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Glenn Beck

Conservatives in Hollywood

Aired September 12, 2008 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, less than two months to the election and Sarah Palin has the country talking. Unfortunately, she has the Hollywood liberals all fired up, as well.

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: Like, she`s facing down Vladimir Putin and, you know, using the -- you know, the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey, you know, ring.

BECK: Oh, brother. But what if you`re a conservative in Hollywood? I`ll talk to some of the brave few, like black-belt patriot Chuck Norris.

CHUCK NORRIS, ACTOR: We need a voter`s resolution here.

BECK: And movie satire master David Zucker about his new spoof on the far left.

KEVIN FARLEY, ACTOR: I love America. That`s why it needs to be destroyed.

BECK: All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, hello, America. Tonight is finally the night when you`re going to see ABC`s special "20/20" devoted to the first full interview with Governor Sarah Palin since John McCain tapped her as his running mate.

This -- this election is becoming more and more amazing, and it is about to come front and center with the media and Hollywood coming out of the woodwork. Hollywood is going to get into this game, as well.

In fact, let me show you the first shot from their new Hollywood hit squad, Matt Damon. This is Matt Damon`s thoughts on Governor Palin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: It`s like a really bad Disney movie. You know, the hockey mom, you know, I`m just a hockey mom from Alaska. And she`s the president and it`s like she`s facing down Vladimir Putin and, you know, using the -- you know, the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey, you know, ring. It`s absurd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Yes. You think a guy who made, you know, "All the Pretty Horses" might be a little more forgiving. Who am I to say?

I -- I have been out here in Hollywood for the last week. I have to tell you, it`s Crazy Town, USA. It`s not really easy being a conservative here in Hollywood. This is the place where Michael Moore films are actually seen as non-fiction. So here`s "The Point" tonight.

Hollywood, like it or not, conservatives do exist here, and tonight you`re going to meet some of them. I`ve spoken to actor Jon Voight about his role in Hollywood in the past. He couldn`t get out of his taping of "24."

And we`ve got some other people lined up that you`re going to want to hear from. "Airplane" director David Zucker, he`s got this great new film. It`s called "An American Carol," where he kind of takes on Michael Moore. And we`ll also talk to the legendary Chuck Norris about his black belt in patriotism.

But first I want to kick -- kick this segment off with two men who have been familiar with Hollywood`s players and politics for quite some time. First one is Andrew Klavan. He is the author of "Empire of Lies." He`s also recently outed himself as a conservative. And film critic and syndicated talk radio host for Salem Radio Network, Michael Medved.

Michael, first of all, how did you ever become respected in Hollywood as a film critic, being a conservative?

MICHAEL MEDVED, FILM CRITIC: Well, when I started I wasn`t public about my conservatism. I changed my registration to Republican in 1980 and was sort of a secret Reaganite. And for 12 years I worked on PBS for sneak previews, with Jeffrey Lyons reviewing the new movies. And increasingly that experience, I started coming out of the closet.

And I remember we used to tape commentary about movies. And if I would attack a movie because I thought it was left-wing propaganda they would often yell, "Cut, cut, this is supposed to be non-political." Now, what that means in Hollywood terms, what that means in movie industry terms, non-political, it`s assumed you`re going to be on the left, because then you`re a humanitarian. You`re compassionate.

Roger Ebert just launched a scathing attack on Sarah Palin, attacking even her glasses, and that`s considered non-partisan. But if you say anything conservative, well, then you become a hack.

BECK: You know, it`s amazing, Andrew, and you just -- you just recently outed yourself. I mean, really, it`s like -- I mean, it`s worse than alcoholism. I`m conservative.

MEDVED: Alcohol is good, Glenn.

BECK: I know it is. Drug use. I mean, you can have needles in your arms here in Hollywood and they`re like, "Oh, you should get an award." But if you`re...

MEDVED: They make all the best deals at AA meetings. You know that. That`s a great place to go to.

BECK: Right. Here`s the thing that maybe, Andrew, you can address. Even this Matt Damon comment here about Sarah Palin, they just look down their noses at people who are -- and then she uses all of her experience of being a mom. You know, they really look down with their noses, while at the same time trying to tell us that they`re exactly like us.

ANDREW KLAVAN, AUTHOR, "EMPIRE OF LIES": That`s exactly right. They have nothing but disdain for the rest of the country.

