Depardieu, Adjani to star in France's Strauss-Kahn movie

PARIS (Reuters) - The disgraced power couple of Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair will be played by two of France's best-known actors, Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, in an upcoming movie about sex, politics and love on the rocks.

Rape charges in New York, later dropped, against Strauss-Kahn in May 2011 shocked the world and shattered the reputation of the former International Monetary Fund head, costing him his job and his marriage to Sinclair, a popular TV journalist.

'It should be fascinating because we have a director who isn't French in charge and he's going to go where it hurts,' Adjani said in a recent interview with the weekly Journal de Dimanche, speaking of U.S. director Abel Ferrara.

'With him, there's no risk of being politically correct,' she added.

On Friday, Sinclair told Le Parisien daily she had not been contacted about the film inspired by the scandal, but that she respected the choice of Adjani, best known to international audiences for the lead role in the 1988 film 'Camille Claudel.'

'I like that woman a lot,' Sinclair told the paper, adding that she wouldn't meet with her, however, 'were it to talk about that specific subject.'

Sinclair - who separated from Strauss-Kahn earlier this year and is thriving in a new job as a news editor of the Huffington Post's French edition - responded, 'I'm doing very well, thank you,' when asked how her life has been since the split.

Strauss Kahn, however, is said by people who know him to be dejected and frustrated following his fall from grace. He has kept a low profile in the past year but is currently the target of a French judicial investigation to determine whether he knew sex parties he attended were organized by pimps and frequented by prostitutes.

The film, due to start shooting soon and inspired by the famous couple's relationship, will go behind the 'closed doors of a couple in torment,' Adjani said.

'Even if we don't have the same names as the characters in question, who is fooled?' she added.

Depardieu said in March he found Strauss-Kahn 'arrogant' and 'self-satisfied,' but because of that he would be an interesting character to play.

'Because I don't like him I'm going to do it,' he told Swiss broadcaster RTS.

Ferrara is most famous for directing 1992's 'Bad Lieutenant.'

(Reporting By Alexandria Sage; editing by Patricia Reaney)



This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.

Shia LaBeouf shifts movie gears, goes "Lawless"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After a string of big-budget Hollywood flicks like the 'Transformers' and 'Indiana Jones' franchise films, actor Shia LaBeouf is downsizing his career and taking on new, dramatic challenges in movies such as 'Lawless'.

The film, which opened Wednesday to mixed reviews, is based on author Matt Bondurant's 'The Wettest County in the World,' a fictional account of his family in Prohibition-era Virginia, and LaBeouf said the tale touched him due to his own upbringing.

'In terms of the character's emotions, the things he goes through, where he winds up, what he's dealing with, the family elements, the alpha male fight, it was all things that resonate with me heavily,' LaBeouf told Reuters.

'Lawless' tells of the bootlegging Bondurant brothers, played in the film by Jason Clarke, Tom Hardy and LaBeouf. When Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) arrives from Chicago, he threatens the brothers' moonshine business.

Complicating matters are shifting family dynamics in which LaBeouf's character Jack, the youngest Bondurant, wants to prove to his older brothers he can run the business.

Against their wishes, Jack starts his own bootlegging operation, deals with a big city gangster (Gary Oldman) and flaunts his new, expensive suits and cars, hoping to impress a girl in town played by Mia Wasikowska.

For Jack, his older brothers are at times frustrating - one is an alcoholic suffering post traumatic stress following World War I and the other puts on an air of invincibility.

In real life, LaBeouf's own father is a Vietnam veteran who struggled with alcohol abuse, and the actor said the family dynamics in the film 'touched on a lot of aspects of my life'.

'Even as an only child, who grew up with a father who's very alpha male, who I was competitive with, who was a criminal...I looked at (the script) and thought, man, I could really bring these moments to light.'

The movie opened ahead of the long Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States, and has earned a 58.3 percent positive rating among reviews scored by moviereviewintelligence.com.

USA Today critic Claudia Puig wrote that the film had 'anachronistic moments, stilted dialogue and formulaic characters (that) hamper this intermittently involving tale.'

LABEOUF'S DRAMATIC TURN

After starring in films that were big on special effects but low on character, such as the blockbuster 'Transformers' flicks, the 26-year-old LaBeouf will likely see many more thoughtful, critical looks at his work in dramatic roles.

He has taken roles in a string of lower-profile movies, starting with 'Lawless' and including upcoming 'The Company You Keep' and 'The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman'.

LaBeouf, who began acting as a teenager, said the change in direction was a factor of his current age and stage in life. He is growing up, maturing and moving away from special effects-filled flicks with robots and computer generated images.

'Ask an 18-year-old what he wants to do: 'You want to do 'Transformers' or (a movie with Danish avant garde filmmaker) Lars von Trier?' He's shipping out for 'Transformers,'' said LaBeouf. 'Ask a 26-year-old what he wants to do - 'Transformers' or Lars Von Trier - he's shipping out for Von Trier.'

True to his statement, LaBeouf is currently in Germany shooting Von Trier's 'The Nymphomaniac' also starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard.

'The movie is about the intricacies of love and sex, what they both mean and can you remove one from the other,' said LaBeouf. 'It's just asking a lot of big questions.'

He recently told MTV that the script for 'Nymphomanic' requires him to perform real sex acts. It comes on the heels of his nude appearance in a music video for folk band Sigur Ros, and he recently admitted taking the hallucinogen LSD to prepare for his role in 'Charlie Countryman'.

'My sensibilities are changing as I'm changing,' he said.

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Andrew Hay)



This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Surprise guest at Republican convention: Clint Eastwood

(Reuters) - 'Dirty Harry' star Clint Eastwood will bring a touch of Hollywood glamour to the Republican National Convention on Thursday, jetting in as a surprise last-minute speaker to warm up the crowd for presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the CNN and Fox networks reported.

The Academy Award-winning actor and director endorsed Romney earlier this month, appearing at a fundraiser for him in Idaho.

Eastwood was reluctantly drawn into the 2012 campaign earlier this year when an ad by Chrysler, titled 'Halftime in America,' ran during halftime of the Super Bowl, narrated by Eastwood.

Many people thought it might have been an endorsement of President Barack Obama because Chrysler received a government bailout.

At the time, Eastwood said flatly that he was not endorsing either candidate, telling Fox he is 'certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama.'

(Reporting by Claudia Parsons; Editing by Jim Loney)

John Lennon's killer was offered help upon release

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A minister in western New York offered John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, a job and a place to stay following his possible release from prison, Chapman told the New York parole board earlier this month.

Chapman, 57, is serving a prison sentence of 20 years to life for shooting the former Beatle four times in the back outside Lennon's New York City apartment building on December 8, 1980.

Earlier this month he was denied parole for a seventh time.

If Chapman had been granted parole and released, he said he had been offered help by a New York minister. The two had corresponded and had met face to face for the first time on the eve of Chapman's parole hearing, Chapman said.

'There's a fellow in Medina, New York and he's a minister and he's an older fellow and he has a lot of contacts in the area and he has agreed to refurbish his upstairs apartment for me and offered me two jobs,' Chapman said, according to a transcript provided by the parole board.

Efforts to reach the minister at his home and church office were not successful. His son confirmed to Reuters that he had made the offer.

Medina is a rural town about 50 miles northeast of Buffalo near Lake Ontario.

Chapman has come up for parole every two years since 2000 and has been turned down each time.

(Reporting By Edith Honan; Editing by Vicki Allen)



This news article is brought to you by PARENTING KIDS - where latest news are our top priority.

Actress Lindsay Lohan not charged in theft from California home

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles prosecutors on Tuesday declined to charge actress Lindsay Lohan or her assistant with theft from a Hollywood Hills home where they recently stayed, citing insufficient evidence.

Lohan, 26, was questioned by police after the home's owner named her in connection with the alleged theft of about $6,400 worth of property. But after investigators completed their probe, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Deborah L. Kranze declined to charge anyone, including Lohan and an assistant who was with her.

