Eric Schlosser knows food. Not in the way Bobby Flay or Giada De Laurentiis does, but in a scholarly manner that knows its affects on the health of anyone who eats.
The author of the classic study Fast Food Nation and an EP on several films, Schlosser came to Bill Maher’s Friday Real Time as a harbinger of potential doom to come, a guest with the credentials to back up his scary predictions with authority.
The next pandemic, Schlosser said, is potentially germinating down in Texas. That’s where it was recently discovered that bird flu had migrated into the cows at mega-dairies, and the federal government has not been allowed in to test the livestock or its workers.
“It’s a perfect example of how the public health is being threatened by private interests,” he said, noting, “The food industry spends more money lobbying than the defense industry.
The author of the classic study Fast Food Nation and an EP on several films, Schlosser came to Bill Maher’s Friday Real Time as a harbinger of potential doom to come, a guest with the credentials to back up his scary predictions with authority.
The next pandemic, Schlosser said, is potentially germinating down in Texas. That’s where it was recently discovered that bird flu had migrated into the cows at mega-dairies, and the federal government has not been allowed in to test the livestock or its workers.
“It’s a perfect example of how the public health is being threatened by private interests,” he said, noting, “The food industry spends more money lobbying than the defense industry.
- 5/11/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Real Time With Bill Maher continues Friday, May 10 (10:00-11:00 p.m. Et/7:00-8:00 p.m. Pt). Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show continues with its opening monologue, one-on-one interviews with notable guests, roundtable discussions with panelists, and its signature “New Rules.” The series airs on HBO and is available to stream on Max. This week features a one-on-one interview with Eric Schlosser, investigative journalist, author of TheNew York Times Best Seller “Fast Food Nation,” and stars in the documentary film “Food, Inc.” This week’s panel discussion includes Frank Bruni, contributing writer at The New York Times and best-selling author, whose new book is called “The Age of ... Read more...
- 5/9/2024
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
Grimsburg fans, we’ve got a fresh off the press preview for the new Season 1 Episode 13 episode titled The Danish Dilemma!
Find out everything you need to know about the The Danish Dilemma episode of Grimsburg, including a full preview, videos, release date, cast information and how to watch!
Grimsburg The Danish Dilemma Season 1 Episode 13 Preview
In this episode of “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” on Food Network, viewers are in for a treat as renowned journalist Frank Bruni joins host Ina Garten at the barn for an intimate conversation and culinary experience.
Titled “Frank Bruni,” this episode offers a glimpse into Bruni’s fascinating life story as he shares anecdotes and insights with Garten. As they sit down for a chat, Bruni also demonstrates how to make a boulevardier cocktail, perfectly paired with Ina’s delectable parmesan thyme crackers.
But the culinary adventures don’t stop there. Ina Garten,...
Find out everything you need to know about the The Danish Dilemma episode of Grimsburg, including a full preview, videos, release date, cast information and how to watch!
Grimsburg The Danish Dilemma Season 1 Episode 13 Preview
In this episode of “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” on Food Network, viewers are in for a treat as renowned journalist Frank Bruni joins host Ina Garten at the barn for an intimate conversation and culinary experience.
Titled “Frank Bruni,” this episode offers a glimpse into Bruni’s fascinating life story as he shares anecdotes and insights with Garten. As they sit down for a chat, Bruni also demonstrates how to make a boulevardier cocktail, perfectly paired with Ina’s delectable parmesan thyme crackers.
But the culinary adventures don’t stop there. Ina Garten,...
- 5/5/2024
- by News
- TV Regular
Get ready for a delightful episode of “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” as Season 4 Episode 4 titled “Frank Bruni” airs at 12:00 Pm on Sunday, May 12, 2024, on Food Network. In this installment, the renowned journalist Frank Bruni joins host Ina Garten in her charming barn kitchen for an intimate conversation and culinary adventure.
In a heartwarming exchange, Bruni opens up about his life journey while enjoying a refreshing boulevardier cocktail alongside Ina’s delectable parmesan thyme crackers. Viewers will be treated to a glimpse into Bruni’s world as he shares stories and anecdotes from his fascinating career.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Ina Garten, beloved for her culinary expertise, also treats Frank to a lesson in making a gruyere and herb omelet. With her signature warmth and guidance, Ina imparts her cooking wisdom, transforming a simple dish into a gourmet masterpiece.
Tune in to Food Network at 12:00 Pm on Sunday,...
In a heartwarming exchange, Bruni opens up about his life journey while enjoying a refreshing boulevardier cocktail alongside Ina’s delectable parmesan thyme crackers. Viewers will be treated to a glimpse into Bruni’s world as he shares stories and anecdotes from his fascinating career.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Ina Garten, beloved for her culinary expertise, also treats Frank to a lesson in making a gruyere and herb omelet. With her signature warmth and guidance, Ina imparts her cooking wisdom, transforming a simple dish into a gourmet masterpiece.
Tune in to Food Network at 12:00 Pm on Sunday,...
- 5/5/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
“The Barefoot Contessa” Ina Garten has set her invitation list for the fourth season of her Food Network series, “Be My Guest With Ina Garten,” including actress Jennifer Garner.
Premiering April 21 at 12 p.m. Et on Food Network, the six-episode Season 4 will feature the above-mentioned guests, plus world-renowned astronaut Nicole Mann, pioneering restaurateur and author Danny Meyer, prolific writer, journalist and professor Frank Bruni, British actress-screenwriter-director Emily Mortimer and acclaimed New Yorker editor David Remnick.
Per Food Network’s description for “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” Season 4, “In the season premiere, it’s a perfect day for Ina when her friend Jennifer Garner joins her at the barn for cooking and conversation. Since Jennifer mentions she has trouble nailing her grandmother’s cornbread recipe, Ina troubleshoots with her incredible Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread. After discussing family, love and childhood memories, they head into the kitchen for a pizza collaboration...
Premiering April 21 at 12 p.m. Et on Food Network, the six-episode Season 4 will feature the above-mentioned guests, plus world-renowned astronaut Nicole Mann, pioneering restaurateur and author Danny Meyer, prolific writer, journalist and professor Frank Bruni, British actress-screenwriter-director Emily Mortimer and acclaimed New Yorker editor David Remnick.
Per Food Network’s description for “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” Season 4, “In the season premiere, it’s a perfect day for Ina when her friend Jennifer Garner joins her at the barn for cooking and conversation. Since Jennifer mentions she has trouble nailing her grandmother’s cornbread recipe, Ina troubleshoots with her incredible Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread. After discussing family, love and childhood memories, they head into the kitchen for a pizza collaboration...