And you know, what made the movie industry great, the reason it became great in the first place, is because they were playing to the heart of the country. They were making stories that had the values that the people in the rest of the country had. They made stories about religion. They made stories about courage. They made stories about America. They don`t do that any more, because they`re really just making stories for themselves.

And what you could hear in Matt Damon`s comments about Governor Palin was this absolute dripping disdain for anyone who didn`t -- wasn`t one of us, you know, wasn`t one of the elite, the cultural elite. And it`s a terrible thing for the industry because they`re dissing the audience.

BECK: Yes. Now, Zucker is coming out with "An American -- American Carol." And I was talking to him a few minutes ago in the green room. He`s not really concerned that if -- you know, if it bombs that, you know, he`s going to have a problem with anything.

I got to believe it takes amazing courage and bravery and willingness to flush your career down the toilet, to be a Mel Gibson and come out with, you know, a movie on Jesus or to come out with a movie that is making fun of Michael Moore.

MEDVED: Well, it does take courage. I`ll tell you, the real problem isn`t with people like David Zucker, who`s very well established, very successful and gifted director, or people like Mel Gibson who obviously is a huge star, or Jon Voight, people who are established.

The problem, Glen, is for the young guys coming up. And there, there is a sense that part of it is this networking, and a lot of the networking that is done for younger players is with left-wing organizations.

Jane Fonda used to have this saying where she would take young -- this was when she was still married to Tom Hayden, a couple of marriages ago. When she was married to Tom Hayden, she would take young people in Hollywood. They actually took them on tours to Nicaragua and basically indoctrinated them into the values of the Hollywood left.

I actually think it would be helpful if some of the emerging conservatives in the industry would take some of the younger people who were struggling with this and don`t want to be excluded and don`t want to be shunned. And by the way, don`t want to be cut off from dating the most beautiful women, because that`s a real factor in this. Is you`re going to do better with the Hollywood babes if you take on airhead politics.

BECK: Right. OK. So...

KLAVAN: It`s not just -- it`s not just drips like that, Michael. It`s not just drips like that. Because it`s not just things that happen, extracurricular activities. It`s also the things that happen in the room, in the office.

You walk into an office in Hollywood with your story to sell and you`re listening to a lot of people take off on President Bush, take off on American foreign policy. And that`s -- that`s before the meeting begins where you`re trying to sell your project. If you can`t shift in and be part of that conversation, you`re on the outs.

BECK: You know, I have to tell you. I have walked into meetings with executives from -- at very high levels of entertainment. And when I walk in, their body language, I`m not kidding you, is like this. I walked into one room, and the woman who was sitting there, she had her legs crossed. She had her arms like this, and she tucked herself back into the corner.

And she later told somebody who was with me, she said, "I walked into that meeting just expecting and wanting to hate him. By the end of the meeting I didn`t."

I thought how do you pitch anything creative if you walk into the room and everybody hates you just because of your politics.

KLAVAN: Heaven forbid that the content should actually reflect some of your politics or some of your values.

BECK: Yes.

KLAVAN: I mean, how are you going to sell something to people who think America is always in the wrong? How are you going to sell something to people who think everyone who believes in God is a small-minded bigot? How can you tell stories, even tell stories about America, without accepting some of the values that Americans have? I don`t understand it.

BECK: This is a very real problem. It`s a very real problem. Sometimes people say, well, don`t they want to make money? And the truth is most people in the entertainment industry who have already established themselves, who are making decisions, who can greenlight a project, they don`t have to worry that much about money.

What people are looking for is a different kind of gold. They`re looking for those gold statuettes at Oscar time. And generally, they are handed out not just for money but for sending messages. And if you take a look at the preference for R-rated material over the much more profitable PG-rated material. If you take a look at what is praised critically, it will often be movies that take a very dark view of human life and, particularly, a negative view of life in the United States of America. Movies like "American Beauty," which I thought was almost unwatchable, as picture of the year.

KLAVAN: I agree with that completely, Glenn. Michael, that`s exactly -- sorry.

BECK: I`m sorry. I just want to -- I just want to ask you this. Have you -- because you just recently outed yourself. Do you believe in a blacklist? I mean what they did to Jon Voight is amazing to me.

KLAVAN: It`s amazing. I believe in a gray list. I don`t believe there`s a list of names that goes around and people, you know, will shut you out and completely not hire you.

But, look, it works in any number of ways. If there are no projects going forward that are friendly toward America, no projects going forward in which religious faith is looked on sympathetically, that means there are fewer things that you can get hired to participate in. That`s the first way it`s a gray list.

