Year 2000 Fix Jordan

Just in time for the 93rd Academy Awards, Jordan continues this Hollywood-themed podcast with cinephile friend, Claire.

For Part II, Jordan and Claire give the Academy credit where credit is due and list off their favorite Award wins and nominations.

Following that, the conversation gets meta! Jordan and Claire observe the behind-the-scenes politics of the 74th Academy Awards Ceremony (the first ceremony to air after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks) as well as the 75th (the show that aired days after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq). They also work in a few jabs at other Academy controversies because there have been plenty of ‘em in the years since!

It remains to be seen whether Jordan or Claire will ever win their own Academy Awards in this lifetime, so they instead conclude by asking the age-old question, “Do the Awards even matter?” (The answer being…maybe?)

Listen to Part I here

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WORKS CITED:

Then-Academy President Frank Pierson’s 2001 Open Letter “The Terrorists Won’t Be Allowed to Hijack Oscar”

Review from TIME Magazine of 74th Academy Awards

Excerpts from Steve Pond’s 2005 Book “The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards” – Includes info on the influence of the Iraq War on the Oscars

The LA TIMES on the Iraq War and the Buildup to the 75th Academy Awards

Michael Moore’s Oscar Acceptance Speech (Presented by Diane Lane)

Transcript of Michael Moore’s speech with commentary

Roger Ebert’s criticism of Moore’s public statements and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE.

Quoted article criticizing Michael Moore getting booed while Roman Polanski was cheered. Meryl Streep was one of those people standing! Only recently did certain celebrities express remorse for signing a petition to exonerate Polanski. Polanski would win again in 2020!

LIFE OF PI’s VFX Team Laughed off Stage. See More Info Here.

LIFE AFTER PI – Full Doc

Backlash to CATS Visual Effects Joke

Info on Writer’s Strike of 2007-2008 and its Effect on the Oscars

Good video on DO THE OSCARS MATTER?

With another Academy Awards Ceremony on the way, Jordan is joined by his cinephile friend, Claire, to talk about Hollywood’s biggest night! Together, they explore their first experiences watching the Oscars, their thoughts on the movies nominated this year, and their least favorite nominees and winners from the last 20 years. They also go over the shady politics that determine who goes home with a golden statue and the now-disgraced man who dominated the awards circuit for most of the 21st century.

This episode is mostly Spoiler-Free and where there are spoilers…well, look you probably weren’t going to see the movie anyway. Stay tuned for Part II!

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Works Cited:

The Union-Busting Origin of the Oscars

The Confusing Way Votes are Tallied

The Effect of Having 10 Best Pictures Nominees

The Academy’s Proposed 2024 Rules for Nominees

Experiences of Academy Voters

Critique on Oscar Movies on Race Relations

Why did CRASH Win Best Picture?!

Yes, GREEN BOOK was that bad (and racist).

Any Music Critic Will Tell You…the Music in 2012’s LES MISERABLES is BAD!

The Ominous Influence of the Monster-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named on the Oscars

The villainous plan of America’s energy pirates worked! They humiliated California Governor Gray Davis with their manufactured blackouts and made sure the Federal Government allowed them to bankrupt states with their obscene energy prices. Just as they planned, California’s voters were fed up with Gray Davis and the number of grievances they had with the governor would only grow. While Gray Davis narrowly won his 2002 re-election, he’d soon learn that his job was about to be (wait for it) TERMINATED!

In the Part III conclusion of YEAR 2000 FIX’s Recall mini-series, Jordan explains how California’s 2003 Gubernatorial Recall became a reality, how Arnold Schwarzenegger (a movie star with no political experience) booted Gray Davis out of office, and the legacy of California under Schwarzenegger.

Links to Part I and Part II

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SELECTED WORKS CITED:

Arnold JibJab Video

Jay Leno Announcement Video

LA TIMES on 2003 Recall Election Results

Article on leadup to the Recall. See also here.

CNN on Walnut Creek Debate and CNN on Long Beach Rally

Anderson Cooper-hosted debate on Recall

The debate Schwarzenegger actually attended. See also here.

Info on the 100+ candidates who ran. See New York Times report here.

Info on Schwarzenegger’s accusations

Arnie and Hitler. The allegations are mostly correct.

Arnold’s Platform. See here on energy. Also here.

Arnold’s F-YOU Letter

10-year overview on the Recall

The unfortunate end to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s terms. See also here. And here.

Could history repeat itself with Gavin Newsom? See what Gray Davis has to say about that!

The plot thickens in the story of California’s 2003 Gubernatorial Recall and ENRON has plenty to contribute! For Part II, Jordan rewinds to 2000 – the year a series of blackouts hit California. Was it at all suspicious that these blackouts occurred at the same time ENRON (and several other energy companies) made obscene profits selling high-priced energy back to California? Governor Gray Davis struggled to prove this, so the energy-deprived public blamed him!

