Farrah's Family At Bedside

From RadarOnline.com:
Farrah Fawcett has been hospitalized and is in bad shape, sources close to family and friends tell RadarOnline.com exclusively.
She has been battling cancer for three years and recently returned from Germany, where she had experimental stem-cell treatment. Sources told RadarOnline.com that she is critical but stable in a Los Angeles-area hospital. They also say she is unconscious and has been hospitalized for days.
Long-time love Ryan O’Neal has been by Farrah’s bedside, as has troubled son Redmond, who bolted from rehab earlier this week.
Farrah, 62, was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and later pronounced cancer free at a press conference.
It is not known whether she will survive.

Philly Man Stalked Foxx

From CBS3:
A man has been arrested for allegedly stalking actor Jamie Foxx while he was in Philadelphia shooting a movie.The actor was staying at the AKA Hotel on S. 18 Street while filming the movie Law Abiding Citizen.
According to sources, a 49-year-old man allegedly attempted to break into Foxx's hotel room on three separate occasions. The three incidents occurred on March 22, March 27 and March 31.Sources said on one occasion, Foxx physically struggled with the suspect and had to push him out of the actor's hotel room. The suspect allegedly claimed he was Beyonce's producer.
Foxx's security guards spotted the man several days after the incidents near the movie set and he was taken into police custody.
The suspect is facing numerous charges. Sources said the suspect has 24 prior arrests.

Song Of 'The Soloist'

We caught an advance preview of the new film The Soloist earlier this week.
The movie is based on the book by former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez and the book is based on a series of columns that Lopez wrote for the Los Angeles Times.
Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, The Soloist is about the friendship between two outcasts -- one just happens to be a journalist and the other just happens to be a homeless, schizophrenic, classical musician who once studied at Julliard.
In that respect, The Soloist is a bromance; a guy love tale between two unlikely fellas. And Foxx and Downey give understated, nuanced performances: Foxx muttering, musing and drifting; Downey letting those great, dark, magical eyes do lots of the talking. Together, they sing a soulful song of longing.
And if that were the whole story it might work.
But The Soloist is also about the haves and the have nots and about urban alienation and the emptiness of modern life. And it's about the fear of commitment and an unwillingness to return home. At the same time it's about the death of newspapers amidst our continuing search for stories and sensationalism - a search that sometimes feeds exploitation. And whether it realizes it our not, the movie is also about the hypocrisy of politicians and the failure of modern liberalism and the disdain that most elites have for what they perceive to be uncouth.
And, as Ken Shear would say: "It's also about 110 minutes."
I wish I could report to you that those 110 minutes flew by. I wish.
The performances are great and the music is downright thrilling at times.
But this film is so soaked with urban ennui and so hopelessly existential that when it tries to find a moral or a theme or anything that might pass for an anchor it just turns, shrugs and moves on to another diversion.
And that's a shame because the problems and the struggles that the movie tries to tackle are real and worthy of our attention.
Give DreamWorks and the produces and everyone involved lots of credit for taking on the subject matter. And give the actors their do for several fine performances not the list of which is Catherine Keener as the editor/former wife.
Perhaps with careful and attentive marketing The Soloist (opening April 24) may find its audience.
BTW: In the film, Steve Lopez is portrayed as divorced. However, his real life counterpart remains happily married. Lopez said that while having himself portrayed as recently single in the film was a bit weird, it was much more important to him that the film makers captured the themes of his articles rather than absolute facts.

Kutcher Defends Phelps

Ashton Kutcher is defending Michael Phelps. And Kutcher is also retracting his previous criticism of whoever it was that circulated the Phelps bong picture in the first place

Kutcher posted his defense on his own blog. Here's what Ashton has to say:

I don't smoke marijuana and any statement to the contrary is a lie. I simply feel that Michael Phelps is entitled to his privacy. The kid made a mistake (he is only human) and anyone who has been in the public eye knows the magnification of minor missteps can be blown way out of proportion. Yes he is a role model and a great one at that. But I'm sure that in his lapse of judgment he wasn't thinking, "boy I hope the whole world can see this so that kids everywhere can copy me." And truth be told, if they went out and trained and worked as hard as he has to reach the great heights of success in their careers I wouldn't hammer them about a slip up either. And in kind I would like to retract any negative statement that I made about the kid who published the pic. I'm sure he/she wasn't in a sober head space while taking it or publishing it for that matter (you are the company you keep). I leave perfection to the creator of this great universe and wouldn't assume that duty on any human being.

