Schwarzenegger wants to run for president

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would love to run for president--if he could.

California's actor-turned governor was born in Austria and the U.S. Constitution prevents foreign-born citizens from holding the nation's top job.

Jay Leno asked Schwarzenegger on "The Tonight Show" if he would make a White House run if the law was changed. Schwarzenegger replied, "Without any doubt."

But that's not likely in the forseeable future. Any amendment to the Constitution must be approved by two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate and then be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says the governor doesn't think that will happen.

German pigs find WWII anti-tank weapon

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

German police say a couple of hungry pigs digging for food came nose-to-nose with a long-buried World War II anti-tank weapon.

Police said Friday the two pigs found the single-shot "panzerfaust" on private land southwest of Dresden.

The pigs' owner secured the animals in their stall then called police who were able to remove the weapon and destroy it.

The inexpensive and easy-to-operate panzerfaust was used extensively during the defense of Germany and through the rest of the war. Such finds are still relatively common, even 65 years after the end of the war.

David Ben-Gurion's vision for Israel's future

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

On April 11, the American Associates of Ben-Gurion University hosted a symposium and dinner at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset Blvd.

Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Jacob Dyan greeted the audience, acknowledging the somber date--Yom HaShoah--and connecting it with the importance of supporting Israel.

"People constantly ask why Israel is not responding to the threat of Iran. Every innovation, every new technology and advancement is a response. We chose not to be victims anymore, but heros. We are sending the message that we are here, we're going to stay and we're going to prevail."

Among the 150 well dressed crowd, three prominent BGU professors shared their work during the symposium. Dr. Tuvia Friling, a scholar of Israeli history, Zionism and the Holocaust, gave a brief overview of David Ben-Gurion's historical significance in "Propelling and Living the Zionist Dream." Dr. Alon Monsongego's research focuses on neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases and spoke of how he and his BGU colleagues and students are pioneering new strategies to reverse the damages of Alzheimer's. Professor David Faiman, a leading authority on solar energy, spoke of his work developing solar-power-generated electricity at a fraction of the cost of other existing technologies.

Austrian President wins second term

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Austria's president easily secured a second term, deflecting a challenge by a far right politician who had denounced the country's anti-Nazi law.

Incumbant Heinz Fischer, a Social Democrat, won 78.9% of the vote, trouncing his main rival, Barbara Rosenkranz of the anti-foreigner and anti-European Union Freedom Party, who netted 15%. Rudolf Gehring of the tiny Austrian Christian Party trailed with 5.4%.

Fischer is known for caution and diplomacy. He served as science minister and held various leadership positions in his party and in parliament before initially winning the presidency in 2004.

Rosenkranz, in contrast, caused controversy by suggesting that Austria's law banning the glorification of the Nazis was not in line with the constitution and hindered freedom of expression. But she recently declared formal support for the law.

She also came under fire recently for a vague response to a question about Nazi gas chambers, but has since clearly acknowledged their existence.

'Dragon' proves tough to slay at box office

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"How to Train Your Dragon" proved a difficult film to slay at the North American box office as it took the top spot in its fifth weekend in theaters, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

The animated "Dragon" earned $15 million over the weekend since Friday, dropping just 23 percent since last weekend.

Romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan" followed at No. 2 with $12.3 million, while action comedy "The Losers" opened at No. 4 slightly short of expectations with $9.6 million.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to be No. 1 in the fifth week," said Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio that produced "Dragon."

"Date Night" a romantic comedy from 20th Century Fox, remained at only a 37 percent drop from last week and claimed the No. 3 spot.

With no big budget movie openings, the overall box office for the weekend was under $100 million, which was the lowest total of the year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Hollywood.com Box Office.

Are Mormans ready for their 'South Park' moment?

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Lovers of traditional theater beware. The creators of "South Park" are coming to Broadway. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are teaming up with Robert Lopez, co-creator of puppet musical Avenue Q, to produce a Broadway show about mormonism. "The Book of Mormon" set to open in March 2011, will reportedly "juxtapose a tale of two young Mormon missionaries with the story of Joseph Smith, who founded Mormonism in the 19th century," according to The New York Times.

Given the mockery South Park has heaped on Catholicism and Scientology, some in the Mormon brotherhood are already worried. Latter-Day Saints should brace themselves for "biting satire at the expense of their culture and most sacred beliefs and history," says Joel Campbell at the Mormon Times.

Meanwhile blogger John Dehlin welcomes the news, saying it will give the church much-needed publicity. "The Jews got Fiddler. The Catholics got "The Sound of Music," he tells the Salt Lake Tribune.

