Michael Dare
Internet Factoid
The Weekly Poll
Results
Current Question
If you were to cast the lead for a movie about Obama's life, campaign and election who would have in the role?
A. Will Smith
B. Denzel Washington
C. Eddie Murphy
D. Samuel L. Jackson
E. Forest Whitaker
F. Other
A. Will Smith - 5
Sara wrote...
Will Smith is the ONLY choice. When SNL's made the decision to cast a white guy in make-up I was beside myself. It would have given an up-coming black actor/comedian his big break. Why didn't they hire Will Smith because of his obvious head shape, ear thing resemblance to do a guest star bit like they did with Tina Fey as Palin?... (Probably because SNL was deathly afraid of doing ANYTHING that would appear to be mocking, negative or racist regarding BHO. Hillary was fair game, of course, but that's another matter entirely, don't ya know...)
Joe (with the big J) added...
I guess I'd have to pick Will Smith. I couldn't make up my mind between Smith and Denzel Washington, I think either one would do a fine job. I don't know, I guess I just feel Will Smith would do it better. No real reason. Peace
joe (with the little j) concurred with...
I watch a lot of TV and it is going to be Will Smith, I have seen him talk about playing him before Barack won. Will said I have his ears and you could tell he admired Barack.
DC Madman is on the band wagon, too...
The obvious choice is Will Smith. Firstly for the ears. They both seem to have "It" - warmth, humor, savvy, youth and genuineness. They are brothers in Grammy. But mostly for the ears.
(I gotta ask... Are you Mad as in angry, or Mad as in crazy? haha...)
B. Denzel Washington - 1
Sally P (the P stands for Pal) weighed in with...
Unfortunately, I am not a movie person. That being said, and not to dismiss Eddie Murphy (whom I love), I would have to choose (B) Denzel Washington to play the young, ambitious Barack Obama in the movie of his life. And, you KNOW there will be one too :)
My question for you is: Who will play Oprah, his big supporter, in the movie! After all, she is bigger than life... (I love Oprah!).... (Hi, Pal... I would cast her in a cameo as herself)...
C. Eddie Murphy - 0
D. Samuel L. Jackson - 0
E. Forest Whitaker - 0
F. Other - 4
Harry Lennix - 2
Adam (who aughta know) replied...
If you were to cast the lead for a movie about Obama's life, campaign
and election who would have in the role? F- Other: Harry Lennix. He is less well-known than the other actors on your list, but is at least as good an actor (and better much better than Murphy and Smith).
He looks and sounds enough like Obama to play him without resorting to impersonation. He already did acting duty in the White House on 'Commander in Chief' and even played Obama in HBOs 'Little Britain USA'...
Jazzymean (a first time respondent, thank you very much) agreed...
My candidate would be Harry Lennix, the actor who played Commander Lock in the movie "Matrix Revolution". He has a long list of acting credits under his belt and physically looks amazingly like Obama.
Blair Underwood - 1
mj said...
I'd go with F, Blair Underwood for his ability to project a cool, restrained
passion.. If there were a time machine available, a young Morgan Freeman or Ossie Davis because both evoke feelings of great dignity.. And for your mini-trivia, the tune was the "Colonel Bogey March"(spelling not guaranteed)....
(Good idea! I liked him in LA Law... Correct on the tune, spelling and all.... Kudos!)
Antonio Fargas - 1
DanD (from outta 'Left' field and I'm cool with that) tossed this in...
Hey, with the way BHO is making his cabinet just another de facto retread of the worst of the Clinton Administration, and that the Bush/Clinton presidencies were just a more genocidal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide variation of America's Demo-Republicon. war-party paradigm (Much -- if not most -- of Bush's worst conduct could not have near as easily occurred if Clinton had not [more charismatically] first opened the door of "legitimacy," regarding EOs, NAFTA, National Treasury theft [Clinton "created" his "surplus" by "borrowing" it from the Social Security Fund] and committing war crimes by way of lies and deception), I'll date myself by nominating Antonio Fargas as our newest model of America's Puppet-in-Chief. (in his leaner, meaner, years, of course)... (Hmmm... I don't know what to say other than thanks for giving us the benefit of your 'wisdom')...
Well, that's it then... Thanks to all you responders (and readers, too!)... As I always say, "Yer the best!"...
Oh, and my pick? I gotta go with Will Smith only because I'm not at all familiar with Mr. Lennix.
