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Once a young pol whose rise was dashed in a coming-out scandal, the former New Jersey governor says he’s done with politics, which is too driven ‘by ego, by self’—and he's focused on family, faith, and his job working with women prison inmates.
Jim McGreevey—who forever will be remembered for his declaration, “I am a gay American,” as he resigned the governorship of New Jersey amid a sex scandal eight years ago—is nothing if not likable.
Former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey speaks on “Good Morning America,” Oct. 1, 2010. (Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty)
He has a virtuosic talent for connecting with human beings, especially fragile human beings, and he clearly revels in exercising that talent, dazzling anyone he encounters with people-pleasing charm and then basking in reflected affection.
It’s easy to see why the female prison inmates he works with—several of whom are featured in Fall to Grace, Alexandra Pelosi’s documentary about the ex-governor’s new life, premiering Jan. 18 at the Sundance Film Festival and on March 28 on HBO—trust and accept him. It’s also understandable why McGreevey would be somewhat amazed that a successful politician—namely Chris Christie—doesn’t seem to care if he’s likable or not.
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Producers believe Lohan is to blame.
Here’s what happens when Lindsay Lohan gets blamed for everything. The producers of the independent film The Canyons are stunned that their film has been rejected by the Sundance Film Festival, but sources told TNZ on Wednesday that producers are blaming the snub on Lohan herself. Coming off of a tumultuous year, Stephen Rodrick’s viral New York Times article on Lohan surely didn’t help her cause. But all things considered, producer Braxton Pope is remaining optimistic. Lohan’s costar James Deen is following suit—joking that the festival falls on a more important day for him. “The AVN (porn awards),” he says “Priorities, man!!” Sundance is the biggest independent-film festival in the U.S., attracting cinema aficionados from across the globe.
Check out these don’t-miss flicks debuting at Park City’s annual festival.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
David Lowery
Marking the feature directorial debut of David Lowery, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints follows Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), two young outlaw lovers who, in true Bonnie and Clyde fashion, are wreaking havoc in rural Texas. Four years after being arrested, Muldoon breaks out of prison to find his lost love and their daughter he’s never laid eyes on—only to discover that Guthrie has given up the outlaw racket and settled down with a sheriff, played by Ben Foster, from their past. The film marks Mara’s first onscreen appearance since her stellar, Oscar-nominated turn as punk-hacker Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Before Midnight
Hizzoner is old now, and says he doesn’t have the energy to carry a grudge. But he still has the cojones to speak his mind: Thomas Freidman is a ‘pompous ass.’ Chuck Schumer is a lot of talk. Giuliani’s ‘a little crazy.’ Lloyd Grove takes it all in.
Even before he was an old man—a condition that tends to loosen the tongues of even the most circumspect of diplomats—Edward Irving Koch had a mouth on him.
Ed Koch speaks to supporters during a campaign rally for mayor in New York City, Sept. 8, 1977. (Charles Ruppmann/NY Daily News via Getty)
Now that he is 88, New York’s former three-term mayor—the star of Koch, a rollicking, warts-and-all documentary premiering this weekend at the New York Jewish Film Festival—has nothing holding him back.
“I think he’s a pompous ass,” Koch tells me about New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
Day 2
Standing Ovation
Trailer Park
Sundance 2013: Fruitvale
Ryan Coogler's film reenacts the days leading up to the real-life New Year’s Day 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant, an unarmed 22-year-old, by a BART police officer in Oakland, Calif.
Preview
The Ones to Watch
Banter With the Beast
An Unlikely Sundance Star
Jim McGreevey’s Simpler Life
The New Jersey ex-governor tells Lloyd Grove he’s now focused on family, faith, and working with prison inmates.
Mad, Mad World
Dick Cheney Sounds Off
Dick Cheney’s Mad, Mad ‘World’
‘The World According to Dick Cheney,’ a documentary premiering at Sundance, features revealing interviews with the former VP.
