Chance the Gardner (not Chance the Rapper) is “A simpleminded, sheltered gardener [who] becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful businessman and an insider in Washington politics.”

Chauncey, played by Peter Sellers, hardly knows where he is, so when the rich owner of the garden suddenly dies, Chance is a total loss without guidance. He dresses in the owner’s elegant clothes and starts wandering through the capital city.

Peter Sellers as Joe Biden?

The short of it: his off-handed remarks apropos of nothing are taken as great wisdom (where else but in Washington?) and soon, as a great sage, he is advising the United State president. When there’s nothing going on in his head.

Maybe it’s not fair to compare Biden to Chance, but the reality finally is settling in among Democrat Party overseers that the former vice president isn’t up to it, not when it comes to dealing with such national emergencies as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maybe a better comparison is Bernie Novaks, the dead-guy-walking in Weekend at Bernies who is propped up by a couple of goofs trying to fool everyone into thinking that Bernie is really alive.

Okay, okay, maybe that’s going too far. Just the kind of trash talk that you’d expect from a rabid right-winger, right? Except for this: Peter Bart, a Hollywood type, recently penned a piece comparing President Donald Trump to Chance the Gardener. (“The Trumpian Hero Of ‘Being There’ 40 Years Ago Built His Power Base On A Message He Never Understood.”)

Truth is stranger than fiction?

Den[email protected]

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

The United States Senate, by a vote of 96-0, approved a $2.2 trillion dollar coronavirus pandemic aid initiative on Wednesday, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi planning to push the bill through the House of Representatives on Friday. From there it will be sent to President Trump for his signature, and then the economic relief package will become law.

It’s by far the largest economic relief bill in American history, but that was to be expected, especially when you factor in the time value of money. A majority of the funds will be geared towards financial stimulus, with $500 billion set aside for sending direct payments of $1,200 to every American that earns less than $75,000 per year. It is expected that these checks will take three weeks to reach these Americans in need, so billionaire businessman and entrepreneur Mark Cuban is trying as hard as he can to get this money to the people who need it faster.

Another $500 billion of the package will go to the Federal government, $150 billion for state and local governments and $100 billion for hospitals. The bill also includes a lot of added expenditures for items not at all related to the COVID-19 pandemic including: $25 million to the Kennedy Center for the performing arts, $20 million to two D.C. area colleges,  $75 million for the arts and humanities and $350 million in migrant and refugee assistance.

There were a lot of losers in this bill, including the U.S. Post Office, which got about half of what they were asking, and the oil and cruise industries, which didn’t receive much help at all.

The New York Times has a comprehensive Q&A on the relief package bill, which has of course, received a lot of criticism from both sides of the aisle. The left points out the lack of oversight on Trump, and what resources could be allocated to his family. Given his notorious history of nepotism, at a level on par with a banana republic autocrat, this is understandably concerning.

The right is drawing attention to Pelosi’s obtaining funding for non-essential and extraneous services, at a time when the focus should be on expanding help for the jobless, and provide hundreds of billions of dollars to small businesses adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

So will it be enough to save us from an economic depression or a really severe recession? No one really knows for sure, but on Thursday the U.S. jobless claims numbers came out and they surged to an all-time high.

This past week saw 3.82 million Americans filing for unemployment insurance, with just 282,000 workers filing a claim the week before. Meanwhile we learned on Thursday night that the U.S. surpassed both Italy and China for the most COVID-19 cases in a single country.  

No matter what happens we can certainly expect another three to four months of extreme economic disruption. Over the next 6-8 weeks things will get very uncertain as we see the macro impact and how that all plays out.  More numbers from key indicators will be coming out over the weekend, and hopefully we don’t see another negative surge. 

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If you live in Chicago, you probably know about “Cloud Gate” (aka, The Bean), “The Picasso” and the twin Lions that stand guard in front of the Art Institute of Chicago but you may have missed some of the city’s other wonderful public art installations.

Since most stores and cultural institutions are currently closed and we are reminded to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, a walk through Chicago’s outdoor public art landscape is a good way to get some exercise, fresh air and a bit of culture.

Just keep your safe distance.

Here is Show Me Chicago’s self-guided tour:

The Tour

Our tour starts in front of Chicago’s Cultural Center on the corner of Washington St. and Michigan Ave with a Bronze Cow that we affectionally refer to as:

Not Now Bronze Cow
78 E. Washington

Bronze Cow.

Back in 1999, Cows on Parade captured the imagination and affection of Chicagoans and visitors alike. Dozens of creative cows were spotted (pun intended) everywhere from the Museum of Science and Industry to the Mag Mile and some neighborhoods.

Then they went away with 20-something of them returning last year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Cows on Parade.

Although some survive in private collections and indoors, our “Bronze Cow” is the only utter one on public view in an outdoor location.