The rest are all great actors in their own right, IMHO, and I've enjoyed all the works they've done. But, Will is the guy...
Back at ya next week...
BadToTheBoneBob
The New Question
The Executive Order Edition
Thursday & Friday
Erin Hart
Please join Erin Hart from 5 to 9 am PST (6 to 10 am MST | 7 to 11 am CST | 8 am to noon EST), on both Thanksgiving and Black (now Fading) Friday on AM760.net.
We'll count our blessings (and a few curses) -- for election results, for the food we eat and the country we will help change from many angles. We'll also swap tips on how to save in this very scary economy.
We will no doubt "cook" up our favorite recipes, too. What alternative foods do you eat on the day? I am going for chicken this year instead of turkey, and tamales a little early in the season. Pedro the pooch will dine on sweet potato treats. Yum! How about you?
Special guests, too!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Andrew Sullivan: Princeton's Proposition 8
In 2008, voters in California passed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. (According to the new law, gay couples and lesbian couples can get married, but it is OK is a gay man marries a lesbian.) Inspired by a proposition that allowed a slim majority to take away a civil right of a minority, students at Princeton decided to attempt to pass their own Proposition 8-one that forbids freshmen from using the sidewalks. According to gay pundit Andrew Sullivan, "They don't hate freshman-they just want to protect the sidewalks." Proponents of Proposition 8 say that freshmen are equal, but they should be kept separate. After all, allowing freshmen to walk on sidewalks is a violation of traditional sidewalk values.
Toby Young: Lulled by the celebritariat (prospect-magazine.co.uk)
Exactly 50 years ago Michael Young published his famous dystopia "The Rise of the Meritocracy." His son Toby argues that we never got the meritocratic educational elite predicted by his father, instead we got the celebrity class.
Exclusive interview with Art Spiegelman (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
Tom Gatti talks to the Pulizer-winning creator of "Maus."
Froma Harrop: Palin's Next Career Move (creators.com)
Sarah Palin should have run up the white flag of surrender and kept the clothes. They were gorgeous, and there really was no reason to give up the $150,000 wardrobe unless she planned to run again under the Wal-Mart Mom persona.
SUSAN ESTRICH: The Legal Road Ahead (creators.com)
The California Supreme Court's decision to hear argument as an "original" matter in three of the lawsuits challenging the adoption of Proposition 8 means the issue of gay marriage will soon be back in the courts.
Janice Turner: Thank you for the music (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
Björn Ulvaeus reflects on Abba's superstardom, the emotional fallout, and the life-affirming qualities of Swedish powerpop.
Sophie Harris: Katy Perry on the risqué business of "I Kissed a Girl" (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
Her lipgloss-lesbian anthem may have ruffled feathers but Katy Perry just wants to entertain.
Matt Bell: Politics and Progress With Patti LaBelle (advocate.com)
The last time girl-group Labelle dropped an album, the thought of a black president or same-sex marriage seemed as "far-out" as the band's disco-spacewoman suits and fusion of disco, rock, and soul. But the button-pushing, soul-singing trio has reunited, and on the heels of Prop. 8 passing and Barack Obama being elected president, Patti LaBelle talks to The Advocate about the mix of emotions she's dealt with over the past few weeks.
Corey Scholibo: Seth Meyers's Big Gay Saturday Night (advocate.com)
SNL funnyman Seth Meyers talks to Advocate.com about last week's episode of Saturday Night Live -- the gayest episode in the history of the show, by some accounts. With touches including Justin Timberlake as Beyoncé's backup dancer and Snagglepuss crashing Weekend Update, it caused some bloggers to take offense ... but Meyers says it's just the sort of stuff that stemmed from many discussions about Prop. 8.
Christopher Goodwin: Return of the Demi (Moore) goddess (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
After a midcareer panning and time out with the kids, Demi Moore is back - and she makes for a formidable fortysomething.
Genius at work: Tennant and Serkis (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
Albert Einstein changed the world - with a little help from a Briton named Arthur. Nigel Hawkes sees the story retold.
Brandon Voss: "Big Gay Following: Adrien Brody" (advocate.com)
Adrien Brody does his best to let loose for his gay fans.
