More on the Tommy Lee Jones spots

Tommy Lee Jones is certainly catching attention with his support of the Barnett Shale.

We briefly mentioned last week those Chesapeake Energy spots featuring the Oscar-winning actor.

Jones is appearing in radio and TV commercials, in full-page newspaper ads (including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and on billboards along major highways in Tarrant County, espousing the greatness of the Barnett Shale. They feature quotes such as "Let's get behind the Barnett Shale" and "It's here for good."

The advertising campaign began rolling out on May 18 and will continue through the summer months, Chesapeake said.

"Jones understands and appreciates the many facets of oil and gas production, drawing upon his experience growing up in Texas oilfields," Chesapeake said in a news release issued this morning. "Before undertaking this project, he conducted his own research on both the benefits and inconveniences of urban drilling to develop the Barnett Shale."

Here are links to the three TV commercials:

• "Stockyards"
• "No bust"
• "Change"

Jones did his own "extensive personal study" that included a 13-page questionaire submitted to the company and a personal interview with Aubrey McClendon, the company's chief executive.

But the spots aren't convincing everyone of the positive benefits of Chesapeake's drilling in urban areas.

Don Young, a strong neighborhood activist against urban drilling, said the spots look a little unusual, based on Jones' previous acting roles.

"Someone must have given him some bad advice," Young wrote. "Several of his film roles imply that he is not one who can be bought off by a corrupt and environmentally unfriendly corporation like Chesapeake. For comparison, actor Harrison Ford is a board member of, Conservation International, that is helping protect the world's rain forests."

Young said he is now soliciting letters from other Tarrant County residents so that he can forward them to Jones.

--David Wethe

(Photos: Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men; Don Young and Linda Yarbrough of Just Say No)

Comments

[Tracy]

He can buy my house. We have 3 wells about 600 feet behind the house. We don't have our mineral rights so we don't get a cent. Plus, our properties values dropped. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm getting out of the Barnett Shale and why I'm supposed to support it. Sure, lots of people are making lots of money. But, I'm not one of them. All I get is the negative (literally almost in my back yard). I think the ciy of Fort Worth, since they're making so much money, should waive our property taxes for the next 30 years!

[Louis McBee]

Tommy Lee Jones is a PAID performer. I certainly don't take this commercial as a personal endorsement of Chesapeake or urban drilling from Tommy Lee. Since when did we start concluding that simply because a professional actor reads lines provided to him by the people paying for the ad, is conclusive evidence the advertiser ISN'T a bunch of dirt bags?

When is someone going to start asking why Chesapeake is the ONLY company NEEDING a multi million dollar advertising campaign?

[Cindy Bergener]

The oil company's are lying to we home and land owners as well as the Texas Railroad Commission and the EPA. They know they are buffaloing the public, and there is nothing we can do about it except be vocal. I am surprised no one has brought in GREEN PEACE; but this organization has probably been bought off by the oil company's to ignore all the catastrophes that are happening: ie. contaminant levels of Benzene in Wise County water tables from Deep Disposal Wells, McAllen Texas has problems. The only disposal well in Erath County Texas blew up in April and it was supposed to be a salt water ONLY disposal well. Do the math.............

[Jerry Lobdill]

These ads are disgusting. Tommy Lee Jones doesn't live here. How come he took such an interest in promoting Chesapeake's rape of our city? How much was he paid? Is he an O&G investor? An investor specifically in Chesapeake?

His spiels were obviously written by Julie Wilson. The arguments are ridiculous lies.

Tommy Lee ought to be ashamed to be using his celebrity to screw the very people who used to go to see his movies. I won't pay for another movie ticket to see any more of his movies. That's it.

[XT]

On the subject of environmentally unfriendly operations in the Barnett Shale, I was wondering what Tommy Lee would think about EOG Resources (formerly Enron Oil & Gas, or as we call it - Enron Oil & Greed) locating a compressor station in between two homes and adjacent to a once peaceful rural residential area (like the peaceful rural setting Tommy enjoys today) that produces aircraft engine sounding noise 24/7 that can often be heard a mile away? He probably wouldn’t be able to do much thinking after a few days of living next to this constant roaring noise that neighbors have complained about for nearly two years. And yes, EOG Resources could virtually eliminate their noise pollution by enclosing the compressor station in a sound proofed building like its competitors have done. Why don’t they spend this little extra money on soundproofing = Enron Oil & ?????

[MojoJoe]

Why bother with a loser like Don Young. The little man is a worm. Don would rather have us all poor, destitute and without jobs. Talk about a joke of a human being. A complete joke. A shill for the far left socialist crew as usual. A loser. Sock puppet little Stalin.

