James Hirsen
Tuesday, April 16, 2002

"Journeys with George," Alexandra Pelosi's film about being on the campaign trail with George W. Bush, has been picked up by HBO. The movie will air this year on HBO following a number of film festival screenings.

Footage features the current president of the United States guzzling non-alcoholic beer and clowning with reporters during his 2000 campaign. Such scenes have some Bush advisers concerned that the president's image could be undermined, especially with the nation at war. Still, most advisers opted not to speak out against the film for fear it would fuel public interest.

If the name "Pelosi" sounds familiar, it should. Alexandra is the daughter of Democrat congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House minority whip.

Alexandra says that the documentary is not a hatchet job but an inside look into the political system. HBO refers to the movie as "W unplugged – an all-access pass to the closest and most controversial presidential election in history."

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Alexandra Pelosi admits, "I certainly would not have been able to pull this off if I were covering Al Gore."

The Left Coast Report bets that an Al Gore unplugged would be just about as interesting as a PBS pledge break. On the other hand, when it comes to Al Gore, folks might really enjoy seeing him plugged.

Mariel Hemingway, The Big Tipper

VH1 will be airing a made-for-cable movie in April called "Warning: Parental Advisory."

Mariel Hemingway is set to star in the film, portraying the self-appointed lyric policewoman, Tipper Gore.

VH1 describes the movie as a "comedy of censors." The drama focuses on Tipper Gore's 1985 campaign to put warning labels on offensive rock albums.

Dee Snider of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister appears in the flick as himself. Snider, who is now an announcer for MSNBC, actually battled with Tipper Gore during the controversy when his own music was criticized.

Mariel didn't care for being made up to look like Tipper. She told the Washington Post's Reliable Source, "I look horrible – big, bad, ugly hair, '80s hair – but that's the point. Initially I was sort of laughing at it, and sort of thought it was funny and I thought, 'What is she up to?' Because here she is, a Democrat, and she's out to get music banned, and I thought, 'How outrageous!'"

But the actress had a change of heart. It seems that her 12-year-old daughter, Langley, bought an Eminem CD last year and played it in the car. This led Mariel to declare, "I think ultimately her passion and her point were in the right." But she added, "This hearing and the whole thing got out of hand."

If you're wondering who plays Tipper's husband, the Left Coast Report would hope to see the former veep. Then again, the network would have to run a disclaimer: Objects on the screen appear larger than they were.

Parks' Notorious B.I.G. Woes

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks has a new headache to deal with.

After members of the Los Angeles Police Commission voted not to reappoint him to a second term and he had to retain lawyers to defend his record, Parks was named in a lawsuit that involves the murder of a rapper.

The family of The Notorious B.I.G. has sued the city of Los Angeles, Police Chief Bernard Parks, former Police Chief Willie Williams and others, alleging that the police department could have done more to prevent the rap artist's murder.

The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot after a music industry party in 1997. No one was ever charged with the rapper's slaying.

According to the lawsuit, both a street gang and some people closely associated with Death Row Records "had consistently exhibited significant animosity" toward the rapper.

The Notorious B.I.G was slain about six months after one of Death Row's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur, died in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting that also remains unsolved.

The Left Coast Report is thankful that the hip-hop/rap culture seems to have moved past these sorts of real-life tragedies, even if the rap lyrics have not.

An Animated Apology

With legal action from the tourist board of Rio de Janeiro threatening to cast a shadow over Springfield, James L. Brooks, executive producer of "The Simpsons," issued a public apology to the Brazilian city. Apparently, some of the residents of Rio de Janeiro were not particularly entertained by an episode of the cartoon called "Blame it on Lisa." The episode's title is a takeoff of the 1984 film "Blame it on Rio."

In the offending sketch, the Simpsons travel to Rio in search of a missing orphan that Lisa sponsored.

During the trip, Homer has the misfortune of being robbed by street kids and kidnapped by an unlicensed taxi driver. The family also endures the miseries associated with rat- and monkey-filled streets.

"We apologize to the lovely city and people of Rio de Janeiro," Brooks said via a statement. "And if that doesn't settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the president of Brazil on 'Fox Celebrity Boxing.'"

The Left Coast Report believes Brooks should be the envy of Hollywood for being able to pull off an apology while promoting another one of his network's shows at the same time.

Silly Billy Defense

Sounding somewhat like Johnny Cochran or Lanny Davis, Billy Baldwin took to defending his brother Alec in the National Enquirer. Referring to his sister-in-law, Kim Basinger, as a "black widow spider" and a "nutcase," Billy parsed language like a Clinton protégé.

"Is my brother a saint? No. Is he volatile? Yes. But he is not a wife-beater. I think what may have happened is that Kim may have taken a run at Alec during a fight, and he may have put his arm up to protect himself or push her off. But that's not beating your wife."

The Left Coast Report reminds Billy that the "she ran into my fist" defense has a less than successful track record both in and out of court.

Dick Gephardt Digs Manilow

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt recently attended a Barry Manilow concert. The Washington Post asked whether he was there to appease his wife.

Gephardt answered, "It's equally divided. We're both fans."

The speaker wanna-be added, "I guess you could say there weren't a lot of men in the audience. There were certainly a lot of middle-aged women in the place."

Gephardt did appear to contradict himself, though, with some of his remarks. He said he tries to "keep up with the music that the kids are listening to" but added, "We used to listen to Barry Manilow in the 1970s. We'd play all his hits on the eight-track."

The minority leader revealed to the Post that Manilow, a political supporter, might perform at one of his re-election campaign fundraisers later this year.

The Left Coast Report wonders if Gephardt's Manilow fixation has less to do with the crooner's dulcet tones and more to do with the sweet sound of cash.

Riots Return to MTV

In a one-hour documentary that airs in April, MTV returns to the scene of the infamous Los Angeles riots.

"Back to the Hood" features interviews with R&B singer Tyrese and rap artists Snoop Dogg and Jurassic Five. The performers share their recollections of the event.

Tyrese admits to selective looting of stores in the area. Snoop Dogg explains why he and his friends left Long Beach to join in the rioting.

Jurassic Five describes the beating of truck driver Reginald Denny. The Left Coast Report trusts that the special will serve to illustrate one of the most critical lessons that emerged from the riots: In order to protect their families, properties and lives, ordinary citizens must be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

The Left Coast Report is put together by James L. Hirsen and the staff of NewsMax.

A product that might interest you:
FREE – 4 Months to NewsMax.com's Magazine. Check It Out – Get four FREE