Tuesday 29 December 2009 at 05:15 am
Internet services in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will resume from Monday following five months of closure after the riots.
However, residents in Xinjiang are only allowed to visit xinhuanet.com and people.com.cn from today. Other internet services, international long distance calls and text message will resume gradually in near future, according to the website of the Xinjiang administration.
The websites and mobile phone services were shut down as a result of the Xinjiang"7.5" riots which started on July 5 and led to hundreds of deaths.
Saturday 19 December 2009 at 9:39 pm
The Chinese worker has been awarded by the TIME magazine as runners-up to Ben Bernanke in its Person of the Year 2009 list, but their jobs are not favored by majority, Guangzhou Daily reported Saturday.
"It is ironic that the global financial crisis triggered by Wall Street has to be saved by Chinese unknown worker in the end," the paper said.
The TIME magazine Wednesday published on its website a list including Person of the Year 2009, Runners-Up, People Who Mattered. In a brief introduction of the Chinese workers, it said Chinese workers have made the country's 8-percent annual economic growth rate become true.
"China has done it, and this year it remains the world's fastest-growing major economy -- and an economic stimulus for everyone else. Who deserves the credit? Above all, tens of millions of workers who have left their homes, and often their families, to find work in the factories of China's booming coastal cities." said the introduction.
However, Guangzhou Daily said Chinese workers have not been well recognized, citing a recent online survey which shows only one percent of respondents say they want to be workers in China.
Government organs, public institutions, monopoly enterprises and banking and insurance industries are among respondents' most favored targets, the survey shows.
"In essence, it's related to the society's status identity and benefit distribution," the paper said.
Workers in China often get low payment or even wage arrears, and they have not enjoyed the social welfare as well as other groups in the society, the paper said.
In recent years, the Chinese government has been making efforts in improving the quality of workers' lives and protecting their interests and rights.
Thursday 17 December 2009 at 04:37 am
Women often complain about the glass ceiling. Friends of mine tell me their bosses only promote from within the old-boy network. Studies show that women in the U.S. still get just 77 cents for every dollar men are paid, even with increasing gender parity in higher education.
And how many of the people running the biggest 500 companies are women? In 2009 only 15 were, among them Carol Bartz at Yahoo!, Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo and Ursula Burns at Xerox. They are exceptions in the male-dominated ranks of C-level executives.
I will be honest. In my career, I have tended to promote more men than women. I have even generally given men higher salaries. Why? Am I sexist? Do men do a better job? The answer is a resounding no to both.
Actually, it is mostly women's fault. They simply don't ask for raises or promotions as often as men do.
My organization conducted interviews with hundreds of American, European and Chinese women, and most said they felt that if they worked hard and showed they were valuable to the company, they would get promoted. They also said they feared they could be fired if they appeared too pushy, especially in a downturn
Wednesday 16 December 2009 at 05:01 am
The key recommendation is to get serious about a world without nuclear weapons because there are far more risks associated with the continuation of nuclear weapons these days than there are with any benefits," said Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.
Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, Former Foreign Minister of Japan, co-chaired the special international commission that worked for 15months on the report "Eliminating nuclear threats: a practical agenda for global policymakers."
The report called for Russia and the U.S., which hold 22,000 of the approximate 23,000 nuclear warheads in the world, to reduce those numbers to 500 each, while the other nuclear states do not increase arsenals.
The U.S. has 9,000 warheads and Russia has 13,000 weapons today and each has more than 2,000 warheads on high alert, according to the report.
"We're setting a target date, 2025, to achieve a dramatic 90 percent reduction in the world's nuclear weapons," Evans said.
"We think that's realistic, achievable and we're also of course identifying a whole string of things that need to be done to ensure there won't be proliferation to new players or new risks associated with the anticipated explosion of civil nuclear energy."
MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Saturday discussed the drafting of a new nuclear weapons cuts treaty in a telephone conversation, the Kremlin said.
The presidents exchanged views on the progress and prospects of the two countries' nuclear disarmament talks, the Kremlin said in a statement posted on its website. Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. officials said Thursday they want negotiations with Russia to produce a replacement deal for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by the end of the year.
Wednesday 16 December 2009 at 05:00 am
China yesterday defended rules that foreign companies claim lock them out of the multibillion dollar market of selling computers and office equipment to government departments.
Beijing stipulates that sellers of hi-tech goods must have them accredited based on "indigenous innovation" - meaning they must contain Chinese intellectual property - to be included in a government procurement catalogue.
Accredited products will be favored, according to the policy, which foreign firms say effectively excludes them from the process.
"The indigenous innovative product accreditation project is in line with ... international rules," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a fax statement.
The measure "abides by and accords with relevant WTO (World Trade Organization) rules" and "treats both domestic- and foreign-invested enterprises equally and without discrimination."
More than 30 industry groups from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and South Korea last week lodged a protest with the ministries responsible for the measures, claiming they were "restrictive and discriminatory".
The rules "impose onerous and discriminatory requirements on companies seeking to sell into the Chinese government procurement market and contravene multiple commitments of China's leadership to resist trade and investment protectionism," the groups said in a letter dated Dec 10.
"The very restrictive and discriminatory program criteria would make it virtually impossible for any non-Chinese supplier to participate - even those non-Chinese companies that have made substantial long-term investments in China."
The letter was addressed to the heads of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, which jointly issued the rule.
A separate letter sent by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China on Monday called on Beijing to delay the introduction of the rule to allow for "expert dialogue on its implications".
"There is particular concern regarding the lack of transparency in the drafting process of this accreditation system, as well as the impossibly short application period," the letter said.
The deadline for filing an application for accreditation was Dec 10 - less than a month after the rule was posted on the science and technology ministry's website.
Government procurement was worth 599.1 billion yuan ($87.7 billion) in 2008, up 28.5 percent from the previous year, according to official data.
The dispute comes amid growing concerns about protectionism as the world recovers from its worst economic crisis in decades.
China has accused its trading partners, including the US, of using protectionist measures against its products.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the new hi-tech policy "encourages all enterprises in China to carry out innovative activity and supports enterprises to increase their investment in research and development".
"All products that meet the conditions can be accredited. Enterprises of all kinds will be treated equally," said spokeswoman Jiang.
Wednesday 16 December 2009 at 05:00 am
A public hearing on a proposed water price hike was held in Beijing on Wednesday.
Altogether 24 representatives of residents, industrial users, lawmakers, political advisors, scholars, social groups, government officials and water companies attended the hearing.
A resident who was on the representative list asked for a sick leave Wednesday, but she had submitted a written document to express her opinion.
The public hearing was held by the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission and was broadcast live on the commission's official website www.bjpc.gov.cn..
The hearing began at 9 am.
Authorities in Beijing are planning to raise water price by about 24 percent to discourage residents from wasting water and ease shortages.
The price of water for residential use will rise from 3.7 yuan (54 cents) to 4.6 yuan (67 cents), according to a proposed plan unveiled earlier this month by the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission.
The government would offer subsidies to low-income families to ensure their living standard not to be affected by the hike.
Beijing, a city of 17 million, has been grappling with water shortage over recent years.
The city has been plagued by droughts in nine consecutive years in the past decade.
Government data show that the per capita water availability is only 300 cubic meters, far below the internationally recognized warning line of 1,000 cubic meters.
Over the past five years, Beijing has invested more than 4 billion yuan in the conservation of water resources and construction of water supply projects.
Last month, the city raised the price of water for non-residential use by up to 48.6 percent.
A number of other Chinese cities are also planing to or have decided to raise water prices, such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Chongqing.
Wednesday 16 December 2009 at 04:59 am
A Chinese female writer accusing Google China of copyright infringement has filed a lawsuit against the company in a Beijing court.
Mian Mian, a well-known Shanghai-based novelist, said the Haidian District People's Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on the case on Dec 29.
"Google earlier argued that they didn't violate copyright law as they only displayed a small amount of text of my book, but I think their move has seriously hurt Chinese writers' rights," Mian Mian told China Daily yesterday.
Mian said Google scanned her entire novel, titled Acid Lover, published by the Shanghai Joint Publishing Company, without notifying her or paying her for copyright permission.
Google China deleted Mian's Acid Lover from their website on Nov 15.
But she said a Google key-word search still brings up passages of her book.
"This is a brutal way to introduce my literary work, because the incoherent passages seen online ruin my story," she said.
"I also want to ask Google why they only show respect regarding copyright protection to famous American publishing houses," Mian Mian said.
Google only scanned the cover picture of another of Mian's novels, titled Candy, published by Little Brown Publishing House under Time Warner.
Mian asked Google to delete all texts about her book and make a public apology to her.
The author is also demanding 60,000 yuan ($8,785) for economic and mental compensation.
Sun Jingwei, Mian Mian's lawyer from the Beijing-based Yingke Law firm, said yesterday he has prepared evidence for the case, even though the book has been deleted.
"Mian is the first Chinese writer who accuses Google for copyright in the name of herself, and the case could encourage more Chinese writers to get involved in copyright protection," he said.
Late last month, the China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS), which protects Chinese writers' copyrights, said Google has scanned 18,000 books by 570 Chinese writers without authorization, for its library, Google Books, which is available only to Internet users in the US.
Google agreed on Nov 20 to provide a list of Chinese books it had scanned to publish in its digital library, but the company still refused to admit having "infringed" copyright laws.
Zhang Hongbo, deputy executive director-general of the CWWCS, said Mian Mian's lawyer informed him of the news a week ago.
"If Mian Mian wins this lawsuit, it helps our negotiations with Google," Zhang said, noting that an individual writer suing Google should not be confused with the official negotiation.
Chen Qirongspokesman for the Chinese Writers Association (CWA), said the writer's individual lawsuit does not contradict the official negotiation organized by CWA and CWWCS, but could work together to put more pressure on Google.
"The CWA and CWWCS is not doing enough to protect the writers' copyrights, which should be strengthened in future," he said.
He also said the CWA approves of and appreciates Mian Mian's lawsuit to safeguard her interests.
Google Books has faced copyright criticism across the world.
According to earlier reports of AFP, Google and US authors and publishers reached a settlement last year over a copyright infringement suit filed against Google in 2005.
Under the settlement, the Internet search giant agreed to pay $125 million to resolve outstanding claims and establish an independent "Book Rights Registry," which would provide revenue from sales and advertising to authors and publishers who agree to digitize their books, it reported.
Wednesday 16 December 2009 at 04:45 am
A Chinese female writer accusing Google China of copyright infringement has filed a lawsuit against the company in a Beijing court.
Mian Mian, a well-known Shanghai-based novelist, said the Haidian District People's Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on the case on Dec 29.
"Google earlier argued that they didn't violate copyright law as they only displayed a small amount of text of my book, but I think their move has seriously hurt Chinese writers' rights," Mian Mian told China Daily yesterday.
Mian said Google scanned her entire novel, titled Acid Lover, published by the Shanghai Joint Publishing Company, without notifying her or paying her for copyright permission.
Google China deleted Mian's Acid Lover from their website on Nov 15.
But she said a Google key-word search still brings up passages of her book.
"This is a brutal way to introduce my literary work, because the incoherent passages seen online ruin my story," she said.
"I also want to ask Google why they only show respect regarding copyright protection to famous American publishing houses," Mian Mian said.
Google only scanned the cover picture of another of Mian's novels, titled Candy, published by Little Brown Publishing House under Time Warner.
Mian asked Google to delete all texts about her book and make a public apology to her.
The author is also demanding 60,000 yuan ($8,785) for economic and mental compensation.
Sun Jingwei, Mian Mian's lawyer from the Beijing-based Yingke Law firm, said yesterday he has prepared evidence for the case, even though the book has been deleted.
"Mian is the first Chinese writer who accuses Google for copyright in the name of herself, and the case could encourage more Chinese writers to get involved in copyright protection," he said.
Late last month, the China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS), which protects Chinese writers' copyrights, said Google has scanned 18,000 books by 570 Chinese writers without authorization, for its library, Google Books, which is available only to Internet users in the US.
Google agreed on Nov 20 to provide a list of Chinese books it had scanned to publish in its digital library, but the company still refused to admit having "infringed" copyright laws.
Zhang Hongbo, deputy executive director-general of the CWWCS, said Mian Mian's lawyer informed him of the news a week ago.
"If Mian Mian wins this lawsuit, it helps our negotiations with Google," Zhang said, noting that an individual writer suing Google should not be confused with the official negotiation.
Chen Qirongspokesman for the Chinese Writers Association (CWA), said the writer's individual lawsuit does not contradict the official negotiation organized by CWA and CWWCS, but could work together to put more pressure on Google.
"The CWA and CWWCS is not doing enough to protect the writers' copyrights, which should be strengthened in future," he said.
He also said the CWA approves of and appreciates Mian Mian's lawsuit to safeguard her interests.
Google Books has faced copyright criticism across the world.
According to earlier reports of AFP, Google and US authors and publishers reached a settlement last year over a copyright infringement suit filed against Google in 2005.
Under the settlement, the Internet search giant agreed to pay $125 million to resolve outstanding claims and establish an independent "Book Rights Registry," which would provide revenue from sales and advertising to authors and publishers who agree to digitize their books, it reported.
Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 05:59 am
Bird flu reappeared in Vietnam's northern province of Thai Nguyen, killing 405 poultry, the Animal Health Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on its website on Tuesday.
The disease broke out in two communes of Thai Nguyen province from Dec. 9 to 11, according to the department.
To prevent the spread of bird flu, local authorities have taken prevention measures including the destruction of 4,100 ducks, 102 chickens and 17,750 poultry eggs in the affected communes.
Currently, Vietnam has two provinces affected by the H5N1 flu, namely the southern province of Ca Mau and the newly-reported Thai Nguyen province, said the department.
Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 05:58 am
This year’s Christmas Eve bash at the Kerry features Kenny Bee, a well-known musician and actor who has been a leading celebrity in the Hong Kong entertainment scene for nearly three decades.
A sand drawing performance, Zhang Yimou-style calligraphy dance, Chinese instrumental orchestra and many more riveting performances add to the evening’s entertainment.
This year’s grand lucky draw prize is a pair of return business class air tickets on Turkish Airlines and a four-nights stay for two in a suite at Shangri-La's luxurious Oman Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa in Muscat.
Themed “Christmas Around The World”, the evening’s repast highlights an abundance of fresh seafood complemented by free-flowing beverages.
Each ticket costs RMB4288 net per person; the purchase of a table of 10 comes with a complimentary one-night stay in a well-appointed deluxe room at The Kerry, whilst the purchase of a table of 10 tickets at RMB 3288 net per person comes with a complimentary one-night stay in a superior room. Purchases made before 10 December qualify for 20% discount on the listed prices.
Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 05:58 am
Take a sex scandal dogging Silvio Berlusconi, add plenty of scantily clad young women on Italian TV and throw in some of the first serious scrutiny of a national culture where television lies at the nexus of power and politics.
The result is sex, thighs and "Videocracy" — a documentary that takes a harsh look at a system perfected through Berlusconi's TV empire, in which sexy women become a symbol and instrument of power.
The undress-for-success formula is rarely challenged in Italy, where flaunting sex appeal is a way of life. But a rebellion of sorts has begun to challenge this Berlusconi-championed mix of sex, political influence and TV.
Cleavage and barely clad behinds are the signature feature of the lowbrow entertainment that is the mainstay of the Mediaset TV empire that made Berlusconi one of the world's wealthiest men and launched him into politics in the early 1990s.
For some women seeking to catch Berlusconi's eye, critics say, a lot of exposed skin has even been a way to break into politics; his minister for equal opportunity is a former beauty queen and host on Mediaset and state TV, and women whose most obvious attribute is sexiness have been recruited as candidates under the Berlusconi party banner.
Now comes an Italian businessman claiming to investigators that he procured some 30 women, many of them TV starlets or wannabes, as well as a high-end prostitute, to spice up the evenings dinners and parties at Berlusconi's Sardinian villa and Rome palazzo.
The businessman has since been arrested in a cocaine probe. Berlusconi, who denies ever paying for sex, isn't being investigated.
One politician who is decidedly not aiming for a shot on Berlusconi's TV shows is Rosy Bindi, an opposition centrist who, as vice president of the Chamber of Deputies is one of Italy's highest ranking female political figures.
She was on a state TV network in October, rebuking Berlusconi for the sex scandal when the 73-year-old premier phoned in and zinged her on the air, saying: "You are always more beautiful than intelligent."
The graying, primly dressed 58-year-old shot back with: "I'm not one of the women at your disposal," and a backlash was born.
La Repubblica, the left-leaning Rome newspaper that Berlusconi detests, invited women to express their anger, and some 100,000 responded in less than a month.
Besides posting irate comments on the paper's Web site, many sent in photos of themselves, fully clothed and in such poses as stirring pots on the stove, working in office cubicles or holding babies. Many scrawled across their photos: "Mr. Premier, I'm not at your disposal."
Then there is also "Il Corpo delle Donne" (The Body of Women), a pass-the-word cult YouTube video seen by nearly 1 million people.
A Milan businesswoman, Lorella Zanardo, spliced together snippets of some of the saucier scenes of sexy women known as "veline" (veh-LEE-neh) lifted from Berlusconi-owned and state TV networks.
When Zanardo takes the 25-minute video around to schools, she asks girls what they want to be someday. "The most popular calling for girls 16 or 17 years old is to be a 'velina,'" said Zanardo.
In "Videocracy," cameras roll at a shopping mall where crowds of eager parents and grandparents egg on skittish young women at annual "veline" tryouts.
Bindi blames the premier in large part. "Berlusconi has become the interpreter, the facilitator, the shaper of this culture," she says.
Berlusconi has been unapologetic about his fondness for attractive women and the marital troubles they have caused him. His wife, Veronica Lario, herself a former starlet, is divorcing him, and her publicly expressed indignation that he tapped starlets to run for European Parliament seats forced all but one of them to drop out.
"Shameless trash in the name of power," said Lario.
She also berated him for attending the 18th birthday party of a model from Naples last spring.
Italy's unusual blend of sex and politics didn't begin with Berlusconi. Twenty years ago it catapulted Ilona Staller, the former porn-star known as Cicciolina, into Parliament. But Berlusconi and his media empire have taken this mix to a more systematic, mass-cultural level.
Still, Berlusconi remains highly popular, and so do the onscreen veline.
They are fixtures of the most popular prime time slot, a parody of a newscast in which two young women, one blonde, one brunette and both in hot pants and shirts open almost to the navel, plop themselves on the desk of the show's anchors — two men in suits. They are mostly silent, except when it comes time to hawk products.
Bindi notes that Italy's relatively low rate of female women in jobs, and its generous early retirement system, give people ample time to watch TV.
Says Zanardo: "I don't think Berlusconi had a strategy to sedate" women, but "TV does drug women who watch it five, six hours a day."
"All the people who watch a lot of TV vote for him, especially women in the 50-to-70 age range," Zanardo told The Associated Press in an interview.
As for Noemi Letizia, whose birthday party Berlusconi attended, she is said to harbor hopes of getting into politics.
'"Daddy' Silvio will take care of that," she was quoted as telling a newspaper.
Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 05:58 am
A new report on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation reveals on Tuesday that Australia and Japan want a 90 percent reduction in nuclear warheads by 2025.
The key recommendation is to get serious about a world without nuclear weapons because there are far more risks associated with the continuation of nuclear weapons these days than there are with any benefits," said Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.
Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, Former Foreign Minister of Japan, co-chaired the special international commission that worked for 15months on the report "Eliminating nuclear threats: a practical agenda for global policymakers."
The report called for Russia and the U.S., which hold 22,000 of the approximate 23,000 nuclear warheads in the world, to reduce those numbers to 500 each, while the other nuclear states do not increase arsenals.
