Matt Lauer is getting greener by the minute. Fresh off his promotion of Al Gore the Today co-host turned to noted environmental activist/actor Leonardo DiCaprio to plug his latest enviro-flick. Initially on to promote his movie on the African diamond trade, Blood Diamond, Lauer couldn’t resist asking DiCaprio about his first liberal love, global warming. DiCaprio went on to push his upcoming movie, Eleventh Hour, that featured the "greatest minds in the world," on the subject of global warming. DiCaprio claimed his scientists represented "over 90 percent of the collective thought," on the issue but absurdly lamented they don’t get the appropriate amount of time in the media claiming: "But then when it's on the media you have that 10 or five percent and there sitting opposite on a chair and it becomes an argument when they are actually the minority."
The following is the full exchange that occured in the 8:30 am half hour of the December 6th Today show:
Matt Lauer: "When, when I looked over to, to get ready to talk to you, you're kind of recent history and your schedule of events coming up it, it's fairly obvious that you are starting to dedicate more and more of your time to causes and in particular the environment, global warming. How much of an impact do you think you've had already and, and, and what are you planning for the near future in terms of what you can bring to that, that discussion?"
Leonardo DiCaprio: "Well I'm currently working on a documentary called The Eleventh Hour which really was inspired because you know I've, I've done a lot of work on the issue, on the issue of global warming in the past and I feel like when it's presented in the media you have the, you have the consensus of the greatest minds in the world, the greatest scientists Nobel Laureates speaking about the issue and they are over 90 percent of the collective thought. But then when it's on the media you have that 10 or five percent and there sitting opposite on a chair and it becomes an argument when they are actually the minority. You know what I'm saying? So I want to be able to present some of these, some of these great minds to have a palette in which they can talk about the issue of global warming without out it being an argument any more."
Lauer: "And how important is it for you to start to change the perception and it's only in some quarters but the perception of Hollywood as being a place of consumption and excess and, and start people thinking about and maybe it's, it's by people like you and a George Clooney standing up to get people thinking that Hollywood can be a great motivator for change?"
DiCaprio: "I think it can too and you know I've heard the argument that, you know, who are we as these Hollywood artists to-"
Lauer: "Just go act and shut up?"
DiCaprio: "-to just go out, yeah, exactly. But you know we're also citizens as well and, and it's, and everyone has the right to not listen to us but if I feel like if I can draw, you know, a certain amount of young people or anyone to hear my voice on an issue like global warming or educate them in any possible way it's just something I personally want to do."
Lauer: "It's nice to see you working on what your passionate, you feel passionately about and also to keep turning out these great movies."
DiCaprio: "Thank you so much."
—Geoffrey Dickens is the senior news analyst at the Media Research Center.
















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Just go act and shut up?Wou
December 6, 2006 - 15:18 ET by CrimsonfistedJust go act and shut up?
Would you please?
Why should we buy your product when you are annoying as all get out? I recall seeing an retrospective on Elvis and when he was asked during the 60's if he would have gone into the Army as he did in the 50s and he politely and firmly told the reporter that he preferred to keep those opinions to himself. Would that there be more celebrites who choose to keep their opinions personal.
You know, Leo, you have the right to remain SILENT. You make your money acting, not prosletyzing and you are not a scientist. How much education do you have? What makes your opinion more valuable than anyone else's? And why not present the ENTIRE story, not just one side? Or is that too much like work, or maybe a real documentary.
Just go act and shut upAnd
December 6, 2006 - 15:25 ET by Jack BauerJust go act and shut up
And by the way, The Aviator sucked. On ice.
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast
militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
You guys are quickly runnin
December 6, 2006 - 15:40 ET by balboaYou guys are quickly running out of actors you can watch! Soon you'll be reduced to the scenes of Everybody Loves Raymond involving Deborah and reruns of Magnum P.I.
;-)
I like Leo. He was great in &
December 6, 2006 - 15:47 ET by Roger the ShrubberI like Leo. He was great in "The Departed" and "Gangs of New York".
Like with Clooney and Baldwin, I have learned to separate the politics from the acting.
It does get difficult at times, keeping the whackjob politics out of my head when I see certain actors.
