By Eric Kelsey
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan avoided jail on Monday but was ordered to spend three months in a locked rehabilitation facility and undertake 30 days of community labor in a plea bargain over charges arising from a June car crash.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said Lohan, whose once promising Hollywood career has been wrecked by legal woes and erratic behavior, must also undergo psychotherapy for 18 months and sentenced her to two years' probation.
The plea deal was struck on the first day of a scheduled trial when the 26-year-old 'Mean Girls' actress agreed to plead no contest to charges that she lied to police when she said she was not behind the wheel after her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, had faced the prospect of being sent to jail if she was convicted on the latest charges, or if she was deemed to have violated the terms of her 2011 probation.
Under Monday's plea bargain, however, she was given a suspended 180 day jail term that will not be invoked unless she violates the terms of the agreement with prosecutors. It was announced after prosecutors and Lohan's attorney met with Dabney in chambers for more than two hours before the trial opened.
Dabney told Lohan, who spends much of her time in New York City, to stay out of cars and out of trouble.
'A suggestion: Don't drive. You're in New York, you don't need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we're not going to be having these discussions,' Dabney said after reading out the plea agreement.
LOHAN ATTORNEY HAPPY WITH DEAL
Lohan left court without speaking to reporters, but her attorney, Mark Heller, told reporters he was happy with the deal.
'I'm very, very satisfied with the results today ... I think that the prosecutors treated her fairly. I'm very confident that you won't be seeing Lindsay Lohan in any criminal courts any time in the future,' Heller said.
'Today marks the first day of the rest of her life and her comeback is before her,' he said.
Lohan's father, Michael, heckled Heller during his news conference and accused him of lying to the actress and keeping her in the dark about the plea agreement.
The actress has been jailed or placed under house arrest for short periods numerous times since 2007, including three times in 2011. She has also spent at least five periods in rehab in the last six years.
She underwent court-ordered psychological counseling in 2012, and has claimed in numerous TV and magazine interviews that she is a changed woman and understands her past mistakes.
Lohan arrived 45 minutes late for her trial on Monday after taking an overnight flight to Los Angeles from New York and dashing through rush-hour traffic to the courthouse.
She had previously pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police about who was driving the car in Santa Monica in June 2012.
Lohan made her name as a cute, freckled 11-year-old in Disney's 1998 movie 'The Parent Trap' and went on to find commercial and critical success in films like 'Freaky Friday' and 'Bobby.'
But she has not made a feature film since the independent thriller 'Machete' in 2010. Her last effort - a comeback performance as late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie 'Liz & Dick' in November - was largely panned by critics.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, Editing by Jill Serjeant, Mohammad Zargham and Paul Simao)
Monday, March 18, 2013
Lindsay Lohan ordered to locked rehab, avoids jail in plea deal
By Eric Kelsey
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan was ordered on Monday to spend 90 days in a locked rehabilitation facility and undertake 30 days of community labor as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors in which she will avoid time in jail on charges arising from a June car crash.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said Lohan, 26, must also undergo psychotherapy for 18 months and sentenced her to two years' probation.
The agreement came on the first day of a scheduled trial when Lohan agreed to plead no contest to charges that she lied to police when she said she was not behind the wheel after her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, had faced the prospect of being sent to jail if she was convicted on the latest charges, or if she was deemed to have violated the terms of her probation.
Under Monday's plea bargain however, she was given a suspended 180 day jail term that will not be invoked unless she violates the terms of the agreement with prosecutors.
The plea bargain was announced after prosecutors and Lohan's attorney met with Dabney in chambers for more than two hours before the trial opened.
Dabney told Lohan to stay out of cars and out of trouble.
'A suggestion: Don't drive. You're in New York, you don't need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we're not going to be having these discussions,' he said after reading out the plea agreement.
The 'Mean Girls' actress has been to jail for brief periods and entered rehabilitation for drinking and drug problems several times since 2007.
Lohan, who arrived 45 minutes late for the trial, had previously pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police about who was driving the car in June 2012.
Lohan's once promising Hollywood career has been seriously damaged by her numerous legal troubles. A comeback performance as late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie 'Liz & Dick' in November was largely panned by critics.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan was ordered on Monday to spend 90 days in a locked rehabilitation facility and undertake 30 days of community labor as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors in which she will avoid time in jail on charges arising from a June car crash.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said Lohan, 26, must also undergo psychotherapy for 18 months and sentenced her to two years' probation.
The agreement came on the first day of a scheduled trial when Lohan agreed to plead no contest to charges that she lied to police when she said she was not behind the wheel after her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, had faced the prospect of being sent to jail if she was convicted on the latest charges, or if she was deemed to have violated the terms of her probation.
Under Monday's plea bargain however, she was given a suspended 180 day jail term that will not be invoked unless she violates the terms of the agreement with prosecutors.
The plea bargain was announced after prosecutors and Lohan's attorney met with Dabney in chambers for more than two hours before the trial opened.
Dabney told Lohan to stay out of cars and out of trouble.
'A suggestion: Don't drive. You're in New York, you don't need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we're not going to be having these discussions,' he said after reading out the plea agreement.
The 'Mean Girls' actress has been to jail for brief periods and entered rehabilitation for drinking and drug problems several times since 2007.
Lohan, who arrived 45 minutes late for the trial, had previously pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police about who was driving the car in June 2012.
Lohan's once promising Hollywood career has been seriously damaged by her numerous legal troubles. A comeback performance as late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie 'Liz & Dick' in November was largely panned by critics.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
Lindsay Lohan late for reckless driving trial in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Troubled star Lindsay Lohan arrived late for Monday's start of her trial on charges of reckless driving and lying to police over a June car crash, after she flew to Los Angeles from New York overnight.
Lohan, wearing a white and pink pants suit, turned up in court more than 45 minutes late after a morning dash from Los Angeles International Airport to the courthouse following a private jet flight from New York.
A bystander threw glitter at her as she walked into court through a phalanx of photographers and camera crews.
Lohan, 26, has pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police when she said she was not behind the wheel when her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
The actress, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, faces the prospect of being sent to jail if she is convicted on the latest charges, or if she is deemed to have violated the terms of her probation.
The three misdemeanor charges each carry potential jail terms ranging from three months to a year. But even if Lohan is not convicted, the judge has the power to sentence her to jail for more than 200 days if he determines the actress violated her probation in the 2011 jewelry case.
Monday's trial went ahead after the failure of weeks of behind the scenes negotiations over a possible plea bargain for the 'Mean Girls' actress, who has been to jail for brief periods and entered rehabilitation for drinking and drug problems multiple times since 2007.
Lohan's new attorney, Mark Heller, told reporters earlier this month that Lohan had started a new round of psychotherapy and wanted to give inspirational speeches to school kids in a bid to turn her life around.
However, it's not clear if either of those projects have gotten underway. Lohan has spent much of the three months since being charged over the Santa Monica car crash in New York, where she has been photographed at nightclubs, concerts, and fashion and charity events.
Lohan's once promising Hollywood career has been seriously damaged by her numerous legal troubles. A comeback performance as late screen legend Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie 'Liz & Dick' in November was largely panned by critics.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Beech)
Lohan, wearing a white and pink pants suit, turned up in court more than 45 minutes late after a morning dash from Los Angeles International Airport to the courthouse following a private jet flight from New York.
A bystander threw glitter at her as she walked into court through a phalanx of photographers and camera crews.
Lohan, 26, has pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police when she said she was not behind the wheel when her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
The actress, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, faces the prospect of being sent to jail if she is convicted on the latest charges, or if she is deemed to have violated the terms of her probation.
The three misdemeanor charges each carry potential jail terms ranging from three months to a year. But even if Lohan is not convicted, the judge has the power to sentence her to jail for more than 200 days if he determines the actress violated her probation in the 2011 jewelry case.
Monday's trial went ahead after the failure of weeks of behind the scenes negotiations over a possible plea bargain for the 'Mean Girls' actress, who has been to jail for brief periods and entered rehabilitation for drinking and drug problems multiple times since 2007.
Lohan's new attorney, Mark Heller, told reporters earlier this month that Lohan had started a new round of psychotherapy and wanted to give inspirational speeches to school kids in a bid to turn her life around.
However, it's not clear if either of those projects have gotten underway. Lohan has spent much of the three months since being charged over the Santa Monica car crash in New York, where she has been photographed at nightclubs, concerts, and fashion and charity events.
Lohan's once promising Hollywood career has been seriously damaged by her numerous legal troubles. A comeback performance as late screen legend Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie 'Liz & Dick' in November was largely panned by critics.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Beech)
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Justin Timberlake puts the sexy into married life in new album
By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After making the transition from child star and boy band heartthrob to movie star, Justin Timberlake is returning to music with his first album since 2006, cementing his grown-up status with a record inspired by his new marriage.
Timberlake, 32, officially releases 'The 20/20 Experience' on Tuesday. But the 10-track record of smooth love songs with a throwback R&B sound is already No. 1 on the iTunes charts after it was streamed online last week.
The album is Timberlake's first since 'FutureSex/LoveSounds' which spawned hit pop singles 'Sexyback' and 'What Goes Around...Comes Around.'
Although lead single 'Suit & Tie,' featuring rapper Jay-Z, failed to meet sales expectations on its first week of release in January, the album is expected to sell well following weeks of promotion including a Grammy Awards show performance and a stint by Timberlake on TV sketch show 'Saturday Night Live.'
Industry sources cited by Billboard said 'The 20/20 Experience' could sell 500,000 copies in its first week, and easily give Timberlake the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.
'The 20/20 Experience' sees Timberlake embracing his status as a married man after his wedding to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.
The singer draws on lazy summer romances for the majority of his songs, with slow-tempo swing rhythms on tracks such as 'Pusher Girl Love,' where Timberlake describes his addiction to a girl.
Jason Lipshutz at Billboard magazine gave the album an 88 out of 100 rating, saying that while the singer did not replicate the edgy pop sounds of earlier hits on his 'FutureSex' album, he 'has offered us something more complicated, although no less accessible.'
Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen praised the singer for being 'such a charismatic and effortlessly appealing singer, dancer and showman,' and called the album 'Timberlake's neo-soul record.'
FROM HEARTTHROB TO ENTREPRENEUR
Timberlake has barely put a foot wrong in his transition from child star in the 'Mickey Mouse Club' to popular boy band N'Sync, through to solo entertainer, actor and entrepreneur.
He has appeared in movies 'The Social Network' and 'Bad Teacher;' launched his own record label, Tennman Records; added clothing designer to his credits with label William Rast; and invested in social networking site MySpace.
His all-rounder status was showcased last week on 'Saturday Night Live,' where he sang, danced and acted - and boosted ratings for the NBC show to a 14-month high.
In July he will embark on a 'Legends of the Summer' tour of North American stadiums along with Jay-Z, and the pair will headline a London music festival in the same month.
While 'Don't Hold The Wall' - a steamy dance floor track with explicit connotations - harkens back to Timberlake's 'Sexyback' days, Biel is often at the forefront of the singer's mind in the new album. 'That Girl' is a sweet throwback R&B love song, while new single 'Mirrors' is an ode to his new wife.
Los Angeles Times reviewer Mikael Wood gave the album three out of four stars, saying 'Timberlake holds (the album) together too, with lyrics that stay resolutely on the topic of romance.'
Not all critics are swooning. Alexis Petridis of Britain's Guardian newspaper gave 'The 20/20 Experience' three out of five stars, but slammed Timberlake's lyrics, which he called 'awful.'
'It's not that the lyrics are exclusively about sex; it's that Timberlake writes about it in a way that suggests he's desperate to add some kind of musical equivalent of the Bad Sex award to his six Grammys and four Emmys,' Petridis said.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After making the transition from child star and boy band heartthrob to movie star, Justin Timberlake is returning to music with his first album since 2006, cementing his grown-up status with a record inspired by his new marriage.
Timberlake, 32, officially releases 'The 20/20 Experience' on Tuesday. But the 10-track record of smooth love songs with a throwback R&B sound is already No. 1 on the iTunes charts after it was streamed online last week.
The album is Timberlake's first since 'FutureSex/LoveSounds' which spawned hit pop singles 'Sexyback' and 'What Goes Around...Comes Around.'
Although lead single 'Suit & Tie,' featuring rapper Jay-Z, failed to meet sales expectations on its first week of release in January, the album is expected to sell well following weeks of promotion including a Grammy Awards show performance and a stint by Timberlake on TV sketch show 'Saturday Night Live.'
Industry sources cited by Billboard said 'The 20/20 Experience' could sell 500,000 copies in its first week, and easily give Timberlake the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.
'The 20/20 Experience' sees Timberlake embracing his status as a married man after his wedding to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.
The singer draws on lazy summer romances for the majority of his songs, with slow-tempo swing rhythms on tracks such as 'Pusher Girl Love,' where Timberlake describes his addiction to a girl.
