LOS ANGELES - "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" dethroned "Iron Man" as ruler at the box office, pulling down $56.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Walt Disney Co.'s action sequel took in less domestically in its opening weekend than "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," which sold $65.6 million in North America in its debut weekend in December 2005. "Caspian" also raked in $20.7 million overseas.
But Disney expects the PG-rated movie, based on the C.S. Lewis fantasy series, to ride high through the coming Memorial Day weekend. The first "Narnia" tale grossed $745 million worldwide over its theatrical run.
"This is a film that we think is going to play all summer long and it's got nothing but school holidays in front of it," said Mark Zoradi, president of the Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Group.
Disney is in pre-production on the third of the series, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader," set for release in the summer of 2010.
Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" slipped to second place after two weeks at No. 1 with $31.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $222.5 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By Numbers LLC, said the flawed superhero flick is holding its appeal better than "Spider-Man 3" did the previous May.
"'Iron Man' continues to hold very well," he said. "It's definitely cutting into audiences across the board."
The 20th Century Fox comedy "What Happens in Vegas," starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, came in third, with $13.9 million in its second weekend. Its domestic total reached $40.3 million, well above its $35 million budget.
"It's clearly the comedy, non-family movie in the marketplace right now," said Chris Aronson, a Fox senior vice president.
Warner Bros.' disappointing "Speed Racer" slowed to $7.6 million for fourth place, driving in $29.8 million over two weeks.
The studio said it was not ready to call it game over on the Wachowski brothers movie, which cost $120 million to make.
Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive vice president of distribution, said next weekend was "do or die" for the movie.
Overture Films' acclaimed drama, "The Visitor," crept into 10th place at the box office with $687,000.
The distributor picked up the indie film, about a professor who discovers a couple living in his little-used New York apartment, at the Toronto Film Festival for a reported $1 million. It has grossed $3.4 million so far.
"It's good to know that you don't have to have special effects in your movie to make money," said Overture Films' senior vice president Adam Keen.
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which received a somewhat ho-hum reaction at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, whips its way into theaters on Thursday.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," $56.6 million.
2. "Iron Man," $31.2 million.
3. "What Happens in Vegas," $13.9 million.
4. "Speed Racer," $7.6 million.
5. "Baby Mama," $4.6 million.
6. "Made of Honor," $4.5 million.
7. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," $2.5 million.
8. "Harold Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Marvel Studios is a division of Marvel Entertainment Inc.
Sabtu, 31 Mei 2008
Mike Tyson shows his sweet side in documentary (Reuters)
CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - When hes not pounding very large men to the ground, ex-fighter Mike Tyson speaks directly to the camera in James Tobacks film "Tyson," and its hard not to flinch.
More a testimony for the defense than a documentary, its a sympathetic portrait of a complex man driven by an anger that still bubbles beneath the surface.
The former world champions eyes, which were as devastating as his piston-fast fists in the boxing ring, reveal little, but his self-serving words tell everything. His candor appears sometimes unwitting, but the result is a powerful film that will appeal to sports fans and those who respond to the visceral clamor of the fight world.
Using split screens, overdubs and a mixture of interior closeups and exterior long shots, Toback allows the boxer to portray himself as a gentle soul born on mean streets where constant bullying forced him to employ his brute strength to survive. A broken home, crime, correction facilities and finally the boxing ring -- its a familiar tale.
Not so familiar were the fighters extraordinary dedication, steeped in the lessons of the great champions, and his unflinching impulse to drive toward and destroy his opponent. Toback shows nearly all of Tysons knockouts and tracks his rise to the big titles, big money and world fame, and then the falls from grace, including failed marriages, a spell in prison on a rape conviction and ultimately the loss of his titles and most of his money.
In every circumstance in his life, Tyson believes himself to be the innocent party. He became a ferocious fighter to avoid being humiliated. His marriage broke down because they were both kids. His rape charge was "false" and the victim was "a wretched swine of a woman." A big-time boxing promoter was "a slimy reptilian mother
-------------------------
er." He bit opponent Evander Holyfields ear off because the man kept head-butting him and made him insane in the ring.
But Tyson says he made sure his six kids got some of all that money; he found Islam in prison; and hes been through rehabilitation. Now, he says, his anger is directed only toward himself. "Im not an animal anymore," he says in his high-pitched lisp staring at the camera through a dramatic Maori facial tattoo.
For some reason, Toback never mentions Tysons voice, not that you can blame him.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
More a testimony for the defense than a documentary, its a sympathetic portrait of a complex man driven by an anger that still bubbles beneath the surface.
The former world champions eyes, which were as devastating as his piston-fast fists in the boxing ring, reveal little, but his self-serving words tell everything. His candor appears sometimes unwitting, but the result is a powerful film that will appeal to sports fans and those who respond to the visceral clamor of the fight world.
Using split screens, overdubs and a mixture of interior closeups and exterior long shots, Toback allows the boxer to portray himself as a gentle soul born on mean streets where constant bullying forced him to employ his brute strength to survive. A broken home, crime, correction facilities and finally the boxing ring -- its a familiar tale.
Not so familiar were the fighters extraordinary dedication, steeped in the lessons of the great champions, and his unflinching impulse to drive toward and destroy his opponent. Toback shows nearly all of Tysons knockouts and tracks his rise to the big titles, big money and world fame, and then the falls from grace, including failed marriages, a spell in prison on a rape conviction and ultimately the loss of his titles and most of his money.
In every circumstance in his life, Tyson believes himself to be the innocent party. He became a ferocious fighter to avoid being humiliated. His marriage broke down because they were both kids. His rape charge was "false" and the victim was "a wretched swine of a woman." A big-time boxing promoter was "a slimy reptilian mother
-------------------------
er." He bit opponent Evander Holyfields ear off because the man kept head-butting him and made him insane in the ring.
But Tyson says he made sure his six kids got some of all that money; he found Islam in prison; and hes been through rehabilitation. Now, he says, his anger is directed only toward himself. "Im not an animal anymore," he says in his high-pitched lisp staring at the camera through a dramatic Maori facial tattoo.
For some reason, Toback never mentions Tysons voice, not that you can blame him.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Sharon Stone: Was China quake `bad karma?' (AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sharon Stone's "karma" comment is having an instant effect on her movie-star status in China.
The 50-year-old actress suggested last week that the devastating May 12 earthquake in China could have been the result of bad karma over the government's treatment of Tibet. That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter.
"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said Thursday during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter.
UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets.
During the brief interview, which has also surfaced on YouTube, Stone also said she cried when she received a letter from the Tibetan Foundation asking her to help quake victims.
"They wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry," she said. "It was a big lesson to me that sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service even to people who aren't nice to you."
Stone's words created a swell of anger on the Internet, including at least one Chinese Web site devoted solely to disparaging her comments.
"To Sharon Stone's comment, it's unlikely that we will respond," said a woman who answered the phone at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. She refused to give her name or position.
After-hours phone calls and email to a representative for Stone were not immediately returned Tuesday night.
According to the Web-based database imdb.com, Stone has at least four movies coming up between now and 2010, including "Streets of Blood," "Five Dollars a Day" and "The Year of Getting to Know Us."
The 50-year-old actress suggested last week that the devastating May 12 earthquake in China could have been the result of bad karma over the government's treatment of Tibet. That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter.
"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said Thursday during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter.
UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets.
During the brief interview, which has also surfaced on YouTube, Stone also said she cried when she received a letter from the Tibetan Foundation asking her to help quake victims.
"They wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry," she said. "It was a big lesson to me that sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service even to people who aren't nice to you."
Stone's words created a swell of anger on the Internet, including at least one Chinese Web site devoted solely to disparaging her comments.
"To Sharon Stone's comment, it's unlikely that we will respond," said a woman who answered the phone at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. She refused to give her name or position.
After-hours phone calls and email to a representative for Stone were not immediately returned Tuesday night.
According to the Web-based database imdb.com, Stone has at least four movies coming up between now and 2010, including "Streets of Blood," "Five Dollars a Day" and "The Year of Getting to Know Us."
Move Over, George and Martha - 'Stitching''s Stu and Abby to Get U.S. Premiere (Playbill)
Adamanto Productions in association with Liebman Entertainment present the limited run of the "twisted, intricate drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat" at The Wild Project on East 3rd Street in the East Village. Opening is June 25.
Acclaimed Israeli actress Meital Dohan and Gian Murray Gianino are featured as Abby and Stu, who "love each other so madly, theyre driving each other crazy," according to the producers. "Stitching follows the increasingly disturbing and inventive games the couple plays in order to connect. As they circle and test each other, they role-play with reality and fantasy to the point where even they dont seem sure what is real anymore. When Abby discovers shes pregnant, the choices they make will haunt them forever. The visceral poetry and physicality between the lovers creates a surprisingly tender, often humorous, brutal romance. Stitching challenges the notions of modern romance in an increasingly complex world."
Performances continue to July 19 at The Wild Project, 195 East Third Street, between Avenues A & B.
Neilson is part of the "In Your Face" theatre movement in Great Britain, where Stitching was a controversial title. Neilson has been compared to Pinter and Ravenhill. His plays include The Menu (National Theatre), Welfare My Lovely, Normal, Penetrator, The Years of the Family, Heredity, The Censor (winner of the Writers Guild Award for Best Fringe Play 1997), Amazing Feats of Loneliness, The Lying Kind (Royal Court) and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. Neilson directed the U.K. premiere of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer for Edinburgh International Festival/Scottish Opera (Herald Angel Award). His new play Relocated will be presented at The Royal Court in June 2008.
Director Haskells credits include the critical and popular hit of the stage version of Road House (Barrow Street Theatre), the 14-month run of I Love Paris (about Paris Hilton) at the Blue Heron Arts Center, Fatal Attraction (starring Corey Feldman) at the East 13th Street Theatre and the extended martial arts fantasy The Jaded Assassin at the Ohio Theatre. He is also the originator and creative director of the very popular haunted house franchise Nightmare, approaching its fifth year in New York City and opening in Miami Beach, FL, in October 2008.
Dohan was recently seen as Yael Hoffman, the sexy rabbinical scholar, in the hit Showtime series "Weeds." Dohan was born and raised in Israel, and graduated from Nissan Nativ, the countrys prestigious acting school, and has starred in many theatre, television and film productions. She earned Israeli Oscar nominations for her performances in "Gods Sandbox" (2002 Manchester Film Festival winner) and "Giraffes" (2003 Scottsdale Arizona Film Festival winner). Dohan played a central comedy role in "Ugliest Esti" - the Israeli "Ugly Betty," which won the Israeli Emmy for Best Comedy Series. Her theatre credits include Best Friends at Cameri Theater, for which she won the Israeli Tony for Most Promising New Actress in 2000. Other credits include Romeo and Juliet, and in 2002 she gave an award-winning performance in Bad Children (the role was especially written for her by the celebrated Israeli playwright Edna Mazya). Dohan co-wrote and starred in Bath Party at Here Theatre.
Actor Giannos credits include Paradise Park, Eurydice, Radio Macbeth, Bone Portraits, Psyche, bobrauschenbergamerica and Salome with Al Pacino.
The design team for Stitching includes Garin Marshall (set and costume design), Wendy Ang (costume design), Brooklyn Art Department/Justin and Aaron Haskell (prop design) and Daron Murphy (sound design). Maggie MacDonald will be the fight choreographer.
Stitching will play Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays-Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM & 8 PM.
Tickets are $45 and can be arranged through www.OvationTix.com or by calling (212) 352-3101.
A limited number of student rush tickets will be available for purchase at the box office (cash only) two hours prior to each performance. For more information please visit www.StitchingThePlay.com.
Acclaimed Israeli actress Meital Dohan and Gian Murray Gianino are featured as Abby and Stu, who "love each other so madly, theyre driving each other crazy," according to the producers. "Stitching follows the increasingly disturbing and inventive games the couple plays in order to connect. As they circle and test each other, they role-play with reality and fantasy to the point where even they dont seem sure what is real anymore. When Abby discovers shes pregnant, the choices they make will haunt them forever. The visceral poetry and physicality between the lovers creates a surprisingly tender, often humorous, brutal romance. Stitching challenges the notions of modern romance in an increasingly complex world."
Performances continue to July 19 at The Wild Project, 195 East Third Street, between Avenues A & B.
Neilson is part of the "In Your Face" theatre movement in Great Britain, where Stitching was a controversial title. Neilson has been compared to Pinter and Ravenhill. His plays include The Menu (National Theatre), Welfare My Lovely, Normal, Penetrator, The Years of the Family, Heredity, The Censor (winner of the Writers Guild Award for Best Fringe Play 1997), Amazing Feats of Loneliness, The Lying Kind (Royal Court) and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. Neilson directed the U.K. premiere of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer for Edinburgh International Festival/Scottish Opera (Herald Angel Award). His new play Relocated will be presented at The Royal Court in June 2008.
Director Haskells credits include the critical and popular hit of the stage version of Road House (Barrow Street Theatre), the 14-month run of I Love Paris (about Paris Hilton) at the Blue Heron Arts Center, Fatal Attraction (starring Corey Feldman) at the East 13th Street Theatre and the extended martial arts fantasy The Jaded Assassin at the Ohio Theatre. He is also the originator and creative director of the very popular haunted house franchise Nightmare, approaching its fifth year in New York City and opening in Miami Beach, FL, in October 2008.
Dohan was recently seen as Yael Hoffman, the sexy rabbinical scholar, in the hit Showtime series "Weeds." Dohan was born and raised in Israel, and graduated from Nissan Nativ, the countrys prestigious acting school, and has starred in many theatre, television and film productions. She earned Israeli Oscar nominations for her performances in "Gods Sandbox" (2002 Manchester Film Festival winner) and "Giraffes" (2003 Scottsdale Arizona Film Festival winner). Dohan played a central comedy role in "Ugliest Esti" - the Israeli "Ugly Betty," which won the Israeli Emmy for Best Comedy Series. Her theatre credits include Best Friends at Cameri Theater, for which she won the Israeli Tony for Most Promising New Actress in 2000. Other credits include Romeo and Juliet, and in 2002 she gave an award-winning performance in Bad Children (the role was especially written for her by the celebrated Israeli playwright Edna Mazya). Dohan co-wrote and starred in Bath Party at Here Theatre.
Actor Giannos credits include Paradise Park, Eurydice, Radio Macbeth, Bone Portraits, Psyche, bobrauschenbergamerica and Salome with Al Pacino.
The design team for Stitching includes Garin Marshall (set and costume design), Wendy Ang (costume design), Brooklyn Art Department/Justin and Aaron Haskell (prop design) and Daron Murphy (sound design). Maggie MacDonald will be the fight choreographer.
Stitching will play Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays-Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM & 8 PM.
Tickets are $45 and can be arranged through www.OvationTix.com or by calling (212) 352-3101.
A limited number of student rush tickets will be available for purchase at the box office (cash only) two hours prior to each performance. For more information please visit www.StitchingThePlay.com.
'Indiana Jones' debut survives Cannes critics (AP)
CANNES, France (AP) -- Indiana Jones received louder applause going in than he did coming out.
His latest adventure, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," earned a respectful -- though far from glowing -- reception Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival, avoiding the sort of thrashing the event's harsh critics gave to "The Da Vinci Code" two years ago.
Yet Indy's fourth big-screen romp is not likely to go down as one of the most memorable. Some viewers at its first press screening loved it, some called it slick and enjoyable though formulaic, some said it was not worth the 19-year wait since Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford made the last film.
"They should have left well enough alone," said J. Sperling Reich, who writes for FilmStew.com. "It really looked like they were going through the motions. It really looked like no one had their heart in it."
Alain Spira of French magazine Paris Match found "Crystal Skull" a perfectly acceptable "Indiana Jones" tale, a sentiment echoed by the solid applause the movie received as the final credits rolled.
"It's good. It's a product that is polished, industrial, we're not getting ripped off in terms of quality," Spira said. "You know what you're going to see, you see what you get, and when you leave you're happy."
The applause was louder at the outset, though. Fans at the early afternoon showing, which preceded the film's glitzy formal premiere with cast and crew Sunday night, cheered and clapped wildly at an announcement that the screening was about to start. Some even hummed the Indiana Jones fanfare as the lights went down.
The applause at the end was more subdued.
Cast and crew were unconcerned about how critics might dissect the film.
"I'm not afraid at all. I expect to have the whip turned on me," Ford told reporters after the screening. "It's not unusual for something that is popular to be disdained by some people, and I fully expect it.
But, he said: "I work for the people who pay to get in. They are my customers, and my focus is on providing the best experience I can for those people."
The filmmakers kept the movie shrouded in secrecy, skipping the rounds of press screenings often held for big studio movies and going for a big blowout at Cannes.
Spielberg said he and his collaborators decided "that the fair thing to do and the fun thing to do would be to view it where the entire world is come together every year at this wonderful festival, and we thought that was the best place to introduce Indiana Jones to you again after 19 years."
The film received none of the derisive laughter or catcalls that mounted near the end of the first press screening for "Da Vinci Code."
There were a few titters from the "Crystal Skull" crowd early on over co-star Cate Blanchett's thick, Boris-and-Natasha accent as a Soviet operative racing against Indy to find an artifact of immeasurable power. The rather corny romantic ending also drew a chuckle or two.
