It's not The Hills... THE CANYONS is a contemporary L.A. noir from director Paul Schrader, writer Bret Easton Ellis, and producer Braxton Pope about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20's and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, cruel mind games and ultimately violence.
* As I suspected and have written about it, the nude scenes were shot in dark hues particularly red to protect LiLo's modesty. Only titty show for Ms.Lohan. The bad fucking news (and yet to be released) is that Schrader and pretentious blowhard Ellis are apparently aiming for "R" type of certification. That means in script filled with lengthy tedious dialogues and jarring violence at the end, the sex/nudity segment could be severely limited. Unrated release is still a high possibility but maybe for VOD or later DVD. Tenille Houston should and will be the big draw in way of nudity.
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Kelly Marcel To Write ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ For Universal And Focus
EXCLUSIVE: In a competition that was almost as heated as the subject matter, Kelly Marcel has been chosen by Universal Pictures and Focus Features to write the script for Fifty Shades Of Grey, the E.L. James publishing phenomenon that has sold 32 million books in the U.S. alone. James had a major say in determining who got to write the script, and she made the choice along with Universal co-chairman Donna Langley (who won one of the most heated book rights auctions in recent memory); the Focus Features production team; and the film’s producers, Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti.Marcel got the job off of her script Saving Mr. Banks, the story of Walt Disney’s long courtship of author P.L. Travers’ novel Mary Poppins. That script is being turned into a big movie at Disney, with John Lee Hancock directing, Tom Hanks playing Disney and Emma Thompson playing Travers. Marcel is repped by WME and Casarotto Ramsay and Associates.
* Both E.L. James and Kelly are English. The latter hired with James supervising in providing inputs to which scenes from the book is required and the ones to be excised from the final draft. Kelly will be responsible in sanitizing the material within the R-rating parameters. Steven Spielberg thinks highly of Kelly and Tera Nova was the result. Next step for the producers is hiring the director and DOP. Casting auditions will follow soon after.
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One in the Oven
Artist and ‘Girls’ Star Jemima Kirke Bares Her Belly and Chats with Us About Being a Grown-Up
By Annette Lamothe-Ramos; Photos by Richard Kern
Growing up in New York City, I knew about Jemima Kirke long before we ever met. We both went to art-centric private schools in Manhattan, and Jemima was a myth you heard about during Monday-morning homeroom. Her dad was a rock drummer, and her mom owned a vintage boutique that supplied dresses to Sex and the City, so it was ridiculously unfair that Jemima was also stunningly gorgeous. Normally, this breed of legendary cool chick meets some tragic fate after graduation, or moves away and is never heard from again until she appears in a Japanese perfume ad under a different name.
Somehow, Jemima has avoided both fates, and she’s being talked about now more than ever, mostly because of her role as a fun-loving party gal on HBO’s Girls, which revolves around the stories of four young women who keep trying and failing at relationships, work, and life (it also makes dorks on the internet very angry for some reason). In real life, Jemima is a wife, the mother of a young daughter (with another baby on the way, obviously), and a visual artist, so when Richard Kern and I drove out to her family home in East Hampton to photograph her (at eight months pregnant), I was curious as to whether she had been wholly domesticated by this point. I also wanted to see if she’s still pretty. She is, and she’s got her shit together so much that it’s somewhat upsetting.
Jemima Kirke: Wait, what happened at the afterparty? Now I want to know. Do you remember?
Well, I can tell you and it can be off the record if you want...
No, it’s fine.
No, it’s fine.
We were at Black and White, the bar, and obviously neither of us was old enough to be there. We were introduced by a mutual friend, hit it off, and then you asked me to go into the bathroom with you.
Oh yeah! I do remember that, and that you seemed somewhat impressionable at the time. So I thought, “I could probably get this girl to do drugs with me.” But I don’t think there was anyone else at the bar…
Oh yeah! I do remember that, and that you seemed somewhat impressionable at the time. So I thought, “I could probably get this girl to do drugs with me.” But I don’t think there was anyone else at the bar…
You offered me bumps off your keys while you were peeing on the toilet. And I recall thinking, Who the hell is this girl? Then when I saw the show and watched you doing the same thing, minus the drugs, it brought it all back.
The character I play is not so far from me. I mean, fundamentally she is, and some of her behavior might have been taken from things I’ve done, but—
The character I play is not so far from me. I mean, fundamentally she is, and some of her behavior might have been taken from things I’ve done, but—
I think that way of life stopped working for me really quickly. Some people know how to balance things, at least enough to be able to continue messing around, but I didn’t. I was very all-or-nothing about it, and you burn out really quickly if you keep going that way. It really fucked me.
How did you get into acting?
My friend Lena [Dunham] asked me to be in a movie that she was making with her parents’ money called Tiny Furniture. She didn’t have enough to pay anyone, and I guess it was slim pickings, so she asked me to be part of it and it was a success. Afterward she was offered the TV show and invited me to work on it. I never thought it’d go as far as it has.