'We do not have sufficient evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt,' Kranze wrote in evaluating the case.

Kranze's evaluation added that Lohan and the alleged theft victim had a 'longstanding relationship,' and said potential eyewitnesses refused to become involved and no stolen property was found in the possession of Lohan or her assistant.

Celebrity website TMZ.com earlier reported that the troubled actress and her assistant were guests at the home during an all-night party and the owner later reported the theft of stolen jewelry, including watches, amounting to an estimated $100,000.

But District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons disputed the amount. 'According to evidence presented to us to review, the property loss was $6,400. None of it was jewelry,' she said.

Gibbons said the probe showed property losses of '$3,000 in cash, four pairs of sunglasses, an iPod and some keys to two cars and a house.'

'Lindsay is glad this matter has been cleared up so she can focus on her upcoming projects. It is unfortunate that many media outlets were quick to point fingers and jump to conclusions without having all the facts,' Lohan's spokesman said in a statement.

Lohan was released from formal probation in March over charges in 2007 of drunk driving and cocaine possession. Recently she has had guest roles on TV sketch comedy show 'Saturday Night Live,' a cameo appearance on 'Glee' and has filmed the TV movie 'Liz & Dick.'

The actress is still on informal probation until 2014 in connection with a jewelry theft case last year. If charges had been brought in the latest incident, officials could have revoked her probation and sent her to jail.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte, Xavier Briand and Lisa Shumaker)



This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Slain dictator's daughter turns to mother's legacy in bid to lead South Korea

OKCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) - Park Geun-hye was 22 years old when she washed the blood from her assassinated mother's dress. Five years later, she recalls in her autobiography, she held her father's blood-soaked shirt after the South Korean strongman was shot dead.

Now, both hampered and helped by the contrasting legacies of her murdered parents, the 60-year-old Park appears on the cusp of becoming South Korea's first women president.

Park was chosen as presidential candidate for the ruling conservatives last week and polls show she is the front-runner for a December election.

For some South Koreans, it is the memory of Park's father, Park Chung-hee, that comes to mind when they think of her. He was a military dictator whose 18-year rule dragged the country out of poverty but at the cost of human rights.

He is still a controversial figure in the now-prosperous Asian industrial power. Park's opponents will aim to tar her with his brush in the election race.

But it is recollections of her mother, Yuk Young-soo, once known as 'the mother of the nation', that look set to help propel Park into the presidential Blue House.

Yuk is remembered for acts of charity that included a famous visit to a leper colony where she shook hands and embraced the sick. She remains South Korea's most popular first lady by far, polls show.

For many South Koreans, Park's frugal lifestyle as a single woman living in a modest home in the capital, Seoul, as well as her simple clothes and 1970s hairstyle bring her mother to mind.

'Park looks like her mother, when she greets people and smiles,' said one supporter, Lee Young-ho, speaking in Yuk's home town of Okcheon.

Lee should know.

A former soldier and Vietnam War veteran, Lee was a member of the presidential guard in the 1970s and worked closely with the Park family.

'Park looks like her mother, when she greets people and smiles,' Lee told Reuters, sitting under the curved roof of Yuk's old home where she lived until she married Park.

The traditional Korean house has become a shrine to Yuk with hundreds of people visiting every day.

Lee, now 68, is an official with Park's New Frontier Party and has also co-authored a biography of Yuk.

He is confident Park can maintain her double-digit lead in the polls and win an election victory which, he says, would somehow make up for the sacrifices.

'A kind of debt can be paid back when Park becomes president.'

Yuk was 49 when, on August 15, 1974, she was killed by a stray bullet when a pro-North Korean assassin opened fire at her husband. Witnesses said the skies turning 'reddish-purple' upon her death.

Memorial ceremonies are held on the anniversary at her grave in Seoul and in Okcheon, 170 km (100 miles) from the capital. Thousands of people attend.

'MOTHER'S DREAM'

Although her family's story is so well known, woven as it is into the fabric of the country's modern history, Park herself, who made two previous bids to win the conservative presidential nomination, is deeply private and cautious about her politics.

She disappeared from public life in 1979 after the assassination of her father by his intelligence chief, only to resurface in 1997 to 'help save' the country from a devastating Asian financial crisis.

She has never clearly defined her policies on issues such as taxation, spending and welfare. She says she shares her mother's vision of a more equal society and has pledged to work for that.

'It was my mother's dream and her dream is now mine,' she said at her mother's memorial service this month.

Critics say she has failed to apologize sufficiently for her father's rule.

She said her father's 1961 coup was 'unavoidable and the best possible choice'. At the same time, she says she has always been 'apologetic' to victims of her father's brutal push for industrialization, when he crushed opposition in an effort to drive export-led growth.

Her likely opponent in the election, former human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in, who forged his political credentials in the pro-democracy movement, accuses Park of being a throwback to dictatorship.

'When I was living in poverty she was living the life of a princess in the Blue House,' the left-of-centre hopeful said when he declared his candidacy. 'When I was fighting against dictatorship, she was at the heart of it.'

Park, who shares her mother's hobby of embroidery and whose house is filled with pictures of her dead parents, according to a book about her, portrays her presidential bid as inspired by a sense of duty rather than privilege.

She once wrote that she might 'choose death over a life like this again', referring to the killing of her parents.

It is mostly older people, those in their 50s and up, who attend the memorials for Yuk and form the bedrock of support for Park. Her weakness looks to be among younger, urban voters.

'I think Park has seen and learned a lot, going through the difficulties,' said Lee Ae-joo, a nurse who was in the operating theatre when Yuk was brought in.

She recalls supplying blood to the wounded woman only to see it hemorrhage away. She also remembers Yuk's distraught husband staring at her body.

'I think Park has seen and learned a lot, going through the difficulties,' said Lee, 66. 'Right now, no one can compete with Park in the situation that our country is facing.'

Lee is still impressed with Yuk's modesty, noting her underskirt looked as if it had been sewn by hand.

'The fabric looked like the kind of local product that you would get from the Dongdaemoon market,' she said, referring to run-of-the-mill stalls in a bustling Seoul market where people hunt for bargains.

At the July rally at which Park launched her presidential bid, some people in the crowd held mementoes of the Park family.

'Honestly, Park Geun-hye is popular because of her mother's halo,' said supporter Park Hong-pyo clutching a poem he had written dedicated to Yuk and old photographs of the Park family.

(Editing by David Chance and Robert Birsel)

Lindsay Lohan sought for questioning in theft: reports

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan is being sought for questioning by Los Angeles police over a jewelry theft at the home of a friend, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

The Times said police were expected to present a case to prosecutors as early as Tuesday to determine if there was enough evidence to file charges over a theft of watches. It was not immediately clear who was a suspect.

A spokesman for 'Mean Girls' actress Lohan declined comment.

The incident surfaced in the media last week when celebrity website TMZ.com reported that the troubled actress and her assistant were guests at a home in the Hollywood Hills, and the owner later reported a theft to the Los Angeles police.

The Los Angeles Times said the owner of the watches is not cooperating with their investigation.

If Lohan, 26, is found to be involved in a theft, it could pose serious consequences for the actress who was released from almost five years of formal probation in March this year.

She is still on informal probation until 2014 from a jewelry theft case last year, and officials could revoke her probation and send her back to jail.

Lohan, who rose to fame as a child star in 'The Parent Trap' and other movies, saw her once-promising career derailed by a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession arrest.

She has been trying to clean up her tarnished image since being released from formal probation, with guest roles on TV sketch comedy show 'Saturday Night Live,' a cameo on 'Glee' and filming the Lifetime television movie 'Liz & Dick.'

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Matthew Lewis)



This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82

(Reuters) - U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

Armstrong died following complications from heart-bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month, the family said in a statement, just two days after his birthday on August 5.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the dusty surface, Armstrong said: '"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.'

