Here a Love, There a Love, Everywhere a Love....

Jennifer Love Hewitt's record label will be doing some layoffs.....  

From The Hollywood Reporter - March 27, 2003  

BMG PLANS 350 LAYOFFS AT ZOMBA

by Tamara Conniff

BMG has begun its integration plans for Zomba Music Group.  

About 350 staffers will be let go in the coming months, sources said. Many employees were told Thursday, and more pink slips are expected to go out Friday, March 28, 2003.  

Zomba has a worldwide staff of about 2,000. BMG chairman Rolf Schmidt-Holtz outlined the new plans for Zomba in an internal memo to staffers Thursday. The move comes only one day after BMG's parent company, German media giant Bertelsmann AG, announced a 25% drop in net profit for 2002, citing the takeover of Zomba last year as a key factor.  

Zomba's labels, which include Jive, as well as its publishing units will remain independent companies for the United States and the United Kingdom only, Schmidt-Holtz wrote. However, Zomba's 18 international offices will be integrated into BMG's existing overseas operations, sources said.

Story: © 2003 VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

From The OC Weekly - March 27, 2003  

'CUTE'

The Newport Film Festival 2003 will show the following film:    

"Truth and Dare"  (United States, 2003)

Comedy/Drama

In one last, doomed effort to be cool, a group of friends throw a party on their graduation night; their beer is stolen and some of them end up locked in the trunk of a car, but one of them makes time with a cute girl who previously ignored him. And no, the cute girl is not played by Molly Ringwald or Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 at Edwards Island Cinemas, 5:30 pm, Newport Beach, CA

Story: © 2003 OC Weekly. All Rights Reserved.

From Instyle Magazine - March 27, 2003

HOT SPOT NORTHEAST: CHAMBERS

by Jill Fergus

Photos by David Joseph

The latest lodging to create a midtown Manhattan buzz is Chambers, owned by the same team behind the Mercer in Soho. Celebrities such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kid Rock have already been spotted in the stunning space that boasts an industrial-chic interior.

In the dramatic two-tiered lobby you'll find alpaca couches, leather-covered columns and faux fur ottomans. Naturally, the staff is camera-ready and clad in de rigueur black uniforms created by French designer Chompol Serimont.

Rooms are just as striking with bold color schemes (think purple and olive), king-sized beds and specially commissioned works of art from up-and-coming names like Ruth Root and Adam Raymont.

If you crave a downtown vibe, stay in one of the loft-like suites complete with platform beds, Tibetan rugs over walnut floors and breathtaking views.

And when you're craving a snack, don't miss Town, the chic lower-level bar and restaurant that's received rave reviews and become a hot spot in its own right.

15 West 56 Street; New York, New York
Information: (212) 974-5656
Room rates begin at $225

Images & Story: © 2003 Instyle Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

POSTCARD FROM THE ROAD

by Dwain Price
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Greetings from Hollywood

In honor of the "stars" who work in the Star-Telegram sports department, this postcard's for you.

I'm told that the hotel I'm staying at here in Hollywood was crawling with celebrities this past weekend. That's because it's located right next door to the Kodak Theatre, where the 75th Oscars were held Sunday.

Just the thought of knowing that 48 hours before I laid my head on my pillow, someone like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Nicole Kidman, Lucy Liu, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Halle Berry or Jennifer Lopez might have laid their head on the same pillow is enough to make me go hmmm.

On Wednesday, I went to Venice Beach in search of food -- and to work on my tan. I heard the basketball scenes from the movie White Men Can't Jump were filmed at Venice, but I never saw Wesley Snipes or Woody Harrelson.

On the court, I went an Antoine Rigaudeau-like 1-of-8 from the field before I decided to stop embarrassing myself. Then, as I was leaving, I ran into Diane and Elanie. You know, those dashing Coors Light twins.

They were there shooting a segment for an upcoming TV show on the Travel Channel. I met them earlier this season in American Airlines Center when the Mavericks brought them in for a promotion, so I'm sure they remember me. I'm sure.

So, to Cindy Crawford, Michelle Pfieffer, Danny White, Vince Scully, Dusty Baker and all of the other "celebrities" who work in the Star-Telegram sports department, this hotel's for you. You guys are my American Idols.

Hangin' with the stars,

Dwain

Story: © 2003 Knight Ridder Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BALLOONS ARE LIGHT YEARS AHEAD FOR FILM INDUSTRY

The balloon lighting company, based in Cardiff, specialises in the supply and operation of giant illuminated helium filled balloons for the film & tv industry.

