News Archives - Award-Winning Writer and Graphic Designer

In ‘You’ve Been Trumped’ Donald Trump bullies Scottish village and destroys land

dorriolds — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 17:07:34 +0000

Scotland is the birthplace of golf. In this documentary by filmmaker Anthony Baxter, a small Scottish village, steeped in history, is dissed and trampled by Donald Trump who charges in to build a golf course and destroys the natural environment including breathtaking sand dunes.

Trump sneers, shrugs his shoulders, name calls, then levels the dunes with bulldozers into a flat, muddy, ugly mess. He stomps on dignified and proud simple folks in the local fishing village like cockroaches.

Humorous, heartbreaking and inspiring, “You’ve Been Trumped” is a powerful award-winning movie. “This isn’t just a local Scottish story,” said director Baxter, “it’s an international tale that resonates with people all over the world. Government officials who should be protecting their residents are lying to them and rich tycoons have way too much power.”

Like the Occupy movement, this small village proves that people can join together and fight for their rights. This film demonstrates the courage it takes for people at a lower socio-economic level to stand up to über-rich bullies like Trump.
When asked who funded his documentary, Baxter said, “Nobody. I remortgaged my house. It’s been a battle from start to finish.”

Baxter felt this story needed to be told. Trump lied and convinced the Scottish government that he would be creating 6,000 jobs by building his golf course but, said Baxter, “The numbers didn’t add up. How many jobs could you possibly need for a golf course? People to serve drinks in a clubhouse, caddies, and grounds-keepers. That is not 6,000 jobs.”

Local villager Michael Forbes has a working farm. Trump mocked him, calling him a “pig” and labeling his property “a slum.” Susan Monroe is a local resident who has lived her entire life amidst the natural environment of the beloved sand dunes. She was also tormented by Trump. Her water and electricity was shut off and she was told to obtain a security pass to access her own home.

Magnate Trump, as a real-life unscrupulous Gordon Gekko, not only bullied the villagers but also threatened to have the government eject them. He found them irritating obstacles on land that he wanted to decimate.

“People in Scotland didn’t really know what was happening,” said Baxter. “Scottish government officials refused to see the film. It’s a disgrace. They even refused to go to public screenings. It was so disrespectful to the people in their constituency. Government officials never once visited the local homes that were being destroyed.”

Baxter wants to see more action. He hopes many people will see the film and remember how important it is to fight for their rights. “We cannot let ourselves continue to be trampled by the Trumps of the world.”

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“My Mom was a Drug Runner” • An interview with writer director Shana Betz

dorriolds — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 05:01:45 +0000

Shana Betz recently wrote and directed her first feature film. “Free Ride” is a drama based on her life in the 1970s. Shana’s mother (named Christina for the film) is played by Anna Paquin. At the beginning of the movie Christina is in an abusive relationship. She wants to protect her daughters and make a better life for them.
One day, Christina surprises her kids after school. She shows up in the car with all of their bags packed and whisks them off to Florida to get a fresh start.
Having very few options, Cristina is easily seduced into transporting drugs. Her friend Sandy (Drea de Matteo) tells her how it’s done. Seven year old Shana is played by Ava Acres. Liana Liberato of “Stuck in Love“ plays MJ, Shana’s 15 year old sister.
Paquin is a producer and Stephen Moyer, Paquin’s husband and co-star on HBO’s “True Blood,” is executive producer.
Betz graciously agreed to an exclusive interview.
Dorri Olds: What inspired you to write “Free Ride”?
Shana Betz: There are several reasons I made this film. First, it’s a love letter to my sister. She was more like a mother than my mom was. My mother was more like a friend. Another reason was to put a face on the real drug dealers. They’re single mothers, not just the stereotypical hooded character on the corner selling crack cocaine. This film hopefully will shed light on what lengths women will go to when they need money to raise their kids. I wanted to put a face on single mothers with limited options. I’ve never seen a female drug runner as the main character in a film. My mom was desperate. She always had three jobs.
What other work did she do?
She was a private nurse. My grandmother had a private-duty nursing agency. You didn’t need a degree in those days. I spent a lot of my childhood with old people.
Was that scary for you?
No! I love old people. My grandmother was old and I loved her so I had a fascination with them. These days I work in prisons.
What is that like?
I go into women’s prisons. I work with the Actors’ Gang Theater, it’s Tim Robbins’ theater group, which participates in a prison program. We go into prisons and rehabilitate inmates. Acting is emotional work and teaching it reduces the recidivism rate tremendously. They’ve done all these studies. There’s a lot of data you can google. It’s a great, great program run through private contributions. You can read about it in The New York Times.
Did you have to “kill your darlings” in the script during editing?
I’m not really precious about things. I came out of producing and being an actress. If it works that’s all that matters. I have no sentimentality about it. But, there were so many stories we couldn’t fit in the movie.
Can you tell one?
Yes, there’s one when my mom jumped off a ship. There was a big storm scene. It was the first drug running trip that my mother ever did. It’s not the one we have in the film now. There was a storm that came on very quickly. She was in a little tiny boat, a 25-footer. She went into the hull in the ship, the worst place to go. It was filled with water and she got sick. There was a wave coming up over the ship. She threw up over the side of the boat. Engines had quit. They were stranded so they called the boss man. She could see the shore and they raced to the shore but almost drowned. She hadn’t realized how far it was to swim. This one guy saved her life in the water. We had low budget and couldn’t do that scene. It just wasn’t feasible. I had to cut it. I used a lot of my footage though. I had a split perspective from the girls and the mother. Then refocused on from the mother.
I’m not an actress anymore. But I am a passionate person. I have a lot of producer in me and know if it works or not. If it doesn’t make sense you have to get rid of it. I’m pretty even keeled. I like actors. I love being able to manipulate the scenes. I’m a very hands-on director. It’s the best part. I love being on set so much. I love working with the actors. That’s my sweet spot.
What’s next for you?
A supernatural thriller in the vein of an old school Kubrick thriller. I’m very excited about it. We should be finished come the first quarter in 2014. I’m also working on another project that takes place post civil war. It’s a mix between “Django” and “Hanna.” I love crossing those genres. Hanna is a great story about a young girl that ultimately kicks ass.
“Free Ride” available On Demand. Unrated. 86 minutes.
Watch trailer:

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Inside the Ray Rice Domestic Violence Scandal

dorriolds — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 14:32:36 +0000

Former Baltimore Braves’ running back Ray Rice seemed to have it all until the summer of 2014 when a shocking video of Rice hitting Janay Palmer (then girlfriend, now wife) in the face in an Atlantic City hotel surfaced. To Rice fans, the incident was a conundrum — Rice clearly did was guilty of domestic abuse but Palmer defended him! Advocates for victims of domestic violence are pointing fingers at the NFL player, but with Rice’s wife defending his actions, the NFL struggled to ascertain the truth and determine the appropriate penalty.

The issue for many is a clear-cut case of abuse while others seem to hope it was a one-time incident. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall told CBS Morning News he wasn’t sure of all the facts until he saw the video. A Wall Street Journal report said, “Goodell backed off his investigation … after hearing Palmer’s side of the story. Reportedly, she told the commissioner that she had hit Rice and felt partially responsible.”

‘Ray Rice 27’ by Keith Allison. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

While the FBI and NFL investigate, Rice has made a public apology. Ray Rice’s contract with the Baltimore Ravens on September 8, 2014, following the release of an additional video of the incident was suspended. Rice successfully appealed his indefinite suspension by the NFL in federal court. “The legal victory has done little to pave the way toward a return to the playing field — Rice is still an unsigned free agent,” notes Todd William, founder and CEO of Reputation Rhino, an online public relations company in New York City.

As a shocked public views the elevator scene, there are radio and television commentators saying that Rice, not his wife, is the real victim here.

WHAT?!

Slate.com reported Fox’s Tamara Holder as saying “I think it’s interesting …that the police are coming out … and not paying attention to the fact that there is a family here …That there were decisions to be made behind closed doors. That also … Miss Palmer … played a role in it.”

Oh pullease.

Slate.com also reported that A.J. Delgado, a National Review writer said on a radio show: “Some might even say, watching that video, that Ray Rice is the bigger victim of domestic violence here.”

The National Family Violence Survey (NFVS) found nearly equal rates of assault between men and women but warns “Collecting various types of counts from men and women does not yield an accurate understanding of battering and serious injury occurring from intimate partner violence.” Focusing on the strict number of pushes and swats “does not measure control, coercion, or the motives for conflict tactics; it also leaves out sexual assault and violence by ex-spouses or partners and does not determine who initiated the violence.”

On a recent episode of Slate’s The Gist, former prosecutor noted, “Many victims of domestic violence use violence against their abuser to either fight back, retaliate, protect themselves, sometimes in anticipation of violence when they know what’s coming because of a certain look … They immediately start getting into a defensive mode and actually use violence themselves.”

Many sports stars have been in the spotlight for spousal abuse, but many of the punishments imposed by the court have been light. “The increased attention to domestic violence by the media and increased awareness about the issue generally is likely to lead to increased punishments,” notes Eric Gonchar, a well-known New York attorney.

