Gwen ifill pbs’s debate people mccain

Debate and media staff talk on the set of the Presidential Debate at
the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Friday, Sept. 26,
2008. Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
announced he will attend the debate with Democratic presidential
candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

NEW YORK (AP) — After a two-day cliffhanger over whether their
first debate would take place, John McCain and Barack Obama take aim
at the ultimate record: most-watched presidential debate ever.

The standard was set in 1980, when 80.6 million people watched that
campaign’s only debate between President Jimmy Carter and Republican
challenger Ronald Reagan. TV audiences that big typically gather only
once a year, for the Super Bowl.

Doubt over the debate even happening, which ended Friday when McCain
said he would attend, probably heightened interest and reminded people
that it’s on, said Robert Thompson, head of Syracuse University’s
Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture.

“I was in the grocery store two hours ago and I heard three separate
occurrences of people asking, `Is the debate happening tonight?'”
Thompson said. “People are buzzing about (it).”

There are three debates scheduled between Republican McCain and
Democrat Obama. The potential vice presidents will debate Thursday.

“I’ll bet you that all three debates” break the record, said Bob
Schieffer, CBS News chief Washington correspondent. “I really think
people are interested right now.”

Americans have shown an intense interest in campaign coverage since
the beginning. Still, people in television were startled earlier this
month when three political speeches within two weeks —
nomination acceptances by Obama, McCain and GOP vice presidential
hopeful Sarah Palin — were each seen by more than 40 million
people. Concern over the economy adds another layer of interest;
Nielsen Media Research estimated 52.7 people watched President Bush’s
address to the nation Wednesday.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and C-SPAN all
planned to televise the debate.

The most-watched debate since 1980 was the second of three between the
first President Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in 1992, seen by
just under 70 million people. The first debate in 2004 between
President Bush and John Kerry was seen by 62.5 million, Nielsen said.

The fact that it’s on a Friday night, when people often go out, might
hold this year’s audience down. Nielsen doesn’t measure the audience
in public places.

“Every barroom will have it on, every airport,” said MSNBC’s Chris
Matthews. “There will be a huge number beyond the detectable numbers.
I think everyone is going to watch it.”

There was even talk of drinking games planned to help pass the time:
one sip when Obama mentions “change,” another when McCain addresses
“my friends.”

McCain had urged on Wednesday that the debate be put off to tend to
the nation’s economic problems, but switched gears on Friday. Networks
talked internally about contingency plans, but still sent staff to
Oxford, Miss., assuming the debate would happen.

Even though foreign affairs was the announced topic, it was expected
the economy would be touched upon.

Besides the candidates’ performance, Jim Lehrer’s role as moderator
certainly is in focus — two media watchdogs this week released
reports analyzing the questions asked by journalists during the 35
primary season debates (20 Democratic, 15 Republican).

Questions about candidates’ character — honesty and leadership
rather than specific issues — made up 36 percent of the
questions, according to the Culture and Media Institute of the Media
Research Center. The conservative group detected no political bias in
how these character questions were framed, but claimed Democrats
tended to get more “softballs” than Republicans.

Meanwhile, the liberal Media Matters for America judged the primary
debates “a disaster.” The group said one-third of the questions asked
were non-substantive, about campaign gaffes, political tactics or
personality. They also criticized the journalists for not asking
enough about the economy.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who moderated five primary debates, said he
understands what PBS’ Lehrer was going through in preparing for the
debate. (After Lehrer, Schieffer, PBS’ Gwen Ifill and NBC’s Tom Brokaw
are moderating the subsequent sessions, with Ifill handling the vice
presidential forensic.)

“I certainly felt the historic enormity of what I was doing, and I
felt that every second was precious and every question was precious,”
Blitzer said. “I didn’t want to waste time.”

Religulous release’s hudson you’re person

Actress Jennifer Hudson was put to the test for her role as a
housekeeper in the 1960s South in the movie “The Secret Life of Bees.”

TORONTO — Viggo Mortensen played the piano in a hotel lobby, John
Malkovich clarified he was here in “Disgrace” (not disgrace), and
questions about the Obama-McCain presidential race proved you can run
but you cannot hide from American politics.

Paris Hilton was live and in a documentary called “Paris, Not France,”
Mark Ruffalo scored a triple play with “The Brothers Bloom,”
“Blindness” and “What Doesn’t Kill You,” and Mickey Rourke emerged as
the Comeback Kid at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The 33rd annual event ended Saturday night with Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog
Millionaire” winning the Cadillac People’s Choice Award.

