Legendary director Sidney Lumet has died at the age of 86. The New York Times reported early Saturday that Lumet, a four time Oscar nominee, died of lymphoma. Lumet, who began his career directing theater and then television, helmed countless big screen classics. His first film, “12 Angry Men,” established him as a top director in 1957, while his 1970′s hits “Serpico,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Network” sealed his reputation as a screen legend. While he never won an Oscar for films he directed, in 2005 he was awarded an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Lumet worked with Hollywood’s biggest names, including Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Al Pacino, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Robert Duvall, and Faye Dunaway. AP: NEW YORK – Sidney Lumet, the award-winning director of such acclaimed films as “Network,” “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “12 Angry Men,” has died. He was 86. Lumet’s death was confirmed Saturday by Marc Kusnetz, who is the husband of Lumet’s stepdaughter, Leslie Gimbel. He said Lumet died during the night and had suffered from lymphoma. A Philadelphia native, Lumet moved to New York City as a child, and it became the location of choice for more than 30 of his films. Although he freely admitted to a lifelong love affair with the city, he often showed its grittier side. Such dramas as “Prince of the City,” “Q&A,” “Night Falls on Manhattan” and “Serpico” looked at the hard lives and corruptibility of New York police officers. “Dog Day Afternoon” told the true-life story of two social misfits who set in motion a chain of disastrous events when they tried to rob a New York City bank on an oppressively hot summer afternoon. “It’s not an anti-L.A. thing,” Lumet said of his New York favoritism in a 1997 interview. “I just don’t like to live in a company town.” Although he didn’t work in Los Angeles, the director maintained good relations with the Hollywood studios, partly because he finished his pictures under schedule and budget. His television beginnings had schooled him in working fast, and he rarely shot more than four takes of a scene. He was nominated four times for directing Academy Awards, and although he never won, Lumet did receive an honorary Oscar in 2005 for lifetime achievement. He also received the Directors Guild of America’s prestigious D.W. Griffith Award for lifetime achievement in 1993. Al Pacino, who produced memorable performances for Lumet in both “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Serpico,” introduced the director at the 2005 Academy Awards. “If you prayed to inhabit a character, Sidney was the priest who listened to your prayers, helped make them come true,” the actor said. Accepting the award, Lumet thanked the many directors who had inspired him, then added, “I guess I’d like to thank the movies (too).” Lumet immediately established himself as an A-list director with his first theatrical film, 1957′s “12 Angry Men,” which took an early and powerful look at racial prejudice as it depicted 12 jurors trying to reach a verdict in a trial involving a young Hispanic man wrongly accused of murder. It garnered him his first Academy Award nomination. Other Oscar nominations were for “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), “Network” (1976) and “The Verdict” (1982). “Network,” a scathing view of the television business, proved to be Lumet’s most memorable film and created an enduring catch phrase when crazed newscaster Peter Finch exhorted his audience to raise their windows and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” It won Academy Awards for Paddy Chayefsky for best screenplay, Finch as best actor (presented posthumously) and Faye Dunaway as best actress. Although best known for his hard-bitten portrayals of urban life, Lumet’s resume also included films based on noted plays: Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” and Tennessee Williams’ “Orpheus Descending,” which was made into “The Fugitive Kind.” He also dealt with such matters as the Holocaust (“The Pawnbroker”), nuclear war (“Fail-Safe”) and the convicted Soviet spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (“Daniel”). He directed a highly successful Agatha Christie mystery, the all-star “Murder on the Orient Express,” as well. Other popular Lumet films included “Running On Empty,” “Equus,” “Family Business’ and “The Wiz.” The director was born June 25, 1924, in Philadelphia to a pair of Yiddish stage performers, and he began his show business career as a child actor, appearing on radio at age 4. He made his Broadway debut in 1934 with a small role in Sidney Kingsley’s acclaimed “Dead End,” and he twice played Jesus, in Max Reinhardt’s production of “The Eternal Road” and Maxwell Anderson’s “Journey to Jerusalem.” After serving as a radar repairman in India and Burma during World War II, Lumet returned to New York and formed an acting company. In 1950, Yul Brynner, a friend and a director at CBS-TV, invited him to join the network as an assistant director. Soon he rose to director, working on 150 episodes of the “Danger” thriller as well as other series. The advent of live TV dramas boosted Lumet’s reputation. Like Arthur Penn, John Frankenheimer, Delbert Mann and other directors of television drama’s Golden Age, he smoothly made the transition to movies. Lumet continued directing features into his 80s, and in 2001 he returned to his television roots, creating, writing, directing and executive producing a cable series, “100 Centre Street.” It was filmed in his beloved New York. In 2006, he brought out “Find Me Guilty,” starring Vin Diesel and based on a true story about a mob trial in New Jersey. His final film was 2007′s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei. Lumet once claimed he didn’t seek out New York-based projects. “But any script that starts in New York has got a head start,” he said in 1999. “It’s a fact the city can become anything you want it to be.” His first three marriages ended in divorce: to actress Rita Gam, heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and Lena Horne’s daughter, Gail Jones. In 1980, he married journalist Mary Gimbel.
