THE FINE PEOPLE OVER AT HBO ARE WORKING ON PRODUCING A NEW
SERIES THAT WILL AIR AFTER GAME OF THRONES IS DONE WITH ITS
STENT.
IT IS KNOWN AS CONFEDERATE.
IT WILL BE A DRAMA AND THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS NEW SERIES IS
WHAT AMERICA WOULD BE LIKE IF THE CONFEDERATES WERE ABLE TO
SECEDE FROM THE UNITED STATES AND WE HAD TO DIFFERENCE LANDS
WITH TWO DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND PRINCIPLES AND SO
UNDERSTANDABLY THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM TOWARD THIS
IDEA AND I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND READ A LITTLE BIT OF THOSE
CRITICISMS AND THEN WE WILL KIND OF DISCUSS WHAT WE THINK ABOUT
IT.
ONE PERSON WRITES, AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS ACTUALLY IRA
MADISON FROM THE DAILY BEAST.
THIS IS WHITE NONSENSE.
WE FINALLY HAD OSCAR CEREMONY WHERE A BLACK FILM ONE BEST
PICTURE, MOONLIGHT, WITHOUT HAVING SLAVES OR SERVANTS IN IT
BUT I GUESS HBO'S EYES ARE STILL FIXATED ON 12 YEARS A SLAVE.
ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL TWIGS THAT IT IS EXHAUSTING TO THINK OF HOW
MANY PEOPLE AT HBO SAID GUESS THE WEDDING TO WHITE MEN
ENVISION MODERN DAY SLAVERY AND OFFENSIVE.
THE TWO WHITE MEN THAT THAT PERSON WAS REFERRING TO IS DAVID
BENIOFF AND DB WEISS AND THEY ARE THE TWO MEN BEHIND IT BUT IT
IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE TWO PROMINENT
WRITERS BEHIND THIS SERIES ARE BLACK AND THEY ARE IN
COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH HOW IMPORTANT THIS SERIES IS
BECAUSE IT BRINGS UP A DISCUSSION ABOUT RACE AND
NEEDS TO HAPPEN SO I WANT TO KIND OF GET YOUR THOUGHTS
BEFORE I READ THE THOUGHTS OF THOSE WRITERS.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING.
IT'S GOING TO SEEM THAT WAY, AND A SORT OF FOLLOWS FROM A
CREATIVE STANDPOINT THAT MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE SERIES WHICH WAS
ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF NAZI GERMANY HAD
ACTUALLY CONQUERED THE WORLD AND TAKEN OVER, SO IN A SENSE
EVEN CREATIVELY ITS DERIVATIVE OF THAT IF YOU WANT TO LOOK
AT IT THAT WAY AND THAT WAS DONE I THINK WITH MINIMAL RESISTANCE.
YOU WOULD BE HOSTILELY GRADED WITH THAT AND THE POINT
WOULD BE THAT THAT IS NOT THE SAME.
YOU SAY CREATIVELY DERIVATIVE, NO QUESTION WE JUST TALKED ABOUT
THIS ON OLD-SCHOOL THIS WEEK THE DAY THAT IT HAPPENED
BECAUSE THE REACTION WAS SO QUICK AND JAYAR IS A MUCH
BETTER POSITION THAN I DO TALK ABOUT THAT REACTION, BUT I DID
THINK THAT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH TWITTER, ONE OF THE GREAT
THINGS ABOUT TWITTER IS THE IMMEDIATE REACTION WE GET BUT
ALL THAT WAS ANNOUNCED WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO THE SHOW.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW THE SHOW IS GOING TO BE PORTRAYED.
I AM AS POSITIVE AS I CAN BE THAT THE HEROES AT LEAST OF THE
SHOW, I GET THAT PART OF THE OBJECTIONS OF TWITTER WHERE
THE IMAGERY, BUT WE KNOW WHO THE HEROES OF THE SHORE GOING TO BE.
THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE RUNAWAY SLAVES OR
PEOPLE FROM THE REGULAR AMERICA THAT THE SOUTH SECEDED FROM AND
I IMAGINE IT IS NOT GOING TO SHOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS
GOING TO SHOW BUT I AM SURE THE HEROES ARE GOING TO BE THE RIGHT
GUYS, LIKE THAT GUY FROM THE DAILY BEAST HAD HE FOUND SOME
OBJECTIONS TO JUST 12 YEARS A SLAVE WHICH I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T
SEEN.
YOU DON'T WATCH ANYTHING ON THE SCREEN.
BUT YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT REACTION?
