Actress Lake Bell finds her directorial voice "In A World"

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - In a world where men rule the voice-over industry, actress Lake Bell brings a tale of women versus men and old versus new in her directorial debut comedy.

"In A World," which premiered at the Sundance Film festival this week, follows voice-over artist Carol (Bell) attempting to follow in the daunting footsteps of her father (Fred Melamed), a famous and respected voice who is struggling to stay relevant as new talent emerges.

Written and directed by Bell, 33, who is best known for supporting roles in movies such as "No Strings Attached" and "What Happens in Vegas," "In A World" is a quirky comedy with an unlikely heroine.

Bell talked to Reuters about the struggles of being in the voice-over world, her disdain for women with "sexy baby" voices, and what her superhero power would be.

Q: What drew you to the voice-over world for your film?

A: "I always envisioned that I was going to be one of the great voice-over artists. I thought I was going to kill it when I got to Hollywood. Since I was a kid, I loved accents, I collected them ... I would manipulate my voice to make people laugh all the time. I liked this idea of being a blind voice - you could be any ethnicity, you could be from any country, you could be any race. I thought it was so cool that you wouldn't be judged by who you are."

Q: Your character, Carol, has to struggle with being a woman trying to break into the male-dominated world. Is that echoing the real-life industry?

A: "I started getting into the idea of the omniscient voice, the people who announce and tell you what to buy or how you should think about things, they help form your opinions. These random people from the sky, they always were male, and I thought it was an interesting subject to attack because why aren't there any ladies? What are we, not omniscient? Are we not God?"

Q: How much of your own career struggles are reflected in Carol's story?

A: "What's interesting about Carol's message is that she is a woman trying to find her voice, literally and also figuratively. As a filmmaker, I'm definitely embarking on this really beautiful journey of finding what my comedic voice is or what my filmic voice is.

"I'm lucky enough to have friends who took a chance on me and be in this film with me and respect me enough to let me direct them to do something different than maybe they've ever done before. There's definitely parallels in feeling like I'm finding my own voice."

Q: Was this an autobiographical film for you?

A: "It's not anymore. Draft one is autobiographical, but by draft 25, it's something else after so many rewrites, it takes on its own life. That's what's so cool about writing, you never know where it's going to lead. I often like to write when I'm acting in something else because then I can show up and be part of the machine and be around creative people, and then come home and go off into different worlds in my head."

Q: What do you want people to take away from watching this?

A: "I would hope in a fantasy world that the message is, people would somehow become aware of their own voice and respect it, because it's a privilege. Women are plagued by the "sexy baby" vocal virus that is taken on, that is rampant in this nation. I just think that people should take themselves more seriously and give themselves a little more credit."

Q: Do you have a dream role you'd like to play?

A: "The dream role is that I'm a superhero. I want to be a superhero ... I want to have a superhero outfit because I like dressing up a lot. That would be fun."

Q: What would your superhero power be?

A: "Right now, it'd be quelling the 'sexy baby' (voices) of the world and extinguishing them."

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Christopher Wilson)

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Whitney Houston's mother wonders if she could have saved singer

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whitney Houston's mother has told People magazine that she questions her skills as a parent and wonders if she could have saved her superstar daughter from the drug use that played a role in her death.

"Was I a good mother?" Cissy Houston, 79, was quoted as telling the celebrity magazine in an advance excerpt released on Wednesday from the magazine's Friday edition.

"I still wonder if I could have saved her somehow. But there's no book written on how to be a parent. You do the best you can."

Whitney Houston drowned accidentally in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February 11, 2012, after taking cocaine and after a well-chronicled battle with drug addiction. She was 48.

Cissy Houston, a singer in her own right, talked to People about her daughter's personal life and career while promoting her upcoming memoir, "Remembering Whitney."

In the memoir, Cissy Houston says she was not aware of the early "partying" days of her daughter, known to the family as "Nippy."

"I had no idea about Nippy's 'partying.' And the truth is, back then I didn't really want to know about it," she writes, according to excerpts released to People.

