The media rose to the occasion, shone their light on the desolation and the needy, and kept it focused there until the cavalry finally began to arrive.

This time, the media was right on the story, right on the scene, right away.

It's like night and day when you compare this to 9-11, when the national trauma was so severe that the media felt uncomfortable being too critical of the administration,

Today, if knowledge of a movie is out there for a while, it may increase its appeal. It builds up a mystique. Bad buzz can actually morph into anticipation.

But I think it would be tougher for Walken than it was for Reagan. His weird roles might harm him.

It's part of our heritage, part of our culture. The more we move into cities, the more cool we try to be, the more we miss the part of ourselves that's simple and country.