By AARON SAGERS
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When it comes to Oscar, I'm a grouch. I have long maintained the position that the Academy Awards is really just a trade show for pretty people. The outcome of the awards can definitely add buying power to some Hollywood names, and the winners of the big categories are given both a nod from their industry and a fancy statue (which I hope is really just an elaborately-designed key to some very exclusive VIP toilet).
There is clearly no value to the show for people not in the trade. Yet, I watch it every year.
I personally care about as much for the movie trade show as I might for a plumber's conference with "Joe The Plumber" as host. Off-hand, the most I can think of that I get from the speeches and glitter on parade is fodder for my fantasy video game, "Grand Theft Auto: Blood Red Carpets in Tinsel Town" (Rockstar Games, call me). The show is the equivalent of staring into an open refrigerator for something satisfying when I already know there's nothing substantial inside. I feel like I'd have more to gain by taking a trip to a Scranton-area Chili's for the annual Dundies over one to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
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But I'll be glued to the tubes (both the TV's and the Internet's) for the lion's share of Sunday night.
For avid moviegoers who follow films, the nominated flicks already exist on a "Seen it" or "To see" list, so they probably don't care. Meanwhile, the casual watcher who hasn't previously expressed an interest in seeing "Benjie Button" or "Frosty Nixon" won't opt out of a "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" viewing to slap down a tenner for an "Academy Award winning film." Speaking of "film," since the awards largely celebrate those instead of "movies" - you know, those moving picture entertainment thingies you see just for, how do you say ... fun (see "Iron Man," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") - there's no impact from the show on the weekend escapists.
So unless you're a Hollywood insider, or are personally invested in the career of Billy Bush, there is no real point to the whole affair. Still, I wouldn't miss it, and neither will many of you.
We watch because, in the absence of significant value, entertainment can still thrive. Just like there was bound to be some good times during the last ice age, any event as long as the awards show has to deliver a handful of entertaining moments that makes for bearable watching.
Maybe there was a time we watched to see celebrities speak their minds, or maybe it was to catch some of the more elusive famous faces emerge for a glamorous night on the town. But there is no such thing as an elusive celebrity anymore, and the ones that want to speak their mind blog it loudly, and speak to E! regularly.
Instead, I think the reason we're entertained by the Academy Awards is because it's the perfect one-shot chance to watch our beloved famed ones embarrass the heck out of themselves. It's the best night of schadenfreude all year long.
It's a joy to watch starlets thanking god and their parents while desperately trying to contain heaving bosoms in barely-there dresses. There's always at least one celeb who tries to make a statement and is angling for the Marlon Brando weird celeb-as-political activist award. The ill-conceived presenter team-ups often lead to bad jokes - delivered by A-listers - that land with a thud but make me grin. And aside from getting minute-to-minute updates on how Jack Nicholson is aging in those cut-away shots, once in a while audiences are treated to celebs acting awkwardly when they don't know they're on camera. There is also the human drama on display in the split-screen close-ups following the envelope opening when losing nominees reveal utter despair in that nanosecond before they tighten up those expressions.
I'm getting giddy just thinking about all of it!
This year, there's even more chances to watch celebs behaving badly. The show's producers are trying to make the ratings-challenged telecast punchier than Chris Brown and aren't announcing the award presenters before the show to build anticipation. This means there is a chance, albeit slim, we'll see Joaquin Phoenix break into an impromptu rap for all the best actors in the hizzouse.
Further, by going with song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman as the show's host instead of a comedian, audiences will be treated to musical numbers that seemed like a better idea in the planning meetings. Because Hugh Jackman is also the berserker mutant-hero Wolverine, could a showdown between him and the rageaholic Batman, Christian Bale, be in the cards?
At the very least, since lifetime achievement award-winner Jerry Lewis can't seem to appear in public without making a fool of himself, a few slurs and epithets will be guaranteed.
