The two DJs whose now-infamous Kate Middleton prank call apparently led a nurse to commit suicide may face a criminal probe, according to reports. Mel Greig and Michael Christian of Sydney’s 2Day FM pretended to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles inquiring about the health of the pregnant Duchess. The hoax has caused public outcry after Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide . The 46-year-old nurse, who connected the pair to the Duchess’ room, was found dead Friday morning after police were called to an address near the hospital. Circumstances of her death are still being investigated, and are not suspicious at this stage; however, authorities are looking into whether any laws were broken . British police have contacted Australian police about a possible probe into the prank call, specifically the recording and dissemination of the private conversation. Rhys Holleran, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of 2Day FM, has apologized profusely, yet maintains that no laws were broken. The prank had been cleared by the Australian radio station’s lawyers. Holleran said the DJs followed the company’s procedures before broadcasting the call. “Our main concern at this point in time is what has happened is incredibly tragic and we’re deeply saddened and we’re incredibly affected by that,” Holleran said. At the same time, he added, “we’re very confident that we haven’t done anything illegal.” Lord Glenarthur, chairman of King Edward VII’s Hospital, where the pregnant Kate Middleton was/is receiving treatment, condemned the prank Saturday. Glenarthur said the call humiliated “two dedicated and caring nurses,” and the consequences were “tragic beyond words,” The Associated Press reported. Whether it results in criminal charges remains to be seen, but the DJs have already taken themselves off the air and are said to be in “intense” grief counseling.
LAPD detectives have apologized to the family of the late Notorious B.I.G. for failing to warn them about the planned release of his autopsy report last Friday. The rapper (real name Christopher Wallace) was killed 15 years ago in a drive-by, but the Notorious B.I.G. autopsy report had never seen the light of day. The detectives intended to notify the rapper’s family , but the report was released prematurely “due to an administrative error,” officials said in a statement. “Our detectives personally spoke with the Wallace family (Friday) night, and apologized for not notifying them prior to the release” said Capt. Billy Hayes. The 1997 slaying remains unsolved, and under investigation, Hayes added: “Obviously this has been a challenging case; We hope that witnesses or other people with information will come forward and give us the clues we need.” Why release the report now in any case? L.A. County’s Chief Coroner Investigator Craig Harvey said a security hold on the report’s release was just lifted. The 23-page report revealed the rapper was hit by four bullets after leaving an event in March 1997, and that only the fourth – which hit his heart, lung and colon – killed him. The rapper’s family complained Friday that they were not notified of its release, and also criticized police for not closing one of L.A.’s highest-profile unsolved murders. Both the LAPD and the FBI investigated Wallace’s killing, which came just months after another rap superstar, Tupac Shakur, was gunned down in Las Vegas. The FBI looked into whether any LAPD were involved in Wallace’s shooting. The deaths of Wallace and Shakur, both unsolved, have been the subject of rampant speculation, and are a tragic but indelible part of the genre’s lore. The one-time friends and hip-hop pioneers became rivals and instigators in a wide-ranging, often violent East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry during the 1990s.
Jamie Foxx rocked Saturday Night Live with a hilarious monologue this weekend, musing on current events and how America is changing with regard to race. The talented actor’s refrain for this opening bit? “How Black is That?” Jamie Foxx SNL Monologue All across this great nation, black is the new white, are we right? Foxx thinks so, referencing the plot of his upcoming film Django Unchained , Jay-Z’s ownership of the Brooklyn Nets, President Obama’s dancing skills and much more. The 44-year-old not only killed with his jokes, but showed his versatility: he’s also a wonderful singer, a talented pianist, and a rapper who can hold his own. Special guest 2 Chainz would no doubt agree.
