...and why should they? Freedom of speech and all, we should all b happy that a movie with primarily an all black cast is doing so well...shouldn't we?
Read on:

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MGM Won't Alter 'Barbershop' Scene
Thu Sep 26,10:43 PM ET
By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Despite the threat of a boycott by the Rev. Al Sharpton, MGM says it will not remove a scene from the hit comedy "Barbershop" that mocks civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
Personalized weather on the front page!

Sharpton said Thursday he would meet with supporters over the weekend to discuss whether to organize a boycott. He had asked that the studio explore changes to the scene for video and DVD.

The director, screenwriter and producers have apologized for causing offense, but defended their right to poke fun. The studio says it will back the filmmakers.

"We have no intention of altering the film in any way," MGM said in a statement Wednesday. "The filmmakers obviously struck a winning chord with critics and audiences alike, and we are already at work on the sequel."

MGM's vice chairman, Chris McGurk, said he had not considered meeting with Sharpton. He maintained the studio would not be forced to censor its film, but said of objectors: "They're entitled to their point of view."

"Barbershop," which stars Ice Cube, is about the importance of a barbershop hangout in a black neighborhood in Chicago. It has topped the U.S. box office for two weeks and earned more than $38.4 million.

The scene in question features a cranky barber named Eddie, played by Cedric the Entertainer, deliberately breaking taboos by saying Rodney King deserved to be beaten, O.J. Simpson was guilty of murder and Parks was not the only one who refused to give up a bus seat reserved for whites.

"Eddie, not only is what you're saying not true, it is wrong and disrespectful for you to discuss Rosa Parks in that way," one character responds.

"Is this a barbershop?" Eddie responds. "If we can't talk straight in the barbershop, then where can we talk straight? ... You know this ain't nothing but healthy conversation. Ain't nobody exempt in the barbershop. You can talk about whoever, and whatever, whenever you want to."

The character then directs an expletive at the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Later, he makes unflattering remarks about King's alleged promiscuity.

The scene also outraged Jackson, who has said King's family was offended.

Sharpton said Thursday he was angry that MGM would not meet with him to hear his grievances. "It's one thing to disagree, it's another to say we won't even talk about it," he said.

The controversy has prompted debate among moviegoers.

Stacey Gilchrist, 31, of Washington said she thought Sharpton and Jackson's complaints were "petty."

"I didn't find it offensive at all and I think they're going to get a reverse action," she said. "This is just going to make people want to go see it more."

Gilchrist said she wants to see the movie again so she can pay closer attention to that scene. "I missed a lot because people were laughing," she said.

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You can't please everyone.

Discuss.

Larenz Tate's brother is in Barber shop! His name is Lhamard Tate... Here is a petiton going around about Larenz:

http://www.petitiononline.com/ytrew123/

any Larenz Tate fans here? He is the actor from Menace II Society, Love Jones, Dead Presidents and The Inkwell. He is coming out with two new movies, one with Vin Diesel and another with Lawrence Fishburne. They coming out very soon!

those of you who are fans please sign it (only need first name and e-mail address and that's it!) The petition is to try to get him on oprah to get him more exposure. Support our black actors America! =)

For more info on Larenz you can visit www.larenztate.com

IM GLAD THE SCENES ARENT BEING CUT...

the movie was funny as hell and so what if it was inflammatory ... its the damn TRUTH...

MLKJr was a womanizer - he just never brought any Xtra's home (that we know of)

Why did Rosa Parks really sit in that chair that day..

and Jesse Jackson signed OFF on the script he knew he was getting slammed..


fuck it - its the truth DEAL with it... life is NEVER politically correct

Conspiracy theorists everywhere...

True or false, characters in movies say a lot of things. A lot of things said in movies are controversial.
If you believe everything you see in the movies the problem lies with you and not with the scene of a movie.

They absolutely shouldn't be cut. Especially if the premise of the movie is that the "barbershop" is one place where you can tell the "truth". If the character who said the remarks about Rodney King, Rosa Parks & OJ believes his statements to be the truth, then why make this into an issue?

