Rabu, 26 Disember 2012

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


'Thunderbirds' creator Gerry Anderson dies

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:47 PM PST

Gerry Anderson, the British creator of popular television show "Thunderbirds," died on Wednesday age 83 after a long battle with dementia, his son said on his blog.

"I'm very sad to announce the death of my father, 'Thunderbirds' creator Gerry Anderson. He died peacefully in his sleep at midday today ... having suffered with mixed dementia for the past few years," Anderson's son Jamie wrote.

The puppeteer started his television career in the 1950s, creating a string of popular British shows including 1964's "Stingray" and 1967's "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons." His company AP Films pioneered the "supermarionation" puppetry technique with the fusion of marionette figures and small-scale models to create live action-style shows.

Anderson's most notable production was 1965 series "Thunderbirds," featuring marionette puppets, about a secret organization that performs rescue missions using high-tech tools and vehicles, with characters such as ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy and agent Lady Penelope.

While the show only aired for two seasons on British television, it became a cult favorite and was adapted for the big screen, most recently in 2004 film "Thunderbirds," with the voices of Ben Kingsley and Bill Paxton. Anderson is survived by his wife Mary and four children.-Reuters

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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Ex-U.S. President George H.W. Bush in intensive care

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:45 PM PST

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital and is in "guarded condition," family spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday.

"The president is alert and conversing with medical staff, and is surrounded by family," McGrath said in a statement.

Former President George H.W. Bush smiles as he listens to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak as he met with Bush to pick up his formal endorsement in Houston March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Donna Carson

Former President George H.W. Bush smiles as he listens to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak as he met with Bush to pick up his formal endorsement in Houston March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Donna Carson

"Following a series of setbacks including a persistent fever, President Bush was admitted to the intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital on Sunday where he remains in guarded condition," McGrath said. "Doctors at Methodist continue to be cautiously optimistic about the current course of treatment."

The 88-year-old was admitted to the hospital November 23 for bronchitis.

A hospital spokesman said in mid-December that the former president was expected to be home from the hospital in time for Christmas, but that spokesman later said doctors felt that the former president should build up his energy before going home.

Bush has lower body parkinsonism, which causes a loss of balance, and has used wheelchairs for more than a year, McGrath said in an email on Wednesday.

Bush, the 41st U.S. president and a Republican, took office in 1989 and served one term in the White House. The father of former President George W. Bush, he also served as a congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China, CIA director and vice president for two terms under Ronald Reagan.

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Phil Berlowitz)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Ex-U.S. President George H.W. Bush in intensive care

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:12 PM PST

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital and is in "guarded condition," family spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday.

"The president is alert and conversing with medical staff, and is surrounded by family," McGrath said in a statement.

Former President George H.W. Bush smiles as he listens to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak as he met with Bush to pick up his formal endorsement in Houston March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Donna Carson

Former President George H.W. Bush smiles as he listens to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak as he met with Bush to pick up his formal endorsement in Houston March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Donna Carson

"Following a series of setbacks including a persistent fever, President Bush was admitted to the intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital on Sunday where he remains in guarded condition," McGrath said.

Doctors at Methodist Hospital "continue to be cautiously optimistic about the current course of treatment," McGrath said.

The 88-year-old was admitted to the hospital November 23 for bronchitis.

Bush, the 41st U.S. president and a Republican, took office in 1989 and served one term in the White House. The father of former President George W. Bush, he also served as a congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China, CIA director and vice president for two terms under Ronald Reagan.

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Phil Berlowitz)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

CAR wants French help as rebels close in on capital

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:21 PM PST

BANGUI (Reuters) - A government minister in the Central African Republic on Wednesday called for French soldiers stationed there to intervene as rebels closed in on the capital having passed the last major town to the north.

The appeal for help came as hundreds of people protested outside the French Embassy in Bangui, the capital, throwing stones at the building and tearing down the French flag in anger at a rebel advance through the north of the country.

Paris did not immediately respond to the aid request but announced that French troops would be deployed to secure the embassy. The United Nations criticized the rebel advance.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, Martin Nesirky, issued a statement saying Ban "strongly condemns the armed attacks on several towns in the Central African Republic perpetrated by the coalition of rebel groups 'SELEKA'."

