Rihanna Photo Investigation Places Two Cops on Suspension
Two LAPD officers have been placed on a forced leave due to an internal investigation into how a photograph of then beaten and battered pop singer Rihanna was leaked to the TMZ Web site.
The photos of Rihanna are from her February 8th incident with former boyfriend Chris Brown.
The two officers, nine-year veteran Rebecca Reyes and rookie Blanca Lopez, have not had any charges filed against them.
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Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and the ‘Cop-arazzi’ Case
by James Hirsen
Two Ohio police chiefs have been charged with felonies over alleged illegalities involving the surrogate mom for actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Money is the alleged motivation as paparazzi would typically pay big bucks for items from a surrogate to the stars.
Barry Carpenter, Police Chief of Martins Ferry, was indicted for numerous felonies including two counts of burglary, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of theft in office. If convicted on all counts, he could get 21.5 years in prison.
Chad Dojack, Police Chief of Bridgeport was hit with two counts of complicity to burglary and one count of complicity to receiving stolen property. He could get as much as 14.5 years behind bars, if found guilty on all charges.
Both have pleaded not guilty and have been freed on their own recognizance.
Carpenter allegedly entered the home of Michelle Ross and took items that identified her as the surrogate mother. Carpenter and Dojack then purportedly tried to sell the items to paparazzi.
Despite the alleged bad behavior of the officers, the surrogate mom was not home at the time of the alleged burglary and eventually gave birth to twins who are now living with their famous parents.
Special prosecutor T. Shawn Hervey referred to the case as a “Hollywood Soap Opera.”
Madonna’s 7.3 Million Dollar Baby?
Leave it to the material girl to show folks how to adopt a child from a poor Third World country.
Four-year-old Mercy James, whose Malawian name is Chifundo, is all hers now thanks to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Malawi.
The higher court overturned the lower court ruling that had been a stumbling block in the whole adoption process.
The reason the singer’s attempt to adopt Mercy was stopped, according to the lower court judge, was that Madonna had not complied with rules that mandated that she live in Malawi for 18 months before adopting the child.
In rendering the opinion that let her off the residency hook, Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo said, “Madonna has been judged to be a compassionate, intelligent and articulate person. Her adoption of Mercy James is not a selfish act.”
It could be that the chief justice was alluding to something reported in the U.K. Daily Mirror; that Madonna paid out $7.3 million to fund orphanages and buy shoes, clothes, books and more for the impoverished children.
It’s not the first time Madonna was able to skirt Malawi law. She did it when she adopted little David, too. The interesting thing, though, is that David and Mercy weren’t exactly orphans. They both had family.
At the time of his son’s adoption, David’s dad Yohane expressed regrets and claimed he wasn’t fully informed about the arrangements. Kambewa, the alleged daddy of Mercy has gone on record as being opposed to her adoption as well.
Esme Chombo, the provincial judge of the lower court who had ruled against Madonna, quoted G. K. Chesterton to support the idea of sticking with the rule of law, even in a Third World country.
“Don’t take a fence down until you know why it was put up in the first place,” the jurist said.
Meanwhile Madonna has been seen dating a guy in his twenties. No word yet on whether she plans on adopting him.
Bill and Tony’s Excellent Adventure
Just what we needed, a movie, likely to be jointly produced by HBO and the BBC, called “The Special Relationship,” which will take us on a trip down Memory Lane to a time when our TV sets were filled with Clinton smut.
The “special relationship” apparently refers to the political one between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair and not the “inappropriate” one between little Willie and Monica Lewinsky, although that will supposedly be included, too.
Dennis Quaid will portray the ex-prez and Julianne Moore will play Hillary.
In a hint about how the story will be told, the writer and director is Peter Morgan, the same guy who penned “Frost/Nixon.”
Why can’t Hollywood come up with some more current script ideas, like the story of a man who worked at Freddie Mac, the mortgage entity with an accounting scandal that led to a major management shake-up and huge fines; the story of the same guy being on the board and taking in more than $300 grand for the gig; and the story of a dubious dude who goes on to become chief of staff to the President of the United States.
“Rahmbo,” with a cliffhanger of an ending, would make for a good flick.
Clint Eastwood Snubbed by Academy Over Politics
There were plenty of snubs in this year’s Oscar nominations.
Although the blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” picked up eight nominations tying “Milk” for the third-highest total, the Batman sequel failed to snag either a Best Picture or Best Director nomination. Heath Ledger was given a posthumous Supporting Actor nomination as anticipated for his intense portrayal of The Joker. However, other “Dark Knight” nods were in technical categories such as Visual Effects, Art Direction and Cinematography.
Still, the Academy reserved its coldest shoulder for Clint Eastwood and his latest film “Gran Torino.”
Eastwood was on most Oscar-watching lists and was expected to be nominated and/or win in the Best Actor category. Many also picked the film as a Best Picture candidate. The sentiment for Eastwood had he been in the running would have been great since the 78-year-old actor had indicated that it was likely to be his last stint in front of the camera, and he had never won an Academy Award for acting. Oscars he did take were for direction and production.
“Gran Torino” is Eastwood at his best. The film is reminiscent in tone and texture of his previous Oscar-winning Western, “Unforgiven.”
Eastwood has an uncanny knack for the rhythm of storytelling, and it shows in “Gran Torino.” His onscreen character, Walt Kowalski, is a decorated yet crotchety Korean War vet who watches with suspicion as immigrants move into his neighborhood.