Those words endure as one of the best known quotes in the English language.

Some controversy still surrounds his famous quote. The broadcast did not have the 'a' in 'one small step for a man ...' He and NASA insisted static had obscured the 'a,' but after repeated playbacks, he admitted he may have dropped the letter.

Attempts have been made using modern acoustic equipment to search for the missing letter, with one Australian scientist claiming to have found it. Armstrong has expressed a preference, however, that written quotations include the 'a' in parentheses.

The Apollo 11 astronauts' euphoric moonwalk provided Americans with a sense of achievement in the space race with Cold War foe the Soviet Union and while Washington was engaged in a bloody war with the communists in Vietnam.

Neil Alden Armstrong was 38 years old at the time and even though he had fulfilled one of mankind's age-old quests that placed him at the pinnacle of human achievement, he did not revel in his accomplishment. He even seemed frustrated by the acclaim it brought.

'I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work,' Armstrong said in an interview on CBS's '60 Minutes' program in 2005.

He once was asked how he felt knowing his footprints would likely stay on the moon's surface for thousands of years. 'I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up,' he said.

A VERY PRIVATE MAN

James Hansen, author of 'First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,' told CBS: 'All of the attention that ... the public put on stepping down that ladder onto the surface itself, Neil never could really understand why there was so much focus on that.'

The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. The next year he was appointed to a desk job, being named NASA's deputy associate administrator for aeronautics in the office of advanced research and technology.

Armstrong's post-NASA life was a very private one. He took no major role in ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the moon landing. 'He's a recluse's recluse,' said Dave Garrett, a former NASA spokesman.

Hansen said stories of Armstrong dreaming of space exploration as a boy were apocryphal, although he was long dedicated to flight. 'His life was about flying. His life was about piloting,' Hansen said.

Born August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong was the first of three children of Stephen and Viola Armstrong. He married his college sweetheart, Janet Shearon, in 1956. They were divorced in 1994, when he married Carol Knight.

Armstrong had his first joyride in a plane at age 6. Growing up in Ohio, he began making model planes and by his early teens had amassed an extensive aviation library. With money earned from odd jobs, he took flying lessons and obtained his pilot's license even before he got a car license.

In high school he excelled in science and mathematics and won a U.S. Navy scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana, enrolling in 1947. He left after two years to become a Navy pilot, flying combat missions in the Korean War and winning three medals.

FLYING TEST PLANES

After the war he returned to Purdue and graduated in 1955 with an aeronautical engineering degree. He joined the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), which became NASA in 1958.

Armstrong spent seven years at NACA's high-speed flight station at Edwards Air Force Base in California, becoming one of the world's best test pilots. He was a project pilot on the X-15 rocket plane, flying to the edge of space - 200,000 feet up at 4,000 mph.

In September 1962 Armstrong was selected by NASA to be an astronaut. He was command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission and backup command pilot for the Gemini 11 mission, both in 1966.

On the Gemini 8 mission, Armstrong and fellow astronaut David Scott performed the first successful docking of a manned spacecraft with another space vehicle.

Armstrong put his piloting skills to good use on the moon landing, overriding the automatic pilot so he and fellow astronaut Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin would not have to land their module in a big rocky crater.

Yet the landing was not without danger. The lander had only about 30 seconds of fuel left when Armstrong put it down in an area known as the Sea of Tranquility and calmly radioed back to Mission Control on Earth, 'Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.'

He left the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) a year after Apollo 11 to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

DECLINES OFFERS TO RUN FOR OFFICE

After his aeronautical career, Armstrong was approached by political groups, but unlike former astronauts John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt who became U.S. senators, he declined all offers.

In 1986, he served on a presidential commission that investigated the explosion that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger, killing its crew of seven shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral in January of that year.

Armstrong made a rare public appearance several years ago when he testified to a congressional hearing against President Barack Obama administration's plans to buy rides from other countries and corporations to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Armstrong also said that returning humans to the moon was not only desirable, but necessary for future exploration -- even though NASA says it is no longer a priority.

He lived in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Carol.

'We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away,' the family said in their statement. 'Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.'

His family expressed hope that young people around the world would be inspired by Armstrong's feat to push boundaries and serve a cause greater than themselves.

'The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink,' the family said.

Glenn, an original NASA astronaut with Armstrong, spoke of his colleague's humble nature. 'He was willing to dare greatly for his country and he was proud to do that and yet remained the same humble person he'd always been,' he told CNN on Saturday.

Michael Collins, a crewmate of Armstrong's on the Apollo 11 flight, said through NASA's senior spokesman, Bob Jacobs: 'He was the best, and I will miss him terribly.'

The space agency sent out a brief statement in the wake of the news, saying it 'offers its condolences on today's passing of Neil Armstrong, former test pilot, astronaut and the first man on the moon.'

Armstrong is survived by his two sons, a stepson and stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, a brother and a sister, NASA said.

Asked to describe what it was like to stand on the moon, he told CBS:

'It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it.'

(Writing by Philip Barbara, editing by Sandra Maler and Bill Trott)



This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82, family says

(Reuters) - Former U.S. astronaut, Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

Armstrong underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his birthday on August 5, to relieve blocked coronary arteries.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the dusty surface, Armstrong said: 'That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.'

Those words endure as one of the best known quotes in the English language.

Neil Alden Armstrong was 38 years old at the time and even though he had fulfilled one of mankind's quests that had loomed for centuries and placed him at the pinnacle of human achievement, he did not revel in his accomplishment. He even seemed frustrated by the acclaim it brought.

'I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work,' Armstrong said in an interview on CBS's '60 Minutes' program in 2005.

He once was asked how he felt knowing his footprints would likely stay on the moon's surface for thousands of years. 'I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up,' he said.

A VERY PRIVATE MAN

James Hansen, author of 'First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,' told CBS: 'All of the attention that ... the public put on stepping down that ladder onto the surface itself, Neil never could really understand why there was so much focus on that.'

The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. The next year he was appointed to a desk job, being named NASA's deputy associate administrator for aeronautics in the office of advanced research and technology.

Armstrong's post-NASA life was a very private one. He took no major role in ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the moon landing. 'He's a recluse's recluse,' said Dave Garrett, a former NASA spokesman.

'Howard Hughes had nothing on him,' he said, speaking of the reclusive aviator.

Hansen said stories of Armstrong dreaming of space exploration as a boy were apocryphal, although he was long dedicated to flight. 'His life was about flying. His life was about piloting,' Hansen said.

He left NASA a year after Apollo 11 to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

The former astronaut lived in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Carol.

'We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures,' the family said in a statement. 'Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

(Writing by Philip Barbara, editing by Sandra Maler and Bill Trott)



This news article is brought to you by PARENTING KIDS - where latest news are our top priority.

No motive in film director Tony Scott's suicide note

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film director Tony Scott was buried on Friday at a Los Angeles cemetery as local media reported that the suicide note he left behind contained no mention of why the 'Top Gun' maker would take his own life.

The Los Angeles Times said on Friday that the note, along with other letters left by Scott before he jumped from a Los Angeles bridge this week, did not mention health problems.

The Times cited law enforcement sources as saying officials may never determine the reason behind Scott's suicide.

Scott, 68, the brother of Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott, had recently completed a film and seemed to be in good health when he parked his car on a suspension bridge over Los Angeles harbor, climbed a fence to get to the edge and leapt off, plunging nearly 200 feet into the water below.

Los Angeles County coroners said reports that he might have had brain cancer were wrong. An autopsy was performed and a final cause of death may not come for weeks, pending toxicology and other tests results.

Scott enjoyed a good reputation in the film and television industry, having produced TV shows and made movies such as 'Days of Thunder' and 'Crimson Tide.'

