HBO Produces Documentary On Historic Election Of President Barack Obama

BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA is a moving record of the Obama campaign's history-making odyssey to the White House. Interwoven with the drama of the campaign is never-before-seen footage of Obama behind the scenes, as well as interviews and candid moments with wife Michelle Obama, the couple's young daughters, Malia and Sasha, and senior campaign staff, volunteers, reporters, supporters and opponents. Premieres Tuesday, November 3 @ 9PM only on HBO.

Michael Jackson Concert Movie Makes $7.4 Million In Box Office Opening

Sony's Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" moonwalked to a stellar $7.4 million in estimated first-day boxoffice on Wednesday. Pre-release forecasts projected that the pic should open north of $40 million through Sunday. "This Is It" bowed simultaneously in 97 foreign territories, with Sony promoting releases as a two-week-only theatrical campaign. That could change if word of mouth sustains the early big grosses following solid early support from critics. But for now, the limited theatrical window seems to be stoking must-see interest in the film. Rival studios were the first to estimate the pic's first-day boxoffice. Sony is expected to release its own number sometime Thursday. The first-day haul for "This Is It" easily topped daily boxoffice rankings, though it set no records. Paramount's supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity" was second among all Wednesday grosses with $1.5 million and $66.6 million cumulative, while Overture Films' crime thriller "Law Abiding Citizen" ranked third with $880,000 for a $43.1 million total. Sony unspooled "This Is It" at 9 p.m. PDT Tuesday, but the studio will include those grosses - totaling $2.2 million -- in its Wednesday tally. Sony acquired worldwide distribution rights for a reported $60 million. "This Is It" contains rehearsals footage, interviews and back-stage scenes from preparations for what would have been the late singer's 50-show concert extravaganza in London. AEG Entertainment subsequently announced plans for the documentary, which was directed by "High School Musical" helmer Kenny Ortega.

Obama Administration To Allocate Funds To Curb Youth Violence In Urban Communities

The Obama Administration has vowed to set aside funding to try to curb youth violence in urban communities. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan in Chicago. The Attorney General and Education Secretary were dispatched to Chicago in the wake of the brutal and senseless beating death of 16 year old honor roll student Derrion Albert at a Chicago area high school. Caught in a clash between two rival groups of students, Albert was attacked as he walked to his school bus stop on his way home from school. The beating captured on cell phone video, showed Albert being punched, stomped and beaten with wooden boards as onlookers watched and did nothing. Four teens have been arrested and charged with murder in Albert's death. The video was released nationwide and shocked the nation. Attorney General Holder and Secretary Duncan the former head of Chicago Public Schools, have pledged more federal dollars to help end what is largely an inner-city crisis, but neither offered specifics or outlined any new strategies on how the government would help quell the increase in the number of violent deaths among teens, The Associated Press reports. In his remarks, Attorney General Holder stated "Youth violence is not a Chicago problem, any more than it is a Black problem, a White problem or a Hispanic problem," he continued. "It is an American problem."



In a Department of Justice study on youth violence released earlier this week, about 60 percent of respondents said they had been exposed to violence in the past year, and nearly half had been assaulted at least once, Holder told AP.


The President is requesting $25 million in next year's budget for community-based crime prevention programs, the attorney general said. Duncan said an emergency grant of about $500,000 has been earmarked for the school Albert attended for counselors and other programs.

BREAKING NEWS: President Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize For Diplomacy

President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in diplomacy. The Nobel Committee made the announcement in Oslo, Norway to a clearly stunned audience. The committee chose the President for “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The committee also cited the President's effort to reduce nuclear warfare and arsenals between nations. “President Obama has created a new international climate." the committee said.  The announcement was met with audible gasps from the audience. The President was not mentioned as one of the top contenders to receive the award. The Nobel Committee stood behind its decision to award the President. Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and a former prime minister of Norway, said the President had already contributed enough to world diplomacy and international understanding to earn the award. “We are not awarding the prize for what may happen in the future, but for what he has done in the previous year,” Mr. Jagland said. “We would hope this will enhance what he is trying to do.”  The President's foreign policy initiatives have come under attack from Republicans and most notibly former Vice-President Dick Cheney who states that President Obama's willingness to talk to the United States enemies will leave the country open to future attacks. In its announcement of the prize, the Nobel Committee directly refuted that line of thinking. “Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics,” the committee wrote. “Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play.” Mr. Jagland noted: “The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world,” “And who has done more than Barack Obama?” President Obama is the third leading American Democrat to win the prize this decade, following former Vice President Al Gore in 2007 along with the United Nations climate panel and former President Jimmy Carter in 2002. The last sitting American president to win the prize was Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Theodore Roosevelt was selected in 1906 while in the White House and Mr. Carter more than 20 years after he left office. The prize was won last year by the former president of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari for peace efforts in Africa and the Balkans.

The full citation read: “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.



“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the United States is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.”

The prize is worth the equivalent of $1.4 million and is to be awarded in Oslo on Dec. 10.


















