Glass Lewis urges Lions Gate holders reject Icahn nominees - Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES Dec 9 (Reuters) - Influential proxy advisory
firm Glass Lewis recommended that Lions Gate Entertainment Corp
(LGF.N) shareholders reject all of Carl Icahn's board nominees,
said a source familiar with the matter.
Watch Entertainment News Online

Harrah's folds on IPO and puts spotlight on PE - Casino

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Casino company Harrah's Entertainment Inc folded on a planned $500 million initial public offering on Friday, raising questions about the the fate of other private equity-backed companies waiting to list in the United States.
The official end to Harrah's bid to become public comes as private equity firms are looking to exit portfolio companies bought at the height of the buyout boom of 2005 to 2007.
Private equity-backed hospital operator HCA Inc, U.S. retailer Toys R Us and Nielsen Holdings, whose viewership ratings often determine the fate of TV shows have all filed with U.S. regulators to list as publicly-traded companies in the United States.
The market for new issues in the United States is bustling -- on Thursday, one-time blue-chip General Motors Co (GM.N) made a triumphant return to Wall Street with a $20.1 billion offering, the biggest in U.S. history -- but investors have historically been more critical of private equity-backed companies, which typically have higher levels of debt.
Harrah's stood out for its heavy leverage, analysts said. The company's net tangible book value before the IPO was a negative 27.74 cents, said David Menlow, president of IPOfinancial.com, an independent research firm.
"The debt structure of the company was a little too much for investors to handle," he said.
On Thursday, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the planned listing of about 9.3 percent of the world's largest casino operator by revenue was being delayed due to concerns that the price range -- $15 to $17 a share -- was too high.
Harrah's, in a statement Friday announcing the IPO had been scrapped, cited difficult market conditions. Analysts noted a chillier reception to private equity-backed offerings.
INDUSTRY HIT HARD
The economic downturn has hit the casino industry hard, with many companies having trouble keeping up with high debt loads. Like many of its peers, Harrah's has been restructuring its debt; earlier this year it issued new notes to pay off debt that was maturing this year and in 2011.
Harrah's, controlled by Apollo APOLO.UL and TPG Capital TPG.UL, filed for the IPO in August.
In recent months, the IPO market has been less than hospitable to private equity-backed debuts. For example, Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI.O), which was backed by private equity firms including KKR and Bain and debuted in August, is currently trading at $12.90, 7.9 percent below its IPO price.
Apollo and TPG bought Harrah's in a $31 billion leveraged buyout in early 2008, just as the global financial crisis erupted.
Harrah's, which is changing its name to Caesars Entertainment Corp, has since seen its financial position erode. It posted a net loss of $165 million in the third quarter.
Watch Casino Online

Ellen DeGeneres would be best holiday party guest: poll - Celebrities

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Americans would invite comedian Ellen DeGeneres to a holiday party, take a vacation with actor George Clooney and ask first lady Michelle Obama to decorate their Christmas tree, a survey released on Thursday suggests.
The first lady got 38 percent of the vote among Americans asked who should decorate their home for the holidays, followed by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin with 22 percent, according to the study conducted for HomeGoods stores.
Given a list of celebrities to select from, 39 percent of Americans picked DeGeneres as their No. 1 cocktail party guest, followed by comedian Whoopi Goldberg with 29 percent and talk show hosts Kelly Ripa with 21 percent and Kathie Lee Gifford with 11 percent.
As for a holiday getaway, 43 percent said they would like to spend a day at Clooney's Lake Como villa in Italy, 27 percent chose Oprah Winfrey's Santa Barbara estate, 20 percent picked the French chateau of actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and 11 percent liked rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce's New York City home, it said.
Following the first lady and Palin on the decorating wish list, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner got 16 percent, comedian Joan Rivers 13 percent and entertainer Lady Gaga 11 percent.
Watch Celebrities Online

