The Breakfast Meeting: Anti-Muslim Trailer\'s Murky Past, and Casting Nina Simone

By NOAM COHEN

The 14-minute trailer “Innocence of Muslims,” which spurred the rioting that led to the death of the United States ambassador to Libya and three members of his staff on Tuesday, is a murky piece of work, Adam Nagourney writes, starting with the question of who made it and ending with the question is there even a full-length movie. The crude video - which includes scenes mocking Prophet Muhammad as, in turns, a buffoon, a child molester and a greedy, bloodthirsty thug - was at first largely ignored when it was posted to YouTube in June. But after being translated into Arabic, it gained more attention and prompted the bloody protests.

• The production was decidedly amateurish, and deceptive, Mr. Nagourney writes, with Hollywood unions saying they had no involvement; casting directors said they didn't recognize any of the actors. One actor said in an interview that during production the film was called “Desert Warriors” and was supposed to depict ancient life. “When I looked at the trailer, it was nothing like what we had done,” she said. “There was not even a character named Muhammad in what we originally put together.”
• On Wednesday, YouTube said it would be taking down the video in Libya and Egypt, The Lede blog reported. In a statement, YouTube said, in part: “This video â€" which is widely available on the Web â€" is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube. However, given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt we have temporarily restricted access in both countries.”

Apple introduced the iPhone 5, and while it is hardly the revolutionary device the first iPhone was, Nick Wingfield writes, it has a bigger (four-inch) screen and faster wireless speeds. The device, which goes on sale Sept. 21, will make the experience of reading books, browsing Web sites and watching movies faster and easier, the company said. When it comes to scr een size, Apple is playing catch up with its competitors who have been pushing bigger displays on their smartphones, with some screens approaching five inches.

The presidential campaign of Barack Obama has become more dependent on “bundlers” - people who gather large checks from friends and business associates - than it was four years ago, Nicholas Confessore writes. Among the president's largest bundlers are figures from the media and entertainment world, including Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, who has raised $2.7 million, and the writer Andrew Tobias, who is treasurer of the Democratic National Committee and a major bundler for Mr. Obama among gay donors. Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood producer, who, along with his fund-raising partner, Andy Spahn, has brought in at least $6.6 million combined for the 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

The casting of Zoe Saldana as the singer Nina Simone in the film “Nina” has prompted strong online debate about the role of skin color in casting decisions, Tanzina Vega writes. The debate has nothing to do with Ms. Saldana's acting chops, but rather whether Hollywood favors a lighter-skinned actress like Ms. Saldana over an actress as dark as Ms. Simone herself. The director, Cynthia Mort, who is white, said the film was not intended to be a biography in the strict sense, but instead “a love story about an artist's journey unto herself.”