Director Jonathan Flora frames the film around Gary Sinise, an actor and director with a long, intimate history with soldiers and veterans, though he himself has never served. From his brother-in-law, who was killed in Vietnam, to current bandmate Kimo Williams,  a ‘Nam veteran who started jamming with Sinise after they met on a production of A Streetcar Named Desire in the mid-90s, his career has always seemed to providentially intertwine with the military. Following the jihadist attacks of 9/11, Sinise felt compelled to help those directly affected by the Twin Towers’ destruction, volunteering in campaigns to benefit the FDNY. This spirit of volunteerism, in concert with his ever more frequent band practices with Williams,  materialized into a USO tour in 2003. Despite his diverse résumé, Sinise was universally associated with his Oscar-nominated performance as “Lieutenant Dan” from Forrest Gump, so as the group expanded, Sinise named it the “Lieutenant Dan Band,” and the rest is history.

It’s tempting to think this is a vanity project for Sinise, now better known for his long-running role on CSI: New York–that like other celebrities, he’s got a pet cause designed to make him look like a good guy. It’s certainly clear the producers ask virtually every interviewee their opinion of the man, but any doubts the viewer entertains about his sincerity quickly evaporate as the film reveals a level of determination and effort that would be noteworthy from anyone, celebrity or no. We see him orchestrate an increasingly elaborate stage show, drawing on his experience running Chicago’s Steppenwolf theatre. We see his family silently bear the burden of his prolonged absences; they miss him but recognize his time away as tours of duty. We realize Sinise and co. aren’t ego strokers reading a PSA script for a check, whipping up crocodile tears over the ozone layer so they can lecture flyover country and feel morally superior. They’re hard-working entertainers willing to put their lives on hold and travel to war zones all to display their gratitude to our servicemen and women.

Aside from the warm fuzzies it’ll put in your heart, For the Common Good is an entertaining and exhaustive documentary. We’re treated to a brief history of the USO, Gary’s young introduction to both music and acting, musical numbers by the Lt. Dan Band switching seamlessly from one concert’s footage to the next, and plenty of interviews with soldiers and veterans. We get to meet members of the band as well, and it becomes rather apparent why Kimo and Gary gravitated toward each other; both are natural storytellers and performers. One of the film’s highlights is Kimo revealing how he almost got shot playing a concert (while still a soldier) at a fire base in Vietnam. Other notable sequences include a view and discussion of the inside of one of Saddam Hussein’s mansions, a “Snowball Express” concert for the children and other family members of deployed soldiers, and a few cameos from other celebrities such as John Ratzenburger, Robert Duvall, Gary Cole, and Jon Voight.

The film’s title comes from an Abraham Lincoln quote that perfectly sums up its themes: “Honor to the Soldier and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor also the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as best he can, the same cause. Honor to him, who braves for the common good.” In any other context, I know the phrase “for the common good” would cause many here to blow a gasket over its collectivist implications, but in this documentary we see the concept in its noblest form. Our soldiers sacrifice themselves not to prop up dependents but to protect independence, and we see how one man’s thankfulness for that protection plays its own part in carrying our troops forward in their mission.

Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good is available through On Demand nationwide, or  you can view the film directly through its website.

By Sibella Giorello

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Listen to this song.  Listen to it.  If this song doesn’t crack your heart wide open — especially on Memorial Day weekend — don’t worry about Obamacare; you’re already dead.

I first caught James Hooker’s “Hanging Out With the Boys” on Big Dawg Music Mafia when the tune was on the BigDawg Jukebox.  But by the final chorus I’d downloaded the entire album and felt like some IED had  just gone off. An Incendiary Ear Device that blew my mind.

“Hanging Out With the Boys” album had everything from blues to ballads to bagpipes. A soulful heart, yet not sad. Patriotic but not corny. And beyond all that, it managed to be absolutely unabashed in its support for our men and women in uniform.

After days of listening to it, I wrote singer/songwriter James Hooker a thank-you note.

But musicians are a funny breed.  That innate sense of timing that makes them hit the right riffs on stage also shows up in conversations.  For instance, Hooker’s reply to my letter.  I told him my blues-musician husband thought his voice sounded like a cross between Leon Redbone and Leon Russell.

Hooker’s reply?

“Just so long as he doesn’t say Leon Panetta.”

