Reason.tv - Topics

Bring Back The People: Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey, Episode 6

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EDT

No city can exist without people, and Cleveland has lost more than half its population since the 1950s. Yet the city still boasts amazingly affordable neighborhoods, down-to-earth charm, a rich history, a stunning and varied landscape, and diverse ethnic and cultural scenes. How can Cleveland become a destination where people flock to pursue their personal versions of the American Dream?

Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey is written and produced by Paul Feine; camera and editing by Roger Richards and Alex Manning; narrated by Nick Gillespie; music by the Cleveland band Cats on Holiday. This is the sixth of six episodes which will air March 15-19, 2010.

Approximately 10 minutes long. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel and receive automatic notification when new videos go live.

Red, White, and Sacrebleu

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:00:00 EST

From wine elves to classy pitchmen, American winemakers have tried just about everything to challenge the dominance of French vintners. And yet, with infamous labels like Ripple and Thunderbird, Yankee wines had long endured the reputation of being good for just one one thing—getting blitzed.

So it must have seemed like a cruel joke in 1976 when a British wine merchant arranged The Paris Tasting, a one-of-its-kind competition that pitted mighty France versus lowly America in a blind taste test judged entirely by Gallic wine experts.

But as viewers of the movie Bottle Shock and the documentary Mondovino can tell you, the unthinkable happened: America took home top honors for both red and white wine.

The Paris Tasting made Mike Grgich an instant legend, but back then, even the maker of the winning white couldn't believe he had won. "I said are you sure it's me?" recalls Grgich. How could this American, an immigrant who fled communist Yugoslavia, shock the world?

The French wanted to find out, so Jean-Noël Fourmeaux, an official government wine taster became a wine spy. He headed to California to discover how, in the span of a couple of decades, American winemakers progressed from Thunderbird to Grgich's award-winning white.

Fourmeaux encountered a freewheeling atmosphere of technological and cultural innovation—one that attracted the likes of Squire Fridell of Glen Lyon Vineyards, a winemaker who has his own reason for smiling at America's emergence as a leader in wine. Fourmeaux pondered what he could create by mixing French tradition with Yankee innovation, and it led him to a most unexpected decision.

"Red, White, and Sacrebleu" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Field Producers: Paul Detrick and Hawk Jensen; Production Associates: Zach Weissmueller and Tannen Wels.

Special thanks to D'Argenzio Winery and the Wine Institute.

Approximately 7.30 minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

To sign up for Reason.tv's YouTube page, go here.

Buy American Pot: A Special Message From The AMGA

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:17:00 EST

We all know that a lot of people are harmed by prohibition, but who benefits? Strangely enough, some of the biggest beneficiaries are the bootleggers. Sure, they take a big risk, but black marketeers don't have to pay taxes, they're protected from foreign competition, and they benefit from artificially inflated prices. Talk about protectionism.

What kind of message would an honest American Marijuana Growers Association have for us? "Thank you for your support of marijuana prohibition and buy American pot!"

"Buy American Pot" PSA was produced by Paul Feine, Alex Manning, and Hawk Jensen.

The farmer is played by Alexandra Fulton, who also has a pages on Facebook and IMDB.

For downloadable versions and embed codes, scroll down.

Visit Reason.tv's YouTube channel here.

Rand-O-Rama: The Long Shelf Life of Ayn Rand's Legacy

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Few authors have ever achieved the popularity that the novelist and essayist Ayn Rand (1905-1982) did. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943 and Atlas Shrugged in 1958, Rand became a full-blown cultural phenomenon, selling millions of books and inspiring countless readers—ranging from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to actress Angelina Jolie—with her moral defense of capitalism. A refugee from Soviet Russia, Rand argued that capitalism was the best way of organizing society not simply because it was more efficient than communism but because it allowed the individual to fill his or her potential. A self-declared "radical for capitalism," Rand emphatically rejected collectivism of all stripes and embraced "man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Decades after her death, Rand's work is hotter than ever. In an age of massive government intervention into every aspect of the economy and personal lives, sales of her books are way up and a movie version of Atlas Shrugged is in the works. References to Rand are everywhere from Mad Men to The Colbert Report to The Simpsons and there's even a new critical appreciation, as evidenced by two new biographies, Ayn Rand And The World She Made and Goddess of The Right.

