comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

Karl Rove is about to go down on Bush in that final picture? Would have thought it was the other way around. Also I imagine it's to accomodate all the different whigs, but I do hope Bush goes all Colonel Kurtz in this and shaves his head.

If Dreyfuss had been there, there would have been a fight.

comment #2

The Winchester says ...

What would've been grand is if James Cromwell had to come bail out Brolin. Full on, into character mode, as daddy bails out his disappointment of a son...

comment #3

Dzayson says ...

There are so many alcoholics involved in the production of any given film. I'm surprised anything ever gets accomplished. All the parties, all the bars, all the on-location groupies....

I enjoyed Wells' previous 48 Hrs diary link. Apparently, Nick Nolte doesn't know how to drink OJ without vodka.

comment #4

SmilingPolitely says ...

Brolin is really dedicated to capturing the essence of Bush...

Tomorrow, Richard Dreyfuss is going to be shoot someone in the face with a shotgun and eat a puppy or two.

comment #5

SmilingPolitely says ...

The shaved head is probably for scenes in the Alabama National Guard.

comment #6

GKLondon says ...

So let me get this straight, a couple of people didn't want the bar to close when it was going to, I'm sure a common scenario in bars all over the world, they were ASKED twice, refused, and the fucking cops were called?

Wow. That's just so freaking alien to me. I worked in a bar while living back home in Dublin years ago, and EVERY NIGHT we had to encourage people to leave at closing time. If they didn't, the bouncer grabbed their collar and heaved them out. No arrests. No bail posted. No celebrity photos on the internet. Guess Irish police thought there were more important things to deal with, like criminals. Committing crime.

I don't know, maybe it's just me that thinks this is a little excessive.

But answer me this, why is it that no one in the States understands the concept of buying rounds? Or have I just been drinking with cheap Americans?

Learn your drinking etiquette, there are rules.

comment #7

D.Z. says ...

Why do I have a feeling this might be a publicity stunt for W...?

comment #8

EDouglas says ...

I was seeing if this was the bar where I had dinner while down in Shreveport for Year One... and when you google "Stray Cat" and "Shreveport", the top 20 stories are this one.... this is something that happened at 2 in the morning, like 3 HOURS AGO!!!! And it's all over the place already... whatever happened to police keeping things low profile? They must have called in the local newshound and it just went from there but man, gossipy news travels fast.

And what if you lived in Shreveport, and you lost your cat? You google what I did above and you have no chance of getting it back!

comment #9

SmilingPolitely says ...

Doubtful, as I'm sure Brolin doesn't particularly care for his previous arrest being brought into the limelight again( allegedly smacking his wife, Diane Lane), which is inevitable with his newly minted mugshot.

comment #10

Jesse Perry says ...

"Why do I have a feeling this might be a publicity stunt for W...?"

Because you're always, ALWAYS wrong?

comment #11

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Smilingpolitely: The head is probably shaved because they are working with wigs.

comment #12

corey3rd says ...

Stone must have zero clout. I had a pal who worked production on The Big Easy. After he set up the pay schedule for the New Orleans police, they not only gave him a police badge that he was allowed to flash to shut up locals, but assigned a patrol car to be he personal limo.

Under normal circumstances in the state, the cops should have merely escorted the crew back to their hotel. The location manager must have really pissed to cops off to get this sort of response.

comment #13

SmilingPolitely says ...

The Big Easy? The film from 20 years ago?! Yeah, I'm not sure if LA police protocol from 2 decades ago is completely applicable to today.

comment #14

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Ed Douglas: The arrests happened early Saturday morning -- the news stories started to be reported late Saturday afternoon or close to that.

Wells to everyone: The guy who wouldn't leave was a W "set lighting technician" (per the IMDB) named Eric Felland -- that's who the owners had apparently pigeonholed as the main offender, and who cops were primarily concerned with when they arrived. Everybody else was popped, it seems, when they interfered with the cops trying to haul drunken Eric away. Brolin, Wright and everyone else stood in Polish solidarity with the guy -- "If you're going to arrest him, you'll have to arrest all of us...we stand together, we are all Spartacus."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1175491/fullcredits

comment #15

JaySmack says ...

