AN OPEN LETTER FROM MICHAEL MOORE

By Tom Tapp

In an open email posted on Anne Thompson's RisyBiz blog today, filmmaker Michael Moore announced a bevy of Hollywood heavyweights will be turning out for his second annual Traverse City Film Festival.

Appearing in person with films in tow will be Oscar nominees Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda") and Lawrence Bender ("An Inconvenient Truth") as well as David O. Russell ("Three Kings"), Larry Charles ("Borat"), Jeff Garlin and Jake Kasdan. Each of these filmmakers will be journeying to the small, Northern Michigan festival to see some of the 60 or so movies Moore has "personally selected."

Moore also says that his health care industry film "Sicko" is about 75% shot and its conclusions are a "surprise."

I don't think the country needs a movie that tells you that HMOs and the pharmaceutical companies suck. Everybody knows that. I'd like to show you some things you don't know. So stay tuned for where this movie has led me. I think you might enjoy it.

He goes on to say that, despite the letter and the film festival, we won't be hearing much from him "'cause I'm busy working." He is sure that we'll still be hearing much about him because the mainstream media, whom he refers to as "Bush stenographers," can't stop writing about him.

I realize that my silence doesn't stop the opposition with their weird obsession for me! It seems like not a week passes without my good name being worked into some nutty news story or commentary. (I have to say, though, I did enjoy Tom Delay blaming me and Ms. Streisand for why he had to resign from Congress!)

Moore closes the letter blasting the Bush administration and warning of scary plans afoot.

Bush has quietly closed down the special section of the CIA that was devoted solely to capturing Mr. bin Laden, so we can all rest easy now. I wonder who his next scary evildoer will be. A fearful nation awaits its marching orders, sir!