Cinefest Confidential



The truly appealing Colleen Moore in "Orchids and Ermine"


Since 1987, I’ve been making an annual trip (I know I missed a couple of years) to Syracuse NY for Cinefest, a festival of American, primarily, films from the teens to about 1950.

I just got back from this year’s festival, which was its 30th time and it seemed appropriate to think back especially during the four hour drive to and fro on my experiences with the show.

Now Cinefest is perhaps one of the most laid back and non-glamorous film festivals one could ever attend. First, one has to understand the films are from archives and collectors and sometimes are the only 16mm print of a particular movie in existence. The average age of the attendees has got to be about 60 and to keep it running for the future there has been a concerted effort to bring in young film students into the audience mix.

There are some well-known people who attend the show on a regular basis and there have been a number of special guests, but this is not a show for the paparazzi. This ain’t Sundance, folks.

Unlike many of the people I encountered at Sundance when I went in 2004 – never again! – The people who come to Cinefest are here to see movies. Yes, there are deals being made – collectors buying prints from one another – but that’s about it.

The show has dealers’ rooms that routinely have closed tables. You see, the dealers go to the movies as well. The dealers’ room is one of the best of any show or convention I’ve seen. Routinely I’ve found great stuff there.

This year, I walked away with DVDs of Kane Richmond’s Shadow movies from Monogram, some silent cartoons, a biography of W.C. Fields I didn’t have and a poster of one of Richard Gordon’s films I didn’t have.

The movies are always a crapshoot. You never quite know what you’re going to find.

The folks who run Cinefest don’t care much for horror or science fiction. Animation is something they must despise. They run plenty of shorts subjects, but never a cartoon. I once volunteered to do my Fleischer slideshow for them and was politely told the Cinefest audience wouldn’t care for it.

You’re not apt to see exploitation films, although I did see once a real corker of a film about how Mormons were hypnotizing English girls to be their wives!

Some years the movies are truly memorable and you walk out of the auditorium saying, “Damn! I want that movie.” Of course it’s unlikely you’ll ever see it again.

For instance, several years back I was able to see a print of a Conrad Veidt film called “The Last Performance.” It was an incredible film and it was probably one of the few prints in existence. Of course, it is highly unlikely it will ever be on home video.



The cast and crew of "The Last Performance."

That’s why I go to Cinefest – to see something that I can’t see anywhere else.

My first trip to Cinefest was a day trip. I was then a friend with a guy who corresponded with producer and archivist Alex Gordon. Alex was at Cinefest – he was a loyal attendee – and my then-buddy Ray wanted to see him. So Ray and I and two other guys drove the four hours. I was immediately mortified when one member of our party looked at Alex – who knew Bela Lugosi well and his brother Richard produced two films with Boris Karloff – and asked him who was the better actor. He was a Lugosi fan and thankfully Alex dodged his idiot fan boy question.

I remembered buying a ticket for the day and watching at least one film before we piled back into the car for another four-hour haul back to Springfield.

I was impressed with what I had seen and kept coming back.

The best thing, though, to come out of Cinefest has been my friendship with Richard Gordon, who has been an influential mentor to me, whether he knows it or not!

My wife has gone once and we had one of the best dinner parties of our lives there with Richard Gordon and two of the directors with whom he worked: Radley Metzger and Norman J. Warren. These guys were hilarious and treated my wife like a princess.

I was very happy when my pal Steve Bissette started going. I remember the first year he went simply raiding the dealer’s room for all sort of esoteric Japanese monster movie stuff. Then his wife Marge started going and she would watch for films than either of us!

While this year didn’t have one of those films that proved to be a revelation, I was happy to finally see a Joe E. Brown comedy – “Earthworm Tractor” – Colleen Moore’s delightful romantic comedy “Orchids and Ermine” and a genuine train wreck of a movie, “Peacock Alley,” starring Mae Murray in a failed effort to regain some of her popularity.

I also suffered through a hideous but rare comedy short starring Bert Wheeler of Wheeler and Woolsey fame. They’ll show this crap, but not a Fleischer cartoon?

Ah well, that’s the nature of Cinefest.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Here's the second installment of my report on the New Media Seminar:

First installment of my coverage of the 2010 New Media Seminar



Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine – a man ahead of his time


Former CNN anchor and now syndicated talk host Lou Dobbs, who delivered the annual First Amendment speech and urged people not to succumb to political correctness and not to tone down their remarks. Would he have approved then of my telling him I think he's full of crap?




Hosts from my 'hood – Bax and O'Brien of WAQY Rock 102



During the talk host rumble, Steve Malzberg of WOR (appropriately on the right) and syndicated host and actor Phil Hendrie frequently found themselves shouting over and at one another. Malzberg repeatedly called the president a "communist."



I really think liberal talk show shots liberal Randi Rhodes and Bill Preiss were genuinely appalled at times at what they heard from the conservatives on the panel.

Once again at the invitation of Michael Harrison I got to be the only local reporter, perhaps the only print reporter who attended his New Media Seminar, his 13th convention for the talk radio industry.

I love the medium and look back on my five years as a talk host – 1982- 1987 – very fondly, despite the low pay – $5 an hour and $1.75 per endorsed live spot. I was the house liberal and as it was during the Reagan years, I received the best hate mail.

My favorite endorsed commercial was for "Cold Stick," a plastic tube that you kept in the freezer filled with anti-freeze. When you had an attack of hemorrhoids you lubed it up and placed it for all natural drug-free relief. Really. I ain't making this up.

When done right local talk is a powerful and entertainment medium. The problem is the large corporations that have bought talk stations over the past 20 years jettisoned local talk for far less expensive syndicated programming. It was great to hear that stations with local talk are making money.

I'm putting together a video of the annual talk rumble, but now here is what I wrote for our newspapers:


NEW YORK, N.Y. – At the 13th annual New Media Seminar, conducted March 19 and 20, radio show hosts and programming executives debated whether or not the local talk show host was a dying breed.

According to William Handel, the talk host who dominates the ratings in the Los Angeles, Calif. market, the era of local radio personalities discussing the local issues that affects audiences is at an end.

Every speaker didn’t embrace Handel’s assertions, though, as many of the attendees believe the survival of the medium is embracing locally originated programming.

Talkers Magazine, the trade magazine for the talk show industry, which is published by Longmeadow resident Michael Harrison in Springfield, presented the two-day convention.

In the greater Springfield area, the stations follow a national model of having local morning host followed by syndicated programming. Bill Dwight at WHMP has the only area weekday standalone talk show from 9 to 10 a.m.

Handel said, “It’s sort of rough to see an exciting medium disappear before our eyes.”

Handel said it is too expensive to operate a station with all local programming.

“To have all local programs is simply an impossibility,” he added.

The practice of stations accepting paid infomercials – something many speakers said was becoming more and more common – marks the “death knell” of radio, Handel said. Handel called the doctors, lawyers and others who buy a half-hour or hour of time to tout their businesses as “egomaniacs” who leave radio when they find the lengthy commercials are not making money for them.

Part of the problem is that radio stations no longer have local or regional ownership as they once did, he explained.
“The mom and pops chose good radio as long as they were making a good living,” he said.

“When done right local radio works,” Handel added.

Handel’s conclusions were refuted by a panel of local talk show hosts from around the country in a spirited discussion led by former Springfield talk radio host Dan Yorke, now a fixture at WPRO in Providence, R.I.

Yorke went down the line of hosts quizzing them about the effectiveness as “revenue agents” who actively work to bring revenue into their stations.

“You should not get before the radio [microphone] if you can’t sell,” Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and a long-time New York City talk show host, said. Sliwa is currently heard over WNYM.

Michelle Jerson, who has a relationship advice show on WKXW in Trenton, N.J., spoke of not only meeting with sponsors to help close ad deals but also arranging for special events such as cruises that bring money into the station.

