Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 177

Brando Takes a Cue

Robert Duvall holding cue cards under his jacket for Brando (as per usual) in filming The Godfather.  courtesy @BehindScenePix

Another '60 Minutes' Outrage

While I was tied up yesterday with the swell Bill Moyers' tribute to our Beethoven film, Media Matters chronicled the two latest developments in the Bogus Benghazi Report.  For one thing, former NBC chief Lawrence Grossman rips CBS, joined by two other former heavies, in interviews with my old colleague, Joe Strupp.  Also, it seems that CBS appointed an insider to do its "journalistic review" of the Benghazi scandal, drawing hits from critics about this far from credible move.

Alicia Shepard, former NPR ombudsman was among others who said the investigation lacks credibility before it begins.  "There's no way that Al Ortiz can do an investigation that anyone outside CBS News, and maybe inside, will find credible at this point," said Shepard. "The network needs to hire a panel of outside independent journalists and let them loose inside 60 Minutes to find out step by step what happened. And be totally transparent. It's the only way for 60 Minutes to regain its once-stellar reputation. This is so why news organizations still need ombudsmen."

Bill Moyers Hails Our "Small Gem of a Film"

As hinted, Bill Moyers with full segment on our Beethoven film Following the Ninth for his TV show this weekend (over 300 stations), and already posted online.    More than we could have hoped for--an 11-minute piece, with most of that being Kerry Candaele's entire seven-minute trailer, plus some wise and moving words from Bill, a shout-out for our book, and more. 

Lou Rocks Lincoln Center

As I noted earlier, public memorial for Lou Reed Thursday afternoon outdoors at Lincoln Center in NYC, amid the opera, philharmonic, dance and theatre shrines, with just his music blaring over speakers and people gathering and dancing and playing air guitar.  Here are three vids.  First a little "Rock and Roll," and then the great Sandi Bachom with what happened when they played "Walk on the Wild Side" and yes the 17-minute "Sister Ray," complete with "sucking on my ding dong" and all the rest. 

The Colbert Bump?

Epic Colbert segment as he mocks "Today" show and others for their sweeps week gimmicks--such as undergoing sensitive medical exams on the air.  This one hits men close to, ahem, home.

"The Coach Who Never Punts"

Well, almost never.  High school coach has been successful, even winning championships, since 2005 with his bold scheme of rarely punting on 4th down (and also doing a lot of onside kicking).  And stats bear him out, all the way up to the pros.  I've long wondered about the automatic punting strategy and now it seems I may have been on to something--but very few are following this coach's example, although it's more risky when you get to NFL.  Still, stats show if it's 4th and less than 4, it's the right thing to do.  

What I'd add is that it changes the whole way you play the game--and that's probably the key, if followed regularly.  Instead of starting each series feeling you only have 3 downs to get a first, you act like you have 4.  So if you don't gain much on first down, say, you don't panic and automatically heave a pass on second, but maybe run again.  Then maybe it's 3rd and 5.  Need to throw at least a 6 yard pass for the first? No, you can run again or throw a little screen and set up a 4th and 1.  And so on...

Another Media Apology—150 Years Later

The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, PA retracts and apologizes for its 1863 article calling Lincoln's brief remarks at Gettysburg "silly."   In fact, as I've written elsewhere, many if not most newspapers barely mentioned the president's remarks, though perhaps few actually mocked them. Love the opener:

Seven score and ten years ago, the forefathers of this media institution brought forth to its audience a judgment so flawed, so tainted by hubris, so lacking in the perspective history would bring, that it cannot remain unaddressed in our archives.

And later: "The world will little note nor long remember our emendation of this institution’s record – but we must do as conscience demands."

Colbert Bonus

Web exclusive, as the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama did a haunting version of "Amazing Grace" after the show last night--more like "House of the Rising Sun."

Colbert on Cohen

He hits the "sharks in the media" after poor Richard Cohen...

Lou Reed, Writer

A little surprised but happy to see in today's NYT an essay by chief book critic Michiko Kakutani on Lou Reed's visions of New York City over the years.  Heaven and hell.  Pretty good.  And a reminder that the public memorial for Lou takes place this afternoon at Lincoln Center outdoors, with non-stop music.

Reminds me that back in early 1971, I helped edit a lengthy essay/memoir by the late Lou Reed for Crawdaddy, and I wonder if it's his first published piece.  Of course, years later, he wrote many articles and reviews and, of course, poems, but I don't know if he did before 1971.  He had left the Velvets and worked in an accounting office for a spell, before signing with RCA.  He was about to launch a solo career that would soon go well.  I had just started at Crawdaddy as the #2 editor and we put together a special feature section on Stars with pieces by Lou,  R. Meltzer, Lenny Kaye, Viva, and others. (I also contributed a profile/interview with Ray Davies.)

Anyway, Lou stuck to the subject of stardom, under the title, “Why I Wouldn’t Want My Son To Be a Rock Star, Or a Dog Even.” He observed that "being a star means you get fucked.  Not only by groupies, male, female and neuter, but by family, friends, promoters, record company men and managers."  Being a star, therefore, mostly means learning "to say no."

But not everyone can be a star.  Among other witticisms, he noted that “Today, even Katharine Hepburn, who is a real lady, is not a star since:  She does not play guitar or piano. She is not vulgar. She does not take acid.  She wears bell bottoms only on holidays.”

On a more serious note, he recalled a poet friend who “died quite ignominiously in the Hotel Dixie after a drinking bout.”  He was “a real star…but since he did not act like a star no one believed him.” (Different hotel, but I wonder if this was Delmore Schwartz.)   He closed with advice to your rockers on how to reach stardom and get the double-album, girls and a billboard in Times Square.  Then you will "deserve to say anything at all.  Or, not say anything at all." (Photo: Lou with raisins in Crawdaddy, 1968.)