LeRoy Neiman, a prolific artist whose dynamically colored paintings and sketches honored heroic figures of sports and entertainment, died Wednesday. He was 91. His New York-based publicist confirmed Neiman’s death. Throughout his life, Neiman was a larger-than-life yet approachable figure who came to epitomize the magazine with which he had a long association, Playboy . After studying and then teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Neiman’s distinctive style originated by using quick brush strokes with the enamel paint that was being tossed out by a building janitor. The Playboy association that became synonymous with his personal style and that of his art, began in the mid-’50s, when Hugh Hefner’s magazine was new. Once the publisher saw LeRoy Neiman’s canvases with their energetic depictions of boxers and nightlife denizens, a professional marriage was born. “I’ve had a lucky life,” Neiman said in 2008. “I zeroed in on what you would call action and excellence. … Everybody who does anything to try to succeed has to give the best of themselves, and art has made me pull the best out of myself.”
Third Grade Student Strip Searched By School Official After Being Accused Of Stealing $20 A North Carolina mother is furious after an assistant principal strip-searched her 10-year-old son after he was accused of stealing $20 from a classmate. Clarinda Cox told North Carolina TV station WRAL that the assistant principal at Union Elementary school, Teresa Holmes, ordered her son, Justin, to remove his shoes, jeans and shirt, leaving him in his boxers and a T-shirt. No one from the school contacted her about the accusations or the search. She said she found out about the incident when her son came home and appeared upset, Cox said. Holmes acknowledged searching the boy on June 1, but in a statement to WRAL, she said that when $20 fell from a female classmate’s pocket in the cafeteria, “seven or eight” students saw the Justin dive to pick it up. “I walked up to Justin and told him that if he had the money it would be better to just give it to me because if not I would have to search him. Justin said that he did not have the money and to ‘search me,’” Holmes also said in the statement. Holmes said she called a male janitor to witness the search in her office. Justin was made to remove his shoes, socks, jeans and shirt. The items were checked thoroughly before they were returned to him. She also acknowledged running her hands “outside of the waistband of his boxers.” Did his jeans not have pockets??? SMH. Source
Student Returns Scholarship Intended For Black Students There’s been a lot of talk about whether white students should be privy to scholarships and awards generally reserved for Black students. Well one high schooler took the debate into his own hands. A white student at Riverside High School in California has returned a $1,000 dollar scholarship intended for black students. Jeffrey Warren of Martin Luther King High School received the scholarship from the Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club at a school awards night last month, prompting giggles from the crowd. Later Jeffrey learned what all the laughter was about, prompting him to return the scholarship. Even though the presentation was an awkward moment, Jeffrey says “now it’s kind of a joke” with his his friends. Jeffrey’s father, Rod Warren, said his son applied for 27 scholarships and also won three others, two for $2,000 each and another $500 scholarship. He encouraged his son to apply for every scholarship for which he might be eligible. The Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club plans on changing the language on the application for next year’s scholarship applicants to make it clear that the scholarship is intended only for African-American students. The scholarship application clearly states that only African-Americans are encouraged to apply, but that doesn’t go far enough. What do you think? Did he need to return the money? Should he have kept it? Sound off. Source
This is pretty great. In a commencement speech to Wellesley High School seniors this week, teacher David McCullough Jr. delivered a highly unusual message for such an occasion. Simply put, he told the class before him: you are not special. Said the son of a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian: “Think about this: even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you.” David McCullough Jr. Commencement Speech What was McCullough’s point? That accolades have come to mean more than “genuine achievement.” As a consequence, he said: “We cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of the Guatemalans.” He concludes by emphasizing “selflessness,” which can only be achieved by one realizing this overarching theme, reiterated here again: no one is special . Along the way, McCullough manages to bash Donald Trump , Barney, the Baltimore Orioles, Mr. Rogers and the narcissistic Twitterverse. Even more impressive? The speech was met with rave reviews from those in attendance. “For once someone told us what we need to hear and not necessarily what we wanted to hear,” said one student. Watch the speech above and react below: What do you think?
