Peter Ramsey
The "Rise of the Guardians" Interview
with Kam Williams
The Rise of Ramsey!
Rise of the Guardians is Peter Ramsey's first feature film after directing the hit DreamWorks Animation Halloween special, "Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space." This project followed the feature film, "Monsters vs. Aliens" on which Ramsey served as Head of Story. While at DreamWorks Animation, Ramsey also served as a story artist on "Shrek the Third," and as a story board artist on "Shark Tale."
Before joining DreamWorks Animation in 2004, Ramsey's talent as a storyboard artist was on display while working on a notable number of live action feature films, including "Adaptation," "Minority Report," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Cast Away", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Fight Club," "Godzilla," "Men in Black," "Independence Day," "Batman Forever," "Far and Away," "Backdraft," and "Predator 2" amongst others.
Ramsey's directing skills were also honed early, as he served as Second Unit Director on live action feature films including "Godzilla," "Tank Girl," "Higher Learning," and "Poetic Justice." A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California, Peter grew-up in Crenshaw, and graduated from Palisades High School before attending UCLA.
Here, he talks about his life and career, and about being the first African-American to direct a full-length, animated feature.
Kam Williams: Hi Peter, thanks for the interview. I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
Peter Ramsey: Oh, the pleasure's all mine, Kam. The pleasure's all mine.
KW: I really enjoyed Rise of the Guardians. Let me start by asking you what it meant to make history as the first African-American hired by a big studio to direct a full-length, animated feature?
PR: I thought about it a little bit when I first got the job, but then rapidly got lost in the work. It wasn't until later, when my mom and dad read that fact about me in the newspaper, and I saw how it affected them, that it came back to me. Since I talk to a lot of groups at schools, one good thing is that kids can look at me and have direct knowledge of someone who's doing something they might be dreaming of doing themselves.
Bob Zemeckis
The "Flight" Interview with Kam Williams
Born in Chicago on May 14, 1951, Bob Zemeckis won an Academy Award for Best Director for the hugely successful "Forrest Gump." The film's numerous honors also included Oscars for Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Picture. The Library of Congress recently selected the film to join the esteemed National Film Registry.
Zemeckis re-teamed with Hanks on the contemporary drama "Cast Away," the filming of which was split into two sections, book-ending production on What Lies Beneath. Earlier in his career, Zemeckis co-wrote and directed "Back to the Future," which was the top-grossing release of 1985, and for which Zemeckis landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
He then went on to helm "Back to the Future, Part II and Part III," completing one of the most successful film trilogies ever. In addition, he directed and produced "Contact," starring Jodie Foster, based on the best-selling novel by Carl Sagan; and the macabre comedy hit "Death Becomes Her," starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis.
He also wrote and directed the box office smash "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," cleverly blending live action and animation. And he directed the action-adventure hit "Romancing the Stone," pairing Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
In March 2001, the USC School of Cinema-Television celebrated the opening of the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts. This state-of-the-art facility is the country's first fully-digital training center, and houses the latest in non-linear production and post-production equipment as well as stages, a 50-seat screening room and a USC student-run television station, Trojan Vision.
Here, he talks about his latest film, Flight, a combination special f/x and legal thriller starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman and Melissa Leo.
Kam Williams: Hi Bob, thanks so much for the interview.
Bob Zemeckis: You bet.
KW: I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. I loved the film and found it fascinating. I told my readers I'd be speaking with you, so I'll be mixing my questions in with theirs. What interested you in making Flight?
BZ: I thought it was a wonderful, beautifully-written screenplay with some really interesting, complex characters, including Denzel's, obviously. I found it to be very bold and very courageous.
Daniel Craig
The "Skyfall" Interview with Kam Williams
Born in Chester, England on March 2, 1968, and raised on the Wirral Peninsula outside Liverpool, Daniel Craig has gone from waiting tables as a struggling actor to playing the legendary James Bond. In between, the versatile thespian has tackled a variety of roles, which is reflected in a resume which includes outings in Elizabeth, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, The Mother, Sylvia, Layer Cake, Fateless, Munich and Infamous prior to his 2006 debut as 007 in Casino Royale.
Since then, the Brit beefcake has also appeared in The Invasion, Defiance, Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and another Bond flick, The Quantum of Solace. Here, Daniel talks about his third go-round as the secret agent with the proverbial "License to Kill" in Skyfall, a riveting adventure which establishes him as the best 007 since the standard was set by Sean Connery back in the Sixties.
Kam Williams: Hey, Daniel. Is that you? I'm surprised, because most celebrities have their publicist place the call and then put them on the line.
Daniel Craig: I can dial the phone myself. Amazing! [Chuckles]
KW: We'll, thanks for the interview. I loved Skyfall. How did you enjoy making it?
DC: Immensely! Immensely! It's been the culmination of a lot of effort by many different people. We've been very busy prepping over the entire, four-year hiatus. I won't lie, it was very hard work and sometimes very intense, but with a cast this good and a crew that's just out of this world, it added up to a great, great experience.
KW: I told my readers I'd be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How is Skyfall different from all the other Bond movies?
DC: I suppose the only way I could say it's different is that it's a modern take. But we've been very careful that, throughout the film, you never forget that you're watching a James Bond movie since that, of course, is what people come to see. And we want you to make all the sort of nods to the past, and to make sure that we not only reintroduce characters that everybody knows by now but also introduce some new ones as well. We had a great story with a unique plot.
KW: Children's book author Irene Smalls asks: Do you feel at all intimidated as the face of such an enduring and beloved film franchise?
DC: Well, I don't know about feeling intimidated. But there is a little pressure in the back of your mind when you've been afforded a chance to make a movie of this stature. But it's a good pressure. It spurs people on. I know that Sam [director Sam Mendes] and I were in total agreement that we just wanted to make the best Bond we could, not only because of the 50 year anniversary, but because you don't have a chance to make one very often. So, we had better make a good one.
KW: Film student Jamaal Green asks: How did you prepare yourself physically and mentally to play 007 this time around?
DC: I just hit the gym for the physical side of it. I'm training about six months before we start shooting. Three months out I kind of up the rate, and try to get as fit as I can. The mental preparation involves long, long, long discussions with the writers and the directors to make sure we're all on the same page.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What is the coolest gadget we will get to see you use in the film?
DC: I can't tell you that, Larry. [Chuckles, then pauses to think] The DB5! [The Aston Martin first driven by 007 in Goldfinger] It's still there and it's still one of the best gadgets there ever was.
KW: Director Kevin Williams asks: What did you bring to your interpretation of James Bond to make the role your own?
DC: I don't know, just my knowledge of the way I like to act. I've always felt that I could never be as good as the guys who've gone before, or even like them in any way, shape or form, so I have to kind of try to create something. I always had a grand plan that if I ever had the chance to make a few of these that something would emerge, and I'm really sort of pleased with how things have worked out, because it gave us an opportunity to get into Bond's head a little bit.
KW: Well, I think you're being extremely modest. Yes, Sean Connery may have set the standard as the originator of the role, but I think you've done a phenomenal job and eclipsed all the other Bonds while making the role your own.
DC: Thanks, Kam.
KW: Ilene Proctor says, Daniel. You are such a phenomenally talented actor. What has been your favorite role to date?
