She talked trash to her fellow Oscar nominees. She dressed in punk, mocked Katniss Everdeen in a Hunger Games sketch and served as a really mean waitress. All in an evening’s work for Jennifer Lawrence, who hosted Saturday Night Live yesterday for the first time. The Hunger Games Saturday Night Live Sketch Does the show have the next Alec Baldwin on its hands? Or another Jeremy Renner? Following an exciting week in which she won a Golden Globe and killed it on Letterman , sound off on Lawrence now: What grade would you give her as a host of SNL ? A B C D F View Poll »
It’s official: we have four more years of Barack Obama as Commander-in-Chief. The President was sworn in for the second time today, as Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the oath of office in the White House Blue Room a little before noon. It will take place again in public tomorrow on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Following the mishap in 2009, when Roberts misplaced the word “faithfully,” the judge read the oath this time around from a piece of paper. And all went smoothly, at least according to Sasha Obama, who reportedly turned to her father soon after his promise to uphold the Constitution and said: “Good job, daddy.” Obama, of course, already has a number of difficult tasks ahead of him. The economy isn’t exactly strong; a new NRA ad claims he’s a hypocritical elitist; and the top of gun control isn’t going away any time soon. How do you think the next four years will go? Very well, we’re on the right track! Better than the last four years at least Better than the first term of Mitt Romney would have been Terrible, we’re doomed! View Poll »
On January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama (pictured) officially took office as the nation’s first African-American president, sharing his inaugural address with the millions who’d…
“Welcome to Sommerton!” growls Arnold Schwarzenegger in his comeback flick, the ultra-bloody shoot-em-up The Last Stand . As Arnie catchphrases go, it’s no “Hasta la vista, baby” — hell, it’s not even a “Consider this a divorce” — but it’s been 10 years since the Terminator starred in a movie and we’ll take what we can get. In this violent modern Western, Arnold plays Sheriff Ray Owens, guardian of Sommerton Junction, a hamlet on the Arizona border that’s just a corn field away from Mexico. (Casting a bodybuilder with an impenetrable Austrian accent as a small-town American sheriff seems like a stretch until you remember that in real life, Californian voters cast one as their governor.) As in every Schwarzenegger flick, the residents of Sommerton never quite seem to notice that Sheriff Ray is big, strong and scary. The mayor treats him like he’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the waitress at the diner on Main Street pesters him at 4 am to ask why the milk man is late. But Ray takes these insults in stride: he’s old, and he doesn’t care who knows it. As did Sylvester Stallone ‘s Barney Ross in the first Expendables , he tempers expectations by being the first to declare — repeatedly — that his deltoids have seen better days, like he’s a King Lear who’s forced to kill. The world weariness plays better here, as unlike Stallone’s paid mercenary, Sheriff Ray, an ex-LAPD narcotics officer, just wants to keep the peace. When he sighs, “I’ve seen enough blood and death,” you believe him. The set-up of Andrew Knauer’s screenplay is classically simple: Three hundred and fifty miles away in Las Vegas, evil drug baron Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega of the Spanish twister Abre los Ojos ) has escaped FBI custody with the help of a giant magnet (seriously) and is zooming toward the Mexican border. Cortez has lined the freeways with hired goons who’ve out-thought the Feds’ panicked responses — the way he bursts through a police blockade in a speeding car is worth the price of admission — and now the only thing standing between North America’s most dangerous cartel boss and his freedom is 250 lbs of Austrian, er Arizonan , muscle who has just hours to prepare for a bloody showdown on his town’s literal Main Street. South Korean director Kim Jee-woon has toyed with wild west conventions before. His slapstick 2008 film The Good, The Bad and the Weird was like a Clint Eastwood movie with a pounding soju hangover. The first third of The Last Stand is a bit of a slog — Arnold still can’t act, but who cares? — and Kim doesn’t spring to life until people start dying. His favorite kill? The headshot. For a film that doesn’t star Tobin Bell, the screen is drenched in brain goo (too bad Stallone already squatted on the title Bullet to the Head ) and when the plot starts running out of craniums Kim summons a pick-up truck full of watermelons and takes aim. The Last Stand is an ill-timed love letter to weaponry. It’s so trigger-happy that a man gets shot in mid-air when he’s already falling to his death. There’s a gun so big that it’s simply referred to as “The Gun,” another