Joe McGinniss is not to yet quite finished talking about Sarah Palin. This time in Australia.

"The Rogue" stripped away the Palin mythology and revealed to the world what lay beneath . Eww!

Courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald:

 His research - or at least his accommodation in Alaska - made news around the world. "Joe McGinniss has rented the house next to the Palin family's lakeside home in Wasilla, Alaska, for five months while he completes his work," reported this paper's website in May 2010. 

"Palin did everything she could to stop it," says McGinniss. "She threatened. She had a lawyer announce she was considering a lawsuit." That didn't happen. But within weeks of publication, Palin announced she would not be running in 2012. 

McGinniss is far from claiming sole responsibility. As he sees it, Palin faced two problems running for the Republican nomination this year: she didn't have a hope of winning and any attempt would expose her to the sort of scrutiny that would put at risk her lucrative new career as a political celebrity. 

"These people worked out a way to game the system," McGinniss says of the Palin family. "I don't blame them. They are just grifters who suddenly saw a chance at the main chance and they were clever enough and canny enough to take it. The American media was so gullible and the right wing was so desperate for new heroic figures that they basically got a free ride. She knew she wouldn't get a free ride this year in 2012." 

His attack on Palin is full throttle. "I think everything about her is false. I think her claims of super Christianity are as false as everything else. She discovered who she needed to be to play to a very small audience in her town of Wasilla and she has calculated her way every step of the way. There has been an opening for a woman of the extreme right. She saw that. 

"Even in Alaska there were no openings for educated, intelligent women of the left because Alaska - part of the anomaly that is the state - had a number of those already. What they needed was a militant crusader for evangelical values. And she combined - and we can never underestimate this - raw sex appeal with Christian platitudes. The Anchorage Daily News called her 'The Joan of Arc of Alaska politics'. There was nothing subtle about it." 

What followed in his eyes was a tale of cunning and vengeance; high ambition and lazy performance; bobsleds and cocaine; a toxic marriage that saw Todd sleeping on the couch most nights and the kids roaming the neighbourhood looking for a feed. Then young Track was shunted off to the military after the high-school bus fleet was mysteriously vandalised one winter. 

"I laughed," says McGinniss. "The closer I got and the more people I talked to who knew her, the more I laughed. After a while laughter gave way to a numb stupefaction that this brainless, venal, definitely crafty, religious fanatic and self-aggrandising bimbo could have become a powerful factor in national politics." 

The Herald even asked Joe about the mystery of Trig:

McGinniss devotes hilarious and scurrilous pages to the mystery of little Trig, the Down syndrome baby born soon after Palin won John McCain's endorsement. "The story she tells of her pregnancy and the birth simply can't be true," says McGinniss who wonders if the "birth" was designed to make Palin the poster child of the Right to Life. 

"It would be the most cynical ploy and the greatest hoax ever pulled off in American politics," he says. Pursuing the story with him are bloggers and the influential columnist Andrew Sullivan. But McGinniss despairs of the failure of the "establishment media" to take the story seriously. He doesn't believe the issue is yet settled either way: "I remain Trignostic," he says. 

I have to say that I know Joe is FAR from Trognostic, but I also know that he was very frustrated that he was never able to crack open that particular part of the Palin mythology.

Still he managed to bring the controversy to the forefront of the American audience for a short time, and may very well have been the MAIN reason why Palin has moved as far away from the political scene as she has recently.

And now Joe will be in Australia this month to discuss this most scandalous of deceptions with an entirely new audience.  And didn't "Sarah Palin-You Betcha!" just start appearing on Australian TV recently as well?

Why yes it did!

Study shows that Sarah Palin's "Hockey Mom" schtick failed to impress REAL moms.

Courtesy of Washington Secrets:

Here’s another reason why Sarah Palin failed as Sen. John McCain’s 2008 vice presidential running mate: The whole “hockey mom” thing that was supposed to win over soccer moms flopped. 

A new report from the authoritative American Politics Research journal finds that her story of being a mom of five hockey playing kids held no appeal to the rest of parents. “Palin fared particularly poorly among married mothers,” it said, because her candidacy “did not hold any special appeal to mothers or fathers.” 

And on Election Day, added the journal, “Mothers, like women overall, were a very solid Democratic voting block in 2008.”

You know during the 2008 campaign one of the tactics used to defend Palin from "attacks," were that they were coming from misogynist males on the Left, who simply could not stand the idea of a conservative woman being elected VP.

Of course first off I would have to say that if one were looking for examples of "misogyny" they would be FAR more successful looking over on the Conservative side of the aisle, but I would also say that the idea that Palin's major detractors were male is a false narrative.

As many of you know the Palin saga was unfolding, and of course falling apart at the seams, in real time all over the internet. Including here at IM.