The balloons are a new concept in media and event lighting, the largest throwing out an enormous 8kw of light. The quality of light itself is unique due to the diffusion created by the balloons skin, creating an even shadowless light which has already proven itself on some major television productions.

The main advantages of the balloon system are multifold in terms of flexibility and safety.

"We're not tied down to conventional rigging methods," explains Colin Jones. "There is no scaffolding with the associated manpower and safety issues that go along with conventional systems. Once the balloons are inflated we're free to place them almost anywhere, inside or out, with a bare minimum of time and effort."

The company has already had some major success with Treflan for S4C last summer. The difficulty of transforming 25,000 square feet of industrial warehouse into a convincing filmset circa 1860 with a minimum of conventional rigging was no problem for the balloons.

Using the balloons in this way, a saving estimated at £500,000 on scaffolding with the manpower associated with that scenario would be of enormous benefit to any production company.

The balloons have also made an appearance in London for a series of night shoots for the film "If Only" starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paul Nicholls.

The balloons played a crucial role in illuminating an entire London street complete with giant rain machines and a car stunt to top the bill. The balloons were suspended some 70 feet above street level allowing several hundred production crew and stuntmen to work unimpeded by scaffolding and other rigging.

Carol singers at Wells cathedral had quite a surprise when they glanced up towards the heavens last Christmas as rather than medieval ceiling and stonework there were three glowing capsules lighting the occasion.

So the future it would seem is bright for the balloon lighting company. The company is expanding its operations in terms of equipment and some innovative modifications, planned to further enhance the capabilities and practical applications.

The company also hopes to enter the corporate event and exhibition market with company logos mounted on balloons for a truly illuminating marketing solution.

Story: © 2003 Trinity Mirror Plc. All Rights Reserved.

From The Associated Press - March 25, 2003

BERTELSMANN 2002 PROFITS SLIP 25%

by David McHugh

BERLIN - German media company Bertelsmann AG's profit fell 25 percent last year as the music industry's troubles forced it to write off much of the value of its Zomba Music acquisition.

But the company's operating earnings — which don't reflect one-time items — rose as new CEO Gunter Thielen trimmed unprofitable Internet-related activities and the company's books, music and television businesses improved.

Strong sales from new artists such as Avril Lavigne, who sold 9.5 million albums, and Pink, with 7 million, helped boost earnings at its BMG music group despite a sluggish music market. Even Elvis Presley contributed, with 100 million euros ($105 million) in sales on the 25th anniversary of his death.

"The majority of our businesses developed better than the market," Thielen said at the company's annual news conference.

Net profit was 928 million euros ($1.03 billion), down from 1.23 billion euros in 2001, but those figures were distorted by several large one-time gains and losses. Among them was 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) deducted in 2002 for the fall in the value of Zomba, the company that distributes the music of Britney Spears, Jennifer Love Hewitt and 'N Sync.

Bertelsmann bought Zomba from majority owner Clive Calder for $2.7 billion. But difficult conditions in the music industry, blamed by some on piracy through music downloads and copying of CDs, forced Bertelsmann to mark down the worth of the acquisition.

Total Bertelsmann sales fell to 18.3 billion euros ($19.4 billion) from 19 billion euros the year before, with the company attributing the drop primarily to the stronger euro.

Despite those difficult conditions, operating earnings improved 63 percent to 936 million euros ($992 million) from 573 million euros in 2001 as each of the company's seven main divisions increased their operating earnings or reduced a loss.

New York-based BMG reported an operating profit of 125 million euros ($132 million) versus a loss of 69 million euros in 2001. A 30-song CD commemorating the 25th anniversary of Presley's 1977 death went to No. 1 in 26 countries, Thielen said.

Including money from extras such as books and calendars, some of which went to other Bertelsmann divisions, Presley accounted for sales of 100 million euros.

Bertelsmann's Random House division, the world's largest general-interest publisher, saw earnings rise to 168 million euros ($178 million) from 33 million euros. RTL Group, Europe's largest TV broadcast, did better despite a slump in advertising by drawing on other sources of sales such as merchandising, the company said.

Thielen has cut back involvement in Internet businesses. Overall, Internet-related losses shrank to 138 million euros ($145 million) from 808 million euros in 2001.

Thielen's predecessor, Thomas Middelhoff, had taken the company into Internet ventures such as BOL on-line bookseller, CD retailer CDNow, and cooperation with now-defunct Internet music exchange Napster.

Middelhoff quit in July after reportedly clashing with the Mohn family, which controls 75 percent of the company, over strategy and his rejected proposal for a public offering of part of their stake.

Thielen says he sees the Internet mainly as a way to help market existing divisions. "The Internet is important in the businesses of Bertelsmann, but it is not a core business," he said.

