american candidate FRESH LINKS

Dear R.K. Shull: I was hoping "American Candidate" on Showtime would produce
a real worthwhile politician. It's just another contest reality game. -- L.R.T.

Dear Reader: Hey, it's only a TV show, not the elixir of life

20 AUGUST 2004 - CHRIS GRAHAM - AUGUST FREE PRESS
EXCERPT:

In the end, the 10 finalists were more representative of the world of the pols
than anything resembling Middle America - the list includes former aides from
the Reagan and Clinton administrations and Chrissy Gephardt, the daughter of
congressman and former Democratic presidential contender Dick Gephardt.

But hey, it's reality TV.

So really, what did you expect?

American Candidate EPISODE #2 VIEWERS:  42,000

American Candidate EPISODE #1 VIEWERS: 128,000

22 JULY 2004 - JENNIFER BARRET OZOLS / NEWSWEEK (MSNBC) INTERVIEWS CHRISSY GEPHARDT BULLSHIT HEADLINE: "Politics Should Be for Everyone" (Yeah, "everyone." Chrissy Gephardt, George Dubya Bush, Al Gore ... everyone born into a political dynasty {smile}} EXCERPT: [GEPHARDT] "it was reality TV. People are eliminated as if you were voting, but we are not voted on by the American public. It's the other candidates that vote you off. It'd be like having the Democratic [presidential] contenders voting off the other candidates. I don't know about that. There were times during the show when I'd say, "Wait, this is not how things are done, this isn't how politics work." But I had to keep reminding myself that I was on a reality show. At the end of the day, it is entertainment. If it was all politics, it'd be on CNN. [JOURNALIST] Or C-Span. [GEPHARDT] Right. It'd be boring.

{smile}

25[23] JULY 2004 NYNewsday.COM REPUBLISHES ARTICLE (VIA TRIBUNE SYNDICATION) FROM 7/2 L.A. TIMES - "Survival Still the Game" about 6/29 "American Candidate" activities in Washington DC ... Slightly updated ... with a new title ... JOHANNA NEUMAN - The Politics of Reality TV (RE: 6/29/04) EXCERPTS: "Thousands applied to be the 'American Candidate'; 10 were chosen." BOKE NOTE: The two phrases above, adjoined this way, constitutes BULLSHIT. Approximately 422 people meaningfully "applied" in the sense of filling out the long application questionnaire and making a somewhat complex video... and were then therefore given "official" webpages on the American Candidate site (since deleted or hidden). How the 10 were chosen is (almost completely) a separate matter. I.E., that semicolon that sits between those two clauses needs to be about a mile wide. At least. "TOOT POOT" Keith Boykin (after BOKE gets through with him {smile} ART ADJUSTED) ["CANDIDATE" QUOTE with JOURNALIST PARAPRHASES] KEITH BOYKIN: "You know, there are two different schools of thought around here about what this show is about," he says. One school thinks "Candidate" is about showing how politics actually works. Another, which includes Boykin, holds that the series is about "raising ideas and shaking up the system." So "as long as I can say what I mean," he'll live with the handlers. BOKE NOTE: The "first school" (as paraphrased by the journalist) is basically correct. BUT Keith Boykin - a well-connected, Harvard-Law, Clinton-advvisor, fitting an interesting demographic profile (black/gay couple).... who was cast without competing with anyone ... is just totally full of BULLSHIT. {smile/no joke} I would be delighted to vote for a rhetorically competent gay man or woman with FRESH IDEAS. "Toot Poot" (as I call him) Boykin is not... and has not. Not one.

2 JUNE 2004 - SAN FRANCISCO - MATT SMITH (SFWEEKLY) -
The new reality TV show American Candidate is as rigged as a Florida election.
A recount won't help. [Stop the bullshit] We need a boycott.
(NOTE: FRAMES THE "SUPPORT BUTTON" ISSUE CORRECTLY,
even if that sounds like it doesn't. {smile})

1 JUNE 2004 - ASIA -
American Idol: Democracy explored and exposed
While Zuraidah Ibrahim in "The Straits Times" (SINGAPORE SECTION) only directly links
the ideas to "American Candidate" in the last sentences... READ THIS ONE.
THIS IS THE KIND OF JOURNALISM WE'RE LOOKING FOR. INSIGHT NOT REHASH.
NOTE: "The Straits Times" / "BEST IN NEWSPAPER DESIGN IN ASIA"

22 MAY 2004 - It's time for another wave of hype and lesser bullshit {smile}
... and so BOKE will turn his attention back to seeing if there's anything worth
your readin' it. Pay no attention to any foolishness FRAMED AS: "online voting fraud"
in connection with "American Candidate (Showtime)" -- any journalists spreading
that idea are not worth a dime. Yep, a lot of wooden-nickel "journalists" out there
to waste the time of your life. Don't let 'em. LATER/SOON (MORE ABOUT "SUPPORT" BUTTON)

(SCROLL DOWN FOR PREVIOUS LINKS / PAGE DESIGN IN TRANSITION)
(NOTE: ONE ISSUE IS WHAT TO DO ABOUT ARTICLES THAT REQUIRE PAID SUBSCRIPTION)

