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Jennifer Hudson's Brother-in-Law Arrested for Family Murders

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:17:28 -0600

Marcus Errico and Natalie Finn Marcus Errico And Natalie Finn

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law has just gone from "person of interest" to prime suspect in the slayings of her mother, brother and nephew.

Chicago police today arrested William Balfour for the Oct. 24 shooting deaths that ripped the Dreamgirls star's family apart.

Chicago police detectives went to the Illinois' Stateville Correctional Center, where Balfour has been detained since two days after the murders. The 27-year-old was transferred into police custody at 2:45 local time.

"He is awaiting formal charges for three counts of murder," a police department spokesman told E! News. "There likely will be a press conference once there are formal charges against him."

Defense attorney Joshua Kutnick told reporters outside the police station that his client has maintained his innocence.

"He vehemently denies that he is guilty in this case," Kutnick said. "Any evidence pointing to Mr. Balfour is not even thin. It is very, very weak."

Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death in the family's Chicago home. Seven-year-old Julian King, the son of Hudson's sister, Julia, was reported missing and found dead from a gunshot wound to the head three days later in an abandoned SUV.

Police said that Julian was likely taken alive from the house and then killed in the vehicle. Hudson was called upon to identify the bodies of all three.

Balfour was deemed a "person of interest" in the case almost immediately after the murders transfixed the nation. But he was jailed on an unrelated charges of parole violation stemming from a 1999 attempted-murder conviction, for which he spent seven years in prison. He was released in 2006.

At a hearing last month, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board decided to keep him locked up after hearing evidence that he appeared in places where drugs were sold and, according to his girlfriend, being in possession of a gun matching the description of the Hudson murder weapon.

The suspect's mother, Michelle Davis-Balfour, told reporters tonight that the authorities didn't have a case.

"If they found gun powder on his hands, you got a case," she said. "If they found a gun on him, he had a case. If they found a fingerprint on the truck that he did this, you got a case— but they don't have nothing."

Hudson's publicist, Lisa Kasteler, had no comment Monday.

Nicole Kidman 'hated' by Facebook users

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:09:17 -0600

Melbourne, December 2 : Nicole Kidman seems to be a popular topic of discussion on Facebook - because of users' hatred towards the actress.

And their hatred has sky-rocketed so much that they are forming anti-Kidman campaigns.

The Academy Award-winner is said to be the target of groups such as "Am I Taking Crazy Pills or is Nicole Kidman the Worst Actress in the World?" "Nicole Kidman is Satan", or simply "I hate Nicole Kidman" - by people never likely to have met the star or known her personally.

While Avi Aronstan said "She is manipulative, calculating and two faced!" Jarrod Booth blogger wrote "she has the emotional scope of a spoon and she's ugly," News.com.au reports.

The actress has further been violently critiqued on the social networking website for her acting skills for her recent performance in the romance-epic film 'Australia'.

While some dubbed the celebrity as the "ice queen", others held her "baby brain" accountable for an "overpaid" performance.

The Kidman-hating bloggers also put up her digitally altered pictures to make her look 100 years old -even attack her entirely innocent newborn baby.

Meanwhile, those close to the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador continued to vouch for Kidman calling her practical, sensitive and hard-working woman, committed to her family and far at bay from 'the prima donna about her'.

Hollywood's Most Overexposed Celebrities

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:46:51 -0600

All press is good press, the old adage goes. This does not apply to Paris Hilton.

The celebutante's every move, from her club-hopping to her jail stint to her search for a new best friend has proved fodder for the flashbulbs and celebrity press. But what has the incessant coverage garnered her? Eye rolls--and worse, audience disinterest.

In fact, 65% of the U.S. population would use the term "overexposed" to describe Hilton, according to Los Angeles-based E-Poll Market Research, which provides "appeal" rankings for nearly 4,500 celebrities. To put that in perspective, most celebrities average between 3% and 7% on the E-Poll celebrity index during the peak of their careers.

But Hilton isn't the only star to have worn out her public welcome. Audiences have tired of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Pamela Anderson, among others. And while overexposure may have less to do with the precise number of headlines than it does the public's perception, the 10 celebrities on our list have proved that familiarity can, and does, breed contempt.

So who's to blame for the media onslaught and the fatigue that follows?

"Is it the paparazzi's fault? They contribute," says Lori Levine, chief executive of talent brokering firm Flying Television. "Is it the insatiable appetite of the American public? That contributes. Is it the invention and obsession with YouTube? Yes, that contributes too."

And don't forget the growing list of spotlight-seeking stars that chase the flashbulbs as much--if not more--than the flashbulbs chase them. Consider Lohan, third on our list, who seems to make a habit of migrating to paparazzi stalking grounds like Les Deux, Villa and trendy eatery Katsuya.

Star Editor-in-Chief Candace Trunzo says that if celebrities don't want to line the pages of her magazine, they don't have to. "By and large, if you really want to be a private person and live a private life, you can do it," she says, citing Johnny Depp as an example.

But many crave the limelight for good reason. Unlike Depp, they don't have a steady stream of projects keeping them in the public eye. Rather, they rely on media attention to keep them relevant--and famous.

Take The Hills' best friend-turned-best enemy Heidi Montag, who lands at No. 10 on our list. With both her music and fashion forays proving flops, she has managed to parlay her on-again-off-again relationships and outings with MTV co-star Lauren Conrad and bad boy beau Spencer Pratt into tabloid-worthy fodder. (Had we expanded our list, Pratt would have ranked No. 12).

"Heidi and Spencer have turned overexposure into an art form," says In Touch Editor-in-Chief Richard Spencer, who marvels at the flashbulb-focused lovers' vast numbers of petty feuds and photo ops.

Levine agrees. "Heidi and Spencer are the ones that really understand, more than anyone else, what it takes," she says. "They're unabashedly unashamed about being completely overexposed." And their reward for it: Still more exposure.

Source: Yahoo News!

India among 20 most dangerous countries to visit

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:16:49 -0600

India has been named among the 20 most dangerous countries to visit following the Mumbai terror strikes, the British daily said in an online report.

British government has issued a fresh travel warning, asking its citizens not to travel to India, particularly, Mumbai.

India has been placed along side countries, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine, Mexico, Thailand and South Africa.

“There is a real threat of ethnic riots and terrorism in Pakistan,” it further said.

Circus !! The Big Top !! Britney or Take That - Who will WIN !!

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:28:52 -0600

It's either a huge mistake or a brilliantly contrived piece of PR, but Britney Spears and Take That are both releasing an album called Circus (or The Circus) on the same day.

There won't be a Blur vs Oasis-style chart battle - Take That's album has already broken pre-order records, ensuring that it will go to number one by the end of the week.

But, as any chart historian knows, securing the top spot is no guarantee of quality - just ask Elvis, whose Suspicious Minds was robbed of chart glory by Rolf Harris's Two Little Boys.

So, who has constructed a better big top - Take That or Britney Spears?

Spanish singer voted off X Factor

allvoices / contributed news — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:38:56 -0600

Spanish singer Ruth Lorenzo has said buenas noches to The X Factor, after receiving the fewest public votes in Saturday's live show.

The 26-year-old bowed out with a final rendition of Bon Jovi's Always.

Britney Spears also took to the X Factor stage to perform current hit single Womanizer, in her first UK television performance in four years.

Earlier, all of the five remaining contestants sang one of Spears' hits and an American classic.

Lorenzo said: "I fought with all my heart, with everything I had. And this doesn't end here.

X FACTOR SONG CHOICES Ruth Lorenzo
Britney: I Love Rock 'n' Roll
America: Always (Bon Jovi)

JLS
Britney: Baby... One More Time
America: You Light Up My Life (Whitney Houston)

Alexandra Burke
Britney: Toxic
America: Listen (Beyonce)

Eoghan Quigg
Britney: Sometimes
America: We're All In This Together (High School Musical)

Diana Vickers
Britney: Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman
America: Everybody Hurts (REM)

"This is the beginning of my dream.

'Friend forever'

"All I can say is thank you so much. I never ever dreamed of this ever."

Her mentor, Dannii Minogue paid tribute to the Spanish bombshell, saying she had "an incredible vocal".

"She was the most beautiful person to work with. She's going to be a friend forever," she said.

Earlier judge Simon Cowell praised her "determination and effort".

With the show down to its final weeks, Lorenzo was chosen solely by public vote.

Her exit means Diana Vickers, Eoghan Quigg, Alexandra Burke and boyband JLS have all secured a place in the show's semi-final.

Burke, 20, is now favourite to win the show, after singing powerful versions of Spears' Toxic and Beyonce's Listen.

Simon Cowell told the Londoner her performance of the Dream Girls song was the "best performance of the competition".

"You make me very proud to be British," he said.

Britney On X Factor !! Raunchy as Ever

allvoices / contributed news — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:11:05 -0600

Raunchy Britney Spears steals the show as she performs on X Factor

Watch the Video....

Nov 30 2008 By Heather Greenaway Sunday Mail Scotland

BRITNEY SPEARS exploded on to the X Factor stage last night in her first UK appearance in more than four years.

The troubled Toxic star wowed the audience with a raunchy circus-themed performance of her single Womanizer on the night sexy Spanish singer Ruth Lorenzo, 26, was voted off.

She told host Dermot O'Leary: "I'm having an awesome time. It's great being here and I've met so many amazing people.

"The acts are great. My message to them is good luck and keep doing it."

But despite the words of encouragement, Britney snubbed meeting the contestants.

The five finalists paid tribute to Britney by covering her songs on the American-themed show, in which Hannah Montana sensation Miley Cyrus also guest starred.

Ruth, who sang Britney's I Love Rock'n'Roll and Bon Jovi's Always, refused to be downhearted about her exit.

She said: "I have fought with all my heart throughout this competition and this is just the beginning of my dream."

Ruth was praised by the judges throughout with Louis Walsh saying: "You are one sexy senorita. I loved everything about your performances."

Simon was equally high in his praise saying: "You are absolutely brilliant.

You are getting better and better."

But the outcome was dictated by the public vote, which sent last week's survivors JLS through.

This was despite criticism from the judges.

Simon slated their version of Britney's Baby One More Time.

PR actress Roselyn Sanchez marries Eric Winter

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:36:08 -0600

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sanchez has gotten married at a historic San Juan fort in front of 250 guests that included Eva Longoria Parker.

Sanchez and actor Eric Winter arrived Saturday at the San Cristobal fort in a white Mercedes Benz. Guests also included actor Amaury Nolasco and Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila and his family.

Sanchez wore a princess-style dress with hand-embroidered pearls and diamonds created by Venezuelan designer Angel Sanchez. Winter wore a Calvin Klein suit.

The couple expects to honeymoon in the Mayan Rivera.

The 35-year-old Sanchez appears in the CBS series "Without a Trace" and produced the 2007 movie "Yellow." The 32-year-old Wi nter has appeared in the soap "Days of Our Lives."

Don't call it a comeback for britney spears

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:17:45 -0600

Don't call it a comeback.

"Comeback" doesn't even come close to describing what Britney Spears has done on her new album, arriving in stores Tuesday, her 27th birthday. Not only is "Circus" (Jive) the best album of her career, but it could return her to the kind of massive, multiplatinum sales that she hadn't seen since the turn of the century.

"Circus" is overflowing with smart, savvy dance pop -- the kind of hits that she has hinted at in the past with "Toxic" and "I'm a Slave 4 U" -- that creates the perfect escapist soundtrack for these downsized times. All these accomplishments are made that much more incredible considering how low she had sunk -- personally and professionally -- last year with her string of tabloid-worthy exploits and the embarrassment of her clumsy train wreck of a performance on MTV's "Video Music Awards."

Her last album, "Blackout," sounded so cobbled together and half-done that many wondered if Spears would even be able to record another album, much less one as impressive as "Circus." Though she worked with essentially the same producers and songwriters this time out, the results are so different that Spears herself -- generally known for her choreography and packaging rather than her studio chops -- must be responsible for the change.

The monster hit "Womanizer" is only the beginning of the radio-ready barrage Spears is about to throw down. The title track, written by Dr. Luke, is another sleek dance-floor filler, as is the dizzying "Mannequin." And she has the disco-influenced "Lace and Leather," with its scratch guitar and Chic-inspired bass line.

"Lace and Leather" is another example of the biggest surprise of "Circus" -- the way that it nods to previous classics before taking the songs in a new, contemporary direction. Spears has never been one to look back in her music, but there's a bit of Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High" on "Mmm Papi," a bouncy little multi-culti trifle that telescopes several decades of sugary pop into a little more than three minutes. "Kill the Lights" -- which chronicles her dealings with paparazzi, or maybe one particular paparazzo ex-boyfriend, as she says, "Is that money in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" -- opens with a call-and-response similar to Aretha Franklin's "Respect." And on the bonus track "Amnesia," one of the album's catchiest tracks, Spears comes over like a cross between the Ronettes and Fergie as she coos, "I get amnesia when I'm sitting next to you-ooh-ooh."

It's all part of what seems like a new direction for Spears, one that values musicianship. She tackles some ballads, both from Robbie Williams collaborator Guy Sigsworth, that accomplish their missions. "Out From Under" shows how her voice, which is still a bit limited, can carry a song, even with spare accompaniment, while "My Baby" is a bit schmaltzy, as it conveys how Spears is a loving mother now -- the cornerstone of her image rehab.

In many ways, "Circus" has Spears switching musical role models. She seems determined to be more like Gwen Stefani, a hit maker who knows how to use her strengths and weaknesses, and less like Madonna, who thrives on shock value and controversy. Yet somehow, Spears has delivered the biggest shock of all -- compelling reasons to reverse her cartoonlike tabloid image and take her seriously as a singer.

Forget the release of "Chinese Democracy" as the year's biggest surprise. "Circus" is a Britney Spears album I never expected to hear -- one that matters.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etmusic1130,0,1984671.story?page=1

Madonna’s film on AIDS in Malawi comes to TV

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:22:15 -0600

NEW YORK - Madonna's awakening to the crisis in Malawi — an impoverished African nation where one million children are orphaned by AIDS — had many consequences.

She adopted one of those orphans, her 3-year-old son David. She is building a school there.

And she has told Malawi's harrowing story in her documentary, "I Am Because We Are." With an audience thus far limited to isolated theater screenings, it will be screened for everyone with its TV premiere on Sundance Channel at 9 p.m. ET Monday, which is World AIDS Day.

The feature-length film was written, produced and narrated by Madonna (directed by Nathan Rissman). It consults experts including President Bill Clinton and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

But the film's real power is its images, which are often dismaying but, here and there, reflect hope and a remarkable will to survive.

"I had many goals," said Madonna during a phone conversation from her Manhattan home a few days ago. "I did get to a point where I thought, 'I'm being overambitious, I'm trying to say too much, I'll never accomplish it.' But I feel proud of the fact that I did get to make all my points."

Among her points: an insistence that any crisis comes with solutions, however hard-won and piecemeal.

The film offers its audience a menu of constructive responses.

"If all you can do is live life in YOUR world in a way that shows you are responsible for the people around you, that's a course of action," said Madonna. "People can be of service in large ways and small."

The first wide exposure of "I Am Because We Are" may be coming at a propitious time, which befits the pop superstar who made it, with her knack for anticipating and identifying cultural trends.

On the eve of a new presidential administration, Americans seem set on a more idealistic path, however alarmed they may be by economic threats along the way.

"People really are going, 'Wow! I can no longer ignore what's going on around me.' There are changes in the air," she said.

Madonna's busy schedule continues apace. But the artistic life that drives it "is a world you create and you inhabit, to express yourself, and to inspire and reach out to other people," she explained. "It's also a consolation, a place you go to to protect yourself." That's true now, in particular, during her highly public split with Guy Ritchie, her husband of eight years, which she described as "not easy, I'm not going to lie."

Though on a brief New York break from her concert tour, Madonna said the day's long to-do list called for this AP interview to be followed by interviews she would be conducting herself: with prospective head mistresses for the girls school she is building in Malawi.

"We're all going there together at the end of March," she said, referring to David, 8-year-old son Rocco and 12-year-old daughter Lourdes

MTV’s AIDS awareness campaign turns 10

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:13:11 -0600

LONDON - MTV marks the 10th anniversary of its AIDS awareness campaign this year with an hour-long documentary by singer and Destiny's Child founding member Kelly Rowland.

The music channel launched "MTV Staying Alive" in 1998, and has produced films, competitions and celebrity tie-ins to educate young people about the risks of HIV and AIDS and encourage them to talk about it.

The latest initiative is a video diary featuring Rowland, who along with Beyonce Knowles helped launch the successful girl band Destiny's Child in 1990. The group split in 2005.

In "The Diary of Kelly Rowland," the 27-year-old travels to South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and the United States and meets young people affected by HIV/AIDS and those trying to educate people about the risks.

"It places HIV/AIDS out in the open, and in doing so creates an openness of dialogue on the 'taboo' subject," MTV said in a statement.

The video can be watched at www.staying-alive.org from Monday, which is World AIDS Day.

MTV also announced that Travis McCoy, lead singer of hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes, will be the Staying Alive Foundation's ambassador in 2009.

Tears For Britney Spears

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:42:19 -0600

Britney Spears is sad. Really sad. So we see in "Britney: For the Record," a new MTV doc that trails the beleaguered star as she tries to reboot her life. She starts her mornings with a bowl of Velveetacheese and grits—"breakfast of champions," her father Jamie calls it— and it's all kind of downhill from there. Lots of crying. Lots of silence. The result is as sunny as Kafka: "I totally lost my way," she says. Sad but true.

Source: NewsWeek

Filipino actors win Greek filmfest

allvoices / contributed news — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:07:42 -0600

goodnewspilipinas.com
First Posted 15:43:00 11/29/2008

SID Lucero and Emilio Garcia won the Best Actor award for their film Selda (The Inmate) at the recently concluded 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece.

The first time that the festival included a Filipino film in its main competition program, Selda’s screenings were held last November 17 at the Olympion and Nov. 18 at the Frida Liappa.

Apart from the Greece debut, Selda also competed at the Montreal World Film Festival in Canada last August, the first Filipino film to do so.

Jury president Michael Ondaatje from Canada said Selda is “a powerful film.”

Selda was programmed by Lefteris Adamis and Maria Hatzakou who became ardent supporters of Filipino movies after screening Brillante Mendoza’s Masahista in 2005. They have programmed Filipino movies like Jeffrey Jeturian’s Kubrador (2006) and Mendoza’s Foster Child (2007).

This year, they also have Mendoza’s Serbis (which has been acquired by a Greek distributor) and Francis Pasion’s Jay. Both films screened in the Independence Days section. Selda and Jay were represented by Ignatius Films Canada while Serbis was represented by Fortissimo Films.

The jury of the International Competition Section of the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival is composed of Ondaatje, writer (Canada); president Diablo Cody, screenwriter (USA); Yesim Ustaoglu, director (Turkey); Lita Stantic, producer (Argentina); Émilie Dequenne, actress (Belgium); David Robinson, film critic (UK); and Dionissis Savopoulos, composer (Greece).

‘AUSTRALIA’: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Ki

allvoices / contributed news — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:20:40 -0600

Grand tales, long a mainstay of filmmaking, have fallen out of sight recently. Could 'Australia' revive the tradition in theaters?

By Susan King > > >
November 28, 2008

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann calls them "banquets of cinema," visual and narrative feasts that offer audiences drama, romance, comedy and that sweeping feeling of being transported to another world.

In other words: an epic.

Creating an epic is not for the faint of heart or those with limited ambition, which is why the audacious Luhrmann -- who reconceived the movie musical with "Moulin Rouge!" and the Shakespearean tragedy with "Romeo + Juliet" -- deliberately aimed his latest film, "Australia," to be on a, well, epic scale.

"Australia" deliberately hearkens back to the kind of filmmakers and films (think David Lean and "Lawrence of Arabia" or John Ford and "The Searchers") that gave cinema its bigger-than-life scale. The kind of epics that few directors or studios even try for anymore.

Luhrmann argues that fear has been the genre's worst enemy.

"Fear of the money, fear of the scale," Luhrmann said recently. "It's not easy to sell. It's easy to market a film about one genre. But it's not easy to market in this modern age -- a film that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you swoon. This belonged to a time where cinema was grand and very brave and very, very absolute."

It's not difficult to see certain film's influences on Luhrmann. The cattle drive in "Australia," which opened Wednesday, and stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in a tale set Down Under between 1939 and 1941, recalls Howard Hawks' landmark western "Red River" as well as the classic Australian film "The Overlander." The massive Outback cattle ranch Kidman's character inherits was inspired by George Stevens' Texas tale "Giant." Even the film's tumultuous love story between Kidman and Jackman has its roots in the heated, often rocky romance between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind."

Luhrmann believes passionately that audiences still crave the epic.

"The way the world is at the moment and the feeling of great fear and trepidation, there is a function for cinema to allow people to pull into a world and really feel direct, hard-core emotions," Luhrmann said.

When it comes to film epics, especially ones rooted in history and adventure, the acknowledged master is Lean. Contemporary filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Ed Zwick and Luhrmann cite the influence of the late British director of such classic epics as "The Bridge on the River Kwai," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago" on their own films.

Film historian Joseph McBride remembers a conversation he once had with "Lawrence" star Peter O'Toole about what made Lean's epics so memorable. O'Toole told him "that the secret of David Lean's success with epics is that they were almost intimate personal stories where it was about a small group of people that you deeply cared about and got to know well.

"But they stood for something larger. They were part of a large event. That is what makes an epic -- it focuses on certain people, but they represent all of society or a big part of society."

A long tradition

Epics, of course, have been around as long as there has been storytelling -- "Gilgamesh" and Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey," for example. Cinema has embraced the epic genre dating to the Italian 1912 version of "Quo Vadis?" D.W. Griffith's 1915 Civil War tale, "The Birth of a Nation," was the first real American cinematic epic.

Epics are generally historical, often revolving around wars or other tumultuous epochs. "The movement of time is very important to the story -- the idea that time works on people and events and places," said Zwick.

Oscar has loved epics over the decades, giving best picture honors to such classics as "Gone With the Wind," "Ben-Hur," the first two "Godfather" films, "Out of Africa," "Dances With Wolves," "Schindler's List," "Braveheart," "The English Patient," "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

But more recently those far-reaching tales of romance, splendor and landscape have found it difficult to get a footing in a cinematic landscape obsessed with attracting teenage audiences. Some critics feel that some contemporary directors who attempt epics replace true emotions with computer-generated effects.

McBride recalls reading an article by critic Roger Ebert on the genre upon the release of Michael Bay's woeful attempt at the old-fashioned epic with 2001's "Pearl Harbor."

"He [Ebert] said the word 'epic' has become synonymous with big budgets, but what you realize watching 'Lawrence of Arabia' is that the word 'epic' refers not to the cost or the elaborate production but to the size of the ideas. Warner Herzog's 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' didn't cost as much as the catering in 'Pearl Harbor.' But it is an epic and 'Pearl Harbor' is not."

Zwick believes there are several factors as to why Hollywood has been shying away from traditional epics, including an "unwillingness to be embarrassed about certain kind of themes."

But the thing that is in most disrepair is drama, says Zwick.

"I think essentially studios have abdicated drama and let that become the problems of the indie film or the small film." says Zwick. "Why do people go to the movies? I think they used to go to travel some distance in their emotions, to experience something they had never seen, to be taken away, and that has been replaced by going to have a visceral thrill-ride experience."

Zwick had to use independent financing to make his latest film, the World War II epic drama "Defiance," opening Dec. 31. "What's so unusual about 'Australia' this year is that a studio [20th Century Fox] has indeed been willing to do that."

Despite the plethora of special-effects movies, film historian Leonard Maltin agrees that audiences still want to be swept away on a tide of emotions.

"The enormous success of 'Titanic' proves that audiences' tastes for epics have not vanished," he said. "Even in this hip, postmodern era, I don't think audiences have changed that much. I think filmmakers are more cynical than audiences."

King is a Times staff writer.

Girls who sing Christmas carols banned over safety concerns

allvoices / contributed news — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:16:07 -0600

The Marlowes Centre in the United Kingdom is a popular shopping destination. One of the chief attractions in the last holiday season was the scores of girls aged 5 to 13 who sang carols to the delight of shoppers. Unfortunately, the administration has decided this activity cannot continue this year over concerns of space and safety.

Turns out the centre has revamped its holiday look and feel. The introduction of additional festive props including a gigantic Christmas tree means that there is less space for singing little girls.

Administrators have expressed regret at not being able to bring the girls back. But they would tend to clog up spaces and routes and that would be a violation of the fire safety code. They are willing to let up to 20 girls return to regale the visitors, but seeing that it is impossible to select the 20 lucky ones, turns out no one at all will be showing up.

So it may be beginning to look a lot like Christmas but when you don't hear those jingles when you're out purchasing presents, you'll know that your safety is being given preference over such little joys.

Revelers Crowd New York City for Parade

allvoices / contributed news — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:47:12 -0600

Val Bonner planned for a decade to attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on her 50th birthday, and this year she got her wish Thursday, joining throngs of holiday revelers in Manhattan cheering the giant balloons and thousands of marchers.

"It's just fabulous — I cried when I saw it," said Bonner, of Steilacoom, Wash. "This is my gift to myself. I've been saving for years for it. It's a dream come true."

Bonner, her husband Frank, and son Jack stood with shrieking, delighted children throwing confetti as the 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade wound its way through Manhattan streets under sunny skies.

Quincy Kersbergen of Wyckoff, N.J., found a prime viewing spot — perched on a police barricade near the beginning of the parade — and proclaimed herself a big fan of a giant dog balloon.

"This is just fantastic!" the 11-year-old Kersbergen said. "So amazing to be here in person! I'm just so excited about today!"

New to the revelry this year were Buzz Lightyear, the square-jawed, action-figure astronaut from the 1995 film "Toy Story;" Horton, the compassionate elephant of Dr. Seuss books; and a five-story Smurf, a blue, gnome-like creature popularized by a TV show that began in 1981. Old favorites like Kermit and the Energizer Bunny also were back.

Organizers said more than a million spectators viewed the 82nd annual parade in person, with another 50 million watching on television. The 2.5-mile route winds from Central Park West and West 77th Street to Herald Square, in front of Macy's flagship store.

Crews on Wednesday inflated the 13 giant balloons and 31 smaller ones. Each giant balloon requires more than 5,000 cubic feet of helium, much of which supplier Linde North America intended to recover and recycle, said Nick Haines, the company's helium director for the Americas. Linde tested the process of sucking the gas out of the balloons, compressing it and later purifying it for resale last year.

Among the smaller balloons was a newcomer that pays tribute to graffiti artist Keith Haring, who died in 1990. The parade also featured 28 floats, 10 marching bands and performances by Miley Cyrus, Trace Adkins, James Taylor and the Radio City Rockettes.
"She's just the coolest!" 6-year-old Isabella Muccio said of Cyrus.

The parade, which began in 1924 and was canceled for two years during World War II, also provided a coveted yearly spotlight for Broadway productions. This year, cast members of "Hair," ''In the Heights," ''The Little Mermaid," ''South Pacific" and "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" were featured.

"I'm so excited! ... The crowds, just seeing it in person!" said parade-goer Phyllis Grodnicki of Plainsboro, N.J.

The atmosphere along the route was upbeat and jovial despite the nation's economic downturn. "It's something you can do with your kids for free," said Martha Muccio of Manalapan, N.J. "And it makes them happy, takes our minds off everything."

In Detroit, thousands braved near-freezing temperatures in hats, mittens and scarves to stake prime spots to view the city's parade, which has been held for more than 80 years.

Harry Vanuden, a 45-year-old Chrysler LLC worker, said he was grateful to still have his job this Thanksgiving. He's among 200 remaining employees at Chrysler's Mack engine plant in Detroit. Two years ago, Vanuden said they numbered 1,500.

"I've been a toolmaker for 26 years," said Vanuden, who lives in the Detroit suburb of Warren. "You hope for the best. I'm just thankful I'm still there."

His 13-year-old daughter Kelsey was excited at the prospect of seeing the Warren Cousino High School marching band, which she hopes to join when she starts at the school next fall.

Kelly Smith, 44, and her husband Tom, 46, brought their 4-year-old daughter Annalise to her first Thanksgiving Day parade.

"We're just happy with what we have, and we're hopeful the economy will rebound," Smith said.

For many Americans, the day promised football games and family dinners with too much food on the table.

The seven Endeavour astronauts and three space station crew members also planned a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but unlike families on Earth, they were poised to float — not sit down — for their feast at the joined space shuttle-international space station complex.

On the menu were smoked turkey that's ready to be heated and freeze-dried green beans and cornbread dressing in need of water injections before they're served.

Some 220 miles below, President George W. Bush was spending Thanksgiving at his Camp David retreat, thankful for his almost-expired "privilege of serving as the president." President-elect Barack Obama was staying in Chicago to "have a whole bunch of people over to the house" and squeeze in some Christmas shopping.

Man Arrested in Gruesome Killing of Arkansas TV Anchorwoman

allvoices / contributed news — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:22:57 -0600

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Police on Wednesday arrested a man on a capital murder charge in the beating death of a popular television anchorwoman but offered neither a motive behind the attack nor details about why they suspected him.

Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, fled his Marianna home earlier Wednesday with a 25-year-old woman and three children under age 5, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. Police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said Vance was arrested without incident at a home in Little Rock about 11 p.m.

Click here for photos.

"We got a tip. We went there and he's in custody," Hastings said early Thursday. "As far as we know he wasn't armed."

Hastings said Vance knew officers had been seeking him. Thomas said prior to the arrest that Vance was believed armed with a 9mm pistol and "a lot of extra ammunition."

Anne Pressly, 26, died Oct. 25, five days after being severely beaten in her home. The anchorwoman's mother found her Oct. 20, a half-hour before she was due on KATV's "Daybreak" program, after she didn't answer her daily wake-up call.

Thomas said at a late-evening news conference that the capital murder charge against Vance was based on "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work." He offered no details, however.

Hastings had said previously that DNA and other evidence from the scene gave police a portrait of the suspect, though they did not have a name until this month. One of Pressly's credit cards was used at a gas station after the beating, but Hastings said security camera footage didn't provide a good look at the person using it.

Pressly lived alone in the city's Pulaski Heights section, a mix of mansions and bungalows near the Little Rock Country Club. Her mother was visiting from out of town at the time of the attack but not staying at her daughter's home.

The anchorwoman had been beaten severely in the head and upper torso and never regained consciousness. Her parents agreed to donate her organs to others after doctors said it was clear that Pressly would never recover. Six people received donations.

In the police station lobby before the news conference, several of Pressly's KATV colleagues quietly wiped tears from their faces. The station raised $50,000 for a reward fund.

Thomas said Vance frequently visited the Little Rock area, about 90 miles west of Marianna, and has a lot of contacts there.

Pressly was a native of Greenville, S.C., and moved with her family to Little Rock while she was in high school. She was a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., which has discussed establishing a scholarship to honor her.

In the Oliver Stone movie "W" — which was the subject of a news story she broadcast as the film was being shot in Shreveport, La. — Pressly appeared briefly as a conservative commentator who speaks favorably of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" event on an aircraft carrier after the start of the Iraq War.

SNEAK VIEW INTO HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

allvoices / contributed news — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:04:14 -0600

HOSPITALITY

Do you remember the lines of an old song from Raj Kapoor’s film, “Mehma jo Hamara Hota Hai, Woo Jaan se Payara Hota Hai” (means - my guest is more dearer than my life)? This is an act of hospitality, where you provide a care and kindness to whoever is in need. Hospitality frequently refers to the industrial jobs for hotels, restaurants, casinos, catering, resorts, clubs, airlines and any other services that deals with tourists.

At present, scope has further widened to include travel and hospitality services, along with corporate world under this umbrella. India’s travel and tourism industry is expected to grow nearly by 8% annually between now and 2016, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Corporate business houses have realized that for making a long-term relationship, they have to act differently and catch the maximum attention of their potential clients. In brief, The Indian hospitality industry is growing at an unprecedented rate and economic liberalization has given a new impetus to the hospitality industry. Considering the present trend, one can make a career in following type of institutions:

* Restaurant Management / Fast Food Joint Management
* Club Management / Recreation and Health Centre Management
* Cruise Ship Management
* Institutional and Industrial Catering
* Airline Catering and Cabin Services
* Hotel and Tourism Associations
* Catering Departments in banks, railway, armed forces, ministerial conventions etc.
* In food, confectionery, beverage production industries.

India offers a landscape, where beauty enthralls, culture echoes and diversity delights. The country is fast becoming a favourite with tourists world over, as it offers huge scope for various theme-based travel like Medical Tourism, Adventure tourism, Heritage tourism, Wellness tourism, Pilgrimage tourism, Golf tourism, Eco-tourism, Wildlife tourism among others. In last few years, India's reputation as a major medical tourist destination is fast becoming popular amongst foreign tourists to the country.

We generally think that hospitality industry is just going to benefit the hotel and travel industry. But let me unfold the scope further. This industry also provides growth opportunities to other industries, such as – IT industry, House Furnishing Companies,

Event Industry, Advertising Industry, Decoration Industry, Cottage Industry, etc

Cutting edge technology adoption is important to stay ahead in the hospitality industry. Technology requirement and importance is increasing day by day. Business executive can skip breakfast but not Internet, e-mail and his business application. This sector has to be married with hospitality businesses. Increased tourism and business travelers have forced Indian hotels to provide world class services to their guests to stay ahead of competition. Automation of front office, networked properties, broadband and Wi-Fi services are now a standard part of services.

In general, women are sailing this sector better than men. It may be due to their patience, politeness, friendliness and pleasing smiles. Let us enjoy the hospitality and it’s growth.

Beyoncé: praises herself.............

allvoices / contributed news — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:44:23 -0600

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Apparently, it takes two Beyoncés to beat a pair of rock studs.

In one of the year's more competitive sales weeks, Ms. Knowles' double-disc I Am...Sasha Fierce rolled past rockin' new albums by Nickelback and David Cook that would have topped the charts most any other week. Beyoncé scored her third No. 1 album in three tries by selling 483,000 copies, easily eclipsing Nickelback (No. 2, 327,000) and the reigning American Idol champ (No. 3, 289,000).

Beyoncé did have a little help, though. In the spirit of Eminem-Slim Shady and T.I.-T.I.P., the singer introduced her more aggressive alter ego, Sasha Fierce, on the album's second disc. Up until this time, Sasha only appeared in live performances.

I Am topped 2003's Dangerously in Love debut (317,000), but trailed 2006's B-Day (541,000). She also gets family bragging rights over Jay-Z, who sold 425,000 first-week copies of American Gangster last November.

Beyoncé also dominated the Digital Tracks charts with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" debuting at No. 1 on 204,000 downloads, dropping her single "If I Were a Boy" to No. 2 on 160,000 downloads.

About the only thing Beyoncé didn't do is beat Taylor Swift for the year's biggest female debut (592,000 for Fearless, which fell to No. 4 this week).

Nickelback's Dark Horse galloped in a strong second place. The Canadian rockers, who signed an all-inclusive deal with Live Nation earlier this year, just announced the launch of their North American tour in Nashville on Feb. 25.

Cook, meanwhile, got plenty of cougars to shell out for his eponymous debut. In comparison to Idol's other recent stars, Cook sold nearly 100,000 more copies than rival David Archuleta and twice as many copies as season seven champ Jordin Sparks. (Archuleta, whose eponymous debut opened at No. 2 last week, dropped to No. 11 in its second week.) Cook's album also sold 59,000 digital copies, a new record for a debut artist.

Il Divo's The Promise, which topped the U.K. charts last week, opened at No. 5 (162,000), ahead of the Twilight soundtrack (125,000), which actually sold 17 percent more than the previous week thanks to the film's blockbuster opening.

Just missing the top 10, Dido's Safe Trip Home debuted at No. 13 (51,000).

Other debuts making a Thanksgiving week cluck included Mudvayne's New Game at No. 15, Zac Brown Band's The Foundation at No. 17, Slim's Love's Crazy at No. 32 and Blake Shelton's Startin' Fires at No. 34.

Overall, album sales were up 6 percent over last week but still down 32 percent relative to the same week in '07, when J osh Groban's Noël made its first chart-topping appearance. Fittingly, Noël currently tops the Catalog chart.

Here's a recap of the top 10, based on figures from Nielsen SoundScan:

• I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé • Dark Horse, Nickelback • David Cook, David Cook • Fearless, Taylor Swift • The Promise, Il Divo • Twilight soundtrack, various • Now That's What I Call Music! 29, various • High School Musical 3: Senior Year soundtrack, various • And Winter Came, Enya • Black Ice, AC/DC

Giant balloons ready for Thanksgiving Day Parade

allvoices / contributed news — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:25:02 -0600

NEW YORK – A frog, an elephant and a Smurf came to life as crews inflated 13 giant balloons for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

New to the revelry this year are Buzz Lightyear, the square-jawed, action-figure astronaut from the 1995 film "Toy Story," Horton, the compassionate elephant of Dr. Seuss books, and a Smurf, a blue, gnome-like creature popularized by a TV show that began in 1981. Old favorites like Kermit and the Energizer Bunny are also back.

About 3.5 million spectators were expected to view the 82nd annual parade in person Thursday, with 50 million more watching on television. The 2.5-mile route winds from Central Park to Herald Square, in front of Macy's flagship store.

"Where else can you find a five-story Smurf? Pumpkins the size of RVs?" said John Piper, who directs the Macy's studio where the balloons and floats are made. "I mean, this is Wonderland come to life," he told NY1-TV while standing in front of a giant balloon Wednesday as it was filled with helium.

Crews inflated 12 other giants balloons and 31 smaller ones as throngs of people watched. Each giant balloon requires more than 5,000 cubic feet of helium.

Among the newcomers was a smaller balloon paying tribute to graffiti artist Keith Haring, who died in 1990. The parade also was to feature 28 floats, 10 marching bands and performances by Miley Cyrus, Trace Adkins, James Taylor and the Radio City Rockettes.

"We see the parade as a huge pageant of American culture," executive producer Robin Hall said.

The National Weather Service was forecasting a sunny, seasonable day with roughly 10 mph winds, well below city guidelines for grounding the balloons.

Those rules were established after 45 mph winds drove a Cat in the Hat balloon into a metal pole during the 1997 parade, leaving a woman in a coma.

The parade requires 200,000 to 300,000 cubic feet of helium, much of which supplier Linde North America will try to recover and recycle, company official Nick Haines said.

Linde tested the process — sucking the gas out of the balloons, compressing it and later purifying it for resale — last year and hopes to expand it to all but the giant balloons Thursday, he said.

The parade, which began in 1924 and was canceled for two years during World War II, also provides a coveted yearly spotlight for Broadway productions. This year, cast members of "Hair," "In the Heights," "The Little Mermaid," "South Pacific" and "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" were slated to perform.

Besides watching the parade, millions of Americans prepared for a day featuring football and family dinners with too much food on the table.

On the menu were smoked turkey that's ready to be heated and freeze-dried green beans and cornbread dressing in need of water injections before they're served.

Slideshow: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Par