First Look at 40 MPG Hyundai Elantra - Magic

by Christopher DeMorro
40 mpg is the new magic number when it comes to small cars, and the battle lines are being drawn. The latest entry comes from Hyundai, whose new 2011 Elantra gets 40 mpg, on the base model.
Last week GM was the one making waves with its Chevy Cruze Eco, which set the bar at 42 mpg on the highway. It is a lofty number requiring a number of aerodynamic improvements such as a front grille shutter and lowering the ride height, as the Cruze Eco does. The Elantra, which looks great, also manages to get 29 mpg, which is one better than the Eco. While Hyundai hasn't released pricing for the 2011 Elantra the Cruze Eco is priced at $18,995. The current Elantra starts at about $14,145, and prices shouldn't go up too drastically, meaning the Elantra will have a price advantage over the Eco that ought to make up for that 2 mpg discrepancy.
Under the hood, the 2011 Elantra gets a 1.4 liter engine that makes 148 horsepower and 131 ft-lbs, the same neighborhood as the Cruze. There are going to be just two trim levels initially, GLS and Limited. Even the base model GLS gets power windows, remote keyless entry, six airbags and four disc brakes. Limited models get bigger 17" wheels, fog lights, sunroof, and leather just about everywhere. The Elantra also weighs just 2,661 pounds for the GLS, and just over 2,700 for the Limited, making it quite the light car. Style didn't suffer though, and I really dig the "flowy" lines. More details will emerge after its official L.A. Auto Show debut.
There are also rumors that the new Elantra might get a "touring" edition featuring a hatchback. Of course there is always the possibility of a hybrid or Eco Elantra as well. 45 mpg Hyundai anyone?
Watch Magic Online

Ugandan president draws fire for copyrighting rap - Radio Stations

KAMPALA (Reuters) - A row has broken out in Uganda over an attempt by President Yoweri Museveni to copyright a "rap" he performed that has become a smash hit on the African country's radio stations and in its nightclubs.
The ageing leader took to the stage at two party rallies over the last few months and performed two children's folk chants from his birthplace in Western Uganda - Naatema akati (I cut a stick) and Mp'enkoni (Give me the stick).
Record producers then began mixing the performance with hip-hop beats and audio of Museveni telling the crowd that young people had told him about rap music.
The song was named, "You want another rap?" after a question Museveni shouted at the rallies and it quickly began appearing for sale in capital Kampala.
The east African country is due to hold elections in February, seen as a test of democracy for the country. Museveni, a former cattle herder and student activist in power since 1986, could face his stiffest challenge yet if the opposition coalition holds together.
An application lodged by Museveni's lawyers for exclusive rights to the song has drawn fierce criticism from the president's opponents, some of whom say he is trying to cash-in on the huge number of Ugandans using it as a ringtone.
"Nobody, not the President, not me has the right to copyright folk chants," Mwambustya Ndebesa, a history lecturer at Kampala's Makerere University, told Reuters.
"They should belong to everybody, not be used for political capital."

� Continued...
The relations between First Quantum and the Democratic Republic of Congo have gone from bad to worse in recent months, after the country expropriated the miner’s $765 million Kolwezi copper tailings project in September. � Blog�
When some of the most influential figures in emerging markets finance spoke to a group of Reuters editors, they were asked about top picks for growth beyond the so-called BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China.� Blog�
The giggles started when the seventh journalist in a row said that his question was for Egypt’s water and irrigation minister, Mohamed Nasreddin Allam.� Blog�
It has debt levels to die for and huge amounts of oil, but economically it’s lagging and political concerns remain. Speakers at a Libyan trade and investment forum this week saw the North African country as a mixed bag.� Blog�
If Guinea can pull off free and fair elections this weekend, it will lay the foundations for what could be one of Africa’s most unexpected and significant good news stories.� Blog�
Africa is providing a lot of fine material for the London theatre these days.� Blog�
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Week in review: Call of Duty Black Ops shows games can beat movies - Movies

