Tag Archives: country

Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen Added To ‘On The Road’ Cast

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart also star in the film based on Jack Kerouac’s novel. By Adam Rosenberg Amy Adams Photo: Ethan Miller/ WireImage And the Beat goes on. Two more have joined the cast of director Walter Salles’ upcoming adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel “On the Road,” which already counts Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart among its stars. Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams have signed on to play the husband and wife couple Old Bull Lee and Jane, according to Deadline New York . Both drug abusers, Sal (Riley) encounters the Lees later in his story and, for all their faults, sees in them the sort of connection that he is looking for in his own sought-after relationship. For those who are unfamiliar with the novel’s background, Kerouac’s writings are a largely autobiographical account of his journeys around the country, though specific names have been changed. Old Bull Lee and his wife, Jane, are believed to be noted author William S. Burroughs and his common-law wife Joan Vollmer. Burroughs accidentally shot and killed Vollmer in 1951, an incident he initially said stemmed from a William Tell act gone wrong. Adams will next appear in David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” alongside Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. And “On the Road” isn’t her only project with a connection to counterculture: “Twilight” producer Wyck Godfrey revealed a few weeks ago that she is also attached to star in a Janis Joplin biopic. For Mortensen, this marks the second “Road” movie in a short period of time. He starred opposite Kodi Smit-McPhee (“Let Me In”) in last year’s adaptation of the post-apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy novel “The Road.” He’ll next star with Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley in director David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” as the famed psychotherapist Sigmund Freud. Check out everything we’ve got on “On the Road.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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The Violent World of White Supremacist Gangs

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

;cbsCarousel (CBS) According to the Justice Department, 27,000 gangs with 788,000 members operate in this country. Chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian gives us a look at a heavily armed, and very dangerous white supremacist gang. Posing as a gun-runner an undercover ATF agent opened a door into the rarely-seen world of white supremacists. They're ultra-violent, sophisticated, and less interested in a pure white race, than the color of money. “Their criminal activity was first, robberies, burglaries, drug sales, firearms, arms trafficking, and then I think their white rhetoric and passing along their message for recruiting was second,” the undercover agent said. During the course of a 2 1/2-year undercover operation, the ATF agent met with white supremacist gang members at a hangout in Omaha, and other locations around town, setting up deals for drugs, guns and ammo. The leader of the eight-member group, identified by the signature red suspenders, is Jason “Skin” Hawthorne – a three-time felon. Virtually his entire crew had done time in federal prison – the breeding ground, experts say, for white supremacists. “What has happened in the last 10 or 15 years is that we have seen these gangs increasingly spilling out of the prisons and onto the street,” said Mark Potok, Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Particularly in California and Texas, and now spreading across Midwestern states, nearly 5,000 white supremacists are in prison today. Experts estimate that number could be 50,000 nationwide – distinguished by an unceasing appetite for violence. The undercover ATF agent was concerned about their “constant talk of violent activity,” and “their lack of respect for human life as a whole.” He added, “for them, I think it was a way of life.” ATF agents working what was known as “Operation Red Swastika” called this gang the “worst of the worst.” They cited the use of stun guns – stronger than those used by federal agents, radio scanners, and virtual carbon-copies of SWAT team outfits. Skin and his crew were wearing the SWAT outfits the night they showed up at the undercover agent's apartment, ready to rob what they thought was a drug dealer but was actually an ATF sting. The undercover agent said they were “ready to go,” with “black hats, black coats, pants, black boots, surveillance equipment, and GPS tracker.” Before they did that, some of the crew decided to get amped-up for the action – by smoking meth. “They sat at my table, loaded their guns, and smoked methamphetamines,” the undercover agent said. “It definitely took things to a different level.” So did a surprising phone call. AFT supervisor Mickey Leadingham informed his agent his wire was no longer working. “My words were, hey, you're flying solo. And he knew what that meant,” Leadingham said. A small army of law enforcement officers waited in a nearby parking lot and arrested all eight men without incident. “It was a relief. I was glad it was over,” the undercover agent said. “At least I thought it was over.” added by: TimALoftis

