Ron Howard: Gay Joke Will Stay in Movie

The trailer for Ron Howard's upcoming movie The Dilemma caused a flap because it showed Vince Vaughn mocking an electric car as "gay." Universal pulled the trailer when gay rights groups complained, but the joke will remain in the full movie, Howard tells the Los Angeles Times: "I believe in sensitivity but not censorship." Maybe the more interesting part is that his response came in the form of a lengthy, thoughtful response to the LAT blogger who'd been covering the story.

"Anybody can complain about anything in our country," he writes. "It's what I love about this place. I defend the right for some people to express offense at a joke as strongly as I do the right for that joke to be in a film. But if storytellers, comedians, actors and artists are strong armed into making creative changes, it will endanger comedy as both entertainment and a provoker of thought." Click here for more on the controversy.