Venice festival gambles on youth, movie mavericks - Movies

LONDON (Reuters) - What the Venice film festival lacks in star power this year it hopes to make up for with an unusually young list of directors and the appearance of some of Hollywood's more enigmatic figures.
With the irrepressible Quentin Tarantino heading the jury that hands out the coveted Golden Lion at the end of the Sept. 1-11 event, it is fitting that mavericks and misfits more than movie royalty look set to steal the headlines.
"In a way Venice can still hold itself up and say 'we've got the edgier American people coming, as you have Vincent Gallo and Monte Hellman, for example," said Jay Weissberg, film critic for trade publication Variety who is based in Italy.
"It makes it look as if they are holding up the art side of cinema."
It is a calculated gamble at a time when Venice, the world's oldest film festival and one of its most prestigious, is struggling to fight off competition from Toronto, which overlaps with Venice and features many of the same movies.
Its location in North America, relatively low costs and the presence of so many industry executives looking to deal all make Toronto a tempting alternative for studios keen to showcase their films as the unofficial cinema awards race gets underway.
Stars expected in Venice this year include Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Catherine Deneuve and Tarantino, but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "that's still a far cry from the star-studded cast of previous years."
Youth, at least, is on Venice's side, with the average age of filmmakers in the main competition an unusually low 47.
They include 41-year-old Darren Aronofsky, winner of the Golden Lion in 2008 with "The Wrestler", who presents "Black Swan", a ballet-themed psychological drama starring Portman.
Also in competition is Oscar winner Sofia Coppola, 39, with comic drama "Somewhere".
At the other end of the age range are 78-year-old Hellman, competing with low-budget crime drama "Road to Nowhere," and Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski, 72, on the Lido beachfront with the thriller "Essential Killing."
BUZZ SURROUNDS GALLO, PHOENIX
In Essential Killing, actor and painter Gallo stars as an Afghan Taliban fighter who is captured but escapes on his way to a secret detention centre in Europe.
The topical subject, and Gallo's reputation as an uncompromising, eccentric artist, make it one of the more eagerly anticipated movies in competition.
Robert Rodriguez's out-of-competition "Machete" has also been highlighted. The action picture set partly along the U.S.-Mexico border features Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan and Robert De Niro.
"With Mexico, immigration and the drug wars a daily front page story in the U.S., Machete is likely to draw ample buzz," said Sheri Jennings of Screen International.
Actor and director Casey Affleck presents his documentary "I'm Still Here", about his brother-in-law actor Joaquin Phoenix's surprise decision to retire in 2008 and reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician.
A bizarre TV chat show appearance last year as a mumbling, shaggy-haired guest had industry watchers wondering if Phoenix's new act was a hoax, and already critics are debating whether I'm Still Here is more "mockumentary" than documentary.
And Julian Schnabel directs "Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto in "Miral", about an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.
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H-P, Dell spar over 3PAR, DLL attacks rage - Arts

The bidding duel between Hewlett-Packard and Dell over 3PAR took over IT news headlines this week with a dizzying back-and-forth flurry of increased bids. Meanwhile, DLL attacks are keeping IT security pros up at night and a top official said that the Pentagon got a security-related wake-up call when a low-level worm caused a serious systems breach.
1. The battle for 3PAR: The volleys will continue -- both want their prey badly.
2. How to thwart the new DLL attacks: Attacks involving dynamic link library load hijacking are sweeping the Internet, with Microsoft urging users to download a free tool for protection.
3. Low-threat worm caused 'most significant breach' of U.S. military net: What is being called "the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever" was caused by a worm that could easily be removed from systems. We'll take small comfort in being told by a high-level Pentagon official that this fact was taken as "an important wake-up call."
4.Allen sues Google, Apple, others over patents: Paul Allen's firm Interval Licensing filed patent infringement lawsuits against Google, Apple, Facebook and other companies alleging patent violations related to search, multimedia, screen pop-ups and database management.
5. Google Voice: 5 truths behind the hype:: A bit of context to the news that Google introduced new VoIP functionality to Gmail this week.
6. How IT will change when Gen Y runs the show: More fun, more encouragement, more flexibility, a positive attitude with fewer meetings and less focus on time worked and more on results -- that's what some Generation Y up-and-comers say is in store when they are running IT.
7. Gmail hiccup sends e-mail messages multiple times and Google fixes Gmail bug that re-sent e-mail messages: This explains the inundation our inbox endured and why the onslaught suddenly (thankfully) stopped.
8. Intel's upcoming laptop chips will play Blu-ray 3D: Now, if someone would just figure out how to watch without wearing silly-looking glasses that may or may not fit over the glasses we need to see in the first place.
9. Apple announces Sept. 1 special event and Will the iPod Touch get some FaceTime at Apple's event?: As usual, to build suspense and excitement, Apple isn't saying much beyond issuing invitations to an event Sept. 1, though it does offer some clues. The invitation includes a photo of a guitar and the event will be at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Apple has in recent years announced music-related news, including iPods, in September.
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Prime-time TV show hits Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - Tv Series

* Brotherhood members portrayed as aggressive, cunning
* Analysts play down impact on Brotherhood's popularity

By Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - A prime-time TV show charting the
rise of Egypt's main opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood
is gripping audiences and angering leaders of the group, who see
an attempt to tarnish its name before elections this year.
The sweeping historical drama shows how the Brotherhood's
call for a return to Islam's roots took hold in colonial 1920s
Egypt and gained traction after independence as its criticism of
Western influence on Muslim society resonated among the poor.
The 35 million Egyptian pound ($6.15 million) series is
being aired every night on Egypt's main state-owned channel
during the holy month of Ramadan, when TV ratings soar as
families and friends gather in the evening.
"The government would never allow a series on the
Brotherhood to be shown on its TV channels unless it is happy
with it... The government is very cautious towards anything that
involves the group," said film critic Tarek el-Shenawy.

