He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled. Our job would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice.

He assured us that this would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we’d also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons.

Immediately, silence came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking around to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and saw half of the people with dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, “Is this a f****** joke?”

Sacha Baron Cohen's claim to fame is deceiving and mocking individuals and ethnicities for laughs; videotaping interviews where the subject is made to look foolish. He refuses to say how these oftentimes high-profile interviews are arranged. In 2009, Sky News documented that Baron Cohen deceived a Palestinian Christian into an interview and deceived his viewers to believe that the subject was a hostile Muslim terrorist. The man filed a defamation lawsuit. The 'Anti-Defamation' League of B'nai B'rith was nowhere to be found, however. There's a reason for that.*

AMC Entertainment, which owns the second-largest movie theater chain in North America, is in talks to sell the company or a significant stake in it to the Wanda Group, one of China’s largest theater owners, according to people briefed on the discussions.

Hollywood and the federal government have partnered to create updated and even more annoying anti-piracy warnings that will be included in new home-release DVDs and Blu-ray discs beginning this week, the government said Tuesday.

The new warnings now have three scary logos intended to deter those who might violate copyright law by making a back-up copy, ripping a movie to a tablet-friendly file, uploading it to a peer-to-peer network or make illegal copies to send to military service members in Iraq.

Like Rasputin or Robin Swallows, Mel Gibson’s film career just won’t die. One minute, he’s (again) being called “a serial offender, a serial hater, and a serial bigot” by the Anti-Defamation League; the next, it’s reported that he’s in serious talks to appear in an upcoming Robert Rodriguez movie.

Calls for the boycott of Israel’s cultural ambassadors just won’t go away. Now London’s Globe Theatre is being criticised for its invitation to Israel’s Habima Theatre, the latter having performed in Israel’s illegal settlements. Prominent arts figures such as Mike Leigh, Emma Thompson, Jonathan Miller, and Mark Rylance, the Globe’s founding artistic director, have publicly called for the theatre to cancel Habima’s appearance. Meanwhile Günter Grass, author of the classic anti-Nazi novel The Tin Drum, created a storm with his poem Was gesagt werden muss (What must be said), which seeks to free Germans from the ancestral guilt that Israel exploits to secure their obedience.

It’s a sign of the times: Hollywood heart-throbs, pop divas and TV chat show celebrities are turning on the mood music for America’s never-ending global war.

In a world of lawlessness, state terrorism, rank mendacity and war criminals masquerading as government leaders, what better than to engage the glamor of reassuring celebrities to add a certain “star appeal” to otherwise barbaric endeavours?

George Clooney, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey are just some of the big names lending their faces and voices to a script worthy of Hollywood – only the script is coming out of the Pentagon.

The “humanitarian hawks of Hollywood” are at it again and this time their target is Syria. First it was CFR member, daughter of Nakba denier Jon Voight and Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Angelina Jolie declaring “some sort of intervention is absolutely necessary” because “we just must stop the civilians being slaughtered”, then it was UK best-selling singing sensation Joss Stone stating with vigor that “these stories have to be told” because if not, the “massacres will just get worse” (1), and now it is movie megastar Natalie Portman ranting about “President Bashar al-Assad’s ongoing brutal attack on the citizens of his own country” and posting a picture on Facebook with a note that says, “Unite For Syria.

An expert on white collar crime says the entertainment industry's efforts to label illegal downloading as theft are not being taken seriously.

In a landmark ruling on Friday, the High Court refused to punish Australian internet provider iiNet for illegal downloads made by its customers.

A damaging blow has been dealt to the giants of the film industry in the High Court today after it decided to dismiss their copyright infringement appeal case against internet service provider (ISP) iiNet in a landmark ruling.

The High Court's five judges unanimously dismissed the appeal. In a summary the court observed that iiNet "had no direct technical power" to prevent its customers from illegally downloading pirated content using BitTorrent, a popular protocol used to share files online.

