POTUS Barack Obama Shut It Down at the DNC last night. He let us know that he’s fought a good fight and that times have changed. “I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention,” Obama said. “The times have changed –- and so have I. I’m no longer just a candidate. I’m the president. “I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn’t return. I’ve shared the pain of families who’ve lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who’ve lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I’ve made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them. And while I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together, I’m far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, ‘I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.’” “America,” Obama offered at the conclusion of his speech, “I never said this journey would be easy, and I won’t promise that now. Yes, our path is harder — but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer — but we travel it together. We don’t turn back.” “After all that we’ve been through, I don’t believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We have been there, we’ve tried that, and we’re not going back,” said Obama. “We are moving forward.” The comments concluded a three-day convention that was equal parts proudly unapologetic about the president’s record and hostile to Mitt Romney’s. There were mishaps: one self-inflicted (platform language over Jerusalem’s status as the capital of Israel), the other a force of nature (concerns over thunderstorms forced the campaign to move the final night into the much more confined Time Warner Cable Arena). But by the count of most observers, including some Republicans, it was a bigger hit than the GOP conventions that preceded it. In case you missed our President’s speech we’ve got it here… It was a good week at the DNC Source Images via Youtube/Getty
Debo’s gotta pay while Wells Fargo is straight chillin’. Tommy Lister took a plea bargain after the IRS and FBI investigated into the fraudulent mortgage schemes he’d been doing. Tommy “Tiny” Lister, a character actor who has appeared in nearly 100 movies including “Jackie Brown” and “Beverly Hills Cop II,” has agreed to plead guilty to a mortgage fraud scheme that cost banks $3.8 million. The 54-year-old actor entered the plea agreement Friday, the same day prosecutors charged him with conspiring from 2005 to 2007 to buy homes he could not afford and to withdraw more than $1.1 million cash in home-equity loans that were not repaid. Prosecutors accused Lister and five other people — a real estate agent, a mortgage loan officer, a bank manager, an escrow officer and an accountant — of using falsified records to help Lister unlawfully acquire four homes for $5.7 million. Lister, who lives in Chatsworth, defaulted on the loans. Banks later sold them at a loss of more than $2.6 million, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release. Lister was also accused of sumbitting falsified W-2 forms and a fake pay stub in his application for the home equity lines of credit. He agreed to plead guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He has not yet entered a plea. We’re not saying he isn’t guilty as charged but it’s a shame that Freddie, Fannie, and all these other mofo’s can get away with thievery like this and we just bail them out. Source Images via WENN
A Florida judge delayed his decision today on whether to let George Zimmerman out of jail on bond a second time. Meanwhile, both prosecutors and the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin and laid out elements of their case at the bond hearing. Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman’s $150,000 bond earlier this month, believing the defendant and wife Shellie Zimmerman intentionally tried to mislead the court about their financial situation in April so he would be granted bond. Zimmerman denies lying and wants the $150,000 reinstated. George Zimmerman Bail Bond Hearing The pair did not disclose more than $100,000 raised through a legal defense fund website; Zimmerman’s wife was also charged with perjury. In a two-hour-plus hearing on Friday, Zimmerman asked for his re-release, which led to the defense and prosecution conducting a mini-trial of sorts. The state argued that Zimmerman is a criminal who should not be released, while the defense put forward evidence that he acted in self defense. The defense played the Trayvon Martin 911 call from February 26, the night he was killed. In April, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. “There’s someone screaming outside. It sounds like a male. I think they’re yelling help,” a woman says in the call, as someone screams for help. Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara then called his father, Robert Zimmerman, to the stand. He identified the screams heard on the call as his son’s. “It was absolutely George’s,” he said. In cross examination, prosecutors said Zimmerman claimed Martin had covered his mouth, contradicting his assertion that he screamed for help. O’Mara did not put Zimmerman on the stand. He briefly drew the ire of the judge when he asked whether Zimmerman could make a statement to him without facing cross examination. Lester called it a “backdoor” tactic and refused the request. At his first bond hearing, Zimmerman apologized to Martin’s family in open court.
