Reuters, LOS ANGELES: ABC television will broadcast the annual Oscar ceremony until 2020, extending its current agreement by six years, the TV network and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday.
ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co, has broadcast the Academy Awards -- traditionally the most-watched non-sporting event of the year -- to U.S. viewers for decades.
"This contract ensures that the Oscar show will be an ABC tradition for 45 consecutive years," Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement.
ABC television group president Anne Sweeny said that ABC has aired 46 of the annual telecasts honoring the best movies and performances of the year "so we're thrilled to announce that this tradition will continue."
The 83rd Academy Awards will be aired live from Hollywood on Sunday.
Last year, the ceremony was watched by 41.7 million Americans -- the largest TV audience in five years.
The Oscars are also watched by millions of people around the world under a separate agreement with Walt Disney International, which runs through 2014.
Chris Medina: The "American Idol" interview
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Eliminated "American Idol" hopeful Chris Medina's inspirational story prompted super-producer Rodney Jerkins (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson) to put pen to paper. The result: a just recorded single, "What Are Words," and an accompanying video premiering on Friday at 2 p.m. EST on aol.com.
"The song embodied what I'm going through and the promises that I kept," explained Medina, who pledged to take care of his fiancee Juliana following crippling car accident.
Medina's Milwaukee audition made him a instant household name, but his fan favorite status didn't save him from the judges' wrath -- which, in Jennifer Lopez's case, turned into a full-on meltdown.
THR caught up with the Oak Park, Illinois native 24 hours after his farewell episode aired, and just before he went shopping for a new blazer to wear on Friday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
THR: How hard has it been to be home and keep all of your "Idol" experiences a secret?
Chris Medina: It was pretty easy. I didn't go out. I just stayed in my house and didn't talk to anybody. Every week, I'd get a phone call saying "Hey, this is so-and-so from TMZ, is this Chris Medina from 'American Idol?'" And I'm, like, "No! But I've been getting that all week." I kind of pretended I wasn't myself and just ignored them.
THR: Every 'Idol' hopeful has that moment when he/she realizes the show is much bigger than they ever imagined, when was yours?
Medina: The day that my audition aired. I was at a bar with my family watching (the show) and my buddy pulls me aside and says, "You're the number one trending topic on Twitter and Google." It was this weird "Twilight Zone" stuff, like it isn't real." The a few days after it aired, Juliana's cousin, who's a volleyball coach, invites my whole family to this grammar school game, and as soon as I walk through the parking lot, someone recognized me. In the gym, this kid asked me to sign his arm. I look at the stands and everyone is going berserk. I hugged a kid and he started crying. A mom got red in the face telling me, "You need to take a picture with my daughter!" That's when I realized that this was way bigger than anything I'd ever done.
THR: What was your impression of the judges?
Medina: Steven Tyler is a maniac and so cool. It's amazing that someone so iconic with such superstar power can be so down-to-earth. He has an aura about him, he makes you feel comfortable. On the very first audition, he gave me a kiss. In Vegas, when he was walking by me, he touched my face... He's like a hippie with a mission -- just a free spirit, rock 'n rollin man who loves people.
THR: And Jennifer?
Medina: She's just really sweet. I'd heard all these rumors about her being this diva. Like, you can't call her (J Lo), don't look at her in the eyes or you'll turn into a statue but she's not that way at all! She's just super kind and her comments have substance. She'll tell you "You're almost there, you're doing good. Just a little more less of this, a little bit more of that. I felt you, you gotta sing like you own it."
THR: How about Randy?
Medina: What you see on TV, that's the way he is.
THR: You and Ryan Seacrest seemed to get along well
Medina: Ryan is very cool. He's a master at delivery and I love the way he holds his cool.
THR: Ryan was surprised by your exit, but Jennifer had a total meltdown.
Medina: Ryan seemed shocked, but he's seen it happen a hundred times. I heard about Jennifer, but I didn't get to see it in person, otherwise I probably would've started crying. She was really concerned with how she gave me the axe. But actually the way she said it, I was just, like, "cool." And then she gave me a hug that made it all better. I don't think Jennifer could have said it better, she was being too hard on herself. She hit it right on the head: I had some good performances and some not-so good performances, and there were people there who've had consistently really awesome performances
THR: Do you still plan to get married?
Medina: I sure hope so, that's the goal. I've already told myself that it's okay that she's in a wheelchair. It doesn't mean anything to me. It's okay if she has a hard time speaking. What's not okay is if in a couple years, she's not 100% and we can't could have a conversation with each other, because that's the essence of a relationship. I don't mind helping her into her car, but I don't want to be feeding her or taking her to the bathroom everyday from this day forward. I want her to become somewhat independent. Those are more my own personal issues, and I know that it might be rough for a lot of people to hear, but that's the truth of the matter. To me, Juliana is still beautiful, but I want to be able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation with my wife I want to get to a point where I feel less like a caretaker and more like a fiancé. But to say, "We're not going to get married until you get better" is unfair to her, too. So the only thing I say is: "Babe, if you keep trying, I'll keep trying." And that's the truth.
THR: Does Juliana have decent health insurance?
Medina: She's on my health insurance from (working at) Starbucks. They recognized her as my domestic partner because I had been living with her for eight years. After (the audition episode) aired, I had no idea that it was going to blow up the way it did. People donated equipment, a van, money, offered to pay for hospital bills, a few doctors offered their services for free. It wasn't like I wanted to be an "American Idol," I just wanted to help her and had to figure out a way to do it. Because steaming foamy milk is not going to cut it. And I think I did something really good for her and her family. I accomplished it.
THR: How was your experience recording this song?
Medina: Rodney Jerkins was too cool. He made me do things I didn't think I was capable of. I'd be, like, "Man, that's too high," and he'd say, "No, you just think it is. Your emotion is going to bring it out and you're going to hit those notes." In the vocal booth, I told him, "It's really hard to be sad when I'm so happy to be here!" There was a point when I lost it and started crying just thinking about the lyrics. "Every promise I'll keep / You'll see / I'll be there wherever you are / I'll be near / Wherever you go."
THR: So what's your goal at this point?
Medina: I want to write music and see what happens with this single. I want to work on my stage presence. I want to play 250 shows a year. I want to be a complete artist. I want to take care of my fiancé. I have this fantasy that I make enough money to build us a house where she can get around and I could take care of her for the rest of our lives, whether we get married or we don't. I want her to just be happy. That's all.
"The song embodied what I'm going through and the promises that I kept," explained Medina, who pledged to take care of his fiancee Juliana following crippling car accident.
Medina's Milwaukee audition made him a instant household name, but his fan favorite status didn't save him from the judges' wrath -- which, in Jennifer Lopez's case, turned into a full-on meltdown.
THR caught up with the Oak Park, Illinois native 24 hours after his farewell episode aired, and just before he went shopping for a new blazer to wear on Friday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
THR: How hard has it been to be home and keep all of your "Idol" experiences a secret?
Chris Medina: It was pretty easy. I didn't go out. I just stayed in my house and didn't talk to anybody. Every week, I'd get a phone call saying "Hey, this is so-and-so from TMZ, is this Chris Medina from 'American Idol?'" And I'm, like, "No! But I've been getting that all week." I kind of pretended I wasn't myself and just ignored them.
THR: Every 'Idol' hopeful has that moment when he/she realizes the show is much bigger than they ever imagined, when was yours?
Medina: The day that my audition aired. I was at a bar with my family watching (the show) and my buddy pulls me aside and says, "You're the number one trending topic on Twitter and Google." It was this weird "Twilight Zone" stuff, like it isn't real." The a few days after it aired, Juliana's cousin, who's a volleyball coach, invites my whole family to this grammar school game, and as soon as I walk through the parking lot, someone recognized me. In the gym, this kid asked me to sign his arm. I look at the stands and everyone is going berserk. I hugged a kid and he started crying. A mom got red in the face telling me, "You need to take a picture with my daughter!" That's when I realized that this was way bigger than anything I'd ever done.
THR: What was your impression of the judges?
Medina: Steven Tyler is a maniac and so cool. It's amazing that someone so iconic with such superstar power can be so down-to-earth. He has an aura about him, he makes you feel comfortable. On the very first audition, he gave me a kiss. In Vegas, when he was walking by me, he touched my face... He's like a hippie with a mission -- just a free spirit, rock 'n rollin man who loves people.
THR: And Jennifer?
Medina: She's just really sweet. I'd heard all these rumors about her being this diva. Like, you can't call her (J Lo), don't look at her in the eyes or you'll turn into a statue but she's not that way at all! She's just super kind and her comments have substance. She'll tell you "You're almost there, you're doing good. Just a little more less of this, a little bit more of that. I felt you, you gotta sing like you own it."
THR: How about Randy?
Medina: What you see on TV, that's the way he is.
THR: You and Ryan Seacrest seemed to get along well
Medina: Ryan is very cool. He's a master at delivery and I love the way he holds his cool.
THR: Ryan was surprised by your exit, but Jennifer had a total meltdown.
Medina: Ryan seemed shocked, but he's seen it happen a hundred times. I heard about Jennifer, but I didn't get to see it in person, otherwise I probably would've started crying. She was really concerned with how she gave me the axe. But actually the way she said it, I was just, like, "cool." And then she gave me a hug that made it all better. I don't think Jennifer could have said it better, she was being too hard on herself. She hit it right on the head: I had some good performances and some not-so good performances, and there were people there who've had consistently really awesome performances
THR: Do you still plan to get married?
Medina: I sure hope so, that's the goal. I've already told myself that it's okay that she's in a wheelchair. It doesn't mean anything to me. It's okay if she has a hard time speaking. What's not okay is if in a couple years, she's not 100% and we can't could have a conversation with each other, because that's the essence of a relationship. I don't mind helping her into her car, but I don't want to be feeding her or taking her to the bathroom everyday from this day forward. I want her to become somewhat independent. Those are more my own personal issues, and I know that it might be rough for a lot of people to hear, but that's the truth of the matter. To me, Juliana is still beautiful, but I want to be able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation with my wife I want to get to a point where I feel less like a caretaker and more like a fiancé. But to say, "We're not going to get married until you get better" is unfair to her, too. So the only thing I say is: "Babe, if you keep trying, I'll keep trying." And that's the truth.
THR: Does Juliana have decent health insurance?
Medina: She's on my health insurance from (working at) Starbucks. They recognized her as my domestic partner because I had been living with her for eight years. After (the audition episode) aired, I had no idea that it was going to blow up the way it did. People donated equipment, a van, money, offered to pay for hospital bills, a few doctors offered their services for free. It wasn't like I wanted to be an "American Idol," I just wanted to help her and had to figure out a way to do it. Because steaming foamy milk is not going to cut it. And I think I did something really good for her and her family. I accomplished it.
THR: How was your experience recording this song?
Medina: Rodney Jerkins was too cool. He made me do things I didn't think I was capable of. I'd be, like, "Man, that's too high," and he'd say, "No, you just think it is. Your emotion is going to bring it out and you're going to hit those notes." In the vocal booth, I told him, "It's really hard to be sad when I'm so happy to be here!" There was a point when I lost it and started crying just thinking about the lyrics. "Every promise I'll keep / You'll see / I'll be there wherever you are / I'll be near / Wherever you go."
THR: So what's your goal at this point?
Medina: I want to write music and see what happens with this single. I want to work on my stage presence. I want to play 250 shows a year. I want to be a complete artist. I want to take care of my fiancé. I have this fantasy that I make enough money to build us a house where she can get around and I could take care of her for the rest of our lives, whether we get married or we don't. I want her to just be happy. That's all.
In new download, Spidey teams with a Top Chef
AP, PHILADELPHIA: When the web-slinger heads out for dinner, danger is always on the menu.
In a new one-shot tale available through Marvel Comics' app and online, Spider-Man teams up with "Top Chef" Eli Kirshtein in a bid to thwart the hallucination-spewing Mysterio who disrupts the wall-crawler's date.
The team-up was born, Marvel said Friday, of a fascination for food shared not just by Kirshtein, but also C.B. Cebulski, the comic publisher's senior vice president of creator and content development.
An avid fan of Twitter, and food, Cebulski and Kirshtein struck up a friendship that led to the latter's appearance in the 11-page digital-only tale that was written by Marc Bernardin and drawn by Mike Henderson.
In a new one-shot tale available through Marvel Comics' app and online, Spider-Man teams up with "Top Chef" Eli Kirshtein in a bid to thwart the hallucination-spewing Mysterio who disrupts the wall-crawler's date.
The team-up was born, Marvel said Friday, of a fascination for food shared not just by Kirshtein, but also C.B. Cebulski, the comic publisher's senior vice president of creator and content development.