The U.S. has 9,000 warheads and Russia has 13,000 weapons today and each has more than 2,000 warheads on high alert, according to the report.
"We're setting a target date, 2025, to achieve a dramatic 90 percent reduction in the world's nuclear weapons," Evans said.
"We think that's realistic, achievable and we're also of course identifying a whole string of things that need to be done to ensure there won't be proliferation to new players or new risks associated with the anticipated explosion of civil nuclear energy."
MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Saturday discussed the drafting of a new nuclear weapons cuts treaty in a telephone conversation, the Kremlin said.
The presidents exchanged views on the progress and prospects of the two countries' nuclear disarmament talks, the Kremlin said in a statement posted on its website. Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. officials said Thursday they want negotiations with Russia to produce a replacement deal for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by the end of the year.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said during a daily briefing that the United States want to "see this get done as quickly as possible. The presidents have set a goal of having this accomplished by the end of the year."
Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 05:57 am
David Beckham's football academy will continue to reach children across the UK despite the closure of its London venue, the managers have insisted, after pleas by parents to keep the site open.
The academy in Greenwich is set to close at the end of the year as the lease on the site, owned by AEG, runs out.
Parents, reportedly including Beckham's sister Lynne, have petitioned the company and 19 Entertainment, which runs the academy, to keep it open. A spokesman for 19 said even though the site would shut it would now stage football sessions at schools around the country.
He said: "The David Beckham Academy itself is not ending, this site is coming to the end of its lease but we are planning a more flexible model which will reach communities and schools across the country and internationally."
Various holiday camps were held at the site as well as subsidised sessions for children aged four to 11.
The company hopes to keep the majority of its full-time coaches, although some worked part-time or were on temporary contracts, the spokesman said.
Lynne Beckham, 37, who lives in Romford, Essex told the London Evening Standard: "There are a hell of a lot of disappointed kids here. I'm not sure what's going to happen next.
"David's upset about this, but we haven't spoken about it this week because of our granddad's funeral.
"I don't think the closure is his personal doing. I don't know where I'm going to send my kids at the minute. It will be a big loss."
The academy was opened in 2005 and has two full-sized indoor pitches.
Monday 14 December 2009 at 12:41 am
A national standard for the personal income tax workers pay on their pensions was announced Thursday, with the State Administration of Taxation (SAT) saying the standard will help more companies establish a pension system for their employees.
In China, pensions are comprised of the supplemental income paid to retired workers on top of the standard retirement benefits they receive.
They are jointly funded by employers and employees and include investment income derived from the pooled funds.
Employees' contributions to their pensions will now be added to their normal taxable income and taxed at the corresponding rate, while employers' pension contributions will be treated as separate income and taxed at a relatively lower rate, the SAT said in a statement released Thursday on its website.
The upper limit for an employer's contribution to a worker's pension is one-twelfth of the employee's salary in the past year, and the upper limit for the combined payments of the employee and the employer is one-sixth of the employee's salary during the same period, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS).
The government has encouraged companies to establish a pension system since 1991. Pensions have sometimes been regulated and taxed under local laws.
In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, for example, a 2007 regulation stated that both employee and employer pension contributions should be added to employees' normal taxable income.
The new national regulation would decrease the taxes workers in Guangzhou pay on their pensions.
"As there was not a national regulation, some employees did not pay the personal income tax for the pension. With the new regulation, all the employees with a pension should pay taxes," said Feng Yuanshi, head of Retirement, Risk and Finance Consulting at Mercer China.
Figures from the MOHRSS show that more than 30,000 companies had established a pension system as of June 30, covering 13 million employees and with a total worth of 200 billion yuan ($29.28 billion).
However, employees with pensions comprise just 7 percent of the 174 million employees with basic retirement benefits around the country.
Companies that have established a pension system are mainly monopolies or in high-income industries including oil, gas, coal, nonferrous metals, railways, telecommunications and finance.
The new regulation will encourage more companies to establish a pension system as well as reduce the gap between high-income and low-income employees, the SAT said on its website Friday, in a document that further detailed its Thursday statement.
"Under the new regulation I can calculate clearly where my money goes, and enjoy the benefits of the tax rate for the employer's payment of the pension," said Chen Daming, an employee at Masteel, a State-owned steel and iron company in Ma'anshan, Anhui Province.
"The government has made progress in reducing some employees' tax burden, but it should further reduce the personal income tax of employees' pension payments in the long-term, which could help improve the national pension system," Feng said.
Monday 14 December 2009 at 12:41 am
Real Madrid have confirmed Sunday the extent of the knee injury suffered by central defender Pepe, who will be out of action for a minimum of six months.
The 26-year-old damaged his right knee after falling badly inn the first half of his side's 3-2 win in Valencia and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
Initial diagnosis pointed to knee ligament damage and tests carried out on Sunday have confirmed the worst.
Pepe has ruptured his cruciate ligament and will need an operation. He will not play for Real Madrid again this season.
He also can be considered a doubt for the Portugal side in the World Cup finals.
Real Madrid director of sport Jorge Valdano highlighted the players importance to the squad and refused to rule out the club signing a replacement in January.
"Pepe is irreplaceable. There is no other Pepe, but we will have to look into the possibility of balancing out the squad. We will look into the transfer market, but there is nobody in the world like him," he said on the club website.
Monday 14 December 2009 at 12:40 am
Vietnam confirmed that a 57-year-oldman in the capital city of Hanoi died of the A/H1N1 influenza, bringing the country's flu death toll to 47, said a report on the Ministry of Health's website on Monday.
The man had a history of malaria, said the ministry. He started showing flu-like symptoms with high fever and headache on Nov. 22.He was treated with tablets for common flu but his health conditions did not improve.
The patient was taken to the Hanoi-based Vietnam-France Hospital on Nov. 29 with fever, headache, coughing and difficulty in breathing, said the ministry. He died on Nov. 31 due to respiratory failure. His sample was tested positive to the A/H1N1 influenza.
So far, Vietnam has reported 11,040 cases of A/H1N1 flu, according to the ministry.
As the winter has come, the ministry recommended that local people should be watchful for their health, follow flu prevention measures and go to the nearest medical agency if showing flu-like symptoms for timely examination and treatment.
Monday 14 December 2009 at 12:40 am
Despite warnings that up to 80 percent of smuggled iPhones on the market are fake, there is strong demand for bootleg handsets in Beijing.
China Unicom has reported lackluster sales of just 100,000 since the iPhone was officially launched in China on Oct 30.
It came about three years after iPhones were first smuggled in to the country from the United States and other countries for sale on the underground market.
While some of these handsets are authentic, China Unicom said that up to 80 percent are "refit phones" which contain a few iPhone parts encased in a fake handset.
Vendors in Etopone, one of the biggest electronic markets in Zhongguancun, told METRO that there is strong demand for smuggled iPhones.
In the basement of Etopone, hundreds of vendors sell smuggled handsets, including Nokia, Samsung and Motorola, and about 70 percent sell iPhones.
"If so many smuggled iPhones, as China Unicom said, were not new and easily broken, how could there be such great demand in the market," one vendor said.
"I can sell about five iPhones in one day."
According to China Unicom, an iPhone without a service contract costs about 6,999 yuan ($1,025), compared with $299 in the US.
In Etopone, a smuggled iPhone with 8G memory costs about 3,700 yuan.
Zhang Xucheng, a 29-year-old consultant, said most of his friends bought smuggled iPhones because they were cheaper.
"If you buy one from China Unicom, you have to buy a new telephone number to access 3G because it does not have a WiFi function," Zhang said.
"You can download free software for the smuggled iPhone, but for iPhones sold by China Unicom, you can only buy software on the official website," said Zhang.
Another Etopone vendor, who has sold smuggled handsets for three years, said there are used and rebuilt iPhones sold on the market, but that these were cheap and easy to recognize.
"The market for smuggled iPhones and Blackberry is very large because we took the initiative to bring a fashionable digital product to China, where millions of people, especially the youth, were waiting for a long time," the vendor said.
"The used or rebuilt ones need to be changed with new shells. If you touch the surface carefully, you will find that the edge of the shells are not smooth as new ones."
Monday 14 December 2009 at 12:40 am
A major sponsor of Tiger Woods announced Sunday it was ending its six-year ties with the golf star, saying he "is no longer the right representative" after a blistering sex scandal.
The billionaire athlete and married father of two, once a ubiquitous figure with priceless advertising value, has seen his squeaky clean image decimated by a string of affairs with a porn star, cocktail waitress and other women, raising concerns of sponsors pulling away from golf.
"For the past six years, Accenture and Tiger Woods have had a very successful sponsorship arrangement and his achievements on the golf course have been a powerful metaphor for business success in Accenture's advertising," the Dublin-based technology, management and outsourcing consultancy said in a statement.
"However, given the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising. Accenture said that it wishes only the best for Tiger Woods and his family."
The statement marked the end of a relationship with the 14-time major champion at the center of ad campaigns that once included slogans like "Go on. Be a Tiger," or "We know what it takes to be a Tiger."
The company's website once read: "Famous not only for his success on the golf course, Tiger Woods is equally renowned for his work ethic, focus and commitment to continual improvement."
Accenture, which had earlier removed an image of Woods from its website, said it would "immediately" transition to a new advertising campaign, with plans for a "major" effort to launch next year.
But it was only the latest in a series of companies to reevaluate their sponsorship of the world's top golfer ever since Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade SUV into a tree and fire hydrant just outside his home in bizarre circumstances on November 27, unleashing a media firestorm.
Razormaker Gillette announced Saturday it would phase him out of advertisements while he takes a break from golf, calling it a supportive move.
"As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs," the company said, said without announcing a timetable for the resumption of use of the golfer's image.
AT&T, which backs the US PGA Tour operated by the golfer's foundation, said in a statement, "We are presently evaluating our ongoing relationship with him."
However, Nike, Woods's largest corporate partner with a deal estimated at 40 million dollars a year, stood by him. "He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era," Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast said.
EA Sports, the video game company, also released a statement declaring the relationship "unchanged."
Regardless, none of the companies indicated they were permanently ending their relationship with Woods, and scaling back their associations may largely be a temporary effort to avoid any fallback on how customers view their brands.
Woods, the first athlete to earn one billion dollars from endorsements and prize money, has drawn extra attention and sponsor support to golf.
Sunday 13 December 2009 at 08:00 am
Musicians from several countries perform during the finale of the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo December 11, 2009.
Sunday 13 December 2009 at 07:59 am
She might not be the first person to spring to mind when finding a celebrity to film a documentary about child trafficking in India.
But Lindsay Lohan, who is known for her partying lifestyle, seems to be having quite a remarkable effect on the country already - and is probably hoping to have a similar impact on her career.
The 23-year-old is visiting India to make a BBC documentary about women and children in the country.
She twittered: 'Over 40 children saved so far, within one day's work.
'This is what life is about . . . Doing THIS is a life worth living!!! Oh, and I'm talking about being in India.'
That post, along with one which reads 'Traffiking [sic] is a big issue here. I'm [doing] what I can', has since been removed from her page.
Another message which said 'Keep telling people about what's going on in all 2nd and 3rd world countries', has also been taken down.
The Mean Girls actress, who is as well known for her partying lifestyle as her film work, said: 'Focusing on celebrities and lies is so disconcerting, when we can be changing the world one child at a time. Hope everyone can see that.'
Sunday 13 December 2009 at 07:58 am
Last month, Nanluoguxiang was moved to my endangered bar street list after an announcement by local officials revealed plans to slowly transform the bar street into a center for "popular culture" by gradually replacing the bars and cafes with theaters and other entertainment venues.
This news hit hard as Nanluoguxiang was one of the first places in Beijing to cast its charm over me when I first arrived in Beijing in early 2008.
The cafes, bars and shops situated down the secluded little hutong side street captivated my craving for local Chinese culture while satiating my need for cheap drinks. It's a place where the youth blends peacefully with the traditional hutong habitants, bridging not only a generation of people but also a time period in Beijing's evolution.
The result is an atmosphere unique to Beijing, one that cannot be found anywhere else. It's the type of place where foreign visitors wanting to escape the tourist showiness can go to feel as though they are getting a genuine taste of Beijing.
Sadly, in the coming year this cornerstone of Beijing expat drinking culture may go the way of the passenger pigeon.
In the official statement, it was said that the reason behind the change is so that businesses that "play up the cultural background of the area" could be brought in. What I find saddening is that in an attempt to embrace one culture, another is being destroyed. They are, in a sense, tossing the champagne out with the cork. Another of the quoted reasons for wanting to do away with what is an otherwise profitable (to the bar owners) business area is due to low taxes paid by the 120 businesses occupying the street.
I can better understand this reasoning and suspect it might be one of the bigger motivators. It makes sense that city officials are concerned with boosting the earning potential of prime real estate, but isn't there an alternate solution? Personally, I wouldn't mind paying an additional 5-10 yuan per drink to keep the bar street around.
Unfortunately, Nanluoguxiang isn't the first bar street to be put on my rapidly expanding list of endangered bar streets. Sanlitun, another popular expat bar street, has been slowly disappearing over the past few years as new skyscrapers erupt from the streets surrounding it.
To be honest, having observed the way this area is developing, I always thought that North Sanlitun bar street would be the first place to go. Sadly, I was wrong.
But the list goes on.
Long ago put on the list of extinction were both the super bar street, which was torn down earlier this year, and the former South Sanlitun bar street, which, after being destroyed in 2004, was one of the first causalities in Beijing's fight to modernize.
Even without these streets there is no shortage of venues serving alcohol in Beijing, but few emanate the kind of humble, come-and-go attitude surrounding back alley watering holes like Sanlitun and Nanluoguxiang. It's truly a sad time for expats who can't afford the swank glamour of high-rise bar culture. For now, I guess I will just have to plan ahead for the days when Houhai and Wudoukou are the only locations in Beijing where backstreet bar goers can find refuge.
Sunday 13 December 2009 at 07:57 am
A nation-wide crackdown on alcohol-fuelled behavior in Australia during one of the party weekends at the end of the year resulted in the arrest of thousands of people, police said on Sunday.
As part of Operation Unite in the anticipation of the pre-Christmas celebrations and parties, police officers hit the streets from Friday evening until Sunday morning, arresting thousands of drink drivers.
In NSW, there were 640 arrests, of whom 374 were drink drivers. Other charges included drug possession, affray and assault.
Notable incidents in Sydney on Saturday night included several brawls, a naked man allegedly attempting to strangle his partner at The Rocks and a serious glassing in Ultimo.
In Victoria, officers flooded major entertainment areas across the state and arrested 204 people for public drunkenness during the weekend operation, according to a report by the Australian Associated Press on Sunday. A further 51 people were issued with banning notices for anti-social behavior, prohibiting them from returning to Melbourne's CBD for 48 hours.
In Australia's east coastal state of Queens land, a total of 932people have been arrested. In Western Australia, about 180 people were arrested, the report said.
South Australia also saw 123 arrests during the two-day operation, 85 of them related to alcohol.
In Canberra, 45 people were arrested, some for being drunk and disorderly in the capital's main entertainment areas and others for assault.
Sunday 13 December 2009 at 07:57 am
The program for Toronto's welcoming the 2010 Vancouver Olympic torch relay was announced Friday here, and the city will host the Olympic flame from December 17 to 19.
Toronto's community celebration on welcoming the flame will be held on December 17.
"The night promises to be memorable, showcasing performances by local, national and international dancers, musicians and acrobats," said Patricia Trott, media officer of the city government.
She said that the night will conclude with an amazing fireworks display.
The community celebration is not the only event to welcome the flame. The city will offer entertainment and interactive sporting activities, including buskers, musicians, and a sledge hockey demonstration on December 17.
"All citizens are encouraged to attend the celebration, and come out along the route to cheer the 1,000 torchbearers who will carry the Olympic flame through city streets," said the media officer.
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, supported by the Government of Canada, will make its historic 45,000-kilometer journey across Canada from coast to coast, ending in Vancouver with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron on February 12, 2010.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 7:33 pm
Rock band Weezer canceled its December concerts after its lead singer sustained minor injuries in band's tour bus crash 40 miles from Albany, New York, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The Weezer tour bus, carrying Rivers Cuomo, the band's front man, his wife, daughter, their nanny and his assistant, was traveling from Toronto, Ontario, to Boston, Massachusetts, for a Monday night show when it hit black ice.
Cuomo was hospitalized with three cracked ribs from the bus crash while his wife and 2 year-old daughter were not injured.
Members of the rock band Weezer are thankful for their tour bus driver, who significantly reduced the amount of damage in what could have been a much more tragic accident Sunday morning.
Weezer was due to perform this month in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Camden, New Jersey. Plans for the band's January shows have not been set.
"We are sorry to say that the rest of the December Raditude Tour has been canceled," the band's website said, without mentioning whether ticket holders for those shows would receive refunds, or whether the dates will be rescheduled.
The band's hit songs include "Buddy Holly" and "Island in the Sun," and last month it released the album "Raditude."
Friday 11 December 2009 at 7:32 pm
Eleven years ago James Cameron's Titanic premiered in China and was the country's highest-grossing film, until Transformers 2 this summer.
Now, a month before his 3-D extravaganza Avatar debuts in theaters here, the director is talking up his latest creation.
"The Chinese economy is growing so rapidly (and) is beginning to face the same problems that we've had in America and Europe, such as the degradation of our natural environment and resources," says Cameron in a telephone interview.
"I think that for anybody that loves nature, for anybody that feels that their life is being changed by living in a technological society or civilization, Avatar has something to say.
"The theme is going to have relevance for Chinese people the same way it has in all the places that is dealing with this issue about industrialization."
In the $230 million fantasy film, Cameron creates a new alien world named Pandora, where Avatars, or hybrid creatures that are a mix of the DNA of humans and the local species Na'vi, fight with pure Na'vi - tall, blue aliens - for a precious mineral on the planet.
Cameron's other smash hit, The Terminator, is widely known as being inspired by a feverish dream in 1981, in which he saw a chrome, metallic and skeletal robot came out of a fire.
Avatar, he says, was inspired by all his dreams.
"I call it my dream project, or pinch-me project. It pinches me and lets me know I am actually awake now," he says.
Cameron, whose parents were an electrical engineer and an artist, was keen on futurology even as a kid. He read science fiction during the day and painted the subjects at night.
The University of Toronto dropout did various jobs, such as truck driver and machinist, while writing and illustrating science fiction stories. In 1977 he decided to start his film career after seeing Star Wars, which stunned him and made him obsessed about how George Lucas had done it.
"For me, Avatar is the opportunity to do the kind of movie I've always dreamed of making, in which you create an environment, plants, landscapes and creatures," he says. "I guess I've been working toward it for all this time."
To make the flick, which according to Wired Magazine could change the way people watch films, Cameron has worked hard in the 12 years since making Titanic, even though he directed no feature films.
He partnered underwater camera specialist Vincent Pace and deep-sea explorer Andrew Wight to make four documentaries on the deep ocean, two in 3-D, while perfecting what he visions as "the holy grail of cameras" - a high-definition rig that is maneuverable, digital, high-resolution, 3-D and will not give viewers a headache.
He let other directors, such as Robert Rodriguez, test his system to demonstrate demand for more 3-D movies, while talking directly to theater owners to persuade them digital 3-D is the new trend in cinema and they should invest in new-generation projection systems right away.
In 2002, when Peter Jackson's Weta Digital in New Zealand created the stunningly believable computer-generated character Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films, Cameron found the special effects technology was ready, too.
After four years of production, Avatar turned from being an idea in his mind for 15 years to be the first action movie shot entirely in digital 3-D. The characters and objects appear to leap from the screen. Around two-thirds of the film is computer-generated, one-third real. Cameron deliberately blurs the distinction between the two so it is hard to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins. The film features more than 3,000 effects shots, and Cameron has redone many of them up to 20 times.