BTW: That photo that you see above is neither Phelps nor Kutcher. It's Demi Moore bending over in a white bikini. Ashton took the photo and posted it on his Twitter page. Demi's reaction?

"He is such a sneak and while I was steaming his suit too!"

Bob Barker's Back!

From Variety:
Bob Barker is coming back down to "The Price Is Right."
Not to host but promote his new autobiography, "Priceless Memories."
Barker, who hosted 6,500 episodes of the venerable gameshow before retiring and handing the skinny mic to current emcee Drew Carey, will take part in Wednesday's taping at the CBS lot on the stage named after him. He'll take part in both Showcase Showdowns and give away the book to all 300 members of the studio audience, as well as it having be part of the prize giveaways.
"Memories" looks back at Barker's life in television as well as his dedication to animals. Episode airs April 16.

What Do Women Want?

Well, now at least we know what they want for dinner.

From FlashNews:

If women could pick one Hollywood heartthrob to have a dinner date with, it would be Johnny Depp. According to a poll by environmental charity WWF, the Pirates Of The Caribbean hunk is the most coveted male celebrity dinner date, followed by hottie George Clooney.

As for men, they would most like to go on a date with Girls Aloud beauty Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Aniston.

Steve Lopez And The Soloist

Members of the Philadel
phia Public Relations Hall of Fame* recently had breakfast with Los Angeles Times columnist and best-selling author Steve Lopez (bearded, on right) when Lopez returned to Philadelphia to publicize the upcoming movie based on his book The Soloist, the real-life account of a homeless musician with schizophrenia who sleeps each night on one of skid row's most dangerous streets.
The Soloist recounts Lopez's effort to help musician Nathaniel Anthony Ayers and just to give you some insight into this remarkable story it is subtitled: A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, And The Redemptive Power of
Music.
Steve Lopez joined the staff of the Los Angeles Times in May 2001 after four years at Time Inc., where he wrote for Time, Sports Illustrated, Life and Entertainment Weekly. Prior to Time Inc., Lopez was a columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer which is how we came to know him.
Before that he worked for the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune. His work has won numerous national journalism awards for column writing and magazine reporting.
A California native, Lopez is the author of three novels and a this newest work of non-fiction which has been chosen as the book all of Philadelphia is reading for the for the Free Library of Philadelphia's "One Book" program. We had a great time with Lopez who regaled us with stories of the characters and incidents that peppered his time in Philadelphia where he often funny, frequently insightful and always irreverent column was must-reading.
Lopez says that Philadelphia is "a city where everyone is born here and no one ever leaves" whereas Los Angeles is a place where "no one is born there and everyone travels to or from there at one time or another." He told us that he misses Philadelphia's distinctive characters, wonderful neighborhoods, narrow streets and appealing walkability. "You can always find a story in Philadelphia," Lopez said. "In Los Angeles you have to travel a bit further and dig a bit harder to find a story."
Lopez also expressed his deep concern for the future of newspapers and urged us to "find the biggest advertisers in your local newspaper and then go out and patronize those advertisers."
The Soloist will star Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Fox. It opens in theaters on April 29.
We'll have more on the movie shortly.
*Also shown (from left) Anne Klein Communications Group Account Manager Chris Lukach, Anne Klein, President of Anne Klein CG and Philadelphia PR guru and actress Sylvia Kauders.