Mel Brooks gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"I'd like to thank Adolph Hitler for this award," joked comic Mel Brooks in Hollywood yesterday.

The comedian, actor and producer who gave the world "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein" and the Hitler parody "The Producers" got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Brooks received the 2,406th star during a ceremony in front of the Egyptian theater. His son Max and friend Carl Reiner, attended.

"Now my star can watch over your star," said Reiner who happily posed for photographers.

Hitler Broadcasts Fueled Rise of Radical Islam

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Arabic-language Nazi propaganda broadcast during WWII fueled the rise of radical Islamic views, a new book claims.

In "Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World," professor Jeffrey Herf uses 6,000 newly-released radio transcripts to show how hate-filled radio broadcasts exacerbated anti-Jewish sentiment in the Arab World. A sample message, circa 1942: "You're only hope for rescue is the destruction of the Jews before they destroy you!"

Professor Herf, the first scholar to be granted access to the transmissions, says they constitute a "significant chapter in the longer history of radical Arab nationalsim and militant Islam."

The Israel-Palestine conflict would have ended long ago were it not for the "uncompromising, religiously inspired hatred of the Jews" articulated on the airwaves, he tells the Telegraph.

'South Park' episode draws group's threat

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A radical Islamic group has warned "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone after a recent episode of the cartoon depicted the prophet Muhammad in a bear costume.

"We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," a posting on the site Revolutionmuslim said. Van Gogh was the Dutch filmmaker shot to death in 2004 after he made a film critical of the treatment of women in Islamic society.

"South Park" has long flirted with trouble over depicting Muhammad, which is considered offensive to many Muslims. Wednesday's episode was built around the efforts of the "South Park" kids to bring the prophet to their town, only to realize the difficulty of doing so without showing his face or body. He is ultimately shown wearing a bear mascot's costume.

A Comedy Central spokesman said the network has no comment.

Hitler parodies booted off YouTube

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to Sarah Jacobson in PC World, YouTube has recently begun removing videos that feature content from Constantin Films' 2004 film "Downfall," despite the fact that many of these videos are parodies and thus constitute fair use of the material.

The "Downfall" or Hitler-parody, meme has been, arguably a viral spate of publicity for Constantin Films in the past few years. The meme takes a now-infamous scene from the movie (the scene in which Hitler reacts to the news that Germany is about to lose the war), and puts satirical sutitles over the action (the movie is in German). Hitler parodies have been made for everything from "Hitler finds out Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson," to "Hitler is Fired from Whataburger," to more recently, "Hitler Responds to the iPad."

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, these videos are being removed because of YouTube's automated Content I.D. system, which allows copyright owners to disable any videos that contain its content--regardless of whether the videos may be legitimate because they contain other elements.

Of course the real question is: why? Why has Constantin Films chosen to suddenly claim copyright on these clips after six years--especially when the clips generate interest from parties who are otherwise unlikely to even look at the film.

Even the director of "Downfall," Oliver Hirschbiegel, thinks the parodies are funny. He told New York Magazine in January 2010: "Someone sends me the links every time there's a new one. I think I've seen about 145 of them! Of course, I have to put the sound down when I watch. Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud and I'm laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director."

Some of Hirshbiegel's favorite parodies include the one where Hitler hears of Michael Jackson's death, and the one in which Hilter can't get Billy Elliot tickets--both of which have been blocked by Constantin's copyright claims. Hirschbiegel thinks the parodies are a good thing, too "The point of the film was to kick these terrible people off the throne that made them demons making them real and their actions into reality," he told New York Mag, "I think it's only fair if now it's taken as part of our history, and used for whatever purposes people like."

Hollywood vs. The Volcano

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A volcanic cloud of ash hovering over Europe is causing quite a scene in Hollywood and beyond.

The ash spat out by an Icelandic volcano that has left thousands of air travelers stranded is also affecting celebrities, filmmakers, musicians and even pro wrestlers.

With almost two-thirds of Europe's flights grounded, cancellations were popping up across the entertainment landscape on Saturday as Icelandic scientists warned that volcanic activity has increased and showed no sign of abating.

Organizers of the Coachella Valley Music Festival in Indio, California, tweeted that some acts were forced to pull out of the weekend event. British musicians The Cribs, Bad Lt and others, who were on tour in Europe, weren't able to make the lineup.

"I can't tell you how disappointed we all are," Numan posted on his Web site Saturday.