And the second way is what we were talking about before, is that you`re just not an accepted person. You`re not the person that people are comfortable in a room with, and they`re going to hire somebody else.

BECK: Yes.

KLAVAN: Everybody knows it. It just cuts down your possibilities.

BECK: Michael, I was just looking. We were just rolling some B-roll here of Jon Voight at the GOP convention. You were at the GOP convention. Have you ever seen Hollywood celebrities be as out as he is?

MEDVED: Well, again, there were a bunch of them at the convention. I`ve been to eight different conventions. I have never seen at a Republican convention so many stars.

Ron Silver, who spoke in 2004 and was one of the founders of the Creative Coalition, somebody who was an accepted mainstream Hollywood liberal, he became, appropriately for today, a September 12 conservative. Somebody who turned around and said, "Look what they did to my country." He was so eloquent and passionate, and he`s been battling some pretty -- some pretty tough health issues in his life.

And he`s a real hero, I think, for taking his passion and his love for America and really being, being willing to see his career -- and this is a guy who has won Emmy Awards and been nominated for Tony Awards and been in many, many successful films. And a great guy. Robert Zogby was there. Jon Voight was there. There were -- Kevin Farley, a young guy from -- who`s been on "Saturday Night Live."

BECK: Right.

MEDVED: He`s putting himself on the line to be part of "An American Carol." A very fine movie, by the way.

BECK: Do either of you guys believe that this is the -- this is the opening of the door? You`re not going to be able to put this genie back in a bottle? That because of these people it`s going to change?

KLAVAN: I believe that completely. I think we`re on the right track. I think the -- the wall is beginning to crack decidedly. And look -- look, the whole thing is that the war, the war was the deciding factor. All those movies that were made against the war while our soldiers were in action, while our soldiers were in danger that were making propaganda for the enemy. And that, I think, is going to be a turning point. That will not happen.

BECK: OK. Gentlemen, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Coming up, martial arts legend, celebrity and conservative Chuck Norris, tells you how to earn a black belt in patriotism.

Plus, the man who brought us comedy classics like "Airplane" and "Naked Gun." He`s made a new one. It`s called "An American Carol," a funny, funny new film lampooning the left and Michael Moore. Director David Zucker will join me in a few minutes. Don`t miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, there are guys who write books, like me, and then there are guys who write books and can also totally kick your ass. Chuck Norris is the second kind of guy, not to be confused with me, the first guy. He`s the martial arts master. He`s a political activist.

He`s an actor. He`s now returning to his role as best-selling author with a brand new "Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America."

Does it involve punching people in the face, Chuck?

NORRIS: No, it doesn`t. Actually, you`re the one that motivated me to write this book, Glenn. Because I watch your show every night, and I get so frustrated like you do.

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: And one night I`m watching your show, and after your show I`m walking back and forth, and I`m mumbling to myself. And my wife says, "What`s going on."

I said, "I am so frustrated with the direction our country is going, and I don`t know what to do about it." So she said...

BECK: Punch people in the face!

NORRIS: No, well, I`d like to, Glenn, but it wouldn`t help. So, anyway, that`s why I wrote "Black Belt Patriotism"...

BECK: OK.

NORRIS: ... because I`m dealing with our national debt, our economy, illegal immigration problems and what I call common-sense solutions to these problems.

BECK: Give me some of them.

NORRIS: Well, like, for instance, our national debt. OK. We`re in debt $9 trillion. I saw one institute for truth and accounting says it`s closer to $56 trillion.

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: And the thing is, is we got -- the whole thing is we`ve got to figure out how to get this under control. And our government -- you know, that`s what I liked about McCain when he talked about the other night. He said we`ve got to bring the power back to the people. And this is what this book is all about, is bringing the power back to the people and taking it away from -- from the government.

BECK: You know what? I mean, here`s the thing. First of all, what do you think of Sarah Palin?

NORRIS: I like her. I like her a lot.

BECK: When I -- when I watched her give her speech and she said, you know, "Fellow citizens," it was first time I`ve ever seen anybody give a political speech where I thought, "Oh, wow she is like me. She`s not part of that mess."

And I think she is -- at least she gives me the hope that there`s somebody out there that connects with the American people and sees how stupid the people in Washington are being right now.

