Marvel "Shield" Actor, Michael Jace, Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder Shamika Sanders, Entertainment Editor
Follow me on Instagram & Twitter @Shamika_Sanders. This R&B head and Journalism major has written for King and Giant magazine. When she isn't holding a pen she's coming up with ways to "take over the world"...
After a week of deliberating, a Los Angeles jury found former The Shield actor Michael Jace guilty second degree murder in the shooting death of his wife April Jace.
Michael Jace shot his wife in the back and taunted her before shooting her twice in the legs with her fathers revolver. According to recorded interview with detectives, Michael said, he wanted to take his own life but, instead, shot his wife, a runner, in the legs so she could feel pain.
Jaces children were partial witnesses to the crime. Their 10-year-old son testified that he heard his father say If you like running, then run to heaven, before shooting April a second time.
Apparently April wanted a divorce and Michael suspected her of cheating. Deputy Dist. Atty. Tannaz Mokayef said Michael showed little emotion at the time of the verdict but felt remorse for killing his wife.
This is such a heartbreaking tragedy. Our prayers are with the family.
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Maya Rudolph Is Teaching Her Kids Classic Film Lingo - CONAN on TBS
Paul Thomas Anderson is the husband of SNL comedian, Maya Rudolph. (Getty)
Paul Thomas Anderson, also known as P.T. Anderson, is a notable film director, and the husband of comedian and actress Maya Rudolph. Anderson comes from an artistic family, and has written and directed several cult films, for which he has received a lot of attention and many awards. Want to find out more about his accomplishments and his relationship with Rudolph?
Read on.
1. He Has Been Nominated for Six Academy Awards
Paul Thomas Anderson has received critical acclaim for his work on multiple films. (Getty)
Born in Studio City, California, Anderson developed his passion for film at a young age. His father, Ernie Anderson, was a voice actor, and encouraged him to take a shot at writing and directing. As a kid, he attended the Buckley School in California, but was kicked out for his grades. He attended Emerson College and New York University for brief periods of time, but dropped out of both before graduating.
A fun fact about the director? He shaves his head before he begins shooting all his films. And if youve seen the production photos from Magnolia, dont worry were not lying.According to Phactual, Though he has hair in the Magnolia production diary, it is clearly growing out from recently being shaved.
2. He Has Four Children with Maya Rudolph
Anderson has four children with his wife, Maya Rudolph. (Getty)
Anderson began his relationship with SNL comedian Maya Rudolph in 2001. Together, the couple has four children, Pearl Bailey, Lucille, Minnie Ida, and Jack. In a 2013 interview, a very pregnant Rudolph discussed her relationship with Anderson, and the games the two play together in their downtime. The Los Angeles Times writes, they play a game in which she will name a movie she saw in Los Angeles during her youth and Anderson will guess the theater where she saw it. And he never loses, she said.
In 2014, Anderson came out with his film Inherent Vice, in which Rudolph makes a brief but memorable appearance. Rudolph spoke with Variety about the experience. It was so exciting. Pauls an incredible director, probably my favorite. I love watching him work. Its so exciting to see someone whos so clearly their own and has so much confidence about their own vision. Its beautiful to watch.
Earlier this year, the couple were seen enjoying a relaxing vacation in the blue waters of Kailua Beach, Hawaii.
3. He Directed The Critically-Acclaimed Film, Boogie Nights
Early on in his career, Anderson wrote and directed the hit-film Boogie Nights, for which he received critical acclaim. Anderson, who was only 26 at the time he directed the film, rode his wave of success by making his next movie, Magnolia, in 1999, which was awarded three Oscar nominations, including one for Best Original Screenplay. Many people dont know that the film is actually based off a short Anderson made at the ripe age of 17.
4. Burt Reynolds Didnt Enjoy Working With Him
Anderson has directed many critically acclaimed films, including Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia, and Boogie Nights. (Getty)
In late 2015, actor Burt Reynolds, who starred in Boogie Nights, opened up about his experience working on the film with Anderson. When GQ asked him if he would want to work again with the director, he responded by saying, I dont think so. Personality-wise, we didnt fit. He continued by describing the director as being young and full of himself. When speaking to The Guardian, Reynolds reportedly went so far as to say that he hated working with him.
Its possible, however, that Reynolds just had something against Anderson. In Grantlands feature article on the film, first director Josh Windermuth remembers an incident where Reynolds screamed in Andersons ear because he was paying too much attention to the other actors.