In between, the film packed a fair amount of action, though some viewers found the middle portion dull. Conchita Casanovas, of Spain's RNE radio, said she was "bored to death."
The new movie hurls archaeologist Jones into the Cold War in 1957. He survives a nuclear blast in the desert in typically creative fashion and is reunited with "Raiders" flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
As speculated, the film has an alien connection, though far more subdued than the "Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men From Mars" story Lucas once envisioned.
There are melancholy nods to Sean Connery, who played Indy's dad in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" but declined to return for the new movie, and the late Denholm Elliott, Indy's college dean in two of the previous movies.
And the film reveals the relationship between Indy and his new sidekick, an angry young motorcycle rebel played by Shia LaBeouf.
As with "Da Vinci Code," which went on to gross $758 million worldwide, "Crystal Skull" is so hotly anticipated that it will be virtually immune from critics' opinions. The film is expected to put up blockbuster box-office numbers when it opens globally Thursday.
"The movie was absolutely effective enough to score with audiences everywhere," said Anne Thompson, deputy editor of Hollywood trade paper Variety. "This played way better than 'Da Vinci Code.' No one was gunning for it. They were excited going in, hooting for it in a positive way."
Dozens of fans prowled outside the Palais, the Cannes headquarters, holding signs saying they needed tickets for "Crystal Skull."
Amelia Sims, a 19-year-old University of Georgia student studying abroad, held a sign reading "I (heart) Indy." She managed to get a pass to the press screening and loved the movie.
"I guess I've been waiting 19 years for this," Sims said. "You could say I've been waiting my whole life."
But Christian Monggaard, who is reviewing "Crystal Skull" for Danish newspaper Information, said he grew up with the "Indiana Jones" films and came away from this one disappointed, finding the climax an "overblown special-effects extravaganza."
"Talk about a woman scorned," Monggaard said. "A fan scorned is even worse."
___
Associated Press writer Angela Doland in Cannes, France, contributed to this report.
His latest adventure, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," earned a respectful -- though far from glowing -- reception Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival, avoiding the sort of thrashing the event's harsh critics gave to "The Da Vinci Code" two years ago.
Yet Indy's fourth big-screen romp is not likely to go down as one of the most memorable. Some viewers at its first press screening loved it, some called it slick and enjoyable though formulaic, some said it was not worth the 19-year wait since Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford made the last film.
"They should have left well enough alone," said J. Sperling Reich, who writes for FilmStew.com. "It really looked like they were going through the motions. It really looked like no one had their heart in it."
Alain Spira of French magazine Paris Match found "Crystal Skull" a perfectly acceptable "Indiana Jones" tale, a sentiment echoed by the solid applause the movie received as the final credits rolled.
"It's good. It's a product that is polished, industrial, we're not getting ripped off in terms of quality," Spira said. "You know what you're going to see, you see what you get, and when you leave you're happy."
The applause was louder at the outset, though. Fans at the early afternoon showing, which preceded the film's glitzy formal premiere with cast and crew Sunday night, cheered and clapped wildly at an announcement that the screening was about to start. Some even hummed the Indiana Jones fanfare as the lights went down.
The applause at the end was more subdued.
Cast and crew were unconcerned about how critics might dissect the film.
"I'm not afraid at all. I expect to have the whip turned on me," Ford told reporters after the screening. "It's not unusual for something that is popular to be disdained by some people, and I fully expect it.
But, he said: "I work for the people who pay to get in. They are my customers, and my focus is on providing the best experience I can for those people."
The filmmakers kept the movie shrouded in secrecy, skipping the rounds of press screenings often held for big studio movies and going for a big blowout at Cannes.
Spielberg said he and his collaborators decided "that the fair thing to do and the fun thing to do would be to view it where the entire world is come together every year at this wonderful festival, and we thought that was the best place to introduce Indiana Jones to you again after 19 years."
The film received none of the derisive laughter or catcalls that mounted near the end of the first press screening for "Da Vinci Code."
There were a few titters from the "Crystal Skull" crowd early on over co-star Cate Blanchett's thick, Boris-and-Natasha accent as a Soviet operative racing against Indy to find an artifact of immeasurable power. The rather corny romantic ending also drew a chuckle or two.
In between, the film packed a fair amount of action, though some viewers found the middle portion dull. Conchita Casanovas, of Spain's RNE radio, said she was "bored to death."
The new movie hurls archaeologist Jones into the Cold War in 1957. He survives a nuclear blast in the desert in typically creative fashion and is reunited with "Raiders" flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
As speculated, the film has an alien connection, though far more subdued than the "Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men From Mars" story Lucas once envisioned.
There are melancholy nods to Sean Connery, who played Indy's dad in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" but declined to return for the new movie, and the late Denholm Elliott, Indy's college dean in two of the previous movies.
And the film reveals the relationship between Indy and his new sidekick, an angry young motorcycle rebel played by Shia LaBeouf.
As with "Da Vinci Code," which went on to gross $758 million worldwide, "Crystal Skull" is so hotly anticipated that it will be virtually immune from critics' opinions. The film is expected to put up blockbuster box-office numbers when it opens globally Thursday.
"The movie was absolutely effective enough to score with audiences everywhere," said Anne Thompson, deputy editor of Hollywood trade paper Variety. "This played way better than 'Da Vinci Code.' No one was gunning for it. They were excited going in, hooting for it in a positive way."
Dozens of fans prowled outside the Palais, the Cannes headquarters, holding signs saying they needed tickets for "Crystal Skull."
Amelia Sims, a 19-year-old University of Georgia student studying abroad, held a sign reading "I (heart) Indy." She managed to get a pass to the press screening and loved the movie.
"I guess I've been waiting 19 years for this," Sims said. "You could say I've been waiting my whole life."
But Christian Monggaard, who is reviewing "Crystal Skull" for Danish newspaper Information, said he grew up with the "Indiana Jones" films and came away from this one disappointed, finding the climax an "overblown special-effects extravaganza."
"Talk about a woman scorned," Monggaard said. "A fan scorned is even worse."
___
Associated Press writer Angela Doland in Cannes, France, contributed to this report.
Gandolfini selling 'Sopranos' wardrobe for charity (AP)
NEW YORK - Tony Soprano is shedding his wardrobe for charity. James Gandolfini, who starred on the hit HBO series, is selling off 24 outfits, including the button-down blue shirt he wore in the opening credits and the bathrobe he donned to fetch the morning newspaper.
Proceeds from the June 25 pop culture auction at Christie's will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit group that assists severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Estimates for the costumes start at $500.
Gandolfini's wardrobe, which includes many outfits with the original production tags attached, is expected to bring up to $36,500.
The actor's contract allowed him to keep the clothes after the show ended its six-season run last year, Christie's said. He has authenticated all the outfits in the sale.
A tan cotton bathrobe with lavender trim and "S" insignia on the breast pocket, featured in the pilot when he got the newspaper and fed the ducks in his pool, may bring as much as $1,500.
The auction house is also offering the blood-splattered costume worn in the scene when Tony is shot by a demented Uncle Junior. Consisting of a black-and-beige short-sleeve polo shirt, white tank top and black pants, the costume could fetch up to $3,000.
Another 37 costumes worn by other lead "Sopranos" characters, including Paulie Walnuts, Christopher Moltisanti and A.J. Soprano, also are being sold, though the proceeds from those sales will not benefit the Jacksonville, Fla.-based veterans' organization.
The costumes for the series were designed by Juliet Polsca, who earned two Emmy nominations and a Costume Designers Guild Award.
___
HBO is owned by Time Warner Inc.
___
On the Net:
http://www.christies.com
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Proceeds from the June 25 pop culture auction at Christie's will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit group that assists severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Estimates for the costumes start at $500.
Gandolfini's wardrobe, which includes many outfits with the original production tags attached, is expected to bring up to $36,500.
The actor's contract allowed him to keep the clothes after the show ended its six-season run last year, Christie's said. He has authenticated all the outfits in the sale.
A tan cotton bathrobe with lavender trim and "S" insignia on the breast pocket, featured in the pilot when he got the newspaper and fed the ducks in his pool, may bring as much as $1,500.
The auction house is also offering the blood-splattered costume worn in the scene when Tony is shot by a demented Uncle Junior. Consisting of a black-and-beige short-sleeve polo shirt, white tank top and black pants, the costume could fetch up to $3,000.
Another 37 costumes worn by other lead "Sopranos" characters, including Paulie Walnuts, Christopher Moltisanti and A.J. Soprano, also are being sold, though the proceeds from those sales will not benefit the Jacksonville, Fla.-based veterans' organization.
The costumes for the series were designed by Juliet Polsca, who earned two Emmy nominations and a Costume Designers Guild Award.
___
HBO is owned by Time Warner Inc.
___
On the Net:
http://www.christies.com
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Country stars: Brooks will be back performing soon (AP)
LAS VEGAS - Like other country music stars, the guys from Montgomery Gentry aren't buying the idea that Sunday was the last time they'd see Garth Brooks perform for a while.
"If he has a passion for music, which we know he does like Eddie (Montgomery) and I do, you can't stay retired," Troy Gentry told The Associated Press as he strolled into the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
"It's the worst drug in the world, because there's no cure for it," Montgomery said. "Once it's in your blood, you gotta have it."
Brooks planned to perform a medley of his hits on the telecast and was accepting the inaugural Crystal Milestone Award at the show known for showcasing new artists and up-and-comers.
"Garth is my hero, he changed my entire life's direction," said Rodney Atkins, who was nominated for six awards, including top male vocalist, song of the year and album of the year.
"Garth is gonna play music until the good Lord takes him home," he said. "I think once music is a part of you never really stop."
Brooks announced his retirement in 2000 and said he wanted to focus on raising his three kids with wife Sandy Mahl. Brooks and Mahl divorced in 2001, and he married fellow country superstar Trisha Yearwood in 2005.
He's performed occasionally since, for charity and to promote his latest album, a three-disc compilation set called "The Ultimate Hits."
"If he has a passion for music, which we know he does like Eddie (Montgomery) and I do, you can't stay retired," Troy Gentry told The Associated Press as he strolled into the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
"It's the worst drug in the world, because there's no cure for it," Montgomery said. "Once it's in your blood, you gotta have it."
Brooks planned to perform a medley of his hits on the telecast and was accepting the inaugural Crystal Milestone Award at the show known for showcasing new artists and up-and-comers.
"Garth is my hero, he changed my entire life's direction," said Rodney Atkins, who was nominated for six awards, including top male vocalist, song of the year and album of the year.
"Garth is gonna play music until the good Lord takes him home," he said. "I think once music is a part of you never really stop."
Brooks announced his retirement in 2000 and said he wanted to focus on raising his three kids with wife Sandy Mahl. Brooks and Mahl divorced in 2001, and he married fellow country superstar Trisha Yearwood in 2005.
He's performed occasionally since, for charity and to promote his latest album, a three-disc compilation set called "The Ultimate Hits."
Sharon Stone: Was China quake `bad karma?' (AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sharon Stone's "karma" comment is having an instant effect on her movie-star status in China.
The 50-year-old actress suggested last week that the devastating May 12 earthquake in China could have been the result of bad karma over the government's treatment of Tibet. That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter.
"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said Thursday during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter.
UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets.
During the brief interview, which has also surfaced on YouTube, Stone also said she cried when she received a letter from the Tibetan Foundation asking her to help quake victims.
"They wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry," she said. "It was a big lesson to me that sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service even to people who aren't nice to you."
Stone's words created a swell of anger on the Internet, including at least one Chinese Web site devoted solely to disparaging her comments.
"To Sharon Stone's comment, it's unlikely that we will respond," said a woman who answered the phone at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. She refused to give her name or position.
After-hours phone calls and email to a representative for Stone were not immediately returned Tuesday night.
According to the Web-based database imdb.com, Stone has at least four movies coming up between now and 2010, including "Streets of Blood," "Five Dollars a Day" and "The Year of Getting to Know Us."
The 50-year-old actress suggested last week that the devastating May 12 earthquake in China could have been the result of bad karma over the government's treatment of Tibet. That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter.
"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said Thursday during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter.
UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets.
During the brief interview, which has also surfaced on YouTube, Stone also said she cried when she received a letter from the Tibetan Foundation asking her to help quake victims.
"They wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry," she said. "It was a big lesson to me that sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service even to people who aren't nice to you."
Stone's words created a swell of anger on the Internet, including at least one Chinese Web site devoted solely to disparaging her comments.
"To Sharon Stone's comment, it's unlikely that we will respond," said a woman who answered the phone at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. She refused to give her name or position.
After-hours phone calls and email to a representative for Stone were not immediately returned Tuesday night.
According to the Web-based database imdb.com, Stone has at least four movies coming up between now and 2010, including "Streets of Blood," "Five Dollars a Day" and "The Year of Getting to Know Us."
New "Narnia" film opens below box office forecast (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For the second consecutive weekend, a major Hollywood film fell short of expectations at the box office on Sunday, providing a wobbly start for the lucrative summer moviegoing season in North America.
Walt Disney Cos "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the second film in a series based on the "Narnia" books by C.S. Lewis, opened at No. 1 with estimated three-day sales of 56.6 million, the company said.
Industry analysts had expected an opening in the 80 million range, and certainly a figure above the 65.6 million start for the films 2005 predecessor, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."
The opening was nowhere near as disastrous as that for "Speed Racer" last weekend. Warner Bros. Pictures 160 million kids flick crashed to a dismal 18.6 million during its first three days.
The summer season, which accounts for about 40 percent of the industrys annual sales, kicked off two weekends ago with Marvel Entertainment Incs surprise smash "Iron Man," which has earned 222.5 million to date.
"Prince Caspian" stars newcomer Ben Barnes in the title role as a valiant warrior who joins forces with the four Pevensie children from the first film to battle an evil uncle. Both films were directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the "Shrek" series.
Critics were less enthused by the new film, with 66 percent of top reviewers giving their approval, according to Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com), a Web site that collates reviews. The first one garnered a 78 percent rating.
The "Narnia" series is co-produced by Walden Media, a film company owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz. Work is under way on a third film, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," with British documentary veteran Michael Apted stepping in for Adamson, who will serve as a producer.
Next up for moviegoers is director Steven Spielbergs high-wattage adventure "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which opens on Thursday in time for the four-day U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend. The film, long shrouded in secrecy, screened for excited journalists at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
"Indiana Jones" will be distributed by Viacom Incs Paramount Pictures, which is also handling "Iron Man" for Marvel. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bill Trott)
Walt Disney Cos "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the second film in a series based on the "Narnia" books by C.S. Lewis, opened at No. 1 with estimated three-day sales of 56.6 million, the company said.
Industry analysts had expected an opening in the 80 million range, and certainly a figure above the 65.6 million start for the films 2005 predecessor, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."
The opening was nowhere near as disastrous as that for "Speed Racer" last weekend. Warner Bros. Pictures 160 million kids flick crashed to a dismal 18.6 million during its first three days.
The summer season, which accounts for about 40 percent of the industrys annual sales, kicked off two weekends ago with Marvel Entertainment Incs surprise smash "Iron Man," which has earned 222.5 million to date.
"Prince Caspian" stars newcomer Ben Barnes in the title role as a valiant warrior who joins forces with the four Pevensie children from the first film to battle an evil uncle. Both films were directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the "Shrek" series.
Critics were less enthused by the new film, with 66 percent of top reviewers giving their approval, according to Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com), a Web site that collates reviews. The first one garnered a 78 percent rating.
The "Narnia" series is co-produced by Walden Media, a film company owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz. Work is under way on a third film, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," with British documentary veteran Michael Apted stepping in for Adamson, who will serve as a producer.
Next up for moviegoers is director Steven Spielbergs high-wattage adventure "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which opens on Thursday in time for the four-day U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend. The film, long shrouded in secrecy, screened for excited journalists at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
"Indiana Jones" will be distributed by Viacom Incs Paramount Pictures, which is also handling "Iron Man" for Marvel. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bill Trott)
Kamis, 29 Mei 2008
Premiere says no sign of a News Corp takeover bid (Reuters)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere has received no signal that large shareholder News Corp plans to bid for the whole company but has hired investment banks just in case, it said.
"Its a prophylactic measure," a spokesman said on Wednesday. "The banks could also advise us on other matters."
Premiere, in which Rupert Murdochs News Corp. has built up a 25 percent stake this year, has hired UniCredit and Morgan Stanley as advisers.
The broadcaster, popular for its live broadcasts of German Bundesliga soccer, recently doubled the size of its supervisory board to make room for new members from Murdochs media empire and has said it regards News Corp as a long-term investor.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Paul Bolding)
"Its a prophylactic measure," a spokesman said on Wednesday. "The banks could also advise us on other matters."
Premiere, in which Rupert Murdochs News Corp. has built up a 25 percent stake this year, has hired UniCredit and Morgan Stanley as advisers.