Scientists were indicating that travel chaos could extend into the upcoming week, increasing the threat to New York's Tribeca Film Festival, which begin Wednesday. Tribeca is to feature films from nearly 40 countries, with many filmmakers from Europe expected to attend.

Back in Hollywood, "A Single Man" director Tom Ford wasn't on hand to acept his trophy for outstanding wide release film at Saturday evening's GLAAD Media Awards.

What Obama's nuclear summit achieved: 5 theories

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Leaders and diplomats from 47 countries gathered in D.C. this week to forge a unified nuclear policy. So what did (or didn't) they accomplish?

President Obama's nuclear security summit concluded Tuesday night, after two days of meetings among leaders and diplomats from 47 countries. The Obama administration hails the summit as a success, saying it made the world a safe place. But the summit's aims were too "modest and uncontroversial," says Tony Karon at Time, it was almost automatically "a success."

Here's 4 noteworthy outcomes from the gathering:

1. It cut the worldwide stock of nuclear materials.
In addition to the Russian-American deal to reduce stocks of excess plutonium, countries such as the Ukraine, Chile, Mexico and Canada agreed to get rid of enriched uranium. Malaysia agreed to limit the sale of nuclear-related materials. President Obama's call to "lock up all vulnerable nuclear material in four years" was endorsed by all 47 participants though any method for accomplishing that goal remains "disappointingly squishy," says the New York Times.

2. It let Iran off the hook...
"The summit did nothing to lessen the biggest state-based threat to international security today--Iran's nuclear ambitions," says Nile Gardiner in the Daily Telegraph. While the U.S. pushed for "tough sanctions" to "choke off investment in Iran's energy sector," says Tony Karon at Time, neither China nor Russia played ball. While both agreed to further talks on sanctioning Iran, an agreement to impose them is further away than ever.

3....but it also sent it a serious message.
"The U.S. doesn't need to drive Iran into a sanction-led economic depressions," says Max Fisher at The Atlantic. "It just needs the credible threat that it could." And this summit's will-they-or-won't-they act from Russia and China provided a "tremendous deterrent to Iran's leadership," who simply cannot afford to lose business from those countries,this way is a step forward."

4....but also failed to make us safer from it.
Even though the summit focused "world attention on the nuclear threat," it did not actually do much to address it, continues Crowley. Unfortunately, "high-minded calls to action" don't mean much to rogue states like Iran or North Korea. Obama and the Democrats called it a big deal says Suzanne Fields at the Washington Times, but it's "hard to find anyone who thinks it was anything more than big talk."

Israel bans imports of Apple iPad

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.'s hottest new product, the iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget consumes too much capacity on wireless networks and could disrupt other devices.

Customs officials said Thursday they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone--even tourists--from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards.

"If you operate equipment in a frequency band which is different from the others that operate on that frequency band, then there will be interference," said Nati Schubert, a senior deputy director for the Communications Ministry. "We don't care where people buy their equipment...But without regulations, you would have chaos."

'Date Night' ekes out disputed box-office win

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Steve Carrell and Tina Fey had a disputed win at the North American box office, according to studio estimates released on Sunday which showed their romantic comedy "Date Night" beating last weekend's champion.

The sitcom actors' romantic comedy "Date Night" earned $27.1 million during its first weekend, said its distributor 20th Century Fox.

"Clash of the Titans," which was in the No. 1 position last weekend, grossed $26.9 million, said Warner Bros. But the studio said it estimated a $26 million weekend for "Date Night."

"It does seem a little bizarre that they squeezed it out," Warner Bros. domestic distribution Dan Feliman said of Fox's estimate for "Date Night." Fox declined to respond.

Former champion "How to Train Your Dragon" was a close No. 3 with $25.4 million.

Rounding out the top five were filmmaker Tyler Perry's sequel "Why Did I get Married Too?" with $11 million and the Miley Cyrus drama "The Last Song" with $10 million.

Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy Split

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

They're grateful for the time they spent together and only wish the best for each other. But for Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, it's over.

"Jim and Jenny have recently decided to end their five-year relationship," Carrey's rep Marleah Leslie tells PEOPLE.

The two had supported each other through many life events, including the birth of Carrey's first grandchild after the actor's daughter, Jane, gave birth to a son in February.

The break-up came as a surprise as the pair had always appeared to be among Hollywood's happiest and most devoted couples.

Over the years, Carrey has also grown close to McCarthy's son, Evan, who has Autism. "He taught me how to love," Carrey said in 2008 at a march in Washington D.C. "And without Evan I might never have seen the greatness of Jenny's spirit."

