Is Steven Spielberg a thief?

Maybe, if copyrights holders have their way in court.
Read on...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven Spielberg and major Hollywood studios stole the plot from Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1954 film "Rear Window" in making last year's "Disturbia," a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday said.

Dreamworks, its parent company Viacom Inc, and Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal, are accused of copyright infringement and breach of contract for making "Disturbia" without first obtaining permission from the copyright holders, the suit said.

Spielberg is credited as executive producer of the film, which grossed about $80 million at the U.S. box office, and is named as a defendant.

More in here!

Thievery is nothing new in Hollywood, but Spielberg?

Oy Vey! Say it isn't so!!!

More Olympic deaths!!!!

We expect the Chinese government to be less than forthcoming.

But, the U.S. government is being a little shady too!

According to a new report, the death of a U.S. volleyball coach's father-in-law wasn't the only American death at the Beijing games.

A woman from Chicago died first.

Twenty-five-year old Ann DeWaters was killed in Beijing on August 4 in an incident that went unannounced and is still 'officially' unexplained by both U.S. and Chinese authorities and the American relief organization she was working for.

DeWaters was working at the Olympics through a Florida human services organization that deployed 160 volunteers to the China games.

The organization's director would not reveal how DeWaters died, calling it "an unfortunate incident."

In D.C., state department officials refused to say what killed her. American diplomats in Beijing said it was an apparent accident.

Illinois congressman Don Manzullo is the only official who has shed some light on the death.

DeWaters worked for him as an intern in 2006. A Manzullo spokesman revealed, she was, "walking down a Beijing street returning to her hotel . . . when she fell through an open manhole and hit her head."

Manhole cover thefts in China are a deadly public safety problem; 24,000 covers were stolen from Beijing streets in 2004, according to official news agency reports.

Most were sold to scrap metal dealers trying to meet increased demand during the Olympic building boom.

This summer, Chinese officials ordered crews to begin bolting down the city's 840,000 sewer covers to prevent thievery and stop people from falling in and dying. It wasn't soon enough for DeWaters.

And, get this…

On one blog, one Olympic volunteer last week posted details of what happened to DeWaters. Within a few hours, it was replaced with a much more 'benign statement' that the volunteer's father says was written by someone else, possibly an embarrassed Chinese government official. Now, even that posting has been taken down.

If this is all true, it seems irresponsible for the U.S. and Chinese governments to not have spoken out truthfully about it.

Plus, do they really think the truth wouldn't come out???!

Makes both governments look like such big assholes!

Fake Olympics Part Deux!

You may have already heard about this item in other places, but I'm also placing it here, just to remind you how fake the Olympics have become!

China Olympic ceremony star mimed
By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing

A pretty girl who won national fame after singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was only miming.

Wearing a red dress and pigtails, Lin Miaoke charmed a worldwide audience with a rendition of "Ode to the Motherland".

But the singer was Yang Peiyi, who was not allowed to appear because she is not as "flawless" as nine-year-old Lin.

The show's musical director said Lin was used because it was in the best interests of the country.

The revelation follows news that a fireworks display used during the opening ceremony was apparently faked.

Speaking on Beijing Radio station, musical director Chen Qigang said the organisers needed a girl with both a good image and a good voice.

They faced a dilemma because although Lin was prettier, seven-year-old Yang had the better voice, Mr Chen said.

"After several tests, we decided to put Lin Miaoke on the live picture, while using Yang Peiyi's voice," he told the radio station.

"The reason for this is that we must put our country's interest first," he added.

"The girl appearing on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people."

Singer Lin, who is being called the "smiling angel", has already become a media celebrity because of her performance.

She told state-run China Daily that she felt "beautiful" in the red dress she wore during the performance.

Her dad told the newspaper that she already had fans all over the country.

According to Chinese news reports, Yang said she did not regret the decision, saying she was satisfied to have had her voice featured in the opening ceremony.

This is the second "fake" story about the opening ceremony

Viewers around the world saw a display in which 29 firework "footprints" travelled across Beijing from south to north.

But a senior official from the Beijing organising committee (Bocog) confirmed on Tuesday that footage of the display had been produced before the big night.

This was provided to broadcasters for "convenience and theatrical effects", according to Wang Wei, Bocog's executive vice-president.

"Because of poor visibility, some previously recorded footage may have been used," he told

Screw the Chinese and screw their fake Olympics! It's all propaganda anyway!

Fake Olympics?

An unbalanced Olympic coverage favoring USA? No...it can be!!!! Read on...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The glow of NBC's Olympic ratings victory threatens to be sullied by reports that the Beijing Olympic Committee and the network have been less-than-scrupulous in their presentation of the Summer Games.

Organizers are accused of mixing in fake CGI fireworks during Friday night's opening ceremony, while NBC is said to have added a bogus "Live" stamp to tape-delayed West Coast feed of competition coverage this weekend, and edited the "parade of nations" segment of the opening ceremony to delay the entrance of the U.S. Olympic Team.

A look at each report, along with a response from NBC Sports:

Accusation: Viewers were misled by the use of computer-generated fireworks during a sweeping helicopter shot leading up to the Bird's Nest. Organizers note the fireworks were there, but the footage was created in advance due to the danger of shooting live from a nearby helicopter.

NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesperson says U.S. viewers were informed of the manipulation. Commentators Matt Lauer and Bob Costas said the fireworks were a digital effect. From the opening ceremony transcript during the fireworks in question:

Lauer: "You're looking at a cinematic device employed by Zhang Yimou here. This is actually almost animation. A footstep a second, 29 in all, to signify the 29 Olympiads."

Costas: "We said earlier that aspects of this Opening Ceremony are almost like cinema in real time. Well this is quite literally cinematic."

Analysis: Mixing real and CGI fireworks during an Olympic event is visually misleading, though NBC did try to address the issue. The question is, during a spectacular-looking shot, do the phrases "cinematic device" and "almost animation" really convey that the image wasn't real? It seems more to hint that something about it wasn't quite literal, while coming shy of saying -- in far more clear and simple terms -- "this is a digitally manufactured shot to represent what's happening right now outside the stadium."

Accusation: NBC is time stamping West Coast feeds of competition coverage with a "Live" tag even though the coverage is not live.

NBC Response: A spokesperson points out the constant "Live" tag is accompanied by twice-per-hour time stamps that inform West Coast viewers that the event was only live on the East Coast (ex. "10:05 ET").

"The audience makeup of the Olympics is very much like that of 'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars' which have 'live' season finales presented in much the same way," an NBC Sports spokesperson says. "You assume there's a large amount of intelligence in the viewing audience, so when they see those twice-an-hour time stamps they'll understand what is being presented."

Analysis: If a sporting event's feed isn't live, a broadcaster should avoid using an omnipresent "live" tag. The best reason to have this tag on a West Coast feed (and to not put a clear "tape delayed" notice) is for the same reason some are incensed -- it gives viewers an impression of live urgency that isn't quite there. Like with the fireworks, the original complaint is mollified by the facts, to a degree: to a casual viewer the coverage shows one thing, while to somebody paying close attention, it shows something slightly less exciting.

Accusation: NBC edited the "parade of nations" from the original order to delay the entrance of U.S. athletes.

NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesman says the order was unchanged.

Analysis: Editing a sporting event like a reality show to save the most eagerly awaited moments for the conclusion would be an issue -- if it were true. As it is, online reports have provided no real evidence.

Fake Olympics!!!! That's why they didn't show Puerto Rico in the ceremony. They edited it out!!!! That's why I'm watching the war between Russia and Georgia. It's real and much more entertaining!