It’s been known for days, but now it’s official: Hector “Macho” Camacho was taken off life support this morning and passed away from injuries he suffered in a shooting earlier this week. He was 50 years old. The multiple-time world champion had not fought since 2010 and had also been involved in a number of run-ins with the law over recent years, from burglary charges to domestic abuse allegations. On Tuesday morning, he and a long-time friend were driving along a road in Bayoman, Puerto Rico when another vehicle pulled up alongside them. Those in the other car fired shots at Camacho and the driver, instantly killing the latter and striking the former in the head and neck. He was rushed to the hospital, where Camacho suffered a heart attack and doctors soon determined he was brain dead. Family members have been by his side the rest of the week and finally decided this morning to take him off life support. The police are looking into the incident, which may have been drug-related, but thus far have no suspects.
Hector Camacho, a former Lightweight and Welterweight boxing champion, will pass away today from injuries suffered in a shooting on Tuesday. His family has announced it is taking the 50-year old off life support. The Puerto Rican native, who compiled a lifetime record of 79-6-3, was the passenger in a car when another vehicle pulled up aside him and a friend, firing shots that killed the driver in Camacho’s car and fatally wounding the athlete. He was hit in the neck and face and suffered a cardiac arrest soon after the incident, which many believe was drug-related after bags of cocaine were found in the victims’ vehicle, according to TMZ sources. Camacho was declared brain dead on Wednesday afternoon and funeral services will reportedly be held in either Puerto Rico or New York. Over the years, Camacho fought such legends as Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya. He latter struggled with substance abuse issues and also faced domestic violence charges in 2011. He was shot that same year near housing projects in San Juan. Our thoughts go out to Camacho’s friends and loved ones.
Bradley Cooper says it wasn’t a stretch to call Robert De Niro “Dad” in Silver Linings Playbook . The Hangover actor plays Pat Solitano, the bipolar son of De Niro’s extremely OCD Pat Solitano, Sr. in the film, and at the New York premiere party , Cooper told us that his prior working relationship with De Niro on Limitless , which blossomed into a friendship, made it easy to channel that familial bond with the Taxi Driver actor. At a press conference for the movie earlier that day, Cooper, who lost his actual father in 2011, told the gathered media that he had trepidations about playing the role of a Philadelphia area man struggling with bipolar disorder. “He really did champion me” to get the part, Cooper said of De Niro, adding that he decided to take the role, in part, because, “I knew that I could say ‘Dad’ and look at him and it would come from a real place.” During the party at the Royalton hotel in midtown Manhattan, I asked Cooper to elaborate upon that comment, and he replied that because of his work with De Niro on their last movie, “We sort of became great friends,” adding: “I love him.” That relationship, he explained, became “a real bonus” when it came to the onscreen dynamic of the two actors in Silver Linings Playbook . With any movie role, Cooper explained, “You need certain anchors, and when I would say say the word ‘Dad’ to him, it just felt very deep and grounded.” In the David O. Russell -directed movie, De Niro gives his most authentic performance as a father since he directed himself in the 1993 picture A Bronx Tale . He even weeps in the movie — an unscripted moment that was caught on the last take of a highly charged scene shot in the attic of the Solitano family home. Russell, who, during the press conference, repeatedly referred to the veteran actor as “Mr. De Niro,” said the emotional moment caught him completely off-guard. “I was behind him in the attic going, ‘What’s happening?'” the director recalled. Russell’s son, Matthew, who plays a nosy teen-aged neighbor with a video camera, struggled with a different emotion while shooting a confrontational scene with De Niro: nervous laughter. The director recalled at the press conference that his son said to him that acting opposite De Niro ” was like waking up in Raging Bull . ” Russell said that he chided his son for the inappropriate outburst, telling him, “You’ve got to stop laughing.” But De Niro, he added, figured out a way to work with Matthew’s anxious laughter to ratchet up tension in the scene. Silver Linings Playbook opens in limited release on Friday. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Aoki talks to MTV News about hitting the studio with Knife Party for ‘Pile Driver,’ which he call his ‘phattest banging record’ so far. By Akshay Bhansali Steve Aoki Photo: MTV News
