Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson - December 2014 Edition - Update #28
From TheGuardian: Another "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt controversy. The truth hurts, doesn't it.
From YahooNews: There was hell to pay for the callous comments about the Mike Brown memorial in Ferguson.
From Yahoo News via RSN: Hundreds of cop killings of civilians not reported to the FBI.
From Reuters via RSN: Hillary Clinton backs federal probes of Mike Brown and Eric Garner killings. Already she has more balls then so-called Democratic governors in Missouri and New York.
From YahooNews: If you don't want to hear "wings on pigs," then, don't do this.
From YahooNews: Off-duty, black cops feel the boot of their white colleagues, also.
From YahooNews: Black, unarmed, and shot dead by a cop in Houston.
From the NYT: Sad story about a Ferguson moment in Louisville, Kentucky back in 1999.
From the NYT: Okay, don't act like you don't know why some people react crazily.
From the NYT: Yes, police must stop the abuse of Black men.
From RollingStone: Matt Taibbi: The police in America are becoming illegitimate.
From YahooNews: Ray Kelly, who sires rapists, and Giuliani, whose vanity led to the deaths of scores of firemen, on 9/11, blame President Obama and Mayor de Blasio for the murder of two New York policemen on 12/20/2014 by a lone gunman.
From AlJazeeraAmerica: Yeah, we should be suspicious of the Oath Keepers.
From YahooNews: Why the LAPD is not like the NYPD or Ferguson Police Department.
From YahooNews: Could NYPD killings trigger a backlash against protestors.
From YahooNews: Baltimore gang member kills two New York policemen, before killing himself.
From Esquire: Why police unions have been making deranged responses to the responses to their brutality.
From YahooParenting: Second graders do Ferguson protest. One student's father is a cop. "Daddy, do you shoot people?" he claims she asked.
From TheGuardian: Remember John Crawford, shot dead by a cop in an Ohio Wal-Mart? Well, The Guardian has obtained video footage of cop threatening his girlfriend.
From RSN: Football still representing... damn what the pig's unions have got to say.
From RSN: FBI to investigage North Carolina trailer park lynching.
From RSN: Huge marches protesting police violence.
From YahooNews: The National Bar Association wants Darren Wilson stripped of his license to carry a badge anywhere in Missouri. The NBA is the nation's largest group of African-American lawyers and judges.
From ThinkProgress: The woman who could hit reset on Mike Brown-Darren Wilson case.
From ThinkProgress: The one word that kept Darren Wilson out of jail (It's "reasonable").
From GuardianUK: In Brooklyn, a rookie cop kills an unarmed black man and calls his union rep instead of 911.
From YahooNews: No indictment for Eric Garner's murderer.
From YahooNews: Another angry white guy. No, "Morning Joe," even 95 percent of white people don't agree with you.
From YahooSports: Angry old white guy, Mike Ditko, embarrassed for the Rams players and demands that we not weaken the police anymore than they already are. First, I'm sure the Rams players don't give a f**k. Non-indictments say Ditko is clueless about the weakness of cops - especially post 9/11. Maybe, he just needs a Viagra and beer.
From RSN: A "Dear White People" essay from Carl Gibson.
From YahooNews: America's mayor, Rudy Giulani, says that Ferguson grand jury should not have indicted. This from a man whose vanity caused the death of many fireman on 9/11, an event from which Giulani made tens of millions of dollars.
From YahooSports: One of America's favorite media quote machines, Charles Barkley, is down with Darren Wilson.
From YahooSports: St. Louis cops union pissed at St. Louis Rams.
From WashingtonPost: Holding an entire community in contempt by Eugene Robinson.
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THE BASICS:
From TheIntercept via RSN: Klan jury... I mean grand jury in Mike Brown's shooting began Wednesday, August 20th, 2014.
Michael Brown, 18, was shot to death, reportedly by police officer Darren Wilson, on Saturday, August 9th, 2014 at approximately 2:15 pm on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson is a small city in St. Louis County. The shooting of the unarmed Brown sparked a furious backlash and days of protests, some violent and involving looting. What follows is a list of links to news articles about the shooting and related matters:
From the StLouisPostDispatch: An early article about the Michael Brown shooting
From the LosAngelesTimes: This is the earliest (or oldest) article that I could find about the Michael Brown shooting.
From HuffingtonPost: Another early article about the local African-American community's reaction to the shooting of Brown
From PrisonCulture: A searing image of Michael Brown's father
From the WashingtonPost via RSN: More of Darren Wilson's history and background emerges; it seems that he was previously associated with another police department that had a bad relationship with the local black folks.
From Al Jazeera via RSN: Darren Wilson: Judge, jury, and executioner.
