Cartoons, Condi and Considering Katherine Harris

It hit me this weekend, while I was marveling at how well the Wachowski brothers had kept what worked from the V For Vendetta graphic novel, but made the necessary changes to create a Big Hollywood Movie: Comic books are respected now.

Not just as great fodder for big money popcorn movies, though there is that. But comic books have now gained respect as a grown-up, honest-to-goodness creatively valid medium for storytelling worthy of Hollywood's appropriation.

It's something I noticed while checking out the trailer for the new Superman movie, Superman Returns. Even in this abbreviated preview, there were visual images taken straight from Frank Miller's classic reimagining of the Superman/Batman legend, The Dark Knight. Likewise, with last year's hit Batman movie, Batman Begins -- only their source material was Miller's groundbreaking retelling of the Caped Crusader's origin, Batman Year One (the opening shot of a young Bruce Wayne falling down a well is recreated almost exactly from the comic).

I know this isn't the normal media stuff I blog about. But sitting there in a darkened theater, watching the guys who invented the Matrix bring one of the comic world's most subversive, downbeat tales to life, I was in comic book geek heaven.

I always knew these books had a storytelling power other mediums lacked. And now the rest of the world does, too.

It is no coincidence that, for the most part, the most successful movies to tap this new storytelling engine are those which take the source material seriously. Ang Lee's attempt to turn The Hulk into a highfalutin' commentary on father/son issues only birthed a muddled mess of a movie; Catwoman couldn't decide if it was a carefree popcorn superhero film or a saucy satire -- it wound up making audiences forget Halle Berry ever got near an Oscar.

But the films which dare to embrace their comic book lineage -- Sin City, Spider Man, the X-Men films -- are rewarded with thrilling action tales of substance. Small wonder Hollywood is turning to Miller and Alan Moore, two of comic's great visionaries, for ideas which breathe new life into superhero films.

Now, in V for Vendetta, we have a movie based on a comic written 17 years ago which resonates today -- the tale of an authoritarian regime drawing power by scaring its populace into allowing horrific breaches of civil liberties. And the ultimate lesson: What the people give, they can also take away. A trenchant tale for our times, to be sure.

True enough, there are lots of folks who just liked seeing the guy in the freaky mask take out the bad guys with his cool swordfighting moves and kung fu. That's always been the beauty of comic books -- storytelling on whatever level you can handle.

Condi Has No Problem With Coon Talk...and, Surprisingly, Neither Do I

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accepted the apology of a radio talk show host fired for mistakenly calling her a coon on air, saying "My understanding is that he apologized, said he didn't mean it. I accept that, because we all say things from time to time that we shouldn't say or didn't mean to say."

And although this may surprise some folks who read this blog regularly, I just might agree with her.

No doubt it was a stupid slip of the tongue when KTRS-AM host Dave Lenihan described why Rice would be a great NFL commissioner, saying, "She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon. . . a big coon?' Oh my god. I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that. OK? I didn't mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue."

Given that there seems to be no proof that Lenihan acted on purpose, I'm concerned about the message sent by firing him. Dismayed as I am that anybody would even fleetingly place coon next to Condi's name on air, it seems that delivering the ultimate punishment for a mistake may be too harsh.

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. But if we want to talk about race honestly, we have to do it in a climate where people won't fear losing their career for a momentary slip of the tongue -- no matter how awful the mistake.

The Bay Area's Conservative Paper Gets Tough on Harris

Is it me, or is the Tampa Tribune out for Katherine Harris scalp?

I've been watching the paper's coverage of her disintegrating campaign, and it has been tough and uncompromising -- from contrasting previous promises of openness with foot-dragging on releasing documents related to her relationship with a defense contractor guilty of bribery to Tuesday's story on Adam Goodman leaving her campaign.

The departure of Goodman, a savvy insider who gave Harris' campaign an early boost, was relegated to a brief in the Times Tuesday. But the Tribune put his departure on the front page, offering a story filled with speculation on how she may have been affected by her father's death in January -- making her unbalanced enough to accuse Goodman of leaking a damaging story to the media over the weekend.

Brusing coverage like that in the Times would be enough to get conservatives gnashing their teeth about what a liberal rag we've become yet again (heck, my blog posting making fun of her awkward announcement that she wasn't dropping out of the race drew that kind of reaction). But in Nixon-goes-to-China kind of way, the Tribune has been able to challenge Harris in each story -- pushing a woman who seems woefully unprepared for her own candidacy.

Wonder how many readers have accused the Tribune of being a hitman for establishment Republicans?

