Future Force Warrior!
Jungle Yeti! Here's Methane!
Starving Moose & More!
September 14, 2004
- British astronomers are celebrating a world first that could
revolutionize the future of astronomy.
They have just begun a project to operate a global network of the world's
biggest robotic telescopes, dubbed 'RoboNet-1.0' which will be controlled
by intelligent software to provide rapid observations of sudden changes in
astronomical objects, such as violent Gamma Ray Bursts, or 24-hour
surveillance of interesting phenomena.
RoboNet is also
looking for Earth-like planets, as yet unseen elsewhere in our Galaxy.
Progress in many of the most exciting areas of modern astronomy relies on
being able to follow up unpredictable changes or appearances of objects in
the sky as rapidly as possible. It was this that led astronomers at
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to pioneer the development of a
new generation of fully robotic telescopes, designed and built in the UK
by Telescope Technologies Ltd.. Together the Liverpool Telescope (LT) and
specially allocated time on the Faulkes North (FTN), soon to be joined by
the Faulkes South (FTS), make up RoboNet-1.0.
Commenting on the need for a network of telescopes RoboNet Project
Director, Professor Michael Bode of LJMU said "Although each
telescope individually is a highly capable instrument, they are still
limited by the hours of darkness, local weather conditions and the
fraction of the sky each can see from its particular location on planet
Earth."
Prof. Bode added "Astronomical phenomena are however no respecters of such limitations, undergoing changes or appearances at any time, and possibly anywhere on the sky. To understand certain objects, we may even need round-the-clock coverage - something clearly impossible with a single telescope at a fixed position on the Earth's surface."
Thus was born the
concept of "RoboNet" - a global network of automated telescopes,
acting as one instrument able to search anywhere in the sky at any time
and (by passing the observations of a target object from one telescope to
the next in the network) being able to do so continuously for as long as
is scientifically important.
The first mystery RoboNet will examine is the origin of Gamma Ray Bursts
(GRBs). Discovered by US spy satellites in the late 1960's, these
unpredictable events are the most violent explosions since the Big Bang,
far more energetic than supernova explosions. Yet they are extremely
brief, lasting from milliseconds to a few minutes, before they fade away
to an afterglow lasting a few hours or weeks. Their
exact cause is still unknown, although the collapse of supermassive stars
or the coalescence of exotic objects such as black holes and neutron stars
are prime candidates.
To study GRBs,
telescopes need to be pointed at the right area of the sky extremely
quickly.
In October this year, NASA will launch a new satellite named Swift, in
which the UK has a major involvement, and which will pinpoint the
explosions of GRBs on the sky more accurately and rapidly than ever
before. The co-ordinates of each burst will be relayed to telescopes on
the Earth, including those of RoboNet, within seconds of their occurrence,
at the rate of one event every few days. Telescopes within the UK's new
RoboNet network are designed to respond automatically within a minute of
an alert from Swift. It is in the first few minutes after the burst that
observations are urgently required to enable astronomers to really
understand the cause of these immense explosions, but until now such
observations have been extremely difficult to secure.
RoboNet's second major aim is to discover Earth-like planets around other stars. We now know of more than 100 extra-solar planets. However, all of these are massive planets (like Jupiter) and many are too near to their parent star, and hence too hot, to support life.
RoboNet will take advantage of a phenomenon called gravitational microlensing (where light from a distant star is bent and amplified around an otherwise unseen foreground object) to detect cool planets.
When a star that is being lensed in this way has a planet, it causes a short 'blip' in the light detected, which rapid-reacting telescopes such as the RoboNet network can follow up.
In fact, the network stands the best chance of any existing facility of actually finding another Earth due to the large size of the telescopes, their excellent sites and sensitive instrumentation.
The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) have funded the establishment of RoboNet-1.0, based around using the three giant robotic telescopes at their sites across the globe.
The
"glue" that holds all this together is software developed by the
LJMU-Exeter University "eSTAR" project, allowing the network to
act intelligently in a coordinated manner.
Dr Iain Steele of the eSTAR project says "We have been able to use
and develop new Grid technologies, which will eventually be the successor
to the World Wide Web, to build a network of intelligent agents that can
detect and respond to the rapidly changing universe much faster than any
human. The agents act as "virtual astronomers" collecting,
analyzing and interpreting data 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, alerting
their flesh-and-blood counterparts only when they make a discovery."
If successful, RoboNet could be expanded to the development of a larger,
dedicated global network of up to six robotic telescopes.
Professor Michael Bode of Liverpool John Moores University adds "We
have led the world in the design and build of the most advanced robotic
telescopes and now with RoboNet-1.0 we are set to lead the way in some of
the most challenging and exciting areas of modern astrophysics".
RoboNet Official site - http://www.astro.livjm.ac.uk/RoboNet
The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) - http://www.pparc.ac.uk
Sidewinder
New York: Rajeswari Ayyappan, 59, checked in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for brain surgery. Medical personnel performed the operation flawlessly... but on the wrong side of the brain.
Neurosurgery chief Ehud Arbit was relieved of his duties.
Multiple
Personalities
Appleton, Wisconsin: Nadean Cool, 44, sued her psychiatrist for
malpractice in a suit alleging that Dr Kenneth Olson convinced her that
she had 120 personalities, then billed her insurance company for group
therapy.
