The Jackson family saga is growing more sad, disturbing and confounding by the day. Here’s the latest: In the wake of Katherine Jackson losing contact with her grandkids – Paris, Prince and Blanket – TJ Jackson, the son of Michael’s brother Tito, is pushing to become the children’s temporary legal guardian. TMZ reports his attorney is actively drawing up the paperwork now. Katherine has been serving as the trio’s guardian since Michael Jackson passed away, but sources close to the family believe she’s being held against her will by MJ’s siblings in Arizona. She has not seen her grandchildren in nine days. Insiders tell TMZ that all three children are in favor of TJ taking over guardian duties. He’s reportedly very close to his niece and nephews. “I know it’s completely unfair for them to do this to you and your brothers. We will keep trying. I love you,” TJ Tweeted to Paris last night. Tension continues to rise within the Jackson clan because Michael only left money to his foundation and his children in his will. Moreover, there have been accusations that Katherine is being treated unfairly by the will’s executors. Police were called to the family home in California yesterday over some kind of domestic dispute. No arrests were made, but photos later surfaced of Janet and Jermaine Jackson in a heated discussion. Finally, in case this wasn’t all strange enough, there’s this: TJ Jackson went to the prom with Kim Kardashian .
This just in: Kourtney Kardashian is a mother for the second time, and her family is really excited over this fact. Yesterday, Khloe Kardashian said she was literally going to explode over becoming an aunt once again. And now Kim Kardashian has chimed in with a similar sentiment, writing on Twitter about Penelope Disick: “I’m so in love with my niece!” Kardashian also laid out a challenge to every other two-year old on the planet, blogging Monday about her niece and nephew, Mason: “I know Mason is going to be the best big brother in the whole world. Congratulations Kourtney and Scott.” Oh, it’s on, tykes around the world! Don’t let the Kardashians win. Brother the heck out of your siblings. Do it for all of us.
“Miss Jackson If Ya Nasty” takes the front and center position of this month’s issue of Prevention Magazine to let people in on what is going on in her world. Janet Jackson Covers Prevention Magazine Here is some of what she had to say. On being the spokeswoman for Nutrisystem: “I think people really connect with the idea of someone who’s gained and lost weight in a very public way, and also someone who’s an emotional eater.” On being an example to her niece Paris, Michael’s 14-year-old daughter who landed her first film role in Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys: “We’ve spoken about the fact that you’re only a child once. I think there’s a time for everything, and now is not the time [to act in films]. I told her I thought she should enjoy being a kid, possibly go to college—or not—but wait till she turns 18. She’s a very tough, smart girl. But it’s a cutthroat industry. I wouldn’t want my child to do it.” On the dichotomy of being 5’4, sweet and soft-spoken and her identity as a five-time Grammy Award-winning artist who’s sold more than 100 million records: “My songs are normally about what’s going on in my life at the moment. I don’t need to keep a diary.” Hit the flipper to see what Janet says about her weight issues, and whether or not her rich new boo-thang is a keeper for LIFE!
