Drummond
12-18-2014, 05:52 AM
I'm surprised that I haven't already found a thread on this !! [Maybe it's down to the different timezone I live in ? Well, anyway ...]
This is the No 1 news story on the BBC this morning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30528772
Hollywood stars have reacted with dismay after Sony cancelled the release of The Interview, a comedy film about a plot to kill North Korea's leader.
Ben Stiller (https://twitter.com/RedHourBen) called the move "a threat to freedom of expression", while Rob Lowe (https://twitter.com/RobLowe) called it a "victory" for hackers who launched a cyber attack on Sony.
Hackers issued a warning to cinema-goers who planned to watch the movie.
President Obama recommended that "people go to the movies", but stressed that the hack was "very serious".
Speaking to US television network ABC, he added: "We'll be vigilant - if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public."
Several other famous names have criticised the decision to shelve the film, accusing the studio of caving in to the hackers' threats.
Oscar-wining screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who has already attacked the media (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-30488236) for spreading information leaked by the hackers, said: "Today the US succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech."
<!-- Embedding the video player --><!-- This is the embedded player component --><!-- wwrights check --><!-- Empty country is used on test environment -->
<!-- embedding script -->Sony had little choice but to bow to the demands of the hackers, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead
<!-- end of the embedded player component --><!-- Player embedded -->
Actor Steve Carell called the move (https://twitter.com/SteveCarell) a "sad day for creative expression". It has also emerged that his planned film project, called Pyongyang, had already been scrapped before Sony's announcement.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel tweeted (https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/545311021443715072) that the decision by theatres to refuse to show the film was "an un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent."."
(I'm reminded of the barber in the UK who received a warning from peeved N Korean Embassy officials that he should remove a picture of Kim Jong-Un from his storefront, because of its association with a bad haircut .. see ... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/north-korean-officials-threaten-london-hairdresser-who-used-shop-window-picture-of-kim-jongun-9261770.html The London barber ended up showing more spine than Sony has)
The BBC's editorial comment, from the broadcast I watched this morning, certainly agreed with the BBC commentator quoted above ... the commentator seemed to think that for the sake of public safety, the film's release should have been halted.
For myself - I say that it sets an awful precedent. Terrorist groups will, in future, believe that they have been given a powerful new weapon. It will be a very long time before they can be convinced otherwise. IF - INDEED - THEY ACTUALLY WILL BE !!
This is the No 1 news story on the BBC this morning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30528772
Hollywood stars have reacted with dismay after Sony cancelled the release of The Interview, a comedy film about a plot to kill North Korea's leader.
Ben Stiller (https://twitter.com/RedHourBen) called the move "a threat to freedom of expression", while Rob Lowe (https://twitter.com/RobLowe) called it a "victory" for hackers who launched a cyber attack on Sony.
Hackers issued a warning to cinema-goers who planned to watch the movie.
President Obama recommended that "people go to the movies", but stressed that the hack was "very serious".
Speaking to US television network ABC, he added: "We'll be vigilant - if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public."
Several other famous names have criticised the decision to shelve the film, accusing the studio of caving in to the hackers' threats.
Oscar-wining screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who has already attacked the media (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-30488236) for spreading information leaked by the hackers, said: "Today the US succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech."
<!-- Embedding the video player --><!-- This is the embedded player component --><!-- wwrights check --><!-- Empty country is used on test environment -->
<!-- embedding script -->Sony had little choice but to bow to the demands of the hackers, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead
<!-- end of the embedded player component --><!-- Player embedded -->
Actor Steve Carell called the move (https://twitter.com/SteveCarell) a "sad day for creative expression". It has also emerged that his planned film project, called Pyongyang, had already been scrapped before Sony's announcement.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel tweeted (https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/545311021443715072) that the decision by theatres to refuse to show the film was "an un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent."."
(I'm reminded of the barber in the UK who received a warning from peeved N Korean Embassy officials that he should remove a picture of Kim Jong-Un from his storefront, because of its association with a bad haircut .. see ... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/north-korean-officials-threaten-london-hairdresser-who-used-shop-window-picture-of-kim-jongun-9261770.html The London barber ended up showing more spine than Sony has)
The BBC's editorial comment, from the broadcast I watched this morning, certainly agreed with the BBC commentator quoted above ... the commentator seemed to think that for the sake of public safety, the film's release should have been halted.
For myself - I say that it sets an awful precedent. Terrorist groups will, in future, believe that they have been given a powerful new weapon. It will be a very long time before they can be convinced otherwise. IF - INDEED - THEY ACTUALLY WILL BE !!