Yorke and the panel noted their local shows actually sell more local ads for their stations than nationally syndicated programming such as superstar Rush Limbaugh.

The hosts also attested to the strength of local radio hosts. Larry Young of WOLB in Baltimore, Md. noted his station has the reputation of being the audience’s watchdog in city hall.

Heidi Harris of KDWN in Las Vegas, Nev. recounted how she effectively questioned claims made in ads for Sen. Harry Reid’s recent reelection bid. Harris, and other hosts at the seminar, said news sources come to local radio talk show hosts because of the decline in the reporting of local news by daily newspapers and television stations.

Throughout the two days, speakers urged seminar attendees to embrace the new technological tools the Internet offers them. Holland Cooke, an East Longmeadow, Mass., native and a radio consultant for McVay Media, presented a list of opportunities for radio hosts from podcasting to blogging to using services such as YouTube and creating products to sell from CafePress.com with no inventory to buy.

Vic Capone, a spokesperson for Apple, noted he doesn’t listen or watch anything in “real time.” He uses iTunes to download movies, music, television shows and radio podcasts and said the millions of iTunes downloads attest he is not the only person with this habit.

Other high tech services the broadcasters heard about included Paltalk that allows hosts to stream video from their studios and manage text and chat rooms with members of their audience for immediate feedback and the Tricaster, a mini-television control board, that radio hosts are using for the easy production of video.

With the opportunities offered by Web services, such as BlogTalkRadio.com – where 10,000 people currently have their own talk radio program with only a computer, some kind of microphone and an Internet connection – the question is how to attract listeners to a show or host.

As many of the speakers said ultimately it all comes down to the broadcasting talent of the host, understanding his or her subject and more importantly, the needs of the audience.

Laurie Cantillo, the program director for WABC in New York, said for a station to succeed it “must be great all the day.”

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I'm assembling as many of the celebrity interviews I've done since my first one in high school with Flash Gordon himself Buster Crabbe for a book titled "Fifteen Minutes With ..."

The gold standard for interviews is of course the intense and in-depth pieces that have graced Playboy's pages for decades. Most of us though are seldom given the days on which those interviews are conducted. Instead once an interview is confirmed, the next question is "How much time do I have?"

The simple fact is most celebs have something to sell and to sell it efficiently their publicists will set up interviews in 10 or 15 minute blocks. Two interviews that had no time limit, which was in a way frightening as I didn't want to over-stay my welcome, was with Bill Cosby – whose P.R. guy said, "You'll know when you're done." – and Ray Bradbury, whose PR guy said, "Call at noon eastern. That's when he likes to talk."

As a working journalist you have to make the most of your time. An interview with Alice Cooper was exactly 10 minutes. Cooper was on message, on time and I would have loved to have been able to speak with him longer, but he had to go to the next reporter.

I've a satisfying career when viewed from a fanboy perspective as I've been able to talk, although all too briefly, with many of the people whose work I've long admired. I think that will be the angle of the book.

In any case here is a piece that saw publication in 2003 in one of our now dead products, the hapless Journal/Bravo, a failed effort at creating a family friendly alternative entertainment bi-weekly. This was the cover story and I had to fight various people at work who had never heard of the Toxic Avenger and believed no one else had either.

Is Lloyd Kaufman feeding me a line? He tells me that if I hold the DVD of The Toxic Avenger IV: Citizen Toxie up to a light, I can see the image of Jesus on one disc of the two disc set and Satan on the other.

He must be smiling on the other end of this telephone interview.

The patter is typical Kaufman, who is a movie director who has taken lessons on promoting himself from masters such as William Castle and Alfred Hitchcock and racheted up the hype to meet these jaded times.

You haven't heard of Kaufman and his company Troma Entertainment? Well, the studio's flagship franchise, The Toxic Avenger, just made the top 50 cult films of all times list published recently by Entertainment Weekly. In fact, Toxic Avenger - or "Toxie" as he is affectionately known - has not only appeared in four films, but has been the star of an animated television show and several comic book series as well.

Besides heading the independent company with his partner Michael Herz, Kaufman has directed a number of the key Troma releases, and has written two books about the tribulations of the independent filmmaking. In the grand tradition of the classic Hollywood studios, Kaufman and Herz has established a highly recognizable style. Warner Brothers was known for its films "torn from the headlines," while Paramount's films boasted an European elegance and MGM had "more stars than there are in heaven."

Troma has brought gratuitous violence, gore and sex to levels that are almost surreal. In fact, Troma's films have captured the attention of mainstream critics because of their no-survivors satire that is in the tradition of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." In fact, some film writers have stated that without Troma paving the way, bad taste and mainstream comedies such as There's Something About Mary may never have existed.

Troma titles include films such as Class of Nuke Em High, Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD and Terror Firmer. Its latest film, which is now being produced, is Tales From The Crapper.

There's no doubt about it that Troma is not for everyone, but Troma fans are highly dedicated to the company. The studio's web site (ww.troma.com) features a gallery of photos from fans who have pledged their loyalty with a tattoo of the Toxic Avenger. When was the last time you heard of someone putting Julia Roberts or Harrison Ford on their forearm?

The company's most recent film, Citizen Toxie - now out in a double disc DVD edition crammed with extras - boasts of scenes with such over-the-top material this writer barely can start describing them in a family publication. The plot revolves around our hero The Toxic Avenger, the hero of Tromaville, who finds himself transported into an evil dimension. The hero of that dimension, the Noxious Offender, is now in Tromaville killing at will and turning the town into his own criminal municipality.

Where else than in a Troma film could the hero be a former health club janitor who thanks to being dropped into a vat of toxic waste has been transformed into a superhero? In what other movie could porn star Ron Jeremy be cast as the mayor of a town or the late Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf play God?

And this DVD version is unrated. You've been warned.

If nothing else, the film takes the "what if" story formula so popular in many of today's mainstream films and shows it for the lazy storytelling device that it is.

***

Troma is celebrating its 30th year in business, something of which Kaufman is proud, especially considering that there are few other independent companies around with that kind of staying power.

It has been an interesting journey for the Yale student majoring in Chinese Studies, who decided after graduation to pursue a career in film. Kaufman told The Journal/Bravo that rather than going to film school, he decided to "attach" himself to a director and learn by doing.

As an aside, Kaufman said that the pleasure and pain of film making fit right into the Taoist philosophy he had studied.

In his case, kaufman's instructor was John G. Avildsen, the director of such films as Rocky, Joe and Slow Dancing in the Big City. Kaufman began work with Avildsen on Joe, a low budget politically charged film produced in 1970 that starred Peter Boyle. Boyle played a working class conservative who reacted violently to the social changes of the Vietnam War era.

Kaufman said that on his first day as a production assistant, he realized that "this guy [Avildsen] is talented. I worked for free on that movie in order to learn." The film was a surprise hit and Kaufman continued his association with Avildsen with his next film, Cry Uncle, a detective comedy which earned an X rating for its sexual content. Kaufman said, on that film, he "jumped a few rungs" up the career ladder from production assistant because he helped raised money for the production.

Kaufman and his Yale friend Michael Herz had formed a partnership that that slowly but surely began producing their own films while working on other productions. For instance, the Troma Team - as Kaufman calls his crew - shot the exteriors in Philadelphia for Rocky and he recalled zipping around the city in eight days making sure his non-union crew wasn't spotted by union representatives. At a Los Angeles screening of Rocky, Kaufman said, "union guys were trying to remember when they shot that footage."

Another acclaimed director used Kaufman's services, on the arthouse classic My Dinner With André. Actor André Gregory was so impressed with the economical shooting of a comedy titled Waitress! Kaufman and Herz made that the late Louis Malle hired Kaufman as his production manager for that shoot.

