Erstwhile Once Upon a Time princess Anastasia Griffith has signed on to guest star in the Season 1 finale of Banshee, Cinemax’s upcoming 10-episode drama series from True Blood creator Alan Ball and former House executive producer Greg Yaitanes. The project, written by authors Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, centers on Lucas (played by New Zealand thesp Antony Starr), an ex-convict and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Penn, and continues to carry out his criminal activities even as shadowy gangsters hunt him. Griffith, who recurred as Princess Abigail/Kathryn on OUAT last season and currently stars in BBC America’s Copper, will play a prison psychiatrist who treats Lucas. The cast also includes Ivana Milicevic (Charlie’s Angels), Rus Blackwell (Burn Notice) Ulrich Thomsen (The Thing), Matt Servitto (Harry’s Law), Trieste Dunn (Canterbury’s Law), Daniel Ross Owens (The Lying Game, Detroit 1-8-7), Hoon Lee (Blue Bloods, White Collar) and Lili Simmons (Geek Charming, Zeke and Luther). House grad Odette Annable also recently joined the ensemble for an arc. Banshee is scheduled to premiere in January.____________________________________________________
Fantastic Fest ’12: American Mary – Review
Isabelle stars as Mary Mason, a medical student strapped for cash and harassed by her demanding professor. Looking to ease her financial burden, Mary visits a local strip club hoping to find work. The work she ends up finding wasn’t quite what she expected, though. The club owner, in need of some emergency medical support for a man he was in the process of torturing, hires Mary for her surgical training. Shaken by her experience, but flush with cash for the first time, Mary hopes she can move on from this traumatic experience. Unfortunately, word of Mary’s underground surgery session has spread and before long she is visited by a pair of women looking for help with an illegal body modification procedure. Soon, Mary has fully entered the world of body modification – forsaking her future as a surgeon for the underground (and illegal world) of extreme plastic surgery.
The Soska sisters dedicate American Mary to Eli Roth, the American filmmaker who helped put torture porn on mainstream America’s map. Despite this dedication, American Mary isn’t nearly as bloody or violent as you might expect. There are scenes of torture and disfigurement, to be sure, but most of it is either implied or hinted at (minus one slightly extended and possibly unneeded rape scene). Instead of drowning the film in gore and rubber body parts, the Soska Sisters wisely choose to flex their funnybone, crafting a dark comedy that is built off the back of the very capable Isabelle.
As Mary, Isabelle is given a chance to create a strong, feminist anti-hero – a Dexter Morgan in a black leather apron and pumps. Mary is constantly shat upon by life until it just gets to be too much and she strikes back with her very capable surgical skills. Capturing one of her tormentors, Mary takes to him with scalpel and suture – creating a monstrosity that evokes the finale of Tod Browning’s Freaks.
Despite not being overly bloody, American Mary features a lot of disturbing images and ideas. This darkness, though, is counterbalanced by another exceptionally strong component of Mary’s character – her friendship with Beatress, a young woman played by Tristan Risk who is addicted to using plastic surgery to alter her appearance into something closely resembling Betty Boop. The two have a ton of great scenes together and Risk, a new actress, manages to really sell her role despite being weighed down with heavy make-up and prosthetics.
Less developed, though, is the unrequited relationship between Mary and Billy, the owner of the strip club where Mary sets up shop. Antonio Cupo is certainly enjoyable to watch as Billy but the relationship (or lack there of) he has with Mary never quite manages to rise above feeling shoehorned in and forced.
The Soska Sisters have a really fun cameo as a pair of body modification enthusiasts who hire Mary for a truly bizarre surgical procedure.
American Mary is a fun film. Some of the choices – overblown and obvious (especially in the soundtrack department), somewhat damper some of the enjoyment but overall the movie remains a pleasant treat for horror fans. Full of heart and warmth (something totally unexpected for the film), American Mary manages to cross the chasm between the hardcore and casual horror fan and, in the end, is a complete blast from a pair of very promising filmmakers.