From YahooNews via CSM and the AP: Shooter a.k.a. Darren Wilson tells his "side" of the story about how he shot an unarmed black man to death.
Updated Shooting Timeline: The AP via YahooNews.
Everything's Peachy... if by "Peachy" You Mean Hemlock - Update #77
There's no "race problem" in America. We all have black friends. I even have more than I need. [I call some of them relatives.] Dr. King's dream has not become a nightmare. It's become a dytopian vision of future that simply dresses the dark past in new fangled rags. - Leroy 16, Aug. 2014
From AlterNet: A great review of the new film, Selma.
From YahooParenting: 7 things I can do that my black son can't.
From CNN: I remember hearing about Macy's racial profiling case, but not this one involving "Treme" actor, Robert Brown.
From Reuters via RSN: Off-duty, Black NYPD cops feel threat from White colleagues.
From TheDailyBeast: After they fired the shots, they're the victims...
From NYTimes: Police shootings reveal racial chasm... D'uh.
From Time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to White people feeling targeted by Ferguson protests - Welcome to our world.
From MiamiHerald: The rules are indeed different for Black people seeking justice.
From TheGuardian: Gentrifiers having to throw people out of their homes.
From CNN: Racism without racists.
From the GuardianUK: Jesse Jackson says we can still get justice for Mike Brown. I kinda doubt it, but I'm hopeful.
From Esquire: The rise in police shootings, even in places like Utah.
From YahooNews: Another black male with a toy gun shot to death by cops - this time the black male is a child.
From CSMonitor: Mumia Abu-Jamal sues over the Pennsylvania law specifically meant to gag him.
From RSN and FirstLook: Yes, we do need someone to judge the judges because Judge Edith Jones is an ignorant racist bitch.
From FirstLook: How the innocent are screwed into pleading guilty.
From NPR: Black and dead in Brazil.
From ConsortiumNews: Is Arlington, VA racist? Probably.
From RSN: Did you know that Denver cops had killed an unarmed street preacher. It costs them $4.6 million? That was an expensive cap-popping.
From RawStory: Dead in Alabama jails to save money.
From TheNation: How racism stole black childhood.
From RSN: Cops killed 77 people in September 2014.
From the NYT: Civil asset forfeiture - makes me wanna support Clive Bundy.
From Demos via RSN: A third of Americans live at or near poverty.
From YahooNews: Expelled Nazis and SS still get Social Security paychecks.
From Think Progress via RSN: Funny Ebola freak-outs.
From YahooNews: Michael Dunn gets life for killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis.
From Truthout: Incarceration, mass murder, and genocide of Black men.
From FreeThoughtProject: Cops with gang tattoos to celebrate the people they kill.
From Truthout: Understanding our many Fergusons.
From YahooNews: Another unarmed, innocent black teen attacked by white cops on a racial profiling rampage. Luckily, the cops didn't kill him.
From GQ via RSN: An interesting article about murderer, George Zimmerman's crappy family.
From News 13 via RSN: Michael Dunn found guilty of murdering black teenager, Jordan Davis.
From Truthout: Cops retaliate against citizens group that monitor police activity.
From Salon via RSN: America's summer of white supremacy.
From InformedComment via RSN: $8.7 billion in food stamp cuts, but $22 billion to fight ISIS.
From TheNewYorkTimes: When Whites Just Don't Get It Part One and Part Two.
From the HuffingtonPost: Los Angeles law enforcement kill about one person a week - I'm not surprised.
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From YahooNews: JUSTICE: Woman beat up by CHiP cop, wins $1.5 million and cop resigns.
From NPR: INJUSTICE: Grand Jury refuses to indict murders... I mean cops involved in the shooting death of an unarmed man in Ohio Wal-Mart shooting.
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From BearingArms: Family wants charges against fat lying bastard who made the 911 call that led to the murder of their son.
From Salon via RSN: The strange death of Charles Smith. Shot to death while handcuffed, supposedly in possession of gun.
From Salon via RSN: Rock the Vote joins militia group to intimidate Wisconsin African-American voters in November.
From CBS: WHITE South Carolina state trooper charged in shooting of UNARMED BLACK MAN.
From Salon via RSN: Yes, Justice Scalia is "an utter moral failure."
From the Guardian UK via RSN: Cops act like gang in assault on Latino man.
From the AP via RSN: Students walk-out in protest over conservative school board's attempt to make history education emphasize respect for authority and the free-market.
From the Guardian UK via RSN: By the way, a federal judge approved New York City's settlement with the Central Park Five. Former mayor, Michael Bumberg, had fought the lawsuit.
From The Washington Post via RSN: Cops seizing hundreds of millions in cash and property from motorists not charged with crimes. First heard about this a month ago, and I'm still shocked.