Charlie responded:
responded:
Reader Suggestion
Re: First Thanksgiving
Hi Marty,
The graphic you had on yesteray's BartCopE about the First Nations'
view of thanksgiving reminded me a video about the first
Thanksgiving. Here's a link:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cloudy and cool.
May be a few pictures short til mid-day.
Hanging Up Kneepads
Alan Colmes
Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity is losing his liberal half.
Alan Colmes of the network's "Hannity & Colmes" said on his Web site Monday that he'll be leaving the prime-time show after 12 years. He said he approached a network executive earlier this year about doing something else.
Colmes will continue as a liberal commentator on Fox programs, keep doing his own radio show and is developing a weekend show at Fox News.
There was no immediate word about whether he will be replaced on the popular prime-time program. Hannity has been the bigger star in media circles and recently signed a contract extension. Hannity also does his own solo weekend show at Fox.
Alan Colmes
Free Downloads
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen's new single can be downloaded free of charge - for one day.
Springsteen is offering free downloads of "Working on a Dream" on iTunes and his official Web site. The track will have a fee attached on iTunes from Tuesday through December 9.
It's the first offering from Springsteen's upcoming album, also titled "Working on a Dream," which will be released January 27, five days before the rock star and the E Street Band perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida.
Bruce Springsteen
Crisis In Zimbabwe
Jimmy Carter
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday the crisis in Zimbabwe appears "much worse than anything we ever imagined" after the government there blocked his weekend humanitarian visit.
Carter, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and child advocate Graca Machel called for southern African leaders to halt the "deep suffering" in Zimbabwe, where the U.N. says more than 5 million people face imminent starvation.
The president of neighboring South Africa, meanwhile, warned Zimbabwe "may implode and collapse," as he announced a new round of talks to try to resolve the political impasse.
His comments, some of the strongest yet by South Africa, come as a cholera epidemic has killed hundreds of Zimbabweans and spilled across the border into South Africa. Officials say Zimbabwe's political and economic collapse caused the outbreak.
Jimmy Carter
Evening Standard Theatre Awards
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, an Oscar winner for "American Beauty" and "The Usual Suspects," received a special prize at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards "for bringing new life to the Old Vic."
Spacey took charge of the Old Vic in 2003, reviving the 190-year-old theater with a series of acclaimed and popular productions. The award judges cited a recent revival of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" starring Spacey and Jeff Goldblum, and the theater's current production of Alan Ayckbourn's comic trilogy "The Norman Conquests."
Now in their 54th year, the Evening Standard awards are sponsored by London's afternoon newspaper.
Kevin Spacey
Revamps Sunday
CW
The CW network says it's replacing its Sunday night lineup with movies and reruns of series including "Jericho" and "Everybody Hates Chris."
The network Monday announced the cancellation of "In Harm's Way," "4 Real," "Valentine" and "Easy Money," a programming block created by independent studio Media Rights Capital.
The revamped lineup, which begins Sunday, also will include repeats of "The Game" and "The Drew Carey Show" and films from the MGM library including "The Cutting Edge," "Revenge of the Pink Panther," "Spaceballs" and "Carrie."
CW
Christmas Special
Blackadder
The cast of hit comedy series Blackadder will return to the small screen in a one-off documentary over Christmas as part of the BBC's seasonal schedule.
The broadcaster said "Blackadder Rides Again" would feature the first in-depth interview with actor Rowan Atkinson, who played Edmund Blackadder and his descendants in the show's four series between 1983 and 1989.
Other stars from the historical comedy taking part in the behind-the-scenes feature include Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson and Tony Robinson, who played Blackadder's long-suffering sidekick Baldrick.
The series spanned nearly 500 years of British history as it tracked Blackadder's adventures from 15th century medieval England to the trenches of World War One.
Blackadder
Out Of Syndication
Tyra Banks
Daytime talker "The Tyra Banks Show" is moving to the CW's afternoon block in September, after airing in syndication for four seasons.
Economics played a role in its move out of syndication as stations are forced to make budget cuts amid the economic downturn. To cut costs, "Tyra's" production schedule will be cut to 26 weeks from 34, with an episode from the first four seasons airing at 3 p.m. and a new installment airing at 4 p.m. "Tyra" repeats also will continue to air in late-night on women's cable channel Oxygen.
"Tyra Banks" this season is averaging a 1.0 household rating, off 9% from the same period a year ago, which puts it in a different league from higher-rated talkers including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Phil" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which is the only talker up year-over-year. But it's also averaging a 1.0 among women 18-34 -- the CW's target -- up 25% from a year ago and fourth among all talkers.
