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One of the breakout projects at this years Sundance Film Festival is Hillary, a four-hour docu-series about Hillary Clinton. The former first lady, Secretary of State and first woman presidential nominee from a major political party sat down for 35 hours of interviews with director Nanette Burstein, who also poured through exclusive footage from the 2016 campaign and additional sit downs with Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Barack Obama and more.

The result, which will premiere March 6 on Hulu, is a riveting portrait of a political trailblazer, including Clintons days as one of only 27 women in her class at Yale Law School and her 1993 lobbying as first lady for universal health care. One of themes that emerges throughout Hillary is how Clinton has always battled misogyny as a second-wave feminist, from when she refused to take her husbands last name to when she famously said on the 1992 campaign trail: I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided was to fulfill my profession.

Originally, the docu-series was only going to focus on the 2016 election, based on hundreds of hours of footage that Clintons campaign had captured. But Burstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture, American Teen) suggested they broaden the scope.

While I was watching all the behind-the-scenes footage, I was also reading everything the good, the bad and the ugly, Burstein says. And I realized what a touchstone she is and how shes always just been at the tip of the spear. I thought that in order for people to truly understand this story and to talk about themes, it was important to lay out her whole life.

In a wide-ranging conversation at Sundance, Clinton spoke to Variety about the film, misogyny directed toward women candidates, her thoughts on defeating Donald Trump in 2020 and why Little Womens Greta Gerwig should have been nominated for best director at the Academy Awards.

Why was it important for you to have a woman director tell your story?

Hillary Clinton: I wanted to have the best director, and I had a preference for a woman director. I thought, No. 1, we need more women directors. And No. 2, a woman director would have an understanding of some of the issues in a very real way that would translate to the screen.

One of the things I really love about Hillary is how it places you as a trailblazer throughout your career even before you entered the White House as first lady. When did you first identify as a feminist?

I have always thought that being a feminist was just absolutely to be expected. Because what is it? Its the belief that men and women should have the same equal rights in the economy, in politics, in the culture and society. So I never understand why it was controversial. And certainly, when I came of age and started going to college and law school, there were so many barriers to womens full participation. There were jobs you couldnt apply for, scholarships we werent eligible for, colleges we couldnt go to. There was so much that said, Stay in your lane. And I was part of that second-wave of feminism where people said, Wait a minute. We got to tear down these barriers and try to make sure that the promise of equality is real.

The documentary revisits your 1992 comments about how you preferred to pursue your career over staying home and baking cookies, which was controversial at the time. In 2016, when Beyonce performed at a campaign event for you in Cleveland, she reclaimed that quote as a source of female empowerment. How did that feel?

I did not know that Beyonce was going to use that quote from the 92 campaign about following my profession. But when I saw that setup on stage, and that was going to be prominently featured, I thought: Good for you! I mean, Really good for you. Her career trajectory has demonstrated clearly how shes embraced feminism and stood up for herself and spoken out. And for her to adopt that and use it as a theme for her support of my campaign really made me just break out in a huge smile.

Theres a scene in the documentary where protesters are burning an effigy of you over your decision to pursue universal health care in 1993. Had you forgotten about that?

I had forgotten about that until I saw the film. Nanette does such a great job of demonstrating that, yeah, the film was about me, its about my life, but its about these bigger issues. Really, the arc of womens lives and the womens movement and both the advances weve made in politics, but also the pushback that we see so clearly today. I think that in the four hours, it should be really fruitful for lots of conversations about what I did or what I said, but more than that, how does this fit into the history of womens rights and roles?

After Hillary premiered at Sundance, you spoke at the Q&A about the misogyny that women candidates face online, particularly women running for president. Why do you think theres so much hatred for women who are seeking leadership positions?