WITHOUT TRYING TO GET IT INTO IT BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT
X EXTENSIVELY IN OLD-SCHOOL, BUT THE WAY ART WORKS AS FAR AS
TELEVISION, MOVIES COME ALL THAT STUFF GOES IS IT ENDS UP
INFLUENCING SOCIETY, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT BE AGAINST US ARE WORRIED
ABOUT HOW, WE ARTY HAVE PEOPLE WHO REENACT THE CIVIL WAR
AND WISH OF THE SOUTH HAD ONE, THEY SAY WE WILL RISE UP.
HOW WILL YOU WONDER HOW WOULD THIS WORLD THAT EXISTED THIS
LONG IF IT WAS SUCH A DYSFUNCTIONAL WORLD SO YOU ARE
STARTING FROM THE PREMISE OF IT WOULD HAVE TO BE FUNCTIONING
SOME KIND OF WAY OFF THIS BASIS OF SLAVERY CONTINUES THAT DIDN'T
CONTINUE SO IS ARTIE GIVEN PROPS JUST FOR EXISTING AND THERE ARE
ENOUGH PEOPLE IN SOCIETY THAT WISHO HAD THEY SAY OH MY GOD, I
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS TURNS OUT IT WOULD BE AWESOME.
NUMBER TWO, THE WAY IT WOULD'VE EXISTED, AND THIS IS MY OWN
ASSUMPTION WOULD'VE BEEN CONTINUE TO ENSLAVE PEOPLE AND
WE CAN PLAY A LOT OF TIMES ON THE SHOW ABOUT HOW WE SORT OF
ENSLAVED PEOPLE, PRISONS, WE STILL SPECIFICALLY TARGET
CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE SO WE KIND OF HAVE THAT SYSTEM WITH
JUST A FEW PEOPLE ATOP WITH ALL THIS MONEY AND CONTINUING TO
CHANGE THE SYSTEM FROM JUDICIAL TO FINANCIAL MINISTER CERTAIN
PEOPLE STAY LOWER.
WE KIND OF HAVE ASPECTS OF THE NOUN IT IS OFFENSIVE TO
THEN MAKE IT A BIGGER THING, AND HOW WOULD THESE HEROES
BECOME HEROES?
THEY WOULD PROBABLY GET SOME HELP FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT
LOOK LIKE THE PEOPLE IN POWER.
IT'S WHY A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T LIKE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN
DJANGO.
DJANGO NEEDED THE HELP FROM THE WHITE GUY.
THIS AWAY SAVIOR.
WAS IN THIS MOVIE.
DJANGO WAS DIFFERENT FROM MISSISSIPPI BURNING.
FOR YEARS AND YEARS, THE STORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT WAS TOLD FROM THE HER RELIC WHITES THAT ON THE
RIGHT SIDE AS OPPOSED TO THE PEOPLE WHO LET THE CIVIL
RIGHTS YOU MOVEMENT WHO ARE AFFECTED BY IT.
THAT IS ALWAYS BEEN A SHORTCOMING OF HOLLYWOOD.
I DIDN'T COME OUT OF DJANGO GOING THE WHITE SAVIOR IS TERRIBLY
RELEVANT.
THAT SEEM TO BE A STORY ABOUT JAIME FOX'S CHARACTER
GETTING REVENGE.
THERE WAS BY CRITICISM OF IT DEFINITELY, SO THEY ARE CAREFUL
TO POINT OUT THAT THE SHOW WOULDN'T BE WISH FULFILLMENT
FOR WHITE SUPREMACISTS.
ARTISTICALLY, ONE OF MY OBJECTIONS TO HOLLYWOOD
CENSORING ITSELF WITH THE PRODUCTION CODE STARTING IN
1934 SO AGGRESSIVELY IT WHEREAS THAT NEVER HAPPENED IN
BOOKS AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN PLACE, SO SOMEHOW AMERICA
WAS OKAY TO GO SEE A PLAY WHERE THERE WAS A PROSTITUTE, BUT
YOU CAN HAVE IT IN A MOVIE.
AND MAKES NO SENSE, A BOOK AND MAYBE THIS IS BASED ON A
BOOK, BUT A BOOK OR THIS HAPPEN, SERIES OF BOOKS, NOBODY
WOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT IT.
BUT SOMEHOW, IF WE PUT IT ON THE TV SHOW WITH THE GAME OF THRONES
GUYS WHICH MEANS IT HAS INSTANT CREDIBILITY AND STATURE ON THIS
SIGNATURE NETWORK ON TELEVISION, THAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT AND I'M
NOT SURE IT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT AND I, NOT COMING AT IT IN ANY
WAY AS OBVIOUSLY, I AM NOT BLACK AND I DO HAVE THE SAME HISTORY,
I JUST THINK CREATIVELY IT IS INTERESTING AND IF DONE
RIGHT, MY SENSES IT CAN DO SOME GOOD BUT I AM NOT SURE
PEOPLE SHOULD LISTEN TO ME.
