DRESSED TO KILL ... A CAREER.Byline: - David Kronke KENNETH STARR'S zealous obsession with Bill Clinton, Monica Lewinsky and their unique use of cigars harkens back to an almost quaintly innocent time, when a president and his mistress could threaten our nation's sovereignty. The tragedy of recent history has pretty much underscored what a trivial people we were to get caught up in what was a sordid affair scandalously blown up to a national panic by a few rabid Clinton haters. Given the state of our nation today, this thing would've been guffawed to the back burner. Which doesn't mean that Lewinsky is ready to relinquish her once-choice spot in the national psyche: She agreed to participate in HBO's documentary ``Monica in Black and White'' for an undisclosed sum of money. Quite likely, she did this to pay off a load of legal fees - think a med-school graduate's whopping debt, only without the lucrative degree - but since she hasn't copped to this, she's increasingly looking like an unrepentant opportunist op·por·tun·ist n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences. op . And the film doesn't dispel that notion. We're told she agreed to appear before a group of students and HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy employees, which automatically conjures images of planted questions. When, late in the film, one intrepid questioner notes that the proceedings have seemed awfully self-serving, the film quickly cuts away to someone comforting Lewinsky. During the film, Lewinsky giggles disarmingly; she weeps; she breaks down. She offers a cutting quip quip n. 1. A clever, witty remark often prompted by the occasion. 2. A clever, often sarcastic remark; a gibe. See Synonyms at joke. 3. A petty distinction or objection; a quibble. 4. or two aimed at Linda Tripp, the confidante con·fi·dante n. 1. A woman to whom secrets or private matters are disclosed. 2. A woman character in a drama or fiction, such as a trusted friend or servant, who serves as a device for revealing the inner thoughts or intentions who betrayed her to what Hillary Clinton memorably called ``the vast right-wing conspiracy "Vast right-wing conspiracy" was a phrase used by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1998 in defense of her husband President Bill Clinton and his administration during the Lewinsky scandal, characterizing the Lewinsky charges as the latest in a long, organized, collaborative .'' ``I hope I'm articulate,'' Lewinsky says. ``This is really neat and special for me.'' She doesn't say much, however, that wasn't already known by anyone who had closely followed the scandal and Clinton's impeachment impeachment, formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct. In a looser sense the term is sometimes applied also to the trial by the legislature that may follow. proceedings. Lewinsky states that she wants to set the record straight, something she hadn't been able to do under prior constraints set by self-appointed national moralist mor·al·ist n. 1. A teacher or student of morals and moral problems. 2. One who follows a system of moral principles. 3. One who is unduly concerned with the morals of others. Starr. But she scarcely discusses the abuses Starr may or may not have rigged to nail Clinton on what was, after all, a peripheral matter to the Whitewater affair. Of her affair with Clinton, she says it was ``irresponsible, but cool.'' She describes flashing her thong at Clinton ``a very small gesture that was done in a way that could've looked like it was an accident.'' She notes, ``I do have remorse, but when I talk about my remorse, it seems very self-centered to people.'' She equates her holding onto the notorious blue dress with ``the same way people will cherish the sweaty T-shirt from a rock star from a concert.'' This melange mé·lange also me·lange n. A mixture: "[a] building crowned with a mélange of antennae and satellite dishes" Howard Kaplan. of video clips and black-and-white photography cuts to audience members just as you'd expect in a concert or stand-up comedy performance, except the faces are absorbed with Lewinsky's patter pat·ter 1 v. pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. . The film's still fairly compelling, if only in that Lewinsky fails to understand that the Clinton Administration was undone by the scandal; its agenda was eradicated, including many potentially good works. Case in point: A 1997 report from Vice President Al Gore that warned that our nation's airports were woefully woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: unprepared to deal with potential terrorist attacks sat on a shelf while Clinton busied himself with confronting the scandal. And while that's hardly her fault, she should understand at this point that all that transpired was, in the end, hardly about just her: An entire nation was raked over tragically trivial coals. MONICA IN BLACK AND WHITE - Two and one half stars What: Documentary about Clinton's favorite intern. Where: HBO. When: 10 tonight; also Wednesday; HBO Plus: Monday and Friday. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: LEWINSKY |
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