How Clarence Clemons Helped Bruce Springsteen Make Rock 'n' Roll History
The music my parents loved was big bands, jazz standards and Sinatra. As I tried to find my own identity I fell in love with other kinds of music, starting with blues shouters such as Big Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris.
At the same time, like most baby boomers, I liked rock ‘n' roll. What quickly struck me was a connection between the blues shouters I liked and the rock ‘n' roll of Little Richard and the other early rockers: the blasting wild riffs of those who played the tenor sax.
Many music historians credit 19-year-old Illinois Jacquet’s tenor sax solo on Lionel Hampton’s 1942 hit “Flying Home” as a milestone recording that first brought a lot of attention to how the tenor saxophone could rock like no other instrument.
And what I learned from so many of the recordings of the blues shouters is just how soulful the tenor sax was, that it could express the most joyful highs of life as well as the most sorrowful, tortured lows.
If you want to hear some great music, just click and check out some of these blues and early rock ‘n roll tracks featuring the likes of tenor sax players Hal Singer (who played on a lot of Wynonie Harris hits), Red Prysock, Joe Houston, Big Jay McNeely and Sam “The Man” Taylor.
For the most part, by the mid-fifties, the popularity and prevalence of the tenor sax in rock 'n' roll was diminishing.
Flash forward to this week 36 years ago, back in 1975. A photo shoot for the album cover of a record a rock ‘n' roll wannabe hoped would be his breakout. He was 25 years old, and already a cult sensation, but not a hugely popular one.
He had poured his heart and soul into this album, writing eight songs, each lasting in length from three minutes to nine and a half minutes. Unlike his previous albums, almost all the songs were much more accessible, both lyrically and musically. On the music side it was clear that he was influenced by Phil Spector’s wall of sound.
Another breakthrough of the album was the return of the tenor sax. Not only was it featured, front and center, on a number of the songs, but this tenor sax man was also a featured player in the band--and on the album cover.
The LP was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” with the great cover shot of Springsteen leaning on Clarence Clemons, who died much too young earlier this week at age 69, after suffering a stroke.
The album is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll records ever--back in 2003 Rolling Stone magazine listed it as the 18th best album in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
The contribution of Clemons to the success of that album alone, and to the success Springsteen has enjoyed over the years as a live performer, cannot be overstated. In another context I recall some time ago someone on the Web writing that without the tenor sax rock can roll, but can’t really rock.
I wholeheartedly agree, and Clemons’ playing on the “Born to Run” album is phenomenal. Check out this must-see version of “Jungleland” from a live performance in Jersey in 1978.
In his tribute to Clemons earlier this week, Jon Pareles, The New York Times’ estimable pop music critic, wrote, “[I]n a band that constantly proved itself on the road, from Asbury Park club gigs to its decades of headlining arenas, Mr. Clemons’ presence was always as significant as his sound. He was, in his resonantly matter-of-fact nickname, the Big Man, 6 feet 4 inches and built like the football player he might have been but for knee troubles. He was by far the E Street Band’s flashiest dresser, in eye-popping suits and broad-brimmed hats; Mr. Springsteen gleefully let himself be upstaged by a sideman he’d never place in the background. They were by all accounts dear friends, even soulmates; Mr. Clemons often described their relationship as nothing less than love (but of a nonsexual kind). Onstage, with thousands of spectators, Mr. Springsteen would bow at his feet or hold him in a close hug, presenting him as a muse, not an employee.”
Then there was that picture on the cover of “Born to Run,” Springsteen leaning on Clemons.
On the Springsteen fansite Backstreets.com this week, I found this interview with Erik Meola, who took the famous cover photo. This interview first appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard:
“Meola said the photo mattered on several levels. In a basic way, it captured the love and fraternity between two musicians at the core of a seismic moment in rock and roll. Yet it also made a more profound statement, Meola said. He knows it was no accident that Springsteen chose Clemons, of all the members of the band, to be his companion on the cover of what they sensed would be an album of groundbreaking importance.
“ ‘Clarence was black and Bruce was white, and when they started playing together it was at a moment when that just didn’t happen that much,’ Meola said. ‘Some of it is subliminal; the album was all black and white, and the cover was black and white, and they were dressed in black and white. Many people loved the way they played off each other onstage, and I think Clarence opened up a whole other way, a little like Jackie Robinson was with baseball: It just cleared the air out. And I don’t think that’s emphasized enough.
“ ‘The way I look at it, what’s monumental to me, is the camaraderie and friendship. I was lucky to get that photograph, I’m just glad I was there and I’d give anything for Clarence still to be alive.’ ”
Wouldn’t we all.