DC: Ooh, wow! That's a really hard question to answer. I've loved a lot of what I've done. It's a very difficult question to answer because each individual movie has a very specific memory. I'd have to put James Bond near the top for sure.
KW: I've enjoyed the versatility of your work which ranges from a relationship drama like Mother to the historical thriller Munich to the Holocaust drama Defiance. What a mix!
DC: Yeah, I get around.
KW: Laz Lyles asks: Do we discover anything new about Bond's mental make-up, motivations or fears in this film?
DC: Without giving anything away, Laz, yes we do.
KW: Kate Newell says: I loved your performance with the Queen in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Is she going to be your new Bond girl? Is there any chance of you two working together again?
DC: I shouldn't think so. I believe that was just a one off. [Director] Danny Boyle did such an extraordinary job with it. I was very proud to be part of the opening ceremony and it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to act with the Queen and to go to the palace.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: did you play a role in picking the Bond girls? DC: Oh, no, not really, that's Sam's job, although I certainly encouraged him when I thought he was on the right track.
KW: Harriet also asks. Which was your favorite location to shoot on?
DC: I enjoy them all, but London was the best one this time around, because we shot at a number of places there that you don't normally get to shoot. And I think that plays very beautifully in the film.
KW: Eddie Von Der Schmidt asks: Have there been moments in your career where you personally doubted the likelihood of breaking through and finding success?
DC: I never really had that in mind. I got rid of my desire to make it a long time ago. I actually have just enjoyed working. I've always felt that when you're only trying to strive to be successful, and you're always worried about the grass being greener somewhere else, then you've failed. I've simply enjoyed the experience of working with people more than anything else, and that's where I've put all my energy. Of course, I had a desire to be successful, too, but when I first started acting, all I wanted to do was pay the rent. I counted achieving that as the biggest success.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
DC: God, no! [LOL]
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
DC: Spaghetti vongole. It's spaghetti with clams in a white wine sauce.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DC: Me, I see me.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
DC: To banish hate. That's a bit of a Miss World beauty pageant question, but I really do wish people would stop hating each other.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
DC: Playing in my backyard. At about the age of 3, I would imagine.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
DC: The people I admire are the ones who allow the people around them to do their job. The most successful people I've met in my life are the ones who've had the ability to encourage and get the best out of people.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
DC: I have several: Dr. Bernardo's children's charity... a friend of mine runs a charity called Safe Africa, which is dedicated to the eradication of disease and poverty in Africa... another is the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which I try to help out as much as I can... and a few others. But you know what? It may be a cultural thing, but I kind of keep my charity work private, maybe because I'm English. I think it's a private matter. That's the way I grew up.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Daniel. It's been an honor.
DC: Nice to talk to you, Kam. Bye!
To see a trailer for Skyfall, visit
Neal Shapiro
The "WNET/THIRTEEN 50th Anniversary" Interview
with Kam Williams
Big Bird's Boss Shares His Vision for PBS
Neal Shapiro is President and CEO of New York City's WNET, America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces such acclaimed PBS series as Great Performances, American Masters, Nature, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online.
Shapiro is an award-winning producer and media executive with a 25-year career spanning print, broadcast, cable and online. At the helm of WNET, Shapiro has revitalized programming, nearly doubled arts and culture programming, placed a new emphasis on local programming and community engagement, set new fundraising records and inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art studio at Lincoln Center.
In addition to WNET's signature national series, Shapiro has overseen the launch of a number of innovative local programs (including American Graduate, MetroFocus, NYC-Arts, Need To Know and Women, War & Peace) which make the most of New York City's rich resources and vibrant community.
Before joining WNET in 2007, Shapiro was President of NBC News, leading its top-rated news programs, including Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press, as well as Dateline NBC. Shapiro was executive producer of Dateline NBC when it was a mainstay of NBC's schedule. And in his 13 years at ABC News, he was a writer and producer for PrimeTime Live and World News Tonight.
Mr. Shapiro has won numerous awards, including 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards and 3 Columbia DuPont awards. He serves on the Boards of Tufts University, Gannett Company, the Investigative News Network and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Neal lives in New York City with his wife, ABC News Correspondent Juju Chang, and their three sons.
Kam Williams: Hi Neal, thanks for the interview.
Neal Shapiro: My pleasure, Kam.
KW: I feel like I already know you from watching you introduce movies every Saturday night.
NS: [Chuckles] I have to admit that of all the things I do that's actually the most fun.
KW: What is your favorite genre of film?
NS: Film noir. I'm especially a big fan of Humphrey Bogart.
Ann Coulter
The "Mugged" Interview with Kam Williams
Beware the Coultergeist!
Born in New York City on December 9, 1961, arch-conservative Ann Coulter is the author of eight New York Times bestsellers and of a nationally-syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate. She also serves as the legal correspondent for Human Events and is a frequent guest on such TV shows as The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sean Hannity, The O'Reilly Factor, The Glen Beck Show and HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.
The ever-controversial, flame-throwing firebrand has been on the cover of Time Magazine and profiled in publications like TV Guide, the Guardian, the New York Observer, National Journal, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle Magazine, too. In 2001, she was named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner.
A Connecticut native, Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell University and received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review. Here, she talks about her ninth book, Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama.
Kam Williams: Hi Ann, thanks for the interview.
Ann Coulter: Thank you, Kam.
KW: I'm a fellow Cornellian, but I went there a decade ahead of you.
AC: Wow! It was such a beautiful campus. But were you there during all the turmoil?
KW: No, I arrived the year after the famous, black student takeover with guns that made national news. But while I was there, we did have plenty of strikes, takeovers and demonstrations about everything from Apartheid to the War in Vietnam. There was so much chaos on campus it seemed like finals were cancelled every spring semester.
AC: Didn't you people ever learn anything? [Laughs]
KW: Rather than reminisce, let me get right to the questions, since my readers sent in more than I could ever get to. Troy Johnson was upset by a quote from your book where you counter Michael Moore's Stupid White Men by asking: "Shall we compare SAT scores, cultural contributions and inventions?" Troy wonders whether you're aware of all the cultural contributions that can be traced back to Africa, including Christianity? And are you aware that blacks tend to outperform whites from similar socioeconomic backgrounds on standardized tests?
AC: Yes, in fact, in an early chapter of Mugged, I rely heavily on Thomas Sowell's magnificent book, Black Rednecks, White Liberals. He points out that blacks in the North perform better, academically, than whites in the South where they did not have much of an emphasis on learning. But please note that I'm not the one making that argument in that section about Michael Moore. And by the way, I'm not a man. White men have done a lot. It's silly to write a book titled, Stupid White Men.
KW: Filmmaker Kevin Williams, director of Fear of a Black Republican asks: Why do you think the Republican Party doesn't reach out more to African-Americans on its own terms today? Have you seen the documentary?
AC: No, but I've heard of it.
KW: It's excellent. You figure prominently in it. So does Michael Steele. Kevin says he'd like to get you a copy.
AC: Oh, I would love that, and I love Michael Steele.
KW: Kevin's basic thesis is that the Republican Party is hurting itself by failing to court the black vote.
AC: Oh, I don't believe that's true at all. Republicans have reached out so much to black Republicans because it's part of our tradition. Blacks have been in this nation longer than most other Americans with the possible exception of WASPs. The first blacks in Congress and the first black Governor were all Republicans. It was Republicans who fought the Civil War over slavery and who introduced the Civil Rights legislation over the next hundred years. So, suggestions to the contrary drive Republicans like me crazy.
