Lion King Keeps Crown, Beats Moneyball

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Moneyball may have scored a homerun with critics, but at the end of the weekend the only number that mattered was 3D, as Disney's souped-up re-release of its 17-year-old Lion King topped the box office for the second weekend in a row. "The Lion King" earned another $22.1 million over the weekend, thanks to strong matinees and a rainy Friday, bringing its release revenues to $61.6 million.

Neck-and-neck for Nos 2 and 3 were Moneyball with $20.6 million and Morgan Freeman's Dolphin Tale with $20.3 million. Moneyball may not have landed in the top spot, but it is the biggest opening ever for a baseball movie, according to Deadline.

Pope meets with German Jewish leaders in Berlin

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Pope Benedict XVI met with leaders of Germany's Jewish community while on a visit to his homeland.

Benedict, who arrived Thursday in Berlin to visit his native Germany for the third time since becoming pope, met the Jewish leaders in a closed-door meeting in the Reichstag after addressing the German parliament. The meeting lasted about 25 minutes.

Benedict was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a teenager. He has come under fire from the Jewish community for his work to beatify Pope Pius XII, the wartime pope who many accuse of not defending the Jews against the Nazis.

Next Up in the Remake Dept: Scarface

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Say hello to my little friend...again. Sort of. Universal Pictures is preparing to make (but not remake) a third "Scarface," which it says will not be a rehashing of or sequel to either the 1932 or 1983 films, but a new version, reports Deadline.

It'll share the same premise (outsider busts his way into the criminal underworld in a bid to achieve the ahem, American dream; violence is involved). No word on ethnicity or geography (Italian, Chicago, Cuban/Miami played big in the first two versions, Deadline reminds us). Former Universal head Marc Shmuger will produce, along with Martin Bregman, who produced the Al Pacino version.

Jail term for praising Hitler

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A man from Lower Austria has been sentenced to prison for glorifying the Third Reich.

The 54-year-old was found guilty of breaching Austria's anti-Nazi propaganda law. He was ordered to spend six months behind bars with another 12 months on suspension. The verdict--issued by a court in Vienna Tuesday--is not yet legally binding as the state prosecutor is yet to make his final statement. The defendant did not appeal.

The man--who co-founded and once headed the banned Austrian Nationalist Party--denied all charges under Austria's anti-Nazi mindset act. He only admitted having possessed a non-registered weapon. Prosecutors accused him of celebrating the late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's birthday between 2007 and 2009. They also said in court the man gave the Nazi salute and praised banned symbols like the swastika as well as Hitler himself. Investigators discovered data on his computer confirming his neo-Nazi attitude.

The trail took place shortly after a Holocaust awareness group reported a confectioner to the police and prosecutors for offering cakes showing prohibited Nazi symbols. The Austrian Mauthausen Committee explained it was informed by customers spotting images of the products in a catalogue on display at the shop near Vienna showing previously made products. The disputed images show a cake with a swastika icing and a pie on which a uniformed arm bursts through to give the Hitler salute.

It is not clear whether the confectioner--who received death threats when the story broke--will be prosecuted. He said: "People are calling me a Nazi swine on the phone. I'm not a fan of Hitler. I made these cakes eight years ago. I don't know what's so special about fulfilling extraordinary requests by customers."

Spreading and backing the Nazis' ideas and neo-Nazi propaganda is a breach of law in Austria. The country's juridical framework also prohibits the possession and trade of any kind of objects depicting symbols associated with Nazi Germany.

Tony Bennett apologizes for 9/11 remarks

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Tony Bennett triggered a tsunami of controversy Tuesday by appearing on the Howard Stern show and announcing that Americans were to blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"They flew the plane in, but we caused it," was part of what the singer said. "Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop." After a few moments of contemplative silence, Stern agreed that his guest had made "some good points."

Now, Bennett--who just celebrated his 85th birthday--has issued an apology.

"There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country," he said.

"I am sorry if my statements suggested anything other than an expression of my love for my country, my hope for humanity and my desire for peace through out the world."

Film set in Lebanon wins fans' prize at Toronto film fest

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"Where Do We Go Now?" a bittersweet comedy set in war-torn Lebanon, bested two well-received entries starring George Clooney to win the people's choice award Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Cadillac People's Choice award is voted on by festival audiences and has typically been regarded as a bellwether for Oscar success.

