Michael & Me

It’s all about location, location, location...

I’d always thought working across the street from the Saudi Arabian embassy was pretty much a negative. We’ve had to deal with elevated security, a nut driving his car up onto the lawn, and general uneasiness. Today, however, I learned that there’s a flip side to that notoriety.

Turns out Michael Moore was shooting some footage of the embassy, and (eventually) interviewing someone who emerged from within. As a card-carrying left-winger (and one of the few folks who took issue more with his use of the nonexistent word “fictition” than with his political statement at last year’s Oscars), I had to go out and meet him. For the most part, folks were standing a respectable distance away — I heard someone mutter, “He’s got security” — but as soon as I saw a break, I stepped right up, introduced myself, and asked to shake his hand. Unprofessional, maybe, but there was no way I was going to pass this up. We didn’t get to chat, but I gather he’s working on his new picture on the Bush/Bin Laden family connections. (I thought at first that they were shooting for television, but on closer inspection, I noticed that they were using a Canon HD camera, so it could easily be meant for the big screen.)

I was going to be satisfied with just that, but then I remembered that David Seitzinger was visiting to do some freelance work for us. I ran in and grabbed him, and he managed to get off a few quick snapshots before they wrapped up.

Of course, a less-than-liberal friend wanted to pelt him in the head (Michael, not David) with a tape dispenser, but ended up deciding against it. A decision no doubt helped along by the rapidly approaching Secret Service agents...