KW: Marcia Evans says she agrees with your recent comment that the U.S. is only indebted to African-Americans. What prompted that statement?
AC: I was being a little cross with a right-wing black friend for throwing in the Hispanics and the Asians into a Jesse Jackson-type Rainbow Coalition. No! No! Blacks have a special history, since they were enslaved and were here as early as the first Americans. I hate to sound like a liberal but these are facts. That makes blacks a special group and I really don't appreciate all these hangers on coming along. Yes, of course, black Americans are a special group, and I'm disappointed that they're not Republicans, given our traditions. We're not getting much love in return, despite our efforts.
KW: Why do you think that's the case?
AC: Part of the reason is that it's really hard to be a black Republican. I see what they go through. It's a good little trick the entire mainstream media has pulled by describing Republicans as "Racist! Racist! Racist!" and then turning around and laughing at us for not having more blacks in our party. That's why I hope a lot of black people will read my book because I think it will change minds.
KW: One discussion I found interesting in Mugged was where you point out that Strom Thurmond was the only segregationist U.S. Senator to change his affiliation from Democratic to Republican. I would've guessed that there had been a wholesale flight of Southern conservatives to the Republican Party.
AC: Thurmond's the only segregationist anyone can name. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party had former Klansmen, members of a terrorist group that was lynching and murdering black people. That was an outgrowth of the Democratic Party. FDR put a Klansman [Hugo Black] on the Supreme Court, and Democrat in good standing Bob Byrd [U.S. Senator Robert Byrd] was a recruiter for the Klan.
KW: Nonetheless, I still have the sense that most of the Southerners who would've been segregationists in the Fifties and Sixties are now in the Republican camp.
AC: No, that's only because liberals say this over and over and over again to hide the actual history, which is why I go through the specifics on the big segregationists in the United States Senate, the ones who signed the Southern Manifesto and the ones who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. There's a panoply of issues to consider. These were aggressively-liberal Democrats who loooooooved big government when it came to The New Deal and Great Society programs. The first time they objected to the Federal government doing something was when it came to civil rights legislation. This is in stark contrast to the very few Republicans who voted against the '64 Civil Rights Act.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What do you hope will be people's reaction to being "Mugged" by you?
AC: [LOL] I like that! Two reactions. The main point is: don't make the mistake, America, of voting for Barack Obama who, by the way, does not come out of the American black experience and everything white Americans feel guilty about. He's a Hawaiian born in 1961. Weirdly enough, the best thing that ever happened to black people in the last twenty or thirty years was the O.J. verdict because it shut down the white guilt bank. And white guilt has never led to anything good. It's brought us spiraling crime rates, mostly with black victims, and a permanent underclass living in public housing projects. For years, liberals cried that "law and order" and "welfare reform" were racist code words. Yet, when Republicans were finally able to push through tough policies on crime and welfare which they'd supported for decades, they were magnificent successes for the entire country, but especially for black people. Release us, and great things will happen!
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks: Are you familiar with Dr. Nina Jablonski and her important work that helps debunk the myth of race? Do you feel it's important to get past the notion of race as something that separates us, and use our understanding of its at times painful history to move forward as a country, civilization and world?
AC: I have not heard of her work, and I have not thought about the issue in those terms, but I would say "Yes!" based on the way it was phrased in the question.
KW: Tommy also asks: As a former smoker, do you feel a special kinship with President Obama?
AC: [LOL] Yes, though I think he's a little more uptight than most smokers. We're usually pretty relaxed.
KW: Why do you make the point in the book that he might have slave trader ancestors?
AC: Because of all our presidents, Obama is the one most likely to be descended from a slave trader, since Kenya had a major slave-trading port, and the Muslims were heavily involved in the slave trade. Right before The Civil War, only 8% of white people owned slaves. Some plantations would have hundreds and hundreds of slaves, but the vast majority of whites didn't have any.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: When Alan Ball launched the HBO-series True Blood with his pilot "Strange Love" episode, he mentioned right in the script that he wanted the conservative commentator on the show to be as much like Ann Coulter as possible. How did you feel about that and about how you are portrayed, vis-a-vis vampires coming out of the coffin?
AC: I had no idea. I'm not familiar with show. As soon as the subject moves to TV shows and movies, I'm a total failure. And I‘d been paying for all those premium channels for years, but recently cancelled them, since I never watched any of those networks. Now, I may have to get them back. As far as True Blood, I haven't seen my portrayals, but I could guess that I probably wouldn't like ‘em.
KW: Richie the intern asks: What did you think of how the cartoon The Boondocks depicted you?
AC: I've at least heard of The Boondocks. But again, I have no idea how that was done. I wouldn't know all that I do about history, if I spent my time watching cartoons and other TV shows. [Chuckles]
KW: Richie was also wondering what Christian denomination you are affiliated with.
AC: I don't really talk about it much, but I'm a Presbyterian.
KW: Ilene Proctor says: Beware the Coultergeist! She asks: Why did you recently say that civil rights should only be limited to African-Americans?
AC: Because, historically, that's what civil rights were. The Democrats pretended to care about black people for about five minutes to help their electoral process, and then civil rights suddenly became abortion on demand, gay marriage, rights for the homeless, etcetera. Frankly, I'd be a little ticked off if I were black that, after the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, everybody else wants to get to the head of the parade. Well, no! Listen, I like white women. I am a white woman. But we didn't go through slavery and Jim Crow. Knock it off with this stuff!
KW: What inspired you to write this book?
AC: I was morose that the Era of Obama has returned us to a period where everything is racist, everyone is walking on eggshells, and you get the moral preening from white liberals who don't actually even know any black people. But, oh, do they love to get on their high horses and accuse Republicans of being racist for opposing very liberal government policies and a very liberal Democratic president. It's an extension of the civil rights label being slapped on gay marriage and abortion. Allow me to be bi-partisan for a moment, and love this moment because it won't last long. In my last chapter, among the public officials I mention who I think are spectacular and unaided by white guilt is the Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark. He was Mau-Maued for not being black enough. He's been like Giuliani in Newark. He's got to become a Republican.
KW: Kate Newell asks: Would you consider debating Stephen Colbert ala the upcoming face-off between John Stewart and Bill O'Reilly? What do you think of the use of satire in getting your views across?
AC: Obviously, I'm a fan of satire. I'd debate anyone, but it would have to be the actual person. That would be my only hesitation about debating Colbert. If he were playing a character, it wouldn't really work. But I'd pretty much debate anybody. I prefer to debate smart liberals. I'm not saying this about Stephen Colbert but, unfortunately, the most famous liberals generally aren't the smartest ones. I have a list of the smarter liberals I recommend.
KW: Fellow attorney, fellow Cornellian and, in his opinion, fellow fiction writer Peter Brav says: Where do I start? I worked really hard to come up with a question for you, telling myself that your act is just an act, that you might actually help my wheelchair-bound mother across the street and not push her into traffic to help reduce the Medicare deficit, because I don't want to risk Kam's not making it onto your website's short list of seven "Interviewers Who Are Allowed to Interview Ann Again." But I just couldn't.
