Kanye West, Kung Fu Panda star at NYC parade (AP)

NEW YORK – A high-kicking Kung Fu Panda and a diary-toting Wimpy Kid joined the giant balloon lineup as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade unfolded Thursday, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the annual extravaganza on a chilly, overcast morning.

Emily Rowlinson, a tourist from London, squealed and snapped pictures with her cell phone as the massive Smurf balloon floated by a packed sidewalk along the route.

"We don't have anything like this in England," she exclaimed. "We have parades. We don't have any sort of huge, floating beasts. It's very cool."

As millions more watched the live broadcast on television, revelers gathered nationwide for other parades in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. The parades headline observances across the nation that also feature football and family dinners with too much food on the table.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, President Barack Obama called on Americans to help each other through tough times.

"This is not the hardest Thanksgiving America has ever faced," Obama said. "But as long as many members of our American family are hurting, we've got to look out for one another."

He later telephoned ten U.S. servicemen and women stationed around the world to thank them for their service and sacrifice. He wished them and their families a happy Thanksgiving, before joining his own for the holiday.

The Macy's parade featured an eclectic lineup of entertainers including Kanye West, Gladys Knight and Colombian rocker Juanes. The Broadway casts of "American Idiot" and "Elf" performed, along with marching bands from across the United States.

Perched on her father's shoulders, 16-month-old Stella Laracque wriggled and danced with excitement as SpongeBob SquarePants, Hello Kitty, Shrek and other beloved figures wafted past her.

"She doesn't really know the characters, but she's loving it," said her father, Mike Laracque of Manhattan.

Another new balloon was Virginia O'Hanlon, the 8-year-old girl whose letter to the editor elicited the response, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

Santa Claus closed the parade as always. A cheer erupted as he passed by on his sleigh, shaking his enormous belly.

Returning balloons included Pillsbury Doughboy and Spider-Man — the last with a new fan in Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He said in a CBS interview that he had traditionally favored Snoopy, but after the Marvel Entertainment character was involved in a recent event promoting city services for job-seekers, "Spidey is my new favorite."

Surveying the scene with four of her relatives, Emily Hine confessed that she'd initially been loath to come from Boyertown, Pa., about 100 miles southwest of Manhattan.

"I was dreading the crowds, but I'm enjoying it more than I anticipated," she said, adding that the balloons are bigger than she'd imagined from watching previous years' parades on TV. "It's more up-close and personal."

Other celebrities at the parade included India Arie, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Keri Hilson, Arlo Guthrie and Miranda Cosgrove.

Standing on a stepladder her family had brought from Mamaroneck, a New York City suburb, 9-year-old Melissa Machado was thrilled to spot Victoria Justice, the star of Nickelodeon's "Victorious."

"She's a famous person, and I always see her shows," Melissa explained after the actress-singer passed by on the Build-A-Bear Workshop float.

The Macy's parade started in 1924 when employees from the department store marched in costume from Harlem to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street. The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because rubber and helium were needed for World War II, making Thursday's parade the 84th.

The parade followed the route it inaugurated last year, starting on Central Park West and proceeding down Seventh and Sixth avenues to 34th Street. The route had to be changed when vehicles were banned from parts of Broadway.

Workers had removed street lights and traffic lights to make way for the massive balloons and were standing by to replace the equipment.

"As soon as Santa Claus drives by, the poles go back up," said Tom Carola, a worker with an electrical-contracting company hired by the city.

In Detroit, a morning drizzle and chilly temperatures weren't enough to keep John and Matt Fisher from attending that city's parade.

The father and son from Hamtramck, Mich., had their RV set up a day ahead of time and by Thursday morning had a prime spot for watching it — equipped with coffee, hot cocoa, soup and chili dogs.

"Got to see Santa," said John Fisher, 53. "If we don't see Santa, we're not sure he's gonna bring presents."

A block away, a German exchange student was watching his first Thanksgiving parade.

"This is great," said Jonah Boyd, 16, of Hamburg, who didn't know much about the American holiday before arriving in South Lyon, Mich., where he is staying with a host family. "All I knew was that people ate turkey."

Before the parade, Boyd, his girlfriend and her family watched thousands of runners take part in the annual Turkey Trot race. A similar race in Buffalo, N.Y., attracted more than 12,000 entrants, the most ever in the event's 115-year-history, organizers said.

Many participants in Detroit wore costumes: One ran in a Santa suit, complete with sack. An elf was spotted as well. Others were wearing Halloween-type outfits, including runners dressed as Iron Man and Captain America.

Perhaps the most appropriate attire belonged to the two Turkey Trotters wearing turkey hats.

___

Associated Press writer Mike Householder in Detroit contributed to this report.

View the original article here

The great "Contender" - Christian Bale cracks wise (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Back Stage) – As Christian Bale reluctantly soaks in the acclaim for his role in the upcoming drama "The Fighter," one of the people he should thank is his daughter.

It was at an event for her school that Bale ran into Mark Wahlberg, whose daughter is a fellow student. Wahlberg had spent years developing his true-story movie about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his offbeat, often overbearing family. Wahlberg knew he needed the perfect actor to portray Ward's half-brother and trainer, Dickie Eklund, a once-great pugilist who had lost his career to a crippling addiction to crack. "The first time I saw Christian," Wahlberg recalls of their chance encounter, "I was like, 'Holy f---! I've figured it out.'"

Before long, Wahlberg and Bale were spending time in Lowell, Mass., where Ward and Eklund still live, getting to know the brothers and their family. Wahlberg and Bale also had to choose a director, and it was Bale who first suggested David O. Russell, with whom Wahlberg had previously worked on "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees."

Recalls Bale, "Mark said he didn't want me to feel he was just going with a buddy of his, but I said, 'No, let's give him a call.' So we sat down, and it was right."

While the script continued to develop, Ward and Eklund spent weeks in Los Angeles, staying in Wahlberg's guest house. "We would meet up every day," Bale reveals, "just to train and spar and hang out together."

The commitment paid off; in the film, opening December 10, Bale is almost unrecognizable as Eklund. The character's body ravaged by drugs, Bale is gaunt and pale, his teeth are fake, and his thinning hair reveals a sizable bald spot on the back of his head. But the performance transcends mere physical transformation, digging deeply into the soul of a man who lost his shot at glory. Hiding his whip-smart intelligence behind hollow eyes, Bale perfectly captures Eklund's jealousy, selfishness, and unwavering love for his brother -- sometimes in the same moment.

Bale is now back up to his normal weight, and sports a thick beard and long hair that remind you he once played Jesus in a 1999 TV movie. He hasn't cut his hair since filming wrapped on "The Fighter," saying he likes to grow it out between roles in case he needs a certain style for his next character.

In his early years, the Welsh-born actor seemed determined to avoid major Hollywood stardom by seeking out roles in small, quirky films such as "American Psycho" and "The Machinist." It only partially worked: At one time, he was the most downloaded celebrity on the Internet, a fact that seems to mortify him to this day. Then, just when people thought they had him pegged as the serious indie film guy, he signed on to play Batman in one of the biggest franchises in film history. After that, it became impossible to predict what Bale would do next: He could team with Werner Herzog for the small drama "Rescue Dawn," then turn around and take the lead in the action blockbuster "Terminator: Salvation."

His role in that film was overshadowed by controversy when audio surfaced of Bale deriding a crew member on set, sealing his reputation for uberseriousness. But he actually has a wicked, self-deprecating sense of humor.

Though the character of Eklund takes Bale to dark places on screen, it also provides the actor with a rare opportunity to showcase his comedic skills. A born raconteur, Eklund gets laughs not only from his outrageous statements but also from actions, like repeatedly jumping out the back window of a crack house to avoid his mother. For Bale, having a touch of levity in the story was essential to the tale.

"Tragedy goes with comedy, and that's never truer than in the case of Dickie," Bale says. "We actually had to pull back on some of the comedy, because we were afraid people wouldn't believe some of these crazy situations he got himself into."

Repeat the popular rumor that he disappeared between scenes on the set of "The Fighter," only to emerge like a ghost whenever he was needed, and Bale can't resist a smile. "I like that rumor," he nods. "Some rumors are so great, I'd rather not dispel them. I can laugh at them -- not all of them, but most of them."

But raising the possibility that Bale could now secure his first Academy Award nomination makes him visibly uncomfortable.

"Of course I've heard it," he confesses. "There are people who work on movies called producers, and they make sure I hear it. But I also know there's going to be people who see me and don't like what I do."

Try to push the subject further, and he finally says, "Here's the thing. You should never talk about stuff like that because no matter what answer you give, you're a cock. If you say you don't care about any of that -- well, why not? It's flattering, it's human. Or you can say, 'I really want it.' And who do you think you are? You just can't talk about it either way."

View the original article here

"Hurt Locker" lawsuit enters dangerous territory (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Remember on the eve of the Academy Awards when a U.S. Army bomb disposal expert sued producers of "The Hurt Locker" claiming that the film ripped off his life story and defamed him?

The defendants in the case -- including distributor Summit Entertainment, production company Grosvenor Park, screenwriter Mark Boal, director Kathryn Bigelow, producer Nicolas Chartier and Playboy Enterprises (Boal's script was based in part on his Playboy article) -- could be a few steps away from defusing this litigation grenade.

Last week, New Jersey federal judge Dennis Cavanaugh ruled that the case should be moved to California District Court, where it has now been transferred.