Natasha Richardson Dead

From Fox News:
Tony-award winning actress Natasha Richardson died Wednesday at the age of 45 in a New York City hospital.
Alan Nierob, publicist for Richardson's husband Liam Neeson, confirmed her death Wednesday night in a written statement.
"Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time," the statement said.
The statement did not give details on the cause of death for Richardson.
The actress had been transported back to New York City from Canada, where she suffered a head injury after falling on a beginners ski slope.
Sources close to Richardson told FOXNews.com on Tuesday that the actress was brain dead. Members of her family, including her mother, actress Vanessa Redgrave, her sister, actress Joely Richardson, and her two young sons were seen at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where she was taken.

Natasha Richardson Shocker

From Michael Riedel at the New York Post:
Actress Natasha Richardson is brain dead - after falling in a ski accident in Canada - and is now on sad journey home to New York, friends told The Post today.
Richardson, who was being treated at a Montreal hospital, is being transported to New York this afternoon so her mom Vanessa Redgrave, two children and other loved ones can say goodbye before she's taken off life-support, friends said.
Liam Neeson, husband of the Broadway and screen star, left shooting of his movie in Toronto to rush to Richardson's side in Montreal and now on the trip home.
The British-born Richardson, 45, fell during a private lesson at Mont Tremblant resort yesterday and allegedly told resort employees she felt fine.
But an hour later, she complained of an extreme headache and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Richardson was on a beginner's slope and reportedly not wearing a helmet when she fell - although headgear is not required.
"She did not show any visible sign of injury but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor," said a statement from the resort, which is almost 80 miles northwest of Montreal.

Remembering Ron Silver

Ron Silver was a great American.

Not because he was a great actor (though he was).

Not because he was a liberal turned conservative (wisely, he was).

And not because he was a fellow blogger (at Pajamas Media).

He was a great American because he he had the courage of his convictions. He acted on his highest principles; both as an actor and as a citizen. He was a patriot.

From David Germain of the Associated Press:

Actor Ron Silver, who won a Tony Award as a take-no-prisoners Hollywood producer in David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" and did a political about-face from loyal Democrat to Republican activist after the Sept. 11 attacks, died Sunday at the age of 62.
"Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him early Sunday morning" in New York City, said Robin Bronk, executive director of the Creative Coalition, which Silver helped found. "He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two years."
Silver, an Emmy nominee for a recurring role as a slick strategist for liberal President Jed Bartlet on "The West Wing," had a long history of balancing acting with left-leaning social and political causes.
But after the 2001 terrorist attacks, longtime Democrat Silver turned heads in Hollywood with outspoken support of President George W. Bush over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Silver spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention, began referring to himself as a "9/11 Republican" and reregistered as an independent.
In an interview with The Associated Press a month later, Silver said his support for the war on terror was costing him work in liberal-minded Hollywood.
"It's affected me very badly. I can't point to a person or a job I've lost, but this community is not very pluralistic," Silver told the AP. "I haven't worked for 10 months."
His switch to a more conservative image threatened to overshadow an esteemed career on stage, television and film, along with his long history of activism, which included co-founding the nonpartisan Creative Coalition, an advocacy group for entertainers.
"He was a talented actor, a scholar and a great believer in participatory democracy," Bronk said Sunday evening. "He was an activist who became a great artist and his contributions will never be forgotten."
His big-screen credits included "Ali," "Reversal of Fortune," "Enemies: A Love Story," "Silkwood" and "Semi-Tough."
Besides "The West Wing," Silver was a regular or had recurring roles on such TV shows as "Veronica's Closet," "Chicago Hope" and "Wiseguy." He directed and costarred in the 1993 TV movie "Lifepod," a science-fiction update of Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat."
Silver's Tony for "Speed-the-Plow" came in 1988, a year after he earned his first Emmy nomination, for the murder thriller "Billionaire Boys Club."
Silver still found work despite his conservative shift, appearing in episodes of "Law & Order" and "Crossing Jordan" and such movies as "Find Me Guilty" and the Ten Commandments comedy "The Ten."
He continued his recurring role on "The West Wing," joking that he faced some taunting over his views from co-workers on the show which took place in a fiercely liberal White House administration.
"Often when I walked onto the set of 'The West Wing' some of my colleagues would greet me with a chanting of 'Ron, Ron, the neo-con.' It was all done in fun but it had an edge," Silver wrote in a Nov. 15, 2007, entry of his blog on the Pajamas Media Web site.
Silver's on-screen work rankled liberals, too. He narrated 2004's "Fahrenhype 9/11," a deconstruction of Michael Moore's Bush-bashing hit documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."
"Michael Moore and that faction of the party was one of the factors that did not let me support the Democratic nominee this year," Silver told the AP in 2004. "He is a charlatan in a clown suit." . . .
Whichever end of the political spectrum his activism fell, Silver viewed such involvement as something of a duty for entertainers.
"I think there's almost an obligation," he said in a 1991 interview with the AP. "Many of us are very well compensated for work which a lot of people would love to do. And we also have a lot of leisure time in between jobs. ...
"They say that Hollywood is sex without substance, and Washington is substance without sex, so maybe the marriage of the two is mutually intriguing."