From Campus Reform via RSN: Students and faculty have to tell Clemson University how many times they've had sex... Apparently, this is real.
From The Daily Beast via RSN: Ferguson cops caught in a lie about blood on their uniforms and got away with it... for now.
From BuzzFlash via Truthout: For Black youth, no mistakes allowed. It could be fatal.
From TheWashingtonPost: White rage against Black progress.
From the GuardianUK via RSN: Yep, the cops shot Darrien Hunt in the back. Had to admit it.
From Esquire via RSN: It's never about race, right? Riiiiiight.
From The Intercept via RSN: No heads in the sand on ISIS beheading videos.
From Truthout: NRA hold "killer cop contest."Includes a "Head Shots Only" competition.
From the SPLC via RSN: Neo-Confederate group forms paramilitary unit to advance a second secession.
From YahooSports: Yeah, there are good cops...
From CBSLocal via RSN: Free Patrick McLaw - A teacher an self-published science fiction author placed on administrative leave after his work was discovered. Free Patrick McLaw.
From ABCNews: John Crawford, Jr., the father of Wal-Mart shooting victime, John Crawford, III, hears his son's dying breaths.
From YahooNews: So-called witness in John Crawford shooting - the guy who called 911, has changed his story.
From BuzzFlash: Black men who "open carry" get a cap in the ass from cops.
From TomDisptach via RSN: We made ISIS.
From Truthout: U.S. slammed for failure to end all forms of racial discrimination
From Reuters via RSN: Federal prosecutors will investigate the shooting death of Victor White III, a Louisiana man whose death had been previously ruled a suicide. Supposedly, he shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a police car.
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From LATimes: Two brothers who were wrongly convicted of the murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl in North Carolina were freed Wednesday morning, September 3, 2014. They spent 30 years in prison. One was 19 and the other were 15 when they were arrested in 1983.
So is a Black man in America more afraid of police and the justice system or of ISIL/ISIS?
------------------------------------------
From ThinkProgress via RSN: Ain't it the truth, girl - America has a real racial problem - Justice Ginsburg.
From GlobalVoiceOnline: Israeli soldiers used Gazans as human shields This is not the first time I have heard of this. They way Israelis act, one would think Palestinians were the ones who caused the Holocaust.
From Truthout: Black women on "Women's Equality Day."
From NateSilver via RSN: Most police don't live in the cities they serve.
From TheNation: How Trayvon Martin's death launched a new generation of black activism.
From MotherJones: How indeed.
From BuzzFlash: A piece on Ferguson police officer, Dan Page, and his racist speech given before the Oath Keepers in April 2014. From TheAdvocate and TheGuardian - Page's speech.
From YouTube: Ferguson police officer, Dan Page, threatening CNN's Don Lemon.
From Truthout: "We won't go back" - the march for Eric Garner.
From Truthout: The killing of black men continues...
From YahooNews: Activist carry the coffin of a black woman killed by a white Phoenix police sergeant to the steps of City Hall.
From Valid: More commentary on Michelle Cusseaux, the black woman killed by a white Phoenix police officer.
From BuzzFlash via Truthout: Most whites still don't understand the danger of being a black man in the U.S. ...
From Esquire via RSN: Charles Pierce - Ferguson: The Limits of Everything
From Reuters via RSN: President Obama order review of police militirization
From Salon via RSN: How to Wreck the GOP in 3 Easy Steps! - Obama and weak-kneed Democratic leadership won't do this.
From RSN: Where Were the Soldier Cops at Bundy Ranch? - Good questions, Marc Ash. There is a markedly different response to black protestors in Ferguson, Missouri than there was to the white, gun-toting protestors at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada.
From Popular Resistance via Truthout: The reality of militarized, racist policing ...according to a recent study, a black man is killed every 28 hours by police, security guards or vigilantes. The whole nation is experiencing these tragedies; reality is being forced upon us.
From Time via RSN: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "The Coming Race War Won't Be About Race." He says that it will be about class. He also wonders if the event in Ferguson, Missouri will disappear down the memory hole as the shootings at Jackson State in 1970 - 10 days after the Kent State shooting.
From Salon via RSN: The criminalization of Black mothers.
From Truthout: It's worth standing with Keith Ellison.
From BuzzFlash: President Nixon's Vietnam treason confirmed
OTHER:
From The Intercept via RSN: How Gary Webb was destroyed.
MISC:
From Suggest: 10 celebs you didn't know were black.
From RedFlagNews, you will learn that everything is not peachy.
From AlterNet: A great review of the new film, Selma.
From YahooParenting: 7 things I can do that my black son can't.
From CNN: I remember hearing about Macy's racial profiling case, but not this one involving "Treme" actor, Robert Brown.
