In between cyborg fights, NBC's new sci-fi show “Bionic Woman” flattered Hillary Clinton with an awkward and artificial reference to her prowess at getting to the bottom of an injustice.
In the October 10 episode “Sisterhood,” the latest Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, portrayed by Michelle Ryan, discovered there is a constant video feed in her recently implanted bionic eye, and as the character groused about the invasion of her privacy, the writers slipped in a little stilted praise for Clinton.
The remark occured at about 29 minutes into the show where Jaime was talking to her boss Jonas Bledsoe, the director of the bionics program (video here):
JAIME SOMMERS: OK, you know what, this camera in my eye? It sucks.
JONAS BLEDSOE: It's not a camera. It's...
SOMMERS: (interrupting and finishing his sentence) A total violation of privacy. You know what? I'm going to call somebody. The Justice Department or—Hillary Clinton. She'll get to the bottom of this.
The show essentially engaged in political product placement. The mention was even more obvious than the usual Hollywood practices of displaying Pepsi cans or Dorito bags in scenes to promote certain brands. It's the same principle, just a different kind of brand.
The out of place reference was more of a promotion of Clinton than an amusing line. Hillary Clinton isn't known for her investigative skills. Why not have Jaime mention an unnamed president? Or if liberal writers don't want to stain their scripts by implying a Republican president, why not use the Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or the Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? Why Hillary?
This isn't exactly bias and shouldn't be taken as such, but it is yet another indicator of the political leanings in Hollywood and an example of how Democrats are favored.
The problem is that TV is influential and can subtly shape opinion. Various minority and civil rights groups use Hollywood's ability to influence society as the basis for their boycotts and campaigns. Unfortunately, diversity in Hollywood does not include political diversity.
Lynn is a NewsBusters contributor. Contact her at tvisgoodforyou2 at yahoo dot com
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Part Two
October 12, 2007 - 00:51 ET by BarkerBionic Woman Meets Robotic B*tch
umm ...
October 12, 2007 - 01:05 ET by drillanwrumm ... <PWAAAHAAAAAHAAAA!!!>
Let's see the other candidates demand equal time!
Awww, c'mon.
October 12, 2007 - 01:25 ET by TheCableGuyI saw the episode (it's actually not a terrible show) and the reference wasn't that awkward; somehow, Hillary has gotten a rep as an independent woman, despite "standing by her man," a felonious womanizer of great prowess. It fit as well as anything else would have and it made the show contemporary.
Nancy Pelosi wouldn't have worked, because she displayed the grandkids and went all maternal when she became speaker.
SOMMERS: (interrupting and
October 12, 2007 - 01:30 ET by USA4freedomSOMMERS: (interrupting and finishing his sentence) A total violation of privacy. You know what? I'm going to call somebody. The Justice Department or—Hillary Clinton. She'll get to the bottom of this...
Hell, her and Bill probably all ready has the FBI file on
that.........
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Arrrrrrgh!!
October 12, 2007 - 01:34 ET by mastersofdeceitI hate when this c**p happens. By that I mean the whole "remake" industry. Never had any intention of watching this; one of my old favorites from the 70's, and I've had it with looking at all the lame ads on the buses and billboards of the Eye. So weak. I smell birkenstock hwood feminists all over this.
Did anyone notice this "eye" concept isn't new? It was a function of The Six Million Dollar Man, Astronaut Steve Austin! NOT bionic woman! Oh now they just made it into a camera, ok I get it. *rolls eyes....into back of head* Lindsey Wagner had the bionic EAR duh! Stick a camera in there. Oh and call Hillary, she knows a lot about getting to the bottom.
Ok just had to rant, off to play my Great Adventures of Bionic Woman record from '76
The part that I find so
October 12, 2007 - 01:39 ET by USA4freedomThe part that I find so foolish is: you have a new show, I
would think that you do not want to piss off a large part of your viewing audience.
That line will not get you any viewers from the left but
will make you lose viewers from the right. Why? I guess so someone will give
you a back slap at the next cocktail party..
Even my wife who does not pay attention will say: Why did
they put that in? It does not make sense.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
US Agree, it's like some
October 12, 2007 - 01:55 ET by mastersofdeceitUS
Agree, it's like some weird non sequitir. And would she have said Justice Dept. if Gonzalez hadn't resigned? I thought that was kind of strange. I thought libs think our JD is out running amok torturing innocent Americans in front of their children.
And leave 6 million $ man alone! don't graft him onto Jaime Sommers. : ) Oh and i'm halfway through The Mask of Tamburo on the BW record; it's getting good, cheesy but good.
I'd start a boycott, but I already don't watch TV.
