OK, WE HAVE A SONG, NOW LET'S WRITE A MOVIE!



The number one box-office movie is "Sweet Home Alabama", starring Reese Witherspoon in a light-hearted romantic comedy about a young woman who lives in New York returning to her Southern roots. What everyone seems to have forgotten is that the song "Sweet Home Alabama" was a redneck racist screed written by Lynryd Skynyrd in response to the civil rights song "Southern Man" by Neil Young. In case there is any doubt, the lyrics to Sweet Home Alabama include:



Well I heard mister Young sing about her

Well, I heard ole Neil put her down

Well, I hope Neil Young will remember

A Southern man don't need him around anyhow



and,



In Birmingham they love the gov' nor

Now we all did what we could do

Now Watergate does not bother me

Does your conscience bother you?

Tell the truth



The last stanza is a reference to George Wallace and his atrocious behavior, which even he himself apologized for, in response to federal orders from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations to integrate the Alabama school system in the 1960's. Skynyrd then throws in an endorsement of the presidency of Richard Nixon to top things off.



Apparently, in Hollywood, the need to attach a hit song to a movie far outweighs any serious consideration of the actual song lyrics. So, I figured, why should Hollywood stop there? Here are a few coming attractions from Tinseltown:



"Bennie And The Jets" - A sweet animated children's fable about a cuddly mouse and his faithful sidekicks, with the voice of Matthew Broderick.



"Semi-Charmed Kind Of Life" - Ashley Judd and Chris O'Donnell star in this funny, romantic story of a girl trying to make her mark.



"99 Red Balloons" - Drew Barrymore and Ben Affleck make romance at the circus.