Comments

[Anonymous]

per the condi comment:eric, i'm not sure i agree or disagree with the jock's firing, but i can sure understand why.as i wrote in a different thread on your blog, the station is owned by the st. louis cardinals. that team has a massive following. that team didn't want to potentially alienate any of its fanbase by keeping this jock on the air, whether what he said was inadvertant or not. i have a hard time believing the guy when he says he never speaks that word, yet he did twice.i am the first one to scream and rail against political correctness but i can fully appreciate why the guy was let go.your view eric on this seems to be in the majority, even from columnists of color in st. louis.per katherine harris:she must be insane to blow her $10 million worth of a lost cause. that alone is enough not to vote for her in a primary.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Under normal circumstances, letting him go would be acceptable.However my understanding was that even after he was fired, he personally called her to apologize. She accepted.This leads me to believe that he was sincere and it was truly a slip of the tongue.Perhaps a better course of action would be to have him donate some of his time to working with a black charity or even one of Rice's choice.

[formerly mr anonymous]

cmon eric. as a journo, albeit one who views everything through a tiresome racial lens, even you shd know the distinction betw the editorial page and news content.yes, the trb is purportedly 'conservative' on the ed page, but that, of course, doesnt make its poli reporters right-wing biased.im afraid, in this case, the tribsters have simply outshown the spt w/ better harris coverage. altho, in the end, im not sure who cares until election day.meanwhile, how about some insights into gil thelens departure? whats it mean? which dominoes will fall? was it precipitated by recent trib missteps and recent times aggressiveness across the bay?

[Anonymous]

meanwhile, how about some insights into gil thelens departure?i can only think that departure is good news for the tribune.under thelan's watch, the tribune went from a competent, thriving metropolitan newspaper in a rapidly growing market to a joke of a local paper in what is fast becoming a top-10 market. the area continues to grow rapidly, and under thelan, the tribune shrank quicker. in its current state, there really is no reason at all to pick up the tribune aside from its superb columnists.when thelan first arrived at the tribune, it had reporters aggressively chase stories in five counties and had a (limited) presense in a sixth county.now, the tribune has shriveled to a glorified local (as opposed to a metropolitan) paper in two counties with a token handful of reporters in the state's most populous county (pinellas) and a quickly growing one (polk).the tribune was a voice for the tampa bay area when thelan arrived, it's now a feint voice for hillsborough county only slightly more than a decade later.for anyone to try to say gil thelan's tenure at the tribune was a success, well, that person is either hallucinating on narcotics or is a galling, shameless mouthpiece for media general.i have lived and worked in other multi-newspaper markets and never have i seen a paper die on the vine like the tribune.and all of this took place under the astute leadership of one gil thelan.

[Eric Deggans]

Regarding Thelen's departure, i must plead the fifth: I'm on vacation this week, so i haven't had time to speak with anyone or find out why he left his job, though I have a hard time believing tbt had much to do with it.True enough, the Tribune's scope has shrunk under Thelen. But some might say the Tribune wasn't covering outlying areas very well anyway, so why not concentrate resources in areas where they dominate or can compete?I've always viewed the Tribune's columnists as one of its weakest points, to be honest. Too often, their columnists resort to conventional approaches and well-worn subjects to make their points. I do think it is also obvious, however, that new editor Janet Weaver and editorial page editor Rosemary Goudreau have made strides in ramping up the reporting and the opinion page.Unfortunately for us competitors, Thelen's departure gives Media General the chance to hire another smart, sharp person to take up the fight against Mother Times.To Mr. Anonymous: I can't help wondering -- if my views are so tiresome, why do you keep reading the blog? And while I know news coverage and editorial stands are often separated, many readers I deal with do not. In that context, I was simply musing on whether the Tribune faced the same sort of criticism the Times gets when writing stories conservatives don't like....

[formerly mr anonymous]

oh eric. we read you bec we love you! all fragile journos need ego stroking, especially you, so there is yours!now, as to thelen, weaver and goodreau were gil thelen creations. so if they are seen as bringing positives, then thelen's departure will be mourned.however, im not so sure weaver or goodreau are such wunderkinds.goodreau has presided over a number of boners, including declaring the lightning losers of the stanley cup, and calling for an iraq war memorial when one already exists in chillura sq in downtown tampa. a quick check of the newspaper libe wd have prevented that faux pas. but rather than admit error, goodreau dug in and said the square is a bad spot. unfortunately, bec tribsters dont get out enough, she didnt know the square is where tampa holds vets day and memorial day. so what better spot? oops.weaver is a patronizing mommy who talks down to readers. her 'citizens voice' column shd be renamed 'janet's voice.' there are no citizens in it. shes presided over pullouts from pinellas and central tampa, strategic errors that could become fatal down the road.neither weaver nor goodreau wd know a blog if they stumbled on one. they are woefully out of touch.so who will be the new pub? who knows. but i wd not want to be a gil thelen pet in the new era.

