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Ray Donovan Series Premiere Review Its a Shame About Ray

Ray Donovan S01E01 The Bag or the Bat

(Optional reading music click the play button to listen.)

Ray Donovan is a man who can fix anyone's problems... except his own is the obvious logline for Showtime's new drama Ray Donovan a noir ish character study loaded with subtler versions of the cable network's sex and violence hallmarks. With Dexter taking its last stabs this season there's a lot riding on Ray Donovan to become a hit (the network needs something other than Homeland to tout and Showtime the home of Homeland and Gigolos just won't do). But that won't happen right out of the gate if Ray Donovan's sleepy pilot episode The Bag or the Bat is any indication. This is a series that's going to take its sweet time building toward something special if it does so at all and I'm more inclined to let the internet tell me when/if that happens than I am to watch it myself just in case.

It's a shame too. Because Ray Donovan is built like a quality show with a solid pedigree. It's got a great cast and an accomplished creator in Ann Biderman who birthed Southland and is an Emmy winner from her days on NYPD Blue. A quick glance at the show and you'd think you were looking at a future Emmy winner but while watching the premiere I found it to be one of those things that sounds good on paper but fails in practice like catapulting all your garbage out of sight. At times the pilot was good at times it was shockingly bad but mostly it stayed within that region no television show wants to be in uninteresting.

You can tell what Ray Donovan wants to be. It wants to borrow from The Sopranos and its fascinating anti hero protagonist it wants to roll around in the Golden State's dirt on the other side of the law of LA Confidential and it wants to tell the untold stories of Entourage the ones that take place after Vinny Chase has left the party and it's time to pick up the dirty drawers and rolled up dollar bills from the floor. Unfortunately those influences don't seem to come together in Ray Donovan.

But where the premiere did work was in a few characters and performances specifically anything dealing with the main conflict between Ray (Liev Schrieber) and his recently jail sprung father Mickey (Jon Voight). It took me two viewings to appreciate the effectiveness of Schrieber's anti acting as the guarded calculating Hollywood fixer and his minimalist performance is bound to be picked at by many. But the mystery behind Ray's dying eyes and just hit by a frying pan stare is going to be the heart of the series and it's one of the intriguing things Ray Donovan has going for it even if the stoic anti hero is nothing new. Even better Voight was born to play the role of Mickey Angelina's dad was maniacally diabolic in the first hour and despite putting a pistol in a priest's mouth and pulling the trigger he was easily the most charismatic of the entire bunch of characters. Ray Donovan sizzles when Voight is on the screen.

Unfortunately Voight isn't on the screen all the time. Because of Ray's quiet demeanor supporting characters were saddled with overcompensating ticks ailments and addictions that defined them in place of good old reliable personality. Ray's buddy Ezra (Elliot Gould) has a mind that is turning into motor oil. Former Disney pop star Ashley (Ambyr Childers) has daddy issues that manifest as sexual advances. Mickey is an ex con. Ray's brother Bunchy (Dash Mihok) was molested by a priest when he was a kid and these days he's an alcoholic. Ray's other brother Terry (Eddie Marsan) has Parkinsons from keeping his boxing gloves down too often. Ray's younger sister committed suicide. Celebrity lawyer Lee (Peter Jacobson) opens his mouth and a stream of profanities and high blood pressure gushes out. And Ray's muscle Avi (Steven Bauer) has a really thick accent Okay they're not all that bad but there's a lot of telling instead of showing in the way these characters are handled. Ray Donovan's Los Angeles isn't a place full of polished celebrity glamor and crisp dollar bills or even regular folks making it in the world. It's a circus of addicts freaks and lowlifes passing suitcases full of dirty money back and forth.

That all fits into Showtime's tired penchant for loving f cked up people and situations for the sake of sensationalism instead of storytelling which dumbed things down for me. The Bag of the Bat was a parade of attention grabbing arm waving. Let's recount what happened which we can assume amounts to a typical day in Ray's life A priest was murdered a pro basketball player woke up next to a dead girl an action star got busted picking up a transvestite a guy masturbated to a woman doing yoga a bar fight broke out Ashley's sexual advances on an adulterous Ray were interrupted by an epileptic fit Ray discovered he had a grown up half black brother and wasn't pleased about it Mickey danced in his underwear with his black girlfriend Ray dyed Ashley's stalker green Mickey watched a woman breastfeed for no reason Ashley stalked Ray by showing up at his wife's yoga class Ashley gave Ray a blowjob while he was driving a Marilyn Monroe picture asked Ray to f ck it Ray had a dream about a kid (probably Bunchy) giving a priest a blowjob in a car (that's two driving BJs if you're keeping score at home) Ray also dreamed about his sister's suicide Ray broke a guy's wrist in the pocket of a billiard table and Ray used Ashley's stalker as a batting cage.

That's a lot of weird shit to happen in one episode and I'm all about weird shit but it felt empty and crammed in just to provide talking points. Ashley was already messed up enough did the writers have to give her epilepsy too Was Ray on something harder than alcohol to make that 2 D Marilyn Monroe talk or was it just time for something completely odd to happen Are Ray's dreams anything more than memories and if so isn't there a better way to show that his memories are haunting him It all seems like laziness and mountains of studio notes asking for More More More instead of a focused television series a trademark that's all too common on Showtime nowadays (Homeland's first season being an exception).

And that's probably the toughest part of reviewing the premiere of Ray Donovan. There's no real sense of a series here it was sold as a show about a Hollywood fixer yet the first two problems he encountered (the girl who overdosed with the basketball star and the action star who likes chicks with dicks) were resolved and forgotten after about 10 minutes. Will future episodes see Ray spend more time fixing or will his clients just contribute short snippets to fill the hour and deliver the scandal quotient There's nothing entirely new or fresh about the series so far provided you've seen any hard boiled detective movie ever.

But this very well could be just me. Though Ray Donovan doesn't feature any silhouettes of dames smoking cigarettes it broods like film noir a cinematic and narrative style I've never really been a fan of. In the premiere characters rattled off dialogue with all the flavor of plain yogurt. Violins whined as montages featured characters just driving in cars (or pretending they were driving while a screen simulated the street going by). And many scenes awkwardly collided with each other head on. To me noir has always postured as graceful but here it felt clumsy. So far Ray Donovan does a lotta trippin'.