Hey, Cory3rd, I live in Shreveport and I'll tell you right now IT IS NOT NEW ORLEANS!! The difference between north Louisiana and south Louisiana is like the difference between the northern US and the Southern US.
Yes, the NOPD willl let you do whatever you want, and they understand that there are people who simply must not be touched, but...
You also have to understand that Shreveport is ULTRA-conservative! This was the town where the Dixie Chicks CD's were run over by a tractor, remember?
Trust me, the good old boys in city hall, the police force and parish government do NOT like having a bunch of left-wingers coming to town, and CERTAINLY don't like a movie that disparages a man who they see as the greatest president of the last half-century.

In this case I wish that incompetent bunch of morons we have here understood that every movie production in the country is gong to see this and think the Shreevport PD grossly overreacted.

The Shreveport PD is a bunch of assholes-- I know, I LIVE here! But Brolin and Wright should count their blessings. At least they didn't end up like that Garbarino woman who was beaten until she laid in a pool of her own blood.

comment #16

JaySmack says ...

Notice the SPD is releasing no details. Usually if a cop rams a school bus while in hot pursuit they give all the juicy details. In this case they're totally mum. Sign Number One that they stepped in it big time and know it.
The SPD plays by their own rules. To call them bullies with badges would be a GROSS understatement. Just Google "Shreveport PD" and "brutality" and see the list of horrors you come up with. What happened yesterday was NO accident.
We get near-daily news flashes here on EVERY movie production that come to town and every little thing they do --traffic closures, actor spotted in a restaurant etc. Jeff Farrel from Cannel 12 who reported the news last night, had to divulge, on air that he's part of the cast for W. That's just how important movies are to our area.

The SPD knew damned well what they were doing. Many of the cops here are in, or have close friends who are in the military, Barksdale AFB is right across the river in Bossier for God's sake.

This was NOT an overreaction or some misunderstanding by gung-ho cops. This was a group of good old boys sending a message to the production crew for a movie they don't approve of. When productions decide to skip Shreveport in favor of other cities I hope the people here remember that it was the SPD throwing their weight around that made it happen.
People in the movie business work hard and EXPECT to play hard. What they
What damage this will do is incalculable.

comment #17

Chase Kahn says ...

I like how Josh Brolin actually looks kinda happy in his mugshot...

comment #18

corey3rd says ...

forgot about the Dixie Chicks. I kept thinking that Shreveport as closer to New Orleans since it has that "port" in the name.

comment #19

JD says ...

Lining the mug shots up like that reminds me of a busted terrorist cell or the Manson family... which is exactly what I think of when people won't leave a bar promptly at 2AM. Thank God the cops got in there and arrested them before they, God forbid, tried to order another beer.

comment #20

JaySmack says ...

No, we're over 300 miles from New Orleans. Shreveport is in the upper northwest quadrant of the state. We're ony 20 miles from the Texas state line. And yes, Shreveport is on the Red River and has a port, but we're nowhere near NOLA.

Our geogrpahy should give some indication as to the politlcal profile of this area.

The best way to think of Louisiana is 2 states --north of Interstate-10 and south of Interstate-10. South of Interstate 10 is what everybody thinks of as "classic" Louisiana (gumbo, crawfish, gators, cajuns etc). The north, where I live, is pretty much like central Texas. Too many good old boys and nowhere near enough real vision.
THe SPD just screwed the whole city and that's what has me pissed! Even if every officer involved comes to Brolin et al and begs for mercy while giving them sloppy bl**jobs, it won't matter, the damage has already been done.

Entertainment Tonight, Extra, and all the cable outlets have already gotten the story. The stuiods are probably already telling their people to reroute their productions from Shreveport to Michigan or New Mexico, states with some sense.
The state legilature here doesn't seem to realize that the ONLY reason anyone makes movies here is because the of the tax-incentive program--that's IT!
But with New Mexico and Michigan instituting their own programs far more generous than Louisiana's it will become harder to lure productions here.
After this, it will be damned near impossible.

comment #21

SmilingPolitely says ...

