Rihanna Talks about Her Challenges in New Movie “Battleship.”

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"TITANIC" in 3D Crashes Multiple Servers on the Internet

1 Feb 2012 22:12 Africa/Lagos



Fans Crash Servers for Early Preview Screenings of "TITANIC" in 3D
SELL-OUT CROWDS IN THE U.S. AND ACROSS THE WORLD WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST AUDIENCES ANYWHERE TO SEE THE RE-MASTERED MOVIE ON VALENTINES DAY, FEBRUARY 14th, IN ADVANCE OF THE FILM'S WORLDWIDE RE-RELEASE ON APRIL 6th



HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans the world over rushed the web in the last 24-hours - crashing multiple servers in the process - to secure advance tickets for the now sold-out February 14th preview screenings of TITANIC in 3D, Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox International jointly announced today. In a matter of hours, sell-out screenings were reported throughout the United States and in countries around the world, following the launch of the special screening program on January 31st. Moviegoers who were lucky enough to secure a seat will now be among the first people anywhere to see the newly re-mastered TITANIC in 3D, in advance of the film's worldwide release on April 6th.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/19991206/PARLOGO)

These special fan screening are being presented exclusively in RealD 3D and will be held in the following cities: Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, San Diego, Denver, Sacramento, Orlando, Tampa, Minneapolis, Montreal, Vancouver, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Portland, Kansas City, West Palm Beach, Raleigh, San Antonio, Hartford, Charlotte, San Antonio, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Austin, Edmonton, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Grand Rapids, Calgary, Columbus, Fresno, Ottawa, Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Oklahoma City. Internationally, these special one-time only preview screenings will take place in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.

Cameron, who also directed the breakthrough 3D epic AVATAR, will bring TITANIC to life as audiences have never seen it before, digitally re-mastered to an unparalleled 4K 3D, harnessing the innovative technology of StereoD. The re-release of TITANIC also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10, 1912. Written, directed and produced by James Cameron, TITANIC is the second highest grossing movie of all time. It is one of only three films to have received a record 11 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director; and launched the careers of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Called "A spectacular demonstration of what modern technology can contribute to dramatic storytelling" by Variety upon it's release in 1997, the long in the works 3D conversion was overseen Cameron and his Lightstorm producing partner Jon Landau who produced the hit movie.

Learn more about TITANIC in 3D at http://www.titanicmovie.com/

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Twentieth Century Fox

One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Fox International Productions.

About Lightstorm Entertainment

Lightstorm Entertainment is a film production company founded by Academy Award winning filmmakers James Cameron and film producer Jon Landau. The company has produced blockbuster hits including "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "True Lies," as well the Academy Award® winning "Titanic" and most recently "Avatar," which stands at the biggest grossing movie of all time.

SOURCE Paramount Pictures Corporation

CONTACT: Katie Martin Kelley, Paramount Pictures, Executive Vice President Publicity, +1-323-956-2821, kmk@paramount.com; or Hilary Clark, Fox, Executive Vice President, International Publicity, +1-310-369-5156, Hilary.Clark@fox.com

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How Facebook Made The Mighty Macs the Highest Grossing Film

With over 800 million users, the world's largest social network is making it easy for film advertisers to target the perfect consumer with the perfect message to get them to show up at the box office.



WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the filmmakers of The Mighty Macs, last weekend's highest grossing limited release film, Facebook put a new spin on film marketing by offering advertisers the ability to target consumers based on their 'Favorites.' The strategy is simple: target an audience based on the 'Favorite films' posted on their Facebook page, then deliver a compelling message that informs them that there is a new film that is just like their favorite movie.

"If you know what a Facebook user's favorite films have been in the past, you can predict what their favorite films will be in the future," said Sean Wolfington, owner of Tier10Marketing.com, the marketing company that worked with Facebook executives to conduct a laser targeted campaign that helped catapult the new inspirational sports film, The Mighty Macs, into the #1 top-grossing limited release film the weekend it opened in theaters. "Most films are marketed through giant TV campaigns. Because this movie didn't have the budget, we created a 'Targeted TV' campaign that reached consumers who have the highest statistical probability of showing up at the theater for this type of inspirational sports film with a message they cannot deny."

Here is how it worked - Facebook users who covet inspirational sports films based on true stories, like the ever-popular movies Rudy and Hoosiers, and have posted these movies as "Favorites" on their Facebook page, are the target audience. After determining these targets, marketers can filter them based on demographics. "The Mighty Macs began as a limited release in less than 1,000 theaters, so we targeted Facebook users who live within driving distance of the theaters that are showing our film," said Wolfington.