Although Kaufman worked on a mainstream film such as Saturday Night Fever - he scouted the New York locations for the film - he is not a Hollywood type of guy, and has a lot to say about establishment filmmaking. Guerrilla movie making seems to be the basis for the Troma style. Kaufman said that Troma tries "to have total freedom" and that the company is "anti-elite." Kaufman believes in the idea that "the purpose of art is to reflect the spirit of the artist. "Troma has a loyal fan base. Some people may hate or love our films, but they never forget them," he added. Kaufman dismisses many mainstream Hollywood films as "baby food," and said that Troma's success shows that people want "half pepperoni on their cultural pizza."

The indifference expressed by corporate media conglomorates over Troma products hasn't helped the company. Kaufman explained that Blockbuster Video would not stock Troma movies, even in R-rated cuts. He charged that attitudes such as this one have "totally marginalized independents."

Kaufman believes there have been "a conscious effort to economically blacklist" that studio. He said that The New York Times refused to run a review of one of his books despite the advocacy of the Times' own film critic, Janet Maslin.

Kaufman's style is blatantly New York, and his promotion of Troma is definitely of the "in your face" variety.

Warner Brothers may have its signature water tower on its Hollywood lot, but Troma's 9th Avenue building in Manhattan has the Toxic Avenger painted on its exterior.

***

Kaufman's two books detail his adventures in filmmaking, and have encouraged people to become filmmakers themselves. In fact, the most recent book, Make Your Own Damn Movie, takes people step by step through the process from financing to distribution. In the book's press release, Kaufman said "I want to give young filmmakers takes people step by step through the process from financing to distribution.

In the book's press release, Kaufman said, "I want to give young filmmakers a step-by-step guide to making low-budget independent movies so that they can use what works for us and learn from our mistakes... although in Tromaville, we don't call them mistakes. They're impromptu script deviations." Troma films have relied on free labor provided by people who are seeking an education or simply a break into the industry. On the Troma website right now are notices calling for interns and volunteers to help further the Troma cause.

That's right, you may only be a mouse click away from schlepping coffee or holding a light for a Troma film crew or appearing at a comic book store as Toxie.

***
Although he is definitely a showman, Kaufman doesn't take himself very seriously. The second disc of the Citizen Toxie DVD has a feature-length "making of documentary which I found just as - if not more amusing - than the film itself. The documentary shows Kaufman directing the film and many of the cast and crew complaining about him.

Kaufman doesn't mind though. He said nice things about his crew on the movie's audio commentary and explains their criticism as "the truth as they see it."

For him the documentary is "a window into what it's really like to make an independent movie."

Like his movies or not, one has to give the devil his due. In this era of media giants, Kaufman and Troma Entertainment keep getting away with thumbing their nose at the big boys.

And, by the way, you can't see Jesus or Satan on the Citizen Toxie discs.

Kaufman made me look.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Here's an animation mystery – at least for me. My buddy Steve gave me a fist full of these odd pocket sized magazines from the 1950s, and one of them, the Sept. 24, 1955 edition of "Picture Week," had this spread about a cartoon short based on the Kinsey Report.

I've never heard of the studio that produced it, Kingsley-International Productions.

I was intrigued. When I did a little researching, I discovered there wasn't much info on it except for a notation on the BFI site stating it had a running time of a 13 minutes.

The artwork certainly has a UPA/ Jules Feiffer look to it, but again I ran up against a dead end.

Has anyone see this short?

It's Dr. Seuss' birthday today – perhaps Springfield's most famous son. I had the pleasure of reading "McElligot's Pool" to a class at Trinity Methodist Nursery School today – in the same neighborhood as Seuss grew up in. The kids looked a little goggled-eyes when I told them Dr. Seuss was from Springfield. They were a class of four-year-olds and clearly it was difficult for them to understand that someone they had heard of came from the same city as they did.

Seuss should provide inspiration to any writer. His first children's book "And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street" – the real Mulberry Street is a ten minute walk from my house – was rejected dozens of times. He kept going, though.

I'd like to write an in-depth look at Seuss' career in animation. He worked with George Pall on two Puppetoon adaptations of his works and was one of the guys behind the great Private SNAFU series. He also created Gerald McBoing Boing and collaborated with Chuck Jones.





© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

The late leslie Glass is the brunette in the center

From my archives, here's a piece I wrote and NEVER GOT PAID FOR! Got to love the life of a writer! It was published in 1996 but appeared only in a magazine on the West Coast.

The long dark hair. The finely shaped features. The creamy complexion. Acclaimed Penthouse model Leslie Glass has got what she describes as "the Anne Rice look"

"Don't you think I'd make a good vampire?" she asks with a laugh.

Well, at least Leslie makes a fine vampire vixen from Venus. Leslie stars with Michelle Bauer, Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North in the Ted Bohus horror spoof Vampire Vixens from Venus which is now available on home video.

"I really wanted to get into acting," explains Leslie on why she made her acting debut in the low-budget romp.

The tall brunette model who has graced the cover and interior pages of the acclaimed men's magazine many times, and has been in several of the Penthouse videos, has long harbored an interest in acting. She hadn't acted on her ambitions until Bohus' production company called Penthouse looking for talent.

"They called Penthouse, and told them they needed some models with good bodies," recalled Leslie, who fits that casting call as any reader of the magazine certainly would agree.

Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that Leslie is just another centerfold star and would-be "scream queen." Leslie is bright, articulate, and uses her much of her earnings for the passion of her life of helping animals.

Leslie has founded a non-profit center in her native Baltimore, MD to care and treat strayed and abused dogs and cats. This center is the dream of her lifetime, as over the years she had helped 600 animals get the medical treatment and the homes they need. Still under construction, the [name] center will open this year, and will feature the world's second cancer treatment center for dogs and cats. Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione has helped by allowing Leslie to use the trademarked "Penthouse Pets" name in her fundraising "Pets for Pets" campaign.

Get into a conversation with Leslie, and it's easy to understand why Penthouse has often asked her to represent the magazine in various public appearances around the world. Besides being a knock-out, she's a smart and savvy spokesperson. Her recent promotional trips have included Russia and Hong Kong. So popular is Leslie that she holds the title 1994 International Pet of the Year. But, does she ever have problems with people who think of a centerfold model as a "bimbo?"

"Sure, but if you talk with me for any more than a minute, you'd know I'm not a bimbo," Leslie says emphatically.

Describing Leslie as goal-oriented is something of an understatement. She has worked hard to achieve her fame at Penthouse, and to reach her personal goal of building her animal shelter and clinic. There is a new world for her to conquer, though, and that is acting.

Although she's had plenty of experience in front of a camera with her appearances in Penthouse videos, Leslie realized she needed more experience, and gladly accepted the role in Vampire Vixens from Venus.

The film was shot in two weeks in July 1994, and features Leslie as one of the three title characters. Leslie admits she had some doubts about the movie during production.

"I thought it was cheesy," she says candidly. "But when I saw the film I was pretty impressed. The special effects were great, and it's was really comical."

The film does feature several topless scenes, and although Leslie has appeared nude in print and on video before, she'd rather do roles in which nudity is not included.

Leslie, Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North star as the titular vampire vixens. Their mission on Earth is to extract the liquid part of human bodies, and to do that they transform themselves from their hideous natural state to forms more pleasing to horny men. Once a guy is interested, they waste little time strapping a helmet to his head extracting his precious body fluids and leaving him resembling a pitted prune.

As they leave a trail of dried remains around New Jersey, the police begin to investigate under the barely competent leadership of one Detective Lieutenant Oakenshield, played by Peter Grimes. His efforts to get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths is sidetracked by a not-so-chance meeting with a lovely woman played by scream queen favorite Michelle Bauer who just happens to be the ugliest Venusian of them all.

The emphasis on comedy rather that t-and-a or gore is refreshing to see in a low-budget genre film, and that's what director, writer and special effects artist Ted Bohus had in mind. Bohus, who has made a name for himself with films such as The Regenerated Man and The Deadly Spawn, wanted to do something "light" instead of horrific, and wrote the script for the science fiction comedy.