My friend Lena [Dunham] asked me to be in a movie that she was making with her parents’ money called Tiny Furniture. She didn’t have enough to pay anyone, and I guess it was slim pickings, so she asked me to be part of it and it was a success. Afterward she was offered the TV show and invited me to work on it. I never thought it’d go as far as it has.
How has this sudden fame changed your life?
One of the best parts is that I can sufficiently support my kids. At my age that’s pretty hard to do without struggling or taking money from my parents, and I don’t have to do either. But it has taken a lot of time and energy away from my work as an artist.
One of the best parts is that I can sufficiently support my kids. At my age that’s pretty hard to do without struggling or taking money from my parents, and I don’t have to do either. But it has taken a lot of time and energy away from my work as an artist.
Would a career in art be preferable to what you’re doing now?
Acting is secondary—I don’t feel like it’s going to stick around because it’s not something I want to do forever. My art has always been my top priority and I have far more experience in that field than I do in film. It’s hard to explain without sounding like a dick. I’m not that person. I’m really grateful for such enjoyable work, I just don’t feel as though I have any clout as an actor. I haven’t earned it, and I don’t intend to.
Acting is secondary—I don’t feel like it’s going to stick around because it’s not something I want to do forever. My art has always been my top priority and I have far more experience in that field than I do in film. It’s hard to explain without sounding like a dick. I’m not that person. I’m really grateful for such enjoyable work, I just don’t feel as though I have any clout as an actor. I haven’t earned it, and I don’t intend to.
How did you and your husband, Mike, meet?
Really short story, actually: We met in a doctor’s office. I had bronchitis, and I don’t remember what he was there for, but I liked him and gave him my number. We’ve been together for four years and married for three of them.
Really short story, actually: We met in a doctor’s office. I had bronchitis, and I don’t remember what he was there for, but I liked him and gave him my number. We’ve been together for four years and married for three of them.
What kind of dating advice will you give your children when they grow up?
If I have a boy, I’ll probably just tell him to be nice to women. Being humble and sweet is the hardest thing you can do. Stay confident and don’t act desperate, because I guarantee whomever you’re into actually sucks way more than you think they do. There is always something they’re not telling you that will bring them down a notch in your eyes.
If I have a boy, I’ll probably just tell him to be nice to women. Being humble and sweet is the hardest thing you can do. Stay confident and don’t act desperate, because I guarantee whomever you’re into actually sucks way more than you think they do. There is always something they’re not telling you that will bring them down a notch in your eyes.
What about for your daughter? Lock her up and not let her out?
I would love for her to date guys. I guess I’d just let her do her own thing and hopefully she’d feel comfortable enough to talk to me so I can offer advice.
I would love for her to date guys. I guess I’d just let her do her own thing and hopefully she’d feel comfortable enough to talk to me so I can offer advice.
What’s your take on the theory that girls secretly love to date assholes?
I think it’s a phase and something you grow out of. That kind of game gets really old, hopefully sooner rather than later. I loved that when I was younger, but my husband is the perfect example of what I think is hot now. He’s the kindest, most humble man in the world but still has that bad-boy glint in his eyes. He could be an asshole if he wanted to, but he isn’t—he knows how to treat the woman he loves.
I think it’s a phase and something you grow out of. That kind of game gets really old, hopefully sooner rather than later. I loved that when I was younger, but my husband is the perfect example of what I think is hot now. He’s the kindest, most humble man in the world but still has that bad-boy glint in his eyes. He could be an asshole if he wanted to, but he isn’t—he knows how to treat the woman he loves.
How would you feel if you had a son and he turned out like Adam, Hannah’s boyfriend on the show? Or if your daughter began dating a guy like him? He doesn’t seem that bad once you get to know him, but he’s a fucking mess.
If my son turned out like that I’d actually be proud! He’s a smart and intuitive guy once you get to know him, but he’s really dark and that can be incredibly seductive and potent. I’d be worried if my daughter ended up with someone like that and would hope she was in a good place prior to getting involved, because that type of darkness can destroy a person.
If my son turned out like that I’d actually be proud! He’s a smart and intuitive guy once you get to know him, but he’s really dark and that can be incredibly seductive and potent. I’d be worried if my daughter ended up with someone like that and would hope she was in a good place prior to getting involved, because that type of darkness can destroy a person.
Sounds like you’re going to be a really understanding mom.
I’ll probably be freaking out on the inside, but I’d like my kids to feel like capable and independent human beings. I’m here for guidance or if they need me; I’m not going to tell them who they should be.
I’ll probably be freaking out on the inside, but I’d like my kids to feel like capable and independent human beings. I’m here for guidance or if they need me; I’m not going to tell them who they should be.
Are you planning on raising both of your kids in the city?
For now, yes, definitely, I think New York is a great place to grow up.
For now, yes, definitely, I think New York is a great place to grow up.