AC: [LOL] Read the book, Peter! You'll come up with a lot of questions. I don't know why liberals find it comforting to say this is an act. If you like saying that, okay. But it's an act that apparently you can't respond to, and an act that is intellectual and well thought out enough that you don't have a response to, otherwise you would.
KW: Peter's wife, Professor Janet Brav says: Since things are not going as well as you might have hoped for Mitt Romney, with the benefit of hindsight, whom would you have preferred to head the Republican ticket this year?
AC: No, it's still Romney. And I don't think things are going that badly. I believe the media's lying. I think it's part of their attempted suppression of the Republican vote to discourage them by announcing that the campaign is over.
KW: Marcia Evans also asks: What has been your personal relationship with blacks that qualifies you to write this book about blacks?
AC: Well, Marcia, this is why you should read the book. It is not about black people. It is about white liberals using race and lying about race to wreck the country. By the way, there are many black heroes in this book that you've never heard of before, and it drives me crazy that there aren't any movies made about them.
KW: Marcia asks: How do you feel about reparations?
AC: I'm against reparations. At this point, blacks should just be handing money to themselves. But I am an enthusiastic supporter of Professor Henry Louis Gates‘ project to get black people admitted to the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which I am a member. He's done some amazing things with DNA testing and tracing ancestry.
KW: Marcia asks: How do you feel about Bob Dylan's recent statement that "America was founded on the backs of slaves" and that the country would be much further along if slavery had been ended peacefully.
AC: That's an interesting point. I was unaware that he'd said that. I'm not sure I disagree with his statement but, unfortunately, it wasn't going to end peacefully. It wasn't going to happen. You could not get Democrats to stop holding slaves, and America had waited long enough. It was right there in The Declaration of Independence that the slaves would be freed. My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have to call on God's grace not only for slavery, but for what we're doing now with abortions.
KW: You dedicated your book to "the freest black man in America."
AC: Yes!
KW: Who is it?
AC: It's a Cracker Jack surprise to trick everybody into reading my book.
KW: Let me guess. Is it comedian Jimmy ".J'J." Walker? Many of my readers mentioned rumors about the two of you being romantically linked.
AC: [LOL] Jimmy started that rumor. The little sneak.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
AC: Probably, although we got to a lot of good ones on this book.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
AC: I'm a little afraid right now, but I think I'll be calm by November 7th.
KW: Can you give me a good question I could call the Ann Coulter question when I interview other celebrities?
AC: Oh, that's a good question. The only question I'd be interested in is what books they've read recently, which is part of my campaign to promote reading.
KW: It's already the bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
AC: Mugged.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
AC: If I've just had my makeup done for Fox, I see the hottest chick. [LOL]
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
AC: Mitt Romney as president, or for lots of people to read my book. One of the two.
KW: What is it like to be such a controversial figure? There are so many things you've said that have touched a nerve, like when you said Jews needed to be corrected.
AC: "Perfected." You, as a fellow Cornell grad and a fellow Christian, which is another part of your tradition, should know that "perfected" means "completed." The Old Testament calls for a Messiah. You turn the page to the New Testament, and there He is. There was nothing insulting about it. And who really cares? It was just Donny Deutsch who wanted press for his TV show. He screamed anti-Semitism, and I was going on vacation and didn't really feel the need to respond to point out how the English language works. And boy they say Jews are smart.
KW: But that's not the only statement that's landed you in hot water.
AC: Usually, they're my greatest hits and they make me happy. I give a lot of college speeches, and usually the Young Spartacus League or the Democrats will put up posters on campus with all the quotes they consider outrageous. But I think they're my best quotes. [LOL]
KW: Well, thanks for the time, Ann. I hope I get added to that short list of reporters you'll interview with again.
AC: Yes, I think you will, Kam. This has been a fun interview.
To order a copy of Mugged, visit
Viola Davis
The "Won't Back Down" Interview
with Kam Williams
Voila! It's Viola!
Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965 on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina, but raised by her parents in Central Falls, Rhode Island. After earning a degree in theater from Rhode Island College in 1988, she went on to do post-graduate work at the prestigious Juilliard School prior to embarking on a critically-acclaimed professional career.
Ms. Davis made a memorable mark on Broadway, winning Tonys for stellar performances as Tonya in King Hedley II and as Rose in the revival of Fences. She's also been nominated twice for an Academy Award, for her powerful portrayal of stoic Aibileen in The Help and for her equally-sterling interpretation of Mrs. Miller in Doubt.
Viola's other noteworthy screen credits include impressive outings in Traffic, Nights in Rodanthe, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Eat Pray Love, Madea Goes to Jail, Antwone Fisher, World Trade Center, Trust, Knight & Day, Get Rich or Die Tryin' and State of Play. And her upcoming films include Enders Game with Harrison Ford, Beautiful Creatures with Emma Thompson and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby with Jessica Chastain.
Here, she talks about her new film, Won't Back Down, a female empowerment saga, where she plays Nona Alberts, a jaded teacher who joins forces with a frustrated single-mom (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to turn around an underperforming public school.
Kam Williams: Hi Viola, thanks for the interview.
Viola Davis: Thank you, Kam.
KW: Music teacher Steve Kramer asks: What interested you in Won't Back Down?
VD: My interests in the film were two-fold: the backdrop of education and also the human story within it about a woman who, when she was in her twenties, had all these high ideals and hopes of taking the world by storm as a great teacher and also as a great mother. But all of that was just blown to bits, and we find her at a low point where she's totally disillusioned. For me, the movie is about her story of coming back to life again. And that journey is a very human one. It intrigued me, and I saw it as a very interesting challenge as an actor.
Selena Gomez
The "Hotel Transylvania" Interview with Kam Williams
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania!
Born on July 22, 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas, Selena Gomez got an early start in show business as Gianna on "Barney & Friends." She made her screen debut soon thereafter in "Spy Kids 3-D," and subsequently appeared on such TV shows as "Walker, Texas Ranger," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life on Deck," before skyrocketing to fame starring as Alex on the Disney Channel's Emmy-winning sitcom, "Wizards of Waverly Place."
In 2008, the versatile entertainer embarked on her musical career when she recorded several songs for the soundtrack of her Disney film, "Another Cinderella Story." She has since had many hit tunes, including duets with Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, as well as with her own group, Selena Gomez and The Scene.
In 2009, Selena became the youngest UNICEF Goodwill ambassador in history at 17. The following year, she launched her very own fashion line, the Dream Out Loud Collection.
In terms of her private life, Selena has long been romantically-linked to pop idol Justin Bieber, and the couple was recently rumored to be building a love nest together in the San Fernando Valley. Here, she talks about her new movie, Hotel Transylvania, an animated adventure where she plays Dracula's daughter Mavis who, over her father's objections, falls in love with a mere mortal.
Kam Williams: Hi Selena, thanks for another interview.
Selena Gomez: Of course, Kam thank you.
KW: I really appreciate that last time you were gracious enough to take a photo afterwards with my intern, Richie. Thanks.
SG: Thank Richie for asking. That was so sweet.
KW: Editor/legist Patricia Turnier asks: What interested you in Hotel Transylvania?
SG: It had a really good script, it's really funny, and has an amazing cast, so it was kind of a no brainer.
KW: How would you describe the movie?
