It’s a matter of public record: June Shannon , the… eccentric mother of six-year old Alana Thompson (aka “Honey Boo Boo”) was arrested in 2008 on a count related to a child support issue. She also faced a theft charge around that time, but both cases were dismissed. In March, meanwhile, child services looked into the Thompsons after Honey Boo Boo was featured on an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras chugging a mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew dubbed by Alana as “Go-Go Juice.” Is that something the family gives its toddler often? No, June tells People : “It was a one time only thing. We don’t do it.” What about when a video surfaced of Honey Boo Boo dancing on a bar, another incident investigated by the the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services? “It was the worst four days of my whole entire life,” June says, explaining that the bar appearance was “a meet-and-greet at a concert” and: “After I left, I realized, ‘I’m not gonna put Alana in that situation again because it was crazy.'” Coming from June Shannon, that’s really saying something.
15-year-old Bobby Gladden brought a bottle of vodka with him on his first day of school this year . He also brought a disassembled shotgun and 21 rounds of ammo. Robert Gladden, 15, Identified As Shooting Suspect In Perry Hall Attack, Charged As Adult If you haven’t heard already, Gladden is the teen being held responsible for the school shooting near Baltimore Monday that left a classmate fighting for his life. Police have charged Robert Wayne Gladden Jr., 15, with attempted first-degree murder and assault in connection with Monday’s shooting at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County. Gladden has been charged as an adult, police said. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center. Police will hold a news conference Tuesday morning to discuss the case. Daniel Borowy was shot in his back shortly before 11 a.m. in the school’s cafeteria, court documents said. Eyewitnesses described hearing a sound like a bag of chips popping before realizing that someone was shooting. Bowery, 17, remains in critical condition. With heightened security and trauma counselors on hand, Perry Hall restarted its school year Tuesday, the day after a student shot in the cafeteria was left in critical condition and another student was taken into custody as the suspected gunman. The shooting took place on the first day of classes Monday as several hundred students were in the cafeteria, where the sound of gunfire initially seemed like just another piece of the aural landscape. Instead, it was gunfire, striking Bowery, who was airlifted to Maryland Shock Trauma Center as classmates and strangers offered prayers for him at impromptu gatherings and across social media. Police said they do not believe the victim was targeted by the shooter. Witnesses said a school counselor quickly grabbed the shooter and pinned him up against a vending machine. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after the shooting. A man who identified himself as the suspect’s father told the Associated Press that his son had been bullied but declined to give further details. A woman who said she was related to the father gave the following statement on the family’s behalf: “We are horrified. We did not see this coming and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and the victim’s family.” Students described a day that suddenly turned chaotic during an early lunch break in the cafeteria of the school, the county’s largest with nearly 2,200 students. Rather than the festive atmosphere of a school community returning after summer break, police helicopters whirred overhead, students dove under cafeteria tables and, as the news spread quickly, distraught parents tried to reach their children, in person or by phone or text message. Throughout the day, a sense of disbelief pervaded. Jeremy Knavel, 16, said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a student emerge from a bathroom Monday morning, taking a gun out from under his shirt. “I thought it was a joke,” he said. “Then when I heard the shot, I ran. I’m shaken still. I can’t believe it actually happened.” Sophomore Nick DiPaula, 15, said he and a friend were talking in the cafeteria when they heard a loud bang and turned to see what it was. “We just see him with the gun, and he’s aiming it at my table,” DiPaula said. A school counselor he identified as Jesse Wasmer ran over and tackled the gunman as he and other students hit the floor and another teacher started yelling, “Get out of the building, get out of the building!” DiPaula said. Wasmer was hailed as a hero by colleagues and across the Internet, where a “Thanks Mr. Wasmer” Facebook page was created. He could not be reached to comment, and school officials declined to discuss details of the incident. The actions of Wasmer and other teachers in the cafeteria who intervened “were really beyond what anyone can be expected to do,” and “made that situation the best it could have been in such a horrible time,” said Matt Smoot, a science teacher in his fifth year at the school. New Baltimore County schools Superintendent Dallas Dance, on his first day of classes after being hired this spring to head the school district, praised the school’s “heroic, brave faculty.” Dance said Perry Hall High would be open Tuesday with additional security at the school. The Police Department’s Critical Incident Stress Debriefing team will provide support for students and faculty, Armacost said. Junior Ryan Brady, 15, said he was several feet away from the shooting victim and saw blood on his shirt. As the counselor was tackling the shooter, his gun went off again, the bullet hitting the ceiling, said Brady, who got under a table to hide. “After I got outside, my hands were shaking really bad,” he said. “First thing I did was call my mom and told her everything that happened, and told her I was all right.” Police officers were already at the school, standard procedure for the first day of classes. County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said police and school officials responded in “terrific fashion” to the shooting. Students were escorted to the nearby Perry Hall Shopping Center at the corner of Ebenezer and Belair roads, where parents were instructed to meet them, police said. Hundreds of visibly shaken parents and others gathered at the shopping center as police helicopters hovered overhead. Thank God that guidance counselor moved so quickly! Here’s more info on Gladden via BusinessInsider : * He goes by the nickname SuicidalSmile on Facebook. * Many of his profile pictures show Gladden taking photos of himself while his long hair covers his face. Gladden also claims to