A few minutes with my dog on a Sunday afternoon

 I promised my dog I'd make time to sit with him for at least a few minutes in our backyard this afternoon, and so I did. 

The temperatures only reached the low 50s today, but the sun was shining, and Otto and I were warm and comfortable.

And so we sat. I rubbed the underside of his snout, and he seemed to like that. There were few distractions. No cell phone. No visitors. A passing vehicle could be heard on the street out front, and birds sang in the trees above.

But beyond those noises, Otto and I sat undisturbed. 

It took me several minutes to get comfortable with the near silence, but before long I found myself content to lounge in the warmth of the sun in the quiet company of an old dog who asked for nothing more than to have his chin gently rubbed. And that was the best part of my day. 

-- Thank you for reading. Your comments and questions are always welcome. You may post them here or send an email to kbotterman@gmail.com. 

 

Siskel & Ebert and 'Opposable Thumbs'

With the passing of time, it's easy to forget the influence and popularity Gene Siskel, film critic for The Chicago Tribune, and Roger Ebert, film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, enjoyed as hosts of a PBS TV show featuring movie reviews. 

Matt Singer, in his engaging and mostly fast-paced book "Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever"  (2023) reminds readers Siskel and Ebert once were so influential to the U.S. film industry they made regular appearances on late-night TV talk shows, could make demands of Woody Allen (then at the height of his Hollywood power) and shared a dinner table in 1989 with George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. Pretty good for two film critics from Chicago. 

Singer's book is a good slice of nostalgia and a reliable choice for those seeking some lightweight reading for an upcoming summer vacation.

Singer does a fine job of telling how the two reached their positions at their respective newspapers (I found Ebert's journey more interesting, but that's me.). Singer gives attention to the creation of what was the pair's first effort in TV,  "Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You." It was on WTTW, Chicago's public broadcasting station, and featured a cast of three - Siskel, Ebert, and Spot the Wonder Dog. Spot was called on to help introduce the "dog" film of the week. 

The production remained at WTTW, but went through a number of name changes as it grew in popularity and influence - "At the Movies," "Sneak Previews," and "Siskel and Ebert." Singer offers details about the internal struggles that accompanied each name change and other show changes, for those interested. Readers learn how Siskel and Ebert came up with the now famous "thumbs up" (or down) manner of endorsing a film for viewing. 

He also offers plenty of humorous stories involving Hollywood's famous and self-important, including the time Marlon Brando called the production office to speak to either Siskel or Ebert, but someone concluded he was a prankster and hung up the phone. 

Singer does a good job arguing how Siskel and Ebert influenced the way in which a generation of movie viewers looked at movies, but he falls short of convincing readers the two changed movies forever. He shares the criteria each critic attempted to follow when evaluating a movie, noting that each man always asked if a movie was worth the price the average film-goer would pay for a ticket at the box office.

Singer also includes an important piece of advice Ebert once offered to his readers: If a movie doesn't engage you within the first hour, it probably isn't going to get any better, and won't be worth your time. 

I enjoyed both Siskel's and Ebert's reviews, and frequently found myself agreeing more with Siskel's. However, there was an aspect of Ebert's reviews I always appreciated and valued, and it was this: Even when offering a less than enthusiastic review of a movie, Ebert would note if the movie was a strong contender in a particular genre. 

For example, if the movie being reviewed was a science fiction tale, Ebert might write, "if you're a fan of this type of film, you might enjoy this aspect about this movie ...". I think that qualifier spoke to a specific audience, and said this movie isn't for everyone, but you might find it entertaining. And that is valuable, I think.

Back to Singer's work. He offers an interesting passage from that 1989 dinner Siskel and Ebert shared with Lucas, Scorsese and Spielberg. During the evening's conversation, Spielberg reportedly outlined a detailed (and sadly accurate) prediction of what the future of Hollywood would look like by 2020.

Singer also reminds readers that Siskel and Ebert probably would never have achieved the fame and influence they experienced in the 1980s and '90s without William J. McCarter, the president and CEO of WTTW from 1971 to 1998, considered the station's most creative and successful years. In addition to his work with Siskel and Ebert, McCarter also had a hand in "Soundstage" and "Chicago Tonight." 

