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Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin split after 8 years
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 22 Februari 2013 | 12.42
(Reuters) - Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin are divorcing after more than eight years, their representatives said on Thursday.
"I can confirm Diane Lane and Josh Brolin have decided to end their marriage," said Lane's spokeswoman, Kelly Bush.
A source close to the couple termed the split as "amicable" and said it was a mutual decision.
The divorce will be the second for both Lane and Brolin. They have no children together.
Lane, 48, who was Oscar-nominated for her role in the 2002 film "Unfaithful," and Brolin, 45, married in August 2004 after being introduced by Barbra Streisand, the actor's stepmother through her marriage to James Brolin.
Josh Brolin played a lead role in last summer's sci-fi comedy franchise "Men in Black 3" and his most recent film appearance was the January release "Gangster Squad."
(Reporting By Noreen O'Donnell in New York; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)
Shia LaBeouf and Alec Baldwin "Incompatible"? Actor tweets about exit From "Orphans"
(Please note that this story contains strong language in paragraphs 10 and 21.)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Shia LaBeouf is taking a cue from his former co-star Alec Baldwin and using Twitter to defend his actions - in this case his split from "Orphans" on Broadway.
The show, which begins previews in less than a month, was to be the "Transformers" star's Great White Way debut. In a brief statement Wednesday, the actor's departure was attributed to those pesky "creative differences."
But LaBeouf, whose propensity to over-share has gotten him in trouble in the past, took to Twitter within hours of the announcement to post private emails from the show's director Daniel Sullivan and co-stars Baldwin and Tom Sturridge.
He also mused about the role of theater in society and posted his audition video for the show (he's twitchy, intense and, it must be said, pretty convincing as a criminal with a short fuse).
The correspondence does little to clarify the reasons for his abrupt exit, though his exchange with Sullivan hints at chemistry issues with Baldwin.
"I'm too old for disagreeable situations," Sullivan writes. "You're one hell of a great actor. Alec is who he is. You are who you are. You two are incompatible. I should have known it. This one will haunt me. You tried to warn me. You said you were a different breed. I didn't get it."
But an individual close to the production told TheWrap that the split had nothing to do with Baldwin; it was due to conflicts between the star and the show's producers, Frederick Zollo and Robert Cole.
Spokespeople for the production did not respond to requests for comment.
In his emails, LaBeouf also demonstrates a flair for the dramatic that New York theater critics will be denied an opportunity to see in the flesh.
"My dad was a drug dealer," LaBeouf writes. "He was a shit human. But he was a man. He taught me how to be a man. What I know of men Alec is."
"A man owns up," he adds. "That's why Mark McGuire is not a man."
If the message from Baldwin is to be believed, LaBeouf's former cast-mate wishes him well.
After LaBeouf apologizes for creating a "disagreeable situation," Baldwin assures him he doesn't have an "unkind word to say about you."
"I've been through this before," Baldwin writes. "It's been a while. And perhaps some of the particulars are different. But it comes down to the fact that what we all do now is critical. Perhaps especially for you. When the change comes, how do we handle it, whether it be good or bad? What do we learn?"
A spokesman for Baldwin declined to comment and a spokeswoman for LaBeouf did not respond to requests for comment.
Sturridge also is complimentary in his note to LaBeouf.
"I was stunned by the work you were doing, the performance you were giving," he writes."I think you lifted the play to a place higher than maybe it even deserved to be."
This is not the first time that LaBeouf has gotten in trouble for running his mouth off in public. In the past he irritated Steven Spielberg by speaking ill of their collaboration on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"; said Oliver Stone played too nice when they teamed up on "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," and once revealed that he hooked up with "Transformers" co-star Megan Fox when she was on a break from her husband Brian Austin Green.
His frank talk and propensity to criticize former collaborators has inspired at least one high-profile rebuke.
Harrison Ford told Details Magazine that he was displeased by his co-stars comments about the Indiana Jones sequel.
"I think I told him he was a f---ing idiot," Ford said. "As an actor, I think it's my obligation to support the film without making a complete ass of myself."
On Wednesday and Thursday, LaBeouf also took the opportunity to share some colorful thoughts about acting, as well as some historical lessons of questionable veracity.
"Actors used to be buried with a stake through the heart," he tweeted. "Those peoples performances so troubled on-lookers that they feared their ghosts."
Oh, and based on his messages with Rick Sordelet, the show's fight director and a faculty member at Yale University's drama school, an MFA may be in LaBeouf's future...possibly one from a certain New Haven-based institute of higher learning.
In a message, Sordelet hails LaBeouf's work ethic and says he has been in touch with the head of the school's acting program about having him matriculate.
"It must have been difficult for others in the room to be schooled by someone who's raw talent and enthusiasm out matched theirs," Sordelet writes.