The Gutersloh-based company has sold off most of BOL in pieces, and turned its British branch into an on-line book club. It also has turned over the operation of CDNow in the United States to Amazon.com.

Restructuring related to the Internet retrenchment hurt results at the company's Direct Group division, which includes book clubs with some 28 million members worldwide. It lost 150 million euros ($159 million), the company said.

Story: © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

CHICKS' COMMENT CARELESS

by Angie Pangburn at Angel21n68@aol.com

""Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

Not only did Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, have the audacity to say this, but she said it to a London audience.

Before I heard about the Dixie Chicks' comment, I was a huge fan, so this news saddened me deeply. The Dixie Chicks are a very talented country music group that could easily be played on 95SX and still be country.

I had the Dixie Chicks CD "Fly" in my player for about two weeks when I first got it. But when I heard that they had the nerve to say something so disrespectful, I realized it really says a lot about who they are and their respect for our nation's government.

Yes, it is true that we all have the right to freedom of speech, but for them to publicly make a comment like that, and in a different country, is careless.

These women are not everyday citizens. They are celebrities. They're famous, and many famous people have a huge influence on people. The way teens are influenced by Britney Spears or any celebrity advertisement is proof. If you see Jennifer Love Hewitt saying she uses Neutrogena, a lot of people will as well.

Many young people are highly influenced by celebrities such as the Dixie Chicks. Young people often don't know as much about war and political issues as the older crowd, and young people are more easily persuaded. When they see their favorite singer say that she's embarrassed by our president, it may influence their opinion, too.

Celebrities are people who have an impact on others. Luckily, many Americans have turned against the Dixie Chicks in this instance. As most people are aware, many local radio stations are not playing them at all.

I feel our president is doing the best he can in the current situation, and that people forget why we are fighting. We are fighting to free the people of Iraq, and in some sense, we are fighting for the people who died Sept. 11.

Even if I were antiwar, I still would not agree with the comment the Dixie Chicks made. Surely Maines was aware that her celebrity status gave her the opportunity to state her opinion in hopes that others would agree and commend her for her statement. Unfortunately, it appears that she may have ruined the group's reputation with one sentence.

She did apologize and say her remark was disrespectful, but that does not make up for what was said. Hopefully, other celebrities have noted the backlash and will not make the same mistake.

Story: © 2003 The Post and Courier. All Rights Reserved.

From The International Herald Tribune - March 24, 2003

RESTRAINT NOT RAZZMATAZZ  

by Suzy Menkes

Elegance replaces red carpet at the Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES It took a global conflict to take the tinsel out of Tinseltown. But the result was a new mood expressed in an international language of clothes that brought the most refined and elegant Oscar parade in years.

"I hope it marks a real change. It was time for the Academy Awards to be about achievements in the movie industry, not flash," said Julianne Moore as she stood out at the Vanity Fair party in her emerald-green dress with drop earrings to match. The chiffon gown was designed for Saint Laurent Rive Gauche by Tom Ford.

"Considering the state of the world, I think the ceremony went very well," said Ford, who described Moore as "one of the few women who look good in emerald green."

For a while, it seemed that the Academy Awards had been drained of color as propriety and restraint replaced the more familiar razzmatazz. Black was the color of choice for Nicole Kidman - in Jean Paul Gaultier's dress with slipping arm straps - for Cameron Diaz in her graphic Prada dress and for Mira Sorvino's Armani outfit. Presenters and nominees followed each other in such a procession of black that Sean Connery's white ruffles spilling down his shirt looked like a major fashion statement. Yet the new glamour was rich in its darkness.

For the heavily pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones, Donatella Versace created a sensual covering of bitter-chocolate chiffon and black lace - just as the designer's tuxedo for the new-look Elton John (with new hairstyle and no eyeglasses) was subtly scattered with jet beading.

Sitting in her swimming pool-blue silk-crepe dress, Jennifer Lopez explained how she had come to select this neoclassical Valentino gown - even if it meant that she could not wear the earrings that her fiancé, Ben Affleck, had given her for Christmas.

"Some people have a vision of themselves as less glamorous or more sexy," she said. "I just fell in love with this dress from the archives and I wanted to buy it. But they told me it had been made for Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s and it wasn't for sale. So I said: "Lend it to me for the Oscars, I have to have it!"

Renee Zellweger's brief red dress (a Carolina Herrera gown that was less effective than the designer's black lace and white satin skirt for Salma Hayek) was the only flash of primary color - unless you count the sunshine-yellow daffodils made into chandelier and disco balls at the InStyle/Elton John bash.

