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Over the fire I chatted with a neighbor who’s working on the “Red Dawn” remake. Get this: in the new version, China and Russia invade the US – to put a stop to our greed. There are times you wish you had a mouthful of kerosene so you could do a flaming spit take. If this is how the film turns out, it’ll be hilarious; it’s as if the filmmakers were a bit ambivalent about all the horrible jingoism that such a film might unleash, so they had to temper it with a bit of theoretical altruism that could be...

Pirate Party hopes for free future By Ian Youngs Music reporter, BBC News The Pirate Party, a political movement born out of music file-sharing, has gained support in Sweden and Germany, and is planning to field candidates in the next UK general election. It wants to encourage all file-sharing and slash copyright - to the horror of many artists and entertainment executives. So are they a significant force or a fleeting bunch of freeloaders? If Rick Falkvinge did not already know what the music industry thought of him, the Pirate Party founder found out at the In The City music...

NEW YORK, NY --- UNPRECEDENTED BLOCK OF TV PROGRAMMING IS FIRST WAVE OF MULTI-YEAR "I PARTICIPATE" CAMPAIGN From October 19-25, More Than 60 Network TV Shows To Spotlight The Power and Personal Benefits of Service Celebrities, "Cities of Service" Founding Mayors, Volunteer Groups and Major League Baseball Players Gather in Times Square to Launch Today in the heart of Times Square, actors and executives representing the Entertainment Industry Foundation (or EIF, the entertainment community's collective charitable organization) joined New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 15 mayors from around the country, numerous celebrities, and key service groups to launch...

The Expendables Trailer

Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies SuckPosted By John Nolte On October 13, 2009 @ 2:31 pm In Entertainment, News | 163 Comments Everyone seems to have an opinion as to why DVD sales have cratered since hitting their peak in 2006, but no one’s looking at the obvious answer. Plunging sales have been blamed on piracy [1], competing technologies such as video games [2]and low-priced rental outlets like Redbox [3]… everything but the quality of the actual films. First and foremost, I’m a movie lover. Nothing competes for my attention in this regard, including dollar rentals and the like. But...

I just wanted to warn people thinking of taking their kids to see Miley Cyrus. My daughter took my two grandchildren yesterday to her show in Milwaukee. She received no warnings from Ticket Master when buying the tickets and sure wishes she would have. Thinking she is a Disney star and with no warnings she was SHOCKED at the show. She told me that her brother opened the show and was disgusting removing clothing and simulating sex acts. When Miley appeared she told the audience she did a lot of growing up, mind you the audience was filled with kids...

J.J. Newberry chuckles when he watches "Lie to Me," the Fox television series about scientists who help cops catch crooks with their extraordinary ability to detect lies by analyzing facial expressions and body language. Starring Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman - a character inspired by the work of San Francisco scientist Paul Ekman, - the highly rated series is set to premiere its second season at 9 p.m. Monday, appearing on KTVU in the coveted slot after the network's smash hit "House." "If you shrug your shoulder, rotate your hand or even just slightly raise your lower lip, Lightman...

EVERETT — A police investigation into an Everett bikini espresso stand is about politics, not prostitution, the owner of the stand said Thursday. Bill Wheeler said Everett police are targeting Grab-n-Go Espresso because the city is trying to push through an anti-bikini stand statute. Wheeler owns at least four bikini espresso stands in Snohomish County. Five baristas at Grab-n-Go were charged Wednesday with multiple counts of prostitution and violating the city's adult entertainment ordinance after a two-month undercover police investigation. Investigators said they saw the women exposing themselves, performing lewd acts with whipped cream and posing naked for pictures in...

Liberman was Hope's publicist for 41 years and Phyllis Diller's for 33. Other celebrity clients included Robert Goulet, Henry Fonda and Nat 'King' Cole. He also publicized movies and books. Frank Liberman, a veteran Hollywood publicist who represented stars such as Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and Robert Goulet during his more than 50 years in the business, has died. He was 92. Liberman, who had Parkinson's disease, died of pneumonia Sunday at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, said his daughter, Kay Liberman. A former publicist for Warner Bros., Liberman launched his own public relations company, Frank Liberman and Associates, in 1947....

ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: This evening, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman released a statement on the controversial August 10 conference call, led by then-NEA communications director Yossi Sergant. On that call Sergant seemed to encourage artists to help support President Obama's agenda, which has now prompted the White House to issue new guidelines to prevent such a call from ever happening again. At the time Sergant himself seemed to sense he was on shaky ground, telling the group, "This is the first telephone call of a brand new conversation. We are just now learning how...

An appearance by president Barack Obama gave David Letterman his largest overnight rating in four years. Monday's season-opening episode of CBS' "Late Show" received a 5.6 metered-market household rating and 14 share -- a dizzying 195% higher than NBC's "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (1.9, 5). Not that it matters (except it makes a nice talking point), Letterman also beat NBC's 10 p.m. "Jay Leno Show" by 27% among households. The last Letterman episode to post a higher rating was when Oprah was his guest in 2005. Note though, when Obama was on "Tonight" back in March with Leno at...

Strong winds have always blown across this vast grassy plain. Perhaps the area's topography has something to do with it, but the direction of the wind remains constant, irrespective of the time or season: From east to west, from the horizon where the sun rises to the horizon where the sun sets. Swept by the unceasing winds, the misshapen trunks and branches of shrubs all incline to the west. Tall grasses do not grow here, and the grasses that do grow all lie flat on the ground, bending westward. Caravans and herding folk traverse the single road that crosses the...

If Jay Leno Wants Better Reviews He Can Start By Removing the Lapel Flag by John Nolte Critics love David Letterman. They love him because he’s mean and liberal and does everything they demand: further the leftist agenda through the brutal use of humiliation to target any public figure (or their child) who might derail Leftist causes. And contrary to conventional wisdom, Letterman’s not edgy. In fact, he’s just the opposite. Doing exactly what those who can criticize you want you to do is not edgy. Kissing the big Manhattan/Los Angeles bi-coastal ass of the elite is not edgy. He’s...

Everybody needs a break from time to time from our daily lives filled with the stress of the economy, politics and an onslaught of negative news. As a result and as an effort to rebuild brand loyalty, Hasbro has teamed up with Google maps to launch the worlds largest online monopoly game. Monopoly City Streets will incorporate google map technology to allow you to compete against your friends and a worldwide community in order to become the richest property owner in the world. Although the companies have released limited information about the game, what little has leaked out is creating...

Wire writer says adverts kill TV The creator of highly-acclaimed hard-hitting TV drama The Wire has said television can only be worthwhile when freed from the constraints of advertising. David Simon was appearing at the Edinburgh International TV Festival. He said: "Television as a medium, in terms of being literate and telling stories, has short-changed itself since its inception. "That is because of advertising." Simon, whose work originates on US subscription cable channel HBO, said: "Only when television managed to liberate itself from the economic construct of advertising was there a real emancipation of story. "American television up until...

John Scalzi's Guide to Epic SciFi Design FAILs - Star Trek Edition So, before I bang on bad design choices in Star Trek, let's recap what happened last week when I discussed bad design choices in Star Wars:Me: Star Wars design is so bad that people have to come up with elaborate and contrived rationales to explain it. Star Wars Fanboy: YOU ARE SO VERY WRONG AND I WILL SHOW YOU WHY WITH THESE ELABORATE AND CONTRIVED RATIONALES. It's a little much to hope for (or fear) the same result two weeks in a row, but nevertheless I promised everyone...

John Scalzi's Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design I'll come right out and say it: Star Wars has a badly-designed universe; so poorly-designed, in fact, that one can say that a significant goal of all those Star Wars novels is to rationalize and mitigate the bad design choices of the movies. Need examples? Here's ten. R2-D2 Sure, he's cute, but the flaws in his design are obvious the first time he approaches anything but the shallowest of stairs. Also: He has jets, a periscope, a taser and oil canisters to make enforcer droids fall about in...

James Cameron’s Avatar Teaser Trailer Posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 by Russ Fischer The teaser trailer for James Cameron’s new film Avatar has arrived. The clip isn’t yet properly live at Apple, the site meant to be hosting it in the US, but you can see it in 1080p with this link, or at the French MSN site.Here’s the quick recap: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) arrives (in his wheelchair) on Pandora. He sees the planet’s beauty and, though him, we’re quickly introduced to the ten-foot tall alien Na’vi avatars. Implanted in his Na’vi body, Jake leads us on...

