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60s & Further

Just For Fun Bookstore 2

Steve Martin, Swami Beyondananda, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Al Franken, Michael Moore and Dennis Miller.

60s Philosophy | 60s Art | Beat Generation | 60s Spiritual Teachers | Healing Herbs

Healing Arts | Pagan & Occult | Just for Fun | Fantasy Art | Visionary Art

Sacred Sexuality | Cannabis | Psychedelics | Ancient Wisdom

Welcome to 'Just For Fun' Bookstore 2!

More favorites of 60s & Further.

Most of these comedians and "social humorists" deal with issues that may not be funny, nor their documentaries,

however they do, in my opinion, speak for a vast majority of us politically and socially and oftentimes spiritually.

I will present more of these comedians books and films as they are created and also include female humorists soon.

PeaceZenHugs

LionHeart

January 2006

Steve Martin

Steve's Website

Pure Drivel
by Steve Martin

Steve Martin has always been one of the most intelligent of comedians (you won't find Adam Sandler writing a play about Einstein and Picasso anytime soon), but this intelligence is manifested in gymnastically absurdist flights of fancy, rather than the politically informed riffs typical of performers like Lenny Bruce. Pure Drivel is a collection of pieces, most of them written for the New Yorker, that demonstrate Martin's playful way with words and his unerring ability to create a feeling of serendipitous improvisation even on the printed page. Here's a passage from a piece that announces a shortage of periods in the Times Roman font:
"Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!"
Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations.

These are a few of my Steve Martin films, if you have never seen one or more, I totally suggest that you check them out! -LionHeart-

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) (DVD)
Steve Martin is stuffy ad executive Neil "I can take anything" Page and John Candy is the bungling but warm-hearted shower-curtain-ring guy (I know what you mean), Del "Extra set of fingers" Griffith. We follow this mismatched pair half way across the States and back again as they encounter one crisis after another. As the title says, our heros travel whatever way they can to get to Chicago- from planes to trains to cars.

The Man with Two Brains (1983)(DVD)
Meet Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin), the famous brain surgeon. Perhaps the name is not unfamiliar, though it is unpronounceable; the good doctor is the inventor of the celebrated "screw-top" method of brain surgery, in which the top of the skull twists off as easily as the lid of a pickle jar. The man may be a medical genius, but his talent for love leaves something to be desired, which explains his marriage to a gold-digging vixen (Kathleen Turner). Ah, but Dr. Hfuhruhurr may yet find true love, in the form of the disembodied brain he discovers in the lab of a mad scientist--David Warner, gone the Frankenstein route. (Lovely image: Hfuhruhurr in a rowboat, taking the brain out for a romantic ride on the lake.) Thus, in its own utterly goofy way, does The Man with Two Brains delve into the eternal dilemma of male indecision: does a man fall in love with a woman's body, or with her mind? Along the way, of course, there are gags both highbrow and very, very lowbrow, a mind-body split that might be why critics have tended to prefer the more sophisticated slapstick of All of Me (directed, like this film, by Carl Reiner) and Roxanne among the early Steve Martin outings. Still, this is one of Martin's funniest pictures, and a game Kathleen Turner, fresh off her Body Heat success, ably spoofs her own sultry image. The cerebral love object is voiced by Sissy Spacek.

The Jerk (26th Anniversary Edition) (1979 (DVD)
Carl Reiner brought comic Steve Martin to the screen in this mostly funny 1979 movie about a relentlessly stupid but innocent man, whom we get to know from childhood (where it never occurred to him that he was white as he was raised by a family of black sharecroppers) to romance (where he doesn't quite know what to do with Bernadette Peters). Martin plays a total moron.
Steve Martin, makes his film-starring debut in this comedy hit, he portrays Navin Johnson, adopted son of a poor black sharecropper family, whose crazy inventions lead him from rags to riches and right back to rags. Along the way, he's smitten with a lady motorcycle racer, survives a series of screwball attacks by a deranged killer, becomes a millionaire by inventing the "Opti-grab" handle for glasses -totally insane and hilarious!

