Stranger Things were happening this past weekend for those who sampled and wound up bingeing all eight episodes of Netflix’s new drama series.
(Basic plotline/mild spoilers follow, until I announce otherwise. And I will announce otherwise.)
VideosStranger Things: Watch a Trailer for Winona Ryder Supernatural Drama
Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer (who cowrote a few episodes of Wayward Pines) and set in a small Indiana town circa 1983, Stranger Things revolves around the vanishing of a young boy, Will Byers , which comes on the heels of something escaping from a local, “secret” government lab lorded over by Dr.
(Basic plotline/mild spoilers follow, until I announce otherwise. And I will announce otherwise.)
VideosStranger Things: Watch a Trailer for Winona Ryder Supernatural Drama
Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer (who cowrote a few episodes of Wayward Pines) and set in a small Indiana town circa 1983, Stranger Things revolves around the vanishing of a young boy, Will Byers , which comes on the heels of something escaping from a local, “secret” government lab lorded over by Dr.
- 7/19/2016
- TVLine.com
“I hope you remember us for our world-class pizza and bridges and not for our tendency to tell people … to go f-ck themselves,” “Daily...
Jon Stewart could not believe he even had a studio audience on Monday night, due to the pending Juno blizzard.
“My guess is, if you are watching this program, New York is gone,” Stewart deadpanned. “I hope you remember us for our world-class pizza and bridges and not for our tendency to tell people who innocently have their eyes lock with our eyes to go fuck themselves.
“I honestly cannot believe these people showed up today,...
Jon Stewart could not believe he even had a studio audience on Monday night, due to the pending Juno blizzard.
“My guess is, if you are watching this program, New York is gone,” Stewart deadpanned. “I hope you remember us for our world-class pizza and bridges and not for our tendency to tell people who innocently have their eyes lock with our eyes to go fuck themselves.
“I honestly cannot believe these people showed up today,...
- 1/27/2015
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Neil and David at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Birthday shoutouts go to TheBacklot reader Carlos, Matt Lucas, who is 40, Eddy Grant is 66, and Murray Head is 68.
Everyone is in a tizzy because Steven Spielberg has “registered interest” in remaking West Side Story.
Why New Polling Shows Both the Gop and Lgbt Groups Are Out of Touch
Dutch Politicians Create Grindr Profiles To Earn Votes
The Mark Bingham Documentary The Rugby Player will have its mainstream festival premiere next week at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose
Here’s the official trailer for Oculus, starring Karen Gillan and her American accent.
Michelle Visage talks to eliminated Drag Race queen Magnolia Crawford.
Stephen Colbert on the absolute idiocy of Rep. Steve King‘s “Self-professed behavior” garbage. “Send photos and/or videos to Steve King, proving that you are gay. Be sure to label your envelope campaign contributions, so you know that he’ll read it.
Birthday shoutouts go to TheBacklot reader Carlos, Matt Lucas, who is 40, Eddy Grant is 66, and Murray Head is 68.
Everyone is in a tizzy because Steven Spielberg has “registered interest” in remaking West Side Story.
Why New Polling Shows Both the Gop and Lgbt Groups Are Out of Touch
Dutch Politicians Create Grindr Profiles To Earn Votes
The Mark Bingham Documentary The Rugby Player will have its mainstream festival premiere next week at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose
Here’s the official trailer for Oculus, starring Karen Gillan and her American accent.
Michelle Visage talks to eliminated Drag Race queen Magnolia Crawford.
Stephen Colbert on the absolute idiocy of Rep. Steve King‘s “Self-professed behavior” garbage. “Send photos and/or videos to Steve King, proving that you are gay. Be sure to label your envelope campaign contributions, so you know that he’ll read it.
- 3/5/2014
- by snicks
- The Backlot
About a thousand years ago, I was on Steve King’s Wgn radio show (now sorely missed) and somebody called in and asked about the name “Comic Book.” I was taken aback momentarily, trying to decide if I should go into my “we’ve kicked the kids out of the donut shop” auto-rant. Out of respect for Steve and his 33 state / five province reach, I did a short history instead.
I talked about how the original comics were simply reprints of newspaper strips, some funny (hence the term “funny books”), some were adventurous, and the best were surreal. Within a few years all the licenses were tied up – not just the good ones – and new publishers like Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson had to hire young (read: inexpensive) writers and artists to create new stuff.
Funny comic books continued to dominate newsstand and subscription sales for the better part of two decades.
I talked about how the original comics were simply reprints of newspaper strips, some funny (hence the term “funny books”), some were adventurous, and the best were surreal. Within a few years all the licenses were tied up – not just the good ones – and new publishers like Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson had to hire young (read: inexpensive) writers and artists to create new stuff.
Funny comic books continued to dominate newsstand and subscription sales for the better part of two decades.
- 9/25/2013
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
In a discussion that ranged from Steve King's laughable "cantaloupe" comment, to conservative reactions to Obama's speech following the Trayvon Martin verdict, to what Dr. King called "the most segregated hour", Bill Maher's "Real Time" panel on Friday seemed to agree that racism remains one the country's deepest problems.
Of course, Maher had his own sardonic way of putting a point on the matter. Comparing similar statements from both Obama and Bill O'Reilly about the crime rate among young African-American men, Maher blasted O'Reilly and the Gop for not listening to what Obama actually says. "They're saying the same thing. As if they don't hear what Obama says because they know what he's thinking. They know he's thinking 'kill whitey.'"
The segment was highlighted by thoughtful points on racism in the church from Rev. Jim Wallis and the challenges faced by immigrants in this country from author Reza Aslan.
Of course, Maher had his own sardonic way of putting a point on the matter. Comparing similar statements from both Obama and Bill O'Reilly about the crime rate among young African-American men, Maher blasted O'Reilly and the Gop for not listening to what Obama actually says. "They're saying the same thing. As if they don't hear what Obama says because they know what he's thinking. They know he's thinking 'kill whitey.'"
The segment was highlighted by thoughtful points on racism in the church from Rev. Jim Wallis and the challenges faced by immigrants in this country from author Reza Aslan.
- 7/27/2013
- by Carol Hartsell
- Huffington Post
Republican congressman Steve King has gotten a lot of heat over his comments that when it comes to illegal immigration, for every one valedictorian there's one hundred more with "calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert." King's remarks gained negative reactions even from his own side of the aisle, with John Boehner and Eric Cantor slamming them. King sat down with Wolf Blitzer to continue defending himself and to fire back against his critics.