Approximately four minutes long and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, "Rand-O-Rama" analyzes the 21st-century Rand renaissance.

It is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials.

Stalking Jefferson's Moose and Taking Notes on the State of Cyberspace

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Reason contributor David Post teaches cyberlaw at Temple University and blogs at the Volokh Conspiracy. Long recognized as one of the most original thinkers about the Internet and digital culture, he is the author of the widely acclaimed new book In Search of Jefferson's Moose: Notes on the State of Cyberspace.

Post recently sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie to talk about the cutting edge in intellectual property, constitutional history, what the Internet tells us about the economic crisis, and much more.

Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg and edited by Roger Richards. Approximately nine minutes.

For an audio podcast, go here.

Screenwriting for Hollywood

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EDT

At Reason Goes Hollywood, our 40th anniversary bash held November 14-15, 2008 in Los Angeles, Reason.tv's Paul Feine interviewed screenwriters Paul Guay (best known for Liar, Liar) and David H. Steinberg (Slackers, American Pie 2) about what it takes to make it in the entertainment biz, especially when your politics diverge from a very narrow set of acceptable positions.

Approximately 50 minutes.

For an audio podcast version of this conversation, go here.

For more video from Reason Goes Hollywood, go here.

The Business of Hollywood

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EDT

At Reason Goes Hollywood, our 40th anniversary bash held November 14-15, 2008 in Los Angeles, Reason.tv's Ted Balaker led a lively discussion on "The Business of Hollywood," especially as it pertains to creative work that challenges a stultifying left-liberal consenus in movie industry.

Panelists included Moving Picture Institute co-founder (and Reason Foundation supporter) Frayda Levy, Lionsgate Entertainment vice chairman Michael Burns, and Disney Channel co-founder Jim Jimirro. The conversation covered ground ranging from the Atlas Shrugged movie to Mad Men to the effect of popular culture on political attitudes.

Approximately 40 minutes.

For an audio podcast version, go here.

For more video from Reason Goes Hollywood, go here.

The Reason.tv Talk Show, Episode 12

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EDT

Reason.tv's Michael C. Moynihan and Nick Gillespie sit down with Dayo Olopade, Washington reporter for The Root, and Nick Schultz, is Editor-in-Chief of The American, to discuss Obama-era gentrification, web journalism, and the stimulus as an "investment in America's future."

Approximately 20 minutes. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes.

Click here for an archive of previous episodes of the Reason.tv talkshow.

Politics & Culture in Obama's America

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

At Reason Goes Hollywood, our 40th anniversary bash held November 14-15, 2008 in Los Angeles, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch led a discussion with Reason Foundation Vice President of Research Adrian Moore and Big Hollywood's Andrew Breitbart about what's next in politics and culture in Obama's America.

Go here for an audio podcast version.

Killer Chic

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:29:00 EST

Gisele Bundchen wears him on the runway, Johnny Depp wears him around his neck, and Benicio Del Toro becomes him in the new, highly acclaimed, two-part epic film from Steven Soderbergh, Che. Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the revolutionary who helped found communist Cuba, is the celebrity that celebrities adore. And be it Madonna, Rage Against the Machine, or Jay-Z, musicians really dig Che.

It’s something that baffles Cuban jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera. “Che hated artists, so how is it possible that artists still today support the image of Che Guevara?” Turns out the rebellious icon that emblazons countless T-shirts actually enforced aesthetic and political conformity. D’Rivera explains that Che and other Cuban authorities sought to ban rock and roll and jazz.

“Che was an inspiration for me,” D’Rivera tells reason.tv. “I thought I have to get out of this island as soon as I can, because I am in the wrong place at the wrong time!” D’Rivera did escape Cuba, and so far he’s won nine Grammy awards playing the kind of music Che tried to silence. But D’Rivera says Che’s crimes didn’t end with censorship. “He ordered the execution of many people with no trial.” Che served as Castro’s chief executioner, presiding over the infamous La Cabana prison. D’Rivera says Che’s policy of killing innocents earned him the nickname—the Butcher of La Cabana.