In short, the Academy Awards are still watchable because it's like the Super Bowl of reality TV. At the end of the night, we haven't learned anything and there is no resolution, but we have winners, losers and really big losers. There is absolutely no value to the show, and that's the point, because Oscar is the golden boy of pointless, voyeuristic entertainment.
Entertainment columnist Aaron Sagers writes weekly about all things pop-culture. He can be reached at sagers.aaron@gmail.com.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
With Four More Months to Make the Switch, Over 400 TV Stations Are All Digital
More than 400 television stations have stopped broadcasting in old-fashioned analog form, according to the Federal Communications Commission, months before the rescheduled transition to digital TV.
Turning off the analog signal allows stations that are short of cash to save money, but it also means a loss of service for viewers who have not yet upgraded their older television sets.
The long-awaited move to digital TV, which promises clearer pictures and more channel choices for over-the-air television viewers, had been scheduled to happen Tuesday, more than three years after the federal government set the day as the deadline for stations to cease analog broadcasting.
This month, however, the government delayed the move until June 12, citing a troubled transition process and a fear that millions of Americans would find that their televisions had been rendered incapable of receiving signals.
Despite the delay, 421 stations, most of them in smaller TV markets, chose to turn off their analog signals Tuesday. When they are combined with the 220 broadcasters that already broadcast solely in digital, the F.C.C. estimates that 36 percent of the nation’s stations will have switched by Wednesday morning.
President Obama signed legislation last week that pushed back the deadline until June and allowed some stations to turn off their analog signals earlier.
Nielsen Media Research estimates that about 5.8 million households, or about 5.1 percent, have not upgraded their sets. Households that rely on rabbit ears and older analog televisions to watch TV over the air need to install a converter box to view the digital programming.
The government’s coupon program to subsidize the cost of the converter boxes is experiencing a backlog; the stimulus bill Mr. Obama signed on Tuesday allots $650 million more for the initiative.
The F.C.C. said it had sought to ensure that at least one ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC affiliate in each market would stay on the air in analog form until June.
In about 20 markets where all the major affiliates intended to turn off the analog signal on Tuesday, the agency pushed stations to keep at least one signal on the air for news and emergency information.
“We are trying to make the best of a difficult situation,” Michael J. Copps, the acting chairman of the agency, said in a statement.
“While this staggered transition is confusing and disruptive for some consumers, the confusion and disruption would have been far worse had we gone ahead with a nationwide transition on Tuesday,” Mr. Copps said.
In major markets like New York, all the major affiliates will remain on the air in analog until June.
San Diego is the largest market where three of the biggest affiliates are turning off their analog signals. In that market, only 7 percent of people rely on over-the-air signals.
“We have been running crawls and stories and spots, everything required by the F.C.C., in great abundance, to try to end whatever confusion there is,” said Ed Trimble, the general manager of KFMB, the CBS affiliate in San Diego.
Most stations across the country are choosing to stay in both analog and digital form until June 12, meaning that viewers will see four more months of reminders to buy a converter box.
“There are still a few consumers who are not quite prepared yet, and that’s why we elected to go with the delay,” said Brent Hensley, the general manager of KOCO, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City.
Under the F.C.C.’s current rules, other stations may be allowed to turn off their analog signals in March and June.
Once stations stop analog broadcasting in local markets, the stations are bound to hear from confused consumers.
The F.C.C. said more than 4,000 people were available to answer the agency’s phone number, 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322), to help consumers who are confused about the switch.
Turning off the analog signal allows stations that are short of cash to save money, but it also means a loss of service for viewers who have not yet upgraded their older television sets.
The long-awaited move to digital TV, which promises clearer pictures and more channel choices for over-the-air television viewers, had been scheduled to happen Tuesday, more than three years after the federal government set the day as the deadline for stations to cease analog broadcasting.
This month, however, the government delayed the move until June 12, citing a troubled transition process and a fear that millions of Americans would find that their televisions had been rendered incapable of receiving signals.
