The movie theater inside which James Holmes took the lives of 12 people last Friday is offering to pay for the funerals of those lost in the massacre. As first reported by TMZ, several services were held this week, including one for a 32-year old mother of two named Rebecca Wingo. And insiders say the owners of Cinemark called the chapel where her funeral was being held and made it clear it would cover the expenses for Wingo and also all other victims of the tragedy. Rebecca’s mother actually turned down the offer, sources confirm, but only because the Victims Advocate Fund has already paid for everyone’s main funeral expenses. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all those affected by this terrible incident.
Well, this is no fun. Billed as the biggest individual rivalry at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are being all… classy with each other. Don’t they know this is a competition?!? Not long after Lochte won the Gold Medal in the 400 IM today, Phelps – who did not finish in the top three in that event for the first time since 2000 – sent a congratulatory Tweet to his countryman, writing: Congrats to @ryanlochte … Way to keep that title in the country where it belongs!! The winner then replied: Thanks @MichaelPhelps I couldn’t do it with out you. #USA Phelps has six more events in front of him and needs two medals to set the all-time Olympic mark. But this race belonged to his rival. “This is my year,” Lochte said after earning Gold. “I know it and I feel it, because I’ve put in hard work. I’ve trained my butt off for four years … and there’s no better way to start this Olympics off than getting gold.” Let’s try to fire up this feud, shall we? Vote now: Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte, who would you rather…
Cue John Williams’ “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” — or if you don’t want to be reminded of Ewoks, the Clash’s “London Calling.” The 2012 Summer Games officially begin tonight with a Danny Boyle-directed opening ceremony that, according to ABC News, will include a reference to James Bond and 120 farm animals. The spectacle won’t end there. Unless this year’s games totally suck, the next two weeks will be rife with emotional movie-worthy moments of victory, defeat and the U.S. Women’s Volleyball team’s hot bikinis. The Olympics have yet to produce a truly outstanding biographical movie, but hope springs eternal. And in the interest of putting a well-traveled torch under Hollywood’s ass, here are Movieline’s top five picks for Olympics-themed movie biopic hopefuls in ascending order. 5. Michael Phelps: Arguably the greatest American Olympic athlete of all time, Phelps has won 16 medals and broken or tied all kinds of records. He’s got a physique millions of guys would kill for, and after his showing in the 2008 games in Beijing, he rocketed to fame, earning a Speedo-load of endorsements and Sports Illustrated’s 2008 Sportsman of the Year honor. Once the cheering stopped, however, Phelps packed on 25 pounds and lost at least his Kellogg’s endorsement when he was photographed smoking a bong. (Perhaps that had something to do with the weight gain as well.) A lack of real dramatic tension might be a problem in any movie about Phelps, but the Summer Games — which the 27-year-old athlete says will be his last — may provide the needed drama. Phelps will compete in seven swimming events in London. Who should play him: Adam Driver ( Girls ). He was born to play this part. Who should direct: Josh Gordon and Will Speck. Their upcoming film, The Pool , is about a swim instructor, and Blades of Glory showed they can do sports films. 4. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani: The judo competitor will make history by becoming the first homegrown Saudi Arabian woman to represent her country in London. The Saudis have refused to send female participants in the past but relented this year thanks to international pressure. Shahrkhani did not qualify for the games, but instead got a special invitation from the International Olympic Committee. Her participation will make the London Olympics the first in which every country will have female competitors. Just 18 years old, Shahrkhani has trained almost exclusively in her hometown of Mecca. She is scheduled to compete in the over-78-kilogram judo competition, but CBS News reported that the Olympic Federation won’t permit her to wear a hijab (head scarf) during the competition, which may force her to bow out. Who Should Play Her: Hailee Steinfeld. An unlikely choice, but the kid’s got chops. She’d have to do what De Niro did in Raging Bull and pack on some weight though. Who Should Direct: Marc Forster ( The Kite Runner ) 3. The Olympic Village: If the Village could talk, what stories it would tell! Save for the filthy rich tennis players and basketball stars who can afford to stay in one of London’s pricey hotels, the majority of Olympic athletes will spend their time hanging here when they’re not competing. And when the games wind down, the Village transforms into a hedonist’s paradise. Stories of booze-fueled all-night ragers and the kind of casual, athletic sex that would make a Secret Service agent blush are par for the course. It’s The Hangover starring world class athletes. Who Should Star: An ensemble cast that should include Ryan Reynolds, Allison Williams, Channing Tatum, James Franco and Danny McBride. Who Should Direct: Steve Pink. With Hot Tub Time Machine , he showed that he’s effective with large casts and comedies that end up amounting to a lot more than a bunch of laughs. 