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Health groups renew anti-smoking campaign with Hollywood  

Despite a decline in teenage smoking rates, a coalition of health groups has renewed a campaign to discourage Hollywood from making movies with characters who smoke.

Beginning today, a mobile billboard featuring a teenage girl asking, "Which movie studios will cause me to smoke this summer?" will be driven around the Los Angeles area.

Young people also will be encouraged to use social networking sites like Facebook to voice their opinions on films made by Paramount, Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros.

The campaign was launched Wednesday by the American Medical Association Alliance, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Youth Advocacy Network.

The coalition plans to keep a tally of tobacco-related images in this summer's movies, including "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," a PG-13 rated film that shows the character portrayed by Hugh Jackman smoking a cigar.

"I'm willing to bet not one child would have enjoyed that movie any less if he hadn't been smoking," said Sandra Frost, President of the 27,000-member AMA Alliance. . . .

Both Fielding and Martinez agreed such films a "Good Night and Good Luck," a biopic depicting the 1953 clash between Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joseph McCarthy, is allowed because of its historical context.

But Fielding also praised films such as "Star Trek" for its smoke-free purity.

Martinez also said the MPAA is a member of Hollywood Unfiltered, which educates the industry of all the health consequences of smoking, and last year, major motion picture studios announced that they would be including anti-smoking public service announcements on youth-rated DVDs.

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I'm willing to bet not one child would have enjoyed that movie any less if he [Wolverine] hadn't been smoking.
Sandra Frost, President of the 27,000-member AMA Alliance, on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."