Cissy Houston also discussed her daughter's ex-husband Bobby Brown, who has had his own substance abuse problems and run-ins with the law. "He didn't help her, that's for damn sure," Houston told the celebrity magazine of Brown.

The Grammy-winning singer left behind her only child, Bobbi Kristina, 19, who was hospitalized twice with anxiety after her mother's death.

Last fall, Cissy, Bobbi Kristina, the singer's brother and sister-in-law starred in a 14-episode reality show for cable channel Lifetime about their struggle to cope after Houston's death called "The Houstons: On Our Own."

Houston told the magazine she was "worried" about granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and "trying to make sure she doesn't (follow the same path)" as her famous mother.

Cissy Houston's interview with People, and excerpts from her memoir, can be found in the issue which reaches newsstands on January 25.

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Claudia Parsons)

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Actress Lake Bell finds her directorial voice "In A World"

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - In a world where men rule the voice-over industry, actress Lake Bell brings a tale of women versus men and old versus new in her directorial debut comedy.

"In A World," which premiered at the Sundance Film festival this week, follows voice-over artist Carol (Bell) attempting to follow in the daunting footsteps of her father (Fred Melamed), a famous and respected voice who is struggling to stay relevant as new talent emerges.

Written and directed by Bell, 33, who is best known for supporting roles in movies such as "No Strings Attached" and "What Happens in Vegas," "In A World" is a quirky comedy with an unlikely heroine.

Bell talked to Reuters about the struggles of being in the voice-over world, her disdain for women with "sexy baby" voices, and what her superhero power would be.

Q: What drew you to the voice-over world for your film?

A: "I always envisioned that I was going to be one of the great voice-over artists. I thought I was going to kill it when I got to Hollywood. Since I was a kid, I loved accents, I collected them ... I would manipulate my voice to make people laugh all the time. I liked this idea of being a blind voice - you could be any ethnicity, you could be from any country, you could be any race. I thought it was so cool that you wouldn't be judged by who you are."

Q: Your character, Carol, has to struggle with being a woman trying to break into the male-dominated world. Is that echoing the real-life industry?

A: "I started getting into the idea of the omniscient voice, the people who announce and tell you what to buy or how you should think about things, they help form your opinions. These random people from the sky, they always were male, and I thought it was an interesting subject to attack because why aren't there any ladies? What are we, not omniscient? Are we not God?"

Q: How much of your own career struggles are reflected in Carol's story?

A: "What's interesting about Carol's message is that she is a woman trying to find her voice, literally and also figuratively. As a filmmaker, I'm definitely embarking on this really beautiful journey of finding what my comedic voice is or what my filmic voice is.

"I'm lucky enough to have friends who took a chance on me and be in this film with me and respect me enough to let me direct them to do something different than maybe they've ever done before. There's definitely parallels in feeling like I'm finding my own voice."

Q: Was this an autobiographical film for you?

A: "It's not anymore. Draft one is autobiographical, but by draft 25, it's something else after so many rewrites, it takes on its own life. That's what's so cool about writing, you never know where it's going to lead. I often like to write when I'm acting in something else because then I can show up and be part of the machine and be around creative people, and then come home and go off into different worlds in my head."

Q: What do you want people to take away from watching this?

A: "I would hope in a fantasy world that the message is, people would somehow become aware of their own voice and respect it, because it's a privilege. Women are plagued by the "sexy baby" vocal virus that is taken on, that is rampant in this nation. I just think that people should take themselves more seriously and give themselves a little more credit."

Q: Do you have a dream role you'd like to play?

A: "The dream role is that I'm a superhero. I want to be a superhero ... I want to have a superhero outfit because I like dressing up a lot. That would be fun."

Q: What would your superhero power be?

A: "Right now, it'd be quelling the 'sexy baby' (voices) of the world and extinguishing them."

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Christopher Wilson)

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Whitney Houston's mother wonders if she could have saved singer

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whitney Houston's mother has told People magazine that she questions her skills as a parent and wonders if she could have saved her superstar daughter from the drug use that played a role in her death.

"Was I a good mother?" Cissy Houston, 79, was quoted as telling the celebrity magazine in an advance excerpt released on Wednesday from the magazine's Friday edition.

