Director Morgan Spurlock to speak at UNT

by Kip Mooney of North Texas Daily

He once ate McDonald's three times a day for a month. He received an Oscar nomination. He even risked his life hunting for the world's most-wanted man.

And now documentary filmmaker, television producer and author Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) will speak at UNT tonight, Nov. 13, in the University Union.

The event includes a lecture from Spurlock, question-and-answer session and book-signing. The UNT Bookstore has most of Spurlock's materials available to purchase.

The event arrives after nearly a year of preparation by UNT's Fine Arts Series, from proposal to negotiations and contracting to promotion.

"We knew we wanted Morgan by the end of December of last year because proposals have to be submitted," said Donnie Malpass, a music graduate student and Fine Arts Series graduate assistant. "And then we go to the Student Government Association, and then they decide where funding goes."

Malpass said rapidity remains the key when booking speakers and events, before the end of the school year if possible.

"Earlier is better," he said. "We tried contacting [Spurlock's agents] before the end of school. If we have them on the phone by the time school's out, it's usually pretty good."

Malpass said Spurlock's experience was the reason Fine Arts Series brought the director to NT, and his popularity with college students and ability to get people to look at things in a new light will bring out the community.

He pointed to Spurlock's documentary series, 30 Days, in which participants spend a month in a different part of the world.

"It's all about new ways of thinking," He said. "It's all about putting people in new environments, and that's really good for a learning environment. … In my opinion, he tries to get people out of their environment and do things they wouldn't normally do."

Malpass said Spurlock's out-of-the-ordinary experiences should bring people out to hear him speak.

"He probably has a lot of insight that you would not necessarily find with the average person," he said. "He lived on that Navajo reservation for 30 days. … He was held up at gunpoint. He did all these things that were very not mainstream."

Media Library head Sue Parks said Spurlock's status as a filmmaker was also reason to in bring him to UNT.

"It has been several years since a filmmaker has been a part of the Series," Parks said in an e-mail interview. "I felt Mr. Spurlock would be perfect as a Series speaker because he's well-known for his documentary and television style as well as the provocative and timely subjects he raises - his approach is to tackle important, timely topics and to objectively portray on film and television others' points of view by experiencing their lives firsthand."

Parks said his latest film, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, might cause discussion of terrorism, but people should discuss issues Spurlock raises in his other projects as well.

"The title of the film and its content are certainly provocative and may attract people to discuss these issues, but much of his other work also addresses topics such as racism, politics, labor issues, gun control, animal rights and foreign relations," she said. "All of these issues are important for students to openly discuss."

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Silver Eagle Suite of the University Union. Tickets are available at the Union Information Center on the third floor, with prices at $20 for the general public, and $10 for faculty and staff with ID, senior citizens 60 and over, and students from other universities. NT students get in free with their student ID but must have a ticket.