According to several reports, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board ruled today that Al Franken has won his bid to defeat GOP douchebag senator Norm Coleman in Minnesota. The current margin of victory is 225 votes or 0.0077%, according to the Huffington Post. The big loser crybaby Senator Coleman is expected to challenge the results, but that would likely require a federal court willing to hear the argument from the losing campaign which some analysts think is unlikely to happen. Governor Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (a democrat) must co-sign the certification within a week.
Ever since it won the Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival, Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler has beet hotly anticipated and those not lucky enough to catch it in Toronto or at the NY Film Festival should now understand why. While The Wrestler is continually being referred to as the filmmaker's return to form or other such hogwash from people who didn't see the beauty in his last film, The Fountain. Thankfully, his latest has no such barriers to its success and this exceptional film is one of the best-reviewed films of the year.
The Wrestler is being compared to Rocky and while it is similar in a few superficial ways, its core message and lead character are distinctly different. Rocky was a bum. He wasn't a had been, he was a "never was." He'd never been close to a contender and was more like On the Waterfront's Terry Molloy (except that Rocky eventually became "somebody," of course). On the other hand, The Wrestler's Randy "The Ram" Robinson (achingly played by a resurgent Mickey Rourke) was a superstar.
On the heels of a Hollywood Reporter story about NBC cutting back on their prime time hours or possibly even cutting entire days of original programming come an entry for the "are you fucking kidding me?" department, NBC is, according to the New York Times, give Jay Leno the 10pm slot, Monday through Friday for "a show similar to the one he has done on NBC's "Tonight Show" show since 1993."
Really? Seriously? Leno for an hour from 10-11pm, then Conan from 11:35pm-12:35am and Jimmy Fallon from 12:35-1:35am? Do the folks at NBC really think the way to adjust to changing viewing habits and the challenge posed by increased offerings on cable TV is to give us more Jay Leno?
Let me give you a little news, Mr. Zucker. He's. Not. Funny. Never has been. There's an entire generation of people who don't like Jay. We don't think he's funny. And he's even less funny when he's on against Without a Trace, Leverage and the CSI franchise. Or even that dead guy with the afro who paints pictures of trees.
Who knows, maybe this is one big plot byy NBC to make sure folks over 50 go to sleep even earlier. All I'm saying is, your first week of guests better be: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, cute animals, Kevin Spacey, Beyoncé, Kanye, big animals, Will Smith, Brad Pitt again, Matt Damon, more cute animals, the Rolling Stones, a Smith's reunion, a steel cage match between Valimir Putin and a tiger, more cute animals, giant lizards, Jimmy Hoffa's killer and maybe a boxing match between Danny Bonaduce and Geraldo Rivera.
Good luck, guys.....
On the heels of Prop 8, comes Gus Van Zant's Milk and without mincing words, it's a tour de force. The truth is, as big as this movie's subject matter is - the assassination of San Francisco's first out gay politician, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) - and as much opportunity as there is to pound in its message, the reason the movie works so well is because it is thoughtful in its telling and its performances are so subdued. A movie along these lines is, frankly, ripe for melodrama but Van Zant goes deeper and puts character before agenda. Early in the movie, Milk literally stands on a soapbox but never for a moment do we get any of the Oliver Stone bombast. Milk intentionally uses his personable nature and humor to reach or rather, create his constituency. It is no doubt something of a defense mechanism. Harvey Milk led a closeted life until he was about 40 years old, which happens to be just when the movie starts. A moment later we see that Milk has been killed and the movie is told in flashbacks as Harvey sits at his kitchen table and commits his story into a tape recorder. His calm narration gives the movie its stabilizing tone.
A little bit of levity for an otherwise bad news Friday, sent to me by my good friend Jeremy and remixed by a friend of his. We may be in a recession, whole industries may be on the verge of collapse and we may be stuck in two, bloody wars, but at least we have....The New Puppy!
The National Board of Review, typically among the first critics groups to bestow end-of-year honors, announced their winners today, with Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire picking up the top film prize, and Clint Eastwood (Grand Torino) and Anne Hathaway (Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married) picking up the top acting awards. Best documentary went to James Marsh's Man on Wire. The complete list can be found on indieWIRE.com here.
I can't comment on Slumdog, Torino or Rachel as I haven't seen them yet but the general buzz around the Internet and the real world is that there is not one obvious frontrunner for best picture. No Titanic, no Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, no ....Cras.... Oh, right.