- 3/22/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Bill Maher was back Friday night from a brief hiatus, but he was also happy to enjoy his first maskless studio audience in two years. “It’s great to see you, and I can finally see you,” Maher said at the top of his HBO show, Real Time. “I don’t want to see another mask unless it’s on a surgeon or a Michael Jackson impersonator.”
To celebrate, Maher had a special one-on-one conversation with actor/writer/director Kenneth Branagh, whose coming of age story Belfast is nominated for seven Academy Awards in this years’ ceremony.
Maher had Branagh outline the film’s background for the audience, a story which is based on Branagh’s own experiences growing up in Northern Ireland. One morning, Branagh said, he was playing with his Catholic neighbor. That afternoon, he was warned not to do that, as the religious tensions known as “The...
To celebrate, Maher had a special one-on-one conversation with actor/writer/director Kenneth Branagh, whose coming of age story Belfast is nominated for seven Academy Awards in this years’ ceremony.
Maher had Branagh outline the film’s background for the audience, a story which is based on Branagh’s own experiences growing up in Northern Ireland. One morning, Branagh said, he was playing with his Catholic neighbor. That afternoon, he was warned not to do that, as the religious tensions known as “The...
- 3/12/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Maher has made a career out of vivid insults and fearless political putdowns but the HBO star said Friday night that watching the nation’s political divides deepen is making him reconsider the language of his comedy.
On the season finale of Real Time with Bill Maher, the host used the show’s concluding commentary to extol the principles of political tolerance — and to express his genuine anxieties that the current path of politics is leading toward “a sh*tstorm” for the country.
“Lately we’ve been hearing more and more about a second civil war which sounds impossible in this modern, affluent country,” Maher said “It is not…when both sides believe the other guy taking over is the end of the world, yes, you can have a civil war.”
At one point in the show-ending monologue, Maher listed some salty pejoratives used to bait the left and the right,...
On the season finale of Real Time with Bill Maher, the host used the show’s concluding commentary to extol the principles of political tolerance — and to express his genuine anxieties that the current path of politics is leading toward “a sh*tstorm” for the country.
“Lately we’ve been hearing more and more about a second civil war which sounds impossible in this modern, affluent country,” Maher said “It is not…when both sides believe the other guy taking over is the end of the world, yes, you can have a civil war.”
At one point in the show-ending monologue, Maher listed some salty pejoratives used to bait the left and the right,...
- 11/16/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
Charlize Theron is getting some of the best buzz of her career for channeling Megyn Kelly in “Bombshell,” but the Oscar-winning actress admits she almost turned down the role.
“I was shit scared,” Theron said during a question-and-answer session following a Manhattan screening of “Bombshell” on Sunday. Partly, she was worried about portraying someone who was “incredibly well known.” But Theron also recoiled from a newscaster who spent the bulk of her career on Fox News and who was fired from NBC for making racist comments.
“She’s conflicting,” Theron admitted. Moderator Alisyn Camerota pressed Theron, noting that she had portrayed serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s “Monster.”
“This was harder,” said Theron. As a producer on the film, she admitted she wondered if “there’s somebody out there who can do this better than you can.”
“Bombshell” certainly taps into the post-Harvey Weinstein zeitgeist. With its portrait of...
“I was shit scared,” Theron said during a question-and-answer session following a Manhattan screening of “Bombshell” on Sunday. Partly, she was worried about portraying someone who was “incredibly well known.” But Theron also recoiled from a newscaster who spent the bulk of her career on Fox News and who was fired from NBC for making racist comments.
“She’s conflicting,” Theron admitted. Moderator Alisyn Camerota pressed Theron, noting that she had portrayed serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s “Monster.”
“This was harder,” said Theron. As a producer on the film, she admitted she wondered if “there’s somebody out there who can do this better than you can.”
“Bombshell” certainly taps into the post-Harvey Weinstein zeitgeist. With its portrait of...
- 10/21/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Washington — Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old Democratic wunderkind mayor of South Bend, Indiana, joined the 2020 presidential fray on Wednesday morning.
Buttigieg (pronounced Boot-edge-edge) announced an exploratory committee for president, Pete for America, in the form of a minute-and-a-half long video.
I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future. Are you ready to walk away from the politics of the past?
Join the team at https://t.co/Xlqn10brgH. pic.twitter.com/K6aeOeVrO7
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg...
Buttigieg (pronounced Boot-edge-edge) announced an exploratory committee for president, Pete for America, in the form of a minute-and-a-half long video.
I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future. Are you ready to walk away from the politics of the past?
Join the team at https://t.co/Xlqn10brgH. pic.twitter.com/K6aeOeVrO7
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg...
- 1/23/2019
- by Andy Kroll
- Rollingstone.com
At the Telluride Film Festival, one familiar face was nowhere to be found: Errol Morris, a member of Telluride’s board, whose documentaries tend to screen at the Colorado festival like clockwork. Morris’ latest project will instead premiere on Wednesday at the Venice International Film Festival, where it’s creating a bit of a stir. In “American Dharma,” the filmmaker confronts Steve Bannon, and the former Trump senior advisor is expected to attend the festival for the first public screening.
The news of Bannon’s arrival in Venice came on the heels of a controversy surrounding his scheduled appearance at the New Yorker Festival, which dropped a public conversation with Bannon after other participants threatened to pull out. However, Variety reports that Bannon arrived at Venice on his own, and was not a part of the festival’s official delegation. It remains unclear if he’ll attend the Toronto or New York film festivals,...
The news of Bannon’s arrival in Venice came on the heels of a controversy surrounding his scheduled appearance at the New Yorker Festival, which dropped a public conversation with Bannon after other participants threatened to pull out. However, Variety reports that Bannon arrived at Venice on his own, and was not a part of the festival’s official delegation. It remains unclear if he’ll attend the Toronto or New York film festivals,...
- 9/4/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Pete Buttigieg is perpetually on the move. When the South Bend, Indiana, mayor spoke to Rolling Stone last Wednesday, he was en route to a local speaking gig while sorting out his thoughts for a big speech the next day that had just come up at the last minute. “Just got a call today from [Sen.] Dick Durbin, asking me to fill in for Joe Biden at Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair,” he says. “Talk about some shoes to fill!”
The symbolism could not be missed: The septuagenarian Democratic eminence,...
The symbolism could not be missed: The septuagenarian Democratic eminence,...
