“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Sebastian Maniscalco’s immortal catch phrase — from his 2015 comedy special of the same name — has never been more necessary.
Seinfeld didn’t miss a beat, shutting down the conversation with five simple words: ‘I don’t care about Palestine.’
Use it whenever the Hollywood resistance tries a desperate new tactic, like the stunt casting of a black lesbian as the son of God. Yes, Cynthia Erivo of “Wicked” fame will play the title character in a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl this summer.
Erivo is richly talented, but her selection is clearly meant as a thumb in the eye to traditionalists across the fruited plain.
Not that anyone’s actually outraged by such predictable shenanigans. Jesus wept? More like yawned …
‘Brutalist’ auteur broke
Pass the hat for “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet. The auteur reportedly shot the Oscar-nominated film for less than $10 million, and the film itself looks like it cost five times that amount.
Maybe more. He should get a special Oscar for that achievement alone.
Corbet’s spendthrift ways didn’t help his own finances. The director claims he didn’t collect a dime for making the movie, and he can’t make money now because film promotion is a full-time job unto itself.
Oscar campaigns are round-the-clock gigs that last for months.
Here’s an idea: Hollywood studios should hire Corbet to teach them how to make beautiful films for a fraction of what they’re currently wasting on your average blockbuster.
The saddest part? Even with nonstop promotion, “The Brutalist” has earned a tepid $14 million stateside and $31 million globally to date …
Spacey spanks MeToo accuser Guy
Kevin Spacey has been unofficially barred from Hollywood after a series of unsettling accusations came to light during the MeToo movement. The two-time Oscar winner has yet to hear a “guilty” verdict in a court of law, but he remains persona non grata even though a sprinkling of stars (Brian Cox, Liam Neeson, and Sharon Stone) have defended him.
Not Guy Pearce. The “L.A. Confidential” actor recently suggested co-star Spacey stalked him on the set of that film. He spoke in vague terms, implying Spacey’s actions were sinister, to say the least.
How did Spacey respond? “Grow up.”
“If I did something then that upset you, you could have reached out to me. We could have had that conversation, but instead, you’ve decided to speak to the press, who are now, of course, coming after me, because they would like to know what my response is to the things that you said.”
Spacey might have taken a different approach a few years ago, but cancel culture is waning, and he felt emboldened to fire back. Frank Underwood would be proud …
Seinfeld shuts down selfie-centered fan
Great stand-up comedians know every syllable matters. It’s why they work on jokes night after night to get to the funny core. Sometimes editing a word or two out makes all the difference.
Jerry Seinfeld called on that skill when yet another pro-Palestinian protester came at him last week. The stranger approached the “Seinfeld” alum with a selfie request. The comic legend started to oblige before the man shouted, “Free Palestine,” his true intention all along.
Seinfeld didn’t miss a beat, shutting down the conversation with five simple words.
“I don’t care about Palestine.”
Brevity is the soul of wit, and it’s pretty handy when dealing with extremists …
Molly’s ‘Brat’ attack
Molly Ringwald can sure hold a grudge.
The “Breakfast Club” alum is still sore about being dubbed part of the so-called “Brat Pack” decades ago by a New York Magazine journalist. And she’s not alone. The 2024 documentary “Brats” let fellow ‘80s star Andrew McCarthy share the phrase’s complicated history, at least with its intended targets.
McCarthy used the film to make peace with the label. Ringwald declined to appear in the film, and she’s still grouchy about the moniker.
She called it a “pejorative” at a recent “The Breakfast Club” reunion panel at MegaCon Orlando, adding, “And I think it kind of, in a way, sort of minimized the work that we were doing. I mean, that’s the way that I felt.”
Ringwald herself has been happy to “minimize” that work in recent years — slamming “The Breakfast Club” and other classic movies she did with the late writer-director John Hughes for their “homophobia” and “racism,” etc.
Trashing the same guy who made you a star? “Brat” seems like the right word.
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