Virgil Goode goes Hollywood

Virgil Goode is no doubt super-psyched that he now has something in common with Al Gore and Michael Moore. Additionally, immigrant haters can now unite behind the famous bigot that is Virgil Goode, one of the many embarrassing Republican elected officials of the great Commonwealth of Virginia.

Following the trail of "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "An Inconvenient Truth," Rep. Virgil Goode of Virginia promoted a new political documentary on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that slams the government for failing to stop illegal immigration.

The film, shown in a congressional meeting room, lauded the work of a controversial group known as The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps that has set up checkpoints along the U.S.-Mexico border. Critics call them vigilantes.

The Minutemen's leader, Chris Simcox, was one of about 30 people who watched the first of two showings of the film, "Border." He was applauded by the audience of congressional staffers and opponents of illegal immigration.

"If we don't control our borders and control immigration, we are going to be sunk as a nation," Goode said in his opening remarks. "My ideas are very simple ... to draw the line in the sand and hold back."

The film was directed by Chris Burgard, a former ballet dancer and rodeo bull rider who acted in Hollywood films and television shows before turning to writing and directing.

He said he financed the low-budget film himself after a Hollywood producer backed out of the deal.

He wouldn't say how much it cost. And don't expect to see it in theaters soon. Burgard said he is still searching for a distributor.

Much of the film documents the work of the Minutemen. Simcox rides with Burgard and his wife, Lisa Turner Burgard, the film's executive producer, on a big blue bus along the Southwest border.

Lisa Burgard grew up in Chatham, Goode's district, and the film was shown in Danville last July.

I don't know what's more amusing; seeing Virgil Goode's name compared to Moore's and Gore's, the fact that he is so "Hollywood Elite" now that he is hanging out with ex-ballet dancers, or the fact that the wife of the producer (read the big $$ guy) grew up in Goode's district and SHOCKINGLY Goode is the lone big Congressional backer of this "film."

Eh, who cares; it's all hilarious.

Check out the Roanoke Times' thoughts on Goode and his fancy new Hollywood career (hint-it's not too "goode")...