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.
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Bruce Lee biopic tracks action hero's early life - Arts

HONG KONG (Hollywood Reporter) - Authenticity is the heart and soul of the new biopic "Bruce Lee, My Brother," the early life story of the man who put Hong Kong action films on the map, its director told The Hollywood Reporter.
As its title declares, the film pieces together the superstar's childhood -- Lee would have turned 70 on Sunday -- and young adulthood from the memories of his four surviving siblings, Phoebe, Agnes, Peter (who died in 2008) and Robert.
"The Lee family supplied us with all the details and the tidbits of their family life," director Raymond Yip said. "So we took great care to be loyal to the truth and avoid anything that felt fake, which made it rather difficult for us in terms of creating the structure of the script. But the Lee family was very pleased with the result, especially with how close it was to what actually happened."
The biopic took years to put on the screen, not least because of the difficult task of finding a young actor to play the role of the iconic megastar. "We've been on the lookout for a possible candidate all over China since 2008, but no one could capture the Hong Kong spirit of the young Bruce Lee," Yip explained.
But when writer-director team of Alex Law and Mabel Cheung, invited the film's producer, Manfred Wong, to a screening of their opus "Echoes of the Rainbow," the search was over. Aarif Rahman, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who made his acting debut (and stole the show) in "Echoes," was locked in as the young Bruce Lee.
"Including Lee's brother Robert, we were quite amazed by how much Aarif resembles Bruce. No one can say for sure whether an actor really embodies Bruce's spirit except for his family. So it was a go from then on," Yip recalled.
The film began pre-production in March to push for a November 25 release in Hong Kong. The HK$36 million ($4.6 million) project has been snapped up by distributors in over 10 territories.
The Hong Kong-born Rahman, of Malay-Arab-Chinese ancestry, will have to shoulder any potential sequels for the Bruce Lee life story, said Yip.
"We certainly hope to continue telling Bruce Lee's story, but it depends on how this one is received, especially on the public reception of Aarif as Bruce Lee. Lee was a legendary figure. Who plays him in the film is the biggest issue for us as filmmakers. But I have faith in Aarif," Yip said.
Although the biopic tracks the early life of the kungfu master from his birth in San Francisco, old Hong Kong plays a key role. The film shows Lee and his friends as fixtures in the mid-century Hong Kong film industry, allowing the filmmakers to reenact scenes from famous movies of the age.
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Factbox: Main events in creation of Harry Potter phenomenon - Arts

(Reuters) - Following are the events in the Harry Potter saga, leading up to the release of the seventh film - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" which opens in Britain, the United States and much of the world on November 19.
1995 - In Edinburgh, Joanne Rowling completes the manuscript of her first Harry Potter story, called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
1996 - Bloomsbury accepts the manuscript for publication. The Scottish Arts Council gives J.K. Rowling a grant to work on her books.
1997 - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is published in July and in the United States as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in October 1998.
July 1998 - "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is published by Bloomsbury and goes straight into the no.1 slot in BookTrack bestseller list.
October 1998 - Warner Bros. secures film rights to the first two books for a seven-figure sum.
July 1999 - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is published by Bloomsbury.
July 2000 - "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is published. Some 372,775 hardback copies of the book are sold in British bookshops and Internet sites when it is released on July 8, dwarfing previous records.
November 2001 - The film of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is released in Britain and the United States.
November 2002 - "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" film version is released in Britain and U.S. In Britain, the film earned $15.7 million in its first weekend, edging past the original's record by about $300,000.
June 2003 - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is published in Britain and the United States. The fifth book in the series, sells more than 5 million copies in its first day.
June 2004 - Film of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is released taking $92.7 million in the United States. The three-day haul for the new film surpasses the $90.3 million for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (as the movie was called in North America) in November 2001, and the $88.4 million launch for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" a year later.
July 2005 - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth volume of the Harry Potter saga, sells more than 8.9 million copies in its first 24 hours in the United States and Britain.
November 2005 - The film of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" opens with new additions to the cast including Ralph Fiennes as the evil Lord Voldemort, who helped give the film a darker tone than its predecessors.
July 2007 - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth movie in the series has the wizard Harry flummoxed by his mates at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft who doubt his near-death battle with the evil Lord Voldemort.
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Electronic Arts to buy mobile game publisher - Arts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Electronic Arts said it plans to buy the publisher of "Angry Birds," one of the most popular games on Apple's iPhone, pushing the second largest U.S. video game publisher deeper into the hot mobile games market.
A source close to the deal told Reuters EA will pay under $20 million in cash plus other undisclosed considerations.
An EA spokeswoman confirmed the deal, but did not disclose the financial terms. Under the deal, EA will not receive the intellectual property rights to "Angry Birds," which will remain under Rovio, the Finnish company that developed the game, the company said.
Some analysts were surprised that EA would not acquire "Angry Birds". Neither company commented on what games or intellectual property would be included in the terms.
"I'm kind of wondering what they bought," said Todd Mitchell, a Kaufman Bros analyst. "But in light of EA not getting the IP, they're buying the development platform to put their own IP on it in hopes of driving social networking and customers back to their own properties."
Electronic Arts, which owns Medal of Honor and Madden NFL franchises, can push its established brands through new social games in the same way that Disney, which bought social gaming company Playdom for $563.2 million in July, has used with its ESPN brand in the ESPNU College Town game for Facebook.
Chillingo publishes other mobile games but none have been quite as successful as "Angry Birds," which allows players to help angry birds destroy pigs with a huge slingshot in various game stages.
The company also publishes "iDracula", a shooter game where players are vampire hunters and Predators, a sci-fi game.

