Talk About – World Scene: United States

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/ Page 9

World Scene: United States

Updated: 2007-09-24 07:06

NASA spots caves on Mars

An orbiting spacecraft has found evidence of what look like seven caves
on the slopes of a Martian volcano, the space agency NASA said on Friday.

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has sent back images of very dark, nearly
circular features that appear to be openings to underground spaces.

“They are cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at
night,” said Glen Cushing of the US Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Team
and Northern Arizona University. “Their thermal behavior is consistent
with these being deep holes in the ground.”

McDonald’s surprise comeback

It wasn’t so long ago that the McDonald’s fast-food empire looked stale.

Sales were decreasing, new products weren’t catching on and McDonald’s
was vilified by consumer activists, nutritionists and others as Americans
got fatter and fatter.

Now, thanks to a combination of improved menus, better marketing and deft
management, business is cooking like never before.

The comeback may not be news to anyone who has queued up at a McDonald’s
drive-through recently. But the fact that the sales resurgence not only
continues to sizzle is a surprise to experts who had expected the burger
chain to sink without a trace.

(China Daily 09/24/2007 page9)

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China Daily PDF Edition
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8 – Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies/TV

Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

Updated: 2007-09-19 11:18

Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

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Hero – Maguire, Gyllenhaal in talks to star in ‘Brothers’

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies

Maguire, Gyllenhaal in talks to star in ‘Brothers’

(ANI)
Updated: 2007-09-18 15:28

Tobey Maguire

‘Spiderman’ star Tobey Maguire, and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ star Jake
Gyllenhaal are in negotiations to star in “Brothers”.

Jake Gyllenhaal

The movie is a remake of Susanne Bier’s Danish-language war drama, and
revolves around a man, to be played by Maguire, who is sent to fight in
Afghanistan while his black-sheep brother, to be played by Gyllenhaal,
cares for his wife and child.

The Relativity Media movie is to be helmed by Jim Sheridan, and was first
released in released in 2004, starring Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen and
Nikolaj Lie Kaas.

The script of the remake is to be penned by David Benioff, with the movie
scheduled to being filming in early November this year.

Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh is producing alongside Michael De Luca and
Joni Sighvatsson.

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* Jessica Alba tries comedy in latest role
* Jennifer Lopez is pregnant
* Barrymore to star in HBO’s “Grey Gardens”
* Daniel Craig learns to ski for new 007 flick

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* Wipha lands in Zhejiang, 2M evacuated
* TB can be treated in few months
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* Beijing: Prepared for grave situations

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3 – The spot exactly

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CITYLIFE / Bars & Cafes

The spot exactly

(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2007-09-14 10:17

Anyone who was at The Spot’s One Year Anniversary Celebration last
Thursday already had a pretty good idea of why the restaurant/bar has
made it through the crucial “make-or-break” first year of operation.
Their success seems to come from doing a number of little things right,
resulting in a following of loyal regulars from an international mix
Shanghai’s populace. The ubiquitous Judy and her diverse team (Canadian
general manager, Indian bar manager, Filipina marketing manager, German
chef/co-owner) have managed to create an atmosphere where it’s hard not
to have a good time, and that went double for Thursday’s anniversary
celebration.

The Spot’s DJ-in-residency, DJ Clint (aka Clintessential), chose an
impressively diverse selection of tracks on Thursday. On the system were
hip-hop, 80’s music, and both classic and modern rock tracks that
complemented rather than clashed with each other (I heard everything from
Prince to Jerry Lee Lewis). And since the theme of the night was
“Hawaiian Luau”, there was plenty of reggae and beach music (from Dawn
Penn to The Beach Boys) which could have sounded corny or obligatory if
they had been played by a less competent DJ. It takes talent to spin
Snoop Dogg and Elvis Presley in the same set and keep people dancing
nonstop throughout.

The live entertainment kept the momentum of the night going. The hula
girls were hot (of course), and the live tribal drums that accompanied
their dancing added to the showmanship. The highlight for me, however,
was the guy who came on stage and began pulling yards and yards of ribbon
out of his mouth while prancing around in a tuxedo, to the sound of
techno music. It was like a cross between a magic show for children and
“A Night At The Roxbury,” so in that sense and it was hard to take my
eyes off it. According to manager Paul Gray, live entertainment is
usually reserved for special occasions because of space constraints, but
in my opinion that’s just one of several reasons to stop by.