As Springsteen himself said upon hearing of Clemons’ death, “He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.” #
CBS's Nina Tassler, Film Star Annette Bening Among Honorees at Women in Film Gala
It was a momentous night for CBS as several of its luminaries took center stage Thursday, June 16, at the Women in Film 2011 Crystal + Lucy Awards in Beverly Hills.
Hosted by Melissa McCarthy of the network’s hit show "Mike & Molly," the gala event honored CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler with the prestigious Lucy Award and "How I Met Your Mother" director Pamela Fryman with the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award.
They shared the spotlight with three other honorees: Annette Bening was presented with the Crystal Award, Katie Holmes received the MaxMara Face of the Future Award and Reed Morano took home the Kodak Vision Award.
The memories of trailblazing women in the entertainment industry were never far from hand as the entire evening was dedicated to producer Laura Ziskin. Ziskin created the television fundraiser "Stand Up to Cancer" in response to her own diagnosis, produced the Academy Awards telecasts in 2002 and 2007 and was producing the latest “Spider-Man” film, her fourth, when she died of breast cancer June 12.
The legendary Elizabeth Taylor was bestowed posthumously with Women in Film's Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award, which was accepted by her granddaughter Naomi Wilding. "She was an inspiration in using her celebrity to champion a cause," Wilding said in lauding Taylor for her groundbreaking work in raising awareness and funds for AIDS research.
The Lucy Award for Excellence in Television was first handed out in 1994--joining its sister, the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film, which was instituted in 1977. It is named after Lucille Ball and is presented in conjunction with her estate to those whose creative works follow in the footsteps of Ball’s extraordinary accomplishments, particularly in enhancing the perception of women through the medium of television.
Tassler was named president of CBS Entertainment in September 2004, and has been on a roll ever since. Reporting to president and CEO Les Moonves, she never fails to give him credit for the Eye’s success, and her acceptance speech was no exception.
"I stand here as a representative of the gifted women I'm thrilled to work with every day," said Tassler. "We've shared it all, from births to bar mitzvahs." She talked about her upbringing, marching with her parents against the Vietnam War, and taking to heart their admonition to make a difference. Tassler, who oversees the network’s entertainment program for prime time, late-night and daytime as well as program development for all genres, concluded by urging women to continue to tell stories and reach for the stars.
Under Tassler’s leadership, CBS was the top-rated broadcast network in the 2009-2010 season, the seventh time in the last eight seasons that it was the most-watched network. She was responsible for introducing its comedies "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Big Bang Theory" and expanding the network’s top-ranked Monday comedy lineup with a second night of laughers on Thursday.
She also added successful new dramas to the CBS lineup, including "Criminal Minds," "The Mentalist" and last season's top two new series, "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "The Good Wife," along with the reality series "Undercover Boss," which became last season's No. 1 new program. Tassler joined CBS in 1997 as vice president of drama for CBS Productions before serving as SVP of drama development at CBS Entertainment from 1998-2003.
As the director and executive producer of "How I Met Your Mother," Pamela Fryman has guided the multi-camera show for six seasons. Cast member and recent Tony Awards host Neil Patrick Harris presented her with the directors award, introducing her as the "greatest person ever" and relating her generosity to the cast and crew.
The Dorothy Arzner Directors Award she accepted was named for the first female member of the DGA. In her speech, Fryman recalled starting out as a production assistant getting sandwiches for actor John Davidson and thinking that things didn't get much better than that.
The evening started off with McCarthy serenading Annette Bening and doing a funny spiel thanking Tassler for hiring her in a rap that also gave shout-outs to Holmes, Fryman and Morano.
Holmes’ career started off in television before she moved into motion pictures, and then she became even better known as the wife of Tom Cruise. She's making her mark again in TV, including a recent role as Jacqueline Kennedy in the miniseries "The Kennedys." She’ll next be seen in the thriller "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," opposite Guy Pearce, and the film comedy "Jack and Jill" with Adam Sandler and Al Pacino.
In accepting the Face of the Future Award from the Italian design house MaxMara, which dressed many of the women for the show, Holmes thanked a team whose commitment to work and family has inspired her, including her husband.
Cinematographer Reed Morano has been shooting documentaries, features, television series, commercials and music videos for the past 14 years, including the acclaimed film "Frozen River," which was nominated for two Academy Awards and seven Independent Spirit Awards. She is currently in preproduction on several features shooting this year.
In her acceptance speech, she cited several past winners of the Kodak Vision Award as inspirations to her, which include Joan Churchill, Mandy Walker, Petra Korner and Cynthia Pusheck.
The incomparable Annette Bening, who last wowed filmgoers and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with her role as Nic in “The Kids Are All Right,” was the evening’s final honoree, taking the stage to a standing ovation after an introduction from Martin Sheen, who joked that it was difficult not being the president anymore.