Jason Lipshutz at Billboard magazine gave the album an 88 out of 100 rating, saying that while the singer did not replicate the edgy pop sounds of earlier hits on his 'FutureSex' album, he 'has offered us something more complicated, although no less accessible.'
Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen praised the singer for being 'such a charismatic and effortlessly appealing singer, dancer and showman,' and called the album 'Timberlake's neo-soul record.'
FROM HEARTTHROB TO ENTREPRENEUR
Timberlake has barely put a foot wrong in his transition from child star in the 'Mickey Mouse Club' to popular boy band N'Sync, through to solo entertainer, actor and entrepreneur.
He has appeared in movies 'The Social Network' and 'Bad Teacher;' launched his own record label, Tennman Records; added clothing designer to his credits with label William Rast; and invested in social networking site MySpace.
His all-rounder status was showcased last week on 'Saturday Night Live,' where he sang, danced and acted - and boosted ratings for the NBC show to a 14-month high.
In July he will embark on a 'Legends of the Summer' tour of North American stadiums along with Jay-Z, and the pair will headline a London music festival in the same month.
While 'Don't Hold The Wall' - a steamy dance floor track with explicit connotations - harkens back to Timberlake's 'Sexyback' days, Biel is often at the forefront of the singer's mind in the new album. 'That Girl' is a sweet throwback R&B love song, while new single 'Mirrors' is an ode to his new wife.
Los Angeles Times reviewer Mikael Wood gave the album three out of four stars, saying 'Timberlake holds (the album) together too, with lyrics that stay resolutely on the topic of romance.'
Not all critics are swooning. Alexis Petridis of Britain's Guardian newspaper gave 'The 20/20 Experience' three out of five stars, but slammed Timberlake's lyrics, which he called 'awful.'
'It's not that the lyrics are exclusively about sex; it's that Timberlake writes about it in a way that suggests he's desperate to add some kind of musical equivalent of the Bad Sex award to his six Grammys and four Emmys,' Petridis said.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Rapper Lil Wayne says he is fine after health scare
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. rapper Lil Wayne said on Friday he was fine and thanked fans for their concern after a reported seizure that led celebrity website TMZ.com to claim he was in a medically induced coma and near death.
'I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love,' Wayne said in a Twitter message on his official account.
The 30-year-old rapper's spokeswoman Sarah Cunningham said in an email that 'Lil Wayne is recovering,' but did not specify what he was suffering from.
She was responding to a TMZ.com report citing unnamed sources which said Wayne was in critical condition, and near death, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.
Rapper Mack Maine said in a Twitter posting earlier that Wayne was 'alive and well. We watching the Syracuse (basketball) game...thanks for the prayers and concern.'
Maine said fans should not 'believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe.'
TMZ said the rapper was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for seizures and released on Wednesday. But the website said he was readmitted a few hours later after his bodyguard found him unconscious on the floor of his room. It said his mother was flying to Los Angeles on Friday to be at his bedside.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight.
Wayne, a native of New Orleans, began rapping at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money record label.
The 'Got Money' rapper has released nine studio albums over a two decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and David Brunnstrom)
'I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love,' Wayne said in a Twitter message on his official account.
The 30-year-old rapper's spokeswoman Sarah Cunningham said in an email that 'Lil Wayne is recovering,' but did not specify what he was suffering from.
She was responding to a TMZ.com report citing unnamed sources which said Wayne was in critical condition, and near death, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.
Rapper Mack Maine said in a Twitter posting earlier that Wayne was 'alive and well. We watching the Syracuse (basketball) game...thanks for the prayers and concern.'
Maine said fans should not 'believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe.'
TMZ said the rapper was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for seizures and released on Wednesday. But the website said he was readmitted a few hours later after his bodyguard found him unconscious on the floor of his room. It said his mother was flying to Los Angeles on Friday to be at his bedside.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight.
Wayne, a native of New Orleans, began rapping at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money record label.
The 'Got Money' rapper has released nine studio albums over a two decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and David Brunnstrom)
Friday, March 15, 2013
Oprah named most influential celebrity for second year
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey was crowned America's most influential celebrity for a second straight year on Friday, despite having dropped off daily television in 2011.
Forbes magazine ranked Winfrey, 59, ahead of Hollywood titans Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood and towering over other TV figures such as journalist Barbara Walters and financial guru Suze Orman.
Forbes said that 48 percent of people surveyed rated Winfrey as influential, down just one point from last year. The list was drawn from polls of Americans conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which ranks more than 7,500 celebrities based on 46 different personality attributes.
Winfrey ended her daily 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' in May 2011 after 25 years to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which features lifestyle programming aimed at women.
After struggling in the ratings since its launch, OWN has seen audiences rise recently, thanks to Winfrey's January world exclusive with cyclist Lance Armstrong admitting to years of doping, and her wide-ranging interview with R&B singer Beyonce.
Forbes noted that Winfrey's magic had rubbed off as well, with one of her protégées, TV physician Dr. Mehmet Oz, ranking sixth on the list.
Film directing, however, seems to be the profession most associated with influence, as four directors, including Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese, crowded into the Top 10.
E-Poll Chief Executive Gerry Philpott said that while influence could mean different things to different people, most often it reflects someone's impact on the culture.
Reflecting on Spielberg's runner-up ranking, Philpott said 'To this day, ask anyone what they think about before going in the ocean,' referring to the filmmaker's 1975 blockbuster 'Jaws.'
Dropping out of the Top 10 entirely was last year's No. 2 finisher, actor Michael J. Fox, who has been out of the public eye of late.
Eastwood, who made headlines by addressing an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention, rounded out the Top 10.
The Top 10 Most Influential Celebrities of 2013, according to Forbes are;
1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Steven Spielberg
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Ron Howard
5. George Lucas
6. Dr. Mehmet Oz
7. Barbara Walters
8. U2 frontman Bono
9. Suze Orman
10. Clint Eastwood
The full list can be seen at http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2013/03/14/oprah-winfrey-tops-our-list-of-the-most-influential-celebrities/
(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Jill Serjeant)
Forbes magazine ranked Winfrey, 59, ahead of Hollywood titans Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood and towering over other TV figures such as journalist Barbara Walters and financial guru Suze Orman.
Forbes said that 48 percent of people surveyed rated Winfrey as influential, down just one point from last year. The list was drawn from polls of Americans conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which ranks more than 7,500 celebrities based on 46 different personality attributes.
Winfrey ended her daily 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' in May 2011 after 25 years to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which features lifestyle programming aimed at women.
After struggling in the ratings since its launch, OWN has seen audiences rise recently, thanks to Winfrey's January world exclusive with cyclist Lance Armstrong admitting to years of doping, and her wide-ranging interview with R&B singer Beyonce.
Forbes noted that Winfrey's magic had rubbed off as well, with one of her protégées, TV physician Dr. Mehmet Oz, ranking sixth on the list.
Film directing, however, seems to be the profession most associated with influence, as four directors, including Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese, crowded into the Top 10.
E-Poll Chief Executive Gerry Philpott said that while influence could mean different things to different people, most often it reflects someone's impact on the culture.
Reflecting on Spielberg's runner-up ranking, Philpott said 'To this day, ask anyone what they think about before going in the ocean,' referring to the filmmaker's 1975 blockbuster 'Jaws.'
Dropping out of the Top 10 entirely was last year's No. 2 finisher, actor Michael J. Fox, who has been out of the public eye of late.
Eastwood, who made headlines by addressing an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention, rounded out the Top 10.
The Top 10 Most Influential Celebrities of 2013, according to Forbes are;
1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Steven Spielberg
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Ron Howard
5. George Lucas
6. Dr. Mehmet Oz
7. Barbara Walters
8. U2 frontman Bono
9. Suze Orman
10. Clint Eastwood
The full list can be seen at http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2013/03/14/oprah-winfrey-tops-our-list-of-the-most-influential-celebrities/
(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Jill Serjeant)
Focus on mission, stay true to the cross, pope tells cardinals
By Philip Pullella and Catherine Hornby
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday urged leaders of a Roman Catholic Church riven by scandal and crisis never to give in to discouragement, bitterness or pessimism but to keep focused on their mission.
Since his election on Wednesday as the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, Francis has signaled a sharp change of style from his predecessor, Benedict, and has laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife.
'Let us never give in to the pessimism, to that bitterness, that the devil places before us every day. Let us not give into pessimism and discouragement,' he told the cardinals who chose him.
The Vatican on Friday strongly denied accusations by some critics in Argentina that Francis stayed silent during systematic human rights abuses by the former military dictatorship there.
Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters the accusations 'must be clearly and firmly denied'.
Critics of Jorge Bergoglio, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, allege he failed to protect priests who challenged the dictatorship earlier in his career, during the 1976-1983 'dirty war', and that he has said too little about the complicity of the Church during military rule.
Setting out a clear and forceful moral tone in the early days of his papacy, Francis on Thursday told the cardinals they must stick to the faith's Gospel roots and shun modern temptations, otherwise the Church risked becoming just another charitable group without its divine mission.
Francis has given clear signs already that he will bring a new broom to the crisis-hit papacy, favoring humility and simplicity over pomp and grandeur.
OFF THE CUFF
On Friday he spoke to the cardinals in Italian from a prepared text but often added off-the-cuff comments in what has already become the hallmark of a style in sharp contrast to the stiffer, more formal Benedict.
Francis called the princes of the church 'brother cardinals' instead of 'lord cardinals' as Benedict did. Lombardi said Francis was still taking his meals with other prelates in the Vatican residence where the cardinals stayed during the conclave. 'He just sits down at any table where there is a free spot, with a great sense of ease.'
Another notable difference from the formal Benedict is the new pope's outgoing nature and sense of humor.
On Friday, he hugged cardinals, slapped them on the back, broke into animated laughter and blessed religious objects one cardinal pulled out of a plastic shopping bag.
In another sign of humility, Francis stopped cardinals who tried to kneel before him.
But his message was serious. The role of Church elders, including himself, was to set an example and pass on faith and values to younger people without being distracted by the temptations of worldliness.
'We are in old age. Old age is the seat of wisdom,' he said, speaking slowly. 'Like good wine that becomes better with age, let us pass on to young people the wisdom of life,' he said.
STUMBLE
During the meeting on Friday he briefly stumbled as he descended the steps in front of his throne to greet Angelo Sodano, dean of the cardinals, but he quickly recovered his balance.
He made a point of paying tribute to Benedict, who shocked the Church last month by becoming the first pontiff in some 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, saying he had 'lit a flame in the depths of our hearts' with his courage and example.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Church government or Curia, which many prelates believe needs radical reform.
Francis is seen as having a common touch and the communication skills that the aloof Benedict lacked.
Whereas Benedict delivered his first homily in Latin, laying out his broad vision for the Church, Francis adopted the tone of parish priest, focusing on faith.
'When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly,' he told the massed ranks of cardinals clad in gold-colored vestments.
'We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord (if we don't follow Jesus),' he added, speaking slowly in Italian.
The new pope signaled immediately his intentions for the papacy when he adopted the name of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave up a life of privilege in the 12th century to follow a vocation of poverty.
He urged Argentines not to make costly trips to Rome for his inauguration next week but to give money to the poor instead.
No Vatican watchers had expected the conservative Argentinian to get the nod, and some of the background to the surprise vote has already trickled out, confirming that cardinals wanted a pastoral figure to revitalize the global Church but also someone who would get the dysfunctional Vatican bureaucracy in order.
French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard told reporters: 'We were looking for a pope who was spiritual, a shepherd. I think with Cardinal Bergoglio, we have this kind of person. He is also a man of great intellectual character who I believe is also a man of governance.'
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinals who chose Francis looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism, rising secularism and priestly sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
Francis' inaugural Mass will be held next Tuesday, with many world leaders expected to attend.
(Editing by Barry Moody and Giles Elgood)
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday urged leaders of a Roman Catholic Church riven by scandal and crisis never to give in to discouragement, bitterness or pessimism but to keep focused on their mission.
Since his election on Wednesday as the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, Francis has signaled a sharp change of style from his predecessor, Benedict, and has laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife.
'Let us never give in to the pessimism, to that bitterness, that the devil places before us every day. Let us not give into pessimism and discouragement,' he told the cardinals who chose him.
The Vatican on Friday strongly denied accusations by some critics in Argentina that Francis stayed silent during systematic human rights abuses by the former military dictatorship there.
Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters the accusations 'must be clearly and firmly denied'.
Critics of Jorge Bergoglio, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, allege he failed to protect priests who challenged the dictatorship earlier in his career, during the 1976-1983 'dirty war', and that he has said too little about the complicity of the Church during military rule.