Its a great question. I dont think its in any way limited to women trying to run for president. But because of the high visibility of women who try, misogyny that is directed not only to women themselves but to their supporters is so shocking. And I remember in 2016 look, I have tough skin. I put myself out there. I was the one running. But what was said and done to my supporters, men and women but predominantly women who spoke for me or proclaimed their support for me, it was just so vile. And some of the groups, like Pantsuit Nation, they had 4 million members. And people were targeting individual members all over the country, insulting them and threatening them. So Im seeing the same right now. Some of the organized efforts to undercut, demean, belittle the women who had been running and still are running in this election.

Did you ever go on the internet or Twitter to see what people were saying?

No, I never did. A lot of it was manufactured. We now know that a lot of it was amplified by Russian bots. Thats still going on. And I knew that it was not really about me, it was about the threat that a woman running for president posed to certain set beliefs and structures.

You were recently interviewed by Howard Stern. Was that fun and did you wish that youd done that sooner?

I have to say, I actually really enjoyed my interview with Howard Stern, much to my surprise and his. He interviewed me for two hours and 20 minutes, certainly the longest interview by far that Ive ever done. Yes, he tried to get me to be on his show before, and I didnt. But, like doing this documentary, Im doing a lot of things that I never did before. I found his journey about how he really began to examine himself and what he said and how he behaved, I believe in that. I respected that. The experience I had with him was really a positive one.

Variety was founded in 1905, making it the oldest entertainment publication in the United States. I had a few questions I wanted to ask you that I think would be of interest to our readers. First, is it true that you were in a production of Bye Bye Birdie in school?

Yes. It was high school. On the condition, Im not singing, but I lip synced.

Were you in other plays?

I was in some other plays. I had a speaking role, but not singing role, in The Sound of Music.

I know that you regularly attend Broadway shows. Whats the greatest musical or play youve seen in the last year?

I go to a lot. There are so many that I see. So let me plug a few, ok? I love Aint Too Proud. I saw it twice because I took my husband a second time. I loved Hadestown. I thought it was creative, innovative, great theater. I look forward to West Side Story being brought back. I like the theater. I like both musicals, comedy and I like drama.

Whats on your DVR or TiVo?

We TiVo a lot. My husband is in charge of the TiVo. He TiVos sports events and a lot of series that he watches. We have a lot backed up.

What do you make of the Oscars only nominating male directors again this year?

I think its really a shame, especially because there were so many notable films this year by women directors. And you know, I know theyre making an effort, and I applaud them for their effort. But I really hope that its not just an effort; it produces some results and the work that women are doing and the importance of it is recognized by the Academy every year.Did you have a favorite movie from last year?

Well, I loved Little Women. So I thought [director Greta Gerwig] should have been nominated. I really thought she deserved it because I thought it was beautifully done. And the way that it was constructed, made the best use of the book. I also just saw The Report, which is a heavy movie, but one that I really wish more people would see, because it lays out pretty clearly what went on during the war in Iraq. I saw Knives Out, which I thought was a lot of fun. I dont get to go as often as Id like to, but those are the three most recent.

Do you know who youre going to vote for in the 2020 Democratic primary? You dont have to name who it is.

Im going to vote. Im going to leave it at that. Ill definitely vote. I vote every time theres an election. And I am telling everybody here at Sundance, everywhere I go, please, please go out and vote. And then, whoever the nominee is, support the nominee, whether its someone you voted on or not in the primary process, because the most important responsibility we all have is to retire Donald Trump.

I know youre not running for president, but do you ever feel the urge to think: I could beat Donald Trump if I were running.

Yeah. I certainly feel the urge because I feel the 2016 election was a really odd time and an odd outcome. And the more we learn, the more that seems to be the case. But Im going to support the people who are running now and do everything I can to help elect the Democratic nominee.

I have one last question. There was a lot of online attention about the line in the documentary where you said nobody likes Bernie Sanders. But I feel like the context got lost, because you were talking about his time in Washington D.C. and how the press treated you versus him in 2016. Could you clarify that?