And what I learned very early on was that the very FIRST people to call bullshit on Palin's narrative, were the women. The very first e-mail I received questioning Trig's birth story was from a female nurse, and from there it was pretty obvious that women were challenging virtually every detail of the Palin mythology from day one.

Women KNEW that she did not appear connected to her family on stage. 

They KNEW her response to the news of Bristol's pregnancy seemed unnatural and uncaring.

They KNEW that the way she held her supposedly newborn son felt wrong to them.

They knew!

And of course, THEY were right!

We have since learned that Palin was NOT the involved "hockey mom" that she tried to portray herself as on television. In fact, according to Sherry Johnston, she rarely attended games, and when she did she was always on her Blackberry or flirting with the dads.

According to a rather large number of people who spoke to Joe McGinnis, Geoffrey Dunn, and myself,  Palin was forever pawning her parental responsibilities off on just about anybody that she could. INCLUDING by the way the much maligned Mike Wooten, as he makes clear during his interview on Broomfield's excellent documentary "Sarah Palin-You Betcha."

No I seriously doubt that there were too many women fooled by Palin's transparent masquerade as a heavily involved, adoring parent of a hockey playing family of loveable misfits.

Good on you ladies. Good on you.

Director Nick Broomfield's bizarrely fascinating depiction of the difficulties he faced making "Sarah Palin:You Betcha!"

 On his documentary teams arrival in America:

October 24, 2010: We’ve arrived – or I have. Half my film crew have been arrested and deported. Everything is going fine at Seattle airport until they find out we are doing a film about Sarah Palin. The authorities go mad. They search our bags and detain my two researchers. 

Sarah, 22, is subjected to a urine test against her wishes – just in case she is pregnant and tries to get citizenship by giving birth on US soil. Her colleague Mark is spreadeagled against the wall and given a rectal search before being handcuffed. The 25-year-old spends the night on a filthy floor littered with cigarette butts. They are both sent back to England, supposedly because they don’t have the right visas. 

My cover for the documentary is blown. Discretion was the key. But thanks to our airport kerfuffle, the Wasilla branch of Homeland Security – an organisation dedicated to protecting America from terrorist activity (are my films that bad?) – has been told all about us. Instead of slowly ingratiating myself into Sarah Palin’s home community, I have landed in a blaze of notoriety.

On fear of Sarah:

November 21: Not everyone finds Sarah quite so charming. Many are frightened to talk. Sarah, a former Mayor of Wasilla and vice-presidential candidate, is very influential. Friends and supporters have been banned from speaking. But there are a few folk who have fallen out with her and don’t mind saying so. 

We throw a dinner party and invite the local pastor, some of Sarah’s old acquaintances, and a neighbour and sworn enemy of Sarah called Colleen Cottle. 

We rustle up pork loin as a change from our all-moose diet. Moose is delicious; like venison, only better. But there’s a lot of it. A single moose keeps a family for an entire winter. Our guests bring moose sausages. 

The conversation is tortured. One of the wives gets annoyed. Her husband had talked to us for the film and, coincidentally, had lost his job. Word spread that we were responsible for his unemployment. The wife walks out. The night wears on. We drink an awful lot of whisky.

 On getting Chuck Heath to talk to them:  

The only way I can get Chuck to speak to me is to buy moose and reindeer antlers from his mountainous collection. They are $150 a pop. He is getting less communicative as the days go by. 

But he does reveal something more powerful than his words ever could. Chuck points to a picture on his wall of some mangled feet. They are his. 

He explains he once took part in a marathon across the snow and that his toes filled up with pus. Luckily, he had packed a hand drill and bored through his digits to release the fluid. He finished the race. 

You understand a lot about Sarah’s unbelievable drive and grit when you see the picture of her father’s feet.  

On learning that old Alaskan maxi about men in Alaska, "The odds are good, but the goods are odd:"

December 5: We set off on snow- mobiles to a restaurant called Islander Lodge. You can tell it is a classy joint by the fake palms and laminated menus. Another night we visit the Bikini Bar, opened to cater for workers building a nearby prison. 

A 22-year-old brunette opens the window and enquires: ‘How can I help you today?’, wearing nothing but two scraps of fabric over her very generous, goose-bumped chest. In such a religious community, it is hil- ariously incongruous. 

We go to a bar across the way. It is full of bearded, beer-guzzling rednecks. All heads turn as we walk in. Silence descends. Our researcher is not unattractive and the guys’ eyes are out on stalks. It is like Deliverance on ice. We don’t go back. 

By the way I also met Nick's researcher, also named Sarah, and I can attest to the fact that she was quite beautiful, so I don't think I would be too hard on the somewhat inebriated men of Wasilla for gawking at her. I have seen some of the women in that community (Mercede notwithstanding) and one can hardly blame them for acting as if they they had never seen a beautiful woman before.

