Eszterhas Takes on Democrats
L O S A N G E L E S, Aug. 29, 2000 -- 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.
Lieberman insists he does not favor government censorship ofthe media, but he has discussed the possibility of requiring TVstations’ content to be reviewed as part of their license renewaland making it illegal for retail outlets to sell “inappropriate”video games and other materials to minors.
And he has said that a law might be passed making it illegalfor minors to be targeted in advertising of R-rated movies andother products deemed inappropriate for kids.
Author Imagines President’s Body Talk
The open letter from Eszterhas follows the recent publicationof his best-selling book American Rhapsody, a mix of racyHollywood anecdotes and his own perspective on the White Housesex scandal, capped with a monologue written in the imaginaryvoice of President Clinton’s penis.
Eszterhas’s screenplays are frequently no less ribald,featuring heavy doses of sexually provocative images, as in theinfamous leg-crossing scene that made actress Sharon Stone ahousehold name in Basic Instinct.
Several of his more steamy films were flops both criticallyand commercially, including Sliver, Showgirls and Jade. Hislatest, the 1997 Hollywood satire An Alan Smithee Film: BurnHollywood Burn, bombed at the box office and was derided bycritics.
Steven Gaydos, executive editor of Variety, said he doubtsEszterhas’ letter will do much to dampen financial support forthe Gore campaign in Tinseltown.
“Everyone I talk to in the creative and business communityindicates that they don’t love the Lieberman Hollywood bashing,but they’re not ready to go Republican,” Gaydos said. “I have not detected one scintilla of slippage.”
Gaydos said the entertainment industry has long grownaccustomed to politicians who “beat up on Hollywood” and placelittle stock in such criticism.
“I think if The Matrix 2 comes out and doesn’t do very wellat the box office, Hollywood will be more upset than they areover what Joe Lieberman says,” Gaydos added.
The Eszterhas letter comes at a time when Lieberman appearsto have toned down his criticism the media, coinciding with hisselection as Gore’s running mate and the Democrats’ recent wave of Hollywood fund-raising.