Embedded With Hilary Duff

Good news for good people: the feature film War Inc. opened last weekend with a per screen average second only to Indiana Jones. How could that happen? Some great word of mouth sparked by the fact that the film is great and sheer force of will on the part of John Cusack and his team who believe in the message of their film and were willing to go balls out promoting it through MySpace and Facebook. It is working and the tide is growing. Folks are loving the film. People aren't just sitting and watching. They are getting involved in it as an interactive experience. War Inc is on the march without any corporate backing! I personally could not be more pleased as I have three songs in the film that I either wrote or co-wrote and produced for Hilary Duff. The songs represented a challenge.

Phone rings...

John Cusack: "Do you think you could write a few songs for my futuristic black comedy film in which I play an assassin operating undercover as a trade show producer at a US run war trade show in a country called Turaqistan where all around me the first 100% privatized US war of aggression is raging out of control. Kind of Grosse Point 2 but set in an American-made Middle Eastern private war hell."

Me: (Confused pause) Sure. What kind of songs do you need?

John: Three songs for a character called Yonica Babyyea. She is the Middle Eastern Britney Spears who puts a scorpion down her pants and is a pop diva slut like some of the girls in the news lately. Can you make the songs sound Middle East meets Central European mixed with Western house music - only really good and really funny?

Me: (scratching head) Yes?

John: One more thing... Hilary Duff is playing the part.

I was a little concerned because I didn't know who Hilary was except that my nine-year-old niece loved her. She came to the studio and she was no child star. She is a woman and a pro. Hilary and I did these songs in one session in LA and one in Bulgaria. She was in character the whole time and a delight to work with. She was gung ho to try anything and really gave a great/funny/sexy and brave performance.

Here is a clip from the movie for you to watch and learn the words and sing along to when you go see the film this weekend in New York at the Angelika or in LA at the Landmark. You will be glad you saw it and gladder still that you support artists kicking back against the Bush slash/cash-in/burn methodology of money and power and oil at all costs....

"I Want To Blow You Up":

"Boom Boom Ban Bang":

Official Website: www.paulhipp.com

Paul Hipp on MySpace: www.myspace.com/paulhipp

e-mail: [e-mail]

Comments

[TheAlchemist]

10:21 PM on 06/01/2008

Bring it to Chicago!

Keep it in the Collective Conscious.

[thatvisionthing]

11:49 AM on 06/01/2008

This HuffPo thing of sending you an e-mail when somebody you like posts something -- amen! I would have missed this otherwise. I love the first clip!

Wait! It disappeared!

[Casanavelaw]

10:37 AM on 05/31/2008

Unfortunately, those of us in smaller towns will have to wait for the DVD.

[djk20042]

04:44 PM on 05/29/2008

Another box office winner with a Sanjaya-quality performance.

[BobLablah]

02:35 PM on 05/29/2008

I don't suppose you care to mention that it's only sold a total of $34,000 worth of tickets and it has a 26% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The people have spoken.

[BlueHorde]

07:18 PM on 05/29/2008

LOL. Only $34k, on just two screens.

It's an over the top black comedy, I doubt if many bushoviks will even understand it.

But like Dr. Strangelove, it is going to have an impact.

[BobLablah]

02:03 PM on 05/30/2008

Dr. Strangelove has a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes. Time for J. Cusack to start entertaining us again. We've got the HuffPo for timely social commentary now, thank you very much.

[JackNasty]

12:37 PM on 06/01/2008

The movie may have sold a total of $34,000, in a limited release of two screens but that is still a a high per theater gross, . No reasonable person would construe the 39 ratings submitted anonymously on Rotten Tomatoes as "the people" speaking.

Reasonable people wait until they actually see a film before judging it.

Paul, I love you man and your songs. Really, you are my next husband!