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Terry Gilliam Talks ‘Liberating’ Arcade Fire Webcast

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I’m just a really old groupie,’ the director jokes. By Eric Ditzian Terry Gilliam Photo: MTV News Terry Gilliam had been gearing up this summer for pre-production on “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” — a famously troubled film the director first started shooting a decade ago only to see it collapse — when what Gilliam calls a financial “hiccup” again interrupted work. That’s when he got a call from the Arcade Fire , asking if he’d like to join the band on tour and direct a webcast of their concert at Madison Square Garden. “I have to thank them for liberating me from weeks of depression,” Gilliam laughed. And so since late last week, Gilliam has been riding on the band’s tour bus, checking out shows in support of their new album, The Suburbs, and figuring out exactly how he’s going to capture their epic sound for computer screens. The effort is part of American Express’ “Unstaged,” a series of concerts by artists like Alicia Keys and John Legend streamed over the Web. As he readies plans to film the Arcade show on Thursday (August 5), Gilliam gave MTV News a call to chat about his existential connection with the band, the difference between making movies and making music and why he’s hoping not to inflict “too much Terry Gilliam” on the webcast. MTV : It was surprising, in a very good way, to hear about an Arcade Fire/ Terry Gilliam collaboration. How’d the whole thing come together? Gilliam : Less than two weeks ago, I got contacted by their manager asking if I’d be interested. There just happened to be a little gap in my life, and it’s something I’ve never done, and I’ve been a fan of the band since Funeral. I thought, “Why not? Just leap off the edge of the cliff and see what happens.” MTV : Did they know that you were a fan or something? Terry Gilliam : I don’t know. It turned out that they like my stuff, and maybe the band and I will develop a relationship, so this really has become a meeting as opposed to anything else. I hate the fact that this word “directing” is being slammed all over the place. I’m not directing. I’m just hanging out with them. I’m just a really old groupie. MTV : So if you wouldn’t call it directing, what are you doing in preparation and then on the day of the show? Will you be in the control room calling for cameras? Terry Gilliam : I’m still working it out, which is what is so wonderful. I’ve been with the band since Montreal on Friday night. I’ve seen three shows already. I’m just trying to work out what we’re doing. The reason I’m so relaxed about it is that the show is so good that I don’t have to do anything. You just point some cameras at it and it’ll be great. The cameras and the team that does that are already in place. All I’m trying to do is make sure what they capture is true to what the band is doing. The band has got guys mixing their own cameras up on the screen and pulling in material that they’ve already assembled. When I saw that, I realized, “I don’t have anything to do!” which is good, because they’ve got great stuff, and anything I might do is just unnecessary and may end up being too much Terry Gilliam. MTV : There can never be too much Terry Gilliam! Terry Gilliam : Oh, I’ve read the reviews. Come on! MTV : So what have your conversations been like with Win Butler and the band as you hang out and get closer to the live stream? Terry Gilliam : It’s all about knowing who they are and how they see things. They come from the suburbs and I come from the suburbs. The music resonated as much with me as it does with contemporary suburban kids or kids trying to get out of the suburbs. There are those that stay behind in this kind of Middle Earth that is neither country nor city, neither good nor bad, but a place that if you’re creative, you just need to get away from. You want to get where it’s painful. MTV : So are you just going to be kicking back having a beer on show night? Terry Gilliam : I’m in the middle of it! I don’t know what will happen! They said, “Just come along and we’ll see what happens.” In many ways, if we get on well, there’s something in the future that can be more thought-out. When Win and I first talked on the phone, I said, “Win, when I make a movie, I’m a couple years in preparation so that when I get to shooting, it’s so much a part of my being that I’m not even thinking about it. It’s not like we’re playing music and I’m at the piano and you come in with a guitar and we make a song.” The whole thing is very relaxed and we’ll see what else it leads to if I don’t make too many mistakes. MTV : Are you guys thinking about a more in-depth documentary? Terry Gilliam : Those conversations are floating around with other people and I’m staying out of them and seeing where this leads. It’s exploratory for us and for the band. MTV : Have you gone back and looked at some classic concert documentaries? Terry Gilliam : Nope! I don’t watch concerts very often. I’ve been in a couple. I was in the “Concert for George.” [Monty] Python was a big part of that. That was such a great night. The atmosphere was astonishing. When you see the DVD, it’s fine for people that weren’t there, but it was not what we experienced. That’s the problem with DVDs and webcasts — it’s just a fraction of the experience of being in the room. It’s always difficult to capture that. That’s why theater is theater. It’s that moment and no other moment. MTV : You sound so chilled out! I think it’s great that you’re just going with the flow on this whole thing. Terry Gilliam : It’s been so much fun. We’ve had a documentary camera running around following me when I’m talking to the band. I have no idea what that will end up being. When I work on a film, everything is so controlled. So the idea of someone with a camera, wiggling it around at us when we’re talking, I’m hoping it might be liberating. Because I don’t care! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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Prop 8 Ruling Celebrated By Ellen DeGeneres, Paris Hilton, More