Paul warns that the menu will be scaled down in the near future, although
the favorites (such as the Lebanese Shish Taouk) will remain. This should
address one of the big concerns I had on a recent visit, which was that
the menu was about the size of an airplane wing. Head Chef and co-owner
Mark has worked at 5-star hotels and Michelin-ranked restaurants in both
Europe and Asia, and the dishes he’s chosen reflect the influence of both
East and West (one item on the menu is a wrap of chicken marinated in
Chinese ginger and Coca-Cola, of all things). There is also a separate
menu reserved exclusively for dishes from his birthplace (Germany), with
about 10 Schnitzel dishes and 14 main course dishes on this menu alone.

The Tuscany bruschetta, topped with chicken liver mousse and gravy (in
place of the usual plum tomatoes, garlic and olive oil), sounded exotic,
and the portion of mousse on each sliver of bread was generous. The
“Ital-Thai Joint Venture” entrée was the weak link in an otherwise great
meal. Rigatoni and a seafood medley with a spicy Thai cream sauce sounded
delicious on the menu, as I was expecting the cream in the sauce to
balance out the spiciness of the Thai seasoning. But the consistency of
the sauce was more watery than creamy, making the dish much spicier
overall than I expected it to be. Last but not least, the Kaiserschmarrn
Austrian Emperor’s Pan Cake was a memorable way to end the meal. Thick,
flaky pastry crust pieces topped with powdered sugar were complemented
with almond slivers and raisins, and served alongside a ramekin of
applesauce. The dish had a granulated (almost sugary) texture to it,
which was subtle enough to add to the dish, rather than detract from it.
On my next visit, I plan to order exclusively from the German menu (if
it’s still in place), since that seems to be the chef’s strongest suit.

The range of prices on the menu didn’t deviate substantially from what
you’d expect at an eatery of this genre. Mains started at 50ish rmb and
go up from there, and booze was in the 40-50rmb range for beer and
cocktails.

Other highlights: The Spot has weekly Texas Hold’ Em nights on Monday and
Tuesday, as well as televised Major League Baseball and Premiership
Football when in season. Daily happy hour with 2-for-1 drinks from
17:00-20:00.

The Spot
Address: 331 Tongren Lu, next door to Mint, near Beijing Lu
Tel: 021-62473579

Feature ?

Pilgrimage to Tibet If you want to get a detailed Travel Handbook to
Tibet and know more interesting tour routes leading to this divine place.
Please click here!

Yunnan New Film Project Ten female directors from China! Ten unique
sights from mysterious Yunnan Province!Yunnan New Film Project,Travel
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Editors’ Picks ?

* Take out a summer meal
* Quit your job to become a freeter
* Eat healthy in summer
* In the lap of luxury
* Tips before wearing a bikini

Beijing Guide ?

Eating out: Simply Dali-cious
Bars&Cafes: For barfly
Weekend&Holiday: Is it changing too fast?
Shopping: Ice up your world
What’s on: The grape escape

Shanghai Guide ?

Eating out: An institution in the making
Bars&Cafes: The new money
Weekend&Holiday: Band of gypsies
Shopping: Chinese made delicacy
What’s on: Paper clips to politics

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5 – “Bourne” returns to No. 1 at foreign box office

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies

“Bourne” returns to No. 1 at foreign box office

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-10 15:11

LOS ANGELES – Handily outdrawing an eclectic mix of fading holdovers and
early fall newcomers, “The Bourne Ultimatum” reclaimed the top spot at
the weekend foreign box office with an estimated $16.5 million from 37
markets.

The Matt Damon espionage thriller hiked its overseas gross to $98.8
million; the film’s worldwide tally stands at $308.9 million.

“Bourne,” which topped the overseas charts during the last two weekends
in August, opened at No. 1 in Germany ($5 million), Austria ($850,000)
and Mexico ($1.5 million). It easily outpaced the comparable gross
figures in these territories recorded by the first two series titles,
“The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy.”

“Ratatouille” came in second for the weekend with $8.5 million from 34
markets, bringing its international total to $200.9 million. Its global
gross is $403 million.

The Pixar cartoon continued gangbusters in France, where the film is set.
It was No. 1 in the market for the sixth consecutive weekend, grossing
$1.5 million. The market total is $52.6 million, just $900,000 shy of the
year’s top title, “Spider-Man 3.”

“Shrek the Third,” the previous weekend’s champion, wound up at No. 3
overall with $8 million from 63 markets, hoisting its overseas total to
$451 million.

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” co-starring Adam Sandler and Kevin
James, spread its wings internationally, taking the No. 4 slot with $5.4
million from 22 markets. It opened at No. 1 in Russia ($1.2 million) and
No. 2 in Italy ($1 million, behind “Shrek,” $4.3 million). Its overseas
total stands at $15.4 million.