Born James Brown (no joke), Hooker took his middle name as his last and served time in Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Nashville as an “A Team” studio musician and a founding member of “The Amazing Rhythm Aces.” He won a Grammy — “my 17.5 minutes of fame,” he says — and spent years as Steve Winwood’s keyboard player, including the “Back in the High Life” tour. He was also folk-star Nanci Griffith’s band leader for nearly 20 years. After moving to Ireland and setting up house in a 16th-century Irish castle, Hooker moved to Mallorca, Spain where he lives with his beloved Jessica, the woman he “intends to die with,” he says, “the exact order still to be determined.”

Despite years abroad, he doesn’t want to be called an ex-pat.

“‘Ex’ my butt,” he said. “I’m an American.”

Yes, musicians are a funny breed. So rather than paraphrase the sometimes acerbic, sometimes tender blues-man, here’s James Hooker in his own words, talking about how his amazing patriotic album came together, and what it’s like to play music surrounded by people who don’t think the same way politically.

You were raised in the South, the land of roots music and fabulous storytelling. I hear both influences on this album. But what’s your connection to the troops, what compelled you to make “Hanging Out With the Boys?”

This album grew from something I felt for a long time. All my life, growing up in South Carolina, being surrounded by military bases, military people, things that went zoom and boom just a few feet above the house. I grew up listening to WWII and Korea stories told by uncles, neighbors and such, and photos on the mantle of kin who still sleep in France. I knew from a VERY early age, the debt I owed them then, and the debt I owe now to the younger warriors who have followed.

Those people I knew and saw every day during my formative years helped put out the fires of Hitler’s ovens. They saved countless millions of people across the Pacific and Asia from an equally horrible fate.

If  somebody can´t find thanks for the Vets from the past and the Troops/Vets of today, well, they have my pity.

The album has some wrenching, heroic, even dark messages — delivered through everything from bagpipes to stomping kickers. Yet all the songs hold together thematically.

One of the best songwriters ever, the late Harlan Howard, said every great song was basically “Three chords and the truth.”

Harlan was talking about country music songs. But the “truth,” whether literal or fictional, holds sway in every great song’s greatness, no matter what genre.

“Truth” in a song is indefinable, but when it’s not there, you miss it terribly.

There’s a lot of  “truth” on this album. So much so it feels like it was written by a veteran. But you didn’t serve in the military. How did the material come to you?

This album practically wrote itself, although it took it´s sweet time – about eight years. It’s the album that finally convinced me that there is, indeed, a Muse. From time to time, things would get plain spooky.  The songs kept “presenting” themselves.  “Here I am! Record me, dummy!”

What initially kicked the songs into motion?

9/11.

Until that time, I’d never written a patriotic song in my life.  But That. Event. Pissed. Me. Off.

After that, every other song or three, I’d get an idea, usually after watching something on TV or reading the paper, something particularly confounding and egregious or stirring and moving. And then snippets of lyrics and melody would start coming to me out of virtually nowhere.

The first complete song, however, didn´t occur until I had finished watching HBO’s “Band Of Brothers.” Thus begat the song “Kids 1944.” And the album’s title song, “Hanging Out With The Boys”, came soon after.

The album walks a delicate line. The songs are not rah-rah patriotism. Yet the  love of America and the fight for freedom shines through. Do you consider any of the songs political, in the sense of pro-country?

Political? I don´t feel the album is that political, with maybe the exception of “Calling All The Clans Together.” That particular song came to me entirely in a dream. I understood it to mean: “Vote every SOB out. Even if it means replacing them with a different set of SOBs.” (R) (D) (S) (I) — I don´t care, sod ´em all.

The challenge I found with writing a patriotic song was to avoid “corny.” It´s not easy. It´s really easy to write a lyric that sounds as though it was hatched in Aunt Edna´s parlor.

You know, some people have told me “Hanging Out With The Boys” is corny. Okay, it’s corny. Shoot me. The Star Spangled Banner is corny. Shoot Francis Scott Key. But I don’t think honoring veterans is corny. They got SHOT at for you and me to enjoy the freedom to call it corny, if we so wish.

I wrote “Hanging Out With The Boys” for all Vets, yesterday and today. And “All Too Soon” to honor everyone from “The Greatest Generation.”

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It´s been a while since we´ve gotten any guff from the Germans or the Japanese, and those good people, who put a stop to that foolishness, are dying at a rate of about 1,200 a day.

