The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

05 September 2007

Thom Hartmann, The 11th Hour, Leo DiCaprio

BORING HOST, DULL MOVIE

Libtalker's Book Made Into Box Office Bomb







A new film based on a book by libtalker Thom Hartmann has bombed at the box office, according to FOX News. Called The 11th Hour, the flick was a project of actor Leo DiCaprio and based on Hartmann's The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late, which was first published in 2004.

From FOX's report:

Leo's Eco Movie Bombs


It's a good thing Leonardo DiCaprio made so much money from "Titanic" a decade ago.

His environmental documentary, "The 11th Hour," has been a total bust at the box office. After 18 days in release, the film has grossed only $417,913 from ticket sales. The 90-minute snore-fest is playing on 111 screens this week, but that number is likely to be reduced this Friday. The film will be sent to DVD heaven after that.

By comparison, Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim's similar but far more engaging "An Inconvenient Truth" had already made $3.5 million by its 18th day of release.

I hesitated to say before "11th Hour" actually opened how mind-numbingly dull it was for fear that I would ruin it for those interested in the subject of global warming. But at Cannes, when the film by Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen was shown to journalists, nearly the entire room fell asleep.

A Russian filmmaker told us afterward that she was the only person in the room who was awake at one point.

I can believe it. "The 11th Hour" is grindingly boring. Basically, a series of scientists, one after another, warn the audience that the world is coming to an end. These talking heads are interspersed with stock footage of melting glaciers. The film has the effect of Ambien — with no hangover post-nap.

And this certainly is not meant to belittle the idea of global warming on my part. Last week, we met an Australian civil engineer whose specialty is the environment. He told us he had just flown over Mount Kilimanjaro and was quite surprised by what he had seen.


For those who follow liberal talk radio, this should come as no surprise. Hartmann, who replaced Al Franken at Air America Radio after the latter left to run for the US Senate, is well- versed in the art of boredom. His ratings certainly reflect that.

In addition, Hartmann has some credibility issues in his past, including questions about his military record and inflated audience claims, which we previously covered here and here.

Perhaps Leo's Hollywood backers will think twice before wasting good money on another one of his brain- dead projects.


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13 Comments:

  • Check out the reviews on RottenTomatoes.com:

    "This movie, for all its noble intentions, is a bore. Rent An Inconvenient Truth instead. Even if you've already seen it."

    --Roger Ebert (definitely a lefty
    and even he feels this way)

    By Blogger raccoonradio, at 05 September, 2007 14:23  

  • . His ratings certainly reflect that.


    any numbers to back that claim? Hartman is a great host, has right wingers on every day, gives them full and fair say on his show, and buries them with facts. Show me a right wing hack show host , that has the kind of fair and open discussion Hartman offers.

    You won't find one. Right wingers act like children on the radio, Hartman, sounds like an adult.

    No worries, RNC radio is irrelevant, the ratings mean squat, less than 1% of the nation listens to the degenrate pigs like Levin and Hannity. They are irrelevant, feeding lies to their mentally unbalanced sociopathic listeners.

    I wonder how much action took place at the men's room at the Hannity freedom concert. I hear all the stalls were occupied and moans and slurping sounds were abound
    (ohh I just stooped to their level ohh well)

    mock the right
    exose the right
    F*CK UM!

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 05 September, 2007 14:45  

  • Hartman may be boring, if you don't like to learn things and find a high pitched baby shriek "clinton libs clinton libs libs" entertaining.

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 05 September, 2007 15:46  

  • MiniProp:

    Any source to back up your numbers?

    According to Talkers Magazine
    here are the minimum weekly cumes for the 3 men in question:

    Hannity: 12,500,000+
    Levin: 3,250,000+
    Hartmann: less than 1,000,000

    By Blogger Chromium, at 05 September, 2007 16:08  

  • Talkers reflects overall listeners, Limbaugh and Levin are on hundreds of stations, so naturally those 2 creeps would have bigger listenrships. Hartman is on maybe 40 affiliates. I'm curious as to his actual listenrship in a market.

    unfortunatly Hartman is not a fire breather, I guess in radio you have to be a rude, sarcastic, un-informed idiot to have listeners.

    In all my years of listening to radio, nobody is as vile, ignorant, nasty and obnoxious as Levin. So sad, considering Levin is a big animal rights advocate, he wrote a cite book about his dogs, a shame he has to lower himself on the radio. He cant be as dumb as he sounds on the radio, the man has an interesting resume. On the air, he sounds like a moron.
    Can anyone explain why most conservative hosts have to lower themselves in order to be successful? If I was a conservative, I would be disgusted at the morons representing my side on the airwaves. Explain this to me

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 05 September, 2007 16:42  

  • Is it any wonder why DiCaprio is DiCRAPIO! BECAUSE HE'S FULL OF CRAP LIKE ALL LIBERALS!

    By Blogger The Real Bob Anthony, at 05 September, 2007 20:48  

  • Bob, take your Ritalin, like a good little boy. The little bus will be along to pick you up any minute now..

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 05 September, 2007 22:54  

  • moPoop commented: ...guess in radio you have to be a rude, sarcastic, un-informed idiot to have listeners.

    If uninteresting was marketable, libtalk would be number one. If ear drum piercing shrill was a desired quality, Colmes would be number one.

    moPoop asked: Can anyone explain why most conservative hosts have to lower themselves in order to be successful? If I was a conservative, I would be disgusted at the morons representing my side on the airwaves. Explain this to me

    moPoop comes to this blog almost everyday and leaves some of the most hateful, virulent, vitriolic comments I've ever read, then has the audacity to ask that question.

    By Blogger John, at 06 September, 2007 04:50  

  • "Bob, take your Ritalin, like a good little boy. The little bus will be along to pick you up any minute now.."


    I DON'T TAKE RITALIN YOU PABLUM PUKING PROGRESSIVE! I'M ON ZOLOFT! And just let me ask, why do you hate Nationalists who want to tell the envirowhackos and their theories where to go? Doesn't support your Thomas Moore Utopian socialist dream?!

    By Blogger The Real Bob Anthony, at 06 September, 2007 07:23  

  • IF Hartman’s on 40 stations he's down to 39 Air head America is off the air in Memphis TN(very blue city) replaced by Fox sports radio. The signal strength was the same as the station Rush is on and still could not make it. Yeah their good. NOT

    By Blogger pf1, at 06 September, 2007 08:45  

  • 14:45
    "No worries, RNC radio is irrelevant, the ratings mean squat, less than 1% of the nation listens to the degenrate pigs like Levin and Hannity."

    16:42
    "Limbaugh and Levin are on hundreds of stations, so naturally those 2 creeps would have bigger listenrships."

    Are you sure you're not the Minister of Backpedalling?

    By Blogger Jim Treacher, at 06 September, 2007 09:41  

  • I think if you'll look at these special eco events, the numbers of participants or followers seems to be falling faster than the curve on a hockey stick. Than again, maybe I'm just using a model that could make any set of data look like the curve on a hockey stick. LOL

    By Blogger David Huntley, at 06 September, 2007 12:52  

  • 11th Hour has an especially interesting special feature, "Nature's Operating Instructions" ... apparently there is some amazing technology built into nature, a lot there that we should use as a model for our own technology

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 27 May, 2008 13:50  

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