Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killing practically 1,400 folks and leaving hundreds with out energy, properties or each.
Hollywood took lower than per week to formally reply to the 2005 disaster. “Scores of musicians and Hollywood celebrities,” in accordance with far-Left NPR, rallied to boost funds for these impacted by the pure catastrophe.
“A Live performance for Hurricane Reduction” could also be greatest remembered for Kanye West’s race-based assault on then-President George W. Bush.
Hollywood’s charitable efforts prolonged to the company degree.
Along with the a number of telethons and fund-raising occasions, media firms corresponding to Walt Disney, DreamWorks, GE (mum or dad of NBC Common), Information Corp., Revolution Studios, Sony, Time Warner and Viacom are all matching workers’ contributions to charitable orgs such because the American Crimson Cross.
Final month’s Hurricane Helene equally left demise and destruction in its wake. The physique depend, whereas a lot decrease than Katrina’s legacy, retains rising. Discuss of still-missing folks suggests it may develop far worse quickly. Total cities have primarily been wiped off the map.
Social media has captured the depth and scale of the wreckage. It’s worse than any catastrophe movie.
Hurricane Helene’s path of devastation is so huge it may be seen from orbit. https://t.co/4rTK1bVcHk pic.twitter.com/cyer59FUSy
— New York Publish (@nypost) October 2, 2024
So the place’s Hollywood this time?
The hurricane hit on Sept. 26. It’s now Oct. 8. We haven’t seen a large fundraising occasion or live performance from Movie star Nation.
A smattering of stars have lastly entered the body. It’s principally pushed by nation crooners.
Nation music superstars Luke Combs and Eric Church introduced that they’d be holding a “profit live performance” to assist the communities which were affected by Hurricane Helene.
Folks journal dubbed the response as “a handful of large music stars.” Beforehand, Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen wrote enormous checks to assist these impacted by the disaster. Ed Helms is rallying sources on Instagram.
Examine that to the musicians responding to Hurricane Katrina:
Inexperienced Day. Beastie Boys. Pearl Jam. Harry Connick, Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Aaron Neville, Tim McGraw, Religion Hill, Bono, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Dr. John, Neil Younger, Foo Fighters, Mariah Carey, Paul Simon, Garth Brooks, Diddy, Jay-Z, Patti Labelle, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Eryakah Badhu, and Queen Latifah.
That’s a partial listing.
A number of the big-name actors who lent a hand throughout Hurricane Katrina?
Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew McConaughey, Richard Gere, Mike Myers, Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Rock.
Once more, that’s a partial listing.
Why? Why the large disparity in movie star response?
Two causes leap to thoughts.
One, company media is attempting to downplay the hurricane’s aftermath. Journalists not solely coated the devastation following Hurricane Katrina practically 20 years in the past, however they savaged President Bush after which undersecretary for Homeland Safety Michael Brown for his or her response.
Brown later wrote a e-book giving his aspect of the story. Bush’s presidency by no means totally recovered.
At present’s journalists, de facto cheerleaders for the Biden/Harris administration, refuse to carry them accountable for his or her response.
Or lack thereof.
President Joe Biden rested on a seashore through the daybreak of the hurricane. Vice President Kamala Harris handed the hat at a swanky movie star fundraiser at roughly the identical time.
Each have been crushed to the scene by President Donald Trump, who additionally sparked a profitable fundraising marketing campaign through GoFundMe.
Vice President Harris supplied a meager $750 per hurricane survivor at roughly the identical time her administration despatched an extra $157 million to Lebanon.
Celebrities, who by and huge learn company media over new media, is probably not totally conscious of the hurricane’s devastation.
The opposite motive is extra sinister.
Any outsized hurricane reduction may draw consideration to the feckless Biden/Harris response. We’ve already seen Homeland Safety Safety Alejandro Mayorkas say FEMA is out of cash whereas unlawful immigrants proceed to be fed, housed and cared for in large numbers.
President Biden’s tone-deaf response included him saying stricken residents have been “very completely satisfied throughout the board” with the federal government’s response to the disaster. That’s after he discovered which storm he was addressing.
“What do the states within the storm zone want — after what you noticed immediately?”
BIDEN: “Oh, storm zone? I didn’t know which storm you’re speaking about…”
— RNC Analysis (@RNCResearch) October 4, 2024
Think about if President Bush had stated one thing comparable. At present’s media yawned over Biden’s newest gaffe.
Or was it a “low-cost faux?”
Vice President Harris despatched out staged picture ops to point out she cares, together with a private look of her stuffing baggage of hurricane reduction provides.
Your Democratic presidential candidate girls and gents…
Kamala slammed over staged hurricane restoration picture with unplugged headphones, clean paperhttps://t.co/xMstTARkve
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) September 30, 2024
Two nationwide tragedies. Two dramatically totally different responses from Hollywood simply weeks earlier than a presidential election.
Editor’s Word: It’s a brutal time to be an unbiased journalist, however it’s by no means been extra obligatory given the sorry state of the company press. In case you’re having fun with Hollywood in Toto, I hope you’ll think about leaving a coin (or two) in our Tip Jar.