Shots fired … literally! Chamique Holdsclaw Facing Prison Time For Assault On Ex Via TMZ reports: WNBA legend Chamique Holdsclaw insists she’s no violent gun-slinging psychotic ex-girlfriend … pleading not guilty to aggravated assault after allegedly firing a gun inside her ex-GF’s car. Holdsclaw entered the plea in Atlanta this morning — also pleading not guilty to criminal damage in the first degree, criminal damage in the second degree, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Holdsclaw — who’s currently free on bond — was charged with the laundry list of crimes last month. We broke the story … Holdsclaw — considered one of the greatest players in WNBA history — was arrested in Atlanta last year for a violent encounter with ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lacy. According to the police report, 35-year-old Holdsclaw attacked Lacy’s car with a baseball bat and then fired a gun into the vehicle’s backseat while Lacy sat in the driver’s seat. On the bright side, she won’t have any problems finding a new girl in jail.
From new characters to new stakes to new alliances and new instances of blood and nudity… HBO has released the very first trailer for Game of Thrones Season 3 . It premiered on last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and it featured favorites such as Tyrion Lannister and vital new players such as Ciarán Hinds’ Mance Rayder. The epic drama returns on March 31 and you can’t waste another solitary second. Watch the first footage from episodes to come now: Game of Thrones Trailer
2 Mommmms! Denver Nuggets Forward Kenneth Faried Joins Athlete Ally Gay Advocacy Group Via HuffingtonPost Denver Nuggets star Kenneth Faried has become the first NBA player to join an organization devoted to fighting homophobia in sports, and said he hopes his involvement will raise awareness of gay rights in professional basketball. Equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community is close to the heart of Faried, nicknamed the “Manimal” for his fierceness on the court. The 23-year-old forward was raised in New Jersey by two mothers, who married in 2007. Faried recently appeared with his mothers in a video for the advocacy group OneColorado, to encourage Colorado to legalize civil unions. “Becoming an Athlete Ally gives me the opportunity to spread a message of inclusiveness throughout the NBA and our country,” said Faried in a statement to The Huffington Post, referring to the non-profit group that advocates for gay rights in sports. “I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT community — whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans — to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities.” As a member of Athlete Ally, Faried joins Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens, Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns, Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans, as well as professional international sports stars and college players. “In the last month, we have seen seven professional athletes around the world align with Athlete Ally,” said Hudson Taylor, executive director of Athlete Ally and a wrestling coach at Columbia University. “Kenneth is standing out not only as an incredible talent, but as an incredible ally. We are thrilled to have him on board and grateful to the NBA for its continued leadership.” Were sure Kenneth is a nice enough guy, but we’re not gonna lie, it looks like he has a very personal interest in seeing that gays are treated equally, and we’re not talking about his 2 moms… Image via AP
This is so sad. Gun violence has claimed another young victim. Via Gawker reports : Police in Greenville, South Carolina, say a 3-year-old boy was killed Friday night after a pink gun he mistook for a toy accidentally discharged. Temorej Smith and his 7-year-old sister were in the bedroom of their unit at The Plantations at Haywood apartments, playing around with a pink handgun. Their parents were out of the house at the time, but their grandparents were reportedly sitting in the nearby living room. As the two siblings were playing with the weapon, it suddenly went off and Temorej sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Greenville Police have since ruled the boy’s death an accident. No charged have been filed, but the investigation continues. Police spokesman Johnathan Bragg said the incident tragically illustrates the importance of securing all household weapons. “If you have guns, if you own guns mostly we would prefer you have them in a lock box,” Bragg told News 4. “At least have them out of the reach of children.” Funeral services for Temorej will be held Wednesday afternoon at Golden View Baptist Church in Fountain Inn. This is so sad… Our condolences to his family. Gun owners, please, please, please be careful about leaving your weapons loaded and accessible to kids!
The Barclays Center Honors Segregated Black Basketball Stars Before black players were allowed to ball out as NBA superstars, there were a handful of segregated basketball teams known as “The Black Fives.” via The Grio The Barclays Center is linking Brooklyn’s African-American basketball history and its present-day team, the Brooklyn Nets, with a new installation of historic photographs of the Black Fives, early-20th century African-American basketball teams, throughout the arena’s main concourse. Before the NBA, there were the Black Fives, segregated basketball teams formed shortly after the game’s invention in 1891. To celebrate the unveiling of the large-scale photographs for Black History Month, the Barclays Center hosted an event Monday where Claude Johnson, founder and executive director of the Black Fives Foundation, greeted students, members of the local community, and descendants of Black Fives players. Johnson spoke about the historical significance of the Black Fives players and introduced each descendant present. The Black Fives teams were trailblazers for all African-American basketball players that have followed. According to Johnson’s website, Black Fives players “smashed the color barrier in pro basketball and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement.” We salute these players during Black History Month….and every month.
