Apple fans are looking forwards with keen anticipation to the expected launch of the iPhone 5 tonight.
But it is possible Apple might surprise us “one last thing” by the end of tonight’s presentation – an iPad Mini, a shrunken-down, pocket-friendly of the iconic tablet which ushered in the post-PC era.
Now, a leak from Chinese website shows us the potential size of Apple’s new range and – even if all we are looking at is cases – is the first image to show us how an enthusiast’s collection will stack up.
If the Apple Mini does not arrive tonight, a number of leaks and images of prototypes imply the device will be on shelves before Christmas.
Leaked images claim to show how the new iPhone, iPad Mini, and iPad stack up against each other
These images appeared on a Chinese supplier’s website, before being spotted by French website nowhereelse.fr.
Nowhereelse said the images conform to previous leaks about the iPad Mini, and their own mocked-up iPad Mini, based on specifications revealed over the last few months, matched these covers “perfectly”.
The blog website added: “In addition, the location of the holes cut into multiple accessory supposedly designed to protect the iPad Mini correspond perfectly with the positioning of components.”
The Apple Mini is believed to sport an eight-inch screen, making it a shrunken version of the iPad’s ten-inches.
This will allow a higher degree of portability over previous models, and also give Apple the ammunition to compete with Google, which recently brought out a seven-inch range of Nexus tablets.
It is also believed to be a 3G-capable model, meaning you can use data on the go.
While Steve Jobs was famously against smaller iPads, the success of the Nexus and Amazon’s Fire of budget tablets appears to have convinced Apple there is a market for the slim-line device.
Rumors from Apple suppliers suggest the innards of the Mini will be equivalent to an iPad 2, which analysts suggest will be more than enough to power the shrunken device.
The third iPad had a specification increase but also increased slightly in weight due to the demands of the high-definition Retina display.
Tech giant Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its best-selling iPhone tonight.
The secretive company is hosting a “special event” which typically involves Apple executives unveiling new products to a specially invited audience.
The message included the line “it’s almost here” and also featured a figure 12 with a shadow that appears to be the number 5 – seemingly confirming the company will announce the arrival of the iPhone 5.
It comes a day after the UK’s largest mobile network operator unveiled plans to launch the country’s first superfast 4G products and services in time for Christmas.
Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco, where later today Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 5
Orange and T-Mobile owner Everything Everywhere, which was renamed today as EE, will make the state-of-the-art technology available to some 20 million people in 16 cities across the UK.
The 4G network – which offers speeds up to five times faster than 3G – will be available on HTC, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei devices, as well as “one more to come”, widely expected to be the Apple product.
The 4G services will allow uninterrupted access to the web on the go, high definition movies to be downloaded in minutes and TV to be streamed without buffering.
The battle for domination of the mobile market has become increasingly heated recently with Apple’s competitors taking it on with a series of new products.
Nokia and Microsoft recently joined forces to launch two new phones which will run on the Windows operating system.
The Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 are the Finnish company’s attempt to claw back lost ground since it lost its position as the world’s biggest phonemaker to Samsung.
Online retailer Amazon recently unveiled new models of its Kindle Fire tablets, and are seen as rivals to Apple’s best-selling iPad.
It is around a year since Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S complete with voice recognition software and an A5 chip allowing it to use much faster graphics for gameplay and to download data twice as fast.
The Honda Civic range has been pretty central to the company’s car manufacturing throughout the last half decade or so with regular new versions boasting improved specs being released to maintain its place. In terms of the Japanese car manufacturing market Honda is now primarily competing with Toyota to be the number one producer, and the Civic is up against Toyota’s Auris car in the mid-size hatchback field. So it is important to keep coming up with the specifications for it that will enable to it maintain pace with this and other comparable vehicles produced by rival manufacturers.
Honda Civic
Honda gave a public debut to the latest Civic at the motor show in Frankfurt during September 2011 – before it hit the market – and a couple of major changes to the specifications, which covered all the different vehicles within the Civic range, were immediately apparent. Two innovative features developed in-house by Honda the Adaptive Cruise Control and the Collision Mitigation Braking System had been made a part of the honda civic range for the first time; having been features of other Honda vehicles for some time before. This version of the Civic also reaffirmed Honda’s belief in cutting the environmental impact of its vehicles – an area the company has committed itself to since it became the first major vehicle manufacturer to accept the terms of the Clean Air Act passed in America back in 1975 – as it includes the ECON option which is designed to improve the fuel efficiency of the engine.
When it comes to the engines, this version of the Civic offers a choice of 1.4 and 1.8 litre petrol engines, and a 2.2 litre diesel one, while also boasting a number of other impressive specs across the different versions. For instance, the EX GT model has heated seats in the front of the car, panoramic glass roof, rear parking sensors, alloy wheels, keyless vehicle entry and leather upholstery throughout the inside of the car.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has called for the EU to evolve into a “federation of nation-states”.
Addressing the EU parliament in Strasbourg, Jose Manuel Barroso said such a move was necessary to combat the continent’s economic crisis.
He said he believed Greece would be able to stay in the eurozone if it stood by its commitments.
Jose Manuel Barroso also set out plans for a single supervisory mechanism for all banks in the eurozone.
He called the plans a “quantum leap… the stepping stone to the banking union”.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has called for the EU to evolve into a federation of nation-states
The European Central Bank would get much greater powers of oversight and regulation of Europe’s 6,000 banks under the plan.
Jose Manuel Barroso said he was not calling for a “superstate”, but rather “a democratic federation of nation states that can tackle our common problems, through the sharing of sovereignty”.
“Creating this federation… will ultimately require a new treaty,” he said.
The inability of governments thus far to respond effectively to economic developments was “fuelling populism and extremism in Europe and also elsewhere”, he added.
The banking union would be a big first step in the creation of closer union within the eurozone.
There will be opposition to the plans – the German government, for example, says far fewer banks should be involved.
Britain does not want to take part but supports the idea of a single supervisor for the eurozone, as long as it does not affect the integrity of the wider EU single market.
Apple is ready to unveil the new iPhone 5 to the world in San Francisco today.
Meanwhile a video, which was purportedly filmed in an Apple factory, with the user taking great care to hide any serial numbers which might identify where the phone comes from, emerged to the public.
The video shows off the iPhone’s larger display, and the dock port which has caused much consternation for Apple fans who own accessories and cables which will not fit the new model.
The latest video has already had four million views on YouTube since it appeared on Asian website vgooo.com.
