Life imitates art as gunmen attack crew of Afghan war movie

When David Whitney traveled to Pakistan to shoot his film about a man forced to flee Afghanistan after falling foul of the Taliban he didn’t expect fiction to turn into reality. But that’s exactly what happened three weeks into shooting political thriller “Kandahar Break” in late 2008

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Commentary: Ted Kennedy was a true believer

In one of the funniest scenes in the film "The Big Lebowski," the hot-headed Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak, played by John Goodman, explains to the Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, how much he hates nihilists because they don’t believe in anything, they have no "ethos." PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) — In one of the funniest scenes in the film “The Big Lebowski,” the hot-headed Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak, played by John Goodman, explains to the Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, how much he hates nihilists because they don’t believe in anything, they have no “ethos.” Unfortunately, many Americans share these sentiments about our politicians. Too often, the political system seems biased toward elected officials who only care about re-election

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The Darker Side of Owen Wilson

It’s rarely a shock when a star’s personal demons rear up in the form of a police blotter. Robert Downey Jr.’s ’90s jail stints, Christian Slater’s 59-day stay behind bars on assault charges in 1998 and Lindsay Lohan’s alleged coke-fueled car chase this summer all followed a pattern of prior troublesome behavior

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Afghan media blackout call as violence threatens vote

Afghanistan’s government on Wednesday called for a media blackout on reporting violence as fresh attacks threatened disruptions a day ahead of pivotal presidential elections. The media was asked to refrain from covering any attacks on election day in an effort to “ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.” This week, the Taliban said it plans to disrupt the elections with continued attacks and threatened to kill Afghans who vote.

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Holbrooke: If Pakistan Taliban leader were alive, he’d be on TV

The United States knows that the leader of Pakistan’s Taliban is dead because he has not appeared in public to prove that he is alive, the top U.S. envoy to the region told CNN on Monday. Richard Holbrooke said that the Pakistani Taliban have not confirmed the death of Baitullah Mehsud because of an ongoing power struggle over his successor

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