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Xavier Briand)



This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Tony Scott's suicide note reveals no motive: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The suicide note left by film director Tony Scott contained no mentions of why the 'Top Gun' maker would take his own life, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday, citing law enforcement sources probing the death that has baffled Hollywood.

The note, along with other letters Scott left behind before jumping from a Los Angeles bridge earlier this week, did not mention health problems and authorities told the LA Times they may never be able to determine a reason Scott took his own life.

Scott, 68, the brother of Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott, had recently completed a film and seemed to be in good health when he parked his car on a suspension bridge over Los Angeles harbor, climbed a fence to get to the edge and leapt off, plunging nearly 200 feet (61 meters) to the water below.

Reports surfaced that he might have had brain cancer, but Los Angeles County coroners determined those reports were wrong. An autopsy was performed and a final cause of death may not come for weeks, pending toxicology and other tests results.

Until then, the reason behind his suicide continues to be a mystery in the movie and television industry where Scott enjoyed a good reputation, having produced TV shows and made movies such as 'Days of Thunder' and 'Crimson Tide.'

Scott's body is expected to be buried at a private family funeral on Saturday.

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Leslie Gevirtz)



This article is brought to you by ONLINE DATING.

Murdoch's Sun defies royals, prints naked Harry pics

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid on Friday became the first British newspaper to defy the royal family by printing pictures of Prince Harry cavorting naked in Las Vegas, stoking a debate about what papers can print in the name of press freedom.

While newspapers across the globe have published the images of Queen Elizabeth's grandson naked with an unnamed woman after they appeared on a U.S. gossip website on Wednesday, the British media had decided not to do so until this point.

Instead they had agreed to comply, some more reluctantly than others, with a request from lawyers acting for the royal family to respect the privacy of the prince, who is 27 and single.

But the Sun decided to break ranks on Friday, publishing a photo over much of its front page of the naked prince covering his genitals with his hands while an unclothed woman hides behind his back in his Las Vegas hotel room.

The top-selling tabloid, part of the British arm of Murdoch's News Corp, said the grainy pictures were freely available on the Internet and the issue had become one of 'the freedom of the press'.

'This is about the ludicrous situation where a picture can be seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world on the Internet but can't be seen in the nation's favorite paper,' said David Dinsmore, managing editor of the Sun.

Since the pictures appeared on the TMZ website, British papers and broadcasters have been grappling with the question of whether to print the photos, taken during the prince's private holiday while on leave from his job as an army helicopter pilot.

In its TV news bulletins, the BBC showed the Sun's front page with the photo blacked out, as did Sky TV's website, while the Times website pixilated Harry's picture.

Harry's office had contacted the Press Complaints Commission, the industry's self-regulatory body, to advise that printing the grainy pictures would intrude on the prince's privacy, in breach of the editors' code of practice.

Commentators said British newspapers, their reputations severely damaged by a phone-hacking scandal centered on Murdoch's News of the World tabloid and by a subsequent judicial inquiry into press ethics, had been too scared to ignore that view.

Kelvin MacKenzie, a former editor of the Sun, said Murdoch himself would have had to approve the decision to change tack.

The media tycoon, who shut the News of the World over revelations staff had illegally accessed voicemails of celebrities, politicians and crime victims, has seen his own reputation tarnished and has been ostracized by leading British politicians who once courted his favor.

'A picture like that can't have been published without Rupert Murdoch getting involved,' MacKenzie told BBC TV.

'The issues are too large and too controversial and I salute Rupert for not being cowed by, effectively, the establishment.'

PUBLIC INTEREST

The Sun said that as Harry is third in line to the throne, there was a genuine public interest in publishing the photos as they raised questions about his security and his personal image, a view backed by some arguing for the rights of a free press.

Critics said that was a thin excuse and the paper was trying to make money at an individual's expense, echoing similar claims that have been made repeatedly at the public inquiry.

'Ultimately profit took precedence over good taste,' said Mark Lewis, a lawyer who represents the family of Milly Dowler, a murdered schoolgirl whose phone was hacked by News of the World journalists.

'The photos are to sell more papers - any pretence at a debate on press freedom is humbug. Lots of images are on the internet that don't get in the papers.'

Chris Blackhurst, editor of the broadsheet Independent, said his decision not to publish the photos was not based on royal pressure or because of fallout from the judicial inquiry led by judge Brian Leveson.

'The idea that there's a public interest is really spurious,' he told BBC radio. 'Frankly, what danger was he in? They weren't wearing any clothes, nobody's carrying any weapons, the whole thing's ludicrous.'

A spokeswoman for Harry - younger son of heir to the throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana - said they had made their views on the prince's privacy clear and it was ultimately a decision for editors.

She refused to say whether any official complaint would be made to the PCC.

Such a move would pile pressure on the regulator, strongly criticized over its failure to address the phone-hacking scandal and facing reform or even abolition when Leveson gives his recommendations in the next few months.

(Additional reporting and writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Tim Pearce)



This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Naked Prince Harry photos published by UK's Sun newspaper

LONDON (Reuters) - The Sun tabloid on Friday published photographs of Prince Harry naked in Las Vegas, becoming the first British publication to defy a request from the royal family's lawyers.

On Thursday, newspapers in Britain did not publish the images of Queen Elizabeth's grandson naked with an unnamed woman while on holiday in Las Vegas, following a request from St James's Palace, the official residence of the prince, through the Press Complaints Commission to respect his privacy.

But, almost half of the front page of Friday's Sun newspaper shows a photograph of the naked prince covering up his genitals with his hands while an apparently naked woman hides behind his back in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The Sun, part of the British arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, said millions of people around the world had already seen the pictures and its readers had a right to see them.

David Dinsmore, managing editor of the Sun, said in a video on the paper's website that the decision to publish was not taken lightly, but the issue had become one of 'the freedom of the press.'

'This is about the ludicrous situation where a picture can be seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world on the Internet but can't be seen in the nation's favorite paper read by eight million people every day,' Dinsmore said.

'This is about our readers getting involved in the discussion with the man who is third in line to the throne - it's as simple as that,' he said.

Two pictures of the naked prince, who has a reputation as a partying playboy, were first published on the celebrity gossip website TMZ on Wednesday.

Their publication has since caused an ethical dilemma for British editors reeling from a judge-led inquiry into press conduct.

St James's Palace had contacted the Press Complaints Commission on Wednesday over concerns about the prince's privacy being intruded upon, in breach of the editors' code of practice.

'We have made our views on Prince Harry's privacy known. Newspapers regulate themselves, so the publication of the photographs is ultimately a decision for editors to make,' the BBC quoted a spokesman for the royal family as saying on Friday.

Thursday's edition of the Sun carried a mocked up photo using their features picture editor and an intern in place of Harry -- son of heir-to-the throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana -- and the unnamed woman.

(Reporting by Stephen Mangan; Editing by Sandra Maler)



This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.

Elisabeth Murdoch takes aim at brother on media morality

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Elisabeth Murdoch urged the media industry on Thursday to embrace morality and reject her brother James's mantra of profit at all costs, in a speech seen as an attempt to distance herself from the scandal that has tarnished the family name.

Addressing television executives, she said profit without purpose was a recipe for disaster and the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World tabloid - which has badly hurt her father Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire - showed the need for a rigorous set of values.

The comments from a woman who has powerful friends in the British establishment and the support of her PR husband Matthew Freud, are likely to be examined for whether she could one day run News Corp instead of her brothers whose chances have faded.

'News (Corp) is a company that is currently asking itself some very significant and difficult questions about how some behaviors fell so far short of its values,' she said in the annual television industry MacTaggart lecture.

'Personally I believe one of the biggest lessons of the past year has been the need for any organization to discuss, affirm and institutionalize a rigorous set of values based on an explicit statement of purpose,' she said in remarks which drew applause.

Elisabeth Murdoch - a successful television producer who was overlooked for senior jobs at News Corp that went first to her brother Lachlan and then James - said a lack of morality could become a dangerous own goal for capitalism.