- 7/25/2013
- by Josh Feldman
- Mediaite - TV
Republican Representative Steve King got into a feisty exchange with ABC Univision host Jorge Ramos over a speech King gave last year in which he compared immigrants to dogs. "The speech...has been mischaracterized by people on the left," King said. "It's been intentionally and dishonestly done so to drive wedges between people on the basis of race, and I think it's a sin to do that, Jorge."...
- 7/21/2013
- by Evan McMurry
- Mediaite - TV
With immigration reform still going through Congress, a number of conservative Republicans are not happy with how their party has jumped on the bandwagon to fight for a bill that concedes the argument to the Democrats. Michele Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, and Steve King made a joint appearance Thursday on Glenn Beck's show to lobby him and his audience directly to stand up against a bill that they say is only getting bipartisan support because of how progressivism is spreading throughout the Republican party like a disease.
- 6/14/2013
- by Josh Feldman
- Mediaite - TV
The Steven Seagal-organized delegation to visit Russia and investigate those involved in the Boston Marathon bombings finally took place. Though the Congressional group didn't make it to Chechnya, Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Paul Cook (R-Calif.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) headed to Moscow to investigate the bombings.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that the visit revealed any new information about bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. "There is nothing specific that could've been done that we can point to that, had it been done differently, would've prevented this," Rohrabacher, the delegation's leader, says at a Moscow news conference.
According to him, Seagal's involvement was a beneficial asset to the team. "We are very appreciative of the help he has given this congressional delegation to make sure we accomplished our mission," Rohrabacher says. "I don't know if [Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitri Rogozin] would have been available to us without Steven actually suggesting that he do that.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that the visit revealed any new information about bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. "There is nothing specific that could've been done that we can point to that, had it been done differently, would've prevented this," Rohrabacher, the delegation's leader, says at a Moscow news conference.
According to him, Seagal's involvement was a beneficial asset to the team. "We are very appreciative of the help he has given this congressional delegation to make sure we accomplished our mission," Rohrabacher says. "I don't know if [Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitri Rogozin] would have been available to us without Steven actually suggesting that he do that.
- 6/3/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Steven Seagal is closer with Chechnya than many people might have expected. The actor reportedly tried to negotiate a congressional trip to Russia to help the investigation of April's Boston Marathon bombing.
The trip was officially called Codel, and would have brought members of Congress including Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Paul Cook (R-Calif.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) to Russia. According to Politico, the lawmakers pulled out at the last minute over concerns about traveling to Chechnya.
"The Codel's visit to Chechnya was facilitated by Steven Seagal. He has an established friendship with Putin and others in the Russian government and assisted in accommodating the Codel's request to visit the region," a spokeswoman for Rohrabacher tells the site.
Seagal has spent a good deal of time in Russia recently. He has assisted Russian President Vladmir Putin's government in creating a fitness campaign, and also was photographed...
The trip was officially called Codel, and would have brought members of Congress including Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Paul Cook (R-Calif.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) to Russia. According to Politico, the lawmakers pulled out at the last minute over concerns about traveling to Chechnya.
"The Codel's visit to Chechnya was facilitated by Steven Seagal. He has an established friendship with Putin and others in the Russian government and assisted in accommodating the Codel's request to visit the region," a spokeswoman for Rohrabacher tells the site.
Seagal has spent a good deal of time in Russia recently. He has assisted Russian President Vladmir Putin's government in creating a fitness campaign, and also was photographed...
- 5/29/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Universal’s Big Miracle, Sony’s Darling Companion, Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and FX’s Sons Of Anarchy are among the film and television programs nominated for the 2013 Genesis Awards. The annual honors from the Humane Society of the United States recognize news and entertainment media in 15 categories for helping raise awareness of animal issues and animal protection. This year’s awards gala will be held March 23 at the Beverly Hilton, where the Hsus Wyler Award will go to pop star Ke$ha. Feature Film Big Miracle Universal Pictures Darling Companion Kasdan Films / Sony Delhi Safari Fantastic Films International, LLC To The Arctic Imax /Warner Bros. Dramatic Series Grey’S Anatomy “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” ABC Harry’S Law “Gorilla My Dreams” NBC Sons Of Anarchy “J’ai Obtenu Cette” FX Sid Caesar Comedy Award The Colbert Report Representative Steve King on dogfighting Comedy Central Futurama “31st Century...
- 2/22/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
I really don't put much stock in the International Animated Film Society's 2013 Annie Awards, which is why I didn't rush to report on their results on Saturday. One year Disney and Pixar boycott the event, feeling there was an unfair advantage paid to larger contributing sponsors, DreamWorks being the primary example. So with such a nasty stench over the event what good does it do to pay it much mind? That said, I'll be brief in mentioning Wreck-It Ralph topped Saturday night's winners with five awards, including Best Animated Picture. The awards have something like a 75% streak when it comes to helping predict the eventual Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature and as the days have gone on, it's looking more and more like Ralph will be this year's winner (see my predictions here). Pixar's Brave, Laika's ParaNorman and DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians each took home two awards in lesser,...
- 2/4/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Disney's "Wreck-It-Ralph" was the big winner at the 40th Annie Awards held Saturday taking home the Best Animated Feature award. It is now officially the Oscar frontrunner in the Best Animated Film category.
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies this season, click here:
Animated Feature
"Brave" . Pixar Animation Studios
"Frankenweenie" . Walt Disney Studios
"Hotel Transylvania" . Sony Pictures Animation
"ParaNorman" . Focus Features
"Rise of the Guardians" . DreamWorks Animation
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" . Aardman Animations
"The Rabbi.s Cat ". Gkids
Winner "Wreck-It Ralph" . Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animated Special Production
"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1" . Warner Bros. Animation
"Before Orel" . Trust . Starburns Industries, Inc.
Winner "Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem" . Illumination Entertainment
"Disney Tron: Uprising . Beck.s Beginning" . Disney TV Animation
"Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury" . DreamWorks Animation
"Justice League: Doom" . Warner Bros. Animation
Animated Short Subject
"Brad and Gary" . Illumination...
