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| KKR, Apax to bid for Vivendi's GVT: report Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:18 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Private equity firms KKR and Apax Partners are teaming up to bid for French media group Vivendi's Brazilian telecoms subsidiary GVT, according to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. The KKR-Apax group is said to be willing to pay as much as 5 billion euros ($6.8 billion) for GVT, below Vivendi's asking price of 8 billion, the report said. BTG Pactual Group, Latin America's largest investment bank, is "still considering" whether to join the bid, it added. The group would be bidding against U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York Times says targeted by China hackers after Wen report Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:07 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - The New York Times said on Thursday that Chinese hackers had "persistently" attacked its computers over the past four months since the paper published a story on Premier Wen Jiabao, but sensitive material related to the report was not accessed. The New York Times said the attacks coincided with its report last October that Wen's family had accumulated at least $2.7 billion in "hidden riches". China said at the time the report smeared its name and had ulterior motives. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Gomer Pyle" actor Jim Nabors weds longtime male partner Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:40 PM PST SEATTLE (Reuters) - American actor Jim Nabors, the star of 1960s television comedy "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," married his longtime male partner at a Seattle hotel this month. Nabors, 82, also a singer, wed 64-year-old Stan Cadwallader, his partner of some 38 years, in a ceremony before a judge on January 15 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, where the couple traveled after same sex marriage became legal in Washington state last month. "I was just trying to solidify all of our years together," Nabors told Reuters on Wednesday from Hawaii, where the two live. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. porn star Ron Jeremy resting after aneurysm surgery Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 06:07 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran pornography actor Ron Jeremy, one of the industry's biggest stars, was resting after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday for an aneurysm near his heart, his manager said. Jeremy, 59, who appeared in more than 2,000 adult films, drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles early on Wednesday after suffering from chest pains. "He just felt chest pains, like a very heavy weight," Jeremy's manager Mike Esterman said. "He is being worked on for an aneurysm near his heart. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace in talks for Soviet thriller Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 04:39 PM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace are in talks to star in "Child 44," a thriller that Ridley Scott and Michael Costigan are producing for Scott Free Productions, individuals with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap. "Safe House" filmmaker Daniel Espinosa will direct from a script by Richard Price, who is adapting Tom Rob Smith's novel. Set in Josef Stalin's Soviet Union, the story follows Leo Demidov, a disgraced intelligence agent investigating a series of child murders. The paranoid Soviet government then becomes suspicious of his investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Last of 1940s hitmakers Andrews Sisters dies in California Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:40 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of popular The Andrews Sisters singing trio of the 1940s and 1950s, has died in California at the age of 94, her spokesman said on Wednesday. Alan Eichler said Andrews died of natural causes at her home in the Northridge area of Los Angeles. Patty Andrews was the youngest of the threesome who made up The Andrews Sisters, whose tight harmonies with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" were hits. ... Full Story | Top |
| ABC orders comedies 'Bad Management,' untitled Andrea Abbate project to pilot Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:08 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - ABC has ordered single-camera comedies "Bad Management" and an untitled Andrea Abbate project to pilot, the network said on Wednesday. 20th Century Fox's Andrea Abbate-written half-hour comedy is being executive-produced by Shawn Levy, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of 21 Laps/Adelstein Productions. The series will follow the mother of an adopted African-American boy who takes on the responsibility of raising her brother's kids after he is sent to prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| Glut of R-rated movies putting Box Office on overload Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:08 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Bullet to the Head," the guns-blazing, axe-swinging action film from Sylvester Stallone, arrives Friday and is the latest violent, R-rated movie to open in January. The month itself could be rated "R" - for Repetitious. Nine of the 11 movies released widely since the start of the year and Friday are rated "R." Of last weekend's top 10 films, eight carried the restricted rating, which requires youngsters under 17 to be accompanied by an adult. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Time Warner kicks off possible sale of NY headquarters Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:53 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc is considering selling its New York headquarters and has asked real estate brokers to evaluate the building's value, potentially giving up on a monument to the dot-com era. One source said the company could still hang onto its portion of the Time Warner Center, a complex that Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes once called an "indulgence." Time Warner's 1.1 million square-foot headquarters is part of the larger Timer Warner Center, which the company now known as AREA Property Partners and Related Cos finished in Manhattan's Columbus Circle neighborhood in 2004. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mary Wells, singer of 'My Guy,' gets posthumous Rock Hall push Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:30 PM PST (Reuters) - Mary Wells, Motown Records' first female star who paved the way for the success of Diana Ross and The Supremes, shot to fame in the early 1960s only to fade away as a footnote of the longtime Detroit record label. Now, some two decades after Wells' death in 1992 at age 49, the singer who scored a No. 1 hit with "My Guy," is receiving a push for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lindsay Lohan could face jail after March trial in California Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 01:54 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan will stand trial on March 18 on charges she lied to California police about a June car crash and violated probation, raising the possibility she could be sent back to jail. A judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday set the trial date on charges related to the car crash and said the court will hold a hearing at the same time on whether Lohan in the incident violated probation from a 2011 jewelry theft. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey to join The Muppets in crime comedy caper Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 01:09 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Muppets are planning to dominate the big screen again with a 1960s-style comedy caper starring Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey, director James Bobin said on Wednesday. "The Muppets ... Again!" will follow the Muppets cast - including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy - as they take their show on a world tour only to be unwittingly ensnared in an international theft scheme perpetrated by villain Constantine, who looks identical to Kermit. Gervais plays the sidekick to villain Constantine, while Fey takes on the role of prison guard Nadya. ... Full Story | Top |
| Porn star Ron Jeremy hospitalized with aneurysm Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 01:01 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran pornography actor Ron Jeremy, one of the industry's biggest stars, was in intensive care and undergoing surgery for an aneurysm near his heart in Los Angeles, his manager said on Wednesday. Jeremy, 59, the star of more than 2,000 adult films, drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles early on Wednesday after suffering from chest pains. "He just felt chest pains, like a very heavy weight," Jeremy's manager Mike Esterman told Reuters. "He is being worked on for an aneurysm near his heart," Esterman added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dr. Phil says Manti Te'o hoaxer admits to love for linebacker Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 12:12 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California man who has admitted to fabricating Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend in an elaborate hoax told talk show host Phil McGraw he felt a deep romantic love for the football player, McGraw said on Wednesday. "Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love," McGraw told the television morning show "Today" to discuss his two part interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, which will air on "Dr. Phil" on Thursday and Friday. "I asked him straight up, 'Was this a romantic relationship with you?,' and he says yes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Country singer Gary Allan bests Grammy nominees for Billboard No. 1 Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 12:04 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country singer Gary Allan scored his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart on Wednesday, keeping Grammy-nominated favorites from the top spot. Allan's ninth studio album "Set You Free" sold 106,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, garnering the singer his best sales week in his 17-year career. The Billboard 200 is the album chart for all music genres. Allan, 45, who is a staple within the country music scene, has notched three No. 1 albums in the Billboard country music chart. ... Full Story | Top |
| Justin Timberlake launches music comeback with Grammy performance Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:56 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Justin Timberlake, making his pop music comeback with a new single and album, will perform at next month's Grammy Awards for the first time in four years, Grammy organizers said on Wednesday. Timberlake, 31, will take the stage at the music industry's biggest night in Los Angeles on February 10, ahead of the scheduled March release of his first album since 2006. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'How I Met Your Mother' gets final season - and reveals the mother Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:38 AM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "How I Met Your Mother" will be back for a ninth and final season that will reveal - finally - who the mother is. CBS and 20th Century Fox Television announced Wednesday that the series would be back for one final go-round with series regulars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, as well as series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. For eight years, viewers have wondered about the identity of the titular mother - and she will finally be revealed in the final season. ... Full Story | Top |
