- Score another win for Hollywood’s ongoing campaign to churn out a remake and/or sequel of every movie ever made and eschew any attempt at original creative content. The next film that isn't crying out for a sequel but will get one anyhow because it’s easier than doing something that has never been done is “Bridget Jones,” the franchise that gave Renee Zellweger plenty of attention for packing on the pounds to play the chunky, lovelorn British chick who likes writing in her diary. Although no details are yet available about the project, actor Colin Firth – who plays a character named Mark Darcy in the films — leaked details about the new movie in a recent interview. “I can tell you that Bridget and Mark can’t have children, I think that’s the way it goes on,” Firth said. “So then she makes the huge mistake of going back to Daniel Cleaver [played by Hugh Grant] for long enough to get pregnant. And I think he dumps her, and she’s left stranded, and guess who comes back to rescue her?” Whether those plot points are true or just playful teasing on Firth’s part, the story took on additional credence when it was reported in the spring that author Helen Fielding had begun working on a third “Bridget Jones” novel. “I will be working on both the book and the film but I don’t know if they are the same thing yet. It’s not been decided,” she explained. There was no doubt a new “Bridget Jones” film would be made at some point, not after the series first film, “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” grossed $281 million internationally in 2001 and 2004’s “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” took in $262 million. While those numbers are headed in the wrong direction, the studio that says no to a project that could a) be churned out without having to hire writers capable of new ideas and b) turn a healthy profit no matter how terrible it is will be the first one and become the industry pariah…………
- This will not help anyone making the argument that the American legal system is not a corrupt and fundamentally flawed entity. Thank former Luzerne County (Pa.) Judge Mark Ciavarella for that, as the corrupt courtroom captain was sentenced to 28 years in prison Thursday after being convicted for a scheme to make millions off unjustly incarcerating minors. Ciavarella was found guilty in February of 12 of 39 racketeering and fraud charges for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from friends who owned the detention centers to which he was sentencing juveniles. It was a nice little racket while it lasted, but the scam blew up in Ciavarella’s face after he was confronted by a livid mother outside a courtroom after her son’s conviction. Sandy Fonzo's 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, was sentenced to six months in a detention center for possession of drug paraphernalia despite having no prior record. He was so devastated by the sentence that he never recovered from the psychological effects and later committed suicide. Given that one case alone, 28 years in prison and an order to pay $1 million in restitution do not seem excessive. Now, paying $1 million to anyone while spending what should be the rest of one’s natural life in prison might seem difficult, but Ciavarella did rack up some nice profits with his excessive-sentencing-for-cash operation, so he should be able to swing it. His victims nearly got shortchanged in epic fashion when he and federal prosecutors struck a plea deal in 2009 that would have seen Ciavarella serve just 87 months behind bars. Thankfully, that plea deal was thrown out by a federal judge and the case went to trial. Thursday’s decision had to feel good for Fonzo, who said at the time of her son’s suicide that,"He (Ciavarella) killed his spirit. He crushed him, and he didn't help him.” The images of Fonzo outside the courtroom after Ciavarella was found guilty but allowed to go home until sentencing are still chilling. Television cameras captured Fonzo ambushing the disgraced judge and screaming him down as she surged toward him. "Do you remember me?" Fonzo bellowed. "Do you remember my son? He's gone. He shot himself in the heart, you scumbag!" Yes, Thursday had to be a good day for Sandy Fonzo, along with Ciavarella’s other victims and their families…………
- Dorks….um, er, gamers……good news for you. Technology is your first love and it sustains you when your socially awkward self cannot successfully interact with and incorporate itself into the real world and now, one of the pioneers in the field of first-person shooter games that has become a dork haven is making a comeback. That’s right, Valve Software is bringing back iconic first-person shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which will launch in early 2012 for PCs, Macs, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The updated version of this gaming classic will feature t fresh maps, characters, weapons and game modes, as well as updated content from earlier versions of the tactical-based game. The original version of the game is an interesting story in and of itself, as it started out in 1999 as a lightly-esteemed spin-off of another Valve game, Half-Life, but went on to immense popularity that led the company to turn it into a full-fledged retail game. Hidden Path Entertainment will team up with Valve for the updated version that the two hope will compete with games like Call of Duty and Halo. Hidden Path is best known for games like Counter-Strike Source and Defense Grid: Awakening, which should add some credibility to the effort. No details were immediately available for the cost or exact release date of Counter-Strike, which is mildly disappointing because let’s face it, gamer dorks have very little to look forward to in their daily lives and news like this will send them into an absolute frenzy. The more information they have, the less they will realize how pathetic their friend-less (and least in the non-digital world) existence truly is………..
