Beck's rambling, pointless "Broke" movie ensures that host remains not broke
Attytood attends Beck's "Broke" movie so you didn't have to
Beck's rambling, pointless "Broke" movie ensures that host remains not broke
Last night, Glenn Beck continued what is becoming a holiday tradition for him: A high-priced national movie theater simulcast, although this year he dropped the holiday pretense of 2009's "The Christmas Sweater." This time, the ostensible theme was Beck's latest tome -- "Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure" -- and while the centerpiece at Pittsburgh's Benedum Center was supposed to be a restored 1965 Mustang (I'll try to explain later) the central prop became a massive sandwich from the Steel City institution Primanti Brothers, beef slathered in cole slaw and french fries. It was supposed to symbolize the federal budget apparently, but it seemed a fitting metaphor for the entire Beckian extravaganza: Overly stuffed yet offering only empty calories and most likely a severe case of indigestion for anyone not accustomed to a right-wing diet larded with misinformation.
The oversized sandwich offered Beck and his audience -- at 537 theatres across America as well as in Pittsburgh -- a chance to devour the red meat that it seemed to enjoy the most: Jokes about Michelle Obama. When the Fox News Channel and radio right-winger first shoved the sandwich toward the camera, he called it "Michelle Obama's worst nightmare" -- not unfunny, given the First Lady's anti-obesity crusade -- but later Beck piled it on, saying to loud applause that "I don't care if she's the Queen of Sheba, or I don't care if she's a Republican, but I don't need the First Lady to tell me what to eat or if I'm fat." By the end of the night, he somehow compared Michelle Obama to Darth Vader.
Meanwhile, one thing that did lose a little weight last night was the collective wallets of Beck's biggest fans. In Pittsburgh, attendees paid $90.50 for the privilege of seeing their hero in person, grossing close to $250,000 for Beck Inc. At the multiplex, tickets were $20, or nearly double the cost of seeing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1." At the multiplex near the King of Prussia mall where I watched, the showing drew more than 100 people and nearly filled the theater -- a fairly impressive turnout considering "Broke" was competing with a Thursday night game for the Philadelphia Eagles, our civic obsession. (Assuming that this was an average turnout -- past Beck simulcasts have done poorly in big cities but sold out in the Sunbelt -- the gross would have been more than $1 million, a reminder that the real-life Beck has been anything "Broke" during this period of economic hardship for many). If you've followed Beck's rise, I probably don't need to tell you that the crowd was largely older and all or mostly white -- a 29-year-old CPA that I spoke with joked that he was the youngest person there, except he probably wasn't joking.
Fans of irony should also note that the theater showing the Beck event still had the sign up for "Megamind."
Beck's presentation -- which clocked in at more than two hours, including a 15-minute intermission -- was not rocket science, or even Econ 101. (Another metaphor was that Beck performed with his shirt not tucked in, perhaps symbolizing his notorious casual approach to preparation?) "Broke" is the remnant of something that Beck cooked up last spring called "The Plan," which was going to be the centerpiece of his Aug. 28 Restoring Honor rally in D.C. and then it wasn't, except he went ahead and released it as a book anyway...follow me so far? When he'd offered "The Plan" on TV, Beck brought in experts promising massive fiscal pain, such as privatizing Medicare, but last night he didn't want to ruin the holiday good feeling so he skimped on any such specifics.
His obligatory chalkboard session instead focused largely on a tortured comparison of the Greek economy and its role in the European Union with the troubled economy of California, based largely on its size and with any broader explanation of how California's situation might be similar or different to Greece, or what, if anything, that meant for his paying audience. (The lecture did offer Beck numerous opportunities to insult various European nations, finally asking the lead camera to pan in so he could declare that "France sucks." Big applause followed.)
Most of what followed would be familiar to regular watchers of Beck's program on Fox, which no doubt 99 percent of them were. For example:
-- Several gratuitous references to the coming "hyperinflation"? Check, even though his long-time warnings about hyperinflation have not come close to materializing.
-- A disconnected riff on the need for people to be prepared for what's coming down the pike including food storage? Check -- and not surprising considering that one of Beck's major sponsors is a company called Food Insurance. (Said Beck: "FDR said there was 'nothing to fear but fear itself'' -- bullcrap. Be prepared.")
-- A convoluted blackboard explanation of political trends and philosophies that allowed Beck to draw a chalk line between "nationalism" and "socialism" and suggest that somehow, somewhere in the world, "National Socialism" is coming back, although where these new Nazis are located was a little unclear. He did suggest at one other point that the German people are getting fed up with the debts of other European nations and that German nationalism is returning -- "not good, not good."
