Just a day ago we were reminiscing about that time former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into the law the most sweeping curbs on greenhouse gases in the country, rules that drive the federal government's march toward a 54.5 mpg average by 2025. About the same time, Schwarzenegger was in California picking up his new ride, a five-ton Mercedes-Benz Unimog pickup customized to a value estimated at $250,000. The earth underneath its tires will be safe, all right.

Schwarzenegger, the 65-year-old actor and bit player in the recent "The Expendables 2," has long been known as a fan of military-grade trucks, and was a chief reason AM General and General Motors eventually built civilian versions of the Hummer military vehicle. During his time as governor, Schwarzenegger changed his stripes, touting fuel-efficient models and even converting one of his trucks to run on hydrogen.

But after leaving office and some changes in his personal life, Schwarzenegger seems to be exploring the world of high-end machinery again; we caught him earlier thisy month checking out the field at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Thursday's pickup of his diesel Unimog followed a test drive in Germany of the Unimog with its customizer. These trucks aren't sold by Mercedes in the United States, but see duty around the rest of the world as construction, forestry and military haulers, and are renowned for their off-road prowess.

While the $250,000 figure in customizing by German firm Mertec sounds high, it might also involve a fair bit of legal work; newer Unimog U1300s generally aren't legal on American roads; they can barely top 60 mph, and getting one registered for public driving in California may have taken months. Then again, having an ex-governor as a customer couldn't have hurt.

"I'm done," Shia LaBeouf recently told THR. The "Transformers" star no longer wants to make blockbusters for big studios.

"There's no room for being a visionary in the studio system. It literally cannot exist. [The studios] give you the money, then get on a plane and come to the set and stick a finger up your ass and chase you around for five months."

LaBeouf later told USA Today that the quote was taken out of context, but maybe it wasn't: Since Linkin Park played over the end-credits of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," LaBeouf has done everything he can to not star in traditional Hollywood movies. He's the lead in the violent indie "Lawless" (out in theaters now), and next stars in "The Company You Keep" (a.k.a. "The Movie Shia Made With Robert Redford"), "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Drops Acid") and "Nymphomaniac" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Will Simulate Various Sex Acts on Screen"). "Transformers 4" these are not.

But maybe they should be.

This is a dangerous time to be a movie star: Combined, movies led by bona fide icons Johnny Depp ("Dark Shadows"), Tom Cruise ("Rock of Ages") and Adam Sandler ("That's My Boy") were outgrossed in North America this summer by "Ted," Seth MacFarlane's comedy about a foul-mouthed (and computer-generated) teddy bear. The year's biggest hits -- "Marvel's The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hunger Games" -- were ensembles sold on characters, not stars. (Robert Downey Jr. is technically in the class of Depp, Cruise and Sandler, but he still wields the most box-office power while wearing his Iron Man costume.) In a way, movie stars are facing the same issues as talk radio: They're getting older and their fans are getting older. At the same time, young audiences aren't loyal to movie stars, but rather movie moments. (Tom Cruise climbing the tallest building in the world? Check. Tom Cruise singing Bon Jovi? Not so much.) It's enough to make your average blockbuster actor cry into his or her spilled Cristal.

Which is why LaBeouf is so important. Unlike Daniel Radcliffe, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, LaBeouf isn't famous for playing a trademark character. (Do you actually remember what his "Transformers" character was named?) He's famous for being himself -- and he's played variations on his hyper kid persona in everything from "Transformers" to "Indiana Jones" to "Eagle Eye" and "Disturbia." If that sounds familiar, it's because Cruise and Tom Hanks were doing almost the same thing during the '80s and '90s: They each found a note and played it over and over and over again. Cruise and Hanks became their own personal franchises. Why can't LaBeouf?

Well, because he wants to become just another indie actor who looks up to Sean Penn -- complete with the bar fights, love affairs and controversial interviews. Like the USA Today one this week where LaBeouf mentioned doing acid.