You'd see the most attractive hookers in the world, walking down the street in LA and if you walked up Santa Monica Blvd at night, you'd see a whole lot of Brad Pitt and Ryan Phillippe clones hanging in the alcove entryways of shops closed for the night. We all seem to have to walk on eggs these days because you can't swing a dead cat in an orphanage anymore without offending someone. That's all been brought about by these people. You'll find this link to be the most comprehensive and extensive of its kind anywhere up until this moment. It really shows you how far its gotten, along with references to things past.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has called on Hollywood to drop plans for a Mel Gibson film about the legendary Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee after the actor and film-maker was accused of making antisemitic remarks by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas.

Echoing Hollywood’s arguments against the VCR before the Supreme Court, broadcasters claim Aereo will doom them and are asking a federal judge to ban the service.

“Unless restrained by this court, Aereo’s unlawful conduct causes plaintiffs to lose control over the dissemination of their copyrighted programming, disrupts their relationships with licensed distributors and viewers and usurps their right to decide how and on what terms to make available and license content over new internet distribution media. That constitutes irreparable harm and Aereo’s service should be enjoined,” Bruce Keller, their lawyer, wrote the federal judge presiding over the litigation.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognizable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash's baritone or Hank Williams' heartbreak.

In a first ever musical collaboration between South Africa and Palestine, South African band, The Mavrix, and Palestinian Oud player, Mohammed Omar, have released a music video called “The New Black”. The song is taken from The Mavrix’ upcoming album,”Pura Vida”, due for release in June 2012.

Written and composed by Jeremy Karodia and Ayub Mayet, the song was a musical reaction to the horror of the Gaza Massacre of 2008/2009 and then subsequently inspired by the book “Mornings in Jenin”, authored by Susan Abulhawa. Mayet had penned the first lyrics in 2009 after the Massacre and the song went into musical hibernation. Having read the novel, “Mornings in Jenin”, he then re-wrote the lyrics and the song evolved into its current version.

The Administration has tried to put a stop to Bridges’ act because Obama has made it known that he is deeply offended.

You Tube Text :” It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Steve Bridges. His passing comes as a shock to all of us. The cause of death is not known at this time, but we will publish more information on his website (http://stevebridges.com) as it becomes available. Steve brought joy and laughter to millions and was a great inspiration to all who knew him. He will be sadly missed. Our prayers go to his family at this time”

As we’ve previously noted:

Hollywood is making the most money from the technologies it claimed would kill its profits

Hollywood is itself one of the biggest intellectual property infringers

Hollywood apparently encouraged people to use file-sharing software for pirating copyrighted material

The following graphic by Paralegal.net summarizes many of these concepts.

There should exist a very powerful watchdog group honestly and fearlessly blowing the whistle when Christianity is defamed by Jewish big media, unafraid to identify its perpetrators as Jewish. The Anti-Defamation League does this for the benefit of Jews. Whenever a politician or Christian leader comments unfavorably concerning Jews or Israel, ADL demands an apology and virtually always gets it. The alternative is political or professional ruin.

But ADL is silent regarding the defamation of Christianity. Good Christian Bitches is a television sitcom to air on Jewish Disney/ABC March 4, based on a book of the same title. Due to protest, its title has been shortened to “GCB” in American markets. No one is fooled. The show portrays Christian women as petty, gossipy and vindictive.

There's a reason I don't have guidelines to go off for this film like I would for a musical or a buddy-cop movie. It's because we haven't made any movies like this for a very long time, and I'm not quite sure why we needed to start now. This is a film that basically exists to tell you that the only reason you aren't being murdered right now while you read this is because of a Navy SEAL somewhere in the world. Maybe that's true, I don't know. But it's a little unfair to spend a whole movie telling us that and then end it with a poem telling us to live our lives without fear.

