http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_terminator_movie_brings_j_d New Terminator Movie Brings J.D. Salinger Out Of Hiding June 8, 2009 | Issue 45•24 CORNISH, NH — Famed literary giant and notorious recluse J.D. Salinger, who has not published any new work since 1965, came out of hiding Monday to gush about the new film Terminator Salvation, offering the world its first glimpse into his private life since his last interview nearly 30 years ago. "I believe that a writer's privacy is among his most precious possessions, in that personal information about him distracts readers from what is most important: the work itself," the author of The Catcher In The Rye told reporters outside the Claremont Cinema 6 theater, moments after seeing the film for the third time. "But on the other hand, the new revival of the Terminator franchise is just way too awesome for me to remain quiet any longer. Hello? Time-travel paradoxes? Freaking amazing!" "How sweet was it when that giant robot hand reached in through the roof and grabbed that old lady?" Salinger added. "Or when those motorcycle terminators detached from its legs and started speeding toward the escaping resistance fighters? Holy crap, was that fucking cool or what?" Salinger, 90, explained that he first became a fan of the Terminator franchise in 1991, when he saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day and found the character of the young John Connor to be "a striking figure of teenage alienation and disillusionment." His interest in the series continued with his rental of the first Terminator film, which he described as "almost as awesome as the second one," and his Amazon purchase of Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines on Blu-ray. Salinger, whose fictional works featuring the Glass family are considered some of the most influential contributions to 20th-century American literature, stated that he "liked Terminator 3 okay," but that it was, in his opinion, "nowhere near as cool as the new film." In fact, the latest installment has so far exceeded his expectations that he has reversed nearly half a century of shunning the media. In an interview granted to The Paris Review, The New York Review Of Books, Time, Newsweek, and Us Weekly, Salinger called Christian Bale "the most badass version of John Connor yet" and described the film's postapocalyptic war with the machines setting as "totally mind-blowing." "I admit I was worried about it as first," Salinger explained to enthralled reporters. "The decision to go with McG as the new director seemed like a bad mistake—I mean, he made the Charlie's Angels movies for chrissakes—but boy oh boy was I worried for nothing. T4 may well be more awesome than the first three goddamn films combined, if you can believe that." Added Salinger, "Those hydrobots are scary as shit." He then invited reporters into his remote New Hampshire compound to discuss the movie in more detail. "Come in, come in, sit down, there's plenty of space," an exuberant Salinger told reporters, gesturing around his sitting room, which was filled with movie posters, comic books, and other Terminator collectibles, including a life-sized statue of the T-800 Model terminator as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. "What a frigging inspired choice to cast Bryce Dallas Howard. She made so much more sense in that part than Claire Danes." Although the sole film made from Salinger's work, My Foolish Heart, based on his short story "Uncle Wiggily In Connecticut," was considered by Salinger to be such a bastardization of his prose that he never agreed to another adaptation, he now states that "if McG wants to do any of my stuff—'A Perfect Day For Bananafish'; Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters; hell, all of Nine Stories—he has my complete permission. Anything. Anything he wants." When asked what he thought of today's novelists, and whether he had plans to publish any new work, Salinger replied that he loved it when the helicopter crashes and John Connor gets grabbed by that terminator that's only half a torso, and then he blows it away with the mounted machine gun. "But by far the best part is when they reveal the T-800 for the first time and it looks just like a young Schwarzenegger," said Salinger, his voice reaching a fever pitch. "I was like, 'Holy shit.' I guess they must've used CGI or something to get that face just right. But what a moment! I practically lost it, if you want to know the truth." Besides setting the literary community abuzz, Salinger's decision to come out of seclusion has allowed scholars access to his massive archive of unpublished work for the first time. So far, critics have examined three never-before-seen novels, eight novellas, and more than two dozen short stories—all of which appear to be Terminator fan fiction. "But make no mistake," said Salinger expert Professor Duane Hartworth of nearby Dartmouth College, "this is without a doubt the most personal and affecting body of Terminator fan fiction ever discovered." Salinger had only one negative comment for interviewers: He condemned the TV spin-off series The Sarah Connor Chronicles, saying that people who like that show are "a bunch of goddamn phonies." *** E of S Nation: First and foremost, I was on NPR's Talk of the Nation speaking on South African runner Caster Semenya. Check the link below. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112178722 Also: Finally! The NEW Edge of Sports t-shirts are here! Buy now! http://edgeofsports.com/product/tshirt/index.html REPRESENT THE EDGE! BUY YOUR BRAND NEW EDGE OF SPORTS T-SHIRTS! AND SUPPORT PALESTINIAN TRADE UNIONISTS! JUST $20! Your new Edge of Sports Tees are printed on shirts made from Certified Organic cotton in Arja Textiles, a factory in Bethlehem Palestine, with union labor from the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions. The design and printing was done by a local Washington DC Industrial Workers of the World apparel print shop, all the proceeds from which are going towards opening a worker-owned and operated clothing recycling and used and new bookstore (read more about this project at: http://dcradicalspace.wordpress.com). And all for just $20! Smalls also come in sage green. Just buy it through Pay Pal and we will ship it to you post-haste In struggle and shirts, Dave Zirin *** http://www.popeater.com/2009/08/24/documents-propofol-killed-michael-jackson/ Propofol Killed Michael Jackson; Death Reportedly Ruled a Homicide Monday 24 August Lethal doses of the powerful anesthetic propofol caused the death of Michael Jackson, according to newly unsealed legal documents. Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray said the King of Pop Jackson was suffering from insomnia, and that he had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol nightly. Also, an Associated Press source says the Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Jackson's death a homicide. The Jackson family released a statement Monday afternoon commending the authorities on their hard work. "The Jackson family has full confidence in the legal process, and commends the ongoing efforts of the L.A. County Coroner, the L.A. District Attorney and the L.A. Police Department," the statement said. "The family looks forward to the day that justice can be served." Murray, who has been at the center of the investigation into Jackson's death, says he dropped the dosage because he feared Jackson was forming an addiction. He then gave Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol mixed with other sedatives. On June 25, Murray says he gave Jackson valium, lorazepam, midazolam and other drugs. When Jackson still wasn't able to sleep, Murray gave him 25 milligrams of Propofol after Jackson demanded it. According to the unsealed documents, Murray told police that Jackson was medicated when he left to make phone calls to family members, but was not breathing upon his return. He performed CPR on Jackson, who was rushed to UCLA Medical Center where he was declared dead. An Associated Press law enforcement claims the death has already been ruled a homicide, reporting the coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson, causing his death. The AP reports that Murray is already the target of a manslaughter investigation by the LAPD. According to TMZ, Murray reported Jackson wasn't breathing at around 11 AM, but a 911 call wasn't made until 12:21. Murray made 3 separate calls from 11:18 to 12:05 according to the documents. Murray also refused to sign the death certificate at the UCLA Medical Center, TMZ is reporting. Authorities said they could find no evidence that Murray ordered or obtained the drugs under his medical license or DEA tracking number. Police did spot at least eight bottles of propofol in the house along with other prescription drugs prescribed to Jackson by Dr. Murray, Dr. Arnold Klein and Dr. Allan Metzger. Other drugs confiscated in the search of Jackson's house include Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Lorazepam, Tamsulosin, Temazepam, Tizanidine, Trazodone and Valium. The investigation of Murray's involvement has focused on whether he was negligent in giving Jackson the drug to Jackson outside a hospital setting and whether that justifies an involuntary manslaughter charge. Last week, Murray released a video in which he claimed he "told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail." *** http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090819/REVIEWS/908199995 Inglourious Basterds (R) August 19, 2009 Cast & Credits Lt. Aldo Raine Brad Pitt Shosanna Melanie Laurent Col. Hans Landa Christoph Waltz Sgt. Donny Donowitz Eli Roth Lt. Archie Hicox Michael Fassbender Bridget von Hammersmark Diane Kruger Fredrick Zoller Daniel Bruhl Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz Til Schweiger Cpl. Wilhelm Wicki Gedeon Burkhard Marcel Jacky Ido Pfc. Smithson Utivich B.J. Novak Pfc. Omar Ulmer Omar Doom Major Hellstrom August Diehl Perrier Lapadite Denis Menochet Joseph Goebbels Sylvester Groth Hitler Martin Wuttke General Ed Fenech Mike Myers Francesca Mondino Julie Dreyfus Sgt. Rachtman Richard Samuel Master Sgt. Wilhelm/Pola Negri Alexander Fehling Winston Churchill Rod Taylor The Weinstein Company presents a film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Running time: 152 minutes. MPAA rating: R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. by Roger Ebert Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” is a big, bold, audacious war movie that will annoy some, startle others and demonstrate once again that he’s the real thing, a director of quixotic delights. For starters (and at this late stage after the premiere in May at Cannes, I don’t believe I’m spoiling anything), he provides World War II with a much-needed