that’s affectionately called a “little bitch,” and when a gun’s not in reach, there’s a flare gun handy. It makes sense that Kim might be pro-militia; unlike the current members of the NRA, Kim’s actually lived through a coup d’etat in his home country. Still, there’s something queasy about a film that celebrates local nut Johnny Knoxville’s illegal gun stash — and as someone who hopes Barack Obama ‘s gun control bill gets passed, I felt guilty cheering when a bonnet-wearing granny whips out her personal shotgun and gets in on the action. Besides Knoxville, who doesn’t get enough screen time to be annoying, Schwarzenegger teams up with fellow cops Luis Guzman and Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif of Thor ), while Cortez’s crew is headed by a hilariously accented Peter Stormare, who sounds as convincing as a Southern trucker as Guzman would mimicking Queen Elizabeth. But Arnold’s real co-star in The Last Stand isn’t one of the humans hanging around in the margins. It’s Cortez’s escape car: a $120K Corvette with a fictionalized horsepower of 1000, 30 percent mightier than the fastest Lamborghini on the market. The Corvette’s curves are so seductive that you’d rather gawk at the dashboard than sexy hostage Genesis Rodriguez, who’s strapped into the passenger seat, and when it blitzes by a donut-eating cop (the flick traffics cheerfully in cliches), he mistakes it for a plane. Kim doesn’t just sit back and watch it roar — he gives the Corvette a true star moment with an inventive car chase set in a disorienting corn field. Fast and the Furious 6 (or as I prefer, Fa6t 6ix ): your move. A machine himself, Schwarzenegger is using The Last Stand to scrape the rust off his reputation. It’s a smart choice: it’s just bold enough, brutal enough, and dumb enough to feel like a return to form. In 2002, the year before Arnold took office, Jason Bourne kick-started ten years of soul-searching, shaky cam hijinks that annoyed action fans who like to appreciate blood squibs and stunts. But in The Expendables 2 , Jack Reacher , and now this, we’re seeing a cinematic return to men who crack quips, fight with their fists, and swagger around without having to carry the weight on the world on their over-developed shoulders. Is it a coincidence that classic action is making its comeback at the same time Schwarzenegger is making his own? Hey, he warned us he’d be back. Amy Nicholson is a critic, playwright and editor. Her interests include hot dogs, standard poodles, Bruce Willis, and comedies about the utter futility of existence. Follow her on Twitter . Follow Amy Nicholson on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
GTFOHWTBS! Wall Street wins…again. We knew politicians were shady as hell but, to throw in perks for banks like Morgan Stanely, that have already been bailed out by US already, is just a cotdayum slap in the face! And according to The Huffington Post , there’s a loooong azz list of other tax breaks for that 1% that we couldn’t even try to pull with Uncle Sam: The 11th-hour deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff preserved billions of dollars in corporate tax giveaways even as it slashed take-home pay for millions of American workers. Tucked inside the last-minute fiscal cliff package were more than a dozen tax loopholes, many of which will benefit Wall Street financial firms and some of the nation’s biggest corporations. These breaks will cost hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming year, underscoring the lobbying power of corporate interests. The deal was less kind to the middle class. Congress permitted a cut in the payroll tax to expire, meaning that the tax burden for the average worker will increase about $1,000 in 2013. “This shows that the lobbyists are able to get what they want even when everyone else is starving,” said Phineas Baxandall, senior analyst for tax and budget policy at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. “It also shows they are best able to get what they want when no one else is paying attention.” The corporate loopholes were part of a package of so-called tax extenders tacked onto the main bill. The extenders package, first approved by the Senate in early August, mixes popular benefits, like a deduction for teachers who buy classroom supplies, with corporate-friendly carve-outs, such as the “active financing” exception that permits businesses earning interest on overseas lending to defer U.S. taxes on that income indefinitely. There is even a tax break for construction of new racetracks. The tax extenders were passed for only one year, and they still need to clear another potential hurdle: upcoming negotiations over mandated spending cuts and the debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have indicated they’d like to see a “grand bargain” on taxes, which would feature lower overall rates but close a slew of loopholes. The financial services industry, whose leaders had earlier joined a group of other corporate executives pushing for a “fair” solution to the fiscal crisis, is one of the primary beneficiaries of special-interest tax breaks. The active-financing exception, for example, permits banks like Morgan Stanley to avoid the 35 percent U.S. corporate tax rate on interest income from money lent overseas. A handful of other U.S.