[Anonymous]

someone was listening to you eric.Radio host who used slur joins NAACP, wants job backBy Jeremy KohlerST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH03/29/2006A week after being fired from his radio show for using a racial slur when talking about the nation's most politically powerful black woman, David Lenihan returned to the microphone Wednesday.Lenihan appeared at a news conference held by leaders of the NAACP to call for his reinstatement at KTRS-AM (550), saying they believe he is sorry and that the incident provides a "teachable moment."For his part, Lenihan said he and his wife, Karen, had joined the NAACP this week and that he wanted to help publicize a campaign to discourage drivers from fleeing police officers."We think this is vital for the city of St. Louis," he said.The six group leaders, sitting on either side of Lenihan, acknowledged that some people wouldn't understand their support of a person whom many had branded as a racist."I'm in the forgiving business," added Sam Moore, an NAACP member.Absent from the news conference was the chapter's vice president, Claude Brown. Asked later by phone how he felt about the development, Brown answered, "No comment on that."Lenihan, who is white, obliged his new associates with a few words about the campaign, aimed at young urban drivers, called "411 on the 5-0." (That's street slang for information about the police.)Said Lenihan: "I'm very proud to be associated with this fine organization."A week ago, Lenihan was on the air discussing the possibility of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice becoming the next head of pro football. It would be a "big coon," Lenihan said.He would explain that he meant to say "coup," but that it morphed with "NFL" to become one of the last words he would say to radio listeners. At least for now.Lenihan was out of a job in 20 minutes. KTRS General Manager Tim Dorsey came on to tell listeners "there is enough hate."That day, NAACP chapter President Harold Crumpton praised Dorsey's quick ax. But Crumpton said Wednesday that he changed his mind after a chapter member said he had talked to Lenihan and that Lenihan had said he would like to have the group's help."God forgives us," said member Elston McCowan. "David did exactly what we ask all Christians to do - seek reconciliation with the person we've offended. Who are we to continue to persecute him and his family?"Lenihan said he received calls from radio stations across the country but would take his job back if KTRS would have him.KTRS released a statement later that said both sides felt it best for Lenihan and the station to part ways. "We wish Dave the best," said Dorsey, who would not comment further.On Wednesday, Lenihan and his wife repeatedly said they want something good to come out of the incident, and that they did not join the NAACP out of convenience."Don't you think that this is the way it should work out?" Crumpton asked reporters.Reporters covering the news conference could barely contain themselves."What message do you think this sends to the African-American community?" asked Deneen Busby, news and community affairs director for KMJM-FM, the station known as Majic 104.9.Alvin A. Reid, city editor of the St. Louis American, asked NAACP leaders why they didn't stick up for two black DJs for KATZ-FM (100.3) who were fired last summer after a series of on-air comments about fighting police officers.Crumpton's reply: Those DJs didn't ask for help. Lenihan did.Lenihan was grilled even more."How old are you?" asked KMOV's Craig Cheatham."Thirty-eight," Lenihan replied."So, at 38, you just decide to join the NAACP?" Cheatham asked.Matt Sepic, a reporter for KWMU-FM (90.7), asked, "Mr. Lenihan, is this a publicity stunt to boost your career?"Lenihan's wife shouted, "Oh, my God," and buried her face in her hands.But her husband smiled and fielded the question.It was not publicity stunt, he said.jkohler@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8337

[Anonymous]

this is very off-topic, but in response to khan's request a week or so ago.http://www.newsblues.com/Secure/Lookers/index.htm

[Khan of the Wastelands]

There's no such thing as 'Off topic' when it comes to hot women.

[FrontPageFlorida.com]

1:45 p.m., March 29 - Joe Registrato, Media Watch columnist for FrontPageFlorida.com, shares some of your concerns, and his new column about the changes on the front page of the venerable Tribune possibly offers insight. In that column, he explains how the newspaper war between the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petetersburg Times, sparked by the Times' "splashy new tabloid, tbt*," is causing changes at the Tribune.

[Anonymous]

the tribune is a dying paper (at least under the "leadership" of gil thelan. less and less each year, tampa is becoming less parochial and more open-minded. albeit, it's a slow process.and since the trib is shrinking not just its coverage area, but the paper in general, the times is able to cover tampa as much or better than the tribune.i mean, what paper would you want to get news from, a paper that has blanket coverage over the entire metro area, or the hillsborough county tribune?

[Anonymous]

... it's sad how the Trib has become Tampa Mayor Iorio's lapdog...Most of us don't see her as the visionary the Trib presents her as...reporters/editors seek any opportunity to praise her, sometimes using the same convoluted logic used to cover up the war memorial gaffe. No question the Times is the better paper. I'm enjoying the aggressive-in-your-face distribution of TBT..marketing genius.