| Despite previous beating, Rihanna back with Chris Brown Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:15 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's official: R&B diva Rihanna says she is back together with Chris Brown, who is still on probation for assaulting her in 2009, saying "It's different now." "I decided it was more important for me to be happy," Rihanna told Rolling Stone magazine in an interview published on Wednesday on its website. "I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake," she said of her renewed romance with singer Brown, 23, that has prompted consternation from fans and celebrity media because of their history. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Inc cuts staff by 6 percent, hitting business and news Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 10:59 AM PST (Reuters) - Time Inc on Wednesday began the process of cutting about 500 jobs, about 6 percent of its total staff as the largest U.S. magazine publisher grapples with challenges beleaguering the print industry. The layoffs mark the first major move made by Time Inc CEO Laura Lang, who joined the company in January 2012. "With the significant and ongoing changes in our industry, we must continue to transform our company into one that is leaner, more nimble and more innately multi-platform," wrote Lang in a memo to employees. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actor Jim Nabors weds long-time male partner: report Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 10:50 AM PST SEATTLE (Reuters) - American actor Jim Nabors, the star of 1960s television comedy "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," married his long-time male partner at a downtown hotel earlier this month, according to report by a television news program in Hawaii, where the 82-year-old actor lives. Nabors, 82, also a singer, wed 64-year-old Stan Cadwallader, his partner of some 38 years, in a small ceremony on January 15 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle, where the couple traveled after same sex marriage became legal in Washington state last month. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Prince Charles takes first "Tube" trip since 1986 Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 10:41 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Four million Londoners cram onto the city's Underground passenger railway nearly every day, but it is a rarer event for Prince Charles. He rode the British capital's bustling commuter network on Wednesday for the first time since 1986. The heir to the British throne and his wife Camilla took a one-stop journey from Farringdon to King's Cross on the Metropolitan Line as part of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of a transport service affectionately known to Britons as the "Tube". ... Full Story | Top |
| Bolshoi ballerina afraid to return to Russia: Newspaper Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 09:40 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - A scandal involving allegations of blackmail and threats against a top ballerina at the Bolshoi is unfolding just days after the artistic director of ballet at Russia's most prestigious theatre was attacked, a Russian newspaper reported this week. Dancer Svetlana Lunkina has extended a leave of absence because she is afraid to return home from Canada as a result of threats targeting her and her film producer husband, Russian daily Izvestia reported in stories it ran on Monday and Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| World Chefs: Thomson dishes up Washington state from Seattle to Spokane Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 09:26 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - When food writer Jess Thomson moved to Seattle, Washington, she expected to find the adventuresome cooking for which the city is famous. But she admits to being pleasantly surprised by the rich diversity of the rest of the state. The 150 recipes in her book "Dishing Up Washington" attempt to capture the authentic regional flavors of the entire state, from Seattle to Spokane, Yakima to Walla Walla. "It is a total food heaven," said Thomson, cookbook author, recipe developer and food blogger. ... Full Story | Top |
| Final cut: The gems and stars left off the Oscars list Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:28 AM PST (Reuters) - If I could remove any word from Oscar conversations, it would be "snubbed." It's catchy and makes good headline fodder, but it implies that a cabal of Academy members sat in a room and consciously decided to ostracize this actor or that moviemaker. These ballots are filled out by 6,000 to 7,000 voters, ranging from visual effects experts to screenwriters to studio chiefs. I can't envision secret meetings to decide the fate of each candidate. ... Full Story | Top |
| ABC orders drama pilots from Martin Campbell, Maria Maggenti Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:11 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Casino Royale" director Martin Campbell is taking on another intrigue-filled project, this time with ABC. The network has ordered a pilot for the drama "Reckless," which Campbell, left, will executive produce. The pilot involves David, a resourceful problem-solver whose wife is unjustly imprisoned during a political uprising overseas. Desperately to rescue her, he tries every legal option, but after being stymied by the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| ABC orders pilots for "Big Thunder" drama, Gothic soap opera Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:11 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - ABC has ordered pilots for the dramas "Big Thunder" and "Gothica," the network said Tuesday. "Big Thunder," which is written by "Ice Age" writer Jason Fuchs (pictured) and executive produced by Chris Morgan ("Wanted," "The Troop") follows a brilliant doctor in late 19th century New York whose family is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. However, they quickly realize that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fox cuts $400 million funding deal to finance film slate Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:10 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 20th Century Fox has sealed a $400 million financing deal that will help fund its film slate over the next five years, a source with knowledge of the pact told TheWrap Tuesday. Chicago-based Magnetar Capital provided the majority of the money, part of which will go to finance the next two "Avatar" movies. Financier Chip Seelig helped broker the deal, which replaces an arrangement with Dune Capital Management, for whom Seelig was a partner when the company cut a similar 2005 funding deal. That one helped finance the original "Avatar" and was renewed several times. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Sin City 2" casts Eva Green and Julia Garner Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:08 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" has cast Eva Green as a femme fatale and Julia Garner to portray yet another stripper struggling to make a dime in the gritty comic-book metropolis. Green ("Casino Royale") will appear in the sequel to the 2005 hit, "Sin City," as a deadly muse named Ava Lord. Garner ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") plays a stripper who appears in scenes with Johnny, a cocky young gambler played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Like the first film, "A Dame to Kill For" is adapted from Frank Miller's graphic novels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Barbra Streisand to sing at Oscars for first time in decades Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:41 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress, singer and director Barbra Streisand may be a familiar figure at Hollywood's Oscars, but she has only sung on the annual awards show once. Streisand will perform again at the Academy Awards on February 24, producers said on Wednesday, without providing details about how her appearance would fit into the show or what she might sing. Streisand, 70, has won two Oscars, one for best actress in "Funny Girl" and another for best original song, "Evergreen" from her 1976 vehicle "A Star Is Born. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan singer's star is rising, as are the threats Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:24 AM PST  KABUL (Reuters) - With a scarf loosely covering a fancy television hairstyle, Latifa Azizi raised her arms in victory after surviving another elimination round on the hit talent show, "Afghan Star". But the victory pales into insignificance when compared with the larger battle 17-year-old Azizi is fighting - to pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer despite the censure of ultra-conservative Afghan society. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Diabolical" Spacey plots revenge in Netflix show "House of Cards" Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:07 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the new political drama series "House of Cards," Kevin Spacey plays a win-at-all-costs American politician scheming to disrupt the young administration of a president he helped elect. The setting serves as the backdrop for a series that distributor Netflix Inc hopes will leave its mark by shaking up the television landscape. All 13 episodes of the show's first season will be viewable starting Friday only through the Netflix subscription video-streaming service and not on any of the traditional broadcast or pay TV channels. ... Full Story | Top |
| A Minute With: Director Deepa Mehta on "Midnight's Children" Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 06:47 AM PST  MUMBAI (Reuters) - Film director Deepa Mehta is no stranger to controversy. Two of her movies - "Fire" and "Water" - were hit by protests from right-wing groups in India, and there were fears her latest cinematic offering would meet a similar fate. "Midnight's Children", Mehta's adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie, opens in Indian cinemas on Friday. The film, which chronicles the story of an Indian family living through the tumultuous events of India's recent past, features a voice over by Rushdie. ... Full Story | Top |
| A Minute With: Rapper T.I. dips into comedy in "Identity Thief" Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 06:46 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper Tip "T.I." Harris has seen and done it all - three Grammy Awards, a novel, time in jail, a fashion line, TV reality show, businessman and several movies. Now the Atlanta-based singer is dipping into comedy, appearing in the film "Identity Thief" as an armed enforcer on the trail of a character played by Melissa McCarthy who is on the run from many of those she's swindled. T.I., 32, sat down with Reuters ahead of the movie's February 8 release to talk about the film, what's left on his to-do list, and his personal views on gun control. ... Full Story | Top |
| First black South African billionaire donates fortune to poor Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 06:45 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's first black billionaire, Patrice Motsepe, on Wednesday said he has signed up for the Giving Pledge, becoming the first African to join some of the world's wealthiest people in donating vast sums of personal wealth to the poor. Mining magnate Motsepe, with assets estimated by Forbes magazine of $2.65 billion, said he is making the pledge to benefit the millions of South Africans who have seen little gain in their personal fortunes since white-minority rule ended in 1994. The Giving Pledge is a philanthropic initiative started by U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spielberg seen winning director Oscar for "Lincoln" Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 04:02 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American filmmaker Steven Spielberg is clear favorite among the public to win the best director award for his film about President Abraham Lincoln at the Academy Awards this year, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday. While the race to win best film at the February 24 ceremony was shaken up by "Argo" stealing the thunder of "Lincoln" at two award ceremonies last weekend, the best director statuette was deemed destined for one man. ... Full Story | Top |
| Musical comedy "The Sapphires" sparkles at Aussie Oscars Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:05 AM PST  SYDNEY (Reuters) - Home-grown romantic musical comedy "The Sapphires" shone at Australia's film industry awards on Wednesday, picking up best film and lead acting trophies for Deborah Mailman and "Bridesmaids" star Chris O'Dowd. Awards host Russell Crowe, an Oscar winner for "Gladiator," led a star-studded evening whose theme was pride in Australia's outsized success on the international film stage. ... Full Story | Top |
| From Doc Watson to lifetime folk award, Dougie MacLean sings on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:50 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - In the 1970s, before he could make a living playing music, Scottish folk singer Dougie MacLean found himself with a temporary job driving an American family around Europe in a mini-bus. It was a serendipitous moment for a performer who is poised to receive a lifetime achievement accolade at the BBC Folk Awards: The family was that of Doc and Merle Watson, two of America's most celebrated bluegrass, country and gospel singers. ... Full Story | Top |
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