For years now, people wonder why the Oscar ceremony has been struggling with declining ratings. A glance at this year’s nominees should clear that up for all but the densest person (which leaves it a mystery to a lot of
Rick Santorum last night explained his vote for the No Child Left Behind law of 2001, which was the cornerstone of President Bush’s education policy. “I have to admit, I voted for that, it was against the principles I believed
HUGE NEWS: ‘THE ARTIST’ WILL MAKE PAY CABLE DEBUT ON NETFLIX STREAMING Now can I say “I told you so?” Actually, things are happening faster than even I expected. The studios have to go to where the customers are going.
On Saturday, surging Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rick Santorum attacked President Barack Obama’s governing philosophy: “It’s about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology–but no less a theology.” Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world
The hacker collective Anonymous has struck government websites again, this time the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the National Consumer Protection Week websites. According to the Associated Press, “both sites were replaced with a violent German-language video satirizing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement,
One of the most passionate and well-received speeches at CPAC was not delivered by an American. It was delivered by a proud Brit to barrages of applause. It was a speech that centered on our founding documents, our common heritage,
In an exclusive interview with an Occupy DC activist this morning from the McPherson Square encampment area, Big Government has learned that at high noon today,–hundreds of activists drawing from a collective of leftist coalitions including union support–will descend upon
What’s the worst policy idea that would cause the most damage to society? I’m tempted to say the value-added tax since our hopes of restraining the federal government will be greatly undermined if we give the buffoons in Washington a
What’s the worst policy idea that would cause the most damage to society? I’m tempted to say the value-added tax since our hopes of restraining the federal government will be greatly undermined if we give the buffoons in Washington a
What’s the worst policy idea that would cause the most damage to society? I’m tempted to say the value-added tax since our hopes of restraining the federal government will be greatly undermined if we give the buffoons in Washington a
If you’re a Twitter user, you might start getting notifications just like this from Twitter in the very near future if you tweet something that some foreign governments don’t like. On Thursday, the social media company announced on its blog
According to a new book, The Real Romney, “one close aide privately called Romney’s Dukakis II,” comparing it to then-Governor Michael S. Dukakis’s plan to phase in near-universal coverage in Massachusetts. To help pass RomneyCare, Romney brought in Jonathan Gruber,
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul neatly summarized everything that is wrong with President Barack Obama’s foreign policy in an interview yesterday with National Public Radio (emphasis added): [youtube iwozzvwW870] There is no single path to democracy. And every society
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explained to National Public Radio that the current administration holds a very different set of values in their international dealings than “American” values. This appears to be a bit of a departure from the
On the heels of Newt Gingrich’s trouncing of Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary, Republican Party brass are privately expressing deep concerns that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s high unfavorable rating in national polls could prove catastrophic
When anti-abortion advocate Austin Ruse explained to his audience that because his sturdiest allies at the United Nations were Muslims countries, his international anti-abortion coalition could not also be an international religious freedom coalition, my dhimmitude-meter kicked on — dhimmitude
The right to speak and publish freely is currently under assault in all Western democracies. In some countries, and especially in the European Union, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is now interpreted to mean that religious freedom includes the
‘ACT OF VALOR’ TV SPOT & FEATURETTE TAKE YOU IN THE LINE OF FIRE Today, we have a new TV spot for Act of Valor, as well as a five-minute long featurette that offers a better look at the overall
A little publicized political story, if played out to the satisfaction of California Democrats (read: Progressives), would not only set the stage for a politically motivated raid on the US Treasury, it would afford President Obama, his administration and political
The following is a response requested by Austin Ruse, president of C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), a New York and Washington DC-based research institute working exclusively on social policy at international institutions. Stopping Global Abortion Means Working with
If Matt Damon is disillusioned with The One, Harry Belafonte is downright dismayed with President Barack Obama’s first term. The Calypso crooner didn’t hold back during a recent radio chat on “Smiley & West,” co-hosted by Tavis Smiley and Cornel
MICROSOFT BRINGS FOX NEWS, SESAME STREET, COMCAST TO XBOX Can someone please tell me how this works? Is this a subscription service like Netflix Streaming? Corp. content from Twentieth Century Fox Films, Fox Television, Fox News and The Wall Street
The HomeVideodrome podcast returns with a meaty show this week, as Jim Dirkes and I discuss the movies we saw over our Christmas break, and of course, we catch up on the new releases. Speaking of Jim, he was kind
This is all about collapsing DVD sales, but what the studios refuse to come to terms with is that if their movies didn’t stink, we would purchase more of them. Right now, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is
HEADLINE NOT FROM 40 YEARS AGO: NEW TV SEASON DELIVERS ‘MUNSTERS,’ ‘BEWITCHED,’ ‘FLINTSTONES’ Outside of the mainstream media, who can roast in hell, I never wish failure on anyone. So I wish all those involved in these reboots luck, but
The star of “Bridesmaids” isn’t sure she wants to revisit one of 2011’s most popular films. The screenwriters of “Horrible Bosses” are gearing up for round two. Both film projects help define the sorry shape of mainstream movie making today.
