Hello, World!

Hello, world... hope you don't judge Iowa actors, crew, and producers, and also the out-of-state film-makers, by what so few did wrong. Compared to other state scandals, the film "scandal" looks so insignificant.

There still aren't any big cases that have surfaced and the governor's panel to study all of this didn't even have answers when quizzed by legislators at a meeting I attended some weeks ago. Mr. Oshlo, the head of that panel, just didn't have ANY specifics and left most senators as uninformed and confused as they were before he spoke.

Before the freeze, and when I was out there in the below-zero weather doing an acting gig in a feature here in this state, waiting and waiting for my scenes, I saw the crew who had to STAY outside in that awful cold, sucking it up and enjoying the camaraderie of their film family. They worked their frozen asses off and still managed to keep their smiles. These film family members are so wonderful, so hard-working, that it honestly gives me a sinking feeling in my ample tummy to think they're all suffering now from no income.

So, focus on the true reason things went wrong: the Iowa Department of Economic Development for understaffing the Iowa Film Office and not using ample oversight, and the Iowa Attorney General's office for keeping us in the dark and for delaying everything until the legislative session ended with a THREE YEAR FILM SUSPENSION.

Like one senator said in my presence at a ways and means committee meeting, the Iowa film program is the official "whipping boy" for the state. Another senator said, "The state has really let you people down."

We were squashed by a big man with more than enough weight to smash us good, real good. But we will NOT die... we're still alive. We survived the horrors of Senator Quirmbach's loud opposition to our creative lives. I saw him in a senate debate as he shouted and waved his finger to emphasize his views! But we made it through that and we'll be back.

Judge us and you'll conclude that Iowans are among the best people in the world. We're giving, caring, hardworking, generous, and sensitive. Heck, look at ME.. can't you tell how sensitive I am????

So, keep watching us, world. We're just spending a little longer time between takes.

gino d. blatherer