I think we did that interview about a year and a half ago. I wasnt thinking about the election by any means. Ive said Im going to support the nominee. But I do think its important to look at somebodys record and look at what theyve gotten done and see whether you agree with that or not. I think thats what every voter paying attention should do.

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Hillary Clinton Gets Candid About Feminism, Beyonce and Little Women (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety

The impeachment dynamics illustrate how far the disease has spread. Only Dems supported the two House articles, but instead of acknowledging the break with historical precedent, Pelosi and Schumer demonized Republicans as partisan hacks for not supporting them.

This was also the first time impeachment articles did not allege actual crimes, yet it was Republicans who supposedly violated the Constitution. Similarly, Trumps refusal to comply with subpoenas his lawyers said were invalid proved he sees himself as a monarch.

Those and other juvenile accusations made watching the trial like watching a production of the college cancel culture, where the left, believing itself morally and intellectually superior, aims to silence dissent and invalidate the opposition. The smug and often false assertions of Rep. Adam Schiff suggest he mistook his participation trophies for signs of actual achievement, giving him an inflated sense of entitlement.

The truth for him is anything that makes Trump look bad. Everything else is a lie.

nypost.com/2020/02/01/hillary-clinton-ended-the-practice-of-humble-political-concessions-goodwin/

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Hillary Clinton ended the practice of humble concessions - Hot Air

Hillary Clinton accused Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of tipping the scales in favor of President Donald Trump, arguing that Facebook is "not just goingto reelect Trump, butintend[s] to reelect Trump."

Clinton made the comments during an interview with The Atlantic's editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg on Saturday at Sundance Film Festival, where she's promoting a new Hulu documentary about her 2016 presidential campaign.

The former Secretary of State criticized Facebook's policies on disinformation, including its controversial decision to allow falsehoods in political ads. Clinton highlighted Facebook's refusal to remove an altered video of House speaker Nancy Pelosi that was misleadingly edited to make her appear drunk.

In the wake of the 2016 election, Facebook faced scrutiny over the spread of misinformation on the platform. Facebook has since taken steps to combat false information, including enlisting third-party fact checkers and promoting trustworthy news sources. However, Zuckerberg has maintained that he doesn't believe fake news on Facebook influenced Trump's victory, calling it "a pretty crazy idea."

Clinton characterized Zuckerberg as a powerful leader with little accountability, saying she's had conversations "at the highest levels" with Facebook that were ultimately unproductive.

"I feel like you're negotiating with a foreign power sometimes," Clinton said. "He's immensely powerful ... This is a global company that has huge influence in ways that we're only beginning to understand."

Clinton argued that Zuckerberg has been "somehow persuaded ... that it's to his and Facebook's advantage not to cross Trump. That's what I believe. And it just gives me a pit in my stomach."

A Facebook spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

See the article here:
Hillary Clinton predicts that Facebook is 'going to reelect Trump' - Business Insider

Says Kobe Bryant tweeted, "I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton."

Viral image on Sunday, January 26th, 2020 in a Facebook post

ByCiara O'Rourkeon Monday, January 27th, 2020 at 1:39 p.m.

Weve debunked many claims that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has killed political enemies. The typical formula for these conspiracies is as follows: Someone in the Clinton family orbit dies in an accident or commits suicide. Official accounts confirm the means of death by accident or suicide. Then conspiracists suggest the "real" story is that the individual was offed before they could reveal damaging information about the Clintons.

We are not surprised, then, to see it again following news of NBA legend Kobe Bryants deadly helicopter crash. A Jan. 26 Facebook post follows this roadmap to misinformation, showing what looks like a screenshot of a Kobe Bryant tweet with the time and date "9:30 a.m. - Jan 26, 2020." (The helicopter Bryant was riding in crashed just before 10 a.m. Jan. 26 in Calabasas, Calif.)

The supposed tweet says: "I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton."

It was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Thats because Bryant didnt tweet that. He didnt tweet anything on Jan. 26.

Searching his account for any tweets about the Clintons, we found one from January 2013.

