HOLLYWOOD TAKE 2: NOMINATIONS FOR THE WRITERS GUILD

TOP STORIES THIS WEEK:

A. PBS DECLARES ITS INTENTION TO COVER THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL RACE

B. THR’S OPENNING REMARKS FOR THE BIG FOUR NETWORKS FOR THE TCA CONFERENCE

C. THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC PLANS TO EXECUTE MOZART’S DON GIOVANNI IN MAY

D. NOMINATIONS FOR THE WRITERS GUILD NEGLECT A FEW PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS.

E. TIME PRAISES FILM CRITIC J. HOBERMAN

FORWARD:

If LIH’s “Hollywood Take 2” column is a review of the weeks events in entertainment, then it’s extremely hard to ignore the US’s political upheavals as an example of American two party drama.  Bare with us, we won’t spend too long on this topic. Drawing conclusions or influences from events in other wise unrelated fields is a fairly obscure manner of collecting inferences.  Yet some of the events that occurred in Hollywood this week do actually draw a great deal of spin from these odd events.  After all, in many ways, they are related by continent or country.

Still reeling from its economic recession, the Iowa Caucus may tell us something of the United States political future; or it may not.  The reason it many be instructive is it’s an event where Republican candidates spare to declare who are real contenders for the President of the United States.  The reason this event may not be influential is because the presidential race is still a year away and many things can happen before that.  After all the sitting Democratic President’s approval rating are always capable of rising or falling based on contemporary events and the Nation’s mercurial political will is difficult to predict.

Surprisingly, rankings may differ from what you expected.  According to the Associated Press, when the event was over this is how the Republican candidates were ranked [1]; In first place Mitt Romney amassed 30,015 votes, 24.6%, in second place Rick Santorum earned 30,007 votes, 24.5%, in third place Ron Paul absorbed 26,219 votes or 21.4%, in fourth place Newt Gingrich’s stole 16,251 votes or 13.3%, in fifth place Rick Perry collected 12,604 votes or 10.3%, in fifth place Michelle Bachman salvaged 6,073 votes or 5%, and in sixth place John Huntsman bagged 745 votes or 0.6%.  Now thanks to political pundits on all sides, here’s where the real political theatre begins.  Depending on whom you are listening to the following results may tell you; of course Romney is the likely front-runner he earned this standing in the last election.  And of course former Republican Candidate John McCain’s endorsement this week even helps verify this interpretation.  Rick Santorum’s out of nowhere introduction to the race verifies that The Christian right still has problems with Romney’s perceived liberalism and Mormon faith. Ron Paul’s surprise ranking also verifies that the Conservative base intends to make its interests known.  Despite previous polling, Newt Gingrich’s performance verifies his real influence in the party after a great many questionable choices in his political and personal life.  After a great many sophomoric political gaffs at previous political debates, Rick Perry has pretty much settled into the placement few expect him to ascend from.  After numerous upheavals in her organization, Michelle Bachman’s placement claries why recently suspended her campaign.  Despite a spirited Race, John Huntsman’s position doesn’t contradict his overall popularity within this field of candidates.

What impact or influences in entertainment can we derive from these events in electoral politics?

 A. PBS DECLARES ITS INTENTION TO COVER THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL RACE

In Deadline.com’s, “PBS Talks Covering Presidential Races: TCA” a Television Critics Association (or TCA) panel allowed the Public Broadcasting Station (or PBS) to declare it’s intention to be a media player in this year’s hotly contested races [2].  The article by Diane Haithman does an interesting job of connecting what it confirming a fairly liberal Hollywood as a base committed to supporting President Obama’s reelection campaign.  The article also details how Producers Harry Thomason and wife Linda Bloodworth-Thomason “were Hollywood’s premiere FOBs – that is, Friends of Bill Clinton” and how this association is likely to impact PBS programming.

 B. THR’S OPENNING REMARKS FOR THE BIG FOUR NETWORKS FOR THE TCA CONFERENCE

Since television remains the best media purveyor of information about politics, let’s embrace satire by comedically focusing how the Hollywood Reporter presumes the likely introductory remarks of the big four television networks should sound like. Addressing CBS’s Nina Tassler, NBC’s Bob Greenblatt, ABC’s Paul Lee and Fox’s Kevin Reilly, in “TCA: 4 Brutally Honest Exec Speeches, Presented by Tim Goodman,” THR’s chief TV critic provides a witty review of the network’s trials of the last year.  Now if only the networks achieved this level of funny with the same ease.

 C. THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC PLANS TO EXECUTE MOZART’S DON GIOVANNI IN MAY

Focusing on innovative events that impact drama as we know it! The Los Angeles Philharmonic has acquired the talents of a few well-known collaborators regardless of how well they’re known in the Opera community.   The polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien has starred in a few previous Mozart productions.  Classical music’s star Gustavo Dudamel will be handling Conducting duties. Though only having a reputation for handling costuming for “Black Swan,” sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy of fashion house Rodarte will be making their operatic costume debut with this production.  But as the article “Discussion: L.A. Phil to perform Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’, May 18, 2012,” explains, one of the biggest surprise participants of the production is Roy O. Disney Hall architect, Frank Gehry as Opera Set Designer [3].

D. NOMINATIONS FOR THE WRITERS GUILD NEGLECT A FEW PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS.

Anne Thompson of Thompsononhollywood.com, notes that comedies were unusually shown far more favor than previous years seemed willing to grant [4]. Of the 33 adapted screenplays and 55 originals considered a number of notable screenplays were conspicuously absent from consideration.  “The Adventures of Tin tin,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “”The Ides of March” and “War Horse,” were notable omissions. The article “Writers Guild Nominations Leave Out ‘War Horse,’ ‘Tree of Life,” Plus Many Ineligible Oscar Contenders” suggests a controversial conclusion for why these productions were overlooked.

 E. TIME PRAISES FILM CRITIC J. HOBERMAN

Near retirement Village Voice film critic is already a seminal member of the critical community.  His brand of aesthetic and political criticism may be exactly what we find useful in understanding the influences philosophy, policy, and social events might impact what we see on screen.  Time magazine writer Jessica Winter’s “In Praise of Film Critic J. Hoberman” reviews the writer’s influence in the field and what we may lose with his passing of the torch to younger writers [5].

 CONCLUSION:

Political changes, gamesmanship, or competition or not, as I said before, how the election will turn out relies depends on factors we are may still may not understand yet.  Growing and improving economic indicators that refer to the automobile industry, energy, and jobs may yet accelerate or diminish what we think broken or fixed in the economy may yet to articulated in politics and electoral representation.

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REFERENCES:

[1] Associated Press

[2] http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/pbs-debates-networks-evolving-role-in-covering-presidential-campaigns-tca/

[3] http://laopeningnights.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/discussion-l-a-phil-to-perform-mozarts-don-giovanni/

[4] http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/writers-guild-nominations-leave-out-many-ineligible-oscar-contenders-not-final

 [5] http://entertainment.time.com/2012/01/05/in-praise-of-film-critic-j-hoberman/#ixzz1idZUd3Pj

[6] http://seekingalpha.com/article/269460-more-positive-economic-indicators

Tags: 2012 Presidential Race, Iowa Caucus, writers guild of america