Oscar nominated director David O. Russell ( The Fighter ) has had his share of controversial moments in the public eye, but this takes the cake, and then some: According to a police report filed with the Broward County Police Department in Florida, Russell inappropriately groped his 19-year-old adoptive pre-op transgender niece while they were working out last week. Hit the jump for details if you dare, because this reaches a level of bizarre that can be a wee bit difficult to wrap your head around. An investigation is underway into the bizarre family incident, which Russell insists was innocent and consensual. But he’s at least admitted that the incident did happen. And the event seems to have gone down as follows, as TMZ reports, while Russell and his niece were doing abdominal exercises: The niece — who does NOT have a blood relation to Russell — told cops they began to talk about her breasts … and how certain hormones she’s taking have made them larger. According to the report, the niece claims Russell then “put his hands under [her] top and felt both breasts.” Cops say the woman said she felt “uncomfortable” … but admitted she “did not ask him to stop at any time.” Investigators later contacted Russell … and according to the report, the director confirmed he DID touch his niece’s breasts … but only after she gave him permission. Cops say Russell explained that during the conversation about her chest, the niece informed him that one of her breasts was bigger than the other. The official report says … Russell told cops his niece then “allowed [him] to feel both of [her] breasts.” So… yeah. According to Russell’s rep, “”David O. Russell emphatically denies any wrongdoing and has cooperated fully with the authorities.” We’ll have to wait and see how this one shakes out. In the least, it makes yelling at Lily Tomlin look like a totally normal tea party. And despite headlines like ” David O. Russell Fingered in Quasi-Incestuous, Transsexual Groping Claim ,” it’s not quite as incestuous as the setup of Russell’s feature debut Spanking the Monkey , so there’s that. Developing… [ TMZ , The Wrap ]
Truth be told, I don’t enjoy ranking films — especially at the end of a year that disappointingly lacked a single title that moved me to tears, gut-busting laughter or some kind of profound existential realization. (However there were quite a few films that inspired hopelessness for the future of cinema. See Just Go With It and Bucky Larson: Born To Be a Star . Actually, don’t see them.) But there were some titles I’d recommend and even some I wouldn’t immediately regift if they found their way under my Christmas tree/menorah this season. Behold, my fave films of 2011. As always, let me know how much you disagree with this list in the space below. 10. The Muppets In a year that lacked decent romantic comedies, The Muppets filled the feel-good movie void for me. Jim Henson’s fuzzy characters — who made their long-awaited return to the multiplex in this Jason Segel/Nick Stoller-scripted picture — have the uncanny ability to make audiences forget their cynicism — even after paying the $12 ticket price. That special power is priceless, especially when combined with the overpowering nostalgia that Kermit, Miss Piggy and the entire Henson gang induce. 9. African Cats For the record, I would watch any nature documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson because this Oscar nominated-actor’s intense delivery could make any non-event seem suspenseful. But this Disneynature release exceeded my expectations. Chronicling the lives of a pride of lions (led by Fang, their grizzly, fearless, snaggle-toothed superior — the equivalent to The Lion King ‘s Mufasa) and a rival family of cheetahs led by a single mother Sita, this story was at once informative and breathtakingly beautiful. The real-life footage depicted a majestic African savannah so gorgeous that it was hard to believe it was not computer-generated and a tale of death, reunion and fiercely protective paternal impulses so moving that it was difficult to comprehend that it was not scripted. Furthermore, the story of Sita’s single motherhood in the majestic African savannah is the most compelling story of single parenthood I’ve seen all year. 8. Contagion Steven Soderbergh’s cautionary virus film is my favorite horror flick of the year, mainly because it continued to inspire fear and nightmares long after my first screening. Any film that can weave together another award-worthy Kate Winslet performance and Matt Damon as an overly protective dad who stages a home prom for his quarantined daughter complete with U2 dance mix is a film friend of mine. In addition to being all of these things (and the best-paced film of the year, in my opinion), Contagion established itself as one of the best-worst cautionary tales for adulturers ever. 7. Crazy, Stupid, Love Ryan Gosling in a well-tailored suit. Emma Stone playing a head-smart female who can miraculously bait emotionally closed-off men into mature romantic relationships. Steve Carell as a dejected divorc é. Josh Grobin. A brilliant, if totally impractical and