The video shows off the iPhone's larger display, and the dock port which has caused much consternation for Apple fans who own accessories and cables which will not fit the new model
While these leaks should always be taken with a pinch of salt, it follows the design pattern for the iPhone 5 which has been rumored for months.
In the video, the new handset’s controversial connector can be clearly seen, along with the larger 4 inch screen.
The user went no further than the “connect to iTunes” messages on the screen, perhaps in fear of being tracked and discovered with an unauthorized model.
The video follows a leak last week which also claimed to show an iPhone 5 next to an iPhone 4S, which was posted by an anonymous user to YouTube.
Meanwhile, a Taiwanese pop star casually shared photographs of his brand new “iPhone 5” with his 13.5 million followers on Weibo, the Chinese micro-blogging equivalent of Twitter.
“Today I confirmed that the iPhone 5 will be longer and have an aluminum back like the iPad,” Jimmy Lin wrote, sharing that the new Apple phone will indeed have a smaller USB connector, much to many’s chagrin.
Though information has been known to leak about Apple’s secretive phone updates, many have dismissed Jimmy Lin’s new toy as just another knock off.
After Jimmy Lin shared several photographs of his new device, it was shared more than 80,000 times across the web, according to The Next Web.
“While it has a four-inch screen, it’s thinner, though it feels about the same in the hand,” he said.
“The headphone jack has also been moved to the bottom.”
Apple fans aren’t the only people chomping at the bit for the new iPhone to be released but now American economists are excited about the expected unveiling of the latest version because they think it will boost the US economy.
The next generation iPhone 5, which Apple plans to release on Wednesday, could not only boost the tech giant’s bottom line but could give a significant boost to the overall US economy.
Sales of the iPhone 5 could add between a quarter and a half percentage point to fourth quarter annualized growth in the US, according to J.P. Morgan’s chief economist, Michael Feroli in a note to clients on Monday.
Such an impact would be significant.
The next generation iPhone 5 could not only boost Apple's bottom line but could give a significant boost to the overall US economy
“Calculated using the so-called retail control method, sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate,” Michael Feroli wrote.
That 0.33 percentage-point boost, he added, “would limit the downside risk to our Q4 GDP growth protection, which remains 2.0 percent”.
Michael Feroli laid out his math. J.P. Morgan’s analysts expect Apple to sell around 8 million iPhone 5s in the fourth quarter. They expect the sales price to be about $600.
With about $200 in discounted import component costs, the government can factor in $400 per phone into its measure of gross domestic product for the fourth quarter.
Michael Feroli said the estimate of between a quarter to a half point of annualized GDP “seems fairly large, and for that reason should be treated skeptically”.
But, he added, “we think the recent evidence is consistent with this projection”.
Michael Feroli said that when the last iPhone was launched in October 2011, sales significantly outperformed expectations.
“Given the iPhone 5 launch is expected to be much larger, we think the estimate mentioned … is reasonable,” Michael Feroli wrote.
According to a recent Reuters poll of Wall Street dealers and economists, US GDP was seen at 2.0% on average in 2013, down slightly from estimates this summer.
Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of social network Facebook, has spoken for the first time of the drop in his company’s market value.
Mark Zuckerberg called the drop in his firm’s value “disappointing”. The value of its shares is almost half the $38 debut price in May.
But he vowed that Facebook will make more money on phones than on desktops.
“Over the next three to five years, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is really going to be how well Facebook does with mobile.”
Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg said: “Literally, six months ago we didn’t have an ad on mobile.”
Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg called the drop in Facebook's value disappointing
Earlier this year, Facebook launched native apps for Apple’s iOS smartphones and its Android rival by Google.
“Ads have to be more integrated into the product on mobile,” Mark Zuckerberg said.
In another exchange, he joked: “Everything I do breaks, but I fix it quickly.”
Facebook is the world’s most popular social network with 950 million users.
When asked of constant rumors that he was building a Facebook phone, he rejected the speculation and pointed to the site’s huge reach.
“If we make a phone we could get maybe 10 million users? Twelve million users? That doesn’t move the needle for us.
“Building a phone is the wrong strategy for us.”
He admitted the fall in Facebook’s share price had made it harder to find and retain staff.
“It doesn’t help,” he said.
“There are tons of people that are super-pessimistic,” Mark Zuckerberg said.
“I would personally rather be underestimated. It gives us latitude to go out and make some big bets.”
Since their debut at $38 in May, Facebook shares have lost 49% of their value. They closed at $19.43 on Tuesday.
Mark Zuckerberg owns about 444 million Facebook shares plus an option to issue another 60 million.
Last month, Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and one of Facebook’s earliest backers, sold much of his stake and made more than $1 billion in total from his investment.
Germany’s top court in Karlsruhe is about to deliver its verdict on whether the ongoing attempts to contain the eurozone crisis breach the country’s constitution.
The Constitutional Court will decide whether the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund and the European fiscal treaty are legal.
It is feared a negative decision could spark fresh turmoil in the markets.
Analysts expect the court will decide the schemes are legal and can continue – but only under certain conditions.
Germany's top court in Karlsruhe is about to deliver its verdict on whether the ongoing attempts to contain the eurozone crisis breach the country's constitution
The court has recently allowed steps towards greater European integration, but has insisted the German parliament be given a greater say over decisions.
Critics argue that the ESM commits Germany to potentially unlimited funding of debt-ridden southern eurozone countries.
Some 37,000 people have signed a petition to the court asking it to block the ESM, and make it subject to a referendum.
Since Germany is due to contribute 27% to the 500 billion-euro rescue fund, it cannot proceed without German ratification.
In addition to its ESM verdict, the Constitutional Court is also due to rule on a new fiscal treaty aimed at forcing eurozone governments to adhere to strict budget discipline.
This is one of the most important cases faced by the court in post-war German history.
It has caused intense debate, with politicians and lawyers from across the political spectrum joining the case against the government – from the left party, Die Linke, to dissidents from within the government party.
If the judges take a hard line against the government and in favor of the plaintiffs, then the elaborate and laborious efforts to keep the euro together will be dealt a severe blow, perhaps a fatal one.
A likely outcome is that the judges will say the treaties are within the constitution – but then put a string of caveats in place, which might constrain, for instance, how the bailout fund could be expanded in the future.
A US state department official was killed and at least one other American was wounded when a gunmen stormed the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
It is believed the protest was held over a US-produced film that is said to be insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.
The militiamen raided the compound with grenades before setting it on fire.