"I still wonder if I could have saved her somehow. But there's no book written on how to be a parent. You do the best you can."

Whitney Houston drowned accidentally in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February 11, 2012, after taking cocaine and after a well-chronicled battle with drug addiction. She was 48.

Cissy Houston, a singer in her own right, talked to People about her daughter's personal life and career while promoting her upcoming memoir, "Remembering Whitney."

In the memoir, Cissy Houston says she was not aware of the early "partying" days of her daughter, known to the family as "Nippy."

"I had no idea about Nippy's 'partying.' And the truth is, back then I didn't really want to know about it," she writes, according to excerpts released to People.

Cissy Houston also discussed her daughter's ex-husband Bobby Brown, who has had his own substance abuse problems and run-ins with the law. "He didn't help her, that's for damn sure," Houston told the celebrity magazine of Brown.

The Grammy-winning singer left behind her only child, Bobbi Kristina, 19, who was hospitalized twice with anxiety after her mother's death.

Last fall, Cissy, Bobbi Kristina, the singer's brother and sister-in-law starred in a 14-episode reality show for cable channel Lifetime about their struggle to cope after Houston's death called "The Houstons: On Our Own."

Houston told the magazine she was "worried" about granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and "trying to make sure she doesn't (follow the same path)" as her famous mother.

Cissy Houston's interview with People, and excerpts from her memoir, can be found in the issue which reaches newsstands on January 25.

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Claudia Parsons)

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Justin Bieber tops Lady Gaga to rule Twitter

(Reuters) - Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber with his hordes of fans known of Beliebers became the King of Twitter on Tuesday, topping fellow pop star Lady Gaga as the user with the most followers.

Data from TwitterCounter.com showed that the 18-year-old Canadian singer jumped into the lead with 33.33 million followers, topping Lady Gaga's 33.32 million and ending her two-and-a-half year rule of the microblogging site.

A spokesman from TwitterCounter.com said Lady Gaga has held the top slot on Twitter since August 2010 when she overtook U.S. pop star Britney Spears.

Bieber rose to fame as a baby-faced pop star singing love songs such as "Baby" after being discovered on YouTube in 2008. He has released two No. 1 albums in the past 18 months - the holiday-themed "Under the Mistletoe" and "Believe."

Bieber was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world and his huge following on Twitter was cited as a reason why marketers need to take notice of the 140-character micro-blogging site.

Lady Gaga has dropped to second in Twitter followed by singer Katy Perry in third with 31.49 million followers then Rihanna and Barack Obama with 26.17 million followers. Britney Spears has slipped to sixth place.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; editing by Patricia Reaney)

(You can see the Twitter top 100 list http://twittercounter.com/pages/100)

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Singer Shakira, soccer star Gerard Pique welcome baby

(Reuters) - Singer Shakira gave birth to her first child, a boy, on Tuesday in Barcelona, the Colombian pop star said on her website.

The "Hips Don't Lie" singer and her boyfriend, the Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, named the six-pound, six-ounce (three kilograms) boy Milan.

"Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn) means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious, and in Sanskrit, unification," the star said in a statement posted on her website.

"Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth," the couple joked in a statement. Pique is a defender for Spanish La Liga runner-up FC Barcelona.

Shakira, 35, announced her pregnancy in September after bowing out of a performance in Las Vegas.

The couple last week asked fans to donate gifts such as mosquito nets and vaccines to help needy children in an online baby shower. Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Shakira has signed on to be a judge on the upcoming season of the hit singing contest "The Voice," which is broadcast by U.S. network NBC. She and R&B singer Usher will replace judges Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.

The singer fist met Pique, 25, in 2010, but only confirmed that they had been in a relationship in March 2011.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Elaine Lies)

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Justin Bieber tops Lady Gaga to rule Twitter

(Reuters) - Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber with his hordes of fans known of Beliebers became the King of Twitter on Tuesday, topping fellow pop star Lady Gaga as the user with the most followers.

Data from TwitterCounter.com showed that the 18-year-old Canadian singer jumped into the lead with 33.33 million followers, topping Lady Gaga's 33.32 million and ending her two-and-a-half year rule of the microblogging site.