From Reuters via RSN: Off-duty, Black NYPD cops feel threat from White colleagues.
From TheDailyBeast: After they fired the shots, they're the victims...
From NYTimes: Police shootings reveal racial chasm... D'uh.
From Time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to White people feeling targeted by Ferguson protests - Welcome to our world.
From MiamiHerald: The rules are indeed different for Black people seeking justice.
From TheGuardian: Gentrifiers having to throw people out of their homes.
From CNN: Racism without racists.
From the GuardianUK: Jesse Jackson says we can still get justice for Mike Brown. I kinda doubt it, but I'm hopeful.
From Esquire: The rise in police shootings, even in places like Utah.
From YahooNews: Another black male with a toy gun shot to death by cops - this time the black male is a child.
From CSMonitor: Mumia Abu-Jamal sues over the Pennsylvania law specifically meant to gag him.
From RSN and FirstLook: Yes, we do need someone to judge the judges because Judge Edith Jones is an ignorant racist bitch.
From FirstLook: How the innocent are screwed into pleading guilty.
From NPR: Black and dead in Brazil.
From ConsortiumNews: Is Arlington, VA racist? Probably.
From RSN: Did you know that Denver cops had killed an unarmed street preacher. It costs them $4.6 million? That was an expensive cap-popping.
From RawStory: Dead in Alabama jails to save money.
From TheNation: How racism stole black childhood.
From RSN: Cops killed 77 people in September 2014.
From the NYT: Civil asset forfeiture - makes me wanna support Clive Bundy.
From Demos via RSN: A third of Americans live at or near poverty.
From YahooNews: Expelled Nazis and SS still get Social Security paychecks.
From Think Progress via RSN: Funny Ebola freak-outs.
From YahooNews: Michael Dunn gets life for killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis.
From Truthout: Incarceration, mass murder, and genocide of Black men.
From FreeThoughtProject: Cops with gang tattoos to celebrate the people they kill.
From Truthout: Understanding our many Fergusons.
From YahooNews: Another unarmed, innocent black teen attacked by white cops on a racial profiling rampage. Luckily, the cops didn't kill him.
From GQ via RSN: An interesting article about murderer, George Zimmerman's crappy family.
From News 13 via RSN: Michael Dunn found guilty of murdering black teenager, Jordan Davis.
From Truthout: Cops retaliate against citizens group that monitor police activity.
From Salon via RSN: America's summer of white supremacy.
From InformedComment via RSN: $8.7 billion in food stamp cuts, but $22 billion to fight ISIS.
From TheNewYorkTimes: When Whites Just Don't Get It Part One and Part Two.
From the HuffingtonPost: Los Angeles law enforcement kill about one person a week - I'm not surprised.
-----------------------
From YahooNews: JUSTICE: Woman beat up by CHiP cop, wins $1.5 million and cop resigns.
From NPR: INJUSTICE: Grand Jury refuses to indict murders... I mean cops involved in the shooting death of an unarmed man in Ohio Wal-Mart shooting.
-----------------------
From BearingArms: Family wants charges against fat lying bastard who made the 911 call that led to the murder of their son.
From Salon via RSN: The strange death of Charles Smith. Shot to death while handcuffed, supposedly in possession of gun.
From Salon via RSN: Rock the Vote joins militia group to intimidate Wisconsin African-American voters in November.
From CBS: WHITE South Carolina state trooper charged in shooting of UNARMED BLACK MAN.
From Salon via RSN: Yes, Justice Scalia is "an utter moral failure."
From the Guardian UK via RSN: Cops act like gang in assault on Latino man.
From the AP via RSN: Students walk-out in protest over conservative school board's attempt to make history education emphasize respect for authority and the free-market.
From the Guardian UK via RSN: By the way, a federal judge approved New York City's settlement with the Central Park Five. Former mayor, Michael Bumberg, had fought the lawsuit.
From The Washington Post via RSN: Cops seizing hundreds of millions in cash and property from motorists not charged with crimes. First heard about this a month ago, and I'm still shocked.
From Campus Reform via RSN: Students and faculty have to tell Clemson University how many times they've had sex... Apparently, this is real.
From The Daily Beast via RSN: Ferguson cops caught in a lie about blood on their uniforms and got away with it... for now.
From BuzzFlash via Truthout: For Black youth, no mistakes allowed. It could be fatal.
From TheWashingtonPost: White rage against Black progress.
From the GuardianUK via RSN: Yep, the cops shot Darrien Hunt in the back. Had to admit it.
From Esquire via RSN: It's never about race, right? Riiiiiight.
From The Intercept via RSN: No heads in the sand on ISIS beheading videos.
From Truthout: NRA hold "killer cop contest."Includes a "Head Shots Only" competition.