On Tuesday, protesters against the film breached the walls of the US embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The film that sparked the demonstration is said to have been produced by a US citizen from California named Sam Bacile, and promoted by an expatriate Egyptian Copt.
The two men are described as having anti-Islamic views.
A trailer of the low-budget movie has appeared on YouTube translated into Arabic.
The video, called Innocence of Muslims, is shot in English, but provides Arabic subtitles.
It was written, directed and produced by Israeli-American real-estate developer Sam Bacile in California, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sam Bacile, 52, told the paper that he regards Islam as a “cancer” and was able to produce the film with $5 million that he raised with the help of about 100 Jewish donors.
The film depicts Muhammad as a fraud, showing him having sex and calling for massacres.
Throughout the video, “Muhammad” – portrayed by an American actor – is branded a “bastard”, “rapist” and “child molester” by other actors in the film.
A US state department official was killed when a gunmen stormed the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi
Muslims find it offensive to depict Muhammad in any fashion, much less in an insulting way.
Ultra-conservatives have claimed the actions are a protest against the film, which they say attacks Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, and is a form of blasphemy.
In the attack in Benghazi, unidentified armed men stormed the grounds, shooting at buildings and throwing handmade bombs into the compound.
Security forces returned fire but Libyan officials say they were overwhelmed.
“One American official was killed and another injured in the hand. The other staff members were evacuated and are safe and sound,” Libya’s deputy interior minister Wanis al-Sharif told AFP news agency.
The identity of the US official killed is not yet known. The consular worker was reported to have been shot.
In a statement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed the death, saying: “We are heartbroken by this terrible loss.”
“Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet,” she said in a statement.
“The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.”
Reports say a militia known as the Ansar al-Sharia brigade was involved in the attack, but the group has denied the claim.
Many people are still armed following the conflict that overthrew Col. Muammar Gaddafi last year.
There were calls on social media networks for protests against US interests in the capital, Tripoli, but no disturbances have been confirmed.
The rally followed a demonstration in Cairo, in which protesters breached the US embassy and tore down the United States flag, which was flying at half mast to mark the 9/11 attacks, and replaced it with an Islamist banner.
Thousands of protesters had gathered outside the US embassy in the Egyptian capital.
Egyptian protesters condemned what they said was the humiliation of the Prophet of Islam under the pretext of freedom of speech.
“Both Muslims and Christians are participating in this protest against this offence to Islam,” said one protester, according to Associated Press news agency.
US Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney criticized President Barack Obama for his response to the protests.
“It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks,” Mitt Romney said in a statement.
More than 200 people are now known to have died in a fire at a garment factory in Karachi, Pakistani police have said.
Many others were injured in the blaze. It began on Tuesday night, hours after a factory fire killed 23 in Lahore.
Correspondents say that the Karachi blaze is one of the worst industrial accidents in the country’s history.
Some 40 firefighting vehicles were needed to tackle it, officials said. Rescuers are still recovering bodies.
The cause of both fires are being investigated. Reports say that both may have been caused by faulty electricity generators.
Medical officials said victims in both fires mostly died of suffocation, while others were burned alive as the infernos took hold.
More than 200 people are now known to have died in a fire at a garment factory in Karachi
In Karachi, the building was still smouldering on Wednesday as rescuers pulled out the bodies of those who were killed. Officials said the number of dead had now risen to 212.
Karachi fire chief Ehtesham Salim said: “We found people who died because of suffocation caused by the highly toxic smoke. They died first and then their bodies were burned by the raging fire.”
Workers had little time to escape from the four-storey building – many could do so only by jumping from the windows. At least 65 employees are reported to have suffered from broken bones.
As the full horror of the blaze unfolded overnight, shouting and sobbing relatives of trapped workers scuffled with police as rescuers battled to save people still thought to be trapped in the building.
Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamud Deen said that his staff was trying to rescue about 20 people trapped in the basement and on the fourth floor.
Workers spoke of panic and confusion as the fire spread.
“It was terrible, suddenly the entire floor filled with fire and smoke and the heat was so intense that we rushed towards the windows, broke its steel grille and glass and jumped out,” Mohammad Saleem told AFP in hospital.
“I fell on the ground and it was extremely painful, I saw many people jumping out of windows and crying in pain for help,” he said.
Speaking at the scene, Karachi official Mohammad Hussain Syed said that the scale and severity of the fire made it difficult to find and identify the dead.
“Some bodies are completely charred and cannot be recognized,” he said.
“It is only possible [to identify them] through DNA tests. It was a big garment factory where lots of people were working. That’s why it is difficult to assess how many have come out safely and how many failed to escape and were trapped.”
“The condition of the building is very bad now.”
Bodies have been taken to several different hospitals, and police are still compiling a definitive list of casualties. Police said that they feared more bodies could be inside the building.
Firefighters said that the poorly ventilated factory had no fire exits or alternative means of escape and that most of the dead had been suffocated by toxic smoke.
Officials said windows at the factory were blocked with metal grilles and that it was crammed with combustible materials including piles of clothes and chemicals.
Firefighters on crane lifts are now trying to reach through windows of the gutted building to rescue trapped survivors, all suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.
The cause of the blaze was still being investigated, police said, but workers say it too may have been caused by a faulty generator.
Garments factories across Pakistan require their own power sources because of increasingly erratic national grid electricity supplies.
The industry is critical to Pakistan’s frail economy – according to central bank data, it provided 7.4% of Pakistan’s GDP in 2011 and employed 38% of the manufacturing sector workforce, accounting for 55.6% of total exports.
About 1.5 million people have taken part in Catalonia’s annual independence rally in Barcelona, police say.
Tens of thousands of people poured into the city waving the region’s independence flag and brandishing the colors red and yellow.
This year’s march, which aimed to be the biggest ever, was also a protest against the Spanish government’s tax laws.
Catalonia wants Madrid to review its tax agreement and provide a bailout.
The size of the turnout for the rally, which is held annually on 11 September to mark the Siege of Barcelona 300 years ago, forced organizers to change its route.
About 1.5 million people have taken part in Catalonia's annual independence rally in Barcelona
The Catalan government believes it is owed money by the central government because it says it pays a disproportionate level of taxes to Madrid in relation to the funding it receives.
The far north-east region, which has claimed independence from Spain for centuries, has demanded a bailout from Madrid of 5 billion euros.
Economists have warned that the Catalan government has barely enough money to pay its public sector workers.
As a nation, Spain’s struggling economy has declined for three consecutive quarters as it continues to suffer from the effects of its property bust caused by the financial crisis.
