Kennedy Series Starring Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear Won't Air

The History Channel spent millions of dollars to produce a series about the Kennedys starring Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as John and Jackie Kennedy, but has decided not to air the series. The History Channel spent millions more on this series than any other show it ever produced. Now, the question is what happens to this expensive eight part series.

Once completed, the History Channel was unhappy that series appeared to be highly fictionalized and was criticized as unhistorical and grossly inaccurate by some former Kennedy Administration officials and by some historians. Further, political pressures by some political liberals as well as Kennedy family fans including a petition drive helped to put a lid on the project.

A few years back, CBS produced a miniseries about Ronald Reagan, but once again political critics put a lid on the project. The series never aired on CBS, but was later sold to Showtime and played on this pay TV cable channel.

Networks seem to run into problems when they want to air political fiction. Pressure groups from the right or left often quickly attempt to censor projects they think might not project them in some positive light. They can care less that that the whole intent of film is to entertain, not brainwash someone into their own thinking.

Freedom of expression isn't totally dead in the United States. But, censorship of major projects proves that freedom of expression often hangs by a thin thread. And that's wrong. Filmmakers shouldn't have to satisfy to political tastes of critics. They're only job is to entertain us.

Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear are major actors. This series needs to air somewhere so the public can make up their own mind as to whether this is a good film series or not. Censorship sucks. For too many years, some churches and political forces have forced their own opinions on filmmakers and the American public, forcing artists to work in narrow constraints so not as to offend some pressure group. Filmmakers cannot make good products if they have to satisfy pressure groups, rather than concentrate on good filmmaking.

Some preview scenes such as the assassination in Dallas scene have an eerie appearance, where the film looks very interesting. Regardless of the critics, I'd like to be allowed to judge this film for myself, thank you.

Chloe Sevigny Manages To Shock Once Again

As if actress Chloe Sevigny didn't establish a lifetime shocker standard low with her BROWN BUNNY blow scene with that grimy looking Vincent Gallo guy, now she's dating Pauly D from JERSEY SHORE. I'll say that once again just so that the shock can really set in.....she's dating Pauly D from JERSEY SHORE.

The two were photographed at a Knicks game the other night.

In just two seasons on the air, JERSEY SHORE has managed to horrify the viewing public by introducing us to the likes of Pauly D, a disc jockey, and the Lindsay Lohan wannabe, Nicole "Snooky" Polizzi. Her arrest at Sunset Heights Beach for disturbing the peace will be aired during a season three episode of the popular MTV show.

Sadly, the new series just started to tape on January 6 for upcoming episodes. This means that you might want to schedule a root canal in coming weeks when the new episodes will air. As for me, I'm just grateful my house burned down and I don't have cable TV right now.

SS Trike Recreates The Big Wheel

SS Trike makes just about the coolest motorcycle trikes of any U.S. brand. Strangely, they look much like the kid's big wheel all grown up. But, that's where the resemblance ends. SS Trikes might well set you back a good $30k or better with options. However, the low center of gravity gives these bikes excellent stability, and road-ability. And the 2-speed automatic transmission also helps make riding these trikes just as easy as any car. There's no clutch to mess with, so don't go looking for one. There ain't one. Nada.

However, the automatic transmission is race quality and excellently coverts all of that power from that big 117cube SS x-wedge engine to those 14inch rear tires. The big wheel on the front is a whooping 24inch size.

SS Trike has a variety of models, but each are eye-catching quality and design. They even have some nice models with flames that look much like a hot rod, especially with those 1950's inspired Chevy hot rod cues in the rear styling and taillights.

Despite the price tag around $30, SS Trikes are actually a bargain of sorts. Compared to spending $100k to custom build a bike this good, the engineers at SS Trikes have done all the hard work, mating the very best performance and quality components together. The result is a powerful trike that's a thrill to ride.

You only live once. Go for it.

Legal Crap: Cat Fight Erupts Over Kitty Litter Ads

Who could have ever guessed that a high stakes legal battle would erupt over kitty litter. But the makers of Arm & Hammer have filed suit against Clorox over some kitty litter ads that they claim are deceptive and seem to show that cats prefer one brand over the other. But, the makers of Arm & Hammer claim the research is flawed that attempts to show cats favoring Fresh Step over Super Scoop.

I suppose some judge will have to decide whether one brand fights odor better than another, or whether this lawsuit is just a bunch of crap.

Conan O'Brien Wins People's Choice Award

Conan O'Brien continues to amaze and confound the critics. Despite his move to cable TV, a horde of fans voted him their favorite talk show host to win the 2011 People's Choice Awards for Favorite Talk Show Host. That was an amazing upset over favorites such as Ellen Degeneres or Oprah Winfrey. Like a phoenix who reemerges from ashes as great, Conan O'Brien has emerged from what he admitted could have been a "horrible" year to this great honor.

Fans of the red headed comic continue to carry him on their backs. Nearly 175 million votes were cast this year on-line for the People's Choice Awards voting. Conan O'Brien proved real strength among this demographic, scoring this convincing victory.

Congratulations to Conan O'Brien for this great victory.

Why TRUE GRIT Deserves Major Award Nominations

The producers of TRUE GRIT are hoping to garner some award considerations for the great new big screen adaptation of the 1968 Charles Portis novel. Indeed, the buzz is that the producers of SOCIAL NETWORK are in fear that this may make a late run at Oscar consideration and virtually shut out their film. However, TRUE GRIT is far superior to the catalogic SOCIAL NETWORK, which I found factually interesting, but not overly appealing as a film. The new 2010 version of TRUE GRIT is a far superior film overall by any standard of measurement against SOCIAL NETWORK. TRUE GRIT is more than worthy of major award nominations, including best picture, best actor and best actress, whereas SOCIAL NETWORK is not.

