Also in Wednesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, after Robert Pattinson joked he needed a personal publicist, potential reps went into overdrive. And Mila Kunis and Max Martini eye separate upcoming projects. Natalie Wood’s Death Certificate Amended Thirty years later, authorities have changed Natalie Wood’s death certificate from an “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors.” The new document also says that the circumstances of how the actress ended up in the ocean off of Catalina Island in California in 1981 was “not clearly established,” A.P. reports . LL Cool J Captures Robber at L.A. Home He plays a special agent on NCIS: Los Angeles , but he took matters into his own hands in real-life Wednesday morning. L.A. police say the rapper nabbed a burglary suspect in his Studio City home and held him downstairs before 1 a.m. while police arrived, A.P. reports . Publicists Go Head to Head to Rep Robert Pattinson Pattinson said during an appearance on The Daily Show that his “biggest problem in life” was not hiring a publicist, setting off a frenzy among the Hollywood publicity machine to rep the actor, THR reports . Mila Kunis Joins Third Person Kunis is joining the cast of Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis’ drama set in Rome, New York and Paris centering on three overlapping love stories. James Franco and Casey Affleck are in negotiations to join the project, set to start in mid-October, The Wrap reports . Max Martini Eyes Breacher Martini is in talks to join Breacher playing Pyro, a member of the DEA team, which also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington and Terrence Howard and directed by David Ayer, Deadline reports .
Racism In The U.S. Military They call it “rahowa” — short for racial holy war — and they are preparing for it by joining the ranks of the world’s fiercest fighting machine, the U.S. military. White racists, neo-Nazis and skinhead groups encourage followers to enlist in the Army and Marine Corps to acquire the skills to overthrow what some call the ZOG — the Zionist Occupation Government. Get in, get trained and get out to brace for the coming race war. If this scenario seems like fantasy or bluster, civil rights organizations take it as deadly serious, especially given recent events. Former U.S. Army soldier Wade Page opened fire with a 9 mm handgun at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on August 5, murdering six people and critically wounding three before killing himself during a shootout with police. The U.S. Defense Department as well has stepped up efforts to purge violent racists from its ranks, earning praise from organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has tracked and exposed hate groups since the 1970s. Page, who was 40, was well known in the white supremacist music scene. In the early 2000s he told academic researcher Pete Simi that he became a neo-Nazi after joining the military in 1992. Fred Lucas, who served with him, said Page openly espoused his racist views until 1998, when he was demoted from sergeant to specialist, discharged and barred from re-enlistment. Experts have identified the presence of street gang members as a more widespread problem. Even so, the Pentagon has launched three major pushes in recent decades to crack down on racist extremists. The first directive was issued in 1986, when Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger ordered military personnel to reject supremacist organizations. That failed to stop former Marine T.J. Leyden, with two-inch SS bolts tattooed above his collar, from serving from 1988 to 1991 while openly supporting neo-Nazi causes. A member of the Hammerskin Nation, a skinhead group, he said he hung a swastika from his locker, taking it down only when his commander politely asked him to ahead of inspections by the commanding general. “We’re very strict on the tattoo policy here within this recruiting station,” said Sergeant Aaron Iskenderian, head of the Army recruiting office in Fayetteville, the Army town next to Fort Bragg. Iskenderian cited the example of a young man who came in recently with a tattoo of the Confederate flag. The potential recruit also told Iskenderian he had a black girlfriend. Iskenderian sent the issue up the chain of command, and the young man was rejected. Academics who study white supremacists say proponents of the “infiltration strategy” of joining the U.S. military have adapted, telling skinheads to deceive military recruiters by letting their hair grow, avoiding or covering tattoos, and suppressing their racist views. For neo-Nazis who get past the screeners, as with the gang members, the military needs a comprehensive strategy, said Carter F. Smith, a former military investigator who is now a professor of criminal justice at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. “They are some of the most disciplined soldiers we have. They really want to learn to shoot those weapons,” Smith said. “The problem wasn’t just that we were opening the floodgates to let them in. We let them out after prosecution or when their time was up and we didn’t let the police know.” SMH at the guy telling them he had a “black girlfriend”… Thoughts on this? Source
‘Harry Potter’ star explains why she took so long to play someone other than Hermione. By Jocelyn Vena Emma Watson and Logan Lerman in “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” Photo: Summit Entertainment
Tony Scott , the director who helped define high-octane ’80s action with his movies Top Gun (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), has died of an apparent suicide at age 68. The Wrap reports that Scott jumped from a suspension bridge in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, and the coroner’s office has confirmed that the British-born filmmaker’s body was retrieved from the LA harbor. A suicide note was discovered in Scott’s car, and The New York Daily News is reporting that a battle with inoperable brain cancer may have led to his suicide. Scott worked for years as a commercial filmmaker before making his feature debut with The Hunger (1983), a Mr. Skin Hall-of-Famer that features Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in one of the hottest lesbian scenes in SKINema history. That sort of Sapphic heat naturally caught Hollywood’s attention, and box-office supremacy soon followed with films like Days of Thunder (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), True Romance (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), and Man on Fire (2004). Scott’s last film was 2010’s Unstoppable , a runaway-train movie starring Denzel Washington and Rosario Dawson . He is survived by his wife and two sons. Give a one-handed salute to the work of Tony Scott with nudes from Susan Sarandon in The Hunger , Keira Knightley in Domino (2005) and more right here at MrSkin.com!