After identifying the target audience, the filmmakers produced a video to send to the consumers to motivate them to come to the box office on opening weekend. As fate would dictate, Rudy Ruettiger, the real-life "Rudy" who inspired the film about his life, saw and loved The Mighty Macs, and volunteered to promote it, saying, "The Mighty Macs is the Rudy of this generation."

The filmmakers utilized an interview with Ruettiger, in which Rudy praised the film, saying, "If you liked Hoosiers and Rudy, you will love The Mighty Macs." With Ruettiger's permission, the short video clip was distributed by Facebook to Facebook users who had chosen Rudy as one of their favorite movies. In short, consumers who love Rudy, received a video from Ruettiger encouraging them to go see The Mighty Macs, and to "Share" the clip with their Facebook friends. With the average Facebook user having 180 friends, the viral power of a user clicking "Like-Share-Comment," now more than ever, creates the potential for videos to spiral into global Internet sensations.

With Facebook enabling Ruettiger to tell Rudy lovers who live close to hosting theaters to go see The Mighty Macs, the strategy lends for the most targeted film marketing campaign in history. What is also unique is the filmmakers only pay when users click on the video initially, and not for impressions of the video or when users share with friends.

"We call this strategy 'Targeted TV' because it gives us all the upside of TV, with its powerful combination of sight, sound and motion, with the ability to deliver the right message to the right consumer. In this case it's the consumer who loves inspiring sports films, particularly, Rudy. It's a perfect campaign because people who love the real-life Rudy want to listen to what Rudy loves, especially films that inspire him," said Tim Chambers, the writer, director and producer of The Mighty Macs.

"We call the second half of the campaign, 'Social TV' because users who "Like" the Ruettiger video can share it with all of their friends and then the whole process repeats itself indefinitely," added Wolfington. "When 'Targeted TV' becomes 'Viral TV' with the click of a button, it is a very effective way to attract customers who have the highest statistical probability of going to see The Mighty Macs."

"Traditional TV can't target to that level of detail today and consumers can't 'Like' and 'Share' commercials the way they can with videos online," Wolfington emphasizes. "This is the future of marketing. It's amazing!"

About The Mighty Macs: The Mighty Macs is based on the incredible true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College team that started in obscurity but became the original Cinderella story in women's basketball when a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women's basketball. This newly founded team of pioneers went from barely making that inaugural tournament to the first dynasty in their game. And Cathy Rush, the woman that changed the game for the better, became immortalized when she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The Mighty Macs stars Carla Gugino as Cathy Rush; David Boreanaz as her husband, NBA referee Ed Rush; Marley Shelton as Sister Sunday; and Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn as Mother St. John. The Mighty Macs opened in theaters on October 21st and was released in 1,000 theaters through Sony Pictures. Tim Chambers wrote, produced and directed, with executive producers Vince Curran, John Chambers, Thomas Carl, Bud S. Smith, Pat Croce and Sean Wolfington, who also owns Tier10Marketing.com, the company that architected this new social media marketing strategy for films.

To see the video of Ruettiger praising The Mighty Macs, please visit the following link: http://vimeo.com/30606493

Other related links are listed below:

Film Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_VXhJCetwc
Film Website: http://www.themightymacs.com
Film Press Release: http://www.themightymacs.com/pressroom/pressmaterials
Marketing Company: http://www.tier10marketing.com

SOURCE Tier 10 Marketing

RELATED LINKS
http://www.tier10marketing.com



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Angelina Jolie's writes and directs first film

Famous American actress Angelina Jolie's thrilling new film In the Land of Blood and Honey, which she admits has changed her view on acting is her baptism of fire as a director and screenwriter.

She said her beau Brad Pitt thought she was going to have nightmares on location. But “I had such a good experience he thinks I'm going to be impatient with directors, which I already am. I get impatient with people working on a film that have their head in their hands like it's the most complicated thing in the world."
I had the flu," Jolie says. "I had to be quarantined from the children for two days. I was in the attic of a house in France. I was isolated, pacing. I don't watch TV and I wasn't reading anything. So I started writing. I went from the beginning to the end. I didn't know any other way."

Angelina Jolie having her baptême du feu directing In the Land of Blood and Honey.