“We’re rightly horrified by fascist murderers like Adolph Hitler,” says reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie. “Why aren’t we also horrified by communist killers?” Certainly, Che’s body count isn’t anywhere near Hitler’s. But what about someone Che idolized, someone whom he might have liked to wear on his chest?

“Che, Castro, all the communist regimes idolized only one thing that Mao personifies—violence.” Kai Chen grew up in China under the reign of Mao Zedong. Although he won gold medals for China’s national basketball team, Chen’s was far from the celebrity life of an NBA star. Says Chen, “You have no right to talk, and you have no right to think.”

The punishment for questioning Mao’s authority was often death. The Black Book of Communism estimates that Mao is responsible for the deaths of 65 million people—a figure that dwarfs even Hitler’s body count. “Mao is a murderer,” says Chen. “The biggest mass murderer in human history.”

And yet, like Che, Mao’s image is becoming an increasingly popular way to move merchandise. You can buy Mao t-shirts, mugs, caps—you name it. Near Chen’s Los Angeles home there’s even a restaurant called Mao’s Kitchen. “Can you imagine a restaurant called Hitler’s Kitchen?” asks Gillespie.

Neither D’Rivera nor Chen understands why communist killers are considered Chic, but each finds his own way to have the last laugh on these anti-capitalist icons.

"Killer Chic" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography is Alex Manning.

Closing music, "Che Guevara T-Shirt Wearer," courtesy of The Clap. Listen to the whole song here.

Victory at San Tan Flat!

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 EDT

When Drew Carey and reason.tv last checked in on San Tan Flat, a family-oriented restaurant in Pinal County, Arizona the father-and-son owners Dale and Spencer Bell were fighting against a ridiculous, anachronistic, and anti-business ban on outdoor dancing. Check that video out here.

What a difference a video—and ongoing litigation courtesy of the libertarian public-interest law firm the Institute for Justice—makes! As The Arizona Republic reports:

Pinal County Superior Court Judge William O'Neil overturned a decision from the county Board of Supervisors that said the country-Western-themed restaurant was operating an illegal dance hall by allowing patrons to dance to live music on its back patio.

The judge's ruling brings closure to the conflict between the county and restaurant owner Dale Bell, who have been at odds for more than two years after San Tan Flat neighbors complained about noise coming from the property.
The saga of San Tan Flat drew national attention, prompting commentary from actor Drew Carey and conservative Washington Post columnist George Will. The case also received several comparisons to the 1984 Kevin Bacon film Footloose, in which a small town bans rock music and dancing.

The Age of American Unreason: Nick Gillespie Q&A with Susan Jacoby

dan.hayes@reason.org (Dan Hayes) — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On C-SPAN's Book TV, reason's Nick Gillespie recently sat down with Susan Jacoby, author of the new book The Age of American Unreason, to talk about anti-intellectualism on the right and left, trends in popular culture, and what Jacoby sees as a dangerous decline in the level of academic and political discourse.

From C-SPAN's description of the book:

In "The Age of American Unreason," Susan Jacoby offers a critique on American society and says that the combination of anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism in American culture is becoming a serious problem. In the book she focuses on issues including society's addiction to mass media, ineffective educational systems, and religious fundamentalism.

It's a spirited and intense conversation between a cultural pessimist and a cultural optimist that lasts for about an hour.

Clandestino

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:01:00 EDT

Manu Chao is a French-born musician and political activist whose parents fled Franco's dictatorship in Spain in the 1950s.

"Clandestino" (1998) is a song about the plight of undocumented people everywhere.

Here are the English lyrics:

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
To escape the law
Lost in the heart of the great Babylon
They call me
clandestine
For not having any papers

To a city of the north
I went to work
I left my life
Between Ceuta and
Gibraltar
I'm a line in the sea
A ghost in the city
My life is forbidden
So says the authority

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
For having no papers
Lost
in the heart
Of the great Babylon
They call me clandestine
I'm the lawbreaker
Mano negra clandestine
Peruan clandestine
African clandestine
Marihuana illegal

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone
goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
To escape the law
Lost in the heart of the great Babylon
They call me
clandestine
For not having any papers

School House Rock! Tyrannosaurus Debt

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:01:00 EDT

To Americans who grew up in the 70s, "School House Rock!" is as familiar as "Sponge Bob Square Pants" is to children today. And now that the series is available on DVD as well as YouTube, a new generation can sing along to "Lolly Lolly Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here," "Three Is a Magic Number" and, of course, "Conjunction Junction."