Since the lawsuit was first filed last March, the parties have been battling over jurisdiction. The plaintiff, Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver, claimed that New Jersey was the proper forum since that's where he lived at the time the film was produced. But in his decision, Judge Cavanaugh noted that by the time the film had been released, Sarver had moved to Tennessee, and he called the choice of the New Jersey forum "seemingly random."

In moving the case to California, Judge Cavanaugh has given the defendants some ammunition (despite the appearance that he's given a small victory to Sarver by refusing to dismiss the case outright).

Both California and New Jersey have laws that protect an individual's right of publicity -- crucial to Sarver's main claim. However, the biggest difference between the two states is that New Jersey has no "anti-SLAPP" statute, the law that gives defendants a quick recourse to essentially countersue for an attempt to stifle free speech. California, on the other hand, has a pretty strong anti-SLAPP statute, and it's been a popular tool of defendants fighting-right-of-publicity and defamation claims, such as the ones being exerted by Sarver in his lawsuit.

In other words, the U.S. soldier who claimed that "Hurt Locker" damaged him could now risk paying damages to the film's producers. Will Summit launch a counteroffensive to hopefully convince Sarver to retreat from his claims? The studio declined to comment.

View the original article here

In gaffe, Palin supports 'our North Korean allies' (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US conservative favorite Sarah Palin is choosing sides in the latest conflict pitting the two Koreas against one another, but a verbal slip-up saw her make an unexpected pick.

"Obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies," she said Wednesday on the radio show of fellow conservative icon Glenn Beck.

The host immediately corrected her and Palin repeated: "Yeah. And we're also bound by prudence to stand with our South Korean allies, yes."

Although it was clear Palin had an unfortunate slip of the tongue, it is the type of error the former Republican vice-presidential candidate must scrupulously avoid to dispel doubts about her credibility in a potential run for the White House in 2012.

Palin, who left midway through her first term in office as governor of Alaska, was battered by the "lamestream media" for her awkward speech and apparent lack of knowledge on key foreign and national matters when she was John McCain's running mate for his failed 2008 presidential bid.

Her appearance on The Glenn Bleck Program came amid a busy schedule for Palin, now promoting a new book ripping President Barack Obama on health care reform and foreign policy.

A TLC television reality show featuring her family fishing, kayaking, bear-watching and relaxing in their tiny hometown of Wasilla recently launched and she made a show of support for her daughter Bristol, who finished third in the finals of hit ABC show "Dancing with the Stars."

The remainder of Palin's remarks on Tuesday's deadly artillery attack that marked the worst violence between North and South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War stuck to traditional US policy talking points.

The United States should "remind North Korea, well, we're not going to reward bad behavior and we're not going to walk away and we do need to press China to do more to increase pressure on that arena," she said.

"This is stemming from, I think, a greater problem when we're all sitting around asking 'Oh no, what are we gonna do,' and we're not having a lot of faith that the White House is gonna come out with a strong enough policy to sanction what it is that North Korea's gonna do," Palin added.

"So this speaks to a bigger picture here that certainly scares me in terms of our national security policies."

Palin's prominence grew as the ultra-conservative Tea Party gained momentum this year and her reputation as a political kingmaker has solidified, with several candidates she endorsed romping to victory in the November 2 elections.

But the polarizing populist is no favorite of the Republican establishment, which regards her as a bad nationwide match-up against Obama in 2012 and has looked on with dismay as she has becomes an increasingly powerful player.

View the original article here

Prince Andrew: UK taken royal bride Kate to heart (AP)

LONDON – Britain has taken Prince William's fiancee Kate Middleton to its heart, Prince Andrew says.

Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and uncle to William, tells Britain's Press Association that the upcoming royal wedding is "the most wonderful piece of news that the U.K. has had for a long time."

He says it is wonderful that "the U.K. has taken Kate to their heart."

Andrew was speaking Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, where he joined the queen and her husband Prince Philip in a five-day state visit.

View the original article here

Shakira nets 500,000 euros for charity with Spanish TV ad (AFP)

MADRID (AFP) – Colombian pop star Shakira said Wednesday she had taped a Christmas television ad for a Spanish sparkling wine in exchange for a donation of 500,000 euros (660,000 dollars) to her charitable foundation.

The spot was filmed on Saturday in Barcelona and the money paid by the company Freixenet will be used to build two schools, one in Haiti and the other in Colombia, the Grammy-winning singer told a Barcelona news conference.

"Education is a birthright and a quality education is the only tool that a child has to turns dreams into reality," the 33-year-old said.

"Since I was a girl I have been been aware of the tough reality faced by many children."

Under the deal Freixenet will also produce a videoclip for Shakira's song "Sale el sol" as well as as a documentary about the singer's philanthropic work, whose Pies Descalzos foundation already manages six schools in Colombia.

The advertisement is for cava, a popular drink in Spain to toast friends and family during year-end celebrations. Freixenet has traditionally hired an international star to feature in its annual Christmas campaign.

Oscar-winning US actress Liza Minnelli was the first to perform in a Freixenet Christmas advertisement, singing the theme song from her hit film "Cabaret" in 1977.

An ageing Gene Kelly reprised "Singing in the Rain" in 1981, twirling his umbrella and clicking his heels as golden cava bubbles fell from the sky while Raquel Welch sang "I'm So Excited" in a see-through top in the spot that aired four years later.

But last year in a cost-cutting move the company repeated the previous year?s campaign featuring Spain's synchronised swimming team.

View the original article here

Chimney fire damages Heidi Fleiss' Nevada home (AP)

PAHRUMP, Nev. – A Thanksgiving Day chimney fire has ravaged part of the Nevada home of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.

The 44-year-old Fleiss tells KVVU-TV she was at the house in Pahrump, west of Last Vegas, when the fire broke out, but was unharmed.

KVVU-TV reports the fire started in a chimney that lacked a "spark arrestor," a device that prevents sparks from escaping the fireplace.

Fire officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

It's unclear how much damage the house sustained, but a video released by celebrity website TMZ shows flames flowing from the roof.

Fleiss once ran a high-priced Los Angeles prostitution ring providing models-turned-prostitutes to wealthy clients. She moved to Pahrump in late 2005, several years after serving 21 months in a California prison for money laundering, tax evasion and attempted pandering.

___

Information from: KVVU-TV, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ce/storytext/us_heidi_fleiss_house_fire/38748207/SIG=10ldpjbqm/*http://www.kvvu.com

View the original article here

Yoko Ono interviews son for 'Day of Listening' (AP)

WASHINGTON – Yoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon, are joining a national oral history project that urges people to take time the day after Thanksgiving for a National Day of Listening with their friends and loved ones.

The recorded conversation between mother and son about their lives will be broadcast Friday as part of the StoryCorps segment on NPR's "Morning Edition." Organizers said Ono and her son find similarities between their childhoods.

This is the third year for the National Day of Listening, a project that encourages people to record interviews with friends or family members about their lives. New participants this year also include U.S. Olympic athletes and staff at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian as part of Native American Heritage Day on Friday.

KJ Jacks, 29, who has worked in special events since the museum opened in 2004, said it was a chance to talk about the diversity among Native Americans, including her own experience growing up near Denver. She said it's important for people to know Native people are part of everyday life and that "we don't all walk around wearing buckskin dresses."

"My father is full-blood Cherokee. I didn't meet him until I was 16 years old. So my mom tried to get me interested in Indian culture when I was young, and I wasn't having any of it — I was rebelling," she said in her interview with a co-worker.

Jacks explained that she grew up with a single mother of Irish decent. It wasn't until she came to work for the museum that she wanted to learn more about her Cherokee heritage and reconnect with her father.

"I feel like I have a very different background than a lot of people who work in the museum, a lot of the Native people, because I didn't grow up in it," she said after her story was recorded. "I think it will be a good way to just understand how people work."

Free interview guides and sample questions are available online or through an iPhone app from the New York-based StoryCorps project.

Former President George W. Bush helped jump-start the Day of Listening in 2008 before leaving the White House by sitting down for an interview with his sister, Dorothy Walker Bush Koch.

Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected more than 30,000 interviews across the country. The recordings are archived at the Library of Congress.

Founder Dave Isay said that during a time of much political and cultural division, listening to one another can remind people "how much more unites us than divides us."

Curators at the American Indian museum may consider a larger oral history effort and are encouraging indigenous people to record their stories.

The museum wants to have Native American communities more involved in developing its content to help redefine how they are represented, director Kevin Gover said in an interview he recorded for StoryCorps.

He also showed how the interviews can reveal very personal details. Gover, who is of Pawnee decent, spoke about his life growing up with an alcoholic father and his own struggles with alcoholism.

"In my career as a drinker, I still have memories that I shudder over, things that I did, and I just wish I could take them back," he said. "So that's reason enough for me never to drink again."

___

Online:

National Day of Listening: http://nationaldayoflistening.org/

National Museum of the American Indian blog: http://blog.nmai.si.edu/

View the original article here

Real's Ozil spilts from homesick girlfriend (AFP)

BERLIN (AFP) – Real Madrid's German star Mesut Ozil has split from his girlfriend Anna-Maria Lagerblom, it was revealed on Saturday.

"Yes, we have separated," Lagerblom told German daily Bild on Saturday.

Ozil, 22, had been with Lagerblom, 28, since May 2009.

After a series of outstanding displays for Germany at the World Cup in South Africa, Ozil joined Real from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in August.