We need to say, “Thank you” while they´re still here to say ¨You´re welcome.¨

Agreed. And I want to thank you for this album. And for your time. One last question. If somebody told you Barack Obama had “Hanging Out with The Boys” on his iPod, what would you say?

I´d say he probably picked up one of the Secret Service guys’ iPod by mistake.

"One of my proudest moments" ~ James Hooker

(Author’s note:  10% of all sales for “Hanging Out With the Boys” will go to the charity Soldiers’ Angels “No preachers or politicians need bother knocking on my door,” Hooker says.  “Soldiers’ Angels is my tithe.”)

Amen to that, James.

Thank you, Sibella.

If you enjoyed these songs as much as we do, you can find more of Mr. Hooker’s fabulous music on this special shout-out to Big Hollywood page he set up on his official website.

Have a safe, and blessed Memorial Day weekend and please keep the families of our fallen heroes as well as our brothers and sisters in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers. ~ Lisa Mei & BigDawg

And then there are the “lucky ones” who made it home.

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Some homecoming.  They returned to a country that is struggling with sky-rocketing fuel and food prices, out-of-control government spending, record deficits, high unemployment rates, record home foreclosures, businesses going under, and the ever-increasing government intrusion into our private lives.  These heroes, our wounded active duty military members and veterans, have the added struggle of trying to muster the will and courage to press on with their lives as they suffer in silence not only from their physical impairments but from the never-ending nightmares, anger, loneliness, guilt, depression, and a number of other gut-wrenching emotions — all of which are triggered by and attributed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Thankfully, there are caring organizations that understand what our battle-scarred warriors are going through and are actively engaged in helping them begin the healing process.  One such organization is Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc (PHWFFI).

Project Healing Waters was founded in 2005 at Walter Reed Medical Center by US Navy Captain Retired Ed Nicholson and assists in the physical and emotional therapy of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying classes and outings. It has experienced unprecedented growth and success over the last five years because of its profound effect on the participants and their well being.

I first heard about this amazing program on Real American Stories about a year ago.  As fate would have it, I was invited to sing the National Anthem at a local campaign event and one of the organizers, Ann Erickson, whose husband is involved with PHWFFI, approached me afterward and said she loved my voice and wanted to know if I wrote any of my own songs.  I told her I did.  She asked if I had ever heard of Project Healing Waters and I told her I had seen the program featured on television recently.  She then asked if I’d be willing to write a song for them and, of course, I told her I would be honored to do so.

That same night, I wrote the first draft of the lyrics and created a rough track.  I recorded a quick vocal with the track and sent it off to my song-mate, Drew (a.k.a. BigDawg – a retired Marine Corps Captain).  After he and I went back and forth with the lyrics and the music track and got it sounding the way we both wanted it, we finished the song Healing Waters.

I sent it to PHWFFI founder, Captain (ret) Ed Nicholson, and he loved it so much that he created a DVD with our video which he uses in his presentations when pitching the program to VA Hospitals across the country.  It warms our hearts to know some of the volunteers and wounded warriors are giving out copies of our video to those who donate to PHWFFI.   We are thrilled to be able to help out in a small way.

Last summer I had the great honor of being invited to perform our song at a Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game from which a portion of the ticket sales benefited PHWFFI.  I was also invited to perform at their Annual 2-Fly Tournament just a couple weeks ago after which I was approached by Sergeant Christopher Maschi, who was wounded in action overseas and is combating the effects of PTSD.  He asked me if I wrote Healing Waters and told me the first time he heard that song about a year ago, it moved him deeply.  He said:

I don’t know how you did it, but you get it…you really captured what we go through in that song.  So many people have no idea what it’s like for us but your song says it all…and gives us hope.

That right there is why BigDawg and I do what we do.

While at the 2-Fly, I also met filmmakers Steven and Russ Hasty who were there filming the tournament, interviewing the wounded warriors taking part, and the PHWFF staff and volunteers for their project Healing Waters – “a feature length documentary film about the inspirational wounded warriors of Project Healing Waters.”

Here is what Steven has to say about the project (from his KickStarter project page):

Healing Waters is the uplifting story of the resilient and inspirational recovering active duty military service members and veterans of Project Healing Waters.  The film will provide an inside look at the organization’s roots, profile the founder, participants, and volunteers as well as document its astonishing growth and powerful results in transforming the hearts and lives of some of our Nations Finest.