SG: I think it's a really cute father-daughter film that kinda touches on growing up, and on experiencing your daughter wanting to have independence. It's a really sweet story that daughters and dads can relate to.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The "Looper" Interview with Kam Williams
In the Loop!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was born on February 17, 1981 in Los Angeles where he began acting at the age of 4 when he played the Scarecrow in a community theater production of The Wizard of Oz. He subsequently grew up in front of the camera, appearing in television commercials for Pop Tarts and Cocoa Puffs and on such shows as Family Ties, Murder She Wrote, L.A. Law, Roseanne and Dark Shadows.
Joseph first enjoyed widespread fame on TV playing Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun which led to his breakout role on the big screen in 10 Things I Hate about You. He has since blossomed from a teen heartthrob into a truly talented thespian with both big box-office and art house appeal.
That versatility is reflected in a resume with acting credits ranging from sleepers such as 500 Days of Summer, The Lookout, Brick and Uncertainty to bona fide blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Premium Rush and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, which is set to be released in November.
Here, Joseph talks about Looper, a mind-bending sci-fi thriller where he and Bruce Willis play the same character. The story revolves around a hit man who has no problem traveling 30 years into the future to murder for the mob until the day he is ordered to assassinate his future self.
Kam Williams: Hi Joseph, I'm honored to have this opportunity to interview you. I think of you as the best actor never to have been nominated for an Oscar.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Thanks, Kam. That's very kind of you.
KW: I love a lot of your artsy films that many people might have missed. Movies like 500 Days of Summer, Uncertainty and The Lookout.
JGL: Why, thank you!
KW: What interested you in doing Looper?
JGL: First of all, having a chance to work with Rian [director Rian Johnson] again. He's a dear friend of mine. We've known each other since making Brick [2005]. I also found the story incredibly intriguing, as well as the role.
Interview with Kam Williams
Carmen Sparkles
Carmen Ejogo was born in London on New Year's Day 1974 to Elizabeth Douglas and Charles Ejogo, a couple of Scottish and Nigerian extraction, respectively. She made her U.S. film debut opposite Eddie Murphy playing Veronica 'Ronnie' Tate in the 1997 comedy Metro.
Carmen then went on to star in films such as Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, What's the Worst that Could Happen? opposite Martin Lawrence, Neil Jordan's The Brave One opposite Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster, Gavin O'Connor's Pride and Glory opposite Ed Norton, and in Sam Mendes' 2009 indie hit Away We Go opposite Maya Rudolph. Ejogo can next be seen starring opposite Tyler Perry in the feature I, Alex Cross, a psychological thriller based on the James Patterson novels about Washington DC detective Alex Cross.
Additionally, Ejogo garnered the attention of television critics and audiences alike for her portrayal of Sally Hemmings, the title character in the 2000 CBS miniseries Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal. Later, Ejogo starred as Coretta Scott King in HBO's critically acclaimed film Boycott opposite Jeffrey Wright and Terrence Howard. Her role earned her a 2001 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV film or miniseries. In 2005, Ejogo starred in HBO's Emmy nominated Lackawanna Blues. Her role as Aalen earned her a second Image Award nomination. Ejogo will next star as FBI agent Baca Sunjata in the highly-anticipated ABC television series Zero Hour opposite Anthony Edwards.
Carmen and her husband, actor Jeffrey Wright, live in Brooklyn which is where they are raising their two children. Here's she talks about her latest role as Sister in Sparkle opposite Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston.
Kam Williams: Hi Carmen, thanks so much for the time. I really appreciate it.
Carmen Ejogo: Thank you.
KW: My brother Larry is the librarian at a Friends school that I think you're very familiar with.
CE: Oh, wow! That's so cool! That's where one of my kids got their start. Small world!
KW: What interested you in Sparkle?
CE: You wouldn't ask that question, if you'd seen the movie, Kam. This role is to die for. It's such a great role. The highs and lows of the character's sister [Sparkle, played by Jordin Sparks] are so dramatic and nuanced and layered that you'd be a fool to turn this role down.
KW: Did you go back and Watch Lonette McKee's performance in the original version of Sparkle in preparing to do this role?
CE: No. No, I don't know how you make a role your own if you do that. So, watching another actress play the same character in preparation for my own performance is the last thing I would ever do, particularly with Sister, since Lonette made it so iconic that it would be a crazy idea to watch her. I think our movie pays homage to the original, but it's definitely different in numerous ways.
KW: What message do you think people will take away from the movie?
CE: It's essentially about not letting your light be dimmed by anybody who doesn't appreciate the dream that you're trying to pursue. It's about knowing who you are, and following your path even if you're not given support by those around you. And it's also about family.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: I looooooved your performance in Metro. She asks: Do you enjoy being a member of Mensa and what is your IQ?
CE: [LOL] That is hilarious! Oh my God! I had no idea until recently that my being in Mensa was even on Wikipedia or somewhere else. It is true, but it's funny that it should come up as interview question.
KW: So, how high is your I.Q.?
CE: 156, for anyone that's interested. But I probably wouldn't be able to get as high a score after raising two kids and losing a lot of brain cells in the process.
KW: Patricia also says: Musicals are an amazing art form. We used to see a lot of them with people like Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers. They were an integral part of Hollywood and it was common to see actors sing, dance and act. But by the 1950s, the decline began and we rarely see big musicals anymore besides Chicago. How do you explain this phenomenon and what do you think it will take to reverse the trend?
CE: I'm not a film historian, so I couldn't say for sure. But my guess is that the costs involved in making musicals was pretty high, and that the taste of what was pleasing to movie audiences changed by the time you got into the Sixties and Seventies. I was a big fan of John Cassavetes, his wife, Gena Rowlands, and that era of filmmaking which was about realism and which represented the antithesis of the dreamy escapism you found in musicals. I'm guessing that musicals didn't make sense anymore because of the changes in the political environment that began in the late Sixties, an era of self-awareness and social revolutions. Musicals are finally kind of coming back to a degree now, perhaps out of a sense of nostalgia.
KW: Marcia Evans says: I'm a huge fan of yours. I loved your role in my favorite film, Lackawanna Blues. I was so proud that HBO showcased such an amazing story about a piece of the patchwork to our cultural history quilt. You PLAYED that role! What was it like for you to portray Alean, and to be paired opposite the gorgeous and talented Jimmie Smits?
CE: What's interesting is that that role was actually Halle Berry's. She had to pull out at the very last minute, which meant I literally had only a couple of days to prepare for that role. Honestly, it was like baptism by fire, because I was so underprepared that I had to work on instinct. I was feeding off the energy of those excellent actors while trying to find my place which made it a really exciting experience for me.
KW: April Hughes asks: What was it like working with Whitney Houston?
CE: Amazing! She is an icon, and she brought a passion from the heart for telling Sparkle's story that made her an inspiration to watch every day and it also made it a pleasure to perform opposite her.
KW: April would also like to know if you have any advice for aspiring actresses/singers?
CE: Yes, go back and watch the great performances in your business so that you can understand the heights that should be aspired to. There are many mediocre entertainers who don't aspire to much more than fame and glory. It's very easy to have them as your role models because there aren't as many greats. Go back, discover the greats, and take it from there.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: I read that your director, Salim Akil, worked with schizophrenics before he started working with actors. He asks: Did that make him a more patient director than others you have worked with?
