Is Hollywood too timid for the war on terror?
Thanks to political correctness, you don't see much about the greatest conflict of our time on the big screen.
I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.
Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.
But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.
Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.
Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.
The real world is both darker than that and lighted brighter in places by surprising fires of nobility. It's darker because our enemies were not created by the peccadilloes of free people and will not melt away before a moral perfection that we, in any case, can never achieve. It's brighter because there are heroes like the FBI, the military and the cop on the corner who will give up everything, even their lives, to stop these madmen.
That kind of rousing story seems tailor-made for films. So why aren't they telling it? It's not just about left and right, blue and red; it really isn't. You don't have to like President Bush or support our efforts in Iraq to understand the threat of conspirators plotting to kill your children in the name of jihad.
In all fairness, moviemakers have a legitimately baffling problem with the nature of the war itself. In order to honestly dramatize the simple truth about this existential struggle, you have to depict right-minded Americans — some of whom may be white and male and Christian — hunting down and killing dark-skinned villains of a false and wicked creed. That's what's happening, on a good day anyway, so that's what you'd have to show.
Moviemakers are reluctant to do that because, even though it's the truth, on screen it might appear bigoted and jingoistic. You can call that political correctness or multiculturalism gone mad — and sure, there's a lot of that going around. But despite what you might have heard, there are sensible, patriotic people in the movie business too. And even they, I suspect, falter before the prospect of presenting such a scenario.
We cherish the religious tolerance of our society, after all. Plus, we're less than a lifetime away from Jim Crow and, decent people that we are, we're rightly humbled by the moral failures of our past. We've become uncomfortable to the point of paralysis when reality draws the limits of tolerance and survival demands pride in our traditions and ferocity in their defense. We can show homegrown terrorists in, say, "Déjà Vu" or real-life ones, as in "United 93," but we can't bring ourselves to fictionalize the larger idea: Islamo-fascism is an evil and American liberty a good.
Which is a shame. It's a shame for so powerful an art form to become irrelevant because we can't find a way to dramatize the central event of our time. It's a shame that we live under the tireless protection of lawmen and warriors and don't pay tribute to them. And purely in artistic terms, it's a shame that so many great stories are just waiting to be told and we're not telling them.
But thanks, anyway, to the men and women of the FBI, for the seminar and, oh yeah, for trying to keep me alive and free. You truly have my gratitude. Just don't expect to see it at the movies.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
LOVE VILLAINS
Admit it, fans: We love the villain
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
GOOD PHEROMONE
Most effective "Pheromone" Product Reviews
Overview:
This site was estblished to rate, review, and compare the various "Pheromone" products on the internet. I quote the word "pheromone" because not all of the products reviewed actually have pheromones.
Yes, they are marketed as pheromone cologne + sprays, but not all of them are! If you're about to spend $20-$100 on something to help you get more snatch, you want it to work, assuming it arrives in the first place! Play your cards right and you could have a few months supply of "liquid panty remover" at your disposal for the price of a bad date. Purchase the wrong product and you're out of cash and at the same place you were before you tried the pheromones. The fact is that real pheromones do work! The problems is cutting through the hype to find out which ones are real and work, which ones are real and kinda work, and which ones are pure rip-off crap! That is exactly the purpose of this website, as I was in the same position you are in a few months back when I first heard about human sex pheromones. I wish there was a site like this, so I could have cut through the garbage, and just purchased the real deal. All in all, it was worth it, as I now know first hand what WORKS and what DOESN'T, and if you're like me, you would pay any reasonable dollar amount to know what can get you more ass! So anyway, here are my honest reviews:
My Number One Pick:
Pherlure Cologne is the winner, too bad I didn't find it first. First off, it's the only one on the list that uses an exclusive pheromone, Di-Dehydroepiandrosterone, to be university tested by University of Chicago. University of Chicago was actually the first University to find humans respond to pheromones in the 90's. The tests they've done on this brand showed that it works! By far the most effective Pheromone product I've tested, increased smiles, flirting, calls, action... The stuff also smells awsome, I've gotten compliments on just the smell. Highly Recommended.
Runner Up:
Athena Pheromones were the first I bought because I heard them mentioned in a news article as a legitmate pheromone brand. The pheromones did work on their own and with an aftershave, however the steep $99.99 price tag is hard getting over. They also weren't nearly as effective as Pherlure Cologne. The pheromones are REAL, so it is Recommended as an aftershave additive.
