NOT AGAIN: VIRGINIA TECH

An intense search is underway at Virginia Tech for the gunman who shot and killed two people — a campus police officer and a student — and authorities have ordered students and staff to stay indoors and secure themselves until the shooter is found.

“We are looking absolutely everywhere,” university spokesman Mark Owczarski said Thursday afternoon. A media briefing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST.

State police officers, FBI agents and officers with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are searching the campus.

Read more HERE

PEARL HARBOR at 70

A grateful nation delivered a heartfelt message Wednesday morning to the dwindling number of survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack: Rest easy. We’ll take it from here. Allow us to repay the debt by carrying your burden.

On the face of it, the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack wasn’t all that different from previous commemorations. A ceremony was held overlooking the picturesque harbor. And a moment of silence was observed, as is traditional, at the precise moment that the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise attack by the Japanese began, at 7:55 a.m. local time.

Read the full article HERE

ROOSTER REVIEW: ‘J. EDGAR’ TAKES A LOOK UNDER THE SKIRT:

By C. Todd Williamson, III, Founding Editor

Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar is a great effort by the iconic director as he adds layers of humanity to a legendary figure whose private life has been trivialized and his public life greatly analyzed.

When I found out that Leonardo DiCaprio was cast in the lead role as long time FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, I questioned if or even how he could pull it off. After seeing the film, I still believe his portrayal missed the mark in some of the later years, but nontheless, DiCaprio proved that his range likely knows no bounds, especially playing the younger Hoover.

There were moments when I asked ”where is this going?”, mainly as the film jumped around from one decade to another. But for a history junkie such as myself I found the little things intriguing, such as Hoover’s tradition of peering out on the balcony of his Justice Department office during each presidential inauguration watching over history and the change it brought with it.  Not sold separately is Hoover’s secret wiretaps on Dr. Martin Luther King’s hotel room, his verbal jousts with Robert Kennedy, and his secret file on First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Eastwood also gave greater depth to Hoover’s relationship with his FBI collegue and deputy Clyde Tolson, a much greater elaboration to Oliver Stone’s depiction of the tandem in 1994’s Nixon.   

Tolson is played by Armie Hammer of The Social Network and Hoover’s long time executive assistant, Helen Gandy is portrayed by Naomi Watts. Both provide great depth to each of the characters as well as Dame Judy Dench’s ability to suppress her British accent to play Hoover’s devoted yet strong willed mother.

One major critique that seems to be universal is the makeup. I almost jumped out of my seat once they showed the aged Hoover, but I almost threw up my popcorn once the 8-hour prosthetics clad Hammer donned the screen. They were overdone and looked more like Halloween masks as Eastwood should get his money back from the make-up artist. 

But hey, nothing’s perfect and the bad make-up job shouldn’t be the deal breaker. Eastwood was able to open a world whose doors were closed to the mass public throughout Hoover’s actual life. From is possible homosexual relationship with Tolson to the protection of his sacred files (especially from Nixon), Eastwood, DiCaprio, and the cast help layout the life and psychosis of one the most complex and controversial people in American history. B+

See the film’s trailer HERE