� 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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Smoking still too common in movies, CDC says - Movies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. movies showing people smoking has declined since 2005, but cigarettes still feature in far too many films and could be influencing young people to take up the habit, according to a report released on Thursday.
The report's authors recommended that movie ratings also consider whether the film depicts smoking and suggested strong advertisements about the dangers of smoking precede movies that show tobacco use.
"The results of this analysis indicate that the number of tobacco incidents peaked in 2005, then declined by approximately half through 2009, representing the first time a decline of that duration and magnitude has been observed," the team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of California San Francisco and elsewhere wrote.
"However, nearly half of popular movies still contained tobacco imagery in 2009, including 54 percent of those rated PG-13, and the number of incidents remained higher in 2009 than in 1998," they added in the CDC's weekly report on death and illness.
Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Edward Markey and Republican Joseph Pitts, who both serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote the Motion Picture Association of America encouraging the industry to adopt stronger anti-smoking measures.
"Exposure to onscreen smoking in movies increases the probability that youths will start smoking. Youths who are heavily exposed to onscreen smoking are approximately two to three times more likely to begin smoking than youths who are lightly exposed," the CDC report reads.
The researchers counted each time tobacco use was shown in the biggest-grossing films of 1991 to 2009.
"This analysis shows that the number of tobacco incidents increased steadily after the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the state attorneys general and the major cigarette companies, in which the companies agreed to end brand placement," they wrote.
They said the Motion Picture Association of America had done little to make changes but noted some studios had made voluntary changes and said Viacom was the first company whose movies rated for youth showed no use of tobacco in 2009.
They suggested more policies could encourage filmmakers to do better.
"Such policies could include having a mature content (R) rating for movies with smoking, requiring strong antitobacco ads preceding movies that depict smoking, not allowing tobacco brand displays in movies, and requiring producers of movies depicting tobacco use to certify that no person or company associated with the production received any consideration for that depiction," they wrote.
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Cameron Diaz tops malware bait list - Celebrities

Cameron Diaz is the most dangerous celebrity on the Web, antivirus company McAfee said Thursday.
Search strings using Diaz's name have a one-in-ten chance of coming up with a site infected with or spreading malware, said Dave Marcus, McAfee's director of security research and communication. Search for "Cameron Diaz and screensavers," and the risk doubles, Marcus added.
As it has for the last three years, McAfee compiled search phrases that contained names of prominent celebrities, professional athletes, politicians and other newsmakers, then calculated the percentage of the resulting sites tagged as dangerous by the company's SiteAdvisor software.
SiteAdvisor is a free plug-in for Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox that flags risky sites -- those serving up malware, adware, spyware and the like -- in a search result list.
Diaz replaced Jessica Biel, last year's top name bait. Biel fell two spots to third on McAfee's list this year.
Actress Julia Roberts placed second on the Most Dangerous list, while supermodel Gisele Buendchen took fourth. Brad Pitt, the highest ranking man on the list and one of only two on the top 10, held the fifth spot.
"It's a simple fact. The bad guys read the same news as the good guys," said Marcus as he explained why some celebrities ranked higher than others. He attributed Diaz's prominence to the fact that McAfee's list was composed around the time when she was in two currently-showing films, "Knight and Day" and "Shrek Forever After."
Attackers and scammers trade on the names of prominent people and topical events to dupe users into visiting malicious sites, to open malicious e-mails, and to click on malicious links embedded in Twitter messages, said Marcus.
"Dangerous searches relate to the news of the day," he said. "In 2008, politicians like President Obama and [former Governor] Sarah Palin were the most abused. We expect politicians to be abused in the future."
Obama was at No. 49 on McAfee's list this year, while Palin was right behind the president at No. 50.
Others on the dangerous list included tennis player Andy Roddick (No. 14), and singers Lady Gaga (No. 37) and teenager Justin Bieber (No. 46).
"We're not saying stay away from searching for celebrities like Cameron Diaz," said Marcus. "We're saying be aware of the broad use of their names, and know that criminals are looking for a way to social engineer you, and this is the type of attack they'll use."
McAfee released the fourth annual most-dangerous celebrity list Thursday just minutes before it announced Intel was buying the company for nearly $8 billion . Before the interview with Marcus, a McAfee spokeswoman made it clear he would not take any questions about the acquisition.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer , or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com .
Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.
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Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Paris - Arts

