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

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

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

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

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is banking on sci-fi technology and the country's 'wow factor' to win the race to host the 2022 World Cup.
After all, only in Japan can you hire a cat for an hour and stroke it while you have a coffee -- or better still, while a robot boils your noodles for you.
Japan, successful co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup with Asian neighbors South Korea, is an outside bet to win the vote on December 2 when FIFA's executive committee meets in Zurich.
South Korea are also bidding again, along with the United States, Qatar and Australia.
Japan's credentials are second to none, with all but the main stadiums already in place and still in pristine condition, while the country's infrastructure ranks among the world's best.
Since the Japanese government unveiled the Bullet Train to mark the country's emergence as an economic power before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japan has been at the forefront of technology.
The world's third largest economy, Japan still retains a great deal of its traditional charm, with shrines and quaint old shops tucked beside gleaming, new skyscrapers.
Modern Japan, with its crackling neon lights and crowded trains and shops, has turned convenience into an art with its automated wizardry.
Vending machines dispense everything from umbrellas to underwear. Japan boasts the highest number of machines per capita in the world and even has them at the top of Mount Fuji.
World Cup bidders plan to beam matches on to giant 3-D hologram-style screens in one of many hi-tech projects designed to amaze fans around the world during the 2022 tournament.
Translation earpieces will allow fans from different countries to interact, aided by devices to allow viewers to gather information by pointing to players on the pitch.
CAUTIOUS NOTE
"Japan has always been at the center of technological excellence," said bid director Yuichiro Nakajima. "Can we do it? Yes we can!"
Bold, presidential-style statements of intent come with the territory of bidding for major sporting events, but Japanese bid leaders have also struck a note of caution.
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UPDATE 1-Eros H1 profit up 34 pct; positive on outlook - Sci Fi

* Pretax profit $27.9 mln vs 20.8 mln stg
* Turnover up 20.3 pct to $68 million
(Adds details)
Nov 12 (Reuters) - Indian movie distributor Eros
International Plc (EROS.L) posted a 33.8 percent rise in
first-half profit as revenue from its theatrical division grew,
helped by the box office success of Bollywood film "Housefull".
With the success of "Golmaal 3" (Chaos - Part 3), which had
grossed $15.5 million globally in the first week, the company
saw a promising start to its second half.
Eros, whose Indian unit recently listed on the Bombay Stock
Exchange , said it was positive about its
outlook, thanks to a vibrant pipeline of projects.
The company's slate includes sci-fi movie "RA.One",
starring Indian A-listers Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and
"No Problem," featuring "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Anil
Kapoor.
Pretax profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 was $27.9
million, compared with $20.8 million in the year-ago period.
Turnover rose 20.3 percent to $68 million.
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Tudors, Elvis Costello, triumph at Canada TV awards - Sci Fi

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

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - British actors and shows were the big winners at the Geminis, Canada's TV awards, on Saturday night.
Scotsman Robert Carlyle was named the best actor for his star turn in Syfy's "Stargate Universe".
"I feel like a stranger in the ranks here tonight. But thank you so much, I really value this dearly," said Carlyle, who plays Dr. Nicholas Rush in the sci-fi drama shot in Vancouver.
Musician Elvis Costello, took home the Gemini for best Canadian talk series for "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..."
And the night of British triumphs also saw Showtime's "The Tudors", a Canadian-Irish TV co-production about English monarch Henry VIII, named best Canadian drama.
The HBO Canada comedy "Less Than Kind", a more recognizably Canadian series about a dysfunctional family in Winnipeg, won for best comedy, best series writing and best comedy acting for Benjamin Arthur.
In other acting categories, Caroline Cave won for her performance in the home-grown drama "Crash and Burn", Cle Bennett won for best supporting actor in "The Line", and Catherine Disher took home best supporting actress honors for her star-turn in the action drama "The Border".
The ceremony was hosted by "Glee" star Cory Monteith, who was born in Calgary and who plays football player and choir member Finn in the popular American TV musical comedy.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant)
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UPDATE 1-Eros H1 profit up 34 pct; positive on outlook - Sci Fi