Here’s our roundup of the week’s tech business news. First, the most popular stories VentureBeat published in the last seven days:
Review: Call of Duty Black Ops shows games can beat the drama and action of movies — The continuous improvement of this game series shows something that fans have long known. Video games are as good at telling stories and conveying artistic themes as movies, books, or music.
Apple’s Wozniak calls Android the winner in smartphone race — Oh Woz, we love it when you shoot from the hip.
Can the internet bring down the TSA’s new enhanced pat-down search, also known as “touch my junk”? — Would-be traveler John Tyner has become a cause célèbre on the internet because he refused to subject himself to what he considered to be invasive body searching at the San Diego airport.
Steve Perlman shows off OnLive’s disruptive MicroConsole (video) — We talked to OnLive’s chief executive about its games-on-demand system.
Google investor John Doerr: Zynga is our best company ever — Doerr, the legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist, gave high praise to Zynga, the leading social game company, saying it was one of the best investments his firm had ever made
And here are five more articles we think are important, thought-provoking, fun, or all of the above:
Battle for your texts: Facebook Messages vs. Kik mobile chat — Now that we’ve seen Facebook’s new messaging service, it’s clearly not the threat to email we previously thought. But the new messaging service could pose a problem for the hot mobile chat startup Kik, which we’ve covered extensively.
Confirmed: Accel sold Facebook shares at $34B valuation — Looks like it isn’t just employees who are cashing out on their Facebook shares.
Microsoft and Cisco throw down the gauntlet for living room teleconferencing — Cisco’s Umi teleconferencing camera for home living room use and the Microsoft Kinect motion controller have more in common than you might think.
Why Texas may be a better electric car state than California — When power plant heavyweight NRG Energy announced that it would invest $10 million in the rollout of the nation’s first privately-finance electric vehicle charging network, it also revealed that the city it would debut in would be … Houston, Texas. Um, what?
Developers: Get ready for your closeup in VentureBeat’s Mobile App Spotlight — Are you an app developer with a creation that’s ready for the klieg lights? VentureBeat has partnered with Intel to provide a new showcase for your mobile app: VentureBeat’s Mobile App Spotlight.
Companies: Accel Partners, Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Kik, Microsoft, NRG Energy
Watch Movies Online

Factbox: Japan's 2022 World Cup bid - Sci Fi

(Reuters) - Facts and figures relating to Japan's bid to stage the 2022 World Cup finals:
Bid motto: 208 Smiles! Inspired by the fact that FIFA has 208 member countries.
Why are they bidding?
Co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with South Korea was viewed as a compromise solution by both countries, who have made no secret of their wish to go it alone next time and Japan's stadiums and infrastructure are second to none.
Best soccer moment: Qualifying for their first World Cup finals in 1998.
Best-known footballers: Scudetto-winning Hidetoshi Nakata was Japan's most recognizable footballer until his shock retirement after the 2006 World Cup. Former Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and Moscow-based Keisuke Honda have since filled that role.
Previous World Cup performances: Co-hosts in 2002 and have appeared in the last four tournaments. Reached the last 16 in 2002 and this year.
Main stadium for 2022: Plans are underway for a new 80,000-seater main stadium on the outskirts of Japan's second city Osaka.
Best points: Most of the stadiums are already in place and still in mint condition from the 2002 tournament. Japan is widely seen as having the world's best rail and road networks, and is a world leader in technology.
Possible drawbacks: Having successfully staged the World Cup finals as recently as 2002, Japan may be overlooked if FIFA opts against triggering friction with Asian rivals and 2002 co-hosts South Korea by diplomatically overlooking both.
Legacy point: Japan will have to build only one stadium and plans to beam matches on to giant, 3-D, hologram-style screens as one of many sci-fi projects during the tournament.
What they say: Junji Ogura, president of the Japan Football Association (JFA): "It's very difficult to predict who will win the vote. It will be a real scramble."
Bookies' odds: 33-1.
Population: 127 million
Number of clubs: The JFA has 28,818 clubs registered at all levels, 37 of which are professional teams in the J-League first and second divisions.
FIFA World Ranking (November 2010): 30th
Trivia fact: JFA president Junji Ogura said a World Cup bid would be unlikely if Tokyo failed to land the 2016 Olympics. The city lost out to Rio de Janeiro but made a bid for the World Cup anyway. The country will also host the 2019 rugby World Cup.
Watch Sci Fi Online