CE: Oh my God! I had no idea. But that makes sense. He is literally the calmest director I've ever worked with. He was so willing to step back and let us do our work without feeling that he had to interfere and tell us what to do just for the sake of looking like a director. He had such confidence in himself. So, it wouldn't surprise me, if he's had experience outside of the business, because he has much deeper soul than that. Working with people troubled in that way could be great training for working with actors who themselves can be a little schizophrenic at times. [Laughs]
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
CE: Oh yeah. A lot. The great fear I've had to overcome, particularly this past year, is the fear of failure. It can be safer to stay in a comfort zone that's not stretching yourself. I tried to overcome that fear playing Sister. You have to be willing to be afraid, if you're going to be an artist.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
CE: Yes. I'm happier than I've been for a very long time, for all kinds of reasons. I'm glad my kids are happy. I'm grateful that my work is going well. I'm happy that this moment in my career arrived at this age, because I'm ready for it in a way that I might not have been at 20.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
CE: I don't have a lot of guilt.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
CE: Darwin's Cathedral. It's about evolution and religion and it's gonna serve me well for Zero Hour, my new TV show that I start filming soon. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226901351/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: I see that you'll also be starring opposite Tyler Perry in Alex Cross this fall.
CE: That's right! That's coming out in October. That was fun, too!
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
CE: I make a really delicious eggplant and squash curry that's inspired by Vij of Vij's Restaurant, a great chef and restaurateur in Vancouver. I like to cook that dish because it's really simple but the flavor is so pungent and intense that I feel like I'm a real chef whenever I create it.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: You've portrayed Coretta Scott King and Sally Hemmings. She's wondering whether there's another historical figure you'd like to play in a biopic?
CE: I'd love to play Betty Davis, one of Miles Davis' wives. She was sort of like Madonna before there was a Madonna. I'd love to play a full-out rocking chick. Like a Sister 2.0.
KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets," asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?
CE: Leaving my first agent was both my best business decision and my worst business decision. It depends on how I want to look at my career because of opportunities that may have come had I stayed with him and because of the opportunities that did come because I had to fight harder for roles.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
CE: Oh, my goodness me! [Chuckles] A mommy.
KW: How hard is it to balance working and parenting, giving that you and Jeffrey are both actors?
CE: It explains why I haven't been onscreen very much the last ten years. [Laughs] It's very hard. It's been getting easier as I give myself permission to work again. It's all about my guilt level.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
CE: Great question! Ooooh, gosh! You know what? That is a question I don't have an answer for. You've stumped me!
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
CE: That Sparkle's a huge hit! [LOL]
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
CE: Summers in Scotland when I was 3.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
CE: That depends on how you define success. Success for me will be where the body of work I've done afforded me the opportunity to be as good as I can be, and to explore myself and to see what I'm capable of. People like that share a willingness to be scared and to take chances.
KW: The Rudy Lewis question: Who's at the top of your hero list?
CE: Oh man, it's so hard to answer that. In terms of dignitaries, Nelson Mandela's up there. In terms of artists, this will change, but I'm really into a performance artist named Marina Abramovic' right now.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
CE: My children.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh with them?
CE: There's a lot of laughter in our house. I get their American/British sense of humor and they get my British sense of humor.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
CE: Oh my! I'm a bit young to be asked that. [Laughs]
KW: Yes, you are. Sorry. Thanks again for the time, Carmen, and best of luck with Sparkle.
CE: Thank you, Kam.
To see a trailer for Sparkle, visit
The "Marley" Interview with Kam Williams
Getting Ziggy with It
David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley was born in Trenchtown, Jamaica on October 17, 1968 to Bob and Rita Marley. A five-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, artist, activist and humanitarian, Ziggy has enjoyed a prominent presence on the public stage for over a quarter-century.
At the age of 10, Ziggy first sat in on recording sessions with his father's band, the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers. Later, he joined with his sisters Sharon and Cedella and brother Stephen to form Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers, which enabled him to craft his own soulful sound blending blues, R&B, hip-hop and roots reggae. The Melody Makers earned their first Grammy (Best Reggae Recording) for their third album Conscious Party (1988), produced by Talking Heads Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, which included the hit songs "Tomorrow People" and "Tumbling Down."
Subsequent albums included the Grammy-winning One Bright Day (1989), Jamekya (1991), Joy and Blues (1993), Free Like We Want 2 B (1995), Grammy-winning Fallen is Babylon (1997), Spirit of Music (1999) and Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers Live, Vol. 1 (2000), featuring some of their biggest hits, as well as a cover of Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved." While selling millions of records and selling out numerous concerts, Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers never lost sight of their foundations in faith, fellowship and family.
Involved with a breadth of charities, Marley leads his own, URGE (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), a non-profit organization that benefits efforts in Jamaica, Ethiopia and other developing nations. The charity's missions range from building new schools to operating health clinics to supporting charities like Mary's Child, a center for abused and neglected girls.
The title of his latest album, Wild and Free, is a little ironic, given his time-consuming commitments to family, philanthropy, songwriting, producing, studio work and touring. Ziggy also continues to head Tuff Gong Worldwide in honor of his father's own music label Tuff Gong Records, working on the re-launch of the official Bob Marley website and an exhibit at the Grammy Museum in L.A.
Ziggy divides his residency among Florida, Jamaica and California, and has his own website at: www.ziggymarley.com. Here, he talks about Marley, a new documentary about his father.
Kam Williams: Hi Ziggy, thanks for the interview.
Ziggy Marley: Thank you, Kam.
KW: Do you remember Ras Karbi, who played with your dad in Jamaica before embarking on a solo career?
ZM: Jah, mon.
Interview with Kam Williams
A Tete-a-Tete from 2006 with the Late Author
Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was a celebrated author and progressive political activist. His first novel, Williwaw, written when he was just nineteen years old and serving in the Army, appeared in the spring of 1946. He went on to publish two-dozen novels, five plays, numerous short stories, over two hundred essays and his autobiography.
Vidal was also an accomplished screenwriter, evidenced by his scripts for Ben Hur, Caligula and Myra Breckenridge. A true Renaissance Man, he even found the time to appear in a dozen films, including Gattaca, and to found a political party, the US Peace Party, and to run for Congress.
Because this indomitable firebrand was been a thorn in the side of the Establishment for so long, some might forget that he was a very well-connected blueblood. On one side of his family tree, he is related to former Vice President Al Gore, on the other to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
This interview was conducted in 2006, at a time that Vidal was campaigning for Marcy Winograd, an anti-war, pro universal healthcare candidate for Congress in California's 36th District in Congress.
Kam Williams: You have such an illustrious career I don't know where to begin. Why don't I start with the present and ask you why you've decided to endorse Marcy Winograd for Congress?
Gore Vidal: Well, it's a Democratic primary, and I thought it would be nice to endorse a Democrat against the incumbent, Ms. Harman, who is sort of a Republican Bush-ite. That was my first instinct, before I listened to Marcy and watched her campaign. I thought she's very well-suited for this time and place. So, I've gone as all-out as I can.
KW: Do you think she has a decent chance of unseating Harman? The rate of re-election of incumbents is incredibly high.