Aye, aye, aaaa-aye… Oregon, Colorado, Washington Vote On Mary Jane Legalization Next Month According to Huffington Post On a Monday teleconference call, former Drug Enforcement Agency administrators and directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy voiced a strong reminder to the U.S. Department of Justice that even if voters in Colorado, Oregon and Washington pass ballot measures to legalize Mary Jane use for adults and tax its sale, the legalization of Mary Jane still violates federal law and the passage of these measures could trigger a “Constitutional showdown.” The goal of the call was clearly to put more pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to make a public statement in opposition to these measures. With less than 30 days before Election Day, the DOJ has yet to announce its enforcement intentions regarding the ballot measures that, if passed, could end Mary Jane prohibition in each state. “Next month in Colorado, Oregon and Washington states, voters will vote on legalizing Mary Jane,” Peter Bensinger, the moderater of the call and former administrator of the DEA during President Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administrations, began the call. “Federal law, the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court decisions say that this cannot be done because federal law preempts state law.” Bensinger added: “And there is a bigger danger that touches every one of us — legalizing Mary Jane threatens public health and safety. In states that have legalized medical Mary Jane, drug driving arrests, accidents, and drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed. Drug treatment admissions are up and the number of teens using this gateway drug is up dramatically.” Really?? So everyone starts smoking the gan-jay and gets violent and reckless?? Sounds like the opposite of what we see most folks doing while lifted, but ok… Here’s how the sticky-icky would be taxed of these legalization measures are voted to life. In Colorado, if Mary Jane is legalized it would be taxed and regulated similar to alcohol and tobacco. It would give state and local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of Mary Jane to adults age 21 and older. According to the Associated Press, analysts project that that tax revenue could generate somewhere between $5 million and $22 million a year in the state. An economist whose study was funded by a pro-pot group projects as much as a $60 million boost by 2017. In Washington, a 25 percent excise tax would be in place if the state passes Initiative 502, which state revenue experts say could generate as much as $1.9 billion over the next five years, The Seattle Times reported. If passed, the initiative would allow adults 21 and older to buy up limited amounts of Mary Jane or Mary Jane-infused food products and would create state-licensed growers and retailers. The Associated Press reports that if Washington’s I-502 passes: Public use or display of Mray Jane would be barred. No Mary Jane facilities could be located near schools, day cares, parks or libraries. Employers would still be able to fire workers who test positive for pot. It would remain illegal to privately grow Mary Jane for recreational use, though medical patients could still grow their own or designate someone to grow it for them. It would be illegal to drive with more than 5 nanograms of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, per milliliter of blood, if the driver is over 21; for those under 21, there would be a zero tolerance policy. That’s a LOT of money that states could earn for allowing a lil’ dojia smoke. Considering how tight some state budgets are for schools, roads, and other public needs, an few extra million bucks could go a long way. Would you vote for legalization? Why? Hit the comments section and let your voice be heard.
Amanda Bynes was apparently involved in yet another car accident Monday night … no seriously, this is not a recycled story, it just keeps on happening. Bynes was driving a rental car in the San Fernando Valley when she was rear-ended; the driver claims Bynes made a “reckless maneuver” that caused it. Police showed up but no one was ticketed ; Amanda is currently driving a rental because her BMW is in the body shop. What are the odds of that? For those keeping score, in the last six months, she’s been accused of three hit-and-runs, plus this collision … AND Amanda was charged for DUI . Police also say she peaced out on them in March when they were writing her up for driving while talking on the phone. So that’s six traffic incidents. Someone needs to intervene and take Amanda and Lindsay Lohan off the road. Can’t they afford drivers as actresses in Hollywood? So ridiculous. [Photo: WENN.com]
I still struggle to believe what happened, but I eventually find a way. Some of you may remember me from last years MBE here . Well I’m back, with a bigger and just as worth it adventure. Through the fights, the struggles, the doubts, the regrets, the dedication, the emotions, I eventually made it. I made what seems the impossible to everyone, possible . I made another video because SO many encounters happened with him. There were laughs along the way: like how a security guard had his head up my ass and I ended up on his shoulders while Justin was looking, or how Justin nearly tripped over my feet and I was cock blocking him and Selena, or how I ended up on his Viddy, or how paps took photos of us holding hands, or how I bribed his driver with money to drive me to a VIP area, or how I hated Moshe at the start, but ended up loving him and respecting him by the end, or how there was such tension and awkwardness right before I kissed him on the cheek, and heaps more that you’ll find out once you watch! Protect your dreams, don’t let people bring you down, when people say you don’t deserve it, don’t give in. Thank you Justin for bringing me so much happiness and making the decision to once again take the time to meet me. I love you infinity. See you on the Believe Tour. P.S- I’m not lucky, not even close. I’m blessed. -@jasmineluvesJB More here: I still struggle to believe what happened, but I eventually find…