"These developments gravely undermine the peace agreements in place and the efforts of the international community to consolidate peace in the Central African Republic," he said.

Nesirky also confirmed that dependents and all "non-essential" U.N. staff had been temporarily relocated. He added that Ban's special representative in the country, Margaret Vogt, "continues to engage the government and the rebel leaders with a view to ensuring a ceasefire and initiating dialogue."

U.N. officials told Reuters privately that around 50 essential U.N. staff have remained in the CAR while the rest were relocated to Senegal.

The rebel push through a string of towns in recent weeks has highlighted the fragility of the land-locked nation, which has rich deposits of uranium as well as gold and diamonds but has been largely unstable since independence from France in 1960.

A military source and an aid worker said the rebels had got as far as Damara, 75 km (47 miles) from Bangui, by late afternoon, having skirted Sibut, where some 150 Chadian soldiers had earlier been deployed to try and block a push south by a rebel coalition.

"It is true, they are at the gates of Bangui," a government official told Reuters, asking not to be named.

Several armies from Central Africa have troops in the CAR as part of the MICOPAX stabilisation mission, and Chad sent extra soldiers earlier this month to try and halt the rebel advance.

It was not clear whether the rebels, who have swept across the country on pick-ups and motorbikes, met resistance in Sibut.

Colonel Djouma Narkoyo, a spokesman for the Seleka rebel alliance, which says it wants the full application of a peace deal to end a previous rebellion or else it will topple the president, said fighters would not, for now, enter Bangui.

"We call on the (army) to lay down its weapons as (President Francois) Bozize has lost all his legitimacy and does not control the country," he said.

French broadcaster RFI on Wednesday quoted Josue Binoua, the CAR's minister for territorial administration, calling for French intervention.

"We are waiting for France to come to our help!" he was quoted as saying on RFI's website in response to a question over what Bangui expected from France's troops stationed there.

TENSE CAPITAL

As night fell, Bangui's residents stocked up on food and other provisions, and some people in northern neighbourhoods said they would sleep with relatives or friends elsewhere.

With a government that holds little sway outside the capital, some parts of the country have long endured the consequences of conflicts in troubled neighbours Chad, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo spilling over.

CAR is one of several nations in Central Africa where U.S. Special Forces have been deployed to help regional armies track down the notorious Lords Resistance Army rebel group.

French nuclear energy group Areva is the main mining firm in the country with the Bakouma uranium deposit in the south.

French military officers act as advisors to the CAR's army and Paris in the past has helped prop up or oust governments. However, France is increasingly reluctant to directly intervene in conflicts in its former colonies.

A Reuters reporter at the scene of Wednesday's demonstrations said some protesters had accused France of backing the rebels while others had demanded French forces in the country help the army fight off the rebel push.

A smaller group of protesters, mainly youths linked to the ruling party, gathered outside the U.S. Embassy and stoned cars carrying white passengers, the reporter said.

The French Defence Ministry said some of the 250 soldiers in the country as part of the MICOPAX peacekeeping mission had been sent to secure the embassy and protect French nationals.

Vincent Floreani, deputy spokesman in the French foreign ministry, did not comment on the appeal for help but said the crisis had to be resolved through dialogue.

The United States also called for dialogue and has "strongly encouraged" its citizens to leave the country until the security situation improved. Air France's weekly Paris-Bangui flight had to turn back "due to the situation in Bangui".

On Tuesday, the rebels took the central town of Kaga Bandoro despite the presence of troops from neighbouring nations who were meant to shore up the weak national army.

Bozize came to power in 2003 after a brief war and has repeatedly relied on foreign intervention to fend off rebellions and insecurity stemming from neighbouring conflicts.

"It has been a pretty tense day in the city. It is hard to tell who is with who," an aid worker told Reuters.

"It is not clear if (the rebels) are going to be able to march in and take it. I guess we will know later tonight."

