June 18, 2009, - 11:05 am

The Family That Keeps on Givin’: Meet “Ricky Hollywood”

By Debbie Schlussel
Until now, I felt sorry for this guy because he and his family were being kept from seeing his son by an undue snobbery on the part of the mother’s family.
But now, well, a pox on all of their houses. This “extended” member of the family that keeps on giving is now trying to make it as a reality TV star under the name “Ricky Hollywood,” instead of doing what he should be doing: getting a job and fighting for custody of his kid and child support from the mother. Instead, he’s taking an awful cue from his baby’s mother (who recently appeared on the cover of People and on TV all over America, glamorizing teen single motherhood instead of caring for her kid) and tabloiding the hell out of his situation.

levijohnstonrickyhollywood.jpg

These days, 19-year-old Levi is a free agent, no longer engaged to Bristol and thus, no longer under the jurisdiction of the Palin clan’s image police. He’s still, nonetheless, crafting an image for himself, with the help of Tank Jones, his manager from Anchorage who has been coaching him on media appearances and schooling him in entertainment-industry etiquette for the past five months. . . .Now he’s got a baby to support–the idea is to pursue some type of career in Hollywood, whether it be acting or appearing on a reality show. Tank has been fielding pitches, including one for a reality show about hunting. . . .
Besides acting as Levi’s handler, Tank is his personal Tim Gunn and Henry Higgins all in one, instructing him on the subtleties of wearing a fedora and reminding him to be open-minded about the different types of people he might encounter. Tank is the ultimate 21st-century version of an American father: multicultural and media-savvy.

Barf. If this is the new “American father,” we’re doomed.

“I told him, you’re going to meet all different types of people,” interjects Tank. “Don’t overreact. Nobody’s going to hurt you. You gotta be accepting of all different types of people. You’re talking about dealing with Hollywood? You’re going to really meet some strange people.”
Yet, the concept of Levi and Tank working together is just as odd for Hollywood. . . .
Tank revealed [to Mario Lopez on “Extra”], Levi’s father is Mexican. (His mother is Canadian). . . .
“What we did was, we came up with an alter ego, Ricky Hollywood,” explains Tank.
“Levi is not lettin’ the cat out of the bag,” teases Tank. “He is fightin’ the stuff that he really loves, because he wants to stay cool for Wasilla.”

Yup, fighting for all the wrong things.
But with this baggage constantly out there–as the Palin family’s Kato Kaelin–it certainly won’t help the Republicans retake the White House, if a certain candidate is the nominee.
When you make a big deal out of David Letterman jokes, it brings out more stories like these–the baby daddy of your single daughter that did get “knocked up.” And “Ricky Hollywood” won’t be going away. Nor will priceless photo galleries like this one.






15 Responses

The Palinmessiah clan has become a national joke. If she is nominated, then Republicans deserve to lose. They are the antithesis of everything for which conservatism stands.

NormanF on June 18, 2009 at 12:12 pm

Geez, the Palins are “the antithesis of everything for which conservatism stands”. Spoken like a liberal. Sarah Palin’s big “sin” is that she somehow “allowed” her daughter to get pregnant. Then, “shamefully” SUPPORTED her daughter through her pregnancy and motherhood. The left condemns her for that. Abortion to them would have been preferable. Oddly, Ms Schlussel condemns her for that as well. For her, who knows what would have been preferable. Hiding Bristol from public view by sending her to an aunt in a foreign country, like the old days, I guess. Pregnancy can happen to ANY young girl involved with a guy of the self-admitted sleaze of Levi, determined to get what he wants. Even daughters of conservatives. Even with birth control. The Palins at least cleaned Levi up for the media, but they couldn’t make a responsible man out of him for their daughter and new grandson. But go ahead and continue slamming the Palins for this. You’re in good company, with Letterman, and the entire liberal left.
[L: PLEASE STOP LYING. IF YOU READ A SINGLE THING I SAID–AND YOUR KNEE-JERK RESPONSE SHOWS YOU HAVEN’T–YOU’D KNOW I CONDEMN THE PALINS FOR LYING ABOUT THIS, SANCTIONING IT, AND PROMOTING SINGLE MOTHERHOOD–GLAMORIZING IT ON THE COVER OF PEOPLE AND IN AN EIGHT-PAGE SPREAD. READING IS FUNDAMENTAL. GET A CLUE: IT’S THE LEFT THAT SUPPORTS AND HAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE FACT THAT 40% OF AMERICAN BABIES ARE NOW BORN INTO FATHERLESS HOUSEHOLDS OF SINGLE MOTHERS . . . JUST LIKE BRISTOL PALIN’S KID. NOT SURE HOW SHUTTING A FATHER AND HIS FAMILY OUT OF HIS SON’S LIFE, THEN SEEKING CHILD SUPPORT, IS “MAKING A RESPONSIBLE MAN OUT OF HIM.” PLEASE SHOW ME HOW BRISTOL PALIN HAS BEEN “RESPONSIBLE”? BY HAVING HER DAD QUIT HIS JOB TO RAISE THE BABY, SO SHE CAN GO TANNING–LIKE SHE TOLD PEOPLE MAGAZINE?
AND PLEASE TELL ME WHICH OF THESE THINGS–ALL OF WHICH SARAH PALIN SUPPORTS–ARE CONSERVATIVE: ILLEGAL ALIEN AMNESTY, MR. MOM HOUSEHOLDS, PALESTINIAN STATE, RIGHT TO PRIVACY (BASIS FOR ROE V. WADE), SINGLE MOTHERHOOD, ETC. WAKE THE HECK UP.
HEY, DIDN’T YOU COMMENT ELSEWHERE ON THIS SITE ABOUT HOW THE JEWS KILLED JESUS? WHY, YES, YOU DID. DS]