Rupert Murdoch last year closed the News of the World, which was owned by a News Corp unit, amid public anger that its journalists had hacked into the voicemails of people from celebrities to victims of crime. A number of former executives have appeared in court over the case and the government set up a judicial inquiry into press standards.

'There's only one way to look at this,' Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff told Reuters. 'This is part of a strategic repositioning of Liz Murdoch within the media world, with the business world and within the family.'

The often humorous lecture delivered at the annual Edinburgh Television Festival came three years after James Murdoch used the same platform to confront a largely hostile audience with his vision for the industry.

Elisabeth, 44, and 39-year-old James had been very close, according to sources close to the family, but their relationship became strained by the hacking affair.

'Writing a MacTaggart (lecture) has been quite a welcome distraction from some of the other nightmares much closer to home. Yes, you have met some of my family before,' she said to laughter, in a rare speech for the founder of the successful television production company Shine.

Stewart Purvis, the former head of broadcast news provider ITN, said on Twitter that the speech should be called 'Why I am not my father or my brother'.

Her highly personal speech appeared designed to win over any doubters, with references to childhood conversations at the breakfast table with dad to her continuing affection for the much-loved British playwright Alan Bennett.

She even lavished praise on the state-owned BBC, previously the butt of jokes by her brother but which also regularly airs programs made by her Shine company.

RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Referring to her younger brother James's 2009 speech, Elisabeth said his assertion that the only reliable, durable and perpetual guarantor of media independence was profit had fallen short of the mark.

'The reason his statement sat so uncomfortably is that profit without purpose is a recipe for disaster,' she said.

'Profit must be our servant, not our master,' she added. 'It's increasingly apparent that the absence of purpose - or of a moral language - within government, media or business, could become one of the most dangerous own goals for capitalism and for freedom.'

British tabloids have been accused of producing ever-more salacious stories before the scandal broke in an effort to maintain circulation. Rupert Murdoch admitted that the scandal had left a serious blot on his reputation.

The sharp change in tone, with its emphasis on personal responsibility, underlined how much had changed since James Murdoch used his own MacTaggart lecture to accuse the BBC of having 'chilling' ambitions.

That speech, delivered in his role as chairman of the pay-TV group BSkyB and head of News Corp in Europe and Asia, consolidated James's position as heir apparent to his father's role. It also echoed Rupert Murdoch's own 1989 speech that broadcasting was a business that needed competition.

Since then, both men have been chastened by the fallout of the phone hacking affair.

At the height of the scandal News Corp had to halt a $12 billion bid to buy the rest of BSkyB it did not already own, angering investors and sowing doubts as to whether James had what it took to run the $55 billion empire.

News Corp announced in June that it was splitting off its newspaper business.

While brother Lachlan was often pictured with the family last year, Elisabeth stayed in the background. Lachlan stood down from his role as News Corp deputy chief operating officer in 2005 after clashing with senior executives.

Now James Murdoch's fall from grace has turned the spotlight onto Elisabeth in the long-running debate over who will one day replace their 81-year-old father at the head of the company.

'I think she was trying to put her mark on where she had come from and where she fits in,' Enders analyst Toby Syfret told Reuters after emerging from the speech. 'She made it clear where she didn't agree with James, and she made clear the things about her father that she admired.

'From a political level it was quite interesting.'

Stressing her links to her father and the vision he espoused when he built his company over 60 years ago, she spoke in glowing terms of his 1989 speech.

'A quarter of a century later, I am still wholly inspired by those words and they are still deeply relevant today,' she said. 'I understood that we were in pursuit of a greater good - a belief in better.'

(Writing by Kate Holton; editing by David Stamp)



This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Naked prince pics ban reveals chastened British press

LONDON (Reuters) - Almost exactly 20 years ago, Sarah Ferguson, then wife of Britain's Prince Andrew, was pictured topless on the front page of a British newspaper, having her toes sucked by a wealthy U.S. businessman by the pool of a French villa.

Ignoring any concerns about privacy, the Daily Mirror ran 18 paparazzi long-range photos of the Duchess of York, who was estranged from but still married to Queen Elizabeth's second son, and other papers eagerly followed up with similar snaps.

Fast forward to the present day, and pictures of the queen's grandson Prince Harry cavorting naked with a nude young woman appeared on a U.S. gossip website and subsequently across the world, with one notable exception - Britain.

Reeling from a judge-led inquiry into press ethics which has publicly revealed the 'dark arts' of once-feared British tabloids, not one newspaper dared risk upsetting the authorities by printing the 'private' photos of Harry.

Former editors and media commentators said the dissection of newspapers' unsavory tactics, and evidence from those who said their lives had been ruined by them to Judge Brian Leveson and his team of lawyers, had effectively neutered the British press.

Neil Wallis, a former deputy editor of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World Sunday tabloid, said he would have run the pictures of the third-in-line to the British throne before the inquiry, but not now.

'The problem is, in this post-Leveson era where newspapers are simply terrified of their own shadow, they daren't do things that most of the country, if they saw it in the paper, would think 'well that's a bit of a laugh,'' he told BBC TV.

His old tabloid, Britain's top-selling Sunday paper which thrived on stories of scandal and gossip about the royals, was closed last summer by Murdoch amid public anger that its journalists had hacked into the voicemails of people from celebrities to victims of crime.

The furor spurred Prime Minister David Cameron to launch the Leveson inquiry and many of the paper's former staff now face criminal charges - Wallis himself is on police bail.

Brian Cathcart, professor of Journalism at Kingston University and a founder of the Hacked Off group which led the campaign for a judicial inquiry, said he was delighted the newspapers had not run the pictures.

DOWLER EFFECT

But rather than a 'Leveson Effect', Cathcart said he would refer to it as the 'Dowler Effect' in reference to the murdered schoolgirl whose phone was hacked by the News of the World, sparking the public outcry.

'One of the things that Dowler changed was the public started to think about what goes into these papers and what can be justified and what can't,' he told Reuters, adding that he too thought the papers would have published the photos prior to the hacking scandal.

'The press code says it is unacceptable to take pictures of people in places where they have a legitimate expectation of privacy. And if it's unacceptable to photograph someone, then it's unacceptable to reproduce them.'

Unlike the Sarah Ferguson photos, secretly taken at distance, the pictures of Prince Harry were captured on a mobile phone by one of the guests he had invited up to his hotel suite at a Las Vegas hotel.

One grainy snap showed Harry, third in line to the British throne, covering up his genitals with his hands while an apparently naked woman hides behind his back. The other pictured the naked 27-year-old clinging to a nude woman from behind.

The story was splashed across the front pages of British papers, although none carried the photos first published by the TMZ website and now widely available on the internet after they spread like wildfire across social media sites.

Murdoch's Sun tabloid came closest by carrying a mocked up photo using their features picture editor and an intern in place of Harry, son of heir-to-the throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, and the unnamed woman.

FARCICAL

Others chose to focus on the determination of royal aides to stop publication of the photos by going to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), the industry's self-regulatory body.

'We sent a letter to the PCC pointing out that the pictures were taken in private in a private hotel room,' a spokeswoman for Harry said.

The Daily Mail seethed in its page one story: 'Farcically, British websites, newspapers and television stations were prevented from reproducing them after Prince Charles instructed lawyers to threaten legal action for infringing Prince Harry's privacy.'

The PCC said it had contacted editors with the concerns, something it said it did for individuals on a regular basis.

'It's then up to editors themselves to exert judgement,' a PCC spokesman said. 'There's always been very good buy-in from the industry with complying with what's been requested.'

In the old days, a newspaper might have ignored the PCC's guidance, printed the pictures anyway and then dug in to defend the decision in court.

But with Leveson's conclusions still up in the air, it's a risk editors appear to have decided was no longer worth taking. Newspapers have pleaded with Leveson and the government that they will listen to the PCC in future and do not need a new regulator with stronger powers.