GV: Well, we all know about the safety for incumbents laws that come out of gerrymandering and so on. I think that Harman's been around a little bit too long, to the extent that her constituents really think about her at all. She's not been a Democrat in the progressive sense, by which I simply mean she's not been against the war. Nor has she had much intelligent to say about Intelligence, and she sits on the Intelligence Committee. In other words, she's pretty hollow while Marcy's alive! The living candidate usually wins.
KW: What makes Marcy alive?
GV: She's organized the progressive Democrats across the State of California, as opposed to the ones who pretend to be Democrats and vote Republican, like her opponent. So, it's not as though she came wandering in on a whim. She came marching in out of a sense of duty, and also with a fire in the belly to get rid of the sort of candidates like the incumbent.
KW: Why are so passionate about a congressional election in the House?
GV: The House, you see, is the closest thing to the people that we have. Every two years they have to go out for an election. To the extent that we have any form of democracy, it's the House of Representatives.
KW: My sense of American politics is that most of our politicians are for sale, whether they are out and out crooked, or simply beholden to corporate interests because they've taken so much money from their lobbyists. I believe that's a big part of the problem.
GV: Of course it is. It's been like that for quite some time. With Marcy, she's not beholden to anybody, except me and Susan Sarandon. She got a check from me, and I think that's not quite enough to buy her.
KW: I reviewed your book Dreaming War in which you predicted that Bush would attack Iraq. At the time, he had already invaded Afghanistan, but people didn't realize...
GV: ... that the target was also Iraq, and American mastery of the entire Middle East which is what seems to be going on now, as we head toward Iran.
KW: How would you describe the State of the Union?
GV: This is an Empire gone berserk. You've got a President who had every intention of militarizing the economy and militarizing the society. This had nothing to do with governance. He was mostly smearing people who pointed out his shortcomings. Now we don't have the money anymore... We don't have the will... People are disgusted... Katrina has turned off half a nation... And there's all the nonsense about borders... and so on... This is the worst period that I've ever seen for the United States. And Marcy Winograd, at least, is a good candidate who is intelligent.
KW: Given your WASPy, blue-blood background, where did you find the strength to buck the system?
GV: If you study the Gores, and you don't really have to study Albert who's a worthy person who does good work, the Gores were the founders of the party of the people at the end of the late 19th Century. They represented the people who'd been wrecked by the Civil War and by Reconstruction, people who'd lost their farms. And they made common cause with the city machines, which turned out to be a big mistake. Like in New Jersey, which is how we got Woodrow Wilson as President. But the whole family has been, from the very beginning, totally aligned with the people against "The Interests" as they used to call them back in the 19th Century. So, it just comes to me naturally.
KW: I suspected something was funny about the 2000 Presidential election when, instead of conceding, Bush's confidently responded to all the networks projecting Gore as the winner in Florida with, "That's not what my brother tells me."
GV: I think that tells it all. They already knew about the Diebold voting machines, and how an election like that could absolutely be switched around. In other words, you could beat them and beat them and beat them in the popular vote, but it will not be recorded, as long as these machines are out there.
KW: The same thing happened in Ohio in 2004.
GV: Congressman John Conyers, as you know, went up there and did a very thorough analysis with a lot of first-rate detectives to determine who had stolen that election, starting with Mr. Blackwell [J. Kenneth Blackwell], Ohio's Secretary of State, who was also in charge of the Bush campaign. The whole thing was shocking beyond belief. To have two Presidential elections stolen in a row means that you have no republic.
KW: I've called it a post-democracy.
GV: To use the word "democracy" is nonsense. And here we go again. This coming November, we're going to have the same machines with no paper trail.
KW: And besides manipulating machines, they've used a variety of other tactics to disenfranchise black voters.
GV: Oh yeah, it was well thought out. After 2000, I said, "Watch out for 2004. They'll have four years to perfect that one." After 2004, you know I wrote the preface to Congressman Conyers' book [What Went Wrong in Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election], thinking that might help get it off the ground. But it wasn't reviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, or any daily paper in the United States, after this highly-respected Congressman and ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee had taken the time and gone to all the personal expense to do the book. When nobody would even mention it, that sounded to me like the end of the republic.
KW: What do you think was Bush's agenda for this Presidency he wanted by any means necessary?
GV: To give his corporate friends jobs and tax cuts, from the oil people to General Electric. To make sure Halliburton wouldn't have to bid on its contracts to rebuild a country we first knocked-down with our tax dollars.
KW: By deliberately ruining Iraq so war profiteers could rebuild its infrastructure, he ended up ruining this country in the process, given the record federal deficit, which is why so much of the Gulf Region looks the same as the day after Hurricane Katrina hit. I wonder whether Bush has a sense of the irony about that.
GV: He has no sense at all. That's the problem. I don't think he deliberately set out to wreck the United States, but he has. It'll take two generations to get this country back, if we can ever get it back.
KW: Why aren't the people up in arms?
GV: Acquiescence. What used to be called citizens are now just a bunch of consumers waiting to be told what to do next, and automatically voting, even though they know the machinery is going to reverse their vote. We've lost too much in the way of the Bill of Rights.
KW: How do you think Bush feels about his disastrous Presidency?
GV: I don't think he cares. There are so many different kinds of stupidity. In American politics, you get to meet every kind. But he's a little exceptional. Very few politicians who got to be president are as ignorant as he is. Usually, they knew something about economics, something about how the world works. I would say even some of them have a bit of conscience, not much, not much, and talk about impossible dreams. Aside from ambition, they do have an idea that they're going to serve a certain group.
KW: How has this played out with Bush?
GV: So, if there's a really difficult job, like running FEMA, you pick the dumbest person you know, because he's a really good guy. To watch Bush do this time and time again, I sit there and my jaw drops. Each time he does it he's in deeper trouble. He learns nothing.
KW: What will be the Bush legacy?
GV: If you remember, in one of my other books, I prophesied at the time of his election in 2000, "He will leave office the most hated President in our history."
KW: How'd you know?
GV: I put it together just from things he was saying along the way and from what I knew of his career in Texas.
KW: What do you think of his War on Terrorism?
GV: First of all, it's a metaphor. Secondly, "terrorism" is an abstract noun. It's like having a war on dandruff. It's something from advertising, it's meaningless. You have to have a country for a war. Congress also has to declare it. So, he has no declaration, and no countries to fight, except the ones he chooses to attack. This is against all the rules of the United Nations which we've sworn to uphold, since we started the damn thing back in 1945.
KW: Do you think he deserves to be impeached?
GV: He's totally illegal on every level, which is impeachable. And that's not partisan talk. That's patriotic talk, Constitutional talk. He's got to go. He's got to be punished for what he's done.
KW: Your cousin, Al Gore, has a new movie out about global warming entitled "An Inconvenient Truth." Do you think he's going to run for the Presidency again?
GV: I have no idea at all. I assume so, as he's very much on the scene. Politicians do that when they're getting ready to run. But I know nothing from the family about what he's up to. I know he's had trouble raising money, which I think is going to be a great barrier for him, if he does decide to run.
KW: How did you feel watching what unfolded in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina?
GV: That was wanton cruelty shown toward the native inhabitants who were left there to die. But you might say that someone was really very eager for the City to go. Putting Brownie in charge had to be a slap in the face of the people. I used to live there. Have you ever lived there?
KW: No, and I had a friend there, Randy, who urged me come visit every year, till he left town.