linh on June 18, 2009 at 2:16 pm

Gotta disagree with you about letting Levi and his family anywhere near the kid — after all, his mama is a strung-out junkie facing drug charges!

Rhymes With Right on June 18, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Single motherhood, irresponsible parenting, absentee fathers and the stuff that Debbie mentioned are things conservatives must now believe in? L: its people like you who will inflict the Democrats upon America for much longer than needs to be if the only thing we need to do is have a candidate who lives the life they see as ideal for our country. Wake the heck up, indeed. But that’s not to be expected from the Palinmessiah-worshiping crowd.

NormanF on June 18, 2009 at 3:49 pm

You people can spin the Palin’s personal life any way you want for political reasons. The matter of Palin “lying, sanctioning and promoting” is your personal opinion (spin). Anything you see in the media has ALREADY been spun by said media, to look that way. I doubt many other conservatives agree with you though. And in the very response where Ms Schlussel takes me to task for “lying”, she l…, er “implies” that I posted previously about how “the Jews killed Jesus”. If you’d reread the post she refers to regarding topic, you’d see that I took another poster to task, who DID say the Jews killed Jesus. I corrected him by saying just the opposite – that Jesus, his Apostles, disciples, followers, Caiphus, the Pharisees, ALL were Jews, THEREFORE “the Jews” per se, DID NOT Kill Jesus. Too many people fail to realize that there were several sects in Judaism at the time, and that Jesus was the leader of one. He condemned the leaders of another sect who, in return condemned him for blasphemy and coerced Pilate into killing him. There’s much more involved, but that’s a matter of faith.

linh on June 18, 2009 at 4:46 pm

“Illegal Alien Amnesty (Univision Interview”
RAMOS: Do you then favor an amnesty for the 12 or 13 million undocumented immigrants?
PALIN: No, I do not. I do not. Not total amnesty. You know, people have got to follow the rules. They’ve got to follow the bar, and we have got to make sure that there is equal opportunity and those who are here legally should be first in line for services being provided and those opportunities that this great country provides.
(“A path to citizenship” is not amnesty)
“Mr. Mom Households”
What the heck is wrong with a man rearing children? His wife is a Governor, fer cryin out loud. I don’t know Bristol’s story on that issue, other than the tabloid stories, but what are your options if they’re true? Refuse to care for your grandkids because of their mom? Throw Bristol to the dogs? Lock her in her room with the baby? A true conservative puts their family first, even if there are serious problems.
“Palestinian State (Palin/Biden Debate)”
Q: How would you solve Israel/Palestinian conflict?
PALIN: A two-state solution is the solution. That needs to be done, and that will be a top agenda item under a McCain-Palin administration. Israel is our strongest and best ally in the Middle East.
A separate state for Palestinians was part of the original plan for the creation of Israel ever since WWII.
“Right to Privacy – Roe v. Wade (Couric Interview)”
Couric: Why is Roe v. Wade a bad decision?
Palin: I think it should be a statesí issue not a federal government-mandated, mandating yes or no on such an important issue. Iím, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas. Now, foundationally, itís no secret that Iím pro-life that I believe in a culture of life is very important for this country. Personally thatís what I would like to see further embraced by America.
(She’s very Pro-life, but also feels it’s a states issue. I guess you see that as a cop out, or lie.)
“Single Motherhood”
Just because she has a daughter who’s a single mother does NOT mean she endorses it. She didn’t choose it. She’s making the best of a bad situation. Care for your family, even if they have issues. Should she throw Bristol out?
It ain’t a perfect world. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

linh on June 18, 2009 at 7:01 pm

Why do we have to keep seeing this guy? He has the intelligence of a stud bull.

