Valuetainment - April 23, 2025


＂California Can't Compete＂ - Ben Affleck BLASTS State's Failed Policies For Hollywood's Collapse


Episode Stats

Length

9 minutes

Words per Minute

208.54996

Word Count

1,979

Sentence Count

222

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

3


Summary

The LFTS team discusses Ben Affleck's comments about California and the movie industry, Rob Lowe's Parks and Rec exit, and why it's cheaper to film in Ireland than in LA. Tom and Rob also discuss the latest in the Trump administration's trade war with China.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Pull up Ben Affleck's clip. Folks, watch this here.
00:00:02.820 So Ben has got a movie coming out with...
00:00:05.000 Is it already out, Ben?
00:00:06.460 One of my favorite directors, I think it's coming out this weekend.
00:00:08.760 Gavin O'Connor, instead of a guy.
00:00:11.340 Accountant 2, okay?
00:00:13.040 And this is Ben Affleck being asked about California and the movie industry.
00:00:17.960 Watch what he said. He did not hold back. Go for it, Rob.
00:00:22.560 Other places will have, like, better exchange rates or tax rebate deals
00:00:26.380 that are meant to lure this industry there
00:00:29.080 because they understand how stimulative it is for their economies.
00:00:32.340 I think part of the problem with California is that
00:00:34.020 they came to take this industry for granted a little bit.
00:00:36.680 Now, I will say the current governor, I think,
00:00:38.960 doubled the tax rebate amount in bulk available,
00:00:42.220 but the percentage that you get back in terms of the actual budget
00:00:46.300 doesn't compete with places like England,
00:00:49.120 which is why you see a lot of these big, huge movies shoot in the U.K.
00:00:51.860 or even, you know, I mean, there have been New Mexico and Louisiana
00:00:55.280 and Texas and Massachusetts and New Jersey.
00:00:58.560 A lot in Georgia, yeah, people give these tax rebates,
00:01:02.740 and they've been sort of controversial,
00:01:04.020 but one of the things that happens is that it does cause people who,
00:01:08.040 where this used to be the center of that, to move to other states for work,
00:01:12.200 and it's really the technicians, the crew, that make or break your movie.
00:01:16.380 And you need the best people. You need good people.
00:01:19.380 I, as a director, I know that to be true,
00:01:21.880 and so if people move away, you know, that really hurts the industry.
00:01:25.920 Tom, thoughts?
00:01:27.940 Well, there you go.
00:01:29.020 It's simple. It's choice.
00:01:31.440 It's a freedom of choice.
00:01:32.960 And if it's a constrictive environment full of regulations and taxations,
00:01:36.800 and Georgia or New Mexico or any of those other states or England says,
00:01:41.380 hey, you know what?
00:01:42.280 If you want to film movies here, we've got a special tax rebate for you
00:01:45.480 because we know you provide a lot of temporary employment,
00:01:48.360 project-based employment.
00:01:49.480 It's kind of seasonal for your movie,
00:01:50.780 and we'd love to have you here.
00:01:52.620 You know, have at it.
00:01:53.620 And we've got a lot of wonderful scenery here in London to go film,
00:01:56.720 you know, wherever you want to be.
00:01:58.500 And then there you have it.
00:02:01.640 Rob, what is that clip you just pulled up?
00:02:03.500 Vinny just sent me this.
00:02:04.720 This is Rob Lowe and the actor from, you know him,
00:02:09.480 from Parks and Rec.
00:02:10.660 Yes, Parks and Rec.
00:02:12.100 He goes in on Hollywood and how it's cheaper to bring 100 Americans to Ireland
00:02:18.020 than go right across the Fox lot and go there.