"All I'm really trying to say in the most politically sensible way is, 'Thank you so much for giving me the opportunities, I would just like to make movies about people now,'" LaBeouf said, clarifying why he's leaving blockbusters behind. It's just too bad the person he wants to make movies about isn't himself.

Sean Penn is the world's oddest-looking Nazi hunter in the first trailer for "This Must Be the Place," a drama-comedy that first debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Now, thanks to the power of The Weinstein Company, "This Must Be the Place" will finally arrive in U.S. theaters on Nov. 2.

The film tells the story of Cheyenne (Penn), a former rock star who looks an awful lot like Robert Smith from The Cure. After the death of his estranged father, an Auschwitz survivor, Cheyenne attempts to locate the Nazi guard who tormented his dad. Strange occurrences and classic rock music cues happen along the way, as Penn gets help in his quest from Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch and David Byrne among others.

Watch the amusing trailer above; imagining that Penn is doing one big Adam Sandler impression is optional.

Clint Eastwood Speech Review

A sampling of celebrity tweets in response to Clint Eastwood's odd conversation with an invisible President Barack Obama in an empty chair before the Republican National Convention on Thursday:

_ "This seat's taken." – President Barack Obama, accompanied by a photo of the back of Obama's chair with him sitting in it.

_ "20 years ago I wanted Clint Eastwood to make my day. Now I just want him to take his pills and b grateful he doesnt need medicare." – Nancy Lee Grahn, "General Hospital" actress.

_ "I demand to see Invisible Obama's invisible birth certificate." – Michael Schaffer, The New Republic.

_ "Clint Eastwood made my day." – Charlie Daniels, country singer.

_ "And so on this day, August 30, 2012, (at)MittRomney became a better actor than Clint Eastwood." – Lawrence O'Donnell, host of MSNBC's "The Last Word."

_ "I can't believe I just watched (hash)ClintEastwood turn into somebody's DRUNK UNCLE HARRY on the stage of the (hash)GOP (hash)RNC. He humiliated himself." – Star Jones, "Today" contributor.

_ "I. Love. Clint Eastwood." – Blake Shelton, country singer and judge on "The Voice."

_ "I heard that Clint Eastwood was channeling me at the RNC. My lawyers and I are drafting our lawsuit." – comic actor Bob Newhart, referring to his signature one-way-conversation routines.

_ "`If Clint Eastwood ever talks to a chair on national TV, people will need a way to reassure each other' – inventor of Twitter, March 2006." – Patton Oswalt, comedian and actor on "The King of Queens."

_ "Clint Eastwood's RNC speech was to imaginary Obama in an empty chair. I'm drafting a DNC speech to imaginary Romney in an empty factory." – George Takei, Mr. Sulu of "Star Trek."

 The man suspected of killing two people early this morning at a New Jersey Pathmark before shooting himself to death during a confrontation with police is believed to be a 23-year-old former Marine who worked at the grocery store for two weeks, according to WABC-TV.

The suspect left the Old Bridge, N.J., shopping plaza at about 4 a.m. and returned, having changed into camouflage clothing, armed with an AK-47 and an automatic handgun, authorities told WABC, which reported that both victims, a man and a woman, were young adults.

Police had responded to shots inside the Pathmark on Route 9 at 4 a.m.

Authorities believe the man killed two before turning the gun on himself, according to WABC. There's no word on his motive.

"This is the worst phone call a mayor can receive," Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry told NewJersey.com of the information he obtained about 6:30 a.m. "You can prepare for these things but you can't prevent them."

Several employees were inside the store, which was preparing to open at 6 a.m. Two windows near the entrance to the Pathmark were shot out.

Numerous employees were taken across the street to a T.G.I. Friday's and many were being treated for trauma at waiting ambulances.

The scene is now under control, according to WABC, and there were emergency responders in the plaza parking lot who had been standing in front of the store for some time.