Stop two: Monument with Standing Beast
100 W. Randolph

From Bronze Cow, head west to Clark, turn right (north) for one block to Randolph where you’ll find the Beast on the northeast corner of Clark and Randolph in front of the Thompson Center

“Monument with Standing Beast” is a 29-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture that weighs more than 10 tons. 

This fiberglass beast is made up of four elements that are said to represent an animal, a portal, a tree and an architectural form. It was unveiled in 1984, and according to the artist, Dubuffet, it is a “drawing that extends into space.”  Chicagoans have nicknamed the piece “Snoopy in a blender.”

Stop three: The Muddy Waters Mural
17 N. State

From “The Beast” head back east on Randolph to State (two blocks). Turn south on State to Washington (one block). Stand on the SW corner and look up and across the street to get the best view of the mural.

Muddy Waters mural. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters is honored in this colorful nine-story tall mural. The mural was completed in 2016 by Eduardo Kobra, an internationally acclaimed Brazilian street artist. 

Muddy Waters known as the “father of modern Chicago blues” came to Chicago from Mississippi in 1943, as a part of the “great migration” of African Americans from the southern United States.

“I Can’t Be Satisfied” and “I Feel Like Going Home” were some of Waters earliest hits recorded in the late 1940s on the Aristocrat label (later Chess Records).

Stop four: Marc Chagall’s The Four Seasons
10 S. Dearborn

Four Seasons. Photo: Chicago Tribune

After viewing the Muddy Waters mural, continue south on State St. (one block) to Madison St. Turn right (west) on Madison to Dearborn (one block) to Chase Tower Plaza SE corner of Madison and Dearborn.

Composed of thousands of inlaid chips in more than 250 colors, Marc Chagall’s mosaic artwork “The Four Seasons” portrays six vivid scenes of Chicago. The mosaic was dedicated on September 27, 1974, as a gift to the City of Chicago from Frederick A. Prince, an American investor.

Stop five: Flamingo by Alexander Calder
50 E. Adams

From the Chagall, go south on Dearborn to Adams, turn left (east) on Adams to 50 E. Adams home of the Flamingo that sits on Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building 

Calder’s Flamingo. Photo: Chicago Tribune

Alexander Calder’s Flamingo is an iconic, towering piece of bright red public art that anchors the large rectangular plaza.

It is bordered by three Bauhaus style federal buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe.

The sculpture’s vivid color and curvilinear form contrast dramatically with the angular steel and glass surroundings.

Despite its monumental proportions, the open design allows the viewer to walk under and through the sculpture, leading one to perceive it in relation to human scale.

Bonus installation: Agora

If you like to walk you may want to include Agora at 1135 S. Michigan Ave. on your tour.

The installation is about a mile walk from Calder’s Flamingo.

Go east on Madison to Michigan Ave. (three blocks). Turn right (south) on Michigan to E. Van Buren. Agora is on the east side of Michigan Ave. on the Southwest edge of Grant Park.

Agora by artist Magdalena Abakanowicz is inspired by World War II and the 45 years of Soviet domination that followed. The large installation is comprised of 106 nine-foot tall headless torsos made of cast iron, the artwork derives it name from the Greek word for meeting place. The figures are posed walking in groups in various directions or standing still. 

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SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 11,  or

RISKY LIVING !!

To repeat myself, my risky living means going to work and having to mingle with grocery shoppers. Does not make me a hero. But many people have to go to work. Not only to get paid, but because someone has to do it.

This will be kind of short, not like my rant yesterday. I need to change pretty soon and hit the road.

Signs of Spring! Yesterday saw the first Great Blue Heron in the area. They only show up around here as individuals. I guess they are more shy about mating than the Canada Geese (see episode Day 9). Also a pair of Cormorants. Love watching them dive under water and then pop up somewhere else about 20 seconds later. Anyway all these people, birds, I believe they fly south in winter, and when the weather turns warmer, they fly north. Some of my friends also are fond of the Wildlife, which is not like the wild life on Rush street or wherever in Chicago. Everyone else tuned out and is snoring. Bushes are starting to bud. What does this have to do with COVID-19? The rest of the world is still going on, world is turning. Humans trying to deal with a small form of life too small for most of us without electron microscopes, to see. I do not expect us all to die. A giant asteroid might do that, like what took out the dinosaurs. I am very fond of humans. Like being one. I talk about spirituality, faith, religion, but basically I am fond of being homo sapiens and meditating on the meaning of my soul in all of this. And the souls of my fellow sisters and brothers in the Universe.