Setting out a clear and forceful moral tone in the early days of his papacy, Francis on Thursday told the cardinals they must stick to the faith's Gospel roots and shun modern temptations, otherwise the Church risked becoming just another charitable group without its divine mission.
Francis has given clear signs already that he will bring a new broom to the crisis-hit papacy, favoring humility and simplicity over pomp and grandeur.
OFF THE CUFF
On Friday he spoke to the cardinals in Italian from a prepared text but often added off-the-cuff comments in what has already become the hallmark of a style in sharp contrast to the stiffer, more formal Benedict.
Francis called the princes of the church 'brother cardinals' instead of 'lord cardinals' as Benedict did. Lombardi said Francis was still taking his meals with other prelates in the Vatican residence where the cardinals stayed during the conclave. 'He just sits down at any table where there is a free spot, with a great sense of ease.'
Another notable difference from the formal Benedict is the new pope's outgoing nature and sense of humor.
On Friday, he hugged cardinals, slapped them on the back, broke into animated laughter and blessed religious objects one cardinal pulled out of a plastic shopping bag.
In another sign of humility, Francis stopped cardinals who tried to kneel before him.
But his message was serious. The role of Church elders, including himself, was to set an example and pass on faith and values to younger people without being distracted by the temptations of worldliness.
'We are in old age. Old age is the seat of wisdom,' he said, speaking slowly. 'Like good wine that becomes better with age, let us pass on to young people the wisdom of life,' he said.
STUMBLE
During the meeting on Friday he briefly stumbled as he descended the steps in front of his throne to greet Angelo Sodano, dean of the cardinals, but he quickly recovered his balance.
He made a point of paying tribute to Benedict, who shocked the Church last month by becoming the first pontiff in some 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, saying he had 'lit a flame in the depths of our hearts' with his courage and example.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Church government or Curia, which many prelates believe needs radical reform.
Francis is seen as having a common touch and the communication skills that the aloof Benedict lacked.
Whereas Benedict delivered his first homily in Latin, laying out his broad vision for the Church, Francis adopted the tone of parish priest, focusing on faith.
'When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly,' he told the massed ranks of cardinals clad in gold-colored vestments.
'We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord (if we don't follow Jesus),' he added, speaking slowly in Italian.
The new pope signaled immediately his intentions for the papacy when he adopted the name of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave up a life of privilege in the 12th century to follow a vocation of poverty.
He urged Argentines not to make costly trips to Rome for his inauguration next week but to give money to the poor instead.
No Vatican watchers had expected the conservative Argentinian to get the nod, and some of the background to the surprise vote has already trickled out, confirming that cardinals wanted a pastoral figure to revitalize the global Church but also someone who would get the dysfunctional Vatican bureaucracy in order.
French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard told reporters: 'We were looking for a pope who was spiritual, a shepherd. I think with Cardinal Bergoglio, we have this kind of person. He is also a man of great intellectual character who I believe is also a man of governance.'
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinals who chose Francis looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism, rising secularism and priestly sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
Francis' inaugural Mass will be held next Tuesday, with many world leaders expected to attend.
(Editing by Barry Moody and Giles Elgood)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
New pope urges Church to return to its Gospel roots
By Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - In his first public Mass, Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church on Thursday to stick to its Gospel roots and shun modern temptations, warning that it would become just another charitable group if it forgot its true mission.
In a heartfelt, simple homily, the Argentinian pope laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife.
Addressing cardinals in the frescoed Sistine Chapel the day after his election there, Jorge Bergoglio said the Church should be more focused on the Gospels of Jesus Christ.
'We can walk all we want, we can build many things, but if we don't proclaim Jesus Christ, something is wrong. We would become a compassionate NGO and not a Church which is the bride of Christ,' he said, speaking in Italian without notes.
The first non-European pope in 1,300 years, Bergoglio's initial steps suggested he would bring a new style to the papacy, favoring humility and simplicity over pomp, grandeur and ambition among its top officials.
Whereas his predecessor, Pope Benedict, delivered his first homily in Latin, laying out his broad vision for the Church, Francis adopted the tone of parish priest, focusing on faith.
'When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly,' he told the massed ranks of cardinals clad in golden vestments.
'We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord,' he added.
Earlier, Pope Francis had quietly slipped out of the Vatican to pray for guidance at one of Rome's great basilicas before returning briefly to a Rome hostel, where he had left his bags before entering the secret conclave on Tuesday.
Francis, who has a reputation for frugality and an understated lifestyle, insisted on paying the bill. 'He was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do,' a Vatican spokesman said.
Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, who lives in the same residence in the winding backstreets of central Rome, told Reuters: 'I don't think he needs to worry about the bill. This house is part of the Church and it's his Church now.'
GOOD HEALTH
The new pontiff has postponed for a few days a trip to the papal summer retreat south of Rome, to meet Benedict, who last month became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, saying that at 85 he was too frail to lead the troubled Church.
Francis is, at 76, older than many other contenders for the papacy and his age was one of several big surprises about the selection of the Argentine cardinal. The Vatican said on Thursday he was 'in very good shape' despite having a lung partially removed more than 50 years ago.
Bergoglio is the first Jesuit pope, an order traditionally dedicated to serving the papacy, and the first to take the name Francis in honor of the 12th-century Italian saint from Assisi who spurned wealth to pursue a life of poverty.
No Vatican watchers had expected the conservative Argentinian to get the nod, and some of the background to the surprise vote began trickling out on Thursday.
French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard told reporters: 'We were looking for a pope who was spiritual, a shepherd. I think with Cardinal Bergoglio, we have this kind of person. He is also a man of great intellectual character who I believe is also a man of governance.'
Ricard added that what Bergoglio said during cardinals' meetings before the conclave also impressed the 114 electors.
Despite never having been tipped for success, Austria Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said the Argentinian was clearly popular amongst the so-called princes of the Church from the start.
'Cardinal Bergoglio wouldn't have become pope in the fifth ballot, if he had not been a really strong contender for the papacy from the beginning,' he said.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Church government or Curia, which many prelates believe needs radical reform.
Francis is seen as a Church leader with the common touch and communications skills, in sharp contrast with Benedict's aloof intellectual nature.
The new style was immediately on display on Wednesday as he took his first tentative steps as pontiff into the public gaze, addressing cheering crowds gathered in the cobbled esplanade beneath St. Peter's Basilica.
'I ask a favor of you ... pray for me,' he urged the crowds, telling them the 114 other cardinal-electors 'went almost to the end of the world' to find a new leader.
CHANGE OF DIRECTION
Bergoglio's election answered some fundamental questions about the direction of the Church in the coming years.
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinal-electors looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
Italian media commentators said on Thursday the power of the Italian voting bloc amongst the cardinals, nearly a quarter of the total, had been undermined by the 'Vatileaks' scandal that revealed turmoil and corruption inside the Curia.
This reduced the chances of election of one of the front runners, Milan Archbishop Angelo Scola.
Italian bishops had egg on their faces on Thursday after it was revealed that they sent congratulations to Scola, assuming he had been chosen, just after Bergoglio appeared at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica following his election.
Bergoglio was born into a family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife. He became a priest at 32, a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies. He has a reputation as someone willing to challenge powerful interests and has had a sometimes difficult relationship with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.
Displaying his conservative orthodoxy, he has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as 'an attempt to destroy God's plan,' and is expected to pursue the uncompromising moral teachings of Benedict and John Paul II, but with a great concern for the poor and social problems.
According to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Francis raised gales of laughter from fellow cardinals at a relaxed dinner after his election, telling them: 'May God forgive you.'
At the Basilica of St. Francis in the Italian town of Assisi, the monks were overjoyed at Francis's choice of name. One of them, Father Guillermo Spirito, said he was also from Argentina.
'I have great admiration for his great humility, his simple, everyman manner. The last time I was with him was in 2010 and he told me that St. Francis was a paradigm of how to live the gospel,' he told Reuters.
Francis' inaugural Mass will be held on Tuesday.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, Antonio Denti, Naomi O'Leary, Tom Heneghan, Philip Pullella and Keith Weir; writing by Barry Moody; editing by Alastair Macdonald and Giles Elgood)
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - In his first public Mass, Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church on Thursday to stick to its Gospel roots and shun modern temptations, warning that it would become just another charitable group if it forgot its true mission.
In a heartfelt, simple homily, the Argentinian pope laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife.
Addressing cardinals in the frescoed Sistine Chapel the day after his election there, Jorge Bergoglio said the Church should be more focused on the Gospels of Jesus Christ.
'We can walk all we want, we can build many things, but if we don't proclaim Jesus Christ, something is wrong. We would become a compassionate NGO and not a Church which is the bride of Christ,' he said, speaking in Italian without notes.
The first non-European pope in 1,300 years, Bergoglio's initial steps suggested he would bring a new style to the papacy, favoring humility and simplicity over pomp, grandeur and ambition among its top officials.
Whereas his predecessor, Pope Benedict, delivered his first homily in Latin, laying out his broad vision for the Church, Francis adopted the tone of parish priest, focusing on faith.
'When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly,' he told the massed ranks of cardinals clad in golden vestments.
'We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord,' he added.
Earlier, Pope Francis had quietly slipped out of the Vatican to pray for guidance at one of Rome's great basilicas before returning briefly to a Rome hostel, where he had left his bags before entering the secret conclave on Tuesday.
Francis, who has a reputation for frugality and an understated lifestyle, insisted on paying the bill. 'He was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do,' a Vatican spokesman said.
Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, who lives in the same residence in the winding backstreets of central Rome, told Reuters: 'I don't think he needs to worry about the bill. This house is part of the Church and it's his Church now.'
GOOD HEALTH
The new pontiff has postponed for a few days a trip to the papal summer retreat south of Rome, to meet Benedict, who last month became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, saying that at 85 he was too frail to lead the troubled Church.
Francis is, at 76, older than many other contenders for the papacy and his age was one of several big surprises about the selection of the Argentine cardinal. The Vatican said on Thursday he was 'in very good shape' despite having a lung partially removed more than 50 years ago.
Bergoglio is the first Jesuit pope, an order traditionally dedicated to serving the papacy, and the first to take the name Francis in honor of the 12th-century Italian saint from Assisi who spurned wealth to pursue a life of poverty.
No Vatican watchers had expected the conservative Argentinian to get the nod, and some of the background to the surprise vote began trickling out on Thursday.
French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard told reporters: 'We were looking for a pope who was spiritual, a shepherd. I think with Cardinal Bergoglio, we have this kind of person. He is also a man of great intellectual character who I believe is also a man of governance.'
Ricard added that what Bergoglio said during cardinals' meetings before the conclave also impressed the 114 electors.
Despite never having been tipped for success, Austria Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said the Argentinian was clearly popular amongst the so-called princes of the Church from the start.
'Cardinal Bergoglio wouldn't have become pope in the fifth ballot, if he had not been a really strong contender for the papacy from the beginning,' he said.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Church government or Curia, which many prelates believe needs radical reform.
Francis is seen as a Church leader with the common touch and communications skills, in sharp contrast with Benedict's aloof intellectual nature.
The new style was immediately on display on Wednesday as he took his first tentative steps as pontiff into the public gaze, addressing cheering crowds gathered in the cobbled esplanade beneath St. Peter's Basilica.
'I ask a favor of you ... pray for me,' he urged the crowds, telling them the 114 other cardinal-electors 'went almost to the end of the world' to find a new leader.
CHANGE OF DIRECTION
Bergoglio's election answered some fundamental questions about the direction of the Church in the coming years.
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinal-electors looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
Italian media commentators said on Thursday the power of the Italian voting bloc amongst the cardinals, nearly a quarter of the total, had been undermined by the 'Vatileaks' scandal that revealed turmoil and corruption inside the Curia.
This reduced the chances of election of one of the front runners, Milan Archbishop Angelo Scola.
Italian bishops had egg on their faces on Thursday after it was revealed that they sent congratulations to Scola, assuming he had been chosen, just after Bergoglio appeared at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica following his election.
Bergoglio was born into a family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife. He became a priest at 32, a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies. He has a reputation as someone willing to challenge powerful interests and has had a sometimes difficult relationship with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.
Displaying his conservative orthodoxy, he has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as 'an attempt to destroy God's plan,' and is expected to pursue the uncompromising moral teachings of Benedict and John Paul II, but with a great concern for the poor and social problems.
According to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Francis raised gales of laughter from fellow cardinals at a relaxed dinner after his election, telling them: 'May God forgive you.'
At the Basilica of St. Francis in the Italian town of Assisi, the monks were overjoyed at Francis's choice of name. One of them, Father Guillermo Spirito, said he was also from Argentina.
'I have great admiration for his great humility, his simple, everyman manner. The last time I was with him was in 2010 and he told me that St. Francis was a paradigm of how to live the gospel,' he told Reuters.
