01/29/07
Posted by Mary F Silverman
 By Janice Kleinschmidt
Steven Lowe had been working on The Beat Hotel for a couple of years when I met him. At the time (February 2004), I was editor of The Public Record and writing about his soon-to-open hotel.
My immediate impression of Steven — an impression that never dissipated — was that he was extremely intelligent, fascinating, and passionate. As he spoke about his former days as a friend and collaborator of William Burroughs and other Beat Generation icons, about the research he had undertaken to create the Desert Hot Springs [Lautner] Motel and Beat Hotel, about his visions for attracting and inspiring architecture and literary buffs, I began to...
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01/05/07
Posted by Mary F Silverman
Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
This documentary follows the 2004 Missouri Democratic primary to
replace retiring 28-year veteran Dick Gephardt. It is told from inside
the campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year old part-time political science
instructor running against state Rep. Russ Carnahan, whose name in
Missouri equates to the Kennedy name in Massachusetts. Trailing by 40
points in the polls, Smith mobilizes a grassroots insurgency. While no
one needs to tell us that candidates with access to power and money
have advantages regardless of their abilities, this film asks if it is...
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