� Continued...
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PRESS DIGEST-Australian General News - Oct 20 - Arts

Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors. Reuters has not
verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com)
--The chief executive of Australia and New Zealand Banking
Group (ANZ.AX), Mike Smith, yesterday joined rival banks in
indicating that increased funding costs would push mortgage
rates higher in the short term. Financial markets think there
is just a 40 percent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia
will raise rates from the current level of 4.5 percent when it
next meets on November 2. Page 1.
--Retail investors have largely shunned the A$6 billion
float of rail network QR National, with brokers saying many
appear wary of the forecast low dividend yield. The level of
retail participation in the float was unlikely to be as high as
other blue-chip floats, bankers advising QR National yesterday
indicated. Today is the deadline for investors to secure
guaranteed allocations of stock in the initial public
offering.
Page 1.
--In a move that has shocked the media industry, media
baron James Packer yesterday made a surprise raid on
free-to-air television broadcaster Ten Network (TEN.AX),
spending A$250 million on a 16 percent stake. The raid -
conducted by UBS for one of Mr Packer's private companies at
A$1.50 a share - sees Mr Packer overtaking WIN Corp's Bruce
Gordon as Ten's largest shareholder. Ten shares closed at
A$1.41 yesterday. Page 1.
--Resource giant Origin Energy (ORG.AX) yesterday announced
that it had halted exploration drilling at one of its
Queensland coal seam gas projects after cancer-causing
chemicals were detected during routine testing. Origin said
that cancer-causing agents known as BTEX were detected in
surface water at a mine near Miles, 300 kilometres west of
Brisbane. Page 1.
THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
--Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday vowed not to
abandon the people of war-torn Afghanistan, saying Australian
troops could remain there for at least a decade. In a historic
parliamentary debate on Australia's future in Afghanistan, Ms
Gillard pledged Australia's ongoing commitment, backed by
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Mr Abbott said withdrawal was
not an option, as it would make Australia look like a
"fair-weather friend" to its allies. Page 1.
--The Northern Territory's (NT) Child Protection Minister,
Kon Vatskalis, yesterday admitted that remote indigenous
communities were in a state of "total collapse" and that the
Federal Government's intervention needed to be re-examined. An
11-month inquiry into the NT's child protection system, which
delivered its report on Monday, detailed the systemic failures
of the NT's Department of Families and Children. Page 1.
--More taxpayer funds are being spent on consultants to
administer inspections of homes affected by the Federal
Government's failed home insulation scheme than on the safety
checks themselves, it has been revealed. Up to A$85 million is
slated to be spent on safety checks for the 50,330 homes fitted
with the batts, at the cost of A$1689 for each house.
Electrical contractors are reportedly being paid up to A$800
for each house inspected. Page 3.
--One of Australia's most senior performing arts
professionals will move on from her position at the Sydney
Opera House after a management restructure. Rachel Healy, the
Opera House's director of performing arts, was yesterday told
her position had been abolished. Ms Healy, who had spent four
years in the role, was instrumental in the Opera House's push
to produce and present its own shows rather than being a hall
for hire. Page 3.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
--The New South Wales Government is expected to back an
independent report that recommends ethics classes be introduced
into public schools by next year. Education Minister Verity
Firth will today release the report, which details the results
of trials of the classes held in 10 schools over 10 weeks this
year. The report recommends that the Government adopt the
model used for ethics classes in the trial if it decides to
proceed. Page 1.
--Police believe that a champion jockey who was yesterday
found dead in his bed at his Brisbane home died from an
accidental drug overdose. Stathi Katsidis, who was due to ride
strong chance Shoot Out in the Cox Plate on Saturday,
reportedly died in his sleep. Police sources said his death
was not suspicious and was consistent with an overdose. Page
1.
--Senior judges in New South Wales (NSW) say that the
tradition of attorneys-general defending the court system from
attacks by media and politicians is breaking down. The
situation has deteriorated to the point that there may be a
need to appoint someone to become a public defender of judges,
Justice Peter McClellan, the Chief Judge at Common Law in the
NSW Supreme Court said yesterday. Page 1.
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Christina Hendricks joins Superman cartoon - Arts