Her insurance carrier, after adding up the bills it paid for her psychiatric care - about $300,000 - joined the suit.
Ms Cool claimed
that Olson said her 120 personalities included a duck and angels. Thankfully,
no one alleged that Cool was mentally healthy.
Foot Fault
Miami, Florida: A diabetic patient woke up after an operation to find that
the surgeon had mistakenly cut off a foot and one toe. The State Board of
Medicine reduced a state hearing officer's recommended stiff sentence, and
fined Dr. Rolando Sanchez $10,000 and suspended his practice for six
months instead.
"I'm not
saying what he did wasn't wrong," board member Dr Edward Dauer
explained. "But doctors are not God, and hospitals are not heaven
either."
Losing A Living
London: Cancer patient Cyril Smith, 59, gave up his job when doctors said
he had three months to live. After comfortably outliving that prediction,
Smith, sued the doctors for loss of earnings.
"I just want compensation for their mistake, for the years when I could have earned a living to support my family. I want the hospital to apologize," Smith said.
"It's
astonishing. People sue for anything, just about anything these
days," a British Medical Association spokesman responded.
Come Again?
Albany: Francis Hugh Smith, a convicted burglar, sued the state of New
York for $10 million.
He claimed that
poor medical care was the cause for amnesia that made him leave his work
release job and forget to return to prison.
Hand It To Him
Norfolk: Thomas Passmore was working at a construction site when he
thought he saw ‘666', a demonic sign, on his hand. Recalling the
instruction in the Bible, "If thy right hand offend thee, cut it
off," he did just that - with a circular saw.
Doctors at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital wanted to re-attach the hand, but Passmore refused to let them do so, saying that he would go to hell if he agreed. The doctors contacted a judge, who advised them to follow Passmore's wish and not re-attach his hand.
Later, Passmore sued both the hospital and doctors, claiming the hospital should have contacted his parents or sister to overrule the judge's decision and the hospital didn't tell the judge that he was incompetent.
WASHINGTON September 10, 2004 - The U.S. Army should investigate alternative power sources, such as fuel cells and small engines, to create longer-lasting, lighter, cheaper, and more reliable sources of energy for the equipment soldiers will use in the future, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. In addition, the Army should step up its efforts to develop and acquire technologies that are more energy-efficient, said the committee that wrote the report.
"The Army should immediately conduct a comprehensive analysis of power sources for future dismounted soldiers, looking beyond today's standard military batteries," said Patrick Flynn, committee chair and retired vice president for research, Cummins Engine Company Inc., Columbus, Ind.
"Many
commercial energy sources exist, but they are developed for a consumer
market, not the military. The Army must determine and select the energy
sources that are most relevant to its needs."
The Army will equip its future warriors through a program called
"Land Warrior," which, in addition to weaponry, includes
high-tech electronics that significantly increase soldiers' awareness of
the combat environment, such as helmets with visual displays, chemical and
biological sensors, radios, and portable computers. But these devices are
not energy-efficient and will need new power sources to operate
efficiently.
The development,
testing, and evaluation of these new energy sources will be carried out
under a program known as Future Force Warrior.
The committee evaluated and prioritized options for supplying energy to
various low- and high-power applications on the battlefield. In addition
to disposable and rechargeable batteries, the committee considered fuel
cells, small engines, and hybrid energy systems such as those combining a
battery with a fuel cell, or a small engine with a battery. Existing
military batteries can provide enough power for computer displays, radios,
sensors, and electronics for a 12-hour mission, but longer missions will
require other technologies to efficiently power operations lasting up to
72 hours. These include improved low-power electronics, sophisticated
power-management software, and "smart" hybrid energy systems
that automatically adjust to the soldier's operating environment on the
battlefield.
Some of the
applications requiring a higher level of power -- an average of 100 watts
-- include portable battery rechargers; laser target designator devices
used to guide a rocket, missile, or bomb to its target; and individual
cooling systems for protective garments. For these applications, the
committee concluded that hybrid systems operating on common military fuels
would be needed.
Other devices designed to enhance soldiers' performance on the battlefield
use even more power, requiring between 1 and 5 kilowatts. For example, the
"exoskeleton," which consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg
braces and a backpack-like frame, literally takes the load off a soldier's
back, allowing him or her to carry large or heavy packs without losing
agility.
To power such
energy-intensive equipment, the Army should consider use of lightweight
engine generators, the report says.
Among all possible energy sources, hybrid systems provide the most
versatile solutions for meeting the diverse needs of the Future Force
Warrior, the committee said.
The key advantage
of hybrid systems is their ability to provide power over varying levels of
energy use, by combining two power sources.
"Products historically have evolved to become more portable, mobile,
and wearable," Flynn said. "By integrating components and
minimizing the energy they consume, tomorrow's military equipment will
help soldiers operate in various conditions, extend the range and duration
of their operations, and minimize their vulnerability."
Soldier Systems Center (a fantastic looking website!) - http://www.natick.army.mil
National Academies - http://www.nas.edu
Info on Land Warrior - http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/land-warrior.htm
LONDON September 10, 2004 (Reuters) - A TV advert that features a lingerie-clad woman caressing a carving knife and then scrubbing blood from the floor is causing controversy, just days after it hit the airwaves.