* Pretax profit $27.9 mln vs 20.8 mln stg
* Turnover up 20.3 pct to $68 million
(Adds details)
Nov 12 (Reuters) - Indian movie distributor Eros
International Plc (EROS.L) posted a 33.8 percent rise in
first-half profit as revenue from its theatrical division grew,
helped by the box office success of Bollywood film "Housefull".
With the success of "Golmaal 3" (Chaos - Part 3), which had
grossed $15.5 million globally in the first week, the company
saw a promising start to its second half.
Eros, whose Indian unit recently listed on the Bombay Stock
Exchange , said it was positive about its
outlook, thanks to a vibrant pipeline of projects.
The company's slate includes sci-fi movie "RA.One",
starring Indian A-listers Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and
"No Problem," featuring "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Anil
Kapoor.
Pretax profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 was $27.9
million, compared with $20.8 million in the year-ago period.
Turnover rose 20.3 percent to $68 million.
Watch Sci Fi Online

UPDATE 1-Eros H1 profit up 34 pct; positive on outlook - Sci Fi

* Pretax profit $27.9 mln vs 20.8 mln stg
* Turnover up 20.3 pct to $68 million
(Adds details)
Nov 12 (Reuters) - Indian movie distributor Eros
International Plc (EROS.L) posted a 33.8 percent rise in
first-half profit as revenue from its theatrical division grew,
helped by the box office success of Bollywood film "Housefull".
With the success of "Golmaal 3" (Chaos - Part 3), which had
grossed $15.5 million globally in the first week, the company
saw a promising start to its second half.
Eros, whose Indian unit recently listed on the Bombay Stock
Exchange , said it was positive about its
outlook, thanks to a vibrant pipeline of projects.
The company's slate includes sci-fi movie "RA.One",
starring Indian A-listers Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and
"No Problem," featuring "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Anil
Kapoor.
Pretax profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 was $27.9
million, compared with $20.8 million in the year-ago period.
Turnover rose 20.3 percent to $68 million.
Watch Sci Fi Online

Steven Spielberg to direct Robopocalypse - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Steven Spielberg has lazered in on the project he will direct after he completes his World War I drama "War Horse": an adaptation of post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel "Robopocalypse."
DreamWorks and Disney, which releases DreamWorks' movies, said Friday that production will begin in January 2012 for a release the following year through Disney's Touchstone label. "War Horse" will open December 28, 2011.
It was almost a year ago that DreamWorks picked up the book by Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in robotics, and who has made a name for himself writing robot-centered doomsday scenarios (his "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion" is set up at Paramount). The book will be published next year.
"Robopocalypse" was on the list of projects Spielberg was considering earlier this year before he ultimately buckled down and chose "War Horse" in the summer. What got the notoriously choosy Spielberg excited about "Robopocalypse" was the script by "Cloverfield" writer Drew Goddard; Goddard's latest draft began making waves when it was submitted to the studio in September.
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Cameron, Fox team up for Avatar sequels - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES Oct 27 (Reuters) - Twentieth Century Fox film
studio and director James Cameron on Wednesday unveiled plans
for two new "Avatar" movies, erasing any lingering doubt over
whether they would again team up for sequels to the biggest
blockbuster movie of all time.
Cameron promised fans of the $2.8 billion global box office
bonanza that he would "not back off the throttle" of the
original movie's visual and emotional sci-fi story about the
tall, blue Na'vi people who dwell on the lush moon, Pandora.
"Avatar 2" is projected to land in theaters in December
2014 with a third film coming one year later.
"'Avatar' was conceived as an epic work of fantasy -- a
world that audiences could visit, across all media platforms,
and this moment marks the launch of the next phase of that
world," Cameron said in a statement.
The "Titanic" director unleashed "Avatar" on audiences last
year with new 3D technology and an emotional tale that mixed
Hollywood-style action with a tale of humans trying to exploit
the natural resources on Pandora.
The combination of adventure and environmentalism thrilled
audiences. Along with the massive box office -- "Avatar" dwarfs
the No. 2 film ever, "Titanic," with $1.8 billion in ticket
sales -- "Avatar" also became the best-selling Blu-ray DVD of
all time.
The movie earned nine Oscar nominations and won three, and
it was named the year's best movie at the Golden Globe Awards.
"We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy,
than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the
world of 'Avatar.' Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen Jim
Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a joint statement.
Cameron promised that the second and third movies would
have "self contained" stories that are part of the greater
story arc of the Na'vi struggling against humans.
Back in August, he told Reuters he wanted to direct a
sequel and a third film, and that when writing the screenplay,
he would write two different movies at the same time.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2011. [nN25158555]
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Cameron, Avatar scribe in Fantastic reunion - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Laeta Kalogridis, who worked with James Cameron on "Avatar," will rewrite the script for "Fantastic Voyage," a remake of the 1966 sci-fi classic that Cameron is producing.
The long-in-development project has seen Shane Salerno and Cormac and Marianne Wibberly among the scribes who have attempted to tackle the script. Director Paul Greengrass also flirted with the project this year but never committed.
"Voyage" revolves around a team of scientists who are shrunk to atomic size and sent in a miniature submarine inside the body of a scientist to save his life.
Cameron is producing with his Lightstorm Entertainment partner Jon Landau.
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Avatar special edition set for November release - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Avatar" fans will get new glimpses of Pandora next month, when special-edition discs of the sci-fi film hit store shelves.
The home-video sets arrive November 16 domestically and November 15 abroad, Fox Home Entertainment said Tuesday.
The DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions of the James Cameron film will include 45 minutes of footage that wasn't in the original theatrical version and 36 minutes more than included in an August re-release of the winter blockbuster. The special-edition discs also are the first to include bonus special features on the film.
But the movie is presented in 2D on the discs. "Avatar" won't be released in 3D Blu-ray until 2011.
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Liam Neeson boards Battleship movie - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Liam Neeson is suiting up to play Admiral Shane in Universal Pictures' upcoming sci-fi war film "Battleship."
Inspired by the Hasbro board game of the same name, the movie centers around a battle on land, sea and the sky between Earth's forces and attacking aliens.
Neeson joins a cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, who plays a naval officer and the admiral's future son-in-law; model Brooklyn Decker, as the admiral's daughter; Alexander Skarsgard as a commanding officer and the older brother to Kitsch's character; and pop-star Rihanna as a weapons analyst on the USS John Paul Jones.
Set for release on May 18, 2012, "Battleship" is being directed by Peter Berg.
Neeson will next be seen in "The Next Three Days" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."
(Editing by Zorianna Kit and Steve Gorman)
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Disney snaps up Tron director's comic book - Sci Fi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Oblivion," the upcoming illustrated novel from "Tron Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski, has found a home with Disney.
The story is set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and alien scavengers stalk the irradiated surface below. When a surface drone repairman finds a woman inside a crashed spacepod planetside , it leads him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.
Kosinski, who will direct and produce the feature version, created the comic. Writtem by Arvid Nelson and illustrated by Andree Wallin, it will be released in the fall by Radical Publishing.
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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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Toy Story makes record debut at box office - Sci Fi