Francis' inaugural Mass will be held on Tuesday.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, Antonio Denti, Naomi O'Leary, Tom Heneghan, Philip Pullella and Keith Weir; writing by Barry Moody; editing by Alastair Macdonald and Giles Elgood)
New pope slips out of Vatican for morning prayer visit
By Philip Pullella and Crispian Balmer
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, barely 12 hours after his election, quietly left the Vatican early on Thursday to pray for guidance as he looks to usher a Roman Catholic Church mired in intrigue and scandal into a new age of simplicity and humility.
Francis, the Argentinian cardinal who has become the first pope born outside Europe in 1,300 years, went to Rome's 5th-century Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; there he prayed before a famed icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which is known as the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.
'He spoke to us cordially, like a father,' said Father Ludovico Melo, a priest who prayed with the new pontiff. 'We were given 10 minutes' advance notice that the pope was coming.'
The first leader of the church to come from the Americas, home to nearly half the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, Francis also takes the title of bishop of Rome.
In his first words to the crowd in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday evening he made clear that he would take that part of his role seriously and made good on the promise by visiting one of the Italian capital's most important churches.
From there, he asked the driver to go to a Rome residence for priests so that he could pick up bags he left there before he moved to a guesthouse inside the Vatican for the electoral conclave - a wry reminder that he did not expect to become pope.
Later on Thursday he was to go to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, to pay meet Emeritus Pope Benedict, who last month became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, saying that at 85 he was too frail to tackle all the problems of the Church. Francis is, at 76, older than many other contenders for the papacy.
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's election has broken Europe's centuries-old grip on the papacy; he is also the first to take the name Francis, in honor of the 12th-century Italian saint from Assisi who spurned wealth to pursue a life of poverty.
His elevation on the second day of a closed-door conclave of cardinals came as a surprise, with many Vatican watchers expecting a longer deliberation, and none predicting the conservative Argentinian would get the nod.
The 266th pontiff in the Church's 2,000-year history, Francis is taking the helm at a time of great crisis.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, which many in the Church say needs radical reform.
A cartoon in Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper showed the new pope telling the crowd on Wednesday about his surprise at being elected and then, pointing to aides, he says: 'But that's nothing compared to the surprises in store for them.'
When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, he looked as startled as anyone, hesitating a moment before stepping out to greet the huge crowds gathered in the square below to catch a glimpse of the new pontiff.
'I ask a favor of you ... pray for me,' he urged the cheering crowds, telling them the 114 other cardinal-electors 'went almost to the end of the world' to find a new leader.
'Good night and have a good rest,' Bergoglio said before disappearing back into the opulent surroundings of the Vatican City - a far cry from his simple apartment in Buenos Aires.
'Yesterday he transmitted such humility, love and brotherhood,' said a woman outside the Roman church he visited on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday night, delighted priests, nuns and pilgrims danced around the obelisk in the middle of St. Peter's Square, chanting: 'Long Live the Pope' and 'Argentina, Argentina'.
In his native Argentina, jubilant Catholics poured into their local churches to celebrate.
'I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the Church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel,' said Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor.
CHANGE OF DIRECTION
His unexpected election answered some fundamental questions about the direction of the Church in the coming years.
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinal-electors looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
They also chose a man with long pastoral experience, rather than an academic and Vatican insider like Benedict XVI.
'It seems that this pope will be more aware of what life is all about,' Italian theologian Massimo Faggioli told Reuters.
Bergoglio was born into a family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife. He became a priest at 32, nearly a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies.
Despite his late start, he was leading the local Jesuit community within four years. Bergoglio has a reputation as someone willing to challenge powerful interests and has had a sometimes difficult relationship with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.
Displaying his conservative orthodoxy, he has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as 'an attempt to destroy God's plan,' and is expected to pursue the uncompromising moral teachings of Benedict and John Paul II.
Bergoglio is the first Jesuit to become pope. The order was founded in the 16th century to serve the papacy and is best known for its work in education and for the intellectual prowess of its members.
The Vatican said his inaugural Mass would be held on Tuesday. U.S. President Barack Obama said the election of Francis 'speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world.'
AGE CONCERNS
In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believed the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who were looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.
Bergoglio was a rival candidate at the 2005 conclave to Benedict, but his name had not appeared on lists of possible contenders this time around, with many discounting him because of his age, thinking prelates wanted a younger leader.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first inconclusive ballot. Three more inconclusive ballots were held on Wednesday before Francis obtained the required two-thirds majority of 77 votes in the fifth and final vote.
Billowing white smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out to announce the news, drawing Romans and tourists to the Vatican.
According to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Francis raised gales of laughter from fellow cardinals at a subsequent dinner, telling them: 'May God forgive you.'
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, Antonio Denti, Naomi O'Leary, Tom Heneghan, Barry Moody and Keith Weir; Editing by Peter Cooney, John Stonestreet and Alastair Macdonald)
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, barely 12 hours after his election, quietly left the Vatican early on Thursday to pray for guidance as he looks to usher a Roman Catholic Church mired in intrigue and scandal into a new age of simplicity and humility.
Francis, the Argentinian cardinal who has become the first pope born outside Europe in 1,300 years, went to Rome's 5th-century Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; there he prayed before a famed icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which is known as the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.
'He spoke to us cordially, like a father,' said Father Ludovico Melo, a priest who prayed with the new pontiff. 'We were given 10 minutes' advance notice that the pope was coming.'
The first leader of the church to come from the Americas, home to nearly half the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, Francis also takes the title of bishop of Rome.
In his first words to the crowd in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday evening he made clear that he would take that part of his role seriously and made good on the promise by visiting one of the Italian capital's most important churches.
From there, he asked the driver to go to a Rome residence for priests so that he could pick up bags he left there before he moved to a guesthouse inside the Vatican for the electoral conclave - a wry reminder that he did not expect to become pope.
Later on Thursday he was to go to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, to pay meet Emeritus Pope Benedict, who last month became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, saying that at 85 he was too frail to tackle all the problems of the Church. Francis is, at 76, older than many other contenders for the papacy.
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's election has broken Europe's centuries-old grip on the papacy; he is also the first to take the name Francis, in honor of the 12th-century Italian saint from Assisi who spurned wealth to pursue a life of poverty.
His elevation on the second day of a closed-door conclave of cardinals came as a surprise, with many Vatican watchers expecting a longer deliberation, and none predicting the conservative Argentinian would get the nod.
The 266th pontiff in the Church's 2,000-year history, Francis is taking the helm at a time of great crisis.
Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, which many in the Church say needs radical reform.
A cartoon in Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper showed the new pope telling the crowd on Wednesday about his surprise at being elected and then, pointing to aides, he says: 'But that's nothing compared to the surprises in store for them.'
When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, he looked as startled as anyone, hesitating a moment before stepping out to greet the huge crowds gathered in the square below to catch a glimpse of the new pontiff.
'I ask a favor of you ... pray for me,' he urged the cheering crowds, telling them the 114 other cardinal-electors 'went almost to the end of the world' to find a new leader.
'Good night and have a good rest,' Bergoglio said before disappearing back into the opulent surroundings of the Vatican City - a far cry from his simple apartment in Buenos Aires.
'Yesterday he transmitted such humility, love and brotherhood,' said a woman outside the Roman church he visited on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday night, delighted priests, nuns and pilgrims danced around the obelisk in the middle of St. Peter's Square, chanting: 'Long Live the Pope' and 'Argentina, Argentina'.
In his native Argentina, jubilant Catholics poured into their local churches to celebrate.
'I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the Church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel,' said Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor.
CHANGE OF DIRECTION
His unexpected election answered some fundamental questions about the direction of the Church in the coming years.
After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinal-electors looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world's Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.
They also chose a man with long pastoral experience, rather than an academic and Vatican insider like Benedict XVI.
'It seems that this pope will be more aware of what life is all about,' Italian theologian Massimo Faggioli told Reuters.
Bergoglio was born into a family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife. He became a priest at 32, nearly a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies.
Despite his late start, he was leading the local Jesuit community within four years. Bergoglio has a reputation as someone willing to challenge powerful interests and has had a sometimes difficult relationship with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.
Displaying his conservative orthodoxy, he has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as 'an attempt to destroy God's plan,' and is expected to pursue the uncompromising moral teachings of Benedict and John Paul II.
Bergoglio is the first Jesuit to become pope. The order was founded in the 16th century to serve the papacy and is best known for its work in education and for the intellectual prowess of its members.
The Vatican said his inaugural Mass would be held on Tuesday. U.S. President Barack Obama said the election of Francis 'speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world.'
AGE CONCERNS
In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believed the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who were looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.
Bergoglio was a rival candidate at the 2005 conclave to Benedict, but his name had not appeared on lists of possible contenders this time around, with many discounting him because of his age, thinking prelates wanted a younger leader.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first inconclusive ballot. Three more inconclusive ballots were held on Wednesday before Francis obtained the required two-thirds majority of 77 votes in the fifth and final vote.
Billowing white smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out to announce the news, drawing Romans and tourists to the Vatican.
According to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Francis raised gales of laughter from fellow cardinals at a subsequent dinner, telling them: 'May God forgive you.'
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, Antonio Denti, Naomi O'Leary, Tom Heneghan, Barry Moody and Keith Weir; Editing by Peter Cooney, John Stonestreet and Alastair Macdonald)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Actor Ed Asner treated in hospital for exhaustion
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Veteran actor Ed Asner was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday night while performing in a one-man show in Gary, Indiana and was being treated for exhaustion, his publicist said on Wednesday.
Asner, 83, 'had to be taken off stage due to exhaustion and is resting comfortably at a Chicago-area hospital,' Charles Sherman told Reuters.
The actor, best known for his role as Lou Grant in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and a later dramatic series 'Lou Grant,' both of which won him Emmy awards, 'is expected to be released later today,' Sherman said.
Asner was performing a one-man show, 'FDR,' in which he plays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Earlier in the evening he had conducted an acting class in Gary, but appeared disoriented when the performance began. Medical personnel were called.
Sherman said Asner, who has served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, had been slated to perform 'F.D.R.' in other cities later this week, and he did not know whether those performances would be canceled or rescheduled.
Last week another 'Mary Tyler Moore' veteran, Valerie Harper, revealed she is suffering from incurable brain cancer, and may have only months to live.
(Editing by Chris Michaud)
Asner, 83, 'had to be taken off stage due to exhaustion and is resting comfortably at a Chicago-area hospital,' Charles Sherman told Reuters.
The actor, best known for his role as Lou Grant in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and a later dramatic series 'Lou Grant,' both of which won him Emmy awards, 'is expected to be released later today,' Sherman said.
Asner was performing a one-man show, 'FDR,' in which he plays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Earlier in the evening he had conducted an acting class in Gary, but appeared disoriented when the performance began. Medical personnel were called.
Sherman said Asner, who has served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, had been slated to perform 'F.D.R.' in other cities later this week, and he did not know whether those performances would be canceled or rescheduled.
Last week another 'Mary Tyler Moore' veteran, Valerie Harper, revealed she is suffering from incurable brain cancer, and may have only months to live.
(Editing by Chris Michaud)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Facebook's Sandberg says men need to mentor women more
By Liana B. Baker
(Reuters) - Sheryl Sandberg's new book 'Lean In' challenges men in the upper echelons of corporate America to take more women under their wing.
Sandberg is on a promotional blitz for the new book, which has been praised as an ambitious reboot of feminism and criticized as a manifesto directed to women from a privileged perch. On Tuesday, she said men need to amp up their mentoring of women, especially younger ones just starting out in their careers.
Noting that men hold 86 percent of the top jobs in corporate America, Sandberg said in a interview Tuesday that, 'We want women to get into those jobs, but if we don't get older men to mentor and sponsor younger women, this will never happen.'
Sandberg's book was born out of talks she gave starting in 2010 about how the world has scant female leaders in politics and corporations.
After studying at Harvard and working at the U.S. Treasury Department, Sandberg rose to the top of Silicon Valley, jumping from Google to Chief Operating Officer at Facebook while raising two children.
Sandberg acknowledged that there are stereotypes and double standards to tear down in mentoring relationships. An older man and a younger woman seen together at dinner or drinks looks like a date, while two men discussing business together looks perfectly normal, she said.
To underscore Sandberg's point, 'Lean In' highlights a study published by the Center for Work-Life Policy and the Harvard Business Review that found men in high positions at companies were nervous meeting a younger woman one-on-one.
She also recounts an encounter with Larry Summers, who as U.S. Treasury Secretary served as her boss. Working on a speech together one night until 3 a.m. in South Africa, Sandberg had to make sure no one saw her step out of Summers' hotel room so late at night. Men, for example, never have to worry about that situation and it helps them move up faster in a corporate environment, she said.
'I want everyone to have the same policies for everyone and get explicit about them,' Sandberg said.
