Disappointment abounds around Going Like Sixty… that I wasn’t asked for my opinion about The Boomer List premiering Nationwide Tuesday, September 23 on PBS.
American Masters: The Boomer List, attempts to tells the story of the boomer generation through the lives of 19 iconic boomers–one born each year of the baby boom:
1946 Tim O’Brien, Vietnam vet / author
1947 Deepak Chopra, M.D., New Age guru
1948 Samuel L. Jackson, actor
1949 Billy Joel, singer-songwriter
1950 Steve Wozniak, co-founder, Apple Computer
1951 Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer
1952 Amy Tan, author
1953 Eve Ensler, playwright
1954 Julieanna Richardson, founder, The HistoryMakers
1955 Maria Shriver, journalist
1956 Kim Cattrall, actor
1957 Virginia Rometty, CEO, IBM
1958 Ellen Ochoa, Director, Johnson Space Center
1959 Ronnie Lott, athlete
1960 Erin Brockovich, environmentalis
1961 Peter Staley, AIDS activist
1962 Rosie O’Donnell, entertainer
1963 David LaChapelle, artist
1964 John Leguizamo, actor
Interviews by filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (The Black List, The Latino List, The Out List) focus on these individuals’ exceptional achievements, struggles and identities, sharing the experiences of these extraordinary Americans and the history they lived through and often created. Subjects illuminate the key movements and changes that shaped the world during the baby boom years, discussing the environment; arts and entertainment; science; civil, LGBT and women’s rights; law; politics; public service; sports; the military; technology and media.
“When I learned about this year’s boomer milestone, I came up with the idea for The Boomer List. The film captures the boomer generation’s dynamic spirit through 19 distinct ‘American Masters’ who had a profound effect on our world.”
says Greenfield-Sanders, whose past films include About Face: Supermodels Then and Now and American Masters – Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart.
Apparently he didn’t think enough of the generation to interview a plain old boomer… like say, MOI!
“The Boomer List is a celebration of this generation’s impact on American culture. It is impossible to encapsulate in just a few words, but thanks to the talent both on camera and behind the lens, this remarkable film offers an incredible chorus of voices that somehow captures the zeitgeist of this era,”
says Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Masters.
Yeah, we’ll see… you’ve been warned PBS American Masters.
