Doing time for History
Nov. 9 the History Channel premieres “Great Escapes With Morgan Freeman,” an eight-part nonfiction series the Oscar winner hosts and executive produced.
“It features prison escapes. Like one in Alcatraz, Dannemora, in Tennessee, another in Ireland. Maybe a criminal could get ideas from watching it. But it doesn’t give the stamina, wherewithal, or ingenuity they’d need to succeed.
“Like El Chapo escaped through a specially dug tunnel because he had money, inside contacts, outside connections and outsiders with knowledge of GPS positioning. Not everyone behind bars can command that technology.”
Added the star of ’94’s brutal prison drama “The Shawshank Redemption”: “I’ve been in real jails. Not knowing what could happen can make your hands sweat. Once they said, ‘Don’t talk to the prisoners.’ Just moving on through one big maximum security block definitely felt a bit trepidatious.
“You keep moving. You only say, ‘Yeah, how ya doin’?’ I was in some place, maybe Illinois, and we went into this one big block and it’s just nothing but noise. You think everybody in the place is insane. What happens is you feel the result is enough to make you keep your mouth shut. Look, I’ve gone from an Ohio reformatory to a tough jail like one in Ontario.
“This series won’t give anybody the tools for escape. At most it’ll give an incentive. Those in there for a while, their every waking thought is ‘I gotta get out.’ The escapes we’re telling about are pretty old. Those inmates who got out all pretty much have gotten back in.
“First prison I went into was in Kingston, Ontario. I’d never been inside one before. When it’s people in maximum security because they needed to be — there’s an aura about it all. It’s scary.”
Does this not aggravate today’s anti-police mentality? “No. I don’t think so. I’m not for defunding the police. This mentality has nothing to do with the cop on the beat. Police are necessary. Most just go about their daily work doing their job and never pull their guns except in rage.”
Now hear this
His Eminence the Cardinal is set to visit the old country. Not Southampton. Ireland . . . Nov. 15 Marvin Scott hosts Tony Orlando night at the Friars. Marvin Scott’s great. Tony Orlando’s great. The Friars not . . . De Blasio creeping for governor? Nearest New Yorker to favor him already relocated to downtown Guyana. He retains 20 percent likeability. He’s smart. Throwing up enough dust could land him some payback job in the gov’s office. This way he’ll still live off the public trough. Beats working for a living.
Diane spills fashion ‘Secret’
Diane von Furstenberg: “Connect. Send two e-mails each morning to benefit someone other than you. Expand. Arrange a meeting or call weekly with whoever you don’t know or wouldn’t engage with. Inspire. Share experience, vulnerability and strength through storytelling. Advocate. Act on causes. Rally, speak up, organize, make an impact.
“Be in charge. Make commitment to yourself. Trust your character. Know it is forever the core of your strength. Help all women be the women they want to be.”
In her book “Own It: The Secret to Life” she tells about fame. She was in Kathmandu, Nepal, on their Holy Week and sitting in a sacred monastery among chanting monks. As an invited guest, she was granted a special privilege. To personally meet the holiest of holy, their spiritual leader. After the introduction he asked her, “So do you know Cher?”
Random House is looking to swallow Simon & Schuster. The biggest in publishing are cookbooks and diet books. Cookbooks tell you how to make it. Diet books tell you not to eat it.
Not only known in New York, kids, not only known in New York.