By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Friday…
I kind of hate reading people explaining why they aren’t turning in a lot of work on their blog or elsewhere… but here we are.
I have been thrust into a trip to the Cannes Film Festival – I know… boo-hoo! – and I have spend the last couple of days trying to get all the pieces to fit together. My cameraman, for instance, is coming in from Spain by way of Morocco. The block of time on my schedule is pushing out other festivals that were gracious enough to invite a visit. And then… I have to figure out shooting as much video as possible at a festival I don’t know well and which doesn’t know me. I’m still not quite ready to be my normal, 30-minute-demanding, hard-ass type DP/30 producer. But I have about six weeks to grow some French balls.
Meanwhile, I am still heading to Urbana-Champaign for the 12th time, my 2-year-old son’s 3rd trip there. Still intend to do Seattle. And there’s a rather elaborate family trip in the planning for June. So my dance card is, joyously, full.
As for the news…
I couldn’t care much less about Keith Olbermann. He’s a smart guy and a terrific entertainer, but he’s turned into the left-wing version of Dennis Miller. The gag isn’t funny anymore. Radio is surely next.
I am deeply saddened by the vote on the SAG dismantling/merger with AFTRA, even though it was undeniably going to happen. It was inevitable since the settlement of the last SAG strike was forced on the then-leadership. Really, it was inevitable the minute that WGA went on strike in November 5, 2007. I don’t want to re-adjudicate the wisdom of that choice, but the early date of that strike made it clear that there would be no combined strike of writers and actors… and therefore, no real chance for SAG. That and AFTRA was there with the shiv, just waiting for the right angle by which it could be shoved into SAG’s spine. Great way to start a marriage.
Of course, the cancellation of a show that no one watched is the top story in the entertainment media today. We’re a messed up group of entertainment journalists these days.
Good luck finding something good to see at the multiplex this weekend. I am actually very curious about Wrath of the Titans… and the most excellent Jeff, Who Lives At Home expands.
The last half-hour of Wrath of the Titans is shockingly fun, as if everyone involved just decided to see precisely how crazy a movie with a bunch of gods could get. I was grinning the whole time. Some great CGI in that movie.
Seriously David, you are so off-base about Keith it’s not even funny, but people like you seem to not get him. His show, which you know I’ve watched, has been wonderful. He’s simply been sick and Current want his money for more talent. They’ve already built a day of programming off of Countdown and now with him gone, they can use that 50m for PR firms and other things.
Delighted to hear that you are heading for Cannes. Since you say you need to “grow some French balls”, may I suggest marinating in bourbon, before adding mushrooms and confit garlic.
I’ve actually just started listening to Dennis Miller’s radio show (liberal talk KTLK was repeatedly shooting itself in the foot with horrible hosts like Clark Howard), and it wasn’t some right-wing caricature – the shows I’ve heard are more focused on comedy and comedians, with occasional politics thrown in (less so than your average Bill Maher show).
I think Miller messed up as a comic by saying president Bush was off-limits, and by being a regular commentator on Bill O’Reilly’s show, but the radio shows I’ve heard remind me of what he used to be, favorably so.
Olbermann deserves credit for motivating MSNBC to embrace flat-out liberal bias to counter Fox News, but he seems to be difficult to work with. Hope SNL has Ben Affleck back to mock the latest development.
I stopped watching Olbermann after tiring of his pumped up outrage. Glad he was able to spread the word but allying yourself with punks like Kos hurts you.
Miller is on tour with O’Reilly. It’s as if Miller literally turned a third of his brain off. But I love it when he references Fellini for an audience unlikely to care.