The Curling Network? Don't count on it - Game Shows

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After a stretch that has seen the creation of TV networks dedicated to the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL, it is easy to wonder what's next.
A gymnastics channel? A cycling channel? How about a TV network devoted to curling, the sport of brooms and rocks most often seen during the Winter Olympics?
"It's hard to see that there's room for too many more (sports) networks," said Philippe Dauman, chief executive of Viacom Inc. "Pretty much everything that's out there today is covered."
Indeed, Dauman and other top executives speaking this week at the Reuters Global Media Summit warned that after a period of huge expansion the field of sports TV channels is in serious danger of becoming overcrowded.
The explosive growth in dedicated sports networks, as well as the ubiquity of sports on Walt Disney's ESPN and regional channels owned by News Corp's Fox and others, could extend to the U.S. Olympic Committee and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Both are eyeing creating their own networks down the road -- and for good reason. Leagues and sports properties see the potential that comes with strengthening a rabid fan base across the country while raking in the advertising dollars.
However, with rising sports programing costs sparking a chorus of complaints, count News Corp Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey among those skeptical that more sports networks can be sustained.
"People are carrying that a dimension too far," he said at the Reuters summit. "Everybody falls in love with it.
"You've had decades where it's been a quantity game and everybody's adding," he added. "You're actually now heading to a quality game and as you have more choice you really want to figure out how do you have quality channels as opposed to a strewn level of niche channels."
Viacom's Dauman said his MTV and Spike networks will schedule more sports-related shows, but launching a dedicated network is not in the cards.
"When people complain about the increase in programing costs, we have to recognize that a very large part of that is related to sports," Dauman added.
Disney's TV chief, Anne Sweeney, would prefer the leagues and teams ask themselves whether they can do a better job building their brands than her company's ESPN sports network.
"A key consideration is can I do for my fans what ESPN has traditionally done for their fans," she said.
Even Tony Petitti, chief of MLB Network, which had the most successful launch in cable TV history last year at 50 million U.S. homes, thinks any sport should first work to ensure broad distribution.
Watch Game Shows Online

Line dancing: good for that achy breaky heart - Music

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Prefer your fitness with a dose of country?
If you're hankering to move with cowboy attitude, experts say line dancing could be the ideal workout. Even if you've never moseyed into a country bar or felt particularly at home on the range.
"Line dancing is exercise for people who like country music," said fitness instructor Amy Blackburn, "people who might not join a gym because traditional exercise, like treadmills and weight lifting, is either intimidating, or it bores them to death."
Blackburn, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, said line dancing is the thing to do on a Saturday night. Her DVD, "Country Line Dance Party," is an aerobics workout carved from its signature shuffles, kicks and stomps.
"The music's upbeat. The workout burns calories and strengthens the core, legs, and hamstrings," she said. "And you can take it down a level to keep it low impact."
Though deeply rooted in Irish and German folk traditions, line dancing was off most urban grids until 1992 when Billy Ray Cyrus, father of teen idol Miley, stomped upon the stage with his megahit "Achy Breaky Heart."
Today line dancing is a worldwide phenomenon. Devotees have formed organizations as far away as Singapore and Australia.
Adam Herbel, a.k.a. the Dancing Cowboy, teaches country line dancing at The Rodeo Club in San Jose, California. He said some come for the exercise, some for the music and atmosphere.
REDNECK AEROBICS
"We have a funny thing called redneck aerobics," said Herbel, described as a series of five or six upbeat line dances strung in a row.
"When the DJ calls out 'its redneck aerobics,' everybody knows what's coming," he said. "Sometimes the fitness gals will do pretty advanced line dancing."
Herbel said the dances change from area to area so one song may have 50 different dances to it. Nevertheless, it's not hard to learn, the music is cheerful and the folks are friendly.
"You can master single line dance in a one hour class," he said. "It appeals to ladies because you don't have to have a partner to do it. So I tell the guys, if you want to have a chance at least get out and try."
Known around the San Francisco Bay area of California as the Queen of Line Dancing, Doris Volz has been dancing since 1992 and teaching seniors since 2003.
Watch Music Online

Sina launches developer fund for China's Twitter - Celebrities

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Sina Corp, China's largest Internet portal website, launched on Tuesday a two billion yuan ($301 million) fund for developers to create applications for its highly popular Twitter-like microblog, Weibo.
Weibo, which was launched about a year ago and has around 50 million users including celebrities and politicians, is growing at a rapid clip in China, the world's biggest Internet market by users.
Sina shares spiked this quarter on hopes that the firm will be able to monetize the service, which some analysts have described as a game changer for the firm.
The developers will use an open platform interface to create applications for the microblog, the firm said in a statement.
"An open platform has also been an important way for them to monetize," said Wallace Cheung an analyst with Credit Suisse.
"They are trying to get a pool of developers so it takes some time to accumulate (that)," Cheung said.
The fund is also supported by venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital and IDG Capital and will encourage the development of applications for finance, entertainment and games.
China banned Twitter and Facebook last year after unrest in its politically sensitive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.
Weibo, on the other hand, is carefully monitored and serves as the alternative to Twitter in the country.
($1=6.637 Yuan)
Watch Celebrities Online