"I feel like I'm entering a new phase and finding real internal freedom reflected in my work now," Bening said, referring to a stellar career that includes "Bugsy," "An American President,” "American Beauty" and “Being Julia,” for which she also won a Golden Globe Award. Many people may not realize that one of her first acting jobs was a bit part in the 1980s hit series "Miami Vice."
It being a Women in Film event, Bening said it was only appropriate that she thank her main man in film, husband Warren Beatty, who beamed his approval from the audience.
Oh Oprah: What Do We Do When People We Like Say Crazy, Kooky Things? Such as Your Remarks About O.J. Simpson
It’s rare that, as a reporter, I cringe when a top executive or major talent says something at a public event I’m covering.
But that’s what happened yesterday (Thursday, June 16, 2011) when I was covering Oprah Winfrey being interviewed by Paula Zahn at the NCTA Cable Show in Chicago.
In case you missed it, Oprah said, “I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me. And I will make that happen. I want the interview on the condition that you are ready, Mr. Simpson.”
Zahn then commented to Oprah that she sets some lofty goals for herself. To which Oprah replied, “You know, I don’t even think that that’s that lofty. Here’s why I don’t think that’s that lofty. The other day I was cleaning out drawers, preparing for the move West, and I ran across a little baby picture of myself. And I hadn’t seen that picture of myself in a long time. Because as you know, I grew up as a poor Negro child, so we only had six photographs. (laughter in the audience)
“Now, I have at my house a make-up room where, when I first started in the business I started doing covers for magazines—I actually stopped doing that in 1995. I’ve walked through there a thousand times and have not paid any attention to those covers on the walls. I happened to be walking [through there] right after I had seen that baby picture—literally—and I had a moment. And the moment was ‘how did that happen? I’m sitting on a wooden porch in a shotgun house in Mississippi, and how did that happen that that baby girl ends up in this life?’ So I think the fact that that baby girl, from a shotgun house in Mississippi, can end up with the OWN network, makes O.J. Simpson possible.”
The crowd at the cable show then broke into thunderous applause.
I thought to myself, well, there’s the lead for the news story I need to write about this Oprah interview.
I also thought to myself, “Oh, Oprah. You clearly believe this, and who among us would bet against you with your track record, but are you next going to be advising Harold Camping on when the world will end?”
I guess Oprah imagines the buildup to the moment when she gets O.J. to tearfully admit that he brutally killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and then ask for forgiveness. Oprah will tear up, as will her live audience and millions watching at home. Those murders, by the way, happened 17 years ago this past Sunday, June 12.
For Oprah to think that Simpson would confess to her is screwy. Kooky. I just don’t think Simpson would actually confess. Yes, he participated in the “If I Did It” book in which he (and a ghost writer) told how, hypothetically, he would have done the double murders, but I just don’t see him confessing to actually doing them at this point in his life. Sorry, Oprah, it ain’t gonna happen.
The fact that she’d even share with us her fantasy that this might actually occur reminds me of something the late writer Jerzy Kosinski once said.
He claimed that he and his wife were supposed to be at the house of actress Sharon Tate the night the pregnant Tate and three friends were viciously stabbed to death by the Charles Manson gang. Kosinski and his wife had either missed the plane or the plane had been canceled or delayed, I don’t recall. In any event, they were not there that night. But the interesting point about this story is what Kosinski thought would have happened if he had been there that night. He said he thought he would have been able to talk the killers out of killing everyone.
Another instance of just plain kooky thinking.
Oprah, you’re an incredibly talented, hard-working person. That talent and hard work, primarily, is what allowed that little baby girl to become the great success she has become. And I’m sure you had a few breaks and some luck along the way. And, I know that you believe God is looking out for you as well.
But none of that is going to get O.J. Simpson to confess to you. It’s not only a “lofty” goal, it’s not a rational one.
It defies reason and logic.
Why, it would be as if a congressman, in this day and age, would send unsolicited tweets to women containing pictures of his manhood—in various stages of dress and undress—then lie about sending them, then confessing that he did send them, but insisting he wouldn’t resign, only to end up resigning soon thereafter.
Patently absurd.#
A Modest Proposal for Today's Not So Modest Politicans: Have Them Sign the 'Bad Form' Form
Enough is enough. We’re done. Really. We are over our public officials—invariably men—behaving badly. And then, to compound the error of their ways, they don’t go quietly into the night like most of us want them to go.
Put simply, it’s just bad form.
So, clearly, what we need is for all of our male elected officials, regardless of whether they hold community, city, state or national office, to sign a “bad form” form upon taking their post.