"I've never felt more exposed. My whole career, I've hidden behind other people's words," said Angelina and also dismissed the pregnancy and secret wedding rumours.
"I'm not pregnant. I'm not adopting at the moment. And no secret wedding," she said boldly.

Jolie is twice married and divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton before settling down with Brad Pitt with whom she has three adopted children, Maddox, Pax, and Zahara, and three biological children, Shiloh, Knox and and Vivienne.

In the Land of Blood and Honey is a thrilling love story during the traumatic Bosnian Civil War in the early 1990s and produced in both in English and the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian language known as BCS. The film is expected to be released on December 23, 2011.

You will read the complete exclusive interview in the October issue of Vanity Fair.





~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima


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AMAA CEO Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, others at 2nd Eko International Film Festival

Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe

The CEO of African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was one of the notable guests at the Wednesday screening of Joseph Ugochukwu Ubaka’s Lilies of the Ghetto on the fifth day of the 2nd Eko International Film Festival at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos. She was introduced to the organizers by top journalist and film critic Shaibu Husseini who is also the Chairman of the AMAA Selection Committee. They met with special guests from the United States of America and discussed the challenges and achievements in Nollywood.

The film festival wraps on Thursday July 14, with the screening of two features, Emmanuel Itier's multiple award winning film The Invocation narrated by the famous Hollywood actress Sharon Stone and Chike Ibekwe’s award winning movie Eternal.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" sold out before world premiere

13 Jul 2011 10:46 Africa/Lagos


"Harry Potter" Is Already Fandango's Top Ticket-Seller of the Year, Selling Out 5,000 Showtimes Before Its Friday Opening
"Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is Trending to Become #2 Top Pre-Seller in Fandango History





PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2011

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With two more days before its July 15 release date, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has already leaped over the year's previous box office winners to become Fandango's top-selling title of the year so far.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061016/LAM046LOGO-b)

Fandango has sold more tickets for "Part 2" than it has sold for any other movie this year, including pre-release and post-release ticket sales.

Fandango's Top 5 Ticket-Sellers of the Year (as of July 13, 2011):

1. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
2. "The Hangover Part II"
3. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
4. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
5. "Bridesmaids"


"Part 2" is also on track to become the #2 advance ticket-seller in Fandango's eleven-year history, following "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

Fandango's Top 5 All-Time Pre-Sellers (by day's end on July 13, 2011):

1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009)
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011)
3. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010)
5. "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005)


The final adventure of the "Harry Potter" franchise is currently conjuring up 91% of daily ticket sales on Fandango, the nation's leading movie ticketing destination. More than 5,000 showtimes for the film are already sold out across the country, with theater owners continually posting additional show times to meet the fan demand in all the fifty states.

"It's our fastest-selling movie of the year and our best-selling 'Potter' movie of all time," says Fandango Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Butler. "So many film fans grew up with 'Harry Potter' and want to celebrate the series conclusion together on the big screen. The first 'Potter' helped put advance ticketing on the map in 2001, so in some ways, Fandango as a company grew up with 'Potter' as well. It's fitting that the grand finale would break records with fans on our Web site and mobile applications."

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to more than 16,000 screens. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. Fandango is available at www.fandango.com, via your wireless mobile device at mobile.fandango.com, and at 1-800-FANDANGO. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with more than 16 million downloads, are available on the iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Phone 7 and many other platforms.

SOURCE Fandango

CONTACT: Harry Medved, +1-310-954-0461, harry.medved@fandango.com, or Melinda Petrow, +1-310-954-0278, ext. 231, melinda.petrow@fandango.com, both of Fandango

Web Site: http://www.fandango.com

Click here to buy the book now.




Harry Potter Years 1-7 Part 1 Gift Set

African Premiere of The Invocation now on Thursday July 14, in Lagos

Due to the heavy rainfall and flooded roads on Victoria Island on Sunday, the African premiere of Emmanuel Itier's multiple award winning spiritual documentary "The Invocation" will now formally take place on the closing day of the 2nd Eko International Film Festival on Thursday July 14, 2011, at 10 am at the Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos.



There is no gate fee throughout the film festival. So, it is open to the public gratis.

Emmanuel Itier has sent the following message:

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters:

I'm sorry I cannot be with you during the Festival and the screening of our film THE INVOCATION due to the filming of our new documentary: "FEMME: Women healing the World".
But I'm with you in spirit and love. And more than anything we need Love, Spirit to forget and forgive about Hate, War and Death.
I wish the Festival the Best of Luck and great Success. I know this amazing and daring Film Festival will be around for a long long time.
I encourage you as Gandhi said to understand that "There is no way to Peace, Peace is The Way". Together We ARE, We ARE ONE.

