Carice van Houten is a Singing Sensation!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands—In this incredibly beautiful city there is no shortage of art, entertainment or excitement.  It’s a natural place for the terrific actress, singer and world-class entertainer, Carice van Houten  who is a child of Holland.   

I fell in love with Carice’s many talents when she starred in the Paul Verhoeven Film, Black Book.  I expect this incredible and exciting young woman to be getting an Oscar bound film role any day.   

Carice completed a brand new album, See You On The Ice which is due to be released on ITunes on September 28.  

Carice was a guest on a Dutch DJ’s radio show and sang two selections from her album.  This sneak peek was a real treat for me to watch and now I must pass her on to you!

At the very top of my Bucket List is winning a video interview of Carice for this blog! Somehow I think that will happen when I'm in Amsterdam or Carice is in L.A.

Black Book is available on Blu-Ray at Amazon.com.

It’s Obama’s Failed Leadership, Not a Bad Movie Trailer Behind the Latest Mideast Violence.

These two are the problem, not a solution... 

Los Angeles, CA—The Internet is loaded with vitriol, blasphemous, and hateful text, images and video that is offensive towards Islam.  That crappy, low budget film trailer is only a drop in the bucket in the scheme of things.

For many practitioners of Islam, wife beating, child molestation, bigamy along with mass murder is acceptable.  

I’m no expert on Islam or what its teachings inspire.  I am however like all of us an observer of the absolute horror, death and destruction has been brought to the world in the name of Islam.  

It only makes sense that the irrational and monstrous acts of some Muslims offend civilized people everywhere.   Their simple and expected reaction is to reject Islam and Muslims. 

Along the way there will be satire, disrespect and hatred expressed in reaction to murder, bombing and evil unleashed by these Muslims.  That insignificant film trailer is only a microcosm of the anti-Muslim hate and generated by their never-ending so-called jihads.

In recent decades rather than develop our own energy resources we have unleashed a tidal wave of money on Muslim savages living in the 13^th Century.   They have since become a massive threat to the entire world.  We don’t seem to learn from any of our past redundant mistakes.

We need to withdraw all of our interests from these nations that hate us.  We need to simply stop sending them money or our precious grain.  

Any nation that allows the use aggression against us or our allies simply needs to be bombed right back into the Stone Age.

Barack Obama has thrown American tax money at these criminals like water.  He has apologized and bowed to every Muslim tribal leader he could.  All we get is more Americans murdered in return.

These nasty, violent and oppressive nations see the USA as a nation ripe for extortion.  They threaten us and Obama simply hands them more money.  They have been laughing at Obama and his minions.  These Muslims don’t respect anything but superior firepower.  We need to drop bombs, not money on them.

Our Mideast wars have exceeded Viet Nam in longevity and cost.  Like in that conflict we failed to use our might and gained nothing for our efforts.  It’s time to withdraw forever from the Mideast adventures.

We need to drill for oil everywhere inside the United States and build new refineries.  We certainly need these jobs in our own bankrupt economy. 

Obama has not done a single thing beyond making millions more Americans dependent, needy and idle. 

It’s Obama and his minions that have made America the target of violence, not some clown running a “Z” list film studio in L.A.

We can blame Bush and Congress for getting us into this mess but Obama has not done a single thing to reverse the insanity.

This is not mere incompetence on Obama’s part.  It’s corruption and Treason.  Obama is out to Destroy America and must be stopped cold.  Obama is a dangerous enemy to all Americans.

The Raw Power of Video Literacy Unleashed!

JVC-HM100U  

Los Angeles, CA—I have an amazing power that can be used for good or evil.  I have some really nifty equipment and knowhow to make movies.

Today’s incredibly wonderful and powerful filmmaking tools are really affordable and easy to use.  

Cameras, microphones, lights and a MacBook Pro have allowed me to influence the world.  I have few limits under our Freedom of Speech rights and personal sensibilities that restrict the content I choose to produce.  I’m limited only by my own imagination as to what I can create.

In this town getting slave actors is as easy as posting an ad on Craig’s List or the Backstage.   Casting your film from the hungry actors that show up is a snap.  They will settle for being fed and a copy of their scene for their professional reels.

If you have any kind of a budget you can make a SAG-AFTRA sanctioned film generally giving you access to better quality talent.  

