Mariah Carey is the new America Idol judge and this is the photoshopped masterpiece that reminds me a bit of Toddlers in Tiaras and a bit of a drag show and a bit of a wax museum exhibit because let’s face it…this is up on some serious clown shit….and I love it…. The real question is how American Idol is still on TV after all these years of failure…but I am hoping Mariah Carey is the final nail in the coffin….sometimes sinking ships are fun to watch….
Mariah Carey is the new America Idol judge and this is the photoshopped masterpiece that reminds me a bit of Toddlers in Tiaras and a bit of a drag show and a bit of a wax museum exhibit because let’s face it…this is up on some serious clown shit….and I love it…. The real question is how American Idol is still on TV after all these years of failure…but I am hoping Mariah Carey is the final nail in the coffin….sometimes sinking ships are fun to watch….
Heading into an extended break for the Summer Olympics, America’s Got Talent advanced four acts to the next round last night. Did you agree with the selections? Eliminations Part One – Ulysses, David “The Bullet” Smith, Olate Dogs Ulysses is a nice person but he was clearly out of his league. If he was up against weird instrument player Michael Nejad and sleep-inducing Nikki Jensen back in week one, he wouldn’t have been the bottom of the barrel. David “The bullet” Smith is exactly like Professor Splash last year: all he can do is go farther. I understand that lots of people die trying to blast themselves out of cannons, but that doesn’t make successful human cannonballs automatic Vegas acts. Olate Dogs was the clear frontrunner of the night, especially the “we can do better than Britain” comment that Sharon provided. Funny that Sharon is an American citizen. Eliminated: Ulysses, David “The Bullet” Smith Advanced: Olate Dogs Eliminations Two – William Close, Unity in Motion, Sebastien “El Charro de Oro” William Close was a great act, but his performances are a bit PBS for NBC if that makes sense. There’s a degree of maturity or sophistication that I worry NBC-loving America doesn’t have. Unity in Motion was clean and precise but they are also trained as hard as the dogs in the Olate act. Sebastien “El Charro De Oro” had a simplistic arrangement of his band and video behind him, but he didn’t need explosives or seizure inducing videos. I find it odd how Sebastien gets to stand with his band, but William Close is alone the whole time. Eliminated: Unity in Motion, Sebastien “El Charro de Oro” Advanced: William Close Eliminations Three – Joe Castillo, Horse, Eric & Olivia After seeing Light Wire Theater make it through, I parallel Joe Castillo’s act to the Silhouettes and Light Wire is Team iLuminate. I hope both current acts don’t suffer the same fate and lose to Tim Hockenberry. Howard hit Horse’s demographic on the head (or in the balls): Jackass viewers, Tosh.0 fans, or even G4 people. Most of those people are probably watching Wipeout or American Ninja Warrior and not this show. Eric & Olivia need to secure a gig at a fancy coffee shop and work their way up. The exposure will help them greatly, but they need time. Eliminated: Horse, Eric & Olivia Advanced: Joe Castillo Eliminations Four – Lindsay Norton, All That!, Eric Diddleman This was one of the few times where Nick actually announced some percentage numbers. That’s the one thing that’s amazing about Britain’s Got Talent: they reveal all the voting percentages after the season ends. According to Nick, there was a less than one percent difference between all three acts. Lindsey Norton was just as good as Unity in Motion and with them already eliminated, it made me wonder if the two negated their votes. Interesting that America favored the solo dancer over the group though. Eric Diddleman is in a category of his own and after Spencer Horseman scraped his elbow and Hawley Magic couldn’t leave the 80s, Diddleman is the only hope for a “magic” act. I wouldn’t mind seeing All That! if they took notes from Thunder From Down Under. They need to be sexier and the group claims to be happy with “all” their fans. Why not pander to the women and gay male vote? Eliminated (in Sixth): Lindsay Norton All That!’s Votes: Sharon Eric Diddleman’s Votes: Howie, Howard Immediately after elimination, Sharon announced that All That! would be one of her picks for the Wild Card round. The YouTube acts will be up after the Olympics so we’ll basically be on a month break and All That! could work on getting six-pack abs.