As expected, the King of Pop steps aside for the King of Country as George Strait's "Twang" replaces Michael Jackson's enduring "Number Ones" as the best selling album in the country. Strait's new set sold 155,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, earning the country legend his fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. "Twang" follows in the footsteps of Strait's 1997 album "Carrying Your Love With Me," 2004's "50 Number Ones," 2005's "Somewhere Down In Texas" and 2008's "Troubadour." The last time one of Strait's studio albums opened with less than 100,000 was in 1994, when "Lead On" started...

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. August 9, 2009 Drama Confronts a Dramatic Decade By FRED KAPLAN IT’S 1963 as the third season of “Mad Men” on AMC gets under way next Sunday night. And its creator, Matthew Weiner, hopes the show stays on the air long enough to string out his story through the entire turbulent...

Want to be a role model to the kids of a major American city? All you need, at least in Chicago, is a high school diploma and a dirty song on the charts. Just at look at the celebrity Chicago public school officials chose to help with the system’s back-to-school campaign – 21-year-old R&B singer Jeremih, whose song “Birthday Sex” hit number 4 on the charts this summer. Rolling Stone magazine claimed in June, “It’s only two days into summer and Jeremih may already have a lock for releasing the defining song of the season. “Birthday Sex” explicitly depicts the...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, July 31, 2009 – When most servicemembers think of their concert experiences here, they recall punching their fists into the desert sky, rocking out to old favorites and meeting new friends. Air Force Capt. Joshua Daniels, on the other hand, remembers long hours, black coffee and some of the most rewarding days of his military career. Daniels, the base’s morale, welfare and recreation liaison, is in charge of arranging entertainment for servicemembers deployed to western Iraq. Though much of his time is spent organizing concerts, he also finds time to acquire computers for the MWR...

Comedian Roseanne Barr has seriously pushed the bar with a new photo spread that depicts her as a domesticated version of Adolf Hitler for Jewish humor magazine Heeb. At her request, Heeb photographed Barr wearing the infamous Hitler moustache and a swastika, holding and preparing to take a bite of what the article refers to as “burnt Jew cookies.� The shocking photos and interview are the first time the comedian has been seen after a “self-imposed� exile. The article describes Barr – who is Jewish – as nailing the “Fuehrer’s facial expressions with twisted glee.

But anyways, for me, it wasn’t that great. At least, for playing “문명” (Civilization, if you don’t have a Korean font installed). But, you see, as an English teacher there I saw a parallel. The funny thing is that you would think that Korea would have the largest market for books teaching Koreans English from a Korean perspective. But, I cannot tell you how many times I came across expensive, no, very expensive textbooks published by large American or British companies that were published to teach the domestic market (Americans or the British) English. In America, the last time I...

An investigation of an estimated $1.4 million spent by City Hall to provide police protection and other services at Michael Jackson's lavish memorial has "criminal aspects," the city attorney said Tuesday. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich told members of the City Council that investigators have interviewed witnesses and gathered evidence, and the probe "raises both civil and criminal aspects." Trutanich, who took office July 1, said he would provide no further details on the criminal elements. The target of the probe wasn't immediately clear. The financially desperate city has been facing a backlash for slapping taxpayers with the bill for the...

How to remember Michael Jackson? If it ever would turn out M.J. was a pedophile, I would regret having lived on the same planet. If the opposite ever was proven, I'm prepared to admit he was a great entertainer. However, I fail to see that Michael Jackson ever possessed a true rock'n'roll spirit. Chuck Berry does. A sincere American patriot like Jimi Hendrix did (- by the way, remember he was a 101st Airborne Division parachuter). Michael Jackson indeed was a very successful composer. But honestly speaking, he didn't know what true rock'n'roll was all about and he lacked attitude....

For those of you who aren't yet familiar with "The Goode Family," it is an animated sitcom by Mike Judge that satirizes our obsessively politically correct, religiously "green" culture. It airs at 8:30/7:30c Friday nights on ABC. This show is worth momentarily lifting your boycott on ABC, because it is one of few that actually makes fun of liberalism instead of preaching it. Check it out: http://abc.go.com/primetime/thegoodefamily/index

There is a vicious coordinated effort to slander Jordan Chandler by Michael Jackson fans. They are claiming he has admitted to lying about Jackson molesting him, and only did so over the guilt of his death. It is NOT true. Do a Google search for “Jordan Chandler admits he lied” and see what you get. Page after page after page of posts rehashing the same exact story that Jordan Chandler has admitted that Michael Jackson was innocent, and never assaulted him as a child.

