Jury Seated for R. Kelly Trial
Both sides argued heatedly, played the race card and ultimately stifled their true feelings so they wouldn't be thrown out of court. Sounds as if we've got ourselves a jury!
Indeed, an eight-man, four-woman jury was seated today for R. Kelly's years-in-the-making trial on child-pornography charges.
Not that this part was easy, either. Over the past week, Kelly's team has argued that the prosecution was trying whitewash the jury, with its last objection coming today as the opposing side used its final two peremptory challenges (the right to dismiss a person without giving a reason) to boot a black man and an Asian woman from the panel.
Meanwhile, prosecutors pointed out to Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan that the defense used all six of its peremptory challenges on white people.
Ultimately, when all was said and huffed over, the jury consisted of eight white and four black people, while two blacks, one Hispanic and one white person were chosen as alternates.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Tuesday morning.
What Will Peyton Do? Hilarie Burton Talks One Tree Hill's 100th-Episode Wedding
Lucas and Lindsey are going to the chapel, and they might be getting married—if Peyton doesn't holler out an objection and send One Tree Hill fans jumping out of their skin.
Such is the case for tomorrow's big 100th episode, and in honor, I chatted up one of the coolest girls I've met in this business (no bull dookie), Miss Hilarie Burton, aka Peyton.
In case you hadn't heard, One Tree Hill is on a roll this season. The four-year flash-forward has reinvigorated the storylines and the ratings, and the series has already been picked up for another season this fall. It's the first time in OTH history it's been picked up this far in advance of the fall season.
Read on for the dish from Hilarie on Lucas and Lindsey, her own wedding-dress scene and her surprising real-life connection to Michaela McManus (Lindsey).
OK, first things first. How exactly are you going to tackle that she-whore Lindsey (Michaela McManus) at the altar? Jump and tackle? Maybe just yoink the back of her hair with your little finger and take her down?
Ha! Yeah, I don't think so. She's in really good shape!
Yes, she is. And I have to say, I saw the 100th episode, and it's really good.
Oh, did you see it? See, I haven’t even seen it yet!
Do you want to know what happens? Actually, I can't tell you because it came with a whole list of "do not reveals." As you know, a lot happens. A lot.
Yeah, it’s pretty big.
What did you think when you read the script for it, and how was it to shoot it?
It was weird to shoot that scene where I was the bride. I’ve been playing this depression all season. And so then to be walking out with Lucas in my fairy tale…First of all, it’s weird wearing a wedding dress. I mean, that’s weird for any girl.
Was that the first time you had put one on?
I had tried my mother’s on before, but that was the first time I had put one on and been like, “Oh, this is, like, for real.” All of a sudden you look at yourself in the mirror and you’re like, "This is weird. Take it off! Take it off!”
How very Carrie Bradshaw of you!
I know! I mean, it’s a white dress, big deal—I could be getting confirmed, you know?
Right.
But someone asked me recently if I had a favorite line of all time, and I think it's something you hear in this episode: “When you fixed my car, you fixed my heart!” It was a funny line, and you know me, I burst out laughing when I said it in rehearsal. But it really does sum up my character’s business for the run of these 100 episodes. It says it all.
How are you feeling about the love triangle at this point? It's been fun to watch, by the way. So juicy!
Oh good! You know what, Michaela McManus and I, we have a weird common background. I went to Fordham University when I was living in New York, and she went to Fordham. We lived on the same floor, and we were friends with all the same people. And yeah, our roommates both dated the same guy.
No way! Your roommates were in a love triangle?
Yeah! Our roommates were in a love triangle. She and I, we lived on the same street down in Manhattan; I was 80 John St.; she lived at 100. So we had this very similar past, but we’d never really interacted. And she showed up down here in North Carolina to start shooting, and I immediately felt a kinship with her.
It was good to have someone like her playing Lindsey, because I think it’s very important to the story that Peyton be intimidated by how perfect this woman is, how kind she is and how pretty and smart she is. I think that’s what makes it so hard for Peyton. And Michaela is so, so good. She's like Meryl Streep with this quiet intensity, which is very different than the rest of us.
Obviously there are a lot of die-hard Peyton and Lucas fans, but I think some of them have warmed up a little bit to Lindsey. How are you feeling now? Do you feel that Peyton and Lucas are meant to be together?
