Pop Culture & Politics News
Reports on entertainment, cultural debates, and celebrity involvement in politics. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative commentary.
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opinion
Will Hollywood Learn From Disappointing ‘Barbie’ Payoff for Pandering to China?
Last weekend, the highly anticipated film “Barbie” made a killing at the global box office. One country where it didn’t do so well, however, was China. That’s unfortunate for the producers, who worked so hard to please Beijing, only to watch the film come in sixth place in opening-day ticket sales in China. Though viewership… -
opinion
A Case Study in Hollywood Hypocrisy: How It Deals With Stars From the Left and Right
As Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for the superhero movie “The Flash,” it is hoping you forgot all you’ve heard about the star, Ezra Miller. Or, at the very least, Hollywood hopes you forgive him quicker than the conservative actors it has canceled. You may know Miller, 30, as Patrick from the 2012 young… -
opinion
Hollywood May Tell You Differently, but Reality Includes These 12 Examples of Defensive Gun Use
Last month, the University of Southern California’s Hollywood, Health & Society Program published “Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines for Media,” a series of recommendations for the entertainment industry on how it should portray firearms. Although some of these guidelines offer helpful suggestions, particularly about how the media should deal with the topic of suicide, the publication… -
opinion
America’s Pop Culture Is Stagnating. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.
Americans seem to be stuck in a cultural rut. In 1981, a mere 16% of the most popular movies in the country were sequels, spinoffs, or remakes of other films. In 2019, that number shot up to 80%. Just this week, multiple outlets reported that Mattel’s Barney, the purple dinosaur from the 1990s, is getting… -
opinion
Christian Series ‘The Chosen’ Hits Big Screen, Outpaces Multiple Hollywood Films at Box Office
Questions, struggle, pain, fear, and an overwhelming commitment to follow Jesus through it all: welcome to “The Chosen” season three. The first two episodes of the third season of “The Chosen,” named “Homecoming” and “Two by Two,” hit the big screen on Friday, kicking off a five-day theatrical release in more than 2,000 theaters worldwide…. -
opinion
Woke Hollywood Celebrates Slavers Because They’re Black Women
The left’s obsession with centering everything on race and sex has reached a new and despicable low with an upcoming movie called “The Woman King.” The “historical epic film” centers around the real African kingdom of Dahomey, which existed during the Scramble for Africa in the age of empires, around 1800 to 1904. Viola Davis plays General… -
opinion
Hollywood Face-Slaps Conservatives
Goodness! What a night. During the live broadcast of the Academy Awards, actor Will Smith walked up to the stage and face-slapped comedian Chris Rock. When Smith returned to his seat, he unleashed a profanity-laced tirade—muted by the show’s producer—at Rock. What did Rock do to warrant the attack? He told a joke about Smith’s… -
opinion
Hollywood’s Shameful Love Affair With China
Throughout our ongoing struggles with China, one key battle appears to have already been won by our adversary: the battle for arts and entertainment. Boasting a population of over 1.4 billion people, many of whom have the financial means to pay for and consume a wide variety of forms of entertainment, their market share for… -
opinion
Lights! Camera! Leftism! How Hollywood Went Woke
It’s no secret nowadays that Hollywood stars and directors slant left. But Hollywood wasn’t always so woke. Years ago, actors would star in movies celebrating America. So how did we get here? Christian Toto has the answer. Toto is founder of the conservative entertainment site HollywoodInToto.com as well as author of the new book “Virtue… -
opinion
Why Christians and Conservatives Should Engage Hollywood
Joel Pelsue, co-founder and CEO of Arts & Entertainment Ministries, is a champion of quality Christian and conservative movies and TV shows. About 20 years ago, Pelsue says, he became frustrated with the lack of Christian discipleship within the arts community. As a musician, he knew that many artists were seeking Christian community, but didn’t feel… -
opinion
What the Music of World War II Has to Tell Us About Patriotism and Pop Culture
Ronald Reagan once said, “Younger parents aren’t sure that an ambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style.” His concern about trends in the popular culture of the time were warranted, and we should be… -
opinion
The Left Wants Kids to See White Supremacy Everywhere, and It’s Destroying Pop Culture
“Certain elements of our community are threatening to get people fired,” tweeted Yale professor Nicholas Christakis on Apr. 3. “Even if someone just poses a question, or expresses a conflicting view, you’re immediately labeled a problem, a white supremacist, and people will say, ‘Find out where they work.’” Christakis was quoting an excerpt from a… -
opinion
‘Uncle Tom’ Blacklisted by Hollywood
Actor Ben Affleck once explained why he found it difficult to watch Republican actors on screen. “It’s … hard,” explained Affleck, “to get people to suspend disbelief. … When I watch a guy I know is a big Republican, part of me thinks, I probably wouldn’t like this person if I met him, or we… -
news
Film ‘Climate Hustle 2’ Targets Hollywood’s Green Hypocrisy, Double Standards
Politicians, media figures, and Hollywood elites who maintain lavish lifestyles while advocating restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions are on full display in a new documentary. “Climate Hustle 2: Rise of the Climate Monarchy” is a sequel to the 2016 documentary film “Climate Hustle,” which questioned the premise of theories linking human activity with potentially catastrophic… -
opinion
Hollywood Decides It’s Not Woke Enough, Sets Oscars Diversity Quotas
Hollywood will now be enforcing a woke moral code. Since Hollywood apparently isn’t woke enough already, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that it will add hard diversity requirements for movies to qualify for Best Picture at the Oscars. Best Picture is considered the highest-level award a film can receive…. -
news
Attorney General Says Hollywood ‘Kowtowing’ to China, Warns US Executives Against Acting as Chinese Foreign Agents
Attorney General William Barr said Thursday the Chinese government has achieved a “massive propaganda coup” by shaping the content coming out of Hollywood, while warning U.S. business executives against acting as agents of the communist regime in possible violation of foreign lobbying laws. Speaking at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Barr offered a sober… -
opinion
Sen. Cruz Seeks to Flip the SCRIPT on Hollywood’s Kowtowing to Chinese Censors
A bill proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that seeks to dissuade Hollywood studios from submitting their movies to the censorship of the People’s Republic of China seems to strike the right policy balance. It would limit government interference in businesses decisions, but exposes an outrage that most Americans likely are unaware of. The Stopping… -
opinion
At the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais Exposes Hollywood’s ‘Woke’ Culture
Hollywood can’t take a joke. At the annual Golden Globes, an awards show for both movies and television, on Sunday night, host comedian Ricky Gervais was actually funny, lampooning Hollywood in general and its “woke” culture in particular. “Let’s have a laugh at your expense,” Gervais said in opening his monologue at the Globes’ 77th awards… -
opinion
Hollywood Socialism
Hollywood is now obsessing about increasing ethnic and gender diversity. Good. There’s been nasty racial and gender discrimination in the movie business. Unfortunately, Hollywood has no interest in one type of diversity: diversity of thought. In most every movie, capitalism is evil. Greedy miners want to kill nature-loving aliens in “Avatar.” Director James Cameron says:… -
news
Planned Parenthood Advised Hollywood Over 150 Movies, Shows Since 2014, Director Says
Planned Parenthood advised Hollywood on more than 150 productions since 2014 as part of an effort to influence the abortion dialogue, a director at the nonprofit said. The nation’s largest abortion provider is losing the abortion battle in Washington but is upping its game through Hollywood, freelance journalist Nora Caplan-Bricker wrote Monday in The Washington Post…