[Gobbler]

Yup. And why the hell not?

[Grinov]

Yup. And why the hell not?

I guess its really a waste of time trying to get sympathy from any of you guys.

[barend]

I guess its really a waste of time trying to get sympathy from any of you guys.

i'll take the day off work to give you sympathy, if you pay me.

[Jordan]

Why would we feel sorry for them? THey're getting paid and they could have declined the offer.

[Grinov]

But they are being pushed around by a Buddhist! How degrading is that?

[Jordan]

Buddhists are hilarious. My friends family is buddhist. They walk around with this slightly stoned look on their faces.

Of course, they're ex-hippies.

[civilian_number_two]

I don't see what you're upset about Cheto. It's routine in the film business to buy off the locals in order to make a production run smoothly. "See what it will cost to get that construction crew to turn off their cement mixer during takes," is the sort of thing you'll hear when an unexpected cement mixer shows up. Whatever this film is, it hadn't counted on Gere being upset by the smell of sausage (gay jokes go here). So the LM looked into the Locations budget to see if he could just shut the restaurants down. No one got bullied; they got paid.

[Gobbler]

And they probably got more than they'd get if they didn't close down during takes.

[Grinov]

I don't see what you're upset about Cheto. It's routine in the film business to buy off the locals in order to make a production run smoothly. "See what it will cost to get that construction crew to turn off their cement mixer during takes," is the sort of thing you'll hear when an unexpected cement mixer shows up. Whatever this film is, it hadn't counted on Gere being upset by the smell of sausage (gay jokes go here). So the LM looked into the Locations budget to see if he could just shut the restaurants down. No one got bullied; they got paid.

I’m upset because people seem to have lack of principles lately. Why they close down because Gere cant stand the smell of sausages; so what if he cant? If they hadn’t closed then maybe he would have had to deal with the smell and stop being such a pussy.

[mireaux7]

So celebrities are allowed to go into 3rd world countries and push people around as long as they give them money?

Is it really considered "pushing someone around" if they are handsomely compensated for it?

Whats more, is that there has to be some contractual agreement involved to permit this "pushing around" to even transpire. So whoever you feel is being pushed around has pretty much agreed to be pushed around, as they have agreed to the amount of pay being offered on the table and they have signed all the paperwork.

What does not seem to be known, is how well the family-owned restaurant was paid off. Obviously it must have been well enough for them to agree to allow the filming to take place in their restaurant.

If someone wanted to pay me $20 million dollars to come over to my house, destroy and burn everything I own, and throw cream pies in my face all day,.then show it on national television 3 weeks later,.I would let them. But remember,.I would now live a happy and weathly lifestyle with my own private jet, yacht and private island in French Polynesia.

I know that wasnt the best of analogies, but the point I was making is that as long as someone is compensated to their satisfaction and agrees to sign all applicable contracts involved, then more power to them.

[Jordan]

Haha that analogy was awesome!

[civilian_number_two]

I’m upset because people seem to have lack of principles lately. Why they close down because Gere cant stand the smell of sausages; so what if he cant? If they hadn’t closed then maybe he would have had to deal with the smell and stop being such a pussy.

Ok, but you might have ignored or simply missed my analogy about asking a work crew to suspend work in order that the Sound department can record good dialogue. When the ALM offers them money, and they take it, is it appropriate for the press to say they were "forced to shut down?" This sort of thing, by the way, happens all the time; recently the show I am working on sent home the entire crew of a shipyard so that we could film on their pier. While I agree that spending production money to satisfy an actor, when the production was otherwise unaffected, is indulgent and wasteful, I worry about the production's budget, and not the poor restaurateurs.

I don't see what any of it has to do with "principles." It's all just business. This article reported the story poorly; if in fact these restaurateurs were paid, as they would be on any production filmed anywhere, then the use of the word "forced" is misleading (it has apparently misled you). If in fact they did NOT pay the restaurants, but used some form of government bullying hitherto unheard of in the film business, then the article was incomplete for not presenting any details that would clarify that fact. In the latter case, were it true (I doubt it), then yes, the local authorities appear corrupt, as no doubt a bribe would have been required to get official bullying, and doubtless a bribe of that sort wouldn't have made it to the affected businesses.

[Grinov]

I know that wasnt the best of analogies, but the point I was making is that as long as someone is compensated to their satisfaction and agrees to sign all applicable contracts involved, then more power to them.

So you have no problem with someone killing your entire family and all your friends as long as your compensated?

[Slade]

Can that slippery slope nonsense. Surely you can see how "demolishing my house and throwing pies at me" is different from "murdering my family." Unless that house is your family... Are you related to a sentient homestead, Cheto?

[Grinov]

Can that slippery slope nonsense. Surely you can see how "demolishing my house and throwing pies at me" is different from "murdering my family." Unless that house is your family... Are you related to a sentient homestead, Cheto?

I might be.

But come on, no one should allow the "big guys" in the world to push around the "little people". That’s what my argument is about, well that and Gere is a pussy, but mainly the prior.