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - James Denton, Christina Hendricks and Anthony LaPaglia are lending their pipes to "All-Star Superman," the animated adaptation of one of the most acclaimed comics of the past decade.
The story begins with the Man of Steel (Denton) oversaturated by radiation during a rescue mission near the sun, accelerating the degeneration of his cells. Knowing that he has a limited time before he dies, Superman sets out on a journey that sees him revealing his secret to Lois Lane (Hendricks), giving Lex Luthor (LaPaglia) an epiphany on humanity and ensuring the safety of Earth for when he is gone.
Also in the cast are Ed Asner as Perry White and Frances Conroy as Ma Kent along with Linda Cardellini, Arnold Vosloo and Matthew Gray Gubler.
The Warner Bros. film is due to be released in the spring.
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Hungarian artists alongside greats in London show - Arts

LONDON (Reuters) - Hungarian artists hang alongside some of Europe's greatest painters in a new blockbuster exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts put together at the 11th hour after the original show fell through.
"Treasures from Budapest: European Masters from Leonardo to Schiele" opens on Friday and features around 230 works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest and Hungarian National Gallery.
The London exhibition was scrambled together in only a few months when a show featuring treasures from the Prince of Liechtenstein's collection was canceled in December following a dispute over the export of one of the prince's paintings.
Kathleen Soriano, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy, said the Hungarian museums offered the institution "carte blanche" to select works for the show and within three months they had made their choices.
For the Hungarian partners, the exhibition at one of Britain's top galleries was a rare opportunity to showcase one of Eastern Europe's finest collections and teach the West something about the history of Hungarian art.
"First of all it helps focus London's cultural interest on East and Central Europe, and more specifically on Budapest," said Ferenc Csak, general director of the Hungarian National Gallery.
"Secondly, the idea is to choose a selection of Eastern European art and present it alongside the international artists," he told Reuters.
And so a 1711 self-portrait of Adam Manyoki, one of Hungary's foremost painters of the 18th century, hangs in the same room as portraits by the likes of Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals and Joshua Reynolds.
And Philip de Laszlo's portrait of Pope Leo XIII dated 1900 shows how he was inspired by earlier papal paintings which he would have seen while working in Rome, notably that of Pope Innocent X by Diego Velazquez.
ALTARPIECE, MASTER DRAWINGS
The opening room of the exhibition is dominated by the towering "St. Andrew Altarpiece" from Hungary in 1512, made for a small village church and which survived Turkish and Protestant iconoclasm when many medieval religious works were destroyed.
At the heart of the exhibition is a selection of more than 80 old master drawings, which include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Duerer and Giambattista Tiepolo.
Many came from the Esterhazy collection, acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in 1871. The collection began in the 17th century and expanded during the rule of Prince Nikolaus II Esterhazy.
It includes one of the most priceless works in the exhibition, the so-called "Esterhazy Madonna" by Raphael, which an 18th century Esterhazy prince probably obtained from Austrian statesman and collector Prince Kaunitz.
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Egypt's Mubarak to Berlin, Rome to discuss Mideast - Arts

Mubarak will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Berlin that will last only a few hours, then head to Rome to have talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and open a newly renovated Egyptian arts academy on Thursday.
Mubarak, 82, was also in Germany in March for gallbladder surgery in Heidelberg Hospital. In 2004, he had surgery for a slipped disc at a Munich hospital.
Both events sparked rumours about the state of his health, unnerving Egypt's financial markets because he has no designated successor. Mubarak has not appointed a vice president, the post he held before taking office in 1981.
"The discussions in Berlin and Rome will centre around the peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis" as well as regional issues and bilateral relations, MENA said.
The peace talks are stuck over the issue of Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, with the Palestinians threatening to quit the negotiations unless Israel extends a partial construction moratorium in the enclaves.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and presidential chief of staff Zakaria Azmi will accompany Mubarak, it added.
He will return to Egypt later on Thursday.
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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Christina Hendricks joins Superman cartoon - Arts