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies this season, click here:
Animated Feature
"Brave" . Pixar Animation Studios
"Frankenweenie" . Walt Disney Studios
"Hotel Transylvania" . Sony Pictures Animation
"ParaNorman" . Focus Features
"Rise of the Guardians" . DreamWorks Animation
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" . Aardman Animations
"The Rabbi.s Cat ". Gkids
Winner "Wreck-It Ralph" . Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animated Special Production
"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1" . Warner Bros. Animation
"Before Orel" . Trust . Starburns Industries, Inc.
Winner "Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem" . Illumination Entertainment
"Disney Tron: Uprising . Beck.s Beginning" . Disney TV Animation
"Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury" . DreamWorks Animation
"Justice League: Doom" . Warner Bros. Animation
Animated Short Subject
"Brad and Gary" . Illumination...
- 2/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
I love the art of animation, and it's amazing to see how far things have come and advanced over the years. The industry is changing in terms of technology, but what it all really comes down to is telling good stories. There's been a lot of great animated movies this year, and many of them are up for several awards at the 40th Annual Annie Awards.
Some of the movies nomainated include Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, Rise of the Guardians, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and Wreck-It Ralph. Out of those films my favorite is a toss up between Wreck-It Ralph and ParaNorman, those were two pretty incredible films. I think ParaNorman has the edge though.
Some of the other animated properties nominated are Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, Disney Tron: Uprising, Justice League: Doom, Robot Chicken ‘DC Comics Special', South Park ‘Raising the Bar’, and several others.
Some of the movies nomainated include Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, Rise of the Guardians, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and Wreck-It Ralph. Out of those films my favorite is a toss up between Wreck-It Ralph and ParaNorman, those were two pretty incredible films. I think ParaNorman has the edge though.
Some of the other animated properties nominated are Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, Disney Tron: Uprising, Justice League: Doom, Robot Chicken ‘DC Comics Special', South Park ‘Raising the Bar’, and several others.
- 12/4/2012
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The International Animated Film Society (Asifa-Hollywood) has announced the nominees for the 40th Annie Awards also known as Animation's Highest Honor. Disney/Pixar led the nominees with "Brave," "Frankenweenie," and "Wreck-It-Ralph" getting Best Picture nods. The 40th Annual Annie Awards will take place on February 2, 2013 at UCLA.s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, California.
And the nominees for the 40th Annual Annie Awards are:
Best Picture nominees:
Brave - Disney/Pixar)
Frankenweenie -The Walt Disney Studios
Hotel Transylvania - Sony Pictures Animation
ParaNorman - Focus Features
Rise of the Guardians - DreamWorks Animation
The Pirates! Band of Misfits - Aardman Animations
The Rabbi.s Cat - Gkids
Wreck-It Ralph - Walt Disney Animation Studios
Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 . Warner Bros. Animation
Best General Audience Animated Television Production
Archer .Space Race, Part 1. . Weissman Markovitz Communications for FX
Bob.S Burgers .Earsy Rider...
And the nominees for the 40th Annual Annie Awards are:
Best Picture nominees:
Brave - Disney/Pixar)
Frankenweenie -The Walt Disney Studios
Hotel Transylvania - Sony Pictures Animation
ParaNorman - Focus Features
Rise of the Guardians - DreamWorks Animation
The Pirates! Band of Misfits - Aardman Animations
The Rabbi.s Cat - Gkids
Wreck-It Ralph - Walt Disney Animation Studios
Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 . Warner Bros. Animation
Best General Audience Animated Television Production
Archer .Space Race, Part 1. . Weissman Markovitz Communications for FX
Bob.S Burgers .Earsy Rider...
- 12/3/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Disney withdrew from the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood back in 2010 and even before then it was hard to put much stock in the Annie Awards. Now it's just sort of a blip on the overall award season radar that manages headlines twice a year, once for their nominees and again for their winners, which this year will be announced on Saturday, February 2, 2013. That said, the org announced their 2013 nominees this morning and their Best Feature Film list was made up of eight nominees (a large list considering the lack of quality animated films I've seen this year) including Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, Rise of the Guardians, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Rabbi's Cat and Wreck-It Ralph. It is nice not to see something like The Lorax among that list, but I still think this was a year in which the field could have easily been limited to five nominees.
- 12/3/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
In honor of the release of Christopher Golden's Joe Golem and the Drowning City in limited edition hardcover on October 3 and Baltimore: The Play, his collaboration with Mike Mignola, on November 21, Dark Horse editor Scott Allie interviewed the award-winning author for us.
Topics covered in the interview include Golden's interpretation of the term "dark fantasy," his upcoming project with True Blood author Charlaine Harris, vampires in our current culture, his influences, the scariest thing he's written, and Lots more. Check it out below, and look for more guest blogs from Scott Allie over the coming weeks.
Scott Allie: Can you explain “dark fantasy” to me?
Christopher Golden: The easy approach would be to say it's a merger of horror and fantasy, but that's not always true. For me, dark fantasy is fantasy in which nasty things happen. For people who've read my original novels, dark fantasy would be easy to recognize.
Topics covered in the interview include Golden's interpretation of the term "dark fantasy," his upcoming project with True Blood author Charlaine Harris, vampires in our current culture, his influences, the scariest thing he's written, and Lots more. Check it out below, and look for more guest blogs from Scott Allie over the coming weeks.
Scott Allie: Can you explain “dark fantasy” to me?
Christopher Golden: The easy approach would be to say it's a merger of horror and fantasy, but that's not always true. For me, dark fantasy is fantasy in which nasty things happen. For people who've read my original novels, dark fantasy would be easy to recognize.
- 10/2/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
It turns out the CIA and Pentagon officials were just big fans of The Hurt Locker.
New documents pertaining to government and military cooperation on the Osama bin Laden takedown film Zero Dark Thirty (out Dec. 19) were posted Tuesday evening by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, but they fail to confirm the organization’s theory that director Kathryn Bigelow and producer-screenwriter Mark Boal were given special access for the sake of political gains.
In fact, media relations officials discussed the need to be fair to others who were seeking similar information about the May 2, 2011 raid — and they told each...
New documents pertaining to government and military cooperation on the Osama bin Laden takedown film Zero Dark Thirty (out Dec. 19) were posted Tuesday evening by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, but they fail to confirm the organization’s theory that director Kathryn Bigelow and producer-screenwriter Mark Boal were given special access for the sake of political gains.
In fact, media relations officials discussed the need to be fair to others who were seeking similar information about the May 2, 2011 raid — and they told each...
