Breaking News Breaking Down

We were at dinner the other night and I mentioned Pamplona, Ernest Hemingway, and “The Sun Also Rises”. It just so happens one of the guys at the dinner had actually taken part in the running of the Bulls. He described with aching details what it was like.

It all started with his cousin who convinced him to go along. They lined up together and then they began to run. It was a crush of humanity. Then you hear this roar behind you. It’s like an earthquake, the noise is deafening, and the ground shakes. He said the fear and adrenlin really kick in. Now the problem isn’t just what’s coming from behind, but also what’s in front. If people lose balance and fall then they will be trampled , not by hooves but by shoes. He described in harrowing detail just how exhausting it was physically and mentally. He also described in detail what it was like to watch someone get rammed by one of the bulls. He shook his head repeatedly and kept saying, “I’ll never do it again. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.” And yet every year people do it. I suppose if you survive it and come away uninjured then you will forever be able to hold a dinner party spellbound as this man did last night.

So what does this have to do with the running of the spam. Well today I saw that there were 27 comments from previous posts that had not been approved. So I went in and did my own stupid thing. I approved them all. It was my version of the running of the spam. Most of the comments are idiotic, and just an attempt to get real people to read the comments. So read at your will…laugh…enjoy…and know you are a real person and most of these comments come from spammers attempting to get you to buy something. Read them at your own risk and know that if you follow their links you might just end up regretting it like my friend who took part in the running of the bulls.

I’m back to writing, I took a break after my road trip. It was a productive trip. I had a series of meetings.

One meeting was with my producers rep. Jon Gruska in L.A.. Jon is trying to cut a deal to get wider circulation for the film Breaking News, Breaking Down. He’s been in talks with one of the largest video on demand companies about the film. We’ll see what happens with the talks. He’s very enthusiastic.

Next stop from California was a stopover in Chicago, and a brief trip to Milwaukee. The Dart Society like a number of non profits is dealing with a money crunch. Our budget has shrunk in the last year and we are looking at fundraising opportunities to try to make up for the short fall. Part of the plan devised by Deirdre Stoelzle Graves is to host a series of fundraisers around the country where we show the film. So I met with fellow board member Jeff Kelly Lowenstein in Chicago. I also had a very productive luncheon meeting with Gina Barton in Milwaukee. It looks like the talks will pave the way for a screening or screenings in August.

I’ll keep you posted.

I’m in Chicago tonight.  Spent the day at the taste of Chicago.   I also took in the soccer match between Ghana and Uruguay.  I am out here to meet up with my Dart brethren.  We have been talking for months about screening Breaking News, Breaking Down in both Chicago and Milwaukee.  I’m hoping we can continue the talks and put a framework in place to make it happen.

It would be wonderful to screen it here for the first time.  It would also be great because we are hoping the screening can raise funds for the Dart Society.  Like so many non profits we saw are funding levels drop and our looking at different methods to raise  money for this organization that does so much for journalists worldwide.  I will keep you posted  on our progress.   In the meantime check out the Dart Society website.    http://dartsociety.org/