Daniel Vovak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Daniel R. Vovak | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1972 Cleveland, Ohio  |
| Pen name | The Wig Man |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, author |
| Nationality | American |
| Writing period | 1995-present |
Daniel 'The Wig Man' Vovak, (born May 15, 1972) is a ghostwriter and owner of Greenwich Creations, a firm specializing in ghostwritten movies and books for clients. Vovak was the senior editor for Greenwich Post (Greenwich, Connecticut) and Movers & Shakers (Shaker Heights, Ohio), where he was a member of the Press Club of Cleveland.[1] Vovak was raised as the eldest of five boys in Sheffield Lake, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his B.A. at the age of 20 from Baldwin-Wallace College, majoring in Business, Psychology, and Communications, the youngest student in B-W history to graduate with three majors.[2] Vovak is the author of "Will You Run for President?"[3]
Vovak has written four movies: Bill and the Silk Box, Redeeming Stella, Unsilent Partner, and Whereabouts Unknown.[1] A script about President Bill Clinton, Monica Lewinsky, and Paula Jones, using Elvis Presley music has been shopped around Hollywood. The movie could run alongside Oliver Stone's movie[4] about George W. Bush. Mentioned for the part of Bill Clinton have been Bill Paxton, David Morse or Tim Robbins. Monica Lewinsky could be played by Amanda Bynes[2], Nia_Vardalos, and Minnie Driver.[5][3]
| “ | Nothing will be more entertaining than for the Clintons and the Bushes to compete at the box office. The challenge of writing the script was juggling the political motivations of the characters with the importance of giving the film broad appeal. The Clinton era needs to be put into proper perspective, with comedy as its medium.[6] | ” |
|
— Daniel R. Vovak on 'Bill and the Silk Box'
|
Contents |
[edit] Political Activity
Vovak, at 31, was the youngest candidate in U.S. history to actively compete for President of the United States, focusing on the states of Iowa, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas.[7][8][9][10][11] Vovak's presidential campaign essentially ended on January 11, 2004 when he was ejected from the final Democratic presidential debate. Vovak stated that this dismissal was merely because he was a Republican.[12] On January 19, Vovak was defeated in the Iowa Caucus by President George W. Bush. In February 2004, Randy Cauthron, editor of the Spencer (Iowa) Daily Reporter, won first place among small daily newspapers in the "Best News Feature" category at the Iowa Newspaper Association awards banquet with a front-page story about Vovak headlined: "President Vovak? Yes, I'm serious!"[citation needed]
In July 2004, Vovak entered the U.S. Senate contest in Illinois, seeking the Republican appointment after Jack Ryan withdrew.[13]. Alan Keyes was appointed as the Republican candidate and was defeated by Barack Obama.
On October 13-17, 2005, Vovak organized the 3rd Party National Conference ("3PNC") in Manchester, New Hampshire, which twenty political parties attended. The keynote speaker was Dr. Paul Barresi, a lawyer and Chairman of the Political Science Department of Southern New Hampshire University. He spoke about the challenges facing third-parties within America's two-party system. He also highlighted the divisions within the Republican and Democratic parties and how past third-parties used ballot access to grow in power.[14]
On September 12, 2006, Daniel "The Wig Man" Vovak was a Republican candidate on the primary ballot in Maryland,[15][16] and was defeated by Michael Steele. Ironically, it was only the second time Vovak was on a ballot.[citation needed]
[edit] The Case of the Vanishing 'The'
Vovak has limited his political activity, though an appeal in "The case of the vanishing 'the'" remains[17]. In mid-2008 the Maryland Court of Special Appeals will release a decision on his appeal.[18]. Vovak contends the Maryland Board of Elections illegally changed his name on the ballot from Daniel 'The Wig Man' Vovak, to Daniel 'Wig Man' Vovak, and is seeking unspecified punitive damages.[19] In September 2006, Judge Ronald Silkworth ruled in his favor on the merits of the case.[20]
[edit] The Wig
He was given the nickname "The Wig Man" by John DiStaso, senior political reporter at the New Hampshire (Manchester) Union Leader.[19]
According to Vovak's campaign website, the wig is a tool to receive media exposure and voter recognition, as well as to "evoke the Whig roots of the Republican Party and its reliance on the founders' version of the United States constitution." He goes on to state that the wig exposes the GOP leadership's disregard for the common voter, expressed by the closed nature of primaries.[21]
He says he wears the wig because:
- It is a clever idea to help voters remember him,
- It saves millions of dollars in campaign contributions with free media coverage,
- It evokes the Whig roots of the Republican Party and its reliance on the founders' version of the United States Constitution, and
- It exposes the truth that Party leaders disregard average voters and that the primary is not an open and honest process; it is closed." [22][21]
[edit] References
- ^ Abrams, David. "Sarbanes retirement draws 28 candidates", Capital Gazette Communications, August 27, 2006.
- ^ Lowe, Brendan. "Candidate wigs out university leaders", University of Maryland (Diamondback), January 26, 2006.
- ^ 'Vovak, Daniel, 'Will You Run for President?; Greenwich Public Relations, 2004. ISBN 0-9728624-0-4.
- ^ Fleming, Michael. "Oliver Stone votes for 'Bush' project", Variety, January 20, 2008.
- ^ "Clinton movie script being shopped", United Press International, January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Script about Bill, Monica, and Elvis circulates around Hollywood", Greenwich Creations, January 30, 2008.
- ^ Alban, Gary. "Small ideas, a white wig: keys to a non-declared candidate's future?", Ogden Reporter, August 12, 2003.
- ^ Hatfield, Hal. "Is he really running for president?", Pella Chronicle, October 8, 2003.
- ^ Rank, Scott. "Wig-wearing candidate's road to White House runs through Ames", Iowa State Daily, October 9, 2003.
- ^ Brulliard, Nicolas. "'Wig Man' Running in 2004", Daily Texan, November 13, 2003.
- ^ Hayworth, Bret. "'Bush challenger campaigns in Sioux City Man", Sioux City Journal, January 2, 2004.
- ^ Walker, Justin. "Campaign Diary: Pre-empting the Republican threat", Duke News, January 11, 2004.
- ^ Jones, Mike. "No big-wig, man in car declares candidacy for U.S. Senate seat", Morning Sentinel, July 24, 2004.
- ^ Meighan, Patrick. "Third parties gather in Merrimack", Nashua Telegraph, October 15, 2005.
- ^ Spedden, Tory. "Candidate Vovak fighting for name", Daily Banner, January 31, 2006.
- ^ Clifford, J. "Pick the Wig Man for Maryland Republicans", Irregular Times, August 28, 2006.
- ^ Vovak Politicalgateway (link dead).
- ^ Baltimore Sun (link dead).
- ^ a b Candidate Profile:Daniel Vovak.
- ^ Winger, Richard (September 8, 2006). “The Wig Man” Wins Declaratory Judgement on Nickname Dispute. Ballot Access News.
- ^ a b Vovak Politicalgateway (dead link).
- ^ Craw, Ben. "Midterm Roundup", TPMElection Central, September 11, 2006.