- 8/29/2012
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Hollywood executives spend $91m lobbying for approval of Stop Online Piracy Act, which tech industry says will stifle creativity
Hollywood's most powerful executives and Silicon Valley's billionaires have been glued to the goings-on in a frills-free Washington committee room.
At the cost of thousands of dollars an hour, their army of lobbyists and lawyers spent much of Thursday watching a young woman reading – as fast as she could – a bill that has set the old and new media at each others' throats in a battle both sides claim is a fight to the death.
The reading and discussion of the amendments to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) at the House Judiciary Committee looks set to continue Friday as committee members clashed over the impact of the bill.
In an opening statement, committee chairman Lamar Smith said: "Laws equip Us authorities and rights holders to take action against criminals who operate within our borders.
Hollywood's most powerful executives and Silicon Valley's billionaires have been glued to the goings-on in a frills-free Washington committee room.
At the cost of thousands of dollars an hour, their army of lobbyists and lawyers spent much of Thursday watching a young woman reading – as fast as she could – a bill that has set the old and new media at each others' throats in a battle both sides claim is a fight to the death.
The reading and discussion of the amendments to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) at the House Judiciary Committee looks set to continue Friday as committee members clashed over the impact of the bill.
In an opening statement, committee chairman Lamar Smith said: "Laws equip Us authorities and rights holders to take action against criminals who operate within our borders.
- 12/15/2011
- by Dominic Rushe
- The Guardian - Film News
Three of the most prominent ad-forecasting firms kicked off the Ubs Annual Global Media and Communications Conference this morning — as they typically do at this event — by unveiling their updated forecasts for 2012. And they pretty much agree: 2012 will be better than 2011. MagnaGlobal is on the conservative side, projecting 3.2% growth in North America, and GroupM is more bullish at 4%. MagnaGlobal Evp Vincent Letang says that the U.S. ad market will benefit from the strongest-ever quadrennial effect with $2.4B hitting the market from political campaigns, and $600M related to the Summer Olympics in London. That’s why GroupM Futures Director Adam Smith warns that the ad-growth number in 2013 — without the quadrennial effect – ”might be harder to look at.” The forecasters agree that television and digital will benefit most from the growth in ad spending. But they warn that pay TV providers need to watch out: Subscriptions “will go down by 500,000 a...
- 12/5/2011
- by DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor
- Deadline TV
New York - After the 2010 rebound following the recession, U.S. and global advertising growth continued this year, with prominent forecasters projecting accelerated momentum in 2012. As is tradition, the ad outlook will be in the spotlight early Monday when Steve King, CEO of ZenithOptimedia, MagnaGlobal's Vincent Letang and Adam Smith, futures director of ad conglomerate Wpp's GroupM unit, will share their 2012 forecasts in the opening session of the 39th annual Ubs Global Media and Communications Conference here. King will tell the media and entertainment investor conference that global spending on major media will grow 4.7 percent to
read more...
read more...
- 12/5/2011
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the deficit crisis over and Congress in recess, Stephen Colbert returned to an old stand-by -- health care. The Department of Health and Human Services has stated that health insurance must cover breast feeding, HIV screenings, abuse counseling and other costs of that nature. Like Congressman Steve King (Repub., Iowa), Colbert is outraged, especially because breast pumps and abuse counseling are "frivolous impulse buys" comparably to pedicures and manicures. "You know the ladies," he quipped. "They are always pumping out breast milk, getting a mani-pedi, having a [cosmopolitan] with their abuse...
- 8/4/2011
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Despite production being delayed until Spring of 2012 because of financial concerns that Universal is feeling, Ron Howard seems pretty confident in the future of his film and TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. The topic of this endeavor inevitably came up in an interview that he and producer Brian Grazer did with Deadline, where both of them wanted to make clear that movement is still happening on the project. Additionally, they tried to point out that the studio’s budget cuts won’t have a huge impact on the end result, and that their desired actor could still star.
The director explained his desire to adapt the seven book series by saying that if he’s not “out there taking some risks,” he would simply be “coasting along” with past wins. Expanding upon this thought, he added that it “seemed like such a good idea to both...
The director explained his desire to adapt the seven book series by saying that if he’s not “out there taking some risks,” he would simply be “coasting along” with past wins. Expanding upon this thought, he added that it “seemed like such a good idea to both...
- 6/21/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and writer Akiva Goldsman are all hard at work trying to give us the best possible adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower as they can. The film series will span three films, two seasons of a TV series and of course a video game. Javier Bardem is expected to take on the role of the Gunslinger Roland Deschain.
At one point it looked like Universal Pictures was going to kill the film/TV project, they ended up shaving the budget of the project down, and the production schedule was pushed back. The studio has yet to to give the project the official green light, but Ron Howard and Brain Grazer did an interview with Deadline and gave an update on the project, where it currently stands, and how the budget reduction will effect it.
On Bardem playing the lead character:
I’m hoping when we go,...
At one point it looked like Universal Pictures was going to kill the film/TV project, they ended up shaving the budget of the project down, and the production schedule was pushed back. The studio has yet to to give the project the official green light, but Ron Howard and Brain Grazer did an interview with Deadline and gave an update on the project, where it currently stands, and how the budget reduction will effect it.
On Bardem playing the lead character:
I’m hoping when we go,...
- 6/21/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
What follows is The Dark Tower portion of the interview. Please follow the link for Much more. Deadline: Why does Dark Tower warrant three movies and two TV series in between? Howard: The universe Steve King created is so dimensional and creative. It blends scope, sweep, and adventure with some very personal compelling stories. We could have tried to force all of it into one or two or three movies. It became clear to me that the medium of TV has become so bold and cool, we could use it to our advantage creatively and really fulfill the possibilities of this universe of characters King gave us to work with. We can use the intimacy of television when that’s appropriate, and the scope and scale of the big screen with the bigger fantasy ideas. We discovered elements that would probably never have a home either on the big screen or on TV,...
- 6/21/2011
- ComicBookMovie.com
Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi announced Monday that he had decided not to run for president in 2012. "I will not be a candidate for president next year," Barbour said. "This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided." Barbour had been testing the waters in key Gop primary states for weeks.
In this week's Newsweek, Lloyd Grove examines Barbour's presidential chances.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The New Gop Warmongers
Haley Barbour lugs more than his share of baggage into the Republican presidential arena. In an age that favors optics, he looks every second of his 63 years, is recovering from back surgery, and is overweight to the point where even he jokes about being a "fat redneck." At a time when voters are suspicious of Washington's unholy alliance with Wall Street and big business,...
