a-listers flock to gervais sitcom hollywood actors samuel jackson and ben_stiller have signed up for ricky_gervais new sitcom the comedian has told bbc_news he said they had both seen the scripts and had agreed to appear in an episode each of the sitcom extras they join british stars jude law and kate_winslet who have been booked for guest roles the comic and actor said he had drawn up an a-list of stars he wanted and all had agreed to be in it we wanted actors who had iconic status but that we could also deconstruct gervais told bbc_news its not about the zeitgeist we wanted people who would still be around in years not just the winner of big brother to take part gervais admitted he was cautious about revealing who would be taking part until they had all signed on the dotted line but he has met with stiller and jackson and they enjoyed the scripts enough to commit to it didnt want to start revealing names until it was all sorted because people just mention people who havent even been asked have been linked with ridiculous stories recently such as im going to be in remake of taking dudley moores part havent been approached and wouldnt take it anyway he said stiller and jackson would be playing twisted versions of themselves in extras and that the jokes about them would sail pretty close to the bone gervais and his writing partner stephen merchant are currently refining the scripts for the six-part series in which gervais plays struggling actor who bitches about the stars meanwhile gervais is gearing up to promote his cartoon book flanimals which is released in the us in march around the same time as nbc begin showing the us version of the office the film rights to flanimals have already been snapped up but gervais is keen for the project to be taken slowly film will happen over the next three years but dont want it to be $50m movie straight away because it is not well enough known and it wouldnt be another spider-man or batman would like to do something small on tv with it first
aaliyah claim dismissed by court late r&b star aaliyahs record company has failed in an attempt to sue the video producer who booked the ill-fated flight on which she died in new_york appeals court has told blackground records that only the singers parents had the right to launch claim for wrongful death the 22-year-old singers family came to an undisclosed settlement over negligence claim in aaliyah had completed music video when the plane crashed in the bahamas she and eight others were killed on the plane which crashed as if left for florida blackground records lawyer frank penski said he had yet to examine the decision and did not know whether they would pursue the case an investigation into the crash revealed the twin-engined cessna was overloaded by pounds 320kg post-mortem carried out on the remains of the pilot showed there was cocaine and alcohol in his body aaliyah was rising star in music and film before she was killed she was honoured with string of posthumous awards and her single more_than woman went to number one in the uk
abba queen enters music rich list the woman behind the abba musical mamma mia has joined list of british-based music millionaires producer judy craymer is the highest new entry in the sunday times music rich list with 67m fortune ms craymer remortgaged her home to finance her idea of musical based around abbas hits which has since become global triumph teenage soul singer joss_stone is new entry on list of britains young music millionaires with 5m ms craymer who developed mamma mia with playwright catherine johnson and members of abba is at number on the music rich list but taking the top spot for second year is former record label boss clive calder whose wealth has risen to 1.3bn mr calder is the man behind acts including britney_spears he made his fortune by selling his independent label zomba to record giant bmg former beatle sir paul mccartney is second on the list with 800m up 40m on last year andrew lloyd-webbers wealth rose an estimated 300m on last year to 700m while theatre impresario sir cameron mackintoshs fortune rose from 340m to 400m his recent hits have included the west end show mary_poppins but pop_idol mogul simon fuller has seen his wealth plummet from 220m last year to 75m after selling his entertainment company for less than expected according to the sunday times joss_stone the 17-year-old soul singer from devon was new entry in the young music millionaires list the list also features charlotte church coldplay daniel bedingfield will young and david and victoria beckham at number one is dhani harrison son of the late beatle george harrison who has inherited 140m the beckhams who qualify thanks to victorias former singing career are in second place with million between them up 10m on last year
abba reunite for musical premiere the original stars of swedish pop quartet abba have reunited for the home premiere of hit musical mamma mia which is based on the bands songs it is the first time in almost years that the four bjorn ulvaeus benny andersson agnetha faltskog and anni-frid lyngstad have met publicly faltskog has been virtual recluse since the band split up in the musical which has become global phenomenon will be performed in swedish for the first time fans camped outside stockholms cirkus theatre in the snow for glimpse of the stars the premiere marks abbas first public reunion since the legendary bands acrimonious break-up in the early 1980s it was thought that faltskog would appear in london for the musicals fifth anniversary celebrations in april but she stayed away due to her fear of flying original abba member bjorn ulvaeus set about translating the musical into the bands mother tongue for the celebrated homecoming alongside swedish artist niklas stromstedt almost all of abbas original songs which have sold more_than million records worldwide were written and recorded in english the musical set on small greek island tells of the story of young woman and her fiercely independent single mother the show will include such classics as super trouper sos and dancing queen there are currently productions being staged worldwide including new_york and london with road shows in toronto south_korea and madrid more_than million people around the world have seen the show
abbas will not tolerate attacks palestinian leader mahmoud_abbas has said he will not tolerate attacks such as last fridays suicide bombing in the israeli city of tel aviv in an interview ahead of meeting in london to discuss palestinian reforms mr abbas said such attacks were against palestinian interests the palestinian authority pa was exerting effort to end the violence mr abbas added the attack which killed five was the first of its kind since he took office mr abbas confirmed israel shared information with the pa in the hunt for the organisers of the attack the israeli government refuses to accept syrias denials that it was implicated in the nightclub bombing israeli officials gave an intelligence briefing to foreign ambassadors on monday explaining syrias alleged involvement british foreign minister jack_straw said there had been continuing stream of information suggesting palestinian militant groups were operating from within syria in an email interview in the british newspaper the independent mr abbas said we believe peace is possible now and we are ready to negotiate with israel to reach true and lasting peace based on justice and international legitimacy he added we have an opportunity and it would be irresponsible if we the israelis or the world allow it to slip away tuesdays meeting on palestinian reform is being hosted by british prime_minister tony_blair also due to attend are us secretary of state condoleezza rice un secretary general kofi annan world bank officials and foreign ministers from european and arab countries the conference was vital step in renewing the peace process mr straw said its high-level attendance which reflects the sense of momentum and opportunity created by recent events he added spokesman for mr blair said the prime_minister expected the conference to discuss comprehensive co-ordinated and above all practical work plan for both the palestinian authority and the international community israel will not attend but is said to be closely watching the outcome
abortion not poll issue blair tony_blair does not believe abortion should be an election issue arguing it is matter for individual conscience the prime_ministers spokesman set out mr blairs view after the top catholic in england and wales backed michael_howards stance on abortions the tory_leader supports reduction in the legal limit from weeks to and has said current rules are tantamount to abortion on demand the prime_minister has made it clear he has no plans to the change the law mr blairs spokesman said the catholic church has well-known position on this issue and it was one of many issues the cardinal mentioned and therefore it should be seen in that context his words came as cardinal cormac murphy oconnor the archbishop of westminster backed mr howards stance and distanced himself from labour in statement he said abortion was very key issue saying the policy supported by mr howard is one that we would commend on the way to full abandonment of abortion cardinal oconnor claimed labour had developed the notion that it was the natural party of catholics but he said we are not going to suggest people support one particular party the family planning association says reduction would particularly affect young women who often seek help later more_than women in england and wales had terminations last year of which fewer than were carried out between and weeks in the cosmopolitan interview mr howard said believe abortion should be available to everyone but the law should be changed in the past voted for restriction to weeks and would be prepared to go down to all three main parties say the issue is one for each mps conscience rather_than one where there is party-wide policy mr howard stressed his views were his personal views shadow home secretary david davis said he understood mr howard had been signalling that conservative government would allow commons vote on the issue mr blair and liberal_democrat leader charles_kennedy also gave their views during interviews conducted as part of the magazines high heeled vote campaign mr blair who last year denied he planned to join his wife and four children in the catholic faith despite regularly taking communion said abortion was difficult issue however much dislike the idea of abortion you should not criminalise woman who in very difficult circumstances makes that choice obviously there is time beyond which you cant have an abortion and we have no plans to change that although the debate will continue mr kennedy said he had previously voted for 22-week limit but medical advances mean dont know what would do now the roman catholic archbishop of cardiff the most reverend peter smith told bbc radio_4s today_programme that the church merely wanted people to reflect on issues in light of the gospel before voting anne weyman chief_executive of the family planning association asked what is the benefit to women or to the potential child of forcing woman to have baby anti-abortion group the pro-life alliance congratulated mr howard on his new stance but said it did not go far enough
actor foxx sees globe nominations us actor jamie_foxx has been given two nominations for golden_globe awards with meryl streep morgan_freeman and cate_blanchett also up for prizes the stars were shortlisted on monday for supporting roles with the main nominations still to come foxx has starred in collateral and ray clive_owen david carradine and natalie_portman are also up for awards the golden_globes hollywoods second most prominent awards are the first major nominations to be announced last year the lord_of_the_rings the return of the king was named best drama movie while lost in translation won best musical or comedy sean penn charlize theron tim robbins and renee zellweger all won acting awards mirroring the eventual oscars outcome the golden_globes ceremony will take place on january with the oscars following on february
actor scott is new bond favourite bookmaker william_hill has stopped taking bets on who will be the next james_bond following succession of large wagers on actor dougray scott the firm closed the book on friday saying insider information could have contributed to the number of bets in the past gambles like this have often been right william_hill spokesman rupert adams said the closing list gave scott odds of followed by oscar_nominee clive_owen at scott first found fame in the tv series soldier soldier and has since then starred in such films as mission impossible ii and the wartime drama enigma mr adams said one punter had placed bet of on the 39-year-old actor at odds of she told us she had some inside information perhaps she knew he had been to casting but she wouldnt say he said others thought to be in the running include star_wars actor ewan mcgregor and australian star hugh jackman both of whom have odds of colin farrell jude law and troy star eric bana have also been tipped for the role in the past large number of bets on actor colin salmon to become the first black james_bond were dismissed as publicity stunt month ago the next bond film originally due for release in has been delayed until due to sonys takeover of the mgm studio the most recent die another day was released in late and saw pierce_brosnan make his final appearance as the secret agent the actor was originally due to make fifth appearance as bond but was released from his contract in
actress roberts takes spider role actress julia_roberts will play the part of spider in new film version of childrens classic charlottes web she will voice charlotte who teams up with girl to save their friend wilbur the pig in the story by eb white the film mix of live action and animation will be roberts first project since the birth of her twins hazel and phinnaeus two months ago oprah winfrey will voice goose john cleese will voice sheep and steve buscemi rat in the film ten-year-old dakota fanning will play fern the girl at the centre of the story in the film to be directed by going on film-maker gary winick filming is due to begin in melbourne australia later this month charlottes web has sold million copies since it was published in an animated version was made in but this will be the first live action film the actor who will voice wilbur the pig has yet to be revealed
adventure tale tops awards young book fans have voted fergus crane story about boy who is taken on an adventure by flying horse the winner of two smarties book prizes paul stewart and chris riddells book came top in the category for six- to eight-year-olds and won the award chosen by after-school club members sally grindleys spilled water about chinese girl sold as servant was top in vote of readers aged nine to biscuit bear by mini grey took the top award in the under-five category winners were voted for by about children from shortlist picked by an adult panel the prize which is celebrating its 20th year is billed as the uks biggest childrens book award fergus crane includes text by stewart and illustrations by riddell who also created the edge chronicles together as well as the six to eights prize it won the 4children special award voted for by after-school club members julia eccleshare chair of the adult judging panel said childrens literature had never looked stronger in the prizes years this award counts because the final choice of winners is made by children who are the toughest critics of all she said this years young judges chose the winners from an exceptionally strong and varied shortlist which showcases the very best in childrens books today previous winners have included jk rowling jacqueline wilson and dick king-smith
african double in edinburgh world 5000m champion eliud kipchoge won the 9.2km race at the view from great edinburgh cross country the kenyan who was second when newcastle hosted the race last year was in front from the outset ethiopian duo gebre gebremariam and dejene berhanu made last-gasp efforts to overtake him but kipchoge responded and burst of speed clinched victory gavin thompson was the first briton in 12th place while nick mccormick held of his british rivals to win the 4km race the morpeth harrier led from the end of the first lap and ended mike skinner and andrew baddeleys hopes with surge in the lasp lap my training has gone so well wasnt really worried about the opposition asi knew was in great shape said mccormick who now hopes to earn 1,500m place in the british team for the world championships in helsinki in the womens race ethiopias tirunesh dibaba won battle with world cross country champion benita johnson to retain her title australian johnson who shocked her african rivals in brussels last march looked to be on course for another win in the 6.2km race but world 5000m champion dibaba make telling strike for the finishing line in the final metres britons kathy butler and hayley yelling were out of contention early on
agassi fear for melbourne andre agassis involvement in the australian_open was put in doubt after he pulled out of the kooyong classic with hip injury agassi was serving at down in the first set to fellow american andy_roddick when he decided to bring premature end to the match my hip was cramping and just could not continue said the 34-year-old agassi who has won the australian_open four times will have an mri scan to discover the extent of the damage he said the problem was not the same as the hip injury which forced him to miss wimbledon last year the good news is that it didnt just tear it was tightening up and that can be your body protecting itself which is hopefully more of the issue he added that wasnt comfortable out there at all what was feeling have to wait and see what im dealing with its pretty scary feeling out there when something doesnt feel right and is getting worse its very disappointing and ill have to do my best to deal with it time will shortly tell if it the australian_open is possibility or not was not counting on this being the end of the day for me maybe in few days ill have much better sense of what my hopes will be
alicia_keys to open us super_bowl r&b star alicia_keys is to open februarys super_bowl singing song only previously performed there by ray_charles and vicki carr keys who will sing america the beautiful will be accompanied by students from the florida school for the deaf and the blind charles who died last year attended the school as child in keys said she was very excited describing charles as an artist admire miss and respect know that this is going to be very touching and memorable moment she said it will be her first performance at the super_bowl which will be watched by millions in the us on february sir paul mccartney will provide the half-time entertainment in the slot filled by janet jackson last year organisers have promised there will be no repeat of her nipple-baring incident that sparked thousands of complaints on us tvs most-watched broadcast national football league spokesman said they were comfortable this show would be acceptable to mass audience the game and show were watched by million people in the us in twenty cbs-owned tv stations were fined by the countrys tv regulatory agency after more_than complaints were made about janet_jacksons wardrobe malfunction sir paul said theres nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the super_bowl were looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium
almagro continues spanish surge unseeded nicolas almagro became the fifth spaniard to reach the last eight at the buenos aires open ousting eighth_seed mariano zabaleta he showed admirable resolve to win rain-affected match compatriot and seventh_seed rafael_nadal also reached the last eight beating italian potito starace nadal playing in the outdoor clay event for the first time hit some powerful forehands to oust starace in match delayed over an hour by rain its always problem to have to stop for rain but one gets used to it said spanish teenager nadal luckily was able to keep my pace going throughout the match he will now play gaston gaudio who beat unseeded brazilian flavio saretta in the days late match
an irish athletics year wont be remembered as one of irish athletics great years the year began with that optimism which invariably and unaccountably seems to herald an upcoming olympiad but come late august few hot days in the magnificent stadium in athens told us of the true strength of irish athletics or to be more accurate the lack of it sonia osullivans olympic farewell apart there was little to stir the emotions of irish athletics watchers but after the disastrous build-up to the games we shouldnt have been surprised at the start of the year an osullivan had been earmarked as irelands best medal prospect but as it turned out walker gillian never even made it to the start line because of injury less than week before the olympics the sport was rocked by news that 10,000m hope cathal lombard had tested for the banned_substance epo lombards shattering of mark carrolls national 10,000m record in april had already set tongues wagging but even the most cynical of observers were surprised when he was rumbled after an irish sports council sting operation the corkman quickly held his hands up in admission and was promptly handed two-year ban from the sport back at pre-olympic ranch in greece it must have seemed that things couldnt have got any worse but they very nearly did with walker jamie costin lucky to escape with his life after being involved in car crash near athens once the track and field action began in athens familiar pattern of underachievement emerged although alistair craggs performance in being the only athlete from european nation to qualify for the 5,000m final did offer hope for the future our beloved sonia scraped into the womens 5k final as fastest loser and for couple of days the country attempted to delude itself into believing that she might be in the medal shake-up as it happened she went out the back door early in the final although there was nothing undignified about the way that she insisted on finishing the race over minute behind winner meseret defar it later transpired that sonia had been suffering from stomach bug in the hours before the final although typically the cobhwoman played down the effects of the illness amazingly she was back in action couple of weeks later when beating world-class field at the flora lite 5k road race in london and while her major championship days may be over its unlikely that we have seen the last of her in competition at least sonia managed to make it to athens at the start of the year several northern_ireland athletes had genuine hopes of qualifying for the games but come august an out-of-form and injured paul brizzel was the lone standard bearer for the province the ballymena man gave it lash but his achilles problem and bad lane draw meant time of and an early exit james mcilroy gareth turnbull zoe brown and paul mckee all had to be content with watching the athens action on their television screens 800m hope mcilroy never got near his best during the summer and fourth place in the british trials effectively ended his hopes of making the plane the injury-plagued turnbull gamely travelled round europe in search of the 1500m qualifying mark but was the best he could achieve after missing several months training during the previous winter lingering hamstring probem and virus wrecked mckees athens ambitions and both he and turnbull deserve slice of better fortune in pole vaulter brown had hoped for vote of confidence from the british selectors after she had achieved the athens standard but the call never came as the summer ended stalwarts catherina mckiernan and dermot donnelly hung up their competitive spikes mckiernan had to candidly acknowledge that time had crept up on her after several injury-ravaged years donnelly and his annadale striders team-mates later suffered tragedy when their friend and clubman andy campbell was found dead at his home on december large turnout of athletics-loving folk turned out in west belfast to offer their respects to the campbell family and andys many friends as only death can it put the years athletics happenings in sharp perspective
analysis no pain no gain he called it his masochism strategy in the run-up to the iraq_war and now tony_blair has signed up for another dose of pain the idea is simple the prime_minister goes head to head with an often hostile group of real voters in the full spotlight of the television cameras the theory is that talking to the great british public even if they are the great unwashed is better than having the media filter what voters hear from politicians it is also the most effective way of showing that he is aware of real peoples concerns and on occasions of their outright fury mr blair used the tactic before the iraq_war to try to show he really was engaging with public concerns and you can expect to see it much more in the run-up to the election labour knows it has been damaged by accusations of spin control freakery and over-slick presentation sometimes from within the ranks of its own mps tony_blair himself has said people complain he does not listen mr blairs latest bout of flagellation came with series of questions sessions on five television throughout wednesday the trouble began on the wright stuff show with maria hutchings marching up to him saying tony thats rubbish as she tried to complain about her autistic sons school being threatened with closure few dont worries as mrs hutchings was led back to the audience averted public slanging match he spoke to her privately after the show but that was only the start and later sessions produced the type of grilling not even the toughest television interviewer could produce writer neil coppendale from west sussex asked of the iraq_war tens_of_thousands of innocent men women and children died how do you manage to sleep at night on immigration london teacher diane granger said where are you going to put everyone and can you imagine even jeremy paxman putting the question posed by brighton nurse marion brown would you wipe somebodys backside for mr blair tried to use the questioners first names and sometimes threw them off their stride by asking what they would do about the problems many of the newspapers have branded the exercise pr stunt which backfired indeed there is danger mr blair simply ends up looking embattled conservative michael_howard and liberal_democrat charles_kennedy are to be offered chances to appear in similar slots on the channel next month labour strategists believe more of the sessions will mean the hecklers no longer become story and the real issues take prominence james humphreys ex-head of corporate communications at number says the strategy shows frustration with the media they feel they dont get their voice across and going direct to people is clearly their game on this occasion he says there are risks but the prize is tackling the trend of lower turnouts at the polls he argues the prime_minister knows full well the potential hazards he must remember with gritted teeth his confrontation with sharron storer the birmingham woman who harangued him over the state of her local hospital in the election campaign all you do is walk around and make yourself known you dont do anything to help anybody she told mr blair before stomping off refusing his pleas to discuss the issue privately former downing_street media chief alastair_campbell has described the episode as bit of disaster as it meant the launch of labours election manifesto received little coverage but it was seen as one of the few moments when that election campaign came alive not least because it coincided with john prescotts even more direct contact when he punched an egg-throwing protester former prime_ministers too have come to grief at the hands of persistent member of the public the undoubted highlight of years of election phone-in shows was margaret_thatcher discomfort on nationwide in when viewer diana gould put her on the spot about the sinking of the belgrano in the falklands war john major reaped the benefits of street campaigning during the election campaign with his famous soapbox it may have left him splattered with eggs and engine oil at times but he felt it added fizz to his campaign in his memoirs he also argues the strategy contrasted with neil kinnocks contrived photo opportunities and attempts at an artful campaign he wanted to look like prime_minister was prime_minister and wanted flesh and blood fight says mr major mr blair told prospective labour mps on thursday that taking part in phone-ins and public meetings could enthuse and engage and give the public sense of empowerment but he also wants to counter complaints that he has spent too much time on international affairs and foreign trips mr blair recalls how bill clinton once advised him always remember that what people see of you in the news in the evening is how they think you spend your day his hope must be that voters watching him on the rack will bear out for labour the old maxim no pain no gain
angels favourite funeral song angels by robbie_williams is the song britons would most like played at their funeral survey has suggested while the melancholy hit topped the uk poll europeans favoured queens more upbeat anthem the show must go on as their first choice frank sinatras my way was second in the uk vote with monty pythons always look on the bright side of life in third place more_than people were surveyed by digital tv station music choice the european chart which included denmark france and germany put led zeppelins stairway to heaven in second and ac/dcs highway to hell in third queens who wants to live forever was highly favoured by both uk and european voters both lists featured only one traditional or classic song each with britons requesting the royal scots dragoon guards amazing grace and their continental counterparts opting for mozarts requiem wanting to share your most treasured musical gem with those youre leaving behind is the perfect way to sign off and leave lasting impression music choice music and marketing manager simon george said
angry williams rejects criticism serena_williams has angrily rejected claims that she and sister venus are declining force in tennis the sisters ended last year without grand_slam title for the first time since but serena denied their challenge was fading saying thats not fair im tired of not saying anything weve been practising hard weve had serious injuries ive had surgery and after got to the wimbledon final dont know many who have done that while serena is through to the australian_open semi-finals venus went out in the fourth round meaning she has not gone further than the last eight in her last five grand_slam appearances but serena added venus had severe strain in her stomach actually had the same injury but didnt tear it the way she did if would have torn it wouldnt have been here she played player alicia_molik that just played out of her mind and venus made some errors that she probably shouldnt have made serena also said people tended to forget the impact the murder of sister yetunde price had had on the family to top it off we have very very very very very close family serena continued to be in some situation that weve been placed in in the past little over year its not easy to come out and just perform at your best when you realize there are so many things that are so important so no were not declining were here dont have to win this tournament to prove anything know that im out here and know that im one of the best players out here
animation charms japan box_office oscar-winning director hayao miyazakis latest film has set new japanese box_office record with 1.5bn yen $14.3m in two days according to reports howls moving castle is the follow-up to miyazakis spirited away which won best animation at last years oscars it is based on the childrens book by english writer diana wynne jones it has registered the highest opening weekend takings of any japanese film in the country according to trade publication screen daily the film is about an 18-year-old girl who is trapped in an old womans body after being put under spell by witch its two-day takings represented million cinema admissions screen daily said the films distributor toho expects million people to see it in total almost one third of the countrys population it added the film won the golden osella for outstanding technical contribution at this years venice film festival
applegates charity show closes us musical sweet charity has cancelled its run on broadway after poor ticket sales for its early shows star christina applegate had to pull out of pre-broadway performances earlier this month with broken foot producer barry weissler said he was deeply proud of the show but said the decision to close it was painful but fiscally responsible applegate who starred in tv comedy married with children had been hoping to make her broadway debut in the show the 33-year-old injured herself while performing in chicago and had been hoping to recover in time for its official new_york opening on april she had received mixed reviews for performances in minneapolis and chicago previews of the $7.5m 4m show were due to begin on april sweet charity tells_the_story of charity hope valentine dancer who always falls in love with the wrong man it was first performed on broadway in with gwen verdon in the title role while shirley maclaine starred in the film version
army chiefs in regiments decision military chiefs are expected to meet to make final decision on the future of scotlands army regiments committee of the army board which is made up of the most senior defence figures will discuss plans for restructuring regiments on monday the proposals include cutting scotlands six single-battalion regiments to five and merging these into super_regiment the plans have faced stiff opposition from campaigners and politicians alike the committees decision must be ratified by defence secretary geoff hoon and prime_minister tony_blair it is expected that it will be made public next week when ministers announced reorganisation of the army it drew question mark over the futures of the black watch the kings own scottish borderers the royal scots the royal highland fusiliers and the argyll and sutherland highlanders in october the council of scottish colonels proposed the merger of the royal scots and the kings own scottish borderers into single battalion under their vision it would be one of five in the new super_regiment the proposals to either merge or amalgamate the six regiments into super_regiment sparked political outcry with labour backbenchers and opposition politicians opposing the plan they felt the timing was insensitive because the black watch was in the frontline in iraq suffering casualties the save the scottish regiments campaigners were so angered they threatened to stand against labour at the next general_election speaking ahead of the expected army board meeting spokesman said the government and the army board have spent the past four months attempting to trick serving soldiers and the public into thinking their planned changes for the scottish regiments are for the good of the army and for that of the serving soldier they are very much not for the good and will destroy scotlands regiments by moulding them into single super_regiment which will lead to severe recruitment problems loss of local connections to those regiments and loss to scotland of an important part of her heritage and most importantly her future the regiments are the envy of armies around the world an alternative blueprint had been put forward by labour mp eric joyce who proposed going ahead with the merger while preserving the other regiments for brief time there was speculation the prime_minister might consider the plan but that now seems unlikely speaking in scotland last week mr blair said the aim was to preserve tradition but introduce more effective structure and hinted that super_regiment was likely he said they dont want to get rid of the history or the traditions of the regiment or the local connections far from it all they want to do is make sure they can transfer people easily across regiments and deploy them more flexibly the prime_minister said he hoped campaigners concerns would be taken into account but the need for effective change had to be paramount
arnold congratulated on oscar win oscar-winner andrea_arnold has been congratulated by the uk film council the organisation which partly funded her project arnolds film wasp won the best live action short film award on sunday the uk film council spends millions of pounds of lottery investment on short filmmaking in britain every year said chief_executive officer john woodward it certainly pays off when you see new film-makers winning such prestigious awards he added wasp which was commissioned by the film council and channel_4 beat films by fellow uk nominees gary mckendry and ashvin kumar to the prize it stars actress nathalie press who appeared in the bafta-winning drama my summer of love as single mother who is forced to take drastic action when she is invited on date and is unable to find babysitter to look after her four daughters the film has already won over other international awards including the sundance short film prize arnold from dartford in kent described her victory as truly overwhelming im really not used to this kind of thing she said after receiving her oscar from actor jeremy irons thanks to everyone who worked on this the beers are on me when we get home the director was one of only two british winners on the night the other being sandy powell who won the costume design oscar for her work on the aviator
arthur hailey king of the bestsellers novelist arthur hailey who has died at the age of was known for his bestselling page-turners exploring the inner workings of various industries from the hotels to high finance born in luton bedfordshire on april hailey was the only child of working class parents they could not afford to keep him in school beyond the age of he served as pilot with the royal air force during world war ii flying fighter planes to the middle_east it was an occupation that was later to feature in his authorial debut the television screenplay flight into danger hailey emigrated to canada in where he eventually became citizen he wanted to be writer from an early age but did not take it up professionally until his mid-thirties when he was inspired to write his first screenplay while on return flight to toronto fell to daydreaming visualised the pilots at the controls and wondered what would happen if they both got sick could fly the airplane was rusty wartime pilot who hadnt flown for nine years hailey later recalled the canadian broadcasting corporation bought flight into danger for and it was shown on tv in april it was later memorably spoofed in the comedy airplane starring leslie nielsen hailey worked as screenwriter for couple of years before turning to novels he went on to produce best-selling books which were published into languages in countries flight into danger was adapted to become haileys first novel runaway zero-eight in the final diagnosis and in high places followed both achieving popular following but it was not until hotel in that hollywood came calling the hit novel took four years to write and stayed on national best-seller lists for full year it was turned into movie in and later adapted into glossy soap in the 1980s starring james brolin airport arguably remains haileys best-loved work and prompted the disaster movie genre the thriller follows events in the sky and on the ground at snow-logged airport when terrorist boards an airplane with bomb the book was adapted into hit film in starring burt lancaster as the harassed aiport manager and dean martin as womanising pilot alongside jean seberg and jacqueline bisset in testament to the popularity of the fledgling disaster genre three sequels followed the writer was known for his painstaking research into the professions around which each novel was centred drawing his characters from real life and taking up to three years to produce each book have never been able to write quickly or easily am too self-critical for that am never satisfied he once said in he moved to nassau in the bahamas with his wife sheila wheels the moneychangers and overload followed despite lukewarm response from critics and few literary accolades hailey was at the height of his fame in the seventies and continued to attract the attention of hollywood producers strong medicine haileys blockbuster focusing on the pharmaceutical industry was turned into film in starring sam neill douglas fairbanks jr and panoply of former soap stars the novel detective proved to be haileys final book when at the age of he decided to retire haileys health began to deteriorate in recent years twice undergoing heart surgery he suffered stroke just two months ago he died in his sleep on wednesday after dinner with his wife and two of his six children at his home in new providence island he had wonderful life his greatest ambition was to see his name on book and he certainly achieved that said his wife sheila
artists secret postcards on sale postcards by artists including damien hirst and tracey emin have sold just hours after the opening of the royal academy of arts annual secrets sale the identity of the artist remains unknown until each work is bought and the signature is revealed on the back there are still some big names left such as mario testino said rca spokeswoman sue bradburn all postcards are priced at the sale opened at 8am on friday and will close at 6pm on saturday ms bradburn said there was big queue at the start of the sale but it had now gone down she said the people that had bought the famous name postcards had arrived early and had spent time studying each work they would have known what to look for the exhibition has been open for viewing since november film director ken loach fashion designer hussein chalayan and former blur guitarist graham coxon have all designed postcards for the sale some of the contributing artists are students or recent graduates of the royal college of art and other leading art colleges money raised from the sale will go towards the rcas fine art student award fund which supports students with grants and bursaries the famous sale is now in its 11th year
athens memories soar above lows well its goodbye to another olympic year and as usual there were plenty of highs and lows in athens obviously theres no getting away from the differing fortunes of kelly_holmes and paula_radcliffe but want to remind you of few more events that made another year to remember or forget for athletics one of my favourite olympic moments was kellys success in the 800m winning that race was the key to her success because if she won that then the 1500m would be bit of formality kelly had been full of should shouldnt thoughts about going for the double in athens thought why wouldnt you do the 800m its your best event it was such good fun to commentate on her 1500m and it was nice to be able to be part of her athens story the victory for the british mens 4x100m_relay team was bit of surprise but great climax to the games think the four of them jason_gardener darren campbell marlon devonish and mark_lewis-francis knew deep down that it was their best chance of medal the lads had run poorly in the individual sprints so maybe they did lift their game when they knew something was really at stake hicham_el guerroujs olympic double is much bigger achievement than kellys on global scale he was the first man since for years to win both the 1500m and 5,000m titles as soon as he had added the 5,000m crown and had finished commentating jumped up ran down the stairs pushed everyone out the way and just gave him big hug he is one of the few african runners who has embraced the tradition of the mile and he loves to hear all the roger bannister stories hicham is someone enjoy having bit of time with even though my french and his english are not very good what happened to paula in athens this year is the obvious low on personal level and for the expectations of the nation as well there were set of circumstances around athens that conspired to produce very dramatic ending which think has been greatly misunderstood dropping out of the marathon was the right thing to do but starting in the 10,000m five days later was not wise that was her heart and not her head reacting paula had lot of little things going wrong in her preparation and on the day things like niggling injuries not being able to do all her running sessions and feeling the pressure of the race looming ahead of her think she came to the start line in athens physically and emotionally drained and if even the smallest thing doesnt feel right when you are preparing to race marathon miles down the road it will hit you like brick wall the positive thing to take from paulas olympics it that she will have learned lot from it and so will lot of people including me purely as race paulas victory in the new_york marathon has to go down as one of the most thrilling it was so nip-and-tuck between her and kenyas susan_chepkemei and you dont usually get that kind of excitement in marathons it was also real delight for all athletics fans because to use one of my favourite words paula showed real bouncebackability and it was bit of rarity for me too because genuinely did not have an inkling how the race was going to pan out kelly and the 4x100m boys victories papered over the cracks in the general performance of the british team we should be concerned that were not producing enough people who are capable of reaching finals at senior level the only individual mens finalist on the track was michael east in the 1500m am beginning to look down and wonder where are the new breed and thats where things begin to look even gloomier for british athletics as we did not win any medals at the world junior championships in italy dani barnes came fourth in the 1500m and she was the highest finisher for team gb the thing is if we dont have athletes getting into the finals at junior level then it really doesnt look good for the beijing olympics and beyond tell you what really enjoyed this year benita johnson winning the world cross country championships back in march in the absence of paula we tend to think of the event as something of an african preserve so to have an australian come up and deliver such surprise was something special to be honest im getting bored with all the drug scandals especially balco just wish the whole thing would come to head so we can move on having said that im always pleased when drugs cheats are caught because it shows the sport is standing up to it and not turning blind eye anymore and one of the positive things to come out of balco is people are starting to blow the whistle we need more people to come forward and help the authorities kick out the cheats as regards the case against greek_sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou well suspicions have been hanging over kenteris for while the bottom line is we cannot keep letting drugs damage the sport because if we do then it stops everyone enjoying it
aviator and vera take bafta glory hollywood blockbuster the aviator and low-budget british movie vera_drake have shared the main honours at the bafta film awards the aviator was declared best film and its star cate_blanchett won best supporting actress but vera_drake scored best director for mike_leigh while imelda_staunton took the hotly contested best actress award jamie_foxx won best actor for ray while british actor clive_owen took best supporting actor for closer the two actors have repeated their success at the golden_globes in january but big british hope kate_winslet walked away empty-handed on saturday despite two nominations for best actress celebrating his win the oscar-nominated owen told reporters the whole award season is new to me because havent won anything before all of that is bit overwhelming blanchett who won bafta in for her leading role in elizabeth said winning bafta means an enormous amount to me she thanked the woman she played katharine hepburn for paving the way for women to work in film thank you very much im sure youre pleased although youre not able to see this she said the aviator took four awards in all also collecting best make-up and hair and production design while vera_drake also scooped best costume design staunton who is up for an oscar for her role in vera_drake arrived wearing green silk and chiffon beaded evening dress thank you very much im so thrilled and so grateful and im delighted that the success of vera_drake has boosted sales of hair nets and pinnies which is very good she said on accepting her award her director leigh who beat martin_scorsese to the best director award told the audience we always say it was surprise and sometimes ive said it and not meant it on this occasion given the other names its real surprise and an extraordinary honour its an immense privilege to have been allowed the freedom to make as uncompromising film as think vera_drake is and an epic with such small budget best actor foxx could not make the ceremony but actress helen mirren read out his acceptance speech im honoured and proud to receive this bafta id like to thank the late ray_charles himself he apologised for not being in london joking unfortunately im stuck driving car in la at gunpoint and cant get away dicaprio who lost out on the best actor bafta to foxx will face him again at the academy awards in two weeks time its the first time ive come to the baftas because its the first time ive been nominated he told reporters on the red_carpet ive appreciated british cinema for long time and to be recognised like this is special honour other winners included the motorcycle_diaries which took best foreign film and best music while eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind won best original screenplay and best editing best british film was my summer of love the story of two young women and their developing relationship while foxxs movie ray bio-pic of late singer ray_charles also took best sound harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban won the orange film of the year voted for by the public the orange british academy film awards are being shown on bbc one from gmt
aviator creator in oscars snub the man who said he got oscar-nominated movie the aviator off the ground and signed up leonardo_dicaprio has been shut out of the academy awards race charles evans jr battled over his role with the people who eventually made the film and won producers credit but he is not on the list of producers who can win best film oscar due to limit on the number of nominees the oscars organisers have picked two of the aviators four producers to be nominated for best film up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind the aviator and million dollar_baby failed to trim their credits so the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences ampas has done it for them the aviators nominated producers are michael mann and graham king with mr evans and sandy climan mr manns former deputy left off mr evans sued mr mann in claiming he came up with the idea spent years developing it and persuaded dicaprio to play hughes but said he was later excluded from the project the two sides settled out of court in deal that has remained secret apart from the fact mr evans name has appeared as producer when the films credits roll at the golden_globes mr evans who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film evaded security guard to have his photo taken with dicaprio director martin_scorsese mr mann and mr king ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after shakespeare in loves victory in saw five producers collect awards the eligible names for the aviator and million dollar_baby were decided by ampas producers branch executive committee on wednesday the decision also saw clint_eastwood get his third personal nomination for million dollar_baby he is now named in the best film category as well as being nominated for best director and best lead actor the academy awards ceremony will be held in hollywood on february chinese actress ziyi zhang star of crouching tiger hidden dragon hero and house of flying daggers is the latest name to be added to the list of presenters on the night
aviator wins top globes accolades the aviator has been named best film at the golden_globe awards with its star leonardo_dicaprio named best actor hollywood veteran clint_eastwood took the best director prize for million dollar_baby while its star hilary_swank was best actress quirky_comedy sideways was named best screenplay and best comedy ray star jamie_foxx was best actor in musical/comedy while briton clive_owen and natalie_portman won prizes for best supporting roles in closer the aviator in which dicaprio plays millionaire howard hughes edged ahead of its rivals at the beverly_hills ceremony by winning the best original score prize this give it total of three awards while million dollar_baby sideways and closer took two golden_globes each accepting his best dramatic actor prize dicaprio described director martin_scorsese as one of the greatest contributors to the world of cinema of all time annette bening won best actress in musical/comedy for being julia while spanish movie the sea_inside was named best foreign language film swank who previously won the golden_globe and oscar for boys dont cry paid_tribute to million dollar_baby director and co-star clint_eastwood you guided us so brilliantly while you also in my humble opinion gave the performance of your career she said foxx was nominated for three awards but was beaten to the best supporting actor title by owen and the best actor in tv movie prize by geoffrey rush in the life and death of peter sellers bbc co-production the life and death of peter sellers was also named best tv movie mick jagger and dave stewart won the best original song award for old habits die hard from movie re-make alfie while ian mcshane was named best actor in tv drama for his lead role in deadwood other uk hopes kate_winslet and imelda_staunton went home empty-handed despite lead actress nominations for eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and vera_drake respectively winning golden_globe is said to improve film or performers chance of subsequently winning an academy award unlike the oscars the golden_globes split awards by genre one prize for dramas and the other for musicals and comedies the globes also honour the best in television with suburban series desperate_housewives named best tv comedy show actress teri hatcher beat fellow desperate_housewives stars marcia cross and felicity huffman to the best comedy actress prize hatcher thanked the shows cast crew and network who gave me second chance at career when couldnt have been bigger has been cosmetic surgery series nip/tuck beat the sopranos and deadwood to the best television drama title arrested development star jason bateman was named best tv actor in musical or comedy series the golden_globes are awarded by the hollywood foreign press association comprising film reporters based in los_angeles and working for overseas outlets robin williams five-time globe winner for such films as the fisher king and good morning vietnam received the cecil demille award for career achievement he dedicated his prize to superman actor christopher reeve who died last year
baby becomes new oscar favourite clint_eastwoods boxing drama million dollar_baby has become the new favourite to win best picture at the oscars on sunday according to pundits the film has overtaken previous favourite the aviator with eastwood also tipped to take the best director award its star hilary_swank is favourite to win best actress while jamie_foxx is tipped to win best actor for ray million dollar_baby has seven nominations while the aviator has the aviator has scored best director nomination for martin_scorsese who has never won an oscar while stars leonardo_dicaprio and cate_blanchett are both nominated for acting oscars if you look at the oscars race the aviator should be ahead said awards pundit tom oneil it is the most nominated film and the most nominated movie has won best picture times out of the last years but the reality is million dollar_baby is the dark horse people feel emotionally about it and clint is beloved hollywood chum of the academy voters he said anne thompson of the hollywood reporter said that million dollar_baby was heart-wrenching its very emotional it even makes grown men cry she said the aviator is gorgeous movie but its colder in the acting categories foxx is regarded as almost unbeatable for his performance as ray_charles in ray the performance is based on real person who was showbusiness hero with handicap who recently died oneil said he has unstoppable momentum among the voters hilary_swank is the favourite to win best actress for the second time in six years she previously won in for her performance in boys dont cry in the supporting categories cate_blanchett is tipped to win for her performance as katharine hepburn in the aviator while morgan_freeman is favourite to take home his first ever oscar for million dollar_baby the oscars will take place at hollywoods kodak_theatre on february
bafta to hand out movie honours movie stars from across the globe are attending this years bafta film award ceremony british stars imelda_staunton and clive_owen are hoping for awards at the odeon in londons leicester_square hollywood stars leonardo_dicaprio pierce_brosnan christian_slater and richard_gere are also in the audience for the biggest night in uk film hollywood blockbuster the aviator starring dicaprio leads the field with nominations including best movie it is up against eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind finding_neverland the motorcycle_diaries and british film vera_drake which has nominations staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film she arrived at the ceremony wearing green silk and chiffon low cut evening dress decorated with beads its lovely to be here at home to be on british soil its very nice indeed she told reporters asked whether she was nervous about her best actress nomination she said its out of my hands theres nothing can do im here with lot of mates and were going to have very nice evening other nominees in the best actress category include charlize theron for monster ziyi zhang for house of flying daggers and uk star kate_winslet who has two nods for her roles in eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and finding_neverland dicaprio faces competition from bernal jamie_foxx jim_carrey and johnny_depp in the best actor category the crowed screamed when he arrived on the red carpet."its unlike anything ive ever encountered its very intense and very loud he told the bbc its the first time ive come to the baftas because its the first time ive been nominated...ive appreciated british cinema for long time and to be recognised like this is special honour gere who is presenting the best film award said its big party had no idea it was going to be this big its crazy think its bigger than the academy awards british actor owen is hoping to repeat his golden_globe success with best supporting actor award for his role in closer he raised one of the biggest cheers of the night when he walked down the red_carpet was always huge fan of closer as play so when got the call to appear in the film it was huge thrill for me he said the whole experience has been treat and im very fortunate to have been given the role his co-star natalie_portman is up against blanchett heather craney julie cristie and meryl streep in the best supporting actress category mike_leigh is up for the best director award for vera_drake alongside martin_scorsese for the aviator michael mann for collateral michel gondry for eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and marc forster for finding_neverland the orange british academy film awards will be shown on bbc one at gmt
baghdad blogger on big screen film based on the internet musings of the baghdad blogger has been shown at the rotterdam film festival the film has been directed by the man who calls himself salam pax the author of the weblog about iraqi life during and after the war the movie version comes in the form of series of shorts made by pax on hand-held camera baghdad blogger is among number of films about iraq showcased at the dutch festival which runs until sunday following the fascination with the writing of salam pax not his real name he began regular column in the guardian_newspaper and was given crash course in documentary film-making for the film he travelled iraq to document the changing landscape of the country and the problems it has faced since the invasion speaking to ordinary iraqis about their experiences the festival will also see the screening of underexposure one of iraqs first features to emerge since the toppling of saddam hussein director oday rasheed made the film on discarded 1980s kodak film taken from the remains for the former ministry of culture building it centres on the lives of families and strangers going about their everyday business as baghdad is under siege rasheed said the title was refers to the isolation felt by iraqis under saddams regime and the difficult time the country is now experiencing saddams regime was hell but now think the hell has doubled rasheed said the festival was also due to screen murdered dutch film-maker theo van goghs film about the treatment of woman under islam but it was withdrawn due to safety fears van gogh was shot and stabbed in november following death threats he received about his film submission
balco case trial date pushed back the trial date for the bay area laboratory cooperative balco steroid distribution case has been postponed us judge susan illston pushed back preliminary evidentiary hearing which was due to take place on wednesday until june no official trial date has been set but it is expected to begin in september balco founder victor_conte along with james valente coach remy korchemny and trainer greg anderson are charged with distributing steroids to athletes andersons clients include barry bonds and several other baseball stars have been asked to appear before congressional inquiry into steroid use in the major leagues the balco defence team have already lost their appeal to have the case dismissed at pre-trial hearing in san_francisco but will still argue the case should not go to trial the hearing in june will focus on the admissibility of evidence gathered during police raids on balcos offices and andersons home conte and anderson were not arrested at that point but federal agents did obtain statements from them the defence are expected to challenge the legality of those interviews and if ilston agrees she could could reject all the evidence from the raids balco has been accused by the united_states anti-doping_agency usada of being the source of the banned steroid thg and modafinil former double world champion kelli white and olympic relay star alvin harrison have both been banned on the basis of materials discovered during the balco investigation britains former european 100m champion dwain chambers is currently serving two-year ban after testing positive for thg in an out-of-competition test in and american sprinter marion_jones has filed lawsuit for defamation against conte following his allegations that he gave her performance-enhancing drugs
band aid retains number one spot the charity single by band aid has held on the chart top spot for second week strengthening its chances of becoming the christmas number one do they know its christmas featuring artists including chris martin and jamelia held off kylie minogue to remain the weeks biggest single next weeks chart will reveal who will have the festive chart-topper minogues latest release believe in you went in at number two pushing down ice cubes you can do it to three destinys child also slipped one place to four with lose my breath followed by girls aloud at five with the children in need record ill stand by you the only other new entry in the top came from robbie_williams track misunderstood new track written for his greatest hits album there were no new releases in the entire top album charts as record companies put out all the big releases early hoping to cash in on the lucrative christmas market u2s how to dismantle bomb remains at number one for third week in row followed by williams greatest hits opera band il divo have moved up one place with their eponymous album to number three maroon 5s album songs about jane has moved up to number seven despite being released weeks ago and the abba gold greatest hits album has crept back into the top more_than nine years after it was first released
band aid single storms to no the new version of the band aid song do they know its christmas has gone straight in at number one in the uk singles_chart the charity record is also tipped to be this years christmas number one it features vocals from the likes of chris martin dido robbie_williams and the sugababes the original version which was the christmas number one in sold copies in its first week and million in total it was released in the us and reached number in the singles_chart however band aid is not going to be released in the us despite being sold in many countries around the world us record shops are stocking an import version of do they know its christmas which is said to be selling very well in los_angeles and new_york british stars who appear on the current recording such as dido and coldplays chris martin are well known to music fans across the atlantic along with u2 frontman bono record company universal is responsible for the global distribution of the single which will be available across europe asia south america and canada but music fans in the us are still able to access the song and download it on band aid 20s official website in group of high-profile american stars known as usa for africa came together to record their own fund-raising single we are the world the song was written by lionel richie and michael jackson with quincy jones as producer it topped the us charts for three weeks and went on win grammy awards for best record and song dionne warwick diana_ross and tina turner were among the line-up of performers proceeds from the sales of the band aid single will go towards aid relief in africa in countries such as ethiopia and sudan the money raised will also be used to help combat hiv and aids across the continent the band aid trust which was set up years ago when the original single was released handed out $144m 75m to famine relief projects across africa between january and november
bangkok film festival battles on organisers of the third bangkok international film festival have been determined to carry on with this years event despite the ravages of the asian_tsunami disaster the festivities have been scaled down red carpets have been mothballed and profits from ticket sales are being donated to the tsunami relief fund apart from this however the festival has continued as originally planned when the disaster happened we naturally asked ourselves if we should cancel said the festivals executive director craig prater the decision was made that we would continue but that the focus would change our premieres became fundraisers the opening night was visibly toned down and of every ticket sold goes to the disaster fund he continued but we feel like weve turned page weve acknowledged our position and now its business as usual mr praters sentiments were echoed by christine rush director of the festivals sister event the bangkok film market we have been careful to be respectful of the thai nations recovery from this terrible disaster she said however the nations recovery very much depends upon it continuing its economic life we are encouraging attendees to keep the victims in mind and aggressively support the aid organisations helping out she added given the conspicuously low audience figures that support may be more symbolic than significant however poor ticket sales have less to do with any fallout from the disaster and more to do with administrative and promotional difficulties the eclectic programme contains wide range of titles including such oscar hopefuls as ray_charles biopic_ray and mike_leighs abortion drama vera_drake that said the absence of thai subtitles on most film prints might have proved offputting to local cinemagoers on more positive note the celebrity guests attending the event have generated huge media interest in this busy capital city problems securing air transport the clash with last sundays golden_globes ceremony in los_angeles and other factors have forced some big names to cancel but the festival has still attracted such hollywood directors as oliver stone and joel schumacher alongside such screen stars as michael douglas jeremy irons and jean-claude van damme irons whose film being julia is in competition for the festivals golden kinnaree awards said he had wondered whether he should attend after decembers catastrophe questioned whether should come when such tragedy had happened the british actor said thought it might be in rather bad taste but then spoke to the organisers and was encouraged to let life go on now ive come here im very glad what impresses me about thai culture is they get over these things far quicker than we do in the west he continued basically was invited here by thailand if they still want you to come you should now in its third year bangkok is relatively recent addition to the hectic film festival calendar and while it has yet to attain the stature of more established events held in hong_kong tokyo and pusan in south_korea mr prater predicts it will soon become their equal its grown awfully fast in three years maybe too fast he concedes weve had some bumps in the road but thats only because the festival is still baby have no doubt in my mind that in five years this will be the top asian film festival in the world the golden kinnarees will be awarded on friday the festival itself runs until january
barbarians new zealand new zealand proved too strong for an australian-dominated barbarians to round off their unbeaten northern hemisphere tour with an easy win rico gear ran in two of the all blacks seven tries in what was predominantly second-string line-up the baa-baas did threaten scoring tries through albert van den bergh xavier rush and andrea lo cicero but never looked like winning all black aaron mauger was in good form with the boot adding points the all blacks featured only two of the side which started last weekends emphatic test victory over france in paris while the baa-baas had nine wallabies in their starting_line-up and new zealand coach graham henry said it was quality performance against very experienced side and number of young guys came through very well they learnt from the older players and this was way of thanking the guys who had been mentoring them on the tour but the running rugby the crowd had been hoping for rarely materialised marty holah got the all blacks onslaught under way with his fifth-minute try before rush hit back moments later but new zealand went ahead once more as gear made use of the space vacated by temporarily injured chris latham to slide in maa nonu then found his way through the barbarians defence to give his side half-time lead the hosts failed to ignite in the second half and the moment gear scored his second just after the interval there was only ever going to be one winner lo cicero the sole european for the barbarians bundled over for try to briefly curtail the deficit but the match was blighted by controversy moments later when justin marshall was felled with high tackle by jimmy cowan referee andy turner waved play on and casey laulala coasted in for his sides fifth try jermoe keino and piri weepu both added tries to the all blacks tally before the final whistle while van den bergh gained some consolation for the baa-baas after the match barbarians coach bob dwyer warned that south_african flanker schalk burger needed proper off-season break to maintain his standards burger was recently crowned player of the year by both his peers and the international rugby board but has struggled for form in recent weeks its his first year at that level and he was phenomenal up until the end of the southern hemisphere season dont think hes played anywhere near that level on tour he said
baron kinnock makes lords debut former labour leader neil kinnock has officially been made life peer during ceremony in the house_of_lords he will be known baron kinnock of bedwellty after his former constituency lord kinnock who led labour from until was until recently one of britains eu commissioners former critic of the house_of_lords he has said he will use the upper house to advocate its reform and to talk on issues like higher education accepted the kind invitation to enter the house_of_lords as working peer for practical political reasons he said when his peerage was first announced it is good base for campaigning on national issues like education sustainable transport industrial change and the ageing society and global concerns particularly poverty and oppression during his induction into the upper house lord kinnock was accompanied by lords leader baroness amos and baroness royall of blaisdon former aide to the ex-labour leader it has been long journey for the new lord kinnock from his earliest days as rebellious youngster in the south wales valleys born in in tredegar to miner father and nurse mother he attended lewis boys school in nearby pengam known then as the eton of the valleys from there he went to cardiff university where he met his future wife glenys now labour mep after brief career as tutor for the workers educational association he became an mp at the age of just for his home seat of bedwellty later islwyn he gained reputation as left-wing firebrand voting against his own labour governments spending cuts proposals in and later rejecting junior post in james callaghans administration but he joined the shadow cabinet in and after labours heavy defeat in the he was elected leader he took on the far-left militant tendency and began the long process of returning his party to the centre ground he was not expected to win the election when margaret_thatcher was still riding high but was bitterly disappointed to lose the next one in to john major and stepped down he remained an mp until when he resigned to become european commission for transport four years later he became vice-president of the european commission with responsibility for internal reform as he assumes the title of lord kinnock he has also become chairman of the british council which promotes the uks reputation for arts science and education
baywatch dubbed worst tv import surf show baywatch has won the title of worst tv import of all time in poll of uk television executives the programme which starred david hasselhoff and pamela anderson during its 12-year run was shown in countries at its height model anna nicole smiths reality show and the dukes of hazzard were runners-up in the broadcast magazine survey the simpsons and dallas and were among the magazines list of the best all-time imports from the us soap operas knots landing falcon crest plus the bold and the beautiful all made the top of transatlantic tv howlers the jerry springer show which came in at sixth on the list did not fare well broadcast magazine said british tv never realised how low it could go before jerry showed the way baywatch rose to the top of the list for having mind-numbingly predictable scripts beachgoer is saved from drowning according to the magazine just inside the all-time worst top came extreme makeover which sees members of the public given thousands of pounds worth of plastic surgery other american shows which won praise were the x-files love lucy twin peaks and star trek
bbc denies blackadder tv comeback the bbc has said there are no plans in the pipeline for new series of hit comedy blackadder which ended in tony robinson who played the servant baldrick told itv1s this morning the shows star rowan atkinson was more keen than he has been in the past robinson added he would love to do another series each of which was set in different era ranging from the 15th century to world war but the bbc said on thursday there were no plans for comeback in the final series all the main characters were killed off charging towards german lines after being ordered out of their trench the poignant finale was later voted the best farewell episode of tv series host of other uk actors including hugh laurie stephen_fry and miranda richardson also appeared in the show blackadder returned for one-off special filmed to celebrate the arrival of the millennium in it was shown at the millennium dome in greenwich before being screened on bskyb
bbc leads interactive bafta wins the bbc and the national theatre have led the field at this years interactive bafta awards the national theatres stagework website picked up the prize for best learning as well as top factual site the bbc collected three awards including best online entertainment for the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy adventure game spooks interactive took the best interactive tv prize the annual awards recognise the best in digital media bbc sport interactive fought off competition from cbbc newsround and the guardian to take home the best news and sport trophy for its coverage of englands exit from euro it was recognised for its groundbreaking use of animation baftas grant dean chair of baftas interactive entertainment committee said all the entrants had been of outstanding quality and that judging had been enormously difficult without doubt has been landmark year for the bafta interactive awards he added many of the top awards this year have gone to the companies we most commonly associate with traditional entertainment showing how the gap between new media film and television is closing awards were given out in different categories including interactive tv film music design as well as technical and social innovation at london ceremony the top music award was given to sseyo minimixa mobile music sequencer designed to let people write edit and share compositions warner bros was given two prizes for its inspiring efforts in film and dvd interactivity the chaplin collection beat oasis really bend it like beckham shaun_of_the_dead and the day today in the dvd category and trauma won best film elsewhere fashionista and clothes designer alexander mcqueen took the accolade for the best-designed website the awards have been running since but in the british academy of film and television decided to split them into separate games and interactive ceremonies on tuesday half-life_2 dominated the games prizes it collected six baftas including best game and best online game
bbc to pour 9m into new comedy the bbc is to invest 9m in developing new comedy and entertainment programmes outside london the changes come as part of shake-up of several departments to create shows that appeal to wider range of people changes are also being made to teams in the factual and daytime departments outside london director of television jana bennett said the changes were about getting the best ideas on screen as efficiently and effectively as we can the new structure in each genre is designed to ensure that happens she said number of new roles are being created in each department including head of comedy commissioning based in glasgow the new person will be in charge of the 9m budget and their role will be to develop shows outside the capital both within the bbc and with independent production companies jane lush controller of entertainment commissioning said entertainment and comedy are incredibly important to our audiences im confident these changes will help us get the very best programmes on screen similar positions will also be created in the other departments with the new commissioning editor for documentaries based in bristol and the daytime commissioning editor in birmingham ms bennett said the new roles would benefit those making programmes within the bbc as well as those making shows for the channel independently strong independent sector and flourishing in-house production base are not mutually exclusive and will stimulate the competition that will deliver the best ideas to the audience she said
bbc web search aids odd queries the bbcs online search_engine was used record amount in helping with enquires both simple and strange more_than million enquiries were made asking for informaton of wide range of subjects the most requested search terms of included games eastenders cbbc john peel harry_potter and olympics but there were many strange enquiries including what is dog how do you say basketball and what is the biggest collection of naval fluff the search_engine works by matching key words typed in to different web pages but many people still type in natural language questions here are some of the strangest queries of spelling and grammar errors left untouched and their possible solutions how to fold serviette like an elfs boot how do structure french letter what is better one long vacation each year or several short vacations throughout the year what is so special about the swiss what are the contemporary issue in nurses what is the number in this number what is up what is the name of james martins dog search_engines are key to the way people use the internet companies such as google have become of paramount importance as they dictate how people travel through websites while online
beastie boys win sampling battle us rappers beastie boys have won their long-running battle over the use of sample in their song pass the mic the punk-rappers used three notes of music from flautist james newtons choir in their track from although the group had paid licence_fee for the sample mr newton said his copyright had been infringed but the us court of appeal upheld its original decision that the group did not have to pay an additional fee to license the underlying composition the beastie boys michael diamond adam horowitz and adam yauch are considered to be one of early pioneers of sampling music sampling now standard practice among musicians involves taking segment of one track and using it in different song three-judge panel of the court held in that the band had abided by copyright protections by paying licence_fee for sample of mr newtons recording that finding upheld lower-court dismissal of the case in favour of the beastie boys we hold that beastie boys use of brief segment of that composition consisting of three notes separated by half-step over background note is not sufficient to sustain claim for infringement of newtons copyright chief judge mary schroeder wrote in her opinion mr newton is critically_acclaimed jazz and classical flutist composer performer and university professor mr newton and the beastie boys were not available for comment
beatles suits sell for four suits worn by the beatles on their please please me album cover have sold for at us auction but some of elvis presleys earliest recordings including takes of all shook up failed to sell at the bonhams and butterfields two-day sale private collection of six tape recordings of presley valued at between and did not meet their reserve price signed presley photograph managed to fetch auction spokesman erik simon said the presley tapes were withdrawn because they did not meet the minimum price set by the owners he said the family of sound engineer thorne nogar did not want to divulge the price they had set or the offers they had received the rca tapes date from september to september the pre-masters include take of jailhouse rock religious songs material for his first christmas album and banter between presley members of his band and mr nogar weve had them for lot of years and think the people should enjoy them and frankly we could use the money mr nogars son stephen said before the auction mr nogar who died in aged always used to make two tapes of sessions as back-up in case rca producers wanted to make late changes to songs he called them his ass-saver tapes his son said the quality is said to be noticeably crisper than that of new vinyl record because the family does not own the copyright to the music the tapes could only be sold for personal enjoyment and cannot be copied for commercial gain the auction made total of $1.1m
beer giant swallows russian firm brewing giant inbev has agreed to buy alfa-ecos stake in sun interbrew russias second-largest brewer for up to 259.7m euros $353.3m 183.75m alfa-eco the venture capital arm of russian conglomerate alfa group has one-fifth stake in sun interbrew the deal gives inbev the worlds biggest beermaker near-total control over the russian brewer inbev bought out another partner in august inbev brands include bass stella artois hoegaarden and staropramen it employs people running operations in over countries across the americas europe and asia_pacific the leuven-based brewery said it would own of the voting shares and of the non-voting shares of sun interbrew the deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of inbev was formed in august when belgiums interbrew bought brazilian brewer ambev sun interbrew which employs staff owns breweries in eight russian cities klin ivanovo saransk kursk volzhsky omsk perm and novocheboksarsk there are also three breweries in ukraine in the cities of chernigov nikolaev and kharkov
bekele sets sights on world mark olympic 10,000m champion kenenisa bekele is determined to add the world indoor two mile record at februarys norwich_union grand prix in birmingham the 22-year-old will again be chasing record held by his compatriot and mentor haile gebrselassie who set the mark at the same meeting in am still as hungry to do as much as can in this sport said bekele and aiming for the two mile world record in birmingham is the next of those targets gebrselassies current record stands at eight minutes seconds and bekele is no stranger to overhauling world marks at the national indoor arena the ethiopian broke the world indoor 5,000m record on his debut at the meeting last year compatriots mulugeta wondimu abiyote abate and markos geneti the world indoor bronze medallist over 3000m will race against bekele on february the meet has already attracted crop of olympic talent britains 800m and 1500m champion kelly_holmes is taking part in the 1000m swedish heptathlon gold_medallist carolina_kluft will contest the 60m_hurdles while mens 4x100m_relay gold medallists jason_gardener and mark_lewis-francis will go head-to-head in the 60m
bell set for england debut bath_prop duncan bell has been added to englands 30-man squad to face ireland in the rbs six_nations and with phil_vickery sidelined for at least six weeks with broken arm and julian_white out with neck injury bell could make his england debut bell had set his sights on an international career with wales but last december the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in england coach andy_robinson could take gamble and call inexperienced sale_sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and more likely scenario is for uncapped bell who was among the tryscorers when england beat france nine days ago to be drafted in robinson also has an injury worry over centre olly barkley who withdrew from baths starting_line-up to face gloucester last weekend he was due to have hospital scan on monday while gloucester centre henry paul who started at fly-half against bath limped out at kingsholm because of an ankle problem despite barkleys three missed penalties in the defeat against france he is expected to retain his place at inside centre although leicesters in-form prospect ollie_smith would be an obvious replacement bath coach john connolly rates barkley as no better than chance to make the dublin trip uncapped fly-half andy goode has been named in 30-man training squad for the ireland game and he strengthened his selection claims by kicking points during leicesters record win against newcastle on sunday englands players are due to meet at their surrey training base on monday
belle named best scottish band belle sebastian have been named the best scottish band of all time after three month-long public poll the group beat travis and idlewild into second and third place respectively franz_ferdinand who recently picked up five brit award nominations ended up in 15th place while the eurythmics wound up at lowly other scottish acts such as the mull historical society who also featured in the top performed at party in glasgow where the result was announced scottish-based band snow_patrol who finished 14th in the vote and have been nominated for pair of brit awards were among the performers who covered well-known scottish pop songs at the party on wednesday night indie stalwarts belle sebastian have enjoyed chart career stretching back to they were the surprise winners of the brit award for best breakthrough act two years later scottish bands from earlier musical eras also made it into the final list including 1970s tartan boy band the bay city rollers and goth favourites the jesus and mary chain scottish magazine the list recently compiled list of the top scottish bands of all time but left the final decision to the public the magazines music editor mark robertson said the idea behind the project was simple to rediscover the very best of scottish music from the finest musical talent spanning from the age of 70s rock through to 80s pop right up to todays international stars everyone has strong opinions about this and we wanted to open it up to the public to decide he added bbc radio scotland presenter vic galloway who has been involved in the project said it had been great fun to look back at scotlands musical heritage and take note of up-and-coming scottish acts
bening makes awards breakthrough film actress annette bening is up for an oscar for her starring role in the award-winning film being julia bening who was born in texas in has gained prominence for string of key roles although an oscar has so far eluded her her status as one of hollywoods favourite actresses remains solid one of the biggest oscars buzzes in recent years was for benings role as troubled carolyn burnham in 1999s american beauty but her deliciously neurotic portrayal of surburban life turning sour was overlooked in favour of hilary swanks leading role in boys dont cry after opening her career in the theatre and gaining tony award nomination in bening had low-key spell in television she then made her film debut as sex-starved wife in 1988s the great outdoors opposite comics dan akroyd and john candy following cameo in postcards from the edge benings breakthrough role came in playing seductive con artist myra langtry in the grifters role that won her an oscar nomination despite some rave reviews bening did not win the best supporting actress academy award however the high-profile performance enabled bening to capture roles in number of big budget hollywood productions co-starring with some of hollywoods greatest players including robert de niro and harrison ford but it was her role opposite warren beatty in gangster flick bugsy which had the greatest impact bening played virginia hill another role which won her high critical_acclaim but the film only picked up two of staggering oscar nominations bugsy was the start of very significant liaison for bening she married beatty with whom she had child as the couple promoted the film in europe the couple now have four children together pair of contrasting yet successful performances peppered benings career in the mid-1990s she played michael douglas opposite number in romantic_comedy the american president and as fiery queen elizabeth in contemporary adaptation of shakespeares richard iii bening was the first choice to play the female lead in american beauty director sam mendes film debut which was critical and commercial success but the actress had to be content with bafta award for her strong performance but current film being julia has made bening an award-winning actress rather_than the perennial nominee with success at the golden_globes the witty tale of revenge and love set in 1930s london sees the eponymous theatrical diva played by bening grow tired of her success and fall for young american and could be the role which finally wins her the coveted academy award
bennett play takes theatre prizes the history boys by alan bennett has been named best new play in the critics circle theatre awards set in grammar school the play also earned best actor prize for star richard griffiths as teacher hector the producers was named best musical victoria hamilton was best actress for suddenly last summer and festens rufus norris was named best director the history boys also won the best new comedy title at the theatregoers choice awards partly based upon alan bennetts experience as teacher the history boys has been at londons national theatre since last may the critics circle named rebecca lenkiewicz its most promising playwright for the night season and eddie redmayne most promising newcomer for the goat or who is sylvia paul rhys was its best shakespearean performer for measure for measure at the national theatre and christopher oram won the design award for suddenly last summer both the critics circle and whatsonstage.com theatregoers choice award winners were announced on tuesday chosen by more_than theatre fans the theatregoers choice awards named us actor christian_slater best actor for one flew over the cuckoos nest diana rigg was best actress for suddenly last summer dame judi dench was best supporting actress for the rscs alls well that ends well and the history boys samuel barnett was best supporting actor
berlin applauds hotel_rwanda political thriller hotel_rwanda was given rousing reception by spectators at the berlin film festival on saturday the movies star don cheadle also received standing ovation when he stepped onto the stage after the show the film is the true story of the hotel manager who saved tutsis from death during the rwandan_genocide the film showing out of competition in berlin is nominated for three oscars including best actor for cheadle sophie_okonedo who plays cheadles wife tatiana is nominated for best supporting actress the film is also in the running for best original screenplay cheadle was joined on stage at berlin by paul rusesabagina the hotel manager he plays in the film mr rusesabaginas wife and his extended family who fled rwanda and now live in belgium mr rusesabagina used his influence as prominent hutu businessman to shelter potential victims of the rwandan_genocide contacting dignitaries including bill clinton the king of belgium as well as the french foreign ministry hotel_rwanda is one of two films addressing the genocide at the 55th berlin film festival which runs until february sometimes in april is feature by raoul peck competing for the festivals coveted golden and silver bear awards the film was made exclusively in rwanda whereas hotel_rwanda was shot mostly in south_africa with some scenes made in kigali
berlin celebrates european cinema organisers say this years berlin film festival which opens on thursday with period epic man to man will celebrate revitalised european cinema of the films in competition for the golden and silver bear awards more_than half are from europe with france particularly well represented festival director dieter kosslick says this strong showing signals new consciousness for european films theyre on an incredible winning streak he told the reuters agency this isnt to say there arent any good american films he continued its just that there are more good european films however mr kosslick refused to accept that widespread opposition to the iraq_war had turned audiences against hollywood imports there is no anti-american mood he said some films will be screened at this years festival with further shown at the european film market that runs alongside it more_than dozen celebrities are scheduled to attend among them will smith kevin_spacey and keanu reeves but mr kosslick says more would be coming had the academy awards not been brought forward to february im not worried that we wont be able to fill the red_carpet with stars he said though he admitted the festival may be moved to january next year to avoid similar clash the 10-day berlinale runs until february
berlin cheers for anti-nazi film german movie about an anti-nazi resistance heroine has drawn loud applause at berlin film festival sophie scholl the final days portrays the final days of the member of the white rose movement scholl was arrested and beheaded with her brother hans in for distributing leaflets condemning the abhorrent tyranny of adolf hitler director marc rothemund said have feeling of responsibility to keep the legacy of the scholls going we must somehow keep their ideas alive he added the film drew on transcripts of gestapo interrogations and scholls trial preserved in the archive of communist east germanys secret police their discovery was the inspiration behind the film for rothemund who worked closely with surviving relatives including one of scholls sisters to ensure historical accuracy on the film scholl and other members of the white rose resistance group first started distributing anti-nazi leaflets in the summer of they were arrested as they dropped leaflets at munich university calling for day of reckoning with adolf hitlers regime the film focuses on the six days from scholls arrest to the intense trial which saw scholl initially deny the charges and ended with defiant appearance it is one of three german films vying for top prize at the festival south_african film version of bizets tragic opera carmen shot in cape town in the xhosa language has also premiered at the berlin festival the film is entitled u-carmen ekhayelitsha or carmen in khayelitsha after the township in which the story is set it is performed by 40-strong music and theatre troupe in their debut film performance the film is the first south_african feature in years and only the second to be nominated for golden bear award
berlin hails european cinema organisers say this years berlin film festival which opens on thursday with period epic man to man will celebrate revitalised european cinema of the films in competition for the golden and silver bear awards more_than half are from europe with france particularly well represented festival director dieter kosslick says this strong showing signals new consciousness for european films theyre on an incredible winning streak he told the reuters agency this isnt to say there arent any good american films he continued its just that there are more good european films however mr kosslick refused to accept that widespread opposition to the iraq_war had turned audiences against hollywood imports there is no anti-american mood he said some films will be screened at this years festival with further shown at the european film market that runs alongside it more_than dozen celebrities are scheduled to attend among them will smith kevin_spacey and keanu reeves but mr kosslick says more would be coming had the academy awards not been brought forward to february im not worried that we wont be able to fill the red_carpet with stars he said though he admitted the festival may be moved to january next year to avoid similar clash the 10-day berlinale runs until february
berlin honours korean director south korean film director im kwon-taek has received an honorary golden bear at the berlin film festival im who has made more_than films in 40-year career was hailed for his remarkable visual beauty technical innovation and intellectual depth twenty of his films are screening in special retrospective during the festival which runs until february the veteran film-maker won the best director prize at the cannes film festival in for chihwaseon although his films vary in style they all bear his unmistakable stamp they are forceful and charged cinematographically as well as reticent stylised and musical organisers said in statement meanwhile film version of bizets opera carmen translated into the south_african language xhosa has received warm reception at the festival u-carmen ekhayelitsha carmen in khayelitsha which is one of films up for berlins top prize the golden bear is british director mark dornford-mays first feature film its the first time any opera has been translated into black south_african language xhosa works brilliantly its such musical language said music director charles hazlewood
best person for top legal job the best person for the job should be appointed lord chancellor and not necessarily lawyer or mp the courts minister has told mps under reforms the post of lord chancellor is to be stripped of its judicial functions the lord chancellor...no more needs to be lawyer than the secretary of health needs to be doctor said courts minister christopher leslie the constitutional reform bill was entering its second reading on monday mr leslie said the prime_minister should be able to appoint the best person for the job whether they sit in the house_of_lords or the house of commons under the reforms the law lords will also be replaced as the uks highest legal authority by supreme court and judges will be appointed by an independent panel rather_than ministers in december the lords rejected plea by current lord chancellor lord_falconer that the holder of the job should not necessarily be lawyer or peer the peers voted by to to say in law that lord chancellors must also be peers the debate was carried over from the last parliamentary session but with an impending general_election time is crucial for the government to get the bill passed mr leslie said it was irrelevant whether the post was called secretary of state for constitutional_affairs or lord chancellor he said what matters most is...whether it is reformed so that the post holder no longer has those conflicting duties it is no longer appropriate for government minister to have such unfettered discretion in the appointment of judges shadow attorney_general dominic grieve criticised the government on its plans to change what he said was an exceptional institution providing champion of the independence of the judiciary the government had initially proposed to take this institution and smash it to pieces mr grieve said convention should be nurtured and celebrated but the government distrusted and disliked it instead he warned that unless ministers backed down over the lord chancellor remaining member of the house_of_lords the government would have great difficulty in getting the bill through parliament former cabinet minister douglas hogg whose father and grandfather served as lord chancellor said the bill was largely unnecessary bureaucratic and expensive but the tory mp for sleaford and north hykeham admitted the lord chancellors role and office cannot be frozen in aspic
bets off after big brother leak bookmaker has stopped taking bets on celebrity big brother after claiming sensitive information about the channel_4 show had been leaked william_hill made the move after four people tried to place bets on fridays surprise double eviction this is highly unlikely to have been an inspired guess william_hill spokesman rupert adams said however big brother spokeswoman was satisfied that sensitive information about the show remained confidential the bookmaker said its suspicions had been aroused by betting for the last two contestant evictions when people were still trying to place large sums despite odds as short as but william hills overwhelming evidence came on friday when four unknown callers asked to place bets on the shows surprise double eviction shortly afterwards model caprice and actor jeremy edwards left the show mr adams believed someone had gained access to figures which revealed how viewers were voting and was using them to predict which celebrity would be evicted next we think somebody somewhere has got them and has been trying very hard to take us to the cleaners he said the bets were not taken mr adams did not believe anyone from channel_4 or big brother producer endemol had tried to place the queried bets but he added they need to look at how many people are privy to the sensitive information big brothers spokeswoman said only handful of senior production executives are privy to any sensitive information regarding eviction voting and there are strict procedures in place to keep this information strictly confidential we do not feel the need to investigate this further as we are satisfied that these measures are effective the shows independent adjudicator the electoral reform services was also satisfied she added the current series of celebrity big brother ends on sunday with happy mondays star bez actress brigitte nielsen and blazin squad rapper kenzie competing for charity prize bookmaker ladbrokes said it would continue to accept bets on the final with kenzie its favourite at we felt no need whatsoever to close the book spokesman warren_lush said weve seen absolutely no suspicious betting patterns mr lush added that people sometimes vote on short odds because they think its like buying money you do have to risk quite lot of money for very small gain but if they think theres no chance of an upset they will still do it he said
big guns ease through in san_jose top-seeded americans andy_roddick and andre_agassi survived minor scares to reach the last eight of the sap open agassi endured early problems against left-handed dane kenneth carlsen before sealing victory and world number three roddick dropped set to korean player hyung-taik lee before pulling out win in san_jose california seventh_seed jurgen_melzer came through against xavier malisse winner in delray beach last week frenchman cyril_saulnier meanwhile fired aces to secure win over czech qualifier tomas zib roddick broke racket in frustration in the third game of the second set and afterwards was unimpressed with his form im not playing great he said but im through and im going to keep battling lot of people are under the assumption that its easy to play well every week and its not it is the 12th time in appearances at the event that agassi now has progressed to the quarter-final stage he came from down in the opening game to hold serve and gradually wore carlsen down after attacking his backhand agassi also employed several lobs and charged to the net to unsettle the 31-year-old dane ranked 88th in the world as the match went on got real patient and waited for my opportunities and felt pretty good said agassi
black sabbath top rock album poll black sabbath have topped list of the best british rock albums of all time the band once fronted by ozzy osbourne led poll of kerrang magazine readers with their self-titled debut the band have three more efforts on the list including fifth-placed paranoid osbourne appears more_than any other act with two solo records featured the top five includes led zeppelin iron maiden and sex pistols queen muse manic_street preachers and the clash complete the top mix of heavy_metal punk glam rock and even dance music makes up the list motorhead judas priest and prodigy are included along with newer acts like the darkness and lostprophets kerrang editor ashley bird said its amazing to see so many incredible homegrown albums in one list and without any of the abysmal fashion bands that currently clog up the music scene these are the real opinions of proper rock fans formed by four teenage friends in the west midlands in the late 1960s black sabbath are one of britains most successful heavy rock bands their debut was uk top hit in and sold more_than million copies in the us osbourne said the bands success in the kerrang poll was triumph for british rock he said back then youd hear if you go to san_francisco be sure to wear flower in your hair we lived in aston birmingham the only flowers ever saw were on gravestone in our local cemetery despite being disliked by many critics black sabbaths subsequent albums included multi-million sellers but internal rows led to osbourne leaving in the band continued without osbourne who went on to solo success but also had to battle alcoholism and legal action over his music allegedly inciting teenagers to commit suicide he was eventually cleared of the charges osbourne who bit off the head of live bat on stage in rejoined the band to play the live aid charity concert in after many changes in line-up the original four members reunited to play live dates in black sabbath have reunited regularly in recent years while osbourne has gone on to wider fame with his family through mtv documentary series the osbournes
blackburn burnley ewood park tuesday march gmt howard webb south yorkshire home to leicester in the quarter-finals but defender andy todd is suspended and could be replaced by dominic matteo if he recovers from hamstring_injury burnley have major injury concerns over frank sinclair and john mcgreal michael duff looks set to continue at right-back with john oster in midfield and micah hyde is expected to recover from knee_injury blackburn boss mark hughes burnley are resolute and have individual talent but fully expect us to progress thought we were comfortable in the first game and never thought we were under pressure its competition we want to progress in and we are doing okay if we beat burnley we have home tie against another lower league club leicester burnley boss steve cotterill they will be fresh and well be tired that is an honest opinion but our lads just might be able to get themselves up for one more big game the atmosphere at the last game was very hot good verbal contest our fans will not need whipping up for this game just want them to help us as much as they can in positive way key match stats blackburn rovers against bolton is part two of an east lancashire hotpot that didnt turn out to be that spicy when first staged on sunday lunchtime the weekend before last and resulted in scrappy goalless draw rovers who are aiming to win the cup for seventh time in their history and first time in years face another replay against championship opposition after eventually disposing of cardiff at ewood park in the third round but theyve not been beaten in the competition by club outside the premiership for nine years since ipswich then in the second tier defeated them after extra time in third round replay at ewood park on january history is on rovers side when they last met their near neighbours in the fa_cup years ago it also required an ewood park replay which the home side won and when they last met in the league rovers did the double they first won their nationwide division one trip to turf moor four seasons ago and then thrashed the clarets on home soil manager mark hughes who won the cup four times as player is aiming to steer rovers into the quarter-finals for the second time in years and first time since the season success here and victory home to leicester in the next round could see rovers in the semi-finals without having played premiership opposition burnley make the eight mile journey to their fierce rivals determined to send blackburn the same way as liverpool in the third round but having failed to pull off another shock at turf moor it could be that the championship outfit places inferior on the league ladder have missed their best opportunity having said that burnley are yet to concede goal in this cup run steve cotterills clarets have been knocked out in the fifth round four times in the last seven years and have made only one appearance in the sixth round in years that was in the season before last when they disposed of premiership fulham at this fifth round stage while blackburn have not played since the fifth round tie burnley have had two league outings away from home drawing at derby and losing at preston that takes their winless run to four games the combatants from one-time prosperous mill towns are both founder members of the football league head to head 16th prem winners six times 13th championship winners once
blair and blunkett sheffield trip tony_blair is to join home secretary david blunkett in visit to sheffield on thursday mr blunketts conduct is being looked at to establish whether he abused his position in relation to his ex-lover the parliamentary standards watchdog is looking at his decision to give kimberly quinn free rail tickets he is also being investigated over the visa application of mrs_quinns ex-nanny the visit to sheffield will be seen as show of unity by mr blair on wednesday during prime_ministers questions tory_leader michael_howard went on the offensive over comments mr blunkett is alleged to have made in new biography he is understood to have made series of criticisms about his cabinet colleagues from the prime_minister down mr howard said mr blunkett had complained he had inherited giant mess when he took over at the home office from jack_straw now foreign secretary the tory_leader went on he doesnt stop there he thinks the culture secretarys weak he thinks the trade secretary doesnt think strategically and he thinks the education secretary hasnt developed as expected he says the prime_minister doesnt like being told the truth and the chancellor no doubt the prime_minister will agree with this is bully mr blair retorted voters remembered the record of government and no comments by politicians the home secretary has already admitted he was wrong to give the two first class tickets given to him as an mp to mrs quinn and has since paid the back he has apologised for genuine mistake and says he will write to the watchdog to answer further questions the rail tickets are meant to help mps spouses get between westminster and their constituencies after his inquiry parliamentary watchdog sir philip mawer will report to the commons standards and privileges committee the group of mps who will recommend to the full house of commons what action if any should be taken against mr blunkett the separate inquiry by ex-senior civil servant sir alan_budd is investigating whether the home secretary helped fast-track bid by mrs_quinns nanny leoncia casalme to stay in the uk last week mr blunkett won the first round of high court battle with mrs quinn for access to her son mr blunkett declined to comment about his own position saying the inquiry was under way and the high court had stressed his right to privacy did not affect his job in improving security and stability downing_street has stressed mr blairs support for the home secretary
blair buys copies of new band aid prime_minister tony_blair purchased two copies of the charity single band aid in edinburgh on friday staff were surprised when the prime_minister walked into hmv at gmt accompanied by aides and local police when mr blair came in unannounced we were all pretty gobsmacked said hmv manager clive smith our customer helper approached him it was only then we realised he wanted to buy copies of the band aid single rather_than the latest eminem album predicted chart-topper do they know its christmas is expected to sell at least copies by the time the new chart is announced on sunday however the new version of the single is not going to be released in the us despite being sold in many countries around the world us record shops are stocking an import version of do they know its christmas which is said to be selling very well in los_angeles and new_york the original track was released in the us and reached number in the singles_chart british stars who appear on the current recording such as dido and coldplays chris martin are well-known to music fans across the atlantic along with u2 frontman bono record company universal is responsible for the global distribution of the single which will be available across europe asia south america and canada but music fans in the us are still able to access the song and download it on band aid 20s official website in group of high-profile american stars known as usa for africa came together to record their own fund-raising single we are the world the song was written by lionel richie and michael jackson with quincy jones as producer it topped the us charts for three weeks and went on win grammy awards for best record and song dionne warwick diana_ross and tina turner were among the line-up of performers it is predicted that the band aid song will sell copies in the uk by the time the new chart is announced on sunday the record is also tipped to become this years christmas number one as the original version did in proceeds from the sales are going towards relief for the darfur region of sudan and to combat hiv and aids across africa
blair labours longest-serving pm tony_blair has become the labour partys longest-serving prime_minister the 51-year-old premier has marked his 2,838th day in the post overtaking the combined length of harold wilsons two terms during the 1960s and 1970s if mr blair wins the next election and fulfils his promise to serve full third term he will surpass margaret thatchers years by the end of in mr blair became the youngest premier of the 20th_century when he came to power at the age of the last prime_minister to be installed at younger age was lord liverpool who was year his junior in mr blairs other political firsts include becoming the first labour leader to win two successive full terms in power after the labour landslide and the birth of the blairs fourth child leo on may was the first child born to serving prime_minister in more_than years the last downing_street dad was lord john russell in labour won huge majority of over the conservatives in but mr blair has since been criticised by many in his own party the war in iraq and reforms of the health service and education system have provoked dissent from backbenchers gordon_brown chancellor of the exchequer under mr blair became britains longest-serving chancellor of modern times in former labour leader lord kinnock said the chancellor would be best placed to take over from mr blair when asked about the future leadership of the party he told itv wales waterfront programme that contest is long way away and it will occur only when the prime_minister tony_blair decides hes subscribed all he can and then wants to go think that the main contender will be gordon_brown who is man of virtually unmatched capability and now great experience both mr brown and mr blair rose to prominence when lord kinnock led labour between and
blair moves to woo jewish voters tony_blair has pledged to never ever ever attack tory_leader michael_howard over his jewish beliefs the prime_minister told the jewish_chronicle if you look at what do attack michael_howard politically mr blair also distanced himself from recent labour campaign posters featuring mr howard which critics claimed were anti-semitic these were not intended to cause any offence to anyone on the jewish community mr blair insisted one poster depicted mr howard and his shadow chancellor oliver_letwin who is also jewish as flying_pigs another pictured the tory_leader swinging pocket watch on chain which critics said echoed the jewish money lender shylock in shakespeares merchant of venice others compared the image to the character fagin in charles dickens oliver twist labour has since taken the designs of its website saying members had preferred other designs during his interview with the jewish_chronicle mr blair said ive been very strong supporter of the jewish community and israel and will always be so pressed on whether he would draw attention to mr howards jewish beliefs in an attempt to attract muslim support he replied the idea that would allow anybody to make such charge is outrageous its untrue if you look what do attack michael_howard politically would never ever ever attack him on that basis mr blair also defended his partys attitude towards the jewish community pointing out that it was his government that had introduced the holocaust memorial day he added that labour also aggressively fought all forms of racism neither the conservatives nor the liberal_democrats wished to comment on mr blairs words the prime_minister was speaking as londons labour mayor ken_livingstone remains embroiled in row over comments he made to jewish reporter from the citys evening standard newspaper mr blair repeated calls for the mayor to apologise for likening the reporter oliver finegold to concentration_camp guard mr livingstone should have withdrawn the comment immediately once he realised the journalist was jewish said mr blair im sure that is what in truth he wants to do well he should do it mr livingstone has said he could not sincerely say sorry for the comments he made and claims he has been targeted by the newspaper he conceded his comments may have been offensive but were not racist and said earlier this week he would not apologise even if mr blair asked
blair prepares to name poll date tony_blair is likely to name may as election day when parliament returns from its easter break the bbcs political editor has learned andrew_marr says mr blair will ask the queen on or april to dissolve parliament at the end of that week mr blair has so far resisted calls for him to name the day but all parties have stepped up campaigning recently downing_street would not be drawn on the claim saying election timing was matter for the prime_minister number spokeswoman would only say he will announce an election when he wants to announce an election the move will signal frantic week at westminster as the government is likely to try to get key legislation through parliament the government needs its finance bill covering the budget plans to be passed before the commons closes for business at the end of the session on april but it will also seek to push through its serious and organised crime bill and id_cards bill mr marr said on wednesdays today_programme theres almost nobody at senior level inside the government or in parliament itself who doesnt expect the election to be called on or april as soon as the commons is back after the short easter recess tony_blair whips up to the palace asks the queen to dissolve parliament and were going the labour government officially has until june to hold general_election but in recent years governments have favoured four-year terms
blair returns from peace mission prime_minister tony_blair has arrived back from his diplomatic mission to the middle_east to try to resurrect the peace process mr blair held talks with his israeli counterpart ariel sharon and the palestinian leader mahmoud_abbas he confirmed that renewed drive to reform the palestinian authority and address security issues would come at london conference in march mr blair also made surprise trip to iraq this week the israelis described the meeting as important but said they would not need to attend mr blair briefly visited the tomb of yasser arafat in ramallah the first world leader to do so he nodded briefly towards the tomb rather_than lay wreath in what palestinian officials said was compromise gesture agreed at the last minute the bbcs paul reynolds says the london conference will be limited measure to shore up the leadership of mahmoud_abbas also known as abu mazen who is expected to win the palestinian presidential election on january at news conference following talks with mr blair mr abbas said the british prime_minister was in unique position to help us progress in our peaceful pursuit he added your endeavour to hold conference in london is another example of your deep commitment to this purpose in an interview with the bbcs political editor andrew_marr mr blair said getting progress between israelis and palestinians would be tough but at least we have got the first step mr blair acknowledged some people believed he was too close to the israelis but said the israelis were entitled to expect palestinians to give up terrorism he argued that mr sharon was committed to the internationally-agreed roadmap peace plan and said his bid to disengage from gaza had to be part of the peace process not the end of it earlier mr sharon again said he had not seen the slightest step the palestinians were working to end terror attacks though he acknowledged palestinian leaders were in the middle of an election campaign that could be hampering their efforts before visiting israel mr blair made surprise visit to iraq where he met leaders in baghdad during his first trip to the city he was briefed on preparations for the national poll which is scheduled for next month but is threatened by deadly campaign of insurgent violence he also flew to basra in southern iraq where british forces are stationed
blair said he would stand down tony_blair promised gordon_brown he would stand down before the next election new book about the chancellor claims but the prime_minister changed his mind following intervention from allies in the cabinet according to the book the book by sunday telegraph_journalist robert peston said the pair had mutual_animosity and contempt for each other the book browns britain said tony_blair felt by november he had lost voters trust the authors sources all unnamed allies of mr blair and mr brown said the prime_minister felt the iraq_war had undermined him and that he was no longer an asset to the labour party the book serialised in the sunday telegraph alleges that mr blair told the chancellor at dinner hosted by deputy pm john prescott in november of his intention to stand down at that stage he saw gordon_brown and said look you are the next most influential member of the government need your help to get through the next year mr peston said myself recognise that im going to have to stand down before the election but help me to get through the year and will then stand down but he changed his mind in june following intervention from allies in the cabinet and the suspicion that the chancellor was deliberately manoeuvring against him the book claims mr peston told bbc_news my understanding is that they are not nearly as close or as friendly as they once were what the book says is there now pretty profound mutual mistrust mutual_animosity think in public you see this double act pretending everything is alright but in private dont think the relationship is good because brown understandably feels deeply betrayed particularly over this issue of the leadership there has been fresh speculation of rift recently following their separate responses to the asian_tsunami rumours of rift were fuelled by the sudden decision to hold mr blairs monthly media conference at the same time as long-planned speech by mr brown on uk plans to tackle global poverty with new marshall plan for africa there was speculation the pair were trying to outdo each others response to the disaster former welfare minister frank field mp criticised the reported rivalry between the pair on gmtvs sunday programme what sort of model does it give to the nation when the two most important political leaders do nothing but fight it out together or use their aides to fight it out the labour mp for birkenhead asked he said the prime_minister should sack mr brown but did not believe mr blair was strong enough to do so conservative policy co-ordinator david cameron mp for witney added if it wasnt so serious it would be funny but it is serious youve got the two most senior people in the government not concentrating on fighting crime poverty or dirty hospitals they are fighting each other carol walker bbc_news political correspondent added there is real concern that this could undermine the general_election campaign and clearly it is very bad news for the government at time when it is trying to explain what it is doing to respond to the terrible problems thrown up by the tsunami disaster
blair says mayor should apologise tony_blair has urged london mayor ken_livingstone to apologise for his nazi comment to jewish reporter labours mr livingstone who says he is standing by his remarks had accused an evening standard journalist of being like concentration_camp guard mr blair told fives wright stuff show lets just apologise and move on mr livingstone has said the remarks may have been offensive but were not racist and said he would not apologise even if the prime_minister asked mr blair who was instrumental in returning mr livingstone to the labour party insisted on wednesday it was time for the london mayor to say sorry lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time but in the circumstances and to the journalist because he was jewish journalist yes he should apologise he said lets just apologise and move on thats the sensible thing tory_leader michael_howard asked about mr livingstones remark by reporters said it was important for politicians to be mindful about the language they use its particularly important that as we get close to the election that politicians talk with civility and courtesy about issues that we all face he said think its matter of sadness that we are not seeing that from the labour party we had what ken_livingstone said we had what alastair_campbell has said and we have what others have said think thats matter of great regret the row blew up after mr livingstone was approached by evening standard reporter oliver finegold following party marking the 20th_anniversary of former culture secretary chris smith coming out as britains first gay mp on tape mr livingstone who once worked as freelance restaurant critic on the paper is heard asking mr finegold if he is german war criminal mr finegold replies no im jewish wasnt german war criminal im quite offended by that the mayor then says ah right well you might be but actually you are like concentration_camp guard you are just doing it because you are paid to arent you at his weekly press_conference on tuesday mr livingstone said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise if you think they are racist think you are wrong he told reporters the dispute comes as an inspection team from the international olympic committee began four-day tour to assess londons bid for the games an official complaint has been made to local government watchdogs by the british jews demanding an investigation by the standards board of england it has the power to suspend or bar mr livingstone from public office
blair sets date for africa report the commission for africas report will be released on march comic relief day tony_blair has said julys g8 summit in gleneagles in perthshire chaired by the prime_minister will use the report as the basis for talks on africa the announcement followed the final meeting of the commission which includes singer bob geldof in london as well as more aid fairer trade and less debt the commission is likely to demand action on corruption in africa mr blair told news conference it will be report thats brutally frank about the reality but hope idealistic about what can be done if the will is there its an ambitious project we have set ourselves and you will have to judge on its outcome when we publish it mr blair has vowed to put africa at the top of his agenda during his time at the helm of the g8 he acknowledged he would have job of persuading to do on other nations to get the necessary commitment to debt relief bob geldof in characteristically blunt style promised that the commission would not just be talking shop but would deliver radical new thinking to change direction for africa the former rock stars presence on the commission has been interpreted as sign that it will be uncompromising in its demands the people involved include two african government leaders and range of other african politicians as well as experts from some other developed countries
blair to face mps amid feud talk tony_blair faces his first prime_ministers questions of after week of renewed speculation about his relationship with gordon_brown meanwhile the chancellor is leaving britain on high-profile tour of africa to highlight poverty issues but before doing so he insisted he still trusted mr blair despite claims to the contrary in new book labour mps have warned against disunity and tory_leader michael_howard may well take up the theme in the commons the tories have already accused the prime_minister and his chancellor of behaving like schoolboys squabbling in playground michael_howard is likely to want to capitalise further on the spat when he goes head-to-head with the prime_minister in the commons at campaign poster launch on tuesday mr brown was joined by alan_milburn who mr blair controversially put in charge of election planning in place of the chancellor later this week the prime_minister is due to set out the themes of his partys next election manifesto which for the past two polls have been drawn up by the chancellor mr brown meanwhile is visiting tanzania mozambique and kenya to highlight the plight of many africans hit by aids war and famine issues which mr blair has also spoken out on the prime_minister and chancellor faced backbench discontent at mondays meeting of the parliamentary labour party over claims made in journalist robert pestons new book mr blair told mps and peers know from everyone here in cabinet and government nothing is going to get in the way of unified labour party with unified position and winning the third term people desperately need labours paul flynn said the pair had had scorching from mps on tuesday deputy prime_minister mr prescott told bbc_news they told us very clearly it was the troops telling the leaders get in line the new book claims mr prescott hosted dinner in november where the prime_minister told mr brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the iraq_war mr blair then changed his mind in june after cabinet_allies intervened and amid suspicion the chancellor was manoeuvring against him writes mr peston in mr pestons book mr brown is alleged to have told the prime_minister there is nothing you could ever say to me now that could ever believe
blue beat u2 to top france honour irish band u2 have been honoured at frances biggest music awards but were beaten to prize by boy band blue u2 received special achievement prize at the nrj music awards but blue beat them to the international group award us band maroon_5 was named best new international artist and took the best international song title for this love more_than five million radio listeners voted in the awards the international male and female prizes went to usher and avril lavigne respectively collecting his bands award from model naomi campbell at the cannes ceremony u2 frontman bono said in french im not from this country but ill make little confession to you its at the cote dazur feel at home hosted by radio group nrj the ceremony featured performances from usher and jennifer_lopez who was accompanied by dancers clad in schoolgirl outfits us pop act black eyed peas picked up the best international album gong for elephunk singer jenifer also took home two awards for best french female singer and best french album french-canadian pop star roch voisine was named best francophone male artist
blunkett hints at election call ex-home secretary david blunkett has given fresh clues that the general_election will be announced on monday he told bbc radio five live im out in my constituency getting ready for what we presume will be an announcement very shortly at the weekend he clarified that he meant he would be in his sheffield seat this weekend not that he expected an election call then tony_blair is tipped to ask the queen on monday to dissolve parliament ready for may poll
blunkett sorry over murder plan david blunkett has apologised to mps after the home office announced prematurely via press release review of murder laws the home secretary confirmed the review was to get under way in the wake of law commission report which branded the current murder law as mess he said the review would look at partial defences to murder including provocation and at mandatory sentences the home office has already said the review will begin next year on wednesday home office spokeswoman said the terms of reference for the review had not been established but it was likely to include only england and wales news of the review was released because it was thought mr blunkett would make the official announcement in commons debate on wednesday but the announcement never came with the home secretary saying the debate had never reached that stage amid opposition anger mr blunkett had to answer an emergency question in parliament on thursday he said he had taken steps to ensure the incident was not repeated shadow home secretary david davis welcomed his gracious apology and the review itself but he argued the minister should have volunteered formal statement instead of having to be dragged to face mps in its report the law commission said it had found wide support among criminal justice professionals for an end to the mandatory life sentence for murder the panel suggested different kinds of murders could be graded to recognise the seriousness of the offence but the home office said mandatory life sentences would not be abolished and argued courts already had flexibility the commission an independent body including two judges senior barrister and sentencing experts had been asked to consider reforms to the defence of provocation in murder cases but it said its proposals were unlikely to work without far wider review of the law results of consultation exercise showed respondents out of among them judges believed mandatory life sentence for every murder was indefensible and should cease key question was whether one category should continue to cover all types of murder from mercy killings to serial or contract killings the commission found support for the idea of grading murders so that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence but speaking after the report was published home office minister baroness scotland said murder is the most serious of crimes and we have no intention of abolishing the mandatory life sentence where an offender is convicted of murder the court must pass life sentence the commission also recommended tightening the law so that the provocation defence cannot be used in cases where someone has killed for revenge such as jealous husband who murders an unfaithful wife
bmw drives record sales in asia bmw has forecast sales growth of at least in asia this year after registering record sales there in the luxury carmaker saw strong sales of its three marques bmw mini and rolls-royce in asia last year after the launch of three new models the company which is vying with mercedes-benz for the title of leading premium carmaker is confident about its prospects for the region in it is launching revamped version of its 3-series saloon class next month bmw sold nearly cars in asia last year up on bmw-brand sales rose to while sales of mini models rose to there was also significant increase in sales of rolls-royces on the continent bmw sold more_than of the iconic models compared with just ten the previous year the german carmaker is aiming to boost annual sales in asia to by here in asia we consider double-digit increase in retail on the order of to to be realistic on the basis of current features said helmut panke bmws group chief_executive china remains the main area of concern for bmw after sales there fell last year however bmw is hopeful of much better year in as its direct investment in china begins to pay dividends the company only began assembling luxury high-powered sedans in china in was generally good year for bmw which saw revenues from its core car-making operations rise
bollywood draws global stars british actress antonia bernath is making her debut in kisna the warrior poet marking growing trend for non-indian stars to appear in bollywood films directed by bollywood veteran subhash ghai the film is set in the british raj and bernath plays an army generals daughter who falls in love with rural boy kisna liked the fluid nature of film-making we improvised quite lot says bernath at times it felt very chaotic but mr ghai was quite clear about what he wanted picked from more_than girls in an audition in london bernath cut short her education at bristols old vic theatre school to take up the opportunity it is not often that somebody gets to play the lead role straight out of drama school she spent three weeks learning hindi and taking dance lessons initially was bit sceptical about how people would respond to me bernath says but found the hindi film industry very warm and encouraging even had few offers before the work on kisna was completed films are one of indias biggest exports and those like lagaan and monsoon wedding have broken the traditional boundaries of colour and culture spurred by this bollywood producers are trying to go global in all aspects of film-making be it technical or artistic from young heart-throbs like nick moran of lock stock and two smoking barrels to model sophie dahl many non-indian stars want to make the most of this opportunity bollywood has truly gone global says taran adarsh editor of indian film journal trade guide directors are now attempting to woo non-asian audience to increase their share in the overseas film market kisna has been shot simultaneously in hindi and english with the english print shortened by an hour to accommodate the western audience the film even has song composed in english by ar rahman the director of the popular west end musical bombay dreams identification is popular cinematic device use of european or american actors can be viewed as step in that direction says adarsh the cast of kisna also includes british actors michael maloney caroline langrishe and polly adams another actress annabelle wallace plays the lead role in bilingual romantic_comedy dil jo bhi kahey whatever the heart says which also stars indian screen legend amitabh bachchan actor and producer aamir khans forthcoming venture the rising is set against the backdrop of the indian mutiny of with british actor toby stephens in key role but it isnt only the western actors looking eastwards bollywood sweetheart aishwarya rai recently seen in bride and prejudice alongside new zealand actor martin henderson is building her international career and many other bollywood stars have their eyes set on hollywood hollywood or bollywood its the box_office that determines whether something is passing phase or trend says adarsh kisna the warrior poet opens in the uk on january
bond game fails to shake or stir for gaming fans the word goldeneye evokes excited memories not only of the james_bond revival flick of but also the classic shoot-em-up that accompanied it and left n64 owners glued to their consoles for many an hour adopting that hallowed title somewhat backfires on this new game for it fails to deliver on the promise of its name and struggles to generate the originals massive sense of fun this however is not sequel nor does it relate to the goldeneye film you are the eponymous renegade spy an agent who deserts to the bond worlds extensive ranks of criminal masterminds after being deemed too brutal for mi6 your new commander-in-chief is the portly auric goldfinger last seen in but happily running around bent on world domination with determination to justify its name which is even less convincing than that of tina turners similarly-titled theme song the game literally gives the player golden eye following an injury which enables degree of x-ray vision rogue agent signals its intentions by featuring james_bond initially and proceeding to kill him off within moments squashed by plummeting helicopter the notion is of course to add novel dark edge to game but the premise simply does not get the juices flowing like it needs to recent bond games like nightfire and everything or nothing were very competent and did fine job of capturing the sense of flair invention and glamour of the film franchise this title lacks that aura and when the bond magic shines through it feels like lucky accident the central problem is that the gameplay just is not good enough quite aside from the bizarre inability to jump the even more bizarre glaring graphical bugs and dubious enemy ai the levels simply are not put together with much style or imagination admittedly the competition has been tough even in recent weeks with the likes of halo_2 and half life triumphing in virtually every department what the game is good at is enveloping you in noisy dynamic scenes of violent chaos as is the trend of late you are made to feel like you are in the midst of really messy and fraught encounter sadly that sense of action is outweighed by the difficulty of navigating and battling within the chaos meaning that frustration is often the outcome and irregular save points mean you have to backtrack each time you are killed minute red dot passes for crosshair although the collision-detection is so suspect that the difficulties of aiming weapons are compensated for shooting enemies from distance can be tricky and you will not always know you have picked them off since dead enemies vanish literally before they have fully hit the floor and they do so in some woefully uninspiring death animations it is perhaps indicative of lack of confidence that the game makers allow you several different weapons almost immediately and throw you quickly into raging firefights no time is risked with measured build-up by far the most satisfying element of the game is seeing old favourites like dr no goldfinger hat-fiend oddjob and crazed russian sex beast xenia onatopp resurrected after all these years and with their faces rendered in an impressively recognisable fashion there is real thrill from doing battle with these legendary villains and it is testament to the power of the bond universe that they can cut such dash but the in-game niggles combined with story and presentation that just do not feel sufficiently well thought-through will make this disappointment for most diehard fans of bond will probably find enough here to make it worthwhile purchase and try to ignore the failings the game is weak not completely unplayable then again fanatics may also take umbrage at the cavalier blending of characters from different eras given james bonds healthy pedigree in past games there is every reason to hope that this is just blip commendable idea that just has not worked that will be rectified when the character inevitably makes his return goldeneye rogue agent is out now
boogeyman takes box_office lead the low-budget horror film boogeyman has knocked robert de niro thriller hide and seek from the top spot at the uk box_office the film in which young man is forced to revisit traumatic childhood experience took in its first three days on release hide and seek which was knocked off the top of the us box_office by boogeyman last month fell one place oscar_nominee hotel_rwanda was also new entry in the chart at number five the film which scored oscar nominations for don cheadle and british actress sophie_okonedo made in its first week of nationwide release comedy sequel meet_the_fockers and shall we dance starring jennifer_lopez and richard_gere completed the top five clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby re-entered the charts at number eight following its recent success at the oscars the boxing drama which won four awards including best film and best director has made 4.4m to date two other new entries remake of the film flight of the phoenix and the teen comedy harold and kumar get the munchies debuted outside the top
bookmakers back aviator for oscar the aviator has been tipped by uk bookmakers as the favourite to win the best film award at this years oscars ray star jamie_foxx is clear favourite in the best actor category while million dollar babys hilary_swank is tipped to win the best actress prize bookmakers predict cate_blanchett will be named best supporting actress william_hill and ladbrokes have given the aviator and odds of winning best film with million dollar_baby in second place at bet direct and bet also tip the aviator with the majority of bookmakers regarding finding_neverland as the outsider the aviator is also widely tipped to win the best director prize for martin_scorsese british star clive_owen is second favourite at william_hill to take the best supporting actor award for his performance in closer the favourite in that category is sideways star thomas hayden church vera_drake star imelda_staunton has odds of winning the best actress oscar at bet and william_hill ahead of fellow uk star kate_winslet who has odds of at william_hill mike_leigh is the outsider in the best director category for vera_drake position he holds jointly with rays taylor hackford at bookmakers vc bet this years academy awards will be handed out in hollywood on february x_factor judge sharon_osbourne will present sky televisions live coverage of the event meanwhile clive owens best supporting actor nomination has led bookmaker to shorten his odds of becoming the next james_bond he has moved from to favourite to play with hugh jackman and ewan mcgregor joint second favourite clive owens nomination has sparked betting frenzy from james_bond fans who feel that his heightened global recognition will have done his chances of becoming the next bond world of good said william_hill spokesman rupert adams
box_office blow for alexander director oliver stones historical_epic alexander has failed in its bid to conquer the box_office entering the us film charts at number six the swords and sandals blockbuster rumoured to have cost more_than $150m 79m to make earned just 7m over three days at the us box_office due to the thanksgiving holiday the film opened on wednesday bringing its total takings to $21.6m 11.4m top of the box_office for second week was action movie national treasure the family adventure starring nicolas cage took $33.1m 17.m ahead of animated comedy the incredibles now in its fourth week in the charts which took $24.1m 12.7m last week oliver stones film met with scathing reviews from us critics the film stars irish actor colin farrell as one of historys most celebrated leaders relentless and arrogant warrior who conquered much of the known world by the age of in particular its portrayal of alexander as bisexual has met with hostile reception and the threat of legal action from greek lawyers though the battles have the blood-and-sinew bravado you expect from oliver stone this three-hour buttnumbathon is hamstrung by hectoring grandiosity wrote one reviewer in rolling stone magazine others poured scorn on farrells bleached hair and angelina jolies unwieldy accent which variety called combination of mata hari and count dracula but novelist gore vidal defended the film saying it was barrier-breaking for its frank depiction of bisexuality in sweden last thursday to pick up lifetime_achievement award at the stockholm international film festival stone expressed the hope that alexander might be better appreciated in europe one of the reasons am being honoured here is europeans tend to see me little differently than they do in the us said the director behind jfk platoon and born on the fourth of july he added alexander was not an easy movie but then ive never made easy movies
brando rejected godfather role late film star marlon brando is said to have repeatedly turned down his oscar-winning role in the godfather the actors friend budd schulberg told vanity_fair magazine that brandos assistant suggested he read the novel the actor repeatedly refused throwing the book at her and saying for the last time wont glorify the mafia but brando who died last july at the age of eventually took the role of don corleone winning him an oscar in which he notoriously refused the actor sent young woman dressed in native american costume to refuse the award on his behalf and to draw attention to the plight of native americans schulberg told the magazine that brandos assistant realised the film star had warmed to the idea of the godfather role when he sported drawn-on pencil moustache and asked how do look his assistant alice marchak said that he looked like george raft an actor famed for playing gangsters on the silver screen every time she went to see brando from then on she added he was wearing different gangster-style moustache brando was asked to screen test for the role in the godfather as studio executives were said to be reluctant for the actor to play the part following problems on the set of brandos previous film mutiny on the bounty in fact brandos academy award triumph revived his career the actor was nominated for an oscar the following year for his role in bernardo bertoluccis last tango in paris before his death brando granted gaming company electronic_arts the rights to use his voice and image in video game based on the godfather film and book and recorded voice-overs which closely resembled his role as don corleone brandos co-stars from the godfather james caan and robert duvall will also reprise their roles for the video game it was confirmed on wednesday
branson show flops on us screens entrepreneur sir richard bransons us tv show the rebel billionaire is proving flop in the ratings the programme suffered poor viewing figures on its debut on the fox network three weeks ago and has lost one in five of its viewers since then the show is seen as foxs answer to the apprentice featuring tycoon donald trump ratings hit for rivals nbc sir richards show sees group of young entrepreneurs compete to become the president of his business empire the rebel billionaire has averaged five million viewers and is 91st in the rankings of all prime-time shows the apprentice which has already completed its first season is still managing to pull in million viewers while its prime-time ranking is number four but fox has said it plans to stick with bransons show throughout its 12-episode run its going to remain on the air said the networks spokesman scott grogin creatively were extremely pleased with the show and hope the audience will find it he added contestants on sir richards show are confronted with business tasks to solve similar to the apprentice they are also subjected to stunts like walking plank suspended in mid-air the rebel billionaire has marketed itself as less materialistic version of the apprentice with sir richard shown jumping out of taxi while trump is seen in limousine
brentford southampton griffin park tuesday march gmt barry knight kent home to manchester_united in the quarter-finals midfielder andrew frampton and striker deon burton are both slight doubts with hamstring injuries but should be fit saints are missing their entire first-choice midfield of jamie redknapp graeme le saux nigel quashie and david prutton anders svensson and matt oakley are likely replacements with kevin phillips also scheduled to start with henri camara rested brentford boss martin allen after conceding eight goals in our last three matches have to admit im not very confident theres no doubt were the underdogs and after defending so poorly recently its not looking good southampton have just drawn with the premiership champions and that makes our task harder than it was already southampton boss harry_redknapp we know they can give us problems brentford have done well but we are the premiership side and should have the better players staying in the premiership is our priority we want to win of course we do well battle but if it comes to football match think well win key match stats brentford are the lowest ranked club left in the fa_cup theyre on their best run in the competition since reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth time in their history years ago now they have the carrot of the plum draw in the last eight dangling before them victory over premiership strugglers southampton would bring the mighty manchester_united to griffin park and gigantic pay day for the sole league one survivors martin allens brave side came back from two goals down at st marys to earn deserved replay southampton striker henri camara scored twice from close range to put the saints in command but isaiah rankin hit back just before half time and sam sodje headed past creaky defence on minutes the londoners have conceded six goals in their two subsequent league outings three each in losing away to hartlepool and drawing at home to sheffield wednesday but they havent lost in six league and cup games on home turf winning three and drawing three since the reverse to torquay on boxing day southampton go into this tie on the back of an eventful premiership match with arsenal on saturday an angry david prutton pushed referee alan wiley after being shown the red card but his side still came back to draw it was saints fourth stalemate in succession in all competitions but didnt lift them out of the relegation zone the retention of their ever present premier_league status must be the number one priority irrespective of the rewards that success against brentford would bring victory here would set up repeat of the final when saints astounded the football world by defeating tommy dochertys manchester_united courtesy of bobby stokes famous winner they also knocked out the red devils in on penalties in the fourth round but to write another chapter in their fa_cup history the solent side must avoid succumbing to lower division opposition for the first time since rotherham from the second level beat them in third round tie at millmoor on january southampton were last humbled by club from the third tier six years ago fulham were then in the second division when they won third round replay at craven cottage on january to get to within two matches of second visit to the millennium_stadium in three years for the final harry_redknapp must guide his side past club places inferior on the league ladder and manager years his junior who played under him at west_ham head to head 10th league one quarter-finals four times 18th prem winners once
bristol city milton keynes leroy lita took his goal tally to for the season as his double earned city an ldv vans trophy win the striker finished off scott murray cross from close range just seconds before half-time lita then made it on minutes but dons substitute serge makofo then netted great volley to make it the visitors almost took the tie to extra time with late 30-yard bullet from richard johnson which was well held by steve phillips phillips amankwaah coles hill fortune murray anyinsah doherty harley dinning bell lita cotterill gillespie subs not used orr brown hill lita bevan oyedele ntimban-zeh crooks puncheon kamara makofo chorley herve mckoy tapp johnson mackie pacquette subs not used martin palmer pacquette chorley johnson mckoy makofo ross essex
brit awards for devon music acts devon singer joss_stone and rock band muse won coveted brit awards during the events 25th anniversary seventeen-year-old stone from near cullumpton won two awards best british female act and best urban act out of three award nominations muse whose members met in south devon beat franz_ferdinand jamie cullum kasabian and the libertines for best british live act the band has sold about two million records worldwide after beating amy winehouse jamelia natasha_bedingfield and pj harvey to the best british female prize joss_stone said dont know what to say dont like doing this at all id like to thank my family for being really supportive and everybody that made my record with me dont even know what to do right now thank you all you guys for voting for me feel sick right now viewers of digital music tv channel mtv base voted stone the winner in the best urban act category ms stone also performed her song right to be wrong backed by gospel choir at the 25th award ceremony at londons earls court her second album mind body soul reached number one in the uk charts last october and went straight into the us charts at number the teenager also has grammy nominations in the us normally dominated by home-grown acts born jocelyn stoker the devon diva started her career in bbc talent programme and was then discovered at new_york audition by us record executive steve greenberg indie rock group muse consists of matthew bellamy chris wolstenholme and dominic howard who met in their early teens in teignmouth south devon dominic howard said of winning we love playing live its very important for our band so to win something like this really feels great the trio met aged and formed the band gothic plague changing its name to fixed penalty rocket baby dolls and finally muse the band released its first self-titled ep in the third studio album absolution was released in providing the hit singles time is running out hysteria and butterflies and hurricanes
britain boosted by holmes double athletics fans endured year of mixed emotions in as stunning victories went hand-in-hand with disappointing defeats and more drugs scandals kelly_holmes finally fulfilled her potential by storming to double gold on the track at the olympic games holmes helped erase the gloom hanging over team gb after their biggest medal hope paula_radcliffe dropped out of the marathon and then the 10,000m britains mens 4x100m_relay team also did their bit by taking shock gold holmes had started the year in disappointing style falling over in the final of 1500m at the world indoor_championships where she was favourite her olympic build-up was clouded by self doubt but that proved unfounded as she overhauled rival maria mutola to win the 800m her first global title just five days later the 34-year-old made it double gold in the 1500m it was the first time in years briton has achieved the olympic middle-distance double while holmes left athens as the star of team gb it was radcliffe who carried expectations before the august games the 30-year-old marathon world record holder went into the athens event as favourite but an exhausted radcliffe dropped out after miles in tears her decision to enter the 10,000m five days later also backfired as she again pulled out with eight laps remaining but radcliffe helped put her olympic trauma behind her with thrilling win in novembers new_york marathon the 4x100m team grabbed some last-gasp glory for the british mens olympic squad after poor start to the games it seemed as though athens would be the first games where the men would fail to win medal with michael east the only individual track finalist in the 1500m but darren campell jason_gardener marlon devonish and mark_lewis-francis made amends in the sprint relay the quartet held off favourites the usa to win britains first relay medal since in seconds gardener added the olympic relay crown to his world indoor title over 60m and just like holmes finally lived up to his promise in kelly_sotherton completed team gbs athletics medal haul in athens with surprise bronze in the heptathlon the 28-year-old won her first championship medal since becoming full-time athlete in but it was different story for britains defending champion denise lewis who withdrew on day two of the competition after some poor results lewis who was troubled by injury has ruled out retiring while sotherton is tipped to build on her success the athens_olympics proved to be landmark occasion for steve backley who retired from competition after finishing fourth in the javelin the battling 35-year-old leaves the sport with vast medal haul including two silvers and one olympic bronze and backleys departure was balanced by the return of injury-hit decathlete dean macey who came fourth in athens the continued improvement of sprinter abi oyepitan and long jumper chris tomlinson also boosted team gb sadly the olympics did not escape the problems of drugs misuse on the eve of the games greek_sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou missed drugs test and claimed to have been involved in road crash kenteris the 200m champion in and thanou have since been charged by the greek authorities and await trial at the games adrian annus hammer robert fazelas discus and irina korzhanenko shot were all stripped of their titles because of doping issues hungarian compatriots annus and fazelas both refused to give urine samples while russian korzhanenko tested positive for the steroid stanozolol the fallout from the thg scandal which rocked the sport in continued to impact in olympic year britains 4x100m team took gold without the services of dwain chambers who was handed two-year ban in february after testing positive for steroid thg american kelli white was suspended and stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing drugs test and world 400m champion jerome young landed life ban from us chiefs after second doping offence russian pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva provided some light relief by smashing the world record seven times on her way to the world indoor and olympic titles her rivalry with compatriot svetlana feofanova livened up the field events moroccos hicham_el guerrouj also delighted fans by racing to historic olympic double in the 1500m and 5,000m and though there was no paula_radcliffe in the london marathon there was plenty of drama as kenyans evans rutto and margaret okayo took the titles rutto held on to win despite slipping on some cobblestones and tumbling into barrier okayo also had to battle back after mistiming her tactics but clinched victory on her debut