The Lonely Guy (1984)(DVD)
Martin plays Larry Hubbard, an aspiring writer whose "perfect" New York City life quickly unravels when he comes home to find his girlfriend in bed with another man. This is Hubbard's introduction to the world of Lonely Guys, men who have nobody and nothing to live for.
On the surface, this premise sounds like one that should degenerate into glurge--that is, sappy sentiment with no real meaning or purpose. While some aspects of "The Lonely Guy" threaten to do just that, there is more than enough here that is clever, original, and poignant. Martin plays the familiar "nice guy", adding just enough quirks to make Larry Hubbard original and enough emotion to make the viewer care about him.
The supporting cast is, for the most part, just as strong. Martin's best friend, Warren (Charles Grodin), is a depressed character that reminds one of how Woody Allen might be if he were more of a normal human being. Again, just the right balance is struck between idiosyncraticity and realism. Memorable scenes here include a chess game between Warren and a computerized crane hand and a sequence on the Manhattan Bridge involving several desolate Lonely Guys as well as the movie's heroes.
A must-see for anyone who has been lonely and who would rather laugh than stay depressed.

My Blue Heaven (1990)(DVD)
Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack are a great team and turn their usual solid performances.
A hilarious scene, Vinnie Antonelli (Martin) hunts for arugala in a huge supermarket. Being far from Manhattan, this Italian vegetable is impossible to find in the white bread and mayo southwest. As his frustration mounts, and after countless "Have a nice days" from the clerks, Vinnie explodes with a resounding "FUCK YOU!" It sounds crude but it is not gratuitous. Because we understand Vinnie's outrage, we understand his outburst.
Director Herbert Ross does an admirable job of pacing this film, as he does in drawing out the best possible performances from his cast. MY BLUE HEAVEN is one of those sleeper films that many people haven't heard of, but once they see it, they love it.

Bill Maher

Bill's Website

New Rules
by Bill Maher
Appropriately titled New Rules, the book will collect some of the best of the rules derived from previously written material and will also contain substantial new material, including some longer form "editorials"--of course with a twist and bite that only Bill Maher can deliver.

When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism.
by Bill Maher

This book is wildly entertaining and because it raises all the right questions about what Americans can really do to win the 'War on Terrorism'. Bill Maher uses language and imagery to contrast the current 'War on Terrorism' against the backdrop of the two world wars and the Cold War and to argue that unlike the present situation, Americans actually got involved back then and did something that is inconceivable today'they made sacrifices. Maher's book is divided into a series of brief, humorous essays (no more than three pages in length) each of which is illustrated with vintage style war posters that contain messages and slogans about the 'War on Terrorism'.
Some of Maher's more trenchant arguments are:
MAKE SACRIFICES
Wars are won by uniting and making sacrifices, so why not carpool as civilians did during WW II (hence the title of this book) instead of driving alone? Also, why not give up SUVs and other idiotic vanity vehicles in favor of fuel efficient ones that will reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, which is one of Al Quaeda's prime sources of revenue.

The strength of this book lies not so much in the fact that it provides all of the right answers but that it asks all of the right questions. Despite its flaws this book is intelligent, wildly funny and definitely worth reading. I strongly recommend however, that you read this book intelligently and skeptically, not with total acceptance. Maher would probably be the first to agree with this suggestion.

Bill Maher - Victory Begins at Home (DVD)
Common sense and comedy make excellent bedfellows in Victory Begins at Home, comedian Bill Maher's scathing one-hour show taped on Broadway and first broadcast on HBO in July 2003. "Comedian" seems hardly adequate in defining Maher, who functions as political analyst, voice of conscience, court jester, social critic, and tireless advocate of decency, honesty, and, yes, even patriotism (unless you're a staunch conservative, in which case Maher's an insufferable moron, but that's your problem, not his). Indeed, Victory will ultimately serve as a time-capsule summary of political, personal, and religious absurdity in the age of George W. Bush, Middle East turmoil, and rampant terrorism, and after honing his edge on TV's late, great Politically Incorrect, who better than Maher to comment on the madness? Take this, for example: "The true axis of evil in America is the genius of our marketing combined with the stupidity of our people." Which is to say, Maher's a fearless equal-opportunity offender, and nobody gets off the hook easily. Whether he's excoriating the hypocrisy of politicians and priests, illegal vs. prescription drugs, our "feminized" society, or the good reason you should never buy diamonds, Maher's is a voice of angry, caring reason, and we're better off with him (and his profanely provocative freedom of speech) than without him.

