NBC's Today Show movie critic angers gay rights group

[davidinalameda]

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid24116.asp

Gene Shalit—the 31-year veteran movie critic of NBC's Today Show—came under fire Thursday by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for his review of "Brokeback Mountain."

GLAAD says that Shalit "used the occasion to promote defamatory anti-gay prejudice to a national audience."

In a bizarre piece of commentary for the "Critic's Corner," Shait deemed Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Jack, a "sexual predator" who "tracks Ennis down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts."

The "characterization of Jack as a "predator" and Ennis (Heath Ledger) as a victim reflects a fundamental lack of understanding about the central relationship in the film and about gay relationships in general," GLAAD said in a statement. "It seems highly doubtful that Shalit would similarly claim that Titanic's Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a "sexual predator" because he was pursuing a romantic relationship with Rose (Kate Winslet)."


sexual predator?

I never noticed the kool-aid dripping his mustache before

:shrug:

[LeftCoast]

1. Yeah, this was pretty OTT

Talk about ignorant! I won't certainly won't be watching this asshole (not that I really did before).

[Imagine My Surprise]

2. I'm not at all surprised...whenever I see that he LIKED a movie...

I make a point of NOT watching it. He's about as hip as a transistor radio.

[Justitia]

3. I just happened to see this & I agree - it was bizarrely negative.

I mean, it really stood out as weird and even Katie Couric seemed taken aback.
She blinked and said something like "gee, I thought it was really well done".

He sounds like that Gibson freak on Fox.

[davidinalameda]

4. props for Katie

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. The way I remember it...

Ennis was the top, at least in that one sex scene. It is rather hard to scream "Victim!" about someone who is pitching. Not to mention that Jack's defining character "flaw" was that he had grand dreams but was never quite able to achieve them. If the plot was to have Jack predate Ennis and "coax him into sporadic trysts," then he would have failed.

Then there is the fact that Ennis seemed pretty enthusiastic about his "sporadic trysts" for a victim. It was not until the emotional level became too intense for him that he backed off, which was his central character flaw.

[SushiFan]

6. The ugliest (Shalit, et al) are the most homophobic -- as if !.......nt