- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
- 85
Does the media inspire you?
This media vignette was inspired by The Firm and Erin Brockovich.
Signing off,
====
American movie superstar Tom Cruise felt a midlife-crisis and was aging so he purchased a shiny black vintage Lamborghini automobile and began driving it around Detroit, Michigan. Cruise had just completed the intriguing commerce-fantasy film American Made and was thinking a lot about the modern impact of capitalism (and even consumerism!). Cruise passed by a power-plant while driving his fancy new sports-car and noticed toxic-waste.
Cruise had for a long time been an outspoken media-spokesperson for the Church of Scientology, using his media influence and spotlights to 'advertise' his religious group and his love of Dianetics, etc. Cruise was passionate about how empirical scientific thinking and lifestyle-fitness could be coordinated with traditional metaphysical values and ideas. That's really what Dianetics was all about, and Cruise loved it. Cruise was very disturbed therefore by the sight of toxic-waste spilling out of a power-plant pipe in Detroit, so he called his agent immediately.
"Yeah, Jimmy! You gotta see what I'm seeing here. I thought I could flush out those midlife-crisis woes while driving around in my black Lamborghini on this hot sunny day in Detroit, but behold man I just passed by a power-plant and saw toxic-waste spilling out of a malfunctioning pipe. It was minor but disturbing. Man, I told the factory-workers inside about the spillage and then called you to see how I could get involved...maybe use Scientology to talk about this modern 'anathema' of toxic-waste. Can you help me, Jimmy?"
"Yeah, Tom, sure. Well, wow, so now our favorite Hollywood titan is suddenly passionate about toxic-waste. Well, we can use your Scientology connections to help you frame-up a nice handsome presentation about the role of philosophy and spirituality man in this new 'era' of consumerism and commerce and technology. That sounds like something you 'researched' (right?) while making your futurama/dystopian film Edge of Tomorrow! Give me two days and let me see what I can cook up for you --- maybe an interview on Frontline (PBS). Hey, thanks Tom. Good luck."
After conferring with some media executives, Jimmy (Cruise's agent) had Tom set-up for a Frontline (PBS) series journalism episode about the role/value of pedestrian art and comics in the modern age of commerce and industrialization (and eco-pollution). The Frontline episode would feature a story about the Marvel Comics super-villain Hobgoblin (a fashion-designer named Roderick Kingsley who ingested a mutation-serum and transformed into a pumpkin-bomb throwing and miniature jet-glider soaring urban terrorist). Hobgoblin represented the sort of modernism urbanization/industrialization 'paranoia' Cruise cared about suddenly and what Jimmy wanted him 'linked' to for the Frontline episode Cruise would appear in (to talk about Scientology's role in eco-pollution and toxic-waste).
Cruise liked the idea very much and began touring children's art schools/classes across America looking for a lucky young student who could draw a stick-figure rendition of Marvel Comics' Hobgoblin (something simple but tasteful and playful). Cruise found the perfect little basic stick-figure doodle a young 3rd grade art student in Virginia named Christine Ragu made. Ragu explained she wanted her Hobgoblin doodle to capture the strangeness of the villains jet-glider, his eerie grin, his flowing small cape, his weird orange-color, and of course, his spewing jet-glider yellow-smoke (which could symbolize pollution!). Cruise announced Ragu's doodle was the winner and the one he'd show on the Frontline episode on PBS. Ragu was thrilled (as were her very proud parents!).
After the episode aired, Cruise got many positive comments and fans from fans, but then he gat a very strange phone call from a law firm. The law firm claimed it was moving to Florida and worked closely with members of the Trump Administration and was interested in what Cruise said and presented regarding Scientology and Ragu's child-art doodle of the pollution-and-terrorism symbolic Marvel villain Hobgoblin on Frontline (PBS). Cruise thought the firm simply wanted to congratulate him and inquire further about his sincere social-work interests in eco-pollution and toxic-waste, so he agreed to meet with their legal representatives on a Saturday afternoon in October 2018.
CRUISE: Well, I'm eager to learn what this meeting-request is all about...
LAWYER: Thanks for meeting with our firm, Mr. Cruise.
CRUISE: Yes, well your representative on the phone told me you work with the President!
LAWYER: Yes, we have important ties to the Trump Administration and the White House.
CRUISE: So what do you want from me? How can I help D.C.?