"Witnesses say police used mace and a stun gun on Wright."

http://www.ktbs.com/news/Film-crew-arrested--14080/

I hope Wright at least got a lick in before the gestapo tased him.

Was this incident a favor called on by the White House?

comment #22

iamjoe says ...

If Oliver Stone productions are even 10% of what Jane Hamsher documented in her experiences, this had to be an absolute blast. You can almost see the joy bubbling up through Jeffrey Wright...

comment #23

SmilingPolitely says ...

Getting sprayed with mace and tased doesn't strike me as a very joyous experience.

comment #24

ZayTonday says ...

"Brolin is really dedicated to capturing the essence of Bush..."

Came in to post this myself.

comment #25

Daviddb says ...

Let's not overreact here folks. Here's the story that someone earlier linked to...

Shreveport Police were called to Stray Cat Bar at 222 Travis in Downtown Shreveport just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Detective Rod Demery with the Shreveport Police said, "One of the patrons was being unruly. Drunk and disorderly. The management asked the officer to remove this person from the bar. As they did he resisted." That's when police called for backup.

Demery said, "During the course of his arrest person who were with him joined in or tried to prevent the officers from arresting him." Eric Felland, 29, was arrested for resisting arrest and public intoxication. He's the set lighting technician for the movie "W"

Six others were arrested for interfering with police including actor Josh Brolin, 40. Brolin is in town playing George W. Bush in the movie "W" directed by Oliver Stone. Jeffery Wright, 43, was also arrested. Wright is playing Colin Powell in the film. Witnesses say police used mace and a stun gun on Wright. Shreveport police say they could not confirm that a stun gun or mace was used on Wright and said they should be able to get more details Monday morning.

So there wasn't an avalanche of police cars until they called for backup. When an officer at 2 am is requesting backup cop cars for a potential problem with six other people, hey guess what? They are gonna show up to help out their fellow officers, I don't care what city you're in. But to say that the SPD did something wrong is a bit far-fetched. They were doing their job.

Would it be wrong to possibly suggest that the Hollywood stars/crew were thinking they were a bit above the law here, hence their intervening? One thing you NEVER do is try and impede a police situation. Watch any episode of COPS. You will get your ass arrested.

And let's hold off on the paranoid accusations that this was a right-wing conspiracy by the SPD. More likely this was a classic case of Hollywood types throwing their weight around.

What about the arrogant and selfish behavior of Brolin, Wright, etc. not to leave the bar when the poor minimum wage workers who had been working at least 8 hours (probably more) simply wanted to go home for the night?

For the record I'm a native from NOLA and I have many friends who work on the crew for the movies shot here and up in Shreveport. I've never heard of a problem with the SPD harassing the local movie crews.

comment #26

Entropy says ...

Exactly,

The notion that a drunken wife abuser who is only in the business because of daddy is making a film that will critique GW is laughable. As is this incident.
As will be this childish excuse of a film.

Of course it was a case of arrogant Hollywood actors throwing their weight around. Police officers have much better things to do than deal with this crap in the wee hours of the morning.

Sadly, this is the exact kind of crap actors like Brolin live for during the wee hours of the morning.

comment #27

corey3rd says ...

so only the black guy got maced and stun gunned? you can't gain better publicity for tourism.

comment #28

corey3rd says ...

"Shreveport: Come for the mace and stay for the stun gun!"

comment #29

JaySmack says ...

To the SPD is a stun gun is nothing more than a joy buzzer. And no, it's no accident that Wright was the one who got maced and tasered.
Anyone who blames the actors in this case doesn't know what they hell they're talking about. This is NOT the first production we've had come to town, nor is it the first time when a movie crew might have gotten rowdy. What is new is that people got arrested. That's not just unusual, it's unprecedented!

The SPD is chock-full of Dubya-lovers I hate to say, who didn't like this production coming to town and wanted a means of showing their displeasure. Arresting the principals at their wrap party is certailny par for the course for this bunch.
If this movie had been called "Clinton" I can PROMISE you Brolin would have been asked for his autograph and nobody would have been arrested.
The cops aren't saying what exactly consiituted the "interference." That should be three red flags to ALL of us that the cops knew they're in the wrong. If all Brolin and Co. did was demand there be no arrest that's an objection, not interference.

comment #30

Daviddb says ...

