Variety: Bombshell decision may happen; ABC mulls yanking "Path to 9/11"

[DeepModem Mom]

Pols pound 'Path'
Under fire, ABC mulls yanking mini
By WILLIAM TRIPLETT

"The Path to 9/11" is looking a lot like "The Reagans, Part II."

Bill Clinton loyalists are demanding wholesale changes to the upcoming miniseries -- and while ABC is making some snips, the alterations, insiders say, may not please the Dems.

But a bombshell decision may happen anyway: Sources close to the project say the network, which has been in a media maelstrom over the pic, is mulling the idea of yanking the mini altogether.

As for specific criticisms -- and changes -- the original mini contained a scene in which then-National Security Adviser Sandy Berger declines to give the CIA authority to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, even when CIA operatives know where the al-Qaeda leader is.

"This account has been expressly contradicted by Richard Clarke, a high-ranking counterterrorism official in both the Clinton and Bush administrations," certain lawmakers wrote in a letter to Disney topper Bob Iger.

While ABC declined to comment on specific changes, it's believed that the Berger scene was among those being reworked....

http://www.variety.com/VR1117949675.html

[Generic Other]

1. YES

Yanking the bomb!

[SoCalDemGrrl]

2. Wonderful news, if true.. fingers crossed that truth will prevail

[OnyxCollie]

3. Why does it have to be Bill Clinton loyalists?

Why not just people demanding the truth about 9/11?

Not that I've got anything against Bill (except for the Telecommunications Deregulation Act of 1996).

[bliss_eternal]

6. Thank you! I wondered the same thing...

...it's not ALL about Clinton. Not one letter that I wrote to Disney or ABC had anything to do with Clinton. It's about creating spin and passing it off as truth, then dessiminating it to the masses through school study guides.

:mad:

I'm getting tired of the media trying to spin this as some leftist devoted act of worship for our fallen, persecuted hero...:wtf:

[renate]

7. ditto on that! This isn't about Clinton, for pete's sake

It's about... oh, what's the word, it's been years since I've seen it... TRUTH.

[silverojo]

27. That, and his welfare DE-form

:mad:

[regnaD kciN]

28. And his backing of DoMA...

Let's face it, Bubba triangulated like mad, particularly in 1996, when his chief advisor was Dick "Conservative Toe-Sucker" Morris. It's one reason why I cast my vote for Nader that year (and not any other year).

[City Lights]

35. Totally agree.

I want the truth, goddammit. I don't care who the truth portrays badly.

[andino]

4. Screw them anyway! Letting it get this far shows their true colors!

n/m

[suziedemocrat]

32. Exactly! That;s what I put in my e-mail to ABC.

Why are you planning to confuse the American Public with an untrue account blaming Bill Clinton for 9/11? This is so terrible and a complete misuse of the power you have as a major network. From now on, I will treat everything coming from Disney and ABC, (and Apple - hello Steve Jobs) as suspect. Clearly ABC and Disney have an agenda, let the truth be damned.

[Sydnie]

5. I hope they do but it's a little late after the horse is out of the barn

I mean, with all the screener copies out there with the disinformation included, you just know that it will still be out there circulating no matter what ABC does now. They should have thought about that before they gave it to their operatives.

All the same, I hope they do pull it.

[bliss_eternal]

8. I think you're right...

there's copies out there, and they will continue to circulate. :mad:

But I'd rather it float around the internet like some porno loop than for it to be presented as a "no commercial interruption" production. The idea that they wanted to feed this crap to our children, with tales of "raygun was a hero" and "bush was a good man that read to children" makes me want to hurl.

I'm hopeful also that it will be pulled.

:puke:

[az chela]

9. Say it is ssooooooooooooooo

They ned to just pull the damn thing,I am so sick of their lies and con jobs

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. Nice to see some real progress, even if it's just some reworkings

:kick:

[nicknameless]

11. Could be a ruse to get critics to back off. DON'T LET UP!!!

Demand that they pull this protracted LIE-FEST!