Lebanese-Canadian director-actress Nadine Labaki's feminist film about village women bent on keeping their hotheaded men out of a religious war was chosen earlier this month as Lebanon's 2011 entry in the best foreign language film category for the Academy Awards.

Last year's fans' pick, "The King's Speech," went on to take four Oscars, including best picture and the 2008 people's choice winner, "Slumdog Millionaire," took best picture and seven other Oscars.

The best first Canadian feature awards, which includes a $15,000 prize, went to director Nathan Morland's period piece "Edwin Boyd," starring Scott Speedman as the notorious Canadian bank robber.

Robert Davi Sings Sinatra Classics

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

I'm going to see actor/singer Robert Davi croon Sinatra classics at "Vibrato's" this Tuesday night in Bel Air.

Davi has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in "Die Hard," the villainous Jake Fratelli in "The Goonies" and Al Torres in "Showgirls." However, Davi is perhaps best known for playing drug lord Franz Sanchez in the 1989 James Bond film "Licence to Kill" as well as Agent Baily Malone in the NBC TV series Profiler.

Davi also appeared alongside Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken in the gangster movie "Kill the Irishman." The film, in which Davi played Mafia hitman Ray Ferritto, is a biopic of Danny Greene, an Irish-American mob boss who warred with the Cleveland crime family during the 1970s. Currently, Davi can be seen in "Game of Death" with Wesley Snipes.

But what most people don't know is that Davi is a classically trained singer. Even as far back as high school, Davi received acclaim for his singing, being awarded first place in the prestigious New York State School Music Association's Solo Competition, singing Vincent Youmans' "Without A Song." As a young man, Davi studied classically under several of the top vocal teachers, Samuel Margolis and Danial Ferro of Julliard and later, opera great Tito Gobbi. Davi did in fact damage his voice, claiming he was baritone with heart of a tenor and had pushed too hard, too early.

However it isn't until recently that he has become successful as a singer. With a 30-piece orchestra, Davi recorded his first album at the famous Capitol Records Building in Hollywood (where Frank Sinatra recorded on many occasions). The album contains all new arrangements by composer Nic. tenBroek. The album "Davi Sings Sinatra--On The Road to Romance," will be released in the late spring of 2011.

Lost 5 Years, a Colorado Cat Finds Her Way to Manhattan

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family, where two of the three children and one of the two dogs may remember her.

How she got to New York, more than 1,800 miles away and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries.

But thanks to a microchip that was implanted when she was a kitten, Willow will be reunited in Boulder, Colorado with her owners, the Squireses who had long ago give up hope.

"There are tons of coyotes around here and owls," Jamie Squires said. "We put out the 'lost cat' posters and the Craigslist thing, but we actually thought she'd been eaten by coyotes."

Ms. Squires said she and her husband, Chris, were shocked when they received a call about Willow on Wednesday from Animal Care and Control, which runs New York City's animal rescue and shelter system. Ms. Squires said that when they saw a picture of the cat, they knew it was Willow.

Willow was found on East 20th Street by a man who took her to a shelter and Julie Bank, exec director of Animal Care said the microchip led the Squires family.

"All our pets are microchipped," Ms. Squires said. "If I could microchip my kids, I would."

"History of the World, Part I"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"History of the World, Part I" is a 1981 comedy film written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks.

As he does in many of his other films, Brooks gives himself a great deal of time in front of the camera, this time playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomas de Torquemada, King Louis XVI and Jacques "Le Garcon de Pisse." The large ensemble cast also features Sid Caesar, Shecky Greene, Gregory Hines, Charlie Callas and Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman.

The film also has cameo appearances by Bea Arthur, Hugh Hefner, John Hurt (as Jesus Christ), Barry Levinson, Jackie Mason, Paul Mazursky and Henny Youngman, among others. Orson Welles narrates each story.

The film is a parody of the "historical spectacular" film genre including the "sword-and-sandal epic" and the "period costume drama" sub-genres. The four main segments consist of stories set during the Dawn of Man, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution. Other intermediate skits include reenactments of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Last Supper.

Legacy: The catchphrase "It's good to be the king," which entered into popular culture, originates in this film, being used repeatedly during the French Revolution segment of the film. Brooks as Louis XVI says this into the camera in three different scenes, breaking the fourth wall as if to justify the king's wanton behavior.

