Biography: Barack Obama

This is a review of two simultaneous releases from the Biography Channel: "Barack Obama" and "John McCain." Each program is 47 minutes long. The review has been cross-posted to be listed under each title.


Ann Coulter calls him B. Hussein Obama. Fox News likens his oratory style to Chairman Mao and Hitler, though in a fair and balanced way. But just who is Barack Obama? According to this puff piece from Biography, he´s just a plain old-fashioned family guy like you and me.

You probably know the story by now, and if you do you aren´t going to learn much more from this program. Obama is the son of a mixed marriage couple, Barack Sr. from Kenya and Kansas-born Ann Durham who met at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. You have probably heard through sound bites that Barack´s father left his wife and son which is true, but the more detailed version is that he returned to Kenya to work as an economist, ironically (considering his son´s campaign rhetoric) working for an oil company. He had a brief reunion with Barack Jr. before returning to Kenya once more and dying shortly after an automobile accident at the age of 46.

Ann Durham remarried and the family moved to Indonesia. In the warped universe of Fox News, this is where Obama attended a madrasah though the reality-based term for it is simply a school. To further complicate the picture, Obama then went back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents then moved to Los Angeles and eventually New York, Chicago and Boston, logging significant time in just about all the blue-state capitals. He moved to Boston to go to Harvard where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

Race is such a strange concept, a social construct with no biological basis. Obama is identified as Black presumably because his skin is dark, and because of our need to categorize people by race. Certainly Obama has identified with the African-American community through school and community work, and the identification appears to be both a boon and a potential negative in the current presidential race. Regardless, it is a testament to the shifting cultural norms that a man with a black father, a white mother and the middle name Hussein can be the nominee of a major political party in America.

The program briefly touches on a few controversies in Obama´s life such as his admitted drug use in college, but mostly soft-pedals a heroic image of the man. We hear from his friends and family what a great guy he is, and hear nothing from his critics. There´s not much surprising information offered here. The only thing I didn´t know about was Obama´s visit to Kenya and his reunion with his father´s family.

The McCain documentary is every bit as much of a propaganda piece as the Obama program. The show plays willingly into John McCain´s image as "The Maverick." Even when talking about his troubled time in school (both high school and the U.S. Naval Academy), he is portrayed as a romantic rebel like James Dean. Like George Custer, McCain graduated near the bottom of his class, and apparently didn´t give a damn about him.

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Reno 911: The Complete Fifth Season

For its first few seasons "Reno 911" was a show that was consistently at the top of my "must watch" list. The antics of the inept members of the Reno Sheriff's Department seemed to deliver an endless supply of great gags and hilariously inappropriately funny moments. But now in its fifth season, the humor well seems to have dried up, probably due to its writers returning to it far too often for the same joke. Yeah, the entire Sheriff's Department of Reno, Nevada, is full of idiots; we get it. While it was funny for a couple of years, they had better think of something new if they're going to bother to return for a sixth season.

"Reno 911," a blatant parody of Fox's long-running "Cops," first appeared on the cable channel Comedy Central back in the summer of 2003. Created by Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney, and Ben Garant, "Reno 911" garnered a considerable amount of interest from comedy fans. Which is not surprising considering this was a show from three of the founding members of the group responsible for the greatest sketch comedy show of all time, "The State." In addition to creating the show and writing the basic plot outlines (most of the script is improvised), the three comedians also star as Deputies Travis Junior (Garant) and Trudy Wiegel (Kenney), and Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Lennon). Five other deputies round out the cast, but the majority of the show rests upon the shoulders of the three creators, who appear in most of the scenes. Of the remaining regular cast, the true standout is Cedric Yarbrough as Jones, the force's lone black male deputy. His comedic timing is impeccable as proven in the Season Three episode "…and the Instillation is Free."