An avid fan of Twitter, and food, Cebulski and Kirshtein struck up a friendship that led to the latter's appearance in the 11-page digital-only tale that was written by Marc Bernardin and drawn by Mike Henderson.
NY judge: Seinfeld can mock cookbook author on TV
AP, NEW YORK: A judge has thrown out a lawsuit by a cookbook author who accused Jerry Seinfeld of hurting her reputation by mocking her on national television.
In a ruling filed with the court Friday, state Justice Marcy Friedman said it was clear the comedian was joking when he called author Missy Chase Lapine a "wacko" during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
The judge said Seinfeld also has a constitutional right to express his opinion.
The suit stemmed from a legal battle in which Lapine accused Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, of stealing her idea for a book on how to get children to eat healthy. Both women had published their books that year. Lapine's was called, "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." Jessica Seinfeld's was titled "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
The case became tabloid fodder, and Seinfeld addressed it on Letterman with a heaping of ridicule.
"One of the fun facts of celebrity life is wackos will wait in the woodwork to pop out at certain moments of your life to inject a little adrenaline into your life experience," Seinfeld told Letterman.
"So there's another woman who had another cookbook," he continued. "My wife never saw the book, read the book, used the book ... But the books came out at the same time. So this woman says, 'I sense this could be my wacko moment.'"
Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
"She comes out and says, 'You stole my mushed-up carrots. You can't put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. I put mushed-up carrots in the casserole.'"
A federal court eventually agreed with Seinfeld that the copyright suit was baseless and tossed it out last year. The judges said there was nothing original about the idea of "stockpiling vegetable purees for covert use in children's food."
Friedman's ruling, signed Wednesday but filed Friday, noted that you can't sue someone for libel in the U.S. merely for hurling an insult. You must show that a person lied about facts in order to damage a person's reputation and did so in such a way that a reasonable person would have believed that those false statements were true.
Given all of the hyperbole in his jokes — one of which implied that people who went by three names, like Lapin, were predisposed to become assassins — the judge said she found it "inconceivable" that a reasonable viewer thought he was serious about fearing for his safety. And as for Seinfeld's suggestion that Lapine was an opportunist making up baseless plagiarism claims, the judge wrote that he was entitled to voice his opinion.
"If the law were to the contrary, the protection of the First Amendment would be unacceptably denied to persons who publicly defend themselves against what they believe to be baseless charges or lawsuits," she wrote.
The judge also absolved "Deceptively Delicious" publisher HarperCollins of any wrongdoing. Lapine had accused the company of lifting ideas from a book proposal she sent the company in 2006.
Lapine's lawyer, Howard Miller, said he and his client were evaluating the opinion and would decide later whether to appeal. He had no other comment.
Seinfeld's attorney, Orin Snyder, called the decision "a complete victory for Jerry, and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
In a ruling filed with the court Friday, state Justice Marcy Friedman said it was clear the comedian was joking when he called author Missy Chase Lapine a "wacko" during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
The judge said Seinfeld also has a constitutional right to express his opinion.
The suit stemmed from a legal battle in which Lapine accused Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, of stealing her idea for a book on how to get children to eat healthy. Both women had published their books that year. Lapine's was called, "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." Jessica Seinfeld's was titled "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
The case became tabloid fodder, and Seinfeld addressed it on Letterman with a heaping of ridicule.
"One of the fun facts of celebrity life is wackos will wait in the woodwork to pop out at certain moments of your life to inject a little adrenaline into your life experience," Seinfeld told Letterman.
"So there's another woman who had another cookbook," he continued. "My wife never saw the book, read the book, used the book ... But the books came out at the same time. So this woman says, 'I sense this could be my wacko moment.'"
Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
"She comes out and says, 'You stole my mushed-up carrots. You can't put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. I put mushed-up carrots in the casserole.'"
A federal court eventually agreed with Seinfeld that the copyright suit was baseless and tossed it out last year. The judges said there was nothing original about the idea of "stockpiling vegetable purees for covert use in children's food."
Friedman's ruling, signed Wednesday but filed Friday, noted that you can't sue someone for libel in the U.S. merely for hurling an insult. You must show that a person lied about facts in order to damage a person's reputation and did so in such a way that a reasonable person would have believed that those false statements were true.
Given all of the hyperbole in his jokes — one of which implied that people who went by three names, like Lapin, were predisposed to become assassins — the judge said she found it "inconceivable" that a reasonable viewer thought he was serious about fearing for his safety. And as for Seinfeld's suggestion that Lapine was an opportunist making up baseless plagiarism claims, the judge wrote that he was entitled to voice his opinion.
"If the law were to the contrary, the protection of the First Amendment would be unacceptably denied to persons who publicly defend themselves against what they believe to be baseless charges or lawsuits," she wrote.
The judge also absolved "Deceptively Delicious" publisher HarperCollins of any wrongdoing. Lapine had accused the company of lifting ideas from a book proposal she sent the company in 2006.
Lapine's lawyer, Howard Miller, said he and his client were evaluating the opinion and would decide later whether to appeal. He had no other comment.
Seinfeld's attorney, Orin Snyder, called the decision "a complete victory for Jerry, and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
Charlie Sheen's rants put his career in doubt
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Hollywood appeared to be distancing itself from "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen Friday after days of erratic behavior and insults put the future of his top-rated TV comedy in jeopardy.
Sheen, on vacation in the Bahamas after a month of "rehab" at his Los Angeles home, sent off more angry messages to the U.S. media Friday insisting he was sober but calling his bosses "Nazis," "hypocrites" and "clowns" for pulling the plug on his CBS TV show for the remainder of this season.
Speculation was rife about the long term future of "Two and a Half Men" -- or at least Sheen's lead role in it as a womanizing bachelor.
Some TV writers wondered if the 45 year-old actor committed "career suicide" with his expletive-filled attacks on the show's producer and co-creator. Dozens of fans slammed Sheen on Twitter and the Internet and hoped the show would go on next season without him. But whether it will was anybody's guess.
"CBS and makers Warner Bros Television may very well decide to call it a day on 'Two and a Half Men' because the hassle is not worth it," said Michael Schneider of TV Guide Magazine.
TV industry sources said a deal was already in place for a 9th season of the comedy, but they declined to speculate whether Sheen would be in it.
"Two and a Half Men" has been a major cash cow for CBS and Warner Bros Television, pulling in millions of dollars in advertising revenue and syndication deals.
But a CBS executive said the decision to cancel the remaining eight shows of the season would have "no material impact in the short term on a company the size of CBS."
Barclays Capital said that the network's Monday night line-up might suffer in the ratings, but "the financial impact to CBS will be difficult to quantify in the short-term."
"Two and a Half Men," now in its 8th season, gets about 15 million weekly viewers. But repeat telecasts bring a robust 10 million -- higher than many other TV shows -- and healthy ad revenue for the network, industry sources said.
Schneider said that with eight seasons of "Men" under their belts, the TV show would continue to do well in syndication for Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter estimated Warner Bros makes up to $250 million in domestic syndication deals on the show.
But it is also costly to make. Sheen is the highest paid actor on U.S. television with a reported annual salary of $27.5 million. Neither he nor the rest of the cast and crew will be paid for the eight lost episodes.
If "Two and a Half Men," does not continue, there were questions in Hollywood about how much damage Sheen had done to his career. Before the sitcom made it to TV in 2003, Sheen had starred in dozens of movies including "Platoon," "Wall Street" and the "Major League" baseball movies.
He had been in line to make a third "Major League" film, but producer James G. Robinson told TMZ.com Friday he would not risk using Sheen if he doesn't clean up his act.
"When an actor doesn't show up for work, you can lose half a million dollars a day paying the 250 other people there for the shoot and the costs for the set," Robinson said Friday.
Cable channel HBO tersely refuted claims by Sheen that he was in talks for a new program of his own that would land him a whopping $5 million an episode.
Sheen was persuaded to seek help in January after a cocaine-fueled 36-hour party, months of rabble rousing with porn stars and a conviction for assaulting his now ex-wife.
Friday, he was compared in U.S. media to fallen actor Mel Gibson and starlet Lindsay Lohan, whose careers have tumbled in recent years as each battled substance abuse.
Schneider said he doubted Sheen's Hollywood career was over, but added; "It will require him really cleaning up and doing a little bit of a mea culpa tour.
"But this is Hollywood. Everyone can reinvent themselves."
Sheen, on vacation in the Bahamas after a month of "rehab" at his Los Angeles home, sent off more angry messages to the U.S. media Friday insisting he was sober but calling his bosses "Nazis," "hypocrites" and "clowns" for pulling the plug on his CBS TV show for the remainder of this season.
Speculation was rife about the long term future of "Two and a Half Men" -- or at least Sheen's lead role in it as a womanizing bachelor.
Some TV writers wondered if the 45 year-old actor committed "career suicide" with his expletive-filled attacks on the show's producer and co-creator. Dozens of fans slammed Sheen on Twitter and the Internet and hoped the show would go on next season without him. But whether it will was anybody's guess.
"CBS and makers Warner Bros Television may very well decide to call it a day on 'Two and a Half Men' because the hassle is not worth it," said Michael Schneider of TV Guide Magazine.
TV industry sources said a deal was already in place for a 9th season of the comedy, but they declined to speculate whether Sheen would be in it.
"Two and a Half Men" has been a major cash cow for CBS and Warner Bros Television, pulling in millions of dollars in advertising revenue and syndication deals.
But a CBS executive said the decision to cancel the remaining eight shows of the season would have "no material impact in the short term on a company the size of CBS."
Barclays Capital said that the network's Monday night line-up might suffer in the ratings, but "the financial impact to CBS will be difficult to quantify in the short-term."
"Two and a Half Men," now in its 8th season, gets about 15 million weekly viewers. But repeat telecasts bring a robust 10 million -- higher than many other TV shows -- and healthy ad revenue for the network, industry sources said.
Schneider said that with eight seasons of "Men" under their belts, the TV show would continue to do well in syndication for Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter estimated Warner Bros makes up to $250 million in domestic syndication deals on the show.
But it is also costly to make. Sheen is the highest paid actor on U.S. television with a reported annual salary of $27.5 million. Neither he nor the rest of the cast and crew will be paid for the eight lost episodes.
If "Two and a Half Men," does not continue, there were questions in Hollywood about how much damage Sheen had done to his career. Before the sitcom made it to TV in 2003, Sheen had starred in dozens of movies including "Platoon," "Wall Street" and the "Major League" baseball movies.
He had been in line to make a third "Major League" film, but producer James G. Robinson told TMZ.com Friday he would not risk using Sheen if he doesn't clean up his act.
"When an actor doesn't show up for work, you can lose half a million dollars a day paying the 250 other people there for the shoot and the costs for the set," Robinson said Friday.
Cable channel HBO tersely refuted claims by Sheen that he was in talks for a new program of his own that would land him a whopping $5 million an episode.
Sheen was persuaded to seek help in January after a cocaine-fueled 36-hour party, months of rabble rousing with porn stars and a conviction for assaulting his now ex-wife.
Friday, he was compared in U.S. media to fallen actor Mel Gibson and starlet Lindsay Lohan, whose careers have tumbled in recent years as each battled substance abuse.
Schneider said he doubted Sheen's Hollywood career was over, but added; "It will require him really cleaning up and doing a little bit of a mea culpa tour.
"But this is Hollywood. Everyone can reinvent themselves."
ABC names new 'Good Morning America' chief
AP, NEW YORK: ABC News said Friday that current "Nightline" executive producer James Goldston will slide over to take control behind the scenes at "Good Morning America."
He replaces Jim Murphy as senior executive producer. Murphy is leaving to become executive producer of Anderson Cooper's new syndicated talk show, which debuts in the fall.
ABC News President Ben Sherwood said in a memo to staff that Goldston and his team had turned "Nightline" into a powerhouse, "against all odds and speculation that (the show's) best days had come and gone." Goldston's top deputy for the past five years, Jeanmarie Condon, will take over as "Nightline" executive producer.
Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos host "Good Morning America," which competes against NBC's top-rated "Today" show.
Goldston noted that "Good Morning America" has been creeping up in the ratings against "Today," which hasn't lost a single week in the morning show ratings since December 1995.
"There is a self-confidence about the show that is appealing," he said.
Condon said ABC has asked the "Nightline" staff to produce several hours of prime-time programming for this summer.
He replaces Jim Murphy as senior executive producer. Murphy is leaving to become executive producer of Anderson Cooper's new syndicated talk show, which debuts in the fall.
ABC News President Ben Sherwood said in a memo to staff that Goldston and his team had turned "Nightline" into a powerhouse, "against all odds and speculation that (the show's) best days had come and gone." Goldston's top deputy for the past five years, Jeanmarie Condon, will take over as "Nightline" executive producer.
Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos host "Good Morning America," which competes against NBC's top-rated "Today" show.