00:02:21.420 This is, I think, this is like a month ago.
00:02:22.800 This is actually a really good clip.
00:02:24.080 Go ahead, Rob.
00:02:25.340 Or there.
00:02:26.280 It's cheaper to bring 100 American people to Ireland
00:02:29.520 than to walk across the lot by Fox.
00:02:32.180 Right.
00:02:32.660 Past the sound stages and do it there.
00:02:33.820 Wow.
00:02:34.060 Crazy.
00:02:34.620 Do you think if we shot Parks right now, we would be in Budapest?
00:02:37.120 100%, we would be.
00:02:38.420 We'd be in Budapest.
00:02:39.480 We would be.
00:02:39.960 It's so weird.
00:02:40.440 Nothing shoots in London.
00:02:41.520 Nothing.
00:02:42.280 Nothing.
00:02:42.760 Nothing.
00:02:43.280 I had a, my next show already done, scripts, deals closed.
00:02:50.040 Yeah.
00:02:50.500 And they said, we're shooting this in New York.
00:02:52.100 And I said, I'm not moving to New York to do this.
00:02:53.880 And then it went away.
00:02:54.620 The show's done.
00:02:55.080 I'm not doing it.
00:02:55.720 Wow.
00:02:56.920 Wow.
00:02:57.360 It's like.
00:02:58.200 Not doing it.
00:02:59.040 Not shooting.
00:03:00.060 Just because he doesn't want to go to New York.
00:03:01.600 Because, yeah, he doesn't want to move the whole.
00:03:02.980 Yeah.
00:03:04.260 Is that it, Rob?
00:03:06.340 Is that it?
00:03:07.200 Well, if Trump hears about this, he's not going to be a fan of this
00:03:09.960 because he's trying to keep jobs in America, okay?
00:03:12.280 He's going to put tariffs on every other country out there.
00:03:14.640 No, it's just like the states.
00:03:15.400 They're trying to export these actors to other countries.
00:03:18.240 Exactly.
00:03:19.100 This is an industry saying exactly what individuals have been saying,
00:03:24.000 like what I said and what Pat said when we left California and went to Texas.
00:03:28.540 And then we went from Texas to here.
00:03:30.700 We weren't upset with Texas.
00:03:31.900 There's just tremendous opportunity down here.
00:03:33.700 And we have some businesses that were getting built.
00:03:36.440 So that's it.
00:03:37.860 Yeah.
00:03:38.240 Yeah.
00:03:38.500 And the Hollywood monopoly on the acting and film industry has completely bursted.
00:03:45.160 What did it say over here?
00:03:46.480 That 58% decline.
00:03:49.460 Film LA reported an annual production from 2021 to 2024.
00:03:54.220 So they no longer have a stranglehold on this.
00:03:57.560 Oh, it's over.
00:03:58.180 You know, when you add up Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Paramount, this, that,
00:04:03.440 the other, social media, Instagram, not to mention YouTube, Spotify,
00:04:09.180 everything there.
00:04:10.300 You have so many options how to make movies these days
00:04:12.600 and how to get your distribution out there.
00:04:16.540 And then you add on a little bit of Hollywood literal fairy dust,
00:04:20.340 go woke, go broke.
00:04:21.500 You're going to look into other options.
00:04:22.900 There's other competition.
00:04:24.120 You get tax rebates that Ben Affleck was talking about.
00:04:26.860 You have states like Georgia.
00:04:29.020 You have, you have states like Louisiana, New Mexico, I believe,
00:04:33.560 that are going to incentivize you to basically shoot elsewhere.
00:04:36.140 So you no longer need to be in Hollywood.
00:04:38.700 And either they're going to adapt or they're going to die.
00:04:41.180 Darwinism.
00:04:42.020 And you nailed that.
00:04:42.620 Everybody, even Dennis Quaid said it.
00:04:44.500 He's bragging about Texas becoming the new Hollywood.
00:04:48.420 And it's like, bro, California has to be the dream.
00:04:50.460 Texas.