A columnist for the Daily Mirror, today far more cautious than its 1992 equivalent, said royal officials needed to be like the prince himself and 'chill out'.

Royal author Robert Jobson, a journalist who wrote an account of Harry's stint in Afghanistan, said Britons would start to wonder what was the point of a newspaper if it could not print what was freely available on the internet.

'If they're not going to use (the pictures), you're going to have to start questioning if people are going to stop buying them,' he told Reuters. 'If you look at the sales figures, that's what's happening really.'

Justice Leveson will set out his plans for media regulation towards the end of the year and is likely to recommend even tougher guidelines and penalties.

As for Harry himself, he is now back in Britain awaiting deployment as an Apache helicopter pilot in the army.

'It is a testament to his sheer likeability that Britain will most likely greet his latest, literal revelations with a grin and an indulgent shrug,' the Times newspaper said in its editorial. 'If he's still naked at 50, things may be different.'

(Additional reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Peter Graff)



This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Financiers to lend an ear to Mike Tyson

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Former boxing champion Mike Tyson will meet financiers in Hong Kong next month and while he might be able to offer advice on doing time, the bankers should probably be wary of any investment tips he might have.

The boxer with the furious fists who has, in his own words, behaved like a 'Neanderthal' for much of his life, will appear at an annual forum of clients of the brokerage CLSA on September 12.

The convicted rapist who spent three years in prison and was later declared bankrupt has found religion and mellowed. He recently appeared in a one-man show about his checkered life from his early days as a child thief.

'Tyson will discuss his life before and after boxing, his time in juvenile detention and prison, his faith, his sobriety, his family and his acting career, including his recent one-man show on Broadway,' CLSA said in a statement.

Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion in 1986 at age 20 and was undisputed champion for several years, battering opponents into submission with barely controlled rage.

He was convicted of rape in 1992. He later returned to the ring but added to his notoriety when he bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear in a 1997 bout.

Tyson was declared bankruptcy in 2003 and retired from professional boxing in 2006.

CLSA, an Asia-focused brokerage, likes to makes a splash with its annual forum with a high-profile key-note speaker. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and actor George Clooney have both appeared at the event.

(Reporting by Michael Flaherty; Editing by Robert Birsel)



This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY MUSIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Merkel tops Forbes list of powerful women; Clinton No. 2

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Forbes magazine ranked German Chancellor Angela Merkel the most powerful woman in the world for the second year in a row in the annual list dominated by politicians, businesswomen and media figures.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placed second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spots unchanged from last year.

The list named women involved in policymaking, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organizations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence.

'These power women exert influence in very different ways and to very different ends, and all with very different impacts on the global community,' said Moira Forbes, president and publisher of ForbesWoman.

The magazine noted Merkel's resolve in preserving the European Union and her influence over the euro zone's ongoing debt crisis.

Clinton was applauded for her handling of crises such as the release of a trove of diplomatic cables by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

Forbes cited Rousseff for her leadership of the world's eighth-largest economy and approval ratings within her country.

The average age of the 100 power brokers from 28 countries was 55. They had a combined 90 million Twitter followers, Forbes said.

Also in the top five were Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and wife of Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates, and Jill Abramson, executive editor of the New York Times.

Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress, followed at No. 6. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, who had topped the list in 2010, was No. 7.

The list featured newcomers such as actress and performer Jennifer Lopez and billionaire philanthropist and widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs.

Republican U.S. Representative of Minnesota and former White House hopeful Michele Bachmann was among 21 women who fell off the list this year.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was No. 8. The former French cabinet minister has been on the list since it began in 2004.

'So many of these women are in policy or political roles, and their influence ... is only growing so it's not surprising that someone like Merkel or Clinton would continue to be present on the list year to year,' Forbes said.

The full list is at www.forbes.com/power-women.

(Reporting by Lily Kuo; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Lisa Von Ahn)



This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Jimmy Kimmel goes head-to-head with Leno, Letterman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will go head to head with late-night talk show hosts Jay Leno and David Letterman when his TV program moves to the 11:35 pm time slot, sparking a fight for viewers among the three comedians.

ABC television said on Tuesday that the move from the midnight hour for 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' which saw a 3 percent rise in total viewers last season, means ABC News magazine 'Nightline' will shift to 12:35 a.m.

The swap will start January 8. Beginning in March, 'Nightline' will get an extra hour during prime time hours on Friday evenings.

ABC said the move for Kimmel reflected higher ratings for the 44-year-old comedian, as well as increased demand from advertisers for entertainment programming late at night.

'Given the passionate fan base 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' has built over the past decade and the show's ratings and creative momentum this season, the time is right to make this move,' Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, said in a statement.

Kimmel is the only late-night talk show host to increase his viewers both overall and in the 18-49 age group coveted by advertisers. His show attracts an average of 1.8 million viewers, compared with 3.7 million for Leno and 3.1 for Letterman.

In its current 11:35 pm to midnight slot, 'Nightline' is beating both Leno's 'Tonight' show on NBC and Letterman's 'The Late Show' on CBS in total viewers, according to Nielsen data.

Kimmel will host the Primetime Emmy Awards in September for the first time, and in April he was picked to host the White House correspondents annual dinner.

ABC is a unit of the Walt Disney Co, NBC is majority-owned by Comcast Corp and CBS is part of CBS Corp.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte, Gary Hill)



This news article is brought to you by WOMEN'S BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Obama praises "wonderful guy" George Clooney

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - George Clooney is still a fan of President Obama, and the feeling is mutual. The president called Clooney 'a wonderful guy' and applauded his politics and character in a joint interview with First Lady Michelle Obama for Monday's edition of 'Entertainment Tonight.'

'He is a terrific advocate on behalf of the people of Darfur and the people of Sudan who've been brutalized for a long time,' President Obama told 'ET' co-anchor Nancy O'Dell. Their working relationship on Sudan - and their friendship - started when Obama was a junior senator and Clooney, 'who had traveled there, done documentaries there and was very well-informed, came to testify in Congress, and so we got to know each other,' the president said.

As for whether Clooney has POTUS on speed-dial, Obama demurred, saying the activist actor is conservative when it comes to his using his line into the White House. 'And he's also sensitive to the fact that, you know, that if he's around a lot than somehow it'll be tagged as 'Obama hanging out with Hollywood stars' and that's not who he is,' Obama added.

For her part, the First Lady took a more aesthetic tack on her husband's A-list friend, pronouncing him 'cute' twice during the sit-down discussion with O'Dell. Michelle Obama said she's suspicious of a 'conspiracy' afoot in the Oval Office, as each time Clooney comes by for a presidential tête-à-tête, the First Lady's schedule happens to be booked. 'I'm gonna explore that a little more,' she said.

Clooney opened his home in Studio City, Calif. for a wildly successful Obama fund-raiser on May 10 and will stump for the president again at two events for American expats in Geneva, Switzerland on August 27.



This article is brought to you by SINGLES.

Singer Wynonna Judd cancels concerts in Canada

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American country singer Wynonna Judd has canceled a series of concerts in Canada next week following a serious motorcycle crash that injured her husband, the singer said in a statement on Sunday.

Judd's husband, Michael Scott Moser, and the singer had been on a ride together on separate motorcycles in Deadwood, South Dakota, when Moser collided with an oncoming vehicle and was taken to hospital. Judd was not involved in the accident.

'I love him deeply and I will not leave his side,' said Judd, who rose to fame alongside her mother Naomi in the 1980s as part of the duo, 'The Judds,' before a successful solo career that began in the early 1990s.

She and Moser were married in June in Tennessee.

(Reporting By Christine Kearney; editing by Stacey Joyce)



This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Gregory Peck's widow Veronique, an arts supporter, dies at 80

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veronique Peck, the widow of screen legend Gregory Peck, has died at age 80 of heart failure at her home in Los Angeles, a spokesman for her family said on Saturday.

