major announcement with Mario Cuomo regarding Fahrenheit 9/11

[Cocoa]

Anyone know what this could be about?

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040615005346&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view

Major Announcement with Mario Cuomo Regarding Michael Moore's Film ``Fahrenheit 9/11''


NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 2004--
WHO: Former NY Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, Tom Ortenberg, President of
Lions Gate Films Releasing and Jonathan Sehring, President of
IFC Entertainment

WHAT: Major announcement regarding Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"

WHERE: Willkie Farr & Gallagher
787 Seventh Avenue (between 51st and 52nd Streets)
42nd Floor
New York, NY

WHEN: Tuesday June 15th
11:15 a.m. -- media check-in
12 p.m. (Noon) -- Press Conference begins.

[eyesroll]

1. Hmm....since the conference is with the people releasing the film,

I can't imagine he'd be condemning it.

Could be interesting.

[LittleApple81]

2. No idea. Anyway to find out when it happens? n/t

[Justice]

3. Mario Cuomo is Of Counsel At Wilkie Farr

http://www.willkie.com/Lawyers/index-bios.html


Maybe these are his clients?

It is bit unusual to add the lawyer's name in the press release, but I bet this PR will receive more attention because Mario's name is in there.

[Killarney]

4. Interesting. Hope it's something good!

[lovedems]

5. Mario Cuomo said something very appropriate about Kerry

a couple weeks ago.

Paraphrasing: Kerry fought for this country and killed for this country so when he came home from Vietnam, he came home with an aversion to war. He would only send our troops to battle as a last resort. (edit: unlike the people of this administration)

I am sure it isn't anything bad. He was the only one who would tell the truth about Reagan during the Ronathon last week.

[Ripley]

7. Wow, that's not what I heard.

I heard him on CNN and he said glowing things about Raygun. He said he was a great President and something about him conducting himself in a respectful manner.

I wanted to throw a brick at him! Weren't 138 people, including cabinet members, from his admin CONVICTED of crimes??

Mario seems to have moved far to the right lately.

[Misunderestimator]

9. Other than him having the grace to respect the dead....

What on earth can you offer to prove that he has moved "far to the right?"

[Ripley]

13. I heard him also support invading Iraq.

Sorry, don't remember where, don't have a link. But in the last year, I've heard him on Hardball and other places where he sounded very um, maybe centrist would be the right word.

I was shocked, I always thought he was a flaming Liberal.

It has nothing to do with respecting the dead to say the man's administration conducted itself respectably. As a liberal, how could Mario praise what Raygun's policies did to all things liberals promote? He could be nice about the man himself, but to tout Rayguns' policies as great is uncalled for.

[Misunderestimator]

14. Sorry, but I would need links to what you're saying...

I have great respect for Mario Cuomo, and I can't believe that he called Reagan's policies "great." I'm certainly willing to read any proof you have though. :)

[lovedems]

15. I heard him talking about Raygun's policies leaving the poor behind

and that he was divisive. I heard him talk about how homelessness went on the rise during the Reagan years. He wasn't an asshole about it by any means and he did have good things to say about Reagan but he also mentioned some of the not so good things as well.

*If* I rememeber correctly it was on Larry King or Lou Dobbs? Can't remember.

[Ripley]

17. Well, I only caught part of his interview...I think it was with Wolf.

So, maybe I just missed his criticisms. But I do recall hearing him interviewed in the past few years and I thought to myself "9/11 really did a number on this guy...he doesn't even sound very liberal anymore."

I'll see if I can find a link.

[qanda]

18. You probably should have seen the entire interview

He was not at all glowing in his praise of Reagan, although he was trying to be very respectful of the dead. In fact, at least once he said "God rest his soul" after saying something negative about Reagan. He was also on Washington Journal last week and I thought he was absolutely great.

[ClassWarrior]

6. Mario should've been President.

I've felt this way since his speech at the '84 Dem Convention.

Oh, what could have been...

[dr.strangelove]

11. Mario is the man

I've dreamed of Mario as POTUS or on the SCOTUS for over 20 years. We were robbed of a GREAT man leading this country.

[AP]

16. I LOVE Cuomo. One of my top 5 favorite politicians of all time. But, re SC

OTUS, he really flaked out.

In George Steph's book, All Too Human, he describes the negotiations with Cuomo re SC, and it was baffling. He was so close to getting on the court, but he couldn't make up his mind. IIRC, the WH did everything they could to give him enough time to decide. He ended up using his son as a liason. Sent a clear message that he was rejecting the offer, and then acted like it was still open after he shut the door, and by that time, the WH had already intitiated the process for someone else.

