The Oscars are upon us—the night where the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents its most prestigious award. Actors, directors, writers, and more compete for this symbol of success. But what is this award really worth now?
Behind the glamor and the spotlight, has Hollywood lost its way from great entertainment, great stories, great performances—is the freedom of the creative product being influenced by foreign entities? Is the lure of the 1.4 billion people in the Chinese market regulated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) too much to turn down?
The worldwide success of the movie Titanic caused the CCP to recognize the power of this medium. They started buying Hollywood connections and using them to whitewash their human rights abuses and to subtly try to present a rosy image of communist China.
Furthermore, how long has this subversion been going on? In the early days, the Hays code was in effect. It spelled out what was unacceptable content in motion pictures—such as coarse language, violence, and nudity. Moviegoers and their families knew what they were in for when they were going to see a film. Starting in the 1950s, this code began to erode and the door fully opened to degeneracy in 1968, with the modern ratings system.
How has this shaped the society of today, where all manner of film is at our fingertips? We go behind the scenes and uncover the truth with our guests, all Hollywood insiders, who provide insight into tinseltown.
We’re joined by James Hirsen, musician, journalist, and author of “Tales From The Left Coast: True Stories of Hollywood Stars and Their Outrageous Politics”; Nina May, filmmaker, writer, and founder of Renaissance Women Studios; and Christian Toto, film critic, podcast host, and author of “Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul.”
Tiffany Meier, NTD Evening News anchor and producer, and host of the new documentary “Hollywood Takeover: China’s Control In the Film Industry,” also joins us for a deep dive about her new film.