examiner.com - The animal advocacy group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has found a way to draw attention to their cause. The organization has a knack for convincing celebrities to take their clothes off. One of the latest is Amanda Beard…
Rod Blagojevich loves reality shows. But the judge in his pending criminal trial may have other ideas.
A dramatic hearing will take place in a courtroom Monday to determine if the former Illinois governor will get the chance to be fired by Donald Trump on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Federal prosecutors plan to present arguments to the court at a scheduled status hearing that by appearing on the NBC reality show, Blago may influence prospective jurors in a corruption trial scheduled for June 3.
The judge who will make the decision in James Zagel, who has already refused to allow Blago to go to Costa Rica for another reality program…EXCERPT CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Billy Ray must be beside himself.
Mark McLeod a 53-year-old man decided that he was in love with 16-year-old singing star, Miley Cyrus and had decided she ought to become his wife.
McLeod showed up at a March book-signing for Miley. He declared his love to her in a video that was posted on the Internet. He claims that the singer communicates with him via secret messages in her photos and “Hannah Montana” television show.
In June McLeod was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct when he crashed the set of a Cyrus’ movie, “The Last Song,” that was filming in the Tybee Island area in the state of Georgia.
He told the police he and Miley were secretly engaged after “our eyes met at her concert and we both knew.”
He said “Nobody will ever be able to keep us apart.” McLeod claimed Miley’s father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, had given his blessing for the marriage….CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE
by James Hirsen
After the touching tribute Paris, daughter of Michael Jackson, gave her daddy at the memorial service, media attention turned to the future of Jackson’s three young children.
Despite the fact that the court gave Michael’s mother, Katherine, guardianship over Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II, the legal tug-of-war over custody continues.
Because the two older children, Prince Michael and Paris, were born to a married couple, under California law there is a presumption that the custody of minors will be granted to the legal parents. That presumption of custody would result in the surviving parent, Debbie Rowe, getting custody.
In the past, pursuant to an arrangement with Jackson, Rowe attempted to give up her status as legal parent, but she later returned to court and had her parental rights restored.
Rowe’s effort to end her parental rights will likely be brought up in the legal discussion, but in the state of California, parents’ rights are not terminated without a judicial investigation and hearing.
Still, the presumption gives Rowe custody of the children, if there is no evidence that refutes the idea the custody is in the best interests of the children. The law allows judges to overrule this presumption based on proof that parental custody would be detrimental to the children.
Everything hinges on the evidence. If evidence is presented that Rowe has little or no relationship with the children, her custody will be denied; if evidence is presented that the children have frequently spent time with her and know her as their mother, she will be given custody.
If Rowe wins custody of the two older children, she may also get custody of the third child, Prince Michael II, despite having no claim as the legal mother, because of the court’s desire to keep all of the siblings together.
Jackson’s will names his mother, Katherine, as guardian and, states that if she were unavailable, the children would go to singer and actress Diana Ross.
However, a will is not normally effective for custody purposes in a case in which one parent’s will deprives another parent of custody.
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.
Veteran critically acclaimed CSI actor Gary Sinise’s special will be on the Fox News Channel Saturday January 10 at 9 pm ET.
“With the help of the USO, my brother-in-law Jack, and my friend Jonathan Flora who used a handheld camera, you will see what happened on a seven day trip I took to Iraq last summer which will air this Saturday night on the FOX News Channel,” Sinuse said.
“It was my fourth trip there with the USO. My goal, as always, was to cover as many miles as possible and to take pictures, sign autographs and shake hands with as many troops as I could in the time I had. Stops included bases in Kuwait and in Iraq – Al Asad, Al Qaim, Ramadi , Habbaniyah, TQ airbase and Baghdad.”
“It was the first time I have let a camera follow me around on one of these trips. Over the last six years, I have traveled around the world and all over the United States to visit and perform for our troops with the USO. I have supported many grass roots efforts as well and visited our wounded in the hospitals several times. I could not be more honored to play a small part in helping our troops and their families. We can never do enough for our veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep this nation free.”
Why would actress Natalie Portman turn down the chance to be in a film with Oscar winning Meryl Streep?
The answer lies in Portman’s attitude toward Roman Catholic vocations.
“Doubt,” a film adaptation of the successful play by John Patrick Shanley (who, incidentally, directs the movie), tells the story of two nuns (Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) that confront a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whom they suspect of abusing an altar boy. Themes of religion, morality and authority punctuate the dialogue.
Portman reportedly wanted to co-star in the movie but turned down the part for what seems like a fairly flimsy reason, considering that she’s supposed to be a professional.
“We asked Natalie Portman, and Natalie was very interested but kept saying she had a problem. And we finally nailed down as to what the problem was: she basically said she didn’t understand celibacy,” Shanley told the GossipSauce Web site.
If it took so much brainpower to understand celibacy, Portman probably could have benefited from a class in abstinence.
Instead she’s likely to find out that she made a bad career move by ultimately denying herself what actors lust after most, and that is prestige, which in Hollywood comes in the form of a little gold statue.
“Doubt” opens in limited release on December 12, just in time to qualify for Oscar’s attention.
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.
Elton John and David Furnish may have had a ceremony to solidify their commitment, but John recently let the world know, “We’re not married. Let’s get that right. We have a civil partnership.”
John distanced himself from the protests that are taking place in cities across the U.S. “What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage,” he said.
John and Furnish came to the U.S. for the annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
“I don’t want to be married. I’m very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership,” John advised.
“The word ‘marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships,” John added.
The dinner-fundraiser was hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who hasn’t yet indicated whether he agrees with the legendary rocker or not.
Over the past several years, many of the studio blockbusters have been financed with Wall Street and hedge fund money. With the current financial mess we’re in, Hollywood found itself in the position of having to look elsewhere for film budget assistance.
It turns out it didn’t have to look for very long. The oil rich government of Abu Dhabi has committed a $1-billion-plus fund to make movies and digital content via Abu Dhabi Media Co., a government controlled entity.
Using a newly formed subsidiary called Imagenation, Abu Dhabi made its first deal with Participant Media, a U.S. company well known in the Middle East for producing the Islamic terrorist friendly flick, “Syriana.” Two-hundred-fifty-million dollars has been set aside for 18 movies to be made over the next five years. Participant’s head Jim Berk told the New York Times that the films will “entertain” but will “also raise awareness of issues and inspire social change.”
Founded in 2004 by former eBay exec Jeff Skoll, Participant has specialized in “message” movies including “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Good Night, and Good Luck” along with “Syriana.” According to the Khaleej Times, Dubai seeks to establish “a strong regional and global media presence through successful implementation of public diplomacy.”
Wonder how many ways they can come up with to make a “Syriana” sequel.
Now that she has co-starred in the mega-blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” is Maggie Gyllenhaal going to Disneyland?
No, she’s celebrating her cinematic success by taking a job as a judge on an online reality show to, of all things, fight global warming.
It’s called “Climate Matters.”
Contestants will be submitting ad-length videos to convince the next occupant of the White House to take action against climate change.
The winner will get a $3,000 Visa gift card, and the Top Ten videos will be broadcast on various eco-oriented Web sites.
A number of filmmakers have agreed to be judges including an Emmy-winning documentary producer, Rory Kennedy.
The “Simon Cowell” role on the panel of judges has yet to be filled, but a certain Nobel Prize winning recipient is rumored to be begging for an audition.
James Hirsen is a media analyst, Trinity Law School professor, and teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University.
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