alternative ending. For once the basterds get what’s coming to them. From the title, ripped off from a 1978 B-movie, to the Western sound of the Ennio Morricone opening music to the key location, a movie theater, the film embeds Tarantino’s love of the movies. The deep, rich colors of 35mm film provide tactile pleasure. A character at the beginning and end, not seen in between, brings the story full circle. The “basterds” themselves, savage fighters dropped behind Nazi lines, are an unmistakable nod to the Dirty Dozen. And above all, there are three iconic characters, drawn broadly and with love: the Hero, the Nazi and the Girl. These three, played by Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent, are seen with that Tarantino knack of taking a character and making it a Character, definitive, larger than life, approaching satire in its intensity but not — quite — going that far. Let’s say they feel bigger than most of the people we meet in movies. The story begins in Nazi-occupied France, early in the war, when the cruel, droll Nazi Col. Hans Landa (Waltz) arrives at an isolated dairy farm where he believes the farmer (Denis Menochet) is hiding Jews. He’s right, and a young woman named Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) flees into the woods. It is for this scene, and his performance throughout the movie, that Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar nomination to go with his best actor award from Cannes. He creates a character unlike any Nazi — indeed, anyone at all — I’ve seen in a movie: evil, sardonic, ironic, mannered, absurd. The Hero is Brad Pitt, as Lt. Aldo Raine, leader of the Basterds. Tarantino probably wants us to hear “Aldo Ray,” star of countless war films and B pictures. Raine is played by Pitt as a broad caricature of a hard-talking Southern boy who wants each of his men to bring him 100 Nazi scalps. For years, his band improbably survives in France and massacres Nazis, and can turn out in formal eveningwear at a moment’s notice. Pitt’s version of Italian is worthy of a Marx brother. The Girl is Shosanna, played by Laurent as a curvy siren with red lipstick and, at the film’s end, a slinky red dress. Tarantino photographs her with the absorption of a fetishist, with closeups of shoes, lips, a facial veil and details of body and dress. You can’t tell me he hasn’t seen the work of the Scottish artist Jack Vettriano, and his noir paintings of the cigarette-smoking ladies in red. Shosanna calculatingly flirts with Frederick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), a Nazi war hero and now movie star; he persuades Joseph Goebbels to hold the premiere of his new war film in her theater. This sets up a plot that includes Tarantino breaking several rules in order to provide documentary footage about how flammable nitrate film prints are. A Tarantino film resists categorization. “Inglourious Basterds” is no more about war than “Pulp Fiction” is about — what the hell is it about? Of course nothing in the movie is possible, except that it’s so bloody entertaining. His actors don’t chew the scenery, but they lick it. He’s a master at bringing performances as far as they can go toward iconographic exaggeration. After I saw “Inglourious Basterds” at Cannes, although I was writing a daily blog, I resisted giving an immediate opinion about it. I knew Tarantino had made a considerable film, but I wanted it to settle, and to see it again. I’m glad I did. Like a lot of real movies, you relish it more the next time. Immediately after “Pulp Fiction” played at Cannes, QT asked me what I thought. “It’s either the best film of the year or the worst film,” I said. I hardly knew what the hell had happened to me. The answer was: the best film. Tarantino films have a way of growing on you. It’s not enough to see them once. *** http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/08/quentin_tarantinos_top_20_movi.html Quentin Tarantino's top 20 movies since Reservoir Dogs By Jim Emersonon August 20, 2009 A predictably eclectic list of QT's favorite films that have been made since he started directing in 1992. I mean, who else would even do something like this? The guy demonstrates again and again that he lives and breathes movies. One of my own fondest moviegoing experiences was in 1992 or 1993 when (drop, names, drop!) QT took Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin and a few others (David Cross? Janeane Garofalo? Phil LaMarr? Margaret Cho? I can't remember who all was there that day...) and me to see Jackie Chan in "Supercop" (aka "Police Story 3") at the Laemmle in Santa Monica. It was my first Jackie Chan movie and I was blown away (as any Buster Keaton devotee would be). I'm forever grateful -- and happy to see that movie on his list, along with some of my personal faves, including "Boogie Nights," "Dazed and Confused," "Fight Club," "The Insider," "Shaun of the Dead," "Memories of Murder," "The Host," "Unbreakable" and... you just have to see him deliver it himself. Battle Royale Anything Else Audition Tsui Hark's The Blade Boogie Nights Dazed & Confused Dogville Fight Club Fridays The Host The Insider Joint Security Area Lost In Translation The Matrix Memories of Murder Supercop (Police Story 3) Shaun of the Dead Speed Team America: World Police Unbreakable *** http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/interviews_profiles/e3i85f38c299a3a459a9f350da8eb4a3674 