Eszterhas Takes on Democrats

L O S  A N G E L E S, Aug. 29 -- Joe Eszterhas, the once high-priced screenwriter behind such sexually charged films as Showgirls and Basic Instinct, wants Hollywood to withhold support from Democrat Al Gore because of the anti-media rhetoric of his running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

The Hungarian-born Eszterhas, whose own work has often beencritically panned for its lurid nature, comes out swingingagainst Gore and Lieberman in an open letter to be publishedtoday in the entertainment trade paper Daily Variety.

“No more Hollywood money for Al Gore,” Eszterhas admonishesin the full-page advertisement. “I’m a writer who likes pushingthe envelope, and Joe Lieberman frightens me.”

‘Make Lieberman Accountable’

Citing Lieberman’s past comments accusing TV producers andmovie executives of “mainlining murder, mayhem, sex and vulgarityinto the minds of our children,” Eszterhas implored: “Let’s make Joe Lieberman accountable for his rhetoric. Not a penny moreuntil he ‘clarifies’ his position to the satisfaction of ourcreative freedom.”

Doug Hattaway, a spokesman for the Gore-Lieberman campaign,said neither candidate favoured censorship, but both remainedconvinced that Hollywood and parents should take moreresponsibility for the material available to children.

“Neither Al Gore nor Joe Lieberman advocate censorship. Theysupport voluntary guidelines for entertainment industry andgiving parents tools such as the V-chip so that they can havemore control over what their children watch,” he said.

Candidate Opposes Censorship

Lieberman has long been one of Capitol Hill’s most vocalcritics of the entertainment industry, often linking what he seesas a moral decline in American culture to depictions of violenceand sex in film, TV shows and popular music.

In an interview with Variety last June, the Connecticutsenator suggested that shows like the hit NBC comedy Friends beshown only in movie theatres or on late-night TV.