Despite the delay, 421 stations, most of them in smaller TV markets, chose to turn off their analog signals Tuesday. When they are combined with the 220 broadcasters that already broadcast solely in digital, the F.C.C. estimates that 36 percent of the nation’s stations will have switched by Wednesday morning.
President Obama signed legislation last week that pushed back the deadline until June and allowed some stations to turn off their analog signals earlier.
Nielsen Media Research estimates that about 5.8 million households, or about 5.1 percent, have not upgraded their sets. Households that rely on rabbit ears and older analog televisions to watch TV over the air need to install a converter box to view the digital programming.
The government’s coupon program to subsidize the cost of the converter boxes is experiencing a backlog; the stimulus bill Mr. Obama signed on Tuesday allots $650 million more for the initiative.
The F.C.C. said it had sought to ensure that at least one ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC affiliate in each market would stay on the air in analog form until June.
In about 20 markets where all the major affiliates intended to turn off the analog signal on Tuesday, the agency pushed stations to keep at least one signal on the air for news and emergency information.
“We are trying to make the best of a difficult situation,” Michael J. Copps, the acting chairman of the agency, said in a statement.
“While this staggered transition is confusing and disruptive for some consumers, the confusion and disruption would have been far worse had we gone ahead with a nationwide transition on Tuesday,” Mr. Copps said.
In major markets like New York, all the major affiliates will remain on the air in analog until June.
San Diego is the largest market where three of the biggest affiliates are turning off their analog signals. In that market, only 7 percent of people rely on over-the-air signals.
“We have been running crawls and stories and spots, everything required by the F.C.C., in great abundance, to try to end whatever confusion there is,” said Ed Trimble, the general manager of KFMB, the CBS affiliate in San Diego.
Most stations across the country are choosing to stay in both analog and digital form until June 12, meaning that viewers will see four more months of reminders to buy a converter box.
“There are still a few consumers who are not quite prepared yet, and that’s why we elected to go with the delay,” said Brent Hensley, the general manager of KOCO, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City.
Under the F.C.C.’s current rules, other stations may be allowed to turn off their analog signals in March and June.
Once stations stop analog broadcasting in local markets, the stations are bound to hear from confused consumers.
The F.C.C. said more than 4,000 people were available to answer the agency’s phone number, 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322), to help consumers who are confused about the switch.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Syria says eight killed in U.S. attack near Iraqi border
DAMASCUS, Syria
U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria's border with Iraq yesterday, killing eight people, the Syrian government said. A statement said four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction near the town of Abu Kamal, just inside the Syrian border. The U.S. military did not respond to a request for comment. The area is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money for the Iraq insurgency.
U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria's border with Iraq yesterday, killing eight people, the Syrian government said. A statement said four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction near the town of Abu Kamal, just inside the Syrian border. The U.S. military did not respond to a request for comment. The area is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money for the Iraq insurgency.
FBI to help find Jennifer Hudson's nephew
By Kyle Peterson
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police asked the FBI on Saturday to help find the missing 7-year-old nephew of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson after her mother and brother were found shot to death a day earlier.
Julian King has been missing since Friday when Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were found dead in Donerson's south side Chicago home.
"Let my baby go," Hudson's sister Julia told reporters. She appeared at a news conference along with the boy's father, Greg King.
Chicago police spokesman Daniel O'Brien said the FBI had been asked to help in the search in case the boy had been taken across state lines, in violation of federal kidnap laws.
O'Brien declined to confirm various media reports that police had taken William Balfour into custody as a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Balfour, 27, had a relationship with Hudson's sister Julia but is not the father of the missing boy. Balfour's mother said earlier her son and Julia were estranged and that he had nothing to do with the slayings.
The Illinois Department of Corrections website lists Balfour as having been convicted of attempted murder, car theft and vehicular hijacking. He was released from prison in 2006.
O'Brien said more than one person had been questioned but that no one had been charged with a crime. He did not release any names. On Friday, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said of the murders, "It appears to be domestic related."
