MoveOn Movin' Up
Last night Jason and I attended the Moveon.org "Bush in 30 seconds" Ad Party, and....WOW! I feel sort of at a loss here - normally in my event reviews, I rip the subject event to shreds (even my review of an Anti-Bush Rally last June was harsh). As if I have reversed the age-old commandment, I almost think that since I have only nice things to say, I should say nothing at all. That being said, I will give a rundown of the evening for everyone who could either not be there in person or watch the the Internet broadcast (which sadly has not been archived on the website). And I guess I will, because I can't help myself, be a little critical of the entertainment, but only to imbue my review with a sense of fair-play and balanced evaluation :).
The evening opened with a Jimi Hendrix-style rendition of the anthem on guitar by Vernon Reid - which was cool, if a tad ear-splitting. Margaret Cho came out and delivered some mostly funny leftist bits, though the sound system rendered some jokes inaudible. Interestingly, the stage hands and technicians running the lights and sound for the event were also participating in a union strike outside the theatre (which strike MoveOn supported in one of the opening speeches). I believe at this point Janeane Garofalo came out (sporting a baseball cap making her almost unrecognizable), and introduced the first batch of ads (please pardon my errors in recounting the exact order of events - the program does not contain a listing, and my memory of such things is far from perfect). The enormous screen made the ads seem much more powerful than viewing them on my laptop at 750 mbps had. Rufus Wainwright performed several songs, of which his familiar "Hallelujah" provoked the greatest reaction.
Janeane showed more ads to mounting enthusiasm. At some point around this time, the MoveOn guy, Eli Pariser, who worked with Moby and Laura Dawn to create Bush in 30 Seconds, gave a speech about the genesis of the idea and the significance of the contest. He also said that we had the opportunity to show the winning ad during the Superbowl, which resulted in wildly enthusiastic applause and whistling. Then Chuck D (Public Enemy) did a few numbers, most of which were fairly weak considering he used to be the Angriest Voice in America. Perhaps because he felt he was among friends, his voice, his rap just did not have that pop of yesteryear. Of course, the trio of similarly attired white chicks dancing on the floor in rockette synchronization did not help his street credibility.
After Chuck D's lackluster performance, the alleged prince of the hip-hop realm, Russell Simmons, announced the alternative category of animation nominees. Julia Stiles introduced another category, with a bit about how she had been afraid to appear because she thought that O'Reilly might show up at her house with a shotgun (not entirely paranoid, in my opinion). Al Franken, who received a standing ovation before speaking, made some hilarious jokes, particularly the one he made when he turned to the sign language interpreter and said "Hi, I'm the signer. I heard Al Franken making some jokes about deaf people backstage. Let's kill him after the show" (not verbatim). He then showed another alternative category. The ads for which I voted in humor, If Parents Acted Like Bush, and animation, What I Been Up To, both won. The Youth Market winner, Bring It On, while funny, does not seem particularly youth-centric, but whatever.
Margaret Cho (dressed as a doctor) came on again with another performer and did this lame comedy rap about health care, most of which was completely garbled (again) by the sound system. John Sayles introduced the last set of ads and Moby announced the People's Choice award, which was also the ad I selected, "Child's Pay." I suppose to build suspense (since the judges had already selected a winner), Moby and Laura Dawn performed some amazing covers of "Sweet Child of Mine," "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Creep."
Michael Moore, who also received a standing ovation, announced that "What are We Teaching Our Children" won runner-up and Child's Pay, the People's Choice, had also been selected by the official judges as the overall winner and would be aired after the President's State of the Union Address. The show closed out with "Walk this Way" covered by Moby and Laura Dawn. As the crowd wandered out, I did not feel the inevitable disappointment that infects you after an event of this kind, but some sense of hope (however limited) that something positive is afoot if not for the Oval Office race of 2004, at least for free speech and media coverage of politics. Perhaps the Bush in 30 seconds ad will not change any minds or bring about the kind of flower power revolution the 60's witnessed, but for a moment, I felt like I too had a voice in our nation's affairs, and that is no mean feat.
The evening opened with a Jimi Hendrix-style rendition of the anthem on guitar by Vernon Reid - which was cool, if a tad ear-splitting. Margaret Cho came out and delivered some mostly funny leftist bits, though the sound system rendered some jokes inaudible. Interestingly, the stage hands and technicians running the lights and sound for the event were also participating in a union strike outside the theatre (which strike MoveOn supported in one of the opening speeches). I believe at this point Janeane Garofalo came out (sporting a baseball cap making her almost unrecognizable), and introduced the first batch of ads (please pardon my errors in recounting the exact order of events - the program does not contain a listing, and my memory of such things is far from perfect). The enormous screen made the ads seem much more powerful than viewing them on my laptop at 750 mbps had. Rufus Wainwright performed several songs, of which his familiar "Hallelujah" provoked the greatest reaction.
Janeane showed more ads to mounting enthusiasm. At some point around this time, the MoveOn guy, Eli Pariser, who worked with Moby and Laura Dawn to create Bush in 30 Seconds, gave a speech about the genesis of the idea and the significance of the contest. He also said that we had the opportunity to show the winning ad during the Superbowl, which resulted in wildly enthusiastic applause and whistling. Then Chuck D (Public Enemy) did a few numbers, most of which were fairly weak considering he used to be the Angriest Voice in America. Perhaps because he felt he was among friends, his voice, his rap just did not have that pop of yesteryear. Of course, the trio of similarly attired white chicks dancing on the floor in rockette synchronization did not help his street credibility.
After Chuck D's lackluster performance, the alleged prince of the hip-hop realm, Russell Simmons, announced the alternative category of animation nominees. Julia Stiles introduced another category, with a bit about how she had been afraid to appear because she thought that O'Reilly might show up at her house with a shotgun (not entirely paranoid, in my opinion). Al Franken, who received a standing ovation before speaking, made some hilarious jokes, particularly the one he made when he turned to the sign language interpreter and said "Hi, I'm the signer. I heard Al Franken making some jokes about deaf people backstage. Let's kill him after the show" (not verbatim). He then showed another alternative category. The ads for which I voted in humor, If Parents Acted Like Bush, and animation, What I Been Up To, both won. The Youth Market winner, Bring It On, while funny, does not seem particularly youth-centric, but whatever.
Margaret Cho (dressed as a doctor) came on again with another performer and did this lame comedy rap about health care, most of which was completely garbled (again) by the sound system. John Sayles introduced the last set of ads and Moby announced the People's Choice award, which was also the ad I selected, "Child's Pay." I suppose to build suspense (since the judges had already selected a winner), Moby and Laura Dawn performed some amazing covers of "Sweet Child of Mine," "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Creep."
Michael Moore, who also received a standing ovation, announced that "What are We Teaching Our Children" won runner-up and Child's Pay, the People's Choice, had also been selected by the official judges as the overall winner and would be aired after the President's State of the Union Address. The show closed out with "Walk this Way" covered by Moby and Laura Dawn. As the crowd wandered out, I did not feel the inevitable disappointment that infects you after an event of this kind, but some sense of hope (however limited) that something positive is afoot if not for the Oval Office race of 2004, at least for free speech and media coverage of politics. Perhaps the Bush in 30 seconds ad will not change any minds or bring about the kind of flower power revolution the 60's witnessed, but for a moment, I felt like I too had a voice in our nation's affairs, and that is no mean feat.
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