It had its big debut in Cannes in May and its U.S. release at the end of August. Now John Hillcoat ‘s Lawless is headed to Blu-ray and DVD. Based on Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World , the film stars Shia LaBeouf ( Disturbia ), Tom Hardy ( The Dark Knight Rises ), Academy Award-nominee Gary Oldman ( Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ), Mia Wasikowska ( Alice in Wonderland ), Academy Award-nominee Jessica Chastain ( The Help ) and Emmy winner Guy Pearce ( The King’s Speech ). The Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD will include special features. Hitting retail on November 27th, special features include an audio commentary from director John Hillcoat and author Matt Dondurant. It will also have two featurettes: The True Story of the Wettest County in the World and Franklin County, VA: Then and Now . Willie Nelson’s Midnight Run music video is also a part of the nifty additions. Commenting on the film in Cannes last May, John Hillcoat noted : “There are a lot of parallels to today with the economic crisis, today’s Mexican cartels, heroin in New York, crack and cocaine in the ’80s and the war on drugs. All this feeds back to Prohibition in the ’30s.” Lawless opened with just over $10 million in its opening weekend theatrical release in late August, and has taken in over $36.27 million through last weekend. Official logline : They were brothers who became outlaws, and outlaws who became heroes…The three Bondurant boys (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke), along with their sultry new hire (Jessica Chastain), command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in Franklin County, Virginia. The locals consider them “indestructible.” But the law – in the form of a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pearce) – wants a cut of their action, at any cost. When youngest brother Jack (LaBeouf) gets a taste of power with a deadly gangster (Gary Oldman), the whole business blows sky high. Based on the astonishing true story, the Bondurant brotherhood is the stuff of legend.
This is actually a luxurious delicacy in Ghana… According to the BBC, the meat is illegal in the UK and Europe due to health and safety reasons. Concerns are being raised again after a popular market, which is usually smuggled in via ferries and planes, sold the meat to undercover investigators. Bush meat is wild terrestrial animals hunted for commercial gains. It is considered the opposite of livestock, which is raised for the express purpose of being slaughtered for food. The Ridley Road Market in Dalston, in east London, is apparently known to be a hotbed of illegal activity. It is reported that butchers there conduct sales of illegal “smokies,” a delicacy made by charring goat and sheep with a blowtorch. At least two stores were found to sell “grass cutter” or cane rats, possibly imported from Ghana, where they are a luxury. The practice of “smokies” has been outlawed due to public health and animal welfare concerns. The practice has also been linked to mafia-style gangs in Wales, who steal sheep and goats and slaughter them in unlicensed houses. Bush meat has been a consistent problem for authorities in the UK. The illegal meat products are often smuggled in at the airports or ferries. They fear that the meat could pose risks to consumers, either through eating it or via contamination. A BBC reporter found several stores and butchers selling the meat easily, however. Though not every store participated in the practice, some were easily uncovered. All have knowledge that the practice is illegal. One butcher who sold the meat to the reporter said, “Don’t tell anyone; otherwise, there will be trouble.” Contaminated rat meat??? Sounds like that Zombie epidemic isn’t an impossibility! Images via wordpress
She was just a lookin’ pa nub! A 13-year-old’s plans for hooking up with the long distance boyfriend she met on XBox were foiled by one-time in Tennessee where she was nabbed for stealing her brother’s car ! A 13-year-old Texas girl snatched her brother’s car and drove across three states to visit a boyfriend she met playing Xbox games online, authorities said. Elizabeth Robinson, of Cypress, near Houston, was pulled over by police in Nashville — 800 miles away — and taken into custody on Thursday, local station KHOU reported. Her parents said she was headed to Hodgenville, Ky., to meet a 12-year-old boy named Dylan, whom she met playing Xbox. “She had mentioned that she was talking to a boy online and said he was her boyfriend,” her mother, Tressa Robinson, told the station. “She started staying in her bedroom more, isolating herself where she was always with the headset, always talking. That’s how they communicated through the Xbox.” The Robinsons discovered the girl missing Thursday morning, along with her brother’s car and Tressa’s ATM card. The lovestruck teen tried to throw her folks off her scent with a note saying she was upset about being bullied at school and headed to a girlfriend’s house. But her parents later checked her email account and found a message with Dylan’s address, the station reported. The couple suspected Elizabeth might pull a stunt like this after her father took her Xbox away and she started asking about the gas mileage on her brother’s car, KHOU reported. Authorities tracked the girl though her use of her mom’s ATM card, and the little outlaw was picked up by a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer who recognized the car from an Amber Alert. Dylan, meanwhile, didn’t leave home during his online squeeze’s cross-country trek. Elizabeth’s father was on his way to pick her up from police, the station said. Boy things sure have changed since we were kids. XBox live is the new Match.com for the tween set? Source
Penn State University is doing all it can to separate itself from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which has sent that pedophile to jail , resulted in unprecedented sanctions against the football team and led to new uniforms for the players. How will the fans feel the effects of this sordid situation? Penn State announced this week that it has outlawed the playing of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” at home football games, a single used as a traditional sing-a-long on campus for many years. Track lyrics, as heard below, include the line “touching me, touching you,” and… well… we don’t need to explain why some might see that as inappropriate now, do we?