I had heard some of these anecdotes from Nick himself but certainly not all of them.

I did know they had significant difficulty getting anybody to talk with them after they were outed and that they ran into some very hospitable people, but also some extraordinarily rude behaviors as well. I am ashamed and embarrassed about how they were treated by our customs agents in Seattle. That seems uncalled for, but I have little difficulty believing that was directly due to them wanting to do a film on Palin. Before she became inconsequential her reach was long indeed.

You can read more courtesy of Mail Online.

Get your popcorn ready kids! "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!" to be available for Video On Demand by November 11th of this year.

Courtesy of Talk TV World:

SARAH PALIN: YOU BETCHA! will be available on Internet VOD/EST on November 8th and Cable VOD on November 11th from Freestyle Digital Media. The DVD will be released in 2012. 

The film is directed by Nick Broomfield (Biggie and Tupac, Kurt & Courtney) and Joan Churchill (Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer) with appearances by: John Bitney (Palin's former Legislative Director), Howard Bess (Former Alaskan pastor), Colleen Cottle (Former Wasilla Deputy Mayor), Walt Moneghan (Former Police Chief of Anchorage), Mike Wooten (Palin's former brother-in-law/Troopergate Scandal), Chuck and Sally Heath (Palin's parents) , Lyda Green (Former Alaskan Senate President), and Laura Chase (Palin's former campaign manager). 

SARAH PALIN: YOU BETCHA! tells the story of Nick Broomfield's quest for the real Sarah Palin - a journey across the icy snows of Alaska in mid winter, to meet the school friends, family, and Republican colleagues that in previous days gave their heart, and souls to the charismatic, charming, and intoxicating ex hockey mum. But it's not all plain sailing. People are frightened to talk, Wasilla makes Twin Peaks look like a walk in the park. It's a devout evangelical community - 76 churches with a population of only 6 thousand, and the Crystal meth capitol of Alaska. Who are the flying monkeys, the enemies, the friends, and most importantly - are you with her or against her? Join the quest and for Christ's sake buy some thermals! 

I am of the mind that much of the reason that this film did not get more attention, and a wider release, was that Palin took herself out of contention for the Republican nomination. Which was great news for America, but really unfortunate for this film because from what I have seen of the documentary it is highly entertaining.

As a rule I do not ever take advantage of my VOD as it always seemed ridiculous to pay the cable bill and then pay additionally to watch a certain movie. I will of course make an exception in this case.

And I will also purchase the DVD which is supposed to be available in 2012. In my opinion we owe Nick, and Joe McGinniss, and Geoffrey Dunn, and Frank Bailey a huge debt of gratitude for scaring Sarah Palin back into the shadows, so if I can repay them even a little by purchasing their books and movies I am definitely going to do so.

(I actually received a free copy of both Geoffrey and Joe's books in the mail, but still purchased an additional copy as well which I have donated to people who could not afford one of their own. They have now both been donated to local libraries if I am not mistaken)

Oh and speaking of books, I had another conversation with Fred this morning and he and his publisher are still working out some kinks, but hope to provide an update, including the release date, in the near future.  From what I understand part of the hold up has to do with the number of pictures included in the book.

Nick Broomfield's "Sarah Palin--You Betcha!" debuts at the BFI London Film Festival.

Joan Churchill and Nick Broomfield at the 55th BFI London Film Festival.

This from The Film Pilgrim:

Sarah Palin – You Betcha! is a political, biographical documentary of Sarah Palin. 

Throughout the film Nick Broomfield and his team come up against many obstacles; from people who are increasingly unwilling to discuss Sarah, to Sarah herself who claims she will give an interview, but inevitably doesn’t. The film is a mix of one-on-one interviews, archive footage and also some beautiful scenery shots. Seeing the development of Sarah’s career is eye-opening and gives stark evidence of what it has taken for her to become such an influential woman in American politics. The range of interviews with her old colleagues and neighbours also provides a personal insight into what she has done to get where she is in politics; including firing people who were once her friends and helped her get into a powerful position within the community. There is also evidence of bitter family feuds, and other disputes she regularly gets into. 

The archive footage dug up is relatively unseen and deeply personal, including Sarah Palin playing basketball in school. With this extensive archive and interview footage comes a sense of naivety or to put it plainly, stupidity. We are informed that Palin thought Queen Elizabeth II was the head of the UK government, incorrectly believed that she made all the decisions regarding policy and legislation, she couldn’t find Iraq on a map even though her son was being sent there, and the film ends with the famous prank phone call in which Sarah believed she was accepting a call from French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Some of the people interviewed are very worried that if she won the presidency she would have no qualms with starting a nuclear war. There was also evidence that she doesn’t always want what was best for the people, and is more concerned what was best for her. This was seen in the way she behaved to her ex-brother in law, whom she tried to get fired purely because he split from her sister. Quite a scary picture is painted of the incompetence of this powerful figure in American politics. 