There are so few conservatives in the world of movies or the theatre that when one passes it is always a great loss. But the loss of Ron Silver is mammoth. Let's hope that his life inspires others in the arts to come forward and speak out on behalf of what is right.

RJ: The Heart Of The Matter

"RJ"

In Hollywood, those two letters mean only one thing: Robert Wagner.

RJ's very name conjures up images of mid-century Hollywood and the galaxy of stars he knew and loved. And Robert J. Wagner's recollections of all of them are here in his new memoir, Pieces of My Heart.

Wagner tells about his encounters with Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Laurence Olivier, Joan Collins, Steve McQueen, David Niven, Cary Grant and many others.

Battling a revolving door of boarding schools and a well-to-do father who wanted him to forget Hollywood and join the family business, Robert Wagner could have taken the easy way out. But he knew that he needed to break free. So, sixteen-year-old Wagner started like any naïve kid would—walking along Sunset Boulevard, hoping that a producer or director would notice him.

Success did not come overnight.

But he did attract attention and he did break into the movies.

Before long he was deep into a four-year love affair with Barbara Stanwyck. She was 45. He was 22. She taught him a great deal. And he was smart enough to pay attention while respecting and honoring the very private nature of their relationship. The story is all here.

Still to come would be the great love of Wagner's life: Natalie Wood. That story is here as well: their romance; their first marriage; the breakup; the years in-between; their second marriage and Natalie's tragic and untimely death.

Nothing is held back.

Here, RJ reveals himself as a class act and a true gentleman as he tells his own story.

It's fitting that the word "heart' is such a big part of the title of this book because Wagner's heart is true. He teaches us that a real man needn't be afraid of love and sentiment, feelings and friendship.

This is surely one of the best "star" memoirs of recent times.

Thanks, RJ!

Julia Roberts Is Baaaack!

Julia Roberts is one of the world's sexiest, most attractive, most vivacious women

One smile from her has enough power to light up the sky. And she's a damned good actress as well.

Yeah, I know she seems a bit kooky.

In the New York Daily News Patrick Hugueinn reports: Julia Roberts raised eyebrows last week when she told reporters, “Everybody’s talking about ‘Oh, this is her comeback,’ and ‘Ooh, she’s 41 and she’s working and not a lot of girls in their 40s are working.’ ... Well, I’m baaaa-aaaack!” . . .

Her family splits its time between a New York apartment, a ranch in Taos, N.M. and a solar-powered house in Malibu, where Roberts has planted an organic garden.

She's a typical Hollywood environut, I suppose -- keeping three houses while growing organic foods and trying to go solar. Who knows, she probably also rides around in a private jet and owns a Mercedes or two.

But she doesn't seem to inflict her views on others. She not preachy; she appears to be a good wife and mother and she does seem to enjoy her life. In fact, she's never been an attention whore.

Now, Julia is back in a new movie and she brings true star power with her.

Again, from Hugueinn:

The superstar hits multiplexes again this Friday in “Duplicity,” a romantic spy film from “Michael Clayton” director Tony Gilroy. It’s a sexy, mature thriller, and Roberts is at her best: clever, cleavagey, cool.
It’s her first truly lead role since 2004’s “Closer” and reunites her with her costar from that film, Clive Owen. . . .

