Tag Archives: Jason Russell
Jason Russell, KONY 2012 Filmmaker, Addresses Naked Meltdown and Gay Rumors With Oprah Winfrey
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Seven months after he became a household name, Jason Russell is hoping to be a viral sensation once again – preferably with his clothes on this time.
After shooting to fame with the release of his film “Kony 2012” in March, which racked up 100 million YouTube views in less than a week, Russell eclipsed his own project just 10 days later when a video of his naked meltdown on a San Diego street corner exploded online. (Click here to see that video)
Now the controversial filmmaker is back with a new movie about the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, and he wants to set the record straight about his former flameout.
“It’s hard to explain if people have never had an out of body experience, but it really wasn’t me,” he told Oprah of his meltdown, in an interview for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” that aired on Sunday. “That wasn’t me, that person on the street corner ranting and raving and naked, is not me. That’s not who I am.”
Russell says the wild success of the video led him to feel intense pressure that caused him to break down.
“My mind couldn’t stop thinking about the future. I literally thought I was responsible for the future of humanity,” he told the “Today” show on Monday. “It started to go into a point where my mind finally turned against me and there was a moment where, click, I was not in control of my mind or my body.”
Though he says he only remembers a few details of his dramatic public episode, Russell believes he was trying to hitch a ride.
“I thought, ‘I have to get to New York in the next 12 hours.’ That’s what I thought,” he told Oprah. “’Because I have to stop the war.’ So I ran out to the front and I think I was trying to ask cars to take me to the airport. In my underwear.”
Russell says he has no idea why he was naked.
“It was just very out of control,” he told Oprah, showing her that he pounded his hands on the street so hard he actually dented his wedding ring. “I look at that video and I think, how sad for him.”
When asked if he was gay, he said he was simply “theatrical” and denied rumors that he had performed a lewd act during his meltdown.
“There were rumors of masturbation, but no one who was there ever said that that was happening,” he told Oprah, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m naked so it’s not a far extension of imagination that that would be happening but, no, I don’t remember any of that, and no one we knew there said that I was. I don’t remember anything except like a half-second. I don’t.”
Russell was later diagnosed as having a psychotic breakdown that caused temporary insanity, and says he has been doing yoga and therapy to recover.
“It’s hard for my wife to even talk about it still because it was so scary and traumatizing,”he told the Today show.
He says he’s going to be more watchful of his health this time around, as he promotes Invisible Children’s new film “Move,” which made its YouTube debut on Sunday. The film, which promises a behind-the-scenes look at KONY 2012, asks supporters to march against Joseph Kony on Washington on November 17.
“I don’t think anything can compete with the perfect storm of KONY 2012,” he said, “but we do hope that millions of people do see this next film and know that we’re still committed.”
What do you think? Is he being honest or doing his best to cover up a completely embarrassing story that may have impacted his KONY 2012 campaign of sorts. It’s hard to know because, as he said himself, he’s “theatrical”:
Hollywood Reporter - When Winfrey asked the married filmmaker about rumors he’s gay (“that you were running in the streets nude because you were gay”), he laughed, saying: “I grew up in theater, my parents started a large children’s theater organization, so I am animated, I am … theatrical. That’s me by nature. So when you take me, times it by ten … .”
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Invisible Children: Jason Russell’s Wife, Danica Russell, Speaks Out About Husband’s Masturbation Incident
Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, has received an enormous amount of criticism for recently being filmed naked and arrested for publicly masturbating as well. After the KONY 2012 video was released, Russell, along with the rest of the organization, has been focused on and the subject of a controversial debate. Although many are claiming that drugs and/or alcohol were the cause of this breakdown, fewer are suggesting that dehydration, exhaustion and stress are to blame (and most people are aware of publicists and what their jobs are, hence the majority not believing the latter).
Here is Danica Russell’s message to the public:
“Thank you to those who continue to support both us, and Invisible Children. The organization is an extension of our family, and we hope that Jason’s vision and work toward peace in the region remains the focus, and comes as soon as possible, as they continue to work in his absence.
We would, again, like to make it clear that Jason’s incident was in no way the result of drugs or alcohol in his body. The preliminary diagnosis he received is called brief reactive psychosis, an acute state brought on by extreme exhaustion, stress and dehydration. Though new to us, the doctors say this is a common experience given the great mental, emotional and physical shock his body has gone through in these last two weeks. Even for us, it’s hard to understand the sudden transition from relative anonymity to worldwide attention – both raves and ridicules, in a matter of days.
Jason will get better. He has a long way to go, but we are confident that he will make a full recovery. He is, and will remain, under hospital care for a number of weeks; and after that, the recovery process could take months before he is fully able to step back into his role with Invisible Children. During that time, we will focus not on a speedy recovery, but a thorough one.
On Jason’s behalf, keep your attention turned to the end of Africa’s longest running conflict, and setting a precedent for all future injustice.
With love and overflow of gratitude for your prayers, we thank you.”
