[pyritechips]

Report: CBS Dumping 'Reagan' Movie; Will Move to Cable

Fred Jackson, Jody Brown, and Chad Groening
Agape Press


The pressure on CBS appears to have worked. Reports today indicate the network has decided to move its mini-series The Reagans to Showtime, a pay-cable network owned by CBS parent Viacom. That decision comes in the wake of heavy criticism over the program's false portrayal of the former First Family.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, the network says that despite what it calls "impressive production values and acting performances" and the fact that "the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script, we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience."


That decision, the network says, came after viewing the completed film -- not in response to pressure about portions of the script. The special had been scheduled to air on CBS on November 16 and 18.

Among the information leaked to the media about the so-called "biography" of the 40th president of the United States were the following excerpts: Reagan cursing at his staff; Nancy Reagan slapping her daughter; Reagan declaring he is the Anti-Christ; and the president's supposed response to the AIDS crisis: "They that live in sin shall die in sin." Reagan backers contend those depictions are inaccurate and mean-spirited, considering the former president -- now 92 years old -- is suffering from the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and is unable to defend himself.

In a statement to Fox News last week, Nancy Reagan said the timing of the mini-series "is absolutely staggering to me. Obviously, it's very hurtful."

Several conservative groups have targeted CBS and its corporate heads with e-mail campaigns and petitions urging the network to reconsider the program's content and to make historical accuracy a priority over entertainment value. Even the Republican National Committee has gotten into the act.

On Friday, RNC chairman Ed Gillespie sent a letter to Leslie Moonves, president of CBS Television. Gillespie "respectfully" requested the network do one of two things: either allow a team of historians to review the film for historical accuracy, or inform viewers "via a crawl every ten minutes that the program is a fictional portrayal of the Reagans and the Reagan Presidency, and they should not consider it to be historically accurate."

So What Did You Expect?

Conservatives have been incensed with reports about the mini-series, which they say contains outright lies about Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The critics say in reality, they are not surprised about the content, given who is behind the project and the actors involved.

As an example, they point to the fact that Reagan's character is played by James Brolin, who just happens to be the husband of left-wing political activist Barbra Streisand. And as Reuters News points out, the role of Nancy Reagan is played by Judy Davis -- a self-described liberal. In addition, the executive producers -- Craig Zadan and Neil Meron -- are homosexual activists and Democratic financial supporters.

Gary Bauer, a former domestic policy advisor in the Reagan White House, is among those who have been critical of the planned mini-series. He says the president depicted in the CBS program is not the president he remembers.

Bauer describes the mini-series as "clearly a hatchet job." "[It is] an attempt to picture former President Reagan as having Alzheimer's for many, many years, of being a man who routinely peppered his conversation with curse words, [and] somebody who slapped his children around," he says. "The picture they described is nothing like the man that I saw every day for the eight years that I worked for him at the Department of Education."

The former presidential candidate is concerned that the controversy might actually draw more viewers to the program, but hopeful the series will be a ratings failure for CBS. "It is a sad day when a major U.S. TV network will attack a great president who is no longer able to defend himself," Bauer says. "[T]his is a work of fiction -- and it royally deserves to fail in the ratings."

© 2003 Agape Press.

[Rep]

I have eight small weekly newspapers in my district. I was surprised to read a letter to the editor on this topic. The author was appaled at CBS for considering the movie.

What surprised me was the level of organization the Party used in getting the word out on this topic. Looks like they won.

[Wino]

I do not believe I have had so many belly laughs in the past few years as I have had listening to all the caterwauling about a big ado over nothing. Revisionist history my a**!! Ann Coulter is the expert in this matter! This has been so, so amusing. The viewing on Showtime should break all records - ala "Fox News" making Al Franken's book a number one best seller - when will they ever learn!

[LANMaster]

I wanted CBS to show this "hit piece" so that CBS could be illuminated for the lying left wing mouthpiece that it has been for generations.

[LANMaster]

Speaking of Ann Coulter .....

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Push the button on the figure, and you'll hear such "Coulterisms" as:


"Liberals can't just come out and say they want to take more of our money, kill babies, and discriminate on the basis of race."

"At least when right-wingers rant, there's a point."

"Swing voters are more appropriately known as the 'idiot voters' because they have no set of philosophical principles. By the age of fourteen, you're either a Conservative or a Liberal if you have an IQ above a toaster."

"Why not go to war just for oil? We need oil. What do Hollywood celebrities imagine fuels their private jets? How do they think their cocaine is delivered to them?"

"Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like Liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now."

This highly collectible doll comes in a display box with information highlighting Ann's unique contributions to America's political discourse. If you can't get enough Ann Coulter, you'll want to order the Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure today!

Link

[pyritechips]

I wanted CBS to show this "hit piece" so that CBS could be illuminated for the lying left wing mouthpiece that it has been for generations.