Sounds like somebody might be passing James Franco on the quad some day soon.
Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin split after 8 years
(Reuters) - Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin are divorcing after more than eight years, their representatives said on Thursday.
"I can confirm Diane Lane and Josh Brolin have decided to end their marriage," said Lane's spokeswoman, Kelly Bush.
A source close to the couple termed the split as "amicable" and said it was a mutual decision.
The divorce will be the second for both Lane and Brolin. They have no children together.
Lane, 48, who was Oscar-nominated for her role in the 2002 film "Unfaithful," and Brolin, 45, married in August 2004 after being introduced by Barbra Streisand, the actor's stepmother through her marriage to James Brolin.
Josh Brolin played a lead role in last summer's sci-fi comedy franchise "Men in Black 3" and his most recent film appearance was the January release "Gangster Squad."
(Reporting By Noreen O'Donnell in New York; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)
Shia LaBeouf and Alec Baldwin "Incompatible"? Actor tweets about exit From "Orphans"
(Please note that this story contains strong language in paragraphs 10 and 21.)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Shia LaBeouf is taking a cue from his former co-star Alec Baldwin and using Twitter to defend his actions - in this case his split from "Orphans" on Broadway.
The show, which begins previews in less than a month, was to be the "Transformers" star's Great White Way debut. In a brief statement Wednesday, the actor's departure was attributed to those pesky "creative differences."
But LaBeouf, whose propensity to over-share has gotten him in trouble in the past, took to Twitter within hours of the announcement to post private emails from the show's director Daniel Sullivan and co-stars Baldwin and Tom Sturridge.
He also mused about the role of theater in society and posted his audition video for the show (he's twitchy, intense and, it must be said, pretty convincing as a criminal with a short fuse).
The correspondence does little to clarify the reasons for his abrupt exit, though his exchange with Sullivan hints at chemistry issues with Baldwin.
"I'm too old for disagreeable situations," Sullivan writes. "You're one hell of a great actor. Alec is who he is. You are who you are. You two are incompatible. I should have known it. This one will haunt me. You tried to warn me. You said you were a different breed. I didn't get it."
But an individual close to the production told TheWrap that the split had nothing to do with Baldwin; it was due to conflicts between the star and the show's producers, Frederick Zollo and Robert Cole.
Spokespeople for the production did not respond to requests for comment.
In his emails, LaBeouf also demonstrates a flair for the dramatic that New York theater critics will be denied an opportunity to see in the flesh.
"My dad was a drug dealer," LaBeouf writes. "He was a shit human. But he was a man. He taught me how to be a man. What I know of men Alec is."
"A man owns up," he adds. "That's why Mark McGuire is not a man."
If the message from Baldwin is to be believed, LaBeouf's former cast-mate wishes him well.
After LaBeouf apologizes for creating a "disagreeable situation," Baldwin assures him he doesn't have an "unkind word to say about you."
"I've been through this before," Baldwin writes. "It's been a while. And perhaps some of the particulars are different. But it comes down to the fact that what we all do now is critical. Perhaps especially for you. When the change comes, how do we handle it, whether it be good or bad? What do we learn?"
A spokesman for Baldwin declined to comment and a spokeswoman for LaBeouf did not respond to requests for comment.
Sturridge also is complimentary in his note to LaBeouf.
"I was stunned by the work you were doing, the performance you were giving," he writes."I think you lifted the play to a place higher than maybe it even deserved to be."
This is not the first time that LaBeouf has gotten in trouble for running his mouth off in public. In the past he irritated Steven Spielberg by speaking ill of their collaboration on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"; said Oliver Stone played too nice when they teamed up on "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," and once revealed that he hooked up with "Transformers" co-star Megan Fox when she was on a break from her husband Brian Austin Green.
His frank talk and propensity to criticize former collaborators has inspired at least one high-profile rebuke.
Harrison Ford told Details Magazine that he was displeased by his co-stars comments about the Indiana Jones sequel.
"I think I told him he was a f---ing idiot," Ford said. "As an actor, I think it's my obligation to support the film without making a complete ass of myself."
On Wednesday and Thursday, LaBeouf also took the opportunity to share some colorful thoughts about acting, as well as some historical lessons of questionable veracity.
"Actors used to be buried with a stake through the heart," he tweeted. "Those peoples performances so troubled on-lookers that they feared their ghosts."
Oh, and based on his messages with Rick Sordelet, the show's fight director and a faculty member at Yale University's drama school, an MFA may be in LaBeouf's future...possibly one from a certain New Haven-based institute of higher learning.
In a message, Sordelet hails LaBeouf's work ethic and says he has been in touch with the head of the school's acting program about having him matriculate.
"It must have been difficult for others in the room to be schooled by someone who's raw talent and enthusiasm out matched theirs," Sordelet writes.
