Ken Blackwell is the Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at the Family Research Council. He serves on the board of directors of the Club for Growth, the National Rifle Association, and the National Taxpayers Union. Mr. Blackwell is a contributing editor for the conservative news and opinion site Townhall.com, and his columns frequently appear in the Washington Times, New York Post, and National Review Online. He was a columnist for the former New York Sun.
Mr. Blackwell has a distinguished record of achievement as a finance executive, entrepreneur, diplomat, educator, and independent corporate director. He is one of the nation’s leading conservative voices and a strong advocate free market enterprise. In 2006, he became the first African-American in Ohio history to be a major party nominee for governor.
In 2004, the American Conservative Union and the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs honored Mr. Blackwell with the John M. Ashbrook Award for his steadfast conservative leadership. Past recipients of the award include President Ronald Reagan, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Charlton Heston.
Mr. Blackwell’s public service includes terms as mayor of Cincinnati, an undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. In 1994, he became the first African-American elected to a statewide executive office in Ohio when he was elected treasurer of state. He subsequently was elected to two terms as secretary of state.
Ken Blackwell
‘Big’ Hollywood Kills RealDVD?
by Ken BlackwellA while back, I authored a post here on Big Hollywood about the movie industry’s battle against RealDVD, an innovative technology that, if permitted to exist, would allow DVD owners to make personal “backup” copies of their movies, while simultaneously adding an encryption to discouraging piracy.
In September of 2008, calling it “StealDVD,” the big Hollywood (no pun intended) studios filed suit against RealDVD.
And this past Tuesday — as PC World wrote – RealDVD was dealt a “devastating blow” when U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel “granted a preliminary injunction against sale of RealDVD, pending a trial over copyright infringement.”
It’s too soon to know what will happen, but it appears the movie industry has the upper hand. But is it a victory they cannot afford to win? (more…)
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Michael Vick and PETA – a ‘Hollywood’ Marketers Dream?
by Ken BlackwellNow infamous NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s prison term is over. He’s now a free man. Vick, of course, was involved in the cruel act of dog fighting, but most stories I’ve seen this week mostly revolve around his chances of making a football comeback (perhaps this is due to the amount of sports radio I listen to?).
Having played football myself, I can tell you Vick is incredibly talented. As a person of compassion, I can tell you he is still in need of continued rehabilitation – which makes for much speculation about which team(s) would be interested in having him in the huddle.
One “team” who seemed interested in having him in the huddle was PETA, a group so aggressive in their marketing methods that they put both Madison Avenue – and Hollywood – to shame.
As you may recall, they apparently proposed a bizarre idea a while back — Vick would appear in public service ads for the group. The ads would ostensibly serve to discourage the cruel practice of dog fighting, but they would also have been a major marketing coup for PETA, helping raise their profile — and, no doubt, lead to more members and national attention (and donations). (more…)
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Dreams – or Nightmares – From Obama’s Father?
by Ken BlackwellAnyone who wonders how Barack Obama seems to have come from nowhere to become our 44th President need only read his amazing book, Dreams from My Father. Or, better, you should listen to the audio version of the book, read by Barack Obama himself. This recorded book won a Grammy Award. The award is richly deserved.
Obama’s book is a classic of American literature. Those who think he did not write it, that perhaps, as some Internet zanies have alleged, that the radical Bill Ayers wrote it, are doing both Obama and themselves a disservice. Bill Ayers’ thoughts have all the leaden quality of most deadening Marxist screeds. Ayers’ writing you can’t pick up; Obama’s you can’t put down.
Father and Son
It’s deeply offensive to many to charge that Obama did not write his own book. It’s the same charge, incidentally, that was made against the first great black American writer: Frederick Douglass. Frederick’s powerful stage presence soon proved doubters wrong.
Obama’s book is witty, spirited, engaging. It draws you in. It commands not just your attention, but your respect and even your affection. One caution I should provide. Obama’s talented mimicry of the accents of his African relatives and a militant Chicago street hustler includes an occasional use of the F-word. He never uses this kind of language speaking in his own voice, but only when quoting others, I should point out. (more…)
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How Hollywood’s Missing the Boat on 21st Century Technology
by Ken BlackwellAsk any corporate chieftain about the current economy and – unless they sell burgers for a dollar, canned goods, or alcohol – they’ll tell you about the tough conditions their companies face. But within this economic crucible, the target is still moving: Entertainment and consumer tech companies are facing an entirely different set of challenges, as consumers have changed their entertainment habits.
As has been widely reported, the Hollywood studios have been hit particularly hard. DVD sales are down 6% over the past year, and Disney and Sony have already cut hundreds of jobs in 2009.
To be sure, some of this is a natural result of Hollywood’s insistence on churning out tedious, recycled narratives with the hopes that increased vulgarity and special effects will cover for their lack of creativity. But aside from the obvious criticisms that I, as a conservative, might lodge against the movie industry — Hollywood is also plagued by a refusal to embrace the emerging demands of the marketplace.
One emerging demand is the need for wholesome entertainment. Quality films like “The Incredibles” and even the now-classic “Forrest Gump” consistently out-perform R-rated films, yet Hollywood continues to ignore consumer demands and produce more and more “Rotten Tomato” films. (more…)
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