LONDON (Reuters) - Woody and Buzz Lightyear shot to the top of the British box office over the weekend, making "Toy Story 3" the highest-grossing opener of the year so far.
The third instalment of Pixar's animated series took 21.2 million pounds in the first three days of its release, knocking cerebral sci-fi thriller "Inception" from top spot to second, according to Screen International on Tuesday.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" held on to third place, whilst "Shrek Forever After" dropped from second to fourth.
Romantic comedy "The Rebound," starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as a divorcee who seduces a man 15 years her junior, made its debut at five.
Sixth, down two, was sci-fi film "Predators."
New at seven was "Khatta Meetha," a Bollywood satire on corruption.
At eight was Russell Brand in "Get Him to the Greek," down three places from last week.
"Splice," in which Adrien Brody and co-star Sarah Polley splice together human and animal DNA to create a monstrous hybrid came in at nine, just above "Leaving," down one at ten.
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A Minute With: Guillermo del Toro at Comic Con - Sci Fi

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Since he first caught Hollywood's eye with his directorial debut, the Mexican vampire film "Cronos," writer/director Guillermo del Toro has pursued the types of fantasy and horror films he would watch as a fan.
His passion has led to the successful translation of the cult favorite "Hellboy" comic books into two blockbuster films and another comic book movie, Marvel's "Blade II." He had planned to work on the "Hobbit" movies, which he co-wrote with producer Peter Jackson, but delays forced him to shift his focus.
He spoke to Reuters at Comic Con about how he hopes to frighten audiences with "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
Q: What is it about Comic Con that you connect with?
A: "Comic-Con is a celebration of pop culture -- anime, sci-fi films, horror, anything that is within the scope of geek culture and is interesting for them. It's paradise. I normally try to travel with an empty suitcase, and then I end up coming home with a suitcase and four or five boxes filled with stuff."
Q: Why is "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" a passion project?
A: "This is a movie I've been dreaming of being involved with ever since I started making films professionally. It took me seven years to secure the rights and then another 13 years to get made. So it's been a 20-year journey altogether."
Q: What separates it from recent horror films?

� Continued...