Bill Maher - Be More Cynical (DVD)
The wit and wisdom of Bill Maher are on display in this hour-long performance, recorded in San Francisco in 2000. Of course, just how witty and wise Maher appears will depend on one's socio-political stance. Outspoken if not outrageously controversial (this gig preceded his infamous remark on his Politically Incorrect show that the 9/11 hijackers were "not cowardly"), Maher espouses views on sex, the war on drugs, religion, and other popular (and, let's face it, easy) targets that are unlikely to endear him to, say, residents of most "red states." Still, there is one opinion that this self-proclaimed Libertarian and his conservative counterparts might well share--namely, that big government is decidedly not a beautiful thing. Indeed, Maher's point is that we need to "be more cynical" not for its own sake, but so that we might avoid being duped by the real cynics out there, like those in Congress who sue Big Tobacco even as they line their own pockets with campaign contributions from those same companies. Elsewhere, although Maher doesn't specialize in one-liners, he does have some good lines: Princess Diana was "a lovely housewife who did some charity work"; when it comes to being faithful in a relationship, "men are only as loyal as their options"; those who claim to comprehend God's will really only "understand God as your dog understands you."

TAKE SADDAM OUT
Maher indicates that since Saddam Hussein is developing nuclear weapons and must be stopped this is no time for sensitivity. He would probably do well to read the reports of the highly insensitive and highly informed Scott Ridder, which argue that Iraq was thoroughly disarmed and posses no threat. (Ridder is a marine veteran and former intelligence officer who played a leading role in disarming Iraq after the Gulf War. He is a Republican who voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and believes war with Iraq is unwarranted.)

Dennis Miller

Dennis' Website

Rants
by Dennis Miller
Comedian Dennis Miller's The Rants a collection of more than 40 monologues from Miller's popular HBO television series, Dennis Miller Live is a one-two punch to those of the Republican persuasion. Although Miller is not everyone's cup of tea (some people get tired of his self-righteousness, his hair, and his "dick" jokes), he is not afraid to name names and bloody a few noses. He is a rarity in these days of safe comedians (e.g., Leno and Letterman): a comic with a point of view; his biggest fans are those who share it. They get off on his anger and his manic metaphors ("The First Amendment has been absorbing more potshots than the west wing of the White House" ). Even without the benefit of his delivery, his rants survive the transition to the printed page, reading like hilarious editorials. No topic is off limits, and he skewers everyone from humorless homosexuals to the PC police. Miller is a cross between Lenny Bruce and social critic Robert Hughes, a marvelously funny, socially relevant, and politically poignant pragmatist. "Of course," as Miller likes to end his rants, "that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs
by Dennis Miller.

Miller has an insight into topics like no one else. I've only seen his show a few times, but I know these "rants" are a collection of the rants from the show. Topics include lousy jobs, education, the Clintons, reality shows, government, football, and the media. No one is safe around Dennis Miller. Sometimes when you watch him live you can't understand half of the stuff he talks about because of his obscure references to other things. Having the book at least you've got it in writing and can double back to see what he was talking about. That makes understanding him a whole lot easier and it's even funnier once you understand what he's talking about. If you like his comedy this book is worth having.

I Rant, Therefore I Am
by Dennis Miller

There's something comforting about reading these rants instead of watching them. I found that by reading them, I was able to hear and absorb all of the razor sharp barbs. The problem is that Miller is so erudite and so damned funny that when you listen to him, you find yourself just getting what he said two lines ago as he goes on and on in his rant. Reading them will give you a better appreciation of his rapier wit. I agree that this selection is a bit "sweeter" than some of his early and more bitter rants. But he still calls a... a ... and skewers many aspects of our society, all of which deserve skewering. You may not always agree with him, but most of us can find the humor and perspective refreshing. As for his amazing use of simile, Virgil and Homer beware -- rarely have I seen simile put to such good use.

