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Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer Causes Controversy
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Video Games,
Certain things in our society happen like clockwork, such as presidential elections and the Olympics. Add to that list politicians expressing their disgust over whatever new video game Rockstar Games is about to release. Last year it was “Bully”, which politicians wrongly feared was “Grand Theft Auto” in a school, and before that it was previous installments of “GTA” itself. Well, last week, the trailer for the upcoming “GTA 4” was released on the internet—and with its shots of the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Chrysler Building and Times Square—clearly takes place in New York (as have previous incarnations of “GTA”). Real-life New York politicos immediately took aim at the game, denouncing it for its glamorization of violence, including that against cops. As huge fans of the GTA series, we do strongly feel they’re “adult only” games. However, we wonder if these annual attacks against Rockstar and “GTA” are serving more to publicize the games as opposed to denouncing them. That said, we absolutely loved the trailer, particularly because it pays clever homage to one of our all-time favorite movies, 1982’s highly influential Koyaanisqatsi. “GTA 4” will be available October 16 for PS3, and Xbox 360, as this marks the first time a GTA game will actually debut on an Xbox console.
Read More 
| New York Daily News
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Isaiah Washington Apologizes For Inappropriate Comment
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip,
Have you been following this whole blow-up over what Isaiah Washington of Grey’s Anatomy said about co-star T.R. Knight? If not, let me get you up to speed. In October, Washington and Patrick Dempsey got into an argument after Washington threw out a homophobic slur. As a result, co-star T.R. Knight officially announced to People magazine that he is gay. The whole incident wasn’t in the headlines for long, and all seemed to be well for the cast of the hit medical drama. Fast forward to the night of the Golden Globes, when Washington was asked in the press room about the comment he made—and he denied that it ever happened. Of course, this ruffled a lot of people’s feathers—Knight, for whom the comment was made, ABC, his co-stars on Grey’s Anatomy, and everyone behind the show, for that matter, and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. As a result, Washington issued an apology, saying “I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help.” Here’s my beef about celebrities—why can’t they just behave? They have it all, and yet they throw around inappropriate comments and do stupid things. No word yet on whether or not this will affect Washington’s role on Grey’s Anatomy. ABC is simply saying that his comments at the Globes were “unacceptable and are being addressed.”
Read More | People
Lohan Joins Alcoholics Anonymous
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity Controversy, Rumors,
Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday) has begun attending A.A. meetings, according to her publicist. The twenty-year-old actress has been portrayed in recent years as a wreck, partying irresponsibly and brazenly feuding with other celebrity divas like Hillary Duff and Paris Hilton. Her controversy recently culminated with an allegedly inebriated, Blackberry-mashed email to family members of the late director Robert Altman, with whom she recently worked on A Prairie Home Companion. The email expressed her condolences amid many misspellings and grammatical errors, now thoroughly ridiculed by the press.
Publicist Leslie Sloan said Friday that Lohan made the decision on her own to attend A.A., but doesn’t want people to think “she’ll stop drinking tomorrow.” Sloan went on to say, “I want everyone to leave her the hell alone. I’m so bored of this with her. No matter what she does, it’s never good enough for everybody.”
At FilmCrunch, we completely disagree – Lohan receives exactly as much criticism as she deserves, including that which surrounds her films and performances. She may have had good intentions when writing Altman’s family, but a letter like that should be carefully considered – spelling and grammar thoroughly checked – before it’s sent, especially when living under constant public scrutiny. The reason she’s “never good enough” is that her life revolves solely around heavy drinking, all-night partying, shopping, and film performances that are consistently unchallenging and trite; this is not a life worthy of much respect. However, Lohan is now attempting some self-improvement, that which could help to amend her damaged public image. Will recent roles in A Prairie Home Companion and Bobby steer Lohan into more reputable cinema? Could A.A. be the first step in her rebirth as an actor, role model, and overall contributor to society? Maybe, but we’re pretty confident that she’ll fall back off the wagon, and when she does, the paparazzi will be there snapping pictures of her drunken, spoiled, panty-less crotch.