Lagerblom has split from Ozil after suffering from homesickness and loneliness in the Spanish capital having moved to Madrid in September with her son from her first marriage.

"The lifestyle was not for me, I didn't like it," said Lagerblom, the sister of popular German singer Sarah Conor and the former wife of Finland midfielder Pekka Lagerblom.

"I am pleased to be single, I'm happy again."

View the original article here

Cable networks shine with stars, Conan, Oprah (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Once considered the backwater of television, cable networks have in recent years become the brightest stars in the media business, bringing their owners outsized profits and attracting some of today's biggest names in showbiz.

The latest migration: Conan O'Brien took his talk show style and young audience from NBC to TBS. Next up, Oprah Winfrey launches an entire cable network, OWN, in 2011.

The three hottest entertainment companies on Wall Street are Discovery Communications, Scripps Networks Interactive and Viacom Inc.. Their stock prices are all up 25 percent or more this year.

Not one of them owns a broadcast network; rather they're home to cable channels such as the Food Network, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and Comedy Central.

But with cable's expansion come challenges that include differentiating networks in a multi-channel universe and, as with the broadcast networks, keeping youthful audiences tuned-in amid a number of entertainment options from movies to videogames, social networking and others.

"What we are doing is trying to find audiences who are passionate," said Peter Liguori, chief operating officer of Discovery Communications, which will partner with Winfrey in the OWN network.

OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network will include a mix of shows offering entertainment and information as well as a reality-based series, "Your Own Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star".

There is no doubt about cable's success in the past decade as shows such as HBO's "The Sopranos" or AMC's "Mad Men" won over critics and fans, and specialty networks like all-sports channel ESPN became juggernauts for profits.

According to media research firm SNL Kagan, Walt Disney's ESPN cable networks which earned $1.5 billion in cash flow in 2009, compared with CBS television network, which earned $228 million in cash flow last year.

Ten years ago, broadcast captured 48 percent of prime-time viewing households while cable had a 43 percent share, according to Nielsen Media Research. Now cable networks command 60 percent of audience homes, versus the networks' 36 percent.

One big reason is that cable networks cater to narrow groups of fervent viewers who become attached to shows they love, and that strategy means consistent audiences in a fragmented market.

Broadcasters, by contrast, are built to attract mass audiences and often must tailor content for broad appeal, pleasing fewer viewers in the process.

O'Brien's move to Time Warner Inc'sTBS network serves as a good example. TBS snagged O'Brien from General Electric-owned NBC after the broadcaster made a disastrous reshuffle of its late-night lineup earlier this year.

After O'Brien became host of NBC's "The Tonight Show," the network was unable to attract the audiences that advertisers and its network affiliates needed. But TBS is looking for exactly the sort of youthful, offbeat comedy-loving audience that O'Brien, 47, brings with his new show, "Conan."

"My parents are going to watch and I'm thrilled about that, but they don't count in this business. The game is all about youthful demographics and we expect Conan to be extremely competitive," Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, which includes TBS.

Similarly, Oprah Winfrey, whose chat show has long been among the top-rated programs on daytime TV, can leverage her fan base to launch the lifestyle-oriented network, OWN.

And at the moment, cable networks have the money to spend on stars thanks to twin revenue streams of advertising and fees paid by pay TV services.

Moreover, that business model also gives cable programs more time to blossom than those on broadcast TV, where there is far more pressure to immediately please advertisers.

On cable, "you are not going to get canceled in the middle of the year like on network TV because of low ratings," said Brad Adgate senior vice president of research at Horizon Media.

Still, because of their big audiences, broadcasters retain the upper hand in pricing TV advertisements, which tend to command roughly 30 percent more than cable TV commercial spots. But in recent years, the ad playing field has been considerably leveled, advertising executives said.

"Those days of getting a (huge) rating on one show are few and far between," said Donna Speciale, an advertising executive with agency MediaVest, whose clients include Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.. "You now need a lot of little wins as opposed to big wins."

(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; editing by Paul Thomasch and Carol Bishopric)

View the original article here

DiCaprio attacker to get two years in prison (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A woman accused of slashing Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio's face with a wine glass pleaded no contest Friday to the 2005 attack and is expected to serve two years in prison.

Former model Aretha Wilson, who was extradited to the United States from Canada, entered the plea just before the case was expected to go to trial and DiCaprio was due to take the witness stand against her, officials said.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 22 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The 40-year-old was expected to see 330 days credited for time already served behind bars in Los Angeles, but Judge Patricia Schnegg did not indicate whether her prison time in Canada, where she had fled after the incident, would count.

DiCaprio was rushed to hospital and received stitches to his face and ear after the June 17, 2005 attack.

During a hearing earlier this year, witness Eustace Hicks said he and DiCaprio were leaving a party in Hollywood Hills with another friend when Wilson appeared and cursed at the friend before attacking DiCaprio.

"She hit him with a wine glass... It appeared to be in his face... his neck and ear area," Hicks said.

After viewing photographs of the wounds, Judge Edmund Willcox Clarke said Wilson should be tried.

"This would not be an injury that would be called trivial or moderate in my view," he said.

View the original article here

Brunei's Prince Jefri battles for millions, reputation (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – He says he was victim of a palace plot. They say they were just faithful servants. The tabloids say it's New York's trial of the year.

Prince Jefri Bolkiah, brother of the Sultan of Brunei, is suing his British former financial advisors for allegedly cheating him out of some seven million dollars between 2004 and 2006.

Faith Zaman and her husband Thomas Derbyshire insist they did nothing wrong and even claim to be owed millions more by a prince whose lavish lifestyle, said to include everything from harems to gold toilet paper holders, is legendary.

On Friday they all appeared in New York state Supreme Court.

The diminutive prince looked dapper in a trim blue suit and neat mustache as jurors listened to witnesses lay bare the intimate financial dealings of one of the world's richest men.

What jurors were not hearing was anything about Prince Jefri's even more intimate details.

Justice Ira Gammerman, an irascible judge famous for once barking at Woody Allen during a trial that "I'm the director," prevented defense attorneys from mentioning the royal's playboy ways.

That meant jurors have been among the few New Yorkers not exposed to lurid debates over pornographic statues formerly kept at a Long Island property belonging to the prince.

The prince's lawyers had accused the defense team of wanting to embarrass him by dredging up photographs of the life-size, flesh-colored sculptures depicting the prince and an equally bared woman engaged in sex.

"This case is not about sex," Gammerman said earlier in the trial this week, adding, with his characteristic humor: it might be "much more interesting if it was."

Prince Jefri, in his mid-50s, is no stranger to controversy over money and sex.

He reportedly has four wives, although that is not unusual for a Muslim, and 17 children. Former American stripper Jillian Lauren, says that for a year and a half she was part of a 40-strong harem, an experience she describes in this year's book "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem."

The prince and his elder brother, sultan of the tiny, oil-rich state of Brunei, have also starred in a sensational family feud over Prince Jefri's alleged embezzlement of 15 billion dollars during his tenure as finance minister.

New York and London tabloids are lapping up the trial.

Jefri is the "perv prince" for the New York Post and the "kinky, narcissistic" prince in the Daily Mail. Even the more staid New York Times can't resist "the sheer titillation" of the case.

It was not clear if Prince Jefri will take the stand. If he does, the questioning on cross examination would likely be fierce as lawyers get a chance to pry out the secrets of a man who reportedly has owned 2,000 cars, a 1,788 room palace and a yacht called "Tits."

On Friday, Gammerman repeatedly slapped down lawyers on both sides as they posed what he ruled to be improper questions to witnesses, including two real estate attorneys who'd worked with the Derbyshires.

"Stop talking!" he told one lawyer. "Sit!"

View the original article here

Early Oscars presented at 2nd Governors Awards (AP)

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sat Nov 13, 4:10 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A few honorary Oscar winners are getting a jump on next year's Academy Awards.

Film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director Jean-Luc Godard and character actor Eli Wallach are to receive Oscar statuettes Saturday evening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' second annual Governors Awards.

Director-producer Francis Ford Coppola is also to be presented with the academy's Irving G. Thalberg award at the private black-tie dinner at Hollywood & Highland's Grand Ballroom, which is adjacent to the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.

Winners were chosen by the governors of the academy's 15 branches.

The academy established its Governors Awards last year to pay tribute to winners of honorary Oscars and the Thalberg bust — prizes previously presented during the Academy Awards telecast. Academy President Tom Sherak said the new, non-televised Governors Awards allow the academy to honor more artists with more in-depth presentations.

Last year's inaugural celebration "was a night where celebrities came, members came who aren't celebrities and celebrated the careers of four people," Sherak said. "Not only were all their friends able to attend — which doesn't always happen at the Academy Awards — those people were able to talk and toast them individually."

Sherak said he expects the event to remain untelevised, though highlights will be available online at Oscars.org and will also be included in the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 27, 2011.

Live updates from Saturday's event will also be featured on the academy's Twitter feed.

"We purposely have not let the outside in just yet," he said. "We want it to be a night where you can say anything you want."

Sid Ganis, who is producing the event with Don Mischer, said they plan to "put on an entertaining show that will do what we can't do on the big show, which is to dig into the careers of these four gentlemen."

Brownlow, a documentarian and historian, has restored several silent films, written books about the history of Hollywood and made movies about some of its pioneers.

"He is a treasure to this industry," Sherak said.