Pherx gets 2 stars because it did arrive on time and it does seem to be legitmate Androstenone Pheromone. Unfortunately, Androstenone pheromone doesn't seem to do much. This falls under the "Real Pheromones that kinda work" so it's not really recommended to get laid, and is more of a novelty.
I heard good things about Primal instinct, unfortunately the Over-Priced Crap never arrived at first! No repsonse from the first vendor which is a popular pheromone store. I then bought direct from getprimal.com which arrived on time, unfortunately similar half ass results as Pherx above.
This stuff arrived a few days later than promised, but that would be no problem if it helped me get laid! No luck with Nexus Pheromones, not even close to having any attraction qualities. The stuff smells fine and I had high hopes for this one, but it disapoints and is not recommended.
I saw this Androstenone Pheromone Concentrate everywhere, it smells okay. Unfortunately I found out AFTER purchasing this scam that it contains about .25mg of Androstenone in the whole bottle! Not recommended, even if it did have a high amount of androstenone, it's worthless, but it doesn't, so its even more worthless!
Same scam as above, it smells a little better, but again found out AFTER purchasing it contains a trace amount of Androstenone in the bottle! Not recommended, read above.
Last Words :
As you can see, the differences in the pheromone products on the internet vary GREATLY. It's great to have science do something useful, like helping the average guy get laid! LOL. It sounded ridiculis that these "human sex pheromones" would be the key to getting more puss at first, but think about the guy that's with the HOT Girl you want, chances are he's about as average looking as can be, has a bland personality, isn't rich, and doesn't drive an 'expensive' car, yet he gets to eat that Hot Girl's Muffin whenever he wants. It seems to be a mystery why such a hot girl would want to be with him, but this is actually the norm, not the exception, i'm sure you see it everyday! Well recent science has shown that some guys just naturally produce more pheromones than others. And studies have shown that the pheromones can have a significant effect in "naturally attracting" females.
Seems almost unfair, because guess who that hot girl you crave is going to choose subconciously? It's unfair because you can do everything in your power to get that girl to like you or to just get in her pants, but if some trash ball that's producing more pheromones naturally than you is also trying to get in her pants, she'll be going down on him while you're planning your next "move" on her. That's why I was so interested in pheromones, I'm not a complete sexaholic (yeah right), but I figure I should try and do everything I possibly can to get as much ass as I possibly can.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you feel the same way. That's why I tried all these pheromone products, and since I know which ones worked for me and which ones ripped me off, I figure I should let everyone who visits my site know. It's my way of giving you some good info, getting back at the products that ripped me off, and thanking those that worked for me. As said above, I competely recommend Pherlure Pheromone Cologne, it's potent stuff that works. Athena Pheromones are good too, but they're pricier, don't come with a money-back guarantee like Pherlure, and aren't as effective as Pherlure, but they work to a degree so I can't say I don't recommend them. If you're in the United States, just go with Pherlure, trust me, you'll be thanking me later.
Overview:
This site was estblished to rate, review, and compare the various "Pheromone" products on the internet. I quote the word "pheromone" because not all of the products reviewed actually have pheromones.
Yes, they are marketed as pheromone cologne + sprays, but not all of them are! If you're about to spend $20-$100 on something to help you get more snatch, you want it to work, assuming it arrives in the first place! Play your cards right and you could have a few months supply of "liquid panty remover" at your disposal for the price of a bad date. Purchase the wrong product and you're out of cash and at the same place you were before you tried the pheromones. The fact is that real pheromones do work! The problems is cutting through the hype to find out which ones are real and work, which ones are real and kinda work, and which ones are pure rip-off crap! That is exactly the purpose of this website, as I was in the same position you are in a few months back when I first heard about human sex pheromones. I wish there was a site like this, so I could have cut through the garbage, and just purchased the real deal. All in all, it was worth it, as I now know first hand what WORKS and what DOESN'T, and if you're like me, you would pay any reasonable dollar amount to know what can get you more ass! So anyway, here are my honest reviews:
My Number One Pick:
Pherlure Cologne is the winner, too bad I didn't find it first. First off, it's the only one on the list that uses an exclusive pheromone, Di-Dehydroepiandrosterone, to be university tested by University of Chicago. University of Chicago was actually the first University to find humans respond to pheromones in the 90's. The tests they've done on this brand showed that it works! By far the most effective Pheromone product I've tested, increased smiles, flirting, calls, action... The stuff also smells awsome, I've gotten compliments on just the smell. Highly Recommended.