TRUE GRIT has excellent acting by both Jeff Bridges and young actress Hailee Steinfeld. Both more than deserve best actor nominations. Jeff Bridges has reinvented the U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn role as his own great characterization. The alcoholic washed-up-has-been gunslinger Marshal pulls together the best of what he has left to prove to be a loyal and devoted honorable, but flawed hero. He proves himself to be the far moral superior to Texas Ranger LaBouef(Matt Damon) who seems to quickly use his position of authority in an abusive and unsettling way against the young Mattie Ross character. From their very first meeting, LaBouef seemed inclined toward wanting some inappropriate actions toward the Young Mattie Ross, wanting either to kiss her or administer some discipline to the stubborn and determined Ross. In fact, it was Cogburn who quickly put a stop to this sort of conduct by LaBoeuf a little later in the story, when he was disgusted by LaBouef abusing his authority against the young girl by giving her some harsh punishment by a riverbed for following along with the pair of trackers . Cogburn made it clear that he was perfectly willing to shoot LaBouef if this sort of inappropriate conduct continued. Inside, Cogburn was actually a deeply moral and decent man, despite his tough alcoholic exterior. He was a selfless servant of young Mattie Ross, while LaBouef simply wasn't as trustworthy a man as you would expect, but someone who would abuse his badge or position of authority if the opportunity only knocked. It quickly became clear who was the moral superior of the two.

More of the character of Cogburn was clear when he went on that desperate ride to get medical help for the young girl after a snakebite, and after the horse collapsed, ran with the young girl for what seemed like miles. The Coen brothers have recreated TRUE GRIT in 2010 as a masterwork of a Western. Both the film and the actors deserve major award nominations here. This is one of the great Westerns.

Jeff Bridges' acting as the latest incarnation of "Rooster" Cogburn is certainly as great as the performance of John Wayne that won him the best actor award at the Oscars in 1969. If John Wayne won for this role, Jeff Bridges deserves the same honor. This is Jeff Bridges at his very best here, capturing a great character that is wholly unrecognizable from other many other film roles he has portrayed.

Of course, TRUE GRIT is all about the story of young 14 year old Mattie Ross and her mission to capture for trial and ultimate hanging the drifter farmhand, Tom Chaney, who killed her father. And young actress, Hailee Steinfeld, is really the big star here where the story is all about her determined search for justice. Hailee Steinfeld is just plain excellent in this role. She's a fantastic young actress with a very promising career ahead. Her performance is far superior to that of Kim Darby in the 1969 film.

Part of what continues to make TRUE GRIT such a great western story is that it is so inspirational to young viewers. Mattie Ross is a real inspirational character. And young Hailee Steinfeld plays the character with such strength, intelligence and wisdom beyond her years, her only moment of weakness being when she is reduced to a crying little girl by LaBouef's abusive discipline by the riverbed. If LaBouef was attempting to knock this stubborn young girl down a peg, then he only temporarily succeeded. But, Cogburn sure didn't like this at all. The three were a team in his view and needed to be at their best game, and the frictions between LaBouef and Ross needed to stop if the three were to succeed in tracking down and capturing Tom Chaney. The three would face many perils in the frontier. Afterall, Ross was his boss, and Cogburn was nothing but the loyal employee.

The character of Mattie Ross is a tough, intelligent and very determined girl. And the grown up Mattie Ross narrates her life story here, where she ends up sadly losing an arm to a snakebite. Each retelling of TRUE GRIT takes some liberties or embellishes the original Charles Portis novel. But, the new Coen brothers film has made the story even more "gritty" and tougher than the 1969 film version. It's an excellent retelling of the story by the reclusive author of the novel. Charles Portis is seldom seen in public, but has to love this new version of his classic story. The Coen brothers certainly did justice here to this great novel.

My appeal is for those who make Oscar nominations and other award nominations to nominate TRUE GRIT for best picture, best actor and best actress considerations. And for other upcoming awards, please nominate this film and actors. Good westerns don't come much better than this. TRUE GRIT is a very good film.

Hollywood Superbabe Anne Francis Dead At 80

Anne Francis was a great actress. Her short lived series, HONEY WEST, set the stage for more action private eye and spy series such as the JAMES BOND series and THE AVENGERS to feature tough females clad in skin tight black jumpsuits. HONEY WEST may have only lasted for just 30 episodes, but it had lots of style. And her pet ocelot(also called the dwarf leopard) in the series had that exotic wild animal look. The show may not have lasted long, but it inspired more tough female roles in so many more shows.

Anne Francis died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. But in the late 50's and early 60's, she was one of the hottest blond actresses of them all. She just exuded sex appeal. She was perfect as the tough but very sexy HONEY WEST.

But, Anne Francis was also a major star in the classic sci fi film, FORBIDDEN PLANET, and was also featured in classics such as BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and other pretty decent films. She also appeared on THE MAN FROM U.N.L.C.E. and other TV shows as well.

It's so sad to see the death of this league major babe. She was so fine. One of the most beautiful and sexy women ever to appear on the small or big screen. Her little trademark birthmark by her mouth gave her such a distinctive beautiful look.