Continue reading …The U.S. government has a funny way of funding Sesame Street — even when the show is created in Muslim countries. The U.K. Guardian reports our Agency for International Development is funding a Pakistani edition of Elmo and friends: The financing for the series comes from USAid, the economic assistance arm of the US government, which aims to help the country's young learn some basic words and numbers through Sesame Street's fun style of education. Pakistan's schooling system is failing badly, a major reason for a descent into religious conservatism and economic stagnation. Elmo, the cheerful monster toddler from the original, will be in the Pakistani version, with new local personality touches. But other American favourites such as Count von Count – a lovable vampire who would rather count telephone rings than answer the phone – will make way for local characters in SimSim Humara (“Ours”), the Pakistani edition…. The show will have strong female characters and carry an implicit message of tolerance but will feature no pro-American propaganda or overt challenge to hardline religious sentiment. Under Barack Obama, US civilian assistance to Pakistan has tripled to $1.5bn a year but the money does not seem to have made much obvious impact. The Pakistani Sesame Street could turn out to be the most visible American aid project in Pakistan in recent years. The $20m US grant will produce the Pakistani Sesame Street for four years, with 78 episodes in Urdu and 56 in regional languages, a radio show, mobile TV vans to show the programme in remote areas and a travelling Muppet roadshow. Some will criticise the expenditure on a TV programme, but it aims to reach 3 million kids, many more than the same sum spent on school building. The Muppets will also be used to front public service messages on issues such as health, which aim to reach 95 million people. “Teaching kids early on makes them much more successful when they get to school. And this programme will have the capacity to encourage tolerance, which is so key to what we're trying to do here,” said Larry Dolan, director of the education office at USAid for Pakistan. “In terms of bang for the buck, reaching 95 million people is pretty important. This is much more than a TV programme, far more ambitious than a Sesame Street series.”
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Dead authors are still making a fortune, while John Grisham and Dan Brown lead the US rankings Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, has beaten Agatha Christie to the title of most successful – and highest earning – British crime writer of all time. The first crime writers rich list, prepared for the crime drama digital TV channel Alibi , is based on recorded sales, box office returns, licence fees and company accounts. It reveals that many dead writers, including Fleming and Christie, live on as flourishing brands. It puts Fleming in first place at more than £100m, with more than 100m copies of the Bond books sold worldwide. Christie comes a close second at £100m exactly, including ticket sales from The Mousetrap, the longest running stage play in the world, a fixture in London’s West End since 1952. But both were beaten hands down by the American writers John Grisham, at $600m (£366m), and Dan Brown, at $400m. The richest living British crime author, third behind Fleming and Christie, is Jeffrey Archer, who will launch a five-volume saga, The Clifton Chronicles, this year. He is valued at £70m, but the ranking takes into account his art collection and property, not just sales and royalties. Jack Higgins, a Jersey resident since the success of The Eagle Has Landed in 1975, is in third place at £50m plus, followed by Ken Follett, who is married to the former Labour minister Barbara Follett. Both just beat Dick Francis, the former jockey who was said to be the Queen Mother’s favourite novelist. Francis died last year, but his son Felix promises further books will be published. Labour peer Ruth Rendell, creator of Inspector Wexford, an unusually genial figure for a detective, is estimated at £30m plus and is ranked seventh, followed by Ian Rankin, creator of the more typically glum Rebus, at £25m. Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse, just missed the top 10, with a fortune estimated at £20m. The channel is launching a competition for aspiring new crimewriters, who can win a holiday in Sweden, home of the most miserable of all the gloomy detectives, Wallander. The top 10 UK crime authors Ian Fleming £100m+ Agatha Christie £100m Jeffrey Archer £70m Jack Higgins £50m+ Ken Follett £50m Dick Francis, just under £50m Ruth Rendell £30m+ Lee Child £30m Ian Rankin £25m Alexander McCall Smith £20m Top 10 US crime writers John Grisham $600m Dan Brown $400m Patricia Cornwell $300m+ Robert Ludlum $300m Michael Crichton $300m Michael Connelly $250m Thomas Harris $150m Elmore Leonard $100m Ed McBain $75m James Ellroy $50m Crime fiction Fiction Agatha Christie Dan Brown Ian Rankin Jeffrey Archer John Grisham Ian Fleming Ken Follett Ruth Rendell Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Sarah Palin thinks Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and all, but says of Donald Trump’s sudden quest for the president’s birth certificate, “More power to him.” Asked her opinion yesterday by Fox News, Palin replied, “Well, I appreciate that the Donald wants to spend his resources in getting to…
