Soul Decision

By JAKE COYLE, The Associated PressNEW YORK -- The Grammy Awards' warm embrace of Chris Brown three years after his assault of Rihanna has drawn the ire of viewers who claim the controversial R&B star shouldn't have been rewarded with such attention.Brown was front-and-center three times during Sunday's Grammys. He won best R&B album for 'F.A.M.E.,' he performed a single from his upcoming album, 'Turn Up the Music,' and he opened a dance tribute to 'Soul Train' creator Don Cornelius.The imagery of Brown's Grammy glory was striking because it was, literally, a return to the scene of the crime. On the eve of the 2009 Grammys, Brown beat his then-girlfriend Rihanna, for which he later pled guilty to a charge of assault and was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community labor.Since then, Brown has worked to repair his image, undergone domestic violence counseling and rediscovered popularity with his hit album 'F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies).' Last year, his restraining order was eased. The former order required Brown to stay 50 yards away from 23-year-old Rihanna, but the restriction was reduced to 10 yards if they were at a music industry event. Rihanna also performed Sunday but the two never shared the stage.On Sunday evening, Twitter was abuzz with questions of Brown's significant role in the proceedings. Many critics argued against the Grammys' decision to celebrate Brown and endorse his comeback.New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones called Brown's return 'one of the Grammys' weirdest choices ever,' and cited R&B singer Drake as the more deserving star in the genre to celebrate.In an op-ed, Valerie Strauss for The Washington Post said that while people deserve second chances, 'That doesn't mean they deserve a chance to strut around the Grammy stage a few years after being convicted of felony assault.'Jeffrey Goldberg for

How will Republicans and Tea Party work together after the election? Richard Viguerie of ConservativeHQ.com and Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation talk to Msnbc’s Lawrence O’Donnell.

Trailer for Don't Tempt Me. Heaven has sent its best, and the devil has enlisted his worst - Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz co-star as agents doing battle for ultimate supremacy. The winner is to be decided by whoever can secure the soul of a short-tempered, punch-drunk boxer on earth. These sexy angels pull no punches, using their brains, wiles and of course, sex appeal. Damnation has never been this seductive, and seduction never more heavenly; he's not going to know what hit him, he's only human! Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril are arch enemies in the Faustian tale Don't Tempt Me. Sent to Earth to determine the fate of boxer Manny (Demian Bichir), Lola (Abril) is an angel from Heaven, and Carmen (Cruz) is a devil pulled out of the vortex of Hell. For Lola, the mission is a chore, a nightmare, and puts her at risk for losing her cushy celestial spot. For Carmen, it is a gift, a vacation, and the one chance she has for redemption. Manny is stuck in the middle of these two manic forces, who must influence his decision to either stick with his competitive boxing career and risk a brain hemorrhage, or quit and save himself. At either end of the spectrum are higher forces. Gael Garcia Bernal plays the slick and slimy Davenport (read: Satan), ruling the chaotic, violent red regions of Hell from which Carmen was sprung. In Heaven, a lovely white oasis of cabaret and leisure time, Fanny Ardant is a graceful Marina D'Angelo who encourages Lola with her singing career. A witty and amusing film in French (Heaven), Spanish (Earth), and English (Hell), with many moments of tongue-in-cheek insight on the battle of good versus evil, director Augustin Diaz Yanes has spun an entertaining yarn with Don't Tempt Me.

Mind Malady -- Judith must decide if she ll pull the plug on her vegetative husband Benny, But because of Dr. Boyd, an optimistic neurologist claiming to have a cure, she keeps him alive. Judith s love interest, Joseph Bayliss, senses something wrong with Dr. Boyds antics and thinks that Benny will never wake up and that a cure doesn t exist. Bayliss just wants Judith to move on and lead a happy life. This angers Boyd who is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Benny alive even if it means getting rid of Bayliss for good. In the meantime Dr. Boyd is becoming more and more obsessed with his patient Benny and the previous life he lead, so much so that he feels that he has to take care of Benny s unfinished business from the past. This is why he targets Preston Reynolds, a young and successful lawyer, who had previously done Benny wrong. Dr. Boyd becomes increasingly dangerous and Judith, Bayliss, and Preston have to fend for their lives. In 2005 the world was split in two about the decision whether or not to pull the plug on Terri Schiavo. After having a debate about the subject I couldn t help but think what was happening in the mind of Terri Schiavo. What was the state of her soul, of her conscious? This was the beginning of my idea for the film Mind Malady. Mind Malady is a story that takes a closer look at what happens to those that lie in a persistent vegetative state.