Sunday – How’s Your News Keeps Laughter and Tears Flowing

Welcome to How’s Your News, a reporting style like nothing you’ve seen before. The documentary features five men and one woman, all with moderate to severe mental or physical disabilities on a quest to find news across the nation. While they don’t always find television worthy news coverage, they always find a few laughs. The sense of humor these adults have is definitely the most charming factor of the movie. The idea began in 1995, when disabled adult students at Camp Jabberwocky in Massachusetts began creating videos of their camp experiences to share with their friends and family back home. Matt Stone and Trey Parker, of South Park fame, saw one of the videos, and were so impressed, they offered to sponsor videos made outside the camp. And so began the journey across the country. At the beginning of the video, viewers are unsure what to expect. We meet a man who loves Chad Everett and Soap Operas named Ronnie, a musical snow globe lover and weight lifter, Ronnie, Larry, who is in a wheelchair due to severe cerebral palsy and can only communicate ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with finger movements, Susan, who has worked as a secretary for The Department of Mental Retardation, and Bobby, who cannot speak but can understand everything spoken to him. Each of them has a moment in the ‘spotlight’ where they are given a chance to interview unsuspecting citizens. This video is full of laughs, and not at the expense of these severely disabled adults. Many of the street folk they interview are at first unsure of what is going on. Most of them warm up and find they have something in common with their interviewer. In New York City, they sing New York, New York while on the windy and rainy roof of the Empire State Building. The dismal weather doesn’t dim smiles, however. New York City is perhaps the home of the most heartbreaking scene. Larry is left sitting in his wheelchair at the entrance of a subway station with a microphone. Most people ignore him completely, despite the microphone he hold out and his undecipherable callings. One man, while smoking a cigarette, gives Larry a pitiful “hi buddy,” before slowly backing away. This sad scene goes on for about five minutes before a member of the film crew returns to take him back to the bus, commenting that what Larry did was “incredibly hard to do, man.” In the Midwest, the RV the news crew is traveling in breaks down. Susan takes it upon herself to interview the garage workers. Ironically, all of them, including the owner, can’t tell her who is working on their vehicle or when it will be done. This doesn’t dampen their spirits, however. They patiently wait and sing songs about America before they get back on their way to California. They pick up a hitchhiker who comments “I have a feeling this is going to be the most interesting ride I’ve ever taken.” The stranger has a great sense of humor, and jokes and sings with the crew. Since the RV is done for, the crew hops a bus instead. At first, many of the other passengers are unsure how to react, but by the time they reach California, the majority of them are singing and laughing along with the crew. In this scene, it is interesting to note that there are a few passengers whop haven’t warmed up to the “How’s Your News” crew, and simply stare out the window. Judging from the looks on everyone else’s faces, these people are missing out on a great experience. Perhaps the most amusing moment is when Ronnie reaches Hollywood. He searches high and low for the Chad Everett Hollywood square. Most people he asks say they do not know how he is. Most likely, they are only too afraid to talk to the man who refers to Everett as his “spiritual brother.” He finds the square of course, and after bending down and kissing it, the movie ends, leaving viewers with a conflicting feeling of warmth and anger. How’s Your News will be showing on Plymouth Community Television (Channel 3) three times before the group visits on Friday evening -Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8.p.m.