Taylor Swift has a new interview with Rolling Stone, although I don’t think she’s taken the cover or anything. Sidenote: The latest cover RS cover story seems to be Matt Taibbi’s epic investigation into Mitt Romney’s financial dealings over the past four decades – you can read the full piece here (Yes, I’m mainly encouraging people to read Taibbi’s story because I have a wonk-crush on him. Matt Taibbi is BOSS. And Chris Hayes too.) Anyway, back to Swifty. Much to her credit (?), she doesn’t completely avoid questions about dating a Kennedy teenager, but she manages to avoid saying Conor Kennedy’s name and she only talks around the whole buying-a-house-right-beside-the-Kennedy-compound thing. Mostly, she talks about music and how she wrote her new album:

    “I went through a few roller coasters,” says Taylor Swift, reflecting on her relationships over the past two years. She channeled the turmoil into her fourth studio LP, Red, out October 22nd. “Trying to chronicle each step of the way was challenging, because you go to some really dark places with the lyrics. Then in the next track, you’re talking about how amazing it is to meet somebody new.”

    After writing 2010′s smash Speak Now by herself, Swift veered in the opposite direction, co-writing with pop hitmakers such as Max Martin and Adele collaborator Dan Wilson. She wound up with nearly 40 potential songs; in between stops on the yearlong world tour that she wrapped in March, Swift joined her writing partners in L.A. and Nashville.

    “I felt like an apprentice,” Swift says. “They taught me so much about melodic sense, and they let me do what I love, which is the lyrics.”

    The result is Swift’s most eclectic set ever, ranging from “State of Grace,” a howling, U2-style epic with reverb-drenched guitars, to a sweet acoustic duet with U.K. singer Ed Sheeran. Another key track even features a dubstep-inspired bass breakdown. So far, the new direction isn’t hurting Swift’s career: Lead single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” a bitter breakup anthem with a hip-hop-flavored Max Martin beat, has shattered chart records, selling a stunning 623,000 digital singles in its first week. To Swift, the musical excursions aren’t surprising, given how much hip-hop and R&B she listens to. “I have so many play­lists full of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown,” she says. “I love Wiz Khalifa.”

    Lyrically, the album is full of Swift’s usual themes of romance and heartbreak. “I know general things about love,” she says. “How to treat people well, what you deserve and when to walk away. Other than that, love is a complete mystery – and that’s why I like to write about it.”

    Swift has spent much of the summer with her new boyfriend, Conor Kennedy (the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. She’s even looked into buying a house near the Kennedy compound. “That would be so amazing,” she says.

    But Swift won
’t be resting for long: She’s already thinking about how to top her last tour, which featured aerialists, costume changes and a mock wedding onstage every night. “I really want to go out on the road in the spring,” she says. “After I write a song, I always end up laying awake at night thinking, ‘What are the lighting cues going to be on this? How big is the pit going to be?’ I have been thinking of some big moments that are going to happen.”

Queen Elizabeth II is cooler than any of us. She raises corgis, parachutes from planes with James Bond (sort of) and hangs out with some awesome girlfriends. Should we even keep trying?

Her Majesty took to the wheel in Balmoral over the weekend -- home of the infamous corgis vs. Princess Beatrice's terrier smackdown -- rollin' in a Range Rover on her way back from a grouse shoot. But instead of her trademark floral hats -- much more customary for a royal -- she slipped into some unusual headgear, wearing what appeared to be a grey-colored hoodie.

The 86-year-old queen usually scoots around in her chaffeured Bentley, so we're surprised to see her gunning behind the wheel of a green Range Rover. But regardless... THAT HOODIE.

Now, we have to ask. Was the queen actually decked out in a hoodie, or was her headwear just a scarf pinned down with bobby pins (which we can sort of make out in the photos)? Judge for yourself.