NORRIS: Well, I hope when they get into Washington that they will be able to get the control back to the people. You know, the whole thing is, Glenn, in 2005 over 6,000 taxpayers who make over $250,000 a year pay no taxes. And I think I heard it from you, you know how many pages there are in the IRS tax code?

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: Sixty-six-thousand and four-hundred ninety-eight pages.

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: Now who knows what`s in that tax code? The IRS doesn`t but I`ll bet you these high-faluting tax accountants do. And they are the ones that are finding all these loopholes in this tax code.

BECK: Well, let me -- let me flip this on its head. Before, about 48 percent of this country really doesn`t -- they get more back from the country, from the IRS than they pay in.

A lot of Americans under Obama, about 50 percent will not pay any income tax.

NORRIS: Yes.

BECK: I mean, Chuck, I challenge you to spend the day and just one day and look at all the people that you encounter and realize that half of the people that you`ve encountered today, including the people who haven`t given you the right sandwich when you`re driving out of the drive through, and you`re like ugh!

NORRIS: Yes.

BECK: You are paying their tax bill. There`s a lot -- there`s two Americans. There`s the Americans that are willing to work hard and believe that "Some day I`m going to be able to change things and I`m going to be able to have a slice of the American pie." And there`s the other Americans that just don`t give a flying crap. And I`m tired of carrying around the people who screw up my menu -- my order at the drive through every single time.

NORRIS: That`s one of our biggest complaints, Gena and I, my wife, is them screwing up our menu.

BECK: Right.

NORRIS: But you know, the thing is, too, is that that`s why I`m such in favor of the fair tax, Glenn. The thing is we`ve got $13 trillion in offshore accounts that people are hiding their money.

You know, the thing is, if we can bring that back into our economy, the three million manufacturing jobs that are outsourced overseas, we can bring all that back. And that`s why I supported Huckabee so strongly, because he`s a strong supporter of the fair tax.

BECK: Yes. Yes, the tax system in our country is all upside down.

NORRIS: It`s ridiculous. Totally upside down.

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: And we`ve got to do something to correct that. And that`s why -- that`s why I said we need a voter`s resolution.

BECK: We do. We do. Hopefully, you know -- and we`re going to get one, one of these days. Hopefully, it will happen at the ballot box. And if it continues to go the way it has, unfortunately, I think it`s going to go in a different direction.

Chuck, we`re going to take a break. We`ll be back in just a second.

NORRIS: OK.

(NEWSBREAK)

BECK: Back with Chuck Norris talking about his new book, "Black Belt Patriotism."

Chuck, I mean, I`m in Los Angeles. You`re in New York. It`s supposed to be other way around. What happened?

NORRIS: I don`t know. I was watching you last night, and I thought, "He`s in L.A., so I`ll be talking to him by satellite."

BECK: Do you live out here, Chuck?

NORRIS: I live in Texas. I have a ranch near Houston, Texas. And so that`s where we`re heading back tomorrow night as soon as I finish my tour here in New York.

But you know, another thing, Glenn, which a lot of people I don`t think realize. Is that, you know, our congressmen and our senators, after one full term, they get full salary for the rest of their lives and -- plus full benefits. Who in the world in America works for a few years and gets full benefits for the rest of their lives?

BECK: Yes, works four years and gets full benefits. I mean...

NORRIS: And who voted it in, Glenn? Who voted it in? Congress.

BECK: Yes, I know. I know. I have to tell you. But who keeps voting these people in again? It`s us.

There`s a bill now in the Supreme Court for the next session of the Supreme Court. What they`re going to decide is whether or not you can redistrict, whether you can, you know, change any of these lines. Politicians have been playing redistricting games over and over and over again.

Here`s the new game that they`re playing. Now they`re saying, minority doesn`t mean 50 percent, a minority section. It can mean 32 percent is a minority showing. It will keep people in power. It is enslaving people...

NORRIS: Absolutely.

BECK: ... to the same corrupt politicians over and over and over again.

NORRIS: Well, you know, the whole thing, researching this book, Glenn, made my hair stand on end. You know, seeing the things that are going on. Seeing China with us -- China buying our debt for $1.5 trillion. What did we use for collateral to China for that $1.5 trillion?

You know, the thing is they`re drilling offshore in Florida. Is that part of the deal, you know, to pay off our $1.5 trillion debt to them? There`s some real shady things going on, and we really need to become cognizant of this here and bring it out.

