Anderson Cooper Gets Another Show,
Spike Lee Gets Achievement Award
EVERAL distinguished personalities,
including Elmore Leonard, Spike Lee, and Anderson
Cooper, brought inspiration to the annual PromaxBDA conference
in June at the New York Hilton. PromaxBDA is the leading global
association for marketing, promotion and design professionals in the
entertainment industry.
In a Q&A with Erica Hill, co-anchor
of The Early Show on CBS, Anderson Cooper said he’s
happiest doing multiple jobs. Besides reigning on CNN, he’s prepping
to executive produce and host a daytime syndicated talk show in the
fall.
"Daytime TV is good when we can share a
lot and meet interesting people," he said. "It’s another way to tell
stories."
He won’t leave news, which he’s very
passionate about. He’ll continue to do that on CNN. What he really
loves as a reporter, he said, is going out in the field, covering
wars and disasters.
"We’ll have enough daytime shows to cover
a week, so I can still travel for my CNN show" where he’s executive
producer as well as anchor.
What exactly does an executive producer
do?
"I’ve learned the EP doesn’t do very
much," he cracked.
Next day TV interviewer Charlie Rose
queried Spike Lee. The film producer said he does everything
on a shoot. He’s involved in the script, locations, the point of
view and tons of interviews to promote the product.
"I’m not an objective documentary
filmmaker," he said. "Michael Moore definitely has a viewpoint, and
so do I."
Lee is an award-winning
writer/director/producer/actor of independent film. He talked about
how the Native Americans have been shortchanged by the media, and
blamed John Wayne and director John Ford for
portraying them not as humans but as beasts and savages.
"The media played a big role in the
dehumanization and degradation of the native people," he said. "The
Battle of Big Horn is a story I want to do. But if you regard the
Native Americans as savages, then you know what kind of movie it’s
going to turn out to be. It’s a matter of viewpoint."
Spike Lee feels he should have won the
1989 Academy Award for his Do the Right Thing. His film was
nominated but no cigar. After 22 years, it still hurts.
As he exclaimed, "Who won Best Picture?
Driving Miss Motherfucking Daisy! Who’s watching that film
today? Twenty-two years later nobody’s watching that film."
The vice president and CEO of PromaxBDA,
Jonathan Block-Verk, came out to placate Lee with the
Lifetime Achievement Award. It may not be an Oscar, but it’s the top
prize of the PromaxBDA Conference.
"Spike Lee is a premiere filmmaker and
creative innovator who has transformed the storytelling landscape
with his groundbreaking films," Block said.
"I’m honored to receive this award — but
I’m not dead yet," Lee replied.
Next year PromaxBDA will move west. The
convention will be held June 12-14 at LA Live.