‘Surgery went well,’ a rep for the ‘American Idol’ winner said of the kidney procedure. By Gil Kaufman Phillip Phillips Photo: Getty Images Just days after a source said “American Idol” champ Phillip Phillips was going to skip much-needed kidney surgery, a spokesperson for the 21-year-old singer said he underwent a procedure on Wednesday and is now resting comfortably. “Surgery went well,” the a spokesperson told MTV News about the reportedly six-plus hour surgery in Los Angeles to remove kidney stones so large Entertainment Weekly reported that there was “no chance” he could have passed them on his own. “He’s resting and will be ready for the ‘Idol’ tour kickoff in July!” the rep added about the 45-day summer outing slated to launch on July 6 in Detroit. When you think about it, it’s pretty incredible that Phillip Phillips was able to not only hang in, but win “American Idol” season 11 given the pain he was in from chronic kidney problems . The singer struggled with kidney stones during his entire run on “Idol,” and had a stent implanted in one of his kidneys in March to prevent blockage, and allow him to keep competing on the show. Phillips reportedly went through eight surgeries from the time “Idol” began in January until the May23 finale, but this week’s procedure could help alleviate a lot of the pain he’s been suffering through according to a leading nephrologist. “Kidney stones are fairly common … occurring in more than 10 percent of men and 5 of women and once they’ve formed one, they’re likely to form another,” said Dr. Gary C. Curhan a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Editor-in-Chief of the “Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.” Typically made up of calcium, Curhan, who is not treating Phillips and has no firsthand knowledge of his case, said stones can be formed for a number of reasons, including low fluid intake (which leads to concentrated urine), dietary factors, certain medications and, in some cases, an anatomical predisposition to forming them. He also noted that the stent is a temporary measure and is typically very painful, but allows urine to continue flowing until the swelling in the ureter (the tubes that move urine from the kidneys to the bladder) goes down. Phillips was slated to have reconstructive kidney surgery right after his “Idol” win, but, according to TMZ the procedure was postponed because of a bad sinus infection that triggered a high fever. TMZ also reported earlier that Phillips suffers from a serious congenital kidney condition that produces stones so large they cannot pass and which has seriously damaged his right kidney. Curhan, who spoke to MTV News before Phillips had the surgery, said most stones will pass on their own, but in doing so will cause a huge amount of pain. Others are too big and require removal by a urologist, either by breaking them up with shockwaves or using a surgical tools to break them up internally or pull them out. He noted that it’s rare for stones to form quickly, as they normally take months, or years and multiple surgeries in a short period of time is also unusual. Cases where stones continually form and are hard to pass are typically caused by an anatomical difference that causes the kidney to drain urine improperly, which predisposes the patient to stones. “If aggressive therapy is not working, you have to have surgery to change the anatomy to help it drain better,” he said. “There is risk involved in the procedure [surgery], but not treating it can also cause risk,” he said. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Highlights Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Red Carpet ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Show
Mom arrested for cheering and shouting during daughters graduation We don’t think she did anything wrong: Shannon Cooper cheered as her daughter walked across the stage to get her diploma from South Florence High School Saturday night, but just minutes later, Shannon was handcuffed and arrested. Wait till you peep her interview…
The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Three Musketeers cutie Logan Lerman as introverted-but-adorbs high school freshman Charlie (Lerman), who enters teen society searching for like-minded “misfits” and finds Emma Watson and Ezra Miller (last seen making a very different impression on his classmates in We Need to Talk About Kevin ). Is Charlie going to go all Angela Chase, narrating the brave new world of busting weird dance moves at Homecoming and standing up to bullies and shouting ironically at cheerleaders? If you’ve read Stephen Chbosky’s source novel of the same name, you already know what to expect — and it’s not quite as My So-Called Life -y as the trailer suggests. (Chbosky also writes and directs the film, with John Malkovich among producers who are onboard.) While we get a glimpse here of Paul Rudd as Charlie’s teacher, there’s not much of a peek at the rest of the cast, including Nicholas Braun, Johnny Simmons, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, and Melanie Lynskey. Still… Verdict: In for the triple threat of young talent that is Lerman, Watson, and Miller alone. Bring the angst, kids. The Perks of Being a Wallflower hits theaters on September 14.