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt!

The real strength of American popular culture, in fact, is its democratic impulse -- a willingness to take into account the reality that, for most people, entertainment is an end in itself. American entertainment bows to what economists call "consumer sovereignty," and (Michael) Jackson's popularity, with its demonstrable impact on music, dance and fashion, was a clear example of that. That accounts for the fervor that has the performer's fans organizing candlelight vigils around his star on Hollywood Boulevard and mass "moonwalks" in London. But what explains the saturation media coverage of Jackson's death -- coverage that crowded out virtually...

....The two men are normally part of the vast corps of immigrant day laborers who gather by the thousands on street corners and curbs across Los Angeles every morning..... As members of Teatro Jornaleros Sin Fronteras – Day Laborer Theater Without Borders – they are part of a Spanish-language theater troupe of day laborers who perform for their fellow workers ..... "In our culture, some guys have never seen a play," said Juan José Mangandi, a Salvadoran laborer who serves as the troupe's director. In the final skit, a group of day laborers were shown hanging around a job site...

Please post the ridiculous comments made in the wake of the tragic life lived by Michael Jackson

Yes, I had the undistinguished privilege of meeting Michael Jackson. We actually talked to each other, and I must say I was as unimpressed then as I have been ever since. We met when I was writing for a Montreal weekly newspaper back in the 1970s. To put things in perspective, one of my “beats” was entertainment, which I generally loathed. In my position, I was given free prized tickets to a Rolling Stone concert, which I thought was one of the grossest displays of depravity since Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Los Angeles Police robbery and homicide division has been assigned to investigate the death of Michael Jackson, department officials said today. "There is no immediate indication of a crime," a police official told ABC News, "but because of the high profile nature of the case the robbery and homicide detectives with review all evidence and work with the coroner's office." Los Angeles police were reported to be seeking a doctor who was with Jackson when he collapsed yesterday at his rented mansion in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles. The LAPD is also reportedly searching for a doctor who...

In no particular order here are my favorites: Friday Night Lights Hoop Dreams Bang the Drum Slowly Raging Bull When We Were Kings Hoosiers Breaking Away SlapShot Honorable Mention Field of Dreams The Natural We Are Marshall Rocky Semi ToughI am sure I left a lot out.

Head of the players' union Donald Fehr is planning to step down, SI.com has confirmed. Michael Weiner will take over as the chief of the union. The reasons aren't immediately clear. Weiner has served as general counsel (the union's third-ranking executive). He leaps over Gene Orza, the union's chief operating officer. The union has come under fire in recent years for stonewalling MLB over steroid testing, with Orza enduring much of the criticism. Weiner is better liked by the central office at MLB, so this could be a positive for future negotiations (maybe).

18 June 2009 5:10 AM, PDT Ashton Kutcher is urging the U.S. government not to intervene in the crisis in Iran - because he fears a repeat of the Iraq war. Officials in Tehran are monitoring social networking sites including Twitter.com and Facebook following violent demonstrations over the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week. Kutcher has taken to his Twitter blog to voice support for the Iranian people - and urge U.S. officials not to get involved in the uprising. He writes: "Considering how well fighting 4 freedom in Iraq went, I dont know that we should B...

America's leader President Barack Obama has beaten out Brad Pitt and David Beckham to top a new poll to find the world's Most Stylish Man. The movie star came in second and soccer stud Beckham was third on the list, which was compiled by top shirtmakers Thomas Pink. The company asked 3,000 men visiting their stores around Europe and America for their style guru opinions - and the majority opted for Obama. The top 10 style icons on the list are: 1. Barack Obama 2. Brad Pitt 3. David Beckham 4. Daniel Craig 5. Al Pacino 6. George Clooney 7....

12 June 2009 12:15 PM, PDT Stephen Baldwin's New York home is set to be auctioned off by authorities after the actor defaulted on more than $824,000 (£549,330) in outstanding mortgage payments. Documents filed in Rockland County show the Hollywood star and his wife Kennya have been missing repayments to finance firm Bankers Trust Co., despite only paying $515,000 (£343,330) for the property in 1997. And Baldwin, who is currently competing in reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, may find himself homeless when he finally emerges from the Costa Rican jungle - the mansion has...

