Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Union picketing "Biggest Loser"
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – A union drama unfolded Wednesday in the Santa Monica Mountains high above Malibu, CA.
A small group of below-the-line workers picketed at the state park where NBC's "The Biggest Loser" is produced.
LaborCrew members and their International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees supporters are demanding a union contract for the reality show.
Wages and working conditions are not the issue, sources told THR; pension and health benefits are.
"Loser," now in its 10th season, is a show about nutrition and fitness. Erin Barrow, the show's wardrobe supervisor, commented that "on a show that's about health, to not offer a health plan flies in the face of what (the show) is doing."
In a statement, IATSE confirmed that it is on strike against "Loser" and its production entities, Reveille Prods., 25/7 Prods. and 3 Ball Prods.
Said IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb: "This is a top-rated primetime television show, and the crew remains unified. The strike is the result of a unanimous decision by members of the production crew that they get a contract similar to others covering these types of productions, and we are resolute in getting it for them."
The show has about 50 crew members, some of whom are union members. All voted to walk off the production and have done so. Sources told THR that production of the show has been halted.
The picket lines at two gates amounted to only about a dozen people, most of whom were not members of the "Loser" crew. However, sources indicated to THR that picketing was likely to resume Thursday and continue until a union contract is obtained.
According to the IATSE statement, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Directors Guild of America already have agreements with the production.
Representatives for NBC and Reveille declined to comment.
A small group of below-the-line workers picketed at the state park where NBC's "The Biggest Loser" is produced.
LaborCrew members and their International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees supporters are demanding a union contract for the reality show.
Wages and working conditions are not the issue, sources told THR; pension and health benefits are.
"Loser," now in its 10th season, is a show about nutrition and fitness. Erin Barrow, the show's wardrobe supervisor, commented that "on a show that's about health, to not offer a health plan flies in the face of what (the show) is doing."
In a statement, IATSE confirmed that it is on strike against "Loser" and its production entities, Reveille Prods., 25/7 Prods. and 3 Ball Prods.
Said IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb: "This is a top-rated primetime television show, and the crew remains unified. The strike is the result of a unanimous decision by members of the production crew that they get a contract similar to others covering these types of productions, and we are resolute in getting it for them."
The show has about 50 crew members, some of whom are union members. All voted to walk off the production and have done so. Sources told THR that production of the show has been halted.
The picket lines at two gates amounted to only about a dozen people, most of whom were not members of the "Loser" crew. However, sources indicated to THR that picketing was likely to resume Thursday and continue until a union contract is obtained.
According to the IATSE statement, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Directors Guild of America already have agreements with the production.
Representatives for NBC and Reveille declined to comment.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Doobie Brothers can still rock after 40 years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Doobie Brothers
had a real simple goal for their first album in a decade.
"The main thing is you want somebody to hear the damn thing," singer Tom Johnston said. "You really want to get their take on it and make as many people as possible happy."
Judging by the response to "World Gone Crazy," the enduring band's 13th album and first since 2000's "Sibling Rivalry," they've achieved that goal. The album debuted at No. 39 on Billboard' album chart and has received excited reviews from critics since its release this fall.
Some bands are resting on their back catalog after four decades together, and the Doobies have quite the history with hits like "Black Water," "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Running" and "China Grove" — all still radio mainstays. But they didn't want to make an album just to make an album.
The band, which now includes founding members Johnston and Pat Simmons and longtime cohorts John McFee and Michael Hossack, labored over "World Gone Crazy" for three years, the longest they've spent recording an album. They paid their own way in the studio this time and that afforded them the kind of freedom they'd never experienced before — the freedom to be perfectionists.
"We ran into a couple of songs, personally me speaking for myself, I said this is not what I had in mind," Johnston said. "So we went back in and got it where it needed to be. That's the blessing of taking the time. At the time it didn't seem like a blessing, but in hindsight I'm glad it took this long. Now that we got here, wow, it came out a lot better than we ever thought it would."
