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

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

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

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

* Apax, Bain, EQT, TPG eyeing fashion chain Takko-sources
* Takko owner Advent still considering IPO - source
* Business seen valued at about 1.25 bln eur
(Adds background, adds Bain)
LONDON/FRANKFURT, Nov 17 (Reuters) - At least four private
equity firms were expected to place first round offers this week
for leading German budget fashion retailer Takko, people
familiar with the matter said.
Apax Partners, Bain Capital, EQT and TPG [TPG.UL] are
preparing bids for the business, owned by rival buyout firm
Advent International, two of the people said. An initial public
offering is also under consideration, a third source said.
Bankers said discount retailers were typically valued at 10
times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortisation (EBITDA), valuing Takko at about 1.25 billion euros
($1.75 billion).
A growing number of price-conscious Germans have been
turning to discount clothing stores, helping to boost sales at
Takko, one of the country's largest and fastest-growing clothing
chains, to 900 million euros in the year to end-April.
An estimated 25 percent of German adults have purchased its
products in the last year, according to Advent's website.
Takko is the latest in a series of European companies owned
by private equity firms that are close to changing hands in a
so-called secondary buyout, or a return to the public market, as
owners look to cash out of their best performing investments.
Advent, which bought the business in 2007 from Permira
[PERM.UL] for 770 million euros, plans to sell or spin off the
business by early next year, a source said in August.

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Documentaries aim to make Oscar history - Documentary

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In the 82-year history of the Academy Awards, no documentary has been nominated for best picture.
Instead, since 1942, documentary features have been recognized in their own category, separate from the balloons and confetti showered on the best picture contenders. Technically, any doc that completes a one-week qualifying run in a Los Angeles County theater also is eligible to compete for the big prize, but somehow, when it comes to best picture, Oscar voters have consistently tuned documentaries out.
This year, though, several documentaries -- among them "Inside Job," Charles Ferguson's autopsy of the 2008 financial crisis, and "Waiting for Superman," Davis Guggenheim's failing report card on the nation's school system -- are positioning themselves to make a run at the big prize. Their camps are preparing to send out screeners, arguing that their respective films are worthy best picture contenders.
Good luck. Any documentary hoping to score a best picture nom still faces a daunting, uphill battle. Six years ago, Michael Moore decided to challenge the odds. Having already won a feature documentary Oscar for his anti-gun diatribe "Bowling for Columbine," he was riding high on the firestorm surrounding "Fahrenheit 9/11," his blistering attack on George W. Bush's post-9/11 march toward the invasion of Iraq.
The movie had won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes -- the first documentary to take home that honor in 48 years. It was on its way to grossing $119.2 million domestically, making it the top-grossing documentary of all time.
So Moore decided not to submit in the documentary category -- he was eager to air the film on TV in hope of influencing the 2006 election, and the proposed broadcast ran up against documentary-category rules. But while Moore claimed, "For me, the real Oscar would be Bush's defeat on November 2," he also reminded Academy voters that they still could nominate his movie for best picture.
Moore struck out on both counts: Bush was re-elected, and "Fahrenheit" didn't turn up among that year's best picture nominees.
This year, though, the chances of a documentary breaking through are better -- though still slight. By widening the best picture race to 10 nominees, the Academy opened a door, however narrow. And the genre is ripe for recognition. Documentary filmmakers have been busy, turning out an eclectic array of movies, training their cameras on everything from infants ("Babies") to Facebook friendships ("Catfish"), from showbiz survivors ("Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work") to political scandals ("Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer").
While the studios have retreated into escapism, documentary filmmakers have been tackling hot-button issues that often resonate with the more politically engaged members of the Academy. "Waiting for Superman" and "Inside Job," two of the year's highest-profile titles, have gotten the kind of outsize attention that belies their modest box-office returns ($6 million and $1.6 million, respectively).
Both documentaries, while relying heavily on standard interview techniques, also inject plenty of drama into the mix. And both movies made the shortlist of 15 films being considered for best documentary feature honors. But they could go beyond just that category.
"Superman," backed by one of Participant Media's trademark social-action campaigns, premiered in Washington, where it injected itself directly into a heated debate over the city's sweeping efforts at school reform. It also drew a sharp rebuke from the American Federation of Teachers -- the film treats the teachers union as something of a villain -- whose president, Randi Weingarten complained, "It is insulting and counterproductive to suggest, as the film does, that the deplorable behavior of one or two teachers is representative of all public-school teachers."
Meanwhile, New York Times columnist Frank Rich has championed "Inside Job" -- with its rogues' gallery of reckless financial executives, feckless academic economists and their government enablers -- saying, "It's hard to imagine a movie more serious, and more urgent."
Those type of attacks and endorsements should be enough to attract the attention of Academy voters. And if there's an added reason to invite a documentary into the best picture circle, it's that documentary filmmakers have, on more than one occasion, provided the Oscars with some of their most contentious moments.
When Moore won in 2003, just days after the beginning of the Iraq War, he launched into an attack on the president for starting a "war for fictitious reasons" that met with applause and boos from the Oscar audience.
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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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- Board Games