Hillary has a tin ear
October 12, 2007 - 01:42 ET by USA4freedomI had forgot that it was a bionic ear.
I think Hillary has a tin ear. Remember when they taped
her singing the National Anthem??
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
The new Bionic Woman
October 12, 2007 - 15:42 ET by Lynn DavidsonThe new Bionic Woman actually has both. She has the bionic ear and the bionic eye. I think the bionic eye was a smart move and advances the story. She can scan crowds, see in the dark and do a lot of gimmicky things that help writers create fun and "believable" storylines.
Her abilities weren't enough with just the arm, leg and ear. Without the eye, she is just at too much of a disadvantage against sophisticated and technologically-advanced bad guys, even with her other bionics. It is less of a theft of Steve Austin's ability and more of a way to modernize the story and lend more flexibility to her character.
And I like this show. For the most part it doesn't have a bias...yet. But there is the potential for bashing military contractors and corporations. The pathway for anti-military, anti-US, anti-capitalism bias is there; let's see if they resist it.
Stay Tuned!
October 12, 2007 - 01:47 ET by BarkerAnd now, a scene from next week's Bionic Woman, with special guest star Bill Clinton:
Doctor: "We have the technology. We can rebuild it......"
The Bionic Cigar?
October 12, 2007 - 02:04 ET by mastersofdeceitI dunno, can you rebuild a cigar? : O
She's breaking up! She's breaking up!
How does Bill cut his cigars?
October 12, 2007 - 10:05 ET by BigSpoon65BigSpoon65
We know what kind of sealer he prefers to wet the ends of his freshly rolled cigars with, but where do you suppose he sticks it to cut the end off? Hillary.......any ideas?
BS ROFLMAO!! Thats sooo
October 12, 2007 - 10:07 ET by bigtimerBS
ROFLMAO!!
Thats sooo bad it's good!
Teeth
October 13, 2007 - 02:09 ET by BigSpoon65BigSpoon65
Yeah, Hitlery's growler has got to have teeth. LMAO
Uh, this show isn't watched
October 12, 2007 - 02:16 ET by kevcadUh, this show isn't watched for its dialogue.....
Start each day with a smile, then get it over with. - W.C. Fields
The bionic woman can talk?
October 12, 2007 - 04:36 ET by ckc1227The bionic woman can talk?
That says it all ckc.
October 12, 2007 - 07:29 ET by VT Con ManThat says it all ckc.
I hate to disagree with an
October 12, 2007 - 08:48 ET by SmartypantsI hate to disagree with an earlier post, but this show is not good. The dialog is idiotic (even beyond the Hilary line) and the special effects are cheap. Other than some eye candy offered up by Michelle Ryan, there is no reason to watch this program.
I do have to laugh at Hollywood, though. Other than some slick political maneuvering, what has Hilary Clinton accomplished in her career? Now she is being packaged as some kind of problem-solver. Huh?
Propaganda machine...when will you stop
October 12, 2007 - 08:56 ET by JayTeeAre the Cartoons shows next ? or can Kids vote ?
This is depressing, for many many reasons....but, a couple of things one needs to keep in perspective.....
Biontic Woman is Fake, and so is Hollywood. Fake movies about fictional characters...and this was certainly a "phoney" reference to the powers of Miss Clinton.
What good is a Free Press, if it is a False Press ? David Foote GoE
Jay Tee - I'm not sure what your point is
October 12, 2007 - 09:05 ET by Dee BunkBut I'm sure cartoon shows are probably filled with liberal propaganda also. The perspective is that liberals use every type of media they can and also the schools to brain wash the general public. Children are certainly not off limits to them.
Remember Captain Planet?
October 12, 2007 - 13:42 ET by compguytracyCartoons have been political for a while, yes kids cartoons, Barney, Sesame St, Cpt Planet, extreme global warming bs also made american avatar appear to be stupidest among the 5, also, South Park, but political in that it skews everybody, go Trey and Matt!
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?…
Ceteris paribus
How appropriate Hillary's Honey's are robots.
October 12, 2007 - 09:13 ET by CT"...Hillary Clinton. She'll get to the bottom of this..."
This show is a race to the bottom of pure drivel.
Justice
October 12, 2007 - 09:26 ET by mattmAnd I was almost ready to give that show a chance...
If there was any justice, Hillary would be in jail.
I think you guys are
October 12, 2007 - 09:32 ET by steviep831I think you guys are misunderstanding the lines. I think she was probably referring to calling Clinton because she would have enjoyed the striptease...
Hmmm....
October 12, 2007 - 10:50 ET by rbchaffeCan the "fairness" doctrine be applied to television shows?
Yes.
