Newser Story Index from October, 2009
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Obama Leans to Modified McChrystal Plan
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 24, 2009 6:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gen. Stanley McChrystal looks less and less likely to walk away empty handed, the Wall Street Journal predicts, as President Obama moves towards a "hybrid" strategy in Afghanistan that would combine troop increases with the special ops approach supported by the vice president. One scenario would see 10,000 to 20,000 more troops deployed,...
Disney Offers Refunds for Failed Baby Einsteins
New York Times
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Oct 24, 2009 6:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Parents disappointed that junior isn't a prodigy can get now get a refund from Disney. Threatened with a class-action lawsuit, the makers of Baby Einstein products have withdrawn claims that the ubiquitous videos are beneficial to childhood development, and offered to refund the $15.99 parents shelled out if they return DVDs bought between June, 2004,...
Game Plays Out 2011 Obama Coup
Mother Jones
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Oct 24, 2009 5:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For the burgeoning ranks of political paranoids, a scenario in which President Obama dissolves the Constitution, bans guns and drags the US into a union with Mexico and Canada seems not all that far-fetched. Now, thanks to some Ron Paul supporters, you can prepare for 2011 (yep, that soon!) with an online game called United States of Earth.
Pakistan Army Takes Taliban Chief's Hometown
Associated Press
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Oct 24, 2009 5:34 AM CDT
(AP) -
The army captured the hometown of Pakistan's Taliban chief today, snagging its first big prize in a major US-backed offensive along the Afghan border. Helicopter gunships provided aerial bombardment as soldiers captured heights around the town of Kotkai. The final fight saw 13 militants and two soldiers die; the military has begun to clear the town...
Balloon Mom Told Cops It Was All a Hoax
Associated Press
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Oct 23, 2009 7:22 PM CDT
(AP) -
The mother of the 6-year-old boy once feared missing inside a runaway helium balloon admitted the whole saga was a hoax, according to court documents released today. Mayumi Heene told sheriff's deputies that she and husband Richard "knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence" in Fort Collins, Colo., according to an affidavit used...
Biden on Cheney's Afghan Bluster: 'Who Cares?'
New York Times
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Oct 23, 2009 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Biden’s in Europe, but his latest opinion of Dick Cheney’s continued attacks on President Obama isn’t getting lost in translation. Asked about Cheney’s criticism that Obama is “dithering” on Afghanistan, Biden replied: “Who cares?” Biden added that a review of the conflict late in the Bush administration...
Love Me for My Soul: Megan Fox
Telegraph (UK)
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Oct 23, 2009 6:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Megan Fox says she's just misunderstood. "Sometimes I say things that I think are obviously sarcastic and people take them quite literally," opines the starlet/philosopher, flogging US box office bomb Jennifer's Body north of the border. "This is a bullshit industry and I made a decision not to be a bullshit person. I need...
Yes, I'm a Mom— But That's Not My Name
Chicago Tribune
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Oct 23, 2009 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The latest trend in nomenclature rings false to at least one person who recently realized that "Mom" has become "the now generic name for every female parent in our country." Thinking it over, Anne Albeck dates the phenomenon to the early '90s, but familiarity—and overfamiliarity—really does breed contempt. "Being...
Fox News CEO Rules Out Presidential Bid in 2012
Politico
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Oct 23, 2009 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Roger Ailes won’t run for president in 2012, despite appeals from friends and associates. The Fox News CEO says he thinks he’ll serve the nation better in his current role: “This country needs fair and balanced news more now than ever before, so I’m going to decline a run for the presidency,” Ailes tells Politico. “Besides,...
Umps Under Fire After Rash of Botched Calls
USA Today
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Oct 23, 2009 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
This year’s postseason has featured the usual thrills—pitchers' duels, come-from-behind victories—and an outbreak of something unusual: botched calls by umpires. The threat of more gaffes in next week’s World Series has the tradition-bound sport considering expanding the use of instant replay beyond the verification of home...
Charlize Kisses Girl for $140K
Us Weekly
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Oct 23, 2009 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Charlize Theron threw a smooch into the bargain to revive a flagging charity auction last night—and didn’t back down when a woman made the highest bid. The actress was selling a trip to South Africa, but bidding stalled at $37,000—after Jeremy Piven raised $280,000. Annoyed, she told the crowd, “There is no way I am leaving...
Count the US Dollar Down, But Not Out
Economist
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Oct 23, 2009 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With the US economy in a prolonged slump and the Fed likely to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future, many worry that a dollar crash will be the next shoe to drop. Currency pessimists can point to a 6-month decline in the dollar; this week the currency hit $1.50 against the euro. But concerns of an imminent full-on crash are exaggerated—the...