Catalonia is Spain’s wealthiest region and represents a fifth of the Spanish economy.
It has to take out 13 billion euros in loans this year to refinance maturing debt, on top of funding its deficit for the current year.
Other regions have appealed to the government for bailouts. The latest, Andalusia, asked for an immediate injection of 1 billion euros last week.
Valencia and Murcia have also requested bailouts in recent weeks.
NBC network and its Today show have come under fire for their decision to air an interview with Kris Jenner about her breast implants instead of this morning’s moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. held in memory of the victims of 9/11.
While ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning carried the minutes silence from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, viewers of NBC across the country had to rely upon their local affiliate to interrupt Today to witness the poignant ceremonies.
While WNBC in New York City took the decision to air the commemorative events from Ground Zero and the nation’s capital, the rest of the country took to Twitter to vent their disappointment that the network had chosen to be the only national news program not to broadcast the minutes silence.
Instead of watching the events from Washington D.C. where President Barack Obama was in attendance and New York where families of the victims and representatives of the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police gathered, the majority of NBC viewers were treated to Kris Jenner discussing her latest breast operation.
“Shame on them: NBC skips 9/11 moment of silence for Kardashian interview,” wrote B.Loco on Twitter , expressing her outrage.
Sports talk radio host Tony Bruno took to his Twitter account to say: “Wow, just Wow. NBC should be ashamed beyond belief and ridiculed by ALL!”
Today show aired Kris Jenner talking about her breast implant, but failed to show 9-11 moment of silence
Following the moment of silence other networks quickly jumped back into their routine as CBS went to a commercial break and ABC began an interview with Richard Gere.
Speaking with Today‘s Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday, Kris Jenner, the star of Keeping up with the Kardashians discussed September 9th’s penultimate episode that showcased her plans to get her 23-year-old breast implants replaced.
“I thought it was such a great idea to film that,” Kris Jenner told Savannah Guthrie Tuesday morning.
“The reason I went in and did that was because I had had my implants in for 152 years – you know, a long time, way longer than their shelf life.”
And as Kris Jenner, 56, discussed her first breast operation since 1989 all the cable channels and CBS and ABC were broadcasting the moment silence and viewers took to Twitter to express their disgust.
Some called the network’s decision a “major fail” and a “new all time low”, while another Twitter user simply said “Shame on them” for their broadcast choice.
Megan Kopf, a spokesperson with the Today show, defended the network’s coverage of the 9/11 anniversary ceremony.
“The Today show dedicated a considerable amount of time to September 11th coverage this morning throughout the entire show,” said Megan Kopf to POLITICO.
This tops off a summer to forget for NBC, during which the network has taken criticism for their delayed airing of Olympic events such as Usain Bolt’s victory in the 100 metres sprint and asked why it did not show more of the London Paralympic Games.
During the five minute interview about her cosmetic surgery aired at 8:45 a.m., Kris Jenner said that all women should be aware of the shelf life of the breast implants.
“You know, take them out and change them after 10 years,” she urged all woman with implants.
“That was a big message and important for me to sort of put out there in a comical way.
“You know, I made fun of myself. Because at my age, you’re over 50 – like, when do you stop?
“But it was so important, health-wise, to remind women to check your expiration date because it’s a health risk.”
“I had my implants done in 1989 and that was a long time ago.”
“It is really important to pay attention to what your body is telling you and my body was saying, <<You’re tired, it’s enough get it fixed>>.”
Discussing her daughter Kim Kardashian’s relationship with Hip Hop star Kanye West, Kris Jenner said that she couldn’t be happier for her daughter.
“He’s a great guy, I mean he is really a great guy and I think they are well suited for each other and I think they are really really happy and anybody who has kids knows that when your kids are happy, you are happy,” she said.
While Kris Jenner and her family prepare for the seventh season finale of their wildly successful reality television show, the self proclaimed “momager” has said that she is looking forward to the resolution of her daughter Khloe Kardashian’s attempts to become pregnant and start a family.
“She is doing good, she is really positive,” said Kris Jenner.
“Somethings I watch back and I think wow, that’s kinda crazy or hard to watch.
“But we love what we do, we’re having a really good time and as I say over and over again, I get to wake up and work with my family.”
“And it doesn’t get any better than that, I love what we are doing.”
The days of actors getting multi-million dollar salaries are over, says Brad Pitt during a recent interview.
“Yeah, that thing died,” Brad Pitt laughed when asked if it was possible for stars to still command a price tag upwards of $10 million per movie.
“That arithmetic doesn’t really work right now… that deal’s not flying these days.”
Brad Pitt has been a familiar fixture on lists detailing the highest paid actors.
Brad Pitt says the days of actors getting multi-million dollar salaries are over
The most recent Forbes list for 2012 was topped by Tom Cruise, with an estimated yearly salary of $75 million.
Meanwhile Brad Pitt is thought to have earned $25 million.
As for what state Hollywood is in, in general, Brad Pitt concedes: “It’s a really interesting time.
“A lot of the studios have been challenged because of the economic downturn as well so they’ve been betting on bigger, more tent pole kinds of things.
“At the same time that opens up a vacuum for really interesting new film makers to come in.”
So-called “tent pole” films take the biggest budgets but their profits are expected to prop up other movies for the major studios.
Brad Pitt’s acting work over the past few years has ranged from the Oscar nominated Moneyball, to the children’s animation Happy Feet 2 and most recently the crime thriller Killing Them Softly.
“You take the roles for the roles and you’ve just got to balance economics like everyone does,” Brad Pitt says.
There are still ways actors can rake in millions from a movie though, if they agree a smaller upfront salary in exchange for a cut of the eventual profits.
That model of course only works if the movie in question is a big hit at the box office.
Jude Law says that he’s never demanded a $20 million pay cheque: “No, not really, that’s never been my approach.”
Currently on screen in Anna Karenina, Jude Law concedes he has made salary demands in the past, but not in the way you may assume.
“There are certain films the only way to make them go away was just keep raising the fee, and eventually they go <<Oh, we can’t pay you that much!>> and then they go away.”
Chris Brown has unveiled a new tattoo on his neck of what appears to be a woman’s battered and bruised face.
Chris Brown, 23, put the ink on display during an event in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The face structure, arched eyebrows and plump lips certainly bear a resemblance Rihanna, and the design has eerie echoes of the shocking picture that emerged of the We Found Love singer after he brutally assaulted her in 2009.