- 8/23/2018
- by Bob Moser
- Rollingstone.com
Frank Bruni of the New York Times, in scalding-hot-take mode while filling in for Tom Friedman, wrote a piece this week called “The Center Is Sexier Than You Think.”
Bruni’s screed is the latest in an increasingly comic (and panicked, and over-blown) series of media reactions to the surprise primary win of young Bronx Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez is a Democratic Socialist who worked on the 2016 campaign of Bernie Sanders. She espouses several political views – like abolishing Ice, favoring a government jobs program and free college education – that make D.C. thinkfluencers nervous.
Bruni’s screed is the latest in an increasingly comic (and panicked, and over-blown) series of media reactions to the surprise primary win of young Bronx Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez is a Democratic Socialist who worked on the 2016 campaign of Bernie Sanders. She espouses several political views – like abolishing Ice, favoring a government jobs program and free college education – that make D.C. thinkfluencers nervous.
- 7/12/2018
- by Matt Taibbi
- Rollingstone.com
Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher has a more academic panel and lineup of interviews than the normal show, which usually stacks a comic or actor in the mix. Not so for this episode. Maher’s top of the show interview is Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti, who has become a fixture on television discussing the allegations and claims Daniels has made against President Donald Trump, which the president is denying. Avenatti has waged a war of sorts on television against Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen too and has been on CNN over 50 times discussing different aspects of Cohen’s suspect payment to […]
The post Michael Avenatti, Frank Bruni, Jordan Peterson on Real Time with Bill Maher appeared first on Monsters and Critics.
The post Michael Avenatti, Frank Bruni, Jordan Peterson on Real Time with Bill Maher appeared first on Monsters and Critics.
- 4/19/2018
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
New York Times employees came together yesterday for a bit of musical fun, with a compilation video of Stephen Sondheim’s “Broadway Baby,” a popular classic from his 1971 musical “Follies.” Among the performers were some Times celebrities — including op-ed columnist Frank Bruni and political reporter Maggie Haberman. The video was created to accompany a lengthy interview between Sondheim and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in the New York Times Magazine, which ran online on Monday. Also Read: 'Pacific Overtures' Theater Review: Stephen Sondheim Survives the Scissors “It’s hard to overemphasize Sondheim’s influence on American musical theater,” wrote...
- 10/17/2017
- by Jon Levine
- The Wrap
Safe to say, the Academy Awards inspire more column inches and broadcast hours of bullshit than any other event in entertainment, but when the stuff is piled as high as it was in today’s New York Times, one wonders if there shouldn’t be a special Razzie for Worst Media Thumbsucking of the Year. -Break- The honor must be split among Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat, Times political columnists slumming as Oscar experts, and entertainment reporters Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes. Bruni and Douthat go mano a mano in emails discussing the awfulness and injustices of Sunday night’s show, while Cieply and Barnes focus on how the academy’s dissing of box office hits is causing a collapse in TV ratings. The Bruni-Douthat conversation might have taken place in any bar in the U.S. where the show’s broadcast has just ended. It’s that pointless and unenlightening,...
- 2/24/2015
- Gold Derby
It is now time for my complete list of The Suck In Today’s Film Biz. Earlier this week, I’ve dropped some bits on Keyframe and Filmmaker Mag. IndieWire picked it up. There’s so much that is wrong, it is easy to share the wealth. But here is all of those combined lists plus many more. Can’t you hear everyone screaming “Omg, there is so much too fix! It is time we made this really work for ambitious and diverse film once and for all!”? We wish, right?
I have been chronicling the negative in our film industry for sometime now — six years in these type of posts, but my original rant goes back to 1995 for Filmmaker Magazine. Much of what I have stated in years’ passed remains still in need of getting done. Dig in to my past lists and when you combine them you will...
I have been chronicling the negative in our film industry for sometime now — six years in these type of posts, but my original rant goes back to 1995 for Filmmaker Magazine. Much of what I have stated in years’ passed remains still in need of getting done. Dig in to my past lists and when you combine them you will...
- 12/4/2014
- by Ted Hope
- Hope for Film
Olive Kitteridge, HBO's four-part miniseries directed by Lisa Cholodenko from playwright Jane Anderson’s script, is adapted from Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of 13 stories and was set in motion by Frances McDormand as, as Frank Bruni puts it in the New York Times, "her answer to an industry and a society that she finds perverse in their fixation on youth." The magnificent cast features Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray, Zoe Kazan, Martha Wainwright, Peter Mullan and John Gallagher Jr. We're collecting reviews (raves, mostly) and we've posted the trailer and a clip. » - David Hudson...
- 11/2/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
Olive Kitteridge, HBO's four-part miniseries directed by Lisa Cholodenko from playwright Jane Anderson’s script, is adapted from Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of 13 stories and was set in motion by Frances McDormand as, as Frank Bruni puts it in the New York Times, "her answer to an industry and a society that she finds perverse in their fixation on youth." The magnificent cast features Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray, Zoe Kazan, Martha Wainwright, Peter Mullan and John Gallagher Jr. We're collecting reviews (raves, mostly) and we've posted the trailer and a clip. » - David Hudson...
- 11/2/2014
- Keyframe
This afternoon, news broke of Joan Rivers’ death. Celebrities, media outlets, and friends have been offering their condolences on Twitter and social media and sharing their best memories of the late comedienne:
.@Joan_Rivers was a dear & wonderful friend who I've known for 45yrs. Great guest, pal, comedian & mother. We will never see her likes again— Larry King (@kingsthings) September 04, 2014
#RIPJoanRivers #Legend instagram.com/p/siPD5iOc7o/— Ken Baker (@kenbakernow) September 04, 2014
Joan was a classic New Yorker. Her wit, style, moxie, feminist trailblazing, and quiet philanthropy made her a legend. #RIPJoanRivers— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) September 04, 2014
we lost a...
.@Joan_Rivers was a dear & wonderful friend who I've known for 45yrs. Great guest, pal, comedian & mother. We will never see her likes again— Larry King (@kingsthings) September 04, 2014
#RIPJoanRivers #Legend instagram.com/p/siPD5iOc7o/— Ken Baker (@kenbakernow) September 04, 2014
Joan was a classic New Yorker. Her wit, style, moxie, feminist trailblazing, and quiet philanthropy made her a legend. #RIPJoanRivers— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) September 04, 2014
we lost a...
- 9/4/2014
- by Teresa Jue
- EW.com - PopWatch
David Bordwell, one of film criticism’s eminent scholars and arguably most knowledgeable film historian working today, took to his blog, Observations on Film Art, Sunday to criticize the New York Times for a new series they’ve launched called “The Moviegoers“. In his piece titled “Zip, Zero, Zeitgeist“, Bordwell addresses a trend in film criticism he calls “reflectionism” and cites the Times piece as a somewhat unfortunate example.