The ad for
supermodel Elle Macpherson's Intimates lingerie line features several
vignettes by fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti. One spot titled
"Kitchen" begins with a woman in bra and knickers pensively
handling a large knife, then segues to her scrubbing blood from the
floor.
A middle segment, not shown on TV because it features frontal nudity but
available on the company's Web site, has two naked women stalking each
other in a knife fight.
Macpherson said in
a statement she loves the "cinematic mystery" of the ads.
The TV standards campaign group MediaWatch has said it plans to file a
complaint with media regulator Ofcom.
The ads, which also
drew complaints when they were aired in Australia, will only be shown
after 9 p.m. under guidelines set by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance
Centre.
An Intimate print ad that showed a woman with her thumbs insider her
knickers was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority in March.
Watch "The Kitchen" online - requires Flash - (prepare to be not shocked) - http://www.intimates.tv
Elle Macpherson's Intimates - http://www.ellemacphersonintimates.co.nz
BBC News Manchester
UK September 8, 2004 (BBC) - Two amateur explorers hope to prove the existence of the mythical "jungle yeti" by capturing the creature on film. Adam Davies, of Bramhall, Greater Manchester, and Andrew Sanderson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, are traveling to Sumatra in Indonesia to hunt it down.
Three years ago, the pair found a footprint and hairs which, when analyzed by scientists, did not match any known species. They believe it is evidence the orang pendek, as it is called, does exist.
The creature - also known as the Little Man of the Forest - was first chronicled by the explorer Marco Polo in 1292 during his travels in Asia.
Although widely believed to exist by islanders, the creature has been dismissed by most scientists as a myth, similar to the Himalayan yeti or the Loch Ness Monster.
The orang pendek -
which is reputed to be related to the orang-utan - is said to measure up
to 5ft (1.5m) tall and walk like a man.
Most alleged sightings have taken place in the areas of Mount Tujuh and
Mount Kerinci in the west of the island, where the two explorers made
their discovery in 2001.
The footprint and two red-brown hairs were analyzed by Dr Hans Brunner,
who helped clear Lindy Chamberlain of murdering her baby daughter in
Australia in the 1980s after she claimed it had been killed by a
dingo.
He said they were not from a known species, raising speculation that they
might just be evidence of the orang pendek's existence.
"What we want to do now is capture it on film," said Mr Davies,
who spends his holidays hunting down mythical creatures. "I
appreciate it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I'm
determined to give it a good go."
"We've proved it exists organically and we're delighted about
that," he claimed. "The hairs are organic proof."
Dr Brunner said they were hairs from an unknown species of primate and
that was backed up by a primatologist at Cambridge University who said the
prints were also a primate's.
"We're going to publish a scientific paper shortly based on years of
research, not only by us but by [conservation group] Fauna and Flora
International who have worked out there in Sumatra for many years."
But the future of
the orang pendek - if it exists - is threatened by illegal logging which
is destroying the jungle habitat, but which many Sumatrans see as their
only way of making a living. Adam hopes that proving the creature's
existence will bring the eyes of the world on the island and make the
orang pendek a protected species.
"Capturing it on film will light people's imaginations and arouse
interest. That's important because that's an area which is under extreme
environmental pressure and it will help that area to be preserved. But I
would just love to see it. Now I know it definitely exists I want to give
it a damn good shout at finding it."
The pair's hunt for the orang pendek is just one of many crypto-zoology
expeditions they have been on. Last year, they searched in vain for the
Allghoi Khorkhoi - the Mongolian death worm - in the Gobi desert and were
arrested on suspicion of being Chinese spies, before being released.
In 1998 and 2000 they searched - again, in vain - for the Mokele M'embe -
a dinosaur rumored to live in the Congo.
"That was our most dangerous trip," remembers Adam. "There
was a civil war going on and rocket launchers at the airport in
Kinshasa."
The orang pendek expeditions have been by far their most successful
ventures, but the pair are still beset by skepticism from the general
public.
"It's very easy to be seen as a nutter," admits Adam. "And
so we're very careful that anything we do find is analyzed independently
by scientists."
For its 10th
anniversary, upmarket London corset and lingerie boutique Agent
Provocateur has put a clip on its website showing Bush, or rather an actor
who looks like him, excitedly awaiting an after-lunch visit from his
dom.
In she struts on killer black stilettos, tying up the leader of the free
world by the wrists, twisting
his nipple with a plumber's wrench before performing a striptease and
whipping him on his boyish white briefs.
The kinky scene reaches its climax when another man crawls into the room
like a dog, dressed head to toe in black latex.
Off comes his hood, and it's a goofy-grinning look-a-like of British Prime
Minister Tony Blair.
LIVERMORE CA September 13, 2004 - Untapped reserves of methane, the main component in natural gas, may be found deep in Earth's crust, according to a recently released report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). These reserves could be a virtually inexhaustible source of energy for future generations.
The team of researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory, Harvard University, Argonne National Laboratory and Indiana University, South Bend, through a series of experiments and theoretical calculations, showed that methane forms under conditions that occur in Earth's upper mantle.
Methane is the most plentiful hydrocarbon in Earth's crust and is a main component of natural gas. However, oil and gas wells are typically only drilled 5 to 10 kilometers beneath the surface. These depths correspond to pressures of a few thousand atmospheres.
