DeNiro defends anti-vax doc
De Niro defends anti-vax doc Robert De Niro on Friday defended the inclusion of the anti-vaccination doc Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Conspiracy in the Tribeca Film Festival, which he cofounded, according to Variety.
De Niro defends anti-vax doc
Robert De Niro on Friday defended the inclusion of the anti-vaccination doc Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Conspiracy in the Tribeca Film Festival, which he cofounded, according to Variety.
Directed by anti-vaccination advocate Andrew Wakefield, the film suggests there's a link between children's vaccines and autism. Wakefield lost his medical license in Britain for falsifying a 1998 study that made such a claim in the case of a vaccine that prevents measles, mumps, and rubella.
His critics say there has been a rise in measles outbreaks because parents he inspired have decided not to have their kids vaccinated.
De Niro, 72, is undaunted. "Grace and I have a child with autism," he said on Facebook, referring to his second wife, with whom he has a son, Elliott, "and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined."
Adds the actor, "I am not personally endorsing the film, nor am I anti-vaccination; I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue."
Gossip petits fours
Despite negative reviews, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made $27.7 mil at midnight showings Thursday, suggesting the Ben Affleck-Henry Cavill beefcake battle will make blockbuster dollars. . . . HBO canceled its indie-film-flavored relationship dramedy Togetherness after two seasons. Created by Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, and Steve Zissis, it costarred the latter two with Melanie Lynskey and Amanda Peet. . . . Why did rapper Twista (Carl Terrell Mitchell) never show up for his concert Thursday in Valparaiso, Ind.? He tells TMZ he and three pals were en route in a Rolls-Royce Phantom when they were pulled over and arrested for allegedly possessing half an ounce of weed.
Kurt Sutter goes darker
Sons of Anarchy and The Bastard Executioner producer Kurt Sutter has come up with some of the most violent - albeit buff and boyishly charming - characters in TV history. He says he's gone even darker with his latest creation, Lucas Stand. A comic book due to hit bookstores June 1, it's cocreated by Sutter, writer Caitlin Kittredge, and artist Jesús Hervás.
Sutter tells USA Today the titular character is "the darkest antihero or hero I've ever created." Yikes! A soldier responsible for lots of awfulness, Lucas kills himself only to be sent back from the underworld to hunt down escaped demons.
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