“Die Hard 4″ finished at No. 5 with $4.4 million, most of it coming from
a No. 1 bow in Spain with $3.7 million; the overseas total for the Bruce
Willis action vehicle stands at $227.8 million.

Grossing an estimated $4.1 million each were “Knocked Up” and “The
Simpsons Movie.” The former has earned $44.5 million, and the latter,
$309.4 million.

Other foreign totals: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” $635
million; “Ocean’s Thirteen,” $190.3 million; and “Fantastic Four: Rise of
the Silver Surfer,” $142.8 million.

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Russia – Jennifer Lopez gets back to her hip-hop roots with a sexy new video

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ENTERTAINMENT / Photo

Jennifer Lopez gets back to her hip-hop roots with a sexy new video

(Daily Mail)
Updated: 2007-09-05 16:24

Getting on down to some hip-hop beats in these colourful revealing
outfits, Jennifer Lopez signals a return to pop with a hot new video.

Ever since Hollywood’s richest Hispanic singer and actress married her
Latino husband Marc Anthony she has shown a willingness to leave the
world of urban music behind and embrace her Spanish roots.

She recorded an album in Spanish and planned a tour with her husband,
showing off a more glamorous, old Hollywood image.

But her loyal fans will be pleased to hear her new album, to be released
in October, signals a return to form. Her sixth studio album, Brave, is
in the bag and these pictures show her shooting the video for its first
single, Do It Well.

The video was directed by David LaChapelle over two days in August, and
sees the star in a series of stunning outfits including this tight black
ra-ra number and canary yellow mini-dress.

Talking about the album, Jennifer Lopez told MTV: “I’m really excited
about it. The first single will be out this summer. And, you know, it’s
very different from my Spanish album.

“My Spanish album was kind of an opportunity to get away from what I do
on my English albums, to kind of express a different side of myself.

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To be continued

2 – Terfel cancels Royal Opera ‘Ring’ cycle

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ENTERTAINMENT / Theater & Arts

Terfel cancels Royal Opera ‘Ring’ cycle

(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-04 08:08

Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel poses in this undated publicity photo provided
by Bravo.? [AP]

LONDON – Bryn Terfel has pulled out of his highly anticipated appearance
in the Royal Opera’s production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle, citing “a
particularly stressful family situation” involving one of his children.

The Welsh bass-baritone was to have sung Wotan/The Wanderer in the
performances scheduled for next month. It was supposed to have been his
first performance in a complete Ring Cycle.

“I have had a particularly stressful family situation involving one of my
children this summer which has affected the time I had put aside to
prepare for this challenging role,” Terfel said in a statement carried by
the Opera’s Web site. “Having begun rehearsals it is clear to me that I
would not be able to perform at the standard I would wish to.”

The nature of the problem was not disclosed.

The Times of London newspaper reported that the performance had been sold
out for more than a year, with some tickets for the entire four-opera
cycle going for as much as $1,610.

“The Royal Opera expressed shock and surprise at Bryn Terfel’s
cancellation, acknowledging the disappointment it will bring to audiences
who were looking forward to seeing him perform in a complete Ring Cycle
for the first time,” the company said on its Web site.

The company said Terfel would be replaced by award-winning singer Sir
John Tomlinson, with whom Terfel had been due to share the role.

Terfel sang Wotan for the first time in “Das Rheingold” and “Die
Walkuere” during the 2004-5 season in the Royal Opera’s production by
Keith Warner.

He also is slated to sing Wotan in the Metropolitan Opera’s performance
of the Ring cycle, scheduled for 2012.

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……….

Memory – ‘Pirates,’ Sophia Bush top Teen Awards

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ENTERTAINMENT / Television

‘Pirates,’ Sophia Bush top Teen Awards

(AP)
Updated: 2007-08-27 15:15

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Sophia Bush accepts the choice movie actress in a comedy award for her
work in ‘John Tucker Must Die’ at the Teen Choice Awards in Universal
City, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007.[AP]?

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“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” dominated the seventh-annual
Teen Choice Awards Sunday, taking honors for Choice Movie: Action
Adventure.

The movie’s stars Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Bill Nighy also took
home awards.

“High School Musical 2″ also scored with Choice TV: Movie, as did two of
its stars. Zac Efron was dubbed “Choice Male Hottie” and Vanessa Hudgens
“Choice Music Breakout Artist: Female.”

The Disney Channel movie’s presence was felt early in the show, which
opened with a 50th-reunion spoof, replacing the youthful cast members
with senior citizens.