british library gets wireless net visitors to the british library will be able to get wireless internet access alongside the extensive information available in its famous reading rooms broadband wireless connectivity will be made available in the eleven reading rooms the auditorium caf&#233 restaurant and outdoor piazza area study revealed that of visitors to the library carried laptops the technology has been on trial since may and usage levels make the library londons most active public hotspot previously many were leaving the building to go to nearby internet caf&#233 to access their e-mail the study found at the british library we are continually exploring ways in which technology can help us to improve services to our users said lynne brindley chief_executive of the british library surveys we conducted recently confirmed that alongside the materials they consult here our users want to be able to access the internet when they are at the library for research or to communicate with colleagues she said the service will be priced at for an hours session or for monthly pass the study conducted by consultancy building zones found that of visitors came to the library to sit down and use it as business centre this could be because of its proximity to busy mainline stations such as kings cross and euston the study also found that people were spending an average of six hours in the building making it an ideal wireless hotspot since may the service has registered sessions per week making it londons most active public hotspot the majority of visitors wanted to be able to access their e-mail as well as the british library catalogue the service has been rolled out in partnership with wireless provider the cloud and hewlett packard it will operate independently from the librarys existing network the british library receives around visitors each day and serves around readers each year people come to view resources which include the worlds largest collection of patents and the uks most extensive collection of science technology and medical information the library receives between three and four million requests from remote users around the world each year
british stars denied major oscars british hopes of winning major oscars were dashed as uk stars failed to win acting and directing prizes despite three nominations mike_leighs vera_drake failed to take the director or screenplay awards and there was no prize for star imelda_staunton kate_winslet also lost to best actress hilary_swank while clive_owen and sophie_okonedo failed to win best supporting actor awards the uks andrea_arnold won the short film award for her gritty drama wasp arnold who presented childrens television shows number and motormouth in the 1980s said it was totally overwhelming to win wasp tells_the_story of single mother living on the breadline beating films by fellow uk nominees gary mckendry and ashvin kumar everyone worked extremely hard they know who they are arnold said as she accepted the prize the beers are on me when we get home earlier british costume designer sandy powell won the oscar for the aviator beating finding neverlands uk designer alexandra byrne in the process im very thrilled for the film and all the people who worked with me said ms powell hopefully ill be staying up to celebrate ive been sick for three days and want to make it through the night the british visual effects team behind harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban were less fortunate however losing the oscar in that category to spider-man before sundays ceremony owen was bookmakers favourite for his role in romantic drama closer that had already clinched him golden_globe award it was the first time actress okonedo had been shortlisted chosen for her performance in hotel_rwanda about the rwandan_genocide it was also debut nomination for staunton who played abortionist vera_drake in mike_leighs film leigh had previously received three oscar nominations for secrets and lies and topsy turvy winslet said she was ecstatic about the fourth oscar nomination of her career this time for her lead role in eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind among other british talent nominated for oscars composer andrew lloyd webber and lyricist charles hart were nominated for best original song for learn to be lonely from the phantom_of_the_opera movie that award was won by al otro lado del rio from the motorcycle_diaries cinematographer john mathieson who was nominated for gladiator in was also up for the phantom_of_the_opera but lost to the aviator finding_neverland garnered another nomination for british talent with gemma jackson shortlisted for the art direction prize she lost in that category to the aviator spokesman for the uk film council said it is disappointing not to have more british winners he added it was extraordinary to have british nominees in the initial list of nominees
britney attacks false tabloids pop star britney_spears has attacked false and desperate us tabloid magazines questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant in letter on her website the singer named celebrity tabloids us weekly in touch and star as the worst offenders until you face what is going on in your life guess youll remain false tabloid the 23-year-old wrote stories about the state of her marriage to kevin federline and rumours about pregnancy have recently appeared but the chart-topping singers letter did not shed any further light on those stories in february spears clashed with us weekly for publishing pictures of her honeymoon in fiji without permission the couple who married in los_angeles last september claimed staff took photographs of them which were later sold they said they allowed the pictures to be taken after they were assured they would only be used for private scrapbook which they later received as souvenir us magazine was unrepentant about their decision to publish saying britney should start her own magazine if shed like to dictate her own coverage coming from celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter its unlikely the issue here is privacy they added spears claimed that other magazines were approached with the pictures but chose to contact her instead
briton wins short film oscar three of the five nominees in the live-action short film category at this years oscars were british for andrea_arnold who won the category ashvin kumar and gary mckendry the past month has thrust them from relative obscurity into the limelight arnolds gritty drama wasp is about single mother living on the breadline while kumars little terrorist follows young pakistani muslim boy who gets stuck on the wrong side of the heavily armed indian border mckendrys entry everything in this country must forces british soldiers and catholics to challenge their relationship during the troubles in northern_ireland last week the trio attended an official screening of all the nominated short films at the academys headquarters in beverly_hills felt so privileged to have thousand people watching my film on the biggest screen ive ever seen says arnold set in her native dartford wasp tells_the_story of young mum who unable to find babysitter leaves her four young daughters outside pub while shes on date the image that sparked the film was that of wasp crawling into babys mouth the other nominees said they made their films for this reason or that they had something to say but just start with an image cant shake off work outwards from that and see what comes out she explains since she presented childrens tv shows number and motormouth in the 1980s arnold has kept low profile and is having trouble adapting to this sudden onslaught of attention im not interested in the publicity its not my personality im overwhelmed by all the fuss she said its all bit like beauty contest all the films are great and so different but even though my film has won awards worldwide including one at sundance last month id still be proud of it even if it hadnt won any asked what the nomination means to her arnold says she feels flattered and honoured weve all been overwhelmed by the response and cant get it in perspective yet im still reeling and she wont commit to an opinion of hollywood yet im just in the middle of it living moment to moment day to day but despite her reservations about the academy awards and the media frenzy that surrounds it she accepts that it has opened doors for her people will definitely listen to what want to do now and the phone didnt stop ringing for week after got nominated as for the future arnold firmly believes that you often get stronger vision of the world with short films youre left more to your own devices without people interfering as much that said she is currently working on feature film with dogville and dancer in the dark director lars von trier
brits debate over urban music joss_stone 17-year-old soul singer from devon beat dizzee rascal jamelia lemar and the streets to win best british urban act at the brit awards her victory has reignited the debate about what urban music is im not really comfortable with the word urban its word thats been manufactured in this country and america to describe black music the word urban seems to cover such broad range of black music that its wrong how far are the brits removed from inner-city music and what people are doing its so far removed that dont expect them to get it bang on the music industry isnt championing music from our particular genre very well anyway people dont feel like thats anything to do with us dont feel like urban musics just been celebrated by joss_stone winning or her being nominated or by the brits acknowledging that theres an urban music scene because its all kick in the teeth at the end of the day its not really relevant if joss_stone is the closest thing that they feel comfortable championing because of what she looks like and how she sounds and who shes signed to then so be it its got nothing to do with whats really going on urban as genre is very broad if you look underneath urban there are number of core elements that include hip-hop r&b garage and into that obviously comes soul joss_stone is soul artist her first album was called the soul sessions so urban is very broad brushstroke that is the umbrella over the top of sub-genres and there are offshoots of all of those joss_stone has had amazing success in the us given that shes uk artist what has really captured everybodys imagination is that here you have 17-year-old from devon with voice to die for and bunch of really really good tunes and she looks good think thats whats done it the award for best british urban act was voted for by viewers of mtv base dont think joss was not worthy winner she makes soul music and that definitely comes under the category of what we describe as urban the fact that shes from devon is the interesting thing because most of the music we cover is made in large cities and shes literally rural the great thing about urban music is that theres big range if there is some sort of root with black music or dance music in britain think thats where you can call it urban thats where this new sub-category or uber-category has come from joss_stone is certainly not old enough to have had some of the experiences of an older soul singer but you couldnt argue that she was being inauthentic with her emotions it is coming from somewhere genuine it has to come across as real thats the only cut-off point we have here and thats the only way by which we judge people what urban means to us as an organisation is the politically correct term to describe music which originated from black background music should become inclusive and if we are fighting for multi-cultural britain then we should be fighting for inclusion rather_than exclusion if joss_stone can be accepted within the urban music community think acts from other ethnicities doing classical music and rock should be accepted too race doesnt make difference if everyone is included out of all the awards dished out yesterday im still trying to find out what people of other races received any sort of recognition or award type of music especially street music that originates from city and typically reflects or is characteristic of urban life she might not be urban but when did r&b become the hip_hop tainted thing it is now r&b stands for rhythm and blues remember that joss_stone is rubbish is certain if anyone deserves to win an award for urban music think probably should include hip-hop soul funk at least but not rock or pop this year its the streets although dizzee rascal stakes good claim she definitely deserved to win prize joss stones albums are quite simply amazing easily better than anything else that was released last year this whole debate about what is urban what isnt urban is completely pointless and probably fueled by urban artists who werent nominated or didnt win cant see why people cant just congratulate her for the talent that she is she did deserve it but agree with the comments about urban music its stupid phrase and particularly british in the states they tend to use hip_hop and r&b if say hip_hop here lot of people have no idea what im talking about very strange whats in name rose by any other name etc if people want to call it urban why not if we really analysed it the term dance music is misleading because it doesnt describe everything you can dance to whilst agree that the term urban is open to interpretation it strikes me as simply weird that joss_stone has won urban to me is what hear being played in parties in the inner cities live in brixton and have never heard the soul sessions pumping out of of bass heavy sound system in any parties ive been to good luck to joss_stone lets celebrate her victory lets also question why with artists so successful and talented as jamelia lemar kanye_west dizzee rascal alicia_keys and outkast we didnt see single black artist on stage collecting an award so what youre saying is that any music that has black heritage is not allowed to be sung by anyone who isnt black and if it is then they shouldnt be acknowledged for it even if theyre pretty dam good at it shes has an amazing voice and won good on her oh but shes not black well lets make her feel real bad about it then how dare she though hang on didnt the so-called public vote on this one this idea of pigeonholing whatever is popular at the time is no different than what was happening in the 1940s and 50s in relation to what jazz was the media then called anything that had swinging beat syncopated melody or soulful feeling jazz much to the chagrin of the artists it would mean that blues would be put in the same mould as bebop cool and ragtime all very different styles at that time jazz was and remains such massively misunderstood term and so what of urban music in truth its lazy term to categorise music that you dont really understand soul and garage are worlds apart musically marvin gaye tuff jam but no doubt have their connections if we just let the music speak for itself and not judge the success of an artist by the number of awards won then maybe we can enjoy the music for what it is rather_than what it represents demand prize for rural music sucks to the cities- its way better out here we have hay for one thing excluding her from what has become known as urban music would be as bad as excluding lenny kravitz or hendrix from rock music for being black surely dont understand the point that ty is making if lemar who makes music which is less soulful than joss work won he might have said nothing btw im black too how can she be urban if she spent most of her life in the devon countryside nonsense love joss to bits and dont care what her branding is its amazing music full stop stop puting it all in brackets and lets just call it music and lets especially drop the black urban tag nearly all music came from black origin this just sets an example that it is ok to pigeonhole people and their music by their colour surely the point of having an urban music category is simply to acknowledge artists that are making what is historically considered urban music irrelevent of the colour of their skin or where they originate from joss_stone is simply singing certain type of music that can be considered urban in style just as someone from an inner city and indeed not from the usa could sing country music if that person was good at it and authentic in sound would we criticise it being referred to as country music or the artist for representing that style the term urban in reference to music genre in uk has developed in part from the controversy surrounding the branding of the mobo awards the very term music of black origin has confused and offended many people this is particularly strange given the existence of the asian music awards it appears that the use of black or white in relation to music makes people feel uncomfortable the term urban therefore has been invoked to sidestep the debate of which type of music came first black or white thereby rendering the issue colourblind the result is now redundant new debate as to what urban also means perhaps we should have created new term altogether to describe the various strains of soul/rnb and hip-hop one which does not also mean something else as we have done with crunk urban is just word thats come about recently to describe black music thats become popular now the word wasnt even in use or common use five of six years ago its just way of the industry clumping it all together without having to call it black music because some people are oversensitive and might call them racist for it im in band that has been called urban and despise the label id hate to think belonged to any neat marketing niche because thats all it is ever since the music channels and record comapnies tried to fracture what they consider music of black origin these labels have been used to undermine the status of good music into commodity look at all the tv broadcasters unable to reach young people without condesending they simply play some urban music on the soundtrack as if its some dreadful cheap lift music ignore the labels it is what it is just music as black man think agree with some of the statements at least the statements made by the key executives black people should lead the music they invented we should stop calling genre meaningless northing is meaningless the real question is would joss_stone would have been that successful doing the music she was doing if she were black same thing with streets amy winehouse etc whos ever heard of terri walker or rhian benson they are both times better than joss_stone and both of them have won urban music awards and think mobos but why not brits so what if joss_stone won the urban awards her music is great soul and surely that is under the urban banner what if the streets had won would people be whining because mike skinner is white it seems that lot of the fuss is about race where the real issue should be music and nothing else urban is pc version for saying black music im not doubting ms stones talent but why didnt jamelia or lemar get brit this reminds me of what happened to craig david and soul ii soul in the past getting nominations are easy to get but picking up brit seems to be the hardest thing refreshing to see people making reasonable intelligent comments on any topic these days more power to you people you have said it there is music you like and music you dont like who cares what label you put on it that entire category was mess how can you have people like dizzee rascal up against joss_stone its like putting eminem against bob geldof she should have been nominated for best british act joss_stone deserved to win an award for her talents but dont think it was very urban of her to sing angels with robbie_williams urban is nonsense term music of black origin well doesnt that include rock music made in the inner cities well almost all bands end up making music in london/manchester etc and doesnt that make some weird implication that all black people live in cities it doesnt make any sense why does music have to be put into genre its music you like it or you dont simple as that play in heavy_metal band we are urban music as far as im concerned we live in cities and spend our working life in an urban environment it therefore directly shapes what we write musically urban seems to be the new name for all styles of black music why it needed rebrand dont know as the name is misleading oasis originate from city and characterise the urban life they know therefore more_than fit the term urban yet as theyre white rock band they wont be described as such joss_stone has fantastic voice and great timing and delivery what other reason do they need to award her the brit all this urban and other such categorisation is just the red-tape of the music business and is best ignored yeah she deserved it she is talented urban is crap meaningless politically correct and probably actually racist marketing term though theres only two kinds of music good and bad
brits return keane to number one brits success has helped return keanes award-winning album hopes and fears back to the top of the uk album chart the debut album which took the best british album title at the brits on tuesday moved up seven places from number eight to number one also capitalising on brits success were the scissor sisters whose eponymous album moved three places to number two u2s latest single sometimes you cant make it on your own took the top spot in the singles_chart ahead of elvis the track from their current album how to dismantle_an_atomic bomb pushed eminems like toy_soldiers from number one to number three elvis wooden heart which entered the chart at number two is the sixth in series of reissues to mark the 70th anniversary of presleys birth there are currently six re-released elvis tracks occupying spots in the top singles_chart including are you lonesome tonight at number its now or never at number and jailhouse rock at number soldier by destinys child ti and lil wayne debuted at number four while almost here the duet from former westlife star brian_mcfadden and delta_goodrem fell from number three to number five there was more follow up to brits success for franz_ferdinand won best rock act and best british group last week their self-titled album moved from to number four last weeks number one album tourist by athlete fell to number three
brizzel to run aaas in sheffield ballymena sprinter paul brizzel will be among eight of irelands european indoor hopefuls competing in this weekends aaas championships us-based alistair cragg and mark carroll are the only irish athletes selected so far for the europeans who will not run in sheffield brizzel will defend his 200m title in the british trials in-form james mcilroy will hope to confirm his place in the british team for madrid by winning the 800m title mcilroy has been in tremendous form on the european circuit in recent weeks he is one of the fastest 800m runners in the world this winter and already seems assured of place in madrid corkman mark carroll confirmed in midweek that he would join cragg in the european championships carroll is ranked number three in the world 3000m ranking at the moment with cragg occupying top spot meanwhile nine-times champion dermot donnelly will not be coming out of retirement to compete in the northern_ireland cross country championships in coleraine on saturday an injury crisis in the annadale striders squad led to donnelly being entered by coach john mclaughlin but the athlete told bbc sport on friday evening that he would not be running willowfields paul rowan will go in as individual favourite but annadale could have tough job holding on to their team title as andrew dunwoody and noel pollock are unlikely to run
brookside actress keaveney dies actress anna keaveney who appeared in brookside my family and touch of frost has died of lung cancer aged keaveney who played brooksides marie jackson when the channel_4 soap began in died on saturday born in runcorn cheshire she also starred in numerous films including 1989s shirley valentine she played nellie in mike_leighs latest film vera_drake which won the golden lion prize for best film at this years venice film festival and most recently she appeared alongside richard wilson in itvs king of fridges and with martin clunes in doc martin other tv appearances included the part of matron in itv drama footballers wives and cameo role as tom farrells mother sheila in bbc comedy gimme gimme gimme keaveneys career also included stage performances in neaptide for the national theatre private lives and the rise and fall of little voice the actress died in hospital her agent barry brown said anna was due to have had another operation on friday but unfortunately she was too weak
brookside creators channel_4 bid the creator of defunct tv soap brookside has written to the culture minister to offer to buy channel_4 phil redmond now chairman of mersey tv told tessa jowell he would run it with its current remit intact for the next years but media watchdog ofcom has said the the commercially funded public service broadcaster will not be privatised spokesman for the department for culture media and sport said there were no plans to sell the channel he added that primary legislation would be required for the station to be sold off which the government was not intending to introduce brookside was axed in after its ratings slumped from peak of seven million to just million redmond also brought teen soap hollyoaks to channel_4 and created grange hill the school-based drama serial which was first broadcast on bbc one in he was awarded the cbe for services to drama earlier this year
brown visits slum on africa trip chancellor gordon_brown has visited kenyas biggest shantytown as he opened week-long visit to africa mr browns trip is designed to highlight how the uk wants to make africas problems priority of its chairmanship of the g8 this year he will see an hiv/aids orphanage in tanzania and womens credit union in mozambique before chairing meeting of the commission for africa in cape town at slums in narobi on wednesday he said education needs had to be tackled speaking outside the olympic primary school mr brown said it is simply not acceptable in the modern age for the rest of the world to stand by and have hundreds of millions of children not getting the chance at education he pointed to international plans to invest $10bn for education in africa over the next decade the school is on the edge of kibera where live often in huts made of mud scrap metal and cardboard mr browns aides say he wants to find out more about the kenyan governments education policies which included introducing free primary education in early the chancellor has already unveiled proposals for g8 aid package which he has likened to the marshall plan used by the united_states to rebuild europe after world war two the trip follows claims of infighting between mr brown and tony_blair detailed in new book conservative leader michael_howard is expected to seize on those reports at prime_ministers questions at gmt on wednesday
bryan twins keep us hopes alive the united_states kept the davis_cup final alive with victory in saturdays doubles rubber leaving spain ahead going into the final day masters cup champions mike and bob bryan thrashed juan_carlos ferrero and tommy_robredo in front of partisan crowd in seville victory would have given spain the title but they were outclassed in sundays reverse singles carlos_moya takes on andy_roddick before rafael_nadal faces mardy fish it feels good but its not going to be as good if we dont win two tomorrow said mike bryan it feels good to give those guys another shot and spain has to go to sleep on that bob bryan added im really confident in andy winning that first match and then anything can happen spain coach jordi arrese chose to rest 18-year-old nadal in the doubles after his epic singles win over roddick on friday he was replaced by former world number one ferrero but the spanish pair were out of their depth against one of the worlds best doubles teams the 26-year-old bryan twins have won all four of their davis_cup matches this year and they quickly silenced the huge crowd at the olympic stadium racing through the opening set to love the spaniards then twice surrendered breaks of serve at the start of the second before the bryans broke to go ahead and served out when robredo dropped serve in the opening game of the third set the match was all but over and the unflappable bryan brothers powered on to an impressive win ferrero who was upset to be dropped for fridays singles hinted at further dissatisfaction after the defeat it was difficult game against the best doubles players he said they have everything calculated and we had very little to do was bit surprised that was named to play the doubles match because hardly play doubles arrese said juan_carlos hasnt played at all badly he played the right way but the bryans are great doubles players
budget aston takes on porsche british car maker aston martin has gone head-to-head with porsches sports cars with the launch of its cheapest model yet with price tag under the v8 vantage is tens_of_thousands of pounds cheaper than existing aston models the vantage is the most important car in the history of our company said astons chief_executive ulrich bez aston whose cars were famously used by james_bond will unveil the vantage at the geneva motor show on thursday mr bez himself former executive at rival porsche said the new car was the companys most affordable car ever and makes the brand accessible this in turn would make aston martin globally visible but still very very exclusive he added first shown as concept car at the north american international auto show in detroit the v8 vantage will be available in the uk in late summer development costs for the vantage have been kept low by sharing platform with astons db9 which mr bez described as the previous most important car for our company there is currently an months waiting list for the db9 mr bez said the vantage will be built at the new aston factory in gaydon near warwick and should more_than double astons total output from about presently
buffy creator joins wonder woman the creator of buffy the vampire slayer is to take on new female superhero after signing up to write and direct the wonder woman movie joss whedon described the dc comics character as the most iconic female heroine of our time in way no one has met her yet he said what love most about icons is finding out whats behind them exploring the price of their power linda carter played the character in the 1970s tv series the character of wonder woman famed for her red and gold costume was born on paradise island and was blessed with the powers of strength and flight the film is being produced by joel silver producer of the matrix trilogy theres no one better than joss to adapt the legendary wonder woman comic book character created in the 1940s into dynamic feature film for 21st_century audiences said silver wonder woman was the first great female superhero to emerge from comic books and later inspire millions of fans in her television incarnation but this groundbreaking heroine has yet to be reinvented for the feature film arena whedon created the character of buffy in the screenplay for the film he distanced himself from the movie because of the direction it eventually took and the film bombed but he did not give up on the slayer and went on to write and executive produce seven seasons of the cult tv series he also produced the spin-off angel series he is currently directing the film serenity based on his short-lived sci-fi series firefly
butler strikes gold in spain britains kathy butler continued her impressive year with victory in sundays 25th cross internacional de venta de banos in spain the scot who led gb to world cross country bronze earlier this year moved away from the field with ines monteiro halfway into the 6.6km race she then shrugged off her portuguese rival to win in minutes seconds meanwhile briton karl keska battled bravely to finish seventh in the mens 10.6km race in time of kenenisa bekele of ethiopia the reigning world long and short course champion was never troubled by any of the opposition winning leisurely in butler said of her success felt great throughout the race and hope this is good beginning for marvellous season for me elsewhere abebe dinkessa of ethiopia won the brussels iaaf cross-country race on sunday completing the 10,500m course in gelete burka then crowned great day for ethiopia by claiming victory in the womens race
byrds producer melcher dies at record producer terry melcher who was behind hits by the byrds ry cooder and the beach boys has died aged the son of actress doris day he helped write kokomo for the beach boys which was used in the movie cocktail earning golden_globe nomination he also produced mr tambourine man for the byrds as well as other his such as turn turn turn melcher died on friday night at his home in beverly_hills california after long battle with skin cancer he joined columbia records as producer in the mid-1960s and also worked with gram parsons and the mamas and the papas earlier in his career melcher had hits as part of duo called bruce terry with future beach boy bruce johnston which evolved into the rip chords group melcher also worked closely with his mother producing the doris day show and helping to run her charitable activities in his name became linked with the charles manson murders which saw the deaths of actress sharon tate and four of her friends at home which melcher once rented rumours circulated that melcher who knew manson was the killers real target because he had turned him down for record contract but los_angeles police discounted the rumours pointing out melcher had moved to malibu and manson knew of his new address
cage films third week at us top nicolas cage movie national treasure has topped the us and canada box_office for the third week in row national treasure made $17.1m 8.8m in ticket sales from friday to sunday according to studio estimates taking its total to $110.2m 56.7m comedy christmas with the kranks starring tim allen and jamie lee curtis was in second place the polar express entered in third place while jude law film closer made its debut at number six oliver stones big-budget epic alexander starring colin farrell followed last weeks disappointing sixth-place opening with slump to seventh place and takings of $4.7m 2.4m critics have savaged the three-hour epic which reportedly cost $150m 77m to make national treasure which sees cages character ben gates chase hidden fortune has been made by disney studios it is cages fourth collaboration with jerry bruckheimer who is usually noted for his male-orientated action films
call for kenteris to be cleared kostas_kenteris lawyer has called for the doping charges against the greek sprinter to be dropped gregory_ioannidis has submitted new evidence to greek athletics tribunal which he claims proves the former olympic champion has no case to answer kenteris and compatriot katerina thanou were given provisional suspensions in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens_olympics the greek tribunal is expected to give its verdict early next week kenteris and thanou withdrew from the athens_olympics last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony they were also alleged to have avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games but ioannidis said everything overwhelmingly shows that the charges should be dropped ioannidis also said he has presented evidence that will throw different light on the events leading up to the pairs sensational withdrawal from the athens games the lawyer added that he has proof the authorities knew kenteris was in germany at the time he was alleged to have missed test in chicago nick davies spokesman for athletics ruling body the iaaf which handed out the provisional bans said we cant comment because we were not present at the hearing and dont know what was said behind closed doors we expect verdict from the greek athletics federation before the end of february and will obviously be making statement then kenteris won 200m gold at the sydney olympics while thanou won silver in the 100m
campaigners attack mtv sleaze mtv has been criticised for incessant sleaze by television indecency campaigners in the us the parents television council ptc which monitors violence and sex on tv said the cable music channel offered the cheapest form of programming the group is at the forefront of vociferous campaign to clean up american television but spokeswoman for mtv said it was unfair and inaccurate to single out mtv for criticism the ptc monitored mtvs output for hours from march to march during the channels spring break coverage in its report mtv smut peddlers targeting kids with sex drugs and alcohol the ptc said it witnessed flashes of nudity or sexual situations and verbal references to sex brent bozell ptc president and conservative activist said mtv is blatantly selling raunchy sex to kids compared to broadcast television programmes aimed at adults mtvs programming contains substantially more sex foul language and violence and mtvs shows are aimed at children as young as theres no question that tv influences the attitudes and perceptions of young viewers and mtv is deliberately marketing its raunch to millions of innocent children the watchdog decided to look at mtvs programmes after janet_jacksons infamous wardrobe malfunction at last years super_bowl the breast-baring incident generated complaints and cbs which is owned by the same parent company as mtv was quick to apologise mtv spokeswoman jeannie kedas said the network follows the same standards as broadcasters and reflects the culture and what its viewers are interested in its unfair and inaccurate to paint mtv with that brush of irresponsibility she said we think its underestimating young peoples intellect and level of sophistication ms kedas also highlighted the fact mtv won an award in for the fight for your rights series that focused on issues such as sexual health and tolerance
campbell to extend sprint career darren campbell has set his sights on running quicker than ever after deciding not to retire from sprinting campbell who won olympic 4x100m_relay gold had been unsure about his future but he told five lives sportsweek had to get back into training before could decide because if didnt have the same hunger id have to walk away ive started back and im thoroughly enjoying it im looking forward to it ive got to run under seconds for 100m and under seconds for 200m campbell was part of the british quartet who shocked the americans to win relay gold in athens in august the newport-based athlete and team-mates jason_gardener marlon devonish and mark_lewis-francis were rewarded with mbes in the new year honours list campbells relay triumph made up for his disappointing displays in the individual 100m and 200m events in athens when he failed to reach the finals the 31-year-old who won olympic 200m silver in sydney in said during the games that hamstring_injury had stopped him from running at his best he was criticised at the time by former olympic champion michael johnson who cast doubt on campbells injury claims to go to athens and finally get the gold ive been trying to get for years was big relief said campbell it was chance for me to prove that if id been fit would have been challenging for the individual medals every season go and challenge for the medals so why would last season have been any different its just unfortunate that picked up that injury just before the olympics campbell set his 100m personal best of 10.04secs when he won the european title in budapest in and he ran 20.13secs in the quarter-finals of the 200m in sydney on the way to olympic silver
can smith work scottish wonders the worst kept secret in scottish football was revealed on thursday when walter smith was named as the new national manager from the moment berti vogts miserable tenure in charge of scotland ended the former rangers and everton boss has been the overwhelming favourite for the post but is smith the man for what must be one of the hardest jobs in football the 56-year-old takes over at time when the national side is in the doldrums scotland have not reached major finals since the world cup in and reaching germany looks near impossible having picked up just two points from the opening three games in the qualifying race and the fifa rankings see scotland listed at an all time low of 77th below the likes of estonia ghana angola and thailand scotland are not blessed with quality players with experience at the top level so smith will have to get the best out of meagre resources smiths track record make impressive reading and he is widely respected within the game the man who was alex fergusons assistant when scotland played at the world cup won seven league titles with rangers and his appointment has been widely endorsed by many of the games top names including ferguson and graeme_souness who took him to ibrox as his assistant in characters like souness ferguson and current ibrox manager alex_mcleish all cite smiths experience and his expansive knowledge of the scottish game much was made of vogts inability to express himself to the players and media that will certainly not be the case with smith the former dundee_united and dumbarton full-back is from the managerial old school straight talking and never slow to let players know when he expects better often with the use of some colourful invective but it should be remembered vogts came to scotland with an impressive curriculum vitae world cup winner as player and european championships winner as manager smith will inherit the same problems vogts had callow squad of players with no exceptional talents and it remains to be seen if smith will experience the rash of call-offs that blighted so much of vogts preparation work fresh start for the scottish national team was imperative and smith is widely regarded as safe pair of hands but will safe pair of hands be enough when the adroit hands of magician might be required
candidate resigns over bnp link prospective candidate for the uk independence party ukip has resigned after admitting brief attachment to the british national partybnp nicholas betts-green who had been selected to fight the suffolk coastal seat quit after reports in newspaper that he attended bnp meeting the former teacher confirmed he had attended the meeting but said that was the only contact he had with the group mr betts-green resigned after being questioned by the partys leadership ukip spokesman said mr betts-greens resignation followed disclosures in the east anglian daily times last month about his attendance at bnp meeting he did once attend bnp meeting he did not like what he saw and heard and will take no further part of it the spokesman added meeting of suffolk coastal ukip members is due to be held next week to discuss replacement mr betts-green of woodbridge suffolk has also resigned as ukips branch chairman
capriati out of australian_open jennifer capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the australian_open because of injury the organisers of the first grand_slam of which begins on january said the american has problem with her right shoulder it comes as blow to the womens draw as last years champion justin henin-hardenne and runner-up kim_clijsters will also be absent capriati is two-time champion in melbourne with wins in and she is believed to have picked up the injury at the advanta championships at philadelphia in november and had to pull out of an exhibition match with wimbledon champion maria_sharapova on december capriati also decided against competing in the australian_open warm-up event the sydney international
capriati to miss melbourne jennifer capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the australian_open because of injury the organisers of the first grand_slam of which begins on january said the american has problem with her right shoulder it comes as blow to the womens draw as last years champion justin henin-hardenne and runner-up kim_clijsters will also be absent capriati is two-time champion in melbourne with wins in and she is believed to have picked up the injury at the advanta championships at philadelphia in november and had to pull out of an exhibition match with wimbledon champion maria_sharapova on december capriati also decided against competing in the australian_open warm-up event the sydney international
cardinal criticises iraq_war cost billions of pounds spent on conflict in iraq and in the middle_east should have been used to reduce poverty cardinal cormac murphy-oconnor has said the head of the catholic church in england and wales made the comments on bbc radio and will re-iterate his stance in his christmas midnight mass the cardinal used christmas message to denounce the war in iraq as terrible waste of money he and the archbishop_of_canterbury have both spoken out about the war speaking on bbc radio_4s thought for the day slot he criticised the fact that billions have been spent on war instead of being used to bring people out of dire poverty and malnourishment and disease the cardinal said should be the year for campaigning to make history poverty he added if the governments of the rich countries were as ready to devote to peace the resources they are willing to commit to war that would be to see with new eyes and speak with new voice and perhaps then others would listen to us with new ears the cardinal will touch on this theme again on friday night when he will tell the congregation of at westminster cathedral that peace is worth always striving for how is it that peace has not arrived the cardinal will ask how is it that there is war in iraq violence in the holy land and the horror of pain and death amongst the poor and deprived who suffer from injustice and thus do not find peace how can one wish happy christmas for our fellow christians in iraq or in the holy land or those who suffer in africa unless you and in whatever way is open to us say and do what makes for peace both the cardinal and archbishop_of_canterbury dr rowan williams appealed for the weapons inspectors to be given more time in iraq before the war started dr williams has since criticised the government over its case for war saying the failure to find weapons_of_mass destruction had damaged faith in the political system on friday the cardinal will ask the congregation to search for peace it is possible it is real it is worth always striving for because of the promise of our saviour he will say also wish you peace in your homes because peace in your home is the beginning of peace in the homes of the community spokesman said downing_street had no comment to make but prime_minister tony_blair has said he will put africa at the top of the agenda when britain chairs the g8 summit next year
career honour for actor dicaprio actor leonardo dicaprios exceptional career has been honoured at the santa barbara international film festival the star was presented with the award by martin_scorsese who directed him in oscar-nominated movie the aviator its lifetime_achievement award which is completely and utterly surreal given im only years old dicaprio said but what has it been almost years now ive done quite few films retrospective of his movies was shown whats really exciting for me is that this is what really love doing he added its what want to do for the rest of my life dicaprio began his movie career in horror film critters before moving onto roles in the basketball diaries romeo and juliet titanic and gangs of new_york the achievement award was created to commemorate the california festivals 20th_anniversary and coincided with dicaprios portrayal of millionaire howard hughes in the aviator veteran actress jane russell who starred in hughes film the outlaw said was impressed by dicaprios quest for authenticity when he previously discussed the role with her was very happy that dicaprio came and cared to come up and find out what hughes was really like she said the aviator has taken pole position in this years oscars race with nominations including nominations for best film best actor for dicaprio and best director for scorsese
carry on star patsy rowlands dies actress patsy rowlands known to millions for her roles in the carry on films has died at the age of rowlands starred in nine of the popular carry on films alongside fellow regulars sid james kenneth williams and barbara windsor she also carved out successful television career appearing for many years in itvs well-loved comedy bless this house rowlands died in hove on saturday morning her agent said born in january rowlands won scholarship to the guildhall school of speech and drama scholarship when she was just after spending several years at the players theatre in london she made her film debut in in tom jones directed by tony richardson she made her first carry on film in where she appeared in carry on again doctor rowlands played the hard-done-by wife or the put-upon employee as regular carry on star she also appeared in carry on at your convenience carry on matron and carry on loving as well as others in recent years she appeared in bbc mini-series the cazalets and played mrs potts in the london stage version of beauty and the beast agent simon beresford said she was just an absolutely favourite client she never complained about anything particularly when she was ill she was an old trouper she was of the old school she had skills from musical theatre and high drama that is why she worked with the great and the good of directors she didnt mind always being recognised for the carry on films because she thoroughly enjoyed making them she was really lovely person and she will be much missed her last appearance on stage was as mrs pearce in the award-winning production of my fair lady at the national theatre previously married she leaves one son alan her funeral will be private family occasion with memorial service at later date
casino royale is next bond movie casino royale author ian flemings first james_bond book is to be the next bond film with goldeneye director martin campbell behind the camera it will be the 21st james_bond film to hit the big screen and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead casino royale was turned into spoof spy movie by john huston in with david niven in the lead role pierce_brosnan led the past four bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return among the favourites to take over the coveted role are scottish actor dougray scott oscar_nominee clive_owen and australian star hugh jackman producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor including niven to play bond on film kill bill director quentin tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the casino royale project and said he had spoken to brosnan about it shooting on casino royale is expected to begin once campbell has finished work on the legend of zorro sequel to the mask of zorro starring catherine zeta jones and antonio banderas producers barbara broccoli and michael wilson expect the film to be released in the script will once again be developed by neal purvis and robert wade who have both worked on two previous bond movies flemings book saw the introduction of bond pitted against russian spy in game of baccarat simultaneously woman arrives on the scene to take his eye off the game the novel is one of flemings most violent and sadistic stories with suffering savage beating from his nemesis le chiffre in addition to the film it was also adapted for television in with actor barry nelson as an americanised jimmy bond mgm vice chairman chris mcgurk said martin campbell is an incredibly exciting film-maker goldeneye was wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the bond franchise were thrilled to have him back to direct the newest bond new zealand-born campbell moved to the uk in and directed tv series such as the professionals minder and bergerac his film credits include edge of darkness vertical limit and beyond borders which starred angelina jolie and clive_owen
celebrities get their skates on former england footballer paul gascoigne will join eastenders actress scarlett johnson on bbc ones strictly ice dancing the one-off christmas special will also star television presenter carol smillie and jessica taylor from liberty-x each celebrity will be paired with professional skater to impress panel of judges and win the audience vote the bbc is yet to confirm the final two stars who will battle it out to become ice king or queen veteran presenter bruce forsyth and tess daly will host the programme which follows hot on the heels of the current saturday night series strictly come dancing the celebrities will have to practise stipulated ice dance and perform it at an ice rink with their partner the judges will have of the vote to decide who wins the contest with the ice rink audience making up the rest of the vote the show forms part of the bbcs festive schedule ice skating duo jayne torvill and christopher dean are to front similar celebrity ice dance show for itv titled stars on thin ice the contestants on stars on thin ice will each be paired up with professional skater and will learn new routine every week at the end of the series one celebrity will be crowned the winner
celebrities get to stay in jungle all four contestants still remain in im celebrity get me out of here as no evictions were made on the television show on saturday contestants paul burrell joe pasquale janet street-porter and fran cosgrave were told by hosts ant and dec natalie appletons decision to quit the show last monday had given them all stay of execution the group were told model sophie anderton was the last person to be voted off the itv1 show set in the australian jungle the four remaining stars will do joint bushtucker trial on sunday former all saints singer natalie appleton,31 walked out of the show after learning she would face fifth so-called bushtucker trial the celebrities are chosen by the viewers to pass trials in order to win food for the rest of the camp appleton had endured torrid time during the programme including well-publicised row with sophie anderton and on november singer brian harvey quit as contestant after he had blazing row with janet street-porter
charity single for quake relief singers including sir cliff richard and boy george are recording charity single to help raise funds for victims of the asian_tsunami they hope the song will raise more_than 2m for the relief fund the song titled grief never grows old and described as melancholy ballad was written by radio dj mike read former boyzone singer ronan keating may also take part if studio can be found close to where he is holidaying in switzerland other music stars being approached include robin and barry gibb of the bee gees jazz sensation jamie cullum chris rea and olivia newton-john sir cliff has recorded his vocal part in barbados while boy george has recorded his in new_york read wrote the song before the boxing day tragedy but had thought it was too gloomy to release now he plans to have it recorded by collection of pop stars under the name one world project its natural home for it because people kept saying to me its such good song but its such sad song read said he said the song was slow ballad and would work with around singers rather_than sing-along like the band aid single raising money for famine relief in africa the backing track has already been recorded and organisers hope it can be finished within the next week to get it into record shops as soon as possible read went to the disasters_emergency committee dec which is co-ordinating the british relief effort with the idea the day after boxing day was totally shocked at the enormity and suddenness of the disaster and in tears on seeing the orphaned children wandering aimlessly in search of their parents he said read said all the funds raised by the record would go to the dec id only be pleased in terms of what it meant for sales if it got to number one he added the charity welcomed the news of the single and said money raised would help its agencies working in the affected region to rebuild survivors lives and livelihoods
chepkemei hit by big ban kenyas athletics body has suspended two-time london marathon runner-up susan_chepkemei from all competition until the end of the year athletics kenya ak issued the ban after chepkemei failed to turn up for cross country training camp in embu we have banned her from all local and international competitions said ak chief isaiah kiplagat we shall communicate this decision to the iaaf and all meet directors all over the world the 29-year-old finished second to paula_radcliffe in the and london races and was also edged out in an epic new_york marathon contest last year but the ban will prevent the two-time world half-marathon silver_medallist from challenging radcliffe at this years london event in april global sports communications chepkemeis management company said she had wanted to run in the world cross country championships in march but ak maintained it was making an example of chepkemei as warning to other kenyan athletes we are taking this action in order to salvage our pride said kiplagat we have been accused of having no teeth to bite with and that agents are ruling over us ka has also threatened three-time womens short-course champion edith masai with similar ban if reports that she feigned injury to avoid running at the cross country world championships are true masai missed the national trials in early february but was included in the provisional team on the proviso that she ran in regional competition she failed to run in the event citing leg injury
chepkemei joins edinburgh line-up susan_chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next months great edinburgh international cross country the kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with paula_radcliffe in the new_york marathon in time to compete but she has declared herself up to the task and joins field headed by world cross country champion benita johnson race director matthew turnbull said susan will add even more strength in depth to the world-class line up chepkemei who won the six kilometre event three years ago when it was staged in newcastle endured an epic battle with radcliffe in the big apple until the briton outsprinted her in the final 400m tirunesh dibaba of ethiopia will defend the title she won last year in tyneside before the race was moved north of the border recently-crowned european cross country champion briton hayley yelling also competes in edinburgh on january as does in-form scot kathy butler
children vote shrek_2 best film young uk film fans voted animated hollywood hit shrek_2 best film at the childrens bafta awards on sunday more_than children voted in the only category chosen by fans harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban runner-up in the poll was the choice of the bafta experts who named it best feature film bbc one saturday morning show dick and dom in da bungalow won two awards best entertainment and best presenters for richard mccourt and dominic wood former playschool presenter floella benjamin was awarded the special award for outstanding creative contribution to childrens film and television she first appeared on playschool years ago and was made an obe in for services to broadcasting south american-themed cartoon joko jakamoko toto won the honour for pre-school animation and its writer tony collingwood for original writer debbie isitt won the award for best adapted writer for her work with jacqueline wilsons the illustrated mum which won the award for best schools drama schools factual primary thinking skills think about it hiding places schools factual secondary in search of the tartan turban pre-school live action balamory animation brush head drama featherboy factual serious desert interactive bafta king arthur international category simple rules for dating my teenage daughter
chris evans back on the market broadcaster chris evans has begun selling thousands of his possessions from stall in camden market london evans perched on stool as shoppers wandered around the open-fronted shop packed with his furniture among the items from his homes in los_angeles and london were countless sofas chairs pictures beds and memorabilia from his past tv shows asked the reason for the sale evans said just want to get rid of it all its just headache he added it feels good to be selling this stuff its weight off my mind look at it all theres so much clutter ive enjoyed every bit of furniture and every poster but its not important anymore the normally gregarious evans cut peculiarly unshowbusiness-like figure as he sipped coffee and smoked cigarettes wrapped in big coat and scarf in front of his aladdins cave however the ostentation of some of the items on sale painted picture of the eccentricity that endeared him to the british public in shows such as channel_4s gameshow dont forget your toothbrush the most striking thing about many of the pieces was their sheer size sofas looked like they could seat small party and bed seemed big enough for four the elaborate nature of the pieces many custom-made had to be admired particularly huge red and gold upholstered throne and stripy deckchair from the queen mary liner to help people in their browsing evans had given the pieces labels with not only the price but helpful often comic aside isnt it great was the comment on the throne and bob dylans old sofa honest was written on dark wood couch priced the prices were steep by lot of peoples standards but evans said it was not deterring shoppers ive sold quite lot already everything here is on sale for less than bought it for but its not really about the money its about getting rid of it all weve all been bartering thats what its all about he added that he was not going to reveal what he was going to do with the money he was making vintage tv and film posters also lined the walls including rare portrait of raquel welch and an original advertising print from the benny hill show and almost hidden at the back of the lock-up were the two giant toothbrushes from his former channel_4 show although these were not for sale despite the sheer curiosity value of the sale there was healthy trickle of interest from the public rather_than the perhaps expected crowds some wandered in just to browse as they would any of the other stalls not knowing that it belonged to evans paul burgess said didnt realise thought it was just load of junk should go back and have better look but local resident francesca detakats came specially to the stall and left happy with her purchase of an original 1960s photograph of the who by david wedgburg ms detakats said she was collector and did not mind paying for the print if you like something you dont really count it like that she said martin hellewell who had also made point of visiting evans shop said he thought it was great idea why not if youve got stuff to get rid of its good place to do it said mr hellewell evans has taken out the stall with business partner pete winterbottom they plan to open every day if possible although evans did not know how often he would be there well stay definitely until christmas and then maybe week after that said evans
christmas song formula unveiled formula for the ultimate christmas single has been revealed by chart bible british hit singles and albums the recipe includes reference to father christmas sleigh bells childrens choir and charity element the song should also include christmas in the title wishes for peace on earth and lots of airplay at office parties there are common musical elements linking nearly all the big christmas number ones of recent times said editor david roberts the books analysts commissioned chart prank group moped to create the first christmas single using the whole formula the song is called gonna have no this christmas by moped vs santa everybody says that christmas number ones are formulaic but gonna have number one this christmas is the first song to crack the formula and combine all these elements into one ultimate christmas track said mr roberts surprisingly theres no santa listed among the top chart performers in the book so this is our chance to help santa to his rightful place in british recording history big festive hits over the years include band aids do they know its christmas slades merry christmas everybody whams last christmas and sir cliff richards mistletoe and wine band aid 20s remake of do they know its christmas is set to be confirmed as number one in the charts on sunday
church anger over bollywood film roman catholic organisations in india have demanded the withdrawal of film that depicts priest having an affair with girl half his age indian television channels are now refusing to run the promotional material for the film sins ahead of its release on friday the director of the film vinod pande says the movie is not offensive and has refused to withdraw it catholics are planning protest in mumbai bombay on wednesday the president of one of mumbais main catholic organisations dolphy dsouza says the portrayal of an ordained priest as man of loose moral character has hurt the religious sentiments of indias catholic community he called the film pornographic and sensational mr dsouza who is also the vice-president of the catholics national body has accused the director of the film of portraying priest in bad light for commercial gains catholics have urged mr pande to withdraw the film to show respect to the christian communitys hurt sentiments religion needs to be personal affair and should not be subject for entertainment or for commercial use joseph dias general secretary of the catholic secular forum said in statement but mr pande said that if the critics were to see the film they would not protest against it and would not insist on its withdrawal he says he has no plans to cancel the film ahead of its scheduled screening on friday its about forbidden love there was no agenda whatsoever to hurt anyone he said the bbcs zubair ahmed in mumbai says that the controversial film shows priest in steamy scenes with girl half his age she apparently goes to him for help but he falls in love with her it takes place in the picturesque southern indian state of kerala the film has already been cleared by the censor board with an adults only certificate mr dsouza says he is shocked at the censor boards decision to clear the film our correspondent says that indias tv channels have so far refused to be dragged into the controversy and have not screened the films promotional material most of the catholic communitys anger has come after watching newspaper advertisements and hoardings of the film christians make up about two per_cent of indias population of more_than billion people
church urges nelly show boycott church ministers are trying to prevent rapper nelly performing in arkansas saying they do not want his vile and filthy lyrics in their town more_than jonesboro ministers urged music fans to boycott nellys march concert at arkansas state university in bid to have it cancelled jonesboro is wonderful city because of what does not come here said the reverend adrian rodgers but venue spokesman said more_than tickets had been sold so far mr rodgers of the fullness of joy church said he was concerned about the rappers lyrics that include references to drugs sex and violence and songs that the minister said were demeaning to women ministers were worried that bringing such acts to jonesboro would lead to problems tear the tickets up mr rodgers said do not go and do not allow your children to go tim dean director of the arkansas state university venue said ticket sales had been brisk it would appear that with ticket sales over many others have expressed their right to find nellys music entertaining and worth spending their time and money on he said nelly has sold more_than million singles and albums worldwide and in september simultaneously occupied the number one and two positions in the us albums chart he has had uk hit singles including hot in herre dilemma and recent number one over and over
clarke plans migrant point scheme anyone planning to move to the uk will have to pass test to prove they can contribute to the country home secretary charles_clarke has said he is proposing points system similar to australias but would avoid the quota system planned by the tories mr clarke who will unveil his plans on monday said economic migration helped the uk but needed proper policing the lib dems say they will look at his plans but tory liam_fox said his party offered clear choice on the issue the conservative party co-chairman said the british electorate had choice between labour government that had done nothing for eight years and will not set limit on immigration and tory one that would impose quotas the home secretary said by he wanted everyone given visa and entering the uk to have their fingerprints taken to ensure we can know everybody who is in the country speaking on bbc ones_breakfast with frost he said economic migrants are of great value to this country but stressed that proper policing was needed to ensure that they do not become burden on society he said we will establish system which looks at the skills talents and abilities of people seeking to come and work in this country and ensures that when they come here they have job and can contribute to the economy of the country the home secretary whose five-year blueprint for immigration and asylum is expected to be published on monday also rejected claims that the immigration debate encouraged bigotry the issue of who does come into this country and whether they are entitled to be in this country who does settle here how we have border controls is perfectly legitimate aspect of public debate he said liberal_democrat home affairs spokesman mark_oaten said whilst it is good that labour has rejected the tory idea of quotas on asylum the jury is still out on the home offices ability to deliver fair and efficient asylum system mr howard has said britain should take its fair share of the worlds genuine_refugees but he claims the current asylum system is being abused and with it britains generosity trevor phillips chairman of the commission for racial_equality called on mr clarke to denounce the suggestion britains hospitality was being tested by immigration tell that to the doctors in the nhs and the nurses without whom we would really see what pressure on the health service means he said ditto the teachers from south_africa australia jamaica who are reducing the sizes of our classes and schools the refugee council said mr howards proposals would mean there would be no safe haven in the uk
classy henman makes winning start tim_henman opened his campaign with victory over argentine david nalbandian at the kooyong classic exhibition tournament on wednesday the british number one will next play roger_federer at the australian_open warm-up event on friday the world number one beat gaston gaudio before andre_agassi saw off chilean olympic gold medalist nicolas massu andy_roddick beat ivan_ljubicic who replaced paradorn srichaphan henman made an impressive start to the year only faltering against nalbandian when serving for the match at but the briton regained his composure to win the next two games for only his second win in six matches against the argentine its great start to the year just what was looking for henman told his website over the years ive found david very difficult to play against he returns serve very well and hes deceptively effective from the baseline so sometimes it can be difficult to execute my gameplan well enough against him to get the right result beating somebody of his stature is always good for the confidence and it bodes well at the beginning of the year henman also revealed the extent of the back problems he suffered in the off-season im not the most flexible and at the end of the year was pretty exhausted and wanted to have couple of weeks where didnt do anything said henman when started training again it really really seized up as much as enjoyed the two weeks off dont think its so productive federer dropped tight first set against french open champion gaudio but was content with his game it was about getting used to the surface he said the conditions are much quicker than doha my timing was ok but could have served better all in all im happy with the match and won it thats good sign now have day off and hopefully play better the next match agassi was delighted with victory over massu in his first match for over two months felt pretty good said the american liked the way the match played out and maybe excluding few second serve returns felt like was doing most things pretty darn well for the first match
claxton hunting first major medal british hurdler sarah claxton is confident she can win her first major medal at next months european indoor_championships in madrid the 25-year-old has already smashed the british record over 60m_hurdles twice this season setting new mark of seconds to win the aaas title am quite confident said claxton but take each race as it comes as long as keep up my training but not do too much think there is chance of medal claxton has won the national 60m_hurdles title for the past three years but has struggled to translate her domestic success to the international stage now the scotland-born athlete owns the equal fifth-fastest time in the world this year and at last weeks birmingham grand prix claxton left european medal favourite russian irina shevchenko trailing in sixth spot for the first time claxton has only been preparing for campaign over the hurdles which could explain her leap in form in previous seasons the 25-year-old also contested the long jump but since moving from colchester to london she has re-focused her attentions claxton will see if her new training regime pays dividends at the european indoors which take place on march
clijsters could play aussie open kim_clijsters has denied reports that she has pulled out of januarys australian_open because of her persistent wrist injury open chief paul mcnamee had said kims wrist obviously isnt going to be rehabilitated but her spokesman insisted she had simply delayed submitting her entry the doctors are assessing her injury on weekly basis and if there is no risk she could play but if theres the least risk she will stay away despite being absent from the wta entry list for the tournament which begins on january clijsters would be certain to get wild_card if she requested one clijsters is still ranked 22nd in the world despite only playing handful of matches last season the belgian had an operation on her left wrist early in the season but injured it again on her return to the tour meanwhile jelena dokic who used to compete for australia has opted out of the first grand_slam of the season dokic has not played in the australian_open since when she lost in the first round but the 21-year-old would have had to rely on wild_card next season because her ranking has tumbled to 127th four-time champion monica seles who has not played since last years french open is another absentee because of an injured left foot
clijsters hope on aussie open kim_clijsters has denied reports that she has pulled out of januarys australian_open because of her persistent wrist injury open chief paul mcnamee had said kims wrist obviously isnt going to be rehabilitated but her spokesman insisted she had simply delayed submitting her entry the doctors are assessing her injury on weekly basis and if there is no risk she could play but if theres the least risk she will stay away despite being absent from the wta entry list for the tournament which begins on january clijsters would be certain to get wild_card if she requested one clijsters is still ranked 22nd in the world despite only playing handful of matches last season the belgian had an operation on her left wrist early in the season but injured it again on her return to the tour meanwhile jelena dokic who used to compete for australia has opted out of the first grand_slam of the season dokic has not played in the australian_open since when she lost in the first round but the 21-year-old would have had to rely on wild_card next season because her ranking has tumbled to 127th four-time champion monica seles who has not played since last years french open is another absentee because of an injured left foot
clijsters set for february return tennis star kim_clijsters will make her return from career-threatening injury at the antwerp wta event in february kim had considered returning to action in paris on february statement on her website said shes decided against this so that she does not risk the final phase of her recovery if all goes well kim will make her return on february the 21-year-old has not played since last october after aggravating wrist injury at the belgian open back then doctor treating the belgian feared that her career may be over with the player having already endured an operation earlier in the season to cure her wrist problem hope she comes back but im pessimistic said bruno willems clijsters was also due to marry fellow tennis star lleyton_hewitt in february but the pair split for private reasons back in october
coach ranieri sacked by valencia claudio ranieri has been sacked as valencia coach just eight months after taking charge at the primera liga club for the second time in his career the decision was taken at board meeting following the sides surprise elimination from the uefa_cup we understand and he understands that the results in the last few weeks have not been the most appropriate said club president juan bautista former assistant antonio lopez will take over as the new coach italian ranieri took over the valencia job in june having been replaced at chelsea by jose_mourinho things began well but the spanish champions extended their winless streak to six after losing to racing santander last weekend that defeat was then followed by uefa_cup exit at the hands of steaua bucharest ranieri first took charge of valencia in guiding them to the kings cup and helping them to qualify for the champions_league the 54-year-old then moved to atletico madrid in before joining chelsea the following year
collins appeals against drugs ban sprinter michelle collins has lodged an appeal against her eight-year doping ban with the north american court of arbitration for sport cas the 33-year-old received the ban last month as result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the balco doping scandal she is the first athlete to be banned without positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use cas has said that ruling is normally given within four months of an appeal collins was suspended by the us anti-doping_agency based on patterns observed in her blood and urine tests as well as evidence in the balco investigation as well as being hit with the ban collins was stripped of her world and us indoor 200m titles the san francisco-based balco laboratory is at the centre of the scandal which has rocked the sport the company has been accused of distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes
collins banned in landmark case sprinter michelle collins has received an eight-year ban for doping offences after hearing at the north american court of arbitration for sport cas americas former world indoor 200m champion is the first athlete to be suspended without positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use collins ban is result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the balco doping scandal the 33-year-old was found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs the us anti-doping_agency usada decided to press charges against collins in the summer the sprinter has consistently protested her innocence but the cas has upheld usadas findings the usada has proved beyond reasonable doubt that collins took epo the testosterone/epitestosterone cream and thg said cas statement collins used these substances to enhance her performance and elude the drug testing that was available at the time so far total of athletes have been sanctioned for violations involving drugs associated with the balco doping scandal world record holder tim montgomery is also facing lifetime ban after being charged by the usada his hearing before the csa has been rescheduled for june next year drug enforcement chiefs in the us have vowed to crack down on cheats usada chief_executive officer terry madden said the action taken against collins was further proof of that the cas panels decision confirms that those who violate the rules will be sanctioned as part of usadas ongoing efforts to protect the rights of the overwhelming majority of us athletes that compete drug-free said madden the usada has built its cases on verbal evidence given to the federal investigation into balco rather_than test results the san francisco-based balco laboratory faces steroid distribution and money laundering charges the trial is expected to open next march
collins calls for chambers return world 100m champion kim collins says suspended sprinter dwain chambers should be allowed to compete in the olympics again chambers was banned for two years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid thg and his suspension runs out in november this year but collins says the british olympic association should reverse the decision to ban him from the olympics for life it was too harsh collins told radio five live they should reconsider chambers has been in america learning american football but has not ruled out return to the track collins added he is great guy and have never had any problems with him we are friends would like to see dwain come back and compete again he is good person even though he made mistake he understands what he did and should be given chance once more
collins named uk athletics chief uk athletics has ended its search for new performance director by appointing psychologist dave collins collins who worked with the british teams at the and olympics takes over from max jones six candidates were interviewed for the job including denise lewis coach charles van commenee and former british triple_jumper keith connor weve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person said uka chief_executive david moorcroft we have thoroughly tested the candidates believe david will make great leader and have great faith in what he will achieve collins said its great challenge over the next few months will spend time listening to those who already make significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the uk collins who has worked with javelin thrower steve backley in the past started his career as royal marine before becoming pe teacher he is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at edinburgh university where he helps competitors across many sports including rugby athletics judo and football he has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the great britain womens curling team who won gold at the winter olympics mark_lewis-francis sought collins advice in athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of britains surprise triumph in the 4x100m_relay collins has played rugby at regional level was captain of the great britain american football team and competed at national level in judo and karate he arrives with british athletics at crossroads despite kelly_holmes golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad the gb team failed to live up to expectations in athens many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers and britain failed to win single medal at the world junior championships in italy this year collins will not have day-to-day coaching contact with the athletes but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set-up in order to secure medals at the beijing olympics in the appointment of new performance director was one of the main recommendations in sir andrew fosters review of the sport which was published in may it was commissioned by uk sport and sport england which wanted uk athletics to justify funding of more_than 40m from the government following the failure to hang on to the world championships which are now being held in helsinki van commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the dutch olympic committee while connors application was rejected after an arduous interview process foster however declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made the appointment of david collins with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process he said
collins to compete in birmingham world and commonwealth 100m champion kim collins will compete in the 60m at the norwich_union grand prix in birmingham on february the st kitts and nevis star joins british olympic relay gold medallists jason_gardener and mark_lewis-francis sydney olympic 100m champion and world indoor record holder maurice_greene and athens olympic 100m silver_medallist francis obikwelu will also take part collins ran in birmingham at the world indoor_championships im looking forward to competing against such strong field he said got great reception form the crowd at the nia when won my 60m world indoor silver medal in and it will be really exciting to return to this venue the world champion says hes in good shape but he isnt underestimating the home competition jason_gardener and mark_lewis-francis are olympic gold medallists now and im sure theyll be aiming to win in front of their home supporters im looking forward to competing against britains best sprinters and im sure the metres will be one of the most exciting races of the evening collins was sixth in the olympic final in athens but is hoping for better result at the world championships in finland this summer this will be big year for me and plan to defend my 100m world title in helsinki in august before then want to perform well over 60m indoors and start my year in winning form
comeback show for friends star friends actress lisa kudrow is to play the lead role in new series about one-time sitcom star according to the hollywood reporter thirteen episodes of comeback have been commissioned by cable channel hbo home of hits such as sex and the city kudrow who played phoebe in friends co-wrote the pilot episode and will also act as executive producer hbo has been looking for its next big comedy hit since sex and the city drew to close in the us in february comeback is the first 30-minute comedy series that the channel has picked up since the sex and the city drew to the end of its six-year-run friends ended its 10-year run on the nbc network in may and attentions have turned to which projects its six individual stars would pursue matt leblanc is starring in friends spin-off sitcom charting joeys fortunes in los_angeles as he pursues his acting career jennifer aniston who was rachel in the long-running show has enjoyed series of successful film appearances with further projects in the pipeline courteney cox arquette monica has been working on drama project along with husband david arquette for hbo called the rise and fall of taylor kennedy matthew perry who played chandler has appeared on the west end stage and has film the beginning of wisdom currently in production and david schwimmer ross directed during his time on friends and has also worked on joey
comic morris returns with sitcom comedian chris morris who created controversial tv show brass eye is to return to screens with new sitcom about spoof london media worker morris will direct and co-write nathan barley character from cult website tv go home for channel_4 it is send-up of the stereotypical cool metropolitan media scene with nicholas burns in the title role brass eye satire of the media handling of paedophilia sparked complaints in nathan barley will be character-driven comedy according to charlie brooker who created tv go home in and has co-written the series barley is described as webmaster guerrilla film-maker screenwriter dj and in his own words self-facilitating media node the story will also feature dan ashcroft style magazine columnist and his sister claire film-maker who hates the cool scene as well as brass eye morris was behind another news show satire the day today and dark sketch comedy jam the new show is expected to begin in february
commons hunt protest charges eight protesters who stormed the house of commons chamber during debate on the hunting bill have been charged with disorderly conduct the men were arrested in september after bursting into the chamber causing hunting ban debate to be halted those charged included otis ferry the 22-year-old son of rock star bryan ferry and luke tomlinson close friend of princes william and harry they were charged under section of the public order act police said five of the eight men held an impromptu news conference outside charing cross police station on monday evening after the charges were formerly put to them the mens solicitor matthew knight said that at no time had it occurred to the men that they were committing criminal offence there is no offence of trespassing in the house of commons it is not criminal offence he said if parliament wanted to make entering the house of commons chamber on foot criminal offence it should have done so but it cant do so retrospectively we are not prosecuted for that we are prosecuted for public order act offence we are not guilty of it they will appear at bow street magistrates court on december police spokesman said otis ferry former eton pupil and joint leader of the south shropshire hunt said have no regrets we have done nothing wrong beyond the obvious which was to stand up for our rights and not act like sheep like the rest of the country one of the men david redvers from hartpury gloucestershire said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges the other protesters are john holliday huntsman from ledbury herefordshire robert thame who plays polo with princes charles in team highgrove auctioneer andrew elliot from bromesberrow near ledbury point-to-point jockey richard wakeham from york and former royal chef nick wood the september protest came on the same day as huge pro-hunting demonstration in parliament square four of the men ran out from behind the speakers chair while another wrestled past doorkeeper from different entrance the five tried to confront mps before they were bundled out of the chamber and later led away handcuffed by police three others had been intercepted by security staff as they tried to join the five in the chamber speaker michael martin later said the men had used forged letter to gain access to the house of commons and had been helped to get close to the chamber by parliamentary pass holder in november the use of the parliament act meant total ban on hunting with dogs in england and wales however many pro-hunt activists remained defiant after the law was passed saying they would ignore the ban and continue to hunt last week the countryside_alliance said more_than hunts would meet legally the day after the ban on hunting with dogs comes into force the alliance said the february meets would show the new law was impossibly difficult to determine and open to different interpretations
connick jr to lead broadway show singer and actor harry connick jr is to star in broadway revival of 1950s hit musical the pajama game he will play the supervisor of us pyjama factory who has romance with union activist during labour unrest jeffrey richards the shows co-producer said connick was an actor of enormous charisma and skill wonderful singer and bona fide star he has recently starred in hit us comedy will and grace as the husband of grace played by debra messing the musical will open in november said mr richards who added that no other casting had been announced yet the original book by george abbott and richard bissell will be revised by playwright peter ackerman who co-wrote the screenplay for the movie ice age it has score by richard adler and jerry ross and adler is writing two new songs for the score which includes numbers including hey there small talk and steam heat connick appeared with his band on broadway in and he wrote the score for musical based on emile zolas novel therese raquin called thou shalt not it had three-month run on broadway in
connors boost for british tennis former world number one jimmy connors is planning long-term relationship with the lawn tennis association to help unearth the next tim_henman the american spent three days at the ltas annual elite performance winter camp in la manga earlier this week britain has the right attitude said connors the more involved can be with the lta the better short-term arrangement is just confusing the kids will ask what am doing there lta chief_executive john crowther added the relationship that jimmys already started to develop with the coaches and the players has said to us that wed like some more of it we want to use jimmy for number of weeks year and we hope this is the beginning of good long-term relationship the camp played host to more_than leading senior and junior players including greg_rusedski arvind parmar and anne keothavong la manga is an amazing site to take bunch of kids who want to be the best said connors speaking at queens club in london what impressed me most was not only the coaches but the way the kids went about their workouts and the feeling they put into every practice they had it was interesting to me to see kids of with that desire and passion and that can only be brought about by the coaches surrounding them instilling the importance of work and practice is something you cant buy they know whats been given to them and all they have to do is give back the effort and every minute of practice they were doing that speaking from la manga lta performance director david felgate told bbc sport jimmy was fantastic with the players and the coaches and very humble considering what hes achieved he worked through the coaches and hopefully it will grow and hell get to have more of an individual relationship with some of the players and get to know them he made it clear from the word go he didnt want it to be short-term this is 52-week-a-year job for me its my life and my passion and its the same with the coaches he respects that but he wants to be involved and have real input and why would he stake his reputation on something thats not going to be successful connors has also agreed to commentate for the bbc at next years wimbledon championships he will work during the second week of the tournament
connors rallying cry for british tennis do you have it in your heart how much guts do you have how much do you hate to lose these are the questions jimmy connors will be asking of britains brightest tennis hopes in the months and possibly years to come the american legend swept into london on thursday to announce long-term relationship with the lawn tennis association after spending three days at the elite performance winter camp in la manga and the man who epitomised the phrase will to win before lleyton_hewitt was even born is clear about the qualities he hopes to convey you know everybody hits the ball well and theres very fine line between number one and number said connors was that fine line for long time but if can help want to be part of teaching kids how to win connors is not the first great name to offer his services to the lta his long-time rival john mcenroe has repeatedly done the same but connors is at pains to point out that his interest goes well beyond any publicity stunt and he gave glowing recommendation to the work of lta performance director david felgate and his team britain has different attitude the right attitude in taking the game forward and finding the next wimbledon champion said connors thats something you dont find every day everybody talks good game but not everybody puts that into effect the impression came away with after just seeing david and the other coaches for three days was one like ive never seen before especially over here this is not going to happen overnight there are no miracle workers but youre going in the right direction the 52-year-olds enthusiasm for the work going on in this country is in marked contrast to his relationship with tennis officials back in america ive had discussions with the usta united_states tennis association over number of years he said thats where it my input ended connors is straight-talker and will be equally blunt and honest in his dealings with the lta and the cream of britains young players if theyre chosen theyve got to produce he said if not someone will come and take their place theres only one number one spot and its lonely up there but its got the best view in the year that has seen andrew murray emerge as britains great new hope connors rejected suggestions that the scot might be put under too much pressure too soon tim_henman has whole country on his shoulder said connors dont know that pressure but if you like that it can be certain push to get on to the next level someones going to have to come and take over from him henman if was andrew murray id embrace that thats what we play for despite the emphasis on hard work training and preparation connors does admit that the desire required of champion has to come from within the passion had dont know if you can find that he admitted was also nuts say that because there was nothing better for me than to compete on the tennis court it was the most important thing in the world for me and to do that somethings got to be not right with you there was nothing better for me ever than to play tennis in front of people what had when played tennis is what am you have to have that you cant be moulded
controversial film tops festival controversial film starring hollywood actor kevin bacon as convicted paedophile won top honours at the london film festival on thursday the woodsman won the satyajit ray award named after the indian director the low-budget film directed by nicole kassell is about convicted child molester trying to rebuild his life after years in jail judges said the film tackled the contentious subject with great insight and sensitivity previous films to take the prize include the oscar-winning boys dont cry which was about the true life story of murdered transsexual brandon teena british writer-director amma asante won the uk film talent award this year for her debut feature way of life set in south wales the film is about teenage single mother who becomes embroiled in tense stand-off with turkish neighbour also on thursday night the fipresci international critics awards went to aaltra belgian film about the handicapped and the sutherland trophy which was won by jonathan caouette for his film tarnation the festival closed with screening of the film heart huckabees starring jude law and dustin hoffman and directed by three kings film-maker david russell the festival this year also included the first european screening of the new pixar animation the incredibles and the british film bullet boy starring so solid crew rapper asher
corbett attacks dumbed-down tv ronnie corbett has joined fellow comedy stars victoria wood and david jason in attacking the declining standards of british television programmes speaking to the radio times the two ronnies star said there is too much bad language and reality tv you get fed up watching shows with not much care and love he complained corbett soon to reunite with ronnie barker for new two ronnies series also criticised quiz shows like the bbcs they think its all over its just laughing at each other and thinking arent we clever said the 74-year-old comedian corbett is the latest comedy star to bemoan the dumbing down of modern tv programmes in an interview published in the radio times in january victoria wood slated comedian sacha baron cohen for his character ali gs horrible brand of victim humour with so many good writers and good performers its shame people cant just write script and have other people learn it she said and last week only fools and horses star david jason criticised british tv for being too safe and too cheap weve got to be careful not to dumb down for the audience he said they shouldnt be sitting at home on the sofa vegetating corbett said he and barker were always mindful of their family audience while making the two ronnies our material was good-natured he said we knew what would upset the average man in the street theres lot of swearing on tv today they even have documentaries with the f-word corbett goes on to criticise reality programmes where they put people in house for fortnight and film them doing everything the two ronnies ran from to and attracted million viewers at its peak its bespectacled stars will return later this year in the two ronnies sketchbook which will combine classic sketches with newly recorded material corbett claims he and barker differ from todays celebrities in that they did not allow their success to go to their heads we were never temperamental fractious or walked out slamming doors he said we were fussy though he added we wanted everything done properly
court halts mark morrison album premiership footballer and record company boss kevin campbell has gained court injunction stopping r&b singer mark morrison from releasing an album the everton striker signed morrison to his fledging wikid records label and claims he spent thousands of pounds producing his album innocent man now he is attempting to prevent morrison releasing the album on monday through another label but morrison vowed to ignore the order saying no judge is gonna stop me morrison who is now as well known for his brushes with the law than his music career rose to fame with the single return of the mack but the leicester singer has struggled to repeat its success following two spells in jail one was for hiring stand-in to complete his community service for possession of stun gun and three-months following nightclub fracas he signed to mr campbells label year ago and has released one single with the label saying the album was due for release on january but mr campbell said he learned that morrison planned to release the album through jet star which is advertising it on its website mr campbell said im glad we were granted the injunction but im completely gutted that we have had to go that far mark morrison was given everything he asked for by wikid but it seems that he couldnt help but return to his old ways ive worked hard to realise my ambition in football but had hoped that my future career would be in the music business have always dreamt of starting record label but now mark morrison has spoilt that dream for me there is no loyalty in this business just greed but morrison is determined the album will be released on monday he said the injunction is ludicrous signed new deal with new record company because was not getting the support needed from wikid was with that label for year and in that time released just one record which was not properly promoted he added the whole world is waiting for this album and it will come out on december no injunction or judge will stop it the mack will return the case is set to be heard in the high court on december
critics back aviator for oscars martin_scorseses the aviator will win best film at the oscars according to the uks leading movie critics but several of those surveyed by the bbc_news website think the veteran film-maker will lose the best director prize to clint_eastwood most of the critics tipped jamie_foxx and hilary_swank to scoop best actor and actress for ray and million dollar_baby respectively the jury comprised experts and critics from the top uk film publications the panel also revealed which nominees they would personally prefer to win all expect the aviator to win best film but many think it will be close race between scorseses howard hughes biopic and eastwoods boxing drama million dollar_baby the other films nominated are wine comedy sideways factual drama finding_neverland and ray_charles biopic_ray im pretty sure this is the year of the aviator though my own choice would be sideways said the observers philip french sideways should win but it doesnt have hope said jamie graham of total film position shared by film presenter jonathan ross the form going in to the oscars points to the aviator but liked million dollar_baby more said tim dams news editor of trade weekly screen international five of the eight critics tipped scorsese to win best director with mr dams heats charles_gant and empires angie errigo plumping for eastwood sideways alexander_payne rays taylor hackford and british director mike_leigh nominated for period drama vera_drake are considered outsiders in this category up until recently could have sworn scorsese would get it just for being scorsese ms errigo told the bbc_news website but im beginning to think eastwood will get it id be very happy for mike_leigh to win but dont think he has any chance said charles_gant film editor of heat foxxs portrayal of ray_charles has already seen him win prizes at the golden_globes baftas and screen actors_guild awards mr dams said this made him out-and-out favourite to be named best actor on oscar night everyone would be incredibly surprised if he didnt win he said if youre betting man hes as close as you get to certainty if paul giamatti was nominated for sideways it would be different game says total films jamie graham but foxx will and should win with vera_drake star imelda_staunton nominated for best actress alongside kate_winslet britain has good chance of victory on paper jonathan ross for one will be very happy if winslet wins for eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind but while wendy ide of the times still thinks staunton has chance heats charles_gant believes her bafta win will cut little ice with academy voters id like staunton to win but her chances are not that great said mr gant who predicted second oscar for hilary_swank think swank will win said mr french imelda has got as far as shes going to get playing that role staunton is also the personal choice of steven gaydos executive editor of industry magazine variety but while he tipped swank to win he predicted it would be close contest everything has the ability to flip by one vote and go the other way he told the bbc_news website theres not sense that its obvious how its going to go meanwhile thousands of people have voted in bbc radio five live poll to find the best film never to have won best picture oscar the audience voted overwhelmingly for the shawshank redemption the frank darabont tale of hope and humanity which received of the online votes and of the text messages the other two finalists citizen kane and matter of life and death split the remaining votes roughly equally this years academy awards will be shown in the uk by sky movies at gmt on monday tim dams screen international film the aviator director clint_eastwood actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank angie errigo empire film the aviator director clint_eastwood actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank philip french the observer film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank charles_gant heat film the aviator director clint_eastwood actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank steven gaydos variety film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank jamie graham total film film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank wendy ide the times film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress imelda_staunton jonathan ross film film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank tim dams screen international film million dollar_baby director clint_eastwood actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank angie errigo empire film the aviator director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank philip french the observer film sideways director martin_scorsese actor jamie_foxx actress imelda_staunton charles_gant heat film sideways director mike_leigh actor jamie_foxx actress imelda_staunton steven gaydos variety film million dollar_baby director clint_eastwood actor don cheadle actress imelda_staunton jamie graham total film film sideways director alexander_payne actor jamie_foxx actress hilary_swank wendy ide the times film sideways director alexander_payne actor don cheadle actress imelda_staunton jonathan ross film film sideways director clint_eastwood actor jamie_foxx actress kate_winslet
csi shows give unrealistic view people have unrealistic expectations of forensic_science thanks to the success of the csi tv shows real experts say evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as result of the programmes at time when many have large backlogs science investigators claim lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have distorted view of how forensic evidence is used the issue was discussed at major science conference in washington_dc crime scene investigation csi and its spin-offs csi miami and csi new_york have proven exceptionally popular with audiences on both sides of the atlantic each episode team of forensic investigators goes about solving crime through the ingenious appliance of science and the extensive resources at their disposal the csi effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic_science in response to the tv show said max houck who runs forensic_science graduate course at west virginia university us this tv show comes on and everyone starts watching it including the cops and prosecutors and submissions to forensic laboratories go through the roof he told the annual meeting of the american association for the advancement of science aaas the american forensics expert said there were roughly backlogged dna samples in us labs yet these constituted just of the total test backlog said dr houck forensic pathologist dr patricia mcfeeley said she had started to see the shows influence in dealing with the families of victims what find is that families now are more dissatisfied with the investigation than was previously the case she explained for example on television the toxicology results are available almost instantaneously but when people find out that it can take several months they can find that very difficult dr mcfeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most peoples perceptions the shows influence can follow forensic investigators all the way into the courtroom making lawyers jittery prosecutors fear the csi effect with juries because for example they wonder why wasnt everything tested well in fact not everything needs to be tested dr houck explained defence attorneys also worry about the csi effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as juggernaut this objective method thats always accurate however he admitted the show had had positive as well as negative effects on the field my university course started with four graduates in were now the largest major on campus with students he said dr houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic_science at the university level theres more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic_science research
cult band kasabian surge forward indie dance band kasabian built up cult following throughout to secure three brit award nominations the four-piece leicester band blends dark electronics with rock earning kasabian places on the best british group rock act and live act shortlists they have also earned reputation as outspoken and charismatic in contrast to fellow brit nominees such as keane and snow_patrol british music needs kick up the arse and britain needs new band to breathe life into the british people again declared kasabians singer tom meighan no-ones doing it at the minute music feels like its in the afterlife right now we dont want people to give up on it the serpents going to rise from the sea and scare all the pirates away meighan grew up in leicester with kasabian songwriter/guitarist sergio pizzorno and bassist chris edwards trio which began making music from the age of they enlisted guitarist and keyboard player christopher karloff after spotting him in pub we saw his long sideburns and thought hey he looks the part well ask him said meighan inspired by britpop and mutual love of hardcore an early 1990s genre that fused house music with hip_hop beats and dark sensibility they added an electronic element to the traditional guitar sound we got computer and we cut rocknroll up because theres no point in going back to how it was said meighan its all about new ideas and creativity the bands original approach is reflected in its name inspired by linda kasabian the getaway driver of us serial killer charles manson coincidentally it is also the armenian term for butcher kasabian moved into remote farmhouse in rutland to record their debut album benefiting from its isolation but also managing to sneak in few parties while they were there signed to the rca record label kasabian tested the water with two singles club foot and lsf which reached numbers and in the uk singles_chart respectively they built up their following on the summer festival circuit opening both glastonbury and t_in_the_park and at series of guerilla gigs at unusual venues including half time orange pub next to leicester city football clubs headquarters kasabians self-titled album was released last september to widespread critical_acclaim its indie dance stance drawing comparisons to the stone_roses primal scream and the happy mondays regarding it as both fiery assertion of rock n_roll ethics and proof that siege mentality is alive and well in the badlands of rutland water the nmes praise was typical of the albums reception as progressed kasabian would score further two hits processed beats and cutt off and embark upon well-received uk tour we take our music seriously definitely but we want to have fun with it said pizzorno this is not job to us added meighan this is the best life we could ever have this is what its all about and without it wed be lost souls but music needs us as well
curbishley delight for johansson charlton manager alan curbishley paid_tribute to two-goal striker jonatan johansson after beating norwich curbishley said after the win there was talk about norwich being interested in the summer but have lot of faith in jonatan when there was talk of other clubs just told him he was going nowhere hes part of our squad and he got us couple of important goals early on im sure hes happy here but was delighted with all the players curbishley was subjected to criticism from charlton fans recently and he said the thing about this club is that we have got where we are by all pulling in the same direction thats happened for however long ive been here and we dont want people taking sides
da_vinci code is lousy history the plot of an international bestseller that thousands of readers are likely to receive as christmas present is laughable clergyman has said the da_vinci code claims jesus was not crucified but married mary magdalene and died normal death it claims this was later covered up by the church the bishop of durham the rt rev dr tom wright described the novel as great thriller but lousy history the book has sold more_than seven million copies worldwide despite enjoying dan browns conspiracy theory the bishop said there was lack of evidence to back up its claims writing his christmas message in the northern echo the bishop said conspiracy theories are always fun fun to invent fun to read fun to fantasise about dan brown is the best writer ive come across in the genre but anyone who knows anything about 1st century history will see that this underlying material is laughable great deal of credible evidence proves the biblical version of jesus life was true according to the bishop the evidence for jesus and the origins of christianity is astonishingly good he said we have literally hundred times more early manuscripts for the gospels and letters in the new testament than we have for the main classical authors like cicero virgil and tacitus historical research shows that they present coherent and thoroughly credible picture of jesus with all sorts of incidental details that fit the time when he lived and dont fit the world of later legend browns book has become publishing phenomenon consistently topping book charts in the uk and us the da_vinci code has been translated into languages and has spawned its own cottage industry of publications including guides on to how to read the book rebuttals and counter claims the book which has become an international best-seller in little over two years is set to be made into film starring tom_hanks
da_vinci film to star tom_hanks actor tom_hanks and director ron howard are reuniting for the da_vinci code an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by dan brown distributor sony pictures said production will begin next year with planned release in may hanks will play robert langdon who is trying to solve the murder of member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets for centuries it will be hanks third collaboration with howard they previously worked together along with howards producing partner brian grazer on splash and apollo hanks is one of hollywoods most bankable stars with his presence in movie almost guaranteeing box_office success browns book has become publishing phenomenon consistently topping book charts in the uk and us it has sold more_than eight million copies worldwide in little over two years it is classic whodunit which centres on global conspiracy surrounding the holy grail mythology and places heavy emphasis on symbols and cryptography its protagonist is harvard professor likened to contemporary indiana jones who also appeared in browns first book angels and demons the tale mixes art history with mythology semiotics with medieval history
dallaglio his own man to the end controversy and lawrence_dallaglio have never been very far away from each other throughout glittering international career even the end of his nine-year career came out of the blue just four days before the start of the season but then dallaglio has always been his own man ever since emerging onto the international scene dallaglio has polarised opinions to supporters of england dallaglio could do no wrong an integral part of sustained period of success for england dallaglios crowning glory was his part in the side that won the rugby world cup in rival fans meanwhile have tended to take an alternative view seeing dallaglio as the epitome of the less agreeable characteristics of english rugby never afraid to speak his mind be it to the referee or the opposition on the pitch or his coach or the media off it dallaglio has sometimes rubbed people up the wrong way dallaglio arrived as part of the unheralded england side which became the shock winners of the first rugby sevens world cup in it took him another two years to graduate to the full england xv but once there he proved to the manor born displaying maturity and physical power beyond his years dallaglio rapidly established himself as an automatic choice able to play any one of the three back-row positions at international standard within two years of his debut dallaglio was offered the england captains band and his career continued to go from strength to strength as he made the lions tour to south_africa although overlooked for the captaincy in favour of england team-mate martin johnson he played massive role in the series victory but after building up seemingly unstoppable momentum dallaglios career hit the buffers at speed in first came the last-minute defeat to wales in which dallaglios decision not to kick for goal in the dying minutes was blamed for costing england grand_slam worse was to follow though as an infamous newspaper sting cost him his treasured england captaincy with sensational allegations of drug use of which he was subsequently cleared splashed across the front pages devastated dallaglio stepped down as england skipper but he bounced back getting his head down at club level before returning to the england fold albeit now as lieutenant to new captain johnson as member of new-look england side on the long road to world cup glory journey not without mishaps as succession of grand_slams opportunities were spurned dallaglio emerged as key performer once again yet another setback arrived in as serious knee_injury cut short dallaglios involvement on the lions tour to australia rumours began to circulate that his career was over but in typical dallaglio style he embarked on punishing schedule of rehabilitation to return an even more fearsome physical specimen one effect of the injury was to rob dallaglio of much of his pace but ever the pragmatist he reinvented himself as close quarters number eight of the highest calibre the only player to play every minute of englands world cup triumph in australia dallaglio could hardly have done more to secure englands historic win and for that he will always be held in the highest esteem by england supporters following johnsons retirement dallaglios career came full circle as woodward restored him as england captain while england did not hit the heights in dallaglios second spell as captain losing five of their eight post-world cup tests dallaglio led by example leaving him as one of the few members of squad lacking many world cup stars to live up to expectations dallaglio walks away from the international game safe in the knowledge that he will go down as one of englands most accomplished players if not one of the great captains despite his evident pride in leading his country the problem now for england is how to replace the almost irreplaceable the likes of matt_dawson jonny_wilkinson phil_vickery and hill have all been mentioned as contenders for dallaglios role as captain but it is as player that england will really struggle to replace the 32-year-old although players like joe worsley and chris jones are more_than capable of stepping up the fact that there is no stand-out candidate speaks volumes about dallaglios massive influence on english rugby
dame_julie pops in to see poppins mary_poppins star dame_julie andrews watched the hit stage version of her classic film at charity performance in londons west end it was the first time dame_julie who shot to fame as the nanny in the disney movie had seen the musical staged at the prince edward theatre she watched laura michelle kelly reprise the role on stage the show has been one of the west ends hottest tickets since opening in december winning two olivier awards kelly was named best musical actress at last months ceremony and the musical also won best choreography but kelly said she was very nervous about meeting dame_julie because she was my absolute hero the gala performance saw dame_julie return to the theatre where she had her first starring role in performance of humpty dumpty in the mary_poppins musical has been masterminded by theatre impresario sir cameron mackintosh and directed by richard eyre with choreography by matthew bourne sir cameron said he hoped the production which cost 9m to bring to the stage was blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book by pl travers proceeds from thursdays show will go to charities including absolute return for kids ark international relief agency operation usa and drama school lamda
dance music not dead says fatboy dj norman cook aka fatboy slim has said that dance music is not dead but has admitted it is currently going through fallow patch the commercial failure of the latest albums by britains two biggest dance acts fatboy slims palookaville and the prodigys always outnumbered never outgunned has been coupled with the closure of many superclubs and the folding of three dance music magazines last month the brit awards announced they would no longer be awarding best dance act prize with the brits committee announcing that dance music is no longer where its happening in music these developments lead some to suggest that dance was finished as popular music genre cook acknowledged that much change in the dance world in the four years since his last album halfway between the gutter and the stars but he stressed this did not mean the dance scene was permanently over every week when was making the album was reading articles about the demise of dance music and obviously that affects you somewhat he told bbc world services the ticket programme personally dont believe its either dead or going to die but its going through bit of fallow patch so think consciously or subconsciously reading every week that dance music was dead would think right scrub that track then although his album sales in the uk are down palookaville stayed in the uk top for just three weeks cook has achieved recent global success with his beach parties and event on brighton sea front in attracted people while later one in rio achieved crowd of the dvd of the rio set was the biggest seller of that year with crowd that big if the weathers nice the atmosphere before even go is so good that about halfway through the first record think ive got them cook said im always really really nervous before the big ones they had to give me valium before rio because two hours before was literally just pacing the floor for some reason especially now ive got reputation for it the atmosphere and the joie de vivre thats already going on means all have to do is play up records he promised more such parties in more locations around the world despite problems after the brighton event which ended in chaos with many revellers finding themselves stranded as transport ground to halt one man also died of heart attack and woman fell to her death during the free party were having to widen our horizons from just beaches because theres landlocked countries that want to get involved cook said were doing rio at the carnival at the maracana and sao paolo our new gig is famous football stadiums the dj admitted however that his massive worldwide success had downside with intense media interest in his personal life in particular he said he had struggled to cope with tabloid intrusion during the temporary break-up of his marriage to radio one presenter zoe ball after she was linked with dj dan peppe the tabloid thing has been difficult at times cook said especially the me-and-zoe-gate its quite scary he said that he had been determined that what had happened with ball did not affect the album at first was doing deliberately jolly tunes so that people wouldnt think was depressed he explained then thought thats not right and he highlighted bizarre coincidence that one song written before they split had turned out to have great deal more meaning than intended said to zoe did this track called my masochistic baby went and left me do you mind if its on the album he recalled she said yeah its hilarious because your masochistic baby did leave you cook also added that he had some ways of coping with the intense paparazzi pressure which accumulates at the end of the private road he lives on where paul mccartney is neighbour its almost like prisoners rattling the bars with their mugs cook explained if theres pap at the end of the road everyone knocks on each others doors paul comes round and we warn him because we dont know who theyre after
davenport dismantles young rival top seed lindsay_davenport booked her place in the last of the australian_open with convincing win over nicole vaidisova of the czech_republic the american had too much power for her 15-year-old opponent breaking twice in the first set and once in the second the german-born vaidisova rallied well at times but was unable to find way back after falling behind in the opening set davenport who closed out with an ace plays karolina sprem in the next round was fully expecting tough opponent and was able to play well enough to get through it said davenport think she hits some great shots she made some errors but probably some inexperience played role in that but shes so young and obviously has big game and has many many years to improve on that sprem the croatian 13th seed saw off russias elena likhovtseva former world number one powered her way into the fourth round with straight sets win over anna smashnova the 27th seed from israel stuck with williams until in the first set before it became one-way traffic the american made unforced errors but was still good enough to romp through the contest in exactly an hour she reeled off nine straight games to finish winner remains on course to become the first australian to win her home title since chris oneil in the 10th seed equalled her best performance at grand_slam event when she beat unseeded russian nadia petrova to reach the fourth round after tough first set molik grew in confidence and won in just minutes she will now meet venus williams bring it on said the 23-year-old played pretty well and it was nice to get through in straight sets we were destined to meet guess williams said referring to her match with molik it will be huge match for her in australia can tell shes probably very motivated by that so need to get out there and play well beat slovakias daniela_hantuchova in rollercoaster match dementieva came through becoming the seventh russian woman to reach the last in melbourne the match lasted almost three hours and featured service breaks including three in the final set when dementieva held her nerve to seal the win she now faces after the swiss 12th seed beat american abigail spears french open champion received free ride into the last after lisa raymond was forced to withdraw raymond the 25th seeded american was ruled out after sustaining left abdominal muscle tear in the doubles myskina the third seed now plays frances who beat francesca schiavone of italy im extremely disappointed because couldnt have asked to play better in my first two matches raymond said
davenport puts retirement on hold lindsay_davenport has put any talk of retirement on hold after having largely injury-free campaign the 28-year-old world number one had said that she would quit at the end of last year but after successful season she has had change of heart finally felt put myself in position to try and win grand_slams again said davenport it would be tough to walk away when feel like can contend so theres no point in hanging it up quite yet davenport has won three grand_slams the australian_open wimbledon in and the us open her career has been hit by series of injuries but last year she started hitting top form and won seven titles she was due to take part in this weeks hopman cup in perth but decided she wanted to rest her knee just really wanted to make sure my right knee was going to be able to really withstand all the rigours of the whole year coming up she said
dawson wins england squad recall wasps scrum-half matt_dawson has been recalled to englands training squad ahead of the rbs six_nations and been reinstated in the elite player squad coach andy_robinson dropped dawson for the autumn tests after he missed training to film question of sport always said would consider bringing matt back if felt he was playing well robinson said he merits his return on current form newcastles 18-year-old centre mathew_tait is also in the training squad its obviously an honour to be asked to train with england said tait who has burst into contention recently look forward to going down and doing the sessions but the most important thing at the moment is sundays game against newport so im not looking any further than that robinson has invited players to attend three-day session in leeds next week in which his squad will train in part with the leeds rhinos rugby league squad with mike_tindall ruled out of the opening two matches and will greenwood sidelined for the entire six_nations tait is one of six or seven contenders for the two centre berths stuart abbott jamie_noon ollie_smith olly barkley and henry paul who retains his place despite his early substitution against australia are also in the mix ben cohen could also be considered after switching from the wing for his club northampton recently prop phil_vickery and lock simon shaw both return to the squad after missing the autumn tests through injury while wasps wing tom voyce is recalled the group also includes bath flanker andy beattie and leicester hooker george chuter beattie has matured greatly as player these past two seasons robinson said jonny_wilkinson tindall and martin_corry have all been included despite their unavailability for the opening two matches against wales and france the revised 56-man elite squad includes wasps hooker phil greening who replaces the retired mark regan and sale wing mark cueto cueto was selected for the november internationals despite not being part of the group but scored four tries in three england appearances leicester scrum-half harry_ellis has also been promoted from the senior national academy and will contest the number nine jersey with dawson and gloucesters andy gomarsall the players in robinsons elite squad can only play matches for club and country they can be called up for total of training days in addition to the recognised international weeks for each of the years leading up to the next world cup balshaw cohen cueto lewsey robinson simpson-daniel voyce abbott noon paul smith tait tindall barkley hodgson king wilkinson dawson ellis gomarsall chuter thompson titterrell rowntree sheridan stevens vickery white borthwick brown deacon grewcock kay shaw beattie corry forrester hazell jones moody vyvyan j_worsley abbott balshaw borthwick brown chuter cohen corry cueto dawson ellis flatman gomarsall greening greenwood grewcock hazell hill hodgson kay king lewsey moody noon paul robinson rowntree shaw simpson-daniel thompson tindall titterrell vickery vyvyan white wilkinson j_worsley worsley barkley beattie christophers deacon forrester jones palmer rees sheridan skinner smith stevens tait voyce dowson haughton monye roques sanderson
day-lewis set for berlin honour actor daniel day-lewis is to be presented with an award for his career in film at the berlin film festival the 47-year-old whose credits include his oscar-winning performance in my left foot will be presented with the berlinale camera award on february the honour awarded since honours figures in cinema that the festival feels particularly indebted to man to man historical_epic starring kristin scott thomas opens the german festival on february candid documentary about the life and career of singer george michael different story will also be screened at the 10-day event day-lewis has competed four times at the berlin film festival with films in the name of the father the crucible the boxer and martin_scorseses gangs of new_york the festival praises him for his sensational start with roles in my beautiful launderette and costume classic room with view and great number of celebrated roles in subsequent productions japans oldest film studio will also be honoured along with day-lewis shochiku film studios which was founded years ago will become the first cinematic institution to receive the berlinale camera award famous japanese directors including akira hurosawa have had films produced at the studio
day-lewis set for berlin honour actor daniel day-lewis is to be presented with an award for his career in film at the berlin film festival the 47-year-old whose credits include his oscar-winning performance in my left foot will be presented with the berlinale camera award on february the honour awarded since honours figures in cinema that the festival feels particularly indebted to man to man historical_epic starring kristin scott thomas opens the german festival on february candid documentary about the life and career of singer george michael different story will also be screened at the 10-day event day-lewis has competed four times at the berlin film festival with films in the name of the father the crucible the boxer and martin_scorseses gangs of new_york the festival praises him for his sensational start with roles in my beautiful launderette and costume classic room with view and great number of celebrated roles in subsequent productions japans oldest film studio will also be honoured along with day-lewis shochiku film studios which was founded years ago will become the first cinematic institution to receive the berlinale camera award famous japanese directors including akira kurosawa have had films produced at the studio
de niro completes box_office coup robert de niro has completed transatlantic box_office double by topping the uk and us film charts with two different films at the same time comedy sequel meet_the_fockers in which he stars with ben_stiller dustin hoffman and barbra streisand shot to the top of the uk chart at the weekend it took 7.2m in three days eight times more_than the number two closer assault on precinct was in third at the same time us audiences were won over by his new thriller hide and seek in meet_the_fockers he picks up the role of an uptight father and ex-cia agent from hit comedy meet the parents it is big leap to his role in hide and seek supernatural horror in which he plays widower whose daughters imaginary friend turns nasty in the uk box_office chart meet_the_fockers pushed closer off the top spot while police action movie assault on precinct starring rapper ja rule made in its first weekend london underground thriller creep was another new entry at six while quirky_comedy sideways which got five oscar nominations last week entered in eighth place the oscar nominations do not seem to have had an impact on fans choices at cinemas leading contenders the aviator million dollar_baby and ray all suffered substantial drops in takings compared with the previous weekend
de niro film leads us box_office film star robert de niro has returned to the top of the north american box_office with his film hide and seek the thriller shot straight to the number one spot after taking $22m 11.7m at the box_office de niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy meet_the_fockers which was at number five this week oscar hopefuls the aviator million dollar_baby and sideways all cashed in on their multiple nominations with stronger ticket sales in hide and seek de niro plays widower whose daughter has creepy imaginary friend despite lukewarm reviews from critics the film took more_than the expected $18m 9.5m the element of real actor in psychological thriller certainly elevated it said bruce snyder president of domestic distribution at 20th_century fox clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby led the oscar hopefuls with $11.8m 6.3m coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release the aviator film biography of howard hughes that leads the oscar field with nominations was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m 4m oscar best-picture nominee sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release it came in seventh 3.35m last weeks top film ice cubes road-trip comedy are we there yet slipped to second place with $17m 9m while coach carter fell two places to number four taking $8m 4.25m in its third week rounding out the top ten were in good company starring dennis quaid and scarlett johansson racing stripes and assault on precinct
deal to ban homophobic reggae the reggae industry is to refuse to release or stage concerts featuring homophobic songs under global deal struck with gay rights groups damaging campaign against stars such as beenie man and sizzla has been waged over lyrics that allegedly call for gay people to be killed or assaulted the campaign which led to gigs being scrapped and uk police investigation will now be dropped under the truce brett lock of gay group outrage said they were wiping the slate clean the protests had been led by the stop murder music coalition an umbrella group including outrage the black gay mens advisory group and jamaican movement j-flag that coalition has reached verbal agreement with major dancehall reggae record labels and concert promoters covering eight of the scenes biggest stars but the artists themselves were not involved in the negotiations and have not directly signed up instead the record companies have pledged not to release or re-release any offensive songs many of which date back number of years and it is believed promoters will make stars agree not to perform such tunes on stage the reggae industry will work with the artists while still maintaining their freedom of speech and artistic freedom according to media and pr strategist glen yearwood who is representing the reggae industry the industry would halt any attempt by an artist to perform or release song inciting violence against any group or gender he said well advise them this is not the way forward in civilised society the stop murder music campaign saw protesters picket gigs resulted in sizzlas uk tour being cancelled in november forced mobo award organisers to drop artists from nominations and saw beenie man dropped from an mtv show in august police have also been investigating whether lyrics incite the assault and murder of gay people the campaign was blow to the reggae industry mr yearwood admitted if you cant have major stars touring then you dont sell many albums he said but the artists beenie man sizzla elephant man buju banton bounty killer tok capleton and vybz kartel will not have to apologise for past songs or comments outrage!s mr lock said the main players in the dancehall reggae industry will attempt to regulate the industry themselves to ensure that there arent any violently homophobic or gay-bashing lyrics in the future as gesture of good faith the stop murder music coalition has agreed to suspend our aggressive campaigning against murder music so we shall not be picketing concerts or calling for prosecutions to give the industry the space to regulate and reform itself record companies vp and greensleeves distributor jet star and concert promoters including jammins and apollo entertainment are all on board
dementieva prevails in hong_kong elena_dementieva swept aside defending champion venus williams to win hong kongs champions challenge event the russian ranked sixth in the world broke williams three times in the first set while losing her service once williams saved three championship points before losing the match at the victoria park tennis court its really great start to the year no matter whether its an exhibition or not was trying to play my best and really did it said dementieva this will give me all the confidence before the grand_slams was trying so hard to win this tournament williams was disappointed with her display she played some nice points but it was mostly me committing unforced errors four or five errors in each game she said before the match organizers auctioned off rackets belonging to the players raising for victims of the tsunami disaster
dent continues adelaide progress american taylor dent reached the final of the australian hardcourt event in adelaide with crushing win over argentine juan ignacio chela dent will meet swede joachim johansson on sunday after the second seed survived tense tie-break to defeat belgiums olivier rochus johansson the boyfriend of lleyton hewitts sister jaslyn received strong crowd support on saturday it feels like home for me because jaslyn lives here said johansson rochus was leading in the second set tiebreak but his concentration was ruffled by disputed line call and the match slipped away it was so close one mistake like this and the match is over its tough for me it was clearly out rochus said
deutsche_telekom sees mobile gain german telecoms firm deutsche_telekom saw strong fourth quarter profits on the back of upbeat us mobile earnings and better-than-expected asset sales net profit came in at 1.4bn euros 960m $1.85bn dramatic change from the loss of 364m euros in sales rose to 14.96bn euros sales of stakes in firms including russias oao mobile telesystems raised 1.17bn euros this was more_than expected and helped to bring debt down to 35.8bn euros year ago debt was more_than 11bn euros higher t-mobile usa the companys american mobile business made strong contribution to profits its seminal achievement that they cut debt so low that gives them some head room to invest in growth now said hannes wittig telecoms analyst at dresdner kleinwort wasserstein the company also said it would resume paying dividend after two years in which it focused on cutting debt
dibaba breaks 5,000m world record ethiopias tirunesh dibaba set new world record in winning the womens 5,000m at the boston indoor games dibaba won in minutes seconds to erase the previous world indoor mark of set by another ethiopian berhane adera in stuttgart last year but compatriot kenenisa bekeles record hopes were dashed when he miscounted his laps in the mens 3,000m and staged his sprint finish lap too soon irelands alistair cragg won in as bekele battled to second in didnt want to sit back and get out-kicked said cragg so kept on the pace the plan was to go with 500m to go no matter what but when bekele made the mistake that was it the race was mine swedens carolina_kluft the olympic heptathlon champion and slovenias jolanda ceplak had winning performances too kluft took the long jump at 6.63m while ceplak easily won the womens 800m in
director nairs vanity project indian film director mira nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make william makepeace thackerays novel vanity_fair as the book has been favourite through her life the book is one of the classics of english literature the story of scheming 19th_century social climber becky sharp played in the film by reese witherspoon nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film which she has controversially made in bollywood style including two song-and-dance routines in the films second half it was serendipity really was offered vanity_fair by the studio focus features who had distributed monsoon wedding nair told bbc world services masterpiece programme they offered me their next-best thing not realising that vanity_fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since was years old in an irish catholic boarding school in india since her debut feature salaam bombay nominated for the best foreign language oscar and winner of best first feature at cannes nair has become one of indias most famous and respected directors she is not restricted to bollywood however she followed salaam bombay with mississippi masala starring denzel washington and the perez family her first hollywood film her career peaked with monsoon wedding in which won the golden lion award at venice nairs indian-style adaptation of vanity_fair however has been attacked by critics in the us where it only reached number eight at the box_office in its opening week who described the bollywood elements as jarring the film has new ending with becky sharp running off for new life in india but nair said that her film had picked up on the way thackeray who was born in india but moved to england as young man had seen the world first when was it was becky sharp who is completely memorable character because recognised myself in her recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies who wanted to buck the system that they were in she said but it was the sort of novel somehow kept at the side of my bed for many years and would dip into every now and then and suddenly get completely mesmerised again as got older and read it think it was thackerays clarity his clear-sightedness about his own society the fact that he was born in india but came to england as young man that gave him the eyes of an outsider and yet he was an insider that perspective was something really loved nair also defended her decision to cast an american actress reese witherspoon as becky sharp despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are british or irish cast intuitively in my films cast as many non-actors as cast actors she said for me it is intuition have to fall in love with an actor it is visceral response thackeray describes becky sharp as minx also shes described as someone whos tiny red-headed and thin reese had that completely minx-like irresistibility about her having won the role because she seemed physically perfectly suited to the part however witherspoon then became pregnant but nair said that though this had created the need for some filming tricks it had in fact also helped the film it was self-fulfilling prophesy when first met her husband actor ryan philippe said knock her up wont you need some flesh on the girl she joked im not fan of the underfed los_angeles actor at all this was for me about becky sharp being eventually full-blown woman through the course of the film love the luminosity that pregnancy brings love the fleshiness love the ample bosom it gave me much more to play with nair explained how camera tricks had been used to disguise witherspoons bump in various scenes including hiring number of young boys in costumes to stand in front of her she runs she gets off coal carts she jumps off horses she does everything nair said but theres also certain carriage with horses that is going to wipe the screen at certain moment because of the bump
dirty dens demise seen by 14m more_than million people saw dirty den watts killed off on friday marking eastenders 20th_anniversary according to unofficial figures dens death came years after he was supposedly shot in but he came back to the show in september the audience for bbc ones one-hour special averaged million and peaked at million in the last minutes overnight figures showed den died after being confronted by zoe chrissie and sam in the queen vic if the ratings are confirmed the episode will have given the soap its highest audience for year the overnight figures showed almost of the viewing public tuned into eastenders between and gmt leaving itv1 with about we are very pleased with the figures bbc spokesman said it shows viewers have really enjoyed the story of dens demise the shows highest audience came at christmas when more_than million tuned in to see den played by leslie grantham hand divorce papers to wife angie two years later million saw him apparently shot by man with bunch of daffodils by canal more_than million viewers watched his return in the shows ratings have since settled down to about million per episode grantham hit the headlines in may after newspaper printed photographs of him apparently exposing himself via webcam from his dressing_room he also allegedly insulted four co-stars he apologised for his deplorable actions and moments stupidity
disappointed scott in solid start allan scott is confident of winning medal at next weeks european indoor_championships after solid debut on the international circuit the 22-year-old scot finished fourth in the 60m_hurdles at the jose cagigal memorial meeting in madrid it was definitely learning curve and certainly havent ruled out challenging for medal next week said the east kilbride athlete the race was won by felipe vivancos who equalled the spanish record swedens robert kronberg was second with haitis dudley dorival in third scott was slightly disappointed with his run in the final he won his heat in 7.64secs but ran 0.04secs slower in his first iaaf indoor grand prix circuit final should have done better than that he said felt could have won it got poor start but still felt should have ran faster vivancos slashed his personal best to equal the spanish record with time of 7.60secs while kronberg and dorival clocked 7.62secs and 7.63secs respectively
disputed nirvana box set on sale box set featuring unreleased nirvana tracks has gone on sale in the us after years of legal wrangles with the lights out was intended to be released in to mark the 10th anniversary of the album nevermind it was blocked by courtney love the widow of nirvana frontman kurt cobain who did not want unreleased song you know youre right on the box set the dispute between love and surviving band members krist novoselic and drummer dave grohl was settled in work began on the box set in but legal battles put the project on hold the legal fight centred on studio recording of the unreleased track you know youre right regarded by fans as one of the unreleased gems of nirvana the set released on tuesday features three cds and dvd of rare performance and rehearsal footage the dvd also includes the first performance of smells like teen spirit the track that launched nirvana on to the international stage in the band wasnt always pretty or always in tune this is not nirvana unplugged its nirvana unedited said cobain biographer charles cross the bands development ended tragically when songwriter kurt cobain committed suicide in april
dj double act revamp chart show dj duo jk and joel are taking over bbc radio 1s flagship chart show on sunday adding showbiz news celebrity interviews and between-song banter they hope to boost ratings for the long-running show which has been overtaken in popularity by independent radios hit uk rundown radio 1s chart show is an institution and remains the stations single most popular show says jk also known as jason king for years people have been tuning in at four oclock with their tape recorders ready to record their favourite tunes not that ever did that but things have moved on lot now so it was time for change that change involved ejecting previous host wes butters and relocating king and dj partner joel ross from their weekend afternoon radio slot the pair have worked together for decade meeting on viking radio in hull before moving to manchester station key and winning two sony radio awards they also presented gadget series playboyz and car show motor maniacs for cable tv channel granada men and motors and pure soap on bbc three on the revamped chart show their cheeky laddish banter will punctuate star interviews and competitions film and dvd charts plus look at future single releases in addition to the singles_chart itself the chart rundown is no longer the only point of the programme says ross the show used to be the only way to discover who was in the top now you can just click on the internet to find that out so the show has plenty of extra items too the shows reduced reliance upon the top also reflects the fact that music fans are now more likely to download songs in digital format rather_than buy them on compact disc vinyl or cassette personally buy downloads rather_than cd singles says 27-year-old ross even my grandma can download songs now jk is still struggling with the technology though but its premature for people to say that the singles_chart is dead ross adds while sales of singles on traditional formats are down interest in songs has been revived by download sales which will be incorporated into our main chart rundown from april music fans still want to know what is the most popular song of the week ross will be plumping for chart success from rapper verbalicious and the stereophonics on sunday while king is more of an r&b and dance music fan so listeners will get the advantage of both our music tastes says king who describes outgoing host butters as an extremely professional and competent broadcaster the advantage joel and have is that were double act with rapport between us that makes the show much more interactive king says wes has great broadcasting career ahead of him and if not could always use cleaner he jokes ross says the pair have done their best to ignore the weight of expectation placed upon the revamped show other people can worry about that we are going to continue doing what we do well he says at the end of the day this is radio show that is meant to be entertaining nobody died
dogged federer claims dubai crown world number one roger_federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes but not before he was given test by ivan_ljubicic top seed federer looked to be on course for easy victory when he thumped the eighth_seed in the first set but ljubicic who beat tim_henman in the last eight dug deep to secure the second set after tense tiebreak swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool though turning on the style to win the deciding set the match was re-run of last weeks final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam where federer triumphed but not until ljubicic had stretched him all the way really wanted to get off to good start this time and did and could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm federer said that took me all the way through to on his serve and almost ran away with it but he came back and that was good effort on his side ljubicic was at loss to explain his poor showing in the first set didnt start badly but then suddenly felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying little bit too much and with roger if you relax for second it just goes very quick he said after those first three games it was no match at all dont know it was really weird was playing really well the whole year and then suddenly found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court but despite his defeat the world number was pleased with his overall performance had chance in the third and for me its really positive to twice in two weeks have chance against roger to win the match its an absolutely great boost to my confidence that im up there and belong with top-class players
double eviction from big brother model caprice and holby city actor jeremy edwards have both left the celebrity big brother house in surprise double eviction on friday caprice who left in the scheduled fourth eviction having gained just of the public vote afterwards said am so happy am so glad im out edwards then left in surprise eviction with of the vote nineteen-year-old blazin squad singer kenzie is currently favourite to win the charity prize caprice had been the pre-show favourite to be voted out of the house with bookmakers ladbrokes offering odds of on her departure ladbrokes spokesman warren_lush had said she was the hottest eviction favourite so far this series odds on kenzies victory have been slashed from to although bookmakers have said they are not ruling out late rally from former happy mondays star bez the other remaining housemate is actress brigitte nielsen dj lisa ianson became the third housemate to be voted out on wednesday when she became the victim of surprise eviction during game of hide-and-seek on the channel_4 show ianson said she was glad to be out and predicted that kenzie would emerge as the winner the winner is due to be announced on sunday night
double win for sea_inside spanish movie the sea_inside has been named best picture and star javier bardem best actor at the bangkok international film festival based on the true story of paralysed mans battle to end his life the sea_inside was best foreign language film at the golden_globe awards annette bening and ana geislerova shared the best actress award at the bangkok festival this years event was scaled down following the asian_tsunami disaster falling down and the phantom_of_the_opera director joel schumacher won lifetime_achievement award while hong_kong director wong kar-wai was honoured for promoting asian cinema its great honour want to share this honour with my thai colleagues wong said french writer christophe barratie and korean writer park chan-chook shared the best screenplay award for les choristes and old boy respectively now in its third year the bangkok international film festival is donating profits from ticket sales to the tsunami relief fund
douglas set for indian adventure actor michael douglas is to co-produce and star in an adventure film about diamond robbery set in india the new picture is expected to be similar to douglass action films of the 1980s romancing the stone and the jewel of the nile another hollywood star is being lined up to co-star while the rest of the cast will be indian aishwarya rai star of bride and prejudice is the preferred choice of the indian studio involved in the film on visit to india the 60-year-old actor said he hoped to start shooting racing the monsoon next year douglas added that it had been inspired by wall_street journal article about indias angadias who courier money and diamonds around india the actors own production company further films is working in partnership with two indian film-making concerns to bring the picture to the screen shailendra singh the founder of indias percept films said there would be lot of india in the movie and that an indian train would play big role the train will be crucial part of the film the chase and most of the stunts will be on the train said mr singh swashbuckling adventure film romancing the stone saw douglass female co-star kathleen turner win golden_globe award for her performance in
doves soar to uk album summit manchester rock band doves have entered the uk album chart at number one with their new release some cities the trio replace flamboyant us act scissor sisters at the top the album follows single black and white town which reached number six r&b star nelly has the new number one single with over and over which sees him team up with tim mcgraw girls aloud akon and kaiser chiefs all have new singles in the top ten as do futureheads and usher the latest elvis_presley re-release maries the name his latest flame entered the chart at number three one place ahead of girls alouds wake me up hip-hop performer akons locked up is at number five while hotly-tipped leeds band kaiser chiefs have their second chart hit at number six with oh my god futureheads cover of kate bushs hounds of love entered the chart at number eight while ushers caught up was new entry at number nine in the album chart operatic quartet il divos eponymous debut rose places to number six while crooner tony christies definitive collection is new entry at number making it the highest-charting album of the singers career
download chart debut is delayed the inclusion of downloaded music in the official singles_chart has been delayed for month the british phonographic industry bpi had planned to include download formats in the chart from march but the date has been put back to april to create level playing field for independent labels the bpi is concerned that independent repertoire is not adequately represented online and said they were looking at ways of rectifying it bpi chairman peter jamieson said the inclusion of download formats in the official uk singles_chart is the most significant development in the charts for years but for multitude of reasons the current chart representation of independent repertoire at the major download outlets is poor am very pleased we have secured this delay on behalf of independents we have to try and establish realistic level playing field of opportunity the official uk charts are run by the official uk charts company occ joint_venture between the bpi and the british association of record dealers bard at an occ board meeting on wednesday the occ board agreed with bpi members that the march start date be postponed download formats will now be included in the official uk singles_chart for the first time in the chart published on april the sales week beginning april the us has already merged downloaded singles into its billboard hot chart
downloads enter us singles_chart digital music downloads are being included in the main us singles_chart for the first time billboards_hot chart now incorporates data from sales of music downloads previously only assigned to separate download chart green days boulevard of broken dreams is currently number two in billboards pop chart and tops its digital chart download sales are due to be incorporated into the uk singles_chart later this year digital sales in the us are already used to compile billboards_hot digital sales chart they will now be tallied with sales of physical singles and airplay information to make up its new hot chart its second new chart the pop also combines airplay digital and physical sales but confines its airplay information to us radio stations which play chart music in addition to green day other artists in the current us digital sales top include kelly clarkson the game and the killers sales of legally downloaded songs shot up more_than tenfold in with million track purchased online in the us and europe in months the international federation of the phonographic industry ifpi reported last month in the uk sales of song downloads overtook those for physical singles for the first time at the end of last year the last week of december saw download sales of compared with physical singles according to the british phonographic industry the uks first official music download chart was launched last september compiling the most popular tracks downloaded from legal uk sites including itunes od2 mycokemusic.com and napster westlifes flying without wings track reissued for the occasion was the first number one of the uk download chart spokesman for the british phonographic industry bpi said the first combined uk download and sales chart was due to be compiled within the first half of this year work is going on across the music business right now to make sure the new chart works to plan he said the bpi spokesman described the uk music download chart compiled by the official charts company as having been great success since its launch it has provided focus for the industry and has really driven interest in downloads among music fans he said
dundee utd aberdeen dundee_united eased into the semi-final of the scottish cup with an emphatic win over aberdeen alan archibald prodded united ahead in minutes and james grady made it two from close range minutes later richie byrnes header gave aberdeen way back into the game but stevie crawford restored uniteds lead from yards before half time the scoring was completed by grady just after the break superb shot on the turn making it tony bullock in the united goal was called into action for the first time with just over quarter-of-an-hour on the clock noel whelan laid the ball off to jamie winter on the edge of the box but his first-time effort was gathered by the united keeper moments later though the home side took the lead barry robson whipped in free kick from the right which stevie crawford caught on the volley russell anderson failed to deal with it and whelans clearance off the line landed kindly at the feet of archibald who poked the ball into the net united doubled their lead after minutes when grady tapped the ball into an empty net after robson had headed mark wilsons cross off the angle of post and bar but only three minutes later aberdeen clawed their way back into the match free kick from the left by winter was met powerfully by the head of byrne at the back post leaving bullock helpless united restored their two-goal lead four minutes before the end of highly entertaining first half jason scotland played perfectly-weighted pass into the path of the onrushing crawford and he coolly beat ryan esson from yards united ended the game as contest just two minutes after the interval grady received pass from crawford with his back to goal on the edge of the box and after taking one touch he spun to volley the ball past the despairing dive of esson the home side were in complete control and it required good stop from esson to keep out robsons drive after minutes the keeper denied the same player again minutes later beating away his fierce shot from the left of the penalty area robson saw another long-range_effort tipped round the post before cute lob was headed off the line bullock duff wilson ritchie archibald scotland samuel brebner kerr cameron robson crawford grady colgan dodds kenneth brebner archibald grady crawford grady esson hart anderson diamond byrne morrison mcnaughton heikkinen foster winter clark stewart mackie whelan blanchard mcguire anderson diamond byrne clark
duran duran show set for us tv chart stars duran duran are to appear in vh1 special in the us including interviews and concert footage the show airs on tuesday and will feature studio performance behind the scenes footage and fan interviews they seemed like perfect fit with our audience said rick krim vh1s vice_president of music and talent the band recently released new album astronaut the first from the original line-up since they will also tour japan and the us next year when we started playing together we didnt try and make really sort of mature album we just really wanted to make great duran duran album said keyboard player nick rhodes its pretty much in line with lot of stuff out there duran duran are currently promoting the albums second single what happens tomorrow simon le bon said earlier this year that the group were not trying to update their sound too much we wouldnt want to lose them older fans by trying too hard by trying to connect with new audience the singer said le bon also said the five members were getting on very well were like any people who get very close sometimes you argue with each other but the fact is we inspire each other musically nobody else does it for me he said its just very special
dutch watch van goghs last film the last film to be made by the slain dutch director theo van gogh called has been premiered in the hague members of van goghs family and celebrities attended the screening of based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician pim fortuyn van gogh was shot and stabbed to death in amsterdam six weeks ago dutch-moroccan man suspected of radical islamist links has been charged the killing and fortuyns death in convulsed the netherlands many dutch people have questioned their countrys self-image as peaceful tolerant nation in the wake of the murders which triggered heated debate about immigration an animal rights activist was sentenced to years in prison last year for killing fortuyn earlier this year van gogh made film accusing islam of promoting violence against women it caused outrage among muslims and death threats were made against him the film will become available on the internet on wednesday and go on general release in dutch cinemas in january van goghs movie mixes real images of the day of fortuyns murder with fictional plot about dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician the story unfolds through the eyes of freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of dutch authorities in fortuyns murder photographer jim de booy then goes on the run from secret service agents who burgle his home and threaten his family
dvd review harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban this third harry_potter film brought change of director and dramatic visual shake-up that really shines on dvd gone are the warm bright colours found in the two earlier films alfonso cuaron brings in bleak and cold feel that is simply gorgeous and looks even better here than in the cinema it is all part of the progression of harrys story into darker areas but youll spend time just marvelling at the beautiful hogwarts landscape this is the first potter film where you get so lost in the screen adaptation that you forget the book it is the third year at hogwarts and studies are interrupted as they always are by calamity that only harry ron and hermione can put right it sounds corny but harry is no longer the winsome hero he is moody teenager and daniel radcliffe pulls it off very well emma watson is ever better as hermione and the young stars are joined by the usual myriad famous actors including gary oldman and emma thompson the film itself is the reason to buy this dvd but it is laden with behind-the-scenes extras including funny if shallow interviews with all the main cast but what seems like long list of features can be swiftly whittled down to the few that you are going to watch younger viewers will go for the games which include magic you may have missed memory test and crookshanks chasing off after scabbers adult viewers will ignore those and go straight to the deleted scenes you will understand why they were deleted but it is fun to see more footage and not have to hunt through endless menus to find it as we did on the first harry_potter dvd the most interesting pieces are an interview with jk rowling in creating the vision and conjuring scene short featurette about the making of the films big moments
dvd review robot only one man recognises that robots are threat to humanity but thats fine because it only takes one man to save the day in the thriller robot will smith co-stars alongside more cgi robots than you can count and as thrill-a-minute kind of action film its perfectly adequate youll have forgotten it all tomorrow but youll have fun night with the film and all the extras there is one-disc version that has commentaries and making of but the two-disc adds more unusually for this kind of film the extras dont solely concentrate on the special effects theyre covered but theres also general production diary and post-production feature remember the national lotterys draw machines arthur and guinevere they were more accurate than this glossy hollywood version of the tale but as long as youre not expecting documentary live with it king arthur is fun exciting totally shallow experience and looks excellent clive_owen is the brooding king keira knightly rises above her costume and ray winstone gives it all some grit its at its best in its battle scenes which are well done and are also the best part of the making of extra less flashy than david attenborough show and less detailed than simon schama one the bbc series british isles nevertheless turned out to be quite engrossing admit it the fact that this is one of the shows alan titchmarsh left ground force to present did mean that you expected something equally frothy but titchmarsh turns out to know his subject and the sight of our present-day landscape being peeled back to reveal the past was fascinating hes now written an accompanying book too
dvd review spider-man its universal rule that film can either be superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good but spider-man breaks that rule in two its not fantastically deep but you get quickly drawn into the tale of spidey versus doc ock and more so into the fate of poor peter parker gigantic action set pieces seamlessly work with more brooding personal torment and it all looks stunning few effects look false but tobey maguire kirsten dunst and alfred molina make this compelling the other universal rule is that dvds of superhero films will have making of features only about the effects this disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of detailed look at the film then there are commentaries trailers and blooper reel sometimes quality comes in bulk this set contains no less than john wayne films ranging from the westerns and war movies to the quiet man now is that christmas present or what give this to someone on december and you wont see them again until early in the new year its not truly complete collection and leans more toward waynes earlier films theres no true grit for instance though there is hellraisers the films look well transferred to dvd though none has extras it was very daft but it knew it was and somehow this famous series became cult favourite thats been long awaited on dvd this set has the first season of buck gil gerard and wilmas erin gray tongue-in-cheek adventures and its all as camp and gaudy as you remember but its also disappointment the us dvd has this and the more po-faced second season and you can import it for just about the same price the bigger omission though is that there are no extras thats particularly disappointing because originally there were meant to be commentaries and stars gerard and gray had agreed to do them
early elvis recordings go on sale some of elvis presleys earliest recordings including takes of all shook up are going under the hammer on sunday at los_angeles auction the six unedited reel-to-reel tapes which were owned by the engineer who recorded them are valued at up to highlights of the two hour-long collection will get their public debut at bonhams auction house on saturday the rca tapes date from september to september the pre-masters include take of jailhouse rock religious songs material for his first christmas album and banter between presley members of his band and engineer thorne nogar weve had them for lot of years and think the people should enjoy them nogars son stephen said and frankly we could use the money nogar who died in aged always used to make two tapes of sessions as back-up in case rca producers wanted to make late changes to songs he called them his ass-saver tapes his son said the quality is said to be noticeably crisper than that of new vinyl record because the family does not own the copyright to the music the tapes can only be sold for personal enjoyment and they cannot be copied for commercial gain
eastenders is set for us remake plans to create us soap based on the bbcs eastenders have reportedly been drawn up by the fox tv network eastenders head writer tony jordan and music mogul simon fuller are involved in the project according to reports in the hollywood reporter trade newspaper it said scripts have been commissioned for series about community of working class people in of chicago the original eastenders was pulled from bbc america last year after it proved failure in the ratings us versions of other british hits have proved less successful across the atlantic bbc comedy coupling was remade with us cast but lost its primetime slot on the nbc network due to disappointing ratings at home eastenders has been facing its own ratings battle recently losing out to rival itv soap emmer dale primetime soaps on us television have made recent comeback following the success of abc serial desperate_housewives the series takes darkly comedic look at the goings-on of group of characters living in the suburbs
eastwoods baby scoops top oscars clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby beat martin_scorseses the aviator to the top awards at the oscars on sunday the boxing drama was named best picture and eastwood pipped scorsese to best director while its stars hilary_swank and morgan_freeman won acting awards the aviator took five prizes including best supporting actress for cate_blanchett the biopic of howard hughes led the nominations with jamie_foxx picked up best actor for playing soul star ray_charles in ray many expected this to be scorseses year but he was unsuccessful in the best director category for the fifth time in his career he has never won despite being nominated for such films as raging bull and goodfellas instead eastwood took his second oscar for best director after winning for unforgiven in it was wonderful adventure eastwood said to make picture in days it takes well oiled machine am lucky to be here and lucky to be still working ive got lot of stuff to do yet hilary_swank picked up her second best actress oscar for playing female boxer in million dollar_baby beating stars including annette bening kate_winslet and imelda_staunton dont know what did in this life to deserve this she told the audience im just girl from trailer park who had dream morgan_freeman beat actors including clive_owen jamie_foxx and alan alda to the prize for best supporting actor he thanked eastwood and described the film as labour of love this was the fourth nomination of his career but his first win backstage he said lot of people say youre due maybe you are maybe you arent its an accolade million dollar babys success was the nights biggest surprise after the aviator seemed to have the advantage until the end of the ceremony cate_blanchett who won for playing late screen legend katharine hepburn in the aviator said her award was an indescribable surprise and honour of hepburn she said the longevity of her career is inspiring to everyone blanchett also paid_tribute to the films director martin_scorsese telling him hope my son will marry your daughter the aviators other awards came for cinematography film editing art direction and costume design and jamie_foxx who had two nominations this year paid_tribute to the beautiful legacy of soul legend ray_charles who died last year and thanked director taylor hackford you took chance man he said that love for ray_charles was deep down in the earth somewhere and you opened it up everybodys drowning in this love thank you for taking chance and thank you for waiting years to get me to do it he broke down in tears when speaking about being whipped by his grandmother whom he described as his first acting teacher when he was young in other awards cartoon hit the incredibles won best animated feature and best sound editing bittersweet comedy sideways won best adapted screenplay while the original screenplay prize went to eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind born into brothels about the children of prostitutes in calcutta was named best documentary the sea_inside was named best foreign language film and finding_neverland got the accolade for best musical score spider-man triumphed in the visual effects category ray won best sound mixing and lemony snickets series of unfortunate_events picked up best make-up former british tv presenter andrea_arnold who hosted childrens shows motormouth and number in the 1980s won best short film for wasp comedian chris rock who hosted the ceremony for the first time received standing ovation before getting the show under way
edgy agassi struggles past dent andre_agassi put in an erratic display before edging into the fourth round of the australian_open with victory over taylor dent the 34-year-old american seeded eighth made poor start dropping serve early on and later needing two chances to serve out the set having secured the lead agassi still failed to take control as both players forced succession of breaks but agassi won the tie-break before wrapping up win fourth seed survived an injury scare as he battled past mario_ancic the russian turned his right ankle in the third game of the fourth set and called for treatment immediately but he showed no sign of the problem when he returned to the court to wrap up victory in two hours minutes ancic wimbledon semi-finalist in looked set to push safin all the way when he took the second set but safin raised his game to sink the croatian safin said he was trying to keep his temper under control at this years tournament the russian hit himself on the head repeatedly in one second-set outburst but was otherwise largely calm in his victory try to stay calm because if you go crazy against players like ancic you might never come back because hes tough opponent he said im little bit calmer than was before because id had enough the russian added that he was not worried by his ankle injury have had lot of problems with that ankle before it will be ok he said route to the fourth round was made easy when opponent jarkko nieminen was forced to retire from their match the top seed and defending champion was leading when nieminen pulled out with an abdominal injury federer had been in patchy form until then mixing unforced errors with winners the world number one will play cypriot next after the former world junior champion beat tommy_robredo federer admitted he was under extra pressure after extending his winning streak to career-best they are so used to me winning but its not that simple he said had feeling this could be tough match had bad start but bounced back always want to play better than am but thought was pretty ok french open champion is out of the tournament after five-set defeat by dominik_hrbaty hrbaty defeated the 10th seed in match lasting four hours and minutes the pair traded service breaks during an exhausting baseline battle with hrbaty taking decisive advantage in the eighth game of the final set hrbaty will now play champion who outlasted american kevin kim
edwards tips idowu for euro gold world outdoor triple_jump record holder and bbc pundit jonathan edwards believes phillips idowu can take gold at the european indoor_championships idowu landed 17.30m at the british trials in sheffield last month to lead the world triple_jump rankings its all down to him but if he jumps as well as he did in sheffield he could win the gold medal said edwards his ability is undoubted but all his best performances seem to happen in domestic meetings idowu made his breakthrough five years ago but so far has only commonwealth silver medal to his name edwards himself kept idowu off top spot at the manchester games but he believes the european indoors in madrid represent chance for the 26-year-old to prove his credentials as britains top triple_jumper he has to start producing at international level and here is the beginning said edwards phillips still needs to be much more consistent im sure victory in madrid will build up his confidence and self-belief that he can be best in the world the qualifying round of the mens triple_jump in madrid takes place on friday with the final scheduled for saturday olympic champion christian olsson will not be taking part as he is out for the entire indoor season with an ankle injury
el_guerrouj targets cross country double olympic champion hicham_el guerrouj is set to make rare appearance at the world cross country championships in france but the moroccan who has not raced over cross country for years will not decide until two weeks before the event which starts on march if am to compete in it it is only if feel can win said the 30-year-old who is retiring in otherwise there is not much point in me going el_guerrouj achieved lifetime ambition last august when he clinched his first olympic titles over 1500m and 5,000m but the four-time world 1500m champion is still hungry for more success before calling time on his career the 30-year-old has set his sights on clinching the world 5,000m crown in helsinki this summer and he is aiming to break 10,000m olympic champion kenenisa bekeles 5,000m and 10,000m world records el_guerrouj could meet bekele in march as the ethiopian is the defending world cross country champion over both the long and short courses but the moroccan will not commit himself to the st galmier event until he assesses how well his winter training is going the return to training was very difficult because accepted lot of invitations these past few months said el_guerrouj am almost month behind but am on the right track britains paula_radcliffe has also not ruled out competing in the world cross country championships havent quite decided what events will compete in prior to london but the world cross country is an event which is also special to me and is definite possibility said the two-time champion
election deal faltered over heath role the tories failed to hold onto power in after liberals demanded sir edward heath quit in return for co-operation documents released after years reveal the failed negotiations by the then prime_minister following the dramatic february general_election liberal leader jeremy thorpe appeared willing to form coalition government but it partly collapsed over the conservative leaders own role prompting the queen to ask harold wilson to form labour government the february general_election surprised the nation when it created hung parliament with no party in overall control sir edward had gone to the country for fresh mandate amid the spiralling economic crisis miners strike and the subsequent three-day week labour emerged with the most seats but its mps were short of the number mr wilson needed to form majority sir edward who had received more votes but had fewer mps believed he had the authority to remain at number providing the liberal mps would support his government he said the liberals could keep out labour in three ways lend ad hoc support to his minority government help draw up the governments programme or have up to three cabinet members in coalition with the conservatives according to the documents released at the national archives the friendly and easy first meeting indicated that both sir edward and mr thorpe thought they had the makings of deal mr thorpe was in high spirits having just led his party to historic jump in support he also argued for grand coalition of all three main parties but sir edward said that was impossible because the labour left was set against it and the pair settled on trying for conservative-liberal pact hours later sir edwards hopes of deal unravelled as mr thorpes colleagues refused to support him jeremy said he was encountering rather embarrassing problem with his colleagues about the prime_minister personally reads telephone memo for mr heath they feel they could not agree to serve as long as he is the prime_minister asked if this was his own view he said no it was not am very close to ted and thought he was by far the most able man we had and he would be perfectly happy to serve it was only some of his colleagues who were being difficult the following day the stickling points had clearly become two-fold mr thorpes colleagues wanted electoral reform and sir edwards resignation mr thorpe told sir edward am sorry this is obviously hell nightmare on stilts for you somehow personally hope that we can work something out four hours later sir edward called the liberal leader back to downing_street in last attempt at deal the minutes of the meeting show how the chance of coalition government quickly evaporated the pm said he was bound to tell mr thorpe that his colleagues had told him that they would not agree to serve under any other prime_minister mr thorpe was at liberty to verify this by talking to one or two of the prime_ministers colleagues documents show that sir edward mulled over resigning and perhaps returning to coalition government in labour-led coalition but he already knew mr wilson would not form coalition with either the liberals or the conservatives because of the opposition of the labour left within hours of his final talks with mr thorpe sir edward told the nation he was resigning and the queen invited mr wilson to form new minority government
electrolux to export europe jobs electrolux saw its shares rise on tuesday after it said it would be shifting more of its manufacturing to low-cost countries the swedish firm the worlds largest maker of home appliances said it is to relocate about of its plants in western europe and north_america it did not say which facilities would be affected but intends moving them to asia eastern europe and mexico the company has two manufacturing sites in county durham it makes lawn and garden products in newton aycliffe and cookers and ovens in spennymoor the newton aycliffe plant could also be affected by electroluxs separate announcement that it is to spin-off its outdoor products unit into new separate company electroluxs subsidiary brands include aeg zanussi and frigidaire the company said it was speeding up its restructuring programme which aims to save between 190m and 265m annually from we see that about half the plants in high-cost countries that is around are at risk said electrolux chief_executive hans straberg it looks pretty grim said swedish trades union official ulf carlsson what are we going to end up producing in sweden
elton plays paris charity concert sir_elton john has performed at special concert in paris to raise money for the victims of the asian_tsunami the british singer played to 2,700-strong audience on sunday at the french capitals bastille opera house the concert was also part of an attempt to bring broader range of events to the famous venue money raised will go to the fondation pour lenfance foundation for childhood which aims to rebuild childrens shelter in sri lanka sir_elton played hits from his vast back catalogue to sell-out crowd which included former french president valery giscard destaing and his wife anne-aymone the veteran pop star played piano accompaniment throughout the concert which lasted for three hours without an interval he told the crowd throughout the years ive done lot of drugs and alcohol its true that was nightmare impossible for the last years ive been normal now my drug is called david reference to david furnish his partner the crowd who greeted each song with standing ovation also included french singer charles aznavour and british ambassador sir john holmes sir_elton has also teamed up with phil collins to record version of eric claptons hit tears in heaven to raise money for the relief fund release date has yet to be set for the recording which was organised by sharon_osbourne
elvis fans hold birthday bash elvis fans around the world have been marking the legendary singers 70th birthday on saturday three-day elvis convention took place in blackpool england over the weekend with the aim of finding the best european elvis impersonator his graceland tennessee home was the focus for us celebrations with four days of events including concert by the memphis symphony orchestra elvis single jailhouse rock became the uks number one on sunday fans in france celebrated with tribute concert by elvis cover bands and special exhibition of memorabilia is on display in bonn germany jailhouse rock is now the 999th number one single in uk pop history record company sonybmg are releasing elvis number one singles at the rate of one week in britain complete with original artwork and collectors box hit single one night will follow next week with the chance of becoming the 1,000th number one as interest surrounding elvis birthday grows hmv spokesman gennaro castaldo said it would be fantastic and truly fitting way to celebrate elvis landmark birthday
elvis regains top chart position elvis_presley has scored his 19th number one single in the uk charts with the re-release of jailhouse rock years after his death elvis knocked x_factor winner steve brookstein down into second place after three weeks in the charts in at number three was iron maiden for the number of the beast and erasure entered the chart at four with breathe elviss number one is the 999th in chart history and comes the day after what would have been his 70th birthday fans around the world held tribute events for the singer on saturday ranging from concerts to memorabilia exhibitions meanwhile poll carried out by royalty payments group the performing right society found that the wonder of you is the elvis song most performed by live bands and tribute acts record company sonybmg are releasing elviss number one singles at the rate of one week in britain complete with original artwork and collectors box hit single one night will follow next week with the chance of becoming the 1,000th number one as interest surrounding elviss birthday grows elsewhere in the singles charts the scissor sisters went straight in at number five with filthy/gorgeous band aid slipped to six after seven weeks in the chart with do they know its christmas the other two new entries are dana rayne with object of my desire at seven and kasabian who are at number eight with cut off making up the top are boulevard of broken dreams by green day down three places to number nine and out of touch by uniting nations also down three places to in the album charts the scissor sisters went to number one with their self-titled release knocking green days american idiot to third place the killers album hot fuss moved up three to number two
elvis set for chart hat-trick the late us legend elvis_presley is likely to score his third uk number one single in three weeks on sunday according to early sales figures the king of rock n_roll has already had consecutive chart-toppers with jailhouse rock and one night fool such as the next in series of reissues is on course to beat the chemical_brothers to the top but his next single its now or never will face challenge from tsunami charity single grief never grows old sir cliff richard russell watson boy george bill wyman and members of the bee gees the beach boys america and the eagles are expected to feature on the charity song bookmakers have offered odds of for all presleys hits to go back to number one fool such as would become the 1,001st number one single in uk chart history after one night took the 1,000th place on sunday the latest release is currently outselling the chemical_brothers comeback single galvanize plus other new releases from athlete ciara and feeder presleys original number ones are being reissued as limited release singles with fans eager to buy the set to fill collectors box that went on sale in the first week record company sony bmg is now manufacturing more copies of each single than originally planned to meet demand taking the total number of copies of each song on sale to about
elvis set to top uk singles_chart rock n_roll legend elvis is set to top the uk singles_chart on sunday years after his death the re-release of hit song jailhouse rock was out-selling x_factor winner steve brocksteins cover of against all odds by copies on tuesday if the record does make the top spot it will be elvis 19th uk number one the last time he topped the charts was with the remix of the little-known song little less conversation which was number one in june if jailhouse rock does reach number one on sunday it will be the 999th in the history of the uk pop charts the song first topped the charts in chart analysts say elvis could score the 1000th number one as well his record one night will be released the following week followed the week after by fool such as as part of his record company sonybmgs new elvis campaign it has called it the most ambitious singles release campaign in the history of the uk record industry
eminem beats elvis to number one rapper eminem has denied elvis his fourth number one of the year after his song like toy_soldiers stormed to the top of the singles charts the track claimed the top spot ahead of the kings latest re-release are you lonesome tonight it is the fifth in series of reissues to mark the 70th anniversary of presleys birth almost here the duet from former westlife star brian_mcfadden and delta_goodrem went in at number three like toy_soldiers from eminems encore album is sampled from martikas 1980s hit toy_soldiers it takes swipe at hip-hop feuds and follows the success of just lose it last weeks number one elviss its now or never slipped places to number but all five of his re-released songs are in the top one world project tsunami fundraiser grief never grows old slipped four places to number eight featuring cliff richard and boy george the song was written by former dj mike read in the album charts athletes latest offering tourist claimed the top spot toppling the chemical_brothers push the button down which fell to number six
eminem secret gig venue revealed rapper eminem is to play an intimate gig in london on saturday following show on the river thames on friday the us star will play just two songs at night showcasing his label shady records at the islington academy eminem performed on hms belfast on friday which is docked on the river thames where he filmed two songs for bbc ones top of the pops he arrived in the uk on friday following his appearance at the mtv europe music awards in rome other rap acts who may appear at the islington gig include stat quo proof dj green lantern swift and obie trice eminems latest album soared to the top of the us chart after just three days on sale in record shops encore is now chart-topper on both sides of the atlantic following its debut at number one in the uk the fourth album from the rap star was on sale for two days before it outsold all of its rivals the album was released early in an effort to combat both physical and online piracy eminems album includes the track mosh which is tirade against us president bush and the presence of us troops in iraq the rapper was criticised earlier this year after performance on bbc ones top of the pops in april led viewers to complain he was lewd and offensive the complaints about the star grabbing his crotch were upheld by the bbc the performer had been asked to tone his act down after rehearsal but ignored this request during the live broadcast bbc statement read although his gestures were part of the rap culture they had gone beyond what is expected
end bush denial blair tells eu tony_blair is urging european leaders to wake up from their state of denial over president bushs re-election america has spoken the rest of the world should listen the prime_minister said in an interview with the times newspaper published on friday mr blair is at summit in brussels where iraq and european justice and immigration plans are on the agenda french president jacques_chirac reacted to his warning by saying europe instead needed to reinforce its own unity mr blair has probably been closer to president bush than any other european leader he said some people were in sort of state of denial about the us election result but predicted more receptive mood would emerge soon america needed to listen to the world too he said the fact is that president bush is there for four years he is there because the american people have chosen him he argued he also made clear he intended to take seriously what he perceives as his role in bringing the two continents together britain was uniquely placed to make out the common ground because of its strong alliance with the us he suggested he admitted he had gone to bed at 2230gmt well before the american polls closed thinking mr kerry might have won he woke up at 0530gmt to discover mr bush had won but declined to say if he was pleased with the eventual result his words about president bush met cool reception from jacques_chirac the french president told reporters europe today has more_than ever the need the necessity to reinforce itself and its dynamism and unity that is the goal of the constitution in world that is more multi-polar than ever mr chirac will miss an address to the summit from iraqi interim leader iyad allawi who this week criticised nations which took spectator role to iraqs reconstruction mr chirac denied there was any snub he is going to memorial service for the united arab emirates late leader and says he would be happy to meet mr allawi he also signed communiqu&#233 stressing the eus commitment to securing stable and unified iraq the eu also confirmed new $21m aid package the communiqu&#233 congratulated president bush on his victory and stressed the importance of good transatlantic relations the summit is also expected to agree changes to streamline european asylum and immigration decisions mr blair recently said the uk would only participate in eu-wide measures where it was in uk interests but the tories say he is surrendering key veto the meeting will also assess progress on the economic reform plans agreed in lisbon in to make europe more competitive
european medal chances improve what have the european indoor trials told us well think we could be heading to the european championships with half dozen medal prospects it was good to see athletes beginning to make steps forward to see few new faces and there were lots of personal bests kicking around the best performance on the track for me was sarah claxtons win in the 60m_hurdles running sub-eight seconds twice in week puts her right up there and if she repeats that in madrid she will be close to picking up medal but what was great about sundays performance was that she was under pressure to produce the goods when it counted diane allahgreen has been our best hurdler for some time now and think she was surprised to be beaten by sarah and knowing that she got the better of diane in head-to-head race will give sarah confidence in the mens race on saturday allan scott was right in there and there is definitely more to come from him in fact the mens 60m_hurdles is so strong think the selectors will pick three hurdlers to go to madrid phillips idowu lit up the field events not only with his hair but also with his leap of 17.30m which puts him at the top of the world rankings had chat with him before the competition and he was really looking forward to getting out there he feels he is in great shape and has some big jumps inside him but then phillips always has lot of the athletes said the runway was not very helpful so for phillips to jump like that is good performance he is such huge talent but just needs some consistency and if he does that then the big jumps will get even further across the board thought kelly_sotherton had great weekend and continued to show she is developing she picked up three personal bests in the long jump high jump and 60m_hurdles and you cant ask for more_than that kelly will be up against carolina_kluft in the pentathlon at the european championships but she has every chance of medal on the basis of what weve seen so far she has complicated training regime where different people help her with different disciplines but it seems to be working really well it wasnt all good news in sheffield thought both the 60m races were disappointing in different ways jason_gardener may have won but he wasnt at his best chatted to him afterwards and he knows it was an off-day for him hes there to be shot at and the other lads nearly got big scalp out there in the womens race jeanette kwayke was hoping to run against defending champion joice maduaka the pair are enjoying bit of rivalry but joice had to pull out with chest infection if she had made the final think jeanette would have gone bit quicker janine whitlock competed well in the pole vault on her return following two-year drugs ban but the most disappointing thing in the wider view is that she is our best pole vaulter by long way and that shouldnt be the case the event has moved on immensely since janine has been away and if there was more domestic competition think that would help her couple of other interesting topics to look out for are the citizenship issues surrounding mark findlay and rabah yusuf findlay is londoner who has chosen to represent trinidad and tobago but has never run for them so he could still compete for great britain yusuf who came third in the 400m is from the sudan but is trying to gain british citizenship he came to britain as high jumper but damaged his toe started doing more running and found his talent so we shall have to see what happens to both of them
eurovision greats to do battle stars of the eurovision song contest from the shows 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contests anniversary viewers will choose past songs to be performed by the original artists or others in the spirit of the originals past eurovision performers include abba celine dion bucks fizz nana mouskouri lulu and julio iglesias fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best eurovision song during the show in denmark in october the first contest was organised by the european broadcasting union or ebu in and has become an annual event pitting pop giants against musical minnows with often surprising results while some regard it as an essential celebration of continental talent others see it as an equally unmissable parade of the reasons some countries do not normally produce international stars the 50th annual contest will be held in kiev ukraine in may after ukrainian singer ruslana won last year the 50th_anniversary special will be held in denmark later this year because the danish broadcasting corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest plan to hold it in london was scrapped because of problems finding suitable venue ireland has been the most successful country in the shows history with seven victories followed by the uk france and luxembourg with five each
ex-pm lord_callaghan dies aged former labour prime_minister lord_callaghan has died on the eve of his 93rd birthday he passed away at home in east sussex just days after his wife audrey died aged lord_callaghan who leaves son and two daughters was the longest living former british pm in history he entered downing_street in after the resignation of harold wilson prime_minister tony_blair called him giant of the labour movement he held each of the major offices of chancellor home secretary foreign secretary and prime_minister during his career and became lord_callaghan of cardiff in chancellor gordon_brown said the former pm would be mourned throughout the world it was commitment to public service that brought jim callaghan into parliament in and while jim rose to the top he never forgot his roots former cabinet colleague lord hattersley said his first reaction on hearing the news was immense sadness it was not major surprise knew what blow the death of his wife audrey was few days ago he said he was decent kindly man who helped me and my generation of politicians immensely the labour party and the country will be poorer without him conservative peer lord heseltine said that despite their political differences he and lord_callaghan became friends you dont get to the premiership unless you have streak of determination he said but saw the other side of jim callaghan he became personal friend in way and my family and were very fond of him tory_leader michael_howard said he would be remembered with affection and respect liberal_democrat leader charles_kennedy said when was first elected in as the youngest mp he was the father of the house and as such took very keen interest in my early days in parliament he was always full of warmth and wisdom born in and educated at portsmouth northern secondary school lord_callaghan became clerk at the inland revenue he enlisted in the royal navy in and rose to the rank of lieutenant elected for cardiff constituency at the general_election he represented cardiff seats for more_than years after serving as junior minister in the attlee government he became chancellor of the exchequer when labour returned to power in with sterling under pressure he resisted devaluation for three years before being forced into it in his political career was not without controversy when he refused to support prime_minister harold wilson and dame barbara castle over the latters trade union manifesto in place of strife in he said am not going to resign they will have to throw me out when home secretary he ordered british troops to march into the streets of belfast to protect catholic civilians amid rising violence decision that has dominated british politics into the 21st_century as foreign secretary in the early 1970s lord_callaghan kept an open mind about the uks entry into the common market seeing the advantages of the uks entry he once travelled to idi amins uganda in to plead for the life of british lecturer dennis hills who was under death sentence for treason his political life was often tempered by battles against the hard left of the party in the autumn of before the winter of discontent when trade unions carried out strikes that brought the country to standstill lord_callaghan refused to hold an early election which may have delivered labour victory as garbage lay uncollected in the streets and hospital staff council workers and even gravediggers stayed off work lord_callaghan failed to predict the mood of the country when britain went to the polls in tory_leader margaret_thatcher was swept into power in landslide victory and lord_callaghan resigned as labour leader
famed music director viotti dies conductor marcello viotti director of venices famous la_fenice theatre has died in germany at viotti director of la_fenice since conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including milans la scala and the vienna state opera his time at la_fenice coincided with its reopening in after it was destroyed by fire in he fell into coma after suffering stroke during rehearsals for jules massenets manon last week he conducted some of the best orchestras in the world including the berlin philharmonic and the english chamber orchestra viotti was born in switzerland and studied the piano cello and singing at the lausanne conservatory his career breakthrough came in when he won first prize at the gino marinuzzi conducting competition in italy viotti established himself as chief conductor of the turin opera and went on to become chief conductor of munichs radio orchestra at la_fenice viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the french composer massenets thais and some of his other productions included giuseppe verdis la traviata and richard strausss ariadne auf naxos the last opera he directed at la_fenice was massenets le roi de lahore viottis debut at the new yorks metropolitan opera came in with giacomo puccinis madame butterfly followed by la boheme la traviata and fromental halevys la juive giampaolo vianello superintendent of the fenice theatre foundation said am filled with extreme sadness because other than great artist he is missed as friend main character in the latest joyous times during the rebirth of our theatre viottis last public performance was on february when he conducted vincenzo bellinis norma at the vienna state opera
fantasy book wins hollywood deal british author has had the film rights to her childrens bestseller snapped up for seven-figure sum with ridley scott set to direct michelle pavers wolf brother fantasy set years ago is the first in planned series of six books film studio fox has bought the rights for around $4m 2.13m for scotts company scott free to develop the director said he was thrilled with the project wolf brother is an enchanting book he said paver who lives in london and previously worked as lawyer began writing the book in while studying biochemistry at oxford university she was an established author of love stories when she turned the work-in-progress into childrens novel it was published in with paver earning an advance of $5m 2.8m the highest sum ever paid for debut childrens book wolf brother tells_the_story of torak 12-year-old hunter who lives in the forest after his father is killed he teams up with wolf cub and sets out to rid the forest of an evil force paver is currently writing the second book in the series michelle paver lives and breathes the worlds she writes about said spokesman for the author ive told her about the film deal but at the moment she is writing the second book and her mind is years away deep in the primeval forest
farrell due to make us tv debut actor colin farrell is to make his debut on us television in medical sitcom scrubs according to hollywood newspaper daily variety the film star who recently played the title role in historical blockbuster alexander will make cameo appearance as an unruly irishman the episode featuring the 28-year-old will be screened on january farrells appearance is said to be result of his friendship with zach braff who stars in the programme it will be the actors first appearance on the small screen since he appeared in bbc series ballykissangel in the gentle sunday night drama came to an end in he has since become one of hollywoods fastest-rising stars with string roles in major league films such as minority report phone booth and daredevil farrell is pencilled in to play the role of crockett in film version of 1980s police drama miami vice scrubs which appears on the nbc network in the us and has been shown on channel_4 on british television is an off-beat comedy about group of hospital doctors other film stars to have appeared in scrubs include heather graham while friends actor matthew perry has guest-starred and directed an episode of the show its leading star zach braff has recently been seen on the big screen in garden state which he also directed
faultless federer has no equal roger_federer nice bloke fantastic tennis player the ultimate sportsman when lleyton_hewitt shook his hand after getting another thrashing third in as many months the australian said youre the best how right he is the stats speak for themselves titles from finals during three of them grand_slams and final victories in row going back to vienna thats an open-era record hewitt at times in houston showed form which easily matched his grand slam-winning efforts of and but he was outplayed twice hewitt along with andy_roddick and marat safin is sure to be prominent during but realistically all three will be fighting for the world number two ranking according to all those players and even federer himself the swiss star is in different league right now feel that little bit he told bbc sport ive dominated all the top ten players they say nice things about me because have beaten them all am dominating the game right now and hope it continues the number one player in the world is also the main man for promoting the sport off court he has just been voted by the international tennis writers as the best ambassador for tennis on the atp tour he has time for everyone every match from first round to final is followed by series of press interviews in three languages english french and swiss-german after major win there are extra requests obligations and interviews all seen through to the end with courtesy and most importantly good humour you guys are funny have good time with you guys he said genuinely happy to talk into yet another tape recorder see you pretty much every day on the tour so to give away an hour for interviews is really no problem for me if can promote tennis and the sport then that is good for me people say thanks back and that is nice what refreshing attitude from someone who could easily dominate the sports pages for decade it sums up his modest personality shortly after collecting waterford crystal trophy mercedes convertible and tasty cheque for $1.5m federer addressed the houston crowd and concluded by saying thanks for having me now he just needs to find way of winning the french open the one grand_slam to so far elude him
fears raised over ballet future fewer children in the uk are following in the dainty footsteps of dancers like darcey bussell and carving out potential careers as ballet dancers new research from the royal academy of dance rad has found fewer children over the age of are attending ballet classes and taking exams in the discipline the organisation blames the growing popularity of computer games and other changes in lifestyle and there are fears that if the trend is not reversed there could be fewer british ballet stars in the future the rad found that the number of youngsters taking their ballet exams drops by almost after the age of or dance teacher eve trew who has taught ballet for over years told bbc_news she had seen vast change over the years she blamed modern lifestyles for the fall in ballet attendance think the children of many years ago did not have as many hobbies she said the trouble now is that they are wide open to computers gameboys and everything else children have got as result there is less time being spent on ballet lessons hazel gilbert an information manager from newcastle gave up ballet at the age of and is typical of the problem its not very cool thing to do when you go to big school and think you have to be very focused on ballet to want to carry on doing it she said used to love it but after certain age it becomes much more disciplined and didnt want that started getting into other things like swimming and kickboxing and ballet just wasnt something wanted to do any more ms trew who runs dance school in gateshead admitted it would be very difficult to reverse the trend and said many young ballet dancers were no longer willing to make the sacrifices to succeed you have to be very dedicated and you have to be very disciplined it is career that you have got to really want to do because it is such hard work children these days have not got the time to spend perfecting it that is very sad currently only two out of principal dancers at the royal ballet darcey bussell and jonathan cope are british compared to of the principals in but spokesman for the english national ballet told bbc_news that although only two out of their principal dancers were british around quarter of the companys dancers were from the uk he said competition at open auditions in london was fierce between talented dancers from all over the world the rad have launched new competition to try and reverse the decline in british ballet dame antoinette sibley president of the rad launched the fonteyn nureyev young dancers competition earlier this week aimed at children aged to it is hoped the contest will help keep british ballet evolving spokeswoman for the rad said it is our responsibility to re-ignite the passion and nurture young dancers for the long-term future of ballet we need to provide them with framework and goal to work towards with constant support and coaching in an environment where they can work with their peers and possibly leading artists and choreographers perhaps more importantly provide them with the opportunity to experience performance themselves what better way to reignite passion for ballet than to let them experience the thrill of performance
february poll claim speculation reports that tony_blair is planning snap general_election for february have been described as idle speculation by downing_street spokesman said he had no idea where the reports in the sunday times and sunday telegraph had come from the papers suggest ministers believe the government could benefit from baghdad bounce following successful iraq elections in january british general_election was last held in february in in that election edward heath lost and failed to build coalition with the liberals harold wilson took over and increased his majority later in the year in second election the latest speculation suggests the prime_minister favours february poll in order to exploit his current opinion poll lead over conservative leader michael_howard but that strategy could prompt criticism he was seeking to cut and run after less then four years of parliamentary term the papers report that alan_milburn labours head of elections strategy has played key role in the plan for february election which would include new year advertising blitz new labours campaign both newspapers said would be centred around the slogan britain is working labour party spokesman said the election date was ultimately matter for mr blair but he was unaware of anything to suggest it would be in february most commentators have been expecting an election on may the last election was in june
federer breezes into semi-finals roger_federer reached the last four of the qatar open with an easy win over seventh_seed feliciano lopez the swiss world number one reeled off series winners to outclass the spaniard and set up semi-final match against russian nikolay davydenko federer who lost in the quarter-final in his last qatar appearance in was happy with his form think played better than against greg_rusedski and am happy am playing so well said the top seed lopez showed glimpses of resolve early in the second set when he held his first service game and came close to breaking federer but the swiss saved break point and promptly broke serve in the following game to seize control davydenko meanwhile upset french third seed sebastien grosjean fabrice santoro completed miserable day for france when he was forced to retire when down to albert costa spaniard costa will next face croatian ivan_ljubicic after the sixth seed beat rafael_nadal
federer claims dubai crown world number one roger_federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes but not before he was given test by ivan_ljubicic top seed federer looked to be on course for easy victory when he thumped the eighth_seed in the first set but ljubicic who beat tim_henman in the last eight dug deep to secure the second set after tense tiebreak swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool though turning on the style to win the deciding set the match was re-run of last weeks final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam where federer triumphed but not until ljubicic had stretched him for five sets really wanted to get off to good start this time and did and could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm federer said that took me all the way through to on his serve and almost ran away with it but he came back and that was good effort on his side ljubicic was at loss to explain his poor showing in the first set didnt start badly but then suddenly felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying little bit too much and with roger if you relax for second it just goes very quick he said after those first three games it was no match at all dont know it was really weird was playing really well the whole year and then suddenly found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court but despite his defeat the world number was pleased with his overall performance had chance in the third and for me its really positive to twice in two weeks have chance against roger to win the match its an absolutely great boost to my confidence that im up there and belong with top-class players
federer forced to dig deep top seed roger_federer had to save two match points before squeezing past juan_carlos ferrero at the dubai open the world number one took two hours minutes to earn his victory saving match points at in the tiebreak before claiming it federer made number of unforced errors early on allowing ferrero to take advantage and claim the first set but the swiss star hit back to reach the quarter-finals where he will face seventh_seed russian mikhail youzhny the russian beat germanys rainer schuettler federer was not unduly worried despite being taken to three sets for the third consecutive match the world number one was forced to go the distance against ivan_ljubicic in the rotterdam final and against ivo minar in the first round in dubai definitely had slow start again and to come back every time is quite an effort he said havent been playing well but ive been coming through im winning the crucial points and that shows im on top of my game when have to be
federer joins all-time greats the last year has seen one player dominate mens tennis and one country dominate the womens game roger_federer became the first man since mats wilander in to win three grand_slams in one season and after anastasia_myskina became the first russian woman to win grand_slam at the french open two more followed at wimbledon and the us open meanwhile briton tim_henman enjoyed his best year while greg_rusedski fought back superbly from adversity federer began the year as world number one and holder of the wimbledon and masters cup titles and set about conquering new ground the swiss sounded warning of the dominance to come at the australian_open he ripped through the draw before beating marat safin in the final andy_roddick was the only player to put up any real resistance at wimbledon and federers performance against lleyton_hewitt in the us open final was breathtaking federer again got the better of hewitt in the season-ending masters cup his victory in houston proved to be his 13th successive win in final an open era record the only major let-down was third-round loss to gustavo kuerten at the french open and roland garros will be his main target in there was also surprise loss to the unheralded tomas berdych at the olympic games which saw chile dominate as nicoals massu took the singles and then paired up with fernando gonzaelz to win doubles gold another major trophy that looks beyond federer is the davis_cup which was won by spain in home success over the usa in seville roddick struggled on the clay losing to rafael_nadal on the opening day before going down to carlos_moya in the all-important fourth rubber henman broke new ground by reaching the semis on clay at the french open stunning effort and also at the us open quarter-final defeat to mario_ancic at wimbledon was disappointing for the limp manner of the britons defeat but he remains optimistic of going further next year british number two rusedski endured rollercoaster year returning to the circuit after being cleared of doping offence in march with his ranking down at many feared the 31-year-olds career was over but he battled back in the second half of the season to re-enter the top the russian women finally delivered on their long-recognised promise in with myskina maria_sharapova and svetlana_kuznetsova winning grand_slams before taking the season-ending fed cup but while the young russians were on the way up it was different story for the belgians and the williams sisters only veteran lindsay_davenport held the new wave at bay stunning run of form after wimbledon taking her to number one ahead of amelie mauresmo whose grand_slam drought goes on the year started in regulation fashion as justine henin-hardenne beat compatriot kim_clijsters at the australian_open virus ruined the rest of henin-hardennes year although she was fit enough to win olympic gold but clijsters had an even more miserable she suffered serious wrist injury and then announced the end of her relationship with lleyton_hewitt and will be happy to see the year end in their absence myskina thrashed elena_dementieva in historic but woeful all-russian final at the french open wimbledon was more refreshing affair as sharapova captivated sw19 showing nerves of steel as she battled past davenport and serena_williams to take the title davenport was strong favourite for the us open but hampered by injury lost to the powerful and unflappable kuznetsova in the semis kuznetsova went on to give dementieva another grand_slam final thrashing with the latters wayward serve becoming one of the talking points of the year with the russians still improving the likes of henin-hardenne clijsters davenport mauresmo venus and serena will need to be fully fit and motivated in and it may take their compatriot safin to challenge federer on the mens side
ferrero eyes return to top form former world number one juan_carlos ferrero insists he can get back to his best despite tough start to the french open champion has slipped to in the world after year of illness and injuries in but is confident that his form will return dont know when it is going to happen ferrero told bbc sport but have lot of confidence in me that will be the same juan_carlos as was before and very soon feel again mentally the 25-year-old spaniard joins top field for the abn amro world tennis tournament in rotterdam this week as he looks to add to just two wins in he opens against rainer schuettler and potentially faces fourth seed david nalbandian in the second round because im no longer seeded its tougher ferrero admitted had to play against joachim johansson in the first round last week in marseille in the past when was top seed would have played match like that in the quarters or semi-finals this is the big difference but have to do it to get higher in the rankings despite this ferrero insists he is feeling positive after chicken pox and rib injury destroyed last season physically am since december of last year said ferrero was working very hard before the davis_cup final to prepare and ive felt from then until now the difficult moments were when knew that had the chicken pox and that it would take two or three months to recover had to start from zero again physically because the virus left me at zero per_cent when started to come back had my rib broken when fell on court and that was another two months out those five months were pretty difficult for me among the low points of difficult year for ferrero was the decision of spain captain jordi arrese to drop him for the davis_cup final against the usa it was difficult because had been playing well for the whole year and the coaches told me that would play said ferrero but then had some problems with my hand two days before the friday matches so they decided to choose nadal instead it was difficult for me not to be in the friday matches but had to understand inside me wanted to play but this was the decision of the captain and they had to make it
fightstar take to the stage charlie simpson took his new band fightstar to the stage on friday night just hours after officially announcing his departure from pop band busted he was greeted by sell-out crowd at the university of warwick confirmation of busteds long-rumoured split had come earlier in the day when simpson held press_conference in london with bandmates matt willis and james bourne all three band members stressed that the break up was amicable although bourne admitted he was devastated to hear of simpsons departure this has been really difficult decision 19-year-old simpson revealed hope the fans will understand while simpson declared he would look back with pride on busteds enormous success his focus turned immediately to fightstar with fridays press_conference coinciding with the start of the bands 13-date tour of the uk fuelled by this news all tickets to see charlies first post-busted live appearance at the university of warwicks student union sold out rapidly mike eccleshall the venues promotions coordinator said tickets had been selling strongly over the past few days but sales went mad after the news broke we had completely sold out by 4pm with queues outside the venue long and expectations high the pressure was on fightstar to impress although many dedicated fans travelled to the gig from around the country they faced tough crowd made up chiefly of students the average age of the audience far exceeding that of any busted concert gone were the screaming girls to which simpson had become accustomed support act brigade fronted by simpsons brother played short set first and were met with general approval when fightstar eventually took to the stage around 11pm however riotous cheer easily drowned out any hecklers lurking in the crowd unfortunately the band were initially hindered by technical teething problems as simpsons guitar amplifier failed to work as sound technicians rushed to fix it other band members did their best to improvise when they eventually got under way fightstars blend of emotionally charged rock was warmly received far heavier and less commercial than busteds chart-topping pop-punk the band will undoubtedly appeal to more mature fan-base warwick student helen clutterbuck admitted came to check out fightstar because of all the controversy ive never heard them before but im pretty impressed less impressed were fellow students ryan crabbe and gordon rennie who observed with fightstar charlie has clearly progressed from busteds sound but theyre still not very inspiring fightstar played for around minutes showcasing material from their forthcoming ep called they liked you better when you were dead due for release in february
film production falls in uk the number of british films produced in the uk fell in with movies starring johnny_depp and jude law among those affected screen daily has said twenty-seven british films were made in the uk last year following drop in funding compared with in according to the trade weekly it attributed the drop to tighter tax laws and reduced funding from sources such as the national lottery uk and us co-productions in britain fell from in to last year last year the government closed tax loopholes that many film investors had taken advantage of to fund films in the uk several projects were shelved as they faced the implications of this clampdown coupled with the reduction in movie funding from traditional sources including the lottery and miramax films shooting on period drama tulip fever which was to star jude law and keira knightley was postponed indefinitely while shooting of the libertine starring johnny_depp was moved to the isle of man there isnt anything coming in to replace the funds said the libertines executive producer marc samuelson we are in hiatus films with medium budgets of up to 9m similar level to box_office hits vera_drake calendar girls and enduring love are expected to be worst hit by the tax clampdown the strength of the pound against the dollar is expected to have resulted in fall in the number of us films shot in the uk during screen international added big budget co-productions such as the harry_potter series continued to be shot in the uk however the uk film council said the drop was partly due to being an especially good year for british film production when bridget jones the edge of reason wimbledon and thunderbirds were all filmed in the uk the drop was expected as there was no way 2003s record level of production could be bettered the councils spokesperson said the reduction in indigenous film production in was due to variety of factors including the continuing long-term trend towards co-production of films in more_than one country and changes to financing arrangements it was too early to predict whether the downward trend in uk production would continue throughout the uk film council said in september the government introduced subsidies worth up to 4m per film for medium budget films under new treasury measures it is also due to announce replacement for uk film tax relief scheme section in july
film row over pirates cannibals plans to portray dominicas carib indians as cannibals in the sequel to hit film pirates_of_the_caribbean have been criticised by the groups chief carib chief charles williams said talks with disneys producers revealed there was strong element of cannibalism in the script which cannot be removed the caribbean islands government said disney planned to film in dominica the caribs have long denied their ancestors practised cannibalism disney was unavailable for comment our ancestors stood up against early european conquerors and because they stood up...we were labelled savages and cannibals up to today said mr williams this cannot be perpetuated in movies shooting on the sequel is expected to begin in april with hundreds of dominicans applying to be extras in the movie about caribs live on the island of dominica which has population of many caribs were killed by disease and war during colonisation up to the 1600s mr williams said he had received support from indigenous groups around the world in his efforts to have cannibalism references removed from the film but he admitted there were some members of the carib council who did not support the campaign he said some did not understand our history they are weak and are not committed to the cause of the carib people the first pirates_of_the_caribbean film took $305m 162m at the box_office in the us alone the cast and crew are to work on two sequels back-to-back with the first to be released in
film star fox behind theatre bid leading actor edward fox is one of the men behind plans to reopen swansea theatre thought to be wales oldest the star of film and tv hits day of the jackal and edward and mrs simpson has joined forces with swansea-born actor-director terry palmer they will set up charity to raise money to buy the palace theatre and hope to reopen it to audiences in summer it is estimated that is needed to buy the grade ii listed building the palace theatre which will be known as the pavilion repertory theatre was sold to an undisclosed bidder at auction months ago for before that it had been used as nightclub for years oscar-winner sir anthony hopkins who was born in nearby port talbot made his professional debut there and charlie chaplin and lily langtry have also trodden its boards fox told the south wales evening post that after visiting the theatre he was surprised by its beauty lot of money needs to be spent on it but all the bones are there it just needs beautiful skin he said to call it jewel is not an over-estimation there are not many theatres left like this the hope for the immediate future is that we can attract enough people to come forward to allow it to prosper he told the newspaper fox first found fame in the 1960s one of his most memorable roles was as an assassin in the day of the jackal in and he won tv bafta as the prince of wales in for edward and mrs simpson he was brought on board to save the theatre by mr palmer long-standing friend of years two years ago decided to return to swansea and do something for the city said mr palmer he said he was excited by the idea of running the palace as charity where young actors could develop and with an annual shakespeare festival in the summer if in five years time the theatre can function in all areas without me shall be well satisfied having helped to create vital living theatre for the city he added keith poulton business adviser from swansea has already committed an undisclosed amount of money to the project we need at least to secure deposit on the building and weve only got two months to do that said mr poulton few benefactors have expressed their interest and mr fox is going to give it an awful lot of time he added last year roads around the theatre were cordoned off when masonry from its roof fell onto car but engineers said they were happy that it was safe
films on war triumph at sundance study of the united_states at war in the past years has picked up one of the main awards at the sundance film festival in utah in the us why we fight scooped the grand_jury prize for documentaries at the worlds leading independent film festival british director sean mcallisters the liberace of baghdad about pianist in war-torn iraq won special prize in the world documentary category both why we fight and the liberace of baghdad were made for the bbc why we fight is due to be screened on bbc four in march the sundance festival was founded by actor robert redford in this years festival which ended on sunday after 11-day run has been dominated by the themes of war and politics in the new world cinema drama category the angolan film the hero triumphed to win the grand_jury prize the film an angolan/french/portuguese production tells_the_story of veteran of the countrys civil war who returns home to face new battle of survival twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focused on countries and people under siege finnish film the three rooms of melancholia looks at the war in chechnya and shake hands with the devil the journey of romeo dallaire tells_the_story of un mission to rwanda during the genocide but it was dutch documentary shape of the moon study of an extended family in indonesia which took the top prize meanwhile french-israeli production wall which looks at israels controversial security wall separating it from the palestinian territories picked up world cinema special jury prize for documentaries in the main drama category forty shades of blue was named winner of the grand_jury prize the film tells the tale of forbidden tug-of-love between father his russian immigrant girlfriend and his son during its 24-year history the sundance film festival has showcased successes such as reservoir dogs the blair witch project and the full monty last years festival provided platform for hits such as open water napoleon dynamite garden state and super-size me the festival is held in the mountain resort of park city east of salt lake city which sees its population rise from to during the festival
fockers fuel festive film chart comedy meet_the_fockers topped the festive box_office in north_america setting new record for christmas day the sequel took $44.7m 23.2m between and december according to studio estimates it took $19.1m 9.9m on christmas day alone the highest takings on that day in box_office history meet_the_fockers is the sequel to ben_stiller comedy meet the parents also starring robert de niro blythe danner dustin hoffman and barbra streisand despite the success of meet_the_fockers takings were down on 2003s figures which was blamed on christmas falling over weekend this year when christmas falls on weekend its bad for business said paul dergarabedian president of exhibitor relations which compiles box_office statistics the weekends top films took an estimated $121.9m 63.3m compared with $165.8m 86.1m last year when the third lord_of_the_rings film dominated the box_office meet_the_fockers knocked last weeks top film lemony snickets series of unfortunate_events down to third place with $12.5m 6.5m comedy fat albert co-written by bill cosby entered the chart in second place after opening on christmas day taking $12.7m 6.6m the aviator starring leonardo_dicaprio as howard hughes took $9.4m after expanding from to cinemas on christmas day
fockers keeps us box_office lead film comedy meet_the_fockers sequel to meet the parents has topped the us box_office for third week the movie which stars ben_stiller robert de niro dustin hoffman and barbra streisand took $28.5m 15.2m making total of 204.3m 109m michael keaton thriller white noise was second with $24m 12.8m despite negative reviews martin_scorseses howard hughes biopic the aviator came third with $7.6m 4m and total of $42.9m 22.8m childrens adventure lemony snickets series of unfortunate_events starring jim_carrey and meryl streep fell two places to fourth position with $7.4m 3.9m it is also the ninth jim_carrey film to hit the $100m 53.2m mark according to exhibitor relations and fat albert live-action adaptation of bill cosbys tv cartoon fell one place to number five with takings over the three days beginning on friday of $5m 2.6m oceans_twelve took sixth place in the us chart with $5.4m 2.8m but it led the non-us chart at the weekend according to hollywood reporter with an estimated $17.7m 9.4m and total takings of $137m 73m the incredibles took $300m 160m outside the us while meet_the_fockers topped box_office charts in australia and mexico with non-us takings of $19.35m 10.2m
fockers retain film chart crown comedy meet_the_fockers has held on to the number one spot at the north american box_office for second week it took $42.8m 23.7m at the weekend making its overall takings more_than $163m 90m in days according to studio estimates it took $19.1m 9.9m on christmas day alone the highest takings on that day in box_office history the sequel to the ben_stiller comedy meet the parents stars robert de niro dustin hoffman and barbra streisand the success of meet_the_fockers could help produce record box_office revenue for said paul dergarabedian president of the industrys tracker exhibitor relations weve had much stronger than anticipated final week of the year that helped the industry end on high note said mr dergarabedian meet_the_fockers also broke the box_office records for the most money taken on new years eve when it made $12.2m 6.2m and new years day when it took $18m 9.4m the previous new years eve record was set in by cast away with $8.5m 4.5m the lord_of_the_rings the return of the king had held the new years day title with $12.8m 6.7m however christmas takings were down on 2003s figures which was blamed on christmas falling over weekend this year this weekends top films took an estimated $125.4m 65.8m increase on the same weekend last year but there were no major releases last week to provide competition to meet_the_fockers or lemony snickets series of unfortunate_events which finished in second place with $14.7m 7.7m the aviator starring leonardo_dicaprio as howard hughes ended up in third position after taking $11.2m 5.9m comedy fat albert co-written by bill cosby moved down the chart to fourth place after taking $10.7m 5.6m
former ni minister scott dies former northern_ireland minister sir nicholas scott has died at london hospice his family has announced the former conservative mp for kensington and chelsea died after long illness diagnosed as alzheimers the 71-year-old served in northern_ireland from to during the premiership of margaret_thatcher as northern_ireland minister he dealt with education and later security where he rode out the mass ira escape from the maze in in education he encountered criticism over school closures and the future of the catholic training colleges he also merged the new university of ulster and the ulster polytechnic to create the university of ulster sir nicholas was strong defender of the anglo-irish agreement and was held in esteem in dublin government and sdlp circles but he experienced hostility from unionists some of whom dubbed him minister of discord after leaving northern_ireland in reshuffle he became uk disability minister sir nicholas was replaced as the member for kensington and chelsea by the flamboyant alan clark after being deselected by his constituency in december his deselection followed series of scandals including being found slumped in the street by police during the tory party conference in bournemouth and taken back to his hotel sir nicholas claimed strong painkillers he was taking for back problem had reacted badly with small amount of alcohol after his sacking he bitterly said that despite the support of cabinet ministers and tory backbenchers the eurosceptics in his constituency were absolutely determined to get rid of me his colourful career also included very public disagreement with daughter victoria over civil rights for the disabled sir nicholas admitted he misled mps when he denied his department had been involved in wrecking tactics designed to kill the disability bill in victoria lobbyist for disabled rights denounced her fathers actions and heaped insult on injury when she joined the calls for him to resign he joined the backbenches two months later
fox too reliant on reality tv the head of us tv network fox has admitted the broadcaster had relied too heavily on reality tv shows such as the poor-rating whos your daddy chief_executive gail berman said in the case of this fall we drifted to too much on the unscripted side the series whos your daddy where young woman tries to pick her natural father for cash prize caused outrage from adoption groups and rated badly last season foxs prime-time audience fell by to million ms berman said think the audience expects loud things from fox sometimes they work and sometimes they dont whos your daddy the first episode of which was shown on january pulled in disappointing audience of million according to the nielsen ratings system five other episodes of the show had also been filmed will be dropped from foxs schedules ms berman said she was predicting drop in ratings even for some of the networks established reality shows such as american idol which is due to start its fourth series this week fox had unveiled new strategy last year promising to launch new shows every season including the traditionally quiet summer season though that had met with poor reception ms berman said theres no question that the audience in our mind is ready willing and able to accept new programming in the summer fox has changed this plan launching new shows in may instead of june one of the new shows will be the animated series american dad made by seth macfarlane the creator of family guy that series after becoming hit on dvd is also set to return with new episodes
foxx and swank take actors awards jamie_foxx and hilary_swank have won the screen actors_guild awards for best male and female film actors boosting their oscars hopes this month foxxs portrayal of late soul-singer ray_charles in ray had already earned him prestigious golden_globe award swank triumphed for playing gutsy female boxer in million dollar_baby modest wine country comedy sideways knocked out favourites million dollar_baby and the aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance the screen actors_guild sag represents us film and tv actors its winners often go on to win oscars in other nominations cate_blanchett triumphed as the best supporting actress for her role as katharine hepburn in the aviator veteran actor morgan_freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing prize-fighter turned gym manager in million dollar_baby thank you for ray_charles for just living so complex and so interesting and making us all just come together said foxx accepting his award in los_angeles on saturday he also praised the film director thank you for taylor hackford for taking chance with an african-american film taylor youre my director of the year swank too was full of praise for her director and co-star clint_eastwood bow down to you swank said to the 74-year-old eastwood you are talent beyond compare if im half the person you are and half the talent you are when im will know that ive accomplished something great both foxx and swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get oscars the hollywoods ultimate prize however swank has to overcome strong challenge from annette bening nominee for the theatre farce being julia meanwhile ballots for oscars the hollywoods top honours were mailed earlier this week to members of the academy of motion_picture arts and sciences the voting is due to end on february five days before the ceremony
foxx and swank win us awards jamie_foxx and hilary_swank have won the screen actors_guild awards for best male and female film actors boosting their oscars hopes this month foxxs portrayal of late soul-singer ray_charles in ray had already earned him prestigious golden_globe award swank triumphed for playing gutsy female boxer in million dollar_baby modest wine country comedy sideways knocked out favourites million dollar_baby and the aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance the screen actors_guild sag represents us film and tv actors its winners often go on to win oscars in other nominations cate_blanchett triumphed as the best supporting actress for her role as katharine hepburn in the aviator veteran actor morgan_freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing prize-fighter turned gym manager in million dollar_baby thank you for ray_charles for just living so complex and so interesting and making us all just come together said foxx accepting his award in los_angeles on saturday he also praised the film director thank you for taylor hackford for taking chance with an african-american film taylor youre my director of the year swank too was full of praise for her director and co-star clint_eastwood bow down to you swank said to the 74-year-old eastwood you are talent beyond compare if im half the person you are and half the talent you are when im will know that ive accomplished something great both foxx and swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get oscars the hollywoods ultimate prize however swank has to overcome strong challenge from annette bening nominee for the theatre farce being julia meanwhile ballots for oscars the hollywoods top honours were mailed earlier this week to members of the academy of motion_picture arts and sciences the voting is due to end on february five days before the ceremony
france set for new da_vinci novel french booksellers are braced for rush of interest after another book from the author of the da_vinci code is translated into french angels and demons by us author dan brown will go on sale on wednesday the da_vinci code is set in paris including the louvre and has sold around one million copies in france the main character robert langdon also appears in angels and demons the da_vinci code is being made into film starring tom_hanks angels and demons was written before the da_vinci code which has sold more_than million copies worldwide and been translated into more_than languages since it was released in angels and demons is set mainly in rome as symbologist robert langdon follows 400-year-old trail to try to uncover plot by an ancient brotherhood the illuminati to blow up the vatican the novel deals with moral issues such as the debate between science and religion and also seeks to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the pope on his website brown wrote think the reason angels and demons is raising eyebrows right now is that it opens some vatican closets most people dont even know exist but think most people understand that an organisation as old and powerful as the vatican could not possibly have risen to power without acquiring few skeletons in their closets such is the success of the da_vinci code in france special tours have been organised to trace langdons footsteps including the the louvre museum and the saint sulpice church the louvre has also given permission for parts of the film version to be shot in the museum the film to be directed by beautiful minds ron howard is due to start filming at the paris museum in may and stars hanks alongside french actress audrey_tautou
franz ferdinands art school lesson scottish rock band franz_ferdinand who shot to prominence in have won two brit awards with their self-titled debut franz_ferdinand have achieved what most rock bands crave high credibility and critical_acclaim while also selling stacks of cds they have risen to the head of the uks art rock ranks with an album of songs that are catchy creative and original enough to sound fresh with cool spiky fun sound previously associated with bands like talking heads they hit upon style that had been out of fashion for while and so was ripe for another airing their first uk single hit number three last january followed by two more top hits while the album has sold more_than copies in months on release in september it was named album of the year winning the prestigious mercury music prize on the festivals circuit they have been one of the main attractions for huge crowds at glastonbury t_in_the_park and reading/leeds they have also found success in japan europe and the us by september the album had sold in the states and total sales were pushing two million worldwide they have been nominated for three grammy awards in the us as well as the us music industrys shortlist award but lost the shortlist prize to us band tv on the radio nevertheless franz_ferdinand were the only uk band to win an mtv video music award this year taking the breakthrough video crown for take me out the four-piece met two years ago when drummer paul thomson was working at the glasgow art school where bassist bob hardy was studying singer alex kapranos was studying english at university but had friends at art school and the line-up was completed when guitarist nick mccarthy moved from munich germany to the city at the turn of the year kapranos told bbc_news online the band were fed up with serious bands in that post-rock thing that seemed to be doing its damndest to avoid any bloody tune we want people to go away from the gigs humming the tunes that we were singing but at the same time bringing an edge to it franz_ferdinand had question they asked themselves every time they wrote song kapranos said wheres the fun in that they pondered at every stage making enjoyment the top priority and ensuring they did not disappear up their own muso posteriors the band started out with diy ethic that saw them take over disused art-deco warehouse in glasgow and rename it the chateau the venue soon became legendary so well-known that the police spent month trying to find it eventually raiding it and arresting kapranos but the charges of running an illegal bar and contravening health and safety fire hazard and noise abatement laws were dropped the band took over an abandoned victorian courtroom and jail instead and named that the chateau the buzz about the band soon spread around the music industry and record labels turned up to one gig in glasgow which the band thought was totally ridiculous im really glad it was almost comical because we werent overwhelmed by the seriousness of it kapranos said they signed with independent label domino home of smog sebadoh and four tet in june
franz man seeks government help franz_ferdinand frontman alex kapranos has called for more government help for musicians while taking part in an edinburgh lectures discussion for any cultural output to thrive there needs to be some kind of state input to that as well he said but kapranos warned against musicians being too closely linked with mps at the university of edinburgh event think the role of musicians is to question politicians rather_than to go to bed with them he said kapranos joined the prestigious lecture series to discuss scotlands role in making 21st_century music there are elements of our musical output which require sustenance because they arent self-sufficient he said but so-called commercial music would benefit from investment as well he warned musicians against being allied to particular party however dont know if having tea with politicians is always good idea kapranos and his glasgow four-piece band have been nominated for five prizes at next weeks brit awards including best group and best album their self-titled debut album won last years mercury music prize and spawned three top singles he told the 300-strong audience at the universitys reid hall that musicians should listen to wide range of music and should not be restricted by stereotypes we say like this because listen to nirvana and korn am troubled individual im riddled with angst because listen to chopin and debussy listen to kylie minogue and scissor sisters because im upbeat and like to party listen to wagner because like the smell of napalm in the morning kapranos said there was general hostility towards classical music adding there is very little done to break that hostility other than classic fm he concluded we define ourselves as nation by the way we encourage our creativity fellow speaker and classical composer james macmillan agreed we need to rediscover our ability to listen previous speakers at the edinburgh lectures series have included former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev and author professor stephen hawking kapranos described his appearance on wednesday as more daunting by long way than their upcoming brits performance dont really care about the brits he said its going to be great to go down but have actually had to exercise part of my brain tonight think the government should do more to help up-and-coming artists be discovered by scrapping the entertainment licences for live venues also they should do more to help independent record labels have louder voice within an industry dominated by commercialised major labels rather_than expecting the government i.e the taxpayer to fork out why dont some of the megastars put something back in some of britains wealthiest people are musicians who have raked it in from albums concerts etc there are far more important demands on government funds if they can fund football why not fund music areas of the arts are funded by government and lottery grants so why not music we already have the opera receiving huge grants and it would clearly be beneficial for diversity in music to have the same opportunities in other areas of the music the only problem would be how to judge what merits state cash the government has enough problems funding schools and health services if alex kapranos genuinely thinks multi-billion pound industry should also have government funding then his own education was seriously lacking and more money should be put into that as scot living in england appreciate the value of scottish music and culture being success so can see no problem with it franz_ferdinand travis and snow_patrol are just recent examples of the success scottish music can have in the world so we should do what we scots are good at and support our own goods think the issue is more fundamental should the government be spending money on subsidising multi-million pound industry when health and education are in such sorry state the answer is most definitely no those people who are lucky enough to pursue their passion to get their pay cheque shouldnt be looking for government subsidies know that if was lucky enough to be able to pursue my dream of show jumping would want to finance myself until was in position to pursue corporate sponsorship yes the government should fund music it brings joy to the masses there are already thousands of state-funded musicians out there sitting around twiddling their thumbs on the new deal getting the government even more involved would only waste money that could be put to better use as long as the government was funding real talent it would be great move would hate to see more pop idol-type funding of music though as it would only serve to reinforce the stereotypes that alex talked about only if the proposals make financial sense franz_ferdinand must be paying serious amounts of tax on their record sales if theyd had government grant to get started theyd have more_than paid it back by now so the treasury would be making far more_than it paid out however the government has better things to spend its money on than to give charity to everyone who decides theyre musician the government shouldnt fund music it should invest in music and those investments should be treated like any other investment think the government needs to provide facilities and for young groups and bands to form and practise the equipment is not cheap and can be well beyond the means of many people however do feel this should be the extent of their role to provide the conditions for the talent to flourish and let it go from there do agree that the government should help to fund music but there is also responsibility held by record companies they generally always opt for the tried and tested and tend not to want to break any moulds or risk losing any money which ultimately the directors are in the business for if labels were more willing to put money forward towards smaller breakthrough acts then the government wouldnt have to fork out great deal yeah why not music should be government funded particularly the work of modern composers and veteran bands/artists and stuff pop music pretty much rules the earth so more attention should go to the other fraternities agree with funding the arts to make it more accessible to the public but am not convinced that pop music requires financial support from the taxpayer there is great deal of money generated through pop music perhaps tax on pop could be ploughed into the public performance of other forms of music for everyone to enjoy perhaps we could financially penalise really bad pop idol-style music that is the music industry sector without any artistic merit or originality whatsoever and that which is specifically designed to line the pockets of music producers call it tax on music pollution if you like though really like franz_ferdinand have to disagree with mr kapranos once government gets their hand into the private sector it will destroy the creative and possibly controversial avenues the artist pursues many years ago this was the case with the us nea when the government started to question what was considered art for the money they were allotting the solution mr kapranos should pursue would be privately-funded organizations like save the music in the us
french honour for director parker british film director sir alan parker has been made an officer in the order of arts and letters one of frances highest cultural honours sir alan received his decoration in paris on wednesday from french culture minister renaud donnedieu de vabres you have explored the possibilities of film with an immense talent mr de vabres said as he presented the award parker praised french films saying hollywood which created modern cinema uses it only as commodity he told the minister am honoured to be thus distinguished by france the flag carrier of cinema throughout the world sir alans films include oscar-winning fame plus midnight express and the commitments founding member of the directors guild of great britain he is former chairman of the uk film council and on the board of the british film institute through your work and your campaigns you have shown us how the artist occupies an essential place in our contemporary society mr de vabres said through your dreams which you show us through the links that you weave you question the world through the mirror of your work he also cited the directors film the life of david gale in which kevin_spacey played man on death row as proof of his veritable artistic commitment against the death sentence
fry set for role in hitchhikers actor stephen_fry is joining the cast of the forthcoming film adaptation of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy fry will provide the voice of the guide an electronic book which accompanies the storys hero arthur dent on his travels around the galaxy martin freeman john malkovich bill nighy and alan rickman are co-starring in the film due for release in may the late douglas adams original scripts have also been turned into series of successful books being asked to do the voice of the guide is like having your birthday on christmas day discovering winning lottery ticket in your stocking and having chocolate poured all over you said fry self-confessed fan of the book the films executive producer robbie stamp said that adams who died in would have been delighted with the choice of fry for the role his humour and intelligence are perfect for the voice of the guide added mr stamp adams wrote the screenplay based on his book before his premature death while new radio series was aired years after the first broadcast and included many of the original cast members hollywood star malkovich will play religious cult leader humma kavula which was especially created by adams for the new film freeman who starred in hit bbc comedy the office will play the role of arthur dent who begins his intergalactic voyage following the destruction of the earth
gallery unveils interactive tree christmas tree that can receive text messages has been unveiled at londons tate britain art gallery the spruce has an antenna which can receive bluetooth texts sent by visitors to the tate the messages will be unwrapped by sculptor richard wentworth who is responsible for decorating the tree with broken plates and light bulbs it is the 17th year that the gallery has invited an artist to dress their christmas tree artists who have decorated the tate tree in previous years include tracey emin in the plain green norway spruce is displayed in the gallerys foyer its light bulb adornments are dimmed ordinary domestic ones joined together with string the plates decorating the branches will be auctioned off for the childrens charity artworks wentworth worked as an assistant to sculptor henry moore in the late 1960s his reputation as sculptor grew in the 1980s while he has been one of the most influential teachers during the last two decades wentworth is also known for his photography of mundane everyday subjects such as cigarette packet jammed under the wonky leg of table
galloway plea for hostage release ex-labour mp george galloway has appealed for the release of aid worker margaret hassan kidnapped in iraq mrs hassan who led care international operations in iraq was abducted in baghdad on october mr galloway was expelled from the labour party because of his staunch opposition to the war on iraq he denied an earlier report that he planned to make direct appeal to the kidnappers via the al-jazeera arabic television channel speaking in london on saturday at the first annual delegate conference of his newly-founded party the respect coalition he said have deliberately not involved myself before in any of these situations but this woman has been prominent opponent of both the war and the preceding years of sanctions am prepared to do anything can to help save her life spokesman later said mr galloway had friends in common with ms hassan who he described as prominent anti-war activist and that he was willing to do anything go to iraq or be an intermediary or anything thats necessary since her abduction several videos of mrs hassan have been broadcast by al-jazeera the latest footage showed mrs hassan asking for british troops to be pulled out of iraq she also urged care international the aid agency she works for to close its office in baghdad and appealed for iraqi women prisoners to be freed care has since closed down all its operations in iraq
galloway targets new labour mp george galloway is to stand against pro-iraq war labour mp oona king at the next general_election mr galloway who on thursday won in libel damages from the daily_telegraph said he would contest bethnal green in london for respect the glasgow kelvin mp who was expelled from labour over his anti iraq_war stance accused ms king of being new labour stooge ms king said she was delighted at the chance to take on mr galloway mr galloways current constituency is set to disappear under planned boundary changes in scotland the 50-year-old mp launched respect the unity coalition in january along with anti-war activists and the muslim association of britain the partys declared aims are an end to the occupation of iraq the repeal of anti-union laws and the end of privatisation speaking from cafe in brick lane east london mr galloway said he had accepted the partys invitation to stand with great honour and pride he added here in this constituency of bethnal green and bow there is new labour stooge mp stooge who will sing any song make any speech do any dance do anything she is told to by tony_blair irrespective of how her constituents are adversely affected or how strongly they feel to the contrary ms king has represented the constituency since she said im delighted ive been given the chance to finish him mr galloway off and believe me will know many people around the country will be grateful not least his constituents in scotland who he has shamelessly abandoned in junes european parliament elections respect failed to gain enough votes for an mep but did come first in tower hamlets borough most of which is covered by the commons constituency of bethnal green and bow month later it gained council seat in by-election in st dunstans and stepney green ward tower hamlets mr galloway said that in next years expected general_election and local elections year later the party would turn the east end of london into fortress both the conservatives and the liberal_democrats have chosen prospective parliamentary candidates for bethnal green and bow from the bangladeshi population which makes up almost half the electorate the telegraph was sued for libel by mr galloway after the newspaper claimed he received money from saddam husseins regime in iraq the newspaper said it was in the public interest to publish the claims based on documents found in baghdad mr justice eady said he was obliged to compensate mr galloway and to make an award for the purposes of restoring his reputation
game firm holds cast auditions video game firm bioware is to hold open auditions for people to become cast members for future games the company which makes role playing games such as knights of the old republic and neverwinter nights is seeking people aged to the canada-based company says it was looking for wide variety of people to use as face models for characters everyone chosen to appear in video game will receive performers fee for the use of their image the company is inviting people to come along to shopping mall in west edmonton alberta on friday and saturday bringing along piece of photo identification there are hundreds and hundreds of characters in typical bioware game said shauna perry biowares audio and external resources producer those people live in any city and village and so we need ordinary people people with interesting faces she added not everyone is model in the world so we dont want just models in our games people chosen to appear in game will have their head scanned in three dimensions hundreds of photos of the persons head are taken so that model of the head can be generated in 3d the 3d model will look exactly like the person its really quite incredible how detailed they are said ms perry she said chosen participants will have no control over how the image is used in computer game we cannot give people any control over how the images are used but their face could be used in multiple games so they could be the hero in one the villain in another and just merchant in third
gardener battles to narrow win jason_gardener fought all the way to the line to narrowly claim the mens 60m title at the norwich_union indoor trials and aaas championships the world 60m champion got off to rolling start and had to dig deep to dip ahead of mark findlay and darren chin who both set personal bests it was close race admitted gardener stumbled out the blocks but my experience told through still feel theres more life in me and believe can go faster gardeners performance in sheffield could have been affected by the news which he heard before his semi-final that his european record had been broken frenchman ronald pognon who will be real threat at the european championships set new time of one-hundreth of second faster than gardeners previous mark favourite delivered powerful performance to take the womens 60m title in seconds youll see me in madrid and feel there is lot more to come along said the 22-year-old katherine endacott battled hard to take second and dip under the european qualifying mark defending champion joice maduaka had pulled out of the final with chest infection was on record-breaking form as she stormed to the womens 60m_hurdles crown the 25-year-old set new british record for the second time in seven days clocking seconds to finish ahead of rival diane allahgreen im so happy tearful claxton told bbc sport all the years ive been running and im getting recognition claxtons time was also good enough to qualify for the european championships the mens 800m went to form in sheffield as dominated the race from start to finish the northern_ireland athlete went off at startling pace but had to hold off the challenge of welshman jimmy watkins over the final 200m to win in one minute seconds both mcilory and watkins who set life-time best of had already booked their places in madrid and were again well within the qualifying time had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and wont run again until then said mcilroy could not reach the european mark in the womens race as she crossed the line to win in olympic bronze heptathlon medallist rounded off useful weekend with two more personal bests in sheffield the 28-year-old reached 1.80m in the high jump and clocked 8.47secs in the heats of the 60m_hurdles ive surprised myself said sotherton im starting to thrive on the pressure but if dont perform then its not the end of the world pole vaulter made winning return to major competition after drugs ban the trafford athlete who has served two-year ban after testing positive for anabolic steroids clinched the title with championship record 4.25m also set new championship mark in the mens triple_jump title in sheffield the 26-year-old who has been training in australia over the winter landed 17.30m with his final effort the longest leap in the world this year didnt have clue said idowu ive not jumped indoors before and just wanted the qualifying mark but this isnt bad start and hopefully ill come back from madrid with gold medal nathan douglas continued his steady progress this season as he set life-time best of 16.76m in second while jonathan moore took third and resumed their rivalry in the long jump competition both achieving the european standard commonwealth champion morgan reached personal best of 7.96m on his very first jump and then promptly retired with bruised heel olympian tomlinson tried to play catch up with his six jumps but had to settle for seasons best jump of 7.91m was advised not to jump by my doctor and so im pleased to come here and get the qualifying mark said tomlinson now based at loughborough sprinted past front runner catherine murphy in the final 100m to steal the womens 400m title the 21-year-old ran personal best of seconds to win her first indoor title walls time was just short of the qualifying mark something murphy already has irelands took the mens title in ahead of promising channel islands decathlete dale garland sudanese 18-year-old rabah yusuf who is seeking british citizenship showed his raw talent as he burst through in third cleared the required 1.90m to qualify for the european championships and claim the aaas title in the womens high jump in the mens 3,000m powered to new personal best of seven minutes seconds to defend his aaas title in style it was the first time in years the eight-minute barrier has been broken at the championships and was just within the european mark took the womens 1500m aaas title in the absence of kelly_holmes her time of was not good enough to qualify for madrid but ovens had already opted out of the championships the mens race was won by who had to fight off closing pack to claim the title in
gardener wins double in glasgow britains jason_gardener enjoyed double 60m success in glasgow in his first competitive outing since he won 100m relay gold at the athens_olympics gardener cruised home ahead of scot nick smith to win the invitational race at the norwich_union international he then recovered from poor start in the second race to beat swede daniel persson and italys luca verdecchia his times of and seconds were well short of american maurice greenes 60m world record of 6.39secs from its very hard record to break but believe ive trained very well said the world indoor champion who hopes to get closer to the mark this season it was important to come out and make sure got maximum points my last race was the olympic final and there was lot of expectation this was just what needed to sharpen up and get some race fitness im very excited about the next couple of months double olympic champion marked her first appearance on home soil since winning 1500m and 800m gold in athens with victory there was third success for britain when edged out russias olga fedorova and swedens jenny kallur to win the womens 60m race in 7.23secs maduaka was unable to repeat the feat in the 200m finishing down in fourth as took the win for russia and the 31-year-old also missed out on podium place in the 4x200m relay as the british quartet came in fourth with russia setting new world indoor record there was setback for jade johnson as she suffered recurrence of her back injury in the long jump russia won the meeting with final total of points with britain second on and france one point behind in third led the way for russia by producing major shock in the high jump as he beat olympic champion stefan holm into second place to end the swedes 22-event unbeaten record won the triple_jump with leap of 16.87m with britains tosin oke fourth in 15.80m won the mens pole vault competition with clearance of 5.65m with britains nick buckfield 51cm adrift of his personal best in third and won the womens 800m with britains jenny meadows third there was yet another russian victory in the womens 400m as finished well clear of britains catherine murphy chris lambert had to settle for fourth after fading in the closing stages of the mens 200m race as swedens held off leslie djhone of france frances won the mens 400m with brett rund fourth for britain took victory for sweden in the womens 60m_hurdles ahead of russias irina shevchenko and britains sarah claxton who set new personal best italy grabbed their first victory in the mens 1500m as kicked over the last metres to hold off britains james thie and frances alexis abraham botched changeover in the 4x200m relay cost britains men the chance to add further points as france claimed victory
gatlin and hayes win owen awards american olympic stars justin gatlin and joanna hayes have been named the winners of the jesse owens awards usa track fields usatf top honour gatlin won the closest 100m final in games history with career-best time of seconds in athens he also won bronze in the 200m and silver in the 4x100m_relay becoming the only male athlete to win three athletics medals this summer hayes set an olympic record of in winning the 100m hurdles established in the jesse owens awards named in honour of the late olympic great who won four gold medals at the berlin games are presented annually to the outstanding us male and female track and field performers the awards will be presented on december in conjunction with the usatf annual meeting in portland it is such great honour to win the jesse owens award said gatlin it is one of the biggest honours in track and field and it is great end to great year hayes said knowing some of the great people who have won this award before me and knowing what it represents feel sense accomplishment and pride which lets me know that everything that have worked for is and always will be worth it
gb quartet get cross country call four british athletes have been pre-selected to compete at the world cross country championships in march after impressive starts to the season hayley yelling jo pavey karl keska and adam hickey will represent team gb at the event in france yelling clinched the womens european cross country title last month and pavey followed up with bronze keska helped the mens team to overall third place while hickey finished in 10th place on his junior debut winning the european cross country title meant so much to me said yelling and being pre-selected for the worlds means that can focus on preparing in the best way possible the 32-year-old will race alongside olympic 5,000m finalist pavey in the womens 8km race on march keska who has made successful return from long-term injury lay-off contests the mens 12km race on march while 16-year-old hickey goes in the junior mens 8km on the same day the rest of the team will be named after the trials at wollaton park in nottingham which take place on march
gb select holmes for double bid kelly_holmes has been chosen for both the 800m and 1500m at next months european indoor_championships despite not yet confirming her availability the double-olympic champion is still undecided about whether to compete in her first european indoors in madrid but uk athletics chief max jones believes it is likely holmes will race he said its worth punt isnt it shes gone back to training if shes confident she will pick one distance the programme does not permit both if holmes does take her place in the gb side she has already indicated that 1500m will be her favoured distance under championship rules she does not have to decide until hours before the event begins in madrid on march jones added she was pleased with her run in birmingham at last weekends grand prix am inclined to think she will compete it could depend on how training goes and she will have to be close to top form and he admitted holmes presence would be great boost to the rest of the norwich_union gb team she is very good team member and is very good to have there he added meanwhile there is no surprises in the rest of the great britain team announced on tuesday defending 60m champion jason_gardener is included and will be chasing his third successive gold medal he will be joined in the event by mark_lewis-francis runner-up behind him three years ago in vienna and new boy darren chin kelly_sotherton has been invited by championship organisers to compete against carolina_kluft in the pentathlon sotherton finished third in the olympic heptathlon in athens where the swede took gold there are newcomers at this level of competition in gbs 46-strong team the championships will be the last to be attended by jones before he retires to be succeeded by dave collins jones said the olympic games is the overwhelming target for uka and therefore it is beneficial to start the next four-year cycle with not-so-pressurised major games the european indoor_championships always provide chance for the young and inexperienced to make name for themselves and the current indoor season has produced some exciting new talent madrid is the first small step on long journey to beijing and the olympics but for some of the emerging athletes this will be very important step 60m chin belgrave harriers gardener wessex and bath lewis-francis birchfield harriers abeyie woodford green with essex ladies lambert belgrave harriers garland channel islands ac mcilroy windsor slough eton and hounslow ac jimmy watkins cardiff aac ed jackson aldershot farnham and district speaight belgrave harriers thie cardiff aac baddeley harrow ac farah windsor slough eton and hounslow ac mayock barnsley ac greaves newham and essex beagles scott shaftesbury barnet harriers turner notts ac challenger belgrave harriers pole vault buckfield crawley ac morgan birchfield harriers tomlinson newham and essex beagles achike shaftesbury barnet harriers douglas oxford city ac idowu belgrave harriers cossins birchfield harriers davenport gloucester ac garland channel islands ac preddy gloucester ac warburton cardiff aac endacott city of plymouth ac kwakye woodford green with essex ladies maduaka woodford green with essex ladies wall basildon ac holmes ealing southall and middlesex ac clitheroe preston harriers holmes ealing southall and middlesex ac pavey exeter harriers allahgreen trafford ac claxton belgrave harriers crane sale harriers manchester jones trafford ac whitlock trafford ac johnson herne hill harriers sotherton birchfield harriers fraser croydon harriers mcconnell shaftesbury barnet harriers murphy woodford green with essex ladies purkiss southampton ac
ge sees excellent world economy us behemoth general electric has posted an jump in quarterly sales and in profits and declared itself in great shape we are benefiting from our growth initiatives and an excellent global economy said ges chief_executive jeff immelt ge is the us biggest firm based on stock_market valuation ges net profits were $5.37bn 2.86bn for the final three months of while sales came in at $43.7bn the group whose businesses range from jet engines to the nbc television channel forecast sustained growth at between for this year and next ges shares rose on the news before ending friday lower the industries ge is in are doing very well the materials financial and industrial sectors are all picking up said steve roukis an analyst at fund manager matrix asset advisors which has shares in ge ge said orders in the fourth quarter were higher than in the same period of with growth across the board in the fourth quarter nine of our businesses delivered at least double-digit earnings growth said mr immelt full year gains were less spectacular but still respectable net profit was up at $16.6bn last year ge bought vivendi universal merging it with nbc to form nbc universal the success of universal studios film ray portrait of jazz musician ray_charles has helped boost earnings at the unit
gebrselassie in london triple bid double olympic 10,000m champion haile gebrselassie will race in the london marathon for the next three years the ethiopian legend won sundays almeria half-marathon in spain on his return from an operation on his achilles tendon he was third in london in in his first serious attempt at the marathon it is coup for us to secure hailes presence for the next three years and it guarantees quality race said race director david bedford gebrselassie will face olympic champion stefano baldini world champion jaouad gharib and arch-rival paul tergat the current world record holder if didnt think could win would not be here said gebrselassie who has set world records on occasions in his illustrious career and is keen to add the marathon record to his collection there are lot of fantastic runners in the race but shall be doing my utmost to upset them
george michael to perform for bbc george michael is to perform live at londons abbey road studios as part of bbc radio special next month the session which will broadcast on december will also see him talk about how his biggest hits came about michaels appearance is part of the stations sold on song initiative which explores the art of songwriting the station also confirmed that chris tarrant will be hosting one-off new years eve programme he left londons capital fm this year after years the former breakfast show host who attracted some of the highest ratings in britain despite only broadcasting to london will offer his own individual take on the year in the two-hour show this should be great fun tarrant said ive had fantastic year and know that lots of other people have as well im definitely looking forward to being on radio other christmas specials from radio include singer jamelia hosting christmas day concert from the london community gospel choir while actor christopher lee will read fireside tales from the likes of edgar allan poe nesbit and ambrose bierce comedian harry hill will host spoof nostalgia show on christmas day while singer jamie cullum will perform live concert for the station
gervais writing simpsons episode the offices ricky_gervais is writing an episode of hit us cartoon the simpsons following an invitation from its creator matt groening gervais has already begun writing the script but is keeping its subject matter closely guarded secret he will also write part for himself in the episode ive got the rough idea but this is the most intimidating project of my career the simpsons is the greatest tv show of all time he said groening recently heaped praise on the office saying everybody on the simpsons is fan of the office its one of the best shows on tv in the last decade gervais has already said he would not guest star in the show as his office character david having left him behind for good in the christmas specials the office became surprise us success when it was screened on cable channel bbc america the first series won two golden_globes in for best comedy and best tv actor for gervais in winning it beat the likes of sex and the city and will and grace an american version was produced but so far only pilot has been broadcast to much criticism that it failed to live up to the original at the british comedy awards on wednesday gervais was handed special achievement award for writing but the office missed out in the best comedy show category to little britain matt groening was also at the awards to collect the award for best international comedy for the simpsons
glasgow hosts tsunami benefit gig the top names in scottish music are taking part in benefit concert in aid of the victims of the asian_tsunami all tickets for saturdays concert featuring franz_ferdinand belle and sebastian and travis at glasgows secc sold out in hours mull historical society deacon blue idlewild texas mogwai and teenage fanclub are among the other acts performing at the concert organisers hope to raise at least from the show it follows cardiff gig starring eric clapton keane and jools holland which raised more_than 1.25m and it is taking place on the same night as tsunami benefit show in bristol which will see massive attack and portishead share stage for the first time colin macintyre of mull historical society was playing another gig on the same day but said he was determined to make the glasgow benefit he said think we were all affected by seeing the reports coming from the far east we all know somebody who was there but more_than that it was that we had never seen wave of destruction natural disaster like this in my generation im lucky as an artist to be able to perform at something like this
glastonbury fans to get id_cards fans who buy tickets for this years glastonbury festival will be issued with photo id_cards in an attempt to beat touts it has been confirmed the cards will include photograph of the ticket-holder plus an electronic chip with their details to prevent tickets being sold on or forged tickets for the june event are expected to go on sale in april there is only one place in the world where you will be able to get tickets festival organiser michael eavis said that will be the official source if you get them anywhere else you wont get in fans not wanting to carry the entrance card could present their passport or driving licence instead he added more_than people are expected to travel to mr eavis somerset farm from june but the events rising popularity has meant an extremely high demand for tickets in recent years when the id card idea was floated mr eavis daughter emily said it would be quite big step in terms of ticketing for events if implemented and they were going as far as we can to cut touting as long as its approached in the right way it might really work it might really change the system she said in all tickets for the public sold out in hours they were personalised with the names of purchasers who were asked to bring identification such as driving licence passport or household bill but some forgot to take the right information while some touts simply offered to supply their own bills along with the ticket bearing their name no details of this years line-up have been confirmed but rumours have suggested u2 and coldplay may be among the headliners
global release for japan hit film oscar-winning animator hayao miyazakis latest film howls moving castle is to be released in countries around the world its distributor has said howls moving castle set japanese box_office record last week taking 1.5bn yen 7.7m in its first two days miyazaki won an oscar earlier this year for spirited away japans first academy award for nearly years howls moving castle is based on childrens fantasy novel by uk author diana wynne jones it tells_the_story of an 18-year-old woman who ages dramatically after falling under witchs spell she heads to moving castle kept by howl wizard and searches for way to become normal again spokesman for distributor toho said the film has received strong interest from domestic audiences and foreign media and viewers alike we have good feeling about this film we saw very good viewer response he added the films worldwide release will start in south_korea on december and france on january
god cut from dark_materials film the director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of philip pullmans his dark_materials is to remove references to god and the church in the movie chris weitz director of about boy said the changes were being made after film studio new line expressed concern the books tell of battle against the church and fight to overthrow god they have expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity weitz told his dark_materials fans website pullmans trilogy has been attacked by some christian teachers and by the catholic press as blasphemy weitz who admitted he would not be many peoples first choice to direct the films said he regarded the film adaptation as the most important work of my life in part because it is one of the few books to have changed my life he told bridgetothestars.net the award-winning trilogy northern lights the subtle knife and the amber spyglass tell the story of oxford school child lyra belacqua she is drawn into an epic struggle against the church which has been carrying out experiments on children in an attempt to remove original sin as the books progress the struggle turns into battle to overthrow the authority figure who is god-like in the books weitz who directed american pie and about boy said new line feared that any anti-religiosity in the film would make the project unviable financially he said all my best efforts will be directed towards keeping the film as liberating and iconoclastic an experience as can but there may be some modification of terms weitz said he had visited pullman who had told him that the authority could represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual whether it be religious political totalitarian fundamentalist communist what have you he added have no desire to change the nature or intentions of the villains of the piece but they may appear in more subtle guises there are number of christian websites which attack the trilogy for their depiction of the church and of god but pullman has denied his books are anti-religious his agent told the times newspaper that pullman was happy with the adaptation so far of course new line want to make money but mr weitz is wonderful director and philip is very supportive you have to recognise that it is challenge in the climate of bushs america
godzilla gets hollywood fame star movie monster godzilla has received star on hollywoods walk of fame honouring both his 50th birthday and the launch of his 28th film an actor dressed as the giant creature breathed smoke over photographers on monday as godzilla received the 2,271st star on hollywood boulevard godzilla should thank you for this historical and monumental star said final wars producer shogo tomiyama but unfortunately he cannot speak english he added hollywoods honorary mayor johnny grant said do hereby proclaim this godzilla day in hollywood hes loose hes wild and im getting the hell out of here he added the premiere of godzilla final wars at graumans chinese theatre followed the ceremony on hollywood boulevard the monster was joined by co-stars including japanese pop star and actor masahiro matsuoka director ryuhei kitamura said it may not be godzillas final outing as it has been billed thats what the producers say but the producers liar he said godzillas been working for the last years so think godzilla just deserves vacation and producer shogo tomiyama added so long as godzilla can fascinate people believe he will be resurrected by new generations of filmmakers in the future godzilla first appeared in as prehistoric lizard woken by atomic bomb tests
goldsmith was not leant on the attorney_general has again denied being leant on by downing_street to make the legal case for invading iraq claims written answer on the legality of the war was drafted by downing_street were wholly unfounded he insisted during stormy lords exchanges lord_goldsmith said the answer represented his genuinely held independent view the war was legal the text was released on the eve of crucial commons vote in which mps backed the invasion of iraq many labour mps have since indicated that the attorney generals answer played pivotal role in their willingness to back the conflict the government has resisted calls to publish the full advice saying such papers are always kept confidential in the house_of_lords the attorney_general faced call by former tory lord chancellor lord mackay to now publish the full text of the advice the suggestion was rejected another peer meanwhile lord skidelsky said not to publish the full legal opinion would strengthen the suspicion that the the original text was doctored for public consumption in exactly the same way as the notorious intelligence dossier on weapons_of_mass destruction last week lord_goldsmith said in statement was fully involved throughout the drafting process and personally finalised and of course approved the answer he said the answer had been prepared in his office with the involvement of solicitor general harriet harman two of his own officials three foreign office officials qc christopher greenwood and the then lord chancellor lord irvine of lairg no other minister or official was involved in any way as have always made clear set out in the answer my own genuinely held independent view that military action was lawful under the existing un security council resolutions he said the answer did not purport to be summary of my confidential legal advice to government former foreign secretary robin_cook said lord goldsmiths admission that his parliamentary answer was not summary of his legal opinion suggested parliament may have been misled the attorney_general may never have presented his answer as summary but others certainly did he said what is clear from his statement today is that he does not believe that it was full accurate summary of his formal opinion tony_blair has dismissed questions about the attorney generals advice and said his parliamentary statement had been fair summary of his opinion thats what he lord_goldsmith said and thats what say he has dealt with this time and time and time again mr blair told his monthly news conference in downing_street he refused to answer further questions on the issue on the question of whether such papers have always been kept confidential tory mp michael mates who is member of the commons intelligence and security committee and was part of the butler inquiry told the bbc that as general rule is right but its not an absolute rule he said there had been other occasions when advice had been published most recently regarding prince charless marriage plans the government could not pick and choose when to use the convention he said mr mates added this may be one of those special occasions when it would be in the public interest to see the advice which the attorney_general gave to the prime_minister book published by philippe sands qc member of cherie blairs matrix chambers says lord_goldsmith warned tony_blair on march that the iraq_war could be illegal without second un resolution sanctioning military action short statement about lord goldsmiths position presented in written parliamentary answer on march just before crucial commons vote on the military action did not suggest this
goodrem wins top female mtv prize pop singer delta_goodrem has scooped one of the top individual prizes at the first australian mtv music awards the 21-year-old singer won the award for best female artist with australian idol runner-up shannon noll taking the title of best male at the ceremony goodrem known in both britain and australia for her role as nina tucker in tv soap neighbours also performed duet with boyfriend brian_mcfadden other winners included green day voted best group and the black eyed peas goodrem green day and the black eyed peas took home two awards each as well as best female goodrem also took home the pepsi viewers choice award whilst green day bagged the prize for best rock video for american idiot the black eyed peas won awards for best video and sexiest video both for hey mama local singer and songwriter missy higgins took the title of breakthrough artist of the year with australian idol winner guy sebastian taking the honours for best pop video the vh1 first music award went to cher honouring her achievements within the music industry the ceremony was held at the luna park fairground in sydney harbour and was hosted by the osbourne family artists including carmen electra missy higgins kelly osbourne green day ja rule and natalie imbruglia gave live performances at the event
grammys honour soul star charles the memory of soul legend ray_charles dominated the music worlds leading music ceremony on sunday as he was given eight posthumous grammy awards charles who died in got honours including record and album of the year while alicia_keys and actor jamie_foxx performed musical tribute to him r&b star keys won four awards herself at the grammy ceremony in los_angeles u2 usher norah jones and kanye_west got three each west led the race going into the ceremony with nominations charles last album genius loves company collection of duets that has sold more_than two million copies was named album of the year and best pop vocal album his song here we go again with norah jones won record of the year and best pop vocal collaboration while heaven help us all with gladys knight picked up best gospel performance jones said im glad hes getting recognised because of who he is and how much love him actor jamie_foxx who is nominated for an oscar for playing charles in the hit movie ray dedicated rendition of georgia on my mind to old friends keys looking to replicate her grammys success of when she won five picked up best r&b song for you dont know my name and best r&b album for the diary of alicia_keys she also shared the award for best r&b vocal performance by duo or group with usher for my boo ushers other victories were for best contemporary r&b album for confessions and best rap/sung collaboration for yeah featuring lil jon and ludacris kanye_west dominated the rap categories winning best rap song for jesus walks and best rap album for the college dropout but in one of the nights biggest shocks he lost out in the battle to be named best new artist to pop rock act maroon_5 vertigo by rock giants u2 won three trophies best rock song best short video and best rock vocal performance by duo or group one of the other main awards song of the year went to us singer-songwriter john mayer for daughters mayer also won best male pop vocal performance britney_spears picked up her first ever grammy for her song toxic which was named best dance recording rod stewart also won the first grammy of his career getting the best traditional pop album award for stardust the great american songbook volume iii in stewart said he was astounded he had never won grammy but they tend not to give it to the british unless youre sting there were few other high-profile british victors this year annie lennox metal group motorhead and dance act basement jaxx all took home trophies but elvis costello who had four nominations and joss_stone and franz_ferdinand who were both up for three awards got nothing beach boys veteran brian wilson was another first-time winner for best rock instrumental performance it represents triumph and achievement in music that feel that deserved and im really glad won he said live recording of composer john adams september tribute on the transmigration of souls performed by the new_york philharmonic won three classical prizes and former us president bill clinton picked up the second grammy of his career winning the spoken word award for the audio version of his autobiography my life
greek duo cleared in doping case sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou have been cleared of doping offences by an independent tribunal the duo had been provisionally suspended by the iaaf for allegedly missing three drugs tests including one on the eve of the athens_olympics but the greek athletics federation tribunal has overturned the bans decision which the iaaf can now contest at the court of arbitration for sport the pairs former coach christos tzekos has been banned for four years kenteris and thanou had been charged with avoiding drug tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics they withdrew from the olympics after missing drugs test at the olympic village on august the pair then spent four days in hospital claiming they had been injured in motorcycle_crash it was the international olympic committees demand that the iaaf investigate the affair that led to the hearing of the greek tribunal the head of that tribunal kostas panagopoulos said it had not been proven that the athletes refused to take the test in athens the charge cannot be substantiated he said in no way was he kenteris informed to appear for doping test the same goes for thanou kenteriss lawyer gregory_ioannidis said the decision means mr kenteris has been exonerated of highly damaging and unfounded charges which have been extremely harmful for his career he has consistently maintained his innocence and this was substantiated by further evidence we were able to submit to the tribunal following its deliberations in january this evidence shows mr kenteris was never asked to submit to test by the international olympic committee so he could not possibly have been guilty of deliberately avoiding one it shows he has no case to answer mr kenteris should now be given the opportunity he deserves to rebuild his career in the full knowledge that there is no stain on his character he has suffered greatly throughout this ordeal that has exposed both himself and his family to enormous pressures but the iaaf said it was very surprised by the verdict spokesman nick davies said we note the decision of the greek authorities with interest our doping review board will now consider the english version of the decision
greek pair attend drugs hearing greek_sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou have appeared before an independent tribunal which will decide if their bans should stand they were given provisional suspensions by athletics ruling body the iaaf in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens_olympics the pair arrived with former coach christos tzekos to give evidence at the hellenic olympic committees offices decision is expected to be announced before the end of february whatever the ruling all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport yiannis papadoyiannakis who was head of the greek olympic team at the athens games last year also testified at the tribunal along with other greek sports officials and athletes believe the tribunal will reach decision that will uphold the standing of the institution said papadoyiannakis whatever the athletes have done we must not forget that they have offered us great moments kenteris won 200m gold at the sydney olympics while thanou won silver in the 100m they withdrew from the athens games last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony the pair spent four days in hospital claiming they had been injured in motorcycle_crash the five-member tribunal assembled by the hellenic association of amateur athletics is also examining allegations that kenteris and thanou avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games tzekos was also banned for two years by the iaaf he faces charges of assisting in the use of prohibited substances and tampering with the doping inspection process all three who have repeatedly denied the allegations have also been charged by greek prosecutor and face trial for doping-related charges trial date has not been set in imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on december the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as unacceptable but kenteris lawyer gregory_ioannidis told bbc sport earlier this week he was confident the sprinters would be cleared of the charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to testing we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical he said there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials and these procedural breaches have also violated my clients rights there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted
greek pair set for hearing kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou will fight the provisional two-year bans imposed on them by the iaaf at an independent tribunal this weekend athletics ruling body took action against the pair for failing to take drugs tests before the athens_olympics an independent tribunal of the greek track and field federation will meet to decide whether to ratify the sanction the sprint duo face charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to drugs test kenteris lawyer gregory_ioannidis told bbc sport we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials and these procedural breaches have also violated my clients rights there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted ioannidis who is law lecturer at the university of buckingham added one of the important rights and foundations of law and justice that the accused should be presumed innocent unless proved otherwise has been tarnished the panel will also decide on the two-year ban imposed on the athletes controversial coach christos tzekos by the iaaf kenteris the olympic 200m champion and thanou the womens 100m silver_medallist from the same games in sydney quit the olympics on august after failing to give samples on the eve of the opening ceremony testers could not find them at the olympic village and the duo were later admitted to hospital after claiming to have been involved in motorcycle accident they also missed tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens before the games in imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on december the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as unacceptable whatever the findings of the independent tribunal all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport the tribunal hearing will take place at the hellenic olympic committee building it will start at gmt on saturday and is expected to finish early next week the tribunal panel will consist of five members president konstantinos panagopoulos and panagiotis dimakos haralabos hrisanthakis stilianos perakis and ioannis karmis kenteris and thanou also face criminal charges in greece for allegedly faking the motorcycle accident eight criminal charges have been laid against the sprinters as well as tzekos an eyewitness to the accident and hospital officials but there has been speculation that the charges could be dropped
greek_sprinters suspended by iaaf greek_sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou have been suspended after failing to take drugs tests before the athens_olympics athletics ruling body the iaaf said explanations from the pair and their former coach as to why they missed the tests were unacceptable it added that kenteris and thanou had been provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their cases they face two-year bans if found guilty by the greek athletics federation the suspension also covers the athletes controversial coach christos tzekos kenteris the olympic 200m champion and thanou the womens 100m silver_medallist from the same games in sydney also face criminal hearing in greece over the missed tests they failed to appear to give samples in chicago and tel aviv shortly before the athens games and again in athens on august the eve of the opening ceremony greek prosecutors have also charged them with faking midnight motorcycle_crash which led to them spending four days in hospital some medical staff have been charged with writing false medical reports wednesdays statement said the greek federation segas would convene disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there had been doping violations there will be final right of appeal from the decision of the greek federation to the court of arbitration for sport the iaaf said tzekos insisted he and the runners had nothing to hide the iaafs decision means nothing he said well be presenting all our arguments to segas were innocent
greek_sprinters wont run again the careers of sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou are over says the boss of the organisation that cleared them of missing drugs test greek athletics federation boss vassilli sevastis told the countrys parliament believe kenteris and thanou wont race again the damage to their commercial interests has been done he added athletics bosses are considering its reponse to the ruling while the athletes face trial in greek court greek prosecutors have brought spearate charges of missing the drugs test and faking_a_motorcycle accident speaking to the greek parliament on tuesday sevastis said that the evidence sent by the international olympic committee and athletics governing_body the iaaf was not strong enough for the greek association to find the sprinters guilty we were given the task of getting the snake out if its hole but we were not given any evidence to do it with he said so how can you as greek with your hand on your heart try the athletes he added the athletes are technically free to compete while the iaaf reviews its response to the decision to clear kenteris and thanou but sevastis said it does not matter if they are found guilty at the court of arbitration for sport and the current decision is reversed
greene sets sights on world title maurice_greene aims to wipe out the pain of losing his olympic 100m title in athens by winning fourth world championship crown this summer he had to settle for bronze in greece behind fellow american justin gatlin and francis obikwelu of portugal it really hurts to look at that medal it was my mistake lost because of the things did said greene who races in birmingham on friday its never going to happen again my goal im going to win the worlds greene crossed the line just seconds behind gatlin who won in seconds in one of the closest and fastest sprints of all time but greene believes he lost the race and his title in the semi-finals in my semi-final race should have won the race but was conserving energy thats when francis obikwelu came up and took third because didnt know he was there believe thats what put me in lane seven in the final and while was in lane seven couldnt feel anything in the race just felt like was running all alone believe if was in the middle of the race would have been able to react to people that came ahead of me greene was also denied olympic gold in the 4x100m mens relay when he could not catch britains mark_lewis-francis on the final leg the kansas star is set to go head-to-head with lewis-francis again at fridays norwich_union grand prix the pair contest the 60m the distance over which greene currently holds the world record of seconds he then has another indoor meeting in france before resuming training for the outdoor season and the task of recapturing his world title in helsinki in august greene believes gatlin will again prove the biggest threat to his ambitions in finland but he also admits he faces more_than one rival for the world crown theres always someone else coming think when was coming up would say there was me and ato boldon in the young crowd greene said now youve got about five or six young guys coming up at the same time
greer attacks bully big brother germaine greer has criticised celebrity big brothers bullying of housemates after quitting the reality tv show she said superior bullying tactics like making housemates cold and hungry could encourage playground bullying she also condemned the complete irresponsibility of adding brigitte nielsens former mother-in-law jackie_stallone to the house on monday nielsen had panicked that if she reacted badly it could harm her access to her children greer said the feminist writer and broadcaster said big brother had behaved like child rather_than parent by taunting contestant john mccririck after denying him cola drink thought it was actually demonstrating the role of taunting in the playground and there are so many children whose lives have actually been destroyed by taunting in the playground greer said she also said that her fellow housemates had publicity-seeking agendas had no idea who would be in here and its wrong for me to present myself in the same context as they are media observers had been surprised by greers initial decision to join the third celebrity version of the channel_4 reality tv show given that she has written critical articles about the format in the past as she packed her suitcase to leave the house she told fellow housemates im leaving over specific issues but best for everyone if dont discuss them have problem with decisions make them fast and when make them stick to them greer had earlier failed to persuade other contestants to stage naked protest against big brother other celebrities to walk out of reality show tv include sex pistol john lydon former eastenders actress danniella westbrook and ex-e17 singer brian harvey who all left im celebrity get me out of here previous big brother housemates to leave before their time were sunita sharma and sandy cumming from the third series of the non-celebrity version of the show vote was germaine greer right to leave celebrity big brother yes no results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion happy mondays dancer bez is now favourite to win the show followed by blazin squad singer kenzie at and actor jeremy edwards at ladbrokes spokesman warren_lush said that the series was still wide open adding that the last hours had also seen rush of bets on mccririck slashing his odds to dj lisa ianson is the outsider with odds of while jackie_stallone who joined the house on monday is also one of the less popular housemates at the first eviction of the series has now been postponed after greers exit unexpectedly reduced the number of competitors the eight remaining contestants are competing for prize to be donated to the charity of their choice if they survive series of public votes for every 50p vote cast by viewers by telephone or text during the programmes run 9p will go to tsunami charity appeal
gritty return for prince of persia still basking in the relatively recent glory of last years sands of time the dashing prince of persia is back in warrior within and in more bellicose mood than last time this sequel gives the franchise grim gritty new look and ramps up the action and violence as before you control the super-athletic prince from third-person perspective the time-travelling plot hinges on the dahaka an all-consuming monster pursuing our hero through the ages the only way to dispel it is to turn back the clock again and kill the sultry empress of time before she ever creates the sands of time that caused the great beasts creation studiously structured though this back story is everything boils down to old-fashioned fantasy gameplay which proves on the whole as dependable as it needs to be ever since the series then-groundbreaking beginnings on the commodore amiga prince of persia has always been about meticulously-animated acrobatic moves that provide an energetic blend of leaping preposterously between pieces of scenery and lopping off enemies body parts those flashy moves are back in full evidence and tremendous fun to perform and perfect combining them at speed is the best fun although getting handle of doing so takes practice and plenty of skill until you reach that point it is haphazard business all too often you will perform stunning triple somersault pirouette off wall knock out three enemies in one glorious swoop before plummeting purposefully over cliff to your doom that in turn can mean getting set back an annoyingly long distance for you can only save at the fountains dotted along the path the expected fiendish puzzles are all present and correct but combat is what is really been stepped up and there is more of it than before the games developers have combined acrobatic flair with gruesome slaying techniques in some wonderfully imaginative ways slicing foes down the middle is one particularly entertaining method of seeing them off warrior within is very slick package the games intro movie is so phenomenally good that it actually does an ultimate disservice once the game itself commences it is on par with the jaw-dropping opening sequence of onimusha earlier this year and when the game begins it is something of an anti-climax that said the graphics are excellent and indeed among the most striking and satisfying elements of the game the music is probably the worst aspect merit-free heavy_metal soundtrack that you will swiftly want to turn off there is something strangely unsatisfying about the game perhaps precisely because its graphics and mechanics are so good that the story and overall experience are not quite as engaging as they should be somehow it adds up to less than the sum of its parts and is more technically impressive than it is outright enjoyable but that is not to say warrior within is anything other than superb adventure that most will thoroughly enjoy it just does not quite take the character to the new heights that might have been hoped for
guantanamo four free in weeks all four britons held by the us in guantanamo_bay will be returned to the uk within weeks foreign secretary jack_straw told the commons on tuesday moazzam begg from birmingham and martin mubanga richard belmar and feroz abbasi from london have been held by the us for almost three years they were detained in the cuban camp as part of the us-led war on terror mr straw said the us had agreed to release the four after intensive and complex discussions over security he said the government had been negotiating the return of the detainees since all four families have been informed of their return and have been involved in regular discussions with the government mr straw said but he added once they are back in the uk the police will consider whether to arrest them under the terrorism act for questioning in connection with possible terrorist activity the shadow foreign secretary michael_ancram welcomed the return of the four detainees but he said there were still serious questions both over the possible threat the four pose to the uk and the treatment they received while detained liberal_democrat foreign affairs spokesman sir menzies_campbell said the four had been rescued from legal no-mans land their civil rights were systematically and deliberately abused and they were denied due process azmat begg father of moazzam thanked his lawyers and the british people for the support he had received while campaigning for his sons release he added if they have done something wrong of course they should be punished but if they havent they shouldnt have been there lawyer louise_christian who represents mr abbasi and mr mubanga said the government should have acted sooner she said they should at the outset have said quite clearly to the american government that they were behaving in breach of international law and that the british government wanted no part of it and wanted guantanamo_bay shut down they didnt do that they colluded with it moazzam beggs labour mp roger godsiff welcomed his release but said questions remained unanswered particularly about charges asked about possible damages mr begg and the other detainees could bring against the us mr godsiff said people get released from prison when its found that their prosecution was unsustainable and they are quite rightly awarded sizeable sums of money dont see any difference in this case human_rights campaigners have been outraged at the treatment of the detainees in cuba amnesty international has called camp delta major human-rights scandal and an icon of lawlessness both amnesty and the lobby group guantanamo human_rights commission described the release as long overdue civil rights group liberty said it was delighted but called on the government to release men indefinitely detained in the uk without charge or trial director shami chakrabarti called on the government to practise what it preaches and either free or charge detainees at belmarsh and woodhill prisons law lords ruled last month that the were being held in contravention of human_rights laws but they are still behind bars the us has also announced that 48-year-old australian mamdouh habib previously accused of terrorist offences will be released without charge from camp delta five british detainees released from guantanamo in march last year were questioned by uk police before being released without charge
guantanamo four questioned the four britons freed from us custody in guantanamo_bay are expected to be allowed visit by one relative moazzam begg martin mubanga feroz abbasi and richard belmar were held for three years accused of al-qaeda links mr beggs father azmat said he had been told he could see his son for minutes and would say he was hero the men are being held at londons paddington green police station where they are expected to be questioned by uk anti-terror officers but louise_christian the lawyer representing mr abbasi and mr mubanga said the families would be reunited with the men away from the station before being driven by police from birmingham to london azmat begg said he was concerned for his son moazzams mental state and was looking forward to giving him hug as azmat begg arrived at the london police station there appeared to be some confusion as to the visiting arrangements police have said they have duty to investigate the men who were arrested on their return to the uk but metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens said evidence obtained by mi5 while the four were in cuba was absolutely inadmissible in uk courts in an interview with the independent sir john said his officers would have to find other evidence before the suspects could be tried in the uk he told the newspaper if an admission is made it is totally different ball game it could be used as evidence the options are if there is enough evidence they will be charged if not they will be released as soon as possible the men have been allowed to meet their lawyers louise_christian said that after being tortured and abused at guantanamo_bay the mens arrest was unfair and inappropriate she told bbc_news she remained very concerned about their psychological state gareth peirce lawyer for mr begg said she was shocked at the condition of the men and appalled that the authorities felt the need to detain them washington has claimed all four were enemy combatants who trained at camps run by al-qaeda the pentagon says they were freed after the uk government promised they would not be threat to the national security of the us or any of its allies the detainees were immediately arrested under section of the terrorism act when they landed at raf northolt west london on tuesday massoud shadjareh from the muslim safety forum said what sort of homecoming is this they are innocent people the muslim council of britain urged that the men should receive counselling and medical help we want these men to be returned into the arms of their waiting family said iqbal sacranie secretary general of the council
guantanamo man suing government british terror suspect held in guantanamo_bay for months plans to sue the government it is reported martin mubanga claimed in the observer that an mi6 officer played key role in consigning him to the us camp in cuba following his arrest in zambia mr mubanga from wembley london said he was brutally interrogated and daubed with urine at the camp the home secretary said he would not be launching an investigation and that the media reports were not well informed mr mubanga who has dual british and zambian nationality was one of four britons who were released from the us camp in january he said he was sent there after being interrogated by british man who said he was from mi6 shortly after his arrest in zambia in march mr mubanga said he had been in afghanistan and pakistan to study islam but he said he was unable to return to the uk because he had lost his british passport and was travelling on his zambian passport instead mr mubanga said the mi6 agent told him the passport had been found in cave in afghanistan along with documents listing jewish groups in new_york and suggested he had been on an al-qaeda reconnaissance mission mr mubanga said the man and an american female defence official tried to recruit him as an agent but he refused and within three weeks was told he would be sent to guantanamo_bay his lawyer louise_christian said we are hoping to issue proceedings for the misfeasance of officials who colluded with the americans in effectively kidnapping him and taking him to guantanamo and menzies_campbell the liberal_democrats foreign affairs spokesman said it was vital to establish whether ministers approved mr mubangas transfer to guantanamo but foreign office spokesman said he could not comment on the activities of british intelligence or security agencies and home secretary charles_clarke told bbc ones_breakfast with frost im not organising specific investigation into it mr mubanga is the first of the four detainees freed last month to give media interview he told the observer his worst moment was when he was told he would be released last march only to be confined and told he would be there for many more years he claimed he was stripped of his clothes and mattress and forced to remain in an empty metal box naked except for boxer shorts and he said an interrogator used mop to daub him with his own urine while he was chained hand and foot mr mubanga who insists he does not feel bitter said ive lost three years of my life because was muslim he added the authorities wanted to break me but they strengthened me theyve made me what am even if im not quite sure yet who that person is the us government denied the claims saying it condemned and prohibited torture in statement it said the department of defense has no doubt that mr mubanga was properly detained as an enemy combatant under the laws of war he was detained to prevent him from fighting against the us and our allies in the war on terror but fair trials abroad director stephen jakobi said there were similarities between mr mubangas account and those of other guantanamo detainees he said the pattern is the same the real problem is the concentration_camp conditions in guantanamo is charles_clarke really pretending this is all made up mr mubanga and the three other freed british detainees were released without charge by uk police on their return from cuba
guantanamo pairs passport ban the government has written to two of the british men freed from guantanamo_bay telling them they will not be allowed passports letter sent to martin mubanga said his british passport would not be issued in the light of evidence gathered against him by the us this suggested he was likely to take part in action against uk or allied targets if he left britain it said an identical letter has been sent to feroz abbasi the mens solicitor says it is not known whether the other two men released from the cuba detention camp in january richard belmar and moazzam begg have also received letters the government is implementing the rarely used royal prerogative in order to withdraw the mens passports it is only the 13th time the power has been used since the last time was in the letter from the home office says am writing to inform you that on the basis of the information which has come to light during your detention by the united_states the home secretary considered that there are strong grounds for believing that on leaving the united_kingdom you would take part in activities against the united_kingdom or allied targets the home office said it could not comment on individual cases the liberal_democrats say they suspect the move is part of package of security measures agreed with the us in order for the men to be allowed home from guantanamo_bay home affairs spokesman mark_oaten also demanded assurances that the evidence against the men was not gained under torture he added the power should only be used in absolute extreme circumstances and find it hard to believe that these conditions have been met this time he said the move also raised complex questions about the use of the royal prerogative the liberal_democrats have promised to raise the issue in parliament amnesty international uk also questioned whether the decisions had been based on torture evidence obtained at guantanamo_bay furthermore we believe there should be an investigation into the role played by the uk in the detention of uk residents and nationals and possibly many others at guantanamo_bay said director kate allen the mens solicitor louise_christian has raised questions about whether the evidence was gathered through torture but the pentagon told bbc_news us policy condemns and prohibits torture and said there was no evidence that any british detainee was tortured or abused mr abbasi from croydon south london was taken to guantanamo_bay after being captured in afghanistan in mr mubanga from north london was originally detained in zambia
hagues six-figure earnings shown the rewards of leaving front-bench politics are shown in the latest annual register of members interests the register shows former tory_leader william_hague earning up to on top of his mps salary much of it from speaking fees his former shadow chancellor michael portillo makes up to year partly because of speeches and tv work ex-health secretary alan_milburn earned up to from speeches articles and advice while not in the cabinet mr milburn was away from the frontbench for just more_than year between stepping down as health secretary and becoming labours election supremo his declared interests include from newspaper articles and fees of up to for four speeches he also commanded salary of between and for being on investment company bridgepoint capitals european advisory committee his time out of office will however have lost him his ministers salary mr hagues work outside parliament included two one-man shows which with other speaking fees netted him up to he also earned up to for weekly column in the news of the world and between and for presenting bbc2s have got news for you mr hague was also paid an undisclosed amount for the newspaper serialisation of his biography of william pitt the younger and up to for work as an adviser to various companies former defence secretary michael portillo makes some of his money as non-executive director of bae systems he is to stand down as an mp at the next election and former foreign secretary robin_cook was paid between and for the paperback edition of his book about his resignation from government his declared income of up to also includes payments for being consultant to the tote and for his regular column in the guardian_newspaper the register also shows former home office minister ann widdecombe declaring advance for her third and fourth novels she also received up to for acting as the guardians agony aunt and between and for appearing on itvs celebrity fit club david blunkett has become paid adviser to indepen consulting limited now he is not home secretary he helps them with seminars about the relationship between government and business he earns between 5,001and for the work tony_blairs entry confirms that king abdullah of jordan paid for him to fly from holiday in egypt to official discussions and for sightseeing tour to wadi rum tory_leader michael_howards only fresh entry is christmas hamper from the sultan of brunei he also declares trip to mexico last year to address executives of news international and helicopter and private jet travel paid for by supporters liberal_democrat leader charles_kennedy registered donations to his office from supporters free ticket to last years bafta awards and rent from single-bedroom flat in london the register only contains new information for december but monday saw the publication of the annual review of the register with the years details the payments are shown in bands of up making it difficult to calculate the exact earnings
half-life_2 sweeps bafta awards pc first person shooter half-life_2 has won six bafta awards including best game and best online game the title developed by valve was released last year to universal acclaim receiving special praise for its immersive plot and physics engine the game also won baftas for best action adventure best pc game art direction and animation burnout won three awards in the categories for racing technical direction and best playstation game grant dean chairman of the bafta games awards said at ceremony in london on tuesday the last year has been great year for the interactive entertainment industry these awards reflect the enormous achievements progress and diversity that we have seen in that time halo_2 won the best xbox game category while prince of persia warrior within was adjudged the best gamecube title the sports award went to konamis pro evolution soccer bafta said the significant feature of this years awards was the number of non-traditional games the originality award was won by playstation title singstar while the childrens award went to gamecube bongo rhythm game donkey konga the handheld award went to colin mcrae rally while the mobile category was won by blue tooth byplanes the audio award was won by call of duty finest hour and hitman contracts won the music award
halloween writer debra hill dies screenwriter and producer debra hill best known for her work on the 70s horror classic halloween has died in los_angeles aged hill who had been suffering from cancer co-wrote the film which starred jamie lee curtis as babysitter terrorised by psychopath directed by john carpenter it made over $60m 31.3m worldwide record for independent film at that time hill also worked with carpenter on escape from new_york and the fog born in new jersey hill began her career as production assistant and worked her way through the ranks becoming an assistant director and second-unit director before she began collaborating with carpenter she was regarded by many as pioneering woman in film taking on jobs in the 70s that were more commonly taken by men back when started in there were very few women in the industry she said in was assumed to be the make-up and hair person or the script person was never assumed to be the writer or producer took look around and realised there werent that many women so had to carve niche for myself carpenter said that working with hill was one of the greatest experiences of my life the ground that she trailblazed in the beginning can now be followed by anyone she was incredibly capable and talented he said carpenter and hill collaborated on number of halloween sequels including halloween ii halloween resurrection and halloween the curse of michael myers later in her career hill formed production company with her friend lynda obst making string of hit films including oscar_nominee the fisher king and teen comedy adventures in babysitting other films included the stephen king adaptation the dead zone in and 1985s clue comedy based on the board game cluedo in the 90s she pursued work in tv although she was reunited with carpenter in for escape from la the sequel to escape from new_york at the time of her death she was working on film about the last two men pulled from the rubble of the twin towers following the september terror attacks in she was also co-producing the remake of the fog which is due for release early next year
halo fans hope for sequel xbox video game halo_2 has been released in the us on november with uk release two days later why is the game among the most anticipated of all time halo is considered by many video game pundits to be one of the finest examples of interactive entertainment ever produced and more_than million people worldwide have pre-ordered the sequel science fiction epic halo centred the action on human cyborg controlled by the player who had to save his crew from an alien horde after crash landing on strange and exotic world contained on the interior surface of giant ring in space remembrance of things past it was not but as slice of schlock science fiction inspired by works such as larry nivens ringworld and the film starship troopers it fit the bill perfectly halo stood out from crowd of similar titles it was graphically impressive had tremendous audio using dolby digital decent storyline instant playability and impressive physics but what marked halo as classic were the thousands of details which brought feeling of polish and the enormously-high production values not usually associated with video gaming produced by bungie software renowned for their innovation in gaming it caused stir among the gaming fraternity when the developer was bought by microsoft and became an xbox exclusive claude errera editor of fansite halo.bungie.org said bungie got everything right they were really careful to make sure everything worked the way it was supposed to nothing distracts you when you were playing there was nothing in halo that had not been done before but everything in there was as good as it could be he added graphically it was superior to everything else out there it also had depth to it that made it stand out halo was unusually immersive sucking the player into the action and blurring the interface between screen and controller it also capitalised on the growing popularity of lan gaming in the pc world for the first time it became easy to link multiple game consoles together allowing up to players to battle against each other at the same time the game instantly cultivated an online following which continues today with score of halo fan websites following every aspect of the sequel halo_2 errera spends three to fours hours day of his own time maintaining the hugely_popular website which attracts page views day from halo fans eager for the latest news when the xbox launched on november in the us halo was one of the launch titles and had an immediate impact on critics and consumers halo is the most important launch game for any console ever wrote the influential edge magazine in its review giving it rare out of mark the game had its critics and while it is not one-off original as game it brought many original touches and flourishes to the genre which have defined all other first person shooters since the first time played it just stood there watching the spent shells fall out of my gun said errera remarking on the level of detail in the game the game also inspired thousands of people to write their own fiction based on the storyline and produce downloadable video clips of the many weird and wonderful things that can be done in the game it blew me away the first time someone managed to climb to the top of halo said errera referring to fan who had created video of master chief scaling the landscape of the graphical world video clips of the more outrageous stunts that are possible thanks to the games amazing physics engine are incredibly popular and some have attained cult following speculation about the sequel has seen every titbit analysed and poured over with all the intent of forensic scientist examining body when early screenshots of the game were released some people wrote essay-length articles highlighting everything from the texture of graphics to clues about the story line errera said expectations of the sequel among fans were sky high it does not feel like game release any more somebody told me this was the biggest single release of any product in microsofts history were all just hoping that bungie has got it right again halo_2 is out on november in the us and november in the uk
hamm bows out for us womens football legend mia hamm has played her final game hamm who officially retired after this years athens_olympics took to the field for the last time to help the us claim win over mexico hamm ends her career as the most prolific scorer male or female in international football with goals in games for the us she was twice fifa womens player of the year and won the world cup in and and two olympic golds on her retirement hamm said there are mixed emotions there are things in your life that you have had to put on the back-burner and you can focus more time and energy on that now have to see what is out there and not commit to everything at the beginning the friendly also saw the end of julie foudy and joy fawcetts us careers hamm will now embark on new life with husband chicago cubs shortstop nomar garciaparra who was in the stands to watch her final game he has just agreed new deal with the cubs after joining them in july
hanks greeted at wintry premiere hollywood star tom_hanks was in londons leicester_square for the uk premiere of polar express the west end landmark was turned into festive landscape complete with snow and carol singers to celebrate the arrival of the animated film this is leicester_square like youve never seen it before said hanks who plays five roles in the movie polar express is based on childrens book which tells_the_story of young boys journey to meet santa claus the 48-year-old actor crossed three-metre high bridge built in the square which he said was almost impossible to get across hundreds of fans greeted the star all wearing santa hats and mince pies were on offer hanks said that the new film has an elegant message christmas is special time of the year and you get out of it what you put into it added the two-time academy award winner believe in the spirit of christmas and think thats embodied in santa claus he said polar express uses technology similar to that used in lord_of_the_rings to bring gollum to life the performance capture technique enables hanks to play number of roles including the eight-year-old boy who is at the centre of the story and father christmas it is directed by robert zemeckis who has previously worked with hanks on forrest gump and castaway
hansen delays return until british triple_jumper ashia hansen has ruled out comeback this year after setback in her recovery from bad knee_injury according to reports hansen the commonwealth and european champion has been sidelined since the european cup in poland in june it was hoped she would be able to return this summer but the wound from the injury has been very slow to heal her coach aston moore told the times were not looking at any sooner than not as triple_jumper moore said hansen may be able to return to sprinting and long jumping sooner but there is no short-term prospect of her being involved again in her specialist event there was problem with the wound healing and it set back her rehabilitation by about two months but that has been solved and we can push ahead now he said the aim is for her to get fit as an athlete then we will start looking at sprinting and the long jump as an introduction back to the competitive arena moore said he is confident hansen can make it back to top-level competition though it is unclear if that will be in time for the commonwealth games in melbourne next march when she will be its been frustrating time for her but it has not fazed her determination he added
hantuchova in dubai last eight daniela_hantuchova moved into the quarter-finals of the dubai open after beating elene likhotseva of russia and now faces serena_williams australian_open champion williams survived an early scare to beat russias elena bovina world number one lindsay_davenport and anastasia_myskina also progressed davenport defeated chinas jie zheng while french open champion myskina sailed through after her opponent marion bartoli retired hurt american davenport will now face fellow former wimbledon champion conchita martinez of spain who ousted seventh-seeded nathalie_dechy of france myskina will face eighth-seed patty schnyder from switzerland who defeated chinas li na the other quarter final pits wild_card sania_mirza of india against jelena jankovic of serbia and montenegro who both won on tuesday before her meeting with martinez davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game started well and finished well but played some so-so games in the middle she said williams was also far from content dont know what was doing there she said it was really windy and hadnt played in the wind all my shots were going out of here but hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger williams sister who was handed first-round bye feel have an advantage over serena because have already played two matches on these courts she said it is difficult court to play on very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball
hard act to follow for outkast us rap duo outkasts trio of trophies at the mtv europe awards crowns year of huge success for the band the latest triumph adds to the three grammys and four american mtv gongs won earlier in this year andre and big bois album speakerboxxx/the love below has been critically_acclaimed since its release and sold in large quantities around the world the double album which saw the pair produce one disc each topped the charts in the us at the same time as single hey ya it took another track from the exponents of southern hip-hop the way you move to displace it from the top spot the georgia pairs year of critical and commercial triumph leaves them with tough act to follow what can be next for musical act that has done it all money presenter on the bbcs urban music station 1xtra thinks hiatus is inevitable after such sustained period of exposure giving the band time to think about other interests they might be more appearances outside the band such as producing for other artists while they have number of fringe music projects andre would like to go into acting so we might see him film while big boi already has dog-breeding business says the dj but in couple of years they will be back with another album which will be collaboration unlike their double cd their greatness has become clear with speakerboxxx/the love below we havent seen the last of them he adds outkasts musical career spans years and they have enjoyed commercial and critical success in the past with their debut southernplayalisticadillacmuzik going platinum but it took until for the pair to score their first hit in the uk with ms jackson while their album stakonia saw their fame spread beyond the us 1xtras money says it took the latest album released in for him to be assured of their genius they have always been experimental some of it has worked and some hasnt he adds but money acknowledges that making the next move for band that has reached pinnacle can be tough what can you do next when youve done it all he says with ten years of success behind them and worldwide fame it seems that outkast is not name that is likely to be forgotten in hurry
hatfield executives go on trial engineering firm balfour beatty and five railway managers are to go on trial for manslaughter over the hatfield rail crash in four people died when section of rail broke and high speed train derailed balfour beattys railway maintenance arm was in charge of the upkeep of the line at hatfield hertfordshire balfour beatty managers anthony walker and nicholas jeffries and railtrack managers alistair cook sean fugill and keith lea all face individual charges all five men along with four others are also accused of breaches of health and safety laws balfour beatty rail maintenance faces corporate manslaughter charge it is expected the trial could last as long as year the accident on october happened when the london to leeds express came off the tracks at mph when it was derailed by cracked section of rail the accident on the east coast main line sparked major disruption the overall responsibility for the line was railtracks the company that has now become network rail those who died in the accident were steve arthur from pease pottage west sussex peter monkhouse of headingley leeds leslie gray of tuxford nottingham and robert james alcorn of auckland new zealand
healey targets england comeback leicester wing austin healey hopes to use sundays return heineken_cup clash with wasps as further springboard to an england recall for the six_nations healey who won caps prior to the world cup has been in good form in the tigers resurgence this season definitely still have ambitions to play for england healey told the bbc we will have to see what happens after the previous autumn tests but when look at the current squad definitely feel there is place there for me healey who has also played both half-back positions and full-back during his career has reverted to the wing where he won most of his england caps after recovering from trapped nerve in his back sustained at the end of september the 31-year-old is relishing his role in the tigers revival had six weeks out but fortunately have resumed the sort of form had before he said am basically playing where it best suits leicester obviously can play scrum-half fly-half or full-back at moments notice but playing on the wing actually gives me bigger free role to come in where am not expected and influence things that has been apparent in parts one and two of the wasps-leicester trilogy in recent weeks first healey came off his flank with an angled run to score an injury-time try that earned the tigers draw in their premiership meeting on november then in the first of their heineken_cup double header last sunday healey slotted in at stand-off and delivered superb cross-kick for martin_corry to score the tigers third try caught cozzas eye couple of phases before that and was hoping to get it to him on the full but fortunately even with the bounce he managed to score healey recalled healey twice heineken_cup winner believes last sundays match was up there with some of the biggest club contests he has played in it was very intense occasion and very destructive game he recalled there was not huge amount of rugby played but it was great game to be involved in after about minutes thought we might stride away with it but wasps really came back into it and in the last couple of minutes it could have gone either way the same outcome this sunday would put leicester in pole position to top their heineken pool with home game against biarritz and away trip to calvisano to come but healey insists the tigers must summon the same desire if they are to deliver the knockout blow in what has been dubbed rugbys version of rocky ii there was lot of satisfaction in the dressing_room aftewards but it is really only case of job half done he added it was the first of two-leg trip and if we lose at welford road it will negate all the positives we can take from result think it came down to who wanted it more and in the end think we did we have got to show the same desire again this week
hendrix guitar fetches much-loved guitar belonging to jimi hendrix has been sold for at an auction in london the fender stratocaster was one of number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend the vast archive of instruments signed records and posters were collected by dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star the auction was billed as the biggest collection of hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer the majority of the items were collected by fan bob terry who began collecting at the age of he later sold it on to another collector hendrix widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era died of drug overdose in at the age of the fender stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio poem written by hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the monterey festival where he set light to his guitar went for the jimi hendrix experiences first single hey joe signed by all the band was sold for the sale hosted by auctioneers cooper owen was held at the hard rock cafe in london
henin-hardenne beaten on comeback justine henin-hardenne lost to elena_dementieva in comeback exhibition match in belgium on sunday for her second defeat in two days and the belgian who has slipped to eight in the world after struggling with virus faces tough australian_open title defence next month will be heading to australia with lot of question marks over me know that she said but think therell be less pressure than last time even if am champion henin-hardenne was speaking after loss to world number six dementieva in charleroi belgium on sunday the previous day the olympic champion went down to frances nathalie_dechy have to be positive still have few weeks she said my body has to get accustomed again to the stress the rhythm henin-hardenne slid down the world rankings in the second half of after contracting the illness in april after an initial lay-off she was forced off the circuit for second time after being knocked out of the french open in the second round comeback at the us open after three-month absence ended when she crashed out at the fourth-round stage but despite her problems she still won five of the nine official tournaments she entered in and won olympic gold in athens an achievement which saw her named belgian sportswoman of the year on friday physically its obvious that hit rock bottom said the 22-year-old who will make her comeback in the sydney international from january since april with the exception of the olympics have not done much all the successes had prior to that were mainly due to the work put in on building up my fitness now its time to get back to putting in effort and think am capable of doing that
henman decides to quit davis_cup tim_henman has retired from great britains davis_cup team the 30-year-old who made his davis_cup debut in is now set to fully focus on the atp tour and on winning his first grand_slam event ive made no secret of the fact that representing great britain has always been top priority for me throughout my career henman told his website captain jeremy bates has touted alex bogdanovic and andrew murray as possible replacements for the veteran henman added that he was available to help britain in its bid for davis_cup success with the next tie against israel in march although wont be playing would still like to make myself available to both jeremy and the lta in the future so that can draw upon my experience in the hope of trying to help the british players develop their full potential he added ive really enjoyed playing in front of the thousands of british fans both home and abroad and would like to thank every one of them for their unwavering support over the years henman leaves davis_cup tennis with an impressive record having won of his matches great britain captain jeremy bates paid_tribute to henmans efforts over the years tim has quite simply had phenomenal davis_cup career and it has been an absolute privilege to have captained the team with him in it said bates tims magnificent record speaks for itself while its great loss completely understand and respect his decision to retire from davis_cup and focus on the grand_slams and tour looking to the future this decision obviously marks watershed in british davis_cup tennis but it is also huge opportunity for the next generation to make their mark we have host of talented players coming through and despite losing someone of tims calibre remain very optimistic about the future henman made his davis_cup debut in against romania in manchester he and partner bates won their doubles rubber on the middle saturday of the tie britain eventually lost the contest henman and britain had little luck in davis_cup matches until when they qualified for the world group britain drew the usa and lost the tie when greg_rusedski fell to jim courier in the deciding rubber they made the final stages again in but this time lost out to the might of sweden
henman hopes ended in dubai third seed tim_henman slumped to straight sets defeat in his rain-interrupted dubai open quarter-final against ivan_ljubicic the croatian eighth_seed booked his place in the last four with victory over the british number one henman had looked on course to level the match after going up in the second set but his progress was halted as the rain intervened again ljubicic hit back after the break to seal fourth straight win over henman earlier in the day spanish fifth seed tommy_robredo secured his semi-final place when he beat nicolas_kiefer of germany afterwards henman was left cursing the weather and the umpire after seven breaks for rain during the match it was incredibly frustrating henman said its raining and the umpire doesnt take control he kept telling us to play till the end of the game but if its raining you come off the scores irrelevant it couldnt be more frustrating as was very happy with my form until now you dont expect this in the desert
henman murray claim lta awards tim_henman was named player of the year for by the lawn tennis association at wimbledon on monday the briton was recognised for the best year of his career which saw him reach the semis at the french and us opens scotlands andrew murray was named young player of the year after winning the us open juniors as well as futures event in italy and world number one peter norfolk won disabled player of the year after claiming his third us open crown great britains under boys won the team of the year prize for their victory at the world junior tennis event in august henman will start his campaign at the kooyong event on january in field that includes roger_federer andy_roddick and andre_agassi and the briton is optimistic of surpassing his best effort of fourth-round place at the australian_open which begins the following week ive often felt that the conditions suit my game in melbourne so id love to be able to start next year by doing well at the australian_open henman told his website thats why ive changed my schedule slightly by committing to play in the kooyong classic ill be able to acclimatise while practising before the event and then will be guaranteed matches against the best players in the world think that will give me the best possible chance of doing well at the australian_open
henman overcomes rival rusedski tim_henman saved match point before fighting back to defeat british rival greg_rusedski at the dubai tennis championships on tuesday world number rusedski broke in the ninth game to take tight opening set rusedski had match point at in the second set tie-break after henman double-faulted but missed his chance and henman rallied to clinch the set the british number one then showed his superior strength to take the decider and earn his sixth win over rusedski serve was held by both players with few alarms until the seventh game of the final set when rusedskis wild volley gave henman vital break furious rusedski slammed his racket onto the ground in disgust and was warned by the umpire henman seeded three then held his serve comfortably thanks to four serve-and-volley winners to take clear lead rusedski won his service game but henman took the first of his three match points with service winner to secure his place in the second round at dubai for the first time in three years it was the first match between the pair for three years henman last lost to rusedski six years ago and lasted two hours and minutes the pair are now likely to only face each other on court as rivals rather_than as team-mates after henman decided to retire from davis_cup tennis leaving rusedski to lead the team out against israel on march henman who now faces russian igor andreev in the last admitted afterwards it was difficult coming up against his compatriot on fast surface you just take it point by point when youre fighting to stay in the match he said had to keep playing aggressively and competing to get chance now have to recover in time for the next match because the body doesnt recover as quick as it used to especially after two hours and minutes
henman to face saulnier test british number one tim_henman will face frances cyril_saulnier in the first round of next weeks australian_open greg_rusedski the british number two is in the same quarter of the draw and could face andy_roddick in the second round if he beats swede jonas bjorkman local favourite lleyton_hewitt will meet frances arnaud clement while defending champion and world number one roger_federer faces fabrice santoro womens top seed lindsay_davenport drew spanish veteran conchita martinez henman came from two sets down to defeat saulnier in the first round of the french open last year so he knows he faces tough test in melbourne the seventh_seed who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the years first major and is lined up to meet roddick in the last eight is looking forward to the match hes tough player on any surface hes got lot of ability he said we had really tight one in paris that went my way so im going to need to play well from the outset because hes dangerous competitor switzerlands federer seeded one is the hot favourite having won three of the four grand_slam titles in he has beaten santoro in five of their seven previous encounters but is taking nothing for granted its tricky match federer said played him at the us open and won quite comfortably then but you never know if the rhythm is bit off he can keep you guessing and make it difficult the most important thing though is to get used to playing five-set matches and winning them the 23-year-old could meet four-time champion andre_agassi in the quarter-finals before meeting russian marat safin the player he beat in last years final eighth-seeded american agassi is set to play qualifier in round one if he can shake off hip injury which ruled him out of the kooyong classic second seed andy_roddick will open his campaign against irakli labadze of georgia the american could meet rusedski in the second round seventh_seed henman in the quarter-finals and hewitt in the last four hewitt is hoping to become the first australian man to win the event since mark edmondson in the 23-year-old has never been beyond round four in eight attempts at melbourne park but has at least secured the opposite half of the draw to federer who beat him in the australian_open wimbledon and us open last year safin seeded four opens his campaign against qualifier with 16th seed tommy_haas the player he beat in the semi-finals in possible fourth-round opponent in the womens draw davenport could encounter eighth-seeded venus williams in the quarter-finals and third-ranked anastasia_myskina the french open champion in the semi-finals bronchitis ruled davenport the australian_open champion out of her sydney quarter-final on thursday venus williams who lost to younger sister serena in the melbourne final two years ago opens against eleni daniilidou of greece serena_williams who won her fourth consecutive grand_slam at the australian_open was drawn in the bottom quarter with second seed amelie mauresmo runner-up in serena will open against another frenchwoman camille pin while mauresmo plays australias samantha stosur wimbledon champion maria_sharapova seeded fourth drew qualifier in the first round but could meet fellow russian svetlana_kuznetsova the us open winner in the last eight roger_federer switzerland andy_roddick us lleyton_hewitt australia marat safin russia carlos_moya spain guillermo_coria argentina tim_henman britain andre_agassi us david nalbandian argentina gaston gaudio argentina joachim johansson sweden guillermo canas argentina tommy_robredo spain sebastien grosjean france mikhail youzhny russia tommy_haas germany andrei pavel romania nicolas massu chile vincent spadea us dominik_hrbaty slovakia nicolas_kiefer germany ivan_ljubicic croatia fernando gonzalez chile feliciano lopez spain juan ignacio chela argentina nikolay davydenko russia paradorn srichaphan thailand mario_ancic croatia taylor dent us thomas johansson sweden juan_carlos ferrero spain jurgen_melzer austria lindsay_davenport us amelie mauresmo france anastasia_myskina russia maria_sharapova russia svetlana_kuznetsova russia elena_dementieva russia serena_williams us venus williams us vera zvonareva russia alicia_molik australia nadia petrova russia patty schnyder switzerland karolina sprem croatia francesca schiavone italy silvia farina elia italy ai sugiyama japan fabiola zuluaga colombia elena likhovtseva russia nathalie_dechy france tatiana golovin france amy frazier us magdalena maleeva bulgaria jelena jankovic serbia and montenegro mary pierce france lisa raymond us daniela_hantuchova slovakia anna smashnova israel shinobu asagoe japan gisela dulko argentina flavia pennetta italy jelena kostanic croatia iveta benesova czech_republic
henry tipped for fifa award fifa president sepp blatter hopes arsenals thierry_henry will be named world player of the year on monday henry is on the fifa shortlist with barcelonas ronaldinho and newly-crowned european footballer of the year ac milans andriy shevchenko blatter said henry for me is the personality on the field he is the man who can run and organise the game the winner of the accolade will be named at glittering ceremony at zurichs opera house the three shortlisted candidates for the womens award are mia hamm of the united_states germanys birgit prinz and brazilian youngster marta hamm who recently retired is looking to regain the womens award which she lost last year to striker prinz fifa has changed the panel of voters for this years awards male and female captains of every national team will be able to vote as well as their coaches and fipro the global organisation for professional players
hewitt falls to dent in adelaide lleyton_hewitt suffered shock defeat to taylor dent in the quarter-finals of the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide on friday the top seed was strong favourite for the title but went down to the american dent will face juan ignacio chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for jurgen_melzer olivier rochus beat third seed nicolas_kiefer and will take on second seed joachim johansson the swede reached the last four by beating compatriot thomas enqvist felt like was striking the ball much better said johansson felt like had lot of break chances didnt take care of them all but broke him four times and he only broke me once felt that was the key to get up in the set early hewitt played down his defeat and insisted he is focused solely on the australian_open which starts on january when youve been number one in the world for couple of years and won couple of slams you look at the big picture and what motivates you said hewitt thats the grand_slams and melbournes as big for me as any of the four even if dont win sydney next week its no big deal
hewitt falls to dent lleyton_hewitt suffered shock defeat to taylor dent in the quarter-finals of the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide on friday the top seed was strong favourite for the title but went down to the american dent will face juan ignacio chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for jurgen_melzer olivier rochus beat third seed nicolas_kiefer and will take on second seed joachim johansson the swede reached the last four by beating compatriot thomas enqvist felt like was striking the ball much better said johansson felt like had lot of break chances didnt take care of them all but broke him four times and he only broke me once felt that was the key to get up in the set early
hewitt fights back to reach final lleyton_hewitt kept his dream of an australian_open title alive with four-set win over andy_roddick in fridays second semi-final the home favourite will face marat safin in sundays final after coming through hewitt fought back from set down and trailed in both tie-breaks but would not be denied thrilling the melbourne crowd with typically battling effort he is aiming to be the first australian winner since mark edmondson in hewitt is the first australian to make the final since pat cash lost to mats wilander in but faces huge challenge against safin the conqueror of roger_federer after needing five sets in his last two matches there was reason to think hewitt might struggle for fitness he certainly made sluggish start dropping his opening service game and roddick dominated with his huge serve as he took the first set after tense games in the second the key moment came when hewitt raised his game in the tie-break to overturn an early mini-break that energised the crowd but roddick was not finished and raced clear in the crucial third before hewitt pegged him back and forced another tie-break again roddick broke first and again hewitt fought back taking the lead with superb backhand pass the australian was not to be denied and disheartened roddick made little impact in the fourth set as hewitt raced to victory sending the melbourne crowd wild and ensuring the final will be huge occasion its awesome said hewitt started preparing for this tournament nine months ago ive done lot of hard yards to get here ive always said id do anything to get in the first night final at the australian_open now ive got my chance roddick was furious with himself for failing to take advantage of leads in both tie-breaks im usually pretty money in those said roddick either one of those would have given me distinct advantage im mad felt was in there with shot he put himself in position to win big points donated little more_than would have wanted and the american played down the influence of one spectator who appeared to contribute to double fault by shouting during rodicks service action it just took one jackass to shout out said roddick adding that the crowd overall was very respectful
hewitt overcomes wobble in sydney lleyton_hewitt gave himself the perfect preparation for next weeks australian_open with victory over ivo minar in the final of the sydney international the defending champion brushed aside the czech qualifier the australian world number three strolled to the first five games of the match but was shocked as minar won the next five the top seed was rattled but recovered to close out the set and raced to victory in exactly an hour it was strange match momentum swings said hewitt felt like came out of the blocks extremely well but then he loosened up bit when he got back to had to try to settle down and take it up notch and was able to do that hewitt has now lifted the sydney title four times in the last six years it just keeps getting better and better every year hewitt said ive only played this tournament four times and ive won it four times hewitt went into the final as short-priced favourite to clinch his 24th career title after dropping only one set all week he is set to meet frenchman arnaud clement in the first round of the australian_open minar ranked 158th in the world was forced to pull out of the australian_open qualifying draw to play in his first atp final for me this was big success said the 20-year-old was so nervous last night couldnt sleep ive never played top-10 player before wanted to play qualifying in melbourne but its saturday and im still here but this is main draw and need the points and the money alicia_molik takes on samantha stosur in an all-australian womens final later on saturday
hewitt survives nalbandian epic home favourite lleyton_hewitt came through dramatic five-set battle with argentine david nalbandian to reach the australian_open semi-finals hewitt looked to be cruising to victory after racing into two-set lead but nalbandian broke his serve three times in both of the next two sets to set up nailbiting decider hewitt eventually grabbed the vital break in the 17th game and served out to win and set up meeting with andy_roddick the winner of that match will face either roger_federer or marat safin in the final ninth seed nalbandian had never come back from two sets down to win match and there was no indication he would do so as hewitt dominated the first two sets the argentine had stoked up the temperature ahead of the match by saying hewitts exuberant on-court celebrations were not very good for the sport and he had words with hewitt during one change of ends in the second set when the australian appeared to brush shoulders with him as they went to their chairs the balance of power changed completely in the third set as hewitt allowed his level to dip and he double-faulted twice as nalbandian broke on the way to taking the fourth set but the tiring third seed showed incredible reserves of strength to force the break despite being outplayed for much of the final set and three times coming within two points of defeat he then produced love service game to finish off the match in four hours and five minutes just kept hanging in there it was always tough serving second in the fifth set said hewitt who had never reached the last four at his home grand_slam told myself to give everything and in the end it paid off once again its long way from holding that trophy up there but im hanging in there only four guys left that can win and were the top four in the world its set up for pretty good showdown in the semis and finals
high fuel prices hit bas profits british airways has blamed high fuel prices for drop in profits reporting its results for the three months to december the airline made pre-tax profit of 75m $141m compared with 125m year earlier rod eddington bas chief_executive said the results were respectable in third quarter when fuel costs rose by 106m or bas profits were still better than market expectation of 59m and it expects rise in full-year revenues to help offset the increased price of aviation fuel ba last year introduced fuel surcharge for passengers in october it increased this from to one-way for all long-haul flights while the short-haul surcharge was raised from to leg yet aviation analyst mike powell of dresdner kleinwort wasserstein says bas estimated annual surcharge revenues 160m will still be way short of its additional fuel costs predicted extra 250m turnover for the quarter was up to 1.97bn further benefiting from rise in cargo revenue looking ahead to its full year results to march ba warned that yields average revenues per passenger were expected to decline as it continues to lower prices in the face of competition from low-cost carriers however it said sales would be better than previously forecast for the year to march the total revenue outlook is slightly better than previous guidance with to improvement anticipated ba chairman martin broughton said ba had previously forecast to rise in full-year revenue it also reported on friday that passenger numbers rose in january aviation analyst nick van den brul of bnp paribas described bas latest quarterly results as pretty modest it is quite good on the revenue side and it shows the impact of fuel surcharges and positive cargo development however operating margins down and cost impact of fuel are very strong he said since the september attacks in the united_states ba has cut jobs as part of major cost-cutting drive our focus remains on reducing controllable costs and debt whilst continuing to invest in our products mr eddington said for example we have taken delivery of six airbus a321 aircraft and next month we will start further improvements to our club world flat beds bas shares closed up four pence at pence
hillbillies singer scoggins dies country and western musician jerry scoggins has died in los_angeles at the age of his family has said scoggins was best remembered for singing the theme tune to popular us tv show the beverly hillbillies the texan-born singer approached the producers of the programme with theme tune the ballad of jed clampett for the pilot which was screened in the show which told the story of poor man striking oil and moving to beverly_hills ran until scoggins daugher jane kelly misel said that her father never tired of the song and would sing it at least once day hed sing it at birthdays and anniversaries and variety shows he never stopped performing it she said when film version of the beverly hillbillies was made in scoggins came out of retirement to perform the theme tune scoggins sang the lyrics while bluegrass stars lester flatt and earl scruggs played guitar and banjo
hingis hints at playing comeback martina hingis has admitted that she might consider competitive return to tennis if an appearance in thailand later this month goes well the former world number one will play at the volvo womens open in pattaya which starts on january as part of her charity work in the region the tournament is test she said dont know how my body will react support several charities in thailand im also playing to see where am speaking to le matin the 24-year-old swiss added at pattaya there will not be as many people and the players are ranked between the 30th and 95th in the world hingis was when she retired after having surgery on both ankles and her last wta event was in filderstadt germany in october when she lost to elena_dementieva
hingis to make unexpected return martina hingis makes her return to competitve tennis after two years out of the game at the volvo womens open in pattaya thailand on tuesday she faces german marlene weingartner in the first round as competitor and athlete always want to win hope my body will hold up said hingis you miss being out there in grand_slam final and not competing its big difference between playing and commenting for tv miss it lot the former world number one was when she retired after having surgery on both ankles and her last wta event was in filderstadt germany in october when she lost to elena_dementieva only last year she insisted that comeback was unlikely but speaking in thaliand hingis admitted said that because didnt know what would happen with my body her appearance will also benefit charities in the region and the swiss star will donate her prize money
hitch holds on to us box_office will smiths first romantic_comedy hitch has topped the north american box_office for second weekend smith plays new_york date doctor with love worries of his own in the movie which took $31.8m 16.8m it held off strong challenge from the new keanu reeves sci-fi thriller constantine which opened at number two with $30.5m 16.1m constantine based on the hellblazer comics stars reeves as an exorcist who must send satans minions back to hell two family films came next in the chart with wayne wangs comedy because of winn-dixie about young girl and an abandoned dog in third position with $10.85m 5.73m comedy adventure son of the mask came in at number four with $7.7m 4.1m just ahead of oscar favourite million dollar_baby at five smiths comedy will be the first us movie released this year to top the $100m 52.7m mark its success continues strong trend of hollwood movie-going this year with figures for the popular presidents day weekend greater than last year oscar contenders the aviator starring leonardo_dicaprio as howard hughes and wine-tasting comedy sideways both held onto positions in the top
hitler row over welsh arts cash an artist critical of welsh arts funding being brought under assembly government control has denied comparing the idea with dictatorships in russia and germany shani rhys james is worried that the arts council of wales may be taken over by the welsh assembly government culture minister alun pugh said it would be crass and ignorant to liken quango review to hitlers germany but ms james emphasised she had actually said artists needed freedom the future of the arts council of wales has been in question since it was announced that most welsh quangos would eventually be abolished it was announced last july that three welsh quangos education and training body elwa the wales tourist board and the welsh development agency would be brought under assembly government control the arts council of wales may be among the next to come under the assembly governments umbrella but ms james who won the jerwood painting prize in said arts funding should be separate from government ms james told bbc radio wales its quite dangerous when you involve politicians because its not like the health service and its not like the railways free expression is absolutely vital in democratic society you need distance you do not need government interference because it could be taken the wrong way but she said reports that she had likened the assembly government to totalitarian regimes were inaccurate she told good morning wales just to put the record straight that business in the paper where it said likened the government to bolshevik russia or hitlers germany the actual quote gave was it is vital to civilised society that we allow artists to express themselves without government control as we know from past european history i.e russia and germany in the early 20th_century artists will go underground or leave the country or rather_than compromise their expression artists need free voice to express themselves they reflect truth through their own art forms she said the assembly government was not best placed to run the arts in wales she added it would be momentous change and devastating to the arts it would set the arts scene back years because really dont think the government has the expertise if you have the national assembly taking control fear you are going to be going back to the dragons and leeks and the choirs wales has moved on it is international now it is not set back in how green was my valley responding to ms james criticisms mr pugh said the structure of unelected quangos is under review and we have made it clear that further announcements are due shortly comparing the welsh assembly government to hitlers germany is crass and ignorant response to real issue about democratic accountability ms james whose father was welsh was born in melbourne where her parents worked in the theatre she moved to powys nearly years ago where she works from her studio near llangadfan she has won number of arts prizes including the wales open in and the mostyn open in
hobbit picture four years away lord_of_the_rings director peter jackson has said that it will be up to four years before he starts work on film version of the hobbit the oscar winner said on visit to sydney there was desire to make it but not before lengthy negotiations think its gonna be lot of lawyers sitting in room trying to thrash out deal before it will ever happen said the new zealander the rights to jrr tolkiens book are split between two major film studios jackson who is currently filming remake of hollywood classic king kong said he thought that the sale of mgm_studios to the sony corporation would cast further uncertainty on the project the 43-year-old was in the australian city to visit lord_of_the_rings exhibition which has attracted visitors since it opened in december the film-maker recently sued film company new line cinema for undisclosed damages over alleged withheld profits and lost revenue from the first part of the middle earth trilogy the fellowship of the ring from went on to make worldwide profits of million million jackson is thought to have secured the most lucrative film directing deal in history to remake king kong which is currently in production in wellington the picture which stars naomi watts and oscar winner adrien brody is due to be released in december jackson has also committed to making film version of lovely bones based on the best-selling book by alice sebold
hoffman hits out over modern film hollywood legend dustin hoffman has hit out at the quality of current films and theatre productions the star of rain man and tootsie said the film culture was in the craphouse at press_conference on tuesday the 67-year-old also said he stopped working few years ago because he lost his spark for acting hoffman is in the uk to publicise his new comedy meet_the_fockers which also stars robert de niro barbra streisand and ben_stiller he said you go to the cinema and you realise youre watching the third act there is no first or second act there is this massive film-making where you spend this incredible amount of money and play right to the demographic you can tell how much money the film is going to make by how it does on the first weekend the whole culture is in the craphouse its not just true in the movies its also true in the theatre broadway and now london is the same special effects are in great demand its not good time culturally hoffman also said he stopped working few years ago and moved into directing and writing he said just lost that spark always had couple of years ago didnt like the parts was getting studios werent interested in the kind of films that people of my generation wanted to see thought would stop and just try writing and directing wasnt aware of the depression that set in recently hoffmann has returned to film with roles in heart huckabees finding_neverland and now meet_the_fockers which is the sequel to meet the parents meet_the_fockers opens in the uk on friday
hollywood hunts hits at sundance the sundance film festival the movie industrys top destination for uncovering the next independent hits and new talent opens on thursday the event will see screen executives decamp from hollywood to park city utah for days to search for low-key movies that could make it big in open water napoleon dynamite garden state and super-size me were all snapped up at last years festival but stars like keanu reeves and pierce_brosnan also have films showing there the festival is being opened by screening of quirky_comedy happy endings starring former friends actress lisa kudrow and maggie gyllenhaal on thursday kudrows friends co-star david schwimmer plays divorced drunkard in duane hopwood while brosnan stars as hit man in comedy the matador keanu reeves appears in coming-of-age tale thumbsucker while kevin costner and michael keaton are among the other big names whose films are involved robert redford founded sundance in and it has gone on to showcase future successes such as reservoir dogs the blair witch project and the full monty but it has received criticism that it has become more commercial and mainstream over the years as much as the press argues that sundance has completely changed it hasnt changed that much festival director geoffrey gilmore said its still place for discovery its place for common ground among film-makers and audiences more_than it is the celebrity stuff other films generating interest before this years festival include hustle flow about an aspiring rapper the squid and the whale an autobiographical film by writer-director noah baumbach and comedy/drama pretty persuasion it also has two new international cinema competitions
hollywood ready for oscars night hollywood is preparing for the biggest night in the film worlds calendar the 77th academy awards on sunday host of stars are expected to grace the red_carpet outside los_angeles kodak_theatre including johnny_depp cate_blanchett and leonardo_dicaprio british actors in attendance include nominees clive_owen imelda_staunton kate_winslet and director mike_leigh the aviator leads the shortlist but critics believe the night may belong to clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby recent poll of us pundits found eastwoods boxing drama had become the new favourite to win best film over the howard hughes biopic if the 74-year-old does win he will become the oldest person ever to be named best director at the ceremony uk critics still favour the aviator for best film but believe the best director title will generate close fought battle between eastwood and martin_scorsese scorsese has never won the best director prize despite four previous nominations for films including raging bull goodfellas and gangs of new_york eastwood has won best director once before for unforgiven in most experts predict the twice-nominated jamie_foxx will win best actor for his portrayal of singer ray_charles while vera_drake star imelda_staunton looks likely to lose out in the best actress field to hilary_swank in million dollar_baby the uks highest hopes remain with clive_owen who has scooped both the golden_globe and the bafta for his supporting role in closer actor and comedian chris rock will host the event which will be broadcast with seven-second time delay to allow censors to cut out any unsuitable content we have the bleep machine ready but bleeps will be used as needed producer gil cates told reporters however he added that he strongly disapproved of the growing tendency to censor live broadcasts on us tv he also played down fears that rock who is known for using strong language in his stand-up routines might cause controversy on the night the 40-year-old comic has already promised not to swear live on air during the show chris has sense of humour and everything he says is really said humorously cates said you need movie star and someone who is stand-up comic so they can deal with the vicissitudes of the show security will also be tight with police employing system to detect sarin nerve gas we are pulling out all the stops said john miller chief of counterterrorism at the los_angeles police department the show is symbol of american culture and has the potential to be high-visibility target he added meanwhile organisers have erected canopy over the red_carpet following an outbreak of torrential rain in los_angeles over the past week cates said the covers would be removed if the threat of wet weather receded details have also emerged of the contents of this years gift bags which are given to nominees and presenters on the night this years bags will include gift certificate for luxury beach resort pair of mink eyelashes and kitchen set with years supply of tea and coffee the event will be televised by the abc network from local time gmt and on sky movies in the uk from gmt
holmes back on form in birmingham double olympic champion kelly_holmes was back to her best as she comfortably won the 1,000m at the norwich_union birmingham indoor grand prix the 34-year-old running only her second competitive race of the season shook off the rust to win in two minutes seconds but she is still undecided about competing in the european championships in madrid from march ill probably be entered and make my mind up at the last minute she said my training hasnt gone as well as expected but ive got two weeks to decide need to take my time and make sure feel good about what im doing felt very good here but with the crowd behind you you feel like you can do anything american was the eventual winner of the mens 60m race which almost ended in farce three athletes were disqualified for false starting including britains mark_lewis-francis who was the first man guilty of coming out of his blocks too quickly world 100m champion kim collins clinched second spot ahead of world 60m record holder and scotts training partner maurice_greene jason gardeners unbeaten run came to an end as he came fifth and he will need to improve if he is to defend his european title in madrid you cant win them all said gardener afterwards and was very disappointed as know im capable of doing better russian was back on record-breaking form in the pole vault at the national indoor arena the olympic champion set new world mark of 4.88m to break her own record which she set just six days ago and beat russian rival svetlana feofanova it was isinbayevas 11th world record indoors or out since july im so happy and will do my best to break the 5m barrier soon the 22-year-old told bbc sport jamaicas stormed to personal best of seconds to claim the womens 60m sprint belgian kim gevaert who will be one of the favourites for next months european title took second while american muna lee was third there was disappointment for british pair jeanette kwakye and joice maduaka who finished seventh and eighth respectively jamaican stretched her unbeaten record to races as she effortlessly claimed the 200m the olympic champion set new indoor personal best of seconds the fastest time in the world this season fought off fellow briton tim abeyie to take the mens 200m in personal best of continued her outstanding start to the season beating strong international field which included two-time olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist melissa morrison to claim the womens 60m_hurdles the 25-year-old briton clocked seconds while pre-european championships favourite russian irina shevchenko finished down in sixth ethiopias failed in her bid to smash compatriot berhane aderes world 3,000m record but still won the event in emphatic style the olympic 5,000m champion was inside record pace but dropped off over the final third finishing in eight minutes seconds the fourth fastest time ever recorded for the event britains jo pavey bravely decided to go with defar as she strode away from the field and took second in seasons best kenyan also missed out on the indoor 1500m world record which hicham_el guerrouj has held for the last eight years lagat settled for silver behind el_guerrouj in athens and was almost four seconds short of the moroccans world best clocking in birmingham and was still struggling to find his form after the death of his fiancee this year the olympic 10,000m champion had comfortably led the mens two mile race after his younger brother tariku had set the pace but fellow ethiopian appeared ominously on bekeles shoulder with two laps to go before surging past him at the bell to win in jamaican made the most of blistering start to take the mens 400m title in seconds world indoor champion alleyne francique faded badly and finished in fourth while american duo jerry harris and james davis took second and third respectively swede showed her class in the long jump as she stole top spot from jade johnson with the very last jump of the competition the olympic heptathlon gold_medallist reached 6.66m to better johnsons mark of 6.52m her second personal best inside week was quite surprised because didnt think id end up with second place said johnson who wore londons olympic bid slogan back the bid on her shorts but im pleased and hopefully ill get bit better for the europeans really want to win medal won the mens event with seasons best of 7.95m taking the scalp of world indoor champion savante stringfellow of the usa
holmes feted with further honour double olympic champion kelly_holmes has been voted european athletics eaa woman athlete of in the governing bodys annual poll the briton made dame in the new year honours list for taking 800m and 1,500m gold won vital votes from the public press and eaa member federations she is only the second british woman to land the title after- sally gunnell won for her world 400m hurdles win in swedish triple_jumper christian olsson was voted male athlete of the year the accolade is the latest in long list of awards that holmes has received since her success in athens in addition to becoming dame she was also named the bbc sports personality of the year in december her gutsy victory in the 800m also earned her the international association of athletics_federations award for the best womens performance in the world for and she scooped two awards at the british athletics writers association annual dinner in october
holmes is hit by hamstring_injury kelly_holmes has been forced out of this weekends european indoor athletics championships after picking up hamstring_injury during training the double olympic champion said am very disappointed that have been forced to withdraw can hardly walk at the moment and wont be able to do any running for two or three weeks although ill be keeping fit as best can holmes will have now have intensive treatment in south_africa the 34-year-old made cautious start to the season but looked back to her best when she stormed to the 1,000m title at the birmingham grand prix days ago after that race and more progress in training holmes revealed she had decided to compete at the european indoors before her plans were wrecked last weekend on saturday night pulled my hamstring running the last bend on my final 200m of the night said holmes was going really really well when felt massive spasm in my left leg and my hamstring blew saw the doctor here and he has said it is not serious but its frustrating missing madrid when knew was in great shape holmes has now been advised by her coach margot jennings not to rush back into training and it is unlikely she will compete again until the summer helen clitheroe now goes to madrid as the only british competitor in the womens 1500m while there will be no representative in the 800m
holmes secures comeback victory britains kelly_holmes marked her first appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold with 1500m victory at the norwich_union international holmes hit the front just before the bell in front of sell-out crowd in glasgow and cruised to victory in time of four minutes seconds it was nice to get that out of the way was nervous about whether would actually be able to get round felt good just had to relax and use my racing knowledge said holmes it was all about winning in front of my home crowd the time is irrelevant got round in one piece and didnt disgrace myself now its about going forward the reception ive had since the olympics has been amazing and thats why wanted to keep running this year because get buzz from the crowd holmes ran tactically perfect race to finish clear of frances hind dehiba and russias svetlana cherkasova the olympic 800m and 1500m champions time was inside the qualifying mark for the european indoor_championships in madrid in march but the 34-year-old would not reveal whether she intended to run or not having previously indicated she would leave decision until after the birmingham grand prix on february
holmes starts with gb events kelly_holmes will start with series of races in britain holmes will make her first track appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold in januarys norwich_union international in glasgow she will also run in the grand prix in birmingham in february and may defend her indoor aaa 800m title in sheffield earlier that month am still competitive and still want to win she said im an athlete and cant wait to get back on the track she added these events are also great opportunity to thank the british public for the enormous levels of support they have given me from the moment stepped off that plane from greece the glasgow meeting will see holmes compete over 1500m in five-way match against sweden france russia and italy
holmes urged to compete at worlds jolanda ceplak has urged britains kelly_holmes to continue competing at the major championships double olympic gold_medallist holmes has strongly hinted she will not run in this years worlds and is undecided about next months european indoors but world indoor 800m record holder ceplak said there is never an easy race when she is in the field there is only excitement at what might happen it is good for the sport she always fetches the best out of everyone ceplak has been great rival of holmes during the britons career and the pair fell out when holmes questioned the manner of the slovenians runaway 800m victory at the european championships but the controversy has since been forgotten with ceplak acting as pacemaker for holmes failed attempt on the british indoor 1500m record at the norwich_union grand prix in birmingham in ceplak added like running against her you know the race is always going to be fast that is the sort of competition that like she is special to me she was like my idol from the beginning of my career meanwhile ceplak will be looking to follow up last saturdays win in boston with fast time and victory in fridays night of athletics in erfurt germany britains jason_gardener had been expected to defend his 60m title in erfurt but instead he will save himself for competition in leipzig on sunday gardeners decision means scotlands 400m man ian mackie will carry british hopes in what looks sure to be tough preparation for next weekends norwich_union european trials in sheffield
holmes wins top tv moment sprinter kelly_holmes olympic victory has been named the top television moment of in bbc poll holmes 800m gold medal victory beat favourite moments from drama comedy and factual programmes as voted by television viewers natasha kaplinskys strictly come dancing win was top entertainment moment and little britain breast feeding sketch won the comedy prize the tv moments will be shown on bbc one at gmt on wednesday double gold medal winner holmes topped the best sports moment category beating maria sharapovas wimbledon triumph and matthew pinsents rowing victory at the olympics she then went on to take the overall prize of golden tv moment the sight of former royal correspondent jennie bond with dozens of rats crawling over her in itvs im celebrity get me out of here was named best factual entertainment moment michael buerks return to ethiopia years after originally reporting its famine topped the factual category for bbc programme this world long-running soap eastenders won the best popular drama moment title when character dot confided in den watts that she was unwell
honour for uk games maker leading british computer games maker peter molyneux has been made an obe in the new year honours list the head of surreys lionhead studios was granted the honour for services to the computer games industry mr molyneux has been behind many of the ground-breaking games of the last years such as populous theme park dungeon keeper and black and white he is widely credited with helping to create and popularise the so-called god-game genre speaking to the bbc_news website mr molyneux said receiving the honour was something of surprise its come completely out of the blue he said never would have guessed that id have that kind of honour he said he was surprised as much because not too long ago many people thought computer gaming was fad it was thought to be like skateboarding he said craze that everyone thought would go away now he said the gaming world rivals the movie industry for sales and cultural influence britain plays big part in it he said its one of the founding nations that made the industry what it is mr molyneux has been pivotal figure in the computer games industry for almost years his career started at bullfrog studios which in produced populous one of the first god-games the title gave players control over the lives small population of computerised people mr molyneux said that his involvement with the games industry started almost by accident as back in the early days game making was more hobby than career thought everyone would treat populous as weird he said but it became huge international success he left bullfrog in to set up lionhead studios which was behind the ambitous and widely acclaimed game black white one of the next titles to come from lionhead puts players in charge of movie studio and tasks them with producing and directing hit film the veteran game maker says he has one problem still to solve being an absolute geek ive got no idea what im going to wear when go and pick it up he said
horror film heads us box_office low-budget horror film produced by evil dead director sam raimi has topped the north american box_office boogeyman which focuses on man who returns to his childhood home to confront his traumatic past took $19.5m 14.9m in three days last weeks chart-topper the robert de niro thriller hide and seek fell to number four other new entries included the wedding date comedy starring will and graces debra messing at number two the road-trip comedy are we there yet and multiple oscar_nominee million dollar_baby completed the top five other oscar contenders including the aviator and sideways continued to perform strongly at the box_office the aviator has taken $75m 40m so far while sideways has taken $46.8m 24.8m in more limited release boogeyman which cost just $7m 3.5m to make performed well even though it was not screened to critics before release normally sign that film will get bad reviews or perform poorly at the box_office certainly believe its genre where people are going to be more moved by the marketing materials for the movie than by what the critics say said rory bruer head of distribution for sony pictures which released the film in the us overall the weekend box_office was strong despite the fact that it was american footballs super_bowl weekend time when cinema admissions generally fall this year the top films grossed around $91m 48.3m compared to 2004s super_bowl weekend when the total box_office was $73.4m 38.9m
housewives lift channel_4 ratings the debut of us television hit desperate_housewives has helped lift channel_4s january audience share by compared to last year other successes such as celebrity big brother and the simpsons have enabled the broadcaster to surpass bbc two for the first month since last july bbc twos share of the audience fell from to last month in comparison with january celebrity big brother attracted fewer viewers than its series comedy drama desperate_housewives managed to pull in five million viewers at one point during its run to date attracting quarter of the television audience the two main television channels bbc1 and itv1 have both seen their monthly audience share decline in year on year comparison for january while fives proportion remained the same at slender digital multi-channel tv is continuing to be the strongest area of growth with the bbc reporting freeview box ownership of five million including one million sales in the last portion of its share of the audience soared by in january compared with last year and currently stands at an average of
housewives lift channel_4 ratings the debut of us television hit desperate_housewives has helped lift channel_4s january audience share by compared to last year other successes such as celebrity big brother and the simpsons have enabled the broadcaster to surpass bbc2 for the first month since last july however the channels share of the audience fell from to last month in comparison with january celebrity big brother attracted less viewers than its series comedy drama desperate_housewives managed to pull in five million viewers at one point during its run to date attracting quarter of the television audience the two main television channels bbc1 and itv1 have both seen their monthly audience share decline in year on year comparison for january while fives proportion remained the same at slender digital multi-channel tv is continuing to be the strongest area of growth with the bbc reporting freeview box ownership of five million including one million sales in the last portion of its share of the audience soared by in january compared with last year and currently stands at an average of
how the academy awards flourished the 77th annual academy awards are taking place on february with the stars of the movie-making world once again holding their breath to discover who will be showered with the honours this year but from humble beginnings how did the modern day extravaganza become the behemoth it is today how it all started the first academy awards were handed out in at comparatively low-key dinner held at the hollywood roosevelt hotel just over the road from their modern day home just guests attended with ticket prices at the first film to win was wings which starred clara bow in the only silent movie to win the big award for the first years or so the winners list was handed to the newspapers so they could publish them at 11pm but in the winners were published in the los_angeles times at 8.45pm meaning guests entering the ceremony knew already knew the results as result the sealed envelope system was introduced leading to the secrecy and suspense-filled night that happens today when and where the tradition of holding the awards at banquet continued until but with increasing interest came growing guest list and it became impractical to host it as dinner the ceremonies were then transferred to theatres with the famous graumans chinese theatre the first to host the expanded event other venues included the dorothy chandler pavilion and the shrine auditorium they are now held at the kodak_theatre which opened in just across the road from its original home and holds people until they were held on thursday then swapped around from monday to wednesday before sunday night was settled on although the month swapped from may to april to march and now its current month of february the first televised ceremony was in with bob hope as the mc who was oscar there is no solid evidence as to how the trophy became to be known as oscar one popular story is that academy librarian margaret herrick said the statue looked like her uncle oscar journalist apparently overheard this conversation and used the phrase in an article the first time it is thought to have been used in print was when columnist sidney skolsky used it to describe katherine hepburns first best actress win in the academy officially adopted the nickname in the trophy was designed by mgm art director cedric gibbons since its inception oscars have been handed out in support of the war effort the academy handed out plaster oscar statuettes during wwii after the war winners exchanged the plaster awards for the real thing fifty-five statues were stolen in en route to the awards in were recovered nine days later winners were unaffected as new batch was rushed out who sits in judgement the academy was set up in as non-profit organisation with members from different film disciplines douglas fairbanks sr was the first president and oversaw the first awards there are now members of the academy with membership by invitation only to those who are seen to have achieved distinction in the movies and are therefore seen as fit to judge their peers some of the criteria for admittance includes film credits that reflect the high standards of the academy receipt of an academy award nomination achievement of unique distinction earning of special merit or making an outstanding contribution to film the stars who left empty-handed while many of the biggest films and movie-makers have been honoured by the academy there is still surprise at those that did not receive any nominations that later went on to become classics among the overlooked films were hobsons choice dirty harry the steps the searchers and king kong actors that failed to win for their iconic roles included al jolson in the jazz singer humphrey bogart in casablanca gene kelly in singing in the rain and henry fonda in angry men alfred hitchcock also failed to win an award despite five nominations his enduring influence on the horror genre was finally recognised with an honorary gong in the show always goes on not even war has halted the glittering hollywood event there were calls for it to be cancelled in during the war in iraq but as it didnt stop during world war ii or the vietnam war documentary winner michael moore ensured nobody forgot about the iraq_war though and used his acceptance speech to criticise the american invasion the ceremony was muted with the glitz turned down and many female stars opting for demure dark dresses the ceremony has been postponed on three occasions los_angeles floods in saw it put back week the death of martin luther king saw it postponed for two days in as mark of respect and there was 24-hour delay following the assassination attempt on president ronald reagan controversies and other gaffes three people have refused oscars including actor george scott who said the whole thing was demeaning writer dudley nichols refused his academy award in for his screenplay for the insider because the writers guild was striking at the time marlon brando turned down his best actor oscar for the godfather in in protest as hollywoods apparent discrimination against native american people he sent along woman called sacheen littlefeather to collect his award she was later revealed to be native american actress maria cruz the following year robert opal interrupted proceedings when he streaked flashing peace sign as well as everything else the tv network managed to pan away and avoid too much nudity opal was murdered in frank capra was the butt of one major gaffe in when the host opened out best picture envelope and declared come on up and get it frank to which frank capra bounded up to the stage before realising that he had meant frank lloyd had won for cavalcade capra vowed he would never to go the awards again but went the following year to collect his award for it happened one night
howard pitches for uk ethnic vote michael_howard is to make pitch for britains ethnic vote urging people who feel taken for granted by tony_blair to vote conservative he will say conservatives share the same values as the uks minorities and that he wants to build better britain where everyone whatever the colour of their skin or religion can make the most of their talents but the tory_leader will argue against positive discrimination saying it is outdated and unjust it sets family against family and it leads ethnic communities to doubt their own abilities he will argue mr howard himself the son of immigrants will acknowledge that racial discrimination still exists in the uk people from ethnic communities for example still earn less than their white counterparts he will say before arguing the answer to helping everyone to get on was free enterprise free trade free speech the tory_leader will also call for religious tolerance arguing that hindus and sikhs as well as muslims got caught in the downdraft of islamaphobia which was one of the terrible side effects of mr howard will make his speech during visit to support tory parliamentary hopefuls robert light and sayeeda warsi the first british muslim woman selected to run for mp as conservative candidate he will attack labours record in government over issues such as tax and he will set out tory plans for an immigration quota to be set by mps mr howard will also attack the lib dems for wanting to abolish faith schools introduce compulsory sex education from the age of seven and give contraceptives out in schools from the age of so say to all those people from ethnic_minorities who feel mr blair and the liberal_democrats take their votes for granted come join us he will say lib dem president simon hughes branded mr howard arrogant and wrong for claiming the tories were the natural party for britains ethnic_minorities given the tories considerably reduced support in urban areas where many black and asian britons live during their time in power the evidence simply does not support his claims that the conservatives are the party for these communities he said
howard rebuts asylum criticisms tory_leader michael_howard has gone on the offensive in response to people questioning how son of immigrants can propose asylum quotas mr howard whose parents fled the nazi threat to come to the uk says the claim would mean no-one from an immigrant family could become premier his comments come in bbc documentary called no more mr nasty tv presenter anne robinson said as home secretary he gave the impression he would like to kick your cat ms robinson friend of the tory_leader also revealed that as cambridge student mr howard was much loved by women and he was courteous and kind and rather dashing lover although she denied having personal experience wasnt at cambridge and its not personal experience but know people who were documentary maker michael cockerell was given behind-the-scenes access to mr howard for his film portrait the tory_leader was asked about to respond to people who said that if there had there been quota on immigration and asylum in the 1930s his parents might not have been allowed into the country he replies what is the inference of that that if you reach the view that you need to control immigration in the interests of the country youre not allowed to put view forward if you happen to be descended from immigrants that seems to me an absolutely extraordinary proposition it would certainly mean no one from immigrant parents could be prime_minister ms robinson who presents the weakest link tells cockerell that she despaired at his hardline image when he was home secretary in john majors government used to have to sit on my hands because hed get on television and give passable impression of someone whod like to kick your cat or would put your baby in prison if he cried mean it was very very draconian the film shows mr howard laughing at rory bremners impression of him as dracula which he calls good fun apart from the serious falsehood of comment suggesting he wants fewer black people in the uk the film shows the private side of the tory_leader watching television at home or playing table tennis with his wife ex-model sandra asked if she enjoys game of ping pong she confesses yeah it would be more enjoyable if could win occasionally too but otherwise its quite fun former downing_street communications chief alastair_campbell now working on labours election campaign says touchy-feely image does not fit mr howard he says tony_blair was not worried by his opponents early performance in their commons clashes because mr howard lacked big strategy including on issues like iraq the tory_leader brands such criticisms as absolutely rubbish arguing that he has been consistent on his support for the war but critical of mr blairs failure to tell the truth on intelligence former tory chancellor ken clarke says mr howard has bigger problem changing perceptions of the tory party than his personal image mr clarke says the party is improving and it is conceivable it could win the next election but he adds it has got to change itself bit and broaden its appeal michael_howard no more mr nasty is being shown on bbc2 on saturday february at gmt
howl helps boost japans cinemas japans box_office received boost last year with ticket sales worth 211bn yen 1.08bn the surge was led by animated movie howls moving castle which took 20bn yen 102m to become the biggest film in japan in it is expected to match the 30.7bn yen 157m record of hayao miyazakis previous film spirited away japan motion_picture producers figures showed that million cinema admissions were made in japan in the last samurai starring tom cruise was the biggest foreign movie hit in japan last year taking 13.8bn yen 70.7m it was followed by harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban finding nemo and the lord_of_the_rings the return of the king the second highest-grossing japanese film was romantic drama crying out love in the centre of the world followed by be with you and pocket monsters advanced generation japanese films accounted for of japans box_office total last year with foreign films taking the remaining this represented gain for the proportion of japanese films in compared to the number of japanese films released rose to in from the previous year sales of movies on dvd and video amounted to 497bn yen 2.54bn for the year
hundreds vie for best film oscar total of films are eligible for the best film oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees the academy of motion_picture arts and sciences has sent out the first ballot_papers with the full list of films vying for recognition among those expected to receive nominations are the aviator million dollar_baby and sideways academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on january to be eligible for nomination film must have been shown in commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of december director martin_scorseses the aviator starring leonardo_dicaprio went on general release on christmas day in the us ensuring it just made the deadline studios have already begun lobbying voters taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back other movies tipped for possible success include closer starring jude law and julia_roberts finding_neverland with johnny_depp as author jm barry and kinsey starring liam_neeson as the famed sex scientist alfred kinsey meanwhile design engineer takuo miyagishima will be awarded an oscar at the scientific and technical awards dinner on february miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the sawyer award which is presented to an individual in the motion_picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry the main oscar ceremony will be held in los_angeles on february
iaaf awaits greek pairs response kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou are yet to respond to doping charges from the international association of athletics_federations iaaf the greek pair were charged after missing series of routine drugs tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens they have until midnight on december and an iaaf spokesman said were sure their responses are on their way if they do not respond or their explanations are rejected they will be provisionally banned from competition they will then face hearing in front of the greek federation which will ultimately determine their fate their former coach christos tzekos has also been charged with distributing banned substances under iaaf rules the athletes could receive maximum one-year suspension kenteris and thanou already face criminal trial after being charged with avoiding drug test on the eve of the athens_olympics and then faking motorcyle crash no date for the trial has yet been set and again tzekos is also facing charges the iaaf issued an official warning to the trio last year after they were discovered training in qatar rather_than in crete where they had said they would be all athletes must inform their national federations where they are at all times so they can be available for out-of-competition drugs tests but kenteris and thanou then went on to skip tests in tel aviv and chicago when they decided to fly back to greece early then just before the olympics the pair dramatically missed another test in athens and withdrew from the games
iaaf launches fight against drugs the iaaf athletics world governing_body has met anti-doping officials coaches and athletes to co-ordinate the fight against drugs in sport two task forces have been set up to examine doping and nutrition issues it was also agreed that programme to de-mystify the issue to athletes the public and the media was priority nothing was decided to change things it was more to have forum of the stakeholders allowing them to express themselves said an iaaf spokesman getting everyone together gave us lot of food for thought about people attended sundays meeting in monaco including iaaf chief lamine diack and namibian athlete frankie fredericks now member of the athletes commission am very happy to see you all members of the athletics family respond positively to the iaaf call to sit together and discuss what more we can do in the fight against doping said diack we are the leading federation in this field and it is our duty to keep our sport clean the two task forces will report back to the iaaf council at its april meeting in qatar
iaaf to rule on greek sprint pair greek_sprinters kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou are expected to find out on wednesday if they will be banned for missing drugs tests this summer the international association of athletics_federations iaaf council held conference call on tuesday and are set to announce their decision kenteris and thanou could be suspended for up to two years the duo withdrew from the olympics after missing test but claimed they had suffered motorcycle_crash the greek authorities have also brought criminal charges against the sprinters for avoiding drugs test and faking an accident their former coach christos tzekos is also facing charges and all three are awaiting trial date however the iaaf will determine the sprinters future on the track after carefully considering all the evidence the sports ruling body is expected to direct the greek federation in what action it should take against the sprinters kenteris and thanou can appeal against any decision at the court of arbitration for sport the sprinters both sent written explanations to the iaaf which have been taken into account the iaaf sent an official warning to the sprinters and coach tzekos after they were discovered training in qatar rather_than in crete where they had said they would be but kenteris and thanou then went on to skip tests in tel aviv and chicago when they decided to fly back to greece early just before the olympics the pair dramatically missed another test in athens before withdrawing from the games kenteris won gold in the 200m at the sydney olympics in where thanou won silver in the 100m
iaaf will contest greek decision the international association of athletics_federations will appeal against the acquittal of greek athletes kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou the high-profile duo were cleared of doping offences by the greek athletics federation segas last month now the iaaf will lodge an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport cas and has suspended both athletes an iaaf statement said the doping review board concluded that the decision is erroneous the statement continued both athletes cases will be refered to arbitration before the cas the decision in both cases will be final and binding segas said the iaaf appeal was expected and understandable now we are going to await the final result which we cannot prejudge said segas chairman vassilis sevastis kenteris who won olympic 200m gold at the olympics and thanou were suspended by the iaaf last december after failing to take routine drugs tests before the athens games however the independent tribunal overturned those bans clearing the sprinters of avoiding tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics kenteris lawyer gregory_ioannidis described the iaafs decision as not unexpected but told bbc sport he did not expect the organisation to take action so quickly the iaafs timing is extremely surprising and it creates concerns and questions said ioannidis the iaaf has not yet received the complete file of proceedings which include statements testimonies the closing speeches of defence counsel and nine audio tapes we have the evidence and it is time the world discovered the truth kenteris and thanou dramatically withdrew from last summers olympics after missing drugs test at the olympic village on august the pair then spent four days in hospital claiming they had been injured in motorcycle_crash it was the international olympic committee who demanded the iaaf investigate the affair thanou and kenteris still face criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking_a_motorcycle accident
incredibles win animation awards the incredibles movie has beaten shrek_2 to the main prizes at hollywoods animation awards the annies the superhero film was named best animated feature while brad bird won best director writer and voice actor for his role as designer edna mode the incredibles won total of awards but shrek_2 which had seven nominations went home empty-handed the two movies will compete with shark_tale in the best animated film category of the oscars at the end of february the incredibles awards came despite shrek 2s greater box_office success shrek_2 took $881m 468m around the world compared with $576m 306m for the incredibles spongebob squarepants was named best animated tv show while tv comedy king of the hill picked up two prizes including one for actress brittany murphys voice work tom kenny who provides the voice for spongebob squarepants hosted sundays ceremony at the alex theater los_angeles the awards are handed out by the international animated film society finding nemo won nine annies last year
indie film nominations announced mike_leighs award-winning abortion drama vera_drake has scooped seven nominations at this years british independent film awards but the venice winner faces_stiff competition from shane meadows critically_acclaimed dead_mans shoes which received eight nominations also in the running for clutch of awards are my summer of love and the stalker drama enduring love the winners will be announced at ceremony in london on november the winners of the awards will be chosen by jury chaired by cold mountain director anthony minghella and including actresses cate_blanchett and helena bonham-carter the awards which recognise independent film-making in britain were established seven years ago this years nominees reflect the growing strength and diversity of british independent filmmaking said bifa founder and director elliot grove commenting on the diversity of the nominated films he added our selection committee had harder time than ever narrowing down the field joining vera_drake and dead_mans shoes in the running for best film are my summer of love climbing documentary touching the void and zombie comedy shaun_of_the_dead geoffrey rush wins best actor nomination for his role as peter sellers in the recent biopic the life death of peter sellers the australian star faces competition from daniel craig enduring love phil davis vera_drake ian hart blind fight and dead_mans shoes star paddy considine considine is also nominated for best supporting actor award for my summer of love rare us nominee scarlett johansson is among this years best actress contenders for her role in girl with pearl earring fellow nominees include imelda_staunton vera_drake natalie press my summer of love anne reid the mother and eva birthistle ae fond kiss shane meadows and kevin mcdonald both former winners of the douglas hickox award for best directorial debut won best director nominations seasoned film-makers roger michell mike_leigh and pavel pavlikowsky challenge them to the award harry_potter author jk rowling will receive special award for her contribution to the industry
injury doubts beset wales squad wales have clutch of injury worries before wednesdays international friendly against hungary in cardiff west hams gavin williams ankle looks certain to be out so uncapped wrexham defender stephen roberts is drafted in defenders danny gabbidon and gareth roberts plus ryan_giggs have hamstring concerns while there are also doubts over robbie savage groin however manchester_united winger giggs is expected to recover in time to earn his 50th_cap at the millennium_stadium there were also doubts over gabbidons fellow cardiff defender rhys weston but the full-back appears to have shrugged off the knock he picked up in the bluebirds loss to west_ham on sunday the news leaves wales boss john toshack short in defence for his first game in charge with aston villas mark delaney injured and james collins with the under-21s that could clear the way for new faces danny collins and dave partridge to make their wales debuts coyne burnley jones wolves roberts wrexham collins sunderland edwards wolves gabbidon cardiff page cardiff partridge motherwell ricketts swansea roberts tranmere weston cardiff davies tottenham fletcher west_ham giggs man_utd koumas west brom robinson sunderland savage blackburn williams west_ham bellamy newcastle earnshaw west brom hartson celtic
injury sidelines philippoussis mark philippoussis withdrew from the sydney international tennis tournament as expected on sunday after suffering groin injury during the hopman cup his participation in the australian_open which begins on january in melbourne also remains in doubt defending womens champion justine henin-hardenne is also out of the sydney event because of knee_injury in the only main draw mens or womens singles match on sunday nathalie_dechy beat american lisa raymond number one mens seed lleyton_hewitt begins his quest for fourth sydney title on tuesday when he plays karol beck lindsay_davenport top seed in the womens draw has been handed first-round bye and plays frances dechy in the second round on tuesday
iranian misses israel match iranian striker vahid hashemian will not travel to israel for bayern munichs champions_league match against maccabi tel aviv on wednesday the german club said the player had pulled out because of back injury iran refuses to recognise israels right to exist and does not allow its citizens to travel to the country bayern spokesman said on monday that the decision not to take hashemian to israel had been motivated only by his physical condition hes got back pain and he couldnt train the spokesman said it would have made no sense for him to go iran gave judo world champion arash miresmaeili reward when he refused to fight an israeli at the athens_olympics the international judo federation considered taking action against miresmaeili but concluded he had been overweight for the fight and could not have taken part
iraqis win death test case probe the family of an iraqi civilian allegedly killed by uk troops have won challenge against the governments refusal to order full inquiry the high court ruled on tuesday that baha mousas death in british custody in iraq fell within the european convention_on_human rights and the judges paved the way for an independent inquiry by saying previous investigations were inadequate but judicial reviews into five other deaths in southern iraq were ruled out their families will be appealing against the judgement the families solicitor phil shiner described it as historic day for human_rights and the rule of law in the uk father-of-two mr mousa hotel receptionist was arrested with eight men seized at hotel in basra in september he was allegedly beaten to death while in the custody of the queens lancashire regiment the iraqi families lawyer argued that failing to adequately investigate the death breached the european convention_on_human rights ministry of defence lawyers argued the uk-controlled area of southern iraq was outside european jurisdiction but lord justice rix and mr justice forbes ruled that uk jurisdiction could extend to uk-run prison but did not apply to the total territory of another state they said as mr mousa was in custody when he died his case came within the uks jurisdiction the other five iraqis did not die in custody so their cases had to fail they said and it was difficult to say that the investigation which had already occurred has been timely open or effective the judges said after the ruling carla ferstman legal director of the human_rights organisation redress said it is not enough for the military to investigate behind closed doors there must be an effective public investigation by an independent official body only such an investigation could reveal what really happened and who might be responsible other allegations involving british soldiers included the shooting of an iraqi police commissioner and the shooting of four iraqi civilians in may both sides were granted permission to appeal prime_minister tony_blairs official spokesman said obviously we will need to study this detailed judgment would point out however that separate criminal case is currently being considered by the army prosecuting authority cant say anything further for obvious reasons the mod are considering whether to appeal but former british commander colonel bob stewart said anyone at the top of the military will be saddened by the verdict that has taken place but will say if theres case to answer lets have it out because we dont want people thinking that british soldiers beat up civilians and get away with it he said the ministry of defence does everything in its power to try to prove we act ethically and properly under the rules of war
ireland call up uncapped campbell ulster scrum-half kieran campbell is one of five uncapped players included in irelands rbs six_nations squad campbell is joined by ulster colleagues roger wilson and ronan mccormack along with connachts bernard jackman and munsters shaun payne gordon_darcy is back after injury while munster flanker alan quinlan also returns to international consideration the squad is selected purely on form lot of players put their hands up coach eddie_osullivan told bbc sport kieran campbell was just one of those players he has been playing very well in the heineken_cup and deserves his call-up there is big competition in some departments and not so much in others there were one or two players who were unfortunate just to miss out back-row forwards david wallace and victor costello are omitted with osullivan having quinlan wilson simon easterby anthony foley denis_leamy and johnny_oconnor vying for the three positions with david humphreys kevin maggs simon best and tommy bowe again included it is ulsters biggest representation in training panel for quite some time munster and leinster have and players in the squad respectively while jackman is the sole connacht representative four british-based players are also included ulster forward ronan mccormack said he was totally shocked to be included im really looking forward to it said mccormack played with guys like brian_odriscoll and denis hickie back in my school days in leinster so do know few of them although not that well it will be great to work with them best ulster byrne leinster r_corrigan leinster cullen leinster s_easterby llanelli foley munster hayes munster m_horan munster jackman connacht leamy munster e_miller leinster mccormack ulster d_ocallaghan munster p_oconnell munster oconnor wasps m_okelly leinster f_sheahan munster wilson ulster quinlan munster bowe ulster campbell ulster darcy ulster g_dempsey leinster duffy harlequins g_easterby leinster d_hickie leinster horgan munster s_horgan leinster d_humphreys ulster k_maggs ulster murphy leicester b_odriscoll leinster ogara munster payne munster p_stringer munster gleeson leinster howe ulster kelly munster mcmillan ulster
isinbayeva claims new world best pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva broke her own indoor world record by clearing metres in lievin on saturday it was the russians 12th world record of her career and came just few days after she cleared 4.88m at the norwich_union grand prix in birmingham the olympic champion went on to attempt 5.05m at the meeting on france but failed to clear that height in the mens 60m former olympic 100m champion maurice_greene could only finish second to leonard scott it was greenes second consecutive defeat at the hands of his fellow american who also won in birmingham last week ran my race perfectly said scott who won in 6.46secs his best time indoors am happy even if know that maurice is long way from being at his peak at the start of the season
isinbayeva heads for birmingham olympic pole vault champion yelena isinbayeva has confirmed she will take part in the norwich_union grand prix in birmingham on february everybody knows how much enjoy competing in britain always seem to break records there said isinbayeva as olympic champion there will be more attention on me this year but hopefully can respond with another record in birmingham kelly_holmes and carolina_kluft are among other athens winners competing the organisers are hoping that isinbayevas main rival fellow russian svetlana feofanova will also take part in the event the pair had thrilling battle in athens which ended with isinbayeva finally jumping world record of 4.91m to claim the gold medal isinbayeva has set world records in the pole vault three of which have come on british soil
itunes now selling band aid song ipod owners can now download the band aid single from itunes after apple reached agreement with the charity apple had been unwilling to raise the cost of the single in line with other download services said band aid but the single is now on sale for 79p the usual cost of song from itunes with apple donating further 70p to the charity for each song downloaded copy of the original song is also available for download at 79p with all proceeds going to the charity more_than copies of the new band aid single were sold on its first day of release on monday according to sales figures the track has become the fastest-selling single of the year so far shifting more copies than the rest of the top combined hmv claimed dido robbie_williams and chris martin are among those featured on the new version of do they know its christmas which is raising money to fight hunger in africa if the track sold copies more_than 1m would be raised for charity the cd is being sold for with hmv virgin and woolworths all donating their profits
ivanovic seals canberra victory serbias ana ivanovic captured her first wta title with straight-sets victory over hungarian melinda czink in the final of the canberra classic the 17-year-old took minutes to take the match ivanovic beat czink in the last round of qualifying but the hungarian made the main draw as lucky loser after katarina srebotnik withdrew injured ivanovic said was really nervous in the beginning but pulled through and didnt do too much wrong junior wimbledon finalist last year she added its my first wta title and to win it has really given me more energy to practice and improve ivanovic will play 32nd seed iveta benesova of the czech_republic in the first round.said of the australian_open in melbourne
j-lo and husband plan debut duet singers jennifer_lopez and husband marc anthony latin pop star are to perform duet at this months grammy awards in los_angeles anthony became lopezs third husband in june he won grammy in and is nominated for two more this year the february ceremony will also include rendition of the beatles across the universe by bono stevie_wonder norah jones and brian wilson the song will go on sale online to raise money for the tsunami aid effort the awards show will also feature performances from u2 green day alicia_keys and kanye_west but the lopez and anthony duet is likely to be one of the biggest talking points anthony born in new_york to puerto rican family is reported to be the biggest-selling salsa artist of all time he is nominated this year for best latin pop album and best salsa/merengue album the tsunami tribute song will also feature alicia_keys velvet revolver and tim mcgraw fans will be able to download it for from itunes or purchase the video from the cbs tv networks site kanye_west the rapper who leads the awards with nominations will perform alongside john legend mavis staples and the blind boys of alabama there will also be tribute to ray_charles featuring bonnie raitt and billy preston and celebration of southern rock with tim mcgraw gretchen wilson lynyrd skynyrd dickie betts and elvis bishop ray_charles who died in june has seven posthumous nominations alicia_keys and usher share eight nominations each
jack cunningham to stand down veteran labour mp and former cabinet minister jack cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election one of the few blair-era ministers to serve under jim callaghan he was given the agriculture portfolio when labour regained power in mr cunningham went on to become tony_blairs cabinet enforcer he has represented the constituency now known as copeland since mr blair said he was huge figure in labour and valued personal friend during labours long period in opposition mr cunningham held number of shadow roles including foreign affairs the environment and as trade spokesman as agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over bse he quit the government in and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all-party committee on lords reform and has been loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches
jackson film absolute disaster pr expert has told the michael jackson child abuse trial that the tv documentary at the heart of the case was an absolute disaster ann kite told the court in the californian town of santa maria she was hired to crisis manage the fallout after the programme had aired in jurors saw the film in which the pop star held hands with the alleged victim on tuesday mr jackson denies charges of child abuse and false imprisonment if convicted he could face up to years in prison ms kite suggested jacksons associates had been intent on launching smear campaign against the accusers family after the airing of martin bashirs film living with michael jackson she told the court that in the aftermath of the broadcast jackson lawyer had told her the boys mother would be made to look like crack whore jacksons defence questioned ms kites credibility pointing that she worked for the singers team for less than week before being fired and had never met or spoken to the star ms kite said she received phone call on february from jackson associate marc schaffel who said the boy and his family had left the neverland ranch where they had been staying ms kite told the court she had later asked jacksons lawyer david legrand what had happened said `dont make me believe that these people were hunted down like dogs and brought back to the ranch she said ms kite began to work for mr jackson in february after the controversial film was televised in the us and europe the documentary sparked media storm and the subsequent investigation into mr jacksons relationship with the boy in the film the singer said he did not see anything wrong with sharing bed with child questioned by the prosecution ms kite said her plan had been to move media coverage of the star away from focus on his human frailties to concentrate more on his musical genius ms kite said that an additional problem was the release of documents relating to previous allegation of child abuse against mr jackson the smoking gun website publication was beyond disaster ms kite said correspondents say the reference is important because it was unclear whether the prosecution would be able to bring up the previous case in front of the jury the judge is studying whether the prosecutions first witness reporter martin bashir is in contempt of court the defence protested after mr bashir who interviewed jackson for the tv documentary refused to answer nearly all their questions citing california shield law intended to allow journalists to protect their sources in the prosecutions opening statement on monday tom sneddon told the court that mr jackson had shown the boy porn and plied him with wine in order to molest him he said the singer had visited sexually_explicit websites and showed the boy who was at the time and his younger brother pornography at his ranch
jamelias return to the top r&b star jamelia had three brit nominations to go with her triple triumph at last years mobo awards the birmingham-born singer full name jamelia davis was signed to record label at the age of and released her first single so high at she released four number ones from her album drama including the top five hit money featuring the vocals of reggae artist beenie man she racked up five mobo nominations in winning one for best video but in the same year she also fell pregnant and decided to take break from music to bring up her daughter teja who was born in march while she originally planned to get back to work pretty swiftly after giving birth it was actually two years before she released another single during her absence r&b music exploded and whole host of female artists were on the scene meaning jamelia had to once again prove herself her comeback song bout featuring rah digga only just scrapped into the top it was her next single superstar that really put her back on the map as one of britains most popular female r&b singers holding her own in music scene dominated by us artists such as beyonce and ashanti superstar was followed by thank you winner of best single at the mobos which reached number two in the uk charts the autobiographical song which deals with domestic abuse hit number one in new zealand and australia next came the song see it in boys eyes which was especially written for her by coldplays chris martin his involvement with the song meant not only was it given massive publicity but it was also greeted favourably by new audience who would not usually listen to r&b she now combines singing with modelling and supporting charities including the nspcc and make trade fair despite her huge success in recent years jamelia remains down-to-earth about her fame and her chances of lasting in the fickle music business partly due to motherhood when first got into the industry id be away from home for months at time but now have other things in my life still want to make it but its not the end of the world if dont commented jamelia
jarre joins fairytale celebration french musician jean-michel jarre is to perform at concert in copenhagen to mark the bicentennial of the birth of writer hans christian andersen denmark is holding three-day celebration of the life of the fairy-tale author with concert at parken stadium on april other stars are expected to join the line-up in the coming months and the danish royal family will attend christian andersens fairy tales are timeless and universal said jarre for all of us at any age there is always beyond the pure enjoyment of the tale message to learn there are year-long celebrations planned across the world to celebrate andersen and his work which includes the emperors new clothes and the little mermaid denmarks crown prince frederik and crown princess mary visited new_york on monday to help promote the festivities the pair were at manhattan library to honour us literary critic harold bloom the international icon we thought we knew so well bloom recognizes the darker aspects of andersens authorship prince frederik said bloom is to be formally presented with the hans christian andersen award this spring in andersons hometown of odense the royal couple also visited the hans christian anderson school complex where queen mary read the ugly duckling to the young audience later at gala dinner danish supermodel helena christensen was named hans christian andersen ambassador other ambassadors include actors harvey keitel and sir roger moore athlete cathy freeman and brazilian soccer legend pele
johansson takes adelaide victory second seed joachim johansson won his second career title with win over taylor dent at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide the swede was made to graft american dent surviving three break points in the fifth game of the match but johansson got the breakthrough with sublime backhand return winner and won the second set with more ease his first tournament win was at memphis in helping him leap from 113th in the world rankings to number afterwards dent said he rated us open semi-finalist johansson as top contender at the australian_open which starts on january believe mens tennis is all about holding serve and if hes playing like that on his own serve dont see how guys are going to break him said dent johansson was more restrained in his assessment have to improve my serve if im going to go all the way in melbourne
john peel replacement show begins the permanent replacement for late dj john peels bbc radio show goes on air on tuesday with three hosts chosen to fill the legendary presenters slot rock dj huw stephens will go on air in the slot every tuesday with black music champion ras kwame on wednesdays and dance dj rob_da bank on thursdays rob_da bank filled in after peel had heart attack aged in october all three will play diverse unpredictable and non-commercial songs under the banner of the onemusic show radio said the station was not trying to replace peel but would rise to the challenge of keeping his legacy alive with unpredictable music the three djs were chosen for their in-depth musical knowledge across variety of musical genres the station said rob_da bank is one of the hosts of the blue room an early morning weekend show which plays electronic and dance music huw stephens has been one half of the thursday night show bethan and huw in wales which explores new music especially up-and-coming acts in wales and ras kwame is host of homegrown on radio 1s digital station 1xtra dedicated to showcasing the best hip-hop and garage another change to the station line-up will see sara cox return after maternity_leave she will host the lunchtime show on saturdays from this week good luck to all three of them not one dj could fill peels boots so its probably good idea to get them all contributing this time next year hope we are saying how well these djs have done but fear this time next year we will really realise how much john peel will be forever missed very good idea to continue the legacy without attempting to replace john peel also there will surely be wider spectrum for international music as three top radio djs unite under the one world name congratulations the whole glory of john peel was the fact he was not commited to one genre he played what he liked across the range of music this is not going to be the same and all they seem to be doing is what they already have bring back steve lamacq the obvious heir to john peel is the marvellous wonderful and talented claire kember from totallyradio.com this lady is young and fresh and is one of the most knowledgeable and likeable people in british broadcasting today everyone who listens to her show understands and compares her to the ledgendary john peel bbc radio should seek out the real talent from internet radio stations people who are making real impact on the world of music and the world in general
johnny and denise lose passport johnny vaughan and denise van outens saturday night entertainment show passport to paradise will not return to screens the bbc has said the ex-big breakfast presenters were recruited to host the bbc one family variety show last july there are currently no plans for another series spokeswoman said she added the pair brought real warmth to saturday night but in the end we felt we had done enough with the format of the show passport to paradise involved combination of games and outside broadcasts with high level of audience participation the first instalment attracted more_than million viewers but that had dropped to fewer than million by the time it ended the bbc spokeswoman said graham nortons strictly dance fever would be priority for thats very much on the cards for next year and were concentrating at the moment on strictly come dancing which is doing phenomenally well she said
johnny cash manager holiff dies the former manager of johnny cash saul israel holiff has died at the age of his family said mr holiff who was also concert promoter managed cashs career between and quitting when he thought the singers career had peaked was guilty for underestimating him repeatedly he once said the canadian music manager who also managed tommy hunter and the statler brothers had been in declining health according to his family an entrepreneur from an early age mr holiff served as rear air gunner in the royal canadian air force during world war ii afterwards setting up drive-in restaurant he briefly dabbled in acting before setting up offices in nashville and los_angeles for his concert and artist promotion business in rpm weekly magazine presented holiff with special award as the canadian music industrys man of the year mr holiff retired when he was in his late 40s returning to education as mature student at the university of victoria where he graduated with degree in history he passed away on march according to his wishes there will be no funeral service
johnny_depp the acting outlaw johnny_depp whose latest role was peter pan creator jm barrie in finding_neverland is celebrated as one of hollywoods most maverick talents depp has become an unlikely major star given his preference for taking dark and idiosyncratic roles instead of surefire box_office hits he has had long-running working relationship with the equally unconventional director tim burton depp was born in kentucky in and at first wanted to be rock star playing in number of bands and supporting acts such as iggy pop and the b-52s in florida on visit to los_angeles his former wife introduced him to actor nicolas cage in he started his film career playing doomed teenager in horror film nightmare on elm street two years later he played soldier in oliver stones vietnam epic platoon but it was tv that first made depp star he played undercover cop tommy hanson in the us series jump street for three years from in he began his partnership with burton in the dark fairy tale edward scissorhands about young man with blades for hands he won plaudits in for the downbeat film whats eating gilbert grape where he played sensitive youth looking after an overweight mother and retarded younger brother played by leonardo_dicaprio another role under burton ed wood starred depp as the crazed cult film-maker wood in he played much more serious sensitive role in his next major film donnie brasco where he portrayed an undercover cop infiltrating mafia ring in he directed his only film to date the brave the story of an indian man offered money to appear in snuff film two years later he played hunter thompson in terry gilliams ambitious but poorly-received big screen adaptation of fear and loathing in las vegas he worked again with tim burton in the horror film sleepy hollow and appeared opposite dame judi dench and juliette binoche in chocolat his performance in pirates_of_the_caribbean which earned him golden_globe and bafta nominations had many critics thinking he based it upon the mannerisms of his friend rolling_stones guitarist keith richards his latest role in finding_neverland explored jm barries relationship with sylvia kate_winslet and her children depps charismatic performance drew an audience of adults and children alike into barries vivid imagination and he was called the fifth child of the group by the films director marc forster he has two children of his own with french singer vanessa paradis having previously been in long-term relationship with british model kate moss the theme of childrens literature in depps career and his long association with tim burton are set to continue in his next role playing willy wonka in remake of roald dahls classic charlie and the chocolate factory british tv comedy fans might also remember depps guest role in the final episode of bbc sketch programme the fast show cited as his favourite show it was another surprise move in depps varied and intriguing career
johnson accuses british sprinters former olympic champion michael johnson has accused britains top sprinters of lacking pride and ambition at the moment the biggest factor on the mind of british sprinters is to be number one in britain the world 200m and 400m record holder told five live athletics at the moment is all about international competitions and they need to show little more pride however linford christie countered its easy to criticise when you havent gone through the system here johnson was involved in verbal spat with britains darren campbell earlier this year the american had cast doubt on campbells claims he had torn hamstring in the wake of his failure to reach the olympic 100m and 200m finals and the american remains highly critical of aspects of british sprinting the only time you see british sprinters getting upset or riled is when there is debate as to which one is better than the other he claimed athletes here have to compete more outside the uk their focus has to be on being the best in the world and not just on being the top british sprinter speaking at an elite coaches conference in birmingham johnson also argued that although there has been more investment in the sport in britain it had not necessarily reaped the rewards you cant fix everything with money he admitted you contrast the situation here to that of some us athletes who have no funding those who arent funded might be hungrier and more motivated because their road to success is lot more difficult and challenging so when they get to the top they are more appreciative
johnson announces june retirement former england captain martin johnson has announced he is to retire from rugby union at the end of the season johnson who captained england to world cup glory in will play his final match in june johnson won england caps and quit test rugby at the start of just two months after leading sir clive_woodwards team to victory in sydney the 34-year-old leicester locks final match will be his testimonial at twickenham on june im confident have made the right decision to retire said johnson im sure there will be times next season when ill wish was out there playing for the tigers but you know when the time is right to go and feel this is the right time feel physically that could play for another season but playing week in and week out in the premiership is full-time occupation and only want to be out there for the right reasons johnson will always be revered by england fans for captaining england to their dramatic world cup win against australia in sydney but his list of achievements does not stop at that he is the only man to captain the lions twice and he also led england to six_nations grand_slam johnson also had huge success as captain of leicester guiding the tigers to back to back heineken_cup victories and several premiership titles apart from his marvellous captaincy johnson was also one of the finest second rows to ever play the game teak tough and physically intimidating he ruled the rucks and mauls for the best part of decade and was integral in englands rise to the top of the world game his final appearance will be in his testimonial at twickenham where he will lead team against side captained by new zealand winger jonah lomu the all black is aiming to return to action after kidney transplant and johnson expects it to be memorable occasion this game against jonah will be great way to end the season and end my career said johnson lomu rugby unions first global superstar after his exploits in the world cup said he was proud to be part of johnsons farewell we hold him in such high esteem said lomu he is such great leader and am just honoured to be on the same pitch
johnson edges out rival sotherton jade johnson edged out rival kelly_sotherton with her last effort to claim the aaas long jump title at the norwich_union european indoor trials olympic heptathlon bronze medallist sotherton led the event with her first leap of 6.43m personal best but johnson who has not competed indoors for five years leapt to life-time best of 6.50m in her last jump after four fouls both johnson and sotherton passed the european championships qualifying mark although sothertons main aim in madrid next month will be the pentathlon where she will take on olympic heptathlon champion carolina_kluft irelands delivered shock in the mens 200m as he stormed to his first major title in seconds british favourite chris lambert had to settle for second place while defending champion irelands paul brizzel took third there was some consolation for lambert as he set personal best of in the first round good enough to qualify for europe two-time aaas champion allyn condon and ian mackie had no such luck as they were disqualified in the heats there was plenty of hot action in the mens 60m_hurdles where scotlands was vying for top spot with olympian andy turner scott smashed his personal best on the way to the final where he broke it again to win the aaas title in seconds turner finished second in after previously setting personal best on the in the semi-finals while damien greaves did not finish the final the trio of athletes have reached the european qualifying mark this season though one of them is set to miss out on call-up to the british squad comfortably defended her 3,000m title clocking eight minutes seconds to easily surpass the european qualifying mark the european cross country bronze medallist is ranked number one in europe this season and will go to madrid with high hopes helen clitheroe was agonisingly close to the qualifying mark as she claimed the runners-up spot in personal best of in the mens 800m heats qualified fastest in the 800m heats to lay down challenge to in-form the welsh runner attacked the last 200m to come through ahead of james thie in one minute seconds mcilroy who is third in the european rankings eased across the finish in to set up showdown in sundays final in sheffield both watkins and mcilroy have already achieved the european qualifying mark scotlands susan deacon stole thunder in the final of the womens 200m fraser became the fastest british woman over the distance this season when she qualified for the final in seconds though that time is outside the european standard but deacon claimed her first aaas title over the distance edging fraser into second in in the womens shot put veteran claimed her fourth aaas title with throw of 15.27m but that mark was not good enough for the 39-year-old to book her place at next months european indoor_championships in madrid sotherton finished fifth after producing two throws of 13.77m in the absence of injured british number one carl myerscough claimed the mens shot put title with throw of 17.64m which was below the qualifying mark sales robert mitchell climbed to seasons best of 2.20m just 3cm short of the european standard to claim the british indoor high jump title could only clear 2.16m to finish in fourth but the 27-year-olds disappointment will be tempered as he had already achieved the qualifying mark at meeting in slovenia on tuesday there was bad luck for british number one in the pole vault as he failed to clear the bar after deciding to come in at 5.45m the aaas indoor title went instead to ashley swain who climbed to seasons best of 5.25m and irelands taniesha scanlon set new national record of 13.28m in the womens triple_jump
johnson too strong for gb runners britains kathy butler and hayley yelling were no match for benita johnson in the 51st cross international zornotza in amorebieta spain butler and yelling finished fourth and fifth as australian world champion johnson romped to five-second victory in the 6km race ahead of edith masai masais fellow kenyan alice timbilil finished third johnson said ran comfortably for the first 3km and then tried to leave the others but it wasnt an easy task butler clocked time of minutes seconds 22secs behind the winner but four ahead of yelling who last month succeeded paula_radcliffe as european champion johnson will be one of the star attractions at the great edinburghinternational cross country on january
johnson uncertain about euro bid jade johnson is undecided about whether to contest next months european indoor_championships in madrid despite winning the aaas long jump title on saturday the 24-year-old delivered personal best of 6.50m to win the european trials but had to wait until her final jump after four failures dont want to go if am not going to get medal said johnson will have to see how am jumping in the next competition and ill have to have conversation with my coach johnson who finished seventh in last years olympic games has not competed indoors since and the commonwealth and european silver_medallist believes her lack of experience in the early part of the season has knocked her confidence its the stress said johnson am not used to feeling this this early am just used to training but if im doing this kind of thing then will have to see how it goes johnson next competes in the high-class birmingham grand prix on february
jones doping probe begins an investigation into doping claims against marion_jones has been opened by the international olympic committee ioc president jacques rogge has set up disciplinary body to look into claims by victor_conte of balco laboratories jones who says she is innocent could lose all her olympic medals after conte said he gave her performance-enhancing drugs before the sydney olympics but rogge said it was too early to speculate about that hoping only that the truth will emerge any decision on the medals would be taken by the iocs executive board and could hinge on interpretation of rule stating that olympic decisions can only be challenged within three years of the games closing the sydney olympics ended more_than four years ago but world anti-doping_agency chief dick pound said the rule may not apply because the allegations are only coming out now we will find way to deal with that pound said in statement released through her attorney rich nichols jones repeated her innocence and vowed she would be cleared victor contes allegations are not true and the truth will be revealed for the world to see as the legal process moves forward she said conte is someone who is under federal indictment and has record of issuing contradictory inconsistent statements
jones files conte lawsuit marion_jones has filed lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor_conte following his allegations that he gave her performance-enhancing drugs the sydney olympic gold_medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking $25m 13m in the suit conte whose company is at the centre of doping investigation made the claims in us television programme he and three others were indicted in february by federal grand_jury for variety of alleged offences in an email to the associated_press on wednesday conte said stand by everything said jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in her lawsuit filed in the us district court in san_francisco said the sprinter had passed lie detector test and that she has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs contes statements the suit added were false and malicious after the abc television program earlier this month jones lawyer richard nicholls said marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout she has never ever used performance-enhancing drugs victor_conte is man facing 42-count federal indictment while marion_jones is one of americas most decorated female athletes mr contes statements have been wildly contradictory mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television while marion_jones demanded to take and then passed lie detector examination mr conte is simply not credible we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion_jones passed the sports ruling body the iaaf is taking cautious approach to contes allegations but contacted the us anti-doping_agency communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte for further information but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of contes television interview and the world governing_body would monitor the situation closely if it is felt there is case to answer it would be for its national governing_body usa track and field to take the appropriate disciplinary action he added the us anti-doping_agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti-doping war and am sure like ourselves they will be watching the television programme with great interest jones who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti-doping_agency has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal although she praised zinc supplement conte marketed jones who did not win any medals in athens in august has never failed drugs test meanwhile conte who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering is due to face trial in march
jones files lawsuit against conte marion_jones has filed lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor_conte following his allegations that he gave her performance-enhancing drugs the sydney olympic gold_medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking $25m 13m in the suit conte whose company is at the centre of doping investigation made the claims in us television programme he and three others were indicted in february by federal grand_jury for variety of alleged offences in an email to the associated_press on wednesday conte said stand by everything said jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in her lawsuit filed in the us district court in san_francisco said the sprinter had passed lie detector test and that she has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs contes statements the suit added were false and malicious after the abc television program earlier this month jones lawyer richard nicholls said marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout she has never ever used performance-enhancing drugs victor_conte is man facing 42-count federal indictment while marion_jones is one of americas most decorated female athletes mr contes statements have been wildly contradictory mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television while marion_jones demanded to take and then passed lie detector examination mr conte is simply not credible we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion_jones passed the sports ruling body the iaaf is taking cautious approach to contes allegations but contacted the us anti-doping_agency communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte for further information but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of contes television interview and the world governing_body would monitor the situation closely if it is felt there is case to answer it would be for its national governing_body usa track and field to take the appropriate disciplinary action he added the us anti-doping_agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti-doping war and am sure like ourselves they will be watching the television programme with great interest jones who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti-doping_agency has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal although she praised zinc supplement conte marketed jones who did not win any medals in athens in august has never failed drugs test meanwhile conte who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering is due to face trial in march
jones medals must go if guilty world anti-doping_agency wada chief dick pound says marion_jones should be stripped of all her medals if found guilty of taking banned substances victor_conte of balco laboratories claims the american sprinter regularly used drugs to enhance her performance if she is found guilty she should be stripped of all her medals and banned for two years said pound asked if there was timescale as to what medals could be taken pound said that is not an issue at all however under international olympic committee ioc rules athletes can only be stripped of their medals if caught within three years of the event jones who won five medals at the olympics denies using drugs and says she will take legal action over contes allegations balco laboratories is the firm at the centre of wide-reaching investigation into doping in the us pound continued if she has indeed taken drugs it is going to be big disappointment for lot of people
joy_division story to become film the life of late joy_division singer ian curtis is to be made into film it has been announced the manchester-based production is called touching from distance after book by curtiss widow deborah which forms the basis for the film music mogul tony wilson who headed the record company joy_division were signed to will be co-executive producer the musician committed suicide in aged shortly before the band were due to go on tour in the us mr wilson who has remained friends with curtiss widow and daughter natalie who he says asked for his involvement to make the film official people have different ideas as to why ian committed suicide so maybe the film will reflect those different views he told the bbc_news website plans for separate joy_division film had been announced at the cannes film festival earlier this year but the project did not get off the ground as it failed to get the backing of curtiss family mr wilson who was also involved with joy divisions sucessor band new order as well as the happy mondays said he would rather not appear in the film he made cameo appearance in hour party people in which his leading role was played by steve coogan im not an actor and did lousy job playing my part in hour party people said the factory records founder who has been associated with the manchester music scene since the 1970s film people have tendency to mess up when they touch music but hope this one works this is much more_than the music they want to do the real story of ian he said the film is to be directed by dutch-born anton corbijn who has made music movies for depeche mode and u2 it will be produced by us production company while the widow of ian curtis will also be an executive producer
jp morgan admits us slavery links thousands of slaves were accepted as collateral for loans by two banks that later became part of jp morgan chase the admission is part of an apology sent to jp morgan staff after the bank researched its links to slavery in order to meet legislation in chicago citizens bank and canal bank are the two lenders that were identified they are now closed but were linked to bank one which jp morgan bought last year about slaves were used as loan collateral between and because of defaults by plantation owners citizens and canal ended up owning about slaves we all know slavery existed in our country but it is quite different to see how our history and the institution of slavery were intertwined jp morgan chief_executive william harrison and chief operating officer james dimon said in the letter slavery was tragically ingrained in american society but that is no excuse we apologise to the african-american community particularly those who are descendants of slaves and to the rest of the american public for the role that citizens bank and canal bank played the slavery era was tragic time in us history and in our companys history jp morgan said that it was setting up $5m scholarship programme for students living in louisiana the state where the events took place the bank said that it is very different company than the citizens and canal banks of the 1800s
jugnot tops french actor league actor gerard jugnot star of the oscar-nominated film the chorus has beaten gerard depardieu to become frances best-paid actor of jugnot made 5.45m euros 3.77m last year according to table drawn up by frances le figaro newspaper in the chorus les choristes jugnot plays an inspiring music teacher at school for troubled boys in despite starring in five films in depardieu made 3.35m euros 2.31m putting him third place in the chart his name depardieu is no longer sufficient to guarantee the success of film said le figaro newspaper the chorus which jugnot also co-produced has drawn an audience of nearly nine million people since its release last year godzilla star jean reno was frances second best-paid actor in earning 3.55m euros 2.45m his roles include recent uncredited cameo in the oscar-nominated hotel_rwanda the highest-ranking woman on le figaros list was audrey_tautou in 10th place earning euros she starred in jean-pierre jeunets very long engagement un long dimanche de fiancailles and is also lined up to co-star with tom_hanks in ron howards the da_vinci code the chorus is nominated for best foreign film at sundays oscar ceremony on saturday it will compete for the title of best film against fellow nominee very long engagement in frances cesar film awards
jungle tv show ratings drop by 4m the finale of itv1s im celebrity get me out of here drew an average of 10.9m viewers about four million fewer than the previous series the fourth series of the show peaked on monday at 11.9m and of the audience just before joe pasquale won this compared with peak of 15.3m at and record of the tv audience when kerry mcfadden won in february comic pasquale beat former royal butler paul burrell who came second nightclub owner fran cosgrave who was third pasquale follows kerry mcfadden phil tufnell and tony blackburn as winners of the show singer and tv presenter mcfadden was the shows first female winner when cricketer phil tufnell won in may million people of the viewing public tuned in to watch and when tony blackburn won the first show in million people saw the show pasquale had been the shows hottest ever favourite to win and its hosts anthony mcpartlin and declan donnelly known as ant and dec said mondays deciding vote was the closest in the programmes history pascuale has been flooded with offers of tv work according to his management company but one of his first jobs on his return is pantomime before joining im celebrity he had signed up to play jack in jack and the beanstalk in birmingham and tickets for the show have become increasingly popular since he joined the tv show his manager robert voice said weve had interest from different tv producers some are for comedy shows some are new-type projects there are number of things joe wants to do he is very ambitious he wants to play the west end and do different things other than straightforward comedy we are talking to couple of west end producers about musical
keanu reeves given hollywood star actor keanu reeves best known for his role in the matrix movies has been awarded star on the prestigious hollywood walk of fame the 40-year-old attended the unveiling of the star with his mother patricia and thanked her for inspiring him to become an actor when was years old asked my mom if it was ok to be an actor reeves said she said whatever you want his star is the 2,277th to be embedded in the pavement on hollywood boulevard the actor who was born in the lebanese capital beirut also spoke of how he dropped out of school to pursue an acting career hollywood was calling he said so got in my car british racing green volvo with holes in the floor and bricks holding up the seats was young man full of hopes and dreams reeves first found fame in the teen comedy bill and teds excellent adventure and went on to combine such blockbusters as speed the devils advocate and the matrix series with smaller films including my own private idaho more recently he was seen in somethings gotta give alongside jack nicholson and diane keaton his next film the supernatural thriller constantine is released in the us later this month and opens in the uk in march
keegan hails comeback king fowler manchester city boss kevin_keegan has praised striker robbie fowler for his landmark return to form the 29-year-old out of favour at city earlier this season took his premiership goal tally past with brace in mondays win at norwich he is still quality player and knows where the net is we have just got to supply him with ammunition and in the end we did keegan said he has worked hard to get back to where he is now the former liverpool striker who moved to city in after poor stint at leeds has battled back into first-team contention after struggling with fitness at the start of the season fowler overtook les ferdinand on tuesday evening to become the third highest scorer of all time in the premiership with goals and he only trails alan shearer and andy cole and keegan believes there is still more to come from the former england forward he can get better if we can supply him better added keegan people want to write him off but if he has kept the articles of those people who have written him off he could throw them back at them and they would be left with bit of egg on their face fowlers double strike helped city come back from two goals down to clinch dramatic win at carrow road and keegan sympathised with norwich boss nigel worthington afterwards feel bit for nigel worthington he said his team have got great character they have lot of drive and enthusiasm know it is killer blow for norwich but really think they have brought something to the premiership the stadium and the atmosphere is great it is just tough league to stay in as they are finding out and as we know
kennedy questions trust of blair lib dem leader charles_kennedy has said voters now have fundamental lack of trust of tony_blair as prime_minister he said backing his party was not wasted vote adding that with the lib dems what you see is what you get he made his comments at the start of day of appearances on channel five in session on the wright stuff programme questions from callers studio audience and the shows presenter covered lib dem tax plans anti-terror laws and immigration mr kennedy said during his nearly years in parliament he had seen prime_ministers and party leaders come and go and knew the pitfalls of british politics was when was first elected as an mp so tony_blair michael_howard and myself were all class of and over that nearly quarter of century the world has changed out of recognition he said we dont actually hear the argument any longer lib dems good people reasonable ideas but only if we thought they could win around here its wasted vote you dont hear that because the evidence of peoples senses demonstrates that it isnt wasted vote but he said mr blair had lost the trust of the british people there is fundamental lack of trust in tony_blair as prime_minister and in his government he said what weve got to do as party what ive got to do as leader of this party is to convey to people that what you see is what you get mr kennedy also used his tv appearance to defend his partys plans to increase income tax to for those earning more_than saying it would apply to just of the population he said the extra revenue would allow his party to get rid of tuition and top-up_fees introduce free personal care for the elderly and replace the council tax with local income tax mr blair has already spent day with five and michael_howard is booked for similar session
kennedy to make temple address charles_kennedy is set to address people at hindu temple as part of an appeal to ethnic_minority voters the liberal_democrat leader will visit the shri swaminarayan mandir temple in neasden north west london he will say labour can no longer lay exclusive claim to the votes of britains ethnic_minorities mr kennedy will also highlight the anger among people of all races over the iraq_war and call for balanced approach to tackling terrorism saturdays speech comes days after the lib dems launched their ethnic_minority mini-manifesto mr kennedy is to tell the audience many people in britain of all races cultures and religions were angry about the way we were taken to war in iraq and they saw the principled stand the liberal_democrats took at the time he will also say that the lib dems want to restore britains reputation on the world stage by fighting international poverty and climate change and protecting human_rights mr kennedy will say that balanced approach to tackling terrorism would mean tough measures to make britain safe but not at the expense of peoples fundamental legal rights like has happened at belmarsh he will say it also means acting through the united nations on terrorism mr kennedy held talks with tony_blair on friday over government plans to hold terror_suspects under house_arrest he said afterwards that the prime_minister had offered some movement to address his concerns the plans face trouble in the lords if conservative and lib dem opposition continues
kenteris denies faking road crash greek sprinter kostas_kenteris has denied claims that he faked motorbike crash to avoid doping test days before the start of the olympics kenteris and fellow sprinter katerina thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week part of the investigation has centred on whether they staged the crash kenteris insisted the accident happened went crazy when found out had supposedly missed test and wanted to rush to the olympic village kenteris speaking on greeces alter television station also claimed that he asked to be tested for banned substances in hospital after the crash told the hospital which was an olympics-accredited hospital to call the ioc and have me tested on the spot but no-one came after drama which dominated newspaper headlines in greece as athens prepared for the start of the athens games kenteris and thanou eventually withdrew but kenteris has continually protested his innocence and on sunday blamed greek olympic committee officials and his former coach christos tzekos for failing to inform him of the test the 31-year-old insisted he will be happy if he is charged so he can clear his name if decision is taken to have charges filed against me will accept it gladly prosecution means that the case will be cleared want to go to the end and then well see whos right and who isnt kenteris greek hero after winning gold in the 200m at the olympics in sydney also confirmed that he was due to light the flame at the athens opening ceremony had even rehearsed lighting the cauldron he said
kenya lift chepkemeis suspension kenyas athletics body has reversed ban on marathon runner susan_chepkemei after she made an official apology athletics kenya ak had suspended the two-time london marathon runner-up for failing to turn up to cross-country team training camp in embu we have withdrawn the ban chepkemei has given reason for her absence said ak chief isaiah kiplagat she explained she had contract with the organisers of the race in puerto rice and we have accepted her apology the kenyan coaching team will now decide whether chepkemei can be included in the team for this months world cross country championships the 29-year-old would be strong contender at the event in france and is hopeful she will be granted place in the 32-strong squad am satisfied that the whole saga has been brought to an end chepkemei said am ready and prepared to represent my country will be disappointed if am not given chance to compete at the world cross country championships ak had insisted it was making an example of chepkemei by banning her from competition until the end of but the organisation came under intense international and domestic pressure to reverse its decision the 29-year-old took part in the and london marathons and was edged out by radcliffe in an epic new_york marathon contest last year the two-time world half-marathon silver_medallist will be back to challenge radcliffe at this years london event in april ak also dropped its harsh stance on three-time world cross country 4km champion edith masai masai missed kenyas world cross country trials because of an ankle problem but ak insisted it would take disciplinary action unless she could prove she was really injured subject to our doctors confirmation we have decided to clear masai added kiplagat
kerr frustrated at victory margin republic of ireland manager brian_kerr admitted he was frustrated his side did not score more_than one goal in their friendly win over croatia robbie keane took his republic record to with first-half goal which proved enough for victory we had more good chances it is just shame we did not take them against such technically gifted team said kerr but given the conditions and the standard of the croatian team we should be very happy with the win the republic side kept clean sheet for the eighth time in matches and are unbeaten in home games since kerr succeeded mick mccarthy kerr applauded the decisive move which earned the victory it was brilliant goal fantastic skill by damien_duff robbie might have scuffed it little but it was good goal matchwinner keane was another full of praise for duffs role in the goal it was great play from damien said the tottenham striker always try to be sniffing around because you know nine times out of duffer is going to get it in the box playing three up was something different brian_kerr wanted to try it out and it was good to see young stephen elliott getting run-out the conditions were difficult but he did well and is definitely one for the future it is nice to see young players coming through man-of-the-match duff explained what went wrong when he fluffed chance to make it midway through the second half he opted to bring steve finnans cross down and shoot against the bar when close-range header looked the best option would have headed that every time but completely lost it in the lights said the chelsea star was desperate to get on the scoresheet myself but the result is the important thing we have had good year and are going nicely in the qualifiers hopefully that can continue in
kewell waits as injury drags on liverpool winger harry kewell is struggling to recover from his achilles tendinitis problem and may not recover until march claims his agent kewell had hoped to play against fulham last weekend and to be ready for the champions_league tie against bayer leverkusen on february but bernie mandic said hes had scans which dont show anything substantial but despite his best efforts at the moment he simply cant shake off the discomfort and get back on the park mandic continued in the sydney morning herald harrys struggling bit but the club are doing everything they can to get him right harry was desperate to be fit for the fulham game as part of his plan to play himself in for the leverkusen match kewell has not played since december and misses out on international duty this week with australia facing south_africa in durban on wednesday
kidman wins photographer battle actress nicole kidman has won restraining order against two paparazzi photographers who she claims left her fearful of leaving her sydney mansion the oscar-winning star took action against jamie fawcett and ben mcdonald after bugging device was found outside her home earlier this week lawyers for the pair denied allegations they had planted the device the australian actress is currently in sydney to film her latest movie eucalyptus with russell crowe kidman was prompted to take action following reported high-speed car chase with members of the paparazzi in sydney last weekend according to local newspaper the daily_telegraph the incident involved paparazzi driving through red lights and on the wrong side of the road in pursuit of kidmans vehicle lawyers for mr fawcett and mr mcdonald denied that the pair were involved in the chase kidman sought the apprehended violence orders normally used in australia in cases of domestic violence and similar incidents after being advised to do so by local police nicole would like to make it clear that she acknowledges she is public figure and that reporters and photographers have job to do and she respects that said kidmans publicist wendy day however these are specific actions against two individuals who over period of time have caused her to feel threatened intimidated and unable to leave her home without fearing for her safety magistrate lee gilmore who issued the restraining order at waverley local court in sydney said she understood the photographers were entitled to earn living but there had to be limits to their behaviour miss kidman says shes willing to put up with some of it but its gone beyond that she said do believe the allegation in relation to the driving is serious issue
kilroy launches veritas party ex-bbc chat show host and east_midlands mep robert kilroy-silk has said he wants to change the face of british politics as he launched his new party mr kilroy-silk who recently quit the uk independence party,said our country was being stolen from us by mass immigration he told london news conference that veritas latin for truth would avoid the old parties lies and spin ukip leader roger_knapman says he was glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk mr kilroy-silk promised firm but fair policy on immigration and said they hoped to contest most seats at the forthcoming general_election he said veritas would also announce detailed policies on crime tax pensions health and defence over the next few weeks and he announced the party would be holding leadership election on thursday he is due to announce which constituency he will run in at the next general_election that will come amid speculation he has his sights set on defence secretary geoff hoons ashfield seat he was joined in the new venture by one of ukips two london assembly members damien hockney who is now veritas deputy leader ukips chairman petrina holdsworth has said the group will just be parody of the party the men have left mr kilroy-silk announced his decision to quit ukip at public meeting in hinckley leicestershire last week it came after months of tension as he vied unsuccessfully for the leadership of that party he said he was ashamed to be member of ukip whose leadership had gone awol after the great opportunity offered by its third place at last junes european elections while ukip has turned its back on the british people shall not he said will be standing at the next general_election shall be leading vigorous campaign for the causes believe in and unlike the old parties we shall be honest open and straight mr hockney also left ukip saying mr kilroy-silk would deliver better as the leader of eurosceptic party spokesman for ukip called on mr hockney to quit the london assembly the party asserts that mr hockney has moral obligation if not legal one to stand down its leader roger_knapman has said he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk he has remarkable ability to influence people but sadly after the european election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice_knowing him now goodbye he said ukip officials also argue mr kilroy-silk has not been straightforward in attacking the party he once wanted to lead this is just what the europhiles pray for as the main eurosceptic party ukip should try to resolve its differences with kilroy to show united front and give the uk public serious political voice against europe having multiple parties with the same view point just splits the vote further thank goodness that kilroy-silk has gone now ukip at least has chance in the election it is very sad to see the cause of britain regaining its proper relationship with europe damaged by this split within ukip robert kilroy-silk could have lot to offer instead we have split party and damaged cause under the present electoral system people must work together and small parties have no hope of representation last summer ukip achieved major advance partly and only partly due to kilroy-silk it is great shame this has been dissipated in in-fighting ukip has wide platform of policies not just withdrawal from the eu this kilroy-silk conveniently ignores in the comments surrounding the launch of his own party neither the english democrats nor the new party were interested in letting him join them and take over their leadership speaks volumes veritas is the beginning of the end for kilroy-silk if he believes in truth and democracy then he and the two assembly members should resign and force by-elections to stand on their own platform rather_than this backdoor approach to politics of being elected for one party then defecting to another so ukip was good enough for him to lead not good enough for him to follow interesting that party committed to plain speaking should have latin name every opinion poll points to an overwhelming anti-europe feeling in this country kilroy-silk could be on the verge of something huge if he can broaden his appeal beyond this one issue he is an extremely able communicator with years of political experience we wants quality schools top hospitals clean and efficient public transport punishments that fit the crime limited asylum purge on bureaucracy and less taxes it needs courage and honesty two qualities sadly lacking in our politicians kilroy-silk may just have those very qualities recruit the right colleagues robert and your time may have come well if you cannot get enough limelight being an ordinary mp then go out and start up your own party its all flash and no real policy here lets hope this is the start of both ukip and kilroy-silk slipping into obscurity veritas the name will doom it but perhaps am wrong for surely all modern schoolchildren will understand it since they do still learn latin in the classroom do they not the whole essence of what rks represents is euroscepticism so explain to me how the too-twee label of veritas symbolises that
kilroy launches veritas party ex-bbc chat show host and east_midlands mep robert kilroy-silk said he wanted to change the face of british politics as he launched his new party mr kilroy-silk who recently quit the uk independence party said our country was being stolen from us by mass immigration he told london news conference that veritas latin for truth would avoid the old parties lies and spin ukip leader roger_knapman says he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk mr kilroy-silk promised firm but fair policy on immigration and said they hoped to contest most seats at the forthcoming general_election he said veritas would also announce detailed policies on crime tax pensions health and defence over the next few weeks labour campaign spokesman fraser_kemp said veritas was joining an already crowded field on the right of british politics on thursday mr kilroy-silk is due to announce which constituency he will run in at the next general_election that will come amid speculation he has his sights set on defence secretary geoff hoons ashfield seat he was joined in the new venture by one of ukips two london assembly members damien hockney who is now veritas deputy leader ukips chairman petrina holdsworth has said the group will just be parody of the party the men have left mr kilroy-silk quit ukip last week after months of tension as he vied unsuccessfully for the leadership of that party he said he was ashamed to be member of ukip whose leadership had gone awol after the great opportunity offered by its third place at last junes european elections while ukip has turned its back on the british people shall not he said will be standing at the next general_election shall be leading vigorous campaign for the causes believe in and unlike the old parties we shall be honest open and straight mr hockney also left ukip saying mr kilroy-silk would deliver better as the leader of eurosceptic party spokesman for ukip called on mr hockney to quit the london assembly the party asserts that mr hockney has moral obligation if not legal one to stand down its leader roger_knapman has said he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk he has remarkable ability to influence people but sadly after the european election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice_knowing him now goodbye he said ukip officials also argue mr kilroy-silk has not been straightforward in attacking the party he once wanted to lead veritas its the bnp in an expensive suit its all well and good robert kilroy-silk claiming that veritas is party that doesnt believe in lies and spin but the truth of the matter is its completely useless due to proportional representation there is no chance that veritas will have any chance in claiming power and change the two-horse race trend in my opinion this is just publicity stunt which has just been used as smoke-screen for his anti-islamism slurs which got him sacked from the television think that his views regarding immigration are shared by many it really is time that the uk government ceased to be paper tiger on this issue in addition as an ashfield constituent would be more_than interested in kilroy -silk opposing geoff hoon good to see the parties of the right splintering in the way the parties of the left have always done lets hope kilroy-silk ukip and the euro-sceptic wing of the tory party all fade further into obscurity so we can have some truth in the debate about europe we benefit enormously from our membership of the eu we need to be at the heart of europe leading it and driving it to where we as country want to go not running away from it all mouth and trousers clown trouble is any votes he collects may just end up helping new labour into third term whatever kilroy-silk and ukip do none of their anti-european policies have any relevance outside middle england this new party might gain support from right-wing england but will have little impact in wales or scotland hopefully this all this fighting within euro-sceptic parties will allow them to slip out of the way and get people voting for real political parties which address more_than one issue england needs europe to survive and as soon as people realise this the better we cant rely on the usa forever at last an impetus for increasing the likely turn out for the election the electorate is disillusioned with british politics kilroy has one agenda the uk and ill be voting for him both ukip and rk-s are representatives of small-mindedness and lack of vision for the whole of humankind the interests of humanity and the world lie so much beyond the scope of these peoples bickering that who in the overall scheme of things really cares about their petty tiff many people believe you kilroy you may even believe yourself but switching horses midstream and then bad mouthing the steed that got you halfway seriously diminishes your credibility the very idea of political parties born out of such negative feelings as euroscepticism or british supremacy is nauseating one can only hope the public recognise these extremists for what they are and shun them at the polls ive always thought that kilroy-silk was self-publicising egotist and this news does absolutely nothing to alter my opinion brilliant about time this country had plausible party having seen the recent bbc documentary and witnessed the thoroughly disgraceful chauvinistic behaviour of number of senior ukip figures can well understand why kilroy-silk feels embarrassed to be associated with such people hopefully the ukip members who are interested in the political debate will support his action fantastic news pro-europeans now have far less to worry about from the right the conservatives are as confused as they have been since the mid-1990s and the extreme anti-europeans are fracturing themselves into splinter groups that split any votes they might get in local european and general elections robert kilroy-silks ego and vanity are his own and his supporters worst enemy as euro-enthusiast could not be more delighted by kilroy-silks behaviour he took party that was just building up head of steam and having exposed it to ridicule by attempting coup-detat he is now setting about the serious business of dividing it in two the closer to straight-down-the-middle the better as far as am concerned but in any eventuality the two sceptic parties will exhaust their energies fighting each other if every politician with ambitions to lead their party resorted to forming their own for that purpose wed have ballot_papers mile long youve got to hand it to kilroy-silk for his sheer arrogance and supreme self-belief whilst not being great fan of kilroy do agree with his comments about the ukip leadership and like him am also leaving ukip believe countless opportunities have been lost to discredit the eu and to show our people what belonging to the eu really means the eus comments last week about michael_howards plans to reform immigration show how little we govern our own country when they can turn round and say immigration is matter for the eu and not individual member_states the sooner we leave this corrupt super-state the better does anyone else think that it is ironic that euro-sceptic kilroy-silk has used latin name for his new party rather_than good old british name is this indicative of the man contradictory vain and pompous think mr kilroy-silk has got very good point british politics has become too pc and as result has no straight talking honest strong politicians they are all interested in their own careers and not the people who put them in power as result feel our democracy is being abused and want it stopped if mr kilroy-silk lives up to half his promises he will get my vote honestly who really cares man with tan leaves party with no plan to set up party with no idea as one of kilroy-silks east_midlands constituents hope those who voted for him are proud to have been taken in by such charming vacuity feel insulted by having him represent me in the european parliament ukip tried hard to accommodate robert kilroy silk but he made it clear that only control of it would satisfy him someone so keen on complete control was bound to fall foul of ukips democratic nature kilroy is an able communicator and capable politician in exactly the way those who lead ukip are not he tried to make it work but they didnt seem to want to grow up he was left in the position of having to defend their gaffes to the media this new party seems logical next step for kilroy good luck to the man say oh please this is an amusing irrelevance there is absolutely no chance of either of these parties communicating sensible and constructive eurosceptic argument they will play key part in winning the country round to the idea of reformed more democratic more dynamic europe union future generations will thank him for his ridiculousness the refreshing thing about robert is that he is open honest and straight what other politician can claim this have suspicion that he talks for larger part of the electorate that his critics would like shall be voting for him the electorate of the east_midlands voted not for kilroy-silk but for the ukip kilroy-silk was made an mep because of his position on the ukips party list he has no mandate to represent the area and should resign from the european parliament wouldnt write off kilroy-silk while hes clown and one man band at the moment hes populist and thats always dangerous.the man clearly has an enormous ego and looking at our current political masters that seems to be one of the factors in success good luck to kilroy though think he is doing more harm than good for both his new party and ukip because their vote base is not strong enough for both parties to be successful and at the moment ukip have the upper hand while veritas are starting from square one and fighting somewhat uphill battle the man once found cringe worthy on day time tv could well turn out to be my countrys knight in shining armour he expresses views which are now more_than common amongst society today but people are almost too scared to express them kilroy silk has secured my vote and many more like me whats more look forward to the day when he claims victory wrecks the eu and rescues my great nation without hair out of place and his tan as perfect as ever great stuff the longer the uk dithers over europe the richer we in ireland become as the only english-speaking country fully committed to europe oh and send us over those hard-working immigrants our economy needs them this is just what the europhiles pray for as the main eurosceptic party ukip should try to resolve its differences with kilroy to show united front and give the uk public serious political voice against europe having multiple parties with the same view point just splits the vote further thank goodness that kilroy-silk has gone now ukip at least has chance in the election it is very sad to see the cause of britain regaining its proper relationship with europe damaged by this split within ukip robert kilroy-silk could have lot to offer instead we have split party and damaged cause under the present electoral system people must work together and small parties have no hope of representation last summer ukip achieved major advance partly and only partly due to kilroy-silk it is great shame this has been dissipated in in-fighting ukip has wide platform of policies not just withdrawal from the eu this kilroy-silk conveniently ignores in the comments surrounding the launch of his own party neither the english democrats nor the new party were interested in letting him join them and take over their leadership speaks volumes veritas is the beginning of the end for kilroy-silk if he believes in truth and democracy then he and the two assembly members should resign and force by-elections to stand on their own platform rather_than this backdoor approach to politics of being elected for one party then defecting to another so ukip was good enough for him to lead not good enough for him to follow interesting that party committed to plain speaking should have latin name every opinion poll points to an overwhelming anti-europe feeling in this country kilroy-silk could be on the verge of something huge if he can broaden his appeal beyond this one issue he is an extremely able communicator with years of political experience we wants quality schools top hospitals clean and efficient public transport punishments that fit the crime limited asylum purge on bureaucracy and less taxes it needs courage and honesty two qualities sadly lacking in our politicians kilroy-silk may just have those very qualities recruit the right colleagues robert and your time may have come well if you cannot get enough limelight being an ordinary mp then go out and start up your own party its all flash and no real policy here lets hope this is the start of both ukip and kilroy-silk slipping into obscurity veritas the name will doom it but perhaps am wrong for surely all modern schoolchildren will understand it since they do still learn latin in the classroom do they not the whole essence of what rks represents is euroscepticism so explain to me how the too-twee label of veritas symbolises that
kilroy names election seat target ex-chat show host robert kilroy-silk is to contest the derbyshire seat of erewash at the next general_election labours elizabeth blackman won the seat in and has majority she says she will fight on her record as hard-working constituency mp mr kilroy-silk announced his plans day after launching his new party veritas the latin for truth the east_midlands mep who quit the uk independence party wants his new group to change the face of uk politics his choice of election constituency quashes speculation that he would stand against defence secretary geoff hoon in ashfield nottinghamshire ukip won of the vote in erewash in last junes european elections with mr kilroy-silk among their candidates for the region until erewash had been held by the tories since ms blackman said she was proud of the governments achievements in the area she declined to give her view of mr kilroy-silk at this point on thursday he told london news conference that veritas would avoid the old parties lies and spin he said our country was being stolen from us by mass immigration and promised firm but fair policy on immigration veritas says it hopes to contest most seats at the forthcoming general_election but plans to announce detailed policies on crime tax pensions health and defence over the next few weeks ukip leader roger_knapman says he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk labour campaign spokesman fraser_kemp said veritas was joining an already crowded field on the right of british politics mr kilroy-silk was joined in the new venture by one of ukips two london assembly members damien hockney who is now veritas deputy leader ukips chairman petrina holdsworth has said the group will just be parody of the party the men have left mr kilroy-silk quit ukip last week after months of tension as he vied unsuccessfully for the leadership of that party he said he was ashamed to be member of ukip whose leadership had gone awol after the great opportunity offered by its third place at last junes european elections ukips leader roger_knapman has said he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk he has remarkable ability to influence people but sadly after the european election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice_knowing him now goodbye he said ukip officials also argue mr kilroy-silk has not been straightforward in attacking the party he once wanted to lead
kilroy-silk attacked with slurry euro mp robert kilroy-silk has had bucket of farm slurry thrown over him by protester in manchester the uk independence party member was arriving for bbc radio show when the attacker emerged from behind bush fellow guest ruth_kelly mp was also hit by the slurry mr kilroy-silk said the man who later disappeared claimed he was doing it in the name of islam in january mr kilroy-silk quit his bbc one show for remarks he made about arabs who he called suicide bombers mr kilroy-silk had already been taken off air by bbc bosses for the comments in which he also described arabs as limb-amputators women repressors the remarks prompted outrage among muslim groups the slurry attack took place on friday as mr kilroy-silk and ms kelly cabinet office minister and bolton west mp arrived at manchester high school for girls for the recording of bbc radio_4s any questions the police were called but the attacker had disappeared by the time officers arrived they are treating the incident as assault the programmes host jonathan dimbleby later told the audience the mep had been covered from head to toe mr kilroy-silk was still able appear to appear on the show after being loaned change of clothes he told reporters he was very angry and planned to press charges if his attacker was caught he said the man shouted youve offended my religion im doing this in the name of islam as started to turn round guy tipped bucket of farmyard muck over me and then threw the rest of it over me and the car mr kilroy-silk said was totally covered it was all through my clothes and it stank to high heaven it went all inside the car and splattered ruth_kelly bbc spokesman said he took his seat as jonathan dimbleby was introducing the show fortunately someone at the school had change of clothes to let him have greater manchester police said people near mr kilroy-silk had also been hit by the waste officers took statements at the scene but no arrests have been made police say the suspect ran off after towards wilmslow road after committing the offence but is believed to have been driving red vauxhall corsa earlier the suspect is described as white aged to with ginger beard police want to hear from anyone who has any information mr kilroy-silk an mep for the east_midlands resigned the uk independence party whip in the european parliament in october after criticising ukip and stating his ambition to be leader however he remains member of the party he said on friday he hoped to be elected party leader before christmas think that is sufficient time for us to put in process what is necessary in time for us to fight and have significant impact upon the general_election but ukip spokesman said that would be impossible under the partys constitution which requires days before any leadership ballot can take place
kilroy-silk quits shameful ukip ex-chat show host robert kilroy-silk has quit the uk independence party and accused it of betraying its supporters the mep said he was ashamed to have joined the party which he labelled as joke he plans to stand in the next general_election but refused to confirm he is setting up new political party called veritas latin for truth ukip leader roger_knapman said he would break open the champagne adding it was nice_knowing him now goodbye however he did say the ex-chat show host had been quite useful initially he has remarkable ability to influence people but sadly after the european election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice_knowing him now goodbye mr knapman told bbc radio_4s today_programme mr knapman rejected the idea mr kilroy-silk posed threat to ukip and queried why he had failed to confirm rumours he was starting new political party mr kilroy-silk explained his reasons to his east_midlands constituents at meeting in hinckley leicestershire his decision came as ukip officials began process which could have triggered mr kilroy-silks expulsion it marks the end of his membership of ukip after just nine months it began with flood of publicity which helped ukip into third place in last junes european elections but became dominated by rancour as he tried to take over the party leadership mr kilroy-silk accused his fellow ukip meps of being content with growing fat sitting on their backsides in brussels he told bbc_news tried to change the party nagged all the way through the summer to do things to get moving because thought it was criminal what they were doing it was betrayal mr kilroy-silk also told sky news there was masses of support for him to form new party something he has yet to confirm will happen ukip won seats and of the vote at the european elections on the back of its call for the uk to leave the european union in his speech mr kilroy-silk says the result offered ukip an amazing opportunity but the partys leadership had done nothing and gone awol there were no policies no energy no vision and no spokespeople he said the party is going nowhere and im embarrassed with its allies in europe and im ashamed to be member of the party said mr kilroy-silk he said his conviction in britains right to govern itself had not changed he would continue that campaign outside ukip when he contested the general_election in an east_midlands constituency reports of his new party plans have prompted formal complaint to ukips disciplinary committee for bringing the party into disrepute on thursday the party challenged mr kilroy-silk to stand down as an mep so voters can get genuine ukip candidate
kinnock to urge reform in lords neil kinnock has said his acceptance of seat in the house_of_lords will allow him to help achieve further progress with substantial democratic reform on the bbcs_breakfast with frost it was put to mr kinnock that he had once referred to lords members as brigands muggers bribers and gangsters but the outgoing european commissioner said his comments made some years ago needed to be put in context he said advocates for reform needed to be inside the lords to vote for it it was pointed out to me that if the additional democratic reform is going to take place it is going to require advocates in the lords and people there willing to vote for it mr kinnock added that the second factor behind his acceptance of the peerage was his appointment as chairman of the british council history demonstrates that its immensely useful for the british council to have its chairman in the house_of_lords and that was conclusive factor mr kinnock said he thought about the decision for quite long time because he had long had reservations about the lords but he added the process of reform has developed substantially but not sufficiently and consequently did take all these factors into consideration because its not decision to be made glibly the former labour leader said he would probably take the title of lord kinnock of bedwellty his first constituency for which he was selected in
kluft impressed by sotherton form olympic heptathlon champion carolina_kluft was full of admiration for britains kelly_sotherton as the pair prepared to clash in birmingham both will be in action on friday in the 60m_hurdles and long jump ahead of the european indoor_championships later this month in madrid sotherton finished third behind the swede in athens and kluft said knew about her shes great girl she looked very good early in the season and was competing really well kluft showed impressive early-season form on tuesday in stockholms ge galan meeting winning the sprint hurdles the long jump and the 400m sotherton has also displayed promise with new high jump personal best in sheffield at the combined norwich_union european trials and aaa championships and second place in the long jump behind jade johnson
koubek suspended after drugs test stefan koubek says he has been banned for three months by the international tennis federation itf after testing positive for banned_substance the world number failed routine drugs test at this years french open but now plans to lodge an appeal koubek believes an injection given to him by an austrian doctor to treat wrist injury is to blame for producing traces of the substance in his system have acted correctly the 27-year-old austrian said in statement koubek who defeated britains greg_rusedski in the decisive rubber of the davis_cup in september is now set to miss the start of the season he said three-month ban would mean that not only will miss the australian_open but also the davis_cup in australia
kuznetsova failed drugs test us open champion svetlana_kuznetsova has tested positive for banned drug according to belgian authorities belgian sports minister claude eerdekens said that the russian world number five tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine on december kuznetsova was playing in an exhibition event in charleroi at the time eerdekens said there is problem ephedrine was discovered she remains innocent until proved guilty she can ask for it to be tested again the situation remains unclear as the tournament was not commissioned by the world anti-doping_agency wada the international tennis federation itf or the womens tennis accosiation wta the test was carried out by regional belgian authorities and kuznetsova has not yet been able to have sample tested speaking at the australian_open on monday before eerdekens identified her kuznetsova said im not worried im not using anything to push myself have not been notified of any positive test and think it is unfair that its come out the way it did eerdekens said that confirmation of the findings was sent last friday to the players address in spain as well as to the belgian prosecutors office and the belgian and russian tennis federations he conceded kuznetsova might have taken medicine which contained the banned_substance we have simply stated fact he said it is for the federation concerned to impose the disciplinary measures after procedure that respects the defence either the ephedrine was taken to improve her performance or it is because she took some medicine legitimately to cure an infection however kuznetsovas naming was condemned by russian tennis chief shamil tarpishchev first of all this belgian sports minister has broken every ethical rule in the book by naming player without any proof of wrongdoing without any basic evidence tarpishchev said we all know the basic principle in doping cases if there is positive sample then they should notify the international tennis federation itf as well as the national federation within three days he said this is not the case here as of today we have not received any statement from the doping officials nor did the itf today called the itf headquarters and they told me they know nothing about it if wada the world anti-doping_agency was behind the testing then we would also have known something by now otherwise all these looks to me as pure fiction and fabrication of the facts
label withdraws mcfaddens video the new video of former westlife singer brian_mcfadden has been pulled after dublin school complained about being associated with his song irish son st fintians high school says it is clearly identified in the video while mcfadden never went there mcfadden makes claims that he was beaten at his own school in the songs lyrics saying it had cell blocks the performers record label sony bmg has withdrawn the video and issued replacements to television stations the label believed the school name was fictitious until they received the complaint they have said the reference to the school was unintentional and coincidental the head of christian brothers school st fintians richard fogarty said the video implied that the 24-year-old pop star had attended his school and was abused there the school has always treated its pupils with respect mr fogarty said in statement mcfadden makes specific references to the christian brothers in his song but did not attend st fintians corporal punishment was outlawed in irish schools in when mcfadden was two years old mcfadden whose debut solo album is released next week has said that every song is autobiographical and true story alcoholism and domestic violence are among the other topics dealt with in his songs half of which have been written with robbie_williams former collaborator guy chambers mcfadden who quit chart-topping group westlife in march went to number one in september with his first solo single real to me he enjoyed chart-toppers with the boy band before parting company with them
labour in constituency race row labours choice of white candidate for one of the uks most multi-racial seats proves the need for all-black short lists says race group local councillor lyn brown was selected for west_ham east london in contest between two white and five ethnic_minority women an operation black vote spokesman said they now wanted to meet labour party chairman ian mccartney for discussions mr mccartney recently announced party consultation on all-black shortlists however labour has so far unable been unable to comment on the implications of the west_ham result ashok vishwanathan of operation black vote which aims to increase ethnic_minorities participation in the political process and their representation said the result again showed all-women shortlists were not effective in getting minority women selected think all-black shortlists are the only way to cut to the chase and address the lack of minority candidates mr vishwanathan said last month the chairman of the commission for racial_equality cre also called for ethnic_minority shortlists in certain circumstances cre spokesman said the organisation had nothing to add on the shortlist issue specifically but would be working with all the political parties to address the under-representation of ethnic_minorities in parliament we will be raising it with each of the party leaders on formal basis and helping them find the most appropriate way forward the spokesman said ethnic_minorities make up of the united_kingdom population but only of mps out of are from visible minority group twelve of them represent labour and one is liberal_democrat if ethnic_minorities were represented in the house of commons in proportion to their numbers in the population there would be ethnic_minority mps
labour pig poster anti-semitic the labour party has been accused of anti-semitism over poster depicting michael_howard and oliver_letwin who are both jewish as flying_pigs prospective tory candidate andrew mennear whose finchley constituency contains large jewish community branded it tasteless and offensive the poster shows the two mens faces superimposed on winged pigs and says the day the tory sums add up labour said the poster was not anti-jewish but anti-tory it is one of four designs e-mailed to labour members who were asked to vote for their favourite mr mennear who was sent the e-mail by friend said he had been shocked by the image and had shown it to friends who were similarly horrified he said there was nothing more distasteful for jewish person than to be associated with pig am not suggesting there is any deliberate intent but these sort of things can cause great offence it clearly wasnt thought through it is possible the posters were designed for maximum impact but this one clearly overstepped the mark and should be withdrawn the campaign was particularly insensitive as it had come out at the same time as holocaust day difficult time for many jewish people mr mennear added labour spokesman denied the campaign was anti-semitic as we said at the time the james report the tory backed inquiry into possible public spending savings was published pigs will fly before the torys sums will add up this poster is making serious point he said conservative party spokesman said while the conservatives are concentrating on the issues that matter to people such as lower taxes and controlled immigration it is clear to see that the labour party is not people will not be fooled
labour trio had vote-rig factory three labour councillors in birmingham were caught operating vote-rigging factory an election court has heard police found the trio handling unsealed postal ballots in deserted warehouse in the city during late-night raid in june the hearing was told the votes were later counted towards that months english local elections the men elected to the aston ward deny collecting votes fraudulently the judge presiding has indicated the whole postal voting system is under scrutiny deputy high court judge richard mawrey qc told the hearing at the birmingham and midlands institute the case could have potentially serious consequences for any forthcoming general_election the special election court the first in living memory to hear allegations of vote-rigging opened in birmingham last month the case against muhammad afzal mohammed islam and mohammed kazi is being brought by local liberal_democrat supporters they claim the trio benefited from the widespread misuse of postal votes during the june election ravi sukul counsel for the petitioners accused the three men of being deeply involved in illegal practices witnesses saw them carrying several bags from their campaign office which the men drove to warehouse on an industrial estate off birch road east the court was told the police were alerted and called to the premises mr sukul said when the officers arrived there in the middle of the night they saw large room with 10ft long table and six asian men present hundreds of documents and unsealed envelopes were scattered all over the table the police officers left the warehouse but were later ordered back to seize the documents when the officers left all the envelopes and papers were scattered mr sukul said when they went back to make the seizure every one of these yellow ballot_papers were placed neatly in envelope and sealed the house was in order interrupting mr sukul in his opening mr mawrey said what you are saying is these men were operating vote-forging factory on an industrial estate the court heard how documents were taken by police to the elections office next morning where they were mixed in with other ballots the case against the men follows hearing into postal fraud allegations made against three other birmingham councillors in the bordesley green ward claims which are denied mr mawrey is due to deliver judgment in their case once the aston petition has been heard mr afzal mr islam and mr kazi deny conspiring to commit election fraud to deceive the returning officer the case continues
labours cunningham to stand down veteran labour mp and former cabinet minister jack cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election one of the few blair-era ministers to serve under jim callaghan he was given the agriculture portfolio when labour regained power in mr cunningham went on to become tony_blairs cabinet enforcer he has represented the constituency now known as copeland since mr blair said he was huge figure in labour and valued personal friend during labours long period in opposition mr cunningham held number of shadow roles including foreign affairs the environment and as trade spokesman as agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over bse he quit the government in and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all-party committee on lords reform and has been loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches
labours election love-in peace and love have been in short supply in the labour party in recent days if press reports are to be believed alan_milburn and gordon_brown have been at each others throats over the contents of labours next election manifesto but the pair were all smiles on tuesday morning as they joined john prescott to unveil labours latest poster campaign the event at old billingsgate fish market on the banks of the thames was carefully choreographed show of unity and the surest sign yet that we are heading for general_election in the next few months it was also one of the most bizarre photo opportunities of recent years the first inkling something slightly odd was afoot was when in place of the soft rock music normally chosen for such occasions labours speakers crackled to life with the sound of booker and the mgs then vw camper van trundled into view decked out in that most mind-bending of psychedelic messages lowest mortgage rate for years as the side-door slid open it looked for one glorious moment as if the cabinet had decided to bury their differences and go on the road together scooby doo-style but sadly it wasnt the cabinet who had raided the dressing-up box just six rather ill-at-ease looking labour students two were dressed as regency dandies to unveil poster trumpeting the longest period of economic growth for years another pair of students were in beatle wig and sgt pepper jacket to highlight the lowest interest_rates since the 1960s the remaining two were dressed in vague approximation of disco chic to demonstrate the lowest unemployment since the seventies the politicians led out by john prescott were soberly-suited as always the event may have been designed to highlight labours economic success under mr brown but there was little doubt who was in charge the chancellor walked side-by-side with mr milburn pointedly exchanging chit chat as they approached the microphone but it was mr milburn who took centre stage speaking of the positive campaign the party hoped to stage in the coming weeks and months the mobile poster vans would let people know britain is working again mr brown repeated the familiar mantras displayed on the posters and spoke of labours shared purpose and united dedication it was left to mr prescott to pay glowing tribute to the chancellors record and in final flourish to produce his famous pledge card from claiming labour has met all of its promises the event was carefully stage-managed to underline cabinet unity and more specifically to demonstrate the central role mr brown will play in the election campaign despite being sidelined as campaign chief in favour of mr milburn but keen students of body language will have had field day there was much forced smiling for the cameras but only mr prescott who revels in such occasions seemed to be truly enjoying himself mr milburn made point of turning to face the chancellor as he spoke nodding thoughtfully but it was the former health secretarys final gesture placing an arm on mr browns back as they walked away from the microphones which was perhaps the most telling thanks for dropping by gordon he might have been saying
landmark movies of hailed us film professionals have declared fahrenheit and the passion_of_the_christ as two of the most significant cultural milestones of the american film institute afi hailed mel_gibsons biblical epic and michael moores political documentary as inspiring national debate it claimed both film-makers tossed hollywood convention out the window the institute also cited the death of actor marlon brando and the changing landscape of tv news in the us in referring to marlon brandos death on july at the age of the 13-strong afi jury concluded the art of screen acting has two chapters before brando and after brando it credited the screen legends raw hypnotic energy and his ability to create characters like stanley kowalski and terry malloy that will live forever in the annals of film history the list also acknowledges key influences and trends in the world of film and broadcasting among current trends it highlighted the final broadcasts of veteran newscasters tom brokaw barbara walters and the impending retirement of cbs news anchor dan rather it its place the afi fears is news landscape where newscasters are more personalities than journalists and balance and integrity are increasingly ignored the afi also questioned the long-term viability of evening news broadcasts in the light of 24-hour news channels and the internet the list also draws attention to the growing influence of us broadcasting regulator the federal communications commission fcc the institute concluded the threat of regulation which went into freefall following janet_jacksons wardrobe malfunction during live super_bowl performance in february had profound effect on television unsure of how the fcc will rule on an issue the creative community has begun to self-censor their shows disturbing trend in country founded on free expression the afi jury declared to illustrate their point the afi cited abc affiliates refusal to air steven spielbergs film saving private ryan in an unedited form over fears of possible fines
last star_wars not for children the sixth and final star_wars movie may not be suitable for young children film-maker george lucas has said he told us tv show minutes that revenge of the sith would be the darkest and most violent of the series dont think would take five or six-year-old to this he told the cbs programme to be aired on sunday lucas predicted the film would get us rating advising parents some scenes may be unsuitable for under-13s it opens in the uk and us on may he said he expected the film would be classified pg-13 roughly equivalent to british 12a rating the five previous star_wars films have all carried less restrictive pg parental guidance ratings in the us in the uk they have all been passed suitable for all with the exception of attack of the clones which got pg rating in revenge of the sith the third prequel to the original star_wars film chronicles the transformation of the heroic anakin skywalker into the evil darth vader as he travels to hell-like planet composed of erupting volcanoes and molten lava were going to watch him make pact with the devil lucas said the film is much more dark more emotional its much more of tragedy
lasting influence of legend charles ray_charles who has won string of posthumous grammy awards belonged to pioneering generation of artists that had huge influence on the course of rock and pop music his sound encompassed so many styles blues gospel jazz rock n_roll even country and had real impact on the nascent uk beat and r&b scenes compared in stature to elvis_presley by some commentators charles songs cast their spell on such 1960s stalwarts as joe cocker steve winwood eric burdon and van morrison his influence has extended to contemporary artists such as norah jones with whom he recently recorded duet if james brown was the godfather of soul then ray_charles was indisputably one of its founding fathers along with sam cooke he was instrumental in bringing together the gospel fervour of the deep south baptist church with the devils music of r&b to pave the way for new generation of soul artists without charles it is hard to imagine the tear-stained atlantic r&b sound of aretha franklin otis redding or wilson pickett he was also talented jazz composer arranger and band leader playing at the newport jazz festival and carnegie hall and recording with noted jazz musicians such as milt jackson and david fathead newman unfortunately he also shared another trait common among many jazz artists of the era that of heroin addiction which led to him being arrested in his string of 1950s atlantic r&b successes included songs that would be covered by the first-generation rock n_roll greats including ive got woman roy orbison elvis_presley and hallelujah love her so eddie cochran after the exuberance of his signature song whatd say charles turned towards more pop-oriented style recording hoagy carmichaels sentimental string ballad georgia on my mind and the upbeat hit the road jack he also won acclaim in the country arena with his interpretations of hank williams standards such as your cheating heart and you win again more_than years after its release his abc album modern sounds in country and western music is still regarded as classic his version of don gibsons cant stop loving you topped the pop and r&b charts in the us in he made rare foray into protest songs with his album message from the people on it he took stand on poverty and civil rights echoing similar recordings of the era from progeny such as stevie_wonder james brown curtis mayfield and marvin gaye more_than years later he would embrace contemporary production with his album my world which featured hip-hop beats although charles claimed at the time not to know what hip-hop was among the tributes that poured in from all sections of the music world when charles died aged in june was one from his friend the producer quincy jones who described him as brother in every sense of the word there will never be another musician who did as much to break down the perceived walls of musical genres as much as ray_charles did he said former manfred mann singer paul jones who sang on 1960s hits such as come tomorrow and sha la la said charles was one of his heroes im quite sure my own writing was influenced by him he told bbc_news online would put money on the proposition that ray_charles will have an influence on music forever
learning to love broadband we are reaching the point where broadband is central part of daily life at least for some argues technology analyst bill thompson one of the nice things about being writer is that rarely have to go to an office to work can sit in caf&#233 or library with or without wi-fi connection and research and write articles if am passing through kings cross station on my way to meeting then can log on from the platform and can spend the day working with my girlfriend anne childrens writer at her house in cambridge sharing her wireless network but just over week ago arrived at her house to find that there was no network connection we checked the cable modem and noticed that it had no power and when she changed the power lead it sparked at her in way which made it abundantly clear that it was never going to talk to the internet again she called her service provider and they told her it would be five days before an engineer would show up with new cable modem this did not seem too bad but in fact she really suffered until her connection was restored on wednesday with no modem installed in her computer she had to borrow internet access from friends or use the dial-up connection on her daughters laptop so she had to choose between copying her files onto her usb memory card or accepting slower and flakier net connection as result she did not submit the pictures she wanted to use for book on earthquakes because they were too big to send over dial-up she could not research other material because she is used to having easy access to fast link that lets her search quickly and effectively but the impact spread into her personal life too she did not take her children to the cinema during half-term because she could not find out which films were showing at the local cinemas she planned trip to norfolk but did not check the weather because the only place she knows to look for weather information is the bbc website and she did not know where to go fossil-hunting on the trip because she could not type fossils norfolk into google of course she readily admits she could have answered these questions if she had looked in the local paper listened to the radio or found book on fossils but she did not because having fast always on and easy access to the net has become part of the routine of her daily life and when it was taken away it was too much effort to go back to the old ways of doing things she may be unusual but do not think anne is alone according to ofcom there were almost four million broadband users in the uk in april and numbers are climbing fast there will certainly be five million by the end of the year dial-up users are switching to broadband my dad finally made the change earlier this month and new net users are selecting broadband from the start more and more of these broadband users are beginning to mould their daily lives around the availability of broadband internet connections and they too will find it difficult to cope if they cannot get online for any reason it is part of the process of adaptation and it is vital step in the growth of broadband in the uk and elsewhere people who have integrated net access into their daily lives tell their friends about it and show off the cool stuff they can do they encourage other people to get broadband so that they can share digital photos and do all of the other things that need fast and reliable connectivity of course broadband in the uk is laughably slow compared to other parts of the world in south_korea japan and hong_kong normal connection speeds are measured in megabits or millions of bits second rather_than the thousands that we are supposed to be happy with but speed is only small part of the attraction of broadband and when it comes to checking websites for film times looking at weather forecasts or all of the other small things that make real difference to the routines and habits of our daily lives even uk speeds are sufficient it may not be the brave new world of streaming full-screen video and superfast file downloads but it will do for now and it is certainly better than slow access or no access just ask anne bill thompson is regular commentator on the bbc world service programme go digital
lee to create new film superhero comic book veteran stan_lee is to team up with producer robert evans to create movie featuring new superhero foreverman will focus on character who has to face problems in everyday life as well as using his special powers to save the world paramount pictures the studio behind the film have revealed few details about the project but say it has the potential to spawn series of films lee is best known for his work on spider-man and the incredible hulk he is collaborating on the script with screenwriter peter briggs who penned the recent comic book adaptation hellboy we believe it to be truly whole new franchise said gill champion president and chief_executive of lees pow entertainment in this world where people are looking for something different stans idea was to create concept not seen before to become an evergreen franchise for paramount many of lees other creations including x-men and daredevil have been turned into films in the past five years however the spider-man series has been the biggest box_office hit with the original and its sequel taking almost $1.6bn 857m worldwide third spider-man film is scheduled for release in another marvel comics adaptation the fantastic four will be released in cinemas this summer
leeds saracens fri headingley friday february gmt the tykes have brought in newcastle prop ed kalman and tom mcgee from the borders on loan while fly-half craig mcmullen has joined from narbonne raphael ibanez is named at hooker for saracens in one of four changes simon raiwalui and ben russell are also selected in the pack while kevin sorrell comes in at outside centre fridays game at headingley got the go-ahead on friday after passing an early pitch inspection leeds balshaw rees christophers bell doherty mcmullen dickens mcgee rawlinson gerber murphy palmer capt morgan parks popham replacements kalman regan hyde rigney mcmillan rock vickerman saracens bartholomeusz castaignede sorrell harris vaikona jackson bracken yates ibanez visagie raiwalui fullarton randell russell vyvyan capt replacements cairns lloyd broster chesney johnston rauluni little
legendary dutch boss michels dies legendary dutch coach rinus michels the man credited with developing total football has died aged referred to in the netherlands as the general michels led the dutch at the world cup when they reached the final only to lose to germany however he guided his side to the european championship title with win over the soviet union in the final michels played for ajax and coached the side to four national titles between and european cup in his 1970s dutch team was built around johan cruyff and johan neeskens and introduced the concept of total football to the world the strategy was to foster team coherence and individual imagination with all players possessing the skills to play in any part of the pitch cruyff was the on-field organiser of team whose players rotated in and out of defence at will and was encouraged to play creative attacking football michels had recently undergone heart surgery and dutch football federation knvb spokesman frank huizinga said he was one of the best coaches we had in history the no-nonsense coach also enjoyed spells at barcelona who he took to spanish title in fc cologne and bayer leverkusen michels named coach of the century by world footballs governing_body fifa in also won five caps for the netherlands as bruising centre forward dutch sports minister clemence ross-van dorp said he was the man who together with cruyff made dutch football big
legendary music studio to close the new_york music studio where john lennon spent his final hours is to close next month the hit factory which opened years ago has played host to some of the biggest stars in music including paul simon madonna and david bowie however the rise in digital recording has affected business at the studio which is relocating to smaller premises in miami lennon recorded his final album double fantasy at the studio in the studio was founded by jerry ragovoy in in it was sold to fellow producer edward germano who turned it into square foot studio with seven recording rooms and live mastering suites his first client was stevie_wonder who recorded part of his classic album songs in the key of life there other well-known albums to be recorded or partially recorded at the studio include bruce springsteens born in the usa the rolling_stones emotional rescue and paul simons graceland michael jackson billy joel jay-z and beyonce are also among artists who have used the hit factory in the past as well as 50_cent who survived an attempt on his life as he left the premises in the studio made history in when it won record grammy nominations for songs recorded mastered or mixed there including the soundtrack to the whitney houston film the bodyguard
levy takes whitbread novel prize orange prize winner andrea levy has seen her book small island win the whitbread novel of the year award she is now favourite to win the overall prize after beating booker winner alan hollinghursts the line of beauty geraldine mccaughrean has picked up the childrens fiction award for the third time for not the end of the world all the category winners go through to compete for the whitbread book of the year title which carries with it prize panel of judges including sir trevor mcdonald actor hugh grant and writer joanne harris will meet up on january to decide the overall winner with the announcement being made later that evening bookmaker william_hill has placed london-based levys novel as the favourite to win small island levys fourth novel is set in post-war england and centres on landlady and her lodgers one is jamaican who joined british troops to fight hitler but finds life difficult out of uniform when he settles in london the judges who included authors jenny colgan and amanda craig were full of praise for her writing what could have been didactic or preachy prospect turns out to hilarious moving humane and eye-popping its hard to think of anybody not enjoying it wrote the judges the first novel section was won by susan fletcher for eve green beating the favourite jonathan strange and mr norrell by susanna clarke fletcher has recently graduated from graduated from the university of east anglia creative writing course waterstones fiction writer buyer suzie doore said it is great to see susan fletcher win in the first novel category as relatively unknown author this award will give her exposure to wider and mass audience that she may not have reached and is perfect example of the influence of the whitbread fresh out of university she is certainly one to watch in the biography category it was john guys the life of mary queen of scots that was picked as winner the judges called it an impressive and readable piece of scholarship which cannot fail but leave the reader moved and intrigued by this most tragic and likeable of queens guy has published many histories including tudor england he is fellow at clare college cambridge and became honorary research professor of the university of st andrews in michael symmons roberts fourth collection of poems scooped the poetry award his works mixes mysticism erotica and philosophy through life death and resurrection as well as writing poetry symmons roberts also makes documentary films childrens winner mccaughrean who went into magazine publishing after studying teaching previously won the whitbread prize in with little lower than angels and in with gold dust she has previously been the winner of the blue peter book of the year
levy tipped for whitbread prize novelist andrea levy is favourite to win the main whitbread prize book of the year award after winning novel of the year with her book small island the book has already won the orange prize for fiction and is now favourite for the whitbread second favourite is biography of mary queen of scots by john guy panel of judges including sir trevor mcdonald actor hugh grant and writer joanne harris will decide the overall winner on tuesday the five writers in line for the award won their respective categories first novel novel biography poetry and childrens book on january small island levys fourth novel is set in post-war london and centres on landlady and her lodgers one is jamaican who joined british troops to fight hitler but finds life difficult out of uniform when he settles in the uk what could have been didactic or preachy prospect turns out to hilarious moving humane and eye-popping its hard to think of anybody not enjoying it wrote the judges the judges called guys my heart is my own the life of mary queen of scots an impressive and readable piece of scholarship which cannot fail but leave the reader moved and intrigued by this most tragic and likeable of queens guy has published many histories including one of tudor england he is fellow at clare college cambridge and became honorary research professor of the university of st andrews in the other contenders include susan fletcher for eve green which won the first novel prize fletcher has recently graduated from the university of east anglias creative writing course the fourth book in the running is corpus michael symmons roberts fourth collection of poems as well as writing poetry symmons roberts also makes documentary films geraldine mccaughrean is the final contender having won the childrens fiction category for the third time for not the end of the world mccaughrean who went into magazine publishing after studying teaching previously won the category in with little lower than angels and in with gold dust
lewis-francis eyeing world gold mark_lewis-francis says his olympic success has made him determined to bag world championship 100m gold in the 22-year-old pipped maurice_greene on the last leg of the 4x100m_relay in athens to take top honours for team gb but individually the birchfield harrier has yet to build on his world junior championship win four years ago the gold medal in athens has made me realise that can get to the top level and want to get there again it can happen dont see why not he said lewis-francis has still to decided what events will feature in his build-up to the worlds with one exception he has confirmed his participation in the norwich_union grand prix in birmingham on february where he will take on another member of britains victorious mens relay team jason_gardener over 60m he added its bit too early to make any predictions for helsinki but have my eyes open and know can be the best in the world
lewis-francis turns to christie mark_lewis-francis has stepped up his preparations for the new season by taking advice from british sprint icon linford christie the 22-year-old is set to compete at sheffield this weekend and will then take on maurice_greene and kim collins in birmingham on february training in wales and getting advice from linford christie is broadening my mind said lewis-francis the sprinter has also shed weight since winning relay gold at the athens games last year was 91kg now am 86.9kg hopefully my times will come down he said this has been brought about by eating the right foods and cutting out the snacks it is just discipline and being more focused about what am doing am still keeping up my weights work and can see the improvement in my running despite playing his part in britains successful 4x100m_relay team lewis-francis still feels the frustration of missing out on the individual 100m final at the olympics that was heartbreaking but had made it to the semi-final and for me on personal level that was an achievement just have to be patient and build up for the next olympics that is my goal and whatever do between now and then will be geared to making the final
lewsey puzzle over disallowed try englands josh_lewsey has claimed he was denied late try in his sides six_nations loss to ireland the wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee jonathan_kaplan had made wrong decision im positive touched the ball down over the line lewsey told bbc sport it certainly wasnt turnover was driven over and put the ball on the ground the whistle went and let go of the ball lewsey added one of the irish players scooped it back after the whistle and to our surprise the referee then gave turnover as far as im concerned that incident and mark cuetos effort from charlie hodgsons cross-field kick that led to what looked like good try were the two key elements in the game cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by kaplan dont think could have been offside for without doubt was behind the ball said the sale player the move was planned technique it was not off the cuff we rehearse it time and time again wouldnt say we were robbed some decisions go with you and some go against you today they went against us and thats tough at international level
lib dems new election pr chief the lib dems have appointed senior figure from bt to be the partys new communications chief for their next general_election effort sandy walkington will now work with senior figures such as matthew_taylor on completing the party manifesto party chief_executive lord_rennard said the appointment was significant strengthening of the lib dem team mr walkington said he wanted the party to be ready for any mischief rivals or the media tried to throw at it my role will be to ensure this new public profile is effectively communicated at all levels he said also know the party will be put under scrutiny in the media and from the other parties as never before and we will need to show ourselves ready and prepared to counter the mischief and misrepresentation that all too often comes from the partys opponents the party is already demonstrating on every issue that it is the effective opposition mr walkingtons new job title is director of general_election communications
lit idol begins search for author the second pop idol-style search for literary talent has begun with the help of the brother of simon_cowell writer tony cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud the winner gets deal with literary agency curtis brown im not going to be the mr nasty of books said cowell in reference to his brothers caustic remarks on tv shows pop_idol and the x-factor the winner paul cavanagh went on to sign deal with harper collins this year the competition is specifically looking for crime writer writers must submit up to words from the opening chapters of their novels and synopsis professional readers will choose shortlist of five following the competition closing date on january the final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel public vote will also take place which will account for of the final decision the winner will be announced at the london book fair on march next year and could be screened on tv its very very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult without an agent to get publisher to look at your work said cowell people do fall by the wayside and the more avenues we can provide for aspiring authors the better he added paul cavanagh former university professor and health care consultant from ontario in canada was one of aspiring novelists to enter the first contest he lifted the inaugural lit idol prize after reading aloud an excerpt of his work northwest passage three film studios are said to be interested in buying film rights for the book even though it is not finished yet
little britain two top comic list little britain stars matt_lucas and david walliams have been named the most powerful people in tv comedy in poll by listings magazine radio times the duo kept phoenix nights creator peter kay at number two and the office star ricky_gervais in third place radio times panel compiled the list taking the comedians critical_acclaim and financial success into account newcomers to the annual list included nighty night star julia davis at seven and black books tamsin greig at lucas and walliams won numerous awards for little britain in including national television royal television society and british comedy awards more_than million people watched the first episode of the latest series of little britain on bbc three in october giving the digital channel its highest rating ever they topped the radio times list after rising from 10th position last year other big risers over the past year included presenting duo ant and dec at five up from in stephen_fry rising nine places to and bbc three controller stuart murphy who moves to number from last year last years winner chat show host graham norton fell to number following relatively few television appearances in production companies also featured in the top including steve coogans baby cow which created nighty night among others hat trick behind the kumars at number and the vicar of dibley production company tiger aspect
little britain vies for tv trophy bbc hits little britain and strictly come dancing are among numerous british shows nominated for the prestigious golden rose television awards homegrown reality programmes dominated that category including channel_4s supernanny and itv1s hells kitchen eastenders and coronation street were overlooked in the soap category but doctors and family affairs gained nods the festival which honours the best tv from around the globe will take place in lucerne switzerland from may little britain which is now in its second series faces competition from bbc twos the catherine_tate show and sacha baron cohens creations borat and bruno in the separate sitcom category dark comedy nighty night which began life on bbc three will do battle with mainstream bbc one show my family bbc ones strictly come dancing which saw celebrities compete against each other to become champions of the dancefloor is among five british nominations in the varirty category lenny henry who won golden rose for his in pieces series in picks up another nomination for his recent bbc show british television music shows have picked up six nominations with bbc threes flashmob the opera up against the uk music hall_of_fame series which was screened on channel_4 british television has performed very well in the arts and specials category gaining total of nominations the bbc leads the way with its programmes on the sound of music agatha christie and rolf on art the big event which saw harris lead an effort to produce life-size painting in londons trafalgar square british shows which picked up total of nominations will have to overcome competition from host of other countries including the us canada japan and across europe uk nominee tv diaries which is shown around the world is owned by british company but has yet to be screened in this country previous uk winners have included ant decs saturday night takeaway pop_idol channel_4 show faking it and comedy duo french and saunders who became the first winners to receive and honorary golden rose individual performers will also be rewarded with prizes for best comics best sitcom actor and actress and best gameshow host last year actor shane richie won an award for his portrayal of alfie moon in eastenders
london hope over chepkemei london marathon organisers are hoping that banned athlete susan_chepkemei will still take part in this years race on april chepkemei was suspended from all competition until the end of the year by athletics kenya after failing to report to national training camp we are watching it closely said london race director david bedford there is long way to go before the race and we are hoping the situation will be satisfactorily resolved the camp in embu was to prepare for the iaaf world cross country championships later this month chepkemei however took part and finished third in last sundays world best 10k race in puerto rico the 29-year-old has finished second to paula_radcliffe in the and london races as well as in novembers new_york city marathon
london irish wasps wasps made light of the absence of several internationals to sink london irish with trio of second-half tries rob hoadley returned to haunt his old club at the madejski stadium scoring the opening try in the 43rd minute tom voyce powered through the irish defence for wasps second try before richard birkett went over unchallenged mark van gisbergen added points irish replied with three penalties and mark mapletoft drop goal before scott staniforth ran in consolation try barry everitt who replaced mapletoft late in the game added the conversion to become the fourth premiership player to reach points he joins jonny_wilkinson tim stimpson and paul grayson in achieving that target wasps piled on the pressure in an attempt to grab fourth try which would have secured them bonus point but they were denied by some desperate defending from irish director of rugby warren_gatland revealed that harsh words at half-time inspired his wasps side to raise their game after the restart they got roasting and it was good second-half performance when they came out and played to instructions he said gatland also singled out stand-in flankers tom rees and john hart for special praise they did very well the back row played some fantastic rugby he added london irish coach gary gold felt the result exposed his sides lack of consistency irish trailed by just two points at the break and gold said for minutes we lived with the best but we have got to get back for the full minutes gold will now turn his attention to next weeks powergen cup semi-final at struggling leeds weve got good chance but with leeds facing possible relegation theyre going to come out firing he added horak staniforth penney nordt bishop mapletoft edwards hatley van_der walt hardwick kennedy casey gustard dawson murphy replacements everitt for mapletoft hodgson for edwards wheatley for hatley paice for van_der walt strudwick for kennedy danaher for gustard reid for murphy van gisbergen voyce erinle hoadley roberts king richards payne greening dowd shaw purdy hart rees dallaglio replacements priscott for roberts green for dowd skivington for shaw birkett for hart gotting for rees not used fury brooks
lopez misses uk charity premiere jennifer_lopez cancelled an appearance at the uk charity premiere of her new movie saying she was too ill to fly the actress and singer dropped out at the last minute and has now cancelled all european promotion of the film shall we dance and her new album she said very much wanted to be in london but unfortunately im not well at the advice of my doctors im unable to travel co-star richard_gere attended the event held in aid of the tsunami appeal thousands braved the cold weather to see the stars in londons leicester_square the red_carpet boasted waltzing dancers in honour of the films ballroom dancing theme the films director peter chelsom said he was disappointed that lopez did not attend its shame know its true that shes not well because she has also cancelled her promotional tour ive heard she has swollen glands gere greeted the crowd and signed autographs accompanied by his wife carey lowell other stars who turned out on the night included honor blackman strictly come dancing presenter tess daly and actress anita dobson lopez issues statement apologising for her absence im so proud of shall we dance and was looking forward to visiting london she said this film was labour of love for me and want to thank everyone involved in bringing it to you from the cast to the film director to the crew lopez appeared at the grammy awards on sunday singing duet with her third husband marc anthony
lord_scarman dies peacefully distinguished lawyer lord_scarman who conducted the inquiry into the brixton riots has died aged the peer enjoyed celebrated judicial career serving as law commission chairman in its first seven years he also chaired the tribunal set up to investigate civil disturbances in northern_ireland paying tribute the lord chancellor lord_falconer said lord_scarman was one of the great advocates of our generation his legacy from his decisions in the lords and the court of appeal is substantial his work in the wake of the brixton riots and his commitment to the vulnerable and dispossessed was second to none great judge great lawyer and great man lord scarmans nephew george ritchie said the peer who passed away peacefully on wednesday would be sadly missed the lord chief justice lord_woolf who is the most senior judge in england and wales said it was lord scarmans pioneering work which paved the way for the human_rights act he was lawyer and judge who had remarkable insight into human nature and an exceptional sensitivity to the needs of healthy society he said he was personally totally charming and he will be remembered with great affection and admiration by all who came into contact with him dame elizabeth butler-sloss the president of the family justice division said lord_scarman was good and humane judge and one of the greatest figures of the late 20th_century lord_scarman will be remembered for the public inquiry he led into string of race riots which began in brixton when racial tensions rose after police crackdown on street robbery during the following three days of disturbances that spread to the midlands merseyside bristol and leeds nearly people were injured and buildings and vehicles were set alight the inquiry famously settled on the so-called rotten apples theory which argued that only few police officers were racist saying most were not it spawned new law enforcement practices and led to the creation of the police complaints authority trevor phillips chair of the commission for racial_equality praised lord scarmans ability to listen he said when lord_scarman toured the streets of brixton his presence was electrifying community which had been systematically ignored by everyone else was suddenly embraced by the epitome of the english establishment his great quality was the ability to listen to young people of all backgrounds many of whose language he could barely understand genuinely to hear what they had to say and to talk to them as human beings he never lost the special combination of wisdom humanity and the spark of radicalism that marked his watershed report into the brixton riots
lost doors frontman movie found historians in florida have discovered 40-year-old clip of clean-cut jim morrison appearing in promotional film for his university the film shows the doors frontman who died aged in playing the part of young man who had been rejected by florida state university morrison is seen quizzing college administrator on why he was refused but what happened how come my parents and the state and the university didnt look ahead he is seen asking its incredible hes so clean cut and soft-spoken said florida state archivist jody norman we know he was at florida state university for period of time and he did some acting when he was there norman added the doors were one of the most influential bands of the 1960s with hits including light my fire and riders on the storm morrison was notorious for his wild lifestyle and was accused of exposing himself and simulating sex act at miami concert in he was found dead in the bath of his paris apartment and died from heart problems aggravated by alcohol coroner recorded verdict of death by natural causes and his grave at the citys pere lachaise ceremony has become shrine for fans
low-budget film wins cesar film that follows group of alienated youth in paris suburb as they prepare to perform an 18th century play has won frances top cinema award lesquive earned cesar prize for its director tunisian-born abdellatif kechiche and its young star the 18-year-old actress sara forestier it saw off competition from big-budget french epic very long engagement and the box-office hit the chorus us film lost in translation won the award for best foreign feature the wistful romantic_comedy directed by sofia coppola has already won several awards including an oscar for best screenplay in its late release in france made it contender for this years cesars the low-budget lesquive depicts the travails of group of youth getting ready to perform school play by the 18th-century dramatist marivaux the actors are mostly amateurs and the action is set in the impoverished suburbs of paris home to thousands of immigrants from north africa and their children kechiche said he made the film because he wanted to show people we dont normally see at the cinema very long engagement world war drama featuring audrey_tautou won five cesar awards the chorus film about schoolteacher who introduces an unruly classroom to the pleasures of classical singing won two awards for best music and best sound us actor will smith who won an honorary award at the ceremony thanked his family and his hero nelson mandela in his speech
man auctions ad space on forehead 20-year-old us man is selling advertising space on his forehead to the highest bidder on website ebay andrew fisher from omaha nebraska said he would have non-permanent logo or brand name tattooed on his head for days the way see it im selling something already own after days get it back he told the bbc today_programme mr fisher has received bids so far with the largest bid currently at more_than the winner will be able to send me tattoo or have me go to tattoo parlour and get temporary ink tattoo on my forehead and this will be something they choose company name or domain name perhaps their logo he told the radio programme on the online auction mr fisher describes himself as an average american joe give or take his sales pitch adds take advantage of this radical advertising campaign and become part of history mr fisher said that while he would accept any brand name or logo wouldnt go around with swastika or anything racial he added wouldnt go around with the mark of the beast other than that wouldnt promote anything socially unacceptable such as adult websites or stores he said he would use the money to pay college he is planning to study graphic design the entrepreneur said his mother was initially surprised by his decision but following all the media attention she felt he was thinking outside the box
man_utd stroll to cup win wayne_rooney made winning return to everton as manchester_united cruised into the fa_cup quarter-finals rooney received hostile reception but goals in each half from quinton fortune and cristiano ronaldo silenced the jeers at goodison park fortune headed home after minutes before ronaldo scored when nigel martyn parried paul scholes free-kick marcus bent missed evertons best chance when roy carroll who was later struck by missile saved at his feet rooneys return was always going to be potential flashpoint and he was involved in an angry exchange with spectator even before kick-off and rooneys every touch was met with deafening chorus of jeers from the crowd that once idolised the 19-year-old everton started brightly and fortune needed to be alert to scramble away header from bent near the goal-line but that was the cue for united to take complete control with supreme passing display on goodison park pitch that was cutting up fortune gave united the lead after minutes rising to meet ronaldos cross from eight yards after the portuguese youngster had been allowed too much time and space by the hapless gary naysmith united dominated without creating too many clear-cut chances and they almost paid the price for not making the most of their domination two minutes before half-time mikel arteta played superb ball into the area but bent played onside by gabriel heintze hesitated and carroll plunged at his fee to save united almost doubled their lead after minutes when ronaldos low drive from yards took deflection off tony hibbert but martyn dived to save brilliantly and martyn came to evertons rescue three minutes later when rooneys big moment almost arrived as he raced clean through but once again the veteran keeper was in outstanding form but there was nothing martyn could do when united doubled their lead after minutes as they doubled their advantage scholes free-kick took deflection and martyn could only parry the ball out for ronaldo who reacted first to score easily evertons problems worsened when james mcfadden limped off with an injury and there may be further trouble ahead for everton after goalkeeper carroll required treatment after he was struck on the head by missile thrown from behind the goal rooneys desperate search for goal on his return to everton was halted again by martyn in injury-time when he outpaced stubbs but once again martyn denied the england striker manchester_united coach sir_alex ferguson it was fantastic performance by us in fairness think everton have missed couple of players and got some young players out the boy ronaldo is fantastic player hes persistent and never gives in dont know how many fouls he had he gets up and wants the ball again hes truly fabulous player everton martyn hibbert yobo stubbs naysmith osman carsley arteta kilbane mcfadden bent subs wright pistone weir plessis vaughan manchester_united carroll gary_neville brown ferdinand heinze ronaldo phil_neville keane scholes fortune rooney subs howard giggs smith miller spector referee styles hampshire
manics in charge of bbc music the manic_street preachers are to take over the helm of bbc digital radio station music for week in december the welsh band whose hits include design for life and if you tolerate this have already chosen which records to play between and december their albums of the day include whos next by the who and u2s joshua tree the group will also perform their own live session they follow in the footsteps of radiohead who took over the station for week last year bass player nicky wire will join phil jupitus on his morning show on monday december while vocalist and guitarist james dean bradfield will appear on andrew collins afternoon show on thursday the group have also chosen documentaries to air such as the leonard cohen story and guitar greats jimmy page the live concert session tracks they have picked include the specials rat race recorded at hammersmith odeon in london and public enemys fight the power and rebel without pause the band will also answer questions e-mailed in by music listeners
mansfield leyton orient an second-half goal from andy scott condemned mansfield to ninth successive game without win early in the second half wayne carlisles cross was met by scott and he blasted the ball home from just outside the penalty area as orient chased second mansfield had to clear alan whites header off the line and kevin pilkington saved well from michael simpson by the end mansfield fans were chanting for the head of chairman keith haslam pilkington talbot buxton dimech artell corden murray curtis neil warne barker subs not used white mcintosh wood lloyd herron harrison lockwood donny barnard white,mackie scott saah simpson carlisle lee barnard ibehre subs not used morris wardley newey zakuani mcmahon scott mathieson cheshire
martinez sees off vinci challenge veteran spaniard conchita martinez came from set down to beat italian roberta vinci at the qatar open in doha the wimbledon champion won to earn second round meeting with french open champion anastasia_myskina fifth seed patty schnyder also had battle as she needed three sets to beat chinas na li slovakian daniela_hantuchova beat bulgarian magdaleena maleeva to set up second round clash with russian elena bovina the veteran martinez found herself in trouble early on against vinci with the italian clinching the set thanks to breaks in the third and 11th games but vincis game fell to pieces after that and martinez swept her aside with some crisp cross-court returns and deft volleys in the days other matches japans ai sugiyama defeated australian samantha stosur while australian nicole pratt beat tunisian selima sfar and will next face compatriot alicia_molik
mauresmo opens with victory in la amelie mauresmo and maria_sharapova won their opening matches at the tour championships in los_angeles frances mauresmo routed vera zvonareva while wimbledon champion sharapova was winner over fellow russian svetlana_kuznetsova american serena_williams also won edging russian elena_dementieva for her second victory of the event the event is split into two groups of four with the top two from each advancing to the semi-finals mauresmos win was her ninth in row as she tries to overtake lindsay_davenport for the number one spot mauresmo spent five weeks at number one after the us open before injury ushered davenport back in front since then feel very confident on court and my game is there want to get the ranking back but its very different than before was number one it was an obsession but now take it in relaxed way mauresmo completed her first match in the season-ending championship in minutes as russias zvonareva struggled to return her serve and failed to achieve single break point she got mad little bit and played some great tennis said mauresmo who was runner-up to kim_clijsters in last years final zvonareva has lost both her games so far having crashed kuznetsova in the staples centre on wednesday sometimes not everything works she said it was lots of pressure maybe that is why couldnt do but was fighting sharapova who lost to kuznetsova in beijing in september said in beijing she was coming off such big winning streak matches and she was unstoppable this time it was important to start off well and put some pressure on her the tournament debutant added love it here the atmosphere is great to be here where the lakers play you just feel that excitement love basketball williams admitted she is still some way off her best form but remained positive after two wins in two days its hard to go out there and get it right but im fighting and im hoping said williams what makes me happy is the effort had really good effort today im trying to add new dimensions to my game
mayor will not retract nazi jibe london mayor ken_livingstone has again refused to retract nazi insult made to jewish reporter labours mr livingstone who says he is standing by his remarks had accused an evening standard journalist of being like concentration_camp guard at his weekly press_conference on tuesday he said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise he said to media representatives if you think they are racist think you are wrong the mayor said his comments would not affect the olympic bid and added that his determination to stand up for what he believed in may impress bid chiefs who arrived in london on tuesday think it is important that the ioc international olympic committee members realise that when we get the games...they have mayor who is not going to panic change course or get in great flap but will deliver the games on time and to budget he said on tuesday the mayor said he would be making full written response to the chairman of the assembly two motions were passed by the london assembly which is made up of members elected to examine the mayors activities on monday asking him to apologise and withdraw his comments the mayor said he had recounted to the assembly number of examples of intrusion by journalists into his and his familys private life dont suggest for one minute that has anything to do with the holocaust which was uniquely the most evil chapter in history but when reporters say to me im only doing this because its my job thats the same abdication of moral responsibility at the thin end of the wedge that in its most extreme and horrific version ends up with others being prepared to stand as concentration_camp guard we are responsible for our own choices in this life always have been and so have reporters an official complaint has been made to local government watchdogs by the board of deputies of british jews demanding an investigation by the standards board of england it has the power to suspended or bar him from office but mr livingstone said there must have been instances like this over the last years have never in response to any of that modified policy believed to be right or modified position believed to be right and dont intend to now because if do that effectively you hand power over your policies and position to the editors of papers on tape mr livingstone who once worked as freelance restaurant critic on the paper is heard asking reporter oliver finegold if he is german war criminal mr finegold replies no im jewish wasnt german war criminal im quite offended by that the mayor then says ah right well you might be but actually you are just like concentration_camp guard you are just doing it because you are paid to arent you
mccririck out of big brother show racing pundit john mccririck has become the latest contestant to be evicted from celebrity big brother he was nominated to leave the channel_4 show by fellow housemates alongside happy mondays dancer bez at one time bez was among the most popular contestants but he has since become withdrawn and argumentative mccririck was ordered to leave the house on monday following jackie_stallone the actor sylvesters mother who was first to be evicted bez reacted badly to the news that he had been nominated by five of his fellow housemates whilst john received four votes against him sylvester stallones ex-wife brigitte nielsen nominated both john and bez she said bez is difficult human being theres something wrong with him even though hes making an effort hes not very happy in here former holby city actor jeremy edwards said he had nominated bez after he became agitated on friday night and talked about escaping over the wall to go clubbing he said bez was being loopy and stressed according to bookmaker ladbrokes john mccririck was favourite to be evicted on monday while bez was at mccririck faced the public vote on friday and received of the vote to keep him in the house whilst jackie_stallone was evicted
mcdonalds boss bell dies aged charlie bell the straight-talking former head of fast-food giant mcdonalds has died of cancer aged mr bell was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in may last year month after taking over the top job he resigned in november to fight the illness joining the company as 15-year-old part-time worker mr bell quickly moved through its ranks becoming australias youngest store manager at popular go-getter he is credited with helping revive mcdonalds sales mr bell leaves wife and daughter as we mourn his passing ask you to keep charlies family in your hearts and prayers chief_executive james skinner said in statement and remember that in his abbreviated time on this earth charlie lived life to the fullest no matter what cards life dealt charlie stayed centred on his love for his family and for mcdonalds after running the companys australian business in the 1990s mr bell moved to the us in to run operations in asia africa and the middle_east in he took over the reins in europe mcdonalds second most important market he became chief operating officer and president in mr bell took over as chief_executive after his predecessor as ceo jim cantalupo died suddenly of heart attack in april having worked closely with mr cantalupo who came out of retirement to turn mcdonalds around mr bell focused on boosting demand at existing restaurants rather_than follow policy of rapid expansion he had promised not to let the company get fat dumb and happy and according to reuters once told analysts that he would shove fire hose down the throat of competitors if he saw them drowning mr bell oversaw mcdonalds im lovin it advertising campaign and introduced successes such as mccafe now the biggest coffee shop brand in australia and new zealand colleagues said that mr bell was proud of his humble beginnings helping out behind cash tills and clearing tables when visiting restaurants
mcdonalds to sponsor mtv show mcdonalds the worlds largest restaurant chain is to sponsor programme on music channel mtv as part of its latest youth market promotion the show advance warning highlights new talent and mtv reckons it will give mcdonalds access to nearly million homes in countries mcdonalds golden arches name and im loving it catchphrase will be used throughout the half-hour programme the move comes amid growing concerns about obesity in europe and the us the european union has called on the food industry to reduce the number of adverts aimed at young children warning that legislation would be introduced unless voluntary steps were taken in the us food group kraft is among firms that already have cut back on promoting sugar and fattening products to the young mcdonalds has also been taking steps to improve its junk food reputation revamping its menu and providing clients with health-related products such as pedometers as well as burgers like the big mac and quarter pounder with cheese the company now sells healthier options such as salads and fresh fruit chief_executive jim skinner attributed an increase in january worldwide sales to the vitality of our menu among other things hooking up with mtv is expected to add extra momentum to mcdonalds recent revival mtv which played key role in the emergence of the music video is to show advance warning on all of its channels across the world the programme can at present only been seen in the us where it has featured artists like british stars joss_stone and franz_ferdinand mcdonalds has targeted the youth market in the past with its advertisements signing up stars like jelly-legged dancer justin_timberlake and all-woman singing group destinys child
mcilroy aiming for madrid title northern_ireland man james mcilroy is confident he can win his first major title at this weekends spar european indoor_championships in madrid the 28-year-old has been in great form in recent weeks and will go in as one of the metres favourites believe after my wins abroad and in our trial race in sheffield can run my race from the front back or middle said mcilroy new coach tony lester has helped get mcilroys career back on track the 28-year-old metres runner has not always matched his promise with performances but believes his decision to change coaches and move base will bring the rewards mcilroy now lives in windsor and feels his career has been transformed by the no-nonsense leadership style of former army sergeant lester lester is better known for his work with 400m runners roger black and mark richardson in the past but under his guidance mcilroy has secured five wins this indoor season mcilroy now claims he is in his best shape since finishing fourth for ireland at the outdoor european championships in that was my last decent year said mcilroy who temporarily retired last august before returning to the sport under lesters shrewd guidance before every race was like trying to climb mount everest and now know you cant do it on your own trying to succeed saw me sometimes standing half-dead and terrified on the starting line which became bit too much mcilroy who was compared to the likes of sebastian coe steve cram and steve ovett in his younger days is now competing without the benefit of national lottery funding that situation could change if he maintains his current form and repeats the world-class times he produced in the 800m and 1000m at major races in erfurt and stuttgart earlier this season russian dmitriy bogdanov won at the same madrid venue last week and then claimed the european championship race would be between himself dutchman arnoud okken and antonio reina of spain but mcilroy is unfazed he admitted he looked quite good in his win and fair enough everyone has the right to their own opinion never write myself off and lets face it havent or looked like being beaten this season and mcilroy whose time of one minute 46.68seconds in erfurt elevated him to sixth place on the uk all-time list is also already looking beyond madrid he said ive been much more focused this year about my career and having such good team around me has been very important ultimately of course this weekend is means to an end and that is getting prepared for the summers world championships that ambition has meant that ive had only two nights out since last august the rest of my time has seen me just concentrating on rebuilding my career
mcilroy continues winning streak james mcilroy stormed to his second international victory in less than week claiming the mens 800m at the teag indoor meeting in erfurt the northern_ireland runner set new personal best of one minute seconds time good enough to qualify for the european indoor_championships im qualified now and thats what matters most said the 28-year-old mcilroy is now hoping to gain late entry into sundays international indoor meeting in leipzig the northern irishman is hoping manager ricky simms can swing it for him to compete after he initially withdrew after contracting cold after three successive wins over the past fortnight mcilroy is brimming with confidence ive been waiting over six years for this to happen and now im certain my career has turned the corner on friday mcilroy delivered an impressive run despite suffering from his bad cold the aaa indoor and outdoor champion accelerated away from the field in the final 300m beating german wolfram mulle by seconds mcilroy set world-leading mark for 1,000m at the sparkassen cup in stuttgart last weekend and his time in erfurt makes him third fastest over 800m in the world this year
mcilroy wins 800m indoor title james mcilroy motored to the aaas indoor 800m title in sheffied on sunday in time of one minute seconds the larne athlete dominated the race from start to finish although he had to hold off late challenge from welshman jimmy watkins in the final metres had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and wont run again until then said mcilroy though if got lucky id get close to the british record but blew up in the end mcilroy has been in superb form at the start of the season and will now start his build-up for the european indoors at madrid on march meanwhile paul brizzel and anna boyle reached the semi-finals of the 60m_hurdles with boyle setting seasons best of in the womens 60m final ailis mcsweeney broke michelle carrolls long-standing irish record by clocking which left her in third place david gillick showed that he is genuine medal contender in the european indoor_championships by claiming an impressive 400m victory gillick was more_than half-a-second clear when taking gold in outside his personal best set in saturdays semi-finals the irishman is now the fastest european this season derval orourke broke her own irish 60m_hurdles record by clocking which left her third behind new british record holder sarah claxton james nolan took second in the mens 1500m behind neil speaight but the offaly man was outside the european indoor standard colin costello was seventh in the 1500m final in deirdre ryan was second in the womens high jump with clearance of 1.87m while aoife byrne took silver in the 800m in personal best of lisburns kelly mcneice reid was seventh in the womens 1500m while gary murray was 11th in the mens 3000m meanwhile stephen cairns and jill shannon claimed the individual titles at saturdays northern_ireland cross country championship in coleraine cairns came in ahead of paul rowan and allan bogle in the mens race willowfield claimed their first mens team title in years while shannon helped lagan valley win the womens team honours
media seek jackson juror notes reporters covering singer michael jacksons trial in california have asked to see questionnaires completed by potential jurors lawyers for news organisations said it was really vital for the responses of potential jurors to be made public to serve as check on the process santa barbara county superior court is due to consider the request on monday mr jackson denies child molestation it is estimated his trial will cost santa barbara county up to $4m 2.13m meanwhile michael jacksons mother has said she is certain her son did not commit the child abuse charges he faces the court is currently selecting jurors and eight stand-by jurors for the trial process delayed until at least thursday after member of the stars legal team was hit by family illness defence lawyers argued against the bid by associated_press and other news organisations to have potential jurors responses made public the release of the completed jury questionnaires does not serve any purpose other than to add to the sensationalist coverage of this case motion by mr jacksons lawyers stated the estimated total costs of the trial expected to last five months range from $2.5m 1.33m to $4m 2.13m of local taxpayers money those estimates do not include costs to the city of santa maria the superior court or for the investigation and prosecution of the case the cost of security and other needs around the courthouse has been estimated at per day said jason stilwell special projects manager at the county administrators office mr jackson denies plying boy with alcohol and molesting him his mother katherine jackson told us tv network fox news on sunday that her pop star son told her he was innocent believe that for one reason know his character she said he loves children you dont molest anything that you love describing mr jackson as good person the mother-of-nine said she feared he would not be given fair trial cant sleep thinking about what these wicked people might try to do to him she said
melzer shocks agassi in san_jose second seed andre_agassi suffered comprehensive defeat by jurgen_melzer in the quarter-finals of the sap open agassi was often bamboozled by the austrians drop shots in san_jose losing defending champion and top seed andy_roddick rallied to beat swedens thomas enqvist but unseeded cyril_saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea and tommy_haas overcame eighth_seed max mirnyi melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings had good game plan and executed it perfectly he said its always tough to come out to play andre didnt want him to play his game he makes you run like dog all over the court and agassi who was more_than matched for power by his opponents two-handed backhand said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him lot more guys are capable of it now said the american he played much better than me thats what he did both times had opportunities to loosen myself up agassi added but didnt convert on the big points
melzer shocks agassi second seed andre_agassi suffered comprehensive defeat by jurgen_melzer in the quarter-finals of the sap open agassi was often bamboozled by the austrians drop shots in san_jose losing defending champion and top seed andy_roddick rallied to beat swedens thomas enqvist but unseeded cyril_saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea and tommy_haas overcame eighth_seed max mirnyi melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings had good game plan and executed it perfectly he said its always tough to come out to play andre didnt want him to play his game he makes you run like dog all over the court and agassi who was more_than matched for power by his opponents two-handed backhand said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him lot more guys are capable of it now said the american he played much better than me thats what he did both times had opportunities to loosen myself up agassi added but didnt convert on the big points
merritt close to indoor 400m mark teenager lashawn merritt ran the third fastest indoor 400m of all time at the fayetteville invitational meeting the world junior champion clocked seconds to finish well clear of fellow american bershawn jackson in arkansas only michael johnson has gone quicker setting the world record of 44.63secs in and running 44.66secs in kenyan bernard lagat missed out on the world record by 1.45secs as he ran the third quickest indoor mile ever to beat canadas nate brannen by almost 10secs the olympic silver medallists time of three minutes 49.89secs was inferior only to the world record of moroccan hicham_el guerrouj and former world record holder eamonn coghlan of irelands lagat was on course to break el guerroujs record through 1200m but could not maintain the pace over the final 400m irelands continued his excellent form by winning tight 3,000m in cragg who recently defeated olympic 10,000m champion kenenisa bekele in boston held off bekeles ethiopian colleague markos geneti by only 0.19secs to secure his victory mark carroll who will join cragg in the european indoor_championships next month finished solid third in olympic 200m gold_medallist of jamaica ran the fastest womens 60m in the world this year as she equalled her personal best of 7.09secs world indoor 60m_hurdles champion also won improving his season-leading time to 7.51secs
michael film signals retirement singer george michael has said that new film about his life is the start of retirement from public view the pop star said it would be much more behind the scenes affair and called his own genre of music dead thought should explain myself before disappear said michael who was at the berlin film festival to launch the documentary the film different story chronicles michaels life and career from the 1980s and his personal struggles the 41-year-old chart-topper told reporters in the german capital that he wanted to move his career into different form but added that he does not know what it is going to be yet im still going to be making music he said but added that he was not going to be around he hinted at discontent with the current state of music industry and said dont really think that there is anyone in the modern pop business who feel want to spar with michael said that the film directed by southan morris would put his two decades of fame into context its almost as much for me as for my fans in terms of trying to make sense of the last years and bring it to close in proper way he said the documentary chronicles the highs and lows of his life in the public gaze from his meteoric rise as one half of pop duo wham to his arrest for lewd conduct in los_angeles toilet in the film also deals with the loss of michaels partner anselmo feleppa from an aids-related condition in different story which is being shown at the berlin film festival has been screened by bbc one
microsoft takes on desktop_search microsoft has entered the desktop_search fray releasing test version of its tool to find documents e-mails and other files on pc hard drive the beta program only works on pcs running windows_xp or windows the desktop_search market is becoming increasingly crowded with firms touting programs that help people find files search giant google launched its desktop_search tool in october while yahoo is planning to release similar software in january our ambition for search is to provide the ultimate information tool that can find anything youre looking for said yusuf mehdi corporate vice_president at microsofts msn internet division microsofts program can be used as toolbar on the windows desktop the internet explorer browser and within the outlook e-mail program the software giant is coming late to the desktop_search arena competing with large number of rivals google has already released desktop tool yahoo is planning to get into the game in january and aol is expected to offer desktop searching early next year small firms such as blinkx copernic enfish x1 technologies and x-friend offer tools that catalogue the huge amounts of information that people increasingly store on their desktop or home computer apple will release similar search system for its computers called spotlight that is due to be released with the tiger operating system
middlesbrough charlton late header by teenager danny graham earned middlesbrough battling draw with charlton at the riverside matt holland had put the visitors ahead in the 14th minute after his shot took deflection off franck queudrue but middlesbrough peppered the charlton goal after the break and chris riggott stroked home the equaliser shaun bartletts strike put charlton back in front but that lead lasted just six minutes before graham rushed onto queudrues pass to head home the match burst to life from the whistle and charlton defender hermann hreidarsson had sight of an open goal after just six minutes hreidarsson received danny murphys free-kick from the right but he crashed his free header wide of the far post the iceland international looked such danger the boro bench could be heard issuing frantic instructions to mark him charltons early pressure paid off when bartlett received long ball from talal el karkouri in the box and laid it off to holland who buried his right-footed strike szilard nemeth recalled in place of joseph-desire job was twice denied his chance to get middlesbrough back on level terms by dean kiely the striker played great one-two with jimmy floyd hasselbaink only to see kiely get down well to smother his shot before directing header straight into the keepers arms boro had plenty of time on the ball but the addicks comfortably mopped up the pressure with kiely tipping hasselbaink header over the bar to take their lead into half-time it was all one-way traffic after the break at the riverside as middlesbrough poured forward and kiely even saved hreidarssons blushes when he palmed the ball away to prevent charlton own goal but the addicks keeper could do nothing about riggotts equaliser in the 74th minute the boro defender looked suspiciously offside as he got on the end of gareth southgates misdirected effort but despite the charlton protests his goal stood the addicks did not let their heads drop and bartlett left the boro defence standing picking up hreidarssons cross to easily sink his right-footed strike but substitute graham was on hand to grab share of the points for the home side the 19-year-old striker nodding home the equaliser and his first premiership goal with five minutes left on the clock felt we did enough to win the game even though the first half was lacklustre we dominated after the break the players showed fantastic response and we should have gone on to win but for charlton goalkeeper dean kiely who made three tremendous saves we could have scored five or six to take the lead and then to get penned back it feels little bit like defeat admitted kiely we were winning but middlesbrough kept knocking on the door but we stood up and credit to us we didnt capitulate well kick on now our short-term ambition is to progress from the seventh place finish from last year nash reiziger graham riggott southgate queudrue parlour job doriva nemeth parnaby zenden downing hasselbaink subs not used cooper knight riggott graham kiely hreidarsson perry el karkouri young konchesky murphy euell holland kishishev thomas johansson bartlett subs not used fish jeffers andersen konchesky hreidarsson perry holland bartlett riley yorkshire
minister digs in over doping row the belgian sports minister at the centre of the svetlana_kuznetsova doping row says he will not apologise for making allegations against her claude eerdekens claims the us open champion tested positive for ephedrine at an exhibition event last month criticised for making the announcement he said will never apologise this product is banned and its up to her to explain why its there kuznetsova says the stimulant may have been in cold remedy she took the russian said she did nothing wrong by taking the medicine during the event the womens tennis association cleared kuznetsova of any offence because the drug is not banned when taken out of competition eerdekens said he made the statement in order to protect the other three players that took part in the tournament belgian justine henin-hardenne nathalie_dechy of france and russias elena_dementieva but dechy is fuming that she has been implicated in the row how can you be happy when you see your face on the cover page and talking about doping dechy said im really upset about it and think the belgian government did really bad job about this think we deserve an apology from the guy you cannot say anything like this you cannot say some stuff like this saying its one of these girls this is terrible dementieva is also angry and says that dechy and herself are the real victims of the scandal you have no idea what have been through all these days its been too hard on me she said the wta are trying to handle this problem by saying there are three victims but see only two victims in this story me and nathalie_dechy who really have nothing to do with this to be honest with you dont feel like want to talk to sveta at all im just very upset with the way everything has happened
mirza makes indian tennis history teenager sania_mirza completed superb week at the hyderabad open by becoming the first indian in history to win wta singles title in front of delirious home crowd the 18-year-old battled past alyona bondarenko of the ukraine mirza ranked in the world sunk to her knees in celebration after serving out the match against bondarenko it is big moment in my career and would like to thank everyone who has been part of my effort she said this win has made me believe more in myself and can now hope to do better in the coming days wanted to win this tournament very badly since it was in my hometown at the australian_open in january mirza became the first indian woman to reach the third round of grand_slam before losing to eventual champion serena_williams and year ago she became the youngest indian to win professional title by claiming the doubles at the hyderabad open mirza playing in her first wta final began nervously in front of raucous home crowd committing three double faults in her opening service game but from down mirza broke serve twice in row and held on to her advantage to take the first set in see-saw second set bondarenko raced into lead and though mirza hauled herself level the ukrainian broke again before finally levelling the match mirza rediscovered the aggressive strokes that took her to the first set in the decider established lead at the stadium erupted in celebration when mirza thought she had delivered an ace to secure victory but the serve was ruled to have clipped the net mirza eventually lost the point but to the relief of the crowd she broke bondarenko again in the next game to clinch the title
mirza shocks kuznetsova sania_mirza continued her remarkable rise with victory over us open champion svetlana_kuznetsova at the dubai championships on tuesday the 18-year-old indian who is already huge star in her home country won in front of delirious crowd it was mirzas sixth straight victory following her first wta tournament win in hyderabad last month earlier daniela_hantuchova built on her improving form with win over sixth seed alicia_molik mirza needed attention to an ankle injury after the second game against kuznetsova she quickly slipped down but staged dramatic comeback that thrilled the large indian contingent in the crowd really didnt expect that after my ankle turn said mirza played great match and think the crowd did it again knew that had to play an all-round game and thats what happened did everything well but wasnt missing the ball dont know how that happened mirza plays silvia farina elia or jelena jankovic next hantuchova has risen from in the world at the turn of the year to number having reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals at her last two events it was such tough first-round match and am glad to come through said hantuchova she was serving so well just decided to hang in there and keep fighting the slovakian will meet elena likhovtseva in the second round after the russian struggled past tunisian wild_card selima sfar likhovtseva needed nine match points before seeing off sfar who got point penalty for swearing in the third set seventh_seed nathalie_dechy and elena bovina were among other first-round winners on tuesday
mobile picture power in your pocket how many times have you wanted to have camera to hand to catch an unexpected event that would make headlines with modern mobile phone that has camera built in you no longer need to curse you can capture the action as it happens already on-the-spot snappers are helping newspapers add immediacy to their breaking news stories headlines where professional photographers only arrive in time for the aftermath celebrities might not welcome such change because they may never be free of new breed of mobile phone paparazzi making their lives bit more difficult already one tabloid newspaper in la is issuing photographers with camera_phones to help them catch celebrities at play it could be the start of trend that only increases as higher resolution phone cameras become more widespread as video phones catch on and millions of people start carrying the gadgets around only last week the world media highlighted the killing of the dutch film maker theo van gogh notorious after making controversial film about islamic culture one day later de telegraaf daily amsterdam newspaper became news on its own when it published picture taken with mobile phone of mr van goghs body moments after he was killed this picture was the story said de telegraafs image editor peter schoonen other accounts of such picture phone users witnessing news events include flight from switzerland to the dominican republic which turned around after someone took picture of piece of metal falling from the plane as it took off from zurich reported by the swiss daily le matin two crooks who robbed bank in denmark were snapped before they carried out the crime waiting for the doors of the building to be opened reported by the danish regional paper aarhus stiftstidende but this is not just about traditional media lending immediacy to their stories with content from ordinary people it is also about first-hand journalism in the form of online diaries or weblogs it has been called open source news or even moblog journalism and it has flourished in the recent us election campaign not many people walk around with their cameras but they always have their mobile phones with them if something happens suddenly all these mobiles sort of appear from nowhere and start taking pictures said digital artist henry reichhold he himself uses mobile phone pictures to create huge panoramic images of events and places you see it in bars you see it everywhere its massive thing mr reichhold told the bbc_news website with some picture agencies already paying for exclusive phone pictures especially of celebrities there are also fears about the possible downside of this phenomenon it could become nuisance for public figures as higher resolution picture phones hit the market with five megapixel models already being launched in asia already on us photojournal site buzznet there is public album full of snaps of celebrities many of which were taken with camera_phones tabloid newspapers in the uk and many monthly magazines invite readers to send in images of famous people they have seen and snapped but there are other positive uses of picture mobile phones that may balance these uses for instance in alabama in the us camera_phones will be used to take snaps at crime scenes involving children and help the authorities to arrest and prosecute paedophiles and in chinas capital beijing courts have adopted mobile phone photos as formal evidence for henry reichhold this is progress thats the whole thing about the immediacy of the thing can see that happening lot more
mogul wilson backing uk rap band tony wilson the music mogul who established the influential factory records in the 1980s is to launch new label convinced he has discovered his third major band factory were the label of both joy_division who became new order after singer ian curtis committed suicide and the happy mondays now wilson believes rap act raw_t signed to his f4 label the fourth incarnation of factory will complete the hat-trick suddenly when raw_t came into my life realised they are my third major band he told bbc world services the music biz programme the group are set to release their first single on february and follow it up with an album realise and witness in march wilson has twice tried to resurrect factory which lasted for years before folding but conceded these efforts had been despondent and dismal experiences but it has not put him off of all the things do in my life the most exciting thing ive ever done and the thing have most loved is being part of record company he added the idea of working with brilliant young musicians and being close to the centre of popular culture is just the biggest thrill in my life wilson explained how his son persuaded him to go and see raw_t but he had initially been reluctant saying he detested young british people rapping its always inauthentic its always crass it never really works for me he said went to see this group raw_t which stands for realise and witness talent and like everyone else in the room that night we were utterly blown away wilson believes raw_t could be to f4 as joy_division were to factory records the story of factory records which also owned the legendary hacienda club in manchester was told in the michael winterbottom film hour party people in which wilson was played by steve coogan wilson stressed that the independent music scene remained as important as it had been during the 1980s when labels such as factory and rough trade proliferated he pointed out that franz_ferdinand and the white stripes perhaps the two most important bands since the millennium were signed to indies think that is reflection of how useful and how powerful the indie philosophy is and how bands prefer it he added they can make more money that way its more generous relationship and also its more understanding relationship think independents are in wonderful position at this moment in time
moreno debut makes oscar mark catalina sandino moreno has joined rare group of actresses who have been nominated for an oscar for starring in foreign language film the colombian-born actress was the final hope for director joshua marston who scoured the us and colombia for lead for maria full of grace the film sees the 23-year-old play teenage drug mule who smuggles heroin by swallowing pellets in condoms plaudits have been raining down on her for her gritty performance making it all the more surprising that this is her first film her previous acting experience was in amateur productions in her home city of bogota at the ruben di pietro theatre academy she has already received nomination for the independent spirit awards leading actress category but these rarely overlap with academy awards instead recognising quirkier low-budget films and at the berlin film festival the jury could not choose between her and charlize therons oscar winning performance in monster so gave them tied award sandino moreno is now being regarded as one of the most promising actresses around at the moment but she is taking her time committing to her next project hoping to land strong spanish script and would love to be able to work with directors pedro almodovar or alejandro amenabar
moya clinches cup for spain spain won the davis_cup for the second time in their history when carlos_moya beat the usas andy_roddick in the fourth rubber in seville moya won to give the hosts an unassailable lead with only one singles rubber remaining roddick battled hard and had chances in the second set but moyas clay-court expertise proved the difference mardy fish beat tommy_robredo in the final dead rubber to cut spains winning margin to spains only other davis_cup title came in when they beat australia in barcelona this time they chose to play the final in seville and the citys olympic stadium was revamped to allow for record crowd for competitve tennis event of spectators and the home fans gave vociferous support to their players with 18-year-old nadal and moya winning both fridays singles rubbers american twins mike and bob bryan gave the visitors hope with victory over juan_carlos ferrero and tommy_robredo in saturdays doubles but it remained an uphill task for us team far happier on hard courts than clay and french open champion moya had too much for world number two roddick this has been incredible the moment ive been waiting for for years said moya who missed out in through injury ive prepared myself for this day knew that playing on clay would have my chances to win the davis_cup is my dream cant ask for more there is nothing bigger than what ive lived today moya stormed into lead on his way to taking the first set against roddick and recovered immediately from dropping serve in the second the match came down to two tie-breaks and moya dominated both clinching victory on his third match point wild celebrations followed with an emotional moya congratulated by his team-mates including nadal who at years and days becomes the youngest ever victor in davis_cup history think we put up better fight here than in paris two years ago said roddick who was on the us team which lost to france in the semi-finals at roland garros they were just better than us this weekend have nothing to be ashamed of gave it my all am not going to walk out of here with my head down thats for sure theres no miracle answer we have to improve
moya emotional after davis_cup win carlos_moya described spains davis_cup victory as the highlight of his career after he beat andy_roddick to end the usas challenge in seville moya made up for missing spains victory through injury by beating roddick to give the hosts an unassailable lead have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day said moya all my energy has been focused on today what have lived today do not think will live again spains only other davis_cup title came two years ago in valencia when they beat australia and moya nicknamed charly admitted the davis_cup is my dream and was bit nervous at the outset some people have said that am obsessed but think that it is better this way it helps me reach my goals if am obsessed its really incredible to get the winning point is really something spanish captain jordi arrese said charly played great game it was his opportunity and he hasnt let us down he had lost three times to roddick and this was his day to beat him he had been waiting years to be in this position spains victory was also remarkable for the performance of rafael_nadal who beat roddick in the opening singles aged years and days the mallorcan became the youngest player to win the davis_cup what great way to finish the year said nadal afterwards us coach patrick mcenroe wants roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up little bit and to play little bit smarter and tactically better obviously its unrealistic to say that were going to just start playing constantly on clay with the schedule but certainly think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff said mcenroe roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of sevilles olympic stadium its just tough because felt like was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay-courters in the world said the american had my chances and just didnt convert them the bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend they came out took care of business and they beat us its as simple as that
moya emotional at davis_cup win carlos_moya described spains davis_cup victory as the highlight of his career after he beat andy_roddick to end the usas challenge in seville moya made up for missing spains victory through injury by beating roddick to give the hosts an unassailable lead have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day said moya all my energy has been focused on today what have lived today do not think will live again spains only other davis_cup title came two years ago in valencia when they beat australia and moya nicknamed charly admitted the davis_cup is my dream and was bit nervous at the outset some people have said that am obsessed but think that it is better this way it helps me reach my goals if am obsessed its really incredible to get the winning point is really something spanish captain jordi arrese said charly played great game it was his opportunity and he hasnt let us down he had lost three times to roddick and this was his day to beat him he had been waiting years to be in this position spains victory was also remarkable for the performance of rafael_nadal who beat roddick in the opening singles aged years and days the mallorcan became the youngest player to win the davis_cup what great way to finish the year said nadal afterwards us coach patrick mcenroe wants roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up little bit and to play little bit smarter and tactically better obviously its unrealistic to say that were going to just start playing constantly on clay with the schedule but certainly think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff said mcenroe roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of sevilles olympic stadium its just tough because felt like was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay-courters in the world said the american had my chances and just didnt convert them the bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend they came out took care of business and they beat us its as simple as that
moya fights back for indian title carlos_moya became the first man to successfully defend the chennai open title by beating four-times finalist paradorn srichaphan the spaniard then donated his prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the asian_tsunami the final was close throughout with thai second seed srichaphan the winner closing out the first set but moya took the second set before bouncing back from down in the decider to force and win tie-break moya confirmed afterwards im donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims hoping it makes some difference to their lives his contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament which went ahead after the december disaster which has so far claimed at least lives scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in thailand where more_than people were killed the atp has announced that it would contribute the us$25,000 tournament fee to unicefs emergency relief fund in tamil nadu the atp tours sponsor mercedes said it would also contribute increasing the atp donation to us$40,000
moya sidesteps davis_cup in carlos_moya has chosen not to help spain try and defend the davis_cup crown they won in seville in november moya led spain to victory over the usa but wants to focus on the grand_slams in although insists he will return to the davis_cup in after two years of total commitment with the davis_cup team have taken this difficult decision to concentrate on the regular circuit said moya they know that after this season they can count on me again if they so wish the french open champion is determined to make an impact in the major events after spending much of the last eight years in the top at the age of have set some tough goals in my professional career and this season need to fix my objectives on specific dates and tournaments he said since the davis_cup in seville have been working on my condition as well as technical and medical aspects of my game which will allow me to come into the big events of the year in top form moya began with victory in the chennai open on sunday
moya suffers shock loss fifth seed carlos_moya was the first big name to fall at the australian_open as he went down to fellow spaniard guillermo garcia-lopez on monday moya began the year with victory at the chennai open but looked out of sorts from the start in the melbourne heat garcia-lopez ranked in the world dominated from the outset and withstood third-set rally from moya to hang on for victory the 21-year-old plays kevin kim or lee hyuung-taik in the second round garcia-lopez was delighted with the victory in only his third ever grand_slam match think this was the most important win of my life as carlos is one of the best players in the world he said this has given me lot of confidence now feel can beat all these players moya said was playing well before came here it was the perfect preparation but something was wrong today four-time champion andre_agassi began what could be his last australian_open with convincing win over german qualifier dieter kindlmann the 34-year-old american who had been struggling with hip injury earlier in the week stormed to win agassi will play frances olivier patience or germanys rainer schuettler the man he beat in the final in the next round no one was more concerned about the injury than myself said eighth_seed agassi id worked hard to be down here and ready but the last few days ive pushed through the injury and it seemed to do pretty good in other matches world junior champion gael monfils made use of his wild_card with magnificent win over american robby ginepri the champion thomas johansson fought back to beat peter luczak and french open champion gaston gaudio beat justin gimelstob seeds dominik_hrbaty ivan_ljubicic and mario_ancic made comfortable progress but former french open champion albert costa lost to bjorn phau
mps quiz aides over royal income senior officials at the two bodies generating private income for the queen and prince of wales are to be questioned by mps aides from the duchy of lancaster and duchy of cornwall will appear before the commons public accounts committee it has been reported they could be questioned about prince charles spending on camilla parker bowles but bbc correspondent peter hunt said they are not responsible for how money is spent and may be unable to answer duchy officials who will appear before the committee on monday are only responsible for generating money the duchy of lancaster provides the queens private income while the duchy of cornwall provides prince charles annual income the duchy of cornwall is 140,000-acre estate across counties and also includes residential properties shops offices stocks and shares it was set up in by king edward iii to provide income for successive heirs to the throne it covers the cost of the princes public and private life neither charles nor william and harry receive taxpayers money from the civil list however the prince of wales did receive over 4m from government departments and grants-in-aid in the duchy last year generated almost 12m the prince has voluntarily paid income tax currently since
mps shock at long lost daughter labour mp stephen pound has told of his shock and his joy on learning he fathered daughter when he was out of control during the wild 1960s lucy tracked down mr pound after her birth mother told her he was known as precious at school despite being told he was nutter who died at sea she found reference to mr pound on friends reunited lucys mother kept her pregnancy secret and had her adopted at four weeks mr pound found out about it last year that happened when lucy wrote to his parliamentary office saying she believed he was her father mr pound who is now married with two other teenage children said was nutter and was sailor but wasnt dead he said his first reaction was to wonder if he was victim of set-up but he then realised all the dates fitted it was pretty horrible thing with pretty happy ending felt guilt in the marrow of my bones said the ealing north mp dont blame lucys mother was pretty much out of control was when she was conceived it was different time it was pretty wild mr pound says he rang lucy as soon as he got her letter they met up and have been in contact ever since describing that first meeting at londons king cross station he said the earth went from under my feet we were walking across the euston road and took her arm to take her across and there was an immediate connection we were finishing each other sentences lucy who was adopted by family from essex wants to remain anonymous for the sake of her adoptive father and her children mr pound said his wife maggie had been fully supportive and their two children emily and pelham were pleased to have an older sister
mrs howard gets key election role michael_howards ex-model wife sandra is to play leading role in the conservative election campaign mrs howard will make solo visits to target seats as well as accompanying her husband on his helicopter campaign trail criss-crossing the country mr howard will host news conference at the partys london hq every morning tory co-chairman_liam fox said we want michael to be as accessible as possible mr fox said adding that the party was not afraid of scrutiny the tory_leader wanted to meet as many ordinary members of the public mr fox said tony_blair has also said he is intending to get out and talk to as many people as possible during the election campaign but labour campaign chiefs say there are no plans for mr blair to hold daily news conference mr fox responded by accusing the prime_minister of hiding away from the scrutiny of londons media the liberal_democrats also say they are planning to hold daily news conferences with charles_kennedy on mrs howards role mr fox said sandra has already been campaigning with michael on number of visits and has been undertaking short visits herself that pattern will continue its worked very well up until now mrs howard made her debut speech at the conservative party conference in bournemouth last october she used her speech on the fringe to highlight the work of drugs charity addaction which she supports mrs howard has also appeared along side her husband on tv chat shows during an interview on itv1s this morning she said she often criticised her husband for not showing the side of him that she knows
mumbai bombs movie postponed the release of film about the mumbai bombay blasts in has been postponed following protests by those on trial for the bombings investigating the blasts which killed more_than people and wounded the film black friday had been due to open across india on friday but people accused in connection with the blasts said it should not be screened until the trial is over mumbai high court postponed the films launch until february black friday is based upon the novel of the same name written by journalist hussain zaidi which looks at the explosions which rocked mumbai on march director anurag kashyap said the films release should not be delayed as the book has already been on sale for two years if you have not gone against the book then how can you go against the movie mr kashyaps lawyer mihir desai said this is the second time that those accused in connection with the blasts have sought legal intervention regarding the film they previously asked that line from the movies poster which claimed the film portrayed the true story of the bombay bomb blasts be removed their lawyer majeed memon said we had argued that how can film say it is telling the true story when the court itself is struggling to find the truth so we said they should remove the line from their promotional posters and they did give us an assurance that they would do so the mumbai bombings case is one of indias longest-running trials special court was set up to hear the case and regular hearings have taken place there for the last nine years with more_than six hundred witnesses questioned
murray to make cup history andrew murray will become britains youngest-ever davis_cup player after it was confirmed he will play in the doubles against israel on saturday the 17-year-old will play alongside fellow debutant david sherwood against israels jonathan erlich and andy ram murray will eclipse the record set by roger becker back in greg_rusedski takes tim henmans place as first choice in the singles while alex bogdanovic will play in the second singles clash rusedski will take on former world number harel levy and bogdanovic who has previously played in two singles rubbers against australia will face noam okun murray is the brightest young hope in british tennis after winning the us open junior title last year and the bbc young sports personality of the year british number one tim_henman who announced his davis_cup retirement earlier this year believes britain can win the tie in tel aviv its going to be as really tough match israel have some really good players and their doubles pair of andy ram and jonathan erlich are among the top eight in the world but fancy our chances he said but henman urged bogdanovic who has had run-ins with british tennis officials in the past to seize his chance alex is quality player hes young but hes got to keep pushing forward hes got to be stronger hes got lot of ability but hes got to be more disciplined mentally and physically and if he does that hes got good chance
music man to the oscars bill contis job of musical director of the oscars show is not for the faint-hearted since conducting the orchestra is the ultimate plate-spinning assignment this year marks contis 17th turn at the helm of the academy awards orchestra the excitement is live performance as musician he says all of your colleagues everyone in the film industry is in the theatre all the important people guess its just television show but we always think its bit more the orchestra strikes up more_than times during the average oscars show as well as playing the presenters and winners on and off stage it also performs during the commercial breaks to entertain the live audience in the house its very busy evening it takes certain amount of preparation of music orchestrating sketching rehearsing before the show but you dont know what the unexpected will be and as the musical director its exciting explains conti and much of the preparation goes into mastering scores that will never be performed we dont know who the winners will be so when they say the winner is we have five different pieces of music in front of us they say the name we play the appropriate one immediately adds conti the orchestra is often called upon to play when the winners ramble on too long during their acceptance speeches despite being told to be brief by the shows producers the decision to drown out or kill the offending star with music is relayed from the directors box to the orchestra via contis earpiece dont feel good about it at all its not my call though he says when the director says music the orchestra plays and he takes long shot of the hall we dont usually see the person speaking while his microphone is cut off the person thats been cut off whos feet from me is glaring at me like its death time on occasions some stars have taken it upon themselves to send warning shot across the bows of the musical director before they start to speak julia_roberts when she came on she asked me to not get ready to play because she had so much to do he says conti received an oscar in for the original score of the right stuff he also received two nominations in the original song category in for gonna fly now from rocky and in for the title song from for your eyes only its moment in the sun he says when people get up there some people this is hard to believe people that spend their lives in front of the camera or audiences entertaining might get little flustered but theres this moment in time when the biggest award that they could possibly get in their life has been handed to them and theyre either not in control or they want to thank everyone that they ever met the image of the oscars telecast is one of slick presentation and smooth transitions between performances and the award categories behind the scenes the key players such as conti have bewildering array of technical props to deal with theres big script and video monitors you have to watch and there are also audio controls can control hearing in my ears the left ear or the right ear different things at different times have to communicate with the director have little microphone thats attached to my headset to open up that microphone have footswitch he explains contis most nerve-wracking moment came during his first oscars show as musical director in when member of the orchestra alerted him that they could smell smoke conti immediately told the shows director start cursing and screaming tell him were not going to die for this show you must do something or im going to climb out of this pit with musicians and were going to be home in minutes oh no bill dont do anything came the response imagine these elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen of the orchestra or so of them in the pit and while were playing firemen with their helmets and their hatchets crawling among us trying to find the reason for the smoke the smell turned out to be new paint smouldering on the music stands no one died its not big story but it was scary at the time laughs conti when the ceremony is over the music director attends the annual governors ball with his family have drink and relive the show he says im not for too much carousing go home and unwind it takes me about day
music mogul fuller sells company pop_idol supremo simon fuller has sold his entertainment company to an us entrepreneur in $156m 81.5m deal robert sillermans sports entertainment enterprises which is to be renamed cfx recently also bought an share in the estate of elvis_presley mr fuller has been appointed to the cfx board and will plan and implement the companys creative strategy the firm handles roster of music artists tv shows and pr strategies for stars including the beckhams the deal sees mr fuller receive 64.5m in cash and about million shares in sports entertainment there will also be further 19.2m in either cash or stocks by the end of the financial year in june mr fuller has signed long-term agreement with the company which will see him continue to expand and develop entertainment brands he said this is hugely exciting new partnership for myself and entertainment ckx will provide with powerful platform for global growth and allow us to fully take advantage of all the amazing opportunities that lie ahead cannot wait to get started mr fuller was the creative drive behind pop_idol and its us offspring american idol management runs the careers of many of its successful contestants including will young gareth gates and kelly clarkson the company was set up years ago by mr fuller taking the name from his first successful single by paul hardcastle fuller was the driving force behind the spice girls phenomenon using canny marketing and catchy pop songs to secure their place as the most lucrative girl group in history he then put together club who had their own tv show as well as music career mr sillermans deal to buy the presley estate sees him control the operation of graceland as well as money from the late stars music and films presleys daughter lisa marie retains possession of graceland and many of her fathers personal effects
musical treatment for capra film the classic film its wonderful life is to be turned into musical by the producer of the controversial hit show jerry springer the opera frank capras movie starring james stewart is being turned into 7m musical by producer jon thoday he is working with steve brown who wrote the award-winning musical spend spend spend spokeswoman said the plans were in the very early stages with no cast opening date or theatre announced series of workshops have been held in london and on wednesday cast of singers unveiled the musical to select group of potential investors mr thoday said the idea of turning the film into musical had been an ambition of his for almost years its wonderful life was based on short story the greatest gift by philip van doren stern mr thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from van doren sterns family in following mr browns success with spend spend spend he later secured the film rights from paramount enabling them to use the title its wonderful life
musicians to tackle us red_tape musicians groups are to tackle us visa regulations which are blamed for hindering british acts chances of succeeding across the atlantic singer hoping to perform in the us can expect to pay simply for obtaining visa groups including the musicians union are calling for an end to the raw deal faced by british performers us acts are not faced with comparable expense and bureaucracy when visiting the uk for promotional purposes nigel mccune from the musicians union said british musicians are disadvantaged compared to their us counterparts sponsor has to make petition on their behalf which is form amounting to nearly pages while musicians face tougher regulations than athletes and journalists if you make mistake on your form you risk five-year ban and thus the ability to further your career says mr mccune the us is the worlds biggest music market which means something has to be done about the creaky bureaucracy says mr mccune the current situation is preventing british acts from maintaining momentum and developing in the us he added the musicians union stance is being endorsed by the music managers forum mmf who say british artists face an uphill struggle to succeed in the us thanks to the tough visa requirements which are also seen as impractical the mmfs general secretary james seller said imagine if you were an orchestra from the orkneys every member would have to travel to london to have their visas processed the us market is seen as the holy grail and one of the benchmarks of success and were still going to fight to get in there its still very important but there are other markets like europe india and china added mr seller department for media culture and sport spokeswoman said were aware that people are experiencing problems and are working with the us embassy and record industry to see what we can do about it us embassy spokesman said we are aware that entertainers require visas for time-specific visas and are doing everything we can to process those applications speedily we are aware of the importance of cultural exchange and we will do our best to facilitate that he added
muslim group attacks tv drama british muslim group has criticised the new series of us drama which is about to be aired on sky one claiming it portrays islam unfairly the muslim council of britain has complained to broadcasting watchdog ofcom it says the programme breaches editorial guidelines the groups members met with sky executives on tuesday after viewing previews of the first five episodes the drama now in its fourth series begins on sunday evening the new series portrays muslim family as sleeper terrorist cell the muslim council of britain said in statement we are greatly concerned by the unremittingly hostile and unbalanced portrayal of muslims in this series of based upon preview of the first five episodes that we have seen there is not single positive muslim character in the storyline to date at time when negative stereotypes of muslims are on the increase we feel that sky as major uk broadcaster has responsibility to challenge these insidious views not help to reinforce them but sky denied the programme breached broadcasting guidelines spokesperson said during useful meeting yesterday sky listened to the concerns raised by representatives of the council sky does not believe that the episodes that it has reviewed to date breach ofcoms programme code fox tv which shows the series in the us is broadcasting public service announcements showing muslims in positive light after complaints about the series
mutant book wins guardian prize book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the guardian first book award armand marie leroi lecturer at londons imperial college scooped the prize for mutants on the form varieties and errors of the human body it is profoundly cultured and beautifully written in the very best tradition of popular science writing today said judge claire armistead the award recognises and rewards new writing across fiction and non-fiction panel of literary experts including novelists hari kunzru and ali smith director sir richard eyre and comedian alexei sayle chose the winner from five-strong shortlist the shortlist included susanna clarkes jonathan strange and mr norrell novel about the magic arts at the turn of the 19th_century and the places in between rory stewarts account of his trek on foot across afghanistan what we found so impressive about armand marie lerois book was the scope of its reference its elegance and its inquisitiveness said ms armistead chair of the judges and the guardian literary editor while the subject matter of mutants unsettled some involved in the judging process the overwhelming majority found it fascinating she added her words were echoed by iris director sir richard eyre who called marie lerois work extraordinarily thought provoking the award for first time authors is open to books from genres including fiction poetry biography memoir history politics science and current affairs previous winners include white teeth by zadie smith in which went on to become bestseller
my memories of marley to mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of reggae star bob marley rob partridge marleys former head of press at island records remembers the man behind the legend partridge worked with marley from until the jamaican musicians death in joined island records in and the first week was there worked on his show at the rainbow theatre it was one of the last dates he did in london the album exodus came out in and that provided five hits and confirmed his global superstar status by he was the biggest touring attraction in the world remember going to see dates in milan and turin and they were enormous concerts bob was one of the most mesmeric people ive ever had the privilege to work with he must have had an iron will to succeed bob was very driven individual you realised from the start there was manifest destiny within him that he believed in he didnt suffer fools gladly at the risk of stating the obvious he was an extraordinary song writer and his stage act was perhaps the greatest ive ever seen saw him many times recall in he came to the uk for top of the pops and daily mirror journalist did half-hour interview it was interrupted to do rehearsal he came back into the dressing_room to resume the interview but saw world cup match on tv he sat down in front of the tv and after minutes it was obvious he wasnt going to move that was the end of it the mirror had very truncated interview the last time saw him was in london in arranged for him to play four days of football indoors in fulham bob was good player we are talking about jamaican-style football he was an attacking midfield player his team assembled wherever his gigs were we played in brazil against some world cup-winning players it was always struggle for him to connect with black america reggae did not correspond with disco in the 70s but bob in the 1990s became one of the great icons in america and the third world in ten years after his death he sold more records than at any time during his life we saw black america taking bob into their hearts for the first time bob in worldwide terms is the greatest music star there has ever been if you went to africa he would be recognised everywhere in places john lennon or elvis wouldnt be no disrespect to the other artists but case can be made for him as the greatest the best and the most influential artist in popular music well was to be the year he toured africa with stevie_wonder he had only performed in zimbabwe and guinea before of course the tour never happened but the whole of africa would have embraced him we cant speculate but he was at the height of his powers and just years old had no sense his career was going to go downhill bob was endlessly optimistic about the way africa would turn out he realised that nothing was perfect but he had total belief in the power of mankind im sure if he were alive today he would believe africa would firstly become politically free and secondly be able to defeat the aids epidemic the final tune of his final album was redemption song one of the most incredible classics of all time
nadal marches on in mexico rafael_nadal continued his run of fine form to beat guillermo canas and reach the mexican open semis in acapulco eighth_seed nadal who picked up his second atp title when he beat alberto martin in last weeks brazil open saw off the argentine third seed he now meets argentine wild_card mariano puerta who followed up his win over top seed carlos_moya by overcoming spains felix mantilla czech fifth seed czech jiri novak was eliminated by agustin calleri the unseeded argentine who won the tournament two years ago now plays spains albert montanes montanes advanced to his first semi-final of the year with triumph over sixth-seeded italian filippo volandri argentinas agustin calleri beat fourth seed jiri novak in battle of former champions at the mexican open calleri won his only atp title in acapulco two years ago while novak won the singles and doubles titles in calleri will face albert montanes in the semi-finals after the spaniard ousted sixth seed filippo volandri of italy argentine wild_card mariano puerta continued his improbable run outlasting felix mantilla
nadal puts spain up result nadal roddick spains rafael_nadal beats andy_roddick of the usa in the second singles match rubber of the davis_cup final in seville spain lead after carlos_moya beat mardy fish in straight sets in the opening match of the tie nadal holds his nerve and the crowd goes wild as spain go up in the tie roddick holds serve to force nadal to serve for the match but the american surely cannot turn things around now nadal works roddick around the court on two consecutive points to earn two break points one is enough the spaniard secures the double-break and roddick is now teetering on the edge roddick is trying to gee himself up but the clay surface is taking its toll on his game and he is looking tired nadal wins the game to love nadal steps up the pressure to break and spain have the early initiative in the fourth set nadal also holds convincingly as both players feel their way into the fourth set roddick shrugs off the disappointment of losing the third-set tiebreak and breezes through his first service game of the fourth set nadal earns the first mini-break in the tiebreak as the match enters its fourth hour couple of stunning points follow one where nadal chases down roddick shot and turns into passing winner then roddick produces some amazing defence at the net to take the score to roddick has two serves for the set but double-faults to take the score to nadal saves roddick set point then earns his own with drive volley and crosscourt passing winner sends the crowd wild nadal tries to up his aggression and he passes roddick down the line to go and two set points up roddick saves the first with desperate lunge volley and smacks volley winner across the court to take the score back to deuce before securing the game the set will go to another tiebreak nadal enjoys another straightforward hold and roddick must once again serve to stay in the set roddick again holds on despite some brilliant shot-making from his opponent nadal races through his service game to put the pressure straight back onto roddick roddick hangs in on his serve to level matters but nadal is making him fight for every point nadal could be suffering disappointment hangover from the previous game as he goes down and then has to save break point after tremendous rally in which he is forced into some brilliant defence but it pays off and the spaniard edges ahead in the set roddicks serve is not firing as ferociously as usual and has to rely on his sheer competitive determination to stay in the set three times nadal forces break point and three times the world number two hangs in and roddicks grit pays off as he manages to hold roddick still looks bit sluggish but he attacks the net and is rewarded with break point which nadal saves with good first serve and the spaniard goes on to hold there is disruption in play as roddick is upset about something in the crowd the spanish captain gets involved as does the match referee but it is unclear what the problem is one thing for certain is that the crowd are roused into support of nadal and they go wild when roddick loses the next point and goes break point down roddick saves the break point and then bangs down his ninth ace before clinching the game with service winner the game passes the two-hour mark as nadal holds serve to edge ahead in the third set now roddick has to defend break point and he produces characteristic ace to save it it is immediately followed by another and he holds with little dinked half-volley winner roddick is looking little leaden-footed but does carve out break point for himself but he plays it poorly and nadal avoids the danger roddick has gone off the boil and again struggles he fails to get down properly for low forehand volley and gives nadal three break points the american blasts an ace to save one but follows up with double fault and the rubber is level nadal edges towards taking the second set with comfortable hold two good serves put roddick up but he then makes couple of errors to find himself down he saves the break point with an ace and then manages to hold roddicks level has dropped while nadal is on hot streak the spaniard includes superb crosscourt winner off the back foot as he races through his service game without dropping point roddick double-faults twice and nadal takes full advantage of the break point offered powering passing winner past roddick nadal wins another tight game neither player has dipped from the high standard of play in the first set nadal puts the american under pressure and roddick saves break point with superb stop volley before going on to hold nadal puts the disappointment of losing the first-set tiebreak to claim the opening game in the second roddick double-faults to concede the first mini-break and then nadal loops crosscourt winner to seize advantage in the tiebreak he lets one slip but wins his next serve to earn three set points but roddick saves them and then earns one himself nadal comes up with down-the-line winner but then nets tamely on roddicks next set point nadals nerve is tested as he tries to force tiebreak both players come up with some scintillating tennis and the spaniard has several chances to clinch the game before finally doing so when roddick drives wide pulsating game sees nadal racing round the court retrieving and refusing to give roddick any easy points the point of the match so far involves roddicks slam-dunk smash being returned by nadal before roddick finally manages to end the rally on the very next point nadal blasts forehand service return from right of court that passes roddick and even the american is forced to applaud but roddick comes up with two big serves to polish off the game nadal outplays roddick to reach but the american fights back to before nadals powerful crosscourt forehand winner secures the game the crowd are getting very involved cheering between roddicks first and second serves but the american comes through to hold and edge ahead in the set nadal manages to hold again despite roddick piling the pressure on his serve the spaniard wins the game courtesy of another lucky net cord roddick double faults buts manages to keep his composure well-placed serve is unreturnable and roddick holds powerful ace down the middle gives nadal simple love service game the first time he has held serve so far in the match if roddick didnt know before he knows now that he is in real contest another superb game as nadal breaks to once again lift the roof he produces some fine groundstrokes to leave roddick chasing shadows four of the first five games have seen break of serve despite the disappointment of losing his serve roddick is not phased and storms into lead when the umpire leaves his seat to confirm close line-call nadal takes the next point but roddick breaks again with sharp volley at the net roddicks advantage is short lived as nadal breaks back immediately fortunate net cord helps the spaniard on his way and when roddick fires forehand cross court shot wide to lose his serve nadal pumps his fist in celebration the american is pumped up for this clash and takes on nadals serve from the start nadals drop shot is agonisingly called out and roddick claims the vital first break after moyas win in the opening rubber raucous seville crowd is buoyed by nadals impressive start which sees him race into lead however roddick fights back to hold his serve
navratilova hits out at critics martina navratilova has defended her decision to prolong her tennis career at the age of navratilova who made comeback after retiring in will play doubles and mixed_doubles events in womens tennis is really strong she said dismissing suggestions that the fact she could still win reflected badly on the womens game all can say is im that damn good im sorry but really have to blow my own horn here im still that good navratilova has won three grand_slam mixed_doubles titles since she came out of retirement and she was so encouraged by her form that she decided to resume playing singles winning two of her seven matches she was knocked out in the first round of the french open but reached the second round at wimbledon navratilova will partner nathalie_dechy in the doubles event at the uncle tobys hardcourts tournament on australias gold coast which begins on sunday she will then link up with daniela_hantuchova for the australian_open doubles and play in the mixed_doubles with leander paes might be playing some singles events this season depending on the surface she added
neeson in bid to revive theatre hollywood film star liam_neeson has held dinner party in new_york to promote belfasts lyric theatre the ballymena-born actor said that the theatre on ridgeway street was in very dilapidated condition lyric chairman david johnston has said that rebuilding the theatre at cost of 8m is the only answer mr neeson said that the idea was to get bunch of healthy wealthy irish americans in one room and ask them to help with fundraising the oscar-nominated actor whose films include schindlers list michael collins and star_wars the phantom menace said the lyric is too important to the cultural and social life of northern_ireland for this building to crumble and fall apart it gave me start professionally mary omalley the founder of the theatre gave me my future in those days in the mid-70s when was there we were doing play every four weeks belfast was not pretty town to be living in there was serious trouble as you know but this theatre was like belisha beacon of light and hope six nights week doing everything from shakespeare to yeats to ocasey with group of actors and actresses that affected me very deeply and still do the lyric began years ago but the doors opened at its present site on the stranmillis embankment overlooking the river lagan in as well as liam_neeson it also launched the careers of adrian dunbar and stephen rea and playwrights such as martin lynch and gary mitchell speaking to bbc northern_ireland before the event at new yorks soho house mr neeson said that his spirit belonged to the glens of antrim and he said that there was one figure from his childhood that he would love to portray on the big screen ian paisley he said that the dup leader and preacher was very dynamic extraordinary figure neeson used to listen to his sermons on friday night in ballymena he said what an orator he was from that old school of bible-thumping righteousness but it was so dramatic found him very powerful id love to get chance to play him some time
new harry_potter tops book chart harry_potter and the half-blood prince has topped amazons book chart less than hours after its release date july was announced thousands of customers placed pre-orders on the amazon.co.uk website for the sixth book in the series rowling revealed she had completed the novel on tuesday ahead of the scheduled announcement on december it will be published simultaneously in the uk the us canada australia new zealand and south_africa jk rowlings fifth book in the wizard series harry_potter and order of the phoenix was amazons largest pre-ordered item ever with copies pre-ordered prior to its release in june customers who pre-order harry_potter and the half-blood prince avoid standing in long queues at bookshops on the day of the books release next july the fact that the book has already hit number one in our hot books chart shows how incredibly excited customers are about the sixth harry_potter said amazons robin terrell harry_potter and the half-blood prince takes up the story of harry potters sixth year at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry as lord voldemort grows stronger rowling has already revealed that the half-blood prince is neither harry nor voldemort and she added that the opening chapter of the book had been brewing in her mind for years rowling said she had plenty of time while pregnant to tinker with the manuscript to my satisfaction and am as happy as have ever been with the end result she also previously revealed that character will be killed in the sixth book but she has given no hints as to who it might be following publication of the sixth book just one novel remains to complete the series
new media battle for bafta awards the bbc leads the nominations for the bafta interactive awards including one for the radio times website and one for sport interactives euro coverage the awards which were started in recognise the best websites digital tv shows and cd roms other nominees include the guardian news website the national theatre mtv the science museum and the london stock_exchange the winners from different categories are crowned on march there were nearly entries this year third more_than last year the bbc has nominations while the guardian has three nominations this years nominees are testament to the creative and innovative work going on within the industry said grant dean chair of the interactive committee categories include interactive tv film digital tv mobile phones and music shaun_of_the_dead oasis definitely maybe really bend it like beckham the chaplin collection and the day today will battle it out in the dvd category itvs great british spelling test takes on the bbcs olympics and spooks interactive for the interactive tv award and the guardian takes three of possible five nominations in the news and sport category for its website coverage of euro the tour de france and the us elections the bbcs ican site is up for the technical and social innovation award alongside the likes of nottingham universitys uncle roy all around you in the british academy of film and television decided to split the awards into separate games and interactive ceremonies to fully cover the range of innovation outside the gaming industry
new ukip defection to veritas the uk independence party has lost one of its two london assembly members to robert kilroy-silks new political party expected to launch on wednesday damian hockney said ex-chatshow host mr kilroy-silk would deliver better as the leader of eurosceptic party he said mr kilroy-silk had made him deputy party leader of veritas latin for truth sources close to mr hockney said around eight other members of london ukip were also planning to jump ship details of the coming weeks events were hammered out at meeting at mr kilroy-silks buckinghamshire home on sunday the bbc_news website was told the news came after ukip suspended candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally_insane should be killed john houston was due to stand in the east kilbride seat in lanarkshire at the next election spokesman for ukip called on mr hockney to quit the london assembly ukip asserts that mr hockney has moral obligation if not legal one to stand down mr hockney meanwhile told the bbc believe that robert kilroy-silk can deliver better as leader of eurosceptic party than the current leadership of the uk independence party on the suspension of mr houston ukip said those who selected him knew nothing of his views mr houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally_insane should be made available to law-abiding members of the community and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade the document reportedly said were looking for the resurrection of the british empire the problems for the human race environmental and others can only be dealt with on global scale and that calls for radical alliance of the english-speaking nations which they are uniquely able to do ukip spokesman mark croucher said the main issue would be that mr houstons reported views had been presented as ukip policy which they were not
new_york rockers top talent poll new_york electro-rock group the bravery have come top of the bbc_news websites sound of poll to find the music scenes most promising new act the bravery who have been compared to the cure and new order were the most heavily-tipped act in the survey of impartial critics and broadcasters rock band keane won sound of while us rapper 50_cent topped sound of other new artists in this years list include london indie group bloc party at second and uk rapper kano third the bravery played their first gig in and have since supported bands including the libertines interpol and echo and the bunnymen they were the subject of record company bidding_war in and their debut single unconditional caused huge buzz when it was released in the uk in november singer sam endicott said he felt great about coming top of the sound of list anyone that says they dont want zillion screaming fans is jackass liar he said one of the experts to tip the bravery was the times music critic paul connolly who said they were spiky but in love with pop chris hawkins host of bbc musics chart show said the band had great guitars and mastery of the electro-clash sound the bravery are proof alone that new_york city is still home to hot new talent he said alison howe producer of tv show later with jools holland booked the group to appear the day after seeing them at west london pub they played like they were headlining the main stage at glastonbury she said great songs good look touch of attitude and cracking live band magazine reviews editor ted kessler said they were pretty-boy new_york clothes horses with an unusually nimble ear for concise yearning pop in the mould of duran duran or the strokes other pundits to take part in the survey included bbc radio dj trevor nelson nme editor conor mcnicholas top of the pops presenter fearne cotton glastonbury organiser emily eavis and bbc radio music editor colin martin elsewhere on the top second-placed rock band bloc party began their rise after supporting franz_ferdinand and uk garage mc kano in third is signed to the streets record label us rapper the game is hip-hop great dr dres latest protege while leeds group kaiser chiefs came fifth with promise to lead britpop revival in last years survey keane were followed by franz_ferdinand razorlight and joss_stone in the top five all of whom were virtually unknown outside the music industry at that point boy band mcfly were sixth while scissor sisters who had the uks best-selling album of were seventh in the survey the pundits were asked for tips for three acts they thought were capable of reaching the top in their chosen genre either in terms of sales or critical_acclaim the artists could be from any country and any musical genre but must not have had uk top single been contestant on tv talent show or already be famous for doing something else such as soap actor those tips were then counted and compiled to make the top
new_york rockers top talent poll new_york electro-rock group the bravery have come top of the bbc_news websites sound of poll to find the music scenes most promising new act the bravery who have been compared to the cure and new order were the most heavily-tipped act in the survey of impartial critics and broadcasters rock band keane won sound of while us rapper 50_cent topped sound of other new artists in this years list include london indie group bloc party at second and uk rapper kano third the bravery played their first gig in and have since supported bands including the libertines interpol and echo and the bunnymen they were the subject of record company bidding_war in and their debut single unconditional caused huge buzz when it was released in the uk in november singer sam endicott said he felt great about coming top of the sound of list anyone that says they dont want zillion screaming fans is jackass liar he said one of the experts to tip the bravery was the times music critic paul connolly who said they were spiky but in love with pop chris hawkins host of bbc musics chart show said the band had great guitars and mastery of the electro-clash sound the bravery are proof alone that new_york city is still home to hot new talent he said nigel harding head of music at london rock radio station xfm said every track from their live set sounded like potential single unconditional reached the summit of the stations listeners chart within fortnight of its first play which mr harding described as an unheard of achievement for debut single magazine reviews editor ted kessler said they were pretty-boy new_york clothes horses with an unusually nimble ear for concise yearning pop in the mould of duran duran or the strokes other pundits to take part in the survey included bbc radio dj trevor nelson nme editor conor mcnicholas top of the pops presenter fearne cotton glastonbury organiser emily eavis and bbc radio music editor colin martin elsewhere on the top second-placed rock band bloc party began their rise after supporting franz_ferdinand and uk garage mc kano in third is signed to the streets record label us rapper the game is hip-hop great dr dres latest protege while leeds group kaiser chiefs came fifth with promise to lead britpop revival in last years survey keane were followed by franz_ferdinand razorlight and joss_stone in the top five all of whom were virtually unknown outside the music industry at that point boy band mcfly were sixth while scissor sisters who had the uks best-selling album of were seventh in the survey the pundits were asked for tips for three acts they thought were capable of reaching the top in their chosen genre either in terms of sales or critical_acclaim the artists could be from any country and any musical genre but must not have had uk top single been contestant on tv talent show or already be famous for doing something else such as soap actor those tips were then counted and compiled to make the top
newcastle gloucester newcastle centre mathew_tait answered his critics as he scored one try and made another but he could not stop gloucester grabbing draw the falcons were down at the break before tait recently axed by england after just one six_nations outing inspired his side to lead last-gasp touchdown from luke narraway pulled the visitors level but gloucester missed out on victory when henry paul fluffed the conversion and seti kiole was denied late try newcastle had couple of chances at the start of the second half with line-outs in the corner but they failed to make them count until joe shaw found dave walder who released mark mayerholfer in his own the former all black broke clear and popped the ball up for tait on halfway he chipped ahead for michael stephenson to scorch through for the try which walder converted to give newcastle lifeline they grabbed it with both hands mayerhofler breaking through and tait making brilliant early run to cut inside and race 30m to score walder converted to make it before he was just wide with 40m penalty in the 70th minute mayerhofler then scythed through the middle for try after hall charlton popped the ball up and walders conversion took newcastle ahead with three minutes of normal time left narraway was driven over for try in the corner which levelled the scores at henry missed the conversion but gloucester nearly won it when kiole broke through only to be hauled down by charlton and tom may walder may tait mayerhofler stephenson wilkinson grindal isaacson long ward gross hamilton mccarthy harris dowson replacements peel wilson thompson parling sititi charlton shaw goodridge garvey simpson-daniel fanolua kiole paul gomarsall wood curnier powell eustace brown forrester buxton balding replacements elloway sigley cornwell narraway page davies mauger
newcastle to join morientes race newcastle have joined the race to sign real madrid striker fernando_morientes and scupper liverpools bid to snap up the player according to reports liverpool were reported to have bid 3.5m for the 28-year-old spanish international this week but the liverpool echo newspaper has said anfield boss rafa benitez will avoid bidding_war and instead turn his attentions to nicolas_anelka real are believed to still want 7m before selling morientes monaco are also in the race for the player they had on loan last season reports suggest liverpool will lift their offer to 5m the highest they are willing to go before bowing out of any deal on tuesday morientes had said like liverpool and am pleased that club of their stature want to buy me have told madrid that want it to happen madrid know my situation and they know they must do something about me they must sort out the situation by being sensible am in position where want to play and will have to look elsewhere to do that if madrid do not want me then its in the best interests of everyone that they are realistic havent spoken to rafa benitez but have always appreciated his work and would like to play for him but benitez could yet turn his attentions to the younger anelka should morientes be reluctant to pledge his future to liverpool anelka previously played at anfield under gerard houllier before sealing his permanent switch to manchester city
no ads for passion oscar campaign producer mel gibson will not be using paid advertisements to promote the passion_of_the_christ to voters in next years academy awards gibson and his icon productions partner bruce davey said they would not be campaigning in print radio or tv for success at the oscars in february this film should be judged on its artistic merit not who spends more money on advertising davey said but dvds will be sent to oscar voters who will be invited to screenings icon spent very little on advertising the film which deals with the last hours of jesus christs life when it was released earlier this year instead it made the film available for special screenings at churches it went on to gross over $600m 322m in ticket sales worldwide over recent years marketing films to the members of the academy of motion_picture arts and sciences has become multi-million dollar industry last year the academy formed committee to tighten the rules after the campaigns spilled over into personal attacks between studios academy president frank pierson praised gibsons move for working to restore the oscars as celebration and appreciation of excellence and resisting the crass commercialisation that was threatening the integrity of the award
no charges against tvs cosby us comedian bill cosby will not face charges stemming from an allegation of sexual misconduct authorities in philadelphia said they found insufficient evidence to support the womans allegations regarding an alleged incident in january the woman reported the allegations to canadian authorities last month cosbys lawyer walter phillips jr said the comedian was pleased with the decision he looks forward to moving on with his life he said district attorney bruce castor jr who was in charge of the case said that detectives could find no instance where anyone complained to law enforcement of conduct which would constitute criminal offence he also said that the fact the woman waited year before coming forward and she had had further contact with cosby during that time were also factors in his decision the unidentified womans lawyer dolores troiani said her client was likely to sue the comedian think thats the only avenue open to her she felt as we did that its very strong case and she was telling the truth she also said that the woman supplied further evidence to prosecutors that she believed strengthened her allegations cosby emerged as one of the first black comics to have mainstream success in the us he was successful stand-up before hosting the childrens show fat albert and the cosby kids and starring in the cosby show one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1980s
no jail for singer courtney love singer courtney love has been spared jail for assault and drug offences but must serve three years probation she had back-to-back court appearances in two separate cases in los_angeles first pleading no contest to attacking woman with whisky bottle in the second ms love pleaded_guilty to possessing forged prescription and painkiller oxycodone she must also do hours community service have drug treatment attend narcotics anonymous and pay fine the ex-hole singers lawyer howard weitzman said ms love had turned her life around and she was clean and sober the assault charge stemmed from april when ms love found musician kristin king in her boyfriends home ms king said the singer threw the bottle at the left side of my face in an angry vicious and erratic attack ms love was originally charged with the more serious offence of assault with deadly weapon but that was reduced to assault judge rand rubin said she must spend three years on probation have one years anger management counselling have one years drug rehabilitation do hours community service pay fine have random drug tests go to three narcotics anonymous meetings per week in the drugs case she was sentenced to months probation to run concurrently with the probation for the assault that offence stemmed from october when she suffered an overdose after breaking window at her boyfriends home in separate case relating to the same incident ms love was sentenced to months in drug rehabilitation for being under the influence of cocaine and opiates in another case last october she pleaded_guilty to disorderly conduct for hitting man on the head with microphone stand at new_york city nightclub last month her lawyers said she had won back custody of frances bean her 12-year-old daughter with former nirvana frontman kurt cobain the girl was removed from her care following her double arrest in october cobain committed suicide in
no to royal succession shake-up labour peer has withdrawn proposals to give female members of the royal family the same rights as males the legislation would have ended the right of male heirs with older sisters to succeed to the crown it would also have torn up ancient legislation banning heirs to the throne marrying roman catholics but the government refused to back lord_dubs succession to the crown bill saying it was too complex and raised too many constitutional issues the lord chancellor lord_falconer agreed the act of settlement which governs the succession was discriminatory but added that for all practical purposes its effects are limited the changes proposed by lord_dubs were complex and controversial undertaking raising major constitutional issues he said lord_falconer said there were members of the royal family in the line of succession after the prince of wales all of who were eligible to succeed and had been unaffected by the act it is not simple matter that can be tinkered with lightly while we wish to remove all forms of discrimination this isnt the proper form he added he did not rule out change in the future but said if lord_dubs private members bill was passed by peers he would urge mps to oppose it in the commons lord_dubs agreed to withdraw his bill after its second reading in the house_of_lords but urged the government to think again at later stage we cannot forever say we dont want to change things because it is too difficult he told peers during the debate the labour peer and former minister said the monarchy should symbolise the values of this country what we dont want is situation where the values of the country have moved on and the monarchy is centuries behind the times we are surely all opposed to discrimination on the grounds of gender and we are surely also opposed to discrimination against catholics but opponents of the bill including tory lord campbell of alloway and the bishop of winchester the rt rev michael scott-joynt said it would separate the state from both the church of england and the christian faith such secular state would be markedly less tolerant rt rev scott-joynt argued
no uk apology for colonial past the days of britain having to apologise for its colonial past are over gordon_brown has said the chancellor speaking during week-long tour of africa said it was time to talk about enduring british values of liberty and tolerance mr brown has signed debt relief deal with tanzania which could cost the uk billion south_african president thabo mbeki has attacked british imperialists saying they treated africans like savages mr brown said that missionairies had come to africa because of their sense of duty he added that the history of internationalism and enterprise had given britain greater global reach than any other country bbc political correspondent mark mardell said britishness had long been theme of the chancellors but never before has he been so outspoken in defending britains past history the uk has pledged to pay of the developing worlds foreign debt bill in an attempt to fight poverty on top of the relief deal with tanzania mr brown said the uk would make similar offers to poorer nations around the world under the plan which could cost the uk 1bn countries must spend the cash saved on health education and welfare we make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us the chancellor said mr brown on week-long tour of africa spent two days in tanzania before heading on friday evening to mozambique country where more_than half of the 17-million population lives below the poverty line there he is expected to strike similar debt relief pact the chancellor said he hoped other g8 and european countries would follow suit the uk has already cancelled its bilateral debts money the uk alone is owed with the worlds poorest nations including tanzania former international development secretary clare short questioned the effectiveness of debt relief as means of tackling poverty
no uk premiere for rings musical the producers behind the lord_of_the_rings musical have abandoned plans to premiere the show in london because no suitable theatre was available the 11.5m show will make its debut in toronto in march after it was found that all three west end theatres with sufficient capacity were booked the musical is not expected in london before december producer kevin wallace said it would be worth waiting for it will be like nothing they have ever seen before know there will be lot of disappointed british tolkien fans who hoped to see the show in london but we couldnt get london theatre in time added the british producer the world premiere of the stage musical co-produced by canadian theatrical impresarios david and ed mirvish will take place at torontos princess of wales theatre next year toronto really wanted this premiere the tolkien books and films are hugely_popular in canada said mr wallace shortly after signing the deal in canada we hope the anticipation and excitement over here will create an even bigger buzz by the time we open in london auditions begin in canada on thursday but up to five british actors may join the cast under deal struck with canadian actors equity the music for the show is being written by bollywood composer ar rahman who was behind andrew lloyd webbers west end musical bollywood dreams and in conjuction with the finnish group varttina there will be no singing and dancing hobbits the music will be in very traditional mould and draw on ethnic traditions assured mr wallace the musicals british director is matthew warchus best known for staging the worldwide stage hit art the production will be hybrid of text physical theatre music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale he said only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen the environment surrounds us and we are in middle earth new zealander peter jackson took years to bring jrr tolkiens fantasy trilogy to the big screen winning academy awards for best film and best director for the final film the return of the king in
oasis star fined for german brawl oasis singer liam gallagher has been fined euros after fight in german hotel two years ago gallagher was arrested along with drummer alan white and three other members of the bands entourage after the brawl in munich in december the band said they were victims of an unprovoked attack in nightclub but police said gallagher kicked an officer in the chest and had large amounts of alcohol and drugs possibly cocaine in his blood gallagher lost two front teeth in the fight which led to the band abandoning their german tour his brother and bandmate noel was in bed at the time the process has stopped by paying euros said anton winkler spokesman for the munich prosecutor at the time police said physical altercation broke out among the musicians at about local time that led to one of the group being jostled and falling onto the table of five italian guests causing the fight they said the fight continued outside where one of the officers was kicked in the chest with full force by liam gallagher and suffered minor injuries they said
obituary dame alicia markova dame alicia markova who has died in bath aged was the uks first prima ballerina of the modern age and in her heyday the greatest in the western world she was born lilian alicia marks in london in her parents were comfortably off her father mining engineer drove rolls royce when she was eight her mother took decision which changed her life fearing that she had flat feet and weak legs she arranged for her to have ballet lessons very quickly it became apparent that she was something special she was spotted by the russian artistic impresario sergei diaghilev who wanted her to dance for his company ballets russes she became ill with diphtheria but kept in touch and eventually with governess in tow joined diaghilev in monte carlo when she was from here she toured europe playing in all the top venues it was diaghilev who changed her name without even consulting her her life was one of great excitement people such as matisse and stravinsky became like uncles to her the latter put in charge of her musical education soon after diaghilevs death in alicia markova returned to england and became britains first international ballerina she helped launch the ballet club at the mercury theatre later the ballet rambert the vic wells ballet and then with anton dolin the markova-dolin ballet of she also began working with young choreographers such as anthony tudor and frederick ashton who became huge influences on the direction of ballet in the west her version of giselle all lightness and grace is still considered to be among the finest ever she was also outstanding in the dying swan she was one of the first british ballerinas to take major part in les sylphides she above all helped popularise ballet both in britain and in america alicia markova spent world war ii in the united_states where in re-formed ballets russes she played to huge audiences she even appeared in hollywood movies in back in england she and anton dolin jointly established the festival ballet she retired in an instant decision she said largely because of leg injury created dame she made new career for herself as teacher she also travelled the world directing ballet companies and putting on shows she became director of ballet for the metropolitan opera ballet in new_york and for some years was full-time professor of ballet and performing arts in the university of cincinnati critic once said of dame alicia markovas dancing she gave the illusion of moving as if she had no weight to get off the ground
oceans_twelve raids box_office oceans_twelve the crime caper sequel starring george clooney brad pitt and julia_roberts has gone straight to number one in the us box_office chart it took $40.8m 21m in weekend ticket sales according to studio estimates the sequel follows the master criminals as they try to pull off three major heists across europe it knocked last weeks number one national treasure into third place wesley snipes blade trinity was in second taking $16.1m 8.4m rounding out the top five was animated fable the polar express starring tom_hanks and festive comedy christmas with the kranks oceans_twelve box_office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for december release in the us after the three films in the lord_of_the_rings trilogy the sequel narrowly beat its predecessor oceans eleven which took $38.1m 19.8m on its opening weekend and $184m 95.8m in total remake of the 1960s film starring frank sinatra and the rat pack oceans eleven was directed by oscar-winning director steven soderbergh soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites clooney pitt and roberts with matt damon andy garcia and elliott gould catherine zeta-jones joins the all-star cast its just fun good holiday movie said dan fellman president of distribution at warner bros however us critics were less complimentary about the $110m 57.2m project with the los_angeles times labelling it dispiriting vanity project milder review in the new_york times dubbed the sequel unabashedly trivial
oconnor aims to grab opportunity johnny_oconnor is determined to make big impression when he makes his rbs six_nations debut for ireland against scotland on saturday the wasps flanker replaces denis_leamy but oconnor knows that the munster man will be pushing hard for recall for the following game against england its horses for courses selection really said oconnor theres lot of competition here and cant just drag my heels around if dont get picked it looks definite head-to-head battle between himself and 23-year-old leamy three stone heavier than oconnor for the number seven role against the world champions nonetheless all oconnor is currently concerned about is making an impression while winning his third cap missing the italian game was disappointing certainly but you cant dwell on these things its part and parcel of rugby denis has been playing really well and deserved his opportunity its good situation to be in if there are good players around you pushing for place in the side oconnor who celebrated his 25th birthday on wednesday was touted by wasps director of rugby warren_gatland as possible lions test openside as far back as last september and his reputation as breakdown scavenger and heavy hitter has seen him come to the forefront of osullivans mind for the scottish tussle oconnor added it will be interesting to see how situations on the deck is reffed with the new laws having come in obviously the breakdown big part of what do on the pitch so im hoping to hold some influence there against what is very solid scottish pack oconnor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south_africa last november
off-colour gardener storms to win britains jason_gardener shook off an upset stomach to win the 60m at sundays leipzig international meeting gardener clocked seconds to equal the meeting record and finished well ahead of germanys marc blume who crossed the line in secs the world indoor champion said got to the airport and my stomach was upset and was vomiting almost went home felt little better sunday morning but decided id only run in the main race then everything went perfectly gardener part of the great britain 4x100m quartet that won gold at the athens_olympics will now turn his attention to next weekends norwich_union european indoor trials in sheffield given am still off-colour know there is plenty more in the tank and expect to get faster in the next few weeks he said its just case of chipping away as have done in previous years and the results will come scotlands ian mackie was also in action in leipzig he stepped down from his favoured 400m to 200m to finish third in secs germanys alexander kosenkow won the race in secs with dutchman patrick van balkom second in secs there were plenty of other senior british athletes showing their indoor form over the weekend promising 60m hurdler clocked new uk record of seconds at meeting in norway the 24-year-old reached the mark in her heat but had to settle for joint first place with former aaa champion diane allahgreen in the final who broke onto the international scene at the olympic games last season set an indoor personal best of 16.50m in the triple_jump at meeting in ghent that leap 37cm short of brazilian winner jadel gregorios effort was good enough to qualify for the european indoor_championships at the same meeting finished third in seconds in high-class womens 60m the event was won by european medal favourite christine arron of france while belgium rival kim gevaert was second britains joice maduaka finished fifth in olympic bronze heptathlon medallist made low-key return to action at an indoor meeting in birmingham the 28-year-old cleared 1.76m to win the high jump and threw 13.86m in the womens shot put
officials respond in court row australian tennis top official has defended the australian_open courts at melbourne park after criticism of the playing surface by lleyton_hewitt hewitt said he had had gutful of trying to persuade them to make the surface faster but tennis australias geoff pollard rejected his comments we did ask for it to be made faster than last year and to my knowledge it is faster he said we spent substantial amount of money on modifications to make it faster hewitt who has not got past the fourth round at melbourne in seven attempts had earlier said the surface was not worthy of such prestigious tournament but he said he would play on whatever surface he had to in order to have chance of winning the tournament starts on january and pollard said the surface had been speeded up since last years tournament following complaints by several australian players but he refused to accept that the melbourne surface may have had bearing on hewitts performances over the years lleytons proving how versatile he is on all surfaces he said it is faster than last year and thatll be faster than the one lleyton beat roger_federer on in the davis_cup in
original exorcist to be screened the original version of horror prequel exorcist the beginning dropped by producers over claims it was not scary enough is to have its world premiere the film directed by paul schrader will be screened on march at the international festival of fantastic film in brussels the psychological drama stars stellan skarsgard and foreruns the film schrader was replaced by director renny harlin who made new version of the film which debuted in the prequel project was originally announced in with actor liam_neeson in the lead role and john frankenheimer as director however frankenheimer pulled out in month before he died skarsgard then replaced neeson in the role of father merrin made famous by max von sydow in the film principal footage was shot in morocco and rome at reported cost of $32m however in august it emerged that producers morgan creek were shelving schraders version of the film having complained it was not scary enough as well as replacing schrader with harlin the director behind die hard and cliffhanger the producers also changed most of the cast but swedish star skarsgard stayed in the merrin role harlins film released in the uk in october received lukewarm reviews but went on to make over $76m 40.7m worldwide the festival screening will be the first time that schraders film has been seen in public reports that it will be released either in cinemas or on dvd have yet to be confirmed other films at the festival in the belgium capital which runs from march include the us horror hit boogeyman and the forthcoming sequel ring as well as selection of films adapted from the works of jules verne
oscar host rock to keep it clean oscar host chris rock said he will steer clear of bad language when he fronts the awards on february the comedian who recently got into trouble for poking fun at the ceremony is renowned for his heavy use of expletives during his stand-up routine the live ceremony will be broadcast with transmission delay on us network abc to ensure swear words are removed ive been on tv and been funny not cursing he said during an interview for cbs networks minutes show as far as content is concerned will talk about the movies im not really worried about it im sure abc might be more worried about it than me he added the 40-year-old comedian caused furore when he said in an interview with us magazine entertainment weekly recently that he hardly ever watched the oscars and labelled awards ceremonies idiotic the shows producers defended rock and confirmed that he would still be presenting the oscar ceremony saying his comments were humorous digs meanwhile the academy has announced that oscar-nominated actress natalie_portman will present an award at the ceremony portman who has been nominated for best supporting actress gong for her role in mike nichols closer joins growing list of stars set to bestow an award at the ceremony including dustin hoffman drew barrymore renee zellweger and british-born actress kate_winslet
oscar nominees gear up for lunch leonardo_dicaprio jamie_foxx and hilary_swank are among those due to attend this years oscar nominees luncheon on monday they will join more_than nominees from the oscar categories at the annual event which will take place at the beverly hilton hotel los_angeles british hopefuls including kate_winslet imelda_staunton and sophie_okonedo are also expected to attend this years oscar ceremony will be held on sunday february martin_scorseses the aviator is leading the field at this years oscars with nominations while other multiple nominees include million dollar_baby and sideways oscar nominees swank and foxx were among the winners at the screen actors_guild awards at the weekend one of the many ceremonies held in the run-up to the oscars swank won best actress for million dollar_baby while foxx triumphed for his performance as ray_charles in the biopic_ray sideways was also among the winners taking the prize for best cast performance the next major film award ceremony of the season is the bafta awards which take place at londons odeon leicester_square on february many of those nominated for oscars including dicaprio foxx and staunton an oscar_nominee for her performance in vera_drake have also been nominated for baftas
oscar nominees lack pulling power this years clutch of oscar nominees have been the least popular for years according to box_office figures in the us the five nominated for best film have been seen by fewer people than movies in previous years while the awards are not based on box_office popularity there is concern for the ratings of the televised ceremony we dont have titanic or lord_of_the_rings out there think its fair to say it does concern us bit said academy executive director bruce davis about million people in the us have seen this years nominees compared with between million and million in recent years the last time combined attendance was so low was in when amadeus beat the killing fields passage to india places in the heart and soldiers story to best picture when million saw the five films last years ceremony attracted the highest audience in four years as viewers tuned in to see lord of the ring return of the king sweep the board and the show reaped its biggest audience in when titanic took home oscars the film had taken $500m 264m worldwide before the ceremony and eventually took $1.8bn 952m eyeballs starring at the movie screen translates to eyeballs staring at the tv screen said paul dergarabedian of box_office tracker exhibitor relations people like to have vested interest in what theyre watching when titanic does $1.8bn in worldwide box_office youve got lot of people with vested interest past years have also seen blockbusters such as saving private ryan forrest gump and ghost compete for oscars the biggest box_office hitter among this years nominees is the aviator which has taken $90m 48m in the us although takings in the uk have reached only 7m so far low-budget move sideways and finding_neverland have so far grossed about $45m 24m each the years biggest blockbusters do actually feature in the oscar nominees but in the animation category shrek_2 and the incredibles took $436m 231m while the incredibles took $259m 137m mel_gibsons the passion_of_the_christ which took $370m 196m in the us was largely ignored by academy voters but many in the film industry do not equate award and box_office success have never equated the academy awards with how much money movie takes in said nikki rocco head of distribution at universal which released nominee ray thats the peoples choice awards this is not about the public this is about the industry bestowing awards on what they think are the best films of the year
oscar_nominee dan oherlihy dies irish actor dan oherlihy who was nominated for best actor at the oscars has died at the age of oherlihy whose oscar nomination was for luis bunuels the adventures of robinson crusoe died at his home in malibu california spokesman said the actor began his film career in the 1940s playing macduff to orson welles macbeth in and was also regular in on the dublin stage he later appeared in robocop and its sequel and cult tv show twin peaks he played the ceo of omni consumer products in 1987s robocop and robocop three years later and was saw mill owner andrew packard in twin peaks also in despite his oscar nomination he had few other lead roles and became familiar supporting actor on tv and in film the year he was nominated the academy award was won by marlon brando for on the waterfront
oscars race enters final furlong the race for the oscars entered its final stages as the deadline for voters to choose their winners passed the academy voters had until tuesday afternoon to return their ballots any late submissions will not be included in the count the next five days will be spent counting the voting forms and preparing the winners envelopes best actor nominee leonardo_dicaprio is to present statuette for the first time at the la ceremony on sunday the 30-year-old actor who is nominated for playing howard hughes in the aviator will join other hopefuls such as co-star cate_blanchett natalie_portman and kate_winslet as oscar presenters the only people who will know the oscar winners before they are revealed at the ceremony will be the auditors who are in charge of looking after the ballot count after collating the results they are responsible for sealing the results in the famous golden envelopes which will be revealed by host of celebrity presenters at the ceremony former academy award winners gwyneth paltrow dustin hoffman and halle berry will also present prizes the event at the kodak_theatre will be attended by people including some of the best-known names in film and organisers say they expect it will be watched on television by one billion people around the world one current concern is the torrential rain which has lashed los_angeles for the past week flooding suburbs and causing mudslides it is hoped the forecast for sunday for cool weather but no rain will prove accurate the last time it rained on oscars night was in the mid-to-late 1980s said oscars communications director john pavlik we have had rain up until the day before the show many times but for some reason the oscar gods always shine on sunday and we hope they will do so again this year he added
oscars steer clear of controversy the oscars nominations list has left out some of the most controversial films of the past year in favour of safer less contentious cinema if best film nominees were drawn on the basis of column inches two of the front-runners would have had to be michael moores bush-baiting documentary fahrenheit and mel_gibsons the passion_of_the_christ both films polarised opinion but had critics talking and the public turning up to see them fahrenheit breaking us box_office records for documentary and the passion_of_the_christ making more_than us$370m 196m in the us alone but this years academy awards have shied away from the big name controversies with the passion_of_the_christ film accused of being anti-semitic receiving nominations only in the minor categories of cinematography makeup and musical score fahrenheit has also been overlooked despite winning the palme dor at the cannes international film festival in moores caustic documentary may have been affected by its distributors decision to enter it in the best picture category rather_than best documentary says tim dams the news editor of trade magazine screen international but he also believes the strong political viewpoint of moores film does not sit well with the academy if you look at past oscar winners and nominees the very conservative oscar voters tend to go for very conservative epic-style pictures fahrenheit didnt really fit in to that category they tend to go for films like titanic gladiator and the lord_of_the_rings films with scale that often arent too contentious he said while he said the oscar voting panel were not snubbing moores film he thought it was unlikely documentary could ever seriously compete in best film category think its more misjudgement by the people putting it out rather_than deliberate snub he said the problem with mel_gibsons film he believed was that the voting panel may have been cautious in nominating film with dialogue in aramaic an ancient middle eastern language hollywood doesnt tend to like foreign-language films no-ones ever tried doing film in dead language he said but aside from these two films some potentially contentious pictures have won nominations the german film the downfall biopic tracing the final days of nazi leader adolf hitler in his berlin bunker has been recognised in the best foreign film category the film has caused some controversy in showing hitler as fallible but human man rather_than semi-mythical historical monster but mr dams said its not an inflammatory film it has done very well in germany and its film that portrays hitler as human rather_than some kind of devil or monster another contentious film mr dams said has gained nomination in the best documentary section through the force of its charm independent film-maker morgan spurlock may have forced fast-food giant mcdonalds to withdraw its super size portions in the us after he went on month-long diet eating nothing but mcdonalds meals and filmed his progress the film has been hit around the world mr dams said its political film but its quite fun and punky and well-paced morgan spurlock is really likeable guy its very accessible film and it doesnt beat you over the head with its views while in fahrenheit there are moments of comedy think the way that super size me is put together the fact its very likeable film means its won through on charm dams pick at this years oscars the aviator martin_scorseses biopic of aviation pioneer and hollywood player howard hughes tinseltown it seems likes nothing more_than picture about one of its own
osullivan commits to dublin race sonia osullivan will seek to regain her title at the bupa great ireland run on april in dublin the 35-year-old was beaten into fourth at last years event having won it year earlier understand shes had solid winters training down in australia after recovering from minor injury said race director matthew turnbull mark carroll irish record holder at 3km 5km and 10km will make his debut in the mass participation 10km race carroll has stepped up his form in recent weeks and in late january scored an impressive 3,000m victory over leading american alan webb in boston carroll will be facing stiff competition from australian craig mottram winner in dublin for the last two years
osullivan could run in worlds sonia osullivan has indicated that she would like to participate in next months world cross country championships in st etienne athletics ireland have hinted that the 35-year-old cobh runner may be included in the official line-up for the event in france on march provincial teams were selected after last saturdays nationals in santry and will be officially announced this week osullivan is at present preparing for the london marathon on april the participation of osullivan currentily training at her base in australia would boost the ireland team who won the bronze three years agio the first three at santry last saturday jolene byrne maria mccambridge and fionnualla britton are automatic selections and will most likely form part of the long-course team osullivan will also take part in the bupa great ireland run on april in dublin
outkast win at mtv europe awards us hip-hop duo outkast have capped year of award glory with three prizes at the mtv europe music awards in rome they won best group best video and best song for hit hey ya after getting five nominations r&b singer usher won best male and best album for confessions while uk rock band muse were named best alternative act and best british artists outkast will add their awards to the four they won at the us mtv awards in august and three grammys in february not only was hey ya one of the biggest global hits of last year but outkast have been widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting and innovative acts in music their double cd album speakerboxxx/the love below which saw andre and big boi each produce one disc was hailed as the album of by many critics andre thanked fans for supporting outkast throughout the years we really appreciate it he said hope you dont get tired of us but we only do what we do also competing for best group had been the beastie boys the black eyed peas d12 and maroon_5 and anastacia britney_spears maroon_5 and ludacris had been on the shortlist for best song outkast did lose out in the contest for best album which was won by usher another award favourite usher who performed duet with alicia_keys also beat off competition from justin_timberlake jay-z nelly and robbie_williams to take the best male crown he had four nominations going into the ceremony with seven artists nominated in three categories eminems group d12 were surprise winners in the best hip-hop category beating the beastie boys jay-z kanye_west and nelly eminem told the crowd d12 finally won an award thank you very much the rapper opened the show with performance of his songs like toy_soldiers and just lose it for which he was joined on stage by crowd of children the black eyed peas who had global hit with where is the love picked up the prize for best pop act beating anastacia avril lavigne robbie_williams and britney_spears spears was named best female sending message of thanks on video saying the award means so much to me alicia_keys anastasia avril lavigne and beyonce knowles had featured alongside her in that contest linkin park singer chester bennington described their prize for best rock band as quite an honour while muse said their win for best alternative act was real surprise for us muse were also named best uk and ireland act ahead of franz_ferdinand natasha_bedingfield jamelia and the streets referring to the fact that winners of of the main awards were from the us muse singer matt bellamy said there needs to be more european bands the 11th annual awards were hosted by hip-hop artist xzibit and watched by people at the tor di valle arena plus millions more on tv around the world the ceremony featured performances from the beastie boys who entered the stage on bicycles and skateboards no doubt singer gwen_stefani being lowered from giant clock and nelly doing duet with pharrell williams mtv also organised huge open-air concert featuring anastacia and the cure outside the italian capitals ancient colosseum with some estimates putting the attendance there at last years big winner at the mtv europe awards held in edinburgh scotland was justin_timberlake who walked away with three trophies
palace threat over cantona masks manchester_united fans wearing eric cantona masks will not be allowed in selhurst park on saturday united fans are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of cantonas infamous kung-fu kick on crystal_palace fan matthew simmons by wearing the masks but palace stadium manager kevin corner has warned if they wear them inside selhurst park they will be immediately rejected on safety grounds and no fans wearing cantona masks will be allowed entry to the stadium united fans had declared saturday as cantona day and had planned to wear masks that were popular during the frenchmans time as player at the old_trafford club cantona received nine-month ban following the incident and palace are keen to avoid an incident that would stir up ill feeling between the two sets of supporters four months after the cantona incident palace fan paul nixon was killed prior to an fa_cup semi-final at villa park
paraguay novel wins us book prize novel set in 19th_century paraguay has won the fiction prize at the us national book awards lily tucks the news from paraguay is fictionalised tale about paraguayan leader francisco solano lopez and his irish mistress but the annual awards which were presented in new_york on wednesday were not without controversy childrens author judy blume who was given an honourary medal used the ceremony to speak out over censorship sales of blumes books have exceeded million but her work which features frank narratives about families religion and sexuality is closely watched by the censors blume said the urge to ban is contagious it spreads like wildfire from community to community please speak out censors hate publicity her medal marks the second year in row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness last years honorary winner stephen king accused the industry during the ceremony of snobbery against popular writers but his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone this years fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as philip roths the plot against america and instead chose five little-known books all by new york-based women one fiction judge stewart onan carried around note written on napkin that said would hope that our caring more for the quality of work than its sales figures make us friend of books not an enemy the national book awards non-fiction prize was awarded to kevin boyles for arc of justice which focuses on black familys fight to live in white detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s the award had created lot of interest this year after the surprise inclusion of the of the commission report looking into the events of the september terrorist attacks on the us pete hautman won the young peoples literature prize for his novel godless the winner in the poetry category was jean valentine for door in the mountain new and collected poems
parkers saxophone heads auction saxophone belonging to legendary jazz musician charlie parker is expected to fetch up to $1m at an auction of jazz memorabilia next month the sale at guernseys auction house in new_york will feature instruments from other musicians including john coltrane and benny goodman other items will include an evening gown belonging to ella fitzgerald organisers said the auction was the first in the us to be devoted to items belonging to jazz musicians other items that will be auctioned include unreleased tape recordings of music by parker as well as handwritten sheet music by jazz composers john coltrane and theolonius monk among the instruments in the sale will be trumpet which belonged to dizzy gillespie which is expected to fetch around as well as jj johnsons trombone and vibraphone which beloned to lionel hampton works of art by musicians including miles davis and bruni sablan will also be featured the proceeds from the auction which will take place on february will go towards several organisations including the john coltrane foundation foundation set up in memory of benny goodman and the red cross
parliaments record of scandal in locked room at the heart of parliament there is hive of scandal sex betrayal and custody of children are all there in this affair but this time it has nothing to do with the recent troubles of david blunkett or boris johnson few realise that westminster in effect has its own divorce den for sprinkled among floors of archives are blow-by-blow accounts of marital break-ups and now you can search whats there online until the only way in england to get full divorce which allowed re-marriage was to obtain an act of parliament by proving adultery or life-threatening cruelty the legacy is pages of testimonies used in the hearings dating back to all recorded among the items which fill the floors of the parliamentary archives in parliaments victoria tower most people researching their family history want to discover some tale of illicit love this gives them the chance divorce by parliament was an expensive process open really only to the rich but the records also include the testimony of maids butlers and coachmen about their masters and mistresses among the records is the story of jane campbell the first woman ever to divorce her husband that happened in after she had discovered her husband edward addison had committed adultery with her sister jessy transcript of evidence from jessys maid amelia laugher shows her telling how addison frequently passed by her on the way to the room where she had just put her mistress naked to bed it must have been killer blow to addisons case he had already fled abroad rather_than pay the damages ordered by civil court as well as making divorce history jane campbell won custody of her children unusual for woman at the time but divorces are by no means the only documents in the archives which hold personal details of people often far removed from politics and parliament there are the protestation returns from lists of the protestants who pledged to maintain the true reformed protestant religion there are details of foreign nationals made british citizens by act of parliament including composer george frideric handel in and the mass of private bills which for example authorise the building of railways and roads contain both the names and addresses of those involved and testimonies giving people unique perspective on how their ancestors opposed them tax bills may be an extra source for pedigree hunters the longest stretches for about 300m and is longer than the palace of westminster itself listing the names of appointed tax collectors this wealth of material has long been open to the public at the house_of_lords record office with visitors able to phone ahead when they want to view particular items in the search room but now five years of work has produced an online catalogue david prior assistant clerk of the archives says the catalogue opens up new possibilities for research before you just could not do it you faced trawling through pages and pages of printed material he says mr prior sees the changes as part of wider revolution in archives generally the archive profession may look fairly staid but is in an enormous period of change mainly motivated by the potential of it which is opening up all sorts of vistas for us he says the archives do of course hold records of high and low politics too for both houses of parliament including copies of all acts passed since the oldest dealing with the employment of workers in the woollen industry in norfolk records for the commons only date back to anything earlier was wiped out by the fire which destroyed most of the parliament buildings in but that still leaves some of the most important documents of uk political history parts of the bill of rights from the death warrant for charles the private papers and diaries of major politicians such as david lloyd george and andrew bonar law there is also the act establishing november as thanksgiving day the year after the gunpowder plot that document is likely to feature in the exhibition the archives will put on next year as part of series of events across london to mark the 400th anniversary of guy fawkes conspiracy as mr prior remarks as we walk by shelf after shelf of vellum parchment made from goats skin all human life is here
parmar ruled out of davis_cup tie knee_injury has forced arvind parmar out of great britains davis_cup tie in israel and left alex bogdanovic in line to take the second singles place parmar picked up the injury last week and has failed to recover in time for the europe/africa zone tie which begins in tel aviv on friday bogdanovic looks set to take the second singles place alongside greg_rusedski gb captain jeremy bates could use 17-year-old andrew murray and david sherwood in the doubles rubber bogdanovic and murray both pulled out of tournaments last week through injury but are expected to be fit jamie delgado and lee childs have been called into the squad in tel aviv as designated hitters for team practice but bates has no plans to call either of them into his squad at present the unheralded sherwood was the surprise inclusion when the squad was announced last week and bates said david has earned his place in this squad on the merit of his form and results over the last months the 6ft 4in sherwood is ranked 264th in the world and the lta have high hopes for him after futures tournament wins in wrexham and edinburgh the sheffield-born right-hander aged also reached another final in plaisir france week after making the semi-final in mulhouse bates is glad to have rusedski available after tim henmans retirement from davis_cup tennis his wealth of experience is invaluable particularly to the younger players and know he will lead by example bates said we are looking forward to the tie the squad are all in excellent form
patti smith to host arts festival rock star patti smith has been made artistic director of this years meltdown festival to be held at londons south bank centre in june the punk pioneer follows morrissey david bowie and nick cave in directing days of concerts and events smith has yet to decide the line-up for meltdown which begins on june want to touch on all aspects of our culture perhaps with readings from genet and have an idea for jeremy irons to read proust she said the 58-year-old us singer of because the night told the observer newspaper that the festival would be her response to these material exploitative and greedy times it is important we explore the new but we should also salute the best art there is aesthetically and spiritually she said last years meltdown festival directed by the ex-smiths star morrissey included appearances by singer jane birkin nancy sinatra and playwright alan bennett he also persuaded punk band the new_york dolls to reform for reunion show
pavey focuses on indoor success jo pavey will miss januarys view from great edinburgh international cross country to focus on preparing for the european indoor_championships in march the 31-year-old was third behind hayley yelling and justyna bak in last weeks european cross country championships but she prefers to race on the track it was great winning bronze but im wary of injuries and must concentrate on the indoor season she said because of previous injuries dont even run up hills in training pavey who came fifth in the 5,000m at the athens_olympics helped the british cross country team win the team silver medal in heringsdorf last week she is likely to start her 3,000m season with race in either boston or stuttgart at the end of january
peers debate crown succession law peers are debating proposals to change the rules governing the succession to the throne labour peer lord_dubs succession to the crown bill aims to end the right of male heirs to succeed to the crown even if they have an older sister the private members bill would also abolish the ban on heirs to the throne marrying roman catholics the fabian societys sundar katwala said the change was long overdue and that he expected warm response the political reform groups general secretary told bbc radio_4s today_programme there were some very out-dated features at the heart of britains constitution in the government said in principle it supported the idea of ending gender discrimination and that it would consult on how to come forward with its own measures we hope they are warm towards it and dont say this is the wrong time he pointed out that it was years since the sex discrimination act and urged politicians on all sides to back the bill mr katwala added this is long overdue parliament will have to do it eventually the government and hope all of the political parties might think this is very simple thing to have in their manifestos but he acknowledged that even if the bill did win support it was unlikely to become law because the legislative programme is likely to be squeezed by the coming general_election he said he hoped the bill would be gentle nudge to the government and suggested it would demand response the bill which is in the lords for its second reading has been adopted by former chief whip ann taylor in the commons the rule of succession is regulated not only through descent and tradition but also by the act of settlement which confirmed in that it was for parliament to determine the title to the throne
pete doherty misses bail deadline singer pete doherty will have to spend the weekend in jail because he could not come up with bond money for his bail on time the former libertines singer had been granted bail with curfew restrictions at highbury corner magistrates court on charges of robbery and blackmail but his lawyer said the money could not be raised on time mr doherty was arrested following an alleged incident in london hotel on wednesday evening musician alan wass also of north london appeared in court accused of the same offences magistrates imposed range of bail conditions on mr doherty including curfew between and except when he attends drug rehabilitation centre he was told he would not be able to leave his home without being accompanied by security firm he must also surrender his passport and report daily to local police station mr wass was also given curfew and told to surrender his passport mr doherty left the libertines at the end of june but continued performing with his band babyshambles the singer who has been linked to supermodel kate moss was arrested after police were called to the islington hotel in response to claims that man had been assaulted man in his 30s was later taken to university college hospital london with facial injuries before being discharged lawyer representing mr doherty and mr wass said outside court the pair strenuously denied the charges
philippoussis doubt over open bid mark philippoussis is almost certain to miss the australian_open after suffering groin injury during the hopman cup loss to the netherlands the 28-year-old suffered two tears to the adductor muscle and was unable to play in the deciding mixed_doubles he is now unlikely to be fit in time for the australian_open which begins on january in melbourne he has to strengthen it enough to cope with repetitive days of tennis said hopman cup doctor hamish osborne it would be very unlikely in my opinion for him to do five-setter once let alone two days in row inside two weeks the injury is more common in australian rules football and fit footballer would normally take three to four weeks to recover fully although marks injury is slightly different the australian has suffered host of injury problems throughout his career but is still holding out slim hope that he can make the event its something ill have to go by feel ill start treatment as soon as possible and try to strengthen it without tearing it any more he said what doesnt kill you makes you stronger know can come back from this and thats all that matters former world number two tommy_haas is also doubt for the australian_open after picking up thigh injury playing for germany in the hopman cup the 26-year-old had treatment on his left thigh while leading argentine guillermo_coria he played one more game but his movement was hampered and he quit
pixies take on reading and leeds pixies foo fighters and iron maiden will headline this summers leeds and reading festivals the trio of rock heavyweights will top the bill for the three-day events at bramham park near wetherby and at richfield avenue reading they are the pixies and iron maidens only uk festival gigs while foo fighters are also at t_in_the_park the killers razorlight and queens of the stone age are also playing the twin festivals to be held on august other acts in this years line-up include the charlatans marilyn manson and kings of leon pete dohertys band babyshamblers will appear on the nme/radio one stage along with kasabian black rebel motorcycle club and bloc party organiser mean fiddler said more acts were still to be confirmed for the summer event we are all very excited to be going back to reading and intend to have fantastic time said iron maidens bruce dickinson were sure fans will too it will the first time the veteran british metal band have played reading in years at leeds iron maiden will headline the first day of the festival on the friday pixies will follow on saturday and the foo fighters will close the event on sunday the pixies will headline the first day of reading while foo fighters will play on sunday and iron maiden will close the event weekend tickets are now on sale priced at each
pm apology over jailings tony_blair has apologised to two families who suffered one of the uks biggest miscarriages of justice the prime_minister was commenting on the wrongful jailing of people for ira bomb attacks on pubs in guildford and woolwich in mr blair said am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and injustice he made the apology to members of the conlon and maguire families in his private room at westminster in statement recorded for television mr blair said the families deserved to be completely and publicly exonerated the families had hoped the apology would be made during prime_ministers questions in the house of commons however one of the so-called guildford four gerry conlon who was wrongly convicted of planting the bombs said the families were delighted with the apology he said mr blair had spoken with such sincerity adding he went beyond what we thought he would he took time to listen to everyone you could see he was moved by what people were saying tony_blair has healed rifts he is helping to heal wounds its day never thought would come the move followed huge campaign in ireland for public apology after eleven people were wrongly convicted of making and planting the ira bombs which killed seven people mr blairs official spokesman said no-one present at the meeting would ever forget the strength of feeling of relief that the prime_ministers statement brought to them most of those convicted were either members or friends of the two families all were arrested because of family connection to gerry conlon mr conlons father giuseppe was arrested when travelling to london from belfast to help his son he died while serving his sentence also arrested were anne maguire and members of her family mrs maguire was the relative with whom giuseppe planned to stay in london as well as two family friends she said it was wonderful feeling to have had the apology and that weight had been lifted off her shoulders the people who were still doubting us should now believe that we were totally innocent she said they were all jailed for handling explosives based on scientific evidence which was later entirely discredited in october the court of appeal quashed the sentences of the guildford four and in june it overturned the sentences on the maguire seven mr conlons case was highlighted in the oscar-nominated film in the name of the father starring daniel day-lewis
police praise courageous ozzy rock star ozzy osbourne has been praised by police for very courageously tackling burglar who stole jewellery from his house the singer grabbed an intruder who then jumped 30ft 10m from first floor window as the star gave chase at his buckinghamshire home on monday acted on impulse osbourne said in hindsight it could have been lot worse it couldve got really ugly reward has been offered for information leading to conviction his wife sharon who called the police said her wedding rings were taken from her bedside table as she slept the heavy_metal star said he could have met the same fate as late beatle george harrison who was repeatedly stabbed in break-in in could have been badly injured or shot or anything osbourne said just thank god that no-one got injured he added he was glad the intruders were not hurt wouldnt want anyone to get injured the singer did not want to talk in detail about his actions but when asked whether he would do the same again replied is the pope catholic the incident happened at gmt on monday in chalfont st peter detective inspector paul miller of thames valley police said it appeared man used ladder to get into the house through first floor bedroom window whilst selecting items of jewellery the burglar was disturbed by ozzy who very courageously tackled this burglar and pursued him from the house he said ozzy said he was just coming to grips with what had happened and his opinion of the uk had been lowered after relatively trouble-free years in the us we lived in los_angeles where people get shot every day and have been trailed by lots of different stalkers and yet we come back to england and im very disappointed at press_conference on tuesday sharon_osbourne gave details of nine stolen items they included diamond wedding ring and two handmade wedding bands ozzy gave her when they renewed their vows two years ago she said she wished she had worn them at night always take them off and put them beside my bed and thats where they were right beside me on my bedside table also taken were pearl necklace and sapphire bought as an investment for their daughters described by sharon as one of the only 24-carat sapphires that is absolutely pure daisy chain necklace that was 20th_anniversary present and franck muller watch sharon said was one of only made were also stolen she expressed her anger at the person who hasnt worked and wants to take whats yours but the thing is we worked for everything came from brixton ozzy came from not very nice part of birmingham and everything weve got we have worked our arses off for if choose to make an investment for my kids in whatever way choose to make it thats my business and worked for every god damn penny ozzy also lamented two years in which the family has been plagued by problems including his critical injury in quad bike accident his wifes colon cancer their childrens drug problems and now the burglary on sunday night the osbournes had been celebrating the birthday of singer sir_elton johns partner david furnish police described the intruder as well-built about tall and said he was wearing ski-mask light-coloured jacket and trainers they believe he may have injured himself when he jumped from the window there is no description of his accomplice police think the pair were driving large vehicle possibly van and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen one leaving chalfont st peter at speed police appealed for public help to find the perpetrators and stolen items on or
police urge pub closure power new powers are needed to close disorderly pubs bars and clubs for up to week or even permanently police chiefs have told mps association of chief police officers president chris fox said the current 24-hour closure power did not have enough impact on bad landlords mr foxs comments follow the controversy over plans to allow pubs to open around the clock he rejected critics calls for the law change to be delayed instead the new licensing act could help reduce drunken disorder but only if it was properly planned he argued acpo made its call for stronger closure powers in paper for the commons home affairs select_committee after the meeting mr fox said being able to close premises for only hours did not necessarily make an impact if its on saturday morning and you close for hours theres not lot of pain for the premises because they probably wouldnt open on sunday anyway this is about getting through to the management that they cant run disorderly house without facing some immediate sanctions under acpos proposal the closure orders would be used only with the agreement of the local licensing authority the new licensing laws will give police greater powers to close pubs and clubs but only for 24-hour periods mr fox said the drinks industry was currently not regulating itself its making money at the cost of human misery and the public purse and the strategic planning process has been less than useless he said mr fox said the new laws due to start being phased in next month could help if food outlets public transport and public toilets could cope with late-night drinkers staggering it closing hours will be solution if the infrastructure is there if the premises are properly managed and people arent being served rolling drunk and underage and then tossed out into the street he said we have the problem from 11pm to 2am in any event we have to get grip on the underlying causes of this acpo wants pubs and clubs which cause extra work for police and hospitals to have to pay towards the costs home secretary charles_clarke is currently looking at the idea of levy on the drinks industry to pay for the cost of extra policing the licensing changes have sparked concern among some mps councils and some senior police officers who fear they could exacerbate drinking problems culture secretary tessa jowell on tuesday said it was not her job to bow to the campaign against the changes it was the status quo not the new laws which were causing current binge_drinking problems she told bbc twos newsnight leaked documents have suggested ex-home secretary david blunkett branded new opening hours as leap in the dark but ms jowell insisted his concerns had been met the polices job against alcohol-related crime would be made easier if all pubs did not close at the same time she added
poll idols face first hurdles vote for me itv1s pop_idol style talent contest for would-be politicians finally hits our screens this week over the next four days hundreds of potential candidates will be whittled down by panel of experts and public vote the winner will then be encouraged to stand as an independent at the next general_election which is expected in the spring but opinion is divided on whether any of the potential candidates unearthed so far have got what it takes to make it in politics any of them would make competent mps former independent mp martin bell insisted on bbc radio_4s today_programme mr bell who will be offering his advice to the contestants on wednesday argues that westminster has its share of odd balls and the show will engage ordinary voters if it gets more people voting and more people interested in politics there is no harm in that he said but sir bernard ingham margaret thatchers former press secretary took less charitable view accusing the programme of corrupting politics he said the producers would not achieve their aim of re-engaging voters with that bunch of nutters to give sir bernard his dues monday evenings opening episode did attract more_than smattering of eccentrics and self-publicists among those chancing their arm were druid priest and former porn star who insisted on removing her top to make her point about the legalisation of brothels among the more eccentric policy proposals was public holiday on bruce forsyths birthday and bill oddie for prime_minister the show follows the time-honoured pop_idol format with queues of nervous hopefuls and panel of three experts judging their performance the contestants were given seconds to present their manifestos then the final were tested on their lobbying ability they were then cross-examined by the panel which was chaired by ex-itn political editor john sergeant with television host lorraine kelly taking the nicki chapman role but the real star of the show is kelvin mackenzie in the simon_cowell mr nasty seat the former sun editor dispensed stream of well-crafted insults and one-liners his advice for one young contestant was to get haircut and brain transplant wheelchair user kevin donnellon was asked why on earth do you want our elected representatives to be disabled dont you care about the inuit implored guitar-toting environmental campaigner barry lim dont care about them care about myself and when the suns shining think fantastic replied mr mackenzie mr lim later reduced the panel to fits of giggles as he outlined his plan to make people do community service instead of paying taxes when the prime_minister turns to the chancellor and says how much have we got in the coffers mr brown he says well prime_minister bad news all the houses in britain have been painted but actually nobody has paid any tax observed mr mackenzie that was an total disaster just couldnt seem to think of things to say crestfallen mr lim confided in the shows presenter jonathan maitland irfan hanif 25-year-old doctor from bolton made good impression even if he was little thrown by mr mackenzies suggestion that instead of being treated by the nhs young drunks should given good beating and left to die dominic carman son of late libel lawyer george carman was voted through to the final on platform of cutting defence spending to boost education opinion was more divided over rodney hylton-potts 59-year-old convicted fraudster mr mackenzie thought the smooth-talking former solicitor with hardline on crime and immigration deserved chance to progress he could join the rest of the crooks in the houses of parliament but ms kelly said she would not trust him as far as she could throw him the series continues throughout the week with the public given the chance to evict one prospective mp every night itv will not fund the election campaign for the eventual winner but the publicity could give the winner flying start over other candidates
pop band busted to take break chart-topping pop band busted have confirmed that they plan to take break following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting statement from the bands record company universal said frontman charlie simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band fightstar however they said that busted would reconvene in due course the band have had eight top three hits including four number ones since they first hit the charts in their singles include what go to school for year crashed the wedding you said no and whos david the band which also includes members matt jay and james bourne made the top ten with their self-titled debut album as well as the follow-up present for everyone in they won best pop act and best breakthrough act at the brit awards and were nominated for best british group most recently they topped the charts with the theme from the live-action film version of thunderbirds which was voted record of the year on the itv1 show the band have capitalised on craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones the trio are seen as an alternative to more manufactured artists who are not considered credible musicians because they do not write their own songs or play their own instruments however recent rumours have suggested that simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on fightstar he now plans to take fightstar on tour
poppins musical gets flying start the stage adaptation of childrens film mary_poppins has had its opening night in londons west end sir cameron mackintoshs lavish production which has cost 9m to bring to the stage was given 10-minute standing ovation lead actress laura michelle kelly soared over the heads of the audience holding the nannys trademark umbrella technical hitches had prevented mary_poppins flight into the auditorium during preview_performances number of celebrities turned out for the musicals premiere including actress barbara windsor comic graham norton and sir richard attenborough the shows director richard eyre issued warning earlier in the week that the show was unsuitable for children under seven while under-threes are barred mary_poppins was originally created by author pamela travers who is said to have cried when she saw disneys film starring julie andrews travers had intended the story to be lot darker than the perennial family favourite theatre impresario sir cameron mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book
portable playstation ready to go sonys_playstation portable psp will go on sale in japan on december the long-awaited handheld game playing gadget will cost about yen euros when it hits the shelves at launch games will be available for the psp including need for speed ridge racer metal gear acid and vampire chronicle sony has not yet announced when the psp will be available in europe and the us but analysts expect it to debut in those territories in early fifa is back at the top of the uk games charts week after losing it to rival pro evolution soccer konamis pro evo dropped only one place to two while the only new entry in the top was another football title lma manager in at number seven tony hawks underground held its own at three while star_wars battlefront inched up to four places to four there was good news for disney with the spin-off from the sharks tale film moving up the charts into number eight fans of the gran turismo series in europe are going to have to wait until next year for the latest version sony has said that the pal version of gt4 will not be ready for christmas the product is localised into different languages across the pal territories therefore the process takes considerably longer than it does in japan it said gran turismo for the playstation is still expected to be released in japan and the usa this year halo_2 has broken video game records with pre-orders of more_than million in the us alone some us stores plan to open just after midnight on tuesday november for the games release halo_2 is projected to bring in more revenue than any day one box_office blockbuster movie in the united_states said xboxs peter moore weve even heard rumours of fan anticipation of the halo_2 flu on november
portishead back after eight years cult british group portishead have revealed they are writing their third album their first in eight years founding member geoff barrow told bbc music the record was well on the way to being completed were actually into it as we speak we took some time off for christmas but generally were doing another record barrow told the digital radio station news of their album plans comes after confirmation the bristol band will play tsunami charity show next month portishead will play alongside fellow bristol band massive attack at oxfams tsumani appeal held at the bristol academy on february barrow said he was surprised people thought the band who won mercury music prize in for their debut album dummy had split up weve just had our heads down really weve never actually broken up or parted or whatever so for us it just seems even though we havent played for years we still see each other and write we just havent released record for long time portishead will not play any new material at next months concert which will feature singer beth gibbons playing with an acoustic backing other acts appearing include liverpool band the coral and former led zeppelin singer robert plant portishead became an international success and deeply influential band despite their scant recorded output dummy was critics favourite in hailed for its blend of menacing sounds and hip-hop beats married to old soul samples the follow up portishead was released three years later
potter director signs warner deal harry_potter director alfonso cuaron has signed three-year deal with hollywood studio warner brothers according to variety trade magazine the mexican film-maker who directed harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban will produce mainstream movies and smaller spanish-language films we had wonderful experience with alfonso on harry_potter warner producer jeff robinov told variety cuarons other films include mexican movie tu mama tambien the rites-of-passage drama about two teenage boys who embark on relationship with an older woman brought cuaron international attention and box_office glory it also won him and his brother carlos with whom he co-wrote the screenplay an oscar nomination for best original screenplay warner will distribute cuarons films in several languages outside the us this deal will give us the opportunity to collaborate with alfonso on movies that make the most of his artistry and vision and continue to offer him the mainstream worldwide audiences that our studio provides so successfully said mr robinov his first film for warner brothers was 1995s family fantasy movie little princess based on the novel by frances hodgson burnett little princess tells_the_story of young girl who is sent to live in new_york boarding school when her widowed father enlists for war after the erotic nature of tu mama tambien cuaron was surprise choice to direct the third harry_potter film but his dark interpretation was received well by the public and critics alike
prince crowned top music earner prince earned more_than any other pop star in beating artists such madonna and elton john in us magazine rolling_stones annual list the singer banked $56.5m 30.4m from concerts album and publishing sales with his musicology tour and album he kept madonna in second place as she earned $54.9m 29.5m while embarking on her global re-invention tour veterans simon and garfunkel were in 10th place their comeback tour helping them earn $24.9m 13.4m last year prince returned to centre stage after decade in the commercial wilderness the magazine reported the singers tour took $90.3m 48.5m in ticket sales and he sold million copies of his latest album musicology although she grossed more_than prince last year madonna remained in second place because of the monumental production costs of her tour heavy_metal band metallicas madly in anger with the world tour helped push their earnings up to $43.1m 23.1m they were ahead of sir_elton john who took fourth place and almost $42.7m 23m from performances including debut on the las vegas strip other seasoned performers in the list included rod stewart whose sold-out shows and third volume of the great american songbook covers album helped net him 35m 19m the highest-ranking rap act in the list was 50_cent who at number took $24m 13m to the bank
prodigy join festival line-up essex act prodigy are to headline the second stage at this years festival joining main stage headliners scissor sisters and franz_ferdinand the event which is in its 10th year will be held at two venues hylands park in essex and weston park in staffordshire on and august meanwhile rock veterans new order have joined the t_in_the_park line-up alongside athlete and green day the manchester band will play on july at scotlands biggest festival it will be their debut performance at the music event which is held over the weekend of and july in balado near kinross other bands at the sold-out festival include queens of the stone age the killers keane the streets and foo fighters month later at the festival prodigy will play at weston park on saturday august and hylands park on sunday august and the chemical_brothers vice versa it will be the chemical_brothers only uk festival performance of the year festival director bob angus said with the prodigy and the chemical_brothers now confirmed to headline the second stage we are headed for really stellar line-up we pride ourselves on putting on an unbeatable live music experience and festival will not disappoint tickets for the festival go on sale on friday march
prodigy monfils blows away gaudio french prodigy gael monfils underlined his huge promise by beating french open champion gaston gaudio in the first round of the qatar open the 18-year-old wild_card won three of the four junior grand_slam events last year including wimbledon fabrice santoro the champion beat swedens thomas johansson but fourth seed mikhail youzhny lost to rafael_nadal roger_federer plays greg_rusedski in the second round on wednesday monfils who was given wildcard into the tournament said this is my first win over top player and am delighted play my best tennis when am fired up on the court and the reason won today was because was able to play my natural attacking game he said of course was bit tired in the second set but was confident could survive had there been third set
profile david blunkett before he resigned the position of home secretary on wednesday david blunkett had been in charge of substantial body of government portfolios including race policing and immigration his responsibilities in running the home office included civil emergencies security terrorism and expenditure named home secretary after the general_election mr blunkett had seen the focus on his office intensify the attacks on the world trade center on september heightened concern for security and immigration in particular labour loyalist from working class background mr blunkett had been unafraid of pushing for tough changes to labour policy recently the issue of identity cards had provoked controversy with questions raised over cost and invasions of civil_liberties mr blunkett was also at the centre of humiliating scandal involving the former immigration minister beverly hughes having received his full backing ms hughes was forced to resign in april over abuses in the visa processing system which she claimed to be unaware of mr blunketts own comments on immigration had prompted censure he told refugees from afghanistan and kosovo to get back home to start rebuilding their countries and he also urged people from ethnic_minorities to develop sense of belonging in britain telling them to speak english at home avoiding political correctness is second nature to the former home secretary who spurns metropolitan elite and airy fairy libertarians and earlier in the year coined the phrase liberati as an amalgam of glitterati and liberal yet in january of this year he courted further controversy over his seemingly liberal reclassification of cannabis from grade to grade status drug before the recent furore mr blunkett had always appeared more interested in politics than his personal life mr blunkett told the daily_telegraph in that he continued to wear his wedding ring in spite of being divorcee as useful way of ensuring that people dont casually think am available he added am not available because am just getting on with the job mr blunkett entered parliament for sheffield brightside in after first contesting the sheffield hallam seat in he is one of very few blind mps and was the first to reach the front bench and the cabinet his relaxed performances with his guide dog by his side at the despatch box in the labour partys national executive and on the conference platform made it easy to forget his disability mr blunkett himself described not being able to see as simply an inconvenience using braille for speeches and briefed by his officials on tape he also has sharp tongue at times and pragmatic approach to politics mr blunkett was schooled in sheffield where he led the city council for seven years before entering the commons he chaired the labour party nationally and was unifying force in the 80s and 90s shadowing health and education in tony_blairs first government mr blunkett was put in charge of education and employment where he won big increases in funds for schools while insisting on improved standards of literacy and numeracy he was prepared to stand up to the teaching unions which sometimes heckled his speeches and his policy of charging university students for tuition_fees was not popular in the labour party he has been regarded as loyal colleague conciliator who avoids factions and man whose humour and determination make him widely popular there have been wry smiles as well in his then guide dog lucy threw up in the chamber during the speech of his tory opponent lucy was replaced by her half-sister sadie black labrador-curly-coated retriever cross in after nearly decade by mr blunketts side
profile gordon_brown the ultimate prize of downing_street may continue to elude him but as he prepares to deliver record-breaking ninth budget gordon_brown can at least console himself with the thought that he is the longest serving chancellor of modern times he reached that milestone last june when he overtook david lloyd george who served for seven years and days between and how much longer mr brown will continue in the job is not clear he once said there are two types of chancellor those who fail and those who get out in time there are rumours he will be moved to the foreign office if labour wins the general_election but for now mr brown dominates the domestic political scene like few chancellors or politicians before him gordon_brown was born in glasgow on february the son of church of scotland minister in the small fife town of kirkcaldy at he was canvassing for labour and by his 20s he was leading political activist in scotland he achieved first class degree in history from edinburgh university where he went on to complete phd his early career was spent lecturing working in television and making name for himself in the scottish labour party his first attempt to enter westminster for edinburgh south in was thwarted by the present tory spokesman on foreign affairs michael_ancram but in he took dunfermline east new constituency including rosyth naval base pit villages and coastal towns entering westminster he came to share an office with the newly elected mp for sedgefield tony_blair within four years mr brown had gained his first frontbench post as shadow chief secretary to the treasury he became shadow chancellor under john smiths leadership in after the death of leader john smith in he stood aside agreeing to give tony_blair clear run at the leadership during now infamous meal at the granita restaurant in islington the other part of the deal that mr blair will one day stand down in favour of the chancellor is the stuff of westminster legend mr blairs supporters say such deal never existed and endless newspaper columns and even television film have been devoted to the alleged deal but if his leadership ambitions were at least temporarily thwarted in mr brown continued his devotion to politics during the election campaign he is said to have worked an average of hours day six days week after running on treadmill for an hour each morning this dedication to his career was underlined by comment by mr browns former girlfriend of five years princess marguerite of romania the eldest daughter of ex-king michael of romania who said relationship with him was politics politics politics if that was true then mr brown who married pr executive sarah macaulay in changed his perspective when the couple were hit by tragedy early in their daughter jennifer died in edinburgh royal infirmary days after being born seven weeks prematurely year later in october the couple had son john an event which again gave the chancellor an opportunity to show his softer side trip to africa earlier this year to publicise his scheme to cancel the debt of poor nations also gave the chancellor an opportunity to show his more human side the ideological differences between mr brown and mr blair remain relatively modest the chancellor opposes the further encroachment of the market into the nhs and is seen as being more old labour than mr blair in his approach to wealth redistribution but their shared belief that market economics are compatible with social justice continues to form the ideological heart of the new labour project yet they are portrayed by the media as being locked in almost permanent conflict with mr brown supposedly nursing resentment at being betrayed by his younger downing_street neighbour over the succession mr blair for his part is said to be frustrated that his public service reforms are being thwarted by vengeful mr brown who reportedly delights in keeping the prime_minister in the dark over the contents of his budget until the last possible minute after recent run of negative headlines labour mps took the unprecedented step of making direct appeal to the two men stop bickering for the good of the party events like this and the testimony of former ministerial colleagues make it impossible to dismiss the brown/blair feud as just journalistic hearsay cooked up by hacks and camp followers in the hothouse atmosphere of westminster how much it damages the ability of government to do its job is open to question truce appears to have been called in the run up to the general_election after fresh spat was sparked by blairite alan_milburn being brought in over the head of mr brown to run the election campaign but with the tories having appeared to get the better of the pre-election campaign thus far there are reports that mr brown using the budget as springboard is to revitalise labours campaign amid all this it is easy to forget that mr brown remains the man most likely to succeed mr blair as labour leader there may be no shortage of possible contenders for the crown including mr milburn but none can command the sort of support in the parliamentary party and beyond that mr brown can and mr blairs decision to name his own retirement date has at least given mr brown something to aim for even if the prime_ministers intention to serve full third term if elected took the shine off the announcement for the chancellor and his supporters
public show for reynolds portrait sir joshua reynolds portrait of omai will get public airing following fears it would stay hidden because of an export wrangle the tate gallery unsuccessfully tried to buy the picture from its anonymous owner after ban was issued preventing the painting from leaving the uk the 18th century painting has remained in storage but the owner has agreed to allow it to be part of an exhibition the exhibition of reynolds work will be shown at tate britain from may joshua reynolds the creation of celebrity will feature prints caricatures and sculpture by the 18th century artist who painted some of the most famous personalities of his day portrait of omai fetched the second highest amount for british painting when it was sold at auction for 10.3m in it was bought by london dealer who sold it on to collector the unnamed collector wanted to take it out of the country but was barred from doing so by the government because of its historical significance in march the tate managed to raise 12.5m funding to buy the portrait but the owner refused to sell and it has been held in storage since the portrait is of young man who was dubbed the noble savage when he arrived in london from polynesia he became darling of london society and was invited to all the best parties by people who were fascinated by such an exotic character sir joshua painted him after his arrival in and it became the artists most famous work after it was first exhibited at the royal academy in
queen recruit singer for new tour the remaining members of rock band queen are to go on tour next year with former free and bad company singer paul rodgers taking freddie mercurys place guitarist brian may has said he expects to be on the road with rodgers and drummer roger taylor from april may said suddenly the queen phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over our lives queen have played with many different singers since mercurys death in but have reportedly not toured may performed with rodgers at concert to celebrate the 50th_anniversary of the fender stratocaster guitar in london in september we were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in free hit all right now that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was something happening here may wrote on his website they teamed up again for concert to mark their induction into the uk music hall_of_fame and were joined by taylor the show went so incredibly well from our point of view and we got so many rave reactions from out there we decided almost then and there that we would look at tour together may wrote queen went to number one in with version of we will rock you sung by boy band 5ive and they have also played with robbie_williams will young and bob geldof queen bassist john deacon has currently retired from the stage rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers free who had global hit with all right now before forming bad company successful supergroup with members of king crimson and mott the hoople he has also been in the firm with led zeppelins jimmy page and the law with the small faces and the who drummer kenny jones
radcliffe enjoys winning comeback paula_radcliffe made triumphant return to competitive running with victory in the new_york marathon the briton running for the first time since dropping out of the olympic marathon and 10,000m held off kenyan susan_chepkemei in thrilling finish the pair were locked together for the last few miles before radcliffe finally sprinted clear to win in two hours minutes and seconds its good way to end the year she said im ready for good rest now radcliffe decided only recently to run in the race and many had doubted whether she had sufficiently recovered from her olympic ordeal just weeks ago but the world record-holder was prominent at the head of the field for the whole race as her rivals slowly dropped off the pace just chepkemei and radcliffe were left in contention as the race came into the final few miles the kenyan put in several bursts of speed to throw off radcliffe but the briton managed to hang in both runners looked to be suffering as they reached the final mile in central park but it was radcliffe who managed to dredge up final sprint to see off chepkemei in the closest finish in the races history and in the process make huge step in erasing the disappointment she suffered in athens
radcliffe eyes hard line on drugs paula_radcliffe has called for all athletes found guilty on drugs charges to be treated as criminals the marathon world record holder believes more needs to be done to rid athletics of the suspicions and innuendoes which greet any fast time doping in sport is criminal offence and should be treated as such the 30-year-old told the sunday times it not only cheats other athletes but also cheats promoters sponsors and the general public radcliffes comments come at time when several american sports stars are under suspicion of steroid use being caught in possession of performance-enhancing drugs should carry penalty she added the current system does not detect many of the substances being abused by athletes this means that often athletes do not know if they are competing on level playing field if their hard work and sacrifice is being trumped by an easier scientific route often when an athlete puts in good performance they are subjected to suspicions and innuendoes instead of praise having been on the receiving end of accusations like this can testify as to how much this hurts
radcliffe proves doubters wrong this wont go down as one of the greatest marathons of paulas career but as test of character it was the toughest race shes ever taken part in win in the new_york marathon doesnt make up for the disappointment of athens in any shape or form but it will offer hope and reassurance for next year if paulas last experience of the year had been athens it would have been very difficult to look forward with any optimism she can now draw line under this year and make plans about her future even if shed lost this race there would have been lot of positives to take out of it she knows she can dig deep if she needs to it was strong field with number of the girls going into the race with expectations of winning and although two hours minutes wasnt one of paulas best times it wasnt far off the record on difficult course was speaking to paula in the lead-up to this race and she said that in many ways she was facing no-win situation she thought that if she won people would say why couldnt she do that in athens and if she lost people would say her career was over and lot of people were wondering what would happen if paula was forced to drop out of this race as she did in the marathon and 10,000m in athens but that was never on the cards she might have been beaten but she would have kept running the reasons she was forced to pull out in athens the niggling injuries her lack of energy and the oppressive conditions werent at play here the only question was what position she could finish in most important of all despite all the hype in the media ahead of this race there were never doubts in paulas mind if she wasnt confident she wouldnt have run after all if youre the best in the world at an event youll always have expectations of winning now paula will take part in the run london 10km race in london at the end of the year have well-earned rest over christmas and go into next year with lot of optimism
radcliffe tackles marathon tasks paula_radcliffe faces arguably the biggest test of her career in the new_york city marathon on sunday back under the spotlight of public scrutiny she will attempt to erase the double disappointment of the athens_olympics where she failed to finish the marathon and then the 10,000m bbc sport examines the challenges facing radcliffe ahead of the big race the ability to run gruelling miles relies largely upon an athletes belief that they can do it every runner will hit the wall at some stage and see written on it are you strong enough to finish the question could hit radcliffe hard after she was unable to complete her last two races in high-profile and emotional circumstances sports psychologist hugh richards says the 30-year-old must draw on her past achievements to conquer potential crisis of confidence there is an old adage get straight back on the horse that threw you richards told bbc sport paula has got all those great runs in her history as well as the two upsets in athens she must not lose faith in what has already been proven is very effective strategy for distance running if she were to change her preparation and tactics that would be madness she wants to start rebuilding her confidence through performance accomplishment for much of the watching media and public there can only be two possible outcomes in new_york win or lose if radcliffe crosses the line first she will have proved her critics wrong but if she fails to triumph she risks being labelled has-been and her profile will suffer and for any athlete that can have repercussions in terms of sponsorship appearance fees as well as further self esteem issues athletes need to try and stay focused on their internal controls and ignore external questions explains richards who has worked with past olympians she must not get caught up in someone_elses agenda radcliffes best friend and fellow distance runner liz yelling revealed the 30-year-old is already aware she will be exposing herself to more public scrutiny in new_york she just thought well they cant think any worse of me now yelling told bbc sport shes just doing what she wants to do and not thinking about the consequences of it radcliffe described her decision to enter the new_york marathon as impulsive but she is certain to have tick-list of personal goals her aims could be as simple as completing race and making sure she is still enjoying running but richards says she must avoid more emotional targets such as redemption you cant change history warned richards only one person can win the marathon but lots of people can be successful paula has to figure out what sort of things will she feel satisfied achieving by the end of the race the course from staten island to central park is renowned as one of the toughest in the world it is also not the kind of fast course that tends to suit radcliffe better with the undulating finish through the park testing the legs final reserves radcliffe has never raced there before and will enter the unknown just days after the athens marathon its suggested after major marathon you take full month off and start building up again said yelling herself marathon runner but that is only for long-term health and fitness when you finish marathon you are still very fit and can recover quickly so physically it is possible for paula richards also points out conditions in new_york will be more conducive to strong physical display from radcliffe the heat stress was the primary factor that tripped her up in athens he said and that just isnt going to be there in new_york thats been taken out of the equation radcliffe concedes she will probably learn lot from her bad experiences in athens in time and richards and yelling agree she could turn the trauma to her advantage starting in new_york how you respond to adversity is what marks you out as elite or not argues richards one of the challenges of massive set backs is how you turn them into opportunities and yelling says think this will probably make paula think it will drive her on and shell come out of it better athlete
radcliffe will compete in london paula_radcliffe will compete in the flora london marathon this year after deciding her schedule for the 31-year-old won the race in on her marathon debut defended her title months later and will now seek third title in the april race it doesnt get any better than this for the 25th anniversary said race director david bedford after announcing the greatest mens field ever we now have the greatest womens distance runner ever three years ago radcliffe smashed the womens world record in two hours minutes seconds the bedford star returned to london months later lowering her mixed-race world record of which she set in chicago in october by one minute secs radcliffes career took setback when she failed to complete the olympic marathon and later dropped out of the athens 10,000m last august but the 31-year-old bounced back to win the new_york marathon in november radcliffe however passed up the chance to go for the big city marathon grand_slam with wins in chicago london and new_york only the boston marathon remains to be conquered but that takes place day after london boston is definitely race want to do at some point but london is very special to me said radcliffe dont pick races thinking about things like pressure pick the ones in my heart really want to do love the atmosphere crowds and course and know it will always be great quality race it is also the 25th anniversary this year which adds to the occasion
radcliffe yet to answer gb call paula_radcliffe has been granted extra time to decide whether to compete in the world cross-country championships the 31-year-old is concerned the event which starts on march in france could upset her preparations for the london marathon on april there is no question that paula would be huge asset to the gb team said zara hyde peters of uk athletics but she is working out whether she can accommodate the worlds without too much compromise in her marathon training radcliffe must make decision by tuesday the deadline for team nominations british team member hayley yelling said the team would understand if radcliffe opted out of the event it would be fantastic to have paula in the team said the european cross-country champion but you have to remember that athletics is basically an individual sport and anything achieved for the team is bonus she is not messing us around we all understand the problem radcliffe was world cross-country champion in and but missed last years event because of injury in her absence the gb team won bronze in brussels
rap boss arrested over drug find rap mogul marion suge knight has been arrested for violating his parole after he was allegedly found with marijuana he was arrested in barstow california on saturday following an alleged traffic offence he is expected to be transferred to state prison while decision is made on whether he should be released mr knight founder of death row records served 10-month jail term in for punching man while on parole for an assault conviction police said mr knight was stopped on saturday after performing an illegal u-turn and search of his car allegedly found marijuana he is also accused of not having insurance 18-year-old woman in the car was arrested for providing false information and having fake id card she was later released it was his second alleged violation having previously served half of nine-year sentence for breaking the terms of his parole mr knight was jailed in october following his involvement in fight with rival gang just hours before rapper tupac shakur was killed in las vegas drive-by shooting he was driving shakurs car at the time and was shot in the head at the time he was on probation for assaulting two musicians mr knight former bodyguard set up death row records in the early 1990s with shakur and dr dre among his protegees but the label has always been dogged by allegations it supports gang culture and fuels the east and west coast rap rivalry
rap feud in 50_cents g-unit crew us rap star 50_cent has said he has thrown protege the game out of his g-unit gang in feud that has apparently involved two shootings in radio interview on monday 50_cent said the newcomer was disloyal in conflicts with other rappers man was shot in the thigh outside new yorks hot studios while 50_cent was on air more shots were fired outside his management offices two hours later 50_cent appeared on the games debut album which was number one in the us 50_cent whose second album is about to be released after his debut made him one of hip-hops biggest stars has been involved in recent rivalries with fellow artists including fat joe nas and jadakiss he has claimed credit for the success of the game who has become the hottest new star on the rap scene both were drug dealers and were shot before turning to music in an interview with hot on saturday the game described some of 50_cents rivals as my friends and said he would not turn on them nas is one of my friends and jadas really homie he said 50s beef is 50s beef and really dont know where all this stems from when 50_cent appeared on the same station two days later he said the game was no longer member of g-unit every record hes selling is based on me being on his record with him he said when the shooting took place outside the studio the interview was ended and the rapper was escorted out of the building by security personnel an unidentified 24-year-old los_angeles man is stable with gunshot wound to the upper thigh police say the games associates may have heard the interview and gone to the studio where they confronted 50_cents entourage officers are also investigating later shooting in which eight bullets were fired into the door of 50_cents management company violator no arrests have been made in relation to either incident 50_cents second album the massacre is released on thursday five weeks after the games debut documentary went to number one elliott wilson editor-in-chief of hip-hop magazine xxl said the feud would boost publicity for 50_cents release it helps him obviously in terms of exposure you cant ask for better promotion he said but he added think hes making more and more enemies you definitely feel like is he doing too much of tupac spiral like me against the world you bring more people wanting to see you fail tupac shakur was shot dead in
rapper 50_cent ends protege feud rapper 50_cent has ended his public feud with his protege the game as the pair said they wanted to be good role models for their communities the row blew up when 50_cent threw the game out of his g-unit crew and accused him of being disloyal member of the games entourage was reportedly shot outside radio station where 50_cent was being interviewed but the pair shook hands as they handed over money to music projects for new yorks deprived areas on wednesday the game whose real name is jayceon taylor told news conference want to apologise im almost ashamed to have participated in the things that went on over the last few weeks chart-topper 50_cent real name curtis jackson said the truce came on the anniversary of the death of the notorious big in who was part of volatile feud between the east and west coast rap scenes were here today to show that people can rise above the most difficult circumstances and together we can put negativity behind us 50_cent said lot of people dont want to see it happen but were responding to the two most important groups our family and our fans the boys choir of harlem got cheque for from 50_cent while the game handed over the game also made contribution to the compton schools music programme 50_cent announced he has launched the g-unity foundation to help people overcome obstacles and make chance for the better in their lives realised that if im going to be effective at that have to overcome some of my own he said game and need to set an example in the community 50_cent is no stranger to feuds with rapper ja rule among the targets for ridicule in his songs on his latest album released earlier this month he turned his attentions to fat joe and nas who have both worked with ja rule both he and the game have admitted drug dealing in the past and have both been shot
rapper 50_cent scores chart first rapper 50_cent has become the first solo artist to have three singles in the us top five in the same week his track candy shop remained at the top of the charts while disco inferno crept up from six to five 50_cent also appears on rap protege the games song how we do number four in the us but now outside the uk top ten the pair had recent dispute which saw the game thrown out of 50_cents rap collective g-unit accusing him of disloyalty in an ongoing feud 50_cent who burst onto the music scene in has had less success in the uk charts with three singles making the top ten his debut album get rich and die tryin narrowly missed out on becoming uk chart topper but in the us he headed the end of year charts for the album and r&b and hip_hop artists newcomer the games debut reached the top of the charts five weeks ago while 50_cents second collection the masscre was released in the us at the end of last week last may r&b star usher scored chart first with three concurrent singles in the us top feat which was previously matched only by the bee gees and the beatles the hit songs were taken from the 24-year-olds confessions album which topped the american chart for eight weeks
rapper films music video in jail us rapper awaiting trial for murder has filmed part of music video in jail angering sheriff who says he was tricked into letting tv crews in c-murder former member of rap group tru was filmed in his orange prison suit for the video for his yall heard of me single in new orleans jail he is awaiting second trial after an original conviction was thrown out im not pleased jefferson parish sheriff harry lee said he will not make another video in my jail footage for the video was filmed by two crews who had permission to interview c-murder one from court tv and one from local cable show but mr lee said he did not know the rapper had filmed the video and made an album behind bars and said he was fooled into letting the cameras in the rappers lawyer ron rakosky said the bottom line is we didnt do anything wrong mr rakosky said it was better than c-murder real name corey miller just sitting there wasting away heres guy in jail making constructive use of his time instead of withering away he said hes lost more_than three years of his life locked up for crime he did not commit but local group victims and citizens against crime said he should not be working behind bars he is suspect in murder case dont think he should be allowed these privileges especially earning money until his name is totally cleared the groups president beverly siemssen said in c-murder was found guilty of killing 16-year-old in nightclub but that decision was thrown out last april he is now facing second trial on charge of second-degree murder with two brothers in the group tru he had two us top albums in the late 1990s before going solo when he scored another three top albums
rapper jay-z becomes label boss rap star jay-z is to become record company executive after being put in charge of one of hip-hops most influential labels def jam jay-z who said he would make no more music after 2003s the black album will become the companys president and chief_executive from january def jams parent company universal made the appointment after buying jay-zs roc-a-fella label def jams artists include ll cool dmx ludacris ja rule and ashanti jay-z will continue to run roc-a-fella which he founded with damon dash in and has kanye_west and beanie sigel on its roster universal said on wednesday it had bought the of roc-a-fella it did not already own antonio la reid chairman of the island def jam music group said can think of no-one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon def jams fantastic legacy he hoped jay-z would move the company into its next groundbreaking era he added jay-z real name shawn carter said have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop def jam and roc-a-fella feel this is giant step for me and the entire artist community one of the most successful and respected rap stars of the last eight years jay-zs hits have included hard knock life dirt off your shoulder and bonnie and clyde with his girlfriend beyonce knowles he said he would retire after the black album but has just released an album and been on an ill-fated tour with kelly def jam was founded in by russell simmons and producer rick rubin and signed artists including run-dmc the beastie boys and public enemy
rapper kanye wests shrewd soul us hip-hop star kanye_west who leads the race for this years grammys with nominations rose to prominence by producing songs for artists such as jay-z and alicia_keys he then emerged from his behind-the-scenes role to become an artist as well as producer but his solo career almost ended before it began after near-fatal car crash left west with his jaw wired shut in the resulting song through the wire became wests first uk hit in april and subsequent album the college dropout became transatlantic success both critically and commercially west began rapping as teenager at his chicago school inspired by the beats and rhymes of 1980s pioneers run dmc hip-hop producer no id encouraged west to sample old soul and r&b hits then revive them with an updated sound an approach that would become his trademark feel like lot of the soul thats in those old records that sample is in me he said so when hear them and put them with the drums and bring them to the new millennium its just like gods doing that im one with them records right there its blessing leaving his chicago art school after only one year move which would later inspire the title of his album west began his music career co-producing songs for artists mase and the madd rapper this drew the attention of superstar rapper jay-z who signed west up to his roc-a-fella record label to produce numerous artists on his roster wests work gained mainstream recognition when he produced the singles takeover and izzo hova on jay-zs own album blueprint incorporating samples of five to one by the doors and the jackson fives want you back respectively the hits were credited with injecting soul back into hip-hop as their success attracted further production work for jay-z bonnie clyde and artists such as ludacris stand up and alicia_keys you dont know my name west announced plans for solo album driving home from late-night los_angeles recording session in october he was involved in the car crash that left his jaw fractured in three places anytime hear about any accident my heart sinks in and just thank god that im still here he later said that steering_wheel could have been two inches further out and that would have been it wests account of the accident sampled chaka khans hit through the fire to become the heart of his completed solo album the college dropout released last year it was by turns smooth humorous and sharp and largely avoided the clichéd hip-hop preoccupation with guns girls and jewellery through the wire was quickly joined in the uk and us charts by slow jamz on which west collaborated with rapper twista and ray actor jamie_foxx the college dropout spawned two further uk hits and string of award nominations west was shortlisted for grammys including nominations for artist and album of the year and took the best hip-hop artist producer and album titles at last years music of black origin mobo awards now respected rapper and producer in the influential field of hip-hop kanye_west is unlikely to regret his decision to leave college early
rapper snoop dogg sued for rape us rapper snoop dogg has been sued for $25m 13m by make-up artist who claimed he and his entourage drugged and raped her two years ago the woman said she was assaulted after recording of the jimmy kimmel live tv show on the abc network in the rappers spokesman said the allegations were untrue and the woman was misusing the legal system as means of extracting financial gain abc said the claims had no merit the star has not been charged by police the lawsuit filed in los_angeles on friday says the womans champagne was spiked and she was then assaulted the rappers spokesperson said snoop will have the opportunity to prove in court of law that the alleged victim is opportunistic and deceitful we are confident that in this case the alleged victims claims against snoop dogg will be rejected the lawsuit names snoop dogg real name calvin broadus plus three associates the walt disney company and its parent company abc inc the woman waited two years to sue because she was trying to negotiate settlement with the media companies her lawyer perry wander said disney and abc failed to provide safe working environment for my client he said the legal action comes after the rap star sued woman who claimed they tried to blackmail him to keep quiet about an alleged assault the 32-year-old rapper has enjoyed six us top albums since bursting onto the music scene with hit songs like whats my name and gin and juice in
ray dvd beats box_office takings oscar-nominated film biopic_ray has surpassed its us box_office takings with combined tally of $80m 43m from dvd and video sales and rentals rays success on dvd outstripped its $74m 40m us box_office total earning more_than $40m 22m on the first day of the dvds release alone ray has been nominated in six oscar categories including best film and best actor for jamie_foxx the film recounts the life of blues singer ray_charles who died in in its first week on home entertainment release the film was the number one selling dvd with the limited edition version coming in at number sony horror film the grudge starring michelle gellar was the us second best-selling dvd with jennifer_lopez and richard geres romantic_comedy shall we dance at number three foxxs critically_acclaimed performance as ray has already earned him screen actors_guild award for best actor as well as prestigious golden_globe ray director taylor hackford responsible for the classic film an officer and gentleman has also received an oscar nomination in the best director category the films three other oscar nominations are for costume film editing and sound mixing
ray_charles studio becomes museum museum dedicated to the career of the late legendary singer ray_charles is to open in his former recording studio in los_angeles his longtime publicist jerry digney said the museum would house archive materials from recordings to awards to ephemera to wardrobe tour bus used by charles and his entourage over the years will also be on permanent display it is hoped the museum will be ready for visitors in late mr digney said the recording studio and offices had been used by charles for many years and was where he recorded much of his last album genius loves company it is hoped the museum will also house an education centre the building had been declared historic landmark by the city of los_angeles just before charles death in june at the age of following his death charles won eight grammy awards including album of the year for genius loves company collection of duets
record fails to lift lacklustre meet yelena isinbayeva may have produced another world pole vault record but her achievement could not hide the fact it was not the best meet we have ever seen in birmingham and hey there are not many meets that go by without the russian breaking world record apparently isinbayeva has cleared five metres in training and would just love her to put us out of our misery and have go at it rather_than extending the indoor record by one centimetre at time athletics to me is all about pushing the barriers and being the best you can and would like to see her have go at 5m in competition mind you every time she breaks the record she gets so she can afford to be deliberate about it world records aside thought it was very encouraging evenings work for kelly_holmes she looked good and was very positive agnes samaria who came second is in very good shape and is in the worlds top three 800m runners this season yes samaria let kelly get away but there was no coming back over the last 200m as kelly dominated the race so beating samaria is bit of benchmark for kelly my gut feeling is that kelly would like to run in the european indoor_championships but she just hasnt convinced herself she is fit enough to do so on the other hand think jason_gardener is struggling to come near what is going to be required to win the mens 60m in madrid he started well in the final but still could not stay with the front-runners jason has lot of experience indoors but for some reason he is struggling to maintain his pace through to the finish it would have been nice to see what mark_lewis-francis could have done in the final if only he hadnt got himself disqualified he was blatantly playing the false-start game to his advantage but it tripped him up and made him look bit silly my view is youre meant to go when the gun goes and not before and if you try to unsettle your rivals by employing the false-start tactic you have to remember not to false start yourself again having said that mark is looking in much better shape but havent seen anything from mark or jason yet which suggests frances ronald pognon who has run seconds will be under threat at the europeans from british point of view sarah claxtons victory in the 60m_hurdles was the best thing to come out of the meet something else that probably went unnoticed was melanie purkiss winning the womens national 400m race in new personal best of seconds aaas champion kim wall came second in another lifetime best so we have very strong 4x400m squad going to the european championships scotlands lee mcconnell is probably going to run too so we have real prospect of medal from an international perspective thought meseret defar was disappointing in the 3,000m but dont think the pace-making was great canadian heather hennigar set fast early pace but could not maintain it and if jo pavey had been in last years shape she would have given defar real run for her money she had go but just could not hang in there we were also expecting bit more from bernard lagat in the mens 1500m but he has only just come over from the usa so he may not be that sharp and still think he is in great shape as for kenenisa bekele he was well beaten by markos geneti but we only had half expectations for bekele as he has been struggling this season it was very hot in the national indoor arena and felt uncomfortable in the commentary box think those conditions affected the distance runners and in fact defar complained to her coach after the race that she could not get her breath properly
redfords vision of sundance despite sporting corduroy cap pulled low over his face plus pair of dark glasses robert redford cuts an unmistakable figure through the star-struck crowds at sundance its rare downtown appearance for the man who started the annual festival in park city utah back in the 1980s now in its twenty-first year sundance continues to grow some people are estimated to have descended on this small ski town with nothing but movies on the mind its an opportunity to meet and make deals redford wanted sundance to be platform for independent film-makers but the commercial success of many showcased films have led to criticism that the festival is becoming too mainstream smaller festivals like slamdance and xdance which take place during the same week in park city are competing for sundances limelight but redford is not worried the more the merrier he says the point was to create opportunities for people who may not have them once independent film had place where the work could be seen suddenly the merchants came with them the celebrities came then the paparazzi and suddenly it began to take on whole new tone explains redford people started to say we had gone mainstream and hollywood but actually hollywood came to us because suddenly there was good business in independent film he adds international film-makers have always been celebrated here but is the first year dedicated world dramatic and documentary competition is being held redford wants the festival to encompass viewpoints he believes the american media fails to reflect particularly how the us is perceived internationally he has never hidden the fact that he is democrat but he reserves particular disdain for the current republican administration its the ability to maintain the importance of dissent in democratic system which right now is under threat with the attitude of this administration he says think many voices are being shut down or accused of being unpatriotic if they want to express another point of view thats very unhealthy and very dangerous if we take that policy into the world there will be the same victims and the same consequences sundance isnt just one big screening there are discussion panels and q&a sessions with directors tackling controversial topics like americas culture wars and the iraq_war while redford wishes the festival to be forum for dissent the profile of the audience is fairly monolithic educated middle class and predominantly white americans comes sundance with views from the same end of the political spectrum anti-war and socially liberal but redford knows this and started the sundance tv channel in an effort to reach wider audience when you look at the films here what we are presenting is very much egalitarian and its about good films and good story-telling be it african america asian women gay lesbian sooner or later we will do away with those stereotypical labels and people will say its just film by so-and so
reds sink 10-man magpies titus brambles own goal put liverpool on the comeback trail as injury-hit newcastle were well beaten at anfield patrick kluiverts close-range finish put newcastle ahead after minutes but they were pegged back as bramble headed in steven gerrards corner neil mellor gave liverpool the lead before half-time from milan baros pass before the czech added third after rounding shay given on the hour newcastle then had lee bowyer sent off for two bookable offences liverpool brought back luis garcia after hamstring_injury while newcastle were forced to draft in kluivert after craig_bellamy was late withdrawal with back injury sustained in the warm-up and garcia should have crowned his return with goal inside the opening minute when he took pass from baros but shot wildly over the top from eight yards olivier bernard was only inches away from giving newcastle the lead after minutes when he fired just wide from free-kick yards out but sounesss side did go ahead minutes later in highly controversial circumstances kluivert looked suspiciously offside when kieron dyer set bowyer free but the dutchman was then perfectly placed to score from six yards the lead lasted three minutes with liverpool back on terms as bramble headed gerrards corner into his own net under pressure from sami hyypia and liverpool were ahead after minutes when baros slid perfect pass into mellors path for the youngster to slip slide-rule finish into givens bottom corner garcias finishing was wayward and he was wasteful again in first-half injury time shooting tamely at given after good work by xabi alonso any hopes of newcastle recovery looked to be snuffed out on the hour when brilliant turn and pass by harry kewell set baros free and he rounded given to score jermaine jenas then missed glorious chance to throw newcastle lifeline shooting over from just eight yards out from shola ameobis cross then bowyer who had already been booked for foul on alonso was deservedly shown the red card by referee graham poll for wild challenge on liverpool substitute florent sinama-pongolle dudek finnan hyypia carragher riise luis garcia nunez gerrard alonso kewell traore baros mellor sinama pongolle subs not used hamann harrison bramble og mellor baros given andrew obrien elliott bramble bernard bowyer dyer ambrose jenas milner nzogbia kluivert robert ameobi subs not used harper bowyer bowyer elliott bernard kluivert poll hertfordshire
relay squad thrilled with honours jason_gardener says being made an mbe in the new year honours list underlines the achievement of great britains 4x100m_relay squad at the olympics gardener darren campbell marlon devonish and mark_lewis-francis have all been awarded mbes after beating pre-race favourites usa to gold think this award reinforces what we did on that fantastic night he said this recognition is really inspiring and makes me want to have more success said lewis-francis the british sprint quartet produced string of faultless baton changes in the final to put pressure on the americans and when the usa stumbled with poor switch between justin gatlin and coby miller at the 300m stage britain edged ahead going into the final bend then on cue lewis-francis ran textbook final leg holding off maurice_greene to bring team gb home in seconds just one hundredth of second ahead of their rivals winning the gold medal was the highlight of my athletics career so far said the birchfield harrier this award is not just for me but for all my friends family and the people who have helped me to get to this level in my sport gardener added all of us had worked very hard for long long time to carry off what most believed was an impossible task of course this award is very special but for me nothing will ever take away winning an olympic gold medal its all ever wanted all my life that is what dreamed of doing life since then has been fantastic campbell agreed receiving the honour capped off what has been difficult year for the sprinter think the mbe is important because the people closest to me know my journey said the newport-based athlete ive not just stumbled upon this it gives me lot of joy and satisfaction to know the stuff you do for your country does mean something there was also recognition for james clarke chairman of the london marathon he becomes an obe
rem announce new glasgow concert us band rem have announced plans to perform for scottish fans in rescheduled gig the band will play in what has been dubbed europes biggest tent on glasgow green on tuesday june they were forced to pull out of concert at the secc in glasgow last month after bassist mike mills contracted flu fans who bought tickets for the original february show can attend the rescheduled concert the june gig will act as warm-up for rems open air concert at balloch castle country park on the banks of loch lomond four days later promoters regular music booked glasgow green as the secc was not available on the most suitable date mark mackie director of regular music said it is fantastic news and it really shows rems commitment to their scottish fans that they are coming back to glasgow for what will be truly unique gig the rem gigs will kick-start what promises to be memorable summer for scottish music lovers grammy award winners u2 will play hampden on june while oasis will also perform at the national stadium in glasgow on june coldplay have announced concert at bellahouston park in glasgow on july and t_in_the_park will be held at balado near kinross from july ticketweb and the secc box_office will write to customers who bought tickets for the february gig asking if they want to attend the new show those who bought tickets in person are being urged to return to the point of purchase anyone who cannot make the concert will be given refund the cut-off date for swapping tickets is april when those remaining will go on sale to the public
rem concerts blighted by illness us rock band rem have been forced to cancel concerts after bass player mike mills was taken to hospital suffering from severe flu-like symptoms the band were forced to cut short monday nights show in sheffield and have cancelled tuesdays glasgow date mills could hardly stand up let alone play said an rem spokesman who added he is now resting in hospital the remainder of the band played short acoustic set on monday tuesdays gig has been rescheduled for june those who had ticket for the show in glasgow are being advised to retain their ticket stub so they can attend the new date the bands spokesman said that they would review their remaining dates on day-to-day basis based on doctors advice to mills obviously we all want mike to get better and clearly we all want to play the shows rest assured we will do so as soon as possible he said the band were still hopeful they would be able to make their wednesday date added the spokesman rem played accoustic versions of their hits losing my religion ive been high leaving new_york and the one love to the sheffield arena audience on monday the band had originally been scheduled to play four dates in the uk as part of world tour in former drummer bill berry collapsed in switzerland while the band was on tour having suffered ruptured aneurysm he made full recovery only to leave the band two years later
richard and judy choose top books the authors shortlisted for richard and judy book award in are hoping for boost in sales following the success of this years winner the tv couples interest in the book world coined the term the richard judy effect and created the top two best-selling paperbacks of so far the finalists for include andrew taylors the american boy and robbie_williams autobiography feel this years winner alice sebolds the lovely bones sold over one million joseph oconnors star of the sea came second and saw sales increase by the best read award on richard madeley and judy finnigans channel_4 show is part of the british book awards david mitchells booker-shortlisted novel cloud atlas makes it into this years top along with several lesser known works theres no doubt that this years selection of book club entries is the best yet if anything the choice is even wider than last time said madeley it was very hard to follow last years extremely successful list but we think this years books will do even better said richard and judy executive producer amanda ross we were spoiled for choice and it was tough getting down to only from the submitted
ring of fire hit co-writer dies merle kilgore co-writer of the country hit ring of fire has died of congestive heart failure aged he started out as singer and songwriter before going into music management looking after country star hank williams jr he wrote ring of fire with june carter cash the future wife of johnny cash who went on to score his most popular hit with the track kilgore had heart surgery in and was also diagnosed with lung cancer his death has been attributed to treatment he was undergoing for the cancer his first self-penned top hit was dear mama in one of the first songs he wrote for other artists was wolverton mountain which sold million copies when recorded by claude king he then wrote ring of fire with june carter cash which was about her unrequited love for johnny who she later married it was first recorded by her younger sister anita carter before johnny went on to make such success of it june carter cash previously said it upset her husband when kilgore talked about the song without crediting her and believed he should not have been credited on it last year kilgore turned up an awards dinner in wheelchair expecting to honour hank williams jr but instead he was the surprise recipient of lifetime_achievement award from the international entertainment buyers association
robots march to us cinema summit animated movie robots has opened at the top of the us and canada box_office chart taking $36.5m 19m on its first weekend on release featuring the voices of ewan mcgregor halle berry robin williams and mel brooks robots follows robot inventor who moves to big city vin diesels family comedy the pacifier fell to the number two spot taking $18.1m 9.4m new bruce willis movie hostage opened at number four with $9.8m 5.1m however recut version of mel_gibsons the passion_of_the_christ which featured less violence than last years original movie took just despite opening in cinemas the new version of the film received little publicity and the original version is available across the us on dvd we certainly had higher expectations than what we got said rob schwartz head of distribution for newmarket films which released the passion_of_the_christ we were trying to get the film out there hoping it would reach an audience that it didnt quite reach the first time around it doesnt seem to have worked out quite as well as we had hoped meanwhile will smith comedy hitch has become the top film at the global box_office after taking an estimated $30.1m 15.6m over the weekend at cinemas outside north_america according to industry website screen daily it has taken $65.5m 34.1m so far buoyed by opening at number one in the uk last weekend and successful run in germany the movie which cost reported $70m 36.4m to make has taken $138m 72m in the us so far
roche turns down federer offer australian tennis coach tony roche has turned down an approach from roger_federer to be the world number ones new full-time coach say reports melbournes herald-sun said roche troubled by hip complaint did not want to travel full-time again however roche is happy to work with the swiss star on casual basis and is helping him prepare for next months defence of his australian_open crown federer has been without coach since splitting with peter lundgren in roche former davis_cup player for australia won the french open reached the wimbledon and us open finals and won five wimbledon doubles titles with john newcombe he also coached former number one ivan lendl and pat rafter to grand_slam victories and has worked with australias lleyton_hewitt some reports claim federer initially wanted andre agassis australian coach darren cahill before agassi confirmed he would play on in federer was named swiss sportsman of the year on saturday to add to the bbc overseas sportsman and european sports journalists association awards he has already won
rochus shocks coria in auckland top seed guillermo_coria went out of the heineken open in auckland on thursday with surprise loss to olivier rochus of belgium coria lost the semi-final to rochus who goes on to face czech jan hernych winner over jose acasuso of argentina fifth seed fernando gonzalez eased past american robby ginepri the chilean will meet sixth seed juan ignacio chela next after the argentine beat potito starace rochus made the semi-finals at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide last week and is naturally delighted with his form its been two unbelievable weeks for me he said today knew had nothing to lose if beat him great if lost would be losing to top-10 player coria conceded that rochus played just too good and added when you give your best out there you cant be too sad
rock band u2 break ticket record u2 have smashed irish box_office records with ticket sales for their dublin concerts after more_than were sold within minutes tickets for the two concerts at the citys croke park stadium were released at 8am on friday morning nothing like it has ever been seen in ireland before said justin green spokesman for organisers mcd promoters we could have sold million tickets the dublin dates on june and form part of the worldwide vertigo tour the tour begins in san diego on march and will cover us cities the band will also play european gigs finishing in lisbon in august mr green said that ticket outlets had been bombarded by u2 fans unfortunately theres thousands and thousands of disappointed fans all over the country which is disappointing but theres only two dates confirmed he said many fans camped on the streets of the irish capital for three days to ensure they were first in line at ticketmaster in st stephens green shopping centre where the tickets went on sale on friday however the majority of tickets priced at between and euro each were sold online earlier this week bono announced that the band would play two shows at the venue which holds almost people due to the phenomenal demand for tickets
rock group korns guitarist quits the guitarist with us rock band korn has quit the music business saying he made the decision after experiencing religious awakening brian head welch told radio station in california that his bandmates respected his decision to leave replacement guitarist has yet to be named by korn who are currently at work on their eighth studio album welch added that he would appear at church in bakersfield to explain how he got to this place in life the remaining members of korn who are known for their hardcore brand of rock said they hoped welch finds the happiness he is looking for the 34-year-old made reference to the bands aggressive brand of music and its young fans in his parting statement anger is good thing and if kids want to listen to korn good but theres happiness after the anger he told his local radio station in bakersfield im going to show it through my actions how much love my fans added welch korn have enjoyed moderate degree of chart success in the uk with singles breaking into the top their best performance to date in the uk has been 2002s here to stay which reached number while their album untouchables released in the same year made it to number four
rock star sued by ex-girlfriend motley crue guitarist mick mars is being sued by his ex-girlfriend for million million claiming he broke promise to take care of her the woman robin mantooth said mars promised her repeatedly that he would provide financial support in the event of the couple breaking up when they split in december mantooth says mars denied any such agreement she is asking los_angeles court to award her half the musicians property monthly allowance and damages mantooth added that the pair became lovers in after which she abandoned her career as documentary film-maker to move in with the guitarist at his malibu home she is also claiming that mars has failed to provide her with any material support since they ceased to be couple motley crue recently reunited after being apart for period of five years they originally formed in the early 1980s and scored six hits in the uk including girls girls girls in they are embarking on world tour later this year which will take in cities across the us europe asia and australia mars real name bob allen deal underwent hip replacement surgery in october he suffers from degenerative rheumatic disease which causes ligaments and tendons to attach to the bone
rocker doherty in on-stage fight rock singer pete doherty has been involved in fight with his bands guitarist at their biggest gig to date babyshambles played for fans at londons brixton academy on tuesday the former libertines singer traded blows with guitarist patrick walden they were separated and bundled off stage before returning to end the set the show was earlier held up due to audience overcrowding on monday doherty faced blackmail and robbery charges in court which he denies he is out on bail and the judge agreed to extend his gmt curfew deadline by two hours so he could play the brixton gig babyshambles which he formed after his acrimonious departure from the libertines played warm-up show at the garage north london on monday on tuesday doherty and his three bandmates were introduced to the crowd by mick jones the former clash guitarist who produced the libertines second album babyshambles took the stage to frenzied reception at gmt launching into their last single killamangiro which reached number eight in december but the group had to stop during the next song to persuade fans not to push forward and allow security guards to pull people out of the crush doherty appealed to fans to calm down saying theres few people getting hurt down the front youve got to move back the music resumed minutes later but after several more songs the singer appeared to accidentally disconnect waldens guitar leading the pair to trade kicks and punches bouncers stepped in and the band left the stage but returned after five minutes and finished their 50-minute performance with no further trouble doherty had to be home by midnight to observe the curfew which is one of the conditions of his bail on monday the judge agreed to allow him to perform on condition that requests for changes to his bail terms were not too regular an occurrence the singer was arrested with fellow musician alan wass on february after an alleged dispute with documentary-maker max carlish at london hotel they are next due in court on april
roddick in talks over new coach andy_roddick is reportedly close to confirming us davis_cup assistant dean goldfine as his new coach roddick ended his 18-month partnership with brad gilbert on monday and goldfine admits talks have taken place we had really good conversation and were on the same page in terms of what expect from player in commitment and what he wants said goldfine the reading got from him is that would have lot of the qualities hes looking for in coach speaking to told south floridas sun-sentinel newspaper goldfine added that being said from his standpoint which is smart he wants to cover all his bases think andy wants long-term relationship and wants to make sure its the right fit the best fit goldfine has worked with todd martin and roddicks close friend mardy fish and was an assistant coach with the us olympic team martin is the other name to have been linked to the vacant post alongside roddick
roddick into san_jose final andy_roddick will play cyril_saulnier in the final of the sap open in san_jose on sunday the american top seed and defending champion overcame germanys tommy_haas the third seed and saulnier survived an injury scare in his semi-final with seventh-seeded austrian jurgen_melzer the frenchman twisted his ankle early in the second set but overcame melzer who was left fuming over series of line calls was feeling horrible earlier in the week roddick said thought tonight was another step in the right direction on my returns was standing in more and im getting little more depth even if dont hit perfect return roddick won the last four points of the first-set tie-break before being broken at the start of the second set but he broke straight back and then broke haas again to lead its extremely frustrating when you have chances against top-five player and dont do anything with them admitted haas rushed few backhands and he took advantage saulnier will move into the worlds top for the first time after his passage through to the final its taken lot of work and lot of fighting in my mind he revealed sometimes didnt believe could get to final and now am here ive stayed mentally strong im on the way ill keep fighting and work lot and ill be up there
roddick splits from coach gilbert andy_roddick has ended an 18-month association with coach brad gilbert which yielded the us open title and saw the american become world number one roddick released statement through the sfx sports group with the news but did not give reason for the split the decision to not re-hire brad gilbert for the season is based on what think is best for my game at this time said roddick any more on this situations private matter between coach and player roddick won of his matches while working with gilbert and said he had enjoyed their time together he won his first grand_slam event at flushing meadows last year and finished on top of the atp tour rankings but roddick slipped to second this year behind roger_federer who became the first man since to win three majors in season federer who has not had coach since he split from peter lundgren at the end of last year beat roddick to win the wimbledon title and in two other tournament finals roddick hired gilbert after deciding to part from coach tarik benhabiles in the wake of his first-round exit at the french open he went on to win the us open and four other titles for the year he has won four events this season have enjoyed all of my time with andy gilbert said on his personal website he has been great student of the game during the time that we worked together and am very proud of the results that were achieved while believe that there is still great deal of work to be done andy clearly does not feel that way
roddick to face saulnier in final andy_roddick will play cyril_saulnier in the final of the sap open in san_jose on sunday the american top seed and defending champion overcame germanys tommy_haas the third seed was feeling horrible earlier in the week roddick said thought tonight was step in the right direction saulnier battled to win over seventh_seed jurgen_melzer who twisted his ankle early in the second set roddick won the last four points of the first-set tie-break before being broken at the start of the second set but he broke straight back and then broke haas again to lead its extremely frustrating when you have chances against top-five player and dont do anything with them admitted haas rushed few backhands and he took advantage saulnier will move into the worlds top for the first time after his passage through to the final its taken lot of work and lot of fighting in my mind he revealed sometimes didnt believe could get to final and now am here ive stayed mentally strong im on the way ill keep fighting and work lot and ill be up there
roundabout continues nostalgia trip the new big-screen version of the magic_roundabout released in the uk on friday is the latest attempt to turn childrens television into box-office gold recent years have seen less-than-successful adaptation of the 1960s puppet show thunderbirds and moderately successful version of nesbits five children and it previously filmed by the bbc in he-man and transformers which were cartoon favourites in the 1980s will soon receive their own costly makeovers with screen versions of the a-team the dukes of hazzard and even blakes seven on the cards nostalgia is clearly big business but some critics complain that these expensive takes on iconic series of yesteryear do not match up to our fond_memories of the originals the new version of the magic_roundabout which will be released as sprung in the us replaces the stop-motion models of the 1960s tv show with polished computer-generated animation in similar fashion the thunderbirds used human actors and special effects in place of the originals puppets and models the films are squarely pitched at younger audiences pop stars robbie_williams and kylie minogue provide voices in the magic_roundabout while the now-defunct boy band busted performed the thunderbirds theme song but while some reviewers have been won over there has nonetheless been significant backlash this cg-animated adventure airbrushes the sly charm and trippy otherworldliness which made the 60s stop-motion roundabout cult hit writes stella papamichael on the bbc movies site and the recent puppet comedy team america world police was in part provoked by its directors outrage that gerry andersons thunderbirds was remade without its signature mannequins dan jolin reviews editor of empire magazine says classic childrens tv shows have built-in audience that make them ideal for reinvention can understand why people are taking these intellectual properties and repackaging them for the kids of today but think its backfiring whats next the clangers on some distant planet with some giant cgi soup dragons chasing after them despite thunderbirds disappointing global box-office performance the film cost $42m 22m but only recouped $21m 11m the nostalgia craze shows no signs of abating it can therefore be only matter of time before some other tv favourites receive the hollywood treatment after the success of garfield the movie britains shabby tabby surely deserves his own film vehicle with only episodes made of the series there is plenty of room to explore the lives of the pink cat professor yaffle and the mice of the marvellous mechanical mouse organ furry recyclers have already had one big-screen outing 1977s wombling free but with environmental issues still occupying our thoughts it is high time they made comeback advances in special effects technology could do wonders for the bbcs supernatural comedy and the success of pirates_of_the_caribbean must surely herald comeback for tvs most popular cartoon buccaneer it might also remind viewers the lewd character names often associated with the show never actually existed the magic_roundabout is out in the uk on february how about bringing catweazle to the big screen he could give gandalf run for his money thundercats loved it should be fun to see on the big screen if some effort is put in it will bring my youth back get your hands off the clangers is nothing sacred make movie version of the banana splits what about keanu reeves and richard_gere in remake of the wooden tops or perhaps robbie_williams could get his much mooted acting career off the ground by taking on the role of andy pandy you forgot to mention the grearest of them all danger mouse but then again it couldnt be better than the original series could it its always nice to see these old toons re-released but after the abysmal thunderbirds movie and the song think ive been completely put off just leave these classics alone as good memories think remakes are good idea as the world moves on people tend to look more and more into the past to things that make them feel safe believe this is the whole reason retro has become so popular as long as remake does justice to the original then all it can do is create wider audience and possibly entice new generation of persons to enjoy and revive and old series personally id like to see cartoons such as transformers thundercats and m.a.s.k get full hollywood remakes leave them alone why ruin something that we all have very fond_memories of in the first place the thunderbirds film was apalling not patch on the puppet series grew up with and the magic_roundabout will never be the same without the voice of eric thompson love to see transformers with real actors and cgi and make it at least rating part of the reason for the success of such classics as the magic_roundabout was that the characters were not the sweet and cuddly creatures that you would expect they were moody sarcastic and rather human just looking at the pictures of the animations for the new film show that these characteristics have not been preserved dougal never smiled like that films of this sort have an unfortunate habit of disneyfying everthing and they just lose the real magic that made the show special in the first place have fond_memories of bod not least of which because look like him and would like to see someone attempt to make it into film its got all the right material for an american blockbuster no plot and no story bod would likely be played by tom cruise and would undoubtedly have girlfriend or two its all very well and good remaking these classic tv shows and films with all the latest technology for new audience but for me lot of the original charm is lost when they do this and seems more like money making exercise to cash in on the original success of the programme than reinventing or improving it it maybe that to an audience who have never seen the originals they can watch them without prejudice but to people who have grown up with all these shows such as thunderbirds and magic_roundabout which are part of our childhood they are never going to live up to expectation it does pose the question though that with all the long line of remakes being made are film-makers running out of original ideas all can say is bring back danger mouse probably the greatest kids show ever recently re-watched some episodes and realised that there was level of humour shown in danger mouse that was completely lost on me when was child there was new captain pugwash cartoon made couple of years back again like so many of these nostalgia programmes the animation this time computer created flat-cell like animation failed to match the originals cut out paper technique for inventiveness and was woefully inadequate we live in sampling world the music industry has been pludering past decades for inspiration clipping sounds from years ago is much cheaper and easier that doing something new seems that the film and tv is doing the same now its just cheaper to take ideas from the past and rework them rather_than being daring and trying something new it got to be mr.benn the story line about man who changes in fancy dress shop steps into door way and appears in another time and place would be amazing if they got decent producer and writer the story line could be great and who to play the lead role well if it was comedy then it would have to be someone like steve martin if its going to be an adventure then johnny_depp playing role similar to the pirates_of_the_caribbean character muffin the mule perhaps after all grannies and grandpas go to the cinema as well you know why cant the british film industry try making gerry andersons ufo or captain scarlet or saphire and steel or the tomorrow people in todays media it seems the past is the future tv shows such as battlestar galactica have new remakes djs are sampling or re-working 70s and 80s music even computer games from years ago are getting modern re-workings personally think it shows that no one has any originality any more why not just leave our misty-eyed nostalgia alone mary mungo and midge but of course for most of the episodes the lift would be out of order and they would have to use the stairs plus would mary be more of vicky pollard character as she lives in high rise council block yeah but no but wasnt even there id like to see mr benn with brad pitt in the title role sean connery could play the mysterious costume shop owner it demonstrates profound lack of imagination in todays film-makers that they continually try to remake and remodel the past in an effort to cash in on nostalgia there are plany of modern childrens book that would make excellent films or tv programmes why not use them instead of rehashing the past mr benn with rowan atkinson as the lead would have loved to see dungeons dragons made but unfortunately the film that it was made into didnt come up to scratch the only one that isnt to be remade as yet is thundercats which id like to see im an expat living in norway and recently went through period of buying the dvds of many of my favourite childrens programs for my daughters my dearest wish however is to see feature length version of noggin the nog appear on the big screen very scandinavian rainbow believe that childrens classics should be left well alone and will not be surprised if the magic_roundabout does not do well at the box_office especially since it will be going up against the spongebob squarepants movie popular among children because its original witty and modern the magic_roundabout will never appeal to the children of today as it did all those many years ago how about classics like chorlton and the wheelies rentaghost terrahawks bod.....oh the list could go on and on if transformers movie is indeed on the cards then ill be the first one on amazon buying copy eagerly waiting at the front door with frothy mouth and nervous twitch repackage my childhood and sell it to me at an extortionate price dont care till then ill have to make do with the citreon c4 advert id luv to see willow the wisp on the big screen but sadly without the late kenneth williams doing the voices it wouldnt be the same and who remembers trap door voiced by the late willie rushden superb childrens programme could morph hold his own in big screen movie or even jamie and the magic torch....hmmmmm could go on and on danger mouse at im showing my age noggin the nog was one of the best childrens programs the problem with bringing it to the big screen is that no-one could approach oliver postgates wonderful voices so in general leave well alone the originals are good because they are of their time and the methods used are an integral part of the story just imagine what could be achieved by using cgi in remake of fingerbobs the already disturbing hand antics of the bearded hippy yoffi could take on whole new level with more life-like fingermouse bob the builder postman pat and fireman sam together in an epic adventure of fire post and bricks in the ultimate struggle to save the women they love from the evil clowns krusty and gobo will they triumph or will they fail miserably find out this fall one puppet show that personally would love to see made into live action movie is joe it would be worth the price of admission alone to see the large screen version of joes car of course gerry andersons supermarionation is rich seam of material worthy of big-screen big-budget action it was only that thunderbirds the movie was targetted as childrent movie that really let it down after all the children that remember those shows with such affection are now the parents of children themselves its only because the people who were children when these programmes were first shown have grown up and are plundering their childhoods isnt it id hate to see bagpuss with perfect animation love that done in shed clunkiness and you couldnt recreate the magic perhaps if the remakes were done in look around you mock-authentic style might be interested chorton and the wheelies or jamie and his magic torch that would be mega this re-gurgitation of old films and tv shows makes me angry it is corporate laziness resting on the safety of other peoples ideas because it guarantees to bring in the the same can be said of modern day pop bands who release other peoples material will young etc the sad fact is nostalgia sells big bucks in the short-term the fact that they will be forgotten in months time is irrelevant e.g starsky hutch hence the market is saturated with this mindless drivel but it can only be stopped if people stop buying it pray they never do remake of chorlton and the wheelies im only and dont remember the series from when it was on tv but have the set on dvd and its classic the fact its so great comes from the fact that there were very few special effects involved and compared to todays stuff it looks amateurish thats the appeal though its so innocent like chorlton himself and it would be real shame if they did remake it
row threatens hendrix museum plan proposals to open museum dedicated to jimi hendrix are flailing because of row over the home of his late father the run-down house in seattle has already been moved wholesale once and local authorities are now demanding it be moved to another site hendrix supporters hoped to turn the home into museum for the guitarist the mayor is going to go down as the mayor who destroyed jimi hendrixs house said ray rae marshall of the james marshall hendrix foundation the foundation moved the building in which al hendrix lived between and when the land it was built on was to be developed for housing in now the city of seattle wants its new plot to be used for development giving deadline of february for the home to be moved mr goldman said the authority had promised the house could remain on its new site and be turned into memorial and community centre seattle officials said no such deal had been offered we never said you can own this property said john franklin chief of its operations department from our perspective it was temporary situation we have not threatened to demolish the house weve simply asked that they have to move it now mr goldman is calling for the authority to pay to move the building to seattles central district where hendrix grew up janie hendrix the guitarists stepsister said the family were still hoping the guitarist would be honoured by having road named after him thats something my father really wanted to see she said it would be nice if we didnt have to fight for everything to get it hendrix was widely considered one of the most important guitarists of his time he died of drug overdose in at the age of
roxy music on isle of wight bill roxy music will appear at junes isle of wight music festival along with morrissey supergrass and idlewild rem have already been confirmed as headliners for the three-day event which takes place from june original band members bryan ferry phil manzerana andy mackay and paul thompson will take to the stage on the saturday night of the festival the band are also working in the studio on new material their first since the album avalon roxy music were formed in by ferry mackay and brian eno with manzanera joining the following year their first hit was 1972s virginia plain with other hits including street life love is the drug and the john lennon cover jealous guy roxy musics back catalogue was re-released in leading to the band undertaking world tour in morrissey will also play on saturday at the festival while supergrass and idlewild have been confirmed for the friday
royal couple watch nations mood prince charles and camilla parker bowles are awaiting the nations reaction after announcing they are to be married on april mrs_parker bowles will take the title hrh duchess of cornwall after civil ceremony to be held at windsor castle daily_telegraph poll of people suggests two-thirds of britons support the couples decision to marry but only think mrs_parker bowles should become princess consort as planned after charles becomes king some believe she should have no title while think she should become queen the poll also found that the majority of britons would prefer the monarchy to miss generation with the queen handing the throne to her grandson prince william on her death or abdication on thursday night prince charles and mrs_parker bowles hosted dinner at windsor castle their first public appearance since announcing their engagement mrs_parker bowles said the prince went down on one knee to propose and added im just coming down to earth she displayed her diamond engagement ring royal family heirloom to reporters charles said he and his wife-to-be were absolutely delighted their marriage will end years of speculation on relationship which dates back to the queen and duke of edinburgh said the news had made them very happy princes william and harry said they are very happy and wish the couple all the luck in the future the wedding will be civil ceremony followed by service of prayer and dedication in st georges chapel at which the archbishop_of_canterbury dr rowan williams will preside the marriage is likely to be sensitive issue because mrs_parker bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive if he became king charles would be the supreme governor of the church of england and some anglicans remain opposed to the remarriage of divorcees his divorce from diana and the disappointment the country felt over how diana had been treated opened up sense of disillusionment with prince charles said ros coward who wrote the authorised biography of diana princess of wales the archbishop_of_canterbury said am pleased that prince charles and mrs camilla parker bowles have decided to take this important step tony_blair said he was delighted for the couple and offered his congratulations as did conservative leader michael_howard and liberal_democrat leader charles_kennedy australias prime_minister john howard also offered his congratulations adding that their decision to marry was sensible and good thing mrs_parker bowles has joined the prince at numerous engagements in recent years mostly at evening events for the princes trust clarence house staff were at pains to point out that she attended these events in private capacity
running around the olympics it was back to official duties last week in my role as an ambassador to londons olympic bid but still managed to do all my marathon training all the sporting people on the capitals bid team think im mad to be taking part in the london marathon the bid chairman lord coe admitted he would never dream of running marathon even though he was an olympic middle-distance runner kelly_holmes former hurdler alan pascoe and former sprinter frankie fredericks who is now an ioc member all wanted to know why anyone would want to run that far youd have thought all these athletes who have been running for most of their lives wouldnt think it would be that bad but the only person who was positive about my intentions was tanni grey thompson who has won the london marathon wheelchair race six times even though it was very busy week entertaining the international olympic committees ioc evaluation commission actually found my running schedule easier to follow when im at home get distracted by all sorts of things but for the five days was in london was in pressurised situation but found it easy to relax by running on wednesday the presentations to the ioc team did not finish until the early evening so just managed to squeeze in 45-minute run we had an early start on thursday because we had to visit all the olympic sites around london that was pretty shattering but when we got back to the hotel got back on the treadmill on friday evening went along to the special dinner at buckingham palace which was nice occasion never feel guilty about eating especially when im exercising and because it was rest day didnt have to feel bad about missing my training either anyway managed to do another quick run on saturday ahead of the final ioc presentations before heading home for my daughters birthday when was in london did all of my runs on the treadmill which isnt the same as exercising outdoors one of the iocs technical staff from australia ran alongside me one day we talked about the sydney olympics and that made the time go past more quickly do find it quite comfortable running in the gym because there is more cushioning but when youre gearing up to running on the road you need your body to get used to that jarring feeling when your feet hit the pavement it was good to get out on the road for my long run on sunday after the week id had was bit concerned wouldnt be able to complete it but coped with it very well and even though it was bitterly cold put in 15-and-a-half miles only another to go then this year steve will donate all the proceeds from his london marathon efforts to victims of the tsunami.steve will be writing regular column on the ups and downs of his marathon training for the bbc sport website.he will be raising money through the steve redgrave trust which supports the association of childrens hospices the children with leukaemia charity and the trusts own project which aims to provide inner-city schools with rowing equipment
rusedski forced out in marseille greg_rusedski was forced to withdraw from the open in marseille on thursday with rib injury the british number two had been scheduled to play qualifier sebastien de chaunac who beat world number five guillermo_coria in round one but rusedski was unable to take to the court because of problem with the left-hand side of his rib-cage american taylor dent caused shock with victory over second seed david nalbandian but third seed joachim johansson made it through after beating frenchman gilles simon while in the first match of the day sixth seed feliciano lopez defeated ivo karlovic there were also wins for slovakias karol beck and croatian duo ivan_ljubicic and mario_ancic
russian film wins bbc world prize russian drama the return vozvrashchenie has been named winner of the bbc four world cinema award the film tells_the_story of two adolescent boys who are subjected to harsh regime when their strict father returns after 10-year absence directed by andrey zvyagintsev the return previously won the golden lion award at the venice film festival the prize was presented at an awards ceremony held in london on thursday and hosted by jonathan ross the winner was chosen by panel which included files actress gillian anderson critic roger clarke and touching the void director kevin mcdonald ross who is the presenter of bbc ones film was also involved in the deliberations shortlist of six films from around the world had been drawn up from which the panel chose other nominees included the motorcycle_diaries zatoichi and hero viewer poll saw director zhang yimous martial arts epic hero emerge as the favourite with of votes cast tragedy struck the production of the return when one of the young stars 15-year-old vladimir girin drowned in lake the winner of the world cinema award last year was the french animated feature belleville rendezvous
russian film wins bbc world prize russian drama the return vozvrashchenie has been named winner of the bbc four world cinema award the film tells_the_story of two adolescent boys who are subjected to harsh regime when their strict father returns after 10-year absence directed by andrey zvyagintsev the return previously won the golden lion award at the venice film festival the prize was presented at an awards ceremony held in london on thursday and hosted by jonathan ross the winner was chosen by panel which included files actress gillian anderson critic roger clarke and touching the void director kevin mcdonald ross who is the presenter of bbc ones film was also involved in the deliberations shortlist of six films from around the world had been drawn up from which the panel chose other nominees included the motorcycle_diaries zatoichi and hero viewer poll saw director zhang yimous martial arts epic hero emerge as the favourite with of votes cast tragedy struck the production of the return when one of the young stars 15-year-old vladimir girin drowned in lake where some of the films scenes were set the winner of the world cinema award last year was the french animated feature belleville rendezvous
safin cool on wimbledon newly-crowned australian_open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future after losing in round one last year safin said he had given up on wimbledon and winning his second grand_slam title has not changed his mind ill play but with no expectations feel like cant waste my time my energy on that surface he said some people they cannot play on clay some people they cannot play on hard court me cant play on grass however safin is hopeful that winning the australian_open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand_slam titles its relief for me two grand_slams its already something but with this one worked really hard for it he said basically would love to win couple more think have chance if continue this way if coach peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for bit longer think can make it the 25-year-old shocked pete sampras in the us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian_open finals safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand_slam didnt expect that to win the us open it was against sampras wasnt the favourite so had no pressure whatsoever he said after the first final that didnt win against thomas johansson in couldnt see myself winning the grand_slams anymore was once in the semi-finals of the french open but didnt believe can win it just couldnt handle the pressure you need to believe in yourself and didnt and after losing the first set to lleyton_hewitt in sundays final safin said he began to doubt himself again am im playing against hewitt at least you have to have the opportunity to win it at least have chance he said its like you go there and you lose first set then you start to think this is not my day the way im playing is ridiculous but then you start to really be little bit more selfish and try to find way out of there and found it was like really much was much happier than in thats for sure because get over it
safin plays down wimbledon hopes newly-crowned australian_open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future after losing in round one last year safin said he had given up on wimbledon and winning his second grand_slam title has not changed his mind ill play but with no expectations feel like cant waste my time my energy on that surface he said some people they cannot play on clay some people they cannot play on hard court me cant play on grass however safin is hopeful that winning the australian_open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand_slam titles its relief for me two grand_slams its already something but with this one worked really hard for it he said basically would love to win couple more think have chance if continue this way if coach peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for bit longer think can make it the 25-year-old shocked pete sampras in the us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian_open finals safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand_slam didnt expect that to win the us open it was against sampras wasnt the favourite so had no pressure whatsoever he said after the first final that didnt win against thomas johansson in couldnt see myself winning the grand_slams anymore was once in the semi-finals of the french open but didnt believe can win it just couldnt handle the pressure you need to believe in yourself and didnt and after losing the first set to lleyton_hewitt in sundays final safin said he began to doubt himself again am im playing against hewitt at least you have to have the opportunity to win it at least have chance he said its like you go there and you lose first set then you start to think this is not my day the way im playing is ridiculous but then you start to really be little bit more selfish and try to find way out of there and found it was like really much was much happier than in thats for sure because get over it
safin relieved at aussie recovery marat safin admitted he thought he was suffering another australian_open final nightmare when he lost the opening set to lleyton_hewitt the russian who lost the and finals fought back brilliantly to win was nervous and couldnt play tennis said safin he started really well he wasnt as nervous as was because was thinking of the two finals that played and wasnt successful he added you really have to deal with the pressure because normally it never happens but when you come to the final you are so tight because you want to win tried to play some tennis but couldnt he has huge experience hes won two grand_slam titles hes won titles hes great player and he deals with pressure from down in the third set safin played some of his best tennis to reel off seven games and take control of the match in the third set just all of sudden it all turn around completely in way couldnt expect said safin because he made couple of mistakes was little bit lucky at some point then the confidence came back and was back in the game and the russian revealed that the victory and his semi-final win over world number one roger_federer had given him massive boost for the future you get huge confidence because roger is great player said safin once beat him and then lleyton its like you get so much confidence in yourself that you really can play great you can win big titles and you can beat huge players in the finals and semi-finals
safin slumps to shock dubai loss marat safin suffered shock loss to unseeded nicolas_kiefer in round one of the dubai tennis championships playing his first match since winning the australian_open safin showed some good touches but was beaten by the in-form kiefer the german got on top in the first-set tie-break striking sweet forehand to win the first point against serve and he maintained the momentum early in the second set breaking the russian with the help of an inspired volley spains feliciano lopez lined up second round clash with andre_agassi by beating thailands paradorn srichaphan lopez who lost in three sets to roger_federer in last years final won former champion fabrice santoro of france was beaten by sixth seeded russian nikolay davydenko there were also wins for two other russians igor andreev and seventh_seed mikhail youzhny
saudi investor picks up the savoy londons famous savoy hotel has been sold to group combining saudi billionaire investor prince alwaleed bin talal and unit of hbos bank financial details of the deal which includes the nearby simpsons in the strand restaurant were not disclosed the seller irish-based property firm quinlan private bought the savoy along with the berkeley claridges and the connaught for 750m last year prince alwaleeds hotel investments include the luxury george in paris he also has substantial stakes in fairmont hotels resorts which will manage the savoy and simpsons in the strand and four seasons fairmont said it planned to invest $48m 26m in renovating parts of the savoy including the river room and suites with views over the river thames work was expected to be completed by summer fairmont said
school tribute for tv host carson more_than people turned out on sunday to pay tribute to late us tv presenter johnny carson in the nebraska town where he grew up carson who hosted the tonight show for years died on january from respiratory disease emphysema he lived in norfolk nebraska from the age of eight until he joined the navy but returned regularly and donated $5m 2.7m to local causes old school friends were among the crowd at the schools johnny carson theater carson who was one of the best-loved tv personalities in the us asked not to have public memorial in los_angeles where he lived in later life he began his showbusiness career in norfolk performing magic under the name the great carsoni from the age of his donations included to norfolk high school in the 1980s to build new performing arts centre when carson died president bush led the public tributes saying the presenter had profound influence on american life and entertainment
scissor sisters triumph at brits us band scissor sisters led the winners at the uk music industrys brit awards walking off with three prizes the flamboyant act scored hat-trick in the international categories winning the best group best album and best newcomer awards glasgow group franz_ferdinand won two prizes as did keane and joss_stone who was voted best urban act by digital tv viewers robbie_williams angels was named the best song of the past years scissor sisters frontwoman ana matronic collected the best international album prize from singer siouxsie sioux she told the audience if you told us year ago we would be getting these awards today we would have called you crazy you guys made our dream come true the band whose self-titled lp was 2004s biggest-selling album thanked all the members of the sisterhood adding we wouldnt be here without you the us band who opened the show with take your mama won the best international act and newcomer awards as well as best international album franz_ferdinand who were shortlisted in five categories won best rock act and best british group an award they dedicated to late dj john peel but they missed out on best british live act which went to muse keane won best british album and breakthrough act will young won the best single prize for your game mcfly won the best pop act prize and gwen_stefani picked up the best international female artist award eminem won the male prize best british male artist winner mike skinner aka the streets does not usually attend award ceremonies but the birmingham hip-hop artist performed his hit dry your eyes at the ceremony however he did not collect his prize bandmate informed the crowd skinner was in the toilet after beating amy winehouse jamelia natasha_bedingfield and pj harvey to the best british female prize joss_stone said dont know what to say dont like doing this at all id like to thank my family for being really supportive and everybody that made my record with me dont even know what to do right now thank you all you guys for voting for me feel sick right now viewers of digital music tv channel mtv base voted stone the winner in the best urban act category little britain comedy duo matt_lucas and david walliams presented the best song prize to robbie_williams dressed as his former take that colleagues gary barlow and howard donald leading him to quip he was always the talented man of the band williams track beat songs by will young queen kate bush and joy_division in vote by bbc radio listeners to mark years of the uk music industry ceremony it is his 15th brit award having already received solo awards and four with take that he told the audience im just amazed that my career keeps going keane frontman tom chaplin thanked fans for enduring rubbish gigs after they won the british breakthrough act prize he added lot of people dont think its cool that weve had the guts to be ourselves but its vital part of who we are as band and receiving this is recognition of that natasha_bedingfield in the running for best british female and best pop act performed with her brother daniel for the first time at wednesdays event the chart-topping siblings duetted on the chaka khan hit aint nobody meanwhile joss_stone performed right to be wrong backed by gospel choir while lemar and jamelia performed the robert palmer track addicted to love bob geldof won prize for his outstanding contribution to music of the brit awards for achievements in were won by artists tipped in the bbc_news websites sound of list of artists to watch published at the start of last year scissor sisters franz_ferdinand keane joss_stone and mcfly were all in the sound of top the other five brits winners were already established before sound of was compiled the ceremony will be televised on itv1 on thursday im speechless best song of the last years yeah right very much doubt that angels was even the best song of the week that it came out like every track robbie has released as single its blatant but poor facsimile of something that someone else has done better before give us break best song in years you must be joking its good if you like that sort of thing but really listened to angels on radio this morning when was driving into work had not heard it for while love robs voice the lyrics and tune perfection as usual the public have short memories when it comes to voting for the greatest there must be more_than dozen songs in the last years that deserve this award more its not exactly groundbreaking presumably the age range that could be bothered to vote is is pretty low im actually embarrassed to be british if that is the best song we have produced in the last years what about the specials ghost town the buzzcocks ever fallen in love with someone happy mondays kinky afro mcalmont butler yes joy_division love will tear us apart angels is middle-of-the-road rubbish angels is awful piece of sentimental claptrap its musically and lyrically inept and fantastically overrated bit like mr williams himself this result isnt very surprising though the brits has long history of celebrating rubbish music best of the last years maybe cunning to make the timescale not include stairway to heaven or bohemian rhapsody but it does kind of make it bit of hollow award really not much competition in the last years after all its alright for pop song but the best song of the last years there is no way on earth that song should have been voted the best of the last years....its travesty rubbish who voted it for it to be included in any list am regular listener to radio but dont recall the invitation to vote for this bland slushy rubbish which might appeal to the masses who wouldnt know good song if it jumped up and bit them on the nose but is certainly not the best song of the last years how depressing and just when we thought manufactured pop was on the way out where on earth did this dreadful list appear from while am biassed in that thought love will tear us apart should have won in all seriousness think that the best song of the last years should not include songs less than years old as that would exclude songs which are popular because of novelty then again well done robbie good show youve got to be kidding angels is great song but not the best song of the last years only the best song to be up for nomination at the brits think angels is great song and deserved to be in the run up for this award but dont think its the best song from the past years right enough it is better than some of the others in this catergory for example what was will young doing being nominated in the first place he is alright but the song isnt that good im happy for robbie himself though best song in the last years what joke think of all the great rock and pop songs released in the 80s and pretty much all of them are better than angels phil collins doesnt deserve awards for all the good songs he wrote angels is an overrated song that got tiresome even before you had finished listening to it soppy rubbish at best hopefully manufactured rubbish will die down soon and let the real artists who worked hard for there glory receive awards so boringly obvious and typical of the bland nature of mainstream music in britain today for me its proof that music and democracy just dont mix still at least it wasnt will young oh its all just bit of fun people take these awards too seriously robbie has millions of loyal fans while even non-fans know the words to angels him winning obviously reflects who votes in these awards personally wanted will young to win but that was not really due to his musical talent hate the song all it brings back is memories of school discos and no-one to slow-dance with agree about angels never get fed up hearing it whenever the song comes on the radio turn the radio up smile and sing along very badly that is why the radio has to be turned up to drown my voice out the song makes me calm and serene and happy well done robbie think that although robbie_williams is good performer that angels isnt really that good song it certainly isnt anywhere near as good as love will tear us apart by joy_division or wuthering heights by kate bush angels is fantastic song all credit to robbie_williams and guy chambers its song that will be played forever and bridges all age groups robbie did in no way deserve that mantle whenever we have these awards it is always artists from the past five years that seem to win the best of the best...we forget about the late 80s and early 90s for example they werent cool at the time but because they are cool again now shows that the songs have greater longevity than people think yes angels is the best song since the past years because it touches the soul as it carries lot of meaning ive always disliked angels intensely believe it to be symbolic of the general capacity of british pre-teens teens and middle aged women to accept low quality low aspirational music as classic songwriting its orrible it seems obvious to me that people who like robbie are people who dont particularly like music all that much folks without collections folks who have never engaged in that madness one experiences when falling under the spell of pop music angels adds nothing it is merely an irritating distraction wasp that refuses to go away on summers afternoon picnic what dreadful result if you voted for it you should feel ashamed of yourself you probably only know dozen songs or so dont you so where do get off applying this uninformed filter and casting this ridiculous vote booo hisss angels best song you are kidding right last five years might be willing to accept but no way did whoever voted for this actually have any music knowledge prior to say really quite insulting to the british music industry of the past quarter of century no surprise about robbie_williams considering the list where on earth did the nominations list come from compiled by an eleven year-old girl perhaps mean will young come on what load of crap best song in the last years dont think so what about all the real artists out there over the last years the list is endless but robbie_williams doesnt even come close what joke that song has become such bane to me that have developed pavlovian response to the word angels where thrash around and scream no no no no no until someone tells me the radios off why half-baked cheesy ditty like angels which has become the anthem for millions of romantic sops think how many times it was sung on pop_idol for example and by whom should be voted the best song of the past years is beyond me if this is the song against which all others are judged then musicians may as well give up why do we reward mediocrity so highly in this country the initial list was very weak anyway but angels the best song of the last years think not didnt realize radio had so many listeners under the age of people have such short memories great song yes but the best of the last years not chance think the person as opposed to the song has been voted for here the great british public at work again its mediocre sentimental and safe song granted its not too bad either but can it stand up against anything by the smiths in particular how soon is now or anything from the stone_roses first album nope no because im not female and im not ok like robbie and angels is decent song but it is no way the best song of the past years the shortlist wasnt great but him winning it is joke predictable and laughable the success of angels at this years brits reflects poorly on the state of british music over the last years the british public are brainwashed by the corporate pulp that is presneted to them as cutting edge music and true talent is being sadly missed whilst angels is popular song it is not even the best song in robbies repertoire never mind best song of the last years am huge robbie fan and love that song but think there are lot more outstanding songs music out there that influenced music today unfortunately they were left out of the list have radio listeners even heard of joy_division band who through two albums have had bigger impact on music and continue to do so over the last years than robbie_williams ever will no doubt about it theres not song done by anyone with more emotion and feeling some people will adopt their slightly snobby stances but angels has hit home with far larger audience than any other song it should have been joy division.those guys have played an influential part in shaping modern day music while angels remains yet another pop song sincerely do not believe that in years from now the most influential artists will argue that robbie_williams inspired their art in the way that the byrds the beatles and nick drake have done for music today yes think its brilliantly written song with different meanings to different people there were other great songs in the category but somebody had to win robbie was deserved winner am astounded that such second-rate record has beaten such line up of amazing songs its terrible song voted for by the masses who dont have the brains to appreciate innovative and exciting music the best song of the past years really come on this is surely joke no think need long lie down it just goes to show that the british public do not have clue about good quality music when they pick robbie_williams over the beautifully talented kate bush and joy_division suppose its confirmed one thing the british public are consistently dull &lt no offence robbie but pleeease there must be thousand better songs than formulated cheesy pop song for kids no one agrees with this and quite frankly it is an embarassment to the integrity of british music and further nail in the coffin think robbie deserves it he has been the most iconic of any stars we have had in britain since john lennon and is an idol to millions worldwide anybody who says he doesnt deserve it is jealous of his success the only real challenger was queen but hey another one bites the dust obviously all the karaoke singers in the uk voted for it if this is the best song of the last years then the british music industry is in trouble sure robbie is talented and produces excellent material but this is not the best record sad day for music its not the type of music normally like but even as diehard rock fan recognise that it is good song and appelas to most people thats why it has been voted best song of the last years its good all-rounder just like robbie best song in years since im confused angels isnt bad song its nice catchy formulaic anthem that ticks all the boxes but this is not great music if anything its regressive bland even suppose its just more evidence of how redundant the brit awards have become granted angels is good song however it really wasnt up against any other proper competition the queens song was lackluster and apart from kate bush the other choices were pathetic also why werent the stones there david bowie etc there are so many greater songs than angels...i wonder if it was simply the fact that robbie wasnt getting more awards so they had to make one up for him best song of the last years what ridiculuous concept and an even more ridiculous winner sigh on the upside at least it wasnt bohemian rhapsody for which we should all be thankful angels is without doubt great song but really dont think it deserves the title of best song in years.perhaps the vote had more to do with teenage opinion on robbies goodlooks than the actual song dont get me wrong im not disputing his looks but there are more deserved winners it would have been travesty had angels not won without angels robbie_williams may well not be where he is now and britain would have been deprived of one of its most charismatic and talented performing artists it has to be seen performed live with people singing along to be fully appreciated well done rob find it hard to believe that angels is the best we have to show for the past years im rapidly redifining best in my own head now to mean most gratuitously played at weddings and funerals because people think it has deep meaning what about britpop blur oasis suede pulp not only making fantastic songs but also making changes doing something different why must best always come down to most commercially popular ive nothing against robbie actually like his music but how can this possibly be the best song from the last 25year the brits has proved to be nothing more_than bargaining tool between the pop moguls to boost band profiles and record sales the same goes with the scissor sisters think this is superb record and thoroughly deserves the newcomer award but the album comes no where near u2s new record neither are they in the same league once again there have been some baffling discisions made they are not for artisic reasons but for profit no surprise really its voted for by the general public since when did they have taste in music personally find angels by robbie_williams to be one of the most irritating songs have ever heard it absolutely deserved to win it is song that has united the generations and will continue to be played for many years to come its an absolute joke however most of the original were very poor choices as well all in all pretty pointless exercise the song is overplayed and oversentimental out of the rather poor five choices that were left it should have gone to either joy_division or queen suppose we should be thankful that it didnt end up in the hands of will young though although it has nostalgia value there is no way it deserved to win everybody knows the words to bohemian rhapsody nothing compares etc much better songs and more timeless give it to someone with real talent although angels is good song think that anyone with the slightest musical taste will realise that this is not the best song of the last years this is just another example of record company manipulation to keep an artist in the public eye why not give him an award for the greatest pair of trousers if thats all it means
serena becomes world number two serena_williams has moved up five places to second in the world rankings after her australian_open win williams won her first grand_slam title since with victory over lindsay_davenport the world number one mens champion marat safin remains fourth in the atp rankings while beaten finalist lleyton_hewitt replaces andy_roddick as world number two roger_federer retains top spot but safin has overtaken hewitt to become the new leader of the champions race alicia_molik who lost three-set thriller against davenport in the quarter-finals is in the womens top for the first time in her career her rise means australia have player in the top of the mens and womens rankings for the first time in years and britains elena baltacha who qualified and then reached the third round has risen to in the world leap of places and her highest ranking yet
serena ends sania mirzas dream sania_mirza the first indian woman to reach the third round of grand_slam tennis event has lost to womens favourite serena_williams the 18-year-old mirza who got wild_card entry into the australian_open in melbourne lost to williams in the third round williams took just minutes to defeat mirza and sail into the fourth round the only other indian woman to win match at grand_slam is nirupama vaidyanathan vaidyanathan made it to the second round of the australian_open in playing the biggest match of her life mirza made little impact on williams in the early stages of the game but the teenager showed more confidence in the second set and engaged the seventh-seeded williams in some well contested rallies mirza junior wimbledon doubles title winner became the first indian woman to reach the third round of grand_slam tennis event when she beat hungarian petra mandula on wednesday im really excited was confident but didnt think it was going to be that easy mirza said after her second round win my aim was to win round here when did that was so relieved there was no pressure tennis is not particularly popular sport in india but number of indians watched the live telecast of the match between mirza and williams mirza who lives in the southern indian city of hyderabad known for producing host of top indian cricketers turned professional two years ago she says she was considered too small when she went for her first tennis classes as six-year-old girl then finally the coach called my parents up and said the way she hits the ball ive never seen six-year-old hit ball like that mirza told the associated_press
shark_tale dvd is us best-seller oscar-nominated animation shark_tale has raked in $80m 42.4m in the first week of its us dvd release becoming the years best-selling home video so far the tally for its dvd and video sales soared past the films opening week us box_office takings of $56m 29.7m shark_tale is now the sixth-highest earning dvd for first week sales the all-time first-week record is held by 1995s lion king followed by shrek_2 finding nemo the original shrek and monsters inc shark_tale whose voice cast includes will smith robert de niro renee zellweger and martin_scorsese sold more_than million dvds and videos across the united_states and canada it becomes the highest first-week earner for february outshining my big fat greek wedding which sold four million units in films which are expected to earn strong home video returns are usually timed for release in the busiest retail season which falls before christmas the best-selling home video of last year was the dreamworks hit shrek_2 which took an estimated 242.7m in north_america alone
show over for mtvs the osbournes rock star ozzy osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality tv show the osbournes at the end of it didnt like having cameras around the house all the time the black sabbath singer told reporters at the mtv europe awards in rome his wife sharon who also appears in the popular mtv show based on the osbournes family life agreed now everybodys doing reality shows hes done it hes been there hes got to do something else she said ozzy osbourne said he had had enough of the work involved in making the series when you watch 25-minute episode ive been filming all day he said sharon_osbourne is currently appearing as judge and mentor in itv1 talent show the x-factor alongside simon_cowell and louis walsh earlier this year she topped poll of the most important people in rock for her part in guiding the career of husband ozzy and her family she was the driving force behind the osbournes which ran for three series earning the family reported $85m 46m the renewed popularity for ozzy has seen sales of his merchandise hit the $50m 27.2m mark record for heavy_metal artist sales of t-shirts accessories and action figures have rocketed since the osbournes hit screens at its peak the osbournes had regular audience of eight million with americas tv guide magazine describing the series as cross between the simpsons and this is spinal tap osbourne himself was at loss to explain its popularity suppose americans get kick out of watching crazy brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week
sideways dominates spirit awards the comedy sideways has dominated this years independent spirit awards winning all six of the awards for which it was nominated it was named best film while alexander_payne won best director and best screenplay along with writing partner jim taylor it also won acting awards for stars paul giamatti thomas haden church and virginia madsen sideways is tipped to do well at sundays oscars with five nominations the awards now in their 20th year are given to films made outside the traditional studio system and are traditionally held the day before the oscars other winners included catalina sandino moreno who took best actress for her role as drug smuggler in the colombian drama maria full of grace moreno is also nominated for best actress at the oscars the best first screenplay award went to joshua marston for maria full of grace scrubs star zach braff won the award for best first feature for garden state which he wrote directed and starred in oscar-nominated euthanasia film the sea_inside from spain won best foreign film while metallica some kind of monster was awarded best documentary actor rodrigo de la serna took the best debut performance prize for the motorcycle_diaries the awards are voted for by the members of the independent feature project/los angeles which includes actors directors writers and other industry professionals last years big winner lost in translation went on to win the oscar for best original screenplay for writer-director sofia coppola
singer christina aguilera to wed pop star christina aguilera is to marry music executive jordan bratman the singers agent has confirmed bratman proposed to grammy-winning singer aguilera on holiday at an undisclosed location the pair have been together for more_than two years no wedding plans have been set yet said aguileras agent meghan prophet aguilera burst onto the pop scene in winning best new artist grammy in her hits include what girl wants dirrty and beautiful bratman presented his fiancee with diamond ring designed by jeweller stephen webster on friday said ms prophet new york-born aguilera reached number one in the uk with her debut hit genie in bottle in october her early success was cemented by two further grammys in subsequent years in aguilera won best pop collaboration for the hit track lady marmalade with lil kim maya and pink and last year she picked up the award for best female pop vocal performance for beautiful her most recent single car wash featuring missy elliott reached number four in the uk charts last november
singer ferguson facing eviction three degrees star sheila ferguson is the favourite to be evicted from itvs im celebrity get me out of here on monday bookmakers ladbrokes says the singer has even odds of being the first contestant to be voted off the show its going to be close but sheila is favourite as she has shown herself to be bit of troublemaker said ladbrokes warren_lush comic joe pasquale remains odds on favourite to win the reality show mr lush added that nancy sorrells chances of an early departure had increased since the surprise arrival of husband vic reeves in the jungle camp last wednesday notwithstanding comedian reeves remains favourite to win the show after pasquale huggy bear actor antonio fargas also remains contender for eviction having done nothing to live up to the pre-show hype there has been big gamble on natalie appleton to go but bookies fancy the millions at home will keep piling on the misery by putting her through more bushtucker trials added mr lush the former all saint star has performed dismally in bushtucker trials which have seen her plunged into glass tanks containing putrid waste and challenged to eat fish eyes on friday ladbrokes suspended betting after singer brian harvey quit the show folllowing blazing row with janet street-porter harvey who entered the camp day later than other contestants after learning that his grandmother had died reached the end of his tether following days of meagre rations and rows
singer ian brown in gig arrest former stone_roses singer ian brown was arrested after fight during concert in san_francisco on tuesday his spokesman has said fan jumped on stage and attacked the singer who then became involved in fracas with security guard fiction records spokesman paul smernicki said he said brown was arrested at his hotel after the show at the great american music hall but released without charge san_francisco police said they could find no record of his arrest mr smernicki said he had been told fan rugby-tackled the singer during the gig which resulted in pushing and shoving brown then got into brawl with another man who tried to restrain him without realising he was security guard mr smernicki added the star went off for minutes before returning to finish his set police took witness statements and apprehended brown at his hotel mr smernicki said but he was released without charge and as far as were aware thats the end of it mr smernicki added spokesperson for the san_francisco police department said he may have been detained but they could find no record of the incident brown was lead singer with the stone_roses one of the most seminal bands in british rock until they split in he has since forged successful solo career scoring nine uk top singles since in he was sentenced to four months in jail for using threatening behaviour towards an aeroplane captain and stewardess
singer knight backs anti-gun song r&b star beverley knight said she sang on an anti-gun single after being haunted by the fatal shooting of two teenage girls in birmingham knight and drum bass star roni size have released no more in bid to reduce gun use among young people she said she was horrified by the deaths of charlene ellis and letisha shakespeare size whose new forms album won the mercury music prize said gun use was nothing to be glamorised there were more_than firearms offences and gun crime deaths in england and wales between june and according to home office figures knight said the scale of the problem became clear to her after the shootings in aston near knights birmingham home it haunted me to be honest it haunted my sleep she said size became involved after two friends donna small and asha jama were shot in his bristol hometown in october jama lost her sight in one eye while 22-year-old small suffered serious head injuries size said he collaborated on the single which was released on monday because he has birds eye view of whats going on over the last years have seen lot of things happen and it is nothing to be glamorised it really isnt he said
singer sizzla jailed for swearing reggae star sizzla whose uk tour was cancelled after protests at his anti-gay lyrics has been jailed in jamaica for swearing on stage the singer must serve days in prison after he consistently swore during concert in st thomas jamaica in january despite warnings by police he was charged under law which prohibits indecent dress or expression sizzlas five-date uk tour was cancelled last november after protests by gay rights campaigners sizzla whose real name is miguel collins has released albums since and is credited with taking dancehall music back to its reggae origins many jamaican entertainers have appeared before the courts for use of profanity in recent years but they usually receive verbal warning suspended sentence or community service sizzlas uk tour was cancelled after scotland yards racial and violent crime taskforce announced it was examining lyrics by eight reggae artists it would not confirm that sizzla was among them one of his most controversial songs pump up contains the jamaican patois lyrics fire fi di man dem weh go ride man behind translated by gay rights group outrage as burn the men who have sex with men
singers film to show at festival documentary which takes candid look at the life of chart-topping singer george michael will be shown at this years berlin film festival different story will screen in the panorama section of the festival which runs from february it features the singer talking about both his career and his personal life from his days in wham through to more recent events michael will attend the festival to introduce the screening on february director southan morris and executive producer andy stephens will also attend the festival the minute film will see michael discussing his early days in wham along with his later career including his legal battles with record label sony and his stance against the iraq_war and american politics it will also touch upon his turbulent personal life including his arrest in beverly_hills park toilet in for lewd behaviour and the death of his boyfriend anselmo feleppa from aids the film which includes previously unseen footage of the singer also features contributions from michaels former wham partner andrew ridgeley as well as ex-wham backing singers pepsi and shirlie other contributors include sting mariah carey elton john noel gallagher geri halliwell and simon_cowell this years festival will open with man to man historical_epic starring joseph fiennes and kristin scott-thomas it will be one of films competing for the festivals top prize the golden bear other films in competition will include the life aquatic quirky_comedy starring bill murray and the biopic kinsey which features liam_neeson the full programme will be announced on february
sir paul rocks super_bowl crowds sir paul mccartney wowed fans with live mini-concert at american footballs super_bowl and avoided any janet jackson-style controversies the 62-year-old sang hey jude and other beatles songs in 12-minute set at half-time during the game in florida last year jackson exposed breast during dance routine causing outrage among millions of tv viewers and landing the cbs tv network fine sir paul however did nothing more racy than remove his jacket as he sang organisers were widely considered to be playing it safe this year by booking 62-year-old sir paul for his second super_bowl show three years ago he was invited to perform at the first super_bowl after the september attacks and performed his specially-written song freedom this time he started off the show at the alltel stadium in jacksonville florida with the beatles numbers drive my car and get back he then performed mellow version of live and let die the james_bond theme he recorded with the band wings finally he closed the show with rousing version of hey jude the former beatle resisted any temptation to refer to janet_jacksons headline-grabbing performance last year instead keeping banter between songs to minimum in order to squeeze as much music as he could into his slot the singer removed his black jacket halfway through the show but any fans hoping for second nipple-gate were to be disappointed as he kept his red sweatshirt on underneath earlier the black eyed peas and alicia_keys had provided the nights other high-profile entertainment by performing in pre-game show black eyed peas singer fergie was dressed in tight orange top and purple hotpants but nothing in her performance was likely to upset tv watchdogs after the controversy last year which saw cbs fined record by federal regulators super_bowl organisers had turned to producer don mischer to oversee this years half-time show his previous production credits included olympic opening and closing ceremonies the super_bowl is watched by an audience of million in the us with many of the people watching are said to tune in specifically to see the entertainment put on around the event michael jackson aerosmith diana_ross gloria estefan and phil collins are among the stars who have previously graced the super_bowl stage
sky takes over oscar night mantle sky has signed major new deal to broadcast this years academy awards taking over from three years of live oscar coverage on the bbc sky said it was honoured to have won exclusive broadcasting rights and promised to cover the event in way no other broadcaster could the bbc denied it had lost bidding_war saying it had decided to pass the mantle to another broadcaster the ceremony hosted by newcomer chris rock takes place on february skys coverage will launch with the nominations on january and will include themed programming across sky channels including sky news sky travel and the biography channel there will also be month-long season of oscar-winning films on sky movies in the run up to the event and live uninterrupted coverage on the night we are honoured to have won the live and exclusive broadcasting rights for the academy awards said sky networks sophie turner laing sky is the natural place to see the biggest and most prestigious film event of the year and will cover the event in way that no other broadcaster could sky first scooped oscar rights from the bbc in but the bbc won them back in when sky was forced to pull out of bidding_war due to financial constraints bbc viewers will of course be able to watch quality coverage of the academy awards on the bbcs bulletins and news programmes spokesman said among the films tipped to do well at this years academy awards are martin_scorseses the aviator jean-pierre jeunets very long engagement and the ray_charles biopic_ray
slater to star in broadway play actor christian_slater is stepping into the role of tom in the broadway revival of the glass menagerie slater is replacing actor dallas roberts in the tennessee williams drama which opens next month no reason was given for roberts departure the role will be played by understudy joey collins until slater joins the show slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in one flew over the cuckoos nest in londons west end he has also starred in number of films including heathers robin hood prince of thieves and more recently churchill the hollywood years preview_performances of the glass menagerie will begin at new yorks ethel barrymore theatre on thursday philip rinaldi spokesman for the show said the plays march opening date remains unchanged the revival directed by david leveaux will also star jessica lange as the domineering mother amanda wingfield
slim playstation triples sales sony playstation 2s slimmer shape has proved popular with uk gamers with sold in its first week on sale sales have tripled since launch outstripping microsofts xbox said market analysts chart-track the numbers were also boosted by the release of the ps2-only game grand theft_auto san_andreas the title broke the uk sales record for video games in its first weekend of release latest figures suggest it has sold more_than copies it is obviously very very encouraging for sony because microsoft briefly outsold them last week john houlihan editor of computerandvideogames.com told bbc_news and with halo_2 for xbox out next week it really is head-to-head contest between them and xbox although xbox sales over the last week also climbed ps2 sales were more_than double that the figures mean sony is reaching the seven million barrier for uk sales of the console edinburgh-based developer rockstar which is behind the gta titles has seen san_andreas pull in an estimated 24m in gross revenues over the weekend in comparison blockbuster films like harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban took 11.5m in its first three days at the uk box_office the lord_of_the_rings the return of the king took nearly 10m over its opening weekend although games titles are four to five times more expensive than cinema tickets gangster-themed gta_san andreas is the sequel to grand theft_auto vice city which previously held the record for the fastest-selling video game ever the xbox game halo_2 released on november in the uk is also widely tipped to be one of the best-selling games of the year the original title won universal acclaim in and sold more_than four million copies mr houlihan added that sony had done well with the ps2 but it definitely helped that the release of san_andreas coincided with the slimline ps2 hitting_the_shelves the run-up to christmas is huge battlefield for games consoles and titles microsofts xbox had been winning the race up until last week in sales the sales figures also suggest that it may be largely adult audience driving demand since gta_san andreas has an certificate sony and microsoft have both reduced console prices recently and are preparing the way for the launches of their next generation consoles in both have hit crucial price points at around and that really does open up new consoles to new audience plus the release of two really important games in terms of development are also driving those sales said mr houlihan
slimmer playstation triple sales sony playstation 2s slimmer shape has proved popular with uk gamers with sold in its first week on sale sales have tripled since launch outstripping microsofts xbox said market analysts chart-track the numbers were also boosted by the release of the ps2-only game grand theft_auto san_andreas the title broke the uk sales record for video games in its first weekend of release latest figures suggest it has sold more_than copies it is obviously very very encouraging for sony because microsoft briefly outsold them last week john houlihan editor of computerandvideogames.com told bbc_news and with halo_2 for xbox out next week it really is head-to-head contest between them and xbox although xbox sales over the last week also climbed ps2 sales were more_than double that the figures mean sony is reaching the seven million barrier for uk sales of the console edinburgh-based developer rockstar which is behind the gta titles has seen san_andreas pull in an estimated 24m in gross revenues over the weekend in comparison blockbuster films like harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban took 11.5m in its first three days at the uk box_office the lord_of_the_rings the return of the king took nearly 10m over its opening weekend although games titles are four to five times more expensive than cinema tickets gangster-themed gta_san andreas is the sequel to grand theft_auto vice city which previously held the record for the fastest-selling video game ever the xbox game halo_2 released on november in the uk is also widely tipped to be one of the best-selling games of the year the original title won universal acclaim in and sold more_than four million copies mr houlihan added that sony had done well with the ps2 but it definitely helped that the release of san_andreas coincided with the slimline ps2 hitting_the_shelves the run-up to christmas is huge battlefield for games consoles and titles microsofts xbox had been winning the race up until last week in sales the sales figures also suggest that it may be largely adult audience driving demand since gta_san andreas has an certificate sony and microsoft have both reduced console prices recently and are preparing the way for the launches of their next generation consoles in both have hit crucial price points at around and that really does open up new consoles to new audience plus the release of two really important games in terms of development are also driving those sales said mr houlihan
slovakia reach hopman cup final slovakia will play argentina in the final of the hopman cup after beating group rivals the netherlands daniela_hantuchova defeated michaella krajicek to give the slovaks the perfect start before dutchman peter wessels retired against dominik_hrbaty wessels was unable to compete in the mixed_doubles but slovakia had already booked their place in the final for the second year running argentina claimed top spot in group with three wins from three matches in the other group match the united_states defeated australia meghann shaughnessy lost the opening match against alicia_molik but james blake levelled the tie with win over paul baccanello who came in as replacement for the injured mark philippoussis blake and shaughnessy then beat molik and baccanello in tense mixed_doubles contest to take the win hantuchova who did not win hopman cup singles match in has been in good form during this years event and has won two of her three matches feel like its really deserved this time as ive helped dominik to get through she said think if keep going the way have been in the past few matches then will be okay was really pleased with my last two singles even the first one which was really high standard you cant ask for better preparation than to play few matches here for the australian_open
slovakia seal hopman cup success slovakia clinched the hopman cup for the second time by beating argentina in saturdays final in perth daniela_hantuchova put the third seeds ahead recovering from terrible start to beat gisela dulko dominik_hrbaty who had not lost set in his three singles matches in the group stages then upset world number seven guillermo_coria hantuchova and hrbaty then won the mixed_doubles after coria was forced to withdraw because of sore back slovakias win made up for last years final defeat to the united_states would like to congratulate daniela hrbaty said was so nervous watching her today almost had heart attack also feel little sorry for guillermo because get very excited whenever play for my country show lots of emotions and played such good tennis world number hantuchova ranked two places above dulko looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match dulko who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages grew in confidence and took the opening set in just minutes but hantuchova hit back to take the next two and the match was so nervous because really wanted to win for the team and for dominik as he played so well all week she said didnt think was playing my best but just tried to hang in there and fight hard for every point for my country slovakia won the cup on their first appearance in when karol kucera and karina habsudova beat france
smith loses us box_office crown new comedy diary of mad black woman has ended will smiths reign at the top of the north american box_office based on play by tyler perry who also stars as gun-toting grandmother the film took $22.7m 11.8m in its first three days of release after topping the chart for two consecutive weeks smiths romantic_comedy hitch dropped to second place with takings of $21m 10.9m keanu reeves supernatural thriller constantine dropped place to three based on the hellblazer comics the film took $11.8m 6.1m on its second week of release two new entries came next in the chart with wes cravens horror movie cursed about werewolf loose in los_angeles in fourth position with $9.5m 4.9m action comedy man of the house starring tommy lee jones as texas ranger assigned to protect cheerleader squad came in at fifth with $9m 4.6m clint_eastwoods boxing drama million dollar_baby recipient of four academy awards including best picture continued to perform well in sixth place with takings of $7.2m 3.74m martin_scorseses hollywood biopic the aviator which won five oscars all in minor categories held on in ninth place the low-budget feature diary of mad black woman stars kimberly elise as woman thrown out on the streets by her philandering husband with the help of her grandmother madea one of three roles played by perry she plots revenge perry is one of americas best-known black playwrights but is newcomer to film once made homeless after investing his own money in unsuccessful productions of his work he now lives in the mansion in which diary of mad black woman was filmed
snicket tops us box_office chart the film adaptation of lemony snicket novels has topped the north_america box_office chart displacing oceans series of unfortunate_events starring jim_carrey took $30.2m 15.5m in its debut weekend oceans fell to number two while new entry spanglish entered the chart at number three taking $9m 4.6m series of unfortunate_events also stars scottish comedian billy connelly while carrey takes on number of different roles in the surreal film the only other new entry in the top was re-make flight of the phoenix at number eight starring dennis quaid carrey entertained crowds at the uk premiere of lemony snicket in london on friday the actor grabbed co-star meryl streep and whisked her around leicester_square based on the cult childrens books by author daniel handler the film follows three children who are orphaned when their parents die in fire they are taken in by their wicked uncle count olaf played by carrey who schemes to get his hands on their fortune
snow_patrol bassist exits group snow_patrol had no other course of action but to ask their co-founder and bassist to leave the band lead singer gary lightbody has said mark mcclelland had been in the band for more_than years since its formation at dundee university lightbody said over the last months touring has taken its toll on the rest of the bands relationship with him he said this is the hardest decision we have ever had to make and believe us when we say we didnt make it lightly the group originally from northern_ireland has only achieved mainstream success in the last year with the single run and award-winning album final straw in statement on the bands website lightbody said started the group with mark years ago and he was massive part of snow_patrol and my life throughout that decade he added it got to the stage that things couldnt go on as they were so we felt there was no other course of action but this know you will all be distressed and may not understand this news but we had to do what was best for the band snow_patrol are currently working on the follow-up to their breakthrough third album the band is set to play support to u2 on number of summer stadium gigs last month they were the big winners in irelands top music honours the meteor awards picking up accolades for best band and album it followed nominations for the brit awards and the mercury music prize the band formed in when lightbody and mcclelland met as students at dundee university
snow_patrol feted at irish awards snow_patrol were the big winners in irelands top music honours the meteor awards picking up accolades for best irish band and album on thursday the belfast-born glasgow-based band collected the prizes at the ceremony at dublins point theatre westlife won the award for best irish pop act voted for by the public beating former member brian_mcfadden franz_ferdinand picked up best international band and album while paddy casey collected best irish male singer-songwriter casey beat brian_mcfadden and damien rice juliette turner was named best irish female in the international categories morrissey beat eminem usher and robbie_williams to best male while pj harvey pipped kylie minogue joss_stone anastacia and natasha_bedingfield to the female crown the fans at the ceremony were treated to performances from us rapper snoop dogg brian_mcfadden with delta_goodrem and the thrills featuring rolling_stones star ronnie wood snow patrols success came after year in which they made chart breakthrough with their third album final straw think lot of bands should go through wee bit of kicking before the make success singer gary lightbody and drummer jonny quinn said it has been good for us but also hard for us over the past six years snow_patrol will support u2 on their european tour later this year but u2 were not nominated for best irish band and album
soderling wins tense milan final fifth seed robin soderling took the milan indoors title with dramatic win over radek stepanek in sundays final the 20-year-old swede edged the final set tie-break for victory and his second tour title after winning in lyon last year im delighted to have won against such good opponent in tournament of this importance said soderling was really on form my service was good and really liked playing on the synthetic surface soderling the world number shrugged off nervous start to take the opening set on his first set point change in approach from fourth seed stepanek in the second set paid dividends as he took it on tie-break but soderlings superior power proved too much in the third
soul sensation ready for awards south west teenage singing sensation joss_stone has been nominated in three categories in wednesdays brit awards the 17-year-old from small east devon village near cullumpton received nominations for best solo female best urban act and best breakthrough artist her second album mind body soul reached number one in the uk charts last october and went straight into the us charts at number ms stone is due to perform at the 25th award ceremony at londons earls court the teenager also has grammy nominations in the us normally dominated by home-grown acts born jocelyn stoker the devon diva started her career in bbc talent programme and was then discovered at new_york audition by us record executive steve greenberg the 17-year-old singer is hoping to tour in japan australia and the us in
south bank awards honour hit soap coronation street has become the first soap to triumph at the south bank show awards which traditionally reward highbrow and groundbreaking culture the soap beat fellow itv1 show filthy love and channel_4s shameless to win the best tv drama prize on thursday little britain was named best comedy while franz_ferdinand beat morrissey and the libertines to the music award shane meadows dead_mans shoes picked up the best film award beating shaun_of_the_dead and my summer of love the two award ceremonies reflect the achievements the industry believes have been made in the last year in coronation street pulled away from its bbc one rival eastenders in the ratings and dominated other tv awards last year the south bank award for best tv drama went to steven poliakoffs period piece the lost prince while bloody sunday about the killings in northern_ireland won in in other south bank categories little britains second series beat nighty night and the green wing to the comedy trophy while alan bennetts the history boys won in the theatre category author david mitchell made up for losing out in the booker prize to alan hollinghurst by beating him to the literary award with his book cloud atlas shameless state of play and clocking off creator paul abbott got lifetime_achievement award while former grange hill actress amma asante won the breakthrough award for writing and directing her first film way of life
south_africa sweep top awards south_africas schalk burger was named player of the year as the tri-nations champions swept the top honours at the international rugby boards awards the flanker topped list which included ireland star gordon_darcy and australian sensation matt giteau jake white claimed the coaching award while his side held off grand_slam winners france to take the team award england player simon amor beat team-mate ben gollings and argentine lucio lopez fleming to win the sevens award burgers award came just week after he won the equivalent prize from his fellow international players and white who also coached burger at under-21 level paid_tribute to him schalks emergence as major force has meant lot to south_african rugby but has also influenced world rugby said white hes become to south_african rugby what jonty rhodes was to south_african cricket its amazing what he has achieved in such short time so far in his international career amor who will captain england in this seasons opening irb sevens tournament the dubai sevens which start on thursday was delighted with his award there are so many great sevens players on the circuit at the moment that this is genuine honour said the gloucester fly-half
spark heads world booker list dame muriel spark is among three british authors who have made the shortlist for the inaugural international booker prize doris lessing and ian mcewan have also been nominated mcewan and margaret atwood are the only nominees to have previously won the main booker prize the new award is open to writers of all nationalities who write in english or are widely translated the prize commends an author for their body of work instead of one book gabriel garcia marquez saul bellow milan kundera and john updike also feature on the 18-strong list of world literary figures but other past winners of the regular booker prize such as salman rushdie jm coetzee and kazuo ishiguro have failed to make the shortlist the prize which will be awarded in london in june will be given once every two years it will reward an author who must be living for continued creativity development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage an author can only win once the international award was started in response to criticisms that the booker prize is only open to british and commonwealth authors margaret atwood canada saul bellow canada gabriel garcia marquez colombia gunter grass germany ismail kadare albania milan kundera czech_republic stanislaw lem poland doris lessing uk ian mcewan uk naguib mahfouz egypt tomas eloy martinez argentina kenzaburo oe japan cynthia ozick us philip roth us muriel spark uk antonio tabucchi italy john updike us abraham yehoshua israel
spears seeks aborted tour payment singer britney_spears is suing eight insurance companies that have refused to reimburse her for cancelling her world tour the pop star cancelled her onyx hotel tour last june after suffering knee_injury during video shoot she is now seeking to be reimbursed for the tours 5m $9.3m costs in claim filed at new_york state supreme court seven london-based companies and an eighth paris firm have been given up to days to respond to the complaint the 22-year-old star initially missed number of shows on the 82-date tour after injuring her knee during show in illinois last march but she was rushed to hospital and needed surgery after later incident while filming video for her song outrageous leading her to cancel the rest of the tour including dates in china she obviously took wrong step and blew out her knee jive spokeswoman said at the time it was an old dance injury the legal submission described spears as one of the most recognised performers in her industry the onyx hotel tour was cited as highly crafted production which included the well-known music and dancing of spears supported by elaborate costumes complex choreography as well as cutting-edge video production lighting and other effects in september spears married kevin federline who had been dancer on the aborted tour
spector facing more legal action music producer phil spector is facing legal action from the mother of the actress he has been accused of killing donna clarkson whose daughter lana was found dead in mr spectors home in february is seeking unspecified damages in civil action the legal action accuses mr spector of murdering the actress at his la home mr spector is currently free on $1m bail and is awaiting trial the 64-year-old has denied the killing saying her death was accidental ms clarksons legal action filed in los_angeles superior court also accuses mr spector of negligence and battery alleging he grabbed hit fought with and restrained lana clarkson before shooting her to death her lawyers said in statement the clarkson family had hoped that there would be some resolution with regard to the criminal proceedings before moving forward with the civil action however ms clarkson and her family understand that the fair administration of justice takes time and in light of the numerous changes mr spector has made in his legal defence team over the last two years ms clarkson was forced to file the action before the statute of limitations expired on february mr spector known for his work with the beatles has claimed that lana clarkson committed suicide his lawyers led by bruce cutler have vowed to prove him innocent at trial mr cutler said phil did not cause the death of this woman hes not criminally responsible and hes not civilly responsible either but im not surprised they filed suit for money that seems to be de rigueur nowadays los_angeles superior court judge is expected to set trial date later this month for spector who was indicted on murder charges in september roderick lindblom one of ms clarksons lawyers said our intent is to let the criminal proceedings go forward and not do anything that would interfere with the prosecution
spider-man creator wins profits spider-man creator stan_lee is to get multi-million dollar windfall after winning court battle with comic book company marvel judge has upheld lees demand for of marvels profits from the hugely successful spider-man films spider-man and its sequel made $1.6bn 857m at box offices worldwide of the cut now due to lee who created spider-man in his lawyer said it could be tens of millions of dollars thats no exaggeration us district court judge robert sweet ruled lee should get tenth of profits generated since november by marvel tv and movie productions involving the companys characters lee took legal action in saying marvel shut him out of jackpot profits from the first blockbuster film he said the company where he worked for more_than years had gone back on agreement to give him the as well as spider-man lee co-created the incredible hulk x-men daredevil and fantastic four characters he said am gratified by the judges decision although since am deeply fond of marvel and the people there sincerely regret that the situation had to come to this the ruling also means he is entitled to slice of profits from dvd sales and certain merchandise marvel said it would appeal and did not expect the decision to impact on financial forecasts for and beyond the new_york court did not rule on lees claims to share of profits from some spider-man and hulk movie merchandise which will be decided at future trial marvel said
spike_lee backs student directors film-maker spike_lee says black representation is stronger than ever in cinema and tv but the true power in entertainment lies behind the camera the she hate me director urged students at his old atlanta university morehouse college to seek gatekeeper positions behind the scenes lee told them to work up the corporate ladder because everybody cant be an actor everybody cant make record he spoke as part of discussion panel then led retrospective of his films returning to his old university which educates only african american students lee discussed the challenges facing black people in the entertainment industry even denzel washington hes getting $20m movie but when it comes time to do movie he has to go to one of those gatekeepers lee said he told aspiring young film-makers in the audience not to ignore non-traditional routes to getting movie made including raising funds independently and releasing films straight to dvd its huge market the 47-year-old director said its not something that should be looked upon as stepchild lee has made more_than films including jungle fever do the right thing summer of sam and hit shes gotta have it
spirit awards hail sideways the comedy sideways has dominated this years independent spirit awards winning all six of the awards for which it was nominated it was named best film while alexander_payne won best director and best screenplay along with writing partner jim taylor it also won acting awards for stars paul giamatti thomas haden church and virginia madsen sideways is tipped to do well at sundays oscars with five nominations the awards now in their 20th year are given to films made outside the traditional studio system and are traditionally held the day before the oscars other winners included catalina sandino moreno who took best actress for her role as drug smuggler in the colombian drama maria full of grace moreno is also nominated for best actress at the oscars the best first screenplay award went to joshua marston for maria full of grace scrubs star zach braff won the award for best first feature for garden state which he wrote directed and starred in oscar-nominated euthanasia film the sea_inside from spain won best foreign film while metallica some kind of monster was awarded best documentary actor rodrigo de la serna took the best debut performance prize for the motorcycle_diaries the awards are voted for by the members of the independent feature project/los angeles which includes actors directors writers and other industry professionals last years big winner lost in translation went on to win the oscar for best original screenplay for writer-director sofia coppola
springer criticises opera musical talk show host jerry springer whose programme inspired the controversial opera shown by the bbc has said he would not have written it himself the bbc received complaints before the musical was broadcast and protesters demonstrated outside bbc buildings across the uk springer helped launch the west end show and attended the opening night wouldnt have written it dont believe in making fun of other religions he said the tv host said he understood how people could have thought the musical had gone too far you know on our tv show if people use inappropriate language we bleep it out if theres nudity we cover it up so that viewers at home dont get to see any of this he said asked whether he thought the bbc should have screened the controversial musical he said dont know if they should have had it on television but good lord if you dont like whats on television thats why god gave us remote controls my show is about dysfunctional people and defy anyone to watch the show and suggest to me the people on it arent to some degree dysfunctional if did show about the war in iraq it wouldnt make me warmonger would just be doing my job to report on the war in the case of my show its my job to report on the dysfunctions that take place in society the british-born presenter is in london to speak at fundraising dinner for the united jewish israel appeal the dinner on tuesday is expected to be attended by more_than guests
sprinter walker quits athletics former european 200m champion dougie walker is to retire from athletics after series of six operations left him struggling for fitness walker had hoped to compete in the new year sprint which is staged at musselburgh racecourse near edinburgh on tuesday and wednesday the 31-year-old scot was suspended for two years in after testing positive for nandrolone had intended to race but im running like goon said walker he told the herald newspaper im not in great shape after missing about month of training missed big chunk of speed work over about three weeks and then another week working in america if id had half-decent mark it might have motivated me more but wont be racing still enjoy training but feel its time to move on and concentrate on career
stallone evicted from big brother jackie_stallone mother of actor sylvester has become the first star to be evicted from celebrity big brother she and john mccririck faced the public vote on friday of people voted to keep the racing pundit in the house stallone appeared not to have enjoyed her time in the house saying im total wreck need vacation this was nightmare but she was pleased to have patched things up with actress brigitte nielsen her former daughter-in-law that alone was worth $1m she said stallone joined the channel_4 show on monday as surprise for nielsen she was hot favourite to be evicted first with odds of to leave but mccririck has made some enemies with his outspoken views about women ladbrokes spokesman warren_lush said we may have underestimated the power of the anti-mccririck brigade but its so hard to call with him there are people out there who either love him or hate him there is no middle ground the bookmakers have made former happy mondays dancer bez favourite to win the show at while blazin squad singer kenzie is second at bez has wooed the viewers and looks the one to beat hes kept his nose clean and doesnt take anything too seriously mr lush said earlier on friday protesters from the fathers justice campaign group were arrested after entering the big brother compound at gmt and throwing fireworks feminist icon germaine greer quit the show earlier in the week over what she called bullying tactics used by the programmes producers the show is currently attracting an average audience of about million viewers night
star trek fans fight to save show star trek fans have taken out full-page ad in the los_angeles times in an attempt to persuade tv executives not to scrap star trek enterprise made by the upn tv network the latest spin-off from the hit sci-fi show is due to end in may after four series but fans around the world have pitched in to pay for the advert which had the headline save star trek they are also asking the sci-fi channel to pick it up from upn and will stage rally in los_angeles on february the advert described the star trek franchise as cultural icon enterprise stars former quantum leap actor scott bakula as captain archer and is set before the original 1960s star trek series captain archer and the crew of the nx-01 need your help to continue their journeys the advert said it also included cut-out coupon for fans to send to upns parent companies paramount and viacom plus the sci-fi channel it also urged supporters to join the rally outside the paramount studios fan website trek united is hoping to raise $32m 17m from donations by the end of march to pay for fifth series more_than has been pledged so far according to the site the 98th and final episode of star trek enterprise will air in the us on may the fourth series has averaged million viewers per episode half the amount it got in its first series star trek enterprise began in following other star trek spin-off series the next generation deep space nine and voyager
stars gear up for bafta ceremony film stars from across the globe are preparing to walk the red_carpet at this years bafta award ceremony the orange british academy film awards are being held at the odeon in londons leicester_square host of hollywood stars including cate_blanchett leonardo_dicaprio keanu reeves and richard_gere are expected to attend saturdays ceremony hosted by stephen_fry the glittering ceremony will be broadcast on bbc one at gmt other actors expected to add to the glamour of the biggest night in uk film are gael garcia bernal imelda_staunton diane kruger christian_slater anjelica huston helen mirren and former james_bond star pierce_brosnan hollywood blockbuster the aviator starring dicaprio leads the field with nominations including best film it is up against eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind finding_neverland the motorcycle_diaries and british film vera_drake which has nominations british hope imelda_staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film other nominees in the best actress category include charlize theron for monster ziyi zhang for house of flying daggers and uk star kate_winslet who has two nods for her roles in eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and finding_neverland dicaprio faces competition from bernal jamie_foxx jim_carrey and johnny_depp in the best actor category and british actor clive_owen is hoping to repeat his golden_globe success with best supporting actor award for his role in closer his co-star natalie_portman is up against blanchett heather craney julie cristie and meryl streep in the best supporting actress category mike_leigh is up for the best director award for vera_drake alongside martin_scorsese for the aviator michael mann for collateral michel gondry for eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and marc forster for finding_neverland
stars pay tribute to actor davis hollywood stars including spike_lee burt reynolds and oscar_nominee alan alda have paid_tribute to actor ossie_davis at funeral in new_york veteran star ossie_davis well-known civil rights activist died in miami at the age of on february friends and family including actress ruby dee his wife of years gathered at the riverside church on saturday also present at the service was former us president bill clinton and singer harry belafonte who gave the eulogy he would have been very good president of the united_states said mr clinton like most of you here he gave more to me than gave to him the 87-year-old was found dead last weekend in his hotel room in florida where he was making film police said that he appeared to have died of natural causes davis made his acting debut in in no way out starring sidney poiter he frequently collaborated with director spike_lee starring in seven lee films including jungle fever do the right thing and malcolm_x attallah shabazz the daughter of activist malcolm_x recalled the famous eulogy delivered by davis at her fathers funeral harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes she said quoting the man she knew as uncle ossie ditto ossie was my hero and he still is said aviator star alan alda family friend for over forty years ossie was thing of beauty want so badly someday to have his dignity little of it anyway added burt reynolds daviss co-star in the 90s tv comedy evening shade before the midday funeral scores of harlem residents formed queue outside the church to pay their respects to davis it is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom his humour his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought said belafonte himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with davis for over years but how fortunate we were to have him as long as we did
stars shine on bafta red_carpet hollywood stars brought touch of glamour to london on saturday for the biggest night in the british film calendar cate_blanchett leonardo_dicaprio and richard_gere were just some of the actors who attended the bafta film awards they emerged from limos at leicester_square to an uncertain british climate that threatened rain one moment and promised late winter sunshine the next but the gods were certainly shining on the thousands of film fans who lined the red_carpet to meet their idols screaming built up into crescendo as more and more big name stars appeared the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the aviator star leonardo_dicaprio who paused in the chilly february air to sign autographs for the throngs he said the ear-piercing welcome was unlike anything ive ever encountered its very intense and very loud best actress winner imelda_staunton who wore green chiffon dress that sparkled with sequins and beads told the bbc_news website that vera_drake was the highlight of her career her role as backstreet abortionist in the gritty low-budget film has already led to clutch of awards and an oscar nomination she said never in million years did think this was going to happen being here and just being nominated is great but hope it means more people will go and see the film as well rooting for staunton in the best actress category was cate_blanchett herself nominated for her supporting role as hollywood icon katherine hepburn in the aviator shivering in floor-length shimmering armani dress the australian-born actress stopped to sign autographs and joked its tight but love it glamour was also brought to the evening by actress sienna miller supermodel claudia schiffer who was supporting her director husband matthew vaughn troy actress diane kruger and star of the tv programme the oc micha barton wearing caramel-coloured floaty frock by the designer alexander mcqueen miller told reporters the red_carpet experience was intense nerve-wracking and cold the younger stars of british film were also represented in the shape of emma watson who plays hermione in the harry_potter films the 14-year-old said she was hoping to meet dicaprio and keanu reeves but joked that they are probably little too old for me actor christian_slater who is currently starring in one flew over the cuckoos nest in londons west end was greeted by cries of christian christian by the ever vocal crowd keanu reeves who presented the best actress award said being on the red_carpet was an exciting part of his job it is always surreal and when it is nice it is nice he said martin_scorsese whose movie the aviator went on to win best film said being honoured in the uk meant lot to him he said am great admirer of british cinema since the 1930s and 40s up until now they give me new energy when see the best coming out of england and every two or three years is whole new cycle of tough and young film-makers and even the older ones are making good films to recognise me in this way is great honour british actor clive_owen who has won golden_globe and bafta for his supporting role in closer said it meant lot to be at the ceremony he said just to be here really at the baftas the bottom line is it is celebration of british films
stern dropped from radio stations controversial dj howard stern has been dropped from four us radio stations because he keeps promoting his move to network broadcasting on satellite cidatel broadcasting said stern had transformed his show into continuous infomercial promoting sirius his new satellite radio employer stern will join the sirius subscription service which is not governed by us regulators next year citadel pulled sterns show from stations in new_york and pennsylvania stern had been holiday for two weeks but his show did not return to the four stations as expected on january citadel said it did not yet know whether it would return to its network stern announced in october that he was leaving conventional radio where his syndicated show goes out across the us for the relatively restriction-free satellite service the djs broadcasts are well known for landing in trouble with regulators for obscene and sexually_explicit rantings stern was dropped by six stations owned by media giant clear channel in after it had to pay the federal communications commission $1.75m over breaches indecency laws media giant viacom has also reportedly agreed to the fccs demands that if stern is issued with another indecency violation then his show must be pulled from all of its stations viacom has also been hit with record fines of $3.5m 1.8m over stern and two other new_york djs but stern continues to be one of the most popular talk show hosts particularly in the age category
straw to attend auschwitz service foreign secretary jack_straw will visit auschwitz for the 60th anniversary of the former nazi concentration camps liberation it has been announced prince edward will also join the uk delegation in poland for national holocaust memorial day on january between and million people mainly jews were killed at auschwitz the tories said they were glad mr straw had been shamed into going having earlier criticised the decision to send lower-ranking official shadow foreign secretary michael_ancram said am glad the foreign secretary has finally been shamed into representing britain at this important act of commemoration once again this government has shown crass insensitivity until it has been forced by public opinion into doing what it should have done in the first place in britain the queen and prince philip will lead the nations commemoration at service in westminster hall london the queen will also host reception for holocaust survivors at st jamess palace altogether some six million people mainly jews perished in the holocaust the queens grandson prince harry sparked outrage earlier this week after photographs of him wearing nazi uniform at costume party emerged the prince apologised but critics have called for him to go to auschwitz for the commemoration of the soviets liberation of the camp prince harry should see for himself the results of the hated symbol he so foolishly and brazenly chose to wear rabbi marvin hier founder of jewish human_rights group the simon wiesenthal center said
streets have album of the year the streets aka british rapper and songwriter mike skinner have topped poll to find the years best album grand dont come for free beat keanes hope and fears in second place with franz ferdinands self-titled album third in the magazine poll skinner uses blunt beats under streetwise lyrics about such things as falling in love and drink and drugs magazine said grand dont come for free captured the countrys mood in way no one could have predicted grand dont come for free is the second album from the streets it followed original pirate material magazine also had praise for the runners-up in the poll keanes hopes and fears was described as revelatory debut which showed they had songwriting flair to spare it also said franz ferdinands album sounded natural unforced and under-produced rock band u2s latest album how to dismantle_an_atomic bomb came fourth while razorlights up all night was in fifth place others notables on the list included dizzee rascal in at number and the zutons at estelle came in at joss_stone was 40th and jamelia took the 44th place
strong quarterly growth for nike nike has reported its best second-quarter earnings helped by strong demand for its athletic shoes and converse sneakers the global sports giant said it posted profit of $261.9m 135.6m for the three months to november up from $179.1m in the same period last year revenues increased to $3.1bn from $2.8bn for the same period in nike whose products are endorsed by tiger woods among other sports stars said demand continues to grow the results came after strong first quarter of the year for the firm based in beaverton oregon philip knight chairman and chief_executive said nikes second-quarter revenues and earnings per share reached all-time high levels as result of solid performance across our global portfolio our businesses in the united_states and emerging markets such as china russia and turkey combined with favourable european exchange rates helped drive much of this growth he added with the first half of our fiscal year in the books we remain confident that our business strategy and consistent execution will allow us to deliver on our goals of healthy profitable growth the firm reported worldwide futures orders for athletic footwear and gear scheduled for delivery from december to april of $4.9bn that is higher than such orders reported for the same period last year
sundance to honour foreign films international films will be given the same prominence as us films at next years sundance film festival with movies dominated by the theme of war the independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions during its january season in utah forty-two films will debut at sundance including the liberace of baghdad by british director sean mcallister the prestigious festival was founded by actor robert redford in we have always had an international component but from next year they will enter jury competition festival director geoffrey gilmore said we wanted to give world cinema more emphasis and have now put it on par with the american dramatic and documentary competitions twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege the liberace of baghdad features an iraqi pianist hiding in hotel as he waits for visa while finnish film the three rooms of melancholia looks at the war in chechnya shake hands with the devil the journey of romeo dallaire tells of un mission to rwanda during the genocide while french-israeli production wall looks at israels controversial security wall separating it from the palestinian territories the films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from germany south_korea angola china denmark and australia several hollywood stars feature in the festivals american independent drama category including keanu reeves and benjamin bratt vince vaughn stars in quirky movie thumbsucker while grams actress naomi watts plays budding hollywood actress in ellie parker the top grand_jury prize at this years festival went to low budget sci-fi thriller primer written and directed by shane carruth morgan spurlock earned the directing award for super size me which became an international box_office hit
super size me wins writers award super size me director morgan spurlock has won the writers guild of americas award for documentary feature writing the oscar-nominated film followed spurlock as he ate only mcdonalds fast food for an entire month spurlock was given the award at special ceremony at the roosevelt hotel in hollywood on tuesday organisers said the rising popularity of documentary films led them to honour writer for documentary screenplay for the first time producer brian grazer presented the award to spurlock and the films backers roadside attractions samuel goldwyn films and showtime independent films spurlock set out to discover the effect of living on nothing but mcdonalds for month upgrading to supersize portions when offered the film followed his 25lb weight gain and the health effects on his body including his liver and cholesterol levels mcdonalds announced it was to scrap its supersized meals last year but denied the move was as result of the negative publicity created by spurlocks film spurlock was given his award on the same day the european court of human_rights ruled that two uk activists should have been given legal aid in their long fight against mcdonalds libel action helen steel and david morris from north london dubbed the mclibel two were found guilty in 1990s trial of libelling the company in leaflet they had been handing out at the end of the case the high court in london ruled mcdonalds had been libelled and awarded the company in damages later reduced to on appeal but he found the leaflet was true in some aspects
surprise win for anti-bush film michael moores anti-bush documentary fahrenheit has won best film at the us peoples choice awards voted for by the us public mel_gibsons the passion_of_the_christ won best drama despite both films being snubbed so far at us film awards in the run-up to februarys oscars julia_roberts won her 10th consecutive crown as favourite female movie star johnny_depp was favourite male movie star and renee zellweger was favourite leading lady at sundays awards in la film sequel shrek_2 took three prizes voted top animated movie top film comedy and top sequel in television categories desperate_housewives was named top new drama and joey starring former friends actor matt leblanc was best new comedy long-running shows will and grace and csi crime scene investigation were named best tv comedy and tv drama respectively nominees for the peoples choice awards were picked by 6,000-strong entertainment weekly magazine panel and winners were subsequently chosen by million online voters fahrenheit director michael moore dedicated his trophy to soldiers in iraq his film was highly critical of president george_w bush and the us-led invasion of iraq and moore was an outspoken bush critic in the presidential campaign inwhich democratic challenger john kerry lost this country is still all of ours not right or left or democrat or republican moore told the audience at the ceremony in pasadena california moore said it was an historic occasion that the 31-year-old awards ceremony would name documentary its best film unlike many other film-makers passion_of_the_christ director mel gibson has vowed not to campaign for an oscar for his movie to me really this is the ultimate goal because one doesnt make work for the elite gibson said backstage at the event to me the people have spoken
sydney return for henin-hardenne olympic champion justine henin-hardenne will return to action in januarys sydney international tournament the belgian has not competed since losing her top world ranking at the us open in september where she was beaten in the fourth round by nadia petrova she took time out to shake off virus but will defend her titles in sydney and at the australian_open womens world number one lindsay_davenport and french open champion anastasia_myskina will also compete in the mens event world number three lleyton_hewitt returns to defend his title along with runner-up carlos_moya moya spains davis_cup final hero in their recent win over the us had to retire with an ankle injury in the first set of the final tournament director craig watson said had message relayed to me from him after spains davis_cup victory saying he was looking forward to trying to make up for his disappointment in the final the tournament will take place from january
sydney to host north south game sydney will host northern versus southern hemisphere charity match in june or july the australian rugby union aru said on wednesday the match will include players from the lions tour of new zealand the australian rugby union has thrown its support behind proposed north-south match to raise funds for the tsunami appeals the aru said the date is yet to be decided but the most likely venue is sydneys olympic stadium aru chief_executive gary flowers said the world cricket charity match in melbourne earlier this month had inspired the aru we still need to discuss the options with the irb international rugby board the lions and our sanzar south_africa new zealand and australia rugby partners but june or july is seen as better option than march to ensure we have the cream of southern hemisphere rugby available he said wallabies captain george gregan said the charity match was great initiative tri-nations rivals australia new zealand and south_africa would feature prominently in southern team against northern side comprised of six_nations teams france ireland england wales italy and scotland coach clive_woodwards lions squad will tour new zealand in june and july including tests on june and july almost fans packed into melbourne cricket ground on january for charity match that raised 5.9m for victims of the asian_tsunami
t_in_the_park sells out in days tickets for scotlands biggest music festival have sold out in record time five months before the event is held the 12th annual t_in_the_park festival which takes place at balado near kinross in july sold out just four days after the line-up was announced green day the foo fighters and keane are among the acts that had already been lined up to appear at the event however the organisers have revealed scots favourites travis as well as soulman james brown will also appear last year tickets sold out weeks before the festival but organisers confirmed that all for the two-day event had been sold geoff ellis ceo of festival organisers big day out ltd said this years event promises to be the best yet after last years sell-out we did think this years event would sell slightly earlier however this is way beyond our expectations mr ellis said we are extremely proud that fans are so excited about t_in_the_park that they have made absolutely sure that their place at balado is booked for and we will deliver one of the greatest events yet for them in july more_than acts will play on eight stages over the weekend of and july brit award winners keane and the streets are among the main attractions while the killers and dance act the prodigy are also on the bill both green day and the foo fighters last played at the festival in the same year oasis and basement jaxx were among the headline acts
talks held on gibraltars future two days of talks on the future of gibraltar begin at jack straws country residence later on wednesday officials at the two-day summit at the foreign secretarys official kent house chevening will plan new forum on the rocks future in october mr straw and his spanish counterpart miguel moratinos agreed to establish body that would give gibraltarians voice in their future most gibraltarians said in referendum they wanted to remain british gibraltars chief minister peter caruana will represent the british citizens living on the rock while britains europe director dominick chilcott will represent the uk madrid is being represented by spains director general for europe jose maria pons the initiative follows spains socialist governments decision to put its long-standing sovereignty ambitions on hold gibraltarians rejected plans for the rocks sovereignty to be shared between britain and spain in referendum organised by gibraltar government
tarantino to direct csi episode film director quentin tarantino is to direct an episode of us television series csi crime scene investigation the oscar-winning pulp fiction director has also written an original story for the season finale episode csis co-producer carol mendelsohn said the episode would have more bugs and blood than usual it is not tarantinos first venture into tv in he directed an episode of the medical drama er and has also appeared in alias ms mendelsohn said the production team had been trying for while to get tarantino to direct an episode of csi and added that he was fan of the forensic drama she said he finally agreed few weeks ago while csi was doing some location shooting in las vegas and the shows stars persuaded him he knows everything there is to know about csi and he is into the whole mythology of csi mendelsohn said quentin came in couple of weeks ago we had story meeting with the writers he had great idea and it was so much fun to have him in the room we are positively giddy filming is due to start in early april and the tarantino-directed episode will be broadcast in the us on may
tarantino to make friday sequel director quentin tarantino is in talks to write and direct new instalment in the friday the 13th horror franchise according to the hollywood reporter the film-maker will reportedly meet executives from new line cinema this week to discuss the 12th film in the long-running stalk and slash series the original film released in has spawned ten sequels based around mask-wearing murderer jason voorhees the most recent freddy vs jason was released in summer that film saw jason battle freddy krueger star of the nightmare on elm street franchise according to the industry newspaper new line had been trying to make another sequel involving ash the hero of the evil dead movies but was unable to agree terms with director sam raimi tarantino is said to be intrigued by the prospect of building new film around one of the horror genres most recognised figures first however he is scheduled to direct the season finale of us television series csi crime scene investigation filming is due to start in early april tarantinos episode for which he also wrote the original story will be broadcast in the us on may
tate lyle boss bags top award tate lyles chief_executive has been named european businessman of the year by leading business magazine iain ferguson was awarded the title by us publication forbes for returning one of the uks venerable manufacturers to the countrys top companies the sugar group had been absent from the ftse_100 for seven years until mr ferguson helped it return to growth tates shares have leapt this year boosted by firming sugar prices and sales of its artificial sweeteners after years of sagging stock price and seven-year hiatus from the ftse_100 one of britains venerable manufacturers has returned to the vaunted index forbes said mr ferguson took the helm at the company in after spending most of his career at consumer goods giant unilever tate lyle which was an original member of the historic ft-30 index in operates more_than factories and more additional production facilities in countries previous winners of the forbes award include royal bank of scotland chief_executive fred goodwin and former vodafone boss chris gent
tautou film tops cesar prize nods french film very long engagement has received nominations for frances cesar film awards despite recent ruling it was not french enough the world war romantic drama starring audrey_tautou was recently ruled too american by paris court as it was partially backed by warner bros but the cesar organisers modified their rules to allow the film to compete the film directed by jean-pierre jeunet received best actress picture and director nominations last november court judged the film was too american to compete in french film festivals two associations of french producers challenged jeunets right to french government subsidies because warner bros was backer the ruling meant the movie which was filmed in france and used french actors and technicians was not eligible to compete for french prizes but alain terzian president of cesar organisers the academie des arts et techniques du cinema said the changes in eligibility rules which allow films of french expression were made three months prior to the court decision other films in the best film category include police drama quai des orfevres arnaud desplechins kings and queen abdellatif kechiches lesquive and frances number one film at the box-office the chorus best actors are daniel auteuil for mathieu amalric for kings and queen gerard jugnot for the chorus philippe torreton for lequipier and benoit poelvoorde for podium tautou will compete against maggie cheung emmanuelle devos yolande moreau and karin viard for best actress michael moores fahrenheit the motorcycle_diaries lost in translation eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and grams are all vying in the best foreign film prize the awards ceremony will be held on february this year will smith star of robot independence day and men in black will be given an honorary cesar along with french singer/actor jacques dutronc
tautou to star in da_vinci film french actress audrey_tautou star of hit film amelie will play the female lead in the film adaptation of the da_vinci code it has been reported the movie version of dan browns best-selling novel is being directed by ron howard and also stars tom_hanks tautou will play hanks code-cracking partner according to various newspapers she is currently starring in very long engagement directed by jean-pierre jeunet jeunet was also responsible for directing tautou in amelie in which launched the actress into the mainstream she also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film dirty pretty things in oscar-winning director ron howard chose tautou for the part preferring french actress to big name hollywood star uk actress kate beckinsale had been widely tipped as possibility for the role alongside vanessa paradis and juliette binoche the thriller upon which the movie is based has sold more_than million copies and is centred on global conspiracy surrounding the holy grail mythology the louvre museum scene of the gruesome murder at the beginning of the novel recently gave permission for filming to take place there showbusiness newspaper variety reported the $100m movie will be produced by columbia/sony pictures and is due for release on may in the united_states and france
tech helps disabled speed demons an organisation has been launched to encourage disabled people to get involved in all aspects of motorsport which is now increasingly possible thanks to technological innovations the motorsport endeavour club left the starting grid yesterday at the autosport international show at birminghams nec with several technologies to adapt vehicles on display motorcycle racer roy tansley from derby developed his electronic sequential gear changer following an accident which resulted in part of his left leg being amputated needed to find way of changing gear and generally you do that with your left leg mr tansley told the bbc_news website in simple terms needed to invent left foot initially it was quite heath robinson device mr tansley had to argue his case to be allowed to continue competing with motorcycle racings governing_body the autocycle union at that time they wouldnt let any amputee race at all but eventually they told me could have licence as long as raced sidecars mr tansleys invention the pro-shift is designed to work with hewland gearboxes which are widely used in motorcycle racing in addition to helping disabled riders to compete mr tansley reckons that the pro-shift saves at least seconds per lap when he competes in the isle of man tt as result there has been considerable interest in the product from other riders keen to improve their performance im not prejudiced ill sell to able-bodied people if have to he joked another exhibit on the motorsport endeavour stand is subaru impreza rally car adapted to accommodate variety of disabilities the vehicle belongs to pararallying the worlds only rally school for disabled drivers which is based in lincolnshire we use the latest technology supplied by an italian company said rally driver dave hawkins who runs the company the cars have electronic throttles electronic brakes electronic clutches weve yet to turn anybody away mr hawkins paraplegic himself says his customers have included right or left arm amputees quadriplegics people who have had strokes and woman who had had all four limbs amputated pararallying uses vauxhall astra gsi with an automatic gearbox and manual subaru imprezas the car on display is fitted with duck clutch switch on the gear stick used instead of the clutch pedal it also has second ring behind the steering_wheel to operate the throttle and hand operated brake bar when joy rainey started competing in motorsport in she was continuing the family tradition her father murray is former australian formula champion and it was rainey senior who modified sports racer to accommodate his daughters small stature so that she could take part in hill climbs she uses an ordinary road car by putting extensions on the pedals cushion behind her back and raising the seat but in competition car you have to have everything right or youll lose the balance of the car she said bring everything back to me steering_wheel steering column gear lever and pedals when she recently took part in the london to sydney marathon she shared the driving with her partner trevor who now does the engineering work he designed system for their morris minor so that the adaptations could be totally removed in under minute the motorsport endeavour club is hoping that putting such technologies on display will result in more disabled people becoming involved in all areas of the sport and at every level
teenagers to be allowed to be mps teenagers will be able to become mps under plans unveiled by ministers in written statement constitutional_affairs minister christopher leslie said the current minimum age of for an mp would be reduced to the proposals follow recommendation last year by elections watchdog the electoral_commission the government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows to lower the age said mr leslie who was elected in at the age of even if the move does go ahead it is unlikely it will be in place before the next general_election widely predicted for may the announcement from mr leslie who was elected in in formerly safe tory seat prompted calls for lowering of the voting age to the votes at alliance said it was good thing to engage people by lowering the candidacy age but argued lowering the voting age would be much more effective candidacy affects only politicians the voting age affects millions of younger people said spokesman alex folkes we would hope that the government will table bill that is broad enough to allow for amendments to be brought to test support for reduction in the voting age currently candidates in both local and national votes must be while the voting age is that is because the age of majority was reduced to in but laws dating from which determine the current voting age stayed in place irish republican bernadette devlin was one of just handful of 21-year-olds elected to parliament in the 20th_century winning seat in but the youngest is understood to have been tory edward turnour who won the horsham by-election aged and days and served in parliament for continuous years last aprils report by the electoral_commission said there was no strong argument for leaving the age for standing for election at the commission found the most common approach around the world is for the voting age to be the same as the candidacy age
ten-year tragedy of missing manic richey edwards guitarist and lyricist for the manic_street preachers vanished years ago on february his disappearance remains one of the most tragic mysteries in rock music for his devoted fans richey edwards was an inspired and inspiring poet man who articulated their desperation and despair who shouted the things most kept hidden the manic_street preachers may only have become stadium-conquering rock giants since his disappearance but edwards was the figurehead for their first dangerous and dazzling incarnation edwards did not feature in the original line-up of the band though singer/guitarist james dean bradfield bassist nicky wire and drummer sean moore were originally accompanied by rhythm guitarist called flicker but edwards replaced flicker in time for the bands self-financed debut suicide alley after designing the records artwork after becoming full-time member edwards became critical part of the band writing lyrics and playing guitar though in many concerts he was not actually plugged in but the fiercely intelligent edwards who name-checked writers such as sylvia plath george orwell and philip larkin battled depression alcohol problems eating disorders and self-harm by the time the band released their third album the holy bible in october edwards had been admitted to hospital with depression but in his last interview few months later seemed to be making plans for the future edwards walks out of the embassy hotel in london in the early morning ahead of the bands us tour to promote the holy bible in the following days police issue missing person alert and his parents graham and sherry plead for their son to let them know he is safe and well police discover edwards car in car park near the severn bridge near bristol notorious suicide spot the discovery leads many to believe he has killed himself the rest of the band stop touring and recording the band play their first concerts since edwards disappearance as trio performing support slots for the stone_roses on their uk stadium tour the manic_street preachers release their first music since edwards disappearance design for life reaches number two in the uk singles_chart the album everything must go follows the manics win best band and best album for everything must go at the brit awards fan says she saw edwards in the hippy resort of goa india interpol are alerted but do not track him down graham and sherry edwards fly to the spanish island of fuerteventura six weeks after reports man fitting their sons description has been seen in bar called underground the report comes to nothing edwards sister rachel makes an emotional tv appeal five years after the disappearance id just like to say to him if he is able to listen that we do love him very much and wed like him to come back me mum and dad she said the band play concert in the cuban capital havana the first contemporary western rock band to play there on the seventh anniversary of his disappearance police offer edwards parents the opportunity to sign death certificate they refuse the big issue magazine which supports homelessness charities prints the last known picture of edwards in fresh plea for information pair of trainers containing human bones washed up on the banks of the river severn have no link to edwards police say the last song written by edwards song called judge yself which was to have been used for the judge dredd film soundtrack is released on the b-side compilation lipstick traces skeleton found by the river severn is not edwards tests reveal the manics seventh studio album lifeblood features song dedicated to edwards called cardiff afterlife the remaining manic_street preachers members continue to pay quarter of the bands royalties into an account held in his name
thanou bullish over drugs hearing katerina thanou is confident she and fellow sprinter kostas_kenteris will not be punished for missing drugs tests before the athens_olympics the greek pair appeared at hearing on saturday which will determine whether their provisional bans from athletics ruling body the iaaf should stand after five months we finally had the chance to give explanations am confident and optimistic said thanou we presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of the athletes lawyer grigoris ioanidis said he believed the independent disciplinary committee set up by the greek athletics federation segas would find them innocent we are almost certain that the charges will be dropped said ioanidis we believe that we have presented case that the charges are unreasonable thanou the olympic womens 100m silver_medallist and sydney 200m champion kenteris were suspended by the iaaf for missing three drugs tests the third was supposed to take place on the eve of the athens games last august but the pair could not be found in the athletes village they were later taken to hospital after claiming to have been involved in motorcycle accident thanous coach christos tzekos was also suspended by the iaaf we were asked by the disciplinary committee all kinds of questions about the night of august said tzekos we did not leave any gaps as far as am concerned there is no such issue of refusing to be tested and am very optimistic tzekos thanou and kenteris who have all denied the charges can expect decision within month deliberations will start after some additional documents are brought in by thursday said committee chairman kostas panagopoulos estimate that the final ruling will be issued by the end of february
thanou desperate to make return greek sprinter katerina thanou says she is eager to compete again after being cleared of missing drugs test by an independent greek tribunal thanou was provisionally suspended for missing test before the olympics but the decision was overturned the iaaf will decide if we can compete again in greece and abroad thanou told to vima newspaper in her first interview since the athens_olympics if given the green light will run again thats the only thing want thanou and her compatriot kostas_kenteris were provisionally suspended by the iaaf in december for missing three drugs tests the third was alleged to have been on the eve of the opening ceremony of the athens_olympics but an independent tribunal of the greek athletics federation overturned the provisional ban on march the iaaf which said it was very surprised by the decision of the greek tribunal is deciding whether to appeal against the decision at the court of arbitration for sport however dick pound the chairman of the world anti-doping authority has said he will appeal against the decision if the iaaf does not and thanou and kenteris face criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking_a_motorcycle accident thanou said can see how people can think the accident seemed like childish excuse cannot deny that we made lot of mistakes during that time always said we needed pr person an athlete would have to be very stupid to take illegal substances when he or she knows that they will undergo tests at any given moment am champion cannot risk everything ive achieved in such silly way
the comic book genius of stan_lee stan_lee the man responsible for string of comic superheroes that have become household names has won court battle for slice of the profits from the hit spider-man movies many marvel at the man who gave his characters extraordinary powers and everyday headaches formula which revolutionised comics born in to poor working-class jewish immigrants from romania stan lieberman got job in timely publications company owned by relative he was assigned to the comics division and thanks to fertile imagination rose to editor by the age of for more_than years he was the ultimate hack knocking out crime stories horrors westerns anything to sate the appetite of his juvenile readership words of more_than two syllables were discouraged characters were either all good or bad with no shades of grey so embarrassed was lieberman by much of what he was writing that he refused to put his real name on the byline he assumed the dumb name stan_lee now legally adopted by the time he was lee had decided he was too old for the comic game his british-born wife joan suggested he had nothing to lose and for his swansong should write the kind of characters he really wanted to create after rival comic had come up with superteam consisting of batman superman and wonder woman timely needed to respond lees answer in was the fantastic four team of astronauts who gained super powers after being bombarded with cosmic rays they were to change lees life and the comics industry forever lee gave each character individual everyday teenage problems such as dandruff ingrown toenails and acne they would frequently fall out with their parents and each other the fan letters poured in without immediately knowing it stan_lee had ushered in the golden age of comics and his imagination was rekindled his marvel universe spawned the new title of marvel comics soon after nerdy peter parker was transformed after bite from an irradiated spider into someone who could crawl up the sides of new yorks skyscrapers spider-man was born he was to become an icon of modern popular culture spidey as he is affectionately known had quite extraordinary powers yet he had problems at work at home and with his girlfriends at last the teenager was no longer just the sidekick but the main hero and the hero was no longer just brawn he had brains too just because hes hero and has super powers doesnt mean he doesnt have problems stan_lee told the bbc the incredible hulk the mighty thor iron man and the rest all grappled with problems like drug abuse bigotry and social inequality radically lee gave the artists responsible for the comic designs credits for their work jack kirby frank miller john romitaand and others achieved cult status in their own right other superheroes broke new ground in other ways daredevil was blind black panther was black and silver surfer pondered the state of humanity lees influence remains some years ago the marvel hero northstar came out of the closet in its heyday marvel was selling million copies year until he retired from editing in stan_lee wrote all the copy for marvels covers in his stan_lee media venture aimed at marrying comic-strips with the internet went spectacularly wrong lee went bankrupt and his business partner landed in prison for fraud in though he started new company entitled pow purveyors of wonder entertainment which is currently developing films and television programmes his latest project is superhero based on real person jay armes who has metal claws after losing both hands aged and fights crime with tiger but his 40-year-old creations are still as enduring as ever with x-men the hulk and daredevil have all been turned into hollywood action movies in the last five years but spider-man has been the biggest box_office hit with the original and its sequel taking almost $1.6bn 857m in ticket sales around the world before dvd and merchandise sales are counted it seems stan_lee is as indestructible as his heroes
the gaming world in if you have finished doom_3 half life and halo_2 dont worry theres host of gaming gems set for release in world of warcraft the us reception to this game from developers blizzard has been hugely enthusiastic with the title topping its competitors in the area of life-eating high-fantasy massively multiplayer role-player gaming solid diverse accessible and visually striking it may well open up the genre like never before if nothing else it will develop vast and loyal community released february on pc ico working title ico remains benchmark for ps2 gaming title that took players into uniquely atmospheric and artistic world of adventure the spiritual sequel has visuals that echo those of the original but promises to expand the ico world with hero wanda taking on series of giants the other known working title is wanda and colossus release date to be confirmed on ps2 the legend of zelda the charismatic cel imagery has been scrapped in favour of dark detailed aesthetic realism isnt quite the right word that connects more with ocarina of time link resumes his more teenage incarnation too though enemies elements and moves look familiar from the impressive trailer that has been released horseback adventuring across vast land is promised release date to be confirmed on gamecube advance wars ds the uk nintendo ds launch line-up is still to be confirmed at time of writing but titles that exploit its two-screen and touch capacity like warioware touched and segas feel the magic are making strong impression in other territories personally cant wait for the latest advance wars the franchise that has been the icing on the cake of nintendo handheld gaming during the past few years release date to be confirmed on ds s.t.a.l.k.e.r following in the high-spec footsteps of far cry and half-life_2 this looks like the key upcoming pc first-person shooter with role-playing elements the fact that it is inspired in part by andrei tarkovskys enigmatic masterpiece stalker and set in in the disaster zone world of decay and mutation makes it all the more intriguing released march on pc metal gear solid snake eater more hideo kojima serious stealth featuring action in the soviet-controlled jungle in the game see snake having to survive on his wits in the jungle including eating wildlife once again expect cinematic cut scenes and polished production values released march on ps2 dead or alive ultimate tecmos team ninja are back with retooled and revamped versions of dead or alive and heres the big big deal though theyre playable over xbox live released march on xbox knights of the old republic ii looks set to build on the acclaimed original star_wars role playing game with new characters new force powers and new set of moral decisions despite different developer released february on xbox and pc
the producers scoops stage awards the producers has beaten mary_poppins in the battle of the blockbuster west end musicals at the olivier awards the producers won three prizes at the uks most prestigious annual theatre awards while mary_poppins won two mel brooks hit show triumphed in the battle for best new musical where it was up against mary_poppins and andrew lloyd webbers the woman in white alan bennetts the history boys was the big winner in the straight theatre categories picking up three trophies but all eyes were on the musical prizes after the producers mary_poppins and the woman in white all had high-profile openings in the last six months the producers nathan lane last-minute replacement for richard dreyfuss beat his former co-star lee evans to win best musical actor lane has already left the production smash hit on broadway before moving to london the show also won best musical performance in supporting role for conleth hill who plays director roger debris mary_poppins awards came for best choreography and best musical actress for its star laura michelle kelly it led the nominations going into sundays ceremony at londons hilton hotel up for nine awards both shows are stage adaptations of 1960s films the history boys set in grammar school in the early 1980s and partly based on bennetts experiences as teacher was named best new play it also won best actor for richard griffiths who beat his harry_potter film co-star michael gambon nominated for endgame as well as jonathan pryce and ben whishaw the play also won national theatre artistic director nicholas hytner best director and bennett got special award for outstanding contribution to british theatre dame judi dench who starred in alls well that ends well at the gielgud lost out in the best supporting role category to amanda harris who played emilia in othello for the royal shakespeare company the olivier awards have been handed out by the society of london since best lighting design his dark_materials designed by paule constable at the olivier best sound design the woman in white designed by mick potter at the palace best new opera lady macbeth of mtsensk at the royal opera house outstanding achievement in opera thomas ades and the royal opera house for the world premiere of the tempest best costume design alls well that ends well designed by deirdre clancy at the gielgud best revival hamlet by william shakespeare at the old vic best set design his dark_materials designed by giles cadle at the olivier outstanding musical production grand hotel at the donmar warehouse best supporting role in musical conleth hill for the producers at theatre royal drury lane best theatre choreographer matthew bourne and stephen mear for mary_poppins at the prince edward best actor richard griffiths for the history boys at the lyttelton outstanding achievement or performance in an affiliate theatre andrew scott for girl in car with man at the jerwood theatre upstairs at the royal court best new dance production rambert dance companys swamp at sadlers wells outstanding achievement in dance san_francisco ballet for their season at sadlers wells best performance in supporting role amanda harris for othello at trafalgar studios best actress clare higgins for hecuba at the donmar warehouse best musical actor nathan lane for the producers at theatre royal drury lane best musical actress laura michelle kelly for mary_poppins at the prince edward best director nicholas hytner for the history boys at the lyttelton best new play the history boys by alan bennett at the lyttelton best new musical the producers at theatre royal drury lane special award alan bennett for his outstanding contribution to british theatre
the sound of music is coming home the original stage production of the sound of music is to be performed for the first time in the austrian capital years after the film was released the first full-scale theatrical production of the musical will make its debut in vienna on saturday julie andrews starred in the film version of the rogers and hammerstein classic set in the alpine country but despite being one of the most successful musicals of all time it is barely known inside austria the film was never shown in any cinema in austria and was not broadcast on television until the early 1990s the musical is based on the true story of the von trapp family who formed singing troupe and escaped from nazi-occupied austria in sensitivities about nazism during wartime austria and issues towards the von trapp family themselves could explain austrias reluctance to embrace the musical another source of irritation for austrians is the song edelweiss which is considered an traditional folk song by many filmgoers the song was actually an invention by rodgers and hammerstein many also consider the film to portray kitsch image of austria including yodelling goat-herds and lederhosen the production is being staged at viennese opera house the volksoper beginning on saturday maria the novice nun who falls in love with baron von trapp will be played by austro-australian actress and singer sandra pires
three djs replace peel radio show the late john peels bbc radio show is to be succeeded in february by three shows hosted by three djs focusing on diverse non-commercial music huw stephens ras kwame and rob_da bank will each host the mid-week late-night timeslot showcasing uk talent radio said the show would not try to replace peel but would rise to the challenge of keeping his legacy alive with unpredictable music peel died after suffering heart attack in peru in october radio said the three djs had been chosen for their in-depth musical knowledge across variety of musical genres rob_da bank has been hosting the john peel show since the djs death he is also one of the hosts of the blue room an early morning weekend show that plays mix of old and new electronic and dance music huw stephens is currently one half of the radio thursday night show bethan and huw in wales which explores new music especially up and coming acts breaking through in wales and ras kwame is the host of homegrown on radio 1s digital station 1xtra his show is dedicated to showcasing the best of uk black music and broadcasts live sessions often giving new artists their first chance to perform on live national radio all of the three djs will continue to host their current shows on radio it is widely accepted that john peel can never be replaced said the radio station it added that one music would support both signed and unsigned talent and said it will seek out those making music for musics sake rather_than for commercial success above all it will provide support to emerging genres of music and styles that have not yet and may never reach the mainstream one music is not new to radio as it already exists as website offering advice on aspects of the music industry such as recording demo and signing record contract radio 1s controller andy parfitt said we believe that by having series of djs hosting selection of shows under the one music title we will ensure that his legacy lives on stephens said he grew up listening to john and that it was massive honour to continue peels work championing new music the show will be broadcast from february on tuesdays wednesdays and thursdays from gmt gmt
tomlinson stays focused on europe long jumper chris tomlinson has cut his schedule to ensure he is fully fit for the european indoor_championships the 23-year-old has minor injury and has pulled out of international meets in madrid and lievin this week as well as warm-weather training in lanzarote its nothing serious said his coach peter stanley he strained muscle in his abdomen at the birmingham meeting but is back in full training sprinter mark_lewis-francis will also not compete in madrid on thursday the birmingham athlete who clocked seasons best of seconds over 60m in birmingham last week also prefers to focus his attentions on next months european indoor_championships lewis-francis who was runner-up to british team-mate jason_gardener at the europeans three years ago will continue his training at home meanwhile tomlinson is still searching for this first major medal and this season he has shown he could be in the sort of form to grab spot on the podium in madrid the middlesbrough athlete jumped seasons best of 7.95m at the birmingham grand prix good enough to push world indoor champion savante stringfellow into second
top gig award for scissor sisters new_york band scissor sisters have won gig of the year award for their performance at this years festival the award was voted for by listeners of virgin radio which compiled top which was mostly dominated by newcomers on the music scene this year the quirky disco-rock band beat the red hot chili peppers who came second for their hyde park performance in june virgin radio dj pete mitchell said this year has seen an amazing array of talent come into the mainstream he added the scissor sisters are one of the most original eccentric bands to come through and its no surprise the british public are lapping up their performances newcomers keane came in third place for their august gig at the festival followed by maroon_5 and snow_patrol music veterans the who and david bowie both earned places on the list at number eight and respectively at number seven was oxfams make fair trade gig at londons hammersmith apollo in october which featured performances by rem razorlight and coldplays chris martin glasgows franz_ferdinand earned place at number nine for their home-town performance in april the annual survey was voted for by nearly listeners
top of the pops leaves bbc one the bbcs flagship pop music programme top of the pops is to move from bbc one on fridays to sundays on bbc two the new programme will combine with archive show totp2 mixing new music with footage of classic bands the corporation said the new show aims to appeal to diverse audience of music lovers the move is the biggest shake-up in the history of the show which was first broadcast in and has always been on bbc one top of the pops was relaunched in blaze of publicity in december last year in an attempt to reverse long-term decline in audience figures the all new top of the pops was fronted by newcomer tim kash and was put together by producer andi peters who was brought back to the bbc from channel_4 to revitalise the series about three million people week were watching the show on fridays less than half the total it was attracting in the mid-1990s as the programme went up against popular itv soap coronation street but despite the relaunch audience figures failed to rise and still remain around the three million mark tim kash has since been replaced as host by fearne cotton the new show will launch in spring next year in an extended format bbc two controller roly keating its an exciting new era for top of the pops we want to make it bigger and better so that it becomes the ultimate pop music show for music lovers of every generation mr keating described bbc two as the natural home of top of the pops he added the addition of top of the pops will also extend bbc twos offering to younger audiences bbc spokeswoman said andi peters would continue as executive producer on the show she said that issues over the exact format of the programme and time slot were still to be decided the programme will have close relationship with the bbc radio chart show which suggests the relaunched show may be transmitted at about on sundays hopefully the audience for top of the pops will find it on bbc two we think that the new slot will create buzz around the programme as for the first time viewers will discover the news of who is number one as it happens
top stars join us tsunami tv show brad pitt robert de niro and hugh grant have been added to the line-up for two-hour us tv special to raise money for victims of the asian_tsunami andy garcia lucy liu natalie_portman and jay leno are also among the new names for saturdays tsunami aid they will join a-list singers madonna sir_elton john nelly and usher plus actors kevin_spacey halle berry and george clooney on the nbc broadcast viewers will be urged to phone in to make donations throughout the night norah jones diana_ross stevie_wonder maroon_5 mary blige and eric clapton will give musical performances on the show described as concert of hope catherine zeta jones michael douglas bruce willis uma thurman matt damon drew barrymore and tim robbins are among the other movie superstars due to put in an appearance george clooney recently reacted angrily to tv hosts suggestion that not all funds raised would go towards tsunami relief fox tvs bill oreilly said he would be watching to see if the money gets to the tsunami victims and warned the celebrities taking part had better be involved all the way down the line but clooney accused oreilly of creating fuss for his own personal gain saying viewers may now be afraid that their money will do no good he urged oreilly to co-present the tv special adding in letter were not playing games here were trying to save lives its as simple as this youre either with this joint effort or against it organisers say all funds will go to the american red cross the commercial-free benefit show will also be aired by string of cable broadcasters and clear channels radio stations across the us in addition performances will be available to buy on the internet as downloads from sonys connect music store similar tv benefit carried by all four primary us tv networks after the september terror attacks raised more_than $150m 80m the bangkok international film festival got under way on thursday in the thai capital in the shadow of the countrys deaths from the tsunami the red_carpet gala opening night was ditched in favour of more subdued first night six different films were shown at six cinemas with all money from ticket sales going to charity
top tories on lib dem hit list the liberal_democrats are aiming to unseat string of top tories including leader michael_howard at the next general_election mr howards seat is at the top of the liberal_democrats list others targeted include oliver_letwin david davis and theresa may lib dems elections chief lord_rennard said he said it was nothing personal but that very many of the prominent conservatives had slender leads in seats where the lib dems were second in michael_howard won the folkestone hythe seat with votes compared to for the liberal_democrat candidate peter carroll giving the tory_leader majority of asked if this amounted to the partys much vaunted decapitation strategy lord_rennard said it was not term he had ever used but he urged labour supporters to vote tactically to remove prominent conservatives just dont think labour voters in these sort of seats could resist the temptation to use their votes effectively to remove conservative he denied this strategy was opportunism insisting the lib dems policies on issues such as tuition_fees the council tax and free care for the elderly appealed to all sides of the political spectrum we are in favour of tactical voting as long as the tactic is to vote liberal_democrat he added conservative spokesperson said the liberal_democrats can talk all they like about strategy the problem the liberal_democrats face is that large number of lib dem voters do not agree with their policies we will be pointing out how they are soft on crime how they support higher taxes their opposition to controlled immigration and support for giving europe more control over our lives
tories leave door open for archer the conservative party would deal sympathetically with any application by disgraced peer lord archer to rejoin its ranks its co-chairman has said dr liam_fox told bbc ones_breakfast with frost programme there was no place for vindictiveness in politics lord archer spent two years in prison after being convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice the former tory deputy chairmans five-year suspension from the party has just elapsed jury ruled that lord archer lied during libel trial against the daily star at the high court in london in he won damages after the newspaper printed allegations about involvement with prostitute dr fox was asked if he would say yes or no if lord archer applied to rejoin im sure that in line with people having served their sentence and having done some reparations for what they did wrong we would look at that sympathetically dont believe in vindictiveness dont think that has any place in politics unlike the prime_minister and alastair_campbell tory peer lord tebbit said he agreed with dr foxs view and said the case should be looked at on its merits after all he is far from being the worst perjurer in the world he added meanwhile senior conservative mp sir teddy taylor warned that moves bring lord archer back into the fold could be controversial he said suppose on sunday in particular we should always make provision for forgiving sinners but there is no doubt it would be controversial lord archer who was not available for comment remains popular figure among constituency tory parties and is successful fundraiser he has not been seen in the house_of_lords since his release from prison in july although there is nothing in the rules to prevent him from attending
tories plan migrant health checks non-european union citizens wanting to work in the uk will have to undergo tests for tuberculosis and hiv under plans unveiled by the conservatives positive test for tb would mean visa applications being turned down while hiv would be dealt with case by case leader michael_howard said the checks on new arrivals would help protect public health and the nhs labour said many tests were already done the lib dems warned both parties against pandering to prejudice the proposals which would be brought in if the conservatives won the general_election would not apply to people coming to the uk for less than six months unless they intended to work in health or childcare or teaching mr howard said the plans were based on policies already in action in canada new zealand and australia its very important that we should safeguard the good standards of public health that britain enjoys he told bbc radio_4s today_programme government figures suggest tb in england has increased by over the past years nearly two thirds of people with tb are born abroad said mr howard dont think responsible government can stand aside and do nothing in the face of this problem but mr howard said the plans would not affect asylum applicants claims the proposals include people coming to the uk from outside the eu for between six and months from high incidence tb country will have to undergo chest x-ray people coming to settle in the uk permanently from outside the eu will have to demonstrate they have an acceptable standard of health they will also have to show they are unlikely to be danger to public health and are unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on the nhs the tests will include health check chest x-rays for tb except for children and pregnant women and tests for hepatitis and hiv for over 16-year-olds only the discovery of tb will mean people will be automatically denied visa other conditions will be dealt with on case by case basis there is already some screening in place last year people were tested for tb at heathrow and gatwick airports only about were found to be infected and dr john moore-gillon of the british lung foundation said tb is not simply imported we are seeing rise in many sections of the uk-born population as well the government says the tories are bit late to the issue immigration minister des browne quoted its five-year plan for immigration and asylum as saying we are implementing our existing powers by targeted health screening for tb in high-risk areas at the entry clearance stage those who are diagnosed would then need to seek treatment at home before being allowed to enter the uk meanwhile mark_oaten liberal_democrat home affairs spokesman said this is another worrying step in the war of words over asylum and immigration between labour and the conservatives michael_howard knows perfectly well what bigger game he is playing and history proves it is very dangerous one lisa power head of policy at aids charity the terrence higgins trust said the policy was prejudice-based rather_than evidence-based in fact it would be more likely to drive people with health conditions to falsify tests while others gain entry by simple dint of their eu status she said
tory expert denies defeatism the conservatives campaign director has denied report claiming he warned michael_howard the party could not win the next general_election the times on monday said australian lynton crosby told the party leader to focus on trying to increase the tories commons presence by to seats but mr crosby said in statement have never had any such conversation and do not hold that view mr howard later added there was not one iota of truth in the report the strategist helped australias pm john howard win four elections mr howard appointed mr crosby as his elections chief last october mr crosbys statement said the conservative party has been making an impact on the issues of lower tax and controlled immigration over the past week it added the labour party will be wanting to do all they can to distract attention away from the issues that really matter to people
tory stalking_horse meyer dies sir anthony meyer the tory backbencher who challenged margaret_thatcher for the party leadership in has died he was had been suffering from cancer for many months and died at his london home that failed stalking_horse leadership challenge made it easier for michael heseltine to mount his own bid that in turn paved the way for john major to move into downing_street after the second ballot meyers constituency party clwyd north west which he had represented as an mp for more_than years deselected him as result of that challenge sir anthony john charles meyer was born on october educated at eton and at new college oxford he served in the scots guards from to and was wounded in tanks in normandy he worked under edward heath on europe at the foreign office and subsequently won the eton and slough seat for the tories in by votes labour regained the seat two years later and meyer had to wait until before he could re-enter parliament his prospects of front bench slot remained remote because he tended to defy the party line
tory_leader urges harry apology prince harry should personally make clear how sorry he is about wearing nazi uniform to friends fancy dress party says tory_leader michael_howard mr howard whose grandmother died in auschwitz said many people would be offended by the princes actions clarence house has issued statement saying the prince has apologised and realised it had been poor costume number said an error was made but now harry had apologised the matter should be left to the palace that was message repeated by home secretary charles_clarke who said the matter should now be left to lie but lib dem leader charles_kennedy said harry was in privileged position and said he should apologise in person there is reservoir of goodwill for prince harry and prince william with him in this country but think he needs to remember that it cant last forever he added that sandhurst would probably be good for harry as it would teach him some self discipline former labour mp lord janner who is high profile member of britains jewish community branded harrys actions stupid and evil he told itv the time has come for him to make public apology it is about common decency of respect to the people who fought the nazis to the families of those who were killed by the nazis and to people who suffered during the holocaust he added would send him in the army as fast as possible hope that would teach him not to behave like that photograph of prince harry wearing swastika armband and german desert uniform at the party appears in thursdays sun newspaper under the headline harry the nazi mr howard acknowledged the princes apology and said he had no doubt the princes father and family would have much to say to him privately about the incident but he told bbc radio_4s today_programme it might be appropriate to tell us himself just how contrite he is mr howard declined to say what form the statement should take but former buckingham palace press spokesman dicky arbiter said the prince should make personal broadcast apology mr clarke said he recognised peoples concerns about the costume but argued he has apologised and think we should leave the matter there
totp turns to elvis impersonator top of the pops has turned to the star of elvis_presley musical jailhouse rock after the late rock legend scooped the uks 1,000th number one single mario kombou who plays the presley role on stage will sing one night on fridays bbc one show as producers are unable to use presley video footage it is his second number one in row the show used presley photos last week presley will feature in the charts for several more months as all of his original uk chart-toppers are reissued top of the pops spokesperson said its very special number one as its the uks 1,000th we wanted to pay tribute to elvis in the best way we knew how so we thought getting professional would be the best way for top of the pops to do that kombou is likely to appear on the show again next week as the next presley re-release fool such as is on course to give him his third number one in three weeks kombou plays vince everett in jailhouse rock the same role presley played in the film of the same name
tottenham bid £8m for forest duo nottingham_forest have confirmed they have received an 8m bid from tottenham for andy reid and michael dawson reid rejected move to southampton after forest accepted cash-plus-players offer while spurs had made previous bids for the 22-year-old spurs had also made an undisclosed offer for 21-year-old defender dawson forest chief_executive mark arthur said weve received an 8m bid from spurs for the two players and were considering the offer southamptons offer for republic of ireland international reid comprised 3m-plus and two players brett ormerod and darren kenton spurs had seen previous bids of 3m 4m and 5m for reid rejected by the championship club
tough schedule delays elliot show preview_performances of the 3m musical billy elliot have been delayed to give the child actors less arduous rehearsal schedule director stephen daldry made the decision to re-schedule the previews to protect the young stars three boys will rotate the demanding role of ballet dancer billy which requires them to sing dance and act the shows opening night on may at the victoria palace theatre in london remains unaffected by the changes preview_performances will now be held on and april this is one of the most ambitious projects have been involved with said daldry the decision has been made to push back our preview_performances in order to give our company with cast including children little extra time so they are as fully prepared as possible he added the young billy elliots in particular making their professional stage debuts in the west end will benefit from little extra time to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the production the three boys playing billy are james lomas george maguire and liam mower the other major child parts will also be rotated between young actors such are the demands of the show that producers set up stage school in newcastle to train potential stars for the show child labour laws also mean the young actors can only work for limited period each week adult actors in the show include tim healy as billys father and haydn gwnne as his dance teacher mrs wilkinson sir_elton john has composed the music daldry directed the successful film version of billy elliot adapted from lee halls script both were nominated for oscars alongside julie walters who played billys teacher
trial begins of spains top banker the trial of emilio botin the chairman of spains most powerful bank santander central hispano has started in madrid mr botin is accused of misusing the banks funds after he approved the payment of 160m euros $208m 111m in bonus and pension payouts to two former executives however the trial was suspended when mr botins lawyer introduced new set of documents on the day testimony was set to begin three-judge panel gave prosecution lawyers until monday to study the documents when the trial will be reconvened the high-profile case began after two santander shareholders filed criminal complaint about the payments to jose maria amusategui and angel corcostegui who stepped down in both executives helped mr botin orchestrate spains biggest bank merger between santander and banco central hispano in as he arrived at spains high court earlier on wednesday mr botin greeted the waiting media saying have full faith in justice santanders board of governors strongly reject the charges against their chairman saying the payouts were legal and made with their unanimous support but if convicted mr botin could face prison term of up to six years mr corcostegui former ceo at santander also asked the court for new evidence to be admitted in spite of the allegations against him mr botin continues to lead santander and was instrumental in the 8.5bn takeover last november of the british bank abbey national since taking over the chairmanship in he has turned santander into one of the top ten biggest banks in the world
trial date is set for balco case us judge has set preliminary trial date for the balco steroid distribution case which has rocked athletics us district court judge susan ilston rejected an attempt by the defence team to have the case dismissed at pre-trial hearing in san_francisco and she set march date for the case of the four men accused of distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes to be heard firm decision on whether the trial takes place is expected in january the judge said that she may conduct hearings in january into whether federal agents illegally searched the balco headquarters and wrongfully obtained statements from the companys founder victor_conte and its vice-president james valente the two men along with personal trainer greg anderson and athletics coach remy korchemny were all indicted earlier this year but have pleaded their innocence the outcome of those hearings could result in some or all of the charges being dismissed conte said that he would be telling his side of the story on an american tv show on friday the world deserves to know the truth about performance-enhancing drugs he said balco the bay area laboratory cooperative is the company at the centre of the scandal the company has been accused by the united_states anti-doping_agency usada of being the source of the banned steroid thg and modafinil the usada claims that athletes have received sanctions for testing positive for thg and modafinil former double world champion kelli white and olympic relay star alvin harrison have both been banned on the basis of materials discovered during the balco investigation britains former european 100m champion dwain chambers is currently serving two-year ban after testing positive for thg in an out-of-competition test in
triple triumph for little britain top tv cult hit little britain has triumphed over the office at the 15th annual british comedy awards the bbc show beat the office christmas special in the best tv comedy category and took the peoples choice award matt_lucas and david walliams also jointly won best tv comedy actor over the office creator ricky_gervais who won special award for writing it was also good night for ant and dec who clinched two awards including best comedy entertainment personality the geordie duo also secured best comedy entertainment programme for saturday night takeaway beating im celebrity get me out of here which they also host and the bbcs have got news for you the ceremony was presented by jonathan ross from itvs london studios headquarters on the capitals south bank little britain began life as radio series on radio with walliams and lucas playing range of misfit characters from an alternative britain it was later commissioned for bbc three where it proved huge success with the second series also shown on bbc one after receiving his award for best tv comedy actor with walliams lucas said its great honour to be nominated alongside ricky_gervais and martin clunes the show also won the peoples choice award which is the only gong on the night voted for by viewers speaking after receiving the award for best comedy walliams said it was real shock but dont think we deserved to beat the office which is great show and more_than just comedy its beautiful piece of work gervais and the office co-writer stephen merchant received special award for writing presented by noel gallagher and tom stoppard gervais said the show has won an awful lot of awards in the last couple of years too much its got embarrassing to be honest other winners at the awards included caroline quentin who took home best tv comedy actress for life begins and von trapped catherine_tate from the catherine_tate show was also nominated for the same award but she did walk away with best comedy newcomer over james mcavoy from shameless channel_4 and julian barratt and noel fielding from the mighty boosh bbc three nighty night was named britains best new tv comedy over itv1 shows doc martin and life begins but doc martin won best tv comedy drama over jonathan creek bbc one and shameless winner in the best international comedy category was the simpsons beating sex and the city and curb your enthusiasm the prize was accepted by matt groening creator of the simpsons who also received an outstanding contribution award from scientist stephen hawking who has been featured in the series school of rock was voted best comedy film beating shaun_of_the_dead and shrek_2 matt_lucas david walliams little britain bbc three caroline quentin life begins von trapped itv1 ant dec ant decs saturday night takeaway im celebrity get me out of here itv1 catherine_tate the catherine_tate show bbc two nighty night baby cow productions bbc three little britain bbc three doc martin buffalo productions itv1 ant decs saturday night takeaway granada itv1 the simpsons twentieth century fox bbc two/sky one/channel school of rock
tulu to appear at caledonian run two-time olympic metres champion derartu tulu has confirmed she will take part in the bupa great caledonian run in edinburgh on may the 32-year-old ethiopian is the first star name to enter the event tulu has won the boston london and tokyo marathons as well as the world 10,000m title in we are delighted to have secured the services of one the most decorated competitors the sport has ever seen said race director matthew turnbull her record speaks for herself and there are few other women distance runners who would dare compare their pedigree with tulus he added she might be next month but that didnt stop her winning the olympic 10,000m bronze medal last summer shes an ultra-consistent championships racer
tutus guantanamo release call archbishop desmond tutu has called for the release of the remaining inmates at guantanamo_bay and terror_suspects detained without trial in the uk his comments follow news that all four britons held by the us in the cuban camp will be freed within weeks the south_african archbishop said detentions without trial were unacceptable and distressing twelve foreign nationals are being held indefinitely without trial in the uk under anti-terror laws referring to the detentions in cuba archbishop tutu told bbc_news it is utterly unacceptable the rule of law is in order to ensure that those who have power dont use their power arbitrarily and every person retains their human_rights until you have proven conclusively that so-and-so is in fact guilty moazzam begg from birmingham and martin mubanga richard belmar and feroz abbasi from london have been held by the us at guantanamo_bay for almost three years on tuesday foreign secretary jack_straw told the commons that the us had agreed to release the four after intensive and complex discussions over security the britons were detained as part of the us-led war on terror the archbishop added whilst we are saying thank you that these have been released what is happening to those left behind we in south_africa used to have dispensation that detained people without trial and the world quite rightly condemned that as unacceptable now if it was unacceptable then how come it can be acceptable to britain and the united_states it is so so deeply distressing following mr straws announcement lawyer louise_christian who represents mr abbasi and mr mubanga said the government should have acted sooner foreign nationals detained in the uk are being held at belmarsh and woodhill prisons in december the house_of_lords the uks highest court ruled that the anti-terror measures broke human_rights laws but the men are still behind bars archbishop tutu criticised the measures saying am opposed to any arbitrary detention that is happening even in britain shami chakrabarti director of civil rights group liberty has called on the government to practise what it preaches and either free or charge the detained men but the home office defended the measures spokesman said these individuals cannot currently be prosecuted because some evidence such as that provided by third parties cannot safely be disclosed in criminal proceedings without putting others at risk it is also currently the case that intelligence gained from covert intercepts cannot be used in court of law
tv presenter deeley drops cd:uk cat deeley has resigned as host of itv1s saturday morning childrens music show cd:uk after six years the 28-year-old host who also presents stars in their eyes said she wanted to concentrate on new television projects ive had great few years met some really incredible people and been given some wonderful opportunities the presenter said deeley will host her last show on march and guest presenters will stand in until replacement is found the long-running presenter said would like to take this opportunity to thank the cd:uk team and all the viewers that have watched supported the show and let me gate crash their saturday morning whilst obviously am really sad to say goodbye im immensely excited about the future deeley formerly co-hosted sm:tv the childrens show which airs before cd:uk on saturday morning alongside hit presenters ant and dec she won childrens bafta award for best presenter in december and also fronted bbc ones fame academy series
tv station refuses adoption show tv station in the us has refused to show controversial new series where adopted children try and pick their birth father and win cash prize the wraz-tv fox affiliate in north carolina was the only one of stations to refuse mondays show whos your daddy promises to the contestant if she correctly identifies her father it was met with protests by the national council for adoption which said it exploits sensitive emotions it exploits the sensitive emotions of adoption said thomas atwood president of the national council for adoption it trivialises them adoption is very personal meaningful experience and it should not be commercialised like this on the pre-taped programme the contestant is presented with eight men who may or may not be her natural father if she picks the correct man from the line-up the contestant wins the jackpot prize of us$100,000 however if she picks the wrong man then the impostor takes the money fox producers defended the show saying it was positive experience they have made six specials though only one episode has so far been broadcast the special was thoroughly vetted by our standards and practices department to ensure that it was appropriate for broadcast said fox spokesman however any network affiliate that feels the programming may be inappropriate for their individual market has the right to pre-empt the schedule wraz-tv instead chose to air an independently-produced film have roots and branches personal reflections on adoption documentary about families with adopted children we just dont think adoption is game show said tommy schenck wraz-tvs general manager though he said his decision had not been influenced by public protests
u2 stars enter rock hall_of_fame singer bruce springsteen has inducted irish rock band u2 into the rock and roll hall_of_fame in new_york the lavish ceremony celebrating the 50th_anniversary of rock n_roll also saw the induction of the pretenders percy sledge the ojays and buddy guy this was band that wanted to lay claim to this world and the next one too said springsteen bono the edge adam clayton and larry mullen jr who formed u2 at school in begin world tour on march introducing the band springsteen mocked bono as the man who single-handedly pioneered the irish mullet poking fun at one of the best and most endearingly messianic complexes in rock n_roll but he also spoke of the groups enduring stature adding that it was the only band of the last years where he knew all four members names u2s contemporaries the pretenders led by chrissie hynde took to the stage to perform my city was gone with inductee neil young we are tribute band said hynde were paying tribute to james honeyman-scott and pete farndon without whom we would not have been here she said referring to the premature deaths of two of the bands guitarists from drug overdoses britains rod stewart introduced percy sledge citing his best-known hit when man loves woman as one of the best performances ive ever heard justin_timberlake introduced soul group the ojays gospel-style quartet from ohio who performed medley of their best-known songs including back stabbers love train and for the love of money anyone whos ever written produced or performed something soulful stands in the shadows of these giants said timberlake joining the ceremony at new yorks waldorf astoria were legendary r&b star bo diddley who performed with eric clapton and robbie robertson clapton alongside bb king also introduced fellow guitarist buddy guy and recalled seeing him play as teenager in england he was for me what elvis was probably like for other people he said my course was set and he was my pilot said clapton who joined guy and king in performance of let me love you baby also performing at the ceremony was veteran musician jerry lee lewis who continued his reputation as rowdy piano-pounder despite his years kicking over his stool and sitting on the piano during rendition of whole lotta shakin goin on
u2 to play at grammy awards show irish rock band u2 are to play live at the grammy awards presentation in the us next month organisers have said other acts to play include soul singer alicia_keys country singer tim mcgraw and punk band green day at the event on february in los_angeles u2 are nominated twice for their recent single vertigo including nomination for best rock song this year the grammys have been dominated by rap star kanye_west who is in contention for awards us comedian ellen degeneres and singer christine milian will present awards at the event last week grammy producers announced the show will be hosted by rap star and chicago actress queen latifah it will be held at the staples center u2 had number one success in the album charts on both sides of the atlantic in november when their latest studio album how to dismantle_an_atomic bomb topped the us and uk charts the band who are also dominated for best international album at this years brit awards are to undertake major world tour this year their first for four years
u2s desire to be number one u2 who have won three prestigious grammy awards for their hit vertigo are stubbornly clinging to their status as one of the biggest bands in the world the most popular groups in the history of rock all have several things in common the music must be inspired and appeal across generations and be distinctive if not always groundbreaking but such success is down to more_than music they have to be compelling performers charismatic and intelligent enough to make good decisions and keep their feet on the ground they also have to want it they have to want to be the biggest band ever and not stop wanting it the beatles had it the rolling_stones still have it rem hold onto it and queen were it in catsuit and u2 have it in spades and keep churning it out their new album how to dismantle_an_atomic bomb comes years after the schoolfriends got together in dublin and years after the joshua tree cemented their place on the all-time rock a-list they may have lost some of the edginess and raw youthful force that propelled them to the top but they have lost none of the desire or ability to craft songs and albums vertigo the first single from the new album went straight into the uk singles_chart at number one knocking eminem off the top spot and giving them their 26th top hit the challenge is to be bigger and bolder and better to make records the whole world will listen to bono recently said drummer larry mullen jr echoed those sentiments were very competitive we want to be on the radio have big singles we dont want to be thought of as veteran band the band have done everything in their considerable powers to ensure they remain the biggest band in the world according to magazine editor paul rees this makes them hugely determined and formidable he added they are equally determined to push themselves to make music that continues to stand up as such theyve constantly re-invented and challenged themselves they are perhaps alone as the only rock band that has got better with age the other key ingredient was the fact they were highly organised mr rees said they do everything in the right way the group were born when mullen put an appeal for bandmates on high school notice board attracting fellow pupils paul hewson bono vocals adam clayton bass david evans the edge guitar and his brother dick dick evans soon dropped out and the four-piece were known as the feedback and the hype before settling on u2 by they had won talent contest and got noticed by manager paul mcguinness they were brilliant but very coarse mcguinness recently said in way they were doing exactly what they do now only badly they struggled to attract record company attention later being described as pretty damn average and strange and eerie by scouts who saw them live they released two ireland-only singles which topped the national charts in and leading to deal with island and their debut album boy the stadium-filling anthemic sound was u2s aim from the start and their third album war saw them make the breakthrough on both sides of the atlantic going to number one in the uk and in the us songs like sunday bloody sunday and new years day brought success and an image as political and spiritual band which bono rejected as cliche his stage performances which included flag-waving speaker-climbing and drum-throwing earned him reputation as an electric performer and their appearance at 1985s live aid is widely seen as sealing their global stardom in the joshua tree broke sales records and saw the band reach the height of their powers with hits including where the streets have no name still havent found what im looking for and with or without you those songs took the bands epic atmospheric sound to simple powerful and popular pinnacle the end of the decade marked crucial point for the band they had reached the top but still yearned for new challenges and achievements these came in the form of explorations of different branches of rock and forays into electronic dance music plus wildly extravagant stage shows while still trying to retain their mass appeal the achtung baby album in was followed by zooropa pop and their corresponding stadium tours which featured giant olives flying cars live phone calls to the white house and bonos transformation into alter-egos the fly and macphisto he was also building parallel reputation not always to the pleasure of his bandmates as campaigner on issues from global debt to aids before the release of how to dismantle_an_atomic bomb they had sold million albums around the world but they still want more
uganda bans vagina monologues ugandas authorities have banned the play the vagina monologues due to open in the capital kampala this weekend the ugandan media council said the performance would not be put on as it promoted and glorified acts such as lesbianism and homosexuality it said the production could go ahead if the organisers expunge all the offending parts but the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women the play promotes illegal unnatural sexual acts homosexuality and prostitution it should be and is hereby banned the councils ruling said the show which has been controversial sell-out around the world explores female sexuality and strength through individual women telling their stories through monologues some parliamentarians and church leaders are also siding with the media council ugandas new vision newspaper reports the play is obscene and pornographic although it was under the guise of womens liberation mp kefa ssempgani told parliament but the works author us playwright eve ensler says it is all about womens empowerment there is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina ms ensler told the bbc its not slang word or dirty word its biological anatomical word she said the play is being produced and performed by ugandan women and it is not being forced on them the four ugandan ngos organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country im extremely outraged at the hypocrisy the plays organiser in uganda sarah mukasa told the bbcs focus on africa programme im amazed that this country uganda gives the impression that it is progressive and supports womens rights and the notions of free speech yet when women want to share their stories the government uses the apparatus of state to shut us up
uk athletics agrees new kit deal uk athletics has agreed new deal with adidas to supply great britain squads of all ages with their kit for the next four years the german-based firm kitted out team gb at the olympics and has deals with other national olympic bodies uk athletics chief david moorcroft said the athens experience can now be extended to more major championships in the year ahead these include the european indoor and world outdoor championships we are delighted moorcroft added it is hugely beneficial to the sport that the adidas commitment will also provide for officials and other personnel at our world-class series of live televised events this week uk athletics also agreed four-year deal with energy drink company red bull who will be supplying the product to athletics at major domestic meetings and in high performance centres
uk debut for kevin_spacey movie hollywood stars kevin_spacey and kate bosworth attended the british premiere of new film beyond the sea in londons leicester_square on thursday spacey wrote directed and starred in the film inspired by the life of 1950s croooner bobby darin this is my tribute to someone think was remarkable talent said spacey who as darin sings all songs on the film soundtrack bosworth plays darins wife real life hollywood actress sandra dee knew absolutely nothing about bobby darin before this film but now im huge fan said bosworth who attended the premiere with british boyfriend orlando bloom there is darkness and tragedy in the story and it was dream for me to land this part actress sandra dee continues to live in los_angeles as virtual recluse but has given her approval to the biopic she called me last week and said she loved it said spacey who was joined at the premiere by members of the boy band westlife spacey double oscar-winner has long been fascinated by the story of singer bobby darin the voice behind mack the knife dream lover and beyond the sea fought childhood illness to become one the biggest stars of the 1950s but died aged from the heart condition that had troubled him all his life bobby darin was one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known and yet because he died young hes been kind of forgotten said spacey at the premiere making this film was the most fun ive ever had in my entire life the movie also stars british actors bob hoskins and brenda blethyn as darins mother
uk directors guild nominees named martin_scorsese and clint_eastwood are among the nominees for the top prize at the directors guild of great britain awards now in their second year the oscar rivals will compete for the international film prize at the ceremony to be held at the curzon mayfair cinema in london on march other nominees include bill condon for kinsey and michel gondry for eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind mike_leighs vera_drake is among the nominees for best british film the awards will see eastwood and scorsese once again competing for the directing prize following last weekends oscars clint_eastwood won best director for million dollar_baby beating scorsese who was nominated for fifth time for the howard hughes biopic the aviator mike_leigh will compete for the british film prize with shane meadows for dead_mans shoes roger michell for enduring love and my summer of love director pawel pawlikowski nominees for best foreign film include spains pedro almodovar for bad education and hong_kong director wong kar-wai for in the tv categories comedy series early doors and the alan clark diaries will compete for the best directing award for 30-minute television show while the directors of shameless hustle and bodies are all nominated for the 60-minute television prize the directors of omagh and sex traffic are among the nominees for television movie or mini-series american beautys sam mendes will receive lifetime_achievement award for his work in film and theatre while theatre director simon mcburney will be given an award for outstanding directorial achievement
uk heading wrong way howard tony_blair has had the chance to tackle the problems facing britain and has failed michael_howard has said britain is heading in the wrong direction the conservative leader said in his new year message mr blairs government was bossy interfering government that takes decisions that should be made by individuals he added but labours campaign spokesman fraser_kemp responded britain is working dont let the tories wreck it again mr howard also paid_tribute to the nations character for its generous response to the asian quake disaster the catastrophe was overshadowing the hopes for the future at this usually positive time of the year mr howard said we watched the scenes of destruction with sense of disbelief the scale the speed the ferocity of what happened on boxing day is difficult to grasp yet britains response has shone light on our nations character the last week has shown that the warm caring heart of britain beats as strong as ever he went on to reflect on the values that most britons hold dear looking ahead to the coming general_election he pledged to turn these beliefs into reality and set out the choices he says are facing britain how much tax do people want to pay who will give taxpayers value for money the clean hospitals and good disciplined schools they want who can be trusted to get grip on the disorder on our streets and the chaos in our immigration system mr blair has failed to tackle these problems he claimed saying he has the wrong solution to them the result is big government and higher taxes eroding incentives undermining enterprise and denying people choice worst of all it is government that has wasted peoples money and failed to tackle the problems families face today the tories he said can cut crime and improve public services without asking people to pay more taxes we can have progress without losing what makes britain great its tolerance the respect for the rule of law the ability of everyone to fulfil their potential we simply need to change direction the election will give britain the chance to change this is the record mr blair will have to defend in the coming months he said urging voters to hold him to account but labour spokesman mr kemp said it would be more appropriate for this message to come out on april not january let us never forget that when michael_howard was in government britain suffered mass unemployment interest_rates record home repossessions and the introduction of the poll tax with labour britain is working rather_than alluding to false promises michael_howard should be starting with an apology to the british people for the misery that the government of which he was member inflicted upon the country
uk heading wrong way says howard tony_blair has had the chance to tackle the problems facing britain and has failed michael_howard has said britain is heading in the wrong direction the conservative leader said in his new year message mr blairs government was bossy interfering government that takes decisions that should be made by individuals he added but labours campaign spokesman fraser_kemp responded britain is working dont let the tories wreck it again mr howard also paid_tribute to the nations character for its generous response to the asian quake disaster the catastrophe was overshadowing the hopes for the future at this usually positive time of the year mr howard said we watched the scenes of destruction with sense of disbelief the scale the speed the ferocity of what happened on boxing day is difficult to grasp yet britains response has shone light on our nations character the last week has shown that the warm caring heart of britain beats as strong as ever he went on to reflect on the values that most britons hold dear looking ahead to the coming general_election he pledged to turn these beliefs into reality and set out the choices he says are facing britain how much tax do people want to pay who will give taxpayers value for money the clean hospitals and good disciplined schools they want who can be trusted to get grip on the disorder on our streets and the chaos in our immigration system mr blair has failed to tackle these problems he claimed saying he has the wrong solution to them the result is big government and higher taxes eroding incentives undermining enterprise and denying people choice worst of all it is government that has wasted peoples money and failed to tackle the problems families face today the tories he said can cut crime and improve public services without asking people to pay more taxes we can have progress without losing what makes britain great its tolerance the respect for the rule of law the ability of everyone to fulfil their potential we simply need to change direction the election will give britain the chance to change this is the record mr blair will have to defend in the coming months he said urging voters to hold him to account but labour spokesman mr kemp said it would be more appropriate for this message to come out on april not january let us never forget that when michael_howard was in government britain suffered mass unemployment interest_rates record home repossessions and the introduction of the poll tax with labour britain is working rather_than alluding to false promises michael_howard should be starting with an apology to the british people for the misery that the government of which he was member inflicted upon the country
uk helps raped rwandan women britain is to give 4m grant to help women survivors of the rwandan_genocide who were raped and often deliberately infected with hiv/aids an estimated girls and women were raped during the genocide about tutsis and moderate hutus were killed by hutu militias after the assassination of an ethnic hutu leader the five-year department for international development funding will enable more survivors to have access to anti-retroviral treatment the plight of the infected women was overshadowed for long time it was overshadowed by rwandas emergence from the days of slaughter during which time the mass killings took place and the womens fate was largely taboo subject but many of the women were widowed and they now not only have their own children to care for but in many cases orphans too as the women die the number of rwandas orphans rises until recently very few of the women have had access to anti-retroviral treatment that is now starting to change this funding is intended to make anti-retrovirals and other care available for some women mary kayitesi blewitt founder of the survivors fund surf one of the organisations through which the funds are being channelled said it was recognition before it was too late that the survivors should be priority for help
uk needs true immigration data former home office minister has called for an independent body to be set up to monitor uk immigration barbara roche said an organisation should monitor and publish figures and be independent of government she said this would counter so-called independent groups like migration watch which she described as an anti-immigration body posing as independent migration watch says it is not against all immigration and the government already publishes accurate figures sir andrew green chairman of the organisation says there is no need for an independent body because office of national statistics data are accurate he says he opposes large-scale immigration both on the grounds of overcrowding and culture he said for example over the next years one household in three will be due to immigration we are already more overcrowded than india and we are four times more overcrowded than france ms roche labour mp for hornsey and wood green believes legal migration is something we should welcome she said her proposals mean we wouldnt have so-called independent experts like migration watch who come into this debate from an anti-immigration point of view she went on what would like to see is there being body which actually looked at the figures published them and was independent of government think that would go long way to allaying some of the fears that are sometimes whipped up during this debate
ukip candidate suspended eurosceptic party ukip have suspended candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally_insane should be killed john houston was due to stand in the east kilbride seat in lanarkshire at the next election but he was suspended after his reported views including the return of the british empire were sent to two scottish newspapers ukip spokesman mark croucher said those who selected mr houston knew nothing of his views the episode comes at difficult time for ukip soon after the high-profile departure of mep robert kilroy-silk mr houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally_insane should be made available to law-abiding members of the community and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade the document reportedly said were looking for the resurrection of the british empire the problems for the human race environmental and others can only be dealt with on global scale and that calls for radical alliance of the english-speaking nations which they are uniquely able to do mr croucher said the main issue would be that mr houstons reported views had been presented as ukip policy which they were not he said they might have been submissions to committee working on the partys manifesto but would not have been matched to mr houston when he was standing to become candidate he told bbc_news he appears to have said these things we have suspended him as member and as candidate by all accounts none of this was mentioned at his selection meeting it is simply distraction from the task in hand the eu constitution not individual idiocies mr houston was quoted in the herald newspaper saying feel ukip have over-reacted and overshot the runway peter nielson who is ukip scotland chairman said he had suspended mr houston on friday night he will remain suspended while the matter is being investigated and then we will decide if and what further action will be taken he said that any evidence would be looked into and mr houston may be interviewed by the party he added cant comment too much at the moment have one version from him but havent seen the papers yet
ukip candidate suspended in probe eurosceptic party ukip have suspended candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally_insane should be killed john houston was due to stand in the east kilbride seat in lanarkshire at the next election but he was suspended after his reported views including the return of the british empire were sent to two scottish newspapers ukip spokesman mark croucher said those who selected mr houston knew nothing of his views the episode comes at difficult time for ukip soon after the high-profile departure of mep robert kilroy-silk mr houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally_insane should be made available to law-abiding members of the community and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade the document reportedly said were looking for the resurrection of the british empire the problems for the human race environmental and others can only be dealt with on global scale and that calls for radical alliance of the english-speaking nations which they are uniquely able to do mr croucher said the main issue would be that mr houstons reported views had been presented as ukip policy which they were not he said they might have been submissions to committee working on the partys manifesto but would not have been matched to mr houston when he was standing to become candidate he told bbc_news he appears to have said these things we have suspended him as member and as candidate by all accounts none of this was mentioned at his selection meeting it is simply distraction from the task in hand the eu constitution not individual idiocies mr houston was quoted in the herald newspaper saying feel ukip have over-reacted and overshot the runway peter nielson who is ukip scotland chairman said he had suspended mr houston on friday night he will remain suspended while the matter is being investigated and then we will decide if and what further action will be taken he said that any evidence would be looked into and mr houston may be interviewed by the party he added cant comment too much at the moment have one version from him but havent seen the papers yet
ukip could sue veritas defectors the uk independence party could take legal action to unseat two london assembly members who defected to robert kilroy silks veritas party damian hockney now veritas deputy leader and peter hulme-cross were elected in on the list system the party argues the pair should give up their seats as they won them as ukip representatives not as individuals mr hockney said the law was clear that those elected on list who quit their party should keep their seats ukip chairman petrina holdsworth urged the men to step down from the gla in letter she said the party has taken legal advice and it is clear that we could take legal proceedings against you which could result in the return of our seats and/or damages against you we would however like you to be given an opportunity to reflect on what you have done to restore your own credibility with the electorate and return the seats to the party which won them fair and square at the last election mr hockney said the law worked in exactly the same way for the gla as it did for other electoral list systems the greater london act is clear that if someone resigns who was elected on list their party whip the seat belongs to them and not the party he said mr hulme-cross and himself had no intention of resigning and added that they felt that it was ukip who were not being true to the electorate he accused the party of signing up to deal with the tories in europe rather_than sticking to an independent stance but the claim was denied by ukip spokesman who said mr hockneys accusations are like his sense of political morals empty veritas was formed by mr kilroy-silk earlier this month after he quit ukip following an unsuccessful bid to take over as leader
ukip mep attacked german empire uk independence party mep suggested germany saw the eu as an empire and was cheaper than using tanks new documentary has revealed mike nattrass ukips deputy leader made the comments to an audience at meeting during last septembers hartlepool by-election campaign but challenged on the remark he denied accusing germany of using the eu as cover for 4th german reich he says he was not german-bashing but saying peace was the eus founding aim the meeting was shown in bbc film on ex-ukip mep robert kilroy-silk the former chat show host quit the party earlier this month calling it joke the documentary showed mr nattrass apparently talking about the eu telling the meeting the germans are the big losers here but they dont care because to them the project is worthwhile its like an empire for them spreading in all directions away from germany into hungary into what they call the sudetenland czechoslovakia places like that so its cheaper for them to do it this way than roll the tanks in on tuesday he told the bbc_news website he did not think the comments were offensive and worked happily with meps of different nationalities in the european parliament he argued that peace was the only reason for having the outdated eu as there was no economic justification pointing to germanys trade interests as country in the centre of europe mr nattrass said the fact is that the eu benefits germany but it does not benefit britain im not at all german-bashing its the truth ukip spokesman said mike has some passionate beliefs and sometimes uses excessively colourful language with which to express them the documentary showed some of the tensions between mr kilroy-silk and his fellow meps after ukip took third place in last years european elections he denied wanting to be leader until october when he told bbc ones_breakfast with frost programme he aspired to the job asked by the documentary makers why he had lied about his leadership ambitions mr kilroy-silk said there was one thing said that shouldnt have said at the time was trying to be helpful to the party and it was the wrong thing to do should have told the truth the film also included footage of row between mr kilroy-silk mep nigel farage and party leader roger_knapman about rumours that he was about to resign the ukip whip in the european parliament mr kilroy-silk told them he had not left the ukip group move he announced shortly after the meeting he told mr farage dont tell lies nigel now youve told too many most of the trouble had been caused by you ukip officials claim it was in fact mr kilroy-silk not mr farage who briefed newspapers he was leaving the group of meps later in unguarded off-air comments in television studio mr kilroy-silk was heard saying he was irritated by defending some of these right-wing fascist nutters mr kilroy-silk separately said he had argued against ukip working with such groups which believed homosexuality was sin ukip spokesman said there were more_than meps in the same group in the european parliament they were from broad spectrum some right-wing some left-wing but with shared belief in the unfeasibility of the eu as it is now he did not defend other groups religious beliefs but argued it was their right to hold such views just as mr kilroy-silk had right to criticise arab states london ukip mep gerard batten said robert has made variety of comments about ukip and its meps there are of course two sides to every story what robert does not say is that he was offered several positions which would have given him effective control of the party but not the title of leader mr kilroy-silk is to launch his own parry veritas in westminster on wednesday
ukip outspent labour on eu poll the uk independence party outspent both labour and the liberal_democrats in the european elections new figures show ukip which campaigned on slogan of say no to europe spent 2.36m on the campaign second only to the conservatives 3.13m the campaign took ukip into third place with an extra meps labours campaign cost 1.7m the lib dems 1.19m and the greens according to figures revealed by the electoral_commission on wednesday much of the ukip funding came from yorkshire millionaire sir paul sykes who helped bankroll the partys billboard campaign critics have accused the party of effectively buying votes but ukip spokesman said labour and the conservatives had spent 10m between them on the last general_election with the advantages of public money the others have the only way the smaller parties can get their message across is by buying the advertising space he added
ukips secret weapon by any measure new yorker dick morris is that thing americans love over everything else winner this is the man who some pundits believe was almost single-handedly responsible for bill clintons sensational comeback victory but morris is no ideologue he has worked as election strategist for any number of republicans as well and more recently politicians from mexico to uruguay now he is back in london as the uk independence partys not-so-secret electoral weapon after returning from the ukraine where he helped you guessed it opposition candidate viktor_yushchenko if there is one regular criticism levelled at morris it is that he is too ready to switch allegiances that he enjoys the game more_than the politics so why britain and why ukip which despite its recent eu election successes is not likely to pull off sensational victory in the looming general_election on this subject morris appears almost evangelical was on cruise in the mediterranean and coincidentally so was ukip leader roger_knapman had just written piece saying how the english channel was now wider than the atlantic which he liked and it went from there but what is it about ukip that particularly attracts him many might think it is simply another chance to practice his art irrespective of the politics think the greatest threat to democracy in the world is not terrorism but bureaucratism great soundbite but surprise coming from new yorker post september it is the growth of these bodies composed of experts who know better who dont believe in letting democracy govern but believe in letting the correct solution be determined thats international bankers the world trade organisation the international monetary_fund the world bank and primarily the european union so he is out to help ukip take britain out of this organisation which he believes is unreformable and inherently undemocratic and he is scathing of the tory party which he also appears to believe is unreformable the tory party is schizophrenic about europe but until somebody says they are willing to leave the eu they cant possibly re-negotiate anything as michael_howard is pledged to do its like walking into liquor store with gun to rob it and saying before can proceed with the robbery want to make clear am not going to shoot anybody possibly very american analogy but another great soundbite the basic point is that the eu seeks political integration to move the entire nexus of decision making away from britain and we oppose that and the tories cannot be trusted to oppose it so is ukips job to destroy the tories as former member robert kilroy-silk once notoriously declared no the aim of ukip is to withdraw from the eu and if it has any relation to the tories it is to stiffen the tories spine on the issue by having large enough ukip vote so that we move the tories in the direction they are refusing to move but its not just to shift the tories think ukip had huge amount to do with tony_blairs decision to hold referendum on the european constitution and think it had huge amount to do with his refusal to go into the euro and while we are on the subject of mr kilroy-silk mr morris despatches him with another of his neat soundbites robert kilroy silk is not team player it is good idea our party stands for some thing and not some one so what is the big plan for the general_election how will he achieve the breakthrough look we are not going to be forming the next government he said neither does ukip have to fight every seat as with the us presidential election he says the outcome will be decided by small number of swing seats just as he believes it will in britain so with limited resources the aim is to target those seats and end the day with significant group in the commons he also believes it is possible the internet could have big part in the poll the internet was decisive factor in the presidential election through blogs individuals posting their views in online diaries people just did it anything can happen in the next general_election there is an inherent instability at the moment labour and the tories have drawn the consensus so tightly and to the left there is room for another voice that might he suggests lead to hung parliament with ukip and others holding the balance of power it is huge task surely but there is undoubtedly sense that the next general_election may indeed produce some surprises even while most still believe it is labours for the taking ukips performance in last years european elections was just such shocker and showed that mr morris may have point about the new consensus and after all he has reputation to sustain
uks national gallery in the pink the national gallery home to some of the uks greatest artworks has seen big jump in visitor numbers five million visitors made the london gallery which houses treasures like raphaels madonna of the pinks the uks most visited museum in it recorded rise in numbers and was the countrys second most visited tourist attraction behind blackpool pleasure beach charles saumarez smith the gallerys director said he was delighted he said the number of visitors through the doors had boosted figures to pre-11 september levels mr saumarez smith added that the pedestrianisation of trafalgar square where the gallery is located and strong temporary collections throughout had led to the strong performance our exhibition programme of el greco russian landscape in the age of tolstoy and raphael from urbino to rome was particularly strong and exceeded all targets he said the exceptional quality of the paintings in our permanent collection is also huge draw for the public the expectations of todays visitors are higher than ever and we have kept pace with their demands mr saumarez smith said he was confident the gallery could maintain the attendance with important exhibitions of the work of caravaggio stubbs and rubens in place for am confident that the gallery is set for another highly successful year he added the figures were prepared by the association of leading visitor attractions alva it found that the figures had been boosted by an increase in europeans travelling to the uk on budget airlines popular cultural tourist spots such as the tate modern and the natural history museum all recorded increases of more_than in visitor numbers compared with but for legal or confidentiality reasons some alva members did not submit figures for including buckingham palace windsor castle madame tussauds and alton towers alva director robin broke said visits from western europe were up by and from north_america by some compared to while numbers from the rest of the world rose european figures were helped by the rapid growth of low-cost flights to britain from europe especially from new eu countries
ultimate game award for doom_3 sci-fi shooter doom_3 has blasted away the competition at major games ceremony the golden joystick awards it was the only title to win twice winning ultimate game of the year and best pc game at the awards presented by little britain star matt_lucas the much-anticipated sci-fi horror doom_3 shot straight to the top of the uk games charts on its release in august other winners included grand theft_auto san_andreas which took the most wanted for christmas prize only released last week it was closely followed by halo_2 and half-life_2 which are expected to be big hits when they are unleashed later this month but they missed out on the prize for the most wanted game of which went to the nintendo title the legend of zelda the original doom released in heralded new era in computer games and introduced 3d_graphics it helped to establish the concept of the first-person shooter doom_3 was developed over four years and is thought to have cost around $15m 8.3m the top honour for the best online game of the year went to battlefield vietnam the chronicles of riddick escape from butcher bay was handed the unsung hero game of its release was somewhat eclipsed by doom_3 which was released on the same week it was however very well received by gamers and was praised for its storyline which differed from the film released around the same time electronic_arts was named top publisher of the year taking the crown from nintendo which won in the annual awards are voted for by more_than readers of computer and video games magazines games awards like this have grown in importance over the last six years the uk market for games grew by and was worth record 1,152m in according to recent report by analysts screen digest
us actor found with gun residue actor robert blake had gunshot residue on his hands and clothes the night his wife was shot dead court has heard but it may not have come from the shot that killed bonny lee bakley in mr blakes murder trial was told by criminalist steven dowell mr dowell told los_angeles court the residue may have come from mr blakes revolver his gun collection his presence at the crime scene or police the 71-year-old former star of us tv drama baretta has denied murder mr blake said he found ms bakley dead in car after they left restaurant he said he briefly returned to the restaurant to collect gun he had left behind and discovered her body when he returned the gun he collected was not the murder weapon it could also have been picked up if he touched or leant on the car when he found the body or from police box in which his clothes were later stored the box had come from an area where officers went after being on the firing range but mr dowell also said the residue would have been present if mr blake fired gun that night witnesses have already told the trial mr blake stood out as being quite nervous and agitated at the restaurant before the murder the actor who won an emmy for playing maverick detective in the 1970s tv cop drama baretta could face life in prison if convicted
us actor ossie_davis found dead us actor ossie_davis has been found dead at the age of davis who was married to actress ruby dee was found dead on friday in his hotel room in miami beach florida where he was making film davis whose 65-year career included credits as producer director actor and writer for stage and screen was also civil rights activist miami beach police spokesman bobby hernandez said the cause of death appeared to be natural daviss body was discovered by his grandson and paramedics at the shore club hotel in miami beach where the actor had been shooting the film retirement mr hernandez said after gaining entry they found mr davis had passed away the cause of death appears to be natural according to his grandson he was suffering from heart disease some of daviss best known roles included the joe louis story and gone are the days film he adapted from his own play purlie victorious he also appeared in spike_lee movies including school daze do the right thing and jungle fever his film debut in was in the film no way out starring sydney poitier and ruby dee davis and dee were married for more_than years and together received kennedy center honours in for their body of work the actors equity association issued statement calling davis an icon in the american theatre and he and dee american treasures davis was also prominent figure in the civil rights movement and was voice for racial_equality he was featured speaker at the funerals of both martin luther king jnr and malcolm_x besides dee davis is survived by three children nora hasna and guy blues artist and seven grandchildren
us afflicted with awards fatigue the film world and media may be wild about the oscars but cinema-goers and the tv-viewing public are sick of watching award ceremonies according to some la film critics bob strauss from the la daily news thinks there are just too many televised gatherings of stars showering praise on each other he came up with colourful but unprintable description for these glitzy events which roughly translates celebrity love-in this echoed the views of oscars host and comedian chris rock who whipped up media storm for saying he rarely watched them calling award shows idiotic as chris rock accurately said theyre about celebrity and fashion mr strauss said the recent grammy music awards proved to be ratings loser and it seems oscars organisers are determined not to go the same way recently announced changes to the ceremony include lining up all five nominees on stage before announcing the winner unsurprisingly this prompted press speculation that the changes were aimed at boosting flagging advertising revenue but entertainment weeklys dave karger maintained the oscars only generated excitement outside the industry when blockbuster such as titanic or lord_of_the_rings was nominated the near constant flow of us film awards representing directors actors and producers guilds also means few surprises are left by the time the oscar ceremony is upon us he said quick scan of the los_angeles times and los_angeles daily news bears this out speculation about who will win seems to have ground to halt on thursday the times simply printed picture of the plastic tents going up outside the kodak_theatre to protect the red_carpet from rain variety and the hollywood reporter have also kept their focus firmly on industry-related news while in the uk bets have closed on the best actor category with ray star jamie_foxx dead cert to win screen internationals us editor mike goodridge thinks 2004s films have simply not grabbed the publics imagination film-makers havent produced films that people adore this year he said they adored saving private ryan for example people loved it and it made ton of money 2004s films could be reaction to there was realisation in america that things might not be so rosy after all audiences dont necessarily want to see darker films such as million dollar_baby aviator and finding_neverland which end with casualty as to whether rock could pep up the awards the critics were not hopeful mr strauss doubted whether rock would make an impact but added im all for lower ratings though there are far more important things going on than the oscars mr karger said the comic might boost younger viewers but mike goodridge thought rocks humour could prompt americas conservative states to switch off so despite all this did the critics have any views on who would win clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby affected people emotionally which is why it will beat aviator which was about technical artistry not feelings mr karger said eastwood has it in the bag added mr strauss oscar voters often vote with their hearts not their heads and mr goodridge said best film and director were between martin_scorseses aviator and million dollar_baby mr karger whose favourite film of the year was mike_leighs abortion drama vera_drake stayed upbeat about the awards despite his other comments hope this is the year for small films to triumph he said after all its still one of the biggest tv events of the year
us bank boss hails genius smith us federal_reserve chairman alan greenspan has given speech at scottish church in honour of the pioneering economist adam smith he delivered the 14th adam smith lecture in kirkcaldy fife the adam smith lecture celebrates the author of 1776s wealth of nations which became bible of capitalism dr greenspan was invited by chancellor gordon_brown whose minister father john used to preach at the st bryce kirk church mr brown introduced dr greenspan to the invited guests as the the worlds greatest economist dr greenspan who has been in the uk to attend the g7 meeting in london said the world could never repay the debt of gratitude it owed to smith whose genius he compared to that of mozart he said the philosopher was towering contributor to the modern world kirkcaldy the birthplace in of adam smith and by extension of modern economics is also of course where your chancellor was reared am led to ponder to what extent the chancellors renowned economic and financial skills are the result of exposure to the subliminal intellect-enhancing emanation in this area he continued smith reached far beyond the insights of his predecessors to frame global view of how market economics just then emerging worked in so doing he supported changes in societal organisation that were to measurably enhance standards of living dr greenspan said smiths revolutionary philosophy on human self-interest laissez-faire economics and competition had been force for good in the world the incredible insights of handful of intellectuals of the enlightenment especially with smith toiling in the environs of kirkcaldy created the modern vision of people free to choose and to act according to their individual self-interest he said following his lecture dr greenspan who received an honorary knighthood from the queen at balmoral in was awarded an honorary fellowship of the royal society of edinburgh he later opened an exhibition dedicated to smith in the atrium of fife college of further and higher education joyce johnston principal of the college said it is very fitting that the worlds premier economist delivered this lecture in tribute to the worlds first economist dr greenspan who became chairman of the federal_reserve for an unprecedented fifth term in june will step down in january next year he has served under presidents george_w bush bill clinton george bush and ronald reagan he was also chairman of the council of economic advisors to gerald ford
us box_office set for record high ticket sales at the us box_office are predicted to break records this year with figures expected to reach billion beating 2002s all-time high overall figures could be dampened by the lack of christmas hit like last years oscar-winning lord_of_the_rings traditionally ticket sales during the festive season account for of the annual total although admissions have actually fallen this year the predicted high is down to increasing ticket prices according to exhibitor relations president paul dergarabedian the average cost of cinema ticket could be as high as in compared to in this year some of the biggest hits such as the passion_of_the_christ and fahrenheit came from outside the major studios which are usually responsible for the key blockbusters many of the films that did well with audiences are not necessarily the films that made lot of money said mr dergarabedian he added that surprise hits had come from some of the more art-house offerings such as napoleon dynamite and critical hit sideways sony pictures responsible for hits like spiderman and the grudge are expected to top domestic market share for the second time in three years with billion-plus in sales for the third consecutive year sony pictures entertainment vice chairman jeff blake said we had really diverse slate this year and certainly we pulled off one of the surprises with grudge horror movie the grudge cost sony million to make but brought in million its the latest in recent trend for hollywood studios to back the upper and lower ends of the market whilst ignoring the middle warner inc are likely to end the year in second place on market share with around billion with disney at number three
us charity anthem is re-released we are the world the american charity anthem inspired by the success of band aid has been re-issued to raise money for aids research and tsunami victims more_than stars sang as group usa for africa including lionel richie diana_ross ray_charles bob dylan michael jackson and bruce springsteen it topped the charts in the us and uk raising millions of dollars for african famine relief the re-release also marks the 20th_anniversary of the original recording it has been re-issued as part of two-disc dvd set which will also feature footage from the recording session of the track in january the single was originally released in the us on march and sold copies in its first week it went on to win grammys for song of the year and record of the year
us composer recreates bach score us musicologist has recreated lost musical score by german composer johann sebastian bach the composition called wedding cantata bwv was found among the papers of japanese pianist chieko hara who died in japan in aged the work written for the wedding of daughter of german customs official was missing for years joshua rifkin composer and leading interpreter of bach has recreated the missing instrumental parts he said he originally wanted to let the lost cantata lie in rest maybe fragment should stay fragment said rifkin then thought of palaeontologists from one bone they figure the entire dinosaur this is my dinosaur the eight rediscovered pages consist of vocal pieces in german for soprano and alto with the seven movements lasting for total of between and minutes the instrumental parts were entirely lost except for two recycled movements duet and an aria which had been used elsewhere in bachs work rifkin likened the challenge to musical rubiks cube could not reconstruct what bach wrote but could give the people of today an idea of what his music was like he said it sounds like bachs music but the listener should not know which part is bachs and which part is mine
us critics laud comedy sideways road trip comedy sideways has had more praise heaped on it by two us critics associations adding to honours it has already picked up the chicago film critics association cfca named it winner in five categories including best film and best actor for paul giamatti but the director award went to clint_eastwood for million dollar_baby the southeastern film critics also awarded sideways its best film of the year accolade director alexander_payne was named best director and he also won best screenplay shared with jim taylor the cfca awarded thomas haden church the best supporting actor prize and virginia madsen the best supporting actress award for their roles in the film sideways has already been voted best film by critics associations in new_york and los_angeles and has been nominated for golden_globe british actress imelda_staunton won the cfca best actress for the gritty abortion drama vera_drake adding to growing list of awards she has won for her performance in the mike_leigh film scrubs star zach braff was named best new director for his debut garden state michael moores controversial documentary fahrenheit won the best documentary while very long engagement won best foreign film the chicago critics have yet to name date for when their awards ceremony will be held
us show sued for rat-eating stunt us tv network is being sued for $2.5m 1.3m by viewer who says he was disgusted by watching contestants eat dead rats in stunt show austin aitken is taking action against nbc over its programme fear factor he said watching the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed the legal assistant said nbc was sending the wrong message to viewers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning the hand-written four-page lawsuit said to have the individuals on the show eat and drink dead rats was crazy and from viewers point of view made me throw-up as well as another in the house at the same time mr aitken who lives in cleveland said that after becoming light-headed he ran towards the bedroom and knocked his head in doorway spokesman for nbc said it had no comment on the lawsuit but confirmed the stunt show did feature rat-eating scene in new yorks times square on november past shows have featured viewers eating spiders and live worms the programme has been screened in the uk on sky one
us to raise tv indecency fines us politicians are proposing tough new law aimed at cracking down on indecency and bad language on us tv fines of up to could be imposed each time broadcasters transmit nudity or profanities the proposal unveiled in the house of representatives also seeks to revoke broadcasters licence after three violations have been committed the exposure of janet_jacksons breast at last years superbowl landed cbs with fine entertainers could also be liable for fines under the proposed legisation from both us politcians and officials from the federal communications commission fcc republican senator from kansas sam brownbeck is set to call for maximum million million fine for repeated violations the current maximum fine stands at of the stations in the cbs network were each penalised these lesser amounts for the jackson incident republican politician fred upton who chairs the committee responsible for broadcasting said current fines are more of cost of doing business rather_than deterrent last years janet jackson wardrobe malfunction encouraged the fcc to impose tougher rules but the us congress adjourned last year without agreeing on new level of fines new figures have to be decided before new legislation can be put before president bush certain broadcasters like fox claim the material they carry does not violate indecency laws and is protected under the right to free speech
us tv cuts nudity from bbc film us tv network is editing bbc films dirty war to avoid showing the front of nude woman being scrubbed down after fictional chemical attack it is not worth showing non-essential nude scenes when indecency complaints are aggressively pursued by us tv watchdogs said pbs jacoba atlas dirty war screened uncut on bbc one last september depicts dirty bomb attack on the city of london it is also being screened uncut on us cable channel hbo on january pbs said it will use extra footage for its broadcast showing the woman from more discreet angle instead the us federal communications commission fined cbs last autumn for singer janet_jacksons wardrobe malfunction during which her breast was exposed during dance routine with justin_timberlake many us networks and broadcasters are now more nervous about airing nudity violence or bad language ms atlas said pbs could put itself financially at risk if it showed the uncut version of dirty war and it could also deter many of its individual stations from airing an important film you want to pick your battles she said she added that pbs which is private non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nations public television stations is bolder about screening non-fiction or historical programming pbs is seen in virtually all us homes with tv and describes itself as trusted community resource serving nearly million people each week
us tv host clark suffers stroke veteran us television host dick clark is in hospital in los_angeles after suffering mild stroke the 75-year-old presented long-running show american bandstand from and has since hosted game shows and produced award ceremonies clark is scheduled to welcome in the new year on the abc network job he has done for years the presenter said that he is hopeful of getting better in time to lead the festivities in new yorks times square clarks publicist paul shefrin said the television host was recovering and there was no cause for alarm clark who produces the golden_globe and american music awards disclosed last year that he was suffering from diabetes his popular music show american bandstand was first broadcast in and attracted an audience of million people after it was picked up by abc in the long-running weekly series which featured guests including elvis_presley buddy holly and aretha frankin came to an end in clark was inducted into the rock and roll hall_of_fame in for his contribution to the music industry he has also been responsible for television series such as tv bloopers celebrity boxing and drama american dreams clark is also expected to act as executive producer for the upcoming golden_globe awards ceremony which is taking place on january
us tv special for tsunami relief us television network will screen celebrity tv special to benefit the tsunami relief effort in south asia nbc will encourage viewer donations during an hour-long show featuring musical performances on january actress sandra bullock has donated $1m to the american red cross and actor leonardo_dicaprio pledged sizable aid contribution to unicef meanwhile hong_kong music and movie stars re-recorded we are the world in mandarin and cantonese to raise funds the song will not be released as single but will be played regularly during chinese telethon on friday in aid of victims of the boxing day disaster around people were killed and five million left homeless or without food and water after an earthquake below the indian ocean sent waves crashing into coastal communities in countries the united nations warned that the number killed in the disaster could rise sharply with aid yet to reach some remote areas performers have yet to be confirmed for nbcs aid relief benefit later this month it follows two-hour telethon carried by all four major us television networks days after the september terror attacks in america tribute to heroes raised more_than $150m 79m to help victims of the suicide attacks on the world trade center and pentagon
usher leads billboard nominations r&b singer usher is leading the race for the billboard awards with nominations in categories including best male alicia_keys has nominations for the awards which will be held on december at the mgm grand in las vegas other multiple nominees include maroon5 outkast kanye_west kelly gretchen wilson hoobastank and jay-z soul singer stevie_wonder will receive billboards century award the magazines highest honour for creative achievement at the ceremony the awards will be hosted by american idol presenter ryan seacrest and will feature performances by usher gwen_stefani nelly and green day usher and keys will be battling it out for prizes including artist of the year hot songwriter of the year and billboard album of the year for their respective albums confessions and the diary of alicia_keys maroon5 and outkast are also up for artist of the year while outkasts speakerboxxx/the love below is finalist for billboard album of the year alongside josh grobans closer the awards honour the years leading artists and songs as determined by their performance on billboards weekly charts
usher leads soul train shortlist chart-topping r&b star usher is leading the field at this years soul train awards with five nominations the singer whose album confessions has sold close to eight million copies in the us alone is already in the running for eight grammy awards newcomer ciara who recently beat elvis_presley to the uk number one spot has four nominations while alicia_keys has three the soul train awards ceremony will take place in hollywood on february usher has already swept the board at the american music awards with four titles including two best album awards his soul train nominations include best male r&b-soul album and best male r&b-soul single for confessions part ii ushers work with rappers ludacris lil jon won him nominations for best r&b-soul or rap music video and best r&b-soul or rap dance cut for the song yeah while his duet with keys my boo earned the pair nod for best r&b-soul single keys album the diary of alicia_keys was also up for best r&b-soul album by female her song if aint got you received best single nomination in the female r&b-soul category newcomer ciaras four nominations include best female r&b-soul album and best r&b-soul or rap by new artist beyonce prince destinys child jill scott and new edition all received two nominations each the soul train music awards which started years ago celebrates artists in r&b hip-hop rap and gospel music
van gogh festival film withdrawn murdered director theo van goghs controversial film submission has been pulled from the rotterdam film festival because of security fears it was one of three of his works to be shown as part of freedom of expression event in tribute to the late film-makers life the film is critical of the treatment of women under islam its tv screening is thought to have led to his murder the 10-day dutch festival begins on wednesday submission was made with liberal somali-dutch politician ayaan hirsi ali and was due to be shown on january van gogh was shot and stabbed to death in november several months after receiving death threats following submissions first broadcast on dutch television two of van goghs other films will be shown as planned including the theatrical world premiere of his last feature festival director sandra den hamer said the festival reflects what happens around us and within cinema itself the festival opens with the french film the 10th district court moments of trials made by raymond depardon the event sees films competing to win three top tiger awards which aim to introduce promising new talent new sections added to this years festival include cinema of the future and cinema of the world with special focus on russian and south-east asian productions there is also an iraqi-german offering entitled underexposure which looks at life in iraq after saddam hussein
venus stunned by farina elia venus williams suffered first-round defeat for the first time in four years at the dubai championships sylvia farina elia who had lost all nine of her previous meetings with the american fifth seed won former wimbledon champion conchita martinez and indias sania_mirza the oldest and youngest players in the draw also reached the second round martinez beat shinobu asagoe and 18-year-old mirza beat jelena kostanic mirza the first indian woman to win wta tour title this month on home ground at hyderabad will now face us open champion svetlana_kuznetsova but she is remaining confident she kuznetsova is great player she said but everyone is beatable and am looking forward to great match williams though blamed her defeat by farina elia on injuries blisters were factor but mostly my stomach wasnt that great she said did it in the last tournament in the semi-finals and was serving at in the final the first time served again was sunday and there wasnt lot could do out there when your serve isnt good it throws the rest of your game off too she will wait to see how she recovers before deciding whether to take part in the nasdaq-100 open in miami starting on march
vera drakes bafta triumph hope at the bafta film awards on saturday night there is the prospect that home-grown movie could walk off with clutch of trophies vera_drake mike_leighs tale about 1950s backstreet abortionist is nominated in categories these include best film best director and best actress shortlist for imelda_staunton who plays the eponymous character the film has spent months being lauded with prizes from the venice film festival to five awards from the london critics circle on wednesday night the baftas has tradition of honouring british cinema and this year vera_drake is the obvious candidate to be heaped with praise empire magazines reviews editor dan jolin said the film had very good chance of doing well on saturday predicting that it would collect five or six awards dont think its going to do lord of the rings-style sweep but imelda_staunton is shoo-in for best actress he said best director prize for mike_leigh and best british film are also likely and it could steal some awards from heavily-nominated competitors the aviator and finding_neverland mr jolin tipped another contender most likely the aviator to walk away with the bafta for best film and added that finding_neverland had been lavished with nominations but not trophies strong oscar contenders million dollar_baby and sideways did not figure in the bafta nominations giving vera_drake greater potential to walk away with the big prizes there is sense that this film is ours and we should slap our own guys on the back out of all the films in the running for the baftas vera_drake is the true blue british one if mike_leigh is going to win awards for anything it should be vera_drake at this years baftas said mr jolin adding that the film was probably his most technically accomplished and lavish work yet mr jolin also tipped phil davis for best supporting actor prize for his role in vera_drake but felt that heather craney could be outdone by kate_winslet or natalie_portman in the supporting actress category if there is anywhere where this film is going to win it will be at the baftas he said the guardians film critic peter bradshaw felt that there might well be sweep of awards for vera_drake on saturday night hope that bafta voters will respond to the extremely high standard of acting from the whole cast of the film if bafta cant do so what hope is there he said mr bradshaw felt that mike_leighs masterpiece was entitled to the best film award leaving dead_mans shoes harry_potter and the prisoner of azkaban my summer of love and shaun_of_the_dead to slug it out for the best british film trophy will be cheering if vera_drake wins whole host of awards he added
vera_drake leads uk oscar hopes mike_leighs film vera_drake will lead british hopes at this years academy awards after getting three nominations imelda_staunton was nominated for best actress for her role in the abortion drama while leigh received nods for best director and original screenplay kate_winslet was also nominated in the best actress category for her role in eternal_sunshine of the spotless mind and clive_owen and sophie_okonedo both got nominated for supporting roles in closer and hotel_rwanda respectively owen has already been made bookmakers favourite for best supporting actor for the role in closer that has already clinched him golden_globe award and it is the first nomination for actress okonedo chosen for her performance in hotel_rwanda about the rwandan_genocide it is also debut nomination for staunton who told bbc_news she had not thought the film would appeal to academy voters it was an extraordinary time making the film and cant believe what has happened this morning she said hope it just shows mike up to be the extraordinary filmmaker he is we are also dealing with very difficult subject matter and it is amazing to have it accepted in this way leigh who had previously received three oscar nominations for secrets and lies and topsy turvy told bbc_news the latest success was amazing he said we hoped that imelda_staunton would get nomination but never expected to get director and screenplay its just absolutely wonderful think people are aware that its about life and hope it is the warmth and compassion that really talks to people winslet said she was ecstatic about the fourth nomination of her career being nominated means so much to me to be nominated for film that was released while ago feel so honoured and overwhelmed she said john woodward chief_executive of the uk film council said it was extremely heartening to see british filmmaking talent recognised on the global stage britain has hugely talented industry and these nominations show why national lottery investment in film pays major dividends for our culture and economy among total of british nominees composer andrew lloyd webber and lyricist charles hart are up for best original song for learn to be lonely from the phantom_of_the_opera movie cinematographer john mathieson who was nominated for gladiator in is also up for the phantom_of_the_opera and finding_neverland has garnered two more nominations for brits gemma jackson who has also worked on bridget joness diary and iris is up for art direction while costume designer alexandra byrne whose previous films have included captain corellis mandolin and elizabeth is in the running the uk has two contenders in the best live action short film category wasp was made by ex-childrens tv presenter andrea_arnold while little terrorist is the work of ashvin kumar this years awards will be handed out in hollywood on february
vera_drake scoops film award oscar hopefuls mike_leigh and imelda_staunton were both winners at the evening standard british film awards vera_drake leighs 1950s drama about backstreet abortionist was named best film and staunton who played the title role was named best actress other winners included paddy considine who was crowned best actor for his role in dead_mans shoes bridget jones the edge of reason was named evening standard readers film of at the central london ceremony leigh was presented with his winners statuette by timothy spall and stauntons award was announced by patrick stewart during the glittering ceremony at the savoy on sunday night evening standard film critic derek malcolm said he leigh has never made film that is better controlled and technically more secure if this isnt one of the films of the year dont know what is the alexander walker special award which honours those who have made supreme contribution to british film went to tim bevan and eric fellner the co-chairmen of working title films the production company is behind films such as my beautiful laundrette billy elliot about boy shaun_of_the_dead and bridget jones the edge of reason simon pegg who stars in and co-wrote shaun_of_the_dead won the peter sellers award for comedy other winners included emily blunt and nathalie press who were jointly named itv london most promising newcomer award for their performances in pawel pawlikowskis rites-of-passage story my summer of love pawlikowski won the best screenplay statuette while roger deakins won the technical achievement award for his cinematography on the village and the ladykillers guests at the ceremony included dame judi dench kim cattrall charles dance bill nighy and colin firth the awards which were hosted by jack dee are to be screened on itv london on tuesday at gmt
verdict delay for greek_sprinters greek athletics governing_body has postponed by two weeks the judgement on sprinters costas kenteris and katerina thanou for missing doping tests the pair are facing lengthy bans for the missed tests including one on the eve of last years athens_olympics they were set to learn their fate by the end of february but late evidence from them has pushed the date back decision is now expected by around mid-march said one of their lawyers michalis dimitrakopoulos kenteris who won the mens 200m title at the sydney games and thanou who won the womens 100m silver medal in sydney face maximum two-year ban if found guilty the athletes who spectacularly withdrew from the athens_olympics have been suspended by the international association of athletics_federations iaaf for missing the three tests the iaaf said the sprinters had failed to provide samples for tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens and ordered greek athletics governing_body segas to hold disciplinary inquiry the athletes also face criminal hearing in greece over the missed drugs tests and have been charged with faking_a_motorcycle accident on the day of the athens test which led to them spending four days in hospital following the final hearing in late january the athletes sounded confident they would be acquitted am confident and optimistic thanou had said at the time we presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of it was not clear what this new evidence was
versace art portfolio up for sale the art collection of murdered fashion designer gianni versace could fetch up to 9m $17m when it is auctioned in new_york and london later this year among the pictures for sale are works by roy lichtenstein andy warhol and henri matisse the collection was housed at versaces six-storey new_york townhouse the 51-year-old designer was shot outside his florida home in by suspected serial killer andrew cunanan who later killed himself the auction at sothebys will feature contemporary impressionist and 19th_century paintings one of the highlights of the sale is roy lichtensteins blue nude which has been given an estimate of 1.8m $3.4m tobias meyer sothebys worldwide head of contemporary art said this collection reflects mr versaces wide-ranging taste and impeccable eye and many of the works were commissioned directly from the artists outstanding later examples from champions of the pop movement such as roy lichtenstein are juxtaposed with masterpieces from the most visible artists of the 1980s including jean-michel basquiat and the collaborative genius of basquiat and warhol as well as francesco clemente much of the collection will be offered for sale at three auctions in new_york in june with smaller contemporary paintings going under the hammer in london on and june sale of versaces furniture and artworks sold in 2001fetched 5.5m $10.3m
veteran comic cyril fletcher dies veteran comedian and broadcaster cyril fletcher has died aged at his home in guernsey fletcher will be remembered for his odd odes and amusing misprints on tv show thats life in the 1970s and 80s as well as long variety career he was also regular on does the team think comic version of radio information show the brains trust thats life host esther rantzen said he was so lovely and delight to work with the thing about cyril was that he was to use slightly old-fashioned phrase an english gentleman she said he was courteous and understated and he adored gardens particularly creating them for his beautiful wife he was funny and witty to work with he was real friend and shall miss him one of the last comedians of old-time variety era fletcher made his first tv appearance in year after bbc television began he was seen reciting humorous poems appearing in revue tele-ho and playing the emperor of morocco in the first televised pantomime dick whittington he went on to become regular voice on radio have string of tv shows in the 1950s and appear in several films including 1947s nicholas nickleby he married actress betty astell in and in the 1950s and 60s they produced pantos and summer shows discovering new stars including harry secombe in the mid-1990s fletcher said he had made fabulous living since the age of and had never had day out of work he was most recently seen presenting gardening programme for channel tv fletcher was described as consummate professional by his friend and fellow broadcaster michael pointon it really was pleasure to work with him he had met everyone and done everything mr pointon said he was whimsical droll fellow but also very artistic man as friend he was very kind and generous fletchers daughter jill said her father would be sorely missed he was greatly loved by the public she said
veteran martinez wins thai title conchita martinez won her first title in almost five years with victory over anna-lena groenefeld at the volvo womens open in pattaya thailand the 32-year-old spaniard came through for her first title since berlin in it feels really good said martinez who is playing her last season on the tour to come through like that in an important match feels good its been nearly five years and didnt think could do it groenefeld was the more powerful player but could not match her opponents relentless accuracy it was my first final new experience said the german think she played good match tough match but tried to stay in there think the whole week was good for me
vibe awards back despite violence the us vibe awards will be held again next year despite stabbing which happened during the ceremony vibe magazine president kenard gibbs said the attack earlier this month in santa monica was sickening he said not holding the awards would be counter to the work the magazine has done to promote hip_hop music rapper young buck has been charged after allegedly stabbing man who hit dr dre as he was about to receive lifetime_achievement award the rapper whose real name is david darnell brown is due in court on december after being arrested on one charge of attempted murder and second charge of assault with deadly weapon the performer is one of the members of 50_cents g-unit group which is signed to dr dres record label the man who was stabbed jimmy james johnson suffered collapsed lung and is in stable condition at los_angeles hospital mr johnson allegedly approached dr dre who was seated at table in front of the stage and appeared to ask for an autograph before punching him during the ensuing scuffle which involved many of the 1,000-strong crowd mr johnson was stabbed as he was being dragged away by security staff
viewers to be able to shape tv imagine editing titanic down to watch just your favourite bits or cutting out the slushier moments of star_wars to leave you with bare bones action-fest manipulating your favourite films to make more personalised movie is just the beginning of an ambitious new 7.5m euro 5.1m project funded by the european union new media for new millennium nm2 will have as its endgame the development of completely new media genre which will allow audiences to create their own media worlds based on their specific interests or tastes viewers will be able to participate in storylines manipulate plots and even the sets and props of tv shows bt is one of partners involved in the project it will be contributing software that was originally designed to spot anomalies in cctv pictures the software uses content recognition algorithms the three-year project will work on seven productions as it develops set of software tools that will allow viewers to edit content to their needs one of the productions will be experimental television show where the plot will be driven by text messages from the tv audience participants will text selected words which will impact how the characters in the drama interact it is being developed in finland and will be shown to finnish tv audiences another team will work on the bbcs big budget drama of mervyn peakes gothic fantasy gormenghast it will be re-engineered to allow people to choose variety of edited versions the bbc is allowing us access to the material so that we can prove the technology and the principles explained dr doug williams of bt who will be nm2s technical project manager the tv at the moment is relatively dumb box which receives signals this project is about teaching the machine to look at content like lego blocks that can be reassembled to make perfect sense he said at the moment we have interactive gaming and limited form of interactive tv which usually means allowing audiences to vote on shows we are hoping to occupy the space in-between he added nm2s co-ordinator peter stollenmayer explained that the new genre would radically alter the role of the audience viewers will be able to interact directly with the medium and influence what they see and hear according to their personal tastes and wishes he said media users will no longer be passive viewers but become active engagers it will also be important that the tools are sophisticated enough to obey the complex rules of cinematography and editing said john wyver from tv producer illuminations television limited which is also involved in the project its not just matter of stringing together the romantic or action portions of production said mr wyver the tool has to know which bits fit together both visually by observing the time-honoured rules that go in editing and in terms of the story only then will the personalised version both make sense and be aesthetically pleasing he added mr wyver is planning production entitled the golden age about renaissance art it will allow viewers to create so-called media world based on their own specific areas of interest such as poetry music and architecture other productions that the nm2 team will make range from news documentaries to romantic_comedy drama
visa row mandarin made sir john the top civil servant at the centre of the david blunkett visa affair has been knighted in the new year honours sir john gieve was home office permanent secretary during the saga which ended with mr blunkett quitting he and other civil_servants were criticised for failing to recall how the visa for mr blunketts ex-lovers nanny came to be fast-tracked the outgoing head of the troubled child support agency doug smith also earns an honour in the new years list mr smith whose retirement was announced by work and pensions secretary alan smith in november is made commander of the order of bath both men were giving evidence to commons committee on the computer difficulties facing the agency which left thousands of single parents without any maintenance payments when the announcement was made the knighting of sir john will be received with astonishment by opposition politicians the liberal_democrats said it beggared belief he and fellow officials could not remember how leoncia casalmes application for indefinite leave to remain went from mr blunketts office to the head of the immigration and nationality department meanwhile the conservatives accused officials of collective failure of memory but sir alan_budd who led an inquiry into the affair said he had no reason to believe anyone involved had deliberately withheld information downing_street defended the decision to honour both men with spokesperson saying you have to look at their whole career sir john was made permanent secretary in april following civil service career which dates back to he has also worked in the treasury and the department of employment department for work and pensions spokeswoman said of mr smiths honour the award reflects all that he has achieved in civil service career principally in the inland revenue spanning over years not just his role as chief_executive of the child support agency in his career he has personally led number of successful major change programmes mr smith is set to stay on at the csa until march less controversial will be the knighthoods for derek wanless and mike tomlinson who undertook major government reviews on health and education respectively former natwest chief_executive mr wanless has delivered not one but two major reports on the nhs ex-chief inspector of schools mr tomlinson has recommended replacing a-levels and gcses with new diploma system in shake-up of the exams system
volcano drama erupts on bbc one supervolcano docu-drama about volcanic eruption in yellowstone national park in the us is among the highlights on the bbc one this winter the 178m winter schedule also includes the return of doctor who and drama about angela cannings who was wrongly convicted of killing two of her babies sarah lancashire and timothy spall will star in the real-life drama cherished itv also unveiled their festive season on tuesday which includes stephen_fry in remake of tom browns schooldays supervolcano follows in the footsteps of last years pompei which drew million viewers to bbc one in october the programme merges science drama and computer imagery to reveal what could happen if yellowstone home to the only currently active supervolcano in the world were to erupt again bbc two will run two-part documentary the science behind supervolcano in conjunction with the transmission other educational highlights include documentary about infamous mongolian warrior genghis khan and grandchild of the holocaust grandchild of the holocaust part of the bbc commitment to holocaust memorial day follows adrian on journey to uncover the truth about what happened to his grandmother in auschwitz and belsen new drama includes archangel an adaptation of the robert harris best-seller which stars daniel craig on the trail of stalins diaries in communist russia and sarah waters gets her second adaptation on bbc one with imelda_staunton and charles dance lined up to star in fingersmith the adaptation about conman in victorian england will make an interesting contrast to julie burchills sugar rush lesbian teenage drama part of channel fours winter season on lighter note jessica stevenson will star in new bbc one sitcom the world according to bex penned by my family creator fred barron and the two ronnies return for celebration of their classic comedy series frys portrayal of headmaster dr arnold dominates muted christmas schedule on itv1 which sees the channel retreat from broadcasting blockbuster movies in favour of extended soap episodes and popular quiz shows sir paul mccartney wife heather mills and manchester_united manager sir_alex ferguson will join celebrity edition of who wants to be millionaire on christmas day also on christmas day john nettles will return in one-off edition of midsomer murders while two episodes of the new miss marple drama will air over the festive period films on itv1 include gus van sants finding forrester starring sean connery and classics such mary_poppins star_wars and the good the bad and the ugly in contrast bbcs christmas season includes terrestrial debuts of the first harry_potter film shrek and steven spielbergs ai as well as new epipsodes of the vicar of dibley and the final auf wiedersehen pet
voters dont trust politicians eight out of voters do not trust politicians to tell the truth new poll conducted for the bbc suggests and of the adults quizzed by icm for bbc_news said politicians did not deliver what they promised the poll comes after foreign secretary jack_straw predicted trust would be the key choice at the next election both the tories and the lib dems are keen to emphasise perceived lack of trust in tony_blair following his claims over iraqi weapons but according to the bbc poll said the issue of trust made no difference to whether or not they would vote at the next election widely expected on may the poll also looked at what lay behind the lack of trust in politicians some said politicians did not keep the promises they made before elections while said they never gave straight answer just under three-quarters of respondents said politicians had shown themselves to be dishonest too often mr straw told activists in blackburn on thursday that voters would have to decide at the next election which party best deserves their future trust that in the end is the key choice at the next election he acknowledged that the public had lost faith in labour but suggested it could persuade people to reinvest their trust with us if the party could overcome tory attempts to spread cynicism in politics the conservatives are keen to highlight the trust issue during his response to gordon_browns budget statement on tuesday michael_howard compared the chancellors figures to the prime_ministers claims about iraqs_weapons of mass_destruction the lib dems are also keen to highlight the trust issue with charles_kennedy has claiming voters had fundamental lack of trust in the prime_minister and the green party unveiled billboard opposite the palace of westminster accusing the government of lying over the iraq_war former education secretary estelle morris told bbc_news that there was real problem of trust between the public and the politicians she said she did not feel her own colleagues could be trusted but suggested the three-cornered relationship between the press politicians and the public had hand in the issue the public was often turned off by sitting on the sidelines in the battle of words between the politician and the journalist she added lib dem foreign affairs spokesman menzies_campbell said the iraq_war had hit trust in politicians hard issues of war and peace life and death do have very damaging effect on the credibility of politicians martin bell who won the tatton seat from tory neil hamilton on anti-corruption platform said politicians often failed to see themselves as others did we need public figures we trust to tell the truth and who can see themselves as others see them
voters flock to blog awards site voting is under way for the annual bloggies which recognise the best web blogs online spaces where people publish their thoughts of the year nominations were announced on sunday but traffic to the official site was so heavy that the website was temporarily closed because of too many visitors weblogs have been nominated in categories from the top regional blog to the best-kept-secret blog blogs had huge year with top us dictionary naming blog word of technorati blog search_engine tracks about six million blogs and says that more_than are added daily blog is created every seconds according to us research think-tank pew internet and american life but less than of the total are updated at least once every two months nikolai nolan who has run the bloggies for the past five years told the bbc_news website he was not too surprised by the amount of voters who crowded the site the awards always get lot of traffic this was just my first year on server with bandwidth limit so had to guess how much id need he said there were many new finalists this year he added and few that had won bloggies before several entries reflected specific news events there are four nominations for the south-east asia earthquake and tsunami blog which is pretty timely one for said mr nolan the big bloggies battle will be for the ultimate prize of blog of the year the nominated blogs are wide-ranging covering what is in the news to quirky sites of interest fighting it out for the coveted award are gawker this fish needs bicycle wonkette boing boing and gothamist in sign that blogs are playing an increasingly key part in spreading news and current affairs the south-east asia earthquake and tsunami blog is also nominated in the best overall category greenfairydotcom londonist hicksdesign plasticbag and london underground tube blog are the nominees in the best british or irish weblog included in the other categories is best meme this is for the top replicating idea that spread about weblogs nominations include flickr web photo album which lets people upload tag share and publish their images to blogs podcasting has also made an appearance in the category it is an increasingly popular idea that makes use of rss really simple syndication and audio technology to let people easily make their own radio shows and distribute them automatically onto portable devices many are done by those who already have text-based blogs so they are almost like audio blogs three new categories have been added to the list this year including best food best entertainment and best writing of weblog one of the categories that was scrapped though was best music blog the winners of the fifth annual bloggies are chosen by the public public voting closes on february and the winners will be announced sometime between and march
wada will appeal against ruling the world anti-doping_agency wada will appeal against the acquittal of kostas_kenteris and katerina thanou on doping charges if the iaaf does not the pair were cleared of charges relating to missing dope tests by the greek athletics federation last week wada chairman dick pound said am convinced the iaaf will appeal against the decision and we will support them but if they accept the federations ruling we will go before the court of arbitration for sport he added kenteriss lawyer gregory_ioannidis reacted angrily to pounds comments comments like these only help to embarrass the sporting governing bodies create hostage situation for the iaaf and strengthen our case further he told bbc sport kenteris and thanou had been charged with avoiding drugs tests in tel aviv_chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics they withdrew from the athens games after missing drugs test at the olympic village on august but an independent tribunal ruled that the duo had not been informed that they needed to attend drugs test in athens however their former coach christos tzekos was banned for four years by the tribunal kenteris and thanou still have to face trial on charges brought separately by greek prosecutors of missing the drugs tests and faking_a_motorcycle accident to avoid testing at the athens games
wales coach elated with win mike_ruddock paid_tribute to his wales side after they came from down to beat france in the six_nations after going two tries down in minutes we had to show character said the national team coach didnt have to tell them anything at half-time because those players have stared down the barrel of gun before they decided they didnt want to do that again and came out fighting it was great team effort and we showed great character to come back man-of-the-match stephen jones who kicked three penalties drop goal and conversion was ecstatic following after the win at stade_de france its just special moment two years ago we didnt win single game in the six_nations but were very happy camp now he said we worked hard as squad and im proud welshman weve got hard matches to come so were just happy with the start double try scorer martyn_williams was keen not to talk about possible grand_slam for wales weve got more self-belief these days two or three years ago we might have collapsed after going behind so early theres no mention of grand_slam among the players weve got tough game against scotland at murrayfield they could bring us crashing down to earth
wales silent on grand_slam talk rhys williams says wales are still not thinking of winning the grand_slam despite third six_nations win thats the last thing on our minds at the moment said williams second- half replacement in saturdays win over france in paris we all realise how difficult task it is to go up to scotland and beat them weve come unstuck there couple of times recently so our focus is on that game and well worry about ireland hopefully after weve beaten scotland with captain gareth_thomas ruled out of the rest of the campaign with broken thumb williams is vying for his first start in the championship so far kevin_morgan is probably favourite to replace thomas at full-back leaving williams and hal_luscombe to battle for the right wing berth hamstring_injury denied luscombe the opportunity to make third successive start but the dragons winger is expected to be fit for the trip to murrayfield on march hooker robin mcbryde is doubtful after picking up knee_injury in paris but centre sonny_parker and flanker colin_charvis are set to recover from injury to be in contention for selection said wales assistant coach scott johnson theyve worked through the weekend and the reports are bit more positive so were getting couple back and that adds to the depth of the squad scotland secured their first win of the campaign on saturday by grinding out an win over italy matt williams side has shown little in attack but johnson insisted the scots will be difficult opposition to break down italy are really brave opposition and sometimes its very hard to win he said so an ugly win can be just as effective as or point victory scotland are hard side and very underrated so were not taking anything for granted were not basking in the glory of winning our first three games weve got to be diligent in our preparation thats my job and weve got to make sure were focused
warnings about junk_mail deluge the amount of spam circulating online could be about to undergo massive increase say experts anti-spam group spamhaus is warning about novel virus which hides the origins of junk_mail the program makes spam look like it is being sent by legitimate mail servers making it hard to spot and filter out spamhaus said that if the problem went unchecked real e-mail messages could get drowned by the sheer amount of junk being sent before now many spammers have recruited home pcs to act as anonymous e-mail relays in an attempt to hide the origins of their junk_mail the pcs are recruited using viruses and worms that compromise machines via known vulnerabilities or by tricking people into opening an attachment infected with the malicious program once compromised the machines start to pump out junk_mail on behalf of spammers spamhaus helps to block junk messages from these machines by collecting and circulating blacklists of net addresses known to harbour infected machines but the novel worm spotted recently by spamhaus routes junk via the mail servers of the net service firm that infected machines used to get online in the first place in this way the junk_mail gets net address that looks legitimate as blocking all mail from net firms just to catch the spam is impractical spamhaus is worried that the technique will give junk mailers the ability to spam with little fear of being spotted and stopped steve linford director of spamhaus predicted that if lot of spammers exploit this technique it could trigger the failure of the nets e-mail sending infrastructure david stanley uk managing_director of filtering firm ciphertrust said the new technique was the next logical step for spammers they are adding to their armoury he said the amount of spam in circulation was still growing said mr stanley but he did not think that the appearance of this trick would mean e-mail meltdown but kevin hogan senior manager at symantec security response said such warnings were premature if something like this mean the end of e-mail then e-mail would have stopped two-three years ago said mr hogan while the technique of routing mail via mail servers of net service firms might cause problems for those that use blacklists and block lists it did not mean that other techniques for stopping spam lost their efficacy too mr hogan said of the junk_mail filtered by symantec subsidiary brightmail was spotted using techniques that did not rely on looking at net addresses for instance said mr hogan filtering out e-mail messages that contain web link can stop about of spam
wasps leicester leicester withstood stunning wasps comeback to win pulsating heineken_cup encounter at the causeway stadium the tigers stormed ahead within minutes through tries from lewis_moody geordan_murphy and martin_corry european champions wasps fought back through josh_lewsey try and mark van gisbergens boot and they were level at with five minutes remaining but it was the visitors who kept their cool as andy goode kicked the tigers to victory with penalty and drop goal the closing moments saw desperate defence from leicester as wasps turned down several penalties to go for the try they needed wasps pounded the line and penalty try looked likely before referee nigel williams controversially blew for full-time fly-half goode was the tigers hero kicking points in total while leicesters overwhelming domination in the scrums ultimately told even their lack of discipline in defence which presented the admirable van ginsberg with points could not undo them as they held out for famous win lawrence dallaglios team have now got it all to do in the quest for quarter-final place given that two of their last three games are away against leicester and biarritz however wasps rugby director warren_gatland warned his side will will not relinquish their european title without fight if we lose next week then we are struggling said gatland but we dont want to give this trophy away we worked so hard to win it last season we will go down fighting we have got to get our scrum right next week it is the biggest cause for concern leicester coach john wells saluted the outstanding work of graham rowntree and julian_white who were magnificent up front they were the backbone of our performance today said wells and to score three tries against the european champions at home was also something am pleased about van gisbergen lewsey erinle abbott voyce king dawson dowd greening green shaw birkett worsley oconnor dallaglio capt replacements gotting mckenzie lock hart biljon brooks hoadley murphy rabeni smith gibson healey goode ellis rowntree chuter white johnson capt deacon moody back corry replacements from buckland/cockerill morris kay johnson/b deacon tuilagi bemand tuiliagi lloyd vesty
west end to honour finest shows the west end is honouring its finest stars and shows at the evening standard theatre awards in london on monday the producers starring nathan lane and lee evans is up for best musical at the ceremony at the national theatre it is competing against sweeney todd and funny thing happened on the way to the forum for the award the goat or who is sylvia by edward albee the pillowman by martin mcdonagh and alan bennetts the history boys are shortlisted in the best play category pam ferris victoria hamilton and kelly reilly are nominated for best actress ferris best known for her television roles in programmes such as the darling buds of may has made the shortlist for her role in notes on falling leaves at the royal court theatre meanwhile richard griffiths who plays hector in the history boys at the national theatre will battle it out for the best actor award with douglas hodge dumb show and stanley townsend shining city the best director shortlist includes luc bondy for cruel and tender simon mcburney for measure for measure and rufus norris for festen festen is also shortlisted in the best designer category where ian macneil jean kalman and paul arditti will be up against hildegard bechtler for iphigenia at aulis and paul brown for false servant the milton shulman award for outstanding newcomer will be presented to dominic cooper his dark_materials and the history boys romola garai calico eddie redmayne the goat or who is sylvia or ben wishaw hamlet and playwrights david eldridge rebecca lenkiewicz and owen mccafferty will fight it out for the charles wintour award and bursary three 50th_anniversary special awards will also be presented to an institution playwright and an individual
what now for british tennis tim henmans decision to quit davis_cup tennis has left the british team with gargantuan void to fill the world number seven is tied for fourth among his countrymen for wins in the history of the tournament he has from his rubbers and great britains last davis_cup win without henman came against slovenia as far back as worse could follow according to former british team member chris bailey bailey told bbc sport after tims announcement doubt greg_rusedski will be that far behind him but without their top two where does that leave british ambitions in the sports premier team event captain jeremy bates has singled out alex bogdanovic and andrew murray as potential replacements the yugoslavian-born bogdanovic though is places below henman in the world rankings and has played just two cup ties winning one and losing the other murray on the other hand is 407th in the current atp entry list and yet to make his cup debut but bailey does see some hope for the future he said now weve dropped down to the euro-africa zone the time was right for him to step down and let the young guys come to the fore britains next opponents israel are hardly likely to be quaking in their boots ahead of the march match against likely trio of bogdanovic murray and the 187th-ranked arvind parmar bailey said it will be tough for gb to move up but there comes time when our young players have to step up this was always going to be inevitable with tim and gregs growing years im confident about the future wouldnt lay money on us getting back into the world group next year but id imagine in five years time well be competing for the major honours of those lining up to replace henman the 17-year-old murray with four futures titles under his belt last year looks the best long-term bet murray is the one that looks likeliest to take over tims mantle said bailey he has an enormous amount of self-confidence judging by what hes said in the past bogdanovic three years murrays senior has had more troubled time under britains davis_cup umbrella while murray has been marked out as britains golden boy bogdanovic was warned by the lawn tennis association for lack of drive at the end of and bailey said despite that alex is clearly talented as well while arvind is another contender theyre among the guys who have experienced the intensity of davis_cup tennis whether as players or on the sidelines the lta has always done an exceptional job of ensuring that now theyll finally get to play regularly in the cauldron of the cup and im confident that will springboard team gb to greater success
what now for kelly_holmes last april kelly_holmes spoke to the bbc sport website about her loneliness her fight to stay fit and her decision not to contest both the 800m and 1500m at the olympics it just goes to show even the most meticulous and measured athletes cannot predict what fate has in store for them four months later holmes stormed to double olympic gold and has since been made dame won the bbc sport personality of the year and written book whilst still finding time to coach aspiring athletes with so much time spent in the spotlight holmes has increasingly dropped hints that her ambition on the track has begun to wilt and when asked about her plans for both the indoor and outdoor seasons ahead the 34-year-old has repeatedly chosen to tick the dont know box holmes has now pulled out of this weekends european indoor_championships where she was selected for both the 800m and 1500m because of hamstring_injury but should we be surprised if the olympic champion over both those distances decides she just does not feel like racing anymore well its lot easier being the double olympic champion being feted by everybody than training to be at the top in middle distance running points out former olympian and bbc pundit steve cram you have to have real strong desire to carry on doing it even if youre very talented holmes drive and determination have always been unquestionable that is the reason she has battled back from string of injuries that threatened to see her finish her career empty-handed but alarm bells start ringing when the kent athlete begins questioning herself will have as much commitment desire and energy to go through major championship holmes asked in the new year that is what dont know at holmes will also be aware that time is running out us 400m and 200m legend michael johnson five-time olympic gold_medallist retired shortly after his 34th birthday as did britains double olympic champion decathlete daley thompson the physical demands of the day-to-day grind will only get harder for holmes who has already admitted she doesnt like the training anymore whilst out on the circuit the allure of defeating double olympic champion will spur her opponents on holmes will not want to needlessly suffer the indignity of being beaten unless she is certain she has strong chance of winning any race she will not step onto the track but if the kent athlete finds the form that fuelled her ambitions last summer there are more prizes up for grabs the day after completing her double in athens the 34-year-old revealed she would still like to win her first indoors title holmes wish could easily be met in madrid before she goes on to prepare for the outdoor season where there are still scores to be settled such as first gold at the world championships in helsinki there is just one small truth which could gnaw away at holmes motivation the realisation that no matter how hard she trains nothing she wins now can surpass her achievements in athens on the other hand if those achievements cannot be matched shouldnt they be at least shared and celebrated you dont get the chance very often in your career to step onto the track as the double olympic champion agreed cram you want to be able to take your bow in front of the fans because its fantastic feeling think deep down kelly wants to run think she will compete and run races on the circuits but whether or not she runs in the major championships is much less certain athletics fans had every reason to believe they would see the new-look kelly_holmes tearing up the track again after her olympic glory she emphatically denied she planned to retire so why is holmes dragging her heels about making decision on where when or whether to even bother competing again thats just kelly explains cram shes always been like that she enjoys people trying to guess what she is going to do next she knows every time she makes pronouncement now its headline news kelly has to figure out for herself what it is she wants and that will be based on athletics decisions whether she can be competitive if she is fit enough to put her neck on the line and if she decides not to run again no-one is going to turn round and say youre making the wrong decision
white admits to balco drugs link banned american sprinter kelli white says she knowingly took steroids given to her by bay area lab co-operative balco president victor_conte conte faces federal trial next year on charges of distributing steroids and tax evasion and white said at first he tried to cover up what he was doing hes the one who told me that it wasnt what he said it was white said in the san_francisco chronicle but she added it was my decision to go to him not anybody elses white said conte at first told her the substance was flaxseed oil only to change his story later white failed drugs test after winning the 100m and 200m titles at the world athletics championships she was subsequently handed two-year ban in may this year and has admitted taking the stimulant modafinil at first white claimed she took the drug to combat narcolepsy but she now takes full responsibility for her actions my whole belief about victor is that he was selling product white said in the la times whether it be good product or bad product he was selling product white was introduced to conte through her coach remy korchemy who is also defendant in the balco case the 27-year-old believes doping is so common in sport she felt compelled to cheat herself if she was to have any chance of winning have no clue what its going to take to change that said white would say made mistake and would never ever go back would never recommend anyone to take that route
wife swap makers sue us copycat the british producers of us wife swap are taking legal action against show they claim is blatant and wholescale copycat of their programme rdf media which makes the show for us network abc has filed damages claim for million million against foxs trading spouses abc bought the rights to the british show which was first aired in and became hit on channel_4 the us network is not part of the claim but has supported rdfs action we respect our producing partners right to protect their intellectual_property in whatever manner they deem most appropriate said abc in statement spokesman for fox said it had not seen the details of the legal action and could not comment their show was first screened in june and was criticised in the press for its similarities to wife swap abc originally planned to call their programme trading moms but changed it to avoid confusion with the fox version earlier this year the nbc network claimed that foxs boxing show the next great champ had been hurriedly produced to ensure its programme was the first to be screened nbc alleged that boxing regulations had been violated but failed in their attempt to have the show pulled the fox show proved ratings flop while nbcs the contender is due to begin in february
williams battles to aussie title serena_williams staged remarkable recovery to beat lindsay_davenport and win her second australian_open title the champion claimed her seventh grand_slam title and her first since wimbledon in williams had looked close to quitting with rib injury when she left the court for treatment after five games she quickly dropped the first set but from in the second found another gear as davenports game collapsed allowing williams to take the title williams later explained her injury problem saying it was the result of lunging for ball early in the first set lindsay had me on the run out wide on my backhand and my back went but eventually was able to come back thank goodness she said davenport paid_tribute to williams saying shes had tough couple of years and shes come back like champion the 23-year-old former world number one was in desperate trouble in the early stages as the injury hampered her service action davenport took advantage to race through the opening set and held six break points in game five of the second kept thinking to myself im not losing this game said williams afterwards dont care if my arm falls off im not losing this game and guess thats what happened didnt want to lose that particular game because it would have given her lot of momentum and lot of confidence despite letting the break points slip away davenport looked comfortable enough at but from up she just folded williams won nine consecutive points for the set and powered through the decider as lacklustre davenport looked to have run out of energy after gruelling two weeks felt like was playing well and in control pretty much of the match said davenport then just had that horrible lapse think serving up and made few errors and opened up the door for her and she just kept going through it at the end think was little bit fatigued but she took advantage of it and kept going shes great frontrunner when she gets going
willis sues over movie injury actor bruce willis is suing revolution studios over an injury he said he suffered while making tears of the sun willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by firework during the filming of the movie produced by the firm the lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as result of the alleged incident we are not able to comment on pending litigation revolution studios spokesman sean dudas said in tears of the sun willis plays us military commander who disobeys orders to try and help save doctor and patients trapped in the nigerian jungle directed by antoine fuqua the film was poorly received by critics and did not perform strongly at the box_office according to the lawsuit the injury was suffered during the firing of explosions as part of special effect the explosions known as squibs were intended to simulate the appearance of bullets striking the ground the lawsuit said willis has endured extreme mental physical and emotional pain and suffering there were no specific details on the injuries while willis does not seek specific monetary damages the lawsuit noted that the star was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel it stated he will incur additional future medical expenses the lawsuit said revolution studios and special effects foreman joe pancake had duty to willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected set up placed and detonated in safe manner and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use
wine comedy up for six film gongs sideways wine-tasting comedy starring paul giamatti is up for six independent spirit awards the art-house version of the oscars the awards are held on february the day before the oscars spanish drama maria full of grace about colombian woman who becomes drug courier got five nominations controversial biopic kinsey starring liam_neeson as sex researcher alfred kinsey was one of four films to get four nominations the awards now in their 20th year honour quirky low-budget films all of which must have degree of independent financing sideways is written and directed by alexander_payne who directed the hit about schmidt winning jack nicholson his 12th academy award nomination these awards for better or worse mean everything said sideways producer michael london adding they were huge first step toward getting recognition from other awards among the other films receiving four nominations apiece were brother to brother drama about young gay black man forced to live on the streets robbing peter and primer primer tale of discovery won top prize at the sundance film festival earlier this year walter salles critically_acclaimed the motorcycle_diaries and the forthcoming thriller the woodsman starring kevin bacon received three nominations each also in the running with two nominations are high school comedy napoleon dynamite the door in the floor and garden state written directed and starring scrubs star zach braff alongside natalie_portman the awards were announced by actors selma blair and dennis quaid in los_angeles on tuesday
wine comedy wins critics award quirky_comedy sideways was named the best film of the year by the los_angeles film critics association the us movie also picked up four other accolades including best director for alexander_payne and supporting actor for thomas haden church british actress imelda_staunton has again been recognised for her role in vera_drake winning best actress while liam_neeson won best actor for kinsey the awards will be handed out on january at ceremony in las vegas sideways tells_the_story of two men who take road trip through californias wine regions and also stars paul giamatti virginia madsen was also named best supporting actress for her performance in the film house of flying daggers directed by yimou zhang was named best foreign language film while the animation award went to the incredibles unusually the runners-up in categories were also named with clint_eastwoods million dollar_baby just missing out on the best film award the best director runner-up was martin_scorsese for the aviator career achievement award will be handed to veteran actor and comic jerry lewis at the ceremony next year
women mps reveal sexist taunts women mps endure shocking levels of sexist abuse at the hands of their male counterparts new study shows male mps pretended to juggle imaginary breasts and jeered melons as women made commons speeches researchers from birkbeck college were told labours yvette cooper said she found it hard to persuade commons officials she was minister and not secretary some mps gave their answers in hours of taped interviews for the study whose secretary are you minister the research team under professor joni lovenduski had set out to look at the achievements and experiences of women at westminster but what emerged was complaints from mps of all parties of sexist barracking in the chamber sexist insults and patronising assumptions about their abilities barbara follet one of the so-called blair babes elected in told researchers remember some conservatives whenever labour woman got up to speak they would take their breasts imaginary breasts in their hands and wiggle them and say melons as we spoke former liberal_democrat mp jackie ballard recalled stream of remarks from leading mp on topics such as womens legs or their sexual persuasion and ex-tory education secretary gillian shepherd remembered how one of her male colleagues called all women betty when said look you know my name isnt betty he said ah but youre all the same so call you all betty harriet harman told researchers of the sheer hostility prompted by her advancement to the cabinet well youve only succeeded because youre woman another current member of the cabinet says she was told oh youve had very fast rise who have you been sleeping with even after the great influx of women mps at the general_election and greater numbers of women in the cabinet female mps often say they feel stuck on the edge of male world liberal_democrat sarah teather the most recent female mp to be elected told researchers lots of people say its like an old boys club ive always said to me it feels more like teenage public school you know public school full of teenagers prof joni lovenduski who conducted the study with the help of margaret moran mp and team of journalists said she was shocked at the findings we expected bit of this but nothing like this extent we expected to find couple of shocking episodes but she said there was difference between the experiences of women before the intake and afterwards this was mainly because there were more women present in parliament who were not prepared to put up with the sexist attitudes they came across prof lovenduski said but she added some women including the women who came in received extraordinary treatment and am not convinced that if the number of women changed back to what it was before that things would not change back what think is shocking to the general public is that these things go on in the house of commons the interviews are to be placed in the british library as historical record
wood ireland can win grand_slam former captain keith wood believes ireland can win only their second grand_slam and first since in this years rbs six_nations championship after claiming their first triple_crown for years last season wood tips his former team-mates to go one better things have been building up over the past few years and think this is the year for ireland he told bbc sport there is great chance to win grand_slam lot of things are in our favour with england and france at home ireland have finished runners-up three times including last year since the old five nations became six in and not finished outside the top three in the past five years despite being without flanker keith gleeson coach eddie_osullivan has not had to contend with the sort of casualty lists that have hit england and scotland in particular prior to the tournament for ireland to win it we need to stay relatively injury free and fortunately we are one of the few teams that have done that so far wood added it is going to be tough and we need to take all the luck and opportunities that come our way irelands last game of the tournament is against wales in cardiff fixture they have not lost since but despite their traditional hospitality when the irish are visiting wood believes wales might end their four-match losing run against england in cardiff so many of the major england players have either retired in the last year or are injured that think it will be very hard for them down in cardiff wood added wales have had four brilliant games in the last year or so and lost all four so the time is right for them now to beat one of the major teams
woolf murder sentence rethink plans to give murderers lighter sentences if they plead guilty have been watered down there was an outcry three months ago when the sentencing guidelines council led by lord_woolf published its proposals for england and wales it had suggested judges should reduce sentences by third for murderers who confessed at the earliest opportunity but that has now been changed to one-sixth with no reduction for those killers given whole life tariff at the time lord_woolf the lord chief justice had said the one third reduction would only be in extraordinary circumstances for example if people gave themselves up before their crime had even been detected the guidelines were to recognise the need to spare victims and witnesses the trauma of going to court where possible by allowing lighter sentences for guilty_pleas and co-operation he said but director of the victims of crime trust norman brennan accused lord_woolf of having an arrogant contempt for victims of crime and the law-abiding public the national association of probation officers said the move would be political suicide in revised proposals from the sentencing guidelines council sgc the section on murder said possible reductions would have to be weighed carefully by judge so they did not lead to an inappropriately short sentence where it was appropriate to reduce the minimum term having regard to plea of guilty the maximum reduction would be one sixth and should never exceed five years it said in statement issued on wednesday lord_woolf said have no doubt that being able to call on the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all those that serve on the sgc has vastly improved the final guidelines am confident as result that judges will be better placed to deliver sentences which are effective both as punishments and deterrents to offending and reoffending director of public prosecutions ken macdonald qc who sits on the sgc said the principle of discounting sentences to offenders for early guilty_pleas is set down by parliament what the new guideline on reduced sentences for guilty_pleas does is increase the chances of convicting the guilty by bringing clarity to this process it represents tougher regime than existed previously because the discount is automatically reduced if guilty_plea is not made at the first available opportunity he said
worcester sale fri sixways friday february gmt they make just one change with tim collier replacing phil murphy in the second row in contrast sale are missing players due to combination of international call-ups and injuries john payne and chris rhys jones come into the centres while scrum-half richard wigglesworth looks set to play on the wing delport pieters rasmussen lombard oleary brown powell windo van niekerk horsman collier gillies hickey sanderson macleod- henderson replacements fortey murphy daly vaili cole hayes trueman hanley mayor payne rhys jones wigglesworth hercus redpath capt turner roddam stewart day schofield caillet carter chabal replacements from bozzi coutts anglesea lund martens riley duffy jones
x_factor show gets second series tv talent show the x_factor is to return for second series after being recommissioned by itv judges simon_cowell louis walsh and sharon_osbourne are in discussions to sign up for the new series the final of the first series will take place on december last saturdays show was beaten in the ratings by the bbcs strictly come dancing working on the x_factor has been blast predict series two will be even better said cowell think the production team have done an amazing job he added the pop idol-style show votes off group or contestant every week the two that receive the lowest public vote have to perform second time before the judges make final decision rowetta satchell steve brookstein tabby callaghan and group g4 are the remaining finalists itvs controller of entertainment claudia rosencrantz said she had no hesitation in recommissioning the show theres much more to come this series as we build towards the final next month and its great to have secured this terrific format for our viewers for another series she said
yahoo celebrates decade online yahoo one of the nets most iconic companies is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week the web portal has undergone remarkable change since it was set up by stanford university students david filo and jerry yang in campus trailer the students wanted way of keeping track of their web-based interests the categories lists they devised soon became popular to hundreds of people and the two saw business potential in their idea originally dubbed jerrys guide to the world wide web the firm adopted the moniker yahoo because the founders liked the dictionary definition of yahoo as rude unsophisticated uncouth person the term was popularised by the 18th century satirist jonathan swift in his classic novel gullivers travels we were certainly not sophisticated or civilised mr yang told reporters ahead of the anniversary which will be officially recognised on march they did have business brains however and in april persuaded venture capitalists sequoia capital which also invested in apple computer and cisco systems to fund yahoo to the tune of $2m 1.04m second round of funding followed in the autumn and the company floated in april with less than employees now the firm employs workers and insists its dot com culture of work hard play hard still remains it is one of just handful of survivors of the dot-com crash although it now faces intense rivalry from firms such as google msn and aol jerry yang who remains the firms chief yahoo is proud of what the company has achieved in just one decade the internet has changed the way consumers do just about everything and its been remarkable and wonderful experience he said through it all we wanted to build products that satisfied our users wants and needs but its even more_than that its to help every one of us to discover get more done share and interact
year to remember for irish there used to be one subliminal moment during year in irish rugby that stood out more_than most well at least there used to one now there is handful to look back with mixture of satisfaction and sorrow it has been quite year for the irish and not just with eddie osullivans triple_crown winning international outfit either right down through the ranks irish rugby is creating waves and upsetting the more established teams in the game but most of the kudos will go to osullivan and his merry band of warriors who not only collected their first triple_crown for years but also finished their autumn campaign with record for the second year in succession they also finished in the runners-up spot in the rbs six_nations but in the three games in november which included victory over tri-nations champions and grand_slam chasing south_africa ireland finsihed the year on high the victory at lansdowne road was only their second victory over the boks after the initial success back in that success was revenge for the consecutive defeats in blomefontein and cape town in the summer those two reverses and the flop against france were the only dark patches in an otherwise excellent months but the big one of course was the defeat of world cup champions england on their precious twickenham turf the winning try was conceived in osullivans mind perfectly executed by the team and finished immaculately by girvan dempsey for me the try of the championship osullivans career is now in vertical take-off mode it is no wonder that sir clive_woodward has elevated the galway-based coach to head the lions test side not only that but fair majority of the present ireland side will be wearing red next june in new zealand there can be no doubt that irelands representation will be the biggest ever albeit in proposed 44-man squad in brian_odriscoll and paul oconnell ireland have now the two front-runners for the captaincy gordon_darcy whose career began as teenager back in finally arrived when he was named the six_nations player of the tournament but it was not only the senior squad that brought kudos to ireland the youngsters strutted their stuff on the big stage as well the under-21 squad confounded the doubters as they went all the way to the world cup final in scotland only to be beaten by powerful all black side in the decider the young irish boys had stated their intentions earlier in the season when they finished runners-up to england in the six_nations under-21 tournament on the provincial front leinster for second year in succession blew it when the heineken_cup looked good wager while ulster finished runners-up in their very tight group for the second season in succession it was munster again flying the flag for the irish looking to reach their third final they went down to eventual winners wasps in what many beileve was the most competitive and thunderous game ever witnessed at lansdowne road how wasps recovered from that energy-sapping duel and then go onto to defeat toulouse in the final was anybodys guess ulster meanwhile just lost out to adding the inaugural celtic cup in winning the celtic league when they were pipped at the post by the scarlets in the final game ulster however took time to start the new season under new coach mark mccall the once famous ravenhill fortress was breached four times as ulster only manged five wins from their first outings in the celtic league leinster are again looking the most potent outfit going into but whether they can take that final step under declan kidney is another thing on the down side irish rugby was hit by number of tragedies teenage star john mccall died while playing for the ireland against new zealand in the under-19 world cup game in durban that happened only days after he led royal armagh to their first ulster schools cup success since the death of former ireland coach and lions flanker mike doyle in car crash in northern_ireland shocked the rugby fraternity larger than life character doyle had coached ireland to the triple_crown in the last time that goal had been achieved before this season ulster rugby also suffered the sudden deaths of well-known londonderry ym player jim huey coleraines jonathan hutchinson and belfast harlequins lock johnny poole they all passed away long before the full-time whistle
yelling takes cardiff hat-trick european cross-country champion hayley yelling completed hat-trick of wins in the reebok cardiff cross challenge in bute park on sunday afternoon the part-time maths teacher beat irish international jolene byrne by metres in the six-kilometre race another great britain international louise damen finished third as part of the contingent representing england peter riley who secured bronze for the gb mens team at last months european championships won the mens 9km race riley representing england moved away over the last two kilometres to win by metres from irelands gary murray glynn tromans the reigning uk inter-countries and england cross-country champion came in third place as he continues his comeback from five-month injury lay-off
young debut cut short by ginepri fifteen-year-old donald youngs first appearance in an atp tennis tournament proved brief as the teenager went out in round one of the san_jose open young shot to the top of the junior world rankings when he won the boys singles at januarys australian_open but the wildcard entry was dispatched by fellow american robby ginepri in straight sets in california despite that he was happy with his tour debut it was fun had my chances but they didnt come through he said young who beat two players ranked in the top when he was just was only down in the first set before losing of the next games and ginepri six years older than the youngest player to ever win junior slam and top the global standings admitted he was impressed hes very talented said ginepri hes got long future ahead of him being left-handed he was very quick around the court his serve is little deceptive he came into the net and volleyed better than thought earlier south korean hyung-taik lee defeated american jan-michael gambill american kevin kim defeated jan hernych of the czech_republic canadian qualifier frank dancevic downed american jeff morrison and denmarks kenneth carlsen beat irakli labadze of the republic of georgia top seed andy_roddick launches his defence of the title on wednesday against qualifier paul goldstein second seed andre_agassi opens his campaign on tuesday against wildcard bobby reynolds last years us collegiate champion agassi has won the san_jose five times but his run of three straight titles ended last year when he fell to mardy fish in the semi-finals fish went on to lose to roddick in the final
youssou ndour wins music prize senegalese musician youssou ndour has been named winner of bbc radio world music award his album egypt won the critics award for album of the year while the best newcomer accolade went to argentine chango spasiuk winners were chosen from ten categories to reflect different continents special poll winners concert hosted by eliza carthy and benjamin zephaniah will take place at the sage in gateshead on march the concert will be broadcast on radio 3s world music day the following evening and will feature performances by many of the award winners it will also include the announcement of the audience award chosen by radio and bbc world service listeners alongside bbc four viewers winner in the africa category was malian desert blues band tinariwen formed from the nomadic people of the southern sahara cuban pianist bebo valdes and flamenco singer diego el cigala responsible for critically_acclaimed album lagrimas negrasmusic won an award in the boundary crossing category each winner will receive specially commissioned sculpture entitled planet by anita sulimanovic who won competition to design the award highlights of the poll winners concert to be held at the sage gateshead will be televised on bbc four on march