Do you feel that living in such an abrasive place has shaped you in any way?
People tend to say that living here you grow up too quickly, but I don’t necessarily agree. It just depends on the person. If someone is going to gravitate toward bad things in the city they’re also just as likely to do the same in the suburbs to a certain degree.
People tend to say that living here you grow up too quickly, but I don’t necessarily agree. It just depends on the person. If someone is going to gravitate toward bad things in the city they’re also just as likely to do the same in the suburbs to a certain degree.
It definitely seems to have worked out for you.
Yes! I promise I still would have been a disaster in the suburbs, too. In the city I had access to bars, parties, and drugs, but even if I lived on the outskirts I probably would’ve been cutting up pills in my bedroom.
Yes! I promise I still would have been a disaster in the suburbs, too. In the city I had access to bars, parties, and drugs, but even if I lived on the outskirts I probably would’ve been cutting up pills in my bedroom.
It was just your path.
Yeah, that was just me. I don’t think location would have mattered. I wasn’t pissed at my parents, and I wasn’t a brat, so I don’t feel the city really changed me in that way. [pause] Oh, Lindsay [Lohan] strikes again! I’m reading the Post and she fucking hit a pedestrian again with her SUV.
Yeah, that was just me. I don’t think location would have mattered. I wasn’t pissed at my parents, and I wasn’t a brat, so I don’t feel the city really changed me in that way. [pause] Oh, Lindsay [Lohan] strikes again! I’m reading the Post and she fucking hit a pedestrian again with her SUV.
Are you serious?
It was at 2:30 AM, too. That’s not a good look.
It was at 2:30 AM, too. That’s not a good look.
No, she definitely hasn’t, and I don’t think she ever will.
Graham Norton: 'TV needs more nudity'
Graham Norton thinks modern TV shows are too "goody goody" and believes more nudity is needed. Graham Norton thinks there is not enough nudity on TV.
The outspoken comedian believes television shows such as 'Queer as Folk' - which depicted graphic sex scenes - could not be made now as very few shows are as controversial as they used to be.
He said: "The big drama hits now are so goody goody. You would never see a nipple on 'Downton Abbey'.
"And you'd have thought that by now in 'EastEnders' there could be nudity. But that's not the case. If you think back to some of the shows we watched growing up like 'I, Claudius' that would never be shown now. I wonder, would 'Queer as Folk' happen now?"
Graham - who rose to fame on Channel 4 before moving to the BBC, where is now one of their highest paid stars - believes the "climate" in TV is now different, causing people to be more conservative.
According to the Daily Star newspaper, he said: "The climate has changed. There are things we can't say and do on TV or radio that 10 years ago we absolutely could have said or shown. We'd show a picture that might've had a penis in it and we can't show that now."
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Son Disgusted to Find Father’s Porno Collection, Buys Him Some Decent Stuff to Replace It
Father-son-relations don’t get much tighter than this.
Over on a Taiwanese internet bulletin board, a young man’s tale of discovering his father’s porn stash has drawn hundreds of comments after he alleged that he was so blown away by the terrible quality of the material that he ran out and bought something better to gift to his old man.
The very thought of making such a discovery is likely to send a shiver down most people’s spine, and few would find themeselves even able to look dad in the eye for a few days having discovered his box of filth, but this dutiful young man maintains that his tale is 100% true…
The story, as originally told on the message board, goes a little something like this…
It was about eight years ago that this happened, when I was just 19. I found the offending material in a cookie tin left near the family computer. Opening up the tin, I found literally dozens of porno DVDs. Since they weren’t mine, and the only other man in the house was my dad, I knew that they had to have been his.Naturally, Taiwanese netizens had plenty to say in response to this anonymous poster’s tale of filial dedication.
Inquisitive young man as I was, I popped a few into the computer and watched a handful of scenes. While the DVD cases and the images on the covers were of a pretty decent quality, the movies themselves were an altogether different story- these were some seriously butt-ugly girls. I mean straight from the top of the ugly tree, crashing face-first into every branch on the way down. And to make matters worse, all the good stuff had been blurred out.
Judging by the quality and build of the discs themselves, I guessed that they must have been a good ten years old at least.
“Does my dad seriously watch this stuff!?” I thought, over and over again as the blurry blobs of erotica bobbed up and down before my stinging eyes. It actually made my chest feel tight; the thought of my father, the man who raised me and worked so hard to give us a good, happy home, settling in for a little grown-up “me time” with this awful, awful porn.
This went beyond feelings of father-son relations or simply feeling sick at the thought of my dad getting funky on his own; this was a matter of human taste, and I couldn’t bear to think of anyone, let alone my dear ol’ dad, making do with that stuff.
After a few restless hours, unable to get the offending images out of my mind, I resolved to man up and do the right thing- buy my old man some decent porn, eventually settling on a mix of Japanese and western stuff; nothing too hardcore, but of decent quality.