The comments yesterday of Israelis who saw A Separation and told an AP reporter they were surprised that Iranians had fridges and washing machines were saddening, and revealing. But hardly surprising when you think about how Iran and Iranians are generally characterised in Western discourse. Our mental images of the country involve fearsome black-clad women or angry men chanting "Death to America". Words like "mullahs" (you barely need the prefix "mad" any more), "hardliners" and "threat" are usually linked in the same sentence. A news report about Iran not containing the words "nuclear ambitions", "nuclear scientists" and "terror" seems unimaginable.

Iran trumpeted the Islamic Republic's first foreign film Oscar win Monday as a triumph over archfoe Israel -- even as audiences in Israel packed theaters to watch the movie that beat their country's entry at the Academy Awards.

At the time of the tweet, an episode of 'Oprah's Next Chapter' was airing, featuring Ms Winfrey visiting the home of a Hasidic Jewish family that had never watched television.

What is happening now, however, is more than a revival or renewal of past ties. Hollywood and Israel have become enmeshed in a relationship that is not about a religious awakening or even fervent Zionism — it is a practical business relationship of investment and trade. Hollywood, it could be said, is leading the anti-boycott movement, valuing Israel for its creative resources and paying handsomely for them.

The two most important Jewish creations of the 20th century were Hollywood and Israel. They are both the products of a primal Jewish impulse: the need to escape. To paraphrase my editor Rob Eshman, Jews created Israel to escape the world, they created Hollywood so the world could escape reality.

Houston had drug and alcohol problems for years, and last May her spokeswoman said she was going back into rehab. The Times reported that days before her death, she had been acting strangely, skipping around a ballroom and reportedly doing handstands near the hotel pool. According to The Times' Gerrick D. Kennedy, Houston greeted people with a warm smile but appeared disheveled in mismatched clothes and hair that was dripping wet.

Police said at this stage of the probe, they do not have evidence that drugs played a role in Houston's death.

Dear Hollywood,

You don’t need us to tell you that your position on anti-"piracy" laws has been unpopular recently. Last month’s historic protests, with millions of Americans registering their opposition, have made that point pretty clear. Instead, we’re writing today to tell you that the Internet can be great for creators and their community, but your own leadership refuses to recognize and take advantage of its promise. It seems they’d rather spend your membership dues on lawyers, lobbyists and astroturf than innovation. We suspect many of you are realizing this, especially when you see how successful new business models can be.

Just John points us to a recent Reddit thread, in which a rather basic suggestion is made for how Hollywood could do a much better job killing movie piracy: by offering something better.

Madonna came on and it was so bad, so excessive, so egotistically off the charts that I couldn't watch. I saw a minute of it here and there with the sound off. I heard enough of the sound to be able to determine that I should shut it off. I'm assuming it's on youtube already.

It was refreshing to see a review on an American Jewish Website of a new film against the occupation. Even more refreshing was reading opinions taken in that review that for sure would not be popular in Israel.

For his next 'big film', the director is to helm a gritty reimagining of the story of Moses as a warrior hero in the style of Braveheart

With increasing lobbying efforts from the entertainment industry against BitTorrent sites and users, we wondered whether these companies hold themselves to the same standards they demand of others. After some initial skimming we’ve discovered BitTorrent pirates at nearly every major entertainment industry company in the US, including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fox Entertainment and NBC Universal. Busted.

Here is a list of Congressional politicians in favor of the bill known as SOPA and PIPA and the amounts of money they received from the SOPA backers who bought their favor in voting yes for both bills.

The corruption between “business” and Washington DC has always been present but this particular display is especially brazen, coming from a lobbyist and spokesperson who’s last gig was screwing the American public when the banks ripped everyone off and then went and begged DC for a bailout.

To Doddering Dodd and the MPAA: That sound you hear is my wallet snapping shut.

A Tuskegee airman who shot down two German fighter planes while escorting a damaged bomber to its base now lies in Arlington National Cemetery after a burial with special honors.

On the same day that retired Air Force Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. took his resting place among other war and military heroes, his real-life story as a World War II aviator played out on movie screens across the country.

George Lucas is retiring from making blockbusters after complaining that Hollywood refused to fund his latest movie because it has a black cast.

