sabato 25 febbraio 2012

Oscars producer: Baron Cohen’s ‘Dictator’ will appear on the red carpet

http://thenickyquba.com/2012/02/25/oscars-producer-baron-cohens-dictator-will-appear-on-the-red-carpet/

The Academy seems to have recognized that it’s better off with Sacha Baron Cohen at the Oscars than without him. Days after informing the ribald comic actor that his plans for roaming the red carpet as his character from “The Dictator” would not be a good idea, a producer of the show is saying Cohen is now welcome to use Hollywood’s biggest night to plug his movie, to be released May 11.

giovedì 23 febbraio 2012

Donny Deutsch: ‘View’ co-hosts owe Star Jones an apology

http://thenickyquba.com/2012/02/23/donny-deutsch-view-co-hosts-owe-star-jones-an-apology/

Star Jones appeared on the Today show this morning with ad man Donny Deutsch and Dr. Nancy Snyderman for a Today’s Professionals panel discussion. But before they could discuss anything, Deutsch brought up Jones’ appearance on The View on Wednesday.

He said “they ambushed” Jones. “It was cruel … I felt like I was watching the mean girls in the seventh-grade cafeteria take on a vulnerable girl. They went at her … It was cruel, and I think they owe her an apology.”

Jones thanked Deutsch “for having my back. But I want you to know I got a platform to talk about heart disease, and I never get a chance to do that. And I went ahead and did it.”

Said Snyderman, “The pain on your face was extraordinarily apparent … I could see it on your face.”‘

Said Star, “I’m a big girl and I know how to take care of myself. But it’s really important for me to have shown the world that I moved on.”

The Viewsters didn’t discuss Star on today’s show.

National Enquirer Whitney Houston’s death coverage sparks controversy

The National Enquirer angered Whitney Houston fans Wednesday and instigated a deeper debate on the coverage of her death after publishing a photo purportedly showing the singer in a gold casket. The cover photo was taken during the funeral in New Jersey, the tabloid claims, and has been republished by other media outlets, including Jezebel and Fox411, Sarah Anne Hughes of Celebritology reports:

It’s not known how the Enquirer obtained the photo. Requests for comment from Houston’s publicist and Whigham Funeral Home have not been returned.

Even without verification, the photo is shocking and disturbing. But it’s not surprising that it has been published.

The Enquirer published a photo of Elvis Presley in his casket on its cover in 1977. The issue sold 6.5 million copies, according to the Sun-Sentinel. More recently, a photo of Michael Jackson’s lifeless body was shown during the trial of doctor Conrad Murray . It was then republished in the media.


Despite the precedent set in the Presley case, Hughes believes a line has been crossed:

It seems highly unethical to me to publish a photo of this nature in the first place, but especially without permission from the person’s family. That seems to be the consensus on Twitter as well. But where should the line be drawn to begin with?

Houston’s funeral, held Saturday at a Newark church, was live streamed by the Associated Press with permission from the family. Celebritology embedded the live stream and then wrote posts about the service.

CNN, one of the cable networks to broadcast the funeral, averaged 5 million viewers during the 3 1 / 2-hour period when it took place, according to the New York Times. The AP’s stream had nearly 2 million unique visitors. Clearly, there was a demand to watch it.

The BBC was forced to defend its decision to cover the funeral service after it received 34 complaints, saying “it reflected the significant interest in her sudden death as well as acknowledging the impact she had as a global recording artist.”


Other media organizations have also caught flak for their coverage and commentary surrounding Houston’s death, says Emily Yahr of The TV Column:

Bill O’Reilly was in the headlines last week when he faced off with Matt Lauer over Whitney Houston’s death (O’Reilly said the singer “wanted to kill herself” while Lauer pointed out that addiction is a disease).


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie likewise had to defend his decision to lower the state’s flags to half-staff, the Associated Press reports:

A western Michigan man whose son was killed while serving in the military has burned a replica of New Jersey’s flag to protest that state’s decision to lower it in honor of performer Whitney Houston.

John Burri set the flag on fire Saturday on a grill outside his home in Wyoming, near Grand Rapids.

The 60-year-old Burri says lowering flags should be done for men and women who have given their lives in service to the United States.

mercoledì 15 febbraio 2012

No Cursing Needed During PF Nunn Stage Performance of 'Are the Kids Sleep Yet?'-FUNNY!

PF Nunn works both onstage and in the mind of the audience, his performance is marked by traits common to most great cultural criticism-- an unflinching honesty and an unwillingness to accept society's conventions at face value. On "Are the Kids Sleep Yet?" PF shows that fearless deconstructive spirit manifests itself both in the topics of children-- homophobia, religious indoctrination, and aliens were just a few issues broached in this performance-- and the structure of the show itself, which eschews traditional stand-up tropes in favor of frequent detours, ruminations, and extended passages that don't even aim for laughs but PF nails the humor with finesse. SIMPLY FUNNY, by contrast, may simply capture PF and his microphone, but that doesn't mean his love of needling the status quo has been squelched. Great Performance!