Remembering Davy Jones [1945-2012]

By Gary P Jackson

Sad news. Actor and rock and roll star Davy Jones has passed away. He died of a massive heart attack in his sleep at his Indiantown, Florida home. Davy is survived by his wife Jessica and four daughters. He was 66.

Most of us know Davy from his time with The Monkees, a fictional musical group created for television that turned into a real band, but before The Monkees he had a solid acting career.

Beginning at the age of 11, Jones found steady work on stage and TV. When Davy was 14 his mother died, and he left acting to train as a jockey with Basil Foster. During casting for the London production of Oliver Foster was approached by a friend who worked on the production. Foster reportedly said “I’ve got just the kid!” Jones was cast as the Artful Dodger and played both London and Broadway. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.

On February 9, 1964, the same night The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, Davy along with the cast of Oliver were also on the show.

Following his Ed Sullivan appearance, Ward Sylvester of Screen Gems [then the television division of Columbia Pictures] signed Jones to a contract. A pair of American television appearances followed, as Jones received screen time in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer’s Daughter. He also recorded a single and album for Colpix Records, which charted but were not huge hits.

Screen Gems would go on to produce The Monkees TV show.

While on tour with The Monkees Davy discovered the Austin, Texas based group The Children and along with Eirik Wangberg co-produced them. A single was released on Laramie Records Picture Me. It shot all the way up the Billboard charts to number two:

As we all know, The Monkees would eventually break up. After that, Davy would go on to make guest appearances on many popular shows including The Brady Bunch, My Two Dads, Love,American Style, SpongeBoB SquarePants, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and many more.

From Love, American Style:

In 2008 Yahoo named Davy the “Number 1 Teen Idol of All Time.”

Fellow bandmates Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork spoke to TMZ:

Micky Dolenz says he had a feeling something bad was going to happen today … saying  he “had bad dreams all night long” … only to later learn about the death of his friend Davy Jones.

Dolenz released a statement moments ago … saying, “Can’t believe it…Still in shock…had bad dreams all night long.”

In a separate statement, Dolenz added — “I am in a state of shock … The time we worked together and had together is something I’ll never forget. He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart. The memories have and will last a lifetime. My condolences go out to his family.”

Monkees bassist Peter Tork also released a statement about Jones which reads:

“It is with great sadness that I reflect on the sudden passing of my long-time friend and fellow-adventurer, David Jones.

His talent will be much missed; his gifts will be with us always. My deepest sympathy to Jessica and the rest of his family.

Adios, to the Manchester Cowboy.”

Growing up in the 60’s, I was just at the right age when The Monkees hit TV. The show was fun, and the music, written by the likes of Neil Diamond, Carol King, and of course Tommy Boyce and Booby Hart, still sounds fresh today. What was a simple marketing idea for a TV show turning into much more.

Though Michael Nesmith would eventually go his own way, Davy, Micky, and Peter would tour off and on over the years. Their last tour, celebrating the 45th anniversary of The Monkees, aptly named An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour visited the UK, The United States, and Canada. The tour ran from May-July of 2011.

I could go on for days about the fond memories of days gone by and how much I love the music these four cats made. I guess the best way to celebrate David Jones’ life and times is to share some music and videos:

When two teen idols met: In an episode called Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik, Davy starred with singer, actress Donna Loren:

Every red blooded male loved Donna who sang in the various Frankie and Annette “beach” movies of the day. This is from Beach Blanket Bingo:

The Monkees were one of the first rock bands to add a Moog synthesizer to their music:

Before MTV, there was The Monkees! In fact, the music/skit portion of the show would be copied far and wide. Even the Saturday morning cartoon shows copied the idea.

In fact Michael Nesmith is often called the “Godfather of MTV” because he produced a half-hour pilot for a music video show that was gonna be called Pop Clips. The series was never made, but Nesmith sold the rights to Time-Warner, which tweaked the idea and spawned MTV.