LAWYER: Well, haha, we want you to help Marvel (not DC Comics).
CRUISE: Haha, right. I was referring to Washington, D.C. Yes, Hobgoblin is Marvel!
LAWYER: Right and we want you to make a movie with Ragu about the Hobgoblin.
CRUISE: Who's directing? What's the film about (if I may ask)?
LAWYER: Spielberg's directing and it's about a celebrity with a conscience-attack.
CRUISE: Oh, I see; he sees Ragu's Hobgoblin doodle and decides to crusade...
LAWYER: Right, against eco-pollution and toxic-waste. This film will be important.
CRUISE: For some new age TrumpUSA eco-activism 'agenda' (or what)?
LAWYER: You sound concerned; this isn't a PR-apologetics stunt; we want you.
CRUISE: Right, since I'm like a 'super-celebrity' (right?)! Well, I'm not versed in eco-activism.
LAWYER: We'll have you work also with Leo DiCaprio's eco-activism group(!).
CRUISE: Sounds exciting and promising, but something sounds...fishy.
LAWYER: The White House wanted us to deal with you to ensure secrecy/confidentiality.
CRUISE: Is Washington trying to use the movies to channel in political messages?
LAWYER: Is that so bad? Don't you use the media-pulpit to advertise Scientology?
CRUISE: I guess that's similar...
LAWYER: It's the same! The stakes are high, and your country is counting on you!
CRUISE: Why?
LAWYER: We believe terrorists are organizing to use eco-pollution to justify chemical warfare.
CRUISE: Wow. Well, I'll keep everything secret; this sounds like a G.I. Joe (Marvel) comic.
Cruise now realized that what started out as a harmless Detroit drive in his Lamborghini now turned into a whirlwind tour of modern media politics and eco-activism of which he was now a key 'player' because of his newfound 'passion' about eco-pollution and toxic-waste. Cruise looked at his own Polaroid of Christine Ragu's little stick-figure doodle of Marvel Comics' Hobgoblin and asked himself, "Can we use cinema to 'hype' idealism (or even innocence)?" Perhaps media would prove to be a real 'vehicle' for modern evangelism. Then again, it could all become some deranged Orwellian nightmare.
====
This media vignette was inspired by The Firm and Erin Brockovich.
Signing off,
====
American movie superstar Tom Cruise felt a midlife-crisis and was aging so he purchased a shiny black vintage Lamborghini automobile and began driving it around Detroit, Michigan. Cruise had just completed the intriguing commerce-fantasy film American Made and was thinking a lot about the modern impact of capitalism (and even consumerism!). Cruise passed by a power-plant while driving his fancy new sports-car and noticed toxic-waste.
Cruise had for a long time been an outspoken media-spokesperson for the Church of Scientology, using his media influence and spotlights to 'advertise' his religious group and his love of Dianetics, etc. Cruise was passionate about how empirical scientific thinking and lifestyle-fitness could be coordinated with traditional metaphysical values and ideas. That's really what Dianetics was all about, and Cruise loved it. Cruise was very disturbed therefore by the sight of toxic-waste spilling out of a power-plant pipe in Detroit, so he called his agent immediately.
"Yeah, Jimmy! You gotta see what I'm seeing here. I thought I could flush out those midlife-crisis woes while driving around in my black Lamborghini on this hot sunny day in Detroit, but behold man I just passed by a power-plant and saw toxic-waste spilling out of a malfunctioning pipe. It was minor but disturbing. Man, I told the factory-workers inside about the spillage and then called you to see how I could get involved...maybe use Scientology to talk about this modern 'anathema' of toxic-waste. Can you help me, Jimmy?"
"Yeah, Tom, sure. Well, wow, so now our favorite Hollywood titan is suddenly passionate about toxic-waste. Well, we can use your Scientology connections to help you frame-up a nice handsome presentation about the role of philosophy and spirituality man in this new 'era' of consumerism and commerce and technology. That sounds like something you 'researched' (right?) while making your futurama/dystopian film Edge of Tomorrow! Give me two days and let me see what I can cook up for you --- maybe an interview on Frontline (PBS). Hey, thanks Tom. Good luck."