- The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius , which is Latin for " Faster, Higher, Stronger.” It’s difficult to see where now-former U.S. Ski Team developmental squad member Robert "Sandy" Vietze’s actions on a recent cross-country red-eye JetBlue flight from Portland, Ore. to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport fit into that mantra. Vietze was making the long trip eastward late Tuesday night and into the early morning hours Wednesday and despite being just 18 years old, decided to handle the rigors and stresses of air travel in the tried and true manner of getting absolutely hammered. According to a New York Port Authority Police Department detective, Vietze told him he had consumed five or six beers and two rum and cola cocktails before boarding the flight. The über-drunk Vietze then boarded the plane and as logic would dictate, soon found himself with an abundantly full bladder he had to relieve. Anyone who has flown even once knows that the limited number of restrooms on a plane can make finding an unoccupied lavatory nearly impossible. However, that doesn’t even come close to excusing what Vietze did when he either could not find an open restroom or was too drunk to look for one. He managed to stumble down the aisle and along the way, spotted a sleeping 12-year-old girl who for some odd reason looked like a good target on which to relieve himself. Vietze unzipped his pants and let it rip, at least until the girl’s father returned from taking his other daughter to the restroom and spotted this abhorrent scene. He predictably bolted for Vietze and according to reports of the incident, tried to “wipe him out.” The father, a Stage 4 cancer patient, caught Vietze midstream and unleashed what wrath he could before airline personnel intervened. "F*ck that kid. I don't want him near my family!" he yelled. Why, just because this clown mistook your pre-teen daughter for a toilet? Literally, Vietze was described as “out of it” by the father and admitted to police, "I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg." It didn’t take long for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to kick Vietze off its roster and issue a plain, detached statement about the decision. "Based on the information we have, Sandy Vietze is in violation of the USSA code of conduct and team agreement, and has been dismissed from the team," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President of Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said. In addition to his dismissal from the team, Vietze faces a federal misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn.………
- Score another one for the dissidents! A growing group of protestors doing their thing in Tel Aviv and living in a tent city have scored another win after already racking up a big “W” by causing the establishment of the Trajtenberg Committee. That was not nearly enough to placate these brave opponents of The Man and as of Friday, their efforts have led to a freeze of Israel’s defense budget. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have spent the past few months hinting at a possible increase in the Israel Defense Forces' budget due to the state of unrest that has pervaded the majority of the Arab world, but it appears the massive protests in Israel’s capital city have changed their minds. Gone could be the budget increase destined to fund the defense establishment's ambitious programs for the next five years - for at least one year. Instead, Netanyahu and Barak reportedly nearing an agreement to delay implementation of the IDF's multiyear program and leave the existing budget unchanged for the coming year. In light of the now-unchanging budget, Barak reportedly intends to focus on what he deems the military’s top priorities at the moment: continuing training exercises, limited procurement of advanced munitions, cyber warfare and developing missile interception systems. Of course, linking the world “Israel” and “missile interception systems” immediately leads to connotations of the country’s Iron Dome interception system, which was successful during April's escalation of hostilities with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iron Dome intercepted rockets so effectively that military leaders have backed off the development of more offensive options. Procuring new weaponry is on hold due to budget concerns even though no one is arguing that a shiny, new F-35 fighter jet would be a bitchin’ addition to the Israeli Air Force. The original plan called for the air force to receive its first squadron by 2016, but production delays in the United States have pushed the timetable back by two years. But for now, the focus belongs on the tent protestors and their heroic efforts to enact change. Making their voices heard by camping out and demonstrating makes them heroes to dissidents around the world, even if the rioters in England are currently ripping all of the headlines. Those fires will (literally and figuratively) die down, but the change brought about in Israel should have more staying power…………
No comments:
Post a Comment