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Posted-By: auto-faq 3.3 (Perl 5.004)
Archive-name: celebrities/michael-moore-faq/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: Jul 24, 1998 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
Subject: 5. TV NATION
5.0. What is TV NATION?
TV NATION is a television news magazine series executive
produced, written, directed and hosted by Moore. It originated as
a co-production between NBC and the BBC and its initial seven
episodes aired on NBC in the summer of 1994. FOX offered Moore a
better deal and the show came back on FOX with a bigger budget,
airing in the summer of 1995, a co-production between FOX and the
BBC.
5.0.1. Can I order tapes of TV NATION?
In November, Columbia Tristar Home Video released THE BEST
OF TV NATION on VHS in America. Each tape sells for $14.95 each.
Tape One contains Episode One (airdate July 19, 1994) of the first
season, the 1994 Year End Special, as well as the unaired "Condoms"
segment (see section 5.3.1 for details).
Tape Two contains the "We're #1" episode (airdate July 21, 1995),
the "Love Night" episode (airdate August 11, 1995), as well as the
unaired "Extra Credit" segment (see section 5.3.1 for details).
However, videophiles may not appreciate the fact that the two
tapes were recorded in EP (six-hour mode). It is not known at this
point whether more episodes will become available on tape or whether
these episodes will be released in the customary SP format in the
future.
5.0.2. Has TV NATION been renewed?
Yes. It is being financed by Channel 4 in the UK and will have a US
distribution soon. Heres the post from the mailing list;
< begin >
Michael Moore Newsletter #8
Juneteenth
Dear friends --
Here's the good news I've been wanting to give
you for the past two years...
This Monday, we begin production on a new
season of TV NATION!
Would you like to be involved in the show? If
you have any ideas for a TV Nation-type story,
please e-mail them to me at MMFlint@aol.com.
If you've seen the show, you know what we are
looking for -- something with humor and politics,
something that you normally think would not make
it on TV. From trying to buy the missile in Russia
that was pointed at my hometown to taking
Dr. Kevorkian on a picnic to disrupting a Klan rally
with a mariachi band singing love songs, we are
in search of those people, places or events in your
area that you think deserve a visit from TV Nation.
Some of our best pieces on the show came from
fans, like the one where we held a "Corp-Aid"
benefit concert in the middle of Wall Street to
help "needy" corporations. And, we pay for
these ideas. If we use your idea, and you are
the first person to send it to us, we will send
you a check for $700 and give you a credit
on the show.
So, take a look around your town (or anywhere
else in the rest of the world), and, even if you
can't come up with the darkly comic twist to it
(we have a crack writing staff who can do that),
jot it down here and send it off to me this
weekend.
This new show is being funded by Channel Four
in the U.K. which is currently negotiating with the
American network on which it will appear. It will
also have a new name (any ideas?), and some
great new segments and correspondents I think
you'll like. I'll keep you informed of our progress.
Thanks for all your support over the past few years.
< end >
5.0.3. If TV NATION isn't being aired anymore, how can I see the
old episodes?
If you don`t feel like spending money on the videos, then you might
see repeats of TV Nation on Comedy Central, which has been
airing the episodes.For the latest schedule details go to
http://www.comcentral.com/vs
and search for TV Nation.
5.0.4. Is there an address for TV NATION?
You can contact Veronica Moore, TV Nation's fan mail
coordinator at TVNatFans@aol.com via e-mail.
Or you can contact the TV Nation office at:
TV Nation
P.O. Box 5297
New York, NY 10185
5.0.5. Is there a newsgroup devoted to TV NATION?
Yes, alt.tv.tv-nation is devoted to discussion of TV Nation
and all things Moore related.
5.0.6. Is there a TV NATION mailing list?
Yes, there is a mailing list run by Veronica Moore,which
sends out a newsletter about once a month.
You can subscribe to the mailing list by sending the
following to TVNatFans@aol.com:
ADD TVNATIONFANS username@address Your Real Name
5.0.6.1. How can I get back issues of Veronica Moore's
newsletters?
According to Alan Hamilton (alanh@primenet.com):
They're stored on the TVNATIONFANS list server. To get them,
send e-mail to listserv@listserv.aol.com with a blank subject and
a body containing the following:
get TVNATIONFANS LOG95xx
where xx is the month you want -- 07 for July, 08 for August, or 09
for September. If you want the whole set, send
get TVNATIONFANS LOG9507
get TVNATIONFANS LOG9508
get TVNATIONFANS LOG9509
to listserv@listserv.aol.com . I'm not certain, but you probably
already have to be on the list before it will let you get the back
issues. Each volume contains all the newsletters for that month.
The files will be mailed to you.
5.0.7. How can I contact Crackers or Yuri?
You can contact Crackers via e-mail at WingIt9@aol.com and
Yuri via e-mail at YShevts@aol.com or write to both of them via
snail-mail at:
TV Nation
"Crackers" or "Yuri Shevts"
P.O. Box 5297
New York, NY 10185
5.0.8. Are there any TV NATION web pages?
The official TV Nation web page can be reached at:
http://TVNation.spe.sony.com/TVN
There is also another unofficial TV Nation web page at:
http://www.xwinds.com/tv/tvnation.html
5.0.9. Can I order a TV NATION hat?
You certainly can. The official TV NATION hats are grey denim
with red stitching, containing the TV NATION logo. They are $15.00
each plus $3.95 shipping and handling.
Call 1-800-933-4900, extension 607 and place your hat order.
Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
5.0.10. What's the story behind that amazing opening theme music
and where can I get it?
From a newsgroup posting by K R Glynn on 3 Apr 1995
:(regarding the TV Nation opening theme music)
"The TV Nation opening was conceived by Michael Moore, Kathleen
Glynn and the TV Nation staff back in 1993. The idea behind the TV
Nation theme music was "Leave it to Beaver meets Metallica". The
work and design on the opening was done by Chris Harvey who did a
lot of archival footage research (combining vintage advertising and
news footage). Chris introduced us to Tomandandy, the guys that
did the music. We love the opening and get juiced every time we
hear the theme music. THANKS for your support! Sincerely, Kathleen
Glynn, Producer, TV Nation"
No TV NATION soundtrack is available on CD, but you can
download the opening theme in both audio and video format at the
official TV Nation web site at http://TVNation.spe.sony.com/TVN.
