Michelle’s always ready to stand by her man and help folks understand that Barack’s done more to help boost this economy than many think. The First Lady rose to her husbands defense in a recent interview with DC radio station, WPGC . While the recent presidential debate and the drooping economy has the put President Obama on the defense, First Lady Michelle Obama has hit the trail to make a case for her husband in chief and the recovering economy. “I mean, we are seeing right now that we are in the midst of a huge recovery. Right?” Mrs. Obama told WPGC/Washington DC. ”Because of what this president has done, pulled this economy from the brink of collapse when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. Now were gaining throughout most of his presidency, we’ve been adding jobs to this economy because of what he’s been doing. The stock market has doubled. Housing prices are rising. Foreclosure rates are lowering. But in the face of that, you still have people trying to convince us that things aren’t better. And that just doesn’t make sense.” The First Lady also acknowledged that there was still a long way to go. “Barack of all people knows that we still have a long way to go to completely rebuild the economy,” she said. “But we’re headed in the right direction. And when you see all of that truth, it’s hard to understand, why are people blocking this? ” Do you think things are getting better? Images via WENN
Did anyone other than the two fools who filed this suit ever care about being on The Bachelor anyway? LLS We’re not surprised with the Judge’s ruling one bit. According to TMZ… A judge has THROWN OUT a lawsuit that two black men filed against “The Bachelor” … in which they claimed they were rejected from the show based on the color of their skin. In the original suit, the men pointed out that every bachelor in the show’s history has been white — and claim producers intentionally stayed away from people of color because they feared an interracial relationship would alienate the show’s “predominantly white viewership.” But a Tennessee judge has officially dismissed the case — citing the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech) … and explaining that the court cannot tell TV producers … or movie producers … or playwrights … how to cast a production. In fact, the judge explains that Freedom of Speech is why “The Cosby Show” could have an all-black cast … why “Jersey Shore” can cast all-Italians … and why “Shahs of Sunset” can cast all-Persians. A rep for Warner Bros. — which produces the show — tells TMZ, “We felt from the onset this case was completely without merit and we are pleased the Court has found in our favor.” Damn…looks like homeboy isn’t gonna find his one true love on reality TV anytime soon. At least it’s one less show for us to be stereotyped on! Images via facebook
Man Says He’s Too “Racist And Homophobic” To Be A Juror Wow. People will try anything to get out of jury duty!! A WOULD-BE juror faces prosecution after he claimed he was unable to serve at Southampton Crown Court due to “extreme homophobic and racist views”. A letter written by the man was read out in court after he was selected to serve on the jury in the case of a man who was on trial for assault and dangerous driving. Presiding Judge Gary Burrell QC read the letter out in open court in which the man, who the Daily Echo cannot name for legal reasons, said his extreme views made it impossible for him to be impartial. He wrote: “I strongly believe that it would be a serious injustice to the legal system to select me for jury service. “I hold extreme prejudices against homosexuals and black/foreign people and couldn’t possibly be impartial if either appeared in court. Therefore it would not be in the court’s interest to have me a juror.” He added that in his eagerness to bring any case to a swift conclusion, he would simply vote with the majority and not give his true opinion. He concluded: “I would be more than happy to speak to a judge regarding my personal views regarding the legal system which I do not hold in high regard.” Prosecuting and defence barristers Rebecca Austin and Robert Bryan lodged a challenge to him as a juror. When questioned by Judge Burrell about whether these were his true beliefs he confirmed they were and added that he didn’t think he had the right to “judge anyone”. Judge Burrell said: “If you do genuinely hold these views then you are someone who should not be on the jury and I question whether you should be doing anything responsible in society at all.” The man, who was escorted from the court, was warned he now faced prosecution under the Contempt of Court act for failing to serve on a jury as Judge Burrell would be writing to the Attorney General about the case. SMH. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get out of jury duty?? Source
