My Michael Moore story....

[ikojo]

Michael Moore is truly a generous man. In the Spring of 2002, I bought an airline ticket on Priceline.com and flew up to Minneapolis to visit a friend. Unknown to me when I bought my ticket,was the fact that Michael Moore was going to be in St Paul as part of a promotional tour. I can't remember which book he was touring on behalf. This was while he was working on Bowling for Columbine and during the presentation he showed us a part from the rough cut of BFC. My friend and I went to the place Michael Moore was to speak at and discovered a huge line.

Being the guy he is, he did a second show THAT SAME NIGHT and it was free. This was happening across the country wherever he appeared. The scheduled show would be filled to capacity, with more people outside the venue, and he'd do a second one the same night. People were hungering for another perspective. I had a portable DVD player with me as well as the DVD of The Awful Truth, so I told my friend and another friend that I'd wait outside while they went and did other things until it was time to go into the show.

Michael Moore did his Michael Moore thing. During the presentation, he asked who had traveled the furthest. I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to bring attention to myself. Someone said they came from Chicago, he asked them what they paid in gas and reached into his pocket and handed them $20! My friend pointed to me and said "she came from St Louis!" He was taken aback. He asked me how I got to Minneapolis and I said I flew...he then said "well la tee da." I then said, "I bought my ticket on Priceline" to which Mr Moore responded by asking how much I paid for the ticket, I told him (I think it was around $160 or something like that). He reached into his pocket and then asked some of his staff for money, and handed me EIGHTY DOLLARS! He told me to come back after he had signed autographs and he'd have the rest of the money. I was grateful for the $80 and didn't go back.

WOW! I also made that week's issue of the Mike Mail email newsletter!

I LOVE Michael Moore!!!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. He's quite the guy.

There is a fine heart in there. Fine indeed.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Thanks for sharing

we need more Michael Moores in this country.

[H2O Man]

4. I agree

100%.

[CrazyForKucinich]

3. So generous he never mentions DK when talking about healthcare reform

Yeah...he has a real knack for talking about the truth. It's like his big dopey glasses make Dennis Kucinich invisible to him.

There has to be more behind this story on why Michael hates Dennis.

[ikojo]

5. Does Michael Moore hate Dennis Kucinich?

I hope that is not true.

[AndreaCG]

8. Does he not mention Kucinich or actively denigrates him?

I would think less of him if he did the latter.

[CrazyForKucinich]

9. The other day...

there was a topic where someone asked michael...are there any candidates who support national single payer healthcare....and Moore said no. Big flaming topic in GD...so yes...I think Moore does do the latter. It's like DK invisible.

He does this all the time...I wrote him last week after he did it at another appearance.

Ridiculous.

[BlooInBloo]

11. I think all of these DK "fans" are REALLY *anti*-DK *moles!

Because by GOD I hate DK more and more with each batshit stupid post they make.

[CrazyForKucinich]

12. Hey...

I think Michael Moore does good stuff for America...have 2 books and 4 movies of his...but I think he is hurting his causes and his own character by not speaking the truth about DK.

That's my take.

[orleans]

18. um...i guess you didn't see this (please note the link)

"Thank you Dennis Kucinich for running for President," says award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore as he endorsed the Conyers/Kucinich universal health insurance bill (HR 676) currently being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. And, "thank you," Moore continued, for "at each of the debates, bringing up this very important issue and requesting that our fellow Democrats state their specific positions of how we're going to bring health care to all Americans and remove the profit incentive from health care. It has to be removed, and thank you for saying that over and over again."

http://kucinich.us/node/4652

[Starbucks Anarchist]

20. ...

:rofl:

[petunia.here]

15. ummm, I don't think so

I saw Moore on DN! the other day and he sounded like he wasn't really aware of HR 676 when it was mentioned.
However, since then...

Michael Moore endorses Conyers/Kucinich HR 676
video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYnadAE685o&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fkucinich%2Eus%2Fnode%2F4652%2Fplay

A lot of people, including famous documentary film makers, simply don't know because Kucinich in particular is so marginalized. Anything he touches is somehow not relevant even if it's something the vast majority of Americans want. Dare I say, even if it's something most so called progressive Dems want. Just the way it is unfortunately. Something we need to change.

[EmmitFitzhume]

17. Where are you getting that information?

Well if they hate each other it's strange they gave a http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/06/moore-wont-scuf.html">press conference and DK was at the Sicko screening in DC last night.

Moore made his comments on Capitol Hill where he joined Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, to tout the merits of a not-for-profit national health-care system.

[Kazak]

6. I saw him two nights in a row on that tour...

He was promoting Stupid White Men, and he was showing that clip of the then unfinished BFC to his audiences. The first night we (my wife and I) saw him in Denton, TX (UNT), the second in Norman, OK (OU). We got to meet him in Norman and he signed our copy of SWM. He certainly struck us a incredibly gracious and big-hearted during our brief conversation with him. On another occasion he personally allowed (and provided a copy) our church (UU) to screen BFC before it was released on DVD (our stuffy town hadn't allowed it to be shown at our only (corporate owned) movie-house). Our church was somewhat young at the time and struggling to get up on our feet. It really helped make a name for us in the community and we're still remembered to this day for that showing, even though we've shown countless other politically and socially relevant films since then.

[jedr]

7. Similar story at Indiana University of Pa.

Sold out first show and a second show for free....somehow I doubt that Karl Rove would do such a thing. I'm sure he has his faults, but when he strikes such a nerve with conservatives, he must be speaking the truth.:patriot:

[NV Whino]

10. He did the two-show thing in Santa Rosa CA, too

I and my friend got there late. The auditorium was packed. He stood outside on the steps and spoke to all of us standing in the dark on the lawn. Then he went inside and did the "real" show. He was promoting "Stupid White Men."

[Lindsey]

13. I also saw Michael Moore in 2002 when he was doing his "Stupid White

Men" book tour. I was fortunate enough to see him at a small venue on the UCLA campus. He has been at a much larger place in L.A. the night before. We saw some clips of BFC. He spoke and then we got to go to a microphone to ask questions. It wasn't long after Enron collapsed and my brother had worked there his entire career. I asked Michael if he thought the criminals behind this atrocious scam would be convicted. He said he thought they would. Then he said something about him not believing in the death penalty but in this case...(which, of course, drew a big laugh from the crowd). At this time, Michael's only Documentary had been "Roger and Me", which I had seen three times (twice in classes I had taken in college). When I got to the booksigning table I told him I'd seen "Roger and Me" three time. He smiled really big and said "Anybody that's seen my documentary three times deserves a cookie" and he handed me one off of the plate by him and gave it to me. At that time, I had no idea he'd become who he has become...imho one of the greatest heroes in modern times for telling the truth and for his incredible courage.

[Lisa]

14. in Vancouver, he stayed and talked to everyone who wanted to see him

... even though he was exhausted from touring and it was his birthday -- he could have been off relaxing!

I normally don't go for autographs, but I brought him a video of Roger & Me and said it was for a librarian friend of mine (whom I'd met via the discussion forum on his old website). He beamed and insisted on writing a personal message for her. (He's a big fan of librarians.)

[progressoid]

16. ...

cool!

[lonestarnot]

19. me toooooo! I want to give him a big huggie!

:hug:s to M&M!