A spokesman from TwitterCounter.com said Lady Gaga has held the top slot on Twitter since August 2010 when she overtook U.S. pop star Britney Spears.

Bieber rose to fame as a baby-faced pop star singing love songs such as "Baby" after being discovered on YouTube in 2008. He has released two No. 1 albums in the past 18 months - the holiday-themed "Under the Mistletoe" and "Believe."

Bieber was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world and his huge following on Twitter was cited as a reason why marketers need to take notice of the 140-character micro-blogging site.

Lady Gaga has dropped to second in Twitter followed by singer Katy Perry in third with 31.49 million followers then Rihanna and Barack Obama with 26.17 million followers. Britney Spears has slipped to sixth place.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; editing by Patricia Reaney)

(You can see the Twitter top 100 list http://twittercounter.com/pages/100)

12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Singer Shakira, soccer star Gerard Pique welcome baby

(Reuters) - Singer Shakira gave birth to her first child, a boy, on Tuesday in Barcelona, the Colombian pop star said on her website.

The "Hips Don't Lie" singer and her boyfriend, the Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, named the six-pound, six-ounce (three kilograms) boy Milan.

"Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn) means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious, and in Sanskrit, unification," the star said in a statement posted on her website.

"Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth," the couple joked in a statement. Pique is a defender for Spanish La Liga runner-up FC Barcelona.

Shakira, 35, announced her pregnancy in September after bowing out of a performance in Las Vegas.

The couple last week asked fans to donate gifts such as mosquito nets and vaccines to help needy children in an online baby shower. Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Shakira has signed on to be a judge on the upcoming season of the hit singing contest "The Voice," which is broadcast by U.S. network NBC. She and R&B singer Usher will replace judges Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.

The singer fist met Pique, 25, in 2010, but only confirmed that they had been in a relationship in March 2011.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Elaine Lies)

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Michelle Obama again picks designer Wu for inaugural gown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was one of the biggest questions of Monday's inaugural celebrations: not what would President Barack Obama say, but what would his wife, Michelle Obama, wear?

The first lady cemented her reputation as an international style trend-setter with her choice of a Jason Wu red sleeveless ball gown in the evening, and a striking business-style blue navy coat and dress for the ceremonial daytime events.

It was a huge win for U.S. designer Wu making one of his ball gowns her choice for a second straight inauguration.

The first lady appeared for her first dance of the night with the president at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball for U.S. service members in a ruby-colored chiffon and full-length velvet gown custom made by the New York-based designer.

Her shoes were from the London-based Malaysian-Chinese designer Jimmy Choo, and she wore a diamond-embellished ring handmade by jeweler Kimberly McDonald of New York.

Michelle Obama helped make Wu a household name by choosing a white chiffon gown he designed for the balls celebrating her husband's first inauguration in 2009. Wu, now 30, has since had significant commercial success, but his creations in the two inaugurations has won him a place in U.S. fashion history.

Dressing the first lady, a Harvard-trained lawyer known for her style, can be a huge boost for a fashion designer or retail chain.

Praised for wearing high-end designers as well as pieces from mass-market stores, the first lady has won over fashion critics in her four years in the White House.

"Icon's a big word and it sometimes gets over used, but I think if we're going to use it, we can use it now," said Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, adding, "What makes her a real icon is the work that she does and the woman that she is."

Dresses, sweaters, shoes and belts she has worn have sold out at retailers from designer showrooms to mass market chains including Gap Inc., J. Crew and Target Corp., for which Wu has designed low-priced fashions.

Earlier on Monday, the first lady wore a navy coat and dress by designer Thom Browne, inspired by the fabric of a man's silk tie.

Her belt and gloves were from J.Crew, a chain that is a fixture in U.S. shopping malls; the necklace and earrings were designed by Cathy Waterman. The suede boots were by Reed Krakoff, as was the short blue cardigan she wore to a celebratory lunch in the Capitol.