Three years ago I was filming a television show in Virginia and attended a Project Healing Waters outing on the Rose River.  That was the first time I saw these incredible soldiers taking part in this innovative program.  I was fascinated as I watched these wounded warriors, some of whom had just returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of them veterans of Vietnam, as they made their way into the water on crutches, carried by volunteers, and even in wheelchairs to fish the Rose.  There were amputees and many bearing the scars and the trauma of roadside IEDs using improvised devices to hold fly rods in place and even a young Sergeant who had lost his arm using his teeth to retrieve the line.  I witnessed the positive change in their mood and demeanor as they lost themselves in Mother Nature.  I was both moved and inspired…

Healing Waters will be the first official documentary film of the group, which has been profiled on ESPN and CNN.  We are currently in pre-production on the film and are coordinating with the staff of Project Healing Waters to begin filming their classes and outings early this summer.  I will spend the next year traveling to VA hospitals and clinics across the US where more than 100 chapters of the project have taken root to record the compelling stories of the participants and volunteers and the impact Project Healing Waters has had on them.

Our goal is to complete the film by the end of next summer to meet the submission deadline for the Sundance Film Festival.

Let me begin by saying that I have not or will not take money from Project Healing Waters to produce this film…and the awesome Project Healing Waters backer incentives I am offering will be purchased from them by me.

The money I raise on Kickstarter will go directly toward production costs on the film.  I am an experienced outdoor television producer who knows how to operate on a tight budget.  The funds will cover necessary travel and hotels to film interviews and outings at VA Hospitals across the United States (I am no Prima Donna…if there are couches to crash on or meals to share so I can cut costs then I am there). Additional costs will include but not be limited to production assistance from camera and sound men, lighting, music licenses, post production work including film editing, sound, and color correction, film prints and DVDs…I have a deep respect for this group and I aim to produce a quality film.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T REACH OUR GOAL?

If we don’t raise our goal, we don’t get anything. Donors pledge the amounts, but don’t actually pay until the goal is reached and the funding deadline has passed.  We want to avoid this so please spread the word.  Everything helps!

I know many of you Big Hollywood readers love and support our troops and have either served in our Armed Forces yourselves or have a loved one who has served or is currently serving.   I hope you will kindly consider supporting this wonderful project that will benefit our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for our freedom.

Time, unfortunately, is running out to raise the money needed to complete the project by next summer.  This project will only be funded if at least $48,000 is pledged by Monday Jun 13, 11:43am EDT.  As I write this article, they currently have 65 backers who have pledged $13,141 with only 24 days to go.

I am certain that if we all help spread the word about this project, they will be able to meet their goal.

All you need to do is read some of the testimonials to see how PHWFFI has touched the lives of our wounded veterans:

“You (PHWFF) have offered me another avenue to continue recovering physically and emotionally. I thank you for what you have offered me. Please keep up the good work.” ~ A Maine Veteran

“I can’t even begin to explain how I feel about PHWFF/Volunteers and if I do I usually get choked up and my eyes get misty. Thank you, everybody, from the bottom of my heart for caring enough to volunteer and be involved.” ~ A Maine Veteran

“It really raised my self esteem, and it felt like I could do something, because lots of time we’re told we can’t do anything because we’ve got a mental illness.” ~ A California Veteran

“For my mind, it gives me energy, gives me the feeling of freedom that I never had before and also gets me closer to my kids.” ~ A California Veteran

“PHWFF helped in getting my head together during my recovery at Walter Reed. It was the perfect outlet for me while I was trying to adjust to my injuries and was a great help in broadening my horizons, giving me the hope and confidence that, no matter what my disabilities, I could still achieve and enjoy the activities of the outdoors and accomplish what I wanted to.” ~ SGT, USA, Walter Reed PHWFF wounded warrior

“As a Vietnam veteran myself who never felt quite welcome when I came home, I must tell you that I will never forget the tears streaming from the eyes of an amputee of the same era as he thanked me for the experience he was given on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River and Maine’s Moosehead Lake by the citizens of nearby Greenville, Maine, who spared no efforts or expense to host 9 veterans from Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine. “You know”, he said, “this is the first time I really felt my sacrifice was appreciated. They were wonderful to us and I never knew that I could actually fly fish again, as I did when I was young.” ~ A Maine Volunteer and Veteran

“Project Healing Waters saved my life…it saved me…it brought me back from a very deep and dark place…” ~  Army Captain Retired Eivind Forseth, one of the first participants of Healing Waters

A truly worthy project…and every bit helps.