5.1 TV NATION Episode Guide
This episode guide contains the American airdates for each episode,
the segments and the infamous TV NATION polls.
Information in this episode guide from
http://www.xwinds.com/tv/TVNation.html.
Please note that these are the episodes as they aired originally
in North America. They are NOT the format that they appear in
on Comedy Central. Some segments were either re-edited or unaired
completely, but they WERE aired in Britain. See the Unaired TV
NATION Segments part of this FAQ for more information.
5.1.1. The NBC 1994 Summer Replacement Series
Producer: Kathleen Glynn
Supervising Producer: Jerry Kupfer
Executive Producer: Michael Moore
First Show (July 19, 1994)
FREE TRADE IN MEXICO: Michael Moore hears about the North American
Free Trade Agreement and moves the show to Mexico
TAXI: Rusty Cundieff finds out who has an easier time of getting a
cab - Yaphet Kotto, a distinguished black actor or Louis
Bruno, a convicted white felon
APPLETON PRISON: Merrill Markoe visits the quietest prison in
America
LOVE CANAL: We go house hunting in contaminated Love Canal
LOOKING FOR MISSILES: Michael Moore goes in search of the Russian
missile pointed at his home town
(Note: The LOVE CANAL segment featured correspondents Jane Morris
and Jeff Michalski. Shortly after their segment, they immediately
left the show.)
[This episode is available on THE BEST OF TV NATION, Tape One.]
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 204 Americans, Spring 1993
- 65% of all Americans believe that frozen pizza will never be any
good and there's nothing science can do about it.
- 10% of the American public would pay $5 to see Senator Orrin
Hatch (R - Utah) fight a big mean dog on Pay TV. 86% of all
viewers would root for the dog. 100% of women viewers would
root for the dog.
- 45% of Americans think rain doesn't feel as good in real life as
it seems to in the movies
- 16% of Perot voters believe "if dolphins were really smart, they
could get out of those nets."
Second Show (July 26, 1994)
CEO CHALLENGE: Michael Moore asks what exactly can the chairmen of
American companies do?
AIDS: Karen Duffy finds out how some people are getting rich off
people with AIDS
THE NEW KKK: Louis Theroux meets the new Ku Klux Klan
KUWAIT: Michael Moore enjoys the fruits of victory with a tour of
free and democratic Kuwait
PETS ON PROZAC: Merrill Markoe meets the happiest animals in
America
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 204 Americans, Spring 1993
- 65% of American women believe there is "a lot of difference"
between a campaign contribution and a bribe. Only 35% of men
see a difference
- 70% of American women have never had an emotionally satisfactory
relationship with a Republican
Third Show (August 2, 1994)
LOBBYIST: Michael Moore goes to Washington to see how much
democracy he can buy for $5000
NORTH DAKOTA: Karen Duffy takes a trip to the least visited state
in the country
AMAZON AVON: Louis Theroux goes door to door with Avon ladies in
the Amazon
SLUDGE TRAIN: Roy Sekoff sniffs out what happens after New Yorkers
flush their toilets
A DAY WITH DR. DEATH: Michael Moore spends a day with Dr. Jack
Kevorkian.
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 229 Americans, Summer 1994
- In the past year 36% of Americans have chanted "We're Number
One!" Only 22% of Bush voters have chanted "We're Number
One!"
- 62% of Americans believe a trip to a major theme park is more
culturally enriching than a trip to the Reagan Library
Fourth Show (August 9, 1994)
Product Placement Night
OJ: Michael Moore observes how Ford Bronco salesman are tying
into the OJ phenomena
1-800-TOURISM: Merrill Markoe gets advice on where to go on
vacation from some people who aren't going anywhere
HOT SPRINGS: Louis Theroux visits President Clinton's real home
town, Hot Springs, Arkansas
HEALTHCARE OLYMPICS: For the first time on broadcast television,
it's the TV Nation Health Care Olympics, with Bob Costas and
Ahmad Rashad
LORD MIKE: It used to be that royalty in Britain was just for the
few. But now their titles are for sale. Tonight, meet Lord
Mike.
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 229 Americans, Summer 1994
- 39% of Americans believe that guns are not "as dangerous as they
say".
- 15% of Americans wish Dennis Hopper would go back on drugs.
Fifth Show (August 16, 1994)
TV Nation Day
MILLENIUM: Louise Theroux visits Americans who are preparing for
the end of the world
PRISON ADVISOR: Have your pencils sharpened -- it's the broadcast
premiere of the TV Nation "Get Ready For Prison Test"
HAULIN': How is TV Nation coping with the end of the Cold War?
Tonight we're hauling Communism in our own 18-wheeler
BOSNIA: Michael Moore conducts his own shuttle diplomacy to end the
war in Bosnia
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 229 Americans, Summer 1994
- 29% of Americans believe that Elvis was right to shoot TV sets.
- 29% of Perot voters say "The candidate I vote for usually loses."
Sixth Show (August 21, 1994)
Fifth Week Anniversary Special
This was a "Best of TV Nation" special that aired opposite _60
Minutes_ that featured highlights of the past shows and new footage
with Michael Moore on the street.
Seventh Show (August 23, 1994)
Gun Night
TALK SHOWS: Merrill Markoe talks to those "talk show people"
NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY: Michael Moore threatens to move the show to
New Jersey and the mayor of New York is on the spot
NEIGHBORS: After serial killers like John Wayne Gacey and Geoffrey
Dahmer, what if a very strange man moved into the house next
door -- wouldn't the neighbors notice?
