Thursday, October 2, 2008

Announcing the Politics & Movies Blog-a-thon!


[Nov 4 Update: The Politics & Movies Blog-a-thon has commenced here.]

The 2008 race for the White House has gone on so long that even Barack Obama is starting to look old. And, sure, the whole drawn-out affair has recently gotten a bit more interesting, thanks to a certain hockey mom from Alaska who is so intent on staring down the Russians every morning that she apparently can’t remember the name of the newspaper that’s spread out next to her bowl of cornflakes. But, like it or not, in just over a month the spectacle will end.

Come Election Day – er, maybe a few days after – some of us will be celebrating and some of us will be sobbing. But, assuming we’ve been keeping up with the coverage, all of us will find ourselves with a little extra free time and a pang of regret that the whole blessed affair ended so quickly (just go with me on this). So on that note, in the spirit of keeping the rash of political mania burning just a little longer, or if only to provide a welcome diversion from the election’s outcome, The Cooler is pleased to announce the Politics & Movies Blog-a-thon, taking place right here November 4-9.

Bloggers: Consider this your invitation.

The parameters are these: Your post must deal with politics and movies. Simple as that. If that means you write an appreciation of a political-themed drama like The Candidate, perfect! If that means you analyze a documentary like No End In Sight, that’s great, too. If instead you want to dive into the deeper political themes of a blockbuster like The Dark Knight, be my guest. Politics and movies are the essential ingredients. Go forth and be creative.

Per usual, post your contribution on your blog and send me the link via e-mail or the comments section the week of the blog-a-thon. If you don’t have a blog and would like to contribute, e-mail me your contribution and I’ll post it here at The Cooler.

In the meantime, if you would be so kind, help spread the word.

See you on Election Day!


12 comments:

Mark said...

Awesome idea, Jason. I hope we'll be able to come up with something and participate.

James Yates said...

Hi there--

I've seen your blog linked on a few of the other blogs I visit regularly. Don't ask me why it's taken me so long to check this out.
This is a great blog-a-thon idea! I plan on contributing, and I'll put a link up.

Jason Bellamy said...

Jamie: Why has it taken you so long to check out my blog?

Oh, wait. Sorry.

Glad to have you contribute! Looking forward to checking out your blog in the meantime, too.

Fox said...

I am definitely into this, and will post the banner to get more participants. This should be great.

elgringo said...

I'm in!

Paul Arrand Rodgers said...

I'm in as well.

Jason Bellamy said...

Excellent, all! Keep it going, and please spread the word.

Also: Multiple submissions welcome, if any bloggers so desire.

Anonymous said...

Jason,

Since you're starting this on Election Day, I'm going to write about a film that also is set on an election day-in Iran: Secret Ballot (2001).

"Set on election day in an extremely remote area of Iran, Secret Ballot tells the story of a soldier (Cyrus Abidi) who's assigned to work with a female pollster (Nassim Abdi) who's out seeking voters. Following closely on the heels of the November 2000 voting scandal in Florida, this latest entry from Iran's rich film community shows the humor of the election process, even in a place so far removed. "

Jason Bellamy said...

Excellent! That works!

Unknown said...

Count me in. My article will be on Oliver Stone's film, JFK.

Joshua said...

This is a great idea for a blog-a-thon, I'll certainly be contributing.

RC said...

thanks jason...i hope to participate! It should be interesting to see the variety of those who participate.