Jesse Jackson is a big fucking fake anyway. Remember folks, he had a love child! hardly something becoming of a Reverend. If you're gonna talk your shit, better be able to back it up.

I heard about Jesse's whining about this. Hadn't heard about the Sharpton thing until now.

Really, shouldn't they be picking their battles a little more carefully? Aren't there REAL problems they should be addressing? Real work they can be doing? This is grandstanding. Media whores.

June7 said:

The ONLY taboo statement is the Rosa Parks statement - the other two are known facts. The Rosa Parks thing isn't right, but I'd never go after a fictional character in a film for saying it. This is dumb.

And they shouldn't be.
Jesse, Al, et al. need to shut up and sit down. It was one character in a comedy movie.

There are far too many other things they can protest and boycott.

SunFlowerz said:

Does that mean you seriously believe Rosa Parks was the first or only one who didn't give up their seat on the bus?

Jessie Jackson needs to sit the fuck down.

SunFlowerz said:

The Rosa Parks thing is right. Several other people had been arrested for failing to give up their seats in the months prior to her arrest. She herself said that she wasn't trying to start a movement she was just too damn tired to get up. The problem is MOST people don't know that and Jessie doesn't want them to.

Exactly,

There was nothing wrong with that movie, of course it had a little bit too much swearing in it for my taste but Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton LOVE the lime light, attention addicted. Yes they do need to sit down and get a clue, it was a COMEDY...for crying out loud!

YEEES!!! We raised enough hell elsewhere.
Honey, just woke up and was dragging...U made my day.
HaHaaa...how ya like dat Jesse! (who by the way, according 2 the Chicago Tribune, didn't even see the movie).
Now go somewhere & get ur priorities straight, boo boo. PEACE!!!
[This message was edited Sat Sep 28 6:05:34 PDT 2002 by aspera773]

If somebody says anything (fictional or otherwise) that offends someone else, then they should be censored and dealt with in a swift and horribly violent manner...



Thank God it wasn't a white (ficticious) character talking like this or it'd be ALL OVER the news.

Damn, it's a fucking movie, folks! It would seem there are more pressing matters at hand. Oops...I said "fuck". Gag me if I've offended someone.

Soon, none of us will ever speak. If everything that offended me was handled like this, the silence would be deafening.

Well it's true that MLK was a womanizer.

JFK gets trashed (not nearly enough as he should b) 4 his infidelities. Y should King b exempt?

It's Entertainment.don't cut anything out.go to a real barbershop&IMHO you are gonna Hear even worse about the People Mentioned in the film.I mean there was problem with Eddie Murphy doing His Barbershop takes in "Coming to America" so why is anybody tripping on this? folks need to accept Entertainment as Entertainment.

Gett over it people! It's a funny as hell movie...it serves it's purpose,it made me laugh:) Some people just have 2 much time on there hands,n some people r determined 2 b unhappy. They suck!

I thought it was a good movie...and was funny. I was a Cube Vision production...so they would rather take money from Ice Cube because of a couple of lines...that were true. Sounds a bit self serving to me.


Jesse Jackson...best line in the movie. I suggest folks go see it again to prove jesse and al wrong.

Wasn't it Ice Cube who did some of the Beautiful Experience videos for Prince - the ones with Nona Gaye that not everybody is crazy about?

Right. And they shouldn't cut out those scenes because that's how people talk in the street anyway, even if it may sound ignorant at times. It's a demonstration of reality somehow. Isn't it funny how bad, wicked things are all over the media, and then when something like this comes up, they make a big deal over it as if everything is so pretty right now, despite the cause of the civil rights movement? Give me a freakin break! They are so full of shi* and don't even see it.

Let Barbershop keep on playing!
[This message was edited Sun Sep 29 15:38:09 PDT 2002 by Starmist7]

June7 said:

You can't please the media and the so-called "leadership" but the public at large is quite different and votes with their money when they buy the tickets...and indeed when they vote for real, none of the propoganda matters because real people sort out the issues on their own and don't have to bow to what they are fed by the big media machine.

NikkiDarling said:

love sign video your right not to crazy about that video

Starmist7 said:

Co-sign.

Movies and music have a long way to go before they can offend me on level anything close to the 6:00 news.