Worry01 on June 18, 2009 at 7:18 pm

“Path to citizenship” – that’s total amnesty. Both McCain and Obama endorsed it. Its being considered this year in Congress. Palin and Obama have the same view. Check.
A true conservative doesn’t endorse alternative lifestyles. By your reasoning, same sex households and polygamous households are
acceptable, too. Children are taught by their parents to take personal responsibility for their actions. The Palins are enabling their own daughter to avoid accepting responsibility for her own actions. Moreover, as Debbie noted, the Left favors single mother family arrangements, the same one the Palins glamorized in People. Check.
.
Palin endorses the same solution Obama is pushing upon Israel. Check.
The right to privacy underlines the basis of abortion. You’d expect someone who is pro-life to know that. In the interview, Palin could not cite a single Supreme Court decision she disagreed with. As an attorney, Debbie can cite literally hundreds of cases where conservatives don’t agree with the Court’ rulings. The woman is a complete ignoramus. Check.
There is the issue of saying you’re for family values and the doing the opposite thing when no one is looking and in particular, telling me single motherhood is swell and that’s its okay for your daughter to bear a child out of wedlock. Its called hypocrisy and moreover, a leader has a duty to set a proper example for the rest of society and teach that to their children. Palin didn’t teach it to her own daughter. Check.
In none of these areas is Palin a conservative. Not even close. Just the opposite and the Palinmessiah crowd doesn’t want to see the obvious – and L judging from your blind defense of the woman, neither do you.

NormanF on June 18, 2009 at 8:42 pm

Hi, Worry01. Thanks for the ad hominem attack. This is one of the few “conservative” sites where “conservatives” play the same name calling games as liberals.
Norman – You can call “a path to citizenship” total amnesty all you want. That doesn’t mean they’re the same thing. Palin’s not an attorney. Ms Schlussel is. OF COURSE she can site legal cases that Palin can’t. Palin is a governor. She was cast very quickly into the national scene, with little experience. That doesn’t mean she’s stupid. But some of the “conservatives” here love to namecall and character assasinate. Palin didn’t “endorse” single motherhood and cast it upon Bristol because it’s cool or anything. That’s the fault of Levi and Bristol. Sarah is stuck with it. She has to make the best of it. As I asked before, and no one seems to want to deal with it, WHAT THE HELL SHOULD SARAH HAVE DONE? Disown her daughter and grandson? Come on, WHAT??? Someone once asked “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” The answer was, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” I guess he’d be out of place here.

linh on June 18, 2009 at 10:43 pm

L – you can gloss over the fact Obama endorsed it. Yes, that is what it means. A governor is supposed to be familiar with the laws – and the issues that define them. She and her family had a full 8 page tribute to Bristol’s single motherhood in People. If that’s not an endorsement, I would like to know what it is in your view. Like telling her daughter to get married and be responsible for her own child, rather than foisting it off her father. To repent, there has to be a change in behavior. You claim there is name-calling and character assassination but you don’t seem troubled by the death threats and personal insults rabid Palinmessiah fanatics have sent to Debbie. The truth again is Palin is not a conservative as a look at her lifestyle and positions demonstrate. Some people just do not want to look at the facts dispassionately. Hero worship sometimes can be too much of a good thing.

NormanF on June 18, 2009 at 11:43 pm

linh
I suppose Levi, the high school dropout, has shown some intelligence during his numerous media interviews? He is a person, with no discernable talent, who is milking his former relationship to the Palins for all that it is worth. Yes, I will stick with my stud bull comparison, since it really fits him quite well. Levi’s claim to fame is that he impregnated the daughter of someone famous, and nothing more. If you want to celebrate something as banal as that, be my guest.