The roaring Waldo Canyon fire that exploded into neighborhoods of Colorado Springs has destroyed 346 homes, making it the most destructive wildfire in state history. It also has claimed at least one life, according to reports. Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey announced that human remains had been found in a burned home in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. Other individuals are also missing, he said. He said the deceased’s body was found in the rubble and gave the address, but no further details. Colorado Fires Residents of the Mountain Shadows neighborhood were summoned to a meeting Thursday night at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. There, they learned with certainty which of their homes had survived and which had been consumed by the unprecedented firestorm this week. Police Chief Pete Carey said police are still trying to track down the whereabouts of “less than 10” people who may be unaccounted for. President Barack Obama was to tour fire-stricken areas Friday after issuing a disaster declaration for Colorado, releasing federal funds to help. Rich Harvey, the incident commander in charge of the massive firefighting effort, said that at the very least, the wildfires were held at bay overnight, with no growth of the perimeter and no more houses lost since Thursday. The fire was still only 15 percent contained as of Friday morning.
Against Me! speak for the first time since Laura’s Rolling Stone interview, remembering the ‘simple’ way she told them she’s transgender. By James Montgomery Laura Jane Grace Photo: When Against Me! ‘s Laura Jane Grace announced in Rolling Stone that she was transgender, the majority of the story focused on her life … with only a few paragraphs dedicated to how she broke the news to her bandmates. This was understandable, of course, and though the details included in that RS story are scarce, they’re also incredibly endearing: On the drive from Gabel’s St. Augustine, Florida, studio back to their homes in Gainesville, the AM! guys debated whether or not they needed to hit the gym “so that if anyone messed with Gabel, they’d be able to throw down.” But, when Against Me! sat down with MTV News for their first interview since the Rolling Stone piece shone a spotlight on their band, they revealed that there was another reason the story skimped on particulars about Laura’s big revelation: Namely, to them, it wasn’t really all that big of a revelation to begin with. “We went to the studio just to hang out, we weren’t even practicing, we were just having a meeting, and talking, and she just told us,” longtime bassist Andrew Seward said. “It was kind of simple in a way … [and then] on the drive back, because it’s 80 miles from the studio back to Gainesville, I was just going through past lyrics and stuff going ‘God, how did I not think of that?’ ” “I didn’t want to be melodramatic about it when approaching friends … for me, it is a non-issue. It’s something that’s always been there for me, I’ve just never verbalized it before,” Laura added. “I didn’t really plan on it, I forget what exactly we were talking about, but I got to this point where I felt really frustrated that I wasn’t making the point I wanted to make, and I realized I wasn’t making it because I wasn’t fully explaining myself, and the part I was leaving out was this big integral piece of myself. So it just came out of my mouth, you know, and we were just sitting there and it was like, ‘So this is the way it is.’ ” Still, Laura admitted she had no idea how her bandmates would take the news, or even if they’d still be her bandmates after she told them. All she knew was that, both personally and professionally, she was tired of keeping secrets … she wanted everyone to know she was transgender, repercussions be damned. “I reached a point for myself where writing, I couldn’t focus on anything else but writing from a trans perspective or writing about trans issues, and as the album we’re working on came together, it became more and more apparent to me that, at some point, I was going to have to say something to the rest of the band,” she said. “Otherwise, if you’re taking the lyrics to these songs out of context [they’re] going to be misinterpreted … so we kind of reached that point where once we started getting in to doing vocals and you’re hearing the lyrics I was like, ‘OK, this is the deal. … There are going to be things that are going to be happening for me that, if I don’t tell you this right now will probably look more like I’m insane as opposed to this is what I’m doing.’ ” And yet, no one did. And, after being assured by her bandmates that Against Me! wasn’t going anywhere — “It was just kind of like, ‘Let’s still do the band; let’s still do everything we normally do.’ That’s pretty much the extent of it,” drummer Jay Weinberg said — they’re hard at work on their new album; a conceptual record they’re calling Transgender Dysphoria Blues. It represents Laura’s most personal work to date, an exploration of her battles with shame and depression, and the freedom of her new life. And, with her band backing her, she can’t wait to bring the music to the masses. “For me, the fear was, if I don’t do this and I don’t come out with this now, that the band can’t go on. It was just feeling like this is what I need in order to continue to be doing this,” she said. “Feeling like you’re stereotyped into this role of an angry young male, especially in the punk rock scene, was just suffocating to me … And feeling like so many of the things I was trying to express in my lyrics were being lost on people because it wasn’t being framed in the right context, I didn’t even want to do it anymore. … But now, I do.” Related Videos Laura Jane Grace: A Life Unburdened Related Artists Against Me!