Neutrals from beige to gold were another winning look. Jennifer Love Hewitt, negotiating the Elton John VIP area, said she had chosen her pale chiffon, lattice Versace dress because "I wanted to be neutral and not too showy." Kate Hudson expressed a similar sentiment about her dress, from the same designer.

"I didn't want color and I didn't want black," said Hudson, pretty with her champagne-blonde hair curling above the pale gold lace-and-chiffon dress, its train puddling on the floor. Halle Berry, wearing a one-shoulder golden gown (the asymmetric shoulder being a strong trend) picked the Lebanese designer Elie Saab for a second year.

"It's about being chic but not frivolous," said Berry's stylist Philip Bloch, who said he believed the escalating war should not force stars to abandon what they had planned to wear, but rather to look fabulous in a stylish way.

Unlike the showbiz element of the Oscars, which has mostly presented clothes with a broad brush, attention this year was given to the details: the smooth hair with a bun at the nape that was the preferred hairstyle and the makeup expressing classical beauty, rather than raunchy glamour.

Color often came with the jewelry - Moore's Boucheron emerald drop earrings, the sapphires the same jeweler produced for Jennifer Connelly, the splash of blue on Queen Latifah's Harry Winston diamond necklace.

Then there were the shoes. The London-based Jimmy Choo made a big impression on Oscar candidates, offering not just colors to match the dresses but the charming idea of dressing the shoes with fresh flowers: a crimson rose on black satin or a burnt-umber flower on golden yellow. This idea of customizing the shoes hits the individualistic mood of the moment.

"We try to do something creative each year," said Tamara Mellon, Choo's president and co-founder. "Women did not want to be too glitzy, ostentatious and showy, so we looked for something pretty but pared down. And fresh flowers seemed to be the right mood."

Those swapping showbiz for Choo shoes reads like a roster of Hollywood, including Marcia Gay Harden, Hayek, Diane Lane, Lopez, Shakira Caine, Susan Sarandon, Hilary Swank, Zellweger and Zeta-Jones.

The relationship between stars and suppliers is mutually beneficial. Although stories abound of "consultancy fees" paid to stylists to promote jewelry brands, of designers paying for swimming pools and decoration of Beverly Hills mansions in return for actresses' wearing a particular label and of spoiled stars piling up dresses in their hotel suites, the possibilities of promotion and publicity make such arrangements tempting to both sides.

Rolling up the red carpet for the grand entrance at these Academy Awards was as much of a drama for magazines, hungry for star style, as for designers and the disappointed public. But with celebrity dressing at a crescendo, how genuine is the retreat from the red carpet - which may have vanished from the Kodak Theater, but was in place for partygoers?

"Much more muted - but pleasant," said Graydon Carter, editor in chief of Vanity Fair. At his magazine's party, lollipops featuring stars' faces, from Tom Cruise to Hugh Grant to Jack Nicholson, were an ironic take on the celebrity mania that echoed through the venue as fans outside whooped and cheered each arrival.

Elegance and restraint are not incompatible with stardom, according to Steven Cojocaru, a columnist for People magazine and author of "Red Carpet Diaries: Confessions of a Glamour Boy," launched last week at an Armani party on Rodeo Drive.

"In the end, with all the fear in the air, people proved that they can walk with elegance and pride," Cojocaru said. "It was not giddy. It was back to an older Hollywood idea of refinement. And maybe the red carpet needed this correction."

Story: © 2003 the International Herald Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
Image: © 2003 Wireimage.com. All Rights Reserved.

GM SEES OSCAR WEEK AS
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

by Ann M. Job / Special to The Detroit News

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Gala raises visibility of brands in a city known for glitz and glamor, General Motors Corp. took center stage among automakers this week, attracting some of the entertainment industry's top stars to a pre-Oscar Hollywood bash designed to raise the visibility of GM brands.

GM holds 19 percent of car and truck sales in California, compared with a 28 percent market share nationally. The automaker considers the Golden State ripe for expansion and an Oscar party the perfect backdrop for showcasing its vehicles.

"This allows us to have a kind of halo effect" from the Cadillac Escalades and Hummers already popular with celebrities to other GM brands, said Gary Cowger, president of GM North America. "After all, there's more to GM than Escalades and Hummers."

Jennifer Love Hewitt brought cheers at GM's
pre-Oscar bash Tuesday night. Wearing an
Oscar de la Renta gown and diamond necklace,
the actress shared the spotlight with a red 1957
Chevy Bel Air hardtop.