Swami Beyondananda

Swami's Website

AH, OM SWEET OM

Swami for Precedent
by S. Beyondananda
This is a brilliant, entertaining, enlightening, and empowering book on everything you need to know about American politics but Fox News will never tell you. It is a slow read because you will have numerous uncontrollable fits of belly laughter. Then your mind will go off wondering how does this guy come up with such loaded questions and statements. Then you realize that he must have been loaded when he was writing the book.
This book raise your sense of humor from the dead if your are feeling very blue over all those red states going for Bush. But more importantly, Swami B articulates very clearly everything we need to know about the state of American politics from a progressive and practical perspective.
"Swami For Precedent" is the Bible for spiritual political activists for the next four years Bushista America and how we can change that. His research is impeccable and gives you all the pertinent data for a spontaneous debate with a Bushbacker that will confound his or her cherished Fox News pundits. Here is the book that shut up even Bill O'Reilly.
"Swami For Precedent" is more meaningful now than ever as we all have much to do together to change the polarized political climate and the regressive direction of America under George W. Bush & Co. We were born for these times and Steve's book is the roadmap of what we can and must do to take our country back from the Religious Right to its Spiritually Radical Center.

Driving Your Own Karma
by Swami Beyondananda.

Beyondananda's approach to Tantrum Yoga has helped me a great deal. Sneaking up from behind beats the frontal assault in most cases. Combating truth decay with mental floss has been somewhat less effective, depending upon the subject. A clear case for his celebration of Nonjudgement Day...

Duck Soup for the Soul: The Way of Living Louder and Laughing Longer
by Swami Beyondananda.

With just the right humorous spice and some very ducky spiritual stock, Swami Beyondananda (aka Steve Bhaerman) mixes up a batch of healing stories that build strong funny bones and remind us to increase the laugh-force on the planet. Each chapter is as funny as it is wise, as you can intuit from the Swami's advice that we can alter our own reality (and the reality of those around us) by Making Fools of ourselves, remembering to Tell-A-Vision, being Esteem-Generators, and Committing Random Acts of Comedy and Beautiful Nonsense. Have fun learning how to drive your own Karma... while making sure you don't run over anyone else's Dogma!

Jon Stewart

Jon's Website

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Indecision 2004
(DVD)
by Jon Stewart
Indecision 2004 is the Daily Show's hiarious take on the whole mess that took place in mid to late 2004. With Ed Helms, Steven Colbert, Rob Corddry, and Stewart himself taking us to levels which we might not find funny on a regular news channel, this is definately worth seeing.
This set comes with three disks with 10 episodes full of laughs. I especially liked the election night itself, with the title, "Prelude to a Recount." John Stewart's remark on how the blue and red states have turned into a Blood and Crip gang war had me in tears.
Thats just one of the reasons why The Daily Show is so great, Stewart always comes back with a great joke or a wide eyed expression on just how stupid the polliticians can really get. He never fails to make people laugh and if he says a joke that might go too far for some people, he just smiles and says, "Sorry, too harsh?"
The disks themselves have some good guests on them as well, with guys like Ted koppell, Al Sharpton [Who is always good for a laugh on The Daily Show] and John McCain. Some may not be as good interviews as others, but I reccomend Sharpton's interview, very good and humorous.
Other things you will see will be eight episodes with each of the four Democratic and Republican National Conventions. {I liked the Republican episodes better just to hear Stewart's George Bush impression.

Naked Pictures of Famous People
by Jon Stewart

Sometimes it seems like every standup comedian worth his or her salt just has to do the book thing, and you might feel that yet another warmed-over stage routine is the last thing you need taking up valuable bookshelf space. Jon Stewart's book will come as an extremely pleasant surprise. He eschews the standard standup patter and instead gives us 18 short comic essays in a variety of styles that recall the prose work of Woody Allen, only with a few more references to genitals. Stewart proves himself a remarkably nimble humorist with a sharp eye for parody, whether he's writing "A Very Hanson Christmas" or "Adolf Hitler: The Larry King Interview."
HITLER: ...Larry, look, I was a bad guy. No question. I hate that Hitler. The yelling, the finger pointing, I don't know ... I was a very angry guy.
KING: And this ... new Hitler?
HITLER: I get up at seven, have half a melon, do the jumble in the morning paper and then let the day take me where it will.... Me!! The inventor of the Blitzkrieg... When you stop having to control everything it's very freeing.
Stewart is not afraid to flirt with bad taste, in fact, some of the pieces in this collection do for "flirting with bad taste" what Bill Clinton did for "not having sexual relations." But it's wonderful to see an edgy comedian taking on the traditionally cozy genre of the humorous essay, creating work that combines the wit of Robert Benchley with the energy and attitude of the best modern standup. Naked Pictures of Famous People proves that Jon Stewart is as comfortable and accomplished.