like musicians Marilyn Manson and Slipknot and references notorious mass murderer Charles Manson. * Gladden’s Facebook page first caused concern yesterday when parents of students at the school noticed Gladden’s last status update read “First day of school, last day of my life. t(~_~t), fu*k the world.” . * Gladden’s classmates confirmed Tuesday to The Associated Press that the page belonged to the suspected gunman. * Police told The Associated Press that Gladden came to school armed with a disassembled shotgun and 21 rounds of ammunition. He also reportedly had a bottle of vodka. * Gladden’s father confirmed his son had been bullied prior to the shooting. However, police have not officially released a motive. * Students discussing the shooting on Tumblr offered different opinions of Gladden. After reading his Facebook page, one student, identified only as username those-atomic-bombs, said “any sympathy I had for this kid now gone until further notice.” * However, a student identified by the name -dazzleme- said Gladden “isn’t a psycho, or a monster or anything that you may think he is,” adding Gladden didn’t mean to shoot Borowy. “I know Bobby and he isn’t the type of kid to just go and randomly shoot people. He’s the kid that makes you laugh. He was bullied often and I believe that he just could not take it anymore,” -dazzleme- wrote on the Tumblr feed. Sad, the kid sounds deeply troubled. Our prayers are with Daniel Borowy and his family. We pray he will fully recover. Source Facebook
Rob can’t take the stress of being the least successful Kardashian any longer. The youngest and only “Man” of the clan, Rob broke down during a group therapy session on the latest episode of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’. “Right now, there’s some issues between us,” Rob admitted when urging his family to attend therapy with Dr. Nicki Monti. Most of the brood was on board, but convincing Kim to go was a different story. “Therapy’s not for me. I’m a very logical person so if I’m acting crazy, I know why,” Kim said begrudgingly after being dragged along. “I don’t really want to talk to a stranger about my family problems.” In the end, it was Kim who was targeted by her siblings in the first of a two-part episode. “Kim is the most selfish person and doesn’t want to ever include me,” Rob admitted, after getting into a blowout fight with his sister, accusing her of hampering and interfering with his career. Jenner told the group she doesn’t “mean any harm” by favoring Kim, but Khloe and Kourtney felt otherwise, and told their mother as much during the explosive therapy session. “I don’t know why my mom finds it a shock to think she favors Kim,” Khloe said. “We’re not just my mom’s clients, we’re her children!” Peep the vid. Do you feel Rob’s pain or does he need to grow some cojones?: Source Images via WENN
These Women shouldn’t be allowed to have anymore children! After employees found a toddler walking through the parking lot of a WaWa, they called Police. Luckily the little girl was able to point out where she lived. Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Captain Mike Harvey said a store employee brought the child inside and put clothes on her before police arrived. The little girl then led officers to her home, which was located near the store. Deputy Elizabeth Scott knocked for several minutes before someone finally opened the door. The two adults inside had been sleeping when Scott had arrived, according to Harvey, adding that once let in the deputy was immediately overcome by the stench of the property. ‘Deputy Scott entered the residence and immediately noticed a strong odor of rotten food and animal waste,’ he said. ‘Rotten food was found in and around the kitchen and animal waste was found in many areas of the residence.’ In addition to the two-year-old, there were seven other children living in squalor in the home, police said. The children, who were also found to be dirty, ranged in age from seven months to 16-years-old. Lam and Craig were the only adults found living in the house. Both are charged with felony child neglect. Police say Lam is the mother of five of the children and Craig is the mother of the other three. Each woman is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Detective Twyla DeMoranville, who focuses on crimes against children, and a social worker removed the eight children from the home. They were later turned over to their grandmothers. The children were unharmed, Harvey said. Animal control officers removed four dogs, three puppies and two kittens from the house. Lam was also slammed with charges of failing to maintain her premises in a sanitary condition and duties of a pet owner to provide food and water. It’s one thing if you don’t mind living in filth but don’t have kids if your dirty azz can’t take care of them. Both women, Elizabeth Lam, 38, and Crystal Dawn Craig, 29, have been charged with child neglect. Hope their Grandmothers take better care of them…but that’s questionable. Source Images via AP
Natalie Portman bares all, tastefully, in her latest ad for Dior beauty. Appropriately, Portman is advertising the Rouge Dior Nude Lipcolor. The collection includes eight new shades, including a special hue, Grege #169, proceeds from which benefit her charity of choice, the Free the Children Association. The organization uses leadership training to empower and inspire the world’s youth. You, subsequently, can feel good about admiring the image below: “I chose the color Gr
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival added more titles Tuesday, completing a lineup that includes 289 features of which 146 are world premieres from 72 countries. Among the titles revealed today are Cannes Palme d’Or winner Amour by Michael Haneke, Everyday by Michael Winterbottom, Like Someone in Love by Abbas Kiarostami and Me and You by Bernardo Bertolucci. The festival touted its huge list of directors and actors expected to attend the event, which takes place September 6 – 16. The festival revealed titles in its Masters and Discovery sections as well as events planned for its conversational “Mavericks series.” TIFF will also host its Docs Conference for a second year, expanding the event to two days and it will allow for public participation. The event will kick off with a keynote from HBO Documentary Films’ Sheila Nevins. Among this year’s directors expected to attend are: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman. Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams. Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford, Riz Ahmed, Ryan Gosling, Robert De Niro, Stephen Dorff, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Connelly, Billy Bob Thornton, Bradley Cooper, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Colin Firth, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Gwyneth Paltrow and many more. “These Masters films represent cinema’s living legacy,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO, TIFF. “We are proud to present new work from directors as renowned as Manoel de Oliveira, Michael Haneke, Bernardo Bertolucci and Abbas Kiarostami. All 14 filmmakers command the respect of audiences, critics and above all their filmmaking peers.” 2012 Toronto International Film Festival additions with descriptions provided by the event. Masters: Amour by Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany North American Premiere Screen legends Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are ineffably moving as an elderly couple facing their own mortality in the Palme d’Or-winning new work by modern master Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon). Beyond the Hills (Dupa Dealuri) by Cristian Mungiu, Romania/France North American Premiere Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) returns with this magisterial drama about a young Romanian woman who sets out to retrieve her childhood friend from “captivity” in a remote Romanian monastery, and soon comes into violent conflict with the archaic strictures of this traditional community. Everyday by Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere Everyday tells the story of four children separated from their father, and a wife separated from her husband. The father, Ian (John Simm), is in prison. The mother, Karen, (Shirley Henderson) has to bring up a family of four children by herself. Filmed over a period of five years, Everyday uses the repetitions and rhythms of everyday life to explore how a family can survive a prolonged period apart. Gebo and the Shadow (Gebo et l’ombre) by Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/France North American Premiere Cinematic legends Jeanne Moreau, Claudia Cardinale and Michael Lonsdale star in the new film from legendary Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira. In Another Country (Da-Reun Na-ra-e-suh) by Hong Sang-soo, South Korea North American Premiere South Korean master Hong Sang-soo teams with French superstar Isabelle Huppert for this inventive and wonderfully witty three-part film, in which three different but strikingly similar women — all named Anne, and all played by Huppert — meet and interact with the same group of people in a seaside Korean town, with each encounter producing a set of intriguing new outcomes and new possibilities. Like Someone in Love by Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/France North American Premiere An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo. She knows nothing about him; he thinks he knows her. He welcomes her into his home, she offers him her body. But the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstances of their encounter. Me and You by Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy North American Premiere In Italian master Bernardo Bertolucci’s first feature in 10 years, Lorenzo is a quirky 14-year-old loner who plans to fulfill his teenage dream of happiness by hiding out in his apartment building’s abandoned cellar. To escape his overwrought parents, Lorenzo will tell them that he is going away on a ski trip with school friends. For an entire week, he will finally be able to avoid all conflicts and pressures to be a “normal” teenager. But an unexpected visit from his worldly older half-sister Olivia changes everything. Their emotional time together will inspire Lorenzo to come to terms with the challenge of casting aside his disguise of troubled youth and prepare to soon be thrown into the chaotic game of adult life. Night Across the Street (La Noche de Enfrente) by Raúl Ruiz, France/Chile North American Premiere Three intersecting ages of a man who can see approach of death. Three rival souls. The final testament of Raúl Ruiz. Pieta by Kim Ki-duk, South Korea North American Premiere In the new film by controversial Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk, a brutal man employed by a loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle when a mysterious woman appears claiming to be his long-lost mother. But, as his attachment to her grows, he begins to discover the gruesome and tragic secret that made her seek him out. Something in the Air (Après mai) by Olivier Assayas, France North American Premiere At the beginning of the seventies, Gilles, a high school student in Paris, is swept up in the political fever of the time. Yet his real dream is to paint and make films, something that his friends and even his girlfriend cannot understand. For them, politics is everything, the political struggle all-consuming. But Gilles gradually becomes more comfortable with his life choices, and learns to feel at ease in this new society. Student by Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan North American Premiere Master director Darezhan Omirbayev transposes Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment to modern-day Kazakhstan, in this tale of a university student who takes the ruthless social Darwinist principles of his post-communist, pirate-capitalist society to their murderously literal extreme. When Day Breaks by Goran Paskaljevic, Serbia/Croatia/France World Premiere Misha Brankov is a retired music professor. One morning he receives a letter requesting him to contact the Jewish Museum in Belgrade. At the museum, he learns that during some excavations on the sewers at the city’s Old Fairgrounds, an iron box was found, in this same place where during the Second World War an infamous concentration camp was set up for Serbian Jews and Gypsies. The contents of the box will change the Professor’s life. Maverick Series: In Conversation With… Jackie Chan Actor, director, writer, producer, comedian, stuntman, action choreographer and martial artist Jackie Chan continues to do it all. His tireless work in more than 100 films over four decades has made him a global icon. There may be no corner of this planet where his face — and fists — are unknown. In this exclusive Mavericks Conversation, Chan will discuss the full range of his career. In a Festival exclusive, he will also offer a sneak preview glimpse of his upcoming film, Chinese Zodiac. Moderated by Cameron Bailey. Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony Produced by and starring Academy Award®-winning actor Javier Bardem, Álvaro Longoria’s documentary Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony examines the current political turmoil in Northern Africa, and the role of the Western world’s realpolitik foreign policies. These policies have generated tremendous instabilities that have erupted into violence and chaos. The film focuses on Western Sahara, the last African colony according to the UN, and a region on the brink of war. The film follows Bardem’s personal journey through the path of world diplomacy and the devastating reality of an abandoned people. Following the North American premiere screening, Bardem joins Longoria onstage to discuss how he discovered this catastrophic human rights issue, and his determination to bring the cause of the Saharan refugees to the attention of the UN Assembly. The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology Depending on one’s view, the philosopher and academic superstar Slavoj Žižek is a genius, madman, contrarian, clown, sensationalist, radical leftist, scourge of liberals, or all the above. What he never fails to be is wildly entertaining and provocative. Director Sophie Fiennes reunites with the very funny provocateur Žižek for the sequel to their collaboration The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema. Žižek examines film clips, both famous and obscure, for their overt and hidden ideological implications, tracing their connections to current times, while Fiennes does a masterful job editing Žižek’s commentary into film scenes and placing him into clever recreations of famous film sets. Fiennes and Žižek (making his first visit to the Festival) will engage in an onstage discussion following this world premiere screening. West of Memphis From Academy Award-nominated director Amy Berg, in collaboration with first-time producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis along with acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, comes West of Memphis — a powerful examination of a catastrophic failure of justice in Arkansas. This infamous case of three teenagers — known as the West Memphis Three — who were imprisoned for a heinous crime despite overwhelming evidence of their innocence, has galvanized grassroots supporters and high-profile advocates such as Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and musician Natalie Maines. Told and made by those who lived it, Berg’s unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defence allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before. A pre-taped video introduction by Jackson precedes the screening, which is followed by a live discussion about the case and the movement it inspired with Berg, Echols, Davis, Maines and Depp. Moderated by Thom Powers. Discovery: 7 Boxes by Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay International Premiere It’s Friday night in Asunción and the temperature is 40ºC. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow-boy, dreams of becoming famous and covets a cell phone in Mercado 4. He is offered the chance to deliver seven boxes with unknown contents in exchange for $100. This sounds like an easy job but it soon gets complicated. Something in the boxes is highly coveted. Víctor and his persecutors find themselves caught up in a crime they know nothing about. Starring Celso Franco, Lali González, Víctor Sosa and Nico García. Augustine by Alice Winocour, France International Premiere Paris, winter 1885. At the Pitié-Salpêtriere Hospital, Professor Charcot is studying a mysterious illness: hysteria. Augustine, 19 years old, becomes his favourite guinea pig and the star of his demonstrations of hypnosis. The object of his studies will soon become the object of his desire. Starring Soko, Vincent Lindon and Chiara Mastroianni. Blancanieves by Pablo Berger, Spain/France World Premiere Once upon a time, there was a little girl who never knew her mother. She learned the art of her father, a famous bullfighter, but was hated by her evil stepmother. One day she ran away with a troupe of dwarfs and became a legend. Set in southern Spain in the 1920s, Blancanieves is a tribute to silent film. Starring Maribel Verdú and Daniel Giménez Cacho. Boy Eating the Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos, Greece North American Premiere A 22-year-old boy in Athens has no job, no money, no girlfriend and no food to eat. He has only a canary bird and a beautiful singing voice. When he finds himself without a home, he must seek shelter for his bird. Starring Yiannis Papadopoulos. The Brass Teapot by Ramaa Mosley, USA World Premiere John and Alice are in their 20s, married, very much in love, and broke. In high school, gorgeous Alice was voted “most likely to succeed” but now she’s just trying to make ends meet while her friends are enjoying the good life. Her husband John, loving but immature, just wants to get the bills paid. After they get into an accident and end up at a roadside antique shop, Alice is uncharacteristically drawn to shoplift a brass teapot. It isn’t long before they realize this is no ordinary teapot. Starring Juno Temple, Michael Angarano, Alexis Bledel, Alia Shawkat, Bobby Moynihan, Stephen Park, Billy Magnussen and Debra Monk. Burn It Up Djassa by Lonesome Solo, Ivory Coast/France World Premiere In the busy streets of Abidjan, Tony, an out-of-school youth, scrapes together a living by hawking cigarettes but he soon turns to violence. Shot in 11 days in Abidjan, Burn It Up Djassa breathes new life into Ivory Coast film. Starring Abdoul Karim Konaté, Adélaïde Ouattara, Mamadou Diomandé and Mohamed Bamba. Call Girl by Mikael Marcimain, Sweden/Ireland/Norway/Finland World Premiere Stockholm, late 1970s. Within a stone’s throw of government buildings and juvenile homes lies the seductive world of sex clubs, discotheques and private residences. Call Girl tells the story of how young Iris is recruited from the bottom of society into a ruthless world where power can get you anything. Starring Pernilla August, Sofia Karemyr, Simon J Berger, Sven Nordin, David Dencik, Ruth Vega Fernandez, Josefin Asplund, Magnus Krepper and Kristoffer Joner. Clip by Maja Milos, Serbia North American Premiere Jasna is a beautiful girl in her mid-teens, leading a crude life in postwar Serbia. With a terminally ill father and dispirited mother, she is disillusioned and angry with everyone and everything, including herself. Having a huge crush on a boy from school, she goes on a spree of sex, drugs and partying, constantly filming with her mobile phone. Still, in that very harsh environment – love and tenderness emerge. Starring Isidora Simijonovic, Vukašin Jasnic, Sanja Mikitišin, Jovo Makisc and Monja Savic. The Color of the Chameleon by Emil Christov, Bulgaria World Premiere This is a story without innocents. A maniacal informant creates his own phantom secret-police department. He recruits a group of intellectuals to spy on each other and uses his secret archive to wreak havoc on the government. Secret policing reveals its dark nature not only in its nauseating cruelties, but in its deviant