BLANTYRE, Malawi – Madonna can get "Mercy," Malawi's highest court ruled Friday. The court overruled a lower court, saying the pop star can adopt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James. "I am ecstatic," Madonna said in a statement in which she also thanked the court. "My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her." Madonna's lawyer Alan Chinula said he would now arrange a passport for Chifundo, which could take several days, and was awaiting word from Madonna on travel plans for the girl.

I've been posting here for almost 8 years so I figure I can get away with a shameless plug for my brother's just-released Christian kids album, Meet the Grace Place Kids now available for a whopping $8.99 on Amazon and soon to be on iTunes as well. The album will be followed shortly by a whole series of web videos starring some cute puppets and a good message. This is a true home grown project about 17 years in the making and some nice people are very excited about it. They are hoping to do grassroots marketing with churches, etc....

On this day in 1931, actor Clint Eastwood is born in San Francisco. With his father, he wandered the West Coast as a boy during the Depression. After four years in the Army Special Services, Eastwood came to Hollywood, winning small roles. For eight years, he played Rowdy Yates in the popular TV western series Rawhide and later starred in three low-budget “spaghetti” westerns: Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More, (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), all of which became hits.

Lonewolf Diaries: All Christians are Serial KillersPosted By Steven Crowder On May 26, 2009 @ 5:46 pm In Entertainment, Lone Wolf Diaries, Political Humor, Religion | No Comments I’m tired of ignoring the elephant in the room, so I’ll just come out and say it. Christians are corny, out of touch, lonely creepers who generally end up becoming murderers or rapists…. At least that’s what Hollywood’s taught me.Not to mention they’re all a bunch of minority-bashing fear mongers. Why does anyone continue to allow this hateful, extremist group to exist? Am I the only one who feels that they could...

Freeper Canteen wants to know: What Kind of Kid Were You? Are you brave enough to take the quiz? Go ahead.Don't be scared? Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Code", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

Ben Stiller has fallen victim to the subtle language differences between Britain and America - after he was accused of entertaining his kids with derogatory tales about African-Americans. The funnyman has revealed he created a wacky character, called Diaperhead, to get giggles from his kids, Ella and Quinlin, only to discover his idea had been renamed 'Nappyhead' overseas. He explains, "An article was written about Diaperhead in England and apparently the diaper is called a nappy in England. I would not do a character called Nappyhead."

Glenn knew this wasn't going to be pretty -- but Glenn's interview on The View was even worse than anticipated, mostly because of the childish accusations (which they wasted an entire segment of TV on) that Glenn 'lied' about his chance encounter with Barbara and Whoopi on an Amtrak train down to the Correspondents dinner in Washington DC. Glenn Beck on The View, Part I Glenn Beck on The View, Part II

Freeper Canteen wants to know: What Extreme Sport Should You Try? Take the quiz. Let's see how adventurous you are.Go ahead.Press the link Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Code", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

Why are Christian Movies So Bad? Posted By Dallas Jenkins On April 29, 2009 @ 5:03 am In Entertainment, Story, Religion | As I mentioned in [1] my last article, Hollywood is more interested in Christian, or “faith-based,” films than ever. The mind-blowing success of “The Passion” got it started, but then it waned as studios couldn’t quite figure out how to match that success. It heated up again recently with the success of the micro-budget, church-produced “Fireproof,” which was the highest grossing indie of 2008.[2] These trends beg a few questions. What took Hollywood so long to discover...

Freeper Canteen wants to know: What Type Of Car Are You? Rev Your Engine. Take the quiz. Go ahead.Let's see what you have under the hood. Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Code", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

LONDON (Reuters) – British singers Paul McCartney, Elton John and Mick Jagger have lost large chunks of their personal fortunes during the economic crisis over the last year, according to a rich list published on Friday. Along with many of the world's richest people, their wealth has been eroded by sharp falls in the value of property, shares and other investments, the annual survey for the Sunday Times newspaper said. Elton John's personal wealth fell by more than a quarter to 175 million pounds from 235 million pounds ($342.3 million) last year.