A few days later, choosing a time when my mother was out of the house, I passed the cookie tin to my dad.
Flushing and blabbering something about “a friend at work”, he initially insisted that the pornography had nothing to do with him, but at that point I couldn’t have cared less.
“I’m giving this to you;” I said, showing him the new stuff I’d bought, “If you don’t like it, you can throw it away- that’s fine.”
The movies I’d chosen were free of mosaic blurring or unnecessary censorship, so my dad actually put on his reading glasses to watch it. A week later when I peeked into my dad’s forbidden cookie tin, I spotted a number of new additions: some “horny housewife” type stuff, a couple of middle-aged beauties, and even some western porn in the mix.
“What a wonderful son you are!”
“I just LOL-ed my ass off!”
“Now I feel like a terrible son- I actually threw out my dad’s porno mag stash…”
“I don’t know whether I’m emotionally moved or just laughing at how messed up this is, but I’ve got tears in my eyes…”
“Hey now, what if your old man happened to like those plain-faced gals!?”
But of course, not everyone was so quick to believe the peculiar account, asking suggesting that this may simply be a work of fiction or, in some cases, suggesting that the story “smells a bit bullshitty”.
The writer, however, is quick to defend his epic yarn.
“I swear this is completely true. Even eight years on, I periodically give my dad gifts of new porn. That said, I still have no real idea what kind of thing he’s really into!”
Here at RocketNews24, we’re not entirely convinced that this is a 100% true story, but even if a little poetic licence has been employed here, it’s still a pretty good yarn. Maybe we’re just suckers for a good father-son relationship story?
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The Many Talents of Yam Concepcion!
Shout out to Yam Concepcion and the awesome feedback surrounding her October 2012 cover! We reckon y'all found this month's cover babe to be a breath of fresh air. Everybody's feeling the Yam phenomenon at the moment, except for a few members of the FHM Nation who have no idea who this foxy lady is. Take for example, this golden comment:
So in the interest of those who will be hearing about Yam for the first time, allow us to educate you with a list of amazing things our cover babe has done in the past. We'd like to kick things off by once again showing you the teaser for Yam's FHM cover shoot.
And in this music video, where Yam plays a down-on-her-luck damsel who sets out to find the love of her life, which in this case, is jukebox prince JC Regino. Mr. April Boy would be so damn proud.
And in this Mayonnaise music video, where many of us probably first laid eyes on her, Yam plays the role of a feisty young thing who may not be too happy with the message of the song. From goody two shoes to all-out kontrabida? Somebody give her an award!
Why, Yam's quite the musician herself! She lets one off with a ukelele rendition of the Wheatus song "A Little Respect". Take note that this video was taken just days after Yam learned how to play the uke! Talented! It's like the sweetest good night kiss ever. Wish we have someone to lullaby our faces to sleep like that.
It's so cute how juvenile she looks in front of a guitar, yes? Until you realize that she is actually a devil in the drum set. She's really good, as in mean machine kind of good. Check out Yam's band, Ursa Minor's, live performance of "Letters From The Grave" at Al's Bar some years ago.
Yam is also a fantastic actress, mind you. "I'm so sorry, David. It's not working out anymore," exclaims our cover babe in the amateur short film Let This Happen, where she plays the role of the David's ex girlfriend. It's kind of a class project shot back in 2008, so spare this woman the crafty criticisms, oks?
And then she decided to co-star alongside Leo Martinez, Pekto, Hero Bautista, Vincent Daffalong, and Brownie Pansalin in an extremely unheard of, terribly corny comedy flick titled Lawlaw Gang. The movie looks so damn bad it flipped 180 degrees and became good in our book. Pang-Eye on the Web ito!
Ever heard of the show Pantaxa? It's Viva Channel's reality show that pits six up and coming sex goddesses against each other, all while operating under the tutelage of former Viva Hot Babes Katya Santos and Maui Taylor! Yam, accordingly, is one of the show's contestants, so we guess we can cite "reality TV star" as one of her talents? We say it's a talent!
We also find Yam's jokes funny. So funny, in fact, that she once made Esquire Philippines' Funny Joke From a Beautiful Woman section. "Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella?" she asks. The punchline goes: "Fo' drizzle." Humor's a kind of talent, right?
And finally, the launching pad of Yam's impending showbiz career: an upcoming sex-drama entitled Rigodon, co-starring Maxene Eigenmann, John James Uy, and directed by Erik Matti, the same director behind the revival of the erotic drama, Scorpio Nights. Making love onscreen, we know that one's gonna take a whole lot of good talent to pull off.
Maxine Eigenmann, Yam Concepcion and John Uy to star on the first Viva Films and Reality (Regal Films) project, "Rigodon"
Viva Films and Reality (Regal Films) are now business partners! They will be doing five movies as busines partners and their first is the "Rigodon".
According to Direk Eric Matti, the director of the film, "It’ll be told from the differing points of view of the three characters on how they regard love, lust and marriage."