Hollywood is like a child, a spoiled child you can’t help loving but desperately want to see do and be better. Hollywood can be cruel and petulant, small and bigoted, hateful and depraved. But every once in a while you
ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Found this at Hollywood Elsewhere: I’d so much rather be doing this than some little indie movie that everyone says is fantastic and it kinda sucks and is boring. Now that I’m back
While most movie fans are satisfied building a collection of their favorite DVDs, Shane Scheel has gone miles beyond in his devotion to his favorite cinematic treasures. As the co-creator and producer with Christopher Lloyd Bratten of the “For The
One of the most popular attractions in Washington, D.C. is a building that graces Pennsylvania Avenue with an exterior engraved with the First Amendment to the Constitution and its guarantee of, among other liberties, freedom of speech. Secretary of State
‘L.A. TIMES’ TO INSTITUTE PAYWALL IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2012 No one reads this rag now, but now by not reading we’ll save money. Nice. PODCAST WITH ‘RISE OF THE APES’ SCREENWRITERS The married screenwriting team of Rick Jaffa and
Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a speech in Austin, Texas Tuesday in which he invoked the history of the civil rights movement in targeting state voter identification laws. His approach mirrors that of the NAACP, which considers such laws racist,
An article in a recent issue of The Economist (“Sweet Land of Subsidy,” December 3rd to 9th, 2011, p. 42) tells the story of Iuka, Mississippi, a small community (2000 pop. 3,059) in Tishomingo County, where the local economic development
ALEC BALDWIN IS A SAD AND MISERABLE MAN: From 2008: Alec Baldwin, who stars in “30 Rock,” the NBC sitcom that has revived his career and done nothing to lift his spirits, has the unbending, straight-armed gait of someone trying
The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 killed over 2,400 Americans and led directly to the entry of the United States into World War II. In his powerful, thickly researched new book, December 1941: 31
PIRATES DOWNLOAD FLOPS, IGNORE HITS If Hollywood despised child rapists and terrorists as much as they do the 99%-ers who steal from movies and music from the 1%, the world would be a much better place. PAGING ARMOND WHITE: ‘GROWN
Not since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War has the Middle East experienced such radical change. Dictators have fallen in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; Syria is suffering civil war; and rebellion is cooking in
BOX OFFICE ANALYSIS The post-Thanksgiving weekend is usually one of the worst of the year, and this was no exception. There were no big new releases, so it’s all about how the previously released held on. 1. Twilight Saga: Breaking
This February marks the 200th birthday of the man whom some have called the greatest novelist who ever lived. All kinds of tributes are in the works for Charles Dickens’ bicentennial, including biographies, festivals and three new adaptations (one feature
Colum Lynch reported yesterday that the Obama administration is working to stop the UN Human Rights Council from referring Syria to the UN Security Council. That unusual posture is not, contrary to appearances, the latest example of the administration’s reluctance