The best part of "Reno 911" has always been the actors and comedians who are cast as criminals, suspects, or victims. Easily the best and most beloved recurring character/cast member is Terry, the moronic male hooker who talks like a Valley girl... er, boy… er, girl? And is portrayed to perfection by Nick Swardson, one of the best comedians working today. Terry is constantly getting caught attempting to solicit sex, and while the locations may change one thing does not: Terry's always on skates. In addition to Swardson, several other "name" jokesters have appeared on the show: dork god Patton Oswalt, the great Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, VH1's Michael Ian Black, Brian Posehn, George Lopez, and many more. Even the gambler himself, Kenny Rodgers, showed up for a couple of episodes in an early season.

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Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3-D Concert

Even if you don't have a little girl or a 'tween who has a crush or wants to be like her, you have to know who Hannah Montana is. After all, when the "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert" opened across the country, shows sold out within a half hour, and parents were exhibiting all sorts of crazy behavior just to try to snag tickets--something we really haven't seen since the Beanie Baby and Cabbage Patch Doll madness. Tickets were reportedly going for as much as a thousand dollars, and radio stations held all sorts of promotions to basically see just how far parents were willing to go in order to please their little Disney princesses. And if you couldn't get a ticket, well, you could stand in line again when the film version of the concert opened over Super Bowl weekend and set a new record by pulling in $29 million.

She's a phenomenon, really, and when you listen to Miley Cyrus sing or talk behind the scenes and realize how much it echoes the Jonas Brothers, who opened for her on this arena tour, you begin to understand that this is all part of the grand Disney princess philosophy. Miley talks about how grateful she is to Disney and fans for "allowing me to live my dream," while the Jonas Brothers are always talking about "livin' the dream." But in so doing, and emphasizing in their music and their appearances what a fine line separates them from their audiences, they're also selling the dream, in a way. They're rock princesses and princes, and boy, are the commoners adoring.

"Hannah Montana" is really a well-done television show, and so I had high hopes for this concert as well. Cyrus's dad, Billy Ray ("Achy Breaky Heart") seems like a down-to-earth guy and the whole family seems pretty well grounded. The TV show didn't feature overprocessed or dubbed singing, and so I was hoping the same would hold true here. And amazingly, it does. What we see is Miley, without too much make-up and singing her own songs, not just lip-synching. After some particularly athletic strutting, jumping, or dancing she's as out-of-breath as anyone, and takes a few shortcuts on the songs to make allowances. Yet, her voice doesn't falter. She's got that Tennessee twang, but she's proud of it, and the songs in this concert stay well within her natural range, affording her a comfort zone that really goes hand-in-hand with her down-home personality.

The stage is massive, with a runway that goes into the crowd and two ramps that go up toward the back of the stage on the left and right, and a giant monitor in the middle. Surprisingly, Cyrus's band is considerably older than she, including background singers Candice Accola and Kay Hanley, but maybe that's part of the Cyrus family plan for keeping her grounded and out of trouble. Stacy Jones handles drums and acts as musical director, Jamie Arentzen and Jaco Caraco do a nice job of playing a lively guitar that complements rather than competes with their star's singing and choreography, Mike Schmid is on keyboards, and former Billy Ray Cyrus bassist Vashon Johnson completes the band. Three arenas are thanked in the credits: Energy Solutions Arena, Scot Trade Center, and the Honda Center.

But make no mistake about it: the audience for this concert is 'tweens and younger. Parents will find it's not so bad to watch it with their kids, but it's not designed for them. Still, if you consider that pop icons are role models, there are far worse ones to have than Miley Cyrus. This is a tame and squeaky clean concert that still manages to be frenetic and fun. Kenny Ortega ("High School Musical") had the idea for this concert and did the choreography, and unlike the Vanity Fair spread, everything here is done in good taste. There's nothing your eight-year-old aspiring rock-star couldn't see or try herself.