Oh, dude, I don’t know! Every time I think I’ve got it figured out, Mark Schwahn goes and just changes everything. I remember it was the third season when I went to Jake and was like, “I love you, and I want to be with you.” And I thought, "This is it!" And the next script that I get is me saying Lucas’ name in my sleep! I don’t think I’ll ever give up on Lucas because I never know when he's going to come back to haunt me—and haunt me in a really beautiful, tender, sensitive way.
What I love about the show is that I can tell you girls have a real bond, that you are truly good friends and that you can sort of take the piss out of each other and laugh and just have fun with it.
Definitely. And you know what? I will never name any names, but there have been instances where each of us has been off in different venues and someone comes up to us and says like, "Hey, what’s with your nerdy show?” We are so defensive of one another because it’s that whole sibling thing where I can tease you and we can goof around, but if anybody else says a word…
It’s that whole thing of being in a family, right? I can make fun of my siblings, but don’t you dare make fun of my siblings.
Exactly! We started doing this show when we were like 21. These are our college years. I think that for all of us, this is the longest we’ve ever been in one place. So this has been the longest chunk of time we’ve ever spent with the same group of people, and it’s life altering. I’m going to have these people with me for the rest of my life.
How does it feel to know the show has already been picked up for next season?
So cool! We've never had that before. We weren't sure if we'd come back to shoot more episodes this season, so to be able to do that and come back next year is just a dream. My whole family is here now. My brother works on the show, and my parents moved here, so it's nice to know we'll be around a while longer. It's a great place to be.
Who do you fans think Lucas should be with? Comment below and check back after you watch tomorrow night's 100th episode on the CW to sound off on what you thought.
Super Skank Wednesday: A quick round-up and some Vs. match-ups
Welcome to Super Skank Wednesday. This is where I celebrate the awesomely skanky people on the following shows: Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, I Love New York (or whatever show Tiffany Pollard is making next), The Surreal Life, and Charm School. Basically, I’ll discuss the skankalicious shows that make VH1 the network it is today.
After the jump, I’m doing a quick round-up of this Sunday’s Rock of Love 2 and Monday’s Flavor of Love 3 just in case any of SSW readers didn’t see the shows. Then it’s on to the fun part. I call it “And In This Corner.” It’s a series of match-ups between Flavor of Love and Rock of Love girls past and present.
Quick Round-Up
Rock of Love 2: Oh my God! Bret was without his hat or his bandana on Sunday. There’s an elephant in the room…and it’s Bret’s weave. We met the parents too. Poor Destiney’s dad is dying of liver cancer. Ambre’s dad outed her real age: 37. She lied and told Bret she was 31. Daisy apparently has no parents but Charles’ sister showed up. In the end, Bret got rid of Destiney because she said she loved “the experience” whereas Daisy and Ambre said they are in love with Bret. He also felt that Destiney should spend some more time with her Dad. Click here to watch the episode extras.
Next week we go to Cancun for the finale. Who do you want to win Rock of Love 2? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Flavor of Love 3: The ladies had to simulate a wedding and a funeral this past Monday. First Flav “married” Black and Tree went ballistic with the objection. Thing 2 didn’t get Flav’s real name right in her vows (calling him William Drake instead of William Drayton). And Hotlanta showed up drunk for her own wedding. Get this. When Sinceer objected to the union of Hotlanta and Flav, he didn’t say anything but “Wow! Wow! Wow!” He ended up eliminating Luscious D and Hotlanta.
And in This Corner: Skankastic Match-Ups
I think this will be fun. I can’t wait to read your comments about my match-ups and predictions. If you have any match-ups you think I should have addressed, leave those in the comments too.
1. Heather from RofL1 and New York from FofL1 & 2 and ILNY1 & 2
Two runner-ups for the respective hearts of Bret and Flav. Two beasts that couldn’t be tamed. Two ladies who have suffered the scorn of unrequited love.
Okay, enough. The winner is Heather, hands down. I know New York is a bad ass and she probably would’ve kicked the crap out of Pumpkin that fateful day if it didn’t compromise her spot in Flav’s mansion. BUT, she’s a lot of hot air. If it was a verbal contest, she’d make Heather cry. But in a physical bout, I have to give it to Heather. She’s in better shape (I hear a stripper pole works wonders for the muscles) and more than anything else, Heather could so take a hit in the face. I think New York would get hit once in the nose, start bleeding, and start screaming that she’s going to sue Heather.