The broadcaster, popular for its live broadcasts of German Bundesliga soccer, recently doubled the size of its supervisory board to make room for new members from Murdochs media empire and has said it regards News Corp as a long-term investor.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Paul Bolding)
K-Fed attorney: Intense interest has its benefits (AP)
LOS ANGELES - Kevin Federline's attorney can't complain about the intense interest in his client's child-custody battle with Britney Spears.
He doesn't grumble about the television trucks and news reporters swarming the courthouse every time there's a hearing, or the paparazzi who hound the pop princess every moment there isn't. And he's certainly not opposed to the TV reports, tabloids and Web sites that have documented every shred of the case that has consumed him for the past 18 months.
After all, the attention has saved his side some major cash.
"If I had to hire an investigator or investigators to provide me with the intelligence about what's going on, where they are, how are they doing," said Mark Vincent Kaplan, "it would be north of half a million to a million dollars ... as opposed to buying People magazine for $3.95 on Thursday morning or going on TMZ."
On May 6, the 61-year-old attorney emerged from Superior Court in Los Angeles where, for the first time in months, there was positive news to report about the former couple's custody tug-of-war: Spears was to have longer visits with her children.
The change, he said, was "recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability."
Days later, he sat down with The Associated Press at his high-rise office near Beverly Hills, letting on that those inside the case were viewing it through the same prism as the rest of us.
"Everyone who had a big toe in this case at every level followed what was going on by looking at the Web sites," he said.
Spears has always been an irresistible media target, but the 26-year-old's split from Federline launched a series of antics that amplified coverage of her life. The pop star appeared in public without underwear, shaved her own head at a suburban salon and beat a car with an umbrella. She checked in and out of rehab, got into fender-benders, inexplicably spoke with a British accent and made a paparazzo her personal companion.
Twice she was rushed by ambulance to local hospitals, drawing hordes of helicopters each time.
"No other case has had the media addiction and frenzy that surrounded this case and these people 24-seven," he said. "There's never been anything like this, and there probably won't be for a while."
Each bizarre episode formed a new wrinkle in her custody dispute, and each twist prompted a new round of news reports. The press swarmed whenever Spears was allowed to see 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, and she was not averse to trotting the tots through known paparazzi hot spots.
In January, after her second hospitalization, Spears' visitation rights were suspended completely; her father, Jamie Spears, legally took over her personal and financial affairs in a conservatorship -- a legal designation normally reserved for cases involving the elderly and infirm.
But in the ensuing months, she has avoided the harsh spotlight, instead spending time with family and even finding success in a cameo role on television's "How I Met Your Mother."
The scene at the May 6 hearing was so low-key as to be almost anticlimactic. The tide had apparently turned, not only for Spears, but also for the horde that was feeding off months of high drama.
It was a long time coming.
"In order for a high-profile case not to be high profile, everybody's got to want it not to be high profile," Kaplan said. "That wasn't happening for a while."
While the frenzy may have abated, it hasn't completely dissipated, in part because the case is continuing in open court rather than before a private judge, where celebrities often choose to settle their private affairs. Kaplan says that's happening for reasons he can't discuss.
One of the effects, however, is an evolution of Federline's public image -- from the guy who caused the downfall of America's pop princess, to the more stable, responsible parent in an ugly situation.
"I think when the media saw that here's a guy who stepped up to the plate, not just because he had to but because he wanted to ... I think they gained a respect for him and that really turned them around a lot," Kaplan said. "The mission involved -- wanting to change the wrongful impression that was generally perceived for my client -- without the media being a willing participant, it would have been impossible."
That "mission" is why Kaplan says he took the case. Kaplan prepared Federline's prenuptial agreement, and the two reunited when Spears filed for divorce.
"It was at that time that I knew that this was someone that I believed in who was taking on a cause that I believed in," Kaplan said. "I realized that, in order to achieve the goal that he had regarding custody, that we couldn't get from point A to point B without passing right through the center of the American dream."
With A-list resources, Spears has employed a revolving door of representation, including four family law firms and some 15 attorneys throughout the case, while Kaplan and his partner, Jim Simon, have been the only two fighting for Federline. Spears was forced to pay most of his legal bills, and as of last month, Kaplan was still due $343,834.
When Federline, who has two other children from a previous relationship, won sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James in January, it was a victory for Kaplan & Simon, LLP. And it was merited, said Connoly Oyler, a veteran Los Angeles family law attorney who is not involved in the Spears-Federline matter.
"In Spears' case, with the emotional breakdown that she had, that's a legitimate reason for one parent to say, 'I want sole legal and sole physical (custody), because the other parent is not physically or psychologically able to take care of the children,'" he said. "There is good reason for Kevin Federline doing what he did, legally."
Despite the overabundance of drama and media, the Spears-Federline case does share one thing with other custody disputes, Kaplan said: It's a battle over the welfare of children who don't grasp what's going on around them.
"The bottom line is you've got two kids ... who don't know and don't care and should never have to care about who their parents are," he said. "They just want to be safe and secure, nurtured and bonded with their parents just like any other kids. ... That's really what's at the core of this just like any other case."
Kaplan said he's proud of what he and Simon have accomplished for Federline. The case is arguably among the most significant in the attorney's 34-year career, and Kaplan said it has inspired personal satisfaction and professional growth.
"We've expanded and everyone's coming and wanting to hire me," he said. "I'm seen as, in a lot of ways, taking on Goliath."
"Very few lawyers get the opportunity that this case has presented on every possible issue you can think of," he continued. "Even fewer lawyers recognize the opportunity, and even a smaller percentage of those have the (guts) to go for the opportunity."
Of course being around celebrity has perks of its own.
"It's made it possible to not have to make reservations at a restaurant," he said, "but that too shall pass."
He doesn't grumble about the television trucks and news reporters swarming the courthouse every time there's a hearing, or the paparazzi who hound the pop princess every moment there isn't. And he's certainly not opposed to the TV reports, tabloids and Web sites that have documented every shred of the case that has consumed him for the past 18 months.
After all, the attention has saved his side some major cash.
"If I had to hire an investigator or investigators to provide me with the intelligence about what's going on, where they are, how are they doing," said Mark Vincent Kaplan, "it would be north of half a million to a million dollars ... as opposed to buying People magazine for $3.95 on Thursday morning or going on TMZ."
On May 6, the 61-year-old attorney emerged from Superior Court in Los Angeles where, for the first time in months, there was positive news to report about the former couple's custody tug-of-war: Spears was to have longer visits with her children.
The change, he said, was "recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability."
Days later, he sat down with The Associated Press at his high-rise office near Beverly Hills, letting on that those inside the case were viewing it through the same prism as the rest of us.
"Everyone who had a big toe in this case at every level followed what was going on by looking at the Web sites," he said.
Spears has always been an irresistible media target, but the 26-year-old's split from Federline launched a series of antics that amplified coverage of her life. The pop star appeared in public without underwear, shaved her own head at a suburban salon and beat a car with an umbrella. She checked in and out of rehab, got into fender-benders, inexplicably spoke with a British accent and made a paparazzo her personal companion.
Twice she was rushed by ambulance to local hospitals, drawing hordes of helicopters each time.
"No other case has had the media addiction and frenzy that surrounded this case and these people 24-seven," he said. "There's never been anything like this, and there probably won't be for a while."
Each bizarre episode formed a new wrinkle in her custody dispute, and each twist prompted a new round of news reports. The press swarmed whenever Spears was allowed to see 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, and she was not averse to trotting the tots through known paparazzi hot spots.
In January, after her second hospitalization, Spears' visitation rights were suspended completely; her father, Jamie Spears, legally took over her personal and financial affairs in a conservatorship -- a legal designation normally reserved for cases involving the elderly and infirm.
But in the ensuing months, she has avoided the harsh spotlight, instead spending time with family and even finding success in a cameo role on television's "How I Met Your Mother."
The scene at the May 6 hearing was so low-key as to be almost anticlimactic. The tide had apparently turned, not only for Spears, but also for the horde that was feeding off months of high drama.
It was a long time coming.
"In order for a high-profile case not to be high profile, everybody's got to want it not to be high profile," Kaplan said. "That wasn't happening for a while."
While the frenzy may have abated, it hasn't completely dissipated, in part because the case is continuing in open court rather than before a private judge, where celebrities often choose to settle their private affairs. Kaplan says that's happening for reasons he can't discuss.
One of the effects, however, is an evolution of Federline's public image -- from the guy who caused the downfall of America's pop princess, to the more stable, responsible parent in an ugly situation.
"I think when the media saw that here's a guy who stepped up to the plate, not just because he had to but because he wanted to ... I think they gained a respect for him and that really turned them around a lot," Kaplan said. "The mission involved -- wanting to change the wrongful impression that was generally perceived for my client -- without the media being a willing participant, it would have been impossible."
That "mission" is why Kaplan says he took the case. Kaplan prepared Federline's prenuptial agreement, and the two reunited when Spears filed for divorce.
"It was at that time that I knew that this was someone that I believed in who was taking on a cause that I believed in," Kaplan said. "I realized that, in order to achieve the goal that he had regarding custody, that we couldn't get from point A to point B without passing right through the center of the American dream."
With A-list resources, Spears has employed a revolving door of representation, including four family law firms and some 15 attorneys throughout the case, while Kaplan and his partner, Jim Simon, have been the only two fighting for Federline. Spears was forced to pay most of his legal bills, and as of last month, Kaplan was still due $343,834.
When Federline, who has two other children from a previous relationship, won sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James in January, it was a victory for Kaplan & Simon, LLP. And it was merited, said Connoly Oyler, a veteran Los Angeles family law attorney who is not involved in the Spears-Federline matter.
"In Spears' case, with the emotional breakdown that she had, that's a legitimate reason for one parent to say, 'I want sole legal and sole physical (custody), because the other parent is not physically or psychologically able to take care of the children,'" he said. "There is good reason for Kevin Federline doing what he did, legally."
Despite the overabundance of drama and media, the Spears-Federline case does share one thing with other custody disputes, Kaplan said: It's a battle over the welfare of children who don't grasp what's going on around them.
"The bottom line is you've got two kids ... who don't know and don't care and should never have to care about who their parents are," he said. "They just want to be safe and secure, nurtured and bonded with their parents just like any other kids. ... That's really what's at the core of this just like any other case."
Kaplan said he's proud of what he and Simon have accomplished for Federline. The case is arguably among the most significant in the attorney's 34-year career, and Kaplan said it has inspired personal satisfaction and professional growth.
"We've expanded and everyone's coming and wanting to hire me," he said. "I'm seen as, in a lot of ways, taking on Goliath."
"Very few lawyers get the opportunity that this case has presented on every possible issue you can think of," he continued. "Even fewer lawyers recognize the opportunity, and even a smaller percentage of those have the (guts) to go for the opportunity."
Of course being around celebrity has perks of its own.
"It's made it possible to not have to make reservations at a restaurant," he said, "but that too shall pass."
Rabu, 28 Mei 2008
James Bond returns in new novel (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - A warship moored in the Thames River, and Royal Marines mounted guard on Tuesday to mark the return to action of the worlds most famous spy, James Bond, in a new novel.
"Devil May Care," published on Wednesday, is the latest adventure for the hard-drinking, womanizing action hero created by Ian Fleming and adored by millions worldwide through 14 books and a series of blockbuster films.
Penned by British novelist Sebastian Faulks at the request of Flemings estate, the latest novel is set in 1967 and portrays the aging secret agent as vulnerable and damaged but with an undiminished sex drive.
Publication marks the centenary of Flemings birth.
To honor Bonds code name 007, Faulks signed seven copies of the book, which were then taken under guard from HMS Exeter to a book store in central London ahead of publication.
Faulks is better known for his wartime novels such as "Charlotte Gray" and "Birdsong." He admits he was somewhat daunted when asked to write as Fleming, describing it as counter-casting.
But the idea grew on him and he warmed to the task, emulating Flemings rigid work schedule and studying his plot lines and prose for inspiration.
"In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkeling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in late afternoon, then more Martinis and glamorous women," Faulks said.
"In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkeling."
He took up where Fleming left off in 1966 with "Octopussy and the Living Daylights," the last of 14 Bond books that have sold 100 million copies since.
Having chosen 1967 as the year the new adventure would unfold, the subject followed quickly -- drugs, a subject Fleming largely ignored.
The result is the eagerly awaited "Devil May Care," whose plot was kept secret but, Faulks stresses, still contains enough exotic settings and culinary indulgence to please devotees of the devil-may-care secret agent.
"I found writing this light-hearted book more thrilling than I had expected. I hope people will enjoy reading it and that Ian Fleming would consider it to be in the cavalier spirit of his own novels and therefore an acceptable addition to the line," Faulks said.
Reuters/Nielsen
"Devil May Care," published on Wednesday, is the latest adventure for the hard-drinking, womanizing action hero created by Ian Fleming and adored by millions worldwide through 14 books and a series of blockbuster films.
Penned by British novelist Sebastian Faulks at the request of Flemings estate, the latest novel is set in 1967 and portrays the aging secret agent as vulnerable and damaged but with an undiminished sex drive.
Publication marks the centenary of Flemings birth.
To honor Bonds code name 007, Faulks signed seven copies of the book, which were then taken under guard from HMS Exeter to a book store in central London ahead of publication.
Faulks is better known for his wartime novels such as "Charlotte Gray" and "Birdsong." He admits he was somewhat daunted when asked to write as Fleming, describing it as counter-casting.
But the idea grew on him and he warmed to the task, emulating Flemings rigid work schedule and studying his plot lines and prose for inspiration.
"In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkeling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in late afternoon, then more Martinis and glamorous women," Faulks said.
"In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkeling."
He took up where Fleming left off in 1966 with "Octopussy and the Living Daylights," the last of 14 Bond books that have sold 100 million copies since.
Having chosen 1967 as the year the new adventure would unfold, the subject followed quickly -- drugs, a subject Fleming largely ignored.
The result is the eagerly awaited "Devil May Care," whose plot was kept secret but, Faulks stresses, still contains enough exotic settings and culinary indulgence to please devotees of the devil-may-care secret agent.
"I found writing this light-hearted book more thrilling than I had expected. I hope people will enjoy reading it and that Ian Fleming would consider it to be in the cavalier spirit of his own novels and therefore an acceptable addition to the line," Faulks said.
Reuters/Nielsen
Shakespeare gravesite in need of repair (AP)
LONDON - Fix the gravesite. But don't touch the bones. That's the work order, in a nutshell, for brave architects contemplating a fixup job for the deteriorating gravesite of William Shakespeare at the Holy Trinity Church in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
The illustrious bard is believed by many to have personally penned the threat on a stone marker above his grave: It promises to bless anyone who spares the stones but curse any intruder who moves his bones.
That's all well and good, but the stones above his grave are starting to flake and fall apart. Clergymen have trod on the stones for nearly four centuries, and the foot traffic is taking its inevitable toll.
People who love the church and its place in British literary history want to fix it -- provided they can do so without digging up Shakespeare's remains and facing the mysterious threat.
"We're avoiding the curse," said Jospehine Walker, a spokeswoman for the Friends of Shakespeare's Church group. "We are not lifting the stones, we are not looking underneath, and the curse is for the bones underneath, so the curse is irrelevant for this work."
The restoration work is delicate because the church northwest of London is not only a functional house of worship where Shakespeare was baptized in 1564 but also a treasure popular with visitors from around the globe.
"We get 100,000 tourists a year, but they don't walk on the stones," she said. "But the clergy have to when they give communion, and the stones are flaking away, the surfaces are coming off. We want to clean the surfaces and then very gradually ease in some transparent grout and hold the surfaces together. Then we want to move the altar rail so that when the clergy give communion they don't have to walk over the stones."
The planned work on the gravesite, which has not yet been approved by the various agencies that oversee historic sites, is part of a much larger restoration of the church that began two years ago, Walker said.
The group is trying to raise an additional $8 million for the entire project, she said. One of the most urgent tasks is to repair the main nave windows, which are in very poor shape.
"The metal work is eroding and disintegrating," she said. "That's a really big, major job that has to be done, hopefully next year."
At least they don't face a centuries-old curse if they repair the windows. If they get the money and the approvals, they can do the work without worrying about angering the Bard's ghost.
___
On the Net:
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.org
The illustrious bard is believed by many to have personally penned the threat on a stone marker above his grave: It promises to bless anyone who spares the stones but curse any intruder who moves his bones.
That's all well and good, but the stones above his grave are starting to flake and fall apart. Clergymen have trod on the stones for nearly four centuries, and the foot traffic is taking its inevitable toll.
People who love the church and its place in British literary history want to fix it -- provided they can do so without digging up Shakespeare's remains and facing the mysterious threat.
"We're avoiding the curse," said Jospehine Walker, a spokeswoman for the Friends of Shakespeare's Church group. "We are not lifting the stones, we are not looking underneath, and the curse is for the bones underneath, so the curse is irrelevant for this work."
The restoration work is delicate because the church northwest of London is not only a functional house of worship where Shakespeare was baptized in 1564 but also a treasure popular with visitors from around the globe.
"We get 100,000 tourists a year, but they don't walk on the stones," she said. "But the clergy have to when they give communion, and the stones are flaking away, the surfaces are coming off. We want to clean the surfaces and then very gradually ease in some transparent grout and hold the surfaces together. Then we want to move the altar rail so that when the clergy give communion they don't have to walk over the stones."