[Nikki Stone 1]

14. Agree with you--Don't let up!

:kick:

[BadGimp]

12. Direct to DVD

That's the best path for this diatribe.

[longship]

13. Keep up the pressure!!!!

"Never give up!!! Never, ever, ever give up."
Winnie Churchill

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. I just e-mailed the story to Bernie Ward at KGO

:woohoo:

I also e-mailed my friend on the copy desk at Variety to thank her.

[Bluestar]

16. Scarborough said he heard Iger was furious

I haven't seen this posted anywhere on DU. I heard Scarborough say (before I could quickly switch the channel, I can't stand him) that he had sources who said that Robert Iger (Disney CEO) was furious about the whole fiasco and that they were making wholesale changes to the movie--not the minor changes we have heard about. I don't know whether to believe this or not--after all, it is Joe Scarborough.

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. By the time they edit out all of the lies

they'll probably have about two minutes worth of programming left. They're going to need to run a lot of commercials to fill in the gaps. :sarcasm:

[MetaTrope]

17. Just wondering if the movie also depicts Bush telling the CIA

to stop looking for bin Laden in early 2001?

[Hissyspit]

21. And that their "ass is covered." n/t

[TomInTib]

18. ABC jumped the shark.... adios, mofos...nt

[Drum]

20. Amen!

[garybeck]

19. Not just a miniseries, there are "teaching packets" going to schools

this is blatant propoganda, like from a bad late night movie. the teaching packets for school just go too far. it has to be scrapped completely.

[Liberty Belle]

22. Tell Disney you'll boycott Disney World; can we picket the parks?

Picket lines and handouts at Disneyland and Disney World would draw a lot of bad media attention to the happiest place on earth, doncha think?

[bliss_eternal]

24. Yes...

their employees picketed the park back in the 80's (I think, don't quote me on date). I would LOVE to picket the park and/or their broadcasting affiliate stations.

They apparently need a wake-up call.

[Nite Owl]

23. I wonder about this part:

"One thing ABC doesn't need to worry about: advertiser defections. Net decided to air the five-hour mini sans commercials after failing to find an appropriate sponsor for the project" (Daily Variety, Sept. 5).

Either they thought this would keep them safe by not having any outside involvement or they couldn't get any company to advertise, they wouldn't risk it. The advertisers knew they would be in deep shit!

[aquart]

26. So it's a dead loss financially and every other way.

"Failing to find an appropriate sponsor." Ooooh, who greenlighted this disaster?

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. Whoever it is

I bet they never work in Hollywood again. (At least, that's what use to happen in the old days.)

[countmyvote4real]

25. You say "fictionalized compression" and I say "libel."

The house of Mickey should sink with the house of Bush and all their Saudi cronies. What a lovely invitation. We either have an insider that's egging them on or Disney/ABC is too high on their trumped up power and believe that they can pull this off.

Hello, ABC suits: The View.

This is not the way to turn around a laughing stock network.

[regnaD kciN]

29. Maybe they could instead try...

This is not the way to turn around a laughing stock network.

...bringing back the game-show craze of the late '90s. Maybe a new game, like Who Wants To Be A Right-Wing Stooge?

:evilgrin:

[lonestarnot]

33. Guess they're not liking the sound of "law suit (s)" in plural

[DeepModem Mom]

34. a.m. kick

[sendero]

36. The damage is done..

... for me. Even if they do pull the film, they're doing it only because they blundered like the dumbasses they are and sent out advance copies.

As far as I'm concerned, they are like someone caught robbing a convenience store. They fact that they were caught before they got away with the money is moot.

I will never watch another film from Disney, or any of it's subsidiary studios. No ESPN. I will go on my Tivo setup and delete any and all ABC affiliated channels.

They can kiss my ass. This is war people, we cannot fix our government until we fix the media. They need to feel the pain for even trying this stunt.