Tag Archives: politics

Spielberg’s Lincoln Coming to Election, Oscar Seasons

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

No one really doubted that Steven Spielberg’s long-gestating, class-AA historical biopic Lincoln wouldn’t land a release date in the middle of Oscar season. But with Disney announcing today that it will release the Daniel Day-Lewis-starring, Tony Kushner-written film in limited release on Nov. 9 — three days after Election Day — the studio has situated Lincoln in a zone ripe for hype. I mean, it’s not as though candidates, voters and pundits are going to spend much time contextualizing this year’s election against the political and historic implications of Skyfall (also opening Nov. 9) or The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (against which Lincoln will compete in wide release one week later on Nov. 16). This makes the 16th president as relevant as ever among a polarized culture endlessly yearning to claim him for one side or another — Republican saint, the Great Emancipator, you name it. What story will Spielberg and Co. tell? How can we make the presidency great again? Tune in at 7, only on FoxSNBCNN to find out… Etc. etc. At least we won’t have to wonder which shadowy PAC is paying for the TV spots — which , we should not overlook, will provide many welcome 30-second respites between all the October mudslinging to come. Thanks, Disney. And well-played. [ Deadline ]

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Mitt Romney’s ‘Bane’ Problem, and Ours

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good morning! By which I mean just go back to bed : “‘Bane’ is the terrorist in the new movie who drives the caped crusader out of semi-retirement in the final Batman movie . Democrats, who believe they have Romney on the ropes over the president’s assault on his leadership at Bain Capital, said the comparisons are too rich to ignore. ‘It has been observed that movies can reflect the national mood,’ said Democratic advisor and former Clinton aide Christopher Lehane. ‘Whether it is spelled Bain and being put out by the Obama campaign or Bane and being out by Hollywood, the narratives are similar: a highly intelligent villain with offshore interests and a past both are seeking to cover up who had a powerful father and is set on pillaging society,’ he added.” [ Washington Examiner via Big Hollywood ]

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Mitt Romney’s ‘Bane’ Problem, and Ours

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Beyonce Expresses Love, Admiration for Michelle Obama [Video]

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The bond between Beyonce and Michelle Obama just grew a little stronger. In May, the First Lady took her daughters to a Knowles concert , a night out that followed a Tumblr post by Beyonce that praised Obama as “ULTIMATE example of a strong African-American woman.” Obama, in turn, responded to the praise with a Tweet that read: “Thank you for the beautiful letter and for being a role model who kids everywhere can look up to.” Now, Beyonce has made that letter even more public, posting a video reading of it that serves as a campaign ad for Michelle’s husband, given the donation link at the end. Watch now:

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Gay Couple’s Picture Misused in Anti-Gay Political Attack Ad; Legal Action Possible

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Brian Edwards and Tom Privitere, a New Jersey couple married in 2010, were stunned – and irate – to find themselves on an anti-gay political ad campaign. The photo of the two men had been posted innocuously on Edwards’ personal blog and was originally set against the backdrop of the N.Y. City skyline. A doctored version shows the gay couple standing in a Colorado setting and was used in a political ad to attack a Republican who supported civil unions: The tagline for the attack ad, which was sponsored by Public Advocate of the United States, was: “State Sen. Jean White’s Idea of ‘Family Values?'” White later lost the primary. Now, with the help of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the duo and photographer Kristina Hill are all threatening to sue the organization behind the ad and its president, Eugene Delgaudio, if they do not stop using the photo. “Our initial reaction was complete shock,” said Privitere, 37, who lives with Edwards in Montclair, N.J. The couple has been together for 12 years. “We were heartbroken to see that our picture that was taken to represent love and family, and our values, and to share with other LGBT couples, was used for complete opposite purposes to induce fear and spread hate and bigotry,” he said. Public Advocate, based in Falls Church, Va., is on the SPLC’s 2011 hate group list. It never had permission to use the photo, unsurprisingly. Delgaudio, who is head of the board of supervisors for Loudon County in Virginia, told ABC News that he has not yet received SPLC’s letter. He is “looking into the matter” and searching whether or not we have the photo,” he said. “I have not commented on this ever and I have no statements on it … Someone could do this without my permission, but I am working on it.”

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Gay Couple’s Picture Misused in Anti-Gay Political Attack Ad; Legal Action Possible

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Daniel Tosh Wants Rape Jokes Edited Out of New Show

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In the wake of this week’s Daniel Tosh rape joke controversy, the Comedy Central star is trying to get as far away from that topic as possible. The comedian reportedly asked editors and producers to remove any reference of rape from the pilot episode of his new series, Brickleberry . The only issue? That’s what most of the pilot is about, obviously. Tosh reportedly gave the crew 24 hours to make those changes before the animated series is shown at Comic-Con Friday night in San Diego. The Tosh.0 star’s camp has yet to return requests for comment. After making a female audience member the subject of his joke about rape during a stand-up routine last Friday, Tosh sincerely apologized. While complaining about offensive jokes at a Tosh show is akin to objecting to the noise at a Metallica concert, there is a line he can cross. Did he in this case? Should he have apologized?

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Daniel Tosh Wants Rape Jokes Edited Out of New Show

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President Obama Calls What His Biggest Mistake?