There were a total of 125 hours of rushes and another 125 hours of archive footage that had to be trawled through during editing. The fact that this extensive amount of film was condensed down into an incisive and very well structured hour and a half documentary is a monumental achievement in itself. On top of this, the filmmakers also had to change the direction of the film numerous times as it was not clear whether Palin was running for president or not. 

Sarah Palin – You Betcha! is witty and funny, yet rather than taking the easy route of ridiculing a figure who is regularly mocked anyway, it takes a serious look at a character who could have had a catastrophic impact on the world. Broomfield maintains his already established filmmaking style, there is unfortunately no attempt at an evolution in his approach, but it is nevertheless another remarkable achievement from one of the documentary genre’s most vital auteurs. 

Sarah Palin – You Betcha! is showing at the BFI London Film Festival on the 15th and 16th October

I am still very much looking forward to seeing this film even though it did not exactly set the movie world on fire with its limited release here in the states. I have to blame a portion of that on the fact that Palin is no longer considered a viable Presidential candidate, nor a real threat to our democracy as we know it.

Essentially the majority people are starting to "get over" her. Something which I have little doubt is driving her insane.

By the way I have been badgering Fred about his book and when the website will be up. I am told that it will be very soon. I was giving a date, but I refuse to share it just in case there is another setback.

I also apologize for the tease, but this time it is totally not my fault. If it were up to me I would have had both the website up and book published ages ago.

Absolutely MUST SEE review of the documentary "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!"

Courtesy of the New York Observer:

For a shrill, obnoxious loudmouth spouting more semantic goofs in public than Mrs. Malaprop, she has mangled more facts, misquoted more people and been on the wrong side of so many things that she’s ready for a cinematic firing squad. And for a veteran documentary filmmaker with the credits of British director Nick Broomfield, I expected Sarah Palin—You Betcha! to be a hair-raising exposé. But he didn’t have to put in much overtime. All he had to do was go to Wasilla, Alaska, open his eyes and ears, and keep his cameras rolling. As her family, friends and enemies—including just about everybody she has ever worked with as mayor, governor and vice presidential nominee-—prove in every scene, Sarah Palin defines self-parody. 

The result is a balanced job of reporting that drives a stake through the heart of whatever she had left of a political career. Not easy, when a subject speaks only through Facebook and Twitter. But Mr. Broomfield, who wrote and directed the film with Joan Churchill, has profiled difficult subjects before: Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, and lesbian serial killer Aileen Wuornos, for starters. This might have been his easiest job yet. She was a pistol-packin’ mama who arrived on the scene after shooting and killing animals from a helicopter just in time to wreck John McCain’s bid for the presidency (although he did plenty to make a fool of himself on his own), stuck around to drive the Tea Party to infamy, and flapped her mouth with notable quotables like “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.” It’s all in the movie. She does the work. You just shudder.

In case you think Sarah Palin—You Betcha! is a hit job on an easy subject, see the movie and learn something. It’s terrifying, but in all fairness, no disgrace, no rumor of extramarital affairs in office, no broadside is explored unless it can be substantiated. No need to gild a poison lily. She didn’t know Africa was a continent. She still insists you can see Russia from Alaska. The movie has wry humor and sobering facts, but Mr. Broomfield doesn’t make anything up. By the end, the catalogue of her failures, hypocrisies and lies is still overwhelming. But despite her political irrelevance, her biggest supporter is Rupert Murdoch, who paid her a $3 million salary for Fox and a $7 million advance for her book, Going Rogue. She is currently being offered a cool million to undergo a polygraph test to disprove accusations of immorality in public office in the new Palin biography by Joe McGinnis. Ignorant, self-serving, vengeful, deeply dishonest, power-mad and pathological are just a few of the descriptions in this film, and they do not come from a bunch of sore-headed Democrats either. Both sides get a chance to cast a ballot. One long-time Palin voter says, “When she meets people, they just melt.” Oh, where have I been? 

This is a great review.  I loved it!

Even I had not already been convinced to go see this, I certainly would be now.

P.S. For a reminder of where you can see this film just click here.

