How's this for confusing?
Lobbyist and political consultant James Carville is in a TV show on HBO, playing a lobbyist/political consultant named James Carville, who advises presidential candidates for the primaries. In the show, his partner in the consulting firm is his wife, played by Mary Matelin, his wife and consulting partner in real life.
These Hollywood types are so creative, aren't they?
In the pilot episode, Carville, the character, is advising a presidential candidate named Howard Dean, played by presidential candidate Howard Dean, in how to answer questions during a primary debate. Carville suggest the line "If the percentage of black folks in your state was determinative of your record on civil rights, Trent Lott would be Martin Luther King." Later in the episode, footage is aired of Dean, the character, using the line to general applause and laughter. Here's where it gets tricky. The footage came from the actual debate in which Dean, the candidate, participated with the other 8 democratic contenders.
So we have a fictitious line, generated by a fictitous consultant said by a fictitous candidate in a real debate. Or is it a real line offered by a real candidate in a fictitous debate?
Where's Michael Moore when you need him?
Jokes aside, this is simply "The War Room" meets "The West Wing." I guess they figure they can script real life, avoiding those inconvenient concepts of "truth" and "reality."
Posted by Rich at September 16, 2003 2:55 PM | TrackBack