00:04:51.160 Texas.
00:04:51.560 And Georgia, like you said, Georgia taxes are.
00:04:54.100 What are we making?
00:04:54.120 We're making spaghetti western.
00:04:54.940 Taxes are lower.
00:04:55.620 The regulations are looser.
00:04:56.980 And they're actually welcome.
00:04:58.280 But bro, you know who I blame?
00:04:59.280 California, the governor, Tom.
00:05:01.760 California used to be the beating heart of the,
00:05:03.720 and it's Hollywood, California.
00:05:05.940 Okay, now it's just crime, no water, no leadership, no nothing.
00:05:09.900 Holly weird.
00:05:10.740 He taxed the industry to death.
00:05:12.440 And then he let crime and homelessness run wild.
00:05:14.620 He pushed everybody out.
00:05:15.820 And even, you mean to tell me, taking 100 people,
00:05:18.740 and that's a big production, and you guys can't shoot here?
00:05:21.940 You have to fly the whole crew to Ireland, bro,
00:05:24.260 instead of going to Fox?
00:05:25.840 That is, dude, that is not good, man.
00:05:27.660 It's, it's, it's.
00:05:28.580 That's why Conor McGregor is very upset.
00:05:30.400 He's calling it an invasion.
00:05:31.360 Texas is the new Hollywood because California became Detroit with a coastline.
00:05:35.180 That's what happened.
00:05:35.960 Whoa.
00:05:36.460 That's what happened, Tom.
00:05:37.600 There's a t-shirt.
00:05:38.060 And by the way, did you guys see Jeremy Gray was at the White House?
00:05:41.280 I saw Vince Vaughn.
00:05:43.100 Yeah.
00:05:43.240 Did you see that?
00:05:43.560 Jeremy Gray.
00:05:44.140 Vince Vaughn from Whitting Crash.
00:05:45.180 Oh, Jeremy Gray.
00:05:46.720 He's a maple syrup conglomerate in White House Crashers.
00:05:48.320 Dude, I thought this was a joke.
00:05:49.880 That's hilarious.
00:05:51.100 Yeah, he went to the White House.
00:05:52.120 Look at him.
00:05:52.760 Look how happy he is.
00:05:53.720 One of the best.
00:05:54.700 One of my favorite, favorite actors of all time.
00:05:57.580 Period.
00:05:58.020 Is this guy.
00:05:58.540 Period.
00:05:59.000 He's just so likable.
00:06:00.200 Yep.
00:06:00.600 He is so likable.
00:06:01.960 We watched Old School the other day with the boys.
00:06:04.620 I told him, I said, listen, guys, you can't go to school and tell him your dad let you
00:06:07.560 watch Old School.
00:06:08.040 Period.
00:06:08.880 But I'll announce it on the podcast.
00:06:10.640 No one will know.
00:06:11.840 Pat, I just got one thing to tell you, man.
00:06:13.680 You're my boy, Blue.
00:06:14.640 You're my boy, Blue.
00:06:15.220 I just want to let you know.
00:06:16.440 By the way, Vince Vaughn, you know how you're saying he's one of your favorite actors?
00:06:19.100 You know where he is on my list?
00:06:22.020 Numero uno.
00:06:22.840 That's my guy.
00:06:23.960 I love Vince Vaughn.
00:06:24.880 I had the chance to interview him.
00:06:26.020 I was like, hey, I work with PBD.
00:06:27.560 He's like, okay, yeah, he knew exactly who you were.
00:06:29.480 Where the hell is Vince Vaughn these days?
00:06:30.840 He's chilling.
00:06:31.460 Talk about.
00:06:32.160 I mean.
00:06:32.780 He's chilling.
00:06:33.200 He doesn't need to work anymore.
00:06:34.080 He's good.
00:06:34.620 What do you mean he doesn't need to work anymore?
00:06:35.780 We need him working.
00:06:36.600 No, I know.
00:06:37.480 It's not about needing.
00:06:38.360 Pat, what were your thoughts on that?
00:06:39.220 But let me just say something about Vince Vaughn.
00:06:41.860 He got shamed, I think, for shaking Trump's hand.
00:06:45.920 Oh, well.
00:06:46.340 In 2020.
00:06:47.560 That's what?
00:06:48.040 And he was allegedly run out of Hollywood.