Bordwell’s piece questioned whether movies can reflect the “national psyche”, “contemporary history” or “national debates” of the American populace. Do movies and the reception they get at the box office capture the pulse of the nation right now?
“These ideas enjoy an astonishing popularity. They are staples of movie journalism. The trouble is that they don’t hold up,” Bordwell writes, adding, “Movies are worth studying for themselves, not just as channels for Op-Ed memes.”
Bordwell was irked by a...
Bordwell’s piece questioned whether movies can reflect the “national psyche”, “contemporary history” or “national debates” of the American populace. Do movies and the reception they get at the box office capture the pulse of the nation right now?
“These ideas enjoy an astonishing popularity. They are staples of movie journalism. The trouble is that they don’t hold up,” Bordwell writes, adding, “Movies are worth studying for themselves, not just as channels for Op-Ed memes.”
Bordwell was irked by a...
- 8/25/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
If you’ve already binge-watched every critically acclaimed show out there and are wondering what to do next, TV critic Melissa Maerz has a few suggestions. Her column, “What I’m Watching Now,” is devoted to the best underhyped series on television (or Amazon, or Netflix, or whatever iDevice you’re using), whether they’re just premiering or have been lingering on your friends’ season pass queues for years.
Why do we love to watch pretty girls suffer?
I thought about that question a lot while watching Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, a fascinating documentary that airs August 18 on HBO.
Why do we love to watch pretty girls suffer?
I thought about that question a lot while watching Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, a fascinating documentary that airs August 18 on HBO.
- 8/18/2014
- by Melissa Maerz
- EW - Inside TV
Oh, sure, the Times still has its few film critics reviewing films they’ve actually seen. But now, in an attempt to, perhaps, get on that Net bandwagon of movie blather that shits out thousands of words about movies saying nothing at all, it is introducing a new feature: “The Moviegoers.”
Welcome to The Moviegoers, an occasional new series in which the Op-Ed columnists Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat banter about movies, pop culture, television and other real-world distractions.
The Moviegoers? How many brand consultants do you think they paid how much to come up with that?
From 1993-95, Frank was a movie critic for The Detroit Free Press, and he has written frequently on culture for The New York Times Magazine and for the Arts & Leisure section. Ross is the film critic for National Review and frequently writes about film and TV on his Times blog.
So, Bruni hasn...
Welcome to The Moviegoers, an occasional new series in which the Op-Ed columnists Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat banter about movies, pop culture, television and other real-world distractions.
The Moviegoers? How many brand consultants do you think they paid how much to come up with that?
From 1993-95, Frank was a movie critic for The Detroit Free Press, and he has written frequently on culture for The New York Times Magazine and for the Arts & Leisure section. Ross is the film critic for National Review and frequently writes about film and TV on his Times blog.
So, Bruni hasn...
- 8/14/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Mario Batali is combining his love of food, New York City, and Crocs into one compact web series. The celebrity chef is the star of The High Road, a new Hulu web series that one reviewer accurately described as " a food-ier version of Jerry Seinfeld’s web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." In each of The High Road's 12 black-and-white episodes, Batali will meet up with a different celebrity and journey off to a New York City culinary hotspot. The first installment features political journalist George Stephanopolous, who joins Batali at Brooklyn's Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club for some food truck fare and a round of the bar's titular activity. Future guests will include Jimmy Fallon and Frank Bruni. Hyundai has signed on as The High Road's exclusive sponsor. Batali's fans will dig The High Road, but there's enough here for any foodie or New York City travel enthusiast to enjoy.
- 6/12/2014
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Splc pressures Amazon to drop Boy Scouts, Louis Smith praises Tom Daley, Katy Perry has seen Kacey Musgraves naked
Speaking at the Hay Festival, Jennifer Saunders confirms that she’s working on an Absolutely Fabulous movie for release sometime in 2015. “I am writing the film as we speak – it’s in the pipeline. I am hoping it will be released by the end of next year.” The paper notes that Chris Colfer is expected to be among the stars in the film, but doesn’t attribute that to Saunders, so it could just be their Twitter exchange a couple of months ago.
After Amazon said that they wouldn’t drop the Boy Scouts of America from their charitable giving program because banned organizations were picked from the Splc’s hate groups list, the Splc has written a letter to Amazon about why they should drop the Scouts. “But the lack...
Speaking at the Hay Festival, Jennifer Saunders confirms that she’s working on an Absolutely Fabulous movie for release sometime in 2015. “I am writing the film as we speak – it’s in the pipeline. I am hoping it will be released by the end of next year.” The paper notes that Chris Colfer is expected to be among the stars in the film, but doesn’t attribute that to Saunders, so it could just be their Twitter exchange a couple of months ago.
After Amazon said that they wouldn’t drop the Boy Scouts of America from their charitable giving program because banned organizations were picked from the Splc’s hate groups list, the Splc has written a letter to Amazon about why they should drop the Scouts. “But the lack...
- 5/26/2014
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Newt Gingrich calls gays fascists, Benedict Cumberbatch is Richard III, segregation returns to the South
Debbie Harry has confirmed that she likes men and women. The blond legend says that while most of her lasting relationships have been with men, the rumors of her liking women is true. “Yeah. Let’s say women are more sensual.”
Vitaly Milonov, who wrote St. Petersburg’s original gay propaganda law, is now calling for the formation of a “morality police” that would regulate homosexuality, gambling and other violations of “traditional values.” Which sounds a lot like what they have in nations like Saudi Arabia.
Captain American: The Winter Soldier broke all April box office records, pulling in $96.2 million. Counting the overseas haul for two weeks, the film has grossed $303 million since opening.
Writing about Brendan Eich, Frank Bruni says that equality is now the default in the world. “No, I’m referring to...
Debbie Harry has confirmed that she likes men and women. The blond legend says that while most of her lasting relationships have been with men, the rumors of her liking women is true. “Yeah. Let’s say women are more sensual.”
Vitaly Milonov, who wrote St. Petersburg’s original gay propaganda law, is now calling for the formation of a “morality police” that would regulate homosexuality, gambling and other violations of “traditional values.” Which sounds a lot like what they have in nations like Saudi Arabia.
Captain American: The Winter Soldier broke all April box office records, pulling in $96.2 million. Counting the overseas haul for two weeks, the film has grossed $303 million since opening.