Read More | CNN
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan…Review (phew!)
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Comedy, Celebrity Controversy, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
Borat Sagdiyev is a journalist from Kazakhstan sent to the United States to learn the ways of American culture. Upon arriving in New York, Borat and his producer begin setting up interviews with various experts in an effort to take back to their country all they have learned, and to improve the Kazakh way of life. Plans change, however, when Borat discovers a late night rerun of Baywatch, falls in love with Pamela Anderson, and becomes determined to travel across the country to make her his wife. Borat: Cultural Learnings For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan will push the moral limits of even the most unscrupulous person, but cannot be ignored for its brilliant social satire and outrageous humor.
Casino Royale Premiers in Britain
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Sony, Action, Adventure, Thrillers, New Releases, Upcoming Releases,
The new James Bond film, Casino Royale, premiered Tuesday in London to screaming fans and one particularly special lady – Queen Elizabeth II. The screening took place at the annual Royal Film Performance, a fundraiser for performers’ charity the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, and an honor bestowed on only one other Bond film. Based on Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale will be the 21st film in the series and chronicles the life of James Bond before he became the dark, dashing, smooth-talking secret agent movie-goers know him to be. This, of course, means that fans may have to get on without some of the high-tech gadgets and futuristic locales – this Bond will be beating bad guys in a world closer to our own. This won’t be the first incarnation of the film, either: Casino Royale aired as a poorly received television adaptation in 1954, and later as a full-length comedy, spoofing Fleming’s novel and the Bond character in 1967.
Daniel Craig (Munich, The Jacket) will be the sixth man to fill the giant shoes and, while he may not seem perfect (a blond Bond?), some are calling him the best since Sean Connery. Still, others are upset with the new choice, even going so far as to start an anti–Daniel Craig website. We here at FilmCrunch think he’ll be just fine. We certainly aren’t going to speculate about where he’ll sit with respect to the mighty Connery, but Craig looks like he can sturdily hold his own against any other Bond. The only question now: can he hold his own against critics and hardcore fans? Give him a chance – he may surprise you. Look for Casino Royale in theaters November 17th.
Read More | CNN
Does Possible ‘Borat’ Inspiration Seek Reparation, or Just Fame?
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Celeb News, Celebrity Controversy,
Mahir Cagri, a Turkish man and freelance journalist, is claiming to be the inspiration for Borat, the fictional Kazakh journalist and main character in the new eponymous film. Created by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat first officially appeared on Da Ali G Show in 2003 – Cohen had been toying with the character for years in Britain, where he began exposing hidden stereotypes, offending innocent bystanders, and making us laugh. Cagri first became known to the public when he started a personal website to make new friends. The site quickly gained popularity due to the unintentionally humorous photos of Cagri playing ping pong and wearing a Speedo, and poorly written text, including an invitation for any women wishing to visit his home in Turkey. This quickly launched Cagri into instant internet celebrity. However, Cagri claims, “(Cohen) is making money by using me” and seeks an “acknowledgment or an apology.”
Doesn’t this always happen when someone starts to get really famous? People start coming out of the woodwork, claiming that they’ve been wronged somehow and demanding recognition or payment. Granted, there are a few coincidences here, but Cohen could’ve culled his inspiration from many different facets of Central Asian and Muslim culture. It seems Cagri could simply be riding the coattails of a famous character who happens to look and speak similarly. And even if he is Cohen’s inspiration, should Cagri have the right to call him out publicly? Should Cohen feel it necessary to apologize? We don’t think so. Borat is hilarious – sometimes, satirically brilliant - no matter where he came from, and, despite this accusation, Cohen has molded him into his own unique character. Cagri should be content in his own celebrity and feel flattered at the possibility of his own grand influence. So, leave Borat alone; if he not successful in US and A, he will be execute!