Davy wrote [and co-wrote] several dozen songs, including this from the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones LTD, which he co-wrote with Kim Capli, Eddie Brick, & Charlie Rocket:

Here’s Davy a few years back on the O’Reilly Factor. They are discussing the situation regarding the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

Davy Jones was a true icon and by all accounts a stand up guy. He will be truly missed.

Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

Karen Harrington: ANWR is Vital to National Energy Independence

By Gary P Jackson

Karen Harrington is running for Congress out of Florida’s 20th district. That’s the seat currently held by DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She’s come out strong for energy security and say the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] is the place to start.

Harrington writes about the need for energy security on her website:

ANWR is Vital to National Energy Independence

The Republican led House of Representatives just passed an energy bill that would help our country move in the right direction towards energy independence. But like most of the other important legislation that House Republicans have sent over to the Democratic-controlled Senate, this bill will either be shelved or voted down, even as gas prices in the United States hover around $4 a gallon and the prospects for higher gas prices are likely this coming summer. The Senate should act swiftly and pass this House energy bill.

President Obama has done his best to play energy politics at every opportunity while he has avoided enacting a bona fide energy policy that serves the national interest. Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline was a monumentally foolish decision that not only hurts us economically and kills jobs,it continues to leave us vulnerable to the whims of OPEC and to the increasingly dangerous regimes in Venezuela and Iran. 
 
For starters, why aren’t we drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska? The ANWR region in Alaska is estimated to have 21 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, but these reserves have not been tapped because of unfounded concerns by environmental activists who believe drilling would endanger the environment and could cause catastrophic damage ‘if’ an accident were to happen.

These are the same people who opposed the initial building of the Alaskan pipeline partly due to concerns that the Caribou’s migratory patterns would be interrupted— a claim which has subsequently been proven wrong, as the Caribou population has actually increased since the construction of the pipeline.

Nowhere more than Alaska – Alaskans – would be impacted by development in ANWR. And here in Alaska, our constituents, the people who live here, want it drilled. So that tells you that we have confidence in the safety and the responsibility that we’ll see there with the development of ANWR… we’re talking about a sliver of the coastal plain of Alaska being explored and drilled for oil. It’s about a footprint of a 2000-acre plot of land. That’s smaller than the footprint of LAX, for instance.

~Governor Sarah Palin, 2008 Interview with Larry Kudlow

The recent rise in oil prices is partly fueled by the increasing tensions in the Middle East and concerns about a possible naval showdown in the straits of Hormuz.  Coupled with the increasing threat that emanates from Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and his closer collaboration with Iran, it makes zero sense to continue with our self-defeating national energy policy that is intentionally putting the natural resources that reside under our feet off line to exploration and development. 
 
It is incomprehensible that an American President could be so naively ignorant to the growing national security concerns we face or the fact that our lack of energy independence is really a national security issue.  President Obama’s cynical approach to energy is harming this great nation in far too many ways, and if his Administration continues to double down on his failed set of energy policies, the economic ramifications of $5 a gallon gasoline won’t be very easy for him to ignore.

Karen Harrington is right. Energy security is the key. We have hundreds of years worth of oil, natural gas and coal right here in the United States. All we need is the will to develop it.

Energy security means stability. Energy security means jobs. Good paying, durable jobs. Energy security also means better national security.

I’ve been following Karen for a while now. She’s for real.

If you’d like to help send Debbie Wasserman Schultz packing, and put a real Conservative in her place, check out Karen’s website and get involved. Also check her out on Facebook, Twitter, and at her You Tube channel.

We need real common sense Conservatives in Congress, and Karen Harrington will bring it.

L.A. Times Readers Say They’ll Watch “The Undefeated” over “Game Change” 76% to 14%

By Gary P Jackson

Another interesting poll. The L.A. Times ran a semi hit piece on Sarah Palin a few days ago, a little push-back against all of those calling the HBO fictional account of Sarah’s vice presidential run what it is: Crap!

As we noted a few days ago, current and former Palin aides are not amused. Stacy Drake, writing for Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood has a great piece that includes even liberal democrats ripping the HBO movie apart.