PARIS (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours in Paris? The city of revolution and love has endless things to do. If it's the end of a busy business week and your first time then throw yourself into the heady mix of heritage, culinary delights and entertainment.
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most out of a visit to the French capital.
FRIDAY
5 pm - So where best to start than overlooking the city. Perched 130 meters above Paris, Montmartre in the north will give you ample scope to build your appetite. From Pigalle metro wander up to the Basilique de Sacre Coeur, a Byzantine-inspired cathedral originally planned as a memorial for the lost soldiers of the Franco-Prussian war. The views from the top will give you a taste of what the city is all about. Head north to Place du Tertre to encounter artists sketching away, bustling cafes and a rabbit warren of cul-de-sacs with aging edifices.
7 pm - At the steps of Montmartre in the red-light district of the boulevard Clichy, lies the infamous Moulin Rouge. While a little touristy these days, the once favorite hangout of French society has a pricy menu that includes foie-gras trimmings, the finest bubbly and, of course, the famous dancers.
SATURDAY
8 am - It's an early start, but how often are you in Paris? Exit your hotel, enter the first bakery, pick-up a mix of croissants, pain aux raisins and a brioche and take a seat in a cafe. Enjoy a creme or noisette with people-watching.
9 am - It will be a long day, but well worth it. Take a metro to Bir-Hakeim. Book your ticket online to avoid the hordes of tourists at the Eiffel Tower and then, be it by lift or foot, head up the 324-meter high structure. Originally supposed to be a temporary fixture for the Universal Exhibition in 1889, the tower remains the emblem of France.
11 am - Time for a cruise along the Seine river. Pick your transport. The options depend on your level of laziness: City bikes (Velib) are spread across the city and are much like a hop-on-hop-off system. The Batobus or traditional Bateaux Mouches moored by the quay at the foot of the tower stop at major sites along the river. Or go on foot to give yourself versatility to roam.
11.30 am -Head along the river's edge by the Quai Branly. The museum of the same name on the right hand side and a pet project of former president Jacques Chirac offers collections from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Wander about 10 minutes further down on the right to Les Invalides. The complex of buildings houses museums and monuments relating France's military past, including the tomb of Corsica's most famous son Napoleon Bonaparte.
Continue along the Quai d'Orsay past the Foreign Ministry and the Assemblee Nationale (Parliament) before turning left and crossing over the Louis 16th-built Pont de la Concorde on the Right Bank. From here enter the Jardin des Tuileries and amble through the gardens leading up to the Louvre Museum.
If you fancy a slight shopping detour, turn left at rue de Castiglione. The Westin hotel has an antique-styled courtyard for a tea or a glass of fine wine, while a bit further down toward the Place Vendome and rue Saint Honore the fashion conscious have a chance to experience the likes of Christian Lacroix, Hermes or Pierre Cardin first hand.
If shopping isn't your thing, then carry on through the gardens to the Louvre and its controversial glass pyramid. Remember queues are often long and it's best to pick one or two exhibitions of the time or select a specific collection such as the jaw-dropping ancient civilizations of the Near East.
Favorites such as the Mona Lisa or the Venus de Milo will mean hours of queuing no matter how early you get there and for many De Vinci's smiling 'La Jaconde'is often a disappointment.
3 pm - Time for a late lunch. Cross the Pont des Arts at the end of the Louvre, where the lovestruck often attach padlocks on to the bridge showing their deepest affections. You're now in the St Germain des Pres area. Stroll along the river and then turn right heading toward the Notre Dame metro.
On rue Saint Andre des Arts is the Creperie Saint-German. A cozy atmosphere with an eclectic selection of music welcomes you to a world of sweet and savory pancakes and a goblet of cider.
4 pm - Cross over Paris' oldest bridge the Pont Neuf dating back to the early 17th century and made famous by the film Les Amants du Pont Neuf starring Juliette Binoche. It takes you on to l'ile de la Cite, one of two mini islands home to some of Paris crown jewels.
About 200 meters ahead on the left is Sainte Chapelle with its unforgettable stained glass windows, while on the right is the Cathedral of Notre Dame tracing its history back to the 12th century. Behind the cathedral, its gardens lead to the second island l'ile Saint Louis where often the bridge linking the two islands will have accordion players and a raft of free entertainment. Have a seat and soak in the atmosphere.
From here head north into the Marais district. The heart of Paris' Jewish community includes the Picasso museum, lots of trendy craft and fashion boutiques and an increasingly vibrant Chinese community. Once at the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, turn left toward rue Rambuteau and the futuristic Pompidou Center. The vibrant Beaubourg area is a den of restaurants, cafes and bars so the choice is vast for an evening out, but for dinner why not try something completely different on the rue Quincampoix - Dans le Noir? (In the dark?). The restaurant, bar and lounge offers top notch food served entirely in the dark. The waiters are blind and without their help you're not allowed to move anywhere within the restaurant.
SUNDAY
9 am - A trip to France wouldn't be complete without seeing the finest food on display. Take the metro to Denfert Rochereau in the 14th and amble through rue Daguerre. From oysters to horsemeat and the fruits of the season, some of the freshest foods are delivered to this market street often ahead of their local communities. Try some of the delicacies.
11 am - A stone's throw away from rue Daguerre is the entrance to the underground Catacombes, an ossuary that fills a section of caverns and tunnels that once were Paris' mines. Skulls, bones and tombstones adorn kilometers of passages.
1 pm - Keeping to the same theme, once out of the Catacombes take the metro to the north east to Pere Lachaise. Paris' biggest cemetery is home to the likes of Oscar Wilde and Doors lead singer Jim Morrison and its multiple alleyways offer the odd pastime of tomb-spotting. Just a few hundred meters away on rue du Chemin Vert is a little Kurdish restaurant Zagros. It offers simple, but tasty food from a family whose offspring starred in the 2009 film "Welcome" about a Kurdish refuge looking to swim across the English channel to reach his El Dorado.
4 pm - One last port of call -- the world's most famous avenue the Champs Elysees. Why not drop into the Citroen showroom, the first new building on the road in more than 30 years. If cars aren't your thing, then fight the hordes to get into Laduree to taste the creative pastries of some 40 chefs and where most walk away with at least a box of macaroons.
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Ailing Zsa Zsa Gabor to spend final days at home - Game Shows

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor has decided to spend her final days at her Bel Air home after declining to undergo any more surgery, her publicist said on Monday.
Gabor, 93, was given the last rites by a priest in hospital at the weekend after undergoing a series of setbacks following hip replacement surgery a month ago.
Doctors wanted to perform surgery on her liver that would give her a 50-50 chance survival rate, but Gabor and her husband, Frederick Prinz von Anhalt, decided "she wanted to spend her final days at home," publicist John Blanchette said.
"Frederick said he did not want to torture her anymore," Blanchette added. He said the star, who has been a Hollywood fixture for 60 years, "is in and out of consciousness".
She left a Los Angeles hospital on Monday and returned home.
Gabor, whose string of movies, television shows and wealthy husbands dates to the 1950s, was released from hospital last week but was taken back on Friday to treat two blood clots.
She broke her hip on July 17 when she fell out of bed while watching the television game show "Jeopardy." The actress was partially paralyzed in a 2002 car accident.
"She had a great run," Blanchette said. "She's 93. She knew five presidents...she knew kings and queens, celebrities."
The Hungarian-born Gabor has appeared in more than 30 movies, and her penchant for calling everyone "dah-ling" in her Hungarian accent made her a well-known Hollywood personality.
She, along with her two glamorous sisters Eva and Magda made several appearances on radio and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. Gabor appeared in movies "Moulin Rouge," followed by "Lili" and later "Touch of Evil."
Gabor was married nine times to a string of husbands that included a Turkish diplomat and the hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. She has been married to von Anhalt for 24 years.
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NHL wants concessions from IOC to remain in Olympics - Board Games

TORONTO (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will have to sweeten the pot if it wants the NHL to even consider playing at the 2014 Winter Games, commissioner Gary Bettman told the World Hockey Summit on Wednesday.
A tough-talking Bettman said the league is not looking for money from the IOC but has a long list of demands, including a bigger say in scheduling and access to its players, if the NHL is to continue its Olympic involvement.
"There are a host of issues that need to be addressed ... if the decision is going to be that we go to Sochi," said Bettman. "We haven't said no and anyone who suggests that we have made a decision or that I'm anti-Olympics doesn't get it.
"When we understand what the IOC and IIHF are prepared to do to make our taking a 16 day break sensible... the board of governors will make a decision."
The Olympic question has dominated discussions the opening three days of the summit that has brought together hockey's power brokers to discuss ways to globally grow the sport.
Despite the massive exposure the NHL received from the hugely successful men's ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, Bettman says the benefits have not always out-weighted the negatives.
Chief among the NHL's concerns is turning over control of its biggest asset -- $2.1 billion worth of players -- without having any input into how the tournament is run.
It was revealed at the summit that NHL team doctors were denied access to examine injured players in Vancouver while team officials, including Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Illich, were prevented from meeting their players.