Sounds like somebody might be passing James Franco on the quad some day soon.
Oscar "losers" to go home with $45,000 gift bags
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 21 Februari 2013 | 12.42
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar nominees who don't end up with a coveted gold statuette at the Academy Awards on Sunday won't go home empty handed after all.
Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets will be handing out its annual "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag", valued at more than $45,000, to the talented and well-dressed "losers," the company said on Tuesday.
Among the items in the gift bags, known as swag bags, are trips to Australia, Hawaii and Mexico, personal training sessions, condoms, a bottle of tequila, hand-illustrated tennis shoes, appointments for injectable fillers and 'portion-controlled' dinnerware for those watching their figure, Distinctive Assets said in a statement.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars, stopped its practice of giving gift baskets to presenters and performers in 2007 after the practice came under closer scrutiny from U.S. tax authorities.
Celebrities who receive gifts and free trips at awards shows are expected to declare them to the Inland Revenue Service as income and pay the appropriate taxes.
The Distinctive Assets gift bag is not endorsed by the Academy but has been creating consolation goodie bags for 11 years now. The bags are delivered to the losing nominees to their homes directly or through their agents or publicists.
This year's "Not Everyone Wins...." swag bag also includes an under-the-counter water filtration system, acupuncture and aromatherapy sessions, a one-week stay at a fitness and weight-loss retreat, and a one-year membership to London's Heathrow Airport's private VIP service.
Nominees' children also benefit: they get to enroll in professional all-kid circus classes.
The Academy Awards, the highest honors in the movie business, will be handed out a ceremony on Sunday in Hollywood.
(Reporting by Zorianna Kit, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)
Crime lab report confirms Mindy McCready's death a suicide
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - An Arkansas Crime Lab preliminary autopsy confirmed country music singer Mindy McCready's death was a suicide from a single gunshot wound to the head, the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday.
McCready, 37, whose career was overshadowed by substance abuse and suicide attempts, was found dead on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon beside her boyfriend's dead dog. Officials have said she shot the dog.
"It is with the deepest sadness we say goodbye to an extraordinary and gifted talent, a daughter, a mother and friend, Miss Mindy McCready," McCready's family said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The statement requested a time of "quiet" for her family and friends and said McCready's "friends in music" were planning to host a memorial in Nashville soon.
The singer's 1996 debut album, "Ten Thousand Angels," sold 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed. Her fifth album, "I'm Still Here," was released to acclaim in 2010.
McCready, though, had a complicated personal life with a history of substance abuse, suicide attempts, family disputes and tragedy. She was in a legal dispute over custody of her oldest son, Zander, with the boy's father at the time of her death.
In November 2011, she left Florida with Zander and fled to Arkansas. McCready's mother, who had custody of the child, filed a missing person report against her daughter and regained custody.
Last month, record producer David Wilson, the father of McCready's son Zayne, who was born last year, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Heber Springs. An investigation was ongoing into his death.
(Editing by David Bailey and Leslie Adler)
Oscar "losers" to go home with $45,000 gift bags
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar nominees who don't end up with a coveted gold statuette at the Academy Awards on Sunday won't go home empty handed after all.
Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets will be handing out its annual "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag", valued at more than $45,000, to the talented and well-dressed "losers," the company said on Tuesday.
Among the items in the gift bags, known as swag bags, are trips to Australia, Hawaii and Mexico, personal training sessions, condoms, a bottle of tequila, hand-illustrated tennis shoes, appointments for injectable fillers and 'portion-controlled' dinnerware for those watching their figure, Distinctive Assets said in a statement.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars, stopped its practice of giving gift baskets to presenters and performers in 2007 after the practice came under closer scrutiny from U.S. tax authorities.
Celebrities who receive gifts and free trips at awards shows are expected to declare them to the Inland Revenue Service as income and pay the appropriate taxes.
The Distinctive Assets gift bag is not endorsed by the Academy but has been creating consolation goodie bags for 11 years now. The bags are delivered to the losing nominees to their homes directly or through their agents or publicists.
This year's "Not Everyone Wins...." swag bag also includes an under-the-counter water filtration system, acupuncture and aromatherapy sessions, a one-week stay at a fitness and weight-loss retreat, and a one-year membership to London's Heathrow Airport's private VIP service.
Nominees' children also benefit: they get to enroll in professional all-kid circus classes.
The Academy Awards, the highest honors in the movie business, will be handed out a ceremony on Sunday in Hollywood.
(Reporting by Zorianna Kit, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)
Crime lab report confirms Mindy McCready's death a suicide
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - An Arkansas Crime Lab preliminary autopsy confirmed country music singer Mindy McCready's death was a suicide from a single gunshot wound to the head, the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday.
