Inconvenient Truth: American Slavery

Somewhere, somehow, when I was younger, I got the notion that slaves were only owned by rich white men on big plantations. Truth is, slaves were a common thing; many whites (rich or poor) in the South in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries owned at least 2 African (black) slaves. Even more haunting than that, however, is the fact that many slave owners (white males) fathered children with many of their female slaves. The "inconvenient truth" here is the fact that, on most occasions, the slave owners sold the children they sired...

-Amir Said

12-Step Redemption Program; Mainstream Media Gets 2nd Step Right

Ever sense the mainstream media fell asleep on the job six years ago, by not diligently scrutinizing the malarkey the Bush administration pushed about Iraq, Sadaam Hussein, and WMDs, they have been clamoring to "make it right." Well, having begun the a 12-step redemption program--the first step being their role in getting President Obama elected--they're seemingly focused (well, at least MSNBC is) on making sure that the health care debate not only gets a fair shake, but that serious wholesale health care and insurance reform actually gets done. To that I say: Kudos, mainstream media. Glad to see you're awake on the job again.

-Amir Said

Economic Crises Gives Studios The Green Light; Raises Premium On Acting and Writing

For a long time now, the studios have wanted to curtail the paydays for movie stars. Indeed, it's a key component for their plan to restructure the film industry's fledgling business model. But the studios have never had the right opportunity (or justification) to do so, that is, until now. The current financial shit-fall that's echoing around the world has finally given Hollywood studios the green light to low-ball movie stars. In her recent piece on The Daily Beast, Kim Masters reports on the paltry $250,000 that was offered to Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke by Marvel Studios, the studio behind Iron Man 2. Until this stink bomb of an offer was dropped, Johnson and Rourke could have expected to clear seven figures, easily. I mean, what's the going rate for a sequel to a hit franchise? But it isn't just the offers that are raising the eyebrows of studio helmers and having movie stars across LA scurrying to check their bank account balances, it's the caveat that came with the offers: 'take it or leave it, we have other options!'

Crises offers opportunity. So it should really come as no surprise that major Hollywood studios would use the current economic crises to push ahead with their long-time desire to slash the salaries of movie stars. Gone are the days of Will Smith paydays, (well, for everybody except Will Smith). Yep. Talent will now have to take a drastic cut in salary and compensation, because the business model of the film industry, as we've known it for the past 15 or so years, is now in hospice. However, things aren't all bad. There are two 'bright sides' to this. The dramatic salary cuts for talent will inevitably place even more of a premium on great acting and even better writing.

Pay cuts across the board means that tier 2 actors (famous names but non-superstars) and tier 3 actors (respectable 'working' actors with minimal fame) are gonna have to compete with each other, more than ever before, for plum, decent paying roles. And let's not forget, that all actors are going to have to make up their losses in volume, which means that tier 1 actors will be regularly swooping down and snatching up spots that would normally have not met their standard paydays, and would have therefore easily gone to tier 2 thespians. In effect, Marvel Studios' hard-line offers have set in motion the leveling of the ubiquitous acting playing field, and has initiated a potentially more complex casting process -- one in which actors will be forced to do more call-backs and screen-tests than usual... OH SHIT! Are we headed back to a time when actors did exclusive multi-year (indentured servant-like) studio deals? SAG, please say it ain't so...

Fact is, there is an ideological shift that's been brewing in Hollywood for a long time. It's actually a shift to an old ideology -- you know, the one that deems talent as merely an interchangeable (easily replaceable) business expense. The shift to this ideology has been subtle for some, but more obvious for those who recognize good acting when they see it. The thing is, overall, the quality of acting in film, and especially television, has been going down, way down, over the past decade. This is no accident, the studios realized long ago that the movies are one of the most fundamental activities of popular culture, and that therefore, people are going to go to the movies no matter what, even if the stories are shit and even if there's no big name stars in them. Well, be prepared because this ideological shift is about to gain even more fervor. But again, I have to maintain that this ain't all bad, because it will undoubtedly lead to more competition for roles, which will in turn lead to a higher quality of acting.

Finally, with the meat cleaver being leveled against the earning power of actors, you can expect to see better writing. Studio helmers know movies go even better with quality stories. They also know less qualified actors all but destroy great stories. Moreover, since decent television is being ran out of town by reality shows, quality writers will have no choice but to move more into film. And well, now since the studios can get superb talent on the cheap, they'll also being looking to secure great writing for next to nothing. Hence, it's the beginning of a new premium for top writers as well.