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in New York, Leigh Thomas in Paris, Andrew Quinn in Washington and David Lewis in Dakar; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Paul Simao)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

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The Star Online: Sports

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ASUM promote youngsters to senior squad

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:30 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: New Year cheers are in store for four youngsters as they will be promoted to the elite national diving squad preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The two boys – Mohd Danial and Mohd Nazreen – and two girls – Nur Dhabitah Sabri and Adeline Chin – will join the likes of London Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong and Bryan Nickson Lomas in the elite set-up next year.

Mohd Danial and Mohd Nazreen, both 14, were finalists at the World Junior Championships in Adelaide in October this year.

Nur Dhabitah is only 13 but she underlined her talent by grabbing gold in the springboard event at the South-East Asian Aquatics Championships in Singapore in June.

Nur Dhabitah went on to win two golds at the Kuantan Sukma in July and together with Adeline, also a medal winner at Sukma, will be hoping for better things now that they will come under the guidance of head coach Yang Zhuliang.

Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) secretary Edwin Chong said the four would join 15-year-olds Loh Zhiayi and Chew Yiwei who recently earned promotion to the senior squad.

"It is the start of the next Olympic cycle and we have to identify and prepare new divers for the future. "We will promote these four divers into the elite squad and they will be targeted for the next Olympics in Rio.

"They will be joining the seniors for training stints in China and we will gauge their progress through several competitions.

"The seniors like Pandelela, Bryan, Ooi Tze Liang and Cheong Jun Hoong will still be there for the Rio Olympics.

"It is our hope to see the younger divers stepping up to the plate to challenge for a place in the Olympics.

"Expectations will be on diving to do better in future Olympics as we delivered in London and we have to get ready now," said Edwin.

There are vacancies in the team following the retirement of seasoned divers like Yeoh Ken Nee while Leong Mun Yee has indicated her desire to take a break to finish her university studies.

"We brought in Zhiayi and Yiwei to fill up the places after the London Olympics. Both will be groomed to get ready for the Rio Olympics as well as the 2014 Youth Olympics in China.

"We have one year to prepare them for the qualifiers. We got two medals when Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010. Hopefully, these two will keep up the good work," added Edwin.

Pandelela and Tze Liang were the representatives in diving at the inaugural Youth Olympics.

Pandelela grabbed silvers in springboard and platform events.

Syafiq all fired up for a good show in British Juniors

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:43 PM PST

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Syafiq Kamal is all fired up to make an impression in the prestigious British Junior Open squash championships in Sheffield from Jan 2-6.

The 16-year-old Kelantan lad is only seeded joint ninth-16th in the Under-17 category. But he believes he can prove the seeding committee wrong.

"I'm confident of rediscovering my best form and I'm looking forward to a good run in Sheffield," said the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) student.

Syafiq is eager to start off the year with a good result after having a poor run in this month's KL International Junior Open. Much was expected of him but he crashed out in the quarter-finals.

In the Asian Junior Championships in Kish Island, Iran, in June he also crashed out in the last eight.

The high point for Syafiq was winning the Under-17 title of the National Junior Championships last month and the Hong Kong Junior Open in August.

"It has not been an outstanding year for me by my standards. I lost to Amir (Farhan) at the KL Juniors because my body felt heavy and the shots were not going in.

"But I'm confident that my form will eventually return. I'm working towards that.

"Having reached the last 16 in the Under-15 category last year, but only the second round this year in the Under-17, my target this time is the quarter-finals and then take it from there.

"It will definitely not be easy because the British Juniors is one of the toughest tournaments around and I have to be careful from the opening round," he added.

Syafiq will take on local qualifiers Cillian Dunne or Rahul Bansal in the first round. If he wins, he is likely to face France's Enzo Corigliano in the next round. Syafiq's biggest test is expected to be fifth-eighth seed Abdel Zahar of Egypt in the third round. Besides Syafiq, the other Malaysians competing in the Under-17 category are the Pahang duo of Al Nikc Ally and Darren Chan. Al Nikc is also seeded joint ninth-16th.

Asian Junior champion Ng Eain Yow is the only Malaysian to be top seeded in the tournament. He is the favourite to win the Under-15 event. Besides winning the Under-13 crown, he also made the semi-finals of the Under-15 event this year.