With Warm Hugs of Peace!

In Oneness,

Emmanuel ITIER
Director/Producer
Www.wonderlandentgroup.com
Email: WL1@cox.net

"Mr. Pink" A Hot Film For Global Universal

May 19, 2011 11:42 ET


"Mr. Pink" A Hot Film For Global Universal

LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB/BB: GBHL) announced today that its US Production subsidiary, Global Universal Entertainment, Inc. has optioned the motion picture and television rights to the recently published book, "Mr. Pink".

"Mr. Pink is one hot property,"stated Daniel Sherkow, COO of Global Universal Entertainment. "Mr. Pink" is the true story of four well off college students who pulled off one of the largest heists in the art world. The valuable art books are worth over twelve million dollars!"

Former Paramount Executive Sherkow continued, "The 'Mr. Pink' project is an exciting and compelling true story, which is featured on Google under The Transy Book Heist , and more info is at: http://www.whoismrpink.com/. It is timely, teen driven, yet bears a strong moral lesson."

Veteran writer and film producer Jackie Giroux has adapted the screenplay from Blake Allen and Allen Brothers Publishing. Giroux will produce the picture, along with Blake Allen, Sydney Allen, and Mike Markwell, as Executive Producers. "I read the book in one sitting," exclaimed Giroux. "It is very similar to Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. If these four very different personalities had not met in college, the ingenious heist idea would have never come to fruition. They fed upon each other's talents. This will be the fascination for a great Hollywood cast, and a hit film!"

Global Universal expects to shoot a portion of the picture in Kentucky and has begun evaluating locations within that State. In addition, Global Universal is also in conversations with distributors as it explores various distribution options.

Gary Rasmussen, CEO of Global Universal, stated that "the 'Mr. Pink' project has the potential to add significant value to the company due to its potential 'box office appeal' and our ability to produce the picture at a comparatively reasonable cost." Mr. Rasmussen continued, "As an additional revenue stream, Global Universal will share in the proceeds of the book in addition to its participation in the motion picture".

About Global Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (OTC: GBHL) is a publicly-held entertainment company. The Company's goal is to build a worldwide entertainment organization with a multitude of domestic and foreign production affiliates. GBHL, operating through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Global Universal Film Group, Inc., Global Universal Entertainment, Inc., and its partially-owned Canadian subsidiary Global Universal Pictures, is in the process of developing and producing a slate of motion pictures in Canada and the U.S., employing recognizable-named talent, for worldwide release. GBHL is focused on the financing and marketing of these feature-length films. GBHL, through another wholly owned subsidiary, You've Got The Part, Inc. (www.youvegotthepart.com), will attempt to capitalize on the current popularity of Hollywood and reality based programming by casting small roles online that anyone with a digital camera can apply for.

Safe Harbor: Pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21B of the Exchange Act of 1934, any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals and assumptions of future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Forward-looking statements in this release may be identified through the use of words such as "expects," "will," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," or statements indicating certain actions such as "may," "could," or "might" occur. Such statements reflect the current views of GBHL and its affiliated companies with respect to future events and are subject to certain assumptions, including those described in this release. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance and commercial appeal of its feature-length films, its film production services, competitive market conditions in the motion picture industry (both in the US and foreign markets), successful sale of the rights to film content produced, the ability to secure additional sources of financing, the ability to reduce operating expenses and other factors. The actual results that the Company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Neither Global Entertainment Holdings, nor its affiliated or subsidiary entities undertakes any responsibility to update the "forward-looking" statements contained in this news release.

For more information, please visit us at: WWW.GLOBAL-GBHL.COM , or contact the Company by email at: contact@globaluniversal.com or 818-527-5251.

SOURCE Global Entertainment Holdings, Inc.


Web Site: http://www.whoismrpink.com

NEWSWEEK Presents "TO BOLDLY GO ... HOW 'STAR TREK' TAUGHT US TO DREAM BIG."

In the May 4 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 27): "To Boldly Go ... How 'Star Trek' Taught Us to Dream Big." A Trekkie writes about the new "Star Trek" movie and how the old favorite can speak directly to our place and time. And a former "Star Trek" writer reveals what it was like working with creator Gene Roddenberry. Plus: FBI Agent Ali Soufan speaks out about torture; Jonathan Alter on Obama's 100 days and summer movies. (PRNewsFoto/Newsweek) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 04/26/2009.

