Baron Dave Romm
The Informant!
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Yom Kippur 5770
As you read this (most likely), it's Yom Kippur 5770. The holiest day in the Jewish calendar: the Day of Atonement. There are very specific laws you follow and prayers you recite. I am unlikely to follow the letter of the law. I hope I can live in the spirit of the law: I fast (neither food nor drink for 24+ hours) and will reflect on the year and my life, at least a little.
Interesting analysis of the Kol Nidre, commenting on forced conversions of the past and secular Jews of today:
The Informant!
Why is there an exclamation point in the title of The Informant!? Dunno.
I don't want to give away too much. Following the development of the story is most of the fun. The incidents are real, and I vaguely remember reading about them at the time. Bob Dole became the 1996 GOP presidential candidate, and he was closely tied to Archer Daniels Midland. Dole's connection is never mentioned, which is too bad. The scandal that enfolds is tricky to follow because there's no sex. A bunch of old guys fly arround the world and agree to price fixing, but there's nary a high class hooker in sight. Heck, the film is so vanilla that I question the R rating: A few Naughty Words but no violence or nudity. But not a film for the kiddies: Don't want to give them any ideas.
You were directly affected by the scandal. What was going on behind the scenes at ADM was scary and pervasive. The film tries to expose the politics behind breakfast. "One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic. " said Joseph Stalin, murderer of millions. Nearly 50,000 Americans die in automobile accidents every year, but because they're usually one or two at a time the number is a statistic. You might know someone who died or was injured in a car accident, but you don't agitate for safer cars or stricter DWI laws.
Similarly, the extra nickel you pay for a can of soda or the extra few cents per bacon strip just rolls off you. You'll gladly pay an extra buck a day for food as long as you don't have to pay attention. Ensuring the honesty of the people who provide the food you eat is simply not worth your time.
You trust Big Agribusiness. You trust government to watch over Big Agribusiness. As long as you get a toy with your Happy Meal, you're a satisfied customer.
But I digress. ADM's presence looms large in The Informant! and some of the above is in the narration, but the movie isn't about how faceless corporate bureaucrats control your life. It's about how faceless corporate bureaucrats steal your money.
And more importantly, The Informant! is about how faceless corporate bureaucrats feel entitled to steal your money. Quite simply, the rules don't apply to them.
On one level, The Informant! is very funny, lightheartedly following the adventures (and misadventures) of a real-life FBI informant. No one gets off easy: ADM executives, foreign executives, the FBI, the general public. In many ways, The Informant! is the flip side to Catch Me If You Can, the Steven Spielberg movie about real-life conman Frank Abagnale Jr. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks recreate the hunted and the hunter. Here, Matt Damon and Scott Bakula are part of a large set of crooks, liars, informants, FBI agents and government prosecutors.
Precisely who is using who -- and why -- is part of the fun. The real-life aspects of the story add spice, from the opening title card to the important story that the conservative news media barely noted. Also adding spice are interesting cameos sprinkled throughout.
On the Shockwave scale of 9 to 23, with 9 being bottom, I give The Informant! about a 18 or 19. Not a great movie, but a solidly good movie. The periphery of the movie -- how faceless corporate bureaucrats decide what you eat and what you pay for your chemically-altered food -- is very important. The Informant! will serve as a good introduction to a much larger story.
FlashForward
FlashForward is a tv show based on a science fiction novel by Robert Sawyer. I know Sawyer from his stint as Minicon Guest of Honor and Facebook Friend but haven't read the book. There are changes from the book, but Sawyer doesn't mind as long as they keep sending him checks.
The pilot episode was okay. The show opens after the entire world has blacked out for 2:17, seeing six months into the future. The world is a mess, as driverless cars crashed, hospital operations were stopped, etc. The world is burning. But that's not the real problem.
Can the show sustain the premise through all 13 episodes and (presumably) beyond? Hard to say. The first show didn't blow me away but I'll watch the next.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition has come to the Science Museum of Minnesota, which includes the 1991 iMax movie, Titanica in the Omnitheater.
