The fine folks who attended the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony had no problem giving accused child molester Roman Polanksi a standing O when he won the Best Director Oscar for “The Pianist.”
But it looks like Jerry Lewis could get shunned - or even disinvited - from this year’s ceremony because he’s used the “F” word - fag - a few times.
Industry blogger extraordinaire Nikki Finke is reporting there’s already protests going up around Hollywood with the news that Jerry Lewis will get an honorary Oscar come February for his tireless work on behalf of those battling Muscular Dystrophy.
But the comic’s anti-gay comments in recent years have caused no small amount of distress in some circles.
Here’s the killer quote from Finke, and I suspect she’s hardly alone in her views:
Despite Lewis’ 42 years of raising money for MDA. His demonstrated attitude towards gays doesn’t make him a humanitarian in my eyes.
Now, I can’t really defend Lewis for his “F” bombs. He’s an old man now, and his use of the term is seriously out of date and recalls a time when gays were treated like second-class citizens (or much worse). But to discount his decades of service on behalf of others because he’s used some unfortunate and ugly terms a few times - and subsequently apologized for his actions - is beyond belief.
Welcome to Hollywood 2008.
UPDATE: Will anyone protest Sean Penn for his support of anti-gay thugs?
UPDATE, The Sequel: Here’s Lewis concocting comedy out of thin air:
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I really don’t think his use of the term is really out of date, mind you I’m not defending it. But if the quotes I’ve read are correct I’ve heard people, especially people in their teens and twenties use the term or one like in similar ways quite often.
For anyone who wishes to dismiss Lewis as a humanitarian because of this…..well….all I can say is let’s see what you’ve done to help people in need over the past 40 or 50 years.
Yet another reason to despise many in Hollywood.
His use of the word wasn’t horrible, but it seemed far from ideal. But then you’ve boiled it down to context and delivery. It’s like the “N” word which appears in some rap lyrics but has a totally different meaning when said by a racist. No matter how you deconstruct it, Lewis should get his richly deserved Oscar - and a standing ovation.
Oh dear lord, I’d ban him for being one of the most irritating people on screen in the past 50 years, “Prettyyyy Laaaaydddyyy” … ick. I couldn’t watch a Jerry Lewis “film” for more than 10 seconds.
… and, hate for any group becuase they’re different is just plain ugly. If he apologized, that’d be fine. I don’t know that he has. As I said, I find him irritating, so I don’t follow him. Maybe he said he’s sorry for being a bigot. If so, no worries. But I wouldn’t award him anything for his screen work … my tastes. Not necessarily the tastes of others. I hear the French love him.