Using a diamond anvil cell, the scientists squeezed materials common at Earth's surface -- iron oxide (FeO), calcite (CaCO3) (the primary component of marble) and water to pressures ranging from 50,000 to 110,000 atmospheres and temperatures more than 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit -- to create conditions similar to those found deep within Earth. Methane (CH4) formed by combining the carbon in calcite with the hydrogen in water. The reaction occurred over a range of temperatures and pressures. Methane production was most favorable at 900 degrees Fahrenheit and 70,000 atmospheres of pressure.
The experiments show that a non-biological source of hydrocarbons may lie in Earth's mantle and was created from reactions between water and rock -- not just from the decomposition of living organisms.
"The results demonstrate that methane readily forms by the reaction of marble with iron-rich minerals and water under conditions typical in Earth's upper mantle," said Laurence Fried, of Livermore's Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate. "This suggests that there may be untapped methane reserves well below Earth's surface. Our calculations show that methane is thermodynamically stable under conditions typical of Earth's mantle, indicating that such reserves could potentially exist for millions of years." The study is published in the Sept. 13-17 early, online edition of the PNAS.
The mantle is a dense, hot layer of semi-solid rock approximately 2,900 kilometers thick. The mantle, which contains more iron, magnesium and calcium than the crust, is hotter and denser because temperature and pressure inside Earth increase with depth. Because of the firestorm-like temperatures and crushing pressure in Earth's mantle, molecules behave very differently than they do on the surface.
"When we looked at the samples under these pressures and temperatures, they revealed optical changes indicative of methane formation," Fried said.
"At temperatures above 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, we found that the carbon in calcite formed carbon dioxide rather than methane. This implies that methane in the interior of Earth might exist at depths between 100 and 200 kilometers.
"This has broad implications for the hydrocarbon reserves of the planet and could indicate that methane is more prevalent in the mantle than previously thought. Due to the vast size of Earth's mantle, hydrocarbon reserves in the mantle could be much larger than reserves currently found in Earth's crust."
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - http://www.llnl.gov
Jerry Allen Bradford, 37, was charged with felony animal cruelty, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. He was being treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound to his wrist. Bradford said he decided to shoot the three-month-old shepherd-mix dogs in the head because he couldn't find them a home, according to the sheriff's office.
On Monday, Bradford was holding two puppies - one in his arms and another in his left hand - when the dog in his hand wiggled and put its paw on the trigger of the .38-calibre revolver. The gun then discharged, the sheriff's report said.
Deputies found three of the puppies in a shallow grave outside Bradford's home, said Sgt. Ted Roy.
The four others appeared to be in good health and were taken by Escambia County Animal Control, which planned to make them available for adoption.
[No charges were brought against the puppy, who pleaded self-defense. Ed.]
"I know people don't want to believe this ... but moose are not in the diets of wolves," Joel Berger, a senior scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, told Wyoming Game and Fish commissioners at a recent meeting.
The 10-year study is one part of the larger debate in recent years about the effects of wolf predation on the state's big game species, particularly on elk in western Wyoming herds.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists say wolves continue to expand their range in western Wyoming. Wolves have now killed elk on 14 of the 22 state-operated feedgrounds and have displaced elk at several feedgrounds in the Gros Ventre and North Piney area. But there was little data about wolf impacts on moose populations.
Some outfitters and others have complained that moose numbers have been harmed by the transplanting of Canadian wolves into Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s.
But Berger said his study of three moose herds in the Jackson area shows the decline in moose populations is more of a problem with nutrition and habitat than with predators.
"There's a lot of other things going on besides predators ... habitat, changing weather, lags in vegetation response, poor willow growth, disease ... and we're losing (moose) habitat not only in quantity, but in quality too," he said.
"Wolf predation overall has not been intense in the unit ... and there's been little grizzly bear predation recently as well," Berger said.
The Jackson moose unit population averaged 2,400 animals from 1998 to 2002, according to Game and Fish data. The population rose slightly in 2003 and was estimated at 2,736 animals.
Berger's study showed about 14 percent to 18 percent of mortality in adult Jackson moose was due to grizzly bears and less than 2 percent due to wolves. Car collisions accounted for about 8 percent of total adult mortality, Berger noted.
"About 60 percent of adult female mortality is due to malnutrition... Less than 5 percent of adult females are lost due to predation," he said.
Berger said the study revealed that moose birth rates, and rates of twin births, are also down significantly.
The Game and Fish Department averaged about 500 moose hunting licenses issued each year for the moose in the Jackson area during the 1970s and 1980s. Now, the agency sells about 145 permits per year.
"To get back to the days of 500 permits ... it may not happen, but it will depend mostly on vegetative quality," Berger said.
Commissioner Bill Williams said it was important to get the word out about the study to the state's sportsmen and hunters.
"I was surprised... I think a lot of people have the misperception that wolves were responsible," he said.
In order to help the Jackson unit's population, the state has been cutting back hunting permits in the area, wildlife biologists said.
For the first time since 1971, no anterless moose tags will be issued for the Jackson herd during the 2004 hunting season. And for the seventh year, hunters may not take a cow moose accompanied by a calf.