In Tuesday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, the actor who played George Jefferson has died. Russell Crowe will direct a film about a cult comedian. Disney is moving a 3-D re-release to the holidays; NATO is taking donations for Aurora shooting victims and Netflix sees its shares dive. Actor Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74 He first came into America’s living rooms as Archie Bunker’s neighbor George Jefferson in All in the Family . The Jeffersons later spun off into a long-running and very successful sit-com in its own right making his character and his beloved Louise Jefferson, aka “Weezey,” household names. Hemsley died in what appears to be natural causes at his home in El Paso, TX, TMZ reports . Russell Crowe to Direct Biopic Crowe will direct a biopic about Bill Hicks, the cult comedian who died at 32. Originally it was thought Crowe would play Hicks, but the part is apparently up for grabs, The Guardian reports . Disney Ups Monsters Inc 3-D to December Originally slated for a January release, the 3-D re-release will now head into the holidays with a roll out set for December 19th. Finding Nemo 3-D is still due in September. Last year the studio cashed in on the 3-D version of The Lion King to the tune of $92M, Deadline reports . Exhibitors Begin Donations Drive for Shooting Victims in Colorado The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) sent a release asking for donations to help victims and families of the Aurora, CO shootings, Deadline reports . Netflix Shares Down 14% Revenue last quarter rose 12.8% to $889M, but profit fell to $6.1M vs $68M the year before, Variety reports .
It feels like it was just yesterday (probably because that’s the last time we pumped the pickle to them), but it’s been 28 years since Vanessa Williams gave up her Miss America crown. For all you young’uns out there, Vanessa was not always a TV actress. She started her career as a beauty queen, and in September 1983 she was voted the first African-American Miss America in the history of the pageant. But her reign as America’s Sweetheart was short-lived, and on July 23, 1984 she was stripped of her crown after pics of Vanessa posing solo and Sapphically stripping off with another model were published in Penthouse. This was, of course, long before it became de rigeur for every up-and-coming starlet with a taste for fame to “leak” her own sex tape (we’re looking at you, Kim Kardashian ), and the nude pics were truly shocking at the time…shocking to the tune of $14 million in magazine sales. See the pics that cost Vanessa Williams the crown after the jump!
We have a disturbing update on James Holmes , the 24-year old suspected of killing 12 people and injuring dozens more inside an Aurora, Colorado movie theater this morning. The shooting took place at approximately 12:38 a.m. local time. Holmes protected himself with a ballistic helmet, a vest, a throat protector, a gas mask and black tactical gloves Officials believe Holmes acted on his own: “We are not looking for any other suspects,” said Oates. “We are confident he acted alone.” Holmes possessed three weapons when he was arrested behind the theater: an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington shotgun and a 40-caliber Glock handgun. All were purchased legally. Holmes’ hair was painted red and he told police, upon being apprehended, that he was “The Joker.” At last count, 71 people were wounded in this gunman’s attack . President Obama addressed the nation earlier today, honoring the victims and asking America’s to treasure the fragility of life . Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has also made a speech in which he offered his “deepest condolences” to those affected by the tragedy and added: “I stand before you today not as a man running for office but as a father and grandfather, a husband, an American. This is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love one another and how much we love and how much we care for our great country. There’s so much love and goodness in the heart of America.”