From those who have seen it, and went on record, the consensus is: It’s a total work of fiction, and doesn’t even remotely reflect the actual events that occurred.

The Times asked it’s readers if they would be watching the HBO film, Game Change or The Undefeated which will be debuting in March on Reelz. The other choices were “both” or “neither.”

The results are eye opening:

Which Sarah Palin film will you watch?

The Undefeated on Reelz 1569 votes 76.54%

Game Change 286 votes 13.95%

Both 52 votes 2.54%

Neither 143 votes 6.98%

Total Votes 2,050

Pretty lopsided results.

In case you’re wondering, though I’ve already seen it multiple times, I’ll be one of those watching The Undefeated on Reelz

Fox News Poll: Sarah Palin The Overwhelming Choice if a Brokered Convention Occurs

By Gary P Jackson

Fox News put out an interesting online poll, asking who it’s viewers would most like to see jump in the fight, should there be a brokered convention in Tampa.

113,683 votes were cast with Sarah Palin getting the most: 48,307 votes. [42.49%] This was almost twice what the voters’ second choice, progressive N.J. Governor Chris Christie, garnered: 26,961 votes. [23.72%]

Who would you want to jump in as a Republican candidate in a brokered convention?

Full results:

Sarah Palin 42.49% 48,307 votes

Chris Christie 23.72% 26,961 votes

Paul Ryan 14.13% 16,062 votes

Jeb Bush 11.37% 12,921 votes

Mitch Daniels 8.3% 9,432 votes

Total Votes: 113,683

Yeah it’s just an online poll, not scientific, but it certainly shows that folks want a small government Conservative as a presidential candidate over Big Government progressives. And since no such candidate exists in the current GOP field ….

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure there is a real chance of a brokered convention, though looking at the new GOP rules with proportional rewarding of delegates vs. winner take all, this may be a nail biter yet. Add in the fact that unless they run out of money, none of these four candidates are likely to drop out any time soon, and anything can happen.

For my part, I hope we see a brokered convention. Like many, I’m not happy with any of the candidates we have to choose from. I could vote for Mitt Romney if he’s the nominee, but I’d rather have a better option.

As Afghan Leaders Call for Jihad Against U.S. Military: Sarah Palin Demands Apology for Death of U. S. Soldiers Over Koran Burning

By Gary P Jackson

Ah, the “Religion of Peace” strikes again.

Radical Muslims have been on a rampage for the last three days after some copies of the Koran were accidentally burned this week.

Of course, Barack Obama wasted no time apologizing to the Afghans. From the official Afghani President Hamid Karzi’s website:

President Obama Apologizes to President and People of Afghanistan for the Quran Burning

Publish Date: Feb 23, 2012

February 23, 2012- US President, Barack Obama sent President Karzai a letter to apologize for the incident in which copies of the Holy Quran were burnt in Bagram military base.

In the official letter conveyed to the President this afternoon by Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, President Obama has written that the incident in their facility was not intentional and assured the President of full investigation.

President Obama writes, “I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident. I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies.”

“The error was inadvertent; I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible” the letter concludes.

Sarah Palin wants to know where Karzi’s apology is for the death of two of our finest. Posting on Facebook Thursday morning:

Obama apologizes for the inadvertent Koran burning this week; now the U.S. trained and protected Afghan Army can apologize for killing two of our soldiers yesterday.

As of this writing, a total of six people have been killed.

Diana West writes of an organized call for jihad against our troops in the Afghan Parliament:

The fury does not appear likely to abate soon. Members of Parliament called on Afghans to take up arms against the American military, and Western officials said they feared that conservative mullahs might incite more violence at the weekly Friday Prayer, when a large number of people worship at mosques.

“Americans are invaders, and jihad against Americans is an obligation,” said Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a member of Parliament from the Ghorband district in Parwan Province, where at least four demonstrators were killed in confrontations with the police on Wednesday.

