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Savage
portland.indymedia.org

 * NEW! * Outcry on Savage’s Savage Comment About Autism

Shock jock Michael Savage clearly has an overblown sense of the extent of his “expertise” on a wide range of topics, but he overstepped his bounds by attempting armchair psychology about a sensitive subject last week—autism—and drew fire from angry parents and supporters.

Posted on Jul 23, 2008 4 COMMENTS


Ventura
nationalexpositor.com

Ventura Staying Out of Minnesota Senate Race

It would have made for quite a political smackdown, but former Minnesota governor and one-time WWF wrestler Jesse Ventura has nixed rumors that he will take on Al Franken and Norm Coleman as a senatorial candidate. Of course, if God intervenes, “The Body” might change his mind.

Posted on Jul 14, 2008 19 COMMENTS


Betancourt freed
AP photo / William Fernando Martinez

Colombian Hostage Drama Becomes Big-Screen Drama

Well, that didn’t take long: Just a week after former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages were rescued from their FARC captors by Colombian forces, plans are in the works to make a movie version of the story, with Simon Brand on board to direct the drama.

Posted on Jul 8, 2008 6 COMMENTS


Elah
thecia.com.au

Pentagon Looking to Help Shape War Films

The recent spate of war movies about Iraq and Afghanistan has proved to be a hard sell with American audiences—even more so with the U.S. military. Now, the Pentagon is combating a certain lack of nuance, as military officials see it, in flicks like “Redacted” and “In the Valley of Elah” by offering script consultation services to Hollywood types looking to make movies about the current conflicts in the Middle East.

Posted on Jul 7, 2008 10 COMMENTS


Bruno
slashfilm.com

‘Bruno’ Tricks Ex-Mossad Spy

Sacha Baron Cohen is already notorious for his alter ego Borat, and now, fortunately for his career (and unfortunately for those who get caught in his comedic cross hairs), he has another invented personality—Austrian fashionista Bruno—who just pulled one over on former Mossad agent Yossi Alpher. 

Posted on Jul 7, 2008 2 COMMENTS


Strike.tv
strike.tv

Writers’ Strike Bears Online Fruit

During the protracted writers’ strike that gobbled up a good part of fall and winter material for small and big screens alike, some entertainment scribes didn’t let their time in limbo go to waste, such as the group behind Strike.tv, an online network coming soon to a laptop near you.

Posted on Jul 3, 2008


Olbermann
jossip.com

Clash of the TV Titans

When two big TV pundits with larger-than-life egos play out their personal grudge match on their shows, and their respective parent networks join in the fray, guess who loses? In the case of Keith Olbermann v. Bill O’Reilly, just about everybody loses, according to this piece from Variety.

Posted on Jun 28, 2008 22 COMMENTS


Carlin
AP photo / E Pablo Kosmicki

Remembering George Carlin

The death of comedy great George Carlin on Sunday spurred fans and fellow comics to pay tribute to the prolific and profane performer, who took aim at cultural taboos with cheeky glee and paved the way for younger generations to continue to play with stand-up, and social, conventions.

Posted on Jun 23, 2008 14 COMMENTS


Brokaw
U.S. Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ben A. Gonzales

Brokaw to Take Helm of ‘Meet the Press’

Brian Williams filled in for the late Tim Russert on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” but it was announced that his own predecessor as anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” Tom Brokaw, will be the moderator of “Meet the Press” through Election Day.

Posted on Jun 22, 2008 28 COMMENTS


Williams
popwatch.ew.com

Williams to Step In for Russert on ‘Meet the Press’

NBC News will keep its Sunday lineup intact by giving Brian Williams a temporary stint as host of “Meet the Press,” replacing the late Tim Russert for the time being. Because Russert and Williams teamed up for the Jan. 15 Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, many viewers might be primed to make the transition along with Williams.

Posted on Jun 19, 2008 19 COMMENTS


Hanks
iwatchstuff.com

‘Angels and Demons’ Not Welcome at the Vatican

It would appear that the pope is not a Dan Brown fan. The Vatican has refused to allow star Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard to film scenes from author Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” prequel, “Angels and Demons,” on its holy territory.

Posted on Jun 16, 2008 20 COMMENTS


Babs and Bush
rollingstone.com

Streisand Joins Team Obama

The uneasy love affair between celebrity and politics continued late last week with a change of camps by former Hillary Clinton booster Barbra Streisand, who has officially made a lateral move to endorse Barack Obama. Babs’ fans are still waiting to hear if la Streisand will pipe up for the Illinois senator this summer as part of her pro-Obama plans.

Posted on Jun 14, 2008 13 COMMENTS


Virgin Mary
excelsiorfile.blogspot.com

Our Lady of the Immaculate Musical

The Virgin Mary is becoming a stage diva, and she’s counting Pope Benedict XVI as one of her biggest fans. A pope-endorsed musical, “Mary of Nazareth,” is about to debut at the Vatican’s own concert hall later this month. By definition, this’ll hardly be a racy production, but—bonus!—Alma Manera, the performer picked to play Jesus’ mother, was once a Miss Italia contestant!