For instance, the Phillies’ Brett Myers pitched in Boston shortly after being charged with assaulting his wife. The charges were dropped. The New York Times quoted Ruth Glenn, the interim executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as saying, “The … leagues had better be paying attention. They need to demonstrate to society that there is zero tolerance against domestic violence. Changing culture takes a while. But you have to start somewhere.”

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ISIS Wants to Behead Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey for Shutting Down Their Accounts

dorriolds — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:59:45 +0000

ISIS supporters called for jihadis to behead Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and his employees on Sunday, March 3 via a post on anonymous forum justpaste.it that has since been taken down.

The text, written in Arabic and accompanied by an illustration of Dorsey’s face with crosshairs superimposed on it, said, “Your virtual war on us will cause a real war on you.” It was a reference to Twitter shutting down and/or suspending 2,000 ISIS accounts last week. The ISIS post also said, “We told you from the beginning it’s not your war, but you didn’t get it and kept closing our accounts on Twitter, but we always come back.”

Twitter, of course, had every right to shut the accounts down — they were in direct violation of the social media site’s terms of agreement banning threats of violence and using the social network “for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities.”

The company has been trying to keep up with removing execution videos and all other offensive posts, but it doesn’t monitor accounts for terrorist behavior. It only reviews posts and accounts that have been flagged as inappropriate by Twitter users. Yahoo News reported in February thatTwitter officials said, “Like our peer companies, we do not proactively monitor content. Users report potential rules violations to us, we review their reports and take action if the content violates our rules.”

As more and more pressure was applied, Twitter spokesman Jim Prosser told BuzzFeed, “Our security team is investigating the veracity of these threats with relevant law enforcement officials.”

THINGS JUST KEEP GETTING WEIRDER AND WEIRDER …

According to The Associated Press, on Sunday the sadists of ISIS released 19 Christians from a group of 220 Assyrian Christians they’d captured last week; nobody seems to have any idea why the 19 were released. The former captives were from a village named Tal Ghoran in the northern Syria province of al-Hasakah and have now returned home.

There are conflicting reports on the number of hostages freed. On Tuesday, March 3, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that a Syria watchdog group reported that 21 of the kidnapped Christians have been released.

SOHR has reported chilling stats of ISIS executions from Jan. 28 to Feb. 28:

1,238 civilians, including 6 children and 8 women. They were executed by beheading, shooting or stoning in the provinces of Deir Ezzor, al-Raqqa, al-Hasakah, Aleppo, Homs and Hama. 930 out of 1,175 are from al- Shaitaat tribe in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
95 fighters of the Nusra Front, rebel and Islamic battalions. IS executed them after arresting them either in clashes between the mentioned battalions and IS or on IS- checkpoint.
Islamic State also executed 125 of its own members for “exceeding the limits in religion;” most of them executed after arresting them during their attempt to come back home.
511 officers and soldiers of the regime forces. They were arrested during clashes between IS and the regime forces.

In further news, on Tuesday, The Telegraph reported that Jassem Emwazi, the father of ISIS executioner “Jihadi John” — recently outed as Mohammed Emwazi — described his son as a “dog” and a “terrorist” and said he hopes his son will die. But, as of Wednesday, March 4, The Guardianreported that the father said that was a “lie, lie, lie.” He also insisted there is no proof that his son was the ISIS executioner.

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Social Media to Land Writing Gigs & Make Money