Wei Feng confident of winning his first National GP Finals title

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:43 PM PST

PETALING JAYA: It will be a much more open affair in the National Grand Prix Badminton Finals this year as world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will not feature in the race for the men's singles title.

And world No. 21 Chong Wei Feng will be hoping to capitalise on the situation to end the year with a bang when the tournament starts at the Kedah BA hall in Alor Setar today.

"I am really looking forward to this tournament, not only because Chong Wei is not around, but because of my personal ambition to win it.

I had a good start to the year by winning the first leg of the Grand Prix (Selangor Open in February) and I would like to cap the year with a win," said the 25-year-old.

Wei Feng is experiencing his best year in badminton, marked by his semi-final appearance in the China Open, a Super Series event, last month.

The Kedah-born player is enjoying a career-best ranking of 21 in the world after his exploits in the China Open where he lost to eventual winner Chen Long of China 21-6, 21-7.

"I am all fired up. But of course the one to look out for is Liew Daren, who should be the top seed in the absence of Chong Wei.

Besides him, I must be cautious against the back-up players like Misbun (Ramdan Misbun) and (Goh) Soon Huat.

"We often spar in training and sometimes the results went their way. There is no taking it easy against them," Wei Feng said.

Daren got his breakthrough in October when he claimed the French Open title after beating Viktor Axelson of Denmark. It was his first senior international title.

"The Finals also serve as a good preparation ahead of the Malaysian Open in January. It is a much bigger tournament and doing well here is important for me," said Wei Feng.

List of qualifiers

*BAM unless stated

Men's singles

Group A: Liew Daren, Misbun Ramdan Misbun, Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayup, Tan Kian Meng.

Group B: Chong Wei Feng, Iskandar Zulkarnian Zainuddin, Lim Fang Yang (Pah), Chong Yee Han.

Group C: Zulfadli Zulkifli (KL), Loh Wei Sheng, Chan Kwong Beng, Soo Teck Zhi.

Group D: Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Goh Soon Huat, Ahmadi Abdul Saman (KL), Soong Joo Ven.

Men's doubles

Group A: Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong, Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi, Mohd Lufti Zaim-Teo Kok Siang, Darren Isaac Devadass-Tai An Khang.

Group B: Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han, Low Juan Shen-Tan Yip Juin, Mohd Razif Latif-Mohd Razif Abdul Rahman (Nse), Calvin Ong-Tan Wee Gieen.

Women's singles

Group A: Tee Jing Yi, Sonia Cheah, Yang Li Lian, Ho Yen Mei.

Group B: Lydia Cheah, Sannatasah Saniru, Lim Yin Fun, Lim Chiew Sien.

Women's doubles

Group A: Goh Liu Ying-Lim Yin Loo, Amelia Alicia Anscelly-Soong Fie Cho, Lydia Cheah-Sonia Cheah, Chin Kah Mun-Yap Cheng Wen.

Group B: Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean, Sannatasah Saniru-Tee Jing Yi, Marylen Ng Poau Leng-Shevon Lai Jemie, S.Kisona-Tew Jia Jia.

Mixed doubles

Group A: Ong Jian Guo-Lim Yin Loo, Lim Khim Wah-Vivian Hoo, Goh V Shem-Soong Fie Cho, Darren Isaac Devadass-Yap Cheng Wen.

Group B: Tan Aik Quan-Lai Pei Jing, Wong Fai Yin-Shevon Lai Jemie, Chooi Kah Ming-Lee Meng Yean, Ong Yew Sin-Norshahida Baharum.

