5 March 2001

THE GOOD (cont.): A very strong editorial on The Clintons, from a paper that has been a haven for extreme Clinton apologists like Joe Conason and generally sits comfortably in the center. The paper also isn't afraid of telling it like it is – or at least how it is perceived – on sensitive issues like the New York Jewish reaction to Bill Clinton laying the lion's share of responsibility for the Marc Rich pardon at the feet of the then Israeli Prime Minister. Christopher Hitchens, who can dive way over the deep end, has made a good point in that Barak was on his way out of politics in Israel as he so influenced Clinton. Can the National Enquirer get Israeli bank records? Anyway, you can read the Observer's observations here.

A loving look at Tina Fey, one of the two new news anchors on Saturday Night Live, that may be cloying, but also gives you a fair look at the real interior tone of the show.

Philip Weiss takes a trip to Havana that I can identify with completely.

Alexandra Jacobs delivers an analysis of a new fashion trend for women from every side… the trend and the analysis.

At the end of a section called The Transom, Rebecca Traister covers the story of Hunter Thompson's letter to The Shooting Gallery's Holly Sorenson the way the story should have been covered by anyone who was writing it up. She talks, on the record, to both Sorenson and Thompson and offers a reasonable perspective on the rather extreme e-mail, which ran on Ain't It Cool on February 20 and in Jeff Well's Reel.com column on the 22^nd. Both outlets got the letter from Mark Ebner, who decided not to do a story about the letter after Hunter Thompson declined to comment. Both outlets seemed to take Thompson's word as gospel, since both would, apparently, like to believe that the "underdog" is always right… nevermind that the underdog made a deal and that The Shooting Gallery is generally perceived as an underdog in its own right. Anyway, here's the link to Traister's version.

Off the Record, which has been coming on strong again lately with Gabriel Snyder at the helm, covers Bill Clinton's speech for the Front Row Conference, sponsored by Variety and conspicuously not co-sponsored by Credit Suisse First Boston, better, with more industry awareness and more thoroughly than anyone else I read. Likewise, Snyder covers the Disney buy-in into US Weekly concisely and with appropriate, but not overly aggressive, skepticism.

(By the way, if you car about media, Snyder is only one of the regular stops you need to make. David Carr in Inside.com is one of the best ever. Cynthia Cotts at The Village Voice is key. Catherine Seipp at Mediaweek is always funny and smart about what's really going on out there. And Jim Romanesko's MediaNews column is the unofficial meeting place of all of the above and everyone else in the news biz.)

The Arts Section starts strong with a terrific profile of Kenneth Lonnergan by Andrew Goldman. Of course, Andrew Sarris still reigns, making up for The Observer's choice to print the banal, my-make-up-is-clouding-my-mind absurdities of Rex Reed each week. And I am always up for the Eight Day Week, which for some reason is not on the website.

Anyway, that's eight terrific stories in one 34 page newspaper… and I'm sure that some love Ron Rosenbaum and Molly Haskell and other critics and The Crime Blotter even more than I. But just the eight… that's remarkable. And even when the subjects are iffy, the writing is strong and fun and just obnoxious enough.

THE BAD: Even when it comes to awards, the unions and the producers can't agree!!! Over the weekend, the producers gave Gladiator their Best Picture prize, while the Writers Guild gave Best Original Screenplay to Ken Lonergan's You Can Count on Me and Best Adapted Screenplay to Stephen Gaghan for Traffic. (Please note, the possessive was only for the writer/director, while the screenwriter got a "for" mention. God knows, I don't want to start any wars with the writers.)

THE UGLY: Nothing ugly but the rain.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: You'll be able to see me, live, before and after the Oscar ceremony on E! Entertainment Television. I'm afraid I won't be able to match Anderson Jones' wardrobe, but I'll try to keep up. Maybe that's not a golden opportunity, but it will be almost as good as having a live column, shooting at the hits and misses of this year's night of gold.

JUST WONDERING: Have you seen Way of the Gun? It may be the best overlooked film of 2000.

BAD AD WATCH: Am I the only one who says to himself, "What is Elvis Mitchell doing in a movie ad?" every time he sees the smaller print ads for The Caveman's Valentine?

READER OF THE DAY: Not A Dyslexic Mr. Richter writes: "I just wanted to drop a few lines on The Mexican.  First and foremost, I really did enjoy this movie and here's why:

1. People who really like this movie will do so because they would rather see Gandolfini and Roberts together rather than Pitt and Roberts.  And by "together" I mean in the same scene.  It seems that all those who are disappointed in the film all chant the same thing, "Misleading promos!  Brad and Julia are annoying!  Misleading promos!"  I thought the movie was a welcome inclusion in the careers for both Roberts and Pitt and Gandolfini was just marvelous.

2.  And about the score, I agree with you wholeheartedly.  It just didn't fit.  May I offer two suggestions as a replacement.  Joe Kraemer, who did an amazing job on Way of The Gun (a score so great I play in my head as I walk to class and pretend I am a desperado), or Thomas Newman, who I think would have done gangbusters with this movie. 

But frankly Dreamworks has got to be scratching their heads at the take for this weekend.  20 million in the wake of 58 for Hannibal has to be offputting.  And I think they can look to only two things, 1.) This is the same marketing department who could easily sell Gladiator (not a real tough job there, Gladiators! and Tigers! and Flying Sand!) but couldn't get a nickel from Almost Famous (a film that needed the love and patience Dreamworks couldn't or did not want to provide and didn't even garner a re-release in the wake of its 4 Oscar noms)  and now with the possibility of an underperforming Mexican, you've got to wonder what lies in the future for Dreamworks pictures.)

2.) Brad Pitt just can't open a movie anymore, not even with the help of Roberts and Tony Soprano."

E ME: As I write above, I'm not sure I agree with some of your business observations. But a lot of interesting questions and a remarkable coincidence of us both thinking about Way of the Gun at the same time made you ROTD. What do y'all think?