Al Franken

Al's Website

The Truth (with jokes) (MP3 CD)
by Al Franken
Al Franken's landmark bestseller, Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them…a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, was praised as a "bitterly funny assault" (The New York Times) that rang "with the moral clarity of an angel's trumpet" (Associated Press). Now, this master of political humor strikes again with a powerful and provocative message for all Americans.
Because after Lies, comes The Truth….
Al reveals the alarming story of how:
· Bush (barely) beat Kerry with his campaign of "fear, smear, and queers," and then claimed a nonexistent mandate
· Republicans decided that Terri Schiavo would make "a great political issue"
· Conservatives sought to undermine Social Security by using a strategy borrowed from… Vladimir Lenin
· Tom DeLay is just an absolute horror show
This is truly a book for everyone.
If you were a Bush voter, Al wants to set aside partisan bitterness and talk about the better future Americans can build together for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. (Generations beyond that will have to fend for themselves.) But first, Al must show you how Republican leaders are, at this very moment, betraying your trust and quite possibly lighting a Cuban cigar with a burning American flag or Bible.
If you're a liberal, this book is for you as well. Maybe even most of all. You will find evidence for what you already believe: that Al Franken is among America's finest prose stylists, and that the depravity of the Bush administration is only outmatched by the rot in the heart of the Republican Congress.
And finally, if you are a member of a future generation who has found this book in a pile of radioactive rubble, Al apologizes. Not because he didn't do his best to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons from rogue nations to non-state actors taking refuge in so-called "failed" states. But because his countrymen evidently failed to listen.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
by Al Franken.
Having previously dissected the factual inaccuracies of a single bellicose talk show host in Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, Al Franken takes his fight to a larger foe: President George W. Bush, the Bush Administration, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, and scores of other conservatives whom, he says, are playing loose with the facts. It's a lot of ground to cover, as evidenced by the 43 chapters in Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, but the results are often entertaining and insightful. Franken occupies a unique place in the modern political dialogue as perhaps the media's only comedy writer and performer who is also a Harvard fellow as well as a liberal political commentator. This unique and vaguely lonely position lends a charming quixotic quality to adventures such as a tense encounter with the Fox News staff at the National Press Club, a challenge to fisticuffs with National Review Editor Rich Lowry, and an oddly sweet admissions visit to ultra-conservative Bob Jones University (with a young research assistant posing as his son when Franken's real-life son refuses to participate in the charade). Less useful are comic book dramatizations of "Supply Side Jesus" and a fictitious Vietnam War story featuring the numerous righties who, Franken intimates, improperly avoided service. And Franken's criticisms of conservative talk show hosts Sean Hannity, O’Reilly, and columnist Coulter, while admirable in their attention to detail, fail to shed much new light on people who have built careers on broad arguments and relentless self-aggrandizement. But Franken is at his best, and most compellingly readable, when he backs off the wackiness and the personal grudges and writes about more personal matters such as the political circus surrounding the memorial service of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. But even on these more serious topics, Franken's wit is still present and, in fact, grows sharper. In a time when much political discourse is composed of rage and shouting, it's refreshing that Al Franken is able to shout in a witty manner.

Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot: And Other Observations
by Al Franken
Franken, a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live and in feature films, does to Limbaugh what the conservative talk-show host has been doing to Democratic politicians for years. Using admitted half-truths and out-of-context quotes, he skewers Rush & Friends as no liberal has done in years. Franken does a retrospective of Limbaugh's life from when he "fed off the largesse of the government in the form of unemployment insurance"; how he failed to register to vote until he was 35; how he used two airline coach seats to fit his opulent hind-quarters; and how he got a 4-F deferment because of a pilonidal cyst. There are two hilarious sketches: "My 'Conversation' with Rush Limbaugh" uses out-of-context quotes to corner Rush in much the same way that Limbaugh once had a "conversation" with Hillary Clinton; and "Operation Chickenhawk," with Ollie North leading Vietnam draft-dodgers Limbaugh, Quayle, Buchanan, George Will and Clarence Thomas to their demises in Asian rice paddies. Franken also doesn't have anything nice to say about Newt Gingrich, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Phil Gramm and others of the haranguing right. A mean-spirited, albeit funny, diatribe that will delight liberals.

