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The CIA and Hollywood episode 12 American Ultra

July 3, 2016 – 2:09 pm

Adam from Themes and Memes is our guest to talk about the 2015 action comedy American Ultra. We start by trying to define this film, which is an intense mixture of cartoonish ultra violence, CIA covert operations, romance, comedy and horror, looking at the dissociating nature of this blend. The intentions of screenwriter Max Landis and the director Nima Nourizadeh are discussed and we ask whether they were reaching out to the CIA or trying to flatter them by making MKULTRA seem cool to stoners and young people. We go on to look at the prominence of female and often maternal characters in modern spy fiction, particular in CIA-assisted productions and ask what difference this makes to how these films and TV shows portray the CIA as a whole, not just MKULTRA and similar experiments.

We also examined a bizarre weed-based marketing campaign for the film at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con and ask whether like the Pentagon and NASA, the CIA now sees Comic-Con as a key networking and recruitment opportunity. The conversation rounds of discussing the director Nima Nourizadeh’s father Ali Reza, who bears all the hallmarks of being a CIA asset (complete with mysterious name changes and working for Voice of America). The presence of footage of Langley and the prominent use of the CIA logo suggests that at the least the CIA were aware of American Ultra and approved use of these for the film, so we ask whether they were involved in the making of the film and if so, why.

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Show Notes:

American Ultra

Activating American Ultra (making of)

American Ultra offering free pot at Comic-Con

Spooky London: how Britain’s spy agencies are using new and unexpected methods to recruit the next generation

Centre for Iranian and Arab Studies – Companies House

Wikileaks cables – IRAN WATCHER CONTACT TARGETED BY IRANIAN REGIME

Iranians unite in grief at service for Shah’s son

The CIA and Hollywood episode 11 The Men Who Stare at Goats

June 26, 2016 – 4:30 pm

Jay Dyer joins us for this episode where we analyse the 2009 comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats, loosely based on Jon Ronson’s book of the same name. It tells the story of a journalist who is inducted into the world of psychic soldiers during the Iraq war. The movie goes on to explain some of the history behind the First Earth Battalion, an experimental Pentagon unit devoted to developing a new generation of super soldier informed by the hippy and New Age movements. We examine what the film leaves out, especially in the form of MKULTRA and similar CIA projects and experiments with similar aims, and ask whether the purpose was not to ask ‘How could love and peace help win wars?’ but to weaponise New Age philosophy and the New Age movement.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is the final movie in the George Clooney/Grant Heslov series before they took the full plunge and made Argo with the help of the CIA. We look at whether Goats – Heslov’s directorial debut – was the final step in their long-term overture to the CIA. The fact that Goats reduces the CIA’s involvement in such projects to a single scene, and was distributed by none other than Overture Films are strong hints towards this. We also map out the evidence and implications of state sponsorship of the entire Goats project, from Ronson’s original book and documentary series through to the Hollywood version. The use of technical advisors who were part of these Pentagon units back in the 70s/80s and who were ‘reactivated’ to help fight the War on Terror implies that at least the DOD, if not the CIA, were in favour of this film. We round off by pondering the plausibility of the remote viewing phenomenon.

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Show Notes:

The Men Who Stare at Goats (book)

Crazy Rulers of the World (documentary series)

The Men Who Stare at Goats (film)

First Earth Battalion Field Manual

Jim Channon’s website (archived)

Goats Declassified: The real men of the First Earth Battalion

Project Hollywood

Pearse Redmond Patreon

Tom Secker Patreon

By porkinspolicyreview | Also posted in The CIA and Hollywood | Tagged albert stubblebine, CIA, counter cultrue, DOD, ed dames, first earth battalion, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Ingo swann, jay dyer, jays analysis, jim channon, jon ronson, LSD, MK Ultra, new age, Pentagon, psychic soldiers, SRI, The CIA and Hollywood, the men who stare at goats, tom secker, war on terror | Comments (2)

The Opperman Report – The Writer With No Hands: Pearse Redmond & Tom Secker

June 26, 2016 – 4:19 pm

Tom Secker and I recently sat down to talk with Ed Opperman all about Matt Alford’s new book The Writer With No Hands. The book deals with the bizarre “death” of Hollywood screenwriter Gary Devore and his mysterious links to the CIA. We also talk about the second season of The CIA and Hollywood, and some recent Jeffrey Epstein developments.

