I wasn't crazy about touching this story to begin with (it was a slow news day, and I figured what the hell), but apparently others beg to differ. Since we first brought news of Larry Wachowski's apparent sex change (in which the director supposedly changed his name to Lana), over a half a million people stopped by to read, and folks like Perez Hilton and IMDb felt the news was worthy of a link. So be it. Thanks for the love. But now, two days later, Fox News (of all people) have decided to take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of this breaking, earth-shattering news.

According to Fox News, they've contacted everyone from Speed Racer producer Joel Silver to "one man in building operations" and "one woman who worked in the Speed Racer office" -- all of whom have denied Larry's so-called sex change. First off, I think we've got to disregard anything coming from anyone associated with the film Speed Racer. Let it be known now that I have nothing against Speed Racer, the Wachowskis, Joel Silver or the dude who works in building operations -- I seriously hope the film rocks. I'm a fan. But do you really think the folks behind that family-friendly G-rated movie want this kind of press spreading like wildfire right smack in the middle of filming? Um, no. And I don't blame them. Secondly, is it just me or have we known about Larry's quest to change his sex for almost two years now? In fact, Fox News even reported on it back in 2006. The same exact writer. Roger Friedman. Who, now, says he finds this news "rather startling." Really dude? But you already wrote about it last year? Can I get a WTF for the hell of it?

Look, regardless of what's going on with Larry (or Lana) Wachowski, we once again wish him (or her) luck. And until Larry (or Lana) steps out into the wide open arena that is the Planet Earth, and tells us which way is up, this whole thing will still be a rumor. And, in my opinion, you shouldn't think less of him or her -- there are slimier people out there to be worried about ...

Everyone's favorite entertainment journalist, Roger Friedman, is calling Angelina Jolie a hypocrite after she reportedly censored journalists while promoting her new film, A Mighty Heart. The Michael Winterbottom pic is about Mariane Pearl, widow of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and it deals with freedom of the press, so the idea that Jolie made reporters sign a censoring agreement before interviewing her is certainly problematic. At the premiere of A Mighty Heart Wednesday night, Jolie's lawyer presented journalists with a contract stating certain subjects that could not be discussed with the actress, including questions about her personal life. Of course, this makes sense, because otherwise some writers would attempt to stray from the topic of the film in question -- which would take away from the promotion of the film, as well as from the purpose of the press' purpose at the event.

Still, the contract does seem unnecessary and contradictory to the film's apparent message. If Jolie wanted to reject a question or topic, she could certainly just refuse to comment or leave. Most of the junkets and red carpets I've been to, this has either been addressed or accepted as a given anyway. Instead, according to Friedman, the mode of dealing with gossippy reporters made a lot of people angry, enough to cancel coverage, as USA Today and the Associated Press supposedly did. Eventually Jolie ended up refusing all print interviews because of the outrage. Friedman also claims that Jolie instructed publicists to ban Fox News (for which Friedman works) from the red carpet and any other premiere access. In the end, though, some higher ups at Paramount allowed Fox's coverage. Friedman goes on to criticize Jolie's history of press manipulation and also quotes a disappointed editorial director from Reporters Without Borders, an organization that was supposed to be supported by the film's premiere.

[via Fark.com, which has a good discussion of the article going in its comments section]

In 1992, filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus documented Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, resulting in a still-noteworthy chronicle of political contending titled The War Room. Twelve years later, co-directors Hegedus and Nick Doob (who was cinematographer for The War Room) followed the race of 2004, only this time their subject was interestingly not one of the candidates. Al Franken: God Spoke, which presents a year in the life of the title comedian/author/radio talk-show host, is a humorous, but more importantly illustrative, documentary about the weight of the media -- especially the comedic media -- on the last presidential election.

Franken, who got his break on Saturday Night Live, is one of today's most influential political humorists, and, along with Jon Stewart and Michael Moore, he represents liberal America's unfortunate dependence on jesters instead of kings. The film opens with the publication of his latest book, which attacks the Bush administration and conservative individuals such as Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly, then goes on to present the beginnings of his show on Air America Radio and observes the ensuing war between him and the right-wing media, particularly O'Reilly and Sean Hannity at Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. During an early scene, he tells a classroom of students, "I take what they say and use it against them." This practice is nothing new, yet somehow in a time when kids get their news more from comedy shows like The Daily Show than from newspapers, it makes someone like Franken an important political figure.