"We have accomplished a lot," he says. "We figured out how to create a photo-realistic world, plants and characters. But what we didn't figure out is how to do it faster, so my next goal is to figure out how to do a film like Avatar, maybe in two years instead of four."
Known as a genius for the way he seamlessly combines technology and storyline, Cameron is alert to the epic's emotional appeal.
The hero Jake Sully, an Avatar played by Sam Worthington, falls in love with Neytiri, a Na'vi princess played by Zoe Saldana. Their emotional bond, as Cameron elaborates, is at the center of the film.
"I learned the lesson on The Terminator 2 that if a movie doesn't have heart, doesn't make you feel the emotion, it has no purpose," he says.
"The film is a little bit overwhelming from a technical stand point, but I think the audience cares more about what they see on the screen, they care about the people, the relationship."
In Titanic, Cameron found the balance between technology and emotion was one of the biggest challenges for a filmmaker. Fortunately he made it, by putting the visual effects, giant sets and thousands of actors, in balance with small intimate moments, to make the film really resonate for the audience.
"You will see the same balance and blend in Avatar," he promises. "It costs a million dollars a minute to do computer-generated characters in Avatar, so it's a very difficult thing to stop for those extra few seconds, the extra bit of time to let the characters have an intimate moment together, maybe just a look, a glimpse, or just a line of dialogue, but you have to do it, that's really critical."
In a time when blockbusters need to be "pre-sold", by comic books (Batman), bestsellers (Harry Potter) or toys (Transformers), Avatar does not have these advantages and is a brand new thing to audiences, globally and in China alike. Yet Cameron, who proclaimed, "I am the king of the world", at the 1998 Academy Award ceremony, which he swept with 11 wins, sees it as a legitimate concern.
"It is not a limitation that I ever believed in because Titanic was not pre-sold, True Lies was not pre-sold, and when I made the first Terminator film, nobody ever heard of that," he says.
"I don't think Hollywood should accept that limitation, Hollywood should have the courage to make films. I am sure in the Chinese film industry you have the same issue. People need to have the courage to make new things, even at a blockbuster level of budget."
Blockbusters with a mega budget have become a norm for Cameron. The 55-year-old earned a record $1.8 billion globally for Titanic, which cost $200 million, at the time the most expensive film ever made. When he made The Abyss in 1989, it was also dubbed the most expensive movie ever made, though that was not true. The Terminator 2 was also the most expensive movie made, at the time.
"I do like to make big, expensive and visually spectacular films," he says. "I think the way people should look at this is, you spend the same amount for a ticket, no matter what the movie costs. So if a film costs more and brings more pleasure, more visual enjoyment, more spectacle, that's the best entertainment bargain you can get. As long as my films make money, people should feel good about what they cost."
The film is expected for a theatrical release on Dec 18 in North America and around Jan 2 in China, in both 2-D and 3-D.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 7:32 pm
Zhang Hanyu, who plays Sun Yat-Sen in the upcoming Chinese action thriller "Bodyguards and Assassins", is likely to astound the audience with the question, "Is that really him?"
Still pictures show that the famous actor apparently doesn't look like himself. Rather, he resembles his character, revolutionary forefather Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), to an astonishing degree.
A series of behind-the-scenes photos released Monday shows why. The photos document Zhang's makeup process for the film. In one of the photos, Hollywood makeup artists carefully apply a skin-color latex mask to Zhang's face, with a black-and-white photograph of Sun Yat-Sen hanging in the background.
"I sat for seven hours everyday for the makeup," Zhang said recently, "But it's definitely worthwhile."
According to director Teddy Chan, he had shot four versions with each featuring a different actor playing Sun Yat-Sen. "Although it was really a hard decision to make, we eventually chose Zhang's version for the completed film."
Sun Yat-Sen is not a major role in "Bodyguards and Assassins", but it is key to the story, which is about a group of vigilantes trying to protect him from assassins on an October day in 1905.
The film boasts an all-star cast, which also includes Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Eric Tsang and Fan Bingbing. It is produced by Peter Chan.
A pan-Asian release is set for December 18.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 7:32 pm
The Jackson brothers are to reunite in a program this Sunday, according to news reports Tuesday.
After their brother Michael's sudden death, Jackson 5's other four founding members, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, are planning a reunion in a six-hour A&E series "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" to be premiered this Sunday.
The Jackson 5 musical group, with Michael as the key singer, was one of Motown's biggest acts in the early 1970s, scoring hit songs such as "ABC" and "I'll Be There."
Jackson 5's fans, including fans of MJ, have begun to guess whether the four Jackson brothers will plan a reunion in the next few years to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the famous performing group.
Producers on last Friday said fans would have to watch the six-episode show to find out whether the brothers decide to go ahead in some form, without Michael.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 7:31 pm
Today we countdown the most popular new music videos and albums recently released in China.
NO 5. EASON CHAN "YOU & ME"
"You and Me" is a new track sung in Taiwan dialect by Hong Kong pop icon Eason Chan. It is from his latest Mandarin album entitled "5th Floor Blissful". This is the first Taiwan dialect song in Eason Chan's career. The album includes new works from different talented composers. Chan himself also penned one of them, calling for more attention on environment protection.
NO 4. SODA GREEN "FEVER"
Taiwan pop band Soda Green's latest album "Fever" comes as the second in their "Vivaldi Project". Inspired by the Summer, this new album takes Soda Green's feverish musical pursuits to a new height. Listeners will catch authentic Rock & Roll in the British style.
NO 3. ELVA HSIAO "WOW"
"Diamond Candy" is the tenth album from Taiwan pop singer Elva Hsiao. And it has been at the top of twelve music charts within one month of its release. Taking advantage of the success of the album, Elva Hsiao is now preparing for a year-end solo concert on December 31st in Taipei. That will be the opening show for her worldwide tour. Hsiao and Show Luo will team up to sing the title song of the concert: "WOW".
NO 2. ANGELA CHANG "WHITE"
After a twenty-month-long break, Taiwan sweetheart Angela Chang comes back with a new album "The Fifth Season". The first track of the album "White" is co-produced by a group of elite musicians. According to Angela Chang, the title "White" here implies "comprehensive". And once again, Chang is using her highly penetrating voice to impress the listeners.
NO 1. ANSON HU "LOVE SONG FOR THE JOBLESS"
It has taken Taiwan the creative singer Anson Hu two years to complete work on his new album "Love Song for the Jobless". The album is slated to be released on December 8th in Asia. Anson Hu has been best known as a musical perfectionist, and he has input his new understanding about life in the last two years into this new album. The title track "Love Song for the Jobless" is intended to encourage frustrated people facing the global economic storm
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:52 am
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama talked holiday gifts when Oprah Winfrey went to the White House to film a Christmas special.
In quotes released Wednesday by Harpo Productions, President Obama tells Winfrey that as a rule he gives "nicer stuff than I get." Michelle Obama responds, "No way, I gave you good gifts last year."
Winfrey's special is to include a tour of White House holiday decorations and an appearance by Bo, the family's dog.
Winfrey also says she asked the president to give himself a grade on the job he has done. Winfrey hasn't revealed the grade Obama gave, but says it "might surprise you."
"Christmas at the White House" airs on ABC on Dec. 13 at 10 p.m. EST.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:51 am
Tiger Woods, one of the hottest marketing symbols on the planet, is getting the cold shoulder on television where ads featuring the golf star have disappeared since news broke of his philandering.
Nielsen, the New York-based consumer research company, said the formerly ubiquitous Woods had not appeared in a prime-time TV commercial since a November 29 Gillette ad.
That was two days after his image went into freefall with a car accident outside his Florida home and subsequent revelations of a marital crisis over his alleged affairs with a string of women.
Reports that Woods may have been under the influence of alcohol, a sedative and a pain-killer when he crashed threaten to deepen the crisis.
The last Gillette spot ran during NBC's much-watched "Football Night in America" and had run a total of eight times in November, all during football telecasts on NBC and "Monday Night Countdown" on ESPN, a Nielsen spokesman told AFP.
Since then, Woods has not been seen in public. The only footage of the golfer -- who last week pulled out of his own tournament -- has been in salacious media coverage of his sex life.
Sponsorship made Woods sport's first billionaire.
He earns an estimated 110 million dollars annually from endorsements and prize money, and as long as he remains a top talent at tournaments, sponsors are unlikely to drop him entirely.
Related Article: Woods can take heart from Beckham example
But Woods's stock is visibly falling.
Sports beverage giant Gatorade announced it will stop producing the Tiger Focus drink, although it says this was planned before the scandal erupted.
Nike, his biggest sponsor, last week said it was standing by Woods. However, in a possible sign of friction, the golfer was reported by celebrity news site TMZ to be axing his appearance as best man at the wedding of his Nike Sales representative.
"Tiger Woods is 'the face of Nike golf,'" TMZ said in its report. "Whether or not allegations about mistresses are true, Tiger's image is tarnished."
Evidence of that tarnished image is found in the latest ranking from the Davie Brown Index, which measures celebrities' standing with consumers.
Woods dropped from sixth to 24th in the more than 2,800-strong DBI database, Chris Anderson, a spokesman for the Los Angeles-based agency, told AFP.
There was more bad news from Washington, where congressman Joe Baca said he was shelving plans to award Woods the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.
Earlier this year the honor was proposed as a way of celebrating the African-American sportsman's "service to the nation in... breaking barriers with grace and dignity by showing that golf is a sport for all people."
Perhaps the only silver lining for Woods is that the scandal didn't break at a peak time for television ads, said Evan Tracey, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group.
"Most of the ads run in the spring and summer months when he is selling sports drinking and golfing equipment. For the marketers, it could have been worse," Tracey told CNN.
Woods was at the peak of his powers as a commercial star, meaning he could pick the products he endorsed and the price he was paid, Tracey noted.
"Clearly, that is not going to be the case going forward and certainly in the near term and no doubt for a long time."
In Britain, leading golf agent Andrew Chandler said Woods, winner of 14 majors, could still escape the public relations disaster.
"It will take time to repair, but I think it's doable. Time is a great healer," Chandler said, comparing Woods's travails to a 2004 scandal involving England football superstar David Beckham.
"I don't think Tiger will ever be able to be as private as he was, though. He's got to be more accessible from now on and so become a little bit more real," he said.
"Beckham is the only one I can liken Woods to. He went through pretty much the same thing and it passed in about nine months," said Chandler. "Now he's a super-hero again who might single-handedly bring the World Cup to England."
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:51 am
The former girlfriend of Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage is suing him and his former accountant for fraud and breach of contract, demanding 13 million dollars and a home he promised her.
Attorneys representing Christina Fulton, a former actress and the mother of Cage's 18-year-old son Weston, told AFP she had filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the actor's series of financial problems had resulted in foreclosure of the house.
Fulton, 42, is also claiming that she racked up debt owed to the US tax collection agency -- the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) -- due to "negligence, concealment and misrepresentation" on the part of Cage's former business manager, Samuel Levin.
The "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Con Air" star's agent declined to comment.
Fulton said she believed the Los Angeles home where she lived with her son was under her name, until Cage allegedly served her an eviction notice in September.
"This lawsuit is ridiculous and absurd," Cage's attorney Marty Singer told People magazine.
"We expect this lawsuit to be promptly thrown out."
Singer said Cage, obliged under a court order to pay his former girlfriend 6,000 dollars in child support, was giving her much more -- around three million each year.
In a 20-million-dollar lawsuit against Levin, Cage claimed the accountant duped him and never warned him of the poor state of his finances, forcing the actor to sell off a string of properties to recoup the financial mismanagement.
The IRS has filed over six million dollars in tax dues in September against Cage, who claims he only found out about the financial misdealings last year.
One of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, Cage made 40 million dollars in a year-long period ending in June, according to Forbes magazine.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:51 am
Internationally renowned director Zhang Yimou has changed his mode of operation in his latest film a bid to capture a dwindling cinema market – young people. Zhang has taken a completely different tack by adding rap, fresh dialogue and controversial stars to his latest work A Simple Noodle Story that opens across the country today.
"I will be more than thrilled if young people take up a majority of audiences and the film receives good feedback from them," Zhang said, adding that he is targeting those born in the 1980s and 1990s in an effort to attract them to the cinema.
The first group of people that Zhang invited to the test screening were all born in the 1990s.
"They are my most important target audience and the future of the Chinese film market relies on them," Zhang said.
He explained that after the test screening, the young audience members made very valuable suggestions.
Unlike the traditional and costly promotional activities of his previous blockbusters Hero and House of Flying Daggers, this time Zhang is attempting to attract those in their teens and twenties by using modern technology such as the Internet.
An interactive online game has been developed, set against the same backdrop of the film, a noodle restaurant. Scenes from his previous works have also been selected and edited into a short comedic film that has been widely distributed online.
Zhang has denied the rumor that A Simple Noodle Story is a small-budget film aimed at making quick money in the New Year period. According to producer Zhang Weiping, the cost of the film totaled 100 million yuan ($14.65 million), 80 percent of which were production costs and the rest was promotion.
"The copyright of using the Coen Brothers' script alone cost us several million yuan," Zhang Weiping explained. He said that although the cast is not made up of the top actors and actresses in China, their wages still cost 20 percent of the budget. The production spent another 5 million yuan ($732,362) on building and shooting on location in Gansu Province, an investment typical of Zhang Yimou.
Zhang Weiping added that although with a big budget, it is still a small-scale film, taking place in a small noodle restaurant with limited special effects and not an A-list cast.
"After our last three cooperations, Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower, there have been too many people making epic action films. Zhang Yimou and I both decided not to repeat ourselves this time, but to make a small-scale and more successful film."
He also confirmed that their cooperation would continue in Zhang Yimou's next project, which is about the Nanking Massacre and rumored to start shooting in September. Leading actors are expected to be cast from Hollywood's A-list.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:50 am
A bistro owner in Malaysia's northwest state of Penang will be fined up to 20 million ringgit (some 5.7 million U.S. dollars) for illegally downloading music into his karaoke set.
The 49-year-old man, who opened his bistro just two months ago, had been nabbed by officials from the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry on Wednesday under the country's Copyright Act 1987, local newspaper the Star reported here on Thursday.
If convicted, the man will be fined up to 2,000 ringgit (some 571 U.S. dollars) for each of his 10,000 illegally-downloaded foreign and local songs or jailed up to five years, or both.
The man's karaoke set worth 50,000 ringgit (some 14,286 U.S. dollars) was also be seized.
The raid was conducted following complaints from both the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) and Public Performance Malaysia Sdn Bhd, said local enforcement officers.
The authorities had carried out 55 raids of this kind so far this year and arrested 38 individuals for such offenses, they added.
RIM chief executive officer Tan Ngiap Foo said some 3,000 pubs, lounges, cafes and restaurants in the country were using pirated karaoke songs in their premises, causing the music industry to lose at least 60 million ringgit (some 17 million U.S. dollars) in revenue each year.
He said that they would launch a nationwide campaign to tackle the issue, including illegally loading songs into handphones, of which 90 percent are pirated copies given to the handphone buyers.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:50 am
Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB) has banned 12 cosmetic products as they contain toxic ingredients and are dangerous to health, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.
The products are Felisa Gentle Peeling Solution, Krim Malam Rahsia Rimba, Biocosmet Whitening Essence Cream, H2O + Waterwhite Brightening Night Cream, Magixpress Lightening Plus, A. Vant Cream, Eriesya Spa Beauty Cream, Natasya Krim Herba, Temulawak Whitening Pearl Cream Papaya, Ratna Sari Whitening Night Cream, Atika Beauty Renewal Night Cream and Chantique Whitening Night Cream.
The bureau canceled the registration of the products over the past 11 months because they contained the prohibited ingredients tretinoin (retinoic acid) and hydroquinone, the New Straits Times said.
NPCB no longer allows the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of these products, and must be removed from the shelves, the daily said.
According to the report, tretinoin, used to control acne, decongests the pores by peeling the superficial skin layer. The problem is that the acne would get worse before it gets better, and side effects include scaling of the skin, stinging, swelling or flushing.
In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that products with hydroquinone be sold only under prescription because it was a possible carcinogen and for a possible link found in studies in Africa to a skin disorder called ochronosis, according to the daily.
NPCB banned six cosmetic products for similar reasons in 2008.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:50 am
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen have welcomed a baby boy.
Brady announced the birth Wednesday. He said the boy was born Tuesday and that he and Bundchen had not chosen a name. He called it "a wonderful experience in my life."
"Everyone's great," Brady said. "I didn't get much sleep."
Brady also has a 2-year-old son, Jack, with actress Bridget Moynahan. Bundchen is a mother for the first time. The birth was first reported by People.com.
Brady and Bundchen were married in February in Los Angeles in a small ceremony. In April, they held another wedding ceremony in Costa Rica for friends and family.
On Wednesday, Brady showed up 16 minutes late for his weekly media availability. Asked what was new, he said, "a normal week," and smiled.
The Patriots have lost three of their last four games to drop to 7-5. They lead the AFC East by one game and play at home Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Brady said it was important for him to come to work Wednesday.
"I owe it to the guys in the locker room to really focus on what I need to do for this team," he said, "and put all these emotions aside and kind of come in here with a great sense of determination on what we have to do as a team. So, as a captain and a leader of this team, the last thing they need from me is to be really not focused on the job at hand. There's plenty of things for me to really be doing here this week."
Moynahan released a statement Wednesday.
"I wish them the best with their baby and I'm sure my son will enjoy having a half sibling," Moynahan said. "I ask the press to respect our privacy while we are welcoming this new addition to our extended family."
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:49 am
A delighted audience clapped and cheered as the lights came on after the world premiere of James Cameron's sci-fi extravaganza "Avatar" in London on Thursday.
The 3-D epic about humans taking extraterrestrial form as they explore a distant world is reportedly one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a price tag well in excess of the $200 million spent to make "Titanic."
The industry has been watching closely to see how audiences respond to Cameron's long-awaited film, which uses cutting-edge digital technology to create dizzying special effects. On Thursday, the film provoked a breathless response from many in the audience.
"It's brilliant, it's as good as the hype, both the 3-D effects and the story," said 28-year-old Victoria Blasdale.
"This was remarkable, Unlike anything I've ever seen before," added law maker John Whittingdale, who had joined the media, Cameron fans and families at the premiere.
Stars Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana joined the crowds on a specially made blue carpet at London's Leicester Square before the gala screening at two massive side-by-side movie theaters.
Cameron said the movie, set in the future on an alien planet being pillaged by humans for natural resources, deals with how indigenous people are treated by newcomers.
"It's a way of connecting a thread through history. I take that thread further back to the 16th and 17th centuries and to how the Europeans pretty much took over South and Central America and displaced and marginalized the indigenous peoples there," he said.
"There's just this long, wonderful history of the human race written in blood going back as far as we can remember, where we have this tendency to just take what we want without asking," he said.
Weaver said she didn't consider the film a sci-fi movie. "I consider it an old-fashioned, epic swashbuckling romance," she said.
There's a topical environmental message too. As humans exploit their new-found world the indigenous species of the planet harmonize with nature to fight back.
"There's a sense of entitlement — we're here, we're big, we've got the guns, we've got the technology, we've got the brains, we therefore are entitled to every damn thing on this planet," said Cameron, describing the attitude of humans in the movie.
"That's not how it works and we're going to find out the hard way if we don't wise up and start seeking a life that's in balance with the natural cycles of life on earth."
Cameron conceived the story for "Avatar" in 1995 then waited a decade for technology to catch up so he could film it. The film mixes live action and computer animation to create an eye-poppingly vivid alien world.