She passed away on Friday, said her representative Monroe Friedman.

Born in Paris as Veronique Passani, she became a reporter for the daily newspaper France Soir and met Peck in 1953 when she interviewed him for a story. They were married on December 31, 1955, the day after Peck's divorce from his first wife, Greta Kukkonen, was finalized.

Veronique Peck, who became a U.S. citizen in 1976, worked on a number of philanthropic causes, including working to establish the Los Angeles Music Center and an interracial theater group, Inner City Cultural Center.

When her husband died in 2003 at age 87, she took over producing the Gregory Peck Reading Series, a star-laden program that has featured the likes of Quincy Jones and Sharon Stone and raises funds for the Los Angeles Public Library.

The French film writer Henry-Jean Servat, who knew Veronique Peck, on Saturday broke the news of her death with a post on his Twitter page.

She is survived by her two children, the writer and producer Anthony Peck and documentary filmmaker Cecilia Peck Voll, and by her brother and three grandchildren.

Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his role as the heroic Southern lawyer Atticus Finch in the 1962 film 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' was one of the most admired actors in Hollywood history. His other best known films are 'Gentleman's Agreement,' 'The Guns of Navarone' and 'Spellbound.'

(This story corrects date of the couple's marriage to 1955, instead of 1953, in paragraph three)

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Jackie Frank)

"Welcome Back, Kotter" actor Ron Palillo dies at 63

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Ron Pallilo, who played class joker Arnold Horshack in the 1970s TV comedy series "Welcome Back, Kotter", has died in Florida, his publicist said on Tuesday.

Los Angeles-based agent Jackie Stander confirmed reports that Pallilo, 63, died on Tuesday morning.

Celebrity news website TMZ.com reported that Pallilo died of an apparent heart attack at his home near Palm Beach, Florida.

Pallilo, whose character was known for the catch-phrase "Ooh-ooh-ooooh!", played Horshack for four years in the 1975-79 ABC comedy, which also starred John Travolta.

The show captured the antics of an unruly group of remedial high school students and their wise-cracking teacher Gabe Kotter, played by comedian Gabe Kaplan.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; editing by Carol Bishopric)



This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.

Jennifer Aniston engaged to actor Justin Theroux

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston is engaged to marry her actor and screenwriter boyfriend Justin Theroux, People magazine reported on Sunday.

'Justin Theroux had an amazing birthday on Friday, receiving an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend Jennifer Aniston accepted his proposal of marriage,' Theroux's representative told the celebrity magazine.

Aniston's publicist Steven Huvane confirmed the engagement.

Aniston, 43, and Theroux, 41, have been dating for more than a year and appeared in the comedy 'Wanderlust' in February.

No wedding date was announced.

The marriage will be the second for Aniston, one of Hollywood's favorite actresses and a frequent face in romantic comedies.

Her first union with Brad Pitt ended in divorce after five in 2005, when Pitt fell in love with actress Angelina Jolie, and Aniston's love life has been followed assiduously ever since by the world's celebrity media.

Aniston's previous boyfriends include singer John Mayer and actor Vince Vaughn.

Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April but have not publicly set a wedding date.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant)



This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Rihanna climbs back to top of British album charts

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop singer Rihanna has returned to the top of Britain's album rankings with her album 'Talk That Talk' after a run of 38 weeks in the Top 40, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday.

It is only the second week the album has been in the number one spot as it nears 1 million British sales.

The recording has been a huge hit around the world and helped the Barbadian star to earn an estimated $53 million in the 12 months to May this year, according to Forbes magazine.

East London rapper Wiley topped the singles charts for a second week with 'Heatwave', his first solo British number one.

British pop band Lawson were the week's highest new entry at number three with their single 'Taking Over Me'.

Redlight, a DJ and producer from Bristol in southwest England, was also new in fifth place with 'Lost In Your Love'.

(Reporting by Tim Castle)



This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Billionaire George Soros getting married for the third time

(Reuters) - Billionaire investor George Soros had a lot to celebrate on Saturday evening: his 82nd birthday and the engagement to his much younger girlfriend Tamiko Bolton.

Soros and Bolton, who met in the spring of 2008, formally announced their engagement at a party at Soros' summer home in Southampton, New York attended by a small group of friends and relatives, according to a person familiar with the trader.

Soros proposed to Bolton, 40, a few weeks ago during a weekend visit to the Hamptons, a summer beachside colony on Long Island frequented by New York's wealthy.

For Soros, this will be his third marriage and the second for Bolton, who was married briefly in the 1990s. Soros has five children from his previous marriages.

Last year, Adriana Ferreyr ,a former girlfriend of Soros, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan state court, alleging he reneged on a promise to buy her an apartment. Soros has filed a pending motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the former Brazilian soap opera star.

Also in 2011, Soros, who is an active contributor to politically liberal causes and frequently speaks on world economic events, converted his hedge fund into a family office and stopped managing money for outside investors.

Soros rose to fame and fortune two decades ago on a now-historic trade, in which he took on the Bank of England and shrewdly wagered on a devaluation of the British pound.

Bolton, who once started an Internet-based dietary supplement business and is now running a web-based yoga education business, has a masters degree in business from the University of Miami.

The engagement ring Soros gave Bolton, according to a person close to the trader, is a Graff diamond in a platinum setting on a rose gold band.

Among the guests at the party at Soros' summer home were journalist Jane Bryant Quinn and Blackstone's Byron Wien.

Earlier this year, Reuters first reported that Soros' son Jonathan, who last September stepped down from day-to-day management of the affairs at Soros Fund Management, had decided to set-up his own family office. In moving to manage his own money, Soros' son also planned to take on key employee of Soros Fund Management, which last reported having about $25 billion in assets.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)



This news article is brought to you by SAVING MONEY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Time and CNN suspend Fareed Zakaria for plagiarism

(Reuters) - CNN host and Time magazine contributing editor-at-large Fareed Zakaria was suspended by his employers on Friday after he acknowledged copying material for a recent column he wrote about gun control from another writer.

Time said it was suspending Zakaria for one month, 'pending further review,' and CNN said it had also suspended him for his journalistic misstep. CNN put no time limit on its suspension.

The sanctions came after Zakaria issued a public apology for borrowing from a recent New Yorker essay about gun control for a column he wrote for Time this week.

'Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my Time column this week bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore's essay in the April 23rd issue of the New Yorker. They are right. I made a terrible mistake,' Zakaria wrote in his apology.

'It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault.'

Ali Zelenko, a spokesman for Time, said the magazine accepted Zakaria's apology but felt compelled to act against him because he had violated its standards for all columnists.

'Their work must not only be factual but original; their view must not only be their own but their words as well,' Zelenko said.

CNN said its suspension of Zakaria was due to the fact that he wrote a blog post on CNN.com that was similar to his Time column and included 'similar unattributed excerpts.'

Indian-born Zakaria studied at Yale and Harvard, was managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine and then editor of Newsweek International for ten years before moving to CNN in 2010 to host Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Friday's public embarrassment for Zakaria followed a recent scandal involving New Yorker staff writer Jonah Lehrer, who resigned on July 30.

Lehrer, a science journalist and author, quit after admitting that he made up quotes from legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in his book 'Imagine: How Creativity Works.'

(Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Anthony Boadle)



This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY MUSIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Armstrong, first man on the moon, recovering from heart surgery

(Reuters) - Former astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, is recovering from heart-bypass surgery, NASA said on Wednesday.

Armstrong, who turned 82 on Sunday, underwent surgery on Tuesday to relieve blocked coronary arteries. NBC news quoted his wife Carol Armstrong as saying he is 'doing great.'

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. After piloting the module Eagle to the moon, he climbed down the stairs onto the dusty surface and said: '"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.'