He also promises to make it very sexy then try to enter it in international film festivals.
“We sent the script first to Mark Gil to make sure his daughter has his permission to do the sexy scenes in it and he said it’s okay. The three stars already underwent character development and sensuality workshops for them to know what’s expected of them during the actual shoot,” he added.
* The good old nudie days of US-born actress Joyce Jimenez , Eurasian hottie Maui Taylor and Katya Santos are back (fingers crossed) as Viva again producing full-blown erotica with real nudity. Six new girls are poised to become latest nude starlets of the island nation.
Katya Santos, Maui Taylor mentor Viva’s new batch of sexy stars
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| From left: Yam Concepcion, Sarah Polverini, Jef Gaitan, Carla Castelo, Alexis Navarro, and Jade Lopez are the six seductresses in training on Viva Channel's 'Pantaxa'. |
The Viva Hot Babes headliners are currently hosting “Pantaxa” (pronounced “pantasya”), a new reality show on their home studio’s recently launched cable channel, Viva Channel.
“Pantaxa” follows Katya and Maui as they mentor a bunch of new sexy stars. The twice-weekly series sees the two screen veterans putting the younger girls through various challenges and activities that test their physical, mental, and emotional capabilities to handle the demands of the path that they have chosen to take in showbiz.
“People think it’s easy being a sexy star,” Maui notes. “It’s not. Baring your body in front of the cameras for everyone to see takes a lot of courage, determination, and self-awareness.”
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| Katya Santos and Maui Taylor are the mentor-hosts of 'Pantaxa'. |
Bringing out the “something beyond the flesh” is what show hopes to achieve with its six screen-seductresses-in-training.
The “Pantaxa” women of the current season are Jade Lopez, Yam Concepcion, Jef Gaitan, Alexis Navarro, Sara Polverini, and Carla Castelo.
The first few episodes saw Katya leading the girls through a lingerie pictorial, a mock TV commercial shoot for a fake brand endorsement, and a sexy music video shoot.
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| 'Pantaxa' on location in Caramoan. |
These episodes promise a lot of baring and daring as the girls had to do a topless pictorial and a nude painting session, among a host of activities.
Reports from the set say that some claws have surfaced and there was some heat among some of the girls both on- and off-cam.
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| The 'Pantaxa' girls with Maui and Katya at the CWC in CamSur. |
“Pantaxa” airs two 30-minute episodes every week on Viva Channel, which is on most nationwide cable carriers, including Cignal and Dream.
[1] ALEXIS NAVARRO
Alexis Navarro is one of the newest Viva artists aimed to exhibit her wonderful acting prowess, and more. Being one of Viva’s beauty queens, Alexis is not just a young stunner that will hook us all up. She is in fact a stunner, a pretty face but with a great drive to pursue what is truly rightful hers.
Alexis in lingerie.
Alexis in swimwear.
[2] JADE LOPEZ
Her sophisticated looks and grace is just two of the factors that gave her rights to be featured in Maxim magazine and even joined the hottest music video with international star, Usher in the groovy hit, “Love in This Club”.
Jade in lingerie.
Jade in swimwear.
[3] JEF GAITAN
She was once a 17-year old who dreamed for a modeling career and joined the Mossimo Bikini Summit in 2005 and emerged as one of the finalist. Her acting career started when she appeared as a model in I Love Betty La Fea and eventually been cast for TV5’s Rakista as one of the schoolgirls.
Jef in swimwear.
[4] SARAH POLVERINI
Sara Polverini, the Half-Filipina half-Italian wonder is Eurasia’s Sweet and Sexy Lady. In the earlier part of her career, Sara can be seen playing wicked bully roles in Sarah: Ang Munting Prinsesa and Cedie. She was also a mainstay of the popular kid TV show in the 90’s Ang TV.
Sarah in swimwear.
Receving her mom blessing and approval to strip on-cam, Yam drew the short stick and will go first among the new batch in displaying T-and-A. She was a drummer of a local indie band UrsaMinor.
Yam in lingerie.
Yam in swimwear.
[6] CARLA CASTELO
Her sophisticated looks and grace is just two of the factors that gave her rights to be featured in Maxim magazine and even joined the hottest music video with international star, Usher in the groovy hit, “Love in This Club”.
Carla in lingerie.
Carla in swimwear.
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DEMPSEY STEWART : I.D MAGAZINE
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Vancouver-based actress Agam Darshi out of comfort zone in Crimes of Mike Recket
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| Agam Darshi and Nicholas Lea play husband and wife in Bruce Sweeney’s neo-noir film Crimes of Mike Recket. The film plays at VIFF Tuesday at the Vogue Theatre. |
For Agam Darshi, joining the Crimes of Mike Recket cast was a no-brainer.
The Vancouver-based actress, best known for her starring role as Kate Freelander in the science fiction television series Sanctuary, plays Jasleen in Bruce Sweeney’s latest murder-mystery film.