Prada 9-mth net profit trebles as IPO plan looms - Fashion

* Net profit 156 mln euros
* Revenue 1.38 bln euros, up 31 pct yr-on-yr
* CEO says confident on "oncoming" development
By Antonella Ciancio
MILAN, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Italian fashion house Prada, which
may list on the stock market next year, said on Wednesday it was
confident about its immediate future after booming Asia sales
helped nine-month net profit treble.
The family run company, whose trend-setter designer Miuccia
Prada is known for her minimalist style, said net profit trebled
to 156 million euros ($209 million) in the nine months to
end-October.
"These data confirm that the retail network expansion is a
winning strategy; these excellent results let us confidently
look at the oncoming group's development," Chief Executive
Patrizio Bertelli said in a statement.
Prada, which has to float several times in the past decade,
has said it is considering a listing in 2011, with Hong Kong
among the market options.
The move would help free Prada from the burden of a debt
estimated at around 1 billion euros, partly a result of an
acquisition spree in the 1990s.
Sales rose 31 percent to 1.38 billion euros in the
nine-month period, with Europe and the United States
contributing to the growth.
Sales in Asia, including recovering Japan, grew 51 percent,
or 22 percent on a like-for-like basis, confirming the region's
pivotal role in Prada's growth over the last quarters.
Watch Fashion Online

Protests, fraud charges roil Haiti elections - Radio Stations

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti's elections ended in confusion on Sunday as 12 of the 18 presidential candidates denounced "massive fraud" and demanded the polls be annulled and street protests erupted over voting delays and problems.
The repudiation of the elections by so many of the presidential candidates dealt a blow to the credibility of the U.N.-supported poll. The international community was hoping the vote could produce a stable, legitimate government in the poor earthquake-ravaged Caribbean country.
Voters' frustration at not being able to cast their ballots due to organizational problems at many polling stations in the capital Port-au-Prince boiled over into street protests. At least one polling station was trashed by one angry group.
"We denounce a massive fraud that is occurring across the country. ... We demand the cancellation pure and simple of these skewed elections," the 12 presidential candidates said in a statement read to reporters at a Port-au-Prince hotel.
Still, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said the elections went "well" at most of the more than 11,000 polling stations across the nation. "The CEP is comfortable with the vote," council president Gaillot Dorsainvil said.
Counting began after polls closed at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT).
After a day of confusion at many polling centers in the capital, some Haitians expressed anger at what they viewed as a wasteful, flawed exercise.
"Look what our government spends its money on," said Abellar Sony, brandishing a fistful of unused ballot papers at a polling station near the Cite Soleil slum. Children played with unmarked ballot papers, scattering them in the air.
The CEP acknowledged "some problems" and said it was trying to resolve them after the turbulent presidential and legislative elections went ahead amid a raging cholera epidemic and political tensions.
The 12 candidates denouncing the poll included all main opposition candidates. They accused outgoing President Rene Preval's Inite (Unity) coalition and its candidate, Jules Celestin, of trying to steal the elections.
Among them were prominent front-runners like former First Lady Mirlande Manigat, popular musician and entertainer Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, and lawyer Jean-Henry Ceant.
The U.N. mission in Haiti and the Organization of American States/Caribbean Community elections observer mission said they were still gathering information on how the vote went.
Demonstrations flared in several parts of the sprawling capital, which still bears the scars of Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. Local radio also reported protests against the electoral process in Gonaives and Les Cayes.
A protest of several thousand people in the capital's Petionville district was led by Martelly, joined by Haitian-American hip-hop star Wyclef Jean, who was barred from standing as a candidate by electoral officials in August.
Watch Radio Stations Online

