Latest News!
- Jason Priestley Says Reunion with Jennie or Shannen Would Be 'Fun'
- Travis Barker Remembers His Friends with T-Shirts
- How Motherhood Has Domesticated Nicole Richie
- VIDEO: Katie Holmes Piques Eli Stone's Interest
- HSM Stars Spill the Dirt
- Frank Sinatra Is One of Diddy's 'Imaginary Friends'
- Mark Wahlberg Reveals His Kids' Rivalries
People Top 5
LAST UPDATE: Friday October 10, 2008 01:10PM EDT
PEOPLE Top 5 are the most-viewed stories on the site over the past three days, updated every 60 minutes
No Chipping Away at Ice Cube's Movie
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton want some offending lines about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King cut from "Barbershop"; MGM says no.
Originally posted Thursday September 26, 2002 11:25 AM EDT
A hit is a hit, and rapper Ice Cube's movie, "Barbershop," is definitely one of them. For the past two weeks, the ensemble comedy has been No. 1 at the box office, generating about $40 million in ticket sales.
But it has also rankled a few people, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who have criticized some of the movie's dialogue insofar as it makes wisecracks at the expense of civil rights icons Rosa Parks and the Rev. Martin Luther King. They now want the offending dialogue cut from "Barbershop."
Although producers have apologized for the jokes, Variety reports that the film's studio, MGM, is staunchly refusing to clip the lines from the movie or from its future DVD versions, despite the insistence of Jackson and Sharpton, who are calling for a national boycott of the movie as of this Friday if their demands are not met, The New York Times reports.
"MGM stands behind 'Barbershop,' its filmmakers, and artists, and we have no intention of altering the film in any way," the studio said in a statement. "We're proud to have made a movie with such a positive and uplifting overall message that audiences throughout the U.S. have embraced. The filmmakers obviously struck a winning chord with critics and audiences alike, and we are already at work on the sequel."
The scenes being cited by Jackson and Sharpton, according to the Times, involve the character played by comedian Cedric the Entertainer, who riles the shop regulars by ridiculing Dr. King for his marital infidelities and dismissing Ms. Parks's contribution to the civil rights movement as simply sitting down. Jackson himself is also targeted during the scene.
But it has also rankled a few people, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who have criticized some of the movie's dialogue insofar as it makes wisecracks at the expense of civil rights icons Rosa Parks and the Rev. Martin Luther King. They now want the offending dialogue cut from "Barbershop."
Although producers have apologized for the jokes, Variety reports that the film's studio, MGM, is staunchly refusing to clip the lines from the movie or from its future DVD versions, despite the insistence of Jackson and Sharpton, who are calling for a national boycott of the movie as of this Friday if their demands are not met, The New York Times reports.
"MGM stands behind 'Barbershop,' its filmmakers, and artists, and we have no intention of altering the film in any way," the studio said in a statement. "We're proud to have made a movie with such a positive and uplifting overall message that audiences throughout the U.S. have embraced. The filmmakers obviously struck a winning chord with critics and audiences alike, and we are already at work on the sequel."
The scenes being cited by Jackson and Sharpton, according to the Times, involve the character played by comedian Cedric the Entertainer, who riles the shop regulars by ridiculing Dr. King for his marital infidelities and dismissing Ms. Parks's contribution to the civil rights movement as simply sitting down. Jackson himself is also targeted during the scene.
Latest video
Who Looked Hot This Week
Week of October 10, 2008
See who sizzled this week in style (Nicole!) and how to get their looks for less
Advertisement
Today's Photos
What's Hot on People.com
Promotion
Treat Yourself! 4 Preview Issues