Runner Up:
Athena Pheromones were the first I bought because I heard them mentioned in a news article as a legitmate pheromone brand. The pheromones did work on their own and with an aftershave, however the steep $99.99 price tag is hard getting over. They also weren't nearly as effective as Pherlure Cologne. The pheromones are REAL, so it is Recommended as an aftershave additive.
Pherx gets 2 stars because it did arrive on time and it does seem to be legitmate Androstenone Pheromone. Unfortunately, Androstenone pheromone doesn't seem to do much. This falls under the "Real Pheromones that kinda work" so it's not really recommended to get laid, and is more of a novelty.
I heard good things about Primal instinct, unfortunately the Over-Priced Crap never arrived at first! No repsonse from the first vendor which is a popular pheromone store. I then bought direct from getprimal.com which arrived on time, unfortunately similar half ass results as Pherx above.
This stuff arrived a few days later than promised, but that would be no problem if it helped me get laid! No luck with Nexus Pheromones, not even close to having any attraction qualities. The stuff smells fine and I had high hopes for this one, but it disapoints and is not recommended.
I saw this Androstenone Pheromone Concentrate everywhere, it smells okay. Unfortunately I found out AFTER purchasing this scam that it contains about .25mg of Androstenone in the whole bottle! Not recommended, even if it did have a high amount of androstenone, it's worthless, but it doesn't, so its even more worthless!
Same scam as above, it smells a little better, but again found out AFTER purchasing it contains a trace amount of Androstenone in the bottle! Not recommended, read above.
Last Words :
As you can see, the differences in the pheromone products on the internet vary GREATLY. It's great to have science do something useful, like helping the average guy get laid! LOL. It sounded ridiculis that these "human sex pheromones" would be the key to getting more puss at first, but think about the guy that's with the HOT Girl you want, chances are he's about as average looking as can be, has a bland personality, isn't rich, and doesn't drive an 'expensive' car, yet he gets to eat that Hot Girl's Muffin whenever he wants. It seems to be a mystery why such a hot girl would want to be with him, but this is actually the norm, not the exception, i'm sure you see it everyday! Well recent science has shown that some guys just naturally produce more pheromones than others. And studies have shown that the pheromones can have a significant effect in "naturally attracting" females.
Seems almost unfair, because guess who that hot girl you crave is going to choose subconciously? It's unfair because you can do everything in your power to get that girl to like you or to just get in her pants, but if some trash ball that's producing more pheromones naturally than you is also trying to get in her pants, she'll be going down on him while you're planning your next "move" on her. That's why I was so interested in pheromones, I'm not a complete sexaholic (yeah right), but I figure I should try and do everything I possibly can to get as much ass as I possibly can.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you feel the same way. That's why I tried all these pheromone products, and since I know which ones worked for me and which ones ripped me off, I figure I should let everyone who visits my site know. It's my way of giving you some good info, getting back at the products that ripped me off, and thanking those that worked for me. As said above, I competely recommend Pherlure Pheromone Cologne, it's potent stuff that works. Athena Pheromones are good too, but they're pricier, don't come with a money-back guarantee like Pherlure, and aren't as effective as Pherlure, but they work to a degree so I can't say I don't recommend them. If you're in the United States, just go with Pherlure, trust me, you'll be thanking me later.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
MOVIES IN THE INTERNET
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Introducing IMDb Synopsis
Synopsis for The Matrix The new IMDb Synopsis (see the help page for the feature here) is part of our collaborative editing feature that allows contributors to directly add/update/edit/delete an in-depth synopsis for movies and TV shows. Different from our Plot Outline, the new Synopsis feature is the place to add a detailed, commentary-free description of the entire plot of a title, including spoilers. You can create a synopsis of your own for your favorite movie or TV show (you'll have to be a registered user) or collaborate on an existing one. For a movie example, take a look at the IMDb Synopsis for The Matrix, a blow-by-blow, start-to-finish account of the sci-fi/action hit. For a TV example, check out the IMDb Synopsis for the "Out of Gas" episode from "Firefly." Visit our FAQ Help page for IMDb Synopsis to find out more, and go out there and create one of your own!
