If there’s anything Hollywood does well and deserves credit for, it’s raising money for victims of natural disasters. For some reason, though, the flood that Nashville is still digging out from under — the flood that killed eleven people — has been almost completely ignored by Hollywood.
Same with the Gulf Oil Spill.
When you look at Hollywood’s recent history in rallying for this kind of thing, you’re left to ask why? Where are the telethons and public pleas for humanitarian assistance? Is it that the Nashville “rubes” don’t rate? Is it that calling any attention to the ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf can only hurt Their One? What else could it be?
Nashville stars came out for Nashville and good on them, and so did David Spade. But where was/is the big star-studded nationally televised gala?
And in the Gulf, with the exception of Kevin Costner, all we’ve seen thus far from Hollywood are shockingly shameless A-listers covering for Obama and behaving in ways little better than price-gougers as they cravenly exploit this environmental and economic catastrophe to push their own political agendas.
For a little context, here’s a look at the then and now:
December 26th, 2004: A terrible tsunami hits Thailand.
January 15th, 2005: Hollywood comes out for Thailand.
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August 29th, 2005: Katrina hits Louisiana.
September 11th, 2005: Hollywood comes out for Louisiana.
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Jan 12th, 2010: Haiti is hit by a devastating earthquake.
Jan 22nd, 2010: Hollywood comes out for Haiti.
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Compare that to:
May 1st, 2010: Nashville flooding kills 11.
As of today: Not much
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April 20th , 2010: BP oil rig explosion kills 11; by April 25th the spill covered 580 square miles of the Gulf.
As of today: All Hollywood’s done is shamelessly exploit this tragedy to push their political agendas.
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And so our countdown clock starts May 2nd of 2010, when it was abundantly clear to anyone interested that both Nashville and the Gulf were in dire need of whatever humanitarian assistance Hollywood could summon.
Paging Mr. Clooney…