5. He Dated and Collaborated With Fiona Apple
Anderson was born in Studio City, California, in 1970. (Getty)
Anderson dated Fiona Apple for many years between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. The two also collaborated artistically, and he directed many of the singers music videos, including the ones for Across the Universe, Fast as You Can, Limp, Paper Bag, and Hot Knife. Grantland described the couple as being the coolest, dorkiest, sexiest, and most indelible celebrity power couple of the 90s.
Actor Michael Jace deliberately loaded a gun, murdered his wife in cold blood and then lied when he claimed he only intended to shoot her in the leg, a prosecutor said in a fiery closing argument Friday.
I dont know how you can shoot somebody three times and call it an accident, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef told jurors at the close of Jaces four-day trial for first-degree murder in Los Angeles.
The actor best known for playing a cop on the FX show The Shield sat stone-faced as Mokayef told the jury of six men and six women he shot wife April Jace three times in May 2014 with both malice and reflection.
Do you remember the ballistics expert (explaining) how heavy that trigger pull was? Like holding a gallon of milk with one finger. Each pull of the trigger is a reflection, each pull of the trigger is a thought, she said.
Michael Jace told wife to "run to heaven" after killing her: DA
She said Jace even admitted malice when he claimed to police, I was just angry and all I intended to do was shoot her in the leg.
She reminded jurors the couples own 10-year-old son recalled on the witness stand that he heard Jace say, You like to run, why dont you run to heaven, as he shot his running enthusiast wife twice in the legs after previously shooting her in the back.
Jace was upset because April, 40, had asked for a divorce, Mokayef said.
This is about control and obsession, the prosecutor said. When she finally says, No more, I have to get out of this. He kills her.
Michael Jace, accused of murdering wife, gets trial delayed
Jace, 53, is facing 50 years to life if convicted of first-degree murder.
His lawyers havent disputed Jace pulled the trigger but want the jury to choose a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Defense lawyer Jamon Hicks said Friday that his client simply snapped in the heat of passion.
Text messages and testimony during the four-day trial revealed Jace was upset about his crumbling marriage and believed April was having an affair.
In her emotional closing argument, Mokayef again showed the graphic photo of Aprils lifeless body on the floor of the couples house after she was declared dead at the scene.
She said April was shot at such close range, death investigators found gunpowder where the bullets hit her legs.
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Haircuts - Peaky Blinders - Series 1 - BBC First Don"t mess with the creepy cleric
Tommy finally got permission to kill Hughes but we knew it wouldnt be that easy. Having laid a trap and lulled his foe into a false sense of security, Hughes hired muscle jumped Tommy as he was poised to pull the trigger. A brutal beating was administered and Tommys skull sickeningly fractured. That cracking sound wont be forgotten in a hurry.
How sinister was Hughes beatific smile as he watched Tommy suffer, then that smug scene at The Ritz as he forced Tommy to apologise? When Hughes made him replace Gods name with his own in the Act of Contrition, it became clear what a megalomaniac the poisonous padre truly is.
Could Mary be the mole in the Shelbys midst?
Hughes hissed dark threats about Ada and Tommys toddler son Charles, warning: We have people in your life. My moneys on one of his sisters-in-law, Linda (Kate Phillips) or Esme (Aimee-Ffion Edwards). Then again, housekeeper Mary (Wendy Nottingham) suddenly has a higher profile. Et tu, Mary?
Feminism has reached Small Heath
Why should the men have all the fun? As they lived like lords, the fed-up Shelby women were left to do all the work. Encouraged by troublesome Linda, they staged a walkout and joined the city-wide march of female workers on the Bullring to demand equality. Polly even ended up making revolutionary speeches from the back of a wagon.
Jessie Eden, the female shop steward who was mentioned, was a real historical figure - a wartime munitions worker turned militant unionist who played a key local role in the 1926 General Strike.
Girl power was everywhere. Linda played hardball with Tommy over husband Arthurs slice of the loot, haggling him up from 30,000 to 41,000. Pregnant Esme told John that she felt like a hen in a coop. Lizzie (Natasha OKeeffe) expressed dissatisfaction at Tommy using her for s*x. The women even got their own slo-mo sequence, striding through the streets of Small Heath to the strains of PJ Harvey.
You wait ages for a robbery and two come along at once
So now we know the final play, which will unfold over the next two weeks. Double agent Hughes has been dealing arms for the White Russians - while feeding information to the Soviets. The British establishment want the Soviets to blow up the train, committing a violent act on UK soil which allows the government to break off diplomatic relations.
Tommy knows the armoured cars stolen from the Lanchester factory are merely bait and the Peaky Blinders are being sacrificed, so needs to pull off the heist while keeping his men out of danger. Neither does he trust the Russians to pay up, so is planning a daring raid on their subterranean treasury that same night. Think Hatton Garden: the Prequel.