Posted on Jun 10, 2008 12 COMMENTS


Brokeback Mountain
brokebackmountain.cmcmovie.com

‘Brokeback Mountain’ Goes Operatic

“Brokeback Mountain” is heading to the opera. The short story by Annie Proulx that inspired Ang Lee’s 2005 big-screen love story between cowboys Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist will be adapted for the New York City Opera by Charles Wuorinen, according to Variety, and is slated to premiere in all its operatic glory in the spring of 2013.

Posted on Jun 9, 2008 8 COMMENTS


Franken
AP photo / Jim Mone

Al Franken: From ‘SNL’ to U.S. Senate?

Al Franken’s career arc has taken an unconventional turn: The comedian has nailed down the Minnesota Democrats’ endorsement for the U.S. Senate, following in former Gov. Jesse Ventura’s footsteps as a performer-turned-politician in the Midwestern state. Starting out in comedy may serve Franken well in Congress, where knowing how to work a tough crowd just might come in handy.

Posted on Jun 9, 2008 15 COMMENTS


Eastwood
johnseilerblogs.com

Clint Eastwood to Spike Lee: Shut Your Face

Clint Eastwood doesn’t mince words about his opinion concerning Spike Lee’s criticisms of Eastwood films like “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Bird.” Lee has repeatedly called Eastwood on the carpet for his racial politics in those movies. Well, Eastwood has offered Lee quite the definitive comeback: “A guy like him should shut his face.” Updated

Posted on Jun 6, 2008 29 COMMENTS


Gore
imdb.com

Gore Going to the Opera

Al Gore has had no shortage of accolades since his rebirth as front man for the environment, but, true to form, Italy’s La Scala opera house is determined to take “An Inconvenient Truth” over the top. An opera of the award-winning book and movie is set to premiere in 2011, and because it’s hard to make a character out of carbon emissions, it’s very possible the production will center on a certain former vice president.

Posted on May 29, 2008 3 COMMENTS


border patrol
criminal-justice-online.com

Homeland Security Meets Reality TV

If you thought reality TV was only for wannabe warblers, petulant teens and bug-eating fetishists, guess again. The Department of Homeland Security, “as well as several other government agencies,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, is working with ABC on a new “unscripted" show called “Border Security USA,” brought to you, creepily enough, by the executive producer of “Big Brother.”

Posted on May 29, 2008 8 COMMENTS


Sharon Stone
AP photo / Matt Sayles, File

Sharon Stone’s Quake Comment Causes Uproar in China

Chinese moviegoers aren’t going to rush to see any more Sharon Stone flicks (if they ever did), and, as execs at Christian Dior realized, they won’t be in a hurry to buy products she promotes after she speculated at Cannes last week about the possibility that the devastating earthquake in China on May 12 represented a form of karmic retribution for the Chinese government’s treatment of Tibetans.

Posted on May 29, 2008 33 COMMENTS


Weinstein
gawker.com

Movie Mogul Weinstein Reportedly Pressured Pelosi

Studio honcho Harvey Weinstein is a force to be reckoned with—it was no coincidence that Disney subsidiary Miramax became a major player in the film industry under his watch—and recently he reportedly attempted to use his powers of persuasion to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to follow his plan for a Democratic primary revote in Florida and Michigan ... or else.

Posted on May 9, 2008 27 COMMENTS


W
ew.com

Stone Gears Up for ‘W’

Entertainment Weekly has released first-look photos of actor Josh Brolin in character for his lead role in Oliver Stone’s new movie, “W.” Portraying the current president is no small challenge, but director Stone, who has been accused of courting controversy in his previous big-screen presidential portrayals, has promised to treat his subject fairly.

Posted on May 8, 2008 31 COMMENTS


Clooney
time.com

Rome’s New Mayor Strikes American Celebs From VIP List

Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Nicole Kidman are now personae non gratae in Rome, according to the Italian capital’s new mayor, Gianni Alemanno, a former fascist who thinks American stars shouldn’t be hyped at Rome’s annual film festival at the expense of Italian actors and directors.

Posted on May 5, 2008 7 COMMENTS


Tom Hanks

Tom’s Take on Decision ’08

Tom Hanks has a preferred candidate, but what makes his endorsement interesting is not the person he chooses, but how he frames that choice. This video, which appeared on the actor’s MySpace page, seems as much a comment on the celebrity endorsement as it is an endorsement by a celebrity.

Posted on May 4, 2008 21 COMMENTS


Snipes
foxnews.com

Snipes Slapped with 3-Year Prison Sentence

A Florida court sentenced Wesley Snipes to 36 months in prison for tax evasion on Thursday, despite the actor’s plea for mercy and written character testimonials by fellow stars Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson.

Posted on Apr 24, 2008 39 COMMENTS


moore
johnmurneysblog.blogspot.com

Moore Throws Hat Into Obama’s Ring

For presidential candidates, celebrity endorsements can be a mixed bag—especially when the star in question is a polarizing figure, as is the latest famous figure to give the nod to Barack Obama: audacious auteur Michael Moore.

Posted on Apr 21, 2008 112 COMMENTS


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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
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