January 2009

Monday, January 26, 2009

Meryl Streep & Sean Penn big winners at SAG Awards

Meryl Streep and Sean Penn took the top honors at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony last night at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles; giving them added heat in the race for Oscar. Streep was both thrilled and surprised to win the best actress in a Motion Picture statuette:”Even though awards mean nothing to me anymore,” she said, “I’m […]
Sunday, January 25, 2009

Comedy is still king at the Box Office

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is number one for a second straight week at the Box Office. The slapstick comedy about a  security guard who has to face down a bunch of bad guys in a New Jersey mall earned an estimated $21.5 million at theaters across the nation. That brings its two week total to just under $65 million. Close […]
Sunday, January 25, 2009

A First Lady with a unique style

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove Michelle Obama turned heads at the inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2009.   The new First Lady, Michelle Obama, really showcased her modern sophisticated style during inauguration week. Mrs. Obama got high marks from many fashion observers including Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, in an article on the high fashion magazine’s website.   I’m not an expert, but I thought Michelle was “styling” all week long. My […]
Saturday, January 24, 2009

Day Four:President Obama first weekly address touts his economic recovery plan

Photo from www.whitehouse.gov   In his first radio and Internet weekly address, President Barack Obama today called for bold and swift action to shore-up our shaky economy. The president is pushing for the passage of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan by Congress, which he said will “jumpstart” the economy. “It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million […]
Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hollywood buys another bestseller for the big screen

   A film version of the bestselling novel “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” is coming to a theater near you in the not too distant future. Earlier this week, Universal Pictures bought the rights to the David Wroblewski novel – his first. “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” reportedly has spent  at least 30 weeks on the bestseller lists since being […]
Friday, January 23, 2009

An extortion plot against John Travolta under investigation

File photo of John Travolta and son Jett   Today in the Bahamas two men are reportedly being held in connection with an alleged plot to extort money from actor John Travolta, according to a police official there. The alleged plot involved the recent death of Travolta’s and actress Kelly Preston’s 16-year-old son Jett, who was found unconscious in the […]
Friday, January 23, 2009

Defense presents its case in Phil Spector retrial

Google file image   Today the defense takes center stage in the second murder trial of legendary music producer, Phil Spector. The trial has been trudging along quietly for several weeks in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The  prosecution has been laying out its case with detailed forensics and testimony from experts and witnesses. Yesterday the prosecution’s final witness, the mother of Lana Clarkson, took the stand. Donna Clarkson […]
Thursday, January 22, 2009

Day Two: President Obama signs more important executive orders

President Barack Obama delivered on more campaign promises today. At the White House, the president signed three executive orders: one to close the controversial U.S. run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and two others banning torture and setting up a task force to oversee these changes. These swift decisions are a clear break with the Bush administration and send a message to the world. President Obama says: “This […]
Thursday, January 22, 2009

13 Oscar nominations for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Movie inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story.   Voters for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were apparently dazzled by the journey of a man who ages backward in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” When the Oscar nominations for 2008 were announced bright and early in Beverly Hills today, this film was mentioned 13 times — more than any other. For some 13 […]