'Clash of the Titans' wins box-office war

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The gods of Mount Olympus are the new rulers of the weekend box office.

The ancient Greek action remake "Clash of the Titans" debuted at No.1 with $61.4 million, according to studio estimates today. Adding Thursday night preview screenings, the movie totaled $64.1 million.

Opening at No. 2 with $30.2 million was "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?" reuniting filmmaker Perry with Janet Jackson and other co-stars for another comic drama about eight friends and their relationships.

The previous weekend's top movie, Dreamwork's Animation's Viking adventure "How to Train Your Dragon," ran a close third with $29.2 million.

Miley Cyrus' teen drama "The Last Song" premiered at No. 4 with $16.2 million. Written by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks specifically for the "Hannah Montanna" star, the movie casts Cyrus as a sullen teen spending the summer with her estranged father.

"Clash of the Titans" continued Hollywood's hit run of 3-D movies which has included "How to Train Your Dragon" and the blockbusters "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland."

Sandra's scandal worsens with Nazi photo

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Need more evidence that Jesse James engaged in many activities that wife Sandra Bullock knew nothing about?

A picture of him doing his best Nazi impersonation adds to that mounting evidence. US Weekly obtained the 2004 photo, in which James is wearing a Nazi cap, using his fingers to create a Hitler mustache and giving the infamous Nazi salute.

While there is no justification for such a thing, Jame's attorney Joe Yanny told CNN that the hat was a "gag gift" from James' Jewish godfather. And as if to illustrate that James was not an anti-Semite, Yanny said that James had actually lived on a kibbutz in Israel for "nearly a month."

The notorious photo was taken a year before Bullock and James married. According to a source who spoke to US Weekly, James took the photo just for "shock value," and he is "not a white supremacist."

White House Easter Egg Roll

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

If it's Easter Monday in Washington, it's time for the White House Easter Egg Roll.

The White House is getting ready, putting on the finishing touches before the gates open and 30,000 men, women and children scramble to take part in the annual tradition. The Easter Bunny and more than 14,500 hard-boiled eggs are dyed and waiting.

Public access to the South Lawn is as rare as sightings of the Easter Bunny. The White House grounds are open to the average public just two weekends a year, for the spring and fall garden tours. The Easter Egg Roll is the only event where people get to walk across the meticulously tended South Lawn.

Two world wars and weather have caused the "eggcitement" to be canceled several times. The fun and games are at the president's home, but he isn't always there to join the fun.

It's long-standing policy: No child or adult can attend alone. But decades ago in the 1930s, as the event grew more popular, kids and grown-ups alike figured out some "eggceptional" ways around the rule.

Children would mingle with tourists and others passing by the White House gates and hoped they could talk someone into escorting them through security and into the festivities on the South Lawn.

Eager to stroll the plush grounds, adults would dig into their purses and pockets to pay a nickle, a quarter or whatever the going rate was at the time to "adopt" a child long enough to get inside too.

Once past the guards, they often parted company. Sometimes, the kids headed back out through a different gate in search of another parent for hire--and more money for their pockets.

Finally, Secret Service agents were posted at the gates in 1939 to break up the racket.

Nowadays it takes more than just sweet talk to get into the "eggstravaganza."

For the first time last year--the Obama's first in the White House-tickets were distributed through an online lottery. The White House said it made the change to give more families from across the country a chance to participate in what is the longest annual presidential tradition on the South Lawn. It also means people now can apply for tickets from the comfort of their homes.

'Dynasty' actor John Forsythe dies at age 92

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

John Forsythe, the handsome, smooth-voiced actor who made his fortune as the scheming oil tycoon in TV's "Dynasty" and the voice of the leader of "Charlie's Angel's," has died after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 92.

Forsythe died late Thursday at his home in Santa Ynez from complications of pneumonia, publicist Harlan Boll said Friday.

"He was one of the last of the true gentlemen of the acting profession," Joan Collins said in a statement. "I enjoyed our nine years of feuding, fussing and fighting as the Carringtons."

Heather Locklear, another "Dynasty" co-star called him a "gentleman in every sense of the word," and a "gifted actor who knew the true meaning of being gracious and kind."

With his full head of silver hair, tanned face and soothing voice, Forsythe as Carrington attracted the ardor of millions of female television viewers. "It's rather amusing at my advanced age (mid 60's) to become a sex symbol," he cracked.

While he had small roles in a couple of films in the early 1940's, Forsythe's first successes were mainly on the stage. While serving during WWII, he was cast in Moss Hart's Air Force show "Winged Victory" along with many other future stars.