Tag Archives: egypt

Was Inflammatory ‘Innocence Of Muslims’ Film Directed By ‘Karate Cop,’ ‘Happy Hooker’ Schlock Veteran?

Digging into the rabbit hole of a mystery that is the inflammatory, anti-Muslim film Innocence of Muslims — the amateurish viral trailer for which set off protests and violent attacks in at U.S. embassies in Libya, Egypt, and other cities this week — Vice Magazine and Gawker have fingered the man they believe directed the project last year in California. Did industry veteran Alan Roberts (AKA Robert Brownell), a B-movie director and editor behind cult/softcore Cannon/Golan & Globus-era schlock Karate Cop , The Sexpert , and The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood , make the incendiary anti-Muslim screed? Vice reports that they were “anonymously furnished with documents” pointing to a Robert Brownell AKA Alan Roberts: The documents clearly state that in 2009 and 2011 Robert Brownell purchased pre-production services related to Desert Warrior , which has been widely reported as the working title of the film that the world now knows as Innocence of Muslims. The documents also include Robert Brownell’s address in Tarzana, California (or at least his address when the purchases were made in 2009; the property is now up for sale), phone number, and “contact information,” which lists yet a different name—Alan Roberts. Meanwhile, Gawker confirms Roberts was the director on Innocence of Muslims , filmed under the title Desert Warrior with a different script from the allegedly blasphemous final version. A former business partner and an acquaintance confirmed to the website that Roberts is the same Alan Roberts listed on IMDb as the director of low-budget B-movie threequel The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980) (co-starring Adam West!), the action pic Karate Cop (1991), and the Harry Hamlin erotic thriller Save Me (1994). Roberts is said to be laying low, understandably. According to Roberts’ ex-business partner, Roberts filmed Desert Warrior without knowledge that it was going to be re-dubbed into its final version: “They redubbed it, they brought in the actors, put in new sounds, changed the names,” said the business partner. “And this was done later, before it was initially released. Of course Alan had nothing to do with it.” If true, it sounds like producer Sam Bacile (or “Sam Bacile,” as his identity is still in question) is more culpable for the incendiary material within Innocence of Muslims than Roberts, a workman director and sometimes editor with ties to the ’70s-’80s Cannon/Vestron/Golan & Globus era of cheap-o schlock cinema. More info as it comes… in the meantime, here’s a look at Roberts’ heretofore best known works. [ Gawker , Vice ]

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Was Inflammatory ‘Innocence Of Muslims’ Film Directed By ‘Karate Cop,’ ‘Happy Hooker’ Schlock Veteran?

POLL: Should Google Have Blocked Access To Innocence of Muslims In Egypt And Libya?

The New York Times reported  Friday morning that Google had made the controversial decision to block access to the inflammatory anti-Islam video,   Innocence of Muslims , in Egypt and Libya, where the crude production had sparked anti-U.S. riots and violence that resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens . According to the Times , Google, which owns YouTube where the clip is posted, did not remove the video from its site because its policy is to remove content only if it is deemed “hate speech,”  or “if it is responding to valid court orders or government requests.”  Based on company guidelines, the Internet behemoth determined that Innocence of Muslims “was not hate speech,” the paper reported, but Google still made the exceptional decision to block access to the video in Egypt and Libya in response to the violence and killings. In the wake of this extraordinary decision by an American company to censor content, Movieline wants to hear from you.  Take the poll after the jump and tell us if Google’s actions were warranted, or if, in your opinion, even more decisive action is required.  Google’s immense power as one of the pillars of the Internet means that it can have huge influence over the boundaries of free speech on the web.  As Peter Spiro, a constitutional and international law professor at Temple University, told the Times : “Google is the world’s gatekeeper for information so if Google wants to define the First Amendment to exclude this sort of material then there’s not a lot the rest of the world can do about it.”  [ New York Times ] You can make your opinion heard. If your point of view doesn’t fit neatly into one of the three choices below, please leave it in the comments box. Take Our Poll Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter . 

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POLL: Should Google Have Blocked Access To Innocence of Muslims In Egypt And Libya?

