Josh Wolf Documentary Project: Sierra Choi Needs Your Help

John Wolf spent 226 days in jail to protect his videos and sources, and caused the creation of a new law protecting video-bloggers. Now Sierra Choi is directing and producing a documentary - the trailer is here as part of my video blog.

At the time in 2006, I met Josh when he worked for the television division at Peralta Community College. He was also in the middle of his battle with the Federal Government, but even then was still focused on his work, and didn't spend a lot of time fretting about what could happen.

Then Josh defied San Francisco U.S. District Judge William Alsup's order to turn over the videos Josh had taken from a anti-G8 anarchist protes heldt in San Francisco on July 8, 2005. Wolf feared that the U.S. Government in the form of the FBI simply wanted to identify the people who were protesting and not solve a crime they claim had been committed against a police officer. Wolf's videos did not contain any footage of a police officer being harmed.

Still, U.S. District Judge William Alsup order Wolf to be held in jail for civil contempt of court later in 2006. Then, after negotiations, he was released but still refused to give up any of his videos, offering instead to post them online and show them to the Judge himself. Initially the judge refused, and Wolf was ordered back to jail.

Eventually, and after 226 days, Wolf agreed to show the then unseen video clip online and was released from jail. He never gave a copy of the video to the goverment.

In the wake of his ordeal and new stronger "shield" law has been placed in California law to protect journalists of all kinds, from print to blogs. We have Josh to thank for this.

Now, video film producer Sierra Choi is working to raise $250,000 to create a documentary called "Quiet Uprising: The Story of Josh Wolf" and needs our help. You can contact Sierra through me by sending an email here: zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com

Please help as many need to know Josh's story so this will never happen again.

Christian Bale Goes ApeSh#t on Terminator 4 set

Christian Bale goes on another profanity-fueled rant where he exhibits the alleged anger management problem that lifted it's head during the week of the premier of The Dark Knight. So I guess we can say The Dark Knight really is a Dark Knight. But why? What's up with this great acting talent?

2009 Academy Awards Nominations Annouced Today

Well, Oscar time is here. The 2009 Academy Awards take place in just one month! Forest Witaker, fresh from his appearance at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the "We Are One" Concert, presented the nominees with Oscar President Syd Ganis. Here's the video:



But that was only part of the list. Here's the full list of nominees:

The 2009 Oscar nominees are:

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins THE VISITOR
Frank Langella FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn MILK
Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke THE WRESTLER

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin MILK
Robert Downey Jr. TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman DOUBT
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie CHANGELING
Melissa Leo FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep DOUBT
Kate Winslet THE READER

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams DOUBT
Penélope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei THE WRESTLER

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER

Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306

Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanchee
Waltz With Bashir

Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E "Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"

Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP

Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN

Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E

Now comes the hard part. Predictions. But event then, my question is this: are you going to watch the Oscars? Let me know!

66th Annual Golden Globe Nominations - Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily

Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily » 66th Annual Golden Globe Nominations: “HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures
FROST/NIXON
Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures
THE READER
Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
ANNE HATHAWAY, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
ANGELINA JOLIE, CHANGELING
MERYL STREEP, DOUBT
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
KATE WINSLET, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
 
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
FRANK LANGELLA, FROST/NIXON
SEAN PENN, MILK
BRAD PITT, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
MICKEY ROURKE, THE WRESTLER

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
BURN AFTER READING
Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
IN BRUGES
Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
MAMMA MIA!
Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
REBECCA HALL, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
SALLY HAWKINS, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
FRANCES MCDORMAND, BURN AFTER READING
MERYL STREEP, MAMMA MIA!
EMMA THOMPSON, LAST CHANCE HARVEY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JAVIER BARDEM, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
COLIN FARRELL, IN BRUGES
JAMES FRANCO, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
BRENDAN GLEESON, IN BRUGES
DUSTIN HOFFMAN, LAST CHANCE HARVEY

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BOLT
Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
KUNG FU PANDA
DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
WALL-E
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (GERMANY)
(DER BADDER MEINHOF KOMPLEX)
Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
EVERLASTING MOMENTS (SWEDEN/DENMARK)
(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK)
Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
GOMORRAH (ITALY)
(GOMORRA)
Fandango; IFC Films
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (FRANCE)
(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
WALTZ WITH BASHIR (ISRAEL)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics
 