BECK: Do you -- when you`re out in Hollywood -- we`re doing, you know, obviously a show with some celebrities today. And when you`re a conservative coming out in Hollywood, is it different because they know everybody that you talk to, you can kill them?

NORRIS: No. No.

BECK: You ever had problems with being a conservative?

NORRIS: No, I haven`t. All my bosses have been liberals. But you know, that`s why I love David Zucker, you know. He stands up there.

And I would be willing to guess 30 -- 30 percent of the actors, directors and producers in Hollywood lean towards conservatism but they`re too afraid to stand up it. And I really appreciate Zucker standing up...

BECK: Yes.

NORRIS: ... and espousing his conservatism. I can`t wait to see his movie.

BECK: You know, what`s really amazing is how many people, if you just stand up, how many people you will see around you say, "Really? Me too. I was afraid to say something."

NORRIS: Yes. I`ve never been afraid to say anything, Glenn, in all my years, you know.

BECK: No!

NORRIS: I am what I am. And you can either take it or leave it.

BECK: Right. OK. Chuck, thank you very much, sir. I appreciate it. We`ll see you again.

NORRIS: OK, Glenn.

BECK: Thanks.

Just ahead, a conservative in Hollywood? Yes, yes. We were just talking about him, David Zucker, the director of "Airplane," brand new movie out. It`s called "An American Carol." We`ll talk to him about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GLENN BECK, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Being a conservative in Hollywood is not really, you know, not exactly being in the in-crowd. It`s pretty tough, I would imagine.

I`ve been here for a few days and I was walking down the street. Walking down the street with my wife and children and people were screaming at me. It`s great to be conservative out on the left coast.

That didn`t stop some conservatives from getting a little equal time here in Hollywood and in the big screen.

David Zucker has directed some of the funniest movies in the past 25 years like "Airplane," "Naked Gun," "Scary Movie 3" and "Scary Movie 4". The latest project is "An American Carol" and it sets its sights on our rather rotund (ph) friend Michael Moore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a Hollywood director to help us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he must hate America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will not be hard to find in America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. But your average girlie man Hollywood director won`t be enough. What we need is someone who really, really hates America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, is the camera on. Ok. Action.

Here I am in the island paradise where there`s a hospital on every block. As we can clearly see Cubans have the very best health care in the world not like America where it can kill you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: That`s hysterical.

David Zucker, welcome to the program. Did you have a hard time finding actors willing to do this? Come on.

DAVID ZUCKER, CONSERVATIVE HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR: The pool is limited. So, I mean you can`t go to Sean Penn. That`s a given. But there are some people like James Woods and John Voight, Kelsey Grammar, Bruce Willis. We went to him at one point. He couldn`t do it. But he wished us well. Then Kevin Farley, I didn`t even know was Conservative.

BECK: Is it true that Kevin Farley, when you first met with him you both were speaking code language to each other?

ZUCKER: That was absolutely true. He came in and I just thought he was like everyone else. He was perfect for this role.

BECK: You know what this is? This is 1970s homosexual language. I mean like everybody was like everybody else.

ZUCKER: Yes. It`s like do you ever go to a Bette Midler concert? Do you like Judy Garland? You know this is code, right?

Sometimes you talk in codes. You say, do you listen to talk radio? You mention, you know, whoever is listening to it. If it`s PBS, then you don`t.

But, in this, I said look, we`re doing this movie. We`re just trying to do a comedy. I`m a centrist. I was a Kennedy Democrat and we just want to support the military and support the values that America`s a force for good.

Like my mother always told me always tell the truth just don`t always be telling it. So Kevin, people tell me he looks so much like Chris.

BECK: Is he as funny as Chris?

ZUCKER: He`s as funny. This is a very different role than Chris ever played. But Kevin is just wonderful in this. He`s a wonderful comedian and really sweet guy too. And so -- and he said, oh, yes, you know I`m a centrist too. He was much more far to the right than I am because he actually never voted for a Democrat. Then it wasn`t until we got on the set that he came out.

BECK: He came out.

ZUCKER: Yes.

BECK: It`s funny to me that -- it was Tim Robbins who said a few years ago there`s a chill wind blowing in this land. Did you ever hear that speech where he was talking about how the Republicans are trying to shut everyone up, any kind of dissent. Yet with global warming you got to shut up. If you`re against Obama, you got to shut up. In Hollywood Jon Voight came out; they tore him apart.