Explored in this episode: ENRON’s shameless energy trading schemes, the Bush Administration’s complicity, and the day Enron Chairman Ken Lay courted a certain action movie-star to take over the Golden State.

Stay tuned for Part III, where YEAR 2000 FIX will exclusively analyze the 2003 Recall and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful gubernatorial campaign.

Message YEAR 2000 FIX on Anchor here!

SELECTED WORKS CITED:

Part I on ENRON’s bankruptcy and ties to the Bush Administration

Info on the 2005 Documentary ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM. I’m sure you can find this on Netflix.

National Geographic Study on CA Blackouts

Timeline of Blackouts

Gray Davis’ advisor, David Freeman, testimony on the energy crisis

World Socialist Website on ENRON’s schemes. Also, see here.

CBS News Report on ENRON’s schemes

Selected audio of Enron’s traders. See here for “Grandma Millie” call.

PROJECT CENSORED on Arnold Schwarzenegger meeting Ken Lay. Also, see here. And here. And here.

Aftermath of “Honest” Tim Belden

Governor Gray Davis’ interview with FRONTLINE

Article on the current state of CA Energy Policy

Legacy of 2003 Recall

ENRON: the energy and commodities company that proves that when you have enough money, power, influence, and sheer cockiness, you’re free to destroy the career of a state’s governor and install a cheesy action movie-star to succeed them. That sentence sounds ridiculous and yet, ENRON is a big reason Arnold Schwarzenegger took hold of California!

In this three-part series covering the 2003 California Gubernatorial Recall, Jordan starts with something of a “villain backstory” and fulfills a lifelong goal of understanding what in the hell the ENRON scandal even was! Here, you will learn how ENRON’s Chairman/CEO Ken Lay and CEO/COO Jeffrey Skilling thrived in the deregulated energy market of the 90s & 2000s and how the company’s execs almost got away with all their crimes. You’ll also learn why, despite what the administration of President George W. Bush said, ENRON’s business scandal was ALSO an unexplored political scandal.

Stay tuned for Part II, where Jordan will go over ENRON’s special relationship to California, and Part III, where Jordan will go over Arnold’s “machine-like” rise to governership.

Message YEAR 2000 FIX on Anchor here!

SELECTED WORKS CITED:

Info on the 2005 Documentary ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM – a vital source for everything I say here. I wish I had a voice as smooth as Peter Coyote’s!

The You’re Wrong About podcast episode on ENRON. *I credit this episode for educating me on the whole “there was barely a whistleblower” angle to the scandal.*

Anderson Advisors on Mark to Market Accounting

NBC NEWS on Sherron Watkins the “Whistleblower”

Bethany McClean’s original FORTUNE article on ENRON

20/20 Hindsight from Bethany McClean and Others - 2002

John Olson takes on ENRON Pre-Scandal

George W. Bush and ENRON. See more here. And here. And here. And here. And here. And nope, not done. Does Bush ever stop? OK, one more.

In the mid-2000s, hardcore gamers and people whose knowledge of video games didn’t go beyond Pac-Man, had one thing in common: they had a GUITAR HERO controller in their living room! Or maybe, it was the ROCK BAND faux-drum kit. Either way, from 2005-2009, people loved video games that let them pretend to be rock-stars.

Performing this week as a solo act, Jordan explains the origins of the GUITAR HERO and ROCK BAND franchises, why people enjoyed playing the games so much, and the probable reasons fans soon grew tired of them.

Jordan also goes over how GUITAR HERO and ROCK BAND may have even influenced the way real musicians learn their craft. While many of us spent more time than we’d like to admit playing these games (instead of playing a real instrument), at least we didn’t drop out of school to do so full-time!

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WORKS CITED:

The Daily Iowan by Bren Johnson – “While their guitars gently screech “ – August 30, 2007Next Venue for Guitar HERO III” PCs, Macs – PC MAG – September 12, 2007

Details on Activision partnering with NeverSoft

Activision's GH release strategy

2009 News of Decreased GH and ROCK BAND sales

Activision-Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick’s assessment on why Guitar Hero’s bubble popped 

Nathan Grayson of PC World Explains the once appeal:

Financial News for GH and Rock Band See more here. –

IGN in 2011 on ACTIVISION killing the GH franchise

IGN Editorial: The Year the Music Games Died

GuitarFreaks and Origins of Music Rhythm Games

David Edery FREAKONOMICS Guest Post

Thank You, Reddit for providing info on GH and Rock Band

Music Licensing in Video Games

Prince on GH

The Romantics really sued Activision!

IGN Interview with Alex Rigopoulos of Harmonix 

ROCK Band the Stars was a thing on VH1

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at E3

GH Metallica Ad