McCready, 37, whose career was overshadowed by substance abuse and suicide attempts, was found dead on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon beside her boyfriend's dead dog. Officials have said she shot the dog.
"It is with the deepest sadness we say goodbye to an extraordinary and gifted talent, a daughter, a mother and friend, Miss Mindy McCready," McCready's family said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The statement requested a time of "quiet" for her family and friends and said McCready's "friends in music" were planning to host a memorial in Nashville soon.
The singer's 1996 debut album, "Ten Thousand Angels," sold 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed. Her fifth album, "I'm Still Here," was released to acclaim in 2010.
McCready, though, had a complicated personal life with a history of substance abuse, suicide attempts, family disputes and tragedy. She was in a legal dispute over custody of her oldest son, Zander, with the boy's father at the time of her death.
In November 2011, she left Florida with Zander and fled to Arkansas. McCready's mother, who had custody of the child, filed a missing person report against her daughter and regained custody.
Last month, record producer David Wilson, the father of McCready's son Zayne, who was born last year, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Heber Springs. An investigation was ongoing into his death.
(Editing by David Bailey and Leslie Adler)
Michael Jackson's teenage son lands U.S. television gig
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 20 Februari 2013 | 12.42
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The teenage son of late pop star Michael Jackson has signed up to be a correspondent for the "Entertainment Tonight" television show, following in the footsteps of his show business family.
Prince Jackson, 16, was to debut on "Entertainment Tonight" on Tuesday, interviewing actors James Franco, Zach Braff and director Sam Raimi as they promote their upcoming film "Oz the Great and Powerful," the program said.
Prince, who was born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., is the oldest of Michael Jackson's three children.
Jackson told the syndicated tabloid news show that he wants to eventually get into the film business.
"I'm looking to become well-rounded as a producer, director, screenwriter and actor," he said.
Jackson's sister Paris, 14, signed up in 2011 to star in a movie called "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys," based on a young adult fantasy novel. The film is still in development.
Michael Jackson died unexpectedly at his home in Los Angeles in June 2009 at age 50 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and sedatives.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Bill Trott)
Oscar "losers" to go home with $45,000 gift bags
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar nominees who don't end up with a coveted gold statuette at the Academy Awards on Sunday won't go home empty handed after all.
Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets will be handing out its annual "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag", valued at more than $45,000, to the talented and well-dressed "losers," the company said on Tuesday.
Among the items in the gift bags, known as swag bags, are trips to Australia, Hawaii and Mexico, personal training sessions, condoms, a bottle of tequila, hand-illustrated tennis shoes, appointments for injectable fillers and 'portion-controlled' dinnerware for those watching their figure, Distinctive Assets said in a statement.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars, stopped its practice of giving gift baskets to presenters and performers in 2007 after the practice came under closer scrutiny from U.S. tax authorities.
Celebrities who receive gifts and free trips at awards shows are expected to declare them to the Inland Revenue Service as income and pay the appropriate taxes.
The Distinctive Assets gift bag is not endorsed by the Academy but has been creating consolation goodie bags for 11 years now. The bags are delivered to the losing nominees to their homes directly or through their agents or publicists.
This year's "Not Everyone Wins...." swag bag also includes an under-the-counter water filtration system, acupuncture and aromatherapy sessions, a one-week stay at a fitness and weight-loss retreat, and a one-year membership to London's Heathrow Airport's private VIP service.
Nominees' children also benefit: they get to enroll in professional all-kid circus classes.
The Academy Awards, the highest honors in the movie business, will be handed out a ceremony on Sunday in Hollywood.
(Reporting by Zorianna Kit, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)
Michael Jackson's teenage son lands U.S. television gig
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The teenage son of late pop star Michael Jackson has signed up to be a correspondent for the "Entertainment Tonight" television show, following in the footsteps of his show business family.
Prince Jackson, 16, was to debut on "Entertainment Tonight" on Tuesday, interviewing actors James Franco, Zach Braff and director Sam Raimi as they promote their upcoming film "Oz the Great and Powerful," the program said.
Prince, who was born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., is the oldest of Michael Jackson's three children.
Jackson told the syndicated tabloid news show that he wants to eventually get into the film business.
"I'm looking to become well-rounded as a producer, director, screenwriter and actor," he said.
Jackson's sister Paris, 14, signed up in 2011 to star in a movie called "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys," based on a young adult fantasy novel. The film is still in development.
Michael Jackson died unexpectedly at his home in Los Angeles in June 2009 at age 50 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and sedatives.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Bill Trott)
Oscar "losers" to go home with $45,000 gift bags
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar nominees who don't end up with a coveted gold statuette at the Academy Awards on Sunday won't go home empty handed after all.
Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets will be handing out its annual "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag", valued at more than $45,000, to the talented and well-dressed "losers," the company said on Tuesday.