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IMDb Resume Presents Kevin Beard
Resume You don't have to be an actor to take advantage of IMDb Resume -- people from all different aspects of the business are using our services to list their credits and contact information. When you buy a resume and photo subscription, you can add three photos (one headshot, two gallery photos) for your client (or yourself) and create a resume in our resume builder. The IMDb Resume for stunt performer Kevin Beard includes a huge list of both movie and TV credits, including next month's comedy Superbad and the upcoming thriller The Mist. Kevin's photo gallery features two photos, which appear on both his resume photo page and his main name page. Ensure that your client has the best possible presentation on the IMDb and submit your resume and photos today.
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When's That Movie Opening? It's On Now Playing
Now Playing Now that the summer movie season is upon us, frequent our Now Playing calendar for the latest trailers, photos, and buzz for all of the season's releases - and those coming up later this year. It's also the place to dive into our message boards where you can discuss upcoming movies, blockbusters and indie releases both, with other IMDb users. Looking past this summer, one of the biggest upcoming films is November's Bee Movie, the animated comedy featuring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. Check out the photos (inclding Seinfeld in his bee costume at the Cannes Film Festival), the message board, view the trailer, and find all the upcoming releases, summer and fall, in Now Playin
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Introducing IMDb Synopsis
Synopsis for The Matrix The new IMDb Synopsis (see the help page for the feature here) is part of our collaborative editing feature that allows contributors to directly add/update/edit/delete an in-depth synopsis for movies and TV shows. Different from our Plot Outline, the new Synopsis feature is the place to add a detailed, commentary-free description of the entire plot of a title, including spoilers. You can create a synopsis of your own for your favorite movie or TV show (you'll have to be a registered user) or collaborate on an existing one. For a movie example, take a look at the IMDb Synopsis for The Matrix, a blow-by-blow, start-to-finish account of the sci-fi/action hit. For a TV example, check out the IMDb Synopsis for the "Out of Gas" episode from "Firefly." Visit our FAQ Help page for IMDb Synopsis to find out more, and go out there and create one of your own!
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When's That Movie Opening? It's On Now Playing
Now Playing Now that the summer movie season is upon us, frequent our Now Playing calendar for the latest trailers, photos, and buzz for all of the season's releases - and those coming up later this year. It's also the place to dive into our message boards where you can discuss upcoming movies, blockbusters and indie releases both, with other IMDb users. Looking past this summer, one of the biggest upcoming films is November's Bee Movie, the animated comedy featuring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. Check out the photos (inclding Seinfeld in his bee costume at the Cannes Film Festival), the message board, view the trailer, and find all the upcoming releases, summer and fall, in Now Playin
Monday, July 9, 2007
DEA KNEW....
DEA Knew Of Benoit's Excessive Steroid Buys
Killer wrestler bought 10-month anabolic supply every few weeks
JULY 2--Wrestler Chris Benoit was identified by Drug Enforcement Administration agents as an "excessive purchaser of injectable steroids" who, over the past year, was prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids every three to four weeks by a Georgia doctor who was indicted today on federal charges. Benoit, who last week murdered his wife and son before committing suicide, came to the attention of DEA agents probing RX Weight Loss, a Marietta company.
It was during that investigation, which is "currently being prosecuted in the Northern District of Georgia," that narcotics agents discovered the World Wrestling Entertainment performer's steroid purchases, according to a June 29 search warrant affidavit (an excerpt of which you'll find below). The warrant was executed at the home of Phil Astin, Benoit's doctor. In the affidavit, DEA Agent Anissa Jones reports that pharmacy records show that, from May 2006 to May 2007, Astin prescribed Benoit, on average, "a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids...every three to four weeks." Astin, the affidavit notes, has been the "subject of concern for excessive and/or suspicious prescribing activity" by local police and pharmacies.
Astin, 52, was named today in a seven-count indictment charging him with the illegal distribution of substances like Percocet and Xanax between April 2004 and September 2005. A preliminary DEA review of Astin's prodigious prescription writing has revealed that he "authorized approximately one million dosage units of various pharmaceutical controlled substances in the last two years." These scrips included "significant quantities" of an injectable anabolic steroid, reported Jones.