Toyota Motor Corp. is taking advantage of the controversy by supporting a grass-roots effort to have movie stars arrive at the Oscar ceremonies Sunday in chauffeur-driven Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid sedans.

Among the stars planning to eschew the usual limousine ride are Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Cameron Diaz and Tom Hanks. Oscar officials rejected a request that celebrities exit their Priuses onto a green, rather than red, carpet.

It will be the first such environmental statement at the Academy Awards, said Colette Brooks of Culver City, Calif.-based Big Imagination Group, which is working with environmental group Global Green on the Oscar project.

Brooks said Big Imagination is the first private U.S. firm to buy its own fleet of Priuses.

On Tuesday night, however, GM cars and trucks -- new and old, large and small -- shared the spotlight with famous film faces at a fashion show held on the celebrated corner of Hollywood and Vine.

About 1,800 people showed up at the glamor charity event, which GM called "ten" because 10 celebrity models, 10 fashion designers and 10 GM vehicles took to the runway.

Oscar nominee Adrien Brody, actors Jennifer Love Hewitt, Allison Janney, Michael Chiklis, David Arquette, and singers Jewel, Jessica Biel and Jessica Simpson were in attendance.

Also on hand were the 1938 Buick Y-job concept, which GM says was the industry's first concept car; a 1940 Oldsmobile Woody Wagon; 1972 Corvette LT1; and the Cadillac Sixteen concept car unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January.

GM won't say how much the fete cost, but it was the biggest automaker event scheduled for party-packed Oscar week in Los Angeles, evidence of GM's California marketing ambitions.

"General Motors has spent the last five years trying to re-establish itself in the L.A. market," said Art Spinella, president of Bandon, Ore.-based CNW Marketing/Research Inc. "Being visible sure helps."

With celebrities smitten by the Escalade SUV -- known as "slade" among the hip and the hot crowd -- awareness and interest in Cadillac is growing.

Ann M. Job is a California-based free-lance writer.

Image & Story: © 2003 The Detroit News. All Rights Reserved.

THE LIST: WHAT IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY
LIFE ARE YOU GOOD AND BAD AT?

by Sean Daly

• Jamie Lynn Sigler: “I’m really good at sports like softball and tennis. I’m getting good at golf. I took up golf for AJ because he’s a good golfer and he thought it would be something good for me to do. Actually I thought it was boring and you have one good swing and you’re hooked. It’s pretty bad. I had a couple great swings my first lesson and now I’m begging him to play. Something I’m really bad at would be lying. I’m a horrible liar.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt: “I hook up electronics really well. Like home stereos. I play the guitar really badly. Right now I am officially the world’s suckiest guitar player.

• Sheryl Crow: “Running hurdles. I’m a good hurdler. I used to run in high school and at the time could almost beat anybody, but not now.

• Soleil Moon Frye (Sabrina The Teenage Witch): “I love boxing. My father was a six-time golden glove. I’m not going to compete for the Golden Gloves, but it’s so much fun.”

• Ryan Phillippe: “I sing really badly. And something I do really well would be martial arts, I guess. I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Story: © 2003 Best Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

From The Hollywood Reporter - March 17, 2003

SPYGLASS, OUTLAW PUT ON 'DRESSES'

by Zorianna Kit

Spyglass Entertainment has picked up Aline Brosh McKenna's pitch "27 Dresses" for Outlaw Productions to produce.

The project marks the fifth collaboration between Brosh McKenna and Outlaw.

The scribe wrote the company's Warner Bros. Pictures feature "Three to Tango" (the Neve Campbell movie) and rewrote the upcoming Jennifer Love Hewitt starrer "If Only" for Intermedia Films and Love Spell Entertainment.

She also worked on Outlaw's "Season in Central Park" and "The Official Scorer," both in development at Warners. "Dresses" is about a woman fed up with always being a bridesmaid.

Spyglass' Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum are producing with Outlaw's Robert Newmyer, Jeffrey Silver and Scott Strauss. Spyglass' Jonathan Glickman is executive producing, with company executive Stephanie Striegel overseeing.

Brosh McKenna is repped by Devra Lieb at Hohman Maybank Lieb.

Story: © 2003 VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Hollywood Reporter - March 17, 2003

WOLF PLAYS DOCTOR ON CBS 'CHARLIE'

CBS has ordered "Rubbing Charlie," a half-hour, single-camera comedy pilot starring Scott Wolf from writer Tom Palmer and Big Ticket Television (a Paramount Pictures unit).  

In "Charlie," former "Party of Five" co-star Wolf will play the title role, a doctor who spends his time trying to help others but remains uncertain of what he wants out of his own life. The project has been in development for more than two years.  

