The media's duopoly complex

If it wasn't perfectly obvious from yesterday's dual withdrawals of Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards from the presidential race, it came into frame — literally — last night when Mitt Romney and John McCain were seated next to each other at the GOP presidential debates, where the camera could focus on them all night long.

Television has a hatred of complexity. And it loves televising the playoffs. And now, each party is down to its semifinalists. You see other candidates. I see other candidates. Television sees exactly four — and pretty soon, it will be demanding that number be pared down to two. What's the rush?

We talked about this on KNX Radio today.
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"Moment of Truth": No lie, it works

And Fox once again is tops among the network hedgehogs, as Shari Elliker and I discussed this morning on WBAL Radio, along with a certain Super Bowl ad that's quietly causing a stir.
Download WBAL_20080128.mp3

Tell me Aaron, why do you hate our troops, especially the nutty actor ones?

Dear Mr. Barnhart,

In your article on the Screen Actors Guilde award show dated 28 Jan 08, you ask: "And what were those medals Mickey Rooney was wearing- was he inducted into the French Foreign Legion?". I encourage you to dig a little deeper instead of simply casting stones.

As an Active Duty Army Officer with almost 20 years of service, I was pleased to see Mr. Rooney wearing the awards I believe he earned in World War II; a 30 second Internet search turned up multiple listings of Mr. Rooney's wartime service. I was equally pleased to see Mr. Rooney wearing the awards in accordance with Army regulations, which authorize award recipients to wear their awards on civilian formal attire provided their military service ended Honorably.

Perhaps if more of our entertainers served their country, as did Mr. Rooney, you would not have been so confused. I believe an apology is in order to Mr. Rooney, as well as a retraction. Tom Brokaw labeled Mr. Rooney and his peers our Greatest Generation. While I'm biased and feel the generation today that chooses to serve is pretty special, Mr. Rooney and his peers deserve our respect, gratitude and accolades, not mockery.

Sincerely,

Chip Bircher
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Chip Bircher
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Executive Officer

Sundance, State of Union, Super Bowl

Chip Franklin wants to know which is more offensive: Paris Hilton or "Lions for Lambs." That and other important questions of the day discussed on KOGO this morning.
Download KOGO_20080128.mp3

Sundance wrapup video

See that milk carton over my shoulder? It's a tchotchke from Morgan Spurlock's new movie, "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?" Photos.

SAG Awards labor mightily in Oscar's shadow

Thanks for the collage, mate!

The 14th annual SAG Awards, a ceremony known, if it is known at all, for mimicking the Oscars more than predicting them, lavished doorstops on “The Sopranos” and “30 Rock” while showering hosannas on its allies in the three-month-old writers' strike.

Oh, for god's sake, GIVE IT UP

The 29th in a series ...

Sunday January 27, 2008

Kansas City Star
Aaron Barnhart

Dear Aaron Barnhart,

I'm sure your aware of just how powerful the media out there really is, how the media can shape and define a generation. How the media singlehandedly can change public opinion, and with that in mind we appeal to you for a greater cause. A cause that has started off as a grassroot campaign and since then has grown into something much greater then that. We've become a family, devoted to bringing back the two shows we love, Disney's Kim Possible and Disney's American Dragon.

Kim Possible and American Dragon are two of the best Disney animated shows that the Walt Disney Company has produced in a long while. Neither Kim Possible, nor American Dragon deserves to be cancelled when fans worldwide have appealed out right to the Walt Disney Company on a continuous basis asking the Walt Disney Company to reconsider their decision on the cancellation of both Kim Possible and American Dragon.

Our campaign to win a Season Five of Kim Possible, and a Season Three of American Dragon continues on in full swing. We are the David, to their Goliath. And we have the faith, and the determination to go the distance, even though Disney and the rest of the world out there might think this is nothing more then a silly campaign, to save a kids show. Which in fact isn't true, as Kim Possible and American Dragon is anything but a kids show. Kim Possible and American Dragon has ingenious storylines, colorful and lively characters, and both shows have a developing love story that keeps you glued to the tube. Both shows are family oriented and anything, but a childrens show aimed strictly at kids. Kim Possible and American Dragon has a huge adult following out there worldwide, and appeals to parents, who can sit down and watch both shows with their kids together and still be amused and entertained while doing so.

Since the start of April, 2007. We the dedicated Kim Possible fans from around the world have begun to slowly assemble and our cause grew. This campaign included members of all ages, from as far away as Asia, South Africa to Australia to right here in North America. We call ourselves the Fight For Five because it symbolizes our cause and what we’re fighting for: Kim Possible, one of the last great family oriented animated television series on the Disney Channel. Kim Possible single handedly makes Disney Channel worth watching and worth whatever the price it costs as a specialty channel. Kim Possible along with other quality, family oriented animated series like American Dragon, brought families together on Saturday nights on the Disney Channel. And that's what we're trying to sell to Disney, that a combination of Kim Possible and American Dragon back to back on Saturday nights on Disney Channel could be a possible ratings blockbuster for Disney and would allow us to once again watch our favorite shows with new episodes. A win-win situation for everyone involved, if only the Walt Disney Company would listen and realize the truth potential of Kim Possible and American Dragon.