Hudson gained fame in 2005 as a contestant on the No. 1-rated U.S. television show "American Idol." She was one of 12 finalists in the third season but was voted off the talent show.
Her booming voice and popularity kept her touring in live shows and she eventually earned the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls."
The role of soulful singer White, who is kicked out of an all-girl 1960s singing group, earned Hudson the Oscar for best supporting actress and made her an instant star in Hollywood.
Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and is currently in "The Secret Life of Bees." Media reports said Hudson was in Florida when she was told of the shootings and was headed back to Chicago.
(Additional reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Peter Cooney)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police asked the FBI on Saturday to help find the missing 7-year-old nephew of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson after her mother and brother were found shot to death a day earlier.
Julian King has been missing since Friday when Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were found dead in Donerson's south side Chicago home.
"Let my baby go," Hudson's sister Julia told reporters. She appeared at a news conference along with the boy's father, Greg King.
Chicago police spokesman Daniel O'Brien said the FBI had been asked to help in the search in case the boy had been taken across state lines, in violation of federal kidnap laws.
O'Brien declined to confirm various media reports that police had taken William Balfour into custody as a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Balfour, 27, had a relationship with Hudson's sister Julia but is not the father of the missing boy. Balfour's mother said earlier her son and Julia were estranged and that he had nothing to do with the slayings.
The Illinois Department of Corrections website lists Balfour as having been convicted of attempted murder, car theft and vehicular hijacking. He was released from prison in 2006.
O'Brien said more than one person had been questioned but that no one had been charged with a crime. He did not release any names. On Friday, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said of the murders, "It appears to be domestic related."
Hudson gained fame in 2005 as a contestant on the No. 1-rated U.S. television show "American Idol." She was one of 12 finalists in the third season but was voted off the talent show.
Her booming voice and popularity kept her touring in live shows and she eventually earned the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls."
The role of soulful singer White, who is kicked out of an all-girl 1960s singing group, earned Hudson the Oscar for best supporting actress and made her an instant star in Hollywood.
Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and is currently in "The Secret Life of Bees." Media reports said Hudson was in Florida when she was told of the shootings and was headed back to Chicago.
(Additional reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Peter Cooney)
"High School Musical," "Saw" lead U.S. box office
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In one of the more unusual duels at the North American box office, a perky Disney romantic musical trumped the fifth installment in the grisly "Saw" horror series, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the first big-screen adaptation of Walt Disney Co's popular TV movie franchise, sold $42 million worth of tickets during its first three days. The opening sets a new record for a musical, surpassing the $27.8 million bow of the ABBA-themed romance "Mamma Mia!" in July.
"Saw V" followed with $30.5 million, in line with the previous three installments. Moviegoers can expect additional sequels of both films.
The one-two punch of the disparate duo propelled overall weekend sales to their highest level in 10 weeks. The top 12 films grossed $120 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers, up about 40 percent from both last weekend and the year-ago weekend.
But the news was not all good. The new cop drama "Pride and Glory," starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, opened at No. 5 with just $6.3 million. It marks the second consecutive dud for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. following "Body of Lies," starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, two weeks ago.
Disney, on the other hand, is enjoying a strong fall, first with "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" three weeks ago, and now with "High School Musical 3." The movie also opened in 19 international markets, and was No. 1 in each of them, led by Britain with $13 million.
SONG AND DANCE
"Music travels," said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group. "Sometimes American comedy is difficult to travel, but this is a relatively simple story and a good quality, fun movie."
The song-and-dance franchise has generated two smash TV movies and two chart-topping albums, and it made teen idols out of its stars, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The three films were directed by "Dirty Dancing" choreographer Kenny Ortega.
Exit polling in North America indicated three-quarters of the audience was female, and just over half were under 18, Disney said. About two-thirds were families.
The plot of the new film brings the cast back to their fictional New Mexico high school, where Troy (Efron) must decide between pursuing a basketball scholarship or his song-and-dance dreams. The usual teen-angst issues ensue.