GUNS: And be sure to join us for more of Gun Night on TV Nation
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 229 Americans, Summer 1994
- 11% of Americans that suffer from indigestion would rather retake
the SAT than watch a Jesse Helms filibuster.
- 12.5% of Americans that voted for Clinton believe that they will
someday be told "just what Victoria's Secret is." 98% of
Bush voters believe they will never know.
Eighth Show (August 30, 1994)
Golf Night
CORPORATE CONSULTANTS: Michael Moore joins American corporations in
the trend towards downsizing and temping
SABOTAGE: Ben Hamper takes a look at a growing phenomenon in the
American workplace - sabotage on the job
DIRECT MAIL: Roy Sekoff finds out: will the American public respond
to any old junk mail?
CANING: Michael Moore returns to the land where caning began -
Great Britain
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 229 Americans, Spring 1994
- 88% of Bush voters "have no idea what rappers are talking about."
- 14% of Americans surveyed agreed that Puerto Rico should not be
the 51st state because "that extra star would make the flag
look bad."
5.1.2. The 1994 NBC Year-End Special
Aired December 28, 1994
Producer: Kathleen Glynn
Supervising Producer: Jerry Kupfer
Executive Producer: Michael Moore
CORP AID: Michael Moore is in a holiday mood and tries to give a
thousand dollars to America's neediest corporations
WHITE HOUSE SECURITY: First the dive bomber, then the machine
gunner; so TV Nation correspondent Louis Thoreux hires a
security guard for the White House
SEND THE TROOPS IN '95: TV Nation asks you, the viewers, to choose
which country the US will invade in 1995
PREDICTIONS: Steven Wright drills the experts on what the New Year
has in store for the US
MEET THE REPUBLICANS: And our salute to last November's Republican
victory
5000 NEW JOBS: TV Nation focuses on some of the 5000 new jobs in
1994.
NOT DEAD YET: TV Nation celebrates those that didn't die in 1994.
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error +/- 9%
>From a telephone survey of 208 Americans, Winter 1994
- 35% of Americans believe Richard Nixon went to heaven. 59%
believe he went "someplace else."
- 34% of those who voted Republican in the last election believe
"Forrest Gump" was a documentary.
[This episode is available on THE BEST OF TV NATION, tape one.]
5.1.3. The Fox 1995 Summer Replacement Series
Producer: Kathleen Glynn
Supervising Producer: Jerry Kupfer
Executive Producer: Michael Moore
First Show (July 21, 1995)
We're #1
LOUIS FOR PRESIDENT: Anybody can run for president in this country,
so TV Nation registers ex-con Louis Bruno as a legitimate
candidate for next year's election
BEACH PARTY: Janeane Garofalo finds that some public beaches are
really private, so she organizes her own beach party
CRIME SCENE CLEANUP: Louis Theroux finds out what it really takes
to clean up crime
SLAVES: Rusty Cundieff discovers that Mississippi is just getting
around to abolishing slavery, so he goes there to get some
slaves of his own
CRACKERS: Michael Moore takes a bite out of corporate crime with
TV Nation's crime-fighting chicken!
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
Out of 204 Americans surveyed,
- 60% of Americans say that if they could push a button that would
make Larry King disappear, they would "keep pushing it and not
stop."
- 37% of Americans agree that while they would hate being British,
they wouldn't mind having a British accent.
- More Americans say they would rather spend time in a jacuzzi with
Dan Rather than Tom Brokaw. Of those who want to tub with Dan,
10% have no health insurance.
[This episode is available on THE BEST OF TV NATION, tape two.]
Second Show (July 28, 1995)
Payback Night
KGB: Michael Moore hires a KGB agent to spy for TV Nation
NEA: Now that the National Endowment of the Arts is dead, Karen
Duffy visits the other free non-government sponsored museums.
JERUSALEM SYNDROME: Louis Theroux finds out why so many tourists
are crazy for Jerusalem
JOHNS OF JUSTICE: Karen Duffy finds lines, lines, and more lines
and brings relief to women around the country with the Johns
of Justice
A-BOMB: TV Nation visits a used car dealer who went to a government
auction and came home with a nuclear bomb factory
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
Out of 151 Americans surveyed,
- 11% of people who have tried Prozac- would like to see Dan Quayle
make a comeback because "Al Gore just isn't funny enough".
- 36% of college graduates think that there are virtually no female
serial killers because women "just aren't aggressive enough".
Third Show (August 4, 1995)
War Night
CRACKERS IN PHILLY: Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken
seeks justice in the City of Brotherly Love
COBB COUNTY: Michael Moore goes to Newt Gingrich Country to get Big
Government off it's back
ELECTRONIC SNIFFER: Louis Theroux tracks down the electronic nose
and finds out why it's a threat to humans
HELLTOWN: Jeff Stilson visits a town that's going to hell
SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS: An exploration of a government-funded school
for assassins
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Asssociates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
- 12% of those polled believe the success of actor David
Hasselhoff, star of Baywatch, is due at least in part to
"dealings with the devil."
- 45% of Americans believe that if space aliens could pick up
C-SPAN and see Sonny Bono speaking on the floor of Congress,
they would never visit Earth.
- 17% of college graduates would punch themselves really hard in
the face for $50.
- 28% of those who said they were "normal" Americans would like to
be King of Great Britain, but not if it meant marrying the
Queen.
Fourth Show (August 11, 1995)
Love Night
MILITA: Michael Moore goes on maneuvers with the Michigan
Mitlitia
AQUARIUMS: Jeff Stilson profiles the latest plan to save America's
cities - brightly colored fish!
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: Michael Moore meets the face that launched
a thousand squad cars
KGB: TV Nation send KGB agent Yuri Shvets to spy on our competition
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
- 44% of Republicans say they would watch "Nightline" if it had a
band and an opening comedy monologue.
- If Jesus came back and saw that Pat Robertson was his
spokesperson, 46% of Americans think that we'd all be in big
trouble.
- 42% of Americans feel that Kato Kaelin should be a passenger on
the next space shuttle, whether he wants to go or not.
