Ron Howard: "Dopey Opie, Opie Dopey"

Whatever...

(H/T: Brent Baker)

If you are an Andy Griffith Show fan, or have just watched enough episodes over the years, you will remember the episode when the new kid comes to town and starts causing trouble with Opie and his friends by trying to lead them into what looks like a life of minor crime; stealing, vandalism, riding bikes on the sidewalk (Oh Barney Fife where are you now?!), etc. The interloper tries to dominate the Opie (Ron Howard) character and assume leadership of the group by making a fun of Opie's name, by various means including the use of a taunting rhyme: 'Dopey Opie'.

Now I admit, that as a kid I watched the Andy Griffith Show with more interest than most others (and it WAS the No. 1 show for years on TV) in part because I felt an affinity for Ron Howard and his character. We were about the same age and on the black and white TV sets we looked a lot alike as kids -- it was like having a near twin on TV, and I got a lot of "Hey! Are you...?, Well you look just like him" in the early years of the show. (Later in life , it would be the same, only with Drew Carey. But that is another story).

So I always had an affinity for Ron Howard and his work. Growing up I'd see him or his Dad on TV doing various talk shows/specials and other things and they seemed to be so common sense and otherwise 'Un-Hollywood'. As Ron Howard became a noted film maker, you had to admire and respect his transition from child-star to a powerful and successful movie maker.

Then, as they say, he had to "open his mouth and ruin everything".

It turns out that for all those years he only seemed to be 'Un-Hollywood' , while turning into some sort of BDS suffering, Obama-Idolizing idiot. After his Obama promo, I can honestly say I've felt no desire to watch any of his work and doubt if I ever will again. Since he produced that paean to Obama (and the whole Hope and Change 'thang) his movie "Frost/Nixon" was released, which from this quarter seems like an insecure attempt to endear him to the rest of the Hollywood set even more. Of course, it only helps that Frost/Nixon promotes the lefty view of the interviews, and the fact that the account of Frost interviewing the disgraced Former President is historical revisionism can only help his cause with his fellow travelers.

Well folks, Opie is still digging. On Bill Maher's show this week Howard let lose some real gems, not the least of which is:

"at a certain point I don't think we'll be so consumed with being the pre-eminent super-power and, you know, driven by sort of militarism and this need to export, you know, democracy.”

Now THAT folks, is Hybris. After seeing the 'interview', I wondered what's keeping Opie from moving to Europe already?

Go to Brent Baker's and read the rest. The post and comments are well worth the trip.