2. Pumpkin from FofL1 Vs. Hotlanta of FofL3
One has a penchant for spitting. One possibly has the gerps (my nickname for herpes). This would be a good fight because these two are scrappers. I can’t say for sure who would win though. Pumpkin would definitely spit on Hotlanta. I think Hotlanta would get a few bitch slaps in. I think I’ll put it to you for the winner. Who do you think would come out victorious?
3. Saaphyri from FofL2 and winner of Charm School Vs. Lacey from RofL1
One is from 54th and Crenshaw. One belongs in a psycho-ward. Who will win?
This would be the main event of the night if I was actually planning a Pay-Per-View event. Why? Because these girls would throw down for at least a few rounds. I think either one isn’t afraid to get hit and both have done some hitting themselves. Here’s how I think it would go down. Lacey would talk so much shit. Then Saaphyri would pounce on her and pummel her face. Now, this is where it would get good. Lacey, who belongs in a straight-jacket, would get up, face all bloody, and still want to fight. I think this move would throw Saaphyri’s game off a little bit and Lacey would land a few good punches. But, Saaphyri would be the winner in the end.
4. Inna from RofL2 Vs. Rodeo from RofL1
Inna is the Ukrainian love tank. But, Rodeo is a tank. On account of extra testosterone alone, I think Rodeo would wipe the floor with Inna. And it would be over quick. Maybe that wasn’t a fair match-up?
5. Bootz and Buckey from FofL2 and Charm School Vs. Thing 1 and Thing 2 from FofL3
Thing 1 and Thing 2 have special twin power but I think Bootz and Buckey would pull this one out. We’ve seen Bootz and Buckey be pretty aggressive on their shows. I think B & B would fight dirty and then the twins would run and tattle to Flav.
6. Hottie from FofL1 and Charm School Vs. Raina from FofL3
Both are ridiculous. Both are self-absorbed. Both live in their own world. And both are sneaky. We’ve seen Hottie (whose real name is Shatar) steal the other girls’ dresses on Charm School. Raina (allegedly) had a guy call the Flavor of Love 3 house to get a girl in trouble. But only one of them has an aggressive side and that’s Raina. For that reason, I think Raina would win. Hottie would be in disbelief that she was even in a fight. Or, since “Princess” Hottie thinks she’s a descendant of royalty, she’d probably be wondering why her servants weren’t there to help her out.
I got to give credit to my good friend who sent me an email with these match-ups she’d like to see. I’ll let you readers pick the winners.
- Destiney from RofL2 Vs. Brandi M from RofL1 in a battle of the drunken bi-sexual skanks.
- Buckwild from FofL2 and Charm School Vs. Ice from FofL3 in a battle of the confused white chicks.
- Sam from Rof1 and Kristy-Joe from RofL2 in a battle of the hyper-sensitive basketcase skanks.
Maybe next time we should discuss a few I Love New York match-ups? Until then, happy Super Skank Wednesday!
Not Another Invasion of the Body Snatchers!
I was very disappointed today when I read a posting here on Slashfilm about the remake of the 1956 horror classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. While I initially planned to just post a comment, I realized I had more to say on the topic than just a few lines. It has been awhile since I have written an op/ed piece for Slashfilm, but here I go again.
My objection is that there should not be any more remakes of this classic. There was the very dated 1978 version with Leonard Nimoy and Donald Sutherland. Then in 1993, Forest Whitiker had a role in the version titled, Body Snatchers which updated the story and gave it a very cheesy and ultra happy ending. And now, in addition to other rip offs, we are getting a fourth big screen addition, with The Invasion. As long time Slashfilm readers might remember, I have written several times about the lack of creativity in Hollywood, and this just rams my point home. I cant believe there is another version coming out.
What really gets me down about it is the level of talent involved. Obviously the Wachowskis have done very impressive work, and can certainly bring talent to this project, but couldnt they bring that talent to something more fresh and new like they have done in the past with The Matrix and last years very underrated V For Vendetta. Of course, right now they are working on Speed Racer so I guess they arent exactly going for originality in their careers right now.
But the Wachowskis arent the only talented people involved in this project. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Criag. Kidman has had a very good and long career and Criags career has sky rocketed since Casino Royale. I would rather they put their acting abilities elsewhere.
I guess my big question is, arent two remakes enough?
And I guess the answer would be, no.
That is very disappointing to me. Is it too much to ask that Hollywood come up with some fresh new ideas? There are so many sequels coming out this year, films based on novels, graphic novels, and comic books it drives me crazy. Yes, adaptations, sequels and remakes can be very good, but I crave a little balance of more original ideas.