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - James Denton, Christina Hendricks and Anthony LaPaglia are lending their pipes to "All-Star Superman," the animated adaptation of one of the most acclaimed comics of the past decade.
The story begins with the Man of Steel (Denton) oversaturated by radiation during a rescue mission near the sun, accelerating the degeneration of his cells. Knowing that he has a limited time before he dies, Superman sets out on a journey that sees him revealing his secret to Lois Lane (Hendricks), giving Lex Luthor (LaPaglia) an epiphany on humanity and ensuring the safety of Earth for when he is gone.
Also in the cast are Ed Asner as Perry White and Frances Conroy as Ma Kent along with Linda Cardellini, Arnold Vosloo and Matthew Gray Gubler.
The Warner Bros. film is due to be released in the spring.
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Christina Hendricks joins Superman cartoon - Arts

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - James Denton, Christina Hendricks and Anthony LaPaglia are lending their pipes to "All-Star Superman," the animated adaptation of one of the most acclaimed comics of the past decade.
The story begins with the Man of Steel (Denton) oversaturated by radiation during a rescue mission near the sun, accelerating the degeneration of his cells. Knowing that he has a limited time before he dies, Superman sets out on a journey that sees him revealing his secret to Lois Lane (Hendricks), giving Lex Luthor (LaPaglia) an epiphany on humanity and ensuring the safety of Earth for when he is gone.
Also in the cast are Ed Asner as Perry White and Frances Conroy as Ma Kent along with Linda Cardellini, Arnold Vosloo and Matthew Gray Gubler.
The Warner Bros. film is due to be released in the spring.
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World of Khubilai Khan revealed in new exhibit - Arts

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A new exhibit featuring massive statues, dragon-shaped roof ridge ornaments and art from the Yuan dynasty gives visitors a glimpse of ancient China that the first Westerners would have seen 700 years ago.
"The World of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art features 200 works of art. Many are being shown outside of China for the first time.
It focuses on the era spanning the birth in 1215 of Khubilai Khan, Gengis Khan's grandson and the Mongol founder of the Yuan dynasty, to its fall in 1368.
"As you enter the galleries, you'll discover the extraordinary world of Khubilai Khan, in a sense, as Marco Polo did," said Thomas Campbell, the director of the museum.
Khubilai Khan was the emperor who welcomed Marco Polo to China in 1275.
The show, which opens on Tuesday and runs through January 2, is the museum's largest exhibit about Asian art since "China: Dawn of a Golden Age" in 2004.
Two 10-foot (3-meter) tall, 8,000-pound (3,636 kg) statues of Yuan dynasty officials welcome visitors to the exhibit, which includes paintings, sculptures, gold and silver, tapestries, ceramics and religious and secular pieces meant to give visitors a flavor of everyday life.
All of the pieces illustrate a taste in ancient China for fine art, such ceramic containers for transporting wine and elaborate jewelry.
The eclectic styles reflect the unification of China under the Yuan dynasty, which Khubilai Khan founded in 1271, and the influx of artisans from across the Mongol empire. The Yuan dynasty included what is now modern day Mongolia, Tibet and North China.
"This is the culmination of many years of work, and is certainly among the most complex exhibitions ever presented by the museum," Campbell said of the show, which took seven years to organize.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art collaborated with other museums including the Beijing Art Museum of Stone Carvings and the Palace Museum in Beijing, to assemble the exhibit. Many items are from relatively recent archaeological finds in China.
One of the most striking elements of the show is the depiction of the Yuan dynasty as a religious melting pot tolerant of Daoists, Nestorian Christians from Syria, and Indian traders, who were able to build Hindu temples.
The show includes the model of a stage, showing the enthusiasm people had for the performing arts, and the influence of ancient plays on modern Chinese opera.
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Oprah Winfrey and McCartney top new Kennedy Center Honors - Arts