However, sources close to Chris Brown insist any similarities are purely coincidental, telling TMZ: “It’s a random woman.”
Chris Brown unveils new tattoo of a woman's battered and bruised face
Rihanna and Chris Brown sparked rumors that they were rekindling their romance at the MTV VMAs last week after they were seen kissing and hugging.
Rihanna, who touched down at LAX yesterday after a trip to London, opened up about her complicated feelings for her ex to Oprah Winfrey last month, calling Chris Brown “the love of my life”.
Rihanna said she felt sympathy for Chris Brown in the wake of the infamous violent attack that left her in hospital in 2009
The singer confirmed they still have a “very close friendship” and added she felt sympathy for him in the wake of the infamous violent attack that left her in hospital.
Rihanna explained: “I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help.”
“The main thing for me is that he is at peace,” she continued.
“I’m not at peace if he is unhappy or he is still lonely. I care. It actually matters that he finds peace.”
Former US President George W. Bush was given a series of direct warnings throughout 2001 about the possibility of a terrorist attack by Al Qaeda – but failed to take them seriously, it was claimed today.
On the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it has been reported that the White House received multiple briefs between May and August 2001 about an attack with explosives and numerous casualties.
But George W. Bush continually failed to take any significant action and questioned the thoroughness of the briefings – leading to huge frustrations within the CIA.
These repeated warnings came before the famous top secret briefing – which has previously been reported – given to George Bush on August 6 with the heading “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the U.S.”.
Just a few weeks later on September 11, terrorists smashed planes into the World Trade Center in New York City – killing nearly 3,000 people and horrifying the world.
Details of the other briefings given to George W. Bush and his administration – which have never been made public – have now been revealed by The New York Times.
And they paint a startling picture of negligence at the heart of the U.S. government before 9/11.
The White House was made aware of potential attacks in the spring and, by May 1, was told by the CIA that “a group presently in the United States” was planning a terrorist attack, the Times reported.
In another daily brief on June 22, the administration was told that Al Qaeda strikes could be “imminent”.
President George W. Bush was given a series of direct warnings throughout 2001 about the possibility of a terrorist attack by Al Qaeda
However, the new neoconservative leaders at the Pentagon told the White House that the CIA had been fooled.
They believed that Osama Bin Laden was pretending to plan an attack to distract the U.S. from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Following this, the CIA prepared another daily brief for June 29 in which they listed over a page the evidence which they had built up.
This included an interview with a journalist from the Middle East in which aides of Bin Laden warned of an upcoming attack.
The briefing also included: “The U.S. is not the target of a disinformation campaign by Usama Bin Laden.”
It also included details from people close to Osama Bin Laden which claimed the expected attacks would have dramatic consequences with many casualties.
Another warning on July 1 said despite the attack being delayed it would soon take place.
But despite these warnings the White House did not appear to take them as seriously as the CIA was demanding.
The Times reports that officials within the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center became increasingly angry and in one meeting an official suggested the staff request a transfer so they could not be blamed when the attack occurred.
The White House was also told that the extremist Ibn Al-Khattab – known for his links to Al Qaeda – told his followers in Chechnya that there would “be big news soon”, the Times reported.
George W. Bush was told on July 24 that the attack was still being prepared but added that it had been postponed by a few months. However, he did not think the briefings were adequate and requested a much more detailed analysis of Al Qaeda.
This was to be the famous briefing of August 6 which was eventually declassified by the White House in April 2004 and made public.
“The administration’s reaction to what Mr. Bush was told in the weeks before that infamous briefing reflected significantly more negligence than has been disclosed,” Kurt Eichenwald wrote in the piece for the New York Times.
“In other words, the August 6 document, for all of the controversy it provoked, is not nearly as shocking as the briefs that came before it.”
Following the devastating attacks on 9/11, the White House – which was receiving criticism it had ignored CIA warnings – said it had never been told when or where the attacks would take place.
Yet many have claimed that if the government had been on high security alert over that summer they may have found out about the planned attack – and saved the lives of thousands.
Yet George Pataki, New York state governor on 9/11, laid into Eichenwald during a joint appearance on MSNBC for writing the New York Times article about the briefings.
“I just think this is incredibly unfortunate, to be perfectly honest. Because first of all, having been there, on September 11th and for weeks, months thereafter President Bush provided inspired, effective leadership,” George Pataki, a Republican, said.
“On September 11th everything changed and to look 11 years later and say, <<Aha, this was happening before September 11th in the summer>> and go though and selectively say, <<You should’ve done that, you should’ve done that>> I think is incredibly unfair and a disservice to history.
“And by the way if you look back there are those who could have said that President Roosevelt was at fault for Pearl Harbor. But the government didn’t look back and say, <<let’s blame the President>>; we came together to fight an important war.”
IGNORED WARNINGS: THE CIA BRIEFS ABOUT AL QAEDA ATTACK
May 1, 2001 CIA told White House that “a group presently in the United States” was planning a terrorist operation “with explosives”
June 22, 2001 CIA brief reported that Al Qaeda attacks could be “imminent”
June 29, 2001 Warning that the government needed to take briefs seriously. Added evidence included Osama Bin Laden aides warning of an attack and operatives claiming it would have “dramatic consequences”
July 1, 2001 Brief said the operation had been delayed but “will occur soon”
July 9, 2001 Extremist in Chechnya linked to Al Qaeda told followers there would soon be big news – and within 48 hours the information was passed to the White House
July 24, 2001 George W. Bush told the attack was still under preparation but that it had been postponed
August 6, 2001 George W. Bush received review of threats posed by Al Qaeda with headline: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.”
President Barack Obama has marked the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, saying the US emerged “even stronger” from that day’s death and horror.
In New York, relatives are reading out the names of those killed when hijacked jets were crashed at the World Trade Center, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Barack Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon and Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to speak at Shanksville.
For the first time, politicians will not address the ceremony in New York.
At the Pentagon, Barack Obama addressed survivors of the attacks and relatives of those killed. He told them their loved ones would never be forgotten, and that the dead had “helped us make the America we are today”.
“The true legacy of 9/11 will not be one of fear or hate or division,” Barack Obama said.
“It will be a safer world, a stronger nation, and a people more united than ever before.”
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum announced in July that this year’s ceremony at Ground Zero would include only relatives reading victims’ names.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum announced in July that this year's ceremony at Ground Zero would include only relatives reading victims' names
Memorial President Joe Daniels said that, in an election year, it was “honoring the victims and their families in a way free of politics”.