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[VIDEO] Jason Russell of Invisible Children: Drunk and Naked In The Street Wreaking Havoc
Jason Russell decided it would be a great idea to get drunk, run around naked, curse and masturbate. Unfortunately, the police and many other people didn’t agree. Although a rep for Invisible Children is claiming that this was all due to exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition, we all know that this is just an attempt to cover up the truth.
I’m sure all the criticism of KONY 2012 started to get to the husband, father and co-founder of Invisible Children. While he was hoping Joseph Kony would become famous from this campaign, it seems as though the tables have turned.Well done, Mr. Russell… well done.
YouTube: NEW up-close video: http://youtu.be/TjdH2LDH5LM – TMZ has footage of Kony 2012 honcho Jason Russell in the midst of his naked meltdown in San Diego … pounding his fists in anger and screaming maniacally. More info here: http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/16/kony-honcho-arrested-for-allegedly-masturbating…
As we previously reported, Russell was detained by police yesterday … after witnesses say he was running around naked and making sexual gestures.
Russell was held on a 5150 psychiatric hold … so authorities can decide if he poses a danger to himself or others.
A rep for Invisible Children says Russell was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition as a result of a strenuous PR campaign.
Related articles
- Co-Founder of Invisible Children, Creator of KONY 2012 Video, ARRESTED for Masturbating in Public (blippitt.com)
- Invisible Children Co-Founder Jason Russell Hospitalized Following Breakdown (blippitt.com)
- From Kony To Boney?: Invisible Children Co-Founder Detained For Allegedly Masturbating In Public (mediaite.com)
- ‘Kony 2012′ Mastermind Jason Russell’s Naked Meltdown – CAUGHT ON VIDEO (tmz.com)
[UPDATED] [VIDEO] Who Is Joseph Kony? PLEASE SHARE! It Is Important!
(For everyone who read up on KONY, please be aware that the Invisible Children Organization has their own skeletons in the closet. Not only do they work with Sudan People’s Liberation Army (who has a similar reputation as the LRA), they also exaggerate the statistics and refuse to let the BBB look into their operation. While I love that they raised awareness, I don’t know if their organization is what we should support, but rather the people of Africa as well as humanity. Research and awareness takes time and effort while following the majority takes nothing. Be aware and continue on fighting!)
When I first sat down to watch this amazing film, I had no idea what I was getting myself in for and very little knowledge on what it would actually be about. I must admit that a range of emotions have since overwhelmed me and I can’t help but to feel ashamed, saddened, angry, bitter, hopeless, hopeful, but more than anything, I am happy to feel compassion for humanity.
Joseph Kony is a despicable man coward, that preys on those who can’t fight him, controls their will, desires, AND freedom, all to gain nothing but power and superiority over the masses. What bothered me even more that Kony himself was the carelessness and inhumane way that OUR government, the Unites States of America, reacted when they first heard the pleas of this filmmaker (who is truly, much more than that). Financially and socially not a big enough issue for us to get involved?! Excuse me, but are you fucking serious?! Thank goodness you though otherwise during the time of Hitler or we may be a much different world today.
The film brings great insight into the advantages of technology in the modern world and how we, as a people, can use this to our advantage. No longer should the politicians, 1%, and media have the say in who or what we fight for, but rather, the people, are the ones who can now make decisions on a global level. Please watch this film and find a way to be a part of the change in our system! Don’t fight for America, fight for humanity!
UPDATE March 7th, 2012 at 3:05PM: I was hoping to do more research on this after I got home from work and was able to spend some time investigating, but have discovered, I shouldn’t wait that long. An article posted by Jezebel has already brought up many issues that I feel everyone who watches this video should be aware of:
Dubious Finances
From “Visible Children”:
“Invisible Children has been condemned time and time again. As a registered not-for-profit, its finances are public. Last year, the organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services (page 6), with much of the rest going to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production. This is far from ideal, and Charity Navigator rates their accountability 2/4 stars because they haven’t had their finances externally audited. But it goes way deeper than that.
Exaggerated Claims
From Foreign Affairs magazine:
In their campaigns, such organizations [as Invisible Children] have manipulated facts for strategic purposes, exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA’s use of innocent children as soldiers, and portraying Kony — a brutal man, to be sure — as uniquely awful, a Kurtz-like embodiment of evil.
Support for Military Intervention
From “Visible Children:”
The group is in favour of direct military intervention, and their money supports the Ugandan government‘s army and various other military forces. Here’s a photo of the founders of Invisible Children posing with weapons and personnel of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Both the Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army are riddled with accusations of rape and looting, but Invisible Children defends them,arguing that the Ugandan army is “better equipped than that of any of the other affected countries”, although Kony is no longer active in Uganda and hasn’t been since 2006 by their own admission. These books each refer to the rape and sexual assault that are perennial issues with the UPDF, the military group Invisible Children is defending.