The tale launches with Walt refusing to fulfill his wife’s deathbed request that he confess his sins to a “27-year-old, over-educated, virgin priest.”
One of the neighborhood Hmung teens whom Walt fondly refers to as either a “zipperhead” or a “gook” attempts to steal his prized possession, a 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Walt almost kills him. But eventually he becomes a close friend to the young man, Thao, and his sister, Sue, defending them from a vicious gang that has terrorized the community.
While amazingly entertaining, Eastwood’s film simultaneously deals with universal themes of suffering, self-reliance, courage, justice, friendship and spiritual redemption.
So why was Eastwood snubbed by Hollywood?
Industry folks have long memories. In the past, Eastwood was castigated for his “Dirty Harry” persona. In 1971 the “New Yorker” featured a piece on him by Pauline Kael in which she tagged “Dirty Harry” with the term “fascist medievalism.” Much in the style of “24”’s Jack Bauer, Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” character tries to save a kidnap victim’s life by shooting a serial killing kidnapper in the leg and then stepping on the suspect’s wound to extract info from him.
Afterward Eastwood did some “penance” with more politically correct contributions such as “Mystic River” and “Million Dollar Baby,” and according to Hollywood’s cocktail crowd such cinematic moves exemplified “growth.” But “Gran Torino” marks a return to a “Dirty Harry”-style character that despises pacifists and antiwar types, and that kind of rugged individualist figure unfortunately works against getting Academy votes.
During the past “Dirty Harry” movie runs, there was a corresponding increase in sales of Smith and Wesson 44 magnum revolvers, so it won’t be surprising if thanks to “Gran Torino” there’s a similarly high demand for M1 Garand rifles and Colt 1911 semiautomatics.
Guess a guy who admits voting Republican in the last election and who does a film that celebrates individualism and the right to bear arms always had a pretty slim chance against a film about a gay martyr or a flick about a GOP bogeyman.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in media psychology, is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University, and professor at Trinity Law School. Visit: Newsmax TV Hollywood:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NMHollywood.
Liam Neeson Upsets PETA Over Horse Carriage Controversy
Liam Neeson has Pink peeved.
He’s also made Chrissie Hynde crabby.
Why are the two singers steamed?
It’s over New York’s tradition of offering tourists horse-drawn carriages.
Forever in search of a cause, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group has started a protest over the carriages because of alleged mistreatment of the horses.
Neeson, a self-professed horse person, claims that horses are not mistreated but actually pampered.
“They’ve been there for a 100 years and they’re an iconic part of New York,” the actor said. “I know many of these guys and I just hate how the horse-drawn carriage industry is being attacked by animal activists.”
“These are the fittest, well-fed, best-kept horses I have ever seen. I’m a horse rider and lover for many years. They have a good life. They work nine-hour days and they have a holiday. Seriously. If you’ve ever seen these stables… I’d move in tomorrow,” Neeson added.
PETA officials responded, saying, “Liam, maybe you’re right, let me ponder this for a moment… It does seem like horses would prefer to endure the freezing cold and the panicky booms, noisy traffic, and exhaust fumes of the city over living in a lush pasture.”
Guess only Mr. Ed can answer the question.
Amanda Peet Apologizes for ‘Parasite’ Comment
Amanda Peet’s remarks about vaccinations for children have some Hollywood celebrities fuming.
The “Whole Nine Yards” actress recently told Cookie Magazine, a lifestyle and family publication, that “there are a lot of misconceptions about the dangers of vaccinations … Frankly, I feel that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are parasites.”
Lots of folks, including celebs Jenny McCarthy and Charlie Sheen, are concerned about the wide variety and frequency of vaccinations being given to infants and children.
Reactions to Peet’s “parasite” comment prompted her to issue an apology.
“I believe in my heart that my use of the word ‘parasites’ was mean and divisive,” Peet said in a statement.
McCarthy and others are advocating caution in the use of vaccinations for children because of claims based on some preliminary research, which may indicate that the vaccinations contribute to the onset of autism.
“I completely understand why it offended some parents, and in particular, parents of children with autism who feel that vaccines caused their illness,” Peet said. “For this I am truly sorry.”
In the words of Elton John, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” but thankfully once uttered it goes a long way to heal the hurt.
James Hirsen is a media analyst, Trinity Law School professor, and teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University.
Robert Redford: Obama ‘Not Tall On Experience’
Robert Redford recently journeyed to Dublin, Ireland to receive an honorary degree from Trinity College.
The actor-director expressed doubts about Barack Obama and the Dems’ chances of winning in the fall.
“I’m not confident of anything,” Redford told the Irish Times. “I’m hopeful.”
Redford acknowledged Obama’s resume deficit.
“I think Obama is not tall on experience . . . but I believe he’s a really good person,” Redford said, adding that the Dem presumptive nominee is “smart. And he does represent what the country needs most now, which is change.”
Redford sees the election of Obama to the presidency as a must win for the Democrats, or it will mean the end of Hollywood’s favorite political party.
“I hope he’ll win. I think he will. If he doesn’t, you can kiss the Democratic Party goodbye . . .,” Redford lamented.
According to the Sundance Kid, it’s all about “new blood.”
“I think we need new voices, new blood. We need to get a whole group out, get a new group in,” Redford said.
Angie and Brad Have a Boy and a Girl
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