Kennedy miniseries in the works: What took so long?

Joel Surnow, co-creator of 24, is shopping around a miniseries about the Kennedys. Surnow hasn't been shy about his conservative politics, but producers for the proposed 10-episode series say it's "neither a hatchet job nor a valentine." Alas, I was hoping for one or the other. According to the press release about the series, "It also tells the historical stories that are associated with the Kennedy era -- the Bay of Pigs, the Missile Crisis, the civil rights struggle, the mob connection -- each one told in the context of personal, Kennedy-family dramas."
While Surnow isn't necessarily who I expected to be behind a Kennedy project, it's not entirely surprising to see something linked to the famous clan emerge from the pop morass. After all, it hits a very on-trend trifecta:
President Obama Perhaps you've heard references to the "new Camelot"? Or people highlighting sartorial similarities between Michelle and Jackie O? Oh, you've heard it a lot? Me, too.
Politics in general Government, history, politics -- it's all very hot hot hot right now. And what screams "American political drama" louder than "Kennedy"? Milk and Frost/Nixon, while not big box-office draws (The Love Guru out-grossed them both), were definitely prestige-generating projects, and that's what a cable miniseries is about: Recall John Adams, which won 13 Emmys last year. Plus, there are no fewer than seven politically-themed shows currently in development for the 2009-10 TV season.
Mad Men The Emmy-winning period drama may be in a class all its own in terms of writing and complexity. But anything can be set in the '60s, and Mad Men's vibrant retro style -- plus its insistence that the American Dream is also part nightmare -- has been spreading since the show's debut.
So what do you think, PopWatchers? Will you be voting for a Kennedy miniseries?

Go to:
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/kennedy-miniser.html

‘24’ Creator Pursuing Kennedys Mini-Series

Having helped create the minute-by-minute television thriller “24,” Joel Surnow can take a more leisurely pace with his next project, a 10-hour mini-series about the Kennedy family. Muse Entertainment, a production company based in Montreal, said in a news release that the series “unveils secrets of the Kennedy family,” including the 35th president, John F. Kennedy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the producers are in talks with a cable network for distribution in the United States. The series will be pitched to international outlets at a conference this weekend. An outspoken conservative, Mr. Surnow left “24” in 2008; he also created a short-lived satire, “The ½ Hour News Hour,” for the Fox News Channel. Muse said the series would be fair, “neither a hatchet job nor a valentine.”

Go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/arts/television/27arts-24CREATORPUR_BRF.html?ref=arts

Senate approves Kennedy service bill

The US Senate this afternoon approved a bill named for Senator Edward M. Kennedy that represents the most sweeping overhaul and expansion of national service programs in 16 years.
The Senate voted 79-19 for the measure, which would increase the ranks of AmeriCorps to 250,000 from 75,000 positions over eight years and also create five groups to help poor people, improve education, encourage energy efficiency, strengthen access to healthcare, and assist veterans.
The House could take up the bill as early as Monday, sending it to President Obama to sign into law.
The bipartisan legislation was authored by Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.
“Today’s Senate passage of the Serve America Act demonstrates welcome bipartisan agreement on the often neglected but indispensible value of citizen service in addressing some of the most urgent challenges facing America and the world. The bill is a major expansion of existing national and community programs. Its goal is to tap much more deeply into Americans’ enthusiasm to serve, and direct it to areas and issues where it can make the biggest difference. I commend Senator Mikulski, Senator Hatch, and Senator Enzi for their impressive bipartisan cooperation in achieving such prompt Senate action, and I look forward to it becoming a significant part of President Obama’s strategy for getting America back on track,” Kennedy said in a statement.
UPDATE: President Obama issued a statement applauding the Senate's passage of the bill, which follows through on his call for more public service, and again paid tribute to Kennedy:
"I’m so pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act -- legislation that will usher in a new era of service. I want to applaud all those who have worked so hard to see this bill through, and I am eager to sign it into law.
"This legislation will help create new opportunities for millions of Americans at all stages of their lives. From improving service learning in schools to creating an army of 250,000 volunteers a year dedicated to addressing our nation's toughest problems. From connecting working Americans to a variety of part-time service opportunities to better utilizing the skills and experience of our retirees and baby boomers. This legislation will help tap the genius of our faith based and community organizations, and it will find the most innovative ideas for addressing our common challenges and helping those ideas grow.
"It is fitting that this legislation is named after Ted Kennedy, a person who has never stopped asking what he could do for his country. This legislation is not just a tribute to the service to which he has dedicated his life, it is a call to action for the rest of us. Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law – it has just begun. While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential. I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country."