“It’s a neo-noir movie about a man named Mike, who is a real estate agent. He’s going through great lengths to try and make money and as a result he commits a pretty terrible crime,” Darshi said. “I play Mike’s wife. She’s a very feisty and strong woman, who has a very passionate relationship with her husband.”
This is Darshi’s third time working with Sweeney, which she says convinced her to move out of her comfort zone.
“This is the probably the first time that I’ve gone to this level of sexuality in my work and it took me nine years to kind of do it,” the U.K.-born Darshi said. “I believed in the story, this character and the connection that she has with her husband so I felt like I was ready to take this next step for myself and my career.”
Darshi also feels lucky to play female characters that move beyond race.
“What’s really exciting for me about this film is the fact that Bruce took the role of the wife who is so strong, feisty and sexy and he offered it to me who’s South Asian,” she said. “That doesn’t happen very often. That’s what my dream is for us to see more of that in films, people just becoming more colour blind and not having many stereotypes.”
Darshi said she’s thankful for her diverse body of work.
“I play all sorts of types of women – from South Asian to Brianna who’s Jamaican in Dan for Mayor,” she said. “I think it will be really exciting when film and TV break those stereotypes down a lot more.”
VIFF: Crimes of Mike Recket
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I Was Once a Beauty Queen
Beauty queens of the 1970s and 80s on life after their respective reigns
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| 'Beauty queens belonged to a different era:' Tracy Dodds, Miss Great Britain 1982 |
Beneath the surface, however, there’s something undeniably creepy about watching footage of those shows played back. Before the advent of reality television turned everybody into a potential star, the contestants didn’t know how to play up to the camera. Girls aged just 18, 19, cowered and giggled as they were fed banal questions by the - invariably male, usually mustachioed - presenters. They weren’t to know that questions such as “how does it feel to be viewed for your looks, rather than your brain?” weren’t powerful social commentary, but the sort of jokes of which they were the punchline. Perhaps they didn’t hear their measurements being read out like so much marketing.
It’s strange then that not one of the five former winners interviewed for Wonderland’s I Was Once a Beauty Queen had many bad things to say about her "reign". The programme introduced us to five women, each living very different lives: there was the successful businesswoman living with her childhood sweetheart in a ski resort in Switzerland; the six-foot tall widow of a small-time rock star; the single mother, who enjoys monthly Botox injections and living vicariously through her daughter; the plain-faced professional house-sitter who still lives with her mother; the glamorous child-woman on the cusp of 60 with the London penthouse who has barely worked a day. Life has been kinder to some of the women than others, which is why the uniformity of the perspectives is particularly disappointing.
Carolyn Moore, Miss Great Britain 1971, began entering beauty contests as “a bit of fun” during the summer holidays before starting a job with a local bank. She was going to be a “bank manageress”, she said on air, and then struggled with a couple of questions from a presenter who “didn’t know there was such a thing” and whether men “resented” all these women coming into the profession. “I should think they do,” the young Carolyn simpered, as her older self turned down an opportunity to talk about how “the feminists or whatever they called themselves” didn’t come into her view of beauty pageants because “it was nice to be appreciated”.
“Beauty queens belonged to a different era,” Tracy Dodds, who won the same competition a little over a decade later, told the camera. “An era when everyone was sweet and lovely and never did any wrong.” Of the five, Dodds probably has the most to be bitter about: she was stripped of her title when it emerged she had had topless photographs taken, because the "image" of the winner had to be that of a “working-class princess”.
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| India Lea |
The BBC televised its last beauty contest 30 years ago, Wonderland’s narrator told us, while at home we roll our eyes and wonder how watching young girls in skimpy outfits was ever how a nation spent its Saturday night. At least these days we make them sing and dance as well.
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Sex.Violence.FamilyValues:Trailer [the dirrrty version that didn't make it to cinemas]
A kindergarten principal finds a series of morbid cartoons drawn by a docile child. A porn actor struggles to rise to the occasion while filming a 'romantic cumedy'. A middle-aged nightclub bouncer faces off with a rebellious teenage stripper. First-time director Ken Kwek tells three iconoclastic stories in a short film that pitches political correctness out the window of Singapore mainstream cinema.
http://svfv.com.sg/cast
https://www.facebook.com/Sex.Violence.FamilyValues/timeline?filter=3
Female Cast (no nudity but sexy in its own way)
Lez Ann Chong ……… Susie the underage aspiring porn-star
Sylvia Ratonel ……… Anna the pole dancer
Vanessa Vanderstraaten ……… Rachel
Just days before it is due to open in the cinemas, Singapore comedy Sex.Violence.FamilyValues has had its M18 classification revoked by the Media Development Authority.
SINGAPORE, Oct 9, 2012 (AFP) - Singapore has banned a satirical local movie three days before its theatrical release because it was deemed offensive to the island's ethnic Indian minority, a media watchdog confirmed Tuesday.