WATCH: Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins and Josh Radnor Talk Reading, Writing, Romance At Liberal Arts Premiere

May-December romances “can be creepy” says Richard Jenkins , who’s part of the cast of Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts , a movie about what might more appropriately might be termed a May-October romance on a college campus.  In this particular case, Jenkins adds, “it isn’t.”  The carefully groomed Radnor, who you may recognize from the TV sitcom   How I Met Your Mother plays a guy in his 30s who goes back to his alma mater — the movie is set at Kenyon College in Ohio which Radnor actually attended — for a professor’s retirement party and ends up falling for a much younger student there played by Elizabeth Olsen . Movieline pal Grace Randolph talked to Radnor, Olsen and the always excellent Jensen about the fundamental of love at the Quintessentially-sponsored New York premiere of the film on Monday. Check out her report below. After the screening, premiere goers headed to Sons of Essex on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to engage in some college style drinking. Follow Movieline on Twitter . 

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WATCH: Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins and Josh Radnor Talk Reading, Writing, Romance At Liberal Arts Premiere

The American Face Of The Anti-Islam Innocence Of Muslims Speaks Out − And He’s Not Sorry

Steve Klein says there’s no blood on his hands. In the aftermath of violence in Libya over the virulently anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims   initial media reports pointed to a Coptic Christian filmmaker named Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for Egyptian immigrant Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. But according to an A.P. report , Klein, a California insurance agent and Vietnam War veteran, has become the unrepentant public face of the crude video that has resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats, including America’s Ambassador to Libya,  J. Christopher Stevens. Nakoula contacted Klein several months ago asking for his input and advice before creating the video. He also asked the 61 year-old if he would act as a spokesperson if the project somehow succeeded. Now, as rage over the video — and anti-American violence — spreads through the Arab world, Nakoula has gone into hiding, leaving Klein to perform his duties as the brazen American face of the controversy. According to the A.P. investigation, is an outspoken critic of radical Islam and he’s piqued the attention of civil liberties groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center. Klein said he has pursued radical Muslims living in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks eleven years ago. His son suffered an attack by a suicide bomber in 2007 while serving in Iraq, which encouraged his activities. [ Related: POLL: Should Google Have Blocked Access To Innocence of Muslims In Egypt And Libya? ] While sipping a beer on the front porch of his Hemet, CA home, told the A.P. that he has visited “every mosque in California” and  found “500 to 750 of these people who are future suicide bombers and murderers. “What do I get out of this? I get to die one of these days hoping my granddaughters and my grandsons will be safe from these monsters,” Klein also told the A.P. “Those are the guys I’m looking for. I’m not interested in mom and pop running a pizza store or running a smoky shop, a hookah shop.” Klein, who works as an insurance agent on the second floor of a downtown business complex in Hemet about 90 miles southwest of L.A. founded Courageous Christians United, which holds protests outside abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques. He also started Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, which proselytizes against Muslims and produces anti-Muslim propaganda that Klein distributes. His activities led him to his contact with Nakoula about making Innocence of Muslims . Apparently, the title was meant as a trick to lure Muslim radicals to view the pic with the intention that after seeing it, they would convert. “I’m kind of an unsophisticated James Bond operative. I want to piss this guy off, I want to find out why does he want to kill me?” Klein explained to the A.P. “Why does he want to capture my daughter and granddaughter and rape them? Why does this guy want to act this way?” The YouTube video is blamed for inciting riots in Egypt and Libya where the U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed along with three other American embassy personnel. Angry demonstrations have spread throughout the Muslim world Friday. “Do I have blood on my hands? No. Did I kill this guy? No,” said Klein. “Do I feel guilty that these people were incited? Guess what? I didn’t incite them. They’re pre-incited, they’re pre-programmed to do this.” [Source: A.P. ]

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The American Face Of The Anti-Islam Innocence Of Muslims Speaks Out − And He’s Not Sorry

Channing Tatum May Take on Directing Duties for Magic Mike 2; Joss Whedon’s Much Ado Heads To Theaters: Biz Break