� Continued...
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COLUMN: A painful holiday's end for Europe - James Saft - Magic

(James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)
By Jim Saft
HUNTSVILLE Ala. (Reuters) - Europe's long summer holiday still has a week to run but this year's reentry will bring with it evidence that very little progress has been made on the issues that threaten to rend the currency union and upend the global economy.
Despite waving the stress-test magic wand over its banks in late July the same problems continue to grow unchecked: a euro zone periphery that can't compete, may not be able to pay its debts and so may bring down with them the very banks that have been pronounced healthy.
While the German economy is growing at a rate not seen since the Berlin Wall came down, things are a good bit worse in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and especially Greece, all of which face some combination of an austerity-induced recession and debts public and private which which threaten their banking systems, local governments and Treasuries.
Investors have looked at this on the one hand and on the other a $1 trillion bailout, a pliant International Monetary Fund and the results of the stress tests and have voted with their feet: average spreads between German and peripheral country bonds are back in territory last seen in June and heading north. Ten-year Greek bonds now yield 861 basis points more than German issues, or about where they were in May when we were all debating the chances of the euro surviving in its current form.
Irish bonds too have underperformed alarmingly as austerity without debt rescheduling does what austerity without debt rescheduling does: kills growth and kills the prices of assets the debts are secured upon, leaving the country less able to service its debts and more likely to default even harder. Yes, defaults are like sneezes; some are polite and soft and some splatter everyone in the room.
A number of interlocking stories show that, while European central bankers are talking a firm game about upgrading growth forecasts on the back of German exports, their actions show continued very strong concern.
First comes news on Monday that Anglo Irish Bank has transferred a new batch of impaired loans to the state-run bad bank National Asset Management Agency at just 38.1 percent of their face value, a price lower than the last transfer and one that, while it may prove optimistic, even at this level implies a weakening asset market and a growing and perhaps ultimately un-meetable bill for the government. Remember, the more money Ireland needs from the center, the less there is available to meet the growing needs of Greece and Spain.
Shortly after came news that the European Central Bank last week bought 338 billion euros of bonds, the most since early July. This follows closely on talk, unsubstantiated, last week among bond market participants that the ECB had bought up 60 billion euros of Irish bonds as investors lost confidence in Ireland and sold.

JEAN-CLAUDE TRICHET STARS IN "NO EXIT"
All of this put dovish comments by Axel Weber, Bundesbank President and a hawk's hawk, in perspective. Weber told Bloomberg Television on Friday that it was "wise" to extend unlimited lending to banks through the volatile end of year period, effectively moving the conversation about exiting some of its support of the market and of banks back to 2011.
That was not far from market consensus, but coming out of Weber's usually tough-talking mouth unexpectedly on a summer's Friday suggests that things in the banking system in Germany are not stable and will require continued support.
Spain too is a huge source of concern: as of June its banks have borrowed 126 billion euros from the ECB, up nearly half from May, money they need because many are shut out of interbank funding markets and have amassed huge portfolios of real estate which they hope will somehow rise rather than fall in value.
Surveys of purchasing managers released on Monday only underscored the divide between the robust center and the struggling edges; Germany and France are doing pretty well but there are no signs that austerity is bringing with it a rapid growth in competitiveness for the hindmost.
This is the problem: Europe cannot support its banks, honor all its debts, increase the competitiveness of the weak and hold on to a common currency all at the same time. This is not a problem that market confidence can solve, even if market confidence can be generated.
Like the United States, Europe has decided that the banks won't be allowed to fail and has reasoned outward from there, a debts over people, or taxpayers if you like, strategy.
Welcome back, policymakers, you have an interesting autumn ahead.
(Editing by James Dalgleish)
(At the time of publication James Saft did not own any direct investments in securities mentioned in this article. He may be an owner indirectly as an investor in a fund.)
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LTE demo will test broadband for oil fields - Radio Stations

