Forbes best paid actors - my version

On a less important and trivial note, news came out today on the top paid actors in America. Now this list has nothing to do with talent per say. Several people on the list are horrible if you ask me. So even though they may have made money I want to present the list in the order of quality each actor on the list has, and I’ll throw in a movie I think that justifies my though.

Let me know if you agree.

• 1. Will Smith. Forbes had him at #1 and he deserves it. He made $80 million in the past 12 months and has a record-setting 8 consecutive films breaking $100 million to show for the salary. Sci-fi, drama, action, you name it and he can act his ass off. So much for those that argue that White audiences cannot connect with a leading actor that is of a different race. – See Ali, Hancock, Independence Day and so on to see what I mean.
  
• 2. Johnny Depp. Another great actor, capable of a range that equals anyone else on this list. He may prefer esoteric roles like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, but when he wants to go mainstream it’s like a day in Tortuga. Forbes had him in 2nd and I would say it’s as close as his $72 million makes it look. – See any Pirates of the Caribbean.
  
• 3. Bruce Willis. Here Forbes goes by the numbers and I go by quality. Of the remaining actors and actresses he tops the list. He is the everyman that gets the job done with style. He may be the oldest and only made $41 million for Die Hard 4 (which made $380 million) but he most importantly delivers entertainment. – See Hudson Hawk, 5th Element, or any Die Hard film
  
• 4. Nicolas Cage. While you wouldn’t imagine that he was paid $38 million from movies like Next and Ghost Rider, he still can get it right more often than not. He is another of the versatile entertainers on this list. – See National Treasure
  
• 5. Mike Meyers. He is still coasting of the success of Shrek and Austin Powers. And he needs to considering his turn as the Cat in the Hat (thankfully Dr. Seuss was dead before the movie was made). Still Shrek is funny, though not worth the $55 million that he made. – See Austin Powers, or the first Shrek
  
• 6. Eddie Murphy. I would put him higher as he has more lasting power than most on the list, and he has enough talent to do nearly every role in a movie. But his last couple of films were not that good – Norbit and now Meet Dave. Yet as an entertainer he can wow the audience with roles like Dreamgirls (he was robbed of the Oscar plain and simple). His $55 million is like paying a couple of actors each, and it would have got him over his Shrek co-star but his overly family friendly films don’t work above the age of 11. – See Dreamgirls and be amazed.
  
• 7. Keira Knightley. The first lady on the list. She only makes it one step above her Forbes ranking in terms of cash, but she is miles ahead of the next closest female entertainer. She’s sexy, smart, and can do a bit of action – yet none of it over the top. For $32 million I think she is getting underpaid. –See Star Wars episodes 1,2,3
  
• 8. Adam Sandler. While his low-brow comedies are a hit or miss proposition he is more than where he started from. He has grown to do quality serious roles like in Reign Over Me (with a good dose of help from Don Cheadle – massively underpaid) which helps us all forget films like Little Nicky. My guess, his career will grow, and his pay of $30 million, if he stays away from dumb comedy like The Gong Show (yes I know it’s a television program). - See Spanglish.
  
• 9. Leonardo Di Caprio. Basically I put him here because I dislike the rest of the actors even less. I don’t find him all that good and I wouldn’t pay the price of admission to see any film he starred in as sole lead. But he made $45 million so some Hollywood exec must think he is worth it, though some exec greenlighted Soul Plane too. – see something he is in. I wouldn’t know.
  
• 10. Will Ferrell. I liked Elf. Moments in Ricky Bobby (or whatever it was called) were funny, though most of it was exactly what most of America tends to think of when they think of NASCAR. Sadly though he has been paid $31 million to keep playing the same sort of character found in both those movies, over and over again. Semi-Pro didn’t do well because of this, Stepbrothers probably will fare the same. He needs to change or the entertainment career will be like his work on Saturday Night Live, a flat bomb. – See Elf.
  
• 11. Cameron Diaz. She only precedes the next guy because she is a lady and I thought I’d be nice. I don’t find her funny, attractive or talented. Seriously she is ugly and needs to gain weight. I believe the only funny film she was in was Something About Mary (and luckily it was an almost good film for Ben Stiller too) and any other work she has done is too vapid to remember. The $50 million she was paid needs to seriously be spent on other actresses. – See the revisioned remake of Charlie’s Angels, you’ll go to sleep but it’s better than the next guy’s films.
  
• 12. Ben Stiller. He came from a comedy family. He’s been in films with huge talents. He was paid $40 million. Yet this guy cannot stop playing the same insipid character in every movie. I will say this for him; he has mastered the art of doing the same thing badly and getting paid well for it. – See The Royal Tenenbaums, not because he is in it but because everyone else in the film is great.
  
