Cowboy Controversy (Rolling Stone) - Larry Miller, Utah

[Phillip Dampier]

Brokeback Mountain becomes a tool of the culture war by conservatives who make stuff up about it without ever seeing it.  The comments from those who've seen it are far more positive, however.

The Brokeback battle began weeks before its December release. On November 6th, conservative blogger Matt Drudge fired the first shot, posting the headline HOLLYWOOD ROCKED: 'GAY COWBOY' MOVIE BECOMES AN OSCAR FRONT-RUNNER and warning that despite "nudity and explicit gay sex scenes," the film was positioned to clean up at the Oscars.

Then came the pile-on. Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said that the liberal media were championing Brokeback in order to "mainstream homosexual conduct"; far-right WorldNetDaily.com accused the film of "raping the Marlboro Man." Pat Robertson said, "I can't subject myself to such moral pollution." And other conservative pundits predicted empty theaters for the film. In Salt Lake City, Larry Miller, owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, yanked Brokeback from the megaplex he owns hours before showtime.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9257407/cowboy_controversy

[Aussie Chris]

He, he, ha, ha, these right-wing numbskulls are hysterical.  Bill O'Reilly never ceases to amaze me by his predilection to show everyone how very small and scared he is.  He calls himself a "traditionalist" but, like "stubborn", that's not something to be proud of.  Anyway, when are the so-called traditionalists going to realize that we're not trying to turn the world gay, we just want them not to care that we are so we can all get on with being happy.  It's good that they're scared though, really scared, that their holier-than-thou, world-is-going-to-hell, scare-mongering is falling on more and more deaf ears.  The sleeper has awakened!

"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers" - Princess Leia

[Phillip Dampier]

He, he, ha, ha, these right-wing numbskulls are hysterical.  Bill O'Reilly never ceases to amaze me by his predilection to show everyone how very small and scared he is.  He calls himself a "traditionalist" but, like "stubborn", that's not something to be proud of.  Anyway, when are the so-called traditionalists going to realize that we're not trying to turn the world gay, we just want them not to care that we are so we can all get on with being happy.  It's good that they're scared though, really scared, that their holier-than-thou, world-is-going-to-hell, scare-mongering is falling on more and more deaf ears.  The sleeper has awakened!

Brokeback Mountain has been used as a tool in the culture war to prove just about anything you want it to prove, but the wind gets taken out when every one of the principals involved in writing and framing the story have made it clear there is no real political agenda at work in the film.  Its agenda is an emotional one, and if it brings sympathy for these characters into your mind, the end effect of that may be increased tolerance and understanding for those who happen to be gay or lesbian.  Of course, most of the people using this film as a Hollywood-bashing tool haven't seen it and won't publicly admit to ever seeing it (unless they sneak a peak on pay cable or at the video rental store when they can watch it privately.)

I am convinced that as people get to know someone who is gay or lesbian, and they don't end up being much different than themselves, the fear of the unknown starts to diminish some and things get easier.  Of course, there will always be those obsessed with the sex issue, just as they've been for less than two minutes of movie time in Brokeback.  In fact, they probably spend more time dwelling on sex than I do.  Irony... the concept.

[slayers_creek_oth]

After months of silence, Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller has explained his decision to pull ''Brokeback Mountain'' from one of his movie theaters.
   He took the action because he was worried about the breakup of the traditional American family, he told KTVX-TV in an interview.
   ''Getting away from the traditional families, which I look at as the fundamental building block of our society, is a very dangerous thing,'' he said.
   In January, Miller canceled showing of the R-rated Western gay romance story at the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy. That had been the only one of his theaters that had been scheduled to show the movie, but it was shown at other theaters in the area.
   Miller's decision on Jan. 5 came just two hours after he was told about the movie's subject matter by a KCPW-FM reporter.
   During the KCPW interview, he said booking a movie like ''Brokeback Mountain'' was a business decision, and ''It's something that I have to let the market speak to some degree. I don't think I'm qualified to be the community censor.''
Miller drew both support and criticism within Utah.  The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah has urged people to avoid Miller's businesses.
   Miller said many Utahns responded by buying cars from him.
   ''I had 12 people call and say I bought a car from you today, 'because', and then 27 the next day and then 12 the third day,'' Miller told KTVX.
   Miller said he stands by his decision to pull the movie.
   ''I clearly hurt some individuals' feelings and for that I regret it, but I don't think it should change my opinions and views,'' he said.
   Miller is to deliver a speech at the University of Utah on April 21, over opposition from some on campus.