He tweeted a photo of himself with former President Bill Clinton.

"Great even with President Clinton and @KVBFF for renovation of Step Up on Vine!" he wrote.

We rate this Facebook post Pants on Fire.

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No, Kobe Bryant didn't tweet about having dirt on Hillary Clinton before his helicopter crashed - PolitiFact

In the second hour of a new four-part Hulu documentary series about her life and the 2016 presidential election campaign, Hillary Clinton begins telling a story.

Its specifically in relation to the Whitewater scandal that plagued Bill Clintons first administration, but could be applied to any number of controversies that Hillary addresses: the email server, the Wall Street speech transcripts, the stayed home and baked cookies uproar, Benghazi, Monica Lewinsky, and the sexism she faced campaigning against Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

All these things about us get disproved, she says. But the press, and Im talking about the major organs of the press, not the Breitbarts and the InfoWars and the crazy people, they always bite. And I dont know why.

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She starts telling an old joke about a guy whos walking along the edge of a cliff and slips. As hes falling, he grabs onto a branch. While hanging on for his life, he prays. God Ive lived a good life. You know I have. Ive done everything Im supposed to do. I was a good husband. I was a good father. I was an honest person. Please Lord, help me!

A mischievous smile creeps across Clintons face as she prepares to land the punchline, adopting the voice of God as he gives the man his response: You know, theres just something about you that just pisses me off.

Directed by Oscar nominee Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), Hillary premiered Saturday afternoon to a packed house at the Sundance Film Festival, the first of several events that Clinton will participate in at Park City to promote the series ahead of its March 6 premiere on Hulu.

Bursteins approach is both expansive and intimate, with an exploration of Hillary Rodhams formative years as president of Young Republicans at Wellesley College and crusading lawyer working for childrens rights and her time supporting Bill Clintons political rise, all juxtaposed with her experience in the historic 2016 presidential election.

The series makes good use of a treasure trove of archival personal artifacts and unseen behind-the-scenes campaign footage, as well as freewheeling remarks from the Clinton family, their staff, and friends, grounding the gravitas of the subjects with a pleasant, somewhat surprising casualness from Clinton and her aides.

Theres breaking news, whether its an extensive explanation of the email server controversy and her defense of her actionsall delivered without election-season spinand the Clintons discussing how emotionally volatile their marriage became as they weathered the Monica Lewinsky scandal and she grappled with whether to stay with him.

Her comments about Bernie Sanders have already made headlines, as she expressed her frustration over the ways in which he propagated the narrative that she was corrupt, which she felt was baseless and opportunistic. She also laments that he wasnt qualified to challenge her in the race.

Honestly, Bernie drove me crazy, she says. He was in the Senate for years. Years! He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him. Nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. He was a career politician. He did not work until he was like 41, and then he got elected to something. It was all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it. Afterwards, she lets out a heavy sigh.

Its moments like this, or when she shrugs and dismisses the controversy over her Wall Street speechesI gave a speech for an hour, and they paid methat beg the question of what exactly Hillary is as a non-fiction work.

Theres obvious interest here: a polarizing figure puts her own controversies in context, seizing control of her reputation while examining what contributed to it. But that control itself is curious.

Hillary joins a unique, somewhat bizarre, yet increasingly popular form of storytelling, in which subjects dont just grant access, but are participants in a projects marketing and celebration as well. (Case in point: The Netflix documentary about Taylor Swift that also premiered at Sundance, pop star in tow.)

Would Hillary Clinton be appearing at events in support of Hillary had it been more scrutinous of her than this series is? If she hadnt been able to stop lines of questioning or deeper explorations of topics that made her too uncomfortable?

Its a work thats torn between biography and hagiography. Its the kind of thing you could imagine playing at a convention, considering the rose-colored filter it places on her rise to prominence. But theres more truth-telling than a piece of veiled propaganda like that could ever boast, with Clinton far more candid about hot-button issues than she ever could have been during an election.