Even “Choice Comedian” Dane Cook thanked the “HSM2″ team, joking, “I
couldn’t have done this without you.”

Sophia Bush was the night’s biggest competitive individual-category
winner, scoring three awards: Choice Movie Breakout: Female, Choice Movie
Actress: Horror/Thriller for “The Hitcher” and Choice Movie Actress:
Comedy for “John Tucker Must Die.”

Justin Timberlake also scored multiple honors. He won for Choice Music:
Male Artist, Choice Music: Payback Track for “What Goes Around . . ..,”
and was honored with a special, Teen Choice answer to a
lifetime-achievement award, “Ultimate Choice.”

For all of the show’s celebration of youth, it was 53-year-old John
Travolta who seemed to cause the biggest stir with the 6,000-plus member
audience, generating screams and a standing ovation as he walked to the
stage to accept the Choice Summer Movie: Comedy/Musical for “Hairspray.”

Hosted by one-time kid stars Hilary Duff and Nick Cannon, the show was
telecast by Fox Sunday night from the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal
Studios Hollywood, with awards doled out at lightning speed.

Presenters blasted through more than 30 categories in less than two
hours. Musical performers included Shop Boyz, Kelly Clarkson, as well as
winners Avril Lavigne, and Fergie, the latter giving the night’s most
emotional acceptance speech.

“This award isn’t paid for. This award isn’t traded for favors,” she
said, while tearing up. “This is picked by you.”

The awards are selected by the teen-voting public, who had been
submitting picks online since July 2. Instead of statuettes, winners
received life-size surfboards.

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* Consensus reached on energy, green tech
* Producers put under close watch
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++++++++++ end ++++++++++

1 – Paris Hilton defamation lawsuit settled

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ENTERTAINMENT / Gossip

Paris Hilton defamation lawsuit settled

(AP)
Updated: 2007-08-23 08:55

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Paris Hilton arrives at a party celebrating the new mobile service Helio
and
benefiting Heal the Bay in West Hollywood, Calif. in this, Aug. 8, 2007,
file photo.[AP]

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Paris Hilton can scratch her next court date from her calendar.

A settlement in a $10 million defamation lawsuit was reached Wednesday
between the hotel heiress-reality TV star and diamond heiress-actress
Zeta Graff.

The trial was set to start Monday.

In the suit, Graff claimed that Hilton spread “vicious lies” about her to
the media in 2005.

Both sides reached an “amicable resolution,” but the details were kept
confidential, according to a statement released by Graff’s attorney,
Bruce Broillet.

“Both parties are glad that the matter could be resolved without the time
and expense of a trial,” the statement read.

Attorneys for both Graff and Hilton declined further comment. Hilton
spokesman Elliot Mintz did not return telephone calls Wednesday.

In the suit, Graff claimed that Hilton spread the lies about her to the
New York Post.

The paper reported that Graff — who once dated Hilton’s then-fiance,
Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis — went “berserk” at a nightclub, tried
to strangle Hilton and attempted to steal her diamond necklace.

Graff denied the report and claimed that Hilton said, “I’m going to
destroy you” after trying to oust her from the club, according to the
suit.

Hilton denied that she was behind the report.

But former Hilton publicist Rob Shuter said in a deposition that Hilton
asked him to help plant the story and that he gave the paper comments,
dictated by Hilton, that he attributed to himself, Hilton and anonymous
sources.

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++++++++++ end ++++++++++

9 – Hollywood celebs not interested in easy cash

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ENTERTAINMENT / Gossip

Hollywood celebs not interested in easy cash

(ANI)
Updated: 2007-08-18 10:42

It seems that Hollywood celebrities are too busy to pick up the petty
cash they’re owed.

According to a reporting the Palm Beach Post, the state of Florida has
lots of unclaimed cash, stock refunds and security deposits waiting to be
claimed by the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Burt Reynolds
and Joe Namath.

The report says that Spears has still not collected an 828.29 dollar
cheque for a video she made before she got famous, while Timberlake has
2,600 dollars waiting to be picked, including a paycheck from Disney.

Reynolds hasn’t claimed 2,000, dollars including 1,300 dollars from
Universal Pictures, and Namath has 83.52 dollars in Disney shares that
are still to be seized.

Other celebs who are owed include Celine Dion, late Bee Gees star Maurice
Gibb and Donald Trump’s daughter with Marla Maples, Tiffany Trump.

“Some [celebs] are moving around a lot, and the money may not be
substantial enough to file a claim,” the New York Post quoted Rick Sweet
of Florida’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property, as saying.

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To be continued