30 MARCH 2004 DAVID AARONOVITCH "Political Pop Idol? It doesn't get my vote"

There's a lot of junk [e.g., "link farms," etc] that come up in search results, so ... THE LINKS BELOW have been verified as "fresh" [no junk] -- and only related to american candidate (SHOWTIME) 2004 (WITH EXCEPTIONS FOR SOME EARLIER WRITING IF STILL "GOOD & USEFUL") 17 MARCH 2004 (ADJUSTMENT): The "American Candidate" PROJECT has "evolved" over time ... and ... ... "the story" of how it becomes whatever it's becoming is ... um ... ... part of the chaos equation. {serious smile} I.E., tyler suggested we ponder Argentina ... and the UK ... and ... I N T E R N A T I O N A L I N T E R N A T I O N A L I N T E R N A T I O N A L (NEW/SPECIAL SECTION) GLOBAL CONTEXT - UPDATE: 30 MARCH 04 reality-tv political candidates ... AROUND THE WORLD (significance?) (american candidate  (SHOWTIME)  exists within this frame) INITIAL GLOBAL ARTICLE SET ARGENTINA - "The People's Candidate" (BBC) (2) ON THE MEDIA (NPR) UK - ["I Want Your Vote" ?] (OBSERVER)     (2) (GUARDIAN) 30 MARCH 2004 - DAVID AARONOVITCH EXCERPTS: Each spring, as perennial as the tulip, a story appears claiming that ITV is planning a political version of Pop Idol. ... This time the programme-makers are (according to the spokesthing) determined to find a candidate "credible enough to stand a genuine chance of winning a seat". To that end they will perform various tasks in front of a panel ... The show's deviser, Stephen Leahy, envisaged preliminary auditions in which candidates would make a three-minute presentation to "sell themselves and their own manifesto to the panel". "If," continued Leahy, "they can't hold the interest of the panel, they simply won't make the grade." ... As it happens, next week will see the first stages of America's own Vote For Me, to be shown on the Showtime channel and entitled American Candidate ... [MORE!] NOTE: MOST OF THE VISITORS TO THESE "AMERICAN CANDIDATE" PAGES ARE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. MANY IN CHINA... QUESTION CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION: NOTE: ARTICLES IN THIS BLOCK ARE IN SPANISH (NOTE: MACHINE TRANSLATION: www.babelfish.altavista.com or www.worldlingo.com) What happened during/after Argentina's 2002 "The People's Candidate"? El candidato de la gente PHOTOS of TRY-OUTS "...will be chosen by a group of recognized journalists." The Television Also Votes "... a hurt hybrid of death ..." THE 16 (ARGENTINE) PARTICIPANTS (A TWIST IN THE STORY!) REPORT by the winner Juan Seliman: ... effort and dedication so that we could present this worthy option to the society in these elections. The 38 POLITICAL PARTIES in Election for Buenos Aires City Government Aug 2003 CRITICA (COMMENTARY/CRITICISM) La Nacion "... here it is the policy [that it] is put under and subordinated to the more and more strict rules of reality show. Not by chance the 16 "finalists" seem to respond to the same logic ..." [THIS PAGE WAS CREATED ON : 2/15/04]

american candidate  (SHOWTIME) 

OFFICIAL SITES

Showtime - American Candidate [OFFICIAL SITE] Showtime - American Candidate - APPLICATION [OFFICIAL SITE] (APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS 9 APRIL 2004 - GOOD FRIDAY - BIRTHDAY OF THE MYSTERIOUS DOCTOR WUNDER) (JULY 2004 FOLLOW-UP NOTE: OFFICIAL APPLICATION DOWNLOAD NO LONGER ON LINE.) Showtime - American Candidate - MESSAGE BOARDS [OFFICIAL SITE] Showtime - American Candidate - THE CANDIDATES [OFFICIAL SITE] (JULY 2004 FOLLOW-UP NOTE: ALL "CANDIDATES" DELETED EXCEPT FOR THE CAST)

(APPLYING) CANDIDATES LINK TO: ONLINE APPLICATION (IF YOU HAVE AN ONLINE APPLICATION, EMAIL LINK TO: candidate-zero@boke.com) 1 JUNE 2004 - To the best of my knowledge, these were the only two candidates who put their answers to their "American Candidate" application questionnaire on the Internet" at the beginning of the process.