[This episode is available on THE BEST OF TV NATION, tape two.]
Fifth Show (August 25, 1995)
Canada Night
CONTRACT WITH AMERICA: Michael Moore enforces the Contract With
America
TED NUGENT: Louis Theroux shoots guns with the newest NRA Board
member, Ted Nugent
FALKLANDS: Karen Duffy travels to Britain to turn a coal mining
town into part of Argentina
CRACKERS IN ST. LOUIS: Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting
Chicken ruffles some feathers in St. Louis
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
- 26% of those in possession of a firearm believe that the second
amendment protects their right to buy explosive fertilizer.
- 81% of those who have seen two or more "Police Academy" movies
believe that O.J. is innocent.
- 29% of those surveyed think that the guy who first put the
"Great" in front of "Britain" probably meant it as a joke.
Sixth Show (September 1, 1995)
MIKE HUGS ALL 50 GOVERNORS: Mike touches power by trying to hug all
50 governors
PSY-OPS AT OJ: It worked on Noriega; and it sort of worked on David
Koresh. Louis Theroux tries out psychological warfare at the
O.J. Simpson trial
ROSEMONT: Rusty Cundieff visits Rosemont, Illinois, a town that
decides to keep the rest of the world out by putting police
and gates at it's city limits
NEW UNIONS: You can look for the Union label, but you can't touch!
TV Nation meets some newly organized members of the labor
movement
ENDANGERED WHITE MEN: TV Nation feels the pain of a vanishing breed
- white men
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED PART 2: A follow-up to the most dangerous
face in America, Brian Anthony Harris.
FAN MAIL: Louis Bruno and his campaign manager read viewer mail.
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery & Associates.
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
- 16% of all Americans believe that the world is out to get them.
Of those, 46% are gun owners.
- One third of American women agree that baseball was more exiting
when it was on strike.
- 4% of Americans remember exactly where they were when "JFK" the
movie was shot.
Seventh Show
(aired September 8, 1995 in USA)
Bully Reunion Night
CRACKERS IN DETROIT: Crackers tackles media mergers and goes to
Detroit to stop two newspapers from merging.
WEATHERMAN: You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the
wind blows, but it helps. Rusty Cundieff presents the TV
Nation Weatherman
SINNERS: Sinners can be winners with Janeane Garofalo's consumer
guide to the confessional
YURI: What happened to the Democratic Party? Yuri Shvets, TV
Nation's KGB spy, finds out
IVAN AND ANDY: Meet Ivan and Andy. They want to put people in jail
for watching TV. Jeff Stilson finds out why folks in Britain
need a license to watch the tube
TV NATION POLLS
Source: Widgery and Associates
Margin of Error: +/- 9%
- Of those who said they've had a good cry in the past six months,
42% were Democrats, 27% were Republican, and 54% said they
believe in UFOs.
- 28% of Americans think that our army's high tech military
equipment is too expensive to risk in combat.
(Note: In addition, there was an unaired eighth episode on FOX,
which aired on the BBC. This episode contained several segments
which were deemed too controversial here, such as Bush's
involvement with the S&L scandal, etc. There also may be another
Year-End special aired on FOX. A segment of this was shown with
one of Michael's appearances on Conan O'Brien.)
5.2. TV NATION BIOGRAPHIES
These were collected from the official TV Nation web site at
http://www.sony.spe.com/TVNation.
5.2.1. Louis Theroux, Correspondent
Fans of TV NATION will fondly remember Louis Theroux for his
investigation revealing the invasion of the Avon Ladies hawking
their cosmetic wares in the depths of the Brazilian Amazon, and
uncovering the Ku Klux Klan's attempt to repackage itself more
appealingly as the hate group of the 1990's. To be sure, Theroux
will be embarking on scintillating new journeys this season with
the debut of TV NATION on FOX.
Prior to joining TV NATION and ever eager to seek out
real-life experiences, Theroux found employment for two weeks at a
New England Lobsters located in Wandsworth, South London, and two
days worth, (less coffee and lunch breaks) in the office canteen of
Allied Dunbar. Before his inaugural season on TV NATION, Theroux
toiled as a glass blowing apprentice in Cambridge, Mass.
5.2.2. Rusty Cundieff, Correspondent
Fans will be welcoming Rusty Cundieff for his second season on TV
NATION, its first season on FOX. After all, who could forget his
probing experiment into who would be better able to hail a New York
City cab: an Emmy-Award winning black actor or a white ex-convict.
Expect a steady flow of irreverent and innovative features to come
from Cundieff this season. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Cundieff is a writer, director and actor when he is not working on
the program.
He began performing stand-up comedy while in college in New
Orleans. He then left for the West Coast to attend the University
of California, while continuing to invest his talent on stage in
L.A. hot spots such as The Laugh Factory and Comedy Act Theater.
There he rubbed noses with some of the bestriding young talent in
comedy like Robert Townsend and the Wayans brothers. He then
ventured into acting roles on television, such as "Benson," HBO's
"Partners in Crime," and "Days of Our Lives." The small screen led
to big success, and Cundieff was hired by New Line Cinema to write
the script for "House Party II." Cundieff collaborated with
producer Darren Scott to write and direct the "This is Spinal Tap"
spoof, "Fear of A Black Hat." His second parlay into film is the
current action/horror/comedy, "Tales From the Hood," which he also
collaborated on with Scott.
5.2.3. Janeane Garofalo, Correspondent
This season marks Janeane Garofalo's debut on FOX'S TV NATION,
which enters into its second season of production, its first season
on FOX. In addition, Garofalo currently appears as the acerbic
talent booker, Paula, on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show." Her other
recent TV credits include "Saturday Night Live," where she was a
member of the 1994-1995 ensemble cast, and "The Ben Stiller Show,"
the Emmy-award winning series which ran during the 1992-1993 season
on FOX. Her movie credits include "Reality Bites," playing Winona
Ryder's dysfunctional roommate, and "Bye Bye Love," co-starring
Paul Reiser and Matthew Modine. Along with appearing in the film,
"Cold Blooded" Garofalo is presently collaborating with actress Uma
Thurman on the upcoming film, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs."