Tyra Banks
Hollywood Lawyer Gets 3 Years
Terry Christensen
A prominent Hollywood attorney was sentenced Monday to three years in prison in a wiretapping scheme that targeted the former wife of MGM mogul Kirk Kerkorian.
Terry Christensen declined to make a statement in federal court, saying only that he couldn't express things any better than he had in a previous letter about his remorse over working with private eye Anthony Pellicano.
Pellicano and Christensen were accused of recording phone conversations of Lisa Bonder Kerkorian in her child support dispute with Kirk Kerkorian.
Bonder Kerkorian, a former tennis pro, was married to Kerkorian, now 91, for 28 days in 1999. Christensen paid Pellicano $25,000 up front and promised $100,000 more if he could identify the true father of the girl, prosecutors said. DNA tests later showed movie producer Steve Bing was the biological father.
Terry Christensen
Goes On Trial
Boy George
A Norwegian escort told a court Monday that Boy George manacled him to a bedroom wall and beat him with a metal chain after accusing him of hacking into his computer.
The former Culture Club singer is on trial for the false imprisonment of 29-year-old Audun Carlsen.
Carlsen told London's Snaresbrook Crown Court that he met the singer through a Web site and went to his London home for a naked photo shoot. After the encounter Boy George sent a series e-mails accusing Carlsen of hacking into his computer, but Carlsen nonetheless agreed to return for a second photo session several weeks later in April 2007.
Carlsen told the jury that when he arrived Boy George and another man held him down and beat him before the singer handcuffed him to a hook in the bedroom wall.
Boy George
Murder Trial Opens
Lillo Brancato Jr.
A prosecutor at the murder trial of Lillo Brancato Jr. told jurors Monday the former "Sopranos" actor got involved in the killing of an off-duty police officer during a desperate mission to steal drugs.
Brancato, 32, is charged with second-degree murder in the 2005 death of Officer Daniel Enchautegui (En-chow-TAY'-gee).
Assistant District Attorney Theresa Gottlieb said Brancato and the other man, Steven Armento, had set out to steal prescription drugs.
Authorities say the pair broke into an apartment to steal drugs after a night of drinking at a strip club. Enchautegui, who lived next door, came out to investigate and Armento shot the 28-year-old officer in the heart. Enchautegui fired back, wounding both men.
Lillo Brancato Jr.
Settlement Is Secret
Michael Jackson
The details of pop star Michael Jackson's settlement with a Bahraini prince are to remain confidential, a lawyer for the royal said Monday.
Attorney Bankim Thanki confirmed to London's High Court that Jackson and Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had settled their legal dispute over a planned music project that fell apart in 2006.
In a joint statement e-mailed to reporters after the brief hearing, lawyers for Al Khalifa and Jackson confirmed that the dispute had been resolved.
Michael Jackson
Collector's Item
'The Whizzinator'
Two men whose company sold a device known as the Whizzinator that helped men cheat on drug tests have pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh. George Wills and Robert Catalano each pleaded guilty Monday to two conspiracy counts. They owned the California-based Internet company Puck Technology.
The Whizzinator is a prosthetic penis that comes with a heating element and fake urine. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan's office says the goal of it and another device called Number 1 was to help people pass drug tests.
The devices were sold from 2005 to 2008. The California men are scheduled to be sentenced in February and face up to eight years in prison, a half-million-dollar fine or both.
'The Whizzinator'
In Memory
John Michael Hayes
Screenwriter John Michael Hayes, nominated for an Academy Awards for the classic Alfred Hitchcock film "Rear Window" and for "Peyton Place," has died at age 89.
Hayes also collaborated with Hitchcock on "To Catch a Thief," "The Trouble with Harry" and the 1956 remake of Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much." His most recent writing credit is the 1998 film "Iron Will."
Hayes was born in Worcester, Mass., in 1919. He got his start writing for newspapers and radio. After paying his way through school at Massachusetts State College, Hayes moved to Hollywood. There he landed a job writing for Lucille Ball's radio program "My Favorite Husband" and the serial drama "The Adventures of Sam Spade."
Hayes donated his collection of scripts, photographs, letters and clippings from his Hollywood career to Dartmouth College in 1990.
John Michael Hayes
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