Documentary portrays “the real King”

The Martin Luther King documentary King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis presents the civil rights leader almost entirely in highly public moments, like his speeches.

But there are a few more private moments. One is an interview Dr. King gives to a few journalists crowded into a small airplane. It’s one of the more personal and intimate moments we see in the movie. But Dr. King still sounds just like the public figure we’ve all come to know.

After I attended the screening of King at the Church of the Intercession in Harlem, I wanted to learn more about Dr. King. I especially wanted to know how well the movie captures who Dr. King was.

So I contacted Professor David Garrow. Professor Garrow wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of King, Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

“[Dr. King] was always very conscious of being formal, and proper, and dignified,” Professor Garrow told me. “Part of it is going all the way back to Montgomery, of being super aware that he is being seen as a prime representative of all black people.”

Today, Dr. King still inspires people – in America and around the world. Our view of Dr. King – and the civil rights movement he led – is based almost entirely on the types of words and images we see in King: A Filmed Record.

And after watching the movie, we’re left wondering what Dr. King might be discussing today had he not been assassinated in 1968.

“In the last two years of his life, King most often times is speaking in a much more challenging, critical voice about the degree of change that is needed in American society and American behavior around the world,” Garrow says. “Anyone seeing this film would be very powerfully surprised that the real Martin Luther King is not simply the ‘I have a Dream” optimism of 1963.”

“This film is the real King,” he adds.

Check out my story about the New York screening of King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Why do you think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is still important today? Has he inspired you? How? Let us know in the comments section below!

Photo: A still from the movie King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis (© Kino Lorber)

A view inside the mind of Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro is one of the most imaginative directors working in movies today. His movies, like Hellboy and Hellboy II, are full of creative creatures and unique stories. When you watch a movie directed by del Toro, you immediately know it.

But del Toro is also a producer. He has produced numerous movies, including Megamind, Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2, as well as the soon-to-be-released The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Like the movies he directs, most of del Toro’s projects are infused with his love for comic books and the comic book imagination.

His latest producing credit is Rise of the Guardians, which hits theaters on November 21. At a recent press event for the movie in New York, I had the opportunity to interview del Toro about Rise of the Guardians, making movies, and what comic books he recommends for kids like me!


Kid Reporter: What was it that interested you about Rise of the Guardians?

Guillermo del Toro: It was the fact that it was a movie that looked like an illustrated book. It was very beautiful to look at, but also that it felt like a timeless tale. It didn’t feel hip, super-modern. It felt classic, and I felt it was important to make it. When you watch the classic movies, like Pinocchio or Sleeping Beauty, you get a nostalgia for a movie that is actually earnest and romantic about what it’s doing, and this movie has that spirit.

You’ve become more involved as a producer of family films, films more aimed at children. How is working on these films different from the films you direct?

First of all, it’s a different part of my brain that works. I really like working on these films because they can tell beautiful stories in a beautiful way. Visually, Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots, [Rise of the] Guardians, Megamind – they’re very beautiful movies, but you can create crazy creatures, crazy adventures, crazy action moments. They give you a lot of freedom.

How is this movie different from the all the other animated films you have worked on?

What is similar between Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots, and this one is the three of them were not ironic, they were not post-modern. Puss in Boots really wanted to be a spaghetti western. Kung Fu Panda wanted to be a great martial arts movie. And this one wanted to be a classic tale of timeless appeal. So that is what is similar. What is very different is the visual style and the quiet moments. This movie has quiet moments that are very beautiful, like the kid talking to his stuffed rabbit, Jack emerging from the frozen waters, Jack in Antarctica. Moments that are a lot more dark, but a lot more beautiful, too.

Rev. Al Sharpton talks Election Day

On one of the busiest and most important days for his career as a political newscaster, Reverend Al Sharpton held a meet-and-greet in New York City outside of Democracy Plaza today. Luckily, I was able to meet the singular talk show host, civil rights activist, past presidential candidate, and member of the MSNBC political news team.

My fellow Kid Reporters and I were able to briefly discuss the election with him, as the country’s decision for President of the Unites States comes to the awaited conclusion. We began by discussing the differences between this year’s election and the 2008 election.

“I think the 2008 election was a lot of novelty,” Sharpton said. “People were like, ‘This is the first time we had the opportunity to elect an African-American President.’ It was something different.” Sharpton says that this time, “2012 is not about novelties; it’s about record.” Sharpton told us that during this election, the country is posing questions about Obama like, “Did he give the change that he said? Is the country better off?”