00:06:50.720 I don't even think he's a hardcore conservative.
00:06:52.520 I think he was just like a libertarian, right?
00:06:54.460 Didn't you say that he's sort of a libertarian, PBD?
00:06:56.500 Yeah.
00:06:56.940 But newsflash, 50% of the country identifies with the Republican Party or the MAGA movement
00:07:03.640 or as conservative.
00:07:04.940 So to shame somebody for who they voted for is very un-American.
00:07:08.900 This is that video right here of him simply talking to the President of the United States
00:07:12.920 and that very attractive woman who may or may not be Melania right there.
00:07:16.300 Yeah, he is.
00:07:16.860 Okay.
00:07:17.180 Pat, what?
00:07:17.760 But the fact that he was shamed and allegedly run out of Hollywood for shaking Trump's hand
00:07:23.460 is so un-American and it's despicable.
00:07:26.280 What are your thoughts on Ben Affleck saying it and the whole...
00:07:30.680 Look, at the end of the day, numbers makes you honest.
00:07:33.640 Yeah.
00:07:34.380 Numbers will make you honest.
00:07:36.100 It will.
00:07:37.040 Because now he's a director.
00:07:39.060 So a director, you're no longer just an actor.
00:07:42.100 So a director now has a different pain.
00:07:44.200 You need to find talent.
00:07:46.160 As an actor, they just pay you go do the work.
00:07:48.080 You're like, I don't give a shit.
00:07:48.720 It's your problem.
00:07:49.240 It's not my problem.
00:07:50.180 Once you become a director, it's all your problem.
00:07:52.880 So he has graduated from being a, you know, just a salesperson to a sales leader to the CEO
00:07:59.060 of the business that's the director.
00:08:00.340 No, you need to, you need help.
00:08:02.620 And, you know, he's going through it right now.
00:08:05.200 I had no idea what was going to happen with the Yetis.
00:08:07.780 I had no idea.
00:08:08.860 When our team said, Pat, they're not going to last.
00:08:11.380 Like this, all of it was gone.
00:08:13.800 Next thing you know, we were swamped by messages of, Pat, can we get additional Yetis to do
00:08:18.780 collaboration with Value Tim and the future looks bright?
00:08:21.800 The next one is here.
00:08:23.020 Now keep in mind, these will go very fast.
00:08:24.840 Rob, if you want to play this clip, we got different ones.
00:08:27.260 These are based on what many of you guys asked.
00:08:29.740 This is the future looks bright Yeti, whether it's a pink one, whether it's the red one, whether
00:08:34.380 it's the Tiffany blue or the white.
00:08:37.900 These seems to be, this one seems to be, it's sick.
00:08:40.640 It's absolutely sick.
00:08:42.400 Yeah.
00:08:42.540 Or even a smaller one that you got.
00:08:44.300 And on top of this, Rob, if you can also go to the website, there are, I think it's
00:08:49.560 10 coolers that we got.
00:08:51.540 A couple of people asked for coolers.
00:08:52.620 Only 10?
00:08:52.880 I just got 10 of them.
00:08:53.680 We're like, let's just see if there's a market for it.
00:08:54.860 I guarantee you that they'll be gone before we're out.
00:08:56.840 They asked, I said, let's get 10 and let's see how it does.
00:08:59.780 Look at that.
00:09:00.120 Look how sick that is with future looks bright right on top of it.
00:09:02.420 So vtmerch.com, go place your order.
00:09:05.400 Be the first to get it because these things will go very quickly.
00:09:10.060 Again, it is limited supply and they're absolutely sick.
00:09:15.360 When you go to work and you have this vitamin logo and the future looks bright, it looks insane.
00:09:19.160 Okay.
00:09:19.620 Again, go to vtmerch.com, place your order with the Yeti collaboration.
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