The planned work on the gravesite, which has not yet been approved by the various agencies that oversee historic sites, is part of a much larger restoration of the church that began two years ago, Walker said.
The group is trying to raise an additional $8 million for the entire project, she said. One of the most urgent tasks is to repair the main nave windows, which are in very poor shape.
"The metal work is eroding and disintegrating," she said. "That's a really big, major job that has to be done, hopefully next year."
At least they don't face a centuries-old curse if they repair the windows. If they get the money and the approvals, they can do the work without worrying about angering the Bard's ghost.
___
On the Net:
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.org
Spielberg piles on action in charmless Indy sequel (Reuters)
CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" seems to be more of a sequel to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" than to the last film in the adventure series 19 years ago.
Extraterrestrials and a space ship mix it up with well-lit caves, tumbles over waterfalls and Tarzan-style swings through the jungle. Director Steven Spielberg seems intent on celebrating his entire early movie career here. Whatever story there is, a murky journey to return a spectacular archeological find to its rightful home -- an unusual goal of the old grave-robber -- gets swamped in a sea of stunts and special effects that are relentless as the scenes and character relationships are charmless.
"Crystal Skull" will have its huge audience when it opens worldwide May 22 via Paramount Pictures. Indeed it had that audience the day the project was announced. What is disappointing to those who fondly remember the first film in the series, 1981s "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is the loss of wit and romance. This film feels like work, whether its poor Harrison Ford straining to keep pace with his younger self or Spielberg and writer David Koepp piling on the thrill-ride acrobatics that have only scant connection to the plot.
In the first 22 minutes, old Indy survives a kidnapping, shoot-outs, auto crashes inside a mysterious warehouse, a ride in a desert rocket and an A-bomb detonation. Spielberg is only getting warmed up.
The film never pauses to let these characters enjoy a drink or take each others measure. Indys original flame, Karen Allens Marion Ravenwood, also makes a welcome return -- she even has a surprise for Indiana -- yet this moment is lost in the forward momentum.
Losing his job during the Red Scare of the 50s, Indy is persuaded by a young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) -- who to keep those iconic 50s images flowing arrives on a motorbike like Brando in "The Wild One" -- to take off on a vague adventure in South America to save his mother and retrieve the Crystal Skull of Akator.
This trip hooks the duo up with a spy played by Ray Winstone, who changes sides every half hour; a Soviet villain played by Cate Blanchett with close-cropped hair, black skin-tight fencing garb and absolutely no point in her villainy; and a crazy loon played by John Hurt, who like Kurtz in "Heart of Darkness" has been in the jungle too long.
Once the group possesses the Crystal Skull -- it does keep changing hands between Indy and the Soviet army -- no one seems to know quite what to do with it. But it has its uses: At different times, it opens doors, triggers cave machinery, wards off giant red ants and scares hostile natives. For all anyone knows, it may pay the bill at a fancy restaurant.
After about an hour, the film abandons any pretense of story for a rush through fights, chases, machine gun fire, scorpions, quick sand, monkeys, huge snakes and finally a secret city, part Mayan part Aztec, certain to become both a video game and amusement park attraction.
At no time does any of Indys gang seem in real jeopardy. Bullets splash all around but not even the brim of his fedora gets nicked. Waterfalls are mere dips in the water, collapsing ruins an excuse for free-exercise tumbles and the villains mere annoyances.
The actors are asked to do little more than look reasonably alert. This proves to be Indiana Jones greatest challenge.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Extraterrestrials and a space ship mix it up with well-lit caves, tumbles over waterfalls and Tarzan-style swings through the jungle. Director Steven Spielberg seems intent on celebrating his entire early movie career here. Whatever story there is, a murky journey to return a spectacular archeological find to its rightful home -- an unusual goal of the old grave-robber -- gets swamped in a sea of stunts and special effects that are relentless as the scenes and character relationships are charmless.
"Crystal Skull" will have its huge audience when it opens worldwide May 22 via Paramount Pictures. Indeed it had that audience the day the project was announced. What is disappointing to those who fondly remember the first film in the series, 1981s "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is the loss of wit and romance. This film feels like work, whether its poor Harrison Ford straining to keep pace with his younger self or Spielberg and writer David Koepp piling on the thrill-ride acrobatics that have only scant connection to the plot.
In the first 22 minutes, old Indy survives a kidnapping, shoot-outs, auto crashes inside a mysterious warehouse, a ride in a desert rocket and an A-bomb detonation. Spielberg is only getting warmed up.
The film never pauses to let these characters enjoy a drink or take each others measure. Indys original flame, Karen Allens Marion Ravenwood, also makes a welcome return -- she even has a surprise for Indiana -- yet this moment is lost in the forward momentum.
Losing his job during the Red Scare of the 50s, Indy is persuaded by a young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) -- who to keep those iconic 50s images flowing arrives on a motorbike like Brando in "The Wild One" -- to take off on a vague adventure in South America to save his mother and retrieve the Crystal Skull of Akator.
This trip hooks the duo up with a spy played by Ray Winstone, who changes sides every half hour; a Soviet villain played by Cate Blanchett with close-cropped hair, black skin-tight fencing garb and absolutely no point in her villainy; and a crazy loon played by John Hurt, who like Kurtz in "Heart of Darkness" has been in the jungle too long.
Once the group possesses the Crystal Skull -- it does keep changing hands between Indy and the Soviet army -- no one seems to know quite what to do with it. But it has its uses: At different times, it opens doors, triggers cave machinery, wards off giant red ants and scares hostile natives. For all anyone knows, it may pay the bill at a fancy restaurant.
After about an hour, the film abandons any pretense of story for a rush through fights, chases, machine gun fire, scorpions, quick sand, monkeys, huge snakes and finally a secret city, part Mayan part Aztec, certain to become both a video game and amusement park attraction.
At no time does any of Indys gang seem in real jeopardy. Bullets splash all around but not even the brim of his fedora gets nicked. Waterfalls are mere dips in the water, collapsing ruins an excuse for free-exercise tumbles and the villains mere annoyances.
The actors are asked to do little more than look reasonably alert. This proves to be Indiana Jones greatest challenge.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Chesney, Atkins up for country music awards (AP)
LAS VEGAS - Kenny Chesney won entertainer of the year for a fourth straight time Sunday, then promptly took issue with the way the Academy of Country music awarded the honor: through fan votes.
For the first time in the show's 43 years, the top prize -- traditionally decided by ACM members -- was determined through online voting. With the win, Chesney ties Garth Brooks and trails only Alabama, which won five in a row.
Chesney said immediately backstage that he thought fans should be included, just not by voting for the show's most important award.
"The entertainer of the year trophy is supposed to represent heart and passion and an amazing amount of sacrifice, commitment and focus," he said. "That's the way Garth won it four times, that's the way I won it, that's the way (George) Strait won it, Reba (McEntire), Alabama all those years. That's what it's supposed to represent."
He said his complaint is directed at the industry, not the fans -- and that the method amounted to "complete disrespect" of the artists, saying the academy turned the award "into a sweepstakes to see who can push people's buttons the hardest on the Internet."
Messages left for officials with the Academy of Country Music Awards were not immediately returned Sunday night.
Chesney was the night's leading nominee with 11, and ended up winning twice. His other win was for vocal event of the year for his work on the Tracy Lawrence hit "Find Out Who Your Friends Are."
Brad Paisley won top male vocalist, his second in a row.
"I really want to say the reason I'm in country music is because my grandfather would make me listen to Buck Owens when I was like 4 years old, and I think Buck was the first male vocalist for this organization. I'm so honored to carry the torch for another year," Paisley said.
Carrie Underwood also took home her second consecutive female vocalist trophy.
"I know I don't deserve it, but I'll take it," Underwood said. "Fans got me everything I have, and I owe everything to you."
It was a night of repeats. Rascal Flatts' top vocal group win was their sixth in a row, while Brooks & Dunn won their 13th straight award for top vocal duo.
"We'd like to give God all the thanks and all the glory for giving us a stage to stand on every night," said Rascal Flatts singer LeVox. Bandmate Joe Don Rooney had other things on his mind. He glanced at his watch and said he had to get home. "I've got a baby coming any minute."
LeVox disagreed with Chesney about the night's top honor, saying he hoped the fans continued to choose.
"It's about time," he said, calling fans "the reason that all three of us have jobs."
Dr. Phil presented Brooks & Dunn their award. "I'm glad Dr. Phil was here because we need therapy for this one," Kix Brooks cracked.
Miranda Lambert won album of the year, and Sugarland took single record and song of the year honors for their mellow hit "Stay."
"I'm sitting right behind Kenny Chesney and I just don't feel right taking this," said Lambert, who won for her sophomore outing, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." "I'm a songwriter, and I poured my heart and soul into this album. Thank you for appreciating it."
The win was big for Lambert, who beat out superstars Chesney and Paisley, as well as hot new acts Taylor Swift and Rodney Atkins.
Jack Ingram won top new male vocalist. The 37-year-old Texan released his first album in 1992 and bounced around a number of record labels before his career took off.
"Sometimes it takes a long time and that's my story," Ingram said backstage. "I put in a lot of hard miles, and I'm thankful."
Lady Antebellum took home top new duo or vocal group. "Does this mean we get to hang out with Kenny Chesney now?" the trio's Charles Kelley joked.
Swift won top new female vocalist. The 18-year-old thanked her mother for going on the road with her beginning when she was 16, leaving behind a comfortable life to sleep in rental cars and on airplanes so her teenage daughter could pursue her dream.
"Mom, thank you so much," she said as she fought back tears. "I love you. This is for you."
Earlier, Brad Paisley's "Online" won video of the year. It was directed by former "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander, who also co-starred and made an onstage appearance Sunday night, joking that he didn't believe the stereotype of country stars and fans being religious -- seeing as he hadn't spotted any of them at synagogue.
Tracy Lawrence won vocal event of the year for "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" with Tim McGraw and Chesney.
"This is absolutely awesome," Lawrence said. "We moved a big mountain pulling this off."
Underwood opened the show, which aired live from the MGM Grand, with her rocker, "I Don't Even Know His Last Name." Strait, who was celebrating his 56th birthday, performed his 56th No. 1 hit: "I Saw God Today." Swift did "It Should Have Been Me" and ended it by getting drenched in a cascade of water.
Brooks received the ACM's Crystal Milestone Award and did a medley of his hits that included "The Thunder Rolls," "Friends in Low Places" and "More Than a Memory."
Paisley and Underwood performed a stripped-down version of Eddy Arnold's classic "Make the World Go Away." Arnold died May 8, days short of his 90th birthday.
McEntire hosted the show for the 10th time.
___
On the Net:
http://www.acmcountry.com/content/index.php
For the first time in the show's 43 years, the top prize -- traditionally decided by ACM members -- was determined through online voting. With the win, Chesney ties Garth Brooks and trails only Alabama, which won five in a row.
Chesney said immediately backstage that he thought fans should be included, just not by voting for the show's most important award.
"The entertainer of the year trophy is supposed to represent heart and passion and an amazing amount of sacrifice, commitment and focus," he said. "That's the way Garth won it four times, that's the way I won it, that's the way (George) Strait won it, Reba (McEntire), Alabama all those years. That's what it's supposed to represent."
He said his complaint is directed at the industry, not the fans -- and that the method amounted to "complete disrespect" of the artists, saying the academy turned the award "into a sweepstakes to see who can push people's buttons the hardest on the Internet."
Messages left for officials with the Academy of Country Music Awards were not immediately returned Sunday night.
Chesney was the night's leading nominee with 11, and ended up winning twice. His other win was for vocal event of the year for his work on the Tracy Lawrence hit "Find Out Who Your Friends Are."
Brad Paisley won top male vocalist, his second in a row.
"I really want to say the reason I'm in country music is because my grandfather would make me listen to Buck Owens when I was like 4 years old, and I think Buck was the first male vocalist for this organization. I'm so honored to carry the torch for another year," Paisley said.
Carrie Underwood also took home her second consecutive female vocalist trophy.
"I know I don't deserve it, but I'll take it," Underwood said. "Fans got me everything I have, and I owe everything to you."
It was a night of repeats. Rascal Flatts' top vocal group win was their sixth in a row, while Brooks & Dunn won their 13th straight award for top vocal duo.
"We'd like to give God all the thanks and all the glory for giving us a stage to stand on every night," said Rascal Flatts singer LeVox. Bandmate Joe Don Rooney had other things on his mind. He glanced at his watch and said he had to get home. "I've got a baby coming any minute."
LeVox disagreed with Chesney about the night's top honor, saying he hoped the fans continued to choose.
"It's about time," he said, calling fans "the reason that all three of us have jobs."
Dr. Phil presented Brooks & Dunn their award. "I'm glad Dr. Phil was here because we need therapy for this one," Kix Brooks cracked.
Miranda Lambert won album of the year, and Sugarland took single record and song of the year honors for their mellow hit "Stay."
"I'm sitting right behind Kenny Chesney and I just don't feel right taking this," said Lambert, who won for her sophomore outing, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." "I'm a songwriter, and I poured my heart and soul into this album. Thank you for appreciating it."
The win was big for Lambert, who beat out superstars Chesney and Paisley, as well as hot new acts Taylor Swift and Rodney Atkins.
Jack Ingram won top new male vocalist. The 37-year-old Texan released his first album in 1992 and bounced around a number of record labels before his career took off.
"Sometimes it takes a long time and that's my story," Ingram said backstage. "I put in a lot of hard miles, and I'm thankful."
Lady Antebellum took home top new duo or vocal group. "Does this mean we get to hang out with Kenny Chesney now?" the trio's Charles Kelley joked.
Swift won top new female vocalist. The 18-year-old thanked her mother for going on the road with her beginning when she was 16, leaving behind a comfortable life to sleep in rental cars and on airplanes so her teenage daughter could pursue her dream.
"Mom, thank you so much," she said as she fought back tears. "I love you. This is for you."
Earlier, Brad Paisley's "Online" won video of the year. It was directed by former "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander, who also co-starred and made an onstage appearance Sunday night, joking that he didn't believe the stereotype of country stars and fans being religious -- seeing as he hadn't spotted any of them at synagogue.
Tracy Lawrence won vocal event of the year for "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" with Tim McGraw and Chesney.
"This is absolutely awesome," Lawrence said. "We moved a big mountain pulling this off."
Underwood opened the show, which aired live from the MGM Grand, with her rocker, "I Don't Even Know His Last Name." Strait, who was celebrating his 56th birthday, performed his 56th No. 1 hit: "I Saw God Today." Swift did "It Should Have Been Me" and ended it by getting drenched in a cascade of water.
Brooks received the ACM's Crystal Milestone Award and did a medley of his hits that included "The Thunder Rolls," "Friends in Low Places" and "More Than a Memory."
Paisley and Underwood performed a stripped-down version of Eddy Arnold's classic "Make the World Go Away." Arnold died May 8, days short of his 90th birthday.
McEntire hosted the show for the 10th time.
___
On the Net:
http://www.acmcountry.com/content/index.php
Selasa, 27 Mei 2008
Metallica play club show, eye fall tour (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Metallica will launch a tour in October, a month after the rock titans release their first album in five years, drummer Lars Ulrich revealed during a rare club show in Los Angeles Wednesday.
The charity show saw the veteran quartet shred through such hits as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Fuel," "Master of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman" during a nearly two-hour stand at the 2,300-capacity Wiltern theater.
The group didnt unveil any new material. Nevertheless, "it feels good to play live again," said singer-guitarist James Hetfield.
The concert was pulled together on short notice to help raise funds for the nonprofit Silverlake Conservatory of Music. The organization was co-founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who joined Metallica onstage for "Fight Fire With Fire," from the bands 1984 album "Ride the Lightning."
Money raised from the concert will go toward the Silverlake Conservatory of Musics programs and operations, along with scholarships for low-income students who cant afford instruments and music lessons.
Metallicas as-yet-untitled album, the follow-up to the 2003 disappointment "St. Anger," is scheduled for release in September. Ulrich said earlier on Wednesday that Metallica is "a couple of nips and tucks" away from completing the album.
Upcoming gigs include a Saturday stop at Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FMs annual Weenie Roast festival and a June 13 stand at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Reuters/Billboard
The charity show saw the veteran quartet shred through such hits as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Fuel," "Master of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman" during a nearly two-hour stand at the 2,300-capacity Wiltern theater.
The group didnt unveil any new material. Nevertheless, "it feels good to play live again," said singer-guitarist James Hetfield.
The concert was pulled together on short notice to help raise funds for the nonprofit Silverlake Conservatory of Music. The organization was co-founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who joined Metallica onstage for "Fight Fire With Fire," from the bands 1984 album "Ride the Lightning."
Money raised from the concert will go toward the Silverlake Conservatory of Musics programs and operations, along with scholarships for low-income students who cant afford instruments and music lessons.
Metallicas as-yet-untitled album, the follow-up to the 2003 disappointment "St. Anger," is scheduled for release in September. Ulrich said earlier on Wednesday that Metallica is "a couple of nips and tucks" away from completing the album.