Bohus is a big fan of Michelle Bauer and he was impressed with Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North. For the last alien, Bohus had decided on actress Stacey Warfel, but she had an untimely motorcycle accident which sent him looking for a replacement.

After sending out casting notices, Leslie auditioned for the part, and Bohus knew he had his fourth alien. "She was very enthusiastic, looked great, and carried some weight with her title of 1994 International Pet of the Year," he recalls.

Although she lacked acting experience, she did impress Bohus in front of the camera. "She came prepared," Bohus says. "With a low budget film, actors have to come prepared and know their lines."

The production of the film went smoothly, according to Bohus, except for a scheduling mix-up which prevented Leslie from being on the set the night the opening scene was shot. This scene introduces the three aliens who transform themselves into beautiful women. Without Leslie there, the scene couldn't work, and on a low-budget film, time is most definitely money.

"I went through the roof," Bohus admits. " I told everyone to leave me alone for a while and I thought of a way to work this out." Bohus' solution? The transformation device for the third alien isn't working correctly. When Leslie was able to join the production, Bohus shot a scene in which the vixens manage to get the device to transform one ugly Venusian into the beautiful Leslie.

Bohus was impressed enough with the newcomer that he would certainly consider Leslie for another role.

For the time being, Leslie is taking her new acting career one day at a time, and is very grounded about her future.

"I've got to start at the bottom, and work my way to where I want to go," she states. Yet, Leslie is going to tackle acting the same way she has worked in modeling...on her own terms.
By living in Baltimore, she believes she "misses a lot of roles," but yet she doesn't want to live in Los Angeles.

"I don't want to get caught up in the politics of it all," she explains, alluding to the competitive pressures of getting a role. "I know a lot of the women out there are clawing each other on the way to the top."

How does she evaluate herself in her first acting job? "I was impressed with myself," she says with a laugh. "I memorized everything in the script."

Hard work doesn't bother Leslie, nor does paying her dues, and this writer is willing to bet Vampire Vixens from Venus is the start of her new career.

Postscript: Leslie died in 2000 at the age of 36 after a two-year bout with cancer. Vampire Vixens from Venus was her only non-adult film.


© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

"


Here are some photos of things I saw at the Toy Fair. The last image is for a line of plush animals called "Tushems." The front of the toy is a fairly standard stuffed animal while the backside was a disturbing detailed and large ass. I told the guy he was at the wrong kind of toy fair.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

TV HAT!

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Being a stripper has changed greatly since the days of Gypsy Rose Lee, seen here in her writer mode.

I’ve been very hesitant about posting anything about the labor relations issue at the Mardi Gras strip club in Springfield as some readers might say something along the lines of “How dare he! He represents The Reminder! etc.”

When one writer at The Reminder did a story about the de-criminalization of prostitution, I received an angry letter from a reader that her young son reads every word in the paper and that we had ruined that pleasure for him by printing an article on such a subject.

I wondered how this woman must shelter her son from stuff on television and in other newspapers and magazines. Can you imagine five years in the future when American history classes are discussing Clinton’s presidency how a teacher will deal with his indiscretion? Will they discuss how Monica proved their affair happened with the physical evidence of her blue dress with a stain?

So allow me to once more say, “This blog is my words alone and does not reflect the opinions of my employers, my staff or the advertisers of the newspaper that employs me.”


Go back now. You’ve been warned. Potential brain damage.

If you’ve not heard, a group of dancers, bartenders and deejays have brought a class action suit against the owners of the Mardi Gras for illegally treating them as independent contractors. Dancers were required to give part of their earnings to the deejays and bartenders as well as pay a shift fee to work at the club.

The thing that bothers me the most about the issue of a strip club illegally categorizing its dancers as independent contractors when they, by law, fit the description of employees is how people have reacted to it.

Instead of having some shred of human understanding, the all-too common reaction is “So what? They’re little better than prostitutes.”

So, because what they do for a job that crosses a comfort threshold for some people, they shouldn’t have legal rights?

I’ve gone to strip clubs. I’ve written about strips clubs. I’ve interviewed dancers and club owners. I’ve become friends with some dancers.

I would never recommend this line of work to any woman. It is amazingly difficult. While the financial rewards might be great, it takes a strong person to stay away from the numerous pitfalls presented to dancers.

Could you imagine being in a line of work in which your income solely derives from someone making a snap judgment on your appearance? How about having to push drinks on customers who want to get you drunk? Being in a constant party mode with sexual overtones can take a toll on a person.

I’ve known women who worked toward a goal, then left the field and never looked back. I’ve known women who have stayed in too long. I also know women who used dancing as a way to pay for college and returned because they couldn’t find work or enough work to pay their bills.

Most of us wind up doing something that makes us feel bad during our work careers. When I was a sales rep at the Daily Hampshire Gazette – I took the job thinking I would be in a position to get a reporter’s gig; I was wrong – one of the reporters came over to me and asked if it was true I had a degree in journalism.

I affirmed that was true.

“How does it feel being a prostitute?” she replied and marched across the room to her desk.

I was too stunned – and too green – to tell her my efforts were what paid her salary. If I could remember her name I’d Google her and tell what I think now.

Certainly there were other times when employers made sure to put people in their places, such as the Christmas when I worked at the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram and all of us had to buy a Christmas present for the publisher and then frickin’ sing him a Christmas carol.

The scene was straight out of Charles Dickens. We received no bonus, no party and no gift in return.

Please bend over and say with me, “Thank you sir. May I have another?”

By the way, I can honestly say my present employers are the best I’ve had in my career in media.

In the realm of human feelings and morale, I, like most people, have felt at times exploited and abused by employers. But perhaps some people believe they are superior because no matter how degraded their boss may make them feel what they are doing is somehow more legitimate than taking off their clothes for money for the amusement of strangers.

I guess I believe that if you know what it is to work for a lunatic, shouldn’t you feel some sympathy for people whose job presents an even greater challenge than yours?

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Okay, those who know me very well, know I'm a big Fritz Lang fan and that I'm postively goofy about "Metropolis." Like the complete "Greed," a complete version of the film has been one of the cinema's Holy Grails. UFA made cuts to the film after it ran for two weeks in Germany in 1927. Paramount made additional cuts for the American release.



I first saw the version assembled with a rock score by Giorgio Moroder in 1984 and was blown away. The scope of Lang's imagery of the future married to the story that as technology advances so must the human condition made the film instantly one of the my favorites.

Despite the criticisms of the Moroder version – purists didn't care much for the rock score – the film was able to bring "Metropolis" to a new generation.

One of my best moments as a film fan was being invited to a screening of the restored version of the film released in 2001. I saw the movie in the former Columbia Pictures screening room in New York City and again was blown away.

Now here is great news.

Anyone out there wants to finance my trip to Berlin?
© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Podcamp UnConference Western Mass. 2

So I’m back ahead of schedule from the second Podcamp UnConference Western Mass. I really like the idea of the UnConference – people getting together to share their expertise and questions on new media and social networking topics – and the first one taught me a lot.

This time the UnConference was presented at Westfield State College and the facility was quite good for the workshops.

I attended two very good sessions in the morning – one that proved to be a good Twitter refresher course by Jason Turcotte – while the other was an eye-opener about posting video on your blog. Author Steve Garfield did a great job and I’ve got a lot of ideas I’d like to do.

The lunch was excellent and the company around the table was good. How could I go wrong sitting next to the Springfield Intruder himself, Bill Dusty?

Now, foolishly thinking I had something to offer, I spent time this week preparing a Powerpoint presentation titled “Citizen Journalism 101.” Traditional media has slashed its content and as a result people working with the new media tools have taken up a little of the slack.

As a Jeffersonian kind of guy I applaud people deciding they are going to report on a local topic or create a beat for themselves. The issue facing them is establishing the professional chops – if they are not professionals to begin with – and to gain the credibility they need to do their job.