LTE is generating excitement in the world of consumer electronics and ever-faster online video viewing, but the 4G (fourth-generation) mobile network technology may have even greater implications for specific industries that lack a good means of connectivity.
Texas Energy Network, a startup in Houston, will focus on the oil and gas industry in an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) test next week. Using equipment from Alcatel-Lucent, TEN hopes to demonstrate that LTE can bring more economical Internet access to drilling and exploration sites in the vast oil fields of the Permian Basin, which spans western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Most of the oil drilling in this region of about 25 counties takes place far from the populated areas where most cellular networks are concentrated, said TEN Chief Technology Officer Stan Hughey. As a result, oil and gas companies often are on their own when it comes to sending critical real-time data such as flow, pressure and volume from equipment in the field, he said. When mobile exploration teams are out looking for new fields, they need to make audio and video calls and generate large amounts of geological data that needs to be sent back to headquarters.
TEN, led by former Qwest Communications International executive Gregory Casey, wants to be an independent service provider for these companies, setting up and managing its own network. So far, the company is only looking at LTE.
"It appears to us it's becoming a de facto standard," Hughey said. Most mobile operators around the world that plan to deploy 4G networks have chosen LTE, a trend that bodes well for relatively high-volume, low-cost client devices once networks go live. Having a wide selection of clients was an important factor for TEN, Hughey said.
Today, most oil and gas companies rely on narrowband point-to-point wireless links (comparable to dial-up) using unlicensed radio spectrum, according to Hughey. Some lay fiber across their oil fields. For exploration, which requires high bandwidth and mobility, they often use satellite VSATs (very small aperture terminals). These can offer more than 1M bps (bit per second) but at a higher cost and with more delay than LTE, he said. It's also likely that LTE client equipment will be much less expensive than VSATs, Hughey said.
The test will use one base station and last about a week, according to Alcatel-Lucent. The oil industry presents different challenges from consumer mobile data networks, said Mark Madden, Alcatel's regional vice president of energy markets in the Americas. As with utilities setting up smart grids, the main purpose of the network is to send many small streams of data in from the field, he said. "The needs of the entire energy sector are uplink-focused," Madden said.
The other difference is that the geographic reach of a base station is more important than densely packing base stations into an area to cover many simultaneous users. Alcatel is hoping to demonstrate its LTE base station working over a range of 20 miles, Madden said.
Alcatel said players in a number of vertical industries including health care, transportation and public safety have expressed interest in LTE. But this will be the first time Alcatel actually demonstrates LTE for an energy-sector application, Madden said.
Before it can move from tests to deployment, TEN will need radio spectrum licenses across the region. The company is now talking with several spectrum holders, Hughey said. The company plans to use paired spectrum, with one band for upstream and one for downstream traffic. It's not clear yet what spectrum TEN will be able to use, but the company would like to tap into the 700MHz band, the same range that Verizon Wireless plans to use for its LTE network, coming later this year. In general, the 700MHz band offers greater reach per cell site than higher bands.
Alcatel said it could adapt to different bands depending on where TEN gets its licenses. Alcatel wouldn't comment on how much bandwidth its equipment could deliver, saying that depends on how much spectrum TEN has.
If LTE works as expected and the frequencies are available, it will probably take between 12 and 18 months to roll out the network, TEN's Hughey estimated. The service provider hopes later to expand to other parts of the U.S. and potentially other countries.
However, the company remains focused on the oil and gas industries. If it does allow private residents of the Permian Basin to hop on to the LTE network, its service-level agreements with oil companies will have to come first, Hughey said.
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Bomb explodes in Colombian capital - Radio Stations

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb exploded on Thursday in the north of Colombia's capital Bogota outside a main radio station, slightly injuring six people and blowing out windows in a rare urban attack.
Television images showed a damaged bus abandoned on a main avenue and panicked residents in the streets, but police said there were no deaths in the first major bombing since President Juan Manuel Santos took office at the weekend.
"This is a terrorist attack," Santos told reporters at the site of the blast.
Bombings and attacks on Colombian cities have dropped sharply since former President Alvaro Uribe took office in 2002. Violence from the country's war ebbed as Uribe's security campaign battered leftist rebels and drug traffickers.
The main anchorman of Caracol, one of the country's major radio stations, has received threats from armed groups before and has in the past left Colombia for his safety.
Windows as high as 30 stories were blasted out in buildings along Bogota's main 7th Avenue and glass was still falling onto the streets after the attack.
"I woke up and my floor and bed were covered in glass," said Mauricio Marentes, 28, a geologist who lives on the fourth floor of a building overlooking the blast site.
Santos pledged to continue Uribe's security campaign and his pro-investment policies that have helped the Andean country overcome the dark days of its conflict when bombings and massacres made daily newspaper headlines.
(Additional reporting by Hugh Bronstein, Luis Jaime Acosta and Nelson Bocanegra; editing by Vicki Allen)
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Legendary boxing gym goes the distance - Music

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The folks at Gleason's Gym like to say that boxing is the art of not getting hit.
With its down-at-the-heels decor, Gleason's looks like it's taken a punch or two. But focus and fancy footwork have kept this oldest active boxing gym in the United States firmly in the ring since 1937.
"I'm a specialist. We're a boxing gym. That's what we do," said Bruce Silverglade, owner of Gleason's, located in Brooklyn, New York. "Woman or businessman we'll train you in the sport of boxing, prepare you physically and mentally for a 12-round fight."
Although the gym has retained its rough and tumble feel one of the biggest changes in the past few decades has been the arrival of white collar clientele.
Businessmen discovered Gleason's in the late 1970s, so in 1988 the gym set up the first white collar boxing match: between an English professor and a veterinarian.
Women showed up in the 80s and were welcomed. Today 50 percent of Silverglade's clients are businessmen and women.
"Women train and sweat and get a good workout. If they want to look good, they go to Chelsea Piers," he said, referring to the trendy Manhattan fitness complex.
"If they just want to work out they come here."
These days the biggest single group at Gleason's, aside from fighters, is lawyers and judges.
"It's one of the last melting pots," he said. "You don't know if the person to your right is a millionaire from Wall Street or a kid from the projects."
But no one who trains there should expect to be pampered.
"Walk up our steps and first thing you'll notice is the smell," said Silverglade. "There's no air conditioning. That's the aroma of working out."
Muhammad Ali and Twyla Tharp are among the many who have savored that scent over the years. Middleweight Jake LaMotta is one of 132 world champions who trained there, as did Robert DeNiro when he played LaMotta in "Raging Bull."
Hilary Swank used Gleason's to shape up for her Oscar-winning role in "Million-Dollar Baby."
Gleason's glories in its appearance of decrepitude. To Silverglade, it's not neglect, it's ambiance, and a juicy source of revenue.
"The look of the place is a money maker," Silverglade said.
Gleason's blood-red walls and concrete floors are regularly rented for fashion shoots and movie locations.
"We keep the paint chipping off the walls because the fashion people like the contrast of a pretty woman in good clothing against a boxing gym," he said.
Even the taped and rusty dumbbells are in demand.
"That rust and tape makes a lot of money for me," he added.
When the neighborhood went from grungy to gentrified, Silverglade rolled with the punches. He put on chamber music concerts and art festivals, alongside the amateur boxing matches.
"There have been oboes and French horns, that kind of music. During the neighborhood art festival, artists are invited to display their work here as long as it has something to do with boxing."
Jihad Abdul-Aziz has been a trainer at Gleason's for three years. The former Golden Gloves champion explained that while it takes time to learn the proper punches, how to move around, jump rope, boxing is one of the most intense workouts there is.
"You'll definitely get in shape," he said. But like most boxers, he thinks the real payoff is mental.
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Supermodel Miranda Kerr says she's pregnant - Fashion

