Momen Thinks

I was on a Boston Globe forum on Obama’s upcoming speech and after reading the reader comments I got so utterly pissed.  I’m sick and tired of hearing Republican “Talking Points”.  For those unfamilar, a “talking point” is a slogan or catch phrase that is shared with members, and the Democrats do this as well, to paint a caricature of their opponent.  John McCain has been labelling Obama a “celebrity” or a “tax and spend liberal” or someone who is not “ready to lead”.  Such bullshit if you actually look at their records.  But a Talking Point allows someone who claims to “know” politics to speak in nothing but the common denominator.

Here’s an example of a discussion that may take place with me and a Republican:

Me:  So why are you voting for McCain over Obama?

Republican:  Well Obama is not “ready to lead”.

Me: Please elaborate.  Why is he not ready to lead?

Republican: Because he’s just a celebrity.

Me: Shoot me.

I’ve decided from now on the second I hear a talking point from some supporter of McCain I will ask them the following questions:

1) Please describe McCain’s tax proposals and how they affect the middle-class.

2) Please describe McCain’s health care policy.  How will he attempt to insure the uninsured?

If they can’t even generate a coherent and informed sentence then quite frankly they have no right to support their candidate.

John Legend is the official king of the “second chance” love song.  Here’s some proof off his next album “Evolver” which comes out September 28th.

So Blender Magazine got the two candidates to write down their top 10 songs. Here they are courtesy of Blender:

Barack Obama

1. Ready or Not Fugees
2. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye
3. I’m On Fire Bruce Spingsteen
4. Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones
5. Sinnerman Nina Simone
6. Touch the Sky Kanye West
7. You’d Be So Easy to Love Frank Sinatra
8. Think Aretha Franklin
9. City of Blinding Lights U2
10. Yes We Can will.i.am

John McCain

1. Dancing Queen ABBA
2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA
4. If We MakeIt Through December Merle Haggard
5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson
6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys
7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra
9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters

So first McCain tells us that he doesn’t know how to use a computer.  And now, while I’m not knocking Neil Diamond, Blue Eyes, or even The Beach Boys – what does it say that somebody seeking the office to lead in the 21st century, can not pick a tune that was produced in the last 5 years???

Below is my response to Bobby Del Rio’s “open letter to the Shaw Festival…”

Bobby,

With all due respect, and coming from an actor of visible minority who is currently working at the Festival, the only person who I find to be angry quite frankly is you. The hopes and ambitions of visible minorities in the Canadian theatre are only diminished by your juvenile, harsh, and unfounded comments. To compare the plight of a visible minority in the Canadian theatre to that of a Holocaust victim, or a slave, as you essentially did in your comment to Beatrice Campbell is not hyperbole to prove a point, but lunacy that undermines your argument.

If we as minorities accept that there is a cause, and that we are one, I am by no means helped by you. My spirits are raised when I go to see Andrew’s stunning play “The Real McCoy”, my hopes are raised when I see Nigel Williams speak a word on stage, my hopes are raised when Soheil Parsa directs a show, however my hopes by no means are raised by you.

In regards to the Shaw Festival specifically, Jackie Maxwell is more than aware of the issues raised by Andrew’s articulate letter. She has on more than one occasion, and at length discussed the matter with the company. I assure you that she will take steps to change.

We no longer need to fight racism existentially. We know it exists, and as a brilliant fellow actor of minority just told me, racism appears when we least expect it, and generally by surprise. But what is constant now is the general consensus that it isn’t right. And those who have unknowingly participated in it, I have faith will try to move past those ideas and correct themselves. I have witnessed this already in speaking to people since Andrew so thoughtfully sent his request out.

The world is changed in increments, and ripples sometimes. What was started here by Andrew is thoughtful, pragmatic, rationale and balanced, and is not startlingly, more effective than your approach.

As a minority, I ask you Mr. Del Rio to not continue your bashing as it helps none of us. I personally see the possibility of a prosperous future here at the Shaw Festival. I have yet to personally experience any racism by any of the actors or directors here. In fact you would probably be surprised as to the positive reaction Andrew’s letter has brought about the acting company.

People here are getting together and healthily debating this topic in a manner in which Bernard Shaw would be proud of.

Keep the conversation churning guys,

Ali Momen

Last night a Canadian actor/playwright by the name of Andrew Moodie created a Facebook group and an accompanying blog about racism in the Shaw Festival.  I am working on a detailed response to Andrew and everybody else’s concerns.  I also want to address specifically the post by Bobby Del Rio, which I found to be ignorant, juvenile, and most importantly no help to minority actors.

