Strictly speaking, it’s drawing from the prequels to the Foundation trilogy, doesn’t it? Which I only vaguely read, and not all of them. But I’m pretty sure that we’re not going to see the Mule in this, unless of course they completely rewrite the timeline. Which would be extremely ironic, in its way. The whole point of Foundation, to me, is how far the story stretches out beyond the scope of any one protagonist.
Not whether they will try: there’s every indication that they’re at least thinking about bring Foundation to TV. Whether it’s possible. Which is to say, whether you can create a Foundation on the small screen that matches the one in the books.
I’ve admired the Clintons’ foundation for years for its fine work on AIDS and global poverty, and I’ve moderated many panels at the annual Clinton Global Initiative. Yet with each revelation of failed disclosures or the appearance of a conflict of interest from speaking fees of $500,000 for the former president, I have wondered: What were they thinking?
But the problem is not precisely the Clintons. It’s our entire disgraceful money-based political system.
Now watch this.
For those who do not have access to YouTube, this is of course Otter’s Speech from Animal House:
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests – we did. But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg – isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.
You know, I didn’t realize when I woke up this morning that’d I would be writing a piece that had to point out that Animal House is not a good rhetorical template for a New York Times author to use. Then again, I imagine that Nicholas Kristof didn’t wake up a few days ago expecting that he’d end up using said template, so I suppose that that’s a wash. Still… really? This is going to be what they’re going to go with? “The way that all that dirty money was prancing around and showing everybody its denominations, it was just asking to be grabbed?” I tremble for the Republic.
No, not because of corrupt politicians. We’ve had to deal with those, right from the start. But we’ve never had a more useless set of political pundits.
I was alerted that Hollywood’s going to do Foundation – which will, of course, suck: but it probably won’t suck epically, so we’re going to have to help them with that. I’ll start: the director? Tim Burton. It’s not that Burton’s bad; it’s just that Burton is all wrong for Isaac Asimov.
Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions for casting: the only rule is that the choice either has to be hilariously wrong, or fascinatingly wrong.
– which will, of course, suck: but it probably won’t suck epically, so we’re going to have to help them with that. I’ll start: the director? Tim Burton. It’s not that Burton’s bad; it’s just that Burton is all wrong for Isaac Asimov.