This is the bombshell Julia — the one with red hair flowing and a Cinemascope smile — who hasn’t gotten a chance to strut her stuff since “America’s Sweethearts” in 2001. And it’s only the beginning of her next chapter. She’s already talking up her starring role in the upcoming adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love.”
It’s a welcome reentrance for fans who’ve missed her, for those who wondered for the past few years if Roberts would ever return to the spotlight.

Indeed it is!

It's hard not to like Julia Roberts: those sleek, sexy eyes; that flowing hair; that megawatt smile and all the rest of her.

We're glad she's baaaack!

Gran Torino Shines!

Last night we finally got around to seeing Gran Torino, the new film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood who also stars in this quintessential story of contemporary America.

Gran Torino is a morality tale. But don't let that scare you away for this a morality tale as only Clint Eastwood & Co. can tell it.

No, I've never been a big Clint Eastwood fan. I never saw most of his earlier films and the only recent film of his that I really liked was Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil.

But Grand Torino is and isn't a Clint Eastwood film.

It is pure Eastwood in that it contains more than its share of violence and harsh language.

It isn't Eastwood in that it also incorporates subtlety, sensitivity and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

As usual, Eastwood's character doesn't have an awful lot to say in this film but when he says something, you'd better listen very closely.

It's a joy to see a great actor (and director) like Eastwood still growing in his craft. This is a very up-to-the-minute movie that surrounds Eastwood with fresh young talent. The story unfolds at its own deliberate pace and touches upon modern settings and issues while presenting classic, timeless themes.

I don't understand why Gran Torino wasn't nominated for an Oscar as best picture or why Eastwood was not nominated (for director AND actor) or why members of the supporting cast were not nominated. I'd hate to think that it has something to do with political corectness.

This film is easily one of the year's best if not THE best picture of the year. And Eastwood has been chosen Best Actor of the Year by the National Board of Review which also honored Nick Schenk for his best screenplay.

Gran Torino is grown-up movie making at its best.

I highly recommend it!

John Ford's 'Hurricaine'

Recently I watched director John Ford's 1936 film The Hurricaine on Turner Classic Movies.
This big, sweeping film was the forerunner of the modern-day disaster movie.
It's an incredible achievement especially when you consider that there were no computer-generated special effects in 1936.
This black and white epic stars Dorothy Lamour (in a sarong, of course), C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, John Hall, John Carradine and Thomas Mitchell (who garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance). The film is replete with dreadful south sea island stereotypes and since it contains sparse dialogue it is defined by its long and repetitive action sequences. In this respect it is greatly influenced by the silent era.
According to Life Magazine, special effects wizard James Basevi was given a budget of $400,000 to create his effects. He spent $150,000 to build a native village with a lagoon 200 yards long, and then spent $250,000 destroying it.
Actual outdoor shots were filmed on the islands but the native village set that the actors inhabited was constructed on two-and-a-half acres of United Artists' back lot.
Doubles were not used for Mary Astor and Dorothy Lamour when they were lashed to a tree during the hurricane. In her autobiography, Astor said that the sand and water whipping their faces sometimes left pinpricks of blood on their cheeks.
This film has stunning black and white photography and the love scenes with Hall and Lamour are remarkably sultry and daringly revealing.
This is one you'll want to catch if you're at all interested in the history of the movies and/or special effects -- or if you simply enjoy watching beautiful bodies in an exotic island setting.
BTW: You'll have to wait and wait for the hurricaine. But it's worth the wait!

Top Ten Conservative Movies

National Review has selecetd the best conservative movies as chosen by readers and noted conservative film buffs. here are the top ten:

1. The Lives of Others (2007): “I think that this is the best movie I ever saw,” said William F. Buckley Jr. upon leaving the theater (according to his column on the film). The tale, set in East Germany in 1984, is one part romantic drama, one part political thriller. It chronicles life under a totalitarian regime as the Stasi secretly monitors the activities of a playwright who is suspected of harboring doubts about Communism. Critics showered the movie with praise and it won an Oscar for best foreign-language film (it’s in German). More Buckley: “The tension mounts to heart-stopping pitch and I felt the impulse to rush out into the street and drag passersby in to watch the story unfold.” — John J. Miller