Her comedic instincts were unearthed when, as a high school
senior, she moved with her family to Houston, Texas from New
Jersey. She frequented The Comedy Workshop, one of the country's
preeminent experimental comedy clubs, as well as other local comedy
shops. Garofalo began performing stand-up comedy during her senior
year at Providence College. Shortly after graduating with a degree
in History and American Studies, she left Rhode Island and headed
west to Los Angeles, where she made her national debut on "The
Dennis Miller Show." She has also appeared on FOX's "Comic Strip
Live," and "MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour."
5.2.4. Karen Duffy, Correspondent
Karen Duffy will be returning to TV NATION this season in full
force
to continue delving into the unanswered questions which plague the
minds of Americans, like why North Dakota, home of Lawrence Welk,
ranks dead last in United States tourism. Witty and street smart,
Karen became one of MTV's most popular VeeJays and has made a
successful foray onto the big screen. She will soon be starring in
Nancy Savoca's new film, "Grace Under Pressure" with Rosie Perez
and Martha Plimpton. Her past film credits include "Dumb and
Dumber,""Blank Check," "Malcolm X," and "Reality Bites." She is
also a frequent contributor to Interview magazine.
Karen grew up on an Irish-Catholic family in New Jersey, where
one of her jobs was as a recreational therapist in a retirement
home. She says, "I still love taking the old geezers to the
circus."
5.2.5. Jeff Stilson, Correspondent
Be on the lookout for who the Melbourne Times calls "the antithesis
of the modern comedian," as Jeff Stilson joins TV NATION this
season on FOX. Jeff has been entertaining his native
Seattle,Washington area since the moment he decided to hang up his
stockbroker lackey key and give stand-up comedy a shot. His
television credits include recurrent appearances on "Late Night
with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show," and "Comic Strip Live."
In 1991, he was featured on HBO's "14th Annual Young Comedians
Special." Behind the scenes, Stilson was a staff writer on
Letterman and most recently was contributing his words of wisdom to
HBO's "Dennis Miller Live," before he succumbed to the temptation,
the glamour, the glitz that is, indeed, TV NATION.
5.2.6. Merrill Markoe, Correspondent
Merrill Markoe is a long-time comedy writer, whose credits include
_Late Night with David Letterman_. In addition, she is the author
of many books. Her most recent book is _How to Be Hap, Hap,
Happy_.
5.2.7. Ben Hamper, Correspondent
Aside from being known to Moore fans as the overworked GM employee
from ROGER AND ME and PETS OR MEAT, Ben Hamper is also the best-
selling author of _Rivithead_, which deals with his experiences
working with General Motors. Hamper also has a cameo in CANADIAN
BACON in a role he describes as "a hard-rocking cretin."
5.2.8. Roy Sekoff, Correspondent
Roy Sekoff is a comedy writer.
5.2.9. Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken
Well, according to Crackers:
Hey, that's a secret! Don't you see the mask? The purple one
over my eyes? That's so people -- and other chickens -- don't
recognize me. I would like to tell you more about myself, but I
fear it would compromise my crimefighting abilities. I must be able
to walk freely among the enemy to gather information on them. I
will reveal one small information about myself: my parents were
killed by corporate crime. And I won't rest until *those* villains
feel a Swift Kick from the Drumstick of Justice!
5.2.10. Yuri Shvets, TV NATION Agent
Yuri B. Shvets was employed by the KGB, the State Security
Agency of the former USSR, from 1980 until 1990. In addition to
working at the KGB's Headquarters outside of Moscow, Yuri was
stationed in Washington, DC, from 1985 until 1987.
The following text is reprinted from the book jacket to Yuri
Shvets's book _Washington Station_.
In the spring of 1985, Yuri B. Shvets, an idealistic young KGB
officer, reported to the Soviet embassy in Washington, D.C., home
of the KGB's Washington station. His mission: to try to recruit
Americans with access to important political offices, including the
White House, the Pentagon, and the CIA. It was no easy task, and
many of Shvets's KGB colleagues never even made the effort.
Nonetheless, under cover as a reporter for TASS, the Soviet news
agency, Shvets managed to recruit a journalist and former White
House advisor - code-named "Socrates" - whose story has never
been told before.
In "Washington Station," his riveting account of his
experiences spying against the United States, Yuri Shvets describes
in fascinating detail what only a real KGB officer could know: the
daily activities of Soviet spies in our nation's capital, including
the elaborate games of cat and mouse between KGB officers and FBI
agents.
Ironically, it was Shvets's successful recruitment of Socrates
that caused him to become disillusioned with the KGB. Shvets
paints a devastating portrait of the Soviet spy agency in the final
years of the USSR. The KGB was a mirror of Soviet society,
collapsing from bureaucracy and incompetence. The head of the
Washington residency was so fearful of FBI and CIA plants that he
all but forbade his officers to recruit new agents. Because of
his recruit, Shvets found himself under constant suspicion within
the KGB.
Increasingly frustrated and demoralized, Shvets finally quit
the KGB in 1990 when the Agency began preparing to oppose the
democracy movement in Russia by force.
Yuri B. Shvets is an honors graduate of Patrice Lumumba
People's Friendship University, with a degree in international law.
He studied for two years at the Yuri Andropov Intelligence
Institute outside Moscow. He spent two years in the Washington
residency of the KGB and rose eventually to the rank of major. In
1990 he resigned his position and in 1993 emigrated to the United
States. He now lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
5.3. TV NATION Miscellany
The Cobb County segment has been privately aired amongst House
Democrats.
* * *
TV NATION was denied office space at both NBC and FOX.
* * *
Moore, on the Bosnia segment, "I brought the pizza in because
I wanted the viewer to see just how absurd these men are, how
ridiculous, how petty. How else can an average person fight back?