Just because you had a baby doesn’t make you a mother…SMFH Kentucky Mother Trades Her Newborn Son For A Pick-Up Truck And Meth Three people in Kentucky face human trafficking charges after a mom allegedly traded her newborn for a pickup truck, then sold the truck for methamphetamine. Husband and wife Jeremy and Jamiee Brown pleaded not guilty this morning in Laurel County. They’re accused of swapping their 1999 Dodge Dakota for the baby boy in January, just after his mom Heather Kaminskey, 30, gave birth, MSNBC reported. Investigators say that Kaminskey, of Corbin, is still on the run and is wanted for drug charges. She was living in Florida before her son was born, but deputies told the Associated Press that child welfare agencies had already taken away two of her other children. “She fled to Kentucky to have the child and avoid that child being taken by social services,” County Lt. Rodney Van Zant told the station. Friends and even some authorities believe the Browns wanted the baby to care for it. “I honestly believe they had the best intentions,” Van Zant said. “But the way they went about it was the wrong way.” Kaminsky allegedly sold the truck for $800 and some meth shortly after the trade, WKRC reported. The Browns could see 20 years in jail if convicted. The baby boy — now six months old and showing no signs of abuse — is in protective custody. Guess crystal meth must be one helluva drug if it can turn white folks this ratchet. Images via WKYT Source
George Zimmerman’s Defense Team Requests A New Trial Judge Former self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman is now requesting a new judge be appointed to handle his murder trial. George Zimmerman, accused of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, filed a motion on Friday to disqualify the judge that will preside over his case, citing his fear that he will not be given a fair trial. Zimmerman, via his attorney, Mark O’Mara, filed the 17-page document with the Seminole County Circuit Court. The motion is a response to Judge Kenneth Lester’s July 5 order that set $1 million bail for Zimmerman and claimed that Zimmerman had “flaunted the system” and practiced “deception upon the court.” It was the second time Lester granted Zimmerman bail. Lester revoked a previous $150,000 bail in April after prosecutors presented evidence that Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had available by speaking in code on phone calls. Prosecutors added that Zimmerman initially lied about the existence of a second passport. O’Mara recently tried to appeal to the judge that Zimmerman was confused and fearful back in March when the alleged deception occurred. In a second bond hearing in June, O’Mara reiterated that Zimmerman had voluntarily turned himself in to the court and now was completely open regarding his financial ability. Lester, however, in that July 5 bail order, remained skeptical of Zimmerman’s motives and expressed irritation at being lied to. He accused Zimmerman of manipulating the court and even suggested that if Zimmerman had the opportunity he would have fled prosecution. In Friday’s motion, O’Mara wrote that Lester’s order was indicative of a bias against Zimmerman, saying that the judge’s statements were “disingenuous, self-serving manipulations.” First you want out of jail, now you want a new judge. This dude sure has a lot of “requests” for a murderer who’s out on bail. What’s next? Smh. Source
The fun never ends: “When filming 1960’s Kidnapped , he became friends with the Australian actor Peter Finch, also a fond boozer. When they were refused a drink after closing time during a session at an Irish pub, they wrote a cheque to buy the pub so they could have another drink. Having sobered up the next day, they rushed back to cancel their purchase. They ended up befriending the landlord, even attending his funeral. While sobbing as the casket was lowered, the pair soon realised they were at the wrong funeral. Their pal was being buried 100 yards away.” [ The Independent ]
Snoozy but sumptuous, Benoît Jacquot’s quasi-historical drama Farewell, My Queen isn’t going to set the world aflame: The experience of watching it is something like lounging on a satin divan, being fanned lazily with a bouquet of ostrich plumes. But maybe that’s part of what you want in a picture about the last days of Marie Antoinette’s rule: The languorousness of Farewell, My Queen recalls the last days of summer, though in this case the air is quivering not with the chirping of crickets but with a whisper of foreboding. The picture coasts along quite nicely on the strength of its contemplative sensuality, its macaron colors, and the exquisite beauty of its three chief actresses, Léa Seydoux, Virginie Ledoyen and Diane Kruger. Oh, and there’s nudity in it too, not to mention lesbian undertones – or are they overtones? I knew that would get your attention. Kruger plays Marie Antoinette, and in our first glimpse of her, she’s just awakened from what must have been a hell of a beauty sleep: Bedecked in a cream-colored nightie and sitting up in her bed at Versailles, she looks fresh and creamy and glowing, like a prized blond peach. One of her servants, the quiet but astute Sidonie Laborde (Seydoux), has come to read to her. Shall it be a novel or a fashion magazine today? It quickly becomes clear that Sidonie harbors a special fondness for her mistress and seeks to protect her from the gossip of the court — or worse. Meanwhile, the queen lavishes attention and worry on her own special favorite, the