Enterprise
Guests Brent Spiner
By FLAtRich
Hollywood September
15, 2004 (eXoNews) - As if you didn't know, Brent Spiner (Mr. Data)
returns to the Star Trek mythos as a guest star on Star Trek Enterprise
this season in a three-episode arc and the folks at Star Trek have
released a couple production reports that fill in some of the mystery
about Spiner's role as Dr. Arik Soong, the great, great grandfather of
Data's inventor Dr. Noonien Soong.
According to Trek reports, Dr. Arik Soong is a scientist who brings Earth
close to a new 22nd century Eugenics War.
(There was an
earlier Eugenics War in the Trek timeline. I'll leave it to you to figure
out the Stardate, etc.)
But Arik Soong will hardly be the beloved and rather innocent Data
character you know from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
This is one of
those Brent Spiner "evil" roles, like Data's evil twin Lore.
Spiner fans probably like him playing evil as much as he seems to relish
such parts.
Enterprise returns Friday October 8th at 8PM on the UnPopular Network,
UPN. Hopefully, the injection of Spiner and (some speculate) William
Shatner into the guest list will give Enterprise new life in its new time
slot.
The Shatner visit remains a rumor. He was expensive before he got his Emmy and now the former Captain Kirk could be light years above the reported budget limitations imposed by Paramount to facilitate a fourth season of Enterprise.
Enterprise also won
two Emmys last week, in the categories of Outstanding Special Visual
Effects for a Series and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
(Dramatic Underscore), at the Emmy Creative Arts Awards presentation where
William Shatner finally picked up his statue (see below.)
Leaving out the spoilers, various Star Trek production reports also add
this data to the Spiner guestings:
"Arik Soong has been incarcerated in a high-security facility after
stealing 20 embryos of genetically enhanced humans and bringing them to
life."
"Dr. Soong is very much a 'Hannibal Lecter'-type character - he is
widely feared, he's constantly trying to escape, and he loves to
psychologically toy with everyone he talks to."
Apparently Dr. Soong's enhanced guys go bad. They begin "to wreak
havoc by hijacking a Klingon ship and massacring its crew. It's a very
volatile situation which could lead to war with the Klingons."
Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew are called upon to save the
day. J.G. Hertzler (DS9) also returns to the Trek fold to guest star as a
Klingon in the arc.
You can catch online previews of season 4 and Dr. Arik Soong here: http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/6184.html
[Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) did a terrific guest shot on Stargate SG-1 on September 10th, BTW, returning to her role of Ishta, the rebel Jaffa leader. Ed.]
Shatner Gets an
Emmy
[Reportedly, Shatner looked at his statue and asked "What took you so
long?" A good question. Personally, I think he should have gotten one
in 1959 for the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000
Feet". I still glance out the window looking for gremlins whenever
I'm sitting on the wing. According to the IMDb, Bill has had 173 other
"notable" TV roles since 1956, not to mention 106 film roles and
probably more additional "as Himself" appearances (49) than any
other dramatic actor in recent memory. It's about time, Mr. Shatner!
Congratulations! Ed.]
LOS ANGELES
September 13, 2004 (AP) - Sharon Stone and William Shatner were among the
winners at the creative arts Emmy Awards, which preceded next week's main
ceremony. The creative arts awards, held Sunday night, recognized
technical and other achievements for the 2003-04 season.
Both Stone and Shatner were honored for guest appearances in ABC's
"The Practice." Shatner is reprising his character, attorney
Denny Crane, in "Boston Legal," a reworked version of the drama
debuting next month.
For guest actor and actress in a comedy series, the winners were Laura
Linney for NBC's "Frasier" and John Turturro for USA's
"Monk."
Among networks, HBO received a leading 16 awards, followed by Fox and PBS
with seven each and ABC and NBC with five each. The HBO drama
"Carnivale" was the most honored series Sunday with five
awards.
Honors for best comedy and drama series, best movie and other achievements
will be given Sunday in a ceremony airing on ABC.
Emmy site - http://www.emmys.org
Goodbye,
C-3PO!
By Paul
Majendie
LONDON September
13, 2004 (Reuters) - Bidding goodbye to the gold robot after almost 30
years, Anthony Daniels shed a nostalgic tear for the mechanical manservant
who changed his life.
"Oh yes, it was with moisture. This was very much a fond
farewell," Daniels said of his last scene as C-3PO, the android who
became an icon in the "Star Wars" movies.
His last scene in the sixth and final film was hardly the heady stuff of
magic for Daniels. Digital effects saw to that.
"I finished filming on the last film last week. For the final shot I
walked along a blue corridor with a blue background behind me talking to
someone who wasn't there." he said.
"Revenge of the Sith" is due out next May and completes a
trilogy of pre-quels, which tell the back story of the original movie
about a battle between good and evil in a distant galaxy.
Daniels makes no secret about his favorite of the six.
"The first film spoke to everyone on the planet. It still works as a
funny, bright movie. It still has legs," he said of the films by U.S.
director George Lucas.
When Lucas returned to the pre-quels, Daniels was not so sure.
"George's devotion to digital effects over-balanced the films. Too
many digital funky characters become a little bit wearing. The
storytelling always gets subsumed."
STRANGE IMMORTALITY
For the 58-year-old Daniels, playing a fastidious robot who sounds like a
prissy English butler transformed his career.
"He (C-3PO) gave me that lead into a strange kind of immortality.