In this week's Newsweek, Lloyd Grove examines Barbour's presidential chances.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The New Gop Warmongers
Haley Barbour lugs more than his share of baggage into the Republican presidential arena. In an age that favors optics, he looks every second of his 63 years, is recovering from back surgery, and is overweight to the point where even he jokes about being a "fat redneck." At a time when voters are suspicious of Washington's unholy alliance with Wall Street and big business,...
- 4/25/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations-and possible Gop candidate in 2012-tells Lloyd Grove of his decidedly undiplomatic solution to the crisis in Libya: Assassinate the dictator. Plus, Babak Dehghanpisheh reports from Libya on the rebels' key victory in Ajdabiya.
Former ambassador John Bolton, President Bush's decidedly undiplomatic envoy to the United Nations who is considering running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has a decidedly undiplomatic solution to the crisis in Libya: The United States should terminate Muammar Gaddafi with extreme prejudice.
Related story on The Daily Beast: My Harrowing Libya Escape
Speaking Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, at Republican Rep. Steve King's Conservative Principles Conference-a cattle call for presidential prospects in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses-Bolton said: "Our military has a wonderful euphemism called 'national command authority.' It's a legitimate military target. In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi is the national command authority. I think that's the answer right there.
Former ambassador John Bolton, President Bush's decidedly undiplomatic envoy to the United Nations who is considering running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has a decidedly undiplomatic solution to the crisis in Libya: The United States should terminate Muammar Gaddafi with extreme prejudice.
Related story on The Daily Beast: My Harrowing Libya Escape
Speaking Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, at Republican Rep. Steve King's Conservative Principles Conference-a cattle call for presidential prospects in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses-Bolton said: "Our military has a wonderful euphemism called 'national command authority.' It's a legitimate military target. In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi is the national command authority. I think that's the answer right there.
- 3/26/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
With Obama no longer supporting the Defense of Marriage Act, deportation cases involving same-sex unions may have been put on hold. Mike Giglio reports exclusively on gay and lesbian immigrants' new cause for hope.
Josh Vandiver, a graduate student at Princeton, and Henry Velandia, a dance instructor who emigrated from Venezuela in 2002, had been dating for three years when, in late 2009, Velandia got word that he was going to be deported. His request for an employer-sponsored visa had been denied, and he'd been entered into deportation proceedings.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Elton Gallegly, the Anti-Steve King
The next spring, the couple decided to marry, and after an August 2010 wedding in Connecticut, Vandiver filed a marriage-based green card application for his new husband. This was little more than an act of defiance. While for heterosexual couples it would likely be enough to win the green card and avoid deportation,...
Josh Vandiver, a graduate student at Princeton, and Henry Velandia, a dance instructor who emigrated from Venezuela in 2002, had been dating for three years when, in late 2009, Velandia got word that he was going to be deported. His request for an employer-sponsored visa had been denied, and he'd been entered into deportation proceedings.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Elton Gallegly, the Anti-Steve King
The next spring, the couple decided to marry, and after an August 2010 wedding in Connecticut, Vandiver filed a marriage-based green card application for his new husband. This was little more than an act of defiance. While for heterosexual couples it would likely be enough to win the green card and avoid deportation,...
- 3/26/2011
- by Mike Giglio
- The Daily Beast
In a stunning turnaround, Arizona Republicans killed 5 of the state's notorious immigration bills. Terry Greene Sterling obtains a report showing deportations pummeling the local economy.
In a surprise St. Patrick's Day coup, conservative Republican senators in Arizona slapped down five harsh immigration bills that aimed to deny state birth certificates to babies born to unauthorized immigrants, turn school teachers and hospital workers into immigration enforcers, prohibit undocumented immigrants from attending college, and criminalize them for driving.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Elton Gallegly, the Anti-Steve King
The roundly defeated measures signal that Arizona is ticking slightly towards the right-center. And, like many states that have rejected immigration measures this year, is beginning to recognize that immigration-crackdown laws can derail already fragile economic recoveries.
An embargoed report obtained by The Daily Beast details how deporting all of Arizona's unauthorized immigrants would spell disaster for the already stressed economy. Not...
In a surprise St. Patrick's Day coup, conservative Republican senators in Arizona slapped down five harsh immigration bills that aimed to deny state birth certificates to babies born to unauthorized immigrants, turn school teachers and hospital workers into immigration enforcers, prohibit undocumented immigrants from attending college, and criminalize them for driving.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Elton Gallegly, the Anti-Steve King
The roundly defeated measures signal that Arizona is ticking slightly towards the right-center. And, like many states that have rejected immigration measures this year, is beginning to recognize that immigration-crackdown laws can derail already fragile economic recoveries.
An embargoed report obtained by The Daily Beast details how deporting all of Arizona's unauthorized immigrants would spell disaster for the already stressed economy. Not...
- 3/19/2011
- by Terry Greene Sterling
- The Daily Beast
If you thought Stephen King was done with The Dark Tower series your wrong. The author announced that there will be a new book in the epic tale called The Wind Through The Keyhole, and it will be released in 2012.
Here's what King had to say on his website about Rolands new journey and where he plans to take the story.
Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard And Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the...
Here's what King had to say on his website about Rolands new journey and where he plans to take the story.
Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard And Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the...
- 3/11/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
In 1982 Stephen King rocked the very foundations of modern storytelling with the following words:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.”
That is the first sentence of King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower, a saga that spans 7 novels, and ties in with just about every single book King has ever written. It’s a story that took 22 years to tell, and since it’s completion has inspired several graphic novels as well as an upcoming film adaptation by producer/director Ron Howard.
It has been 7 years since the journey of Roland, the last gunslinger of Gilead and his Ka-tet ended, and today King has announced that he would like to return to Mid-World in a novel titled The Wind Through the Keyhole. The story will take place between books 4 and 5 of the series and King promises that we will get to learn a lot...
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.”
That is the first sentence of King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower, a saga that spans 7 novels, and ties in with just about every single book King has ever written. It’s a story that took 22 years to tell, and since it’s completion has inspired several graphic novels as well as an upcoming film adaptation by producer/director Ron Howard.
It has been 7 years since the journey of Roland, the last gunslinger of Gilead and his Ka-tet ended, and today King has announced that he would like to return to Mid-World in a novel titled The Wind Through the Keyhole. The story will take place between books 4 and 5 of the series and King promises that we will get to learn a lot...
