I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
The War for Taylor Swift’s Vote Has Already Begun
Hello Reader,
No one had a better 2023 than Taylor Swift. Just ask Time Magazine.
The new year won't be nearly as fun for the pop superstar. Progressives are already begging Tay Tay to drag President Biden over the finish line in 2024. And this culture war battle will be messy...
Ricky Gervais is back, and he's funnier than ever.
The British superstar is no fan of woke culture, but he's never taken it on as brazenly as he does in "Armageddon," his brand new Netflix special. The HiT review shares more (without giving away the best bits).
Hollywood executives tremble when The Critical Drinker fires up his YouTube channel. The saucy Scotsman skewers pop culture disasters like few can, weaving his uncensored wit with spot-on observations. The Hollywood in Toto Podcast interviewed The Drinker about his videos, his thriving literary career and his views on the political scene today.
Here's one of his best videos!
One of my favorite podcasts is ... Triggernometry, a Brit-based show featuring wry comedians Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster.
The duo's Year in Review broadcast is full of laughs and sober takes on 2023.
New Movies:
The following movies opened on Dec. 25 - Hollywood is taking a knee this weekend.
A final note:
We lost Tom Smothers this week at the age of 86. The goofy half of the legendary Smothers Brothers comedy team rocked the culture in the 1960s. They fought The Establishment from the Left in the process, battling the network censors in the process.
To honor Tom, here's a classic clip of him and his brother (who his mother loved the best) on David Letterman circa 1982.
Hollywood in Toto
I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
Hello Reader, Taylor Swift is the biggest star on planet Earth. Podcast king Joe Rogan defies our short-attention span age with his three-hour interviews. Two very different stars. Two distinct approaches to modern politics. Could their influence impact the coming Trump v. Biden rematch? Maybe. I explain why in an essay that speaks volumes about the state of our union (and it's not necessarily good!). President Joe Biden is clearly not well. Our 81-year-old Commander in Chief struggles to...
Hello Reader, Everybody remembers the Hollywood Blacklist, but few know about the new, not-so-improved version. I've spoken to my fair share of conservative artists who hide their political views for fear of losing work. It's real. It's scary. And it's deeply un-American. Just like the 1950s version. Now, some pro-Palestinian actors are getting pinched for sharing their political views. How is it different this time around? And what if the stars in question say absolutely ghastly things?...
Hello Reader, It's Friday already? Holiday weeks always throw me for a loop! I've had a hate/hate relationship with "The View" for some time now. It's hopelessly dumb, which could be fun to watch in some cases, but it rarely is. Plus, I think the show's unhinged rhetoric genuinely damages the country. So why does Whoopi and co. get a pass when Aaron Rodgers got (rightly) vilified for his dopey attack on Jimmy Kimmel? This story explains it all, and it's a good primer for the 2024 election...