Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 284

Yannick on Angela

No, I did not know until now that former tennis great (and father of NBA star) Yannick Noah did this pretty good song about Angela Davis.

When Eleanor Roosevelt Got Lionel Barrymore Fired

I've posted here previously about President Harry Truman getting the actor playing him in a 1947 MGM epic canned.  This was drawn from my new book Hollywood Bomb, about how Truman and others gutted a planned film that would have raised alarms about nuclear weapons and the arms race and the dangers to come.  Anyway, there's more. Surely this was the only movie where actors playing two President each got fired.

Eleanor Roosevelt had learned that the studio planned to cast legendary actor Lionel Barrymore, a close friend of MGM chief, the arch-conservative Louis B. Mayer, as her late husband.  Like FDR for much of his life, Barrymore--grand-uncle of Drew Barrymore--was confined to a wheelchair due to a hip injury.  Sounded like perfect casting on paper but—the former First Lady  alleged that the actor had made several disparaging remarks about FDR, and he had campaigned for Dewey against him in 1944. (Barrymore was particularly incensed about the graduated income tax.)  

Production on the film had started but the scenes with Roosevelt had not yet been shot, so MGM put them on hold while Barrymore wrote a conciliatory letter to Eleanor, claiming that his political views had been misinterpreted.  But the former First Lady still did not relent--and soon MGM announced that one Godfrey Tearle would play FDR. 

Jiminy Crickett!

Here's 30-second commercial for that rifle for kids--you know, the one used by boy, 5, this week to plug and kill his sis, age 2.  Mom gave it to him when he was...four.   Note the mention of "safety" in the ad.  Also mom points one at kid in store for a moment.  Shoot a water bottle!  Or shoot a sibling! Fun for the whole family!

Kurtz Canned, or Quit, or Something

So says MediaBistro, and probably coming out of Howie's mistaken claims in his column on NBA star coming out--and, more likely, his not exactly contrite correction later.   Tina Brown tweeted, "The Daily Beast and Howard Kurtz have parted company. We wish him well.”  Daily Beast had printed retraction earlier. Kurtz claims in tweets it was simply time to move on and pursue the proverbial new opportunities:   "I've enjoyed my time at the Daily Beast but as we began to move in different directions, both sides agreed it was best to part company." NYT covers it here.

Gunfire and Death in Houston Airport

Story still developing but it seems that a man at a security checkpoint--with an AR-15--was halted, a cop fire a round and missed--and then the guy shot and killed himself.  That's the story for now.  Updates ahead.  Such as: This report has suspect firing two shots in air, then fired on, then shot himself with pistol.  Flights grounded.

Lifton on Drones

My important new interview with the great Robert Jay Lifton on dangers of drone war, media failures, blowback, and psychological fallout. 

Report: Gitmo Attorney a Suicide

This hasn't been confirmed elsewhere (update: as of Thursday morning), but Jason Leopold at Truthout reports that a well-known federal public defender for Gitmo prisoners for several years, Andy Hart of Toledo, 38,  has killed himself.  Nothing has been announced and Leopold has no details on where this happened, so stay tuned for confirmation of death, and if suicide.   Hart "apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Hart left behind a suicide note and a thumb drive, believed to contain his case files. It is unknown where Hart died, what the suicide note said or whether an autopsy was performed.

"Hart’s death comes amid escalating chaos that has engulfed Guantanamo over the past three months—from a mass hunger strike to military commissions and renewed pressure on the White House to shut down the prison facility. Hart was one of three-dozen Guantanamo attorneys who signed a letter in March urging Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to take immediate action and bring about an end to the hunger strike."

Attention Conspiracy Buffs

Yes, that's one of the three arrested today for helping out alleged Boston bomber/party boy posing in front of the NYT building not long ago (see the Times report, bottom of their blog).   Surely he was there to pick up orders from the editors to set the bombing in motion to, what, help Obama somehow, or something?

Bitchuational Ethics

A.O. Scott at NYT tonight with nice piece on what Stephen Soderbergh is up to, what with his "retirement" from movies, his recent hot speech about the lack of "cinema" these days--but mostly about his Twitter novella, in progress.  Scott confirms that the @bitchuation Twitter account, which has a shocking low number of followers (until, probably, tonight) is his, and yes, that's his novella on there, along with some images.  The latest tweet: END OF CHAPTER SEVEN.

Tom Friedman Sex Tape?

Thought that might get your attention.  Not that any of us would like to think of it.  But in the fertile mind of Matt Taibbi it perhaps exists.  Inspired by the outrage of Friedman's 401-k column today,  he posted this at Twitter less  than an hour ago:  "Okay, contest time. What would a Tom Friedman porn film be called? I nominate 'Something Really Big Is Happening.'"

Well, the entries poured in to @mtaibbi apparently. My response: Has the film already appeared? You know, "Taxicab Confessions."   One guy proposed "The Next Six Inches Are Critical."  Others: "The Friedman Unit."  "Only The World Is Flat."  I guess his most famous quote--"Suck On This"--is too obvious.  More to come.

Taibbi has posted a link to a coffee mug with a moustache on it and, I guess, a dirty quote, which is for the first prize.  He promises to release entries and winners soon.