Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Sean Penn's Government Flights of Fancy
2. Scriptwriter for 'Lions for Lambs' Was a Clinton White House Intern
3. Britney Spears' Crushing De-feet?
4. Bono Extolls the White House Virtues of Michael Bloomberg
5. Ozzy Osbourne Miffed that Cops Nabbed His Name
1. Sean Penn's Government Flights of Fancy
In a fawning interview with the U.K. Guardian, Sean Penn gave folks yet another glimpse into his parallel universe.
In response to criticism he received for his public embrace of dictator Hugo Chavez, Penn carped, "I take a lot of flak, but truth is stubborn. I ain't going to say it don't annoy me but, if the intention is to make me do it less, it's really going the other way."
About his part-time journalist gig for the San Francisco Chronicle in which he went on a "fact-finding" journey to Iraq and Iran, the actor boasted, "I don't know if this is true, but I may have written the first published piece in mainstream journalism that actually explained what these contractors were up to over there."
Regarding the media, Penn complained that "nobody's watching this stuff, and it's eating away at our democracy." He also groused that we didn't find out "people were building up these private militias out of the Pentagon with taxpayers' money."
"The way I see it," Penn said, "if you believe in democracy, you got to do something. We have people running the country now who really should be in prison for what they are doing to democracy. If you define our country by the Constitution, we have enemies of the State in the White House, the Defense Department and the State Department. That's where we are now."
Wonder if Penn secretly longs to be the running mate of UFO spotter Dennis Kucinich.
2. Scriptwriter for 'Lions for Lambs' Was a Clinton White House Intern
Even the mainstream media critic crowd has had to acknowledge that the Robert Redford-directed "Lions for Lambs" film is told through a Left Coast lens.
Variety calls the movie (which incidentally also co-stars Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise) "back-bendingly liberal but also deeply patriotic."
The Hollywood Reporter points out that although Redford and scriptwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan set out arguments both for and against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's "no doubt" about "where they [Redford and Carnahan] stand."
And veteran film critic Emanuel Levy says "Lions for Lambs" is Redford's "most overtly political drama."
An explanation for the strong leftward tilt of the movie can be found in the background of Carnahan.
While pursuing political science studies at USC, "Lions" scriptwriter Carnahan was also an intern in former President Bill Clinton's White House. Carnahan's responsibilities included working in a war room that defended Hillary Clinton's failed healthcare plan.
Carnahan received a career boost from older brother Joe who directed "Smokin' Aces" and was scriptwriter of the more even-handed terrorist-related movie "The Kingdom."
3. Britney Spears' Crushing De-feet?
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the circumstances surrounding a foot injury suffered by one of its police officers.
The department is trying to determine whether the officer's injuries were caused by the wayward driving of none other than famed citizen Britney Spears.
Did Britney really run over the toes of an L.A. County Sheriff deputy?
Well, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office has indicated that it is too soon to determine whether any charges will be filed for the alleged foot damage.
The injured cop was guiding Spears past the paparazzi who were swarming her at her L.A. County Courthouse custody hearing.
If true, this may turn out to be another "Oops! I Did It Again" moment for the pop princess.
In October, a video recording was posted on Hollywood.tv that showed Spears driving over a paparazzo's foot. The squashed piggies incident occurred a few hours after an L.A. judge had stripped Britney of her visitation rights.
Driving does not appear to be one of Spears' strong suits. As a matter of fact, she previously had to temporarily give up custody of her children because of her driving in defiance of a judge's order.
Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon had ordered Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline not to drive with their children in the vehicle unless they had proper insurance and valid drivers' licenses.
A few days after the order, Spears was photographed at the wheel, driving around with two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James.
Papers recently filed with the court indicate that Britney's income is $737,000 per month, certainly enough to employ a full-time chauffeur.
Perhaps in the future there will be a starring role for Spears in "Driving Miss Britney."
4. Bono Extolls the White House Virtues of Michael Bloomberg
Wearing his trademark wraparound sunglasses and a shirt unbuttoned down to his navel, Bono all but endorsed for president New York's current mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
When U2's front man was asked whether he thought Bloomberg could do more good as a president or philanthropist, the rocker told reporters, "He's a great and gifted manager and I think he could do an awful lot of good inside or outside the White House."
Bono was in the Big Apple on the mayor's invitation to discuss the singer's various philanthropic projects.
As Bono no doubt knows, Bloomberg is a billionaire who claims his life will be dedicated to giving away money; this despite the talk of him running as an Independent candidate after finishing up with his mayoral duties.
"What I'm interested in is not just his [Bloomberg's] cash, but his intellect, and how his business acumen could be used to work for the world's poor," Bono said.
Wonder if Bono thinks that in Bloomberg he's found another GOP-dividing, vote- chipping, Clinton-assisting Ross Perot.
5. Ozzy Osbourne Miffed that Cops Nabbed His Name
Ozzy Osbourne is hopping mad over a sting operation that resulted in criminals being arrested.
While under the supervision of Sheriff Paul Laney, police sent invitations to criminal suspects for a bogus event in Fargo, N.D., which was to be hosted by Ozzy Osbourne.
The guest list was composed of 500 suspected criminals who had outstanding arrest warrants. Thirty showed up for the staged event.
What added credibility to the gathering was the fact that Osbourne was in concert at a local arena.
Ozzy is unhappy about the turn of events.
"Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back, Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests," Ozzy said. "It is insulting to me and to my audience and it shows how lazy this particular sheriff is when it comes to doing his job."
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