] By Martin A. Grove
]
] More Moore: Like him or not, Michael Moore is the latest
] in a long line of larger than life Hollywood showmen.
]
] Like so many successful filmmakers, Moore is a shameless
] self-promoter with a great knack for commanding media
] attention. But instead of channeling his showmanship into
] making blockbusters, Moore's real focus seems to be his
] political agenda.

] His Palme d'Or win for "Fahrenheit 9/11" shouldn't have
] surprised anyone given Moore's skill at manipulating the
] media into putting a global spotlight on the film. Moore
] was in the right place at the right time and by being
] there this year he enabled the Festival de Cannes to
] reinvigorate itself after years of decline and suddenly
] become relevant. Thanks to Moore, Cannes made headlines
] instead of the usual news briefs about honoring obscure
] films. For a festival that in recent years has been
] mostly about extravagant beach parties, topless starlets
] at hotel pools along the Croisette and the handing out of
] awards to films no one's heard of, this was a major leap
] into the age of global news.
]
] Moore's win was a big story with a nasty political edge
] to it and it came with all the built-in visuals that
] television news channels need in order to make stories
] work. Moore, himself, is physically perfect for
] television. When he's in a shot nobody has to ask, "Which
] one is Moore?