The Doobies went back to the future on the album, bringing in former producer Ted Templeman. Templeman worked on some of the band's best albums in the 1970s, but hadn't collaborated with the Doobies as a group since 1983. They also brought in former lead singer Michael McDonald and Simmons' good friend Willie Nelson to guest on songs.
The band members experimented with new recording techniques that weren't around the last time they put together an album, even employing drum loops on a few tracks. In the end the album was a highlight for a band that's achieved a lot of them.
"We appreciate it," Simmons said. "I know I do personally because I have a lot of friends in this business that have fallen on some hard times and here we are out still making a living playing and having fun."
___
Online:http://www.doobiebrothers.net
had a real simple goal for their first album in a decade."The main thing is you want somebody to hear the damn thing," singer Tom Johnston said. "You really want to get their take on it and make as many people as possible happy."
Judging by the response to "World Gone Crazy," the enduring band's 13th album and first since 2000's "Sibling Rivalry," they've achieved that goal. The album debuted at No. 39 on Billboard' album chart and has received excited reviews from critics since its release this fall.
Some bands are resting on their back catalog after four decades together, and the Doobies have quite the history with hits like "Black Water," "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Running" and "China Grove" — all still radio mainstays. But they didn't want to make an album just to make an album.
The band, which now includes founding members Johnston and Pat Simmons and longtime cohorts John McFee and Michael Hossack, labored over "World Gone Crazy" for three years, the longest they've spent recording an album. They paid their own way in the studio this time and that afforded them the kind of freedom they'd never experienced before — the freedom to be perfectionists.
"We ran into a couple of songs, personally me speaking for myself, I said this is not what I had in mind," Johnston said. "So we went back in and got it where it needed to be. That's the blessing of taking the time. At the time it didn't seem like a blessing, but in hindsight I'm glad it took this long. Now that we got here, wow, it came out a lot better than we ever thought it would."
The Doobies went back to the future on the album, bringing in former producer Ted Templeman. Templeman worked on some of the band's best albums in the 1970s, but hadn't collaborated with the Doobies as a group since 1983. They also brought in former lead singer Michael McDonald and Simmons' good friend Willie Nelson to guest on songs.
The band members experimented with new recording techniques that weren't around the last time they put together an album, even employing drum loops on a few tracks. In the end the album was a highlight for a band that's achieved a lot of them.
"We appreciate it," Simmons said. "I know I do personally because I have a lot of friends in this business that have fallen on some hard times and here we are out still making a living playing and having fun."
___
Online:http://www.doobiebrothers.net
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
MTV cancels "The City" after two seasons
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – After months of speculation, MTV confirmed Monday that it canceled its Whitney Port reality series "The City" after two seasons.
"'The City' will not be returning to MTV for season three," an MTV spokesperson said. "Whitney has been a part of our family for many years and we wish her and the cast the best, and hope to collaborate with them again."
Port indicated earlier in the day that the show had ended, telling Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show, "As of right now it doesn't really look like we're doing it anymore."
Port, who also works as a fashion designer, already had plans to move on. "I'm working on some other things," she told Seacrest. "It's OK -- one door closes and another opens."
Her New York City-based vehicle was a spin-off from "The Hills," which was one of the network's highest-rated reality shows of all time. It developed a stable viewership, but failed to perform as well as its juggernaut predecessor. Port's former "Hills" co-star Lauren Conrad has already begun taping her second MTV series.
reality series "The City" after two seasons."'The City' will not be returning to MTV for season three," an MTV spokesperson said. "Whitney has been a part of our family for many years and we wish her and the cast the best, and hope to collaborate with them again."
Port indicated earlier in the day that the show had ended, telling Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show, "As of right now it doesn't really look like we're doing it anymore."
Port, who also works as a fashion designer, already had plans to move on. "I'm working on some other things," she told Seacrest. "It's OK -- one door closes and another opens."
