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
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… -
news
How Actress Roxann Dawson Achieved Her Own ‘Breakthrough’ on Faith, Hollywood, and Adoption
She has become an in-demand director of popular TV shows, including “This Is Us,” “The Americans,” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Science fiction fans know her as Lt. B’Elanna Torres, the Klingon chief engineer during seven seasons of “Star Trek: Voyager.” But Roxann Dawson would rather be known as a mother raising two girls, including one… -
opinion
The Connection Between Hollywood and China
Don’t be fooled by the Americans behind the camera. In today’s Hollywood, there’s one director—and that’s China. As important as U.S. audiences are, filmmakers know there’s a bigger one. And they’re willing to do anything they can to tap into it, even if it means becoming co-conspirators with one of the most evil censorship operations… -
news
These Are the Hollywood Studios Threatening to Boycott Georgia Over Pro-Life Law
A growing number of Hollywood studios said they will consider no longer conducting their filming business in Georgia should the heartbeat law take effect in 2020. The film industry adds about $9.5 billion to Georgia’s economy, but a variety of Hollywood studios said the heartbeat law violates Roe v. Wade and that they are considering… -
opinion
California Democrat Proposes Tax Incentives for Hollywood Productions That Leave Pro-Life States
Turns out, California does believe in tax breaks—as long as they punish pro-lifers. One Democrat is so desperate to stop this new wave of abortion bans that she’s trying to offer incentives to any studios willing to move their productions out of places like Georgia and Alabama. Under her bill, California would sweeten the pot… -
opinion
A Sign of Hope From Hollywood
This article contains spoilers for “Long Shot.” For most of its two hours, “Long Shot” follows the usual tropes for a movie centered on a political character. In the movie, which chronicles the love story between the elegant secretary of state and presidential contender Charlotte Fields (Charlize Theron) and the windbreaker-wearing, sloppy, stubborn journalist Fred… -
opinion
Hollywood’s Hijack of the #MeToo Movement
The powerful #MeToo movement was established to address real injustices suffered by women—and in some cases, although significantly less common, by men. This movement has undeniably affected societal norms and readjusted the fabric of American life. But such an important movement can be felled by its own excesses. In the wake of the #MeToo movement,…