-based multinational companies with financing arms, such as Ford Motor Co. and General Electric, also use that exemption to lower their tax bills. The two-year cost to taxpayers is an estimated $11.2 billion, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. U.S. financial institutions argue that the active-financing exemption is necessary for them to compete in overseas markets with foreign banks that carry a lower tax burden. The loophole was repealed in the Tax Reform Act of 1986, but was reinstated in 1997 as a temporary measure after fierce lobbying by multinational corporations. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, the financial services industry paid an average effective tax rate of 15.5 percent from 2008 to 2010, far lower than that of most other industries. As part of the fiscal cliff deal, Congress also extended another little-known tax break that benefits large multinationals selling products through overseas affiliates. This “pass-through” exemption permits a U.S.-based company to set up a new corporation in a tax haven like the Cayman Islands and sell it a patent owned by the U.S. parent company. Royalties on overseas licensing of that patent would then route to the tax-sheltered firm, instead of the U.S. parent company. The Joint Committee on Taxation says the two-year cost of extending this shelter is $1.5 billion. One of the more unusual tax benefits in the fiscal cliff legislation is a longstanding carve-out for racetracks used by NASCAR. Since 2004, Congress has passed a series of stopgap measures that allow owners of motorsports complexes to accelerate their depreciation expenses. This means that owners can deduct more in expenses, reducing the taxes they must pay. Track owners and NASCAR together have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying for the tax benefit over the past five years, according to lobbying disclosure forms. The International Speedway Corp., which owns and manages NASCAR race tracks, has spent more than $1.1 million lobbying Congress since 2008. Over the same period, NASCAR spent more than $300,000 on lobbying efforts, which included a push to “make permanent the depreciation classification.” Supporters in Congress and industry groups have argued that the tax break is necessary to “maintain the current standard expected by our competitors and fans.” According to estimates by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the so-called NASCAR loophole will cost taxpayers $46 million this year and an additional $95 million through 2017. A spokesman for the International Speedway Corp., Charles Talbert, said the industry is simply seeking to preserve a tax designation it has relied on for years. He said in an email that racetracks had always used the accelerated depreciation schedule, but Congress had specifically written it into law after the Internal Revenue Service argued that it was improper in the early 2000s. Though Congress was willing to sign off on all these business-friendly goodies, legislative leaders couldn’t muster enthusiasm for extending the payroll tax holiday, which had cost the federal government $120 billion each year in lost revenue. As a result, a worker who earns $50,000 a year will now pay at least $80 per month in taxes. The payroll tax increase will affect as many as 160 million people. These bullsh*t excuses corporations can throw around in order to get a tax break are inexcusable. The Senate, Congress, and The Pres should all be ashamed of themselves. Images via tumblr
This guy isn’t scared of nothin’! Via Politico … House Speaker John Boehner couldn’t hold back when he spotted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the White House lobby last Friday. It was only a few days before the nation would go over the fiscal cliff, no bipartisan agreement was in sight, and Reid had just publicly accused Boehner of running a “dictatorship” in the House and caring more about holding onto his gavel than striking a deal. “Go f— yourself,” Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present. Reid, a bit startled, replied: “What are you talking about?” Boehner repeated: “Go f— yourself.” The harsh exchange just a few steps from the Oval Office — which Boehner later bragged about to fellow Republicans — was only one episode in nearly two months of high-stakes negotiations laced with distrust, miscommunication, false starts and yelling matches as Washington struggled to ward off $500 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts. The White House and Congress knew of the self-imposed deadline for more than 17 months and they still blew past it, as a president fresh off a strong reelection victory tested — and ultimately broke — the Republican Party’s fidelity to its tax-cuts-only governing philosophy. It took a late intervention of two Senate veterans — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Joe Biden — to rescue the negotiations. Their relationship, forged over two decades on Capitol Hill, helped move Congress to a resolution because it wasn’t burdened by the raw political conflicts of the past and the legislative fights still to come. But even those longtime Washington hands couldn’t prevent a New Year’s Day drama in the House. Boehner weathered a revolt against the bill, which played out during two meetings in the Capitol basement in which his fellow GOP lawmakers lashed out at having to accept the measure without spending cuts. After hours of uncertainty — even insults against “sleep-deprived octogenarians” from the Senate who passed the bill in the dead of night — the House gave final approval to the deal, 257-167. It was carried by 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans. And it exposed another split: Boehner voted yes, but his top deputies, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, voted no. We don’t think anyone’s too happy with the ‘deal’ these fools made…SMH. Images via facebook
For real tho??? We still have no deal with the Fiscal Cliff and the Farm Bill… but let’s go ahead and give Congress a pay raise. According to The Huffington Post , this years session in Congress has been one of the most unproductive in more than 50 years: President Barack Obama gave a New Year’s gift to returning members of Congress, federal workers and Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, signing an executive order calling for an end to a years-long pay freeze. As of March 27, 2013, federal employees will see a half-percent to one percent pay increase, marking the end of a pay freeze that has been in place since late 2010. Congress hasn’t seen a pay raise since 2009. According to the order, Biden’s pay will increase from $225,521 to $231,900 a year, before taxes. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will see his salary increased to $224,500 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will take home an annual pay of $194,400 after his raise. While Obama’s order made no mention of merit for such a raise, HuffPost’s Amanda Terkel reported on Friday that the 112th Congress is set to end the session as the most unproductive since the 1940s, with only 219 bills passed by the body becoming law. The raise won’t take place until the 113th Congress, meaning that outgoing members will see no effect from the order. Obama ordered the raise as he continues to negotiate unsuccessfully with congressional leaders to find a deal in order to avoid the fiscal cliff at the end of the year. If no agreement is met, over $500 billion in planned tax increases and spending cuts will be implemented. WOW! The more you know folks. Images via tumblr/facebook
For real tho??? We still have no deal with the Fiscal Cliff and the Farm Bill… but let’s go ahead and give Congress a pay raise. According to The Huffington Post , this years session in Congress has been one of the most unproductive in more than 50 years: President Barack Obama gave a New Year’s gift to returning members of Congress, federal workers and Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, signing an executive order calling for an end to a years-long pay freeze. As of March 27, 2013, federal employees will see a half-percent to one percent pay increase, marking the end of a pay freeze that has been in place since late 2010. Congress hasn’t seen a pay raise since 2009. According to the order, Biden’s pay will increase from $225,521 to $231,900 a year, before taxes. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will see his salary increased to $224,500 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will take home an annual pay of $194,400 after his raise. While Obama’s order made no mention of merit for such a raise, HuffPost’s Amanda Terkel reported on Friday that the 112th Congress is set to end the session as the most unproductive since the 1940s, with only 219 bills passed by the body becoming law. The raise won’t take place until the 113th Congress, meaning that outgoing members will see no effect from the order. Obama ordered the raise as he continues to negotiate unsuccessfully with congressional leaders to find a deal in order to avoid the fiscal cliff at the end of the year. If no agreement is met, over $500 billion in planned tax increases and spending cuts will be implemented. WOW! The more you know folks. Images via tumblr/facebook
Whose Chick Looks More Bangin? Ya know we are team Eudoxie over here! It looks like after bringing his banger to Hawaii for some quality time the couple jetsetted off to Thailand to join friends Kevin Hart and his boo Eniko for the holidays. Too bad we couldn’t go with them. Thank goodness for Instagram where the whole gang documented the trip. We know you can’t wait to see these girls in their getups!
