In Norah Lofts novel about Sir Walter Raleigh, it’s not easy being friends with Queen Elizabeth I **** Four stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
Here Was a Man by Norah Lofts
Being a favorite of the queen has its pitfalls. She likes to keep you close. You need her permission to go anywhere and especially to marry. Raleigh falls in love with one of Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting who he secretly marries. That’s going to be trouble.
Here was a Man is one of Norah Lofts’ early novels. Lofts story is romantic, yet you can feel Raleigh’s frustration with Elizabeth I. Raleigh is a member of Elizabeth’s court who dreams of exploring the New World. Raleigh is called back in the middle of his mission and doesn’t know why. Has something happened to his wife Bess?
Sir Walter Raleigh lived from 1552 to 1618. Not just an explorer and soldier, he was a politician and considered a top Elizabethan poet. He was a contemporary of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Sydney, who are part of Raleigh’s story as told by Lofts. Rising rapidly in Queen Elizabeth’s favor, Raleigh was knighted in 1585. His 1584 plan to colonize Roanoke Island would end in disaster, as Elizabeth held all English ships to fight the Spanish Armada, preventing the colony’s relief. When a ship finally came four years later, there was Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Michael Bay flick makes $112M US and over $201M overall By Jeffrey Jolson
Megan serves up
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/28/09 - It wasn’t Megan Fox’s clear blue eyes or Shia LeBeouff’s young but inspired acting, yet the effect, not effects of Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” as it breaks records round the globe — and the universe if they are listening to the sci-fi soon-to-be classic.
In order to understand how Hollywood zooms when economic times are bad, “Up” broke the $250M mark and “The Hangover” rocked to $183 million and should pass $200M in a week.
Why we spend our money on movies instead of food when times are troubled has been a point of economist’s debates since the Great Depression. Yet they don’t understand a good picture. It makes you laugh, thrills your ass or scares you - therefore providing food for the soul.
TR2 gave you all three (see related HT story), and gave it to you at the right time for an action pic, with $112 domestic weekend and $201 million US overall and near $300 WW..
The chick flick “The Proposal” sold another $19 million wedding cakes, while the dude movie “The Hangover,” cooked up another $17 million headaches for an $183 mil cume. So which one do you take a date to? The answer is, and always has been, the chick flick - or you end up at the Trekkie fest alone.
Speaking of which, the new “Star Trek” is up to $246 million, — the JJ Abrams version happens to be a good film –yet that may not get you a date either.
Instead try “Up,” which can’t soar much higher for Pixar, now at $250 million Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Film IFC acquired at Sundance treats Iraq war with humor, like Mash did with the Korean war *** 3 stars
By Jennifer Huber
In the Loop star Chris Addison
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/19/2009 - “The stakes are very high because it’s about a war,” says In the Loop star Chris Addison. “The horrifying things is that you think this couldn’t possibly happen. And then the longer you go on, the more you realize that this is probably exactly what happened. People teetering on the edge of sanity. People using false information in the lead up to the war for their own purposes.”
In the Loop is a movie with a war subject that feels more like an episode of The Office than any of the war themed movies we have seen of late. There is more laughter than drama and more bumbling politicians than heroic soldiers. Done in a pseudo-documentary style, the film centers on the decision to invade Iraq from the perspective of both the British and American governments.
‘For many of my generation in the US, the Saturday Night Live generation, the truth was always to be found in improvisation,” says In the Loop star Mimi Kennedy. “Then we got swept into Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Tuesday that David Letterman's apology was a victory for free speech and exploited young women, but this writer believes it is in fact an affront to the U.S. Constitution
Comedian’s apology to former VP candidate sets terrible precedent
By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 6/17/09 – When the much-hyped feud between late-night host David Letterman and former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin began last week, it appeared to simply highlight how the Alaskan governor couldn’t grasp the concept of satire or understand that political celebrities needed to take comedians’ barbs and move on. It struck a great blow to free speech this week, however, when Letterman caved to public pressure and Palin’s unrelenting accusations that he was making light of pedophilia and retracted his quip on the air.
Letterman’s controversial Top Ten list, which jokingly suggested that Palin’s daughter was “knocked up” by checkered Yankees luminary Alex Rodriguez during a trip to Yankee Stadium, was obviously aimed at 18-year-old Bristol Palin, who gave birth to her boyfriend’s child earlier this year, and not 14-year-old Willow Palin.
Letterman did the right thing by quickly acknowledging that he did not realize the younger Willow was actually with Palin at the ballpark and not Bristol, and things should have ended there. However, they did not.
Palin, who had often complained about being bullied and misrepresented by the media, saw an opportunity to turn the screws on a public critic and went for the jugular. Instead of taking one on the chin and moving on, she decided to wage an all-out war on Letterman, continuing to insist that his comments were aimed at her now-humiliated underage daughter and that it was a tasteless joke about statutory rape and sexual exploitation.