At any rate, no one has a breakaway prediction with most top three lists containing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk and Slumdog. From what I've heard of the first of these, there's a question as to whether or not the Academy is as sappy as it was back in 1994 when the excremental Forrest Gump picked up the award over Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. Still boggles the mind....
I recently spent and all-too-short 4 nights at the 2008 Denver Film Festival, my favorite fall fest, and as usual, it was a whirlwind of friends old and new, films, panels (I was on one), food and of course, booze. Those of you who know my boundless and wholly justified affection for this festival know that one of my favorite places to be is the nightly example of drunken debauchery known as the Late Night Lounge. Alas, I was not in the running for the Richard Turner Perfect Attendance Award and never got up to any real debauchery, so I'll have to make up for it, next year!
Here's me at the LNL during this year's Democratic National Convention, feeling appreciated and being flattered by one of my favorite people. I know, not actually germane to the matter at hand, but Jenny wasn't there this year and the more pix I can post of beautiful women kissing me, all the better, I say!
This year there was an added attraction at the Late Night Lounge...Karaoke. Of course, knowing that Michael Lerman was attending with the Canon Brothers I should have known that Lerman would figure out how to get karaoke going at the LNL and sure enough, a borrowed patch chord later, Lerman had his laptop hooked up to the projector and varied song stylings ensued. No judgments here, only pictures. As you might expect, it's a little Lerman-heavy....
Speaking of...at one point Lerman commandeered the mic during the DJ set by He who will not be named and did a rocking version of one of his karaoke staples, "One Night in Bangkok." The DJ didn't like it, but he was a douche, so no harm, there.
A sample of the genius:
wilw iTunes: You want Combustible Edison, Joey Altruda, and Esquivel. Me: How'd you know? iTunes: I'm money, baby. Me: Baby? iTunes: [:wink:]
Seriously. This cat is comedy gold. And a good lefty, to boot. So let's add them up, shall we?
Funny? Check.
Lefty? Check.
Geek? Check (and proud of it).
Been on Star Trek and doesn't take himself too seriously? Check.
See what I'm saying?
Funny or Die is hit or miss but this one is a hit, sho nuff! My only real complaint is that it's too short. Give us a couple more numbers, guys!
I have recently made myself a promise (that I hope I will not break, like many others) to pay attention to and post about, the wonderful film-related events going on in NYC. Not like the Reeler did, of course. I ain't that NY centric, nor could I hope to be that disciplined or comprehensive. But since I (for now) live in NYC and New York is a magnificent city for viewing world cinema.... Why not shine a little light on it, every now and then?
For such a tiny (and new, founded in 1991) country, Macedonia has already developed a rich film history, and this year the Macedonian Film Fund and International Film Circuit are presenting a Macedonia Film Festival in New York, unspooling 10 features and an Academy Award nominated short from November 20th through the 23rd. Among those on offer are Venice Golden Lion winner Milcho Manchevski's Before the Rain (1994) which will close the fest and Sergej Stanojkovski's Kontact and Stole Popov's Happy New Year. Manchevski and Popov will be on hand at the fest for Q&A sessions.
For more info on the films screening at the fest, check out the festival website.
There are several films I wish I could see, here but alas, I am on my way to Denver for their festival, which I will of course be covering here!
One year ago today, November 16th, 2007 my father Victor Rabinowitz passed away at the age of 96. I was in Denver, where I am again heading in a few days. My friends there helped me through a rough night and the following morning and I'm looking forward to seeing many of them again and raising a glass to my dad.
He would have been proud and amazed at what this past year has brought. One of the most amazing political campaigns in history culminating in the election of the first black president and likely, the first time in world history that a majority has elected a minority to lead a country. Truly remarkable.
He spent his his entire life working towards justice for the oppressed, including spending quite a lot of time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement. He was a hero of a magnitude rarely seen these days and had he witnessed the election of Barack Obama it would have warmed his heart to no end.
Here's what I wrote at the time. It's been a very fast year and I miss him every day.
No matter what, the times, they are a changin'. How much and for whom is yet to be determined but the fact remains, Tuesday, November 4th was a transformative moment in American history. That said, it's now time for us to take this advantage that we've given ourselves as the electorate and run with it. What's on the agenda?
Universal healthcare, ending the war in Iraq quickly and safely and fixing the economy in a manner that ensures that the American workforce has high-paying, productive and meaningful jobs, not just low-wage service industry positions, among many other things.