ZUCKER: Yes. It`s pretty dicey because it`s a minority. I think -- I estimated it being maybe 10 percent and 5 percent who will admit it. It shouldn`t be such a big thing, especially with McCain. I mean McCain is such a centrist; he can be accused of being a Democrat himself.

BECK: Before he put Palin he was, he was my grandfather`s Democrat.

ZUCKER: He`s so user friendly. He`s like a Republican with training wheels. You could be a centrist Democrat and be almost comfortable voting for McCain.

BECK: This is like the 1,400th time and that`s cool, but you say you`re a centrist.

ZUCKER: A centrist is now a Republican. I have to be a Republican.

BECK: So you`re a Republican.

ZUCKER: Oh, yes, there`s no question about it. If you hold the views that I hold you`re labeled as a Republican. No one is more embarrassed than I am to be a Republican.

BECK: I`m pretty embarrassed to be accused as a Republican because I`m not a Republican. I think both parties have sold their souls to the devil.

ZUCKER: Yes. There`s plenty to be angry with at both parties. The Republicans went far afield with their, you know, if you want a party that doesn`t spend like a drunken sailor. And I don`t know, McCain with his being anti-earmarks, I guess we have hope there, and Palin. I don`t know.

BECK: You were in the "L.A. Times" and they kind of came after Palin.

ZUCKER: Yes. They do. But, you know, each side comes after the other side for whatever they can do. They just say it`s horrible, she`s a -- you know she`s such a right-wing Evangelical. And she supports, you know, she`s pro-life and she`s going to teach Creationism in the schools. A lot of this doesn`t have to do with defending ourselves against our enemies.

BECK: Are you pretty much a one issue guy?

ZUCKER: As far as being a Republican, I pretty am one issue guy except I`m for lower taxes, smaller government. I`m totally for that it. I don`t think I realized how much of a difference there is between the parties, you know, in my Al Gore days and my Barbara Boxer days because, I am definitely on the side of, smaller government.

BECK: Just can`t imagine -- the Michael Moore thing that you just showed in front of the hospital which I think is a scream. By the way let me ask you this. ADD moment. The people who are wearing the "Che" shirts, do the people in Hollywood, do they know who he was?

ZUCKER: No they don`t know and haven`t read any of the books. I don`t think they have gone really deeper than the rah-rah. In my college days Che Guevara was a hero on the University of Wisconsin campus. So was Ho Chi Minh.

You give people a pass in college. I also thought for a day that Paul McCartney was dead. One day. Oh, my God Paul is dead. Oh, my God. It`s like college students you got to give them a pass for just not really -- they are kind of emotional and it`s very idealistic.

BECK: If they are not reading what are they doing?

ZUCKER: You know, everybody is, you know, busy at their job. We in Hollywood are not political experts, you know. We`re experts in what we do. And I`ve done a -- my hobby is history and just read a lot and I read a lot of politics and I`ve made my decision on that.

BECK: Do you believe that we`re entering a new period like, for instance, McCarthyism. To me what`s happening in Hollywood right now feels like McCarthyism where you better not say what you really believe unless it`s in line with everybody else.

ZUCKER: You know, there`s no statistics on this. All I know is that they`re just anecdotal information about the rank and file it. Mean, whether they are paranoid or not, or whether it`s just a fight, they are reluctant to say they hold conservative views.

BECK: Have you seen anything like that? Have you personally witnessed that or have friends that have --

ZUCKER: Yes, I have friends that have told me stories. But for my -- from what I witnessed at the rubber chicken dinners, in the board rooms, in meetings with agents, the currency is they speak about Bush like he`s the worst president ever. He`s just stupid.

If you don`t feel like arguing you just don`t say anything. But they would never, no one would ever be that on the other side just be outspoken about how bad Obama would be for the country if they felt that way. You just wouldn`t because you don`t want to know what the other person`s view is.

It`s like talking about religion. You don`t say, "That`s silly to hold this or that view." But they do in Hollywood because it is a 90 percent liberal town.

BECK: Unbelievable.

All right, back in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Back with Director David Zucker. He has done some of the funniest movies that we`ve had in the last 25 years. And he`s got a new one coming out in early October. It is called "An American Carol" and again, the premise of the movie is --

ZUCKER: It`s "A Christmas Carol" only instead of Christmas, it`s the 4th of July and instead of Scrooge, it`s Michael Moore saying bah-humbug to America. A little bit of an exaggeration.