"Avatar" is Cameron's first narrative film since 1997's "Titanic," which won 11 Academy Awards and has taken $1.8 billion worldwide at the box office.
"Avatar" opens around the world next week.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:49 am
Lawyers for Roman Polanski battled prosecutors in a California court on Thursday, arguing again for dismissal of the film director's 1977 guilty plea for having sex with an underage girl, citing judicial misconduct.
But prosecutors told the appeals court the Oscar-winning filmmaker, who fled the United States in 1978 and is now under house arrest in Switzerland, should first return to Los Angeles to face sentencing, as one judge previously ruled.
At stake for the maker of films such as "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "The Pianist," which earned the French-born Polanski an Academy Award for best director, is perhaps two years in a California prison for the crime.
The three-judge appeals panel is expected to rule within 90 days. Among its options are asking a lower court to reconsider dismissing the case, or doing nothing at all.
"I think the odds of him being able to get the case dismissed at this point in time are not good," said Steve Cron, a defense attorney and adjunct professor at Pepperdine Law School, who is not part of the case.
Short of dismissing the case, Polanski attorney Chad Hummel asked the appeals court to order a new hearing into allegations that a Los Angeles judge engaged in "backroom manipulations" while handling the case in 1977.
Polanski pleaded guilty to a charge of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. At the time, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laurence Rittenband, who has since died, sent Polanski to prison for mental evaluation, and he served 42 days there.
The director expected a final sentencing of time served, which was in line with his plea deal, but he came to believe Rittenband might send him back to jail. Polanski fled to France and has remained outside the United States since. He was arrested in Switzerland in September on a U.S. warrant.
At Thursday's hearing, Los Angeles prosecutor Phyllis Asayama argued Polanski must return to the United States and should not be allowed to "mail in" his defense.
When Asayama was asked if Los Angeles prosecutors planned to look into allegations of misconduct, she said questions about wrongdoing could be addressed only after he comes back.
Asayama said if wrongdoing did take place, Polanski might face a lighter sentence, but for now the case must stay as is.
"(Polanski) stands in the same position today that he did 30 years ago," Asayama said.
Prosecutors have said Polanski faces a maximum sentence of two years in California prison if returned.
Earlier this year, Polanski's attorneys made similar arguments for dismissal in a Los Angeles court, and Judge Peter Espinoza said "substantial misconduct" did occur.
But in May, Espinoza refused to dismiss the case, saying Polanski must first appear in his courtroom.
Friday 11 December 2009 at 03:49 am
Susan Boyle sings, and Simon Cowell and other celebrities sing her praises in a weekend TV special about the Cinderella story that has made her a best-selling recording artist.
All that's lacking is a prince, but she says romance has to wait.
"Och, there's no time for that now. I'm far too busy," Boyle said. "There was a TV company that wanted to set me up with a man. Apparently he was a nice man, but I've got my living to do now. I don't mind being friendly, but no marriage plans as yet."
"I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story," debuting at 8 p.m. EST Sunday on TV Guide Network, details her sudden burst of fame and includes performances by Boyle from her new CD and with Broadway star Elaine Paige, the London West End cast of "Les Miserables" and others.
The hourlong show also airs Sunday on ITV1 in Britain.
Boyle, 48, stole the spotlight on "Britain's Got Talent" last spring, although she lost out on winning the contest. She has had an at-times bumpy ride, including a brief hospitalization for exhaustion after the show's season finale.
But her "I Dreamed a Dream" CD debuted last week at No. 1 and her record label, Columbia Records, said that gave her the best first week sales of 2009 and the best-selling album debut by a woman in the Billboard SoundScan era.
In comments released by TV Guide Network and in an e-mail exchange with The Associated Press, Boyle said she's delighting in her unlikely journey from a quiet Scottish villager to a star, but remains unaltered.
"No, I am still the same person I always was — the wee lady from Blackburn. I still live in the same house, I still like the same things," Boyle said. "I have never wanted to change, I have only ever wanted to be a professional singer, and perhaps that's the only way in which I think differently of myself now: I feel like a professional."
Her image has certainly changed, with Boyle downright glamorous as she performs in the TV special. It's different from her original look that was routinely characterized as "dowdy." (She admits to "mad hair" and "bushy eyebrows.")
"Well, it wasn't very nice," Boyle said of the description. "But then I had never really thought about how I looked until I saw myself on television. I think I scrub up quite well now!"
Boyle sings "Cry Me a River" and the Rolling Stones tune "Wild Horses" in the TV special that includes interviews with her as well as Cowell, the "American Idol" judge who is executive producer of "Britain's Got Talent," Donny Osmond and others.
Her dreams now don't include a success-fueled shopping spree, Boyle said, but she is thinking of helping others.
"I will probably be able to buy the house I live in, which was my family home, which is fantastic. I don't have any other big ambitions really. I have bought some new furniture. You've got to keep your house looking nice, haven't you?
"I would like to do something good with the money — be useful to other people, help them. I have a few ideas in mind," she said.
Wednesday 09 December 2009 at 05:23 am
A colossal budget, visionary technology and a down-to-the-wire workload on a film whose fortunes are a real question mark.
James Cameron has been here before on little ditties called "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Titanic." In case anyone's forgotten how that worked out for him, "Titanic" stacked up 11 Academy Awards, best picture and director among them, and a record $1.8 billion worldwide at the box office.
This time, Cameron's vision is riding on "Avatar," a science-fiction epic aiming to push the bounds of digital filmmaking and 3-D presentation into the heavens, with a reported price tag well in excess of the $200 million spent to make "Titanic."
Will audiences come along? Cameron thinks so.
"It's hard for me to imagine that short of some massive marketing debacle, that it's not going to work for people. I mean, we may not have a kind of slam-dunk opening weekend that settles the whole case. I don't think the case is going to be settled until week two or maybe week three," Cameron said in an interview only days after completing "Avatar," just in time for its worldwide blowout Dec. 18.
"Let's face it. It wasn't settled on `Titanic' till week 10. `Titanic' was the No. 1 picture for 16 weeks. I don't expect that kind of performance out of `Avatar.'"
Cameron will not divulge what he does expect out of "Avatar," wisecracking that "if we announce the sequel, then we hit the number."
The director, who had a $200 million smash on "Terminator 2" and hits on "Aliens" and "True Lies," has kept fans waiting a long time. Though he's been busy producing, making the underwater 3-D documentaries "Ghosts of the Abyss" and "Aliens of the Deep" and developing the technology for "Avatar," this marks his first narrative film since "Titanic" 12 years ago.
Cameron's reputation and a mammoth marketing push by distributor 20th Century Fox virtually guarantee hit status for "Avatar." Still, in this blockbuster age, there are hits and there are HITS. The question is whether "Avatar" can climb to the $300 million or $400 million level of such franchises as "Star Wars," "The Lord of the Rings" and "Spider-Man."
Some factors in its favor:
• Science-fiction and fantasy have gone mainstream in a huge way since Cameron's last foray in the field.
• Now that cartoon hits have built fan appetite for digital 3-D films, "Avatar" is Hollywood's big test for the future of live-action movies in three dimensions. "Avatar" in 3-D will bring in about $4 to $5 a ticket more than the 2-D version.
• Cameron's a franchise unto himself, a digital-effects trailblazer who always dazzles, even when he doesn't score a runaway hit ("The Abyss").
"I was watching `The Wizard of Oz' the other day, and I thought, that's `Avatar.' That's what `Avatar's' going to do to people," said "Aliens" star Sigourney Weaver, who reunites with Cameron this time as a scientist overseeing a program that allows humans to take on alien forms to explore — and exploit — Pandora, the distant moon of a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. "Because it's so bold, and it's so out there, and it's such an experience."
Some factors against it:
• Set in the 22nd century, "Avatar" is not based on a literary work, a comic book, a TV show, a theme-park ride or a toy. Cameron is asking audiences to turn up for something entirely unfamiliar.
• Cameron's also asking people to go along with a love story between a 10-foot-tall blue female with a long tail, a member of Pandora's Na'vi race, and a man whose consciousness has been transplanted into an "avatar" that resembles the Na'vi. Not exactly Rose and Jack aboard the Titanic.
• Instead of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, already solid stars before "Titanic" made them household names, Cameron's lovers this time are relative unknowns Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Both had breakout roles in sci-fi franchises last summer — Saldana in "Star Trek," Worthington in "Terminator Salvation," a continuation of Cameron's creation. But the two are not yet box-office draws themselves.
So the huge investment behind "Avatar" rides on Cameron's wild imagination and the technology he developed to put it on the screen.
"Here's the thing. No one knows if you've got the turkey that lays the golden egg or you've just got a turkey," Worthington said. "We're all trying to be cool, calm and relaxed about it, but inside, I think all of us are sweating bullets.
"But you've got to stand by the fact that what we've done is push the envelope again, thanks to Jim. ... I'm sure people are hopefully going to enjoy going on this ride, because to me, he took me to Pandora. Now he's going to take the rest of the world."
Worthington stars as Jake Sully, a paralyzed former Marine recruited to take his dead brother's place in the Avatar Program, inhabiting a genetically engineered body mixing human and Na'vi DNA so he can survive on Pandora.
Jake winds up in an unlikely romance with Saldana's Neytiri, a member of the spiritually- and ecologically minded natives, who like Aborigines in our own history face conflict with militant humans greedy for their resources — in this case, Pandora's supply of an energy-rich mineral called unobtainium.
Unlike native populations that succumbed to European colonialism, the Na'vi can give as good as they get.
"You're not encountering inhabitants that are 4-foot-9 and are completely defenseless. These (people) will kill you in a second," said Saldana, whose Neyteri is an expert hunter. "They're not victims, I'll tell you that. They can't be. They're warriors."
Cameron conceived the story in 1995 then waited a decade for technology to catch up so he could film it.
During that time, Peter Jackson mastered the art of performance-capture filming with his Gollum character in "The Lord of the Rings" saga and the giant ape in "King Kong" — both roles played by Andy Serkis, whose motions were recorded by digital cameras then topped off with intricate computer imagery to create the finished product.
With "The Polar Express," "Beowulf" and this season's "A Christmas Carol," Robert Zemeckis pioneered shooting entire films in performance capture, actors working on bare sound stages in skintight suits dotted with sensors read by the digital cameras. Computer animation filled in the costumes, sets, props and other details.
Zemeckis' films have the look of animation, but Cameron set out to create a photorealistic world filled with alien lifeforms — giant plants with a defense mechanism that sucks them into the ground in an instant, flying reptilian "banshees" that can be ridden like horses, six-legged beasts of burden called "direhorses."
Along with Cameron's 3-D system, among his innovations were a virtual-camera simulating what the finished product might look like as he was filming and a helmet-cam clamped to actors' heads to record their facial expressions, overcoming the "dead-eye" effect and other limitations that have made the faces of some performance-capture characters seem lifeless.
"So here you've got four or five new technologies all laid over each other in this palimpsest of new technologies, and it was just insane for the first six months or so," Cameron said. "We literally were just scratching our heads every day, which is a wonderful place to be as a filmmaker. To be 25 years into a career and be standing on the set going, `I don't know what ... we're doing.'"
Cameron hired Jackson's WETA effects house to transform his digital data into the world of Pandora — basically, to put the costumes and makeup on the characters and build the sets.
Based on about 30 minutes of footage Cameron showed reporters in advance of "Avatar's" Dec. 9 world premiere in London, the results are mind-blowing. The Pandora segments and the Na'vi seem as real as the human world in the film's live-action segments, with Saldana and Worthington's alien incarnations showing remarkable expressiveness.
Cameron has ideas for two sequels should "Avatar" make enough money to become its own franchise. But that's in the audience's hands now.
"The thing I feared most about this film was that because it wasn't a franchise picture and it wasn't based on something that already was imprinted in the public consciousness, that they just wouldn't know what we were or that we existed," Cameron said. "Fairly early on, we were able to create a pretty high profile for the movie as this kind of mysterious thing, and then it seemed like the more we revealed about it, the more kind of excitement and buzz around it, positive and negative, that there was.
"But the more people are talking, the more they've got to resolve the issue for themselves by going to see the movie."
Wednesday 09 December 2009 at 05:23 am
Start-up production house Cinema Popular has announced their debut feature, a $23 million historical epic with an all-star cast led by Donnie Yen. BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS, previously known as DARK OCTOBER, has been in development for ten years by director Teddy Chan and is now ready to begin shooting in April with a powerhouse line-up of actors.
The story is a fictional account of an assassination attempt on revered Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen and the efforts of kung fu masters who protected him before the Chinese Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
Sun Yat-sen is popularly referred to as the Father of Modern China who played a critical role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent establishment of a short-lived republic. He is one of few political figures in 20th-century China who is admired by otherwise opposed politicians on the mainland and in Taiwan.
The role of Sun Yat-sen was originally offered to Chow Yun-fat who opted instead to play Chinese philosopher Confucius in an upcoming biopic. Final casting for the role has not yet been announced.
Yen will portray “Gambler,” a character who is shaping up to be somewhat antiheroic in that he is described as not being patriotic or righteous and is uncertain of his place in the revolution.
Other leading cast members include Leon Lai as “Beggar,” Wang Xueqi as “Scion,” Nicholas Tse as “Rickshaw Puller,” Tony Leung Kar-fai as “Revolutionary,” Hu Jun as “Assassin,” Eric Tsang as “Police Commissioner,” Simon Yam as “General in Exile,” Fan Bing-bing as “Mistress,” Wang Po-chieh, and Zhou Yun.
It is reported that Cinema Popular, a joint venture between producer-director Peter Chan, producer Huang Jin-xin’s We Pictures and China’s Polybona International , is set to become China’s first major studio. They have set up a revolving $73.2 million fund for a slate of 15 films over the next three years.
A video of the press announcement with the lead cast, director and producers can be found at Baidu.
This is a fascinating project that looks to give kung fu action more historical relevance, even if it is fictional. My only concern is Teddy Chan, director of THE ACCIDENTAL SPY. He hasn’t done anything of consequence since that disappointing Jackie Chan movie and it’s unclear if he’s up to the task of heading a project of this magnitude, even with 10 years of preparation. However, producer Peter Chan does have a good track record with films like THE EYE, THREE… EXTREMES, PROTEGE, and THE WARLORDS. When added to such a great cast, this film should at least do well commercially.
It’s certainly keeping Donnie busy. He’s also scheduled to star in two sequels to IP MAN.
Wednesday 09 December 2009 at 05:22 am
As if a hit album and worldwide adoration weren't enough - Susan Boyle has achieved her dream of singing with her musical idol.
The Scottish singer, 48, looked overcome with joy as she teamed up with Elaine Paige to sing the latter's hit duet I Know Him So Well.
The pairing was kept secret from Miss Boyle until shortly before the performance, which was for a TV special that charts her rise to fame this year.
Wednesday 09 December 2009 at 05:22 am
Odd as it sounds, Peter Jackson needed to come down to Earth a bit more in "The Lovely Bones," his adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-seller about a murdered girl looking back on her life from beyond.
The visionary filmmaker behind "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy still is in fantasyland, still in the grip of Middle-earth, and the film suffers for it as Jackson crafts lovely but ineffectual dreamscapes of the afterlife that eviscerate much of the human side of the story.
It's certainly a smaller, more intimate tale than his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and his "King Kong" remake. Yet the hope among fans of Jackson's early work was that "The Lovely Bones" would hark back to his 1994 drama "Heavenly Creatures," which put Kate Winslet on the road to stardom.
With modest production, "Heavenly Creatures" presented striking fantasy visuals that complemented Jackson's dark story of two teenage women whose compulsive relationship results in murder.
Now working on a grander Hollywood scale, Jackson loses the spark of Sebold's story — a young girl's lament over a life never lived, a family's bottomless grief over a child and sister lost — amid his expensive pretty pictures.
Like the book, the film merges first-person and omniscient narration as Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan, an Academy Award nominee for 2007's "Atonement") chronicles her journey from sensitive 14-year-old schoolgirl to shattered soul stuck in a nether zone between earth and heaven.
Sweet and somewhat shy, Susie is just developing a passion for photography and on the verge of her first kiss when a creepy neighbor (Stanley Tucci) with a serial-killer past lures her into his secret lair and murders her.
For her family — including parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz), grandmother (Susan Sarandon) and younger sister (Rose McIver) — Susie has simply vanished, her body hidden away by her killer.
Years pass, and Susie watches the family crumble, her mom running off to work on a farm, her dad obsessed with finding his daughter's murderer, to the exasperation of the cop (Michael Imperioli) handling the case.
Through death, Susie gains a razor-sharp focus on what's truly important, all those glorious little snapshot moments that, for the living, can become lost and forgotten in the cacophony of everyday life.
Jackson's focus is fuzzier, the film flitting disjointedly from the Salmons' lingering sorrow to Susie's limbo, a realm that alternates between her anger and melancholy over what she's left behind and her wonder over what's yet to come in her larger existence.
Earth and limbo don't really seem as though they're part of the same movie. The vibrant, sometimes ominous fantasyland where Susie dwells disconnects her from the life on which she reflects, puts her at a distance from the people she loves and misses.
We're supposed to think she can't let go, when much of the time, it feels as though she's already gone.
The images often are striking — ships inside giant bottles shattering on the rocks of a forlorn shore, candy-colored landscapes where Susie romps as she begins to sense the freedom of passing into the cosmos.
But the spectacle Jackson creates is showmanship, not storytelling, distracting from the mortal drama of regret and heartache he's trying to tell.
The actors all are earnest and engaging. As Ronan did with her breakout role in "Atonement," though, McIver kind of steals the show here, playing Susie's sister from age 11 to her late teens with a spirit and energy that outclasses Ronan's sometimes subdued performance.
It's nice to see Imperioli (a mobster on "The Sopranos") play sympathetic rather than savage as the devoted detective. You do have to ask how good a cop his character is when a weirdo neighbor who lives alone, has no kids yet makes intricate dollhouses as a hobby doesn't jump right to the top of the suspects lists.
"The Lovely Bones," a DreamWorks Pictures release distributed by Paramount, is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language. Running time: 135 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Wednesday 09 December 2009 at 05:22 am
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Invictus" — Clint Eastwood's latest is a sports film less about what's on the playing field than what's happening in the stands. It's the story of South Africa's sea change under Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) told through the unlikely prism of sport. It comes off like a case study in leadership, perhaps a bit clinical and limited, but still deeply revealing. When Mandela takes office in 1994, he embraces the rugby national team, the Springboks, and seeks to turn a symbol of apartheid into a beacon of hope. It feels like destiny fulfilled hearing Freeman — who has long sought to play the role — speak Mandela's halting, humble speech. No one could be better. "Invictus" is dripping with inspiration, and Eastwood's extraordinary late period remains a good place to find it. With a blond, beefed-up Matt Damon as the rugby team's captain and one truly terrible song from a South African boy band. PG-13 for brief strong language. 132 minutes. Three stars out of four.
• Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer
___
"The Lovely Bones" — Odd as it sounds, Peter Jackson needed to come down to Earth a bit more in his adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-seller about a murdered girl looking back on her life from beyond. The visionary filmmaker behind "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy still is in fantasy land, and the film suffers for it as Jackson crafts lovely but ineffectual dreamscapes of the afterlife that eviscerate much of the human side of the story. Saoirse Ronan leads an able cast chronicling her character's journey from sensitive 14-year-old schoolgirl to shattered soul stuck in a nether zone between earth and heaven. The images often are striking, but the spectacle Jackson creates distracts from the mortal drama of regret and heartache he's trying to tell. Rose McIver as Ronan's younger sister delivers a standout performance in a cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci. PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language. 135 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Tuesday 08 December 2009 at 05:50 am
Rock band Weezer canceled its December concerts after its lead singer sustained minor injuries in band's tour bus crash 40 miles from Albany, New York, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The Weezer tour bus, carrying Rivers Cuomo, the band's front man, his wife, daughter, their nanny and his assistant, was traveling from Toronto, Ontario, to Boston, Massachusetts, for a Monday night show when it hit black ice.