The Dark Knight Rises finally arrives this weekend, and curiously, amid the hype attending Christopher Nolan and his top-flight cast , two other performers have been strongly covered in the media: The behemoth tank that is The Tumbler , and the exciting off-shoot vehicle known as The Batpod. Considering the latter is one of the most arresting two-wheelers ever featured on-screen, we celebrate its revival by highlighting nine other curiosities Hollywood has offered up in the motorcycle category. Captain America Chopper – Easy Rider At first it might seem a pedestrian selection, but upon release in 1969 this was in fact a striking departure for motorcycle design. Following World War II, returning veterans kicked off a wave of automotive redesign with self-created modifications; garage-built hot rods rose in popularity, and similar to that were the emergence of “bobbers,” motorcycles mechanically altered by their owners. This involved taking a showroom motorcycle and trimming away parts deemed superfluous, such as fenders and foot boards, in an effort to make a streamlined and lighter bike. By the 1960s bobbing gave way to more extreme experimentation. Owners began making changes to the basic structure of the motorcycle itself, cutting and welding the frames into new shapes in a practice called “chopping.” This produced wholesale alterations to the appearance, and Easy Rider opened America’s eyes to the new practice. Features such as the lowered rider position, extended forks, and raised sissy-bar seat backs were stark visions at the time, and soon the term “chopper” entered the national lexicon to describe the lengthened cruising style motorcycle. Light Cycles – Tron , Tron Legacy It’s one thing to design a new look to motorcycles artistically, but to have that creation become iconic makes a real statement. Initially conceived for the video visual realm in the original movie, the light cycles quickly became one of the most popular components of the cult classic. These concept vehicles even became a linchpin component to the related video game. When Disney announced plans to remake their property years ago, much of the anticipation surrounded what the new light cycles would look like,and the studio made the digital vehicles a center point in their marketing. Where previously the design involved the characters morphing into a pixilated cycle, the new version had the rider stretched forward across and becoming incorporated into the cycle, remaining visible on camera. Even as both films had a number of detractors, the light cycles from each have maintained high levels of appreciation. Kaneda’s Street Bike – Akira What is probably the most popular anime out of Japan is one that instantly calls to mind a lone visual; any mention of the title automatically provokes the image of this highly-stylized motorcycle. Conceived with a futuristic combination of street-bike esthetics and over-sized touring-bike comfort, this vehicle provokes envy while challenging engineering. There have been many attempts over the years to replicate the physics of this hand-drawn creation into a reality (Kanye West even commissioned one to be built for a music video), but the results of those builds to date have underwhelmed. Fans still hold out hope that the proposed, yet oft-delayed, live-action version of the film will someday bring about a fully realized physical version of the famed bike. The Lawmaster – Judge Dredd When Sylvester Stallone donned the famous helmet of the violent jurist (and angered many by removing said helmet), he also had to carry forward other elements from the British comic. The opulent uniform was both true to form and ridiculous in execution (the codpiece was a nice touch); conversely, his famous ride paled in comparison to the comic origins. This is due to the motorcycle having rather cartoonish features in print, so when Stallone rode into frame for his introduction, the famed Lawmaster came off as almost a disappointment, and thus an afterthought. At the recent Comic-Con, footage of the reboot generated positive responses. Hopefully the producers worked on this detail. The Bonnevile Bike – The World’s Fastest Indian Some may have questioned Anthony Hopkins trying to pass himself as a Native American, but the Indian in the title actually refers to the make of motorcycle featured in the film. This is the true story of a New Zealand motorcycle racer named Burt Munro, who, in the 1960s, set a series of land-speed records on a bike of his own creation. Rather than state-of-the-art engineering, Munro modified his cycle entirely in his own garage simply with the tools at his disposal. More stunning was his doing so using a nearly 50-year old motorcycle. He cracked the 200mph threshold on his archaic ride, and even more amazingly, one of his speed records is still in place today. The Demon Chopper – Ghost Rider As a child stunt rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the Devil; later in life he is enlisted by Old Scratch to serve as a bounty hunter. In paying off his debt, Blaze changes