From: jon@missliberty.com <jon@missliberty.com>
To: missliberty-list@free-market.net <missliberty-list@free-market.net>
Date: Saturday, March 18, 2000 4:54 PM
Subject: Miss Liberty's Film & TV Update


March 18, 2000

Dear Friends of Liberty:

--  According to a story reported by Reuters, "ABC News reporter and 20/20
staple John Stossel has been tapped as the 'heir apparent' to Oprah Winfrey
(ed., meaning I think the Oprah Winfrey time slot). He is slated to get his
own one-hour news-oriented syndicated format as early as fall 2001.
'Oprah' producer King World's contract with the ABC-owned stations expires
at the same time, and Stossel's show will likely fill the void left behind
when the daytime diva's show moves to the CBS station group.  King World
was recently bought by CBS Corp."  If true, it ould mean greatly increased
exposure for Stossel, who has done more to mainstream libertarian ideas on
TV than anyone.  ABC has added a "Stossel in the Daytime" section to its
web site, with some suggested topics for this "in development" show.  To
see more on this, go to the John Stossel web site here:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/ABCNEWSspecials/JohnStossel.html, and
select the "Stossel in Daytime" link in the upper right corner.

--  Laissez-Faire Books is having a 15% off sale from now till April 30th.
This is your chance to stock up on libertarian videos at a substantial
savings.  You can see a complete list of libertarian films carried by LF
Books here: http://www.missliberty.com/store.htm .

--  A reviewer at the Internet movie website "In Line First" got an advance
viewing of the still unedited, upcoming Mel Gibson film "The Patriot," at
Sony Pictures' Backstage Theater in L.A. The ILF reviewer was very
enthusiastic about the film, describing it as "epic in every aspect."  More
on this here: http://www.inlinefirst.com/front_page_archive.asp?an=69 .
"The Patriot" is expected to be released in June 2000, and will be "the
story of a pacifist family man and civilian who becomes a reluctant but
ultimately fierce warrior during the American Revolution."  Meanwhile, it
has been reported elsewhere that the Smithsonian Institute is being allowed
to influence the script.  In the past, the Smithsonian has represented
"history" in a rather biased manner at times, so there's no telling what
that influence will mean.

--  "The Stanford Prison Experiment" appears to be on hold.  The film was
to star Leonardo DiCaprio, but apparently when word of that got out
everyone involved "wanted gobs more money."  The screenplay is based on an
actual experiment conducted at Stanford University in the summer of 1971,
in which randomly chosen19- and 20-year-old students were divided into
camps of either prison guards or prisoners.  What was to be a two-week
experiment was cut short after six days beause of the level of cruelty and
sadism that erupted among the guards.  This experiment has been used as an
example of the corrupting effect of unchecked power.  More on this here:
http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/details/stanfordprison.html .

--  Ever thought about having your own TV show?  You can!  Many cable TV
companies make time available for "public access television," which
essentially means free TV for amateurs.  Where to start?  Try here:
http://www.alliancecm.org/acmprod.htm .  You can also get advice from
Libertarian Party member Max Robinson of Indiana.  He's already producing a
weekly TV show covering things like "militarization of police, corruption
of police and politicians, marijuana legalization, the drug war, the
'justice' system, and encouraging activism."  Max can be reached here:
hempmuseum@surfnetinc.com.  Who knows, you might launch yourself into a new
media career!

-- The Libertarian International Organization is conducting a poll on
libertarian films.  You can participate in the poll here:
http://www.maxpages.com/lio/poll .

--  My top TV pick for the week is John Stossel Special on free speech
versus censorship, airing on Thursday (3/23).  More on that in the schedule
below.

Enjoy!



ON U.S. TV THIS WEEK:

For Key to Ratings and Channel Symbols see below.  All times Pacific.

~~~
SATURDAY (3/18)
7:11PM~C-SPAN2~ Speech~ "Martin Gross speaks about his book 'The Government
Racket 2000: All New Washington Waste from A to Z,' published by Avon Books
on Mr. North's radio talk show. The book details dozens of ways the author
claims that Washington has thrown away tax money on pork projects and
wasteful programs."  (As always with programs on C-SPAN, the stated airtime
is approximate.  The latest estimated airtime may be found here:
http://www.c-span.org/guide/schedule/ .)

~~~
SUNDAY (3/19)
1:51AM~C-SPAN2~ Speech~ "Wendy Kaminer talks about her book 'Sleeping With
Extra-Terrestrials: The Rise ofIrrationalism and the Perils of Piety,'
published by Pantheon Books.  The author examines irrationalism and details
problems that it causes in society at large."  Likely to be of particular
interest to Objectivists. (As always with programs on C-SPAN, the stated
airtime is approximate.  The latest estimated airtime may be found here:
http://www.c-span.org/guide/schedule/ .)

