News Junkie - Live Wire

FOX/CNN/MSNBC DISSECTED

Some great analysis of the current cable media landscape from CJR today. I disagree with a few points (especially the bit about MSNBC offering a rainbow of opinons) but this quote is interesting:

From personal experience covering news around the world, you almost always run into a CNN crew or stringer. You almost never run into a Fox reporter, and never one from MSNBC.

Read the whole thing at CJR’s website.

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ROY ASHBURN: “I’M GAY”

California State Senator Roy Ashburn admits to being a homosexual in an interview today on KERN. You can listen to the interview in this post and read the details here. Ashburn vows to carry on.

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BETTY WHITE TO SNL

After a massive online movement to draft her into the hosting duties at Saturday Night Live, Betty White confirms she will appear on the show.

But will she host?

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PETA TARGETS SEAWORLD

PETA sees a wounded opponent in SeaWorld after last month’s killer whale attack. Their latest mantra: “Let whales and dolphins ‘out of prison.’

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ADAM GADAHN CAPTURED

HUGE news out of Pakistan: American-born al-Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn has been arrested.

Update: It’s not him?

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NYT ON SCIENTOLOGY

‘Breaking With Scientology’ won’t hit print until tomorrow but you can read the New York Times assault on Scientology online right now.

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PHOTOS: TOYOTA HEARINGS

Executives from Toyota Motor Corp made the journey to Washington D.C. this morning to face down angry customers seething over their company’s recall follies. Take a look at these pictures from today’s event.

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THE BLOOM BOX

I can’t decide if the Bloom Box is the greatest invention ever or if I’m a bit like an old lady being conned by a slimy auto mechanic. Regardless, you have to watch this video. [Video]

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SCOTTY LAGO PHOTOS

Snowboarder Scotty Lago leaves the Olympic village in Vancouver after sexually suggestive photos of the bronze medalist and his trophy surfaced online. Lago says he’s in a ‘blackout’ and can’t talk about the event until next month. [View The Photos]

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RAY GOSLING ARRESTED

What happens when you admit to a murder on British public television? Well, you get arrested, of course. BBC presenter Ray Gosling arrested on suspicion of murder. [Details]

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TIGER WOODS PRESSER

Tiger Woods will finally reemerge from the shadows this Friday. The golf pro and reported sex addict is planning on holding a press conference at the PGA headquarters at 11AM Eastern. [Details]

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JOE BIDEN’S FOREHEAD

As I was watching President Obama’s stimulus update presser today, several readers emailed to ask ‘What’s that spot on Joe Biden’s forehead?’ Joe Biden is the first Catholic Vice President the U.S. has seen so each Ash Wednesday these questions float in like crazy. It’s Ash Wednesday, folks.

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Alice In Wonderland Opens Big: $115 Million Weekend

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter can pop the Champagne now:

Alice In Wonderland 2010 Box Office

Even so, the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring fantasy flick had the biggest 3D release of all time. Of its 3,728 North American locations this weekend, its total domestic 3D count is 2,063, plus 180 Imax 3D engagements. That helped the pic post a $115+M opening weekend with numbers blowing away Avatar’s first Fri-Sat-Sun. IMAX on Friday had the biggest day in


‘Bruno’ Movie Hit With NC-17 Rating

This should please Congressman Ron Paul… you may remember an earlier report about Paul being featured in a politically embarrassing scene in the movie. The NC-17 rating, if it sticks, is sure to keep the hordes away.

Universal’s ”Bruno,” the widely anticipated Sacha Baron Cohen docu-comedy opening in July, has been slapped with an NC-17 rating on its first submission to the Motion Picture Association of America because of numerous sexual scenes


Ron Paul To Be In ‘Bruno’ Movie

Sasha Baron Cohen (of ‘Borat’ fame) is making waves with his upcoming flick ‘Bruno’. Bruno is an openly gay Austrian TV host and with most of the film taking place in the south, you can imagine things will get a bit dicey. Cohen screened a few scenes of the flick at SXSW in Austin yesterday and Ron Paul might not be quite as excited as I am to see the finished product.

bruno


‘Benjamin Button’ Tops Oscan Noms

Brad Pitt’s latest flick picks up 13 nominations — Oscars set for 2/22/09:

The nominees for best picture are “Frost/Nixon,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Milk,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Reader.”

The nominees for best actor are Sean Penn (“Milk”), Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon”), Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”), Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor”) and Brad Pitt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”).