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/senate_approves.html

Kennedy calls for health insurance change

March 24, 2009

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, back on Capitol Hill to pursue his political dream of universal healthcare, is declaring in a hearing today that the insurance market is broken and must be fixed.
"As the economic crisis worsens and the unemployment rate rises, the number of uninsured citizens will grow. In February 2009, more than eight percent of Americans were unemployed and 1.1 million of them will become uninsured with each one percent increase in unemployment. To guarantee that all Americans have access to quality medical services, we clearly must reform the current health insurance market," Kennedy said in a statement entered into the record before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Kennedy says that Congress should look at the healthcare overhaul in Massachusetts for "sensible reform." The Bay State plan includes an individual mandate -- something that President Obama opposes.

"A key component is the requirement that all individuals must have health insurance and that insurance must meet a minimum standard of coverage," Kennedy says in his statement.

"To assist those who have difficulty finding affordable health insurance, a state-wide “Insurance Connector” was created to pool individuals together. The plan assists low-income residents with a sliding-scale subsidy to ensure affordability. Although the nation has many diverse health insurance markets, Massachusetts’ reform shows that insurance market reforms can make a large difference – insurance coverage has risen from 94% percent to when the plan took effect in 2006 to over 97% percent today."

His full statement, provided by his Senate office, is below:
The cost of health insurance has been soaring out of control in recent years and shows no sign of slowing. Family health insurance premiums have increased by 80 percent since 2001, compared with a 24 percent increase in overall inflation. Studies estimate that 46 million Americans have no health insurance at all, and millions more are underinsured.

As the economic crisis worsens and the unemployment rate rises, the number of uninsured citizens will grow. In February 2009, more than eight percent of Americans were unemployed and 1.1 million of them will become uninsured with each one percent increase in unemployment. To guarantee that all Americans have access to quality medical services, we clearly must reform the current health insurance market.

Our goal must be to provide affordable health insurance for all Americans. Most health insurance markets do not work well today for most Americans. Small employers with fewer than 50 workers lack bargaining power to negotiate affordable prices with insurers. As a result, these employers either can’t provide insurance, or pay huge prices for coverage. Healthy individuals who can afford to pay the cost may be able to purchase private plans, but Americans with health problems – even minor conditions – often cannot find an insurer who will sell to them, or will sell at an unaffordable price.

No one is immune from the growing cost of health insurance and medical care. Large employers who historically provided full benefit packages now struggle to afford the cost of any insurance for their employees.

To reform our system, we must change how we provide and administer health insurance. In most states, insurers legally avoid providing coverage for the sick, while competing only for the healthy. In national health reform, insurers must interact with consumers efficiently, respectfully and transparently. Health insurance should help people become healthy and stay healthy. In a reasonable health insurance market, insurers should compete on price, value and patient satisfaction, not on avoiding those in need.

Massachusetts’ recent success in achieving near universal coverage shows the promise of sensible reform. A key component is the requirement that all individuals must have health insurance and that insurance must meet a minimum standard of coverage. To assist those who have difficulty finding affordable health insurance, a state-wide “Insurance Connector” was created to pool individuals together. The plan assists low-income residents with a sliding-scale subsidy to ensure affordability. Although the nation has many diverse health insurance markets, Massachusetts’ reform shows that insurance market reforms can make a large difference – insurance coverage has risen from 94% percent to when the plan took effect in 2006 to over 97% percent today.

National surveys show that the primary reason that citizens and their families are uninsured is the high cost of health insurance. In large part, coverage is too expensive because of out-of-control medical spending that consumes more than 16 percent of our national economy. For many Americans who do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance and who face health problems, insurance may not be available at any price. For Americans fortunate enough to have insurance, premiums take ever larger portions of paychecks, and rising deductibles, co-insurance and co-payments shift more of the financial burden of sickness to the patient.

We can no longer stand by while these problems grow. At this unique time in history we must seize the moment and move forward with genuine and comprehensive health reform for all Americans. To his great credit, President Obama has made such reform an early and high priority of his Administration, and the momentum is clearly with us for the first time in many years.

I commend Senator Jeff Bingaman for his impressive leadership on the HELP Committee in addressing these urgent needs. I’m hopeful that a major result of the current reform effort will be health insurance markets in every part of the nation that work for every consumer. Now is the time for Congress and the Administration, business groups and labor and consumers, health care providers, and the insurance industry to join together to create meaningful reform of our dysfunctional health insurance system.

Go to:
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/kennedy_calls_f.html

Kennedy returns to Hill as work on health plan is gearing up

March 23, 2009

Senator Edward M. Kennedy is back in Washington this week to shepherd a bipartisan bill that would greatly expand funding for national service and to hold a series of meetings on healthcare as part of an effort to draft a massive overhaul plan this summer.
It would be the longest stint on Capitol Hill of the Obama administration for Kennedy, who has been in Florida recuperating and undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

(...)