NOTES

It's early but the show already has a problem with female characters. Abby is a yelping wife who's grumpy with her hub hub Ashley is an exploited piece of meat and Lena Ray's assistant who we've barely met only has the label of being a lesbian. Though to be fair every character we've met so far is messed up and there's time to turn things around. This is one very macho show.

Ray Donovan has plenty of cursing but it's not the right kind of cursing. Most of it comes from Peter Jacobson's Lee and it lacks any biting poetry. It's just cursing. Lazy cursing.

A lot of the character issues I mentioned could've been solved with better dialogue. Punch up what the characters are saying and it helps define them. But too many people speak in the same voice the writer's voice which is unfortunately bland and it'd hard to separate them as a result.

What'd you think of Ray Donovan's series premiere Will you be back for Episode 2

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Box Office Report Despicable Me 2 Already Nabs $50 Million From Seven ...

For weeks box office observers have been predicting that Despicable Me 2 is going to be a behemoth. If the animated tentpole's early international performance is any indication they're right.

Despicable Me 2 Film ReviewWorld War Z Film ReviewMonsters University Film ReviewThe Croods Berlin Review

Over the weekend the Universal and Illumination Entertainment sequel returning the character Gru and his army of minions to the big screen grossed $41.5 million from only seven international markets for an early foreign total of $50 million (it opened in Australia last weekend).

BOX OFFICE REPORT 'White House Down' Flops 'The Heat' Soars With $40 Million Opening

Universal insiders pointed out that Despicable Me 2 came in No. 4 internationally for the weekend even though Man of Steel World War Z and fellow animated tentpole Monsters University are playing in many more markets. Disney and Pixar's Monsters U for example is playing in 37 territories and earned $44.2 million for the weekend.

Steve Carell returns to voice the character Gru in the follow up while newcomer Kristen Wiig voices the role of agent Lucy Wilde. This time out Gru now a doting father must join forces with Wiig's character to save the minions.

Despicable 2 bowing in North America on Tuesday the eve of the lucrative July 4th holiday frame is pacing ahead of Despicable Me Kung Fu Panda 2 The Croods Shrek Forever After and the last two Madagascar pics in the same seven territories.

And in Australia Despicable 2 is beating Monsters U (a hit in its own right having crossed $300 million worldwide in its second weekend). Australia is the only market so far where both toons are playing.

Despicable 2 opened to No. 1 in the U.K. France French Switzerland Netherlands and Belgium and was second only to Man of Steel in Sweden and Australia.

In the U.K. it debuted to $15.2 million Universal's top opening of all time and the No. 1 opening of 2013 so far. Including previews Despicable has earned a total of $23.3 million in the U.K. and Ireland (considered one market). France follows with $8 million.

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Jessica Kordas Classless Mid Round Firing Of Caddie Demands LPGA Tour ...

Golfer Jessica Korda

First I realize that golfers have disputes with their caddies. We recently witnessed 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson having words with his caddie. And famously years ago at the British Open we had Ian Woosnam throwing clubs out of his bag because his caddie had allowed too many clubs to be placed in Woosnam s bag.

Second I realize as a consequence that golfers can/will fire their caddies.

But during Saturday s third round of the United States Women s Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton NY Jessica Korda fired her caddie Jason Gilroyed at the turn.

Because women s golf doesn t really move the popularity needle this story did not receive the attention it might have if it had happened to Tiger Woods Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson.

That said this classless display of brat like behavior deserves a significant fine from either the LPGA Tour or the USGA. This type of behavior cannot become commonplace.

Imagine if Serena Williams after losing a tightly contested tiebreaker turned to her player s box and fired her coach in mid match (which if you believe the rumors would also likely end their personal relationship).

Or if Danica Patrick fired her crew chief after the 100th lap of a 200 lap race.

If I m the commissioner of the women s golf tour I don t want people tuning in every week to see the melodrama associated with the next hissy fit thrown by a spoiled young woman be it Jessica Korda or someone else.

The focus of the weekend should be on current leader and likely winner Inbee Park who with a victory on Sunday will hold the first three women s majors of the season the first time that has been accomplished since Babe Zaharias did so in 1950

Instead people are talking about Jessica Korda.

The lack of professionalism displayed in this matter is truly embarrassing for the tour and USGA while only exhibiting behavior that reinforces some negative stereotypes associated with women s athletics.

Currently ranked 39th in the world as a 20 year old Ms. Korda shows promise. Of course when exhibiting these sorts of theatrics one must wonder how this type of behavior could negatively impact her own marketability should she slowly climb the world rankings.

Patrick is an Economics Professor at the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St Louis MO and the Founder/Director of Sportsimpacts. Follow him on Twitter.

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BART strike imminent commute chaos ahead

A strike by BART workers that could paralyze the Bay Area's Monday commute grew closer late Sunday evening when contract talks between BART and its two biggest unions broke off just hours before a planned strike deadline.

After union negotiators left the bargaining table in Oakland about 8 30 p.m. BART officials warned that a strike as of midnight appeared likely unless talks began again.

The two sides had resumed negotiations late Sunday afternoon and reportedly had reached tentative agreement on several items. But as of press time the two sides still appeared to be far apart on key issues of pay and benefits.

Union officials saying BART planned no new offers Sunday said they were returning to their union halls to prepare for a strike and wait for the transit district to change its mind. At midnight they said they would decide whether to walk off the job. BART trains would complete their Sunday schedules.

'No progress'

We deeply regret that we have made no progress today said Josie Mooney a chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021. BART management continues to bargain in bad faith.

BART officials said they had doubled their salary offer to 8 percent over four years but that the unions had reduced their proposal for a 23.2 percent raise by one half percent. They said it was the unions' turn to make a proposal.

It's not even dark yet and the unions left for the evening said Alicia Trost BART spokeswoman. BART negotiations have a tradition of going until midnight even past midnight. We apologize to our riders. ... We're sorry they've been dragged into this labor mess.