Standing with about 20 other members of Parliament, Mr. Khawasi called on mullahs and religious leaders “to urge the people from the pulpit to wage jihad against Americans.”

These people loose their minds over the accidental burning of a book, while having no regard for human life. These are the same people whose Koran allows them to kill anyone who won’t convert to their religion.

Instead of apologizing for an accident, we should be going on the offense against these savages. A lot of blood and treasure has been wasted trying to free these people from the tyrannical grip of the Taliban, and this is how we are repaid? It’s sickening. And it’s time to get serious.

We have a weak president and a weak Congress. We need to replace both. Then we need neutralize our threat in Afghanistan, and leave.

I find it appalling that Obama found time to apologize for the Koran burning, but no time to man up and take it to Karzi and the Afghans for killing our troops.

Palin Aides: HBO’s “Game Change” Sick, Inaccurate

Don’t bother with Game Change, the real Sarah Palin is much more engaging

By Gary P Jackson

Many of Sarah Palin’s top aides, past and present, are speaking out about HBO’s attempt to smear her with this piece of garbage called Game Change. Like most, I’ve only seen the movie trailers, but that’s really all you need to see to understand what you got here.

The timing for the release of this thing makes it obvious what the intention was when money was thrown at the production. The producers of this steaming pile though Sarah Palin was going to run for president, and their fantasy/hit piece creation would have maximum effect.

Unfortunately for these weasels, The Undefeated will debut on March 11, the day after Game Change on Reelz, which reaches 62 million homes. HBO only reaches and estimated 28 million.

From the Associate Press:

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Current and former aides to Sarah Palin lashed out Wednesday at HBO’s “Game Change,” describing the upcoming film’s depictions of her on the 2008 campaign trail as “sick” and inaccurate.

None of the aides said they have yet seen the movie, which debuts March 10, and some said they had asked for an opportunity to screen the film but had been denied.

Trailers for the film, which is based on the bestselling book chronicling the 2008 presidential race, have been released, however, and some snippets appear to cast Palin in an unfavorable light. As portrayed by Julianne Moore, Palin is seen complaining about how she’s being handled by political advisers and mumbling about missing her baby, who was born in April 2008. In one snippet, campaign strategist Steve Schmidt, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, describes her as being on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Aides said none of that jibes with their own experiences with the former Alaska governor, and they defended her vigorously Wednesday.

Jason Recher, who handled vice presidential road operations for the McCain-Palin campaign, called Palin “one of the most engaged public servants I’d ever observed.” Tom Van Flein, her former personal attorney, called her diligent, sharp and enthusiastic about the campaign.

Meg Stapleton, a former spokeswoman, said that she, unlike some of the others who worked with Palin during the campaign, had not been contacted by anyone associated with either the book or movie.

“They don’t want to hear anything good,” she said, her voice full of passion. “We all know Palin sells and the dramatization of Palin sells even more. This is sick.”

“They mock Gov. Palin, you mock Gov. Palin, as weak and unable to cope and press forward,” she told reporters on the conference call. “And the movie and the trailer … say that. And yet look with your own eyes at what she and her family have endured and inspired over the last few years. Any lesser man would have hanged himself by now. So who’s weak?”

Recher noted that Palin wasn’t the primary focus of the book, and he said he told screenwriter and co-executive producer Danny Strong that the book “absolutely, unequivocally” did not accurately reflect his time with the McCain campaign.

More from the Washington Post:

Palin adviser Tim Crawford last week told The Fix that the movie “Game Change,” which is based on a book of the same name, is “fiction.”

In a conference call Wednesday, several former Palin advisers agreed.

“If the book was very misleading, the movie’s going to be far worse,” said Palin adviser Randy Scheunemann. “It gives fiction a bad name to call this fiction.”

The Palin aides repeatedly criticized the authors of the popular book, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, for writing about Palin when they weren’t physically there covering the things that were reported in the book.

“It’s a false narrative cobbled together by a group of people who simply weren’t there,” said Palin aide Jason Recher.