Charles Wolf, whose wife Katherine was killed at the World Trade Center, said the absence of elected officials would make the event more intimate for the families.
“We’ve gone past that deep, collective public grief,” he said.
Tuesday dawned with a clear blue sky over Washington and New York, jogging memories of a similar September morning 11 years ago.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day in attacks by al-Qaeda members who had hijacked four airliners.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama observed a moment of silence at the White House at 08:45.
They then headed to the Pentagon to attend a memorial ceremony there, where one of the jets crashed, and then visit wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
With a US election looming in November, President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney have set aside campaigning for the day and will not run negative advertisements.
Mitt Romney was due to visit Reno, Nevada, to address a National Guard unit whose members were deployed as part of the US response to the attacks.
“On this most sombre day, those who would attack us should know that we are united, one nation under God, in our determination to stop them and to stand tall for peace and freedom at home and across the world,” Mitt Romney said in a written statement.
Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar were due to speak at the Flight 93 National Memorial, near Shanksville, where one of the jets crashed as passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers.
A 9/11 museum in New York was due to have been completed for the 11th anniversary but has been plagued by setbacks.
Officials say it will take at least another year to finish.
A new building – the $3.9 billion One World Trade Center – is due to open in 2014 on the north-west corner of Ground Zero.
Last year an outdoor memorial was opened at the site and has since been visited by almost 4.5 million people.
In the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, the US launched a campaign to destroy the al-Qaeda network headed by Osama Bin Laden.
A team of elite US troops killed the al-Qaeda chief in a raid on his Pakistani compound last year.
After almost 60 years, Coca-Cola is on sale again in Burma.
Coca-Cola is one of the world’s most recognized brands, so are there any countries where the drinks giant still remains unsold?
The company says it sells 1.8 billion servings of the drink every day. But for the last six decades, none has been in Burma.
That’s because of US trade sanctions on the military junta which ruled the country from 1962 to 2011.
Those sanctions were suspended a few months ago, as the country began to move towards democratic reforms.
But the company said on Monday its first delivery had arrived and local production would begin soon.
Coca-Cola’s entry into any country is a powerful symbol, says Tom Standage, author of A History of the World in Six Glasses.
“The moment Coca-Cola starts shipping is the moment you can say there might be real change going on here,” he says.
“Coca-Cola is the nearest thing to capitalism in a bottle.”
After almost 60 years, Coca-Cola is on sale again in Burma
Coca-Cola’s rival PepsiCo has also announced plans to resume sales in Burma.
There are now just two countries in the world where Coca-Cola cannot be bought or sold – Cuba and North Korea, both of which are under long-term US trade embargoes (Cuba since 1962 and North Korea since 1950).
Cuba was actually one of the first three countries outside the US to bottle Coke, in 1906.
But the company moved out as Fidel Castro’s government began seizing private assets in the 1960s, and has never returned.
In North Korea – the other Coca-Cola free zone – recent media reports suggested it was being sold in a restaurant in Pyongyang. But Coca-Cola says if any drinks are being sold there, they are being smuggled in on the black market, not via official channels.
The dark fizzy soda was created in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia. From the early days the Coca-Cola company looked to expand worldwide, and by the early 1900s it was bottling the drink in Asia and Europe.
But the big boost came as a result of World War II when Coca-Cola was provided to US troops overseas.
There were more than 60 military bottling plants for Coca-Cola around the world during the war, and locals got a taste for the drink too.
It became powerfully associated with American patriotism, says Tom Standage, and was seen as so crucial to the war effort that it was exempted from sugar rationing.
Dwight Eisenhower, at the time the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe, was said to be a particular fan and he ensured its availability in North Africa.
He also introduced the drink to top Soviet general, Georgy Zhukov, who asked if a special, colorless version – one that looked like vodka – could be made, and Coca-Cola duly obliged for a while, says Tom Standage.
These days Coca-Cola is regularly ranked as one of the top, if not the top, global brands.
“It has always been about the American dream,” says Bruce Webster, an independent branding consultant who has done work for the Coca-Cola company in the past.
But not all countries have embraced the American-ness that seems to be embodied by Coca-Cola.
It was the French who first coined the pejorative term “coca-colonisation” in the 1950s. Trucks were overturned and bottles smashed, says Tom Standage, as protesters saw the drink as a threat to French society.
During the Cold War, Coca-Cola became a symbol of capitalism and a faultline between capitalism and communism, says Bruce Webster.
It was not marketed in the former Soviet Union due to the fear that profits would go straight into communist government coffers, says Tom Standage.
Pepsi filled the gap and was widely sold.
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, many East Germans bought Coca-Cola by the crate-load, says Tom Standage.
“Drinking Coca-Cola became a symbol of freedom.”
Other than the former Soviet Union, the main region that Coca-Cola has struggled in historically is the Middle East, largely due to a boycott implemented by the Arab League from 1968-1991, as a punishment for it selling in Israel.
Pepsi picked up a lot of the sales in the Middle East – and many local versions of the drink thrived.
Coca-Cola is not trying to get involved in politics, says Bruce Webster, but as a huge brand so closely associated with the US, it sometimes finds itself tangled up in politics, or singled out for criticism.
“The whole strength of the brand is plugging into a way of life that so many people wanted. As an ideology, it polarizes. And sometimes those associations become unattractive,” he says.
“America itself as brand is more tarnished now. People are more ambiguous towards it.”
In 2003, protesters in Thailand poured Coca-Cola onto the streets as a demonstration against the US-led invasion of Iraq, and sales were temporarily suspended, says Tom Standage.
Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to ban Coca-Cola and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez recently urged people to drink locally-made fruit juice rather than drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi.
But 126 years after its birth, Coca-Cola is still pushing forward in terms of sales, with strong growth – especially, it says, in the emerging markets of India, China and Brazil.
Coca-Cola global expansion
• The first Coca-Cola was served in 1886 at a pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia
• Canada, Cuba and Panama became the first countries outside the US to bottle it in 1906
• Coca-Cola expanded to Asia, opened a bottling plant in the Philippines in 1912, and then in Paris and Bordeaux in 1919
• By 1930 Coca-Cola was bottled in 27 countries around the world.
KSPR viewers in Missouri helped raise money for people with muscular dystrophy as part of the MDA Show of Strength held on September 2nd’ evening.
ABC-affiliate channel KSPR was there at the Oasis Convention Center and Branson Landing as bands entertained crowds and donations were raised for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Thanks to generous donations, KSPR was able to raise $596,351 for the MDA
Thanks to generous donations, KSPR was able to raise $596,351 for the MDA.