Brooks also portrays "Le Garcon de Pisse," the "lowly pissboy" who carries a bucket for royalty to urinate into and later impersonates the king. Brooks as the piss boy delivers the same line with a sense of surprise when he is able to sample the king's luxurious lifestyle for the first time.

"Marathon Man" (1976)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy), directed this gripping entertaining 1976 thriller that centers on graduate student Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman plays a sullen and cowardly loner haunted by the suicide of his father, a suspected communist.

He is drawn into a murky web of international intrigue when his brother, CIA agent Doc Levy, played by Roy Scheider (Jaws, The French Connection), is murdered by a former Nazi (Lawrence Olivier) who has come to the United States to reclaim a valuable stash of diamonds. Babe, (Hoffman) must confront his fears of the past as he runs for his life and tries to avenge his brother's death at the same time.

Featuring a classic torture sequence and a terrific cast that includes William Devane and Marthe Keller, this film written by William Goldman (All the President's Men), stands as great entertainment and as one of the seminal films of the 1970s.

Defintely one of the best Nazi thrillers ever made, (along with The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin). Remains a high watermark of it's genre.

"The Jazz Singer" (1952)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Just watched the 1952 version of "The Jazz Singer" on Tuner Classic Movies last night and it was fantastic. Out of the three versions of The Jazz Singer, this one with Danny Thomas is my favorite. If you love music and especially old standards, then you will love this movie. Danny Thomas gives a surprisingly fine performance and had a voice that I think few people even knew about it, let alone recognized in him.

Peggy Lee also out does herself in her role as a Broadway artist and recording star, The film follows about the same storyline as the version starring Al Jolson.

As Jerry Golding scales the heights of show business, he breaks the heart of his father, who had hoped that Jerry would follow in his footsteps. Sorrowfully, Cantor David Golding reads the Kaddish service, indicating that, so far as he is concerned, his son is dead. A tearful reconciliation occurs when Jerry dutifully returns to sing the "Kol Nidre" in his ailing father's absence.

Interestingly, Thomas who was Lebanese, played the role of the Jewish son. Born Muzyad Yakhoob, in Deerfield, Michigan, he began his show biz career in 1932 as a singer at a Detroit radio station; he began performing as an MC-comedian in nightclubs in 1938 and gradually gained popularity and national recognition over the next decade. He was very successful in TV, starring in the long-running sitcom "Make Room for Daddy (later re-named the Danny Thomas Show); he also starred in a number os specials and made guest appearances on variety shows.

In the late 50's Thomas began producing for TV forming a partnership with Sheldon Leonard and later Aaron Spelling; he produced such series as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pile and The Mod Squad. He founded the St. Jude's Research Hospital which is dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic children's diseases. He was also the father of actress Marlo Thomas and authorized an autobiography, "Make Room for Danny" in 1990.

Mel Gibson: I Don't Have a Jewish Problem

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

So why should Mel Gibson decide to produce a movie about a famed Jewish warrior given his, er Jewish problem?

Easy, explains TMZ. Gibson didn't think he had a Jewish problem. It quotes sources "very close" to Gibson as insisting that he doesn't hate Jews and that, wait for it, he has many Jewish friends and business associates. Gibson feels that he's made enough mea culpas for his infamous anti-Semitic rant in 2006 and that the movie should not be seen as a bid to mend ties because none need mending. Jewish groups beg to differ.

"I think it's quite preposterous," a rabbi with the Simon Weisenthal Center tells CNN. "Judah Maccabee is one of the greatest heros in Jewish history. Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite. I don't know if Warner Brothers was thinking." The Washington Post rounds up similar sentiments. ("Judah Maccabee deserves better") from the ADL and other groups.

Oy Vey! Mel's Next Film's About Jewish Warrior

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Five years after Mel Gibson derailed his career with a DUI arrest and infamous anti-Semitic rant, the actor's attempt at returning to the Hollywood pantheon has taken a rather ironic turn: Gibson will produce a movie about one of the greatest Jewish warriors of all time, Judah Maccabee, reports "Deadline."

From a script by Basic Instinct scribe Joe Eszterhas, the Warner Brothers movie will tell the story of the man who led the famous revold in the second century BCE against the Seleucid Empire, giving us Hanukkah.