BIG-TICKET INDUSTRY

Best known for men's clothing, Browne boasts a string of design awards, most recently, a prestigious National Design Award for fashion from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

"She likes well-tailored clothes, so the inspiration was doing something that looked tailored and structured and fitted through the body and somewhat A-line for the skirt and the dress," Browne told the Los Angeles Times.

Style mavens credit the 49-year-old first lady with changing the way American women put together their outfits, and, by patronizing U.S. designers, bolstering a multibillion-dollar industry.

A 2010 study from New York University's Stern School of Business found that a single appearance by the first lady can generate $14 million in value for a company.

Famed for her toned arms, Obama set a trend for sleeveless tops. Her cardigans and belted dresses have prompted many working women to switch from blazers and suits in the workplace.

"Michelle looks good however, wherever, whatever she does. Michelle looks good in her sleeping gown," said Sharon Johnson, a therapist who came from Baltimore to watch the inauguration, and joked that she is still looking for the green leather gloves Obama wore on Inauguration Day four years ago.

"Her beauty is so far inside, and shines so far outside," Johnson said.

When Michelle Obama held the Bible for her husband during his official swearing-in on Sunday, she wore a dark blue dress by Reed Krakoff, the creative director for the Coach leather goods company, who has become a fashion designer.

On Sunday night, she wore a sleeveless black sequined dress by Michael Kors to an inaugural reception for supporters.

At that reception, President Obama weighed in on what he termed the most "significant" event of the inaugural weekend, his wife's hotly discussed new hairstyle.

"I love her bangs," Obama said. "She looks good. She always looks good."

Interest in Michelle Obama's clothing has extended to the outfits worn by her two daughters. On Monday, the White House said Malia, 14, was wearing a J.Crew ensemble and Sasha, 11, wore a Kate Spade coat and dress.

Obama is a far bigger influence on U.S. fashion than most of her predecessors. Laura Bush favored suits by Oscar de la Renta and Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, is best known for wearing a range of brightly colored pants suits.

Even stylish Jackie Kennedy wore mostly European designers.

Obama's fashion choices have not always been applauded. Some Americans were angry when she wore a red gown from a British label - Alexander McQueen - to a 2011 state dinner for China's president.

Kolb dismissed such concerns, noting that fashion is a global business and that U.S. designers are thrilled when, for example, Kate Middleton, the wife of Britain's Prince of Wales, wears their clothing.

"At the end of the day, we get up in the morning and we look in our closet and we have to feel good about what we put on," he said.

At the end of the inaugural festivities, Michelle Obama's outfits and accompanying accessories will go to the National Archives.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

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Berlusconi sex trial verdict due after February vote

MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi will not face a verdict in a trial where he is charged with paying for sex with a juvenile prostitute until after elections next month, according to a decision by judges that could help his political comeback.

A new timetable of hearings set by Milan judges on Monday shows the last session in the trial will be held on March 11, well after the February 24-25 elections.

The decision will be welcomed by Berlusconi, who had feared a verdict in the middle of his campaign for a fifth term in office. Milan judges last week rejected his request to have the trial suspended until after the elections.

Berlusconi, who has surged in opinion polls in recent weeks but still lags the centre-left Democratic Party, is charged with paying for sex with a minor, and denies all charges.

The judges on Monday again rejected a bid by Berlusconi's lawyers to have the trial halted.

The lawyers, Niccolo Ghedini and Piero Longo, justified their new request by saying they are both standing for Berlusconi's party in the Veneto region and would not be able to campaign if the trial went ahead.

Judge Giulia Turri said the argument was "too generic".

According to the new timetable, the prosecutor in the case is expected to make her final arguments and request Berlusconi's to be convicted on February 11.

Berlusconi could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison but would not serve time unless he also lost the two appeals allowed by Italian law, usually a lengthy process.

The nightclub dancer at the centre of the case, 20 year-old Moroccan Karima El Mahroug, more widely known under her stage name "Ruby the Heartstealer", made a brief appearance in court last week.

Berlusconi is charged of paying for sex with her when she was under 18, which is a crime in Italy.

He is also accused of abusing the power of his office as prime minister to have her released from police custody when she was briefly held over separate theft allegations.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 28.

(Reporting By Manuela D'Alessandro, Writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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