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, who married actor Orlando Bloom in secret in July after a one-month engagement, has confirmed that she is pregnant.
Kerr, 27, who shot to international fame as a Victoria's Secret lingerie model, broke the news to the Spanish edition of Vogue magazine. She stars on the cover of the magazine's September issue.
"Yes, I am pregnant. Four months along," said Kerr, adding that it had been hard to keep the news quiet.
"I remember on one occasion in the early days (of my pregnancy) when it was still too soon to say anything and I had a dreadful time at one job," she said.
Kerr began dating Bloom, 33, star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Lord of the Rings" movies, in 2007.
The couple's marriage was announced last month by upmarket Australian store David Jones, for which Kerr is an ambassador.
At that time Kerr thanked David Jones for letting her cancel her appearance in the store's spring/summer fashion launch for her wedding and honeymoon.
No one at David Jones was immediately available to comment on Kerr's pregnancy and what this meant for her contract with the store.
Kerr, who was raised in the Australian country town of Gunnedah, was ranked ninth on the Forbes' Top 10 Earning Models list this year after earning an estimated $4 million in the past 12 months.
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Facebook Places: The Cat-and-Mouse Game Continues - Entertainment News

Every time Facebook introduces a new feature it initiates a game of cat-and-mouse with its users when privacy holes are opened up and the user is left to close them. It comes as no surprise, then, that Facebook's new location-sharing feature, Places, continues this cycle of potential data leaks.
Places is far better in terms of protecting user privacy than previous new feature roll outs such as the Instant Personalization service launched in April. Nevertheless, Places can still reveal important data about you if you don't take the time to adjust your privacy settings.
Configuration Dilemma
Instead of explicitly opting you in by default for Places, Facebook leaves most of your Places privacy settings unconfigured and you have to manually set them up. Choices include settings that let you share your check-ins with all Facebook users or just your Facebook friends. One setting allows your Facebook friends to initiate a check-in for you (for a primer on what it means to "check-in" see PC World's Geolocation 101).
The most crucial setting is the one that allows friends to check-in for you. If you leave this setting unconfigured you end up in a kind of privacy limbo, as TechCrunch describes it, where you have not opted in to Places but you're not opted out either.
Let's say a friend initiates a check-in for you at a bar called Louie's. You will then get a notification telling you your friend checked you in at Louie's. Since you are in privacy limbo, you will be given two choices: always allow others to do check-ins for you or ask you about this setting later. If you choose to be asked again, or if you do nothing at all, your presence at Louie's won't be registered in Facebook as a place you visited. However, your presence will be broadcast to others via a status update in real time. Since a friend could tag you in a regular status update and reveal your location that way--the thinking goes--why not allow the same functionality in Places?
The other problem is with third-party applications.   Even if you lock down your location-sharing data so that only your friends can see it, your data could still be sent to a third-party application. Let's say your friend Linda uses Facebook to connect to Pandora. Once Linda authorizes Pandora, that application can access Linda's Facebook data and any of the publicly available data from people on Linda's friends list. If you're on Linda's friends list that means all kinds of data about you can be shared with Pandora if you haven't configured your privacy settings.
If you don't want third parties accessing your data, you need to find and adjust another setting. Step-by-step instructions are in the previous post entitled Facebook Places: How To Adjust Your Privacy Settings. The information about how third-party applications can access your data via your friends is under the sub-heading "Not Finished Yet."
Why, Facebook? Why?
So why does Facebook do this? Based on the company literature I've read, Facebook believes the more open your data is, the better your experience on Facebook will be. Your data is also enticing for third-party applications that connect with Facebook. True, Facebook's policies are supposed to prevent third-party apps from using your data for anything other than enhancing your Facebook experience. But who can guarantee that a rogue business isn't building a profile on you based on the data they collect from Facebook?
It's also much easier for Facebook to automatically turn on a new feature, thereby forcing it on users, than to try and convince you to activate the new feature yourself.   And without new features that enhance your user experience, you might become bored with the service and look elsewhere for your online entertainment.
So the neverending cat-and-mouse game continues, with Facebook activating new features to entice you to use Facebook more often than you already do. Users who care about privacy scramble to turn off the new features as soon as they appear.
Connect with Ian on Twitter (@ianpaul).
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After deadly clashes, Thai opposition regroups - Radio Stations

SI SA KET Thailand (Reuters) - On a stage in a muddy soccer field in Thailand's rural heartlands, an opposition leader declared to thousands he would bring back toppled premier Thaksin Shinawatra from exile if his party is voted back into power.
That vow by Puea Thai Party's Chalerm Ubumrung signals trouble ahead in a polarising political crisis that turned deadly on the streets of Bangkok in April and May as thousands of "red shirt" supporters of the deposed Thaksin clashed with troops.
Hundreds of red shirts have been detained under emergency rule since the unrest that killed 91 people, mostly protesters, and wounded nearly 2,000. Several opposition websites, radio stations and a TV broadcaster were shut. Red-shirt bank accounts have been frozen. Protest leaders face terrorism charges.
Emergency rule has helped to restore order in Bangkok and many areas. But in the rice-growing farmlands of Si Sa Ket bordering Cambodia and other provinces where the decree has been lifted, Thailand's political opposition is regrouping.
The fiery rhetoric at the recent campaign stop in Si Sa Ket, 600 km (370 miles) northeast of Bangkok, illustrates how issues that exploded into violence in May remain at the heart of Thailand's anti-government movement -- from charges of class warfare to reverence of populist multimillionaire Thaksin.
They also demonstrate how the anti-government movement is shifting from street-protest tactics to election campaigning, while retaining, at least in the heartlands, one of their most controversial goals: the return of the twice-elected Thaksin.
"If you want everyone to be treated the same way under the eye of the law, vote Puea Thai! If you want to see democracy and equality, vote Puea Thai! If you want Thaksin back, vote Puea Thai!," Chalerm told cheering supporters.
CONTENTIOUS ELECTIONS

� Continued...
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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�
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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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Analysis: Apparel sticker shock worries retailers - Magic

