Category Archives: Film and TV

Film and TV, Politics

MARTIN BASHIR OUT, SARAH PALIN IN, AT MSNBC

1 Comment

martinpalinNew York, New York (EXCLUSIVE to The Adobo Chronicles) – The big news at MSNBC is the resignation Wednesday of Martin Bashir, the British journalist who became famous for the television film “Living with Michael Jackson” in which he interviewed the late pop singer over a span of eight months.  Prior to joining MSNBC, Bashir was employed at ABC. Until his resignation, Bashir was a political commentator for MSNBC and a correspondent for Dateline NBC.

Bashir’s decision to quit was prompted by a commentary he made last month against Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential nominee, in which he criticized her for statements comparing American debt to slavery, saying she deserved the same kind of humiliating and degrading treatment that some slaves faced. Ms. Palin herself, was a commentator/consultant for the rival network Fox News.

In announcing Bashir’s resignation, MSNBC issued a separate statement saying that it has hired Palin to replace Bashir. “We thought that hiring Ms. Palin to replace Bashir would show our sincerity in not condoning Bashir’s controversial comments on our network,” said Phil Griffin, MSNBC president. “It is the perfect apology, no doubt,” he added.

Bashir is no stranger to controversy. In 2008, while keynoting the gala banquet of the Asian American Journalists Association at the UNITY:Journalists of Color convention in Chicago, he remarked about how exciting it was for him to be in a room of great looking “Asian babes” and then added that he was glad he was standing behind a podium so no one could see how excited he really was.

Film and TV, Politics

OBAMA HECKLER TO APPEAR IN “HUNGER GAMES 3: MOCKINGJAY”

Leave a comment

imageSan Jose, California (The ADOBO CHRONICLES) – The world watched as a 24-year old undocumented immigrant interrupted President Obama’s speech on immigration in San Francisco last week.

Ju Hong, who was among those invited to be part of the President’s backdrop for his speech, demanded that Obama issue an executive order to stop all deportations of undocumented immigrants. Instead of allowing the Secret Service to whisk Hong away, Obama said the heckler could stay so that he could give the young man from South Korea an abridged civics lesson.

Well, it turns out that among those watching the television coverage of Obama’s speech was Debra Zane, the casting director of ‘Hunger Games.’ It so happened that she was finalizing the casting for the film’s third installment of the trilogy.  Immediately after the San Francisco event, Zane contacted Hong and offered him a role in ‘Mockingjay.’

In ‘Mockingjay,’  Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence)  leads the rebels in uprisings against President Snow and the Capitol. Hong will play one of the young rebels in District 13.
Zane said that watching Hong’s courage and passion in speaking out during Obama’s speech impressed her, and that those are the characteristics she was looking for in casting young rebels for ‘Mockingjay.’ Hong’ s rebel role will involve heckling President Snow as he addresses his loyal constituents in the Capitol.

Zane refused to answer the question on whether the film production company will sponsor Hong’s green card application.

Film and TV, International

“THOR” GAY VERSION OPENS IN CHINA

1 Comment
Thor the U.S. version, left; Chinese version, right
Thor the U.S. version, left; Chinese version, right

Shanghai, China –  “Thor: The Dark World,” is the latest of an American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics.  The powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.  In this latest series directed by Alan Taylor, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must face the enemy and embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and force him to sacrifice everything to save the earth.

But that is the film’s U.S. version.

An international version, in Chinese with English subtitles, has a slightly different plot.  Jane Foster is the enemy and Thor’s journey reunites him with Loki (Tom Hiddleston), his long-lost romantic interest.  The international version opened to rave reviews in Shanghai, China.  Since it opened last weekend, theaters have seen long lines of fans braving the cold weather and willing to fork out 40 Yuan to be among the first to see the film.

Critics just love the the Chinese version of the character of Loki, the master of illusion. The New York Times says that Loki’s romantic link to Thor could only “help the medicine go down.” Whatever that means.

Meanwhile, the newly-renovated Embarcadero theater in Dan Francisco, which features reclining lounge seats in several of its screening rooms, has reportedly bought the exclusive rights to show the Chinese version in city. “With its juicy gay theme, the film’s international version would definitely be a blockbuster in the gayest city in the world,” a spokesperson for the Embarcadero theater told The Adobo Chronicles.