I get tired of working my ass off for zero recognition. I spent a month putting "Health Care in Black & White" together. And for what? No one gives a shit.

Yes, the recs pile up around my posts but not on them. I guess I should bitch about something or wish someone a happy anniversary.

Or maybe I should just ramble for three screens about what I could easily say in a sentence.

Forgive me. I care about health care.

I write. I rally. I lobby. I travel on wild goose chases at the behest of my fellow bloggers.

So why do I feel like Rodney Fucking Dangerfield?

If the clique would prefer I go, vote with your comments. If you want me to go and never finish the film, vote with your comments.

If you want me to stick around and finish the film, guess what? Vote with your comments.

But don't fucking ignore me after all the hard work I put in. I've done more than just blog. I've acted and put in the sweat of my brow to promote the America most of you want.

Keep blowing me off if you want. I'm on Medicaid. I already have government insurance.

Since only eight of the vaunted "millions" of TPM users rec'd the original post and no one (huh?) commented, I'm reposting this. Lots of people who saw the trailer said they wanted to see the movie and I don't know they did. This is for anyone who missed Part 1:

Don't press "Play" just yet.

Quick promises are the least fulfilled. In previous posts I declared that the premiere of my little movie would occur within x days, and that certainly seemed likely to me at the time. Forgive my wild optimism. As they say in show biz, the project was fraught with complications.

So here now is "Health Care in Black & White" Part 1. Yes, you read correctly. Part 1 only. But hey, it's nearly 10 minutes long. When the final two parts are complete, sometime in x days, the entire film should run about half an hour, far longer than anticipated when I began. But I'll explain later.

Part 1 of "Health Care in Black & White" introduces George Bailey as a man confronting a series of family health care crises. The succeeding two parts mix current events with old footage to build an exciting narrative relevant to our times and unflinching in its convictions. I dedicate it to all who strive for universal health care and a public option.

Be prepared to be impressed. Or not. What you will see in Part 1 sets up the film and is basically the first 30 minutes of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" radically re-cut to under 9 minutes. There are reasons for this. But I'll explain later.

Okay, I'll explain now. At first, I had a few funny little scenes in mind. The raw material would be old films, current YouTube video and other easily obtainable footage: a mashup to end all mashups. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness enterprise, built on the rough idea of good vs evil and set against the background of the health care debate. For a number of reasons, that rudimentary concept changed along the way. I discovered I wanted to tell a real story, with characters that would require our sympathies and a plot that makes a point--a very pointed point, in point of fact.

Read more »

Don't press "Play" just yet.

Quick promises are the least fulfilled. In previous posts I declared that the premiere of my little movie would occur within x days, and that certainly seemed likely to me at the time. Forgive my wild optimism. As they say in show biz, the project was fraught with complications.

So here now is "Health Care in Black & White" Part 1. Yes, you read correctly. Part 1 only. But hey, it's nearly 10 minutes long. When the final two parts are complete, sometime in x days, the entire film should run about half an hour, far longer than anticipated when I began. But I'll explain later.

Part 1 of "Health Care in Black & White" introduces George Bailey as a man confronting a series of family health care crises. The succeeding two parts mix current events with old footage to build an exciting narrative relevant to our times and unflinching in its convictions. I dedicate it to all who strive for universal health care and a public option.

Be prepared to be impressed. Or not. What you will see in Part 1 sets up the film and is basically the first 30 minutes of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" radically re-cut to under 9 minutes. There are reasons for this. But I'll explain later.

Okay, I'll explain now. At first, I had a few funny little scenes in mind. The raw material would be old films, current YouTube video and other easily obtainable footage: a mashup to end all mashups. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness enterprise, built on the rough idea of good vs evil and set against the background of the health care debate. For a number of reasons, that rudimentary concept changed along the way. I discovered I wanted to tell a real story, with characters that would require our sympathies and a plot that makes a point--a very pointed point, in point of fact.

Read more »