A commercial starring Richard Gere has landed Italian car firm Fiat in big trouble in China. Company bosses have apologised to the Chinese government, fearing a nationwide boycott of Fiat cars, after airing the advert, which shows Gere driving from Hollywood to Tibet. It follows months of protest around the globe over the plight of Tibet in the build up to this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. The country is attempting to gain autonomy from China, with the help of supporters including Gere. And although a Fiat spokesperson insists the ad will not be pulled, he has issued an apology: "Fiat ...has recently been advised that certain advertising... could disturb the sensibility of the people within China. "Fiat Group extends its apologies to the Government of the People's Republic of China and to the Chinese people."
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Friday 27 June 2008
Sunday 22 June 2008
James Brown items up for auction
Christie's will sell instruments, lyrics, awards
NEW YORK -- Fans of James Brown will have a chance to own some of the legendary soul singer's funky stuff when Christie's puts hundreds of items up for sale on July 17.
The auction house said on Tuesday it will sell some of his instruments, hand-written lyrics, awards and grooming artifacts among 320 lots to be offered at "The James Brown Collection," estimated to take in about $1 million.
A leather belt with a red-and-silver rhinestone buckle reading "Sex Machine" and tooled "We Love You James, Blue Express" is seen fetching $2,000-$3,000.
The figures are just estimates. The personal effects of the late "Godfather of Soul" have commanded prices two, three and even 10 times expectations.
Among the highlights are Brown's Kennedy Center Honor from 2003 ($10,000 to $15,000) and his 1986 Grammy Award for "Living in America" ($15,000 to $20,000). His jumpsuits, many priced around $5,000, are grouped with other clothing in the sale catalog by color.
Brown's Yamaha baby grand piano and his Hammond B-3 electric organ with Leslie speakers are each expected to fetch $15,000-$20,000.
Fans with more modest budgets can consider some photos, hand-written notes and letters estimated at only a few hundred dollars. Other lots such as an engraved silver plate, or sets of cufflinks and studs, are similarly priced.
Brown collected presidential paraphernalia, and the sale will include photos and letters from Presidents Reagan and Bush, as well as a Republican Presidential Task Force Card priced at $200-$300.
The sale also includes rollers, picks, hair products and a dome hair dryer from the salon in Brown's South Carolina home. Furniture, sunglasses, hats, scarves, bow ties and shoes round out the collection.
Brown, whose hits included "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)," died at 73 on Christmas Day 2006 of congestive heart failure.
His estate has been the subject of much dispute and legal wrangling involving members of his large family, including several adult children, ex-girlfriends and ex-wives.
Court-appointed trustees for his estate, variously reported to be worth between $100 million and $200 million, filed a lawsuit in South Carolina earlier this year against Brown's business managers, former estate manager, a law firm and the investment bank Morgan Stanley.
The trustees allege a conspiracy to defraud the singer and accuse the bank of not preventing fraud by the managers.
NEW YORK -- Fans of James Brown will have a chance to own some of the legendary soul singer's funky stuff when Christie's puts hundreds of items up for sale on July 17.
The auction house said on Tuesday it will sell some of his instruments, hand-written lyrics, awards and grooming artifacts among 320 lots to be offered at "The James Brown Collection," estimated to take in about $1 million.
A leather belt with a red-and-silver rhinestone buckle reading "Sex Machine" and tooled "We Love You James, Blue Express" is seen fetching $2,000-$3,000.
The figures are just estimates. The personal effects of the late "Godfather of Soul" have commanded prices two, three and even 10 times expectations.
Among the highlights are Brown's Kennedy Center Honor from 2003 ($10,000 to $15,000) and his 1986 Grammy Award for "Living in America" ($15,000 to $20,000). His jumpsuits, many priced around $5,000, are grouped with other clothing in the sale catalog by color.
Brown's Yamaha baby grand piano and his Hammond B-3 electric organ with Leslie speakers are each expected to fetch $15,000-$20,000.
Fans with more modest budgets can consider some photos, hand-written notes and letters estimated at only a few hundred dollars. Other lots such as an engraved silver plate, or sets of cufflinks and studs, are similarly priced.
Brown collected presidential paraphernalia, and the sale will include photos and letters from Presidents Reagan and Bush, as well as a Republican Presidential Task Force Card priced at $200-$300.
The sale also includes rollers, picks, hair products and a dome hair dryer from the salon in Brown's South Carolina home. Furniture, sunglasses, hats, scarves, bow ties and shoes round out the collection.
Brown, whose hits included "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)," died at 73 on Christmas Day 2006 of congestive heart failure.
His estate has been the subject of much dispute and legal wrangling involving members of his large family, including several adult children, ex-girlfriends and ex-wives.
Court-appointed trustees for his estate, variously reported to be worth between $100 million and $200 million, filed a lawsuit in South Carolina earlier this year against Brown's business managers, former estate manager, a law firm and the investment bank Morgan Stanley.
The trustees allege a conspiracy to defraud the singer and accuse the bank of not preventing fraud by the managers.
Sunday 15 June 2008
Clint Eastwood - Eastwood Tells Lee To Shut His Face
LATEST: CLINT EASTWOOD has told SPIKE LEE to "shut his face" after the African-American filmmaker complained about the lack of black actors in Eastwood's films.
Eastwood has rejected the Malcolm X director's complaint that he had failed to include a single black soldier in his 2006 films Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, about the 1945 battle for the Japanese island.
Rationalising his choice, the actor-turned-director explains the African-American troops who were at battle didn't take part in raising the flag.
He tells Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "The story is Flags of our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people go: 'This guy's lost his mind'. I mean, it's not accurate."
Referring to Lee, Eastwood adds: "A guy like him should shut his face."
Lee's comments came during a press conference at the Cannes International Film Festival last month (May08), where he was promoting his own war film, Miracle at St Anna, a war drama about the all-black 92nd Buffalo Division, which fought against the Germans in World War II.
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Wednesday 4 June 2008
Mendes leaves rehab but will return
Actress Eva Mendes has left the rehab clinic where she was being treated in order to attend to some "personal business".
US media reports suggest that the star has been in the Cirque Lodge in Utah for several weeks now.
Mendes' representative said: "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly."
It was announced earlier in the week that the actress was in a rehab clinic attending to "personal issues".
A spokesperson said: "Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support."
US media reports suggest that the star has been in the Cirque Lodge in Utah for several weeks now.
Mendes' representative said: "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly."
It was announced earlier in the week that the actress was in a rehab clinic attending to "personal issues".
A spokesperson said: "Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support."
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