October 12, 2007 - 10:52 ET by sarcasmoBut only with a vast increase in the size of big government. Do you actually want that? And trust them?
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.
Can't Even Enjoy TV Anymore
October 12, 2007 - 10:58 ET by GothampcThe actress saying this is British. I guess American actresses spouting this garbage wasn't enough. This actress is definitely in line for a Cabinet position in the Hillary Regime.
It's funny that you mention that Gothampc
October 12, 2007 - 11:20 ET by Dee BunkI watch a lot of foreign films and don't find nearly as much blatant political crap in them. I've come to enjoy them more than Hollywood and American television.
American liberals are just bad imitations of European ones. They think art is a one dimensional piece of garbage that preaches to it's subjects. Europeans know how to make art that is ambiguous and open to interpretation based on one's own circumstances.
I want my movies and tv to be escapism!
October 12, 2007 - 13:54 ET by GothampcIt's awful to see what garbage America is putting out today compared to some of the beautiful foreign films. I absolutely hate when social issues are blatantly forced into a movie or tv show. Now with the internet and "in your face" 24 hour news and opinion, I rely on movies and tv for pure escapism. If I want propoganda, I'll turn on CNN or BBC World News.
I was a bit bummed out that a few weeks ago I was watching the British sitcom "Vicar of Dilby" and the last several minutes of the show was given over to poverty in Africa. Not that I'm a cold-hearted clod, but I like comedy to be comedy and social programs to be social programs.
Gothampc - I'm with you .
October 12, 2007 - 14:24 ET by Dee BunkThe only shows I watch anymore are Lost and Desperate Housewives. I get Netflix and I travel to Chicago (I'm in the suburbs) to go see Foreign films because I'm tired of the junk Clooney and company put out.
It's funny to watch liberal reactions to some of the films. That "Lives of Others" was an excellent film and won the Oscar for best foregin film. It showed the extreme dangers of socialism and how when the government controls the jobs, they control who gets them and any political dissenters can forget about having a good one. Just because much of the film involved them wiretapping people, liberals thought it was against Bush. They had the nerve to compare Bush's wiretapping of Foreign calls from terrorists to bugging peoples homes and listening in to see if they are saying anything bad about the government. These people have never known a day of oppression and it's really a joke. If they had, they would know the difference. The socialism part goes right over their heads.
Biggest diff between Brit & Yank libs...
October 12, 2007 - 21:02 ET by m4ster chief...some American liberals shave their armpits. Some.
Sunrise at sea; a breeze across the deck, salty spray tickles the face, the aroma of fresh coffee, stack gas, and haze-gray paint is in the air. Another Navy day aboard ship as a Navy Chief...the perfect life!
Fred
October 12, 2007 - 11:29 ET by kdoliverThis kind of stuff is acceptable, but we had all that talk the Law and Order episodes with Fred?! He is not being political at all. Just an actor.
I just it just goes to show you that they still have not invented a Bionic Brain.
http://thelazytriathlete.blogspot.com/
The Clintons and your privacy
October 12, 2007 - 14:10 ET by greenfairieBill and Hill did more to invade the privacy of ordinary, harmless Americans than the Patriot Act. Witness the files on Republicans, IRS on audits on political opponents, etc..
In any case, this new Bionic Woman is unimpressive. I grew up watching the original back in the '70s and for all of its campiness, it was unadulterated family t.v. fun. This new version tries to be The Matrix and Blade Runner. Bleah.
Hillary's abilities
October 12, 2007 - 14:49 ET by TheInformerMaybe an episode later on will tie in with Hillary's newfound abilities and Whitewater will be solved. Or maybe all of the people in the Clintons' past that have met untimely ends. Or possibly even what documents Sandy Berger stole!
Yes...The Cackle
October 12, 2007 - 19:23 ET by BigSpoon65BigSpoon65
Impervious to sound absorbing materials the 'cackle' is able to penetrate any audio filtering devices. Symptoms of hearing the cackle might include nausea, severe vomiting, and diarrhea. Can be contagious. A sign you have contracted this miserable 'cackle' will be marked by your extreme avoidance to honestly answering tough questions.
Bionic Hitlery
Bionic Leftists, what could be worse?
October 12, 2007 - 17:48 ET by CrashOh yeah ... if Hillary becomes Queen.
Sure she'll get to the bottom, Hillary's a bottom feeder.
Does any won remember when
October 12, 2007 - 19:00 ET by Chris NormanDoes any won remember when the producers of "Designing Women", Linda Bloodworth and Harry Thomason, announced that they were going to use the writing in the show to help Bill Clinton get elected in '92? Before NewsBusters, I could only rant and rave to my friends about this, thinking I was the only one appalled.