Godard, a French-born director whose contributions to the New Wave era of filmmaking have been considered groundbreaking, has said he won't be able to attend the awards ceremony. Godard has been the subject of media reports in recent weeks that suggest he is anti-Semitic, and the academy received some complaints about his honorary award, but Sherak said the honorary Oscar is in recognition of his artistic contributions, not "his overall life."

Wallach is a character actor who has appeared in scores of movies and TV shows since his career began in the early 1950s. Sherak called the 94-year-old actor "a gem" and "an artist in his craft."

Coppola, a five-time Oscar winner whose credits include "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," is being honored for producing a lifetime of quality work.

"His contributions have taken the art form to a whole new level," Sherak said.

Coppola said he felt "blessed" when he got word of the award.

"It is sort of the ultimate award for producing," he said in an interview. "I've been a writer, a director and I have more than gotten my share of those honors. The Thalberg Award, for me, is kind of a trifecta."

___

AP Entertainment Writer Michael Cidoni contributed to this report.

Online:

http://www.oscars.org

http://www.Twitter.com/theacademy

View the original article here

Kanye West cancels upcoming 'Today' performance (AP)

NEW YORK – Kanye West has backed out of a scheduled performance on NBC's "Today" show after getting upset with how his interview with host Matt Lauer this week was handled. West's record company confirmed the cancellation to "Today" on Friday after the rapper said on his Twitter account that he wouldn't perform. He was scheduled to appear Nov. 26, part of a promotion drive for his new disc, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," which is being released Nov. 22.

During the interview, which was taped Tuesday and aired Thursday, West appeared thrown when "Today" aired a video clip of an embarrassing moment — when he grabbed a microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and said Beyonce should have won an award instead of Swift.

West tweeted this week that he felt "set up" by the interview and that Lauer tried to force his answers. His cancellation notice was accompanied by mixed messages.

"Much love to Matt and the whole Today show," he said in a Twitter message. "I accept ya'll future apology in advance LOL!"

In the interview, West talked about former President George W. Bush's angry response to West saying after Hurricane Katrina that Bush "doesn't care about black people." "Today" played a clip of Bush speaking about it in his recent interview with Lauer. In seeking a reaction, Lauer noted that it was the most emotional Bush had become during three and a half hours of talking with him.

"Don't even listen," Lauer said. "I want you to look at his face."

That appeared to upset West, who looked away.

"I don't need you guys to show me the tape in order to prompt my emotion about what I'm going to say," he said.

Later in the interview, punctuated by pauses where West appeared to be searching for words and Lauer looked perplexed, West became angry when the Swift video was shown. Lauer explained that it was common to show video of an event when it is referenced in an interview, but West complained that he could hear it and wondered how he was supposed to talk over it. Lauer ordered the sound of the tape be turned off.

"Please don't let that happen again," West said. "It's, like, ridiculous."

Lauer said later that "there was nothing improper about it, nothing unusual about it."

West's decision could be a lose-lose situation. It deprives "Today" of an appearance from one of music's most popular performers on the day after Thanksgiving, when many people are off from work and school.

From West's standpoint, he was due to perform on Black Friday on the nation's most-watched morning show, when New York streets around the "Today" studio will likely be clogged with holiday shoppers who might be persuaded to add his disc to their lists.

___

NBC is owned by General Electric Co.

___

Online:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com

View the original article here

Curtis Billings, Edward Hibbert, Darren Pettie Will Jump Onto Olympia Dukakis' 'Milk Train' in NYC (Playbill)

Complete casting has been announced for Roundabout Theatre Company's new winter 2011 production of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, starring Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis.

Directed by Michael Wilson, this production — to play Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre Jan. 7-April 3, 2011 — premiered in May 2008 at Hartford Stage. It was the culmination of Wilson's ten-year project on the work of Tennessee Williams.

Opening night is Jan. 30. Wilson's New York cast (slightly different than in Hartford) includes Curtis Billings (Giulio), Elisa Bocanegra (Simonetta), Olympia Dukakis (Flora Goforth), Edward Hibbert (Witch of Capri), Maggie Lacey (Frances Black) and Darren Pettie (Christopher Flanders). Hibbert steps into the female role of the witch directly from starring in Roundabout's revival of Mrs. Warren's Profession.

Here's how Roundabout characterizes the play: "In this haunting Tennessee Williams drama, Olympia Dukakis stars as Flora Goforth, a wealthy American widow. In her picturesque Italian mountaintop home, Flora has detached from the world in order to write her memoirs. When a handsome and mysterious young visitor arrives without warning to keep Flora company in her final hours, this dreamlike play blossoms into a fascinating meditation on life and death."

The design team includes Jeff Cowie (sets), David C. Woolard (costumes), Rui Rita (lights) & John Gromada (original music and sound).

Roundabout Theatre Company has a long association with Tennessee Williams, having staged The Glass Menagerie (2009-2010), Suddenly Last Summer (2006-2007), A Streetcar Named Desire (2004-2005), The Night of the Iguana (1995-1996), Summer and Smoke (1995-1996 and 1975-1976) and The Glass Menagerie (1994-1995).

Ticket prices range from $71-81. Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212) 719-1300, going online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or visiting the Laura Pels Box Office (111 West 46th Street).

To become a Roundabout subscriber visit www.roundabouttheatre.org or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212) 719-1300. The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM with a Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinee at 2 PM.

View the original article here

De Laurentiis mourners asked to wear red: reports (AFP)

ROME (AFP) – Mourners are being asked to wear red at the funeral on Monday in Los Angeles of Italy-born producer Dino De Laurentiis, the man behind many art house masterpieces and Hollywood blockbusters.

"Dino would not have wanted to see a sea of black at his funeral," his family wrote in a statement on Saturday, Italian news agencies reported.

The family asked people attending the funeral "to honour his memory by wearing something red -- a colour that gave him great strength."

The Oscar-winning film producer died earlier this week in Los Angeles and the funeral will be held at Our Lady of the Angels cathedral.

Film star turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger has paid tribute to the producer, who gave him his big break in cinema with "Conan the Barbarian".

De Laurentiis worked with some of Italy's best-known directors such as Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini before breaking into Hollywood.

He won an Oscar for Fellini's "La Strada" and was nominated 38 times.

In 2001 he received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Oscars for demonstrating "a consistently high quality of motion picture production" and in 2003 he was given a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival.

View the original article here

Zsa Zsa Gabor released from hospital (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Ailing 93-year-old Hollywood socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was released from hospital Saturday, her publicist told AFP.

"Zsa Zsa Gabor has been released from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center this morning and she's at her home in Beverly Hills right now. She had an infection in her leg and she was being treated with antibiotics," said John Blanchette.

Gabor was rushed to hospital Friday after she complained of pain in her leg and swelling, which doctors at her home diagnosed as a massive blood clot that needed treatment in hospital.

It was the latest in a series of health complications and hospital visits by Gabor in recent months.

The actress was hospitalized in July after falling and breaking her hip. She underwent hip replacement surgery but suffered more complications, including a blood clot for which she had more surgery.

During another hospital stay in August, she called in a priest to administer last rites, then left the hospital a day later insisting that she wanted to be back at home.

The Hungarian-born actress's lengthy film career includes spots in a dozen films and television series, including John Huston's 1952 "Moulin Rouge" and the 1958 film noir "Touch of Evil" by Orson Welles.

She also lent her voice to several animated films and TV series.

But the platinum blonde is especially known for her flamboyant lifestyle, legal troubles, nine marriages and a propensity to call just about everyone "darling" with her distinctive accent.

View the original article here

Spanish film director Berlanga dies aged 89 (AFP)

MADRID (AFP) – One of the giants of Spanish cinema, director Luis Garcia Berlanga, died at the age of 89 at his home outside Madrid Saturday, Spain's film academy announced.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero paid tribute to the director, who had battled Alzheimer's, calling him "one of the great film-makers of Spanish culture" whose "provocative, ironic and lucid style is already part of our vocabulary."

"It's an enormous loss of Spanish cinema and for all of Spanish culture," Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez Sinde said on RNE public radio.

"The work of Luis Garcia Berlanga remains the same as that of any other past master of literature, painting or music of this country," she said of Berlanga, who was considered a "classic" of Spanish cinema and won several prestigious awards during his career.

Born in 1921 in Valencia, Berlanga began his career under Francisco Franco's right-wing dictatorship.

His best known work, the 1952 satirical comedy "Welcome Mr. Marshall!" ("Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall!") explores a Spain of the 1950s waiting in vain for the United States to bring it democracy and development.

"With Luis Garcia Berlanga dies a style, a voice, the vision of a country, a culture and a philosophy on the human race," El Pais newspaper wrote in its online edition.

It called him "the commentator and the conscience, good and bad, of a country tarnished by the trauma of the (civil) war".

He will be buried on Sunday at the cemetery of Pozuelo, the Madrid suburb where he lived.

View the original article here

New dad Steve Nash announces divorce (AFP)

PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) – Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash said the he and his wife, Alejandra, who gave birth to their son on Friday, are in the process of a divorce.

Nash said in a statement to Life and Style Magazine that he and his wife have lived separately for several months but remain committed to bringing up their children "in the most positive, nurturing way possible."

The couple, who had been together for several years when they married in 2005, also have 6-year-old twin daughters, Lola and Bella.

"I want only good things for Ale going forward," Nash said. "I'm focused on ensuring that our children understand how much they're adored and loved by us as they continue to adjust to these changes.

