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Weeekly Joke Revue

by: Bob Neer

Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 00:35:38 AM EDT

Daniel Kurtzman offers 10 reasons why Sarah Palin decided to resign: "4. Her daughter Bristol is actually having Alex Rodriguez's baby. ... 1. She didn't resign at all. It was an elaborate hoax pulled off by Tina Fey."

Borowitz Report:

ANCHORAGE (The Borowitz Report) -- Moments after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced her resignation from office, comedians from coast to coast held candlelight vigils to mourn what one comic called "a devastating loss."
"To say that we are heartbroken is a massive understatement," said Shecky Sheinbaum, a regular headliner at Cincinnati's Laugh Hut. "I feel like the chicken crossing the road has been run over by a truck before it gets to the other side."

Sanford at the bat (Click here for the whole thing):

Oh somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout,
But there's no joy in Charleston-mighty Sanford has struck out.

Colbert's review of The Clinton Curse after the flip.

Bob Neer :: Weeekly Joke Revue

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Weeekly Joke Revue | 3 comments

Film Credits Joke's on Us!! (6.00 / 1)

The long delayed report from the Department of Revenue reveals that

The Massachusetts film tax credit induced movie and TV producers to spend $676 million here over the last three years, but more than half of the money went to people who live outside the state, according to a long-delayed Revenue Department report.
The report said the tax credit attracted productions that paid a total of $429 million in wages to 1,876 people. Massachusetts residents held roughly 40 percent of the jobs but received only 18 percent of the wages. Nonresidents pocketed the bulk of the money, with 37 actors, directors, and producers receiving $177 million, or 41 percent of the total.
The Patrick administration had been sitting on the report for more than a month. It was released just before the July 4 holiday during the same week that the Patrick administration flip-flopped on an effort to reduce the state's film tax credit exposure. The budget signed by the governor on Monday included a provision capping at $2 million the amount of a star's salary that would be eligible for the 25 percent film tax credit. That provision was repealed after lawmakers, as well as producers of a big budget Tom Cruise movie coming to Massachusetts in the fall, complained about the change and how it was rushed through the Legislature with no debate. For details, go here.

I know Bruce Mohl at Commonwealth Unbound really doesn't think this is a joke that we're paying 25% of Tom Cruise's salary and neither do I.

by: Judy Meredith @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 07:02:50 AM CDT

by: you @ soon

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Leaks (6.00 / 1)

From the DOR's report, p.11:

In this context it is useful to distinguish between so-called "above-the-line" and "below-the-line" film production expenses:

Above-the-line spending includes the costs of the primary cast, director, producer, and screenwriter (to the extent that any rewrites are done in Massachusetts during the course of production), virtually all of which are payments made to non-Massachusetts residents, including significant budgets for food, travel, entertainment, and living expenses.
Below-the-line expenses include costs such as the production crew, set designers, set construction, and extras, and it is these payments that generate economic activity in the Commonwealth, but mainly to the extent that they are made to Massachusetts residents.

They go on to point out that the "above-the-line" earners don't tend to spend money in Massachusetts either.

Many of these above-the-line recipients earn over one million dollars per production. They account for 44.8% of the wages paid. (p. 13)

Advocates of this policy might point to this paragraph:

It is not surprising that a high percentage of wages and salaries for Massachusetts film productions are currently paid to non-residents. Until recently, few films were shot in Massachusetts and the skilled labor for those productions resided in states - particularly California - where films were most likely to be made. Based on payroll data, between 50% and 60% of wages for Massachusetts film productions are paid to California residents (including at least 71% of wages paid to those earning $1 million or more per production and 31% of wages paid to those earning less than $1 million per production). To the extent that the film industry builds up a more extensive production infrastructure in Massachusetts, the nonresident proportion of wage and salary payments should decrease, though at this point it is difficult to predict by how much.

I think that is the main goal of this tax incentive. It's to grow a film industry. However, as the report goes on to say, such jobs on productions are temporary. To develop enough skilled production workers, we'd have to have a steady stream of films in Massachusetts.

by: KBusch @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:12:04 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Huh (5.00 / 1)

Frankly, here's how it seems to me:

This project, like most when the government tries to pick winners in the economy, is a loser. The sheen of "prestige" of having Hollywood "stars" come out the film here is a bigger part of the calculus than I think a lot of people will admit.

That said, either you go big or you go home. If we are going to continue this tax credit, but not support the best chance at building infrastructure -- the Plymouth Rock project -- then we're wasting money without even intending to recoup it.

~~~~
Believe it or not, I have even more to say...

by: sabutai @ Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 12:39:59 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Weeekly Joke Revue | 3 comments