Read More | CNN
Grey’s Anatomy Actor Issues Apology
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Grey’s Anatomy, News,
Remember that little fight that happened on the set of Grey’s Anatomy on October 9th? Actor Isaiah Washington, who started the fight and made some not-so-nice comments, has issued an apology to People magazine about the incident. “I sincerely regret my actions and the unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set,” Washington, said. “Both are beneath my own personal standards. ... I have nothing but respect for my coworkers ... and have apologized personally to everyone involved.”
Perhaps the best move to smooth the waters, since Washington uttered a homophobic remark during the dispute with Patrick Dempsey. The October 19th announcement by co-star T.R. Knight that he is gay confirmed for many that the object of Washington’s slur was Knight. Grey’s co-star Katherine Heigl appeared on Tuesday’s Ellen DeGeneres show and called the fight “some scuffle… There was a little burst of testosterone in the room, and then within five minutes ... they were totally fine.” Interestingly enough, Washington was to tape an interview with DeGeneres for Wednesday’s show, but canceled due to a scheduling conflict.
Apparently Washington, Dempsey and Knight have made their peace. Show creator Shonda Rhimes told People “The whole affair was four and a half seconds of one day in three years. I feel like we’ve already moved on.”
Read More | People
Rescue Me Co-Creator Responds to Critics of Sex Scene
Posted by Christina Furtado Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Cable, Editorial,
As many of us know by now, last week’s Rescue Me included a disturbing sex scene that has created quite a bit of controversy. All over the internet, people have been arguing about to what extent the scene depicted a rape, and about the show’s lack of social responsibility in showing a woman apparently enjoying a rape. The show’s co-creater Peter Tolan has been posting in response to this controversy on the Television Without Pity message boards. According to Tolan, “In terms of the scene ... I never wrote the words ‘don’t’ or ‘no’ at any point in the scene, and when I talked to Andrea about the playing of the thing, I pretty much told her that she had to stand up to Tommy—that he had taken so much away from her over the years, that she had to stare him down from a position of strength while he was forcing himself on her. I told her to shame him with the words she was given - to let him know he couldn’t hurt her anymore, no matter what he did.” Tolan does acknowledge, however, that many viewers interpreted the scene differently, and that the issue of a woman seeming to enjoy a rape had “caused some concern” for them, but he’s very vague about it. Also, to further complicate matters, there is an interview with Tolan and Denis Leary in which they claim it wasn’t a rape at all. (Beware of some mildly spoilery stuff there.) Hmm.
As I stated in my comment to the post I linked to, I am of two minds about this issue. On the one hand, it is consistent with the characterization of these characters, and with the sort of two-dimensional portrayal of women on Rescue Me in general: they all seem to be evil, crazy, or some combination of the two. On the other hand, I do indeed think it’s socially irresponsible in this day and age to portray a woman as enjoying something that could be construed as a rape. In addition, if Tolan and Leary’s vision of this scene failed to come across to the audience in general, couldn’t the scene perhaps be looked at as a failure, artisically? Thoughts, anyone?
Read More | Zap2It
Rescue Me’s Disturbing Sex Scene
Posted by Auburn Scallon Categories: Drama, Cable, Editorial, Gossip,
Okay, so I’ve previously accepted that Rescue Me has succumbed to soap opera antics in order to maintain ratings this season. They’re no longer a gritty real-life fire fighter drama. They took things a step too far this week, and I’m not referring to the homosexual blow jobs (I actually applaud them for taking on that story line). Tommy Gavin, after a ridiculous amount of emotional trauma in his life, goes to discuss his divorce settlement with his ex-wife, and in the heat of the moment, throws her down on the couch to prove his manhood. She struggles, fights back, and after accepting that she is currently being raped, sits back, enjoys it and orgasms? What kind of message is this sending?! It’s one thing to portray sex with an ex, but this was a huge step backward in our attitudes about domestic violence. Did this bother anyone else? Let me know your thoughts…
Read More | Cinemablend
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