26 Apr 2009 18:44 Africa/Lagos


NEWSWEEK Media Lead Sheet/May 4, 2009 Issue (on Newsstands Monday, April 27)

COVER: "TO BOLDLY GO ... HOW 'STAR TREK' TAUGHT US TO DREAM BIG." Contributor Steve Daly writes about the upcoming "Star Trek" movie, the 11th in the franchise, which opens next week. He writes that it's the Spock plot strands that give the new movie its best shot at once again commanding the zeitgeist. Mr. Spock's cool, analytical nature "feels more fascinating and topical than ever now that we've put a sort of Vulcan in the White House. All through the election campaign, columnists compared President Obama's unflappably logical demeanor and prominent ears with Mr. Spock's. But as Spock's complicated racial backstory is spun out in detail in the new 'Trek'--right back into childhood--the Obama parallels keep deepening. Like Obama, Spock is the product of a mixed marriage (actually, an interstellar mixed marriage), and he suffers blunt manifestations of prejudice as a result. As played by Zachary Quinto, the young Spock loves his human mother, but longs to assimilate completely into his Vulcan father Sarek's ways, eschewing messy emotions the way all Vulcans do." He writes that if Obama watches the movie, "I can imagine he might feel a special empathy for Spock's position, given the chattering class's insistence that he needs to show more emotion, too."


http://www.newsweek.com/id/195082

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090426/NY05401 )


"Vulcans Never, Ever Smile." Former "Star Trek" writer Leonard Mlodinow writes about creator Gene Roddenberry's role in the television sequels. "We saw Gene only occasionally. We were told that when we did see him, we had to take whatever advice he gave us, whatever we thought of it." He writes that sometimes Roddenberry "would remind us of simple things, like the fact that Vulcans don't smile. Other times he'd explain how human nature will have evolved, that personal acrimony will have been conquered, so there could be no conflict among the crew. Some writers tried to sneak in a little conflict anyway, so you didn't have to depend on heavily armed two-headed aliens."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195083

TERROR: "'We Could Have Done This the Right Way'." Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff reports on FBI agent Ali Soufan, who was known as one of the bureau's top experts on Al Qaeda, and what he saw in 2002 during interrogations of terror suspects, especially Abu Zubaydah. Soufan had a reputation as a shrewd interrogator who could work fluently in both English and Arabic. Now a security consultant who spends most of his time in the Middle East, Soufan decided to tell the story of his involvement in the interrogations publicly for the first time. "I've kept my mouth shut about all this for seven years," he says. But now, with the declassification of Justice Department memos and the public assertions by Dick Cheney and others that "enhanced" techniques worked, Soufan decided to speak out. "I was in the middle of this, and it's not true that these [aggressive] techniques were effective," he says. "We were able to get the information about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a couple of days. We didn't have to do any of this [torture]. We could have done this the right way."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195089

THE PRESIDENT: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name." White House Correspondent Holly Bailey reports on President Obama's difficult adjustment to his new life inside the White House bubble. He is hardly the first president to complain about the change. But he seems to have had a tougher time adjusting than Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush, in part because he can still remember what it was like to be a normal person. His temperament has also made the adjustment difficult. Though outgoing in public, Obama was an only child and spent a lot of time alone. That hasn't changed. "He likes solitude, where he can just take a moment and collect his thoughts and breathe," says a close Obama friend. "And in this job, there is none of that."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195086

BETWEEN THE LINES: JONATHAN ALTER: "Scoring Obama's First 100 Days." Senior Editor and Columnist Jonathan Alter gauges how successful President Obama's first 100 days in office have been. "With the help of the economic crisis, Barack Obama has put more points on the board than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, and his public investment greatly exceeds Roosevelt's in constant dollars," Alter writes. He writes that even if you think Obama's wrong, he deserves high marks for articulating a new vision and getting Congress to act. Alter wrote a book about how FDR's debut transformed the country. A president's first few months in office do offer clues about whether he has the tools to handle the job. "More practically, it's very tough to regain your footing if you stumble out of the gate. You can recover politically, but the chance for great domestic leadership is gone." Join Jonathan Alter for a Live Talk at noon, ET, Wednesday, April 29, on Newsweek.com.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195087