-- Thank you for reading. Your questions and comments are always welcome. Post them here, or send an email to kbotterman@gmail.com

 

State's journalism task force issues final report

 

The Illinois Local Journalism Task Force recently released its final report.

The task force was created by law in 2021 and looked at the state of local newspapers and journalism in Illinois. The report details the findings, which are not surprising to anyone who has followed the newspaper industry during the past couple of decades.

The report also includes some suggestions for helping the industry. As one might expect those suggestions involve tax credits, grants, and government subsidies. None of the recommendations involve purely market-oriented solutions. That's a pity, I think.

The report is 22-pages long, including the appendix and a list of the task force's members, which alone is worth reading, and sheds some light as to the final recommendations, I think.

The report all but ignores the many important factors that contributed to the decline of newspapers and that continue to contribute to the slow death of legacy "journalism." Of course, it is the product of a government panel, so one ought to expect some serious flaws.

For a better read about the challenges to local journalism, one that provides market-proven success stories, I suggest "Beacons in the Darkness" by Dave Hoekstra, an Illinois based writer and recovering newspaper man.

-- Thank you for reading. Your comments and questions are always welcome. Kevin Botterman

What I hope to avoid (but probably won't) in 2024

 

Now that we've entered 2024, here are a few of the things I hope to avoid during the next 12 months. I acknowledge the struggle is real.

Anything related to or about Taylor and Travis - I have nothing against either personally and wish them all the best. I imagine they're a warm and engaging couple. I'm just not interested in seeing their photos or videos about them everywhere I turn, or in my news feed daily. So as nice as they might be, I'm happy to leave them behind in 2023.

Celebrity news and opinion - They've been with us forever, and celebrities of all types and stripes receive a disproportionate amount media coverage (see the couple named above), and that's just the way it is in our culture. I saw too much of it in 2023; more than any one reasonable, relatively balanced individual should see. I'm done. I'm trying to avoid all of it in 2024, and so far (yes, it's early), I'm doing fine. Wish me luck, and maybe offer up a prayer, if you're so inclined.

Professional sports - This one won't be as challenging for me as it was in the past. I lost interest in the NBA decades ago (about the time the league gave up any interest in playing defense) and can't recall the last time I watched a full game. 

I stopped watching the NFL back when the league allowed politics to become a part of the game. If I want that, I'll watch the news. Also, the broadcast became too long. I simply don't have the time or interest to commit more than three hours to watching a game. Professional hockey never captured my interest, but I do enjoy watching the college game. If you've never watched one, give it a try. 

I admit to watching a couple of MLB games in 2023, just to see how the pitch clock affected the game. I liked it, but not enough to watch an entire game. I shifted to radio broadcasts and enjoyed those. 

Anything related to The Walt Disney Corporation - The fools running that operation completely turned me off in 2023. It's not just that they produced weak movies, which they did. It was their decision to insert their cultural agenda and politics into everything they do and produce. That's the company's choice, of course. It's also my choice to walk away and spend my dollars elsewhere. That's easy for me to do on this one. 

Netflix and HBO - I've never cared much for the productions Netflix offers and the operation's movie collection doesn't match my tastes. Avoiding Netflix is doable for me. However, my lovely wife frequently watches the streaming service, so I might have to take the hit in order to spend time with her.

As for HBO, well the decision to run commercials during their presentations ended things for me. I understand most streaming services have or soon will be introducing commercials to their basic offerings. There's little I can do about that trend. But I've watched HBO since the early 1980s, and loved its commercial-free model in exchange for my cable (later streaming) subscription. Introducing commercials strikes me as a betrayal, one I can't bring myself to forgive.

Arguing with the misinformed and blindly partisan on social media - What was once an amusing distraction now leaves me annoyed. It seems the number of ignorant, blindly partisan and willfully misinformed grows with each day. The stupid and lazy live among us in great numbers. I once enjoyed toying with them, much as a cat plays with string, but I've lost interest in them. I can use your prayers on this one, too. 

Those are just a few of the things I hope to avoid in this new year. I could probably add many more, but I'm ready to move ahead, eager to meet the challenges of 2024. 

-- Thank you for reading. Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please post them here, or feel free to email me at kbotterman@gmail.com.