Obamas’ to head for Martha’s Vineyard for summer vacation

Washington, July 6 (ANI): For their summer vacation, the Obamas are reportedly headed to Martha’s Vineyard.

The trip, however, could come with some complications for the first family, reports Politico.

By heading in that direction, the Obamas are setting themselves up for comparisons to the Clintons, who traveled there on more than one occasion, most notably after the Lewinsky scandal broke.

Vernon Jordan, a close associate of the Clintons, is a presence on the island – and there have been reports that Chelsea Clinton will be married at his home.

The island boasts a heady mix of Hollywood, money and politics.

Obama also has old friends in the town of Oak Bluffs, a go-to spot for influential African-Americans including Spike Lee and Henry Louis Gates.

What has Obama going for him in visiting Martha’s Vineyard?

“This vacation will be perceived in a completely different way because of the kids. It’s going to be cast in a very different light. There are great things for the kids to do. There’s the oldest merry-go-round in the country in Oak Bluffs. There are beaches and fudge shops. It’s not just about hobnobbing with rich people,” said one expert.

The Obamas’”need to find a place where they can relax, which the others did by going to their own homes,” said author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. (ANI)

Thurman, Ryan, Goldberg, Brody to head Tribeca Film Festival

London, Apr 22 (ANI): Hollywood actors Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan, Whoopi Goldberg and Adrien Brody have been chosen to head the judging panel at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The stars will be joined by fellow celebrities James Franco, Mary-Kate Olsen, Bradley Cooper, Melissa Leo, Parker Posey and Morgan Spurlock, who are all among the 32 jurors at Robert De Niro’s movie event, which kicks off today.

The line-up was announced at a press conference in the Big Apple on April 21, which featured Thurman, director Spike Lee and festival founders De Niro and Jane Rosenthal.

Thurman has expressed her delight at getting to play such a key role in the eighth annual festival.

“For me and people who enjoy films, Tribeca has been a major event for which all look forward to with major anticipation. As a New Yorker, it’s wonderful to see the impact it has on the city,” the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

“This year is especially exciting because I get to be a part of it as a juror,” she added.

De Niro founded the event with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to help revitalise the lower Manhattan area after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 – and he is proud to continue celebrating New York City as a major filmmaking centre.

“It’s great to see how much the festival has grown since we started it in 2002 and how it has impacted this neighbourhood,” he said.

The Tribeca Film Festival, which will host the world premiere of Woody Allen’s new movie ‘Whatever Works’, runs until May 3. (ANI)

Francis Ford Coppola to be honoured at San Francisco Film Festiva

Washington, March 31 (ANI): Francis Ford Coppola is set to be honoured with the Founder’s Directing Award at the San Francisco Film Festival.

The Godfather director will receive the award from the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas at the Film Society’s Awards Night fundraiser on April 30.

The five-time Oscar-winner will join his predecessors, including Mike Leigh, Akira Kurosawa, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Robert Altman, and Clint Eastwood, reports Contactmusic.

Interestingly, the 69-year-old had previously revealed that he was the ‘black sheep’ of the family.

And his parents and siblings used to think that he would end up unmarried, jobless, and penniless. (ANI)

New York Post’s cartoon is an invitation to assassinate Obama: NAACP

New York, Feb 23 (ANI): The head of America’s oldest civil rights group has urged a boycott of the New York Post for publishing a cartoon which he said is an invitation to assassinate President Barack Obama.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President and CEO, Benjamin Todd Jealous, has given the boycott call, and demanded the removal of its editor-in-chief Col Allan.

The New York Post’s decision to publish the cartoon “picks off the scabs of all the racial wounds,” Jealous said, and is “an invitation to assassination.”

Jealous said the paper’s editor-in-chief, Col Allan, and cartoonist Sean Delonas should get the boot, the Daily News reported.

His comments came on the heels of a protest outside the newspaper’s Manhattan office on Friday during which filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to support the boycott.

The cartoon shows the bullet-riddled body of a chimpanzee with two cops standing nearby. One says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

Following Thursday’s initial protests, the paper issued a lame apology on its Web site and claimed the cartoon was intended to criticize an “ineptly written” federal economic stimulus bill.

