Archive for November 3rd, 2008
Barack Obama’s Grandmother Dies of Cancer at 86
Barack Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died of cancer at the age of 86 — one day before the historic U.S. election that could see her grandson become the first African-American President of the United States.
Obama learned of her death Monday morning while he was campaigning in Jacksonville, Florida.
He plans to go ahead with campaign appearances.
More news as this story develops. For live updates, please check out NowPublic’s Barack Obama Scan.
Barack Obama’s grandmother just passed away.
Sad news: Barack Obama’s grandmother has passed. Our thoughts and prayers should be with he & his family.
Dunham died of cancer at the age of 86.
Barack Obama’s trailblazing effort to become the nation’s first black president has a family precedent.
Madelyn Dunham, Obama’s grandmother, blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii banking circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s and rose to become one of the Bank of Hawaii’s first female vice presidents.
The Associated Press is reporting that Barack Obama’s grandmother has died:
“The Democratic presidential candidate announced the news in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng. He said his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, had died peacefully after a battle with cancer.”
The following statement has been released by Sen. Obama’s sister Maya Soetoro-Ng:
Here’s a statement from Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng:
“It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.
“Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.”
Obama’s Republican rival John McCain and his wife Cindy released a statement offering their sympathies:
“We offer our deepest condolences to Barack Obama and his family as they grieve the loss of their beloved grandmother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they remember and celebrate the life of someone who had such a profound impact in their lives.”
As NowPublic previously reported, Obama took a break from campaigning late last month to travel to Hawaii to be with Dunham, who helped raise him.
Oct. 20, 2008 – Senator Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her. He will be returning the the campaign trail on Saturday.”
Our condolences to his family.
Tags: Politics | Barack Obama | World | GRANDMOTHER | US Election | obama grandmother | Madelyn Dunham | obama grandmother dies | obama grandma | barack obama grandma dies | passes away | barack grandmother dies
Ice School Musical: Skating With Some Disney Stars
Disney’s ultramega massive hit High School Musical is puttin’ on the skates and headin’ for the ice rink, for what has got to be the most inanely introduced Zambonified production I’ve ever encountered: High School Musical: The Ice Tour.
And how’s this for completely over-selling your already sickeningly saccharine spectacle?
The hottest show on ice gets even hotter as High School Musical: The Ice Tour introduces a high-energy High School Musical 3: Senior Year Special Bonus Experience, exclusive to Ice Tour ticketholders.
A “Special Bonus Experience” you say? Sounds positively….”special”!
Tags: Culture | Disney | United States | Tour | High School Musical | high school musical ice tour
Ice Cube to Make TV Comedy
Rapper (turned family film star) Ice Cube is headed for the small screen.
The former N.W.A. member is planning to write and produce a comedy show for NBC that is expected to debut on U.S. television in 2009.
As much as I’d like to support Ice Cube in his latest venture, I just can’t forget some of his more recent “comedic” choices. If that’s anything to go on, this could be an unfunny, if family-friendly, recipe for disaster.
Ice Cube is gearing up to write and produce a forthcoming US television comedy show.
The rap star will mastermind the buddy cop comedy for television network NBC. Although he is not slated to star in the show, it is expected that he will make some guest appearances on the programme, and perhaps even write the opening credits theme song, reports Variety.
Tags: Culture | TV | Los Angeles | television | comedy | NBC | nwa | Ice Cube | ice cube tv | are we there yet
Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Bruno’ Crashes Same-Sex Marriage Rally
Bruno supports Proposition 8?
Sacha Baron Cohen’s “flaboyantly gay fashion reporter” character, Bruno, turned up in Los Angeles on Sunday to support a ban on same-sex marriage in California.
Cohen’s “Bruno” movie is still in the works, so we’ll have to see if this bit of pro-Prop 8 irony makes its way into the finished film.
Taking a lighter approach to a heavy topic, Sacha Baron Cohen went undercover Sunday as his alter ego Bruno – a flamboyantly gay fashion reporter from Austria – at a rally outside Los Angeles’s City Hall.
At issue: ballot measure Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California. The British comedian, as Bruno (in a blond wig and preppy outfit), effusively showed his support for the measure, the Associated Press reports.
Once photographers and reporters recognized the true identity of Bruno and attempted to descend upon him, Cohen’s own camera crew worked to shield him. Eventually, he was escorted away inside a van.
Tags: California | Culture | Fashion | Movies | hollywood | Los Angeles | Celebrity | Same Sex Marriage | austria | bruno | Sacha Baron Cohen | Prop 8 | Proposition 8
MySpace and MTV Bring Ads to Piracy
Why go after the pirates directly when you can advertise on their copyright infringements?