Police in Victoria, Australia have issued a warning to motorists regarding Apple Maps: Don’t use it. Officials spoke out after several travelers became stranded in the Murray-Sunset National Park trying to reach the city of Mildura using Apple’s utterly inaccurate directions. Tests of the system by police confirm the mapping application lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, about 43 MILES from its actual location. Police are extremely concerned as there is no water within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 114 degrees, making this a potentially life threatening issue. Some motorists located by police were stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get cell service. A report from Australia’s ABC News reveals that Victoria police have had to rescue a total of six people in the last two months after they became lost using Maps. After the launch of iOS 6, which included the new Maps application, Apple received criticism over inaccuracies in mapping data like the mislocation in Victoria. The Apple Maps manager was fired over it. Apple CEO Tim Cook even issued a personal apology to the public over the debacle, promising to improve the app, reiterating that Apple “screwed up” badly. Cook is “putting the weight of the company behind correcting it,” he assures.
The Sundance Film Festival continued its roll out of films playing its 2013 event in January, unveiling its out-of-competition Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier sections as well as installations and performances headed to the festival’s New Frontier venue. Jeff Nichols’ Mud , starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon , festival favorite No with Gael García Bernal and the U.S. premiere of Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers are among the films set for Sundance’s Spotlight section, which includes North American and U.S. debuts. [ Related: Check out Sundance’s 2013 U.S. and World Competition lineup as well as films in its NEXT program ] “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce the films selected for these sections because they illustrate the tremendous creativity and vibrancy of the independent film community,” said Sundance’s Director of Programming Trevor Groth in a statement. “Spotlight features our favorite films that have premiered at other festivals and the Park City at Midnight and New Frontier sections are comprised of films that are bound to shock, intoxicate, derange or dazzle. Expect the unexpected when you venture down the path of these cinematic sensations.” The Sundance Film Festival takes place January 17 – 27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Sundance’s Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier lineups (with descriptions provided by the festival): SPOTLIGHT Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love. Fill the Void / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Rama Burshtein) — A devout 18-year-old Israeli is pressured to marry the husband of her late sister. Declaring her independence is not an option in Tel Aviv’s ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community, where religious law, tradition and the rabbi’s word are absolute. Cast: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir, Razia Israeli, Hila Feldman. Gangs of Wasseypur / India (Director: Anurag Kashyap, Screenwriters: Anurag Kashyap, Zeishan Quadri) — Exiled and outcast for robbing British trains, Shahid Khan spurs a battle for revenge that passes down generations. Shahid’s son vows to get his father’s honor back, becoming the most feared man in the Indian town of Wasseypur. Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddique, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, Tigmanshu Dhulia. U.S. Premiere The Gatekeepers (documentary) / Israel, Germany, Belgium, France (Director: Dror Moreh) — Since its stunning military victory in 1967, Israel has hoped to achieve a long-lasting peace. Forty-five years later, this has yet to happen. Six former heads of Israel’s Secret Service reflect on the successes and failures of the “peace process.” Mud / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Nichols) — Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and reunite him with his true love. Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon. North American Premiere No / Chile, U.S.A. (Director: Pablo Larraín, Screenwriter: Pedro Peirano) — When Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power, the opposition persuades a young advertising executive to head its campaign. With limited resources and under scrutiny, he conceives a plan to win the election. Cast: Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Luis Gnecco, Marcial Tagle, Néstor Cantillana. Sightseers / United Kingdom (Director: Ben Wheatley, Screenwriters: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram) — Chris wants to show girlfriend Tina his world, but when events conspire against the couple, their dream caravan holiday takes a very wrong turn. Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram. U.S. Premiere Stories We Tell (documentary) / Canada (Director: Sarah Polley) — Sarah Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake. Each is a world premiere. Ass Backwards / U.S.A. (Director: Chris Nelson, Screenwriters: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson) — Loveable losers Kate and Chloe take a road trip back to their hometown to claim the beauty pageant crown that eluded them as children, only to discover what really counts: friendship. Cast: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Alicia Silverstone, Jon Cryer, Brian Geraghty. Hell Baby / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon) — An expectant couple moves into the most haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans – a house with a demonic curse. Things spiral out of control and soon only the Vatican’s elite exorcism team can save the pair – or can it? Cast: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan Michael Key, Riki Lindhome, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel. In Fear / United Kingdom (Directed and story by: Jeremy Lovering) — Trapped in a maze of country roads with only their vehicle for protection, Tom and Lucy are terrorized by an unseen tormentor exploiting their worst fears. Eventually they realize they’ve let the evil in – it’s sitting in their car. Cast: Alice Englert, Iain De Caestecker, Allen Leech. kink (documentary) / U.S.A. (Director: Christina Voros) — A story of sex, submission and big business is told through the eyes of the unlikely pornographers whose 9:00-to-5:00 work days are spent within the confines of the San Francisco Armory building, home to the sprawling porn production facilities of Kink.com. The Rambler / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) — After being released from prison, a man known as “The Rambler” stumbles upon a strange mystery as he attempts the treacherous journey through back roads and small towns en route to reconnecting with his long-lost brother. Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Lindsay Pulsipher, Natasha Lyonne, James Cady, Scott Sharot. S-VHS / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Edúardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, Jason Eisener, Screenwriters: Simon Barrett, Jamie Nash, Timo Tjahjanto & Gareth Huw Evans, John Davies) — Searching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his abandoned house and find another collection of mysterious VHS tapes. In viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be terrifying motives behind the student’s disappearance. Cast: Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, L.C Holt, Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Hughes. Virtually Heroes / U.S.A. (Director: GJ Echternkamp, Screenwriter: Matt Yamashita) — Two self-aware characters in a Call of Duty-style video game struggle with their screwy, frustrating existence. To find answers, one abandons his partner and mission, seeking to unravel the cheat codes of life. Cast: Robert Baker, Brent Chase, Katie Savoy, Mark Hamill, Ben Messmer. We Are What We Are / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle) — A devastating storm washes up clues that lead authorities closer and closer to the cannibalistic Parker family. Cast: Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Michael Parks, Wyatt Russell, Kelly McGillis. NEW FRONTIER With media installations, multimedia performances, transmedia experiences, panels, films and more, New Frontier highlights work that celebrates experimentation and the expansion of cinema culture through the convergence of film, art, and new media technology. Films Charlie Victor Romeo / U.S.A. (Directors: Robert Berger, Karlyn Michelson, Screenwriters: Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory) — An award-winning theatrical documentary derived entirely from ‘Black Box’ transcripts of six real-life major airline emergencies brought to the screen with cutting-edge stereoscopic 3D technology. Cast: Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory, Noel Dinneen, Sam Zuckerman, Debbie Troche, Nora Woolley. Fat Shaker / Iran (Director and screenwriter: M Shirvani) — An obese father and his handsome, deaf son share extraordinary experiences in Tehran. Then a beautiful young woman upsets the balance of their relationship, forcing them to renegotiate their position with each other and the world around them. Cast: Levon Haftvan, Maryam Palizban, Hassan Rostami, Navid Mohammadzadeh. Interior. Leather Bar. / U.S.A. (Directors: Travis Mathews, James Franco, Screenwriter: Travis Mathews) — To avoid an X rating, it was rumored that 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was cut from the controversial 1980 film, Cruising. Filmmakers James Franco and Travis Mathews re-imagine what was in the lost footage. Cast: Val Lauren, James Franco, Travis Mathews, Christian Patrick, Brenden Gregory. Halley / Mexico (Director: Sebastian Hofmann, Screenwriters: Sebastian Hofmann, Julio Chavezmontes) — Alberto is dead and can no longer hide it. Before surrendering to his living death, he forms an unusual friendship with Luly, the manager of the 24-hour gym where he works as a night guard. Cast: Alberto Trujillo, Lourdes Trueba, Hugo Albores. The Meteor / Canada (Director: François Delisle, Screenwriter: François Delisle) — Forty-something Pierre, his mother and his wife are linked by crime, guilt and loneliness. Like casualties of love and desire, they are dying to stick their heads above water and breathe the air of life. Cast: Noémie Godin Vigneau, François Delisle, Laurent Lucas, Brigitte Pogonat, François Papineau, Andrée Lachapelle. INSTALLATIONS Cityscape 2095 Artists: Yannick Jacquet, Mandril, Thomas Vaquié [AntiVJ] AntiVJ artists Yannick Jacquet and Marc Ferrario blend painting with light projection to transform the walls of New Frontier into a luminous, three-dimensional cityscape that feels strangely familiar yet impossible to locate. With its disorienting