The Movie Industry Has Been Screaming for Almost 100 Years that New Technologies Would Kill Profits … And Yet Most of Its Income Comes From the EXACT TECHNOLOGIES It Whined About

The arcane processes by which films qualify for Oscar consideration took a bizarre twist today when it was revealed that, as of next year, documentaries will need to have been reviewed in the New York Times or Los Angeles Times to qualify.

The legend of Woody Guthrie continues with the poetry and song of Joseph Bruchak. Joe is a poet and author by profession, specialising in Native American stories. He has written many children’s books dealing with Native American lore.
*
Yesterday, the following was reported in the New York Times regarding long overdue honours rewarded to Woody;

I don’t need replies or comments or anything. I need to feel the good that I did and whatever good I have ever done for you is enough for me. May you all have the happy lives you deserve. Thank you all for being in my life.

Love,

Joe

And one more thing, as this album has the song “Rose Clouds of Holocaust” on it, we strongly recommend that customers in Germany not order this CD, as it may be seized by Customs.

He couldn't have cared less and told me that if we stood behind a tent, that would be fine. He walked away completely frustrated and yelled at a local assistant: "I am doing YOUR job! You wanna come back here again? Do your job!" I felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault a group of vets actually came back for a real reason to this cemetery. Having been around a few movie sets, I knew this was how they were especially if the scene was behind schedule, etc.

This is what she supports …. THIS is how.

Revelations of this sort come as no surprise to former child star Corey Feldman.

Feldman, 40, himself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, unflinchingly warned of the world of pedophiles who are drawn to the entertainment industry last August. "I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia,” Feldman told ABC’s Nightline. “That's the biggest problem for children in this industry... It's the big secret.”

A Grammy-winning musician who’s composed for the likes of Walt Disney and the childrens’ television show “Sesame Street” pleaded not guilty on Monday to child pornography charges he’s facing in South Carolina.

Quoting court records, the paper said that Rivas was caught with images of a a little girl, 4, naked and restrained in handcuffs “and other bondage type devices.”

At the time, L.A. County Coroner Thomas T. Noguchi ruled the death an accident, saying that Wood had slipped while trying to enter a dinghy and drowned. Bruises on Wood's left cheek were consistent with her having fallen and striking the yacht as she went into the water, he said at a news conference days after her death.

"It was not a homicide. It was not a suicide. It was an accident," Noguchi said.

Last night, the actors held a press conference at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv in which they detailed their itinerary, which includes visits to Sderot and Ramallah, a tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and a visit to an absorption center for Ethiopian immigrants. Actress Patricia Arquette ("Medium" ) said the goal of the trip was to learn about the "nuances" of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Actor Richard Schiff ("The West Wing" ) added that when they return to the United States, they plan to share what they have learned with their friends and others.

Police in the US have reopened an inquiry into the death of film star Natalie Wood, who drowned in 1981.

Los Angeles police said they had received new information relating to the case, but have not given details.

Wood was found dead during a boat trip off the coast of California and her death was ruled to have been an accident at the time. She was 43.

For those of us that have been around for what seems forever, the Occupation at Wall Street Movement is like a transfusion of hope for a bright future.

My cousin Bud, our roving photographer, is too young to remember these guys… Crosby and Nash, but they are part of the group that’s been around forever with the likes of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and so many others that were and still are a part of the People’s Movements then and now.

Curiously, it’s OK for science fiction writers to create Jewish-type races on other planets. One reason science fiction writers have gotten away with this is that the ADL would look ridiculous if they complained that a certain mythical alien race seemed “too Jewish”. For example, let’s say the Ferengi are unethical, repulsive, prone to cheating and theft and completely money-obsessed. If the ADL steps forward and whines about how “Jewish” the Ferengi are, the ADL would be admitting that Jews are unethical, repulsive, prone to cheating and theft and completely money-obsessed.

This is a very strange dichotomy that “Space Jews” can be described in great detail, but any suggestion that a race of money-obsessed people have evolved on this planet is completely banned from polite society.