Here’s what the standard “bad form” form would say:
This is to acknowledge that Men are indeed from Mars. And if I should fall off the map of the universe and indicate that I’m actually from Pluto, I shall hereby resign.
As a married public official, I hereby freely admit, under no coercion whatsoever, that I will most likely engage in some behavior during my term of office that many of my constituents, as well as the general public, will find off-putting, if not disgusting or reprehensible.
This behavior will be of a sexual nature. It will consist, at the least, of inappropriate conversations, sexting and pictures that will be lewd and salacious. It may go further, and include a child—or two—born out of wedlock.
The fact that I will engage in this behavior is none of anyone’s concern. And, in fact, while I am engaging in this behavior I will be publicly decrying anyone else engaging in this behavior.
However, if I get caught, I will resign my office immediately. My first instinct, of course, will be to hold a press conference and deny everything, at the same time attacking the media. I may still do that, but if TMZ posts any evidence that I have indeed exhibited any behavior whatsoever that may be thought of as “bad form,” as defined by this “bad form” form, I must resign.
By signing this form I hereby agree not to challenge in court any aspect of this form, but I do have the right to appeal to a mediation committee consisting of Roseanne Barr, Rosie O’Donnell and any relative, living or dead, of Eve Arden. If a majority of this committee—hereby known as Those Who Crack Wise—finds that I have indeed met the criteria of the “bad form” form, I will resign my office immediately. They shall decide my fate by voting whether the evidence indicates that I’m a pig or not.
All right. That should do it.
Of course I’ve come up with this plan a little too late for it to apply to Rep. Anthony Weiner, but I figure he’ll be toast sooner than later. His Tiger blood has practically all leaked out and his suits no longer seem to have that polished Sheen they once had…#
Pushing the Envelope at the MTV Movie Awards
It’s an awards show that always tries to push the envelope, whether it’s having Sacha Baron Cohen fly across the audience and swoop down, bare bottomed, on Eminem or an unexpected girl-on-girl kiss, like the one between Sandra Bullock and Scarlett Johansson last year on the MTV Movie Awards telecast.
This year's edition tore the envelope wide open early on, when Justin Timberlake grabbed Mila Kunis’ breasts and she in turn groped his crotch and held on as they presented the award for Best Male Performance. "It was a shameless reference to my penis," Timberlake said as Robert Pattinson rose to accept the award.
As host Jason Sudeikis predicted in his opening monologue, MTV did in fact stand for "More Twilight Victories."
Pattinson spent nearly as much time on stage as he did in his seat, co-presenting the Generation Award to Reese Witherspoon as her co-star in "Water for Elephants," introducing a preview of the next “Twilight” movie, "Breaking Dawn," and with last year's installment of the vampire saga, “Eclipse,” taking the popcorn trophies for Best Movie, Best Fight and Best Kiss--between him and co-star Kristen Stewart, who took home the Best Female Performance prize.
As the audience screamed for the couple to kiss again, Pattinson pulled a crowd-pleasing surprise--running into the audience and showing his support for Team Jacob as he smooched competitor and fellow heartthrob Taylor Lautner.
Credit Adrien Brody passionately lip-smashing Halle Berry on the Academy Awards eight years ago for starting the kudocast smooching trend, which, although it has become entirely predictable--whether opposite sex or same sex-- shows no signs of abating.
Produced by reality king Mark Burnett, the telecast had a few low points--the "Fast Five" sketch warning against texting while illegal street racing fell flat, as did the lack of a mention of the writer of the Best Movie Line "I want to get chocolate-wasted" from “Grown Ups”--but there were lots of highlights, many of them raunchy, including:
--The show open, which featured Sudeikis hunting for Lautner after Justin Bartha convinced them to go for drinks the night before the awards, and making its way through a spoof of "The Hangover," with clips from "Black Swan," "127 Hours," "The Social Network" and, of course, "Twilight" integrated along the way.
--Jim Carrey appearing in a chroma key green suit with images of two dogs fornicating to introduce the Foo Fighters, who gave a bang-up performance of "Walk," featured in the film “Thor.”
--Justin Bieber showing up to claim the trophy for best jaw-dropping moment from his concert film “Never Say Never.”
--Pattinson telling co-star Bryce Dallas Howard about their fight, "I ripped your head off, and now you're pregnant."
--Reese Witherspoon saying she was trying to make it cool again to be a good girl and that you don’t have to have a reality show or a sex tape to make it in Hollywood.
--Pattinson revealing that he was cut out of the film "Vanity Fair" as Witherspoon’s son and that it was her fault, but saying he “blanked” her as her lover in "Water for Elephants," concluding that "it's not always bad to have sexual chemistry with your mother."
--Some of Sudeikis’ jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s illegitimate kids (although not the one involving Maria Shriver) and parts of his turn at the piano singing movie theme songs he wrote.
--The fluorescent green “laser boners” that came up and went down again as the award for Best Kiss was presented.
--Gary Busey’s stage entrance in a Lady Gaga-like clear plastic bubble to present Best Movie.
With “Eclipse” taking home five of the 12 viewer-voted-upon prizes, it’s up to the wizards of the final installment of “Harry Potter” next year to knock the vampires and werewolves off their thrones. It’ll be a fight to the finish.
MSO Cablevision Speaking Out of Both Sides of Its Mouth: It Wants What It Won't Give
[Editor's Note: This commentary first appeared on Jeff Grimshaw's The TV News, which can be found at www.thetvnews.tv, and we appreciate Jeff letting us reprint it.]
Cablevision Systems raised some eyebrows last week with its filing in the FCC’s proceeding on retransmission consent reform.
In the past year, the big cable operator has been involved in some of the industry’s most high-profile retrans battles, with both Fox and ABC programming blacked out for a while during negotiations.
At the same time, Cablevision continues to staunchly oppose a la carte pricing, which would allow customers to buy only the channels they want, without having to purchase a bundle of channels, some of which they don’t want.
So it’s interesting to note that one of Cablevision’s proposals to the FCC is that distributors should not be forced to carry cable channels owned by broadcasters, just in order to be able to carry the broadcast network itself.
In other words, Cablevision thinks it’s unfair for them to have to buy a particular Fox-owned cable network, which may have little interest to its customers, in order to be able to provide what it calls “must-see” TV, like "American Idol" or the NFL, on the Fox Network. In essence, Cablevision wants the FCC to rule that a distributor should be able to buy only the networks it wants to carry … a la carte.
Cablevision does make a valid point when it says that forcing distributors to buy networks they don’t want winds up costing subscribers more money, because the costs get passed on.
But that begs the question: If Cablevision seeks the right to buy only the networks it chooses to carry, then why shouldn’t its customers have the right to buy only the networks they choose to watch?
In light of the FCC filing, I emailed Cablevision to ask if they’ve changed their stance on offering a la carte pricing, but have received no reply.
So here’s the rub. Cablevision will probably get some short-term PR benefit from coming up with a proposal that appears to be consumer-friendly, but by arguing in favor of a la carte purchasing, they’re likely to have a long-term PR challenge trying to justify to their customers why such a great idea for the goose is such a lousy idea for the gander.
Meredith Vieira, Anne Thompson, Chelsea Handler Among Honorees at 36th Annual Gracie Awards
The late comedienne Gracie Allen would have been proud. The 36th annual edition of the awards bearing her name, the Gracies, went off without a hitch--and with a lot of laughter, appreciation and applause along the way.
Hosted by Patricia Heaton and presented by the Alliance for Women in Media and title sponsor Dove, the Gracies honor exceptional programming and individual contributions of those who create portrayals of women in all forms of media, including radio, broadcast television, cable and new media. The awards program also encourages the realistic and multifaceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features and other programs.
This year's gala dinner ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel started off with a bang as the outstanding anchor statuette was awarded by actor Zachary Levi to outgoing “Today” show host Meredith Vieira. Taking the stage in a flowing red gown, Vieira used the occasion to thank and say goodbye to a list of her colleagues at the top-rated NBC morning newscast.
Among the other honorees who took home Gracie Awards: NBC news correspondent Anne Thompson for outstanding reporter; Chelsea Handler for outstanding talk show, "Chelsea Lately"; Amber Lyons for outstanding investigative program, "Sold on Craigslist"; Shonda Rimes for outstanding drama, "Private Practice"; Joan Lunden for outstanding talk show, "Taking Care with Joan Lunden"; and Yvette Nicole Brown for outstanding performance in a supporting comedy role for “Community.”
Handler, whose latest book is topping bestseller lists, joked onstage that she was honored to be awarded anything and then closed by saying, "Men, your time is over."
Julie McCarthy, who had just won a Peabody Award for her work in Pakistan for NPR, talked about the importance of telling complex stories in accepting her Gracie.
“Access Hollywood” weekend co-anchor and correspondent Shaun Robinson was honored with the 2011 Dove Real Beauty Award, created to honor an individual who best embodies and expresses the “substance and spirit” of real beauty through her life and career.
The prestigious Gracies Tribute Award for 2011 was presented to Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Linda Ellerbee by former CNN anchor Aaron Brown. She was recognized for her unparalleled career defined by intelligent journalism, innovative television programming and inspirational messaging.
Other presenters included ESPN's Erin Andrews, ice skating icon Peggy Fleming, Holly Robinson Peete, Kim Delaney, Brenda Strong, Morgan Fairchild, Dennis Swanson, Christy Turlington Burns, Scott Herman and Maria Menounos.