GV: It was a wonderful city, but everybody who lived there knew we were all living with danger. It is below sea level, and those levees just looked like humped sand castles on the beach. We all knew that they were extremely fallible and probably couldn't withstand a major hurricane. But they hadn't had a major hurricane in quite some time. Then, Albert's [Al Gore] predictions all came true. The climate has changed and gave us Katrina.
KW: Yet Bush arrogantly lied after the fact, praising Brownie and saying we had no idea such a disaster was possible, when now we see videotapes of the National Weather Service warning him.
GV: He'd been warned. It was like 9-11, for God's sake. They'd been warned by President Putin of Russia. They'd been warned by President Mubarak of Egypt. They'd been warned by elements of Mossad. They'd been warned by our own FBI out in the Midwest. There was a hell of a lot of evidence that we were going to have unfriendly visitors to our serene skies. Bush pretends he knew nothing about it. Well, he probably didn't read the reports. But you'd think that at least somebody in the government would be on top of it and say, "You've got to pull yourself together, Mr. President. Otherwise, something terrible might happen to us." He did nothing.
KW: How about his behavior on the morning of 9-11?
GV: That famous shot of him reading the children's book about a goat to the school kids in Florida tells it all. After the Secret Service agent whispers in his ear, his eyes just go out of focus. You can see that he's so stunned he doesn't know what to do, because there's nobody to tell him. Can you imagine the leader of any country on Earth who would just sit there staring straight ahead? We'd been hit. The Twin Towers were hit. The Pentagon was hit. But he just sat there KW: And he actually continued reading the picture book to the kids for a while.
GV: He just wanted to prove that he could read. Finally, somebody decided to race him across the country to find bunker to put him in, so he wouldn't get hurt, as if that would've made any difference.
KW: Former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke, in his book [Against All Enemies] made it clear that when he warned the then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice about bin Laden, her response was to cut his staff. And even before 9-11, Bush was already more interested in attacking Iraq than in tracking down Osama.
GV: He should've at least pretended to be interested in getting Osama bin Laden. But they wanted that war and that oil. They want control. They want to knock things down and to frighten the world. But Bush isn't the first. It goes straight back to Harry Truman who started The Cold War because he wanted to frighten Stalin, because he believed that the Russians were coming. The Russians had just lost 20 million people in World War II. They weren't going anywhere.
KW: What do you think of Truman ushering in the atomic age by dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
GV: Did you know that every single major military officer tried to get Truman not to drop the two atomic bombs? Contrary to what our history books try to tells us, Japan was already defeated. They had been defeated and the Emperor was trying surrender, but Truman would not respond, because he wanted to drop the bomb.
KW: I never knew that.
GV: These are all things American people ought to know, but history was the first subject to be jettisoned when they decided all they wanted was docile workers and loyal consumers. Why educate them? You don't want to tell them anything.
KW: I remember reading something scathing you wrote about Harry Truman and Zionists.
GV: Yeah, getting the bribe.
KW: Did he really take two million dollars in return for supporting for his support of Israel?
GV: I don't know whether it's true, but I'll tell you who told me. It was Jack Kennedy. They did not like each other, Truman and Jack.
KW: Why would Kennedy divulge such a damning secret?
GV: When Jack was running the first time, and Truman said he wasn't going to support him, Jack started telling this story about how a suitcase with two million dollars was delivered to Harry.
KW: Do you believe it?
GV: It sounds in character.
KW: In the Fifties, you wrote a trio of murder mysteries under the pseudonym Edgar Box. I use to be a big fan of that genre until I read those three novels. They were the best, nothing else ever measured up to them, not Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Raymond Chandler, anybody. I've said that in print before, so don't think I'm just buttering you up.
GV: Thank you. Well, I certainly enjoyed writing them. They were a lot of fun.
KW: What made you decide to adopt the sobriquet?
GV: I did it, because I was then being blacklisted by The New York Times. So, in order to make a living I wrote as Edgar Box, and got wonderful reviews from The Times. Eight of my books did not get reviewed.
KW: And what got you blacklisted in the first place?
GV: Homophobia over my novel The City and the Pillar. They were deeply into homophobia. The Times was really the center of it in American culture, and didn't give it up until they were threatened in other directions. It's a very bad newspaper.
KW: I agree. Even though I'm published regularly in over 100 publications around the U.S., Canada, England and the Caribbean, and I email their editors every op-ed I write, The Times has never seen fit to publish even one of my pieces.
GV: You don't need The Times. Just keep getting them out there in any form you can.
KW: Thanks so much for such an informative and forthcoming tete-a-tete. I didn't mean to monopolize your time, but there was just so much to talk about.
GV: That's okay. It was good to talk to you, too, though I need to finish writing a preface I was working on.
5 BROKEN CAMERAS is a very powerful and emotional piece of filmmaking. Now, it was never your original intention to set out to make a documentary, is that correct?
EB: Actually, when I started filming my village in 2005 I was filming and documenting for many purposes. But after a few months, the idea of making a film came to me. I saw other films had been made about the subject so I decided not to do it at that time. Instead, I started to focus on my friends, my family, and my son growing up. It was like constructing the story.
GD: When Emad asked me to work with him, it was in 2009, a few months after the killing of Bassem Abu-Rahme - El Phil. The name of the project was "Elephant in Bil'in". I actually was skeptical, since the Bil'in moevement had been portrayed in the media a lot, (think of the 2006 film "Bil'in My Love"). I didn't think it would be logical to make another film on the characters of the village and the movement. Plus, I grew up with so many films that commemorate the deaths of soldiers (Israelis of course) that I didn't like the idea of making another film that commemorates death.
Read full interview on Alive Mind Cinema
Premiering in the documentary competition at the Tribeca Film Festival this week, Alex Mar’s American Mystic is a poem of a film, following three young people in America who have chosen to make their spiritual practice the center of their lives. A pagan priestess who proudly defines herself as a witch, Morpheus has moved to the outskirts of rural California to create a pagan sanctuary on a small plot of land. Kublai, a Spiritualist medium, works on a farm in upstate New York but spends his off hours with his head in the hands of elderly women, learning to channel spirits. Chuck, a Lakota Sioux, barely scrapes by at his day job in the city, but he and his wife are raising their child with their ancestors’ way of life as their guide, taking long trips to the reservation to participate in the traditions that are still alive.
Filmmaker Niko von Glasow dishes about his early days in the film industry, when he was as an assistant fetching coffee for the legendary and temperamental although undeniably brilliant Rainer Werner Fassbinder, for which he received a production assistant credit. He charts his course from there before talking about his days at NYU and the Actor's Studio and closes with an honest assessment of his on work, placing the NOLA-winning NOBODY’S PERFECT, and his first film WEDDING GUESTS, at the top of the heap.
Q. Why is it important that this story be told?
A. My films always begin with something that is happening inside myself, but that I also see reflected in the world around me. I think people are starting to feel like they're coming to a dead end with the old models of creating change in the world, especially some of the forms of activism that are focused on what we're against, as opposed to what we're for, and that are anger-based. I definitely found that with myself, and so I discovered a new kind activism that has its roots in the attitudes of Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. You could call it compassionate activism or spiritual activism -- positive, celebrating life, and solution based.
Read full interview at National Post
Read Velcrow Ripper Blog at MyFilmBlog
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