Have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend with your loved ones and please keep our troops in your prayers.

Godspeed patriots.

Robert Davi and Connie Stevens

Jimmy Kimmel, producer Douglas DeLuca and some of Los Angeles’ most prominent Italian-American citizens created The San Gennaro Foundation to benefit underprivileged children and the homeless in Los Angeles.

Master of Ceremonies, Mark DeCarlo, hosted the evening’s celebration that featured performances by Pete Jacobs’ Wartime Radio Review, an old-fashioned USO show, complete with a swinging band.  Actors Connie Stevens and Robert Davi were recognized for their charitable work, especially their work with our military.

I arrived early and was able to sample much of the food that’s available at the Feast.  I had purposely skipped dinner so I was ready to dive in.  I stopped by a booth run by “Nonna” (Italian for “grandma”) and she gave me a sample of some biscotti that was out of this world.  When I came back for seconds, she shooed me away with a wink while surreptitiously slipping some more biscotti into my hand.  If you get a chance, look up Frankie’s Old World Biscotti.  You won’t regret it.  Another standout was Pagano’s Seafood.  Don’t pass their booth without buying something.

More people were arriving every minute and I began to recognize some faces.  Joe Mantegna, John Krasinski, David Arquette and Robert Picardo were just a few that I instantly recognized.  The working class Italian actors were out in force.  You know, guys that you’ve seen a million times but might not know their name. It felt like I was walking through a Scorsese movie.

One of the highlights of the evening, for me, was that I got to meet composer Bill Conti and tell him that his Rocky II soundtrack helped get me through boot camp.  Every time they’d take us out to run, I’d start playing that music in my head.  I’m sure he’s heard it hundreds of times before but Bill took it in stride.  A nice man.

I also bumped into actor Ed Marinaro and his lovely wife and stopped to chat.  I’d met Ed once or twice before and after the “Joe Cervasio” round of “Six Degrees of Angelo Commandatore,” we became fast friends.

FYI, “fast friends” at the intersection of Hollywood and Jersey goes something like this:

“Hey!  How you doin’?”
“Hey!  Good!  How’re you?”
“Good!  Yeah!  The last time I saw you was at the thing!”
“Yeah… Wait.  Which thing?”
“The thing!  That thing with the guy!”
“Oh, yeah!  How you doin’?”

We talked a bit about the evening and about our military.   Ed said he felt proud that such a big event in the Italian-American community was recognizing and honoring what they do; not only Italian-Americans but all Americans that serve in our Armed Forces.  He went on to say that “they should all be here to enjoy themselves and sample the food” and that if they weren’t Italian now, “they’d convert.”

Soon, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla introduced Robert Davi.  Robert spoke about his Sicilian grandfather who came to America, enlisted in the infantry and received two Purple Hearts for wounds received during World War I. “The American flag was always revered and the American serviceman was always revered.  That’s the image I grew up with and my father grew up with.”

Robert went on to tell about his father who enlisted in the Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and once spent three days in the water after his ship had been torpedoed.  He said that, although his father never spoke about his wartime experiences, “every 4th of July, every Veteran’s Day, every Memorial Day, my dad raised the American flag in our back yard and put on his Navy uniform until the day he died at fifty-six years old.  That’s the image… that’s the respect and the love for this country that I got as an Italian-American.”

Next, Jimmy and Adam introduced the lovely Connie Stevens.  She was happy to substantiate her Italian credentials by sharing her real name, Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia.  “You all think Connie Francis is the Italian girl?  It’s me!” she joked.  “And I make better sauce than she does.”  Okay, that part probably wasn’t a joke.  One of the many things I’ve learned from my wife is that Italian girls do not joke about sauce.

After some playful flirting with Jimmy Kimmel, Connie talked about her dedication to the American military.  “As long as I’m alive, I’m going to do it.”  She has been entertaining the troops for more than forty years.  “I have held young men’s hands in the deepest parts of the jungles, in hospitals all over the world and on every major base.  They are America’s greatest assets and we’ve got to let them know that we have their backs.  Every time you get a chance, stop somebody at an airport and say, ‘Thank you’. Give them a hundred bucks if you can afford it.”