2. The Incredibles (2004): This animated film skips pop-culture references and gross jokes in favor of a story that celebrates marriage, courage, responsibility, and high achievement. A family of superheroes — Mr. Incredible, his wife Elastigirl, and their children — are living an anonymous life in the suburbs, thanks to a society that doesn’t appreciate their unique talents. Then it comes to need them. In one scene, son Dash, a super-speedy runner, wants to try out for track. Mom claims it wouldn’t be fair. “Dad says our powers make us special!” Dash objects. “Everyone is special,” Mom demurs, to which Dash mutters, “Which means nobody is.” — Frederica Mathewes-Greene writes for Beliefnet.com.

3. Metropolitan (1990): Whit Stillman’s Oscar-nominated debut takes a red-headed outsider into the luxurious drawing rooms and debutante balls of New York’s Upper East Side elite. One character, a committed socialist, falls for the discreet charm of the urban haute bourgeoisie. Another plaintively theorizes the inevitable doom of his class. A reader of Jane Austen wonders what’s wrong with a novel’s having a virtuous heroine. And a roguish defender of standards and detachable collars delivers more sophisticated conservative one-liners than a year’s worth of Yale Party of the Right debates. With mocking affection, gentle irony, and a blizzard of witty dialogue, Stillman manages the impossible: He brings us to see what is admirable and necessary in the customs and conventions of America’s upper class. — Mark Henrie is the editor of Doomed Bourgeois in Love: Essays on the Films of Whit Stillman.

4. Forrest Gump (1994): It won an Oscar for best picture — beating Pulp Fiction, a movie that’s far more expressive of Hollywood’s worldview. Tom Hanks plays the title character, an amiable dunce who is far too smart to embrace the lethal values of the 1960s. The love of his life, wonderfully played by Robin Wright Penn, chooses a different path; she becomes a drug-addled hippie, with disastrous results. Forrest’s IQ may be room temperature, but he serves as an unexpected font of wisdom. Put ’em on a Whitman’s Sampler, but Mama Gump’s famous words about life’s being like a box of chocolates ring true. — Charlotte Hays is co-author of Somebody Is Going to Die If Lilly Beth Doesn’t Catch That Bouquet.

5. 300 (2007): During the Bush years, Hollywood neglected the heroism of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan — but it did release this action film about martial honor, unflinching courage, and the oft-ignored truth that freedom isn’t free. Beneath a layer of egregious non-history — including goblin-like creatures that belong in a fantasy epic — is a stylized story about the ancient battle of Thermopylae and the Spartan defense of the West’s fledgling institutions. It contrasts a small band of Spartans, motivated by their convictions and a commitment to the law, with a Persian horde that is driven forward by whips. In the words recorded by the real-life Herodotus: “Law is their master, which they fear more than your men[, Xerxes,] fear you.” — Michael Poliakoff, a classicist, is vice president for academic affairs at the University of Colorado.

6. Groundhog Day (1993): This putatively wacky comedy about Bill Murray as an obnoxious weatherman cursed to relive the same day over and over in a small Pennsylvania town, perhaps for eternity, is in fact a sophisticated commentary on the good and true. Theologians and philosophers across the ideological spectrum have embraced it. For the conservative, the moral of the tale is that redemption and meaning are derived not from indulging your “authentic” instincts and drives, but from striving to live up to external and timeless ideals. Murray begins the film as an irony-soaked narcissist, contemptuous of beauty, art, and commitment. His journey of self-discovery leads him to understand that the fads of modernity are no substitute for the permanent things. — Jonah Goldberg

7. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): Based on the life of self-made millionaire Chris Gardner (Will Smith), this film provides the perfect antidote to Wall Street and other Hollywood diatribes depicting the world of finance as filled with nothing but greed. After his wife leaves him, Gardner can barely pay the rent. He accepts an unpaid internship at a San Francisco brokerage, with the promise of a real job if he outperforms the other interns and passes his exams. Gardner never succumbs to self-pity, even when he and his young son take refuge in a homeless shelter. They’re black, but there’s no racial undertone or subtext. Gardner is just an incredibly hard-working, ambitious, and smart man who wants to do better for himself and his son. — Linda Chavez is chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity.