-Amir Said

Re: Slumdog Millionaire or Benjamin Button Best Pic Talk

Any Best Picture discussion regarding Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button must first to deal with the fact that both films are epic in proportion, yet extremely different... yet again very much the same, because at the core of each film is a love story that faces challenges throughout...

-Amir Said

Sting: Better Group or Solo?

Before Sting became a one-man mega star (in the 80s), he was the front-man and bassist for the group, The Police.

The Police where an English outfit who specialized in an uptempo rock-reggae that seemed to shun the ska sound of its time. Originally a punk inspired band, The Police moved towards the new wave sound, before settling on a minimalist rock-reggae hybrid that was decidedly pop. The collective musicianship of The Police was authentic and serious. Drummer Stuart Copeland was a student of the "reggae style". He also seemed devoted to having a worldly sound, which meant he had to drum on a rather large kit. I remember the first time I saw his set in a video, I couldn't believe how many mini-toms and percussion pieces it contained. Guitarist Andy Summers was a seasoned and accomplished sessions player before he joined The Police. In fact, before he joined The Police, (replacing The Police's original guitarist, Henry Padovani), he nearly became a late member of The Rolling Stones. Sting, a former school teacher who was dedicated to the blues-rock tunes that he'd heard in clubs as a high schooler, began as a guitarist, before eventually switching over to bass.

The Police ran a table of successful albums between 1978 and 1983. In 1984, the trio unofficially split up. However, the "unofficial" tag was removed a year later, when Sting released his first notable solo effort, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Shortly thereafter, Sting's solo career went somewhat viral.

Sting was a great solo artist, but his work with the group, The Police, was much more interesting and engaging, and dare I say, meaningful.
Therefore, to the question of Sting: Better Group or Solo? I'd have to go with Group!

Side note:
Imagine what would have happened to The Police if MTV was around in 1979... I wonder how their music would have changed. Would it have changed for the better or worse? Would Sting have left for a solo career? Would he have left even sooner?

-Amir Said

Parachute Pants Loses Their #1 Ranking...By a Landslide

Parachute Pants are no Longer the Worst Male Fashion Trend of all time...
No, that dubious distinction officially belongs to male Skinny jeans!

-Amir Said

Biblio Offers Value-Added Purchasing

About a year ago, I discovered Biblio. I was doing research for the upcoming 5th Edition of my book, BeatTips Manual, and there were a number of out-of-print titles that I needed access to. Enter Biblio, perhaps the best source for used, rare, and hard-to-find books.

Nine "new" books into my tango with Biblio, I began to realize that Biblio held multiple meanings for me. For one thing, Biblio's web of small independent booksellers, is a huge draw. It's encouraging because I know that each of my purchases goes to help preserve the independent book trade. However, what I've found to be most valuable about Biblio is that it has somehow influenced me to buy even more books; which has in turn inspired me to read more; which has in turn increased my pages/per hour reading pace. Now, that's value-added purchasing.

Note. Biblio doesn't just sale rare and/or used books. Many of their booksellers keep a healthy stock of new titles. In either case, all Biblio titles have competitive prices. Check 'em out: Biblio

-Amir Said

The Prisoner Poised for Remake

The Prisoner is one tv show that should be running on some sort of classic cable television channel. Well, either that or it deserves a full service remake! Having gone through the Bush administration 'Twilight Zone', many Americans got a dose of what it feels like to be trapped in some secret village, where pivotal decisions are made by a puppeteer and some obscure fraudulent leader.

Patrick McGoohan, who starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced The Prisoner, died this past Tuesday. Before McGoohan took the reigns of The Prisoner and became "6", he gained fame as "John Drake", the hero of the television show Secret Agent. (No doubt you've heard the Secret Agent theme song recorded by Johnny Rivers.) What made The Prisoner such a brilliant show was the fact that it channeled the angst of a world that for many, had become somewhat of a prison.

The jail analogy for everyday man was a new concept in the turbulent times of 1968. More importantly, the basic premise of The Prisoner helped to transform how stories could be shown and told on modern television. At a time where intriguing television dramas are being snuffed out by utterly thoughtless reality knock-offs and shameful remakes, (think Howie Mandels's Howie Do It or the "new" Knight Rider), a solid update of The Prisoner would sore big right now, if it were to be remade. Unfortunately, however, the major networks are shit out of cash, and they're not interested in running any programming that isn't cheap and damn-near guaranteed to keep the lights on. And the cable networks, who are now truly in the "prime time" driver's seat, are seemingly more concerned with "artsy" send-ups and/or story-lines tinged with supposedly taboo subject matter. Therefore, a remake of The Prisoner isn't likely, but if it were to ever capture a network green light, I'm ready with my storyline pitches.

-Amir Said