Killer wrestler bought 10-month anabolic supply every few weeks
JULY 2--Wrestler Chris Benoit was identified by Drug Enforcement Administration agents as an "excessive purchaser of injectable steroids" who, over the past year, was prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids every three to four weeks by a Georgia doctor who was indicted today on federal charges. Benoit, who last week murdered his wife and son before committing suicide, came to the attention of DEA agents probing RX Weight Loss, a Marietta company.
It was during that investigation, which is "currently being prosecuted in the Northern District of Georgia," that narcotics agents discovered the World Wrestling Entertainment performer's steroid purchases, according to a June 29 search warrant affidavit (an excerpt of which you'll find below). The warrant was executed at the home of Phil Astin, Benoit's doctor. In the affidavit, DEA Agent Anissa Jones reports that pharmacy records show that, from May 2006 to May 2007, Astin prescribed Benoit, on average, "a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids...every three to four weeks." Astin, the affidavit notes, has been the "subject of concern for excessive and/or suspicious prescribing activity" by local police and pharmacies.
Astin, 52, was named today in a seven-count indictment charging him with the illegal distribution of substances like Percocet and Xanax between April 2004 and September 2005. A preliminary DEA review of Astin's prodigious prescription writing has revealed that he "authorized approximately one million dosage units of various pharmaceutical controlled substances in the last two years." These scrips included "significant quantities" of an injectable anabolic steroid, reported Jones.
WHO ARE YOU......ME?
Adult Star Sued for Using Former Friend’s Real Name
HARRIS, Texas — On June 26, a suit was filed in the Harris County court against adult performer Syvette Wimberly, for misappropriating a former high school friend’s name — the suit also named Vivid Entertainment as a defendant in the case.
Kirsten Syvette Wimberly, 25, claims that a former ninth-grade friend whose real name is Lara Madden, took her stage name from Wimberly, causing “extreme embarrassment and unsubstantiated association with the pornography industry and other consequences” due to “invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
According to court documents, Wimberly recently found out from an acquaintance that there was a woman appearing in adult video productions using her name. Wimberly and Madden had been friends in junior high school, but Wimberly said their relationship ended in conflict and she had lost contact with Madden after Madden left high school.
Court documents stated, “Specifically, defendant Madden deliberately chose to use plaintiff’s name as her ‘stage name’ for her pornographic performance career despite knowing the potential consequences for the plaintiff.”
“Defendant Vivid recklessly chose to accept and highly publicize plaintiff’s name as though it was defendant Madden’s name and without regard to the true person and identity of the name in question,” the document further stated.
Madden, under the name “Syvette Wimberly,” has appeared in several titles for Vivid including “Cuties Who Go All the Way,” “Cum Hither” and “Asses Ripped Apart,” as well as releases from other studios, including Teravision’s “Desperate.”
Attorney Reed Lee of Obenberger and Associates based in Chicago, Ill., told XBIZ, “In regards to Vivid, ‘negligent’ infliction of emotional distress is not actionable. It’s got to be intentional or at the very least reckless.
“There is a good definition of ‘recklessness’ from the Model Penal Code, which says that ‘reckless’ is the intentional disregard of a known risk. That is, negligence occurs when you should have known better. Intent occurs when you did know and you did it anyway. Recklessness is when you actually knew that something might be amiss and you didn’t bother to check it out,” Lee said. “It is very unlikely, absent from specific allegations, that a corporation would know that a model’s chosen nom de porn was taken from a high school enemy, deliberately to hurt the high school enemy.”
In terms of whether or not the real Wimberly has a case against the defendant Madden, Lee said, “I think it goes to show the difficulty of showing that choosing a name in the abstract is actionable by one who happens to share the name chosen.
While it may have bearing on the case that Wimberly and Madden were previously acquainted and apparently ended their association on bad terms, Lee pointed out the plaintiff, in order to have an actionable case, might have to show that Madden deliberately set out to damage Wimberly’s reputation by somehow causing people to believe that it was the plaintiff appearing in adult videos.
In a statement, Vivid said, “it is aware of the lawsuit through the media but has no comment as it has not been served.”
HARRIS, Texas — On June 26, a suit was filed in the Harris County court against adult performer Syvette Wimberly, for misappropriating a former high school friend’s name — the suit also named Vivid Entertainment as a defendant in the case.