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Ricky Martin, Kim Kardashian and other celebs hit Twitter after California’s gay-marriage ban is overturned. By Kara Warner Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres Photo: Getty Images Celebrity tweeters were especially vocal on Wednesday (August 4) after U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker struck down Proposition 8, California’s controversial same-sex marriage ban, ruling it unconstitutional. Prop 8 was a ballot measure that passed in California during the ’08 election and was met with a shockwave of surprise and anger from within Hollywood and the country at large. The overwhelmingly positive reactions to Wednesday’s news helped put all that negativity in the past and added up to one giant virtual warm fuzzy. Ellen DeGeneres wrote, simply: “Equality won!” She later added a link to her personal website , where she deemed the ruling “a huge step forward.” DeGeneres’ wife, Portia De Rossi, followed with her own happy words: “I am ecstatic that Proposition 8 has been overturned in the state of California,” the actress said. “This is an incredibly exciting and historical day and a big step towards equal rights for all.” Paris Hilton chimed in happily: “What a huge historical day for equal rights in this country! They finally overturned Prop 8! There shouldn’t be a law on true love. :)” Other elated celeb reactions included one from “Glee” actress Kristin Chenoweth : “Prop 8 overturned in California! Praise God!” Ricky Martin expressed his thoughts with exuberant all caps: “YEAHHHHH!!!!! #PROP8UNCONSTITUTIONAL MOVING FORWARD!!!!!!!!” Shanna Moakler added: “Tonight we celebrate! EQUALITY and LOVE for all! This is so much bigger then marriage, it’s about wisdom, compassion and knowing we CAN be heard, action DOES make a difference.” Kim Kardashian weighed in as well: “Prop 8 was struck down! This news is amazing!!!! It’s about time! Congrats to everyone!” What are your thoughts on today’s ruling? Join the discussion in the comments. Related Artists Ellen Degeneres Ricky Martin Paris Hilton

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Taylor Swift’s New Single ‘Mine’ Hits Internet

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Lead single from singer’s upcoming Speak Now leaked on Wednesday. By James Dinh Taylor Swift Photo: Charles Eshelman/ WireImage If there’s anyone who knows how to sing a song with a spark of teenage love and a happy ending, it’s Taylor Swift. On Wednesday (August 4), the pop star’s “Mine,” the lead single from her forthcoming album, Speak Now, leaked onto the Internet. On the new song, Swift sings about what it feels like to find a guy who’s an exception to the rest. “Mine” is all about the wonders of being in a happy relationship after surviving a rocky past. Without straying too far from typical Swift subject matter, the song features an uplifting country/pop melody and a big chorus. “Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?/ You put your arm around me for the first time/ You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter/ You are the best thing that’s ever been mine,” Swift belts on the sing-along chorus. And while Swift embraces her emotions, her take on relationships proves more realistic than some of her earlier material. “And I remember that fight, 2:30 a.m./ You said everything was slipping right out of our hands/ I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street/ Brace myself for the goodbye/ Because it’s all I’ve ever known/ And you took me by surprise/ You said, ‘I’ll never leave you alone,’ ” she sings on the song’s bridge. Last month, Swift described “Mine” as a reflection of her own love-life habits, revealing that she’s “developed this pattern of running away” when relationships turn to love and get serious. “The song is sort of about finding the exception to that and finding someone who would make you believe in love and realize that it could work out, because I’m never ever going to go past hoping that love works out,” she told fans during a live Ustream chat. Swift recently taped a performance of “Mine” for an upcoming special titled “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” which will air September 1 on ABC. The video for the song was shot in early July and features British actor Toby Hemingway. Locals on the set reported spotting Swift shooting scenes on a lake and walking outside of a church. What do you think of Taylor’s new single, “Mine”? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Taylor Swift