into The Ghost Rider, and as he does the motorcycle transforms as well — into a rather daft looking set piece. As Johnny is full ablaze he lays his hands on the gas tank of his cherished bike (probably not the wisest move), and we watch as his ride morphs into a garish piece of machinery with a massive skull perched between the handlebars, long forks made of chain link, and an aforementioned gas tank webbed with bony fingers. The end result truly appears less a menacing conveyance from Hades than it does a goofy prop you’d likely see on stage during a GWAR concert. The V-Rex – Fast & Furious The fourth iteration of this car-intensive series features Paul Walker perched in the saddle of this wildly conceived motorcycle. The futuristic appearance also features a unique design function. The front wheel is not held by a traditional fork assembly but instead has a swing-arm mount, the sort normally seen as a rear-wheel set up. It is dampened by a solitary large shock absorber positioned beneath the twin halogen headlamps. This gives a vaguely robotic appearance, one which was actually pitched to Michael Bay as a possible component for the second Transformers . (He ultimately dismissed featuring a robotic motorcycle gang in that franchise.) Rather than a piece of fancy from a Hollywood design garage, this vehicle is actually a production model by Travertson, a Florida manufacturer. Moto Terminators – Terminator: Salvation One of the components included in the attempt at rejuvenation of this franchise was a collection of automaton two-wheeled terminators, outfitted with heavy ordnance and shown as distinctively riderless. The automatic gun turrets featured an articulated mounting that served as counter-balancing when the motorcycle leaned into turns. Sporting artificial intelligence and rocket launchers, the end result was a motorcycle gang on the roads more intimidating than the Hell’s Angels. The Turbine Bike – Priest Last summer’s Priest was soon forgotten by those few who watched it, and yet there has been one enduring memory: The title character’s motorcycle. The story is an odd one, set in both in a dystopian future and an alternate universe, involving a centuries-long battle between humans and vampires. Paul Bettany plays a warrior priest who breaks from the church to wage a battle, yadda-yadda. The one takeaway for most viewers was the striking bike Bettany uses to run down a train carrying vampires, a curiosity featuring an impressive turbine engine, mounted where one might normally expect the gas tank to be found. BONUS: Tricked-Out Scooter – Quadrophenia In this 1979 film adaptation of the classic Who album, disillusioned youths play out a dramatic existence in London, and mini-motor-bikes feature prominently. Some may find it a stretch to conjure a fully appointed Lambretta scooter serving as a metaphor, but the appearance of the multi-mirrored ride is enough to bring about a grin. [Clip language NSFW] Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat, Mediaite, and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
Father Ordered To Pay Kids $60 Million For Killing Their Mother Justice was finally served in a family murder mystery that left two young children motherless. A California jury on Tuesday found a former software developer at the center of a sensational murder trial liable for the 2006 death of his estranged wife and awarded their two children $60 million in damages, court documents show. Hans Reiser, who created a computer file used in the Linux operating system, was convicted in 2008 of murdering his wife Nina after a high-profile trial despite the fact that neither a body nor a murder weapon was produced for the jury. Reiser, 48, initially claimed his Russian-born wife was alive and living in Russia. Two days before a scheduled sentencing hearing, however, Reiser led police to a woodsy part of the Oakland hills, where her body was found wrapped in a black bag. Nina Reiser’s mother filed a civil lawsuit against him on behalf of the two children – Rory, 12, and Niorline, 11. The jury on Tuesday found Reiser liable for wrongful death. It awarded each child $25 million and ordered Reiser to also pay punitive damages of $10 million. Such a terribly sad story. Source Images via Shutterstock
If you’ve got a “green card”, then this story is for you! Lawmakers Propose “Truth In Trials Act” To Protect Medicinal Marijuana Users From Prosecution A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill this week designed to create enhanced legal protections for valid medical marijuana patients prosecuted due to conflicting state and federal laws regarding the legality of the substance. Under the Truth In Trials Act, sponsored by California Democratic Rep. Sam Farr and co-sponsored by other representatives such as Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas), state-licensed medical marijuana users would be given the right to provide an “affirmative defense” in the case of a federal prosecution. This effectively allows them to prove that their actions, while illegal