7:35AM~TBS~ Movie~ Footloose (1984)/####/**  The new kid in a small town
leads a high-school rebellion against the town's antidancing law.  [Dir:
Herbert Ross/ Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow/ 140min/ Drama-Dance]

~~~
MONDAY (3/20)
1:45PM~TCM~ Movie~ The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)/#####/****  Louis
Pasteur struggles against professional ignorance and the government which
gives it force to rid the world of microbiotic infection.  Biographical.
[Dir: William Dieterle/ Paul Muni, Josephine Hutchinson, Anita Louise/
87min/ Drama-Biography]

5:30PM~HBO~ Movie~ White Nights (1985)/####/****  A plane crash in Siberia
lands a Soviet defector in the hands of the KGB.  Only with the help of an
American defector will he escape.  Government treatment of citizens as
property is implicitly criticized.  [Dir: Taylor Hackford/ Mikhail
Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Isabella Rossellini/ 135min/ Suspense-Dance]

~~~
TUESDAY (3/21)
4:15AM~TCM~ Movie~ Executive Suite (1954)/###/**  Following the death of a
company president, the remaining members of management struggle over who
will succeed him.  Based on a novel by Cameron Hawley, author of
libertarian classic "Cash McCall."  [Dir: Robert Wise/ William Holden, June
Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck/ 105min/ Drama]

~~~
WEDNESDAY (3/22)
5:00PM~TCM~ Movie~ To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)/####/*****  A small-town
lawyer defends an innocent black man accused of rape.  Social tolerance
theme.  [Dir: Robert Muligan/ Gegry Peck, Mar Badham, Phillip Alford/
131min/ Drama]

~~~
THURSDAY (3/23)
8:00PM~ENC~ Movie~ Schindler's List (1993)/####/*****  A German businessman
exploiting forced Jewish labor ends up saving hundreds of Jews from
extermination.  Based on a true story.  [Dir: Steven Spielberg/Liam Neeson,
Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes/195min/Drama]

10:00PM~ABC~ John Stossel Special~ "*You Can't Say That!* with John Stossel
looks at free speech vs. censorship battles, everywhere from the workplace
(where sexual harassment rules mean that talking about romance to a
co-worker can cost you millions) to the campus of Brown University (where
shrill protesters have been known to shout down their opponents).  Barring
last-minute editing, the show will include visits with comedian George
Carlin, comic book writer and film director Kevin Smith (*Dogma*, *Chasing
Amy*), *Village Voice* columnist and known beatnik Nat Hentoff, professors
Eugene Volokh and Alan Charles Kors, bomb-making and weapons-loving author
"Uncle" Ragnar Benson, reclusive and government-hating author Claire Wolfe,
and assorted others such as a bar owner at odds with the Colorado liquor
licensing board over his habit of doing things like tattooing a popular
four-letter obscenity starting with F on his head.  All this and more."

10:00PM~SCIFI~ Movie~ Brazil (1985)/####/***  A bureaucrat in a future
totalitarian state becomes its enemy and ultimately-victim.  [Dir: Terry
Gilliam/ Jonathan Pryce, Katharine Helmund, Robert De
Niro/150min/Comedy-Action]

~~~
FRIDAY (3/24)
4:40AM~MAX~ Movie~ Amistad (1997)/#####/*** Nineteenth-century Abolitionist
lawyers work to free a group of Africans, who have been carged with murder
for rebelling against their slave-trading captors.  Based on a true story.
[Dir: Steven Spielberg/ Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins,
Djimon Hounsou/ 165min/ Drama]

7:00AM~TCM~ Movie~ This Land is Mine (1943)/####/****  A timid
schoolteacher in a Nazi-occupied country finds the courage to deny his
captors the sanction of the victim, inspiring others to do likewise.  [Dir:
Jean Renoir/ Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders/ 103min/
Drama, War]

10:50PM (estimated)~ABC~ 20/20~ A short segment called "Give Me A Break,"
by John Stossel, typically airs at this time within the 20/20 program.
These segments are generally of a strongly libertarian character.

11:00PM~TCM~ Movie~ Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)/#####/***  The Big
3 use government influence to crush an entrepreneurial automaker.  Based on
a true story.  [Dir: Francis Ford Coppola/ Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin
Landau/ 111min/ Drama-Biography]

~~~
SATURDAY (3/25)
11:00AM~HBO~ Movie~ "In the Line of Duty: Kidnapped (1995, Drama)Dabney
Coleman, Timothy Busfield.  An IRS agent uses tax information for criminal
activities.  (97min)"



Key to Ratings:
Libertarian Content: #=antithetical to libertarian values/concerns; ##=not
of particular political or philosophical interest; ###=likely to be of some
interest; ####=good illustration of libertarian values/concerns; #####=very
good illustration of libertarian values/concerns.
Entertainment Value: *=below average; **=satisfactory; ***=above average;
****=well above average; *****=thoroughly entertaining and engaging.

Key to TV channel symbols:
A&E (Arts & Entertainment);  AMC (American Movie Classics);  BET (Black
Entertainment Television); BVO (Bravo);  COM (Comedy Central);  DISC
(Discovery Channel);  DISN (Disney Channel);  ENC (Encore);  FAM (Family
Channel);  HBO (Home Box Office);  HIST (History Channel);  LIFE (Lifetime
Channel);  LRN (Learning Channel);  MAX (Cinemax);  SCIFI (Sci-Fi Channel);
SHOW (Showtime);  TBS (Turner Broadcasting System);  TCM (Turner Classic
Movies);  TMC (The Movie Channel);  TNT (Turner Network Television);  USA
(USA Network).



If you wish to receive Miss Liberty's Film & TV Update, you can subscribe
here: http://www.missliberty.com/pageB.htm.  All other correspondence
should be sent to jon@missliberty.com.  For more information on this
newsletter and libertarian film and video generally, see
http://www.missliberty.com.  Still not sure what this whole libertarian
thing is all about?  Discover your real political identity in minutes by
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http://www.self-gov.org.



Copyright  2000 by Jon Osborne.  Personal use of this material is
permitted.  Occasional republication and redissemination of this material
is also permitted, with the exception of film, video and documentary
reviews, republication and redissemination of which is expressly prohibited
without prior written permission.

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