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MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough Ridicules ‘My Party,’ Lectures GOP on Immigration

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday again decided to slam the Republican Party (Scarborough is a former-GOP Congressman). He chided, “My party. What happened to my party?” Democrat Co-host Mika Brzezinski made sure to notify Scarborough that, “Your party is over!” Scarborough was astounded that some Senate Republicans are calling for hearings on the 14th Amendment regarding birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. Instead of examining the indictment or even giving a conservative viewpoint, Scarborough denounced his colleagues saying, “Instead of tearing up the Constitution of the United States, why don’t we just enforce the immigration laws that are on the books right now?” Scarborough based his reaction on a false conclusion that the Republicans’ intention is to repeal the 14th Amendment, which is not even possible for them to do on their own. Yet, Scarborough screamed, “They are going to hold hearings on getting rid of the 14th Amendment.” Scarborough seemed to be ignoring the stated goals of the GOP senators, examining the amendment and determining its intent. Laying out this question: Whether or not someone who happens to be born in this country to parents who are not citizens, or in this country legally, should be automatically granted citizenship and all the benefits that come with citizenship? Nevertheless, Scarborough mocked the idea alleging, “We are going to ban Santa Claus next.” Scarborough is developing an appetite for attacking Republicans. For example, the time he blamed Republicans for the continued war in Afghanistan , or the time he called Republicans “Genuinely Stupid” for criticizing Obama’s oil spill response or perhaps the time he cited that Arizona’s immigration law was “Un-American.” This attempt is just another example of Scarborough, the show’s “voice of the right,” taking every opportunity to belittle his “party.”

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Happy Birthday Mr. President!

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Obama's BBQ Fixing the country, one burger at a time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw4GsjcsP24 added by: ibrake4rappers13

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Iraq Withdrawal? Don’t Believe Obama’s Hype

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

If you’re feeling skeptical after hearing President Obama’s latest speech on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, you’re not alone. It’s hard to know what to make of a President and an administration that brings over 90,000 troops home while ordering 50,000 soldiers along with 75,000 military contractors to remain. Over 150,000 personnel are still stationed in Iraq and the US is supposed to be completely out of the country by 2011. That’s next year. Bringing home thousands by the end of this August is a good step, but we really need to step on it. Obama’s speech strikes me as an exercise in Orwellian double-think: the US is simultaneously withdrawing and expanding its military presence in Iraq. So which is it? And, importantly, how does the peace movement communicate with people who think the war is effectively over at the end of August? Jeremy Scahill has written recently in The Nation that “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is presiding over what is shaping up to be a radical expansion of a private, US-funded paramilitary force that will operate in Iraq for the foreseeable future…”. Unfortunately, the State Department is dragging its heels as much as the Pentagon and has requested funds from Congress to hire 6,000 – 7,000 more “security contractors” and train them like soldiers. While working under the auspices of the State Department, these new personnel would have the status of “diplomats.” But who ever heard of a diplomat trained like a soldier and armed with a gun? MORE AT LINK: http://bit.ly/obamasiraqhype added by: pinkpanther

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Matthews Whacked Fox for Being ‘Stooges’ for Senate Candidates, But What About MSNBC’s Senate Shilling?