I know what we're asking for might seem a lot, but we're asking for you and the media to help us make both our campaigns go main stream. The more the general public out there hears about the Fight For Five for Kim Possible and the Fight For Three for American Dragon. The better our chances that Disney might finally hear our cause and listen to all their loyal Disney fans worldwide and renew Kim Possible and American Dragon for another season.

Thank you for your time and effort and please feel free to check us out at the Ron Stoppable website, at the General Kim Possible discussions, where there's a link to the Fight For Five there. http://ronstoppable.proboards89.com/index.cgi and you can check us out at the official Fight For Five website, www.fightforkp.com and the official Fight For Three for American Dragon http://www.fightforadjl.com/

Yours sincerely,

Julius Toth

Sundance wrapup: Hearts and minds

Thanks sgetgood

PARK CITY, UTAH — I don’t think it’s any accident that the films embraced by audiences at this year’s 2008 Sundance Film Festival weren’t the usual quirky comedies and dysfunctional relationship dramas, but rather those formerly humble vessels known as documentaries.

At a time when people are feeling lied to — election season plus an unpopular war will do that — truth-telling has an undeniable appeal.

But it’s more than that.

Sundance, Day 6: Regrets, I've had a few

Rear-window view.

“Sunshine Cleaning”

PARK CITY, UTAH -- An old-timer, by which I mean someone five years older than me, was telling me the other day how the Sundance Film Festival used to be 10 days of nonstop movie premieres and parties. Now, she sighed, “all the premieres are at the beginning because everyone wants to get out of here.”

Well, if you're a card-carrying member of the indie filmmakers' society, I can see the reluctance. But after seeing 25 films, in five days, I'm ready to go.

Sundance, Day 5: Making acquaintances

Waiting to get in to the Hungry Moose on Main St.
(courtesy Cheezorg)

“Trouble the Water”

PARK CITY, UTAH — As anyone who has ever studied Eddie Murphy’s entourage knows, show business can be a family affair. What’s fun about Sundance is that half the films are documentaries, and filmmakers often include their friends and loved ones in them, so it’s not unusual at all to be walking through a hotel lobby here and see an ordinary-looking person in a chair — not talking on a cell phone but just looking around or reading a magazine — and then realize you just saw them in a movie.

I like to go up and introduce myself to them. For many relatives of aspiring documentary makers, Sundance is a huge emotional reward. The budding artist has often sponged off of them for years while subjecting them to periodic on-camera grillings. Now complete strangers are coming up and saying how much they enjoyed “their” film. It may not be in cash, but it’s payback all the same.

Sundance's Oscar noms

“Madame Tutli-Putli”

“I Met the Walrus”

I've already covered one of the three selections at this year's Sundance Film Festival nominated today for Academy Awards — that would be "La Corona," which I featured in my first (and so far only) video.

The other two nominees are also shorts. One, "Madame Tutli-Putli," is a weird little metaphorical thing where a spindly, three-dimensional woman with eerily lifelike eyeballs goes through a very bad train trip slash existential crisis. The website of the National Film Board of Canada, that much-honored home of leading-edge animation, sets it up this way: "Madame Tutli-Putli boards the night train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past." Okay ...

If "Madame Tutli-Putli" is strenuously obscure, "I Met the Walrus," by Josh Raskin and Jerry Levitan, is LOL accessible. This hippy-trippy five-minute retro-toon manages to present an actual peace message from John Lennon in a completely fresh way.

In 1969 Levitan, then a fourteen-year-old Toronto kid, skipped school because he'd heard the Beatle he adored was in town. Using shoe leather and a preposterous getup — he strapped a reel-to-reel tape recorder and microphone to his scrawny frame, figured out where Lennon, Yoko Ono and others were staying and as he writes on the website, "barged in, and made myself at home. John laughed at the spectacle, and let me stay."

The short, simply put, combines Robert Smigel's "Fun with Real Audio" segment with the original animation style for the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" (but without color). Though featured at Sundance, it premiered last year and one can only assume will arrive on DVD soon.

The strike and Reality TV

What is aggravating about the AMPTP trying to keep "reality" writers out of
the guild is that there seems to be no true definition of what a reality
show is. Years ago, Cops was one of the first reality shows, and it seemed
totally unscripted. Now there are shows with Scott Baio, Gene Simmons, and
many others that are as scripted as a Scrubs episode airing during sweeps
week. If there are no definitive rules about what constitutes a reality
show, what will stop the networks from further blurring boundaries that
don't even exist? How is a program considered a reality show if it is
heavily scripted, uses stars and many extras, and does numerous takes,
complete with heavy editing?