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and former Beatle Paul McCartney top the list of show business luminaries to be saluted for their contributions to U.S. arts and culture at this year's Kennedy Center Honors.
Rounding out the roster of 2010's honorees announced by organizers on Tuesday are country music legend Merle Haggard, Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman of "Hello Dolly!" fame, and dancer-choreographer-director Bill T. Jones.
Recipients of the 33rd annual awards will be feted at a December 5 gala event attended by U.S. entertainment and political glitterati at the opera house of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will welcome the honorees to a White House reception. The five recipients will be saluted with tributes and performances by peers at the Kennedy Center later in the evening.
The CBS television network will broadcast the Kennedy Center gala, which has become a highlight of Washington's cultural calendar, on December 28 as a two-hour special.
"The Kennedy Center celebrates five individuals who have spent their lives enriching, inspiring and elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world," Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein said in a statement.
The naming of Winfrey, one of the most influential and highly paid women on television, comes as she prepares to end her popular weekday talk show in 2011 after 25 years on the air, to focus on the launch of her own cable channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, a Los Angeles-based venture she formed with Discovery Communications Inc.
Winfrey, 56, also plans to debut a new evening program called "Oprah's Next Chapter" she will host from different venues around the globe on OWN.
Her original program, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," is broadcast from Chicago and airs in more than 140 countries. It ranks as the top-rated U.S. daytime talk show.
Although Winfrey's influence and work extends to motion pictures, books, magazines and live theater, she is one of the few Kennedy Center honorees over the years who made their name primarily in television. Others have included Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson and Lucille Ball.
Winfrey's immediate reaction to being named a Kennedy Center honoree, according to The Washington Post, was: "Wow-zee!"
In a statement of his own, McCartney, 68, paid tribute to the slain U.S. president for whom the Kennedy Center and its annual honors are named.
"President Kennedy was such an icon for us in the Sixties, and his presidency was so inspiring for so many people that it is a great pleasure for this kid from Liverpool to receive this honor," the singer-songwriter, knighted as Sir Paul, said in a statement.
The Beatles' first U.S. visit, a few months after Kennedy's November 1963 assassination, is widely hailed as the start of the so-called "British invasion" that swept America's pop music scene, changing the face of rock 'n' roll and launching a 1960s cultural phenomenon.
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Former African child soldier helps Americans get fit - Arts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For most of his life, Tchicaya Missamou's warrior training made him into a killing machine. Now, he is using his skills to help Americans get fit.
Missamou's memoir, "In the Shadow of Freedom," recounts his childhood in Congo Republic and his journey to America, his tour in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps and, finally, civilian life in California, where he opened the Warrior Fitness gym that teaches Congolese and U.S. fighting techniques.
"By the time you finish this book, you will understand that there is not an obstacle that you cannot overcome," Missamou, 32, told Reuters. "I want people to control their own destiny."
Growing up in Congo-Brazzaville as one of 16 siblings born to his father's seven wives, Missamou's childhood was shaped by the violence that sprung up in the 1990s following the oil-rich central African nation's first democratic elections.
Missamou describes how, at around 14, he and his teenage friends were handed guns and a few grenades and put in charge of a checkpoint with orders to block members of rival ethnic groups from entering the area.
"I saw awful things during this time," he wrote in the book, co-written with Travis Sentell that was published earlier this month by Atria Books. "These militias had learned what a mighty weapon Congolese youth could be in a struggle."
When the fighting ended, the boys returned to their former lives and Missamou entered Congo-Brazzaville's gendarmerie.
Violence broke out again in 1997, and this time Missamou became a war profiteer. He assembled a convoy of armed men and struck lucrative deals with Brazzaville whites, most of whom had fled, to rescue abandoned suitcases of cash and valuables.
"The Congo was falling apart, but I was rich," he wrote.
As Missamou's success grew, so did his notoriety. With the help of his father, a police captain, he fled Africa while still a teenager. He ended up in California and found work at a martial arts studio. There, Missamou met a U.S. marine recruit who encouraged him to enlist.
Soon, Missamou was deployed overseas, going to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight for his adopted homeland. Through an executive order that fast-tracked citizenship applications of U.S. soldiers, Missamou became a U.S. citizen in 2003.
TALKING CURE
Despite a disastrous return to Congo-Brazzaville in 2004, when he was arrested and almost beaten to death, Missamou said he still dreams of returning to his homeland.
But Missamou, who wears his crisp, white U.S. marine's uniform on his book tour, said he also wants to give back to his adopted country.
In 2007, he opened The Warrior Fitness Camp in Valencia, California, where he trains students in military techniques as well as the skills he learned as a child in the African bush.
He has plans to expand it into a chain and is even pitching a reality show in which he would travel around the country and teach fitness, spirituality and nutrition to Americans with "weight issues."
"My workout is a mind game because I believe the mind is the most powerful weapon that we have on our body," he said.
But while he said he wants to give back to his adopted country, he said he sees his memoir as a route to dealing with his past.
"What I learned in America is that it's by talking that we heal. It's by talking that we change people's lives," Missamou said.
"America is the greatest country on earth," he said. "If you don't know what you got, then read this book."
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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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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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