sense of time and space, Cityscape 2095 places spectators on the observatory deck of a skyscraper, where they take in a sprawling, imaginary city as it glitters over the course of one day. Coral: Rekindling Venus Artist: Lynette Wallworth Inspired by the first collaboration among the international science community to witness the celestial transit of Venus in 1761, Lynette Wallworth’s visually stunning Coral: Rekindling Venus is an augmented-reality and full-dome planetarium presentation designed to nurture an emotional connection between a global audience and the planet’s endangered coral reefs. This epic project features original deep-sea photography, augmented-reality artwork and music by Antony and the Johnsons. Presented at the New Frontier venue in Park City, Salt Lake City’s Clark Planetarium and other locations nationally. Details to be announced. E.M-bed.de/d, Datamosh, Augmented Real Artist: Yung Jake Rap artist Yung Jake is Net art incarnate, flowing lyrics about tweet culture, data-moshing, hashtags, and memes as he blows up on Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and Instagram in his HTML5 music video, E.M-bed.de/d. This MC drops unexpectedly into your browser sessions, streams into Festival screenings, Skype-bombs live DJ performances, and pops out of floors and magazines in augmented-reality music videos. Eyjafjallalokull Artist: Joanie Lemercier [AntiVJ] Inspired by the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption that wreaked travel havoc across Europe, Eyjafjallalokull is a stunning, three-dimensional, audiovisual mapping installation that challenges audiences’ perception of space by creating an optical illusion that transforms the walls of New Frontier into a sweeping digital vista that artistically recreates the seismic event. North of South, West of East Artist: Meredith Danluck North of South, West of East enhances narrative storytelling by wrapping the film around the entire room. Presented to an audience in swivel chairs, Meredith Danluck’s remarkable four-channel narrative feature deftly unspools a darkly humorous tale of small-town folks as they try to make sense of a posthope America. Shot on location in Detroit, Michigan, and Marfa, Texas, this unique film features fantastic performances by Ben Foster, Stella Schnabel, and Sue Galloway, and a soundtrack by Marfa local punk band Solid Waste. Pulse Index Artist: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s beautifully resonant, interactive media installation swaths the central lounge of New Frontier with images of the warm, breathing flesh of its visitors. Pulse Index records the heart rates and fingerprints of participants and exhibits them in a beautiful Fibonacci pattern. Place your finger into the custom-made sensor, and your fingerprint appears on the largest cell of the display, pulsating to your heartbeat. Your print then travels down the sequence to join those of all the others who have visited the room, immersing the community space with the radiant glow of the human touch. What’s He Building in There? Artists: Klip Collective Ricardo Rivera and the Klip Collective transform the entire front of the New Frontier venue into an interactive, 3-D projection-mapped parable, inspired by the Tom Waits song. Sip a hot beverage in the outdoor lounge and watch the walls and windowpanes dissolve into a story about a man on a mysterious mission inside the building. Use the X-ray flashlight to peek at what he is up to. RELATED: Sundance Film Festival Reveals 2013 U.S. & World Competition Slate Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
December 14th is the day when Peter Jackson will unleash the first of his Hobbit films, but that doesn’t mean it’s practically in the can. Jackson is bunkering down in the Park Road Post Production facility in Wellington, New Zealand to finish up the first in the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey . “It’s due to be completed literally two days before the premiere. Hopefully,” Jackson comments in the film’s latest production video (below). “You’re going to see a lot of sleep-deprived people in this blog — everybody’s working around the clock to get the film finished.” The behind the scenes look shows Jabez Olssen and Jackson editing the film, final construction of hundreds of CGI shots and working on sound effects for the feature which stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blachett and Elijah Wood. “We’ve got another three weeks…and then another couple films,” Jackson said. “The journey’s long from over, it’s just really starting.” Meanwhile, a new clip from the film also rolled out. The scene shows Gandalf (Ian McKellen) giving a magical sword to Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). It’s rather quick and Gandalf seems to forewarn of its pending need. Peter Jackson interview : First clip : [ Sources: Wired , The Film Stage ]
I make fun of Nina Agdal for having Downs Syndrome face…even though I should be encouraging her…you know that despite her disability…she can make it as a bikini or lingerie model…cuz no one cares about good face..it’s all about ass and titties girl…. But the reality is that I only tease her cuz I like her…she clearly doesn’t have DOWNS…cuz if she did she wouldn’t be modeling…she’d be masturbating at the public pool during retard activity hour…or playing with rocks in the park….or getting knocked up by pervert orderlies at the institution… You know how it is….and if you don’t here is Nina…lookin’ lovely…yes we are on a first name basis now.