"I would ask that their privacy, and ours as a family, be respected as we move forward. This will be my only statement on this."

The Suns announced Matteo Nash's birth in a news release Friday.

Nash, a 36-year-old Canadian, scored 28 points and 14 assists in the Suns' 103-89 victory over Sacramento, then left the locker room before reporters were allowed in afterward.

View the original article here

Orlando Bloom, Beth Ditto win German Bambi awards (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) – National and international celebrities including actor Orlando Bloom, soccer player Mesut Ozil and singer Beth Ditto took home Germany's most coveted media prizes, known as the "Bambi Awards."

A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009, "Lord of the Rings" star Bloom won the Bambi Charity Award on Thursday night for his humanitarian work with children in some of the world's poorest regions.

"He always makes time to travel to distant countries so he can draw attention to the destitution faced by children and the work done by charities," the jury said, explaining its decision.

The Bambi Awards are Germany's most important media prizes and have been awarded every year since 1948 to "people with vision and creativity, whose outstanding successes and achievements have been reported in the media."

But it was Germany's soccer heroes who stole the show hosted by "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker near Berlin on Thursday evening.

Turkish-born Real Madrid footballer Ozil was hailed as a prime example of successful integration into German society and won the prize in the "Integration" category.

"This is a great honor for me and I'm very happy," he said. "Integration creates something new and makes for a more colorful Germany."

Singer Shakira presented the German national soccer team coach Joachim Loew and his team with the jury's "Special Prize" for their performance at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, where Germany claimed third place.

Explaining its decision the jury said: "German football has never been so young -- and it has seldom been as passionate and innovative as it was during the World Cup in South Africa."

National trainer Andreas Koepke said the award was a "lucky charm" for the German national side's next big challenge -- winning the European soccer Championship.

Other members of the star-studded audience to be awarded a prize included U.S. singer Beth Ditto, who bagged the prize for "Pop International," and British environmental activist Jane Goodall, who picked up the "Our Earth" award for her ongoing campaigns to protect the environment and endangered species.

(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Michelle Martin, editing by Paul Casciato)

View the original article here

'Elf' on Broadway — who needs Will Ferrell? (AP)

NEW YORK – Who needs Will?

That might be the typical reaction from theatergoers after seeing the Broadway musical "Elf," a show that remains true to the 2003 Will Ferrell movie but stands on its own with great sets and design, a funny adapted script and a collection of hardworking actors. It simply doesn't need Ferrell in tights.

That's largely due to a top-notch, behind-the-scenes team that features songs by Tony Award-nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin ("The Wedding Singer"), a book by Tony winners Thomas Meehan ("The Producers," "Hairspray") and Bob Martin ("The Drowsy Chaperone"). They're only the top of a talented group that also includes David Rockwell's set designs and Gregg Barnes' costumes.

Sebastian Arcelus steps into Farrell's role of Buddy and creates his own delusional 6-foot-3 elf who leaves the North Pole in search of his human father in Manhattan. Arcelus, who until now has mostly replaced other singers in shows like "Jersey Boys" and "Wicked," plays Buddy as a cheerful simpleton amazed by New York who manages to perk up everyone he meets.

Mark Jacoby slips into the James Caan role as Buddy's grumpy, workaholic dad, horrified to discover he has a 30-year-old son who thinks he's an elf. Amy Spanger, who was in "Rock of Ages" as Sherrie, plays Buddy's jaded love interest with aplomb, wiping away the memory of Zooey Deschanel in the movie. Spanger has an amusing torch song with "Never Fall in Love."

As good as Jacoby and Spanger are, Beth Leavel, who plays Buddy's step mom, and Matthew Gumpley, who plays Buddy's 12-year-old half brother, are absolutely lovely together, singing two of the best songs — "I'll Believe in You" and "There Is a Santa Claus."

The production, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw ("The Drowsy Chaperone" and "Monty Python's Spamalot") is a tight, polished, expensive-looking affair that has enough jokes for adults and enough special effects for kids. And The Rockettes have some serious competition this Christmas season with the musical's tap-dancing Santas who hide out at a Chinese restaurant.

Meehan and Martin have been somewhat handcuffed by the seven-year-old movie, but still manage to keep the show topical: Santa (George Wendt from "Cheers") keeps his naughty-or-nice list on an iPad; and at Macy's, where Buddy first spots his future girlfriend and goes bananas, the store manager (a hysterical Michael Mandell) responds, "OK. Cool down. Don't go all Charlie Sheen on me." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also gets some ribbing from Santa for ending his use of reindeers.

Other now-classic lines from the movie are intact, such as Buddy's PG-rated swear "cotton-headed ninny-muggins" and when he confronts the department store Santa by hissing, "You smell like beef and cheese."

The design team hasn't stopped with just the sets: The outside of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 45th Street is wrapped like a huge Christmas present sporting candy canes. Inside, the North Pole resembles an Advent calendar and New York landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center have been realized with flair. Projections by Zachary Borovay of snow and cartoon deer are sparingly used.

Nicholaw's choreography is a throwback to classic Broadway, sometimes with a twist, as when the secretaries and managers who work for Buddy's dad swivel their own cubicles and pound out a rhythm on their desks with their fists.

The musical's ultimate themes are the same as the movie's, namely getting everyone in the Christmas spirit and finding a place where you belong. This show definitely belongs on Broadway but it won't last. It ends its run Jan. 2.

___

Online: http://www.elfmusical.com/

View the original article here

Big sales projected for Michael Jackson album (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) – The initial U.S. shipment of Michael Jackson's "Michael," due December 14 on Epic Records, is 900,000, according to retail sources.

Record label Sony is projecting first-week CD sales of 340,000 and digital album sales of 60,000.

That projection is similar to debut-week sales of Jackson's album "This Is It," though that album had the marketing strength of a major motion picture behind it.

"This Is It" sold 373,000 units in its first week and has sold 1.6 million units since its release in October 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Second week projections for "Michael," are set at 280,000 units, while digital sales are expected to slip from its debut week percentage of 15% to 8%.

Both of those percentages are better than the digital sales garnered by "This Is It" in its first week when the format accounted for 5.6% of total sales.

"Michael" will carry a $10.25 wholesale cost and a $13.98 list price. Most music merchants say the controversy surrounding the posthumous single "Breaking News" should stoke awareness and sales for the new album "Michael."

"I think people will come out to buy the album, especially with the controversy," Edge Entertainment Distribution music buyer Danny Cohen said.

The debate on song quality and authenticity will likely be a moot point by November 15, when the Jackson website is scheduled to debut "Hold My Hand," which features Akon.

That first commercially available single from "Michael" will be available for sale the same day at digital stores like iTunes.

Some merchants worry that the quality of the first song being streamed from Jackson's site may not inspire consumers to run out and buy the set on street date. One merchant described "Breaking News" as "an interesting choice to sell an album. It's not a good first look for the album."

Merchants say that Sony sales representatives have told them the single was chosen more because of the lyrical content as a way to herald the news about the upcoming album.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

View the original article here

Rock stars U2 cautiously welcome Suu Kyi's release (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Irish rock stars U2, who have campaigned for the release of Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, issued a cautious welcome Saturday at news that she had finally been freed from detention.

"There is a cautious joy amongst the campaigners for Aung San Suu Kyi's release," said a statement from the band, who dedicated a song, "Walk On", to the democracy leader a decade ago.

"Over the years we have feared for her life, and until Burma's leadership better reflects its people, we should continue to be vigilant in our concern."

They added: "Her struggle has become a symbol for all humanity, of what we are capable of -- best and worst.

"Her very grace so infuriating to the bully government whose brutish gorging of the country's rich resources have left the people of Burma poor and hungry."

The band urged Myanmar's military rulers "to see sense and seize this opportunity to begin a genuine dialogue towards democracy", and as a first step to release more than 2,000 other political prisoners that are being held.

View the original article here

Kate Mulgrew Will Be Gertrude in Starry 'Hamlet' Benefit Nov. 19 (Playbill)

Kate Mulgrew and Zosia Mamet have joined the starry cast of Fundamental Theater Project's Nov. 19 benefit reading of Hamlet starring Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") as Claudius. The Manhattan presentation will feature Sam Underwood in the title role.

Mulgrew (Off-Broadway's Tea at Five and Hartford Stage's Antony and Cleopatra) will play Gertrude, and Mamet ("The Kids Are All Right" and TV's "Mad Men" and "Parenthood") will play Ophelia. Underwood is FTP's artistic director.

The cast also includes "30 Rock" co-star Scott Adsit (Grave Digger), Hair's co-creator Jim Rado (The Ghost), and NYSCA's Theater Program Director, Robert Zukerman (Polonius). Additional cast to be announced shortly.

Fundamental Theater Project was founded by actors Sam Underwood and Nicola Murphy.

This reading will mark a reunion of Baldwin and Underwood following their recent production of Equus at Guild Hall in East Hampton this past summer. The production was directed by Tony Walton, and received strong reviews. Equus playwright Peter Shaffer, who also collaborated on Equus, serves as honorary patron for FTP.

Fundamental Theater Project "is dedicated to creating a transatlantic theater community that challenges and nurtures the growth and development of our artists through exploration of a wide range of material, both classic and contemporary, plays and musicals, at all scales of production."

FTP recently presented its first Off-Broadway production, the U.S. premiere of Gary Duggan's Trans-Euro Express at Irish Arts Center.