If President-elect Obama is going to fix anything, he's going to need our help and our vigilance but we're not going to be able to do it ourselves. 53% and control of the House and Senate ain't gonna be enough. As the song goes, we're going to need the senators and congressmen, as well as the mothers and fathers. Their old road may be rapidly aging, but we've yet to really pave our new one.
There are signs that the youth of America might be emerging from 40 years of torpor and apathy and I hope so. For those of us in the middle, not yet old and no longer young, it is our job to do what we should have done more than 20 years ago and that's make our voices heard and make sure those that are becoming active for the first time, those young faces on videos like this one stay active. We must engage them in the process and work of a participatory democracy.
For too long the people of the United States have been silent and for too long we have allowed those in power to erode the constitution and operate without any checks and balances. That time is over. This election was a great first step, but first step it was. Unless we take back the power and the rights that we have given up, piece by piece, since the Reagan "revolution," the election of Barack Obama, as important, beautiful and historic as it was, won't achieve its promise and we will have wasted this biggest opportunity we've had in decades to change America and the world, for the better.
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Copyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
In the "Are You Fucking Kidding Me?" department, we have the following item culled from Variety.com:
The mayor of an oil-producing city in southeastern Turkey, which has the same name as the Caped Crusader, is suing helmer Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. for royalties from mega-grosser The Dark Knight.
No, I did not make that up.See for yourself.
What's next? New York City sues Martin Scorsese? Perhaps everyone named "Simpson" sues Fox and Matt Groening? Maybe the state of Indiana should sue Spielberg, Lucas, Ford and Paramount.
Sheesh.
This is a heartfelt, emotional and human comment on California's passage of Proposition 8. It's just over 6 minutes long and if you know anyone who voted for Prop 8, show them this. It might not change their minds but it might just make them think about it a little. There are lessons to be learned, here. Lessons about re-defining marriage, for example. This clip is short and too the point and if you voted for Prop 8, I hope it shames you.
Bookmark this page, as I'll be posting often, including pix from the Rabbi Report's magnificent election night gala, right here on E. 9th St. in Greenwich Village (you know...the place where all the pinkos are).
11:00pm- I have no words. We've done it and I'm overcome by emotion. Colorado and Florida, too. 333 electoral vote, so far. I am going to go and be with my friends for a while.
10:20pm-Text from a Fox News staffer to a friend: "Memo sent from McCain campaign: No path to 270." Well, we already knew it, but man...it's great to hear the McCain camp say it, even if it's "secret."
9:25pm-ABC and MSNBC have called Ohio for Obama. Add that to CA, WA, OR and HI....well, you do the math.
9:21-CNN calls the KY Senate race for Mitch McConnell. Not good.
Losing Pennsylvania and NH is incredibly damaging to McCain.
8:32pm-ABC calls the NC senate for race for Kay Hagan. +3!
8:21pm-Jeanne Shaheen (D) defeats GOP senator John Sununu in NH, so that's a net pick up of 3 seats for the Dems!
8:15p,-Fox News predicts Liddy Dole, going down in flames in North Carolina. If that's true, that's another Senate pick up for the Dems!
8:05pm-Multiple networks call Pennsylvania and NH for Obama. EV counts are now 102-34. CNN, however, has NOT called PA.
7:53pm-Numbers in Florida and Indiana are looking very good for Obama. Track the county by county races here.
7:50pm-Lunsford is only down by 6/10th of a percent, with over 28% of the vote reported in KY. This is really good.
7:30pm-Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina closed. CNN unable to make any predictions.
7:13pm-Bruce Lunsford (D) is giving GOP stalwart Mitch McConnell a run for his money. It's a 2 point race with 13% reporting. Follow it here.
Adam Kersh colors in Vermont for Obama:
7:04am- Obama wins VT (3 EV) and McCain picks up Kentucky (8 EV). No big surprise, here. Mark Warner wins a senate seat in VA. Dems +1 in the Senate.
6:54pm: Six minutes. Six Minutes. Six minutes, Doug E. Fresh, you're on!
6:00pm: Polls in most of Indiana and 1/2 of Kentucky are now closed. However, networks will (rightly) not predict until 7:00pm.
4:45pm: The party will feature booze, food and the special Giant Rabbi-Tastic Map™:
Stay tuned for special election night coverage, as we watch this historic night unfold. I might even post some pix or video of special guests changing the colors on the map!
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