Jealous and other NAACP leaders said the paper must respond with “serious disciplinary action.” If not, they vowed to urge organizations across the country to join in the boycott. (ANI)

Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post over chimpanzee cartoon

New York, Feb.21 (ANI): Filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to join a boycott of the New York Post Friday during a raucous protest of a racially charged cartoon.

Joined by his 11-year-old son, Lee told a crowd of about 300 people that he has bought the tabloid in the past – but no more.

According to the New York Daily News, he suggested athletes and entertainers shun the paper’s writers because of Wednesday’s cartoon, which compared President Obama with a crazed chimp by some interpretations.

“This is not the end,” Lee told the demonstrators, who marched in front of the Post’s offices near Rockefeller Center shouting, “Shut it down.”

“It’s not just black folks. It’s an insult to everybody.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the paper “a racist rag sheet” and TV judge Greg Mathis, who said executives from parent company News Corp. must be held accountable, joined him.

The protest leaders are calling on advertisers to boycott the Post and are vowing to take their money out of banks that buy space in the paper.

The single-panel cartoon by Sean Delonas showed the bloody body of the chimp responsible for Monday’s attack on a woman in Connecticut, with two cops.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one of the cops says.

The paper printed a half-hearted “apology” for offending anyone with the cartoon Friday – but protesters said the note, with its dig at Sharpton, was insincere. (ANI)

Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post over chimpanzee cartoon

New York, Feb.21 (ANI): Filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to join a boycott of the New York Post Friday during a raucous protest of a racially charged cartoon.

Joined by his 11-year-old son, Lee told a crowd of about 300 people that he has bought the tabloid in the past – but no more.

According to the New York Daily News, he suggested athletes and entertainers shun the paper’s writers because of Wednesday’s cartoon, which compared President Obama with a crazed chimp by some interpretations.

“This is not the end,” Lee told the demonstrators, who marched in front of the Post’s offices near Rockefeller Center shouting, “Shut it down.”

“It’s not just black folks. It’s an insult to everybody.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the paper “a racist rag sheet” and TV judge Greg Mathis, who said executives from parent company News Corp. must be held accountable, joined him.

The protest leaders are calling on advertisers to boycott the Post and are vowing to take their money out of banks that buy space in the paper.

The single-panel cartoon by Sean Delonas showed the bloody body of the chimp responsible for Monday’s attack on a woman in Connecticut, with two cops.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one of the cops says.

The paper printed a half-hearted “apology” for offending anyone with the cartoon Friday – but protesters said the note, with its dig at Sharpton, was insincere. (ANI)

Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post over chimpanzee cartoon

New York, Feb.21 (ANI): Filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to join a boycott of the New York Post Friday during a raucous protest of a racially charged cartoon.

Joined by his 11-year-old son, Lee told a crowd of about 300 people that he has bought the tabloid in the past – but no more.

According to the New York Daily News, he suggested athletes and entertainers shun the paper’s writers because of Wednesday’s cartoon, which compared President Obama with a crazed chimp by some interpretations.

“This is not the end,” Lee told the demonstrators, who marched in front of the Post’s offices near Rockefeller Center shouting, “Shut it down.”

“It’s not just black folks. It’s an insult to everybody.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the paper “a racist rag sheet” and TV judge Greg Mathis, who said executives from parent company News Corp. must be held accountable, joined him.

The protest leaders are calling on advertisers to boycott the Post and are vowing to take their money out of banks that buy space in the paper.

The single-panel cartoon by Sean Delonas showed the bloody body of the chimp responsible for Monday’s attack on a woman in Connecticut, with two cops.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one of the cops says.

The paper printed a half-hearted “apology” for offending anyone with the cartoon Friday – but protesters said the note, with its dig at Sharpton, was insincere. (ANI)

Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post over chimpanzee cartoon

New York, Feb.21 (ANI): Filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to join a boycott of the New York Post Friday during a raucous protest of a racially charged cartoon.

Joined by his 11-year-old son, Lee told a crowd of about 300 people that he has bought the tabloid in the past – but no more.

According to the New York Daily News, he suggested athletes and entertainers shun the paper’s writers because of Wednesday’s cartoon, which compared President Obama with a crazed chimp by some interpretations.