Even as far as the glitz goes, it's kept pretty basic. Yes, there are a few pyrotechnics, but nothing like we often see in major arena concerts, and there's no attempt on Cyrus's part to vamp it up. After all, Mom and Dad are in the audience. Half of the songs she performs with her Hannah Montana blond wig, while the rest are with her natural, long curly hair. Curiously, there's no persona split and no recognition of the two "characters." It's as if the Hannah look were just part of the costume changes.

Though the Jonas Brothers opened for her, they appear on this film in the middle, brought onstage to do one song with Miley ("We Got the Party") and then taking over while she grabs some air backstage, doing "When You Look Me in the Eyes" and "Year 3000" with their own band. The rest is all Hannah/Miley onstage, intercut with behind-the-scenes footage that shows here interacting with family, the Jonas Brothers, and the extraordinarily large number of crew members backstage that help to put on a major show like this. There are a few nice moments, where we see Miley freaking out over a moment when guys almost drop her and she wants to abandon the routine, while her mother stands firm and says it's not going to happen again, trust your dancers, Ortega has made the necessary adjustments so their hands are on you at all times. Or we see her snapping photos of herself and various cast, just like any young girl might have done if they had gotten to wander those backstage corridors. We also see Ortega teaching her a microphone trick, and later, when Joe Jonas does the same trick she turns to Kenny and says, "You taught him that trick????" We see her father talking about how he likes her music because it's "real," with the example being a song she wrote about her grandfather who passed away, a song she performs in the concert. But perhaps the best clip shows fathers decked out in high heels and competing in a race to win four tickets to the concert. That could have been a bonus feature all by itself.

As far as the song list goes, there's not really a stinker among them, and that includes the choreography as well as the musical performance. Here's a rundown on the songs, some of which appear in clips rather than onstage:

"We Got the Party"
"Rock Star"
"Pumpin' up the Party"
"Mickey"
"I Got Nerve"
"Let's Dance" (Miley co-wrote this one)
"Ready, Set, Don't Go" (Billy Ray's song about his daughter)
"Life's What You Make It"
"Just Like You"
"Old Blue Jeans"
"Nobody's Perfect"
"Best of Both Worlds"
"Who Said"
"We Got the Party" (with the Jonas Brothers)
"When You Look Me in the Eyes" (Jonas Brothers only)
"Year 3000" (Jonas Brothers only)
"Start All Over"
"See You Again" (Miley co-wrote)
"Right Here" (Miley co-wrote)
"I Miss You" (Miley co-wrote)
"Girls Night Out"
"If I Were a Movie"

In one of the songs Cyrus pays a kind of mild tribute to Madonna, where she dances with people dressed in Spanish attire. But that down-home look holds true here too, with Cyrus eschewing the high heels other dancers wear for the number and sporting athletic shoes. She does, after all, need them in a concert like this. In perhaps the most fun number, she and the backup singers and female dancers come out in Fifties'-style jackets and knee socks and skirts, looking a bit like roller derby queens, as they belt out "Girls Night Out." But all of the songs will have young viewers up and dancing along. It's a solid concert, and a solidly edited production that does a nice job of incorporating behind-the-scenes footage so that it comes at a time when Cyrus would be taking a natural breather and her band would maybe do a song without her. It all feels pretty organic, rather than an interruptive blend of documentary footage and concert tape. For that, credit director Bruce Hendricks. Nice job.

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Camp Rock [Extended Rock Star Edition]

Formulas aren't all bad. Every genre has them, and with "High School Musical" Disney all but created a new type of film, one they're going to use as a template until the public tires of it or until the formula stops working. In a way, that's no different from a football team that runs a set offense. Whether you're fans or the opposition, you pretty much know what's coming. It all boils down to how potent the potion--how good are the people, and how effective is their execution?

"Camp Rock," which aired as an original Disney Channel movie, was so heavily hyped that I was almost afraid to watch it. It was being pre-sold as this year's "High School Musical" (complete with product tie-ins), and that can raise some pretty high expectations. Then again, while "High School Musical" featured a cast of unknowns, "Camp Rock" had at least one thing going for it: this was to be a vehicle for the popular 'tweentastic singing group the Jonas Brothers. Surprisingly, the Brothers don't dominate the film. It's lead singer Joe Jonas who's this year's Zach Effron, paired opposite this year's Vanessa Hudgins, a little-known actress named Demi Lovato ("As the Bell Rings," "Split Ends").

