STD: Streisand Translation Dictionary…

The following material has been excerpted from Barbra Streisand’s website for the purposes of interpretation and translation.
Quotes attributed to Streisand are copied directly from her website as they appeared on November 5, 2003.
No edits have been made to her original quotes in any way.

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What She Said:
“I am deeply disappointed that CBS, the network that in 1964 gave me complete artistic control in creating television specials, now caved in to right wing Republican pressure to cancel the network broadcast of the movie The Reagans.”
Translation:
CBS caved into my demands nearly forty years ago, how could they do this?
Response:
So, it’s OK when CBS caves in to your demands, but not to anyone else’s? If this had been a two part mini-series on you and your husband that contained gross inaccuracies, you’d have gone to the ends of the Earth to block it’s being televised. That’s pretty hypocritical.

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What She Said:
“I don’t believe Democrats often, if ever, try to muscle the First Amendment like this.”
Translation:
Republicans do this all the time.
Response:
Truth be told, the only muscling of the First Amendment occurred in the script under the guise of literary license and artistic integrity. It still doesn’t make it right.

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What She Said:
“However, these important decisions should be based on artistic integrity rather than an attempt to appease a small group of vocal dissidents.”
Translation:
The opinions of the people who actually watch CBS are not nearly as important as those of us who are entertainment legends.
Response:
Important decisions should be based on fact, not artistic integrity. The First Amendment gives you the right to freedom of speech, but you can’t just go on making up things and spreading them as fact. They have laws against that kind of thing, Babs.

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What She Said:
“Ms. Streisand was on the set of The Reagans for a total of only 4 hours of one day. Any one of hundreds of people involved in its making could have told Mr. Drudge this truth, if he had only bothered to ask. Furthermore, Ms. Streisand has never even read the script! She has also never seen the film, which stars her husband James Brolin.”
Translation:
You can’t prove I was there OR that I read the script.
Response:
Ms. Streisand was on the set for a total of only four hours, but is being far more vocal than anyone who was on the set every day. Ms. Streisand has never read the script, but can apparently quote from it in her own “Truth Alert.” Ms. Streisand appears to be a walking contradiction. Where’s her husband—the star of the movie?!?! Why haven’t we heard from him? Why haven’t we heard from the Director? Why haven’t we heard from the Producers? Their silence speaks volumes.

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What She Said:
“But this is what the Right Wing does when they are faced with a truth that is not 100% positive for their side – they spread vicious lies and attacks and scream and yell until they get their way. Instead of boycotting and trying to have the movie changed, why don’t they all just wait to see the film when it airs like the rest of us.”
Translation:
If you’re going to spread vicious lies and attacks, you should make a movie instead.
Response:
We did boycott and get the movie changed–to a different network and audience. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we settled for it. We did what you suggested, so thanks for the idea. As consumers we have a choice and we made it.
As far as people spreading vicious lies and attacks, well…you’re currently the only one doing that, Barbra.