But even Generation Xers who were steeped in School House Rock! every Saturday morning may not be familiar with "Money Rock," a series created in the 90s when the "School House Rock!" band got back together for a revival tour.

As was evident in the "America Rock" series (see, for example, "No More Kings" and "Sufferin' Till Suffrage"), "Money Rock" emphasizes themes that libertarian-leaning folks everywhere can appreciate.

"Tyrannosourus Debt" is the hands down favorite in my house. Watch the ending closely and you'll see a cameo by "Bill."

(As of March 2008, the US national debt is $9.4 trillion--approximately $31,000 per US citizen. The debt is growing at a rate of $1.65 billion/day.)

Obama Office Decor

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:12:00 EST

One story in this local news piece on the upcoming Texas primary is that an interior design choice (the flag, to the right of the small Obama poster, emblazoned with Che's Guevera's iconic mug) made inside an Obama campaign office wasn't a story. Check that. It wasn't a story for the local news team, but conservative bloggers are pouncing.

What a shame if this becomes a left-right thing. No doubt there are plenty of righties who will overreact. Some perspective: The web site of the Fox affiliate that ran the piece notes that the office is run by volunteers and is not an official Obama campaign office. Plus I doubt Barack has ever sported a Che T.

But perspective cuts both ways. Here's hoping we can one day get to the point where Communist thugs provoke the same revulsion as, say, Nazi thugs.

And come on Obama volunteers, at the very least, Obama's likeness should have been bigger than Che's.

RELATED: The Cult of Che

RELATED: My 1999 review of The Black Book of Communism

The Singing Revolution

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:49:00 EST

THE SINGING REVOLUTION, a new film by Jim Tusty and Maureen Castle, tells the extraordinary story of the Estonian people's struggle for the freedom in the face of Soviet oppression.

The film's website is here .

Kurt Loder on Technology and Freedom

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:04:00 EST

On Friday, October 26, reason Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie interviewed Kurt Loder for the conference Reason in DC.

A legend for his work in Rolling Stone and at MTV, Loder is an outspoken libertarian--and a harsh critic of the nanny state in all its manifestations.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Loder discusses technology, freedom, the coming collapse of traditional news media (and why that's a good thing), the misguided (and ultimately ineffective) attempt to shut down free expression, and much more.

Oral Sex Epidemic

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:53:00 EST

This week Matty Ballgame's Laugh Lounge (upstairs at Red Rock in West Hollywood) achieved a noteworthy first--booting out an audience member (boozy Susan from Texas). The final straw: Susan staggers on stage and simulates a sex act on my brother, who hosts and runs the show. ("Godfather" Mulvihill has more post-game here; RELATED: I've heard good things about Jamie Kennedy's new documentary, Heckler.)

Post-Susan, Laugh Lounge comics went back to dispensing top-shelf comedy. In the above clip, Chris Franjola mulls the writers' strike, To Catch a Predator, and the oral sex epidemic that Oprah says is sweeping our nation's high schools.

RELATED: Periodically, Reasoners point out that kids these days might not be as slutty and rambunctious as pundits say they are (see Kerry Howley here; Nick Gillespie here).

(Laughing at the Lounge)

Matt and Trey in Amsterdam!

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:33:00 EDT

During the summer of 2006, Reason held a 3-day extravaganza in Amsterdam that featured "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Andrew Sullivan, Mart Laar, Johan Norberg and, of course, reason magazine editor Nick Gillespie and his crew.

During their press conference, Matt and Trey talked about "South Park," space cakes, Michael Moore and the secret to succeeding in Hollywood.

NY Times columnist John Tierney interviewed Matt and Trey at the event. You can read his article, "South Park Refugees," here.

And you can read "South Park Libertarians," a transcript of reason's on-stage discussion with Matt and Trey, here.