unrealistic, scene involving the Dirty Dancing lift. What I could have done without — in this Dan Fogelman-scripted film — is every other peripheral storyline including Julianne Moore’s romance with a work colleague played by Kevin Bacon, a babysitter crushing hard for Carell and makeshift miniature golf courses. Regardless, this is one of the smartest films to fall under the romantic-comedy umbrella this year. 6. Warrior Full disclosure: I am partial to any film set in Pittsburgh because I am a Steel City native. That being said, Gavin O’Connor’s sports drama was not just a welcome dose of nostalgia but a tale of repressed familial feelings and resentment told against the gritty ‘burgh backdrop. Although the whole Moby Dick audiobook situation may have been a little heavy-handed for my taste, Nick Nolte’s performance as a recovering alcoholic and sinner was crushing. Also, I prefer Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton’s portrayal of tragically competitive brothers over Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s any day of the week. 5. 50/50 I was hesitant to see a film branded a “cancer comedy” — even if it starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Huston. But when I finally did get to the theater, I discovered one of the sweetest films of the year. One that was able to tackle cancer with a heaping dose of comedy that never felt inappropriate, thanks in part to Will Reiser’s touching script and each supporting cast member who seemed responsible for bringing one major component to the movie each: Angelica Huston (sympathy), Seth Rogen (laughs), Bryce Dallas Howard (bitchiness) and Anna Kendrick (hope). Do not be afraid of 50/50 — it is one of the few films this year that really earned its uplifting ending. 4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Because of the number of tabloid pages dedicated to him, I always end up discounting Tom Cruise as an actor…until I get into a movie theater and realize again, just why he is and deserves to be a movie star. Tom Cruise has a unique screen presence that demands your attention and ticket money — and when paired with Brad Bird’s impeccable direction and the stomach-churning action sequences in this fourth Mission: Impossible installment, was a sight to behold, and one that I hope I can experience very soon again. 3. Young Adult In addition to boasting one of the smartest, hilarious and most devilishly complex protagonists of the year, Young Adult introduced the wonderful Patton Oswalt as the kind of unoriginal male lead that thinking movie audiences deserve. Thank you to Juno filmmakers Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody for giving us a fresh female character who can be manipulative, bitchy and yet completely relatable — in that she understands how dulcet the nasal-y narration of Kourtney Kardashian can be when you are stained sweatpants-level depressed. 2. Melancholia So Lars von Trier’s epic end-of-the-world endeavor may not be the kind of film I’d rush back to see again anytime in the next few days — but that is because I am still digesting the dichotomy of the wildly beautiful images and disturbing apocalyptic tale of one depressed bride (Kirsten Dunst) and her improbably tolerant sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who see a planet approaching their own. This is the most nightmarish cinematic screensaver ever — and I mean that in the best way possible. Also, Kiefer Sutherland’s comedic relief contributions are something to be admired. (On an unrelated note, can someone please give me a final bath count for this movie? I’ve never seen depressives take to the bathtub more eagerly than the bed.) 1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo After reading Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series, and then sincerely enjoying the original Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo — directed by Niels Arden Oplev — I did not know how David Fincher would improve upon such a solid film released so recently (2009). I should have known better than to doubt Fincher and his new muse Rooney Mara though, who transformed into the film’s dark, damaged, kick-ass heroine under the filmmaker’s expert care. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is easily the most electrifying and interesting thriller of the year. Follow Julie Miller on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