pleasures. Starring Ruscen Vidinliev, Irena Milyankova, Rousy Chanev, Deyan Donkov, Svetlana Yancheva and Samuel Finzi. The Deflowering of Eva van End by Michiel ten Horn, The Netherlands World Premiere The Deflowering of Eva van End is a tragicomedy about the van End family who, after the arrival of an impossibly perfect German exchange student, can no longer imagine how they ever managed to live with their imperfect selves. Starring Vivian Dierickx, Abe Dijkman, Tomer Pawlicki, Jacqueline Blom, Ton Kas and Rafael Gareisen. Detroit Unleaded by Rola Nashef, USA World Premiere Caught between the cultures of contemporary Detroit and traditional Arab-America, Sami works behind the bulletproof glass of a 24-hour gas station with his cousin Mike. Inside this unique East-side neighborhood, the once university-bound Sami is forced to put his dreams aside and resign himself to a world composed of junk food, overpriced Tigers baseball memorabilia, and cheap, long-distance phone cards. And then the beautiful Naj walks in. Starring E.J. Assi, Nada Shouhayib, Mike Batayeh, Mary Assel, Akram El-Ahmar and Steven Soro. Eat Sleep Die by Gabriela Pichler, Sweden North American Premiere When the forceful young Muslim Swedish/Balkan factory worker Raša loses her job, she must navigate the unemployment system. With no high school diploma, no job – but her boots deeply stained with the mud of the small town she grew up in – Raša finds herself on a collision course with society and its contradictory values and expectations. First time amateur actors play all of the main characters in the film. Starring Nermina Lukac, Milan Dragišic, Peter Fält, Ružica Pichler and Jonathan Lampinen. Fill the Void by Rama Burshtein, Israel North American Premiere Fill the Void tells the story of an Orthodox Hassidic family from Tel Aviv. Eighteen-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the family. She is about to be married to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true and Shira feels prepared and excited. When her 28-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child, Shira’s promised match is postponed. When Shira’s mother finds out that Esther’s widower may leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty. Starring: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir, Razia Israely, Hila Feldman, Renana Raz, Yael Tal, Michael David Weigl and Ido Samuel. The Interval by Leonardo Di Costanzo, Italy North American Premiere A boy and a girl have been locked up in an enormous abandoned building in Naples. The boy has been forced by a Camorra gang to act as her jail-keeper. But as the hours go by, hostility gives way to a form of exchange and when the Camorra gang members make their appearance at sunset, the pair are different from what we were expecting. Starring: Francesca Riso, Alessio Gallo, Carmine Paternoster, Salvatore Ruocco, Antonio Buil, Jean Yves Morard Janeane from Des Moines by Grace Lee, USA World Premiere A conservative housewife wants to “take America back” in the 2012 election, but a tough economy causes some difficulties in her life, leading her to confront Republican contenders as they criss-cross her state during the Iowa Caucuses. But will anyone hear her story? Starring Jane Edith Wilson, Michael Oosterom, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich. La Sirga by William Vega, Colombia/France/Mexico North American Premiere Alice is helpless. War memories invade her mind like threatening thunder. Uprooted by the armed conflict, she tries to reshape her life in La Sirga, a decadent hostel on the shores of a great lake in the highlands of the Andes. There, on a swampy and murky beach, she will try to settle down until her fears and the threat of war resurface again. Starring Joghis Seudin Arias, David Fernando Guacas, Julio César Roble, Heraldo Romero and Floralba Achicanoy . The Land of Eb by Andrew Williamson, USA World Premiere The Land of Eb relates a compassionate portrait of the Marshallese diaspora in Kona, Hawaii from the point of view of a hard-working and loving family man. Jacob forgoes cancer treatment in order to provide for his family when he’s gone. An insightful and ultimately joyful reminder of the lasting effects of the nuclear age. Starring Jonithen Jackson, Rojel Jonithen, Jeff Nashion and Hilary Monson. Nights with Theodore by Sébastien Betbeder, France World Premiere A party in a Parisian flat. Theodore meets Anna. Later in the night, while walking through Paris, they decide to climb the fence of Buttes-Chaumont Park. There, they will share their first night and they will continue to come back until this strange attraction begins to separate them. In Nights with Theodore, fiction meets documentary to show the mysteries and fantasies of Buttes-Chaumont Park. Starring Pio Marmaï and Agathe Bonitzer. Mushrooming by Toomas Hussar, Estonia North American Premiere Politician Aadu and his wife set out to pick mushrooms on a day when he gets a call from a journalist confronting him with suspected corruption. By coincidence, the married couple find themselves in a car with a pompous rock idol named Zäk. After discovering the spot his wife chose to pick mushrooms is full of vacationers, Aadu decides to find a quieter place. The woods where he ultimately ends up however, are perhaps too deep and inhospitable. Finding a way out may not be easy. This black comedy, with touches of political satire, aims at the often unscrupulous behaviour of contemporary politicians and media stars on their way to power and popularity. Starring Raivo E. Tamm, Elina Reinold, Juhan Ulfsak, Üllar Saaremäe and Hendrik Toompere Jr. Our Little Differences by Sylvie Michel, Germany International Premiere The seemingly harmonious relationship between the prestigious Doctor, Sebastian and his Bulgarian cleaning lady, Jana, develops into a vicious power game, when her daughter Vera and Arthur, the doctor’s son, vanish without a trace. Starring Wolfram Koch, Bettina Stucky, Leonard Bruckmann, Silvia Petkova, Wilhelm Eilers, Cornelia Brunig, Katharina Kubel and Jacqueline Macaulay. Out in the Dark by Michael Mayer, Israel/USA North American Premiere Two young men—a Palestinian grad student and an Israeli lawyer—meet and fall in love amidst personal and political intrigue in this striking debut feature. As their relationship deepens, Nimer is confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept him for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. Starring Nicholas Jacob and Michael Aloni. Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie, Australia World Premiere While trying to save his home from being bought up by developers, a young Aboriginal boy becomes lost in the Outback with his smart-mouthed friend, and must call on the wisdom and survival skills passed down to him by his grandfather (played by legendary Australian actor David Gulpilil) in order to lead them out of the wilderness. Starring David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby, Joseph Pedley, Rohanna Angus and Dean Daley-Jones. Wasteland by Rowan Athale, United Kingdom World Premiere Battered, bruised and under arrest, Harvey Denton sits in a police interview room facing interrogation. Clutching a stack of eyewitness statements, Detective Inspector West has no doubt as to Harvey’s part in a foiled robbery and his subsequent attempted murder of local businessman Steven Roper. Denying nothing, Harvey agrees to tell his version of events in full. As the story unfolds, we discover that a malevolent and unjust act perpetrated by Roper put Harvey in prison and now he has a score to settle. What unfolds is a tense and exhilarating heist of unexpected proportions. Starring: Luke Treadaway, Iwan Rheon, Matthew Lewis, Gerard Kearns, Timothy Spall, Vanessa Kirby and Neil Maskell. Canadian films previously announced in the Discovery programme include: Jason Buxton’s Blackbird, Igor Drljaca’s Krivina, Kate Melville’s Picture Day and Kazik Radwanski’s Tower. TIFF Kids: Nono, The Zigzag Kid by Vincent Bal, Belgium/The Netherlands World Premiere Nono wants to be like his father – the best police inspector of the world – but he gets into trouble all the time. Two days before his Bar Mitzvah, he’s sent away to his uncle Sjmoel, in order to keep to the straight and narrow. However, during the train ride Nono gets a last chance to prove himself. Along with master burglar Felix Glick – an old acquaintance of his father – he’s able to stop the train. He then enters a world of disguises, chases, French chansons, and of Zohara, a mysterious lady whose secrets will change Nono’s life forever. TIFF Docs: Monday, Sept 10 Keynote Conversation with Sheila Nevins 9:30 – 10:45 am Sheila Nevins, the President of HBO Documentary Films, speaks on the topic of “How Far Can Documentaries Go?” in a conversation moderated by film critic John Anderson. Nevins makes her first trip to the Festival with two films that she executive produced: Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God and First Comes Love. Making History: A Conversation with Ken Burns and Shola Lynch 11 am – 12:15 pm Acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns (The Central Park Five) and Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners) talk about directing historical documentaries in a conversation moderated by author and filmmaker Nelson George (Brooklyn Boheme). The Fruit Hunters sneak preview 1 pm – 2:15 pm Yung Chang (Up the Yangtzee; China Heavyweight) presents an exclusive sneak preview of selected scenes from his much-anticipated new film The Fruit Hunters, based on the best-selling book. World Premiere of Rafea: Solar Mama 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm Egyptian-American filmmakers Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) and Mona Eldaief present the world premiere of Rafea:Solar Mama, a documentary that follows an illiterate mother from Jordan to the Barefoot College in India that trains impoverished women in technology for solar energy. The film is part of the ambitious Why Poverty? series coming this fall. After the film, the directors will take part in a conversation with commissioning editors Nick Fraser (BBC’s Storyville) and Mette Meyer Hoffman (DVTR / Denmark). Tuesday, Sept 11 World Premiere of The Last White Knight 9:30 am – 11:30 am Filmmaker Paul Saltzman (Prom Night in Missisissippi) presents the world premiere of his latest work The Last White Knight. A former civil rights worker and 1960s activist, Saltzman returns to Mississippi to meet a man who once attacked him — Byron “Delay” De La Beckwith, the son of the man convicted of murdering Medgar Evers — in this affecting documentary about racism, the South (new and old) and the possibilities of reconciliation. Maximizing the Education Market 11:45 am – 12:45 pm Leading distributors who specialize in bringing documentaries to the educational market discuss how filmmakers can maximize opportunities in this area. Co-presented by DOC Toronto. New Trends in Documentary Broadcasting 1:15 – 2:15 pm Representatives from leading broadcast brands in North America discuss new initiatives for documentaries on their channels. Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children 2:30 – 4:30 pm Director Patrick Reed (Triage), producer Peter Raymont and the general-turned-author and advocate Romé
Introducing Movieline’s ARRIVALS series, spotlighting breakthrough performers enjoying a bit of a “moment.” Today meet British actress Carmen Ejogo, whose scene-stealing performance in Sparkle kicks off a big year in film and TV. As much as Sparkle is about well, Sparkle ( Jordin Sparks ), the shy young singer who learns to come into her own in this weekend’s R&B remake (not to mention Whitney Houston in what might have been her comeback), it’s Carmen Ejogo’s scene-stealing Sister — sultry, ambitious, and tragically doomed — who brings the film’s cautionary lessons crashing home. Ejogo’s offscreen story is even more intriguing: the MENSA member and one-time backing singer for Tricky (she does her own vocals in the film) got her start in the 1986 David Bowie musical Absolute Beginners and tried the leading lady route in her first crossover roles ( Metro , What’s the Worst That Could Happen ), before earning notice in Sally Hemings: An American Scandal , HBO’s Boycott , Lackawanna Blues , and last year’s Away We Go . With Alex Cross and ABC’s Zero Hour on the horizon (“It’s kind of like Da Vinci Code meets Mulder and Scully in The X-Files ,” she laughs), Ejogo, who lives in Brooklyn with husband Jeffrey Wright and their children, is poised for a breakthrough year stateside. She rang Movieline en route to the airport, still buzzing about the film’s crowd-pleasing premiere. How did the Sparkle premiere go? Carmen Ejogo: It was fantastic. I’m still sort of trying to absorb the comments that came afterwards about my performance. I’ve been a mom at home mostly for the past ten years, trying to raise a family, and so to come back with a role like this and then to have an evening like last night, where the movie was received really well and my performance is really noted… you know, I’m kind of a little bit dumbfounded at this moment. I have a soft spot for the original Sparkle so I was really interested to see how the film would differentiate itself from the original, and one element that really does set it apart is the performances. CE: I’m most excited when people say that they’ve seen the original and they really responded to our version cause that was my big fear all along. I’d got a lot of