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called Armstrong a 'true American hero' and wished him a quick recovery.

'Neil's pioneering spirit will surely serve him well in this challenging time and the entire NASA family is holding the Armstrong family in our thoughts and prayers,' Bolden said in a statement.

Armstrong flew combat missions during the Korean War and was a test pilot for a U.S. aeronautics agency that would become NASA. After leaving the space agency, he taught at the University of Cincinnati in his home state of Ohio.

He and his wife live in the Cincinnati area.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton)



This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.

James Cameron takes 3-D film venture to China

BEIJING (Reuters) - Oscar-winning director James Cameron said on Wednesday that he will open a joint venture in China to provide 3-D filming technology, the latest move by Hollywood to secure a foothold in the country's booming movie industry.

Box office revenues -- growing by leaps and bounds in China thanks to its fast-growing middle class -- have whet Hollywood's appetite despite complaints over government restrictions on access to screens, content control and piracy.

CPG China Division, the new arm of Cameron Pace Group, will offer Chinese film makers three-dimensional camera technology but will not be involved immediately in producing films, Cameron told Reuters in an interview.

'We're not going to tell Chinese film makers how to make movies. We are going to help them make a transition to 3D production technology as cost effectively as possible, and in a way that doesn't inhibit creativity,' he said.

Three-dimensional films, which enhance depth perception by being shot from two perspectives, gained in popularity during the 2000s and achieved a breakthrough with Cameron's 2009 blockbuster 'Avatar', a movie about blue aliens which set a $2.8 billion box office global earnings record.

Cameron also directed the second-highest grossing film of all time, the nautical disaster-romance starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, 'Titanic'.

Cameron said the deal was 'huge', though he would not give details on the amount of the investment or the venture's equity split with two state-owned entities -- film distributor Tianjin North Film Group and Tianjin Hi-tech Holding Group.

'This is a huge investment for us, as much in sweat equity ... as it is financially,' he said, noting that initial projects to 'build muscle' will focus on 3-D films highlighting Chinese cities.

The Cameron Pace Group, formed 12 years ago with camera guru Vince Pace, earned $58 million last year renting its 3-D cameras to crews producing films, concert videos and sports broadcasts.

A die-hard proponent of expanding 3-D viewership, Cameron said the ambitions of the Chinese partners, as well as Chinese state television eager to try out live 3-D broadcast technology, exceeded even his own.

'We think we're on the verge of a kind of media revolution. And we certainly have the enabling technology, we have the methodology, we've honed our skills.'

COPYCAT CONCERNS

The director's move follows a string of other high-profile Hollywood announcements in China.

The next 'Iron Man' film will be co-produced in China under a joint agreement between Walt Disney Co, Marvel Studios and DMG Entertainment.

'Shrek' and 'Kung Fu Panda' creator DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc plans to open a 20 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) theme park in Shanghai by 2016 with Chinese partners.

U.S. film producers were excited about a deal hammered out during Vice President Xi Jinping's February visit to the United States that paved the way for the import of 14 premium format films, such as IMAX or 3-D.

If the deal is implemented, those films will be exempt from China's annual import quota of 20 foreign films per year, a concession offered by Beijing after losing a World Trade Organization dispute over media distribution in 2009.

Technology transfers have been a stumbling block for other foreign invested joint ventures in China, as companies have complained that handing over intellectual property is sometimes the price of admission to access China's huge consumer market.

CPG China Division will rely heavily on cutting edge cameras, but the director downplayed copycat concerns.

'That's certainly a danger. We are going to look very carefully at how we protect our core technology. But frankly ... it is changing so rapidly that you can clone what we are putting in the field now, but we'll be coming out with something new in 18 months, anyway,' he said.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)



This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

"A Chorus Line" composer Marvin Hamlisch dies at 68

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marvin Hamlisch, the award-winning composer of 'A Chorus Line' and 'The Way We Were', has died suddenly at the age of 68, prompting warm tributes from Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan and dozens of stage and screen stars.

Hamlisch, the musical force behind 'The Sting' and numerous other movies and Broadway shows, died in Los Angeles on Monday, a family spokesman said. He collapsed following what was called 'a brief illness'. Details were not made public.

Streisand, a friend of 45 years and star of romantic movie 'The Way We Were', said she was 'devastated' at his death and recalled how he had played at her 1998 wedding.

'When I think of him now, it was his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around ... He was a true musical genius but above all that, he was a beautiful human being. I will truly miss him,' she added in a statement.

Hamlisch, who was working until days before his death, earned the rare distinction of winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

Minnelli said she had been friends with Hamlisch since the age of 13 and recalled he arranged her first and second albums.

'I have lost my first lifelong best friend, and sadly we have lost a splendid, splendid talent,' the singer and actress said in a statement.

STARTED CAREER AS REHEARSAL PIANIST

In a 2010 interview Hamlisch told Broadway World that in writing 'The Way We Were' he was trying to match 'a very yin-yang sort of movie.'

He explained: 'I wanted to write something that was uplifting and positive; on the other hand, there is a tremendous amount of bitter-sweetness to that film - and bittersweet romance - so it's a real duality. And that's why I think the song - though it's in the major mode - is quite sad,' he said.

The New York City-born composer, raised by Jewish parents and showing an early ability to mimic music as a young child, started out his professional career as a rehearsal pianist for 'Funny Girl,' beginning a long history of working with Streisand. He said Streisand 'has the best voice there is'.

His collaborations included musical director and arranger of Streisand's 1994 U.S. concert tour, for which he won two Emmy Awards, and writing the score for Streisand's 1996 film, 'The Mirror has Two Faces,' for which Hamlisch earned an Oscar nomination for Streisand's and Bryan Adams duet, 'I've Finally Found Someone.'

His other film scores included 'Sophie's Choice' and 'Ordinary People' and he co-wrote the ballad 'Nobody Does It Better' for the 1977 James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.

Nancy Reagan on Tuesday recalled Hamlisch as a frequent entertainer at White House parties in the 1980s, and how he wrote a 77th birthday song for her late husband, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Hamlisch was 'a dear friend and I am truly stunned by his death at such a young age ... I don't think you could ever find a more contemporary and talented musician,' Reagan said in a statement.

Actress Debra Messing, star of the TV shows 'Smash' and 'Will & Grace', said on Twitter; 'The GREAT Marvin Hamlisch passed away... What a loss. What a talent. What contributions.'

Starting with 1969 film 'The Swimmer,' Hamlisch scored films for the next several decades, including Woody Allen's 'Take the Money and Run' and 'Bananas', 'Save the Tiger,' 'Ice Castles,' right up to Steven Soderbergh's 'The Informant!' in 2009. He had recently been writing the score for a new Soderbergh movie based on the life of the pianist Liberace.

A CHORUS LINE

On Broadway, he won a Tony award and a Pulitzer Prize for the 1975 musical 'A Chorus Line,' which at the time became the most successful show on the Great White Way. He also wrote the scores for musicals 'They're Playing Our Song,' (1978), 'The Goodbye Girl' (1993) and 'Sweet Smell Of Success' (2002).

He also won four Grammy Awards including two for 'The Way We Were.'

Press representatives said he was scheduled to leave for Nashville later this week to see the Jerry Lewis stage-adapted comedy, 'The Nutty Professor,' for which he wrote the score. He had been working on a new Broadway musical called 'Gotta Dance.'

Hamlisch said he believed in the power of music to connect people.

'Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together,' he said on his website.

At the time of his death, he was principal pops conductor for several U.S. symphony orchestras and was scheduled to conduct the New York Philharmonic in this year's New Year's Eve concert. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Terre.

Songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who wrote the lyrics for 'The Way We Were' and worked with Hamlisch on many other projects, called him 'our beloved friend. He was family. The world will miss his music, his humor, his genius. We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives.'

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and James Dalgleish)



This news article is brought to you by SPACE AND ASTRONOMY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.