[Edit: In retrospect, I should have titled this post Morning Ho.']
In a refreshing move of candor, MSNBC’s weekday talk show, Morning Joe (hosted by conservative pundit and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough), has officially dropped the pretense that it is a news program. Instead, the show is explicitly marketing itself as exactly what it is - a vehicle to generate advertising dollars for General Electrics-owned MSNBC. Of course, all commercial news programs exist simply to provide filler content in between their lucrative advertisements, but Morning Joe is the first to announce it to the world by emblazoning the Starbucks coffee logo all over their program. The show is now Morning Joe Brewed by Starbucks. In addition to the coffee-makers logo being placed within the Morning Joe logo, Starbucks will be mentioned throughout the broadcast according to Broadcasting & Cable, an industry periodical.
Whatever you think of Steven Soderbergh, you have to respect the director’s pathological experimentation. One could arrange his films in three broad camps: 1) the big budget Hollywood vehicle ala the Oceans 11 franchise, 2) medium budget indie-type films like Traffic orThe Good German, and 3) low budget experiments like Full Frontal or Bubble. Soderbergh’s most recent release,The Girlfriend Experience, is decidedly in the latter category, having been shot on video in only a few weeks using mostly non-professional actors. The movie was filmed in New York towards the end of the 2008 presidential election at the height of the financial collapse. These real-life events are woven into the storyline as the film explores the transactions of a high-dollar escort prowling through the posh lofts, restaurants, and boutiques of Manhattan.
In a move of clever casting, the escort, Chelsea, is played by adult film actress, Sasha Grey (it’s hard to say if that makes her a professional or non-professional actor.) Miss Gray is apparently famous in equal measures for her honest, unflinching eloquence regarding her porn career and her enthusiastic willingness to perform almost any act in that profession. That she is a slightly baby-faced 21 year-old makes both of those traits somewhat unnerving, and I’m sure Soderbergh hoped this tension would find its way onto the screen. It should be said, however, that there is not a great deal of sex in this film and only a few fleeting moments of partial nudity. The film focuses not on the sexual aspect of prostitution, but instead the commerce. In fact, The Girlfriend Experience is primarily obsessed with transactions, negotiations, and exchanges.
As Chelsea moves from one wealthy client to the next, many offer advice about how she should invest her money amidst the financial crisis. “Traditional” commerce only serves as the film’s underpainting, however. What this film really enjoys exploring is the commodification of the very humanity of the characters. The title of the film refers to an acronym, “gfe,” used in the parlance of escort services. A “girlfriend experience” is a term that advertises a more personal, intimate experience beyond simply sex. In a sense, Chelsea tries to act as a modern day Geisha, seeking to project herself as a cultured, well-bred woman who is as emotionally engaging as she is sexually desirable. However, she is very much a western, capitalist Geisha paying great attention to the brands of her lingerie and hiring multiple trade consultants to help her grow her business. Despite her occupation, Chelsea is in a committed relationship with her personal trainer boyfriend, Chris (Chris Santos), and the film takes great pains to draw parallels between the two professions. Of course, each job focuses on the physical body, but they also blur the lines between friendship and client resulting in awkward negotiations between the characters’ personal and professional lives. (end of excerpt…)
After reading part of David Simon’s testimony to Congress last week regarding the death of newspapers (though Congress titled the hearings The Future of Journalism), I was reminded what a man-crush I have on this guy. Simon, of course, is the co-creator of the great HBO drama The Wire. I am embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t even turned on tothe show until sometime within the last year, when I burned through all five seasons on DVD as quickly as Netflix could send them. It may sound hyperbolic to say that The Wire is the best television show ever produced, but, honestly, that description is woefully insufficient. The Wire is one of the best works of American art ever created. The show explores the inner-workings and interconnectedness of Baltimore’s drug trade, law enforcement agencies, political machines, media institutions, public education system, and labor relations - sometimes in a single episode. It does so in a brutally honest, wholly non-patronizing manner while also managing to craft beautifully rendered story arcs filled with unique and compelling characters. It is addicting for all of the right reasons. The staggering achievement of this show alone is reason enough to nominate David Simon as the United States Secretary of Culture. However, hearing Simon speak so broadly and eloquently about the current state of America (see videos below) makes his absence from that office seem criminal. This is why I hereby nominate him to the head post at the Department of Culture. Of course, we must first create this position, so let’s talk about that for a moment. I wasn’t surprised in the least to discover that the idea of a Culture Secretary had already been explored by others when Googling the idea, but let me add my vision to the mix.
Hunger is the feature film debut of director Steve McQueen. This is not, however, the film of a novice. One immediately feels the confident tone of this film, and it doesn’t take long to appreciate that this is a movie made by a visual artist (McQueen is an accomplished artist and the 1999 recipient of Britain’s esteemed Turner Prize.) The film revolves around the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike with a particular focus on the man who organized the strike, IRA soldier Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender.) This is not a film with the usual trappings of a biopic or historical film, though. We are not inundated with historical context, back-stories, and “significant anecdotes” about the characters’ lives. Instead, the audience is simply asked to bear witness to what occurs on the screen.