The apparent standoff leaves commuters to puzzle out how they will get around the Bay Area without BART. Transportation officials have suggested that in the case of a strike people who can should work at home for at least part of the day drive during off hours and be patient if taking alternate transit which will be as crowded as the highways.

San Francisco Bay Ferry will add boats from the East Bay and AC Transit in the midst of its own labor troubles will run extra buses. AC's workers were planning to bargain until midnight. If talks failed they said the soonest they would strike would be Tuesday morning.

Earlier talks

Earlier in the day union negotiators had returned to the bargaining table after walking away a day earlier. Some carried suitcases or food and appeared to be prepared for a long night.

We are hoping the district brings us something substantive that we feel we can take to our members so we can settle this said Antonette Bryant president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 which represents 945 train operators and station agents.

The other union at the table is Service Employees International Union Local 1021 which represents 1 433 mechanics maintenance workers and professional staff. BART has three smaller unions one that would honor picket lines and two that represent police who are prohibited from striking.

Frustrated by a lack of progress union bargaining teams had previously walked away from negotiations in the Kaiser Center which houses BART headquarters on Saturday afternoon saying a strike was all but inevitable.

After they left the talks BART bargainers sent a new proposal by e mail. But union officials said they were unimpressed and weren't inclined to return to bargaining.

Governor intervened

Talks resumed only after state Labor Secretary Marty Morgenstern called SEIU representatives to say that Gov. Jerry Brown wanted them to return to the table. Brown also told ATU officials he was rejecting their request for a 60 day cooling off period that would delay a strike.

The key issues in the labor dispute are economic wages contributions to pensions and health insurance payments. Currently BART employees union and nonunion make no contribution to their state pension plans and pay $92 a month for health insurance.

BART spokesman Rick Rice said the district's latest proposal offers a 2 percent annual raise up from its initial proposal of 1 percent. The latest proposal compared with the previous proposal also reduces the amounts that the district would require employees to begin contributing to pensions and to pay toward health insurance premiums. Rice said the proposal would mean a raise for every union employee.

Union officials disagreed. Part of the raise BART offered in the latest proposal is contingent they said on factors ranging from ambitious ridership increases and sales tax revenues to reductions in the number of employees seeking Family Medical Leave Act absences. Many employees would lose money every year union officials said.

On the surface it looks like a raise Bryant said. But it's not really a raise. It certainly leaves us in the red 3 to 4 percent lower than our wages now.

BART says it wants to reach a fair deal with its employees but that it needs relief from skyrocketing pension and health benefits. It says that while its operating budget generates a surplus it needs to reinvest that money in modernizing and improving the system which carries 400 000 riders on an average weekday and expects to hit 750 000 within a decade.

To accommodate that growth it needs to raise billions to pay for its share of 1 000 new railcars a new train maintenance facility and a new train control system.

Ridership has risen

The unions say their employees are responsible for keeping the aging system running well enough to transport more passengers than planners envisioned even four years ago.

Unionized workers have gone without raises for five years and four years ago made $100 million in concessions to help the district when the economy was struggling. Now that BART is booming and making a surplus it should share that with its workers the unions say.

A typical BART station agent or train operator is paid a salary in the low $60 000 range. According to BART they also make an average of $11 000 to $16 000 annually in overtime. The value of their benefits the district estimates averages an additional $50 000 a year.

Online updates For information on the status of BART negotiations go to www.sfgate.com.

Commute options

In the event of a strike 511.org provides drive time data and transit links. Here are some transit options

Driving

Carpool lanes are expected to stay open all day.

East Bay

AC Transit plans to run a shuttle every three to five minutes during peak hours between the Transit Center at 20th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland and the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. Note AC Transit workers whose contract was set to expire Sunday could strike Tuesday.

BART plans to run limited charter bus service from some East Bay stations to near the Transbay Terminal. Information www.bart.gov.

San Francisco Bay Ferry is expected to enhance service with extra boats from Oakland Alameda and Vallejo.

Both SolTrans from Solano County and WestCat from West Contra Costa County plan to increase their service to San Francisco.

San Francisco

Muni plans to prioritize service on the 14 Mission and 49 Van Ness corridors.

North Bay

Golden Gate Larkspur Ferry does not have additional capacity for parking or passengers unless commuters are traveling during off peak hours.

Golden Gate Transit bus service will still provide daily service from outside El Cerrito Del Norte and Richmond BART stations on Golden Gate Transit Route 40/42 no added service regular schedules with available passenger capacity. Connect to other Golden Gate Transit bus service to and from San Francisco at the San Rafael Transit Center.

South Bay

SamTrans plans to run a free shuttle between the Colma and Daly City BART stations and Mission Street near the Daly City San Francisco border where riders can connect to Muni. Muni also plans to boost service especially along the Mission Street corridor.

Capitol Corridor trains run from Santa Clara north (and from the Sacramento area south) and connect with buses at stations including Emeryville Amtrak.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E mail mcabanatuan sfchronicle.com Twitter ctuan

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Martial arts actor Jim Kelly best known for Enter the Dragon dies