Fortunately, I have no such issues with music. I gladly despise the majority of the nutcases out there.
I feel I'm able to separate
December 6, 2006 - 15:54 ET by balboaI feel I'm able to separate the two. Sean Penn continues to bother me because he's such a sour puss, but I own "Fast Times." Russell Crowe bothers me, but I can tolerate a good movie with him in it.
I concur, Bal. Crowe was gre
December 6, 2006 - 17:29 ET by Roger the ShrubberI concur, Bal. Crowe was great in "Gladiator". Sean Penn, however, has been more annoying than not-annoying haha
No one takes themselves mor
December 6, 2006 - 17:36 ET by balboaNo one takes themselves more seriously than Sean Penn...OK, maybe futbolisgreat, but that's it.
Crowe is good, but god forbid he laugh at a joke made at his expense, like during the Oscars a few years ago. He was great in A Beautiful Mind, too.
You guys forgot the obvious
December 6, 2006 - 18:21 ET by Carl KolchakEveryone knows "Shanghai Surprise" is Penn's greatest movie.
"what if I were Romeo in black jeans what if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth maybe she's just looking for someone to dance with" 'No Myth'
OK, that was cruel. LOL
December 6, 2006 - 19:35 ET by PeskyDaneOK, that was cruel. LOL
Ah, Shanghai Surprise... Act
December 6, 2006 - 19:40 ET by balboaAh, Shanghai Surprise...
Actually, you know the Sean Penn movie I haven't seen in a while that's really good? "Bad Boys" from 1983, where he's in prison. GREAT movie.
Go see Spielburg's "Ca
December 6, 2006 - 16:01 ET by sarcasmoGo see Spielburg's "Catch Me If You Can" and you'll see that despite his pretty-boy looks and PC-left antiscientific views, Leo's a pretty good actor -- at least when presented with a VERY good film & a co-star as good as Tom Hanks, who was also great in the film. Since I hate most Hollywood crap, this is a very good review when I say "I think seeing the film was actually worth the money."
JMR
Good call, Sarc. Great movie.
December 6, 2006 - 17:30 ET by Roger the ShrubberGood call, Sarc. Great movie.
Balboa, Nothing Like a Good Book
December 6, 2006 - 15:56 ET by PSPCplGroucho Marx said "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." I couldn't agree more.
it's by people like you an
December 6, 2006 - 15:22 ET by Jack Bauerit's by people like you and a George Clooney standing up
Hey, and as George is already standing up, get him to come out as well!
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast
militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
That settles it.
December 6, 2006 - 15:32 ET by mattmThat settles it.
Now we can add his name to th
December 6, 2006 - 15:38 ET by Clear thinkerNow we can add his name to the world renowned experts on GW.
America can feel safe tonight, Leo's on watch!
Holiday Inn Express @ Hollyweird
December 6, 2006 - 15:40 ET by PSPCplThere must be several Holiday Inn Express hotels where these folks from Hollyweird stay in on a regular basis. That is the only explanation for these actors who think they are so much smarter than the rest of us. I am constantly amazed by people (especially DeCaprio) who grew up acting and spent very little time getting an education, let alone attending college and graduate school studying any hard science. Yet, they have the chutzpah to tell us that we are the problem and must sacrifice to fix it. Bill Maher said one thing that I can agree with: "It's easy to be generous with other people's money." He was speaking about taxes, but the same thing holds true when you want someone else to sacrifice for your cause.
What about 90% of Believers?
December 6, 2006 - 15:52 ET by RightWiredI wonder if Ms. Craprio realizes that his exact same statement can be used for the belief in a higher power, a belief which 90% of the world holds, and has held for thousands of years.
Hairboy says:
"I feel like when it's presented in the media you have the, you
have the consensus of the greatest minds in the world, the greatest
scientists Nobel Laureates speaking about the issue and they are over
90 percent of the collective thought."
But I say:
"I feel like when it's NOT presented in the media you have the, you
have the consensus of the greatest theological minds in the world, the greatest
religious leaders and scientists speaking about the issue and they are over
90 percent of the collective thought."
But I guess the collective thought only applies when you're trying to advance the left's adgenda.
RightWired.