KSPR appreciates everyone who made donations or helped raise money and awareness for the cause.
Police in Paris are questioning former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over an embezzlement case involving a friend.
Dominique de Villepin has been placed under police custody for the interrogation, which was pre-arranged, a source told AFP news agency.
He is being asked about an alleged intervention in the Relais & Chateaux fraud inquiry, Le Monde reports.
The former prime minister previously denied involvement in the case.
Police in Paris are questioning former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over an embezzlement case involving a friend
A close friend of Dominique de Villepin, Regis Bulot, is accused of embezzling 1.6 million euros ($2 million) between 2002 and 2008.
Regis Bulot, who formerly headed the Relais & Chateaux luxury small hotel association, has been in custody since November. He denies the charges against him.
The former prime minister was brought into the case when police secretly recorded a telephone conversation between the two men in early 2010.
In the bugged phone call, it is alleged that Dominique de Villepin claimed to have put pressure on the new management of Relais & Chateaux not to co-operate with the police investigation.
Dominique de Villepin was cleared a year ago of wrongdoing in an alleged smear campaign against former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the US to locate Osama Bin Laden, has said he was unaware he was involved with the 2011 killing of the al-Qaeda chief.
Speaking for the first time since his arrest, Shakil Afridi told Fox News he did not think he needed to escape after the killing but was then kidnapped by Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency.
He said the ISI, who he says tortured him, regards the US as its worst enemy.
Dr. Shakil Afridi is understood to have been contacted by phone in jail in Peshawar.
Prison officials were taken by surprise by reports of the interview, but did not rule out that a phone could have been smuggled into his cell.
The doctor is alleged to have used a fake hepatitis B vaccination campaign to obtain DNA samples of Osama Bin Laden’s family.
He was sentenced to 33 years in jail in May for funding and supporting a militant group, but correspondents say it is generally acknowledged he is being punished for helping the CIA.
Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the US to locate Osama Bin Laden, has said he was unaware he was involved with the 2011 killing of the al-Qaeda chief
The interview was published on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US, and came as current al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri confirmed the death of another senior figure in the network, Abu Yahya al-Libi, in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Ayman al-Zawahiri’s brother Mohamed told CNN that he was prepared to negotiate peace between the West and Islamists.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, who spent 14 years in jail in Egypt, is said to have the respect of the new Egyptian government but claims to be ideologically close to his brother.
Speaking from Peshawar Central Jail, Dr. Shakil Afridi said he had not realized that the CIA was targeting Osama Bin Laden.
“I didn’t know about a specific target apart from the work I was given to do,” he told Fox News.
“I was aware that some terrorists were residing in that compound, but I didn’t know whom. I was shocked. I didn’t believe I was associated with his killing.”
He said that the CIA advised him to flee to Afghanistan.
However, he was scared to cross the volatile border region and did not think it was necessary for him to escape because he did not consider himself to be involved in Osama Bin Laden’s death, he said.
Dr. Shakil Afridi was arrested at a checkpoint at Hayatabad on 22 May last year, 20 days after Osama Bin Laden’s death.
After this he says he was blindfolded for eight months and handcuffed for a year in a prison beneath the ISI headquarters in Islamabad.
“I had to bend down on my knees to eat with only my mouth, like a dog,” he said.
During interrogations he was tortured with cigarette burns and electric shocks, he said, as the ISI rebuked him for helping the US find Bin Laden.
“They said: <<The Americans are our worst enemies, worse than the Indians>>,” he added.
Dr. Shakil Afridi also said fellow inmates had told him that they had been advised to make things up to prevent interrogation by visiting CIA officers.
He said that he himself was “proud” to work with the CIA and would help the US again despite the torture and psychological abuse he said he had suffered.
“I have a lot of respect and love for your people,” he said.
There has been no official response to Shakil Afridi’s allegations, but the Pakistani authorities have always insisted that they treated him the way any country would someone found working for a foreign spy agency.
Osama Bin Laden’s killing created a crisis in relations between the US and Pakistan, whose government was seriously embarrassed as it emerged Bin Laden had been living in Pakistan.
Islamabad felt the covert US operation was a violation of its sovereignty.
Both US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said Dr. Shakil Afridi’s arrest was a mistake and called for his release.
People of South Asian, African or African Caribbean descent living in UK are significantly more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than their European counterparts, British researchers have warned.
Half had developed the disease by the age of 80 in a study of 4,200 people living in London – approximately twice the figure for Europeans.
The researchers said the rates were “astonishingly high”.
The findings were published in the journal Diabetes Care.
People of South Asian, African or African Caribbean descent living in UK are significantly more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than their European counterparts
Losing control of blood sugar levels increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. Type 2 diabetes is often linked to lifestyle and diet.
Some ethnic groups are already known to have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. However, one of the researchers at Imperial College London, Dr. Therese Tillin, said it may be down to them simply getting the disease earlier in their lives and the figures would even out over time.
But the study showed: “The rates don’t slow down as you get older. The astonishing difference continues,” Dr. Therese Tillin said.
She warned this could be a sign of things to come with the potential for soaring levels of diabetes around the world as more people lived in cities and enjoyed a calorie-rich diet.
The scientists involved said that fat, particularly around the waist, could explain some, but not all of the difference, between the ethnicities.
Fellow researcher, Dr. Nish Chaturvedi, said genetics could not explain the difference either as there were similar levels of “risky genes” across all groups.
She said: “There is something else that puts them at higher risk and we’re not sure what that is.”
Dr. Mike Knapton, from the British Heart Foundation and a GP, said: “Awareness is really low considering the magnitude of the problem, even I’m surprised by the figures.”
He also warned that failing to deal with diabetes would have huge financial consequences for the NHS.
The director of research at Diabetes UK, Dr. Iain Frame, said it was “even more important” for people at high risk to manage their weight.
He said: “People from these communities should be screened earlier than the general population – from the age of 25 rather than 40.
“People need to know their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and get diagnosed as early as possible. We know that people from South Asian backgrounds can often be living with the condition for around 10 years before they are diagnosed, which increases the risk of complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.”
Antarctic bivalves have surprised scientists who have discovered that the molluscs switch sex.
The reproduction of Lissarca miliaris was studied in the 1970s and the species was first described in 1845.
But their hermaphrodite nature had remained unknown until they were studied by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
Researchers suggest the molluscs could switch between the sexes to efficiently reproduce in the extremely cold ocean.