Besides mentoring, she said male corporate executives need to be more cognizant of how women are perceived negatively once they start moving up. She calls this a 'likeability gap' that holds women back from being ambitious. Managers should think twice before they give a performance review that calls a woman 'aggressive,' she said.
'As a woman gets more successful, everyone likes her less. This completely changes how women are portrayed in the office. What I believe is if you can make people aware of this bias that we all face - men and women alike - we can change it,' she said in a separate television interview with Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Chrystia Freeland; Editing by Peter Lauria and L Gevirtz)
(Reuters) - Sheryl Sandberg's new book 'Lean In' challenges men in the upper echelons of corporate America to take more women under their wing.
Sandberg is on a promotional blitz for the new book, which has been praised as an ambitious reboot of feminism and criticized as a manifesto directed to women from a privileged perch. On Tuesday, she said men need to amp up their mentoring of women, especially younger ones just starting out in their careers.
Noting that men hold 86 percent of the top jobs in corporate America, Sandberg said in a interview Tuesday that, 'We want women to get into those jobs, but if we don't get older men to mentor and sponsor younger women, this will never happen.'
Sandberg's book was born out of talks she gave starting in 2010 about how the world has scant female leaders in politics and corporations.
After studying at Harvard and working at the U.S. Treasury Department, Sandberg rose to the top of Silicon Valley, jumping from Google to Chief Operating Officer at Facebook while raising two children.
Sandberg acknowledged that there are stereotypes and double standards to tear down in mentoring relationships. An older man and a younger woman seen together at dinner or drinks looks like a date, while two men discussing business together looks perfectly normal, she said.
To underscore Sandberg's point, 'Lean In' highlights a study published by the Center for Work-Life Policy and the Harvard Business Review that found men in high positions at companies were nervous meeting a younger woman one-on-one.
She also recounts an encounter with Larry Summers, who as U.S. Treasury Secretary served as her boss. Working on a speech together one night until 3 a.m. in South Africa, Sandberg had to make sure no one saw her step out of Summers' hotel room so late at night. Men, for example, never have to worry about that situation and it helps them move up faster in a corporate environment, she said.
'I want everyone to have the same policies for everyone and get explicit about them,' Sandberg said.
Besides mentoring, she said male corporate executives need to be more cognizant of how women are perceived negatively once they start moving up. She calls this a 'likeability gap' that holds women back from being ambitious. Managers should think twice before they give a performance review that calls a woman 'aggressive,' she said.
'As a woman gets more successful, everyone likes her less. This completely changes how women are portrayed in the office. What I believe is if you can make people aware of this bias that we all face - men and women alike - we can change it,' she said in a separate television interview with Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Chrystia Freeland; Editing by Peter Lauria and L Gevirtz)
Teenaged Olympic athlete Douglas to publish second memoir
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas, not yet 18, will publish her second memoir next month, publisher Zondervan said on Tuesday.
Douglas, 17, a gold medal winner at the 2012 Summer Olympics in both team and individual all-around gymnastics competition, will publish 'Raising the Bar', a follow-up to her 2012 best-selling memoir 'Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith', on April 30, the publishers said in a release.
Zondervan is a division of HarperCollins that specializes in Christian-oriented books.
The book will offer a behind-the-scenes look into Douglas' life, including color photos, personal stories and details on the athlete's present-day life - from walking red carpets and appearing on TV shows such as 'The Vampire Diaries' while also making time for friends, family and training.
''Raising the Bar' explores what it's like to be an everyday teen with a not-so-everyday life,' Zondervan said.
Douglas, who began training at age 6 and became the Virginia State Champion just 2 years later, made history last year when she became the first U.S. gymnast to take home a team and an individual gold medal in the same games. She was first African-American to win the individual gold.
Since the 2012 London Olympics thrust the young gymnast into the public eye, Douglas has appeared at the Democratic National Convention, the MTV Video Awards, on the cover of Time magazine and on special edition boxes of corn flake cereal, along with her gold medal.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Richard Chang)
Douglas, 17, a gold medal winner at the 2012 Summer Olympics in both team and individual all-around gymnastics competition, will publish 'Raising the Bar', a follow-up to her 2012 best-selling memoir 'Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith', on April 30, the publishers said in a release.
Zondervan is a division of HarperCollins that specializes in Christian-oriented books.
The book will offer a behind-the-scenes look into Douglas' life, including color photos, personal stories and details on the athlete's present-day life - from walking red carpets and appearing on TV shows such as 'The Vampire Diaries' while also making time for friends, family and training.
''Raising the Bar' explores what it's like to be an everyday teen with a not-so-everyday life,' Zondervan said.
Douglas, who began training at age 6 and became the Virginia State Champion just 2 years later, made history last year when she became the first U.S. gymnast to take home a team and an individual gold medal in the same games. She was first African-American to win the individual gold.
Since the 2012 London Olympics thrust the young gymnast into the public eye, Douglas has appeared at the Democratic National Convention, the MTV Video Awards, on the cover of Time magazine and on special edition boxes of corn flake cereal, along with her gold medal.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Richard Chang)
Ridley Scott partners with Machinima to produce 12 science-fiction shorts
By Greg Gilman
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ridley Scott and his commercial company, Ridley Scott and Associates, have partnered with online network Machinima to produce 12 original sci-fi short films, Machinima announced on Monday.
RSA's directing talent will helm 'original high octane science fiction content' to be distributed through Machinima, which boasts the No. 1 entertainment channel on YouTube.
Machinima CEO Allen DeBevoise hopes the partnership with Scott will result in new franchises for the genre.
'By combining this unique incubation model together with our powerful partnership of established creative talent and scaled distribution to millions on Machinima,' DeBevoise said, 'we believe new Sci-Fi franchises will be born.'
Machinima's original content and scripted series are aimed at the 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, which recently delighted in the company's adaptation of 'Mortal Kombat' - a videogame franchise that inspired two Hollywood productions in the '90s.
The first season of the web series, called 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy,' has racked up more than 60 million views and inspired Warner Bros. to begin developing a new feature film. The second season kicks off this spring.
Scott, the director of science-fiction classics 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' is eager to take advantage of the medium that propelled 'Mortal Kombat' back into relevance and hopes his own original content will connect with the same audience.
'With new media transforming the way audiences connect with films and filmmakers, Machinima is a great partner for us as we embark on this new model of delivering original content to fans,' Scott said in a statement. 'It's a tremendous opportunity for pushing the creative boundaries for both our filmmakers and the audience.'
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ridley Scott and his commercial company, Ridley Scott and Associates, have partnered with online network Machinima to produce 12 original sci-fi short films, Machinima announced on Monday.
RSA's directing talent will helm 'original high octane science fiction content' to be distributed through Machinima, which boasts the No. 1 entertainment channel on YouTube.
Machinima CEO Allen DeBevoise hopes the partnership with Scott will result in new franchises for the genre.
'By combining this unique incubation model together with our powerful partnership of established creative talent and scaled distribution to millions on Machinima,' DeBevoise said, 'we believe new Sci-Fi franchises will be born.'
Machinima's original content and scripted series are aimed at the 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, which recently delighted in the company's adaptation of 'Mortal Kombat' - a videogame franchise that inspired two Hollywood productions in the '90s.
The first season of the web series, called 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy,' has racked up more than 60 million views and inspired Warner Bros. to begin developing a new feature film. The second season kicks off this spring.
Scott, the director of science-fiction classics 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' is eager to take advantage of the medium that propelled 'Mortal Kombat' back into relevance and hopes his own original content will connect with the same audience.
'With new media transforming the way audiences connect with films and filmmakers, Machinima is a great partner for us as we embark on this new model of delivering original content to fans,' Scott said in a statement. 'It's a tremendous opportunity for pushing the creative boundaries for both our filmmakers and the audience.'
Monday, March 11, 2013
Olivia Newton-John: sweetheart, sex idol, rock chick, radio star
By Mike Collett-White
LONDON (Reuters) - With a range spanning the cardigan-clad sweetheart in the hit musical 'Grease' and the leotarded gym instructor in the raunchy single 'Physical', no one could accuse Olivia Newton-John of playing it safe in 40 years of singing country, pop and rock.
The Australian, who was born in England and is touring there for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history.
'I like a challenge,' Newton-John, 64, told Reuters in an interview before starting a six-concert tour that ends on March 17 in Manchester.
'I was always afraid of these changes but I did them anyway, kind of 'face your fears' ... because I felt you also had to challenge yourself a little bit. But I was terrified.'
The 1981 release of 'Physical', a song from the album of the same name, was banned by some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics such as 'There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally.'
'I remember calling (manager) Roger Davies right after I'd finished it ... and going 'Oh, I'm not sure we should put this out, it's a little too risqué'. He said: 'It's too late, love, it's gone to radio'.'
Adding to the controversy was the video, in which Newton-John played a gym instructor in a tight leotard surrounded by oiled body-builders portrayed as gay in a twist ending.
FROM NICE TO NAUGHTY
'I look back now and it's hilarious, because that was so naughty in its time,' she recalled. 'That was another challenge that worked, thank goodness. It was either going to be a big success or nothing. There was no in-between with that song.
'It was banned in Utah and I did my television special for the Physical Tour in Utah. I remember I was probably so terrified I got sick right before the shoot.'
In fact, 'Physical' proved to be the pinnacle of Newton-John's solo career, topping the U.S. pop charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles of the decade.
By then, Newton-John had already left her comfort zone more than once. She recalled pursuing a career as a performer despite resistance from her parents, who wanted her to finish school.
She comes from an academic background - her grandfather was Max Born, a German-British Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist.
'My grandfather apparently used to play music with Einstein, they used to play chamber music together, so it (the musical gene) goes back,' Newton-John said.
She left Australia for Britain in the 60s to make it as a pop star. By the early 70s, she had featured in the charts and on television before representing the United Kingdom at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth behind winners ABBA.
Then came a move to the United States, where Newton-John broke into the country music scene despite being considered an outsider. Her hit 'Let Me Be There' won her a country vocal Grammy.
SANDY IN SPANDEX
The next gamble came with 'Grease', the hit 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that would turn her into a household name.
'Grease itself was a bold enough move - playing the second character in Grease, and for that to be so successful, I mean, who knew?'
Her character's transformation from clean-cut 'Sandy 1' to spandex-clad 'Sandy 2', out to snare John Travolta's Danny, was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound.
The name of her next album? 'Totally Hot'.
'The raunchy kind of image that Sandy 2 had, it gave an opportunity to change my direction a little bit and do something a little more fun,' she said.
'I did country, and then it was pop, and then 'Grease' kind of went into rock and so I got to change a little bit. Everyone does it now, but then it probably wasn't so common.'
Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.
'I have so many ... other things I'm passionate about and involved in and I love singing and I love recording, but touring takes a toll and you're away from home a lot,' she explained.
Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in 1992, has set up a cancer centre in Australia and has campaigned on issues including deforestation, dolphin culling and fracking.
Why does she take on so many issues outside music?
'I think it's really for my mum,' she said. 'My mum was always writing letters to the council about problems, and so I think I owe that to her.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
LONDON (Reuters) - With a range spanning the cardigan-clad sweetheart in the hit musical 'Grease' and the leotarded gym instructor in the raunchy single 'Physical', no one could accuse Olivia Newton-John of playing it safe in 40 years of singing country, pop and rock.
The Australian, who was born in England and is touring there for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history.
'I like a challenge,' Newton-John, 64, told Reuters in an interview before starting a six-concert tour that ends on March 17 in Manchester.
'I was always afraid of these changes but I did them anyway, kind of 'face your fears' ... because I felt you also had to challenge yourself a little bit. But I was terrified.'
The 1981 release of 'Physical', a song from the album of the same name, was banned by some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics such as 'There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally.'
'I remember calling (manager) Roger Davies right after I'd finished it ... and going 'Oh, I'm not sure we should put this out, it's a little too risqué'. He said: 'It's too late, love, it's gone to radio'.'
Adding to the controversy was the video, in which Newton-John played a gym instructor in a tight leotard surrounded by oiled body-builders portrayed as gay in a twist ending.
FROM NICE TO NAUGHTY
'I look back now and it's hilarious, because that was so naughty in its time,' she recalled. 'That was another challenge that worked, thank goodness. It was either going to be a big success or nothing. There was no in-between with that song.
'It was banned in Utah and I did my television special for the Physical Tour in Utah. I remember I was probably so terrified I got sick right before the shoot.'
In fact, 'Physical' proved to be the pinnacle of Newton-John's solo career, topping the U.S. pop charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles of the decade.
By then, Newton-John had already left her comfort zone more than once. She recalled pursuing a career as a performer despite resistance from her parents, who wanted her to finish school.
She comes from an academic background - her grandfather was Max Born, a German-British Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist.
'My grandfather apparently used to play music with Einstein, they used to play chamber music together, so it (the musical gene) goes back,' Newton-John said.