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The Star Online: Business

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Shares on Bursa Malaysia firmer at mid-morning

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 06:40 PM PST

Published: Thursday December 27, 2012 MYT 10:40:00 AM

PETALING JAYA: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia traded on a firmer footing in mid-morning trade, thanks to window-dressing activities in selected heavyweights by fund managers. At 10.11 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 3.4 points to 1,674.98. At mid-morning, most regional bourses were also trading firmly, with Japan's Nikkei rising 129.08 points to 10,359.44, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 89.52 points to 22,630.70 and Singapore's Straits Times gained 7.16 points to 3,187.97. At Bursa Malaysia, top gainers included British American Tobacco (M) Bhd, up 52 sen to RM59.96, United Plantations Bhd, up 30 sen to RM25.20, Keck Seng (M) Bhd, up 19 sen to RM4.36, and Suchirin Industries (M), which rose 17 sen to RM1.75. Among actively traded stocks were Tiger Synergy Bhd which fell half-a-sen to 32 sen, DSC Solutions Bhd, which lost one sen to 18 sen and GSB Group Bhd, up half-a-sen to nine sen.

Perodua to set up new company with RM790mil

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 06:27 PM PST

Published: Thursday December 27, 2012 MYT 10:28:00 AM
Updated: Thursday December 27, 2012 MYT 11:03:14 AM

PETALING JAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd, or Perodua, is investing RM790mil to set up a new company with the state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities adjacent to its existing manufacturing facility in Rawang. The new company will have a paid-up capital of RM200mil and some 1,200 personnel. The new plant will be able to produce 100,000 vehicles per annum on a one-shift cycle, while the existing plant is able to produce 200,000 units per annum on a two-shift cycle.

Santas in Ukraine reminded to pay taxes

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:16 PM PST

KIEV: Cash-strapped Ukraine on Wednesday reminded entertainers making money by posing as Did Moroz - the local version of Santa Claus - and his helpers to pay income tax.

The former Soviet republic's government faces $9 billion in foreign debt repayments next year and its budget deficit almost tripled in January-October this year to more than $4 billion.

By studying internet advertisements, the state tax service found out that a Did Moroz with a traditional female Snihuronka (Snow Maid) helper would earn 250 to 3,500 hryvnias per hour in capital Kiev this season.

"Such citizens will need to file forms and pay taxes," the tax service said in a statement.

The service said it was barred from conducting tax checks on small businesses but urged ordinary Ukrainians to report tax-dodging Santas. - Reuters

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The Star Online: Nation

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Nallakaruppan and Utusan retain most of their defence in Anwar’s defamation suit

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 06:16 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian United Indian Party president Senator Datuk S. Nallakaruppan and two others were allowed to retain most of their statements of defence in a RM100mil suit filed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against them.

Nallakaruppan, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd and its Editor-in-Chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak had pleaded the defence of justification, qualified privilege and fair comment which were part of the opinion in the majority judgment of Anwar's 1998 sodomy case in the Federal Court.

High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera Wednesday granted only a part of Anwar's application to strike out a portion of the defence statements by Nallakarupan, Utusan Melayu and Abdul Aziz.

The only part, which was allowed to be struck out by the Judicial Commissioner, was the plea of justification.

However, Vazeer allowed the defences of qualified privilege, fair comment and mitigation of damages to be retained.

On March 26, the Opposition leader had filed the suit alleging Nallakaruppan had uttered defamatory words against him which were then published on the front page of the Utusan Malaysia daily on March 20.

In his statement of claim, Anwar said the defamatory words included in the article were false, baseless, was published with ill intention and had tarnished his good name.

Anwar is seeking RM100mil in general, aggravated and exemplary damages, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court.

The High Court has set January 18, 2013 for case management. - Bernama

Related Stories:
Anwar's bid to strike off parts of Nalla's, Utusan's defence in libel suit to be heard on Dec 26
Nalla challenges Anwar to raise the stake to RM100mil
Nalla liable for defamation in Anwar's RM50mil suit

Tourism Ministry denies supporting beach party in Port Dickson

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:55 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA: The Tourism Ministry expressed its disappointment in a statement Wednesday, over the organisation of an entertainment event with negative elements in Port Dickson, near here last week.

"The Ministry will not hesitate to take stern legal action against the company which misrepresented that it was supported by Tourism Malaysia," it said.

"Neither the Ministry or Tourism Malaysia permitted the use of our logos for the event.

"We will investigate the incident thoroughly to prevent any such activities from giving a negative perception to the public, particularly in view of the 2014 Visit Malaysia Year," it added.