Michelle Pushes for Health Reform
MSNBC
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Oct 23, 2009 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michelle Obama rejoined the push for health care reform today, making the administration's case in an event at the White House and an online video message. Speaking with Jill Biden at a gathering for breast cancer survivors, Obama decried the fact that patients can’t get insurance because cancer in remission is considered a pre-existing condition....
Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 23, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Because the aircraft has an old cockpit voice recorder, the world may never know why the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 lost contact with ground control for 78 minutes. The recorder on the Airbus A320 has a maximum memory of 30 minutes, after which it tapes over itself. So investigators can listen only to the last half-hour of the flight—after...
Dow Off 108; Commodities Fall
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 23, 2009 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks posted losses today as a big drop in commodities pushed down the energy and materials sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow lost 109.13 points to close at 9,972.13. The Nasdaq fell 10.82, settling at 2,154.47. The S&P 500 dropped 13.31, closing at 1,079.60.
Jon Returns Cash, But Kate Doesn't: Lawyer
People
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Oct 23, 2009 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jon Gosselin has returned enough of the $180,000 he withdrew from a family bank account to avoid being held in contempt of court, his lawyer says. Instead, his estranged wife may end up in contempt: The court also ordered Kate Gosselin to account for $55,000 she took from the account, Mark Heller tells People . The lawyer wouldn’t say how much...
Bong Water Is a Drug: Court
Associated Press
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Oct 23, 2009 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Minnesota’s Supreme Court has declared bong water an illegal drug. The decision overturns a lower court ruling that held bong water was paraphernalia. The decision means lazy users who leave water in their bongs could be hit with a first-degree drug possession charge—even if they have no other drugs, the AP reports.
Kerik Trial Pushed Back After Leak
Journal News (NY)
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Oct 23, 2009 2:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bernard Kerik has more time in jail to look forward to. The former NYPD commissioner’s federal corruption trial was postponed today, with no new date set for jury selection. Kerik’s trial was supposed to begin on Monday, but a delay was widely expected after a judge revoked his bail on Tuesday for leaking information about his case to the...
Saw VI No Match for Original
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 23, 2009 2:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Most critics find themselves in the tough spot of praising the original Saw to put down the sixth installment. They don't make 'em like they used to. Some opinions: "The film goes all trendy in its selection of victims," opting for the likes of insurance adjusters and bypassing the "classicism" of those who squander the...
Thanks for the Ride, Falcon
True/Slant
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Oct 23, 2009 1:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Just about everyone seems to hate Richard Heene, but the emotion just proves how powerfully the balloon boy hoax gripped our collective imagination. “Had Richard called 911 and reported that he’d last seen his son near a Greyhound bus station, almost nobody would have cared,” writes Brandon Keim for True/Slant. But balloons still...
Chuck Todd Chickens Out on Goatee Bet
Politico
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Oct 23, 2009 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chuck Todd isn’t shaving off his goatee, despite having lost a baseball bet to Jake Tapper. The NBC talking head has taken the coward’s way out and will donate to charity instead. Todd was supposed to shed his trademark goatee if the Dodgers lost the NLCS; had they won, his ABC rival would have had to grow some facial hair. But...
Obama to MIT: Win the Green Race
Boston Globe
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Oct 23, 2009 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama urged MIT to get cracking on green energy research today, saying America’s future depends on it. “The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy,” he said. “I want America to be that nation. It’s that simple.” He used the opportunity to push climate change legislation,...
Facebook Sees Big Bucks in Virtual Goods
Bloomberg
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Oct 23, 2009 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gaming is blowing up on Facebook, and the social networking site hopes to take a cut of the very real revenue generated by virtual interactions. Analysts think credits and other services bought to enhance the likes of “Farmville” and “Mafia Wars” will be trading at a clip of $1 billion a year on the site by 2012. If Facebook...
'White Wine With Seafood' Rule Is No Fish Story
Telegraph (UK)
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Oct 23, 2009 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Researchers conducting intensely necessary studies have confirmed what connoisseurs have always told us: Red wine doesn’t go with fish. Tasters tried 38 red wines and 26 whites while noshing on scallops. They discovered that wines with higher iron content—meaning most reds—unpleasantly accentuated the seafood's “fishy”...
Michael Moore Attracts His Own Gadflies
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 23, 2009 12:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Moore makes a living speaking truth to power, and an assortment of other filmmakers are lining up to speak truth to him. “There's actually more films made attacking me than films I've made,” he tells the Wall Street Journal . They include Fahrenhype 9/11 , Celsius 41.11 , Michael & Me , and Me & Michael . The standout...