The nominees for best actress are Kate Winslet (“The Reader”),


Movie Trailer: Not Evil, Just Wrong

A new Irish film claims that climate change guru Al Gore is an alarmist and that those who think they are saving the planet are only hurting the poor

IF THE ADVANCE publicity is anything to go by, Not Evil Just Wrong will do for Al Gore what Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 did for George W Bush.

Bad News: The film isn’t quite finished. Good News: It looks pretty promising.


I Can’t Believe I’m Saying This

I just finished watching Oliver Stone’s ‘W’. I have to tell you, and as the headline suggests, I can’t believe I’m saying this — It was quite good. Does ‘W’ paint George Bush as some half wit incapable of leading a nation in a time a war? I would argue, no. Does it unnecessarily focus on Bush’s troubles as a young man in Texas? Maybe so. But, in the end, it wasn’t nearly…


Michael Moore’s Slacker Uprising

Slacker Uprising, a documentary from Michael Moore, was released on the Internet for free yesterday (slackeruprising.com ), a gesture the filmmaker has described as a “gift to his fans” and an attempt to persuade Americans of the importance of voting in the upcoming election. Though Moore does not stand to profit from the decision, it’s also something of a salvage operation for a $2-million film that Moore and the Weinstein Company would


Oliver Stone’s ‘W’ Teaser Poster

Check Out This Just Released Teaser Poster For ‘W’:

teaser poster w

I guess you know exactly what you’re getting into with this one.


Clint Eastwood Attacks Spike Lee

Clinton Eastwood: “A Guy Like Him Should Shut His Face”:

clint eastwood

Clint Eastwood folds his gangly frame behind a clifftop table at the Hotel Du Cap, a few miles up the coast from Cannes, sighs deeply, and squints out over the Mediterranean. “Has he ever studied the history?” he asks, in that familiar near-whisper.

The “he” is Spike Lee, and the reason Eastwood is asking is because of something Lee had said about


Coming Soon: Thompson Flick ‘Gonzo’

One Of The Most Interesting Politicos To Grace The Earth:

The first trailer for the documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson has debuted for your viewing pleasure. There is a good selection of documentaries that I’ll strongly encourage people take an interest in this year. Besides both American Teen and Bigger, Stronger, Faster, this is another one of the better ones. Hunter S. Thompson was a journalist


Indiana Jones Is Tops At Box Office

Experts Say The Film Could Rake In $150 Million This Weekend:

indiana jones

Indy 4 is now targeting $100M for the traditional 3-day weekend, Friday-thru-Sunday, although at the moment I am projecting $98.56M. That would mean a total domestic take of $123.6M by Sunday night. I am penciling in a conservative $24.5M or so for Monday, which would push Harrison Ford and his fedora to a 4-day Memorial Day weekend of $123.2M and a


Iron Man – After The Credits

Did You Watch The #1 Movie In The Country, After The Credits?:

As we first reported on Saturday, Iron Man is the number one movie in the country, pulling in over 100 million dollars. I’m no huge comic book buff but I watched the film myself and loved it. However, as the credits roll and the audience shuffles out, there is an additional scene that paves the way for an


‘Iron Man’ Tops All At Box Office

As Always, Here Are The Weekend Estimates Before Anyone Else:

iron man

1. NEW – Iron Man (Paramount) – $91M – $22,168 PTA
2. NEW – Made of Honor (Sony) – $15.7M – $5,753 PTA
3. Baby Mama (Universal) – $10.5M – $4,121 PTA
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Universal) – $5.7M- $1,987 PTA
5. Harold & Kumar 2 (Warner Bros) – $5.4M – $2,122 PTA
6. The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate) – $3.41M – $1,153


Coming Soon: Ben Stein’s Expelled

Here Is A 10 Minute Preview Of Ben Stein’s Movie ‘Expelled’:

This looks like an interesting movie. People are already going nuts about ‘Expelled’ and it doesn’t hit theaters until Friday. The Orlando Sentinel gave the film ‘1 Star‘ and called it ‘a cynical attempt to sucker Christian conservatives into thinking they’re losing the ‘intelligent design’ debate because of academic ‘prejudice.’ If the critics are this lathered up already,…


The Next Box Office Bomb

Behold, The Next Anti-War Bomb ‘Standard Operating Procedure’:

Standard Operating Procedure is a 2008 documentary film which explores the events surrounding the Abu Ghraib scandal. The film was directed by Errol Morris, and stars Christopher Bradley, Sarah Denning, and Joshua Feinman.

The ‘coming soon’ poster is less than enticing:

We predicted the epic failure of Stop-Loss at the box office and this film will do just as bad if not…