“There’s only one person qualified to tell that story, and it’s her,” said another, Doug McMarlin.

But Stapleton gave the most impassioned defense, accusing the media of an “insatiable desire to beat and beat and beat” Palin.

Stapleton also accused Steve Schmidt, a top adviser for the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008, of exacting revenge on Palin.

“Schmidt is infamous for lining up and destroy,” Stapleton said. “He is abusive, he is abrasive, and he is nothing short of a world-class bully.”

Scheunemann added: “I think it’s pretty clear that he’s at the heart of this.”

“Looking at the trailers alone gets my blood boiling,” Stapleton said, referring to a clip from the trailer of Palin’s character lying on the floor of a bathroom in the fetal position.

I don’t know Sarah Palin personally, but I have followed her career since the earliest days of her governorship, over a year before she was asked to join the McCain campaign. All I can say is the portrayal of Sarah Palin that I have seen from the Game Change trailers doesn’t even come close to being accurate.

Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace totally screwed John McCain’s campaign. They are both incompetent and disloyal. It’s been their mission to blame their failures on Sarah from the get go.

Both started sabotaging the McCain/Palin campaign, well before the voters went to the polls, laying the ground work for their despicable acts.

If you want an accurate account of the McCain campaign, go read Sarah’s book Going Rogue or tune into Reelz on March 11, and watch The Undefeated. You’ll be treated to accounts from people who were there from the start and have worked closely with Sarah Palin as she transformed Alaska, and sought to bring a little common sense to our nation’s capitol.

Gingrich Campaign Warned 2nd Time for Financial Dealings

By Gary P Jackson

For the second time in as many months we are hearing about financial irregularities within the Gingrich campaign.

Back in January Ken Vogel wrote that Newt, through his various little companies, was basically paying himself to campaign for president:

Newt Gingrich’s campaign paid him $47,000 for a list of supporters and paid one of his companies another $67,000 for web hosting, according to a report filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

The report paints a picture of a campaign that is working to professionalize, but continues to be based in part around the candidate himself and the network of companies and non-profits that he built after leaving Congress.

The report shows that the former House speaker’s campaign raised $9.8 million in the last three months of the year, but that it spent almost that much — $8.1 million — and finished the year with $2.1 million in the bank and $1.2 million in debt.

Gingrich’s year-end fundraising is expected to be dwarfed by that of rival Mitt Romney, who has yet to file his fourth quarter FEC report. But Gingrich’s campaign, which got new life after his strong win in the South Carolina primary, said its fundraising has surged in January, announcing it had pulled in $5 million this month.

In the fourth quarter, the campaign invested in fundraising, spending $978,000 on direct mail and Internet fundraising, and it hired more staff, paying $279,000 in salaries, and opened more offices, paying $124,000 in rent.

Still, even as the campaign professionalized, it continued to lean on the network of companies and non-profits Gingrich built after leaving Congress.
For instance, it paid $67,000 for web hosting to Gingrich Productions, which had previously received payments for web development totaling $8,400.

The campaign also paid Gingrich himself $47,000 for a list of supporters, plus another $206,000 for travel.

It’s not unusual for for campaigns to pay rent or buy lists from political committees or non-profits affiliated with the candidate, and it’s fairly common for campaigns to reimburse staffers for travel or other expenses.

But it’s unusual for a presidential candidate personally to be paid significant amounts for travel or lists — both because candidates can contribute an unlimited amount in cash or services to their own campaigns and because campaigns typically foot travel costs directly. And the Gingrich campaign did not immediately respond to questions about the payments.
Gingrich has a penchant for flying private charter jets, and the campaign appears to have reined in its payments to his charter jet company of choice, Moby Dick Airways, which was paid $133,000 in the fourth quarter for private jet air fare. Still, the campaign reported owing the company $352,000, as well as $472,000 to a phone banking company for “telemarketing program costs.”

Nice deal if you can pull it off.
Now the Washington Times is reporting the Federal Elections Commission [FEC} is warning Newt for the second time to get his act together.

Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign has received a second warning from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for widespread financial irregularities, saying the campaign must disclose why nearly $1 million was paid to the candidate, staff and a small group of fundraising consultants for questionable reimbursements.
But hours after the FEC letter on its 2011 finances became public, the campaign filed a report for a newer time period, January, that indicated that the problems have become far worse.

The campaign transferred Mr. Gingrich $88,000 last month for unspecified “travel” expenses, a pace far higher than he paid himself over the course of 2011, a federal report filed Monday showed. It was part of $220,000 in mystery money that month that went to people close to Mr. Gingrich on top of their salaries, raising the issue of potential self-dealing.

The FEC warning letter was issued the day The Washington Times documented the suspect reimbursements.

Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond had told The Times that the payments were a result of Mr. Gingrich footing bills early in the campaign and getting reimbursed because no bank would give the campaign a credit card. He had said the campaign was finally able to obtain a credit card late last year, so there would be no reason for the pattern to continue in 2012.

The January payments came in two checks over four days at the end of the month. He would not explain the discrepancy this week.
The FEC’s objections are not to the idea of a candidate and staff fronting costs and getting reimbursed, but because the technique has caused a huge segment of the campaign’s expenditures to become a black box. Rule books say every restaurant, vendor, hotel or other company that receives more than $200 in donated funds must be disclosed, even if a billing conduit is used.

A separate disclosure Monday showed that Becky Burkett, a former top official of a nonprofit Mr. Gingrich headed who now runs a pro-Gingrich super PAC called Winning Our Future, paid herself $220,000 in donated money last month — making more in 20 days than any other super PAC official has made in total since the groups exploded onto the scene, a review by The Times showed.
Super PAC spokesman Rick Tyler said the payments compensated her for November, December and part of January. The fund brought in its first donation Dec. 7. Although that rate puts the Gingrich confidante on pace for an annual salary in the millions, Mr. Tyler noted that political work isn’t assured.

“In this business, we all could be out of a job next — you just don’t know,” he said. “People make more knowing that this could be a short-term contract.”

Among several other staffers, Gregg Phillips also received $90,000 in January.
Administrative responsibilities for super PAC finances are far simpler than those for campaign committees because there are only a few major checks to keep track of rather than thousands of small ones, and many are from established allies. Winning Our Future has about 100 donors.

The donations they do bring in, of course, are more sensitive. Mr. Tyler indicated that the super PAC officials receive commission for money raised.

Ms. Burkett received $100,000 for fundraising services Jan. 23, the day before longtime Gingrich supporter Sheldon Adelson, whose family has provided nearly all the PAC’s money, made out a $5 million check.

Problems extend to nonprofit

Mr. Gingrich’s presidential campaign operations are nearly identical to those of the nonprofit he left to pursue the bid, American Solutions, which Ms. Burkett, who lives in small-town Georgia, received $320,000 over 18 months for helping run.

The accounting practices that are especially fast and loose for a presidential campaign began with the older group, which raised $50 million between 2007 and 2010, but spent most of it on fundraising expenses. It spent $7 million on payments to travel-specific companies, including $3.2 million for a private jet, in addition to reimbursing staffers $1 million for unspecified travel expenses.
It paid $6 million in salary to about 30 staffers, the core crew of which is now on the campaign or super PAC.

The nonprofit’s finances also showed that the favored Gingrich explanation for payments can mean just about anything: Disbursements described simply as “travel” include $100,000 for a speaker’s fee and $650 at a Washington, D.C., bar.

Read more here.

This is not only sloppy, it goes to Newt’s character, and love of the high life. Newt seems to have no problem spending other people’s money on his extravagant lifestyle. For a so-called Conservative, this cat is burning through some money.

We need serious people leading our nation. We already have a president and first lady who think taxpayers should foot the bill for lavish vacations and house parties. Not seeing how Newt would be any different, if his current and past record are used as predictors of the future.