Whether Letterman felt pressure from network big wigs who may have feared a loss of advertising revenue or was simply worn down by Palin’s PR war, the popular funnyman issued a serious apology during his broadcast Monday night, saying that he regretted the joke and was the one at fault for not realizing viewers would interpret it to be about Willow Palin.
Palin publicly accepted Letterman’s mea culpa the following day and, proving what damage the apology had done to the public’s long-established right to poke fun at public figures and their families with impunity, called it a victory for free speech, thanking members of the armed forces for fighting to protect free speech overseas and expressing her hope that “that right [would] be used to promote equality and respect.” In other words, the thin-skinned Palin believed free speech was only sensitive, politically correct speech and that forcing a public critic into retracting a satirical comment worked to preserve that free speech.
Yes, Palin and her supporters had the right to express their discontent with Letterman’s joke, just as he had the right to make the joke in the first place. However, a politician applying intense public pressure to a satirist until he retracts a negative statement is in no way a hard-won blow against the enemies of free speech. On the contrary, it is the antithesis of free speech.
Indeed, Palin is at fault for trying to advance her personal and political agendas on the back of the U.S. Constitution, but Letterman is not a blameless victim. After his initial clarification, he should have dropped the subject and let the issue blow over in the coming weeks. Instead, he took the easy way out and set the stage for subsequent tests of the First Amendment.
The next time there is a public disagreement between a critic and a public figure, be it a politician, actor, athlete or other celebrity, all that public figure need do is accuse the critic of a terrible insensitivity to pedophilia, racism, sexism or some other hot-button societal woe. One can only hope that when that happens, the critic will have enough fortitude to draw a line in the sand and say “no further.”
Henning Mankell’s best-selling crime drama series started as a Swedish favorite **** 4 stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
Mankell wrote bestseller Sidetracked novel to combat racism
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/16/2009 - Inspector Kurt Wallander, brought to life in the PBS-TV series starring Kenneth Branagh, is the hero of a series of detective novels by bestselling Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. Wallander was created when Mankell became concerned by what he saw when he returned to Sweden in 1989.
“I’d been away from Sweden for some time,” says Wallander author Henning Mankell. “When I returned I became aware that racism was exploding. To me racism is a crime, so I thought I’d use a crime story. It was after that I realised I needed a police officer. That’s how Kurt Wallander was born.” It took six months for Mankell to write the first Wallander novel, Mördare utan ansikte, Faceless Killers.
Sidetracked, Mankell’s third Kurt Wallander mystery, is told from the perspectives of both the cop Wallander and the criminal. A teenage girl commits a violent suicide, a former justice minister is killed by a hatchet blow, with the peculiar twist that he’s scalped. Three more murders hachet murders with scalpings occur. Unable to find a link between the three murder victims, Wallander tries the American Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
N. Korea puts U.S. relations in greater jeopardy by putting American writers in hard prison camps
By Jeffrey Jolson and wire reports
Laura Ling to split rocks for 12 years for N. Korean story about people splitting that country
TOKYO (Hollywood Today) 6/8/09 - There is is little President Obama can do to rescue the two American female reporters in North Korea that might not set off a nuclear attack on S. Korea or Tokyo.
The women worked for Al Gore’s news agency have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor.
The N. Korean’s high court said they committed “hostile acts”, in a move certain to raise tensions with the US. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were each sentenced to 12 years of “reform through labour” for illegally entering the country and committing a “grave crime”, said the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The California-based broadcasters were arrested in March while filming a report about North Koreans attempting to cross the narrow Tumen river into China. Kim Jong Il’s North Korea, considered a renegade nation by many, has shown it has the nuclear ability and missile capacity to reach South Korea if not Japan. While its limited missile capacity might not reach California, Tokyo or Seoul would be a catastrophe.
N. Korea said the pair had entered the country after crossing the river, along its north-east border with China. Other reports said the women had been arrested on the Chinese side by North Korean guards who objected to being filmed. Their cameraman and guide managed to evade capture.
The women are unable to appeal because they were convicted by North Korea’s highest court.
Their trial has been surrounded by absolute secrecy since it began last Thursday. No members of the public or foreign observers were allowed inside the court, and the women have been allowed just one visitor - the Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt took two spots in Forbes' annual Celebrity 100, this year, including first
Controversial movie star tops Celebrity 100
By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 6/3/09 – A high-profile pregnancy, a string of blockbuster films and an equally famous husband gave Angelina Jolie the edge over media mogul Oprah Winfrey at Forbes magazine this year. The business publication named the 33-year-old actress the pinnacle of celebrity influence in its annual Celebrity 100.
Winfrey, who came in first last year, earned an estimated $275 million over the past 12 months, compared to $27 million earned by Jolie. Entertainer Madonna, who ranked third, reportedly took in $110 million, while Brad Pitt, Jolie’s 45-year-old spouse, ranked ninth, earning $28 million.