Cuomo was hospitalized with three cracked ribs from the bus crash while his wife and 2 year-old daughter were not injured.
Members of the rock band Weezer are thankful for their tour bus driver, who significantly reduced the amount of damage in what could have been a much more tragic accident Sunday morning.
Weezer was due to perform this month in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Camden, New Jersey. Plans for the band's January shows have not been set.
"We are sorry to say that the rest of the December Raditude Tour has been canceled," the band's website said, without mentioning whether ticket holders for those shows would receive refunds, or whether the dates will be rescheduled.
The band's hit songs include "Buddy Holly" and "Island in the Sun," and last month it released the album "Raditude."
Tuesday 08 December 2009 at 05:50 am
The seventh edition of the International Mountain Film Festival is all set to be held in Nepali capital Kathmandu on Dec. 10-14, 2009, the National News Agency RSS reported on Tuesday.
According to the RSS, some 49 films would be screened in the festival, organized by the Himal Association.
The organizer received more than 200 entries from 46 countries this year, of which 59 films from 26 countries have been selected for the festival.
The film festival focusing on the major theme of climate change has a wide array of subjects, including conflict, culture, lifestyle, mountaineering, wildlife, environment, globalization, gender and climate change.
Tuesday 08 December 2009 at 05:49 am
Zhang Hanyu, who plays Sun Yat-Sen in the upcoming Chinese action thriller "Bodyguards and Assassins", is likely to astound the audience with the question, "Is that really him?"
Still pictures show that the famous actor apparently doesn't look like himself. Rather, he resembles his character, revolutionary forefather Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), to an astonishing degree.
A series of behind-the-scenes photos released Monday shows why. The photos document Zhang's makeup process for the film. In one of the photos, Hollywood makeup artists carefully apply a skin-color latex mask to Zhang's face, with a black-and-white photograph of Sun Yat-Sen hanging in the background.
"I sat for seven hours everyday for the makeup," Zhang said recently, "But it's definitely worthwhile."
According to director Teddy Chan, he had shot four versions with each featuring a different actor playing Sun Yat-Sen. "Although it was really a hard decision to make, we eventually chose Zhang's version for the completed film."
Sun Yat-Sen is not a major role in "Bodyguards and Assassins", but it is key to the story, which is about a group of vigilantes trying to protect him from assassins on an October day in 1905.
The film boasts an all-star cast, which also includes Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Eric Tsang and Fan Bingbing. It is produced by Peter Chan.
A pan-Asian release is set for December 18.
Tuesday 08 December 2009 at 05:49 am
The Jackson brothers are to reunite in a program this Sunday, according to news reports Tuesday.
After their brother Michael's sudden death, Jackson 5's other four founding members, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, are planning a reunion in a six-hour A&E series "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" to be premiered this Sunday.
The Jackson 5 musical group, with Michael as the key singer, was one of Motown's biggest acts in the early 1970s, scoring hit songs such as "ABC" and "I'll Be There."
Jackson 5's fans, including fans of MJ, have begun to guess whether the four Jackson brothers will plan a reunion in the next few years to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the famous performing group.
Producers on last Friday said fans would have to watch the six-episode show to find out whether the brothers decide to go ahead in some form, without Michael.
Tuesday 08 December 2009 at 05:49 am
Eleven years ago James Cameron's Titanic premiered in China and was the country's highest-grossing film, until Transformers 2 this summer.
Now, a month before his 3-D extravaganza Avatar debuts in theaters here, the director is talking up his latest creation.
"The Chinese economy is growing so rapidly (and) is beginning to face the same problems that we've had in America and Europe, such as the degradation of our natural environment and resources," says Cameron in a telephone interview.
"I think that for anybody that loves nature, for anybody that feels that their life is being changed by living in a technological society or civilization, Avatar has something to say.
"The theme is going to have relevance for Chinese people the same way it has in all the places that is dealing with this issue about industrialization."
In the $230 million fantasy film, Cameron creates a new alien world named Pandora, where Avatars, or hybrid creatures that are a mix of the DNA of humans and the local species Na'vi, fight with pure Na'vi - tall, blue aliens - for a precious mineral on the planet.
Cameron's other smash hit, The Terminator, is widely known as being inspired by a feverish dream in 1981, in which he saw a chrome, metallic and skeletal robot came out of a fire.
Avatar, he says, was inspired by all his dreams.
"I call it my dream project, or pinch-me project. It pinches me and lets me know I am actually awake now," he says.
Cameron, whose parents were an electrical engineer and an artist, was keen on futurology even as a kid. He read science fiction during the day and painted the subjects at night.
The University of Toronto dropout did various jobs, such as truck driver and machinist, while writing and illustrating science fiction stories. In 1977 he decided to start his film career after seeing Star Wars, which stunned him and made him obsessed about how George Lucas had done it.
"For me, Avatar is the opportunity to do the kind of movie I've always dreamed of making, in which you create an environment, plants, landscapes and creatures," he says. "I guess I've been working toward it for all this time."
To make the flick, which according to Wired Magazine could change the way people watch films, Cameron has worked hard in the 12 years since making Titanic, even though he directed no feature films.
He partnered underwater camera specialist Vincent Pace and deep-sea explorer Andrew Wight to make four documentaries on the deep ocean, two in 3-D, while perfecting what he visions as "the holy grail of cameras" - a high-definition rig that is maneuverable, digital, high-resolution, 3-D and will not give viewers a headache.
He let other directors, such as Robert Rodriguez, test his system to demonstrate demand for more 3-D movies, while talking directly to theater owners to persuade them digital 3-D is the new trend in cinema and they should invest in new-generation projection systems right away.
In 2002, when Peter Jackson's Weta Digital in New Zealand created the stunningly believable computer-generated character Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films, Cameron found the special effects technology was ready, too.
After four years of production, Avatar turned from being an idea in his mind for 15 years to be the first action movie shot entirely in digital 3-D. The characters and objects appear to leap from the screen. Around two-thirds of the film is computer-generated, one-third real. Cameron deliberately blurs the distinction between the two so it is hard to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins. The film features more than 3,000 effects shots, and Cameron has redone many of them up to 20 times.
"We have accomplished a lot," he says. "We figured out how to create a photo-realistic world, plants and characters. But what we didn't figure out is how to do it faster, so my next goal is to figure out how to do a film like Avatar, maybe in two years instead of four."
Known as a genius for the way he seamlessly combines technology and storyline, Cameron is alert to the epic's emotional appeal.
The hero Jake Sully, an Avatar played by Sam Worthington, falls in love with Neytiri, a Na'vi princess played by Zoe Saldana. Their emotional bond, as Cameron elaborates, is at the center of the film.
"I learned the lesson on The Terminator 2 that if a movie doesn't have heart, doesn't make you feel the emotion, it has no purpose," he says.
"The film is a little bit overwhelming from a technical stand point, but I think the audience cares more about what they see on the screen, they care about the people, the relationship."
In Titanic, Cameron found the balance between technology and emotion was one of the biggest challenges for a filmmaker. Fortunately he made it, by putting the visual effects, giant sets and thousands of actors, in balance with small intimate moments, to make the film really resonate for the audience.
"You will see the same balance and blend in Avatar," he promises. "It costs a million dollars a minute to do computer-generated characters in Avatar, so it's a very difficult thing to stop for those extra few seconds, the extra bit of time to let the characters have an intimate moment together, maybe just a look, a glimpse, or just a line of dialogue, but you have to do it, that's really critical."
In a time when blockbusters need to be "pre-sold", by comic books (Batman), bestsellers (Harry Potter) or toys (Transformers), Avatar does not have these advantages and is a brand new thing to audiences, globally and in China alike. Yet Cameron, who proclaimed, "I am the king of the world", at the 1998 Academy Award ceremony, which he swept with 11 wins, sees it as a legitimate concern.
"It is not a limitation that I ever believed in because Titanic was not pre-sold, True Lies was not pre-sold, and when I made the first Terminator film, nobody ever heard of that," he says.
"I don't think Hollywood should accept that limitation, Hollywood should have the courage to make films. I am sure in the Chinese film industry you have the same issue. People need to have the courage to make new things, even at a blockbuster level of budget."
Blockbusters with a mega budget have become a norm for Cameron. The 55-year-old earned a record $1.8 billion globally for Titanic, which cost $200 million, at the time the most expensive film ever made. When he made The Abyss in 1989, it was also dubbed the most expensive movie ever made, though that was not true. The Terminator 2 was also the most expensive movie made, at the time.
"I do like to make big, expensive and visually spectacular films," he says. "I think the way people should look at this is, you spend the same amount for a ticket, no matter what the movie costs. So if a film costs more and brings more pleasure, more visual enjoyment, more spectacle, that's the best entertainment bargain you can get. As long as my films make money, people should feel good about what they cost."
The film is expected for a theatrical release on Dec 18 in North America and around Jan 2 in China, in both 2-D and 3-D.
Monday 07 December 2009 at 06:45 am
-- Long retired from the Hong Kong entertainment scene, actress Vivian Chow is making a surprising comeback, playing a lesbian in director Ann Hui's latest romantic comedy. A thirteen-year absence from the big screen may have resulted in a nervous start, but Chow was quick to fit into the role. On today's the List, we focus on Vivian Chow and her return to the public spotlight.
Vivian Chow is a Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and actress. She is well known for her ladylike stage image and sweet looks. Her nymph-like appearance and elegance is very memorable, even twenty years after she first shot to stardom.
Vivian Chow was born in Hong Kong in 1967. After graduating from high school, she entered the entertainment business, first working as a DJ at Radio Television, then becoming a singer in 1991.
One of her songs, "A Long and Lasting Love" was listed as a chart-topper for the fourth season in 1991. And her "Unrequited Love" won third place in a song competition two years later.
In 1994, "Rumor," another single from Vivian Chow, climbed to the top ten chart. Her musical achievements have made Vivian Chow one of the most popular foreign singers in Japan.
While her musical career was booming, Chow also maintained an active presence on the big screen, starring in over thirty films from 1988 to 1996.
In particular, her collaboration with Hong Kong actors Adam Cheng, and Ching-Wan Lau in the TV series "The Greed of Man" was one important production. The forty-episode dramatic series revolved around some controversial topics, ranging from triad families with its depiction of violence to the control of the Hong Kong stock exchange via corruption. In the series, Vivian Chow played Yuen Mui, the girlfriend of Fong Chin-bok.
She started as a neighbor of the Fongs, and witnessed the joys and tribulations of the Fong family. She was sweet, down-to-earth, pure, and faithful, but she was extremely frugal with money. Chow gave a very accurate performance of the character.
Vivian Chow retired from the Hong Kong entertainment scene in the late 1997 when she and her boyfriend, Joe Nieh, emigrated to Vancouver, Canada. Though she still made frequent trips to Hong Kong to visit her family and to support animal-rights charities.
Apart from being known as an actress and singer, Vivian Chow has also been awarded several times for her paintings and masterful renditions on the piano.
Chow's also well-known for her involvement with charities. In 2004, Chow published a book, telling the various pleasures she had raising her cats. The proceeds from the book were donated to charities.
Her more than ten-year relationship with boyfriend Joe Nieh finally came to a satisfying end when Nieh popped 'the question' at Vivian Chow's comeback concert in 2006. The two tied the knot on January 6th this year.
At the invitation of Director Ann Hui, Vivian Chow is now playing against Hong Kong's Sandra Ng in a lesbian love story. Though she hadn't played a role for thirteen years, Chow is confident that an intriguing script and the talent of Director Ann Hui will bring out the best in her.
Monday 07 December 2009 at 06:45 am
Anika Noni Rose is now a Disney princess in the new animated feature "The Princess and the Frog." And not just Disney's first of the American variety, but its first black princess.
"My grandma was at the premiere with me; she's 90-plus. You have no idea how amazing it is to be able to give this to her," said the star.
Once a queen of San Francisco stages, then a conquering heroine on Broadway and a bona fide Dreamgirl, the 37-year-old, honey-voiced performer wasn't conjured by magic to appear in Disney cartoons. The Connecticut native got there by way of the Bay Area -- first via ACT, then acclaimed local productions including "Valley Song" at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
After "Caroline" came the much-ballyhooed film of "Dreamgirls" and a couple of miniseries before Rose leapt back to movies as the voice of Tiana for "Princess and the Frog." The new feature is a New Orleans-set, Jazz Age riff on "The Frog Prince" in which aspiring restaurateur Tiana and a spoiled visiting prince find themselves devolved into anthropomorphized amphibians by bad voodoo. The cast fortuitously includes Keith David, John Goodman and Oprah Winfrey.
"The Princess and the Frog" opens in Los Angeles and New York on Nov. 25 and the rest of the country on Dec. 11.
Monday 07 December 2009 at 06:45 am
When Nicole Kidman agreed to answer PEOPLE's reader questions, little did she know she'd be quizzed on her cooking skills (not great, she admits) or to reveal her biggest quirk (she loves coffee – but mostly foam).
But the Oscar-winning actress, 42, who plans on spending the holidays Down Under, was happy to open up about her life in Nashville while doing press in New York City for her upcoming movie musical Nine, which opens in theaters Christmas Day.
As for husband Keith Urban's whereabouts? The country star played dutiful husband, watching the Tennessee Titans in the adjoining room while his movie star wife answered your questions.
If you could work a normal job, what would you want it to be? – Jessica Lynne Bryson, Chattanooga, Tenn.
I'd love to be an interior designer. I just love walking into a room and redoing it. When my girlfriends are buying an apartment, they'll always ask me to come along because I'm going 'You can knock that wall down, just put a little bit of paint there.'
What is your favorite new thing that Sunday Rose has learned? – Amanda Mustard, Brunner, Ontario, Canada
She now points at anything and goes, 'Bug.' That's her word. We were in the hotel room the other day, and there was a little sprinkler up in the corner of the room. She kept pointing at it and going 'bug!' Keith had to hold her up and prove to her that it wasn't a bug.
What mundane chores do you like to do? – Anna Marie Pugh, Louisville, Ohio
Strangely enough, I love putting clothes in the washing machine. I would always do the washing growing up – that was one of my jobs. And I quite like ironing shirts.
What's your biggest quirk? – Kimberly Taylor, Dallas, Texas
Keith and I love coffee. I love the foam more than the coffee. I will go and order a cappuccino and say, make it all foam and very little coffee. They know me now at the Starbucks in Nashville.
How did you overcome your shyness? – Joel Morales, San Juan, Puerto Rico
I think a lot of it has to do with just getting comfortable in my own skin. That's part of getting older. It's okay to be 5 ft. 11 in. and all of the things that I used to feel awkward about. I now feel comfortable. A lot of that comes with being loved.
How do you cope working in an industry that refuses to let women age naturally and gracefully? – Monika Ballew, Eureka, Calif.
Well, I live in Tennessee so it is slightly different than living in L.A. I just worked with Sophia Loren [in Nine], and she is so gorgeous and she has such grace. I use her as a role model.
Your husband has several tattoos, would you ever consider getting one? – Allyson Walker, Allen, Texas
No. I am tattooless.
Do you like to cook? – Soqui Ramos, Boston, Mass.
I am a terrible cook. I cook chicken for Keith, and it's always dry. I'm a much better person to cook for because I love food and I will eat almost anything.
Monday 07 December 2009 at 06:44 am
The daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley has been released from hospital after an apparent suicide bid.
Alexa Ray Joel, 23, is said to have swallowed a large number of pills and told her flatmate she wanted to die.
Her flatmate called the 911 emergency number just before 12.30 on Saturday afternoon and she was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in New York.
Supermodel Brinkley, 55, arrived at the hospital about four hours later.
After she was admitted Claire Mercuri, publicist for Alexa and her 60-year-old Piano Man father, said in a statement: 'Alexa is stable.
Her doctors are assessing her needs and that's all we can say at this moment.'
Joel later told Newsday: 'She is going to be fine.'
Alexa, a singer-songwriter like her father, was released after several hours.
Fire Department sources told the New York Daily News she told doctors she had swallowed a number of pills and was having difficulty breathing, but a source close to her said she had only taken a homoeopathic antihistamine.
Alexa, the only daughter of Joel and Brinkley, who divorced in 1994 after nine years of marriage, recently complained on her MySpace page about how difficult it is to meet men.
Monday 07 December 2009 at 06:43 am
A nightclub in Beijing held a Lady Gaga imitation competition last weekend that drew hundreds of "Gagas" dancing to Poker Face and Bad Romance. It marked the culmination of a series of events that show the American pop craze's growing influence on Chinese showbiz.
Shang Wenjie, winner of the talent show Happy Girl 2006, who released her album Time Lady in mid-October, appears in it with a UFO-like hairstyle and pink eyeshades, in drastic contrast to her innocent image of earlier years.
Last month, Shang held a concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and wowed the audience with her feather hats, silver masks and a pair of 10-cm high-heeled shoes.
Ignoring criticism that hers was a bad Gaga imitation, Shang appeared to enjoy the show. She said in an interview with Netease that Lady Gaga was her idol, and she didn't care a hoot what anyone said about her looks.
On Nov 6, singer Sun Yue was quite the attraction at Guo Pei's fashion show at the National Stadium. Although there were many stars, Sun stole the show with her vintage sunglasses, gray, over-sized Balmain coat with copper buttons and a pair of tight leather trousers.
Sun walked the red carpet poker-faced, just like Gaga does in her music video Poker Face. The media was quick to dub her the second "Fake Gaga" after Shang.
Meanwhile, as actress Zhao Wei began promoting her new film Hua Mulan, a series of her Gaga-look photos were widely circulated online. In one of them, Zhao sports a Gaga-like, Minnie-Mouse hairstyle and her signature hand-in-front-of-mouth gesture. The only difference? Zhao's hair is black and messy, while Gaga's is golden and smooth.
Netizens commented that while Gaga appeared sexy and tough, Zhao came across as innocent.
Gillian Chung, member of the Hong Kong pop duet Twins, showed up at her friend's birthday party on Nov 22, with her hair dyed golden, and tied into a butterfly knot. Chung told the media that she was wearing a Gaga look to entertain people.
Earlier on, performer Stefanie Sun threw a concert on Aug 8 at which she wore a golden dress decorated with metal pieces and a white dress shaped like a gourd - in an imitation of Gaga's dresses.
Male singers too seem to have taken to the iconic singer. When funky band The Flowers held a farewell concert on Nov 14 at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, vocalist Zhang Wei put on a green frog costume, which Gaga wore in an interview with a German television channel. Zhang kneeled down and danced just like Gaga does in Poker Face.
More Gaga imitators mean more individualistic and creative local performers, says Zeng Pengyu, executive editor-in-chief of the Culture and Entertainment Section of Beijing Youth Daily.
"Traditionally, the Chinese showbiz industry has expected entertainers to dress and speak properly, but with the Internet's development, more weird cultures, like Gaga's, have come in. Local entertainers have learnt from it quickly and become more individualized and creative," Zeng says.
Bo Ning, Shang Wenjie's manager, admits that the singer's new image is aimed at showing Shang's rebelliousness.
"Showbiz had become too boring we wanted to create something modern. Shang was a white-collar worker but became a performer. She did not want to compromise with the present situation and so went for the Gaga look," Bo says.
Some local performance agencies are now trying to get Lady Gaga to Beijing for a concert next year.
Keep your fingers crossed, and watch this space!