• 13. Last and least of all the entertainers on Forbes list of the best paid (and some of the most overpaid in my opinion) is the #3 woman on their list, Jennifer Aniston. Simply put she needs to eat some food and stick with unrealistic television sitcoms. – See Friends because you won’t have to focus on her and it’s slightly better than the Charlie’s Angels remake.
  

Since no list should go to 13 I will add one more I think deserves to be on the list – Denzel Washington. If he is not the highest paid actor per film he should be. He is quality and can act against anyone on this list and make them all look good via osmosis (yes even Aniston and Stiller).

So that is my take on Forbes. How would you rank them? Who would be your 14th entertainer on the list?

Racism in America

Recently some of my readers may have noticed a bit of a back and forth I had with Christy in Utah. Christy is a racist, which it only took 3 back and forth comments for her to admit. Christy initially responded to my post The most dangerous people in America - 11.4.2007.1, seen at Black & White Blog – where I am a co-author.

You can read the commentary there or look at my post Reader comment: Christy in Utah to see what was said.

I want to point out Christy for a reason. It’s not to embarrass her, or to point out her lack of reading skills, illogical thought, repressed thought processes, or her complete lack of knowledge on history and historical fact. At the same time my comments are not to claim that all Whites are equivalent to the pitiful life that Christy lives. But there are bigger issues to be seen.

Christy, and those like her, live in a small world. They avoid fact or events present around them. They feed off of negative stereotypes kept alive by the news and major media. They cling to half-truths and misconceived ideas like manna from heaven. Their insistence on anyone not like them being inferior and subordinated is cult-like.

I have read how many believe that racism does not exist anymore in America or the world. I recall how Nick, the son in Ice Cube’s groundbreaking television show Black.White., states that racism is a problem of the past – something he believes wholeheartedly. I can remember too many discussions with 20-somethings across America that share his view, and believe that the use of 1 hateful word can be changed because they have no understanding of the actual meaning of the word.

But the comments of the bile spewing Christy prove my case more than anything I can say. It is people like her who will not see the lack of existence of people of color on television programs, in movies. It is these people that strive to create problems or allow other problems to fester.

Christy believes that what one group of Americans does have no effect on her. Imagine that. Imagine if the 60% of the military that is non-White just stopped protecting the nation. Imagine if AIDS was never investigated because some thought it only killed gays or the non-religious. Imagine if the over 1/3 of the nation that is non-White just stopped working or buying goods – as racists like to believe. The effect on Christy, other racists, and every single person in America would be enough to destroy this nation in days.

Christy has issues, and I’m sure she would be loved by the KKK – except that she is Jewish and they believe her to be as vile and non-White as she believes Blacks to be. But what can be done about such stupidity? What can we do to help backwards individuals that think in the 17th Century but live in the 21st?

I touch on difficult topics in my blogs and posts. I address the realities in America that the media and daily social interaction try to shield some Americans from. Sometimes that means placing the sordid past of America in front of my readers so that we can see that the old wounds have never healed. Sometimes it means I take to task the Black community for glorifying base behavior. And more often it means that I will highlight the venom in the actions and inactions of the media, whether that is in movies, video games, music videos, books, television shows, the news, the internet and/or other blogs and blog posts.

Why am I mentioning this? Because I made a mistake. I allowed myself to succumb to the pestilence that Christy represents and delve into the slime she habitats. It’s one thing to correctly put a stupid petulant racist in their place, providing them knowledge and facts that they must either deal with or consciously avoid. It is another to devolve that conversation into a personal commentary that is anything but the purpose of this blog.

You my readers are accustomed to better. I strive to provide better, even in the face of racists – Black, White, American, international, religious or whatever.

I am not ashamed or repentant of what I said about Christy and any racist like her. I stand by my words and their meanings, even if those kinds of minds are incapable of comprehending them. But I’m not here to commit flame wars.

And there is a lesson to he had in all of this. Read the comments I wrote and the response by Christy. Note the lack of comprehension, the refusal to understand fact (actually the direct statement by Christy that she throws out facts that dispute her thoughts). See the real enemy of America, racism in its less obvious face. Because it is this kind of undercurrent of thought that permeates our society and poisons our future.

Christy is weak, like most racists. They hide themselves in shadows and corners, only brave in large numbers or when they are protected by the ambiguity of the internet. They cannot fathom a world shared with anyone but themselves and those that look like themselves. They are cowards, afraid of the world filled with people that aren’t like them at all.

Racists are not that far from radical fanatics. They too live in a world they cannot fathom. They to would destroy anything not akin to their beliefs. They too poison the very ground they stand on.

So if my comments and posts dealing with Christy say anything I hope it points out that. Racism, and all forms of irrational hate, not only exists in America it festers. It has not died but waits for a time when we are distracted, seeking to attack us like vultures and carrion feeders. Like a parasitic mold they hold onto society, weakening it, decaying its life essence.

Knowledge and patience are the keys to defeating such stupidity and fanaticism. Great men like Dr. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi had both. I am merely a man and my reserves of both are far more limited. But I can hope that my blogs and posts can help. That is the intent.