BECK: Can I say something? I tour the country, and I do, believe it or not, comedy stage shows, and it`s weird when I go to certain areas, like, for instance, San Francisco. The conservatives will come out, and you can feel the audience. They`re like, oh. You know, they just feel like, I`m safe here, I can laugh, I can be myself.

The audience, for your movie, when it comes out, is going to be -- it will be a gathering place for conservatives. They`ll feel safe.

ZUCKER: Some of the previews we had, the conservatives were afraid to laugh at first, because they didn`t know, it`s like they weren`t used to being in a movie theater and actually feeling comfortable enough to laugh at the left.

BECK: It`s kind of like what we were talking about a second ago, about how you -- I mean, you can say these things, and you can be as politically incorrect, as long as you`re on the left.

ZUCKER: Right. In the -- in the rooms, in the meetings, with agents, in the board rooms, in the casting sessions, people just feel free to, you know, bash the right.

BECK: Oh, I`m in the elevator at CNN all of the time, and is you hear things, and it`s just like, I can`t believe you just said that.

ZUCKER: And it`s assumed, rather, that everybody agrees with you. Because it is so -- you know, it`s a little bit startling.

BECK: You`re a big tree guy.

ZUCKER: I`m big tree guy.

BECK: Do you hug the tree?

ZUCKER: I`ll do anything I can to promote planting trees. I`m in a great organization called "Tree People," which is a bunch of lefties. But they don`t know -- and I`ve talked to Andy Liftkis, head of this great organization that this is really a conservative organization because and instead of relying on government to do for the environment what should be done, they -- demand from individuals personal responsibility.

Plant a tree in your own neighborhood and we can change the city and unpaved the L.A. river, but it starts with the individual. So I so much agree with that philosophy.

BECK: I was having a conversation with somebody, I got here, what, Saturday into Los Angeles and -- oh, having a conversation with a cab driver. And he was saying that, you know, his neighbor has just run into these ELF people. And, I mean, the -- the actual terror that goes on in California with the Environmental Liberation Front.

ZUCKER: Well, it could be extreme. But "Tree People" is not extreme.

BECK: No, no, I`m not saying that.

ZUCKER: Much of the environmental movement is a little bit crazy. But, you know, you have to pick and choose, as in any field.

BECK: Yes. But are you -- it is so extreme in parts of the country where in some places, like, for instance, global warming. I mean, you have to be an idiot. You would have to be blind not to look at the thermometer prior to the last couple of years. It has been -- the climate has been changing. Whether or not we are responsible for that, I have no idea.

ZUCKER: Exactly. Right.

BECK: And yet you`re a hate monger. I mean, the things that RFK Jr. has called me because I say I believe in climate change, I`m just not sure if I`m the cause, and I`m really not sure if these are the answers to solve it. How come you`re a hate monger for that?

ZUCKER: Well, you shouldn`t be at all. And that`s getting off the subject. Because if we think that there is a climate change, and there`s much reason to believe, let`s get to the solutions. Let`s not, you know, get crazy about the blame game.

And, like, for instance, I mean, here I`m talking about "Tree People" so much but Andy Liftkis really has a plan and a program that`s already working to mitigate climate change. And if the cities would adopt this, and it`s all a matter of energy efficiency, I agree with the people who rather than drill your way out of it, let`s promote energy efficiency.

BECK: Well, I tell you. I think the biggest problem is and I talked to George Clooney about this on Darfur. I don`t necessarily agree with the solutions through the United Nations that George Clooney did. But I agree on the problem.

If people would stop calling each other names when it comes to climate control, I don`t believe we can control the climate. However, I agree on getting off of foreign oil. We`re never going to survive on the long run, just on our oil, so let`s develop. Why can`t we bring sides together?

ZUCKER: And have a marketplace of solutions, rather than blame. So, I mean, I`m working with Frank Gaffne (ph), the head of the Center for Security Policy and with my brother on a Website called Nozzle Rage, which, you know, just let`s get off -- let`s work on solutions to get off foreign oil. And Frank`s idea is to get a bill through congress that will promote flex fuel; so give people fuel choice.

BECK: Do you believe in ethanol and methanol?

ZUCKER: I`m not sure what -- I mean, there are -- it`s very, very complicated, but there are solutions that involve this, that -- that aren`t so black and white. Because -- and I`ve talked to these people. And a lot of it is because of the artificially-supported price of corn.

And we have very high tariffs on Brazilian sugar cane which is crazy. The bottom line ought to be defending the country and not giving all of our money over to these countries who don`t like us. Yes.