at the federal level, were in fact protected under state law. “Any person facing prosecution or a proceeding for any marijuana-related offense under any federal law shall have the right to introduce evidence demonstrating that the marijuana-related activities for which the person stands accused were performed in compliance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, or that the property which is subject to a proceeding was possessed in compliance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana,” the bill reads. The legislation also lays out specific language stating that cannabis plants grown legally under state law may not be seized. Under the legislation, marijuana and other property confiscated in the process of a prosecution must also be maintained — not destroyed — and returned to the defendant if they are able to prove it was for a use accepted by the state. The latest version of the Truth In Trials Act comes as federal crackdowns on dispensaries in medical marijuana states continue to surge. Last week, federal officials targeted one of the nation’s largest pot shops. The meat and potatoes of the law reads as follows: (a) Any person facing prosecution or a proceeding for any marijuana-related offense under any Federal law shall have the right to introduce evidence demonstrating that the marijuana-related activities for which the person stands accused were performed in compliance with State law regarding the medical use of marijuana, or that the property which is subject to a proceeding was possessed in compliance with State law regarding the medical use of marijuana. (b)(1) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution or proceeding under any Federal law for marijuana-related activities, which the proponent must establish by a preponderance of the evidence, that those activities comply with State law regarding the medical use of marijuana. Legal pot-smokers being protected by bipartisan, law-making, politicians?? My, how America has changed… Image via Shutterstock/AP Source
The Eagles star QB isn’t pulling any punches when talking about the mistakes he’s made in the past. Michael Vick Set To Release Autobiography Called “Finally Free” The first excerpts from Michael Vick’s autobiography, “Finally Free,” were released Monday. In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Vick discusses his dogfighting past, time in prison and future with the Philadelphia Eagles. “Back when I was involved in those activities, I may have become more dedicated to the deep study of dogs than I was to my [Atlanta] Falcons playbook,” one excerpt reads. “I became better at reading dogs than reading defenses. That’s just so sad to say right now, because I put more time and effort into trying to master that pursuit than my own profession … which was my livelihood … which put food on the table for my family.” Vick was arrested in 2007 after being hit with felony dogfighting charges for his role in funding and participating in fights held by Bad Newz Kennels. After accepting a plea deal, Vick turned himself in and was eventually sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. “When we pulled up to the courthouse, (fiance) Kijafa [Frink] looked me dead in the eyes. ‘Don’t go,’ she said. ‘Don’t leave.’ Then she started crying. … Then I started crying. The pain they felt — it was all my fault,” Vick writes. Vicks also laments his decision to lie to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when he had a chance to come clean about dog-fighting. “I knew how to lie with a straight face,” Vick writes. “Sad to say, Commissioner Goodell bought into what I was saying, and I think he truly believed me that I was telling the truth. I deeply regret not telling him the truth from the outset.” But now that newly-married Vick has taken his life back, it’s time to take his career back too… After spending 19 months in prison, Vick was reinstated to the NFL in 2009 and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick became the Eagles’ starting quarterback during the 2010 season and in 25 games has thrown for 6,321 yards and 39 TDs and has rushed for 1,265 yards and 10 TDs. Vick even vowed to bring a Super Bowl to Philadelphia. “My story is not finished. I have more to do. I have something that I want give back to everyone that supported me,” Vick writes. “Here it is: I am committed, focused and determined to win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. This is my promise. It is my drive. I will work like a champion to get there. I want to do it for my family, friends, mentors, coaches, teammates, and fans. I want to do it for Philly.” “Finally Free” hits bookshelves on September 4, one day before the 2012 NFL season begins (with the Giants playing the Cowboys) and five days before Vick’s Eagles play the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. We’ve always been huge supporters of Michael and his family, so we suggest you cop that book and look for MV7 and the Philadelphia Eagles to do handle their business this season! Image via AP Source