I'm not going to commit acts of violence against them. I'm not
going to Bosnia. So I thought of getting these ambassadors in
Washington to divide up a pizza as if it were Yugoslavia. They
took it so seriously, cutting it up, wanting this and that."
* * *
Moore, on the CEO Corporate Challenge, "I thought every
working person, and nonworking person for that matter, would enjoy
seeing me put the chairman of Ford Motors under a car and have oil
drip on his face."
5.3.1. Unaired TV NATION Segments and Censorship
According to Michael Moore, he was censored more on his stint
at FOX than he was at NBC. While some segments have only had
portions of them censored, in some cases, entire segments remained
unaired. This segment of the FAQ brings to light what TV NATION
might have been had it continued at NBC.
Secret Service Seeks Review of Abortion Foe's Unaired TV Interview
By LYNN ELBERAP Television Writer PASADENA, Calif. (AP)
The Secret Service wants to review an unaired TV interview
with an abortion foe who said the assassination of President
Clinton and Supreme Court justices could be justified for the
cause. Roy McMillan, head of the Christian Action Group in
Jackson, Miss., said Monday he was misquoted in a transcript of the
interview he did for the satirical newsmagazine "TV Nation."
He said his remarks involved hypothetical questions and he
doesn't advocate assassinations. The Secret Service wants to
decide for itself, agency spokesman Eric Harnischfeger said from
Washington. "My simple statement was, `I could see the potential
of abortion abolitionists assassinating people,"' McMillan said.
"What I said is a far cry from saying I advocate or endorse this.
Simply understanding the potential exists is not endorsing or
advocating assassination and that is what the report insinuates,"
he said. A written transcript of the interview was released
Saturday by Fox Broadcasting Co. in conjunction with an appearance
by "TV Nation" creator Michael Moore at a meeting of the Television
Critics Association in Pasadena.
When McMillan did the interview several months ago, the show
was airing on NBC. It has since switched to Fox. "We'd like to
review the transcript ourselves and see the context in which the
remarks were made. And that's what we'll try to do," the Secret
Service's Harnischfeger said. According to the transcript,
McMillan was asked: "Do you think it would be justifiable homicide
to execute the president?" "I think he's probably in harm's way by
acknowledging and endorsing the killing. ... It would probably be
to me more justifiable to assassinate the Supreme Court judges," he
said in the transcript.
Moore said NBC pulled the segment from the Dec. 28 show
because there wasn't enough time to drum up advertising for such a
controversial topic so near the holidays. "They did not censor it
for content. In fact, they felt very strongly about the piece" and
planned to air it at another time, he said. An NBC official did
not immediately return a telephone call Monday.
Two days after the segment was pulled, two people were killed
and five wounded in shootings at two family planning clinics in
Brookline, Mass. A New Hampshire beauty school student, John C.
Salvi III, has been charged. McMillan was among 30 people who
signed a petition declaring deadly force was justified in defense
of the unborn. The petition was circulated by Paul Hill, later
convicted in two slayings outside a Pensacola, Fla., clinic.
According to the "TV Nation" transcript, interviewer Louis
Theroux asked McMillan if it would be OK to "slit the throat of an
abortion doctor." "Well, it certainly would not be out of the word
of God," McMillan responded. "How about if you just shot him?"
Theroux asked. "I think you should do it in love, and I think you
should do it to cause instant death," McMillan said. McMillan said
Monday he was interviewed for hours and "many hypothetical and
leading questions" were asked.
"My comment, in response to a leading question, was,
`Certainly it is more merciful to kill a person swiftly and
certainly than drawing it out like an abortionist does -- one limb
at a time.' "I was not advocating killing anyone. I was just
saying anyone who kills, whether its a dove or a deer, should be
merciful," he said."
* * *
An excerpt from the following Marvin Kitman Newsday article sheds
further light on two unaired segments, one of them the
aforementioned abortion piece that never aired on FOX or NBC:
I was a little worried about the new "TV Nation," Michael
Moore's marvelous TV magazine, which returns for a second
season this time on Fox, tomorrow night at 8 pm. My favorite TV
magazine of all time, which last summer started bringing you the
kinds of stories you never see anywhere else, had far less
censorship than one would have thought at NBC. My spies tell me
there were only two stories the network, owned by GE, choked on.
One was scheduled to run on the year-end special. Moore and
his guerrilla band of parajournalists had spent a few days hanging
out with one of the leaders of the anti-abortion movement, some of
whose members believe abortion doctors should be killed. They
made the rounds with him to the abortion clinics where he shouts
down women. It was a very powerful piece.
But NBC felt it was going to lose advertisers because the
piece was (1) about abortion and (2) anti-abortion. Actually, the
piece was anti-killing doctors. What was the balance on the story?
Moore argued, "Is the other side of the issue arguing to let them
kill doctors?"
It got dropped anyway.
The other piece was about condoms. NBC wouldn't let them run
it. Why? Because it would lose affiliates in the South. The
networks always blame the South in TV. What specifically was wrong?
"Well, you used the word 'condom' 30 times," it was explained. Fox
has agreed to air the condom piece. So what am I worried about?
[Note: This segment, "Condoms," can be seen in its entirety
on THE BEST OF TV NATION, tape one. -- Ed]
NBC, to its credit, left Moore and his media maniacs mostly
alone. What's different about Fox is that "the suits" call Moore up
continually. They send memos, suggestions, "give notes." They are
very nervous. Worse, my spies tell me they don't get certain
things, don't see the humor.
One night this summer Moore wanted to do a reenactment show,
featuring one of the first Civil War groups who dress up as
soldiers for the weekend. TV Nation wanted to get about eight of
them to reenact a Civil War battle. Then Moore wanted them to
reenact other things, like the battle of Hiroshima, which is over
in 10 seconds. Or the fall of Saigon, with all the screaming to
get on the helicopters.
Then Moore saw the piece evolving: "And now the 101st Illinois
Regiment will reenact the L.A. riots..." Still wearing their Civil
War outfits, they would sit as the jury for Rodney King, saying
"not guilty." Moore was telling them about all this, and there was
silence on the phone. They didn't get it! "Well, Mike," one of them
finally said, "isn't this kind of a downer?"