Lawrence O'Donnell interviews Nick Broomfield.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here is the information for the upcoming premiers that Nick sent to me yesterday:

Sarah Palin: You Betcha! opens on Friday September 30th in the following theatres:

Angelika Film Centre, New York.
Fri - Sat. 11:00, 12:35, 13:15, 15:30, 17:45, 20:00, 22:30
Sun - Thu. 11:00, 13:15, 15:30, 17:45, 20:10, 22:00
Nick Broomfield will be doing a Q&A on Friday 30th September after the17:45 screening, on the 1st October after the 20:00 screening, and on the 2nd October after the 15:30 screening.
To view information about this screening and purchase tickets click here

Lincoln Plaza Cinema, New York
Fri - Thur. 12:30, 14:10, 16:05, 18:25, 20:30, 22:20
Nick Broomfield will be doing a Q&A on Friday 30th September after the 20:30 screening, on the 1st October after the 18:25 screening, and on the 2nd October after the 14:10 screening.
To view information about this screening and purchase tickets click here

Laemmle Monica, Santa Monia, CA
Joan Churchill will be doing a Q&A on Friday 30th September after the 19:50 screening, and on Sunday 2nd October after the 15:10 screening and the 17:25 screening.
To view information about this screening and purchase tickets click here

Laemmle Monica, Pasadena, CA
Joan Churchill will be doing a Q&A on Saturday 1st October after the 17:25 screening and the 19:50 screening.
To view information about this screening and purchase tickets click here

Kabuki 8, San Francisco, CA Elmwood 6, Berkeley, CA

Sarah Palin: You Betcha! will also play at the following theatres from the 7th October:

Drexel East Theatre, Columbus, OH

Sundance Cinemas 608, Madison, WI

St Anthony Main, Minneapolis, MN

Starz Filmcenter, Denver, CO

Valley Art 1 Theatre, Tempe, AZ

Clinton Street Theatre, Portland, OR

For more information click here

Admiral Twin, Seattle, WA

For any further information on upcoming screenings, please click here.

P.S. Before you ask YES I saw Rachel Maddow, and I will have that video up later.

Nick Broomfield, director of the documentary "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!", talks about the fear that Sarah Palin inspires in Wasilla.

Courtesy of The Telegraph:

"There was a genuine fear in the community about saying anything against Sarah Palin because people were worried about the power of the Palins and worried about losing their jobs,” he says. “In some cases, the children were friends with the Palin kids and didn’t want their parents to talk. 

She is such a polarising character that, even within a family, the husband or the wife liked her and the other one didn’t. She inspired such strong opinions that people were either passionately for her or against her.

” The 63-year-old Londoner, whose 30 films include Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, Kurt and Courtney, Biggie and Tupac and the memorable Tracking Down Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher, says, perhaps somewhat disingenuously, that he had no preconceived opinion when he set out to turn his camera and wry style of documentary-making on Palin. 

“I just wanted to understand where she was coming from,” he says. “I didn’t have any strong opinions, and I didn’t know that much about her. I’d seen her on stage with lots of babies and all the rest of it, and I wondered who the hell she was and where she had popped up from and what she believed in. 

“Sometimes when you hear her talking it’s as if she doesn’t quite understand what she’s saying. She comes out with all this stuff and you think, 'Who’s the real person here? You’ve learned the speech, but who are you?’ ” 

“A lot of people would talk off the record but wouldn’t talk on the record, so you pick up an impression, and, even if you can’t quote them, you still get the inside story. One of the things we got from a lot of people there is that she really didn’t spend any time with her kids at all. There seemed to be a big disappointment in the community about her – inevitably, I suppose, when you’re hobnobbing with the McCains and Washington elite – that she had moved on and she had no loyalty to her old friends, who had been left by the wayside.”“T

If you watch Broomfield's documentary you will hear people tell the same exact stories that are in Joe McGinniss's book "The Rogue." Except Joe got more information because he did not ask to put people on camera.

However the fact is that everybody who REALLY investigates Sarah Palin hears the same stories, by a variety of different people. And simply calling them "haters" or "disgruntled ex-staff members" does not negate the truth of what they are willing to share.

By the way, I have a name for these people as well.  I call them "Heroes."

Now we're talking! First review from a "boots on the ground" Immoral Minority reader directly from TIFF.

Here is the full review from long time IM reader Stepahnie:

Hey! 

I just got home from the movie and wrote this up for you. 

The movie was really well put together with some people I haven't seen interviewed before. The best part was the question and answer. It's amazing to see people in Toronto know how dangerous Sarah would be in the White House. 

Nick was very fair and at the end he said he was glad to be done with Sarah Palin. He said it was tiring! 

I hope you enjoy my thoughts! 

I headed down to the AMC theatre where Sarah Palin You Betcha! was premiering. About a hour before it was about to start I lined up and there were already people waiting. There were two different movies lining up but the majority of the people were there for the Sarah Palin movie. They started letting us in and the theatre was full. A staff member from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) always introduces the movie. He introduced Nick, Joan and the rest of the film crew, and stated there would be a question and answer after the film. The TIFF staffer then said, I’m the token American on staff and my personal opinion is Sarah Palin’s a crackpot, enjoy the film. 