As Hollywood processes the apparent suicide of filmmaker Tony Scott reports — included a report that he jumped to his death wearing the lucky (faded) red baseball cap that he first donned on the set of his blockbuster his Top Gun — I prefer to dwell, not on Scott’s tragic death, but his life in movies. In Roger Ebert’s review of Scott’s essential True Romance , the critic wrote: “This is the kind of movie that creates its own universe, and glories in it.” I actually think that assessment applies to most of Scott’s work and is what made him special as a filmmaker. Even when his movies weren’t cohesive — Domino or The Hunger come to mind— they were still worth watching and impossible to dismiss because they were filled with provocative ideas, images and themes that amounted to something more than a collection of scenes, acts and dialogue. Below, my list of Scott’s best movies. If you have a different list in mind, check out our Movieline poll where you can vote for your favorite Scott movie. 1. True Romance (1993): Quentin Tarantino usually gets the lion’s share of the credit for this adrenaline-stoking orgy of action and violence because he wrote the script, but it was Scott who shaped QT’s words and the performances of a killer cast — Christian Slater (at his peak), Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken (both memorable), Brad Pitt and an undiscovered James Gandolfini — into a sexy, bloody rocket ride that, almost 20 years later, still thrills and still influences filmmakers. 2. Top Gun (1986): Arguably the movie that defines American confidence — and cockiness — during the Reagan era. Full of hard bodies, fast aircraft and Tom Cruise’s beautifully aerodynamic smile, Top Gun makes you feel, as the line goes, “the need for speed.” Scott was working on a sequel before his death, and Cruise was supposed to play a role in it. I was looking forward to seeing where Scott was going to take this idea. 3. Crimson Tide (1995): This movie has been given short shrift in the obituaries of Scott that are accruing, but it is not to be missed. Crimson Tide is that rare thing: an intelligent popcorn movie. Like the U.S. nuclear sub Alabama on which the movie is set, Crimson Tide runs fast and deep–and yet inside its sleek Hollywood hull are a lot of smart and thorny ideas about leadership, compliance and the ramifications of nuclear war. Scott makes the most of Michael Schiffer’s screenplay and memorable performances by Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. 4. Enemy of the State (1998): A prescient film and a fine example of Scott’s fascination with the technological — and by extension, social and cultural — revolution that took place during his career as a filmmaker. Almost three years before the Bush administration’s reaction to 9/11 had Americans questioning how much of their First Amendment rights they were willing to sacrifice for national security, Scott gave us this over-the-top look at our surveillance society run amok. Technology is as much the star here as Will Smith, but the actor who steals the show is Gene Hackman, who pays clever homage to his performance as surveilliance-expert Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, The Conversation. 5 . The Hunger (1983): Scott’s first feature film is a mess, but it’s worth watching again, if only for the memorable opening scene (below) in which ultra-hip vampire couple David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve catch Goth pioneers Bauhaus performing “Bela Lugosi Is Dead” at a nightclub, where they pick up their next meal: Ann Magnuson. The concert-to carnage sequence plays like the creepiest MTV video ever. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
As Hollywood processes the apparent suicide of filmmaker Tony Scott reports — included a report that he jumped to his death wearing the lucky (faded) red baseball cap that he first donned on the set of his blockbuster his Top Gun — I prefer to dwell, not on Scott’s tragic death, but his life in movies. In Roger Ebert’s review of Scott’s essential True Romance , the critic wrote: “This is the kind of movie that creates its own universe, and glories in it.” I actually think that assessment applies to most of Scott’s work and is what made him special as a filmmaker. Even when his movies weren’t cohesive — Domino or The Hunger come to mind— they were still worth watching and impossible to dismiss because they were filled with provocative ideas, images and themes that amounted to something more than a collection of scenes, acts and dialogue. Below, my list of Scott’s best movies. If you have a different list in mind, check out our Movieline poll where you can vote for your favorite Scott movie. 1. True Romance (1993): Quentin Tarantino usually gets the lion’s share of the credit for this adrenaline-stoking orgy of action and violence because he wrote the script, but it was Scott who shaped QT’s words and the performances of a killer cast — Christian Slater (at his peak), Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken (both memorable), Brad Pitt and an undiscovered James Gandolfini — into a sexy, bloody rocket ride that, almost 20 years later, still thrills and still influences filmmakers. 