A recent tabloid report had stated that police managed to thwart the event known as 'Moon Soon Beach Party' by a beach in Port Dickson.

The organisers had allegedly used the name of a famous hotel in Port Dickson and Tourism Malaysia to sell online tickets at RM165 per pax and also served alcohol.

The police were tipped off by the public that several suspicious activities were taking place at the venue of the party. - Bernama

"Geng Monyet" days about to be over

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:23 AM PST

JOHOR BARU: The days of "Geng Monyet" are about to be over following the arrest of one of its members in Jalan Skudai here Wednesday.

Police say the other members of the snatch theft gang should be rounded up soon.

Johor Baru Utara acting police chief Supt Beh Eng Lai said the 25-year-old suspect was nabbed by policemen after he and five accomplices were involved in snatching a handphone from a factory worker in Kampung Pasir, Tampoi, here at 4.15am.

"They came in three motorcycles and snatched a Samsung Galaxy Note from the 38-year-old woman who was heading to work in Singapore.

"Policemen on patrol witnessed the incident and went after the suspects and one was caught after his motorcycle skidded," he told reporters here.

He said police recovered the victim's handphone from the suspect and should round up the remaining members soon.

He added that the suspect was released from prison last month after serving a five-year jail sentence for rape.

Beh also said police had crippled another gang called "Gang Kogi Stulang" whose members were active in robbing laundry shop, cybercafes and hanphone shops in the city with the arrest of two suspects, aged 14 and 17, in Jalan Kebudayaan 16, Taman Universiti, Skudai, here on Sunday. - Bernama

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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Jessica Simpson is expecting second child

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 11:30 PM PST

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - U.S. actress, singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson sent a Christmas Twitter message that apparently confirms media rumors that she is pregnant - showing a photo of her daughter Maxwell with the words "Big Sis" spelled out in sand.

The picture's caption reads "Merry Christmas from my family to yours."

Simpson (pic) had her first child, Maxwell Drew Johnson, in May. She has since become a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

A representative for Simpson was not immediately available for comment.

Simpson rose to fame as a teen pop star and became a household name after starring in a TV reality show with her then-husband Nick Lachey, a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. The pair divorced after three years of marriage.

She went on to star in the 2005 film version of The Dukes Of Hazzard and re-invented herself as a country singer in 2008. She currently designs apparel, accessories and other fashion products and is a mentor on the TV contest Fashion Star.

Simpson's fiance, Eric Johnson, is a former U.S. professional football player whose career spanned seven seasons for both the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.

Character actor, World War Two hero Charles Durning dies at 89

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 04:20 PM PST

NEW YORK: Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywood's top character actors in films like "The Sting," "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," has died, a New York City funeral home said on Tuesday. He was 89.

Durning, who was nominated for nine Emmys for his television work as well as two Academy Awards, died of natural causes at his New York City home on Monday, his agent told People magazine. Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan confirmed Durning's death to Reuters.

Durning also was an accomplished stage actor and once said he preferred doing plays because of the immediacy they offered. He gained his first substantial acting experience through the New York Shakespeare Festival starting in the early 1960s and won a Tony Award for playing Big Daddy in a 1990 Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Durning did not start amassing film and TV credits until he was almost 40 but went on to appear in more than 100 movies, in addition to scores of TV shows.

Durning's first national exposure came playing a crooked policeman who gets conned by Robert Redford in the 1973 movie "The Sting." He got the role after impressing director George Roy Hill with his work in the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Broadway play "That Championship Season."

Durning had everyday looks - portly, thinning hair and a bulbous nose - and was a casting director's delight, equally adept at comedy and drama.

Durning was nominated for supporting-actor Oscars for playing a Nazi in the 1984 Mel Brooks comedy "To Be or Not to Be" and the governor in the musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in 1983. "Whorehouse" was one of 13 movies Durning made with friend Burt Reynolds, as well as Reynolds' 1990s TV sitcom "Evening Shade."

Other notable Durning movie roles included a cop in "Dog Day Afternoon," a man who falls in love with Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing character in "Tootsie," "Dick Tracy," "Home for the Holidays," "The Muppet Movie," "North Dallas Forty" and "O Brother Where Art Thou?"

