LAist

Christian Brando has died

Corey Podell — 2008-01-26T12:42:18-08:00

Christian Brando, the troubled son of legendary actor Marlon Brando, died from pneumonia early this morning at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.

Christian Brando, an actor like his father, was known less for his movie roles and more for the trouble he found himself in. In 1990 he pled guilty to the charge of manslaughter in the death of his sister Cheyenne's boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at his father's Mulholland home. In 2001, Robert Blake accused Christian of being involved in the death of his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley, whom Brando had a previous relationship with, and in 2005 Brando was charged with spousal abuse against his then wife, Deborah Presley.

Brando was admitted to the hospital on Monday, and had been expected to make a full recovery. He was 49 years old.

Breaking News: Baseball is Full of Effing Cheaters

Ryan Young — 2007-12-13T12:05:00-08:00

Former Senate Majority Leader (and current Boston Red Sox director) George Mitchell just announced the results of his 20-month, $20 million investigation into allegations of widespread steroid usage in baseball. The long-awaited, 409-page Mitchell Report (document here) identifies more than 80 current and former players as being linked to using performance-enhancing drugs. While the report casts blame on the lack of institutional control within baseball as much as the players themselves that cheated, what everyone cares about are the names.

Let the public humiliation ensue.

The list includes several current and former stars, such as all-time great Roger Clemens (no surprise, given his career arc), Andy Pettitte, and former beloved Dodger Eric “Game Over” Gagne. Others retired stars include the less-beloved former Dodger Kevin Brown (six-time all star), ex-Angel Mo Vaughn (1995 MVP), and David Justice.

Some have been previously implicated, like 2002 MVP Miguel Tejada, and of course, the ~~giant forehead~~ man who was the catalyst for the investigation after his alleged steroid usage was detailed in the controversial book Game of Shadows, all-time home run champ* Barry* Bonds*.

Several current and former Dodgers and Angels are mentioned. The full list is as follows:

Dodgers (years with the team in parenthesis): Eric Gagne (1999-2006), Paul LoDuca (1998-2004), Kevin Brown (1999-2003), Todd Hundley (1999-2000, 2003), Jeff Williams (1999-2002), Matt Herges (1999-2001), Chris Donnels (2000-2001), Phil Hiatt (2001), Ismael Valdez (1994-1999, 2000), F.P. Santangelo (2000), Adam Riggs (1997), Todd Williams (1995)

Angels: Gary Matthews, Jr. (2007-current), Brendan Donnelly (2002-2006), Paul Byrd (2005), Jason Christiansen (2005), Troy Glaus (1998-2004), Adam Riggs (2003-2004), Jose Guillen (2004), Scott Schoeneweis (1999-2003), Bart Miadich (2001, 2003), Mo Vaughn (1999-2001), Ismael Valdez (2001), Glenallen Hill (2001), Kent Mercker (2000), Jason Grimsley (1996)

Commissioner Bud Selig will address the report at a press conference beginning at 1:30 pm PT when he will be undoubtedly besieged by questions over potential punishments for the implicated players and the validity of any of the statistics accumulated during this “Steroid Era.”

What will be interesting to see is the reaction from fans, which widely acknowledge the prevalence of usage of these illegal substances during the past fifteen years, but continue to pay big money to watch their heroes hit 500 foot bombs and throw 100 MPH fastballs. Because while baseball as a sport places so much prestige on records and statistics that are permanently altered because of the scandal, its primary function is to provide entertainment. As such, the administrators of baseball, led by Selig, which ignored the problem to generate better business are just as worthy of scorn as these players that will forever be branded as cheaters.

Photos from AP

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Sigur Rós takes LA by storm

Joshua Pressman — 2007-10-30T18:56:46-08:00

Quick! If you can make it over to Amoeba Records tonight between 6-9pm, grab a free wristband for a very special evening at the Vista Theater with Sigur Rós, presented by Myspace Secret Shows. Not only will you get to see them perform a three song set, but you'll get to see a "Black Curtain Screening" of their forthcoming documentary "Heima". In support of the documentary, Sigur Rós have planned a flurry of LA-based events. Here's the run-down:

2007.11.01 vista 8pm: heima screening and 3 song acoustic set
2007.11.01 vista 10pm (myspace): heima screening and 3 song acoustic set
2007.11.02 afi: heima screening and 3 song acoustic set and q+a
2007.11.03 ucla: heima screening and 3 song acoustic set and q+a
2007.11.04 afi: heima screening

A sad day for piracy

Joshua Pressman — 2007-10-23T12:08:35-08:00

What happens when you run one of the largest, "extremely lucrative" networks of invite-only, torrent-based music piracy? Interpol comes knocking at your door. Next thing you know all of your properties, including that covert warehouse in Amsterdam where your server is based, are seized in a raid-like manner. As though you were exporting/importing pounds of Class A drugs.

Last night around 2 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, OiNK was officially taken off the web. By this morning in England, an unidentified 24-year-old from the Northeast English city of Middlesbrough was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and infringement of copyright law. With 180,000 some-odd members, OiNK was the largest invite-only, torrent-based website to go down in the music piracy game. Music, programs, audio books, and sheet music were made freely available. Donations were used as means for general upkeep and maintenance of the website and were made possible by paypal. The OiNK community was built upon simple ideas, but it was sophisticated and meticulously organized.

Thanks to the BPI[British Phonographic Industry], the IFPI [International Federation of the Phonographic Industry], the Cleveland [U.K.] police and the Fiscal Investigation Unit of the Dutch police, the masses who used OiNK will, in fact, move elsewhere, continuing one of the most futile, unbounded games of cat and mouse known to mankind.

"The government is now well aware of the scale of damage this theft causes to music — copyright theft starves the creative industries of income, which both threatens future investment in artists and vandalizes our culture," said BPI's chief executive, Geoff Taylor. "That this individual now faces criminal charges will deter some, but no doubt others will be looking [to] move into this territory, and the authorities must keep up the pressure to deter the digital freeloaders."

Maybe one day we'll put an end to the absurd witch hunt that is anti-piracy. Want results? Try to abstain from treating piracy as though it's an offense tantamount to legitimate crimes like rape, murder, and selling drugs on a wide-scale. Maybe then people will respect your cause and abide by what you deem is right or wrong. Probably not though, you wankers!

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