July 01, 2014
Gary Oldman
Source: Shutterstock
It’s obvious why no one on the left slapped Michelle Obama for using the word “gypped“ a few days back, but as Oldman pointed out in Playboy, there is simply no pattern to these passion plays anymore. I used to joke that liberals were handed out secret decoder rings that told them how to respond to these nonstop “controversies.” But apparently their miniature Enigma machines have been replaced by Magic 8 Balls. Progressives” own (already fluid) definitions of “crimes,” and their notions of appropriate punishments, are now as erratic as Mel Gibson on the PCH.
Speaking of enigmas, Oldman’s initial written apology was rejected by the ADL, and one sentence in particular probably had something to do with that: the actor’s archly worded remark that the Jews “surely are the chosen people.”
I immediately recalled John Wayne’s notoriously awkward line reading in The Greatest Story Ever Told; making a cameo appearance as a Roman centurion at the crucifixion, Wayne drawls, “Truly, this man was the son of God.” He strains so hard to convey his sincerity that he actually sounds sarcastic. It’s one of American cinema’s most cringe-inducing moments, one film buffs still joke about.
So: Was Oldman pulling a “Pueblo“?
After all, the contrast between the Gary Oldman in the pages of Playboy and the one on Kimmel’s couch is startling. Maybe he really is the greatest actor of his generation.
Oh, and that joke at the top of the page? It was cracked by Jay Leno while he was hosting the Genesis Prize gala in Israel a month ago.
The prize purports to honor achievement steeped in “Jewish values” and aspires to be a kind of “Jewish Nobel.”
“Shows what I know,” Leno quipped from the podium. “I thought the Nobel Prize was the Jewish Nobel Prize. Does anybody else ever win this thing?”
Oddly enough, there’s no evidence of the ADL slamming the former Tonight Show host as “anti-Semitic.” Maybe their Magic 8 Ball was in the shop.