"A Dangerous Method"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"A Dangerous Method" is an upcoming historical film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.

Set on the eve of World War I, "A Dangerous Method" is based on the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung and his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them.

Christoph Waltz was initially cast as Sigmund Freud but was replaced by Viggo Mortensen due to a scheduling conflict. Filming began in 2010 in Vienna, Zurich, Cologne and Berlin.

The movie hinges on an unorthodox experiment Jung undertook with Sabina Spielrein, a Russian Jewish woman whom he treated for hysteria and who later became a significant psychoanalyst in her own right.

Precision defines every aspect of the production, from the immaculate lensing and editing to the production design, which fastidiously re-creates everything from the specific minutiae of Freud's office to the intricate instruments Jung uses during a word-association experiment. Scenic shots of Vienna and Germany's Lake Constance add further luster to the film's look.

Universal Pictures will release the film in German-speaking territories while Lionsgate took rights to the United Kingdom. The film is scheduled for a European release in November 2011 after its world premiere at the 68th Venice Film Festival. It made its U.S. premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado on Labor Day Weekend.

Gumby calls it a robbery, clerk thinks it's a joke

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

This sounds like a skit straight out of Saturday Night Live. San Diego police say surveillance tape shows a person dressed like Gumby telling a convenience store clerk he is being robbed, fumbling inside the costume as if to pull out a gun, dropping 27 cents and leaving.

Police say the attempted robbery took place Monday at a 7-Eleven in Rancho Penasquitos.

Detective Gary Hassen tells San Diego's 10News the clerk never heard of Gumby. He described the character as a green Sponge Bob SquarePants.

After being told it was a robbery, the clerk told the man in costume not to waste his time. The clerk didn't report the encounter, but his boss called police after seeing the tape. Hassen says police are taking it seriously and looking for the suspect. A $1,000 reward is being offered.

Vienna among most liveable cities in the world

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Vienna has been found to be one of the most liveable cities in the world.

The Austrian capital came second in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) latest check on around 140 cities in the world. Melbourne in Australia topped the list. Three Canadian cities--Vancouver, Tornonto and Calgary--took the places behind Vienna.

The EIU is a think tank funded by British business magazine "The Economist." Aspects like the quality of healthcare, political stability, crime rates and education matters were taken into account, the think tank explained Wednesday.

The EIU updates its global quality of living ranking twice a year. Vienna was rated the third-best place to live by the Economist's in-house research unit.

Around 1.7 million people live in Vienna which is governed by a coalition of Mayor Michael Haupl's Social Democrats (SPO), and the left-wing Green Party. Vienna is also one of the Austrian tourism industry's most valuable assets. Around 10.86 million overnight stays were registered in the city last year--more than ever before. The number of beds available in hotels and guesthouses in Vienna is to soar to around 4,500 to more than 31,000 in the coming years as a string of expansion and construction projects are in the pipeline.

Jesus Page Attracts 'Divine' Facebook Traffic

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Move over Justin Bieber, Jesus Christ is here. The New York Times reports that a Facebook page called "Jesus Daily" is generating more "Likes" and comments than Bieber's page simply by posting the words of Jesus four or five times a day. Last week it racked up 3.4 million interactions to Bieber's 630,000 but who's counting.

The man behind it, North Carolina doctor Aaron Tabor, says he only started it as a hobby about two years ago. "I wanted to provide people with encouragement," he says.

And "Jesus Daily" is not alone. Facebook's top-20 traffic pages include Joyce Meyer Ministries, another Jesus Page and Dios Es Bueno (or "God is Great"). What's more, a reverend and a rabbi tell the Times that Facebook is helping houses of worship attract more congregants and online whorshipers.

Neo-Nazi Town Home of 'Happy Holocaust' BBQ

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

No one's laughing if it's "a joke." A VBS TV reporter out to discover how crazily right wing a new-Nazi German town is stumbled upon an outdoor cooking grill emblazoned with the words "Happy Holocaust."

The small town of Jamel in northeastern Germany is known as a place where Hitler salutes are sometime spotted, where outsiders are chased away and where strange shooting practices take place in the woods. At least 50% of the population supports neo-Nazis or the National Democratic Party.