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Every day, the general manager of the Umgee USA apparel brand receives price quotes from Chinese vendors who stitch his trendy dresses and tops that end up at stores from Forever 21 to Macy's (M.N)
"Some of it is more expensive over there!" said Stan Park. "Every day I get an email from China saying 'This costs so and so.' It's just not worth it!"
Park and others have solved the problem of rising sourcing costs from China by making much of their product domestically in hubs like Los Angeles. But for larger brands that require the big volume that only China can supply, rising prices are a reality.
"Apparel prices are going to go up. It's as simple as that," said Perry Ellis (PERY.O) Chief Executive George Feldenkreis, who said a rise of up to 10 percent will be seen next year. "The American consumer will have to accept it."
That is hard to swallow for retailers big and small, who have been battling erratic sales trends this year amid high unemployment and lingering financial insecurity.
Finessing price strategies were top of mind this week for vendors and retailers at the Magic apparel trade show in Las Vegas, where buyers place orders for the newest styles.
"Because the economy hasn't quite gotten back on track, we can't raise our prices quite yet," said boutique owner April Bullock. "It's still a little scary for us -- we're not sure what the future holds."
Lower prices across the apparel spectrum have been one of the most visible effects of the financial downturn. Luxury department store Saks (SKS.N) now offers more mid-priced goods, while Aeropostale (ARO.N) has outperformed its peers in the teen sector due to its low prices.
Elan Savir of the Elan USA line said he has wanted to "make nicer stuff," but knows a more expensive price tag will turn off key customers like Nordstrom (JWN.N), which depend on him to fill a niche for fashionable yet inexpensive products.
"They're looking for stuff they can put in their stores for $49 and $59," Savir said, showing off a draped T-shirt that sells at wholesale for $12.50.
GLOBAL SOURCING SUFFERS
Companies' ability to wrest profits out of their global sourcing this year has suffered on multiple fronts, from a spike in cotton prices to higher labor costs and worker shortages, fewer ships available to transport containers across international waters and most recently, flooding in Pakistan.
Given these pricing pressures -- Park sees prices from China up 15 percent from last year -- brands are collaborating more closely with suppliers to reduce "sticker shock" for the consumer, retail-watchers said.
"It's heavy logistics planning. They know prices are going up so they need to take out costs in order to prevent that rise in prices," said Tony Ward, a principal with consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates.
Brands from giants like Nike Inc (NKE.N) to smaller names like Carole Hochman are working with fewer but larger and more reliable vendors. Some are eliminating middle men to boost margins, while others are trying to circumvent warehouses by trying to deliver direct to stores, Ward said.
Offering longer-term contracts in exchange for price reductions is one way to combat the inflation, said Peter Gabbe, chief operating officer of Carole Hochman, a sleepwear and intimate apparel company that licenses labels such as Ralph Lauren and Jockey.
Some expect smaller suppliers to be eliminated as brands consolidate their vendors. "The next three months will be very bad for people with no clout," said Feldenkreis.
Eric Beder, an analyst with Brean, Murray Carret, explained how Aeropostale's strategy of dealing with five main vendors has been crucial in keeping prices low.
"You really are partners in that situation," Beder said. "You can't walk away. They'll find some accommodation to keep prices in check."
Localization, a strategy that has proved successful this year for department store Macy's, is another way to make it easier for vendors to fulfill orders. With smaller orders deployed to specific stores based on geography and need, sales can improve while inventory risk is lower, and less cash is needed up front.
"That takes tremendous pressure off the sourcing people to have to make it right from the first," said Ward.
DISGUISED RISE
One consolation for retailers is that many consumers may not even notice an increase in prices.
"The myth people have is that consumers won't accept it," said Beder. "But because of trends, it's very easy to mask price increases. It's not like milk where you buy it every day."
That means that last season's top with a new twist may look different enough to justify a few more dollars in price.
Warnaco Group (WRC.N) Chief Executive Joe Gromek told analysts recently the company was "realistic about the consumer and their willingness to pay more at this point in time."
"So we're just not going to raise prices across the board," he said. "But where we think that we have somehow done things to create added value, then we will make the necessary moves."
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Friday night TV aims to shake off lame duck status - Tv Series

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Friday night television -- long regarded as a lame duck slot for dying shows -- is making a comeback this fall, with U.S. networks investing in new scripted dramas with big stars, and advertisers looking for stay-at-home audiences.
Be it the poor economy, the rebound in the ad spending, or the quest for even small audiences in a fragmented TV market, three of the five leading networks are launching new primetime series in September on Friday nights.
ABC has medical/crime drama "Body of Proof", Tom Selleck stars in the CBS police family drama "Blue Bloods", while NBC is putting on its new Jimmy Smits lawyer show "Outlaw".
Youth-oriented channel the CW has also moved returning popular shows "Smallville" and "Supernatural" to Fridays.
"Putting a show on Fridays had become the equivalent of opening a movie the week after Christmas. It was seen as the dumping ground," said Craig Tomashoff, executive editor of TV Guide Magazine.
"There are few bigger TV stars than Tom Selleck, so to put him on Friday nights -- and equally Jimmy Smits -- is an encouraging sign that networks for the first time in years are trying to get viewers back on Friday," he added.
Networks have traditionally put some of their best programs on Thursday nights, when advertisers seize the chance to catch the coveted 18-49 year-old audience before it embarks on weekends out at movie theaters, restaurants and shopping malls, said Brad Adgate, senior researcher at Horizon Media.
But with little competition from cable channels and Americans cutting back on spending in the economic downturn, the networks feel there is a Friday night TV audience to be had -- at least outside younger viewers.
JIMMY SMITS AND THE 30-SOMETHING WOMAN
"There are many millions of viewers available on Friday," said NBC scheduling chief Mitch Metcalf. "It is also an important night for advertisers. It is the last chance to reach consumers before big weekend decisions -- like visiting car showrooms or retail stores."
Encouraged by rising Friday audiences over the spring and summer for its topical news show "Dateline" and genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are", NBC is launching "Outlaw" in the Friday 10 pm slot on September 24.
"We feel that 'Outlaw' has the strength of a great TV star in Jimmy Smits. He is highly appealing, particularly to 35-plus women, which fits with the profile of the available audience on the night," said Metcalf.
"Outlaw" -- about a maverick playboy who walks away from a Supreme Court job to return to private practice -- will have stories that are wrapped-up each week.
"I think it would be a mistake to put a very serialized show on Friday nights...It would be hard to expect people to watch every single week," Metcalf said.
Adgate said parents with young families and older viewers are the target Friday audience, and networks will be watching DVR data to see if people are recording the Friday night shows and watching them on other evenings.
"If a Friday show becomes very heavily time-shifted, the networks are going to notice that and either keep the show there -- or move it to another night.
"I do think there are opportunities. You may not make the most money, but you could get a hit very easily," Adgate said.
Fridays weren't always so dull. CBS launched its "CSI" crime show on Friday night 10 years ago and it went on to become one of the most-watched series on U.S. television and around the world.
When asked about his new "Blue Bloods" CBS show at July's Television Critics Association meetings, Selleck replied, "If it's good, they'll probably watch."
Executive producer Robin Green quickly chimed-in, "That's right. But there is part of me that wants to conquer Friday night, and say 'See!'".
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Warehouse 13 role no stretch for Saul Rubinek - Magic

