The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> MIRAMAX MOORE br> By September, all the Bush-bashing books will be clogging up the remainder bins, but there will still be plenty of Bush-bashing media for people to watch and hear about. /p>

The biggest event appears to be a politically orchestrated and financed documentary by Michael Moore, cleverly entitled Fahrenheit 911 (as in Ray Bradbury's brave new worldish Fahrenheit 451, a far-left favorite, particularly after being turned into a movie).

Unlike many documentaries, which are produced on a shoestring, Moore had the good fortune to have investors, including a number of Hollywood types with ties to the Democratic Party. And -- surprise! -- the film, which Moore completed months ago, is slated to hit the big screen in September. Just in time for the presidential election.

The film only a month ago had the title Fahrenheit 9/11, meant to more closely highlight the content of the movie: an anti-Bush screed blaming the president for the September 11th tragedy, along with supposed new and powerful of evidence of Bush ties to the Saudi royal family and the sinister and shadowy Carlyle Group, an organization that … makes and invests money, something a Moore film has never done.

At some point in the past few weeks, Moore changed the title ever-so slightly, and without comment.

That Moore's film is even seeing the light of day may be an interesting story. Moore, whose films generally never make more than a pittance, started producing this film soon after the terrorist attacks. His take on the tragedy appears to fall into the Bush-knew-about-the-attacks-before-they-happened story line perpetuated by a number of far-left Democrats.

Now any slack-jawed, overweight, pale-skinned, Wesley Clark supporting yokel with a beta-cam can make a film. But it's another thing to get that film into major movie theaters where slack-jawed, overweight, pale-skinned film buffs can pay $9.50 to see it.

And it appears the Democratic National Committee is taking care of that. Longtime and big-time Bill Clinton and DNC donor Harvey Weinstein is said by a Disney insider to be a "major" investor in Fahrenheit 911, and Weinstein's company, Miramax, a Disney subsidiary, has been talking with Moore and his production company about distributing the film in the United States. The amount Weinstein and Miramax have put into the film is said by some to be as much as $4 million, no small amount for a documentary.

A distribution deal with Disney-backed Miramax would ensure that the film would potentially get wider play across the country, and almost certainly would receive broader advertising on TV and radio.

"It's far from a done deal," says the Disney source. "This may be the kind of film Miramax has backed in the past, but today, with the way Disney is under scrutiny from investors and the media, it probably isn't a film Disney should be associated with. And even if it's Miramax's name at the bottom of the one-sheet, Disney will inevitably be dragged into any controversy. And this film will definitely generate controversy."

p> SHARPTON ON HIS TOES

topics:
Bill Clinton, Books, Hollywood, Africa