Here’s the link to some really moving photographs by Callie Shell who followed Obama almost from day one of the primary trail…
The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, “I don’t consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that’s green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f**king changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.”
- Newsweek Nov. 5, 2008
Two incredible speeches from two incredible Americans. Time to get to work, together, to work this shit out. Shake hands, let’s move onward.
The math looks good!
The sun comes shining as I was strolling,
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling.
The fog was lifting, a voice come chanting,
This land was made for you and me.
- Woody Guthrie
Supreme Court to hear FCC f-bomb appeal on Election Day
By Matthew Lasar | Published: October 06, 2008 - 10:25PM CT
On Tuesday, November 4, while millions of Americans cast their ballots in one of the most important presidential elections in United States history, there’s a good chance that more than a few cuss words will be exclaimed in and out of voting booths. How appropriate, then, that the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for FCC vs. Fox Television Stations on that very day. The case will decide whether “fleeting expletives”—potty talk said on the fly—can be broadcast on television and radio.
Specifically, the high court will consider (PDF) whether New York’s Second Circuit Court of Appeals “erred” in whacking an FCC decision to sanction obscene and indecent language “when the expletives are not repeated.”
To quickly recap: In 2006 the FCC cited Fox Television for its broadcasts of Cher and Nicole Richie peppering their prose with “fuck,” “fucking,” and “shit,” during the 2002 and 2003 editions of the Billboard Music Awards. This was a new policy, because the dirty words in question had been said rather quickly, and had not been repeated, thus their being called “fleeting expletives.” But several years earlier, following Bono’s famous declaration at the Golden Globes Awards (“this is really, really fucking brilliant”), the FCC had warned that now, even this level of nasty talk would be considered indecent…
Mike Daisey performing “If You See Something, Say Something” at The Public Theater in New York City.
I’m happy to announce I’ll be heading east next week to film Mike Daisey’s funny and provocative new monologue “If You See Something, Say Something.” It’s currently in the midst of a run at The Public Theater in NYC. We’ll be shooting six shows there, along with some short conceptual bookends and transitions and cutting it all together into a very cool indie film. As long as the cinematic gods are kind, it’ll be coming to screens near you early next year. I hope to see you at a show.
Here’s the very recent review from Variety…
If You See Something Say Something
(Public Theater/Joe’s Pub; 165 seats; $60 top)
By Mark Blankenship. A Public Theater presentation of a monologue in one act by Mike Daisey. Directed by Jean-Michele Gregory.
Once again, Mike Daisey has proven himself that rare theatrical creature: An entertaining performer with something valuable to say. In his new monologue, “If You See Something Say Something,” Daisey’s personal eccentricities ground his critique of America’s culture of fear, while hard facts about nuclear weapons and the Department of Homeland Security provoke his funniest observations. Ultimately, he blends the personal and the political so well that America xenophobia seems almost manageable — a problem any of us can comprehend.
Daisey shapes the monologue around his pilgrimage to Trinity, the New Mexico site where the first nuclear weapon was tested. Though it’s a national landmark, the area is only open to the public on two days a year, partly because it’s still radioactive. This strange mixture of secrecy and public access nicely encapsulates what Daisey is exploring.
Namely, he’s interested in how our culture has created its “language of security,” so that terror threats seem as unavoidable as delays at the airport. Each new observation about our current climate is tied to another discovery at the Trinity site, until Daisey persuasively argues that we’ve been heading toward paranoia since WWII.
He strengthens his case by blaming more than some faceless government. With hilarious detail, for instance, he recalls how getting pickpocketed on vacation made him wary of everyone he saw. Later, he relates a troubling personal story about Sam Cohen, the American physicist credited with creating the neutron bomb. His point is that frail, frightened humans are at the root of institutionalized dread.
But despite some obvious cynicism, Daisey never tells us how to feel. He lets us make the biggest connections between his various stories, leaving us to our own reactions.
As always, his volcanic performance style, expertly shaped by long-time collaborator Jean-Michele Gregory, cements the impact of his writing. Sitting behind a table, dabbing his face with a black handkerchief as he references notes from a yellow legal pad, Daisey treats his message like a secular sermon. In a single anecdote, he can be everything from a hysterical drinking buddy to the most convincing town council member, and his shifting energy keeps his work alive.
Daisey and Gregory also know when it’s time for a break, inserting several moments of silence. Like deep breaths, these pauses give us time to absorb what we’re hearing before diving into the next installment of a gripping, vital story.
Lighting, K.J. Hardy. Opened Oct. 27, 2008. Reviewed Oct. 22. Running time: 1 HOUR, 40 MIN.
It’s still raining here here in Santa Monica early on Sunday morning. It’s nice.
Found some old pics from The Big Empty. I’ll post a few in the coming days. I always liked this one of Joey and I.
I think everyday should be Halloween.
Tried to drive to Hollywood on Friday nite. Big mistake. Ended up in West LA ready to see Synecdoche New York. Happy Halloween!
Most Honest Car Commercial. Ever.
I’m constantly amazed by the number of very weird people in the world.
I’ve been struggling today to come up with some words about the film “Dear Zachary.” It opens in NYC this weekend and will roll out in the weeks after. Words, quite frankly, do not do this beastrugllingutiful cinematic love letter justice. There are very few works of art that can contain so much horror and so much love at the same time. I’ve met the filmmaker Kurt a few times and he’s just the best guy. I hope he wins an Oscar. He deserves it. So with my own words failing me, I decided I’d just a pull two quotes from the film’s website. (here) They’re from Ain’t It Cool News and sums it up perfectly.
If you’re in in NYC this weekend, please go see this film.
“Dear Zachary is by far one of the greatest films I’ve seen in the last few years. The movie is phenomenal. It’s not just a movie, but a gift from one friend to another. The amount of honest love in this movie is overwhelming…that’s a rare experience to be sitting in a dark theater and truly witness something beautiful…you will walk out of this film completely different from how you walked in… By the end of the movie you will be wanting to write letters to Canada’s government or taking action of some kind. Dear Zachary is a powerful film that will inspire you in so many different ways.” - Muldoon, Ain’t It Cool News
“This is the purest, most intensely raw film I have ever seen of any kind, dramatic or nonfiction. I cannot stress this enough: this movie frightened and disturbed me more than any horror film I’ve ever seen in my life. There were moments when something happened that had my heart beating so fast I became lightheaded and had to refocus myself. I found myself wishing that I’d done certain things to live my life differently, that I could make more of an impact on the people around me… If nothing else is accomplished with this film, it will absolutely attach you to the too-short life that was Andrew Bagby’s, and you’re going to be sad that you didn’t get a chance to know him — but glad all the same that you know ABOUT him now.” - Mr. Winston, Ain’t It Cool News