She left Australia for Britain in the 60s to make it as a pop star. By the early 70s, she had featured in the charts and on television before representing the United Kingdom at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth behind winners ABBA.
Then came a move to the United States, where Newton-John broke into the country music scene despite being considered an outsider. Her hit 'Let Me Be There' won her a country vocal Grammy.
SANDY IN SPANDEX
The next gamble came with 'Grease', the hit 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that would turn her into a household name.
'Grease itself was a bold enough move - playing the second character in Grease, and for that to be so successful, I mean, who knew?'
Her character's transformation from clean-cut 'Sandy 1' to spandex-clad 'Sandy 2', out to snare John Travolta's Danny, was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound.
The name of her next album? 'Totally Hot'.
'The raunchy kind of image that Sandy 2 had, it gave an opportunity to change my direction a little bit and do something a little more fun,' she said.
'I did country, and then it was pop, and then 'Grease' kind of went into rock and so I got to change a little bit. Everyone does it now, but then it probably wasn't so common.'
Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.
'I have so many ... other things I'm passionate about and involved in and I love singing and I love recording, but touring takes a toll and you're away from home a lot,' she explained.
Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in 1992, has set up a cancer centre in Australia and has campaigned on issues including deforestation, dolphin culling and fracking.
Why does she take on so many issues outside music?
'I think it's really for my mum,' she said. 'My mum was always writing letters to the council about problems, and so I think I owe that to her.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Justin Bieber concert in Portugal canceled
LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian singer Justin Bieber has canceled one of two planned concerts in Portugal this week, the venue in Lisbon said on its website on Monday.
A source close to the singer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the cancellation was not linked to Bieber's collapse on-stage in London last week, which forced the teen sensation to take a 20-minute break for oxygen and later to visit a hospital.
'Due to unforeseen circumstances, Justin Bieber was forced to cancel the second performance in Portugal, March 12,' a statement said on the website of the Pavilhao Atlantico.
'The Canadian singer is eager to play for the Portuguese fans on March 11,' it added. Ticket holders for the canceled gig were entitled to a refund if they claimed it within a month.
The Bieber source did not give a reason for the cancellation, but local media in Portugal reported that tickets sales for the March 12 gig, which was added to his itinerary in February, were lower than organizers had hoped.
Bieber described his visit to London as a 'rough week'.
As well as the collapse, the 19-year-old was caught on film in an expletive-filled altercation with a photographer, showed up nearly two hours late for a show leading to widespread anger and was labeled a 'pop brat' by a leading tabloid.
Discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built an online following of tens of millions of fans and is one of the pop world's biggest stars. In February, he became the youngest artist to land five chart-topping albums in the key U.S. market.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Additional reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon; Editing by Jon Hemming)
A source close to the singer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the cancellation was not linked to Bieber's collapse on-stage in London last week, which forced the teen sensation to take a 20-minute break for oxygen and later to visit a hospital.
'Due to unforeseen circumstances, Justin Bieber was forced to cancel the second performance in Portugal, March 12,' a statement said on the website of the Pavilhao Atlantico.
'The Canadian singer is eager to play for the Portuguese fans on March 11,' it added. Ticket holders for the canceled gig were entitled to a refund if they claimed it within a month.
The Bieber source did not give a reason for the cancellation, but local media in Portugal reported that tickets sales for the March 12 gig, which was added to his itinerary in February, were lower than organizers had hoped.
Bieber described his visit to London as a 'rough week'.
As well as the collapse, the 19-year-old was caught on film in an expletive-filled altercation with a photographer, showed up nearly two hours late for a show leading to widespread anger and was labeled a 'pop brat' by a leading tabloid.
Discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built an online following of tens of millions of fans and is one of the pop world's biggest stars. In February, he became the youngest artist to land five chart-topping albums in the key U.S. market.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Additional reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
South Africa's Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after routine tests and is well, the government said on Sunday.
'The doctors have completed the tests. He is well and as before, his health remains under the management of the medical team,' it said in a statement.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was admitted to hospital on Saturday for a scheduled medical check-up. He spent the night in hospital in the capital, Pretoria, and had returned to his Johannesburg home, the statement said.
A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma said doctors treated Mandela for a pre-existing condition consistent with his age.
He spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones. It was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990 after serving 27 years for conspiring to overthrow the government under the apartheid regime.
Since his release from that stay in hospital on December 26 he had been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home.
(Reporting by Sherilee Lakmidas and Peroshni Govender; Editing by Louise Ireland)
'The doctors have completed the tests. He is well and as before, his health remains under the management of the medical team,' it said in a statement.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was admitted to hospital on Saturday for a scheduled medical check-up. He spent the night in hospital in the capital, Pretoria, and had returned to his Johannesburg home, the statement said.
A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma said doctors treated Mandela for a pre-existing condition consistent with his age.
He spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones. It was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990 after serving 27 years for conspiring to overthrow the government under the apartheid regime.
Since his release from that stay in hospital on December 26 he had been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home.
(Reporting by Sherilee Lakmidas and Peroshni Govender; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Saturday, March 9, 2013
South Africa's Mandela back in hospital for "routine test"
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital on Saturday for a 'routine test', his second period of hospital treatment in less than three months, the government said.
A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma said there was 'no need for panic' and that doctors were treating Mandela for a pre-existing condition consistent with his age.
It did not reveal any more details about the condition of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader, other than to say he was in a hospital in the capital, Pretoria.
The tone of the government's announcement was in keeping with previous announcements about Mandela's health.
Mandela, South Africa's first black president, spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones. It was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990.
Since his release on December 26 he had been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner. He spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.
He became president of Africa's biggest economy in 1994 after the first all-race elections brought an end to white-minority apartheid rule.
Although he is deeply revered by nearly all of South Africa's 50 million people, he has played no part in public life for the last decade.
(Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma said there was 'no need for panic' and that doctors were treating Mandela for a pre-existing condition consistent with his age.
It did not reveal any more details about the condition of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader, other than to say he was in a hospital in the capital, Pretoria.
The tone of the government's announcement was in keeping with previous announcements about Mandela's health.
Mandela, South Africa's first black president, spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones. It was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990.
Since his release on December 26 he had been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner. He spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.
He became president of Africa's biggest economy in 1994 after the first all-race elections brought an end to white-minority apartheid rule.
Although he is deeply revered by nearly all of South Africa's 50 million people, he has played no part in public life for the last decade.
(Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Actress Demi Moore asks for alimony from Ashton Kutcher
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Demi Moore is seeking alimony from estranged husband Ashton Kutcher's, according to divorce documents filed in a Los Angeles court on Thursday.
Kutcher, the star of CBS television comedy 'Two and a Half Men,' filed for divorce from the 'G.I. Jane' actress in December 2012 after more than a year of separation.
Requesting financial support from Kutcher, 35, is an unusual move for Moore, 50, who was one of the top female earners in Hollywood during the 1990s. Her court filing did not specify an amount sought.
Kutcher and Moore both cited irreconcilable differences in their divorce papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. In Kutcher's filing, the actor said he would not seek spousal support but would not deny support to Moore.
Forbes magazine has estimated Kutcher earned $24 million from May 2011 to May 2012, making him the highest-paid TV actor.
Representatives for Moore and Kutcher did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Moore began dating Kutcher a few years after her split from actor-husband Bruce Willis, when Kutcher was a young star on the TV sitcom 'That '70s Show.'
Their relationship became tabloid fodder due to their 16-year age gap, and the couple married in September 2005 in Los Angeles.
Moore and Kutcher separated in November 2011 following six years of marriage, after a San Diego woman said she had a brief affair with Kutcher.
Kutcher is currently dating his former 'That '70s Show' cast-mate Mila Kunis.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)
Kutcher, the star of CBS television comedy 'Two and a Half Men,' filed for divorce from the 'G.I. Jane' actress in December 2012 after more than a year of separation.
Requesting financial support from Kutcher, 35, is an unusual move for Moore, 50, who was one of the top female earners in Hollywood during the 1990s. Her court filing did not specify an amount sought.
Kutcher and Moore both cited irreconcilable differences in their divorce papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. In Kutcher's filing, the actor said he would not seek spousal support but would not deny support to Moore.
Forbes magazine has estimated Kutcher earned $24 million from May 2011 to May 2012, making him the highest-paid TV actor.
Representatives for Moore and Kutcher did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Moore began dating Kutcher a few years after her split from actor-husband Bruce Willis, when Kutcher was a young star on the TV sitcom 'That '70s Show.'
Their relationship became tabloid fodder due to their 16-year age gap, and the couple married in September 2005 in Los Angeles.
Moore and Kutcher separated in November 2011 following six years of marriage, after a San Diego woman said she had a brief affair with Kutcher.
Kutcher is currently dating his former 'That '70s Show' cast-mate Mila Kunis.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A Minute With: the director of a documentary about Journey singer
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When veteran rock band Journey chose unknown Filipino singer Arnel Pineda to become their new frontman it inspired a filmmaker to capture his rise from obscurity in the streets of Manila to performing on arena stages.
'Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey,' directed by Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz, picks up Pineda's story soon after he was chosen to join Journey in 2007 after the group saw him on YouTube.
Diaz's documentary film opens in theaters on Friday. She spoke to Reuters about Pineda's story and working with the band.
Q: Were you worried about dealing with all the different personalities of a famous band?
A: My very first film was about the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She was very powerful and she was difficult. I hung out with her for two months. She ended up suing me because she didn't like the film. After that experience, I thought, I can handle anything now. I can handle rock bands!
Q: What surprised you most about Journey?
A: It was a surprise to me that for such a veteran rock band, they were not used to having cameras ... backstage or in their dressing rooms. I thought rock bands were used to it because of MTV, where backstage and tour buses are open to cameras. But at the height of Journey's fame, MTV was just forming as well. They didn't understand the reality of what full access meant. But at the end of the day, we got it.
Q: Do you consider this a music documentary or more of a documentary about Filipino heritage?
A: I think it transcends all that. It really is a Cinderella story with a very modern twist because of YouTube. This story could not have happened 10 or 15 years ago, not in this way with the help of social media. But at the heart of it, it's a Cinderella story. For non-Journey fans, Arnel's personal history is very compelling.
Q: How so?
A: He was a street kid in Manila. Success happened to him later in his life. I think he was 40 the year he joined the band. He had already lived the rock 'n' roll life, even without the money - the drugs, the women. He saw this as an opportunity for him to really get his life together.
Q: It seems like you really bonded with Pineda. Did it help that you were Filipino?
A: I think so, mostly because of the language. I can speak Tagalog. That first summer when he toured with Journey, he had no entourage. It was just him in his dressing room. We (a crew of five) became his sounding board because no one else was traveling with him. The second year he had a roadie, his wife was traveling with him, and it would have been a completely different dynamic.
Q: In the film Pineda switches between speaking English and Tagalog. Sometimes the same sentence is a mixture of both.
A: We call that 'Taglish.' Taglish is very common in the Philippines. I actually encouraged him to speak Filipino in the documentary. There were certain things I don't think I would have gotten from him emotionally or with such strength and passion if he had to stick to English.
Q: The budget for this documentary was under $2 million. Was it easy to raise the money because of the band's name?
A: I've done three other features and I thought it would be very easy to fundraise for this because (the subject matter) is very accessible, but no. No one believed in us. We were never able to raise the money. So it was on our dime, on our credit cards, small investments from family. The title song, 'Don't Stop Believin'' that's us - the crew, me and my producer.
Q: Didn't the band want to kick in some funds?
A: There are certain boundaries you don't cross. This is an independently produced film. If Journey had funded it, there would have been strings attached to it. Money isn't free. The final cut wouldn't have been ours. It would have been deemed a vanity project, which it isn't.
Q: The rock 'n' roll lifestyle is very male-centric. Did being a woman help or hinder you on this film?
A: I think sometimes it was to my advantage. I'm small - 5'1' - so I'm less threatening to people. They allow me more things.(Laughs) So I was allowed in dressing rooms and tour buses. They just say yes!'
(Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Patricia Reaney)
(This story was corrected to give full name of filmmaker in the second paragraph and gender in the third paragraph)
'Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey,' directed by Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz, picks up Pineda's story soon after he was chosen to join Journey in 2007 after the group saw him on YouTube.
Diaz's documentary film opens in theaters on Friday. She spoke to Reuters about Pineda's story and working with the band.
Q: Were you worried about dealing with all the different personalities of a famous band?
A: My very first film was about the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She was very powerful and she was difficult. I hung out with her for two months. She ended up suing me because she didn't like the film. After that experience, I thought, I can handle anything now. I can handle rock bands!
Q: What surprised you most about Journey?