dorriolds — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 16:20:22 +0000

I am proud to announce my upcoming writers panel! Here’s a LINK to my panel info.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
ASJA 2015 Conference: Connect for Success at the Roosevelt Hotel (map)
May 1, 2015 • 11AM – 12:15PM
Use Social Media to Land Writing Gigs and Make Money (session: F06)
Do you not “get” how to use social media to make more money? Writers are pressured by editors, publishers and agents to build an online platform. Have you missed out on work because you don’t know the tips and tricks to build a better following — or even where to begin? This accomplished team of five, which includes writers, editors, social media managers, marketing and branding experts, a webmaster and a literary agent, will give you what you need to succeed.
Most ASJA writers are busy hard-working professionals who feel like there’s never enough time in a day. Between deadlines, creative pursuits, researching, and submitting pitches, who has time to blog, update their website and keep up with social media?
In this session you will learn how to use your time efficiently to get the best results. You will be given tips and tricks based on hard-won experience. We’ll talk about the best tools to use for your specific goals and how to stand out online amidst worldwide competition.
You’ll learn about improving your website, blogs, and social media accounts. Find out the different language and etiquette for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube. And, most importantly, you’ll learn how to use social media to make more money.
SPEAKERS:
Dorri Olds is an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in book anthologies, and numerous publications including The New York Times. She writes about her obsessions: Movies, A-list celebrities and dogs. Olds is also a web designer and social media consultant with marketing and branding expertise.
Kirsten Koza is the author of LOST IN MOSCOW; A BRAT IN THE USSR, a humorist, Facebook junkie, adventurer and contributor of audacious stories to Travelers’ Tales anthologies. She is the founder of Writers’ Expeditions, which hosts writing and photography workshops while adventuring across exotic destinations. CHRY radio (Toronto) says, “Kirsten Koza is like Judy Blume on acid.”
Nikki M. Mascali is a New York-based journalist with 10 years of experience in print and digital media. She is currently the editor in chief of TheBlot Magazine, an online publication that covers arts and entertainment and social and political issues.
Jason Gross is the Social Media Manager for TheBlot Magazine, freelance writer (Spin, Time Out, Village Voice, Red Bull Music Academy, PopMatters, Film Comment, Book Forum), SXSW music panel moderator, reissue producer, and co-producer/compiler “OHM; The Early Gurus of Electronic Music.”
Tom Miller, literary agent, joined Greenburger in 2014 after 30 years as an editor at Simon & Schuster, Putnam, McGraw-Hill, Wiley, and HarperCollins. Tom represents projects in wellness, culture, self-help, business, spirituality, literary fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Tom has worked with Jared Diamond (winner of a Pulitzer Prize), Dr. Loren Cordain (author of THE PALEO DIET), Deepak Chopra, Steve Forbes, Ginger Rogers, Erica Jong, Judy Collins, Oliver North, Jack Cafferty, Milton Berle, Dame Beryl Bainbridge, Shirley Temple Black, Brian Wilson, Erich Schiffmann, and Roger Walsh.

CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Jennifer Finney Boylan is the author of 13 books, including the memoirs,Stuck in the Middle With You and She’s Not There: a Life in Two Genders, the first bestselling work by a transgender American. Boylan’s articles have appeared in GQ, Allure, Glamour and Conde Nast Traveler and she is the Contributing Opinion Writer for the New York Times op/ed page; she frequently appears on national television, including segments on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Live with Larry King and the Today Show. A writer and civil rights activist, she is the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University and serves as the national co-chair of the Board of Directors of GLAAD. Boylan was also one of 24 writers chosen for the Amtrak writers residency. She lives in New York City with her wife, Deedie, and her two sons, Zach and Sean.

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Family of Girl Killed By Dogs Crowdfunds Animal Shelter

dorriolds — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 09:37:49 +0000

Jayla Marie Rodriguez (May 8, 2006-Nov. 18, 2014) was an 8-year-old member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. She attended the Red Cloud School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and had many friends, myriad interests and loved life.

Tragedy struck on Nov. 18 while Jayla was sledding behind her grandmother’s trailer house. The little girl was killed by a pack of feral dogs.

Jayla’s mother, Danielle Griffith, and Aunt Camille (“Cami”) Griffith want to honor the little girl by making her dreams for an animal shelter come true. A page called “Jayla’s Dream” has been set up on the GoFundMe crowdsourcing site with a goal of raising $10,000.

“Two weeks before Jayla passed, we were on the reservation, sitting outside, and we saw this dog walking on three legs,” Danielle told TheBlot Magazine. “My daughter looked at the dog and became really sad. She said, ‘When I get older, I want to bring all the dogs home and teach them what it’s like to love and have a family.’ Because she said that, it has become really important to me to help animals. That’s what she wanted.”

Cami added, “We have a really large family, and what’s keeping us going is trying to do what Jayla wanted. She really loved animals, especially her own dog, Buppy.”

It’s a crushing irony that Jayla’s death was caused by the same dogs she wanted so much to help.

“We want to create an animal shelter right on the reservation,” Cami said, “to hold all the strays. I have a lot of experience working at animal shelters. We applied to the state of South Dakota, and our family is going to make sure that Jayla’s dream comes true because we don’t ever want this to happen to anyone else.”

Jayla’s death created a long overdue wake-up call in the community as this isn’t the first dog attack on the reservation. The Rapid City Journal reported that Jayla’s friend Braedon Rodriguez (no relation) had also been the victim of a dog attack. In 2003, Braedon, then 5, had been out with a friend riding an ATV when he was mauled by two pit bulls. The owners got there in time to save Braedon, but he was so badly injured he needed hundreds of stitches and 15 reconstructive surgeries. His mother says he had to be treated for PTSD and still has nightmares.

Braedon’s horrific experience inspired the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council to pass “Braedon’s Law” in 2006, which banned dogs like pit bulls, Doberman pinschers and Rottweilers and “any other vicious dog or animal that attacks, bites or attempts to bite a person, or chases a person.”