ML turns the spotlight on three filmmakers screening new work at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week. Directors with films in the festival’s Narrative and Documentary competitions have offered up their observations on their latest and greatest. Monday’s titles include three docs: Jeff Howlett’s A Band Called Death , Mai Iskander’s Words of Witness and Dominga Sotomayor’s Thursday Till Sunday . And trailers are included (naturally). A Band Called Death , directed by Jeff Howlett [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early ’70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family chronicle, the story of Death is one of brotherly love and fierce, divinely inspired expression. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Jeff Howlett: Howlett gives his take on A Band Called Death : A Band Called Death is a documentary about the Hackney’s, three African-American brothers from Detroit that formed the proto-punk band “Death” in the early 70s. The film is a family story of brotherly love, and the human spirit that uncovers a treasure in the form of a 1974 demo tape that established their name in American Punk Rock History. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: The audiences should check out our film to discover an inspiring story about a band who not only played infectious, groundbreaking music but also had a rich family history to tell. The audience is taken back into a neighborhood where Motown was the religion and rock and roll was, as the Hackney’s eldest describes it best “white-boy music”. Following 35 years of their lives we take a journey with the Hackney family as they tell us their personal stories, the struggles of being black in a “protopunk” band and having the spirit to never give up on your dream. Some anecdotes from the shoot: Our film was as one of our friends put it “discovered on twitter and produced through email”. Since each of the directors and producers were spread out across the map, the challenge became only viable through these virtual channels. Short end of that story is that a year into the project Mark and I were at the end of our budgets with working on the film to which we either needed to stop production or make it a ten year project. That very day it was brought to our attention that Scott Mosier was Tweeting about a trailer we had made and posted online, and saying how he would love to know more about the film. This conversation led to Scott turning on Matt Perniciaro, Kevin Mann and Jerry Ferrara who then helped develop it into the feature film it is now. About the trailer: This clip is of Brian Spears of Groovesville Productions who takes us on a virtual tour of the studio as the band records their first album, “For the Whole World to See.” — Words of Witness , directed by Mai Iskander [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Updating your Facebook status is a political act in this visceral, on-the-ground documentary of a 21st century revolution in progress. When the Egyptian people rose up against President Mubarak, Heba Afify was a 22-year-old journalist for an English-language paper. Her Facebook and Twitter accounts, along with those of many young Egyptians, become essential weapons in bringing down the former regime, a means to rally support and focus the movement’s strength. Director Mai Iskander follows Afify into the homes and offices of protestors, organizers and citizens caught up in revolutionary fervor, providing a thrilling perspective on a populace rising up to demand the right to live their own lives. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Mai Iskander: Iskander gives her take on Words of Witness : Words of Witness is a feature-length documentary that follows 22-year-old journalist Heba Afify as she navigates Egypt’s revolution and the rigid boundaries of her concerned mother to examine the struggles, hopes and fears of a people on the brink of democracy. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: Despite the cultural, linguistic and societal differences that separate Egypt and the United States, Words of Witness reveals at least one universal truth: where there is no struggle, there is no progress. Whether the rallying cry is, “Out with Mubarak” or “We are the 99 percent,” people everywhere know that the first step in making their country better, is to “lead themselves.” Through the lens of a country on a path to self-determination, Words of Witness inspires audiences—wherever they are—to reflect on the value of democracy and their role in the democratic process. Iskander shares some observations about the shoot: Since I do not look particularly Egyptian, I was often stopped and questioned as to why I was there. People were often very suspicious, and I certainly don’t blame them. This was a very tumultuous, volatile time. Here they were ripping at the seams of a regime that had been in place for 30 years. A revolution is a very vulnerable time for a country—it is only natural that they should question everything. And some insight on the trailer: I hoped to communicate the deep desire to shape one’s own fate—which dwells within not only a people, but also within every individual. I wanted to tell a story that shows how this desire cannot be quelled indefinitely; eventually it will overcome any obstacle in order to be realized. — Thursday Till Sunday , directed by Dominga Sotomayor [Narrative Competition] Synopsis: In the soft pre-dawn light, a young family loads into their car and begins a journey that will affect them all far deeper than the usual weekend get-away. With a mixture of nostalgia and anxiety, Thursday till Sunday deftly captures the end of a childhood as the young daughter, from her vantage point in the back seat, begins to realize that something is strained — or possibly broken — between her mother and father. With uncommon beauty and style, writer/director Dominga Sotomayor perfectly captures the emotional dynamics of a young family at a crossroads and the claustrophobia of the open road. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Sotomayor gives her take on Thursday Till Sunday : It’s the road trip of two children and their parents to the north of Chile during a long weekend. Everything is seen from 10-year old Lucía’s distant and fragmented point of view. As the landscape gives in to the desert, the parents’ crisis is revealed and the holiday slowly turns into a possible last family trip. And why audiences should give it a look at the LA Film Festival: I hope they will connect with real feelings, along with their own childhood memories and the sensation of being a kid. Some anecdotes from the set: The anecdotes are several (shooting almost everything within the constraints of a car; having kids in every shot; traveling with the whole crew out of the city), but most of these were self-imposed challenges and ended up working in favor of the film. I personally believe the greatest challenge of the film was creating a sense of intimate atmosphere and an overall intimate film when surrounded by a very ‘un-intimate’ environment during the production (trucks, crew, grip, etc); keeping the children’s energy upbeat and have them feel this trip as a long game. An observation about the trailer: I wanted to transmit the overall atmosphere of the film, its ability to convey genuine emotions, and introduce the point of view of the 10-year old girl that drives the whole film.