Obviously, Rev. Sharpton believes the answer is yes. Rev. Al is a proud supporter of President Obama and is a proud supporter of the Democratic Party.

We also wondered what he thought Hurricane Sandy’s impact on voters affected by the storm would be. “I think it gave a clarity of the issues,” Sharpton said. “A lot of people see how come we need government. A lot of people see how come we need government because if the government hadn’t stepped in it would’ve been a lot worse.”

Sharpton called it “proven leadership.”

Many would agree — and many would disagree — with Sharpton’s liberal view, but nearly everyone would agree with Sharpton’s view on the importance of voting, especially presidential elections. Sharpton described on his show, Politics Nation, the Presidential Elections as “a battle of ideas that only come around every four years.” And the 2012 election, occurring today, sure is a battle. A battle that everyone from Rev. Al Sharpton to the many other opinionated people of America to, of course, the candidates themselves will see to the end.

And the only way to find out who’ll win in the fistfight of concepts is to wait and see. The results will be coming in all night long!

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Kid Reporters (from left to right) Fred Hechinger, Dani Bergman Chudnow, and Grace McManus at Democracy Plaza. (Dante A. Ciampaglia/Scholastic) 

Americans visiting New York weigh in on the election

Without sounding cliché: the electricity of the 2012 election is in the air at the legendary 30 Rockefeller Center in New York. This is the home of NBC News and, today, Democracy Plaza. And because this is New York, there are a lot of tourists mingling with locals. The tourists at Democracy Plaza are from all over America and they’re politically aware, interested, and opinionated. How couldn’t they be?

One of the tourists I talked to was an elderly Florida-native named Lauren. Old Floridian women are a target for both presidential candidates considering how important Florida is this — and every — election. Lauren filled out an absentee ballot once before, but she did it this year, too. Lauren was in favor of Obama, saying she thought “we’re on the right track.” New York City is a spot where Lauren would find many in agreement with her due. New York, especially New York City, leans heavily Democratic. But in her hometown of Florida, she might find more people in disagreement.

Next I was able to discuss the election with Susan Levin, a not-so-lengthy traveler coming only from New Jersey. Levin was hoping to be able to travel to Philadelphia to manage polling but was prevented from doing so after Hurricane Sandy. For Levin, managing polls is “just making sure that things are done legally, that people who want to vote have the right to vote.” Levin is a volunteer at polling and managing voting booths, which means she is a major supporter of the fundamentals of voting and how all people, especially young ones should vote. She believes that for young people, “The first thing they should do when they’re eligible is register to vote,” Levin told me. “I think it’s one of the most important things we can do as citizens.”

Christopher N. is a young person, but a young person that is not yet able to vote. But that doesn’t mean he’s not interested in the 2012 election. Christopher is touring the city with his parents, all the way from Hawaii, and is only 10 years old. “It’s really cool,” Christopher said about the election.

He was also impressed with NBC’s huge Democracy Plaza setup for the election. So were a lot of other tourists. They seemed to be amazed by the high-tech set-up for the election, which includes a big state-by-state chart that is placed on the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center. This chart will fill each state in with red or blue based on whether Obama or Romney wins that state.

The tourists at 30 Rockefeller Center were amazed by the election itself, too. But no matter what happens, tourists will return to this plaza tomorrow. And my guess is, no matter who wins, the feeling in the air will be of a very different atmosphere.

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: A panaromaic view of the ice rink area of Rockefeller Center set up for Democracy Plaza. (Dante A. Ciampaglia/Scholastic) 

Live from Democracy Plaza!

Every Election Day, the hub of activity for NBC News is its headquarters at Rockefeller Center. For the past few elections, NBC News has transformed the Rock Center plaza into Democracy Plaza. NBC News anchors and reporters cover the election from the plaza, and tourists and visitors can take part in election-related activities.

Earlier today, Scholastic News Kid Reporters Fred Hechinger and Dani Bergman Chudnow went to Democracy Plaza to cover the first few hours of Election Day. But they also became part of the coverage. Fred and Dani anchored a promo newscast for Scholastic’s informative coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election.

Fred and Dani are far from the only reporters on the scene of Scholastic’s coverage today. There are almost 30 Kid Reporters covering the lively competition between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Their stories from across the nation will bring the election to life!