Worry01 on June 19, 2009 at 2:16 am

Got evidence that Obama supports PALIN’S view of “a path to citizenship”?. Or are we equivocating? To me, that might mean “send ’em home and let ’em apply”. What does it mean to Obama? What does it mean to Palin other than a short response in an inteview? Did she detail it? Do you know? You’ve made assertions, got evidence? You can call Palin a pig in lipstick, but until you show a quote of her saying “Oink oink” then you’ve done nothing but render an opinion. I haven’t read the People magazine article you mentioned. I don’t like that type of mag regardless of who’s in it. If you have quotes in context from it where Palin supports teen pregnancy and illegitimate children in general, THEN you can say you’ve scored one. She can tell her daughter to do something, but barring a literal shotgun wedding, that doesn’t mean Bristol will do it. She preached abstinance to Bristol. Did Bristol listen? No. If Palin had preached contraception to her (assuming she didn’t), would Bristol have listened? No. Even the best families have problem children. No. Again, then what? Throw her out on the street? Even the best families have problem children. The death threats to Debbie haven’t come up in this article, or in any responses until this last one of yours. How nice to chastise me for not addressing something that didn’t come up, and claim it doesn’t bother me. No, there’s NO PLACE for death threats, even in response to the Palin-hate that gets spewn in here periodically. Debbie’s a lawyer, she can and should take legal action, where it’s warranted. But death threats are commonplace in the political world, and I’m sure Palin’s gotten her share too. The Huffpo and Kos crowd are big on wanting conservatives to die. But Palin shouldn’t be blamed for a psycho’s cancer wish on someone, unless you’re ready to claim Palin endorses that too. Libs don’t have a problem with family disfunction at any level, unless it’s a conservative family. That’s because their attacks on it are only a smokescreen. Libs (and feminists) argued AGAINST there own values to attack and belittle Palin over a phony issue. The left was and is scared of her. I think that’s the case here too. I wonder what opinion Palin has on REAL POLITICAL ISSUES that would cause such attacks on her, here in this blog. I don’t see them elsewhere, Coulter’s site, Pam Geller’s site, Malkin’s site, even PUMA blogs… or anywhere except here, the MSM, and the panicky far left. I agree whole heartedly with 90% of what Debbie writes, but this Palin spew is so out of character for a “conservative” site that there HAS to be more to it.

linh on June 19, 2009 at 2:25 am

I have no use for the Palins, but that does not make what Levi is doing any better. When you spill personal details of your relationship with someone in front of Larry King, you really do lose alot of credibility. I am just waiting for “Ricky” to hook up with Paris Hilton. They would make such a lovely couple.

Worry01 on June 19, 2009 at 2:27 am

Worry01
As long as we’re condoning name calling, I agree completely that Levi’s a pure sleaze, and I’m sure he manipulated Bristol. I think Bristol was (is) young, naive, and believed whatever he told her because she loved him. That’s why I fault her far less than the folks in here do. Guys can be real jerks to girls. I was a young guy. My friends were young guys. I KNOW how they are. And trust me, I hate it. Her situation happens far too often. It should NEVER happen but it does, and will. All we can do when it happens is to continue to love and support our daughters, and help them grow and learn from it.

linh on June 19, 2009 at 2:56 am

First of all, Debbie you felt sorry for this guy? C’mon. I think unfairly attacked early, but felt sorry for this guy? I know he was thrust upon the scene and his life was invaded but he was just another dude put in the spotlight. Seriously this guy was a player because he knocked up a Governor’s virgin daughter even from the state of Alaska. He obviously knew who he was pursuing.
Second of all Levi is Mexican. LMAO!! How does a Mexican get Johnston as surname and that is the father’s name? I am of Mexican decent, this has to be a joke played on Mario Lopez. Now this guy is a tool for the left. I suppose the liberals will keep him around to stir up the stink in the plugged up toilet bowl. A reality show and everything paid for to link him with Palin.
I have said I don’t care for Palin as a candidate. I would like to see a Jindal/Sanford ticket for now but the liberal butcher job on Palin cannot be denied. They see her as a major threat to winning the Presidency and will destroy her anyway possible. The David Letterman fiasco was a prime example of liberal psychosis. His joke crossed the line, if we are going to apply liberal standards. Remember “nappy headed hoes”, the outrage, the firing, the liberals with pitchforks and torches? If this was about Chelsea or Malia or Sasha the liberal outrage would never end. So when the Obama daughter’s start dating the jokes can commence. Right?
The Palin’s paraded around Bristol Palin’s baby on People magazine. That was lame. If she went away many of the criticisms wouldn’t have come her way. They believed their own hype. They don’t have the moral convictions not to make those lame choices.
Palin is another Arnold Schwarzenegger, she is hype and not battle-tested. She can’t articulate the Conservative principles she believes in and if elected will disappoint. She won’t be able to have the moral courage to combat the media and the left if when the liberals are demanding for her head. I think there are real conservatives who could do a better job.

californiascreaming on June 19, 2009 at 10:50 am

Leave a Reply

* denotes required field