A cast contingency was removed after Wolf signed on. Palmer ("Murphy Brown," "Living in Captivity") is represented by the Gersh Agency. Wolf is repped by UTA and Brillstein-Grey.  

Story: © 2003 VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

MY NEW MEDIA: CHARLIE SKELTON

Interview by Sharon Bainbridge (SB)

Photographer Charlie Skelton (CS) is promoting his exhibition, "The Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone from Suffolk", at the ICA in London, England this week of March 19-21, 2003.  

Here's the interview:

(SB) What are your favourite websites?  

(CS) I love malville.com, my favourite weblog run by a Mormon girl I am slightly in love with. I am fond of barefooters.org and the photos of people with no shoes and socks on at work - it gives me a sense of calm and strikes me as a powerful lifestyle choice.

Last online purchase?

A Barry Sheene enamel tie-pin from pin-ashe.com, as a reminder of one of the country's greatest womanisers and motorcyclists.

Ever been in a chat room?

I must have spent about a year in an Alaskan recipe group pretending to be an Alaskan woman. Mainly if I do go into a chat room it's a sex chat room which I go into purely in order to turn the conversation to serious topics. I love breaking into the three-way grunting and asking if we can all discuss the crisis in the library system.

Most recent technological faux pas?

Recently I was waiting for a meeting with Jasmine Lowson, the former Big Breakfast newsreader, and I was quietly looking her up on the web. I clicked on a big picture of her lying in her white pants on a fluffy rug just as she loomed up behind me. It was terribly awkward.

Main news source on the web?

I love the celebrity photo news on Yahoo! It's important to keep up with who's been seen emerging from a restaurant with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Most useful website?

I quite like the BBC site but I found their reporting of the anti-war demonstrations very weird and muted.

Least useful website?

Salon. It has gone so corporate and flabby.

Do you use a screensaver?

No, because they give you cancer. I read that somewhere.

Most irritating thing about the internet?

I think genealogy websites should be banned or given their own special corner of the web. They just clog everything up with billions of names, dates and birthplaces.

What type of online business is least likely to succeed?

Any one not at least part-funded by pornography. You have got to have a proper revenue stream and there is only one.

Do you still bother with old media?

Part of my job is to trawl through the papers every day. I am obsessed with the tabloids at the moment and the whole Sun/Mirror thing. The Sun is engaged on a disgusting campaign of warmongering. I find the xenophobia and race-hate in tabloids breathtaking and horrifying. Whereas Piers Morgan should be given the Nobel peace prize.

Story: © 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited. All Rights Reserved.

From The Herald-Mail for Maryland - March 12, 2003

CHEERLEADERS TAKE THEIR
SKILLS TO PRO BOWL IN HAWAII

by Nicole Ritchey

WILLIAMSPORT, Maryland - Two cheerleaders from Williamsport High School took their skills to Hawaii in February for the 2003 National Football League Pro Bowl.

Junior Corey Hamby and senior Jessica Leiter, both of whom have been cheering for Williamsport High since they were freshmen, joined about 1,000 other young women in Honolulu for the Feb. 3 football game, they said.

Jessica called the opportunity a "once in a lifetime experience."

Coaches and teammates nominated Corey and Jessica to cheer in the Pro Bowl after the girls performed well at a cheer-leading competition in Williamsburg, Va. The event's judges then gave the girls the go-ahead, they said.

"I only have one more year left, so I only have one more year that I can go to this," Corey said. "If I get nominated again I definitely want to go."

She, Jessica and their parents spent a week in Hawaii before the big game. It was the cheerleaders' first trip to the Pacific island.

"We visited Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and went surfing," an experience that made the cheerleaders "feel like part of Hawaii," Jessica said.

"The weather was really nice, not too hot," Corey said. "We went on a full tour of an island, and we also toured a pineapple factory and a macadamia nut factory."

The girls attended a luau  and learned the hula, they said.

But the cheerleaders' trip wasn't all about sight-seeing and soaking up the sun. Jessica and Corey spent four to five hours each day practicing for the Pro Bowl, they said. They had one week to learn the routine before they performed it in front of thousands of people.

They were excited at game time, they said.

"At the half-time show, Jennifer Love Hewitt performed and we danced to one of her songs," Corey said.

"It was just an awesome experience, especially because we were given the chance to show off our abilities," said Jessica, who said she also enjoys dancing. "It made me want to perform in front of people ... Its cool to entertain a bunch of people."

Jessica and Corey each paid $5,000 for the trip, they said.

Story: © 2003 The Herald-Mail Company. All Rights Reserved.

