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More Protester Heat Rains on "Tropic Thunder"

The comedy Tropic Thunder continues to generate more controversy. A string of protesters, led by Special Olympics chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver, raised a racket outside the film's Monday night Hollywood premiere.

Protesters were chanting and waving signs that bore the slogan, "Ban the movie, Ban the word," in reference to the film's use of the word "retard" and how it pokes fun at mentally challenged individuals, namely in the form of an Oscar-starved actor played by Ben Stiller, who, in the film, once played a character named "Simple Jack." Last week, DreamWorks and Paramount, who are releasing the film, shut down a website dedicated to the Simple Jack character under pressure from protesters. The company took measures to protect the red carpet premiere, erecting 10-foot high walls of shrubs, which obscured objectors from cameras.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
08.13.08