Still caught up in the perpetual left wing-right wing American Civil War huh?

I don't care what CBS is; I just want to see the movie and compare it to the Reagan I watched throughout the 80's, but now it has been safely shunted off out of view of the common public. Stinks of censorship to me.

[eggplant43]

Another victory for the First Amendment, huh?

What this really shows is the clout that advertisers have in regards to what gets seen. Clearly, the American public can discern that everything Ann Coulter says is the truth, but wouldn't be able to tell that the Reagan Mini-series was revisionist history, and must therefore be protected.

[deh]

Hurray for Right wing pressure!

j/k

BTW-Not totally censored it will be broadcast on Showtime. It is networks perrogative to show, not show, cancel, run whatever they wish and sponors to support or not support it. That is freedom as well. My suggestion is that the people that think it is so important that the movie be shown on a major network they fund it. CBS is just running a business and the bottom line of a business is money.

[pyritechips]

deh:

CBS fully intended to show it on primetime regular network TV. They only pulled it at the last moment after outside pressure.

To quote: "Several conservative groups have targeted CBS and its corporate heads with e-mail campaigns and petitions urging the network to reconsider the program's content and to make historical accuracy a priority over entertainment value. Even the Republican National Committee has gotten into the act."

My opinion: all public figures should be subject to scrutiny. I don't believe in sacred cows.

[deh]

Your missing my point PC, bottom line of CBS is making money. So what would it mean for CBS to air the series anyways? It would make the conservative groups somehow boycott CBS via viewership or sponsorship. The company can't take that much of a risk in a competitive market. Cable has really made the market cut throat.

They did however sell the series to thier sister station Showtime so it will still be shown.


I sort of agree with your opinion, hey let them show the series and then draw a conclusion of your own. The only slight problem I have with it is he was the leader of our country and he was a very popular president (like it or not). Now he is on his death bed and I just think it's not the right time.

[LANMaster]

Yup, I guess that I am. (cought up in the war against the media bias on the major networks)

Why doesn't the piece have a tone of accuracy, rather than outright political slander?

Turns out Showtime intends to aire the piece.

I expect many will view this "hit piece" (which is obviously motivated by political A G E N D A rather than telling a story of factual record) and Showtime will lose subscribers because of it.

Censorship is not an appropriate term for CBS dropping this program. CBS dropped this because the PEOPLE were outraged that Reagan was to be portrayed inaccurately.

[bassetman]

Originally posted by LANMaster:
Speaking of Ann Coulter .....

Order today and be among the first to own the Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure when they ship in early November


Amuse your conservative friends and annoy your liberal neighbors with the brand new Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure. This incredibly lifelike action figure looks just like the beautiful Ann Coulter, and best of all . . . it sounds like Ann, too! Ann recorded these classic Coulter sayings especially for this action figure.

Push the button on the figure, and you'll hear such "Coulterisms" as:


"Liberals can't just come out and say they want to take more of our money, kill babies, and discriminate on the basis of race."

"At least when right-wingers rant, there's a point."

"Swing voters are more appropriately known as the 'idiot voters' because they have no set of philosophical principles. By the age of fourteen, you're either a Conservative or a Liberal if you have an IQ above a toaster."

"Why not go to war just for oil? We need oil. What do Hollywood celebrities imagine fuels their private jets? How do they think their cocaine is delivered to them?"

"Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like Liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now."

This highly collectible doll comes in a display box with information highlighting Ann's unique contributions to America's political discourse. If you can't get enough Ann Coulter, you'll want to order the Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure today!

Link

Talk about revisionism! Where is Anne's huge Adam's Apple?

[pyritechips]

Now he is on his death bed and I just think it's not the right time.

Excellent point deh. I can relate to that much more than you know!

Censorship is not an appropriate term for CBS dropping this program. CBS dropped this because the PEOPLE were outraged that Reagan was to be portrayed inaccurately.

Self-censorship due to coersive pressure is still censorship. It's the same situation in the business world: "Resign or you will be fired." It's all a matter of formality and semantics.

From what I hear it wasn't "people" that were outraged but " Several conservative groups" and "the Republican National Committee" that made all the noise. It was the article that made that distinction, not I.

[ComputerFix]

Jim,

I think what Deh is saying, and I tend to agree, is that CBS is not some sort of bastian for free speech, they are a corporation and want their money. Principles come second to cashflow. If the movie had been more factually based (as they actually do claim it to be BTW) I would think that there would have been more defense of the "pressure".

Besides, television is censored, every day all day long. The rules are rewritten (more and more liberally) all the time, but as many have said time and time again, the concept of "Free Speech" is always being misrepresented, and again it is here.

[ComputerFix]

BTW, if I were to characterize the entertainment industry as a whole, it would be as a fighter of the establisment. Examples of "fighting" far outweigh examples of "bowing", from music to tv movies to cinema....past, present, and likely future.