FRESH AIR Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaption) is known for his disjointed narratives and quirky characters. Now he brings that off-beat sensibility to his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. The film features Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director who builds a life-size model of Manhattan’s theater district in a warehouse in upstate New York. As Hoffman’s character becomes increasingly obsessed with his mock-up of Manhattan reality, he starts to lose control of his own. ALSO, Once best known as a star of action and Western films, actor (and former mayor of Carmel, California) Clint Eastwood is also […]
ASSTASTROPHE: Lohan Depantsed By America
NY POST: One episode, titled “Granny Pants,” was about how Lohan, playing Betty’s high school nemesis, would “de-pants” Ferrera. But Ferrera exacts her revenge and pulls down Lohan’s pants instead. “Lindsay wasn’t wearing any underwear,” the source said. But a Lohan pal fumed, “Bull [bleep]! Lindsay wears underwear all the time now. She was wearing a G-string. And it was America’s fault. They were rehearsing the scene and America wasn’t supposed to pull Lindsay’s pants down — but she did. Lindsay was so embarrassed, she started crying.” MORE
KILLADELPHIA: Two Dead, One Arrest
INQUIRER: Police this morning identified two recent homicide victims and announced arrests in one of the slayings. Marta Martinez-Lozada, 37, was shot dead Tuesday afternoon during a botched robbery in Kensington. A witness flagged down police in the 2600 block of Lawrence Street and said Martinez had been gunned down by an unidentified male who fled the scene in a red Honda driven by woman, police said. Detectives yesterday arrested Oscar Alvarado, 25, and Cynthia Alvarado, 28, and charged them each with murder, robbery, and various weapons counts. A man killed yesterday in a Frankford alleyway was identified as Thomas […]
THE MONEY SHOT: Got Mustard?
[Photo by PRETTIE77]
JOHN MCCAIN: When Hollywood Robocalls
If John Woo, Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson went negative for McCain. [Hat tip to WOOKIFIED]
PAPERBOY: ‘The Good, The Bad & The Chutley’ Edition
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
SHAZAM: Phils Win Game One Of World Series
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Chase Utley hit a two-run homer and Cole Hamels pitched out of trouble several times, giving the Philadelphia Phillies a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series opener Wednesday night. MORE ATTYTOOD: The Blow By Blow
NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF: Rudy Ghouliani Joins Chorus Of GOP Robocall Spooks
Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani and I’m calling for John McCain and the Republican National Committee, because you need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers. It’s true, I read Obama’s words myself. And recently, Congressional liberals introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory prison sentences for violent criminals — trying to give liberal judges the power to decide whether criminals are sent to jail or set free. With priorities like these, we just can’t trust the inexperience and judgment of Barack Obama and his liberal allies. This call was paid for […]
HEAR YE: Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy
INSTA-REVIEW: The title track is now up at Imeem, and the verdict is still: THIS took 15 years and $13 million to make? More HERE. CHRIS LARKIN: Wow. What a shot in the arm for the irrelevance industry.
GOP GOES DARK ON MISS MCCARTHY: National Republican Party Killing Ad Buys In Bachmann Race
HUFFINGTON POST: Two sources aware of ad buys in Minnesota say that the National Republican Congressional Committee is pulling its media purchases from Bachmann’s race. If true, it is a remarkable fall for a congresswoman who, until recently, seemed relatively safe in her predominantly conservative district. The race had become closer in recent days — the NRCC had transferred funds from Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN-03) to Bachmann a little over a week ago. In the days following her appearance on Hardball, however, Bachmann has watched as her challenger, El Tinklenberg raised more than a million dollars off her incendiary remarks. […]
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT: Talking Constitutionality With Jonathan Hennesseyy
BY JONATHAN VALANIA Every school boy and girl is taught that the Constitution is the most sacred document in the history of human freedom, that its wisdom is unimpeachable and that its reach and authority shall not be denied by the tyranny of evil men. And then there is the actual history of the U.S. Constitution, which is not quite as tidy and high-minded as they teach you in school. Still, it remains a beacon of democratic hope in a dark and largely un-democratic world. With all this in mind, writer Jonathan Hennessey and illustrator Aaron McConnell bring us this […]
CARIBOU BARBIE MASK: Cut Out, Put On, Scare
WALL STREET JOURNAL POLL: Fifty-five percent of respondents say she’s not qualified to serve as president if the need arises, up five points from the previous poll. In addition, for the first time, more voters have a negative opinion of her than a positive one. In the survey, 47 percent view her negatively, versus 38 percent who see her in a positive light. That’s a striking shift since McCain chose Palin as his running mate in early September, when she held a 47 to 27 percent positive rating. MORE PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS: In addition, […]
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS: The United States Ranks 36th In The World For Freedom Of The Press
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS 2008 PRESS FREEDOM INDEX: It is not economic prosperity but peace that guarantees press freedom. That is the main lesson to be drawn from the world press freedom index that Reporters Without Borders compiles every year and from the 2008 edition, released today. Another conclusion from the index — in which the bottom three rungs are again occupied by the “infernal trio” of Turkmenistan (171st), North Korea (172nd) and Eritrea (173rd) — is that the international community’s conduct towards authoritarian regimes such as Cuba (169th) and China (167th) is not effective enough to yield results. “The post-9/11 […]