I was going to address these issues in my nuts and bolts presentation. Unknown to me until about five minutes before the show was to go on, I saw my time and space was to be shared with someone who would be speaking on the “The Future of Journalism.”

Ah, huh.

The guy, who never introduced himself, seemed friendly enough and said we could split the time. He took it all but ten minutes. He didn’t offer an apology, but said I could take the rest of the time – how large. I said thanks to the group, packed my stuff and got the hell out of there.

I don’t need this crap at this stage of my life. With my schedule at work every free minute is precious. As far as I could see on the workshop board I was the only person they did this to. If the goal of Podcamp is to help build a community of people, it failed with me today.

There were two guys who actually chased after me because they were interested. I told them I would post my notes on my blog and I gave them my card. Thanks for the interest guys. I appreciate it.

Citizen Journalism 101
What the hell do you want to do?

What kind of blog are you planning? Do you want to cover a town, a neighborhood, and a beat? Written, video, audio?

There are generally two kinds of blogs out there – those that cover a topic and those that reflect the interests of the writer. Granted the one that cover a topic exist because they are an interest to a writer, but other approach tends to present a more personalized view.

Someone interested in become a reporter is better served by the first approach and by developing a beat. What is going under-reported in your community? What do you see as a need? The answers to these questions should guide you in determining what you want to do.

A beat can be covered through photos, videos and audio as well. The freedom of the Web is the ability to present the same information on multiple platforms at the same time.

Do you want to stick to professional standards?

If you want to be taken seriously by members of governments, businesses and other institutions, you have to have a level of professionalism in your writing. The attribution of sources and quotes demonstrates professionalism.

I’m old school. I believe in making the newsmakers tell their story and stand by their statements.

Check out this site for a great discussion about on and off record rules.

Libel is another issue. There are some people who think somehow the standards governing what you say about a person may not apply to the Web. Think again.

Here is a great site for guidelines.

Here’s a solid definition about who is a public figure. Remember public figures are not as protected as much by libel laws as those who private.

Who is a public figure? A public figure is someone who has actively sought, in a given matter of public interest, to influence the resolution of the matter. In addition to the obvious public figures, government employee, a senator, a presidential candidate, someone may be a limited-purpose public figure. A limited-purpose public figure is one who (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across. One can also be an involuntary limited-purpose public figure or example, an air traffic controller on duty at time of fatal crash was held to be an involuntary, limited-purpose public figure, due to his role in a major public occurrence. Examples of public figures:
• A former city attorney and an attorney for a corporation organized to recall members of city counsel
• A psychologist who conducted "nude marathon" group therapy
• A land developer seeking public approval for housing near a toxic chemical plant
• Members of an activist group who spoke with reporters at public events
• Corporations are not always public figures. They are judged by the same standards as individuals.

A citizen journalist also needs to know his and her rights concerning the Open Meeting laws.


The Open Meeting Law gives "any person" the right to attend the meetings of governmental bodies, with exceptions for closed sessions discussed below. Massachusetts law does not limit access to meetings to a specific category of people or a profession, such as "the traditional press." Anyone may attend, including non-residents and non-voters. The Open Meeting Law does not give the public a right to participate or comment during open meetings. As a matter of practice, however, governmental bodies often allow members of the public to comment during public meetings. No one may address a public meeting of a governmental body without permission of the presiding officer, and all persons must be silent upon request of the presiding officer. See Mass Gen. Laws. ch. 39, ｧ 23C.
Go here for more detail

Tools of the trade

These are things I carry. You might want to arm yourself with them as well:
• Mp3 audio recorder
• Flip video camera/ tripod
• Decent still camera

A tripod is vital as it allows you to have a free hand to take notes while you are shooting video or photos. I know it sound pretty obvious, but many reporters I know try to juggle all of this technology at the same time. You don;t want to drop your camera while fiddling with your notebook.

How do be taken seriously

Okay this is a huge issue as there are millions blogs out and bloggers have to prove themselves with people and organizations used to dealing with traditional media.

So here is what I suggest: Call the newsmakers on your beat and ask to be put on their media lists. If they do, then show up if you can at their events. When you go to an event, make sure you say hello to the PR person and hand them your card.

The more events you attend the more stories you write and the more times you follow up a story with an email to the newsmaker containing a link to the story, your credibility will grow.

So these were the topics I was going to present if given the chance. There is much more to be discussed to prepare someone who wants to undertake this role and I hope to do so in a book I’ve been thinking about.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Boy am I freaked out! This guy works at the McDonald's on Allen Street and has served me many meals over the past few years. He always punched the register with a little too much enthusiasm. This is the first time I recognized someone from a mug shot sent to me!


SPRINGFIELD – At 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Springfield police were dispatched to an “armed robbery in progress” at the Citizens Bank located at 950 Main St.

Charles L. Watts, age 42 of 536 North Main St., East Longmeadow was arrested on charges of attempted unarmed robbery.

According to the report release by Police Sgt. John Delany, “A description was given by the caller that the bank robber was a large white male wearing a red coat. The caller stated that the male was still in the bank.

“Officer David Standen was very close by and first on the scene within seconds of the dispatch. Officer Standen was the ‘walking patrol officer’ assigned to that beat. Officer Standen walked into the bank in full uniform and observed right away a large white male wearing a red jacket in front of a teller talking with her.

“He also observed all the other tellers and the bank manager huddled in a far off corner away from the bank robber. The bank manager observed Officer Standen and pointed out the bank robber as the one robbing the bank. Officer Standen quickly placed the suspect into custody. The robber passed a note to the teller demanding all the money. No weapon was shown, only implied and no weapon was recovered.”

Watts will be held arraigned in Springfield District Court.

Here's the finished story from this weekend covering Republican politics in Western Massachusetts.

A couple of observations: I will find it interesting if Brown's supporters don't share the stance he has taken as an independent voice who will not always vote with his Republican colleagues. His comments about abortion have already caused some comment – he is against federal funding on abortions, but supports a woman's right to choice.

And the fact we have a gay Republican running for lt. governor is also one that social conservatives here might have a problem with.





Brown meets his supporters.



Charles Baker, State Rep. Don Humason and State Sen. Mike Knapik



The Republican spotlight was on Western Massachusetts last week with two events signifying a renewed interest in the GOP here.

Senator-elect Scott Brown kicked off a “thank you” tour of the state with an appearance in Chicopee on Friday that drew over 500 people. On Saturday, over 200 supporters met Republican gubernatorial hopeful Charles Baker and his running mate State Sen. Richard Tisei at a campaign event at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

***
The bitter cold didn’t keep them away.

The lines were around the front of the He Ke Lau restaurant in Chicopee on Friday morning with people waiting patiently to enter the restaurant showroom to see Brown on the first of several stops around the state to thank supporters for sending him to the Senate.

Even as the doors were open and the event was underway, people still kept coming. Local officials who attended included Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette, Chicopee City Councilor Jay Croteau, George Moreau, Frank LaFlamme, and Charles Swider, Chicopee School Committee member Adam LaMontagne, Springfield City Councilor John Lysak, State Sens. Michael Knapik and Stephen Buoniconti and State Reps. James Welch, Michael Kane, John Scibak and Thomas Petrolati.

It was evident, though, the event was far less about Brown meeting with other elected officials and more about greeting the people who voted for him.

The event drew not only local press but also reporters from Boston television stations as well as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press.

Both Buoniconti and Knapik, who served with Brown in the State Senate, praised him for his bipartisanship and his willingness to listen and participate in debate.

Buoniconti said that in political circles Chicopee is a “bellwether community.”

“How goes Chicopee, goes the state,” he said. He added that when he learned Chicopee had gone for Brown he knew Brown had won the race.

Knapik said that Brown is “the real deal, a regular guy.” He added that in Massachusetts, Republicans have to work with Democrats to get legislation passed and that is a lesson Knapik predicted he will carry to Washington, D.C.

