Is that Rambo, or Jumbo?
Sylvester Stallone may be a folk hero among Myanmar dissidents, but to the ruling junta he’s just a big fat joke.
The latest “Rambo” film shows the weary hero on a mission to rescue a group of Christian missionaries taken captive by brutal government troops in the jungles of Myanmar (also known as Burma).
The movie’s catch phrase, “Either live for something, die for nothing – it’s your choice,” is particularly poignant after nonviolent demonstrations for democracy were violently quashed by the army last September.
Stallone’s fictional exploits have made him a folk hero among the government’s real-life foes, who circulate bootleg DVDs of the film.
But an article in The Voice, a Myanmar-language magazine, decried Rambo’s bloodletting and said the character “looks funny fighting a war even though he’s so fat with sagging breasts.”
“Stallone’s unsmiling and serious-looking style makes him look like a lunatic,” it added.
The Voice, like other privately owned publications in Myanmar, is often pressured into carrying pro-government content.
Chips off the Jenny block
In case you’ve been temporarily comatose, or otherwise preoccupied, you may not have heard that Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl – early Friday.
Lopez’s manager confirmed that the 5-pound, 7-ounce girl arrived first, followed by a 6-pound boy 15 minutes later, ending one of pop music’s most closely watched pregnancies.
Special delivery
Vincent D’Onofrio‘s wife presented him with the perfect Valentine Day’s gift: a baby boy.
Luca D’Onofrio was born Feb. 14 to the “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” star and his wife, Carin, a spokeswoman announced Wednesday.
A new order for ‘Law’
Jesse L. Martin is putting down his “Law & Order” detective’s shield, and Anthony Anderson is in negotiations to pick it up.
Martin, who’s been with the NBC drama since 1999, will film an episode explaining the departure of his character, New York police Detective Ed Green.
Anderson, whose TV cop-show credits include “K-Ville” and “The Shield,” is in line to join the cast as a new partner for Detective Cyrus Lupo, played by Jeremy Sisto.
Singing a different tune
Edie Falco, a three-time Emmy winner for “The Sopranos,” has signed on for a Showtime comedy about a feisty New York City nurse.
The yet-unnamed series is described as a dark comedy in the tradition of “Weeds.”
School of hard Knoxville
“Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville has recovered from a nasty motorcycle accident.
Knoxville was taping a stunt for an MTV special when the bike shot up in the air and landed on him, tearing his urethra.
“My girlfriend was very supportive of me,” he said Thursday as his catheter was removed. “Thank God, today I am a man again.”
The birthday bunch
Actor-director Peter Fonda is 68. Musician Johnny Winter is 64. Actress Patricia Richardson is 57. Actress Dakota Fanning is 14.