Michael Moore and Oprah: 'A Love Story'?

When it comes to the most eagerly anticipated movie showing at next week's Toronto Film Festival, the hands-down winner has to be Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story." Arriving 20 years after the debut of "Roger & Me," it is being billed as Moore's magnum opus on the horrific impact of corporate dominance on the lives of everyday Americans, which means that the film should spark a conflagration of debate between Moore's always ferocious advocates and detractors.

But when I called Overture Films, which is releasing the film later this month, eager to set up an interview with Moore, I got bad news. The filmmaker was willing to do interviews after the film premieres in Toronto on Sept. 16, but Overture said that all interviews were embargoed until Sept. 23, the day of the film's release in New York and Los Angeles. Why? Because Moore is doing a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, which won't air until Sept. 22. And if Oprah wants an exclusive, she gets it, since when it comes to books, movies or music, no one offers a better promotional platform than La Winfrey.

Of course, this being the modern-media age, the embargo isn't quite as tightly shrink-wrapped as it first sounded. It turns out that the New York Times has a big Sunday feature interview with Moore scheduled to run on Sept. 20, while Jay Leno has booked a Moore appearance a few days earlier. Since both of those interviews were booked pre-Oprah, they've been allowed to wiggle out from under the embargo.

This puts a reporter-blogger like myself in a tricky spot. Like most journalists, I want to run my stories as competitively as possible. But if I agree to an embargo, my story would definitely lack a lot of sparks, having to come after both Oprah and the New York Times. I've also never held a story from a film festival. The whole idea of covering a festival, especially for a blogger, is to provide timely reaction and analysis to the big events of the day.

I'll be huddling with my editors, figuring out how we plan to cover the movie. But I'd be curious to hear from readers: Is it worth the wait to hear from Michael Moore? Or should I just see the film and offer my own thoughts in a more timely manner? What do you think?

  

Comments

[MIchael]

Since the whole point of writing the story is to get it read, then narrowing the reasons why readers would read to event driven 'timeliness' is, well, narrow minded. Of course, you realized this by writing a piece on whether you should write the piece, which was clever. Now you might solicit what other aspects of Mr. Moore and his movie would be interesting in advance of its limited viewing. The editorial question, "what is bigger 'news', Mr. Moore's PR machine or his movie?"

One such topic might be "what drives this guy to bash corporatation." Beyond the two obvious reasons, both related to success - corporations' and Mr. Moore's - that can lead to excess, there might be other factors. Just wondering aloud would be a good lede, "has Mr. Moore become what he reviles?"

[wmpopper]

Wait for film release and then full on objective review as possible with follow up with MM for second follow up article if deemed of sufficient interest and added information...?

[FritzNewton]

I think there's another story lurking for you just beneath this one. Moore's imposing an embargo in order to get a Winfry interview is itself in the best tradition of competitive capitalism. Moore may abhor capitalism, but he hasn't figured a way to circumvent it.

And of course, your quest to interview him is at least slightly reminiscent of Moore's quest in Roger and Me. In both cases, there's no need for an actual interview. It's all about the asking.

[Walter Binns]

You know him....he is the world's most interesting and brilliant documentary film maker. He is the American Werner Herzog....ONLY BETTER and less obtuse. His view of the Corporate and corupt political system has allowed millions of others to understand the sinister influences which are leading our domestic and foreign policy.

Moore deserves a unified and powerful launch to the newest chapter in his crusade on behalf of the working men and women. Wait....but DO give us the product you are preparing!

[Mjean]

This morning I posted a comment and I am certain others have also. Where are they?

[Daniel Webster]

See the movie first. Then when you schedule your interview you'll be informed of the movie and have questions pertinent to the movie and your thoughts of it.

[Pablo]

I think you should wait, watch the movie and write about it. Otherwise your opinion may be affected by Moore's words and the public's opinion about them.
I would never watch Oprah's show anyways. It's a shame that's the way it works.
Cheers,

[Seth Chandler]

Don't wait. Just see the film and offer your thoughts. The few minutes you'll get with MM won't enlighten anyone that much. If you were going to spend several hours with him and go into some real depth, that'd be another story.

[Dean]

Michael Moore is a first class douche. He is making a movie decrying the capitalist ideal. Okay, that's fine... but don't act like a capitalist pig in the promotion of your movie. You completely miss this point in your post. If you do end up interviewing the douche ask him how he rationalizes his capitalistic hypocrisy in not granting interviews to anyone else because he figures using the Oprah interview will make him the most money...

[Sylvia Snodgrass]

What a perfect couple, they have a lot in common, wealth, blobs of blubber, big fat asses, and lust for notoriety. Finally, it could be true love at last.