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Tuesday night’s Hardball, Chris Matthews theorized (confessing he didn’t really have evidence) that GOP candidates like Sharron Angle get to pre-screen their questions before appearing on Fox News. He concluded: “How far will these candidates go in expecting the networks, especially Fox in the case of the right wing, to do their bidding and set them up as basically stooges, asking pre-arranged questions, pre-arranged answers?” Matthews mocked Angle’s chutzpah that interviews should be fundraising opportunities. It’s a little mysterious that MSNBC would get on a high horse for offering repeated bites at the publicity apple for Senate candidates. Take the case of Bill Halter, the staunch leftist who challenged Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D.-Ark.) in a primary for not supporting a socialist “public option” in the health-care debate. From March through the June 8 primary, MSNBC hosted Halter in ten interviews (on programs included in the Nexis transcript database), including seven on The Ed Show, one on The Rachel Maddow Show (on March 3), one on Hardball (on March 12), one on Andrea Mitchell Reports on primary day (June 8).  Don’t like candidates repeating their websites on air, MSNBC? Halter did on the Ed Show. Here’s May 19:  SCHULTZ: Governor, you have gotten the grass roots support, I mean overwhelming compared to your opponent. Is it going to be there between now and June 8th? Can you count on the same people that got you close last night to close the deal for you? HALTER: Well, Ed, I`m just going to ask them right now. Go to billhalter.com. Our average contribution has been $30. That`s something that people across Arkansas and across the United States can do, and I can guarantee you this, we`re going to put that money to good use. Actually, it happened again on that night:  SCHULTZ: Adam, what if the progressive movement in this country can`t pull it off in Arkansas? Would this be a big setback? Because I see this as a real turning point right here. I mean, she is the first corporate Democratic senator that fought hard against health care reform. I don`t think she held insurance`s feet to the fire at all. If she is successful, is that a real blow to the progressive movement? ADAM GREEN: Sure. Any loss would be a blow to any movement. But we`re going to win, and here`s why we`re going to win. One by-product of the fact that she has taken millions and millions of dollars from big corporations is that she really has no grassroots support here on the ground. You can feel it. Meanwhile, thousands of thousands of people are chipping in with their time and their money to Bill Halter, either at BillHalter.com or on our website, BoldProgressives.org. Halter also did two website plugs on the Ed Show of May 24:  SCHULTZ: The latest Research 2000 poll shows you were slightly ahead of the Senator, 48-46. Is it going to be this close all the way? What do you think? HALTER: I think it will be close, but I believe that we`re headed for a victory on June 8th. Certainly, we have all the momentum, Ed. We`ve seen that all over the state. SCHULTZ: Do you have the money? HALTER: We can always use help, Ed. BillHalter.com for anybody who wants to help out. SCHULTZ: But right now do you have the money? HALTER: Well, we`ve got enough to get our ads up, but we can always use more. SCHULTZ: Well, what about her war chest? She doesn`t seem to have the grassroots the way you do. HALTER: No, that`s true. But she`s had six years to raise money, and so she banked over $8 million. We`ve out-raised Senator Lincoln ever since we got in the race, but she just had a big head start. Of course, she spent a lot of that money, too. But we could use everybody`s help, $10, $20, $30. BillHalter.com is the place to go . The Ed Show dates for Halter were March 2, March 5, March 31, May 14, May 19, May 24, and June 2.  But Matthews called Sharron Angle’s grinning insistence to Cameron on fundraising plugs in her interviews as “the most incredible 26 seconds of television history for a very long time.” That’s obviously a very slanted lesson in TV history.

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Great, Green Back-to-School Gear for Tots and Teens (Slideshow)

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

With school supply lists hitting mailboxes all over the country over the next few weeks, it’s tempting to run out and stock up on pencils, notebooks, crayons, and other academic must-haves for elementary, junior high, and high school — but taking the time to research sustainable alternatives to classic supplies can earn you an A+ in environmentalism. Check out our list of go-to gear for kids — from recycled backpacks and pencils made of newspaper to banana-paper notebooks and bag-free lunches — to see which supplies make the grade. For more options, check out our

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