Few new facts about the 1912 disaster come to light. If you know the story at all, there will be few surprises. What works, and works well, is how the artifacts make it personal. As you enter, you're given a Boarding Pass from the White Star Line for the R.M.S. Titanic in the name of an actual passenger. I was Mr. George Dunton Widener. Many of the passengers and crew have their own little exegesis or you see some of their possessions that were once at the bottom of the ocean. Not me. I didn't find out until the end of the exhibit, with a wall listing all passengers and survivors (here says 2229 passengers; here says 2224; here has a lot of info and gives says 2228; I don't recall what the exhibit used).
The Science Museum also brings a cast of characters to play various Titanic personnel, who are there to talk to you and guide you through some of the facts. In one of the more kinesthetic exhibits, one of the lifeboats is projected on the floor. You are asked to stand inside the boundaries, 30' by 9' 1". The couple dozen of us seemed packed in a boat that was supposed to be emergency evacuation for 65. The first few lifeboats went out with only 19 people each. You can see how people wouldn't want to get too uncomfortable leaving an "unsinkable" ship.
The Titanic sank in 1912 but it's only been in the last couple of decades that we've been able to lift artifacts off the ocean floor. My visit in September 2009CE was made more poignant because the last survivor, Millvina Dean, died on June 1 at age 97. She was 8 weeks old when the ship sank, and wasn't told she was a titanic survivor until she was 8. Just as the last personal connection to the tragedy leaves us, this exhibit connects us with the people who's lives were ended or forever altered by what remains the worst sea disaster in history. Worth a visit if it comes to your town.
Vikings 27, 49ers 24
And lastly: The Vikings won! The Vikings desperately tried to lose, but the 49ers tried even harder. I guess San Francisco just wanted it more.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Susan Estrich: Dear John (creators.com)
Last weekend, The New York Times reported on its front page that former Senator, vice presidential candidate and presidential candidate John Edwards was considering "publicly" acknowledging paternity of his mistress's baby, but had not yet brought his wife around to the idea.
Froma Harrop: Lindsay Lohan and the Crash of Fashion (creators.com)
Every time the economy swoons and the racks groan with the weight of unsold women's clothing, purveyors of fashion talk up "investment dressing." Investment dressing entails buying a few well-constructed garments that will endure both physically and stylistically for several years.
Shawn Amos: The Curse of Celebrity Children (huffingtonpost.com)
I got lucky: my father wasn't a junkie, nearly as famous as John Phillips, nor negligent as most celebrity parents. He was just a cookie pusher. I know plenty of Hollywood kids who still struggle with being whole.
George Varga: Ray Suen's on a Roll with The Killers (creators.com)
San Diego multi-instrumental wiz Ray Suen hasn't done it all since he became a touring member of The Killers 13 months ago. But the 24-year-old University of California, San Diego grad has already enjoyed many dizzying musical experiences playing with one of the biggest American rock bands of this decade.
Neal Justin: Rap man and Robin: LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell are TV's newest superhero team (Star Tribune)
"It's exciting to have the network behind you, promoting the show. But it does raise expectations," said co-star Chris O'Donnell. Best known for his work in "Scent of a Woman" and "Batman and Robin," he plays G. Callen, an agent so mysterious that no one, including himself, knows what the "G" stands for.
roger ebert's journal: "Indie security alert level: Severe"
Every year good films show at the Toronto Film festival that never open anywhere near you. This year some good films played that may never open anywhere, even if you live in Toronto--or New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin or upstairs over a Landmark Theater multiplex.
Scott Mendelson: Huff Post review - 'Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins' (2009)
At the end of the day, 'Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins' is still a Scooby-Doo movie. But thanks to a tight script, solid acting, decent production values, and genuinely likable protagonists, it's an awfully good Scooby-Doo movie. This reboot is every bit as satisfying for Scooby fans as Batman Begins was to a Bat-geek such as myself. All that's missing is an epilogue hinting at the devious machinations of Scrappy Doo for the inevitable sequel. And yes, I'd look forward to said sequel.
Anna Jane Grossman: Adieu Larry Gelbart...and Laugh Tracks (huffingtonpost.com)
Gelbart, who wrote Tootsie and many of the early episodes of M*A*S*H, spent years rejecting the industry's efforts to manipulate TV-watchers into emitting less-than-sincere laughs.
Naomi Klein Interviews Michael Moore on the Perils of Capitalism (The Nation; Posted on alternet.org)
Moore discusses his new documentary film, widely praised as a call for a revolt against capitalist madness.