POLITICS: "Last of the True Believers?" Senior Writer Andrew Romano profiles South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who has boldly threatened to reject up to 25 percent (or $700 million) of South Carolina's stimulus funds unless a reluctant Republican-dominated legislature sets aside a matching sum of state money to pay down its debt. (He has accepted the rest.) Sanford insists that he "can live with" the cash not coming to South Carolina, which opponents say will cost thousands of teachers their jobs. For Sanford, 48, whose term-limited tenure as governor ends in 20 months, it's a chance to test the principles that have animated his 15 years in the arena--sustainable spending, smaller government--and perhaps seize a spot on the national stage as the most prominent of what he calls the "true conservatives."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195088

NATION: "Rebranding Hate in the Age of Obama." Washington Correspondent Eve Conant reports on the growing concern about the rise and strength of racists and hate groups in the Age of Obama. This spring, the Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual "Year in Hate" report, which outlines that in 2008 the number of hate groups rose to 926, up 4 percent from 2007, and 54 percent since 2000. (The SPLC doesn't measure the number of members in the groups). The economic downturn and the election of Obama "present unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment," stated an April Homeland Security intelligence report. The groups are moving out from the fringe and toward the mainstream and are having some success.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195085

RUSSIA: "Medvedev's Moscow Spring." Moscow Bureau Chief Owen Matthews and Special Correspondent Anna Nemtsova report that Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, a year after being sworn in, has finally begun to depart from the hardline policies of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. He has begun publicly overturning some of Putin's key policies, rolling back repressive legislation and paying attention to the government's critics rather than trying to silence them. "We all want to believe that our ruler is generous, fair and kind," says journalist and human-rights activist Svetlana Sorokina. "Now we're seeing the first signs that he is." After a decade of being frozen out, activists say they're floored by the recent thaw.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195077

INTERVIEW: New York University Professor Nouriel Roubini. Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Lally Weymouth talks to Roubini, who was nicknamed "Dr. Doom" after a 2006 speech in which he said the global bubble was going to burst. "Next year, I believe that the growth rate is going to be 0.5 percent for the U.S. Even if we are technically out of a recession, we are going to feel like we are in a recession. The bottom of the economy is not going to be in three months, but rather toward the beginning or middle of next year."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195053

BUSINESS: "Banks' Bogus Recovery." Senior Editor Rana Foroohar writes that despite all the recent headlines about bank earnings being up in the first quarter, it would seem that the worst of the financial crisis had passed. "Smart investors know better," she writes. "At the core, this financial crisis has been driven by uncertainty--about who's holding what, how much it's worth and when it might blow up. A careful look at the banks' profit news quickly reveals that there's still plenty of uncertainty lurking on the balance sheets of top banks."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195099

TECHNOLOGY: "The Tragedy That Won't Fade Away." Assistant Editor Jessica Bennett reports on the Catsouras family of Orange County who are spending thousands of dollars in legal fees in an attempt to stop strangers from displaying grisly photographs of 18-year-old Nikki Catsouras, who was killed in a car accident in 2006. The accident was so gruesome the coroner wouldn't allow her parents to identify their daughter's body. But the photos made it to the Internet and are circulating virally on the Web and are a daily torment for the family. Their effort to stop the photos has turned into a case about privacy, cyber-harassment and image control. The Catsouras' story is unique in that it touches on so many of the ways the Web has become perverted: as an outlet for morbid curiosities, a space where cruel behavior suffers little consequence and an uncontrollable forum in which things that were once private--like photos of the dead--can go public in an instant.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195073
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090426/NY05401
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
AP Photo Express: PRN3

Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Katherine Barna, +1-212-445-4859, Katherine.Barna@Newsweek.com,
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Newscom Presents: Paul Newman: 1925 - 2008

Newscom Presents: Paul Newman: 1925 - 2008.



Actor and philanthropist Paul Newman passed away on Friday at the age of 83. Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, summed Newman up saying, 'Paul NewmanÕs craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all.'



Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008)

There were some people I wished they would live forever and not die. Paul Newman was one of them.Paul Newman was an American actor who was one of the greatest men in the world for his humanitarian acts and donated over US$220 million to many charities before he passed on. Paul was also a film director, entrepreneur, and auto racing expert. He won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, an Emmy award, and other laurels. He won championships as a driver in Sports Car Club of America and his team won trophies in the open wheel IndyCar racing. His food company Newman's Own is very popular.

Paul Newman passed away at home in Westport, Connecticut on September 26, 2008, after suffering from lung cancer.