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Check out preview of Beyonce busting a move for the “Let’s Move! Flash Workout” campaign! The 29-year-old entertainer is partnering with First Lady Michelle Obama to tackle childhood obesity and promote the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. Bey re-wrote and re-recorded her song “Get Me Bodied” for a dance/exercise routine video that will be distributed to Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Just Jared Discovery Date : 09/04/2011 13:20 Number of articles : 2
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Aintree to review safety after two horses died following race in sweltering heat and over firmer ground than usual The Grand National has been compared to “Spanish bullfighting” and its organisers accused of “ritualised animal cruelty” after Saturday’s race in sweltering heat and firmer than usual ground left two horses dead and the winning animal too exhausted to be ridden into the winner’s enclosure. The annual controversy over the dangers of the meeting intensified further after a jockey riding in the Maghull Novices’ Chase – a race that did not feature the National fences – was put in a medically-induced coma after sustaining head injuries when his horse fell at the first fence earlier on Saturday. The National, run over ground officially described as “good, good-to-soft in places”, was won by Ballabriggs in nine minutes and one second, making it the second fastest ever. The speed at which the horses travelled increased the likelihood of injuries. Only 19 of the 40 horses that started the race finished it. Ten fell; five were pulled up; four unseated their riders; and two were brought down by other fallers. The two horses that died fell during the first circuit of the four-and-a-half-mile race. Ornais tumbled at the fourth fence, breaking its neck, while Dooneys Gate fell at the sixth, Becher’s Brook, breaking its back. Their falls led to both fences being bypassed in the second circuit, the first time such action has been taken in the history of the Grand National. The race also appeared to have taken a heavy toll on Ballabriggs, which was given oxygen and doused with water to cool it down. Its rider, Jason Maguire, had to dismount and enter the winner’s enclosure on foot. Three of the first four horses to finish were too exhausted to enter the winners’ enclosure and went directly to their stables. The protest group Animal Aid, which pointed out that 20 horses have died on the Grand National course since 2000, called for the event to be banned, saying it “should have no future in a civilised country”. Its director, Andrew Tyler, said: “When horses are killed at the Grand National meeting, their deaths are not accidents but entirely predictable. The public has been conned into believing that the Grand National is a great sporting spectacle when, in reality, it is straightforward animal abuse that is on a par with Spanish bullfighting.” The League Against Cruel Sports described the race as “ritualised animal cruelty” and accused its sponsor, brewers John Smith’s, of putting “their profits into sponsoring the cruelty”. Tony Moore, chairman of Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe (Faace), said the deaths were “not only sad … [but] inevitable”, adding: “We are going to continue campaigning and raising awareness of this tragedy and perhaps we can make it change, make people think about what they are putting the horses through.” The BBC also came in for criticism for its coverage of the animals’ deaths after its commentator, Mick Fitzgerald, referred to the dead horses as “obstacles”. “[It] deserves special condemnation for all but concealing news of the deaths,” said Tyler. “In fact, one of its commentary team described the dead horses as they lay on the course as ‘obstacles’, which was particularly disgusting and callous.” The corporation defended its coverage, saying it had been aware of the fatalities and had tried to cover them with “as much sensitivity as possible”. A spokeswoman added: “Clare [Balding] was also most sensitive in her reporting of the incidents and even touched on it in her closing links to the programme.” The race’s organisers said they were “desperately sad” over what had happened and promised a thorough review of Saturday’s events. “When a horse gets hurt, everyone is deeply upset,” said Julian Thick, managing director of Aintree racecourse. “Safety is the first priority for the organisers of the Grand National meeting and we will redouble our efforts to make sure that everyone involved in the event – the horses, the jockeys, the spectators – is able to participate in safety and comfort.” The RSPCA confirmed that it would be taking a close look at the race footage to see if anything could have been done to prevent the deaths. “The death of a horse at any race meeting is never justifiable and it is crucial that, wherever