"You might remember my movie, '2001 A Space Odyssey'..."

Stanley Kubrick? No, Arthur C. Clarke. On Twin Cities Public TV tonight, during introductory comments early in "The Colours of Infinity," a 1995 documentary on the discovery of the Mandelbrot Set. You know - the Mandelbrot Set. To me it’s a surprising claim, that “my” movie. Did he clear it with Stanley, back in 1995? Or was the intro filmed later, for the long-awaited rebroadcast, and he figured: "What the hell, who’s gonna stop me? Stanley? I don't think so. "

Although maybe Clarke is justified. A quick Web survey (guaranteed accurate as always) reveals that Clarke and Kubrick really did collaborate on the story, and then Clarke wrote the novel and Kubrick made the movie. The movie is more famous. The "story," truth be told, may not be that main reason for said fame, but evidently Clarke has long fussed over all this in his mind and he's decided calling the movie “my” movie is more then defensible; in fact it is his movie, it was supposed to be his movie, it’s his Preciousss –

Sorry, that’s unfair. Still, though.

Incidentally, we’re on the midst of a fundraising fortnight at TPT, as the station calls itself here. So we can assume the documentary must have tested well with donor-heavy focus groups, consisting of those also energized by the swinging 2-hour Michael Bublé appearance on "Great Performances" that preceded it. (Who is the TPT audience, exactly? I have to ask.)