As someone who reads the blogs, and for a Canadian probably knows way too much about Sarah Palin, I wasn’t sure if there was going to be any new information in the film, but Nick Broomfield’s approach to the film was very refreshing. Mixed in between the interviews would be commercials such as the bumpit, and evangelical Jesus will return to the earth clips. The humour kept the movie light. 

The movie followed Sarah’s political career from mayor, to governor to vice president candidate. Mixed in between were interviews from those that know her best. 

Nick had interviewed Chuck and Sally, the best part, in my opinion from that interview was that Chuck trained his dog to fetch antlers. There was also a clip of Nick talking to Chuck on the phone where he had decided this was a “hit piece” and that they scan and review opportunities for Sarah and if it’s a hit piece they don’t run these opportunities by her. 

Nick hit on some of the big scandals, her need for an enemy, her religion, affairs, love children, and of course troopergate. A big theme of the movie was her evangelical religion and the impact of that. Nick wasn’t able to interview any of Sarah’s classmates, so they went to Egypt to interview the only one willing to speak. I forget the lady’s name but she said regardless of your view of Sarah, the fact that most of her classmates were members of the Assembly of God, speaking out against Sarah is like speaking out against their religion and that’s just not done. 

She spoke of how she had never heard about hell until Sarah and her classmates told her she was going to hell, and how if you weren’t part of the Assembly of God you weren’t included in events, or “in the loop.” 

Another telling interview was with the former head of police John Ward, who said “your boss shouldn’t lie to you or the people she represents that’s what disappoints me the most.” 

The crowd was shocked with Lyda Green’s interview where she was disgusted with the interview Sarah did on the Bob and Mark show. Lyda said, “Sarah knew I had cancer, she sent me flowers, Bob and Mark may not of known, but Sarah did.” This actually made the audience gasp. 

Mercede Johnston talked about how when there was no need for her family anymore the pain that Sarah and Bristol caused. She said Levi’s comment about going on the national stage with the Palin’s was that he had to shave, and was told to smile, wave and say nothing. 

Mike Wooten talked about how when Todd was on the slope the children were farmed out to other people’s houses. He also said the Chuck didn’t like being around little kids, and would yell at them and tell them to play outside, then he used the same words to describe Sarah being home alone with the children. He said Chuck called all their mutual friends and threatened them to stay friends with the Heaths/Palins and not with him. He spoke very passionately and it was great to hear him speak so openly. 

Of course Gryphen was interviewed, I quite liked when he went through his Sarah Palin pictures showing how he picks what picture to use with a blog post. Nick asked his opinion on “the flying monkies” aka the palin-bots, and used Jesse’s story of what happens when you “cross” Sarah Palin. 

I saw the movie with my sister who doesn’t know anything about Sarah Palin and was most shocked at her need for an enemy, her lack of knowledge and how her religion drives her. 

The best part about seeing the movie at TIFF was question and answer afterwards. Nick and Joan were about to answer questions for about fifteen minutes. 

Someone asked how he was able to get people in Wasilla to speak to him. Nick stated that the people of Wasilla were extremely friendly, and invited them over to dinner before even interviewing them and that he got to know them. 

Another person asked what is the difference between Sarah and other politicians? Nick said that Sarah represents a change in American politics and how a majority of her base is poor and uneducated, and how that lack of understanding is how they can vote against their interests. 

He said Sarah uses an emotional message, which is not rational. 

Joan piped in that we need to remember almost fifty percent of Americans are irrational. 

Nick said Sarah uses the message of the “American Dream” and how you don’t need to rely on government. 

Nick was asked about Sarah and what he learned. He said Sarah’s religion and upbringing in Wasilla has shaped who she has become. He talked about how the first seven years shape who a person becomes and Sarah has this very strong good vs evil viewpoint. He spoke about how Sarah couldn’t just fire someone; she would make sure they would never work again. 

Someone asked if Nick or Joan had seen the Undefeated. They both shook their heads and asked if anyone in the audience had, no one raised their hand. 

Nick ended the question and answer with the fact Sarah was the biggest spending mayor in Wasilla’s history. How she raised oil taxes which many Republicans had opposed and she used democrats to pass the legalisation. 

He talked about how she didn’t really have a clear side on issues and jumped around the map, and how scary that would be for someone in the White House. 

The TIFF staffer ended the question and answer with a reminder that this movie would be coming out and to tweet, blog, and tell your friends because this message needs to get out. 

The movie is a great way to get a lot of the issues we talk about out to the general public. Nick uses humour, interviews and clips to bring a well balanced and fair look at Sarah Palin. 

I’d say it’s a must see, and hope it will get the message out to the “lame stream media.” 