- 3/11/2011
- by Brandon Johnston
- ScifiMafia
That’s right Bidites, a little actual book news for you uncultured heathens! It had been reported that Stephen King’s Dark Tower was done, but They Lied! Okay, they didn’t lie…Mr. King just announced a new book in the series. Set to be released in 2012, The Dark Tower: The Wind Through The Keyhole will be the next addition by the legendary author....
Now I could try to rewrite or edit snippets of King’s letter that he posted on his website, StephenKing.com, but if you’ve read this far you’re a fan and deserve to hear it from the man himself!! So in his own words;
"Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but...
Now I could try to rewrite or edit snippets of King’s letter that he posted on his website, StephenKing.com, but if you’ve read this far you’re a fan and deserve to hear it from the man himself!! So in his own words;
"Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but...
- 3/10/2011
- by Keepers of the Bid
- Horrorbid
Some interesting news came in today for fans of Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Despite previous reports that the series was done (at least in book form), it was announced today that The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole is set for release in 2012.
Here's the letter from King himself as published on StephenKing.com:
Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves...
Here's the letter from King himself as published on StephenKing.com:
Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves...
- 3/10/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Lawrence O'Donnell seems indifferent about his new career as a cable anchor. Howard Kurtz talks to him about his unlikely rise, why people hate him-and why O'Reilly can't get under his skin.
Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't sound like he wants to be talking about himself or his prime-time cable show. In fact, he sounds rather indifferent about hosting a show at all.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Rush Limbaugh's TV Nemesis
Appearing on cable "was a hobby of mine," the former Hollywood writer says in an interview. "It never occupied more than a few percent of my brain, except when I was doing it live. Screenwriting is my business; this thing was always a sideline."
What's more, "I can't look up and imagine myself doing this for three years... I'm just filled with dissatisfaction about what we can squeeze into script form. It's always my fault. I'm a very slow writer.
Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't sound like he wants to be talking about himself or his prime-time cable show. In fact, he sounds rather indifferent about hosting a show at all.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Rush Limbaugh's TV Nemesis
Appearing on cable "was a hobby of mine," the former Hollywood writer says in an interview. "It never occupied more than a few percent of my brain, except when I was doing it live. Screenwriting is my business; this thing was always a sideline."
What's more, "I can't look up and imagine myself doing this for three years... I'm just filled with dissatisfaction about what we can squeeze into script form. It's always my fault. I'm a very slow writer.
- 3/7/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
I love that Aaron Ashmore is joining one of our favorite shows, Warehouse 13. I do find it frustrating that I have trouble being certain that images of him aren’t his twin brother. And I find it refreshing to have out show runner Jack Kenny describe what Ashmore brings to the table, “He's charming, sexy, a terrific actor, willing to try to do anything and excited about what we're all doing together. And there's something that the camera sees in his eyes -- they absolutely pierce through you! Very disarming.”
USC quarterback Matt Barkley tweeted out his disgust with President Obama’s decision not to defend Doma. But he wants us to know “I'm not discriminating and I'm not a homophobe.”
You know it was a bad weekend at the box office when a three week old movie animated remake of Romeo & Juliet was the #1 movie.
Iowa, if you...
USC quarterback Matt Barkley tweeted out his disgust with President Obama’s decision not to defend Doma. But he wants us to know “I'm not discriminating and I'm not a homophobe.”
You know it was a bad weekend at the box office when a three week old movie animated remake of Romeo & Juliet was the #1 movie.
Iowa, if you...
- 2/28/2011
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Conservatives won big in the midterms by focusing on government, not social issues. But they seem to be going back to their old ways. Eleanor Clift reports from Cpac.
Conservatives won big in the midterm elections by focusing on big government and soaring deficits-setting aside, for the moment, the usual menu of divisive social issues.
Related story on The Daily Beast: February 21: 7 Best Moments from Sunday Talk
But the activists gathered this week in Washington for the annual Conservative Political Action Committee conference must not have gotten the memo about honing their strategy, or more likely, they can't help themselves now that they're back in power in the House. Cutting spending is hard, especially when the defense budget and Social Security and Medicare are deemed off-limits, because that's where the real money is. It's so much easier to rail against gay marriage and liberal elites wanting to take guns...
Conservatives won big in the midterm elections by focusing on big government and soaring deficits-setting aside, for the moment, the usual menu of divisive social issues.
Related story on The Daily Beast: February 21: 7 Best Moments from Sunday Talk
But the activists gathered this week in Washington for the annual Conservative Political Action Committee conference must not have gotten the memo about honing their strategy, or more likely, they can't help themselves now that they're back in power in the House. Cutting spending is hard, especially when the defense budget and Social Security and Medicare are deemed off-limits, because that's where the real money is. It's so much easier to rail against gay marriage and liberal elites wanting to take guns...
- 2/12/2011
- by Eleanor Clift
- The Daily Beast
Chris Matthews is sick of talking about illegal immigration. That's mostly because he has a solution and he decided on it a long time ago. Matthews is a staunch proponent of a national ID card and is positive it will solve most of, if not all, of our illegal worker problems. Thus, he wasn't having any of it listening to Rep. Steve King trying to explain his plans for changing the 14th Amendment so as to end automatic birthright citizenship.
- 1/7/2011
- by Jon Bershad
- Mediaite - TV
Buried in a segment on CNN's The Situation Room Tuesday was a nugget of naked hypocrisy, courtesy of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). Debating the Gop's kabuki health care reform repeal theater with Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fl), King was asked by Wolf Blitzer if he would follow the example of freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Il) and refuse his taxpayer-funded health insurance.
- 1/5/2011
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
As the new Congress starts its first week, Washington's got a new sheriff in Darrell Issa, a charismatic Mama Grizzly in Kristi Noem, and a rejuvenated Joe Lieberman. Samuel P. Jacobs on who to keep your eye on in the political year to come.
1. Rep Darrell Issa, California Republican
Related story on The Daily Beast: Rahm and Race in Chicago
Washington has a new sheriff. Issa will chair the House Oversight Committee, with the power to instigate investigations against the White House and anyone else who the runs afoul of the 57-year-old Californian. Issa promises a busy year: He's already announced that he'd like 280 hearings in 2011. During the first two years of the Obama administration, Issa fired off scores of letters to the Democrats, demanding investigations and asking questions about the White House's behavior. (He's called Obama, "one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times." ) "We'll get a lot...
