Mr. Putin: TV Personality

      Look at his face:  the well known smile, the focused gaze, the impression of knowing the answers.  And this is just the preview.  The notorious film director/ producer/screen writer, Oliver Stone, has out done himself.   He has produced a TV special that will run far longer than one can imagine- 4 hours of Putin?  Oh, my God(OMG).   Why?  At this time, when we can't get away from Russya in the media, all the media, all the time.  Basta, cosi'. Enough already.
      Now Oliver, an aging Vietnam veteran who scored big rewriting history to fascinate conspiracy theorists which abound now that we are fed a steady diet of fake news on the internet,  has been in the shadows of late, waiting for another aha moment.  Aha has arrived.
      Mr. Stone could not have been more precise in picking his moment.   Mr. Putin is rarely off the front page of every major newspaper in the USA.   From the NYTimes,  the WSJournal, the Washington Post, to the SFChronicle, all endeavor to cover his dealings or alleged dealing with President Trump and the president's minions and family members who have been in contact with the Kremlin for who knows how long.   Mr. Stone is getting a bit long in the tooth, at 70 years old or so, he's in the twilight of his career.  But this move means he is not retiring.   He even looks like his old nemesis, Richard Nixon, aka "Tricky Dick", who controlled the White House at the height of the Vietnam War: jowly, bent over, dyed hair(piece), and suitably shabby clothes, Hollywood-shabby.
     The trailers shown on TV recently do not say much nor offer any tidbits of information that might illuminate the direction of the interviews.  However, Mr. Putin's Kremlinistas will  certainly gloss over Crimea and Ukraine and of course, Syria.   What might he say about Gary Kasparov?  or Mr. Navalny, who is expected to challenge the arrest that has made his candidacy doubtful.   Maybe Mr. Putin will talk of the need for stability in the Middle East-at any price.   Maybe he'll focus on cooperation with OPEC and the price of oil.   Maybe he'll talk of the good old days when he was just old Colonel Putin, KGB advisor to the mayor of Stalingrad/Petrograd/St. Petersburg/Etc.  Or maybe he'll talk about his lack of a real relationship with the USA President.
     Oliver will tease it all out.   Not quite like his friend, Michael Moore, the unrepentant documentarian/expose artist/ego maniac.   There doesn't seem to be much anticipation for Oliver's latest work.   This could be his last hurrah.