"Saw V" is the latest installment in the spectacularly profitable torture franchise that kicked off in 2004. Every October since then, a new "Saw" movie has opened at No. 1 in the $30 million range. Total sales peaked at $87 million for "Saw II," and the film's distributor, Lionsgate, hopes the new one will finish up in the $60 million range.
The studio, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said "Saw" will soon become the biggest horror franchise, with total domestic sales about $1 million short of the $318 million haul of the 11 "Friday the 13th" films.
Last weekend's champ, the Mark Wahlberg thriller "Max Payne," slipped to No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $29.7 million. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In one of the more unusual duels at the North American box office, a perky Disney romantic musical trumped the fifth installment in the grisly "Saw" horror series, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the first big-screen adaptation of Walt Disney Co's popular TV movie franchise, sold $42 million worth of tickets during its first three days. The opening sets a new record for a musical, surpassing the $27.8 million bow of the ABBA-themed romance "Mamma Mia!" in July.
"Saw V" followed with $30.5 million, in line with the previous three installments. Moviegoers can expect additional sequels of both films.
The one-two punch of the disparate duo propelled overall weekend sales to their highest level in 10 weeks. The top 12 films grossed $120 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers, up about 40 percent from both last weekend and the year-ago weekend.
But the news was not all good. The new cop drama "Pride and Glory," starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, opened at No. 5 with just $6.3 million. It marks the second consecutive dud for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. following "Body of Lies," starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, two weeks ago.
Disney, on the other hand, is enjoying a strong fall, first with "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" three weeks ago, and now with "High School Musical 3." The movie also opened in 19 international markets, and was No. 1 in each of them, led by Britain with $13 million.
SONG AND DANCE
"Music travels," said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group. "Sometimes American comedy is difficult to travel, but this is a relatively simple story and a good quality, fun movie."
The song-and-dance franchise has generated two smash TV movies and two chart-topping albums, and it made teen idols out of its stars, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The three films were directed by "Dirty Dancing" choreographer Kenny Ortega.
Exit polling in North America indicated three-quarters of the audience was female, and just over half were under 18, Disney said. About two-thirds were families.
The plot of the new film brings the cast back to their fictional New Mexico high school, where Troy (Efron) must decide between pursuing a basketball scholarship or his song-and-dance dreams. The usual teen-angst issues ensue.
"Saw V" is the latest installment in the spectacularly profitable torture franchise that kicked off in 2004. Every October since then, a new "Saw" movie has opened at No. 1 in the $30 million range. Total sales peaked at $87 million for "Saw II," and the film's distributor, Lionsgate, hopes the new one will finish up in the $60 million range.
The studio, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said "Saw" will soon become the biggest horror franchise, with total domestic sales about $1 million short of the $318 million haul of the 11 "Friday the 13th" films.
Last weekend's champ, the Mark Wahlberg thriller "Max Payne," slipped to No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $29.7 million. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Search Continues for Jennifer Hudson's Nephew
By RUPA SHENOY Associated Press WriterCHICAGO October 27, 2008 (AP)
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A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home...
A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Investigators and community members pressed their search for Jennifer Hudson's missing nephew on Monday, hoping a $100,000 reward offered by the Oscar-winning actress for the 7-year-old's safe return might turn up clues to his whereabouts.
Julian King hasn't been seen since Friday, when Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. Police on Sunday ramped up search efforts for Julian around the Englewood neighborhood, where Hudson grew up, and transferred custody of a "person of interest" in the killings to state authorities.
On Sunday evening, in a statement from publicist Lisa Kasteler, the singer appealed to the public for help, offering the reward and asking any information be given to Chicago police.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," the statement said.
Hudson, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago with her family during the weekend, her sister said. Hudson's publicist did not disclose her whereabouts, but the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed she identified the bodies of her mother and brother.
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An Amber Alert remained in effect Sunday for Julian, the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. The bodies of his 57-year-old grandmother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old uncle, Jason Hudson, were found in the home they shared on the city's South Side on Friday. The deaths were ruled homicides.