People are very fond of him. His image has haunted me around the
planet," he said.
There was also an undeniable sense of achievement from the
self-deprecating British actor as he reflected on the squirming discomfort
of clunking around the Tunisian desert in searing heat to make film
history.
"He has been a best friend for me. He is going to live forever in the
ether," he told Reuters in an interview.
Critics may have
admired his on-screen chemistry with fellow robot R2-D2 but Daniels said:
"I was talking to myself all the time. It was a very lonely
experience. I was locked inside a box and had a friend who didn't speak to
me."
The English stage actor was initially reluctant to audition for the part
and even risked "losing his voice" to Hollywood star Richard
Dreyfus as Lucas contemplated dubbing him over.
"Now I have the honor of being the only person to have appeared in
all of the movies and I have become the principal spokesman for
them," he said.
For there is plenty of life left in the "Star Wars" phenomenon
with the worldwide DVD launch of the first three movies on September
20.
Just listening to Daniels' schedule is exhausting.
There is the Paris "Star Wars" convention, the "Star
Wars" exhibition in Osaka, being inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame
in Pittsburgh, joining forces with storm troopers in London to launch the
DVD.
Then comes all the razzmatazz of the final pre-quel.
But nothing will erase his treasured memory of the first time he saw a
sketch of the android he was to play.
"When I saw the painting by the design artist, the eyes of the
character looked deep into my soul. He was a very forlorn figure with an
abandoned air. He really did look into my soul. We made this tremendous
contact."
Tru Cut -
Point Pleasant On?
By Josef
Adalian
Hollywood September
12, 2004 (Variety) - Fox is cutting back on "Tru Calling" before
the show's second season even begins.
Net Monday announced that the skein won't premiere as planned on Thursday,
Nov. 4. Instead, the timeslot will be filled by Hawaii sudser "North
Shore."
What Fox didn't announce, however, is that the net seems ready to scale
back the production order on the Eliza Dushku starrer from 13 segs to just
six episodes.
Decision could be a
death blow to the 20th Century Fox TV/Original show, insiders
conceded.
Fox execs made much of the decision to bring back "Tru" for a
second season, hailing the call as evidence of the net's willingness to be
patient and give shows with potential time to find an audience.
It's the same
rationale the net used to pick up season two of the critically-hailed
"Arrested Development."
What's more, Fox execs are said to have liked the direction
"Tru" writers have taken in early season two episodes.
So why the change of heart? Insiders said simple economics may have played
a role.
With "American Idol" set to invade Fox's sked again come
January, and reality skeins such as "Renovate My Family" and
"Trading Spouses" off to a strong start, net may not want to
spend the coin on a full order of "Tru," insiders claim. That's
particularly true now that Fox has ordered "Point Pleasant"
(also from 20th/Original) for a possible early 2005 bow.
But there's also evidence senior News Corp. management believes that
"Tru" may simply be too narrow in its appeal, and that the skein
will never be able to break out. While scaling back to six episodes is not
the same as canceling a show, it's rarely a good sign.
One caveat: Some industry insiders believe there's still a shot
"Tru" could produce its full 13-episode order, if only because
under some scenarios, making the shows might be cheaper than not doing so.
There's also a chance Fox might try the show on Friday night, some
insiders said.
[No change evident on the Fox Fall Schedule page and Tru is still included in the January 2005 lineup as well. There is also no web presence or Fox listing for the show Point Pleasant. No mention of it on the Internet Movie Database or in the credits of its creator, Joss Whedon sidekick Marti Noxon. Ed.]
Tru Calling Official - http://www.fox.com/trucalling
Fox January 2005 Schedule - http://www.fox.com/schedule/schedule_2005_jan.htm
No Madonna on CBS
NEW YORK September
11, 2004 (AP) - Even Madonna doesn't always get what she wants. A deal for
the pop diva to show a tape of one of her concerts on CBS has fallen
through.
Madonna wanted the special to air for more than two hours and be
commercial-free, said CBS entertainment spokesman Chris Ender. The network
wasn't willing to give up more than two hours of its prime-time schedule
and insisted on commercials.
CBS had expected to tape the special somewhere during Madonna's European
tour. Concert specials have become increasingly popular for broadcast
networks.
A call to a representative for Madonna was not immediately returned.
Official Madonna - http://madonna.com
Dave Attell
Goes Big Time?
By Nellie
Andreeva
LOS ANGELES September 10, 2004 (Hollywood Reporter) - Comedy Central
veteran Dave Attell is coming to network television.
The seasoned
comedian, best known for his Comedy Central series "Insomniac With
Dave Attell," has signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co.
and sister studio 20th Century Fox TV to star in a sitcom.
"He is quite simply one of the funniest people on the planet,"
said Marcia Shulman, Fox's executive vp casting.
"He has a very
specific point of view, he is really funny, very edgy, has a huge
following that cuts across all age groups, and it's really a no-brainer
for Fox."
Given his writing background on "Insomniac" and NBC's
"Saturday Night Live," it is possible that Attell would be
involved in the development/writing of his starring vehicle.
In addition to "Insomniac," Attell also appeared on Comedy
Central's "The Daily Show" and "Tough Crowd With Colin
Quinn" and lent his voice to the channel's "Crank Yankers."
