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I really have a hard time with celebrities making news by voicing their political opinions also. But on the other hand, they still have the right to voice their opinions as citizens of America. I very much disagree with Sean Penn fact finding missions, Martin Sheen and Tyne Daly anti-war rallies, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon bombarding the UN, Charlie Daniels sending out open letters condoning anti-war celebrities, and songs on the radio used as a platform for politics, just to name a few.
BUT that's not where I find the true problem to be. I think the ones at fault are the media gatekeepers. Those who decide what and what not to air. Radio program directors have the choice whether or not to add songs to their playlists that condone or object war. Wolf Blitzer's producers have the choice to book Bianca Jagger and Ron Silver as guests. Cable News Station Directors have the choice to show rallies where Martin Sheen or Arnold Schwartzeneger are giving speeches. Jimmy Kimmel's producers have the right whether or not to give Jeanine Garofolo five straight nights to deliver her anti-war message.
And why do all of these people allow the celebrities to do this? To quote KTSnake "celebritites make good TV." Take stock of the news you see over the next week and weigh how much celebrity involvment is shown as opposed to "man on the street" interviews. We may not think celebrity opinion is more important than that of the everyday citizen, but someone making programming choices sure does.
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