Posted on 09/03/2018 10:51:42 AM PDT by scottinoc
Think the week-long McCain memorial was too much? As politicians and songsters have quipped, "You ain't seen nothing yet". Bob K Fiorelia, veteran TV producer and Hollywood insider, is planning a miniseries of memorials.
"McCain memorial week could have been 'boffo', as we used to say in Hollywood, and it got me to thinking, why can't death be combined with good production value and social justice concerns?" asks Fiorelia. "It's a fine line between honoring the dead and getting successful ratings. Why can't we have both? What we're talking about here--and I run the risk of sounding ghoulish to some--is planning a cluster of miniseries timed to coincide with the deaths of currently ailing politicos".
A risky proposition, to be sure. "Look, in this current political climate, we have to think outside the box of what is appropriate," he said. Citing the Paul Wellstone memorial in 2002, which used a large venue and included a galaxy of stars from the Washington and Hollywood glitterati to honor the Minnesota senatorial candidate who died in a plane crash close to the election, Fiorelia sees the market for politically charged drama set to real life events. "Look, I'm not out just to make a buck, but we in Hollywood have a desire to change the world and affect the outcome of elections...of course we don't mind making a buck in the process, I mean otherwise we wouldn't be in business."
Disappointed in the ratings of McCain's week of memorials, Fiorelia would do things differently. "You have back-to-school, beginning of college football, so many timing factors in this one, and obviously no planning was involved. And sadly Aretha Franklin's passing took some wind out of the sails."
"But imagine the ratings if say Netflix or one of the traditional networks partnered with our team to really 'use' the deaths of famous people to affect elections, to change minds, to get people to think about climate change, universal health care, gun control, and a myriad of other issues which we in Hollywood claim to care about. We just need to test the boundaries of appropriateness and get in front of some upcoming demises, so to speak."
Asked which demises he had in mind for his nascent miniseries, Fiorelia demurred. "I don't look forward to anyone's passing, but on the other hand no one lives forever, and there are a handful of high profit-- I mean high profile-- people whose memorials could be planned for maximum ratings and uniform quality that viewers can count on. The whole 'we will win' chant was my inspiration. Plus there was some juicy conspiracy theory involved. How I wish I had written that script, to put that lightning in a bottle, and we have a good team of production execs."
So save your Kleenex and get your black suit pressed, because Hollywood is coming to a theater--and a voting precinct--near you.
If I get to pick which politicians are featured I might tune in. And, come to think of it, why wait for them to pass? Let’s bring back feeding them to the lions!
We’ve “progressed” from Show Trials to Show Funerals.
Has RBG published her list of the “disinvited”?
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