Her New York City-based vehicle was a spin-off from "The Hills," which was one of the network's highest-rated reality shows of all time. It developed a stable viewership, but failed to perform as well as its juggernaut predecessor. Port's former "Hills" co-star Lauren Conrad has already begun taping her second MTV series.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Yemen kills Qaeda chief in fresh air strikes
SANAA — A suspected Al-Qaeda chief was killed in a new wave of Yemeni air raids against the branch of the global terror network thought to be behind a botched US airliner bombing, an official said on Monday.
Jamil Nasser Abdullah al-Ambari, 25, believed to be the leader of Al-Qaeda in southern Abyan province, was one of two militants killed in the overnight raid, the security official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Ambari had figured on a list of wanted militants, but the official did not disclose the name of the other dead person.
The defence ministry had said earlier that an air strike killed two senior Al-Qaeda members on Sunday night in Abyan's Moudia district.
"Our air force carried out a raid on terrorist elements who were planning attacks on vital installations (and) two Al-Qaeda leaders were killed," said a report on the ministry's 26sep.net news website.
Yemen's air force launched a second successive day of air strikes on Monday, targeting a suspected Al-Qaeda training camp in the same area, the defence ministry said.
A brief ministry statement said the raids were carried out in Moudia, but did not confirm whether anyone was killed or wounded in the latest strike.
A security official, who asked not to be named, said the disfigured remains of those killed in the strikes had been transported to the capital for DNA testing, and suggested the death toll could be as high as nine people.
Moudia residents AFP reached by telephone alleged the raids caused civilian casualties, but fell short of giving figures.
Some said they fled their homes in fear of being targeted by the strikes.
Jet fighters swooped at a low altitude over the town, part of a province that is dominated by southern separatists who are demanding the secession of the regions of former South Yemen.
The air raids were the first since January 20, when Yemeni warplanes pounded the house of Ayed al-Shabwani, a local Al-Qaeda chief in the province of Maarib, east of Sanaa.
Shabwani himself was believed to have been killed a week earlier along with five other suspects in an air raid in the north of the country.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's local branch of Al-Qaeda, had denied then that any of the six militants were killed in the attack on three 4x4 vehicles in a remote desert area.
Yemen has intensified operations against AQAP, which claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a US airliner.
Some 34 suspected AQAP militants were thought to have been killed in an air strike which targeted a suspected training camp in Abyan on December 17. Many civilians were claimed to have been killed in that attack.
On December 24, security officials claimed 34 more AQAP militants were killed in a strike that targeted a meeting of Al-Qaeda members in Shabwa province, 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Sanaa.
Earlier this month, a security official said 11 men were arrested in the capital Sanaa on suspicion of plotting attacks for Al-Qaeda.
In February, security forces arrested three suspected Al-Qaeda members and killed seven of its leaders, including the group's top commander in Yemen, Qassem al-Rimi, and Abdullah Mehdar, an Al-Qaeda chief in Shabwa province, officials said.
The United States has reportedly supplied Yemen with intelligence and other support in its operations against Al-Qaeda.
But US President Barack Obama has said he has "no intention" of sending in troops.
chief was killed in a new wave of Yemeni air raids against the branch of the global terror network thought to be behind a botched US airliner bombing, an official said on Monday.Jamil Nasser Abdullah al-Ambari, 25, believed to be the leader of Al-Qaeda in southern Abyan province, was one of two militants killed in the overnight raid, the security official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Ambari had figured on a list of wanted militants, but the official did not disclose the name of the other dead person.
The defence ministry had said earlier that an air strike killed two senior Al-Qaeda members on Sunday night in Abyan's Moudia district.
"Our air force carried out a raid on terrorist elements who were planning attacks on vital installations (and) two Al-Qaeda leaders were killed," said a report on the ministry's 26sep.net news website.
Yemen's air force launched a second successive day of air strikes on Monday, targeting a suspected Al-Qaeda training camp in the same area, the defence ministry said.