As a visible minority myself I hope that I can shed light on the racism or lack thereof I see here at Shaw my first year.  Stay tuned!

This is simply revolting.  Really?  Honestly if any Latino watches this and takes it seriously then they probably would have voted McCain anyway.  Ugh it’s so utterly frustrating.  Argue on the merits “my friend”.  John McCain is a complete and utter sell-out.  What happened to him as a maverick?  He’s playing Karl Rove politics right now.  I wonder how  independents, who are pretty much the ones who decide this election will take this negative, bogus, bullshit campaigning.  And I know some have written about this, but who else sees the racist undertones in this ad and others?  Black man doesn’t care for the latino.  Black man will fuck all your white daughters after he’s done with Paris and Britney.  And why show Obama sinking a three-pointer in front of a bunch of soldiers in an add that falsely claims he skipped out on meeting the troops thereby undercutting your entire argument?  Could it be you remind people that Obama is another black man who can “shoot hoops”.

And McCain’s slogan now is “Country first.”  Really dumb-ass?  Extending tax cuts that favour the wealthy, and keep your country in deficit is “country first”?  Extending a war that has cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives and was fought under false pretences is putting “country first”?  Drilling off-shore not as a means to  solve an energy crisis but to create a phony election time gimmick is putting country first?  Doing nothing about your health care crisis where 40 million + are uninsured is putting country first?

“My friend” you are a douche bag.

John McCain has in the past few weeks reneged on a campaign promise to run a respectful campaign.  He has stated that Obama would rather win an election than win a war, he ran an ad comparing Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and now he has disgustingly said that Obama is playing the race card.  I would argue, along with Bob Herbert from the New York Times, that it is McCain who is playing the race card.

John McCain has proven ill fit to be President many times.  Whether it’s his stubborn support for the war in Iraq, his lack of a plan for the economy, or simply his inability to understand basic facts on the ground.  He is still referring to the Czech Republic as Chekloslovakia.

Sadly this type of campaign will continue.  Why?  Because John McCain and the Republicans has nothing else to run on.  They don’t have the record and they don’t have the ideas.  It’s dispecable and desperate.  Obama needs to win, if anything to prove that this type of campaigning doesn’t work.  I would hope that the Americans after 8 years of the worst presidency in its history will no longer let themselves play politics on the Republican level…let us hope.

First off I wanna preface this by saying that it was rather exciting to be mentioned and linked on Chris Wilkinson’s blog on the Guardian.

I’ve wanted to comment on this little web video for a while now so I will take the time to do so.  Chris himself tackles the video, as does Kelly Nestruck at the Globe and Mail – who has become by the way officially my favourite critic, partly in the way he entices Morris Panych into discourse.  Anyway, here is my  take on this video:

One of my first professional experiences as an actor (doing a reputable gig in which I was paid a sum of money) was a production of INTERROGATION for Modern Times Stage.  To this day I consider it one of the most artistic and memorable experiences I’ve ever had as an actor.  I shared the stage with fantastic actors, and was directed by now multiple Dora winner, and proud to say mentor, Soheil Parsa.  It was performed at Theatre Passe Muraille.  We had the mainspace, and we shared the back space with another theatre company that was performing a play written by a female Canadian playwright named Hannah Moscovitch.  The play was The Russian Play and it was the hit of the festival.  I never got a chance to see the play, but when Hannah’s next play East of Berlin premiered at Factory Theatre I made sure to see it.  I will say this bluntly, East of Berlin gave me a profound sense of hope.  Hannah’s script was impeccable – wrenching, intellectual, humourous, and filled with passion.  Hannah Moscovitch is a bright light in Canadian theatre at the moment.

The other playwrights in the video while I am not fully familiar with them are from what I’ve heard wonderful as well.  I know Anita Mujumdar as a wonderful actor as she played The Boy in Modern Times’ production of Bloom. And I remember swooning after seeing her at a production of Interrogation – yes my friends she is beautiful.

I recognize wholeheartedly the talent of these women, which allows me to recognize the irony and the humour of the video.  In fact by reading the comments on the Summerworks blog itself, those who are familiar with the playwrights and their works recognize exactly what I did. I hope that this video in no way leaves the impression that the women present are not brilliant, because they are.  The mere notion that they are succesful female Canadian playwrights means the world to our country.  Let us hope that no one watches this thing and decides against going the festival.  I do not want to make judgments on the two theatre festivals that happen in Toronto in the summer time, but from my experience, Summerworks is where you will find a consistency that is not found at the Fringe.

But honestly, I pretty much agree with playwright Adam Pettle who poses the real question that needs to asked, and I paraphrase, “OK…but who’s the hottest??”