Instead of asking users to take down copyrighted content that’s been posted to MySpace, MTV is proposing to overlay ads on their posts.
Smart idea, really. Leave the pirated material up — but turn it into revenue-generating advertising.
And that kind of takes the anti-corporate punch out of posting pirated material, doesn’t it?
MTV and MySpace believe they have found a novel way of making money from piracy, and will test out a new advert-serving mechanism this month.
Instead of being served with take-down notices when MySpace users post up MTV copyrighted content, they will instead be served adverts that earn the station money.
This is apparently possible due to video-fingerprinting and ad-serving technology from a company called Audite.
The ads served through Audite will be a ’semi-transparent’ overlay over the lower third of the video player, although the final look and feel is apparently still part of the trial.
Tags: Culture | MTV | Advertising | copyright | ads | piracy | MySpace | Tech & Biz
Joaquin Phoenix Says “Good Bye” to Making Movies
After rumours started flying last week about Joaquin Phoenix’s plans to quit acting, Phoenix confirmed his decision this weekend when he attended the premiere of his latest film “Two Lovers” — with the words “Good Bye” written on his knuckles.
Is Phoenix’s 1-2 punch for real? Will his latest film truly be his last?
If not, he’s done an excellent job of pulling the wool over Hollywood’s eyes. And when the dust has settled and his music career has gone quiet, he’s sure to find a way to convince Hollywood that his “retirement” was all part of the original plan.
And, based on his talent, we’ll probably believe him then, too.
The words “Good Bye” were penned on the actor’s knuckles at a premiere Saturday night for his latest film, “Two Lovers,” and Phoenix confirmed a surprise announcement he made last week: He’s giving up movies.
“I think it’s just moving on. It’s rediscovering something else,” said Phoenix, 34, said in an interview with Associated Press Television News before Saturday’s American Film Institute festival, which also premiered “Che,” starring Benicio Del Toro.
“Two Lovers” is his last film, he said. His publicist had disclosed Friday that the actor intended to focus on music.
But in order to make a clean break from Hollywood, apparently Phoenix needs to sell his house first.
Joaquin Phoenix has underlined his pledge to turn his back on Hollywood, he has reportedly put his Californian home up for sale.
The actor announced earlier this week that he would quit movies to concentrate on his music career.
And he has shown he is serious about the move – his mansion in the Hollywood Hills is said to be on the market.
The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home, complete with swimming pool and hot-tub, is on sale for almost $4m (€3.1m), according to TMZ.com.
Tags: Culture | hollywood | Celebrity | joaquin phoenix | Joaquin Phoenix quits acting | phoenix quits movies
Bond Film ‘Quantum’ Breaks British Box Office Record
Quantum of Solace opened in the UK on Friday and earned a record-breaking $25 million at the box office in its opening weekend.
The film is expected to outpace the huge success of the previous Daniel Craig-starring James Bond film, “Casino Royale”.
Quantum of Solace will be released in the United States on November 14.
The new James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” enjoyed a record opening weekend in Britain, earning 15.4 million pounds ($25 million) at the box office, Hollywood studio Sony Pictures Entertainment said on Monday.
The amount eclipses the previous record of 14.9 million held by “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” released in 2005, Sony added in a statement. It also passes the total set by the previous Bond installment, “Casino Royale,” which earned 11.4 million pounds in ticket sales over its three-day weekend opening in 2006.
Tags: Britain | Culture | Movies | hollywood | United States | UK | BOND | James Bond | Box Office | 007 | casino royale | daniel craig | quantum of solace
Jennifer Hudson’s Private Family Funeral
A day after a public memorial was held in Chicago for Jennifer Hudson’s slain family members, the Hudson family are gathering at the Apostolic Church of God for a private funeral service on Monday.
For more news on this story, please see NowPublic’s Jennifer Hudson feature channel.
Mourners are arriving at a church on Chicago’s South Side to attend the private funeral service for singer-actress Jennifer Hudson’s slain mother, brother and nephew.
The services for 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, 29-year-old Jason Hudson and 7-year-old Julian King follow a public memorial Sunday.
Police directed traffic Monday morning around the Apostolic Church of God as hearses and limousines arrived. Spectators were kept across the street and away from attendees.
Tags: Culture | Chicago | funeral | PRIVATE | Jennifer Hudson | private memorial | apostolic church of god | jennifer hudson family funeral | hudson family