His credits also include his own specials for Comedy Central and HBO and
the feature "Pootie Tang."
[Oh, come on! What chance does Dave have on Fox? Has anybody on the Zorro
Network even seen Insomniac? I hope they give you a lot of money, Dave.
Bank it fast and run, dude! This is one sitcom nobody will ever see! Ed.]
Jack and
Bobby and Tarzan
[I was going to review Jack & Bobby until I saw it and decided I
wasn't qualified for that kind of show. It is billed as a crossbreed
between producers of West Wing and Everwood, but it was mostly Everwood.
David Nutter, who also directed last season's dismal WB botch Tarzan, gave
the show a good first episode, but how the future president premise can
ever create anything more than another WB primetime teen soap remains to
be seen. I'll reserve judgment until Desperate Housewives starts opposite.
Ed.]
Hollywood September
13, 2004 (Variety) - The WB's "Jack & Bobby" put up decent
overall numbers in its premiere Sunday night, but it was a surprisingly
big hit with young femmes.
The favorably reviewed drama averaged a 1.7 rating/4 share in adults 18-49
and 4.6 million viewers overall, according to prelim nationals from
Nielsen, retaining 77% of the 18-49 aud from the season premiere of
"Charmed" (prelim 2.2/6, 5.3 million).
This puts "Jack" down 19% from last year's October premiere of
"Tarzan" in the timeslot (2.1/5 in 18-49), but lead-in
"Charmed" was down as well, so the retention was similar.
For a politically tinged drama, the biggest surprise was that it skewed so
young, racking up a 5.2 rating in female teens (including a monster 11.3
in Gotham), compared with a 2.6 rating in women 18-34 and a 2.5 in women
18-49, according to Nielsen prelims.
Frog noted "Jack & Bobby's" perf in most female demos was
the best ever for a Sunday fall premiere on the WB -- a good sign for a
net whose hit dramas are usually a magnet for young women. Where it could
use some help is among men, where it did a 1.0 prelim rating among the
18-34 crowd.
"Jack & Bobby," from Warner Bros. Television and exec
produced by Thomas Schlamme, Greg Berlanti and Mickey Liddell, will get an
encore airing on Thursday. Its regular Sunday competish in upcoming weeks
will include dramas "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" on NBC
and the new "Desperate Housewives" on ABC.
Also for the WB, it was a modest opening for the transplanted "Steve
Harvey's Big Time" (prelim 0.9/3 in 18-49, 2.6 million) in the 7
o'clock hour. Second-year skein, which has expanded to an hour this season
and moved from its Thursday slot, scored a prelim 1.0/4 in persons 12-34.
Silver City
Satirizes Bush with Mystery
By Cameron
French
TORONTO September 11, 2004 (Reuters) - Describing his new film,
"Silver City," as part murder mystery and part political satire,
director John Sayles made it very clear on Saturday which politician the
movie is satirizing.
"(The) character is very much based on George W. Bush when he first
ran for governor of Texas," he told reporters just before his movie
made its world debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Sayles, who started putting together the story shortly after the 2000
presidential election, and rushed pre-production so as to get the film
into theaters before the Nov. 2 election, said he was discouraged by the
deterioration of "the political and cultural conversation in the
United States."
"There's a real pressure not to raise your voice, not to question
what's going on internationally or in the country itself," he said.
The film features Chris Cooper as grammatically challenged Colorado gubernatorial hopeful Dickie Pilager, a born-again candidate backed by his father, a U.S. senator with powerful corporate connections.
Pilager at first
struggles to keep his composure when confronted by the press, delivering
lines such as "Keeping the infrastructure in place, where it belongs,
is a priority."
While Cooper said he drew some of the character's traits from his own fear
of public speaking, he acknowledged borrowing some mannerisms from
Bush.
"Certainly there are some recognizable characteristics in terms of
our president," he said.
The film at first plays like a political satire, but evolves into a
whodunit after a body turns up while Pilager is filming a campaign
ad.
Former muckraking journalist Danny O'Brien is enlisted by Pilager's
campaign manager -- played by Richard Dreyfuss -- to find out whether the
corpse is part of an effort to derail the campaign, but he instead is
drawn into a world of political corruption, illegal migrant workers and
environmental destruction.
The film features an ensemble cast that includes Billy Zane, Daryl Hannah,
Kris Kristofferson, Tim Roth, Michael Murphy and Danny Huston as the
journalist-turned-investigator.
Huston's character at first is a cynical shell of his old self, but
through the investigation regains what Sayles called "his sense of
moral outrage."
"His apathy is not unlike the American voter who doesn't vote, who
doesn't care anymore," said Huston.
The film makes its debut on the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks,
the defining moment of the Bush presidency, and a topic that moved Sayles
close to tears when he spoke about it.
"For me, the significance of it, I just think of this hole. It's
literally a hole in the ground, and it's this hole in people's lives who
lost people there," he said.
Silever City
Official - http://www.silvercitythemovie.com
Sony Will
Buy MGM
By Bob
Tourtellotte
and Nathan Layne
LOS ANGELES/TOKYO
September 14, 2004 (Reuters) - A group headed by Sony Corp. of America has
agreed to buy Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for about $2.85
billion in cash to mine MGM's lucrative library for the booming DVD
market.