3. Oscar Pistorius: Thirty years after Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner opened, the “Blade Runner” will make Olympic history in London.The South African sprinter, who became a double amputee when he was only 11 months old, will become the first man in the history of the games to compete with prosthetic legs. In 2008, Pistorius won the right to compete in the Olympics when a ban on athletes with prosthetic legs was overturned, but he failed to make the South African team. He’ll compete in the 400-meter run with his artificial carbon-fiber “Cheetah Flex-Foot” limbs — and not without controversy. Some claim the prosthetics give him an advantage over runners with flesh-and-bone legs. Who Should Play Him: Ryan Kwanten ( True Blood ) He’s got the looks and build to play an athlete. He’s also an Aussie, which should make it a breeze to perfect Pistorius’ South African accent. Who Should Direct: Robert Zemeckis ( Forrest Gump ) He’s nimble with CGI, which will be a must, and he knows how to put a rousing, human story on the screen. 1. Lopez Lomong: In 2010, New Line announced that it was developing a picture about the 27-year-old Lomong’s extraordinary life, and we certainly hope it makes it to the cineplex. (A New Line rep tells Movieline the project is no longer at the studio. Another industry source says the picture is in turnaround.) Until then, we’ll make do with the Visa commercial that’s currently running. One of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan, Lomong was just six years old when he was abducted by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. He and three other boys escaped through a hole in their prison camp fence and ran for days until they reached Kenya. At 16, Lomong relocated to the U.S. after an essay he wrote to a Catholic charity spurred the organization to bring him stateside. He eventually found himself at Northern Arizona University where he became an NCAA champion and last month he qualified for his second Olympics in the 5,000-meter run. In 2008 in Beijing, he was the American flagbearer for the Opening Ceremonies. Who Should Play Him: Omar Sy. The French actor is in his mid-30s, but his powerful performance in The Intouchables suggests he could do justice to Lomong’s story. Who Should Direct: Tom McCarthy. Just watch The Visitor and you will agree. The 2012 Olympics officially kick off in London tonight. Which athletes with great stories have caught your eye? Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Swimmer Nathan Adrian beat Olympian Michael Phelps by the skin on his… butt last Thursday, finishing the 100-meter freestyle in 48.62 seconds with the back of his Speedo suit split wide open. See Adrian blush over the impromptu strip show in an interview with reporters afterward here . (via Queerty ) Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : !! omg blog !! Discovery Date : 02/04/2012 18:36 Number of articles : 2
Filed under: Michael Phelps , TMZ Sports Michael Phelps competed in a sport this weekend that wasn’t in a pool — engaging in some high-stakes poker in Atlantic City. Phelps was spotted at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, playing at a pretty expensive no limit hold ’em poker table. We’re… Read more
Filed under: TMZ Sports Scotty Lago — with the help of Michael Phelps — has hatched a conspiracy theory about those not-really-salacious pics that got Scotty booted from the Olympics … but it doesn’t hold up to us. Lago told us that Phelps told a friend of his about the … Permalink
This weekend, Times Style writer Guy Trebay accurately observed that the CNN reporter’s default uniform in Haiti was a snug-fitting muscle shirt. This, Trebay concluded, was a sign that journalists were basically becoming slobs
Be Good Johnny Weir , a peculiarly thoughtful new documentary series about be-spangled Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, premiered on the Sundance Channel last night and we gave it a watch. And you know what?
Filed under: Hook-Ups , Talk Sports , Michael Phelps , Pageantry , Exclusives Just days after Nicole Johnson was crowned Miss California USA 2010 — she’s already found a way to get her name in the news … uncovering a secret relationship with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. TMZ spoke with Johnson who said, “Now that it is ..
The Miss California USA pageant came and went with nary a gay marriage controversy last night. However, the winner of the 2010 crown actually does have a celebrity gossip connection: Nicole Johnson was romantically linked to Michael Phelps in October 2008.
