They're Making It Too Easy

Man, it's shaping up to be a rough week at the New York Times.

I mean, I thought they'd topped out with yesterday's freak-out over those tacky "grassroots" people."

But now I see the Grey Lady is just hitting her stride.

Today in entertainment: "On Abortion, Hollywood Is No-Choice." By Mireya Navarro.

"In the hit indie movie “Waitress,” the lead character, Jenna, finds out she’s pregnant at a time when she’s plotting to run away from her abusive husband. In last week’s No. 2 film, “Knocked Up,” Alison becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with Ben, an ungainly suitor.

"In some ways, both movies mirror reality. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy says unwanted pregnancies have actually increased among some adult women, even as they have decreased among teenage girls. More than half of all unwanted pregnancies occur to women in their 20s. But in another way, both movies go out of their way to sidestep real life. Nearly two-thirds of unwanted pregnancies end in abortion, data from federal surveys shows. The possibility of not having the baby is never discussed by either woman despite her circumstances. The word “abortion” is never uttered."

Can you believe that? I mean, really! And it's not as if either one of the film's leading ladies is a toothless grassrootser. They're both attractive blondes. Talk about misleading!

Ms. Navarro continues.

"Though conservatives regularly accuse Hollywood of being overly liberal on social issues, abortion rarely comes up in film. Real-life women struggling with unwanted pregnancies might consider an abortion, have intense discussions with partners and friends about it and, in most cases, go through with it."

[Oops. Mireya, call your editor quick. "Waitress" is an indie film, remember? Not "Hollywood," okay? But maybe no one will notice.]

"The producer of “Waitress,” Michael Roiff, said Adrienne Shelly, the film’s writer and director, weighed the concept of abortion as the “good New York liberal” she was. But from a story point of view, Ms. Shelly, who was murdered last year in her New York office, found richer material following the pregnancy through, Mr. Roiff said.

“We didn’t worry about the political ramifications,” he said. “It’s a story about the power of motherhood.”

What is this, 1953? "Power of motherhood"- where did that come from?? Get real, Mr. Roiff!

Well, just so you know, the Times isn't buying it. Let's review some film history, shall we?

"Hollywood doesn’t shy away from all controversial topics, some film historians noted. In fact, sometimes controversy translates into huge success, as with Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ,” which some critics accused of anti-Semitism."

Okay, DIH has to stop here beause she's laughing too hard. But in the interest of us all being fully informed, let's review the lessons of the day:

1. Women who don't get abortions are wimps.
2. So are filmmakers who make movies about such women.
3. Film is supposed to mirror federal polling data. Everyone knows this. Look at "Pirates of the Carribean," or "Spiderman."
4. Nobody wants to see movies that are not based on federal data. Just ask Leni Riefenstahl.
5. "The Passion of the Christ" is anti-Semitic.
6. "The Passion of the Christ" is anti-Semitic.
7. "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST" IS ANTI-SEMITIC.
8. And it's pretty anti-Roman too. Just saying.

Oh wait- Mireya, call your editor again. "The Passion of the Christ" also was not a Hollywood production. Maybe nobody will notice that, either.