Upcoming gigs include a Saturday stop at Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FMs annual Weenie Roast festival and a June 13 stand at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Reuters/Billboard
Kamis, 22 Mei 2008
Cannes balances glamor with `Blindness' (AP)
CANNES, France (AP) -- Fernando Meirelles did boys with guns in "City of God" and murderous corporations in "The Constant Gardener." With "Blindness," the opening night entry at the Cannes Film Festival, the Brazilian director exposes the world's ultimate savages: your friends and neighbors.
A terrifying fable about how low people might go to stay alive when a plague of blindness turns them into helpless internees, "Blindness" presents an unnerving reflection of real tragedy and bureaucratic heartlessness, from Hurricane Katrina to global food shortages to the cyclone in Myanmar, where the military government has severely restricted relief efforts.
"There are different kinds of blindness. There's 2 billion people that are starving in the world," Meirelles said in an interview Thursday, a day after the film's Cannes premiere. "This is happening. It doesn't need a catastrophe. It's happening, and because there isn't an event like Katrina, we don't see."
Opening in U.S. theaters Sept. 19, "Blindness" is adapted from the novel by Portuguese author Jose Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.
The film chronicles the panic, disorder and barbarity that erupts after a contagion spreads "white blindness" throughout an unspecified city, with people's vision replaced by a milky cloud.
Victims are crammed into decrepit, filthy wards and left on their own, with no medical care. Scant food is provided, and trigger-happy soldiers gun down anyone they think might make a break for freedom, though all the afflicted can do is stumble about aimlessly.
The inmates include an eye doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife (Julianne Moore), who inexplicably retains her sight but feigns blindness so she can accompany her husband into detention. Among their roommates are an old man (Danny Glover), a prostitute (Alice Braga), a thief (Don McKellar) and a married couple (Yusuke Iseya and Yoshino Kimura).
While that group tries to maintain a degree of order, their neighbors in another ward declare themselves "Lord of the Flies"-style rulers, led by a man (Gael Garcia Bernal) with a gun and a willingness to let bullets fly blindly. His thugs take over the food supply and force the others to pay with jewelry, and later, with their women.
"The other day, I heard somebody say, `It's inhuman. It's not human.' No, it is. The movie, it is about human beings, and how in a way, we're animals," Braga said. "If you're put in a situation, that's what would happen."
The action sinks to its most brutal in a gang-rape scene, which precipitates violent retribution and an unexpected escape for some victims, who emerge into a city overrun by staggering, starving survivors, the blind literally leading the blind to scavenge for food.
Could so many people descend so completely into bestiality?
"Look at what happens in war, and how whole towns are raped," Moore said. "We have this idea that we've got it together, but you see what happens when there is a natural disaster. Things crumble. Things literally crumble. So the sense that, oh, we have secured this, we have taken care of this, we know how to do this. In fact, we're just a step away from chaos."
"We've seen food riots in Egypt, food riots in Sudan, food riots in Somalia, food riots in Haiti. Is that a test to see where we're going?" Glover said. "Do we have the political will worldwide to come to grips with that?"
Meirelles said the depravity in the story could go even lower.
"I think the next step would be cannibalism. Rape? How can you go lower? There's no food, so it could turn to cannibalism."
The film also incorporates wickedly dark humor, including a zinger that could be interpreted as a jab at President Bush and U.S. militarism after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"How lucky we are to have a leader with vision," one of Moore's charges remarks as she leads them through the horror of a city that has fallen apart.
"It has something to do, yeah, with the Bush administration," Meirelles said.
Amid the bedlam, glimmers of hope appear as the main characters forge a clan and reclaim a piece of their humanity.
"Toward the end of `Blindness,' they're reaching that point where they're redefining family and redefining civilization," said co-star McKellar, who also wrote the screenplay. "You give them time, and they would deal with it. If they were to remain blind, they would be all right."
A terrifying fable about how low people might go to stay alive when a plague of blindness turns them into helpless internees, "Blindness" presents an unnerving reflection of real tragedy and bureaucratic heartlessness, from Hurricane Katrina to global food shortages to the cyclone in Myanmar, where the military government has severely restricted relief efforts.
"There are different kinds of blindness. There's 2 billion people that are starving in the world," Meirelles said in an interview Thursday, a day after the film's Cannes premiere. "This is happening. It doesn't need a catastrophe. It's happening, and because there isn't an event like Katrina, we don't see."
Opening in U.S. theaters Sept. 19, "Blindness" is adapted from the novel by Portuguese author Jose Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.
The film chronicles the panic, disorder and barbarity that erupts after a contagion spreads "white blindness" throughout an unspecified city, with people's vision replaced by a milky cloud.
Victims are crammed into decrepit, filthy wards and left on their own, with no medical care. Scant food is provided, and trigger-happy soldiers gun down anyone they think might make a break for freedom, though all the afflicted can do is stumble about aimlessly.
The inmates include an eye doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife (Julianne Moore), who inexplicably retains her sight but feigns blindness so she can accompany her husband into detention. Among their roommates are an old man (Danny Glover), a prostitute (Alice Braga), a thief (Don McKellar) and a married couple (Yusuke Iseya and Yoshino Kimura).
While that group tries to maintain a degree of order, their neighbors in another ward declare themselves "Lord of the Flies"-style rulers, led by a man (Gael Garcia Bernal) with a gun and a willingness to let bullets fly blindly. His thugs take over the food supply and force the others to pay with jewelry, and later, with their women.
"The other day, I heard somebody say, `It's inhuman. It's not human.' No, it is. The movie, it is about human beings, and how in a way, we're animals," Braga said. "If you're put in a situation, that's what would happen."
The action sinks to its most brutal in a gang-rape scene, which precipitates violent retribution and an unexpected escape for some victims, who emerge into a city overrun by staggering, starving survivors, the blind literally leading the blind to scavenge for food.
Could so many people descend so completely into bestiality?
"Look at what happens in war, and how whole towns are raped," Moore said. "We have this idea that we've got it together, but you see what happens when there is a natural disaster. Things crumble. Things literally crumble. So the sense that, oh, we have secured this, we have taken care of this, we know how to do this. In fact, we're just a step away from chaos."
"We've seen food riots in Egypt, food riots in Sudan, food riots in Somalia, food riots in Haiti. Is that a test to see where we're going?" Glover said. "Do we have the political will worldwide to come to grips with that?"
Meirelles said the depravity in the story could go even lower.
"I think the next step would be cannibalism. Rape? How can you go lower? There's no food, so it could turn to cannibalism."
The film also incorporates wickedly dark humor, including a zinger that could be interpreted as a jab at President Bush and U.S. militarism after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"How lucky we are to have a leader with vision," one of Moore's charges remarks as she leads them through the horror of a city that has fallen apart.
"It has something to do, yeah, with the Bush administration," Meirelles said.
Amid the bedlam, glimmers of hope appear as the main characters forge a clan and reclaim a piece of their humanity.
"Toward the end of `Blindness,' they're reaching that point where they're redefining family and redefining civilization," said co-star McKellar, who also wrote the screenplay. "You give them time, and they would deal with it. If they were to remain blind, they would be all right."
USOC still working on TV network for Beijing (AP)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee's aggressive plan to start its own cable network is moving forward, though officials are giving no indications that the network will be on the air before the Beijing Olympics, as the federation had once hoped.
The USOC has secured rights to televise events from more than half the individual sports, but the strategy of bringing them to air has been slow to develop and nobody inside the organization's offices has been willing to provide specifics.
"I can't comment on it now," chief operating officer Norm Bellingham, who is in charge of the TV project, told The Associated Press this week at the USOC board meeting.
The idea was hatched two years ago and given a working title, the U.S. Olympic Sports Network. The plan was to air live events and archival footage, along with a few shows that mix sports and lifestyle topics.
The goal was to increase exposure for Olympic sports, many of which are quickly forgotten once the Olympics end. There was also a long-term hope of making the Olympics a more valuable commodity when negotiations for future network contracts come up. NBC owns the American TV rights through 2012 (at the cost of $2 billion total for 2010 and 2012), and the timetable for bidding for 2014 and beyond has not yet been announced.
Those are still the plans, but the USOC would not say whether its network will be on the air prior to the Beijing Olympics, which are less than three months away.
"The honest answer is, a lot is going on and a lot of work is being done, but we're not in any place to give adjectives," chairman Peter Ueberroth said. "We can't say how it looks, how it doesn't look, whether it's close or not close. We're just working hard."
Like any newcomer trying to find a spot on the ever-expanding dial, the USOC is looking at three options: Starting its own network, acquiring another, or leasing blocks of time on an existing network for so-called "USOC" days.
Starting a network is doable, especially if there's plenty of content available, but getting clearance on cable and satellite systems across the country is no guarantee, as the recent and well-publicized fighting between the NFL Network and providers has shown.
Buying an existing network would be expensive; deals to buy well-known cable networks and their assets can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And even if that network had a spot in current cable and satellite lineups, there's no guarantee that spot would be held for the new USOC entity.
Leasing time might be the most viable option for the USOC, though that wouldn't necessarily serve the purpose of creating an easily identifiable, one-stop outlet for Olympic programming.
No matter what the format, the USOC will be in for the same struggle as any network in this era: Finding an audience -- one that's loyal, if not necessarily huge.
"We're taking the challenge for any marketer or TV entity, which is to find a way to get fragmented audiences that exist today and get them together," CEO Jim Scherr said, in talking about the plan in 2006.
Speaking about the project again this week, Scherr said the goal remains the same.
"We're still pursuing it. It's still on the table. We're still working at it and going forward," Scherr said.
The USOC has secured rights to televise events from more than half the individual sports, but the strategy of bringing them to air has been slow to develop and nobody inside the organization's offices has been willing to provide specifics.
"I can't comment on it now," chief operating officer Norm Bellingham, who is in charge of the TV project, told The Associated Press this week at the USOC board meeting.
The idea was hatched two years ago and given a working title, the U.S. Olympic Sports Network. The plan was to air live events and archival footage, along with a few shows that mix sports and lifestyle topics.
The goal was to increase exposure for Olympic sports, many of which are quickly forgotten once the Olympics end. There was also a long-term hope of making the Olympics a more valuable commodity when negotiations for future network contracts come up. NBC owns the American TV rights through 2012 (at the cost of $2 billion total for 2010 and 2012), and the timetable for bidding for 2014 and beyond has not yet been announced.
Those are still the plans, but the USOC would not say whether its network will be on the air prior to the Beijing Olympics, which are less than three months away.
"The honest answer is, a lot is going on and a lot of work is being done, but we're not in any place to give adjectives," chairman Peter Ueberroth said. "We can't say how it looks, how it doesn't look, whether it's close or not close. We're just working hard."
Like any newcomer trying to find a spot on the ever-expanding dial, the USOC is looking at three options: Starting its own network, acquiring another, or leasing blocks of time on an existing network for so-called "USOC" days.
Starting a network is doable, especially if there's plenty of content available, but getting clearance on cable and satellite systems across the country is no guarantee, as the recent and well-publicized fighting between the NFL Network and providers has shown.
Buying an existing network would be expensive; deals to buy well-known cable networks and their assets can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And even if that network had a spot in current cable and satellite lineups, there's no guarantee that spot would be held for the new USOC entity.
Leasing time might be the most viable option for the USOC, though that wouldn't necessarily serve the purpose of creating an easily identifiable, one-stop outlet for Olympic programming.
No matter what the format, the USOC will be in for the same struggle as any network in this era: Finding an audience -- one that's loyal, if not necessarily huge.
"We're taking the challenge for any marketer or TV entity, which is to find a way to get fragmented audiences that exist today and get them together," CEO Jim Scherr said, in talking about the plan in 2006.
Speaking about the project again this week, Scherr said the goal remains the same.
"We're still pursuing it. It's still on the table. We're still working at it and going forward," Scherr said.
Plaque in Buffalo, NY, Marks Site of Building That Inspired Hit 'Over the Tavern' (Playbill)
The city of Buffalo recently installed a plaque in the sidewalk at 770 Seneca Street, on Buffalos blue collar east side.
Between 1946-1966, Big Joes Tavern, run by sports star and local politician Joe Dudzick, teemed with life in a neighborhood that is now depressed. His son, playwright Tom Dudzick, reimagined his late dads tap room and called it "Chets Bar and Grill" in Over the Tavern, which was a smash at Buffalos Studio Arena Theatre when it premiered there in 1994.
The gentle comedy was universal enough to touch the hearts and memories of theatregoers around the nation, and the play was one of the most-produced titles in regional theatres in the 1990s. Over the Tavern and its two sequels have had more than 200 productions, large and small, in North America, the playwright told Playbill.com.
"Big Joe" Dudzick got his nickname for his height - 6 feet, 11 inches. He was (naturally) a basketball star at Canisius College during the Depression. In addition to pouring drinks at his watering hole (where his family lived upstairs - "over the tavern"), Big Joe served two terms as an at-large member of the Buffalo Common Council.
The first Over the Tavern play focuses on vivacious 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski (the playwrights young self), who sasses his parochial school teachers and impersonates Ed Sullivan.
The three-story building was torn down in the 1980s; the site is now a parking lot for a business.
The Buffalo historical marker reads:
On This Spot
770 Seneca Street
Stood "Big Joe" Dudzicks Tavern (1946-1966),
Boyhood Home Of
Playwright Tom Dudzick,
Inspiration For "Chets Bar and Grill," Immortalized
In His Play "Over the Tavern"
First Presented By
Studio Arena Theatre in 1994
Between 1946-1966, Big Joes Tavern, run by sports star and local politician Joe Dudzick, teemed with life in a neighborhood that is now depressed. His son, playwright Tom Dudzick, reimagined his late dads tap room and called it "Chets Bar and Grill" in Over the Tavern, which was a smash at Buffalos Studio Arena Theatre when it premiered there in 1994.
The gentle comedy was universal enough to touch the hearts and memories of theatregoers around the nation, and the play was one of the most-produced titles in regional theatres in the 1990s. Over the Tavern and its two sequels have had more than 200 productions, large and small, in North America, the playwright told Playbill.com.
"Big Joe" Dudzick got his nickname for his height - 6 feet, 11 inches. He was (naturally) a basketball star at Canisius College during the Depression. In addition to pouring drinks at his watering hole (where his family lived upstairs - "over the tavern"), Big Joe served two terms as an at-large member of the Buffalo Common Council.
The first Over the Tavern play focuses on vivacious 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski (the playwrights young self), who sasses his parochial school teachers and impersonates Ed Sullivan.
The three-story building was torn down in the 1980s; the site is now a parking lot for a business.
The Buffalo historical marker reads:
On This Spot
770 Seneca Street
Stood "Big Joe" Dudzicks Tavern (1946-1966),
Boyhood Home Of
Playwright Tom Dudzick,
Inspiration For "Chets Bar and Grill," Immortalized
In His Play "Over the Tavern"
First Presented By
Studio Arena Theatre in 1994
"Kung Fu Panda" a martial arts masterpiece (Reuters)
CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - Martial arts movies have always had a certain cartoonish element, so DreamWorks Animations "Kung Fu Panda" makes perfect sense.
Taking full advantage of Cinemascopes wide screen to splash quicker-than-the-eye action across striking Chinese landscapes, animators led by directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne deliver a movie that is as funny as it is frantic.
Although its aimed primarily at youngsters, "Kung Fu Panda" embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities. Certainly the sustained applause at its Cannes Film Festival world premiere here bodes well for international box office success. The film opens domestically on June 6.
The stroke of genius is, of course, the films hero: the big, lovable bear that is the Chinese panda. Sweet looking, perhaps a bit clumsy, seemingly unflappable, what could be an odder hero for a kung fu movie? Transforming a panda named Po -- voiced by big, lovable Jack Black -- into a kung fu fighter to save a threatened village in ancient times is essentially the entire movie.
He does not start with a lot of promise, only a boundless enthusiasm for the discipline and a seeming inability to perform its simplest tasks. His dad, a goose named Mr. Ping (James Hong) -- that discrepancy is never clarified -- runs a noodle shop and expects his son to follow in his web steps.
But Po longs to train under Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and alongside his heroes, the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). He miraculously fulfills this impossible dream when the inventor of kung fu, Oogway the turtle (Randall Duk Kim), anoints him the long-prophesied Dragon Warrior.
Comic calamities pile on top of one another until Shifu recognizes Pos true driving force: his insatiable appetite.
A bun or a cookie snatched from his grasp has Po performing feats of remarkable agility and no little ferocity. He is soon ready to face the villainous Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a snow leopard who descends on the fearful village to exact revenge his own rejection as the Dragon Warrior.
Like most chopsocky movies, "Kung Fu Panda" strays not at all from its twin goals of action and comedy. Whatever points the script by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger want to make to children about pursuing goals, it does so quickly and gets back to the fights. A battle along a rope bridge between the Furious Five and Tai Lung and Pos showdown with his adversary dominate the final third of the film after the mostly comic run-up to those combats.
The animation is clean and vivid: Backgrounds and sets are appreciative tributes to Chinese landscape art and architecture; the fighting style of each animal, whether a snake, a tiger or a monkey, is subtly rendered; and the filmmakers clearly have studied the best Asian martial arts films to spark inspiration for those gravity-defying stunts.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Taking full advantage of Cinemascopes wide screen to splash quicker-than-the-eye action across striking Chinese landscapes, animators led by directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne deliver a movie that is as funny as it is frantic.