Fox News and the NRA butted heads over gun control this morning. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre reiterated his organization’s claim that all children deserve the same amount of protection that the President Obama’s daughters receive. Host Chris Wallace responded, “That’s ridiculous and you know it, sir.” Chris Wallace-Wayne LaPierre Interview on Fox news The interview got particularly heated when Wallace brought up the controversial NRA ad labeling Obama an elitist hypocrite for opposing armed security in schools. “They also face a threat that most children do not face,” Wallace said of Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, who receive Secret Service protection. “Tell that to the people in Newtown,” LaPierre responded. “You really think that the president’s children are the same kind of target as every other child in America?” Wallace said. “That’s ridiculous and you know it, sir.” LaPierre came out swinging at other points in the interview as well, even insinuating that the White House wants background checks as a way of tracking citizens. “I think what they’ll do is they’ll turn this universal [background] check on the law-abiding into a universal registry on law-abiding people,” he said. Wallace said the White House hasn’t mentioned any universal registry. “And ObamaCare wasn’t a tax until they needed it to be a tax,” LaPierre responded, referencing the 2010 health care law and 2012 Supreme Court ruling. “I don’t think you can trust these people,” the NRA president added, apparently unmoved and not swayed by yesterday’s Obama gun photo release. What do you think of the NRA’s infamous Obama ad: It’s spot on! It’s disgusting! View Poll » What do you think of the push for more gun control? YES. Fewer guns, fewer tragedies! NO. It’s unconstitutional and won’t stop anything! View Poll »
We’re just three hours away from Super Bowl 2013 (or Super Bowl XLVII to be more accurate), and the NFL title game does not lack for storylines. A replacement quarterback who became a star. A sibling rivalry among coaches. The grandest of exits for one of the NFL’s greatest players. Oh, and even a little deer-antler spray for good measure. There’s also a chance for history. A win over Ray Lewis and Baltimore Ravens gives the San Francisco 49ers six titles, tying Pittsburgh’s record. Unlike the Steelers, the Niners have never lost the Super Bowl. Neither have the Ravens, who won their only previous appearance 12 years ago. San Francisco hasn’t won since 1995, when star QB Colin Kaepernick was seven years old. Can he write a new chapter for the franchise tonight? The 49ers are four-point favorites, but that means little to the Ravens, who made it here by shocking Denver and New England on the road. You tell us: Who will win Super Bowl XLVII? The 49ers The Ravens View Poll »
Barack Obama is an unabashed fan of the Chicago Bears and football in general. But the Commander-in-Chief recognizes that changes may need to be made to the sport, considering studies that prove how its violent hits result in a rash of brain injuries and concussions. In an interview with The New Republic , the President says changes may need to be made that may make football “a bit less exciting,” but which will address the long-term health of its participants. “And those of us who are fans maybe won’t have to examine our consciences quite as much,” Obama says, adding he’s unsure if he would allow his son to play the sport. This Q&A appears in the February 11 edition of the publication, with Obama saying he’s mostly focused on college football because professionals are well-paid and are part of a union. “They can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies,” Obama said of NFL players. “You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That’s something that I’d like to see the NCAA think about.” What do YOU think? Would you allow your child to play football? Yes, all sports have risk No, it’s too dangerous View Poll »
The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers in The Spectacular Now are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt’s bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality, a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed. Skillfully adapted from Tim Tharp’s novel, evocatively lensed in the working-class neighborhoods of Athens, Ga., and tenderly acted by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley , this bittersweet ode to the moment of childhood’s end builds quietly to a pitch-perfect finale. Warts-and-all authenticity can be a tough sell, but Ponsoldt’s bracing youth pic seems bound to graduate with honors. Working with a sensitive script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ( 500 Days of Summer ), Ponsoldt follows his Off the Black and Smashed with another insightful study of a flawed protagonist’s hard-fought battle against forces, including alcohol, that keep him or her from growing to fruition. Dumped by his gorgeous girlfriend ( Brie Larson ) in the early going, whiskey-swilling senior Sutter Keely (Teller) swiftly rebounds by making a charismatic play for book-smart Aimee Finecky (Woodley), who finds him passed out at dawn on a neighbor’s front yard and is astounded when the school’s hungover party monster returns her gaze. Aimee, having never had a boyfriend, naturally falls hard for the ultra-confident but scholastically challenged Sutter as she tutors him in geometry and he teaches her how to drink. Although Sutter can’t stop mildly flirting with his ex, he makes the moves on Aimee anyway, alarming friends of both. A startlingly intimate sex scene, set in Aimee’s tiny bedroom and hauntingly captured in long take, marks the point at which the possibility of heartbreak begins to loom large. Whatever formulaic elements appear in the opposites-attract scenario are mitigated by the film’s philosophical underpinnings. While pragmatic Aimee prepares to attend college in Philadelphia, Sutter