Obligatory:

ReelzChannel Acquires “The Undefeated” Will Debut in March

By Gary P Jackson

Great news, ReelzChannel has acquired The Undefeated and will be debuting the film on March 11.

From Big Hollywood:

“The Undefeated,” the 2011 documentary tracking Palin’s remarkable political ascent, makes its television debut March 11 on Reelzchannel.

“We’re thrilled to have yet another opportunity to bring a big story to viewers,” said Stan E. Hubbard, Reelzchannel CEO in a statement. “Sarah Palin is a charismatic figure who burst onto the political scene, and whatever your leanings, if you have any interest or curiosity in politics, social change or the Sarah Palin phenomenon, this is a must-see movie.”

“We are incredibly excited that REELZCHANNEL has made the courageous decision to present the network television premiere on the same weekend as the fictionalized hit-piece by HBO,” said Stephen K. Bannon, who also hosts KABC’s nationally syndicated radio show “The Victory Sessions,” in a statement. “‘The Undefeated’ is the story of ‘Everyman’ – of how through grit, determination and force of character one can make an impact in modern America.”

The film, which features political commentators Mark Levin, Andrew Breitbart and Tammy Bruce, follows Palin’s political career from its humble Alaskan roots to a place on Sen. John McCain’s presidential ticket.

“The Undefeated” will air at 8 p.m. EST March 11 on Reelzchannel. Encore Presentations for “The Undefeated” will be at 10 p.m. EST March 12 and 5:30 p.m. EST March 25.

Reelzchannel reaches more than 62 million homes on DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-verse and cable systems nationwide.

If you’ve not taken the chance to see the movie, now is your chance. As someone who was following Sarah Palin’s career long before she was chosen as John McCain’s running mate, I couldn’t recommend this movie more.

Frank Bailey Fined for Using Confidential Palin E-Mails in Book

By Gary P Jackson

Frank Bailey, a former aide to Sarah Palin, who wrote a “tell all” book about his time in the Palin administration, has been fined $11,900 for violating state ethics laws.

The book, which was widely panned as a work of fiction, was co-written by long time Palin hater Jeanne Devon and Ken Morris.

In preparation for writing his book, Bailey took a number of confidential e-mails Sarah Palin wrote. His trying to profit from these e-mails is illegal under Alaska’s ethics laws.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

Frank Bailey, the former Sarah Palin aide turned tell-all author, has agreed to pay an $11,900 civil fine for violating the state’s ethics laws by keeping, disseminating and profiting from confidential emails he obtained while serving in Palin’s administration.

The Alaska attorney general’s office disclosed the settlement Tuesday in a letter to ethics campaigner Andree McLeod. McLeod, a Palin critic, initiated the complaint against Bailey in September 2010 after reading about his plans for a Palin book with two co-authors in the Daily News gossip column, the Alaska Ear.

[ …. ]

In the four-page settlement agreement with the state, confirmed by Senior Assistant Attorney General Julia Bockmon, Bailey admitted he used his collection of emails relating to state business from 2006 to 2009 to write the book. Some of those emails were confidential under state law, he admitted.

Before the book was published, Bailey provided a draft manuscript and the emails he planned to quote to the Attorney General’s office for review of potential confidential information, the settlement said. At the time, Bailey said took that step so he could “remove information alleged to violate the Ethics Act prior to publication.”

While Bailey removed most of the confidential information prior to publishing, some remained, the settlement said.

The settlement only generally describes the subject of the confidential information that was published: “Mr. Bailey admits that his published book contains information regarding the appointment of an attorney general that the Office of the Attorney General advised him was confidential prior to publication of the book,” the settlement said.

The penalties in the settlement were attributed to three violations: $3,600 for using confidential information in drafting his book; $7,200 for disclosing confidential information to his two co-authors; and $1,100 for publishing confidential information after he was advised it was secret.

Sarah Palin Talks with Sean Hannity

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin gives us her thoughts on the presidential race so far.

Video courtesy SarahNet