Show Notes:

The Writer With No Hands

Spy Culture book review

Traxx (film)

By porkinspolicyreview | Also posted in jeffrey epstein | Tagged Chase brandon, CIA, cocaine, don crutchfield, donald trump, ed opperman, Gary Devore, Hollywood, jeffrey epstein, Matt Alford, michael sands, noriega, opperman report, panama, The CIA and Hollywood, the writer with no hands, tom secker, tommy lee jones, trump, wendy devore | Comments (1)

The CIA and Hollywood episode 10 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

June 19, 2016 – 3:03 pm

Aaron Franz joins us to discuss the 2002 biopic Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which tells the story of game show producer and host Chuck Barris. Barris claims that while becoming a TV star he was recruited by and worked for the CIA as an assassin, killing a total of 33 people. In this episode we analyse this claim, which has been dismissed by the Agency as a ludicrous fantasy. We examine Barris’ true life history, focusing in on his marriage to Lyn Levy – the daughter of one of the founders of CBS – and his incredibly selfish relationship with their daughter Della. None of this appears in the film so taking this into account we consider whether Barris was a CIA assassin, a psychopathic fabricator or an emotionally warped narcissist (or all of these things rolled into one). If Barris truly was a CIA agent then what was his job? Was he an assassin, or did they employ him to ‘slay the audience’ by developing the prototypes for reality TV?

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is also notable for being George Clooney’s directorial debut, and a production that languished in development hell for years before he became involved and began pulling strings to ensure the film got made. We consider whether the movie was one of Clooney’s attempts to gain the attention and approval of the CIA, and whether he too thought that Barris’ TV career was the real mission for the Agency. We examine Clooney’s self-appointed role as Chuck’s ‘defence lawyer’, his obsession with goats and why he employed theatrical visual tricks throughout the production. We round off comparing Confessions of a Dangerous Mind to The Recruit, as both films show The Farm (the CIA’s semi-secret agent training facility) and portray the protagonist being inducted and initiated into that covert world.

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Show Notes:

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (film)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (book)

The Real Chuck Barris

Chuck Barris: Is is True?

Broadcast Pioneers: Leon Levy

William Paley Obituary

Della Barris

Lynne Levy Equestrians

Chuck Barris ‘My Life on the Edge’

The Drexel Interview: Chuck Barris

Support us on Patreon

Pearse Redmond Patreon

Tom Secker Patreon

By porkinspolicyreview | Also posted in The CIA and Hollywood | Tagged aaron franz, assassin, CBS, chuck barris, CIA, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, dating game, della barris, George Clooney, leon Levy, lyn levy, magic, magic ritual, reality tv, the age of transitions, The CIA and Hollywood, the gong show, tom secker, world stage | Comments (0)

The Ochelli Effect: Epstein, Orlando, and much more

June 17, 2016 – 4:55 pm

I had the great pleasure of once again joining the one and only Chuck Ochelli on his fine radio program The Ochelli Effect. This time around we discussed the recent mass shooting in Orlando and each of us offered up our thoughts and analysis on the massacre. Chuck and I also went into great detail about the ever bizarre (and underreported) Jeffrey Epstein case. I tell Chuck about some new research that has come my way relating to the case, as well as those moving in Epstein’s circles, and some of the “expose” books that are due out soon. We inevitably do some good old fashioned Trump bashing. Chuck and I ask the question: Why the hell is no one reporting on Trump’s close personal connection to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein? We also briefly talk about the new season of The CIA and Hollywood.

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By porkinspolicyreview | Also posted in jeffrey epstein | Tagged chuck ochelli, conchita sarnoff, donald trump, fear porn, gay community, gun control, homosexuality, jeffrey epstein, John connolly, Maer Roshan, mass shooting, Orlando, OSA, pedophile rings, ponzi scheme, radar, scientology, Steve Hoffenberg, The CIA and Hollywood, the ochelli effect, tom secker, towers investors, vanity fair, Virgina Roberts | Comments (0)

The CIA and Hollywood episode 9 Good Night and Good Luck

June 12, 2016 – 12:53 pm

We welcome Ed Opperman to the series and discuss the 2005 docudrama Good Night, and Good Luck which retells the story of the 1954 confrontation between senator Joe McCarthy and television journalist Ed Murrow of CBS. McCarthy was pursuing Communists within the State Department and other government agencies and innocent people were getting caught in the crossfire, creating a climate of suspicion, mistrust and hostility. Murrow used his prime time series See It Now to attack McCarthy and the culture and mentality of McCarthyism, showing the senator to be a hypocrite who persecuted his targets.