By now, everyone and their mother knows that Taylor Swift is dating a Kennedy (Conor, 18, son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), and that the leggy country crooner all but party-bombed a Kennedy wedding last week ("I personally went up to Ms. Swift…and asked her nicely as I could to leave," the bride's mother said).

But the top-earning entertainer under 30 is not stopping there. She's already bought that $4.9 million vacation home near the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., which she alludes to in a new interview in Rolling Stone. "That would be so amazing," Swift gushed to the publication.

Other things the 22-year-old gushed about? Her love for R&B hip-hop ("I love Wiz Khalifa" -- how quirky!) and collaborating with industry pros Max Martin and Dan Wilson for her fourth album, "Red" (out October 22). She also expounded on love, just generally. "Trying to chronicle each step of the way was challenging, because you go to some really dark places with the lyrics. Then in the next track, you're talking about how amazing it is to meet someone new," Swift said.

Not that we're sensing a trend here [insert Taylor Swift surprise face here], but … Conor, you listening?

Taylor Swift is never ever getting back together with you ... unless you're in a furry costume? That's at least one of the takeaways from the first video for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," the hit new single from the pop-country singer.

As you might guess, the song -- off Swift's upcoming album Red -- details a poisonous, break-up/make-up relationship that Swift finds "exhausting." (No word yet on which of Swift's famous exes the break-up anthem is about.) In the video -- which uses some fancy camera tricks to look like one continuous take -- Swift goes back and forth with her hipster boyfriend, and only finds solace (and "we-HEEEEs") with her friends, a group of furry-costume wearing musicians.

Since its release, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" has been on top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It sold a record-setting 623,000 digital copies during its debut week.

The video isn't embeddable yet, but feel free to sing along and head over to MTV.com for the whole video.

Obama's America" has been one of the most-discussed movies of the summer, with media coverage focusing on two things above all: the amount of money it has generated at the box office and the movie's anti-Obama message, especially controversial in an election year.

But conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza, who co-directed the movie and wrote "The Roots of Obama's Rage," the non-fiction book it's based on, told The Huffington Post that he didn't initially intend for it to be a big ticket-seller or a tool of political persuasion. He came up with the idea of making the movie trying to think of ways address critics of his book, who said it had failed to prove its central claim that Obama had been influenced by his father.

"I was thinking, 'Haven't you guys read Obama's book? He wrote practically 500 pages on this subject,'" D'Souza said. "And then I noticed that Obama had read his own book in audiobook. I began to listen to it, and I thought, 'It's all here in his own voice! If only I could take some of this stuff, critical points, and make a documentary, it would be very helpful for people.'"

D'Souza said he thought back to Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which inspired heated debate when it was released on the eve of the 2004 presidential election.

"I realized that the conditions now are very similar. A controversial president, half the country on each side of the fence, anxiety about the American dream," he said. "So I thought, why not take a page out of Michael Moore's book and make a film -- although a very different kind of film, I hope."

An acquaintance put him in touch with producer Gerald Molan, who'd worked on "Schindler's List." Molan agreed that "The Roots of Obama's Rage" had the makings of a compelling movie. D'Souza raised $2.5 million from 25 friends and acquaintances -- "mostly from my neighborhood in California," he said -- and started work on the movie with co-director John Sullivan. They filmed around the world in January and February, then had a final cut ready by the end of May.

To minimize financial risk, they rolled out the movie slowly, opening on just one screen on July 13. Ticket sales were strong, so they expanded distribution -- first to four screens, then to six, 10, 61 and 169 in the following weeks. Last weekend, it was playing on 1,091 screens and had made $6.5 million -- more than any new movie that week.

Keith Simanton, managing editor of the online movie database IMDB, said that the movie's success was largely an effect of canny marketing and good timing. "It's had a groundswell around it. The platform release worked well -- and being in the middle of the Republican convention helps. They timed it well; if they'd pumped this out in July, we wouldn't be having this conversation, " he told The Huffington Post.