"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan
What does that have to do w
December 6, 2006 - 15:56 ET by balboaWhat does that have to do with Leo's views on GW?
And "Ms. Craprio": Bra....vo. Well played.
"What does that have t
December 6, 2006 - 16:33 ET by RightWired"What does that have to do with Leo's views on GW?"
Leo says that since 90% of the world's scientists collectively think that global warming is real, then it makes it real.
I say if 90% of the world's population collectively thinks that there is a higher power, then there is a higher power.
But if you ask any left wing hypocrite that, he will say 'no, there is no God".
"And "Ms. Craprio": Bra....vo. Well played."
lol /bow
RightWired.
"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan
But if you ask any left win
December 6, 2006 - 16:39 ET by balboaBut if you ask any left wing hypocrite that, he will say 'no, there is no God".
A superb statement based on...??? ANY left wing hypocrite?
Based on 33 years of being
December 6, 2006 - 16:46 ET by RightWiredBased on 33 years of being a Republican and a Catholic.
RightWired.
"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan
WTF????????????????Lauer: &qu
December 6, 2006 - 15:55 ET by Mr. KafirWTF????????????????
What is this guy snorting??? "Only in some quarters"??? Well, certainly not by Matt Liar. Everyone else in the f'ing WORLD knows what a spirtual and physical wasteland Hollywood is.
Nice research Matt Liar. Read this:
This from the liberal Guardian newspaper.
Mr. Kafir...To quote a great
December 6, 2006 - 16:02 ET by Clear thinkerMr. Kafir...
To quote a great man "Calm down, it's only wednesday".
Don't let Lauer raise your blood pressure, he ain't worth it.
The only movie I thought he w
December 6, 2006 - 16:13 ET by youngMCThe only movie I thought he was good in he was opposite Johnny Depp in a role where he was mentally challenged. Coincidence? (I think the movie was called "Whats Eating Gilbert Grape") I see these guys like Dicraprio, Clooney, and Penn and wonder if I would want them on my side. There is a lack of sincerity in everything they do. They do all this for their own self interests so that they feel better about themselves. They feel guilty for their success, and these causes are how they alleviate this guilt. Do these guys ever actually take a stand for something that matters or something that they feel might damage their reputation.
December 6, 2006 - 18:28 ET by pocomoco
The controversy is less about
December 6, 2006 - 18:51 ET by GalvanicThe controversy is less about climate change and more about whether human activity is significantly contributing to it. Gore and his ilk insist that if 90% (or whatever number they come up with) believe the climate is getting warmer, then that same 90% believes it is significantly driven by greehhouse gas emissions. That's not the case. There are many legitimate, scholarly scientists who aren't convinced, and since it's important that we get it right, we need to hear what they have to offer. Those that I have listened to seem to have much anecdotal information that refutes the claims of the GW mafia.
For instance, there's the terrible hurricane season forecast for 2006 that didn't happen. Why not?
Leo should take a cue from hi
December 6, 2006 - 19:24 ET by KimberlyLeo should take a cue from his best buddy Tobey Maguire, who makes it a point to stay out of politics in public. But then, Maguire's not a publicity hound like DiCaprio is these days.
DiCaprio is basically an idio
December 6, 2006 - 19:31 ET by bassndudeDiCaprio is basically an idiot. Every time I see him talk, and he hasent got a script, he strikes me as a fairly stupid individual. I have never heard him say anything that would reveal a hidden intelligence. He is a parrot, and he learned to speak, but never learned the meaning of the words.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Leo Di Dumbass
December 6, 2006 - 22:48 ET by Blonde....dude,
He's an actor.
What else did you expect, really?
Gwenyth Paltrow?
Blood Diamond with DiCaprio...BOMBS
December 6, 2006 - 20:31 ET by Guy Arthur ThomasOpening this Friday, DiCaprio once again will realize that his box office appeal in "Titanic" some years ago was due to the movie and not his star appeal. Yes, at the time his non-threatening femininity was appealing to hopeless females of all ages...but this phenomenon is fleeting because adolescent girls grow up and manless women become bitter spinters uninterested in love and romance and more pleased by misery and pain in the life of others. And in the end neither real men nor genuine women are attracted to "Peter Pan" personality types. The best he can hope for his filling the roles common to Johnny Depp or Robin Williams...can ya say, "Please feel sorry for me"?