But I want to ask you my readers, what do you think? What is the best way to deal with a racist and/or fanatic? What words would you choose what course of action? And how might we Americans use moments like this to unify in greatness, rather than the scum that is the breathe of Christy and her ilk?

Reader comment: Jorge on Tropic Thunder and Robin Kassner

This comment comes from Jorge at Black and White Blog, where I am co-author. In his comment I am questioned on my thoughts about Robert Downey Jr., the movie Tropic Thunder, and the event involving Robin Kassner at the Regan National Airport.

Jorge's comment verbatim is:

You ask for people to understand that double standard here is OK but in your article about the lady in the airport you’re outraged at the double standard. Sorry. Doesn’t work that way.

You either condemn all double standards based on race or you have to accept them all.

It is ridiculous to say that blacks air exempt of criticism or parody because of history but they can make fun of white lifestyles, mannerisms, and looks. Again, either accept the fact that like all double standards, such as those based on gender, racist double standards are a double edged swords and you cannot pick and choose which parts are convenient to you and which aren’t.

My response is:

Jorge,

I’m glad to see that you are an avid reader of my posts. I thank you for that and your comment.

It’s important for me to be honest and consistent in what I write. I don’t do this to create shock (though I admit that some of the things I say may shock some readers) or for self-aggrandizement. I speak my thoughts and often comment on the racial complexities that is race in America. So I went back and re-read every post on Tropic Thunder (Is Robert Downey Jr funny as an African American? - 3.5.2008.1 and Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism - 3.12.2008.1), and my comments about Robin Kassner.

Now you state that I

“...ask for people to understand that double standard here is OK but in your article about the lady in the airport you’re outraged at the double standard. Sorry. Doesn’t work that way.”

In fact my comments about Tropic Thunder are not to accept the double standard but to highlight it. And I did not ask anyone to accept anything, other than the history of the work by actor Robert Downey Jr. has consistently been quality work which is a positive towards a movie that I feel unease about.

“This could be like the absurdity of Gene Wilder in Silver Streak. Or it could be Al Jolson. When you add in the nudge against Eddie Murphy, the undertone is not quite so positive.”

I have no problem with an actor portraying a character of a different race, if it is done with respect and done well. But I also do understand that far too often Hollywood has avoided using highly qualified and available actors of color, insteasd using sub-standard White actors in a manner that is degrading.

“A Black entertainer making a bad portrayal of Whites is seen as a failure on the entertainer’s part. A White entertainer in the reverse position (for most of the history of Hollywood) had been seen as making an honest attempt at portraying Negroes, which were considered below them. That’s the history of the situation.”

The question is the intent of the portrayal. Too often it has been to embarrass or humiliate those being imitated. Too often it has been an act of White privilege to presume they can accurately portray other races, and that their depiction was more than fair. That is where I have conflict.

But in regard to Robin Kassner the issue is how the media portrays reality. This is not a film, there are no characters. The reality is that Kassner was treated in a manner that many Muslims and people of color have experiences since 9/11 in airports across the nation. But instead of taking the same lazie faire attitude that has come from the media, or blaming those persecuted, the major news media has taken sympathy on her plight.

That is a different double standard.

Either Kassner was presenting a danger to the public interest, as was the excuse for the reaction when Muslims and people of color were treated in this manner, or all the other victims were over-reacted against and deserve the same sympathy and funds claimed in her lawsuit.

Whether it’s the presumption of innocence as in the Duke rape case, or the avoidance of the topic like in the Megan Williams case, or the near total absence of fact like in the number of reported missing Black, Hispanic, Asian children in the nation the major media is playing a double standard that is not only unfair but potentially damaging.

When I highlighted that fact how is it the same as questioning the ability of an actor to make a respectful portrayal?

When Eddie Murphy made a portrayal of a White man on Saturday Night Live, was that wrong or funny? I say funny because it was honest and respectful. When Joel Grey played a Korean it was honest and respectful and he got a Golden Globe nomination for it. When the Wayan brothers portrayed 2 White girls it was stupid and ignorant. When Gene Wilder tried the Black face in Silver Streak it was funny because it was an admission of absurdity and the ignorance (stupidity) of some people.

Robin Kassner was either being treated like a threat or abused. There was no respect, humor, social commentary in it. The news media coverage of the event was biased, but in similar events the bias goes in the opposite direction.

How am I wrong to point that out? How is that like questioning if the storyline in a movie is respectful and humorous? How is pointing out when the news media identifies Blacks in chest high flood waters as looters the same double standard as questioning the script a White actor in make-up follows?

Hollywood has long believed that a White actor can portray another race in any manner and it’s ok – which I disagree with. The media has long believed that people of color, especially African Americans, can be portrayed as dregs of society – which I disagree with. I believe my posts highlight those views.

If I am incorrect, please do show me where I was wrong.