1. Rep Darrell Issa, California Republican
Related story on The Daily Beast: Rahm and Race in Chicago
Washington has a new sheriff. Issa will chair the House Oversight Committee, with the power to instigate investigations against the White House and anyone else who the runs afoul of the 57-year-old Californian. Issa promises a busy year: He's already announced that he'd like 280 hearings in 2011. During the first two years of the Obama administration, Issa fired off scores of letters to the Democrats, demanding investigations and asking questions about the White House's behavior. (He's called Obama, "one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times." ) "We'll get a lot...
- 1/3/2011
- by Samuel P. Jacobs
- The Daily Beast
Episode Number: 6153 (December 3, 2010)
Guests: David Stockman
Segments: John Thune Looks Presidential, The WØRD – The Great White Wail, The Blitzkrieg On Grinchitude – Atheist Billboard & Capitol Christmas Tree
Videos: Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tonight’s episode guide is written by guest blogger and Zoner Lori E. Make sure to follow Lori on Twitter!
Well, once again Zoners, we find ourselves at the end of yet another broadcast week of The Colbert Report. I know, I know. Try to stay brave. Does anyone else ever feel like Thursdays are the end of a really great date that you just don’t want to be over with yet? Like you want to suggest we all go out to the all-night diner around the corner, and watch the sun rise over pancakes and really bad coffee? Only, we won’t mind how bad the coffee is because it’ll be a charming part of the story we tell our grandchildren one day.
Guests: David Stockman
Segments: John Thune Looks Presidential, The WØRD – The Great White Wail, The Blitzkrieg On Grinchitude – Atheist Billboard & Capitol Christmas Tree
Videos: Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tonight’s episode guide is written by guest blogger and Zoner Lori E. Make sure to follow Lori on Twitter!
Well, once again Zoners, we find ourselves at the end of yet another broadcast week of The Colbert Report. I know, I know. Try to stay brave. Does anyone else ever feel like Thursdays are the end of a really great date that you just don’t want to be over with yet? Like you want to suggest we all go out to the all-night diner around the corner, and watch the sun rise over pancakes and really bad coffee? Only, we won’t mind how bad the coffee is because it’ll be a charming part of the story we tell our grandchildren one day.
- 12/3/2010
- by LoriE
- No Fact Zone
Episode Number: 6152 (December 1, 2010, 2010)
Guests: Jake Tapper, Michelle Rhee
Segments: Happy Chanukah, The Return of the Estate Tax, Lame Duck Congress, Cheating Death
Videos: Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tonight’s episode guide is written by guest blogger and Zoner Lori E. Thanks for pinch hitting for a couple of days – and on cold meds no less! Make sure to follow Lori on Twitter!
As much as we all mourn those times when we are without new episodes of our beloved Colbert Report, two things are always true: (1) Stephen and company most definitely deserved the break, National Holiday or not, and (2) whenever they return, the shows are always even more stellar than before. This week has been proof of that, and Wednesday night’s show did not disappoint.
With everyone still grinning at the Wednesday night’s appearance by P. Dinelly, Colbertians the world over were rearing to go and so was “Stephen”. He...
Guests: Jake Tapper, Michelle Rhee
Segments: Happy Chanukah, The Return of the Estate Tax, Lame Duck Congress, Cheating Death
Videos: Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tonight’s episode guide is written by guest blogger and Zoner Lori E. Thanks for pinch hitting for a couple of days – and on cold meds no less! Make sure to follow Lori on Twitter!
As much as we all mourn those times when we are without new episodes of our beloved Colbert Report, two things are always true: (1) Stephen and company most definitely deserved the break, National Holiday or not, and (2) whenever they return, the shows are always even more stellar than before. This week has been proof of that, and Wednesday night’s show did not disappoint.
With everyone still grinning at the Wednesday night’s appearance by P. Dinelly, Colbertians the world over were rearing to go and so was “Stephen”. He...
- 12/3/2010
- by DB
- No Fact Zone
Rep. Steve King stopped by Anderson Cooper's show tonight to discuss his case against the Pigford black farmer settlement—and to discuss semantics, in light of his comment about President Obama being "very, very urban." When Cooper asked King what he meant by his remark, the representative answered that he was using the word "urban" in the literal sense, and that he had no idea it could ever be construed as a pejorative.
- 12/2/2010
- by Hillary Busis
- Mediaite - TV
American comedian Stephen Colbert brought some laughs to Capitol Hill on Friday by appearing in front of a Congress committee in character to discuss immigrant farm workers.
The funnyman, who portrays a fake right-wing political pundit on his Comedy Central news show The Colbert Report, was invited to testify in front of the immigration subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C.
The subject of discussion was the number of migrant workers who are employed in America, and Colbert couldn't resist throwing in a few jokes.
He told the committee, "America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labour to pick our fruits and vegetables... Now, the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables. And if you look at the recent obesity statistics, many Americans have already started."
But many members were not impressed with the comedian's performance, with Republican Congressman Steve King blasting the decision to bring in Colbert.
He said, "Maybe we should be spending less time watching Comedy Central and more time considering all the real jobs that are out there."
While Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, added, "What's sad about it is in the 21 months I've been on the immigration subcommittee, we have only met 10 times. We have never, never looked at a substantive bill to deal with the immigration issue. Then they call up Stephen Colbert?"...
The funnyman, who portrays a fake right-wing political pundit on his Comedy Central news show The Colbert Report, was invited to testify in front of the immigration subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C.
The subject of discussion was the number of migrant workers who are employed in America, and Colbert couldn't resist throwing in a few jokes.
He told the committee, "America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labour to pick our fruits and vegetables... Now, the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables. And if you look at the recent obesity statistics, many Americans have already started."
But many members were not impressed with the comedian's performance, with Republican Congressman Steve King blasting the decision to bring in Colbert.
He said, "Maybe we should be spending less time watching Comedy Central and more time considering all the real jobs that are out there."
While Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, added, "What's sad about it is in the 21 months I've been on the immigration subcommittee, we have only met 10 times. We have never, never looked at a substantive bill to deal with the immigration issue. Then they call up Stephen Colbert?"...
