NPR fires Juan Williams for Muslim comments; new Muppet sensation; and more
Juan Williams
National Public Radio has fired commentator Juan Williams over remarks Williams made about Muslims on Fox News.
A writer for Salon.com argues the action was warranted, while a writer for The Atlantic thinks otherwise. And if by some odd chance you want to know what Glenn Beck thinks about it, well, here you go.
Other entertainment news of note online today:
THEATER
• The Detroit News previews Jeff Daniels' latest play at the Purple Rose Theatre, "Best of Friends." Jenn McKee's preview for AnnArbor.com ran last week, and watch for a review from the official opening night this Friday.
• Riverside Arts Center will host a production of "The Foreigner" next month.
• The Saline Area Players will present "Ravenscroft" opening Oct. 29, according to the Saline Reporter.
TELEVISION
• A parents group is protesting a racy GQ photo shoot done by three cast members of "Glee" (and puzzlingly arguing that the cover "borders on pedophilia"). One of the three, Diana Agron, has blogged a pretty entertaining apology.
• A live webcam is following preparations for Conan O'Brien's upcoming show.
• A new, as-yet-unnamed Muppet with an afro has become a hit with a song about learning to love the hair you were born with. (If only, kid, if only.) Anyway, here's the video:
MOVIES
• The Washington Post's Celebritology blog reports that initial viewer reviews of "Paranormal Activity 2" —Â which wasn't screened for critics —Â are positive.
• Filming of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" may not happen in New Zealand, and the U.K. is being considered. Hey, I bet we could find a stand-in for the Shire somewhere in Michigan, yes?
• A Boston filmmaker is seeking frame-by-frame investments for a movie about Detroit, MLive reports.
FESTIVALS & FAIRS
• The Detroit Free Press rounds up some Halloween fun for grown-ups, as well as some regional haunted houses and museum events.
MUSIC
• Good ol' gal Gwyneth Paltrow will perform live at next month's CMA Awards.
• Ari Up of the Slits has died at age 48 of an undisclosed illness.
• The Detroit News has a preview of Roger Waters' "The Wall Live," coming to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday.
• Beyonce's mother says her daughter is not pregnant.
• Brooklyn band Atomic Tom has become an Internet hit with a video performed on iPhones. And it is pretty cool:
Renee Tellez contributed to this roundup. Bob Needham is director of entertainment content for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at bobneedham@annarbor.com or 734-623-2541, and follow him on Twitter @bobneedham.
Comments
joe average
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.
My new formula for donating to my local NPR stations: I will match 200% of whatever Juan Williams pledges.
Speechless
Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 10:59 p.m.
A couple key passages from Glenn Greenwald's essay in Salon (linked up above) on NPR's decision to fire longtime correspondent Juan Williams: "... I'm not someone who believes that journalists should lose their jobs over controversial remarks, especially isolated, one-time comments. But if that's going to be the prevailing standard, then I want to see it applied equally. Those who cheered on the firing of Octavia Nasr, Helen Thomas and Rick Sanchez -- and that will include many, probably most, of the right-wing polemicists predictably rushing to transform Juan Williams into some sort of free speech martyr sacrificed on the altar of sharia censorship -- have no ground for complaining here...." "... If we're going to fire or otherwise punish people for expressing Prohibited Ideas against various groups, it's long overdue that those standards be applied equally to anti-Muslim animus, now easily one of the most -- if not the single most -- pervasive, tolerated and dangerous forms of blatant bigotry in America."