"Sex.Violence.FamilyValues" had originally been rated suitable for viewers aged 18 and above, but a review panel concluded that one of the three stories in the 47-minute independent movie was unsuitable for public exhibition.
"An overwhelming majority of the panel members have expressed that the film should not be allowed for public exhibition in view of its overt racial references which are demeaning and offensive to Indians," said a statement sent to AFP by the Media Development Authority (MDA).
"Should the film owner wish to pursue the matter, they may lodge an appeal with the Films Appeal Committee."
The film's Facebook promotional page carried a news report about the ban on Tuesday, generating strong criticism of the MDA and calls for Singaporeans to be allowed to judge the movie for themselves.
Despite the ban, a trailer showing local film and stage star Adrian Pang making fun of a co-actor's Indian ethnicity in a story entitled "Porn Masala" could still be viewed Tuesday on the film's official website.
The website described the movie, which premiered last week and was due to open in a cinema for a limited run on Thursday, as "three iconoclastic stories in a short film that pitches political correctness out the window of Singapore mainstream cinema".
The Straits Times said the film was made by first-time director Ken Kwek, 33, for just Sg$100,000 ($81,000).
Singapore has relaxed censorship rules on film nudity and violence in recent years. But it has strict laws against inciting racial or religious hatred in a predominantly ethnic Chinese society with Malay and Indian minorities.
The movie was banned on the same day an ethnic Chinese executive of a national labour group was sacked for insulting members of the Malay community in a Facebook posting.
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A Casting Director sits through the worst auditions of his career.
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A brief history of the land called Israel/Palestine/Canaan/the Levant.
by Nina Paley
Who’s Killing Who? A Viewer’s Guide
Because you can’t tell the players without a pogrom!
Early Man
This generic “cave man” represents the first human settlers in Israel/Canaan/the Levant. Whoever they were.
CanaaniteWhat did ancient Canaanites look like? I don’t know, so this is based on ancient Sumerian art.
Egyptian
Canaan was located between two huge empires. Egypt controlled it sometimes, and…
Assyrian
….Assyria controlled it other times.
….Assyria controlled it other times.
Israelite
The “Children of Israel” conquered the shit out of the region, according to bloody and violent Old Testament accounts.
Babylonian
Then the Baylonians destroyed their temple and took the Hebrews into exile.
Then the Baylonians destroyed their temple and took the Hebrews into exile.
Macedonian/Greek
Here comes Alexander the Great, conquering everything!
Greek/MacedonianNo sooner did Alexander conquer everything, than his generals divided it up and fought with each other.
Ptolemaic
Greek descendants of Ptolemy, another of Alexander’s competing generals, ruled Egypt dressed like Egyptian god-kings. (The famous Cleopatra of western mythology and Hollywood was a Ptolemy.)
SeleucidMore Greek-Macedonian legacies of Alexander.
Hebrew PriestThis guy didn’t fight, he just ran the Second Temple re-established by Hebrews in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile.
Led by Judah “The Hammer” Maccabee, who fought the Seleucids, saved the Temple, and invented Channukah. Until…
Roman….the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and absorbed the region into the Roman Empire…
Byzantine….which split into Eastern and Western Empires. The eastern part was called the Byzantine Empire. I don’t know if “Romans” ever fought “Byzantines” (Eastern Romans) but this is a cartoon.
CrusaderAfter Crusaders went a-killin’ in the name of Jesus Christ, they established Crusader states, most notably the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Mamluk of EgyptWikipedia sez, “Over time, mamluks became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies…In places such as Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty to the time of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, mamluks were considered to be “true lords”, with social status above freeborn Muslims.[7]” And apparently they controlled Palestine for a while.
Ottoman TurkDid I mention this is a cartoon? Probably no one went to battle looking like this. But big turbans, rich clothing and jewelry seemed to be in vogue among Ottoman Turkish elites, according to paintings I found on the Internet.
Arab A gross generalization of a generic 19-century “Arab”.
BritishThe British formed alliances with Arabs, then occupied Palestine. This cartoon is an oversimplification, and uses this British caricature as a stand-in for Europeans in general.
The British occupied this guy’s land, only to leave it to a vast influx of….
European Jew/Zionist
Desperate and traumatized survivors of European pogroms and death camps, Jewish Zionist settlers were ready to fight to the death for a place to call home, but…
Desperate and traumatized survivors of European pogroms and death camps, Jewish Zionist settlers were ready to fight to the death for a place to call home, but…
….so were the people that lived there. Various militarized resistance movements arose in response to Israel: The Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
State of Israel
Backed by “the West,” especially the US, they got lots of weapons and the only sanctioned
Backed by “the West,” especially the US, they got lots of weapons and the only sanctioned
nukes in the region.