Today is a bit cloudy but fairly warm, partly sunny; yeah the sun is still whizzing along in the Milky Way Galaxy and taking us with it. Wherever we are going. So, keep cooking healthy (I ate some of the Lentil soup with vegetables and boiled potatoes). I am so far ok. Keep walking, moving, communicating with others; watching out as well as one can for others. It is hard. I have spoken with a couple people, I know there are healthcare workers, nurses caring for nursing home patients, who do not have adequate protective gear. How are we all supposed to make it if our greater society cannot care properly for the caretakers? Letting the elderly die as some “Leaders’ have suggested is NOT an option. No. Some of our leaders and many individuals are working hard to figure it out. Let us pull together.

Be safe, stay well, believe in the higher powers. We can do this.

David, March 27, 2020

Two-time Emmy nominated film and television producer Debra Martin Chase, graced the red carpet at the American Black Film Festival Honors on Feb 23rd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Film Producers Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Debra Martin Chase on the red carpet at the Harriet premiere.

During her red carpet interview with ChicagoNow.com The Art of New Media,  Martin Chase, a Chicago native and a former Advisory Board Member at Columbia College of Chicago, expressed endearment for her home town. “I love Chicago.  My mom lives in Hyde Park. All my relatives are all over the south side and in Evanston,” exclaims Martin Chase. “I’m going next weekend for my cousin’s wedding.”

WATCH: Debra Martin Chase interview, The Production Crew On Camera.

(L-R) Actor Leslie Odom Jr., actor Henry Hunter Hall, actor Vonde Curtis-Hall, director Kasi Lemmons, actor Cynthia Erivo, producer Daniela Taplin Lundberg, producer Debra Martin Chase, composer Terence Blanchard, actor Zackary Momoh, and actress Vanessa Bell Calloway attend the Washington, DC premiere of Harriet at the Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History on October 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images North America)

Martin Chase has an impressive portfolio that includes notable film and television projects like Sparkle, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Cheetah Girls and The Preacher’s Wife.   Her most recent accomplishment was producing the megahit film Harriet, where she received high praise for her contribution and a Movie Of The Year Award nomination at this year’s American Black Film Festival Honors.

Producer Debra Martin Chase on the set during filming of Harriet. Photo: Focus Features

“The fact that Hidden Figures was such a huge hit, both critically and financially, helped us get Harriet made.” says Martin Chase, who’s recognized as one of the most prolific African American female film producers of the past three decades. “They look at it and say ‘there’s a real audience for that’.  The fact that we’ve been really successful, will help other movies about women,  historical women of color, be made.”

Award winning Producer Debra Martin Chase conducting an interview with Daina Howze of DVIDEO 79 Productions for the documentary The Production Crew. Photo: Don Howze, DVIDEO 79 Productions.

Martin Chase shared her ideology on today’s film industry and how moviegoers can enjoy more incredible storytelling of the Black experience.  She says each successful African American film can lead to others being produced.

“Support them. And I don’t believe in supporting everything that’s black, just ‘because’,” says Martin Chase. “Because if its not good, don’t support it.  Obviously Black Panther blew the socks off this sucker and said ‘oh my gosh, there’s a global box office for black movies.’  But support the right black movies.”

WATCH: Debra Martin Chase interview, The Production Crew On Camera.

Poster Art for The Production Crew documentary. Produced by DVIDEO 79 Productions, funded in part by The Field Foundation of Illinois.

For young filmmakers and television producers, Martin Chase says if you want to be in this business, there are a few major steps to follow. “Learn your craft.  So if you’re an actor, study acting. If you’re a writer, study screenwriting, go to grad school.  If you’re a director- they’re  producing programs, great ones at USC and NYU.”

WATCH: The Production Crew [TRAILER]

In addition to being interviewed for ChicagoNow.com, the Chicago based production company DVIDEO 79 Productions also captured footage for their film documentary The Production Crew, funded in part by The Field Foundation of Illinois.

DVIDEO 79 Productions is also producing a short form documentary-series titled The Production Crew On Camera.  Debra Martin Chase, Mike Colter, Elise Neal, Deon Taylor, Erica Ash and Michael Jai White are just a few of the many actors, producers, and directors featured in the docu-series.

The Production Crew On Camera is produced for content on mobile streaming platforms like the ground-breaking Quibi entertainment app. Each mini documentary is designed to inspire young filmmakers and educate new media students with a behind-the-scene perspective of television and film production.

American Black Film Festival Honors is an annual awards ceremony saluting excellence in the motion picture and television industry. The event celebrates Black culture by recognizing individuals who have made distinguished contributions to American entertainment, as well as those who champion diversity and inclusion in Hollywood.

About the Author:  Don Howze is an Emmy Award Winning Film/Tape Editor and Associate Professor of Journalism and Television Production.  Don is the producer and director of the upcoming film documentary The Production Crew, funded in part by The Field Foundation of Illinois.  imdb.me/dondvideo