“The tradition of great performers, from . . . Sammy Davis Jr., to James Brown, to Jackie Wilson, to Fred Astaire, Gene Kelley, the story is usually the same. These guys work really hard at their craft, but the story ends the same, they usually are broken, torn, and usually just sad, and the story is very sad in the end because the companies take advantage of them, they really do.” (source)

It’s not just Michael Jackson — there are a number of big names within the entertainment industry who are decrying the hardships people working within it must endure. A member of the two time grammy award winning group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony described one way artists are taken advantage of, stating that the industry “breaks people down systematically,” comparing it to a “high tech type of lynching.” (source)

Dave Chappelle made an appearance on national television a few years ago expressing a similar sentiment. He argued that you must be incredibly strong to work in Hollywood, but that it is such a “sick environment” that it still takes its toll. He asks, “What is going on in Hollywood?” He uses his friend, actor Martin Lawrence, as an example:

You know when we did Blue Streak we were promoting it, and Martin had a stroke, he almost died. And then after that I saw him and I was like, “Oh my God Martin are you okay?” And he said, “I got the best sleep I ever got in my life,” that’s how tough he is. So let me ask you this, what is happening in Hollywood that a guy that tough will be on the street waving a gun screaming, “They are trying to kill me.” What’s going on? Why is Dave Chappelle going to Africa? (source)

Chappelle’s colleague in the industry, world-renowned comedian Katt Williams, stated this about Chappelle a couple of years ago:

When he made five hundred million dollars, they said even though his contract said he should get half of it, they said he made too much for the contract to be valid, so we’ll offer you ten percent of what you made. . . . Then [Chappelle] said, “What do you think my fans are going to say when they find out you offered me ten percent of what I made you, and they said, ‘Your fans will believe that you are a crazy crackhead by the time you get home.’ And [he] got on a flight in L.A. and by the time he got to Ohio, it was so, and eight years later he hasn’t been in a movie and/or television. (source)

When it comes to Michael Jackson, the children who accused him of molestation grew up and later said that the allegations were completely false (a simple Google search will show this). The industry loves to ruin a celebrity’s image, for various reasons. After all, scandals sell. Why would so many (and I emphasize so many) artists like Liz Taylor, Akon (see video of Akon sticking up for Michael in an interview, and getting upset about it), Chris Brown, Bone Thugs-N-hHarmony, and many many more stick up for him, support him, and praise him well after these allegations took place?

Destroying ones image is a common tactic in Hollywood.

The same thing goes for Bill Cosby. His collegues, co-stars, and more all support him.

In the video below, Eddie Griffin makes some great points about what’s happening with Bill Cosby right now and why black male stars don’t leave the business clean. It’s difficult to ignore this information when it’s coming from Hollywood insiders. Something to think about, to be sure.

The point is, why does practically everybody in the entertainment business, or at least a large majority, support these people despite their accusations? It’s a lesson to not instantly believe everything you hear about on television, there is always another side of the story and, unfortunately, that’s something we rarely consider or even think about.

So, regardless of whether you think the accusations are/were true, take note of the fact that it’s OK to question.

*Please be advised there is language in this that might offend some people.

“There is a systematic effort to destroy…

There is some footage of Eddie here recalling his time with Michael, as many other celebrities have.

It’s Not Just Black Entertainers

It’s not only black entertainers who suffer in the industry. There may very well be Hollywood hitmen threatening and even murdering entertainers. Randy Quaid, prominent actor and director, as well as brother to Dennis Quaid, stated that:

“Help! For the past 20 years my wife and I have been the victims of criminal activities perpetrated by a small network of individuals who are out to destroy us personally, professionally, and financially. This network of individuals is manipulating the banking system and the criminal justice system for the purposes of sabotaging our credit and our credibility. . . . They have been aided and abetted in their schemes by the entertainment division of Citi National Banks Roxbury branch in Beverly Hills. This particular branch is a major financial hub for the entire Hollywood industry. . . . The president of the bank’s estate planning division told my wife that the bank prefers dead actors because they don’t get in the way. . . . We believe there are to be a malignant tumor of ‘star whackers’ in Hollywood. How many people do you know personally who have died suddenly and mysteriously in the past five years? I have personally known eight actors, all of whom I have worked with and was close to. Health Ledger, Chris Penn, David Carradine — I believe these actors were whacked. . . . In the meantime, many a celebrity’s image and marketability is being co-opted and destroyed.” (source) (source)

Rosaenne Barr, a well known actress and comedian, stated that Hollywood and the entertainment industry are dominated by “MK Ultra.”

MK Ultra was the name for a previously classified research program through the CIA’s scientific intelligence division. It was the CIA’s program of research in behavioral modification and perception manipulation of human beings (1). It was previously known as Operation Paperclip (2). Roseanne argues that Hollywood is a tool used in the manipulation of human consciousness — a tool used for behaviour modification and perception control in human beings.

“I go to Hollywood parties, or, you know, occasionally I go to Oscar parties and things like that, and people — big stars — people will grab me by the arm and take me aside and say: ‘I just want to thank you for the things you say.’ And it blows my mind, but that’s the culture, it’s a culture of fear.” (source) 

“This is a culture of fear, and nobody is more afraid than people in Hollywood, they’re afraid that they’ll drop out of the top . . . of the pyramid maybe to the middle of the pyramid. Hollywood is the one that keeps all of this power structure and all this culture of racism, and sexism, and classism, and genderism, and all of it in place. They continually feed it, and they make a lot of money doing it. And they do it at the behest of their masters, who run everything.” (source)

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