'Capitalism' as Comedy and Tragedy Now Playing in NY and L.A. ...a message from Michael Moore (michaelmoore.com)
The time has arrived for, as Time magazine called it, my "magnum opus." I only had a year of Latin when I was in high school, so I'm not quite sure what that means, but I think it's good.
Jillian Steinhauer: "Finding Steve Buscemi: The Perfect Understatement" (popmatters.com)
It's only when you internalize Steve Buscemi's movies [they] become a part of your life in an e extremely personal, emotional way.
Will Harris: A Chat with Ed O'Neill, Star of "Modern Family" (bullz-eye.com)
"I don't want too much pressure (on 'Modern Family'), because you come out with a show that now they're saying is hot, and there's a lot of heat on it. It's almost as bad as coming out with one that they don't like."
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The '2009 Season Premier' Edition
This week starts the premiers of new prime time programs as well as programs retained from last year.
What programs, if any, are you planning to watch during this 'premier' season?
Send your response to
Results tomorrow
"I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together" was used as a theme song for what TV series?
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Interesting Site
Don't miss the Bill O'Reilly video LOL.
Reader Graphic
Rupert 'News'
Hi Marty -
Reader Suggestions
Links from RJ
Hi there...
Three possibilities for you today - hope you enjoy them!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cooled down to damn near pleasant.
Starts Season With F-Bomb
'Saturday Night Live'
"Saturday Night Live" has started the season with a bang, or, more precisely, an F-bomb.
Newcomer Jenny Slate let the dreaded word slip during a parody of a talk show by biker women. Called "Biker Chick Chat," the sketch was laden with tough talk from its participants, played by Slate, Kristen Wiig and guest host Megan Fox.
But the most objectionable word was substituted, with rapid-fire comic frequency, with an inoffensive stand-in for that vulgarity.
NBC declined to comment on the incident, other than to say the word had been restored to the intended "freakin'" for the show's replays in western time zones.
'Saturday Night Live'
Peanuts & A President
Plains, GA
The small southwestern Georgia town of Plains has two famous exports: peanuts and peanut farmer-turned-president Jimmy Carter.
Both were feted Saturday with a parade and a celebration of the legume whose reputation struggled after a salmonella outbreak earlier this year.
For Plains, the crop is a way of life even if there are fewer farmers than there used to be.
The president, who turns 85 on Thursday, said he always goes out of his way to clear his schedule so he can preside over the annual parade.
Plains, GA
Vast, Right-Wing Conspiracy
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton says a vast, right-wing conspiracy that once targeted him is now focusing on President Barack Obama.
The ex-president made the comment in a television interview when he was asked about one of the signature moments of the Monica Lewinsky affair over a decade ago. Back then, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton used the term "vast, right-wing conspiracy" to describe how her husband's political enemies were out to destroy his presidency.
Bill Clinton was asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether the conspiracy is still there. He replied: "You bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was."
Clinton said that this time around, the focus is on Obama and "their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail."
Bill Clinton
Early Musings Discovered
Paul McCartney
A discovery in a Liverpool library has revealed that Paul McCartney's talent for writing was winning him prizes when he was just 10 - though for an essay about the queen, rather than a hit song.
A British researcher said he found an essay written - in very tidy, curling script - by the future Beatle for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Kevin Roach said Sunday that he found the work in records at Liverpool's Central Library. Roach said the writing is "advanced - you would say it was written by someone who was older than 10 years old, more like 14 or 15."
According to excerpts published in the Sunday Times, McCartney - who gave his age as 10 years 10 months - contrasted violence which occurred on the coronation day of William the Conqueror with the day celebrating "our lovely young queen."
Paul McCartney
Set To Turn 75
Brigitte Bardot
She hit the silver screen as a sultry temptress in "Et Dieu crea la femme" (And God created woman) in 1956, instantly making Brigitte Bardot the face that symbolized France -- and French women.
Until her retirement from the cinema in 1973, "BB," who turns 75 Monday, was never out of the headlines. She made 48 films, frequently nude, recorded dozens of songs and picked up and dropped lovers as only male stars had done publicly before.
A retrospective exhibit, "Brigitte Bardot, les annees insouciance" (years of nonchalance) at the Espace Landowski in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, is an attempt to recapture the impact she had, and to celebrate the era-defining career of a woman who seemed to be a force of nature.