Holly Madison is doing Yoga in the park….Real fucking exciting…I mean if you google her you can see her before she turned into a housewife pile of shit…you know back when she was in her prime and getting naked for money….behavior that paved the way for this “good” life she’s living….where her daily activity only requires going to the fucking park for the paparazzi to watch her stretch… I only like to fuck with Yoga when the girls are young, tight, bending over in my face, and ideally not farting… I try to avoid the senior class with all their massive mom vagina lips everywhere….Not that I do Yoga, but you get what I am saying….and that is that bitch is trying to get press for her pregnancy on some bottom feeding slut level you’d expect for her…but I’m not having it….or maybe I am…who cares. TO SEE THE REST OF THE PICS OF THIS HAG FOLLOW THIS LINK
New York City officials are already teed off over Ken and Sarah Burns documentary The Central Park Five — but just wait until they see the poster for the headlines-generating film. The stark, black-and-white image simply, effectively — and immediately — communicates the idea that the scales of justice did not work for the five men who were convicted and later cleared in the racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case that rocked the city. As I reported in early October, lawyers for the city of New York have subpoenaed notes and outtakes from the documentary, which Burns directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon, in order to determine whether the material can help them fight a federal civil rights lawsuit that five men filed nine years ago as a result of their experience. (Each of the five men is seeking $50 million.) The documentary, which was shown at the Cannes, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, scrutinizes the initial convictions of the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Kharey Wise — noting, for instance that the five men did not appear to be in the area of the park where the rape occurred, that their DNA was not found on the victim and that their confessions did not jibe with one another’s. As I also reported, the filmmakers are fighting the subpoena . Sarah Burns told me, “We’re not sure the city can subpoena us because we believe we’re protected by the shield laws” that allow journalists to protect their sources and research. In 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the incident, the lawyer for the five men, Jonathan Moore called their experience “the most racist prosecution that occurred in the City of New York. The city maintains that that cops and prosecutors acted appropriately. “We believe that based on the information that the police and prosecutors had at the time, they had probable cause to proceed, and the confessions were sound,” a city spokeswoman told the New York Times. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
New York City officials are already teed off over Ken and Sarah Burns documentary The Central Park Five — but just wait until they see the poster for the headlines-generating film. The stark, black-and-white image simply, effectively — and immediately — communicates the idea that the scales of justice did not work for the five men who were convicted and later cleared in the racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case that rocked the city. As I reported in early October, lawyers for the city of New York have subpoenaed notes and outtakes from the documentary, which Burns directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon, in order to determine whether the material can help them fight a federal civil rights lawsuit that five men filed nine years ago as a result of their experience. (Each of the five men is seeking $50 million.) The documentary, which was shown at the Cannes, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, scrutinizes the initial convictions of the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Kharey Wise — noting, for instance that the five men did not appear to be in the area of the park where the rape occurred, that their DNA was not found on the victim and that their confessions did not jibe with one another’s. As I also reported, the filmmakers are fighting the subpoena . Sarah Burns told me, “We’re not sure the city can subpoena us because we believe we’re protected by the shield laws” that allow journalists to protect their sources and research. In 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the incident, the lawyer for the five men, Jonathan Moore called their experience “the most racist prosecution that occurred in the City of New York. The city maintains that that cops and prosecutors acted appropriately. “We believe that based on the information that the police and prosecutors had at the time, they had probable cause to proceed, and the confessions were sound,” a city spokeswoman told the New York Times. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