Writing about Brendan Eich, Frank Bruni says that equality is now the default in the world. “No, I’m referring to...
- 4/7/2014
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Birthday shoutouts go to Gavin Degraw (above), who is 37, Alice Cooper is 66, George Romero is 74, and Facebook is 10.
Ryan Phillippe is in final negotiations to star in the ABC pilot Secrets & Lies. “An adaptation of the upcoming Australian crime mystery series, Secrets & Lies centers on a family man (Phillippe) who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young boy when he finds the body.”
ABC’s Bachelor Says GLAAD Changed His Views on Lgbt People. That was quick.
Love, Death and Sochi, by Frank Bruni.
Former High School Bully Apologizes After Seeing Classmate’s Viral Gay Marriage Proposal
Human Rights Watch has a devastating clip of Russian Homophobic Violence. Unfortunately, the people who need to see it couldn’t care less.
This wasn’t even close! (h/t @allanj69).
Scotland says ‘aye’ to #equalmarriage pic.twitter.com/RHgV1Ibq4l
— Tom French (@TomfromBrighton) February 4, 2014
Here’s the cover...
Ryan Phillippe is in final negotiations to star in the ABC pilot Secrets & Lies. “An adaptation of the upcoming Australian crime mystery series, Secrets & Lies centers on a family man (Phillippe) who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young boy when he finds the body.”
ABC’s Bachelor Says GLAAD Changed His Views on Lgbt People. That was quick.
Love, Death and Sochi, by Frank Bruni.
Former High School Bully Apologizes After Seeing Classmate’s Viral Gay Marriage Proposal
Human Rights Watch has a devastating clip of Russian Homophobic Violence. Unfortunately, the people who need to see it couldn’t care less.
This wasn’t even close! (h/t @allanj69).
Scotland says ‘aye’ to #equalmarriage pic.twitter.com/RHgV1Ibq4l
— Tom French (@TomfromBrighton) February 4, 2014
Here’s the cover...
- 2/4/2014
- by snicks
- The Backlot
Courtney Love did something most New Yorkers fear: She accidentally left her cellphone in a cab. Not only did a good Samaritan find it and return it to her, but that thoughtful man was New York Times columnist and former restaurant critic Frank Bruni. Bruni reached out to Love on Twitter and was able to get it back to her through a series of social media exchanges. Story: Courtney Love to Tell Her 'Story' in New Autobiography Bruni saw the phone as he was getting out of a taxi on his way home from dinner at Barbuto restaurant. "I assumed
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- 11/22/2013
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At some point in Courtney Love's wild girl wanderings Wednesday night, the rocker and her phone went their separate ways, with the device landing on the floor of a New York City taxicab. Luckily for Love, the next passenger in the vehicle was New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni. Initially assuming the phone was his, Bruni picked it up only to discover that his own was safely tucked away. According to NYmag.com, the Times journalist, with help from his assistant, discovered that the locked mobile belonged to Love, based on incoming texts and Instagram notifications. Hoping to...
- 11/22/2013
- by Kelli Bender
- PEOPLE.com
Source: Twitter user saschareinking Zach Braff photobombed a couple's wedding photo in NYC. Jennifer Lawrence reacts appropriately when being screamed at by photographers on the red carpet. Josh Brolin has entered rehab for substance abuse. Dodge Durango can thank Ron Burgundy's velvet voice for increasing their sales for October. Sosie Bacon, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's 21-year-old daughter, has been named Miss Golden Globe 2014. Only in New York City would Frank Bruni, a writer and former restaurant critic for the New York Times, find Courtney Love's cellphone in a cab. (Don't worry, she got it back.) If you watch one cover of Lorde's "Royals," make sure it's this one. Amanda Bynes is declared mentally fit to stand her DUI trial in La. It's the end of an era: Winamp is officially shutting down on Dec. 20. Today marks the 50th anniversary of JFK's death. Dallas, where JFK was assassinated,...
- 11/22/2013
- by Maria Mercedes Lara
- Popsugar.com
Husbands the Series premieres new season, men’s underwear for receiving lap dances, Stephen Colbert to save Sochi Olympics from the gays
The first episode of Husbands the Series season three is out on the newly launched CW Seed. Sadly, it’s not embeddable, and for a start it’s also a little sad. It seems we’ll be using the flashback storytelling method this year. But somehow Seth Green as a minister just works.
A male state Republican Rep in Missouri is suing to obtain a personal exemption from free birth control on his state provided healthcare as mandated under the Affordable Care Act. Since he’s male, he’s obviously suing to prevent his wife and daughters from accessing free birth control. “I see abortion-inducing drugs as intrinsically evil, and I cannot in good conscience preach one thing to my kids and then just go with the flow on our insurance.
The first episode of Husbands the Series season three is out on the newly launched CW Seed. Sadly, it’s not embeddable, and for a start it’s also a little sad. It seems we’ll be using the flashback storytelling method this year. But somehow Seth Green as a minister just works.
A male state Republican Rep in Missouri is suing to obtain a personal exemption from free birth control on his state provided healthcare as mandated under the Affordable Care Act. Since he’s male, he’s obviously suing to prevent his wife and daughters from accessing free birth control. “I see abortion-inducing drugs as intrinsically evil, and I cannot in good conscience preach one thing to my kids and then just go with the flow on our insurance.
- 8/16/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Laura Prepon feared nudity more than playing lesbian on Orange Is the New Black, Muppets Most Wanted leaves me wanting
Hank Azaria says he was hesitant to take on the role of Agador in The Birdcage. “’Hesitant’ is too mild of a word… not only could I be offending all gay people… but is the character going to work? Is it funny?”
George Takei makes the point that no nation would send athletes to the Olympics these days if the host nation threatened to arrest them for praying to Mecca or wearing a yamaka [sic], and it’s time to make the decision to move the Winter Olympics out of Russia. “NBC and the corporate sponsors of the Olympics should be paying close attention, too, and should get behind the Move the Olympics movement now, while there is still time to do so. If the Winter Olympics proceed in Sochi, Russia,...
Hank Azaria says he was hesitant to take on the role of Agador in The Birdcage. “’Hesitant’ is too mild of a word… not only could I be offending all gay people… but is the character going to work? Is it funny?”
George Takei makes the point that no nation would send athletes to the Olympics these days if the host nation threatened to arrest them for praying to Mecca or wearing a yamaka [sic], and it’s time to make the decision to move the Winter Olympics out of Russia. “NBC and the corporate sponsors of the Olympics should be paying close attention, too, and should get behind the Move the Olympics movement now, while there is still time to do so. If the Winter Olympics proceed in Sochi, Russia,...