Who would’ve guessed one of the guys behind The Man Show — the highbrow bastion of sensitivity and progressive thought that ended every episode with big-bosomed women jumping on trampolines — would have such animosity towards female comedians? Adam Carolla to The New York Post this week: “They make you hire a certain number of chicks, and they’re always the least funny on the writing staff. The reason why you know more funny dudes than funny chicks is that dudes are funnier than chicks. If my daughter has a mediocre sense of humor, I’m just gonna tell her, ‘Be a staff writer for a sitcom. Because they’ll have to hire you, they can’t really fire you, and you don’t have to produce that much. It’ll be awesome.'” [ NYP ]
Also in Tuesday’s round up of news, the Academy taps a new Communications Managing Director, Phase 4 Films nabs a Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria starrer. Former rocker turned filmmaker plans a film on a Philadelphia hockey team and some very early Disney sketches get animated. Focus Features’ James Schamus to Take Hamptons Film Festival Honors Focus CEO James Schamus will feted with the Industry Toast at the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival on October 5th. In addition to heading the specialty distributor, Schamus is a screenwriter, producer and academic. Focus is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and he previously served as co-president of indie film production company Good Machine. He received an Oscar nomination as producer for Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain , which became Focus’ highest growing film. The 20th Hamptons International Film Festival takes place October 4th – 8th on Long Island’s East End. Academy Names Jasmine Madatian as its Communications Managing Director Madatian will serve as Managing Director, Communications, a new position created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Madatian will report to Christina Kounelias, AMPAS’ chief marketing officer. She will oversee all of the Academy’s publicity and corporate communications campaigns, including the Academy Awards as well as outreach for the organization’s year-round programming, education, preservation and other key initiatives. Around the ‘net… Phase 4 Picks Up The Baytown Outlaws North American rights to the Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria action comedy went to Phase 4 with an eye to an early 2013 release. Directed and co-written by Barry Battles (with Griffin Hood) the story follows three ruthless Alabama brothers who find themselves on the wrong side of a group of characters who are both colorful and lethal, Deadline reports . Rob Zombie Eyes Philadelphia Flyers in Broad Street Bullies Zombie will write, direct and produce the project about the Philadelphia hockey team, which went on to many victories and penalty minutes in the ’70s, Deadline reports . Jesse Eisenberg Gets OK to Pursue Lawsuit Against Lionsgate An LA judge sided with The Social Network star in a lawsuit against Lionsgate for promoting his likeness and name in Camp Hell which he only makes a short appearance. The DVD release positions him in a starring role, THR reports . Very Early Disney Sketches Get Animated The original sketches for one of Walt Disney’s earliest characters have been animated 85 years after they were drawn. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was created in 1927, a year before Mickey Mouse debuted, and the rabbit starred in 26 cartoons in the 1920s and 30s. Archivists have used dozens of drawings from Disney’s personal sketchbook to create a new Oswald cartoon, BBC reports .