Thanks, Stephanie

Now THAT is a review! Thank you very much Stephanie, I and the many readers of The Immoral Minority are very grateful that you were able to watch this premiere on our behalf and for the VERY impressive review that you have provided for our enjoyment.

More about Nick Broomfield's documentary "Sarah Palin-You Betcha!" Including when it will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Courtesy of tiff.net:

Sarah Palin is a galvanizing political force in America’s deepening cultural rift. While her missteps are lambasted by critics and satirists, her base of support only grows. After her defeat as a Vice Presidential candidate and her resignation as Alaska’s governor, she retains a red-hot following stoked by her bestselling book Going Rogue: An American Life and the TV series Sarah Palin’s Alaska . She assiduously avoids tak­ing questions from reporters, preferring to communicate with her fans via Facebook and Twitter. Filmmaker Nick Broomfield has never been fazed by uncooperative subjects, con­ducting his pursuits like a vigilante armed with a boom pole, frequently backed by his collaborator Joan Churchill behind the cam­era. His past documentary targets include Margaret Thatcher, Courtney Love and Heidi Fleiss. When headline makers block his access, he brings them down to a human scale by exploring their milieu. 

For Sarah Palin – You Betcha!, that means travelling to Alaska. Broomfield makes several trips to interview Palin’s parents, neighbours and former colleagues. They trace her values to her upbringing in the Pentecostal faith. One memorable archival clip shows a church ceremony in which she is being exorcised of witches. An Alaskan pastor characterizes her faith as “apoca­lyptic Christian” and elaborates, “She has no hesitancy to use violence against evil...Until you understand that, I don’t think you understand Sarah Palin.” Can she rise to a higher office? Several former allies describe Palin throwing them “under the bus” when they got in the way of her ambition. John McCain’s senior strategist tells Broomfield that she’s “deeply dishonest,” describing her aspiration to be President as “spine-chilling.” 

Broomfield brings a wry humour to his quest, but also draws out the serious impli­cations of Palin’s political future. Is this worthy of your concern? You betcha.

Showtimes are listed as:

Sunday September 11 AMC 7 7:00pm 
Monday September 12 AMC 6 2:30pm 
Sunday September 18 AMC 6 10:45am

I am still looking forward to any reviews that might be provided by any of you IM visitors who might be in the area during these showtimes in September.

I will gladly give you a byline, or respect your anonymity if that is what you prefer.

According to Nick I should have a DVD of the film arriving sometime in the near future, and I will likely provide my own review as well. However will not be able to gauge audience reaction by watching a DVD at home.

P.S. Remember Nick is still asking for donations to Kickstarter to help distribute the film, and it looks like he is almost halfway there with only 11 more days to go.

New tidbits leak out from Mercede Johnston's Playboy interview. Oh, the Grizzled Mama is NOT going to like this very much! Update!

Mercede and her mother Sherry. Palin victims no more.

Courtesy of TMZ:

19-year-old Mercede Johnston (above left) just WENT OFF about the entire Palin crew -- calling Sarah Palin a bad mom who's "never there for [her kids]" ... adding, "She doesn't make her kids go to school.

She'd rather parade them around and put on a show, at book signings or conventions."

As for Bristol -- "Everything is about her, her, her. She has to have her own way. She'll be supersweet and then she turns into the most evil person I've ever known ... Honestly, she is the meanest person." Mercede adds, "I didn't know someone could be so vindictive and evil ...[She's] a sociopath. She doesn't think anything she could do or does is wrong."

Mercede also claims Bristol and Levi PLANNED their pregnancy -- saying, "They were trying to conceive for months." 

And for good measure ... Mercede explains why Sarah would have been a TERRIBLE president saying, "I think she'd have had a mental breakdown if she was elected [president] ... She can't even answer Katie Couric's questions." 

Just when you think Sarah's day could NOT get any worse.

You know I waited with bated breath for this summer (and the fall) to finally arrive, but even I did not realize just how many things were coming down the pike to help put an end to Sister Sarah's career as a political hatemonger.

Numerous tell-all books, a damning documentary, Michele Bachmann stealing her thunder, a painfully poor propaganda piece that failed to ignite her political career, unexpected grandbabies, a Playboy interview that reveals unflattering truths about the Palin family, newly discovered pictures proving she was not pregnant with Trig, the list just goes on, and on, and on.

Don't the Germans have a word for this? Schadenfreude if I am not mistaken.

(I looked it up for you Palin-bots so that you would not hurt your tiny little brains. Just click this link.)

Update: It looks like Hollywood Life has a few more tidbits:

Mercede tells Playboy of Sarah’s eldest son Track, “He would do a lot drugs. He did OxyContin but mostly cocaine. He didn’t choose to go into the army; he went there because his mom made him, to get him out of the way…” Track did ship out during his mother’s campaign, though it is uncertain when exactly he enlisted. 

