Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/169701015?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, December 5, 2011
98% The Muppets
James Bobin's update of Jim Henson's beloved series The Muppets is not a comeback, because the Muppets never left. For months now, this has been one of my most anticipated films of the year, ever since they came out with the first trailer, followed by an array of brilliant parody trailers. Another reason I was pumped up was the teaming of Forgetting Sarah Marshall scribes Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who are well-known for their raunchy R-comedies, and they handled The Muppets with advantageous delicacy; managing to combine classic humor, modern humor, and fantastic musical numbers. It's time to light the lights... because The Muppets is impeccably muppetational!The concept is refreshingly original and clever, executing all of the right jokes, at all of the right times. This is literally a laugh-a-minute riot, much thanks to the ingenious updating of Henson's characters. What intrigued me the most was the way that the writers managed to keep the modern aspect here, while using nostalgic techniques to create a fantastic trip for adults who were fans of the Muppets. Don't get me wrong here, this is a complete joy for the kiddies, but for the adults who can appreciate nostalgic, ironic humor, you will have a pleasant time.
May 24, 2011Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_muppets/
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chavez: New regional group revives Bolivar's dream (AP)
CARACAS, Venezuela ? South American independence hero Simon Bolivar once dreamed of unifying several nations as a counterweight to their powerful hemispheric neighbor, the United States.
Two centuries later, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez tapped into that legacy Friday as he welcomed leaders from across the Americas to a two-day summit. Chavez described the new regional bloc that excludes the U.S. as a tribute to his idol Bolivar, saying the time has come to put an end to U.S. hegemony.
"Only unity will make us free," Chavez said to applause at the opening ceremony. "This is the path: Unity, unity, unity!"
He called it an achievement that Latin America has been seeking for 200 years, and shouted: "Viva Bolivar!"
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega echoed Chavez's sentiments, saying Latin American and Caribbean countries should ensure the policy of U.S. intervention to protect the region's nations, declared by President James Monroe in 1823, is never revived.
"We are sentencing the Monroe Doctrine to death," Ortega said.
The 33-nation Community of Latin American and Caribbean States includes every country in Latin America and the Caribbean. Unlike the Washington-based Organization of American States, or OAS, it will have Cuba as a full member and exclude the U.S. and Canada.
Cuban President Raul Castro said that if it's successful, the creation of the new bloc known by its Spanish initials CELAC will be "the biggest event in 200 years."
"I'm sorry it isn't Fidel who is occupying the place that I am, because he is the one who deserves it," Castro said of his elder brother, who permanently stepped down from Cuba's presidency in 2008.
Many Latin American leaders say they see CELAC as a forum to build closer economic and political relations across the region, but not as a platform for challenging U.S. policies.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said at the summit's opening ceremony that it will be a group "to work in favor of unity and prosperity." He hosted a summit last year at which leaders pledged to form the new bloc.
Chavez embraced leaders one-by-one, and later launched into a wide-ranging speech discussing poverty-reduction efforts as well as reading excerpts of Bolivar's letters and a passage from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude."
The summit was Chavez's international debut after months of cancer treatment that forced him to postpone the meeting orignally scheduled for July.
Talking about his struggle with cancer, Chavez credited Fidel Castro with saving his life by insisting he undergo thorough medical tests that turned up a tumor during a June visit to Cuba.
Chavez said he had wanted to go ahead with the summit in July, but Castro had advised him: "You choose: the summit or your life. ... The summit can wait."
Following surgery to remove the tumor in his pelvic region, Chavez finished chemotherapy in September and declared himself to be cancer-free. He drew a standing ovation from the leaders when he referred to the recent cancer diagnosis of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, saying: "Lula will win that battle, too."
After initial speeches, the Venezuelan government treated the leaders to a concert by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Outside the summit, small groups of Chavez opponents including university students put up protest signs on Caracas overpasses. Denouncing the country's high crime rate, some signs read: "Presidents, welcome to the crime capital." Police swiftly removed the signs.
Many leaders referred to Bolivar's legacy, including Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who called Bolivar an inspiration, but did not cast Washington as the region's unwelcome neighbor.
"Our countries are demonstrating this vocation for a common future," Rousseff said at a meeting with Chavez on Thursday. "I believe in Bolivar's dream."
Plans for the new organization, which grew out of the 24-nation Rio Group, have been in the works since a 2008 summit hosted by Silva.
Chavez has long sought inspiration in the legacy of Bolivar, who in the early 1800s served as president of Gran Colombia, a republic made up of much of northern South America and modern-day Panama until it broke up into individual states following years of dissent and political upheaval.
Chavez calls his political movement the Bolivarian Revolution and has changed the country's name to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Last year, Chavez even oversaw the opening of Bolivar's coffin to re-examine the cause of his death, and the Venezuelan government is building a new mausoleum to house Bolivar's remains.
Bolivar was an admirer of the American Revolution, although he warned that the unrivaled power of the United States could eventually pose a threat to the young nations of Latin America that had won independence from Spain.
___
Associated Press writers Ian James and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
___
Christopher Toothaker on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ctoothaker
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Police: NY trio stole toys in 91-store spree
PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Police say it's a very naughty list, sometimes checked twice.
A New York couple and a teen are in custody charged with shoplifting thousands of dollars in toys in a three-state spree that ended in western Pennsylvania.
Authorities say the thieves used a list to keep track of the 91 stores they hit for merchandise ? sometimes marking a store with two check marks after hitting it twice.
