Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

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people&arts Tuesday 27 June 2017
Real-life drama in age of Trump challenges TV’s storytellers

By FRAZIER MOORE to women she had planned
AP Television Writer to decry.
NEW YORK (AP) — Say By then the scripts were
you’re a storyteller whose long since finished and a
TV show draws inspiration number of episodes shot.
from real-life Washington. Even so, “we were able to
Whether portraying the course-correct our narra-
noble geopolitics of “Mad- tive right into the midst of
am Secretary” or the dirty that conflict,” Gansa says.
deeds on “House of Cards,” “As we moved forward,
the high-stakes fumbling we were keeping one eye
on “Veep” or the scourge on what was happening in
of terrorism that haunts real life and one eye on our
“Homeland,” script writ- fiction. We were on a high
ers have always faced the wire as we headed toward
challenge of staying topi- the end of the season.”
cal yet inventive without The entire fifth season of
straying outside the bounds “House of Cards” was re-
of plausibility. leased just a few weeks
“We are in extremely un- ago. But already its writers,
usual times,” he says, “and like the “Homeland” team,
sometimes it feels like are looking ahead to next
nothing we dramatize on This image released by Netflix shows Kevin Spacey in a scene from “House Of Cards.” season.
‘Homeland’ can be nearly Writing TV shows based on real life in Washington has always been a challenge. “We don’t know yet what
as scary as what’s actually Associated Press ‘the Age of Trump’ is,” says
happening on the world showrunner Frank Pugliese.
stage.” Melissa James David Mandel, showrun- project them into the fu- a diplomatic stir by scold- “But instead of focusing on
Gibson is a showrunner for ner for HBO’s political satire ture,” she says. “But now, ing other NATO members, Trump, we’re talking about
Netflix’s “House of Cards,” “Veep,” where Julia Louis- in some cases, we have to and appeared to shove what Trump is a product of.
which stars Kevin Spacey as Dreyfus plays a blunder- just decide that the show IS Montenegro’s prime minis- If we look at that, it might
a cut-throat chief of state. beset former president. our world. Then we make ter to get a prime spot for give us a sense of where
She has a similar lament “We work very hard on up our own rules.” the photo op. “Madam we are, and where our
about Trump’s impact. our scripts. They seem to The recent season finale Secretary” isn’t the only se- characters might go.
“It’s true that we are being be better at the job than I found Secretary McCord ries where fiction and real- “Our job is to research and
met with a certain brand am.” But trying to forecast seeking help from NATO ity crisscrossed in surprising explore what’s possible,
of audacity in real life,” she true-life foreign relations as nations to ease an interna- ways. then take it to the extreme
says. “I think it engenders grist for storytelling has be- tional flare-up. On “Veep” last month, to entertain and grab at-
a sick impulse — ‘What’s come even trickier in the Then, by chance, the fina- hapless former president tention. That’s still what
he gonna do today?’ — Trump Era, says “Madam le’s May airing coincided Selina Meyer traveled to we’re trying to do.
where we’re looking for Secretary” executive pro- with Trump’s visit to Brus- Qatar. There, addressing “But it’s concerning,”
our drama from the real-life ducer and creator Barbara sels. Even though by that an Arab conference on hu- he adds, “when a politi-
president, as if THAT were a Hall. point he had reversed his man rights, she gave in to cian feels they have to
show.” “In the past, we would take position on NATO’s “ob- political pressure and tried do the same thing for
“I’m very jealous,” jokes current events and try to solescence,” he created to gloss over the oppression themselves.”q
CNN retracts story about

supposed Russian meeting

By DAVID BAUDER U.S. entities in Russia. Scar- by reporter Thomas Frank,
AP Television Writer amucci, in the story, said did not appear on any of
NEW YORK (AP) — CNN he exchanged pleasantries CNN’s television networks.
wasn’t saying Monday in a restaurant with Dmitriev The network hasn’t dis-
what led it to retract a story on January 16. cussed precisely what was
about a supposed investi- The report also said that wrong with its story, what
gation into a pre-inaugural two Democratic senators led to the retraction or
meeting between an asso- wanted to know whether whether this will change
ciate of President Donald Scaramucci had indicated how it reports stories on
Trump and the head of a in the meeting whether Trump and Russia. CNN has
Russian investment fund. sanctions against Russia had a tense relationship
The story posted Thursday would be lifted, a decision with the president, who has
on CNN’s website said that could impact the in- called the network “fake
Senate investigators are vestment fund. news” and not granted it
looking into the meeting On Friday night, CNN re- any interviews.
between Anthony Scar- moved the story from its For his part, Scaramucci
amucci, a member of website and disabled links, tweeted that CNN “did the
Trump’s transition team, saying it did not meet the right thing. Classy move. In this Jan. 13, 2017 file photo, Anthony Scaramucci, a
and Kirill Dmitriev, whose news organization’s stan- Apology accepted. Every- senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, talks
Russian Direct Investment dards. CNN apologized one makes mistakes. Mov- to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York.
Fund guides investments by to Scaramucci. The story, ing on.”q Associated Press