questions along the way when people asked what I was doing next and I’d tell them I’m playing Sister in Sparkle . They were like, “What do you mean?” It’s like the untouchable role in so many people’s minds, so I’m most excited when somebody’s seen the original and they’re really into what we’ve done with this new version remake. What’s interesting about Sparkle the story, in both the original and the remake, is that it’s really Sister’s story for so much of the film. Did you find when you were first considering the project and going for it that Sister was a deceptively needy and nuanced character to play? CE: Oh absolutely. I’ve never, ever, if you look at my body of work – I’ve never played a sexy character, ever. You mean a character that explicitly uses her sensuality? CE: Absolutely, exactly. There’s many a career that’s been built on that in this industry and I’ve stayed away from it wholeheartedly, and the only thing that gave me permission in myself to play it in this role was because I understood that the journey. The arc is such that [Sister] is such a naïve personality and that neediness is so much who she is, and that becomes revealed. Where there’s this bravado and controlled sexuality and charisma that’s based on looks and something exterior, you also get an opportunity in this role to really explore and sort of put forth the inner workings of what often makes this kind of girl tick – and it’s usually and very often out of a real deep-seated neediness and insecurity and the need for validation from others. In Sister’s case, it’s from her mother in some kind of strangely complicated way, but it’s also from men, very evidently, throughout the movie. So that sort of complexity is what drew me to this role and I willingly played it, particularly in this sort of cult-celebrity kind of culture that we’re in trying to rope children into. Right, Sister learns that playing into her sexuality for fame is ultimately her downfall. CE: I have a daughter and I’m so conscious of the fact that she is bombarded with images of women who are celebrated purely because of their celebrity and their sexiness, and women who have sort of academic prowess or have great minds are not really looked upon in the same glory, so I really enjoyed the fact that we had [Tika Sumpter’s character] Dolores in the movie, who I saw like comes out as one of the most awesome honest personalities in the movie who wanted to be a doctor. She has no interest in these silly games. Sparkle you respect because she has real talent, and in the end, Sister is really just pathetic. I thought that was an interesting thing to put forth, the idea of the sexiest girl in the movie being the most pathetic. Do you feel that you’ve had to make that similar choice in your life in your work, to navigate the Sister-esque route in your career? CE: Definitely, definitely. If I had been making certain choices earlier in my career that I actively avoided I probably would be a little up to speed with a lot of my contemporaries. A lot of girls I was coming up with have far exceed me in terms of focus within the business, but I’m still happy and proud and can stand by my body of work at this point and I don’t feel like I’ve compromised my values along the way. One of my favorite tidbits about you is that you are a member of MENSA… CE: [Laughs] I don’t know if I can still pass if I took the test! After having kids I’ve definitely lost a few brain cells along the way. A high IQ isn’t something that Hollywood tends to naturally exploit in actors, unfortunately. CE: There was a point when I was very young where I remember talking with my mom about going to drama school and this was maybe when I was 8, 9, 10 years old – and she knew that I was also academically very capable, and she steered me in another direction. I ended up getting a scholarship to a really academically strong girls’ school that had produced people like Kate Beckinsale; she’s actually another actress in the industry who I feel has really had to grapple with certain choices and I think has a similar take on this. She was in the year above me in the school that I went to. It’s interesting the kind of girl that that place has produced, that have recognized the complexity of being a woman in this industry and made choices out of that. There were definitely forks in the path where I could have gone one way or another, but the academics certainly were something that was more encouraged in my house. Whitney Houston is such a tremendous presence onscreen just watching the movie. What it was like to be in those scenes and on set with her? CE: I actually had to get up from the [premiere] screening after she performed her song. I was just in absolute tears, as were many of the people around me, but I had to go and fix my make up because I knew that the lights were coming up in twenty minutes. [Laughs] Her presence on the screen is just utterly mesmerizing, she’s luminescent. On the set, she was always a presence, but there was a humility about that presence, an approachability about her that is not always what you find in stars, and that’s what she embodied. I have to really thank her so much to some degree for the performance that I was able to give within this movie because knowing that the people at the helm, the biggest name in the movie, are willing to be vulnerable and to be honest in their performance and their work, and their willingness to work with the other actors, sort of set the tone and freed me up to so what I had to do. She was also very open about her life, her past, in whatever way she thought would be beneficial to my work because obviously there are very strong parallels at times between my character’s past and Whitney’s past and life. I thought that was very generous and not asked for but was really offered. You really don’t know who you’re going to be showing up to work with on a project, and you just hope that have really creative endeavors at heart, and that’s absolutely where she was coming from. I read that you used to be in a band, is that true? CE: Gosh, yeah! I mean a long time ago, and that was really just a brief moment in time. I went on tour with a recording artist in the UK around the States, actually. I dabbled a little bit in the whole music thing but I’ve always thought about Bernie Taupin, who is Elton John’s lyricist; Elton John is the great melody and song writer but Bernie Taupin is the one who writes all the lyrics. I don’t write lyrics, and I never wanted to be in the music business if I was just going to be a puppet in it. So I made that choice at some point but I have such a passion for music and I love that whole space – I just had to decide at some point to devote myself to acting. That kind of made Sparkle a bit of a dream job. I got