One major problem, though, is how few people there are to enforce Braedon’s Law. According toOglala Pet Project, “Pine Ridge is one of the poorest communities in the country, with an 85% unemployment rate, an even higher alcoholism rate and some homes have no electricity or running water. Some families are overcrowded in homes caring for each other and most pets live their entire lives outside.”

When I was on a camping trip years ago in Havasu Falls, Ariz., I was hiking near the Havasupai Reservation and got lost in the woods. I became frightened until a mangy, homeless dog that I recognized from the campgrounds came over to me. When I tried to continue walking, he sat down and barked. I looked at him, thinking he just wanted attention, but when this happened three times, I realized he was telling me I was going the wrong way. I went over to him, patted him on his fur-matted head and let him lead me back to the campground. At the time, I asked locals why the dogs all looked sickly and hungry and was told, “That’s just how it is here. Nobody has money to take care of them.”

Cami said Jayla was a “tree girl.” When I asked what that was she said, “Once a year, we have the Sundance for the Lakota community members. A few of the kids are chosen to dance with the adults, and they’re called tree girls. They face the big tree and sing to it; that’s where all of the prayers go, towards the spirits and birds and animals. It is a really big honor. She was so proud and happy.”

“She was such a different little girl,” Jayla’s mother Danielle shared. “It was really weird, but she loved to clean. She’d scrape my windows if they were icy or ask to clean my windshield wipers. These things were fun to her. She was so special. Now, everything reminds me of her. Even the bubbles in the dish soap make me sad. Jayla loved bubbles.”

Cami said Jayla was a tomboy. “On Halloween, you’d think she’d want to be a princess, but, no. She was a werewolf one year, then a headless horseman,” she said. “She also loved football. She loved to play, and she especially loved the Broncos. I don’t know where she got that. Her Dad likes the Cowboys, and her mom likes the Steelers.”

“When we laid her to rest, we put her in a Broncos shirt,” said Danielle. “She always wanted one.”

Rest in peace, little angel.

Click here to learn more about “Jayla’s Dream”

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Exclusive Interview: Errol Morris Asks Donald Rumsfeld What We All Want To Know

dorriolds — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:04:22 +0000

Yesterday, I hopped a subway down to SoHo for a one-on-one interview with Academy-Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris. I have interviewed gobs of A-list celebrities, but this was a career highlight and an honor.
Morris is promoting his movie, “The Unknown Known.” It is his latest documentary and is being released on Friday, April 4. It shines the light on former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Based on 33 hours of filming, Morris put together a gripping portrayal. He asked the big question: where was the evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that drove our country into war in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Morris has been making films since 1978. “The Thin Blue Line” (1988) was about a man wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas, Texas. The innocent man was freed directly because of Morris’s involvement in the case.
Morris is the inventor of a dramatic film technique using a machine called the Interrotron. Named by his wife, it combines the words terror and interview. He places two cameras, one on himself and one on the interviewee, and uses live video as a sort of teleprompter with positioning that creates the appearance that the subject is speaking directly to the audience.
The film that won his Academy Award was “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara” (2003). It is a portrait of the former U.S. Secretary of Defense who was responsible for getting us into the Vietnam War.
I could see Morris’s brain ticking and whirring as he thoughtfully answered each question. His speech cadence is slow, but he goes from serious furrowed brows to laughing quickly. He has that Jewish inflection and sarcasm that I grew up with, along the lines of the old cliché, “What am I, chopped liver?” He was warm and clearly brilliant. Do not miss this movie.
Dorri Olds: Which parts of the 33 hours of filming were hard to cut?
Errol Morris: It was all difficult to cut. There’s cutting that preserves the content, but then there’s cutting that tries to capture something more elusive, more ephemeral, that gives you some understanding of the character of the man. Whether it’s gestures or a smile. He’s a very well-defended man.
Do you mean he defends himself?
Yes, so the task is how do you find out something unexpected, something you might not have known before. I believe this movie does do that.
I do too. I went in there expecting to hate Rumsfeld, but after watching your film I called my husband and said, “I’m upset. I ended up liking Donald Rumsfeld.” He comforted me by saying, “He’s a politician. They know how to make you like them.”
Your husband is right. But liking him and approving of his policies are two different things. I could come away liking him, even being charmed by him, but I also came away appalled by him. Appalled by the junk philosophy, the manipulation, the ruthlessness, the self-deception, the delusion.
That was my next question. Do you think he was deluded?
Yes.
And manipulative?
Yes.
Evil?
Evil is one of those tricky words. I don’t really believe in evil people; I believe in evil acts.
What about Osama bin Laden? Or Saddam Hussein?
Across the board. I believe there are evil things that people do. These people did despicable things. I don’t know Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, but my experience is that some of the worst decisions have been made on the basis of ordinary human calculations based on fears, jealousies, confusions.
Pride?
Yes, pride.
Is Rumsfeld just good at being phony? It seemed in the movie that he believed in what he did and showed no remorse at all.
I think he does believe in it. I think he’s also phony, but has no idea how phony he is. He believes certain things were true and says that as though it is some final justification, as if that makes everything he did OK.
He didn’t seem to take any responsibility at all.
Right, none. Only a fake responsibility, “I wasn’t responsible for Abu Ghraib, but I’ll resign anyway because someone should take responsibility and I was at the head of things.”
Do you think he knew about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal?
I don’t know for sure. I used to think he had to have. But, as a result of spending all of this time with him, I don’t know. I did a whole movie about Abu Ghraib [“Standard Operating Procedure”]. It’s amazing to me that Rumsfeld expressed horror at the photographs as if to say, “Good grief, how could such a thing like that happen?” It happened because you ordered it. He professes ignorance about things he should’ve known about.
Do you really think that he didn’t know?
It’s possible, yes. “I didn’t read the torture memos and anyway they’re not torture memos and anyway they were approved by the Attorney General and anyway they didn’t come from the Department of Defense.” And blah, blah, blah, blah. I’m not sure here. These policies created one of the biggest stains in American history. I am ashamed of our tolerance of torture. Rumsfeld isn’t.