A brief ministry statement said the raids were carried out in Moudia, but did not confirm whether anyone was killed or wounded in the latest strike.
A security official, who asked not to be named, said the disfigured remains of those killed in the strikes had been transported to the capital for DNA testing, and suggested the death toll could be as high as nine people.
Moudia residents AFP reached by telephone alleged the raids caused civilian casualties, but fell short of giving figures.
Some said they fled their homes in fear of being targeted by the strikes.
Jet fighters swooped at a low altitude over the town, part of a province that is dominated by southern separatists who are demanding the secession of the regions of former South Yemen.
The air raids were the first since January 20, when Yemeni warplanes pounded the house of Ayed al-Shabwani, a local Al-Qaeda chief in the province of Maarib, east of Sanaa.
Shabwani himself was believed to have been killed a week earlier along with five other suspects in an air raid in the north of the country.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's local branch of Al-Qaeda, had denied then that any of the six militants were killed in the attack on three 4x4 vehicles in a remote desert area.
Yemen has intensified operations against AQAP, which claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a US airliner.
Some 34 suspected AQAP militants were thought to have been killed in an air strike which targeted a suspected training camp in Abyan on December 17. Many civilians were claimed to have been killed in that attack.
On December 24, security officials claimed 34 more AQAP militants were killed in a strike that targeted a meeting of Al-Qaeda members in Shabwa province, 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Sanaa.
Earlier this month, a security official said 11 men were arrested in the capital Sanaa on suspicion of plotting attacks for Al-Qaeda.
In February, security forces arrested three suspected Al-Qaeda members and killed seven of its leaders, including the group's top commander in Yemen, Qassem al-Rimi, and Abdullah Mehdar, an Al-Qaeda chief in Shabwa province, officials said.
The United States has reportedly supplied Yemen with intelligence and other support in its operations against Al-Qaeda.
But US President Barack Obama has said he has "no intention" of sending in troops.
Monday, February 1, 2010
"Transformers," Bullock among Razzie contenders
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Box-office blockbuster "Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen" and the Will Ferrell flop "Land of the Lost" lead nominations on Monday for the annual Razzies, a tongue-in-cheek commemoration of the year's worst movies.
Actress Sandra Bullock could be on her way to being crowned both worst and best actress of 2009 after picking up a Razzie, or Golden Raspberry, nomination for her role in 2009 comedy "All About Steve." The film was also among the worst picture nominees.
But Bullock, 45, has swept the major Hollywood awards this season for her performance in the drama "The Blind Side".
Teen star Miley Cyrus joined Bullock in the worst actress nominations for "Hannah Montana: The Movie."
But the Disney actress and singer found herself in familiar company with all three of the popular Jonas Brothers band being nominated for worst actor for their "Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience."
Nominations were announced, as is tradition, the day before Tuesday's Oscar nominations -- the movie industry's highest honors.
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" picked up seven Razzie nominations, including worst film, worst director for Michael Bay, worst screen couple for Shia LeBouf and Megan Fox, worst screenplay, and "worst remake, rip-off or sequel".
The latest in the "Transformers" movie series was one of 2009's most commercially successful films, taking $835.2 million at the worldwide box office.
Comedy "Land of the Lost," however, was one of the year's biggest disappointments with global ticket sales of $69 million. It also got seven Razzie nominations including worst actor for Ferrell, worst picture and worst director.
The Golden Raspberry Awards will also "honor" the worst movies and performances of the past decade. Previous "winners" include "Gigli" (2003) starring Jennifer Lopez, Madonna's 2002 movie "Swept Away" and 2000 sci-fi movie "Battlefield Earth".
The Razzies, created in 1980 as an antidote to Hollywood's glitzy awards season, are determined by 647 paying voters in the United States and overseas. Winners will be announced in an appropriately tacky ceremony in Hollywood on March 6, the eve of the Academy Awards.