Also they won't let Mike do anything that seemed to rag on
NBC. All he wanted to do, opening tomorrow night's first show, was
a Scott O'Grady: Moore coming out of Rockefeller Center on hands
and knees, eating bugs, being rescued by helicopters flying him out
to Fox. "Ah, Mike, we don't want to say anything bad about NBC"
the feeling was. This is an especially sensitive subject since Fox
owner Rupert Murdoch made that deal encouraging NBC to drop it's
participation in the NAACP's licensing lawsuit against Fox. It
would have been the "TV Nation" way to link the two Moore shows.
But why worry? Sometimes I think I'm just a false alarmist.
* * *
Other segments that bit the dust included a profile of a
homophobic family that pickets the funerals of people who die of
AIDS [Note: This segment, entitled "Extra Credit," can be seen in
its entirety on THE BEST OF TV NATION, tape two.] and an insightful
piece showing Bush's $2 million bail out of several Washington
notables from the S & L scandal. Of course, FOX wouldn't want
you hearing about that now, would they?
Some censorship was quite subtle. For example, when Crackers
went to Detroit, the original voiceoever stated that Crackers
"marched in solidarity" with the strikers. But TV NATION was
forced to change it to "meeting with" strikers. In another
Crackers segment, a man claimed that "Nike pays Michael Jordan more
than all of its employers." The word "Nike" was replaced with "One
corporation."
5.3.2. Michael Moore's Cobb County Diary
The following is a diary kept by Michael Moore during the
taping of the Cobb County segment. It appeared in TV Nation
newsletter #3 and it's a fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpse
into the making of TV NATION:
JULY 3, 1995 10:30 am.
I am flying down to Cobb County, Georgia, the Atlanta suburb
which is represented by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. These
people who elected him are the true patriots of the "Republican
Revolution." They want to cut federal spending and get "Big
Government off our backs.
But our crack research department at TV NATION has come up
with a curious statistic: Other than Arlington Co., VA (which
houses the Pentagon), and Brevard Co., FL (where Cape Canaveral
sits), Cobb County has received more federal funding than any other
county in the U.S! This seems a little ironic to me -- they want to
cut government spending, just not their own.
So I've decided to go down to Newt's district and help those
good people get the big, bad federal bogeyman off their backs. And
if I'm lucky, I may get to meet Newt himself.
2:05 PM
I've only been in Cobb County an hour and I am opening the
headquarters to my new organization, "GOBAC" -- The Committee
to Get Government Off the Backs of Cobb County (I know, the
acronym is missing a few letters, but it sounds cool). A few dozen
people have shown up to hear what I have to say. "Each year, you,
the citizens of Cobb County, receive nearly four billion dollars in
federal aid, 60 times more than the average U.S. county. I feel
your pain -- having to put up with all that free cash from
Washington! Having the feds coming down here to build your
highways, your airport, your schools, and -- dare I say it -- your
senior citizen centers! Not to mention the 10,000 federally-funded
jobs at Lockheed! How can you stand this intrusion!!"
I asked the people to join with me in reciting the 12-step
pledge to kick the "Fed Bread" habit. Step One: "I admit that I am
addicted to federal funds and, as a result, our federal budget has
become unmanageable." Step Two: "The problem is not welfare
mothers, the "urban" areas, food stamps or the N.E.A. The problem
is me." And so on. Most seemed reluctant to join me in a group hug.
5:50 PM
As part of my first mission for GOBAC, I have come out to Lake
Allatoona, in northern Cobb County. This lake was built and is
maintained by the federal government. I hop in a boat and, with my
bullhorn, ask all supporters of Newt Gingrich to "LEAVE THIS LAKE
IMMEDIATELY -- IT IS CONTAMINATED WITH FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS!!" No
one pays much attention to me. I drive my boat up to a big
houseboat and the owner tells me to get off "his" lake and
go get rid of "those people on welfare." I explain to him that
welfare (AFDC payments) amounts to less than one per cent of the
money Cobb gets each year from D.C. Perhaps the taxpayers building
him this lake is the real form of welfare.
He goes back inside to radio the police.
6:22 PM
The lake police arrive, but, seeing our cameras, keep their
distance. Attempted arrests by police of our TV NATION
correspondents is up over 300 per cent over last year's run on NBC.
I'm not sure if the FBI keeps statistics on this, but our network
executives have pointed out to me that there is no bail money in
the budget.
We decide to leave the lake.
JULY 4 9:30 AM
It's Independence Day and the crew and I have gathered at the
kick-off site for the Fourth of July Parade. We have heard that
Newt may be marching in the parade, but no one seems to know for
sure. I send our segment producer, Patrick Farrelly, out ahead to
see if he can spot him. Ten minutes later Patrick returns in a cold
sweat.
"He's here."
I send the cameraman over to where Newt is waiting so they can
get set up. We may not have much of a chance to talk to him and,
in fact, we are told that his Secret Service contingent is with him
(he is third in line to the Presidency). I walk down to where I can
see the Speaker and notice the crew is in place. As I head toward
Gingrich, his guards spot me, so I do an end run around them (I
learned to do these a lot during the filming of "Roger & Me") and
come up behind Newt.
"Mr. Speaker," I said, and, as he turned and noticed who it
was, I was already into my first question about how why his
district gets more federal money than virtually anybody else when
he himself is leading the movement to cut spending.
"Well, we're cutting everywhere...all across the board...even
here...wherever there is waste..."
Dearest diary, I will spare you the rest of that multiple
sound byte, you have heard it all before. I ask Gingrich if he
could tell me where specifically he would cut money in Cobb. How
about Lockheed?
"Oh, no!" he replied."
Senior citizens center?"
"Absolutely not."
"School lunches?"
"I favor increasing those!"
I keep going down the list: $76 million for the sewage system,
$22,000 for the Cobb library, $286,000 for handicap access.