2. Top Gun (1986): Arguably the movie that defines American confidence — and cockiness — during the Reagan era. Full of hard bodies, fast aircraft and Tom Cruise’s beautifully aerodynamic smile, Top Gun makes you feel, as the line goes, “the need for speed.” Scott was working on a sequel before his death, and Cruise was supposed to play a role in it. I was looking forward to seeing where Scott was going to take this idea. 3. Crimson Tide (1995): This movie has been given short shrift in the obituaries of Scott that are accruing, but it is not to be missed. Crimson Tide is that rare thing: an intelligent popcorn movie. Like the U.S. nuclear sub Alabama on which the movie is set, Crimson Tide runs fast and deep–and yet inside its sleek Hollywood hull are a lot of smart and thorny ideas about leadership, compliance and the ramifications of nuclear war. Scott makes the most of Michael Schiffer’s screenplay and memorable performances by Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. 4. Enemy of the State (1998): A prescient film and a fine example of Scott’s fascination with the technological — and by extension, social and cultural — revolution that took place during his career as a filmmaker. Almost three years before the Bush administration’s reaction to 9/11 had Americans questioning how much of their First Amendment rights they were willing to sacrifice for national security, Scott gave us this over-the-top look at our surveillance society run amok. Technology is as much the star here as Will Smith, but the actor who steals the show is Gene Hackman, who pays clever homage to his performance as surveilliance-expert Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, The Conversation. 5 . The Hunger (1983): Scott’s first feature film is a mess, but it’s worth watching again, if only for the memorable opening scene (below) in which ultra-hip vampire couple David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve catch Goth pioneers Bauhaus performing “Bela Lugosi Is Dead” at a nightclub, where they pick up their next meal: Ann Magnuson. The concert-to carnage sequence plays like the creepiest MTV video ever. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
If there were any concerns that recent personal dramas between Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would somehow sink the prospects for the final installment of the monolithic franchise, the title’s Twitter handle appears to suggest otherwise. Distributor Summit Entertainment touted that The Twilight Saga ‘s Twitter handle, @Twilight has reached 1 million followers. That milestone makes it the first-ever movie to reach that many people via the social networking site. The news comes as some good news for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 after reports over the weekend that the pic’s stars will opt out of upcoming Twilight conventions. Summit started its Twitter handle back in October 2009 and it quickly became a trending topic. The studio, a division of Lionsgate, reports that its @Twilight stats amount to 50% more followers that the next largest film property. Summit has shared exclusive content, news announcements, first-look images and messages from the franchise’s filmmakers. The profile segued 1.7 million views to the first teaser for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 . During Breaking Dawn – Part 1 , a number of Twilight topics from “Twilight” to “Breaking Dawn” to “Team Jacob” and “Team Edward” trended on Twitter across the world, including 43 of the top 48 US cities. Twi-hards, however, will have to make do with Twitter and other outlets that don’t include several Twilight conventions that are in the offing later this month and in the fall. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will sit out the final four official planned conventions. While the stars will be absent, crowds are still expected in San Antonio on August 25th, September 29th in Detroit, October 5th in Parsippany, NJ and November 3rd in Los Angeles, according to E! Online. “The passion and dedication of Twilight fandom has been amazing and we’re out to throw one last giant convention, a final gathering to see old friends that have made up the Twilight family,” Creation Entertainment told E!. “Although Rob, Kristen and Taylor will not be with us this time out we will have a super lineup of other Twilight stars and the weekend will be filled with special events, movie prop and costume displays, contests, panels, auctions, parties, exclusive merchandise, music and much more, including some surprises.” The next and final chapter in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 opens in theaters on November 16th. Academy Award-winner Bill Condon directed both the first and second part of the two-part finale. The film, based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, was written by Melissa Rosenberg with Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt and Stephenie Meyer producing. Summit released a video “thanking fans for the Twitter milestone: Watch the video via YouTube .