Forbes combined two factors, namely earnings and public awareness, to formulate this year’s Celebrity 100. Other big names that made the 2009 list included President Barack Obama, country-music darling Taylor Swift and Los Angeles Lakers luminary Kobe Bryant.
CAIRO (AP) - Al-Qaida’s deputy leader criticized President Barack Obama’s upcoming speech to the Islamic world in Cairo, saying it will not change the “bloody messages” the U.S. military is sending Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Al-Qaida has repeatedly lashed out at Obama since he was elected, a move some analysts believe indicates the terrorist organization is worried he will be effective in improving the U.S. image in the Muslim world. Obama has pitched his speech at Cairo University on Thursday as a key part of that process.
“His bloody messages were received and are still being received by Muslims, and they will not be concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words,” said Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaida’s No. 2, in a new audio message posted Tuesday on militant Web sites.
Al-Zawahri said the Egyptian officials who will welcome Obama are U.S. “slaves” and have turned the country into an “international station of torture in America’s war on Islam.” He was likely referring to suspected Islamic militants who have been captured by the U.S. and sent to Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
ASCAP HONORS TOP FILM AND TELEVISION MUSIC
COMPOSERS AND SONGWRITERS AT 24TH ANNUAL AWARDS CELEBRATION
Los Angeles, (Hollywood Today) 5/1109 — ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) honored the composers and songwriters of the top box office film music and the most performed television music of 2008 at its 24th annual Film and Television Music Awards gala, held tonight at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles , California .
Miss California USA organizers planned a news conference for Monday, in which they would announce whether Miss California USA Carrie Prejean would be permitted to reign for the remainder of her term
Pageant officials expect to make announcement Monday
By Matthew B. Zeidman
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 5/11/09 – After three weeks of relentless scandal, including accusations involving breast implants, nude photos and intolerance of the gay community, Miss California USA Carrie Prejean will likely be told by pageant organizers in a news conference scheduled for later today whether she will retain her crown.
The 21-year-old made headlines on April 19, when she was asked by pageant judge and Internet personality Perez Hilton during the Miss USA competition whether she supported the legalization of same-sex marriage. Prejean stated that she thought it was “great” that Americans of all sexual orientations were able to marry, but that she did not personally support legalizing same-sex unions.
Hilton, who is openly gay, stated to ABC News that the San Diegan’s response cost her the Miss USA crown, which eventually went to Miss North Carolina USA Kristen Dalton, age 22. Prejean finished as the first runner up.
Parade on April 26th celebrates healthy vegetarian lifestyle and Green environmentalism
By Robin Rowe
Protesting global warming at 2008 NYC veggie parade
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 4/25/2009 - “The meat industry presents one of the largest environmental threats we face and is the leading cause of air, land, and water pollution worldwide,” says talk show star Ellen DeGeneres. “Factory farming, and the suffering of billions of cows, pigs, chickens, and other farmed animals, is one of the most pressing issues of our time.”
Animal Acres executive director Lori Houston is the organizer of the Los Angeles Veggie Pride Parade. On Sunday, April 26th, thousands of “vegheads” and citizens favoring animal rights and a Green planet will converge on Culver City for the first Los Angeles Veggie Pride Parade, inspired by Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will not be appearing on NBC's 'I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!' after a federal judge refused to allow the politician to travel internationally while under indictment
Judge refuses former governor trip to Costa Rica
By Matthew B. Zeidman
CHICAGO (Hollywood Today) 4/22/09 – He was poised to be the next big star of train-wreck reality TV, but it was not to be for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the politician, who is currently facing corruption charges, from leaving the country to participate in NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”
“I do not have confidence that things will not go astray if I modify bond conditions,” Judge James Zagel stated during Tuesday’s hearing.
Blagojevich had planned to join supermodel Janice Dickinson, “The Hills” couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt and “American Idol” castoff Sanjaya Malakar, among others, fighting for survival in the jungles of Costa Rica. He claimed the appearance fee paid to participants would help pay for his legal defense.
Blagojevich was arrested on Dec. 9, 2008 and subsequently released on bond. The corruption charges are related to his alleged attempt to sell President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for money or political favors.
Despite fellow Democrats’ call for his resignation and their demands he not seat a replacement senator, Blagojevich named former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris the state’s new U.S. senator later in the month. He was impeached and removed from office by the Illinois legislature by an almost unanimous vote in January.
Since the scandal broke, Blagojevich has been media savvy, appearing on “Larry King Live,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Today Show” and “The View.”
The new season of “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” will be its first after a 6-year hiatus. It originally aired on ABC and featured, among others, model Tyson Beckford, former MTV VJ Downtown Julie Brown and former Howard Stern associate “Stuttering” John Melendez. The winner was Cris Judd, former husband of entertainer Jennifer Lopez.