The best episode so far
This third run got off to a slow start but cranked into gear here with a corking hour of drama. The plot moved on apace, twists came thick and fast, there was tense action and delicious dialogue. Like a gathering storm, its all building brilliantly towards the climactic two episodes.
Next week
The penultimate instalment sees Tommy call in help, cousin Michael embrace the badness, Pollys portrait unveiled and the Russians throw one helluva party.
CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) The Christian satire "Babylon Bee" website is known for its edgy humor, but some fans said it went too far Tuesday when it posted a story about the death of TBN co-founder Jan Crouch.
The 78-year-old Crouch died shortly after suffering a stroke, and two and a half years after her husband, TBN co-founder Paul Crouch, passed away in November 2013.
The Babylon Bee said a satirical Hinn told reporters "that Crouch must have spoken her own death into existence."
The Crouches were well-known for being leaders in the health-and-wealth or prosperity gospel movement a point the Babylon Bee story noted under the headline "Top Prosperity Theologians Puzzled Over Death Of Jan Crouch."
"Various baffled prosperity gospel preachers have begun offering theories Tuesday on how Crouch could possibly have passed away, given her overabundance of faith, her supernatural ability to name and claim health and wealth at will, and her decades of collecting donations while promising that G*d"s will is for everybody to be wealthy and healthy," the story read.
Like other Babylon Bee stories, this one carried no byline.
It included fake quotes from prosperity gospel preachers Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes and Kenneth Copeland.
"Maybe she read a really mean tweet or some criticism of her theology, and she spoke the words out loud and gave them life. How else can you explain someone who possessed supernatural health from G*d dying four years before the average female life expectancy in the U.S.," the satirical Osteen quote read.
The Babylon Bee said a satirical Hinn told reporters "that Crouch must have spoken her own death into existence."
"I can"t think of a single other reason that can explain why she would die of a stroke during "healing month" on TBN, when the network is reminding its fans that "G*d wants them well and whole,"" the satirized Hinn quote read.
The story concluded: "Whatever the reason for Crouch"s sudden passing, Trinity Broadcasting Network has announced an upcoming month of solemnly and aggressively seeking donations in her honor."
Barry McCarty, professor of preaching and rhetoric at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, told the Christian Examinerthat the story should not have been posted.
This is not a day to poke fun on the day she died. I think it would have been best to have said nothing than to have lampooned and satirized someone on the day she died. She was a wife and mother and people love her. Today is a day to extend condolences to those who grieve her loss.
- Dr. Barry McCarty, professor of preaching and rhetoric, SWBTS
"I have been a fan of the Babylon Bee. I have appreciated their sometimes irreverent and stinging satire. I would also say that ordinarily I appreciate wit and satire and I am no fan at all of prosperity gospel and televangelists but this struck me as being beyond the pale today," McCarty said.
"This is not a day to poke fun on the day she died. I think it would have been best to have said nothing than to have lampooned and satirized someone on the day she died. She was a wife and mother and people love her," McCarty added. "Today is a day to extend condolences to those who grieve her loss."
On the Babylon Bee"s Facebook page, fans were divided.
"Being in the funeral industry, the bee has lost me on this one," wrote Brad Root, who noted he"s not a fan of TBN theology. "She does have a family who is grieving her loss. Pray for her family that they may see the truth and be brought closer to G*d. Don"t make fun of her after she passed. What would Jesus do? I love ya bee, but you crossed the line this time."
Angela Gabrielle Soles wrote, "I normally think everything BB posts is gold.... but this was completely insensitive. Satire and jokes are fun, but this crossed the line."
Rhett Kelley wrote, "Normally a big fan, but this is way too soon. Regardless of their heretical doctrines, we could demonstrate some charity as her family and friends mourn. There"s plenty of time for satire later."
Others, though, said the story did not go too far.
"Satire works because it offends and in offending shocks our senses to the reality behind the joke," wrote Nate Schlomann. "It is in the very moments of life and death and pain and suffering that the hellacious Prosperity Gospel does its most damage. Sad to have seen this pastorally first hand too many times. So this is the perfect time, there can be no other. Go BB."
Mike Chaney wrote: "Truth is not always comforting and can be offensive. The post sarcastically addresses a legitimate question. It is far less offensive than teaching a doctrine that causes people to live in doubt, guilt and shame for not having enough faith to claim perfect health and abundant wealth."
Stephen Hawking On Donald Trump: "He"s A Demagogue"
Donald Trump has secured the support of one of the world"s worst dictators and been condemned by a man widely considered one of Earth"s greatest minds.
