Re: Ping: Trijcomm. Orange County Has PalinPhobia!!!

On Jul 15, 12:39 pm, Jason <janklowic...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 Sarah Palin Movie Debuts to Empty Theater in Orange County

By Conor Friedersdorf

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/sarah-palin-movie...

When the clock struck 12:01 am today, AMC theaters in select cities
were permitted to start showing "The Undefeated," a feature length
documentary about Sarah Palin. As it happens, I'm visiting my parents
in Orange County, Calif., home to one of just 10 theaters where the
film is being rolled out. Watching it didn't interest me so much as
going to interview folks who decided to attend. I figured I'd meet
some nice people, perhaps run into someone who knows my grandparents,
press five or six Palin fans on why they like her, and convey their
worldview. It's my experience that the grassroots doesn't fit the
caricature of its champions or its detractors.

In the parking lot of The Block, an outdoor mall in the City of
Orange, I worried that arriving 45 minutes early was cutting it too
close: it took 20 minutes to find parking, and folks were lining up
scores deep outside the theater box office. Our airport is named after
John Wayne. Ronald Reagan remains a hero to many. Even Richard Nixon's
association with this place is treated as a point of pride. When I was
growing up here, a local hotel broadcast the Rush Limbaugh program
everyday in its restaurant. I should've known there'd be a big
turnout, I thought.

As I approached, however, I realized that most people present were
dressed in costume. The crowd was either showing ironic solidarity
with Christine O'Donnell, the tea party candidate who is not a witch,
or else everyone was there to see the Harry Potter movie playing on a
majority of the theater's 30 screens. Without any way of telling Palin
moviegoers from Potter fans dressed up like muggles, I'd have to pay,
go to the assigned theater, and look for interviewees.

I hurried through the teenage hordes, bypassed a concession stand that
sold 1,020 calories of soda for $5.25, and entered theater number 30,
hoping I'd have ample time before the previews to talk to some people.
But inside, the theater was empty. I sat there alone for 20 minutes,
at which point an usher stuck his head in the door, gave me a
quizzical smile, and said, "How come you're not watching Harry
Potter?" Then he left me by myself again, and without any good answer.

It isn't strictly accurate to say that I sat through the whole movie
alone. Just as the previews started, two young women walked in
giggling together and took seats three rows behind me. Afraid that
they'd ruined the only story I had at that point -- What If Sarah
Palin Starred in a Movie and No One Showed Up? -- I hoped they'd at
least oblige me with an interview, and so they did.

Jamie Watkins, 22, is a Missouri native, which qualifies her as a real
American. She only recently moved to Southern California, and her
little sister, Jessie, age 18, was visiting for the first time.

"So, um, what made you come out here tonight?"

"We're going to Disneyland tomorrow," Jamie said, "but she just got
here, so we decided we should go out."

"We looked online for the latest movie playing," Jessie added. "But
all the Harry Potters were sold out, and then we saw 'The
Undeafeated.' We don't even actually know what we're seeing."

"Well welcome to California," I said. "You're about to see a
documentary about Sarah Palin."

"Oh, really?" they said, and started giggling again. I think they were
expecting an action flick. When I returned to my seat, I thought maybe
I'd talk to them after the movie, and get the perspective of two
people who went in with no expectations. But they only lasted 20
minutes before walking out.

After that, it is strictly accurate to say that the theater was empty,
except for me. On screen there were clips of a younger Sarah Palin
helping to reform Alaskan governance. "In politics, you're either
eating well or sleeping well," she said. I jotted this down: "And
which of those are you doing now?"

Shortly before the end of the film, a young couple entered, walked to
the back row, started making out, then interrupted their session and
left (spoiler alert) as Andrew Breitbart, who made one of several
guest appearances, started talking about eunuchs. Then I was alone
again, working. Instead of researching civil liberties violations, or
the war in Libya, or the contest to elect the next president of the
United States, I was both a journalist and the only member of the
public willfully paying attention to Sarah Palin, as if standing in
for the pathologies of my profession.

Afterward, I found a theater manager, told him I was a reporter, and
asked if he could give me numbers about ticket sales. "Did anyone pay
and not show up?" He said that they'd sold out all the Harry Potter
movies until 2 a.m., and that all 5,000 seats looked full. "No," I
said, "I saw the Sarah Palin movie. Do you know the figures for that
one?"

"Oh," he said, "I can't release sales figures."

"In hindsight, do you wish you'd had one more screen showing Harry
Potter?"

He had no comment.

*************************

My take?  Sarah Palin's constituency is probably still boycotting the
"talkies"

Jason

A thursday morning 12:01 am showing has no viewers? THAT ENDS
PALIN'S POLITICAL CAREER!

Grasping at straws.
.

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