I just left the theater after seeing State of Play, the political thriller directed by Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland) and starring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, and Ben Affleck. The film was based on a BBC produced mini-series of the same title. To be honest, I went into the theater with low expectations having rented the BBC mini-series because I had heard it described as a British version of the HBO television masterpiece, The Wire. While the mini-series had some great moments and great elements (especially Bill Nighy’s performance as the Editor-In-Chief of a London daily newspaper), overall I was underwhelmed by the show. It was certainly no rival to The Wire, which remains in my mind the best television show ever produced in the history of the medium. So, when my lukewarm reception the BBC version was coupled with some very mediocre reviews for this new theatrical release, I wasn’t terribly excited to see it. I expected a pat, uninspired version of decent-at-best source material. I was wrong.
The story revolves primarily around three characters - a daily newspaper journalist, Cal McAffrey (Crowe), his younger, less experienced colleague, Della Frye (McAdams), and Stephen Collins (Affleck), a United States Congressman. In short, a scandal develops around Congressman Collins which involves sex, money, corporate espionage, and military profiteering. The story becomes more complicated when we learn that Cal has a personal history and friendship with the troubled Congressman, leading to conflicts of interest and questions of personal, professional, and ethical loyalty.
“State of Play is equal parts love letter and eulogy to the fading art of journalism and the creative fictions it has inspired.“
VIDEO: Reporting Around the Election; A Year in Review
The video below is an overview of the past year I spent reporting for MTV News’ Choose or Lose campaign. The video was originally posted here.
It was an extreme honor to spend the year reporting the fascinating work done by Tennessee’s youth over this past election cycle. I would like to thank MTV, the Knight Foundation, and all of the people who allowed me access to their work and lives over the past year. Here are some of the highlights.
Jon Burge, the ringleader of the Chicago Police Department’s history of Abu-Ghraib sytle torture from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, has been arrested and charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. (I have embedded the trailer to Shielded Brutality below, which is the documentary I’ve been producing documenting this history.)
From chicagobreakingnews.com:
Retired Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge was arrested at his home near Tampa, Fla., today on charges of lying in a civil case about whether he and other officers under his command tortured and physically abused suspects in police custody dating back to the 1980s, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Burge was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of perjury in a three-count indictment unsealed today following his arrest.
The charges alleged that Burge lied and impeded court proceedings in November 2003 when he provided false written answers to questions in a civil lawsuit alleging that he and others engaged in torture and abuse of suspects.
Burge, 60, now living in Apollo Beach, Fla., near Tampa, was expected to appear later today in U.S. District Court in Tampa.
“There is no place for torture and abuse in a police station,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in a news release. “There is no place for perjury and false statements in federal lawsuits. No person is above the law, and nobody–even a suspected murderer–is beneath its protection.”
(The following video was produced for MTV News where I contribute as an independent journalist. The video was originally posted here.)
It’s been less than three weeks since John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, but she has dominated the news since that time. The self-described “hockey mom” to five children, moose-hunter, and staunch pro-life candidate has generated a great deal of talk about gender and politics. With that in mind, I spoke with several Nashville women to get a feel for some opinions and attitudes about the overnight star of the Republican party. Here’s what they had to say:
Los Angeles Times Reporters File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Sam Zell, Tribune
On a depressing news day, this is the best thing I’ve heard. People like Sam Zell have ruined America, weakened the role of a free press, and destroyed journalism all in the name of adding to their already embarrassing riches. I pray this goes to trial and Zell goes down hard. Every L.A. Times employee should sign on (can all Tribune employees get on board, or just those at the L.A. Times?) Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
The Rachel Maddow Show Set To Premiere As Host “On The Cusp Of Full-Blown Stardom”
I am eagerly anticipating Maddow’s show. In my last post, I criticized Olbermann for his ego and crassness, even as I often agree with him. I’m hoping that Maddow brings a more level-headed, intellectual approach to her show, even as she presents the news with a point of view.
I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t realize until reading the Boston Globe article linked below that Maddow was “Dr. Maddow” and a Rhodes Scholar to boot. We desperately more credentials like that in broadcast media, as opposed to former politicians and party hacks (see Pat Buchanan Paul Begala, etc.)
Olbermann, for all of his faults, has proven that a leftward point of view can succeed in the commercial marketplace. I’m hoping that Maddow can prove that reasoned, intelligent analysis and debate from the left can also compete. Frankly, it’s an open question. I just pray that she doesn’t succumb to “Oddball” type fluff and self-serving, over the top “Special Comments” to generate ratings. If what she has to offer (intelligence and thoughtfulness) doesn’t generate the numbers that MSNBC needs, maybe she can shift to PBS or, better yet, help generate a new home altogether for intelligent analysis from ALL points of view. Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