remains arrogantly committed to his manner of living in the moment, believing that a car, a flask and an hourly wage job are all he’s ever going to need. Sutter’s hardened mom ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ) worries that her son is following in the footsteps of his estranged father and contrives to prevent a reunion of the two. It’s during the inevitable meeting with Dad ( Kyle Chandler ), facilitated by Sutter’s well-off sister, Holly ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ), and held over pitchers of beer, that the film’s principal themes — of the difficulty of breaking the familial mold, the fine line between temporary behavior and habit, and the fleeting nature of youth — begin to take root. Ponsoldt, with the help of Jess Hall’s attentive cinematography, does an excellent job of letting the drama play out on the imperfect faces of his two young leads, both of whom embody a delicate combination of fearlessness and vulnerability. Woodley thoroughly fulfills the promise of her smaller role as the teenage daughter in The Descendants , locating the precise point at which Aimee’s infatuation with Sutter turns to self-protection. Equally impressive is Teller, who makes his character’s adolescent bravado appear intoxicating and then more than a little scary. The film’s supporting players are uniformly superb, particularly a haggard Chandler, who offers a worrisome glimpse of what Sutter could easily become, and Andre Royo as a schoolteacher whose honest reluctance to sell Sutter on the advantages of adulthood silently speaks volumes. Linda Sena’s production design makes vibrant use of Athens locations while maintaining the small-town setting as Anywhere, U.S.A. Editing by Darrin Navarro respects the pic’s alternately peppy and languorous mood, occasionally using slo-mo to represent Sutter’s desire to stretch now to eternity. Other tech elements are aces, each one furthering the film’s refreshing commitment to naturalism. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Seeing Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters play searing rock ‘n’ roll with onetime teen idol Rick Springfield wasn’t exactly on my bucket list prior to Friday night’s epic Sound City Players concert, but I will die a happier man now that I’ve witnessed such an unexpected — and unexpectedly thrilling — team up. Springfield’s set with Grohl and the Foos was the high point of a marathon concert that featured performances by a slew of musical artists who appear in Sound City because of their connection to the now-defunct studio. Among them were Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Fear leader Lee Ving , Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Alain Johannes, Slip Knot’s Corey Taylor, Masters of Reality’s Chris Goss and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic , who got a hug from Grohl when he took the stage. Check out Movieline’s Photo Gallery of Grohl and The Foo Fighters’ Sundance show. “It’s going to be a long fuckin’ night — you know that,” Grohl told the audience with a big grin as he and the band took the stage just after 9:30 and invited the first of the night’s guests, Johannes, to strap on his guitar. Instead of a tightly curated series of group singalongs, the show became a sprawling series of mini-concerts that focused on the work of the artists who were on stage at that time. For instance, Nielsen’s time on stage saw the band — with Grohl on drums, Novoselic on bass and Slipknot’s Taylor on vocals — do spirited versions of Cheap Trick’s “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Surrender,” the latter with the participation of the well-lubricated crowd , which offered up the “Mommy’s all right, Daddy’s all right, they just seem a little weird,” portion of the chorus. Springfield’s set resonated even more with Sundancers judging from how violently their dancing and jumping shook the club’s floor. It was an extended moment of pure rock bliss in which all the labels that get applied to music in terms of what’s cool (Foo Fighters) and what’s not (Rick Springfield) fell away and infectious, enduring pop music was celebrated for its essence. Grohl introduced the former General Hospital actor as “the one, the only, fucking Rick Springfield,” and the band played together on a number of the former pop star’s 1980s radio hits, “I’ve Done Everything For You,” “Love Is Alright Tonite” and “Jessie’s Girl.” And watching the beatific look on punk pioneer-turned-Foo-Fighter Pat Smear’s face as he played along to these Top 40 hits was indisputable proof that a good song is a good song. As Grohl said archly between songs: “You’ve cracked the code, Rick Springfield. You’ve figured out how to write the perfect song. Goddamn you.” Meanwhile, Springfield rose to the occasion of playing with one of the most balls-out rock bands in show business. In Sound City , he reveals somewhat sheepishly that Pat Benatar’s husband Neil Giraldo was pulled into the recording studio to lay down the famous guitar riff to “Jessie’s Girl” because the song’s producer didn’t think Springfield’s playing was up to snuff.” But that humiliation was very much in the past at Friday’s concert. Onstage at Park City Live, Springfield behaved like a bona fide guitar god as he traded licks with Grohl. The Foo Fighters and their enthusiastic leader would play on long after Springfield left the stage — and a remark by one of the evening’s grizzled rock veterans put the concert and the movie that spawned it in perspective. John Fogerty was the next-to-last guest star on stage, and during a set that included CCR’s “Born on the Bayou,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Fortunate Son,” he told the crowd that the Sound City documentary and concert had come together because of Grohl’s “almost child-like love of music.” May he stay forever young. More on Sound City : SUNDANCE: ‘Sound City’ Premiere Finds Dave Grohl Rocking With Rick Springfield