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Too much substance, not enough style? That’s the gist of what President Barack Obama says his biggest mistake was since getting to the White House nearly three and a half years ago. Obama says tackling the job as a national policy wonk rather than the inspiring figure he cut in the 2008 campaign has resulted in some hurdles. “When I think about what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well,” the president told CBS in an interview, “the mistake of my first term – the first couple of years – was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right.” “And that’s important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during economically tough times,” Obama said in an exchange with Charlie Rose. “It’s funny, when I ran, everybody said, ‘he can give a good speech but can he do the job?’ In my first two years, I think the notion was, ‘Well, he’s been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where’s the story that tells us where he’s going?'” Presidents tend to sidestep questions about their biggest mistake in office, or at least qualify them by trying to cast their flaws in a positive light. Obama seems to be saying that, to that effect, that he just took the job seriously and did not communicate his views well enough to the people. Republicans wasted little time mocking the answer. Republican National Committee spokesman Tim Miller tweeted “I’d go w/ utter economic failure.” Mitt Romney ‘s response: “Being president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and President Obama has failed to lead.” “No wonder Americans are losing faith in his presidency.” If the election were today, for whom would you vote?

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Happy Birthday, George W. Bush and 50 Cent!!

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

50 Cent and George W. Bush celebrate birthdays today. Give it up for firearms! In a week that has already marked America’s 236th birthday , as well as milestones for the bikini (66), Malia Obama (14), The Situation (30), Tom Cruise (50) and Lindsay Lohan (26 going on 47), we honor some all-stars today as well. The only question? Will guns be more popular at the b-day party of 50 Cent … … or at the bash of our uber-intelligent 43rd President, George Walker Bush!? We may never know the answer, but we wish 50 (36) and W (66) the best. Also celebrating another year older and wiser (in some cases) today: Nancy Reagan (91), Tia and Tamera Mowry (34), Brandon Jacobs (30), The Dalai Lama (77), Sly Stallone (pictured, 66) and Ned Beatty (75).

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Happy Birthday, George W. Bush and 50 Cent!!

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Lamar Odom to Be Traded to Clippers

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Following a disastrous stint on the Dallas Mavericks, which culminated in Lamar Odom being sent home and embarrassed by his poor play and lack of heart, this former world champion is returning to Los Angeles. A trade is nearing completion that would send Mr. Khloe Kardashian to the Clippers (in a complicated, three-time scenario, Mo Williams would end up on the Utah Jazz in return), the team that drafted him fourth overall in 1999. Odom, 32, averaged career lows in points, rebounds and minutes per game last year. He averaged career highs, however, in reality show cameos and red carpet appearances. The deal is expected to be finalized today, at which time E! cameramen will exchange high-fives and leave Dallas behind forever.

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Lamar Odom to Be Traded to Clippers

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President Obama Praises Supreme Court Health Care Ruling; Celebrities Tweet Reactions

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Obamacare on Thursday, the President who fought and sacrificed for the controversial law praised the 5-4 ruling. While the court placed limitations on Congress’ power to regulate commerce and the U.S. government’s ability to restrict state funds, the law stood. The survival of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – pejoratively or affectionately called Obamacare – signaled a major victory for Barack Obama. “Today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives are more secure because of this law,” Obama said in a televised statement. President Obama Reacts to Supreme Court Health Care Ruling “I know the debate over this law has been divisive,” he added. “It should be pretty clear that I didn’t do this because it was good politics.” “I did it because I believe it is good for the country.” Obama encouraged on his Twitter account for Americans to share what the Supreme Court ruling means to them and some celebrities did just that. Here’s a sampling of some stars’ reactions … Jason Alexander: “I applaud the Supreme Court and congratulate the President today. The bill isn’t perfect, we can fix it, but it’s the right direction.” Piers Morgan: “Must be a lot of people watching Obama’s SCOTUS speech just now, thinking: ‘That’s why we voted for him.'” Bette Midler: “Obama Health Care passes! The wing nuts must be boiling!” Deepak Chopra: “I will be honored to be taxed for compassionate health care.” Sophia Bush: “I am so grateful for the Supreme Court, and I heart Barack Obama so much right now. He cares about us, the average citizens of this country, more than he cares about pleasing all the scared-to-change people in power. That’s heroic, admirable, and exactly what we need. F–k yes Mr. President, you are a unicorn.” – on a photo of Obama on a unicorn Bush posted. Holly Robinson Peete: “I run a non profit and talk to real people every day all day. Families cannot afford healthcare.” Seth MacFarlane: “We gotta stop that tycoon from turning our park into a shopping mall.” John Legend: “Supreme Court has me in a good mood right now. America getting closer to universal access to affordable health care. It’s about time.” Christina Applegate: “Um, for those who want to move to Canada because of ObamaCare, you may want to look up Canada healthcare on Wikipedia. Just saying’.” Jessica Stroup: “Hey Barack Obama this song’s for you now playing My Hero by Foo Fighters.” Star Jones: “I’m waiting for read the actual SCOTUS healthcare ruling…and try to make it ‘user friendly’ for most of us.” MC Hammer: “Strategy: Positioning this as a threat to lower income majority won’t gain any new voters, that card has already been played.” Waka Flocka: “ObamaCare!… just when they started to doubt my man.” Michael Moore: “It’s not ‘Obamacare’ – it’s Obama Cares.” Wanda Sykes: “Drama at CNN. I would love to be a fly on Wolf Blizter’s beard.”

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Amber Heard and Tasya Van Ree: It’s Over!

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In the wake of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis ‘ separation after 14 years together, his rumored new flame Amber Heard has split with her girlfriend too. The bisexual actress and artist/photographer, Tasya van Ree, are broken up . “They are no longer in a relationship,” an insider tells In Touch of the women, who were together since 2008 but quietly called it off several months back. The couple split right around when things between Amber Heard, who was recently cast in Machete Kills , and Johnny Depp (allegedly) started heating up. According to the celebrity gossip mag, the duo remain close friends and Tasya van Ree appears to be “enjoying single life again.” So that’s good at least. [Photo: WENN.com]

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Amber Heard and Tasya Van Ree: It’s Over!

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