Bernie may live in Richard’s garage

/ May 8, 2014
Jack Black as Bernie Tiede in 'Bernie.'

Jack Black as Bernie Tiede in ‘Bernie.’

Wait until you hear who the Bernie and Jack are that I’m talking about in the headline.

Combing the web for odd and/or interesting news about movieland for the weekly Thursday edition of my Syracuse New Times blog, I discovered on cinemablend.com that famous film-maker Richard Linklater went to court to vouch for convicted murderer Bernie Tiede in Austin, Texas.

He told the judge that he’d provide a garage apartment for Tiede if the judge would let Bernie go free. Tiede, you see, was played by Jack Black in Linklater’s movie titled, appropriately enough, “Bernie.”

To read more, you’ve got to go to the Syracuse New Times site.

There’s another item, too, (thank you cinemablend.com) about a scientific study about the differences between films that critics like and audiences like. Somebody may have too much time on their hands. Just saying …

Luckily for you, here’s the link to read more wiseguy-me about both of these two odd items.

http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/garage-ill-stay-jail/

Have you ever vouched for anybody to keep them out of trouble with a judge? A principal? A teacher? Their parents? Were you telling the truth?

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58 thoughts on “Bernie may live in Richard’s garage”

  1. Have you ever vouched for anybody to keep them out of trouble with a judge?
    Yes.
    A principal?
    Yes.
    A teacher?
    Yes,
    Their parents?
    Most definitely.
    Were you telling the truth?
    Most assuredly not.

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  2. My son went in and out of trouble from 15 till age 20, one story is a wild one. He was at a party where the people thought it would be smarter to send him out to pick up pizza than any of the other partiers. He was sober and 20, he had a tank top and shorts on. He was chilly so as he walked out the door, he chose a hooded jacket and threw it over his head. He got to a 4-way stop, did not count too long and went on through. A waiting cop stopped him, made him get out of the car and threw him down on the ground! He had a scrape on his forehead, which I found out and was very irate. Anyway, instead of being able to charge him with drinking and driving, (he passed the tests, including a breathalyzer) he was charged with ‘Impersonating a black man.’ (Little did my son realize that in the hoodie’s pocket there was his good black friend, David’s I.D. which stated he was 21 years old.) He tried to explain this and asked the cop to follow him to Pizza Hut where his order was and see that he did not plan to buy alcohol, let alone he is Caucasian! I usually would let my son’ burn his own bridges,’ or had my ex come up from Cincy. to bail him out, but I went to court with him. Did not have to ‘cover’ him, since I actually picked him up from the police station, read them the ‘riot act’ and also, by then, cold pizzas. When we were facing the Juvenile Judge, I stood up and described my son’s scraped face, said I wish I could afford a lawyer and try to get ‘assault and battery’ on this cop, pointing to the young guy who had thrown him down. When the charges had been read, the judge shook his head and actually laughed out loud, “Come on! Do you think this is the way to treat a young man on a ‘pizza run?'” The case about impersonation was thrown out! This may be too long and you are welcome to edit it, Mark!

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    • Robin, I am sorry your son had to go through that ordeal while doing not a thing wrong. That cop was just trying to save face, and knew he was wrong the whole time. He was hoping he was up against somebody who wouldn’t stand up against him in court like you did, and the judge backed you up! Way to go!!

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  4. I don’t think I did any vouching….. I’ve not shared information I knew, knowing it would get someone in trouble. But “trouble” based on someone else’s perception of what was right. 😉 And I wasn’t asked.

    And yet another movie I haven’t seen……

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    • It’s OK to not stick your hand in the air and say oooh, ooooh, oooooh, oooooh. It’s also OK to not wait until the cigarette burns on the back of your hands. Somewhere in between, tell ’em what they ask? Thanks, Colleen.

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  5. Just been to the link and read about this. What a story! I hope it has a happy ending. Here in the UK lots of people use their garages to keep their freezers in. Those big freezers -big enough for all sorts of things….

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  6. I never appreciated Jack Black’s movies until I saw him on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and I feel in love with his amazing brain! It’s so cool that both his parents are rocket scientists! But as for Bernie, although his portrayal was supposedly very accurate, the story, though true and supposedly accurate, didn’t hold my interest. Though I did enjoy your Syracuse NewsTimes article.

    As for the study about critics vs. audience, I’d say it’s an even wider variance than that. I think it has a lot to do with the publicity as well. So many movies (that look like they will be stupid) have ad after ad on every other commercial for the month proceeding it. And other movies that look like they may be really good, have only one or two commercials ever and then while you’re waiting for it to “come soon to a theater near you,” it;s actually already come and gone, silently, without a word to anyone. Then they announce that it did badly in the box office. Then I buy the DVD and find it was the best movie I’d seen in forever! But they never asked my opinion. Oh, well.

    Another great post! 😀

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  8. i actually enjoyed that movie and what a real life twist. it is true, pretty much the whole town loved him – as for coverups, my sisters and i did it often with my mom, but i am the worst criminal ever and really cannot lie so i don’t even attempt it anymore )

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  10. Ummm, yes, no, maybe. Depends on who it is Mark. I have an ex-friend that I gave several chances to, but when she stole money from me after I broke my shoulder and was lying there completely helpless, it seemed like it was time to end that “friendship”. I deleted her phone number, and the next time she called me, wanting to borrow money I didn’t have, I told her to delete my number also and never call me again. She asked me what I was talking about, and when I reminded her about the money she came up with dozens of excuses about why she took it. It took a month, but she finally stopped calling my voice mail.

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  11. Regarding your questions Mark: It’s important to me to tell the truth to judges, principals, parents, teachers, and so on. I was going to write that I never really vouched for anybody in particular … but I do remember an incident where I was silent about something in high school, in order to not get somebody else in trouble. Is that a form of vouching? Or not telling the truth? Speaking of the truth: I saw that same movie chart on Facebook today and I could have sworn it was a joke. It HAS to be a joke. Right?

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    • I don’t think it’s a joke, but I do think it is the most unneeded plotting of points I’ve seen in a good, long time.

      Now, about not speaking up. If you just didn’t volunteer the information, no foul. If you were asked and refused to give it up, I think that’s a form of vouching.

      Thanks, Ann.

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  12. Yes I have more times than I can count. One time me and a friend of mine went out drinking, she was 22 and I was 15, together we drank a half gallon of jim beam and a 12 pack of beer. The police picked me up at someone’s house around 2 aclock the next morning, and took me to the hospital my heart stopped beating twice. When I woke up, 2 days later, I had a doctor a nurse my parents and 3 cops staring at me. They said we know who tou were with she has already confessed to everything and they even said her name so, they actually did know, but I just looked at em and said I dont know what you’re talken about I haven’t seen her in weeks, and I kept denying it. Anyway after I got out of the looney ben. I talked to my friend and it turns out they were gonna charge her with a long list of things, bur because I denied it, there was no way to prove any of it, and they had to drop all the charges.

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