No, nope and no way.
"And besides," he chided, looking around for his handlers to
help him end this interrogation, "you've got your facts wrong."
"Well, I got them from your office." I pressed on. "Where, Mr.
Gingrich, can we cut the spending? How about the federal grant of
$600,000 given to your former employer, Kennesaw State College, to
study marijuana."
Whoops.
"Look, I'm working seriously on these problems, not taking
cheap shots like you."
With that, his guards hustled him away. But because this is TV
NATION, we're not going to let that stop us.
10:15 AM
Newt is marching with his group "Friends of Newt." I am
marching in the last row. Slowly, I move my way up through the
blue-shirted Newt supporters. Finally, I make it up to where Newt
and I are marching side by side, smiling and waving at the crowd.
Well, at least one of us is smiling and waving. The other is
calling for security. I hand Newt a copy of the 12-Step Pledge
("Step 8: I trust in God to give me the courage to stop the federal
spending I can, accept the federal spending I can't, and help me to
know the difference"). He takes it, and his Secret Service detail
shows me the way to the sidelines.
I spend the rest of the parade marching with the Flag Girls,
getting hosed by the fire department truck when I ask them to give
up their federal block grant, and tossing Tootsie Rolls out to the
kids along the parade route, thanking them in advance for taking
care of the zillion dollars of debt we'll be leaving them.
12:10 PM
I am at the entrance to I-75, asking motorists not to use this
federally-financed highway. People just drive right on by, even
after I explain to them how not using the road will help advance
their Revolution. No matter.
Everywhere I go here, everyone complains about high taxes and
wasteful government, but no one want to be the first to set an
example. I tell them that "you gave the nation Newt Gingrich -- now
show us how to stop big government!" But the people here told me
that the $74,000 in federal monies for the warning lights at that
railroad crossing in town was money well spent. College students
who voted for Newt swore to me they would never part with their
federal student loans. The Cobb police pointed to the big new
bumpers they have on their squad cars, compliments of Washington.
No, they, wouldn't take them off and let me return them. I
understood their dilemma.
3:45 PM
The crew and I have gone to the Cobb County Republican
Bar-B-Que. The word is out about what we've been up to and some
people are actually starting to feel guilty. One man comes up to me
and says he's going to do his best "to stop spending so much tax
money." I tell him to quit taking books out from the library and
not to drink any more city water. He didn't seem like he was
willing to go that far.
Suddenly, a hush goes through the crowd -- the Speaker of the
House has arrived and taken the platform. Could we be so lucky as
to have three encounters with Newt in just one day -- and a
federally-authorized day to boot!
As Newt steps down, I and the camera guy mosey over to him.
This time, he sees me coming and holds his hand out in front of his
face, shaking his head. No way, not you again!" he exclaims. At
that moment, this man, whom so many fear, seemed so beaten down, so
hapless, so... victimized. He was not the bulldog I expected -- he
was more like a cream puff, with the cream squished out. I honestly
felt sorry for him. I held out my hand.
"I'm sorry for coming on so hard earlier," I told him in one
of those rare love-your-enemies moments that will surely help my
passage into heaven some day.
He immediately relaxed. "Well, gee," he said with frustration,
"I mean, I'M NOT ROGER SMITH -- I'M NEWT GINGRICH."
What did that mean? That you are better than that poor schmuck
of an auto executive I followed around for three years? I don't
think so. In an instant I knew what I had to do.
"Just stand there while I do this," I told him. He smiled a
nervous smile, looked into the camera like his was my Ed McMahon
and I did the opening to our show:
"Hi, I'm Michael Moore, and no, you are not hallucinating.
This is Newt Gingrich and tonight, on TV NATION...NEWT AND MIKE
SAVE AMERICA!!"
Newt didn't know whether to bolt or kiss me so he took the
safe route -- he joined right in.
"Be sure and watch, Mr. and Mrs. America!" said the Speaker
into the lens of the TV NATION camera. Just like a pro.
5.3.3. How did TV NATION come about?
From a Moore interview with Alexander Cockburn in _Grand
Street_,
"I was out in Los Angeles trying to get money for my movie,
CANADIAN BACON. I got a call asking whether I'd be interested in
doing anything for TV. I said, "No, i've got to get my movie
made." They said -- this was NBC -- 'Come over anyway, let's see
what ideas you have for TV.'
I had to drive down Sunset to La Brea. I remember I had rock
and roll on very loud. I thought, what would I like to see on TV?
Forget about what they would like. What would I like? I started
thinking about what really hasn't been done on American TV before:
combining nonfiction with humor, giving it a political edge and a
distinct point of view.
I met my agent and somebody from Tri-Star, the studio that
would produce whatever TV show I came up with, before we saw the
NBC executives. I told them what I was thinking, and my agent
said, 'Oh no, that's horrible. They're going to hate it.' We went
up and met with Warren Littlefield, the president of NBC
Entertainment, and a couple of his v.p.'s, and I told them the idea
and a couple of sketches.
It was almost an hour's drive. That's a long time. And, you
know, I've never done any drugs. Play rock and roll really loud
and don't do any drugs, you can really get a lot done. I remember
I had the ideas about NAFTA and going to Russia to look for the
missile, and something on the Catholic Church. They were all
laughing and syaing, 'That's great." And what do you know, when I
went back to my hotel, there was a message from NBC saying, we'll
give you the money to do a pilot."
5.3.4. Related TV NATION Addresses
On the August 4th, 1995 episode of TV NATION, Crackers exposed
the exorbitant bounced check payments charged by banks in
Philadelphia. If your bank is doing something similar, you can
write to:
Financial Consumer Association
(FCA) Organizing Project
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, D.C. 20036
OR e-mail to:
FCA@essential.org
For those interested in voicing your opinion and following up
on Crackers' investigation on lead emissions from the Doe Run plant
as seen in the August 25th, 1995 episode of TV NATION can write:
Air Pollution Control Program
PO BOX 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102
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