Although its aimed primarily at youngsters, "Kung Fu Panda" embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities. Certainly the sustained applause at its Cannes Film Festival world premiere here bodes well for international box office success. The film opens domestically on June 6.
The stroke of genius is, of course, the films hero: the big, lovable bear that is the Chinese panda. Sweet looking, perhaps a bit clumsy, seemingly unflappable, what could be an odder hero for a kung fu movie? Transforming a panda named Po -- voiced by big, lovable Jack Black -- into a kung fu fighter to save a threatened village in ancient times is essentially the entire movie.
He does not start with a lot of promise, only a boundless enthusiasm for the discipline and a seeming inability to perform its simplest tasks. His dad, a goose named Mr. Ping (James Hong) -- that discrepancy is never clarified -- runs a noodle shop and expects his son to follow in his web steps.
But Po longs to train under Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and alongside his heroes, the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). He miraculously fulfills this impossible dream when the inventor of kung fu, Oogway the turtle (Randall Duk Kim), anoints him the long-prophesied Dragon Warrior.
Comic calamities pile on top of one another until Shifu recognizes Pos true driving force: his insatiable appetite.
A bun or a cookie snatched from his grasp has Po performing feats of remarkable agility and no little ferocity. He is soon ready to face the villainous Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a snow leopard who descends on the fearful village to exact revenge his own rejection as the Dragon Warrior.
Like most chopsocky movies, "Kung Fu Panda" strays not at all from its twin goals of action and comedy. Whatever points the script by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger want to make to children about pursuing goals, it does so quickly and gets back to the fights. A battle along a rope bridge between the Furious Five and Tai Lung and Pos showdown with his adversary dominate the final third of the film after the mostly comic run-up to those combats.
The animation is clean and vivid: Backgrounds and sets are appreciative tributes to Chinese landscape art and architecture; the fighting style of each animal, whether a snake, a tiger or a monkey, is subtly rendered; and the filmmakers clearly have studied the best Asian martial arts films to spark inspiration for those gravity-defying stunts.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Country star Shania Twain, husband splitting up (AP)
TORONTO (AP) -- Shania Twain and husband-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange are splitting up after 14 years of marriage. The 42-year-old Canadian country superstar and 59-year-old Lange married in 1993 and have a 6-year-old son named Eja. Her publicist provided no further details Thursday about the couple's breakup.
Lange and Twain, best known for her hits "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" and "You're Still the One," recently opened a hiking trail on their property in New Zealand, fulfilling a pact designed to allay fears that wealthy foreigners were snapping up and sealing off the country's prime real estate.
Lange produced three of Twain's albums: 1995's "The Woman in Me," 1997's "Come on Over" and 2002's "Up!"
___
On the Net:
http://www.shaniatwain.com/
Lange and Twain, best known for her hits "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" and "You're Still the One," recently opened a hiking trail on their property in New Zealand, fulfilling a pact designed to allay fears that wealthy foreigners were snapping up and sealing off the country's prime real estate.
Lange produced three of Twain's albums: 1995's "The Woman in Me," 1997's "Come on Over" and 2002's "Up!"
___
On the Net:
http://www.shaniatwain.com/
Minggu, 18 Mei 2008
Taylor Hicks to play Teen Angel in Broadway's `Grease' (AP)
NEW YORK - Taylor Hicks is going from "Idol" to "Angel."
The "American Idol" alum will join the Broadway cast of "Grease" on June 6, playing Teen Angel in the revival of the popular musical.
The gray-haired singer -- whose "Idol" fan base was called "The Soul Patrol" -- said he plans to add "soulful flavor" to his performance of "Beauty School Dropout." The flashy role, he said, is "a classic fit for a classic performer."
"It's a big number, and, you know, I've made some pretty grand entrances before," Hicks told The Associated Press on Thursday. "And this one is probably the grandest entrance I've had in my career."
Well, besides "Idol." Hicks, 31, took home the title in the fifth season of the top-rated Fox show -- the biggest stage on television.
He later lost his record deal with J Records, a label within Sony-BMG, which signs the show's singers, and had been looking for the perfect part to make his debut on The Great White Way.
"If you're gonna be a great entertainer and you're gonna be a great performer, than these are the things that you have to do to season yourself in that manner," said Hicks, who views this "opportunity of a lifetime" as a way to improve his "Idol"-tested skills.
The Alabama-born crooner's run ends Sept. 7. He'll be the latest "Idol" to hit Broadway, following runs by season-three winner Fantasia Barrino ("The Color Purple") and a host of also-rans including Clay Aiken ("Spamalot"), Diana DeGarmo ("Hairspray") and Constantine Maroulis ("The Wedding Singer").
Hicks' self-titled, post-"Idol" album, released in December 2006, has sold a respectable 702,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan data. But it didn't reach the 1 million mark or register a hit song, unlike previous "Idol" winners.
This summer, Hicks intends to finish up a follow-up album -- on his own terms.
"I've had the creative freedom and the time to write some of the best music that I've ever written in my whole life. ... The options are unlimited and there has been some great interest now that I'm a free agent, so to speak," he said.
The "American Idol" alum will join the Broadway cast of "Grease" on June 6, playing Teen Angel in the revival of the popular musical.
The gray-haired singer -- whose "Idol" fan base was called "The Soul Patrol" -- said he plans to add "soulful flavor" to his performance of "Beauty School Dropout." The flashy role, he said, is "a classic fit for a classic performer."
"It's a big number, and, you know, I've made some pretty grand entrances before," Hicks told The Associated Press on Thursday. "And this one is probably the grandest entrance I've had in my career."
Well, besides "Idol." Hicks, 31, took home the title in the fifth season of the top-rated Fox show -- the biggest stage on television.
He later lost his record deal with J Records, a label within Sony-BMG, which signs the show's singers, and had been looking for the perfect part to make his debut on The Great White Way.
"If you're gonna be a great entertainer and you're gonna be a great performer, than these are the things that you have to do to season yourself in that manner," said Hicks, who views this "opportunity of a lifetime" as a way to improve his "Idol"-tested skills.
The Alabama-born crooner's run ends Sept. 7. He'll be the latest "Idol" to hit Broadway, following runs by season-three winner Fantasia Barrino ("The Color Purple") and a host of also-rans including Clay Aiken ("Spamalot"), Diana DeGarmo ("Hairspray") and Constantine Maroulis ("The Wedding Singer").
Hicks' self-titled, post-"Idol" album, released in December 2006, has sold a respectable 702,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan data. But it didn't reach the 1 million mark or register a hit song, unlike previous "Idol" winners.
This summer, Hicks intends to finish up a follow-up album -- on his own terms.
"I've had the creative freedom and the time to write some of the best music that I've ever written in my whole life. ... The options are unlimited and there has been some great interest now that I'm a free agent, so to speak," he said.
DeGeneres, de Rossi plan to marry, AP is told (AP)
LOS ANGELES - Ellen DeGeneres and longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi are jumping at the chance to get married.
DeGeneres announced their engagement during a Thursday taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," telling the studio audience the news that the California Supreme Court had struck down state laws against gay marriage.
"So I would like to say now, for the first time, I am announcing: I am getting married," she said during the show, airing Friday.
The studio audience leapt to its feet for a long ovation, and De Rossi ("Ally McBeal," "Nip/Tuck") was sitting in the audience, beaming and clapping.
Then DeGeneres cracked: "Thank you. I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon."
The court ruling means same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. However, religious and social conservatives are seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.
DeGeneres, 50, has boldly used TV before to make a stand for gay rights.
In 1997, she brought her character on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" out of the closet, making the show the first on prime-time network TV to have an openly gay lead. The move drew cheers from gay civil rights organizations but was condemned by some religious groups.
A month before, DeGeneres had proclaimed from the cover of Time magazine that she was a lesbian.
DeGeneres, 50, and the glamorous de Rossi, 35, have been a familiar couple at Hollywood events, including the Academy Awards. Previously, DeGeneres had a high-profile relationship with actress Anne Heche.
In a 2005 interview with Allure magazine, the comedian said she hoped she and de Rossi are "together the rest of our lives."
"I never would have thought my life would have turned out this way," DeGeneres told the magazine. "To have money. Or to have a gorgeous girlfriend. I just feel so lucky with everything in my life right now."
___
On the Net:
A clip of the announcement is posted on http://ellentv.com
DeGeneres announced their engagement during a Thursday taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," telling the studio audience the news that the California Supreme Court had struck down state laws against gay marriage.
"So I would like to say now, for the first time, I am announcing: I am getting married," she said during the show, airing Friday.
The studio audience leapt to its feet for a long ovation, and De Rossi ("Ally McBeal," "Nip/Tuck") was sitting in the audience, beaming and clapping.
Then DeGeneres cracked: "Thank you. I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon."
The court ruling means same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. However, religious and social conservatives are seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.
DeGeneres, 50, has boldly used TV before to make a stand for gay rights.
In 1997, she brought her character on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" out of the closet, making the show the first on prime-time network TV to have an openly gay lead. The move drew cheers from gay civil rights organizations but was condemned by some religious groups.
A month before, DeGeneres had proclaimed from the cover of Time magazine that she was a lesbian.
DeGeneres, 50, and the glamorous de Rossi, 35, have been a familiar couple at Hollywood events, including the Academy Awards. Previously, DeGeneres had a high-profile relationship with actress Anne Heche.
In a 2005 interview with Allure magazine, the comedian said she hoped she and de Rossi are "together the rest of our lives."
"I never would have thought my life would have turned out this way," DeGeneres told the magazine. "To have money. Or to have a gorgeous girlfriend. I just feel so lucky with everything in my life right now."
___
On the Net:
A clip of the announcement is posted on http://ellentv.com
Jumat, 16 Mei 2008
Marvel combines superpowers for animated TV "Squad" (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - On the heels of a 102 million opening weekend for "Iron Man," Marvel Animation is powering up the "Marvel Super Hero Squad."
The Marvel Entertainment division said it is producing 26 half-hour episodes of a new "super stylized" animated series aimed at 6- to 8-year-olds. It will feature such well-known heroes as Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four and Captain America; all occupy a caricatured Super Hero City and are thrust into humorous adventures as they thwart the villainous plans of Doctor Doom, Magneto, Loki, the Abomination and others.
Marvel is in discussions with networks for the distribution of "Squad," expected to be available for broadcast in 2009. The company already has two new series -- "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" -- set to debut early next year on Nicktoons.
"This initiative is part of an overall strategy to create new brands and maximize exposure for the characters in the Marvel universe by keeping them fresh and relevant for a new audience and to provide a consistent presence in the marketplace," Marvel Entertainment president of animation Eric Rollman said.
Marvel also is developing a multimedia and merchandising campaign for the show, with Hasbro handling the toy line. Marvel Comics is introducing a "Squad" book series in the fall, and a direct-to-video animated feature is in development for 2010.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
The Marvel Entertainment division said it is producing 26 half-hour episodes of a new "super stylized" animated series aimed at 6- to 8-year-olds. It will feature such well-known heroes as Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four and Captain America; all occupy a caricatured Super Hero City and are thrust into humorous adventures as they thwart the villainous plans of Doctor Doom, Magneto, Loki, the Abomination and others.
Marvel is in discussions with networks for the distribution of "Squad," expected to be available for broadcast in 2009. The company already has two new series -- "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" -- set to debut early next year on Nicktoons.
"This initiative is part of an overall strategy to create new brands and maximize exposure for the characters in the Marvel universe by keeping them fresh and relevant for a new audience and to provide a consistent presence in the marketplace," Marvel Entertainment president of animation Eric Rollman said.
Marvel also is developing a multimedia and merchandising campaign for the show, with Hasbro handling the toy line. Marvel Comics is introducing a "Squad" book series in the fall, and a direct-to-video animated feature is in development for 2010.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Mellencamp and King's Musical 'Ghost Brothers' Postponed by Atlanta's Alliance (Playbill)
The production was scheduled to run April 15-May 10, 2009, as the closing show of the 2008-09 season. The production, currently in the early stages of development, has been delayed "due to unanticipated scheduling problems which could not be resolved in time for the production."
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will be produced at the Alliance Theatre as part of the 2009-10 season, if all the elements can come together, according to Alliance.
Artistic director Susan V. Booth said in a statement, "While we are obviously saddened by the need to postpone our premiere of Ghost Brothers, we understood going in - as there always is - there was an element of risk in committing to the premiere of a major new musical. Im personally grateful to have such a sophisticated audience here in Atlanta that has gone along on so many exciting rides with us, from The Color Purple to Sister Act the Musical to The Women of Brewster Place. I am committed to identifying a replacement work of equally innovative and entertaining stature. Atlanta deserves no less."
Booth emphasized that this decision was a result of discussions with members of the entire creative team. "All were in agreement with the evolution of the new work-in-progress and the direction it was moving while in development but realized the script would not be ready by spring 2009," according to a statement.
A replacement production will be announced in the near future. Subscribers to the Alliance Stage Series will be contacted by Alliance staff regarding updates to their subscriptions.
Fore more information visit www.alliancetheatre.org.
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will be produced at the Alliance Theatre as part of the 2009-10 season, if all the elements can come together, according to Alliance.
Artistic director Susan V. Booth said in a statement, "While we are obviously saddened by the need to postpone our premiere of Ghost Brothers, we understood going in - as there always is - there was an element of risk in committing to the premiere of a major new musical. Im personally grateful to have such a sophisticated audience here in Atlanta that has gone along on so many exciting rides with us, from The Color Purple to Sister Act the Musical to The Women of Brewster Place. I am committed to identifying a replacement work of equally innovative and entertaining stature. Atlanta deserves no less."
Booth emphasized that this decision was a result of discussions with members of the entire creative team. "All were in agreement with the evolution of the new work-in-progress and the direction it was moving while in development but realized the script would not be ready by spring 2009," according to a statement.
A replacement production will be announced in the near future. Subscribers to the Alliance Stage Series will be contacted by Alliance staff regarding updates to their subscriptions.
Fore more information visit www.alliancetheatre.org.
L.A. gang member-turned-author gets 6 years for carjacking (AP)
LOS ANGELES - A South Los Angeles gang member who wrote a critically praised autobiography behind bars has been sentenced to six years in state prison for a 2006 carjacking.
Kody "Monster" Scott, 44, was sentenced Monday after pleading no contest to carjacking. Four other counts against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said Tuesday.
Scott, arrested last year, was accused of taking a silver Jaguar that belonged to a friend whom he beat so badly the man needed facial surgery.
A call to Scott's attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Scott, who also goes by the name Sanyika Sakura, was in prison when he wrote "Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member." He wrote that he killed, robbed and committed other crimes since being inducted into a street gang at age 11. The 1993 book is the basis for a planned movie.
Scott previously served four years in state prison for armed robbery and possession of an AK-47 assault rifle, and had shorter terms for other crimes.
Police contend that he retains gang ties despite a professed conversion to Islam and a renunciation of violence. He was on a list of the 10 most-wanted gang members issued by the Los Angeles Police Department last year.
Kody "Monster" Scott, 44, was sentenced Monday after pleading no contest to carjacking. Four other counts against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said Tuesday.
Scott, arrested last year, was accused of taking a silver Jaguar that belonged to a friend whom he beat so badly the man needed facial surgery.
A call to Scott's attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Scott, who also goes by the name Sanyika Sakura, was in prison when he wrote "Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member." He wrote that he killed, robbed and committed other crimes since being inducted into a street gang at age 11. The 1993 book is the basis for a planned movie.
Scott previously served four years in state prison for armed robbery and possession of an AK-47 assault rifle, and had shorter terms for other crimes.
Police contend that he retains gang ties despite a professed conversion to Islam and a renunciation of violence. He was on a list of the 10 most-wanted gang members issued by the Los Angeles Police Department last year.
Rowling wins privacy case over photo of son (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has won her battle to ban further publication of a long-lens photograph of her son, in a privacy case her legal team called a major development in British law.
The initial claim by Rowling and her husband was thrown out by a London court last year, prompting the couple to appeal.
In a written judgment on Wednesday, a panel of judges upheld the appeal, a ruling which Rowling and husband Neil Murray welcomed.
"We understand and accept that with the success of Harry Potter there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jos (Rowlings) professional activities and appearances," the couple said in a statement.
"However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight.
"We are immensely grateful to the court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorized photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives."
Anthony Clarke, one of the judges hearing the appeal, said the child of a famous parent should have the same rights as that of "ordinary" parents.
"If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent," he said in the judgment.
The disputed photographs were taken on November 8, 2004 in Edinburgh while David, then aged under two, was being pushed in a buggy by his parents.
They were published in a Sunday Express magazine, prompting Rowling, 42, and her husband to sue Express Newspapers and photo agency Big Pictures and seek to block further publication.
The Express settled the claim, but last August High Court judge Nicholas Patten threw out the case against the agency.
Keith Schilling of Schillings law firm representing Rowlings family predicted the latest ruling could have a "profound effect ... on certain sections of the paparazzi.
"This case establishes a law of privacy for children in those cases where, understandably, the parents wish to protect their children from intrusive photography by the paparazzi," he said.
"I am sure that the overwhelming majority of the media will welcome it."
When asked for his reaction to the ruling, a spokesman for Big Pictures said: "No comment."
Big Pictures will have to pay the bulk of the costs of the case, expected to be hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars).
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White)
(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare)
The initial claim by Rowling and her husband was thrown out by a London court last year, prompting the couple to appeal.
In a written judgment on Wednesday, a panel of judges upheld the appeal, a ruling which Rowling and husband Neil Murray welcomed.
"We understand and accept that with the success of Harry Potter there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jos (Rowlings) professional activities and appearances," the couple said in a statement.
"However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight.
"We are immensely grateful to the court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorized photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives."
Anthony Clarke, one of the judges hearing the appeal, said the child of a famous parent should have the same rights as that of "ordinary" parents.
"If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent," he said in the judgment.
The disputed photographs were taken on November 8, 2004 in Edinburgh while David, then aged under two, was being pushed in a buggy by his parents.
They were published in a Sunday Express magazine, prompting Rowling, 42, and her husband to sue Express Newspapers and photo agency Big Pictures and seek to block further publication.
The Express settled the claim, but last August High Court judge Nicholas Patten threw out the case against the agency.
Keith Schilling of Schillings law firm representing Rowlings family predicted the latest ruling could have a "profound effect ... on certain sections of the paparazzi.
"This case establishes a law of privacy for children in those cases where, understandably, the parents wish to protect their children from intrusive photography by the paparazzi," he said.
"I am sure that the overwhelming majority of the media will welcome it."
When asked for his reaction to the ruling, a spokesman for Big Pictures said: "No comment."
Big Pictures will have to pay the bulk of the costs of the case, expected to be hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars).
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White)
(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare)
`Crocodile Hunter' widow settles lawsuit with debt collector (AP)
MELBOURNE, Australia - The widow of television's "Crocodile Hunter" reached a confidential settlement Wednesday with creditors who claimed the family's zoo owed them $2.3 million.
Alyssa Treasury Services, a debt recovery agency, had sued Australia Zoo -- the wildlife park that was operated by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri Irwin, in Queensland state -- for money allegedly owed to trustee partners.
Victoria state County Court Judge Maree Kennedy dismissed the case Wednesday after a confidential agreement was reached out of court among Alyssa Treasury and Australia Zoo, Terri Irwin, and seven other unrelated companies.
The lawsuit, which had been due to go to trial in October, involved a complex loan deal with an offshore bank that ran into trouble with Australian tax authorities.
A spokesman for the zoo was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Steve Irwin built a worldwide audience and a multimillion-dollar business around his television persona as an animal lover and conservationist -- and a fearless bare-knuckle crocodile wrangler.
He was killed in a stingray attack in 2006 while filming a television series.
Alyssa Treasury Services, a debt recovery agency, had sued Australia Zoo -- the wildlife park that was operated by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri Irwin, in Queensland state -- for money allegedly owed to trustee partners.
Victoria state County Court Judge Maree Kennedy dismissed the case Wednesday after a confidential agreement was reached out of court among Alyssa Treasury and Australia Zoo, Terri Irwin, and seven other unrelated companies.
The lawsuit, which had been due to go to trial in October, involved a complex loan deal with an offshore bank that ran into trouble with Australian tax authorities.
A spokesman for the zoo was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Steve Irwin built a worldwide audience and a multimillion-dollar business around his television persona as an animal lover and conservationist -- and a fearless bare-knuckle crocodile wrangler.
He was killed in a stingray attack in 2006 while filming a television series.
Selasa, 13 Mei 2008
Writing pair ready for "Fun" (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have "Hours of Fun" in store working on the family comedy. Walt Disney Studios and Scott Rudin Prods. have hired the duo to rewrite the screenplay by Greg Pace.
The tentatively titled "Fun" is the story of two childhood friends who ordered a slew of novelty toys (such as X-ray glasses, Sea-Monkeys and transforming robots) from the back pages of their late-70s comic books. Thirty years later, the toys begin living up to their wild advertising claims, forcing the pair to save their town from the ensuing chaos.
"Bones" star Francis Daley (known for his role on "Freaks and Geeks") and Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") sold their comedy spec script "The 40,000 Man" to New Line in 2007. The studio has signed Terry Zwigoff ("Ghost World," "Bad Santa") to direct.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
The tentatively titled "Fun" is the story of two childhood friends who ordered a slew of novelty toys (such as X-ray glasses, Sea-Monkeys and transforming robots) from the back pages of their late-70s comic books. Thirty years later, the toys begin living up to their wild advertising claims, forcing the pair to save their town from the ensuing chaos.
"Bones" star Francis Daley (known for his role on "Freaks and Geeks") and Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") sold their comedy spec script "The 40,000 Man" to New Line in 2007. The studio has signed Terry Zwigoff ("Ghost World," "Bad Santa") to direct.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Kamis, 08 Mei 2008
Nets expected to be generous with series renewals (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - For broadcast series still hoping for a renewal, the past week was rough sledding.
CBS "Shark" and ABCs "Womens Murder Club" returned to post about a 2.0 rating among adults 18 to 49, joining low-rated outings by fellow "bubble shows" "Moonlight" (CBS), "Boston Legal" (ABC) and "Reaper" (The CW).
But with most scripted series struggling from a writers strike ratings hangover, the networks seem inclined to give some of the lagging shows a second chance this fall.
Heres how things stand:
* "Men in Trees": Producers of ABCs drama were recently told the show will not return for a third season. Last year, the show scored a surprising early renewal, but in April it averaged only about a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
* "Boston Legal": A recent episode of "Legal" hit a series low, but, then again, what show hasnt? Given a strong lead-in, "Legal" tends to hold a reliable number. Its also an Emmy darling. A likely pickup.
* "Reaper": The word on CWs cult-favorite supernatural comedy-drama has turned unexpectedly positive. Though recent episodes have pulled about a 1.1 rating, the CW needs a suitable Thursday night partner for "Supernatural" because next season is expected to be the last for "Smallville." Plus, after adding DVR use, "Reaper" ratings often climb more percentage points than any other series, and CW executives are fond of the show.
* "Shark": Another network might be inclined to give this drama another chance, but CBS sets a high ratings bar for pickups, and "Shark" has a tough time clearing it. Industry oddsmakers are pessimistic about a fall return.
* "The New Adventures of Old Christine": With CBS Monday night comedy block continuing to perform strong while other returning shows crash, the network is considering opening up another night of comedy. If so, the net is going to need "Christine." As for "How I Met Your Mother," a pickup is considered a given.
* "Moonlight": Since returning post-strike, "Moonlight" remains the weakest link in CBS Friday night lineup. Yet the vampire drama continues to win its time period. A pickup is all but certain.
* "Eli Stone" and "Womens Murder Club": The bubbliest of the bubble shows, "Stone" has split industry opinions. The season finale scored only a 2.0 rating. Yet ABC likes the show and the network has a history of giving a second chance to modestly rated freshman series ("Trees," "What About Brian"). If ABC picks up "Stone," a renewal for similarly rated "Murder Club" becomes less likely.
* "Cashmere Mafia" and "October Road": With uninspiring ratings and stars of both ABC shows posed to move to other projects, a return appears unlikely.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
CBS "Shark" and ABCs "Womens Murder Club" returned to post about a 2.0 rating among adults 18 to 49, joining low-rated outings by fellow "bubble shows" "Moonlight" (CBS), "Boston Legal" (ABC) and "Reaper" (The CW).
But with most scripted series struggling from a writers strike ratings hangover, the networks seem inclined to give some of the lagging shows a second chance this fall.
Heres how things stand:
* "Men in Trees": Producers of ABCs drama were recently told the show will not return for a third season. Last year, the show scored a surprising early renewal, but in April it averaged only about a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
* "Boston Legal": A recent episode of "Legal" hit a series low, but, then again, what show hasnt? Given a strong lead-in, "Legal" tends to hold a reliable number. Its also an Emmy darling. A likely pickup.
* "Reaper": The word on CWs cult-favorite supernatural comedy-drama has turned unexpectedly positive. Though recent episodes have pulled about a 1.1 rating, the CW needs a suitable Thursday night partner for "Supernatural" because next season is expected to be the last for "Smallville." Plus, after adding DVR use, "Reaper" ratings often climb more percentage points than any other series, and CW executives are fond of the show.
* "Shark": Another network might be inclined to give this drama another chance, but CBS sets a high ratings bar for pickups, and "Shark" has a tough time clearing it. Industry oddsmakers are pessimistic about a fall return.
* "The New Adventures of Old Christine": With CBS Monday night comedy block continuing to perform strong while other returning shows crash, the network is considering opening up another night of comedy. If so, the net is going to need "Christine." As for "How I Met Your Mother," a pickup is considered a given.
* "Moonlight": Since returning post-strike, "Moonlight" remains the weakest link in CBS Friday night lineup. Yet the vampire drama continues to win its time period. A pickup is all but certain.
* "Eli Stone" and "Womens Murder Club": The bubbliest of the bubble shows, "Stone" has split industry opinions. The season finale scored only a 2.0 rating. Yet ABC likes the show and the network has a history of giving a second chance to modestly rated freshman series ("Trees," "What About Brian"). If ABC picks up "Stone," a renewal for similarly rated "Murder Club" becomes less likely.
* "Cashmere Mafia" and "October Road": With uninspiring ratings and stars of both ABC shows posed to move to other projects, a return appears unlikely.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
The Boss, Sinatra among N.J. Hall of Fame's first inductees (AP)
TRENTON, N.J. - Pop quiz: What comes to mind when you think about Yogi Berra, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Toni Morrison? Brilliant minds, inspiring souls, trailblazers -- all are likely responses.
And ... New Jersey?
Yep. They all have strong ties to the oft-maligned Garden State, and they're among the first 15 people to be inducted Sunday into New Jersey's new Hall of Fame.
"I think anything you get inducted to you feel good about," said 82-year-old Berra, the famous New York Yankee catcher who lives in Montclair in northern New Jersey. "Heck to get inducted with all them guys, that's pretty good."
Berra, who's lived in New Jersey for 52 years, is in good company.
In addition to Edison, Einstein and Morrison, the inaugural class includes Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Vince Lombardi.
"There's no doubt this will be a historic event for the state," said Don Jay Smith, the hall's executive director. "New Jersey is often the butt of jokes, nationally, and yet when people see who has claimed New Jersey as their home, they will be very impressed."
Edison's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Sloane Eggemann, of White House Station in northwest New Jersey, said the famous inventor would be thrilled by the honor, and she hopes children are inspired by all of the hall's inductees.
"It's really great to recognize all the accomplishments," she said.
The Hall of Fame exists only as a virtual entity now, but officials are raising money to build a permanent museum. The first class was chosen through an online vote after 25 finalists were announced in 2006.
All inductees must have lived in the state for at least five years, though organizers made an exception to that rule for Underground Railroad pioneer Harriet Tubman.
Smith said he expects most of the living inductees to attend Sunday's induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
Two inductees, Streep and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, have asked that the presentation of their awards be held until they can receive them in person.
"Meryl Streep was honored to be among the first class to be inducted to the New Jersey Hall of Fame," her representative, Michelle Benson, said in a statement. "Because of the significance of the Hall of Fame, she has asked that the presentation of her award be postponed until she can accept in person."
John Lombardi said his grandfather, a legendary coach who led the Green Bay Packers to seven NFL championships, would get a kick out of his induction into the state's hall of fame.
"I kind of look at the list of the 'who's who' who are getting inducted and I kind of laugh because I'm like, Edison, Einstein, then my grandfather," he said. "I think he'd be laughing out loud. He had a healthy ego but I don't think he ever thought he was up there with those guys."
___
On the Net:
http://www.njhalloffame.com
And ... New Jersey?
Yep. They all have strong ties to the oft-maligned Garden State, and they're among the first 15 people to be inducted Sunday into New Jersey's new Hall of Fame.
"I think anything you get inducted to you feel good about," said 82-year-old Berra, the famous New York Yankee catcher who lives in Montclair in northern New Jersey. "Heck to get inducted with all them guys, that's pretty good."
Berra, who's lived in New Jersey for 52 years, is in good company.
In addition to Edison, Einstein and Morrison, the inaugural class includes Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Vince Lombardi.
"There's no doubt this will be a historic event for the state," said Don Jay Smith, the hall's executive director. "New Jersey is often the butt of jokes, nationally, and yet when people see who has claimed New Jersey as their home, they will be very impressed."
Edison's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Sloane Eggemann, of White House Station in northwest New Jersey, said the famous inventor would be thrilled by the honor, and she hopes children are inspired by all of the hall's inductees.
"It's really great to recognize all the accomplishments," she said.
The Hall of Fame exists only as a virtual entity now, but officials are raising money to build a permanent museum. The first class was chosen through an online vote after 25 finalists were announced in 2006.
All inductees must have lived in the state for at least five years, though organizers made an exception to that rule for Underground Railroad pioneer Harriet Tubman.
Smith said he expects most of the living inductees to attend Sunday's induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
Two inductees, Streep and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, have asked that the presentation of their awards be held until they can receive them in person.
"Meryl Streep was honored to be among the first class to be inducted to the New Jersey Hall of Fame," her representative, Michelle Benson, said in a statement. "Because of the significance of the Hall of Fame, she has asked that the presentation of her award be postponed until she can accept in person."
John Lombardi said his grandfather, a legendary coach who led the Green Bay Packers to seven NFL championships, would get a kick out of his induction into the state's hall of fame.
"I kind of look at the list of the 'who's who' who are getting inducted and I kind of laugh because I'm like, Edison, Einstein, then my grandfather," he said. "I think he'd be laughing out loud. He had a healthy ego but I don't think he ever thought he was up there with those guys."
___
On the Net:
http://www.njhalloffame.com
Word of Madonna film reaches village of David Banda's father (AP)
BLANTYRE, Malawi - Some 100 miles from Malawi's capital, the dusty village of Lipunga has no movie theaters or video players, let alone electricity. But villager Yohane Banda has at least heard that Madonna's new documentary is meant to draw attention to this southern African country's poverty.
It's a subject Banda knows well. Poverty forced him to put his son in an orphanage -- and now Madonna is on the verge of adopting his son, David Banda, who turns 3 in September.
Banda said David's mother died when his son was just a month old. He believed that he could not care for him alone and that placing him in an orphanage was his "surest" chance to survive.
"After losing two sons, I really wanted David to survive," Banda said in a telephone interview Monday.
Two children born earlier had died in childbirth, as did a third baby his second wife bore after David was sent to the orphanage.
Banda, a peasant farmer who ekes out a living growing maize, tomatoes and potatoes, said he used to ride a bicycle to visit his son at the orphanage. When he wasn't able to go, David's grandmother would visit.
"It isn't true that we abandoned him," Banda said in Chichewa.
Banda said he had originally planned to bring David home when he was old enough to eat solid food. Instead, the pastor who runs the orphanage came to him some two years ago to say a "rich white woman" was interested in adopting David.
"We sat down as a family to consider it. After banging our heads together we thought this was good for David so we readily agreed," Banda said.
Banda said that when he met the singer and her husband in a Lilongwe court in 2006, when a judge gave the celebrity couple temporary custody of David, he was promised he would be seeing his son occasionally.
The judge is expected to rule on Madonna's adoption request later this month. Last month, two reports by a Malawian child welfare officer who had visited David in London were released, recounting that David has "bonded well" with Madonna's family, and recommending the adoption be approved.
When "I Am Because We Are," the documentary Madonna produced and narrated, premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival last month, an audience member asked the pop diva about the difficulty of adopting children from Malawi.
"It's a new concept, the concept of adoption, consequently it's very, very time-consuming," she said. "I guess if you really want to do it you have to be willing to walk through the fire."
The film shows poverty and disease devastating the lives of Malawi's children, and urges people to volunteer. Madonna provides food, education and shelter for Malawian children through her Raising Malawi organization, and first met David while setting up her charity projects here.
It's a subject Banda knows well. Poverty forced him to put his son in an orphanage -- and now Madonna is on the verge of adopting his son, David Banda, who turns 3 in September.
Banda said David's mother died when his son was just a month old. He believed that he could not care for him alone and that placing him in an orphanage was his "surest" chance to survive.
"After losing two sons, I really wanted David to survive," Banda said in a telephone interview Monday.
Two children born earlier had died in childbirth, as did a third baby his second wife bore after David was sent to the orphanage.
Banda, a peasant farmer who ekes out a living growing maize, tomatoes and potatoes, said he used to ride a bicycle to visit his son at the orphanage. When he wasn't able to go, David's grandmother would visit.
"It isn't true that we abandoned him," Banda said in Chichewa.
Banda said he had originally planned to bring David home when he was old enough to eat solid food. Instead, the pastor who runs the orphanage came to him some two years ago to say a "rich white woman" was interested in adopting David.
"We sat down as a family to consider it. After banging our heads together we thought this was good for David so we readily agreed," Banda said.
Banda said that when he met the singer and her husband in a Lilongwe court in 2006, when a judge gave the celebrity couple temporary custody of David, he was promised he would be seeing his son occasionally.
The judge is expected to rule on Madonna's adoption request later this month. Last month, two reports by a Malawian child welfare officer who had visited David in London were released, recounting that David has "bonded well" with Madonna's family, and recommending the adoption be approved.
When "I Am Because We Are," the documentary Madonna produced and narrated, premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival last month, an audience member asked the pop diva about the difficulty of adopting children from Malawi.
"It's a new concept, the concept of adoption, consequently it's very, very time-consuming," she said. "I guess if you really want to do it you have to be willing to walk through the fire."
The film shows poverty and disease devastating the lives of Malawi's children, and urges people to volunteer. Madonna provides food, education and shelter for Malawian children through her Raising Malawi organization, and first met David while setting up her charity projects here.
New Orleans sings praise as Neville Brothers finally reunite (AP)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Neville Brothers, who traditionally help close out the New Orleans Jazz that's more than I can say," said Martin Davis, a former New Orleans resident now living in Houston. "I'm back for Jazz Fest, but I don't know when or if I'll come back to stay. There are a lot of hard memories for a lot of us now when it comes to our hometown."
There were also a lot of good ones that the Nevilles wasted no time trotting out. They opened with songs about Mardi Gras and The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras group that danced onstage with them.
After Aaron Neville sang his hit "Tell It Like It Is," he told the crowd: "I love you." He later sang "Amazing Grace" and said, "Joel y'all," a reference to his wife, Joel Roux-Neville, who died last year.
The show went 30 minutes long before the Nevilles wrapped up with "Big Chief" to extended cheers.
"It was absolutely worth the wait for them," said Yvette Duperon, 53, a Philadelphia school principal. "I'm going home and play their music for the next month."
After Katrina, the Nevilles, like most of the city's residents, were scattered -- Aaron in New York, Charles in Boston, Cyril in Austin, Texas.
Aaron is the latest Neville brother to return to the area. He's buying a house in Covington, La., about 40 miles from New Orleans. Art Neville returned to New Orleans soon after the storm but still isn't back in his house.
Aaron Neville had worried that the dirt, dust and mold from the city's debris would aggravate his asthma. In addition, his wife of 49 years died, and her funeral in January 2007 became a sad and brief homecoming.
About 320,000 of the city's residents have returned since Katrina, city officials said. Before the storm, the city's population stood at 455,000.
The Jazz Fest itself offered another touchstone of recovery. For the first time since Katrina, the festival returned to a seven-day format stretched over two weekends.
Rain dampened three days of the event and kept crowds smaller than usual, but on Sunday a bright blue sky, low humidity and temperatures in the 70s with a cool breeze helped pack the grounds.
Fans, slick with sunscreen, stretched out in front of stages or set up chairs in the shade of massive oak trees and enjoyed music from groups as diverse as Santana, The Radiators, The Pfister Sisters and Snooks Eaglin.
Irma Thomas, Marva Wright and Raychell Richard performed a tribute to Mahalia Jackson in a packed Gospel Tent that drew so many people the announcer had to threaten to stop the show if fans did not clear the aisles.
Jackson, an influential gospel singer, recorded about 30 albums and was the first singer of her genre to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall. She died in 1972.
George Wein, who founded the New Orleans Jazz Fest and the Newport Jazz Festival, had Jackson perform in both events.
"She was wonderful, very moving when she sang," Wein said Sunday after watching the tribute.
There were also a lot of good ones that the Nevilles wasted no time trotting out. They opened with songs about Mardi Gras and The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras group that danced onstage with them.
After Aaron Neville sang his hit "Tell It Like It Is," he told the crowd: "I love you." He later sang "Amazing Grace" and said, "Joel y'all," a reference to his wife, Joel Roux-Neville, who died last year.
The show went 30 minutes long before the Nevilles wrapped up with "Big Chief" to extended cheers.
"It was absolutely worth the wait for them," said Yvette Duperon, 53, a Philadelphia school principal. "I'm going home and play their music for the next month."
After Katrina, the Nevilles, like most of the city's residents, were scattered -- Aaron in New York, Charles in Boston, Cyril in Austin, Texas.
Aaron is the latest Neville brother to return to the area. He's buying a house in Covington, La., about 40 miles from New Orleans. Art Neville returned to New Orleans soon after the storm but still isn't back in his house.
Aaron Neville had worried that the dirt, dust and mold from the city's debris would aggravate his asthma. In addition, his wife of 49 years died, and her funeral in January 2007 became a sad and brief homecoming.
About 320,000 of the city's residents have returned since Katrina, city officials said. Before the storm, the city's population stood at 455,000.
The Jazz Fest itself offered another touchstone of recovery. For the first time since Katrina, the festival returned to a seven-day format stretched over two weekends.
Rain dampened three days of the event and kept crowds smaller than usual, but on Sunday a bright blue sky, low humidity and temperatures in the 70s with a cool breeze helped pack the grounds.
Fans, slick with sunscreen, stretched out in front of stages or set up chairs in the shade of massive oak trees and enjoyed music from groups as diverse as Santana, The Radiators, The Pfister Sisters and Snooks Eaglin.
Irma Thomas, Marva Wright and Raychell Richard performed a tribute to Mahalia Jackson in a packed Gospel Tent that drew so many people the announcer had to threaten to stop the show if fans did not clear the aisles.
Jackson, an influential gospel singer, recorded about 30 albums and was the first singer of her genre to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall. She died in 1972.
George Wein, who founded the New Orleans Jazz Fest and the Newport Jazz Festival, had Jackson perform in both events.
"She was wonderful, very moving when she sang," Wein said Sunday after watching the tribute.
Erosion in young audience shows cracks in `Idol' future (AP)
NEW YORK - The fevered response to the latest loopy Paula Abdul episode, where she judged a phantom performance, just goes to show how "American Idol" continues to dominate television in its seventh season.
Yet while "Idol" is still a hit, it's no longer necessarily hip.
You can hear it in the lack of enthusiasm in 14-year-old Katharine Bohrs' voice.
"Last year I was really into it, and the year before that," said the high school freshman from Brookline, Mass. "This year in the beginning I was, but then track started up and I have a lot of homework. It's two hours long and I don't have the time."
She used to watch regularly with a friend. Now her friend records it and watches only occasionally, Bohrs said.
Statistics back up the anecdote. Audience declines for "American Idol" are steepest among youthful viewers, the people who set the pop culture agenda and are most likely to buy music made by the show's winners. These are not the people you want to turn off.
Make no mistake, "American Idol" is still the biggest thing on television. It is the reason why Fox will end the TV season later this month as the nation's most-watched network for the first time in history.
The show is averaging 28.7 million viewers this year, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's down 7 percent from the nearly 31 million viewers who watched last year. It's also typical -- maybe better than typical: in this writers strike-marred season, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has shed 19 percent of its viewers, "Grey's Anatomy" is down 20 percent and "Survivor" is off 9 percent from last spring's edition.
"We're not in denial that the ratings are down," said Preston Beckman, Fox's chief scheduling executive. "There are things that we can control and there are things that we can't control. I defy anyone to show you a hit show that has been on for seven seasons that is at the level this one is on relative to where it started."
Among women aged 18 to 34, the "American Idol" audience has slipped 18 percent this year. Isolate teenagers 12-to-17, and the drop is 12 percent.
The median age of an "American Idol" viewer, once in the mid-30s, is now up to 42, Nielsen said.
And -- horror of horrors -- viewership is actually UP this season among people aged 50 and over. Those are the folks many television tastemakers pretend don't exist.
At the beginning of "American Idol," contestants like winner Kelly Clarkson seemed more sincere and devoted to their singing, said Chrissy Will, 16, a resident of California's suburban Orange County. Now they seem more focused on publicity and fame, she said.
"It's completely repetitive," Will said. "It's the same thing as the year before."
Her friend, Tina Oram, 17, said "Idol" now seems boring and over-promoted. She's more interested in watching dance contests (ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is up in the ratings this season.)
"You can't not put your heart into dancing," she said.
Shows focused on the music of Neil Diamond and Andrew Lloyd Webber may also not have been the most youth-friendly choices. But no level of targeted mentoring can trump up the talent.
"The talent this year I don't think is as great as it has been," said Steve Rifkin, rap impresario and founder of Loud Records. "You're not going to hit a home run every year. I still think it's the most powerful show on TV."
Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry set standards for "American Idol" contestants that are hard to top; last year's winner Jordin Sparks has had two radio hits, but so-so record sales. This year has lacked a breakout personality, even in a negative sense. Fans won't soon forget Sanjaya Malakar.
As for this year's contestants, Bohrs, from Massachusetts, just seems disinterested.
"I've only watched half the season so far so I don't know the contestants as well as I did last year," she said. "Last year I felt like I knew them personally and not this season."
Comments like that will likely drive Mike Darnell nuts. The chief of Fox's alternative programming said one of the biggest efforts in the show this year was to try to make the contestants people that the audience felt they knew.
Fox has several theories about the ratings slip this year, foremost that it would have been unusual for it NOT to slip. The writers strike, even though it didn't affect "American Idol" specifically, siphoned interest from TV in general, Darnell said. Young people are most likely to try new technologies, taking away from time spent in front of the TV, he said.
"You can always do things to get younger viewers back," Beckman said. "I don't think you have lost them forever."
Darnell pointed to MTV for the example it set in making itself over several times to appeal to generations of viewers who never heard of Martha Quinn.
"American Idol" needs no such overhaul. But the slippage has been noted and will be responded to, said the Fox executives.
"We've never been apathetic about the show, nor have the producers," Darnell said. "Every year there have been changes."
___
AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
http://www.fox.com
___
EDITOR'S NOTE -- David Bauder can be reached at dbauder"at"ap.org
Yet while "Idol" is still a hit, it's no longer necessarily hip.
You can hear it in the lack of enthusiasm in 14-year-old Katharine Bohrs' voice.
"Last year I was really into it, and the year before that," said the high school freshman from Brookline, Mass. "This year in the beginning I was, but then track started up and I have a lot of homework. It's two hours long and I don't have the time."
She used to watch regularly with a friend. Now her friend records it and watches only occasionally, Bohrs said.
Statistics back up the anecdote. Audience declines for "American Idol" are steepest among youthful viewers, the people who set the pop culture agenda and are most likely to buy music made by the show's winners. These are not the people you want to turn off.
Make no mistake, "American Idol" is still the biggest thing on television. It is the reason why Fox will end the TV season later this month as the nation's most-watched network for the first time in history.
The show is averaging 28.7 million viewers this year, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's down 7 percent from the nearly 31 million viewers who watched last year. It's also typical -- maybe better than typical: in this writers strike-marred season, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has shed 19 percent of its viewers, "Grey's Anatomy" is down 20 percent and "Survivor" is off 9 percent from last spring's edition.
"We're not in denial that the ratings are down," said Preston Beckman, Fox's chief scheduling executive. "There are things that we can control and there are things that we can't control. I defy anyone to show you a hit show that has been on for seven seasons that is at the level this one is on relative to where it started."
Among women aged 18 to 34, the "American Idol" audience has slipped 18 percent this year. Isolate teenagers 12-to-17, and the drop is 12 percent.
The median age of an "American Idol" viewer, once in the mid-30s, is now up to 42, Nielsen said.
And -- horror of horrors -- viewership is actually UP this season among people aged 50 and over. Those are the folks many television tastemakers pretend don't exist.
At the beginning of "American Idol," contestants like winner Kelly Clarkson seemed more sincere and devoted to their singing, said Chrissy Will, 16, a resident of California's suburban Orange County. Now they seem more focused on publicity and fame, she said.
"It's completely repetitive," Will said. "It's the same thing as the year before."
Her friend, Tina Oram, 17, said "Idol" now seems boring and over-promoted. She's more interested in watching dance contests (ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is up in the ratings this season.)
"You can't not put your heart into dancing," she said.
Shows focused on the music of Neil Diamond and Andrew Lloyd Webber may also not have been the most youth-friendly choices. But no level of targeted mentoring can trump up the talent.
"The talent this year I don't think is as great as it has been," said Steve Rifkin, rap impresario and founder of Loud Records. "You're not going to hit a home run every year. I still think it's the most powerful show on TV."
Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry set standards for "American Idol" contestants that are hard to top; last year's winner Jordin Sparks has had two radio hits, but so-so record sales. This year has lacked a breakout personality, even in a negative sense. Fans won't soon forget Sanjaya Malakar.
As for this year's contestants, Bohrs, from Massachusetts, just seems disinterested.
"I've only watched half the season so far so I don't know the contestants as well as I did last year," she said. "Last year I felt like I knew them personally and not this season."
Comments like that will likely drive Mike Darnell nuts. The chief of Fox's alternative programming said one of the biggest efforts in the show this year was to try to make the contestants people that the audience felt they knew.
Fox has several theories about the ratings slip this year, foremost that it would have been unusual for it NOT to slip. The writers strike, even though it didn't affect "American Idol" specifically, siphoned interest from TV in general, Darnell said. Young people are most likely to try new technologies, taking away from time spent in front of the TV, he said.
"You can always do things to get younger viewers back," Beckman said. "I don't think you have lost them forever."
Darnell pointed to MTV for the example it set in making itself over several times to appeal to generations of viewers who never heard of Martha Quinn.
"American Idol" needs no such overhaul. But the slippage has been noted and will be responded to, said the Fox executives.
"We've never been apathetic about the show, nor have the producers," Darnell said. "Every year there have been changes."
___
AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
http://www.fox.com
___
EDITOR'S NOTE -- David Bauder can be reached at dbauder"at"ap.org
Chinese orchestra to make landmark performance at Vatican (AP)
ROME - The conductor leading the China Philharmonic Orchestra in a landmark concert Wednesday at the Vatican said he feels honored to perform for the pope, saying music breaks down cultural barriers.
Ties between the Vatican and China's communist government have been strained for decades, and the concert could indicate warming relations.
"Music is beyond any religion, culture, language, and I would say music is the language of God because language is understanding each other," conductor Yu Long told The Associated Press in an interview before the Wednesday evening concert.
He said he wanted to send a message to the Chinese people about the value of understanding Western culture -- and added: "especially I hope the whole world can also understand us."
Yu is leading the 75-member orchestra in Mozart's "Requiem" and a Chinese folk song, "Jasmine Flower."
"I am especially honored to perform at the Vatican and for the pope," he said, calling it a "double honor" because Pope Benedict XVI is a Mozart expert.
The Vatican, which has said the concert shows music can be a bridge between cultures, said Benedict will give a brief address after the performance. Benedict has made the improvement of relations with Beijing a priority of his papacy.
China's officially atheist Communist Party cut ties with the Vatican in 1951 and the two sides have not restored formal ties.
Beijing objects to the Vatican's tradition of having the pope name his own bishops, calling it interference in China.
China appoints bishops for its state-sanctioned Catholic church. Still, many of the country's estimated 12 million Catholics worship in congregations outside the state-approved church.
The Chinese orchestra played for the Italian Senate in 2004 but did not stop at the Vatican then. Still, Yu called that performance a first step toward performing for the Vatican.
"I'm not in politics but everybody feels that music can bring peace and love to peoples," he said, speaking in English at a hotel near Rome.
Yu, who studied in Berlin, said he wants to greet Benedict in the pontiff's native German.
As the musicians readied their instruments for the 25-minute trip to the Vatican, Chan Zhao, a violinist, said she was "very honored, very moved and a little bit nervous."
After the Vatican, the orchestra will move onto Venice, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
Ties between the Vatican and China's communist government have been strained for decades, and the concert could indicate warming relations.
"Music is beyond any religion, culture, language, and I would say music is the language of God because language is understanding each other," conductor Yu Long told The Associated Press in an interview before the Wednesday evening concert.
He said he wanted to send a message to the Chinese people about the value of understanding Western culture -- and added: "especially I hope the whole world can also understand us."
Yu is leading the 75-member orchestra in Mozart's "Requiem" and a Chinese folk song, "Jasmine Flower."
"I am especially honored to perform at the Vatican and for the pope," he said, calling it a "double honor" because Pope Benedict XVI is a Mozart expert.
The Vatican, which has said the concert shows music can be a bridge between cultures, said Benedict will give a brief address after the performance. Benedict has made the improvement of relations with Beijing a priority of his papacy.
China's officially atheist Communist Party cut ties with the Vatican in 1951 and the two sides have not restored formal ties.
Beijing objects to the Vatican's tradition of having the pope name his own bishops, calling it interference in China.
China appoints bishops for its state-sanctioned Catholic church. Still, many of the country's estimated 12 million Catholics worship in congregations outside the state-approved church.
The Chinese orchestra played for the Italian Senate in 2004 but did not stop at the Vatican then. Still, Yu called that performance a first step toward performing for the Vatican.
"I'm not in politics but everybody feels that music can bring peace and love to peoples," he said, speaking in English at a hotel near Rome.
Yu, who studied in Berlin, said he wants to greet Benedict in the pontiff's native German.
As the musicians readied their instruments for the 25-minute trip to the Vatican, Chan Zhao, a violinist, said she was "very honored, very moved and a little bit nervous."
After the Vatican, the orchestra will move onto Venice, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)