Lorang's Mesquite Grille

2869 N. Pontiac Trail
Just West of Haggerty

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In "Dogma," Matt
Damon and Ben
Afflecklay fallen
angels banished to
the Midwest who are
ready to go back to
heaven and will do
anything to get there.

television series about an urban
Catholic parish.
With the Priest and Nothing Sacred
attacks, the Catholic League enjoyed
little success. But this time around, its
actions apparently paid of In April,
Disney reportedly instructed Miramax
to dump Dogma.
As a result, the Weinstein brothers
put up millions of dollars of their own
money to buy out the rights to the
picture, and ultimately were able to
find another distributor. Lions Gate
Films acquired domestic distribution
rights from the Weinstein brothers in
September.
To some extent, however, the pro-
ducers and the protesters feed off such
controversy. The producers stand
behind their film, the protesters attack
it and everyone gets free press. The
film's box office gets a boost — with
the public yearning to see what caused
such a big stir. The dissenters can
claim that despite the box office
bump, they have been pure to their
principles and, along the way, they can
pick up a few contributions. So
everybody wins, right?
Wrong. Movies open and close every
week, but divisive rhetoric by religious
leaders has a longer half-life. In this
instance, the charges of a double stan-
dard were followed by anonymous death
threats against the Weinsteins, based
solely on their religion.
The content of one of the many
death threats, leaked to CNN by the
Weinsteins, is particularly horrifying.
"You Jews better take that money
you've been stealing from us and
invest in flak jackets because we're
coming in there with shotguns."
For Dogma and all future contro-
versial films, producers and protesters
need only look to Brooklyn for a
model of how to do it right. Last
month, the Catholic League attacked
the Brooklyn Museum of Art for
mounting an exhibit featuring a por-
trait of the Virgin Mary splattered
with elephant dung. At one protest,

led by Donohue, a heckler veiled out
what soon became the mantra for
many of the protesters. "It's all the
Jews who run the museum.
Donohue stopped his speech and told
the man to "go home.
After this rally, Donohue and his
arch-rival in the Brooklyn Museum
debate, Norm Siegel of the New York
Civil Liberties Union, led a unity press
conference. Donohue joined hands
with Siegel to denounce "the bigotry
which surrounded this controversy.
Donohue got it right when he stated,
"Instead of addressing the question,
`Should there be public funding for
this [exhibit] ,' what we get are anti-
Semitic statements because Norm is
Jewish or the anti-Catholic statements
because I am Catholic."
Dohonue and Dogma's other oppo-
nents got it wrong when they offered
divisive and inflammatory oratory
about Hollywood's purported dis-
parate treatment of Jews and Catholics
to make their case against the film.
Never did they criticize the ridicule
lodged at Jews for killing Jesus Christ
during the controversy surrounding
the picture, an historical inaccuracy
that has formed the root of much of
the anti-Semitism swirling around this
country for years. Rather, they pit
one religion against another to further
the goals of their cause.
If unity worked in Brooklyn, why
not Hollywood? fl

ii
• SI

Check Out Our
Holiday Parties and
New Year's Eve
Gala Celebration

• Great Steaks, Ribs,
Burgers, Crab Legs
• Fabulous Fajitas,
Pastas & More!
• Sunday Brunch
11AM-2PM
• Happy Hour 4PM-7PM
Wed-Fri
• Live Comedy 9:30PM
Friday & Saturday
• Kid's Menu
• Open Wed-Sat for
Lunch & Dinner

EL DORADO COUNTRY CLUB
248-624-1050
PUBLIC WELCOME

"

"Food is something special
at Oliverio's Chop House"

- Danny Raskin

11/12/99

"

In "The Industry," an occasional
column debuting today in JN
Arts & Entertainment,
Hollywood insider and attorney
Bradley Pomerance takes a look
at issues in the world of enter-
tainment. Pomerance enjoys
family ties to the metro Detroit
area. His wife Tina's aunts and
uncles include Arnie and Marge
Fuller of West Bloomfield and
Shel and Harriett Fuller of
Bloomfield Hills.

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Oliverio's Chop House invites
you, your friends and family
in for the Holidays.
Perfect place for any get together.

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Italian
Chop
House

6 Course Millennium S ecial Dinner

New Years ve

can for more information

Catering Available

Oliverio's is available
Saturday and Sunday
afternoons for private parties

2650 Orchard Lake Rd.
Sylvan Lake, IIII
248-682-5776

SZECHUAN • HUNAN CUISINE

• Cocktails,
• Beer & Wine

r

• Healthy Diet
Dishes Available

TOTAL
DINNER
BILL

DINE IN OR CARRY-OUT

L

• Excludes Holidays

• Expires 12-31-99

. A 40 ;A, A s ia

29875 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY
At Inkster • Applegate Square • 353-7890

Former Location: 5815 Dixie Highway • Waterford
•

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MAMAMRAA&K •ka

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