- 8/7/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
The sequel to The Avengers will be titled Avengers: Age of Ultron, centering around the robotic villain from the comics. This led to questions about Hank Pym of course, which Joss Whedon addressed. “We don’t have to have him. It works very simply — this is Marvel cinema, not Marvel comics. One thing Kevin Feige has a genius for is knowing what to hold onto and what to let go of. You can invoke the feeling you had and play with the characters you love and remain true to the needs of the film.”
The Marvel panel also showed insane footage from Guardians of the Galaxy, which only began shooting a couple of weeks ago. They had footage of a jail break, a shirtless Starlord, and yes, a talking raccoon. For Thor: The Dark World, Tom Hiddleston took the stage as Loki and turned the crowd into his own army.
The Marvel panel also showed insane footage from Guardians of the Galaxy, which only began shooting a couple of weeks ago. They had footage of a jail break, a shirtless Starlord, and yes, a talking raccoon. For Thor: The Dark World, Tom Hiddleston took the stage as Loki and turned the crowd into his own army.
- 7/22/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
First, an explosive deposition emerged in which Paula Deen admitted to uttering the N-word. Then Deen fumbled not one, but three awkward apology videos. Finally, after Food Network announced they were axing one of their biggest stars, the Queen of Southern Food decided on a different crisis strategy: Silence. Lately, however, the one person Deen seems to hurt most is herself. Holed up over the weekend at home in Savannah, Ga., with husband Michael Groover and her sons Jamie and Bobby, Deen, 66, "is beyond devastated," a producer friend tells People in this week's cover story. "She isn't upset about the loss of money,...
- 6/26/2013
- by Alicia Dennis
- PEOPLE.com
President Obama includes gay dads in Father’s Day, Tony Danza is a creepy dad in Don Jon, Pam’s House Blend closing
Well, it’s sad news for Tom Hiddleston fans, because it looks like Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki won’t be making an appearance in The Avengers 2. “Everyone is going to be looking for the Loki-Hulk smash moment and you’ll be looking for [a quim moment]. First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”
Gay parents today are open and out in the world, and a kid telling his classmates he has two moms isn’t that big of a deal. But gay parents have been raising children throughout history,...
Well, it’s sad news for Tom Hiddleston fans, because it looks like Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki won’t be making an appearance in The Avengers 2. “Everyone is going to be looking for the Loki-Hulk smash moment and you’ll be looking for [a quim moment]. First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”
Gay parents today are open and out in the world, and a kid telling his classmates he has two moms isn’t that big of a deal. But gay parents have been raising children throughout history,...
- 6/17/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Psych celebrates its 100th episode tonight. It's a Psych-centennial!
News
Deadline joined the morning news gossip mill and contributed a report that Anderson Cooper was approached to take Matt Lauer's job on The Today Show. Cooper ended up declining when he learned that the job was being offered to him behind Lauer's back.
In further Anderson Cooper news brought to you by Deadline, the silver fox has filmed a pilot with Kathy Griffin. The project was filmed in front of a live audience at CNN studios, though it's not clear if the pilot is meant for CNN.
In a double-feature of Pretty Little Liars news, ABC Family has ordered a fifth season of the hit thriller — and ordered a spin-off series, Ravenswood. The spin-off will be set in a town near the Pll setting of Rosewood where a deadly curse has tormented the town for generations, with five...
News
Deadline joined the morning news gossip mill and contributed a report that Anderson Cooper was approached to take Matt Lauer's job on The Today Show. Cooper ended up declining when he learned that the job was being offered to him behind Lauer's back.
In further Anderson Cooper news brought to you by Deadline, the silver fox has filmed a pilot with Kathy Griffin. The project was filmed in front of a live audience at CNN studios, though it's not clear if the pilot is meant for CNN.
In a double-feature of Pretty Little Liars news, ABC Family has ordered a fifth season of the hit thriller — and ordered a spin-off series, Ravenswood. The spin-off will be set in a town near the Pll setting of Rosewood where a deadly curse has tormented the town for generations, with five...
- 3/27/2013
- by LyleMasaki
- The Backlot
Sir Ian McKellen has revealed that he's going to marry Sir Patrick Stewart. Well, he's going to officiate Sir Patrick's wedding. He's done it before for a civil partnership, he says.
Which seems at odds with the Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, that has decided not to perform any marriages until they're allowed to perform same-sex marriages. I always felt it was a nice gesture to say you weren't going to wed until everyone could, but probably unnecessary. Sir Ian obviously thinks so – what about you?
Add Funny Or Die to the list of Steve Jobs biopics, this one starring Justin Long and based on fifteen minutes research of looking at Jobs' Wikipedia page. I wonder if The Woz will approve of this one more than the Ashton Kutcher pic?
The two teenagers from Steubenville, Oh who were on trial for the rape of a drunken high school girl from neighboring...
Which seems at odds with the Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, that has decided not to perform any marriages until they're allowed to perform same-sex marriages. I always felt it was a nice gesture to say you weren't going to wed until everyone could, but probably unnecessary. Sir Ian obviously thinks so – what about you?
Add Funny Or Die to the list of Steve Jobs biopics, this one starring Justin Long and based on fifteen minutes research of looking at Jobs' Wikipedia page. I wonder if The Woz will approve of this one more than the Ashton Kutcher pic?
The two teenagers from Steubenville, Oh who were on trial for the rape of a drunken high school girl from neighboring...
- 3/18/2013
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Smash and How to Survive A Plague documentary among others earning accolades for positive portrayal of gay stories
Pop star Madonna on Saturday presented CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with a gay media watchdog's top honors in recognition of his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.
"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.
The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group Glaad, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.
The newsman said that "being gay is certainly...
Pop star Madonna on Saturday presented CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with a gay media watchdog's top honors in recognition of his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.
"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.
The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group Glaad, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.
The newsman said that "being gay is certainly...
- 3/17/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
(Reuters) - Pop star Madonna on Saturday presented CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with a gay media watchdog's top honors in recognition of his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.
"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.
The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.
The newsman said that "being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings" of his life, adding that "it opened my head and heart...
"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.
The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.
The newsman said that "being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings" of his life, adding that "it opened my head and heart...
