to invest $1.65 billion in California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program to extend it for an additional five years, through 2030. This program allocates $330 million per year in tax credits for the industry.
“As other states roll back people’s rights, California will continue to protect fundamental freedoms for all and welcome businesses that stand up for their employees,” Newsom said in a statement. “Extending this program will help ensure California’s world-renowned entertainment industry continues to drive economic growth with good jobs and a diverse, inclusive workforce.”
The real problem is that Hollywood no longer has the filming industry cornered. Producers have options. Look, I’ve been to Hollywood. It smells like a mix between alcohol, weed, urine and vomit. Those famous hills are hard to see. And nothing sparkles and shines the way you expect it to.
I’ve also been to both Georgia and Oklahoma. Ironically enough, my trip to Georgia was to film a popular TV show. We had a wonderful time, seeing where Forrest Gump was made, driving to the Atlantic ocean, and breathing the fresh air. Hollywood doesn’t compare.
Frankly, Georgia knows it, and they make a strong case for replacing Tinsel Town.
Fox continues:
…Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had already announced on Monday that film and television production generated $4.4 billion in the state this fiscal year.
Four of the top six spots for highest domestic-grossing movies were filmed in Georgia: “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home, “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Kemp noted that streaming and limited series continue to choose Georgia for hit programming, including season four of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” which reached an all-time Nielsen streaming record in July for its more than 7 billion minutes of viewing time during the first half of the season. That and Georgia-lensed Netflix hit “Ozark” each earned 13 Primetime Emmy nominations in July. Emmy mentions also came in for HBO Max’s “The Staircase,” Disney+’s “Loki” and FX’s “Atlanta,” among others, totaling 46 nominations for productions in the state.
“When the pandemic struck, we worked hard in Georgia to communicate with our partners in the Georgia film, TV, and streaming industries,” Kemp said in a statement. “Together, we forged a safe and appropriate path to allow the film industry to return to operations and deliver Georgia Made productions to eager consumers all around the world — even when some states continued to stay shut down and stifle the industry’s return to normalcy.”
Meanwhile, the sentiment in Oklahoma is about the same.
Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt reacted to Newsom’s ad in a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying he was “happy to name Gavin Newsom Oklahoma’s Economic Developer of the Year Award in 2021, and I’m glad to see he’s making a run for two years in a row,” according to a statement reported by the New York Times.
“Instead of attacking strong conservative leadership in red states like Oklahoma, perhaps Gavin Newsom should focus on addressing his state’s income tax, which is the highest in the nation, out-of-control energy costs, endless violent crime, people shooting up drugs in the streets, chronic homelessness, high cost of living, gridlock traffic, and rolling blackouts,” Stitt’s spokeswoman added in a statement to Fox News Digital. “If he needs pointers on how to actually run a state, he should give Governor Stitt a call.”
In the Variety ad, Newsom argues that conservative states such as Georgia and Oklahoma are launching attacks that “are not occurring in secret,” but rather are carried out “brazenly and with the intent to cause pain in the communities they target — many of whom are essential to the success of your industry.”
“Today more than ever, you have a responsibility to take stock of your values — and those of your employees — when doing business in those states,” the ad says. “California is the freedom state.”
Newsom touts California as ensuring the freedoms to “tell your stories,” to access healthcare including abortions, to “love who you love and to ensure your LGBTQ friends, family and colleagues can proudly be who they are.”
The moral of the story is that complacency may hold a lead for a little while, but eventually, it loses every single time. Hollywood enjoyed decades of holding legendary status as the place to go if you dream big. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, the list of names goes on and on. But times have changed. Rodeo Drive is a long lost reference in Pretty Woman. The next generation finds Hollywood as foreign as 8 tracks and payphones. And the promise of being able to commit infanticide isn’t going to change things.
Gavin Newsom might as well face the facts. If he’s relying on Hollywood to keep California afloat, his ship is sinking, fast!