But for now, we turn to Fred and Dani, live at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Center to tell you all about it!

Voices from the city

New Yorkers share their stories as relief pours in

As of this morning, power was restored to some areas of the city, including lower Manhattan, which had been completely without electricity since Monday night. Food and water supplies have also been pouring in to the city from the Red Cross and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Volunteers have been pitching in all over the city.

But many parts of the city are still without power or public transportation and are still suffering from shortages and damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

In the city that never sleeps, complete and total darkness is something that most New Yorkers aren't used to. They're not used to gas shortages, either.

Even though emergency supplies of gas are beginning to make their way to the city, the entire metropolitan region and New Jersey have been suffering from a severe shortage. Getting fuel delivered during the storm and its aftermath has been largely impossible.

Read the rest of the story on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website.

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Volunteers help unload food from a truck for distribution to the residents of the Lower East Side on Friday, November 2, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)

The view of Sandy from the Upper West Side

For me, most of Hurricane Sandy consisted of staying in bed with a book and a laptop, in my New York City Upper West Side apartment. That is from where I currently type this, at around 8 p.m., with my covers pulled up, and only hearing the sound of the forceful wind against my air conditioner. I had done this for most of the day until around 3 o’clock, constantly checking the New York Times updates.

At around 4, I built up the courage to decide to check out the streets of New York City. I laced up my pair of boots, put on an oversized jacket, and even wore glasses and a bicycle helmet after instruction from my dad. (The glasses were meant to protect my eyes, and the helmet to protect my head.) One might describe my look as clownish, but that didn’t matter because there was practically nobody to see me. The streets were abandoned. The only other time I had seen New York City streets abandoned like this was in old movies.

Trees shook, rain drizzled, and the extremely violent wind all conjured up this unique, and slightly terrifying, New York experience.

My idea was to travel down to a friend’s house in Tribeca to witness what it was like in Zone A. (This area was under a mandatory evacuation order.) After traveling a few blocks I immediately abandoned this idea. The streets seemed dangerous, the subways were closed, and a taxi wouldn’t take me all the way down because 57th Street was blocked after a crane collapsed, which forced the evacuation of that area. I saw fire trucks and police buses pass me as I continued to walk down the windy, abandoned streets.

When I returned I rode out the storm the same way I did during Hurricane Irene, with a nice cup of hot cocoa. The general vibe is one of danger, and un-New York-like abandonment. With the first death in New York from the hurricane, when a 30-year-old man in Queens had a tree fall on his house, and reports of flooding near Wall Street, Hurricane Sandy only seems to be getting worse.

With flickering lights and a building collapse in Chelsea, it really does seem dangerous. A brewing, dangerous tempest. My plan is to stay under my covers with a book and my laptop.

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

A visit with Lady Liberty

David Denham, park ranger at Liberty Island National Park, is, if there ever was, a man of knowledge. Sporting a teal tie, beige hat, and a gold park ranger badge, Denham is a factual mastermind when it comes to the Statue of Liberty. When I arrived on the ferry, Denham greeted me with a smile and we were off on our whirlwind tour. It was my first time ever visiting “Lady Liberty” — the closest I had ever come before was seeing it from the Staten Island ferry — but now I was right next to it, walking closer and closer to it alongside Park Ranger Denham.

One of the most interesting things that I learned is that the Statue of Liberty is filled with symbols. Every part of the statue has a meaning - its moving foot, its crown’s seven spikes, and even the torch itself. The statue’s foot, which appears to be moving, symbolizes the movement and progress of the country; the seven spikes of the crown represent the seven seas and continents, and the torch stands for enlightenment.

Denham began from the beginning of the Statue’s history, telling a story of how the statue came to be. One of the most interesting parts of this story involves Gustave Eiffel, who engineered the Statue. Eiffel, hmm, sound familiar? Yep, Gustave Eiffel later became famous for the Eiffel Tower.  When he tried to find a way to support the copper lady, Eiffel had the idea to fill the inside with a structure that is practically a model of the famous Parisian tower. It perfectly held up the Statue. 

We continued to walk beside the statue until we got to the perfect spot, in which we where centered in front of the statue. Before us was the green lady, her gazing eyes looked into the distance, and we observed her.

On a windy day the island was still crowded, but even that powerful wind didn’t budge the statue one bit. Still, Denham knows that there’s more to the strong metal structure inside the statue. For him, the statue is filled with history as well.