A: It was a surprise to me that for such a veteran rock band, they were not used to having cameras ... backstage or in their dressing rooms. I thought rock bands were used to it because of MTV, where backstage and tour buses are open to cameras. But at the height of Journey's fame, MTV was just forming as well. They didn't understand the reality of what full access meant. But at the end of the day, we got it.
Q: Do you consider this a music documentary or more of a documentary about Filipino heritage?
A: I think it transcends all that. It really is a Cinderella story with a very modern twist because of YouTube. This story could not have happened 10 or 15 years ago, not in this way with the help of social media. But at the heart of it, it's a Cinderella story. For non-Journey fans, Arnel's personal history is very compelling.
Q: How so?
A: He was a street kid in Manila. Success happened to him later in his life. I think he was 40 the year he joined the band. He had already lived the rock 'n' roll life, even without the money - the drugs, the women. He saw this as an opportunity for him to really get his life together.
Q: It seems like you really bonded with Pineda. Did it help that you were Filipino?
A: I think so, mostly because of the language. I can speak Tagalog. That first summer when he toured with Journey, he had no entourage. It was just him in his dressing room. We (a crew of five) became his sounding board because no one else was traveling with him. The second year he had a roadie, his wife was traveling with him, and it would have been a completely different dynamic.
Q: In the film Pineda switches between speaking English and Tagalog. Sometimes the same sentence is a mixture of both.
A: We call that 'Taglish.' Taglish is very common in the Philippines. I actually encouraged him to speak Filipino in the documentary. There were certain things I don't think I would have gotten from him emotionally or with such strength and passion if he had to stick to English.
Q: The budget for this documentary was under $2 million. Was it easy to raise the money because of the band's name?
A: I've done three other features and I thought it would be very easy to fundraise for this because (the subject matter) is very accessible, but no. No one believed in us. We were never able to raise the money. So it was on our dime, on our credit cards, small investments from family. The title song, 'Don't Stop Believin'' that's us - the crew, me and my producer.
Q: Didn't the band want to kick in some funds?
A: There are certain boundaries you don't cross. This is an independently produced film. If Journey had funded it, there would have been strings attached to it. Money isn't free. The final cut wouldn't have been ours. It would have been deemed a vanity project, which it isn't.
Q: The rock 'n' roll lifestyle is very male-centric. Did being a woman help or hinder you on this film?
A: I think sometimes it was to my advantage. I'm small - 5'1' - so I'm less threatening to people. They allow me more things.(Laughs) So I was allowed in dressing rooms and tour buses. They just say yes!'
(Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Patricia Reaney)
(This story was corrected to give full name of filmmaker in the second paragraph and gender in the third paragraph)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Henry Kissinger hospitalized in New York after fall at home
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was admitted to a New York hospital on Tuesday after a fall at his home and was expected to be released later in the day, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center said in a statement.
A hospital spokeswoman declined to give more details.
Kissinger, 89, has remained a leading voice on U.S. foreign policy since serving Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Sandra Maler)
A hospital spokeswoman declined to give more details.
Kissinger, 89, has remained a leading voice on U.S. foreign policy since serving Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Czech court acquits US heavy metal singer over fan death
PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech court acquitted the frontman of U.S. heavy metal band Lamb of God of manslaughter charges on Tuesday in the death of a fan who was pushed off the stage at a concert in Prague.
The prosecution accused Randy Blythe, 42, of shoving 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek off the stage at the 2010 concert, causing him to hit his head when he crashed onto the floor. Nosek died in hospital a few weeks later from his head injury.
Presiding judge Tomas Kubec ruled that Blythe's actions did not constitute the crime of causing an injury leading to death.
'We did not find criminal responsibility in the actions of the defendant. We found moral responsibility. There has been the death of a young man who had not been guilty of anything.'
Kubec said the concert promoters were ultimately to blame for failing to prevent fans from clambering onto the stage. 'We reached the conclusion that there was a serious fault on the side of the promoter and organizer of the concert.'
Prosecutors immediately appealed against the acquittal, meaning that the case will be reviewed by the Czech High Court.
Blythe, who has cropped his long dark hair but kept his soul patch, wore a dark suit with white shirt and a striped tie at the trial, attended by Czech and international media.
'I have been found not guilty and acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man,' Blythe said in a post on his Instagram.com profile. 'Please remember the family of Daniel Nosek in your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support.'
Blythe nodded his head when the judge said some form of compensation for the victim's family could be suitable.
'The acquittal does not prevent the defendant, if he feels some moral responsibility, to enter negotiations with the family of the victim and act accordingly,' the judge said.
The singer admitted to shoving the fan off the stage after several other fans climbed up onto it during the 2010 Prague show, but said he believed Nosek was unharmed.
He said he did not learn of Nosek's death or the prosecution over the incident until police arrested him at Prague airport when the band returned for another gig in June last year.
Blythe made no immediate comment to reporters after the ruling and left with his attorney.
He was released on bail after his arrest and travelled back to the United States, but returned for his trial. Blythe would have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
(Additional reporting and writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The prosecution accused Randy Blythe, 42, of shoving 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek off the stage at the 2010 concert, causing him to hit his head when he crashed onto the floor. Nosek died in hospital a few weeks later from his head injury.
Presiding judge Tomas Kubec ruled that Blythe's actions did not constitute the crime of causing an injury leading to death.
'We did not find criminal responsibility in the actions of the defendant. We found moral responsibility. There has been the death of a young man who had not been guilty of anything.'
Kubec said the concert promoters were ultimately to blame for failing to prevent fans from clambering onto the stage. 'We reached the conclusion that there was a serious fault on the side of the promoter and organizer of the concert.'
Prosecutors immediately appealed against the acquittal, meaning that the case will be reviewed by the Czech High Court.
Blythe, who has cropped his long dark hair but kept his soul patch, wore a dark suit with white shirt and a striped tie at the trial, attended by Czech and international media.
'I have been found not guilty and acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man,' Blythe said in a post on his Instagram.com profile. 'Please remember the family of Daniel Nosek in your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support.'
Blythe nodded his head when the judge said some form of compensation for the victim's family could be suitable.
'The acquittal does not prevent the defendant, if he feels some moral responsibility, to enter negotiations with the family of the victim and act accordingly,' the judge said.
The singer admitted to shoving the fan off the stage after several other fans climbed up onto it during the 2010 Prague show, but said he believed Nosek was unharmed.
He said he did not learn of Nosek's death or the prosecution over the incident until police arrested him at Prague airport when the band returned for another gig in June last year.
Blythe made no immediate comment to reporters after the ruling and left with his attorney.
He was released on bail after his arrest and travelled back to the United States, but returned for his trial. Blythe would have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
(Additional reporting and writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Czech court acquits heavy metal singer over fan death
PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech court on Tuesday acquitted the frontman of U.S. heavy metal band Lamb of God of manslaughter charges in the death of a fan at a concert in Prague three years ago.
The prosecution had accused Randy Blythe, 42, of pushing 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek off the stage, causing him to hit his head when he tumbled onto the floor. He was taken to hospital where he died several weeks later from his head injury.
The presiding judge ruled that Blythe's actions did not constitute a crime. No further explanation of the verdict was immediately available. Prosecutors immediately appealed against the acquittal to the Czech High Court.
Blythe, who was charged with causing an injury leading to death, admitted to shoving a fan off the stage during the 2010 Prague show but said he believed the person was unharmed.
He said he did not learn of Nosek's death or the prosecution over the incident until police arrested him at Prague airport when the band returned for another gig in June last year.
Blythe was released on bail and travelled back to the United States, but returned for his trial. He would have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
(Reporting by Jan Korselt; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The prosecution had accused Randy Blythe, 42, of pushing 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek off the stage, causing him to hit his head when he tumbled onto the floor. He was taken to hospital where he died several weeks later from his head injury.
The presiding judge ruled that Blythe's actions did not constitute a crime. No further explanation of the verdict was immediately available. Prosecutors immediately appealed against the acquittal to the Czech High Court.
Blythe, who was charged with causing an injury leading to death, admitted to shoving a fan off the stage during the 2010 Prague show but said he believed the person was unharmed.
He said he did not learn of Nosek's death or the prosecution over the incident until police arrested him at Prague airport when the band returned for another gig in June last year.
Blythe was released on bail and travelled back to the United States, but returned for his trial. He would have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
(Reporting by Jan Korselt; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Czech court acquits heavy metal singer Blythe over fan death
PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech court on Tuesday acquitted the frontman of U.S. heavy metal band Lamb of God, Randy Blythe, of charges he caused the death of a fan at a concert in Prague three years ago.
The prosecution had accused Blythe, 42, of causing the death of the 19-year old fan by pushing him off the stage at a 2010 concert.
(Reporting by Jan Korselt; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Pravin Char)
The prosecution had accused Blythe, 42, of causing the death of the 19-year old fan by pushing him off the stage at a 2010 concert.
(Reporting by Jan Korselt; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Pravin Char)
Monday, March 4, 2013
Oprah Winfrey to deliver commencement address at Harvard
BOSTON (Reuters) - Talk show host, entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will deliver this year's graduation address at Harvard University, the Ivy League school said on Monday.
'Oprah's journey from her grandmother's Mississippi farm to becoming one of the world's most admired women is one of the great American success stories,' Harvard President Drew Faust said in announcing her selection.
Winfrey will join a long list of politicians, policy makers, captains of industry and authors - including George Marshall, Bill Gates and J.K. Rowling - who have offered their wisdom and advice to Harvard's graduating classes.
She will speak at the school's 362nd graduation exercises on May 30.
Long a fixture on Time Magazine's 100 most influential people list, the 59-year-old Winfrey has been popular on the college commencement circuit, speaking at Stanford University, Duke University and Spelman College in recent years.
(Reporting By Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by John Wallace)
'Oprah's journey from her grandmother's Mississippi farm to becoming one of the world's most admired women is one of the great American success stories,' Harvard President Drew Faust said in announcing her selection.
Winfrey will join a long list of politicians, policy makers, captains of industry and authors - including George Marshall, Bill Gates and J.K. Rowling - who have offered their wisdom and advice to Harvard's graduating classes.
She will speak at the school's 362nd graduation exercises on May 30.
Long a fixture on Time Magazine's 100 most influential people list, the 59-year-old Winfrey has been popular on the college commencement circuit, speaking at Stanford University, Duke University and Spelman College in recent years.
(Reporting By Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by John Wallace)
Bobby Rogers, co-founder of Motown group the Miracles, dies at 73
DETROIT (Reuters) - Singer Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the hit-making Motown group the Miracles along with Smokey Robinson, died on Sunday in suburban Detroit after a lengthy illness, family members and associates said. He was 73.
Rogers was a tenor in the original Motown lineup of the group that also included Robinson as the lead singer, bass vocalist Warren 'Pete' Moore, baritone Ronnie White and the quintet's lone female vocalist, Claudette Rogers.
Claudette Rogers, who became Claudette Robinson after marrying the group's star in 1963 and left the group a year later, was Bobby Rogers' first cousin. She and Smokey Robinson later divorced.
'My cousin, Robert 'Bobby' Rogers, who was like a brother to me, lost his battle and succumbed,' she said in a statement issued through the Detroit-based Motown Alumni Association.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' she told the Detroit Free Press newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Smokey Robinson, born hours apart from Rogers in the same Detroit hospital on February 19, 1940, saluted his former compatriot in his own statement, saying: 'Another soldier in my life has fallen.'
'Bobby Rogers was my brother and a really good friend,' he said. 'I am really going to miss him. I loved him very much.'
Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association, said Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
The Miracles grew out of an earlier quintet of high school performers called the Five Chimes that formed in the mid-1950s and changed its name to the Matadors after several roster changes capped by Claudette Rogers' admission to the group.
Introduced to Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., the group changed its name to the Miracles and became one of the first acts signed to his Tamla Records imprint and went on to record Motown's first million-selling hit single, 'Shop Around.'
The group, which later changed its name again to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, ultimately released 30 singles that charted in the Top 40, including such Motown classics as 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'I Second That Emotion,' 'Tears of a Clown' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
One of Rogers' most notable vocal contributions with the group was his two-part harmony with Robinson on 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' which was later covered by the Beatles. Rogers' voice also is heard in the background of the Marvin Gaye track 'What's Going On,' uttering the phrase: 'It's just a groovy party, man, I can dig it.'
He shared songwriting credits with Robinson on a number of songs recorded by the Miracles, such as 'Going to a Go-Go,' and other groups, including the Temptations hit 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' and 'First I Look at the Purse' by the Contours.
Rogers was inducted with other members of the Miracles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, about 25 years after the controversial solo induction of Robinson.
Miracles vocalist Ronnie White died in 1995.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Eric Beech)
Rogers was a tenor in the original Motown lineup of the group that also included Robinson as the lead singer, bass vocalist Warren 'Pete' Moore, baritone Ronnie White and the quintet's lone female vocalist, Claudette Rogers.