Among the items in the gift bags, known as swag bags, are trips to Australia, Hawaii and Mexico, personal training sessions, condoms, a bottle of tequila, hand-illustrated tennis shoes, appointments for injectable fillers and 'portion-controlled' dinnerware for those watching their figure, Distinctive Assets said in a statement.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars, stopped its practice of giving gift baskets to presenters and performers in 2007 after the practice came under closer scrutiny from U.S. tax authorities.
Celebrities who receive gifts and free trips at awards shows are expected to declare them to the Inland Revenue Service as income and pay the appropriate taxes.
The Distinctive Assets gift bag is not endorsed by the Academy but has been creating consolation goodie bags for 11 years now. The bags are delivered to the losing nominees to their homes directly or through their agents or publicists.
This year's "Not Everyone Wins...." swag bag also includes an under-the-counter water filtration system, acupuncture and aromatherapy sessions, a one-week stay at a fitness and weight-loss retreat, and a one-year membership to London's Heathrow Airport's private VIP service.
Nominees' children also benefit: they get to enroll in professional all-kid circus classes.
The Academy Awards, the highest honors in the movie business, will be handed out a ceremony on Sunday in Hollywood.
(Reporting by Zorianna Kit, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)
At 80, Yoko Ono sees a world full of new activism
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 19 Februari 2013 | 12.42
BERLIN (Reuters) - Half a life-time ago, artist Yoko Ono lay in an Amsterdam hotel bed with husband John Lennon, staging a week-long "bed-in" for peace and feeling they were very alone in their activism.
Today, Ono, whose own energy for campaigning has never tired, sees a world full of activists, maintaining her energy and faith in humanity.
"When John and I did the bed-in, not many people were with us. But now there are so many activists, I don't know anyone who is not an activist," she told Reuters in an interview in Berlin on Monday, her 80th birthday.
"Even the corporations - John always used to say the corporations need to be with us... Corporations now say 10-20 percent of their profits will go to such and such charity. They have to do that almost for people to feel good about it."
The late Beatle and Ono's 1969 bed-in to protest against the Vietnam war was repeated in Montreal, Canada. Press attention was huge, but much of it was mocking.
Ono, who gave a sell-out concert in Berlin on Sunday alongside their son Sean Lennon which closed with the anthem "Give peace a chance", said it was still critical to stand up for peace despite new conflicts in the intervening decades.
"I don't want to be drowning in sadness. I think we have to stand and up and change the world," she said.
The artist, born to a wealthy Japanese family in Tokyo in 1933, has recently become a passionate opponent of fracking, a controversial procedure which has sharply lifted energy output in the United States but which critics fear pollutes drinking water deep underground and could increase earthquake risks.
"Fracking is an incredible risk to the human race, I don't know why they even thought of doing it," she said.
Ono, whose birthday is being marked by a major retrospective of her work in Frankfurt, said she feels she is becoming freer in her art.
"My attitude has changed... I'm allowing things to happen in a way I hadn't planned before," she said.
Asked about her feelings on becoming an octogenarian, she said: "I'm surprised. It is a miracle in a sense that I am 80, I am proud about it. Not everybody gets there."
(Reporting by Alexandra Hudson, editing by Gareth Jones and Paul Casciato)
Veteran British actor Richard Briers dies aged 79
LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Richard Briers, best known for the 1970s TV sit-com "The Good Life" but also for his Shakespearean roles, has died at the age of 79, prompting a flood of tributes for "a national treasure".
The actor, who spent a lifetime on the stage, had recently spoken publicly of battling a serious lung condition for years, saying that "the ciggies got me" after a lifetime smoking habit.
He said his health was failing after being diagnosed with emphysema five years ago even though he gave up smoking 10 years ago.
"I was diagnosed five years ago and didn't think it would go quite as badly as it has," he told a newspaper interview last month. "I used to love smoking. It's totally my fault."
His agent said he died on Sunday at his London home.
Briers's career ranged from television, to theatre, to film and radio with the actor, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his West End debut in the late 1950s.
In "The Good Life", he played alongside actress Felicity Kendal as a married couple who decide to drop out of the rat race and try out a life of self-sufficiency.
His film credits included "A Chorus Of Disapproval" in 1989 and "Watership Down" in 1978 in which he was the voice of Fiver. He also narrated the children's cartoon series "Roobarb and Custard".
But he won wide acclaim for his Shakespearean work after joining Kenneth Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company. He appeared in a list of Branagh's films including "Henry V", "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Hamlet".
Briers, who was married with two daughters, was awarded an OBE in 1989 for services to the arts.
Branagh paid tribute to Briers, telling reporters: "He was a national treasure, a great actor and a wonderful man. He was greatly loved and he will be deeply missed."
