Celebrities voicing their opinions

[Gypsy]

Kevin Spacey has publicly asked "when are they going to fire that overpaid, unfunny guy from presening the BAFTAS?" or words to that effect. Juliet Stevenson has publicly criticised the MMR vaccine which has apparently done damage to the medical profession and some others have criticised Madeleine McCann's family. Leaving aside whether one agrees with what's said, should actors use their celebrity to voice opinions on others or current affairs? I'm not sure about this at all.

[Geronimo]

Without the opinions of celebrities many incorrect, unjust and unfair things would never get a public airing. Thank goodness some celebrities are prepared to speak their minds. Without Jo Lumley the Gurka injustice would not have received as much publicity. If Spacey was referring to Stephen Fry then it is high time something was said about his poor, puerile, willy and bum references. The faces of the American actors have expressed their reactions but now somebody has finally spoken out.

[batman]

Celebrities' opinions are just as valid as anyone elses. News programmes trot out talking heads from all walks of life to pass judgement on an assortment of issues, and the majority of them talk crap. Celebrities are no different, but sometimes them giving voice to a 'cause' can raise the profile of that 'cause'.

[earlb]

Well said Batman. I think Joanna lumley is a prime example where justice needed to be done and she highlighted it perfectly

[stuart.scot]

Bob Geldorf is a good example of a celeb making a difference with Live-Aid



Roger Moore on The Paul O'Grady show standing up for modern day British troops that he feels have been let down by the current Goverment



Chaplin through his movie The Great Dictator warning the world of the dangers of Nazism and Leslie Howard even more so with Pimpernel Smith and The First Of The Few

[Wicked Lady]

Sometimes things just need to be said.



Celebs can raise public awareness on issues by piping up and voicing an opinion or by their actions. If it gets people talking, why not?



I remember James Woods coming out publicly soon after September 11 saying he had been on a flight with the terrorist a week before the event (when they were obviously were doing a practice run). He could see they were behaving oddly and he had reported his suspicions to every concievable agency yet no one had followed up. Absolutely no one. Didn't that cause a (well deserved) stir among the agencies when he spoke up.



Kylie Minogue's breast cancer cause a hundred-fold increase in mamogram appointments.



Heath Ledger's death made every person I know look carefully at the prescription drugs they were on for interactions.



People are more likely to have their attention grabbed when something involves a celebrity than Joe Schmoe.



And I agree with Kevin Spacey on Stephen Fry, he IS overpaid and unfunny.

[catflap]

Surely Kevin Spacey was referring to Jonathan Ross, not Stephen Fry?

[Steve Crook]

name='catflap']Surely Kevin Spacey was referring to Jonathan Ross, not Stephen Fry?

Yes, he was. SEE VIDEO Jonathan Ross is overweight, overpaid and unfunny | Celebrity News | Now Magazine



Steve

[Joenoir]

name='Wicked Lady']



And I agree with Kevin Spacey on Stephen Fry, he IS overpaid and unfunny.

As Steve and catflap have pointed out it is the unfunny Jonathan Ross and not the talented Stephen Fry who Mr Spacey was referring to. Fry is also one of the actors who have been active in highlighting a cause, in this case mental health, he has produced two excellent documentaries on the subject.

[Dame Starry]

name='Joenoir']Fry is also one of the actors who have been active in highlighting a cause, in this case mental health, he has produced two excellent documentaries on the subject.

.....and also an excellent 2-parter highlighting youths' ignorance and complacency towards AIDS and HIV.



Will Young has been invited onto Question Time..........



DS x.

[batman]

name='Joenoir']As Steve and catflap have pointed out it is the unfunny Jonathan Ross and not the talented Stephen Fry who Mr Spacey was referring to. Fry is also one of the actors who have been active in highlighting a cause, in this case mental health, he has produced two excellent documentaries on the subject.

Well said Joe.