The grill was spotted in the yard of the NDP office building. A local party politician said he hadn't noticed the words, reports "Der Spiegel." "Maybe someone is making fun of the political class because of how they repress open discussion," he explained.

"After-all, if someone has an opinion about the Holocaust, they should be able to express it. It must belong to someone in the building, but to me that matter is unimportant."

The TV journalist said she was "shocked" by the words. "I couldn't believe what I saw," she added. "It was like in a bad American movie that tries to come up with the most ridiculous idea for how to make Nazis look really terrible."

FBI Leak Reveals US Spying on Israeli Embassy in D.C.

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

When FBI translator Shamai Leibowitz pleaded guilty last year to divulging classified information, the nature of that info was kept secret even from the judge. Now we know why: Leibowitz was passing on transcripts of US wiretaps on the Israeli embassy in D.C., the blogger he leaked them to tells the New York Times. That blogger, Richard Silverstein, says he burned the documents once Leibowitz came under investigation, but recalled that they detailed Israeli plans to influence members of Congress and the American public.

In court, Leibowitz said the transcripts contained "things which I considered were violation of the law," though Silverstein doesn't think anything strayed outside of normal lobbying. He says Leibowitz was appalled by the attempts to lean on Congress and worried Israel would launch a disastrous military strike on Iran and hoped the leak would prevent it. The leak was likely considered so sensitive because it involved the US spying on an ally, though intelligence experts say such eavesdropping is an open secret. In one transcript, the Israelis commented that someone could be listening.

Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Having made some memorable appearances on Cavett's 1970s ABC talk show, Brooks is in fine, relaxed, nostalgic form during this conversation taped in December in front of an LA theater audience.

If you've never been witness to Brooks doing his "2000 Year Old Man" routine, telling ribald tales of the making of Blazing Saddles and mimicking Alfred Hitchcock's eating habits, you'll laugh at this.

Cavett plays WASP-coy to Brooks' Jewish tummler and wedges in his own stories of limo rides 1with Fred Astaire and elevator rides with Jack Benny. Bonus points for using HBO's language freedoms to recount a dirty Marx Brothers anecdote. Not much new here to me, but hey, it's only nostalgia if you haven't heard it before.

9-10PM Friday September 9. HBO

Eva Peron Helped Nazis, Hid Jewish Treasure Book

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A new book is giving Argentina a reason not to cry for Eva Person: She helped a number of Nazis who fled Europe after World War II, and was rumored to have harbored treasures taken from their Jewish victims.

The accusations come from "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Latin America," a controversial new book that aims to dredge up dirt on the region's most beloved leftist leaders, the Telegraph reports.

Among those are Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.

"Berlin 36"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Movie review

In the days leading up the 1936 Olympics, the fate of high jumper Gretel Bergmann hangs in the balance as it is decided whether or not a Jewish athlete can be a part of the German Olympic Team. The film is based on a true story.

The plot centers around Gretel Bergmann who wins the high jump championships in the United Kingdom. The Nazi racial laws at the time, prevented her from continuing her training in Germany. Being a Jew, her father had sent her to England, where she could live more safely and continue her sporting career.

At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, the Americans and the IOC demand that Jewish athletes are not to be excluded from the event, especially the high jumper Gretel Bergmann of international fame, thus putting the Nazi Olympic Committee in great difficulty. A victory by a Jewish athlete would seriously humiliate the Nazi party. When her family in Germany is threatened, Gretel returns to Germany. She is included in the German Olympic high jump team, seemingly with the same rights as the other athletes in the training camp.

Hans Waldmann, the coach of the team, is excited about the skills and discipline of Gretel and reveals an impartial personality to sports. However, Waldmann is dismissed by order of the Nazi party officials. He is replaced by coach Sigfrid Kulbach, loyal to the Nazi party. He attempts, instead, by all means to discourage the young athlete and beat her self esteem.

Her room-mate and sole competitor in skills is Marie Ketteler. Marie, however, is really a man, by whom the Nazis want to get the gold medal in high jump.

Despite being the most promising athlete in high jump training, Gretel is suddenly excluded from competition under false pretenses, a few days before the games. She is replaced by Marie, the second best athlete.

"Berlin 36" premiered in 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The film received generally positive reviews and was called "interesting" by "Der Spiegel."