Goldston noted that "Good Morning America" has been creeping up in the ratings against "Today," which hasn't lost a single week in the morning show ratings since December 1995.
"There is a self-confidence about the show that is appealing," he said.
Condon said ABC has asked the "Nightline" staff to produce several hours of prime-time programming for this summer.
Have TV viewers seen last of Charlie Sheen?
AP, NEW YORK: As Charlie Sheen continued to rant on, his bosses at "Two and a Half Men" seemed prepared Friday to move on.
The network's decision to stop production of television's most popular sitcom this season — and maybe for good — has multimillion-dollar implications for CBS and producer Warner Bros. Television, but it's hardly fatal.
The remaining four episodes were scrapped Thursday after Sheen called the show's executive producer Chuck Lorre a "contaminated little maggot." Sheen's remarks were made on a radio program and in a letter posted on the TMZ website. He kept it up Friday, calling Lorre a clown and loser in text messages to ABC's "Good Morning America" and vowing to show up for work next week.
However, there won't be any work for him to do, as Sheen's erratic personal life may finally have killed a job that reportedly pays him $1.8 million an episode. He's been hospitalized three times in three months, with the production put on hold in January after his most recent hospital stay following a night of frenzied partying. Taping was to resume next week, a plan that blew up Thursday.
"There comes a time when you say, `Enough,'" Jeffrey Stepakoff, a veteran television writer and author of "Billion Dollar Kiss: The Kiss That Saved Dawson's Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writing," said Friday.
The last original episode of "Two and a Half Men" aired Feb. 14.
Sheen plays a hard-partying playboy in the series, which has been a durable performer for CBS for eight seasons. It has averaged 14.6 million viewers this season, down 4 percent from last year, the Nielsen Co. said. The show has fluctuated little in audience, with the 16.5 million viewer average in 2004-05 its highest and 13.8 million in 2007-08 the lowest, Nielsen said.
"It's very hard to get rid of a show that is successful and popular and has served as a launching pad for other comedies," said Brad Adgate, a television analyst for Horizon Media. "This is still a hit-driven business and it's hard to get a hit like that."
Sheen, in an interview Friday with Pat O'Brien on Fox radio's "Loose Cannons" show, said he would fight any effort to not pay him for the balance of his contract, which runs through next season.
He questioned whether he would go back for a ninth season or not, calling it a "toxic environment."
"If they want to roll back to season nine, I gave them my word I would do that but not with the turds that are currently in place. It's impossible ... it would go bad quickly," he said.
Canceling the show outright would eliminate the anchor series on CBS' popular Monday night lineup, with its 9 p.m. replacement likely getting lower ratings. However, since "Two and a Half Men" is a long-running hit with a highly paid cast and staff, CBS will almost certainly replace it with a show that's cheaper to put on, perhaps making up for the lost ad revenue, analysts say.
It's been widely thought that next season would be its last. It would have brought "Two and a Half Men" up to around 200 episodes in its life span, considered optimal for a long life in syndication. There are 177 episodes now.
Unlike NBC, which is looking to continue "The Office" even though star Steve Carell is leaving after this season, it seems unlikely that CBS or Warners would want to continue the show without Sheen or choose another actor to replace him.
CBS is in a strong position as the top-rated broadcast network. Last week, for example, Fox's two editions of "American Idol" were the most-watched prime-time shows on television, and the next 16 on the Nielsen Co.'s popularity list were all on CBS.
"CBS, of anybody, can absorb an issue like this, because they have bench strength," said Don Seamen, vice president and communications analysis for MPG North America. "They have other shows that can fill the slot. If it was NBC, they would be more willing to look the other way."
Can Lorre look the other way at insulting, even borderline anti-Semitic remarks sent his way by the actor he cast in his series? If "Two and a Half Men" ends, it's hardly the end for Lorre, already one of the most successful producers in TV whose other shows include the CBS hits "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly."
"Chuck Lorre might just say, `I can't work with this guy anymore,' and nobody would blame him," Seamen said.
Still, stranger things have happened in television.
"I'd like to think anyone could kiss and make up. Laverne and Shirley did," said Drew Carey, who starred in and co-created "The Drew Carey Show." He referred to the oft-rumored feud between stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on the hit sitcom that debuted in 1976.
Producers can also bring in someone to replace Sheen, Carey said, acknowledging it's a risk with viewers.
"I'd put a million bucks on the table that they're discussing this" and weighing possible replacements for Sheen, said Carey, host of "The Price Is Right" game show.
"Two and a Half Men" already airs in syndication, and has deals locked up with stations that represent roughly 95 percent of the country to keep the reruns on the air through 2020, said Bill Carroll, an expert in the syndication market for Katz Media.
Sheen's troubles haven't hurt the show's popularity in this market; if anything, the opposite may be true, Carroll said. Two weeks ago, it was the third most popular syndicated show on TV after "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," he said. This season it has been the most popular sitcom in reruns, beating out "Family Guy," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Seinfeld," he said.
Syndication is where a producer such as Warner Bros. and others involved in TV shows make their real money. For example, the FX cable network licensed rights to the 177 "Two and a Half Men" episodes for a reported $750,000 each, he said. A less popular show, "Family Guy," sold rights to its reruns in New York for $68,000 a week — and that's just one of more than 200 markets across the country.
Add in the fact that Warners gets to sell some advertising time on the "Two and a Half Men" episodes, and it's an astronomical amount of revenue with little expense; the shows are already filmed. Warners would take a financial hit if the show ended now, but not until after 2020, Carroll said.
"It's not inconsequential," he said. "But it's not tragic."
Warners has already prepared for the possibility: even before the latest Sheen episode, it had sent contingency notices to stations that had bought rights to the show for what would happen to their contracts if there's no ninth season.
CBS said Friday that the show's slot will be filled with reruns for the time being. It would not be a surprise if CBS airs some of its other comedies in the slot before the season ends, as a test to see how they might do.
"Mike & Molly," averaging 11.9 million viewers in its freshman season in Monday's 9:30 p.m. time slot, could be a candidate to move up. Less risky might be the more established "How I Met Your Mother," although that show is considered near the end of its run.
CBS moved "The Big Bang Theory" from Monday to Thursdays this season and it has done quite well, lessening the likelihood the network would want to move it back.
The network's decision to stop production of television's most popular sitcom this season — and maybe for good — has multimillion-dollar implications for CBS and producer Warner Bros. Television, but it's hardly fatal.
The remaining four episodes were scrapped Thursday after Sheen called the show's executive producer Chuck Lorre a "contaminated little maggot." Sheen's remarks were made on a radio program and in a letter posted on the TMZ website. He kept it up Friday, calling Lorre a clown and loser in text messages to ABC's "Good Morning America" and vowing to show up for work next week.
However, there won't be any work for him to do, as Sheen's erratic personal life may finally have killed a job that reportedly pays him $1.8 million an episode. He's been hospitalized three times in three months, with the production put on hold in January after his most recent hospital stay following a night of frenzied partying. Taping was to resume next week, a plan that blew up Thursday.
"There comes a time when you say, `Enough,'" Jeffrey Stepakoff, a veteran television writer and author of "Billion Dollar Kiss: The Kiss That Saved Dawson's Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writing," said Friday.
The last original episode of "Two and a Half Men" aired Feb. 14.
Sheen plays a hard-partying playboy in the series, which has been a durable performer for CBS for eight seasons. It has averaged 14.6 million viewers this season, down 4 percent from last year, the Nielsen Co. said. The show has fluctuated little in audience, with the 16.5 million viewer average in 2004-05 its highest and 13.8 million in 2007-08 the lowest, Nielsen said.
"It's very hard to get rid of a show that is successful and popular and has served as a launching pad for other comedies," said Brad Adgate, a television analyst for Horizon Media. "This is still a hit-driven business and it's hard to get a hit like that."
Sheen, in an interview Friday with Pat O'Brien on Fox radio's "Loose Cannons" show, said he would fight any effort to not pay him for the balance of his contract, which runs through next season.
He questioned whether he would go back for a ninth season or not, calling it a "toxic environment."
"If they want to roll back to season nine, I gave them my word I would do that but not with the turds that are currently in place. It's impossible ... it would go bad quickly," he said.
Canceling the show outright would eliminate the anchor series on CBS' popular Monday night lineup, with its 9 p.m. replacement likely getting lower ratings. However, since "Two and a Half Men" is a long-running hit with a highly paid cast and staff, CBS will almost certainly replace it with a show that's cheaper to put on, perhaps making up for the lost ad revenue, analysts say.
It's been widely thought that next season would be its last. It would have brought "Two and a Half Men" up to around 200 episodes in its life span, considered optimal for a long life in syndication. There are 177 episodes now.
Unlike NBC, which is looking to continue "The Office" even though star Steve Carell is leaving after this season, it seems unlikely that CBS or Warners would want to continue the show without Sheen or choose another actor to replace him.
CBS is in a strong position as the top-rated broadcast network. Last week, for example, Fox's two editions of "American Idol" were the most-watched prime-time shows on television, and the next 16 on the Nielsen Co.'s popularity list were all on CBS.
"CBS, of anybody, can absorb an issue like this, because they have bench strength," said Don Seamen, vice president and communications analysis for MPG North America. "They have other shows that can fill the slot. If it was NBC, they would be more willing to look the other way."
Can Lorre look the other way at insulting, even borderline anti-Semitic remarks sent his way by the actor he cast in his series? If "Two and a Half Men" ends, it's hardly the end for Lorre, already one of the most successful producers in TV whose other shows include the CBS hits "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly."
"Chuck Lorre might just say, `I can't work with this guy anymore,' and nobody would blame him," Seamen said.
Still, stranger things have happened in television.
"I'd like to think anyone could kiss and make up. Laverne and Shirley did," said Drew Carey, who starred in and co-created "The Drew Carey Show." He referred to the oft-rumored feud between stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on the hit sitcom that debuted in 1976.
Producers can also bring in someone to replace Sheen, Carey said, acknowledging it's a risk with viewers.
"I'd put a million bucks on the table that they're discussing this" and weighing possible replacements for Sheen, said Carey, host of "The Price Is Right" game show.
"Two and a Half Men" already airs in syndication, and has deals locked up with stations that represent roughly 95 percent of the country to keep the reruns on the air through 2020, said Bill Carroll, an expert in the syndication market for Katz Media.
Sheen's troubles haven't hurt the show's popularity in this market; if anything, the opposite may be true, Carroll said. Two weeks ago, it was the third most popular syndicated show on TV after "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," he said. This season it has been the most popular sitcom in reruns, beating out "Family Guy," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Seinfeld," he said.
Syndication is where a producer such as Warner Bros. and others involved in TV shows make their real money. For example, the FX cable network licensed rights to the 177 "Two and a Half Men" episodes for a reported $750,000 each, he said. A less popular show, "Family Guy," sold rights to its reruns in New York for $68,000 a week — and that's just one of more than 200 markets across the country.
Add in the fact that Warners gets to sell some advertising time on the "Two and a Half Men" episodes, and it's an astronomical amount of revenue with little expense; the shows are already filmed. Warners would take a financial hit if the show ended now, but not until after 2020, Carroll said.
"It's not inconsequential," he said. "But it's not tragic."
Warners has already prepared for the possibility: even before the latest Sheen episode, it had sent contingency notices to stations that had bought rights to the show for what would happen to their contracts if there's no ninth season.
CBS said Friday that the show's slot will be filled with reruns for the time being. It would not be a surprise if CBS airs some of its other comedies in the slot before the season ends, as a test to see how they might do.
"Mike & Molly," averaging 11.9 million viewers in its freshman season in Monday's 9:30 p.m. time slot, could be a candidate to move up. Less risky might be the more established "How I Met Your Mother," although that show is considered near the end of its run.
CBS moved "The Big Bang Theory" from Monday to Thursdays this season and it has done quite well, lessening the likelihood the network would want to move it back.
Report: Fox News boss told exec to lie about Kerik
AP, NEW YORK: Fox News chairman Roger Ailes told a former publishing executive to lie to federal investigators who vetted now-disgraced ex-New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik for a Cabinet post in 2004, according to court documents cited in a news report Friday.
The New York Times reported that former lawyers for Judith Regan — a one-time publishing powerhouse who worked for a unit of Fox parent News Corp. before a nasty public split — said in sworn statements that Ailes and Regan had a taped conversation about what she'd say about Kerik. Regan had previously said a senior News Corp. executive advised her to lie and withhold information about the now-imprisoned Kerik.
But News Corp. said Regan had provided the company with a letter saying Ailes "did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation." In 2008, News Corp. and Regan settled a $100 million lawsuit in which she accused unnamed executives at the New York-based media empire of urging her to dissemble in the federal background probe into Kerik, with whom she'd had an affair.