Shakira Imitator Can't Sue Bar
New York Post
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Oct 23, 2009 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A woman who says she shredded knee ligaments when she fell during a “Shake it Like Shakira” contest can't sue the New York bar that staged the competition. Calico Jack’s Cantina is off the hook after Megan Zacher's lawyer failed to convince a judge the bar “knew or should have known” that the imitation of Shakira’s...
70-Year-Old Lobster Deserves Freedom
Bloomberg
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Oct 23, 2009 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Restaurant writer Ryan Sutton has dined on his share of lobsters, but the plight of one venerable crustacean has left him without an appetite. "Larry" is a 70-year-old lobster at New York's Oceana restaurant awaiting its fate as a $275 entree. Sutton admits he's never given much thought to the age of any of the cows or pigs he's feasted on,...
Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 23, 2009 11:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant isn't particularly freaky, and it sure could use some assistance. Some critics' takes: Peter Travers doesn't deign to explain the film's loose ends. "All you need to know is that the movie is a setup for sequels that I hope never come," he writes in Rolling Stone . It also "commits...
'Nixonian' Applies to Fox, Not Obama
Salon
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Oct 23, 2009 11:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pundits have been decrying the Obama administration’s “Nixonian” attack on Fox News—and that’s ridiculous, writes Joe Conason of Salon. The president’s within his rights to avoid or criticize an organization that won’t treat him fairly, and that definitely describes Fox. The network is run by former Nixon aide...
Town Fights Public Boozing With Warm Beer
Chicago Tribune
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Oct 23, 2009 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Arlington Heights, Ill., is tackling its public drinking problem with a novel weapon: beer. Warm beer. Starting in January, stores won't sell single-serving bottles or cans of beer cold. You can still buy that tallboy, but the town is betting problem drinkers will be less likely to crack open a warm brew on the street. “The compromise...
Steve Phillips Pressured Me Into Sex: Hundley
TMZ
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Oct 23, 2009 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One day after dropping off a letter to Steve Phillips' wife, Brooke Hundley filed for a restraining order against the ESPN analyst—stating, among other things, that he rammed her car the day she left the letter, and accusing him of “cornering” her and pressuring her into sex. TMZ has the document, filed Aug. 20 and withdrawn Sept....
Sienna Miller on Broadway: Legs 10, Acting 0
New York Times
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Oct 23, 2009 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Critics agree on one thing when it comes to Sienna Miller’s Broadway debut: She looks hot. Her performance in After Miss Julie , however, wowed exactly no one: Ben Brantley was rooting for Miller from the start, but ultimately she “registers as a healthy, sane young woman with good diction, good posture, and great legs,” he...
Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Oct 23, 2009 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a flight attendant returned 10 minutes later with the...
Hulu Fees Likely in 2010
Broadcasting & Cable
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Oct 23, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The days of free TV shows on Hulu are likely ending: A News Corp. exec says “it’s time to start getting paid for broadcast content online,” adding that “Hulu concurs with that.” Asked by Broadcasting & Cable what exactly that means, Chase Carey was vague: No timeline, but 2010 is likely; a paywall is not the answer;...
Biofuel Laws Make No Sense: Scientists
NPR
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Oct 23, 2009 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Biofuel laws around the world actually encourage harming the environment, prominent scientists argue in the latest issue of Science . Under the Kyoto Treaty, in laws throughout Europe, and in the bill that passed the US House, biofuels count as carbon-neutral, on the theory that the plants the fuel is made from originally took carbon out of the air....
Obama's a Fraud; Elect the TARP Queen
True/Slant
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Oct 23, 2009 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Almost a year into his presidency, Barack Obama appears to suck. He hasn’t closed Guantanamo Bay, health care reform is a debacle, and worst of all, he’s “completely whiffed” on fixing Wall Street, “siding with the financial status quo, who happen to be the bad guys,” writes Matt Taibbi. Obama and the Democrats seem...
Michelle Sparks Hula Hoop Craze
Gawker
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Oct 23, 2009 9:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michelle Obama has started a trend…at least among America's female newscasters. After the First Lady managed an impressive 142 rotations in a hula-hooping video that went viral, a score of “awkward female news anchors” just had to try it, notes Azaria Jagger on Gawker. Watch videos at left of Kathie Lee, Hoda, and the ladies of MSNBC...