I GUESS THAT'S WHAT I AM COMING DOWN WITH ALSO AND
BY THE WAY JUST ON BEN'S POINT I THINK THE REASON WE ARE SO
TOUGH ON TELEVISION IS BECAUSE FRANKLY, WE CELEBRATE
TELEVISION AND MOVIES, WE DON'T CELEBRATE BOOKS IN THE
WRITTEN WORD IN THIS CULTURE RIGHT NOW AND WE LIKELY
AREN'T GOING TO GET BACK TO CELEBRATING AT THE
OH, WE WILL GET BACK TO IT.
IT IS A MINUTE THAT
THE THING THAT MAKES AN IMPACT ON THE CULTURE'S
TELEVISION AND FILM, SO AS A SAID BEFORE, IT IS
DERIVATIVE ALREADY OF ANOTHER SCENARIO BUT MORE
RADIOACTIVE FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT JAYAR HAS POINTED OUT.
THERE IS NO JEWISH LIVES MATTER RIGHT NOW BECAUSE
THERE IS A NEED TO BE.
THERE NEEDS TO BE A BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.
HENCE THE REACTION TO IT AND YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THEY'RE
GOING AHEAD WITH IT ANYWAY.
THERE GOING AHEAD WITH IT AND THEY ARE EXCITED, BUT ALSO A
LITTLE TERRIFIED BECAUSE YOU ARE RIGHT, TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS
AND REALLY PUT OFF YOU HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT AND I FEEL LIKE,
LOOK, NOTHING HAS BEEN REALLY RELEASED ABOUT THIS OTHER THAN
THE FACT THAT WE ARE WORKING ON THE SHOW SO WE DON'T KNOW TOO
MANY DETAILS SO I WANNA RESERVE MY CRITICISM UNTIL I SEE
WHAT THEY COME UP WITH.
LET US KNOW WHICH WONDERS 4.
DEFINITELY NOT BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING AND THERE IS A
SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THIS COUNTRY THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO
REMEMBER OR UNDERSTAND OR HAS NEVER LEARNED ABOUT WHAT
ACTUALLY HAPPENED DURING OUR WAR, OUR CIVIL WAR
THE WAR OF NORTHERN AGGRESSION YOU SPEAK OF.
THAT IS REALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I THINK THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A REALLY IMPORTANT
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR A PART OF THIS COUNTRY THAT
DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WHAT WAS ABOUT WERE AT
LEAST THEY MIGHT PRETEND DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WAS
REALLY ABOUT THE
IN OUR DISCUSSION ON OLD-SCHOOL WE HAD ONE OF THE
BEST PARTS OF IT WHICH WAS A REMINDER OF YEAH, WE DON'T
UNDERSTAND OR APPRECIATE, IT IS OKAY EVERY FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS
TO REMIND PEOPLE OF THE BRUTALITY OF SLAVERY IN A WAY
THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE AND SEEING SOMETHING VISUALLY
DEPICTED MAKES A DIFFERENCE RATES CHANGE, I ASSUME I
WOULD'VE COME TO THIS OUTLOOK ANYWAY, BUT FOR GUYS MY AGE
ROOTS WAS LIKE GETTING HIT IN THE FACE WITH A BASEBALL BAT.
I REMEMBER EVERY PART OF IT.
MEMBER EVERY NIGHT TALKING ABOUT AND WATCHING IT AND BEING
SICKENED BY IT.
AND I'M SURE IF I SELL ROOTS AGAIN NOW, THERE WOULD BE
SOME FLAWS WITH IT BUT AT THE TIME, IT WAS PRETTY POWERFUL.
IT WASN'T EMOTIONAL ASSAULT.
THIS COULD BE THE SAME THING.
THIS IS THE LAST THING, I AM SORRY ANNA.
M THERE'S A HOPE THAT IT WILL CHANGE SOME PEOPLE DOS
PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE STILL SEE
PEOPLE GETTING MURDERED IN THE STREETS BY SOME COPS, WE
DON'T WANT TO KEEP HAVING TO SEE A.
WE SEEN IT, WE KNOW WE ARE LIKE HOW MUCH MORE ENTERTAINMENT
ARE GOING TO GET OFF REPLAYING LYNCHINGS AND REPLAYING
RAPES AND REPLAYING WITH.
I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE DOTTED TO SEE ANYMORE.
IT'S VISCERAL NOW FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND NOW EVEN JUST
THE CURRENCIES OF PEOPLE GETTING MURDERED IN THE SHEER CHOKED
DOWN THEY SAY STOP RESISTING AN ISSUE SOMEBODY IN THE BACK,
WE GO WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS, WHY DO I NEED TO TAPE IT AND SHOW
MY PEOPLES MURDER ON TELEVISION FOR YOU TO BELIEVE ME?