Kennedy has been a passionate advocate of the national service legislation, which builds on initiatives to boost public service that began during his brother's presidency. The measure was the first major piece of legislation the ailing lawmaker brought forward after being diagnosed with a brain tumor last May.
Written with Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, the plan would provide $5 billion over five years to fund 250,000 volunteers in energy, environmental, healthcare, and education programs. A similar measure passed overwhelmingly last week in the House, 321-105, with 70 Republican votes, and President Obama highlighted the effort in his first joint address to Congress.
The Massachusetts Democrat was part of a 74-14 vote last evening to bring the bill to the Senate floor. A final vote is likely this week.
Kennedy - who is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee - will also hold meetings on healthcare, a spokesman said yesterday.
He and his staff have been working closely with Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who laid out a breakneck schedule for a healthcare overhaul, including a review of healthcare delivery in April, an examination of ways to expand coverage in May, and an examination of financing options before drafting the proposed legislation by June.
Kennedy "and I have set up regular meetings with those senators who will play a role in health reform, to inform and oversee the process as our staffs work closely together to craft a bill," Baucus wrote yesterday in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. "In the coming weeks and months, the Senate Finance Committee and the entire Congress will try, try again to pass comprehensive health reform. And this time, there is a better chance than ever to succeed."

Go to:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/24/kennedy_returns_to_hill_as_work_on_health_plan_is_gearing_up?mode=PF

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SPECIAL OLYMPICS CHAIRMAN

“President Obama called last night and expressed his regret and he apologized. He said that he did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with intellectual disabilities. He was sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement and is ready to work with our athletes to make the United States a more accepting and welcoming country for all people with special needs.
“Words hurt and words matter. Words can cause pain and result in stereotypes that are unfair and damaging to people with intellectual disabilities. And using 'Special Olympics' in a negative or derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special needs.
“This is a teachable moment for our country. We are asking young people, parents and leaders from all walks of life to engage in conversation and help dispel negative caricatures about people with intellectual disabilities. We believe that it’s only through open conversation and dialogue about how stereotypes can cause pain that we can begin to work together to create communities of acceptance and inclusion for all.
“Special Olympics is not a program, but a worldwide movement operating 30,000 events a year in more than 180 countries. Every one of them is a chance for people of all ages to get involved, to think differently about attitudes and perceptions they may have about people with intellectual disabilities, and to make a difference.
“And so we challenge people to join our 'Spread the Word to End the Word' campaign, a youth-led national awareness effort that will launch on March 31, where we are asking people to pledge their respect for people with special needs. We’re asking people to sign our 'R-word' pledge, to join in our Unified Sports programs, to volunteer, and to be fans of our athletes and our movement.
“Additionally, we challenge policy leaders at all levels to commit to improving the support and resources for people with intellectual disabilities in areas such as healthcare, education, housing and recreation.
“Finally, we invite the President to take the lead and consider hiring a Special Olympics athlete to work in the White House. In so doing, he could help end misperceptions about the talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities, and demonstrate their dignity and value to the world."

Go to:
http://www.specialolympics.org/official_statement.aspx

Rep. Kennedy: Obama should be Special Olympics 'hugger'

March 20, 2009

U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy -- whose aunt, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics -- said he spoke with his cousin Timothy P. Shriver, who is chairman of the Special Olympics board, this morning about President Obama's comment on the Tonight show.
"The president called him and said he was sorry for the choice of words," Kennedy said.
"But you know, frankly, it's not about the choice of words. It's about understanding the impact that these words have on these families that, as Timmy said, woke up this morning crying at the thought that the president was that insensitive to their children -- and, as Timmy said, his children because all those Special Olympians are his children."
Kennedy said Shriver was "swamped with e-mails" from "parents who felt the hurt of what it was going to mean to their children to have that message sent to them."
Kennedy, who supported Mr. Obama in his Democratic primary contest against Hillary Clinton, said the president is "like many Americans" who "don't quite get how the nomenclature is important until they see what impact it has on the very people who feel those words and what it means to them."
Kennedy said Mr. Obama "knows full well -- I mean, this is a civil rights issue -- it's people feeling dissed [disrespected]."
Like everybody else, Mr. Obama makes mistakes, and it's good that he apologized, Kennedy said.
"But the best way to apologize is to go to a Special Olympics event and be a 'hugger,' " Kennedy said, referring to volunteers who cheer on Special Olympians, often hugging them at the finish line.
"I think it would be really great if he went to a couple of Special Olympics events. I think it's a really great opportunity, frankly."
-- With reports from Edward Fitzpatrick, Journal political columnistThis morning, Michael McGovern, the executive director of Special Olympics Rhode Island said his phone had been "ringing off the hook" in the wake of the president's comments.
"There are a lot of misconceptions about the athletes and our program, and this time it's happened at the highest level. We're not pleased by them. It does give us an opportunity to try to put a positive spin on the thing," McGovern said.

Go to:
http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/03/rep-kennedy-cal.html