Q&A: Michael Moore By Matthew Belloni Aug 18, 2009 Since bursting onto the documentary scene 20 years ago with "Roger & Me," a blistering critique of General Motors, Michael Moore has directed the highest-grossing documentary of all time (2004's "Fahrenheit 9/11") and become a professional populist provocateur. The Flint, Mich., native is now busy finishing "Capitalism: A Love Story," his take on the U.S. financial crisis, which will premiere next month at the Venice and Toronto film festivals ahead of its wide release Oct. 2. The Hollywood Reporter: Your new film was announced in May 2008 as a follow-up to "Fahrenheit 9/11" that would look at America's role in the world. Then the economy tanked. Do you feel pressure to make movies that respond to the zeitgeist? Michael Moore: That was our cover. From the spring of '08, we were always doing a film about capitalism and corporate America. But, as you've seen from the recent revelations about the health insurance industry's secret campaign to attack my last film (2007's "Sicko"), I have to be extremely dodgy in order to outsmart these corporate guys. I had no way of knowing in May of 2008 that the economy would crash four months later. We were right in the middle of this Wall Street movie when it happened. THR: The conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that in tough economic times, moviegoers want an escape. Is there a big audience for a film that looks at the financial crisis? Moore: I have no doubts that people will want to come to a movie that goes after, with humor and reckless abandon, those bastards who've made their lives miserable. They deserve a night out at the movies where the movie is on their side. THR: Given your history with "Roger & Me," what was your reaction to the initial bailout of GM, its subsequent bankruptcy and the firing of CEO Rick Wagoner? Moore: All my films, in one way or another, speak to my experience of growing up in the hometown of General Motors. As for GM's demise, I tried to warn people about that some 20 years ago. Nothing made me happier than seeing President Obama fire the head of GM. It was every Flint boy's dream come true. They arrogantly kept making lousy cars that few people wanted to drive. They fought every safety measure from mandatory turn signals to controls that would protect the melting of our polar ice caps. They fired tens of thousands of people over the years for the short-term benefit of making their balance sheet appear to be in profit. That was a fraud of major proportions, and to date, no one has yet to go to prison. THR: You supported President Obama in the election. How do you grade his response to the financial crisis and the health care issue? How about congressional Democrats? Moore: I'm still in a stupor of stunned ecstasy that Obama won. And I approve of most everything he's done, from apologizing to the Iranians for America overthrowing their democratically elected president in 1953 to appointing Kumar (actor Kal Penn of the "Harold and Kumar" movies) to a White House position. He is doing the best he can with the mess he inherited, and I and millions of others are counting on him never to forget that he came from the working class and that his people need him now more than ever. As for the congressional Democrats, what a bunch of losers -- weak, scared, stupid. They had better get a clue pretty quick or the Dark Forces will return. THR: Bill Maher recently said that "America is stupid" and "too dumb to be governed." Do you agree? Moore: Eight years ago I wrote a book called "Stupid White Men." In that book, I wrote a chapter entitled "Idiot Nation." I think that says it all. Sad, sad, sad. THR: Have you ever considered leaving the U.S.? Moore: Thank you for asking! I had never considered this idea until you mentioned it, and now that you have, it doesn't sound like such a bad idea! I guess if I were going to live outside the U.S., I would live in Texas. THR: What's the No. 1 thing you want to teach your kids? Moore: Never trust anyone from Texas. THR: In your opinion, what's the single worst legacy of George W. Bush? Moore: That he has yet to be arrested for committing the worst crime the leader of a nation can commit: lie to the people and convince them to invade another country and kill its people with absolutely no provocation. There are 8,662 parents who might better answer this question. THR: Your films are big boxoffice draws, and you won an Oscar for 2002's "Bowling for Columbine," but you've always been considered an outsider to the entertainment community. Do you like Hollywood? Moore: Yes. I've met only very nice people out here, and if I wouldn't miss the 20-below winters, I'd live here for sure. THR: What's the last movie you saw? The last book you read? Moore: A Norwegian film called "Troubled Water." Best drama I've seen this year. The last book was "The Coming Insurrection" (a French leftist call-to-arms manifesto that has been labeled a "manual for terrorism" by the French government). I'm also reading the daily newspaper religiously, considering how there won't be any to read a year from now. THR: There were reports you were feuding with Harvey and Bob Weinstein, who executive produced "Fahrenheit," "Sicko" and "Capitalism." Will you work with them again? Moore: In 20 years of knowing the brothers, I have had only one fight with them, and that was over who would get the last cannoli.