- 3/17/2013
- by Reuters
- Huffington Post
Last April, we asked Gloria Steinem what she thought of Girls. "I don't know what it is," she told us. We were surprised, especially since her name was invoked at least once to criticize the show's portrayal of twentysomething sex ("Gloria Steinem went to the barricades for this?" wrote Frank Bruni). But all that's in the past, because when we saw her at a screening of Makers: Women Who Make America last night, she assured us that she's since seen the show. And she approves! "I am so relieved to see real people saying real words and wearing real clothes," she said. Or not wearing any clothes at all, we point out, but showing real bodies. "I think the more rebellious we become politically and economically in our lives, the more society tries to tell us that there's something wrong with us," Steinem said. "In order to sort of say,...
- 2/7/2013
- by Jennifer Vineyard
- Vulture
(Updates with more nominees)
New York, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Television shows "The New Normal" and "Smash," animated film "ParaNorman," and "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert were among nominees on Wednesday for the GLAAD Media Awards.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which monitors media depiction of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people, announced more than 150 nominees for its 24th annual awards in categories ranging from film and theater to journalism and music.
"ParaNorman," an Oscar nominee for best animated feature, was nominated by GLAAD for outstanding film in wide release, along with "Cloud Atlas," which features several heroic gay characters, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and "Your Sister's Sister."
The first PG-rated animated film to be nominated by GLAAD, "ParaNorman" tells the story of a New England boy who can seemingly speak with the dead, and is bullied and ostracized because of his ability.
New York, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Television shows "The New Normal" and "Smash," animated film "ParaNorman," and "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert were among nominees on Wednesday for the GLAAD Media Awards.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which monitors media depiction of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people, announced more than 150 nominees for its 24th annual awards in categories ranging from film and theater to journalism and music.
"ParaNorman," an Oscar nominee for best animated feature, was nominated by GLAAD for outstanding film in wide release, along with "Cloud Atlas," which features several heroic gay characters, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and "Your Sister's Sister."
The first PG-rated animated film to be nominated by GLAAD, "ParaNorman" tells the story of a New England boy who can seemingly speak with the dead, and is bullied and ostracized because of his ability.
- 1/16/2013
- by Reuters
- Huffington Post
GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has announced its annual Media Awards nominations, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.
The full list of nominees:
Outstanding Film - Wide Release
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros. Pictures)
ParaNorman (Focus Features)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment)
Your Sister's Sister (IFC Films)
Outstanding Film - Limited Release
Any Day Now (Music Box Films)
Keep the Lights On (Music Box Films)
Mosquita y Mari (Wolfe Releasing)
Musical Chairs (Paladin)
North Sea Texas (Strand Releasing)
Outstanding Drama Series
Degrassi (TeenNick)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
The L.A. Complex (The CW)
Smash (NBC)
True Blood (HBO)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Glee (Fox)
Go On (NBC)
Happy Endings (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
The New Normal (NBC)
Outstanding Individual...
The full list of nominees:
Outstanding Film - Wide Release
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros. Pictures)
ParaNorman (Focus Features)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment)
Your Sister's Sister (IFC Films)
Outstanding Film - Limited Release
Any Day Now (Music Box Films)
Keep the Lights On (Music Box Films)
Mosquita y Mari (Wolfe Releasing)
Musical Chairs (Paladin)
North Sea Texas (Strand Releasing)
Outstanding Drama Series
Degrassi (TeenNick)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
The L.A. Complex (The CW)
Smash (NBC)
True Blood (HBO)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Glee (Fox)
Go On (NBC)
Happy Endings (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
The New Normal (NBC)
Outstanding Individual...
- 1/16/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Kathryn Bigelow’s awards season contender and recent winter box office champion Zero Dark Thirty was released wide on the coattails of considerable controversy pertaining to the film’s depiction of torture. Journalists Frank Bruni and Glenn Greenwald, critic David Edelstein, and documentarian Alex Gibney are amongst those who have criticized the film for seemingly forging a direct link between “advanced interrogation techniques” (better known as “torture”) and the actionable intelligence that lead to the death of Osama bin Laden. This controversy has gone far beyond the film community; politicians and CIA spokespersons have called the film out for alleged misrepresentation. After finally seeing Zero Dark Thirty after reading about this controversy for months, I wonder, did any of these people see the same film I saw? And are criticisms like these really what it means to be anti-torture in a post-Cheney America? If the filmmakers of Zero Dark Thirty seriously misrepresented the facts about the CIA...
- 1/15/2013
- by Landon Palmer
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
First, some housekeeping. We're going to be a bit light this week. I'm taking Christmas Day and the day after off from Meme. We'll have Briefs every day except Christmas, but we will bring you some content that day. And snicks is liveblogging Days of Our Lives Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. From our dysfunctional AfterElton family to yours, have a great holiday, be it a Merry Christmas or just a day off from work.
When Gareth Thomas visited Mickey Rourke in Los Angeles, he found something that under different circumstances might have been a bit creepy. “I stayed with Mickey for a few weeks in his house. I walked into his living room and he had 10ft framed pictures of me all over his walls. It was so strange. If he wasn’t playing me in the film I would have been a bit freaked out but he said he...
When Gareth Thomas visited Mickey Rourke in Los Angeles, he found something that under different circumstances might have been a bit creepy. “I stayed with Mickey for a few weeks in his house. I walked into his living room and he had 10ft framed pictures of me all over his walls. It was so strange. If he wasn’t playing me in the film I would have been a bit freaked out but he said he...
- 12/24/2012
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
The bad news for Zero Dark Thirty is that it's leading the league in controversy. The good news is Oscar front-runners almost always do. An awards-season look at the under-fire Osama bin Laden thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow, opening in a handful of theaters today: It's Neo-Con Propaganda! That's the cry of liberal pundits like New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, who argues the film "appears to suggest" waterboarding was a necessary evil in the bin Laden manhunt. Even in a rave, New York's David Edelstein wrote Zero Dark Thirty's treatment of torture "borders on the politically and morally reprehensible." It's Left-Wing Propaganda! That's the cry of...
- 12/19/2012
- E! Online
As it turns out, the film as a political statement is worse than even its harshest early critics warned
(updated below)
I've now seen "Zero Dark Thirty". Before getting to that: the controversy triggered this week by my commentary on the debate over that film was one of the most ridiculous in which I've ever been involved. It was astounding to watch critics of what I wrote just pretend that I had simply invented or "guessed at" the only point of the film I discussed - that it falsely depicted torture as valuable in finding bin Laden - all while concealing from their readers the ample factual bases I cited: namely, the fact that countless writers, almost unanimously, categorically stated that the film showed exactly this (see here for a partial list of reviewers and commentators who made this factual statement definitively about the film - that it depicts torture...