He may not be the only fan of the drug either as, the interviewer writes; “Someone trying to get my attention makes the incredible claim to have snorted coke with [Sarah] at the Mug Shot (a local bar) and points to the very spot on the bar where said lines were cut up.” This is, of course, to be taken with a grain of salt. 

Mercede also labels Bristol as a thief, among other things. When asked what Bristol is into, Mercede says; “stealing her parents credit cards to order clothes. Literally. And chasing after men and partying.” 

Mercede goes on to say that she could bring any number of men to meet the interviewer and have them show some of the nude pics Bristol has sent them.

Okay I knew about the stolen credit cards, the boy chasing, and partying, but the nude pics of Bristol are a new one on me.

Not that I would have been interested if I had known about their existence.

Update2: More from Hollywood Life:

She is furious about Sarah’s treatment of her brother Levi, who is the father of Sarah’s grandson, Tripp. “Not once did Sarah contact us and say, ‘Is this okay?’”, about her decision to take Levi into the spotlight, when she became John McCain‘s running mate in 2008. 

After all — Levi was only 18 at the time and hardly able to stand up to the powerful Governor of Alaska. “She literally took Levi from a hunting trip and flew him to the Republican Convention. He didn’t have a choice. I don’t blame John McCain — this is all Sarah Palin. She didn’t have to announce on stage that Bristol was pregnant. She doesn’t care, as long as she’s going to the top. But it’s screwed my whole family up. Levi was a prop, and once they didn’t need him, he was out the door.” 

No matter what your political persuasion you have to admit that Mercede’s accusations have a ring of truth when it comes to the Palin treatment of her brother. 

For good measure, Mercede also calls Bristol — “the most evil person I’ve ever known” and a “sociopath” and claims that she , Mercede, has been virtually excluded from baby Tripp’s life. 

Now, we all know that Sarah Palin can dish it out against her political opponents … and Katie Couric. She’s even been accused of inciting violence against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords by placing her district in crosshairs on an “attack map” that she featured on her facebook. 

Do we really need a “Pitbull in lipstick” or a Mamma Grizzly ( Mercede calls that Sarah nickname “retarded” ) leading our country now? A woman who’s instinct is to attack even the father and aunt of her “beloved” grandchild, rather than reach out and make them a part of her family? 
  
Damn! Sarah and Bristol really screwed the pooch when they pissed Sadie off!

I actually don't know everything that Sadie talked about in the Playboy interview because she signed a non-disclosure agreement and was not supposed to talk about it. Technically I was not even supposed to know about the pictorial, but she did not want me to find out from anybody else.

P.S. I almost forgot to say that I also heard that story about the cocaine use by Sarah at the Mug-Shot. And no it was NOT from Sadie.

A sneak peek at Nick Broomfield's documentary, "Sarah Palin--You Betcha!"

I heard about this scene.

The guy following behind Nick, as he is escorted out, is Marc Hoeferlin one of his assistants.

Nick also filmed the incident in Anchorage, where I was escorted out of the book signing after Todd recognized me and Sarah said: "Oh you are the one who is trying to destroy my children!"

I have no idea if it made it into the final cut, but both it, and my interview afterward, were filmed by Nick and his crew.

I think it looks pretty good, what do all you think, is it worth the price of a ticket?

"Sarah Palin--You Betcha!" Nick Broomfield's Palin documentary will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Here is the press release courtesy of Tiff.net:

Sarah Palin – You Betcha! Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill, United Kingdom

World Premiere

Nick Broomfield's quest for the real Sarah Palin involves battling the icy snows of Alaska in mid-winter to speak to the school friends, family, and Republican colleagues that in previous days gave their heart, soul and belief to the charismatic, charming, intoxicating ex-hockey mom. But it's not all plain sailing. People are frightened to talk; Wasilla makes Twin Peaks look like a walk in the park. It's a devout evangelical community – 76 churches with a population of only 6 thousand, and the Crystal meth capital of Alaska. Broomfield brings his celebrated wit and determination to cracking her story.

Well I have to say I'm intrigued, even though I already I know most of this stuff.

I really enjoyed getting to meet, and hang out with Nick and Joan, and I KNOW they were able to get access to some very knowledgeable people when it came to Sarah Palin, so the film will be far more revealing, and informative, than that ridiculous piece of propaganda by Stephen Bannon. That I can promise.

I don't know if any of my IM visitors are living near Toronto but the 36th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8 to 18, 2011, so if you get the chance to see the documentary I would LOVE to get a short review.

You know if you would not mind.

P.S. Nick's documentary is not the ONLY Palin related thing that now has a title. I spoke to the authors of the "babygate" book yesterday and they have narrowed their choice down to a handful of possibilities.  I will let you know what is decided just as soon as they are ready to release that information.