The Canyons
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Asia women lament rise of porn industry, portrayal of sex
Alisha Hassan and Suwedi Silva
KUALA LUMPUR and BANGKOK: The computer screens have eyes immobile watching as a woman moves slowly over a man. As she begins to remove her clothes, the young teenage boys begin to look around, fearful that they might be seen.What they are watching is the latest pornographic film to captivate men in Asia. It is the film of a Chinese medical student, whose identity was revealed over the weekend as a former lingerie model Wang Li Danni. The film has gone viral across Asia after local media published her identity, saying she was making the films in order to pay for medical school in Hong Kong.
One of the boys here in Kuala Lumpur says that they are often watching porn in the Internet cafe, despite the owners continually asking them to stop.
“We are interested in what is going on and watching girls and watching sex. We can’t do it elsewhere,” one of the boys told Bikyamasr.com.
But the rise in porn in Asia has many women worried that the continued sexualization of women and their bodies in the region will lead to further violence and poor treatment.
The revelation of Wang as the woman in the video led to anger among women in Asia. They argued that by revealing her identity it could threaten her future
The bosomy student, Wang Li Danni, had featured in a Hong Kong 3D youth sex comedy “All the way West.”
Touted as “Mainland’s Amy Yip”, the actress shocked everyone when she revealed she was doing pornographic movies not for fame but to become a doctor.
Shin Min Daily News reported that Wang’s goal is to accumulate 400,000 yuan (S$80,000) by the time she graduates next October.
The money will be used towards getting her medical licence and opening a clinic.
The former lingerie model also said she will stop filming such movies in Hong Kong if her studies are affected.
“She said her ultimate goal is to be a doctor but expressed concern that her filming such movies could affect her future medical career,” the newspaper reported.
“I just find it wrong on many levels because if the woman wanted people to know who she was she would have come forward and talked about it,” said a female activist in Thailand.
Monica Tesvanatri told Bikyamasr.com that young women are struggling in the region, “and if they want to do porn films that is their choice, but if they don’t want the whole world to know who they are, that needs to be respected.”
According to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), in Asia there are 60 million attempts to access sex sites in the continent, more than double the next often searched topics.
For women, parents and others, this is a worrying trend that has the future of women’s rights in the region threatened.
In Malaysia, women say that the rise in men and boys watching porn on a more regular basis has given way to sexual violence directed at women and they have called on the government to help crackdown on the industry in order to push women’s empowerment.
“Asian women are often seen as objects and nothing more than weak bodies in this region,” said female blogger and activist Mona Hamza Aziz. She argued that the region must come to understand that Asian women “are strong and are able to be in positions of power where their bodies and looks are not the talk of the media. We deserve better.”
Like her, other women in Southeast Asia lament the rise of numerous articles and reports that sexualize the female population.
A recent series on sex addiction published by AsiaOne.com highlighted the fear that women are viewed in a negative light.
The issue for them is how the series was promoted. In one headline, AsiaOne.com writes how a woman had a “random 4some with three men” in what the young girls argued was an “attempt to get men to read it, looking for juicy details I am sure.”
Jumana, who volunteers her time in the summer working with a local women’s shelter that helps former sex workers integrate back into society, told Bikyamasr.com that for her, the issue is not about sex, but about women “not being given equal standing by society.”
“Look at how we are treated. We are used as objects for men to have and conquer as they want. We are sexually assaulted, used for business deals and forced to do things we don’t want to do in order to please men,” she said.
At the heart of the issue, the focus on women has been angering, partly because they don’t buy into the idea that sex addiction is a real disease.
“We are all sexual people and we enjoy sex, this is the fact. Having sex with our loved one is what people really want. We all could be diagnosed with sex addiction if we aren’t getting enough, right?” Jumana added. “The articles were written to shame and blame women for enjoying whatever they want to do in their personal and private lives.”
For now, governments in the region appear unwilling to take action against porn. Although the Philippines has made efforts to end illicit activities online, by banning cyber-sex sites, the overall feeling in the region among women is that the media is playing to readers in an attempt to gain visitors to their sites.
“Across the region, we see women in lingerie and in provocative positions, even when it is a somewhat serious article. This needs to end if we are to have societies that honestly deal with women in an equal manner,” said Aziz.