Actor Stephen Fry on Twitter described him as "the most adorable and funny man imaginable".
(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)
At 80, Yoko Ono sees a world full of new activism
BERLIN (Reuters) - Half a life-time ago, artist Yoko Ono lay in an Amsterdam hotel bed with husband John Lennon, staging a week-long "bed-in" for peace and feeling they were very alone in their activism.
Today, Ono, whose own energy for campaigning has never tired, sees a world full of activists, maintaining her energy and faith in humanity.
"When John and I did the bed-in, not many people were with us. But now there are so many activists, I don't know anyone who is not an activist," she told Reuters in an interview in Berlin on Monday, her 80th birthday.
"Even the corporations - John always used to say the corporations need to be with us... Corporations now say 10-20 percent of their profits will go to such and such charity. They have to do that almost for people to feel good about it."
The late Beatle and Ono's 1969 bed-in to protest against the Vietnam war was repeated in Montreal, Canada. Press attention was huge, but much of it was mocking.
Ono, who gave a sell-out concert in Berlin on Sunday alongside their son Sean Lennon which closed with the anthem "Give peace a chance", said it was still critical to stand up for peace despite new conflicts in the intervening decades.
"I don't want to be drowning in sadness. I think we have to stand and up and change the world," she said.
The artist, born to a wealthy Japanese family in Tokyo in 1933, has recently become a passionate opponent of fracking, a controversial procedure which has sharply lifted energy output in the United States but which critics fear pollutes drinking water deep underground and could increase earthquake risks.
"Fracking is an incredible risk to the human race, I don't know why they even thought of doing it," she said.
Ono, whose birthday is being marked by a major retrospective of her work in Frankfurt, said she feels she is becoming freer in her art.
"My attitude has changed... I'm allowing things to happen in a way I hadn't planned before," she said.
Asked about her feelings on becoming an octogenarian, she said: "I'm surprised. It is a miracle in a sense that I am 80, I am proud about it. Not everybody gets there."
(Reporting by Alexandra Hudson, editing by Gareth Jones and Paul Casciato)
Veteran British actor Richard Briers dies aged 79
LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Richard Briers, best known for the 1970s TV sit-com "The Good Life" but also for his Shakespearean roles, has died at the age of 79, prompting a flood of tributes for "a national treasure".
The actor, who spent a lifetime on the stage, had recently spoken publicly of battling a serious lung condition for years, saying that "the ciggies got me" after a lifetime smoking habit.
He said his health was failing after being diagnosed with emphysema five years ago even though he gave up smoking 10 years ago.
"I was diagnosed five years ago and didn't think it would go quite as badly as it has," he told a newspaper interview last month. "I used to love smoking. It's totally my fault."
His agent said he died on Sunday at his London home.
Briers's career ranged from television, to theatre, to film and radio with the actor, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his West End debut in the late 1950s.
In "The Good Life", he played alongside actress Felicity Kendal as a married couple who decide to drop out of the rat race and try out a life of self-sufficiency.
His film credits included "A Chorus Of Disapproval" in 1989 and "Watership Down" in 1978 in which he was the voice of Fiver. He also narrated the children's cartoon series "Roobarb and Custard".
But he won wide acclaim for his Shakespearean work after joining Kenneth Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company. He appeared in a list of Branagh's films including "Henry V", "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Hamlet".
Briers, who was married with two daughters, was awarded an OBE in 1989 for services to the arts.
Branagh paid tribute to Briers, telling reporters: "He was a national treasure, a great actor and a wonderful man. He was greatly loved and he will be deeply missed."
Actor Stephen Fry on Twitter described him as "the most adorable and funny man imaginable".
(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)
Bulgari will showcase Elizabeth Taylor's gems in Oscar-week exhibit
Written By Unknown on Senin, 18 Februari 2013 | 12.42
(Reuters) - Famed jeweler Bulgari said on Sunday it would put eight pieces of the late actress Elizabeth Taylor's jewels on display at its Beverly Hills boutique, more than a year after the Hollywood star's world-class collection fetched record prices at auction.
The exhibition of pieces from that sale will include jewels Taylor obtained and wore during well-documented times in her storied life, including the filming of "Cleopatra," which launched her romance with Richard Burton, Bulgari said.
Included are Taylor's first piece of Bulgari jewelry, an emerald-and-diamond brooch which achieved a record per-carat price for any emerald at the Christie's sale. The brooch sold for $6,578,500, setting a record price for an emerald jewel and emeralds per carat at $280,000.
An emerald and diamond necklace which sold at the Christie's auction for $6.1 million, and a diamond and gold sautoir set with six ancient Roman coins acquired for $5.9 million, will also be shown along with other diamonds, sapphires and more.
