Rogen says he meant no offense with tweets
Seth Rogen responded to the outrage incited by a series of tweets he wrote regarding the film “American Sniper” in a statement issued exclusively to the Associated Press on Thursday, saying it wasn’t his intent to offend anyone or to say anything with political implications.
The actor and filmmaker, fresh off of the whirlwind, Sony-hack-addled release of his film “The Interview,” was thrown back into the spotlight Sunday when he tweeted that “American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of (Inglourious) Basterds.”
Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 revenge fantasy film shows clips from a fake propaganda movie about a skilled Nazi sniper.
Online outlets including Fox News Insider, the Daily Caller and Brietbart concluded that Rogen’s intent was to liken Clint Eastwood’s fact-based drama about the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle to “Nazi propaganda.”
On Monday, Rogen went back to Twitter to clarify that he “actually liked” Eastwood’s film and that he wasn’t comparing the two at all.
Conservative blogs, however, were not appeased. Celebrities like Dean Cain and Kid Rock joined in to publicly criticize Rogen, too.
In his statement Thursday, Rogen reiterated that the movie only reminded him of the other “because they both involved plots about the most lethal of snipers.”
He went on to explain that he would never compare the film to Nazi propaganda, and that he has nothing against Kyle or veterans in general.
“My grandfather was a veteran,” Rogen said.
“My comment about the movie was not meant to have any political implications,” he said. “Any political meaning was ascribed to my comment by news commentary.”
Rogen also apologized for any offense his tweets might have caused.
Music producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Clive Davis is this year’s winner of the highest honor awarded by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770.
Davis will receive the Order of the Golden Sphinx award at a gala in New York City on April 13.
Davis said in a statement that he’s thrilled to be receiving the award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the performing arts.
A five-time Grammy winner, Davis has worked with a wide range of artists, from Janis Joplin and Billy Joel to Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys.
The institute includes the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, which has chosen Chris Pratt as its 2015 Man of the Year and Amy Poehler as its Woman of the Year.
The birthday bunch
Actress Jeanne Moreau is 87. Actress Chita Rivera is 82. Actor Rutger Hauer is 71. Singer Anita Pointer is 67. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 65. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 58. Singer Anita Baker is 57. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 51. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 41.