Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Samuel L. Jackson as Richard McIver?

News   June 30, 2009 at 4:49 pm Josh Feit

Last week in Morning Fizz, we reported this:

You may see Hollywood director Stephen Gyllenhaal—Maggie and Jake’s dad—around town next month. Gyllenhaal will be on location scouting out the scene for a film he’s shooting here about Grant Cogswell’s odd 2001 campaign for Seattle City Council.

Today—we hear from a council source— Gyllenhaal was at City Hall meeting with McIver and McIver staffer Paul Elliott. Apparently, Gyllenhaal is going ahead with the flick and  Gyllenhaal is thinking about asking his friend Samuel L. Jackson to play McIver.

jackson

=

mciver


  • SoundersNerd

    Congrats Grant! I’ll have to facebook him about this right now. In the meantime… that’s the worst casting I’ve ever heard of. How about Cedric the Entertainer? Martin Lawrence? AL ROKER!

    More importantly: who’s going to play Grant? It’s a toss-up between Gary Burghoff and Matt Damon. Hmmm… I wonder who’d Grant prefer… and I wonder who’s cheaper.

  • SoundersNerd

    Congrats Grant! I’ll have to facebook him about this right now. In the meantime… that’s the worst casting I’ve ever heard of. How about Cedric the Entertainer? Martin Lawrence? AL ROKER!

    More importantly: who’s going to play Grant? It’s a toss-up between Gary Burghoff and Matt Damon. Hmmm… I wonder who’d Grant prefer… and I wonder who’s cheaper.

  • J.R.

    Cedric’s dead, but he could probably still best capture the campaign trail McIver of 2001.

  • J.R.

    Cedric’s dead, but he could probably still best capture the campaign trail McIver of 2001.

  • SoundersNerd

    Dang, I hate when I do that- specifically who died when (Bernie Mac, check; Cedric… ooops). I still say AL ROKER!

  • SoundersNerd

    Dang, I hate when I do that- specifically who died when (Bernie Mac, check; Cedric… ooops). I still say AL ROKER!

  • ivan

    Way to go, Josh. Even after using the pull quote that spells Gyllenhaal’s name correctly, you spell it wrong — three times.

  • ivan

    Way to go, Josh. Even after using the pull quote that spells Gyllenhaal’s name correctly, you spell it wrong — three times.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Oh my. Fixed.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Oh my. Fixed.

  • LH

    The movie is based upon Phil Campbell’s wonderful book
    Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics.

    Here is a bit from the literary blog world:

    http://maudnewton.com/blog/?p=5854

    Some readers at Publicola may remember that Phil is a former colleague of Erica and Josh.

  • LH

    The movie is based upon Phil Campbell’s wonderful book
    Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics.

    Here is a bit from the literary blog world:

    http://maudnewton.com/blog/?p=5854

    Some readers at Publicola may remember that Phil is a former colleague of Erica and Josh.

  • Marion Zioncheck

    Stephen Gyllenhaal’s name is easy to mess up, but Paul Elliott’s definitely doesn’t have two t’s.

  • Marion Zioncheck

    Stephen Gyllenhaal’s name is easy to mess up, but Paul Elliott’s definitely doesn’t have two t’s.

  • Marion Zioncheck

    I mean three t’s.

  • Marion Zioncheck

    I mean three t’s.

  • eileeeeeeeen

    “Zioncheck for President” rocks my world and I am stoked for the movie adaptation. Stephen G: BRRIINNNGGGG IITTTTTTTT. kthxbye.

  • eileeeeeeeen

    “Zioncheck for President” rocks my world and I am stoked for the movie adaptation. Stephen G: BRRIINNNGGGG IITTTTTTTT. kthxbye.

  • Mikos

    Without a doubt, Grant should be played by Damon. But casting Samuel Jackson as McIver is akin to casting Sean Connery as Woody Allen.

  • Mikos

    Without a doubt, Grant should be played by Damon. But casting Samuel Jackson as McIver is akin to casting Sean Connery as Woody Allen.

  • Trevor

    Is Jackson Gyllenhaal’s one black friend? Or is he trying to spice things up somehow? Cause this doesn’t quite fit…

    As for the book, I liked it, except the end, which I thought was defeatist, and missed how utopian activists have changed history not just by keeping hope alive, but by forcing real concessions from those in power.

  • Trevor

    Is Jackson Gyllenhaal’s one black friend? Or is he trying to spice things up somehow? Cause this doesn’t quite fit…

    As for the book, I liked it, except the end, which I thought was defeatist, and missed how utopian activists have changed history not just by keeping hope alive, but by forcing real concessions from those in power.

  • Annie Rose

    Rainn Wilson is playing Grant.

  • Annie Rose

    Rainn Wilson is playing Grant.