As Ronald Reagan famously quipped, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Portland, Oregon, though, really is here to help. The problem is that the city hasn’t created laws to benefit Portlanders—it’s created them to benefit one specific industry, at the expense of every consumer in the area. The Portland city council two years… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Weekly Standard Blog Discovery Date : 26/04/2012 16:22 Number of articles : 3
Remaining seven get current Wednesday night, taking on hits from this decade with surprisingly great results. By James Montgomery Joshua Ledet Photo: Getty Images On Wednesday’s “American Idol,” the crowd was crazy (except for poor Hollie Cavanagh), the judges slightly cracked (comparing Phillip Phillips to the lovechild of Steve McQueen and Johnny Cash) and the music actually current. Shoot, for a second there, you probably thought you were watching “The Voice” or something. Yes, it was a big night in “Idol” land, as the top seven took on songs from this decade with surprisingly good results. Most soared and scored, and though we can’t believe no one did an Adele tune, we’ve gotta say, the remaining contestants definitely brought the goods. Perhaps they should just sing contemporary songs every week? But whose performances earned the highest marks? Who fell to the back of the class? And what the heck was going on with the crowd after Hollie’s performance? For answers to all of those questions and more, here’s our “American Idol” report card: Jessica Sanchez: Her family is officially my favorite ever. Her decision to do Jazmine Sullivan’s “Stuttering” may have mystified Jimmy Iovine, but it was clearly the right call. She split the difference between previous big-voiced stunners and all that Bebe Chez stuff, threw in some stank (and some scatting) and delivered a performance that, quoth Randy Jackson, “Slayed the biggest fish of the night.” So much voice, so emotionally over-the-top, and so diva-riffic — and all seemingly so effortless, Sanchez flexed her talents and fired back after a few weeks in the wilderness. “Every time I hear you sing, I forget where I am,” Steven Tyler said. So, he hears her sing in grocery stores and behind the wheel? A- Joshua Ledet: He acted adorably upon getting a birthday message from Fantasia. He’s clearly found his lane over the past few weeks, and his confidence seems to grow with each subsequent performance. This week, he did Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby,” which started vampy, campy and maybe even a tad bit old fashioned (even for a retroist like Mars), but it really picked up speed in the second half, building to a big note and a fiery finish, earning Ledet the night’s first standing ovation. He’s certainly a dynamic performer, but is he also a current one? That might be the only thing standing between him and the title. Oh, and Colton Dixon’s female fanbase. Grade: B+ Hollie Cavanagh: Man, even her hometown visit was boring. Chose to sing Pink’s “Perfect” (or, as she put it, “Pay-feckt”) and, clearly rattled by repeat visits to the bottom three, had the thousand-yard stare going from her intro package onward. But, she delivered the goods onstage, with a performance that was both confident and restrained. And that last note! Apparently, however, my opinion was in the minority, as the judges did everything short of zipping up her suitcases and booking her a window seat. J.Lo gave her the “You look beautiful” and the “We’ll see how it all pans out” (double kiss of death). Steven mumbled something about it “Not being perfect,” and Randy, addressing the odd vacuum of tension in the room, only added, “It’s all of a sudden very quiet in here.” Jeez, this is getting difficult to watch. End it now. B Skylar Laine: Producers introduced us to her new Twitter tag — #skoutlaws — which, upon first glance, looks like “Skoal” (oddly fitting). She played it safe by choosing Kellie Pickler’s “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” which showed off her vocal range by … uh, displaying how adept she was at playing rhythm guitar. Her performance was proficient, professional and pretty much perfect, but still felt like a step back from last week’s breakout “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Loved the hobo trashcan fires though. B- Elise Testone: She decided to tackle Lady Gaga’s “You and I” ( told you she would ) and was sadly talked out of playing drums by Jimmy Iovine, which probably would’ve been the unintentional comedy highlight of 2012. The performance was passionate, if not particularly polished, but that’s been par for the course with her in recent weeks. She can bring it, for sure, though if (when) she survives, perhaps it’s time to soften things up just a tad? “Elise is back!” Randy enthused. Until next week, of course. B- Colton Dixon: The most famous alumnus of the Middle Tennessee Christian School (go Cougars!) went Apex Predator this week, throwing shade at fellow fella Phillip Phillips and swinging for the fences with Skylar Grey’s “Love the Way You Lie.” With a string section, some smoke and a soaring-for-the-sake-of-soaring bridge, Dixon was clearly in it to win it, though thanks to the arrangement’s languid pacing and CDix’s longing stares into the camera, this one very nearly veered into self-parody. The girls loved it, of course. Oh, and any time Steven and Randy compliment your choice of jacket, well, perhaps it’s time to fire your