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Arts and Culture

Penn: ‘End Is Near’ for Fox Pundits

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Posted on Mar 20, 2008
Sean Penn
AP photo / Carolyn Kaster

Filming one of his last scenes as Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay politician, who was assassinated by City Hall colleague Dan White in 1978, Sean Penn got all Method on the crowd of extras assembled to reenact the scene of an important speech Milk made on Gay Freedom Day 30 years ago.

Penn, who apparently requested to be called Harvey during the shoot, urged the couple thousand extras gathered in front of City Hall to come out to their families, and then capitalized on the momentum of the moment to impart a message that clearly came from the actor himself:


SFGate:

A production assistant followed Penn around the front of City Hall with a large navy blue umbrella. She held it over his head to shield him from the sun. Seeing he had a captive audience, Penn broke loose of the umbrella to deliver an impromptu speech that Milk would have loved.

“I almost wish Jerry Falwell were alive to see this. Almost,” Penn shouted to the crowd. After dropping some names of conservatives who are still with us—“Bill O’Reilly, who is too stupid to talk about,” and “Sean Hannity, the butt boy of Rupert Murdoch”—Penn said, “We know something more. We know their end is near.”

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By jkoch, April 10 at 7:02 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Murdoch has enough money to pay for the world to listen to O’Reilly, Hannity, and their clones for all eternity.  Surely there is a Murdoch trust fund to propagate neocon principles long after the mogul himself and Penn are gone.  AEI and Heritage Foundation have massive endowments.  Jones and Liberty universities don’t have quite that much cash in the till, but get tithes from enough faithful to assure fundamentalist preachings until the their much-yearned fires of Judgment Day arrive to roast all the liberals, gays, evilutionists, Bush-bashers, the atheist Jimmy Carter, war skeptics, NASCAR scoffers, Volvo drivers, non-believers, Moose-lambs, and all things French or Your-a-peein’.

Will the film about Milk include any scenes where Dan White pigs out on stacks of Twinkies?  White’s aliby for acquital was to plea that he’d overdoses on the sweets and went into temporary insanity.  O’Reilly and Hannity are no doubt also partial to Twinkies.

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By Frank Cajon, March 31 at 9:39 pm #
(149 comments total)

While I agree with his politics, Sean Penn is just as annoying and every bit as much an underinformed loudmouth as the radiorightists he harps against and the Fox News ‘Unfair and Unbalanced’ machine. Being an actor doesn’t make you an expert on media and politics.
I am a serious film fan who has a collection of hundreds of DVDs and has seen most of his roles as well as his four directorial efforts including ‘Into the Wild’ last year. Penn is an above average talent given the right scripts, but should study up and get a degree before becoming the voice of our generation.

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By Doug Morrison, March 31 at 9:22 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Who are you kidding

What makes you think the propaganda machine at fox is going anywhere? It would be nice to think these mouthpieces for the republican party and its lunatic fringe would soon disappear, but there is to much money and power to give up on this war effort and those who support this immoral war have Iraq and America in its JAWS!!! No, they wont be leaving anytime soon…

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By bozhidar bob balkas, March 26 at 4:07 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

work of nature

well, nature makes thin, tall, short, fat, smart, not so smart, gay, merry, sad, gloomy, bellicose, etc., people.
who am i to argue w. mighty nature; the only one we have. religious people argue w. nature but nature h. the final say. nature’s dual in its traits. it generates trillions of entities betwn the worst and the best.
the more we’v h. been denaturing the nature the more it strikes back. cancer, obesity, madnesses, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, etc. r works of abused nature. u see a vehicle weighing 5000 kilos carrying 70 kilos. we see cars maiming/killing. we ride escalators instead doing the natural thing. when politico speaks to us (usu. from script in his/her head), he/she’s up on stage and we’r down. and not standing or sitting in a circle. 
nature never having dealt w. so many chemicals (is it ab. 140000?) can’t destroy it or transform it into sm’thing beneficial. the parliament is far away. MPs come to see u once a yr seeking votes, promising, boasting, blaming, smiling,shaking u’r hand, etc. thanx

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By debbieS, March 26 at 7:34 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Movies like these are couragous and need to keep being produced.I worked at theme park that has hotels there for the guests for a year and there is prejudice by people towards gays and lesbians.One of my co-worker stole my tips behind my back while smiling at me saying
that homosexuals have no shame.Another one informed me that “Pretty soon homosexuals won’t be able to find employment here in this country”.I had expressed my views that all people should have the same rights regardless of their sexual orientation.When I was staying at a womens shelter for the homeless I went to a Lililth festival.The women there were bringing the proceeds for cancer research.My counselor at the shelter told me how upset she was that lesbians were the fundraisers and that she never would have taken her children there if she knew.I told her I was grateful for the women giving there time and effort for a diseace that affects all women and that they were just as capable of being a spiritual person however they choose.There was another incidence that happened regarding abuse by people using there religous beliefs in very cruel and dishonest way at that shelter.People committing violent acts start with people who have attitudes like the examples I have just given.

