Recording Studio Blog Archives

December 19, 2014 - REALLY  Sony?????

Really Sony?????

Can you believe it? Sony Pictures capitulating to threats from terrorists and giving them precisely what they requested??

If you haven't heard, Sony has cancelled the theatrical release of Seth Rogen and James Franco's new movie "The Interview" because North Korea has threatened them with retaliation if they didn't.

You can read here: Sony Pulls Korea Film "The Interview"

Sony now is deciding what it does and does not publish based on threats from a crazy dictator on the opposite side of the world?? I can't believe it. The American entertainment industry has always prided itself on being beholden to no one and nothing, enjoying its special place in society to try and shine a light on the injustices of this world and never being afraid to ruffle a few feathers. And if there's anyone's feathers who should be ruffled, it's a ruthless, oppressive, murderous dictator. But what does Sony do? It quivers and cowers and says "yes dear, I won't offend you I'll do exactly as you ask."

And then what does Sony do to make their cowardice even more appalling? Just when you think that they couldn't be any more weak-kneed and spineless, they found way to outdo themselves: They said that they wouldn't even release the movie on pay-per-view or DVD. Whaaaaaaa????????

So now where does it end?

What if ISIS doesn't like the next movie that Sony wants to put out? What if Iran decides that it doesn't like the next book that HarperCollins wants to publish? What if North Korea doesn't like the next Beyonce video?

After the hack into Sony's computers by North Korea and their subsequent threats, Sony should have given North Korea the biggest collective middle-finger possible. Perhaps showing the movie for free, or maybe finding a way to distribute a couple of million copies of the movie to the North Korean people.

Like I said earlier, it is the entertainment industry's special job, and PRIVILEGE, along with a free press, to push back against hate and oppression and injustice. If they can't say screw-off to a terrorist, who can they now say it to??? They have lost their credibility. Maybe Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen want to think about switching record labels. Everyone knows that capitulating to a bully only serves to embolden the bully. Well ... maybe not everyone ... a lot of people in the current White House don't seem to know that either.

if you haven't noticed, entertainers and entertainment companies love criticizing our faults here at home, but they don't have the same set of cojones when it comes to the rest of the world now do they? It seems that there's something cool about saying "we suck," but their bravery fails them when it comes to identifying the evils of the rest of the world, which are often much greater than anything we face at home.

And make no mistake, the very top decision makers at Sony International had to sign off on this. This act of gutlessness has tarnished all of Sony's brands, including Sony Records as well. what a shame. What a bunch of wussies.