Denham’s admiration and respect was evident. A brilliant park ranger who knows everything there is to know about one of the world’s greatest landmarks, Denham also knows that it’s much more than a simple tourist attraction.

With awe in his voice, Denham spoke with admiration. 

“She’s a beauty,” he said.

Check out my interviews with Ellis Island Park Ranger Katharine Crane and the Superintendent of Ellis Island and Liberty Island (which includes the Statue of Liberty), David Luchsinger!  

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger with Park Ranger David Denham in front of the Statue of Liberty. (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia)

Seeing New York through the eyes of a tourist

Roughly eight million people live in New York City, and each year the city is visited by nearly 50 million more. That’s about six times the number of people who live here, and it turns out that most of them have very different experiences from residents. For example, they take tour buses, crowd Times Square, go to the top of the Empire State Building, and take ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. And while I have often found myself in or traveling through Times Square in the 12 years I’ve lived here – it’s difficult to avoid, no matter what you’re doing – I’ve never been inside the Empire State Building, and until recently I’d never been to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. As part of Scholastic’s Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island, I was able to make a real trip there, and I finally had the same experience that thousands of visitors from around the country and around the rest of the world have each day. I walked through the halls of the history enriched immigration museum, as well as standing feet away from 151-foot tall green lady.

As I sailed back across New York harbor on the ferry, I wondered what had stopped me from making this visit earlier. And then I wondered: do Philadelphians go to visit the Liberty Bell? Do Parisians climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower? Do Cairo’s residents visit the Great Pyramids? 

It made me realize that tourists experience a place in a completely different way from the people who live there. And while there are many New York tourist destinations that I’ve never been to, there are others, like the Museum of Modern Art, that I go to all the time. But for me, many of the treasures of New York are more personal. They may be less famous but, to me, they’re no less special. They are “my” favorite places to go, “my” spots in Central Park, “my” neighborhood taco truck. I know that I’ll likely hear some of my favorite musicians, depending on which subway stop I go to. Or I could be anywhere and hear some of the most outrageous conversations or bizarre interactions between people.

The tourists have their must-see destinations, as they should, and I have mine, but it’s obvious that we’d both benefit from some crossover. I’m sure that they’d enjoy some of what I consider to be my New York, even if it isn’t as famous as theirs. And I know that I’ll be making a trip to the Empire State Building soon — to see what all the fuss is about.

Check out my interviews with Ellis Island Park Ranger Katharine Crane and the Superintendent of Ellis Island and Liberty Island (which includes the Statue of Liberty), David Luchsinger! 

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: The Statue of Liberty (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia)

 

Spider-Man webslings his way back to the big screen

There have already been three Spider-Man movies. But this summer, a new Spider-Man movie comes to theaters to reboot the series. The Amazing Spider-Man will completely clear the slate and feature a new cast, a new director, and some new characters.

The movie comes out this summer, but on Monday Spidey fans all over the globe joined actors from the film for a special sneak peek. I was in the audience for the New York event — and so was the new Spider-Man himself, Andrew Garfield.

The last Spider-Man movie was released in 2007. So of course a lot of Spidey fans — both at the theater and around the world — wonder why reboot the series? Is it a sensible move? Will it be different, and, if so, in a good way or bad? And, are the new cast and director right for the job?

During the 3-D trailer and clips of the work in progress, it seemed like everyone was excited by what they saw. This included Garfield. As he arrived at the front of the theater, the room applauded with pure excitement, and one man shouted "Hallelujah!" 

"You said exactly what was on my mind," Garfield responded.

Garfield’s excitement and appreciation for his role was expressed even later on when asked why he wanted to be Spider-Mman.

"Because I’m not an idiot," Garfield said as the crowd cheered. "It’s the thing everyone wants. Everybody in this room wants it, and it belongs to everyone in this room."

From what I could tell, there was much excitement and anticipation. As fans left the theater, I could overhear comments about how they thought Garfield’s Spiderman appears to have a more humorous element. They were also impressed with the film’s 3-D.

The new Spider-Man is not meant to compete with the older movies. Instead, it’s meant to take one of the greatest comic book superheroes of all time and put him in a scenario that has not yet been explored.

"It’s so overwhelming to represent this symbol, because that’s all I am, just the guy in the suit, it can be anyone in the suit,"  Garfield said. "But it just happens to be me this time."

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man. (Photo: Jaimie Trueblood © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)