Informed. Insightful. Important. Why All Voters Should Watch The Newsroom.

Recently I’ve been avoiding the news. By recent, I mean for about 5 years, and by news, I really mean the olds. Because of the advent of digital media, we now have hundreds of channels, websites, and a 24 hour, nonstop news cycle. And yet, the public couldn’t be less informed or educated. I’m not blaming them, nor am I claiming to be the opposite, but there are a significant number of citizens who blindly absorb the same information from the same sources day in and day out, without even a hint of skepticism. My natural tendency toward cynicism and disbelief, coupled with the laughing-stock that is our current United States government, I cannot stomach the very biased news I see on any channel these days. I’m forced to cherry pick articles and laugh while learning as I watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, the only truly honest, inquisitive and insightful bits of news I’m lucky to get. NPR is great, but it’s also so damn dry. My god, I do need some more inflection and editorializing than I often get, but at least their agenda is clear: to inform.

I am interested in politics, but not in debate. I could give two shits what this expert feels versus the other. They all seem to have smart people in their corner and most are represented by power hungry, loud mouths who’ve scared the extremes of the left and right to follow them like sheep. I’ve been a sheep before, again, no judgment, but sometimes I just want to shake these very smart, capable people into thinking for themselves, instead of deciding before they wake up how they’ll see the world the following day. It’s exceedingly difficult to find one right answer for over 350 million people. I’d imagine the process to getting there is complex and daunting, but I’d also imagine the fundamentals of setting up a healthy, informed nation with opportunity is something we can get back to, and I hope we do.

I am patriotic but I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses. Our country is no longer the best and the brightest. Am I glad to have been born here? Definitely. There are so many aspects I love and am proud of, but as one who lived in Europe for three years and plans to travel and roam this planet, I feel and know deeply we can learn a thing or two from other sovereign nations and our arrogance is getting us nowhere. It is in this vein that I enthusiastically recommend the entire American populace watches The Newsroom, Aaron Sorkin’s brilliantly written series for none other than H.B.O.

The Newsroom stars Jeff Daniels, a favorite actor from my childhood (any Dumb and Dumber fans out there?), who’s given some of the best performances of his career in the last decade. You must be sharp and fully equipped to ring off Sorkin dialogue and make it feel as believable and impassioned as it was written. And the cast of the Newsroom does just that. Daniels plays Will McAvoy, a rich and successful anchor of News Night who’s going through a series of changes after an uproarious speech uttered while debating on a news forum at Northwestern. Subsequently, he loses his executive producer and much of his staff, to be left with ex-flame MacKenzie McHale as his EP (bit of melodrama there) and a slew of new, energetic writers and producers encouraged to go back to the days of news with integrity.

After a long period of pandering to ratings and public opinion polls, the talented minds behind News Night decide enough is enough. No longer will they get lost in the shuffle of hyperbolic cable news, where opinions and bias run the show, content is used to inflame, stoke the fire of fear, and the almighty dollar received from advertisers are controlling the invisible hand from well behind the scenes. Their new goal is to return to a news program with integrity, what news used to be, an intelligent journalist informing the electorate with facts; sourced, qualified, irrefutable facts. When the news began, it was designed as a free public service, out from under the control of advertisers and suits, and instead seen as one hour of objective news, free from any influence.

Clearly we’ve gone in a different direction. The Newsroom brilliantly covers major events from congressional elections in 2010, the BP oil crisis, the swelling and ultimate misrepresentation of the Tea Party movement and the resulting losses the democrats suffered at the hands of extreme conservatives like Michelle Bachman. There is a major emphasis placed on objectivity here, and although the show plays on H.B.O. and is perhaps created and funded by Hollywood liberal elite, this show is led by and starring a registered Republican in McAvoy, a man frustrated by the extreme few speaking for the reasonable, and being sensationalized by the very petulant, drama hungry media.

There’s love interests, diversity in ages, cultures, opinions and backgrounds, but what I get most out of this show is razor-sharp writing delivered in a bold, influential manner. As we follow News Night behind the scenes, we’re privy to the very strict standards both the fictional news show, and the Newsroom in general, holds itself to. Conjecture and insinuation are gone, a party or political figure are not touted or hunted because of the ‘R’ or ‘D’ underneath their name. Is it news worthy? Do the electorate need to know this information? Is it credible and factual? In coming across the recent saturation of coverage this past weekend over the tragedy in Colorado, I can only imagine how News Night would choose to handle this situation.

