Good luck, Patty Heaton!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Good luck facing up to New York critics and audiences.

[mallardo]

Is this the same Patricia Heaton who made a TV commercial AGAINST stem cell research to counter the Michael J. Fox commercial? Is this the one you're talking about?

[chernjam]

and her political beliefs affect her acting ability how???

It's okay for Michael Fox to have strong political, moral beliefs but no one else?

[Jon]

Yo -Patty!

C
U
Next
Tuesday!

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Here's the deal about politically activist entertainers.

If an audience member is apolitical, a performer’s political views and activities are irrelevant and have no impact on their opinion about the actor.

If an audience member is politically passionate, activist actors political activities will either improve the opinion of a like-minded viewer, or negatively shade the opinion of someone who doesn't share their politics.

So, Patricia Heaton, front and center during the Terry Schiavo debacle, fighting stem cell research and being militantly right to life has to accept that she's not going to be a favorite of those who don't share her views.

As someone who thought that she was terrific in Everybody Loves Raymond, I will admit that her increasing activist stance on the issues above have negatively impacted my enjoyment of her performances.

And it's only fair for someone who uses their fame as a platform for hot button political issues to suffer the consequences of their activities.

The sorts of issues that Heaten is involved with are hardly who likes spinach vs broccoli. She's a leading voice on issues that many feel are at the forefront of taking away individuals rights.

And for that, she's not on my list of favorite performers.

[Garland Grrrl]

i don't like her. i don't enjoy watching her so i turn the channel.

[Rathnait62]

At first glance, I thought this said Good Luck Patty Hearst!

[fflagg]

No matter how you slice it politically she is a mediocre actress.

[Garland Grrrl]

ooops

[Jon]

She should be ashamed of herself for greed alone. She was making over $500,000 an episode for "...Raymond", and yet she goes and does those painfully bad Albertson's/Jewel commercials. I watch those commercials and all I get from them is "Look at me - I'm just in it for the cash!"

[Wanna Be A Foster]

I wish I could win awards for 7 years of yelling and whining on a garbage sitcom and getting paid millions for it.

I hope the critics eat her alive.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Break a leg, beyotch.

[popculture37]

Every human being, regardless of their career, has a right to express their beliefs. Even if many of their fans will disagree with them (and in this case, I certainly disagree with Ms. Heaton) it is completely unfair to ask celebrities to keep their mouths shut just so the general public will like them. I find it very courageous of her to risk her popularity in order to stand up for something she is passionate about. Also, being against embryonic stem cell research does not make her a villain; its a complicated issue with evidence on both sides. I think that the strongest evidence goes against her position, but it is hardly a clear-cut case. The sad thing is that if she was speaking out for a more liberal cause, many of her current detractors would be showering her with applause. Much as we may disagree with them, conservatives are people too, right?
And as far as Everybody Loves Raymond goes, sure it was no work of art, but I thought it was an enjoyable enough show, and she improved a ton over the course of the show. She was extremely bland in the first season or two, but she got much better and developed some killer facial expressions.

[ICEcreamAssassin]

everybody loves raymond was the worst sitcom in years and its sad to think that this country embraced it so long. Patty Heaton disgusts me and hope she does horribly.. break a leg or two patty!

[Garland Grrrl]

i think cbs has some sort of arrangement w/ american airlines to show it's programs as in-flight entertainment. i was once on a long domestic flight where they played 2 hours of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. (no -- karen black was not piloting the plane)
i tuned in because i had never seen it before and i enjoy doris roberts. i got the feeling in the first 10 minutes that everyone on that show hates one another -- i mean -- the actors. the show is a toxic waste spill.

[theaterdude87]

geez so nasty. I was wondering if she was going to be at the show tonight because of the death of Peter Boyle. I am sure she will miss atleast one performance for his funeral.

[Bluemoon]

I can't imagine wishing someone ill because I didn't like them or their outspoken views on any issues. I worked on a project with Patricia Heaton a number of years ago and I certianly didn't find her to be my cup of tea. I wouldn't work with her again, but I'd never wish her (or any actor) a bad performance.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

She was extremely bland in the first season or two, but she got much better and developed some killer facial expressions.

And this, my friend, is the reason I no longer watch television. In the theater, we critique acting with a fine, fine tooth comb. In television, we shower "actors" with acclaim for the achievement of, over 7 years, developing "some killer facial expressions." Do you realize how sad and pathetic that is?

[Ciaron McCarthy]

Heaton is a fine actress. She played the "stright man" very well on that show (Raymond) and even won a couple of Emmys for it. Who cares what she thinks about stem cell research. She is allowed to be against it. This is still America. When I go to the theater I don't look at the actors and think "Hmmmm I wonder what she thinks about gun control".

God liberals can be so annoying.....and I'm one of them.

[mallardo]

I thought the post above from GoSmileLaughCryClap got it exactly right on all counts. A great post. Thank you.

[chernjam]

popculture37 - thanks for bringing some reasonable, articulate points to the discussion. Something that is usually missing on these boards.

I always liked "Everybody Loves Raymond" - and thought Patricia Heaton was great in it... in fact the whole cast was perfect. But perhaps some of it is growing up in an Italian family, I could relate to most episodes.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Raymond was one of the worse sitcoms ever made and what's worse was that it's lameness spurred CBS to make so many shows with the exact same premise so that lame suburbanites could feel cool or something. Ugly man, hot wife...maybe ugly/fat man with hot wife. Raymond was just better than most because Heaton wasn't that attractive so it was believable that someone like her would end up with someone less than ideal. Plus, she looks to be the greedy type so her sportswriter husband makes all the money while she's at home complaining about every God-damned thing. I consider myself to be a feminist who is all for women be given choices, however Heaton seemed to give housewives a bad name with all the entitlement issues and constant bitchiness. I've seen a lot of episodes because my family enjoyed it for a while till they realized how many episodes dealt with the same crap.

[popculture37]

Well, Foster, you're right that my wording does sound a bit pathetic...but in a sitcom, or any type of comedy for that matter, physical humor, including facial expression, is supremely important. I'm sure we've all seen actors who could make a joke funny just by an eyebrow lift or a blank stare, and I think that Patricia's strongpoint was her ability to use her face to make her comedic lines even funnier. That certainly isn't her only accomplishment-I think she developed all around as an actress throughout the show-and she's certainly no Meryl Streep. But, I think that her physical expressiveness made ELR a lot funnier than it could have been, and I don't see how that is pathetic.

By the way, there are lots of great actors on television nowadays and in the recent past. Check out some episodes of Arrested Development or The Office and maybe you'll regain your faith in this medium.

[BobbyBubby]

Hate Her!

Love Patty Hearst though.

[Jon]

Peter Boyle was a major liberal Democrat political activist. I can't imagine him being particularly close with Ms. Heaton.