Finally, Pete Jacobs’ Wartime Radio Review took the stage and tore into “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.  That really lit up the WWII vets in attendance. At that point, it was getting late.  I decided to take my leave, full of great food and thinking of Uncle Pete Cavo.

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From the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial website:

The Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Foundation, Inc. was formed to raise the funds necessary to design and construct the Memorial. It was established in 1998 through the combined efforts of philanthropist Lois B. Pope, Foundation chairman; Mr. Arthur H. Wilson, National Adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans and Foundation President; and the late Jesse Brown, former Secretary of Veteran Affairs and the Foundation’s first executive director. Current members also include Gene A. Murphy and Dennis A. Joyner.

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to raise the funds necessary to build the Memorial.

Donate here.

Go ahead and file this in your “unlikely” drawer:

You may have heard that Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but that was just liberal media propaganda. This Robin is no socialist bandit practicing freelance wealth redistribution, but rather a manly libertarian rebel striking out against high taxes and a big government scheme to trample the ancient liberties of property owners and provincial nobles. Don’t tread on him!

So is “Robin Hood” one big medieval tea party? Kind of…

As you probably know, the Breitbart team frequents these Tea Party rallies, and we’ve yet to come across the “disillusioned war veteran just back from a distant, violent campaign against Muslims” tea-partier that Russell Crowe allegedly portrays in this year’s “Robin Hood.”  Scott neglects to mention this inconvenient theme in his review.

We’ll report back and let you know if Robin Hood more closely resembles a libertarian rebel, as Scott suggests, a forward-thinking, spread-the-wealth around type of revolutionary, or somewhere in between.  We have our suspicions what he will be, but according to Scott, the films does pick on the French.

If it does turn out Robin Hood has a libertarian streak, it would be interesting to ask Team “Robin Hood” when exactly the disillusioned vet theme was added to the script.  Call us cynical, but it’s easy to picture the project’s higher-ups meeting on the script only to agree it’s good, but just a little too Tea Party.  Maybe this PTSD-vet-just-back-from-the-War-on-Terrorism theme was in the script from day one, or maybe it was injected as an eleventh hour save, but either way, it certainly has the makings of a textbook sucker punch.

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But America’s abundance does not apply to movies about Thanksgiving.  Certainly some exist, but if you review a list of movies about Thanksgiving, the sad fact is that there are very few good ones.  Many are PC retellings of the original Thanksgiving story – one guess as to who the villains are (Hint:  It’s the dudes with buckles on their hats).  Others are tiresome melodramas about “quirky” families that reaffirm their bonds over plates of turkey, with “quirky” — meaning “annoying.” 

There simply is not a worthy list of Top Movies about Thanksgiving to be made, but there is a solid list of Eight Great Movies for Thanksgiving.  These are films that embody, in some way, what Thanksgiving really means.  You are free to disagree with the choices – as some Marines recently did regarding another list – but the freedom to think for yourself is but one of many things to be thankful for.  Maybe these movies don’t all feature turkey and trimmings – though a couple of them do – but you can’t go wrong with them this Thanksgiving Day:

1.   A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving:  No, this is not a movie.  So sue me.  Anyone who grew up in the 70’s or 80’s remembers this classic cartoon version of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang’s turkey day.  But this is not just for kids.  One of the interesting things about Charles Schultz’s kid characters is how utterly mercenary and oblivious they can be, latching onto the crassest materialism and taking what they have completely for granted.  Their behavior is really awful – much like the behavior of many adults.  But leave it to good ole Charlie Brown and his quietly intelligent pal Linus to get them to focus on what’s important.  There is a reason that, even today, every kid my kids have a play date with has a DVD of this treasure on the shelf between the Dora the Explorer and the Robo-transmorphatron adventures.

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2.  Bolt:  You know, Disney sure comes in for a lot of grief – some of it deserved – but this animated story of a little girl and her loyal dog is fantastic on every level.  It’s a technical marvel – the visuals are stunning.  But it’s more than that.  The ending is a powerful evocation of a family learning to appreciate what is important.  Throughout, it’s sad, funny, and stirring, plus it carries a powerful message about bravery and sacrifice.  When Bolt refuses to leave his little girl as a building burns around them, all I could think of is how great it was to finally see a movie that honors courage without turning it into some sort of ironic joke.

