Nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage repeatedly characterized Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features, 2005), the award-winning film about a romantic relationship between two cowboys, as "Bareback Mounting." On the January 5 broadcast of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation, Savage announced that he had “renamed” the film, and played a sound clip from the film's trailer. Speaking over the trailer, Savage commented, “They look really cute in those chaps, huh?” adding, “These people don't stop with their salesmanship for this.” Savage later called the film “disgusting,” citing it as an example of "[t]he dementia of Hollywood." He stated: “Every movie is about a sexual deviant, or a pervert, or about somebody who hates America, or a corrupt businessman.” He also commented that “they're highly recommending” Transamerica (Weinstein Company, 2005) -- a film about a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual -- “because it's about transvestia.”

Savage repeated his characterization of Brokeback Mountain during his January 17 broadcast, also referring to the film as "Bareback Mountain." He stated: "[I]t is true the pink hand of Hollywood is in total control and that all stops were removed in order to push the homosexually themed films." He complained that although Hoodwinked (Weinstein Company, 2005) -- an animated film about the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood -- “was the number one grossing film over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It grossed [$]16.6 million, while ”Bareback Mounting" only grossed $7 million. ... all you hear about is Bareback Mountain! Bareback Mountain! ... Transvestia! Transvestia!" He stated: "[I]t's a lie! The people in America have voted. And they voted, and they said: 'We don't want your vile filth.' " While Hoodwinked did earn more than Brokeback Mountain that weekend, however, it also appeared on far more screens -- 2,394 for Hoodwinked vs. 683 for Brokeback Mountain.

Savage formerly hosted a television program on MSNBC but was fired after he called a caller a “sodomite” and told him to “get AIDS and die.”

From the January 5 broadcast of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: What's a SAG [Screen Actors' Guild] nominee? What's S-A-G? What does that mean? I don't know what SAG means. Films? Screen Actors' Guild. Yeah, OK. It should be called the G-A-S nominees, not the SAGs. Brokeback Mountain, which I've renamed "Bareback Mounting." Transamerica, which is a movie that they're highly recommending because it's about transvestia. The society is sick. It's a sick society. It's demented. And the people themselves understand that Hollywood is the source of much of the social disease, and they want nothing to do with it. Yet, they continue to put out this, this refuse in the sewer pipe. And then, they give themselves awards. So, we can talk about that. In fact, we have the -- the trailer, if you want to call it that. I hate using the word, because that also has negative connotations. But even the word “trailer” has to be rethought. We have the trailer for "Bareback Mounting." Let's hear it.

[begin sound clip]

SAVAGE: They look really cute in those chaps, huh? Next, they'll bring in his mom. Oh, the music is so sappy. God! These people don't stop with their salesmanship for this. This is the movie, or what? Am I listening to something else? Was there a split in the tape? What, are they doing it now, somewhere? Is that what the music is supposed to be? Get in here if you want a job? OK, turn it off already.

[end sound clip]

SAVAGE: It's disgusting. You get the picture? You understand what I'm saying? The dementia of Hollywood. They don't know why their revenue is down. They don't make one positive movie about America. Not one positive movie about the military. Not one positive movie about business people. Not one positive movie about teachers. Not one positive movie about a scientist. Every movie is about a sexual deviant, or a pervert, or about somebody who hates America, or a corrupt businessman. And they wonder why you're not lining up to go to the movie theater.

From the January 17 broadcast of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: Now, it is true that the pink hand of Hollywood is in total control and that all stops were removed in order to push the homosexually themed films. But, that's not the whole story. The real story is that despite the fact that the pink hands of Hollywood pulled the levers to make certain that “Bareback Mountain” and such other trife (sic) -- tripe -- other garbage, filth, would be jammed down our throats, the real story is the fact that a movie that was not promoted at all named Hoodwinked was the big winner. Hoodwinked was the number one grossing film over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It grossed [$]16.6 million, while "Bareback Mounting" only grossed $7 million dollars. And yet, all you hear about is "Bareback Mountain," "Bareback Mountain," "Bareback Mountain," "Bareback Mountain," "Shmareback (ph) Mountain," Transvestia, Transvestia! It's nonsense. It's a lie! The people in America have voted. And they voted, and they said: “We don't want your vile filth.”