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:10 am
British singing sensation Susan Boyle's first album soared to No. 1 on U.S. album charts on Wednesday with sales of 701,000 copies, beating new releases by Adam Lambert and Rihanna and becoming the best-selling debut of 2009.
Boyle, 48, a frumpy Scottish singer who became an international YouTube phenomenon after appearing on TV show "Britain's Got Talent", also topped the British album charts earlier this week.
Her "I Dreamed a Dream" release through Sony Music Entertainment, marked the best U.S. opening of a female artist's debut album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, Billboard.com said.
It was also the fastest selling album in Britain this year and has topped the charts in Australia and Ireland.
Billboard said only one album in SoundScan's tracking history had seen a bigger opening week than Boyle.
U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg's album "Doggystyle" sold 803,000 copies in its first week in 1993 -- before traditional album sales began tumbling in the face of piracy and a shift to digital sales.
Although Boyle ultimately failed to win "Britain's Got Talent", her April audition for the show has been viewed more than 300 million times on the Internet.
In a good week for stars of TV talent shows, "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert's debut album "For Your Entertainment", also released through Sony, debuted at No.3 on the Billboard 200 with 198,000 copies sold.
Lambert's strong showing followed headline news coverage of his raunchy televised live performance at the American Music Awards 10 days ago in which he simulated oral sex with a dancer and kissed a male keyboard player.
R&B singer Rihanna's "Rated R", her first studio album since being attacked by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February, bowed in at No.4 with 181,000 copies -- the best sales week in the 21 year-old singer's career.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli held onto the No.2 spot for a third week with his "My Christmas" album with 218,000 new copies sold during the week.
Overall U.S. album sales last week totalled 10.73 million units. Year to date album sales stand at $320.2 million (192.4 million pounds) -- a 13 percent decrease over the same period in
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:10 am
Michael Jackson's three children, reality TV mom of eight Kate Gosselin and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin were picked Wednesday as some of the most fascinating people of 2009 -- according to Barbara Walters.
The ABC TV journalist will also spotlight shock-happy pop stars Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, right-wing TV pundit Glenn Beck, filmmaker Tyler Perry, NFL quarterback Brett Favre and spurned South Carolina governor's wife Jenny Sanford in her "The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009" television special next week.
The annual show will include a profile of Jackson's children Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, who is also known as Blanket.
It was not immediately clear whether the Jackson children, who were kept strictly shielded from the media before their father's death in June, will be interviewed for the show.
The 10th person on the list is being kept secret until the special airs on ABC on Dec 9. Last year that slot was filled by President Barack Obama.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:09 am
LOS ANGELES – Beyonce has enough Grammy nominations for her and Sasha Fierce.
The omnipresent diva garnered the most Grammy nominations on Thursday with 10 nods, including nominations for album of the year for "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," song of the year for her anthem "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and record of the year for "Halo."
Taylor Swift wasn't far behind Beyonce, getting eight nominations. She was also nominated for album, song and record of the year, as was Lady Gaga, who got five nominations.
The Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West got six nominations each.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:09 am
Oprah Winfrey's new cable network will feature the media queen in a big way, but fans should not expect her to reprise the talk show that made her famous over the past 25 years, said the CEO of Discovery Communications Inc.
Winfrey will end her reigning daytime broadcast TV talk show in September 2011, and focus on her new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which is 50 percent owned by Discovery.
"That's chapter one. That chapter is ending," Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York on Wednesday. "She will not be doing that show."
Zaslav said Winfrey is already spending significant time on the network and is involved in "all the creative decisions."
He said OWN will feature her in many ways following its launch in 2011, though he did not say what those would be. Initially, the network will be available in at least 80 million homes.
"She'll be on in a meaningful way, with different types of shows, with different types of voices, with a lot of different creativity, but all of it will be different from her show and it will be what she wants to do," he said.
Discovery stands to be perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Winfrey's announcement last month that she plans to pull the plug on her popular TV show.
Walt Disney Co's ABC, which currently carries her show, has not decided how to replace her.
"It's a big win for the cable industry and for us that Oprah will, after September 2011, be available primarily on OWN," Zaslav said. "OWN will really feel the strength of her creativity and presence."
Discovery Communications already owns some of the most popular networks on cable TV, including the flagship Discovery Channel, with hits like "MythBusters" and "Shark Week." In all, Discovery runs over 100 networks in 170 countries.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:08 am
Paul McCartney kicked off his first European tour in five years Wednesday in Hamburg, the German city where he first exploded on to the pop scene with the Beatles nearly five decades ago.
The sold-out, nearly three-hour show took in Fab Four favourites, hits from his later band Wings, solo efforts and a few new numbers and drew a warm, enthusiastic welcome from an audience spanning three generations.
"I'm so happy to be back in Hamburg where it all began 49 years ago," 67-year-old McCartney, one of the two surviving Beatles, told cheering fans in German.
Showing off a renowned knack for thrilling a crowd and remarkable endurance -- he took no breaks during the marathon set, not even for a sip of water -- McCartney offered moving tributes to his late wife Linda and the two dead Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison.
"I wrote this song for Linda but tonight it's for all lovers," he said, again in German using cue cards, before launching into his ballad "My Love".
He later played his 2001 single "Here Today" dedicated to Lennon, led the crowd in a rousing version of Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" and did a sped-up rendition of Harrison's "Something" on a ukulele the singer gave him before he died of lung cancer in 2001.
McCartney also mucked it up for laughs. When he whipped off his black jacket to reveal a white shirt with black braces underneath, he quipped: "That is the big wardrobe change of the night -- Madonna, eat your heart out!"
And he appeared tickled when the crowd jumped with a start at a massive on-stage fireworks display during "Live and Let Die", then clutched his chest, faking a heart attack.
McCartney's Good Evening Europe tour will see seven stops in five countries including a Christmas gig in London on December 22.
It follows sold-out concerts at US stadiums earlier this year and comes ahead of the release of a live album, "Good Evening New York City", recorded at the city's former Shea Stadium, where the Beatles played to an ecstatic crowd in 1965.
The northern German port city of Hamburg nurtured the Beatles as young performers in its seedy red-light district, long before they would become superstars, and now hosts a Beatlemania museum.
The show was McCartney's first in Hamburg since 2003 and came ahead of the 50th anniversary of the first Beatles gig in Germany when the unknown band from the English city of Liverpool played at a moth-eaten strip joint called the Indra Club on August 17, 1960.
He told a German newspaper recently that Hamburg was the city where the band earned its chops, playing night after night for more than two years.
"The city opened our eyes," he told the Frankfurter Rundschau.
"We went there as children and came back as... old children. On the Reeperbahn we quite quickly had our baptism of fire when it came to sex -- it was like we were let off our leashes. It was a wild time."
Klaus Voormann, who befriended the young Beatles in Hamburg in 1960 when he was an art student and later designed the cover of the "Revolver" album, said it was clear from the start that the band would be big.
"They would do anything for an audience, and in particular Paul," said Voormann, now 71, whom McCartney greeted from the stage.
"I think there is a breed of people that can't stop, and I think Paul is one of them. I really appreciate that," he said. "With some people I think, 'Why the hell are they carrying on? Just stop.' But with some (like Paul) I want them to carry on until they drop."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:08 am
Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester are set to star in the country music drama "Love Don't Let Me Down."
In "Love," Hedlund plays a young rising singer-songwriter who becomes involved with a fallen country singer played by Paltrow. They embark on a career resurrection tour with her husband-manager (McGraw) and a beauty queen-turned-singer (Meester). Romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all.
Shana Feste wrote and is directing the Screen Gems film. Tobey Maguire and Jenno Topping are producing via their Maguire Entertainment banner.
Feste was the filmmaker behind "The Greatest," a family drama starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon that premiered in January at the Sundance festival.
Country star and occasional actor McGraw co-stars in the recent release "The Blind Side." Hedlund recently finished shooting Disney's "Tron Legacy." The two play rivals in "Love," but they were father and son in "Friday Night Lights."
Paltrow reprises her role as Pepper Potts in next summer's "Iron Man 2," and Meester, best known for her work in "Gossip Girl," is featured in the thriller "The Roommate," which opens in September.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:08 am
Nominees announced Wednesday in top categories for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year: "Halo," Beyonce; "I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas; "Use Somebody," Kings Of Leon; "Poker Face," Lady Gaga; "You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift.
Album of the Year: "I Am Sasha Fierce," Beyonce; "The E.N.D.," The Black Eyed Peas; "The Fame," Lady Gaga; "Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band; "Fearless," Taylor Swift.
Song of the Year: "Poker Face," Lady Gaga and RedOne, songwriters (Lady Gaga); "Pretty Wings," Hod David and Musze, songwriters (Maxwell); "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyonce); "Use Somebody," Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill and Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon); "You Belong With Me," Liz Rose and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift).
New Artist: Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings.
Pop Vocal Album: "The E.N.D.," The Black Eyed Peas; "Breakthrough," Colbie Caillat; "All I Ever Wanted," Kelly Clarkson; "The Fray," The Fray; "Funhouse," P!nk.
Rock Album: "Black Ice," AC/DC; "Live From Madison Square Garden," Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood; "21st Century Breakdown," Green Day; "Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band; "No Line On The Horizon," U2.
R&B Album: "The Point Of It All," Anthony Hamilton; "Testimony: Vol. 2, Love and Politics," India.Arie; "Turn Me Loose," Ledisi; "Blacksummers' Night," Maxwell; "Uncle Charlie," Charlie Wilson.
Rap Album: "Universal Mind Control," Common; "Relapse," Eminem; "R.O.O.T.S.," Flo Rida; "The Ecstatic," Mos Def; "The Renaissance," Q-Tip
Country Album: "The Foundation," Zac Brown Band; "Twang," George Strait; "Fearless," Taylor Swift; "Defying Gravity," Keith Urban; "Call Me Crazy," Lee Ann Womack.
Latin Pop Album: "5to Piso," Ricardo Arjona; "Te Acuerdas ...," Francisco Cespedes; "Sin Frenos," La Quinta Estacion; "Hu Hu Hu," Natalia Lafourcade; "Gran City Pop," Paulina Rubio.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "Urbanus," Stefon Harris and Blackout; "Sounding Point," Julian Lage; "At World's Edge," Philippe Saisse; "Big Neighborhood," Mike Stern; "75," Joe Zawinul and The Zawinul Syndicate.
Classical Album: "Bernstein: Mass," Marin Alsop, conductor (Asher Edward Wulfman; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir and Peabody Children's Chorus); "Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10," Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Katarina Karneus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef, Elza van den Heever and Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Girls Chorus and San Francisco Symphony Chorus); "Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe," James Levine, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra; Tanglewood Festival Chorus); "Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges," Alastair Willis, conductor (Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Chattanooga Boys Choir, Chicago Symphony Chorus & Nashville Symphony Chorus); "Shostakovich: The Nose," Valery Gergiev, conductor (Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre; Chorus Of The Mariinsky Theatre).
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:08 am
The first nominees of the 2010 Grammys were announced on Thursday as the Recording Academy unveiled a handful of nominations for its 109 categories during a prime-time TV special.
This year’s hits as Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" became Grammy contenders for song of the year, along with Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me," Maxwell's "Pretty Wings" and the Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody".
Also nominated were the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, MGMT, Darryl Hall & John Oates and The Fray for best pop performance by a duo or group.
It was the second year in a row that the Recording Academy revealed its nominees during a televised concert. In the past, they had been announced during a morning news conference.
Besides, Thursday’s special also gave nominees the chance to perform, such as the Black Eyed Peas, who performed their ubiquitous hit, "I Gotta Feeling," as well as provided face time for some hot series’ stars, like LL Cool J, the rapper-actor who is the star of "NCIS: Los Angeles."
Other performers on the show included Nick Jonas and The Administration, R&B crooner Maxwell and country duo Sugarland.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:07 am
British TV and record producer Simon Cowell, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in British and U.S. show business, is planning to bring his "The X Factor" talent show to Las Vegas in a global pay-per-view Internet venture.
Cowell, 50, best-known as the acerbic judge on America's top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol", told the British version of GQ magazine he had partnered with British retail billionaire Sir Philip Green on the new "X-Factor".
The pair said they are in negotiations with the chief executive of a major hotel-casino venue in Las Vegas to find a permanent home for a new version of the show.
The British reality TV singing contest created by Cowell in 2004 has produced stars like Leona Lewis and has spin-off versions in 19 nations.
"The plan is to take it to Vegas....We'll have a permanent place. The home of 'The X Factor' -- live from Vegas," the January issue of the magazine quoted Green as saying.
Cowell and Green said the idea was to stage two talent shows a week in Las Vegas and broadcast them over the Internet on a pay-per-view basis.
"It'll all be online. You have 20, 30, 40 million people tuning in twice a week," Green told GQ. "You bring two or three hundred million viewers to a venue. It's turning it up a peg."
The pair would then aim later to stage "X Factor" competitions in countries around the world.
Cowell, whose Syco record label is part of the Sony Music Entertainment empire, also created the TV shows "America's Got Talent" and "Britain's Got Talent".
Forbes.com in November named him the top-earning man on prime-time U.S. television with estimated 2008 pre-tax earnings of $75 million.
Cowell said he got the idea for the new venture after dowdy Scottish singer Susan Boyle became a global YouTube sensation following her appearance on "Britain's Got Talent" in April. Cowell signed Boyle to his Syco label and her debut album is expected to top U.S. charts this week.
Cowell's current contract as a judge on "American Idol" expires at the end of the 2010 season, which starts in January and ends in May. He hinted earlier this year that he was bored with the show broadcast on News Corp's Fox network, but he has not made clear whether he will renew his deal and return to the show in 2011.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:06 am
Her new album is entitled "The Fall," but Norah Jones is waiting until spring to embark on a 36-city tour, which kicks off March 5 in Tulsa, Okla.
The trek will see the veteran jazz-pop singer play midsize theaters in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- but also hit many smaller markets like Akron, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; and Mobile, Ala. Several shows go on sale December 4, with the rest becoming available before the end of the year.
"The Fall" is Jones' fourth studio album. She's riding a wave of critical praise for the set, on which Jones takes a more roots-rock approach to songwriting, leaving behind the slow balladry that defined her early work. "The Fall" features collaborations with Okkervil River's Will Sheff, Ryan Adams, Marc Ribot and Smokey Hormel.
Jones' fans seem to welcome the new approach. Last week, "The Fall" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 180,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
While fans become acquainted with her new tunes over the next few months, they can also look forward to three new remixes -- all of which will be released January 12 as digital downloads and on vinyl. The single "Chasing Pirates" will get remixed by Santigold as well as Beck's remix collective the Droogs. The song "That's What I Said," which is featured on the latest "NCIS" soundtrack, gets the remix treatment from the Beastie Boys' Adrock and Mike D.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:06 am
She has been widely criticised for allowing her three-year-old daughter to totter around in stilettos as if she were a teenager.
But actress Katie Holmes has now broken her silence on her daughter’s choice of footwear - and insisted they are just dancing shoes that any little girl would like.
Suri Cruise - Ms Holmes’ daughter with husband Tom Cruise, 46 - was photographed with her mother in Boston, Massachusetts, last month stumbling along in silver high heels.
It was the second time she had been seen wearing stack-heeled, T-bar shoes with peep-toes, and led to Ms Holmes and Mr Cruise being criticised.
But Ms Holmes, 30, has now defended her daughter’s fashions and insisted the youngster makes her own choice when it comes to footwear.
Ms Holmes - who has been married to Hollywood superstar Cruise for three years - told American TV show Access Hollywood: 'Like every little girl, she loves my high heels.
'They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids. I found them for her and she loves them.'
Suri, who will be four next April, apparently already has a designer wardrobe of her own, estimated by some fashion experts to be worth around £2million.
Then there is her make-up collection. Like most little girls she is fascinated with cosmetics and has been seen wearing nail polish and lipstick.
However rather than a one-off treat, it is becoming more frequent, prompting some to question whether she is being allowed to grow up too fast.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:06 am
A home movie showing leisurely Marilyn Monroe with her friends surfaced after being packed away for 50 years, according to foreign media Wednesday.
This silent, color 4-minute film taken at a private home in New Jersey, showing Monroe puffing on a cigarette, laughing and drinking wine on a couch, was recently purchased by collector Keya Morgan for 275,000 U.S. dollars from a woman who took the film. She asked media to use only her first name, Gretchen, to protect her identity.
Morgan, a collector of historical photos, manuscripts, autographs and documents, is also working on a documentary on the death of Monroe in August 1962.
"It's a side of Marilyn that no one has ever seen before," he said. "You see the private Norma Jeane, the girl. You don't see Marilyn Monroe, the movie star." Monroe changed her name from Norma Jeane Baker to Marilyn Monroe early in her acting and modeling career.
The film was made in the late 1950s, Gretchen said she could not recall the exact year. She kept it in an attic for 50 years, except for loaning it to FBI investigators, she said.
Gretchen retained the copyright, which Morgan is helping her sell through an online auction expected to begin Thursday.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:05 am
Michael Jackson's death thrust the singer to the top of yahoo.com Internet searches in 2009, putting an end to Britney Spears' four-year reign and helping bump the President Barack Obama from the top 10 list.
Although the year was dominated by recession, the most clicks still went to what distracts web surfers. NASCAR, actress Megan Fox, reality star Kim Kardashian, and the film "Twilight" replaced four actresses on last year's top list.
Until June, when Jackson died of a drug overdose, Obama's inauguration garnered the most web traffic, said Vera Chan, web trend analyst at Yahoo Inc.
"When the news of Michael Jackson's death came out the traffic was overwhelming, and surpassed that," she said.
The death had all the elements of intrigue and tragedy. It was sudden, shocking and eerily familiar, according to Chan.
"And then his case was ruled a homicide so it's an ongoing crime investigation. His death is unresolved," she added.
Breaking news increasingly drove searches this year. While Obama dropped from third in 2008 to 44th in 2009, the political focus shifted from the election campaign to specific policies. The phrase stimulus plan placed fourth and health care reform was sixth among Obama-related searches.
Among finance-related searches, the words coupons and unemployment topped a list that included cash for clunkers, student loans, foreclosures, and government jobs.
The economy "was definitely a distinction from the previous years, how much people are monitoring the financial situation," Chan said.
The overall top 10 is "often just a snapshot of our distractions, our guilty pleasures, and breaking news," she added.
Spears, the singer whose personal meltdown captured headlines for the last few years, dropped to fifth place in the overall list, just behind Fox, the sex symbol star of the film "Jennifer's Body", and just ahead of Japanese magna cartoon Naruto.
"Britney was No. 1 for four years in a row, and not all of those years were pleasant years for her," said Chan. "For her well being, and for our well being, I think we're happy that we don't have to check up on her."
"Twilight" came in second on the list, followed by WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), Fox and Spears. Naruto captured sixth place, with the reality show American Idol, Kardashian, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the online role-playing fantasy game Runescape rounding out the top 10.
Yahoo accounted for 18 percent of U.S. online searches in October, compared to 65.4 percent market share for Google Inc, according to analytics firm comScore. Yahoo's search data is from the company's dot-com sites only.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:05 am
Keira Knightley has hinted her relationship with Rupert Friend is on the rocks.
The British actress - who is currently starring in the West End show 'The Misanthrope' where she portrays 22-year-old movie star Jennifer - has spoken about the similarities between her and her sexy on-stage persona, admitting they both have love life "problems".
She said: "Do I recognise being an extremely well-known young actress? Yes. And she's in the middle of a world full of people who are quite a bit older than her. She's having a problem with her boyfriend. No comment."
The 24-year-old beauty - who has been dating Rupert, 28, since 2005 when they met on the set of 'Pride and Prejudice'- also admitted she doesn't view fame in a positive way because the definition has changed so much.