From The Daily Southtown of Tinley Park, IL - March 10, 2003

WE WERE THINKING ED BEGLEY JR.

Jon Arbuckle, the perpetually single owner of Garfield the cat in the long-running comic strip, is about to get a live-action face in Breckin Meyer.

The actor is in negotiations to star in the big-screen live-action/CGI adaptation of "Garfield," with Jennifer Love Hewitt finalizing a deal to play his love interest.

The comic strip centers on a rotund orange- and black-striped cat named Garfield, his dull-witted canine cohort Odie and owner Arbuckle. The 27-pound feline, first published in 1978, is known for his laziness, wry remarks and love of lasagna.

Story: © 2003 Digital Chicago Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CHILLER THRILLS
DREAMWORKS, MAKES CASH REGISTERS 'RING'

by Brett Sporich

"The Ring," a psychological thriller about a lethal videocassette, sold more than 2 million DVD units Tuesday, its first day on retail shelves, according the DreamWorks Home Entertainment executives.

"To see this type of film, which was really a cult phenomenon, sell more than 2 million DVD units to consumers during its first 24 hours in release clearly speaks to the success of both the film and the DVD format across all genres," said DHE's Kelley Avery.

With most industry analysts agreeing that roughly 60 percent of the nation's households own at least one DVD player, the home-entertainment industry has witnessed an exponential growth in DVD sales with minimal cannibalization of rental revenue and VHS sell-through revenue that ends up in the studios' pockets.

DreamWorks executives organized a largely grass-roots marketing campaign, using the fan base already established on more than 100 Web sites to craft a sweepstakes event that took place at the Burbank Equestrian Center, among several other marketing tactics, and designed a limited-edition see-through acetate sleeve to draw attention to the videocassette's fictional deadly effect.

The movie's story follows a journalist's pursuit to solve the cassette's intricate puzzle within seven days or she'll suffer the same deadly fate of those who have viewed the tape before her.

"The Ring," directed by Gore Verbinski and adapted for the screen by Ehren Kurger from the 1989 novel "Ringu" by Koji Susuki, is expected to sell out on videocassette by today, according to several industry sources. Duplication sources said they're working overtime to resupply retailers with VHS copies of "The Ring."

While Avery declined to provide a number for overall VHS shipments, other industry sources expect the VHS to sell more than 2 million copies. Several key retail sources estimate that 70 percent of "The Ring's" home video sales are on DVD.

Both "The Ring's" DVD and the VHS releases have a bonus feature, a 20-minute short titled "Ringu," which features the inspiration for the feature-length film.

Meanwhile, the video debut of Steven Spielberg's "Road to Perdition," starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, was last week's top-selling DVD by a wide margin over the No. 2-ranked HBO Home Video release of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" during the week ended March 2, according to Nielsen VideoScan.

"Greek Wedding," which has wowed the video retail community with record DVD sales topping 4 million estimated DVD units and 3 million estimated VHS units sold to consumers, continues to be a strong rental title, earning $44.4 million in gross rental revenue alone.

Spielberg's dark drama about the plight of a Depression-era thug was the top-renting video its debut week, earning an estimated $9.2 million in rental revenue during its first five days on video store shelves, according to Video Store magazine data.

DHE's debut of the comedy "The Tuxedo," starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt, was the No. 3-selling DVD, according to VideoScan's First Alert sales chart. It also was the fourth-best-renting title, earning an estimated $9.24 million in rental revenue after its first five days on rental shelves.

Story: © 2003 VNU eMedia Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PRIMETIME / QUIZ

by Phil Kloer - Staff

If you were a boomer back when bell-bottoms were the rage, you probably thought you would be cool forever. Even when your kids began listening to MTV, you quickly learned to hum along with Phil Collins, Pat Benatar and Men at Work. You kept up with the latest teen styles and slang and astounded your children by knowing all the words to Madonna's "Like a Virgin."

Sure, you do OK at "Jeopardy" and Trivial Pursuit, but those are geared toward the boomer generation. How well would you do at a trivia quiz geared specifically to those under 30?

Your kids probably wouldn't score 10 out of 10, but they'd think several of these questions were extremely easy and wouldn't feel that they were taking a trivia quiz in a foreign language.

