South Park

Gawker's Richard Lawson points us towards a controversy brewing over this week's 12th season premiere of Comedy Central's South Park.

According to a post by Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke and one by Los Angeles Times Show Tracker blogger Todd Martens, some people—especially at Paramount—feel that South Park auteurs Matt Parker and Trey Stone went too far in calling Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a "rape" of a beloved movie franchise. The "joke" was compounded later in the episode by depicting George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as rapists—both of the Indiana Jones movies and of Stars Wars.

What no one seems to remember is that Mr. Spielberg was once the victim of a real-life stalker who may have threatened to rape him. Literally.  read more »

Barbra Streisand just put a rain cloud over Barack Obama’s parade, offering her endorsement, for what it’s worth, to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Having donated to Mr. Obama as well as to his fellow Democratic hopeful, John Edwards, in the recent past, Ms. Streisand settled any lingering speculation today. The 65-year-old entertainer—as was just reported on our sister blog, The Politicker—shared her somewhat dramatic sentiments with Ms. Clinton’s campaign, which then made them public.

“Madame President of the United States...it's an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman's potential has no limitations," Ms. Streisand says in the statement. "Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success." Considering her allegiance to the Senator’s husband, Bill Clinton, the declaration of support is sure to solidify Ms. Streisand’s F.O.B. status. (As pointed out by the AP, her endorsement comes just one day after Oprah Winfrey put all her—arguably more valuable--chips on Mr. Obama.)  read more »