[dr.strangelove]

34. Sad

I was pretty busy in law school during the offer for SCOTUS. I recall there being some confusion about whether he ever got the offer, but I never heard that story. He would have been great.

[mopaul]

12. i hope he announces his candidacy for president

i can dream can't i

[Mandate My Ass]

21. That was a great speech

I remember having it on in my house when there were people visiting and how within a matter of minutes everyone had fallen silent and sat glued to the TV. I have a book of his speeches, but that was by far, the most eloquent I've heard from him and maybe I've ever heard.

[Mandate My Ass]

22. That was a great speech

I remember having it on in my house when there were people visiting and how within a matter of minutes everyone had fallen silent and sat glued to the TV. I have a book of his speeches, but that was by far, the most eloquent I've heard from him and maybe I've ever heard.

[AP]

8. Maybe they're going announce that his firm has fact-checked the film

A team of lawyers reviewed the films, and there are no errors, and that the firm will make their files available to reporters in their offices on a 24 basis until November 2, 2004.

That would be cool.

[Justice]

10. Maybe Response to GOP's Efforts To Shut Down Film

Maybe to reveal the website ties to the GOP and the fact that the GOP doesn't want the film to be shown? And to say will take all measures to fight attempts to suppress film?

[Gin]

19. On The View today...One woman saw the film yesterday...a special showing..

She recommends everyone see it....O'Rielly was there..she took the picures for the view..it was Joy.

[hlthe2b]

20. that was my thought....

Maybe his firm is going to take on that group that wants to suppress distribution.... If they have the goods on official Repug participation, that would make for quite a press announcement...Or they could just be putting the Pugs on notice...

[LittleApple81]

23. Did you see him last night in the News Hour (PBS) talking about

the Catholic Church's "pronouncements" to muzzle Catholic politicians who favor abortion? I caught it after it had started... HE WAS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!

[Killarney]

24. Any news yet?

[sangh0]

25. Mario Cuomo destroyed the NY State Democratic Party

Mario was so afraid of competition, he paid more attention to cutting the legs off of Democrats than he did with the Repukes. That's why NY State and NY City, both mostly Democratic, are now run by Repukes.

[Delano]

26. He also recently endorsed the idea of putting Raygun on Rushmore,

money, etc. That really blew my respect for him out of the water.

[ClassWarrior]

27. I wouldn't mind if they put Reagan on a bill...

I need practice drawing a Hitler moustache and devil horns.


And, as the poster asked above, is there any news on this announcement?...

[Ripley]

28. YES! That's the other thing I heard him say recently.

Criminy! What happened to him? It's one thing to be "respectful" of the dead and say nice things like "could read his lines well" or whatever, but damn! Why would he deserve to be on Rusmore more than say JFK?

[Rosco T.]

29. PREDICTION: Mario will announce New York will host the official US Premier

that should put a bug in the 'pugs butts.

[mark0rama]

30. It was supposed to start almost 2 hours ago.

Anyone heard/read anything? I keep wondering if they're suing someone.

[hlthe2b]

31. Anyone know what happened?

"Sort of frustrating not knowing what it was all about......
:shrug:

[never cry wolf]

32. This just out - Mario Cuomo joins fight for PG-13 rating for `Fahrenheit 9

Mario Cuomo joins fight for PG-13 rating for `Fahrenheit 9/11'

By KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press Writer

June 15, 2004, 2:30 PM EDT


NEW YORK -- Former Gov. Mario Cuomo said Tuesday that he has been retained by the distributors of Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" to assist in their effort to get a PG-13 rating instead of an R.

"I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get this picture advanced," said Cuomo, a Democrat who has been a lawyer in private practice since being defeated for re-election by Republican George Pataki in 1994.

snip---------

Cuomo said that he has been retained by Lions Gate and IFC to assist in the appeals process and that after seeing the movie three times "I was convinced that it should be viewed and reflected upon by as many Americans as possible ... especially young people who, in a few years, might be part of our military forces."

snip--------

Cuomo added that in addition to representing the distributors as an attorney he planned to go on talk shows to promote the movie.

"I'm committed personally to the proposition, as more than just a lawyer, that everybody should see this film," he told reporters at the midtown offices of his firm, Wilkie Farr & Gallagher.

more---> http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--cuomo-fahrenheit-0615jun15,0,3523060.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[lcooksey]

33. Film got an R, Cuomo will be fighting it

The only non-registration source I could find was Newsday:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--cuomo-fahrenheit-0615jun15,0,3523060.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

Former Gov. Mario Cuomo said Tuesday that he has been retained by the distributors of Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" to assist in their effort to get a PG-13 rating instead of an R.

"I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get this picture advanced," said Cuomo, a Democrat who has been a lawyer in private practice since being defeated for re-election by Republican George Pataki in 1994.