How well do you know what's going on?

a. A device used for smoking marijuana

b. A curved ramp used by skateboarders

c. Slang for a slacker

2. Who is married to Freddie Prinze Jr.?

a. Sarah Michelle Gellar

b. Jennifer Love Hewitt

c. Sarah Jessica Parker

3. On the TV show "Smallville," what can't Clark Kent do that Superboy always did in the comic books?

a. See through walls

b. Get jiggy with Lana Lang

c. Fly

4. What are the names of Ozzy Osbourne's (right) two children who live with him?

a. Timba and Simba

b. Jack and Kelly

c. Ricky and David

5. What does sketchy mean?

a. Dubious; untrustworthy

b. Intoxicated

c. Looking like a police composite drawing

a. Misdemeanor

b. Mischief

c. Miscommunication

7. What is an MPEG?

a. A format for condensing video on computers

b. A children's video game

c. A life form in the Harry Potter books

8. Who is Johnny Knoxville (right)?

a. Self-mutilating star of the MTV series and movie "Jackass."

b. Country music singer

c. Eminem's manager

9. Who is Hailie Mathers?

a. Eminem's daughter

b. The Beaver's little sister

c. A WNBA star

10. Who did Keanu Reeves play in "The Matrix?"

a. Rio

b. Day-o

c. Neo

Answers: 1b, 2a, 3c, 4b, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10c.

Turnabout is fair play. How well would your kids do with these boomer pop history questions?

a. The Unabomber

b. Bob Dylan

c. The guy who stole the Pentagon Papers

2. What was "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"?

a. A book by Tom Wolfe about LSD

b. A psychedelic rock band

c. The working title of "Laugh-In" before it aired.

3. What happened in Dealey Plaza?

a. That's where Woodstock was held

b. That's where Disneyland was built

c. That's where President Kennedy was killed

4. What were the names of the Monkees (right)?

a. Chico, Groucho, Harpo and Zeppo

b. Brian, Keith, Mick and Charlie

c. Davy, Peter, Micky and Michael

5. Complete the song lyric: "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"

a. "Heroes come but heroes always go."

b. "A nation turns its lonely eyes to you."

c. "And why did you marry Marilyn Monroe?"

a. A secret code word in Nixon's White House.

b. An apartment and office complex.

c. U.S. headquarters in South Vietnam

7. What was Project Mercury?

a. CIA plan to overthrow Castro

b. Popular Saturday morning cartoon show

c. Series of space flights

8. President Lyndon Johnson (right) once pulled his shirt up for photographers. Why?

a. To show off a recent scar

b. To show off a recent tattoo

c. To show how hot he was

9. Who or what was Carnac the Magnificent?

a. A Buick model that bombed in the marketplace

b. A character played by Johnny Carson

c. A magician on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

10. Where was the Bay of Pigs?

a. Berkeley, Calif.

b. Vietnam

c. Cuba

Bonus question: Was "Deep Throat" the movie named after the Watergate source, or was the Watergate source named after the movie?

Answers: 1b, 2a, 3c, 4c, 5b, 6b, 7c, 8a, 9b, 10c; bonus: the latter

Story: © 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved.

From Reuters - March 2, 2003

'DANIEL WEBSTER' WEDS ANTIQUE DEALER

LOS ANGELES, CA - Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins wed antiques dealer Stella Arroyave in a private ceremony near Los Angeles, a representative for the star best known as Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, said Sunday.

Hopkins, 65, and Arroyave, 46, tied the knot Saturday in a ceremony attended by friends and family in Malibu, the representative said. The two had been dating for about two years. It is Hopkins' third marriage and Arroyave's first.

Story: © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

From the Beauty section of Flare Magazine - March 2, 2003  

TOP BEAUTY SHOPS ACROSS CANADA  

FLARE's beauty editor Ying Chu offers this insider guide to where the pros shop and the stars primp. Find out what the hot products are now at the countries most exclusive beauty shops and which big-name stars shop where.  Here's two of them in Toronto...

Ice, 163 Cumberland Street, (416) 964-6751
• On the shelf: Philosophy, Bumble & Bumble, Peter Thomas Roth, Zirh, Anthony Logistics for Men, Ole Henriksen, The Art of Shaving, Molton Brown, Frédéric Fekkai, BlissLabs, T. LeClerc, Hard Candy, Bloom, Creed
• Bestsellers: Ole Henriksen Roll-On Blemish Attack, Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Cream
• Celeb sightings: Erin Brockovich, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jackie Chan and
Jennifer Love Hewitt

Teatro Verde, 55 Avenue Road, Hazelton Lanes, (416) 966-2227 - www.teatroverde.com
• On the shelf: Fresh, Poppy, Acca Kappa, Christian Tortu, Oscar and Dehn, Kusco Murphy
• Bestseller: Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish
• Celeb sightings: Sylvester Stallone, Elton John, Alannah Myles, Jane Kaczmarek, Anne Heche and
Jennifer Love Hewitt

Story: © 2003 Rogers Publishing Limited. All Right Reserved.