Also in Monday afternoon’s news round up, Outfest unveils its 30th anniversary lineup, Ashley Tisdale joins the next Scary Movie , Cannes and Sundance winner Beasts of the Southern Wild is set to open Stateside film festival, Matt Dillon and Brendan Fraser are among the cast set for a new dark comedy, Christina Ricci will join Susan Sarandon in an upcoming project and Christopher Nolan says good bye to Howard Hughes pic. Woody Allen Sets Cast for Untitled Project The director named his cast in alphabetical order Monday for his next film which will shoot in New York and San Francisco this summer. Joining the cast are: Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Louis C.K., Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Emerson, Sally Hawkins and Peter Sarsgaard. Co-stars include Max Casella and Alden Ehrenreich. It is a Gravier Productions film produced by Allen’s long time producers, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum. This will be Allen’s second film in San Francisco following his 1969 debut Take the Money and Run . Outfest Unveils 30th Anniversary Roster Director John Waters will be feted at the event, which will open with HBO documentary Vito on July 12th. The oldest festival in Los Angeles and one of the largest LGBT film events in the U.S., Outfest will screen 147 films from 24 countries. The festival will close with Struck by Lightning starring Glee star Chris Colfer who wrote the script. Other galas include Keep the Lights On , sexually charged Young & Wild , ACT UP doc How to Survive a Plague and Mosquito Y Mari which will screen as the fest’s Centerpiece. For more info on the Outfest lineup, visit their website . Ashley Tisdale to Star in Scary Movie 5 Ashley Tisdale has been cast as one of the leads in Dimension Films’ Scary Movie 5 , the latest installment in the franchise. Scary Movie 5 production will begin this summer. Tisdale played Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise. The Scary Movie franchise has made over $800 million worldwide. Beasts of the Southern Wild to Open 16th American Black Film Festival The Sundance and Cannes winner will bow the event taking place June 20 – 23 in Miami, Florida. Raising Izzie , which was the winner of the 2011 GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition, will close out the festival on Saturday, June 23. Beasts is set in a “forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee where a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality,” according to the event. Zarafa and Rabbi’s Cat Head to GKids U.S. rights to Zarafa which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year as well as The Rabbi’s Cat have been picked up by GKids. The Rabbi’s Cat won the French Cesar Award for best animated feature in February. Around the ‘net… Prometheus Arrives to ‘Mixed Atmospheric Readings’ “The 87% ‘fresh’ audience rating on rottentomatoes.com makes it one of the year’s best-received saturation-release films, and yet there’s a thread of uncertainty running through even the most gushing of reviews, a sense that Scott has produced an epic entertainment without actually delivering a particularly ‘good’ film,” writes The Guardian . Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser Board Pawn Shop Chronicles Also joining the cast of the project directed by Wayne Kramer are Elijah Wood, Vincent D’Onofrio, Pell James, Thomas Jane, Lukas Haas, Chi McBride, Ashlee Simpson, Kevin Rankin, DJ Qualls, Michael Cudlitz and Norman Reedus. The dark comedy centers on a man searching for his abducted wife, Deadline reports . Christina Ricci Joins Mother’s Day She will join Susan Sarandon and her real life daughter Eva Amurri Martino in the drama. Directed by Paul Duddridge, the film revolves around the relationships between a dozen mothers and daughters, Deadline reports . Christopher Nolan’s Howard Hughes Pic is Dead The director said the project is now gone in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, via The Playlist . “Luckily I managed to find another wealthy, quirky character who’s orphaned at a young age,” the director said referring to his next film which will hit theaters this summer, The Dark Knight Rises .
The announcement that the Bourne franchise would continue without Matt Damon was met with skepticism by many, including myself, for several reasons. The most relevant? Matt Damon played Jason Bourne. How could the franchise continue without him and his character but still call itself a Bourne film? Would another actor step into his shoes a la James Bond, or would it simply be another case of an agent… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Film School Rejects Discovery Date : 31/05/2012 18:03 Number of articles : 2
“Even though the media exhibit enormous sophistication and historical perspective in a thousand different ways — not that I can think of a specific example right now — they are far too often bedazzled by the sheer novelty of a story. If you watch cable news, for example, you know all too well that if there are two child kidnappings in the same month, the first one gets far more attention than the second. This same law applies to box-office bombs. With Battleship , the fascination with Hollywood flop sweat had already worn off. When I asked a veteran showbiz reporter why his publication had spent so little time covering the demise of Battleship , he joked: ‘I guess we all had the same reaction — didn’t we just write that story already?'” [LAT]