From the SPLC via RSN: Neo-Confederate group forms paramilitary unit to advance a second secession.
From YahooSports: Yeah, there are good cops...
From CBSLocal via RSN: Free Patrick McLaw - A teacher an self-published science fiction author placed on administrative leave after his work was discovered. Free Patrick McLaw.
From ABCNews: John Crawford, Jr., the father of Wal-Mart shooting victime, John Crawford, III, hears his son's dying breaths.
From YahooNews: So-called witness in John Crawford shooting - the guy who called 911, has changed his story.
From BuzzFlash: Black men who "open carry" get a cap in the ass from cops.
From TomDisptach via RSN: We made ISIS.
From Truthout: U.S. slammed for failure to end all forms of racial discrimination
From Reuters via RSN: Federal prosecutors will investigate the shooting death of Victor White III, a Louisiana man whose death had been previously ruled a suicide. Supposedly, he shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a police car.
-----------------------------------------
From LATimes: Two brothers who were wrongly convicted of the murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl in North Carolina were freed Wednesday morning, September 3, 2014. They spent 30 years in prison. One was 19 and the other were 15 when they were arrested in 1983.
So is a Black man in America more afraid of police and the justice system or of ISIL/ISIS?
------------------------------------------
From ThinkProgress via RSN: Ain't it the truth, girl - America has a real racial problem - Justice Ginsburg.
From GlobalVoiceOnline: Israeli soldiers used Gazans as human shields This is not the first time I have heard of this. They way Israelis act, one would think Palestinians were the ones who caused the Holocaust.
From Truthout: Black women on "Women's Equality Day."
From NateSilver via RSN: Most police don't live in the cities they serve.
From TheNation: How Trayvon Martin's death launched a new generation of black activism.
From MotherJones: How indeed.
From BuzzFlash: A piece on Ferguson police officer, Dan Page, and his racist speech given before the Oath Keepers in April 2014. From TheAdvocate and TheGuardian - Page's speech.
From YouTube: Ferguson police officer, Dan Page, threatening CNN's Don Lemon.
From Truthout: "We won't go back" - the march for Eric Garner.
From Truthout: The killing of black men continues...
From YahooNews: Activist carry the coffin of a black woman killed by a white Phoenix police sergeant to the steps of City Hall.
From Valid: More commentary on Michelle Cusseaux, the black woman killed by a white Phoenix police officer.
From BuzzFlash via Truthout: Most whites still don't understand the danger of being a black man in the U.S. ...
From Esquire via RSN: Charles Pierce - Ferguson: The Limits of Everything
From Reuters via RSN: President Obama order review of police militirization
From Salon via RSN: How to Wreck the GOP in 3 Easy Steps! - Obama and weak-kneed Democratic leadership won't do this.
From RSN: Where Were the Soldier Cops at Bundy Ranch? - Good questions, Marc Ash. There is a markedly different response to black protestors in Ferguson, Missouri than there was to the white, gun-toting protestors at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada.
From Popular Resistance via Truthout: The reality of militarized, racist policing ...according to a recent study, a black man is killed every 28 hours by police, security guards or vigilantes. The whole nation is experiencing these tragedies; reality is being forced upon us.
From Time via RSN: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "The Coming Race War Won't Be About Race." He says that it will be about class. He also wonders if the event in Ferguson, Missouri will disappear down the memory hole as the shootings at Jackson State in 1970 - 10 days after the Kent State shooting.
From Salon via RSN: The criminalization of Black mothers.
From Truthout: It's worth standing with Keith Ellison.
From BuzzFlash: President Nixon's Vietnam treason confirmed
OTHER:
From The Intercept via RSN: How Gary Webb was destroyed.
MISC:
From Suggest: 10 celebs you didn't know were black.
From RedFlagNews, you will learn that everything is not peachy.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Mel Brooks Give Voice to "Vlad" in "Hotel Transylvania 2"
Comic Legend Mel Brooks To Voice Dracula’s Father In HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2
Sony Pictures Releasing International Also Casting Beloved Local Celebrities For The Voice Of Vlad
Sony Pictures Animation today announced the casting of Oscar®-, Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winning writer, director, performer, composer and producer Mel Brooks in the sequel to the 2012 worldwide hit, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2. Brooks has been cast in the role of Vlad, the ancient, undead and incredibly grumpy father to Dracula (Adam Sandler). Dracula, Mavis, Jonathan and all of their monster friends are back in the brand new comedy adventure: when the old-old-old-fashioned vampire Vlad arrives at the hotel for an impromptu family get-together, Hotel Transylvania is in for a comic collision of supernatural old-school and modern day cool.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 is slated for a September 25, 2015 release, and is being directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, produced by Michelle Murdocca, executive-produced by Sandler, Allen Covert,and Ben Waisbren, and written by Robert Smigel.