possible, steps are taken to reduce the likelihood of such tragedies occurring,” said a spokeswoman. “The Grand National is the most testing of races and due to the number of runners, the distance of the race and the number and variety of obstacles there is a higher risk to horses.” Meanwhile, the jockey who suffered bleeding on the right side of his brain when his horse fell in the Maghull Novices’ Chase on Saturday remained in a stable condition. Peter Toole, 22, was taken to Fazakerley hospital, near Aintree, but was later transferred to the neighbouring Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Trainer Charlie Mann, to whom Toole is attached, said: “He’s in an induced coma and he won’t be brought out until Monday at the earliest. He has bleeding on the right-hand side of his brain. “He also dislocated a shoulder, which has been put back in place. He’s on a ventilator, and it’s not great – but we won’t know any more until Monday.”His weighing-room colleague David Crosse added: “I’ve spoken to Peter’s dad, who said he remains stable, but with no improvement. He’s going to be sedated for 24 hours.” Grand National Horse racing Grand National 2011 Animal welfare Animals BBC Sam Jones guardian.co.uk
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Asif Ali Zardari criticises members of US Congress and US media in Guardian interview The war in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan and seriously undermining efforts to restore its democratic institutions and economic prosperity after a decade of military dictatorship, Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, has told the Guardian. Speaking during an exclusive interview in the imposing presidential residence in Islamabad, Zardari also pointed to widespread concern in Pakistan at the slow pace of efforts to end the Afghan conflict, and said some US politicians showed limited understanding of the impact of American policies. “Just as the Mexican drug war on US borders makes a difference to Texas and American society, we are talking about a war on our border which is obviously having a huge effect. Only today a suicide bomber has attacked a police compound in Baluchistan. I think it [the Afghan war] has an effect on the entire region, and specially our country,” Zardari said. Asked about harsh criticism of Pakistan’s co-operation in the “war on terror” published in a White House report last week, Zardari said Pakistan always listened to Washington’s views. But he suggested some members of Congress and the US media did not know what they were talking about when it came to Pakistan. “The United States has been an ally of Pakistan for the last 60 years. We respect and appreciate their political system. So every time a new parliament comes in, new boys come in, new representatives come in, it takes them time to understand the international situation. Not Obama, but the Congress, interest groups and the media get affected by ‘deadline-itis’ [over ending the Afghan war],” Zardari said. “I think it is maybe 12 years since America has become engaged in Afghanistan and obviously everybody’s patience is on edge, especially the American public, which is looking for answers. There are no short-term answers and it is very difficult to make the American taxpayer understand.” With less than three months left before Barack Obama has promised to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, the White House recriminations reflected the growing pressures on all three governments to agree a workable, long-term strategy. The report complained bitterly that after years of US funding of the Pakistani military, “there remains no clear path towards defeating the insurgency” inside Pakistan. It criticised as ineffectual Pakistani army operations in some areas of the western tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, which are believed to be used as safe havens by Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida elements. A congressional panel also weighed in this week, urging the Obama administration to abandon Pakistan in favour of India. “Pakistan is about to go broke or collapse,” said Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat. Zardari suggested that if that assertion were true, the interventionist policies of the US and other foreign governments in south Asia would be a significant contributory factor. Pakistan had been in a state of “security alert” for several decades, he said. “Our emphasis has been on security rather than our commerce and we need commerce for our survival. “We have all the gas in the world waiting to go through to markets in India and the Red Sea but it cannot be brought in until Afghanistan is settled. So Afghanistan is a growth issue for us. I think most of the time, the quantification of the effect of the war is not calculated [by the US]. “Prices are going up, obviously we are a high fuel-importing country, and fuel prices are going up. Because of the war situation, the industry in one of our provinces has practically closed down … When one whole sector is not working, there is an effect on the other sectors.” According to senior intelligence officials, the “war on terror” has cost