.cnn_html_media_utility before color red content '>>' font size 9px line height 12px padding right 1px .cnnstrylccimg640 margin 0 27px 14px 0 .captionText filter alpha(opacity 100) opacity 1 .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a visited .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a link .captionText a .captionText a visited .captiontext a link color 004276 outline medium none .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto margin 0 auto padding right 68px width 270px > A look back at those we have lost in 2013. Bert Stern a revolutionary advertising photographer in the 1960s who also made his mark with images of celebrities died on June 25 at age 83. Possibly most memorably he captured Marilyn Monroe six weeks before she died for a series later known as The Last Sitting. Alan Myers Devo's most well known drummer lost his battle with cancer on June 24. Band member Mark Mothersbaugh said in a statement that Myers' style on the drums helped define the band's early sound. Singer Bobby Blue Bland who helped create the modern soul blues sound died June 23 at age 83. Bland was part of a blues group that included B.B. King. His song Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City was sampled on a Jay Z album. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Marc Rich the commodities trader and Glencore founder whom President Bill Clinton pardoned on his final day in office died June 26 at age 78 in Switzerland. Rich often was credited with the creation of modern oil trading. He lived abroad after being indicted in 1983 for tax evasion false statements racketeering and illegal trading with Iran becoming one of the world's most famous white collar criminals. Richard Matheson an American science fiction writer best known for his novel I Am Legend died June 23 at age 87. During a career that spanned more than 60 years Matheson wrote more than 25 novels and nearly 100 short stories plus screenplays for TV and film. James Gandolfini died at the age of 51 after an apparent heart attack. Gandolfini became a fan favorite for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano on HBO's The Sopranos. Country music singer/songwriter Slim Whitman died on June 19 his son in law Roy Beagle told CNN. He was 90. Above Whitman poses with his guitar at a press conference at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on February 22 1956. Esther Williams whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to Hollywood stardom during the 1940s and 1950s died on Thursday June 6 in California according to her spokesman. David Deacon Jones who is credited with coining the term sacking the quarterback during his stint as one of the greatest defensive ends in the NFL has died. Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey died June 3 of viral pneumonia his office said. Lautenberg 89 had been the Senate's last surviving veteran of World War II. Actress Jean Stapleton best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife Edith in the groundbreaking 1970s TV sitcom All in the Family died at age 90 on Saturday June 1. Ed Shaughnessy the longtime drummer for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson has died a close friend said Sunday. He was 84. Ray Manzarek keyboardist and founding member of The Doors passed away of cancer on Monday May 20. He was 74. NASCAR legend Dick Trickle died on May 16 of an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71. Popular American psychologist and television personality Dr. Joyce Brothers died at 85 her daughter said on May 13. Brothers gained fame as a frequent guest on television talk shows and as an advice columnist for Good Housekeeping magazine and newspapers throughout the United States. Jeanne Cooper who played Katherine Chancellor the Dame of Genoa City on The Young and the Restless died on May 8. She was 84. Ray Harryhausen the stop motion animation and special effects master whose work influenced such directors as Steven Spielberg Peter Jackson and George Lucas died on May 7 at age 92 according to the Facebook page of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation. Grammy winning guitarist Jeff Hanneman a founding member of the heavy metal band Slayer died on May 2 of liver failure. He was 49. Chris Kelly one half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross died on May 1 at an Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at his home the Fulton County medical examiner's office told CNN. Kelly right and Chris Smith shot to stardom in 1992 with the hit Jump. George Jones the country music legend whose graceful evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music including She Thinks I Still Care The Grand Tour and He Stopped Loving Her Today died on April 26 at age 81 according to his public relations firm. Actor Allan Arbus poses for a portrait with his daughter photographer Amy Arbus in 2007. Allan Arbus who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman in the M A S H television series died at age 95 his daughter's representative said April 23. Folk singer Richie Havens the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival died on April 22 of a heart attack his publicist said. He was 72. Australian rocker Chrissy Amphlett the Divinyls lead singer whose group scored an international hit with the sexually charged I Touch Myself in the early 1990s died on April 21 from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis her husband said. She was 53. Pat Summerall the NFL football player turned legendary play by play announcer was best known as a broadcaster who teamed up with former NFL coach John Madden. Summerall died April 16 at the age of 82. Comedian Jonathan Winters died on April 11 at age 87. Known for his comic irreverence he had a major influence on a generation of comedians. Here he appears on The Jonathan Winters Show in 1956. Sir Robert Edwards a co pioneer of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25 1978 holding the world's first test tube baby Louise Joy Brown alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe who helped develop the fertility treatment. Annette Funicello one of the best known members of the original 1950s Mickey Mouse Club and a star of 1960s beach party movies died at age 70 on April 8. Pictured Funicello performs with Jimmie Dodd on The Mickey Mouse Club in1957. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher a towering figure in postwar British and world politics and the only woman to become British prime minister died at the age of 87 on Monday April 8. Designer Lilly Pulitzer right died on April 7 at age 81 according to her company's Facebook page. The Palm Beach socialite was known for making sleeveless dresses from bright floral prints that became known as the Lilly design. Film critic Roger Ebert died on April 4 according to his employer the Chicago Sun Times. He was 70. Ebert had taken a leave of absence on April 2 after a hip fracture was revealed to be cancer. Jane Nebel Henson wife of the late Muppets creator Jim Henson and instrumental in the development of the world famous puppets died April 2 after a long battle with cancer. She was 78. Shain Gandee one of the stars of the MTV reality show Buckwild was found dead with two other people in Kanawha County West Virginia on April 1. He was 21. Music producer and innovator Phil Ramone right with Paul Shaffer left and Billy Joel at the Song Writers Hall of Fame Awards in New York in 2001. Ramone died March 30 at the age of 72. Writer/producer Don Payne one of the creative minds behind The Simpsons died March 26 at his home in Los Angeles after losing a battle with bone cancer reports say. He was 48. Gordon Stoker left who as part of the vocal group the Jordanaires sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley died March 27 at 88. Deke Richards center died March 24 at age 68. Richards was a producer and songwriter who was part of the team responsible for Motown hits such as I Want You Back and Maybe Tomorrow. He had been battling esophageal cancer. Legendary publisher promoter and weightlifter Joe Weider who created the Mr. Olympia contest and brought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the United States died at age 93 on March 23. Playboy magazine's 1962 Playmate of the Year Christa Speck Krofft died March 22 of natural causes at the age of 70. Rena Golden who held top positions at CNN died at age 51 after battling lymphoma for two years on March 21. Harry Reems the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult film classic Deep Throat died March 19 according to a spokeswoman at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems whose real name is Herbert Streicher was 65. Bobbie Smith who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as I'll Be Around and Could It Be I'm Falling in Love died on March 16 at age 76. Pictured clockwise from left Spinners band member Pervis Jackson Billy Henderson Jonathan Edwards Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough 1977. Sweden's Princess Lilian the Welsh born model who lived with her lover Prince Bertil for 30 years before they were married has died at the age of 97 the Swedish Royal Court said in a statement. Alvin Lee the speed fingered British guitarist who lit up Woodstock with a monumental 11 minute version of his song I'm Going Home died on March 6 according to his website. He was 68. Hugo Chavez the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a 21st century socialist and foe of the United States died March 5 said Vice President Nicolas Maduro. Bobby Rogers one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles died on Sunday March 3 at 73. From left Bobby Rogers Ronald White Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965. Actress Bonnie Franklin star of the TV show One Day at a Time died at the age of 69 on March 1 of complications from pancreatic cancer. Actor Dale Robertson who was popular for his western TV shows and movies died at age 89 on Thursday February 28. Richard Street former member of the Temptations died at age 70 on February 27. Street second from the left poses for a portrait with fellow members of the Temptations circa 1973. Van Cliburn the legendary pianist honored with a New York ticker tape parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958 died on February 27 after a battle with bone cancer his publicist said. He was 78. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died on February 25. He was 96. Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989 under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Damon Harris former member of the Motown group the Temptations died at age 62 on February 18. Harris center on the stool poses for a portrait with fellow members of The Temptations circa 1974. Lou Myers a stage film and TV actor who memorably portrayed Mr. Gaines on the comedy A Different World died on February 19 at the age of 75. Los Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss died February 18 at age 80. Buss who had owned the Lakers since 1979 was credited with procuring the likes of Earvin Magic Johnson James Worthy Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles under Buss' ownership. Country singer Mindy McCready was found dead on February 17 of a self inflicted gunshot wound authorities said. She was 37. During her career McCready landed 14 songs and six albums on the Billboard country charts. Ed Koch the brash former New York mayor died February 1 of congestive heart failure at 88 his spokesman said. Patty Andrews center the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters died at her Northridge California home on January 30 her publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her sisters Maxene left and Laverne. Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial died on January 19 according to his former team. He was 92. Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Sidney Weaver who led the Baltimore Orioles to four pennants and a World Series title with a pugnacity toward umpires died January 19 of an apparent heart attack at age 82 Major League Baseball said. Pauline Phillips better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original Dear Abby advice columnist has died after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She died January 16 in Minneapolis Minnesota at age 94. Aaron Swartz the Internet activist who co wrote the initial specification for RSS committed suicide a relative told CNN on January 12. He was 26. Swartz also co founded Demand Progress a political action group that campaigns against Internet censorship. Claude Nobs the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival died aged 76 following a skiing accident. Richard Ben Cramer the Pulitzer Prize winning writer whose 1992 book What It Takes remains one of the most detailed and passionate of all presidential campaign chronicles died January 7 according to his longtime agent. He was 62. Director and stuntman David R. Ellis died on January 7. He directed Snakes on a Plane. Tony Lip who played mob figures in the hit cable show The Sopranos and several critically acclaimed movies died January 4 a funeral home official said. Lip whose real name was Frank Vallelonga was 82. Character actor Ned Wertimer known to fans of The Jeffersons as the doorman Ralph Hart died on January 2. He was 89. Pop country singer Patti Page died on January 1 in Encinitas California. She was 85. Born Clara Ann Fowler Page was the best selling female artist of the 1950s and had 19 gold and 14 platinum singles. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

Los Angeles (CNN) Jim Kelly who parlayed his martial arts skills into a successful but brief career in action movies has died. He was 67.

Kelly's former wife Marilyn Dishman told CNN that the actor died Saturday of cancer but did not elaborate.

Kelly worked as a martial arts instructor in Los Angeles when he was tapped for his first role in the action movie Melinda. But he is best known for his work in the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon.

Kelly's appearance in the movie was brief fans lamented he was offed too soon but his electrifying Afro lanky 6 foot 2 frame and his wisecracks left an impression.

Producers came calling. And he capitalized on the attention by taking on the title role in Black Belt Jones the following year. A spate of other roles followed throughout the 70s most notably Three the Hard Way but then dried up.

In later years Kelly took up tennis professionally becoming a ranked player on the USTA senior circuit.

I never left the movie business Kelly told The Los Angeles Times in 2010 when a retrospective DVD set of his movies came out. It's just that after a certain point I didn't get the type of projects that I wanted to do.

But he was never far from the screen or the spotlight.

In 2004 he starred with basketball star Lebron James in a Nike commercial that spoofed another Bruce Lee film Game of Death. And he sometimes appeared at comic book conventions much to the delight of his lasting fans.

Among them is Anthony Bourdain star of CNN's Parts Unknown.

RIP Jim Kelly hero of my grind house youth he posted on Kelly's Facebook page.

The page posted the following announcement Sunday about the actor's death

It is with sadness and regret that we must announce the passing of a great man and legend Jim Kelly. He will be deeply missed by all. Jim had great love for his family friends tennis and martial arts.

We are devastated by Jim's passing but through faith and support from family friends and fans we are comforted blessed and will remain strong.

He was survived by his lifetime partner of 33 years and wife.

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Avs take Nathan MacKinnon at No. 1

Avs Select MacKinnon No. 1NEXT VIDEO Avs Select MacKinnon No. 1Avs Select MacKinnon No. 1NHL Draft RecapNHL Draft RecapCanucks' Schneider Dealt To DevilsCanucks' Schneider Dealt To Devils

NEWARK N.J. Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby now share more than a hometown.

They've both been No. 1 picks in the NHL draft.

The Colorado Avalanche made the 17 year old MacKinnon the first pick of the draft on Sunday at the Prudential Center.

Dexter A Beautiful Day Review

June 30 2013

Warning Full spoilers for the Dexter Season 8 premiere follow. If you haven't seen it yet you can watch it by clicking here.

First of all everyone can relax. We've got a new Harrison folks A new kid. So farewell blank stares of twins Evan and Luke and hello Jadon Wells. Not that Harrison ever had to do much more than say a few words per season but it's clear from the opening Wonderful World scene here in the Season 8 premiere they needed a kid who could do a bit more. Not much but something. He had to fly a kite and look like he was playing soccer and such. So a bit more animated. And if this break in continuity bugs you you need to re examine certain aspects of your maturation. I for one welcomed it with arms outstretched.