Claudette Rogers, who became Claudette Robinson after marrying the group's star in 1963 and left the group a year later, was Bobby Rogers' first cousin. She and Smokey Robinson later divorced.
'My cousin, Robert 'Bobby' Rogers, who was like a brother to me, lost his battle and succumbed,' she said in a statement issued through the Detroit-based Motown Alumni Association.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' she told the Detroit Free Press newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Smokey Robinson, born hours apart from Rogers in the same Detroit hospital on February 19, 1940, saluted his former compatriot in his own statement, saying: 'Another soldier in my life has fallen.'
'Bobby Rogers was my brother and a really good friend,' he said. 'I am really going to miss him. I loved him very much.'
Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association, said Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
The Miracles grew out of an earlier quintet of high school performers called the Five Chimes that formed in the mid-1950s and changed its name to the Matadors after several roster changes capped by Claudette Rogers' admission to the group.
Introduced to Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., the group changed its name to the Miracles and became one of the first acts signed to his Tamla Records imprint and went on to record Motown's first million-selling hit single, 'Shop Around.'
The group, which later changed its name again to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, ultimately released 30 singles that charted in the Top 40, including such Motown classics as 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'I Second That Emotion,' 'Tears of a Clown' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
One of Rogers' most notable vocal contributions with the group was his two-part harmony with Robinson on 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' which was later covered by the Beatles. Rogers' voice also is heard in the background of the Marvin Gaye track 'What's Going On,' uttering the phrase: 'It's just a groovy party, man, I can dig it.'
He shared songwriting credits with Robinson on a number of songs recorded by the Miracles, such as 'Going to a Go-Go,' and other groups, including the Temptations hit 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' and 'First I Look at the Purse' by the Contours.
Rogers was inducted with other members of the Miracles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, about 25 years after the controversial solo induction of Robinson.
Miracles vocalist Ronnie White died in 1995.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Eric Beech)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Bobby Rogers, co-founder of the Miracles, dies at 73
(Reuters) - Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the Miracles singing group with Smokey Robinson, died on Sunday at his home in suburban Detroit after a lengthy illness, the Detroit Free Press newspaper said.
Rogers, 73, a member of the Motown group that was formed in the mid-1950s with Robinson, Ronnie White and Pete Moore, was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' Claudette Robinson, Rogers' first cousin, told the newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan.
The Miracles had a string of hits including 'The Tears of a Clown,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
Ronnie White died in 1995.
Funeral arrangements for Rogers have not been set, according to the newspaper.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Editing by Eric Beech)
Rogers, 73, a member of the Motown group that was formed in the mid-1950s with Robinson, Ronnie White and Pete Moore, was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' Claudette Robinson, Rogers' first cousin, told the newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan.
The Miracles had a string of hits including 'The Tears of a Clown,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
Ronnie White died in 1995.
Funeral arrangements for Rogers have not been set, according to the newspaper.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Editing by Eric Beech)
Ex-NBA star Rodman says North Korea's Kim wants Obama to call
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star known more for his body piercings and tattoos than international diplomacy skills, said on Sunday he returned from North Korea with a message from its leader Kim Jong-un for President Barack Obama - 'call me.'
Rodman appeared on ABC's 'This Week' program a few days after an unlikely meeting with Kim in the North Korea capital Pyongyang, where Rodman was working on a documentary about basketball.
With the international community concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and continued belligerence, Kim and Rodman attended a game, where they were seen laughing and talking, and had dinner together.
'He wants Obama to do one thing - call him,' Rodman said. 'He said, 'If you can, Dennis - I don't want (to) do war. I don't want to do war.' He said that to me.'
Rodman said he told Kim, who followed his father and grandfather as leader of the totalitarian nation in December 2011, that his love of basketball could serve as a foundation of a relationship with the U.S. president, who also is a basketball fan and plays regularly.
'(Kim) loves basketball. And I said the same thing. I said, 'Obama loves basketball.' Let's start there,' Rodman said.
The U.S. government has disavowed any connection with Rodman's trip.
Last week, Rodman spoke warmly of Kim, 30, and described him as 'an awesome kid.'
On 'This Week,' he defended his new friendship with a man considered a violator of human rights and a threat to world peace by saying, 'I'm not apologizing for him. You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend. I don't condone what he does ... (but) as a person to person - he's my friend.'
When pressed on North Korea's human rights record, Rodman said, 'But as far as what he does, you deal with it.'
Rodman, appearing in the interview wearing a jacket covered with images of U.S. dollars, a baseball cap and big sunglasses, dismissed Kim's comments about wanting to destroy the United States as rhetoric stemming from his father.
He called him a strong and 'very humble' man who 'loves power, he loves control.'
Rodman said he intends to return to North Korea someday.
Rodman played on five NBA championship teams during his basketball career, which ran from 1986 to 2000. He played for five teams and in his peak years he was the league's top rebounder and one of its best defenders. He was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rodman's basketball skills were matched by his flamboyance - party lifestyle, multi-colored hair, blankets of tattoos, piercings in his ears, nose, lips and eyebrows and showing up in a wedding gown, complete with veil, to promote his autobiography.
(Editing by Will Dunham)
Rodman appeared on ABC's 'This Week' program a few days after an unlikely meeting with Kim in the North Korea capital Pyongyang, where Rodman was working on a documentary about basketball.
With the international community concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and continued belligerence, Kim and Rodman attended a game, where they were seen laughing and talking, and had dinner together.
'He wants Obama to do one thing - call him,' Rodman said. 'He said, 'If you can, Dennis - I don't want (to) do war. I don't want to do war.' He said that to me.'
Rodman said he told Kim, who followed his father and grandfather as leader of the totalitarian nation in December 2011, that his love of basketball could serve as a foundation of a relationship with the U.S. president, who also is a basketball fan and plays regularly.
'(Kim) loves basketball. And I said the same thing. I said, 'Obama loves basketball.' Let's start there,' Rodman said.
The U.S. government has disavowed any connection with Rodman's trip.
Last week, Rodman spoke warmly of Kim, 30, and described him as 'an awesome kid.'
On 'This Week,' he defended his new friendship with a man considered a violator of human rights and a threat to world peace by saying, 'I'm not apologizing for him. You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend. I don't condone what he does ... (but) as a person to person - he's my friend.'
When pressed on North Korea's human rights record, Rodman said, 'But as far as what he does, you deal with it.'
Rodman, appearing in the interview wearing a jacket covered with images of U.S. dollars, a baseball cap and big sunglasses, dismissed Kim's comments about wanting to destroy the United States as rhetoric stemming from his father.
He called him a strong and 'very humble' man who 'loves power, he loves control.'
Rodman said he intends to return to North Korea someday.
Rodman played on five NBA championship teams during his basketball career, which ran from 1986 to 2000. He played for five teams and in his peak years he was the league's top rebounder and one of its best defenders. He was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rodman's basketball skills were matched by his flamboyance - party lifestyle, multi-colored hair, blankets of tattoos, piercings in his ears, nose, lips and eyebrows and showing up in a wedding gown, complete with veil, to promote his autobiography.
(Editing by Will Dunham)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Schwarzenegger flexes muscles again in bodybuilding world
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is going back to his bodybuilding roots.
The action movie star turned politician will become group executive editor for the magazines Flex, and Muscle & Fitness, writing monthly columns in the publications and their online websites, American Media said on Friday.
The 'Terminator' star, who began his Hollywood career as a bodybuilder and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles, held the same position at the magazines before he was elected California governor in 2003.
'Bodybuilding has always been part of my life, and I know Muscle & Fitness and Flex will continue to motivate others - as it did me - to lift weights and lead a healthy lifestyle (and) promote the sport of bodybuilding,' Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger's relationship with the two magazines goes back to 1968, when he was just 21, and he has appeared on their covers more than 60 times.
Schwarzenegger, 65, has taken a diverse path since stepping down as California governor in January 2011, returning to movies in films like 'The Last Stand' and 'The Expendables 2,' writing an autobiography, and launching an eponymous global policy think tank at the University of Southern California's Los Angeles campus.
Muscle & Fitness and Flex are part of American Media Inc, whose other titles include the National Enquirer tabloid, and celebrity magazine OK!
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)
The action movie star turned politician will become group executive editor for the magazines Flex, and Muscle & Fitness, writing monthly columns in the publications and their online websites, American Media said on Friday.
The 'Terminator' star, who began his Hollywood career as a bodybuilder and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles, held the same position at the magazines before he was elected California governor in 2003.
'Bodybuilding has always been part of my life, and I know Muscle & Fitness and Flex will continue to motivate others - as it did me - to lift weights and lead a healthy lifestyle (and) promote the sport of bodybuilding,' Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger's relationship with the two magazines goes back to 1968, when he was just 21, and he has appeared on their covers more than 60 times.
Schwarzenegger, 65, has taken a diverse path since stepping down as California governor in January 2011, returning to movies in films like 'The Last Stand' and 'The Expendables 2,' writing an autobiography, and launching an eponymous global policy think tank at the University of Southern California's Los Angeles campus.
Muscle & Fitness and Flex are part of American Media Inc, whose other titles include the National Enquirer tabloid, and celebrity magazine OK!
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Richard Burton immortalized in Hollywood next to Taylor
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Richard Burton finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to that of his two-time wife, Elizabeth Taylor, on Friday, nearly 30 years after his death.
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Actress Jennifer Lawrence's "Silver Linings" clothes fetch $12,000
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in 'Silver Linings Playbook' beat expectations by taking in about $12,000 at auction.
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
Dennis Rodman calls North Korean leader "an awesome kid"
BEIJING (Reuters) - Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman emerged from four days in North Korea on Friday, calling the leader of the reclusive country 'an awesome kid'.
Rodman, known for his tattoos, body piercings and flamboyance, was in North Korea to film a sports documentary, and watched a basketball game alongside the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Kim 'is like his grandfather and his father, who are great leaders, he is an awesome kid, very honest and loves his wife so much', Rodman told the Chinese government news agency Xinhua before leaving the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Friday.
Kim, 30, is the grandson of Kim Il-sung, who founded North Korea, and the son of Kim Jong-il. Both ruled the country with an iron fist.
Kim has maintained his father's drive to secure nuclear arms for his impoverished country, with North Korea last month conducting its third nuclear test, drawing the condemnation of world powers and the United Nations.
At Thursday's basketball game, Rodman and Kim laughed and conversed in English, and later had an 'amicable' dinner, Xinhua quoted the former Chicago Bulls player as saying. Kim attended secondary school in Switzerland, but his language abilities remain a mystery.
North Korea routinely denounces U.S. 'hostility' and no peace treaty was signed after a truce ended the 1950-53 Korean War. But Xinhua said Kim told Rodman over dinner that he hoped further sports exchanges would promote 'mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries'.
Asked how his visit might help, Rodman told the agency: 'About the relationship, no one man can do anything. His country and his people love him. I love him, he is an awesome guy.'
Before meeting Kim, Rodman appeared to have mixed up the two Koreas, suggesting he might meet South Korean rapper Psy during his trip to the North.
Rodman came to North Korea to shoot footage for a show to air on the U.S. television network HBO, a producer travelling with the group said.
Arriving at Beijing airport, Rodman brushed past reporters without speaking.
(Reporting by Terril Yue Jones; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Rodman, known for his tattoos, body piercings and flamboyance, was in North Korea to film a sports documentary, and watched a basketball game alongside the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Kim 'is like his grandfather and his father, who are great leaders, he is an awesome kid, very honest and loves his wife so much', Rodman told the Chinese government news agency Xinhua before leaving the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Friday.
Kim, 30, is the grandson of Kim Il-sung, who founded North Korea, and the son of Kim Jong-il. Both ruled the country with an iron fist.
Kim has maintained his father's drive to secure nuclear arms for his impoverished country, with North Korea last month conducting its third nuclear test, drawing the condemnation of world powers and the United Nations.
At Thursday's basketball game, Rodman and Kim laughed and conversed in English, and later had an 'amicable' dinner, Xinhua quoted the former Chicago Bulls player as saying. Kim attended secondary school in Switzerland, but his language abilities remain a mystery.
North Korea routinely denounces U.S. 'hostility' and no peace treaty was signed after a truce ended the 1950-53 Korean War. But Xinhua said Kim told Rodman over dinner that he hoped further sports exchanges would promote 'mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries'.
Asked how his visit might help, Rodman told the agency: 'About the relationship, no one man can do anything. His country and his people love him. I love him, he is an awesome guy.'
Before meeting Kim, Rodman appeared to have mixed up the two Koreas, suggesting he might meet South Korean rapper Psy during his trip to the North.
Rodman came to North Korea to shoot footage for a show to air on the U.S. television network HBO, a producer travelling with the group said.
Arriving at Beijing airport, Rodman brushed past reporters without speaking.
(Reporting by Terril Yue Jones; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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