Most nominees boycott the ceremony, although Halle Berry sportingly showed up five years ago to accept her prize for "Catwoman". A full list can be seen at www.razzies.com
Actress Sandra Bullock could be on her way to being crowned both worst and best actress of 2009 after picking up a Razzie, or Golden Raspberry, nomination for her role in 2009 comedy "All About Steve." The film was also among the worst picture nominees.
But Bullock, 45, has swept the major Hollywood awards this season for her performance in the drama "The Blind Side".
Teen star Miley Cyrus joined Bullock in the worst actress nominations for "Hannah Montana: The Movie."
But the Disney actress and singer found herself in familiar company with all three of the popular Jonas Brothers band being nominated for worst actor for their "Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience."
Nominations were announced, as is tradition, the day before Tuesday's Oscar nominations -- the movie industry's highest honors.
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" picked up seven Razzie nominations, including worst film, worst director for Michael Bay, worst screen couple for Shia LeBouf and Megan Fox, worst screenplay, and "worst remake, rip-off or sequel".
The latest in the "Transformers" movie series was one of 2009's most commercially successful films, taking $835.2 million at the worldwide box office.
Comedy "Land of the Lost," however, was one of the year's biggest disappointments with global ticket sales of $69 million. It also got seven Razzie nominations including worst actor for Ferrell, worst picture and worst director.
The Golden Raspberry Awards will also "honor" the worst movies and performances of the past decade. Previous "winners" include "Gigli" (2003) starring Jennifer Lopez, Madonna's 2002 movie "Swept Away" and 2000 sci-fi movie "Battlefield Earth".
The Razzies, created in 1980 as an antidote to Hollywood's glitzy awards season, are determined by 647 paying voters in the United States and overseas. Winners will be announced in an appropriately tacky ceremony in Hollywood on March 6, the eve of the Academy Awards.
Most nominees boycott the ceremony, although Halle Berry sportingly showed up five years ago to accept her prize for "Catwoman". A full list can be seen at www.razzies.com
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Cleopatra's stunner make-up cured eye disease as well
PARIS — Ancient Egypt's stunning eye make-up not only shielded wearers from the dark deeds of the evil eye but also protected them against eye disease, French scientists said Thursday.
Ancient Egyptians some 4,000 years ago produced the make-up used to darken and adorn eyes with lead and lead salts in mixtures that sometimes took a month to concoct, said Philippe Walter, who co-headed a team of scientists from the Louvre museum and the CNRS national research institute.
"We knew ancient Greeks and Romans too had noted the make-up had medicinal properties, but wanted to determine exactly how," he told AFP.
Contrary to widely held belief that lead is harmful, the team, using analytical chemistry, determined that "in very low doses lead does not kill cells."
Instead, it produces a molecule -- nitric oxide -- that activates the immune defence system which beats back bacteria in case of eye infection.
The research was carried out using a tiny electrode, the 10th of the size of a hair, to look at the effect of a lead chloride synthesised by the Egyptians -- laurionite -- on a single cell.
The study was released Thursday online by the journal Analytical Chemistry.
Ancient Egyptians some 4,000 years ago produced the make-up used to darken and adorn eyes with lead and lead salts in mixtures that sometimes took a month to concoct, said Philippe Walter, who co-headed a team of scientists from the Louvre museum and the CNRS national research institute.
"We knew ancient Greeks and Romans too had noted the make-up had medicinal properties, but wanted to determine exactly how," he told AFP.
Contrary to widely held belief that lead is harmful, the team, using analytical chemistry, determined that "in very low doses lead does not kill cells."
Instead, it produces a molecule -- nitric oxide -- that activates the immune defence system which beats back bacteria in case of eye infection.
The research was carried out using a tiny electrode, the 10th of the size of a hair, to look at the effect of a lead chloride synthesised by the Egyptians -- laurionite -- on a single cell.
The study was released Thursday online by the journal Analytical Chemistry.
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