* Sexual violence against women in the one of the two countries listed above is mostly due to teachings of 'that' religion and lack of effective policing. Cops are absolutely corrupt to the core and busy sucking up to the ruling politicians. Incest, teen pregnancy and treating women like dirt is a major problem for one particular community. Guess what their religion is? Strict censorship is the order of the day for Malaysia. Wonder how that working out for them? Serious crimes are on a frightening rise in the major cities. Minorities are migrating in huge numbers to escape the rising tide of Islamization and rights suppression.
Rape and sexual assaults in Thailand is relatively low thanks to effective law enforcements.
http://americanexpatchiangmai.com/how-is-the-crime-situation-in-thailand-is-it-safe-for-visitors/
http://willapse.hubpages.com/hub/Thailand-Health--Safety-and-Risks-2-Crime
Blaming all on porn is an easy way out as usual. It's happening in US and it's rampant in developing countries.
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Kilgore Police looking for man who allegedly tried to solicit students for porn film
KILGORE, TX (KLTV) - Kilgore Police are looking for a man who allegedly tried to solicit students for a porn film on the Kilgore College campus.
Officials from Kilgore College have confirmed that police are currently searching for the man. An exact description has not yet been released, but officials say a man was on the campus and was not supposed to be. At this time it is believed that he did not break any laws or rules, other than he was on the campus grounds and was not supposed to be. Officials are still investigating this incident. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available. Stay with KLTV.com for the latest.
* Someone needs to tell the dude there are better ways to recruit women into porn. Advertise on the net for a model. Preferably still in college. And then make use of the model (commission paid) to recruit her college mates. There are so many modeling agencies and sites (ModelMayhem) where you can personally contact the girl and arrange a deal. The (part-time) models eager and up for anything in this economy including prostitution and a stint in porn. Nobody's the wiser. Having said that the guy was trying to recruit girls over the age of 18. So I don't see any other criminal charges beside for the obvious trespassing.
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Barely-legal Whitney Westgate -- Smokin'!
Whitney Westgate is new to porn valley, as well as being new to adulthood. She's just 18, fresh out of high school, and starting her first career as an actress. Her speciality, of course, are romance films, and she seems very happy (and healthy) at this point. And while we never really know where an adult actress will end up, it looks like Whitney might be on her way to porn stardom.
* Whitney is 18 going on 30. Face-wise. That what happens when you smoke like a chimney. She is taking it easy at the present so no Anal or IR. Maybe in few months. She and Teal Conrad are the 'it' girl in the porn right now. Watch out for couple of beauty queens - Natalia Starr and Scarlett Star - making their porn debut soon. This quartet are truly girls-next-door. Cliché but true.
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ive: Cinemax's Banshee Snags Once Upon a Time Princess Anastasia Griffith
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
sss
Exclusive: Cinemax's Banshee Snags Once Upon a Time Princess Anastasia Griffith
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Exclusive: Cinemax's Banshee Snags Once Upon a Time Princess Anastasia Griffith
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Michael Ausiello Anastasia Griffith BansheeErstwhile Once Upon a Time princess Anastasia Griffith has signed on to guest star in the Season 1 finale of Banshee, Cinemax’s upcoming 10-episode drama series from True Blood creator Alan Ball and former House executive producer Greg Yaitanes. The project, written by authors Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, centers on Lucas (played by New Zealand thesp Antony Starr), an ex-convict and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Penn, and continues to carry out his criminal activities even as shadowy gangsters hunt him. Griffith, who recurred as Princess Abigail/Kathryn on OUAT last season and currently stars in BBC America’s Copper, will play a prison psychiatrist who treats Lucas. The cast also includes Ivana Milicevic (Charlie’s Angels), Rus Blackwell (Burn Notice) Ulrich Thomsen (The Thing), Matt Servitto (Harry’s Law), Trieste Dunn (Canterbury’s Law), Daniel Ross Owens (The Lying Game, Detroit 1-8-7), Hoon Lee (Blue Bloods, White Collar) and Lili Simmons (Geek Charming, Zeke and Luther). House grad Odette Annable also recently joined the ensemble for an arc. Banshee is scheduled to premiere in January.
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/09/22/anastasia-griffith-banshee/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