http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3673663?source=rss

[TheStudDuck]

I don't know if I'd ever buy a car from someone who yanking a movie from this theatre... that's a bit ridiculous.  Especially like fifty people buying cars from him for that reason.  That's just insane.

And I think it's funny that he actually thinks his action saved the "traditional American family" -- whan an ego.

[EnnisDelMar]

no kidding 

[littledarlin]

the whole concept is so ridiculous.  was hostel not playing at his theatre?  of course it was.

people drive/walk/bus/fly to the theatre, on their own accord, they go to the counter and purchase a ticket, they walk in, pick a seat, and sit down.  no one is forcing you to watch a movie, and by giving people the option to see it in no way advocates the films subject. 

well i'm glad he sold a couple cars, because we know the other theatres in utah that were showing BBM BANKED.

[David]

The only reason he sold more cars than usual is due to all the FREE advertising he got for himself by being an ass.   

Too bad everyone in a 100 mile radius of him who thought he was being rediculous didn't email him and tell him how many cars he won't be selling them!   

[EnnisDelMar]

the whole concept is so ridiculous.  was hostel not playing at his theatre?  of course it was.

people drive/walk/bus/fly to the theatre, on their own accord, they go to the counter and purchase a ticket, they walk in, pick a seat, and sit down.  no one is forcing you to watch a movie, and by giving people the option to see it in no way advocates the films subject. 

well i'm glad he sold a couple cars, because we know the other theatres in utah that were showing BBM BANKED.

Well said.

[slayers_creek_oth]

Larry Miller may be having a change of heart about yanking "Brokeback Mountain" from his Sandy movie theater complex.
    On Thursday, Miller met with about 30 University of Utah students, faculty and administrators - some who opposed him speaking on campus today for a U. community event because he pulled the gay romance film in January.
    After the two-hour discussion, where some people shared their personal stories about being gay, Miller said there were some issues he was going "home [to] think about.''
    "Now, I understand how something I said inadvertently made them feel demeaned as individuals," Miller said after the meeting closed to the public and news media. "Maybe their well-being trumps my beliefs, my rights to express myself."
    Still, some folks said they are going through with the "silent protest" today during Miller's speech in the student union ballroom. Organizers are calling the protest a "celebration of free speech," where they will sit holding banners and listen to Miller. His speech about the "rewards of investing in higher education" kicks off the university's first campuswide open house, Discover U. Days, this weekend.
    People said Thursday's meeting was respectful, warm and honest, and they were pleased with Miller's willingness to reach out to the gay community and discuss his decision to pull the movie.
    During the meeting, folks talked about coming out to their families about being gay and the heartbreak of not being accepted. Others talked about the fear of being physically harmed while walking in public with their partner, said Kathryn Stockton, the U's gender studies program director.
    "I felt like he cared about what we had to say," said Charles Milne, coordinator of the university's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Resource Center. "I wouldn't say we changed his mind, but I think he did come away with ideas he had to process."
    By pulling the movie from the Jordan Commons movie complex, Miller said he thought he was demonstrating a "social statement," but he didn't think about the consequences, perpetuating gay stereotypes or "the toes I had stepped on."
    "In 2006, it's wrong that they have to live in that fear," he said about the stories he heard during the meeting.
    Kt Farley, a U. student and employee, started an online petition in March asking the university to rescind its invitation to Miller and issue a formal apology.
   Supporters had said Miller did not represent the ideals of open dialogue and respecting different viewpoints.
    About 1,600 people signed the petition that Farley called a success. She said she just wanted to make sure the university takes the gay community into consideration when making decisions.
    "We're a contributing part of the campus community," she said.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3733667?source=rss