BOKE's application "no boundaries NO BULLSHIT" INFORMATION BELOW NO LONGER ON WEB CRAigX "X marks the spot."       HIS VIDEO (Windows Media)    [NOTE: VIDEO BY PR EXPERTS]

SIGNIFICANT PRESS / ATTENTIVE JOURNALISTS
[NOT JUST REGURGITATION OF PRESS RELEASE]

American Candidate (SHOWTIME) ARTICLES/MEDIA 07 DEC 2003 - SIOBHAN MCDONOUGH (FOR AP -> THE SEATTLE TIMES) 9 JAN 2004 - JIM RUTENBERG (NEW YORK TIMES) EXCERPTS: . . . He said he expected at least 10,000 applicants. . . Producers and network executives, with advice from a bipartisan panel of political experts, will narrow the field to 12 contestants. [BOKE: AND ONLY THEN -- HMMM... JUST LIKE IN OUR "REAL" FAUX DEMOCRACY] Viewers will vote each week -- via the Internet and telephone -- to eliminate at least one candidate until one remains. .... [BOKE REALITY CHECK: TELEVISION RULES BOUND THIS PROCESS. FINE. BUT LET US SAY SO. CLEARLY. AND LET THE SELECTION PROCESS BE OPEN TO VIEW. PERHAPS "WE, THE PEOPLE" WOULD DISAGREE WITH "ELITE CRITERIA" ... THE TWELVE SELECTED DETERMINE THE GAME. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL YIELD A GOOD GAME. BUT DON'T CALL IT DEMOCRACY. CALL IT ... GOOD TELEVISION. {smile}] Contestants would not have much, if any, time to get on state ballots, and would have to run as write-in candidates ... [ENOUGH BULLSHIT. {smile} THERE ARE NO PRESENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES HERE. SAYING THERE ARE CONSTRAINS THE GAME TO THE SAME OL' SHIT. LET A NEW GAME BEGIN.] 12 JAN 2004 - AARON BARNHART (KANSAS CITY STAR) 13 JAN 2004 - HENRY JENKINS (DAILY WEBLOG - TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: MIT'S MAGAZINE OF INNOVATION) 30 JAN 2004 - BOB GARFIELD (NPR/RADIO) ON THE MEDIA "PRIMETIME PRIMARY" INTERVIEW WITH RJ CUTLER REALPLAYER AUDIO EXCERPT: R. J. CUTLER: We want everybody who tunes in to the show to have somebody whose vision resonates with them and excites them, so we will put together a diverse group and introduce them to the viewing public this summer. And then the process will begin, and our candidates will crisscross the country. Each week we'll be in a different town. The process will begin as a retail process where the emphasis is on going door to door and meeting people and caucus-like events, and as the weeks go on and the field is narrowed, the process will be more of a wholesale process, and the emphasis will be more on media and advertising and large-scale debates. The candidates on our show will have access to seasoned political strategists. They'll have access to opposition research, research on themselves. At a certain point they'll have to choose a running mate. In every way our goal is to emulate what happens in an actual presidential campaign. 06 FEB 2004 - JACK WAGMAN (ST LOUIS TODAY) [BOKE "SUMMARY" {smile}] Walmart-working Harvard Law graduate to give up school board for American Candidate. (The cleverly sharpened resumes are on the move! Stand back, or get a paper cut.{ewg}) 16 MAR 2004 - CRAIG BOERNER (NASHVILLE CITY PAPER ONLINE) EXCERPT: ... the show's Southern Region Outreach Director Adam Dread. Dread, also a Metro Councilman-at-Large, is one of only a handful of scouts hired nationwide by Actual Reality Television to find candidates.

PRE-SHOWTIME ARTICLES/MEDIA ("OLD" BUT STILL WORTH READING) 20 SEPT 2002 - ANDREW R. CLINE (RHETORICA PRESS-POLITICS JOURNAL) BLOG EXCERPT: In my rhetoric classes, I'll mention statements such as these and then ask the students: "What do we call this?" And they'll sit there wracking their brains trying to come up with the proper rhetorical term. That's when I write slowly on the board: B U L L S H I T. That's what you call it. 22 SEPT 2002 - ED HELMORE - EXCERPTS: In the hunt for untapped political leaders, a panel of semi-celebrities will assess a pool of applicants ... Cutler said American Candidate had a serious point - that after decades of political candidates who were a little more than puppets to greater interests, the show would test the true openness of US democracy. [BOKE COMMENT] {smile} PRE-SHOWIME (2002) DISCUSSION ON MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO (PDF) 26 SEPT 2002 - DAVID BRANCACCIO INTERVIEWS MARTIN KAPLIN [USC Annengberg] MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO TRANSCRIPT AT USC] 17 FEB 2003 - JAYSON GAY EXCERPT: ... "There's a huge simulation where we wake them up in the middle of the night..." Mr. Cutler stopped himself. "Actually I'm sorry I said that without asking you beforehand not to tell anybody. Cat's out of the bag." It wasn't clear if he was hamming it up a bit for drama, but Mr. Cutler continued. "We'll wake them up in the middle of the night and drive them to a mountain retreat somewhere, where they are suddenly the President, and everyone will treat them like the President. There will be a national crisis going on, all that stuff." ... 4 OCT 2002 - CHRIS RIGHT (POPpolitics.COM) EXCERPTS: Surprisingly, the United States wasn't the first country to propose such an idea. A Buenos Aires television channel beat Murdoch by a couple of weeks when, in early September, it announced the launch of The People's Candidate, a reality TV show that will not only put its winner up as a congressional candidate in 2003, but will also launch a new political party. [*] After all, turning the U.S. presidential race into a long, contrived television program would require fewer adjustments than one might think. Campaigns are already so structured that, much like "reality TV," they are hardly "real" at all. 19 FEB 2003 - KATIE BIBER (The Independent Newspaper at Harvard Law)