The troupe offers a bi-weekly "Think-Tank" table reading series, a "Play and a Pint!" staged readings and classes through the Fundamental Academy. FTP "looks to cultivate artists by providing opportunities to hone their craft in collaborations with established industry professionals."

FTP's reading of Hamlet will be held Nov. 19 at 7 PM at The Irish Arts Center, located at 553 W. 51st Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. There will also be a post-show cocktail party to follow with an opportunity to learn more about FTP and their goals as a company.

Proceeds will benefit FTP's first international endeavor to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next summer.

Tax-deductible donations of $150 for general seating and $250 for premium seating gains admittance and entry to the reception to follow.

Premium ticket holders will also receive a signed program from the cast. Seating is limited. For reservations contact fundamentaltheater@gmail.com or call (646) 326-2087. For more information, visit www.fundamentaltheaterproject.com.

View the original article here

Travolta cuts short Australia visit as wife goes into labour (AFP)

SYDNEY (AFP) – Hollywood star John Travolta cut short a visit to Australia to fly his private jet home to the United States after his wife Kelly Preston went into early labour, his host said.

Travolta, 56, had been due to appear at an event for national flag carrier Qantas in Perth on Sunday but had to jet out of Sydney after news that Preston, 48, was about to give birth, an airline spokesman said.

"He's on the way back to the States because his wife's gone into labour," the spokesman told AFP. "His priority was always obviously his wife's pregnancy and we completely respect that."

The "Pulp Fiction" and "Saturday Night Fever" star is a celebrity ambassador for Qantas and also a professional pilot.

Travolta and Preston, who have been married since 1991, were plunged into mourning in January 2009 when their autistic eldest child, Jett, 16, died from a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas.

Travolta and Preston also have a daughter, Ella Bleu, 10.

View the original article here

Single "Hold My Hand" leads Michael Jackson album (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Following the premiere of a controversial new Michael Jackson song, "Breaking News," earlier this week, it was announced Friday that the lead single from the late King of Pop's upcoming "Michael" album will be "Hold My Hand," a duet with Akon.

The song is slated to debut as a stream on michaeljackson.com on November 15.

Written by Akon, "Hold My Hand" was recorded by the Senegalese singer/rapper and Jackson in Las Vegas in 2007. An unfinished version of the song leaked in 2008, but Akon completed the final production of the track after Jackson's death.

"The world was not ready to hear 'Hold My Hand' when it leaked a couple years ago," Akon said in a statement. "We were devastated about it. But its time has definitely come.

"Now in its final state, it has become an incredible, beautiful, anthemic song," continued Akon. "I'm so proud to have had the chance to work with Michael, one of my all-time idols."

According to the release, it was Jackson himself who wanted "Hold My Hand" to be the first single on his next project, as expressed in a handwritten letter that is now in the hands of his estate.

Akon's contribution to "Michael" is not the album's only collaboration. The tracklist reveals that Lenny Kravitz is featured on the song "(I Can't Make It) Another Day," while 50 Cent makes an appearance on "Monster."

The tracks on "Michael" were co-produced by Jackson and culled mostly from material recorded in three years leading up the singer's untimely death in 2009.

The first album of original material from Michael Jackson in nine years, "Michael" will be released December 14 on Epic.

Here is the album's tracklist: "Hold My Hand" (Featuring Akon), "Hollywood Tonight," "Keep Your Head Up," "(I Like) The Way You Love Me," "Monster" (Featuring 50 Cent), "Best of Joy,"

"Breaking News," "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" (Featuring Lenny Kravitz), "Behind the Mask" and "Much Too Soon."

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

View the original article here

PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: 'Long Story Short' � Colin Seins In (Playbill)

Meet the first-nighters at the Broadway opening of Long Story Short, Colin Quinn's one-man show directed by Jerry Seinfeld.

*

A history of the world in 75 minutes and working-class "laymanese" is the gist, and jest, of Colin Quinn's Long Story Short, which opened Nov. 9 at the Helen Hayes Theatre for a limited two-month "legit-gig."

His blue-collar world-view squeezes the globe into a rowdy, rinky-dink bar at 3:30 in the morning, roiling with conflicts that have been reduced to the lowest common (but human) denominator. What's frightening is, it's not only funny — it makes sense.

That's because Quinn brings the truths of mankind's progress home in a crazy crisscross of then and now. Is Antigone's Olympic bawling over her unburied bro so different from Snooki's crying jag over a lost cell phone, really? Isn't the brawn-vs.-brain contest that kept ancient Greeks and Romans at each other's throats still here when a girl must pick between a Harley biker and a Google nerd?

Quinn relates the story of visiting a quarrelsome aunt in the hospital. With her dying breath, she ordered the curtain divider drawn so her roommate and family couldn't see her television. If we can't share a hospital room, what chance has the Gaza Strip?

And who is the adroit, inventive, surefooted director who helped Quinn negotiate these slippery slopes of latter-day logic being applied to antiquity? Merely the proven master of something-out-of-nothing — Jerry Seinfield, enjoying what seems to a lifetime retirement from television but still generous enough to assist an old friend and fellow stand-up in standing up to the standards of Broadway.

"In real life, doesn't he belong doing something like that?" he rhetorically wondered aloud to a gang of reporters who had huddled around him at the after-party held two blocks from the theatre in the lush, black-walled lobby of the Royalton Hotel.

"This was much more than just trying to do a comedy set where you would incorporate these things," Seinfeld pointed out. "You know, he needs to elevate because this guy [has] something going on. Stand-up isn't really quite right for him.

"I am so proud of him, so proud of him. And I know he's proud. He belongs in this kind of environment. The only thing I really did is I told him to do a show like this instead of a regular stand-up. That was the big thing I did. He did all the work. About a week after our talk, he said, 'I think I came up with an idea for a show that I've been working on.' 'Really?' I said. He said, 'Yeah.' And I go, 'I guess I'm directing it.'"

[flipbook]

Opening night was a cheering section for Colin converts, but it rattled Herr Director. "Well, we've had good audiences for a while, but this was a big occasion, and that made me nervous. I was a little nervous. It took a lot to just sit there, y'know. I kinda wanted to — it was hard to sit. I'm not really a director. I was just sitting there.

"It's harder to direct [than to perform] because it's hard to sit there. He was great to direct because he has so many skills you can do a lot of things…"

For the record, Seinfeld is making his Broadway debut — and, "No!, he never thought he'd make it as a director. Quinn hooted, clearly amused, at his director's emphatic retort. "It was not his plan," the comedian dryly understated.

So exactly what was Seinfeld's directorial take on the show? "We just talk about what's funny, and, if we both agreed it's funny, then it goes in the show." Simple.

He also helped Quinn with a little rewriting on the show since its tryout gig at 45 Bleecker in the East Village last August: "Well, it's just playing with the stuff, y'know — little things here and there."

And, no again, Seinfeld has no immediate plans to do any acting on Broadway, prompting Quinn to pipe up with "How about Jerry taking over for Al in Merchant of Venice?" directly across 44th from the Hayes at the Broadhurst.

The Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway's most intimate and smallest (nee The Little Theatre), is a good room for Quinn. He debuted in it, putting in 22 performances of Colin Quinn—An Irish Wake there in 1998. Now, he's back with a worldwide edition of the "Weekend Update" that he used to anchor on "Saturday Night Live."

[PAGE] Although he's coming from a strong Brooklyn base — and that's really what makes it funny — he's all over the map with lightning-fast dialects and accents. "I don't know how many," he admits. "I don't even count them… I'm obsessed with ethnicity."

Although Seinfeld tended to downplay his contribution, the chronically creative David Gallo who did the scenic and production design gave the fledgling director a lot of points for his imaginative input. "The way that it really started was that, initially, we were just to do a couple of bits of animation," he said, "but Jerry wanted to see if we could take things a little further — to see if it would be funny — and, if Jerry wants to see if something is funny, you find out. It started out very simple, and it got more and more complex, culminating with Jerry's idea of flying [around Manhattan and zooming into] the Helen Hayes Theatre at the end. That was a ridiculous amount of work, but I think it really pays off. The audience seems to really appreciate it.

"We did the entire thing in about four weeks. Top to bottom, it took five weeks. It's all 3-D visual animation — a tremendous amount of animation."

His set consisted of a stage full of huge stones, with a throne for Quinn to occasionally sit down to do his stand-up. "We were looking for something that felt timeless, like a seat where all of human history can be witnessed from, so there was something very classical. We went for a sense of the Greek amphitheatre and allowed it to flow from that and let the projections to take us from place to place."

Only one member of Seinfeld's celebrated sitcom clan was recruited for opening-night glitter: the scattered and impressible Kramer — Michael Richards, who arrived brandishing a beautiful fiancée, Beth Skipp — but the real-life issue of George Costanza's dad (Jerry Stiller) also lent luster: Ben Stiller.

Young Stiller is bracing for his Broadway comeback this spring, with Edie Falco, in a revival of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves. That just happens to be his only other Main Stem credit: He debuted in the play at age 20 as Ronnie Shaughnessy, and now he will be playing Ronnie's 46-year-old father, Artie. "My mom [Anne Meara] was in the original New York cast Off-Broadway in 1971, so this play has been in our family for a long, long time."

At present, Stiller is all over New York, lensing a film caper, "Tower Heist," with Brett Ratner of the "Rush Hour" films directing and Eddie Murphy.