The Curling Network? Don't count on it - Game Shows

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After a stretch that has seen the creation of TV networks dedicated to the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL, it is easy to wonder what's next.
A gymnastics channel? A cycling channel? How about a TV network devoted to curling, the sport of brooms and rocks most often seen during the Winter Olympics?
"It's hard to see that there's room for too many more (sports) networks," said Philippe Dauman, chief executive of Viacom Inc. "Pretty much everything that's out there today is covered."
Indeed, Dauman and other top executives speaking this week at the Reuters Global Media Summit warned that after a period of huge expansion the field of sports TV channels is in serious danger of becoming overcrowded.
The explosive growth in dedicated sports networks, as well as the ubiquity of sports on Walt Disney's ESPN and regional channels owned by News Corp's Fox and others, could extend to the U.S. Olympic Committee and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Both are eyeing creating their own networks down the road -- and for good reason. Leagues and sports properties see the potential that comes with strengthening a rabid fan base across the country while raking in the advertising dollars.
However, with rising sports programing costs sparking a chorus of complaints, count News Corp Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey among those skeptical that more sports networks can be sustained.
"People are carrying that a dimension too far," he said at the Reuters summit. "Everybody falls in love with it.
"You've had decades where it's been a quantity game and everybody's adding," he added. "You're actually now heading to a quality game and as you have more choice you really want to figure out how do you have quality channels as opposed to a strewn level of niche channels."
Viacom's Dauman said his MTV and Spike networks will schedule more sports-related shows, but launching a dedicated network is not in the cards.
"When people complain about the increase in programing costs, we have to recognize that a very large part of that is related to sports," Dauman added.
Disney's TV chief, Anne Sweeney, would prefer the leagues and teams ask themselves whether they can do a better job building their brands than her company's ESPN sports network.
"A key consideration is can I do for my fans what ESPN has traditionally done for their fans," she said.
Even Tony Petitti, chief of MLB Network, which had the most successful launch in cable TV history last year at 50 million U.S. homes, thinks any sport should first work to ensure broad distribution.
Watch Game Shows Online

UPDATE 1-Wal-Mart, Casino advance in Matahari unit sale-sources - Casino

* Carlyle fails to reach next round of bidding - sources
* Second-round bids due in December
(Adds details, background)
By Denny Thomas and Janeman Latul
HONG KONG/JAKARTA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc
(WMT.N), Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA (CASP.PA) and South Korea's
Lotte Shopping Co Ltd (023530.KS) have advanced to the next round
of bidding for Indonesian retailer Matahari Putra Prima PT's
(MPPA.JK) $1 billion sale of its hypermarket business, sources
with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The auction comes on the heels of Carrefour SA's (CARR.PA)
sale of its outlets in Thailand, which brought the French
retailer a higher-than-expected $1.2 billion including debt.

Matahari's sale had drawn interest from private equity group
Carlyle Group [CYL.UL], but sources said the buyout group did not
make it to the second round. South Korea's Shinsegae Co Ltd
(004170.KS) had also expressed interest, but it was not clear
whether it was still in the running.
International retailers are jockeying for position in
emerging markets as they look for sources of growth outside
maturing U.S. and western European markets, although the cost of
competing is often too much to justify widespread expansion.
Matahari is selling Hypermart, Indonesia's second-biggest
hypermarket chain after PT Carrefour Indonesia, to focus on its
core healthcare and property assets.
Shortlisted parties had been asked to submit next-round bids
next month, a source said.
All companies mentioned in this report declined to comment.
Sources were not authorised to speak to media about the
auction as the sale process is confidential.
The sale is a seen as good opportunity to raise exposure in
Indonesia's retail sector, as a healthy economy, forecast to grow
6.0-6.2 percent this year, and a booming stock market lift
consumption in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
It also comes just a few months after Matahari agreed to sell
a 90.76 percent stake in retail unit Matahari Department Store to
a joint venture with private equity group CVC Partners [CVC.UL]
for $770 million.
Watch Casino Online

Actor Johannes Heesters quits smoking - at age 106 - Entertainment News

BERLIN (Reuters) - Actor and singer Johannes Heesters has given up smoking for love -- at age 106.
"I did it for love, for my wonderful wife," Heesters, who is better known as "Jopie" in Germany where he has spent most of his 90-year career, told the German entertainment magazine Bunte. "She should have me as long as possible."
Dutch-born Heesters, who will turn 107 on Sunday, has been married to German actress Simone Rethel, 61, since 1992. Heesters said he quit smoking three weeks ago.
Heesters, who in 2008 apologized for his cooperation with the Nazi regime, is known for his roles in the film "Die Fledermaus" (1946) and the German film "The Moon Is Blue" (1953).
Watch Entertainment News Online