Go see this movie: there is so much to stare at in this jaw-dropping exposé. “The Unknown Known” opens in theaters and On Demand April 4, 2014.
Watch the trailer below:

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Is Woody Allen a Perv? I Hope Not.

dorriolds — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 19:50:33 +0000

I’ve interviewed Woody Allen a few times and told friends, “He didn’t seem like someone who’d marry his daughter,” which got a laugh every time. Allen came across as a kind, even shy, gentle man. At one point he put his arm around me for a photo and it felt fatherly and safe. I’ll never know if the things Dylan Farrow described in her letter are true. And neither will you.
Celebrity scandals inspire harsh judgments. They whizz by in my Twitter feed. It reminds me of long-ago public hangings where gawkers pointed and laughed at other people’s pain.
We’ll never know what happened with Michael Jackson either. Were the young boys sexually abused? I don’t want it to be true. I grew up dancing to Michael Jackson’s music and laughing at Woody Allen movies. Smart people admit they don’t know what happened because they weren’t there.

Woody Allen, Dorri Olds

I’ve watched enough “Law & Order: SVU” to see plenty of innocent guys become suspected pedophiles until DNA and/or alibis prove they’re innocent. Of course that’s just a show where stories get figured out in an hour. If only this were that simple.
Regarding Dylan’s story, I know from experience how good it feels to tell the world via The New York Times that you were victimized sexually. I did it and the weight of the past lifted a little more with each supportive comment. It felt damn good. I bet the guys who attacked me told their wives and daughters that they didn’t do it. But what if Allen didn’t do it? What if Dylan’s letter was inspired by a vengeful attempt to trample Allen’s Golden Globe tribute and Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award? What if she wanted to tell her story now because Allen and his film ‘Blue Jasmine’ received three Oscar nominations this year? I’m not saying that’s true. I’m saying, “What if?”
Speaking of Oscar nominees, Denmark’s “The Hunt” tells the story of an angry and confused 5-year-old girl (Annika Wedderkop). She tells a lie about her teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen). The town turns on him, and despite his innocence, he is forever labeled a pedophile. I don’t think Dylan is a liar, but I can’t help wondering if her memories were formed from what she was told to believe. What if Mia Farrow was so enraged when Allen fell in love with Soon-Yi (who wouldn’t be?) and so desperate to win custody that she planted the story in her daughter’s head?
Rubbernecking, bloodthirsty tweeters may not care about facts but I do. Soon-Yi is not Allen’s daughter. Soon-Yi told TIME magazine in 1992 that she was “about 20” when she began seeing Allen and his relationship with Farrow had been over for a long time. She said, “To think Woody was in any way a father or stepfather to me is laughable. My parents are Andre Previn and Mia, but obviously they’re not even my real parents. I came to America when I was 7. I was never remotely close to Woody. He was someone who was devoted exclusively to his own children and to his work, and we never spent a moment together.”
During Allen’s 12-year relationship with Farrow, he never slept over. That was not his home. He lived across Central Park in a separate residence. It’s an ethical issue for a 55-year-old man to fall in love with his girlfriend’s adopted daughter, but Farrow’s moral fiber is not beyond reproach. She was 24 when she got pregnant by the 40-year-old married Previn. After the news broke, his wife Dory Previn had a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized where she received shock treatments.
Even more interesting is Farrow’s recent disclosure that Ronan (née Satchel), who Allen refers to as his biological son, may be Frank Sinatra’s son. Farrow was married to Sinatra in 1966 when she was 21 and Ol’ Blue Eyes was 50. Farrow divorced Sinatra in 1968. Ronan is 26. If Sinatra could be his father, then that means Farrow was schtupping Sinatra while in a relationship with Allen.
What a mess. I feel like I need a shower.
But the real issue is not that Allen married Soon-Yi. The issue is Dylan’s allegations that Allen sexually abused her when she was 7. If that’s true, it’s horrifying.