The jewels, widely reported to have been bought from the Taylor estate by Bulgari at the December 2011 auction of her collection at Christie's, will go on display this week in advance of next Sunday's Academy Awards, Bulgari said.
"There couldn't have been a more appropriate celebrity to have fallen in love with Bulgari," it said in announcing the display.
Noting Taylor's "grounded" nature in contrast to her impossibly glamorous life, it said Bulgari is known for creating jewels that pair precious stones with items of no intrinsic value such as antique coins, ceramics and silk cords.
Burton, whom Taylor married and divorced twice, once famously quipped that "The only Italian word Elizabeth knows is Bulgari." The Italian luxury house was founded in 1884 in Rome by Greek Sotirios Voulgaris, known in Italy as Sotirio Bulgari.
It was acquired in 2011 for 4.3 billion euros ($6.01 billion) and other considerations by the French luxury house LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA.
Taylor died in 2011 aged 79 of congestive heart failure. The Christie's auction of her gems took in a record $116 million.
(Editing by Chris Michaud and Todd Eastham)
Country singer Mindy McCready dead in apparent suicide
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Country music star Mindy McCready, whose albums include "Ten Thousand Angels" and "If I Don't Stay the Night," was found dead on Sunday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Arkansas sheriff said. She was 37.
McCready's body was found on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene "from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound," the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Deputies had been dispatched to the area following reports of "shots fired," the sheriff's office said, adding that McCready's family had been notified.
Florida-born McCready moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to break into the country music business at the age of 18, according to allmusic.com.
She achieved early success with her 1996 debut album, "Ten Thousands Angels," which sold a reported 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed.
While successful in her career, McCready's personal life had began to unravel in recent years.
In 2004 she was convicted of prescription drug fraud and placed on parole. Three years later she spent time in jail for violating her parole terms.
The sheriff's office said McCready's body would be taken to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy, adding that "the matter will be fully investigated."
(Writing by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix; Additional reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago; Editing by Eric Beech)
Bulgari will showcase Elizabeth Taylor's gems in Oscar-week exhibit
(Reuters) - Famed jeweler Bulgari said on Sunday it would put eight pieces of the late actress Elizabeth Taylor's jewels on display at its Beverly Hills boutique, more than a year after the Hollywood star's world-class collection fetched record prices at auction.
The exhibition of pieces from that sale will include jewels Taylor obtained and wore during well-documented times in her storied life, including the filming of "Cleopatra," which launched her romance with Richard Burton, Bulgari said.
Included are Taylor's first piece of Bulgari jewelry, an emerald-and-diamond brooch which achieved a record per-carat price for any emerald at the Christie's sale. The brooch sold for $6,578,500, setting a record price for an emerald jewel and emeralds per carat at $280,000.
An emerald and diamond necklace which sold at the Christie's auction for $6.1 million, and a diamond and gold sautoir set with six ancient Roman coins acquired for $5.9 million, will also be shown along with other diamonds, sapphires and more.
The jewels, widely reported to have been bought from the Taylor estate by Bulgari at the December 2011 auction of her collection at Christie's, will go on display this week in advance of next Sunday's Academy Awards, Bulgari said.
"There couldn't have been a more appropriate celebrity to have fallen in love with Bulgari," it said in announcing the display.
Noting Taylor's "grounded" nature in contrast to her impossibly glamorous life, it said Bulgari is known for creating jewels that pair precious stones with items of no intrinsic value such as antique coins, ceramics and silk cords.
Burton, whom Taylor married and divorced twice, once famously quipped that "The only Italian word Elizabeth knows is Bulgari." The Italian luxury house was founded in 1884 in Rome by Greek Sotirios Voulgaris, known in Italy as Sotirio Bulgari.
It was acquired in 2011 for 4.3 billion euros ($6.01 billion) and other considerations by the French luxury house LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA.
Taylor died in 2011 aged 79 of congestive heart failure. The Christie's auction of her gems took in a record $116 million.
(Editing by Chris Michaud and Todd Eastham)
Country singer Mindy McCready dead in apparent suicide
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Country music star Mindy McCready, whose albums include "Ten Thousand Angels" and "If I Don't Stay the Night," was found dead on Sunday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Arkansas sheriff said. She was 37.
McCready's body was found on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene "from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound," the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Deputies had been dispatched to the area following reports of "shots fired," the sheriff's office said, adding that McCready's family had been notified.
Florida-born McCready moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to break into the country music business at the age of 18, according to allmusic.com.
She achieved early success with her 1996 debut album, "Ten Thousands Angels," which sold a reported 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed.
While successful in her career, McCready's personal life had began to unravel in recent years.
In 2004 she was convicted of prescription drug fraud and placed on parole. Three years later she spent time in jail for violating her parole terms.