Here comes the cinephile debate of the day: After polling 846 film experts, BFI’s Sight & Sound declared Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to be the #1 greatest film of all time, topping Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane , Yasujirō Ozu’s Tokyo Story , and classics from Renoir, Murnau, Kubrick, and more of your favorite all-timers. It’s a triumph long in coming for the Hitchcock pic, which only first made Sight & Sound’s once-a-decade list in 1982 and has been working its way up the ranks of critical opinion since. Does the 2012 poll finally have it right? Culled from Top Ten lists from 846 critics, academics, writers, and programmers, Sight & Sound’s GOAT survey is at its widest to date. The full ten: The Critics’ Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time 1. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958) 2. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941) 3. Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 4. La Règle du jeu (Renoir, 1939) 5. Sunrise: a Song for Two Humans (Murnau, 1927) 6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) 7. The Searchers (Ford, 1956) 8. Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929) 9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1927) 10. 8 ½ (Fellini, 1963) Somewhere out there, Kim Novak is raising her fist in victory while William Friedkin – who told Movieline Citizen Kane set the bar for cinematic greatness so high, trying to match it is what keeps him going – is probably shaking his damn head. Meanwhile, 358 filmmakers were polled for a separate director’s choice, yielding some interesting differences in opinion: The Directors’ Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time 1. Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) and Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941) (tie) 4. 8 ½ (Fellini, 1963) 5. Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1980) 6. Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979) 7. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972) and Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958) (tie) 9. Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1974) 10. Bicycle Thieves (De Sica, 1948) It’s interesting to note the divide between critics’ and filmmakers’ ranking of Vertigo , which is a more populist-romantic choice in ways than Citizen Kane ; perhaps unsurprisingly, the directors’ list is much more auteur-heavy in its leanings. But let’s open this up to discussion: Is Vertigo really the best film of all time? (Is it even the best Hitchcock of all time?) Have at it in the comments below! Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
He’s best known for his depictions of tough guys like pugilistic prisoner “Charles Bronson” ( Bronson , 2008) and man of few words The Driver ( Drive , 2011), but now cult director and die-hard exploitation fan Nicholas Winding Refn is taking on a softer- and much more SKINtastic- subject. Refn has signed on to adapt the swingin’ 1968 sci-fi classic Barbarella for television in partnership with the French production company Gaumont (which is also currently producing two horror series: Eli Roth’ s Hemlock Grove and Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal ). The series will be produced by Martha De Laurentiis , whose late father Dino produced the movie Barbarella as well as skin classics from Mandingo (1975) to Body of Evidence (1993). We just hope that the series finds a home on a premium network like HBO or Showtime so we can get more groovy scenes like Jane Fonda shedding her spacesuit in the original. Refn has said that he thinks Christina Hendricks would make a great Wonder Woman , so don’t be surprised if her name comes up when it’s time for casting. Personally, we’d like to see a blonde bombshell like Alice Eve in the role. Who’s your pick for the new Queen of the Galaxy? Let us know in the comments!
Gasoline-Soaked Man Crashes SUV Into DC Building A mentally ill Maryland man soaked in gasoline crashed an SUV into the Washington Square building in downtown Washington DC early Friday evening just after rush hour. The SUV, which was also drenched in gasoline, was reportedly stolen and also contained a gasoline container in the back seat. Eye witnesses to the crash say the man was removed from the car, strapped to a stretcher for medical examination and then wheeled to a police cruiser nearby. Witnesses say the man was belligerent and shouting as he was transported to the police cruiser and had to be detained by police in addition to the restraints on the stretcher. A Maryland man was charged Saturday with arson and destruction of property a day after police said he crashed a Jeep into the lobby of a downtown Washington office building , touching off fears of a potential terrorist attack. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was called to the scene Friday evening, but D.C. police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said Saturday that indications were that the driver’s “motive was not a terrorist motive.” Charles Morrell Ball, 32, of Frederick County was charged with three felonies — arson, destruction of property and unauthorized use of a vehicle — police spokeswoman Tisha Gant said. Lanier said it appeared that the driver had acted alone. Summertime always brings out the crazies. SMH. Check the gallery for exclusive photos from the crash site. Source