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
AMY ADAMS, DOUBT
PENELOPE CRUZ, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
VIOLA DAVIS, DOUBT
MARISA TOMEI, THE WRESTLER
KATE WINSLET, THE READER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
TOM CRUISE , TROPIC THUNDER
ROBERT DOWNEY JR, TROPIC THUNDER
RALPH FIENNES, THE DUCHESS
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, DOUBT
HEATH LEDGER, THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
DANNY BOYLE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
STEPHEN DALDRY, THE READER
DAVID FINCHER, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
RON HOWARD, FROST/NIXON
SAM MENDES, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
SIMON BEAUFOY, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
DAVID HARE, THE READER
PETER MORGAN, FROST/NIXON
ERIC ROTH, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY, DOUBT

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
CLINT EASTWOOD,  CHANGELING
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, DEFIANCE
A. R. RAHMAN, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
HANS ZIMMER, FROST/NIXON

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“DOWN TO EARTH” — WALL-E
Music by:  Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman
Lyrics by:  Peter Gabriel
 “GRAN TORINO” — GRAN TORINO
Music by:  Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Lyrics by:  Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
“I THOUGHT I LOST YOU” — BOLT
Music & Lyrics by:  Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
“ONCE IN A LIFETIME” — CADILLAC RECORDS
Music & Lyrics by:  Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
“THE WRESTLER” — THE WRESTLER
Music & Lyrics by:  Bruce Springsteen

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions
HOUSE (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions
IN TREATMENT (HBO)
Sheleg, Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
MAD MEN (AMC)
Lionsgate Television
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
SALLY FIELD            BROTHERS AND SISTERS
MARISKA HARGITAY        LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
JANUARY JONES            MAD MEN
ANNA PAQUIN            TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK            THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GABRIEL BYRNE            IN TREATMENT
MICHAEL C. HALL         DEXTER
JON HAMM                MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE            HOUSE
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS     THE TUDORS

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 ROCK (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
Stranger Inc.
CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then...
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
THE OFFICE (NBC)
Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
WEEDS (SHOWTIME)
Lionsgate Television

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE        SAMANTHA WHO?
AMERICA FERRERA        UGLY BETTY
TINA FEY                30 ROCK
DEBRA MESSING            THE STARTER WIFE
MARY-LOUISE PARKER        WEEDS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN            30 ROCK    
STEVE CARELL            THE OFFICE
KEVIN CONNOLLY        ENTOURAGE
DAVID DUCHOVNY        CALIFORNICATION
TONY SHALHOUB            MONK

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
Sony Pictures Television
BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO)
Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
CRANFORD (PBS)
A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
Playtone in association with HBO Films
RECOUNT (HBO)
Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JUDI DENCH            CRANFORD
CATHERINE KEENER        AN AMERICAN CRIME
LAURA LINNEY            JOHN ADAMS
SHIRLEY MACLAINE        COCO CHANEL
SUSAN SARANDON         BERNARD AND DORIS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
RALPH FIENNES            BERNARD AND DORIS
PAUL GIAMATTI            JOHN ADAMS
KEVIN SPACEY            RECOUNT
KIEFER SUTHERLAND        24: REDEMPTION
TOM WILKINSON            RECOUNT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV
EILEEN ATKINS            CRANFORD
LAURA DERN            RECOUNT
MELISSA GEORGE        IN TREATMENT
RACHEL GRIFFITHS        BROTHERS AND SISTERS
DIANNE WIEST            IN TREATMENT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURES MADE FOR TV
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DENIS LEARY, RECOUNT
JEREMY PIVEN, ENTOURAGE
BLAIR UNDERWOOD, IN TREATMENT
TOM WILKINSON, JOHN ADAMS”

Bonnie Piesse Is "Aunt Beru" From Star Wars Episode II and Episode III

Actress Bonnie Piesse appeared at WonderCon in San Francisco and was kind enough to listen to my stupid question regarding her time playing "Aunt Beru" in Star Wars Episode II and Star Wars Episode III. In our conversation Bonnie explains that the baby she held was in fact not real, but was made to feel like a real baby.



She also offered that George Lucas, who directed and produced the movies, was relaxed and easy to work with. Finally, Bonnie talks about her music and her album which is set to debut in late 2007.