Despite the subdued nature of this year's Oscar ceremony, the telecast reflected the tensions that exist in this town of tinsel and gold.
Hollywood is a tale of two cities: a City of Fallen Man, that disdains the Good, the True and the Beautiful, and a City of God, that aspires to the divine calling and spiritual longing which God places in the hearts of all people.
Although there are many leftist extremists in Hollywood who are very vocal about their beliefs and intentions, there are a lot of decent people behind the scenes and in front of the camera in Hollywood.
This became evident when many in the crowd at the Kodak Theater started booing Michael Moore, the Leni Riefenstahl of the Hollywood left, who clearly went way over the top for his bitter, hateful attack on President Bush and his policies in Iraq, policies which, by the way, like it or not, have gotten tremendous positive support from both sides of the aisle in Congress.
It also became evident when the son of the great cinematographer Conrad L. Hall said, "God gives each one of us life, and what we do with that life is our gift back to Him.???
Of course, Michael Moore is just a big blowhard who shows no responsibility for his words or his actions, such as his propaganda movie, Bowling For Columbine, his vitriolic attack on America that won an Oscar for Best "Documentary.??? We have to place quotes around that award from now on, because Bowling For Columbine is filled with factual inaccuracies, staged scenes, and misleading editing-not only against the United States, but also against Charlton Heston, one of Hollywood's enduring legends.
In his documentary, which is distributed overseas, Moore tells the audience that Americans are a people who murder. By doing this, Moore creates a climate of fear and hate around the world that puts innocent American lives in danger.
A recent Boston University study shows the negative impact that filmmakers like Moore can have, for it showed that most young people around the world have a negative view of the United States of America, because Hollywood movies only show them a country filled with violence, hatred and sexual perversion. In other words, despite all the efforts of the ambassadors under Secretary of State Colin Powel and President Bush, Hollywood remains the most influential ambassador of all!
There is Good News, however, thank God! The rejection of Moore by many in the Oscar audience shows the other side of Hollywood, a side containing many people of different stripes. It is these good people who are striving for that Shining City on a Hill, where truth, beauty, justice, and love will be welcomed by all, in One Nation under God.
Like the dark side, this good side recognizes the powerful influence that movies can have upon our world, especially our young. Unlike the dark side, however, this good side does not cry, "It's only a movie,??? when confronted by the actual negative impact that a particular movie, television program, or scene may have upon the fragile among us.
An important choice lies before us. Should we just continue to boo the radical Hollywood extremists who trample all the values that we hold dear? Or, can we do something to redeem the values of the entertainment industry by influencing the studio executives and creative artists who run the industry?
There are four pillars of media wisdom: Understand the influence of the entertainment media; Understand your child's cognitive development so you can teach them what to watch and what not to watch; Understand the grammar of the entertainment media; and, Understand your moral and spiritual values and teach them to your children and families.
By doing this, and many other things, we can take positive steps toward transforming Hollywood for the better, so that the Good, the True, and the Beautiful can defeat the powers of darkness that too often hold sway over our lives, and the world.