He met, and huddled with, a new co-star at the party: Matthew Broderick. "I start shooting next week," Broderick said. "I play a tenant in a building, and Ben's the concierge, and we rob the building together. I think I'm allowed to say that. I hope I am." (With a title like "Tower Heist," I suspect you're good, Matthew.)

Bobby Cannavale arrived very jazzed after his second day of rehearsing Bells Are Ringing for Encores! — his first musical. "I'm singing, like, three lines. I'm not there for singing, y'know. [He's there to play the mannered Brandoesque actor — a neat fit, that.] It's great because I'm a huge musical fan, so I was honored to be asked. Kathleen [Marshall] called and asked me, and I said yes."

On another musical note was Michael Longoria, who figured, "Who better to see in a one-man show than Colin? He keeps you entertained and on your toes."

The original Joey of Jersey Boys, Longoria "is on the road doing a lot of concert work with some of the original guys from Jersey Boys. We kinda have our own '60s act. We take the sound we found doing The Four Seasons in Jersey Boys on Broadway and then adapt it to different group of the '60s."

A whole clown car of comics and comediennes unloaded at the Helen Hayes, starting with The Queen Mother herself, Joan Rivers. For her, it was revisiting the scene of her Tony-nominated triumph in Sally Marr . . . and her escorts.

Others wore their Quinn Friend button in plain sight. Kathy Griffin, just for instance: "Colin Quinn was there the very first night I ever tried stand-up in a coffee house in L.A. Of course, I bombed — and he said, 'You're on to something.' I'm not a joke teller. I tell these stories. And he said, 'Stick with it.' He was so encouraging to me, and I never forgot that. Also, for a male comedian to be so supportive of a female is kind of unusual. That's what I love about Jerry Seinfield, too. Jerry was the first A-lister I made fun of who actually thought it was funny and took the joke and understood it was a joke. So I'm so thrilled that these two guys are together for this."

Jamie deRoy, who produces shows between wisecracks, has been following Quinn's work in comedy clubs for years — like a lost science — and caught his summer tryout Off-Broadway. "I loved it, but I think this is even better," the comedienne reported. "It's just really smart and funny. He hits on so many moments that ring true — things you never thought of until he verbalized them — and they are so true. I think that Colin does very intelligent, very clever comedy."

With a happy face that shouts "I'm a comedian," Jeffrey Ross indeed is — and also a longtime Quinn fan. "I just love Colin in every form and way. My first time at Caroline's was when he was hosting 'The Caroline's Comedy Hour.' He introduced me for my first time on TV. Since then, we've been all over the world together, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Colin does a lot for the troops, and he's a great guy."

Mario Cantone grabbed a chorus of that: "I adore him. I've known him for years. We used to sleep in the same bed together. Nothing ever happened because I wasn't attracted to him. I'm so happy he made it to Broadway. He deserves it. He's brilliant. He's one of my closest friends since the late '80s, and I'm happy for him."

A spiffily turned-out Regis Philbin led the night's big parade of celebs with wife Joy, followed by ex-Housewife from New Jersey Danielle Staub with Sam Jemal, "Marriage Ref" host Tom Papa, Emmy winner Lorraine Bracco, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tom Kitt, Tony winners Jim Norton and Joe DiPietro and the always-up-for-a-good-laugh Tovah Feldshuh.

The Royalton offered a light repast for the first-nighters — plus a choice of three specialty drinks. One consisted of Ciroc vodka, lemon juice, muddled raspberries and blackberries, with just a splash of soda. It was called a Long Story Shot.

View the original article here

'Last Night' opens Rome film fest amid protest (AP)

ROME – The marital drama "Last Night," which deals with questions of temptation, betrayal and defining infidelity, opened the Rome Film Festival on Thursday but a red-carpet protest by hundreds of Italian movie-industry workers stole the show.

Hundreds of actors, directors, screenwriters and other workers of the Italian culture industry invaded the festival, forcing organizers to scrap the red carpet ceremony with Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes and other cast members from "Last Night."

The stars and film director Massy Tadjedin did make an appearance in what they said was a show of solidarity with their fellow movie-industry workers.

The high-profile stunt was part of an ongoing dispute, with the workers protesting funding cuts to the culture sector by the government.

"Culture is a right," read one banner, "The credits are about people who work," said another.

"Last Night" offers no easy answers to the themes of betrayal and loyalty it seeks to explore.

The movie is about a married couple — young, beautiful, successful — struggling to confront temptation: For Knightley's character it's an old, never-quite-forgotten French love; for her husband, played by "Avatar" star Sam Worthington, it's a seductive work colleague played by Mendes.

Their moral struggle plays out over the course of one night they spend apart, on the backdrop of hotel bars and trendy New York apartments.

In a press conference earlier in the day, Knightley said the movie doesn't take a view on whether one is worse — physical infidelity or an unconsummated but highly emotional affair — and that she could not say.

"We discussed that a lot," the British actress told reporters in the Italian capital.

"Sometimes I went into it thinking the mental infidelity was worse, then we're shooting and I think, 'No, No, the physical's much worse," she told reporters. "I come out and I have no idea."

The actress said the movie "provokes discussion" and credits it for not taking a moral standpoint or tell the viewers what to think. "This is a film that requires the audience to make their own minds up," she said, adding that all people at one point in their lives have faced the scenarios the characters find themselves in.

Tadjedin, the director, said whatever opinion one forms of the movie's central dilemmas and its characters "depends largely on your definition of infidelity" and that "hopefully in the film we don't try to judge."

In the movie, which was also recently shown at the Toronto Film Festival, Worthington's character Michael finds himself on a business trip with the colleague he is attracted to, and who is attracted to him. Mendes said she played the tempting co-worker, Laura, without making her an obvious sexual target, so not to demean or take away from the man's struggle. Meanwhile in New York, Knightley's Joanna runs into Alex, a French writer who is in town for business, and who is also the past love she has given up but always kept secret from her husband.

All relationships are different, said Mendes, and there are a lot of gray areas.

"It's too black and white to say, 'No, this is worse than that,'" Mendes said. "Maybe something that's acceptable in your teens or 20s is unacceptable in your 30s or 40s."

"It's really circumstantial," she said.

"Last night" also stars Guillaume Canet as Knightley's past flame to complete a diverse cast that includes an American, Mendes, the Australian-raised Worthington and a Briton, Knightley. Tadjedin says she chose New York because it is a place where the diverse characters could come together.

It was not clear how the protest would affect the rest of the festival, which runs through Nov. 5, and is held at the auditorium built by architect Renzo Piano.

The demonstration Thursday drew dozens of household names in Italy.

"It's a difficult moment, and we just want a little sensitivity," said Carlo Verdone, a popular director of comedies. "There are promises, but how many of these promises have been kept? Zero."

Culture Minister Sandro Bondi called the protest "unjustified," according to the ANSA and Apcom news agencies. He said the protesters "act in the name of culture but have nothing to do with it."

Cabinet undersecretary Gianni Letta, the right-hand man of Premier Silvio Berlusconi, said the protest could end up being counterproductive.

"This way one discourages international investors," Letta told ANSA. "I would have avoided ruining the red carpet."

View the original article here

Palin gives strong indication of 2012 presidential run (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin gave the strongest indication yet that she is preparing a 2012 White House bid, saying Thursday she would run for president "if there is nobody else to do it."

The former Republican vice presidential candidate, who was lampooned in the media for her political naivety in the hard-fought final weeks of the 2008 campaign, is now among the most popular conservative politicians in America.

Palin, who left office midway through her first term in office as governor of Alaska, told Entertainment Tonight it would take someone willing "to make the tough choices and not care what the critics are going to say about you.

"It's going to entail a discussion with my family (and) a real close look at the lay of the land, to consider whether there are those with that common sense, conservative, pro-Constitution passion.

"If there's nobody else to do it, then of course I would believe that we should do this," she told the TV show, a Hollywood publicity machine, in an interview from her home in Wasilla, Alaska.

The 45-year-old mother of five was little known nationally until she burst onto the political scene when Arizona senator John McCain chose her as his shock running mate in August 2008.

Palin announced in July 2009 that she was resigning as Alaska governor, 18 months before completing her first term, providing a puzzling explanation that it was due to frivolous ethics complaints against her.

It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that the potent figure in the burgeoning anti-Obama opposition movement simply wanted to dedicate herself completely to a 2012 presidential run.

After installing herself on the social networking site Facebook, she wrote a memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life," which shot to the top of Amazon's bestseller list several weeks ahead of its publication on November 17.

Even if she wins the Republican primary she would face an uphill fight in the general election, as she is not considered popular in the country at large and was found wanting on foreign policy experience during the McCain campaign.

That said, no clear Republican contender has emerged and Palin has been buoyed by support from the Tea Party, a right-wing populist movement galvanized by opposition to taxes and rising government spending.

After ridiculing what she has termed the "lamestream" media, Palin has shunned mainstream outlets and used her Facebook page and Twitter account to endorse candidates, often Tea Party favorites and often to stunning effect.

One Republican who has made no secret of his dislike of her chances is Karl Rove, who steered former president George W. Bush's career from the days before he was governor of Texas to the White House and is now a prolific political pundit.

Rove pointed to Palin's new reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," in which she states in a promotional teaser: "I would rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office."

"With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel," Rove told Britain's Daily Telegraph, "I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office.'

"There are high standards that the American people have for it (the presidency) and they require a certain level of gravitas," Rove said, "and they want to look at the candidate and say, 'That candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world.'"