"Detectives are working 24 hours on this case," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond. "There's a lot of forensic evidence. We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case. Most importantly, we want to find the child."
The Amber Alert listed William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, as a suspect in a "double homicide investigation."
Police said they did not have a motive for the killings but called the case "domestic related." Bond said Balfour, who had been in police custody since Friday, was transferred Sunday to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial...
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Balfour has not been charged in the slayings.
Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say where Balfour was being held.
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It was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney Sunday, but his mother, Michele Balfour, has denied he was involved the killings or in Julian's disappearance.
———
Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau and Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home...
A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Investigators and community members pressed their search for Jennifer Hudson's missing nephew on Monday, hoping a $100,000 reward offered by the Oscar-winning actress for the 7-year-old's safe return might turn up clues to his whereabouts.
Julian King hasn't been seen since Friday, when Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. Police on Sunday ramped up search efforts for Julian around the Englewood neighborhood, where Hudson grew up, and transferred custody of a "person of interest" in the killings to state authorities.
On Sunday evening, in a statement from publicist Lisa Kasteler, the singer appealed to the public for help, offering the reward and asking any information be given to Chicago police.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," the statement said.
Hudson, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago with her family during the weekend, her sister said. Hudson's publicist did not disclose her whereabouts, but the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed she identified the bodies of her mother and brother.
adsonar_placementId=1280599;adsonar_pid=44749;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=165;adsonar_zh=220;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com';
An Amber Alert remained in effect Sunday for Julian, the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. The bodies of his 57-year-old grandmother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old uncle, Jason Hudson, were found in the home they shared on the city's South Side on Friday. The deaths were ruled homicides.
"Detectives are working 24 hours on this case," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond. "There's a lot of forensic evidence. We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case. Most importantly, we want to find the child."
The Amber Alert listed William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, as a suspect in a "double homicide investigation."
Police said they did not have a motive for the killings but called the case "domestic related." Bond said Balfour, who had been in police custody since Friday, was transferred Sunday to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial...
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Balfour has not been charged in the slayings.
Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say where Balfour was being held.
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It was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney Sunday, but his mother, Michele Balfour, has denied he was involved the killings or in Julian's disappearance.
———
Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau and Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
AC/DC Lands a Double Axel on 'Black Ice'
"Black Ice" is AC/DC's first album in eight years, which would be reason enough to love it. An even better reason: "Black Ice" is the best record the band has made in decades, and not only because all the other ones were pretty terrible.
AC/DC hasn't made a great album since "For Those About to Rock We Salute You," which came out during the early days of the Reagan administration. Few artists have relied so heavily on the indulgence of audiences, and on a reputation for fan-friendliness, as this one. Given the stinginess of its output and limited availability, those breaks aren't entirely deserved. (The band's songs aren't available on iTunes, and "Black Ice" will be sold only at Wal-Mart outlets and on the AC/DC Web site.)
Because "Black Ice" sounds merely like a better version of the same album AC/DC has made throughout its history, its near-greatness is hard to explain. Producer Brendan O'Brien, whose recent work with Bruce Springsteen has done the Boss no favors, worked wonders here, mostly by getting the band to regard "Black Ice" as an Actual Important Thing, not just a yowl-and-riffage delivery system that's a handy excuse for a tour.
Frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young carry "Black Ice" on their backs: Johnson, now 61 (!), sings more and hollers less; Young, who seems more engaged than usual throughout, occasionally plays slide guitar. These might not seem like noteworthy developments, but for a band as resistant to innovation as this one, baby steps matter.
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Elsewhere "Black Ice" is the usual assortment of mountainous riffs and full-tilt boogies, done with uncharacteristic attentiveness. Its lyrics aren't worth mentioning, except to note that there are some, and they're the usual mix of cheerful incomprehensibility and innuendo-laden buffoonery. There are nods to consumer dissatisfaction ("Smash 'N' Grab") and the End of Days ("Stormy May Day"), while "Money Made" appears to have something to do with strippers.