Based on the novel “Q & A” by Vikas Swarup, it’s the story of an 18
-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who is one question away
from winning 20 million rupees (roughly $438,000 in U.S. dollars) on
India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Fox Searchlight
will release it into theaters in late November.

First runner-up for audience favorite was “More Than a Game,” a
documentary about an Akron high school basketball team that includes
future superstar LeBron James. Second runner-up was “The Stoning of
Soraya M.,” the dramatization of a true story about “honor” killing
starring Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Other winners: best Canadian first feature, “Before Tomorrow,” about
an Inuit woman and her grandson trapped on a remote island; best
Canadian feature, “Lost Song,” a portrait of post-partum depression;
and Diesel Discovery Award, “Hunger,” starring Michael Fassbender as
Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands.

Also, Prize of the International Critics to both “Lymelife,” about
life and Lyme disease in 1970s Long Island, and “Disgrace,” an
adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel starring Malkovich as a professor
in Cape Town whose life falls apart after an affair with a student.

Here is a snapshot of some of the sights and sounds of the festival,
with more to come as the fall movies roll out:

Moviemaking as history lesson: Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who plays
a housekeeper in the 1960s South in “The Secret Life of Bees,” said
she didn’t realize how unaware she was about the civil rights era
until she was hired for this movie.

Then, she immersed herself in history to the point where she was
terrified “because I did so much research that my mind was just
clouded with the South being so horrible and people being lynched and
people being hosed and beaten, crazy stuff like that.”

But when director Gina Prince-Bythewood asked her to meet co-star
Dakota Fanning at a North Carolina store, Hudson complied. Prince-
Bythewood handed Hudson a shopping list and said, “Whatever you do,
don’t hit anyone.” Once she was inside, the all-white employees
treated Dakota like a “queen” and were rude or dismissive to Hudson,
asking her to empty her pockets at one point.

When the actresses went to buy ice cream, the clerk told Dakota, “You
know she can’t be in here, right?” Hudson said, “Did I hear him right?
… I sit down at the parlor and there’s this white man eating his
food and he leans over to the clerk, ‘Can you get this [N-word] out of
here, I’m trying to eat my food.’ And the only thing I can hear was
Gina in my head, ‘Whatever you do, don’t hit anybody. ‘ ”

It had been a set-up, to test their reactions and get them into the
1960s frame of mind, and it worked.

Reminder it’s all in the details: Mickey Rourke’s character in “The
Wrestler” may have a body built on steroids and exercise but he also
has an old-fashioned, oversize hearing aid and a pair of reading
glasses, which lend a touching vulnerability to Randy “The Ram”
Robinson.

Finding religion … or not: Bill Maher and director Larry Charles
(“Borat”) say they didn’t plan for their comic documentary about
religion called “Religulous” to come out in an election year but
consider the timing fortuitous.

“Laughter, I would say, is a good weapon to make points,” said
Charles, whose long graying beard makes him look like an extra from
“The Ten Commandments.” He acknowledged, “This is a hard subject, and
it’s a hard subject for people to hear their beliefs threatened and
questioned — these kind of core beliefs — and by using comedy, it
makes that a more palatable equation.”

But Maher says if you’re religious “you’re defending indefensible,
primitive mythic thinking. If you’re an adult and you still believe
this stuff, I’m sorry, you can’t have it both ways, you’re a rube.
There are just no two ways about it. We all have this imaginary person
in our mind who is somehow this smart person but he’s a religious
person, but he’s never any of us.”

Sorry I missed: Mortensen, here in “Appaloosa” and “Good” and soon to
be seen in “The Road,” playing the piano in the lobby of the Sutton
Place Hotel.

Glad I missed: A New York Post critic whacking Roger Ebert with a
rolled-up program or festival binder. An embarrassed Ebert wrote about
it, explaining how he tapped the person in front of him to signal he
was blocking his view of the “Slumdog Millionaire” subtitles and the
critic swatted back. Ebert’s medical condition has left him unable to
speak, so tapping was his way of communicating.

I was at a press conference when this happened but witnessed cross
words at “The Wrestler” when a man confronted someone who appeared to
be saving a pair of seats, forbidden at jam-packed screenings. No
fisticuffs ensued, just sharp words exchanged in a 580-seat theater
with almost no place left to plop down.

Pittsburgh connections: Gaylen Ross, who starred in “Dawn of the Dead”
and “Creepshow” many years ago, directed a documentary called “Killing
Kasztner,” about Dr. Israel Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who negotiated
with Adolf Eichmann to save Jewish lives.

Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” set largely in
Monroeville, had its world premiere, and “The Hurt Locker” stars Brian
Geraghty, who lived in Pittsburgh from roughly ages 3 to 7 and
attended North Allegheny’s Espe Elementary School.

Wacky questions: “Pride and Glory” director Gavin O’Connor was asked
if he and his twin brother, Greg, were made to dress alike as
children. Keira Knightley was questioned about reports that she
opposed movie-poster enhancement of her breasts and asked if she’d
prefer to have a son or daughter some day, and Ricky Gervais was
quizzed about his imperfect teeth in “Ghost Town.” It turns out
they’re really his.

Google’s obama mccain war

Imagine my surprise when I went to Google’s homepage and got a
little controlled help from Google. In the search I entered who won
the debate and Google gave me a selection of completions. One was
“who won the debate mccain obama showing a total of 11,900,000
web indexes already!!!
Today both sides are claiming victory. However, from a media review
clearly Obama won. This guy is beyond polished and an excellent
debater. Obama appeared distinctive, informative and compassionate
about America. McCain appeared VERY old and tired.

It was clear that McCain wants to run an administration JUST like the
Bush administration. We have to consider are we ready for change? How
real change could be real good! Sometimes it is the new young CEO who
comes in and cleans up the company so that it can thrive.

We are in a state of emergency and behind closed curtains even
President Bush just may vote for Obama.

McCain did the country a favor, in last night’s debate. McCain’s
sarcasic and bellicose nature emerged, immediately. McCain’s refusal
to make eye-contact with Obama, or even look his way, made it easy to
imagine McCain’s refusing to comunicate, negotiate or compromise with
foriegn leaders with whom he was not already in full agreement. I am
afraid that Sarah Palin may be a heartbeat away from replacing Dr.
Strangelove. For those too young to remember Dr. Strangelove, Dr.
Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a
1964 Stanley Kubrick film.The story concerns a mentally unstable US
Air Force general who orders a first strike nuclear attack on the
Soviet Union.

I would love Obama to be pres! FREE health care would be awesome!
plus, I wouldn’t have to work as hard and the government will give me
$$ for chillin at home! Also, my tour in Iraq would actually be a
total waste of a year cause he will just end the war! I mean, dont you
want a unskilled guy over the old dude with to much wisdom?? Hell yeah
man, Obama will kick ass!

@dack,What you’re missing is that both McCain AND Obama will be
bringing troops home. The difference is, McCain won’t say when…
Obama has. That’s not just “ending the war”… the war is already
ending… the point of transition is already reaching completion…
staying in there longer just for the sake of staying in there would be
like having the military patrolling the streets of L.A. because, you
know, those L.A. Riots may always start up again… and, you know, did
the Civil War really end, or is it just bubbling under the surface,
still?At some point, you can’t declare victory unless you also declare
an end. So, your tour in Iraq wouldn’t have been a waste. It would
have contributed to the end of the war which needs to be declared at
some point. Just because there is still violence in the streets
doesn’t mean the war is “still on”. Otherwise, you could say there has
been several non-stop wars brewing in the streets of the United States
for decades.I looked at Obama’s economic plan and I don’t see anywhere
where one would get paid for chillin at home. Is that in your plan?By
your logic, you’re saying that we should always vote for the old guy
because that means wisdom… and we shouldn’t vote for the young guy
because that means unskilled.I hate to break it to you, but Obama
isn’t 20 or 25 or even 30. And old doesn’t automatically mean “right
for the job.” Otherwise, someone who is old could just apply
ANYWHERE… apply for NASA? Sure thing! He knows nothing about the
space program? That’s fine… he’s old and, therefore, wise… so
he’ll know exactly what to do!No, it just doesn’t work this way. Look
at most successful companies… Microsoft… Google… they were all
started by young (and wise) individuals with assistance from the
entrenched and wise. That’s what Obama and Biden are. McCain isn’t
just old and wise. He’s old, wise, and hot-headed. Palin is young,
unwise, and empty-headed.Choosing McCain/Palin over Obama/Biden would
be like picking Jeff Goldblum to pilot your jet. Just because he plays
a convincing scientist in the movies doesn’t mean he’s a scientist in
real life.

I completely agree! That’s why I’m voting for Obama! Who said anything
about voting for old man McCain? Plus, the free health care is the
best cause now we can all have equal doctoers to fix us

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