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By debbieS, March 26 at 7:08 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Movies like these are couragous and need to keep being produced.I worked at theme park that has hotels there for the guests for a year and there is prejudice by people towards gays and lesbians.One of my co-worker stole my tips behind my back while smiling at me saying
that homosexuals have no shame.Another one informed me that “Pretty soon homosexuals won’t be able to find employment here in this country”.I had expressed my views that all people should have the same rights regardless of their sexual orientation.When I was staying at a womens shelter for the homeless I went to a Lililth festival.The women there were bringing awareness regarding breast cancer and donating the proceeds for cancer research.My counselor at the shelter told me how upset she was that lesbians were the fundraisers and that she never would have taken her children there if she knew.I told her I was grateful for the women giving there time and effort for a diseace that affects all women and that they were just as capable of being a spiritual person however they choose.There was another incidence that happened regarding abuse by people using there religous beliefs in very cruel and dishonest way at that shelter.People committing violent acts start with people who have attitudes like the examples I have just given.

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By riya, March 26 at 2:18 am #
(22 comments total)

I Hate Fox too, San Diego.

Faux has come to San Diego, let’s see what channel Six News does now.  Funny, just yesterday McSame was here.  And just today, I read in the Union Tribune, that the Fox was sneaking into our TV’s, and the channel six news team was wondering where they stood..

Hey folks watch out! Is it a coincidence or what?  Beware when McSame comes politicking in your town, your local news station may becomoe Foxed!

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By Ga, March 22 at 6:19 pm #
(178 comments total)

What is significant about this, perhaps, is that Fox may have gotten some light shown on it for what it is—crass entertainment and not news. (Fox, the Un-News: Un-Fair, Un-Balanced.)

Celebrities get attention—deserved or not—precisely because they are celebrities. The Media point their cameras at (or otherwise and put their attention on) them because they think it will get people to watch (or read).

It is the fault of the media and not the celebrities. There are far more intelligent and much better informed people in this world that the media should be bring to people’s attention. But that’s a different issue.

(Of course, as celebrities are usually getting attention, some may be inclined to take the opportunity to make a political statement; as they have the opportunity.)

Penn is not, as his normal self, as many actors are, so erudite as his movie roles may indicate. Bondi10001 makes a good point. Penn is no scholar.

But any prominent anti-Fox news is good news.

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By GrammaConcept, March 21 at 11:50 am #
(189 comments total)

Mulling over some of the comments..

I am remembering some footage I saw of Sean Penn in a boat helping to rescue flooded-out people after Katrina…

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By Bondi10001, March 21 at 10:20 am #
(1 comments total)

Ironic isn't it

Sean Penn gives a speech about gay acceptance and then uses an inherently anti-gay pejorative “butt boy” to describe Sean Hannity.  Some of us actual butt-boys are not amused.

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By AnAmericaninGermany, March 21 at 4:31 am #
(9 comments total)

Amazed

I find it amazing that actors are told to shut their mouths and act, as if those doing the telling have much better, sounder opinions which they simply choose to keep to themselves.  In America, free speech is an entitled freedom regardless of your occupation.  The fact that celebrity expands the stage on which actor’s thoughts are heard and seen says more about the society that elevates celebrity than it does about celebrity opinion.

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By Purple Girl, March 20 at 1:37 pm #
(236 comments total)

Required Pre Show Disclaimers

I am all for the American Right to make an Ass of yourself in Public.so I encourage BillO,Rush & Hannity to keep moving their mouths- It helps the rest of US ...Remain Silent and be thought a Fool or open your mouth and dispell All Doubt.
But it is time we Clearly mark Show as editorials (OpEds)and repeat the warning during every commerical break. funny how Cable was supposed to b ecommercial Free- anyone else remember when MTV had no commercials- makes you wonder why we need to pay a cable fee ah (Profits and Propaganda)
The Term Cable “News’ is false advertising, plain & simple...Commentaries and Viewpoints determined by the media Moguls- Free Press was to include all forms of Mass Communications. To aid insult to injury these ‘news’ outlets have the audacity to hold ‘Democratic’ (or Republican) Presidential Debates but are NOT required to invite All Candidates..Should there still be some truth in advertising- esp on this matter? MSNBC (which I watch for my slanted coverage) should have called it the ‘Hand Picked, Corp Approved Presidential Debates’?
Butthen again if we truely lived in a Democracy all candiates would be on every states ballots from start to finish- not having to ‘drop out’ because of lack of funds. Of course that would require we start using the Technology available to US to allow everyone to vote on the same Day, Since Mass communication makes it no longer necessary for candidates to “Stump’ to be seen & heard by the People.As usual ‘Gifts’ to mankind are seized and hoarded by those who aim to control the massses.

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By God, March 20 at 10:00 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Sean Penn is my good and true emissary to the world. To the Aegrus, think ahead.

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By Aegrus, March 20 at 8:24 am #
(741 comments total)

Pfft, all these Hollywood folk are irrelevant. Sean Penn is not a hero. He’s not even very courageous. He’s just someone with celebrity status, which pulls dumbass stunts and says controversial things to get young independents to watch his crappy films.

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By Aegrus, March 20 at 6:32 am #
(741 comments total)

Sean Penn is ridiculously irrelevant. All his shrill rabble-rousing is about as effective as Hillary Clinton’s campaign with twice the irritation factor.

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By weather, March 20 at 6:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Pls. don't stop short Sean

that list should include Ann “ms.thing” Coulter and many who populate Hollywood;the WalMart of phony.

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