In this weekend’s wildly reckless financial risk fantasy We Bought a Zoo , moneyed-but-totes-normal Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), a recently widowed father of two, experiences a fit of Jerry Maguire insanity and moves his family into a zoo. Director Cameron Crowe and co-written by Aline Brosh McKenna ( 27 Dresses ) would have you think this is a good idea, since (spoiler!) Mee’s selfish, shortsighted, and borderline negligent decisions result in an uplifting, golden-hued ending, not to mention the love of a certain crunchy-but-smokin’ hot lady zookeeper. But Movieline knows better. Study the litany of ill-advised risks and bad judgment calls Benjamin Mee makes for himself and his two young children. In these trying times, let his story not be a lesson. * It should be noted that We Bought a Zoo is adapted from the nonfiction memoir of the real Benjamin Mee, a former newspaper columnist who may or may not have also made the stupid life choices listed below. Also: SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY . THE WE BOUGHT A ZOO IRRESPONSIBILITY INDEX, FROM MILDLY DUMB TO REALLY, REALLY STUPID The Mildly Dumb : Not eating those lasagnas all the hot single moms at school made for you. Lasagna is delicious. Leaving daily lunch-making duties to a 7 year old. Allowing an inattentive 14-year-old kid to close down the new shipment of exotic snakes. The Negligibly Negligent: Quitting a job in PRINT journalism for no good reason on a whim one day. I mean, REALLY ARE YOU CRAZY? Personally executing the installation of costly renovation and maintenance of a zoo with no prior carpentry or animal husbandry experience or skills or knowledge… then being shocked with a 650-lb. bear escapes his enclosure. Leaving two children alone for an entire day, without dinner and without leaving a note explaining that you’re off moping and figuring your shit out, only to come home after bedtime to find that someone else has graciously come in to feed and care for them. And without so much as a freaking thank you . The Delusionally Boneheaded : Confronting said escaped bear by approaching to within mauling distance because you think you had a “moment.” HAVE YOU NOT SEEN GRIZZLY MAN ?? Putting off the much-needed and medically recommended euthanasia of a dying lion just to entertain your own self-serving crusade to “save” everything through sheer willpower, because you couldn’t will your dead wife to overcome cancer. Uprooting two helpless children who are mourning their dead mother away from all the friends they know in the world because you want to show life that you won’t take life’s guff anymore. The Really, Really Stupid : Spending millions… and then millions more… buying/fixing up run down zoo instead of, you know, a house. … and then dropping hundreds of thousands more into the flailing dream with last-ditch angel money your dead wife miraculously left you. What’s that children? You wanted to go to college one day? Directing hordes of zoo patrons, some elderly and probably infirm, to scale the massive trunk of a downed tree to enter the park on opening day. Can you say lawsuit?
The trailer gives out a lot of plot details, but fans of the book will be thrilled to see Mikhail and Lisbeth in action. By Eric Ditzian Rooney Mara in “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” Photo: Columbia Pictures The teaser trailer for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” didn’t divulge much about the murder mystery at the center of the flick, trading story details for darkly cool imagery and a badass Led Zeppelin cover courtesy of Trent Reznor , Atticus Ross and Karen O. The latest “Dragon Tattoo” trailer takes a wildly different approach, running four minutes and diving deeply into the lives of Mikhail Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the two Swedes at the center of this tale about a 40-year-old cold case of a missing girl and a rich, dysfunctional family. It’s hard to argue the new footage is too spoiler heavy, considering the ubiquity of the international best-selling Stieg Larsson novel on which the film is based. Let’s just say that there is a ton to unpack in the new trailer. Here are our picks for the five key scenes: The Family Dinner While Larsson’s book is set in contemporary times, its story is inextricably tied to the past, to events surrounding the disappearance and suspected murder of Harriet Vanger, a teenange girl and scion of a wealthy family with dark secrets. Blomkvist and Salander are charged with cracking the decades-old case and largely rely on vintage photographs to assist their investigation. This scene, a glimpse of the Vanger family in the 1960s, shows that director David Fincher is using these weathered photos as the visual inspiration for flashbacks. The almost sepia-toned aesthetic differentiates the gritty present from the vintage-y past, and makes the connection that past events, captured in photos, will be the mechanism allowing Blomkvist and Salander to undercover the truth. The Flowers For those unfamiliar with the novel, this scene — in which Blomkvist and Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), who hires the journalist to investigate his niece’s disappearance — unveils the first creepy clue of the story. Henrik has been receiving pressed flowers, in frames, for years. He’s certain they’re taunts from Harriet’s killer, as the young girl used to present such gifts to her uncle. It turns out that Blomkvist himself has a connection to the Vanger clan, as he spent time as a young child on the family’s remote estate. Taken together, these representations of the past — both in the form of memories and in physical frames — spur the reluctant journalist to take on the assignment. Well, that and the fact that he’s recently suffered a profound professional humiliation