Jay Smack, what universe do you reside in where actors are NEVER at fault? Tell you what, next time you see someone being arrested, why not pull over and "object" to the policeman about the person they're arresting. See where that gets you.

And actors getting arrested is "unprecedented"? Really?
Tell that to Jamie Foxx who while filming "Ray" down here in NOLA tried to muscle his way with the local NOPD...he got busted along with his sister.

News Flash: Without the cooperation of the local PD, movies would have a difficult time getting anything filmed there. There are such things as traffic re-routing, parking issues, permits, etc., not to mention the numerous details the police work on and off the set that are affiliated with the production.

I'm going to talk to several crew members that I know personally who worked on the film, and I"ll get the real story in a day or two.

Until then, I suggest you stop trying to tarnish Shreveport and the PD with your uninformed conspiracy theories.. Arresting them at the wrap party is "par for the course for this bunch"? If it's par for the course, what happened to this incident being "unprecedented"? And what proof do you have that they are a bunch of "Dubya Lovers"? Did you take a straw poll?

If you hate it up there so much, why do you live there? Move to Los Angeles...where the Police Department is I'm sure less brutal than Shreveport's and where African Americans never get maced or tasered.

comment #31

JaySmack says ...

Davidb...I'll use small words so you can understand.

Read the above posts --I'm asking you to do that here because obviously you didn't, or couldn't. Where did I say actors are NEVER at fault? Read what I said: "Anyone who blames the actors IN THIS CASE."
Oh, and thanks for proving my point! Because you're a garden-variety example of a poor, ignorant schlub, who simply doesn't know what's talking about, all he knows is he wants to talk!

How the hell did you get from "in this case," ( which even someone with a third-grade education would tell you means this ONE instance) to "never," which means "not even once?" Simple, you saw someone who wasn't condemning the actors right off the bat and you flew off the handle
Or perhaps you didn't make it to the third-grade.

Secondly, I never said it's unprecedented for actors to get arrested in Louisiana, I said it's unprecedented for them to get arrested HERE. Are you even from Louisiana? I know damned well your ignorant behind isn't from Shreveport, otherwise you wouldn't be making such dumb statements.

Oh, and I sure hope you DO talk to the crew members. While you're at it talk to a behavioral therapist, or a pre-school teacher. Til then get a clue...or a job.

comment #32

Daviddb says ...

I don't need to talk to anyone Jay to know that you are obviously an insecure child who resorts to insults rather than address the issues. You would know about a 3rd grade education since your retorts are about as witty as an 8 year old's.

Once again, if it's "unprecedented" for actors to get arrested up there, then why is it "par for the course" for the actions of the SPD to do so? Your statements contradict themselves. If you read my posts more carefully, you will realize that I suggested that it's possible, if not more than likely, that the actors were in the wrong. You on the other hand have already rendered your verdict: Guilty Cops, Innocent Hollywood Actors. That's ignorant. And that's why I used the NEVER remark...sarcastically of course.

FYI, I was born and raised in NOLA as I again stated previously and yes, Jay, I DO have a job...in the industry. Do you? Do you actually work in the movie business up there or are you just another disgruntled wannabe? If you knew anything at all about the business, you would know that the last thing the police want to do is run off their golden egg-laying goose; they profit off of the movie business constantly. Someone who worked in the business would know this fact.

Since Jamie Foxx's arrest, filming in NOLA has not been hurt one iota, and that was a far more serious incident; I seriously doubt that H'wood is going to care one whit about this latest run-in. In a few months, it'll be forgotten. Such is the power of tax incentives.

Oh and one more thing, Jay. I look forward to reading about your arrest in the Shreveport Times for "objecting" to a police officer's arresting someone. That is, if you have the courage to back up your "smack" on the SPD. But something tells me you wouldn't have the balls to say to 1 SPD what you so bravely say on this (and other) boards.

comment #33

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