Green screen technology allows me to inexpensively place my actors virtually anywhere! 

YouTube and numerous other video sharing sites will provide the audience.  You can also fan the viral flames by sending links to the folks that would absolutely love to hate your project. 

That’s why it should be no surprise that millions of ignorant savages can be turned into violent robots that will commit murder and all manner of mayhem.   If you can simply manage to insult their sensitivities and direct them to a specific target they will ruin someone’s day for sure!

This is that ultra low budget short film that has stirred the raw and homicidal emotions all over the Mideast.

Vertical is Wrong!

The incredible Dutch film star  Carice Van Houten

Los Angeles, CA—I’m a life long photographer and I’m into video production these days in a big way.  The days of film cameras are over and the TV widescreen is here to stay.   We rarely hang portraits of vertical images on our walls anymore.  Why are people shooting video and stills vertically?

The images people post everyday on Facebook or their web pages are often breathtakingly beautiful.  We just have to remember what the media source will be to exhibit our art.  It’s increasingly rarely going to be vertical! 

Shooting vertical video is a waste of space.  Learn how to frame your shots for your TV screen.  It’s often better to put your subject on the right or left side of the frame rather than in the middle.  It also give you room to put fun graphics next to your subject. 

The stunning picture above is of my favorite actress Carice Van Houten.   Of course beautiful Carice looks great vertical, horizontal or even upside down!  But please try to keep her horizontal!

Maybe this video will help you!

Drew Peterson, Legal Team Fallout and Sour Grapes

Lead lawyer, Joel Brodsky

Chicago, IL—The Drew Peterson Inquisition was an un-American legal experience.  Trial by unprecedented hearsay testimony rather than evidence doomed Peterson to an adverse verdict.  This was to satisfy the lynch mob mentality that dictated the predetermined result.   

There were no less that six lawyers defending Drew Peterson.  That was a recipe for dysfunction, anger and loathing.  I’ve seen it before even when the results were victorious such as in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. 

When the stakes are high each lawyer has different ideas and sometimes the mixture of ideas become incredibly caustic. 

As a criminal defense investigator and veteran of numerous murder trials I had my own ideas about Peterson’s defense direction.  I did not get to vote but sensed a disaster in the making, not from legal strategy but by the shocking perversion of the way this criminal trial was conducted.

I knew there were conflicts within the Peterson defense team.  I also understand that lawyers are remembered not for their overall batting average but the results obtained on a high profile case.   

Lawyers that believe in their positions fight for them like pit bulls.  Litigation is about conflict and lawyers are the gladiators that fight for survival.

Each lawyer had a huge personal risk of failure especially when you consider over 80% of all normal prosecutions end in conviction.  The Peterson prosecution was a lot of things but normal was not one of them.

I hate it when lawyers feud over professional decisions but it’s a reality.

I consider all the lawyers on the defense teem as legal champions in their own right.  I believe they made an adequate record to win at some stage whether in expected post-trial motions or in the higher courts.

Lead lawyer, Joel Brodsky released a statement today in response to former team member Steve Greenberg’s post trial,  sour grapes comments:

Steve Greenberg was given a job to for the defense team, which was to bring motions and make objections, as well as cross examine a few witnesses.   He failed to bring the most important motions, such as to bar the 2004 “botched investigation” evidence, saying he would object when the state tried to get the evidence in.  Then he failed to object when the State started with this evidence, potentially causing the loss of several important appellate issues.  He also missed several other important objections which are required to preserve issues to appeal.  It was then that Mr. Greenberg was relieved from the job of making objections.  Further, even though Mr. Greenberg he did win many of the motions, these were on small issues. Greenberg lost the big ones, such as barring the hearsay previously found to be unreliable, and keeping the “hit man” testimony out.  During the trial he was frequently absent from the defense table because he was hanging out in the press room, or by the TruTv television tent,.  He also failed to attend almost all after court team meetings, and was unprepared for his cross-examination of the few witnesses he had, fumbling for papers while the witnesses were on the stand. Mr. Greenberg was let go because of his failure to accomplish most of the tasks he was brought on board to take care of.