regal and somewhat icy Gabrielle de Polignac (Ledoyen). Sidonie hopes that someday the queen will single her out; but her hopes are dashed when she learns that her mistress has a special task in mind for her, one that could demand the ultimate sacrifice. There are men in Farewell, My Queen : Xavier Beauvois plays Louis XVI, and Michel Robin appears as his historiographer. But really, who cares about them? The picture also gives an appropriate sense of the court’s decadence while being only marginally tolerant of the queen’s taste for expensive finery: I suspect that Farewell, My Queen is the movie that many of the detractors of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette wanted that picture to be. Coppola didn’t want to punish her heroine, and her refusal to bow to that kind of moralism turned off plenty of people who thought the movie should have been more politically astute. But Farewell, My Queen — which was based on the novel by Chantal Thomas — is in its own way sympathetic to the ill-fated ruler. One servant claims to understand why Marie Antoinette spends hours staring at her accumulated luxury goods: “That’s how she forgets she’s queen.” She also longs for love, and her ardor for Gabrielle appears to skim lightly over any perceived impropriety of feelings or behavior. Her desire is only partly carnal; it seems that Gabrielle is a kind of sisterly twin to her. Seydoux’s Sidonie registers all of this not with pouty disappointment but with greater resolve, and, ultimately, a resignation that’s a kind of victory. Meanwhile, she’s the most overtly sensuous of the three: Kruger’s beauty is fine-grained and luminous, and Ledoyen’s is cool as pink marble, but Seydoux has both brains and a thumping pulse. The picture’s painterly production design and cinematography (by Katia Wyszkop and Romain Winding, respectively) ensure that everything is gorgeous to look at, but Jacquot never lets the picture slide into total sterility – even the sight of Seydoux scratching her mosquito bites is vaguely libidinous. Farewell, My Queen may move along at a stately pace, and it may not cut very deep. But even if it’s essentially little more than a pretty porcelain figurine, it’s one that at least nods to the glow and warmth of real flesh. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Obamacare on Thursday, the President who fought and sacrificed for the controversial law praised the 5-4 ruling. While the court placed limitations on Congress’ power to regulate commerce and the U.S. government’s ability to restrict state funds, the law stood. The survival of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – pejoratively or affectionately called Obamacare – signaled a major victory for Barack Obama. “Today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives are more secure because of this law,” Obama said in a televised statement. President Obama Reacts to Supreme Court Health Care Ruling “I know the debate over this law has been divisive,” he added. “It should be pretty clear that I didn’t do this because it was good politics.” “I did it because I believe it is good for the country.” Obama encouraged on his Twitter account for Americans to share what the Supreme Court ruling means to them and some celebrities did just that. Here’s a sampling of some stars’ reactions … Jason Alexander: “I applaud the Supreme Court and congratulate the President today. The bill isn’t perfect, we can fix it, but it’s the right direction.” Piers Morgan: “Must be a lot of people watching Obama’s SCOTUS speech just now, thinking: ‘That’s why we voted for him.'” Bette Midler: “Obama Health Care passes! The wing nuts must be boiling!” Deepak Chopra: “I will be honored to be taxed for compassionate health care.” Sophia Bush: “I am so grateful for the Supreme Court, and I heart Barack Obama so much right now. He cares about us, the average citizens of this country, more than he cares about pleasing all the scared-to-change people in power. That’s heroic, admirable, and exactly what we need. F–k yes Mr. President, you are a unicorn.” – on a photo of Obama on a unicorn Bush posted. Holly Robinson Peete: “I run a non profit and talk to real people every day all day. Families cannot afford healthcare.” Seth MacFarlane: “We gotta stop that tycoon from turning our park into a shopping mall.” John Legend: “Supreme Court has me in a good mood right now. America getting closer to universal access to affordable health care. It’s about time.” Christina Applegate: “Um, for those who want to move to Canada because of ObamaCare, you may want to look up Canada healthcare on Wikipedia. Just saying’.” Jessica Stroup: “Hey Barack Obama this song’s for you now playing My Hero by Foo Fighters.” Star Jones: “I’m waiting for read the actual SCOTUS healthcare ruling…and try to make it ‘user friendly’ for most of us.” MC Hammer: “Strategy: Positioning this as a threat to lower income majority won’t gain any new voters, that card has already been played.” Waka Flocka: “ObamaCare!… just when they started to doubt my man.” Michael Moore: “It’s not ‘Obamacare’ – it’s Obama Cares.” Wanda Sykes: “Drama at CNN. I would love to be a fly on Wolf Blizter’s beard.”