Astro Boy : Lots of Flash, But No Soul
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 23, 2009 9:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Astro Boy , David Bowers’ reboot of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Japanese manga and animé series, is an action-packed movie that tries to appeal to both kids and adults. Critics, however, were more impressed with the machine guns in the main character’s butt than with the film as a whole: “The movie contains less of...
Iran Balks at UN Plan on Nukes
Associated Press
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Oct 23, 2009 9:30 AM CDT
(AP) -
State TV says Iran wants to buy nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor rather than accept the UN deal negotiated earlier this week, in which much of Iran's uranium would be shipped to Russia for further enrichment. The response will come as a disappointment to the US, Russia, and France, all of whom endorsed the UN plan today as a way of steering...
A-Rod Finds Religion ... Again
New York Daily News
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Oct 23, 2009 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It seems only yesterday Alex Rodriguez was dabbling in Kabbalah to please galpal Madonna. But those days are over, and the Yankees slugger has moved on to a new woman and a new religion. The “religious chameleon,” as one pal calls him, is now flirting with Buddhism to make new lady friend Kate Hudson happy, the New York Daily News reports.
'Robust' Public Option May Be Dead in House
Politico
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Oct 23, 2009 9:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The public option continues its yo-yo course. On the same day we get news that Harry Reid is leaning toward putting a version into the Senate bill, Mike Allen reports at Politico that Nancy Pelosi doesn't haven't the votes for a "robust" version in the House. Talking Points Memo disagrees with the latter, as does presidential adviser Valerie...
US Drones Back Up Pakistani Offensive
Los Angeles Times
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Oct 23, 2009 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US military is supporting the Pakistani offensive against Taliban militants in South Waziristan with intelligence and imaging collected by unmanned Predator drones. The support is separate from the CIA program using the drones inside Pakistan to kill terrorist leaders. “We are coordinating with the Pakistanis,” a military official tells...
Moderate Dems Fret Over Obama Attacks on Fox
Politico
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Oct 23, 2009 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Moderate Democrats are nervous about the Obama administration’s efforts to marginalize tough critics like Fox News. “It’s a mistake,” Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire tells Politico. “I think it’s beneath the White House to get into a tit for tat with news organizations.” And even those okay with the Fox attacks...
New Pay Rules May Hurt Banks, but Protect Public
Washington Post
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Oct 23, 2009 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Steven Pearlstein isn't exactly wowed by the new salary rules being proposed for Wall Street. "Don't get carried away. By themselves, these measures won't prevent future crises, nor will they likely do much to lower the prevailing pay levels on Wall Street or in corporate America." But, he writes, they do have elements of meaningful reform....
Brutal Antichrist a Torture-Porn Nightmare
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 23, 2009 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some critics call it a cinematic masterpiece, others say it's little more than a snuff film. But everyone agrees: Antichrist , the latest from Danish provocateur Lars von Trier, is unforgettable. The film's scenes of brutal sex and violence are "undeniably shocking," writes Andrew O'Hehir of Salon, but Antichrist is loaded...
Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Technology
Financial Times (UK)
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Oct 23, 2009 8:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nokia, the world's biggest cell phone maker, is suing Apple in US federal court for alleged copyright infringement, saying it has 10 claims on the technology used in the iPhone. The Finnish company said Apple used "fundamental" patented technologies concerning wireless data, speech recognition, security, and encryption. It has reasons...
Leibovitz Shoots First Family
Flickr
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Oct 23, 2009 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New screen saver, anyone? The White House released a new Obama family portrait taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. The First Family sat in the White House’s Green Room for the picture, at left.
Reid Goes for Broke With Public Option Bill
New York Times
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Oct 23, 2009 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Harry Reid is preparing to bring a health reform bill that includes a public option to the floor of the Senate, gambling that his 60-member caucus will support the plan if it contains opt-out measures for individual states. The majority leader and other senators met with Barack Obama yesterday to discuss strategy, although the president did not explicitly...
Edwards' New Neighbors: Ex-Mistress and Baby
National Enquirer
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Oct 23, 2009 7:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After a DNA test—a secret one, of course—proved John Edwards is the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby, the two of them moved in just down the street in a $1 million home quaintly called Marsh Grass, the National Enquirer reports. The shamed pol is paying the $6,550-a-month rent for his former mistress and daughter, and the tab claims...
This Amelia Never Takes Off
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 23, 2009 7:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hilary Swank is superlative as Amelia Earhart, say critics, but the too-conventional movie around her never really engages in what made the aviatrix tick and stays earthbound as a result. Swank is "strangely mesmerizing as Earhart," writes Connie Ogle in the Miami Herald , but director Mira Nair's biopic "never—unlike...