Ross Township police say they found a rented van filled with stolen merchandise on November 16 after arresting 40-year-old Theresa Lynn Warner, her 39-year-old fiance Christopher Frances Dimaio and her 17-year-old son. All three are from Little Falls, N.Y.
Investigators say they also recovered a list of stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio where the trio swiped merchandise.
All three are in custody. It wasn't clear if they had attorneys.
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House panel votes to subpoena Corzine on MF Global (AP)
WASHINGTON ? A congressional panel has subpoenaed former Sen. Jon Corzine to testify next week about his role leading MF Global, a brokerage firm that collapsed this fall after a disastrous bet on European debt.
The Dec. 8 hearing will be a rare moment in Washington. Congressional historians and Capitol Hill insiders can't recall another time when a former member of Congress was summoned by his former peers to testify about a matter under federal investigation.
The House Agriculture Committee voted Friday to issue the subpoena after Corzine failed to reply to an informal request to appear at the hearing.
Chairman Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said his testimony is "essential to fulfill our objectives."
A spokesman for Corzine declined to comment.
MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 31. Corzine resigned as chairman and CEO a few days later. In just a week, stock investors lost an estimated $585 million.
Corzine has also been asked to testify later this month before two other panels, including the Senate Agriculture Committee. In that case, Corzine could face tough questions from former Senate colleagues.
Corzine, a Democrat, represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2005. For two of those years, he led the committee that raised campaign money for Democrats seeking election to the Senate. He later served one term as New Jersey's governor before moving on to lead MF Global. He was also CEO of Goldman Sachs from 1994 to 1999.
Corzine has few goods options now that the committee has issued a subpoena. By law, he must appear at the hearing. Otherwise, he could be held in contempt of Congress and go to prison.
He could refuse at the hearing to answer their questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. That could diminish his credibility.
Still, if he cooperates with lawmakers, he could provide information that might come back to hurt him in criminal and civil investigations.
Corzine "is being whipsawed between the congressional subpoena and the looming criminal investigation," said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor in New Jersey who heads the white-collar defense practice at McCarter & English in Newark.
"It's a unique situation that Jon's in," said Abbe Lowell, a defense attorney who was counsel to the House of Representatives and whose clients have included former Sen. John Edwards and former Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Regulators are looking into whether MF Global used money from customers' accounts for its own purposes as its financial condition worsened. That would violate securities rules. The FBI is investigating whether the firm violated any criminal laws.
An estimated $1.2 billion or more may be missing from customer accounts. Regulators say MF Global moved money out of customer accounts within days as the firm's cash dried up.
MF Global was one of the biggest players in the derivatives market. Derivatives are investments that are based on the value of an underlying asset, such as interest rates or oil prices.
No one at MF Global has been charged with a crime or civil violation.
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Britney Spears' 'Criminal': The Story Behind The Video
'Criminal' is facing off against 'Slave 4 U' in the finals of MTV News' Britney Spears tournament — vote now!
By Jocelyn Vena
Jason Trawick and Britney Spears in "Criminal"
Photo: Jive
The competition was stiff in MTV News' "Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years," but we're finally at the homestretch.
After narrowing down 30 videos to the final two — Brit's sweaty, old-school clip for "I'm a Slave 4 U" and her newer, equally sexy one for "Criminal" — it's all up to the fans to decide which video will go on to reign supreme on Friday (December 2), the same day the pop star turns 30.
But before you click and cast your vote for which video you think should win the tournament, here's the full, behind-the-scenes backstory on the Chris Marrs Piliero-directed video for "Criminal."
Shot in London in September, the video promptly piqued interest when Spears was snapped on set with her real-life boyfriend, Jason Trawick, who would later go on to play her frequently naked onscreen lover in the video.
The decision to include Trawick was initially surprising to Piliero. "When she first hit me up, she had a basic story in mind, and she actually always originally planned to have Jason, her boyfriend, play the role, and I wasn't super stoked on that idea at first, actually," he told MTV News about the casting decision. He soon changed his mind about Trawick though.
"At the end of the day, Jason killed it. That was one of those things I was really stoked [about], as much as I went into it like, 'Wow, he's not an actor. This is going to be interesting.' But I really do like a challenge, and I really do like the idea that I'm a director and my job is to direct and get the performance," he said. "For me, it was a fun challenge to be like, 'I'm gonna make sure that you are awesome,' and he was."
While Piliero was dealing with getting a great performance out of Trawick, there was some controversy brewing over the use of a gun in the video before it even debuted. Hackney's Member of Parliament, Diane Abbott, criticized the star for using the gun in the video, a criticism Britney later shrugged off and which left Piliero a bit perplexed.
"I don't understand why pop stars are put on such a high pedestal over other celebrities. Why do members of Parliament feel that they need to scrutinize her for having a gun, and 'She's in the public,' and 'She should know better,' and 'She's a role model,' but what about every other celebrity out there? What about every other actor? That's very strange to me. I was really surprised at how much the gun use was scrutinized."
In the end, however, all the gun controversy seemed to get overshadowed by the sexiness of the video, which was released in October. It follows Spears as she's whisked away from her emotionally abusive boyfriend by Trawick's criminal character. The two quickly fall in love — and in bed and in the shower — with one another and go on a crime spree. Too in love to care about the consequences, the pair is eventually found by the cops but manage to escape to the unknown.
So, what did Piliero (who also directed Spears in her "I Wanna Go" video) think of Spears' performance? "Of course, Britney was rad," he said. "She does a good job at nailing and doing the little acting thing. She's cool at it."
Do you think "Slave" or "Criminal" should come out on top? Let us know in the comments!
What's your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675262/britney-spears-tournament-criminal-video.jhtml
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