- 9/25/2010
- WENN
Today was not shaping out to be a great day for Republicans in the House. First, a video was released of Iowa Rep. Steve King making what sounds suspiciously like a birther joke. Then there was Rep. Louie Gohmert, who read out a column comparing the Bp escrow account to, uh, Hitler, on the House floor. And then Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski noted that the people benefitting from the finance bill were not "minorities or defective people."...
- 6/24/2010
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Plus win a trip to Las Vegas to see Lady Gaga, the Afa is angry again, and the Amanda Bynes family tree.
Cyndi Lauper’s new CD Memphis Blues is out, and I love the music – her voice was built for this. But what’s truly interesting in this interview is that she’s writing the music for Harvey Fierstein’s musical adaptation of Kinky Boots.
True Blood has nixed a graphic sex scene with Vampire Bill going … down there with Sookie. It’s not that they’re prudes, but they couldn’t figure out how to film it with the equipment they had. I’m fairly certain there are experts in this field.
Here are Nine Muppets Kicked Off Sesame Street. I’d give any of them a home. h/t Scott
Spurf™ has the first images of Jane Lynch animated into an Epa inspector from the June 28th episode of Neighbors From Hell.
Cyndi Lauper’s new CD Memphis Blues is out, and I love the music – her voice was built for this. But what’s truly interesting in this interview is that she’s writing the music for Harvey Fierstein’s musical adaptation of Kinky Boots.
True Blood has nixed a graphic sex scene with Vampire Bill going … down there with Sookie. It’s not that they’re prudes, but they couldn’t figure out how to film it with the equipment they had. I’m fairly certain there are experts in this field.
Here are Nine Muppets Kicked Off Sesame Street. I’d give any of them a home. h/t Scott
Spurf™ has the first images of Jane Lynch animated into an Epa inspector from the June 28th episode of Neighbors From Hell.
- 6/22/2010
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
When the new Arizona immigration law was first passed, a provision giving police the authority to check immigration status when faced with visual evidence that a suspect is in the country illegally caused controversy because even the state's governor, Jan Brewer, admitted she didn't know what an illegal immigrant "looked like." On the House floor today, Iowa Rep. Steve King argued that "looking illegal" isn't about race-- it's about "common sense."...
- 6/15/2010
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
By Todd Gilchrist
HollywoodNews.com: If there’s a shortlist of all-time most influential horror filmmakers, George A. Romero would have to be somewhere near the top of it. As for all intents and purposes the creator of zombies on film, he launched not only a subgenre but a cultural phenomenon that has continued and proliferated for decades, producing thousands of films worldwide that owe a debt of inspiration to at the very least his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, if not its two sequels, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. More than 40 years later, Romero continues to push zombies into new territories with Survival of the Dead, a movie that leaves behind much of the social commentary of his earlier efforts in favor of a genre mash-up of horror conventions with western iconography.
Hollywood News recently sat down with Romero to discuss Survival of the Dead...
HollywoodNews.com: If there’s a shortlist of all-time most influential horror filmmakers, George A. Romero would have to be somewhere near the top of it. As for all intents and purposes the creator of zombies on film, he launched not only a subgenre but a cultural phenomenon that has continued and proliferated for decades, producing thousands of films worldwide that owe a debt of inspiration to at the very least his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, if not its two sequels, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. More than 40 years later, Romero continues to push zombies into new territories with Survival of the Dead, a movie that leaves behind much of the social commentary of his earlier efforts in favor of a genre mash-up of horror conventions with western iconography.
Hollywood News recently sat down with Romero to discuss Survival of the Dead...
- 5/25/2010
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Hollywoodnews.com
Press junkets are fun. Often, you get to talk to people you really admire, and other times, you spend long hours transcribing something Teri Hatcher said. Everyone, however, is looking for that "exclusive." The our-site-only chat with a director or writer or actor that brings the hits.
George Romero is doing the media rounds for Survival of the Dead, and while at first I was disappointed that we couldn't get an interview, I'm coming to realize that sometimes "exclusive" means "the same as everybody else but in a different way."
Example. Here's Romero talking to Chud:
All of a sudden Diary, because it was so inexpensive to produce, ended up making lots of money. Artfire and everybody said 'Let's go again.' Then I got the idea to do something that I've never been able to do, because the first four films each one of them is owned and controlled by somebody else.
George Romero is doing the media rounds for Survival of the Dead, and while at first I was disappointed that we couldn't get an interview, I'm coming to realize that sometimes "exclusive" means "the same as everybody else but in a different way."
Example. Here's Romero talking to Chud:
All of a sudden Diary, because it was so inexpensive to produce, ended up making lots of money. Artfire and everybody said 'Let's go again.' Then I got the idea to do something that I've never been able to do, because the first four films each one of them is owned and controlled by somebody else.
- 5/21/2010
- HugAZombie
Survival of the Dead is the 6th film from George A. Romero to look at a world where humans are in the minority and the zombies rule. As the battle between humans and zombies escalates, the master filmmaker continues to reinvent the modern horror genre with wicked humor and pointed social commentary.
Off the coast of Delaware sits the cozy Plum Island where two families are locked in a struggle for power, as it has been for generations. The O’Flynn’s, headed by patriarch Patrick O’Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) approach the zombie plague with a shoot-to-kill attitude. The Muldoons, headed by Shamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick), feel that the zombies should be quarantined and kept ‘alive,’ in hopes that a solution will someday be found.
The O’Flynn’s, who are clearly outnumbered, are forced to exile Patrick by boat to the mainland, where he meets up with a band of soldiers,...
Off the coast of Delaware sits the cozy Plum Island where two families are locked in a struggle for power, as it has been for generations. The O’Flynn’s, headed by patriarch Patrick O’Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) approach the zombie plague with a shoot-to-kill attitude. The Muldoons, headed by Shamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick), feel that the zombies should be quarantined and kept ‘alive,’ in hopes that a solution will someday be found.
The O’Flynn’s, who are clearly outnumbered, are forced to exile Patrick by boat to the mainland, where he meets up with a band of soldiers,...
- 5/16/2010
- MoviesOnline.ca
"A fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed" Republican Senator John McCain said tonight on CNN's John King, USA. At the same time, when asked about the increasingly ugly incidents revolving around the passing of the health care bill, the one-time presidential hopeful condemned the actions of Republican Congressman Steve King for "slapping" or "wiping" a picture of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a rally saying, "Of course that's uncalled for."...
- 3/26/2010
- by Drew Grant
- Mediaite - TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.