Alba Gu Brath!

RIDICULOUS: Brad Pitt Flick Costs Louisiana Taxpayers $27 Million!!!!!

FROM PEREZ HILTON:

Looks like you can lump Hollywood into that pile of crappy, greedy people mooching off of the American taxpayer.

On Saturday, the New York Times reported on the millions of dollars from states that have been going straight to the pockets of Hollywood studios to finance movies via tax breaks.

Hollywood is just as bad as those shady Wall Street finance people!

For example, Louisiana taxpayers funded $27 million of Brad Pitt's $167 million dollar movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The paper also notes that this is the state’s biggest movie payout to date!

Hollywood producers and studios claim that the state tax breaks allow them to keep entertainment jobs in the U.S. and create jobs.

But, au contraire!

The report points to the case of a straight-to-DVD Wesley Snipes and Cybil Shepherd-starring picture called Hard Luck filmed in the state of Rhode Island.

The seaside state gave Hard Luck $2.65 million in tax breaks, but Rhode Islander's only netted $1.9 million in return.

Why don't the politically 'active' stars take on their own greedy industry.

Ahem, Brad?

Did that Benjamin Buttons movie generate more than $27 million in revenues for Louisiana?

[Image via Doug Meszler/WENN.]

[From Brad Pitt Flick Costs Louisiana Taxpayers $27 Million!!!!!]

Regardless of outcome could America be short one Baldwin after November?

From NewsBusters.org

Stephen Baldwin Mocks Alec's 'I'm Leaving if Bush Wins' Pledge

Remember back in 2000 when actor Alec Baldwin allegedly promised to leave the country if George W. Bush was elected president?

Well, his brother Stephen was on Fox News's "Just In with Laura Ingraham" Wednesday evening, and apart from skewering celebrities for supporting Barack Obama "just because quote unquote they want change, whatever, without ever really fully recognizing who the best person for the job is," he also deliciously mocked his brother for still being in America despite his 2000 pledge.

What follows is his full discussion with Ingraham (video embedded right, h/t NBer LilyPearl):

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: Barack Obama has star power in Hollywood, of course, and he's also pulling in some serious cash. Democratic officials say he raised nearly $5 million smackaroos at a celebrity-packed fund raiser in L.A. last night. I wish I was there. Tickets were going for more than -- get this - - $30,000 a pop. How is that even possible? My friend -- I have to get it out there, actor Stephen Baldwin is here tonight, and he is a McCain supporter. Stephen, great to see you.

STEPHEN BALDWIN, ACTOR: Hey, Laura, great to see you, too.

INGRAHAM: Stephen, first of all, what is up with these celebrities? I hate to bring you on and have you speak for Susan Sarandon and Halle Berry and George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey and Morgan Freedman, Ben Affleck and all those folks, but it seems like the list, when you look at the celebrities for Obama versus the celebrities for McCain, it is kind of a lopsided situation.

BALDWIN: Well, I think that, you know, anything is possible in Hollywood, so the 30,000 a plate doesn't surprise me. What is mind blowing to me is first of all, you will have celebrities coming out just because quote unquote they want change, whatever, without ever really fully recognizing who the best person for the job is, which is kind of scary to me, but at the same time, what's blowing my mind is you see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who were hating each other's guts two months ago now they're hugging, kissing. It just seems to me that party will literally do whatever it has to, whether it's authentic or not in order to win this election.

INGRAHAM: Well, I keep thinking of the things bothering Americans, Stephen, and we have talked on the radio about the cultural decline that people are worried about in this country. Let's just say gas prices. Let's talk about national security. Let's talk about the cost and quality of education. Why should we care what Sheryl Crow or Susan Sarandon or Tim Robbins or any of these people think about that? Why should any of that, and we're looking at the change video that was put together some months ago, why should we care about what any of them think about any of these issues?

BALDWIN: Well, I agree with you. I'm from Massapequa, Long Island. My dad was a school teacher. We grew up in a pretty normal, you know, slightly crazy adjust but a pretty blue collar -- Laura be nice, he can still kick my butt.

INGRAHAM: Alec and I are old friends. Didn't he tell you that? He and I love each other? I thought he was going to leave America. He promised to leave and he is still here last time I checked. We love the Baldwin family. Sorry.

BALDWIN: Now that you're saying this, I just want to say right now, Laura, that it's official, if Barack gets nominated, I will be moving out of the country. I just want to say that now. Now watch all the media have fun with that, but getting back to my point, exactly what you are saying is true. Here is what is freaky to me is the media and Hollywood is so convinced that Middle America and mainstream America cares what it thinks. That's what shocks me. You have all these celebrities that are going to come out behind Obama.

Whether he's the best guy for the job doesn't matter. He is the guy that will bring change. I love the questions that are outstanding. How is he going to bring the change? What is his plan? How is he going to do it?

INGRAHAM: Don't get me started.

BALDWIN: Nobody is answering these questions. The other thing that's pissing me off, if I can say it Laura...

INGRAHAM: You can't we're almost out of time.

BALDWIN: Why do they keep saying that four more years of McCain is four more years of Bush is the most stupid thing I have heard. It is totally untrue. I believe John McCain will be the next president of the United States and should be.

INGRAHAM: Stephen Baldwin, it's always great to see you. I know I'll see you on the radio. Thanks for being with us. Take care.

BALDWIN: Take care, God bless.

Despite Baldwin saying "nominated" instead of "elected," isn't it refreshing to hear from a Hollywoodan not drinking the Kool-Aid?

[From Stephen Baldwin Mocks Alec's 'I'm Leaving if Bush Wins' Pledge]

What was your first clue?

Was it that the next highest bid was $879,909 lower? 0r was it the BossHog EBay ID?

General Lee Auction Bid Was A Fake

I was actually relieved to read that the winning bid of $10 million in the auction to buy the famed "Dukes of Hazzard" ride of preference, the "General Lee," was actually a bogus one. Because then, it stopped forcing me to wrap my head around the concept that there existed an idiot with enough money, and little enough taste to be capable of seriously doing such a thing. Although, it is pretty shady, since it leaves the owner, John Schneider, twisting in the wind.

A source connected to the sale tells TMZ that the first deposit deadline for Mr. William Fisher, the winning bidder, was missed for making any type of formal payment arrangements with Schneider. He had originally been given seven days from the auction's close to work out the deal.

Schneider has since filed a "failure to pay" complaint with eBay and is currently meeting with attorneys to discuss "some sort of legal action."

It sounds like Schneider is trying to figure out what the last real bid on the car actually was, so that the bidder can pay for and receive the car. Schneider's rep estimated to TMZ that the winning sum is somewhere around $5 million, which is still pretty ridamndiculous. Unless it's for charity. Then I have to shut up.

Couldn't have happened to a better guy.

This yahoo story about film maker Michael Moore has made my day.

Michael Moore faces U.S. Treasury probe (AP)

AP - Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary "Sicko," The Associated Press has learned.