the Pakistani economy approximately $68bn (£42bn) since 2001. More than 33,300 Pakistani civilians and military personnel have been killed or seriously injured. Last year’s record-breaking floods added to the strain on the economy. Zardari said the security situation was also undercutting efforts to strengthen democratic institutions bypassed or overturned during the military rule of his predecessor, General Pervez Musharraf. “Democracy is evolving. It’s a new democracy. It takes time to bring institutions back. Destroying institutions during a decade of dictatorial regime is easy … So there is a political impact as well as an economic impact.” Pakistani officials say relations with the US reached a “low ebb” following the recent row over Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who shot dead two Pakistanis ; a CIA drone attack in Pakistan’s tribal areas last month that accidentally killed dozens of civilian elders meeting in a jirga (council), and Pakistan’s suspicions that it is being excluded from discussions about an Afghan peace deal. Zardari, who is expected to visit Washington next month, said he would ask Obama to share drone technology with Pakistan so future attacks could be planned and directed under a “Pakistani flag”. Although this request had been turned down in the past, he said he was hopeful the Americans would be more receptive this time, given the huge anger and rising anti-American feeling that the drone attacks were causing. Zardari and other senior government officials said all parties felt a sense of growing urgency about forging an inclusive peace settlement in Afghanistan, but the process must be “Afghan-led”. Pakistan was ready to play its part, consistent with its national interest, they said. Salman Bashir, Pakistan’s foreign secretary, said: “Everybody is gradually coming round to our point of view that this requires greater diplomatic pressure. There is no military solution in Afghanistan.” Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari Afghanistan United States Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk
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Church services were held Sunday in a quiet suburb outside Amsterdam to mourn six people killed by a gunman at a crowded mall, as investigators puzzled over his motive and struggled to explain how he was able to obtain and legally own firearms. (April 10)
Continue reading …Cantor admits Social Security and Medicare ‘aren’t going to be there’ when he retires
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media It may just be wishful thinking. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) admitted Sunday that he didn’t expect Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare to be around when he retires. “What we [House Republicans] have said is this: We’ll protect today’s seniors and those nearing retirement, but for the rest of us, all of us, who are 54 and younger, I know the programs are not going to be there for me when I retire,” Cantor told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “They can’t,” he added. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveiled last week the Republican plan to cut $6 trillion from federal spending over ten years, including deep cuts to entitlements. Medicaid alone would be cut by $760 billion. “The Medicaid reductions are off the baseline,” Cantor explained. “So what we’re saying is allow states to have the flexibility to deal with their populations, their indigent populations and the health care needs the way they know how to deal with them.” “But you are giving them less money to do it,” Wallace noted. “In terms of the baseline, that is correct,” Cantor admitted. “We believe that if you put in place the mechanisms that allow for personal choice as far as Medicare is concerned, as well as the programs in Medicaid, that we can actually get to a better resolve and do what most Americans are learning how to do, which is to do more with less.” A recent NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll found that 76 percent of Americans consider it unacceptable to cut Medicare, while 67 oppose cutting Medicaid, despite their deficit concerns. Cantor also told NPR last week that it simply wasn’t possible for America’s most beloved entitlement programs to survive. “We’re going to have to come to grips with the fact that these programs cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be,” he said. “Eric Cantor’s statement underscores that, now, [Republicans] are willing to turn on seniors by taking away the very bedrock of their financial and health security,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s (D-IL) said during at Thursday conference call. “With all due respect, what the Congresswoman is saying is simply untrue — Eric has made clear for months that he is committed to ensuring the long-term viability of these programs by addressing their solvency issues now,” Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring told Raw Story .
Continue reading …Welcome to a new NB feature, in which we'll highlight politically and rhetorically extreme posts of
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