EA to winnow game slate again - Arts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O) expects to cut its slate of video game titles by as much as 40 percent next year as the company continues to invest heavily in its small but fast-growing digital and online businesses.
EA is making a big bet on mobile and Internet-based games, as sales of traditional packaged titles -- which generate about 75 percent of EA's revenue -- continue to slump across the industry.
But EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello told the Reuters Global Media Summit on Monday that investors have still failed to grasp the vast potential of digital gaming.
"I think we're at the classic hump where we've told people where we're going. There's evidence we're going to get there, but Vegas isn't putting money on it because we're only in the fourth inning," Riccitiello said.
Shares of EA and other video game publishers have struggled over the past year, amid investor pessimism about the direction of the industry.
EA expects to publish roughly 35 traditional packaged games this fiscal year, down sharply from more than 50 last year, and Riccitiello expects that number to fall next year as well.
"I don't think it goes to 10 or 15 or even less than 20, but there's some number probably between the low 20s and the high 20s that's right," he said.
Analysts say EA's prolonged turnaround effort is starting to bear fruit. The company has slashed costs and headcount, and has begun issuing more cautious forecasts.
Investors are eagerly anticipating next year's launch of "Star Wars: The Old Republic," a multiplayer online game that EA hopes will rival Activision Blizzard Inc's (ATVI.O) "World of Warcraft," which has 12 million subscribers.
EA has kept details about "Star Wars" close to the vest, although analysts say the company is spending in excess of $100 million to develop it.
Riccitiello declined to provide any forecasts for "Star Wars" but said the feedback so far has been "astonishingly positive."
"Why couldn't we get 3, 4, 5 million (subscribers)?" Riccitiello said.
DIGITAL GROWTH
The vast majority of EA's revenue still comes from traditional packaged games, but sales of digital, downloadable and mobile content rose 30 percent last year to $570 million, or about 15 percent of total sales. The company expects to see another 30 percent gain this year, which ends in March 2011.
Watch Arts Online

Police say no specific attack threat in Germany - Radio Stations

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police on Saturday said there were no signs of an imminent attack by militants in Germany, after a news magazine reported that a plot existed to attack the Reichstag parliament building.
The comments played down the report by weekly Der Spiegel, which said Germany's decision to step up security measures this week had been prompted by the discovery of militant plans to break into the Reichstag parliament building and shoot hostages.
"We have concrete details of suspects, but no concrete details that an attack will be carried out at a specific time and place," the head of Germany's BKA Federal Crime Office, Joerg Ziercke, told Reuters.
Der Spiegel, citing security officials, said a jihadist living abroad had informed them in recent telephone calls of a plan for armed militants to enter the 19th century building in central Berlin and open fire. It said police considered the information credible.
The information, the magazine said, had prompted officials to announce on Wednesday they were raising security, especially at public places including airports and train stations.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Thursday authorities were on guard against threats of an armed attack of the kind that killed 166 in the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008.
The Reichstag building has strong symbolic importance in Germany. An arson attack there in 1933 highlighted Nazi moves to assume complete control over Germany. The image of a Soviet soldier planting the red flag atop its ruin in 1945 marked the end of World War Two for many.
It was formally restored as the country's legislature soon after the 1990 reunification of Germany and is visited daily by hundreds who walk around its glass dome looking down on debates.
Late on Saturday more than 100 tourists were lined up outside the building and no police were in sight.
The jihadist, Der Spiegel reported, said the group of attackers was to be made up of six people. Two had already arrived in Berlin and another four, including a German, a Turk and a North African, were under way.
Germany has troops in Afghanistan and has been the target of threats on Jihadist websites.
The timing of the reported parliament plot, for February or March, differed however from de Maiziere's warnings that attacks were planned sometime before the end of November.
FALSE ALARMS
At a news conference on Wednesday, de Maiziere said intelligence services had received concrete indications attacks were planned in the next two weeks.
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Factbox: Japan's 2022 World Cup bid - Sci Fi