Often we are consumed with nonsense because we want to avoid the importance of reality, of the genuine issues and challenges at stake. How someone did or did not treat a dog decades ago, reproductive rights (a 50-year-old resolved issue), the legitimacy of a birth certificate, car elevators, level of patriotism, religious beliefs, and college behavior. I don’t care what either of the presidential candidates did when they were 20, unless they murdered or tortured someone, nor am I concerned about their faith unless it majorly informs their decisions about our lives. I am majorly uninspired by most right now. I feel more informed by a very broad, fair recollection of events involving our economic collapse, our military involvement and much of our legislative policies after watching this very unusual, thought-provoking show.

It’d be amazing for our progress as a nation if we all got our heads out of our asses and began actually listening again. If we decided after we heard the facts rather than before we heard even simple opinions, the results would be astounding. We’re in a divisive mess, not anyone in particular’s fault, but the media, cable news like Fox and MSNBC in general, are not helping. Ratings feed their content and their audience and we’re sure to be fed a slop of negative, narrowly viewed topics to keep up reeling in anger and frustration. There is no way we can possibly, fully understand the complicated mess that is our government, so before we dismiss another simply because they think differently than us, we should open ourselves to understanding many different aspects and sides to an issue, and then make a sound decision that resonates most with our values while still respecting another’s.

My hope is people of all sides, but especially those so closely identified by either very conservative or very liberal values to take a step back, open their minds and ears and choose to expose themselves to different funnels of information and insight than normal. I won’t bother myself with it, it’s futile to care about another’s choices, but I can certainly hope for a more engaged, less volatile public. Our differences make us an interesting, cultured country. If we stopped caring about being right, or being better than another, we’d perhaps lead the world again in unified, progressive leadership voted for by a smart, logical electorate. Here’s hopin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2SSSLZqQIg

Danielle Robinson Yoga teacher/ Writer You, Me and Yoga Makes 3 on Facebook Follow: @mastic8onthis on Twitter Articles written for MindBodyGreen

~Feel Stupefied To Be Alive~

A thinking man’s movie about a thinking man’s game: Moneyball

I had such a tremendously satisfying experience at the cinema the other day, alone, just me and a toffee nut latte at my favorite AMC in downtown Chi-town. There was no sex, no violence, no romance. But Danielle, those are the essential ingredients to a good American film, how can this possibly be good? Because of Aaron fucking Sorkin people! Writing. Story-telling. A good film, television show and of course any form of literature require stellar composition. Many of us were transfixed by a film about Facebook because of Aaron Sorkin’s remarkable ability to tell a story through compelling dialogue. And while the Social Network also had the directorial stylings of Mr. David Fincher and the soul-stirring, story driving tones of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, Moneyball develops and succeeds on good writing and good acting alone. I was spellbound, felt like I didn’t breathe or blink, until the very end. I loved every second, held my pee to the brink of infection and it was worth it. Whether you love or hate baseball, this is a must see. Let’s get this out of the way. Brad Pitt is only getting better, getting sexier, my god that bottom lip, I get angry being forced to stare at that masterpiece for longer than an hour. And of course the world is cruel and men get older and they somehow get hotter. That’s why there are almost zero female pedophiles. Women, for the most part, like men, not boys. Men, as we know, like barely legal looking hairless, fatless drones. Anyway, I’m not bitter. So yeah, still want to bone Brad, just incase that wasn’t clear. Mainly, he is becoming a better and better actor. You know he must have been one of the first Hollywood tried to Colin Farrell or Ben Affleck, meaning forcibly turning great character actors and writers into leading men. Of course they all are leading men due to their charisma and sex appeal, but for a few years they were all forced down the SWAT/Forces of Nature/ Meet Joe Black path and I’m so glad all three of those men are back this decade with some high brow quality shit. I’ll take In Bruges, The Town, and Inglorious fricken Basterds any damn day of the week. Since Fight Club (any of my fellow ladies and gay fellows remember his pants in that movie? I dream about those weekly.), he’s only gotten better, choosing interesting films and challenging himself as an artist. Despite his excessive level of fame and affinity for adding children to his family he seems to be generous, smart and giving the world the gift of his talent.

