Playing Politics

The cast for the tele-film "Recount" that I told ya about last April has been rounded out very nicely...Oh, and there's a new man in charge at the helm...

Michael Fleming of Variety:

Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Denis Leary, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Ed Begley, Jr. and Bob Balaban have been set by HBO Films to star in “Recount,” the drama about the controversial Florida results in the 2000 presidential election.

Jay Roach is directing a script written by Danny Strong.

Spacey, who hasn’t done television since the 1991 biopic “Darrow,” stars as Ron Klain, former chief of staff for vice president Al Gore and one of the lead attorneys who challenged the disputed results of voting in Florida.

Dern plays Katherine Harris, the Secretary of State of Florida who became the center of controversy when she certified that George W. Bush won the state.

Begley plays David Boies, the lawyer who appealed the results and argued for the Democrats in court. Leary plays Michael Whouley a pollster on the Democrat side and Hurt plays Warren Christopher, a key player in the Gore camp. Wilkinson plays James Baker, brought in by the Republicans to see that the disputed results held up. Balaban plays Ben Ginsberg, the lead attorney for Bush and Dick Cheney.

...Pic’s produced by Spring Creek and Mirage, in association with Spacey’s Trigger Street Productions and Roach’s Everyman Pictures. Paula Weinstein, Sydney Pollack, Len Amato and Roach are exec producers. Roach recently replaced Pollack as the director when Pollack stepped down for personal reasons (Daily Variety, Aug. 6, 2007).

“Recount,” which will begin shooting shortly next month in Florida, will air during the heat of the presidential campaign in 2008.

The movie is sure to stir the political pot timed to air just as the 2008 election campaign really heats up. HBO promises ‘fair’ recount movie made by Dem donors says The Hill...Everyone knows how history played out. How "fair" the film is, or is not, shouldn't even be an issue. It's a shame that in today's climate that viewers have to come at it with skepticism just the same...Great cast. It's a shame Pollack had to bow out. Roach makes an interesting choice for runner up.

---After last week's loss--Brian Griese is in...Rex Grossman is out...As the Bears take on the Detroit Lions. USA Today has a preview.

The Chicago Sun-Times says of the change at QB: Offense is out of excuses now that Grossman's out of the way...

I'm glald the switch was made...Fingers Crossed that Griese can get the job done today.