Brooks – who takes on the role 40 years after helming the horror-comedy classic Young Frankenstein – said, "I’m having a wonderful time with the character Vlad. He’s been around for eons and he’s a pretty crabby guy. Basically, he reminds me of me."
Brooks isn’t the only icon who will be voicing Vlad, as Sony Pictures Releasing International is securing the talents of additional high-profile stars around the world to voice the ancient one for the non-English versions of the film. So far, these regional Vlads include: France’s Michel Galabru, the esteemed 92-year-old actor who has appeared in more than 200 films; Japan’s Junji Inagawa, whose voice is instantly recognizable as the "go to" narrator of horror films, radio programs and DVDs; Holland’s Bram Van Der Vlugt, who, for decades, was the most requested Dutch TV/film "Sinterklaas" (Saint Nicholas); and Belgium’s Jacques Vermeire, the well-known Flemish performer with decades of memorable comic television and feature film performances.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated and family entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits—the 2012 monster hit comedy Hotel Transylvania, the hybrid live action/animated blockbusters The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2, and the mouth-watering Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies—with the family comedies Hotel Transylvania 2scheduled in September 2015 and Untitled Smurfs Movie in August 2016. Sony Pictures Animation also released a critically acclaimed, brand new mini-movie on DVD and television last Fall, The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow. The studio, in conjunction with Aardman Animations, has produced two critically acclaimed feature films: the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas; and the Academy Award® nominated stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. In 2007, Surf's Up also received an Academy Award®: nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The division, whose first feature film Open Season led to a very successful movie franchise, turned 10 in 2012. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions
Website: http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SONYPicturesAnimation
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonyanimation
Tumblr: http://sonyanimation.tumblr.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SonyAnimation
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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of December 21st to 27th, 2014 - Update #10
NEWS:
From Vulture: Idris Elba responds to Bond rumors with a clever tweet.
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From the NYPost: Astrophysicist and "Cosmos" host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, angers with his Christmas tweet.
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From TheWrap: "Unbroken" and "Into the Woods" explode on their Christmas Day 2014 debuts.
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From YahooTV: Rush Limbaugh offers some clownish insight on Idris Elba (an "African-English" actor) as James Bond.
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From YahooMovies: "Star Trek 3," the third film of the rebooted Star Trek film franchise, will arrive in theaters on July 8, 2016. Justin Lin, of the Fast & Furious franchise will direct.
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From YahooMovies: Sony lawyer responds to President Obama and suggests that "The Interview" will be released.
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From Variety: The #1 movie for the 12/19 to 12/21/2014 weekend box office is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with an estimated take of $56.2 million. Since its debut on Wednesday, Dec. 17th, 2014, it has grossed an estimated $90.6 million.
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From YahooFinance: Sony lawyer: "We haven't caved."
COMICS BOOKS:
From io9: Mike Colter is Luke Cage in Marvel/Netflix's A.K.A Jessica Jones.
STAR WARS:
From Inquisitr: Photo purports to reveal Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys.
OBITS:
From YahooMusic: Raspy voice singer, Joe Cocker, has died at the age of 70. His two best known hits were a rendition of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" and the smash hit, "Up Where We Belong," which he sang with Jennifer Warnes. The latter was the theme-song from the film, An Officer and a Gentleman, won Cocker his only Grammy Award win.
Friday, December 26, 2014
9 Films Vie for 5 "Foreign Language Film" 87th Oscar Nominations
9 Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar® Race
Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Eighty-three films had originally been considered in the category.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;
Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;
Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;
Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;
Poland, "Ida," Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;
Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.
Foreign Language Film nominations for 2014 are being determined in two phases.
The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 15. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.
The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and, for the first time, London. They will spend Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 11, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.
The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Eighty-three films had originally been considered in the category.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;
Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;
Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;
Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;
Poland, "Ida," Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;
Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.
Foreign Language Film nominations for 2014 are being determined in two phases.
The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 15. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.
The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and, for the first time, London. They will spend Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 11, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.
The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Thursday, December 25, 2014
Review: "A Madea Christmas" a Funny and Odd Christmas Movie
Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual references, crude humor and language
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based on the stage play, A Madea Christmas, written by Tyler Perry)
PRODUCERS: Ozzie Areu, Tyler Perry, and Matt Moore
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alexander Gruszynski (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Maysie Hoy
COMPOSER: Christopher Young
CHRISTMAS/COMEDY/DRAMA
Starring: Tyler Perry, Larry the Cable Guy, Anna Maria Horsford, Tika Sumpter, Eric Lively, JR Lemon, Kathy Najimy, Chad Michael Murray, Alicia Witt, Noah Urrea, and Lucy Whelchel
A Madea Christmas is a 2013 comedy, drama, and Christmas movie from writer-director Tyler Perry. The film is based on Perry's musical play, A Madea Christmas, which was first performed in 2011. A Madea Christmas the movie finds Madea in rural Alabama after being coaxed into helping a relative pay her daughter a surprise visit for Christmas.