Kirsten Syvette Wimberly, 25, claims that a former ninth-grade friend whose real name is Lara Madden, took her stage name from Wimberly, causing “extreme embarrassment and unsubstantiated association with the pornography industry and other consequences” due to “invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
According to court documents, Wimberly recently found out from an acquaintance that there was a woman appearing in adult video productions using her name. Wimberly and Madden had been friends in junior high school, but Wimberly said their relationship ended in conflict and she had lost contact with Madden after Madden left high school.
Court documents stated, “Specifically, defendant Madden deliberately chose to use plaintiff’s name as her ‘stage name’ for her pornographic performance career despite knowing the potential consequences for the plaintiff.”
“Defendant Vivid recklessly chose to accept and highly publicize plaintiff’s name as though it was defendant Madden’s name and without regard to the true person and identity of the name in question,” the document further stated.
Madden, under the name “Syvette Wimberly,” has appeared in several titles for Vivid including “Cuties Who Go All the Way,” “Cum Hither” and “Asses Ripped Apart,” as well as releases from other studios, including Teravision’s “Desperate.”
Attorney Reed Lee of Obenberger and Associates based in Chicago, Ill., told XBIZ, “In regards to Vivid, ‘negligent’ infliction of emotional distress is not actionable. It’s got to be intentional or at the very least reckless.
“There is a good definition of ‘recklessness’ from the Model Penal Code, which says that ‘reckless’ is the intentional disregard of a known risk. That is, negligence occurs when you should have known better. Intent occurs when you did know and you did it anyway. Recklessness is when you actually knew that something might be amiss and you didn’t bother to check it out,” Lee said. “It is very unlikely, absent from specific allegations, that a corporation would know that a model’s chosen nom de porn was taken from a high school enemy, deliberately to hurt the high school enemy.”
In terms of whether or not the real Wimberly has a case against the defendant Madden, Lee said, “I think it goes to show the difficulty of showing that choosing a name in the abstract is actionable by one who happens to share the name chosen.
While it may have bearing on the case that Wimberly and Madden were previously acquainted and apparently ended their association on bad terms, Lee pointed out the plaintiff, in order to have an actionable case, might have to show that Madden deliberately set out to damage Wimberly’s reputation by somehow causing people to believe that it was the plaintiff appearing in adult videos.
In a statement, Vivid said, “it is aware of the lawsuit through the media but has no comment as it has not been served.”
DAN PATRICK IS "OUT"
Dan Patrick Leaves ESPN
Supposedly, he’s leaving. But maybe he isn’t. Everyone we’ve spoken with seems to think the guy would be nuts to leave without a safety net … so perhaps Patrick already has something else lined up. Makes sense, right? Plus, USA Today, which gets handed all kinds of ESPN scoops, had nothing in the paper this morning, so maybe Patrick isn’t leaving after all.
At any rate, the announcement should be coming any moment now, and since we’re not near a radio, take this opportunity to discuss all things Dan Patrick right here.
[Update from a reader who listened to the announcement: “Leaving ESPN august 17th to go out on his own and be a free agent. has been taking ESPN for granted, didnt think it was fair for these great people. ESPN tried to talk him out of it. He has no animosity with ESPN, and neither do they. Hopes to be doing radio somewhere somehow down the line. Off last week because they asked him to reconsider. Last week will be a special week of recaps, and specials.]
Supposedly, he’s leaving. But maybe he isn’t. Everyone we’ve spoken with seems to think the guy would be nuts to leave without a safety net … so perhaps Patrick already has something else lined up. Makes sense, right? Plus, USA Today, which gets handed all kinds of ESPN scoops, had nothing in the paper this morning, so maybe Patrick isn’t leaving after all.
At any rate, the announcement should be coming any moment now, and since we’re not near a radio, take this opportunity to discuss all things Dan Patrick right here.
[Update from a reader who listened to the announcement: “Leaving ESPN august 17th to go out on his own and be a free agent. has been taking ESPN for granted, didnt think it was fair for these great people. ESPN tried to talk him out of it. He has no animosity with ESPN, and neither do they. Hopes to be doing radio somewhere somehow down the line. Off last week because they asked him to reconsider. Last week will be a special week of recaps, and specials.]
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