"The matter is closed," the company said in a statement.
Regan declined to comment through a current lawyer, Robert E. Brown.
The episode created a stir in media and political circles from New York to Washington, and it has at least tangentially swept up a roster of prominent — and sometimes infamous — figures.
While at News Corp.-owned HarperCollins Publishers, Regan made a name for herself by bringing out such provocative best-sellers as Jose Canseco's "Juiced" and Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star." But her career foundered after an outcry over her efforts to release "If I Did It," O.J. Simpson's hypothetical "confession" to the slayings of wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Her 2006 firing came about a month after News Corp. canceled the project.
Regan fought back by suing her former employers, saying they had tried to destroy her reputation and making the eye-catching claims that she was told "to lie to, and to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik" while he was being vetted to head the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Regan's lawsuit said News Corp. executives knew about her liaison with Kerik, whose memoir she had published, and they wanted to keep her from potentially damaging the presidential ambitions of Kerik patron Rudy Giuilani. The former New York mayor recommended Kerik — whom he had appointed the city's jail chief and then police commissioner — for the Homeland Security post.
The lawsuit didn't identify the News Corp. executive who Regan says told her to lie, nor another whom she accused of telling her to withhold documents.
But in a separate case stemming from a fee dispute with some of her former lawyers, one of them, Seth Redniss, refers in a sworn statement to "a recorded telephone call between Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News (a News Corp. company) and Regan, in which Mr. Ailes discussed with Regan her responses to questions regarding her personal relationship with Bernard Kerik" and says "the `Ailes' matter became a focal point of our work," according to the Times.
Another ex-Regan attorney, Brian C. Kerr, said in a sworn statement that he had reviewed "a tape recording of a conversation between her and Roger Ailes, which is alluded to throughout the complaint" in her lawsuit against News Corp., the Times said.
Court records show some statements from her ex-lawyers and other documents were deemed confidential and have been removed from the public file. Kerr and Redniss declined to comment Friday.
Regan herself referred in court filings to the existence of tapes she entrusted for a time to her former lawyers. But her settlement with News Corp. "prohibits me from confirming or denying the identity of the person whose voice appears in these tape recordings," she said in a sworn statement given in June 2009.
The fee fight is a convoluted case in itself, especially since the attorney who headed one of the firms Regan sued is serving a 20-year federal prison term. That attorney, Marc Dreier, pleaded guilty in 2009 to using impersonations and fake documents to defraud hedge funds out of more than $400 million.
Also in a federal prison is Kerik, who withdrew from consideration for the Homeland Security post amid questions about his finances and associations; he cited tax issues involving a former nanny as his reason for withdrawing. The failed bid began a downfall that spiraled into a 2009 guilty plea to tax fraud, lying to the White House and other crimes.
Giuliani ran unsuccessfully for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, at times facing questions about the trust he'd placed in Kerik. Giuliani said he'd made mistakes in dealing with Kerik.
Asked about Regan's claims once on the campaign trail in 2007, Giuliani laughed.
"That's a gossip column story, and the last thing in the world you want to do when you're running for president is respond to gossip column-type stories," he said.
The New York Times reported that former lawyers for Judith Regan — a one-time publishing powerhouse who worked for a unit of Fox parent News Corp. before a nasty public split — said in sworn statements that Ailes and Regan had a taped conversation about what she'd say about Kerik. Regan had previously said a senior News Corp. executive advised her to lie and withhold information about the now-imprisoned Kerik.
But News Corp. said Regan had provided the company with a letter saying Ailes "did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation." In 2008, News Corp. and Regan settled a $100 million lawsuit in which she accused unnamed executives at the New York-based media empire of urging her to dissemble in the federal background probe into Kerik, with whom she'd had an affair.
"The matter is closed," the company said in a statement.
Regan declined to comment through a current lawyer, Robert E. Brown.
The episode created a stir in media and political circles from New York to Washington, and it has at least tangentially swept up a roster of prominent — and sometimes infamous — figures.
While at News Corp.-owned HarperCollins Publishers, Regan made a name for herself by bringing out such provocative best-sellers as Jose Canseco's "Juiced" and Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star." But her career foundered after an outcry over her efforts to release "If I Did It," O.J. Simpson's hypothetical "confession" to the slayings of wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Her 2006 firing came about a month after News Corp. canceled the project.
Regan fought back by suing her former employers, saying they had tried to destroy her reputation and making the eye-catching claims that she was told "to lie to, and to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik" while he was being vetted to head the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Regan's lawsuit said News Corp. executives knew about her liaison with Kerik, whose memoir she had published, and they wanted to keep her from potentially damaging the presidential ambitions of Kerik patron Rudy Giuilani. The former New York mayor recommended Kerik — whom he had appointed the city's jail chief and then police commissioner — for the Homeland Security post.
The lawsuit didn't identify the News Corp. executive who Regan says told her to lie, nor another whom she accused of telling her to withhold documents.
But in a separate case stemming from a fee dispute with some of her former lawyers, one of them, Seth Redniss, refers in a sworn statement to "a recorded telephone call between Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News (a News Corp. company) and Regan, in which Mr. Ailes discussed with Regan her responses to questions regarding her personal relationship with Bernard Kerik" and says "the `Ailes' matter became a focal point of our work," according to the Times.
Another ex-Regan attorney, Brian C. Kerr, said in a sworn statement that he had reviewed "a tape recording of a conversation between her and Roger Ailes, which is alluded to throughout the complaint" in her lawsuit against News Corp., the Times said.
Court records show some statements from her ex-lawyers and other documents were deemed confidential and have been removed from the public file. Kerr and Redniss declined to comment Friday.
Regan herself referred in court filings to the existence of tapes she entrusted for a time to her former lawyers. But her settlement with News Corp. "prohibits me from confirming or denying the identity of the person whose voice appears in these tape recordings," she said in a sworn statement given in June 2009.
The fee fight is a convoluted case in itself, especially since the attorney who headed one of the firms Regan sued is serving a 20-year federal prison term. That attorney, Marc Dreier, pleaded guilty in 2009 to using impersonations and fake documents to defraud hedge funds out of more than $400 million.
Also in a federal prison is Kerik, who withdrew from consideration for the Homeland Security post amid questions about his finances and associations; he cited tax issues involving a former nanny as his reason for withdrawing. The failed bid began a downfall that spiraled into a 2009 guilty plea to tax fraud, lying to the White House and other crimes.
Giuliani ran unsuccessfully for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, at times facing questions about the trust he'd placed in Kerik. Giuliani said he'd made mistakes in dealing with Kerik.
Asked about Regan's claims once on the campaign trail in 2007, Giuliani laughed.
"That's a gossip column story, and the last thing in the world you want to do when you're running for president is respond to gossip column-type stories," he said.
In new download, Spidey teams with a Top Chef
AP, PHILADELPHIA: When the web-slinger heads out for dinner, danger is always on the menu.
In a new one-shot tale available through Marvel Comics' app and online, Spider-Man teams up with "Top Chef" Eli Kirshtein in a bid to thwart the hallucination-spewing Mysterio who disrupts the wall-crawler's date.
The team-up was born, Marvel said Friday, of a fascination for food shared not just by Kirshtein, but also C.B. Cebulski, the comic publisher's senior vice president of creator and content development.
An avid fan of Twitter, and food, Cebulski and Kirshtein struck up a friendship that led to the latter's appearance in the 11-page digital-only tale that was written by Marc Bernardin and drawn by Mike Henderson.
"C.B. and I met on Twitter and began to talk about food and comics regularly," Kirshtein said. "I, on a whim, almost jokingly asked if he could get me into Spider-Man. With no hesitation he said 'Sure!' It's an amazing honor to be part of the legend that is Spider-Man. It's every kid's dream!"
Cebulski, who tweets often with advice to aspiring artists, and even writers, also talks about a love for food, too.
"The more we explore the similarities between art and food worlds, the more we've discovered certain connections between chefs and comics, especially on a creative level," Cebulski said. "Upon hearing Eli was a comic fan, asking him to appear in a comic for us seemed like such a natural fit. The fact Eli was also open to playing an active role in the story and helped lend his culinary expertise to ideas on how to help Spidey out of a super-villain jam really added to the overall experience we had making this comic with him."
In a new one-shot tale available through Marvel Comics' app and online, Spider-Man teams up with "Top Chef" Eli Kirshtein in a bid to thwart the hallucination-spewing Mysterio who disrupts the wall-crawler's date.
The team-up was born, Marvel said Friday, of a fascination for food shared not just by Kirshtein, but also C.B. Cebulski, the comic publisher's senior vice president of creator and content development.
An avid fan of Twitter, and food, Cebulski and Kirshtein struck up a friendship that led to the latter's appearance in the 11-page digital-only tale that was written by Marc Bernardin and drawn by Mike Henderson.
"C.B. and I met on Twitter and began to talk about food and comics regularly," Kirshtein said. "I, on a whim, almost jokingly asked if he could get me into Spider-Man. With no hesitation he said 'Sure!' It's an amazing honor to be part of the legend that is Spider-Man. It's every kid's dream!"
Cebulski, who tweets often with advice to aspiring artists, and even writers, also talks about a love for food, too.
"The more we explore the similarities between art and food worlds, the more we've discovered certain connections between chefs and comics, especially on a creative level," Cebulski said. "Upon hearing Eli was a comic fan, asking him to appear in a comic for us seemed like such a natural fit. The fact Eli was also open to playing an active role in the story and helped lend his culinary expertise to ideas on how to help Spidey out of a super-villain jam really added to the overall experience we had making this comic with him."
Lines blur between animated, live action movies
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Only 10 years ago, Oscar organizers created a category for makers of animated films, but with live-action movies featuring more and more computer images, this year's nominees for best animated picture say it is getting harder to tell the two apart.
"The walls between live-action and animation are becoming really porous, and it's interesting. I think in the decades ahead you're really going to see those walls coming down," Lee Unkrich, director of "Toy Story 3," said at a symposium of Oscar animation nominees on Thursday night.
Indeed, heading into last year's Oscars, the world's top film awards, there was a lot of talk as to whether smash hit and best film nominee "Avatar," was an animation or live-action because it featured both forms prominently.
Regardless of whether a distinction is made between the two forms, the Oscar animators at Thursday's symposium held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed that for their movies they drew from a broad palette of live-action, from a classic horse tale to a 1980s Steve Martin comedy.
Animated movies were once the lowly cousin to live-action movies, but since the late 1990s, they have proven their appeal as computer animation has taken over the industry.
Films from Disney-Pixar and DreamWorks Animation have been massive, global box office hits. Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story 3" became 2010's top box office draw with $1.1 billion in worldwide ticket sales, and DreamWorks' "How To Train Your Dragon" took in nearly $500 million.
Unkrich told the crowd he can take inspiration from anywhere. "It can come from live-action, it can come from a painting, it can come from a song," he said.
But more often than not, Unkrich and "Dragon" directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois came back to the influence of live-action movies, rather than other types of art, as they described their work.
Sanders and DeBlois said a scene in their film, where a teenage Viking tames a dragon, resembles the classic 1979 movie "The Black Stallion."
For a scene in which the Viking flies aloft on the dragon, while his father looks skyward, they took inspiration from sequences in 1978 movie "Superman," DeBlois said.
Unkrich said an emotional sequence in "Toy Story 3," where a young man going off to college plays with his toys for the last time before giving them to a girl, borrowed from the way 1989 Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood" interposed music over dialogue, in a poignant family scene.
"Toy Story 3" is widely expected to win the best animated movie Oscar on Sunday, but both "Dragon" and the third nominee, "The Illusionist" have strong followings.
Sylvain Chomet, the director of European production "The Illusionist," was absent because he had to attend the Cesar Awards in his native France.
"Illusionist" also borrows from live-action film, because it is based on a 1950s script by the late French screen icon Jacques Tati. The main character, a traveling magician, is an animated version of the taciturn Tati.
"The walls between live-action and animation are becoming really porous, and it's interesting. I think in the decades ahead you're really going to see those walls coming down," Lee Unkrich, director of "Toy Story 3," said at a symposium of Oscar animation nominees on Thursday night.
Indeed, heading into last year's Oscars, the world's top film awards, there was a lot of talk as to whether smash hit and best film nominee "Avatar," was an animation or live-action because it featured both forms prominently.
Regardless of whether a distinction is made between the two forms, the Oscar animators at Thursday's symposium held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed that for their movies they drew from a broad palette of live-action, from a classic horse tale to a 1980s Steve Martin comedy.
Animated movies were once the lowly cousin to live-action movies, but since the late 1990s, they have proven their appeal as computer animation has taken over the industry.
Films from Disney-Pixar and DreamWorks Animation have been massive, global box office hits. Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story 3" became 2010's top box office draw with $1.1 billion in worldwide ticket sales, and DreamWorks' "How To Train Your Dragon" took in nearly $500 million.
Unkrich told the crowd he can take inspiration from anywhere. "It can come from live-action, it can come from a painting, it can come from a song," he said.
But more often than not, Unkrich and "Dragon" directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois came back to the influence of live-action movies, rather than other types of art, as they described their work.
Sanders and DeBlois said a scene in their film, where a teenage Viking tames a dragon, resembles the classic 1979 movie "The Black Stallion."
For a scene in which the Viking flies aloft on the dragon, while his father looks skyward, they took inspiration from sequences in 1978 movie "Superman," DeBlois said.
Unkrich said an emotional sequence in "Toy Story 3," where a young man going off to college plays with his toys for the last time before giving them to a girl, borrowed from the way 1989 Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood" interposed music over dialogue, in a poignant family scene.
"Toy Story 3" is widely expected to win the best animated movie Oscar on Sunday, but both "Dragon" and the third nominee, "The Illusionist" have strong followings.
Sylvain Chomet, the director of European production "The Illusionist," was absent because he had to attend the Cesar Awards in his native France.
"Illusionist" also borrows from live-action film, because it is based on a 1950s script by the late French screen icon Jacques Tati. The main character, a traveling magician, is an animated version of the taciturn Tati.
Chris Medina: The "American Idol" interview
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Eliminated "American Idol" hopeful Chris Medina's inspirational story prompted super-producer Rodney Jerkins (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson) to put pen to paper. The result: a just recorded single, "What Are Words," and an accompanying video premiering on Friday at 2 p.m. EST on aol.com.
"The song embodied what I'm going through and the promises that I kept," explained Medina, who pledged to take care of his fiancee Juliana following crippling car accident.
Medina's Milwaukee audition made him a instant household name, but his fan favorite status didn't save him from the judges' wrath -- which, in Jennifer Lopez's case, turned into a full-on meltdown.
THR caught up with the Oak Park, Illinois native 24 hours after his farewell episode aired, and just before he went shopping for a new blazer to wear on Friday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
THR: How hard has it been to be home and keep all of your "Idol" experiences a secret?
Chris Medina: It was pretty easy. I didn't go out. I just stayed in my house and didn't talk to anybody. Every week, I'd get a phone call saying "Hey, this is so-and-so from TMZ, is this Chris Medina from 'American Idol?'" And I'm, like, "No! But I've been getting that all week." I kind of pretended I wasn't myself and just ignored them.
THR: Every 'Idol' hopeful has that moment when he/she realizes the show is much bigger than they ever imagined, when was yours?
Medina: The day that my audition aired. I was at a bar with my family watching (the show) and my buddy pulls me aside and says, "You're the number one trending topic on Twitter and Google." It was this weird "Twilight Zone" stuff, like it isn't real." The a few days after it aired, Juliana's cousin, who's a volleyball coach, invites my whole family to this grammar school game, and as soon as I walk through the parking lot, someone recognized me. In the gym, this kid asked me to sign his arm. I look at the stands and everyone is going berserk. I hugged a kid and he started crying. A mom got red in the face telling me, "You need to take a picture with my daughter!" That's when I realized that this was way bigger than anything I'd ever done.
THR: What was your impression of the judges?
Medina: Steven Tyler is a maniac and so cool. It's amazing that someone so iconic with such superstar power can be so down-to-earth. He has an aura about him, he makes you feel comfortable. On the very first audition, he gave me a kiss. In Vegas, when he was walking by me, he touched my face... He's like a hippie with a mission -- just a free spirit, rock 'n rollin man who loves people.
THR: And Jennifer?
Medina: She's just really sweet. I'd heard all these rumors about her being this diva. Like, you can't call her (J Lo), don't look at her in the eyes or you'll turn into a statue but she's not that way at all! She's just super kind and her comments have substance. She'll tell you "You're almost there, you're doing good. Just a little more less of this, a little bit more of that. I felt you, you gotta sing like you own it."
THR: How about Randy?
Medina: What you see on TV, that's the way he is.
THR: You and Ryan Seacrest seemed to get along well
Medina: Ryan is very cool. He's a master at delivery and I love the way he holds his cool.
THR: Ryan was surprised by your exit, but Jennifer had a total meltdown.
Medina: Ryan seemed shocked, but he's seen it happen a hundred times. I heard about Jennifer, but I didn't get to see it in person, otherwise I probably would've started crying. She was really concerned with how she gave me the axe. But actually the way she said it, I was just, like, "cool." And then she gave me a hug that made it all better. I don't think Jennifer could have said it better, she was being too hard on herself. She hit it right on the head: I had some good performances and some not-so good performances, and there were people there who've had consistently really awesome performances
THR: Do you still plan to get married?
Medina: I sure hope so, that's the goal. I've already told myself that it's okay that she's in a wheelchair. It doesn't mean anything to me. It's okay if she has a hard time speaking. What's not okay is if in a couple years, she's not 100% and we can't could have a conversation with each other, because that's the essence of a relationship. I don't mind helping her into her car, but I don't want to be feeding her or taking her to the bathroom everyday from this day forward. I want her to become somewhat independent. Those are more my own personal issues, and I know that it might be rough for a lot of people to hear, but that's the truth of the matter. To me, Juliana is still beautiful, but I want to be able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation with my wife I want to get to a point where I feel less like a caretaker and more like a fiancé. But to say, "We're not going to get married until you get better" is unfair to her, too. So the only thing I say is: "Babe, if you keep trying, I'll keep trying." And that's the truth.
THR: Does Juliana have decent health insurance?
Medina: She's on my health insurance from (working at) Starbucks. They recognized her as my domestic partner because I had been living with her for eight years. After (the audition episode) aired, I had no idea that it was going to blow up the way it did. People donated equipment, a van, money, offered to pay for hospital bills, a few doctors offered their services for free. It wasn't like I wanted to be an "American Idol," I just wanted to help her and had to figure out a way to do it. Because steaming foamy milk is not going to cut it. And I think I did something really good for her and her family. I accomplished it.
THR: How was your experience recording this song?
Medina: Rodney Jerkins was too cool. He made me do things I didn't think I was capable of. I'd be, like, "Man, that's too high," and he'd say, "No, you just think it is. Your emotion is going to bring it out and you're going to hit those notes." In the vocal booth, I told him, "It's really hard to be sad when I'm so happy to be here!" There was a point when I lost it and started crying just thinking about the lyrics. "Every promise I'll keep / You'll see / I'll be there wherever you are / I'll be near / Wherever you go."
THR: So what's your goal at this point?
Medina: I want to write music and see what happens with this single. I want to work on my stage presence. I want to play 250 shows a year. I want to be a complete artist. I want to take care of my fiancé. I have this fantasy that I make enough money to build us a house where she can get around and I could take care of her for the rest of our lives, whether we get married or we don't. I want her to just be happy. That's all.
"The song embodied what I'm going through and the promises that I kept," explained Medina, who pledged to take care of his fiancee Juliana following crippling car accident.
Medina's Milwaukee audition made him a instant household name, but his fan favorite status didn't save him from the judges' wrath -- which, in Jennifer Lopez's case, turned into a full-on meltdown.
THR caught up with the Oak Park, Illinois native 24 hours after his farewell episode aired, and just before he went shopping for a new blazer to wear on Friday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
THR: How hard has it been to be home and keep all of your "Idol" experiences a secret?
Chris Medina: It was pretty easy. I didn't go out. I just stayed in my house and didn't talk to anybody. Every week, I'd get a phone call saying "Hey, this is so-and-so from TMZ, is this Chris Medina from 'American Idol?'" And I'm, like, "No! But I've been getting that all week." I kind of pretended I wasn't myself and just ignored them.
THR: Every 'Idol' hopeful has that moment when he/she realizes the show is much bigger than they ever imagined, when was yours?
Medina: The day that my audition aired. I was at a bar with my family watching (the show) and my buddy pulls me aside and says, "You're the number one trending topic on Twitter and Google." It was this weird "Twilight Zone" stuff, like it isn't real." The a few days after it aired, Juliana's cousin, who's a volleyball coach, invites my whole family to this grammar school game, and as soon as I walk through the parking lot, someone recognized me. In the gym, this kid asked me to sign his arm. I look at the stands and everyone is going berserk. I hugged a kid and he started crying. A mom got red in the face telling me, "You need to take a picture with my daughter!" That's when I realized that this was way bigger than anything I'd ever done.
THR: What was your impression of the judges?
Medina: Steven Tyler is a maniac and so cool. It's amazing that someone so iconic with such superstar power can be so down-to-earth. He has an aura about him, he makes you feel comfortable. On the very first audition, he gave me a kiss. In Vegas, when he was walking by me, he touched my face... He's like a hippie with a mission -- just a free spirit, rock 'n rollin man who loves people.
THR: And Jennifer?
Medina: She's just really sweet. I'd heard all these rumors about her being this diva. Like, you can't call her (J Lo), don't look at her in the eyes or you'll turn into a statue but she's not that way at all! She's just super kind and her comments have substance. She'll tell you "You're almost there, you're doing good. Just a little more less of this, a little bit more of that. I felt you, you gotta sing like you own it."
THR: How about Randy?
Medina: What you see on TV, that's the way he is.
THR: You and Ryan Seacrest seemed to get along well
Medina: Ryan is very cool. He's a master at delivery and I love the way he holds his cool.
THR: Ryan was surprised by your exit, but Jennifer had a total meltdown.
Medina: Ryan seemed shocked, but he's seen it happen a hundred times. I heard about Jennifer, but I didn't get to see it in person, otherwise I probably would've started crying. She was really concerned with how she gave me the axe. But actually the way she said it, I was just, like, "cool." And then she gave me a hug that made it all better. I don't think Jennifer could have said it better, she was being too hard on herself. She hit it right on the head: I had some good performances and some not-so good performances, and there were people there who've had consistently really awesome performances
THR: Do you still plan to get married?
Medina: I sure hope so, that's the goal. I've already told myself that it's okay that she's in a wheelchair. It doesn't mean anything to me. It's okay if she has a hard time speaking. What's not okay is if in a couple years, she's not 100% and we can't could have a conversation with each other, because that's the essence of a relationship. I don't mind helping her into her car, but I don't want to be feeding her or taking her to the bathroom everyday from this day forward. I want her to become somewhat independent. Those are more my own personal issues, and I know that it might be rough for a lot of people to hear, but that's the truth of the matter. To me, Juliana is still beautiful, but I want to be able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation with my wife I want to get to a point where I feel less like a caretaker and more like a fiancé. But to say, "We're not going to get married until you get better" is unfair to her, too. So the only thing I say is: "Babe, if you keep trying, I'll keep trying." And that's the truth.
THR: Does Juliana have decent health insurance?
Medina: She's on my health insurance from (working at) Starbucks. They recognized her as my domestic partner because I had been living with her for eight years. After (the audition episode) aired, I had no idea that it was going to blow up the way it did. People donated equipment, a van, money, offered to pay for hospital bills, a few doctors offered their services for free. It wasn't like I wanted to be an "American Idol," I just wanted to help her and had to figure out a way to do it. Because steaming foamy milk is not going to cut it. And I think I did something really good for her and her family. I accomplished it.
THR: How was your experience recording this song?
Medina: Rodney Jerkins was too cool. He made me do things I didn't think I was capable of. I'd be, like, "Man, that's too high," and he'd say, "No, you just think it is. Your emotion is going to bring it out and you're going to hit those notes." In the vocal booth, I told him, "It's really hard to be sad when I'm so happy to be here!" There was a point when I lost it and started crying just thinking about the lyrics. "Every promise I'll keep / You'll see / I'll be there wherever you are / I'll be near / Wherever you go."
THR: So what's your goal at this point?
Medina: I want to write music and see what happens with this single. I want to work on my stage presence. I want to play 250 shows a year. I want to be a complete artist. I want to take care of my fiancé. I have this fantasy that I make enough money to build us a house where she can get around and I could take care of her for the rest of our lives, whether we get married or we don't. I want her to just be happy. That's all.
Charlie Sheen denies anti-Semitism in TV row
AFP, LOS ANGELES: Troubled actor Charlie Sheen denied Friday being anti-Semitic in an attack on the producer of hit TV series "Two and a Half Men," which has been canceled for the season due to Sheen's latest outburst.
Sheen also insisted he is sober and plans to turn up for work next week for the top-rated TV series, in which he stars. Four shows remain to be filmed this season.
CBS and Warner Brothers announced the cancelation on Thursday after Sheen, who was briefly hospitalized last month following his latest reported booze and drugs-fueled partying mishap, denounced the show's co-creator Chuck Lorre.
In a series of statements to radio and the TMZ celebrity website in the last few days, Sheen railed against Lorre, referring to him as Chaim Levine, the Hebrew translation of the TV producer's name.
"There's something this side of deplorable that a certain Chaim Levine -- yeah, that's Chuck's real name -- mistook this rock star for his own selfish exit strategy, bro," he said, apparently referring to himself.
"Last I checked, Chaim, I spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold. And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write," he added.
After the TV series was canceled Thursday, he added: "I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels, especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly, I have defeated this earthworm with my words.
"Imagine what I would have done with my fire-breathing fists."
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League lobby group, condemned Sheen's comments.
"By invoking television producer Chuck Lorre's Jewish name in the context of an angry tirade against him, Charlie Sheen left the impression that another reason for his dislike of Mr. Lorre is his Jewishness," he said in a statement.
"This fact has no relevance to Mr. Sheen's complaint or disagreement, and his words are at best bizarre, and at worst, borderline anti-Semitism," he added in a statement.
But speaking from the Bahamas, where he is reportedly vacationing with a new girlfriend, Sheen denied Friday being anti-Semitic.
"I was referring to Chuck by his real name, because I wanted to address the man, not the b (expletive) TV persona," he told TMZ, which said Lorre's birth name is Charles Levine.
Sheen, whose birth name is Carlos Estevez, added: "So you're telling me, anytime someone calls me Carlos Estevez, I can claim they are anti-Latino?"
Separately, ABC television cited text messages from Sheen insisting he plans to go to work next week on "Two and a Half Men," despite its cancelation announced Thursday by producers Warner Bros and CBS.
The TV series about hedonistic jingle writer Charlie Harper -- played by Sheen -- has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.
The Nielsen ratings agency listed it in fifth place in its latest TV shows survey, with 14.5 million viewers for its last aired episode.
Sheen was reported as saying that he was close to signing a deal with Home Box Office for a new series called "Sheen's Corner," but an HBO spokesman denied there was a deal in place.
The star filed for divorce from his wife of two years in November, days after being taken to hospital following a reported drunken incident at a luxury New York hotel involving another porn star.
In addition to his reported substance abuse, Sheen had several run-ins with the law in the 1990s in cases related to drugs, domestic violence and prostitution.
Sheen also insisted he is sober and plans to turn up for work next week for the top-rated TV series, in which he stars. Four shows remain to be filmed this season.
CBS and Warner Brothers announced the cancelation on Thursday after Sheen, who was briefly hospitalized last month following his latest reported booze and drugs-fueled partying mishap, denounced the show's co-creator Chuck Lorre.
In a series of statements to radio and the TMZ celebrity website in the last few days, Sheen railed against Lorre, referring to him as Chaim Levine, the Hebrew translation of the TV producer's name.
"There's something this side of deplorable that a certain Chaim Levine -- yeah, that's Chuck's real name -- mistook this rock star for his own selfish exit strategy, bro," he said, apparently referring to himself.
"Last I checked, Chaim, I spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold. And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write," he added.
After the TV series was canceled Thursday, he added: "I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels, especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly, I have defeated this earthworm with my words.
"Imagine what I would have done with my fire-breathing fists."
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League lobby group, condemned Sheen's comments.
"By invoking television producer Chuck Lorre's Jewish name in the context of an angry tirade against him, Charlie Sheen left the impression that another reason for his dislike of Mr. Lorre is his Jewishness," he said in a statement.
"This fact has no relevance to Mr. Sheen's complaint or disagreement, and his words are at best bizarre, and at worst, borderline anti-Semitism," he added in a statement.
But speaking from the Bahamas, where he is reportedly vacationing with a new girlfriend, Sheen denied Friday being anti-Semitic.
"I was referring to Chuck by his real name, because I wanted to address the man, not the b (expletive) TV persona," he told TMZ, which said Lorre's birth name is Charles Levine.
Sheen, whose birth name is Carlos Estevez, added: "So you're telling me, anytime someone calls me Carlos Estevez, I can claim they are anti-Latino?"
Separately, ABC television cited text messages from Sheen insisting he plans to go to work next week on "Two and a Half Men," despite its cancelation announced Thursday by producers Warner Bros and CBS.
The TV series about hedonistic jingle writer Charlie Harper -- played by Sheen -- has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.
The Nielsen ratings agency listed it in fifth place in its latest TV shows survey, with 14.5 million viewers for its last aired episode.
Sheen was reported as saying that he was close to signing a deal with Home Box Office for a new series called "Sheen's Corner," but an HBO spokesman denied there was a deal in place.
The star filed for divorce from his wife of two years in November, days after being taken to hospital following a reported drunken incident at a luxury New York hotel involving another porn star.
In addition to his reported substance abuse, Sheen had several run-ins with the law in the 1990s in cases related to drugs, domestic violence and prostitution.
William, Kate visit university where love blossomed
AFP, ST ANDREWS, Scotland: Prince William and his fiancee Catherine Middleton were greeted by thousands of well-wishers on Friday as they returned to the Scottish university where their romance began.
As excitement mounts ahead of their April 29 wedding, crowds lined the streets of St Andrews on Scotland's east coast as the royal couple paid an official visit to the historic university where they studied.
Despite a wet and rainy start, the clouds later parted and the sun shone as they walked through the town, smiling and shaking hands with onlookers as people leaned out of windows to catch a glimpse of them.
Middleton was dressed in a vibrant two-piece red suit with a black belt, black gloves and boots, which royal officials stressed was taken from her wardrobe and was not new, while William wore a dark blue suit.
The prince was launching the 600th anniversary celebrations of Scotland's oldest university, on the couple's second official engagement in as many days after the launch of a lifeboat in Wales on Thursday.
"This is a very special moment for Catherine and me, it feels like coming home," William, second in line to the throne, told a crowd of about 600 students and staff at St Salvator's Quad, the historic heart of the university.
"St Andrews still has that uncanny knack of feeling like home, and so it must have done for generations of undergraduates before us."
Joyce Robertson, 60, who turned out to see the royal couple, said: "I've come to see William and Kate because I love the royal family -- I think they will be a wonderful asset to the monarchy."
Commentators said that Middleton's outfit was further evidence that she is shunning new clothes as Britons tighten their belts amid public spending cuts.
On Thursday's first joint official engagement on Anglesey, northwest Wales, she wore a three-quarter length beige coat that she has owned for several years.
The coat was a "perfectly judged touch of austerity chic" that proved she was a royal in the making, commented The Times newspaper.
William, 28, and his fiancee, 29, began dating while sharing a house in the picturesque Scottish seaside town renowned as the home of golf.
They both studied for history of art degrees before the prince switched to geography, with some reports crediting Middleton for encouraging him to change track rather than quit university.
Almost a decade on, they are to marry at Westminster Abbey in a wedding that has captured the world's attention.
Founded in the 15th century, St Andrews is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world.
As excitement mounts ahead of their April 29 wedding, crowds lined the streets of St Andrews on Scotland's east coast as the royal couple paid an official visit to the historic university where they studied.
Despite a wet and rainy start, the clouds later parted and the sun shone as they walked through the town, smiling and shaking hands with onlookers as people leaned out of windows to catch a glimpse of them.
Middleton was dressed in a vibrant two-piece red suit with a black belt, black gloves and boots, which royal officials stressed was taken from her wardrobe and was not new, while William wore a dark blue suit.
The prince was launching the 600th anniversary celebrations of Scotland's oldest university, on the couple's second official engagement in as many days after the launch of a lifeboat in Wales on Thursday.
"This is a very special moment for Catherine and me, it feels like coming home," William, second in line to the throne, told a crowd of about 600 students and staff at St Salvator's Quad, the historic heart of the university.
"St Andrews still has that uncanny knack of feeling like home, and so it must have done for generations of undergraduates before us."
Joyce Robertson, 60, who turned out to see the royal couple, said: "I've come to see William and Kate because I love the royal family -- I think they will be a wonderful asset to the monarchy."
Commentators said that Middleton's outfit was further evidence that she is shunning new clothes as Britons tighten their belts amid public spending cuts.
On Thursday's first joint official engagement on Anglesey, northwest Wales, she wore a three-quarter length beige coat that she has owned for several years.
The coat was a "perfectly judged touch of austerity chic" that proved she was a royal in the making, commented The Times newspaper.
William, 28, and his fiancee, 29, began dating while sharing a house in the picturesque Scottish seaside town renowned as the home of golf.
They both studied for history of art degrees before the prince switched to geography, with some reports crediting Middleton for encouraging him to change track rather than quit university.
Almost a decade on, they are to marry at Westminster Abbey in a wedding that has captured the world's attention.
Founded in the 15th century, St Andrews is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Jerry Seinfeld and wife win cookbook battle
Reuters, NEW YORK: Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has been cleared of defaming an author who contended that his wife's cookbook stole her ideas, in what his lawyers hailed as as a victory for the right to tell jokes.
In a decision made public on Friday, New York State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman found that Seinfeld's mocking tirade on television against cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine could not be considered defamation.
Friedman also dismissed Lapine's plagiarism claims against HarperCollins, the publisher of Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets To Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
"Seinfeld's statements are protected not because they were made in a comedic context nor because they are themselves comedic, but because, as the context and content demonstrate, they are not defamatory as a matter of law," Friedman said, referring to comments Seinfeld made on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
Seinfeld's law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher said the decision "is a complete victory for Jerry - and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
"The decision also vindicates HarperCollins and Jessica Seinfeld yet again, confirming what the two different federal courts have already ruled: Jessica independently created her bestselling book 'Deceptively Delicious'," the attorneys added.
Lapine's attorney, Howard Miller, said "we are evaluating the opinion for an appeal."
Lapine also lost a 2008 lawsuit in a New York federal appeals court in April in which she claimed Jessica Seinfeld plagiarized her book.
Seinfeld's book, published in 2007, showcases techniques for sneaking healthy foods into child-friendly dishes.
Lapine's book, published a few months earlier, was titled "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."
In his "Late Show" appearance, Seinfeld joked that Lapine was a "whacko" who had accused his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Christine Kearney)
In a decision made public on Friday, New York State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman found that Seinfeld's mocking tirade on television against cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine could not be considered defamation.
Friedman also dismissed Lapine's plagiarism claims against HarperCollins, the publisher of Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets To Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
"Seinfeld's statements are protected not because they were made in a comedic context nor because they are themselves comedic, but because, as the context and content demonstrate, they are not defamatory as a matter of law," Friedman said, referring to comments Seinfeld made on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
Seinfeld's law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher said the decision "is a complete victory for Jerry - and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
"The decision also vindicates HarperCollins and Jessica Seinfeld yet again, confirming what the two different federal courts have already ruled: Jessica independently created her bestselling book 'Deceptively Delicious'," the attorneys added.
Lapine's attorney, Howard Miller, said "we are evaluating the opinion for an appeal."
Lapine also lost a 2008 lawsuit in a New York federal appeals court in April in which she claimed Jessica Seinfeld plagiarized her book.
Seinfeld's book, published in 2007, showcases techniques for sneaking healthy foods into child-friendly dishes.
Lapine's book, published a few months earlier, was titled "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."
In his "Late Show" appearance, Seinfeld joked that Lapine was a "whacko" who had accused his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Christine Kearney)
NY judge: Seinfeld can mock cookbook author on TV
AP, NEW YORK: A judge has thrown out a lawsuit by a cookbook author who accused Jerry Seinfeld of hurting her reputation by mocking her on national television.
In a ruling filed with the court Friday, state Justice Marcy Friedman said it was clear the comedian was joking when he called author Missy Chase Lapine a "wacko" during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
The judge said Seinfeld also has a constitutional right to express his opinion.
The suit stemmed from a legal battle in which Lapine accused Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, of stealing her idea for a book on how to get children to eat healthy. Both women had published their books that year. Lapine's was called, "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." Jessica Seinfeld's was titled "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
The case became tabloid fodder, and Seinfeld addressed it on Letterman with a heaping of ridicule.
"One of the fun facts of celebrity life is wackos will wait in the woodwork to pop out at certain moments of your life to inject a little adrenaline into your life experience," Seinfeld told Letterman.
"So there's another woman who had another cookbook," he continued. "My wife never saw the book, read the book, used the book ... But the books came out at the same time. So this woman says, 'I sense this could be my wacko moment.'"
Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
"She comes out and says, 'You stole my mushed-up carrots. You can't put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. I put mushed-up carrots in the casserole.'"
A federal court eventually agreed with Seinfeld that the copyright suit was baseless and tossed it out last year. The judges said there was nothing original about the idea of "stockpiling vegetable purees for covert use in children's food."
Friedman's ruling, signed Wednesday but filed Friday, noted that you can't sue someone for libel in the U.S. merely for hurling an insult. You must show that a person lied about facts in order to damage a person's reputation and did so in such a way that a reasonable person would have believed that those false statements were true.
Given all of the hyperbole in his jokes — one of which implied that people who went by three names, like Lapin, were predisposed to become assassins — the judge said she found it "inconceivable" that a reasonable viewer thought he was serious about fearing for his safety. And as for Seinfeld's suggestion that Lapine was an opportunist making up baseless plagiarism claims, the judge wrote that he was entitled to voice his opinion.
"If the law were to the contrary, the protection of the First Amendment would be unacceptably denied to persons who publicly defend themselves against what they believe to be baseless charges or lawsuits," she wrote.
The judge also absolved "Deceptively Delicious" publisher HarperCollins of any wrongdoing. Lapine had accused the company of lifting ideas from a book proposal she sent the company in 2006.
Lapine's lawyer, Howard Miller, said he and his client were evaluating the opinion and would decide later whether to appeal. He had no other comment.
Seinfeld's attorney, Orin Snyder, called the decision "a complete victory for Jerry, and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
In a ruling filed with the court Friday, state Justice Marcy Friedman said it was clear the comedian was joking when he called author Missy Chase Lapine a "wacko" during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2007.
The judge said Seinfeld also has a constitutional right to express his opinion.
The suit stemmed from a legal battle in which Lapine accused Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, of stealing her idea for a book on how to get children to eat healthy. Both women had published their books that year. Lapine's was called, "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." Jessica Seinfeld's was titled "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
The case became tabloid fodder, and Seinfeld addressed it on Letterman with a heaping of ridicule.
"One of the fun facts of celebrity life is wackos will wait in the woodwork to pop out at certain moments of your life to inject a little adrenaline into your life experience," Seinfeld told Letterman.
"So there's another woman who had another cookbook," he continued. "My wife never saw the book, read the book, used the book ... But the books came out at the same time. So this woman says, 'I sense this could be my wacko moment.'"
Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism."
"She comes out and says, 'You stole my mushed-up carrots. You can't put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. I put mushed-up carrots in the casserole.'"
A federal court eventually agreed with Seinfeld that the copyright suit was baseless and tossed it out last year. The judges said there was nothing original about the idea of "stockpiling vegetable purees for covert use in children's food."
Friedman's ruling, signed Wednesday but filed Friday, noted that you can't sue someone for libel in the U.S. merely for hurling an insult. You must show that a person lied about facts in order to damage a person's reputation and did so in such a way that a reasonable person would have believed that those false statements were true.
Given all of the hyperbole in his jokes — one of which implied that people who went by three names, like Lapin, were predisposed to become assassins — the judge said she found it "inconceivable" that a reasonable viewer thought he was serious about fearing for his safety. And as for Seinfeld's suggestion that Lapine was an opportunist making up baseless plagiarism claims, the judge wrote that he was entitled to voice his opinion.
"If the law were to the contrary, the protection of the First Amendment would be unacceptably denied to persons who publicly defend themselves against what they believe to be baseless charges or lawsuits," she wrote.
The judge also absolved "Deceptively Delicious" publisher HarperCollins of any wrongdoing. Lapine had accused the company of lifting ideas from a book proposal she sent the company in 2006.
Lapine's lawyer, Howard Miller, said he and his client were evaluating the opinion and would decide later whether to appeal. He had no other comment.
Seinfeld's attorney, Orin Snyder, called the decision "a complete victory for Jerry, and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes."
NHRC to monitor Bangladesh health sector
National Human Rights Commission would monitor the health services across the country with support from the students to ensure doctors’ presence at workplace, the commission chairman Mizanur Rahman said on Thursday.
‘The commission will also monitor the drug supply and distribution system of the government hospitals,’ he said.
Rahman was addressing at the national conference on ‘Health Rights : Peoples’ Expectations’ organised by Shastha Andolan at the auditorium of Islamic Development Bank Bhaban in the city.
He said the government should introduce one month training at village level for medical students as part of their studies.
‘The government should introduce such a course curriculum where the medical students should stay at the villages every year for one month as part of their studies. Otherwise, he or she should not get the promotion,’ Mizanur Rahman said.
The NHRC chairman also alleged that many doctors were doing business making the ordinary people fool and they were doing this knowingly.
He cited an example that a few days back physicians at Mitford Hospital suggested a pregnant women to immediately go for caesarean operation for delivery saying that she had complicacy. But while the doctors were taking preparation for the surgery, the women delivered a baby normally.
Speaking on the occasion, Zafrullah Chowdhury, trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, said constructing hospital buildings did not define the health service of a country. ‘At the same time we cannot get a total picture of the health sector through some numbers.’
He said the state-owned Essential Drugs Company Limited can produce quality drugs, but the government has no initiative to promote the company.
Rashid E Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement, said the healthcare system in Bangladesh is based on diseases, drugs and doctors. Public health is totally ignored in our health system, he said.
The government should ensure primary and emergency medical care to all the country’s people, Mahbub added.
Makhduma Nargis, project director of community clinic project, Naila Zaman Khan, director of Shishu Bikash Kendra of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, MQK Talukder, chairman of Women and Children Health Centre and Farida Akhter, executive director of Shastha Andolan, among others, were present at the conference.
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‘The commission will also monitor the drug supply and distribution system of the government hospitals,’ he said.
Rahman was addressing at the national conference on ‘Health Rights : Peoples’ Expectations’ organised by Shastha Andolan at the auditorium of Islamic Development Bank Bhaban in the city.
He said the government should introduce one month training at village level for medical students as part of their studies.
‘The government should introduce such a course curriculum where the medical students should stay at the villages every year for one month as part of their studies. Otherwise, he or she should not get the promotion,’ Mizanur Rahman said.
The NHRC chairman also alleged that many doctors were doing business making the ordinary people fool and they were doing this knowingly.
He cited an example that a few days back physicians at Mitford Hospital suggested a pregnant women to immediately go for caesarean operation for delivery saying that she had complicacy. But while the doctors were taking preparation for the surgery, the women delivered a baby normally.
Speaking on the occasion, Zafrullah Chowdhury, trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, said constructing hospital buildings did not define the health service of a country. ‘At the same time we cannot get a total picture of the health sector through some numbers.’
He said the state-owned Essential Drugs Company Limited can produce quality drugs, but the government has no initiative to promote the company.
Rashid E Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement, said the healthcare system in Bangladesh is based on diseases, drugs and doctors. Public health is totally ignored in our health system, he said.
The government should ensure primary and emergency medical care to all the country’s people, Mahbub added.
Makhduma Nargis, project director of community clinic project, Naila Zaman Khan, director of Shishu Bikash Kendra of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, MQK Talukder, chairman of Women and Children Health Centre and Farida Akhter, executive director of Shastha Andolan, among others, were present at the conference.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Dhaka University impossible for English medium students no more
HAPPINESS isn’t something you experience, it’s something you remember (Oscar Levant, American actor, pianist and composer, 1906-1972). The experience of getting admitted to Dhaka University’s business studies faculty despite being an English medium student will always play a significant role in my life. The biggest role in this success was that of my parents, who supported me during the pressure I was going through at that time.
The education system in Bangladesh has three segments until the twelfth standard - Bangla, English and Madrassah mediums. While the Bangla and Madrassah medium students have an established admission procedure for the fiercely competitive and esteemed DU admission tests, English medium students face difficulty. The main reasons include lack of information, no guidance, a completely different curriculum, no access to study materials and sample questions papers for the admission test and misconception among English medium students regarding access to DU. Due to the mediocre quality of most local private universities and the increased costs of education locally and globally, talented English medium students suffer poorly.
Consequently, it seemed difficult to fulfil my parents’ dream of getting myself admitted into DU after my A Level examination. Then I came across BridgeWee, which prepares English medium students for DU admission test. It provided me with all the resources and inspiration that were required for the admission test. During the preparation, I had to think about all the other options. ‘Was I making the right choice?’ — this particular question used to roam around in my head all the time. There were times when I even thought of applying abroad and almost did, but at the end I decided to stay and study here. Since then, I had always had a doubt about my decision. I had also prepared for IBA admission test because I did not want to put all my eggs in one basket. I was very confident about both the exams, but unfortunately, couldn’t make it to IBA. However, when I got my admission result for the business faculty, I felt like the whole world was in my hands. I was selected from more than 32,000 candidates! I felt like I was the happiest person in the world. After one week of classes in the University of Dhaka, I knew my answer, and it was a big YES — I had made the right decision.
DU has a vibrant campus life with an amazing learning culture. Indeed, you can learn a lot even by walking through the campus where the brightest minds of the country unite. I am proud that I study in a university which played pivotal role in our language movement as well as in our liberation war. Moreover, the business studies faculty stands apart from other business schools of the country. It won Battle of Minds and DCCI Vision 2030 Competition last year. It has also performed wonderfully in HSBC Young Entrepreneurs Award and other international competitions such as Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition. Today, the whole world depends on business; this very competitive sector provides lots of job opportunities. So, my message to A Level students would be to unleash and utilise their potentials for this faculty — one of the best business schools of the country.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The education system in Bangladesh has three segments until the twelfth standard - Bangla, English and Madrassah mediums. While the Bangla and Madrassah medium students have an established admission procedure for the fiercely competitive and esteemed DU admission tests, English medium students face difficulty. The main reasons include lack of information, no guidance, a completely different curriculum, no access to study materials and sample questions papers for the admission test and misconception among English medium students regarding access to DU. Due to the mediocre quality of most local private universities and the increased costs of education locally and globally, talented English medium students suffer poorly.
Consequently, it seemed difficult to fulfil my parents’ dream of getting myself admitted into DU after my A Level examination. Then I came across BridgeWee, which prepares English medium students for DU admission test. It provided me with all the resources and inspiration that were required for the admission test. During the preparation, I had to think about all the other options. ‘Was I making the right choice?’ — this particular question used to roam around in my head all the time. There were times when I even thought of applying abroad and almost did, but at the end I decided to stay and study here. Since then, I had always had a doubt about my decision. I had also prepared for IBA admission test because I did not want to put all my eggs in one basket. I was very confident about both the exams, but unfortunately, couldn’t make it to IBA. However, when I got my admission result for the business faculty, I felt like the whole world was in my hands. I was selected from more than 32,000 candidates! I felt like I was the happiest person in the world. After one week of classes in the University of Dhaka, I knew my answer, and it was a big YES — I had made the right decision.
DU has a vibrant campus life with an amazing learning culture. Indeed, you can learn a lot even by walking through the campus where the brightest minds of the country unite. I am proud that I study in a university which played pivotal role in our language movement as well as in our liberation war. Moreover, the business studies faculty stands apart from other business schools of the country. It won Battle of Minds and DCCI Vision 2030 Competition last year. It has also performed wonderfully in HSBC Young Entrepreneurs Award and other international competitions such as Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition. Today, the whole world depends on business; this very competitive sector provides lots of job opportunities. So, my message to A Level students would be to unleash and utilise their potentials for this faculty — one of the best business schools of the country.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Bangladesh govt adopts satellite town projects
The state minister for housing and public works, Abdul Mannan Khan, on Thursday said the government has taken a project for setting up four satellite towns adjacent to the capital to reduce existing housing crisis in the Dhaka city.
‘We initially have selected a place in Savar for setting up a satellite city and the implementation works will be started soon,’ said the state minister in reply to a question of Asma Zerin Jhumu during the question-answer session at the National Parliament.
He also said that after taking opinions from the local people and their representatives, the works for land acquisition would be started as per the government policy.
The state minister said that the government also had adopted a plan to set up three other towns soon.
According to the plan, a satellite town, named Ichhamati, would be set up at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj while two other satellite towns, named Dhaleswari and Bangshi, would be set up at Singair in Manikganj and at Dhamrai in Dhaka.
Answering to a question of lawmaker Waresat Hossain Belal, the state minister said that the buildings constructed illegally on government lands in the city would be removed in phases and the lands would be freed from the illegal occupants.
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‘We initially have selected a place in Savar for setting up a satellite city and the implementation works will be started soon,’ said the state minister in reply to a question of Asma Zerin Jhumu during the question-answer session at the National Parliament.
He also said that after taking opinions from the local people and their representatives, the works for land acquisition would be started as per the government policy.
The state minister said that the government also had adopted a plan to set up three other towns soon.
According to the plan, a satellite town, named Ichhamati, would be set up at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj while two other satellite towns, named Dhaleswari and Bangshi, would be set up at Singair in Manikganj and at Dhamrai in Dhaka.
Answering to a question of lawmaker Waresat Hossain Belal, the state minister said that the buildings constructed illegally on government lands in the city would be removed in phases and the lands would be freed from the illegal occupants.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
500 RUET students sued for damaging property
Principal of Agrani School and College filed a case against 400 to 500 students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology accusing them of attacking and damaging Tk 52 lakh property of ASC Wednesday night.
ASC principal Tahura Khanam lodged the damage suit with Motihar thana Wednesday night.
At least 50 students were injured in a fierce clash between students of RUET and ASC Wednesday evening.
An emergency meeting, chaired by RUET VC professor Sirajul Karim Chowdhury, at night closed RUET sine die following the violence.
Meanwhile, an inquiry committee was formed by RUET to investigate the incident. The decision came from another emergency meeting, held Thursday afternoon and chaired by the VC. The meeting also reviewed campus situation.
Earlier, resident students of RUET vacated their dormitories by 9:00am Thursday responding to the notice issued by authorities following its closure for indefinite period.
Local sources said as Mokbul Hossain, a student of Agrani School and College situated on RUET campus, smoked cigarette sitting on Shaheed Minar, RUET student Tarek protested at it Wednesday noon, triggering a clash that left 50 injured on both sides.
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ASC principal Tahura Khanam lodged the damage suit with Motihar thana Wednesday night.
At least 50 students were injured in a fierce clash between students of RUET and ASC Wednesday evening.
An emergency meeting, chaired by RUET VC professor Sirajul Karim Chowdhury, at night closed RUET sine die following the violence.
Meanwhile, an inquiry committee was formed by RUET to investigate the incident. The decision came from another emergency meeting, held Thursday afternoon and chaired by the VC. The meeting also reviewed campus situation.
Earlier, resident students of RUET vacated their dormitories by 9:00am Thursday responding to the notice issued by authorities following its closure for indefinite period.
Local sources said as Mokbul Hossain, a student of Agrani School and College situated on RUET campus, smoked cigarette sitting on Shaheed Minar, RUET student Tarek protested at it Wednesday noon, triggering a clash that left 50 injured on both sides.
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71 BGB men jailed
Seventy-one soldiers of Border Guard Bangladesh 17 Battalion were awarded various terms of imprisonment for their involvement in 2009 BDR mutiny.
The special court-16, led by Rangamati sector commander Colonel Md Bashirul Islam, also fined them Tk 100 each.
Among the convicts, 12 jawans were jailed for seven years, 13 jawans for six years, six jawns for five years, four jawans for four years, one jawan for three years, three jawans for two years and six months, 12 jawans for two years, four jawans for six months, 15 jawans for one year and one jawan for six months.
The convicts expressed their solidarity with the mutineers of BDR headquarters at Pilkhana on February 25-26, 2009.
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The special court-16, led by Rangamati sector commander Colonel Md Bashirul Islam, also fined them Tk 100 each.
Among the convicts, 12 jawans were jailed for seven years, 13 jawans for six years, six jawns for five years, four jawans for four years, one jawan for three years, three jawans for two years and six months, 12 jawans for two years, four jawans for six months, 15 jawans for one year and one jawan for six months.
The convicts expressed their solidarity with the mutineers of BDR headquarters at Pilkhana on February 25-26, 2009.
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Housewife gang raped
Four youngsters sneaked into the house of a young housewife in the absence of her husband and raped her at Biswaspara in the town early Wednesday night.
Neighbours said Tushar Hossain, a trader, used to live with his 19-year-old wife in rented house. Ratan Hossain, spoiled son of Abdur Razzak of the same area, and his three associates sneaked into her house at about 9:00pm when Tushar was away on business purpose. They took the young women in their grip, stifled her voice by putting clothe in her mouth and raped her.
As the victim was groaning, neighbours smelt wrong and immediately informed the RAB, who came to the spot.
Sensing trouble, the rapists fled. RAB and neighbours chased them and managed to hold Ratan but three others managed to escape.
Ratan was given a good thrash before handing over to the police along with evidences of rape. The victim filed a case.
RAB official Hafizur Rahman said efforts were on to round up the other rapists.
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Neighbours said Tushar Hossain, a trader, used to live with his 19-year-old wife in rented house. Ratan Hossain, spoiled son of Abdur Razzak of the same area, and his three associates sneaked into her house at about 9:00pm when Tushar was away on business purpose. They took the young women in their grip, stifled her voice by putting clothe in her mouth and raped her.
As the victim was groaning, neighbours smelt wrong and immediately informed the RAB, who came to the spot.
Sensing trouble, the rapists fled. RAB and neighbours chased them and managed to hold Ratan but three others managed to escape.
Ratan was given a good thrash before handing over to the police along with evidences of rape. The victim filed a case.
RAB official Hafizur Rahman said efforts were on to round up the other rapists.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Deep seaport project on track, says Bangladesh shipping minister
The shipping minister, Shajahan Khan, has said the proposed deep seaport project was on the right track as the government has already hired consultants to turn the dream into reality.
‘The project will be launched certainly within the tenure of the present government. And we have made tremendous progress on it,’ he said at a ‘Meet-the-press’ programme of Shipping and Communication Journalist Forum, Bangladesh in Dhaka Thursday.
The forum organised the programme at the National Press Club to focus on the problems in Bangladesh river routes, especially their safety measures and navigability with journalist Anisur Rahman Khan moderating it.
Shajahan, responding to media queries, said talks were underway with bilateral aid agencies and encouraging responses were coming from them. He expressed the hope that the nation would soon hear a ‘good’ news on deep seaport, a project that aims to integrate Bangladesh with regional trade and commerce.
The minister said massive siltation in major river systems over decades got huge accumulation of silts at riverbeds and those were never removed to allow water vessels move smoothly. The present government, he said, has taken a nine-year project for capital dredging at a cost of Tk 11,473 crore.
‘The dredging has already started in a limited scale,’ he said pointing to the dredging at Mawa-Jazira point, where ferries now take just two hours instead of three and a half hours for a single trip. He, however, said the dredgers were inadequate compared to the necessity.
The minister said the circular waterway around Dhaka city would be made functional at any cost. A total of 13 bridges have been identified and these bridges would be replaced by bridges of higher elevation.
He sought continuous media monitoring to help authorities free the Buriganga from encroachers and infuse a new life into the morbid river.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
‘The project will be launched certainly within the tenure of the present government. And we have made tremendous progress on it,’ he said at a ‘Meet-the-press’ programme of Shipping and Communication Journalist Forum, Bangladesh in Dhaka Thursday.
The forum organised the programme at the National Press Club to focus on the problems in Bangladesh river routes, especially their safety measures and navigability with journalist Anisur Rahman Khan moderating it.
Shajahan, responding to media queries, said talks were underway with bilateral aid agencies and encouraging responses were coming from them. He expressed the hope that the nation would soon hear a ‘good’ news on deep seaport, a project that aims to integrate Bangladesh with regional trade and commerce.
The minister said massive siltation in major river systems over decades got huge accumulation of silts at riverbeds and those were never removed to allow water vessels move smoothly. The present government, he said, has taken a nine-year project for capital dredging at a cost of Tk 11,473 crore.
‘The dredging has already started in a limited scale,’ he said pointing to the dredging at Mawa-Jazira point, where ferries now take just two hours instead of three and a half hours for a single trip. He, however, said the dredgers were inadequate compared to the necessity.
The minister said the circular waterway around Dhaka city would be made functional at any cost. A total of 13 bridges have been identified and these bridges would be replaced by bridges of higher elevation.
He sought continuous media monitoring to help authorities free the Buriganga from encroachers and infuse a new life into the morbid river.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Chittagong arms haul probe extended for 36 days
A Chittagong court Thursday extended 36 days more time for further comprehensive inquiry into the sensational 10-truckload of arms and ammunition haul case on the ground of special emphasis on ascertaining the vessel which carried the arms into Bangladesh territory from abroad.
Criminal Investigation Department filed a petition before the Court of Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Shamsul Islam seeking 90 days time extension on February 20. The court sought case diary for its progress but rebuked the investigation officer of the case and senior assistant superintendent of police Moniruzzaman for failing to submit CD before the court on February 22.
The metropolitan public prosecutor Kamal Uddin Ahmed who recommended the petition informed the court that they need 90 days more time for identifying the foreign vessel which carried the arms as investigation agency failed to dig it out.
The state pleader also informed the court that the earlier interrogation process was delayed because it needed more time to complete interrogation of the individual concerned including former additional secretary of the ministry of industries Nurul Amin, former home secretary Omar Faruk, former director general of DGFI Sadek Hassain Rumi and managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited Mohosin Uddin Talukdar.
However, the court after hearing the time petition Thursday granted 36 days more time for extensive inquiry into the arms haul.
With the Thursday’s one it is the 12th round of time extension for carrying out detailed investigation into the much-talked-about abortive but the country’s biggest arms and ammunition smuggling case on April 1 in 2004.
Meanwhile, the detained former MD of CUFL Mohosin Uddin Talukdar was taken to Dhaka from Chittagong Wednesday to quiz him in Joint Interrogation cell when the court on February 15 granted five-day remand.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Criminal Investigation Department filed a petition before the Court of Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Shamsul Islam seeking 90 days time extension on February 20. The court sought case diary for its progress but rebuked the investigation officer of the case and senior assistant superintendent of police Moniruzzaman for failing to submit CD before the court on February 22.
The metropolitan public prosecutor Kamal Uddin Ahmed who recommended the petition informed the court that they need 90 days more time for identifying the foreign vessel which carried the arms as investigation agency failed to dig it out.
The state pleader also informed the court that the earlier interrogation process was delayed because it needed more time to complete interrogation of the individual concerned including former additional secretary of the ministry of industries Nurul Amin, former home secretary Omar Faruk, former director general of DGFI Sadek Hassain Rumi and managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited Mohosin Uddin Talukdar.
However, the court after hearing the time petition Thursday granted 36 days more time for extensive inquiry into the arms haul.
With the Thursday’s one it is the 12th round of time extension for carrying out detailed investigation into the much-talked-about abortive but the country’s biggest arms and ammunition smuggling case on April 1 in 2004.
Meanwhile, the detained former MD of CUFL Mohosin Uddin Talukdar was taken to Dhaka from Chittagong Wednesday to quiz him in Joint Interrogation cell when the court on February 15 granted five-day remand.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
ECNEC okays 11 projects involving Tk 6,445cr in Bangladesh
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council has approved 11 development projects involving Tk 6,445 crore, including a huge project to develop physical
infrastructures in selected private secondary schools at a cost of Tk 2,115 crore.
With the ECNEC chairperson and prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in the chair, the approval was given at its meeting held at the NEC conference room on Thursday.
‘Of the total project cost of Tk 6,445 crore, Tk 6,337 crore will come from the government exchequer while Tk 108 crore as project assistance,’ said the planning minister, AK Khandker, while briefing reporters after the meeting. The Planning Division secretary, M Monzur Hossain, was present.
The physical infrastructure development project will be implemented wholly by the government fund. Under the project, each of the members of parliament will be allowed to choose 10 private schools for their development of physical infrastructures.
Answering a question, the planning minister said although Annual Development Programme implementation progress in the first seven months (July-January) of the current fiscal reached 33 per cent, 2 per cent short of the corresponding period of previous fiscal, but the disbursement was much higher than the previous fiscal.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
infrastructures in selected private secondary schools at a cost of Tk 2,115 crore.
With the ECNEC chairperson and prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in the chair, the approval was given at its meeting held at the NEC conference room on Thursday.
‘Of the total project cost of Tk 6,445 crore, Tk 6,337 crore will come from the government exchequer while Tk 108 crore as project assistance,’ said the planning minister, AK Khandker, while briefing reporters after the meeting. The Planning Division secretary, M Monzur Hossain, was present.
The physical infrastructure development project will be implemented wholly by the government fund. Under the project, each of the members of parliament will be allowed to choose 10 private schools for their development of physical infrastructures.
Answering a question, the planning minister said although Annual Development Programme implementation progress in the first seven months (July-January) of the current fiscal reached 33 per cent, 2 per cent short of the corresponding period of previous fiscal, but the disbursement was much higher than the previous fiscal.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Bangladeshi dies in plane
A Bangladeshi youth died in a plane while returning to Sylhet from Jeddah, capital of Saudi Arabia Thursday afternoon.
The deceased was Imam Uddin, 28, son of late Yusuf Ali of Upordumka village of Goainghat upzilla of Sylhet.
Family sources said Imam was suffering from jaundice and was admitted to a hospital in Jeddah. He was advised to return to Bangladesh for a change.
He died in a flight of Bangladesh Biman at 1:40pm. The plane landed at Osmani International Airport at 3:40pm.
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The deceased was Imam Uddin, 28, son of late Yusuf Ali of Upordumka village of Goainghat upzilla of Sylhet.
Family sources said Imam was suffering from jaundice and was admitted to a hospital in Jeddah. He was advised to return to Bangladesh for a change.
He died in a flight of Bangladesh Biman at 1:40pm. The plane landed at Osmani International Airport at 3:40pm.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
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