 

Chicago Teen's Beating Death Prompts Renewed Calls To Stop Gang Violence In Urban Streets

The brutal beating death of a Chicago honor roll student has prompted renewed calls to stop gang violence in urban streets. Derrion Albert, a 16 year old honor roll student at a Chicago area high school was caught in the crossfire of the clash between two factions of students and was beaten to death as he walked to his school bus stop. Albert was punched, stomped and beaten with wooden boards. The severe beating which was captured on cell phone camera is reported to have been gang initiated. Four teenagers have been charged with  murder. The senselessness of Derrion Albert's beating has gained nationwide attention striking such a raw nerve that it has prompted President Obama to dispatch U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, to Chicago this week to investigate Derrion Albert's murder. Nation Of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Rev. Jesse Jackson were among mourners who attended funeral services for the young man. Both Minister Farrakhan and Rev. Jackson have joined the clarion call for gang violence to end. "I believe all of us can be saved," Farrakhan said during Derrion’s funeral service, responding to comments by the slain youth’s father that young people are not salvageable. "[Derrion's] righteous life served as a redemptive force to make us get up and save our children." Rev. Jackson noted that the gang violence is not an incident, it's a pattern. Mayor Richard Daley, upon returning to the U.S. from his trip to Copenhagen for Chicago's failed Olympic bid, made his first comments regarding Derrion Albert's murder saying he will meet with local officials as well as Attorney General Holder and Secretary Duncan along with Superintendent Jody Weis, head of the Chicago Police Department and Albert's family to get to the bottom of what he calls the "code of silence" that allows for pernicious, brutal acts of violence such as the murder of Derrion Albert to occur. Mayor Daley firmly stated that such "codes of silence" are unacceptable and inexcuseable and has vowed to turn Chicago's violent reputation around.

H1N1 Vaccinations En Route To Hospitals, Medical Centers, Pharmacies Near You...

The first shipments of the new H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations were sent to medical facilities in Tennessee and Indiana on October 5th, 2009. The new vaccine is made available as a spray as well as a syringe. Health care workers where the shipments were delivered are the first people to be innoculated with the vaccine before being given to the general public. The U.S. goverment has purchased more than 195 million doses of the vaccine from five vaccine manufacturers. Dr. Jay Butler of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and head of the H1N1 Vaccine Task Force said that manufacturers of the vaccine will ship 10 million to 20 million doses per week for the next few months making it accessible for all Americans to receive the vaccine. New shipments of the vaccine are expected to be delivered to more states until every state has received the vaccine. The CDC recommends and encourages all Americans to protect themselves and their families by getting the new vaccine. For more information about H1N1, visit the H1N1 (Swine Flu)Resource Center on the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov 

H1N1 Swine Flu Questions & Answers

MTV To Air Reality Show Produced By Late DJ AM

MTV has decided to air the new documentary series "Gone Too Far" produced by late celebrity spinner DJ AM. DJ AM whose real name was Adam Goldstein, died on August 28th of an accidental drug overdose of prescription drugs and cocaine. In the new documentary series, Goldstein along with concerned families have interventions for addicts to confront them about their drug abuses. The first episode of the eight part documentary is set to air on October 12th. MTV in a statement said that they received consent by the family of Adam Goldstein to air the series. "After careful consideration we have decided to air the show," Goldstein's family said in a statement. "Adam felt strongly that by doing this series, he could help other addicts who were at a crisis point to get sober. Adam was fully aware that if it were not for his own sobriety, he never would have achieved the level of success and happiness he had found. Helping people in their recovery was a huge part of Adam's life. It is our hope through airing this show that people will get to see the side of Adam that we knew and loved, not just the celebrity DJ, but the honest and caring person who gave so much of himself to help others. The decision to air the show has been difficult, but we do this with the profound belief that it will inspire others to seek help." The hour long episodes will air on Monday, October 12th at 10pm on MTV.

Latest Michael Jackson News:Michael Jackson Autopsy Report, New Lawsuit, Concert Rehearsal Footage Made Into Movie

The latest information in the death investigation of Michael Jackson:

The Associated Press has obtained a copy of Michael Jackson's autopsy report. The autopsy which was conducted by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office found that Jackson was in reasonably good health at the time of his death from "acute Propofol intoxication" at the hands of his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray. The autopsy found that although Jackson had punctures in his arms, scarring on his neck and face, tattooed eyebrows and lips, Jackson was fairly healthy at the time of his death. Jackson's heart and kidneys and other vital organs were found to be in solid condition and good working order. Jackson was not found to be without health problems. He suffered from arthritis in the lower spine and some fingers and had chronically inflamed lungs resulting in reduced capacity that may have left him short of breath. His lung condition did not have a direct result in his death the coroner who conducted the autopsy ruled in the report. Jackson's weight of 136 was in acceptable standards for his age and height of 5'9. The autopsy report ruled out any alcohol or illegal substances found in Jackson's system at the time of his death.

A decision on whether Dr. Conrad Murray will face criminal charges will be decided by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.

Meanwhile, The Jackson family has filed a lawsuit against the Heal The World Foundation claiming that the organization is improperly using trademarks and websites to create the impression that they were approved by Jackson prior to his death to solicit donations for the foundation.The suit claims Jackson created a charity based on his hit "Heal the World" in 1992, but it dissolved a decade later. "Defendants' acts of infringement and unfair competition have been committed with the intent to cause confusion, mistake and to deceive," the lawsuit claims. The current Heal the World Foundation was formed in 2008 and trademarked its name. The lawsuit claims the foundation has sought trademarks for terms associated with Jackson, such as "Thriller," ''Neverland" and "King of Pop." Jackson's estate has applied for trademarks of similar terms.
The foundation's Web site includes photos of Jackson and describes itself as a "universal charity organization designed to improve the condition of all mankind." In August, the foundation filed a notice of its intent to use Jackson's name and sell merchandise in the singer's estate case.

Finally, Michael Jackson's musical documentary "This Is It!" named after the tour he was to embark upon in London at the time of his death is scheduled for a nationwide release on October 28th. The documentary compiles hundreds of hours of footage of the concert rehearsals as Jackson prepared to go on tour for the first time in several years. One movie theater has already sold out tickets for a sneek peek of the film one day before its nationwide opening and will show the film on all 14 movie screens on the night of the preview.

Keep up with The Society Hill for the latest developments on Michael Jackson...