stylist. C+ Phillip Phillips: “Idol” producers played up his rural roots and pawn-shop past by piping the theme from “Sanford and Sons” into his hometown package. Classy. Phillip refused to take part in Iovine’s Machiavellian scheme to pit him against Colton, which automatically makes me like him 10x more than CDix. His version of Maroon 5’s “Give a Little More” featured all the usual Phillips’ trademarks (grouting, foot shuffling, forehead-veining) though, credit where credit is due: Thanks to the addition of a sax player, he basically turned this into a Dave Matthews Band performance. “I think we’ve seen that a couple times,” Randy said. Yeah, dawg, like on Under the Table and Dreaming. C Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Share your reviews of this week’s “Idol” performances in the comments section below! Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Performances
The white bricklayer from Virginia defied stereotypes and centuries of racist laws when he married Mildred Jeter, who was black and Native American. Convicted of violating a law against interracial marriage, the Lovings fought for their rights and won a landmark 1967 Supreme Court case that struck down such bans nationwide. Read: Black Love Their lives are explored in a new documentary, “The Loving Story,” which premieres Tuesday on HBO. Today, there are more than 4 million “mixed marriages” in the United States, and roughly one in seven new marriages are between people of different ethnicities. But in 1958, when the Lovings’ marriage was ruled illegal and they were banished from their native Virginia, 21 states outlawed interracial unions. “The Loving Story” details the couple’s nine-year battle to live in Virginia as man and wife. Using evocative photographs, newly unearthed footage and interviews with the Lovings’ daughter and lawyers, the film reveals the power of love to overcome bigotry.
Critics can’t help but compare the Kenny Wormald dance flick to Kevin Bacon’s 1984 original. By Kevin P. Sullivan Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough in “Footloose” Photo: Paramount Pictures Let’s dance! The remake of “Footloose” hit theaters on Friday (October 14), and the critics have weighed in. The dance flick revisits the 1984 original’s story about a teen (played by newcomer Ken Wormald ) who moves to a conservative town that has outlawed dancing; the new kid shakes things up in more ways than one. “Footloose” seems to be holding on with a 74 percent fresh rating at the review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and, overall, the verdict is a resounding “better than we thought it would be.” We rounded up a sampling of some of the reviews to give you an idea of what to expect if you decide to bust a move and hit the theater. The Story “After his mother dies, Boston kid Renn (Wormald) comes to live with his aunt (Kim Dickens) and uncle (Ray McKinnon) in Bomont, Ga., which three years before banned ‘vulgar, demeaning amplified music’ and ‘lewd and lascivious dancing’ in the wake of a car crash that killed five high-schoolers. One of the dead kids came from the family of Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid), his wife Vi (Andie MacDowell) and their daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough). The boy’s death has launched pretty Ariel into a territory somewhere between damaged and deranged. She stands on railroad tracks as a train speeds toward her, and flirts dangerously with surly local outlaw Chuck (Patrick Flueger), whose biker gang seems sanitized enough to be called Heck’s Angels. Ariel also comes on to Renn — who, though he sports a Back Bay accent and a greasy coif, isn’t that kind of boy.” — Richard Corliss, Time The Leads “Unlike Bacon, who had a double, Wormald does Ren’s angry dance himself in an abandoned warehouse. But Wormald is not the actor Bacon is. This crimps his chemistry with Hough, who has the indefinable spark that indicates star potential.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone The Direction “If you remember the first ‘Footloose,’ you know more or less what happens, and you may find some of the alterations amusing. Instead of a game of chicken on tractors, for instance, there is a dirt-track race involving modified school buses. [Director Craig] Mr. Brewer films this lumbering action sequence, and several brawls and fights, with more verve and relish than he brings to the dance numbers, which are, in the age of ‘Glee,’ the ‘High School Musical’ movies and the mighty ‘Step Up’ franchise, woefully inadequate.” — A.O. Scott, The New York Times The Remake “There’s one thing to be said for a remake of a 1984 movie that uses the original’s screenplay. This 2011 version is so similar — sometimes song for song and line for line — that I was wickedly tempted to reprint my 1984 review, word for word. But That Would be Wrong. I think I could have gotten away with it, though. The movies differ in such tiny details (the hero now moves to Tennessee from Massachusetts, not Chicago) that few would have noticed.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times The Verdict “The remake of ‘Footloose’ is sappy, squeaky clean and far-fetched. But thanks to the obvious love director and co-writer Craig Brewer has for the 1984 original, its heart is in the right place.” — Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic Check out everything we’ve got on “Footloose.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .
