As RedState wrote earlier in the week, the entertainment world -- and all of us who grew up on the television sitcoms of the Seventies and Eighties -- lost a great creative mind and American storyteller with the death of writer/producer Norman Lear at age 101.
Lear was a magician at tapping in to society's burning issues--whether that was racism, sexism, or something else--and hashing them out within the familiar confines of the family home. And he managed to bring to life enduring, memorable characters on shows as varied as "All in the Family," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "One Day at a Time," "Diff’rent Strokes,” and more.
He also changed the landscape of movies from behind the scenes, Variety reported:
He contributed financing to “Stand by Me” (1986), directed by former “All in the Family” co-star Rob Reiner; and executive produced “Fried Green Tomatoes” and Reiner’s “The Princess Bride.”
Whatever anyone thought of his politics, he will be sorely missed.
As the movie trivia above points out, someone who owes a massive debt for his career to Lear is actor-director-producer Rob Reiner. (For any younger folks who missed the reference in the headline, Reiner played Archie Bunker's much-beleaguered son-in-law, Michael "Mike" Stivic on "All in the Family." But one of the joys of the show was when Bunker would call him "Meathead.")
Anyway, I shared the news recently that Reiner's classic, fake music doc, "This Is Spinal Tap," has a sequel in the works.
Now, just a few days removed from the "All in the Family" creator's passing away, and that mockmentary announcement, Reiner has put out a shameful attack on many Americans for their religious beliefs.
How did he do that? "Meathead" has dropped the trailer for his new, allegedly factual documentary about one of the Left's favorite bêtes noires, so-called Christian Nationalism.
But as our sister site, Twitchy ably covered with the many reactions of righteous indignation to the debut of Reiner's trash trailer, he isn't attempting to go after a dangerous movement--he's hoping to take down Christianity itself. His attack is on Christians, point blank.
Townhall.com's Larry O'Connor spoke for many with his wry comment above the trailer post on X:
If you can't read it, he wrote: "I, for one, am very excited to learn how to be a good Christian from Rob Reiner, the atheist."
Archie had it right, all those years ago. Reiner really is a Meathead.