After conferring with some media executives, Jimmy (Cruise's agent) had Tom set-up for a Frontline (PBS) series journalism episode about the role/value of pedestrian art and comics in the modern age of commerce and industrialization (and eco-pollution). The Frontline episode would feature a story about the Marvel Comics super-villain Hobgoblin (a fashion-designer named Roderick Kingsley who ingested a mutation-serum and transformed into a pumpkin-bomb throwing and miniature jet-glider soaring urban terrorist). Hobgoblin represented the sort of modernism urbanization/industrialization 'paranoia' Cruise cared about suddenly and what Jimmy wanted him 'linked' to for the Frontline episode Cruise would appear in (to talk about Scientology's role in eco-pollution and toxic-waste).
Cruise liked the idea very much and began touring children's art schools/classes across America looking for a lucky young student who could draw a stick-figure rendition of Marvel Comics' Hobgoblin (something simple but tasteful and playful). Cruise found the perfect little basic stick-figure doodle a young 3rd grade art student in Virginia named Christine Ragu made. Ragu explained she wanted her Hobgoblin doodle to capture the strangeness of the villains jet-glider, his eerie grin, his flowing small cape, his weird orange-color, and of course, his spewing jet-glider yellow-smoke (which could symbolize pollution!). Cruise announced Ragu's doodle was the winner and the one he'd show on the Frontline episode on PBS. Ragu was thrilled (as were her very proud parents!).
After the episode aired, Cruise got many positive comments and fans from fans, but then he gat a very strange phone call from a law firm. The law firm claimed it was moving to Florida and worked closely with members of the Trump Administration and was interested in what Cruise said and presented regarding Scientology and Ragu's child-art doodle of the pollution-and-terrorism symbolic Marvel villain Hobgoblin on Frontline (PBS). Cruise thought the firm simply wanted to congratulate him and inquire further about his sincere social-work interests in eco-pollution and toxic-waste, so he agreed to meet with their legal representatives on a Saturday afternoon in October 2018.
CRUISE: Well, I'm eager to learn what this meeting-request is all about...
LAWYER: Thanks for meeting with our firm, Mr. Cruise.
CRUISE: Yes, well your representative on the phone told me you work with the President!
LAWYER: Yes, we have important ties to the Trump Administration and the White House.
CRUISE: So what do you want from me? How can I help D.C.?
LAWYER: Well, haha, we want you to help Marvel (not DC Comics).
CRUISE: Haha, right. I was referring to Washington, D.C. Yes, Hobgoblin is Marvel!
LAWYER: Right and we want you to make a movie with Ragu about the Hobgoblin.
CRUISE: Who's directing? What's the film about (if I may ask)?
LAWYER: Spielberg's directing and it's about a celebrity with a conscience-attack.
CRUISE: Oh, I see; he sees Ragu's Hobgoblin doodle and decides to crusade...
LAWYER: Right, against eco-pollution and toxic-waste. This film will be important.
CRUISE: For some new age TrumpUSA eco-activism 'agenda' (or what)?
LAWYER: You sound concerned; this isn't a PR-apologetics stunt; we want you.
CRUISE: Right, since I'm like a 'super-celebrity' (right?)! Well, I'm not versed in eco-activism.
LAWYER: We'll have you work also with Leo DiCaprio's eco-activism group(!).
CRUISE: Sounds exciting and promising, but something sounds...fishy.
LAWYER: The White House wanted us to deal with you to ensure secrecy/confidentiality.
CRUISE: Is Washington trying to use the movies to channel in political messages?
LAWYER: Is that so bad? Don't you use the media-pulpit to advertise Scientology?
CRUISE: I guess that's similar...
LAWYER: It's the same! The stakes are high, and your country is counting on you!
CRUISE: Why?
LAWYER: We believe terrorists are organizing to use eco-pollution to justify chemical warfare.
CRUISE: Wow. Well, I'll keep everything secret; this sounds like a G.I. Joe (Marvel) comic.
Cruise now realized that what started out as a harmless Detroit drive in his Lamborghini now turned into a whirlwind tour of modern media politics and eco-activism of which he was now a key 'player' because of his newfound 'passion' about eco-pollution and toxic-waste. Cruise looked at his own Polaroid of Christine Ragu's little stick-figure doodle of Marvel Comics' Hobgoblin and asked himself, "Can we use cinema to 'hype' idealism (or even innocence)?" Perhaps media would prove to be a real 'vehicle' for modern evangelism. Then again, it could all become some deranged Orwellian nightmare.
====
