In Theatres Now

There is a huge variety of movies in theatres right now. Sadly, I've been too busy making s'mores using a candle in my apartment to see them. Check these out and let me know how they are:

3:10 To Yuma: Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Yum.
Across the Universe: Evan Rachel Wood stars in this Beatles musical, which looks innovative and interesting.
Mr. Woodcock: Why, Susan Sarandon, why???
Silk: East meets West story of a man who falls in love with a Japanese concubine, starring Kiera Knightly and Alfred Molina.
December Boys: I'll keep talking about this movie until I finally see it, which will probably be on DVD. Daniel Radcliff plays another orphaned boy looking for replacement parents.
The Brave One: Jodie Foster plays a wounded woman on a mission to find her fiance's killer.

Happy movie watching!

New Legislature By Dems Could Shift Iraq Plans Starting Now

According to the New York Times, Democrats in the Senate are pushing for new legislature which would require that soldiers spend as much time at home as they did overseas before they are redeployed. This strategy, proposed by Senator Jim Webb of Virgina, would force President Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq earlier than planned, and would reduce the stress and fatigue soldiers face. Democrats say they are close to having enough Republican support for this proposal to pass. For more info, see the full article.

Journeys with John: Kasteel Well

Kasteel Well is a Dutch landmark located in Well, Netherlands about 2 hours from Amsterdam. It's truly a beautiful place in a tiny village. Emerson College owns Kasteel Well and sends around 80 students each semester for the study abroad experience.

I've been in the Netherlands for nearly a week now. It's been busy but I managed to put together a quick (and very unprofessional) video of the Castle. I didn't bother doing voice overs because I'll just let the Castle speak for itself. I really do apologize for my lack of camera abilities but I'll get better. Coming soon will be more videos from Well, Netherlands but the next Journey with John is Rotterdam/Amsterdam.

Sources Confirm Israeli Airstrike on Syria

It has been confirmed that Israel carried out an airstrike inside Syria last week. Sources say Israeli forces may have been targeting weapons on their way to Hezbollah militants. For the full story, see CNN.com.

Jennifer Hudson Joins SATC

Image courtesy of People

Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson has joined the cast of the much anticipated Sex and the City motion picture. She will be playing Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) secretary.

It's Official: Sherri on the View

Barbara Walters has made it official that Sherri Shepherd will be the new permanent panelist on The View. A great addition. I was still rooting for Kathy Griffin.

Pollspot: Clinton and Giuliani Still On Top

From Political Wire:

The new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows Rudy Giuliani leading the Republican presidential field with 34%, followed by Fred Thompson at 22%, Sen. John McCain at 15%, and Mitt Romney at 10%.

For the Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to lead with 45% support, trailed by Sen. Barack Obama at 24% and John Edwards at 16%.

Key finding: Republican voters are somewhat more satisfied with their candidates: 70% say they're pleased with the choice; 26% would like a new candidate. In April, a third wanted additional choices.

A nice 21 point lead for Hillary!

Pollspot: New Mexico

Political Wire brings us a poll from New Mexico.

According to a new Albuquerque Journal poll, Gov. Bill Richardson leads the Democratic presidential race in his native New Mexico with 44% support, followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton at 17 percent, John Edwards at 8% and Sen. Barack Obama at 8%.

However, 52% of those surveyed thought Sen. Hillary Clinton would eventually win the Democratic nomination.

Clearly...he's a popular governor.

HSM Rules Supreme

Even though Vanessa Hudgens is taking her clothes off, the soundtrack to High School Musical 2 continues to dominate the charts. It is number 1 on the Billboard 200 for a 3rd week selling around 219,000 copies pushing it well past a million units.

Foxy Headed to the Slammer

Foxy Brown is following in the footsteps of her rap rival, Lil' Kim. Foxy Brown was sentenced to a year in prison for probation violation. She will be eligible for parole after 8 months.

Pavarotti Passes

World renowned Opera singer Luciano Pavorotti has died. This might be old news but I'm just reading about it now that I'm settling in. May he rest in peace. He was 72.

Pollspot: PA, NC, SC

Here are some polls courtesy of Political Wire:

Pennsylvania:

A new Keystone poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 38%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 21% and John Edwards at 17%.

On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 32%, followed by Sen. John McCain at 19%, Mitt Romney at 12% and Fred Thompson at 11%.

Key finding: Like an earlier Ohio poll found, Pennsylvania is trending blue with the leading Democrats beating the leading Republicans.

Solid lead for Hill!