Also in Wednesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, American would-be filmmaker whose anti-Islam film sparked violence in Egypt and Libya reacts. And more Toronto titles head to theaters. Channing Tatum May Direct Magic Mike 2 Steven Soderbergh is on a bit of a filmmaking hiatus – he says for the moment (he’s now wrapped on what could be his final film, Behind the Candelabra ), which means there is a need for a Mike director, and Channing Tatum told German site Filmstarts (via AlloCine) that he could direct the film himself, possibly with screenwriter and producing partner Reid Carolin, The Playlist reports . Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing Heads to Theaters The Avengers ‘ director’s Toronto International Film Festival debut now has a home. Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate will team on Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing . The black-and-white movie features friends and actors he’s worked with over the years — including many Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly alums – starring in the adaptation of the Shakespearean play, THR reports . Anti-Islam Filmmaker In Hiding After Egyptian/Libyan Violence Writer/director Sam Bacile remained defiant after a YouTube trailer of his movie attacking the Prophet Muhammad sparked violence in the neighboring African countries, which resulted in the deaths of three American staff members in Libya including the US. Ambassador. Speaking by phone, Bacile said “Islam is a cancer” and that the 56-year-old intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion, A.P. reports . Norwegian Thriller Thale Heads to U.S. Theaters The Toronto International Film Festival’s Norwegian supernatural thriller Thale will open in U.S. theaters early next year via XLrator Media which picked up Stateside rights at the festival. Thale “tells the story of a mythical “huldra,” a beautiful, tailed female forest creature, who is discovered in a concealed cellar by two crime scene cleaners. The creature is unable to speak so she can’t explain how she came to be there, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together,” Deadline reports . What Maisie Knew Headed to N. America Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan, the film revolves around the 7-year old title character, played by Onata Aprile. She is caught in a custody battle between her aging mother rock star and her art dealer father. Millennium Entertainment is closing a deal for the title for North American rights. It is playing in Toronto, Deadline reports .

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Channing Tatum May Take on Directing Duties for Magic Mike 2; Joss Whedon’s Much Ado Heads To Theaters: Biz Break

LaMyia Good (Meagan’s Sister) Ft Tyga New Music Video “Graduate Me” [Video]

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LaMyia Good (Meagan’s Sister) Ft Tyga New Music Video “Graduate Me” [Video]

This Is The Anti-Muslim Film That Caused Americans To Be Killed In Libya And Has Islam Pissed “Innocence Of Muslims” [Video]

The Jewish movie’s creator… is now in hiding but continuing to talk sht: A California-based property developer who claims to be responsible for “Innocence of Muslims,” a provocative film about the Prophet Muhammad, which sparked Tuesday’s deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Libya and further protests in Egypt, has gone into hiding, The Associated Press reported. Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, Israeli-American writer and director Sam Bacile, 56, remained defiant, saying that he intended his film to be a political statement condemning the religion, the AP said. “Islam is a cancer, period,” the AP quoted him as repeatedly saying. An English-language 13-minute trailer on YouTube shows an amateur cast performing a wooden dialogue of insults disguised as revelations about Muhammad. You can agree or disagree with Islam and Muslims… but this guy “Sam” is a total coward, period. NBCNews youtube

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This Is The Anti-Muslim Film That Caused Americans To Be Killed In Libya And Has Islam Pissed “Innocence Of Muslims” [Video]

A “Lil Positivity”: HGTV And V103 Radio Host Egypt Sherrod Gives Back To Teens In ATL

