July 2010
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard report, which leads Will Bunch to remark:
“Never before in my adult life have I been so ashamed of my profession, journalism.”
Cybthia Littleton, Apatow developing Pee-wee Herman pic
The Pee-wee Herman revival is extending all the way to the multiplex.
Judd Apatow is developing an untitled Pee-wee Herman feature for Universal that Paul Reubens is writing with thesp-scribe Paul Rust (“Inglourious Basterds,” “I Love You, Beth Cooper”). Apatow will produce through his Apatow Prods. banner, though he will not helm the project. Pic is described as featuring the iconic geek — known for his love of toys and nerdy catchphrases like “I know you are, but what am I?” — in a road pic built around “a gigantic adventure.”
“Let’s face it, the world needs more Pee-wee Herman,” Apatow told Daily Variety. “I am so excited to be working with Paul Reubens — who is an extraordinary and groundbreaking actor and writer. It’s so great to watch him return with such relevance.”
The partnership came about after Apatow saw Reubens’ recent “Pee-wee Herman Show” revival at the Nokia Theater, where it played to packed houses in January and February. The show is bound for a 10-week stint on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theater starting Oct. 26.
Reubens said he was incredibly gratified by Apatow’s interest in collaborating on a pic.
“There is no one like Judd in our business — he loves comedy with emotion and heart, and he sees what we do as art,” Reubens said. “I can’t believe I’m getting this opportunity to be working with him.”
During the past year, Reubens has successfully resurrected the character he first introduced in L.A.’s theater and club scene in the late 1970s and early ’80s, when he was a member of the Groundlings comedy troupe.
Pee-wee Herman
After an HBO spesh and numerous appearances as Pee-wee Herman on “Late Night with David Letterman,” Reubens’ scored at the B.O. in 1985 with the Warner Bros. pic “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” helmed by
Tim Burton in his feature directing debut. The success of the pic led Reubens to land the CBS Saturday morning show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986-90.
Reubens’ career ascent came to a sudden halt in 1991 when he was arrested for indecent exposure in Florida.
Related articles
- Johnny Depp as Pee-wee Herman?! (justjared.buzznet.com)
- The Pee-wee Herman Show Is Headed To Broadway (manolith.com)
- Pee-Wee Herman Is Jokey Smurf??? (perezhilton.com)
June 2010
Matthew Yglesias, South Pol: Who Cares About the Deficit?
(via tan3000)
Great to see T.A.N. on Tumblr.
Unsolicited Analysis: This financial reform bill isn’t deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s the missing lifeboats.
Squashed: We’ve found the lifeboats—and we’re getting them back on the ship!
Unsolicited Analysis: More like we’re going to reach for them and nothing will be there.
Squashed:… which will come as a huge shock to you Wall Street types. “We’ve run this ship into another iceberg! Fetch the golden lifeboats! Wait … where are they? What are those normal people doing in my lifeboat? What’s this bill doing helping the riff-raff? Can’t we go back to the old way where the life-boats leave with only a handful of bankers and everybody else goes down with the ship?”
unsolicitedanalysis: More like: “Don’t worry, public! There are loads of boats. And besides, a ship this big can never crash!” Then the false sense of security sends us blundering into the sea on planks and pots.
Squashed: It makes you wonder what insane industry decided to take such massive, relatively sound industry and replace its foundation with water. “Hey, guys! Liquidity is awesome! And a rising tide lifts all ships! Let’s throw a bunch of people’s houses in the ocean, lash them together like a raft and build a castle on top of them. We can use a ticking time-bomb as a propellant. Then we can take bets on when it all goes horribly awry.”
The reform bill will go a long way toward restoring the consumer-oriented foundation of the banking industry. It will make it a lot harder for Wall Street to play Titanic with somebody else’s money.