Almeria held an emergency board meeting immediately after the match and Lillo was informed he had been fired before he left their Mediterranean Games stadium.
"The reason is purely sporting and comes after the bad results Almeria have suffered in recent weeks that have seen the side slip into the relegation places," said a club statement.
Lillo, 45, was under mounting pressure after a poor start to the campaign and the embarrassing loss to Barca left Almeria 18th in the 20-team standings with nine points from 12 matches.
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- Board Games

Almeria held an emergency board meeting immediately after the match and Lillo was informed he had been fired before he left their Mediterranean Games stadium.
"The reason is purely sporting and comes after the bad results Almeria have suffered in recent weeks that have seen the side slip into the relegation places," said a club statement.
Lillo, 45, was under mounting pressure after a poor start to the campaign and the embarrassing loss to Barca left Almeria 18th in the 20-team standings with nine points from 12 matches.
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Bruce Springsteen to rock on Jimmy Fallon - Documentary

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bruce Springsteen will play songs from his new boxed set, "The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story," on the November 16 episode of NBC's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."
The appearance, which the network announced on Wednesday, will be Springsteen's only scheduled TV performance this year.
On the show, Springsteen will also discuss the six-disc project, due out the same day. It rounds up 21 previously unreleased tracks from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" era.
"Promise" additionally includes hours of unseen behind-the-scenes and concert footage. A documentary about the sessions, also dubbed "The Promise," debuted last month on U.S. cable network HBO.
Fallon is a devout Springsteen fan. In August, he chose the artist's classic song "Born to Run" for a "Glee"-style all-star sing-along as the opening number of the Primetime Emmy Awards, which he hosted.
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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

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)
Watch Sci Fi Online

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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Cineplex Entertainment to rent, sell movies online - Movies

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Far away from the local multiplex, Cineplex Entertainment is selling Hollywood movie titles to Canadians.
The Canuck exhibition giant has joined the movie download business, allowing Canadians to rent or buy movies from its own website, Cineplex.com, day and date with DVDs and Blu-ray releases.
Most new release rentals are priced at $4.99 each, with older titles costing $2.99 or $3.99.
To own, around 2,600 titles sell from $5 to $24.99 each, with an average new release costing $19.99.
The movies can then be played on a PC computer or other digital devices, and even stored in Cineplex's online digital locker.
The move aims to allow Canadians to view a Hollywood movie title at one of Cineplex's theatres, buy a physical DVD or Blu-ray disc at a multiplex store, and now download movies so that consumers think of Cineplex when they think of movie-viewing.
The digital download offering extends Cineplex's roots as a bricks and mortar multiplex destination, and allows the exhibitor to keep pace with new digital technologies, including VOD, new video formats, including release of titles in high-definition Blu-Ray format, and online video downloading and streaming.
The movie download service also allows Cineplex to keep pace with new competition from iTunes, Netflix Canada service and other foreign video portals.

� Continued...
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Superman powers Magic to win over Hawks - Magic

The Magic, who bullied Atlanta during a 4-0 best-of-seven sweep in last season's playoffs, had to dig deep for a win in the first meeting this season between two of the top teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Orlando won by an average of 25.3 points in eliminating Atlanta during the second round of the 2010 post-season, but the rematch saw a competitive contest throughout with the visitors taking a one-point lead with close to five minutes left.
"We wanted to show the Orlando Magic that we could come in and make a game of it, and not just hand them the game," Hawks forward Josh Smith told reporters despite his team losing for the 11th time in 12 meetings with Orlando.
Jason Williams, playing in place of injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson (ankle), drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 4:15 remaining and Rashard Lewis scored less than a minute later to put Orlando (5-1) on top 86-82 en route to their fourth straight victory.
Vince Carter added 19 points including five points in the final 1:12 to secure the win.
"If we're going to continue to fight that hard even when the shots aren't falling, then we have a chance to be really good," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. "I know we're going to shoot the ball well at some point."
Joe Johnson scored a team-high 23 points while Smith put up 13 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta (6-2) which lost for the second straight night after beginning the season 6-0.
The Hawks fell 118-114 to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday but seemed to rebound early when they raced to a 13-point first quarter advantage.
However, Orlando recovered with a 19-2 run between the first and second quarters.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Alastair Himmer)
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Why The Beatles' arrival on iTunes matters - Music