(updated below)
I've now seen "Zero Dark Thirty". Before getting to that: the controversy triggered this week by my commentary on the debate over that film was one of the most ridiculous in which I've ever been involved. It was astounding to watch critics of what I wrote just pretend that I had simply invented or "guessed at" the only point of the film I discussed - that it falsely depicted torture as valuable in finding bin Laden - all while concealing from their readers the ample factual bases I cited: namely, the fact that countless writers, almost unanimously, categorically stated that the film showed exactly this (see here for a partial list of reviewers and commentators who made this factual statement definitively about the film - that it depicts torture...
- 12/14/2012
- by Glenn Greenwald
- The Guardian - Film News
Critics, Cheney apologists and liberals are at each others' throats, but film needs the scenes – as inaccurate as they are
"I'm betting that Dick Cheney will love the new movie Zero Dark Thirty," wrote New York Times columnist Frank Bruni at the weekend, firing the opening salvo in a week-long conflagration between critics and columnists on Kathryn Bigelow's new film about the hunting and killing of Osama bin Laden – more specifically, the role that torture played in that hunt.
"No waterboarding, no Bin Laden," said Bruni. "That's what Zero Dark Thirty appears to suggest."
As the awards rolled in – best film and director from the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle were quickly followed by the top honors from the National Board of Review and Boston film critics – liberal ire mounted.
"I don't believe that this film is being so well-received despite its glorification of American torture," said Glenn Greenwald in these pages,...
"I'm betting that Dick Cheney will love the new movie Zero Dark Thirty," wrote New York Times columnist Frank Bruni at the weekend, firing the opening salvo in a week-long conflagration between critics and columnists on Kathryn Bigelow's new film about the hunting and killing of Osama bin Laden – more specifically, the role that torture played in that hunt.
"No waterboarding, no Bin Laden," said Bruni. "That's what Zero Dark Thirty appears to suggest."
As the awards rolled in – best film and director from the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle were quickly followed by the top honors from the National Board of Review and Boston film critics – liberal ire mounted.
"I don't believe that this film is being so well-received despite its glorification of American torture," said Glenn Greenwald in these pages,...
- 12/12/2012
- by Tom Shone
- The Guardian - Film News
New York — Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal were knee-deep in preparing the follow-up to their Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker," a film that would chronicle the manhunt for Osama bin Laden, his escape in Tora Bora and the vanishing trail of the world's most wanted man.
"Then history changed," says Bigelow.
After a team of Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2 last year, the director Bigelow and Boal, a journalist turned screenwriter, set about remaking their film. Whereas most films start with a concept or a dramatic arc, Boal and Bigelow built "Zero Dark Thirty" one source at a time, piecing together a narrative out of recent history shrouded in secrecy.
The approach – a marriage of Boal's reporting and Bigelow's visceral action – has made "Zero Dark Thirty" a lightning rod. Though Sony's Columbia Pictures won't release it until Dec. 19 in New York and Los...
"Then history changed," says Bigelow.
After a team of Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2 last year, the director Bigelow and Boal, a journalist turned screenwriter, set about remaking their film. Whereas most films start with a concept or a dramatic arc, Boal and Bigelow built "Zero Dark Thirty" one source at a time, piecing together a narrative out of recent history shrouded in secrecy.
The approach – a marriage of Boal's reporting and Bigelow's visceral action – has made "Zero Dark Thirty" a lightning rod. Though Sony's Columbia Pictures won't release it until Dec. 19 in New York and Los...
- 12/11/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
New York -- The Washington Post ran a front-page story Tuesday about the CIA agent who serves as the model for Maya, one of the the main characters in "Zero Dark Thirty," a much-anticipated film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
The Post described how the CIA agent, who's now in her 30s, has "sparred" with colleagues, "lashed out" at them in a reply-all email, was "passed over for a promotion," and has "come under scrutiny for her contacts with filmmakers."
But while the Post reveals such details about the woman's complicated tenure at the agency, the paper didn't name the undercover agent or get an opportunity to speak with her personally.
"The woman is not allowed to talk to journalists," wrote the Post's Greg Miller, "and the CIA declined to answer questions about her, except to stress that the bin Laden mission involved an extensive team."
While it's...
The Post described how the CIA agent, who's now in her 30s, has "sparred" with colleagues, "lashed out" at them in a reply-all email, was "passed over for a promotion," and has "come under scrutiny for her contacts with filmmakers."
But while the Post reveals such details about the woman's complicated tenure at the agency, the paper didn't name the undercover agent or get an opportunity to speak with her personally.
"The woman is not allowed to talk to journalists," wrote the Post's Greg Miller, "and the CIA declined to answer questions about her, except to stress that the bin Laden mission involved an extensive team."
While it's...
- 12/11/2012
- by Michael Calderone
- Huffington Post
There's one thing everyone who watches Zero Dark Thirty—Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's take on the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden starring Jessica Chastain—will surely agree on: It's intense. As in, two hours of edge-of-your-seat, white knuckle-worthy cinematic intensity. For some, that's a good thing and could ultimately lead Zero to an Oscar Best Picture win (it's guaranteed a nom, at the very least) and a Best Director win for Bigelow. To others, it's another component of what all adds up to a pro-torture propaganda piece. "No waterboarding, no Bin Laden: that's what 'Zero Dark Thirty' appears to suggest," New York Times writer Frank Bruni claimed...
- 12/11/2012
- E! Online
"Zero Dark Thirty" is one of the year's most lauded films. Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to "The Hurt Locker" focuses on the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, and has already been named the best movie of 2012 by the New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, Boston Society of Film Critics and even Huffington Post. In addition to being a monumental piece of filmmaking, however, "Zero Dark Thirty" is also a lightning rod for controversy.
During the filming, Republican Congressman Peter King claimed Bigelow and writer Mark Boal received inside information and classified documents from the Obama administration; now, columnists like the New York Times' Frank Bruni, are questioning whether the film is pro-enhanced interrogation. Wrote Bruni in the Sunday Times:
[T]he torture sequence immediately follows a bone-chilling, audio-only prologue of the voices of terrified Americans trapped in the towering inferno of the World Trade Center. It’s set up as payback.
During the filming, Republican Congressman Peter King claimed Bigelow and writer Mark Boal received inside information and classified documents from the Obama administration; now, columnists like the New York Times' Frank Bruni, are questioning whether the film is pro-enhanced interrogation. Wrote Bruni in the Sunday Times:
[T]he torture sequence immediately follows a bone-chilling, audio-only prologue of the voices of terrified Americans trapped in the towering inferno of the World Trade Center. It’s set up as payback.
- 12/10/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
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