For France, she was as much an embodiment of the glamorous post-World War Two world as James Bond, Marilyn Monroe or the Beatles.
Brigitte Bardot
Arrested In Switzerland
Roman Polanski
Director Roman Polanski was arrested by Swiss police as he flew in for the Zurich Film Festival and faces possible extradition to the United States for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, authorities said Sunday.
Polanski was scheduled to receive an honorary award at the festival when he was apprehended Saturday at the airport, the Swiss Justice Ministry said in a statement. It said U.S. authorities have sought the arrest of the 76-year-old director around the world since 2005.
"There was a valid arrest request and we knew when he was coming," ministry spokesman Guido Balmer told The Associated Press. "That's why he was taken into custody."
Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the director will remain in Zurich until the conclusion of the extradition proceedings. The United States now has 60 days to file a formal request for Polanski's transfer, she said.
In Paris, Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said that he was in contact with French President Nicolas Sarkozy "who is following the case with great attention and shares the minister's hope that the situation can be quickly resolved."
Roman Polanski
CA DUI
Tawny Kitaen
Police in California say former actress Tawny Kitaen has been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.
Newport Beach police Sgt. Shontel Sherwood says Kitaen was arrested at about 3 p.m. Saturday when officers suspected she had been driving her Range Rover under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Kitaen was released after posting $2,500 bail.
The 48-year-old Kitaen recently appeared on the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."
She first found fame appearing in 1980s music videos for future husband David Coverdale's band Whitesnake. She also played the bride-to-be of Tom Hanks' character in the 1984 film "Bachelor Party."
Tawny Kitaen
Hometown Key
Glenn Dreck
The mayor of Glenn Beck's hometown in Washington state presented the Fox Rupert "News" personality with a ceremonial key to the city Saturday evening, an event preceded by weeks of protests and petitions calling for the cancellation of the visit.
Beck received a boisterous, minute-long standing ovation after receiving the plaque-mounted key from Mount Vernon Mayor Bud Norris, who weeks earlier proclaimed Saturday "Glenn Beck Day" as a way to mark the conservative commentator's success as a nationally known broadcaster.
The event had been criticized by some who claim Beck is too polarizing a figure. In July, for example, he said Obama was a racist who has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."
The City Council passed a resolution saying "Mount Vernon City Council is in no way sponsoring the mayor's event on Sept. 26, 2009, and is not connected to the Glenn Beck event in any manner."
Glenn Dreck
AT&T Complains
Google Voice
AT&T Inc. said Friday that Google Inc.'s Internet phone program gets an unfair advantage from blocking calls to rural communities where local carriers charge high connection fees.
In a letter to federal regulators, AT&T said Google Voice keeps costs low by refusing to connect calls to places where some local carriers give phone numbers to adult chat lines and conference-calling services to draw long distance calls. They share hefty connection fees AT&T must pay.
Dallas, Texas-based AT&T, however, has been barred by the Federal Communications Commission from blocking such calls. The high fees force AT&T to raise prices for all of its customers, while Google can offer calls through the Google Voice software at very low rates.
Google Voice gives people an additional phone number that's not tied to any one phone line. People can program the service to direct incoming calls to their cell phone, home or work numbers. Users can get e-mail transcripts of voice mails through the service. It can also be used to send text messages and place calls - even international ones - at low rates paid to Google, not the carriers, though those calls do use cell phone plan minutes.
Google Voice
Weekend Box Office
'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'
Movie fans lined up for a second helping of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," which took in $24.6 million to remain No. 1 at the box office for a second straight weekend.
"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" fended off Bruce Willis' action thriller "Surrogates," a Disney release that debuted at No. 2 with $15 million.
Michael Moore's documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story" opened strongly in limited release with a $240,000 weekend haul in just four theaters, raising its total to $306,586 since premiering Wednesday. The Overture Films release expands nationwide Friday.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $24.6 million.
2. "Surrogates," $15 million.
3. "Fame," $10 million.
4. "The Informant!", $6.9 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $4.8 million.
6. "Pandorum," $4.4 million.
7. "Love Happens," $4.3 million.
8. "Jennifer's Body," $3.5 million.
9. "9," $2.8 million.
10. "Inglourious Basterds," $2.7 million.
'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'
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