8. Juno (2007): The best pro-life movies reach beyond the church choirs and influence the wider public. Juno was a critical and commercial success. It didn’t set out to deliver a message on abortion, but much of its audience discovered one anyway. The story revolves around a 16-year-old who finds a home for her unplanned baby. The film has its faults, including a number of crass moments and a pregnant high-school student with an unrealistic level of self-confidence. Yet it also exposes a broken culture in which teen sex is dehumanizing, girls struggle with “choice,” and boys aimlessly try — and sometimes downright fail — to become men. The movie doesn’t glamorize much of anything but leaves audiences with an open-ended chance for redemption. — Kathryn Jean Lopez

9. Blast from the Past (1999): Revolutionary Road is only the latest big-screen portrayal of 1950s America as boring, conformist, repressive, and soul-destroying. A decade ago, Hugh Wilson’s Blast from the Past defied the party line, seeing the values, customs, manners, and even music of the period with nostalgic longing. Brendan Fraser plays an innocent who has grown up in a fallout shelter and doesn’t know the era of Sputnik and Perry Como is over. Alicia Silverstone is a post-feminist woman who learns from him that pre-feminist women had some things going for them. Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek as Fraser’s parents are comic gems. — James Bowman is a movie critic.

10. Ghostbusters (1984): This comedy might not get Russell Kirk’s endorsement as a worthy treatment of the supernatural, but you have to like a movie in which the bad guy (William Atherton at his loathsome best) is a regulation-happy buffoon from the EPA, and the solution to a public menace comes from the private sector. This last fact is the other reason to love Ghostbusters: When Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) gets kicked out of the university lab and ponders pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities, a nervous Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) replies: “I don’t know about that. I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results!” — Steven F. Hayward is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Kutcher: Harvey Taught Me

Actor Ashton Kutcher has posted a tribute to Paul Harvey on his My Space blog:

Today I celebrate the life and mourn the lost of one of our greatest story tellers. Paul Harvey enriched my life through his gifted voice and ability to deliver a tale with the most unsuspecting ending I'd ever heard.

He made me want to buy a Bose wave radio a trempropedic mattress and anything else he was asked to move to support his story telling platform. He made the countless hours of driving back and forth the my grandparents house on sunday morning bearable.

I would sit in the back seat of the car choking on my parents cigarette smoke hanging on to his every last word. He had an personal interest to every story but there was always a wink as if he himself didn't know the ending. Occasionally he would hint a little smile. It was like he was watching your reaction and knew that he had you hooked. I always felt like he was the smartest wittiest person in the car.

He would take you on a roller coaster of peaks and valleys as we drove it felt like he had choreographed it to the road we traveled. And in the end we were allowed to find out "the rest of the story" which we never saw coming.

Thank you Paul for teaching me how to tell a story.

And thank you, Ashton for sharing. It's nice to know that someone in Hollywood has common sense enough to recognize a great American.

TCM: Ronald Reagan Month!

March is Ronald Reagan month on Turner Class Movies!

That means that every Wednesday in March will feature the films of Ronald Reagan.

Here's the list of Reagan films set for viewing every Wednesday on TCM:
Secret Service of the Air, Code of the Secret Service, Smashing the Money Ring, Murder in the Air, The Angels Wash Their Faces, Girls on Probation, Nine Lives Are Not Enough, Accidents Will Happen, Juke Girl, Hell's Kitchen, That Hagen Girl, Night Unto Night, Brother Rat, Brother Rat and a Baby, Tugboat Annie Sails Again, An Angel From Texas, Stallion Road, Going Places Sergeant Murphy, Knute Rockne-All American, Kings Row, The Girl From Jones Beach, John Loves Mary, One for the Book, Dark Victory, Million Dollar Baby, Santa Fe Trail, The Bad Man, Hellcats of the Navy, Desperate Journey, Prisoner of War

That's 30 films in all, spanning three dacades.