Knapik added Brown’s election was “a wake-up call to both parties.”

Driving himself from his home in his now famous truck, Brown was on time for the noon event, and appeared on stage after introductions from local businessman Brian Corridan and comedian Steve Sweeney, a friend of Brown’s.

Brown joked the last time he was at the Hu Ke Lau he could fit all of his supporters in one booth.

Brown said that with the boxes of cards, e-mails and text messages from supporters, “I have to tell you I’m so humbled and so honored to be here to say thank you.”

“Right now all I say is that I’m everybody’s senator for almost the next three years. It’s my job to make sure we have full representation down there for everybody,” he said.

After his short remarks, Brown stepped off the stage and into what quickly began a mosh pit of supporters, eager to say hello or grab a photo and an autograph. Many people carried the Brown yard signs from their lawns, while others had photos taken during the campaign and newspaper clippings.

Although Brown did have another stop in Chicopee, he stayed at the Hu Ke Lau considerably past his scheduled time so he could greet everyone there.

***
The next day area Republicans gathered in an event room at the Basketball Hall of Fame to listen to the man who would like to be the Republican nominee for governor.

Charles Baker served as the Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci and was more recently the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. He said he understands the problems of municipal government as he served on the Select Board of his hometown of Swampscott.

Baker’s message to his audience this weekend was the Patrick Administration and the Democratic controlled Legislature has made Massachusetts “a really tough place to do business.” The increase in taxes, the complexity of regulations and permitting and the mid-year budget cuts have resulted in the state not being a “reliable, predictable, dependable partner” for businesses, Baker said.

As an example, he cited the state has changed the corporate tax policy four times in the last seven years.

Richard Tisei is the minority leader of the State Senate. He represents the Middlesex and Essex District, which consists of Lynnfield, Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield. He won his first election in 1984 at the age of 22, becoming the youngest Republican ever elected to the Legislature. After serving six years in the House of Representatives, Tisei has been re-elected to ten consecutive Senate terms. He owns a real estate firm as well.

As a realtor, Tisei said he personally has heard the stories from people who have been forced to move out of the state either because they had lost their jobs here or because the cost of living is much more affordable elsewhere.

Tisei is openly gay – having come out in a Nov. 19, 2009 interview with the Boston Globe – and fought for marriage equality in the state. How social conservatives across the Commonwealth will view his candidacy remains to be seen. Clearly no one who attended the event this weekend seemed to care about Tisei’s private life, as he and Baker were warmly greeted.
Baker said the state shouldn’t rely any longer on one-time revenue sources such as federal stimulus money to stave off a problem. He said he would undertake structural reform to lower the cost of government.

He also promised to lower the sales tax back to five percent and bring the income tax to that level as well.
“You don’t need the Legislature to do a lot of this,” he said.

Baker’s approach to economic development would not be by manufacturing sector, but by region. He said that in his travels across the state he has seen how the economic development issues of Pittsfield differ from Springfield, which differ from Worcester.

When asked about the cost of health insurance, Baker said the Patrick Administration has failed on the issue of health care reform by decreasing options and increasing regulations. He said he would reverse this situation and that he would set in place a public disclosure of all health plan costs.

Baker charged that Gov. Deval Patrick has been watching what he has been doing. Patrick put in place policy changes to help the state fishing industry after Baker had called for the reforms. Baker said he had called for pensions reform before Patrick and that Patrick’s bill contained many of the provisions Baker had suggested.

After the event, Baker spoke with members of the press. He maintained the economic problems of the state had been caused more by state policy than they had been by the deep recession that started in 2008.

“I think if you look at the data that just came out this week about the U.S. economy and the Massachusetts economy, the US economy grew by six percent in the fourth quarter and the Massachusetts economy shrank by whatever it was .2 or .5 percent. It’s kind of an indicator right there.

“I also think the inability of this state to send a clear and consistent message about tax and regulatory policy is a huge issue when I talk to businesses about investment decisions, “ he added.

Baker said this lack of a new message is nothing new and added the state hasn’t added any new jobs in the past ten years.

If the state is serious about maintaining or attracting businesses, it would address issues such as the cost of electricity, which Baker said was double that of other states. Policy decisions made by the state, he asserted, have caused high prices. He cited one company that has moved its 400 jobs to North Carolina because of electricity costs.

Baker believes that part of the job of governor is “figuring out how to work with the Legislature” and said he will be able to do that.
His number one priority is “jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.”

To build jobs, he said his first task to fix the state budget.

Will Brown’s victory help Baker reach Beacon Hill? Baker believes there is some momentum for the Republican message.

In the last five months of 2009, Baker said he was at 200 events that attracted 15,000 people. “If you spent any time with the voters, the electorate, you knew this whole thing was about jobs … in Scott’s case it was all about federal spending, taxes and all the rest. It was a huge over-hang for that race. I think Republicans actually in Massachusetts have a pretty good track record on that fiscal stuff and the fiscal discipline stuff. I think that’s going to matter a lot,” he said.

For more on Baker’s candidacy, go to http://www.charliebaker2010.com/.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

This is what's going in the paper this week. It hasn't been copy-edited so don't yell at me if there are typos.


The Republican spotlight was on Western Massachusetts last week with two events signifying a renewed interest in the GOP here.

Senator-elect Scott Brown kicked off a “thank you” tour of the state with an appearance in Chicopee on Friday that drew over 500 people. On Saturday, over 200 supporters met Republican gubernatorial hopeful Charles Baker and his running mate State Sen. Richard Tisei at a campaign event at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The bitter cold didn’t keep them away.

The lines were around front of the He Ke Lau restaurant in Chicopee on Friday morning with people waiting patiently to enter the restaurant showroom to see Brown on his first stop of several around the state to thank supporters for sending him to the Senate.

Even as the doors were open and the event was underway, people still kept coming. Local officials who attended included Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette, Chicopee City Councilor Jay Croteau, George Moreau, Frank LaFlamme, and Charles Swider, Chicopee School Committee member Adam LaMontagne, Springfield City Councilor John Lysak, State Sens. Michael Knapik and Stephen Buoniconti and States Rep. James Welch, Michael Kane, John Scibak and Thomas Petrolati.

It was evident though the event was far less about Brown meeting with other elected officials and more with greeting the people who voted for him.

The event drew not only local press but also reporters from Boston television stations as well as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press.

Both Buoniconti and Knapik who served with Brown in the State Senate praised Brown for his bipartisanship and his willingness to listen and participate in debate.

Buoniconti said that in political circles Chicopee is a “bellwether community.”

“How goes Chicopee, goes the state,” he said. He added that when he learned Chicopee had gone for Brown he knew Brown had won the race.

Knapik said the Brown is “the real deal, a regular guy.” He added that in Massachusetts Republicans have to work with Democrats to get legislation passed and that is a lesson Knapik predicted he will carry to Washington D.C.

Knapik added Brown’s election was “a wake-up call to both parties.”

Driving himself from his home in his now famous truck, Brown was on time for the noon event, and appeared on stage after introductions from local businessman Brian Corridan and comedian Steve Sweeney, a friend of Brown’s.

Brown joked the last time he was at the Hu Ke Lau he could fit all of his supporters in one booth.

Brown said that with the “boxes of cards, e-mails, text messages from supporters, “I have to tell you I’m so humbled and so honored to be here to say thank you.”

“Right now all I say is that I’m everybody’s senator for almost the next three years. It’s my job to make sure we have full representation down there for everybody,” he said.

After his short remarks, Brown stepped off the stage and into what quickly began a mosh pit of supporters, eager to say hello or grab a photo and an autograph. Many people carried the Brown yard signs from their lawns, while others had photos taken during the campaign and newspaper clippings.

Although Brown did have another stop in Chicopee, he stayed at the Hu Ke Lau way past his scheduled time in order that he could greet everyone there.