North Korea"s state-run newspaper DPRK Today has praised the billionaire Republican nominee as "wise" and "far-sighted", and taken a shot at his likely Democrat opponent, Hillary Clinton.
"The president that US citizens must vote for is not that dull Hillary but Trump, who spoke of holding direct conversation with North Korea," the paper"s editorial read.
Mr Trump has threatened to pull US forces out of countries where it has bases, like South Korea, unless those countries pay up.
"Who knew that the slogan "Yankee Go Home" would come true like this?" the paper, a mouthpiece for dictator Kim Jong-un"s regime, said.
Meanwhile cosmologist and all-round brainbox Stephen Hawking was stumped when asked by an ITV interviewer to explain Mr Trump"s highly successful campaign to date.
"I can"t," he told Good Morning Britain.
But he gave it a shot anyway.
"He is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator."
Prof Hawking in the past has expressed support for Labour, the UK"s primary left-wing party, and having been confined to a wheelchair most of his life, is a big supporter of universal healthcare.
Memorial Day LUXEMBOURG (AFNS) -- Luxembourgers and Americans united to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their freedoms, fulfilling a promise to never forget that price.
More than 200 citizens of both countries paid their respects to the legacy and valor of fallen American service members as part of a Memorial Day ceremony at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg, May 28.
David McKean, the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg; Lucien Weiler, the marshall of the Luxembourg court; Simone Beissel, the vice president of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies; U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, the 3rd Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force commander; laid ceremonial wreaths and commemorated the fallen Americans ahead of the federal holiday observance.
We gather today as countless others have done every year in Luxembourg since 1946 to honor our fallen heroes, McKean said. Behind me lies the final resting place of 5,075 brave young men and one brave young woman who died in service to our country, for the freedom of this beautiful country and for the freedom of the world.
The ambassador remarked how every white marble cross or star marker represented an actual person someone who made promises he intended to keep, and someone who undoubtedly had hopes and dreams for tomorrow.
Of particular note, McKean observed how many of those buried there had one thing in common that distinctly made them American: they were children of immigrants.
The stories of these men tell the stories of America; we are the country of immigrants, he said. I think President Obama put it best when he said recently, Immigration is at the core of our national character. It is our oldest tradition. It is who we are. It is what makes us exceptional. But these men were more than just children of immigrants like (U.S. Army Gen. George) Patton, they were also heroes. We may never have heard of them but they had family and friends and promises to keep. They had hopes and dreams.
Both the ambassador and Ray laid wreaths on behalf of the American people and military. The ceremony also involved service members from the U.S. and Luxembourg armed forces, including Airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
The installation"s honor guard presented the American, Luxembourg and U.S. Air Force flags and later performed a ceremonial volley with the backdrop of the cemetery of the Airmens predecessors-in-arms, many who died during the Battle of the Bulge.
In his speech, Ray highlighted the legacies of U.S. Army Pvt. William D. McGee and Sgt. Day G. Turner, who both posthumously earned the Medal of Honor for heroism during World War II, as well as U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Nancy Leo, a 216th General Hospital nurse, who is the only woman buried in Luxembourgs cemetery.
(Former) President Reagan said, The martyrs of history were not fools, they did not die in vain, the general said. The fallen who lay before you today secured for us what we must guarantee for the present and for the future. We have an obligation to face that dilemma to choose freedom and pursue it will all of our energy.
Ray added how history showed how people have always been faced with threats to their freedom and how the present time is no different.
Today, Airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa conduct combined training and theater security cooperation engagements with allies and partners aiming to demonstrate a shared commitment to promoting a Europe that is whole, free and at peace.
I believe we have to do more than simply remember, the general said. We have to collectively think about the choices we as free people need to make about our current situation today and tomorrow. Tyrants and tyranny have been a part of human history, no doubt about that. They have been with us in the past, they are with us today and they will be with us in the future.
The first official Memorial Day observance occurred at Arlington National Cemetery May 30, 1868, to honor and decorate the graves of those who died during the Civil War. The holiday serves as an opportunity to pause and remember the sacrifices of more than 1 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who gave their lives in defense of freedom.
Today we come together in this beautiful place, on this beautiful day, as others gather at American cemeteries abroad and across the United States to remind one another that we have not forgotten and that we are so proud of the men and women who serve their country so valiantly, McKean said. We are so grateful that through all these years the people of the Grand Duchy have continued to lovingly watch over and pay tribute to the brave Americans that stayed behind. G*d bless our service men and women around the world today. G*d bless Luxembourg and G*d bless the United States of America.