“This is not the end,” Lee told the demonstrators, who marched in front of the Post’s offices near Rockefeller Center shouting, “Shut it down.”

“It’s not just black folks. It’s an insult to everybody.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the paper “a racist rag sheet” and TV judge Greg Mathis, who said executives from parent company News Corp. must be held accountable, joined him.

The protest leaders are calling on advertisers to boycott the Post and are vowing to take their money out of banks that buy space in the paper.

The single-panel cartoon by Sean Delonas showed the bloody body of the chimp responsible for Monday’s attack on a woman in Connecticut, with two cops.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one of the cops says.

The paper printed a half-hearted “apology” for offending anyone with the cartoon Friday – but protesters said the note, with its dig at Sharpton, was insincere. (ANI)

Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post over chimpanzee cartoon

New York, Feb.21 (ANI): Filmmaker Spike Lee called on celebrities to join a boycott of the New York Post Friday during a raucous protest of a racially charged cartoon.

Joined by his 11-year-old son, Lee told a crowd of about 300 people that he has bought the tabloid in the past – but no more.

According to the New York Daily News, he suggested athletes and entertainers shun the paper’s writers because of Wednesday’s cartoon, which compared President Obama with a crazed chimp by some interpretations.

“This is not the end,” Lee told the demonstrators, who marched in front of the Post’s offices near Rockefeller Center shouting, “Shut it down.”

“It’s not just black folks. It’s an insult to everybody.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the paper “a racist rag sheet” and TV judge Greg Mathis, who said executives from parent company News Corp. must be held accountable, joined him.

The protest leaders are calling on advertisers to boycott the Post and are vowing to take their money out of banks that buy space in the paper.

The single-panel cartoon by Sean Delonas showed the bloody body of the chimp responsible for Monday’s attack on a woman in Connecticut, with two cops.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one of the cops says.

The paper printed a half-hearted “apology” for offending anyone with the cartoon Friday – but protesters said the note, with its dig at Sharpton, was insincere. (ANI)

Spike Lee to produce film on WWII book

Washington, Feb 3 (ANI): Spike Lee has grabbed rights to produce Brendan Koerner’s book “Now the Hell Will Start” which based on World War II.

Lee will produce the manhunt tale under his company, 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks, reports the Variety.

The movie will be a non-fiction thriller, subtitled “One Soldier’s Flight From the Greatest Manhunt of World War II.”

The film traces the story of an African-American soldier who murdered his lieutenant and then fled into the Burmese jungle.

In the book, the soldier’s story is used to explore how the U.S. military considered African-Americans unfit for combat and shipped thousands to India in 1944 to build the Ledo Road, a 500-mile project that extended through mountains into China. (ANI)

Obama’s inauguration to mark ‘Neighbourhood Ball’ for classless US society

London, January 10 (ANI): If U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has his way, his inauguration on January 20 will mark a night when America will be classless society, as he wants it to be a “Neighbourhood Ball” which will be attended not only by the elite but also by people from poor and black parts of Washington.

Obama has expressed his desire to give away some of the tickets for free and some for as little as 25 dollars, compared to the average 250 dollars for more exclusive affairs.

According to reports, dozens of small and cheaper events with beer and wine, instead of cocktails and spirits, are being organised to honour the first black president.

“This is an inauguration for all Americans. I wanted to make sure that we had an event that would be open to our new neighbourhood here in Washington DC, and also neighbourhoods across the country,” the Telegraph quoted Obama as saying.

A spokesman for his transition team added: “With tickets available free or at an affordable price, it is the first official inaugural ball of its kind.”

Obama’s desire to have an unbiased ball, however, has been called into question.

With the final bill for the swearing-in ceremony, parade and parties estimated at 45 million dollars, only 24.8 million dollars have been raised so far, of which 21.6 million dollars have come from big spenders rather than small donors.

However, despite rich people funding his inauguration, the Obama team denies that there will ever be any quid pro quo.

There are also plans to broadcast the event to living rooms and community centres across the country using the Internet. Obama’s supporters will also be able to text-message him.

There will also be a star-studded Creative Coalition ball, an unofficial event where Sting and Elvis Costello will perform. The guests at the event will include Anne Hathaway, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Spike Lee. (ANI)