LOS ANGELES (Back Stage) - Canadian actor Saul Rubinek may have theater in his blood, but he is no stranger to the demands of sci-fi TV shows.
He can currently be seen on the Syfy cable channel in "Warehouse 13," where he plays Dr. Arthur "Artie" Nelson, the mysterious yet methodical Secret Service agent. The show, now in its second season, evokes "The X-Files" with a touch of humor.
Rubinek, 62, says much of the acting is "shmacting. Acting-shmacting ... There should be a class called Schmacting 101."
But don't be deceived by his seemingly dismissive tone. Like so many of the show's fans, he marvels at its many elements -- from fantasy adventure to comedy with no shortage of wonderful villains. Rubinek talks about how it appeals to women and families without losing its male base. He comments on how rare it is in an actor's career to be in a program that is well-written, well-acted, and wildly popular -- not only in the States but globally. It is now being telecast in 50 countries, he says.
The actors' challenge is to maintain a light touch and at the same time be truthful. "It's walking a tightrope," he remarks. "If we fall off the tightrope, it would no longer be interesting. The stakes have to be high. We can't take ourselves too seriously, but we have to take seriously the characters' situations."
Rubinek's sci-fi credits also include "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Stargate SG-1," and "The Outer Limits," among others. Paradoxically, he has little interest in special effects: "I think there is magic onscreen when two people have great dialogue in a great story with humor and depth."
Which possibly explains why he was suited to guest-starring roles on shows like "Frasier" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
For the first 20 years of his career, theater was his home base. He was 27 years old before he performed in front of a camera. To this day he believes any good stage actor can do film, though the reverse is not necessarily true.

� Continued...
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Inception, Toy Story 3 lead foreign box office - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Inception" led the foreign box office for a second weekend on Sunday after earning about $46.6 million from 58 markets.
A No. 1 Spain opening tallied $4.5 million, while a No. 2 Brazil debut provided $2 million.
After a month, director Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio has drawn a total foreign box office take of $250 million, with the U.K. ($39.4 million) and Japan ($23.7 million) throwing off a good chunk of the total action.
"Toy Story 3" followed with $29.4 million from 49 markets, pushing its foreign gross to $498.7 million. In Japan, the Pixar threequel etched its fifth consecutive No. 1 weekend with $5.4 million for a market total of $77.5 million.
Third-ranked "Salt" opened at No. 1 in Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, and drew $16.9 million in 39 markets. The Angelina Jolie spy thriller has tallied $62.8 million since its foreign opening on July 21.
"Grown Ups," the new champ in Russia, followed with $12.7 million from 30 markets. Total gross for the Adam Sandler comedy is $33.5 million.
"Step Up 3D," the third installment of the urban dance franchise, opened at No. 5 with $12.3 million from 11 markets; it also bowed to an underwhelming $15.5 million in North America.
Other foreign totals include: "Shrek Forever After," $426.7 million; "The Twilight Sage: Eclipse," $372.8 million; "Knight and Day," $128 million; "The Karate Kid," $94.7 million; "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," $54.2 million; "The Last Airbender," $53 million; "Despicable Me," $43.5 million; and "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," $11.1 million.
Foreign sales are booming so far this year. According to studio figures through the end of July, the six Hollywood majors -- 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal and Sony -- have tallied $7.9 billion, 32% ahead of last year's pace. Fox, bolstered by "Avatar," leads the pack through July with sales of $2.2 billion followed by Disney ($1.7 billion), Warner Bros. ($1.5 billion), Paramount ($1.3 billion), Universal ($726 million) and Sony ($494.5 million).
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Fuel TV - Tv Series

If you're into skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, BMX, motocross, and/or wakeboarding, you probably already know what Fuel TV is, and you are probably psyched to see a Fuel TV app coming to Android. For those who don't know, Fuel TV is a cable and satellite TV specialty channel based in the U.S. that covers extreme sports such as those mentioned above. Programming features original series, exclusive events, licensed films, music, and more.
The Fuel TV app for Android promises nine video channels, live event streaming, news, TV show info, PhotoBlog, ringtones/wallpapers, and more, which would be great--but it just doesn't deliver.
As a surf fan, I know that Fuel broadcasts many live surf contests, and I was excited by the promise of being able to watch them on my phone while I'm out and about. No such luck. The live events on offer are so few and far between it's comical. The News section is also fairly lousy, with a small choice of stories, and those that make it are added a lot later than they should be.
One of the things I was most excited about (apart from live events) was the videos section. This, again, was a major letdown. You get a handful of videos of the sport of your choice, and when you click one, you'll be greeted with grainy, low-resolution video that doesn't even utilize the whole screen (on a Motorola Droid, running Android 2.1). That's just silly. If you're only going to offer a few videos, why not make them look gorgeous? There is no "high quality" mode as in the YouTube app, and as a result, YouTube's video quality annihilates that of the Fuel TV app.
Though I was very excited about this app, it's a nonstarter. While it is only version 1.0.0 now, when you're Fuel TV, people are going to expect much, much better. Hopefully Fuel will make some serious improvements.
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