In 1993, while Mia Farrow was fighting for custody, she accused Allen of abusing her daughter. The Connecticut State Police took it very seriously and enlisted Yale-New Haven Hospital to thoroughly investigate. Dylan was examined physically and psychologically and after six months it was determined there was no case. Farrow’s videotape of Dylan talking about the abuse was called into question because it had so many stops and starts it seemed edited. Dylan could’ve been coached and told what to say. Was she? We don’t know.
Two nannies, Monica Thompson and Kristie Groteke, made things seem even more fishy. Thompson said she was pressured by Farrow to say that the sexual abuse by Allen was true even though Thompson hadn’t seen anything to suggest it really happened. Groteke said that on the day Allen was accused of abusing Dylan, the child had not been out of Groteke’s sight for any longer than fifteen minutes.
What do you think? Is fifteen minutes enough time for Allen to take Dylan up to the attic, have her lie on her stomach, abuse her sexually, and come back down from the attic? Is it possible that Dylan’s claims of ongoing abuse are true? Yes, of course. But are both nannies lying? I don’t know.
As for Dylan’s brothers, Ronan tweets in support of her claims but Moses Farrow defends Allen and supports the claim that their mother brainwashed the children. He recently told People magazine, “My mother drummed it into me to hate my father for tearing apart the family and sexually molesting my sister and I hated him for her for years. I see now that this was a vengeful way to pay him back for falling in love with Soon-Yi.”
Some people are questioning why Dylan would be discussing this publicly now after two decades have gone by. That part I understand. When I was abused it took me three decades to send my story in to the Times. Quite a few comments said I should’ve reported it sooner. Yes, I should have, but what makes others think they can judge me? They have no idea who I am and what I went through, or why it took me so long to gather enough courage to face the horror that almost ruined my life.
No, I don’t want Woody Allen to be a pervert. I’m a fan who thinks his movies are brilliant, but that has nothing to do with the facts. Woody Allen was never charged because there was no evidence.

The post Is Woody Allen a Perv? I Hope Not. appeared first on Award-Winning Writer and Graphic Designer.

Writers, Be Seen! Stand Out Online in the Most Time-Efficient & Cost-Effective Way

dorriolds — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:15:06 +0000

My Panel: Be Seen! Stand Out Online in the Most Time-Efficient & Cost-Effective Way

I’m excited about the upcoming American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA) 43rd Annual Conference. My panel will be on Thursday, April 24, 2014 with my guest panelists Kirsten Koza and Katie Davis.

“Be Seen! Stand Out Online in the Most Time-Efficient & Cost-Effective Way”

If you’re feeling there’s never enough time to update your website and keep up with social media, blogging and marketing, this panel is for you. In this session Dorri Olds and panelists will teach you how to use your time efficiently to get the best results. You will be given tips and tricks based on hard-won experience including the best tools to use for your specific goals and how to get noticed online amidst worldwide competition. Learn to improve your website, blogs, and social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube all have their own language and audiences. The model for journalists has changed. Everything we learned about not repeating words and using creative ways to say things doesn’t apply to blogging and social media and website content. Not if you want to be found. You need to blog with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind and make the most of using tags. Everything you write should be in your voice, but with a focus on keywords.
“Join 650 writers, editors, publishers and agents at North America’s premier conference for freelance writers and book authors! This year’s focus is the most important item in your writer’s toolkit: YOU. You’re the key to your success as an independent writer, and we’re here to help you boost your strengths, publicize your talents and turn your own personal stories into gold. You’ll hobnob with agents who are looking for the next bestseller and editors who are eager to buy stories. You’ll hear from the best in the business on topics like storytelling, custom content, self-publishing and negotiating. And you’ll learn the latest about protecting yourself from invasions of your privacy and your rights.”

Click here to learn more.