and Henrik is offering him a lucrative payout. The Genius To assist him in the investigation, Blomkvist hires Salander, a young woman with a history of being institutionalized and underestimated. The truth is, she’s a brilliant hacker with a photographic memory, as this scene makes clear. Blomkvist shows her a key piece of evidence — a set of names and phone numbers from Harriet’s diary — but she needn’t take another look. Salander has already memorized the information. Blomkvist realizes he’s picked the perfect partner. And he also doesn’t complain that she’s strikingly beautiful; the journalist is something of a ladies’ man, and this duo ends up having success both on the case and in the bedroom. The Photo As we said above, photos are the key clues in this case. Here we see evidence of Blomkvist and Salander’s big break, tthe photo that unlocks everything. In the book, it’s an enormously satisfying moment. After hitting roadblock after roadblock, the case finally picks up momentum, and the rest of the story proceeds at a breakneck pace. So head’s up: Once this scene plays out in the film, hold onto your seat — it’s going to get crazy and violent and freaky from here on out. The Rape That’s not to say there’s not plenty of crazy and freaky violence before that photo pops up. This quick shot shows Salander exacting some well-deserved revenge on Nils Bjurman, the sadistic lawyer who oversees her casework. Earlier in the trailer, we see Bjurman explaining to Salander that his assistance comes hand-in-hand with his unwanted sexual advances. Eventually Salander pays him back for his perversions: Bjurman, meet ball gag. It’s gruesome stuff. And it shows how Salander may look meek and helpless, but when she’s backed into a corner she can come up with some of the most creative and brutal acts of vengeance imaginable. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo:’ A Closer Look Related Photos ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ Five Key Scenes From The Trailer
This s*** here must stop! The “destroyed” mother of a 2-year-old Bronx girl hit by a stray bullet remained by the child’s side Tuesday night as cops arrested the suspected triggerman. Patience Boyd was shot in the head and 6-year-old Jayla Rodriguez was wounded when Luis Moore, 23, opened fire on a crowd filled with children about 7:45 p.m. on Monday, cops and witnesses said. Jayla suffered a graze wound to her neck, cops said. Police say Moore was aiming for Ricky Rodriguez, 20, who was shot in his lower back in the spray of gunfire on E. 181st St. The shooting capped an argument the two men had a couple of hours earlier, sources said. “She’s destroyed right now,” Edward Garcia said of his sister Lizandra, the mother of little Patience. “It’s your worst nightmare,” said Garcia, 30. “They are stupid young people. They don’t care who they hurt. The innocent pay.” Moments before the hellish shooting in Bronx Park South, Garcia stepped outside from his building to a placid scene of children playing and neighbors chatting on the sun-filled sidewalk, he said. Suddenly, Moore emerged from a crowd at the corner of Daly Ave., about 50 feet away, and started squeezing shots down the block, cops and witnesses said. The crowd scrambled for cover as bullets flew. The bleeding Jayla, who is not related to Ricky Rodriguez, was scooped up by her mother and carried down the street, witnesses said. Then Garcia spotted Patience. “I see my sister holding my niece in her arms on the ground and [Patience is] bleeding from her head,” said Garcia, the rims of his eyes red from tears. Rodriguez, who has at least two prior arrests for criminal possession of a weapon and menacing, was also on the ground. His family said he was hit by a bullet when he tried to shield a friend from the gunfire. “He pushed his friend out of the way when he saw the man with the gun,” said his aunt Jaqueline Recio, 45. “He took a bullet to his spine.” Rodriguez and Jayla were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital and were in stable condition yesterday. Patience was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, where she remains in critical condition. “[The bullet] went through everything important,” a source said. “She’s alive, but covered in tubes,” Garcia said. At least the a**hole responsible turned himself in. Poor little Patience… Source
Could there be another Spears hitting Hollywood in a few years? Britney Spears showed off a video of her adorable niece, Maddie Briann Aldridge, 3,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : PopEater Discovery Date : 30/07/2011 16:11 Number of articles : 2
“I already wanted kids, but even more so now,” the actress Jenna Fischer, 36, tells Redbook in its March issue, on newsstands Feb. 15. Due to a stroke of luck, Fischer enjoyed plenty of quality time with her niece as a newborn, and was hooked. “When Cecelia was 3 weeks old, Pam was on maternity leave, so I had a whole week off to spend with her,” she says. “I took charge of the night feedings. It was so awesome: Every night at 9:30, I#39;d say, #39;You guys go to sleep now.#39; I wanted CeCe al
