Soulful singer Isaac Hayes, who had a big hit in 1971 called "Shaft" for which he won an Oscar for best song, decided to leave his role as Chef in the politically incorrect hit cartoon, "South Park." Read on...
Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park'
By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 13, 6:13 PM ET
Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.
Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.
"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said.
"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued. "As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."
"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply in an interview with The Associated Press Monday, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."
Last November, "South Park" targeted the Church of Scientology and its celebrity followers, including actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, in a top-rated episode called "Trapped in the Closet." In the episode, Stan, one of the show's four mischievous fourth graders, is hailed as a reluctant savior by Scientology leaders, while a cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out.
Stone told The AP he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."
And hypocrisy, too.
Okay, tonight I am going to an Oscar party in a friend's house. It's a potluck party, so this morning I prepared home-made chocolate ice cream with Hershey cocoa powder, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, olive oil and four cups of firm tofu. A couple of months ago, I bought an industrial food processor which has become my best friend in the kitchen! Let me tell you, if you love to cook and if you prefer quick and easy recipes, it's a must to have a good food processor. Just be sure the sharp blades don't cut you!
Of the five movies nominated for the Best Picture award, I've only seen two: "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote." To see the complete list of nominations, visit the official Oscar site. I can't comment on the other three movies that I haven't seen ("Munich," "Crash" and "Good Night, And Good Luck"), however, I don't understand how "Capote" beat a better movie that I saw - "Walk The Line" - starring my fave Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash. "Capote" is not about Truman Capote as much as it is about an investigation of the murder of a Kansas family that inspired his magnum opus, In Cold Blood. Whereas "Walk The Line" is about Johnny Cash - the man, his works, and his relationship with June Carter, superbly played by Reese Witherspoon.
And since I haven't seen most of the nominated movies, it would be absurd for me to make a list of winners for each category. However, it's never absurd to hope that the Oscarcast tonight will be less than three hours long!
Forget JLo. Or even Britney Spears or Madonna.
Introducing Deeyah, a 28-year-old Norwegian born chanteuse of Persian and Pakistinani descent, has been receiving death threats from Islamonazis. The Independent reports:
Her performances with a clutch of male dancers and revealing outfits have also deeply offended many Muslims. In one scene in her latest video, the singer drops a burqa covering her body to reveal a bikini.
That has attracted vitriol from some quarters. The 28-year-old singer claims that in the past she has been spat upon in the street and told that her family would be in danger if she did not tone down her work. The situation is now so bad that Deeyah feels she cannot visit Britain without protection. "I can no longer walk around without specially assigned bodyguards," she told The Independent on Sunday. "I would be lying if I said abuse from religious fanatics didn't upset or scare me."
Read the entire article here.
The controversial video is entitled, "What Will It Be" and can be viewed in this link.