Reagan was a loyal contract player at Warner Brothers. He always showed up at the studio on time; he always knew his lines; he took direction well and he starred in some first-rate films. As TCM host Robert Osborne points out, Reagan was a popular movie draw and a fine actor who crafted more than a few memorable charcaters and performances.

Then he went on to star in one of the greatest "second acts" in American history.

Asked by Bob Hope what it felt like to be president, Ronald Reagan replied, "it's not a lot different than being an actor, except I get to write the script." The leading man in that script was similar to many of the screen roles Reagan played during his Hollywood career - decent, optimistic, a bit of a square, a believer in God, family and country. As a recent book of the diaries Reagan kept as president shows, he was ever mindful of the Production Code, avoiding swear words, and writing "hell" as "h__l" and "damn" as "d___".

In Line Behind Clooney

From Christina Bellatoni in the Washington Times:

Academy Award-winning actor and activist George Clooney met privately Monday night with President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to urge the new administration's action on the crisis in the Darfur region of the Sudan.
Mr. Clooney told reporters that Mr. Obama said once a foreign policy review is completed, he would appoint a "full-time, high-level envoy" to the region to report directly to the White House. "The administration has assured me that Darfur is one of a small handful of foreign-policy reviews being undertaken at the [most senior] level," Mr. Clooney said.
He said the envoy would be "a huge policy step" since, in many cases, envoys have only been in the region "when the fire starts."
The actor, who made a documentary highlighting the Darfur conflict and has been outspoken on the issue, said it was "nice to hear" that the region is a priority for the Obama White House.
"There was some concern that this could fall off the radar," he said. "There's quite a few other things [the administration is tackling], but they assured me this is high on their agenda."

Well, these are tough times.

And we've all got concerns -- real problems; right here, right now. Those "quite a few other things" that Clooney sloughed off include like failed industries, empty and abandoned homes, insolvent banks, an out-of-control federal deficit, states that are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, growing inflation fears, lost wages and depleted life savings, record unemployment and a widening sense of hopelessness throughout the land.

Big problems, but I guess they just aren't "global" enough.

So now I suppose we'll just all have to wait in line behind the likes of George Clooney and Sean Penn and Bono and Angelina Jolie and Oprah.

It's a New Day, folks - a New Way. Get used to it.

Oscar Goes To . . . .

There used to be a time when these words were the words you heard before the envelope was opened at the Oscars:
"And the winner is . . . "
But now all that has changed.
There are no winners anymore.
No winners. No winners because there are no losers.
No losers because it's politically incorrect for someone to "lose" or be a "loser." It just ain't fair - not by today's compassion-soaked definition of "fairness."
So, no winners and no losers.
Just someone who happens to receive the Oscar.
And now it's announced like this:
"And the Oscar goes to . . . "
Pity!

Oscars Wisely Herald Cruz

The Oscars Penelope Cruz scored early with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Vicky Christina Barcelona.
As always, Cruz was luminescent.
Again: She's simply so beautiful she takes your breath away. And, she's a wonderful actress. The Oscar is well-deserved.
Cruz was gracious, articulate, poignant in her memorable acceptance remarks.
Here's what we wrote when Vicky Christina opened last August:
Is there a more beautiful image on the screen today than Penelope Cruz?
Cruz shines in Vicky Christina Barcelona which we enjoyed over the weekend.
In this movie, two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results can be both funny and harrowing, often at the same time. . . .
Much of the appeal of the film has to do with the beautiful footage of Barcelona and the intense performances of Bardem and Cruz. They are simply great fun to watch and Cruz plays a tempestuous, sultry character with such adroitness that she brings back fond memories of Ava Gardner and similar stars. Plus, the whole story gives us much to think about as it juxtaposes European and American manners and sensibilities.
In fact there is a political undercurrent to this movie: Even so-called "hip" Americans who desperately want to be European can't seem to pull it off; cant' seem to really let go; can't seem to plug into the European mindset and lifestyle. In the end, they wind up looking every bit as foolish ad they actually are.