The Progressive Hollywood Group is dedicated to the advancement of film, TV and other mediums of expression for communicating progressive, humanistic, pro-peace principles, ideas and causes; resisting free speech restrictions on media and artists; and countering the use of cinema, television and other mass media to spread disinformation, racism, repression, militarism and other reactionary ideologies.
OVER THE HILL AND THROUGH THE DIRT, this Video Documentary of the 1st ever ALL SENIOR BAJA 1000 Motorcycle team is being produced in EXCLUSIVE COOPERATION with the riders who make up the very first all senior (60 and over) team in the most grueling race ever conceived on dirt. The famous Baja 1000 takes riders from Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico?a distance of over 1000 miles! Only the toughest can survive, let alone win such a competition. Why would a band over 60-something sportsmen want to attempt such an ordeal? Each motivation is different and that is what this documentary will explore. In the process we will ask and answer a number of probing questions of special interest to the over 70 million baby boomers. living in the U.S. What is Ability and Disability? How do we define today?s seniors? What special hardships must these riders endure to race not only the other riders but also The Sands of Time? The race will be held on November 17th, 2006, will be broadcast worldwide by both NBC and ESPN and is being sponsored at the broadcast level by TECATE, SCORE MEDIA and AURA360, so it is URGENT that we fund, at least this part of the project very soon if we are go expect cooperation from these mega-corps. Our hope is that we will be able to help support, though donations, the riders who make up this team as well as present the gripping story from a very heartfelt, human perspective.
The Book
"PROGRESSIVE HOLLYWOOD, A PEOPLE'S FILM HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES" covers more than 75 years of antifascist, antiwar, class struggle and dissident films and filmmakers, from Charlie Chaplin to Jane Fonda to Michael Moore and their features and documentaries. This new book published by DisInfo includes a foreword by BBC investigative reporter Greg Palast.
You can purchase "PROGRESSIVE HOLLYWOOD" online as part of the Barnes & Noble Affiliate Program. In addition to 20% discount off of the cover price, by joining Barnes & Noble and e-buying your copy of the book at this website your purchase will also benefit The Progressive Hollywood Group. However, please note that the purchase of the book from Barnes & Noble is not tax deductible.
More information on "PROGRESSIVE HOLLYWOOD, A PEOPLE'S FILM HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES" and its author, Ed Rampell:
Based on Ed Rampell's firsthand coverage of recent marches, demonstrations, rallies, fundraisers, political education meetings, art exhibits and organizing efforts, this book asks: What really motivates the Hollywood Left? How are Hollywood progressives politically educated? How do they organize protests and raise money for causes? Who are the masterminds and top financial backers of Hollywood's activism? What price are these outspoken notables paying for speaking out? Are they working out of a great tradition, and what do they have to learn from the great activists of Hollywood's earlier progressive periods-the '30s, '40s, '60s and '70s? What are the lessons from the dark ages of the '50s, and are we seeing a new McCarthy-like backlash during the Bush presidency to silence high-profile dissent? And, from action hero California recall candidates to producers of pro-Pentagon pictures, who in reactionary Tinseltown collaborates with the status quo, and how are the progressives countering the entertainment industry's right wing?
With an introduction by Greg Palast, author of bestseller The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Progressive Hollywood features Rampell's interviews and interactions with Hollywood luminaries such as producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Robert Greenwald; actors Jack Nicholson, Rob Reiner, Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Martin Sheen, David Clennon, Gore Vidal and Dennis Hopper; directors Michael Moore, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone and Lionel Chetwynd; blacklisted screenwriters Bernie Gordon (who initiated the 1999 protests against Elia Kazan's lifetime achievement Oscar), Bobby Lees (who injected dialectical materialism into Abbott and Costello comedies) and Norma Barzman (author of 2003's The Red and the Blacklist).
Ed Rampell was named after renowned CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and majored in cinema at Manhattan's Hunter College. Rampell is a full-time writer who has co-authored four books, including two film histories: "Made In Paradise, Hollywood's Films of Hawaii and the South Seas" and "Pearl Harbor in the Movies." Rampell's journalism has appeared worldwide, including ABC News' 20/20, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio New Zealand, Newsweek, AP, Reuters, Honolulu Weekly, Mother Jones, In These Times, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, Toronto Globe & Mail, Variety, The Nation, Cineaste, Television Quarterly, L.A. CityBeat and many others. Rampell appears in the 2005 Australian documentary "Hula Girls, Imagining Paradise."
"Different Drummers" will be
a multicultural documentary video that
explores the importance and traditions surrounding drumming and
drummers from around the world, including Native American, Polynesian,
African, Middle Eastern, Japanese and Western drummers. The project
will culminate with the CHICAGO version of the song, "Little Drummer
Boy" (we have already been granted licensing permission) over
the
images of traditional drummers who have been introduced during
preceding interview segments.
This documentary will demonstrate the basic family and cultural values that are expressed in the "Little Drummer Boy" song as human values that are shared and universal regardless of traditions and cultures. Through interviews and demonstrations drummers from many cultures will discuss concepts such as symbolism, meaning and significance of drums, drum creation, styles and patterns of drumming. We will seek to interview and/or use archival film footage of prominent pop drummers, such as Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts. Another area of comparison will be the modern use of drumming groups to offer alternatives to gang-aged youth for a sense of belonging and achievement.
The title of this documentary comes from a Henry David Thoreau quote:
"If a man does not keep pace
With his companions,
Perhaps it is because he hears
A different drummer.
Let him step to the
Music he hears,
However measured or far away."
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Modified: 2007-02-09