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3.  The Wizard of Oz:  This is a Thanksgiving perennial on those non-communist Ted Turner networks.  This vivid fantasy is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and still kicks butt over just about everything that’s been released since.  You can even see its cultural impact in the Avatar trailer, where the grizzled Marine commander announces to his troops: “You’re not in Kansas anymore.”  There are flying monkeys, melting witches, dwarfs and/or midgets – plus a wonderful lesson about being thankful for what you have been given.   What more could you want?

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4.  The Shawshank Redemption:  This grim prison drama is included for one reason – the scene where the clever Tim Robbins makes a deal with the guards to do a hot, dirty job for them and ends up enjoying a bucket of cold Cokes on the roof with Morgan Freeman and their pals.  That scene provides some useful perspective about the meaning and value of material goods, enjoying the fruits of one’s labors, and the importance of freedom.

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5.  The Sound of Music:  Yeah, it’s a little on the sugary side.  And yeah, I have a beef with it because it gave my mother the bright idea to inflict the first name of one of the lederhosen-clad yodelers upon me.  But this is a true family film in every sense of the word – it both celebrates family and you can safely watch it with your family without having to worry that you’ll end up having to explain some manner of perversion to your five-year old.  The widower Baron von Trapp falls for the beautiful governess he hires to wrangle his Teutonic task force during the first two thirds of the film.  The last act focuses on their attempt to flee Austria after the Nazis decide to “invite” the Baron to take a commission in the German navy.  Christopher Plummer’s righteous anger as he tears down a swastika flag will thrill anyone with a love of freedom, and his composure as he faces down the young brownshirt is awesome.  The von Trapps do, of course, escape (though not necessarily to “Climb Every Mountain”) and in reality they ended up in America.  We can all be thankful that we are lucky enough to live in the place where the world’s oppressed want to be.

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6.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:  We can be thankful both for a government where, despite all the corruption and cronyism, our voices will eventually be heard.  And we can be thankful for men like Jimmy Stewart, not only a great actor but a veteran who flew perilous bomber missions over Germany when he could have safely flown a desk.

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7.  Blackhawk Down:  Why list a war movie on a list of Thanksgiving films?  Because we should all be damn thankful that we have men (and women) out there like the Americans who fought it out against overwhelming odds in Mogadishu in October 1993.  The fierce loyalty those troops showed, braving incredible odds to rescue their comrades from the Somali militia hordes, should give us pause to reflect on the price of the great material and spiritual bounty our nation enjoys.  America didn’t just happen – it was earned.  Today, tens of thousands of Americans are overseas continuing to earn it this Thanksgiving.  And if you are so inclined, you might want to say “Thanks” with a donation to The Wounded Warrior Project.

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8.  Planes, Trains and Automobiles:  The best John Hughes “adult” movie, and possibly his best movie overall.  Steve Martin is the uptight businessman trapped in a hilarious odyssey of misfortunes with John Candy’s lovable slob as he desperately tries to make it home to his family for Thanksgiving.  It’s funny.  It’s really, really funny, as literally everything that can go wrong goes astonishingly wrong.  Cars catch fire, wallets are stolen, deer are resurrected and buns are mistaken for pillows.  But beneath it all is the kind of heart missing from so much of the soulless, cookie-cutter dreck that passes for comedy today.  The ending truly sums up the spirit of Thanksgiving and highlights the kind of generosity of spirit that comes naturally to most Americans.  And there is another thing to be thankful for – the joy that John Candy brought to all of us during his far too short life.

This year, I’m particularly thankful to be in the USA for Thanksgiving.  Whether you are home with your loved ones, or serving our country overseas, Happy Thanksgiving.

So many of us in the business know people who have been overseas to help entertain the troops, and the luckiest among us have actually had the experience ourselves. I’m proud to have moved from Category A to category B this last week, when I was able to spend five days down at Guantanamo Bay.

There’s a lot to talk about. But the thing that struck me hardest was the fact that even though I expected to be blown away by our men and women in uniform, I really had no idea of just how far my high expectations would be exceeded. The competence and discipline I took for granted going in. It was the soldier’s generosity that kept knocking me on my butt.