View the original article here

Zutons singer gets community service for assault (AFP)

The lead singer of The Zutons was ordered to do 150 hours' unpaid work and and pay compensation on Friday, after breaking a man's nose in a drunken row.

Dave McCabe, 29, headbutted Peter Appleby outside a nightclub in Liverpool after his girlfriend was insulted.

McCabe, who wrote the hit song Valerie which was covered by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, reacted violently after one of Appleby's friends said the fur collar on his girlfriend's coat made it look like she had a beard.

The singer -- who has released three albums with The Zutons -- claimed he had acted in self-defence, but was convicted of assault by a jury following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in September.

He was given a community order on Friday and told to pay the victim 1,500 pounds plus court costs of 3,500 pounds.

View the original article here

Lionsgate picks up Miley Cyrus comedy (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Lionsgate has picked up U.S. rights to "LOL," a coming-of-age comedy starring Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore and Ashley Greene.

Moore, who plays Cyrus' mother, accidentally reads her high-school daughter's racy journal and realizes just how wide their communication gap has grown.

The movie was written and directed by Lisa Azuelo, the filmmaker behind the 2008 French film on which it is based. It was produced by Lionsgate-owned Mandate Pictures, the company behind "Juno" and "Whip It."

View the original article here

Michael Jackson nephew to star in LA 'Sisterella' (AP)

NEW YORK – One of Michael Jackson's nephews will star alongside pop singer Taylor Dayne in the Los Angeles production of "Sisterella" next spring.

T.J. Jackson is a son of Michael Jackson's brother Tito. Producers say he'll play the role of Prince Jean Luc in the Larry Hart-written musical. The part originally was developed for the King of Pop.

The musical is set in turn-of-the-century New York. It tells the story of a wicked stepmother who tries to steal the fortune her late husband left to his daughter.

Dayne will play the stepmother, Dahlia. Dayne is most famous for 1980s and '90s hits including "Tell It To My Heart" and "Love Will Lead You Back."

Jerry Greenberg and Frank Dileo will produce the musical, which first debuted in Los Angeles at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1996. Michael Jackson was the executive producer.

View the original article here

Psychiatrist, lawyer convicted in Smith drug case (AP)

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Ap Special Correspondent – 2 hrs 21 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A jury has absolved Anna Nicole Smith's doctor of prescribing excessive drugs for her but convicted her boyfriend and a psychiatrist of conspiring to fake names on prescriptions, in a case that refocused attention on the deceased model's turbulent life.

In death, the beautiful blond who starred in her own reality TV show managed to be the star of the nine-week, high-profile trial.

The prosecutors contended the defendants were dazzled by Smith's glamor and filled her demands for prescription drugs to protect their status in her celebrity world. Jurors appeared to reject that argument.

The 39-year-old Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in 2007, but the defendants were not charged in her death.

Howard K. Stern, who was described as Smith's manager, lawyer, lover and best friend, was acquitted Thursday of seven of the 11 charges originally lodged against him. Superior Court Judge Robert Perry had already dismissed two charges against Stern. The jury found him guilty of two conspiracy counts and specified they were for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and giving a false name for a prescrption.

Dr. Khristine Eroshevich was convicted of conspiring with Stern on the fraud and false name allegations and was convicted on two separate counts of unlawfully prescibing and obtaining Vicodin through fraud and use of a false name.

Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, 42, who prescribed an array of sedatives and opiates to Smith, was acquitted of prescribing excessive drugs and prescribing to an addict. He hailed his acquittal as a triumph for the medical field of pain management.

"This is not just a victory for me, but for patients everywhere who suffer chronic pain," an emotional Kapoor said outside court.

His lawyer Ellyn Garofalo said it also was a victory for Smith.

"The jury found she was not an addict," Garofalo said.

The six women and six men of the jury who sat through the weeks of testimony and deliberated for 58 hours over 13 days left quickly and eluded reporters.

Prosecutors Renee Rose and David Barkhurst also declined comment, saying the case was not yet concluded. A hearing was set for Jan. 6 for new trial motions and, if those are denied, sentencing. It was unclear how much prison time Stern and Eroshevich could face.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said he was pleased there were some guilty verdicts.

The panel deadlocked on a number of prescribing allegations against Eroshevich and Stern.

Defense attorneys portrayed the defendants as angels of mercy who were trying to help Smith cope with her chronic pain, particularly after she gave birth to her daughter by cesarean then quickly lost her 20-year-old son, Daniel, to a drug overdose.

As he left the courthouse, Stern, 41, told reporters: "Everything relating to the appropriateness of the medication, I was acquitted of."

His lawyer, Steve Sadow, said Stern never denied using his name on Smith's prescriptions but maintained Stern didn't know it was illegal.

Eroshevich, 63, was Smith's neighbor and friend before treating her as a psychiatrist. Prosecutors claimed the friendship was a violation of professional ethics and called a pharmacist who testified the amount of drugs Eroshevich requested for Smith would have amounted to pharmaceutical suicide.

The pharmacist refused to fill the request, and prosecutors showed Eroshevich used other pharmacies to get most of the drugs, some under fictitious names, and took them to Smith in the Bahamas.

"I feel relieved," Eroshevich said outside court. "I'm just happy it's over."

Stern and Eroshevich remained free pending the next hearing, Both could face loss of their professional licenses to practice.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Oliver Stone honored at Mumbai Film Festival (Reuters)

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone praised India and its flamboyant Bollywood industry as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival on Thursday.

"I came here many years ago to Calcutta as a young man to learn about another way of thinking," Stone said to a standing ovation at one of the oldest movie theatres in the country's financial and entertainment capital.

"I returned many times and learned many things from you. You have a great culture and make great movies. I am honored to receive this award from you."

The festival's organizers called Stone the "quintessential rebel child of Hollywood" who was unchanged by success.

"He has never hesitated to tackle any issue however touchy it is. He definitely deserves all our respect," Srinivasan Narayanan, the festival director, told Reuters.

"He is one of the most prolific film makers we have today."

Stone's last film, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," the sequel to his 1987 classic, "Wall Street," did modest business.

The director said earlier this week he had expected some people would be disappointed.

"I think it might disappoint some people that it's not the old 'Wall Street' but I would never remake that film. This is the new Wall Street and it's worse in many ways. It's harder," he said.

Stone has won three Oscars in a career spanning three decades, exploring themes like war, greed and politics.

The 64-year-old film maker, who says his main purpose for the visit to India is to introduce local audiences to his 2004 epic "Alexander," screened a re-cut version of the film, running into four hours late on Wednesday.

"'Alexander' is a three-year long effort, and the new version changes the structure of the film -- gives them a chance to understand the relationships in the film," Stone told a news conference.

The film -- which starred Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Anthony Hopkins, parts of which were filmed in India -- received a mixed response when it was released in 2004.

The 12th Mumbai Film Festival opened on October 21 with David Fincher's "The Social Network."

(Editing by Mattias Williams)

View the original article here

Fergie named Billboard's Woman of the Year (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie will receive the Woman of the Year award at Billboard's Women in Music event in New York on December 2, two days after the band's new album hits stores.

"I am humbled and excited to accept the Billboard Woman of the Year Award," Fergie said.

On November 30, the Black Eyed Peas will release their sixth album "The Beginning," a follow-up to their 2009 chart-topper "The E.N.D.," which has sold 2.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The first single, "The Time (The Dirty Bit)," will be released November 9.

The Billboard event coincides with the publication of the trade publication's Women in Music Power Players list.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

View the original article here

"We Are Marshall" most satisfying for McConaughey (AFP)

HAIKOU, China (AFP) – Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey says he rates a 2006 movie about the aftermath of a plane crash which kills a college American football team as his top film-making experience.

The actor is best known for a string of romantic comedies and has starred alongside the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson, but said making "We Are Marshall" was a rewarding, cathartic experience.

The film, based on real events, tells the story of a town coming to terms with the death of its college football team in a air crash.

"We worked in that town in America where that took place, so all of the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters were in that town, so everyone in the town was related to the people who had passed away," McConaughey said on Thursday.

The townsfolk overcame their initial scepticism to welcome the crew, he said.

"Everybody (was) standing back and being afraid of Hollywood coming to town and telling their story, and after a month they started to come a little closer and see what we were doing," he said.

"By the end of the filming we had made a lot of friends and the making of the movie was a very cathartic experience for everyone in that town, and it sort of helped to heal, telling that story."

McConaughey was speaking at the Mission Hills Star Trophy pro-am celebrity golf tournament in Haikou, southern China, where is competing alongside fellow A-listers Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Grant and Christian Slater.

A field of 18 professional golfers will compete in the event over the weekend for a winner's cheque of 1.28 million dollars.

Aside from the emotional satisfaction of "We Are Marshall", McConaughey said he would always have fond memories of his first movie, cult coming-of-age favourite "Dazed and Confused".

"The very first one, there's never going to be anything like that -- Dazed and Confused. It was my first film, I didn't know what I was doing," he said.

"I was looking around going 'Are you kidding me? I can do this for 350 dollars a day?' I was making 60 dollars a night waiting tables and they were like 'You're pretty good at this, do you want to come back tomorrow night?'

"It was like this for three weeks and all of a sudden I was in a movie. I will never forget that experience."

McConaughey, winner of People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" accolade in 2005, was most recently seen alongside Jennifer Garner in "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past".

His other film credits include "The Wedding Planner", "Tropic Thunder" and "Amistad".

View the original article here