As A Madea Christmas begins, Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Tyler Perry) is working at Tifton's department store for some extra Christmas cash, thanks to her niece, Eileen Murphy (Anna Maria Horsford), who works at the store. Eileen is sad that her daughter, Lacey (Tika Sumpter), is living in the small town of Bucktussle, Alabama, and she wants to visit her. Eileen coaxes Madea into accompanying her for a surprise Christmas visit.
What Eileen does not realize is that her daughter is now Lacey Williams and is married to her college sweetheart, Conner Williams (Eric Lively). Lacey is not ready to tell her mother that she is married to a White man, but may be forced to when Eileen and Madea arrive. Also arriving at Lacey and Conner's doorstep are Conner's parents, Kim and Buddy Williams (Kathy Najimy and Larry the Cable Guy).
A Madea Christmas is an odd entry in Tyler Perry's Madea film series. First, the film deals, in a fluffy way, with racism, and is also set in a town and area that is largely white. With its mushy sentiment, soft-focused racial harmony, and easy pace, A Madea Christmas seems like an original holiday movie for either the Lifetime or Hallmark cable networks.
I found this film enjoyable and comfy, and although Madea does dispense her usual unique brand of wisdom, the film is not as preachy as previous Madea films. A Madea Christmas' dominant theme seems to be that parents should accept that their children will live the lives the children choose and not the ones the parents want. There is also a subplot about a sensitive and talented boy, Bailey McCoy (Noah Urrea), whose father, Tanner McCoy (Chad Michael Murray), is a racist and a bully (but not really in an especially offensive way). This subplot encapsulates how A Madea Christmas goes out of its way not to offend or scare white audiences.
I don't think that A Madea Christmas will be a Christmas classic, but it is definitely a different kind of Christmas movie. I found it to be quiet funny at times, and I plan on seeing it again.
6 of 10
B
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
NOTES:
2014 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Actress” (Tyler Perry); 4 nominations: “Worst Picture,” “Worst Supporting Actor” (Larry the Cable Guy), “Worst Screen Combo” (Tyler Perry, Larry the Cable Guy, Tyler Perry & EITHER Larry the Cable Guy OR That Worn-Out Wig & Dress), and “Worst Screenplay” (Tyler Perry)
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
San Francisco Film Critics Name "Boyhood" as 2014's Best Picture
The San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC) was founded in 2002 and is comprised of critics from Bay Area publications. Its membership includes film journalists from the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, the East Bay Express, KRON-TV, Variety, and RottenTomatoes.com, among others.
2014 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
BIRDMAN
WINNER – BOYHOOD
THE IMITATION GAME
UNDER THE SKIN
WHIPLASH
Best Director
Wes Anderson, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Jonathan Glazer, UNDER THE SKIN
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, BIRDMAN
Mike Leigh, MR. TURNER
WINNER – Richard Linklater, BOYHOOD
Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch, THE IMITATION GAME
Jake Gyllenhaal, NIGHTCRAWLER
WINNER – Michael Keaton, BIRDMAN
Eddie Redmayne, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Timothy Spall, MR. TURNER
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
Essie Davis, THE BABADOOK
Scarlett Johansson, UNDER THE SKIN
WINNER – Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE
Reese Witherspoon, WILD
Best Supporting Actor
Ethan Hawke, BOYHOOD
Gene Jones, THE SACRAMENT
WINNER – Edward Norton, BIRDMAN
Mark Ruffalo, FOXCATCHER
J.K. Simmons, WHIPLASH
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER – Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD
Jessica Chastain, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR
Agata Kulesza, IDA
Emma Stone, BIRDMAN
Tilda Swinton, SNOWPIERCER
Best Screenplay, Original
WINNER – BIRDMAN, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu; Nicolas Giacobone; Alexander Dinelaris; Armanso Bo
BOYHOOD, Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Wes Anderson; Hugo Guinness
MR. TURNER, Mike Leigh
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, J.C. Chandor
WHIPLASH, Damien Chazelle
Best Screenplay, Adapted
GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn
THE IMITATION GAME, Graham Moore
WINNER - INHERENT VICE, Paul Thomas Anderson
SNOWPIERCER, Joon-ho Bong; Kelly Masterson
WILD, Nick Hornby
Best Cinematography
BIRDMAN, Emmanuel Lubezki
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Robert D. Yeoman
WINNER – IDA, Lukasz Zal; Ryszard Lenczewski
MR. TURNER, Dick Pope
UNDER THE SKIN, Daniel Landin
Best Production Design
BIRDMAN, Kevin Thompson
WINNER – THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Adam Stockhausen
INHERENT VICE, David Crank
MR. TURNER, Suzie Davies
SNOWPIERCER, Ondrej Nekvasil
Best Editing
WINNER – BOYHOOD, Sandra Adair
BIRDMAN, Douglas Crise; Stephen Mirrione
INHERENT VICE, Leslie Jones
UNDER THE SKIN, Paul Watts
WHIPLASH, Tom Cross
Best Animated Feature
BIG HERO 6
THE BOXTROLLS
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
WINNER – THE LEGO MOVIE
THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA
Best Foreign Language Picture
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
FORCE MAJEURE
WINNER – IDA
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
WILD TALES
Best Documentary
WINNER – CITIZENFOUR
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
JODOROWSKY’S DUNE
LIFE ITSELF
THE OVERNIGHTERS
Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community:
Joel Shepard Longtime Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Film & Video curator Joel Shepard’s idiosyncratic and innovative programming has embraced everything from experimental and exploitation showcases to burgeoning national film cultures, such as the annual New Filipino Cinema festival.
Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema:
THE ONE I LOVE Charlie McDowell’s relationship opus cracks open the intricacies of a crumbling union in the most effective way imaginable: by turning it into a mind-bending Twilight Zone episode.
2014 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
BIRDMAN
WINNER – BOYHOOD
THE IMITATION GAME
UNDER THE SKIN
WHIPLASH
Best Director
Wes Anderson, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Jonathan Glazer, UNDER THE SKIN
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, BIRDMAN
Mike Leigh, MR. TURNER
WINNER – Richard Linklater, BOYHOOD
Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch, THE IMITATION GAME
Jake Gyllenhaal, NIGHTCRAWLER
WINNER – Michael Keaton, BIRDMAN
Eddie Redmayne, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Timothy Spall, MR. TURNER
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
Essie Davis, THE BABADOOK
Scarlett Johansson, UNDER THE SKIN
WINNER – Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE
Reese Witherspoon, WILD
Best Supporting Actor
Ethan Hawke, BOYHOOD
Gene Jones, THE SACRAMENT
WINNER – Edward Norton, BIRDMAN
Mark Ruffalo, FOXCATCHER
J.K. Simmons, WHIPLASH
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER – Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD
Jessica Chastain, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR
Agata Kulesza, IDA
Emma Stone, BIRDMAN
Tilda Swinton, SNOWPIERCER
Best Screenplay, Original
WINNER – BIRDMAN, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu; Nicolas Giacobone; Alexander Dinelaris; Armanso Bo
BOYHOOD, Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Wes Anderson; Hugo Guinness
MR. TURNER, Mike Leigh
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, J.C. Chandor
WHIPLASH, Damien Chazelle
Best Screenplay, Adapted
GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn
THE IMITATION GAME, Graham Moore
WINNER - INHERENT VICE, Paul Thomas Anderson
SNOWPIERCER, Joon-ho Bong; Kelly Masterson
WILD, Nick Hornby
Best Cinematography
BIRDMAN, Emmanuel Lubezki
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Robert D. Yeoman
WINNER – IDA, Lukasz Zal; Ryszard Lenczewski
MR. TURNER, Dick Pope
UNDER THE SKIN, Daniel Landin
Best Production Design
BIRDMAN, Kevin Thompson
WINNER – THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Adam Stockhausen
INHERENT VICE, David Crank
MR. TURNER, Suzie Davies
SNOWPIERCER, Ondrej Nekvasil
Best Editing
WINNER – BOYHOOD, Sandra Adair
BIRDMAN, Douglas Crise; Stephen Mirrione
INHERENT VICE, Leslie Jones
UNDER THE SKIN, Paul Watts
WHIPLASH, Tom Cross
Best Animated Feature
BIG HERO 6
THE BOXTROLLS
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
WINNER – THE LEGO MOVIE
THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA
Best Foreign Language Picture
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
FORCE MAJEURE
WINNER – IDA
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
WILD TALES
Best Documentary
WINNER – CITIZENFOUR
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
JODOROWSKY’S DUNE
LIFE ITSELF
THE OVERNIGHTERS
Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community:
Joel Shepard Longtime Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Film & Video curator Joel Shepard’s idiosyncratic and innovative programming has embraced everything from experimental and exploitation showcases to burgeoning national film cultures, such as the annual New Filipino Cinema festival.
Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema:
THE ONE I LOVE Charlie McDowell’s relationship opus cracks open the intricacies of a crumbling union in the most effective way imaginable: by turning it into a mind-bending Twilight Zone episode.
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