In addition, I hope the WGA isn't fooled by the smokescreen demands of the
networks. Anything less than aggressive negotiating with regards to new
media rights will be far reaching. Here's a possible scenario: With a weak
new media deal in place, the networks could "launch" a show strictly in the
new media with numerous episodes, wait until the buzz creates a hit, then
bring it to the network. All the hard work done by the writers just to
establish a show will go largely unrewarded. If you have any doubts at all
about what the networks plan to do, just visit their respective websites and
see where they are concentrating their efforts. All the big shows are
online, and the networks are now making deals with Apple and others, knowing
where huge future revenues will come from.

Even though I am not a WGA member, I will join shortly after the strike is
settled. I came to LA to be a writer. That dream is on the sidelines for the
time being. I did not get to enjoy the fruits of the previous contract, and
am living day-to-day while the strike goes on. Even though this strike
crushes me on a daily basis, I am willing to wait as long as necessary for a
good deal to be negotiated. I have taken temporary work to keep a roof over
my head, and I would urge others in my situation to do the same. Better to
wait another month or so, because the effects, good or bad, will be felt for
years. Don't allow new media to be the "one that got away" as happened years
ago with dvds.

Rick Bailey

Sundance, Day 4: More celebrity unsightings

We've got snow! (thanks to PATM)

A Sundance goer posted her to-view list.

PARK CITY, UTAH -- I'd already left O'Shucks bar on Thursday by the time Colin Farrell and his posse got around to crashing it. And Morgan Spurlock did not stop on Main Street to show me his owwie from falling off a snowboard.

But, hey, I collared Dan Rather for 15 minutes on Saturday. One may ask what the 70-something newsman was doing at the Sundance Film Festival (though in fairness, one may ask the same thing of Tom Hanks, who's about the last person you'd expect to see in a Sundance film, though there he is in “The Great Buck Howard,” starring his kid).

"Farnsworth's" invention

Hi Aaron -

I hope you're enjoying yourself in Utah.

I just read your entry on Aaron Sorkin and Farnsworth. I saw the show Saturday night.

I love Broadway in the abstract, which probably enters into my value judgments of shows. We live about 100 miles from NYC, so I go when I can. Like the old line about sex, even the worst I've seen was pretty good.

I thoroughly enjoyed Farnsworth.

You are totally right in your assessment of the stock market crash sequence. In this show, actor's timing was everything. That was especially true of Hank Azaria, who reminded me of George Burns (his voice, breaking down the fourth wall, his timing).

What I really wanted to tell you was, the story told by Sarnoff about Astronaut Pete Conrad's passing 'salute' to his neighbor, Mr. Fitzhugh... it didn't happen. It's a story mostly attributed to Neil Armstrong which probably originated in a gag from Buddy Hackett!

Geoff Fox

Sundance video #1

Sundance, Day 3: The joy of hoi polloi

“Bigger, Stronger, Faster*”

For those of you who came here expecting to see some of my exciting videos from Sundance .... well, keep those expectations warm. Video's been shot, but once again I forgot to pack a FireWire cable, and had to ask a friend to drive one in from Salt Lake. Something will be up later today.

Meanwhile, I attended my first public screening Saturday afternoon. There are separate screenings for the press, and since those don't involve waiting in line or competing for scarce tickets, most critics and reporters prefer them. But our press pass also entitles us to attend one public screening a day, and naturally I went to my favorite Sundance venue, Prospector Square, to watch "The Order of Myths," a documentary about the 2007 Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Ala., which are proud to be the nation's oldest and less proud to be still almost completely segregated by race.

Aaron Sorkin on the big screen and on Broadway

When NBC finally gave up on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” its most heavily promoted new show of last season, I heard from two groups of people. One group blamed the network for bailing on Aaron Sorkin's smart and witty behind-the-scenes drama. The other group blamed Sorkin for botching a promising idea with paper-thin characters and ill-conceived storylines.

What struck me was how many people even knew the name of the person responsible for writing the show. Most, I'll bet, wouldn't be able to name five Writers' Guild members currently working the picket lines -- but they know who Aaron Sorkin is.

What to watch this week

"Breaking Bad" (with Bryan Cranston, above) and "Everything's Cool" lead this week's picks.

Sundance, Day 2: Real good films

"The Linguists"

"Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)"

Well, it's late, I've seen seven feature films (all documentaries) in two days, plus four short films. I haven't seen either of the films being promoted by a picture of a pale white woman breastfeeding a black baby, but I have seen the animated short of Mitt Romney, naked except for a Mormon Temple replica he's holding around him like a fig leaf. (That should play well in Utah.)

Anyway, I've had pretty good luck — only a couple of films I think needed a more severe edit. I'll be posting videos starting this weekend.

***

Sundance, Day 1: Git on the bus

PARK CITY, UTAH — There is a Sundance Film Festival that is formed in our minds by journalists who always seem to write the same story every year. It is the Sundance that Hollywood flies in for. It’s the one where celebrities make their directorial debut, then make their way to Main Street for all-night partying with their A-list buds. It’s where studio agents yell into cell phones in crazy bidding rituals that drive the prices of that year’s buzz generators into the non-indie-film stratosphere.

That’s not my Sundance.