YOU HAVE TO BE ENTERTAIN AND CHANGE BEFORE YOU BELIEVE
WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU FOR DECADES AND IT IS FRUSTRATING.
THAT IS WHY I WOULDN'T BE LIKE STOP PRODUCTION, I'M JUST
PROBABLY NOT GOING TO WATCH IT.
YOU WERE GOING TO WATCH IT ANYWAY.
BY THE WAY, I PROMISED THAT I WOULD SHARE THE THOUGHTS OF THE
BLACK WRITERS BEHIND THE SHOW AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I DO.
MALCOLM SPELLMAN IS WRITING.
IT IS DEEPLY PERSONAL BECAUSE WE ARE THE OFFSPRING OF THIS
HISTORY THAT WE DO WITH IT DIRECTLY AND HAVE FOR OUR
ENTIRE LIFE.
WE DO WITHIN HOLLYWOOD, WE DEAL WITH IT IN THE REAL WORLD
AND WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS.
AND I THINK NICHELLE AND I BOTH FELT A SENSE OF URGENCY AND
TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO SUPPORT A DISCUSSION THAT IS PERCOLATING
BUT ISN'T HAPPENING ENOUGH.
AS PEOPLE OF COLOR AND MINORITIES IN GENERAL ARE
STARTING TO GET A VOICE, I THINK THERE'S A DUTY TO FORCES
DISCUSSION.
I THINK THEY ARE RIGHT.
OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE A FINANCIAL STAKE IN MAKING SURE THE SHOW
GOES AHEAD BUT I THINK AGAIN, WE TEND TO RESPOND TO THE ANGRIEST
THE LOUDEST VOICES ON TWITTER AND I DON'T THINK THOSE VOICES
ARE WRONG AND CHAIRS THAT IT REALLY NICELY.
IT IS FRUSTRATING.
THERE IS SOME INITIAL JUST FRUSTRATION, WHY DO WE NEED
TO SEE THIS.
YOU KNOW WHAT BEN, I'M GOING TO WATCH IT.
IF YOU WATCH IT, THEN YOU ARE COMING ON TO REVIEW IT.
I JUST HAVE TO GET HBO FOR THE FIRST TIME.
YOU CAN USE MY ACCOUNT.
ROW QUICK, IT IS WORTH MENTIONING THAT SOME OF THE
FRUSTRATION BOILS OVER BECAUSE THERE IS A SHOWING WGN OWNED BY
TRIBUNE UNDERGROUND WHICH IS BEEN ON FOR TWO YEARS.
IT
WAS THE BIGGEST SHOW.
THE RATINGS DECLINED A LITTLE BIT BUT IT WAS ABOUT THE
UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT, THE UNDERGROUND SLAVE MOVEMENT
DURING THE CIVIL WAR AND THE STARS ARE ALL BLACK AND IT
IS ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
I HAVEN'T SEEN IT, I SAW ONE EPISODE.
HE WAS REALLY GOOD BUT I DIDN'T FOLLOW UP AT ICE ON OF US
IN THE MIDDLE.
WGN HAS CANCELED THE SHOW.
IT IS PRODUCED BY JOHN LEGEND AND THE TRIBUNE COMPANY
CANCEL THAT.
SINCLAIR CANCELED IT BECAUSE SINCLAIR IS THE WORST
COMPANY IN THE WORLD THEY BY TRIBUNE IT'S IN RIGHT AWAY
SAID THIS DOESN'T FIT WITH WHAT WERE DOING GOING FORWARD.
LEGEND HAS BEEN SHOPPING THE SHOWED OTHER NETWORKS.
HAS BEEN CRUEL CRITICALLY PRAISED AND SO WE WERE KIND OF
HALF KIDDING, BUT WE THOUGHT HBO SHOULD PICK THAT UP.
NOW IS THE TIME.
PUT IT ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT LINEUP.
COMMUNICATION GENIUSES LIKE ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI WOULD
TELL YOU TO PICK THAT UP.
HOPEFULLY THEY WILL FIND ANOTHER OUTLET BECAUSE IT IS A GOOD AND
IMPORTANT SHOW THAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE THIS BACKLASH
LASTS OR IF IT'S JUST 72 HOURS ON TWITTER IF IT REALLY IMPEDES
PRODUCTION ON THE SHOW AND YOU WILL KNOW, WHEN WE WILL DO
KNOW IS WHAT ONE OF THE SPELLMAN STEW.
THEY BACK OUT THAN THE SHOW IS PROBABLY DONE I DON'T KNOW
THAT THE CRAZE OF GAME OF THRONES WANT TO SPEND ALL
THE POLITICAL CAPITAL ON THIS.