and....another bit of advice ...? on WA

Dear Jeffrey,

As you probably know, Woody Allen's legal team said that we couldn't use the film we shot of him: online, for broadcast, anywhere.

It was a fantastic experience taping with him and so, even if I can't ever use the footage, I'm still grateful to you for making the day possible. But of course I'd like to use the footage. I decided when--way back-- we got this very negative answer back from his lawyers that I should just take my time about asking --since it would take us 2 years to be ready to edit the footage anyway (The online course is chronological. When I taped Woody we were still back in 1730. Now we've gotten to the 1920s)

Well, we've now arrived at the season when we'll be editing materials on William Carlos Williams for our course on Modernism and, as we discussed on Saturday, on poetry and other arts, The Poetry of Art, Sport, and Play

I would also, of course, love to make a tv episode out of the conversation, but the threshold question is whether he'll let us use it for anything at all. In case it would matter,

Other performers who have already taped with me include

John Lithgow,
Diane Paulus
Julie Taymor
Nas
Eve Ensler
Damian Woetzel
Kate Burton
Lil Buck Riley
Alfre Woodard
Herbie Hancock
Tony Kushner
Natalia Zukerman

and those who have agreed to tape with me include

Sally Field
Lena Dunham
Yo Yo Ma
Anna Deavere Smith

and more.

Those in other fields include journalists, senators, president clinton etc etc. You've read my pitch before (many times)

His is one of only two releases that we haven't gotten. What do you think of my chances?

Lisa

--

Elisa New
Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature
Harvard University
148 Barker Center
12 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA
02138