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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2015 23:36:57 GMT
Taya Kyle is thrilled by the success of American Sniper. The film, which took in more than $90 million at the box office this weekend, tells the story of Taya's late husband, Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who is widely regarded as the deadliest sniper in U.S. history. "I am overwhelmed with gratitude and my heart is full," Taya posted on Facebook on Sunday. "American Sniper has broken records, which follows such an honest path of Chris's life," she elaborated. "We never expected anything and were always in a moment of stunned silence at the response from all the beautiful people in this world." Chris served four tours in Iraq before his untimely death at age 38 in 2013, when he was allegedly shot by fellow Marine Eddie Ray Routh. Routh is currently awaiting trial for capital murder. "The only thing I can say is thank you," Taya added. "Thank you for the love and support of our military. Thank you for being willing to watch the hard stuff and thank you for hearing, seeing, experiencing the life of our military and first responders." The widow went on to say that she misses her husband every day. "You are the man who I couldn't have even dreamt of because you were/are better than I could have dreamed, the love of my life, my friend, partner and the man who laughed with me through the pain and found joy in the smallest and best parts of life," she wrote. "I hope you see the love and good we will do together in whatever God has planned for the rest of the journey. Thank you for loving me. You are with me and I love you is all I can say. I can only say it simply, because there aren't words enough to express it all." Sienna Miller in "American Sniper." For acclaimed actress Sienna Miller, playing Taya Kyle, the wife of the most prolific sniper in American military history, Chris Kyle, has involved a roller coaster of emotions. Miller said as an actress, working with director Clint Eastwood has been a personal high; but she also found it tough to enjoy the role because of the story's tragic ending and lingering, traumatic effects on Taya Kyle after her husband's untimely death.
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Post by Admin on Feb 19, 2015 23:20:38 GMT
The Hollywood honchos behind “American Sniper” omitted a final scene that would have depicted Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s gory death, the show’s writer revealed, after the soldier’s widow urged them to leave it out. Screenwriter Jason Hall told the Daily News that Kyle’s wife, Taya, asked Bradley Cooper, who played her husband in the film, director Clint Eastwood and other executives not to include the moment in their take on the story. “Five days after Chris was murdered, (Taya) called and said, ‘This is going to be how my children remember their father, so I want you to get right,’” Hall said. The film’s creators had penned a version that included the sniper’s murder by another veteran, which occurred at a firing range in Stephenville, Texas, in 2013. They wrote it five different ways, brainstorming various ways they would shoot it, Hall said. “We went around and around,” he admitted. Ultimately they heeded Taya Kyle’s wishes. The end of the movie just depicts Bradley Cooper as Kyle, 38, arriving at the Rough Creek Lodge rifle range. “In the end, I think we felt that this was a film about Chris’ life and not about his death,” Hall said. “We also wanted to be careful not to glorify the guy who did it.” Hall says the widow’s pleas affected him as a father. “I didn’t want it to be the thing that was hanging over their heads for the very rest of their lives as the film that showed their father getting shot,” he said. Hall also hit back at the critics who have accused the film, nominated for six Oscars — including Best Picture — of glorifying the Iraq War. “Any time a movie gets a reaction, it’s a good reaction. And the fact that people are talking about soldiers and about Iraq is a positive reaction,” he said. He says many veterans’ associations have told him that the story has opened up conversations about the postscript of soldier’s lives, after their tours overseas end.