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Exclusive Interview: Vanessa Hudgens Talks Pain, Resilience and Her Transformation For ‘Gimme Shelter’

dorriolds — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:51:07 +0000

Photo by Dorri Olds

On Jan. 21, at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria, I met with Vanessa Hudgens. We were there to talk about her new movie, “Gimme Shelter,” which opens this Friday, Jan. 24. The 25-year-old looks even better in person. She projects a positive spirit as her long hair tempts you to reach out and touch it. Perfect white teeth next to fuchsia lipstick are set against olive skin. Hudgens smiled easily, seated in a black and white blouse adorned with glittery sparkles that matched her mood.Hudgens plays Agnes (“Apple”) Bailey, a desperate pregnant teenager who runs away from a cruel drug-addicted mother played by Rosario Dawson. She tries to connect to her wealthy dad, played by Brendan Fraser. Things keep looking bleaker until she meets Frank McCarthy (James Earl Jones), a priest. He introduces her to Kathy DiFiore (Ann Dowd) who runs a shelter for homeless pregnant teens. It’s a true story with only a few small liberties taken by the writer/director, Ron Krauss, who lived in a homeless shelter for a year intending to shoot a documentary. As he got to know the shelter girls, he filmed over 200 hours of interviews with them. It became clear that this was a riveting story for a feature film.Hudgens gave me the lowdown on her experience making the film.
Dorri Olds: What are things you look for in a script?
Vanessa Hudgens: I’m picky and lucky to be in a place where I can be. If my gut and my heart are telling me it’s a green light I go for it. This is an exciting time for growth. I love doing what I do and push myself to choose stories I’m passionate about and characters that I have fun playing. It’s also about who is involved in the project. Your work environment is only as good as the people you surround yourself with.
How did you connect with the role of Apple?
I wanted to make Apple as gritty as possible and just pulled ideas out of my pockets. She was based on one of the girls who was in the shelter who had problems with her mother — like what you see in the movie. Even worse things happened, but they didn’t make it into the movie. They’re too graphic for the screen. I connected with her strength and openness and she and I became close. She was a driving force in my heart. We’re still friends and her son is one of my favorite people.
How did it feel to cut your hair off?
So liberating!
And putting on weight?
Fun! I was in Cannes before I filmed this movie. In France it’s very easy to put on a couple of pounds. I could live off of wine and cheese forever, but it’s not the healthiest combination.
What was it like not being allowed to use your cell phone? Did you sneak up into your room to use it?
I definitely used my phone. Yeah. I’m in my early 20s. I can’t get away from that thing. Not in this day and age. I weaned myself off of it as much as I could. While I’m working, I’m not on it so I wasn’t checking in with anyone. I was cut off from the world that I’m used to. In the beginning I tried to go on a phone bender. [Laughs]
How was it working with James Earl Jones?
So cool. When he’d show up on set, you’d know by that voice. There’s no one else on the planet that sounds like that man. He’s incredible. Such a brilliant actor. It was an honor.
How was your relationship with Kathy DiFiore, the woman who ran the shelter?
Great, I would go to her whenever I needed a strength. I know she was secretly praying for me. Kathy is the most selfless person I ever met in my entire life. She was such an inspiration.
Did you enjoy working with Ann Dowd who played Kathy?
She is great and one of those actresses that you see in so many different films. I love her career and that she is such a standout actor but not all that many people go running up to her on the street. That is the ideal career, I think. She came in and did her thing, but we didn’t have much time together. For the movie I was focused on the work and my character. I wasn’t thinking about connecting with people.
What is the film’s takeaway?
It provokes feelings that people have gone through and maybe have suppressed. I mean, we all have pain; it’s just our situations that are different. Hopefully it will bring emotions up and help you sit with it, and by doing so, experience healing. I think it shows that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be, even when we’re in a lot of pain and suffering. Those moments push us to find our destiny and love and the knowledge that we’re not the only one going through things. I hope that teenagers will see this and it will give them hope and faith.
What are your upcoming projects?
I have a movie coming out in October called “Kitchen Sink,” which I’m really excited about. After doing this and “Frozen Ground” and “Spring Breakers,” I thought, “I need to do a comedy.” I had so much fun and I’m excited. I was a giddy girl coming home from work every day thinking, “I’m funny!” [Laughs]
What’s it about?
It’s set in high school and about a couple of students who live in a time where zombies, vampires and humans live together. As harmoniously as they can. An interesting group gets stuck together trying to survive. It’s like a cross between “Dawn of the Dead” and “Breakfast Club.” I get to be glamorous, which is fun because I really am a girlie girl.
The drama “Gimme Shelter” opens Jan. 24 in limited release. Rated PG-13. 90 minutes.

Written for TheBlot

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