NEW YORK (Billboard) - It's tempting to dismiss the Beatles' long-delayed arrival on iTunes as a non-event. After all, it's been more than seven years since iTunes began selling music. And EMI Music reissued the band's entire discography on CD barely a year ago.
Still, here are five reasons why the Beatles-iTunes deal is important:
1. Digital marketing boost for the Beatles catalog
Yes, unauthorized copies of the Fabs' music have been available for free on file-sharing networks for more than a decade. But during that time, as CD sales entered into a tailspin, iTunes emerged as the largest music retailer in the United States, topping even former market leader Walmart.
Although file-sharing continues to thrive, music retailing isn't dead. Eminem's chart-topping album "Recovery" is available everywhere on peer-to-peer networks. And yet since the album came out in June, about 728,000 U.S. consumers still chose to visit a digital retailer like iTunes and pay for it, accounting for about 25% of the album's total U.S. sales of 2.9 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
ITunes will extend the Beatles catalog's reach to a sizable new audience of online shoppers, who for the first time will be able to click, purchase and download "She Loves You," "Ticket To Ride," and other cherished titles. Troubled EMI parent Terra Firma will appreciate the new revenue stream.
2. Apple Corps drops its resistance to digital distribution
Apple Corps, which manages the Beatles' catalog, finally dipped its toe into the digital music market in late October with a reissue campaign that included a multi-artist compilation "Come And Get It" and classic albums by Badfinger, James Taylor, Billy Preston and other artists. Remarkably, they were the first Apple Records titles to be sold as both CDs and digital downloads.
Now that Apple Corps has reached a deal with iTunes on the Beatles catalog, it will hopefully pave the way for other digital products incorporating the band's music.
3. iTunes reinforces its market dominance
New, on-demand streaming music services like Spotify, Rdio and MOG have generated lots of buzz during the past year. But the Beatles-iTunes deal, which gives the digital retailer a period of exclusivity on one of the most storied catalogs in recorded music, provides a timely reminder of who really dominates digital music.
The deal also shows that even though the major labels have expressed a desire to foster greater competition in digital retailing, their urgent, short-term need to maximize sales still leaves them eager to cut exclusive deals with the No. 1 U.S. music retailer. And that, of course, only strengthens iTunes' leverage vis-a-vis the recording industry.
4. iTunes LP scores a big win
Ever since iTunes launched its "iTunes LP" album format in September 2009, the enhanced artwork, lyrics and videos it offered have failed to excite the mainstream digital music market.
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Sky Deutschland, D.Telekom in talks over TV-sources - Tv Series

FRANKFURT Nov 19 (Reuters) - Loss-making pay TV broadcaster
Sky Deutschland (SKYDn.DE) and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) are
in talks to renew their TV cooperation, two people close to the
negotiations said on Friday.
Deutsche Telekom is considering adding some of Sky
Deutschland's channels to its TV platform Entertain, one of the
people told Reuters.
The German incumbent was especially interested in Sky
Deutschland's movie channels in HD quality of which Sky has
four, the person said, but added Deutsche Telekom was in no
hurry and was in talks with other providers as well.
Sky Deutschland would be interested in an even closer tie-up
with Deutsche Telekom so its complete pay-TV programme including
premier league soccer broadcasts would be available on the
Entertain platform, a person familiar with Sky Deutschland's
thinking said.
In an ideal world the two would agree on a marketing
partnership as well, that person said.
Deutsche Telekom and Sky Deutschland have cooperated in the
past but the partnership was terminated when the telecom group
launched its own Bundesliga soccer broadcasts in mid-2009.
Sky Deutschland, which is 49.9 percent owned by News Corp
(NWSA.O), is keen to increase customer figures by entering
alliances with cable companies and others who offer TV packages.
It recently announced an alliance with German cable company
Kabel Baden Wuerttemberg.
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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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Asia shows dominance at Geneva piano competition - Music

GENEVA (Reuters) - Two young pianists from Japan and South Korea demonstrated the dominance of young Asians in the world of classical music at the Geneva International Music Competition on Thursday night.
Japan's Mami Hagiwara took the jury's first prize, worth 20,000 Swiss francs, with her performance of Maurice Ravel's Concerto for Piano in G major.
The jury awarded South Korea's Hyo Joo Lee a second prize worth 12,000 francs for her playing of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto in C minor.
But Lee, 25, delighted the public more with her sensitive but masterly rendition of one of the great works of late Romanticism, and she took the audience prize voted on by the public in the hall as well as winning a contract to record a portrait CD with orchestra sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Breguet, part of the Swatch Group.
The Geneva contest, launched in 1939, is one of the most prestigious on the international circuit, with pianists such as Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini among its laureates.
In this year's piano section, by far the biggest number of the 41 entrants came from East Asian countries, with Russia forming the next biggest group.
With the Ravel concerto, Hagiwara, 23, chose a demanding piece, where the piano is matched against swelling jazz references in the first movement and the military gallop of the last.
But she handled the apparently artless slow second movement with a firm delicacy, never allowing the piano to be submerged by the orchestra.
The jury awarded the third finalist, Russia's Maria Masycheva, another second prize.
Masycheva, 28, chose to display her technical mastery with the fiendishly difficult third piano concerto in C major by Sergei Prokofiev. She seemed to handle Prokofiev's rippling scales effortlessly but was often hard to hear above the orchestra, raised almost to an equal partner by Prokofiev.
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