Still, all of her defenses, opinions, assessments, and arguments go unquestioned. She can deliver a self-aware deconstruction of what went wrong in her campaign and the mistakes she made in handling certain things, but outside of archival footage, the only one who ever criticizes Hillary Clinton in the documentary is her.

Its a treatment of a person called both one of the most admired and one of the most vilified women in American history by senior campaign policy adviser Jake Sullivan. It is at once complete, controlled, exposed, shielded, provocative, and entirely expected. Perhaps its fitting for the most complete chronicling yet of such a polarizing figure to be torn between dichotomies.

Yet even despite its flaws and its inherent bias, its incredibly watchable. Four hours fly by. Youre inspired, illuminated, and educatedor, as the 2016 campaign is revisited, triggered, angered, and depressed. But of course the thing is compelling. Few subjects are as compelling as Hillary Clinton. Especially in her to-camera confessionals, shes as captivating as shes ever been.

The first question of the documentary asks Clinton if she gets frustrated that after 30 years in public life, people still say they dont know who she really is, and that she seems inauthentic. I do, she says. What is this about? When people say Im inauthentic, what you see is what you get. Im sorry if Im not brilliantly charismatic on TV. But I am the same person Ive always been. Going through this gauntlet of unbelievable obstacles, yeah, you get scarred up a little bit.

Then Take Back the Power by the ska punk band The Interrupters plays as a rapidfire slideshow of images of her life plays. Its a jarring hint at how scattered the approach is here.

Clinton seems most at ease when given the opportunity to chronicle the tick-tock of her own exasperation as scandals she assumed were non-stories exploded and surpassed what she felt was overblown.

When people say Im inauthentic, what you see is what you get. Im sorry if Im not brilliantly charismatic on TV. But I am the same person Ive always been.

She thought the email scandal would be a two-day news story. Colin Powell and other secretaries of state had done the same thing, she explains. I did it as a matter of convenience. There was no regulation against it. There was nothing against it. Everybody knew I was doing it, because they were all emailing me and I was emailing them. That was hundreds and hundreds of people in the government.

But it fed into broader narratives of the Clintons being corrupt and hiding things. It was my job to figure out a way to better handle it, which I never did, she said.

The documentary finds a way to talk about the misogyny she facedthe likability factorin a way that is intelligent and illuminating without martyrdom or whining per se, though you could argue the proper amount of bitterness: Honest to God, do you think anybody talked to Bernie Sanders about his goddamn shoes?

A full half of the series is devoted to her 2016 campaign, and the peek behind the curtain often makes for the most fascinating coverage, making one wonder if a straightforward campaign documentary would have been a stronger approach. You could watch their closed-door strategizing for days. Its a visceral experience, especially as their helpless bafflement escalates with regards to how to deal with Donald Trumps blatant lies and the megaphone the media gave them.

Election night footage is devastating. I was totally emotionally wrecked, she recalls. I felt like I let everybody down. I worried that he wouldnt rise to the occasion. That all the forces hed unleashed had been rewarded. It made me sick to my stomach. It didnt make sense.

Her eyes well with tears as she recounts the experience of delivering her concession speech the morning after the election. It was really, really tough not crying, not getting a catch in my throat, she says. Immediately after I got off the stage and held people who were crying, all the pent-up emotion came spilling out. Finally Bill and I left, and I just collapsed in the back of the van. I was like, what just happened?

Hillary, then, is an incredibly emotional viewing experience, both in the way it pays proper tribute to her place in history and the accomplishments she earnedits hard to fight off tears as she recounts her various achievements as a woman in politicsand in the feelings it dredges up about the 2016 election. No doubt theres a mission, too, to elicit empathy for the woman who weathered these public scandals she was often demonized for her handling of.

Early in the documentary, Clinton relays a story about a time someone asked her what she wants on her gravestone. Her reply: Shes not nearly as good or as bad as people say about her.

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Hillary Slams Bernie and Shrugs Off Email Scandal in New Doc - The Daily Beast