Remembering George Carlin
Monday June 23, 2008
In lieu of The Funny Site of the Day, we reminisce and give thanks for one of America's most prolific, uproarious, outrageous, profane, cranky, and beloved stand-up comedians.
George Carlin, 71, died Sunday evening in California, after an entertainment career spanning 51 years. He complained of chest pains and was admitted to Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where he was pronounced dead of heart failure several hours later, according to Reuters. The Grammy Award winner, author, and actor had a history of heart and drug-dependency health issues.
Only a few days earlier, Carlin had been announced as the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. That celebration is scheduled on Nov. 10, according to The Boston Globe, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
More information on the life and death of George Carlin is available in this New York Times obituary.
The comedian was Internet savvy, maintaining his Web humor presence at GeorgeCarlin.com and Laugh.com. Performance clips of the popular Al Sleet and "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" routines are accessible at The Funny Video of the Day.
On a personal note, Carlin -- my funny friends always refer to him as Carlin -- has been a comedy beacon and inspiration to me for more than 40 years, especially his sublime silly side. I was fortunate to see him in concert twice and what's struck me more than the gifted breadth of his talent was his work ethic. There are few performers that ever reach his level of commitment to the comedic process. He devoted an entire lifetime to the heavy lifting of creativity, fueling himself as the sole writer of the monologue material for decades and decades. Carlin was the pack mule of stand-up, always moving forward, always delivering the goods, always timely, always fresh.
He was the hippy-dippy funnyman. And, now, it's like ... dark.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Church Says No to 'Angels and Demons'
Church Says No to 'Angels and Demons'
Rome Diocese Bans Ron Howard From Filming 'Angels and Demons' Inside Churches
By PHOEBE NATANSON and LUCHINA FISHER
June 17, 2008
Once again, the Catholic Church is coming down hard on writer Dan Brown, the author of "The Da Vinci Code." The producers of Brown's latest thriller to be made into a film, "Angels and Demons," have been banned from filming key scenes inside any church in Rome, on the grounds that the book is "an offense against God," according to a church spokesman.
Angels and Demons
American actor Tom Hanks reacts on the set of his latest movie "Angels and Demons," currently... Expand
American actor Tom Hanks reacts on the set of his latest movie "Angels and Demons," currently filming in central Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Wednesday, June 4, 2008. The film, inspired by Dan Brown's best seller, tells the story of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) who works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.
Led by executive producer/director Ron Howard, the producers sought permission to shoot scenes inside two churches in Rome's historic center for the film adaptation of Brown's prequel to "The Da Vinci Code." The Diocese of Rome, the local church authority for the city, denied them access in early 2007, but the ban was only made public on Monday.
"Normally, we read the script, but this time it was not necessary," Monsignor Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the Rome Diocese, told the Ansa Italian News Agency. "The name Dan Brown was enough."
Members of the Catholic Church denounced both "The Da Vinci Code" novel when it came out in 2004, and its film version in 2006.
"Angels and Demons" tells the story of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who was also the protagonist in "The Da Vinci Code," and his race to prevent a terrorist plot against the Vatican. Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Langdon for "Angels and Demons," which is scheduled for release in May 2009.
Although not as successful as Brown's subsequent and better known "The Da Vinci Code," the book has still posted strong sales in America and around the world since it was published in 2000.
Two Roman churches -- Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria -- are the settings for scenes in the book and film. In one church, Langdon finds the body of a cardinal who has been buried alive, and in the other, he arrives to find another cardinal burning to death.
The decision to ban the filmmakers from the churches was made public Monday, when an interview with Fibbi was published in the Italian entertainment magazine "Sorrisi e Canzoni TV."
"We don't allow filming in churches every day and when we do, it is usually for documentaries or for historical dramas, Fibbi said. "It is rare that permission is granted to shoot scenes for feature films inside functioning churches, but when allowed, the subject matter must be compatible and not clash with moral and pastoral church values.
Rome Diocese Bans Ron Howard From Filming 'Angels and Demons' Inside Churches
By PHOEBE NATANSON and LUCHINA FISHER
June 17, 2008
Once again, the Catholic Church is coming down hard on writer Dan Brown, the author of "The Da Vinci Code." The producers of Brown's latest thriller to be made into a film, "Angels and Demons," have been banned from filming key scenes inside any church in Rome, on the grounds that the book is "an offense against God," according to a church spokesman.
Angels and Demons
American actor Tom Hanks reacts on the set of his latest movie "Angels and Demons," currently... Expand
American actor Tom Hanks reacts on the set of his latest movie "Angels and Demons," currently filming in central Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Wednesday, June 4, 2008. The film, inspired by Dan Brown's best seller, tells the story of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) who works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.
Led by executive producer/director Ron Howard, the producers sought permission to shoot scenes inside two churches in Rome's historic center for the film adaptation of Brown's prequel to "The Da Vinci Code." The Diocese of Rome, the local church authority for the city, denied them access in early 2007, but the ban was only made public on Monday.
"Normally, we read the script, but this time it was not necessary," Monsignor Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the Rome Diocese, told the Ansa Italian News Agency. "The name Dan Brown was enough."
Members of the Catholic Church denounced both "The Da Vinci Code" novel when it came out in 2004, and its film version in 2006.
"Angels and Demons" tells the story of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who was also the protagonist in "The Da Vinci Code," and his race to prevent a terrorist plot against the Vatican. Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Langdon for "Angels and Demons," which is scheduled for release in May 2009.
Although not as successful as Brown's subsequent and better known "The Da Vinci Code," the book has still posted strong sales in America and around the world since it was published in 2000.
Two Roman churches -- Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria -- are the settings for scenes in the book and film. In one church, Langdon finds the body of a cardinal who has been buried alive, and in the other, he arrives to find another cardinal burning to death.
The decision to ban the filmmakers from the churches was made public Monday, when an interview with Fibbi was published in the Italian entertainment magazine "Sorrisi e Canzoni TV."
"We don't allow filming in churches every day and when we do, it is usually for documentaries or for historical dramas, Fibbi said. "It is rare that permission is granted to shoot scenes for feature films inside functioning churches, but when allowed, the subject matter must be compatible and not clash with moral and pastoral church values.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Film on slain bandit Veerappan
Latest from RGV: Film on slain bandit Veerappan
16 Jun 2008, 0014 hrs IST, Bharati Dubey,TNN
Ram Gopal Varma plans to transport Veerappan from real to reel life.
MUMBAI: Ram Gopal Varma is all set to make a film on sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's life very soon. The slain dacoit's wife Muthulaxmi flew down specially to meet Varma and his team and discuss the film's storyline.
"Veerappan's wife visited us. After listening to our intentions she gave us valuable inputs and insights into the true story of Veerappan. She is completely endorsing and standing by the project," Varma said.
Speaking about the film, the director said: "It will be a film on the story of Veerappan's life and the men who killed him. The film will track Veerappan from the time of his being just a skinny, pale teenager to how he metamorphosed into a cunning chameleonic monster. It will show his charismatic childlike behaviour that made many men dismiss him off as a buffoon until he killed them."
Varma is impressed by Muthulaxmi: "She is a lady who is in total command. She told us about her first meeting with Veerappan and how they fell in love. My film will also tell the story of Muthulaxmi, the girl who fell in love with him."
Varma and Ekta Kapoor will be only playing the role of producers in the film. "It will be directed by Prashant Pandey, the writer of my film ‘Sarkar Raj'. It will primarily cater to the national audience, but, as Veerappan is known at an international level, it is bound to arouse interest outside India," he says.
Varma intends to cast only newcomers in the film.
"Prashant wants that the look and characters should approximate a sense of reality. This is required to maintain the film's authenticity and the power of its telling. He believes that when the audience comes to see this film in theatres, they already know that it is a true story. They must have a first hand connection with the characters. They should not make associations because the idea is to show them a police officer, an informer and an outlaw rather than an actor who would carry a baggage of associations with him or her," Varma explains.
Although Varma refused to comment on Muthulaxmi's acting debut in the film, sources said there is a good chance that she would play a part in it. If sources are to be believed she is also likely to get a certain cut in the profits of the film.
16 Jun 2008, 0014 hrs IST, Bharati Dubey,TNN
Ram Gopal Varma plans to transport Veerappan from real to reel life.
MUMBAI: Ram Gopal Varma is all set to make a film on sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's life very soon. The slain dacoit's wife Muthulaxmi flew down specially to meet Varma and his team and discuss the film's storyline.
"Veerappan's wife visited us. After listening to our intentions she gave us valuable inputs and insights into the true story of Veerappan. She is completely endorsing and standing by the project," Varma said.
Speaking about the film, the director said: "It will be a film on the story of Veerappan's life and the men who killed him. The film will track Veerappan from the time of his being just a skinny, pale teenager to how he metamorphosed into a cunning chameleonic monster. It will show his charismatic childlike behaviour that made many men dismiss him off as a buffoon until he killed them."
Varma is impressed by Muthulaxmi: "She is a lady who is in total command. She told us about her first meeting with Veerappan and how they fell in love. My film will also tell the story of Muthulaxmi, the girl who fell in love with him."
Varma and Ekta Kapoor will be only playing the role of producers in the film. "It will be directed by Prashant Pandey, the writer of my film ‘Sarkar Raj'. It will primarily cater to the national audience, but, as Veerappan is known at an international level, it is bound to arouse interest outside India," he says.
Varma intends to cast only newcomers in the film.
"Prashant wants that the look and characters should approximate a sense of reality. This is required to maintain the film's authenticity and the power of its telling. He believes that when the audience comes to see this film in theatres, they already know that it is a true story. They must have a first hand connection with the characters. They should not make associations because the idea is to show them a police officer, an informer and an outlaw rather than an actor who would carry a baggage of associations with him or her," Varma explains.
Although Varma refused to comment on Muthulaxmi's acting debut in the film, sources said there is a good chance that she would play a part in it. If sources are to be believed she is also likely to get a certain cut in the profits of the film.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Munnabhai maker wowed by IIM innovations
Blue Star
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Munnabhai maker wowed by IIM innovations
Mumbai: The Aamir Khan- Kareena Kapoor starrer might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, IIM-A professor and founder of the NGO SRISTI.
Innovations have a strange way of getting recognised. Not just venture capitalists and angel investors, even Bollywood is going gaga over the rural innovations that have been documented by a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
The much-awaited Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer ‘Idiot', which is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, professor at IIM-A and the founder of a non-government organisation called Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI).
The film, based on the education system, focusses on innovating rather than cramming. Sources at the production house confirmed that scenes on grass root innovations have been shot for the film.
The production house, claimed the source, came across the innovations discovered by Gupta during the lookout for innovations to be included in the modern village, which is a part of the film.
The idea is to change the prevailing mindset that money is not an important factor when it comes to innovations, but what is required is to execute what one understands while learning.
Gupta was later approached to feature some of his rural innovations in the film. Gupta feels that the film is a great platform to promote innovations. "We are excited about the possibility of our innovations creating such an impact. The basic concept of the film is that those who are considered idiots are not actually idiots, and focuses on changing the frame of society's thinking. The production house had read about our innovations and approached us to include them in the film," Gupta said.
The innovations are the discoveries of SRISTI, which conducts Shodh Yatras across the country to document, analyse and disseminate technological and institutional innovations by the people from the remotest parts of India.
Source: Business Standard
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Munnabhai maker wowed by IIM innovations
Mumbai: The Aamir Khan- Kareena Kapoor starrer might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, IIM-A professor and founder of the NGO SRISTI.
Innovations have a strange way of getting recognised. Not just venture capitalists and angel investors, even Bollywood is going gaga over the rural innovations that have been documented by a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
The much-awaited Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer ‘Idiot', which is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, professor at IIM-A and the founder of a non-government organisation called Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI).
The film, based on the education system, focusses on innovating rather than cramming. Sources at the production house confirmed that scenes on grass root innovations have been shot for the film.
The production house, claimed the source, came across the innovations discovered by Gupta during the lookout for innovations to be included in the modern village, which is a part of the film.
The idea is to change the prevailing mindset that money is not an important factor when it comes to innovations, but what is required is to execute what one understands while learning.
Gupta was later approached to feature some of his rural innovations in the film. Gupta feels that the film is a great platform to promote innovations. "We are excited about the possibility of our innovations creating such an impact. The basic concept of the film is that those who are considered idiots are not actually idiots, and focuses on changing the frame of society's thinking. The production house had read about our innovations and approached us to include them in the film," Gupta said.
The innovations are the discoveries of SRISTI, which conducts Shodh Yatras across the country to document, analyse and disseminate technological and institutional innovations by the people from the remotest parts of India.
Source: Business Standard
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
John Abraham in realty row
John Abraham in realty row
12 Jun 2008, 0300 hrs IST, Swati Deshpande,TNN
MUMBAI: Actor John Abraham is embroiled in a legal battle over a real estate purchase he made in 2006. He had purchased the entire fourth floor of Orbit Plaza in New Prabhadevi for Rs 11.5 crore.
Earlier this year, a private glass company dragged him and developer, Orbit Finance Pvt Ltd, to the Bombay HC claiming that it was the original purchaser of the floor. In March, Justice D Y Chandrachud allowed Abraham, who is in possession of the 4,500 sq feet premises, to give it out on leave and licence on the condition that no permanent third party rights are created.
The glass company, which said the fourth floor commercial space was sold to it two months before it was sold to Abraham in August 2006, then went in appeal. On Wednesday, the appeal came up in the HC but was adjourned till Friday.
The glass company said it had entered into a sale agreement with Orbit in June 2006 for two units on the fourth floor for Rs 3 crore. Possession was promised in early 2008 but in January, there was an advertisement for sale of the same premises. Orbit promised the glass company similar area on the sixth floor and even promised to pick up the stamp duty tab but Parekh refused and demanded the fourth floor back.
Abraham, however, has argued that his payment outgoings began in March 2006 much before the other purchaser came on the scene.
12 Jun 2008, 0300 hrs IST, Swati Deshpande,TNN
MUMBAI: Actor John Abraham is embroiled in a legal battle over a real estate purchase he made in 2006. He had purchased the entire fourth floor of Orbit Plaza in New Prabhadevi for Rs 11.5 crore.
Earlier this year, a private glass company dragged him and developer, Orbit Finance Pvt Ltd, to the Bombay HC claiming that it was the original purchaser of the floor. In March, Justice D Y Chandrachud allowed Abraham, who is in possession of the 4,500 sq feet premises, to give it out on leave and licence on the condition that no permanent third party rights are created.
The glass company, which said the fourth floor commercial space was sold to it two months before it was sold to Abraham in August 2006, then went in appeal. On Wednesday, the appeal came up in the HC but was adjourned till Friday.
The glass company said it had entered into a sale agreement with Orbit in June 2006 for two units on the fourth floor for Rs 3 crore. Possession was promised in early 2008 but in January, there was an advertisement for sale of the same premises. Orbit promised the glass company similar area on the sixth floor and even promised to pick up the stamp duty tab but Parekh refused and demanded the fourth floor back.
Abraham, however, has argued that his payment outgoings began in March 2006 much before the other purchaser came on the scene.
Paul Newman the legendary actor and philanthropist, is battling cancer
AP Exclusive: Newman Friend Says Actor Has Cancer
AP Exclusive: Paul Newman's longtime friend and business partner says the actor has cancer
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN Associated Press Writer
NEW HAVEN, Conn. June 11, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Paul Newman, the legendary actor and philanthropist, is battling cancer, his longtime neighbor and business partner said Wednesday. Newman, 83, has recently appeared gaunt in photos, and dropped plans to direct a play in his Connecticut hometown.
Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start Newman's Own salad dressing company in the 1980s, said the actor told him about the disease about 18 months ago. He did not specify what kind of cancer, but said Newman is in active treatment.
"I know that it's a form of cancer," Hotchner told The Associated Press. "It's a form of cancer and he's dealing with it."
Newman issued a statement late Tuesday that he's "doing nicely" but didn't specifically address questions about cancer. A call was placed to his spokesman Wednesday seeking comment.
The Oscar winner appeared to have lost weight when he was photographed during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race last month. Martha Stewart, in an entry dated June 6, posted a photo on her blog of herself with the actor, who looked thin, at a luncheon to benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang camps for critically ill children. (The Hole in the Wall Gang was led by Newman's affable outlaw character, Butch, in the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.")
Newman won an Oscar for his leading role in 1986's "The Color of Money." His screen credits also include "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke," "The Verdict" and "Road to Perdition."
Hotchner said Newman had an operation a few years ago. "It was certainly somewhere in the area of the lung," he said.
"He's battling," Hotchner said. "He's doing all the right stuff. Paul is a fighter. He seems to be going through a good period right now."
Asked about his prognosis, Hotchner said, "Everybody is hopeful. That's all we know."
In 1982, Hotchner and Newman started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $200 million, according to its Web site.
Last month, officials at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse cited unspecified health issues when they announced that Newman would not direct "Of Mice and Men" this fall.
Newman lives in Westport with his wife, Joanne Woodward.
Two friends said Tuesday that Newman appeared to be doing well.
"I think he's feeling quite well," said actor James Naughton, who spoke to Newman on Monday night. "As far as I can tell he's doing very well."
AP Exclusive: Paul Newman's longtime friend and business partner says the actor has cancer
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN Associated Press Writer
NEW HAVEN, Conn. June 11, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Paul Newman, the legendary actor and philanthropist, is battling cancer, his longtime neighbor and business partner said Wednesday. Newman, 83, has recently appeared gaunt in photos, and dropped plans to direct a play in his Connecticut hometown.
Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start Newman's Own salad dressing company in the 1980s, said the actor told him about the disease about 18 months ago. He did not specify what kind of cancer, but said Newman is in active treatment.
"I know that it's a form of cancer," Hotchner told The Associated Press. "It's a form of cancer and he's dealing with it."
Newman issued a statement late Tuesday that he's "doing nicely" but didn't specifically address questions about cancer. A call was placed to his spokesman Wednesday seeking comment.
The Oscar winner appeared to have lost weight when he was photographed during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race last month. Martha Stewart, in an entry dated June 6, posted a photo on her blog of herself with the actor, who looked thin, at a luncheon to benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang camps for critically ill children. (The Hole in the Wall Gang was led by Newman's affable outlaw character, Butch, in the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.")
Newman won an Oscar for his leading role in 1986's "The Color of Money." His screen credits also include "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke," "The Verdict" and "Road to Perdition."
Hotchner said Newman had an operation a few years ago. "It was certainly somewhere in the area of the lung," he said.
"He's battling," Hotchner said. "He's doing all the right stuff. Paul is a fighter. He seems to be going through a good period right now."
Asked about his prognosis, Hotchner said, "Everybody is hopeful. That's all we know."
In 1982, Hotchner and Newman started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $200 million, according to its Web site.
Last month, officials at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse cited unspecified health issues when they announced that Newman would not direct "Of Mice and Men" this fall.
Newman lives in Westport with his wife, Joanne Woodward.
Two friends said Tuesday that Newman appeared to be doing well.
"I think he's feeling quite well," said actor James Naughton, who spoke to Newman on Monday night. "As far as I can tell he's doing very well."
Friday, June 6, 2008
Spike Lee lashes out against Clint Eastwood for not including African-Americans in his 2006 Iwo Jima movies, "Flags of Our Fathers"
Spike Strikes Back: Clint's 'an Angry Old Man'
Lee Lashes Out at Eastwood: 'The Man Is Not My Father and We're Not on a Plantation'
By SHEILA MARIKAR
June 6, 2008
Some people might back down when Dirty Harry tells them to shut up. Not Spike Lee.
After Eastwood told him to "shut his face" and stop criticizing him about not including African-Americans in his 2006 Iwo Jima movies, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," Lee's lashing out.
"First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either," he told ABCNEWS.com. "He's a great director. He makes his films, I make my films. The thing about it though, I didn't personally attack him. And a comment like 'a guy like that should shut his face' -- come on Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry old man right there."
Lee has a proposal for Eastwood:
"If he wishes, I could assemble African-American men who fought at Iwo Jima and I'd like him to tell these guys that what they did was insignificant and they did not exist," he said. "I'm not making this up. I know history. I'm a student of history. And I know the history of Hollywood and its omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to World War II."
"Not everything was John Wayne, baby," Lee added.
For weeks, Lee and Eastwood have been battling over the inclusion of African-Americans in their WWII films. At the Cannes Film Festival in May, Lee, whose next film, "Miracle at St. Anna," is about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy, slammed Eastwood, saying the filmmaker overlooked the role of black soldiers during World War II.
"He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films," Lee told reporters at Cannes. "Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version."
Then, Eastwood threw some punches of his own. In an interview to promote his latest film, "Changeling," Eastwood said Lee should "shut his face."
"Has he ever studied the history?" Eastwood growled to British paper The Guardian, which published the interview today. Regarding "Flags of Our Fathers," Eastwood admitted there was a small detachment of black troops on Iwo Jima, "but they didn't raise the flag. The story is 'Flags of Our Fathers,' the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go, 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate."
Lee Lashes Out at Eastwood: 'The Man Is Not My Father and We're Not on a Plantation'
By SHEILA MARIKAR
June 6, 2008
Some people might back down when Dirty Harry tells them to shut up. Not Spike Lee.
After Eastwood told him to "shut his face" and stop criticizing him about not including African-Americans in his 2006 Iwo Jima movies, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," Lee's lashing out.
"First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either," he told ABCNEWS.com. "He's a great director. He makes his films, I make my films. The thing about it though, I didn't personally attack him. And a comment like 'a guy like that should shut his face' -- come on Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry old man right there."
Lee has a proposal for Eastwood:
"If he wishes, I could assemble African-American men who fought at Iwo Jima and I'd like him to tell these guys that what they did was insignificant and they did not exist," he said. "I'm not making this up. I know history. I'm a student of history. And I know the history of Hollywood and its omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to World War II."
"Not everything was John Wayne, baby," Lee added.
For weeks, Lee and Eastwood have been battling over the inclusion of African-Americans in their WWII films. At the Cannes Film Festival in May, Lee, whose next film, "Miracle at St. Anna," is about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy, slammed Eastwood, saying the filmmaker overlooked the role of black soldiers during World War II.
"He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films," Lee told reporters at Cannes. "Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version."
Then, Eastwood threw some punches of his own. In an interview to promote his latest film, "Changeling," Eastwood said Lee should "shut his face."
"Has he ever studied the history?" Eastwood growled to British paper The Guardian, which published the interview today. Regarding "Flags of Our Fathers," Eastwood admitted there was a small detachment of black troops on Iwo Jima, "but they didn't raise the flag. The story is 'Flags of Our Fathers,' the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go, 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate."
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