Saturday, January 9, 2010

Review: 'Daybreakers' a solid horror film


Question: What happens when a society can no longer feed itself?

Answer: It tears itself apart.

That's the nightmare facing the Earth just ten years from now, according to this snappy horror thriller from brothers Michael and Peter Spierig ("Undead"). Only there's a twist. By then, they suggest, the planet's dominant species will be vampires.

Having quickly "turned" the vast majority of the human population, the bloodsuckers have adapted existing social structures to their own ends: Most citizens still take the subway to work for instance, only nowadays most work the night shift. They still enjoy coffee, but instead of cream it's laced with plasma.

The only trouble is, they're victims of their own success. Humans are running out, and the vampires' primary source of sustenance is dwindling to a trickle. Even immortals need to drink.

Ethan Hawke is scientist Edward Dalton, whose attempts to concoct a synthetic substitute -- "untrue blood"? -- aren't going too well, judging by the spectacularly messy first tests. You can tell by his hat and his goatee -- as well as his aversion to a bloody cup of java -- that Dalton isn't comfortable in his new light-sensitive skin. Meanwhile, starving vampires are feeding on their own kind, bringing society to the edge of collapse.

The vampire fad can't last forever (can it?), and it's hard to see "Daybreakers" turning on the "Twilight" crowd; it's way too gross for teen girls. On the other hand, horror geeks will relish the slick finish and sharp detailing, numerous savvy little touches that offer welcome distraction from a rather sketchy storyline about Dalton's involvement with a band of human guerillas led by "Elvis" Cormac (Willem Dafoe), who claims to have discovered a solution to the predicament.

Elvis' big secret is actually a bit underwhelming, and the budget clearly didn't stretch to accommodate the filmmakers' grand conception for this grave new world -- which basically comes down to three or four key locations.

But how cool is Dalton's customized saloon car, with video monitors fitted behind a blacked out windshield to allow daytime driving? Better yet, you have to love the way his face fails to reflect in the side mirror. Comparisons with "I Am Legend" don't do justice to how imaginatively the Spierigs have redesigned vampire lore for a sophisticated 21st-century society.

That imaginative reach doesn't extend to the characters -- not by a long shot. At best, the likes of Sam Neill (blood-sucking CEO) and Dafoe (eccentric survivalist) flesh out B-movie archetypes with professional expertise, but other roles (Neill's daughter, Hawke's brother) are so malnourished they practically evaporate before our eyes.

Several witty gore scenes are more like a George Romero zombie opus than a vampire flick (not a bad thing in my book), while the glossy visuals suggest the Wachowski brothers (and especially "The Matrix") are a significant influence. But the movie starts running around in circles when it should be coming to a point.

Less than meets the eye, "Daybreakers" doesn't offer much food for thought, but at least it should tickle the palette of jaded horror fans.

...Read the Full Story >>

U.N. investigator says video of executions appears to be authentic



A video purportedly showing Sri Lankan soldiers executing bound, blindfolded and naked Tamils appears to be authentic, a U.N. investigator said Thursday.

Philip Alston, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, based his findings on a three month, U.N.-backed investigation conducted by three independent forensic experts.

Alston is calling anew for a "genuine and independent investigation" by the Sri Lankan government into war crimes violations allegedly committed by Sri Lankan soldiers against Tamils.

Sri Lanka has previously rejected all calls for independent investigations of alleged war crimes committed during its conflict with Tamil separatists.

Alston said that "as long as there is no investigation undertaken, these allegations are going to continue, the bitterness that they inevitably fuel will continue, and I believe that it (an investigation) is in the interests of the government as well as of others concerned."

Martin Nerisky, spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, said Ban "has informed the government of Sri Lanka that it is considering the appointment of a commission of experts to advise him further and to assist the government in taking measures to address possible violations of international human rights and humanitarian law."

The video in question, showing what appears to be Sri Lankan soldiers firing semi-automatic weapons into at least two captured men until they are lifeless, sparked outrage from human rights groups.

But Sri Lankan government officials called the video a fake and built a case against its veracity using their own forensic experts.

Alston says the independent investigation commissioned by the United Nations rebutted most of the the Sri Lankan findings. He did concede there are some "unexplained elements in the video."

The video was first broadcast by Britain's Channel 4 News in August of 2009.

Sri Lanka's military defeated the Tamil Tiger insurgency in 2009 following a brutal, decades long conflict that killed at least 70,000 people.

...Read the Full Story >>

Danish cartoonist hid in 'panic room' during attack


Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard hid in a "panic room" inside his home as a man wielding an ax and knife cracked the glass in the home's front door, Danish police said Saturday. Police said a home alarm alerted them to the scene in Aarhus at 10 p.m. Friday, and they were attacked by the suspect when they responded. Police shot the suspect.

Westergaard took his 5-year-old granddaughter into the "panic room" when he realized what was happening, Chief Superintendent Ole Madsen said.

Westergaard, who has been threatened for drawing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, is ordinarily accompanied by bodyguards when he leaves his home, but nobody was on guard at the house Friday, the Security and Intelligence Service told CNN.

Police said Westergaard was "being taken care of" after the break-in, but wouldn't reveal his new location.

The suspect, meanwhile, appeared in court Saturday, charged with attempted assassination, the Danish Intelligence and Security Service said.

Kurt Westergaard is known for his controversial depictions of Prophet Muhammad.

The suspect was shot in the right leg and left hand and hospitalized after the incident, police said. Video showed him appearing in court Saturday strapped onto a stretcher.

Authorities did not identify the suspect because the judge decided it would be illegal to disclose his name, said Madsen, with the East Jutland Police. Authorities said he was a 28-year-old Somali who has legal residency in Denmark and lives in Sjaelland, near Copenhagen.

The suspect was charged with the attempted assassination of Westergaard and a police officer on duty, the intelligence service said.

The judge ordered the suspect held for four weeks while the investigation proceeds.

Madsen said the man is the only suspect in the case, and he would not say whether police were investigating anyone else.

Police had no indication that an attack was being planned on Westergaard, Madsen said, though the intelligence service said the suspect had been under surveillance because of his terrorist links.

Danish intelligence officials said the suspect is connected to al-Shabaab, al Qaeda's ally in east Africa.

Al-Shabaab, the militant organization with alleged ties to the suspect, is waging a bloody battle against Somalia's transitional government and is currently on a U.S. government list of terrorist organizations.

At a news conference in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said, "We are very happy with the Somali national who attacked the house of the Danish cartoonist who previously insulted our prophet Mohammed. This is an honor for the Somali people. We are telling that we are glad that anyone who insults Islam should be attacked wherever they are."

The incident "once again confirms the terrorist threat that is directed against Denmark and against cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, in particular," said Jakob Scharf, spokesman for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service.

Westergaard's caricature of Muhammad -- showing the prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse -- sparked an uproar among Muslims in early 2006 after newspapers reprinted the images months later as a matter of free speech. The cartoon was first published by the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten in September 2005.

At the time, Westergaard said he wanted his cartoon to say that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terrorism. However, many in the Muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist.

Over the years, Danish authorities have arrested other suspects who allegedly plotted against Westergaard's life.

After three such arrests in February 2008, Westergaard issued a statement, saying, "Of course I fear for my life after the Danish Security and Intelligence Service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me. However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness."

Scharf said authorities have taken measures to ensure Westergaard's safety, and that the protection has "proven effective."

...Read the Full Story >>

3 arrested after bomb threat at Heathrow


London, England (CNN)  -- The three men arrested Friday night aboard an Emirates Airlines plane at Heathrow Airport had made a verbal threat to staff, police said Saturday.

The men, ages 58, 48, and 36, were arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat and remain in police custody, London's Metropolitan Police said. Their names were not released.

It happened around 9:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. ET) as the Emirates flight was taxiing to take off for Dubai, police said.

Police were alerted and armed officers with sniffer dogs boarded the plane, they said.

All passengers were removed from the plane and police were searching the aircraft overnight.

Heathrow remained open during the incident.

...Read the Full Story >>

Federer crashes to Davydenko in semis


Roger Federer has crashed out of the Qatar Open in Doha at the semifinal stage -- losing to Nikolay Davydenko for the second successive match.

The Russian, who beat the world number one in their last meeting in the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals in London in November, triumphed 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 20 minutes.

Davydenko will play second seed Rafael Nadal in the final after the Spaniard earlier made short work of Viktor Troicki.

Federer faced 10 break points against the third seed as his serve let him down badly, his 55 per cent of first serves paling in comparison to Davydenko's 79 per cent.

The Swiss saved seven of those break opportunities, including five in the first set, but managed just a solitary break of serve himself.

World number two Nadal cruised to a 6-1 6-3 win over fifth-seeded Serbian Troicki in one hour seven minutes.

The Spaniard converted three of his four break points in a one-sided opening set, winning an impressive 65 per cent of points on Troicki's first serve.

Nadal set up four more break opportunities in the second set, taking two, as the Serbian again struggled to cope with the four-time French Open winner's powerful returns.

Troicki also claimed a late break of his own, but it merely delayed the inevitable.

Meanwhile, Andy Roddick has confirmed he will not play for the United States in David Cup this year.

The 27-year-old, who injured his left knee last October, is hoping to avoid more knee problems by cutting down on the number of times he changes court surfaces.

Roddick made the announcement after beating Richard Gasquet of France 6-3 7-6 in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.

The American will now play Tomas Berdych in the last four, after the Fourth-seeded Czech booked his place with a 7-6 2-6 7-6 victory over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

...Read the Full Story >>

Vieira signs six-month Man City contract


Roberto Mancini has completed his first transfer as Manchester City manager after sealing the signing of Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira on a six-month contract -- with an option of a further 12 months to follow.

French international Vieira, who played under Mancini at the San Siro, played his final match for the Serie A champions on Wednesday, a 1-0 victory at Chievo, before flying to England on Thursday for his medical with the Premier League big-spenders.

The 33-year-old former Arsenal captain, who won three league titles during a successful nine years with the London club, will wear the No.24 shirt for his new club.

Mancini told City's official Web site: "Patrick is a world class midfielder with a winner's mentality and will fit in very well.

"He knows me and my staff well, and importantly he also knows what the Premier League is all about. He will not need much time to settle.

"Patrick is one of the great players of his era with almost every honor in the game against his name. I am sure City fans will welcome him warmly and appreciate the contribution he will make."
Patrick is one of the great players of his era with almost every honor in the game against his name.
--Roberto Mancini

Vieira begun his career with Cannes and then played briefly at AC Milan before making 279 appearances for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side -- captaining the 'Ivincibles' side that went unbeaten throughout the entire 2003-04 season.

He left Arsenal after helping them lift the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United -- scoring the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.

In Italy with Juventus and Inter he won four league titles (one of which was taken away from Juve), and two Italian Super Cups.

Vieira has 107 France caps to his name, having won both the World Cup in 1998 and European Championships in 2000.

Meanwhile, in other transfer news, Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena has ended an unhapy 18-month spell in the English Premier League by returning to Italy to sign for Serie A side Napoli.

The 28-year-old former Udinese defender has signed a four-year contract for a fee of 4.45m euros.

Dossena is likely to be joined out of the Anfield exit door by Ukrainian striker Andrei Voronin, who is poised to complete a two million euros move to Russian side Dinamo Moscow over the weekend.

Elsewhere, Premier League side Birmingham City have swooped for Spanish midfielder Michel from Sporting Gijon for a fee of 3.5 million euros, while Atletico Madrid have signed Juventus midfielder Tiago on loan for the rest of the season with a view to a permanent deal.

...Read the Full Story >>

‘Hannah Montana’ to end this year


After four seasons on air, Hannah Montana is finally saying goodbye.

Rumors of the show’s culmination have been surging for about a year now, and earlier today (January 8), a rep for Disney confirmed the upcoming finale to the New York Post.

Miley Cyrus and the gang will begin filming the final season starting on January 18th and end sometime this summer — after the 17-year-old pop star takes a short break in April to promote her upcoming film, The Last Song.

The plot of the final season will reportedly mirror Miley’s own life, as her character must decided if she is going to leave her alter ego for the life of a normal teenager.

...Read the Full Story >>

iType: The iPhone Keyboard for Heavy Texters


Ion, the company behind the USB turntables and other audio devices, has introduced the iType –a full-sized QWERTY keyboard especially for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

It’s pretty much the same keyboard you see on laptops but it doubles up as a charger and will be useful for heavy SMS and Twitter users. To be made available in black and silver, the iType carries a $112 price tag and is expected to come in the second quarter of this year.

Will you be getting one?

...Read the Full Story >>

Bus carrying Togo’s football team ambushed in Angola


A bus carrying Togo’s national football squad, including Premier League striker Emmanuel Adebayor, has been attacked by unknown gunmen as it traveled to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Angola.

Two players, goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale and defender Serge Akakpo, are reported to be injured and a Togolese sports ministry representative said that the bus driver had been killed. According to local media, two team doctors and a journalist traveling with the squad had also been hurt.

It is unknown what prompted the attack, but initial reports suggest that the gunmen were merely robbers who weren’t aware the vehicle was carrying a football team.

Manchester City’s Adebayor and Aston Villa’s Moustapha Salifou both escaped uninjured. Chelsea – who has four players at the competition– said it was confident that every necessary precaution would be taken by the organizers.

The Sparrow Hawks are in the country ahead of the tournament which starts on Sunday. Their first game is scheduled for Monday against Ghana in the northern territory of Cabinda, where a separatist group has waged a three-decade long war against the government.

...Read the Full Story >>

Friday, January 8, 2010

U.S. senators defend Pakistan drone attacks

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. senators defended on Friday American drone aircraft strikes in Pakistan, an issue likely to become more volatile if Washington intensifies the attacks to hunt down enemies after the bombing of CIA agents in Afghanistan.

U.S. Senator John McCain speaks during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Kabul January 7, 2010. (REUTERS/ Omar Sobhani)
Pakistan officially objects to the drone attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty. And it has pushed Washington to provide it with the drones to allow it to carry out its own attacks.

"We don't agree on every issue. We believe that, as I have stated and as our government has stated, that it is one of many tools that we must use to try to defeat a very determined and terrible enemy," said U.S. Senator John McCain.

There have been a high number of pilotless drone aircraft attacks in Pakistan since a double agent blew himself up at a U.S. base in Afghanistan on Dec. 30, killing seven CIA agents.

That blast, which marked a huge CIA intelligence failure, will pile pressure on the U.S. military to kill high-profile militants based along the Afghan-Pakistan frontier.

Drones are seen by the United States as one of the most effective weapons to achieve that goal in a global hub for militants, including top al Qaeda and Taliban figures.

The strikes have killed some prominent al Qaeda militants.

Pakistan has not objected to ones that have killed militants fighting the Pakistani state, such as Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

It does oppose strikes on what it sees as strategic regional assets such as the Afghan Haqqani militant group. Pakistan believes the group can give it leverage in Afghanistan if the country is gripped by chaos again.

STRATEGIC COMPLEXITIES

At the same time the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani group is high on the U.S. hit list, and speculation is growing it may have been linked to the bomb attack on the CIA, illustrating the complexities and sensitivities in U.S.-Pakistani ties.

The subject of drones was raised when a delegation of U.S. senators led by McCain met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday.

The delegation also met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, as well as army chief general Ashfaq Kayani. He is the most important official because the military makes security decisions and effectively sets foreign policy.

Drone attacks are a politically charged issue between the United States and ally Pakistan, which Washington sees as the front-line state in its war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Pakistan fears the strikes could undermine efforts to deal with militancy because the civilian casualties inflame public anger and bolster support for the fighters.

Asked if he worried civilian casualties would give the United States' enemies a propaganda boost and that the drone strikes raise the issue of sovereignty, McCain told reporters:

"I understand very well that there are elements operating in Pakistan that if allowed to do so would go to Afghanistan and kill Americans and destroy that government and re-establish Afghanistan as a base for attacks on the United States and our allies. That's what I understand."

McCain suggested there were no other options under consideration if the drone strikes failed to deliver enough results.

Asked if he would support U.S. ground operations on Pakistani soil, McCain said said he had never been briefed that that was under consideration.

"Very frankly, I think it would have to be done in coordination and in agreement with the Pakistani government and military," he said.

Pakistan's reluctance to go after the Haqqani network, whose leader worked with the CIA in the 1980s against Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan, has strained ties with Washington.

The U.S. embassy has accused Pakistan of taking provocative action and making false allegations against U.S. personnel. U.S. officials say Pakistan is also stalling their visa applications.

"It's a point of friction. We would like to see it resolved. We would like to see the visas granted that are necessary for our embassy to do our job," said McCain.

Al Qaeda's Afghan wing has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history, saying it was revenge for the deaths of militant leaders, including Mehsud, who was killed in a drone attack.

His death has not eased Pakistan Taliban bombings which have killed hundreds in retaliation for a security offensive.

At least six people were killed in Karachi on Friday when explosives being stored in an suspected militant hideout apparently went off accidently, police said.


...Read the Full Story >>

Clinton to seek Japan assurance on military bases


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will ask Japan to recommit to the U.S. security pact and Okinawa military bases when she meets Japan's foreign minister next week, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the press at the State Department in Washington, January 4, 2010. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)

Clinton will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Jan. 12 in Honolulu to discuss the U.S.-Japan relationship, which has come under strain due to a row over relocating the Marine Futenma airbase on Okinawa island.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the Obama administration's top diplomat for Asia, told a news briefing that Clinton would underscore that military cooperation was a critical component of a broad and healthy relationship.

"We want the Japanese government to support strongly a robust military, and particularly Marine, commitment on Okinawa and elsewhere," Campbell said.

"This is a security alliance at its core, and security issues are important in a complex and changing Asia. We want a very clear set of statements on the part of the Japanese government on the desire to continue to work closely with us."

Clinton's stop in Hawaii at the start of a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will also feature a speech on U.S. views of Asia-Pacific security at a time when the rise of China is challenging the accepted status quo.

Japan -- which for almost 50 years has been bound in a security alliance with the United States -- has seen relations sour following the election last year of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party has sought to take a more independent foreign policy.

That has been most visible in the dispute over Futenma, a U.S. military airbase since 1945 and one of several American military installations on Okinawa.

The Obama administration wants to move ahead with a plan agreed in 2006 to shift the Futenma base and its approximately 4,000 Marines to a less crowded part of Okinawa. But many local residents say it should be moved off the island entirely, a view Hatoyama backed during his election campaign.

Hatoyama has pledged to decide by May how to proceed on the base issue, which U.S. officials say is part of a broader realignment of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan against a background of China's rising role and an unpredictable North Korea.

Campbell said the Futenma issue should not be allowed to cloud the broader U.S.-Japan relationship, which he said helped to underpin both stability and growth across Asia.

"This alliance for the United States, and we argue for Japan, is indispensable and we need to work closely to sustain its health and vitality," he said.

...Read the Full Story >>

Samsung unveils transparent laptop


At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Samsung unveiled a 14-inch notebook that has a transparent OLED screen that can let up to 40 percent light through it from the background.

The Korean company is promoting it as the first and largest transparent OLED laptop. It is just a prototype and not much we can tell about its other specs, but you can see the thing in action in the video below.

We’re not quite sure how useful this technology really is, except for spying on people as you type. And if ever mass produced, we hope it won’t give us problems when used under bright sunlight.
...Read the Full Story >>

Playboy Model Burned, Boyfriend to Undergo Lie Detector Test


A burned body found last Sunday, January 3, was identified to be that of Paula Sladewski, a 26-year-old model for Playboy.paula-sladeswski-murdered

The body was found in a North Miami dumpster and it was way beyond recognition. Authorities said that dental records were used to give a name to the body.

Sladewski posed once for Playboy magazine. She was last seen at around 7 AM Sunday. Her boyfriend Kevin Klym reported that she was missing last Monday, January 4.

According to reports, they were together during the Miami New Year’s Eve Show of Lady Gaga and they got into an argument during the party.

The model’s parents have begged for their daughter to end her relationship with her boyfriend. They claimed that they are always having a fight, sometimes getting physical. Sladewski was even arrested last summer after hitting him in the head with a bottle during one of their heated arguments.

He has agreed to undergo a lie-detector test in connection to his girlfriend’s murder.


...Read the Full Story >>

Whale Wars: Japanese Whalers Collide with Sea Shepherd Ship Ady Gil


Ady Gil, a whale conservation group’s trimaran was reportedly “attacked” by a Japanese whaler ship, Shonan Maru 2, at sea on Wednesday. The ship was apparently deliberately rammed that “caused catastrophic damage.”
The “unprovoked attack” was videotaped taken from the deck of the Japanese whaling ship. The video showed the collision between the ship and Ady Gil. It also shows that the Shonan Maru 2 was spraying water at the Ady Gil before and during the collision. The nose of the Ady Gil was sheared off after the crash.


Adi Gil’s six crew members were transferred safely to another boat owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the Bob Barker.
According to Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water.


...Read the Full Story >>

Next DS to feature motion sensors, Zelda Wii due in October


Nintendo president lays out early details on the company's next handheld, slates Link's next adventure into 2010 holiday release schedule.

The Nintendo DS just enjoyed a record-setting year of sales in the US, but Nintendo already has plenty of ideas for a successor. In the aftermath to the company's holiday sales update yesterday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata dropped a handful of details on the company's next handheld, as well as its upcoming Zelda and Vitality Sensor Wii games, to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Link is set to don his trademark green tights again shortly.

According to the report, as translated by GameSpot, Iwata told the paper that the DS successor could be expected to feature a "high level of visual quality," as well as sensors to read a player's movements. However, gamers shouldn't expect the system to arrive anytime soon. Iwata mentioned the current DS lineup's record sales in 2009, "so we are not currently talking about [the next handheld's release]."

Moving onto the company's Wii software lineup, the paper also reported that the next Wii iteration of Zelda is planned for release at the end of October. Nintendo has previously said the game was "targeted" for 2010, with producer Eiji Aonuma teasing a new approach to the series that might be shown off as early as the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo (taking place June 15-17).

Finally, the paper reported that Nintendo is working to launch the Wii Vitality Sensor peripheral as soon as possible, with pulse-reading games expected for July.

...Read the Full Story >>

Sony increasing Blu-ray capacity


Japanese electronics company devises method for expanding PS3's media player format from 25GB to 33.4GB per layer.

One of the Sony's primary competitive advantages in this console generation is the console's built-in Blu-ray player. Whereas Microsoft's Xbox 360 is often limited by the smaller-capacity DVD format, the PlayStation 3's high-definition media playback standard lets game developers pack up to 25GB of data onto each side of a dual-layered disc. The extra space allows developers to make one version of the game that contains localizations for every region or eliminate the need for players to swap discs mid-game.

PS3 developers may soon have a bit more room to work with.

The PS3's disc storage-capacity lead may soon expand a bit further, as Nikkei Electronics Asia reports that Sony has devised a method to pack 33.4GB of data per Blu-ray Disc layer. According to the Japanese tech news site, Sony has improved the way Blu-ray Disc quality is read using the same technical setup that is currently available in media players, such as the PS3. As such, the improvement could be implemented by way of a firmware update.

Nikkei Electronics Asia did not indicate when the new media format may enter mass production.

...Read the Full Story >>

Microsoft details Game Room titles, pricing


Yesterday, Microsoft held its 2009 Consumer Electronics Show press conference, an event that was largely dominated by updates for the software company's latest operating system, Windows 7. However, Microsoft also offered a handful of headline announcements for its gaming arm, namely confirming that its camera-based motion-sensing add-on Project Natal would be available for the Xbox 360 this holiday. And as had been leaked first in October and then again hours before the press event, Microsoft also announced its new retro Game Room hub.

The Game Room goes live this spring.

Microsoft has now offered additional details on the Game Room, which was developed by Krome Studios and will be available through Xbox Live and the Games for Windows - Live PC client this spring. As part of an announcement trailer, below, the publisher rattled off some 30 games that will initially be available. Games on the docket include such Atari and Intellivision classics as Centipede, Crystal Castles, Red Baron, Yars' Revenge, and Tempest. A full list can be found below. With plans to expand the Game Room to more than 1,000 titles, Microsoft intends to release additional offerings on a weekly basis.

The publisher also announced a pricing structure for the downloadable classics. Games can be purchased for play on both the Xbox 360 and PC for MSP 400 ($5), or for an individual platform at MSP 240 ($3) apiece. Alternatively, gamers can carry on in the coin-op tradition by purchasing single rounds of any individual game for MSP 40 ($.50). Players can also sample games purchased by their friends for free by visiting their game rooms.

Up to two players can compete in online or local multiplayer in games that support competitive or cooperative action. The Game Room will also support Xbox Live Avatars, as well as voice chat, 1080p graphics, cross-platform leaderboards, and achievements.

Confirmed Microsoft Game Room titles:
Adventure
Armor Battle
Asteroids Deluxe
Astrosmash
Battlantis
Centipede
Combat
Crystal Castles
Finalizer
Football
Jungler
Lunar Lander
Millipede
Mountain Madness: Super Pro Skiing
Outlaw
RealSports Tennis
Red Baron
Road Fighter
Scramble
Sea Battle
Shao-Lin's Road
Space Armada
Space Hawk
Star Raiders
Sub Hunt
Super Cobra
Tempest
Tutankham
Yars' Revenge

...Read the Full Story >>

Cricket: Australia claim stunning victory


Australia secured one of the greatest wins in their cricketing history as they overcame a massive first innings deficit to post a 36-run triumph over Pakistan in Sydney on Wednesday.

Inspired by a second innings 123-run partnership for the ninth wicket between man of the match Michael Hussey and Peter Siddle, Australia set the tourists a testing 176 run target on the fourth day at the SCG which proved too much.

Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz with five wickets for 53 and paceman Mitchell Johnson with three for 27 did the damage as Pakistan fell well short and go 2-0 down in the best-of- three series which now concludes in Hobart.

Australia had begun what proved to be a momentous day, leading by just 80 runs on second innings with two wickets remaining, but Hussey and Siddle continued their obstinate stand on a pitch that was playing easier.

Siddle eventually went for a Test-best 38 to Mohammad Asif and Danish Kaneria removed last man Doug Bollinger to complete a five-wicket haul as Hussey was left undefeated on 134.
The wicket was challenging and the way the guys stuck it out was wonderful
--Ricky Ponting

Set a still modest total, Pakistan could not cope with the pressure and the wicket of captain Mohammad Yousuf, brilliantly caught and bowled by Hauritz, proved the turning point with Misbah-ul-Haq qoing two balls later.

The promising Umar Akman made 49, but could find little support and when he was eighth out to Doug Bollinger, victory was within Australia's grasp.

Hauritz, who also claimed a five-wicket haul in Australia's first Test victory in Melbourne, repeated the feat with the final two wickets to spark scenes of wild celebration.

Australia had been skittled out for just 127 runs in their first innings on the opening day as Asif claimed six wickets and trailed by 206 runs after Pakistan made 333 in their first knock.

Victory seemed virtually impossible, but they become only the sixth team in Test history to recover from a first innings deficit of over 200.

Captain Ricky Ponting paid tribute to his team and their battling qualities.

"The wicket was challenging and the way the guys stuck it out was wonderful," he said.

Pakistan had been bidding for their first win over Australia in 14 years and to tie the series going into the final Test.


...Read the Full Story >>

Pacquiao Mayweather fight talks fail



The promoter for Filipino world champion boxer Manny Pacquaio, Bob Arum, has confirmed the "super fight" with American Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not happen after mediation talks between the two parties failed.

"The fight is off, Floyd Mayweather walked away," Arum told the USA Today newspaper in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Pacquiao and Mayweather had asked retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein to help the two parties resolve a dispute, which had threatened to derail what was expected to be the most lucrative bout in the history of the sport.

However, after two days of further negotiation, Arum said no agreement could be made with Mayweather, with the result that both fighters would now miss out on a potential purse of $40 million each.

"It's not surprising. I always felt that he wasn't going to do the fight. He knows Manny will beat him. Mayweather's never stepped into the ring with a guy he had any question but that he was going to beat. Our guy was agreeable, Mayweather wasn't," the Top Rank promoter said.

"That's why there's never been a (Shane) Mosley, there's never been a (Antonio) Margarito, there never was a (Miguel) Cotto, and there's no Pacquiao.
Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight
--Top Rank promoter Bob Arum

"Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight.

"It would've made millions and millions, and he walked away from it ... I'm not disappointed in the sense that I always knew it was going to be this way."

The welterweight title bout was thrown into doubt when Mayweather demanded that random drugs testing should be employed before the fight, a request that prompted Pacquiao to take legal action for defamation.

Arum said Pacquiao will turn his attention to fighting undefeated Israeli WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman on March 13 or March 20.

Filipino pugilist Pacquiao had been infuriated by the insistence of Mayweather and his team at Golden Boy Promotions that both fighters submit to Olympic-style blood testing in the buildup to their pay-per-view extravaganza.

Pacquiao filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Las Vegas last week for defamation against Mayweather and others for allegedly claiming he had used performance-enhancing drugs.

The bout at welterweight appeared to be virtually set after other issues around the cut of the purse for each fighter were settled, but then the drug-testing row erupted over the Christmas period.

Pacquiao became a five-weight world champion after his WBO welterweight title win over Miguel Cotto in November, while the unbeaten Mayweather returned from a 21-month retirement to beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

...Read the Full Story >>

Kristen Bell: "You won't see me naked"


Kristen Bell has said that cinemagoers will not see her naked in upcoming burlesque movie When In Rome.
The Couples Retreat star told Parade that she found the part in the Mark Steven Johnson-directed comedy demanding.
Bell said of her character: "I'm a burlesque dancer who's an alcoholic, so I'm playing sexier than I've ever done before.
"You won't see me naked, wearing pasties and a G-string or anything. But you definitely won't think of me as the girl next door either."
She continued: "It's tough stuff because there's a lot of dancing. This strip club is run by Cher, and the girls look fantastic, especially Christina Aguilera, who just blows me away with her talent.
"I've come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to look like her. I'm a little bit closer to an elf in Santa's workshop. But I'm working on it."
Of her father's response to her roles, Bell added: "He's always been really cool about my love scenes. He won't need to worry about When In Rome though - it's not salacious or explicit, but it does get very romantic."

...Read the Full Story >>

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

WOW's Chinese regulatory dispute nears resolution


Blizzard Entertainment's massively popular, massively multiplayer online role-playing franchise World of Warcraft boasts some 11.5 million users worldwide, and a significant chunk of that tally hails from China. However, since November, the online game's operation has been in jeopardy, after Blizzard's new distribution partner in the region, NetEase, became mired in a dispute between two regulatory agencies within China.

It looks like Chinese players won't be left waiting at the gates.

Today, Reuters reports that NetEase's travails may come to a conclusion this month. China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) told Reuters that a resolution and announcement concerning World of Warcraft would be revealed "very soon." Citing local media, Reuters reports that NetEase will be able to resume operating the game after paying an undisclosed fine.

GAPP had initially revoked NetEase's permit to operate the MMORPG due to "gross violations" of Chinese law. However, the Chinese Ministry of Culture quickly denounced the move, saying that GAPP "overstepped its authority" as it did not have the authority to penalize online gaming.

Despite the legal tussle, Blizzard confirmed for GameSpot that at no point did the game go offline in China. However, the dispute did impact the release of WOW's first expansion, The Burning Crusade. GAPP reportedly denied NetEase's application to localize the expansion pack as part of the interagency conflict. Citing analyst reports, Reuters notes that NetEase will now have an opportunity to bring the fast-selling add-on to China.

...Read the Full Story >>

Microsoft patents muscle-control tech


Dual USPTO filings show Xbox 360 maker is looking into wearable controllers activated by muscles' electrical signals; Guitar Hero shown in demo video.

Although Project Natal likely won't be released until later in the year, Microsoft is already looking into new gaming control schemes. Tech blog TechFlash has spotted two US Patent and Trademark Office applications that may go one step further than the controller-less, camera-based motion-sensing system--by directly reading electric impulses from gamers' muscles.

Next stop: Air Guitar Hero.

Both patent filings are based on electromyography (EMG), which is the practice of reading the electrical signals sent out by a person's muscles via electrodes. One patent application, filed in March 2009, describes "wearable electromyography-based controllers for human-computer interface" that could be "implemented as an armband, a wristwatch, eyeglasses, an article of clothing worn by the user (such as a shirt, gloves, shoes, pants, headband, etc." Another application, filed in June 2008, is for a similar EMG array for the forearm only.

While the EMG patents' game applications might sound theoretical, Microsoft has actually posted a video of the technology in action on YouTube. After briefly showing how forearm-mounted electrodes can read muscle activity in fingertips, the demonstrator then plays what appears to be Guitar Hero II without a controller, air guitar style. He then rolls back his sleeve to show the color-coded EMG sensors, which are presumably part of a prototype unit.

According to the video, the technology is being jointly developed by Microsoft, the University of Washington, and the University of Toronto.

...Read the Full Story >>

NASA Announces Five New Planets


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed that five new planets were discovered orbiting distant stars Monday, January 4.five-new-planets

The planets, categorized as exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – are described as “hot Jupiters”. That is, they all have the size of Jupiter with temperatures that could turn gold into goo. Their temperatures range from 2000 to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit (1090 – 1650 degrees Celsius). They orbit their respective stars at a rate of 3 to 5 days.

As their discoveries were done by the Kepler Space Telescope Mission, they have been given the names Kepler 4b, Kepler 5b, Kepler 6b, Kepler 7b and Kepler 8b. The mission was launched March 2009 to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. It has discovered hundreds of possible planet signatures already. In a way, it is trying to solve the mystery of whether we are alone in the universe.

With the temperature estimated from the five new planets, chances are there are no life forms there. Kepler Mission has a three-year commission to look for answers.

...Read the Full Story >>

Obama poised to unveil counterterrorism reforms

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday plans to unveil reforms aimed at thwarting future attacks like the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, as he seeks to limit political fallout from the incident.
U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington December 21, 2009. Obama on Tuesday plans to unveil reforms aimed at thwarting future attacks like the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, as he seeks to limit political fallout from the incident.

Obama will outline an initial series of changes, including enhancements in much-criticized "watchlists" of terrorism suspects, after he meets with intelligence chiefs and other top security advisers, an administration official said.

On Obama's first full day back from his Hawaii vacation, he faces the challenge of spotlighting national security -- suddenly pushed to the top of his agenda -- while not looking distracted from other pressing public concerns like reducing double-digit unemployment.

It will be no easy task.

The administration is on the defensive after intelligence failures allowed a Nigerian with alleged links to Yemen-based al Qaeda operatives to board a transatlantic flight from Amsterdam on Dec. 25. The man is accused of trying to blow up the plane with explosives hidden in his underwear.

U.S. spy agencies and the State Department had information about the suspect, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, but never connected the dots that might have put him on a no-fly list.

White House officials have conceded the failed bomb plot on a Detroit-bound airliner exposed errors that must be fixed but have played down the need for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the U.S. security system.

But Obama, who returned on Monday from 11 days in his home state, has been lambasted by Republicans who accuse his Democratic administration of being weak on terrorism and unable to fix intelligence gaps that have lingered since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks.

Republicans hope to score points for November elections to help challenge the Democrats' control of Congress.

YEMEN

With the U.S. military increasing forces battling Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and burdened with continued responsibilities in Iraq, the failed Christmas attack has also raised doubts whether enough attention has been paid to Yemen, a poor, restive country at the tip of the Arabian peninsula.

Despite the administration and media focus on the bombing attempt, White House spokesman Bill Burton said he did not expect the issue to keep Obama from addressing jobs, healthcare reform and the rest of his agenda.

"When you're president of the United States you've got to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," Burton said on Monday.

It was clear, nevertheless, that national security issues and their domestic political ramifications would take up more of Obama's time than expected as he approached the one-year mark of his presidency.

The administration wanted to focus on economic recovery efforts and a job creation push after the holidays, in keeping with polls showing those issues topping Americans' concerns.

But Obama, who was criticized for waiting three days before making his first public statement on the airliner attack, now finds himself juggling a more complicated agenda as he tries to grab the initiative.

The administration on Monday imposed tighter screening for U.S.-bound airline passengers from Yemen, Nigeria and 12 other countries, including possibly being patted down, measures that civil libertarians called ineffective and unconstitutional.

After his regular briefings on Tuesday, Obama will meet at least 20 top officials to review what he has called "human and systemic failures" in the incident and how to avert a repeat.

Among those attending: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano and FBI chief Robert Mueller.

"After the meeting, the president will make public remarks (at 4 p.m. EST/2100 GMT) outlining his findings and an initial series of reforms to improve our watchlisting system as well as our ability to thwart future attempts to carry out terrorist attacks," the admnistration official said.

...Read the Full Story >>

Philippine massacre suspect pleads not guilty to murder


MANILA (Reuters) - The mayor of a small Philippine town, the main suspect in the November massacre of 57 people in the country's troubled south, pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Tuesday.

Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr, wearing handcuffs and flanked by armed security officials, sat quietly and looked bored as a court employee read 41 murder charges against him at a clubhouse turned into a courtroom inside Manila's main police camp.
Andal Ampatuan Jr., a local mayor of Maguindanao province, reacts as he is being assisted by his escorts at the Department of Justice in Manila 18 December 2009. He pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Alanah Torralba/Pool/Files)

State prosecutors are readying 16 more murder cases against Ampatuan Jr. to cover each of the 57 people killed, including 30 journalists, some of whom were found in shallow, hastily dug graves at a hilly area in southern Maguindanao province.

Most of the victims were on their way to an election office to witness the filing of nomination papers for a member of the Ampatuans' rival political clan when about 100 armed men attacked their convoy.

The killings raised fears next May's national elections would be bloody, particularly the contest for provincial posts.

Days after the massacre, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo imposed martial law in Maguindanao province to disband the Ampatuan's private army and arrest the clan's patriarch, his brother and three sons, suspected to have had a hand in the killings.

All five are currently under military and police custody on the southern Mindanao island.

On Tuesday, Arroyo appointed a retired judge to head an independent commission tasked to dismantle private armies controlled by dozens of political warlords across the country and reduce election-related violence.

Arroyo gave the commission authority to use the military, police and other agencies to disarm and disband an estimated 132 private armed groups.

Troops have so far seized more than 1,100 assault rifles, mortars, machineguns, bazookas, armoured vehicles and more than half a million rounds of assorted bullets from the Ampatuan clan in the government crackdown on the family's private army since last month.

The military has initiated an inquiry on the Ampatuan's arsenal after 10 percent of the munitions were found to be owned by the government and most of the assault rifles were imported from the United States and Israel.

...Read the Full Story >>

Google poised to take wraps off new mobile phone


SAN FRANCISCO (AP): Google Inc.'s vision for how a mobile phone should be made and sold will likely raise the stakes in the Internet search leader's bid to gain more control over how people surf the Web while they're on the go.

The catalyst in Google's latest attempt to shake up the mobile market apparently will be the Nexus One, the first smart phone designed by the company's own engineers.

Google has said little about the phone except to confirm that its workers received the handsets three weeks ago for a final round of internal testing.

Google is expected to provide the first concrete details about the phone, along with the company's vision for how such devices should be made and sold, during a press conference on Tuesday at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

In its invitation to the event, Google said the wireless market had only seen "the beginning of what's possible" with the free Android operating system that it introduced for mobile phones in late 2007.

Android was designed to make it easier to interact on a mobile phone with Web sites and services, including Google's, while providing an egalitarian platform to run applications developed by outside programmers.

The applications don't have to go through an extensive review before they can be distributed to Android-powered devices, a contrast from the control that Apple Inc. holds on its hot-selling iPhone.

Until now, Google has been content to let other companies design the devices relying on Android.

And those devices thus far have largely been distributed like most other mobile phones, tethered to major wireless carriers that typically require buyers to lock into two-year contracts in return for discounts on the handsets.

But Google now appears to be ready to push its operating system in a new direction while trying to give consumers more flexibility to connect a mobile phone with the wireless carrier of their choice.

Google intends to stamp its own brand on the Nexus One and sell it directly to consumers over the Web, leaving it up to the buyers to pick their own carriers, according to reports published in technology blogs and major newspapers.

That could open new possibilities while igniting new tensions in the mobile phone market.

Just how much Nexus One shakes things up will likely hinge on the phone's price.

Most smart phones designed for Web access sell for $50 to $200, thanks to subsidies provided by wireless carriers in return for commitments to service plans that cost $800 to $1,000 a year.

Without the financial aid, the phones would sell for $400 to $600 _ a range that most consumers have been unwilling to pay, especially in a shaky economy.

T-Mobile has agreed to provide a subsidy for a Nexus One that works on its wireless network, according to published reports.

Such an agreement wouldn't represent a substantial change from the status quo.

Yet Google appears to be betting that the Nexus One will make a big enough splash to persuade other major U.S. wireless carriers _ AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. - to subsidize the device, too, said technology analyst Rob Enderle.

"If enough customers want this phone, the carriers will have no choice but to follow," he predicted.

That would also break the traditional practice of giving carriers the right to sell specific models exclusively for a certain period.

Google conceivably could offer a sharp discount on the Nexus One without carriers' help, hoping to recoup some of the costs by selling more ads on the devices.

But the mobile advertising market is unlikely to grow quickly enough to offset the costs of the discounts for several years, so pursuing that strategy would likely crimp Google's profits - something that could drive down the company's stock price.

Another option is for Google to simply sell the phone at the full price, banking that it'll be attractive enough for buyers looking for the freedom to choose their own carrier.

A smart phone that empowers consumers to choose from a variety of carriers could post a threat to the iPhone, which is tied exclusively to AT&T in the United States.

That tie-in has spurred complaints from some iPhone users who say AT&T's network bogs down amid heavy Web traffic, particularly in big cities such as New York and San Francisco.

With the competition between the two companies heating up, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple's board five months ago.

Selling its own phone also could foster more resentment toward Google among the business partners that have been backing Android as a viable alternative to the mobile operating systems made by Apple, BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion Ltd. and Microsoft Corp.

Verizon, for instance, has raised consumer awareness about Android during the past two months by bankrolling a marketing blitz for the Droid phone made by Motorola Inc.

In an effort to keep the peace, Google probably will try to position the Nexus One as a way to encourage even more innovation with its Android system, said Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin.

"They might tell everyone in the Android ecosystem, 'We applaud you for what you have done so far, we just want to take things even further and think we can help light the way,"' Golvin said.

...Read the Full Story >>

Wizards player calls gun incident 'a mistake'


Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas admits he drew guns in the team locker room in a highly publicized December 21 incident, but says he was only kidding around.

"I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate," Arenas said in a statement released Monday. "Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone. Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong."

Citing NBA sources last month, the New York Post reported that Arenas and Javaris Crittenton both brandished firearms in the team's locker room.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Crittenton's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told CNN Monday that his client "hasn't done anything wrong. I'm extremely confident he'll be exonerated."

Asked if Crittenton brought a gun into the Verizon Center that day, Bartelstein said, "I'm not going to get into details." He said Crittenton has not met with authorities, nor has such a meeting been requested or scheduled.

Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star, spent Monday afternoon in a voluntary meeting with federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington and with D.C. metropolitan police about the incident, according to his attorney, Kenneth L. Wainstein.

"From the outset of this incident, Mr. Arenas has been fully cooperative with the investigation," Wainstein said in a statement, noting that Arenas relinquished the guns to Wizards security officers and met with authorities to "tell the full story."

"Over the course of a two-hour interview this afternoon, Mr. Arenas answered every question asked of him," Wainstein said in Monday's statement.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on Arenas' statement, citing the ongoing investigation. Arenas said he told authorities that he stored four unloaded guns in his locker the Verizon Center to keep them away from his children.

Arenas said he told authorities that he stored four unloaded guns in his locker the Verizon Center to keep them away from his children.

"I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the DC gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District," he said in the statement.

He offered a public apology to the league, his teammates and his fans, saying, "I promise to do better in the future."

NBA spokesman Tim Frank declined to comment on Arenas' comments, deferring to an earlier statement: "There is an active investigation by DC law enforcement authorities, which we are monitoring closely. We are not taking any independent action at this time."

...Read the Full Story >>

I boobed having implants says Rawlinson


Australian hurdler Jana Rawlinson has had her breast implants removed to boost her chances of winning a medal for her country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The 27-year-old Rawlinson, whose private life has often made headlines in Australia, said she enjoyed having larger breasts but did not want to "short-change Australia".

"I absolutely loved having bigger boobs, but finally I've grown up enough to know myself -- to be honest about who I am when I look in the mirror," Rawlinson told the Woman's Day magazine.

"I don't want to short-change Australia either -- I want to feel the most athletic I can, to know that I'm standing on the track in London the fittest I can be."
"There are a couple of girls -- who I won't name -- in world athletics who are Olympic champions, but they look like men and I don't want to be like that.
--Jana Rawlinson

The double 400 meter hurdles world champion, who reportedly plans to remarry her estranged British husband and fellow-athlete Chris Rawlinson, told the magazine she had the implants because she was unhappy with her athletic figure.

"When I looked in the mirror I just saw muscled arms, broad shoulders and big, strong legs," she said. "These are assets I need to run well, but they didn't make me feel like an attractive woman.

"There are a couple of girls -- who I won't name -- in world athletics who are Olympic champions, but they look like men and I don't want to be like that."

Rawlinson won the 400m hurdles at the 2003 Paris world championships and four years later in Osaka, Japan.

...Read the Full Story >>

Last-ditch bid to save Pacquiao-Mayweather fight


Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have turned to mediation in a last-ditch bid to save their March 13 super-fight in Las Vegas.

The proposed bout has been thrown into considerable doubt after a row over drugs testing escalated with Pacquiao taking legal action against Mayweather and his connections.

But representatives of the two fighters are due to meet on Tuesday with retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, who solved a dispute relating to promotional rights for Pacquiao three years ago.

Pacquiao's promoter and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has every faith in Weinstein's abilities.

"This guy was successful resolving our nutty problem before and hopefully he can be successful this time. He's a guy who is a big fight fan and loves the sport, and I found him last time to be a delight to deal with. Everybody did," he told ESPN.com.

Filipino hero Pacquiao has been infuriated by the insistence of Mayweather and his team at Golden Boy Promotions that both fighters submit to Olympic-style blood testing in the buildup to their pay-per-view extravaganza.
This guy was successful resolving our nutty problem before and hopefully he can be successful this time.
--Bob Arum

Pacquiao filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Las Vegas last week for defamation against Mayweather and others for allegedly claiming he had used performance-enhancing drugs.

It was another twist in a saga which has threatened to derail what many boxing experts predict will be the richest fight in boxing history, with projections of each fighter earning $40 million.

The bout at welterweight appeared to be virtually set after other issues around the cut of the purse for each fighter were settled, but then the drug-testing row erupted over the Christmas period.

Pacquiao became a five-weight world champion after his WBO welterweight title win over Miguel Cotto in November, while the unbeaten Mayweather returned from a 21-month retirement to beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

...Read the Full Story >>

Warren Beatty slept with 12,775 women, claims biographer


It may not be one of the great remaining mysteries, on a par with the nature of dark matter or the origins of the universe, but the question of how many women Warren Beatty, 72, has slept with certainly seems to have got New York's media-land in a froth.

Peter Biskind, Beatty's new biographer, estimates that the famously seductive star of Bonnie and Clyde and Reds has notched up 12,775 sexual conquests, including Isabelle Adjani, Diane Keaton and Madonna. If true, that is impressive. Don Giovanni could only claim a lacklustre 2,065, according to Mozart's librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte.

Biskind writes in his book, Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America, that he arrived at the figure by "simple arithmetic". He appears to have worked out the number of days between Beatty losing his virginity at 19 and the date in 1991 when he met Annette Bening on the set of Bugsy and fell into monogamy, and applied the questionable logic that during that entire period Beatty slept with an average of one woman a day. Biskind, an accomplished writer on Hollywood and author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, adds that for these purposes he ruled out "daytime quickies, drive-bys, casual gropings, stolen kisses and so on".

The exercise may not gain Biskind honorary membership of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, but it has generated considerable publicity.

An account in the New York Post, headlined "Sexy tell-all jumps into Beatty's bed", bills the book as an authorised biography. However, even its publisher, Simon & Schuster, makes no reference to Beatty having co-operated with the author.

Beatty's lawyer, Bertram Fields, told the Huffington Post that Biskind's "tedious book was not authorised by Mr Beatty". He accused Biskind of writing "many false assertions" and of quoting Beatty "saying things he never said".

According to the Post's account, such quotations include Beatty telling Biskind of Jane Fonda – who apparently initially thought he was gay: "Oh, my God. We kissed until we had practically eaten each other's heads off."

Joan Collins allegedly stumbled exhausted out of bed after a session with Beatty exclaiming: "I don't think I can last much longer. He never stops – it must be all those vitamins he takes."

...Read the Full Story >>

Johnson & Johnson Heiress Casey Johnson Dies


Casey Johnson, the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune who recently made tabloid headlines with a purported engagement to reality star Tila Tequila, has died at age 30.

Her death was announced by Tequila on her Twitter page and confirmed by police.

"Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson," Tequila wrote. "She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w/ family."'

Los Angeles police and firefighters were called to a house at 11:51 a.m. Monday. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It appears to be a natural death," says police Officer Sara Faden. "There's no evidence of foul play. A toxicology report from the coroner's office will proceed next."

Johnson, who leaves a toddler daughter Ava whom she had adopted, was the great-great granddaughter of the founder of the pharmaceutical giant, and the daughter of New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson.

An openly gay socialite, Johnson had a knack for attracting paparazzi – and trouble. A nasty fight with ex-girlfriend Courtenay Semel, daughter of former Yahoo chief Terry Semel, reportedly resulted in Johnson's hair catching on fire last October. Then in November, she was arrested for allegedly breaking into another former girlfriend's house.

In December, Tequila announced the pair were engaged. "Tonight, my beautiful girlfriend has just asked me to marry her and check out this rock," the lingerie-wearing Tequila said in an Internet video. "Bam! That is a 17-carat diamond ring from my baby."

...Read the Full Story >>

Vince Vaughn Gets Married!


He's a swinger no more.

Vince Vaughn married Kyla Weber in a small private ceremony before family and friends on Saturday outside of his hometown of Chicago, his rep confirms to PEOPLE.

Vaughn, 39, proposed to Weber, 31, a Canadian real estate agent, last Valentine's Day. "They could not be happier," a friend tells PEOPLE. The wedding took place at a historic mansion.

Vaughn told PEOPLE in September that after years as a bachelor he was ready for his life "to be about other people and other things" – even diaper duty. "It's the first time that I really want to have kids," he said.

The is the first marriage for Weber and the star of Swingers and Couples Retreat. Vaughn had previously dated Jennifer Aniston.
...Read the Full Story >>