The Gracies will air on the Hallmark Movie Channel on Aug. 8, 2011.
Guest Blog: A Raging Liberal Defends Fox News
[Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Norman Horowitz. Norman started in the TV business in 1956, when he was 24. He has been president of Worldwide Distribution for Columbia Pictures TV (Screen Gems); president of Polygram Television; and president of MGM/UA Telecommunications Co.]
By Norman Horowitz
Many take the position that if you do not approve of what someone’s press is publishing that it is acceptable to somehow destroy the offending press.
In the “pretend spirit” of free speech Media Matters for America (MMFA) wants to stifle the free press rights of Fox News. MMFA is not at all pleased with Fox News and has chosen to find a way to stop Fox News from publishing.
It is both sad and objectionable that MMFA objects to press freedom.
Media Matters has said:
...Don't think for a minute, however, that [Glenn] Beck's departure means Fox News has suddenly embraced accountability and restored credibility. A responsible journalistic organization wouldn't have needed two years, a million lost viewers, and hundreds of lost advertisers to show Beck the door -- but Fox News isn't a responsible journalistic organization. The network still specializes in misinformation and falsehoods, including their famous tagline: "fair and balanced."
Fox News can't keep the lies going alone. The network relies on the support of a wide range of advertisers who, through their financial support, help Fox News maintain a full-time operation promoting deception, provoking anger, and serving as the Republican Party's mouthpiece all under the guise of news.
Because this has gone far enough, we've launched a new campaign to show advertisers just what they're sponsoring when they partner with Fox News and to inform the public about which companies are supporting Fox's dishonest and divisive agenda.
Join us today at Drop Fox.
It's time for advertisers to decide. Will they continue to put their brand on the line by spending money to associate their products with bigotry, political attacks, and deliberate misinformation? Will they risk their reputation by helping to perpetuate Fox's toxic effect on civil discourse? Or will they act responsibly and pull their ads from the so-called news network?
The hundreds of advertisers who refused to support Beck's nightly hour of hate and paranoia put much-needed pressure on Fox News to get him off the air. As the rise and fall of Glenn Beck shows, Fox News and its parent company News Corp. will only respond when their bottom line is threatened. Together, we can change the incentives for News Corp. and end the destructive effect Fox News has on our national conversation.
Get involved in this important effort!
Join us today at Drop Fox.
Matt Butler
CEO and President
Media Matters for America (MMFA)
Media Matters of course can take issue with what Fox News promulgates and can publish opposing opinions of its own.
As many know, my politics pertaining to the media is that just about “anything goes.”
If you don’t approve of it don’t watch it, read it, or listen to it. Suggest that your friends and family might choose to do the same and that is fine.
But MMFA has crossed a line by trying to stifle a voice of which they don’t approve. They suggest, in a manner of speaking, that the public destroy the Fox presses by removing the financial support of Fox News that comes from Madison Avenue.
What a horrid position it is for MMFA to take.
We all need to support the right to publish commentators such as Glenn Beck and many others at Fox News. I personally find what they are spewing noxious. But that’s the point. As distasteful as it might be, we all need to defend speech we don’t agree with as long as it's not inciting people to riot and things of that nature.
A famous example, of course, is one cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no fire.
If MMFA doesn’t like much of what is said on Fox News, they can say so, and they can say it quite LOUDLY.
But their shouting emits a foul odor when they are advocating the suppression of views expressed on Fox News along with the suppression of Fox News itself.#
Educating Ray Romano: Nothing Like a Peabody Award to Put Things in Perspective
Ray Romano definitely knows what a George Foster Peabody Award is now. The co-executive producer and co-star of TNT’s "Men of a Certain Age" is the new owner of one of the prestigious golden statuettes, awarded Monday in New York at the 70th annual Peabody Awards presentation.
Earlier this month, at the technically troubled TNT/TBS upfront at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Romano was one of the network’s talent--along with Conan O'Brien, George Lopez and even network prexy Steve Koonin--called upon to vamp while audio and video outages caused by a power surge were repaired.
At that point, Romano mentioned that he and the drama about three middle-aged men were winning a Peabody Award--and that he had to Google it to find out what it was. The actor was nothing if not honest in telling the crowd at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel the same thing when he accepted the honor.
For those who don't know, the Peabody Awards recognize distinguished achievement and meritorious public service on television, radio, and now online in the areas of the arts, culture and journalism. Every year, more than 1,000 entries from around the world compete to win one of the prizes, which are administered by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and are chosen by a distinguished board of media experts.