But mostly, "Black Ice" contains songs about rocking. Specifically, about how much AC/DC rocks, how much it's rocked in the past and how, if given the opportunity, it plans to rock some more in the future. Even the song about a wartime something or other ("War Machine") seems to be about a really rocking war machine.
The band's now de rigueur sex songs (forget "You Shook Me All Night Long"; AC/DC long ago stopped writing about women unless it had to) sound increasingly like Mad Libs: haphazard assemblages of a noun, a verb, the word "she" and a euphemism for "penis." Just one listen to "Rock 'N' Roll Dream," a semi-ballad so ridiculously great and primally stupid it might have been assembled by cavemen, and you'll never hear the phrase "hard rain" in the same way again.
These, um, love songs are increasingly self-parodic, detailing amorous encounters so improbably hazardous ("She wanna shake you/No way to save you/She's got me shot/I'm fallin' ") you'll be tempted to wonder if anyone in the band has actually ever met a woman. They contribute to the dragginess of the disc's last half, as does "Decibel," the most generic AC/DC song of all time. "Black Ice" has 15 songs, which is about five too many: After its pulverizingly pleasurable first half, it's all filler and very little killer.
AC/DC hasn't made a great album since "For Those About to Rock We Salute You," which came out during the early days of the Reagan administration. Few artists have relied so heavily on the indulgence of audiences, and on a reputation for fan-friendliness, as this one. Given the stinginess of its output and limited availability, those breaks aren't entirely deserved. (The band's songs aren't available on iTunes, and "Black Ice" will be sold only at Wal-Mart outlets and on the AC/DC Web site.)
Because "Black Ice" sounds merely like a better version of the same album AC/DC has made throughout its history, its near-greatness is hard to explain. Producer Brendan O'Brien, whose recent work with Bruce Springsteen has done the Boss no favors, worked wonders here, mostly by getting the band to regard "Black Ice" as an Actual Important Thing, not just a yowl-and-riffage delivery system that's a handy excuse for a tour.
Frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young carry "Black Ice" on their backs: Johnson, now 61 (!), sings more and hollers less; Young, who seems more engaged than usual throughout, occasionally plays slide guitar. These might not seem like noteworthy developments, but for a band as resistant to innovation as this one, baby steps matter.
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{
placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,20,'inline=y;',true) ;
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Elsewhere "Black Ice" is the usual assortment of mountainous riffs and full-tilt boogies, done with uncharacteristic attentiveness. Its lyrics aren't worth mentioning, except to note that there are some, and they're the usual mix of cheerful incomprehensibility and innuendo-laden buffoonery. There are nods to consumer dissatisfaction ("Smash 'N' Grab") and the End of Days ("Stormy May Day"), while "Money Made" appears to have something to do with strippers.
But mostly, "Black Ice" contains songs about rocking. Specifically, about how much AC/DC rocks, how much it's rocked in the past and how, if given the opportunity, it plans to rock some more in the future. Even the song about a wartime something or other ("War Machine") seems to be about a really rocking war machine.
The band's now de rigueur sex songs (forget "You Shook Me All Night Long"; AC/DC long ago stopped writing about women unless it had to) sound increasingly like Mad Libs: haphazard assemblages of a noun, a verb, the word "she" and a euphemism for "penis." Just one listen to "Rock 'N' Roll Dream," a semi-ballad so ridiculously great and primally stupid it might have been assembled by cavemen, and you'll never hear the phrase "hard rain" in the same way again.
These, um, love songs are increasingly self-parodic, detailing amorous encounters so improbably hazardous ("She wanna shake you/No way to save you/She's got me shot/I'm fallin' ") you'll be tempted to wonder if anyone in the band has actually ever met a woman. They contribute to the dragginess of the disc's last half, as does "Decibel," the most generic AC/DC song of all time. "Black Ice" has 15 songs, which is about five too many: After its pulverizingly pleasurable first half, it's all filler and very little killer.
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