So here are the remarks I was privileged to have been able to give. I hope that it in some small way captures not just what I feel, but what all we civilians feel, and not just about the men and women stationed at Guantanamo Bay, but rather about every single one of them: past, present and future.

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Levi is the Kevin Federline of American politics, a good-looking, not-too-bright guy catching a break by impregnating a rising star, or at least one’s daughter, then basking in the reflected glow.  When things went south with Bristol Palin, he found, in a mainstream media eager for anything that might derail the Sarah Palin express, an opportunity to go farther than he ever thought he could.  Movies, modeling, memoirs – anything was possible, they assured him.  Just tell us what we want to hear, Levi – the good stuff, the juicy stuff, the stuff too good to fact check.  Oh, and hand over your dignity while you’re at it.

But Levi’s antics are about more than just manufacturing ammunition to fire at Governor Palin.  The minstrel shows of the past were calculated to demonstrate white superiority through the employment of the most degrading stereotypes and the ritualized humiliation of the African-American performers.  This shameful circus is no different.  Levi’s mindless brand of masculinity, his dropping out of high school, his troubled home life – these are all the hyper-exaggerated cultural touchstones the bicoastal liberal elite imagines define the rest of our country. 

Levi Johnston is what they want to see when they look at Middle America.  They don’t want to see the young heroes like Track Palin, an Iraqi Freedom vet.  They don’t want to see Americans whose commitment to a better world is manifested by their putting their lives on the line instead of pasting a “Hope & Change” bumpersticker to the back of their Prius.  They want – and need – clowns, and Levi is only too happy to oblige them.

Most young people today, looking on the things they did in their youth, will have only an ill-considered tattoo to regret.  But Levi’s kid needs him, yet Daddy is busy far away performing like a court jester for people who will slam the door on him the second he stops being useful. 

Can he really be so dumb as to think they actually care about him?  Does he really expect to get a call from Kathy Griffin to accompany her to next year’s Teen Choice Awards?  He’s like the nerd in one of those high school movies who the bad kids make-over as part of a bet – except there’s no happy ending here unless Levi comes to realize that this is all a big joke to them and he’s the punch line.

Despite the fervent desire of some, like the bloggers at the circulation whirlpool called Newsweek, that “as long as there is Palin, there’ll be Levi Johnston,” they have to concede that “Levi’s 15 minutes are almost up.”  Neither GQ nor Vanity Fair will be calling him back for another photo spread anytime soon.  Larry King and Tyra Banks have wrung him dry of slime.  He’s off CBS’s speed dial.  The Celebrity Dysfunction Complex has moved on.

His big achievement is a 19-second TV spot selling some obscure brand of pistachio nuts.  They don’t even let him talk.  He’s also going to go nude in Playgirl – providing fantasy fodder for lonely cougars and randy gay men.  Levi, pinch yourself cuz you’re living the dream.

But Levi is a symptom, not the disease.  Levi’s being a fool, and it’s sad to see him put a discount price tag on his dignity and his family.  Considering his background with a mother who is allegedly involved with drugs, one can see why he does these things, though a lot better folks came from a lot worse.  His background is an explanation, not an excuse. 

The ones exploiting him are the real villains.  People, even dumb ones, aren’t to be used up then discarded like garbage when you’re done with them.  Those pulling his strings ought to be ashamed of themselves, but they aren’t. This minstrel show is too delightful, too much fun, as it promulgates the most condescending stereotypes imaginable of those unworthy wretches living outside the bi-coastal elite bubble. 

And what of Levi?  He’s burned the one bridge that could lead him home to people who might actually still care about him when he finds himself on the wrong side of the velvet ropes again, when the only opportunities he has left are reality kickboxing matches with Vanilla Ice and bit parts in Skinemax epics about horny stewardesses.  He’s a father who, if he ever sees his son again, is going to have to answer one of the most brutal, heart-rending questions a child could ask:

“Why did you choose them over me, Daddy?”

Levi Johnston’s weakness of character will lead him to sorrow after those who are using him today have moved on to other victims.  It’s not too late to make amends – I suspect the Palins would forgive him if he sincerely asked them to - but he won’t do it.  He can’t.  He thinks the elite loves him.  He thinks he will never wear out his welcome.  So he will keep on dancing, playing the fool, the minstrel, for the transitory amusement of those who hold him in nothing but contempt.