[LA-CINE] ¡Adiós Clichés! Hola Mexico Film Festival Returns To L.A. BY Afroxander | PUBLISHED: Monday, May 21st, 2012 The Hola Mexico Film Festival returns for its fourth installment at the Ricardo Montalban Theater, its home since 2011. The festival is a showcase of modern Mexican cinema that aims to give audiences a taste of what life in Mexico really is. “Mexico is not what is seen on current television networks or select news reports,” says festival director Samuel Douek. Telenovela fans, take note! The festival kicks off with a red carpet screening of Días De Gracia (Days of Grace) by Dir. Everardo Gout on Wednesday, May 23rd. The film was a hit at Cannes and will make its USA debut at Hola. Screenings of feature-length ... Continue reading →

A former Los Angeles County property appraiser accused of improperly slashing the value of more than 100 Westside homes and businesses was taken into custody in Oregon on Monday, marking the first arrest in the wide-ranging corruption probe into the assessor's office. Prosecutors say Scott Schenter, 49, falsified department documents and unlawfully lowered property values by $172 million for multimillion-dollar homes and businesses. Schenter allegedly secured campaign contributions from the owners for Assessor John Noguez, authorities said. “The magnitude of Schenter’s suspected betrayal of public trust is almost inconceivable,” Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said. “We believe his actions are not isolated.” Schenter, who resigned in lieu of termination in January 2011 after a supervisor discovered his misconduct, was charged last week with ... Continue reading →

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A blind Chinese legal activist who was suddenly allowed to leave the country arrived in the U.S. on Saturday, ending a nearly monthlong diplomatic tussle that had tested U.S.-China relations. Chen Guangcheng had been hurriedly taken from a hospital hours earlier and put on a plane for the United States after Chinese authorities suddenly told him to pack and prepare to leave. He arrived Saturday evening at Newark Liberty International Airport, outside New York City. The departure of Chen, his wife and two children to the United States marked the conclusion of nearly a month of uncertainty and years of mistreatment by local authorities for the self-taught activist. After seven years of prison and house arrest, Chen made a daring escape ... Continue reading →