Make Way for the Queen

Make Way for the Queen

Really? Caroline Kennedy might be named as Hillary Clinton’s replacement by New York Governor David Paterson. Really?? This is a woman whose interviews have been peppered with “ums” and “you knows”. But no one in the media seems to be bringing these points to any significant light like they did with George Bush’s mispronunciation of nuclear and Sarah Palin’s incessant garbling of the English language. Caroline gets a pass because she is a Kennedy. This is where Democrats become- like their Republican co-conspirators –hypocrites. Is not Andrew Cuomo, also from a notable political family, more qualified? He has been elected to office at least and seems to have served with some distinction. I am not someone who is big on the necessity of experience- in fact I detest the experience card as it too often trumps its hand mates laziness and cronyism. But even Sarah Palin had some modicum of experience no matter how loathsome her social views might be or her minimal grasp of foreign policy.

Will Caroline Kennedy do fine in Washington and well as a Senator? Sure. It’s not rocket science; it’s been decades since public service attracted the best and brightest. The romance of a diplomatic post or the nobility of public service have long been replaced at the head of the line by the more lucrative jobs available to those in the private sector like investment banking. But perhaps the silver lining in the cloud of the economic crisis is the realization that the big money is gone- fueled by speculation and credit that has dried up or the leveraged buyout will be a less unleashed beast at the very least. Maybe that is why the incoming Obama administration has received 300,000 resumes. Is it the return of government service to respectability in the public consciousness? Maybe, but this sort of political nepotism does nothing for anyone and a special election should be held- this is New York not Illinois. Would that require a change in the law? Yes, but so little attention is paid to laws nowadays that changing one to benefit the people and democracy would amount to a revolution. Change we can believe in.

Hi

I'm gonna try and blog more. I'll be going across the country via the Rodeo so maybe I will have something interesting to say then. And maybe even some photos!

The Bitter Truth

I'm a little late with this but I just want to say I have no problem with Obama talking about the middle class people of my state being "bitter". Why would they NOT be bitter? They have to pay $3+ for a tank of gas, their job security is jack and their kids are bearing the brunt of the war in Iraq. This is the problem with politics as we know it. It has nothing to do with truth and progress. Obama's "bitter" comment is what sold me on him as a candidate because finally someone said something that was true but also politically unpalatable. Finally. And yes, people do turn to religion and guns. How many times does history have to repeat itself- we're no different then the Greeks looking up at a thundering sky and saying how do we explain this. The Bible is not history or fact- its a storybook- lessons, fables, etc. Monotheism is not somehow progress or inherently better or more progressive than polytheism. Believing in one God as opposed to many is more enlightened or educated? How so? It's still just trying to explain the unexplainable. People try to find a way to explain things and they cling to that which gives them hope even if its false hope. Anyway, I could write a Baker's dozen blogs on this.

Let's talk about dissatisfaction in America. That would actually be useful. Hillary says I think the American people are optimistic. What? How does that drive any dialogue? That's just as bad as George Bush saying the war in Iraq is going well. I have news for Bush: you can't win any war ever against martyrs. When a human being is willing to give up his or her life for a cause, you can't fight that because the threat of death is no longer a deterrent. Bush just tells us everything is okay and now so does Hillary- the American people are optimistic is basically saying we're Smurfs- stupidly optimistic and unable to handle sadness which in this case correlates with truth. The truth of the matter is that things suck right now in this country and the sooner that becomes the discussion the sooner we'll be able to move ahead and back toward a more optimistic world view. The bitter truth is better then a sweet lie- that's how 3,000+ die.

Another TV Job Interview- Suit Up!

So in the latest TV news I have a telephone interview with an executive covering a certain CBS one hour drama. I hear the show is pretty good but have only seen an episode or two. It does well in the ratings for whatever that is worth- a lot in TV land. I am going on the assumption as I have said before that they are looking for good writers versus people who are fans or intimately knowledgeable about the show. A show's aesthetic and style and structure can all be taught I think. Writing is something you should probably know how to do prior to the job. Maybe not.

So I may have to make a quick trip to LA if the call goes well to meet with some other folks. As always I'd be excited to get my first paid TV gig. That would be cool.

The Recommitment

Okay, I am recommitting to the blog cause I know everyone wants to hear what I have to say...right? Ah, the deafening sound of silence. Nothing like it.

Oh the film is done not that you would know cause I never posted- what a loser I am. But it is called The Assasstant. It was just nominated for a Student Academy Award in the East Region.

You can follow its progress over the next year or so here.

Oh yeah...

I've re-discovered that most of pre-production involves staring at your budget and thinking "Fuck. This is a lot of money. Why am I doing this again?" Then you remember it's because you...uh...cause...well...cause...yeah....that's why.

On the good news side I got an email back from the Newtown Square Township office about shooting. I gave them my dates and what I want to do so hopefully they will reply with an "A-okay." and not a "You'll have to have a cop with you at all times and that will be $100 an hour for his time."

Regular Updates on Scott's Short Film Production

Hey All,
So I'm going to be blogging about my my production experience as I start making my short film. I will try to post each night and keep you updated about what is going on and I will continue to post my ramdom thoughts. For those of you who don't know I won a production grant from New Line Cinema (yes, Lord of the Rings people) to shoot this short. I guess that means its good. We'll see...