(Reuters) - Facts and figures relating to Japan's bid to stage the 2022 World Cup finals:
Bid motto: 208 Smiles! Inspired by the fact that FIFA has 208 member countries.
Why are they bidding?
Co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with South Korea was viewed as a compromise solution by both countries, who have made no secret of their wish to go it alone next time and Japan's stadiums and infrastructure are second to none.
Best soccer moment: Qualifying for their first World Cup finals in 1998.
Best-known footballers: Scudetto-winning Hidetoshi Nakata was Japan's most recognizable footballer until his shock retirement after the 2006 World Cup. Former Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and Moscow-based Keisuke Honda have since filled that role.
Previous World Cup performances: Co-hosts in 2002 and have appeared in the last four tournaments. Reached the last 16 in 2002 and this year.
Main stadium for 2022: Plans are underway for a new 80,000-seater main stadium on the outskirts of Japan's second city Osaka.
Best points: Most of the stadiums are already in place and still in mint condition from the 2002 tournament. Japan is widely seen as having the world's best rail and road networks, and is a world leader in technology.
Possible drawbacks: Having successfully staged the World Cup finals as recently as 2002, Japan may be overlooked if FIFA opts against triggering friction with Asian rivals and 2002 co-hosts South Korea by diplomatically overlooking both.
Legacy point: Japan will have to build only one stadium and plans to beam matches on to giant, 3-D, hologram-style screens as one of many sci-fi projects during the tournament.
What they say: Junji Ogura, president of the Japan Football Association (JFA): "It's very difficult to predict who will win the vote. It will be a real scramble."
Bookies' odds: 33-1.
Population: 127 million
Number of clubs: The JFA has 28,818 clubs registered at all levels, 37 of which are professional teams in the J-League first and second divisions.
FIFA World Ranking (November 2010): 30th
Trivia fact: JFA president Junji Ogura said a World Cup bid would be unlikely if Tokyo failed to land the 2016 Olympics. The city lost out to Rio de Janeiro but made a bid for the World Cup anyway. The country will also host the 2019 rugby World Cup.
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Due Date stays top of box office - Sci Fi

LONDON (Reuters) - Pregnancy-themed road movie "Due Date" held on to top spot at the box office for a second quiet week as cinemas braced for the imminent release of the new Harry Potter blockbuster.
"Due Date" stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis added another 1.9 million pounds to the film's take, keeping it ahead of sci-fi newcomer "Skyline" which could only manage 1.2 million pounds, according to Screen International on Tuesday.
The three orphan girls of family movie "Despicable Me" stayed at three, just above "Jackass 3D" which slipped two spots to four.
Horror movie "Saw 3D" was down one at five while Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren as former CIA agents on the run in "RED" stayed at six.
Facebook biopic "The Social Network" was unchanged at seven while "Paranormal Activity 2" slipped three places to eight.
The two wolves of "Alpha and Omega" were back up four places in ninth and director Mike Leigh's study of a middle class suburban couple "Another Year" slipped one spot to 10th.
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Tudors, Elvis Costello, triumph at Canada TV awards - Comedy

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - British actors and shows were the big winners at the Geminis, Canada's TV awards, on Saturday night.
Scotsman Robert Carlyle was named the best actor for his star turn in Syfy's "Stargate Universe".
"I feel like a stranger in the ranks here tonight. But thank you so much, I really value this dearly," said Carlyle, who plays Dr. Nicholas Rush in the sci-fi drama shot in Vancouver.
Musician Elvis Costello, took home the Gemini for best Canadian talk series for "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..."
And the night of British triumphs also saw Showtime's "The Tudors", a Canadian-Irish TV co-production about English monarch Henry VIII, named best Canadian drama.
The HBO Canada comedy "Less Than Kind", a more recognizably Canadian series about a dysfunctional family in Winnipeg, won for best comedy, best series writing and best comedy acting for Benjamin Arthur.
In other acting categories, Caroline Cave won for her performance in the home-grown drama "Crash and Burn", Cle Bennett won for best supporting actor in "The Line", and Catherine Disher took home best supporting actress honors for her star-turn in the action drama "The Border".
The ceremony was hosted by "Glee" star Cory Monteith, who was born in Calgary and who plays football player and choir member Finn in the popular American TV musical comedy.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant)
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