I'm Good Enough, Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me
by Stuart Smalley.
The ultimate meditation book, not to be grandiose...
Take a hilarious, healing journey with Stuart Smalley as he careens down the road to Recovery. For one entire year Stuart recorded an affirmation a day...except when he had taken to his bed (but that's Okay)...and the result is the most entertaining and indispensable meditation book ever.
From program wisdom (Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt! December 1) to survival tips (When I Go Home to Visit My Family I Will Stay in a Motel! September 26) to some good sound practical advice (I am entitled to file for an Extension on my Income Taxes! April 15th), Stuart's affirmations will empower you!
Work, Friendship, Love, Spirituality, Codependency, Self-Esteem,Acceptance...Stuart deals with it all. And as you share his ups and downs, his triumphs and shame spirals, you will come to see the ultimate truth of Stuart's March 21st affirmation: Today I Will Laugh--At Least Once!

Michael Moore

Michael's Website

There has been a flurry of criticism about Michael Moore..especially his hypocrisy- being a super wealthy star now living in Manhattan. Also his flagrant inaccuracies of his documentaries and books. I, for one, do listen and observe, as I am painfully aware of the corruption of the media and the radical nazi right that wouldn't bat an eye to disclaim a dissenter of BushCo and his corrupt corporate base. Nevertheless, I believe that Michael Moore has stepped up to the podium to voice the outcry of millions of Americans about the civil and political injustices, lies and deceptions tht are being waged at the expense of their soul's and their childrens future, and their children's children's future. So whatever you glean from his work, Michael personally, or the system 'under' which we live, is yours to verify, validate, investigate, and research for your own Truth. Always remember though.

QUESTION AUTHORITY!

Michael Moore Limited Edition DVD Collector's Set (Bowling for Columbine / The Big One)
Moore on the first disc, as well as a direct-to-camera talk on the second disc in which he discussed reactions to the film, and his reaction to winning an Oscar (he had to recite his celebrated acceptance speech because the Academy refused permission for him to show a clip, and he offered his take on who was booing whom). Other extras are an enthusiastic commentary track by Moore's former receptionists and interns; good, thoughtful, funny, and provocative interviews with ex-Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart and with film critic Charlie Rose; and a moving return to Littleton, Colorado--home of Columbine High School--to find out what local people thought of the documentary.
A brazen mixture of stand-up comedy, political commentary, CEO confrontations, and shenanigans with Random House tour escorts, The Big One (1997) follows Moore's book tour to promote Downsize This. In cities like Des Moines, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Portland, Moore's lighthearted-sounding but deeply biting humor speaking before bookstore patrons is juxtaposed with painful-to-watch confrontations with security personnel at companies such as Procter & Gamble and PayDay. Moore speaks clandestinely with Borders employees organizing a union; a woman laid off from Ford attends Moore's Rockford, Illinois, bookstore visit the same day. Though slow in spots, frustrating if not depressing in others, it's intensely funny the rest of the time. The Big One is fundamental viewing.
On the bonus disc is a 13-minute featurette, "39 Cities in 23 Days." On the tour for his book Dude, Where's My Country?, Moore enthralls and amuses enthusiastic college crowds with points about the Bush-Saudi connections, voting machines, and "weapons of mass balloonery."

'Will They Ever Trust Us Anymore?'
by Michael Moore
Over the last year, Moore invited soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their friends and family members, to send him letters. He received "thousands" of responses, mostly via his Web site, and this book presents a sampling of those transmissions. Some are short notes thanking Moore for Fahrenheit 9/11 and ranting against Republicans, but the vast majority are personal stories written with passion and an obvious mixture of emotions—anger at the Bush administration ("I signed a contract with the government to serve in our military, and proudly, but I never thought that our military would be used in such a self-serving, crooked, and disgraceful way"), remorse ("It didn’t hit me until I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 that I was driving the ship that was sending planes to kill people"), fear ("I am wondering if this is the last Christmas I will spend with my son") and sorrow ("Chris, the dead young man, was a former student of mine. This incredibly stupid war now has a face and a name, and I find I can’t quit crying"). A recurring story is that of the naïve teenager who signed up "looking for some extra pocket money and a way to college" and who is now jaded, angry and searching for a way out. In his introduction, Moore writes, "What makes these comments unique and so intense is the fact that they are not the words of the Left or the rhetoric of the antiwar movement—they are the war movement." It’s clear, however, that many of the contributors are Left-leaning or firmly in the Democrats’ camp. Not a word of dissension (and it’s safe to assume the Moore has received letters from those who don’t agree with him) is included here. Nevertheless, this collection packs the emotional punch of a SCUD missile and will open readers’ eyes to the fact that it’s not just the country that’s divided; the soldiers fighting overseas are, too.

Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American
by Michael Moore
Moore, whose documentary film Roger & Me and television series TV Nation have a strong cult following, takes on corporations, politicians and Americana in general in a mordant satire that will leave both conservatives and liberals reeling with embarrassment. Moore tears into corporations and labor unions alike. Citing "economic terrorism," he goes after the "Big Welfare Mamas"?the CEOs?detailing their cozy tax deals with federal and local government, which have added to the deficit. He attacks the unions in "Why Are Union Leaders So F#!@ing Stupid," citing how they have collaborated with corporations (while taking huge salaries) to slash jobs from their own memberships. No one is immune; Moore scrutinizes the President, Bob Dole, NAFTA, Cuban refugees and Pat Buchanan. A scathing, funny book packed with facts

Fahrenheit 9/11(DVD) (2004)
by Michael Moore
To anyone who truly understands what it means to be an American, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 should be seen as a triumph of patriotic freedom. Rarely has the First Amendment been exercised with such fervor and forthrightness of purpose: After subjecting himself to charges of factual errors in his gun-lobby exposé Bowling for Columbine, Moore armed himself with a platoon of reputable fact-checkers, an abundance of indisputable film and video footage, and his own ironically comedic sense of righteous indignation, with the singular intention of toppling the war-ravaged administration of President George W. Bush. It's the Bush presidency that Moore, with his provocative array of facts and figures, blames for corporate corruption, senseless death, unnecessary war, and political favoritism toward Osama Bin Laden's family and Saudi oil partners following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Moore's incendiary film earned Palme d'Or honors at Cannes and a predictable legion of detractors, but do yourself a favor: Ignore those who condemn the film without seeing it, and let the facts speak for themselves. By honoring American soldiers and the victims of 9/11 while condemning Bush's rationale for war in Iraq, Fahrenheit 9/11 may actually succeed in turning the tides of history.

Bowling for Columbine (DVD)(2002)
by Michael Moore
Michael Moore's superb documentary (following in the footsteps of Roger & Me and The Big One) tackles a meaty subject: gun control. Moore skillfully lays out arguments surrounding the issue and short-circuits them all, leaving one impossible question: why do Americans kill each other more often than people in any other democratic nation? Moore focuses his quest around the shootings at Columbine High School and the shooting of one 6-year-old by another near his own hometown of Flint, Michigan. By approaching the headquarters of K-Mart (where the Columbine shooters bought their ammo) and going to Charlton Heston's own home, Moore demands accountability from the forces that support unrestricted gun sales in the U.S. His arguments are conducted with the humor and empathy that have made Moore more than just a gadfly; he's become a genuine voice of reason in a world driven by fear and greed.

Dude, Where's My Country?
by Michael Moore
The people of the United States, according to author and filmmaker Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Stupid White Men), have been hoodwinked. Tricked, he says, by Republican lawmakers and their wealthy corporate pals who use a combination of concocted bogeymen and lies to stay rich and in control. But while plenty of liberal scholars, entertainers, and pundits have made similar arguments in book form, Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? stands out for its thoroughly positive perspective. Granted, Moore is angry and has harsh words for George W. Bush and his fellow conservatives concerning the reasoning behind going to war in Iraq, the collapse of Enron and other companies, and the relationship between the Bushes, the Saudi Arabian government, and Osama bin Laden. But his book is intended to serve as a handbook for how people with liberal opinions (which is most of America, Moore contends, whether they call themselves "liberals" or not) can take back their country from the conservative forces in power. Moore uses his trademark brand of confrontational, exasperated humor skillfully as he offers a primer on how to change the worldview of one's annoying conservative blowhard brother-in-law, and he crafts a surprisingly thorough "Draft Oprah for President" movement. Refreshingly, Dude, Where's My Country? avoids being completely one-sided, offering up areas where Moore believes Republicans get it right as well as some cutting criticisms of his fellow lefties. Such allowances, brief though they may be, make one long for a political climate where the shouting polemicists on both sides would see a few more shades of gray. Dude, Where's My Country? is a little bit scattered, as Moore tries to cram opinions on Iraq, tax cuts, corporate welfare, Wesley Clark, and the Patriot Act into one slim volume--and the penchant to go for a laugh sometimes gets in the way of clear arguments. But such variety also gives the reader more Moore, providing a broader range of his bewildered, enraged, yet stalwartly upbeat point of view.

Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!
by Michael Moore
Stupid White Men, Michael Moore's screed against "Thief-in-Chief" George Bush's power elite, hit No. 1 at Amazon.com within days of publication. Why? It's as fulminating and crammed with infuriating facts as any right-wing bestseller, as irreverent as The Onion, and as noisily entertaining as a wrestling smackdown. Moore offers a more interesting critique of the 2000 election than Ralph Nader's Crashing the Party (he argued with Nader, his old boss, who sacked him), and he's serious when he advocates ousting Bush. But Moore's rage is outrageous, couched in shameless gags and madcap comedy: "Old white men wielding martinis and wearing dickies have occupied our nation's capital.... Launch the SCUD missiles! Bring us the head of Antonin Scalia!... We are no longer [able] to hold free and fair elections. We need U.N. observers, U.N. troops." Moore's ideas range from on-the-money (Arafat should beat Sharon with Gandhi's nonviolent shame tactics) to over-the-top: blacks should put inflatable white dolls in their cars so racist cops will think they're chauffeurs; the ever-more-Republicanesque Democratic Party should be sued for fraud; "no contributions toward advancing our civilization ever came out of the South [except Faulkner, Hellman, and R.J. Reynolds]," because it's too hot to think straight there; Korean dictator Kim Jong-il "has got to broaden himself beyond porn and John Wayne" by watching better movies, like Dude, Where's My Car? (which contains "all you need to know about America"). Whatever your politics, Stupid White Men should make you blow your stack.

After seeing the documentary "Super Size Me" I reconfirmed my preference for vegetarianism and a saner. healthier diet. -LionHeart-

Super Size Me!
Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, rejected five times by the USC film school, won the best director award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival for this alarmingly personal investigation into the health hazards wreaked by our fast food nation. Under extensive medical supervision, Spurlock subjects himself to a steady diet of McDonald's cuisine for 30 days just to see what happens. In less than a week, his ordinarily fit body and equilibrium undergo dark and ugly changes: Spurlock grows fat, his cholesterol rockets north, his organs take a beating, and he becomes subject to headaches, mood swings, symptoms of addiction, and lessened sexual energy. The gimmick is too obvious to sustain a feature documentary; Spurlock actually spends most of the film probing insidious ways that fast food companies worm their way into school lunchrooms and the hearts of young children who spend hours in McDonald's playrooms. French fries never looked more nauseating.

Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World
by Greg Critser
You reap what you sow. According to Critser, a leading journalist on health and obesity, America about 30 years ago went crazy sowing corn. Determined to satisfy an American public that "wanted what it wanted when it wanted it," agriculture secretary Earl Butz determined to lower American food prices by ending restrictions on trade and growing. The superabundance of cheap corn that resulted inspired Japanese scientists to invent a cheap sweetener called "high fructose corn syrup." This sweetener made food look and taste so great that it soon found its way into everything from bread to soda pop. Researchers ignored the way the stuff seemed to trigger fat storage. In his illuminating first book (which began life as a cover story for Harper's Magazine), Critser details what happened as this river of corn syrup (and cheap, lardlike palm oil) met with a fast-food marketing strategy that prized sales-via supersized "value" meals-over quality or conscience. The surgeon general has declared obesity an epidemic. About 61% of Americans are now overweight-20% of us are obese. Type 2 (i.e., fat-related) diabetes is exploding, even among children. Critser vividly describes the physical suffering that comes from being fat. He shows how the poor become the fattest, victimized above all by the lack of awareness. Critser's book is a good first step in rectifying that. In vivid prose conveying the urgency of the situation, with just the right amount of detail for general readers, Critser tells a story that they won't be able to shake when they pass the soda pop aisle in the supermarket. This book should attract a wide readership.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser
On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns."Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat.

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