My property values went up. All that means is I have to pay more in taxes! Were you planning on moving? If not then why do you care? Is it not still as nice a home as when you bought it?

[Philip Hennen]

The whole ad campaign raises big red flags: why, if the Barnett Shale is SO GREAT, do they have to go to so much trouble to try to convince us? In my memory, this ad campaign is unprecedented in its scope.

[Jim Popp]

As stated previously, Tommy Lee Jones is a paid performer who I'll bet got paid quite nicely to sell out on this set of commercials for Chesapeake. He looks very bad in both of the TV commercials I've seen, but in the one without his cowboy hat on, he really looks like he's had way too much to drink, for way too many years! I doubt he believes a word of what he is saying in any of these commercials and why should he worry? He's living way far away from any drilling operations and their aftermath toxic waste injection wells. It's the same old, same old!! Let us peons (the average citizens)endure the financial loses, and all the other dangers to health and well being, while the politicians and other wealthy folks keep their homes and families far enough away in their ivory towers as to insure their own health, safety, and welfare.

Don't anyone accuse me of being a left wing liberal tree hugger either, because I am not!! ALL my life, until very recently from dealing with O&G in Texas and the RRC on a commercial injection well problem, I've been a Republican Conservative. I'm still a Conservative, but found that the Repubs don't give a flip about any of us peons! In fact, our present elected Republican officials at all levels will work against the people who elected them when given a choice between O&G money and their constituants.

I'm ALL in favor of energy independence for our country, BUT I want the O&G Industry to do it in a RESPONSIBLE WAY, with safe guards in place to protect the citizens, now and for future generations to come. It would be fairly easy to do too, however most O&G companies just want to keep ALL that profit money and don't want to spend any of it on badly needed safeguards, industry wide. An exception to this would be Devon Energy, and they should be applauded for their efforts.

"My property values went up. All that means is I have to pay more in taxes! Were you planning on moving? If not then why do you care? Is it not still as nice a home as when you bought it?"

You're an idiot. Should we cheer because our property values are going down? It's usually not a good thing. Yes, my taxes will drop a little. But, very little in comparison to what I've lost due to sinking values.

And, I'm sure the couple of people on here supporting the drilling are making money off of it. Otherwise, I don't see why you'd care if someone was against it.

And the point isn't just lost property values, it's not wanting to live with 3 wells almost in your back yard. Then you have the double problem of sinking property values and nobody wanting to buy your house because, who wants to live near that? Makes it real tough to sell in an already tough market.

No, my house isn't as nice as it was when I bought it. Did you miss the part where I said I had 3 wells 600 feet from the house? They weren't there when the house was built or I wouldn't have bought it.

[My name]

Don, I think Mojo Joe or whatever his/her name is doesn't like you. Does it bother you? He or she must feel threatened.

[MojoJoe]

Jim, I do not believe you are a conservative at all. Perhaps the left wing radicals will take care of all of our needs and can pass some stupid ass laws and create more energy for us to survive on. You think it is coming from solar (1% at the most). Ethanol? A loser subsidized by the left wing radicals but putting money into the pockets of poor companies like ADM? But see farming is American, good; and oil and gas is bad, evil, but has only given this country it's standard of living. BS talks. Tommy Lee Jones, just a PAID Performer Jim? As I recall he went to Harvard and was Al Gore's roommate. I doubt he would sell his sole to the devil, as the man is pretty well set and a democrat to boot. Perhaps we can elect little Donnie Young to run this country sort of like a man years ago named Adolf.

[Steve]

XT, stupid, EOG was spun off years before the Enron fiasco and was in no way connected with that crash, end of story.

I have about as much faith in the anti-drilling, anti oil and gas crowd as the Seventh Calvalry had in George Custer when they followed him down into the Little Big Horn valley. Gary Owens anyone?

[Nazran]

Oh look. The liberals are here to spare us all to death. Accept the drilling or slit yoru wrists. Kthxbye!

[Alison in Arlington]

You people all seem to be a bunch of haters. You equate TLJ's commercial to his talent as a movie actor, and then you attack him on a personal level. Can't you seperate the two? Ok, we get it...you hate Chesapeake, you hate the Barnett Shale, you hate the city of Fort Worth, you hate everything. Get over yourselves!!

[BBob]

Young’s Jonesin’ is an Old Script

It seems Don Young is a quasi-celebrity! He claims to know Tommy Lee Jones – by his movie roles!

No, they apparently have never met. In fact, I’d bet Young couldn’t even pick the academy award winning actor out of a crowd at the supermarket. No matter. Jones is appearing in Fort Worth television ads in support of development in the Barnett Shale.