Egypt Sherrod is all about being a great role model for the next generation of media-savvy professionals. Through her non-profit organization, the Egypt Cares Family Foundation, the Radio and TV Host focuses on providing resources and motivation that supports families on their journey to financial literacy, health awareness, higher education, and successful communication within the family unit. Fifteen deserving teens from communities throughout the metro Atlanta area and surrounding counties were selected after each submitted a 250 word essay detailing why they should be including in the media bootcamp. The participants were carefully selected to engage in an intense program giving them a birdseye view of the variety of specialized careers available in the media industry. During the rigorous two-day camp the all participants were given in-depth tours and tutorials from news anchors, journalists, television producers and behind-the-scenes executives at major media companies. “I am overwhelmed with pride by the group of bright and ambitious teens who joined us for this year’s Rising Media Stars Bootcamp. To see how eager they were to soak up all the knowledge and information that was put before them in two action-packed days was very inspiring! It does my heart good to know that I am able to use my position within the media industry to help gifted young people,” said Egypt Sherrod, HGTV’s Property Virgins Host & V103 Atlanta on-air personality and founder of the Egypt Cares Family Foundation. “Egypt’s Rising Media Stars Bootcamp was created with the intention of positively influencing young people who have a serious interest in pursuing a career in the media arts. Egypt and I always want to use the professional relationships we’ve built over nearly 20 year apiece in radio, TV, publishing and digital media to pay it forward and give access to those who may not otherwise have a vehicle to pursue their dreams,” added Amber Noble-Garland, CEO of I For Talent Management and Chairperson of the Egypt Cares Family Foundation. Egypt’s Foundation has pledged to provide workshops, seminars, and community outreach programs designed to build stronger families. Images via Karl St. Jean

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A “Lil Positivity”: HGTV And V103 Radio Host Egypt Sherrod Gives Back To Teens In ATL

Preciousness: Alicia Keys Takes A Stroll With Adorable Baby Egypt, Plus J-Huds Lil Bruiser Kicks It With The Nanny

Alicia Keys was spotted doing the Mommy thing in Soho this week while tending to her precious lil son Egypt and hubby Swizz Beatz kid Kasseem Jr. It really looks like Egypt looks up to his big bro right? How cute is he? Hit the flip for shots of Jennifer Hudson’s son David Jr.

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Preciousness: Alicia Keys Takes A Stroll With Adorable Baby Egypt, Plus J-Huds Lil Bruiser Kicks It With The Nanny

Too Little Too Late? Evelyn Says She’s Not Sure If She’ll Return To BBW; Wants To Be A Good Role Model For Chad’s Children

Evelyn Lozada Unsure About BBW Return BBW HBIC Evelyn Lozada says she’s not sure if she’ll return to the show for more bottle-throwing, bully-based action. She says she feels “blessed” to be able to show the world another side of her on her upcoming attention slore-fest reality show with hubby-in-waiting Chad Ochocinco and she wants to enter into step-mommydom as a good role model for his young children. Lozada, 36, is gearing up to star in her new reality television spinoff show that will serve as a prelude to her marriage to NFL player Chad Ochocinco. After receiving backlash for her violent personality on “Basketball Wives” and publicly apologizing for them, the reality television star recently said she is blessed for the opportunity to star in “Ev and Ocho” which is set to debut on VH1 in September. “It’s unfortunate the world doesn’t get to see every side, but I’m also so thankful that you know God blessed me with another show, which is the ‘Ev & Ocho’ show, cause you get to see a totally different person of Evelyn,” the reality television star told radio personality Egypt Sherrod recently. “You get to see what I’m really like, so I’m happy about that.” Lozada, who is currently promoting her first novel, Inner Circle, was the subject of a change.org petition signed by 32,107 who called for an end to “Basketball Wives” and her spinoff show. While Lozada may not be ready to confirm her return to “Basketball Wives,” she told Sherrod that her soon-to-be stepchildren made her think twice about her role on the show. “I was with my step-babies and they’re young – 8 and 7 – Chad’s kids, and I’m in the car with them Easter Sunday, I’ll never forget this, and they are literally reciting to me everything that happened on the episode with the bottle throwing,” Lozada revealed. “I mean I really sat, I was so embarrassed. I was like oh my God, that was that moment for me where I said you know I need to do better.” So let’s discuss, Bossip readers. Do you believe that Evelyn has turned over a new leaf, or has the positive role-model ship sailed off to the point of no return? Would you watch a BBW show without Evelyn? Source

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Too Little Too Late? Evelyn Says She’s Not Sure If She’ll Return To BBW; Wants To Be A Good Role Model For Chad’s Children