She explained: "If I'd thought about what fame meant when I was younger, it probably would have been for your name to be respected for something you do well. I don't know that that is any longer what fame means. I don't see it in its modern-day connotations as a particularly positive thing."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:05 am
After being largely ignored at the Emmys, HBO's vampire drama "True Blood" has landed a nomination for the Producers Guild of America awards.
In the Norman Felton producer of the year category for drama series, "Blood" faces awards juggernaut "Mad Men" and three other best series Emmy nominees: ABC's "Lost," AMC's "Breaking Bad" and Showtime's "Dexter."
In the Danny Thomas producer of the year comedy series category, another dominant awards player, NBC's "30 Rock," is nominated alongside NBC's "The Office," Showtime's "Californication" and "Weeds" and HBO's "Entourage."
CBS' veteran newsmagazine "60 Minutes" leads the pack in the nonfiction TV category, joined by four unscripted series: Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," A&E TV's "Intervention," Bravo's "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the 'D' List" and Showtime's "This American Life."
The fourth series category for the 21st PGA Awards, announced Monday, is a head-scratcher. Called "live entertainment and competition TV," the category features four reality series: CBS' Emmy-winning "The Amazing Race," Fox's "American Idol," Lifetime's "Project Runway" and Bravo's "Top Chef," as well as Comedy Central's news satire "The Colbert Report."
The winners will be announced at the PGA Awards ceremony on January 24 at the Hollywood Palladium.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:04 am
Actor George Clooney, star of the film "Up In The Air" , poses with his mother Nina Clooney at the film's premiere in Los Angeles, California November 30, 2009.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:04 am
A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina died after complications arising from plastic surgerysurgery on her buttocks, according to media report Wednesday.
Solange Magnano, the 1994 winner and a mother of 8-year-old twins, died of pulmonary embolism Sunday three days after having a gluteoplasty, a procedure that involves placing implants to enhance firmness. Officials said the injected liquid went into her lungs and brain.
News of her death shocked her fans. The cause of her death was under investigation, the authorities said.
In the past half decade, the number of people seeking cosmetic surgery in Argentina has soared by 60 percent, to around 50,000. Estimates say that 1 in 30 Argentines has gone under the knife, making surgeons here some of the most experienced on the globe, attracting large number of medical tourists.
Medical tourism in Argentina has seen a huge jump over the past decade, and is projected to be a 100 billion dollar global industry by 2010, according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a U.S. research center focused on trends in the health care system.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:04 am
Lang Lang met with music-major middle school students in Taipei Tuesday. Lang Lang will hold a charity concert in Taipei on Dec. 2.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:03 am
Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski was still kept in jail of Switzerland Monday, unless he pays off a full bail payment of 4.5 million U.S. dollars demanded by Swiss court, according to foreign media report Tuesday.
"The bail must be wired to a bank account, and the bank must then notify us that it has received the bail," Swiss justice ministry spokesman Folco Galli said. "Nothing happens before that."
The full bail payment is standard practice in Switzerland, Galli said.
That is different from other countries such as the United States, where bail bondsmen often post a percentage of the total payment required by a court.
Polanski was arrested on Spet. 26 by Swiss police as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement at a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles want him returned to be sentenced after 31 years as a fugitive.
In addition to bail, the 76-year-old filmmaker must surrender his identity papers and be fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet.
He would not be allowed to leave his property, which is located in the luxury resort of Gstaad, as he awaits a decision on whether he will be extradited to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
An alarm will ring if Polanski leaves the property, but no special police protection will be provided. The director will be able to go outside to check the mail or entertain guests in the garden. He also will be able to make calls, send e-mails and work on his films. Phone conversations will not be monitored.
Polanski's wife and two children might join him in Gstaad around Christmas.
Polanski claims that the U.S. judge and prosecutors acted improperly in his case. His attorneys will argue before a California appeals court in December that the charges should be dismissed.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:03 am
Audrey Hepburn fans got a sneak peek Tuesday of dozens of garments and personal effects once belonging to the movie star that will hit the auction blocks next week.
A Givenchy black lace dress that Hepburn wore in "How to Steal a Million" and a demure ivory wedding gown that never made it down the aisle are among the items.
The fans, fashionistas and those looking to score a slice of film history were given the preview of the collection in Paris before the Dec. 8 sale in London.
"For her, what was important was not decoration and lots of embellishment. She liked very simple things — less was always more for Audrey," said auctioneer Kerry Taylor, whose eponymous auction house is handling the sale.
Star lots include an Yves Saint Laurent empire waisted gown in white cotton that she wore to her son Luca's 1970 christening, estimated at 1,500-2,500 pounds ($2,485-$4,141), and an abbreviated, long-sleeve Valentino Haute Couture dress in ivory silk and lace that's identical to the one worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at her 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
Another ivory wedding gown, made for Hepburn by the Rome-based Fontana sisters, is expected to fetch 8,000-12,000 pounds — though Hepburn herself didn't wear it down the aisle. After her marriage to James Hanson, which was scheduled for 1952, was called off, Hepburn asked that the Fontana sisters give it "to someone who could never afford a dress like mine, the most beautiful, poor Italian girl you can find," the auction catalog quotes Hepburn as saying.
And then there's the Givenchy: pared-down cocktail dresses, buttery silk tops, ladylike coats and dramatic sweeping gowns made by legendary French couturier for Hepburn, his muse.
"She said of Hubert de Givenchy that he was her greatest friend and he said of her that it was a real romance between the two, a real love affair that lasted all their lives," Taylor told The Associated Press at Sotheby's Paris showroom, where the two-day-long preview was held.
A Givenchy cocktail dress and cropped jacket made from black lace — which Hepburn wore in the 1966 romantic comedy "How to Steal a Million," costarring Peter O'Toole — is expected to fetch the sale's highest price of between 15,000-20,000 pounds — though auctioneer Taylor acknowledges the estimates are very approximate.
She said that clothes having once belonged to Hepburn, who died in 1993, rarely come to auction and the last two pieces fetched a whopping $1 million.
"These are harder times, and I've tried to keep my feet on the ground," she said, adding that lots start at an estimated 250 pounds for a straw hat. Another headpiece, a domed hat by Givenchy in green velvet with dangling beaded and feathered tassels, was featured in a 1964 Vogue shoot, and is estimated at 800-1,200 pounds.
Most of the lots come from the closets of Tanja Star-Busmann, a longtime friend of the actress. The two met in London when Tanja was 15 years old and Hepburn 20 — just before her career took off.
"I was perhaps her first unofficial fan — writing letters to her from boarding school and receiving replies," Star-Busmann, who is now in her 70s, wrote in the auction catalog. In addition to letters — some of which are to be sold — Hepburn also regularly gave her young confidant her hand-me-downs, which became increasingly fabulous as her star rose.
"Over the years, a cavalcade of boxes filled to the brim ... arrived at my door," wrote Star-Busmann. "Unpacking them was always like Xmas all over."
One of the pieces, a white point d'esprit bustier dress Hepburn wore in the 1956 movie "Love in the Afternoon," came shortly after Star-Busmann gave birth to a daughter. Enclosed with the frothy tulle was a note reading "just so you know what it's like to have a waist again," the catalog said.
After she recovered her figure, Star-Busman passed the dress on to her nanny, who — not having Hepburn's wasp-thin figure — had it enlarged using two panels down the back.
"Mr. Givenchy saw it yesterday and was really upset at the condition," said Taylor. "I understand him. I went ahead and put it into the auction because I thought that with lots of love and care, it could be restored."
A better-preserved version of the same dress in black — Hepburn was in the habit of acquiring her favorite dresses in both shades — is also to be auctioned.
Highlights are on display at Sotheby's in Paris through Wednesday. Half the proceeds from the sale are to go to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund and UNICEF.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:03 am
Who was on Americans' minds this year? Michael Jackson topped the biggest search among users of both Yahoo and Google looking to escape reality in 2009.
The Internet's biggest search sites released Tuesday their top search trends for 2009, as well as terms related to specific categories, providing their annual peek into the American psyche.
Jackson, the "King of Pop" who passed away earlier this year, topped the Yahoo search list for all categories, according to the Yahoo Year In Review.
Jackson's sudden death in June prompted record-breaking traffic for Yahoo, but searches about the beleaguered singer continued throughout the year.
In fact, all the top-ten search terms were entertainment-related. No. 2, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," is the only film title to crack the top 10. Third is "World Wrestling Entertainment."
Rounding out Yahoo's top 10 were actress Megan Fox and Britney Spears, who have been a mainstay on Yahoo's year-end lists since the company started releasing them in 2001. They were followed by Naruto, American Idol, Kim Kardashian, NASCAR, and Runescape.
Vera Chan, a Yahoo Search trend analyst, said that stars like Fox and Kardashian, have replaced former tabloid magnets like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Jessica Simpson.
Michael Jackson also topped Google's end-of-year list of top searches. He also topped the list of fastest-rising search terms according to Google's annual Zeitgeist list of top search terms, but the other topics on the list significantly differed.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:02 am
Roman Polanski remained in jail Monday, despite visits from his lawyer and a French diplomat, and it was unclear if the director had met Switzerland's demand of a full bail payment of $4.5 million to be released.
The Swiss Justice Ministry declined to say what guarantees Polanski needed to give to be transferred from the jail near Zurich to house arrest at his chalet in the luxury resort of Gstaad.
In addition to bail, the 76-year-old filmmaker must surrender his identity papers and be fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. He would not be allowed to leave his property as he awaits a decision on whether he will be extradited to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
"The bail must be wired to a bank account, and the bank must then notify us that it has received the bail," ministry spokesman Folco Galli said. "Nothing happens before that."
The full bail payment is standard practice in Switzerland, Galli said.
That is different from other countries such as the United States, where bail bondsmen often post a percentage of the total payment required by a court.
Polanski has been in Swiss custody since being arrested Sept. 26 on a U.S. warrant as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles want him returned to be sentenced after 31 years as a fugitive.
The director of such film classics as "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" was being held at a jail in Winterthur, near Zurich, where he was visited Monday by his lawyer Lorenz Erni and French diplomat Jean-Luc Faure-Tournaire.
"He is in good spirits. He is very happy about how he has been treated here," Faure-Tournaire said. He expected Polanski to leave jail soon, but he could not say how quickly.
Erni stayed for several hours in the jail, and refused to answer questions when he left. Contacted by telephone, Polanski's Paris lawyer Herve Temime also declined to comment.
In the central resort town of Gstaad, however, workers were seen clearing heavy snow from the road leading up to Polanski's property, a three-story stucco and wood home with its own garden. The chalet is where he would be confined until extradition is decided and any appeals are complete.
An alarm will ring if Polanski leaves the property, but no special police protection will be provided. The director will be able to go outside to check the mail or entertain guests in the garden. He also will be able to make calls, send e-mails and work on his films. Phone conversations will not be monitored.
It was unclear when Polanski's wife and two children would join him in Gstaad. His sister-in-law, Mathilde Seigner, told the Le Parisien newspaper that his family usually goes to the chalet around Christmas and plans to meet there again this year.
Polanski was initially accused of raping the girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977. He was indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molestation and sodomy, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.
In exchange, the judge agreed to drop the remaining charges and sent him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. The evaluator released Polanski after 42 days, but the judge said he was going to send him back to serve out the 90 days.
Polanski fled the U.S. on Feb. 1, 1978, the day he was to be formally sentenced. He has lived since then in France, which does not extradite its citizens.
Polanski claims that the U.S. judge and prosecutors acted improperly in his case. His attorneys will argue before a California appeals court in December that the charges should be dismissed.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:02 am
German supermodel Heidi Klum has found being a mother of four "tough" since she gave birth to her new daughter Lou last month.
Heidi Klum admits it's "tough" having four children.
The German supermodel - who gave birth to daughter Lou last month - is struggling to adapt because her newborn baby demands a lot of her time and attention.
Heidi - who is married to singer Seal - told German magazine Gala: "Of course this is all very tough for me at the moment because Leni, Henry and Johan want to continue to do things with their mama and papa. They are not really interested in the fact that you have just had a baby. Seal and I have a lot of work because we have to divide everything among us. But it's great! We are incredibly happy and the family really satisfies me.
"At the moment Lou needs me enormously. Not only because of breastfeeding but also because she needs to be close to her mother. She will sleep now for a year with us in our bedroom - just as her siblings did. It's easier at night if she is hungry."
The 36-year-old beauty keeps her other children - daughter Leni, five, and sons Henri, four, and Johan, three - happy by making sure they're kept busy.
Heidi - who along with Seal have released photographs of their new daughter on the 46-year-old musician's official website, Seal.com - explained: "You must always think of new things - this is sometimes a challenge. We often make play dates with other kids or we go to the park. On weekends we like to go to Disneyland."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:01 am
Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise's wife, thinks that dressing her 3-year-old daughter Suri in high heels is not an inappropriate thing, according to media reports Tuesday.
"Like every little girl, she loves my high heels," she said.
After Suri was spotted wearing high heels on multiple occasions, critics complained that the footwear could be detrimental to her physical development. "A common side effect of adults wearing heels too often is the tightening or shortening of the Achilles tendon," New York podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zong told media.
However, Holmes insisted Suri's heels are supportive.
"They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids," she said. "I found them for her and she loves them."
Suri also "loves dancing and singing and she's just a joy," Holmes added, "She loves it all."
The Cruises are all gearing up for a "big family Christmas" in Los Angeles this year. "I love Christmas," Holmes said. "It's my favorite."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:01 am
U.S. actor Alec Baldwin says he has lost interest in acting and considers his film career a failure.
"I don't have any interest in acting anymore," Baldwin, 51, told "Men's Journal" in an interview for its December issue.
Baldwin, best-known for his Emmy-award winning role in the NBC comedy "30 Rock" and the man chosen to co-host the 2010 Oscar ceremony, added: "Movies are a part of my past. It's been 30 years. I'm not young, but I have time to do something else".
Baldwin began a television acting career in the 1980s and has filmed scores of movies, including the 1988 cult classic "Beetlejuice". He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2003 film "The Cooler" and stars in the upcoming movie "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and his Oscar co-host Steve Martin.
Men's Journal quoted Baldwin as saying it was "pretty much it for him" after "30 Rock", "in a couple of years or so". He told Playboy Magazine this year he was "done" with his career in 2012 and would retire at "30 Rock"'s wrap party.
"I consider my entire movie career a complete failure," he told Men's Journal. "The goal of movie-making is to star in a film where your performance drives the film, and the film is either a soaring critical or commercial success, and I never had that."
Baldwin said the 1990 action film "The Hunt for Red October", in which he starred and which made more than $200 million worldwide, was successful because it was based on a popular Tom Clancy novel.
"And now, the movies I've been in, I never give them a moment's thought. Every movie I've ever been in, I just avoid," he said.
Baldwin has expressed interest in politics in the past but did not say in the interview what he intended to do should he quit acting.
Baldwin's interview with Men's Journal hits newsstands on Friday.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:01 am
U.S. renowned actor Alec Baldwin claims that he has lost interest in acting and considers to set about something new, according to foreign media Monday.
"I don't have any interest in acting anymore." Baldwin said.
51-year-old Alec Baldwin, best-known for his Emmy-award winning role in the NBC comedy "30 Rock" and the man chosen to co-host the 2010 Oscar ceremony, added: "Movies are a part of my past. It's been 30 years. I'm not young, but I have time to do something else".
Baldwin began a television-acting career in the 1980s and has filmed scores of movies, including the 1988 cult classic "Beetlejuice". He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2003 film "The Cooler" and stars in the upcoming movie "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and his Oscar co-host Steve Martin.
"I consider my entire movie career a complete failure," he said. "The goal of movie-making is to star in a film where your performance drives the film, and the film is either a soaring critical or commercial success, and I never had that."
Baldwin said the 1990 action film "The Hunt for Red October", in which he starred and which made more than 200 million U.S. dollars worldwide, was successful because it was based on a popular Tom Clancy novel.
Baldwin will retire at "30 Rock"'s wrap party. He has expressed interest in politics in the past but did not say what he intended to do after he quits acting.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:00 am
Chelsea Clinton has engaged to her long-time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker, according to Bill Clinton's charitable foundation on Monday.
She announced her engagement in a mass email to friends. The couple plans to marry next summer.
The 29-year-old Chelsea is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who now works at a New York-based hedge fund.
The announcement followed widespread but false reports over last summer that the pair had planned an August wedding at the resort island of Martha's Vineyard.
"We're sorry for the mass email but we wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving! We also wanted to share that we are engaged!.
"We didn't get married this past summer despite the stories to the contrary, but we are looking toward next summer and hope you all will be there to celebrate with us. Happy Holidays! Chelsea & Marc," said the email.
There were no details on the wedding plans.
Chelsea Clinton has kept a low-profile since her father left the White House in January 2001 but she campaigned for her mother Hillary during her unsuccessful run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:00 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Vladimir Nabokov's final, fragmentary novel went on sale Monday in two versions in Russia, more than 30 years after he asked that it be burned upon his death.
The emigre Russian wrote "The Original of Laura" on index cards in 1975-77, the last years of his life.
He asked his wife and son to burn the cards after his death, said Tatiana Ponomaryova, director of the Nabokov museum in St. Petersburg, where the versions were presented Monday.
One contains reproductions of the English-language index cards. The other, in Russian, puts the words into conventional text form.
His son Dmitry, who decided to publish the work, wrote in the preface that his father wouldn't have been against the move.
The fragmentary book may be frustrating to many readers accustomed to the polished writing of Nabokov, whose novels including "Lolita" and "Pale Fire" are regarded as some of the best English prose ever written. But scholars at the presentation found it intriguing.
"Now we have a unique opportunity to play Nabokov as Rubik's cube. That is we can try to decide ourselves how the plot should go," said Valery Timofeyev a Nabokov expert at St. Petersburg State University. "In fact, we now have a sample of the author's laboratory, where all the stages of the writer's work can be seen. It is great material for teaching philology students, too."
"Today, when every word of Nabokov is worth its weight in gold, this book is like finding a treasure," Russian writer Sergei Kibalnik said.
The book was published in the West in early November and reviewers took note of its post-modernist conceits, in which the narrator tells of an affair with a young woman that later became the basis for a best-seller purportedly written by him.
"It's not a novel. It's a plot of a plot. But it is very interesting from that point of view," said Boris Averin, a Russian literature historian at St. Petersburg State University.
The decision by Dmitry Nabokov to publish the book against his father's wishes was controversial in literary circles.
"However, it's understandable that it was very hard for Dmitry to burn something written by the hand of his father. And I'm personally very glad that Nabokov's son still decided to publish his father's work. He did it now also because of his elderly age of 75," Ponomaryova said.
Nabokov and his family fled the chaos of the Russian Civil War and he lived in Europe until moving to the U.S. in 1940. He became an American citizen in 1945, but returned to Europe in 1961 after the great success of "Lolita," settling in Montreux, Switzerland, where he died.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 01:00 am
Chris Brown will appear on ABC's "20/20" newsmagazine December 11.
In what the network is billing as an in-depth interview, the singer will discuss his assault on ex-girlfriend and recording superstar Rihanna in February. He is on probation for the beating.
Robin Roberts, anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America," conducts the interview, which was taped last weekend.
ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said clips from the interview may also air on "Good Morning America." He said Brown will not perform live.
Brown is scheduled to release his album "Graffiti" on December 8. He has spoken about the attack on MTV News and "Larry King Live."
Rihanna appeared on '20/20' earlier this month in an interview with Diane Sawyer.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:59 am
Clint Eastwood fans just might feel the actor and filmmaker has made their day when Warner Home Video announces Monday an Eastwood DVD collection of significant scope.
Priced at $179.98, the 19-disc "Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros." will hit shelves February 16.
The collection ranges from 1968's Eastwood-starring "Where Eagles Dare" through last year's "Gran Torino," which he starred in, directed and produced. Also included in the package is a feature documentary on the filmmaker by Time magazine critic and film historian Richard Schickel.
"I've known Clint for most of the time he's been at Warner Bros.," Schickel said. "I was fortunate to be able to wander around the Warner lot with him and hear his reminiscences. To be able to show him in the places where he works and lives and feels most comfortable is, I think, a unique opportunity."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:59 am
British singer Robbie Williams has said he was not engaged to his girlfriend, Ayda Field -- despite "proposing" to her on a radio show.
The pop star popped the question to Field, 30, live on Australian radio on Friday, only for his London-based spokesman to say it was a joke and deny they were engaged.
Adding to the confusion, Williams' mother Jan told British radio that her 35-year-old son intended to marry Field "in the not-too-distant future."
On his website on Saturday, Williams posted a brief blog under the headline "Robbie And Ayda: Are They Or Aren't They?"
It read: "Hey all. We are not engaged. rob x"
One of Europe's most successful entertainers, Williams rose to fame as a member of the hit boy band Take That before forging a successful solo career.
The singer, who now lives in Los Angeles, has been out of the public eye since he left a U.S. rehabilitation center in March 2007 where he was treated for prescription drug addiction.
His new album "Reality Killed the Video Star" is his first release in three years.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:58 am
Chinese mainland actors and movies received a series of titles of the 46th Taiwan Golden Horse Award Saturday night.
Li Bingbing took the best actress award for her performance in "The Message", an espionage movie produced by Huayi Brothers Media Group and Shanghai Film Group.
Huang Bo shared the best actor title with Nick Cheung from Hong Kong with his performance in "Cow", which is the first time for the award to have a shared best actor title.
Wang Xueqi and Yu Shaoqun won the best supporting actor and the best newcomer titles for their performance in "Forever Enthralled", a biographical movie for renowned Beijing Opera artist Mei Lanfang.
Cao Yu with "City of Life and Death", a movie depicting the Nanjing Massacre during Japanese army's invasion of China, won the best cinematography, and "Crazy Racer" won the best special visual effects.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:58 am
nagabriela Espinoza from Mexico jubilates after winning the first place, or the title of 09 Miss International at the final of the 49th Miss International Beauty Pageant held in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 28, 2009. The top three winners are Anagabriela Espinoza from Mexico, Seo Eum-mi from South Korea and Chloe-Beth Morgan from the UK.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:58 am
ABC has handed out a pilot order to the single-camera comedy "Funny in Farsi," with Barry Sonnenfeld on board to direct and executive produce.
Based on Firoozeh Dumas' memoir, "Farsi" is inspired by the Iranian-born author's experiences growing up in Newport Beach, California, during the 1970s. Dumas was 7 when her father, an engineer, moved her family from Iran to the U.S.
The book was adapted by Jeffrey Hodes and Nastaran Dibai ("According to Jim"), who wrote the pilot script.
Sonnenfeld, who won an Emmy for his directing work on ABC's "Pushing Daisies," first spotted "Farsi" last season when ABC gave it a director-contingent pilot order in February, but the network shelved it after the helmer was not available to direct.
Sonnenfeld since has set up shop at ABC, inking a two-year first-look deal last month with the network and ABC Studios. Under the pact, he is expected to direct and executive produce "Farsi" and another pilot for the network, probably a drama.
ABC is not the first broadcast network to take a stab at developing a comedy revolving around Iranian Americans. During the 2002-03 season, British Iranian comedian Omid Djalili co-penned a sitcom for NBC in which he starred as an Iranian professor transplanted to New York and working at his brother's diner. The start of the Iraq War derailed the project. Djalili went on to co-star on the network's comedy "Whoopi."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:58 am
Meet the new boss on "The Mentalist."
Aunjanue Ellis has joined the cast of the sophomore CBS drama in a recurring role.
She will play the beautiful but tough new head of the California Bureau of Investigation who is installed after the resignation of the unit's former chief, Virgil Minelli, played by Gregory Itzin. (Itzin recently signed on to return to "24," reprising his role as former President Charles Logan.)
She is brought in to restore discipline and morale to the division after the murder of three agents, including Agent Sam Bosco (Terry Kinney), and will be the new supervisor of Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney).
The series revolves around Lisbon's team and the help they get from independent consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker).
Ellis' debut on "Mentalist" is tentatively slated for April.
The actress, who appeared in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," recently co-starred on Broadway in "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," by August Wilson, and wrapped the action film "Game of Death."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:57 am
In the contest, she finished second. But on the charts, she's number one.
Susan Boyle's debut record, "I Dreamed A Dream," entered the British album chart in the top spot Sunday. The 48-year-old Scottish songstress famously finished second on "Britain's Got Talent," but the variety show launched a career that has seen her win success on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to the Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in Britain, the more than 410,000 copies of "I Dreamed a Dream" sold since its release Nov. 23 make it the fastest selling album so far this year, and are the largest first-week sales for a debut album in U.K. chart history.
Millions of people have seen an online clip of Boyle auditioning for the judges. Wearing a somewhat dowdy frock and with a halo of untidy hair, Boyle told judge and producer Simon Cowell that her dream was to be a professional singer. "I've never been given the chance before, but here's hoping it'll change," she said then.
She sang "I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserables, and her soaring vocals earned a smile and raised eyebrows from Cowell — and a standing ovation from the audience.
"In 'Britain's Got Talent' she opened her mouth and the world fell in love with her, which is why her album has been the fastest selling of any woman making her debut," Cowell said. "She's amazing."
Since the show — in which she eventually finished second to a dynamic dance troupe called "Diversity" — Boyle has become one of the more recognizable faces of British music, both at home and abroad.
Though she was taken aback at first by her fame, Boyle has since had a glamorous makeover, been photographed by an upscale fashion magazine, and been profiled for "NBC's People of the Year" special in the United States. In Britain, she's appeared as a special guest on a wildly popular talent show, "The X Factor."
"I accept now that my life will never be the same. And I don't want it to end," Boyle told Matt Lauer on the special, according to an NBC transcript.
Of her number one album, Boyle said only, "it's fantastic" in a statement released by her record company.
"Everyone expected this to be a big record, but not as big as this," said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company. Of the more than 410,000 copies — both physical and digital — sold in Britain, he said the majority of buyers purchased the CD. In the United States, Amazon Music it was the largest pre-order in the company's history.
Boyle's cover of the Rolling Stones classic "Wild Horses" debuted in the ninth spot on Britain's singles chart.
Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for the HMV music store company, said Boyle's record could challenge for the top spot at Christmas — a highly coveted position in Britain's showbiz world.
He said Boyle's frequent appearances in Britain's newspapers likely helped boost her sales, along with her reality television background. Shows like "Britain's Got Talent" and "The X Factor" — which produced last week's chart-topper, Leona Lewis — help viewers bond with artists, he said. Fans follow the artist's career from the start, "so when the album comes out, quite a few of them will go out and buy the album, too," Castaldo said.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:57 am
Nov. 30 -- Chinese mainland actors and movies received a series of titles of the 46th Taiwan Golden Horse Awards Saturday night.
Li Bingbing took the best actress award for her performance in "The Message", an espionage movie produced by Huayi Brothers Media Group and Shanghai Film Group.
Huang Bo shared the best actor title with Nick Cheung from Hong Kong with his performance in "Cow", which is the first time for the award to have a shared best actor title.
Wang Xueqi and Yu Shaoqun won the best supporting actor and the best newcomer titles for their performance in "Forever Enthralled", a biographical movie for renowned Beijing Opera artist Mei Lanfang.
Cao Yu with "City of Life and Death", a movie depicting the Nanjing Massacre during Japanese army's invasion of China, won the best cinematography, and "Crazy Racer" won the best special visual effects.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:57 am
Taking advantage of wide expectation and lingering loyalty to the original film of "The Twilight Saga," the sequel "New Moon" has kept the No. 1 billing at the North America box office with a haul of 42.5 million dollars over three days beginning on Black Friday, latest projection suggested Sunday.
Entering into the second-week screening in Canada and the United States, the vampire romance is expected to fetch 231 million dollars in combined ticket sales, the North America box office authorities estimated. In the meantime, ever increasing number of merrymaking moviegoers in the region has "obliterated" the previous record by buying 278 million dollars worth of tickets, or an increase of 34 million dollars over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday last year, representing an 8.7 percent increase in studio revenue this year.
A Summit Entertainment production that based on a series of four novels by author Stephenie Meyer, "New Moon" is directed by Chris Weitz instead of Catherine Hardwicke in the first installment. However, the movie is exceptionally faithful to the 2008 beginnings. The success of the teen romance is originated from the big-effort promotion by the Summit Entertainment that saw major actors and actresses making a pitch in 15 major cities across North America.
The second place of the chart also remained unchanged, with "The Blind Side" featuring Sandra Bullock garnering three-day sales of 40.1 million dollars. A drama sports film about an American football player that was made by privately owned Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner's Bros., the flick is estimated to make a haul of 57.5 million dollars over five days during the Thanksgiving holiday. Its two-week sales total will surpass 100 million dollars, according to estimates.
Rounding out the top five are:
No.3: "2012," Sony/Columbia, 18 million this weekend, 138.8 million dollars in three weeks;
No.4: "Old Dogs," Disney, opening with 16.8 million dollars this weekend;
No.5: "Disney's A Christmas Tale," Disney, 16 million dollars this weekend, 105.4 million dollars over four weeks.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:56 am
Musicians, actors and other celebrities paid tribute in London on Sunday to Boyzone star Stephen Gately whose death last month at the age of 33 shocked the pop world.
As crowds of fans gathered in pouring rain outside a theatre in London's West End, stars filed inside for the private concert, including fellow Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch.
Gately's parents as well as former prime minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie attended the event, reportedly organised by the singer's partner Andrew Cowles.
Duncan James and Lee Ryan from boyband Blue also attended along with former Olympic champion ice skaters Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill.
Pop singer Chesney Hawkes said he was in a daze after his friend's death.
"I am just still walking around in a daze really -- such a shock, so young, so vibrant, such a lovely guy. It's just so sad," Hawkes said.
The Boyzone members, who did not speak to waiting media, were due to perform a musical tribute to Gately, while actor Ian McKellen was due to read poetry.
British television presenter Graham Norton was expected to give a short speech.
Gately was found dead in his holiday apartment in Majorca on October 10. A coroner ruled he died from natural causes due to excess fluid in his lungs.
Boyzone enjoyed huge success with six number one singles in Britain, but split up in 2000.
The Irish band reunited seven years later, but their recent 19-date Better tour failed to fill stadiums, despite offers of free tickets.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:56 am
Welsh singer Lloyd Daniels was defiant on Sunday with no sign of tears after learning his X Factor dream was in tatters.
The teenager declared he has "enjoyed every moment" after being voted off the television talent show by the public, leaving just four remaining acts.
Daniels received fewer votes than Olly Murs after his version of Take That's "A Million Love Songs" and the Elton John classic "I'm Still Standing."
Daniels, the youngest contestant on the show, has been singled out for criticism by Louis Walsh, and last week he broke down in tears after being told that he should have been voted off.
But fellow judge and the singer's mentor Cheryl Cole predicted a big future, and urged him to be proud of his achievements on the show.
"He is only 16 - he has got loads of time to blossom into a real star," she said.
The show featured its normal mix of pop stars - this time Rihanna and Alicia Keys showed off their talent.
Joe McElderry has emerged as a favourite for the X Factor crown after continuing to wow the judges with "Could It Be Magic" and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word."
Cole hailed the first performance "flawless."
Simon Cowell said: "What was so impressive there was that you managed to navigate through all the dancing and production. It looked like you were really in control."
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:56 am
Chinese mainland actors and movies received a series of titles of the 46th Taiwan Golden Horse Award Saturday night.
Li Bingbing took out the best leading actress award for her performance in "The Message", an espionage movie produced by Huayi Brothers Media Group and Shanghai Film Group.
Huang Bo shared the best actor title with Nick Cheung from Hong Kong with his performance in "Cow", which is the first time for the award to have a shared best actor title.
Wang Xueqi and Yu Shaoqun won the best supporting actor and the best newcomer titles for their performance in "Forever Enthralled", a biographical movie for renowned Beijing Opera artist Mei Lanfang.
Cao Yu with "City of Life and Death", a movie depicting the Nanjing Massacre during Japanese army's invasion of China, won the best cinematography, and "Crazy Racer" won the best special visual effects.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:56 am
Sundance faves "Sin Nombre" and "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" scooped the bulk of awards at the 20th Stockholm Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday.
Mo'Nique won the prize for best actress for her powerful turn as an abusive mother in Lee Daniels' "Precious," a performance that has already put the actress on many handicappers' Oscar shortlists.
Cary Fukunaga's "Sin Nombre" picked up three of Stockholm's Silver Horse trophies: best actor for star Edgar Flores, best first feature film and the Fipresci International Film Critics Prize for best film.
"Now my professors will have to give me a good grade," Fukunaga joked, a reference to the fact that the feature, a story of Honduran immigrants trying to reach the U.S., was his film school graduating thesis.
But the 2009 Golden Horse for best feature film went to "Dogtooth," a surreal look at a dysfunctional family from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. "Dogtooth" has proved a favorite on the festival circuit. After winning top prize in the Cannes festival's Un Certain Regard section, it picked up trophies in Montreal, Sarajevo and the Sitges Calalonian fests.
Stockholm'e Silver Audience Award went to the documentary "The Cove," director Louie Psihoyos' look at the capture and slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Thursday 03 December 2009 at 12:55 am
Let the arguments begin. The best films of the decade are, in my opinion, as follows.
For certain, they won't be yours, though I do hope this list jogs the memory. These are films that had an impact. They shocked, dismayed and provoked. They unsettled people. They established legacies, won awards and aggravated more than a few. None is easy or conventional. That's what great movies are about.
10. THE WHITE RIBBON
Austrian director Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon," made in Germany, looks at the Hitler generation when they were in knee pants. A small Protestant village maintains a strict hierarchical order, where everyone knows his place, yet an inhuman moral code holds sway. Again, as in his "Cache," much is hidden, and Haneke is never one to resolve the story's mysteries. The youngsters have embraced the dark side of the adults' values, and he doesn't have to explain where this will lead.
9. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
The story of a devastating handicap -- a paralyzing stroke that traps French editor Jean-Dominique Bauby in his body where only a left eyelid can communicate -- becomes an essay about the strength of the human spirit. It is probably the only film ever to exist as virtually one long POV shot. Director Julian Schnabel, who specializes in films about artists who overcome huge obstacles, writer Ronald Harwood and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski solve the problem of a "locked-in" movie by showing everything the man sees from his bed and wheelchair, in sometimes blurred and shaking images, as well as his fantasies and memories. It actually improves on Bauby's dictated memoir by making us literally see and feel the rage, lust, hunger and humor that illness cannot diminish. The performance by Mathieu Amalric is both poignant and breathtaking.
8. CACHE
Yes, Michael Haneke makes the list twice -- and I don' t even count myself a fan. These two films are simply that good. "Cache" -- "hidden" in French -- is a mystery film and one that never bothers to solve its mystery. That lies outside Haneke's interest. He is more concerned about institutional racism, the hidden, if not unconscious, bias that humans harbor about one another and the subject of guilt, communication and willful amnesia. The film operates like a thriller, with overtones of Hitchcock's "Rear Window," which serves to remind us that moviemaking -- and movie watching -- is an act of voyeurism.
7. DIVINE INTERVENTION
A film that probably will not appear on many top 10 lists for the decade, "Divine Intervention" comes from Palestine, a country not recognized by many nations and certainly not the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a convenience which gave that organization cover to not include such a discomforting film in its best foreign language films category in 2002. It's a subversive film that uses the powerful weapon of humor to portray relationships between Jews and Arabs in Israeli-occupied Palestine. Elia Suleiman's mordant comedy is certainly the funniest film on this list: He has just the right, light touch to explore the mindless indignities an occupier can impose on the occupied. Much of this comic stalemate occurs in tiny quotidian moments: locked stares between hostile people or characters sitting helplessly in cars at checkpoints. No one has to say anything: The images do all the talking.
6. FAR FROM HEAVEN
Todd Haynes' film is many things, not the least of which is a flawless replication of 1950s American cinema conventions from art direction and themes to costumes and mores. But his film digs deep, beneath the surface, to show what is taboo -- from the love that dare not speak its name to interracial relationships. The film predates Stonewall and the civil rights movement, but it never tries to get ahead of itself and wink at us about these poor, deluded fools. It accepts their cultural values; no, it traps you in them. No film has subjected the Eisenhower era or suburban culture to greater critical scrutiny. Few films have captured the ways of wayward hearts any better. And that title is just perfect.
5. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS
Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu depicts with bleak accuracy and wry observation what it's like to navigate the back alleys, easy cruelty and sheer pettiness in a totalitarian society in "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." This is not the stuff of concentration camps, strong-arm tactics and vicious repression, but rather a society's complete indifference, absent even the slightest human empathy, toward two hapless young women trying to resolve an unwanted pregnancy. Yes, the ostensive portrait is of the final years of Communist rule in Romania, but the film speaks to the banality of evil in all political systems and the contemptuous creatures more than willing to exploit the vulnerable in all societies.
4. THE FOG OF WAR
Robert Strange McNamara died earlier this year, and thanks to Errol Morris' documentary, we were left with a more complex and fundamentally altered view of the former Defense Secretary and architect of the disastrous Vietnam War. This is Morris' least fussy doc -- a film distilled from 20 hours of recorded interviews with the then 85-year-old man. The film has no other voice. The portrait that emerges is surprising, as surprising as McNamara's assertion that he and General Curtis LeMay were essentially war criminals for directing the fire bombing of Tokyo and 67 Japanese cities at the close of World War II and his claim that he desperately urged President Johnson to pull troops out of the Vietnam quagmire. The film should be required viewing in all university classes in 20th-century American history, moral philosophy and the history of warfare. Not to mention film classes.
3. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Many films in the decade -- many films -- took hard looks at violence in America, and some of those were by Ethan and Joel Coen. Certainly "The Dark Knight" and "The History of Violence" tried to penetrate the seemingly inexhaustible allure of blood in the American psyche. Perhaps because this film is set in the West, which reminds us of the dark, murderous legacy of the Old West and the genocide of Manifest Destiny, "Country" gets to the heart of the matter. The title works two ways, describing a territory where the young are predators or a place where few live to be old. Evil exists in a banal, commonplace manner. You can't reason with it or outsmart it; evil will mercilessly track you down. The movie's dialogue is startling, its character portraits staggering, and the theme of pure malevolence crawls into your skin like a plague.
2. UNITED 93
A shocking, emotionally searing account of the first people to inhabit the post-September 11 world, "United 93" depicts the fourth ill-fated flight of that unforgettable September day. Paul Greengrass makes you experience that flight and that day, as well as the intersection between hopelessness and determination. It's the only film of the decade that takes the measure of our changed world, from its ordinary, everyday opening minutes to a final confrontation with religious and political madness.
1. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Hollywood has been making war movies since D.W. Griffith, but you seldom if ever get a sense of how it feels. You may in the first 20 minutes of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan"; then that movie reverts to genre form. But Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" accomplishes this feat: You get war in all its horror, boredom and grit -- and from the point of view of our country's enemy, so any empathy is hard-earned. With unsettling brilliance, the film captures war as experienced by soldiers lost in its fog, as a grinding, sickening, numbing death machine. In Eastwood's version, heroism and cowardice are two sides of the same coin, and glory a concept best left to generals and historians.