This is the story that is told in Good Night, and Good Luck, a film born out of the creative relationship between George Clooney and Grant Heslov. In this episode we take a sideways look at the historical events and ask why Clooney and Heslov chose to lionise not just Murrow but the whole See it Now/CBS crew. We try to persuade Ed of an alternative interpretation of events, with Murrow not quite being the heroic counter-establishment figure he is in the film and CBS being a rotten media organisation with deep ties to the CIA. We then explore how almost everyone involved in Good Night, and Good Luck had either already made a film with CIA assistance, or went on to do so. We round off talking about Clooney’s bizarre Las Vegas connection, E Michael Burke, George Steinbrenner and (inevitably) Donald Trump.

Download The CIA and Hollywood ep 9

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Show Notes:

Good Night, and Good Luck

Making of Featurette

Edward R. Murrow: “A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy”

Good Night, and Good Luck and Bad History (part 1)

Good Night, and Good Luck and Bad History (part 2)

The CIA and the Media (Carl Bernstein)

ClandesTime 034 – The Hollywood Ten

When the CIA used CBS to stop a TV Show from Being Made

E Michael Burke

By porkinspolicyreview | Also posted in The CIA and Hollywood | Tagged Bill paley, CBS, CIA, communism, communists, donald trump, E michael burke, ed opperman, edward r murrow, George Clooney, good night and good luck, Grant Heslov, McCarthyism, opperman report, red scare, roy cohn, state department, The CIA and Hollywood, tom secker, USIA, william paley | Comments (0)

PPR Bonus Stephen Singular on updated edition of Legacy of Deception

June 10, 2016 – 1:53 pm

Today on the show we have a special treat – – instead of a regular episode the listeners will get a special sneak preview of our brand new bonus material. To kick off the the launch of our Patreon campaign we spoke with Stephen Singular all about the brand new updated edition of Legacy of Deception. Stephen explains why he has updated the book and some of the new pieces of information he has included. From Christopher Darden’s admissions that EDTA was grounds for a mistrial, to evidence that the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman may have been drug related, this is a jam-packed conversation not worth missing. Stephen and I also discuss the importance of getting this information out the the public, and why true investigative journalism matters now more than ever.

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For all those interested in supporting the work that I do, please go and visit Patreon and consider becoming a subscriber to the podcast. Here is a breakdown of what you will get for a small donation:

$1 a month – special on air thank you, and be listed in the video credits

$3 a month – question of your choosing answered on air, or special on air thank you and be listed in the video credits

Today we are joined once again by our friend Stephen Singular to dive deeper into the OJ Simpson case. We begin by taking a closer look at Mark Fuhrman’s timeline in relation to his “discovery” of the infamous gloves. Stephen discusses a key piece of the puzzle: Fuhrman’s multiple trips to OJ’s Rockingham property on the night of the murders. We discuss how this was confirmed by Rosa Lopez’s testimony, but like so many key pieces of evidence, has been long forgotten.

Next we explore some revealing statements from Fuhrman such as his admission of seeing two gloves at the murder scene. Stephen discusses how the case essentially ended when Mark Fuhrman “found” the gloves. This stopped the LAPD from doing an actual investigation into what happened on June 12, 1994.

Next we move onto to the disappearing, reappearing blood evidence. Stephen and I look at when the blood was actually discovered inside OJ’s Bronco. We discuss how Fuhrman and others claim to have seen blood inside the Bronco, which prompted them to hop OJ’s fence without a warrant, and yet how several days later LAPD’s Kelly Muldorfer found that there was no blood inside the Bronco.

We again talk about Det. Vannatter carrying around not only OJ’s blood, but also that of Nicole and Ronald, for several hours. We also dive deeper into the question of how this all was orchestrated, focusing less on the possibility of a grand conspiracy and more on the possibility of several key people making a serious of devastating choices.

We round out the conversation by considering what the motive of this crime may truly have been. Stephen outlines how a real investigation would have uncovered the deep connections this case had to organized crime and drug trafficking. He also discusses how this case demonstrates the ease with which we can be manipulated as a society. And we touch on how this case set us up for many of the lies that we were later fed in the aftermath of events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War. Stephen also dissects how the rise of TV news and opinion talking heads has turned us into a society that no longer cares about truth and reality.

Update From Stephen Singular: “Because of the wide interest in the O.J. Simpson case generated by the FX series on the murders, we’ve had numerous requests to publish Stephen’s 1996 Legacy of Deception: An Investigation of Mark Fuhrman and Racism in the LAPD as an e-book. We are currently re-formatting it for this purpose and it should be available for purchase through this website within the next few weeks. The updated version will contain new information about important developments that followed the original publication of the book. Please go to Books on this site for more information about Legacy of Deception.”