And Young hates energy companies … and, apparently, he hates clean, affordable energy and less American reliance on foreign oil.

So he whined to the Star Telegram that, based on Tommy Lee’s film roles, Jones “… is not one who can be bought off …” by so-called “corrupt” energy companies exploring the Shale.

So, here’s Young’s logic -- Based on movie characters Jones has been handsomely paid to portray … Young says the actor can’t be bought?

Does that include Jones’ portrayal, in the 1995 film “Batman Forever,” of the twisted, diabolical Two Face?

Get real, Young. Because you’re anti-American, anti-economy, anti-energy tripe is reading like a tired, old script.

And ignoring factual reports that Jones conducted his own research, prior to participating in the ads, is plain dishonest. And it impugns the character of Jones, a man you likely will never even meet.

Just for the record, I don’t know Tommy Lee Jones. Never met him. I never met Bob Hope, either. But I’d never call Hope a sellout for doing all those USO tours in Vietnam.
I’d never call Charlton Heston a sellout for leading the National Rifle Association or for leading the Hollywood contingent in the 1960s march for civil rights.

Jones has a right to support whatever he wants, including energy production in the Barnett Shale. We all have that right … even if Don Young wants to deny it.

BBob

[Jim Popp]

Mojo,

Strange as it may seem to you,I don't give a fat rat's behind what YOU, or anyone else, thinks my political views are, or are not. I merely stated a fact, that's all. This is NOT a partisan issue, although the Republicans are now in power here in Texas, and as I said before, none of them are even remotely trying to stop what has been taking place with the O&G industry. If you would stop trying to insult educated and affected posters in here and start learning a little about what is REALLY going on yourself, you'd see what we're all talking about, in one way or another.

Oh, and BTW Mojo, being a conservative doesn't mean that you automatically go along with everything either, just because some elected official who calls him/heself a conservative says it's good!! On the contrary my friend, when a conservative sees something that is wrong, and certainly as harmful to us an future generations of Texas as what is going on in some aspects of O&G production, a conservative STANDS UP, SPEAKS UP, and DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT, IMMEDIATELY!

Go get some education on the subject and the facts Mojo and then come back and talk to me from an informed point of view. You won't sound so foolish that way.

If we don't want urban drilling, might I suggest we stop using natural gas and electricity? Like the Amish. Otherwise, nothing but hypocracy.

[BC]

You are making a lot of assumptions.
1. That no one will buy a house next to a gas well.
2. That the gas well is causing the home value to decrease.
3. That tax value is the same as market value.

[Tom]

I am soliciting letters as well from citizens to state how many citizens appreciate what the Barnett Shale is doing for this area, albeit not what Don Young states which is never factual and does not represent what the majority of the citizens want. Does the man not have a job or life? Perhaps if he would move out from his mother's house and get a life he might be bettered adjusted to life. He is the worst in man as what Eric Hoffer wrote in The True Believer.

[bill]

How great is Tommy Lee Jones? I liked him before, but even more now. Don and Linda are about to outdistance what their blood pressure medicine can handle. Even better is the fact that Mr. Jones was Al Gore's roommate at Harvard, an environmentalist and a democrat, but still he has enough sense to realize natural gas is a clean fuel. Fort Worth needs to have a Tommy Lee Jones Appreciation Day and just shoot the works. A true Texan and American. Eat it Don.

[Gary Hogan]

Tommy Lee Jones is an actor and a respected actor with a good old boy image that is just the marketing that Chesapeake wanted. Would he have endorsed this campaign if he where not paid? No! Did he do research into it ? Well he talked to the head honcho at Chesapeake and got his side. Right? Chesapeake is spending mega bucks to become numbro uno in the Barnett Shale field JUST SIMPLE AS THAT. Yes if it's all good ? Why spend so much to convince us ? Massive leasing and they want everyone to wake up everyday and think CHESAPEAKE.
Oh Mojo you know nothing about patriots like Don Young who sacrifice much to speak out for those things that are just.You must of already been brain washed by the Chesapeake ads playing in your sleep or work for the industry. Let me guess landman ?

[Jack O. Lewis]

Haltom City-Chesapeake at odds.

Should never happen. With natural resources at all time high and local Government trying to flex its muscles, there is more to it. I know, I was Mayor when access roads were put in on North Side of Loop 820 over 20 years ago and now they are concerned about the south side and Loop 820 won't be widened in my lifetime. They have talked about it over 20 yrs.

Jack O Lewis
Former Mayor
Haltom City