to combine the two and play at being a pop star. Which musician were you on tour with? CE: His name is Tricky, he’s a trip-hop artist. In that moment in time he was definitely a force to be reckoned with musically. But one of the reasons I didn’t ever pursue a career – in the music world if you’re black or mixed, you need to be able to belt a song or else you’re not a singer, you know? Coming from the UK, I can think of so many great songs and musical moments that didn’t require a belter of a voice; my favorite singer is Kate Bush and she’s not a belter, or PJ Harvey… I’m definitely more of an alternative girl. So given the fact that I’m on a soundtrack with Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks and Cee-Lo, for goodness sake, a performance like mine is probably not going to get a lot of attention, and I’m okay with that. [Laughs] But that’s Sister singing those songs. The way I would approach those songs might be a little different – there’s a sassy, there’s a sultry, there’s a husky going on in that voice that’s not necessarily how I’d perform a song. It’s a performance! I was pleasantly surprised to find that R. Kelly was involved in the music of Sparkle . Did you interact with him much? CE: I learned a lot about R. Kelly from Whitney because they go back forever, and I didn’t know that. Whitney would talk about certain people in her life – she’s very reflective, I found, in lots of ways, and would talk about times with Michael Jackson who she really knew when she was a teen, and R. Kelly who she’s known forever. I never actually got to meet him. He remains in the shadows. Your next film is Alex Cross … CE: It is, and it’s a really small but pivotal role in the movie. It’s funny because it’s destined that it happened, because that’s how I got Sparkle – the make-up artist on Alex Cross said, “Do you sing?” And I said yeah, a little bit, and she said, “You really need to know about this movie that’s happening in Detroit, called Sparkle . And that’s when I decided to self-tape that night to go for the role of Sister. As small as the role is in Alex Cross , it’s a funny thing for that to come out after Sparkle . But I’m so thankful for that because really, one came from the other. What was it like to work with Tyler Perry? He has this niche following but this promises to be a real crossover. CE: I totally agree, and that’s what interested me about the project. Rob Cohen, who directed it, had been a fan of Sally Hemings which I did many, many years ago. So I was very excited to work with him for that reason as much as any, but this Tyler aspect was a bit of an unknown because I’ve never seen any of his movies. Of course I knew who he is, and I know the space he inhabits in terms of film, but I recognized that this was going to be a serious role and a departure for him from what he normally does. And he, I have to say, was as dedicated to the work as any actor I’ve ever seen. To the point that I don’t know if I ever actually experienced time with Tyler. I had never met him previously. I think he’s coming to the premiere so I might get a sense of who he really is, but I felt like I was constantly talking to Alex Cross. He was kind of method in his approach, and he was really full on! Audiences will also get to see you on the small screen, in Zero Hour . What can we expect? CE: I literally start as soon as I get back filming [ Zero Hour ] for ABC with Anthony Edwards, this is his return to network television. It’s really a two-hander; what excites me about the potential of this is it deals with subject matter that I think is going to be quite potentially controversial and titillating for the American audience, because it’s all about religion versus science and faith versus non-faith, and these topics that people don’t like to get into too much. It’s kind of like Da Vinci Code meets Mulder and Scully in The X-Files . [Laughs] It’s funny, I know where I’ve been coming from all these years and my background and I realized as I reflect, I’m a horror/sci-fi buff without realizing it. I was a big Stephen King book reader growing up, and I think I’ve made certain choices over the years based on that taste, and this is definitely one of those moments. Sparkle is in theaters now. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
SMH @ this “Honey Boo Boo” child character being exploited by her mama… HONEY BOO BOO” has become an overnight sensation – but the sassy 6-year-old pageant queen almost didn’t have her shot at prime time after charges of child abuse nearly kept TLC’s hit new reality show off the air. “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” premiered to huge ratings on Aug. 8. The show follows the lives of the Thompson family from rural McIntyre, Ga., including TLC’s new runaway star, Alana, aka “Honey Boo Boo.” The network decided to give the unforgettable little girl her own series after videos of her appearances on the cable network’s “Toddlers & Tiaras” went viral earlier this year. BUT production of the show nearly came to a screeching halt shortly after filming began in March when investigators from Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services made an unannounced visit to the family’s home. “Honey Boo Boo’s upbringing raised eyebrows with neighbors,” a source told The ENQUIRER. “The parents feed her energy drinks, cheese puffs for breakfast and brag about how they cook roadkill for meals. She even eats roadkill with flies swarming around her head!” But the authorities didn’t get involved until a videotape of Honey Boo Boo dancing for dollars on a table in a bar was posted online. In the scene, which was not filmed by TLC, mom June defended her daughter’s actions by explaining that it was a college bar, not a “sleazy” one. Investigators found reason to bring the case to court, but June’s court-appointed attorney was able to convince the judge to throw it out, and filming resumed in May. The first episode of the show – which showcases a whole lot of belly-slapping and gas-passing – drew an impressive 2.2 million viewers, but it also received a considerable amount of criticism. And that criticism is bound to increase later in the season after Alana’s 17-year-old sister Anna, aka “Chickadee,” gives birth to a baby girl with two right thumbs – and grandma June makes fun of the defect! “If the family had been charged for having bad taste,” added the source, “the judge would have thrown the book at them!” We’re already not feelin’ these people. Something tells us that they’re just putting on an act to make money and we hope that little girl doesn’t let her mom use her up to the point where she’s damaged long term. Although with all the Red Bull and Mountain Dew she’s been drinking she has to be feeling some kind of effects. Source