Baker served as the Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci and was more recently the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. He said he understands the problems of municipal government as he served on the Select Board of his hometown of Swampscott.

Baker’s message to his audience this weekend was the Patrick Administration and the Democratic controlled Legislature has made Massachusetts “a really tough place to do business.” The increase in taxes, the complexity of regulations and permitting and the mid-year budget cuts have resulted in the state not being a “reliable, predictable, dependable partner” for businesses, Baker said.

As an example, he cited the state has changed the corporate tax policy four times in the last seven years.

Tisei is the minority leader of the State Senate. He represents the Middlesex and Essex District, which consists of Lynnfield, Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield. He won his first election in 1984 at the age of 22, becoming the youngest Republican ever elected to the Legislature. After serving six years in the House of Representatives, Tisei has been re-elected to ten consecutive Senate terms. He owns a real estate firm as well.

As a realtor, Tisei said he personally has heard the stories from people who have been forced to move out of the state either because they had lost their jobs here or because the cost of living is much more affordable elsewhere.

Tisei is openly gay – having come out in a Nov. 19, 2009 interview with the Boston Globe – and fought for marriage equality in the state. How social conservatives across the Commonwealth will view his candidacy remains to be seen. Clearly no one who attended the event this weekend seemed to care about Tisei’s private life, as he and Baker were warmly greeted.

Baker said the state shouldn’t rely any longer on one-time revenue sources such as federal stimulus money to stave off a problem. He said he would undertake structural reform to lower the cost of government.

He also promised to lower the sales tax back to five percent and bring the income tax to that level as well.
“You don’t need the Legislature to do a lot of this,” he said.

Baker’s approach to economic development would not be by manufacturing sector, but by region. He said that in his travels across the state he has seen how the economic development issues of Pittsfield differ from Springfield, which differ from Worcester.

When asked about the cost of health insurance, Baker said the Patrick Administration has failed on the issue of health care reform by decreasing options and increasing regulations. He said he would reverse this situation and that he would set in place a public disclosure of all health plan costs.

Baker asserted that Gov. Deval Patrick has been watching what he has been doing. Patrick put in place policies changes to help the state fishing industry after Baker had called for the reforms. Baker said he had caked for pensions reform before Patrick and that Patrick’s bill contained many of the provisions Baker had suggested.

After the event baker spoke with members of the press. He maintained the economic problems of the state had been caused more by state policy than they had been by the deep recession that started in 2008.

“I think if you look at the data that just came out this week about the U.S. economy and the Massachusetts economy the US economy grew by sic percent in the fourth quarter and the Massachusetts economy shrank by whatever it was .2 or .5 percent. It’s kind of an indicator right there.

“I also think the inability of this state to send a clear and consistent message about tax and regulatory policy is a huge issue when I talk to businesses about investment decisions, “ he added.

Baker said this lack of a new message is nothing new and added the state has added any new jobs in the past ten years.
If the state is serious about maintaining or attracting businesses, it would address issues such as the cost of electricity, which Baker said was double that of other states. States decision, he asserted, have caused high prices. He cited one company that has moved its 400 jobs to North Carolina because of electricity costs.

Baker believes that part of the job of governor is “figuring out how to work with the Legislature” and said he will be able to do that.

His number one priority is “jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.”

To build jobs, he said his first task to fix the state budget.

Will Brown’s victory help Baker reach Beacon Hill? Baker believes there is some momentum for the Republican message.
In the last five months of 2009, Baker said he was at 200 events that attracted 15,000 people. “If you spent any time with the voters, the electorate, you knew this whole thing was about jobs … in Scott’s case it was all about federal spending, taxes and all the rest. It was a huge over-hang for that race. I think Republicans actually in Massachusetts have a pretty good track record on that fiscal stuff and the fiscal discipline stuff. I think that’s going to matter a lot,” he said.

For more on Baker’s candidacy, go to http://www.charliebaker2010.com/.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Backstage at the big show

Today was the Scott Brown appearance in Chicopee and a story I desperately wanted to cover. Thanks to my friend Tony Cignoli I had about a much advance word on the event as anyone did.

Tony – a world-class political consultant – was called in to help with some of the arrangements of the event. Now most political events, whether they are press conference, campaign stops, town hall meetings or victory events go by pre-determined rules. By necessity most elected officials go by fairly strict schedules. Tony is a master at facilitating such events and making sure the press gets what it needs while sticking to the official’s schedule.

Generally at such events an official, especially someone such as a U.S. senator, will have a member of his or her staff at the event prior to its start to make sure everything is as it should be. Another convention is that at a non-press conference event, there is a press availability at which time the press has the newsmaker all to themselves.

Brown has no staff at this time and wasn’t interested in a press availability. He seemed content simply saying thank you to supporters. Tony had things running as smooth as they could have been.

The event was scheduled to take place at noon at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee. Chicopee was won by Brown and the restaurant has allowed Brown to campaign among its diners there early in his campaign. I asked the restaurant’s owner how many people the large showroom could seat and it was 500 people. There were between 500 and 600 people in the room as new folks came in as other left.

People were lined up outside the restaurant at 11:20 when I got there. Tony had advised me to walk through the kitchen from the loading dock to get inside to set up before the noon start.

There was the usual local media, plus reporters from The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and The Detroit Free Press. Brown’s election is a big national political story that has been hyped even more by silly elements as his career as a male model and the supposed revelation that Massachusetts is a Democratic state through and through, but "turned" Republican.

I don’t know how people can say that when so many of our governors for the past 25 years have been Republican. And the attitudes of so many residents from issues on bussing to same sex marriage don’t refect this huge liberal establishment as we allegedly have.

Brown, though, is a huge rock star in the political world, but what impressed me was that it doesn’t look like it’s hit him as yet. Sure, he’s been on Leno and people have been talking about Brown running for president in 2012, but I don’t think his head has been turned.

I say this because defying all political rules of thumb, Brown did this thank you event without a staff and with the roughest of plans. He drove himself there in his now famous pick-up truck. He had no assistants. After a friend of his who is a stand-up comic warmed up the crowd, he gave a short speech. Then said he wanted to me everyone in the room.

Most people in his position would have a staff of sorts at this point who would be keeping the event in line. Brown didn’t. Perhaps Brown is a true maverick. This event certainly seemed more genuine than any of the Palin gosh-golly-gee-I’m a-woman-of-the-people things I’ve seen on TV.

State Sen. Michael Knapik who worked with Brown told me he is a “regular guy” who is very open to reaching across aisle to get things done. Knapik, a fellow Republican, said he didn’t expect Brown to vote in “lockstep” with other Republican senators in D.C.

Brown just walked into the center of the room and was mobbed in a mosh pit of happy voters. Some had things for him to sign while others had their cameras ready. One person held up a sign reading “My sons are available.”

Brown was supposed to then go to WWLP TV22 for a brief stop, but couldn’t come due to schedule conflicts.

Despite the fact I’ve been burned before on expectations of politicians, I’m willing to give Brown a chance. His genuine touch at this event, no matter how chaotic it was for the press to cover, did seem refreshing.


© 2010 by Gordon M. Dobbs

This what I wrote about Tuesday's election:

As you read this column, all of us have had the opportunity to settle down a bit. Those who supported Scott Brown will probably come to the understanding that he will have many moments of enlightenment as the new kid in the Senate and that changing the direction of the nation’s business is hard work.

Martha Coakley’s supporters will comprehend through the fog of their grief the defeat of the candidate should only spur them on to work harder to achieve their political goals.

Brown will have a nice time in the media spotlight as the right wing talk show hosts will elevate him to rock star status for the next few weeks. Coakley will have to live as the Democratic candidate who allowed Ted Kennedy’s legacy to slip through her fingers. She will also have to decide if she is going to run as attorney general again.