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Post by Admin on Feb 22, 2015 23:17:09 GMT
She sits strong and tall in the center of the courtroom, stoically fighting back tears or crying quietly. Rarely, at only the worst moments, Taya Kyle will close her eyes briefly as the horrors of her life unfold before her. The widow of slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle hasn’t missed a day of testimony in the nearly two weeks since the capital murder trial of the former Marine accused of killing her husband and another man began. She plans to be in court as well when the verdict is returned, perhaps this week. Through it all, she has drawn support from a small circle of family and friends who sit with her in the Erath County courtroom, and from thousands of others who have sent their prayers and wishes from around the world. “It’s her faith — that’s what gets her through,” said close friend Amy Novacek. She has sat beside Kyle throughout the trial, sometimes holding her hand, offering a tissue or drawing a smile. It’s powerful, and it’s painful,” Novacek said. “Even if you’re not close to anybody in that courtroom, you’ll walk out of there with your life changed.” Kyle, 38, and his close friend Chad Littlefield, 35, both of Midlothian were gunned down at a shooting range at Rough Creek Lodge and Resort in Glen Rose, southwest of Fort Worth, on Feb. 2, 2013. Former Marine Cpl. Eddie Ray Routh, 27, of Lancaster is charged in the deaths and would face a sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. But Routh’s attorneys argue he was insane at the time of the shooting and didn’t know what he had done was wrong. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Routh could face up to life in a state mental hospital. Taya Kyle was the first witness to take the stand, telling jurors about her husband and their life as a family. Chris Kyle is the deadliest sniper in American military history, and his best-selling book, American Sniper, has been made into a blockbuster movie nominated for six Academy Awards. After testifying, Kyle took her place in the courtroom audience and has watched closely as evidence is presented. Because she was a witness, Kyle was asked by the judge not to talk about the case until the trial ends. Among those supporting her in the courtroom are her father, Kent Studebaker, who is mayor of Lake Oswego, Ore., and Novacek and her husband, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek. Kyle is writing her own book, American Wife, and is hoping to attend the Academy Awards on Sunday night. But she’s expected to be back in court by the time closing arguments begin, probably early this week. “She’s had resounding support,” Amy Novacek said. “Everybody in the country knows Chris and Taya.”
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2015 23:15:21 GMT
Chris Kyle’s widow’s most noticeable accessory Sunday night at the Academy Awards wasn’t her emerald green gown or her studded clutch, but something she brought with her that belonged to her late husband: his dog tags. Taya Kyle, whose husband’s life inspired “American Sniper,” hadn’t expected to make it to the Hollywood event. “I wanted to support everyone who made this movie representing real veteran families, but I didn’t think I had the energy to show up at the Oscars, let alone be presentable,” she said before the show. “So, I find myself in a surreal position…like Cinderella who scrubs the floors but has a fairy Godmother (Warner Brothers) who got me on a plane and had a dress and jewelry and even the shoes and Spanx waiting for me.” Despite bringing in a massive $400 million plus at the box office since its December release, “American Sniper” got largely shut out by the Academy. Taya had a flight back to Texas after the Oscars ended so she could attend the murder trial for Eddie Ray Routh, the man accused of killing Chris and another at a gun range in February 2013. “I am here. To represent my husband, military families and the beautiful people who put more than they had to to make this movie happen.”
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Post by Admin on Feb 25, 2015 23:21:25 GMT
The prospect of jurors being biased in the "American Sniper" trial was a concern from the very beginning of the case because of the popularity of victim Chris Kyle's memoir and ensuing blockbuster film about the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. Now, it has been revealed that several members of the jury saw the movie before being selected to serve on the trial, but they maintain that it did not interfere with their ability to fairly judge accused killer Eddie Ray Routh. Routh was found guilty on Tuesday night of the capital murders of Chris Kyle and Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield and now faces life in prison. At least two of the jurors told ABC News after Tuesday's verdict that they had seen the Academy Award-nominated film and informed the prosecution and defense of that prior to being picked. About 800 people were summoned for jury selection with the expectation that only 400 to 500 would appear, officials said before the trial began. From there, they were interviewed by lawyers on both sides and had to fill out a questionnaire with 22 questions addressing their familiarity with Kyle's story as well as other issues that would come up in the trial, like the military and mental illness. "God Bless the Jury And good people of Stephenville, Texas!!" she wrote on the public figure page dedicate to her husband. Juror Barrett Hutchinson told ABC News today the questionnaire "specifically asked ... could you put [your views on the film] to the wayside and make a fair and impartial judgment based on only the facts presented? And me personally, that's one of the things I processed and told myself I could do." "I laid it out on the questionnaire, told them my thoughts on it and in the end, they picked me for a juror," he said. Fellow juror Stephanie Templeton said that the movie was "awesome" but didn't have any direct connection to the case. "It was basically a movie through the eyes of the sniper and his family, and it really didn't have anything to do with Mr. Routh or the killings," Templeton told ABC News. "I mean the screen went black and you saw the p "Chris, you are the love of my life. You live on in my heart. You always will. I hope we all live lives that make you proud," she wrote. "And babe, Rest assured you don't need a fancy resting place -- you live on... Safe In the hearts you left behind." Taya Kyle was a constant presence at trial and was the first witness called to the stand. She spoke emotionally about her life with her husband and their final exchange. She attended the Academy Awards on Sunday in support of the film based on her husband's autobiography and returned to Texas for the remainder of the trial.
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