Ok, back on track, promise. Brad McHottenstein stars as the Oakland Athletics (A’s for those completely ignorant of baseball) general manager, and former player, Billy Beane. A promising talent right out of high school, Billy made the difficult decision to decline his opportunity at Stanford to go play professional baseball for the New York Mets (boo). We see how that decision affects his life as the story of the 2002 A’s season unfolds. And that decision now drives him as a GM and as a father with each choice he makes throughout the film. The plot develops and weaves together so seamlessly, without effort, leaving you emotionally involved without explanation. And let me just point out, this movie is not melodramatic. It piques your interest by giving you such rich characters to pull for and the dialogue between them is just eargasms. Couple that with telling a true story about a great underdog and how that tale made history and subsequently changed the game of baseball and you’re hooked, or at least I was. I will not regurgitate the important details of the story. It’s true so it’s out there already as a book, a thousand articles in Sports Illustrated and the like, but the telling of this story through film gives it the life and attention it deserves. I’m pumped, enlivened, want to spread the word. Go see it!

You cannot argue with 95% on Rottentomatoes and yet people still have the most appalling attention span. They need something to explode, blood to splatter, a boob to pop out, or some seriously extreme emotion from a character in order to be entertained. I understand and resonate with the need to escape reality. I love a good action flick, but still the best are beyond Michael Bay’s puny scope. We need a story, we need to be drawn into something, invest in a character, be curious what will happen next and concerned for the outcome. This movie gave me a raging writing boner. I was simply blown away, almost bummed out because Sorkin is such a maniacal genius, similar to many unmatched artists out there, whose skill level and creative brilliance cannot be fully fathomed, replicated, understood or ever reached. I just resort to being inspired, fueled to learn and become better at whatever minor level I’m achieving at the moment. My point is the majority of credible opinions out there completely vouch for this film and slowly the American public is as well. If you’ve yet to give it a chance or are still unsure of it’s worthiness, give it your first or second shot. I cannot wait to see this film again.

Besides diehard New Yorkers, and I love NYC, don’t get me wrong, I’ll live on that tiny island again someday, but beyond those with an actual reason to root for the Yankees, it’s commonplace to hate them and everything they stand for. The richest, most spoiled, ego-ridden team wins, again, how fun for the rest of us. Of course the Yankees aren’t alone, less than a handful of other teams are on that list as well. I won’t bore you with my opinions on the salary cap issue, steroids, or why this country has slowly lost its respect for what may be our best past-time. Just like this film requires maturity, intelligence, patience, and strategy, baseball does as well. Other faster-paced sports and games do, of course, but there’s something magical about baseball. The decision of one, during one moment, has a ripple effect on the rest, in a subsequent moment, as opposed to all needing to perform together in the same breath, the individual is a pivotal part of the sequence to success, just like a film. It’s no coincidence some of the people I respect the most love this game, even through it’s ugly periods. I’m slowly recovering from a football addiction and a love of hockey. I still watch and enjoy, but I don’t predicate my mood or invest any emotions in the outcome. It satisfies my ADD need for action every 8 seconds, for perpetual movement and change, but similar to nonstop explosion heavy movies, I prefer a game and a story to unfold at a thoughtful, intelligent pace, major conflicts and solutions arriving at the right moment, often unpredictably with pleasant surprises throughout.

I’ll simply say that this film restores my faith in baseball, sports and in the American dream. The dream is not about following this very specific path known to bring a narrow scope of success (doctor, lawyer, CEO=$). The American dream is about discovering your path to happiness, as clichéd and lame as that may sound. Your path may be a big family with lots of children, spending over 100 hours a week as an investment banker, singing on stage in front of millions, playing a sport, pursuing an art-form, owning your own business, or whatever you can fathom. The dream is having the balls and the freedom to choose it and stick to it, despite the challenges, in spite of the nay-sayers, and beyond all semblance of hope. Pursuing your dream in your way, not the path of least resistance, or the road to the most attention, more money, bigger homes, a closet full of labels, and a stadium full of adoration. You pursue it because you have to, something gnaws at you to do it, regardless of financial or pragmatic implications. I see that dream and that spark in many eyes, currently burning in the love of my life and I admire how my friends just live what they love, regardless of the current or future result. I’m doing my best to responsibly follow that course as well and a movie like Moneyball keeps my hope alive.

This film is worth our attention. I believe it will provoke thought and allow a dream to bleed back into our existence. Please do yourself a favor and enjoy it, and the likes of similar quality art and sport as well. Don’t make the easy decision, remember a great quote from another fantastic baseball film, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy everybody would do it.” Let’s all commit to respecting the other’s chosen journey and being unapologetic for our own. If it imbues passion and love and hurts no one, what can be wrong?

Quality. Quality. Quality. Expect it. Give it. Receive it. Live it. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiAHlZVgXjk