American filmmaker Paul Feig (above) was always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it came to his career. At least that's how he saw it. But at 48-years old he's now the blushing bride. The writer, director and producer's latest filmBridesmaidsis a colossal success, having just passed the $130 million mark at the US box office and opening in Australia last week. Feig said he relates to the central character Annie (Kristen Wiig) who's at a slump in her professional and personal life. ``It's the exactly kind of story I do in everything,'' he said. ``This person doesn't know where they belong in the grand scheme of things and that appeals to me because that's how I feel in every single moment of my life, even when things are going right. ``That's how I felt for a lot of my career. I mean, I think I'm making good work and then . . . ``Bridesmaidsis the first thing I've had a big part in that's been successful.'' Success is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to Feig. After meeting Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year Old Virgin) when they were both teenagers and doing stand-up together, the pair created Emmy-nominated teen seriesFreaks and Geeks. It was cancelled before the end of the first season, but not before it launched the careers of its stars James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini. It also became a cult hit. Feig went on to direct several unsuccessful features such asI Am DavidandUnaccompanied Minors, before making a considerably more successful return to TV directingArrested Development, 30 Rock,Mad Men, Weedsand the US version ofThe Office. But it was Apatow who coaxed him back to the big screen with a ``fantastic script'' from formerSaturday Night Livestar Kristen Wiig and her writing partner Annie Mumolo. ``WithBridesmaids, we wanted to tell a very relatable and real story that appealed to both women and men,'' he said. ``It was easy to avoid all the pitfalls of the chick flick genre because it's not how any of us thought. ``Those types of films come from people doing things they think women want to see, which is really condescending. ``We knew we wanted to go R-rated with it and we wanted women to see other women on screen who are just as dirty as they are.'' From suffering food poisoning in a bridal shop to dropping the C-bomb, the ensemble cast ofBridesmaidsdon't play clean. Feig said he and executive producer Apatow even shot a PG-version of every scene in case the women at test screenings didn't like it. ``But they loved it,'' he said. The film follows a rag-tag group ofBridesmaidsas they're led through the pre-wedding rituals of bachelorette parties, bridal showers and dress fittings. Led by Wiig,Bridemaidsalso stars Melissa McCarthy, Jon Hamm, Aussies Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson (Thank God You're Here, Fat Pizza) in her first big Hollywood role. Wilson plays the sister of Annie's weird room mate,Little Britain's Matt Lucas. ``I'm so happy Rebel's in it, I'm such a big fan of hers,'' said Feig. ``The room mates weren't originally in the script but we knew Matt Lucas wanted to do something in the film but we didn't know where or what. ``Then Rebel came in to audition for one of the bridemaids and she was so hilarious, I turned and said to Judd `she looks like Matt's sister.' ``She's such a great improvisational comedienne and it's so exciting to have her in it.'' With Bridemaids a financial and critical success and talk of a sequel, Feig and Apatow are now working on another comedy starringMad Men's Jon Hamm. Hamm has openly spoken about his appreciation of the skilled and suave Fieg - who's known for wearing a suit to work everyday. ``Other directors are just a bunch of slobs,'' joked Feig, in reference to the director's stereotype of casual dressers. ``I've been doing it for the past 11 years. ``In fact, I went to directMad Menand I showed up on the first day and they thought I was there for casting.'' Bridesmaidsis in cinemas now.
I was thrilled to open up the newspaper today and see an article about the new Mad Men-inspired collection that is going to be launching at Banana Republic on August 11th! My boyfriend got me into watching Mad Men this year, and I quickly caught up on everything I missed. I adore the show and I can't wait for the next season in 2014. I'm drawn to the show for so many reasons (cough-Don Draper-cough), but the main reason: the fashion! The 1960s style is fabulous. Whether you're a Betty, a Peggy, or a Joan - the clothes are drool-worthy.
This summer, Banana Republic has teamed up with Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the show, to offer fans classic pieces with modern-day twists. In the newspaper article I read, it was said that the collection wouldn't focus on classic sixties colors, like mustard yellow and bright green, but would work more with black, navy, and red for a sophisticated edge. The boyfriend and I are certainly excited to scope out the pieces when they hit stores.
I was lucky enough to win an amazing giveaway over at A Life in the Fashion Lane. This blog has become one of my favorite reads; the blogger, Alexa, has a great sense of style and writes really sweet posts. I was so excited to find out I had won this beautiful romper by Lucca Couture! This is the first romper I've ever owned, and I love the way it fits. I'd love to add a few more to my collection! Thanks for offering this great prize, Alexa! Everyone should go check out A Life in the Fashion Lane. You won't be disappointed!
Dear readers, I cannot believe that this is the first time I'm introducing my family's awesome little Puggle (pug/beagle mix) to you! This is Abby, and she's the funniest, sweetest, cutest dog you will ever meet. I promise you we normally do not dress her up, but she started nosing her way into a shirt I had left on my bed and... we couldn't resist. She actually didn't seem to mind too much about the scarf or hat that we put on her, once she was told that there was a cookie waiting for her. So here's my little fashionista, always playing it up for the camera!
Greek authorities on Friday announced the arrest of four people in Iraklio, Crete on charges of attempting to sell a priceless 3,500-year-old statuette of a young man, dated to the mid-Minoan era for the princely sum of one million euros.The rare 3,500-year-old Minoan statuette recovered by the Greek authorities [Credit: Anatoli Online]
The 30cm-high bronze statuette is of a young man in worship, his hands folded across his chest, making it a unique find of its type throughout the island of Crete.
The figure has long hair, a gold-plated belt and remains of gold leaf on its calves and left knee.
At the base is a peg indicating that it was probably set on a pedestal in an area of worship. Archaeologists at the Lasithi Antiquities Ephorate have dated the statuette to the 16-15 century B.C.
The case was cracked as a result of a coordinated Hellenic Police (ELAS) operation that culminated in the arrests of four men, two aged 35 and two aged 41 years old.
Police initially stopped one of the 35-year-olds driving a car, in which they found an ancient bronze artifact. The other three men were following behind in two private trucks and also arrested.
The police inquiry revealed that the suspects had illegal possession of the statuette and that two of them had shown this to unknown prospective buyers, while the other two were acting as lookouts along the route.
The statuette was handed over the antiquities ephorate and the car confiscated as evidence, while police are continuing the inquiry.
The four suspects were led to the Lasithi misdemeanors' court prosecutor.
Unknown to most, around 45 km from Agra and at a height of 150 feet, there were until some years ago 40 sites of grand cave paintings and shelters that belonged to the Mesolithic period. Today, only a few of them remain. Most have been lost to illegal stone mining and the government's disregard for history and heritage.An aerial view of the cave situated 45 km off Agra [Credit: TOI]
When TOI visited the four villages — Rasoolpur, Patsal, Madanpura and Bandroli — where this ancient art is located, it found that almost 70% of the paintings had been destroyed, and only the efforts of a few persevering villagers had enabled the remaining specimens to somehow escape destruction. Dal Chand Dhuliya, an elderly resident of Madanpura, spoke for many villagers when he said, "We know that once these paintings are destroyed, they can't be recovered. We keep an eye on them at present, but for how long will they survive, and how long can we keep protecting them?"
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) amazingly has not done much to protect these paintings. When probed on why the agency has not initiated any action on preserving this heritage, ASI superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama said, "We will try and save the remaining works of art and are working on a proposal. It will be sent to the headquarters for approval."
Over 70% of the cave paintings have disappeared due to illegal mining.
70% of the cave paintings have already been destroyed by illegal mining activities [Credit: TOI]
The remaining paintings, some still shining out in colours of maroon and ochre, show ancient men domesticating cattle as well as engaged in hunting. Some of them depict animals like elephant and bull. The best specimens, though, are at Patsal where there are two sites locally known as Sita ki Rasoi and Nai ki Gufa. Sita ki Rasoi is a natural cave situated at a height of 150 feet where ancient men probably lived. Inside it, there is a depiction of a character that looks like a bison. At Nai ki Gufa, deer and sambar can be seen in the paintings.
M K Pundhir, medieval archaeologist from the Centre of Advance Studies in History, Aligarh Muslim University, testifies to the antiquity of this art. "The paintings are definitely from the Mesolithic period as they depict animals of four legs with smaller size and linear decoration which is how they were portrayed at that time."
Meanwhile, an ASI official said that the caves were first discovered in 1967 in Rasoolpur at one site and later at adjoining places around 1976. When queried as to why they were not preserved by the archaeological body then, the official response was that it should have been done, but the agency's focus was more on the monuments of the area.
Author: Aditya Dev | Source: Times of India [June 08, 2015]
Militants tried to attack the ancient temple of Karnak in southern Egypt on Wednesday, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up and two gunmen battling police. No sightseers were hurt in the thwarted assault, but it suggested that Islamic extremists are shifting targets from security forces to the country's vital tourism industry.A suicide bomber blew himself up on Wednesday just steps away from the ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor, a southern city visited by millions of tourists every year, security and health officials said. No tourists were killed or hurt in the late morning attack [Credit: AP]
The violence left the bomber and one gunman dead, the other wounded and arrested, and four other people wounded. The temple was not damaged.
The attackers carried guns in backpacks, and one wore a belt of explosives. They rode in a taxi through a police checkpoint to a parking lot and sat at a cafe and ordered lemonades, witnesses told The Associated Press. The taxi driver, suspicious after they refused his offer to help with the packs, alerted police.
When a policeman approached, the bomber tried to hug him, but the policeman wrestled away. Seconds later, he detonated the explosives, and the others pulled automatic weapons from their bags and opened fire wildly, sending a small group of European tourists running for cover, the witnesses said.
The attack followed one this month outside the famed Giza Pyramids in which gunmen killed two policemen. The violence points to a change in tactics by Islamic militants against the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. For two years, attacks have been centered in the Sinai Peninsula, mostly by a group that has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group and largely focused on retaliation against police and soldiers.
A campaign against tourism, one of the main sources of foreign revenue, could deal a blow to el-Sissi's promises to repair Egypt's economy.
Tourism has just started to show signs of recovery after plunging in the turmoil since the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The first five months of this year saw tourism revenues up 9 percent from the same period last year, Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy said.
Ramy said he expects the slow recovery to continue despite the attack, and he underscored how police had thwarted it.
"Security forces were there. It's a very important message to everyone," he told the AP on a flight from Cairo to Luxor.
Mohammed Sayed Badr, the governor of Luxor province, said the attack was "an attempt to break into the temple of Karnak."
"They didn't make it in," he said.
But witnesses noted it was civilian bystanders who alerted police to the threat.
A crowd looks on at the site of a suicide bombing, near Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 [Credit: AP]
Karnak, one of Egypt's biggest attractions, is a giant complex of temples, statues, obelisks and columns built by pharaonic dynasties alongside the Nile. The oldest sections date back nearly 4,000 years.
Access to the site is through a gate and a roadblock, leading to a parking lot and visitors' center hundreds of yards from the ancient structure, which is reachable only on foot.
The waiter who served the men said only one spoke to him and had an accent from northern Egypt, while the others stopped talking when he approached. When they paid their bill, he said he refused to take their tip.
"They looked scary. ... One of them had really bad eyes," said the waiter, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Ikrami, for fear of problems with police for talking to the media.
Another cafe employee, Abdel-Nasser Mohammed, said the taxi driver reported his suspicions about the men to police. As the three walked away, a policeman approached them, leading to the tussle between the officer and the bomber, Mohammed said.
The bomber triggered the blast near a public restroom, and the other two opened fire. One ran toward the visitors' center, and a policeman shot him in the head, Mohammed said.
Tourist shop owner Sheik Ahmed Abdel-Mawgoud said he been standing near the restroom only seconds before the blast.
"When the explosion happened, I ran for cover and told my friend, a tour guide, to run with the tourists with him. I screamed at him, 'Terrorism!'" he told the AP. h The exchange of fire with police lasted several minutes, witnesses said, and two policemen were among the wounded.
Only a handful of tourists and Egyptians were in the temple at the time, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
AP video of the scene showed what was believed to be the remains of the bomber covered with a black sheet with pools of blood nearby.
The monument "is safe and unaffected and visitors continue to arrive," temple director Mohammed Abdel-Aziz told the AP. Four groups of foreigners visited after the attack.
There was no claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants who have operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian security officials stand guard as tourists visit the ruins of the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 [Credit: Hassan Ammar/AP]
Last year, the main Sinai-based insurgent group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which has destroyed archaeological landmarks in Syria and Iraq, viewing them as idolatrous.
The violence in Sinai accelerated and spread to other parts of Egypt following the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The militants say the attacks are in retaliation for a massive crackdown on Islamists in Egypt.
A senior security official said investigators are looking to see whether the Luxor attackers are Egyptians and whether it marks an expansion of the violence to southern Egypt, which was a breeding ground for the militants of the 1990s and 2000.
In the 1990s, Islamic militants targeted tourism to try to undermine the economy. The deadliest attack was in Luxor in November 1997, 58 people were killed at the 3,400-year-old Hatshepsut Temple.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said the new breed of militants were unknown to the authorities. But he said the latest attack was a qualitative shift in the militants' target.
The attack coincided with a major regional economic summit, hosted by el-Sissi at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Luxor is home to some of Egypt's most famous ancient temples and pharaonic tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun. The city has been one the sites hit hardest by the sharp downturn in foreign visitors since the 2011 uprising.
Before the turmoil, tourism accounted for as much as 20 percent of Egypt's foreign currency revenues, with as a high of 14.7 million visitors in 2010.
After the uprising, those numbers plunged to 9.6 million, and then fell lower in 2013 after Morsi's ouster. Tourists have been coming back slowly, with revenues jumping to $4 billion so far this year, compared with $1.9 billion in the same period in 2014.
Beach resorts in southern Sinai and along the Red Sea coast have drawn most of the visitors, with cultural sites like Luxor seeing only a trickle. Most tourists in the searing heat of the summer months come to Luxor only for a one-day trip from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
Wednesday's attack is likely to result in cancellations in bookings for Luxor, although the blow is cushioned by the fact that it is low season and most tourists stay away until October.
Three major German operators, TUI Deutschland, the Germany branch of Thomas Cook and L'TUR, said they are temporarily canceling excursions to Luxor, but stressed that most of their customers are at Red Sea resorts or on Nile cruises.
"We have no reason to advise against traveling to Egypt at the present time, since the German Foreign Ministry hasn't changed its security guidance," said L'TUR spokesman Thomas Pluennecke. "But, as a precaution, we have stopped all excursions to Luxor. Of course we take the situation seriously."
Authors: Sarah el Deeb & Haggag Salama | Source: The Associated Press [June 10, 2015]
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Going green: Pippa Middleton is working for her ex-boyfriend's geothermal energy firm Pippa Middleton picked up a slew of new admirers after putting in a star turn in her role as bridesmaid at the royal wedding. And now Kate Middleton's younger sister has just taken on a new job. But her boyfriend might be a little green with envy as the 27-year-old is working for her ex George Percy, who runs a geothermal energy firm. t comes after she spent a week with George, the 26-year-old son of the Duke of Northumberland, and a group of friends in Madrid. Wedding belles: Pippa and her sister Kate with Prince William and best man Prince Harry leaving Westminster Abbey A friend told the Sunday Mirror: 'Pip and George are really close friends so when he needed someone to help out with office stuff, she was the obvious person to ask. She’s enjoying getting stuck in to something new.' Pippa will juggle the role with her role at party planning firm Table Talk, and editing an online magazine for her parents’ firm Party Pieces. Enterprising George, whose father is one of the richest men in Britain, set up the business last year with mining magnate Algy Cluff, who owns gold mines in war-torn Sierra Leone. The company aims to find ways of turning hot water stored underground into heat and electricity. Along with experts from Newcastle University, they are drilling boreholes in Co Durham, and Pippa is expected to help with lobbying for a new licensing system from the government so they can go into production. source: dailymail
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Come Home To ME: Justin jumped up on stage with singer Ernie Halter at his concert in Costa Mesa Last night He only finished his mammoth world tour on Wednesday night in Tokyo but Justin Bieber couldn't wait to get back to his lady. The Baby singer was spotted back in the arms of girlfriend Selena Gomez last night as the couple took in an intimate concert in Costa Mesa, California. Sitting side by side and holding hands, the romantic pair watched musician Ernie Halter perform at La Cave. Ernie was the writer of Justin's song Come Home To Me, which Justin jumped on stage to perform with the singer-song writer half way through the show as a proud Selena sang along from the audience. Justin then rejoined Selena at the candle-lit table and they sat cosily in the booth to watch the rest of the show. Romantic: The cosy couple watched the show from a candle lit table According to one audience member, Justin then introduced Selena to Ernie as his girlfriend after the show. Ernie was clearly blown away by the impromptu duet tweeting, '@justinbieber great meeting u &@selenagomez tonight. Def a night to remember.' 'Thank you for the encouragement & for singing with me.' '@selenagomez you and Justin are so sweet. Pleasure meeting you both. I saw you singing along to my songs. Made my night that much better :)' he also wrote. Justin returned the message, tweeting, '@erniehalter thanks for the night. Glad we could surprise u. U r the real deal. Congrats to u and the wife.' This is my girlfriend: Justin introduced Selena to Ernie as his girlfriend after the show Just when you thought Justin Beiber's influence on his teenage fans could not get any bigger, he's now deciding what they should smell like. The 17-year-old is launching a fruity floral scent for girls next month. And he is cheekily calling it Someday, offering a glimmer of hope to his fans - who call themselves Beliebers - that one day he might be all theirs. Let’s be real, the way a girl smells is very important to a guy!' Bieber told WWD. 'I have such a deep connection with my fans, so creating a fragrance that I personally love is another way I can bring them closer to my world.' The singer's empire is growing dramatically and just last week he was named #3 on the Forbes Most Powerful Celebrity List after earning over $53 million last year. Fan frenzy: People took pictures and cheered as the men performed on stage Justin Bieber calls Selena Gomez HIS GIRLFRIEND after doing a duet with Ernie Halter (May 2011)
The bombs and missiles of the Saudi-led Arab coalition on Friday killed civilians in Yemen and for the first time hit the historic Old City of the capital.Yemenis search for survivors under the rubble of old buildings allegedly destroyed by an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, 12 June 2015. A Saudi-led airstrike killed seven civilians and destroyed historic houses in the old quarter of Sana'a on 12 June, two days ahead of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva. The air raid was the first in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yemen's rebel-held capital since the coalition started its air campaign in March against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels [Credit: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB]
Three buildings of a World Heritage site were razed to the ground and a fourth collapsed. UNESCO condemned the act immediately.
''I am profoundly distressed by the loss of human lives as well as by the damage inflicted on one of the world's oldest jewels of Islamic urban landscape,'' UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement. Six people were killed, none of whom armed.
Giovanni Puglisi, head of the Italian national commission for UNESCO, noted that ''we are not facing the Islamic State (ISIS) bandits destroying cultural heritage. We are dealing with a Saudi-led coalition that, in reaction to terrorists' acts of war and as part of a scorched earth policy, destroy the cultural heritage of the historic Yemeni city. This is much more serious and worrisome than others due to its unusual nature.'
The Saudi missile came at dawn in the center of the Qasimi area with its thousands of inhabitants. The area has homes over 2,500 years old, about a hundred Arabesque mosques and evocative hammams.
''It was a deafening sound, a horrible whistle,'' said people on the scene. There was no blast, however, and the disaster could have been much worse. The missile did not explode, and thus brought down only the buildings it directly hit.
The number of casualties is also very low: six dead (four women and two men buried under the rubble). On Thursday, a Saudi bomb hit a bus, burning over 20 people alive.
UNESCO had already in May spoken out about the ''serious damage'' caused by the bombing of the Old City in Sanaa and called on those involved in the conflict not to involve Yemen's cultural heritage in the fighting.
The appeal does not seem to have influenced Riyadh's operations since the beginning of the Saudi-led (Sunni) coalition actions against Shia Houthi rebels on March 26.
Saudi Arabia aims to halt the advance of the Houthi rebels, who since September 24, 2014 have controlled the capital and used it as a base to achieve military victories across large areas of the north, west and center of the country.
In the south the rebels had begun to get the upper hand and at this point Riyadh - where Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has taken refuge - began its airstrikes.
In just over two months, over a thousand civilians including 234 children have died under the bombs, and a million people have been forced to flee their homes.
CitizenM is the hotel made of ready modules of rooms.
The hotel of new type is constructed in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The design of the project was developed by the Holland architectural studio, “Concrete”.
Each of two hundred thirty rooms has been constructed and arranged by furniture at factory. Then the received elements have been made together as containers by the ship — and the hotel has turned out.
The concept assumes reduction of all unnecessary expenses and removal of all unnecessary details. As a result of visitors receive magnificent conditions and comfort for very moderate price. In hotel of 230 numbers, 14 square metres everyone by the area.
All elements-rooms are made at own factory SitizenM, are mobile and are easily transported. Rooms are placed over the building ground floor where the dynamical lobby is placed, a drawing room, creative rooms, restaurant and a bar.
Company Concrete has thought up the concept which has defined new possibilities for creative process and a new way for all involved technologies.
CitizenM wishes to clone the concept and to construct more than 20 hotels next year, with use of technology of blocks. The second hotel will be constructed in Amsterdam, the third - in Glasgow. Other European cities now are in the field of research.
As, according to owners CitizenM, everything, that is necessary for us during a stop in road is an excellent bed and a pure bathroom, they have concentrated on these details.
To save space, subjects from a bathroom are placed separately in a room. In the big glass cylinders are a shower and a toilet, in the small cylinder the bowl and additional space for storage of personal things is hidden.
The space effective utilisation has given a life to effective decisions; for example, the mirror simultaneously is a place for storage. In a steel framework the mirror in full growth which, on the other hand, consists of a mirror for a make-up with illumination, departments for storage of sanitary articles, in hotel available the European, English and American sockets is concluded.
On either side of a bed night little tables are located. Under a bed the huge locker for suitcase storage in an open kind or other personal things is placed. Sockets on a forward part of a bed allow to connect your laptop or phone.
Designers have tried to create as much as possible house conditions — zones for work, rest, meal. The design of rooms is created together with furniture brand Vitra. The furniture will periodically vary, that will allow Vitra to organise additional show-rum of production.
The philosophy of a new hotel brand is that:
“Small rest in road is necessary to All travellers. To researchers, wise men, dandies, businessmen, adventurers and dreamers. They are independent and individual, but they are united by one — aspiration to travel positively. For all mobile citizens of the world. CitizenM”
By PAUL BENTLEY Revealing all? Oprah is said to be lining up an historic interview with Simpson O.J Simpson has confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he murdered his former wife, it has been reported. The talk show host made headlines recently saying that one of her regrets was never having got the shamed former sportsman to confess to the killing. And it appears her wish may well have come true with reports Simpson has already told one of her producers in an interview from jail that he knifed ex-wife Nicole in self-defence - a confession he will now repeat to the talk show queen during a spectacular televised sit down interview. The chat, which would be held in prison, would be a hug coup for Oprah, whose network, OWN, has suffered a massive hit in ratings recently. Simpson is currently serving a nine-year sentence at Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Centre, after he was convicted of robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas in October 2008 after a botched heist to retrieve his memorabilia he said was stolen by dealers. Coup: Will Oprah finally get the confession from O.J. Simpson that she is said to have been pining for? He was famously acquitted in October 1995 of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman despite huge amounts of evidence against him. According to the National Enquirer, the interview is set to be filmed after Simpson confessed he killed the pair in self-defence to a producer from inside prison. 'Oprah has been in touch with O.J. for the past year,' a source told the magazine. She contacted him in prison to explore the possibility that he might give her an interview. Confession? O.J. Simpson and his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, when they were a couple in 1993 'He has always been a big fan of hers, but for a long time he was reluctant to say he did the crime or give the details of how it happened.' According to the insider, Simpson recently decided to go through with the confession after he was contacted again by one of Oprah's producers. 'He told the producer: "Tell Oprah that yes, I did it. I killed Nicole, but it was in self-defence. She pulled a knife on me and I had to defend myself",' the insider was quoted as saying. He reportedly then went on to give a full account of what happened on the night of the murders on June 12 1994. Murdered: Ronald Goldman was an American waiter and an aspiring model The former couple had got into an argument after Nicole was said to have snubber Simpson when he interrupted a meal she was having at a restaurant with their children. 'O.J. said he went home and kept getting angrier and angrier and worked himself into an absolute rage,' the source told the Enquirer. Family: Simpson, pictured with Nicole and their children, Sydney Brook and Justin Simpson allegedly told the producer he 'didn't like the way she treated me in front of the kids at the restaurant. I didn't like that she was routinely having guys have sex with her at her condo with the kids there. 'I went over there to give her a piece of my mind,' he was quoted as saying. When he arrived and no one answered at the house, he started pounding the door and shouting, according to the report. The door allegedly then swung open and Nicole was standing there with a kitchen knife in her hand. Evidence: A glove that was found at Simpson's home - originally said to have been the pair to another which was bloodied from the violent murders 'O.J. told the producer, "she was yelling go away! Go away! And waving the knife around at me. At one point she was lunging at me with the knife and I was just trying to talk to her. Nicole stepped out of the apartment - slashing the knife in the air. '"I was in such a rage that something just snapped. I couldn't take her constant taunting of me with other men or her using drugs and drinking while my kids were living with her. I went beserk. '"Before I knew what I was doing I took the knife away from Nicole and started slashing at her. I cut her over and over again until she was lifeless. I was shocked at my own anger - I had killed the woman I had loved for so long.."' Weapon: A German-made 15-inch knife similar to one originally said to have been sold to Simpson five weeks before the murders He allegedly went on to tell the producer he also knifed Ron Goldman in self-defence as he tried to attack Simpson when he turned up at the home soon after and spotted Nicole's body on the floor. The shamed former sportsman was acquitted on October 3, 1995 of stabbing to death his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after perhaps the most famous trial in modern history. After the bodies were found in a pool of blood on her driveway in Los Angeles driveway, Simpson, who has until now maintained he did not commit the murders, began a bizarre slowspeed car chase with police. Custody: Simpson's original mugshot Almost 100million people are thought to have watched the events live on television as the sports star held a gun to his head while being driven by a friend. He was allegedly headed for the Mexican border with $5,000 dollars and his passport when he was tracked by authorities. Eventually, 27 police cars trailed him until he surrendered on his mansion's driveway an hour and a half later. Despite huge amounts of evidence against Simpson, including bloodstains in his car, a glove holding DNA from the three, a sock engrained with traces of his victims' blood on his bedroom carpet and tapes of a terrified Nicole begging police for help as Simpson hit her - he was acquitted of the murders. If the confession is made to Oprah on television, Simpson will not, however, suffer legal consequences. Under the law of double jeopardy, a second trial is forbidden following an acquittal. source: dailymail
What happens when a stuntman, actor/director and screenwriter walk into a Gold Coast bar? They come up with the concept for an action fantasy film that is already raising eyebrows in Hollywood no joke. Rene Perrin, Avelino `El Rico' Lescot and Susan Macguillicuddy are the trio behind The Black Sun, which recently took out the Most Ambitious Screenplay award at the 2010 International Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The locals are hoping the added hype surrounding their screenplay will push the project into production and attract the eye of distributors. Lescot, a Gold Coast-based actor, stuntman and filmmaker who has worked on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Peter Pan and The Condemned, said The Black Sun incorporates several genres.
``It's enchanting and mystical,'' he said. ``It's a gypsy, action, adventure, romance, western with a strong supernatural feel that is set in the Pacific Islands, Mexico, China, New Zealand and here. ``At the moment the film industry needs something different but financially manageable and that's The Black Sun.''
The film follows a warrior's worldwide journey on the Matariki boat, which Lescot said is `like another star of the film'. Lescot and Perrin have an impressive international fanbase thanks to the success of their action film Among Dead Men. It won several awards for best fight choreography and generated considerable profits in DVD sales in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Cambodia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Hong Kong. It also grossed several times its $7000 budget in DVD sales through Walmart in the US. Perrin, who has worked as a stunt performer on films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Daybreakers, Nim's Island, Fool's Gold and Ghost Ship, said they wanted to combine their `love of action with a love of romance' in The Black Sun.
Balancing out the testosterone on the team is screenwriter Susan Macguillicuddy. Despite having worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths, Macguillicuddy said working with `the boys' on The Black Sun has been her `most cherished writing experience'.
``It's like we each started at one end of the canvas and worked our way to the middle, fine-tuning the parts of the script we liked,'' she said. ``It took us about a year and hundreds of meetings but we're happy with the finished product. ``We wanted to do something very avant garde with the genre and something new. ``Getting the Most Ambitious Screenplay award means we really pushed the genre, which is what we set out to do.''
International distributors have shown interest in The Black Sun and the trio is currently in the process of looking for investors.
P.S. Since it is less than two days until the release of Tomorrow, When The War Began I figure it’s time to start getting you all majorly excited. That is, if you aren’t already. Which you should be. Therefore, I’m officially declaring this as Tomorrow, When The War Began day and prepare yourself for a swag of related stories. Starting with the lovely Phoebe Tonkin (below), who plays Fi in the film.I interviewed her at the Queensland premiere last fortnight and the next day over breakfast in Southport. As well as talking about the movie and future projects, all the usual stuff, we broached the big one - Phoebe Tonkin’s favourite movies.
“I’ve always loved Pretty Woman, that’s probably my favourite. I saw Shutter Island recently which was really good. Princess Bride, oh and Girl Interrupted is also amazing. I love Julia Roberts so anything with her in it really.”
Black Sun of a Gun, 9 out of 10 (based on 584 votes)
The Tourism and Antiquities Police on Tuesday arrested several men, accusing them of last year having stolen an ancient Egyptian statue from the warehouses of the Memphis archaeological site, near the town of Mit Rahina 20 km outside Cairo, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty has said.The recovered statue [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Culture]
The suspects included an archaeological inspector from the site, who stands accused of having stolen the statue from the warehouse, before replacing it with a replica, and illegally smuggling it to Brussels, the minister added.
The ministry managed to retrieve the statue and bring it back to Egypt a few months ago, the minister said.
The suspects are being held in custody pending investigations.
Carved in limestone, the statue depicts a sitting priest and dates back to the Middle Kingdom, between about 2000 and 1700 BC.
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Striking: Rosario Dawson arrived for the screening of This Must Be The Place in Cannes wearing a bright red strapless gown If Rosario Dawson was nursing a broken heart, she certainly wasn't showing it on the Cannes red carpet today. The Men in Black actress looked radiant in a dramatic red strapless gown as she arrived at the festival premiere of film This Must Be The Place earlier tonight. The 32-year-old actress smiled and posed for photographers, despite reports that she has split with her French DJ boyfriend Mathieu Schreyer. Lady in red: Dawson looked relaxed on the Cannes red carpet despite being reported to have split with her long term boyfriend A source told Us Weekly ,agazine: 'They were always in separate places because of their careers. 'I know her close friends did not love his personality. He wasn't that smiley type of guy.' And according to other sources, Dawson was the one who ended the relationship. 'She broke up with him,' they told the magazine. As they were: Rosario pictured alongside ex-boyfriend Mathieu Schreyer last October But according to another source, Dawson and Schreyer were 'definitely together' a few weeks ago at the [April 23] Prince concert in L.A. 'They seemed really happy. They were kissing and there was a point in the concert where Prince was calling people up on stage and they were up there holding hands. 'They seemed very in love.' source: dailymail
American filmmaker Paul Feig (above) was always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it came to his career. At least that's how he saw it. But at 48-years old he's now the blushing bride. The writer, director and producer's latest filmBridesmaidsis a colossal success, having just passed the $130 million mark at the US box office and opening in Australia last week. Feig said he relates to the central character Annie (Kristen Wiig) who's at a slump in her professional and personal life.
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