Apart from Lovato's big smile, which seems to have the same kind of on/off switch as John Edwards', she carries herself with the kind of innocence and self-effacing honesty that has come to characterize Disney heroines as of late. In "Camp Rock" she plays a wannabe pop star named Mitchie Torres, whose parents can't afford to send her to a swanky camp that trains performers--though there's not a whole lot of teaching that ostensibly goes on at the camp. I think there are just two scenes in the entire film where students are actually in class. Mostly, it's a place to bond with kindred spirits, singing and dancing and playing music the way the kids always did in "Fame."

At first Mitchie is told "no," she can't go, and like a good Disney role model she just takes it in stride. No tantrums, no begging, no negotiating. And the next thing you know, her caterer-mom is telling her she's going to Camp Rock after all. Mom agreed to work as a cook at the camp in exchange for the deep discount that would allow her daughter to attend. The one catch is that Mitchie also has to log some hours in the kitchen.

The chief problem arises when Mitchie runs up against "the diva of Camp Rock"--the daughter of a Grammy-winning country singer named Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin), who sets the standard for "cool." Other kids' parents are record execs, conductors, and musicians of some kind, and so it just kind of seems natural for Mitchie to blurt that her mom is president of HotTunes TV in China. That lie is all it takes for her to be brought into Tess's circle of friends/flunkies, and set up the film's eventual crisis.

Meanwhile, boy-group Connect 3 is in the news because lead singer Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) has done something raffish again to make headlines, and he's been sent to Camp Rock--which is run by his Uncle Brown Cesario (Daniel Fathers)--to teach a class and get his head straight. He's also conned into cutting a record with the winner of this year's Final Jam, the big talent show that signals the end of camp. Of course, all the campers know he's a rock star and treat him like one, when all he's looking for is someone who'll treat him like a normal person. One day he hears the voice of a girl singing and playing piano. He's charmed by her, but by the time he goes inside, the girl is gone. So in a plot that combines Prince Charming's search for the girl who fits the glass slipper and Prince Eric's search for the girl with the beautiful voice, he lets it be known that he's looking for the girl with "the voice."

Good thing, because while Camp Rock is situated on the shores of a gorgeous northwoods lake, when Joe jumps into the lake to escape yet another group of "not the ones" who torment him he ends up being the only one in the film to take advantage of the location. Otherwise, the camp could have been situated anywhere, because no one rides horses, goes boating, or takes advantage of the great outdoors except to watch a Connect 3 performance lakeside and another one at night with a bonfire in the background.

Like "High School Musical," each of the stars need good friends to keep them grounded (or get on them when they veer off-course) and that function is provided by Caitlyn (Alyson Stoner) and Joe's musical buddies Nate (Nick Jonas) and Jason (Kevin Jonas). Though Sharpay-I mean, Tess-conspires against Mitchie, you know that like the star of "High School Musical" she's going to get her moment in the spotlight.

The formula's pretty clear, but there's one remarkable difference between "Camp Rock" and "High School Musical." "HMS" was played with some pretty over-the-top characters and comedy, whereas "Camp Rock" is a little more reality-based and low-key. That's refreshing, actually, especially if you've seen a bunch of Disney Channel sitcoms. Here, the parents are normal, the camp leader is normal (but witty and personable), and even counselor Dee La Duke (MTV's Julie Brown) tones it down a bit so she's not a caricature. And both young stars do a fine job of making you believe their situations. Add a talented young cast that includes Jasmine Richards, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Jordan Francis, and Roshon Fegan, and you've got a formula that works because of casting and execution. These kids pull it off, and they seem to have fun in the process.

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