Hollywood’s ‘New Normal’ – Awards Show Lockdown
Instead of glamorous gowns and perfectly coiffed stars, the site shared how the revelers stayed safe.
… SWAT teams, police and security swarmed the hotel and after-parties. Both outside and inside the Beverly Hilton and in lavish parties held by such entertainment companies as Fox, Warner Bros., HBO and Netflix (to name a few), SWAT team members in bullet-proof vests, armed in full tactical gear, walked among the black-ties, evening gowns and jewels. Streets around the hotel were lined with officers holding assault rifles. Bomb-sniffing dogs were on hand at the hotel to examine cars.
The industry publication dubbed the situation “the new normal” for awards galas. TheWrap.com weighed in, too, with its own alarming report.
There were multiple metal detectors in place, and law enforcement armed with automatic weapons toured the venue before, during and after the live broadcast. Moreover, there was heightened security to get into the individual after parties.
Thanks, President Barack Obama.
Unfair? Imagine what the stars would be saying if they had to endure that security maelstrom with a Republican in the Oval Office. Think that would escape their attention? It might even make its way into a speech or two.
Instead, celebrities have enjoyed seven years under the protection of their preferred candidate. During that span, the president reversed the hard-fought victory in Iraq, declared war on legal firearms and watched the cancer that is ISIS grow to malevolent levels.
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He also famously dubbed the western world’s greatest threat the “jayvee team.” When pressed to clarify his remarks, even a major press outlet said he fumbled.
It’s not partisan to say terrorism is spiking under Obama’s watch. It’s a fact. Just ask CNN.
The deadly tentacles of ISIS have spread quickly, from the terrorist group’s epicenter in parts of Iraq and Syria to points around the globe.
Last year, Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, warned ISIS is building an “international footprint that includes ungoverned and under governed areas” stretching into Algeria, Libya and Egypt.
Stewart also said the numbers of foreign fighters flowing in and out of Iraq and Syria is “troubling,” as the United States expects ISIS to continue its outreach to members of the global extremist movement as a way to boost its numbers.
Obama’s justifiably criticized deal with Iran and his miscues with both Libya and Syria have produced more chaos, more uncertainty. And, sadly, more threats to the U.S.
The results? The scene celebrities witnessed on Sunday night. And, likely, much more to come when the Academy Awards roll out their signature red carpet Feb. 28. Expect an even bigger awards show lockdown on Hollywood’s biggest night.
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Meanwhile, a gaggle of A-listers including Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson and Mark Ruffalo thanked Obama last week for new gun control measures that the Associated Press admits will have little effect on future mass shootings.
Nary a peep was said in Tinsel Town against an administration that tut-tutted as ISIS multiplied. A simple, celebratory Sunday turned into a reminder of what a failed foreign policy brought to our shores.
photo credit: May Day for Freddie Gray, Oakland, CA 2015 via photopin (license)
PERFECTLY said. Hypocrites are blind AND deaf AND dumb…