Marketing Tactics
From Yale Professor Chris Blattman:
“[The video] feels much the same, laced with more macho bravado. The movie feels like it’s about the filmmakers, and not the cause. There might be something to the argument that American teenagers are more likely to relate to an issue through the eyes of a peer. That’s the argument that was made after the first film. It’s not entirely convincing, especially given the distinctly non-teenage political influence IC now has. The cavalier first film did the trick. Maybe now it’s time to start acting like grownups.
…
There are a few other things that are troubling. It’s questionable whether one should be showing the faces of child soldiers on film. And watching the film one gets the sense that the US and IC were instrumental in getting the peace talks to happen. These things diminish credibility more than anything.
“Invisible Children is staffed by douchebags” (A woman after my own heart.)
From Vice:
“Now when I first watched the Kony 2012 video, there was a horrible pang of self-knowledge as I finally grasped quite how shallow I am. I found it impossible to completely overlook the smug indie-ness of it all. It reminded me of a manipulative technology advert, or the Kings of Leon video where they party with black families, or the 30 Seconds to Mars video where all the kids talk about how Jared Leto’s music saved their lives. I mean, watch the first few seconds of this again. It’s pompous twaddle with no relevance to fucking anything.”
I am still going to try and decide where I stand on this matter, because whatever the facts about Invisible Children are, they still made one difference: People all over the world now feel empowered to know that they can make a difference. One person can make change, (s)he just has to ignite the passion within another. Kony is a bad man. Invisible Children is an organization trying to make change (whether it be 2 stars or 4). You decide what you want to do, because YOU have the freedom to do so.
If Kony 2012 inspired you to donate money to the region, check out these charities, all of which received four star ratings on Charity Navigator: AMREF USA, Doctors Without Borders, and Water.org.
YouTube Description:
KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.
HOW TO HELP:
Join TRI or Donate to Invisible Children: http://bit.ly/yp5Ffv
Purchase KONY 2012 products: http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/
Sign the Pledge: http://www.causes.com/causes/227-invisible-children
FOR MEDIA INQUIRES ONLY: Monica Vigo pr@invisiblechildren.com
DIRECTOR: Jason Russell
LEAD EDITOR: Kathryn Lang
EDITORS: Kevin Trout, Jay Salbert, Jesse Eslinger
LEAD ANIMATOR: Chad Clendinen
ANIMATOR: Jesse Eslinger
3-D MODELING: Victor Soto
VISUAL EFFECTS: Chris Hop
WRITERS: Jason Russell, Jedidiah Jenkins, Kathryn Lang, Danica Russell, Ben Keesey, Azy Groth
PRODUCERS: Kimmy Vandivort, Heather Longerbeam, Chad Clendinen, Noelle Jouglet
ORIGINAL SCORES: Joel P. West
SOUND MIX: Stephen Grubbs, Mark Friedgen, Smart Post Sound
COLOR: Damian Pelphrey, Company 3
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, Gavin Kelly, Chad Clendinen, Kevin Trout, Jay Salbert, Shannon Lynch PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Jaime Landsverk
LEAD DESIGNER: Tyler Fordham
DESIGNERS: Chadwick Gantes, Stephen Witmer
MUSIC CREDIT:
“02 Ghosts I”
Performed by Nine Inch Nails
Written by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor
Produced by Alan Moulder, Atticus Ross, and Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails appear courtesy of The Null Corporation
“Punching in a Dream”
Performed by The Naked and Famous
Written by Aaron Short, Alisa Xayalith, and Thom Powers
Produced by Thom Powers
The Naked and Famous appear courtesy of Somewhat Damaged and Universal Republic
“Arrival of the Birds”
Performed by The Cinematic Orchestra
Written by The Cinematic Orchestra
Produced by The Cinematic Orchestra
The Cinematic Orchestra appears courtesy of Disney Records
“Roll Away Your Stone“
Performed by Mumford and Sons
Written by Benjamin Lovett, Edward Dwane, Marcus Mumford, and Winston Marshall
Produced by Markus Dravs
Mumford and Sons appear courtesy of Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC
“On (Instrumental)”
Performed by Bloc Party
Written by Bloc Party
Produced by Jacknife Lee
Bloc Party appears courtesy of Vice Records
“A Dream within a Dream”
Performed by The Glitch Mob
The Glitch Mob appears courtesy of Glass Air
“I Can’t Stop”
Performed by Flux Pavilion
Flux Pavilion appears courtesy of Circus Records Limited
Related articles
- Information About Kony 2012 and Details of Augusta Event to “Plaster the City” on April 20, 2012 (thevalleyvoice.org)
- Kony 2012: Viral Campaign Aims to Take Down War Criminal [Video] (inquisitr.com)
- Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 Video About Uganda Conflict: The Making Of A Viral Masterpiece (fastcompany.com)
- Millennials Want To Make Kony Famous In 2012 (ypulse.com)
- Meet Kony: He’s a Ugandan warlord and he’s about to be famous (thestar.com)
- What You Need to Know About Joseph Kony (collegecandy.com)
- Kony 2012 (girlmeetsbulgaria.com)