This year's 70th edition was hosted by Larry King, himself the winner of two Peabody Awards. As it was a luncheon event with clips shown for each of 2010’s 38 winning entries along with acceptance speeches from the honorees, King didn't have much time to make jokes, but did an estimable job of moving things along--especially when some of the speeches got long-winded.
Robert King got straight to the point in accepting the Peabody for "The Good Wife " by thanking Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger for providing truth-is-not-only-stranger-but-more-entertaining-than-fiction storylines for next season, garnering appreciative laughter from the audience for the acclaimed CBS drama he co-writes and EPs.
Another quality TV series, FX’s "Justified," drew Peabody love this year, perhaps making up for some of the snub it received from the Emmys in not getting noticed.
HBO will need a whole new awards shelf to accommodate its legion of winners, seven this year, including the much-lauded "Temple Grandin" and "The Pacific," "Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals," "For Neda," "If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise," "12th & Delaware" and "Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country."
Films about John Lennon’s time in New York, controversial film director Elia Kazan, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers and ESPN's “30 for 30” series of documentaries about sports figures were also honored with the Peabody.
But the vast majority of the Peabody awardees are in the news and current events realm, focusing on war, injustice, disaster and intolerance, and although many of them might not be widely seen on television or heard, mainly on public radio, there is one word that comes to mind when you see the clips: inspirational.
From CNN’s multifaceted coverage of the Gulf oil spill to a series of reports on war veterans coping with traumatic brain injuries suffered in combat to an investigation into fraudulent job creation through a state agency to seeking justice for campus rapes and dissecting social issues in Pakistan, one thing was made very clear by nearly everyone responsible for such reporting: It has an extremely important place in our society and must be allowed to thrive--regardless of politics.
The George Foster Peabody Awards remain at the forefront of promoting such excellence--even if some of its recipients have to do some research on what the awards really mean.
Oprah: Great Job on the Finale. Now You Need Some Ants in Your Plants
Don’t know about you, but I was totally blown away by the elegance, grace and class of Oprah on her final syndicated show.
Oprah talked about how the show, once it found its sea legs, became about empowering us, her audience. About our finding ways to live our best lives as we watched Oprah and her guests struggle to do so as well.
It was a wonderful summing up of our relationship with Oprah over the past 25 years. It reminded me of a book by one of my favorite writers, Somerset Maugham, who, at age 64, wrote his “The Summing Up.” He said it was neither an autobiography nor a book of recollections. Instead, he said, “In this book I am going to try and sort out my thoughts on subjects that have chiefly interested me during the course of my life.”
That’s what Oprah did in her last show.
Maugham still had a great act to follow after he wrote his summing up. He later wrote “The Razor’s Edge,” one of the best novels I have ever read.
And Oprah, 56, finally can devote the time and energy she needs to devote to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. It needs her attention.
One of my favorite shows this season has been on OWN. It’s “Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes.” I find it great fun to watch.
But it finally dawned on me the other day that the biggest drawback to the series is that what it really is is one of the featured extras on a DVD box set of “The Final Season of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’”
And “Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes” is the best series on OWN.
OWN is made up of sideshows. It’s time for OWN to put on some series that are Main Events.
Part of the problem is how OWN was conceived--basically as a TV version of “O The Oprah Magazine,” which has the tagline “Live Your Best Life.”
The tagline is fine and can work for OWN as well. What’s not fine are the shows on OWN.
Part of it is that OWN needs to loosen up.
First, the folks who run OWN, including Oprah, need to watch Preston Sturges’ 1941 movie classic “Sullivan’s Travels.”
A movie director--Sullivan--who’s had big hits with such comedies as “Ants in Your Plants of 1939”--and yes, it's "Plants," not "Pants"-- and “Hey Hey in the Hayloft” decides that those films are meaningless and that his next movie must be very, very serious. Here’s the marvelous opening dialogue from the movie.
Sullivan: This picture is an ANSWER to Communists. It shows we're awake and not dunking our heads in the sand like a bunch of ostriches. I want this picture to be a commentary on modern conditions, stark realism, the problems that confront the average man.
[Studio Executive] Lebrand: But with a little sex.
Sullivan: A little, but I don't want to stress it. I want this picture to be a document. I want to hold a mirror up to life. I want this to be a picture of dignity--a true canvas of the suffering of humanity.
Lebrand: But with a little sex.
Sullivan: With a little sex in it.
[Another Studio Executive] Hadrian: How about a nice musical?
Sullivan: How can you talk about musicals at a time like this? With the world committing suicide, with corpses piling up in the street, with grim death gargling at you from every corner, with people slaughtered like sheep!
Hadrian: Maybe they'd like to forget that.
Sullivan: Then why do they hold [a serious movie they had just screened] over for a fifth week at the Music Hall? For the ushers?
