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

[Paul Cote]

You will do without an interview and report in as timely manner as you can. On Sept 23 I will watching the other aspects of the film.

[L.E.]

Please don't play their game. Hearing from Moore simply means waiting to hear from the self-promoter-in-chief.

Watch it, cover it and review it as it happens.

[Sugar Pie]

The irony of an "interview embargo" on a documentary titled "Capitalism: a Love Story" is just too much. See the movie and write your review.

[jackson]

Patrick,

Did you fail to see the irony in the fact that Moore has embargoed publishing interviews because he is getting paid big money for the Oprah interview? (Read: Capitalism.) Or did you just neglect to say anything?

And, as your story states, Moore's documentary is about the impact of capitalism on people's lives. What has a bigger impact on people than withholding information such as he is? I would argue nothing… Even if it is just him espousing his contrived, unbalanced and hypocritical views of the world.

And why does he make movies? To make money. (Read: Capitalism.)

I wouldn't worry that you can't publish an interview with him before September 23. I would focus on the reasons why the Los Angeles Times can’t. It would make for more interesting reading, don’t you think?

[elizabeth schumann]

Michael Moore was born to illustrate Mies van der Rohe's dictum that Less Is More. The less of him there is, the better, but he has made more money based on less content, less truth and less talent than anyone else I can think of.

[Didi]

After all, what Michael Moore says in his films IS what MM thinks. What his films make YOU think is the story. I hope he's not lonely in his embargo.

[Dawn Schiller]

The answer is both. You need to see the film and make a timely comment on that, aside from a meeting with Mr. Moore. An interview later, would bring the subject greater depth and add some context to the issue.

[Lisa Barr]

Wait for him. Or plan on doing two articles.
He saves stuff for later media.
About a year after Sicko came out he appeared out west for a community radio event and revealed that he had left some of the great stuff other non-war oriented countries can do for their humans:
like in Scandanavian country--you're handicapped--well, you get a little cart to ride around on and the car to put the cart on. And--since you're handicapped, maybe a month someplace warm in the winter would also HELP YOU stay healthy.
He's worth the wait if you need to. What's wrong with doing a review, asking your readers for questions, and then interviewing him again?

[Ronnie]

See the film and give your comments. That's what a blogger should do. Do it sooner than waiting for Moores's interview or embargo. There should be no embargo on one's opinions, this is democracy. Free expression of ideas in all forms and all mediums.

[ugene]

2 pigs in a poke