Also, for the record, Greenberg did not object to Harry Smith being called as a witness by the Defense, and in fact was in favor of him being called as late at the day before Smith was called.  Further, Smith was never barred from testifying, nor was his testimony reduced in scope by a motion that Mr. Greenberg made and any statements to that effect are false.  Finally, Greenberg never argued with me not to call Smith, and his statement to that effect is not true.  Greenberg didn’t change his story on the Harry Smith issue until after Smith testified and he felt that the testimony may have hurt Drew’s case, and only then did he vocally (to others but not to the defense team members), start saying that it was a mistake.  It is nothing more than a blatant attempt to distance himself from the conviction that was not really anyone’s fault, as the jurors public comments show that they were going to convict Drew Peterson no matter how lacking the evidence was.”

Joel A. Brodsky

Attorney at Law

8 S. Michigan Ave.

Suite 3200

Chicago IL 60603

Chicago Public Teachers/Babysitters Strike Mess Needs Debate

Chicago, IL—Teaching is a noble profession however pathetic politicians, unions and a bankrupt African-American culture has gutted every gifted teacher’s lifeblood.

The Windy City’s children’s lives are devalued and destroyed in the process of Chicago’s political creature’s intentional sabotage of productivity and Capitalism. 

There is no room in Chicago’s schools for teachers that will inspire or motivate children to abandon the African-American culture and tradition of idleness, hatred and total dependence on corrupt government.  

Chicago’s public school teachers have little success to show because the children never learn even basic communication skills.  It’s obvious by results that the children are simply warehoused in free day care with free meals to liberate their unemployable single mothers from their parental responsibilities. 

The children are not motivated or inspired.  That’s because Chicago’s school system has seen to it that teachers that inspire, motivate and liberate children from the chains of dependence are never rewarded over those that do not.

The unions protect all of their dues paying members at the expense of the children. 

The fact is that Chicago’s children are no better off attending public schools than if they stayed home watching the likes Jerry Springer, Oprah and Judge Judy on television.

Chicago’s public schools are a sociological disaster in every respect.  Throwing more money at these overly paid, part-time unionized babysitters is, simply a waste. 

I don’t blame the teachers themselves because their hands are tied.  The far Left Wing politicians have negatively affected the entire teaching profession in America for the last several generations.

You can defend schools and teachers all you wish but I must ask anyone a simple question.  What percentage of your own teachers personally excited, inspired or motivated you?  The answer is ten percent or less.  I rest my case.

The Drew Peterson Prosecution and Verdict Threatens All Americans

Drew Peterson    Photo by Paul Huebl

Joliet, IL—A jury convicted retired Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson of murder yesterday.   Peterson very publicly proclaimed his innocence and in the process became an absolute public pariah.   The media he used to assert his innocence redundantly exposed Peterson’s troubled marriages with much younger women.  The self-generated publicity backfired.

Police and prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to take action against Peterson under existing law.   There was no way to proceed with a prosecution.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow quickly lobbied a special legislative bill that would retroactively allow him to use normally outlawed hearsay testimony as evidence in court.  Additionally, it was a special law that was designed and promulgated just for the prosecution of him and was given the popular moniker of The Drew Peterson Law.

The Constitution provides three protections that should have precluded this law.  The law was a prohibited ex post facto law.  This was also a prohibited bill of attainder.  The biggest problem of all was that it denied Peterson his right to confront the evidence used against him in court. 

Apparently there is no amount of pre-trial publicity that will cause today’s courts to take steps to prevent the outside influences from reaching a sitting high profile case jury.  Nothing interfered with the jury from their Internet access to hundreds of articles and videos related to the matter under examination throughout the trial.  Juror’s very human inquisitive nature makes judicial admonitions to avoid such exposure unenforceable and totally meaningless. 

I’m not clairvoyant and cannot tell you what happened to Kathleen Savio eight years ago inside her locked domicile.  The expert’s disagreed and that normally should have been reasonable doubt enough.  Police only bothered to look at one suspect.

The troublesome hearsay statements are never made under oath nor a guarantee that the witness repeating the statements are both accurate and truthful when they offer this kind of testimony. 

The capable lawyers representing Drew Peterson were placed into a grossly unfair disadvantage with this unprecedented hearsay prosecution.  They even had to somehow create new and untested jury instructions for this trial. 

Hearsay was popular evidence in another infamous criminal justice system from history, The People’s Court of National Socialist Germany 1933-1945. 

The Drew Peterson case endangers every American and their loved ones to the kind of tyranny we have just seen in Will County, Illinois.