The sheriff's office said McCready's body would be taken to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy, adding that "the matter will be fully investigated."
(Writing by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix; Additional reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago; Editing by Eric Beech)
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie venture into winemaking
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 17 Februari 2013 | 12.42
(Reuters) - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have gone into the wine business, helping to produce a rose called Miraval from their French estate and putting their names on the label, wine website Decanter.com reported.
The movie star couple have been working with French winemaker Marc Perrin starting with the 2012 harvest, the website said. The Miraval wine will be on the market in March, and white wines will begin arriving by the end of this summer.
"They ... want to ensure they are making the best Provence wines they can," Perrin told Britain-based Decanter.com. on Wednesday.
"They were present at the blending sessions this year, and are relooking at everything from the installations in the winery - where we have already switched to stainless steel tanks - to reworking the labels across the range of wines," he added.
The back label of the Miraval wine carries the names Jolie-Pitt and Perrin.
Pitt and Jolie began renting Chateau Miraval in Correns, southern France, about four years ago and later bought the property, which has about 148 acres of vines.
The Miraval wine was formerly called Pink Floyd because the British rock band recorded their 1979 album "The Wall" in a studio on the estate, Decanter.com said.
Pitt last year unveiled a high-end collection of furniture that he helped create with designer Frank Pollaro. He has also worked with architects to create affordable quality housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Xavier Briand)
Sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg signs book deal
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is writing a memoir about her years at the social network website where she was once director of marketing, publisher HarperCollins said on Thursday.
Zuckerberg, 30, signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins that will include her memoir "Dot Complicated," and a children's picture book, scheduled to be released in the fall.
"Technology has changed virtually every part of our lives, resulting in a modern, digital society that feels a lot like the wild, wild West," Zuckerberg said in a statement.
"I am thrilled to be working with HarperCollins to share some of my own crazy experiences on the front lines of social media, and to inspire people of all ages to embrace technology, as well as the new set of social norms that come along with it."
"Dot Complicated" will cover Zuckerberg's six-year role in marketing at Facebook and her decision to leave the social media site to set up her own company, Zuckerberg Media, an entertainment production studio.
HarperCollins said the book will also be released in a digital format that will feature "innovative and engaging interactive components" that will include social media integration and a platform for crowd-sourced stories.
Zuckerberg, who left Facebook in August 2011, served as executive producer for the Bravo reality show "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley" and is the editor of the lifestyle blog "Dot Complicated."
HarperCollins Publishers is a subsidiary of News Corp.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie venture into winemaking
(Reuters) - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have gone into the wine business, helping to produce a rose called Miraval from their French estate and putting their names on the label, wine website Decanter.com reported.
The movie star couple have been working with French winemaker Marc Perrin starting with the 2012 harvest, the website said. The Miraval wine will be on the market in March, and white wines will begin arriving by the end of this summer.
"They ... want to ensure they are making the best Provence wines they can," Perrin told Britain-based Decanter.com. on Wednesday.
"They were present at the blending sessions this year, and are relooking at everything from the installations in the winery - where we have already switched to stainless steel tanks - to reworking the labels across the range of wines," he added.
The back label of the Miraval wine carries the names Jolie-Pitt and Perrin.
Pitt and Jolie began renting Chateau Miraval in Correns, southern France, about four years ago and later bought the property, which has about 148 acres of vines.
The Miraval wine was formerly called Pink Floyd because the British rock band recorded their 1979 album "The Wall" in a studio on the estate, Decanter.com said.
Pitt last year unveiled a high-end collection of furniture that he helped create with designer Frank Pollaro. He has also worked with architects to create affordable quality housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Xavier Briand)
Sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg signs book deal
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is writing a memoir about her years at the social network website where she was once director of marketing, publisher HarperCollins said on Thursday.
Zuckerberg, 30, signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins that will include her memoir "Dot Complicated," and a children's picture book, scheduled to be released in the fall.
"Technology has changed virtually every part of our lives, resulting in a modern, digital society that feels a lot like the wild, wild West," Zuckerberg said in a statement.
"I am thrilled to be working with HarperCollins to share some of my own crazy experiences on the front lines of social media, and to inspire people of all ages to embrace technology, as well as the new set of social norms that come along with it."
"Dot Complicated" will cover Zuckerberg's six-year role in marketing at Facebook and her decision to leave the social media site to set up her own company, Zuckerberg Media, an entertainment production studio.
HarperCollins said the book will also be released in a digital format that will feature "innovative and engaging interactive components" that will include social media integration and a platform for crowd-sourced stories.
Zuckerberg, who left Facebook in August 2011, served as executive producer for the Bravo reality show "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley" and is the editor of the lifestyle blog "Dot Complicated."
HarperCollins Publishers is a subsidiary of News Corp.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