This was not a mandate for Brown. It was a solid win, but the margin was not enough to declare he truly represents the overwhelming majority of the electorate.

Considering his statement about Kennedy in his victory speech – “Sen. Ted Kennedy was a tireless worker and a big-hearted public servant. There’s no replacing a man like that. But tonight I honor the memory and I pledge to be the very best and try to be a worthy successor to the late Sen. Kennedy” – I wonder how he will reconcile his right-leaning political views with Kennedy’s legacy of positions in the opposite direction.

Time of course will tell. We have a few years before the next regularly scheduled race to see how Brown represents us.

I was the chief greeter at the breakfast meeting of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce last week and when Betsy Daley, who the chair of the breakfast, announced some significant events including the end of the first year of President Obama’s term no one applauded. When she mentioned Brown’s election about half of the room showed their support.

There are an awful lot of fearful, angry people in this country whose emotions are legitimate and understandable. An unnecessary war in Iraq, a deep, deep recession, a crisis in housing, bank failures and other problems face this nation. Some of these problems are 30 years in the making and culminated with the policies of the last administration.

What has made the mood worse is that some people thought the president could turn the nation around on a dime. They are disappointed. Progressives are disappointed Obama has been more decisive and liberal in his approach. Conservatives believe Obama is too liberal.

Certainly there is anger in Massachusetts with our Democratic governor and Legislature and their missteps and hijinks.
I reject the notion, though, this election was a referendum on the president. According to one exit poll I heard about Massachusetts voters still gave him relatively high marks.

No, this election was about Scott Brown and Martha Coakley and the fact that more voters responded to his candidacy than hers.

Here’s a question to ponder: if Kennedy was alive and well and Brown was his opponent, do you think he would have beat Ted?

***
Well, are there any points of agreement between these opposite camps? Allow me to suggest one; recently my buddy City Jake concocted one of most temptingly delicious offerings at his City Jake’s Café on Main Street in Springfield. He took a bed of sweet potato fries and topped them with his homemade chili, cheese, sour cream and hot peppers.

It was so mind-blowing that I’m sure it could provide a bridge over the most contentious political disagreements.

Jake’s is another locally owned business, like the ones which advertise with us, who deserve your support.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

With Art Clokey’s recent death, I though it would be appropriate to post an interview piece that is included in my book, “Escape: How Animation Went Mainstream in the 1990s.”

This piece was originally published in 1995.

He’s lean, green and, now, is going to be a star on the movie screen. Art Clokey’s Gumby has been a staple on television since the character’s debut in 1956 on the Howdy Doody Show. Now, the clay-animated character is on his way to theaters for the first time in Gumby - The Movie.

The movie’s release capitalizes on Gumby’s newest success in television, a show on Nickelodeon featuring both older episodes and ones produced in the mid-Eighties.

“Years ago, they thought Gumby had had it. It would just come and go like fads. Fortunately, we got a chance to make a new series back in 1986 and ‘87. They combine that with the old ones on the present Nickelodeon show” explained Clokey. The Nickelodeon show has received solid ratings from both new and older fans.

Indeed, Gumby has maintained his place in the American pop culture for almost 40 years. The original episodes were widely syndicated after their network run, and then enjoyed distribution on home video. Gumby merchandising has almost been a constant in the marketplace for years. Clokey, more than any other animator, has popularized the medium of clay animation.

Clokey who had wanted to produce a feature, took the profits from the television deal to underwrite the feature, which he and his wife Gloria produced in their Marin County, CA studio.

“We did the movie in 1988, ‘89 and ‘91. We just finished some of the post-production a few months ago,” said Clokey. Since the Clokeys were financing the feature themselves, Clokey reported with pleasure that they could work “like humans” on the film with a schedule of 8 hour days, instead of the 14 hours demanded by the new television work.

The movie was a family affair with Art Clokey co-writing, directing, and storyboarding the film while his wife Gloria also co-wrote the script, did the set breakdowns and wrote some of the songs. Art performed three voices, including that of Pokey, while Gloria was the voice for Goo, one of Gumby’s friends.

Those looking for another animated musical fairy tale will be disappointed. Gumby - The Movie is indeed animated, and has music, but follows the style long established by Clokey. As anyone who has watched Gumby can tell you, Gumby is..well..different than other animated characters. Clokey’s sense of the abstract and surreal and his strong religious and moral beliefs produce a singularly individual animated film.

In this case, when was the last time you saw an animated film in which cloning, rock’n’roll and low interest loans were key plot points?

Producing the new television episodes provided the Clokeys with a way to find the talent necessary for a feature film.

“We were able to train animators on the new series we did in 1986-88. We had 18 animators. We found them from all over the country and trained them,” explained Clokey.” That’s why the new series is uneven in its quality. Some episodes have good animation and some don’t. Lorimar [the company] who was financing the series wanted to have it done in 18 months. Well, we did it in 20 months. If you realize the 99 episodes we did was equal to six to eight features films, you see we couldn’t be very perfectionistic in our shooting.”

The feature film was made under different conditions.

“We picked out some of the best animators to do the movie after we did the series. We had all the equipment, studio, and artists and so on to do the movie. The first version was completed in 1992, and since then we’ve made changes and the last changes were made about six months ago. We improved the soundtrack and got a new composer, and did some editing and so on. We added a song over the end credits so people won’t want to get up out of their seats.”

Gumby - The Movie is an independent production which is being released by a small New York-based distributor, Arrow Releasing, Inc. Clokey could have gone with a larger distributor, but decided against it.

“Warner Brothers and Universal both registered some interest in distributing it. Warner Brothers wanted to put Eddie Murphy in it, and Universal wanted to change the script too much. So we passed them by and decided to do it ourselves.”

In this time of computer-generated animation, Gumby is comfortably and reassuringly low-tech in many ways. Gumby and his co-stars are still wire-reinforced models made of the clay-like modeling compound plastocene. While Gumby the character has proven to be durable, Gumby the model is not. Eighty to ninety Gumby figures are used to make a single television episode.

While much remains the same, Clokey noted there have been changes to the production techniques.

“The big changes were in the new materials, the new plastics that came out in the time between we were making the old series and the new, like styrofoam, and foamcore board and various types of tape. One of the things we used that we never used before was a motion controlled camera. We had the camera mounted on a device that was controlled by the computer. We could program in exact movements we wanted the camera to make.”
Something else new for Gumby is a girlfriend named Tara, which Clokey points out means “star” in Sanskrit. This kind of detail, and a strong moral core are some of the most appealing aspects of Clokey’s work. His background and interests are reflected in his films, but Clokey said it’s not deliberate.

“It comes out of my subconscious when I’m writing a script, it’s almost like daydreaming. The subconscious is a very spiritual place sometimes,” Clokey explained.

“No, we don’t set out to make a moral issue. It just happens spontaneously. I was brought up going to be an Episcopal minister. After graduating from the university, I went to seminary in Connecticut, but after the first year I decided I didn’t want to be a minister in the Episcopal or any church. I, what you might say, fled to Hollywood where I could make religious films. I couldn’t make religious films there because I had to be a member of the union to get into any of the production companies.”

Calling himself “an idealist,” Clokey recalled that for the first seven years of Gumby’s run, he would not allow any merchandising because he wanted the character to be “a gift to children and not exploit children.” Clokey also produced the religious animated children’s show Davey and Goliath, underwritten by the Lutheran Church, for a decade.

Clokey has maintained a deep interest in the world’s religions, and has been particularly involved with the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a guru from India. In fact, Clokey attributes much of the new interest in Gumby to an event that happened in 1979 when Clokey went to India to meet Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and the religious leader blessed Gumby. Gumby - The Movie is dedicated to this teacher.

What’s next? Arrow Releasing has announced an October date for the distribution of the video of Gumby - The Movie, and Clokey has already completed the script for the next Gumby feature, Gumby II.

I don't believe Clokey ever got the second feature off the ground.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs