Oliver Stone to Release "W" in late October

In a subtle effort to enlighten us all, and with no thought of influencing the national election two weeks later, Lionsgate Studios and Oliver Stone will release what sounds like a downright mean-spirited biopic on George W. Bush on October 17th, 2008. As Mark Hemingway pointed out, this will be the third election in a row that a highly charged political film was released right before the nation heads to the polls. No worries: it will flop and/or fizzle, as all of them have.

Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Audacity of Bill Cosby's Black Conservatism

Just read this excellent piece on Bill Cosby in the May Atlantic Monthly. (I'm a big Cosby fan, from his stand-up days to his sitcoms to his conservative politics.)

"Help Me Tom Cruise, Help Me Woody Harrelson!"

For today's Entertainment News don't miss this Associated Press story about Wesley Snipes' three year prison sentence for tax evasion. In an attempt to soften the judge, Snipes offered glowing character references from various Hollywood pals including...Woody Harrelson...? Don't mean to be too hard on anyone here, but is that really the best go-to guy for a strong personal reference?

Update/Note: A friend asked about the header for this post. It's a reference to the movie Talledega Nights starring Will Farrel. The main character - Ricky Bobby - a NASCAR driver suffering from anxiety and paranoia after a bad crash and a nervous breakdown, believes he has caught on fire. He leaps from his vehicle and starts running around the racetrack, screaming: "Help me, Jesus! Help me Jewish God! Help me Allah! Help me, Tom Cruise! Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft to get the fire off me!"