North Carolina:

In North Carolina, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds Fred Thompson leading the GOP presidential race with 34%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 16%, Mitt Romney at 13% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to provide a good challenge to John Edwards in his home state, edging him by two points, 30% to 28%, with Sen. Barack Obama coming in at 21%.

Fred Thompson is whooping ass there for some reason. Hillary and Edwards in a lock.

South Carolina:

In South Carolina, a new Clemson University Palmetto Poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 26%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 16%, John Edwards at 10% and Al Gore at 8%.

On the Republican side, Fred Thompson leads with 19%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 18%, Sen.John McCain at 15%, Mitt Romney at 11%, Newt Gingrich at 9% and Mike Huckabee at 6%.

Solid 10 point lead for Hill in a key early primary state.

Early Polls Don't Mean What?

Just because I am in the Netherlands now it doesn't mean I won't stop following US politics, preaching about how Hillary Clinton should be the next president, and why Barack Obama should not.

Here's a quote from Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, about early polls not meaning anything.

"In mid-September 2003, national polls showed Joe Lieberman to be the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Then John Kerry won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, and the shift in momentum carried him to a decisive victory. The lesson: early polls don't mean a thing and success in crucial early-state contests will win the Democratic nomination."

Why do I disagree? First and foremost because it's NOT early anymore. The Iowa caucus is in just under 4 months and in super Tuesday is less than 5 months away. So it is most definitely NOT early anymore. Also, to use Joe Lieberman as an example doesn't mean much. He is not as well known as Senator Hillary Clinton. This is a completely different race than 2004 and the Barack Obama campaign is doing everything to gain back the momentum they lost from John Edwards.

America, Is That You?

What have they done to America Ferrera? Not only is she a fantastic actress on Ugly Betty but she's also leading the charge for real beauty in Hollywood. So why would Glamour photoshop her so obviously on the cover of their "1st Annual Figure Flattery Issue"?? Is that their secret? Hire someone to photoshop your figure to make it more flattering? The biggest irony of it all is that a great episode of Ugly Betty involved America's character convincing a pop star to stand up for herself and say no to the editors of the magazine who wanted to "enhance" her photos. Is this life immitating art? Please.

Nude School Musical?

Vanessa Hudgens, star of the Disney High School Musical movies, has confirmed that a nude photo of her that's been floating around the internet since Thursday is real. Hudgens, 18, issued a statement that said, "This was a photo which was taken privately. It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public." Supposedly the photo is one of a series she took with boyfriend and fellow costar Zac Efron. I wonder what Disney thinks about its latest princess being in such a compromising position... If you search hard enough, I'm sure you can find this photo somewhere on the web, but Hudgens' lawyers have done a pretty good job of getting it taken down.

Sherri Shepherd Set to Sit on the View

Although Barbara Walters won't make the official announcement until Monday, Sherri Shepherd is set to join the panal on the View. This comedian and former guest host of the show will make a great addition to the cast. I know John has been rooting for Kathy Griffen, but I loved watching Sherri Shepherd interact with the rest of the panal, and I think the show will be funny and interesting from now on.

Oprah Hosts Fundraiser for Obama

This coming weekend on September 8th, Oprah Winfrey will be holding a large fundraiser at her Santa-Barbara estate in California for Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Tickets are selling at $2,300 each (the maximum amount allowed by campaign finance laws). Oprah has never endorsed a political candidate before, but says that she truly believes Senator Obama. For more on this, click here.

Republican Congressmen Found Dead

Republican Congressmen Paul Gilmore of Ohio was found dead last night. He was 68 years old. For more on this story and how they will replace his seat, click here.

Pollspot: Most Respected Candidate

Courtesy of Political Wire:

In a nationwide survey, SurveyUSA asked adults how much respect they have for the candidates for the White House, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means "highest possible respect" and 1 means "no respect whatsoever." Here's how the candidates measured up:

Rudy Giuliani = 5.5
Hillary Clinton = 5.3
Barack Obama = 5.2
John McCain = 5.2
John Edwards 5.0
Fred Thompson = 4.8
Mike Huckabee = 4.5
Mitt Romney = 4.5
Bill Richardson = 4.3
Joe Biden = 4.3
Ron Paul = 4.0
Tom Tancredo = 4.0
Sam Brownback = 3.7
Chris Dodd = 3.6
Duncan Hunter = 3.5

I'm glad to see Hillary leading the Democrats! Not too crazy about Giuliani in first.

Academy Award nominee Jude Law was arrested outside his London home for attacking a member of the papparazzi.