Hadrian: It died in Pittsburgh.
Lebrand: Like a dog.
Sullivan: What do they know in Pittsburgh?
Lebrand: They know what they like.
Sullivan: If they knew what they liked, they wouldn't live in Pittsburgh. That's no argument.
The remainder of the movie has Sullivan finding out how the poor and downtrodden live. In the end he realizes how uplifting so many people find his comedies, and thus how important they really are.
So what’s this got to do with Oprah and OWN? It means let’s lighten up folks. There are a lot of ways to encourage people to live their best lives without the sledgehammer approach that too many OWN programs mostly use now.
First of all, show some movies such as “Sullivan’s Travels” on OWN. What Oprah did with her book club is the stuff of legends. And legions of Oprah’s fans will tune into Oprah herself presenting “Oprah’s Must-See Movie Classics” on OWN on Friday nights, presented uncut and with no commercials by Dove or Target or P&G or one of OWN’s other premiere sponsors. Oprah will bookend the beginning and ending of the screenings with her comments, a la TCM’s Robert Osborne.
And OWN has got to get into scripted programming, no doubt about it.
Oprah loves the TV shows with which she grew up. OWN needs to have its audience--and a bigger audience than it gets now--love its shows as well.
Let’s develop a signature drama. How about one we’d call “Daring To Dream.” It’s set in Baltimore, circa 1964. An African American tween, originally from the South, is watching “The Ed Sullivan Show” one Sunday night and sees Diana Ross and the Supremes perform. The performance captures her imagination and she decides she wants to follow in Ross’ footsteps. First stop--trying to get on the local dance show on TV. This drama--with music--would be from Warner Bros. and executive producers John Waters and Oprah Winfrey.
Here’s another one. It’s a Western called “Stagecoach Mary.” This fictional drama series is inspired by the life of a real African American woman who did indeed have the nickname Stagecoach Mary.
According to an article in Junior Scholastic: “Mary Fields, born a slave in a log cabin in Tennessee, went west in 1884, when she was 52 years old. She ended up in Cascade, Montana, with the nuns for whom she worked. Fields was a towering figure on the Western frontier. She was ‘six feet tall, weighed more than 200 pounds, wore men's clothes, and puffed thick black cigars.’ A powerful woman made strong by years of heavy slave work, Fields refused to put up with ill treatment from anyone. She lost her job with the nuns when she got into a gunfight with another hired hand. But Fields was tough enough to make her own way on the frontier. She carried the U.S. mail, ran a restaurant, and drove a stagecoach, which earned her the nickname ‘Stagecoach Mary.’ ”
Sunday nights will be family nights on OWN. Back on Sunday nights during the 1964 TV season, NBC ran “Profiles in Courage,” dramatizations from the nonfiction book of the same name that was written by John F. Kennedy and won a Pulitzer Prize. Before his death, Kennedy had actually approved the scripts for this show, according to “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows” by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh.
The stories of ordinary Americans who have had some extraordinary experiences that will be dramatized for OWN’s new “Profiles in Courage” will be culled from the 4,000-plus episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The drama segments on this series will be introduced by Oprah and Michelle Obama.
Recently NBC passed on the pilot of “Wonder Woman.” After a revamping, the show will be picked up by OWN. Its main character will be Hispanic, and will live in a modest, multi-ethnic area of Los Angeles.
Let’s not forget comedy. Two African-American female DJ's from a Chicago radio station--who are also best friends--are on-the-lam through a very complicated misunderstanding. They are forced to hide out all around America while they are on the road. This very funny buddy road comedy series is from executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King.
Oprah has said that her Harpo staff in Chicago will become OWN employees. These folks are experienced at producing one of the finest talk shows in TV history. I don’t know if they are a fit with Rosie, who is planning a talk show on OWN, and it doesn’t seem as though Oprah is going to jump back into the genre.
But let’s find a host for a signature talk show on OWN built around this incredibly talented staff Oprah already has in place in Chicago.
With imagination and effort, OWN can become a great network.
I just read that OWN has picked up a reality show in the well-worn bridal category. OK, but I have my doubts that it’ll do anything for OWN. On the other hand, OWN seems to be have gotten on a better track with compelling reality fare with the new "Why Not? With Shania Twain." We'll have to see more episodes to make a clearer judgment.
Oprah now has the time to devote to the network with her name on it. Let’s hope that she and OWN’s new president, Peter Liguori, see how great OWN can really become. To do so they don’t have to re-invent TV, but they do need to take the road somewhat less traveled, and mix both fiction and non-fiction programming. If they do that, they have a good chance to develop a network that picks up where Oprah's talk show left off, making a difference in people’s lives.#
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