Writer-director David Fenster’s PINCUS is earning raves at the LA Film Fest , where it debuted this weekend in narrative competition. Drawing acclaim for its naturalistic documentary-style storytelling, Pincus follows one man’s spiritual search — part autobiographical film, part fiction, part slacker comedy — using footage of filmmaker Fenster’s conversations with his real life father, who lives with Parkinson’s disease. Pincus premiered to kudos last weekend at the LA Film Fest, and screens again on Thursday. Find more info on the film here . Previously, Fenster made his directorial debut with 2004’s Trona , which also starred actor David Nordstrom. Bonus endorsement: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs / 21 Jump Street co-director Phil Lord serves as executive producer and has been enthusiastically supporting the film on Twitter . Synopsis: Pincus Finster is in way over his head: trying to find a way to stall his father’s Parkinson’s, halfheartedly taking up yoga to meet girls, and letting his only friend Dietmar, an aging German illegal alien, get drunk and sleep in the homes they’re supposed to be remodeling. Pincus spends his time stoned and fumbling for some sort of spiritual truth. Drawing from his own life, director and writer David Fenster has cast his family and friends (including his father, Paul Fenster, who has been living with Parkinson’s for 13 years) and woven documentary footage shot in and around his hometown of Miami, Florida into the story. Seamlessly combining naturalistic storytelling with documentary elements and hints of metaphysic mystery, PINCUS is a soulfully handcrafted film that explores the gulf between cynicism and wonder with quiet revelation. Read more of Movieline’s coverage of the LA Film Fest here . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
This KimYe thing is moving at warp speed! Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Both Put Their L.A. Homes Up For Sale According to TMZ reports : Kim Kardashian and Kayne West have both discreetly listed their homes for sale, setting the stage for the big, “We’re movin’ in together” … TMZ has learned. Kim has given a “pocket listing” to a realtor for her $4.8 mil Beverly Hills home — a pocket listing doesn’t appear in official real estate documents. We’re told Kim’s asking price is $5 million. Ditto Kanye, who listed his L.A. home as well — again, a pocket listing. Sources close to the couple confirm … both are selling their homes so they can rent a house together. They’re looking for a really private place to live … behind gates. Won’t be long before little KimYe babies are runnin’ around those cozy Calabasas skreets… Image via PCN/Tumblr
This KimYe thing is moving at warp speed! Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Both Put Their L.A. Homes Up For Sale According to TMZ reports : Kim Kardashian and Kayne West have both discreetly listed their homes for sale, setting the stage for the big, “We’re movin’ in together” … TMZ has learned. Kim has given a “pocket listing” to a realtor for her $4.8 mil Beverly Hills home — a pocket listing doesn’t appear in official real estate documents. We’re told Kim’s asking price is $5 million. Ditto Kanye, who listed his L.A. home as well — again, a pocket listing. Sources close to the couple confirm … both are selling their homes so they can rent a house together. They’re looking for a really private place to live … behind gates. Won’t be long before little KimYe babies are runnin’ around those cozy Calabasas skreets… Image via PCN/Tumblr
This KimYe thing is moving at warp speed! Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Both Put Their L.A. Homes Up For Sale According to TMZ reports : Kim Kardashian and Kayne West have both discreetly listed their homes for sale, setting the stage for the big, “We’re movin’ in together” … TMZ has learned. Kim has given a “pocket listing” to a realtor for her $4.8 mil Beverly Hills home — a pocket listing doesn’t appear in official real estate documents. We’re told Kim’s asking price is $5 million. Ditto Kanye, who listed his L.A. home as well — again, a pocket listing. Sources close to the couple confirm … both are selling their homes so they can rent a house together. They’re looking for a really private place to live … behind gates. Won’t be long before little KimYe babies are runnin’ around those cozy Calabasas skreets… Image via PCN/Tumblr