BECK: Yes, they hate us.

ZUCKER: What we can do, we`ve got to change the cars, I think because we`re always going to need the oil.

BECK: If you look at all of the -- if I said to you, which state in the union has more natural gas vehicles than any other state, what state would you say it is?

ZUCKER: I wouldn`t know.

BECK: I think most people would say it`s California.

ZUCKER: California, yes.

BECK: It`s Utah.

ZUCKER: Utah, of all places.

BECK: I mean, what is that?

ZUCKER: That`s a flyover state. There can`t be anything in Utah.

BECK: I don`t understand why we`re not promoting things that we already have, and have an abundance of. It seems to me that it`s just -- that the environmental movement is being used for something that is much more sinister or Marxist or Socialist in nature.

ZUCKER: Yes, well, all I know is, we`ve got to go through it through a supply side and an energy efficiency side. So, I mean, the Republicans have all of these solutions. Like, you know, drill a lot and build more nuclear power plants. I`m not for that. I don`t think there`s anything wrong with the drilling.

BECK: Right. Are you for nuclear energy?

ZUCKER: No, I`m not, because I think it`s just a really expensive and dangerous way to boil water. And we can get the same result from energy efficiency. So the government is going to have to spend huge amounts of money in mitigating the responsibility, you know, the liability for nuclear power.

BECK: Well, I learned from Hollywood --

ZUCKER: Yes, oh, my God.

BECK: That we should listen to France and follow France, because they`re far superior.

ZUCKER: This is like so hypocritical. We should follow France -- I think they`re grasping on the one thing we should follow France, nuclear power. No. You`ve got it all wrong.

I have debates with my Republican friends like my friend Craig Mason, and he is a nuclear power guy. So we yell at each other about that.

BECK: He`s got a friend. He`s got a conservative friend.

ZUCKER: I`ve got one.

BECK: David Zucker, hang on just a second.

Back with final thoughts in a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Back again with David Zucker, creator of "Airplane" "Naked Gun" and a new film, "American Carol," which comes out early October.

Let me go here. The anti-Americanism that seems to be so prevalent in Hollywood movies; is it because you can`t make a dime on -- because it`s the world market that matters, or is it we just don`t really like America?

ZUCKER: Well, no, I think they do want to make movies that will make a profit. And I think there`s just an overwhelming feeling that America is to blame for things in Hollywood. I mean, because they are all, you know, such a -- that mind-set. So I don`t think they think too deeply about it, about what they`re doing.

BECK: I think that could be a blanket statement.

ZUCKER: Yes, but sometimes it does pay off. When Michael Moore did "Fahrenheit 9/11" that it was obviously good investment.

BECK: I just read yesterday though in the "L.A. Times" there was a story about all the movies that are coming out. Did you see this and the new Leonardo Dicaprio movie? I don`t remember the name of it. But we talked about it, and it`s not really even a concern of ours. Whether or not we make a -- you know, a profit on it. This is a major movie.

ZUCKER: Well --

BECK: And I thought, if I were investing, that would concern me.

ZUCKER: Well, it would. But, you know, maybe -- see, that`s where they get a break and we don`t; although I hate to claim the victim role here. It`s still a market-run business. And they will let you work if you continue to make successful movies.

BECK: Right.

ZUCKER: But I think, because the boardrooms are so far left, I suppose they will make an occasional movie.

BECK: Do you think anyone, if it wasn`t you, could have gotten the financing and the go ahead for this movie?

ZUCKER: No. Well, in fact, we didn`t get the financing and go ahead for this movie, because, you know, we`re an independent -- you know, I don`t think we could go a studio. The movie is just too out there and too wacky.

BECK: Yes, but all of your movies have that -- everyone`s insane in your movies.

ZUCKER: But to satisfy -- you know, stockholders of a big company, I don`t know if -- if this kind of direct assault on the left would have gone through. That major studio couldn`t take responsibility for it.

BECK: I have a feeling -- I haven`t seen the movie yet. But your opening weekend is going to be big.

ZUCKER: I hope so.

BECK: There`s going to be a lot of people in the --

ZUCKER: That would be October 3rd you`re talking about.

BECK: Yes, I just wish I could remember the name of the movie.

ZUCKER: Oh, yes, "Airplane," no "American Carol" please.

BECK: David, thanks a lot.

From Los Angeles good night, America.

END