Somewhere in there he mentioned the Volkswagen and added."I'm trying to remember who started the Volkswagen...oh, I know, Hitler!" Of course, it wouldn't be a Glenn Beck performance without a gratuitous reference or two to the Nazi leader, along with Bill Ayers and Van Jones and Mao (whom he claimed gave people numbers instead of names, which may be true but I couldn't find it on Google) and the 1960s ("they lost"). These references are becoming the equivalent now of catch phases on a long-running sit-com -- Beck's version of "what chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"
There were also the usual malapropisms -- a chalkboard explanation of the "5000-year leap" from 5000 B.C. to the American Constitution in 1791, which would be 6,791 years by my calculation, and later a riff on how Americans don't know the Constitution built around a citation of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," from the Declaration of Independence. And there were also props, including the Mustang convertible that was somehow supposed to represent the U.S. Constitution in a way that was never well explained. A one point he asked his "economics guru" David Buckner to sit in the Mustang and then everyone forgot about him for a long stretch, perhaps a more apt metaphor.
Indeed, most of the post-intermission half of the show was Beck's rambling 12-step schtick. "I was was going to talk to you guys about 'Broke,'"he said at the beginning of that segment, "but it's all politics." Indeed, and what a downer that would have been -- scaring away the paying customers with real information about the national debt and about what might really fix the ailing economy.
Ultimately, the "Broke" simulcast served the same two functions as any Beck event. For the audience, it was simply a chance to see and be seen by like-minded people, to feel the emotional rush (no pun intended) that they get most nights on the solitude of their living room couch in a group encounter. "Just to be with the people," Steve Murphy of Malvern told me afterward. "Just listening on the radio and TV you don't get that." And for Beck, it's a group therapy practice that's still very lucrative indeed -- making sure that unlike some of his ardent fans, he will not be "Broke" in 2011.
ANY NEWS ON MILITARY DEATHS IN 2010?
There has been more in 2010 than 2001-2009 combined.
Where is the Liberal Outrage? where is the MSM with their nightly coverage?
Where is Will Bunch- oops- he is blogging about Glenn Beck again (very important).
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
Palin defends American exceptionalism as in exceptionally fat and unhealthy. And Beck promotes American exceptionalism as in making up dumb stuff. I'm just glad that Republicans will continue to borrow TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS and not cut MY entitlements. Dopes, no change!— The Fundamentals of the Economy are Fine- What annoys Beck haters the most is that his audience has the disposable income to drop $90 for some entertainment. Meanwhile the libz are begging gubmint to buy them health care.— RG
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- Liberals are begging from the US Government because they are incapable of producing anything- they need government jobs.
- Keep The Change You must have interpreted the OEF casualty fgures on that web site you gave. There are 600 plus in 2010, 500 plus in 2009 and about 1000 total in previous years.— landscape
"@blackhawk "Fat people make fat kids. Period." So you are saying you blame your lack of self control, your obesity, on your parents? Real nice." God, jokester, are you really that stupid? Where in that simple statement did I say I was fat? FYI, I'm 6'2" and 190. I can eat what I want and won't gain anything. Been buying the same waist and length pants since 1980. My dad was about the same and my brothers pretty close. My point was that two overwight parents will produce overweight offspring. You apparently were asleep during biology class in the Philadelphia School District along with Phillygrl. But it is clear you favor a "one shoe fits" approach to obesity. Don't target the fatties, but roll everyone into the whole grain and fruit crowd despite the need to address only the fatties.
Don't go away mad, just go away.- Ahh the Pied -Piper of the mindless minority. Keep making him richer and he'll keep blowing smoke you know where. The same slavering worship afforded to the other know-nothing nobody from Wasilla.— No Ids
- "Ahh the Pied -Piper of the mindless minority. Keep making him richer and he'll keep blowing smoke you know where. The same slavering worship afforded to the other know-nothing nobody from Wasilla." In case you missed November pal, you're the minority. Leftist clown.
- "Keep The Change You must have interpreted the OEF casualty fgures on that web site you gave. There are 600 plus in 2010, 500 plus in 2009 and about 1000 total in previous years." So, landscape, how many are the "plus"? Anyway, 600 + 500 = 1100. I guess that eclipses 1000 in the previous years. Not so good in problem solving. Another product of the Philadelphia School District.
- iamkingdunlap_sucksSweatyBallz
@Keep the Change
I think this is what the journalist meant when he referred to a diet of "Misinformation" when dealing with or listeneing to right wing nuts like yourself. You said that there were more soldier's deaths this year than in all of the previous nine years combined.......... what are you a ****ing idiot, or just a right wing nut job liar. You rednecKKKs make up "facts" and lies that defy LOGIC, which is why you're considered NUTS! FYI, between 2001-2009, over 4000 troops were killed. 4000 troopswere not killed in 2010. Take those false facts to FOX Non-NEWS where it will be appreciated
The screen name says it all. Keep it classy lefties. LOL. - Blackhawk - The poster said "There has been more in 2010 than 2001-2009 combined." By your math 600-700 (2010) is more than 1500-1600 (2001-2009 combined)? Please explain the mystery.— landscape
- I agree with landscape -> this is another (loosely organized bullseye on Beck's chest) smear which doesn't evaluate and examine the content and fine-point distinctions Beck made in his presentation. The key in his CONTENT and whether its truthful and whether his conclusions are reasonable.— zen
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