You know the shiznit as hit the fizan when. . .

Madonna fears public backlash.


Protect Yourself
Madonna pulled her video from MTV because of its violence. Warners tweaked its movie ad because of its peace sign. Apparently no one in Hollywood wants to be on either side of the war debate

By B. J. Sigesmund
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE


April 2 — Word on Madonna’s upcoming antiwar video started spreading about six weeks ago. Did “American Life” show violence breaking out during a fashion show? Did it have Madonna lobbing a grenade into the crowd?

THE VIDEO WAS STILL being edited, but rumors were so rife that the singer issued a statement. “I am not anti-Bush. I am not pro-Iraq. I am pro-peace,” she said. “As an artist, I hope [the video] provokes thought and dialogue,” she continued. “I don’t expect everyone to agree with my point of view. I am grateful to have the freedom to express these feelings.”
And apparently, the freedom not to express them, as well. Two weeks into the U.S.-led battle with Iraq, Madonna has decided not to release the video at all. “It was filmed before the war started, and I do not believe it is appropriate to air it at this time,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect to the armed forces, who[m] I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video.”
Some of the antiwar sentiment that had grown across America in the early months of 2003 was tempered after the first bombs began dropping on Baghdad. Hollywood sensibility has shifted as well. Madonna’s decision to err on the side of caution illustrates a notion keenly felt throughout showbiz at the moment: no artist wants to be the next Dixie Chicks. The country trio’s music is still banned from more than 100 Cumulus Media radio stations in the heartland, and the band has complained about receiving death threats.
Even in left-leaning Hollywood, many of the one-time cries of “No War” have become wails of support for the soldiers. At the March 23 Oscars, just four days into the war, best-actor winner Adrien Brody nailed the industry’s new tone for wartime talk. “Let’s pray for a peaceful and swift resolution,” he said at the podium, adding that he had a lifelong friend who was stationed in Kuwait. Michael Moore, by contrast, has been roundly criticized for his antiwar, anti-Bush outcry that evening. Susan Sarandon, who flashed only a peace sign during the Oscars, has been punished for the antiwar views she expressed before the war began. She had been scheduled to appear as keynote speaker at an April 11 women’s leadership event in Florida sponsored by The United Way of Tampa Bay. Last week, organizers canceled the lunch after receiving three dozen complaints about her speech.

Speaking of peace signs, one has been excised from newspaper ads for the upcoming movie, “What a Girl Wants.” A comedy about a young American girl who goes to England to find her real father, the ads had shown actress Amanda Bynes standing between two Buckingham Palace guards and flashing a peace sign. Revised newspaper spots will have Bynes with her hand on her hip instead. “We did not want to add any political overtones to a completely nonpolitical movie,” a Warners spokesperson told the press. (It was too late for the studio to tweak ads on buses and billboards.)

Movie studios have made other changes, too, some stemming from fear of looking inappropriate—and others more to do with the good old-fashioned bottom line. The premiere party for the new John Travolta flick “Basic” was canceled last week “in consideration of world events,” a Columbia Pictures rep told the press. The postscreening affair this week for the Jack Nicholson-Adam Sandler movie “Anger Management” was also scrapped. But Meg Ryan’s next movie, “Against the Ropes,” was pushed back from its April 25 release date for different reasons. It wasn’t because of the film’s content—it’s a boxing drama—but because Paramount thought it couldn’t publicize it well enough. “Our campaign was poised to go on air and we became concerned that our message would be lost amidst the current war coverage,” a studio spokeswoman said. “We will reschedule the release once there is a return to normalcy in the media.”
On MTV, are we already back to normal? The music channel reports that—contrary to certain other stories in the media—it hasn’t censored or removed any of the videos because of the clips’ antiwar stances. The channel says it’s running System of a Down’s “Boom” video, which was directed by Michael Moore and which features the band at peace rallies. The channel also has not taken Aerosmith’s “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” out of the rotation, as has been reported, because of the video’s apocalyptic footage from the 1998 movie “Armageddon.” Nor has MTV stopped playing OutKast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad.” The channel is, however, running a Three Doors Down video for “When I’m Gone,” a clip full of support for the troops fighting in Iraq.
Other antiwar songs could log air-time on MTV, if the bands would deliver them. MTV reps say the channel has not seen videos for any of the new antiwar singles from R.E.M., Lenny Kravitz or the Beastie Boys. Maybe these artists will follow Madonna’s lead and not even bother with the video. After all, as the Dixie Chicks proved, if you express yourself, you have to be prepared to protect yourself.

The WB having to change their "what a girl wants" poster out of fear misinterpretation is pretty sad. Looks like terrorism and SARS aren't the only things people are scared of.