Films seem too dependent upon news

No matter how hard one may try, it seems society may never be able to escape the notion of political correctness.

In a country where relations between gender, race and those of different socio-economic statuses have been rocky since it’s founding, an attempt to escape political correctness is almost impossible, even in the seemingly detached world of entertainment.

In the past few weeks, executives at Twentieth Century Fox have contemplated delaying the release of a summer comedy starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.

The movie, which was filmed in Georgia, centers around four neighborhood watchmen who live in a suburban area, roaming and patrolling the streets of the community, protecting the neighborhood against space alien invasions.

This struck a wrong chord with Fox, prompting them to consider delaying the movie’s release.

Trayvon Martin, a black teen who was visiting his father in an upscale community in Sanford, FL, was shot by a neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Days later, details emerged which indicated Zimmerman’s shooting of Martin may have been racially motivated, conflicting his account that he acted in self-defense.

As a result, public outcry emerged and many called for the arrest of Zimmerman, who was finally arrested last week. It is this public outcry that has caused Fox to consider delaying the release of the summer comedy.

This is not the first time news and entertainment have collided. In 2001, Warner Brothers delayed its release of the film “Collateral Damage” in response to the September 11 attacks.

The film centered on a firefighter’s attempt to avenge the death of his wife and son after their sudden death in a guerilla commando bombing in Los Angeles.

With a spike in the number of entertainment industries becoming increasingly sensitive to the emotional states of its audience, one thing is clear — entertainment is no longer the freestanding entity it once was.

Sadly, in a society where everyone is somewhat paranoid about being politically correct, the entertainment world may never return to its former days in which writers, producers and executives had to worry about one thing, and one thing only — entertaining.