Dexter Which Characters Could Get a Spinoff

I also didn't mind actress Aimee Garcia all of a sudden getting very very naked. Even if it did mean that yes they've put her in a sexual storyline with Quinn who continues to be a terrible partner and a terrible friend.

I wasn't so welcoming for this premiere as a whole though. Sure A Beautiful Day didn't match up to last year's excellent Are You... but I wasn't fully expecting it to. Still I think this story this episode could have benefitted more had it picked things up right after or soon after where the Season 7 premiere left off. Setting it six months later was certainly a bold creative choice which this show has done on occasion (most notably between Seasons 2 and 3 and 3 and 4) but I don't think it was the best choice here. There was an immediacy to Deb killing LaGuerta and the scenes that would have directly followed it were ones I wanted to see. We're still privy to the Dexter/Deb fallout sure but not the conversations and moments they had right afterward. Hell they made such a big deal over Batista quitting last year that I even would've liked to have seen his reaction to LaGuerta's death and his subsequent decision to un retire and step back in as Lieutenant.

So I feel as though with the time jump here the writers skipped over a lot of potentially great assumedly difficult to conceive moments. And given how last season was all about giving us moments and story re direction that many fans had clamored for this season is off to a bit of an unfulfilling start.

Before I get into the Deb stuff though which was still pretty good I want to bring up the character of visiting neuro psychiatrist Evelyn Vogel played by Charlotte Rampling. A sort of a clumsy insert into the Dexter verse like the kind of character who pops up in Part Three of a movie trilogy to ret con the saga. One who's apparently always existed yet never been talked about. At this point we don't know if she's going to be this year's big bad (or the closest thing to it) or even if she's the one who killed that dude and removed his brain. What we do know is that she knows all about Dexter being the real Bay Harbor Butcher (possibly from working with Harry years back ).

Don't squeeze the Charlotte.

There's both good and bad stuff mixed in here. The scenes between Dexter and Vogel before she reveals herself were a little maddening. I get that they're trying to give us a sort of Frank Lundy type with the spin being that she wants to study Dexter but the extent to which Dexter was nervous around her was a bit much. All that was needed here was for him to awkwardly tug on his collar and say out loud Gulp All because she echoed his own thoughts about psychopaths lacking empathy. Which is exactly what an expert on psychopaths would say. Then later her scene with Dexter in the morgue felt too on the nose what with her randomly talking to him about how the brain fascinates her as if she was trying to highlight that she was some sort of villainess. Really neuro shrink You've always had an affinity for what goes on in people's minds

Anyhow the end moment between the two of them mostly made up for the previous stumblings. Because as it turns out she did mean to talk to Dexter in such a randomly heightened manner. Because she is a villainess. Or you know someone important with a lot of secrets she's currently withholding. So all of her pointed stares and glares were actually on purpose. I'm hoping the show treads carefully though. Because I do still like the Bay Harbor Butcher arc from Season 2 constantly haunting Dexter but I don't want it to push aside everything LaGuerta did last year. I want her death to still be a big moment and not get stepped on and over by a new storyline where someone threatens to expose him all over again.

Ultimately I liked the Vogel reveal but think it would have worked better if Dexter and the episode hadn't thrown up so many alarms about her beforehand.

Now on to Deb. Who many entertainment sites have written in preview pieces leading up to this premiere is in the midst of a sex and drugs spiral. Okay. Drug spiral sure. She's doing lots of drugs now and she hadn't previously. But a sex spiral Is it because she's having sex with the one dude Because that's not a spiral. Actually given Deb's past relationships this one seemed pretty damn sturdy. She seemed to enjoy his company. HER BEST BOYFRIEND EVER I kid I kid. Maybe.

But are people calling it a spiral because she's undercover f ing him As in her feelings aren't real Who cares She's trying to get paid. There's a lot of money in it. I don't think the point here necessarily is that she's sleeping with the guy she's targeting rather that she's just doing a mass amount of things dangerous things to numb her brain. To make her forget her life. To keep plowing forward and separate herself from her trauma. So where she is now feels right. I still would have liked to see her in the days following the murder of LaGuerta but that's gone. But I appreciate her not wanting anything to do with Dexter. Now when it comes to their relationship it's I wake up every day thinking of every bad decision I made because of you.

But Dexter can't stay away from her. Yes things got a bit more urgent when he discovered that she might be putting herself in harm's way with the El Sapo guy but the whole end reveal where Dexter discovered that it was he who needed her was pretty great. And you could see how on edge he was the entire episode snapping both at Harrison and a driver who cut him off (who he might have actually killed outright if it weren't for the guy's kid in the backseat). In fact even though not everything here worked I commend A Beautiful Day for not being a typical Dexter episode. This is the endgame so it should feel distinct.

And Jennifer Carpenter continues to deliver sublime anguish as Debra F ing Password Morgan even when delivering soft lines after Dexter says something laughably thick like You completely missed LaGuerta's memorial. Jesus Christ I wonder why she whimpered back rolling her eyes a little bit knowing how dense he brother can be even about something so grave. And if we consider imaginary Harry to naturally be a part of Dexter then Dexter knows he should stay away from Deb. Because that's all Harry kept shouting over and over.

Dexter's Top 10 Foes

But Dexter was all out of sorts in this episode. Not only did he no longer have his 24/7 babysitter (who's now become a bit unlikable due to the fact that she's chosen to be with Quinn) but he was just in general like a bull in a china shop. I mean he wants to reach out to Deb and pull her back to her old life and he still can't stop himself from getting into a fight with Briggs and stabbing him to death. Right in front of Deb who he desperately wants to see him in a good light. Not his finest hour.

So the time jumped happened. It's regrettable but there's no going back. I'm intrigued by Vogel now even though her debut was a bit hammy. She knows about Harry's Code but does she also know how many times Dexter over the years has broken it Either by accident or on purpose If she did she probably wouldn't have acted so flippant. Also why is she back in Miami now What drew her in Was it LaGuerta's death And did she know that Doakes was innocent six years ago when he was framed See. A lot of questions. Hopefully to be answered soon.

Warning Showtime's Next time on Dexter... tags at the end of each episode are notoriously super spoilery. I purposefully don't watch them and I recommend that you don't either. If you do though keep in mind that they might have immediately answered questions I've raised in the review.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at TheMattFowler IGN at mattfowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity.

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Cowboys center Phil Costa gets engaged to Hulk Hogans daughter Brooke

Doug Farrar

Doug Farrar is the editor of Shutdown Corner Yahoo Sports NFL blog.

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Brazil beats world champion Spain 3 0 to win Confederations Cup at home

RIO DE JANEIRO The crowd at Maracana Stadium was noisy hoping for and maybe even anticipating a triumph by Brazil.

The Selecao rewarded the fans with a comprehensive victory over the best national team of the 21st century an ego boosting 3 0 smothering of world champion Spain in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday night.

Nice yes.

But Brazil is focusing on the really big prize the World Cup that it hosts next year.

We know that the tournament that we will be playing next year will be a lot more difficult Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. Now we have more confidence. That's what we needed.

In the stadium that will host the 2014 World Cup final next July 14 Fred put Brazil ahead in the second minute Neymar doubled the lead in the 44th with his fourth goal of the tournament and Fred added his fifth in the 47th. While there was a crowd of 73 000 in the renovated stadium outside protesters clashed with riot police on the final night of the two week prep tournament.

Brazil has shown to the world that this is the Brazilian national team and that we must be respected said 21 year old Neymar awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's top player. I think that today we had a great victory against the best team of the world with some of the best players in the world.

In a matchup of new and old powers the five time world champion defeated the reigning world and European champion and ended Spain's 29 game three year winning streak in competitive matches.

We are happy with what we have done over the last few years Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. But one loss you have to look at it but not overreact to it. We are not content with the loss. But when a team is superior you have to accept it. It was a deserved defeat.

Brazil won its third straight Confederations Cup and has not lost a competitive home match since 1975. Yet no reigning Confed Cup winner has gone on to capture the following year's World Cup.

Spain which had not lost a competitive game since its 2010 World Cup opener against Switzerland had a miserable night. Sergio Ramos sent a penalty kick wide in the 55th and defender Gerard Pique was ejected by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers with a straight red card for fouling Neymar in the 68th.

The first minutes and the last minutes of the halves are critical Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta said. And they scored their three goals at the beginning and ends of the halves which is the worst time. Those are the most demoralizing moments.

Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last two World Cups the Selecao entered the tournament having not played a competitive match since the 2011 Copa America. Brazil had slipped to 22nd in the FIFA rankings between Ghana and Mali.

Spain ranked first for the past 20 months is the most accomplished national team of recent decades winning its first World Cup in 2010 between titles in the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

But in the stadium where 170 000 plus watched Brazil lose to Uruguay in the last game of the 1950 World Cup Brazil dominated La Furia Roja.

The champion is back the crowd chanted.

It also didn't take long before the fans in a sea of yellow jerseys started teasing the Spaniards chanting Wanna play wanna play Brazil will teach you.

Spain had been unbeaten in 26 matches overall including friendlies since a 1 0 loss to England in London in 2011 and had outscored opponents 69 11 in competitive matches since the loss to Switzerland in South Africa.

But Spain had not played Brazil since a 1999 exhibition and they hadn't met in a competitive match since the Selecao's 1 0 win in the first round of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

We knew we were going to encounter a physical game with lots of fouling Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta said. We lost to a very strong team and the small details let us down.

Fred opened the scoring after a cross into the area by Hulk in the second minute. The ball bounced off Neymar near the far post and Fred who had fallen while trying to reach for the cross shot with his right foot while still on the ground.

Brazil added to the lead after Neymar exchanged passes with Oscar and then sent a powerful left footed shot over goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Fred got the final goal from just inside the area sending a low shot to the far corner. Hulk started the move with a pass to Neymar but the striker let it go as Fred came running behind him.

Spain was awarded the penalty kick after Marcelo fouled Jesus Navas inside the area. Ramos who skied a penalty kick for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League semifinals sent this one wide.

Spain's best chance before the penalty came with Pedro Rodriguez in the 41st when he entered the area clear from defenders on a breakaway. His low shot beat goalkeeper Julio Cesar but David Luiz came rushing in and slid in front of the goal line just in time to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

There were protests outside the stadium during the match with police using rubber bullets and tear gas to keep demonstrators from getting too close. A wave of anti government protests has swept across Brazil in recent weeks and many affected the Confederations Cup host cities as demonstrators complained of the costs of hosting the World Cup.

On the field it was a heated match from the start with players from both teams pushing and shoving each other a few times. Even the substitutes got into a shouting match.

We played a very good match Scolari said. It allows us to have a better idea about the path ahead of us.

___

Follow Tales Azzoni at http //twitter.com/tazzoni

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BET Awards 2013

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NASCAR race at Kentucky starts on time but rain in area

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Box office battle Heat vs. White House Down

Two movies are in theaters this weekend starring pairs of extremely likable actors Roland Emmerich's action flick White House Down with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx and Paul Feig's female buddy cop comedy The Heat with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

There's enough time in the stretch between Friday and Monday to fit them both in but only one can be crowned as the box office winner come Sunday night.

So far White House Down has pulled ahead of The Heat bringing in $1.35 million at the box office on Thursday night. The Heat was right behind with $1 million in late night and midnight showings. Entertainment Weekly predicts that The Heat will soon carry the lead bringing in around $44 million for its opening weekend while White House Down is looking at an open of around $36 million.

Critical reaction has been equally divided with neither movie emerging as the clearly better choice.

White House Down is another Roland Emmerich blow it all up special with Tatum portraying a police officer and wanna be Secret Service agent who winds up protecting the POTUS (Jamie Foxx) when mercenaries attack the White House.

Emmerich s vision of civilization s collapse is so loony the scale of the damage he imagines so vast that his best movies (that is to say his worst) achieve a strange tone of devil may care merriment Slate said in its review. Even as the story accrues preposterousness the action moves along crisply and Tatum and Foxx hit a nice buddy movie vibe ... In this season of solemnly manly blockbusters I appreciated the boyish energy of 'White House Down' ...

Of all the dumb megabudget 'Die Hard' like action pictures of the last few years ... this is both the most entertaining and the most inviting of viewers' input New York magazine said.

But Rolling Stones' Peter Travers wasn't as willing to accept the ludicrous offering saying in his review that there's dumb and then there's idiotic. ... 'White House Down ' rated PG 13 but as crass and cynical as a Michael Bay movie is a depressing experience.

As for The Heat it holds true to the standard outline of a buddy cop film from combustible conflict through mutual respect and on to eventual friendship said NPR. Only it tops pretty much every beat in that familiar plot outline with memorably ludicrous gags.

Variety agrees that 'The Heat' has been engineered to deliver the laughs ... despite coming alarmingly near to botching the procedural elements along the way.

But for the Washington Post The Heat itself is just lukewarm especially in comparison to the chemistry between its two leading ladies.

Like Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx in 'White House Down ' Bullock and McCarthy and the chemistry they generate are far more compelling than the movie they re in the review said. Too often the sketches go on too long and the coarse abrasive tone quickly begins to feel repetitive and off putting.

In the end Box Office Mojo predicts that neither White House Down nor The Heat is going to be the box office winner this weekend deferring to the animated and better reviewed recent release Monster's University.

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Alec Baldwin Why the star is barely scarred by his repeat bad behavior

Stop us if you ve heard this one before Alec Baldwin lost his temper this week went on a profane tirade threatened violence then shut down his Twitter account.

Alec Baldwin in Washington last year. (Paul J. Richards / Getty Images)

We ve been watching variations on this routine for a while now. The time the star lashed out at a flight attendant who told him to turn off his phone. The times he allegedly shoved a photographer and hurled epithets at another hit one reporter with his bike and told another he wanted to choke her. The leaked voice messages in which he called his young daughter a thoughtless little pig.

It s the kind of thing that could ruin a different celebrity. But while Baldwin s latest tantrum Thursday night raised more eyebrows than usual for aiming homophobic slurs ( toxic little queen ) at a tabloid reporter who erroneously claimed the actor s wife tweeted during James Gandolfini s funeral he probably won t lose any job offers or A list invitations.

He never does. Why is that

We asked Hilary Rosen the Washington media strategist who has been friends with Baldwin since college. What he said was disgusting she told us. But I think he has a deeper reservoir of good will among folks because he s been a progressive ally and fighter for progressive causes for years and that s the genuine side of him.

Of course some allege a double standard that Baldwin is given a pass because of his liberal politics for the same kind of jerk behavior that nearly ruined conservative star Mel Gibson. Rosen sees it more as Baldwin s underlying big heart a man who s given millions to charity over the years.

But it s also not like the Emmy winner s outbursts shock anyone these days. The stars who suffer the worst backlash are those whose bad behavior clashes with a Mr. Nice Guy/America s Sweetheart facade and that s not Baldwin. Being a hothead and sometimes a verbal bully is sometimes part of his persona Rosen said. He s passionate about everything he s aggressive about everything. His outbursts are as authentic as everything else.

It could be too that Team Baldwin (helmed by NYC publicist Matthew Hiltzik) is well practiced by now at mitigating fallout. By close of business Friday Baldwin been granted forgiveness by GLAAD after he sent the gay rights group an apology for his choice of words he also gave an emotional interview to New York s Gothamist explaining his knee jerk impulse to defend his wife and pledging to stay off Twitter this time for good I just don t wanna deal with it anymore.

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Anna Nicole Reviews How Was Lifetimes Anna Nicole Smith Movie

Tweet Lifetime was at it again on June 29 premiering their latest based on real life movie with the tragic story of the troubled star Anna Nicole Smith. The source material was high drama to begin with so did the TV flick live up to the real story

Say what you want about Lifetime but they found their groove and they re sticking to it. Anna Nicole which premiered on June 29 is just the most recent installment of the camp y overly dramatic made for TV movies that Lifetime does so well. We at HollywoodLife.com called Lifetime s story of Anna Nicole Smith crazy wild fun and a roller coaster ride of drugs alcohol and tragedy but did the rest of the critics like it as much as we did

Anna Nicole Reviews

Variety

Anna Nicole isn t really about anything in the conventional sense but still manages to be as hard to turn away from and vaguely sleazy as its namesake which should suit Lifetime s purposes just fine. If nothing else the movie appears destined to win some kind of award for most convincing prosthetic cleavage allowing Agnes Bruckner to play the Playboy and Guess jeans model in her pre and build on breast stages flanked by a perfectly cast Martin Landau and Adam Goldberg as the unlikely men in her life. As guilty pleasures go this one certainly doesn t lack for moments at which to hoot.

New York Post

On Saturday night Lifetime blows out the doors with Anna Nicole a true life movie so good so well written and yet sleazy enough to satisfy even the cheesiest viewers among us.

The Hollywood Reporter

It was in 2007 that Anna Nicole Smith aka Vickie Lynn Hogan the small town Texas girl who grew up to embody one of the most spectacularly unfortunate public meltdowns of modern Hollywood died from a cocktail of prescription drugs at the age of 39. That rags to riches story is an old Hollywood fable continuously reflected in a constant rotation of bright young things. But Anna Nicole manages to breathe new life into the tale of yet another young woman with a misplaced Marilyn Monroe obsession that turns into a curse.

Boston Globe

The movie which premieres on Saturday at 8 has nothing to offer. It s storytelling at its most shallow and unsatisfying. Written by John Rice and Joe Batteer and directed by Mary Harron Anna Nicole barely conveys the basic facts of Smith s life never mind any bigger ideas about her private terrors and our cultural demons. Bruckner is fine as Smith and her prosthetic breastplate is quite impressive but the script gives her nothing of substance or with resonance.

So besides one scathing review everyone seems to be on board with us We hope you set your DVRs to record Anna Nicole or that you can catch a rerun because it s definitely worth a viewing.

HollywoodLifers did you see Anna Nicole What did you think Let us know

WATCH Anna Nicole Movie Trailer

Variety

New York Post

The Hollywood Reporter

Boston Globe

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