He was nominated for Emmys for the TV series "Rescue Me," "NCIS," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Captains and the Kings" and "Evening Shade," as well as the specials "Death of a Salesman," "Attica" and "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom."

Durning was a fan of Jimmy Cagney and after returning from harrowing service in World War Two he tried singing, dancing, and stand-up comedy. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts until he was kicked out.

"They basically said you have no talent and you couldn't even buy a dime's worth of it if it was for sale," Durning told The New York Times.

D-DAY INVASION

He worked a number of make-do jobs - cab driver, dance instructor, doorman, dishwasher, telegram deliveryman, bridge painter, tourist guide - all while waiting for a shot at an acting career. Occasional stage roles led him to Joseph Papp, the founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival, who became his mentor.

"Joe said to me once, 'If you hadn't been an actor, you would have been a murderer,'" Durning told the Times. "I don't know what that meant. I hope he was kidding. He said I couldn't do anything else but act."

Durning grew up in Highland Falls, New York, and was 12 years old when his Irish-born father died of the effects of mustard gas exposure in World War One. He had nine siblings and five of his sisters died of smallpox or scarlet fever - three within a two-week period.

Durning was part of the U.S. force that landed at Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion in June 1944. A few days later he was shot in the hip - he said he carried the bullet in his body thereafter - and after six months of recovery was sent to the Battle of the Bulge.

Durning, who was wounded twice more, was captured and was one of the few survivors of the Malmedy massacre when German troops opened fire on dozens of American prisoners. In addition to three Purple Heart medals for his wounds, Durning was presented the Silver Star for valor.

At an observation of the 60th anniversary of D-Day in Washington, Durning told of the terror he felt and carnage he saw when hitting the beach on D-Day. He said he had to jettison his weapon and gear in order to swim ashore and saw mortally wounded comrades offering themselves as human shields.

"I forget a lot of stuff now but I still wake up once in a while and it's still there," he said. "I can't count how many of my buddies are in the cemetery at Normandy."

Durning was married twice and had three children. -Reuters

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Homeless man not suing Timberlake

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 04:08 PM PST

LOS ANGELES: A homeless man who has made a plea for Justin Timberlake to help him after being mocked in a video is not suing the singer-actor for financial damages, his lawyer said Tuesday.

"There's no lawsuit here against Justin Timberlake. We're not seeking a financial deal, it's a criminal case," Gloria Allred told AFP.

The high-profile lawyer is publicizing the demands of the man, who goes by "Eddie" and who has lived for six or seven years off and on Skid Row, a Los Angeles neighborhood with a big homeless population.

In an open letter, Eddie asked for Timberlake to arrange a meeting with him "very soon" through Allred "so you can understand my situation, and so that we can talk about this situation involving so many others who are homeless."

He also said he wanted to take Timberlake on a tour of Skid Row and speak with him about "what you can do to help us."

"It's an appeal," Allred said. "It's an opportunity for him to come forward, to accept the invitation to go on Skid Row with Eddie, understand their day-to-day struggle and think about what he can do to help."

The video, initially posted on the Gawker website, has a series of Los Angeles vagrants, street musicians and others talk to camera, sending wishes to Timberlake and Jessica Biel for their recent Italian nuptials.

Timberlake posted an open letter in October on his website about the video.

"I had no knowledge of its existence. I had absolutely ZERO contribution to it," he said of the video, whose makers are said to include his friend Justin Huchel.

"I think we can all agree that it was distasteful, even though that was not its intention."

Allred, a feminist lawyer known to defend people against celebrities, said she was going "step by step" through a case she sees as symbolic of the vast inequalities in Los Angeles between the very rich and famous and those who have no job or roof over their head.

"We'll see if he accepts the invitation," she said about Timberlake. "The ball is in his court."

On Monday, Allred challenged Timberlake and his friends to "take action to provide meaningful assistance to 'Eddie' and others like him."

"This issue is not just about fans being upset or anyone being offended by a video," she said. "It is about people being down on their luck and in desperate need of help by those who are in a position to provide it." -AFP

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