DiCaprio is not believeable as a man's man and the truth is he isn't believable anymore as any type of ladies man. He is unlikeable and irrelevent. His movie will bomb and the dummies will give him 5 more until they realize that without other big names to prop him up...the movie will sink like the REAL TITANIC!!
If you claim to be a conservative, please don't disgrace yourself and conservatism by thinking and arguing like a liberal.
Guy, That whole first paragra
December 6, 2006 - 22:57 ET by BlondeGuy, That whole first paragraph of yours was idiotic. He's a not so hot actor. But please don't ascribe all kinds of crap to women based on bad acting. Care to try again?
All he is saying is that the
December 6, 2006 - 23:06 ET by SemperrightAll he is saying is that the only females who like Leo are pre-pubescent girls and women one more bad date away from morphing into Miss Havisham
No Soup For You
Sorry, Semper... Soup for me.
December 6, 2006 - 23:13 ET by BlondeSorry, Semper... Soup for me. You are wrong. It's totally insulting to ascribe whatever the hell idiocy GAT was saying about women loving LEO because he was a cute little non-sexually threatening sprite, or somesuch. I could care less about Leo....but stupid statements like that can't be allowed to stand. If you don't believe me, ask your wife.
If I were Jesse Jackson...I'd be hollering "racism....ooops....sexism....apologize....oh, btw, my bank account number is xcvdses...."
Blonde ,He was just describin
December 6, 2006 - 23:21 ET by SemperrightBlonde ,
He was just describing his idea of your average Leo fan. Not all women and most certanly not you.
Then again, maybe you like Leo a little and you feel left out of GAT's stereotype? wink wink
My wife thinks Leo should wash his hair and STFU.
No Soup For You
Semper,I realize that...thank
December 6, 2006 - 23:27 ET by BlondeSemper,
I realize that...thanks. But I just get a little fed up with nastiness thrown out against women, when you know, it's um, not allowed for anyone else (homosexuals, muslims, tranny's, etc). Unless, of course, the nasty stereotypes are aimed at that other group against whom all sorts of ugliness may be directed....white men!
Must agree with your wife. Clean hair and quiet is a very good thing. ;)
Blonde,My wife told me I coul
December 6, 2006 - 23:29 ET by SemperrightBlonde,
My wife told me I could agree with you.
No Soup For You
Semper,Laughing.Smart man....
December 6, 2006 - 23:31 ET by BlondeSemper,
Laughing.
Smart man....married to a very smart wife!
Blonde you have no idea,When
December 6, 2006 - 23:38 ET by SemperrightBlonde you have no idea,
When describing my wife I like to use a quote from "The Princess Bride"
"Is my wife smart, Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons
No Soup For You
;)You're obviously not defici
December 6, 2006 - 23:49 ET by Blonde;)
You're obviously not deficient in the brain department either...inasmuch as you not only recognize your wife's brilliance, you celebrate it.
Good on you both!
Night all....
I bask in the glow,NightNo So
December 6, 2006 - 23:56 ET by SemperrightI bask in the glow,
Night
No Soup For You
Blonde: A bit late but here is your DiCaprio Response...
December 7, 2006 - 20:56 ET by Guy Arthur ThomasBlonde, my post stated "hopeless females of all ages". I did not in the least even intimate that all women or even what percent of women are "hopeless" but in fact made sure I quailified what kind of women DiCaprio was appealing to, hopeless one and briefly. The worst sin I commited was the reference to manless women who become bitter spinster and I felt quite comfortable that as adult we all know there are exceptions to just about every social rule. So with respect to the readers here and their general level of education I was certain that their reading of the post was not void of this awareness. However, I will stand by the rule that most manless women eventually to become bitter spinsters more interested in the miseries of life than personal contentment. You will not that the sentences and paragraph does not stand alone but are qualified by others such as "he isn't believeable anymore as any type of ladies [sic] man", a credit by men to ladies that you obviously overlooked.
Nevertheless I look forward to your contributions and challenges toward good thought and true conservative ideology.
If you claim to be a conservative, please don't disgrace yourself and conservatism by thinking and arguing like a liberal.