If there were any concerns that recent personal dramas between Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would somehow sink the prospects for the final installment of the monolithic franchise, the title’s Twitter handle appears to suggest otherwise. Distributor Summit Entertainment touted that The Twilight Saga ‘s Twitter handle, @Twilight has reached 1 million followers. That milestone makes it the first-ever movie to reach that many people via the social networking site. The news comes as some good news for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 after reports over the weekend that the pic’s stars will opt out of upcoming Twilight conventions. Summit started its Twitter handle back in October 2009 and it quickly became a trending topic. The studio, a division of Lionsgate, reports that its @Twilight stats amount to 50% more followers that the next largest film property. Summit has shared exclusive content, news announcements, first-look images and messages from the franchise’s filmmakers. The profile segued 1.7 million views to the first teaser for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 . During Breaking Dawn – Part 1 , a number of Twilight topics from “Twilight” to “Breaking Dawn” to “Team Jacob” and “Team Edward” trended on Twitter across the world, including 43 of the top 48 US cities. Twi-hards, however, will have to make do with Twitter and other outlets that don’t include several Twilight conventions that are in the offing later this month and in the fall. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will sit out the final four official planned conventions. While the stars will be absent, crowds are still expected in San Antonio on August 25th, September 29th in Detroit, October 5th in Parsippany, NJ and November 3rd in Los Angeles, according to E! Online. “The passion and dedication of Twilight fandom has been amazing and we’re out to throw one last giant convention, a final gathering to see old friends that have made up the Twilight family,” Creation Entertainment told E!. “Although Rob, Kristen and Taylor will not be with us this time out we will have a super lineup of other Twilight stars and the weekend will be filled with special events, movie prop and costume displays, contests, panels, auctions, parties, exclusive merchandise, music and much more, including some surprises.” The next and final chapter in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 opens in theaters on November 16th. Academy Award-winner Bill Condon directed both the first and second part of the two-part finale. The film, based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, was written by Melissa Rosenberg with Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt and Stephenie Meyer producing. Summit released a video “thanking fans for the Twitter milestone: Watch the video via YouTube .
Also in Friday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, The New York Times Company’s new CEO will make considerably less than his predecessor, and IGN President Roy Bahat steps down via email. Hunger Games trilogy outsells Potter series Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy is now Amazon’s top-selling book series. In just four years, the author’s fan-generating output has outsold J.K. Rowlings’ seven-book Harry Potter series, which was published over a more than 10-year span. The online retailer announced that the milestone takes into account sales of both e-books and print copies. Deadline reports. New New York Times CEO making much less than predecessor Mark Thompson, the newly minted CEO of The New York Times Company will make an annual salary of $1 million, plus a $3 million signing bonus. In contrast, the company’s previous chief executive Janet Robinson, who left in December, made $11.3 million last year alone. Deadline reports. Bigfoot Gets Its Own County. Grindstone Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the found-footage thriller “Bigfoot County,” and is exploring releasing the film late this year. The $30,000 picture is described as Deliverance meets Bigfoot with a dash of The Blair Witch Project . The movie is built around footage supposedly taken by filmmakers who disappeared in Northern California’s Siskiyou County while tracking the fabled Sasquatch. Variety reports. Game over for IGN head Roy Bahat, the president of News Corp’s gaming property IGN Entertainment announced in an email to employees on Friday that he is stepping down from his position but will remain on the company’s board. Bahat announced his departure after News Corp.’s attempts to bring in an outside investor to spin off the division — which it acquired for $680 million in 2005 — did not bear fruit. The Los Angeles Times reports. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Just call her Lord of the Olympic Rings. Four-time swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin recently celebrated her historic efforts in London by getting a new tattoo. “All inked up! AHH! Can’t believe it! My one and only!” Tweeted the 17-year-old. Missy Franklin’s tattoo, obviously, is of … Did Franklin’s parents not only approve, but accompany her to get it? JEAH ! “Hahaha yes they did!” the minor tweeted when asked, by fellow swimmer Matt McLean, if her parents had to go with. “They were very professional :)” Missy says this was a one-shot deal, and “never something I ever thought I would do,” but it has “so meaning to it and it is really something that you have to earn.” Not sure you have to earn a tattoo (it’s no gold medal), but fair enough. Maybe her USA teammate can get a matching one for the next Ryan Lochte-Missy Franklin Twitter pic . What do you think of Missy Franklin’s tattoo?