MGM, the 80-year-old studio that owns the James Bond movies, said on
Monday that the unit of Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. would be
joined by Providence Equity Partners Inc., Texas Pacific Group and DLJ
Merchant Banking Partners.
Sony said it had reached a separate agreement with the top U.S. cable TV
operator, Comcast Corp., for Comcast to offer Sony and MGM movies over its
video-on-demand systems and on new cable channels that it would form with
the Sony group.
Emerging as victor in a drawn-out acquisition battle with Time Warner Inc,
Sony will join forces with MGM to create the world's largest film library
of about 7,600 titles, comprising some 3,500 movies from Sony and about
4,100 from MGM.
Sony will pay $12 cash per share for MGM, controlled by billionaire Kirk
Kerkorian, and assume about $2 billion of debt.
With roughly 237.6 million MGM shares outstanding at the end of July, the
total value of the deal is about $4.85 billion.
The purchase of MGM
is in keeping with Chief Executive Nobuyuki Idei's vision of creating
synergies between Sony's consumer electronics products and music, movies
and games.
But investors said it would be some time before the potential merits of
the deal become clear.
"This will obviously help diversify earnings and it's an important
library, an important source of content," said Marc Desmidt, head of
Japanese equities at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in Tokyo. "But
I've got no idea (right now) if they've overpaid or not -- whether it's
the right price."
Some analysts had questioned the logic of the deal for Sony, saying the
company should be concentrating management resources on its struggling
electronics division, which accounts for $45 billion or two-thirds of the
company's total sales.
Sony's shares slid 1.52 percent to 3,890 yen on Tuesday, underperforming
the Nikkei average, which rose 0.38 percent.
Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's said after the market close that
it had put Sony on watch for a possible downgrade because the acquisition
could cause deterioration the company's balance sheet and hamper
structural reform.
Sources close to the bid said Providence would contribute $450 million,
Sony and Texas Pacific $300 million and DLJ Merchant Banking $250 million.
The balance would be in debt.
CROWN JEWEL
MGM's film library
is considered its crown jewel, generating a stream of revenue in the DVD
market.
Sony could also plumb the MGM library for sequels, and MGM's trademark Leo
the Lion is a globally recognized brand.
Including the titles owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Sony group
will now control about 40 percent of all movies ever produced by
Hollywood, according to some estimates.
Sony, which bought Columbia Pictures in 1989 for $3.4 billion, will
control the MGM venture. Comcast will manage the joint venture the two
concerns will form for cable TV.
An agreement, if finalized, would mark a sweet payout for 87-year-old
Kerkorian, who holds a 74 percent stake in MGM and stands to make about $2
billion on the deal.
Earlier this year, he pocketed about $1.4 billion through an $8 per share
dividend, meaning he'd walk with about $20 per share for owning the studio
a third time in its long history.
The announcement of
the deal by MGM came after Time Warner withdrew, saying it could not reach
agreement on price.
Time Warner, the world's biggest media group, had offered $4.6 billion,
according to one source.
The company is now free to focus on a pending auction for bankrupt cable
operator Adelphia Communications.
For Sony, owning MGM could also advance its cause in the battle to
establish the next DVD format.
Sony is part of a
consortium that supports the Blu-ray format against a format called HD
DVD, which is endorsed by Japan's NEC Corp. and others.
Both HD DVD and Blu-ray technologies use blue laser light, which, with a
shorter wavelength than red light used in conventional DVD recorders, can
read and store data at much higher densities needed for high-definition
recordings.
"A close relationship with holders of movie content will be necessary
to win the DVD format fight. The purchase of MGM can be viewed as positive
in that light," said UFJ Tsubasa's Yamamoto.
Sony and its
partners have locked in financing from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and
Credit Suisse First Boston for the bid, sources close to the talks said.
J.P. Morgan is also leading debt financing for the deal.
Shares of MGM closed up 44 cents at $11.55 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Time Warner stock was off 6 cents at $16.45.
MGM said the buyers had put down a deposit of $150 million, and added that
management would likely recommend approving the proposed deal to its board
of directors by Sept. 27.
MGM, formed in 1924, produced such classics as "Gone With the
Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz."
Kerkorian first bought it in 1970, then sold it to Ted Turner in 1986
before buying it back, only to sell it again in 1990 to Pathe
Communications. He re-acquired the studio in 1996.
(Additional reporting by Dane Hamilton and Kenneth Li in New York and
Julie MacIntosh in Philadelphia)
Ernie Ball
LOS ANGELES September 10, 2004 (Reuters) - Guitar string maker Ernie Ball,
famed for strings that almost single-handedly allowed rock groups in the
1960s to play wailing riffs and belt out endless vibratos, has died in San
Luis Obispo, California, at age 74, his family said on Friday.
Roland Sherwood "Ernie" Ball founded the Ernie Ball Company in
1962 after his strings became the hottest-selling item in his family's
music shop.
The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix used
Ernie Ball Slinky Strings, sold in distinctive neon-colored
packages.
"He changed the way people thought of guitar accessories, and how
they sold and marketed them, and to this day the Ernie Ball way is the
industry standard," said Sterling Ball, Ernie's son and chief
executive of the private San Luis Obispo company.
Ernie Ball guitar strings are sold in 5,500 music stores across the United
States and in over 75 countries.