[Wicked Lady]

name='Joenoir']As Steve and catflap have pointed out it is the unfunny Jonathan Ross and not the talented Stephen Fry who Mr Spacey was referring to. Fry is also one of the actors who have been active in highlighting a cause, in this case mental health, he has produced two excellent documentaries on the subject.

We may have to agree to disagree on this one, my dear Joenoir. For, although I'm sure that Mr Fry is a wonderful chap in every other regard, he's not an especially amusing chap in my book.



Comedy, like music, is so much a matter of taste.

[billy bentley]

Not sure I can explain this properly, but i'll give it a go. First let me say I am in favour of celebrities speaking up/getting involved, provided they know what they are talking about/getting into.



However, following the US election from New York, I have noticed how parts of the electorate, especially the poorer sections (many of them "working poor") have come to view the "active" celebrity as an elitist meddler. They consider the celebrity as "out of touch" and any embrace of the celebrity by serious people as suspect. I do not support this view, but it definitely exists. Right now I think Obama is better off if the celebrites that support him, stay quiet as they seem to scare off the very people Obama needs to reach. It would appear sometimes celebrity can hinder more than help.

[EHV_Emmetts]

As an aside, why did Stephen Fry stop presenting the BAFTAS? He did a far better job than that oik Ross. Fry used all his own material, whereas Ross uses a team of highly paid scriptwriters.

[Geronimo]

I know for a fact that Orange (the sponsor) was concerned over the repeated schoolboy-like references to sphincters, rings, holes and sleeping with male stars etc. - none of which have any place in such an event. methinks he may have been pushed.

[Moor Larkin]

I don't mind so long as they actually know what they are talking about........



Mind you.... that never stops me......................

[Lord Lionheart]

name='Gypsy']Kevin Spacey has publicly asked "when are they going to fire that overpaid, unfunny guy from presening the BAFTAS?"

Mr Spacey should probably concentrate on his own career at this point. When is he going to give me back 1 hour of my life and $5 ( before I switched it off) for renting 21. An insipid smarmy Lex Luthor in Superman Returns, Bobby Darrin in Beyond the Sea, K-PAX, not to mention Fred Claus and The life of David Gale.

[Steve Crook]

name='Geronimo']I know for a fact that Orange (the sponsor) was concerned over the repeated schoolboy-like references to sphincters, rings, holes and sleeping with male stars etc. - none of which have any place in such an event. methinks he may have been pushed.

Well we know that Orange have no sense of humour.

Otherwise how could they give a mobile phone company a name that can be read as "zero range"



Steve

[Windthrop]

name='Lord Lionheart']Mr Spacey should probably concentrate on his own career at this point. When is he going to give me back 1 hour of my life and $5 ( before I switched it off) for renting 21. An insipid smarmy Lex Luthor in Superman Returns, Bobby Darrin in Beyond the Sea, K-PAX, not to mention Fred Claus and The life of David Gale.

I seem to remember the writer on Pay It Forward (a thumpingly bad film in my opinion) being less than complimentary about Spacey. She eventually walked off the film saying that Spacey and Helen Hunt were in competition to have the most dysfunctional character and by implication the best chance of an Oscar nomination.

[Lord Lionheart]

name='Windthrop']I seem to remember the writer on Pay It Forward (a thumpingly bad film in my opinion) being less than complimentary about Spacey. She eventually walked off the film saying that Spacey and Helen Hunt were in competition to have the most dysfunctional character and by implication the best chance of an Oscar nomination.

Talking of Helen Hunt, I made the stupid decision to rent this movie for me and the Mrs................. horrible ;



Then She Found Me (2007)



Makes Pay it Forward look Oscar worthy .



Back on topic so as not to completely hi-jack the OT. I mentioned before that I live in Los Angeles and see some celebrities from time to time. I saw Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins at our local grocery store a few years ago. Both speak out on liberal planet saving issues from time to time. I was bemused to see them driving off from their grocery store visit in a behemoth 9 seater, gas-guzzling Lincoln Navigator, conntaining just the two of them and a few grocery bags