Guerrilla/Freedom Fighter/TerroristSometimes people fight in military uniforms, sometimes they don’t. Creeping up alongside are illicit nukes possibly from Iran or elsewhere in the region. Who’s Next?
and finally…
The Angel of Death
The real hero of the Old Testament, and right now too.
The real hero of the Old Testament, and right now too.
Note: If you want to support this project, please notice I have Paypal and Flattr buttons. TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donations accepted via the nonprofit QuestionCopyright.org.
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Wilmington high schooler charged in sex ring
By: Michelle Li
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| Alexandrea Berte |
Laura Berte says her daughter Alexandrea, has been missing since July. She contacted law enforcement but says they were reluctant to place her daughter on a missing persons list since she was 19 at the time. Berte said she continued to push a few more times, until a Wilmington police officer helped put Alexandrea on the missing persons national database.
Laura says, that's what's saving her daughter now.
"It took me 3 times to finally convince a wonderful police officer in Wilmington to believe in me and to make sure she was put on that missing persons report," said Laura Berte. "Had she not been put on that, she might still be on the road."
Alexandrea Berte, who just turned 20 this week, was recently pulled over in Tennessee for a traffic stop. When troopers ran her name, they discovered she was on a national missing persons list. However, "Allie" Berte also had three other young women in the car along with a small amount of marijuana, several gift cards and cell phones.
The next thing you know, Laura Berte is getting word that her daughter is being charged federally for sex crimes.
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| Alexandrea Berte booking photo. |
"I feel like a part of my heart is gone, my best friend is gone," said Laura Berte. "There is such a hole in my life. It's just so traumatic for me to honestly comprehend that this is my life and that my daughter has been lured into this kind of lifestyle. I feel like she's been kidnapped. I feel like somebody stole my baby."
Laura Berte said her daughter has a mental capacity of a 9 year old. She said Allie, though now 20, was in special classes at Ashley High school, but was still on the honor roll for her level. This would be Allie's senior year of high school.
"My daughter's not a criminal," said Laura Berte. "She doesn't have the mental capacity to come up with this idea on her own. This is bigger than her and bigger than most people in this community know, and it's happening right underneath our noses."
Allie hadn't been at Ashley for long. The Bertes moved here in early 2012 along with Allie's now 18 month old. Laura said Allie was on the right path and making good decisions, but like most teens, she wanted more freedom. Allie was living with her grandparents, but one day left the baby behind to live on her own. She even lived in her car for some time, said Laura.
Now the baby is back with the biological father in Florida.
Laura said it didn't take long to find her daughter's pictures surface on the Internet. She said at first they looked ‘amateurish' but then progressed into more professional pictures with backdrops and lighting.
"I pulled it up and discovered there were very provocative pictures on this website with an ad," said Laura Berte. "The quality led me to believe someone is investing time and money."
National human trafficking experts say one third of all runaways are trafficked or exploited for sex within the first 48 hours after they go missing. This staggering statistic is increased when girls, like Allie, have been exposed to risk factors like previous abuse as a child, diminished mental capacity and single parent homes with no father figure in the home.
"If this happened to me, it can happen to anybody," said Laura Berte. "It really can. I want parents to be aware of the signs. I was not aware of the risk that Allie was at. I did not realize that her childhood traumas made her a perfect target to be a victim of human trafficking. I thought she was recovering, and I was wrong. People need to be aware that this is happening."
Local experts say human trafficking is a real issue in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State happens to be one of the top ten states for human trafficking with contributing factors such as poverty and location. Many girls have been trafficked up and down the East Coast, making North Carolina a drive-thru destination. Women trafficked from New York to Miami have also likely been trafficked through North Carolina.
Also the laws in North Carolina make it a vulnerable state. North Carolina does not see ‘pimping' as a felony, and that means even if someone is busted, they only get about 120 days in jail. However, there's a different story concerning prostitution. In North Carolina, there are no age restrictions on prostitution. So, even if a minor gets arrested for prostitution, they could serve time as an adult. Experts say that's a fault within the system since minors would clearly be trafficking victims.
Allie was 19 at the time of her arrest in Tennessee, even though her mother says she is mentally much younger. She was also driving a rental car, though we do not know if she was the one who was responsible for the rental. At age 19, she may not have been able to rent a car by herself, depending on the rental company. There were three other women in the car at the time – one was an 18 year old from Lumberton. Another woman was from North Carolina and the third was from Kansas. Everyone but Allie was released.
Though Laura Berte is heartbroken this is happening, she is relieved it only took a few months to get her daughter off the streets. At the end of the day, a mother's love is unwavering.
"It is scary and there's a perception out there—in this community, in society—that girls of this age are making the choice," said Laura Berte. "You know, that needs to be changed. My daughter would have never chosen this as a career. And I just feel there are many, many girls out there that are in similar circumstances that are high risk environments that can be prey."
A local hotline number has also been set up to help. Call A Safe Place at 1-855-723-7529.
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Lindsay Lohan /
The Canyons
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