The results are published in the journal Polar Biology.
“The previous reproductive study only looked at the large eggs and broods,” said PhD student and lead author Adam Reed.
Antarctic bivalves have surprised scientists who have discovered that the molluscs switch sex
This earlier work showed how females brood their young for up to 18 months, from “large yolky eggs” to “fully shelled young”, and found that females can support as many as 70 young inside their hinged shell.
But concentrating on reproduction at a cellular level, Adam Reed and colleagues discovered that the eggs were actually present in males.
“Curiously, we found huge numbers of very small eggs in functional males, which appear to be far higher in number than an individual could brood throughout the life of the animal,” he said.
The team suggested that the bivalves reproduce as males while they are still in the “small” stages of development, switching to female organs once they are large enough to brood a significant number of eggs.
“At present the traits we describe are unusual for Antarctic bivalves, but in 10 years perhaps this will be common too,” said Adam Reed.
“Hermaphroditism is not necessarily uncommon in Antarctic bivalves, and with many species still to study there may be many more to describe.”
Brooding meanwhile is a relatively common reproductive trait in Antarctic invertebrates and has been linked to the extreme conditions.
“Brooding is common for small bivalves and has been discussed for many years in Antarctic biology,” said Adam Reed.
“Large yolky eggs that are brooded have much lower mortality than small planktonic larvae, but fewer are produced.”
He explained that in extremely cold environments, development is slowed down so feeding larvae becomes a more exhaustive task.
“Brooding reduces the need for long periods of feeding”, according to Adam Reed, making it a more efficient strategy for many Antarctic invertebrates including bivalves and echinoids.
The researcher suggested that the bivalves may be further maximizing their efficiency when it comes to reproduction.
“We also found that after males become female, the male reproductive tissue persists for a long time,” he said.
But for now, the bivalves can maintain their mystery because scientists are restricted to studying them during the months that staff is based at the British Antarctic Survey’s remote research station.
“Perhaps they may alternate their sex so they can continue to reproduce as males while brooding their young for 18 months?” Adam Reed theorized.
“The study highlights how much we do not know about some of the common invertebrates living in the Antarctic, and how much research there is still to do.”
Jessica Simpson showed off little Maxwell’s first swimsuit yesterday as she shared a photo of the adorable four-month-old on Katie Couric’s new chatshow.
Jessica Simpson herself kept her clothes firmly on as she made her much-hyped appearance as the very first guest on Katie.
The 32-year-old singer wore a slimming black peplum Roland Mouret dress as she revealed she had lost 40 lbs since Maxwell’s birth on May 1.
Talking to Katie Couric in her first big TV interview since becoming a mother, Jessica Simpson admitted she didn’t realize how hard it would be to lose her baby weight.
“During pregnancy, I didn’t really think about it,” she said about her weight gain.
“I thought my doctors were telling me that it was just a lot of water and whenever my water broke my whole entire stomach would go down but that did not happen.
“All the weight did not come out with the baby.”
Jessica Simpson showed off little Maxwell's first swimsuit yesterday as she shared a photo of the adorable four-month-old on Katie Couric's new chatshow
Now Jessica Simpson says she is 10 lbs away from her goal weight, and she’s using her daughter to get there.
“I basically take her with me, whether it’s strapping her on me or strolling around the neighborhood,” she said.
“My new goal is 14,000 steps a day.”
Jessica Simpson is breast feeding Maxwell, and said that sugar cravings had been an obstacle in her weight loss.
“I feel like what made me eat more is my hormones and breastfeeding,” she confided in Katie Couric.
“I’ve never wanted chocolate more in my life. I’ve had to really stay focused and focus on my diet and concentrate on what I’m putting in my body.”
Jessica Simpson says she is 10 lbs away from her goal weight
But unlike most new mothers Jessica Simpson is been paid a heady amount to shed her weight.
Jessica Simpson, who tipped the scales at more than 170 lbs during her pregnancy, is following Weight Watchers after signing a deal rumored to be worth $4 million.
She said the programme was working for her.
“You have to track every bit, and you can’t get away with the bites because they add up,” she said.
“You have to be completely honest with yourself, and I think just creating that relationship of honesty with yourself is so good.”
And she said appearing on the show had been driving her weight loss.
“I’ve just had a lot of pressure on me and today was actually one of my goals,” she said.
“Getting here in a comfortable and beautiful dress.”
With the eyes of the world on her, Jessica Simpson also said her weight loss had been somewhat stressful.
“I’ve been pregnant for three years,” she joked.
“I definitely don’t Google my name.
“I try to avoid it completely. But I still subconsciously know that the talk is going on so I think that every day that is a struggle for me.”
“I understand that it sells magazines and stuff. But I wish I could get a cut,” she said.
And she added: “There is a lot of pressure to lose weight. But I want to be healthy for my daughter.”
Talking about her fiancé, Eric Johnson, Jessica Simpson admitted that the couple had yet to set a date to walk down the aisle.
But she said of the American football player: “He’s the best dad. Even my dad says that. He changes every diaper.”
Both Eric and Maxwell Johnson accompanied her to New York from their LA home for the interview.
“She had her first flight yesterday,” Jessica Simpson said of Maxwell.
“She did not sleep. She slept the last hour but she didn’t cry.”
Jessica Simpson said that having her daughter had transformed her life.
“Motherhood is a dream it really is absolutely amazing,” she said.
“My life is very different now.”
Despite her weight loss, Jessica Simpson admitted she was worried about her appearance.
“I almost peed my pants, I’m very nervous,” she told Katie Couric.
She wasn’t the only one.
Katie Couric herself told her audience: “I feel like it’s the first day of school. It’s so nice to be here. I am so thrilled today to finally be here.”
She had plenty of support – her daughters, aged 16 and 21, were in the audience.
Jessica Simpson is being paid a reported $4 million to act as the new face of Weight Watchers.
And now Jessica Simpson has starred in her first advert for the diet programme, filmed back in July as she got stuck into her weight loss regime.
Yet the footage has failed to capture her full figure, presumably the one thing that viewers want to see so that they can make a comparison between her before and after figure.
“I’m Jessica Simpson and yes I’m doing Weight Watchers,” she tells the camera, smiling.
“There is a lot of pressure to lose weight but I’m not a supermodel. I’m just Jessica trying to eat real food in the real world and I really just wanna be healthy for my daughter.
“So I knew Weight Watchers was the only way to go. It’s working.
‘I’m on my way and it feels amazing. Really I just wanna be a better version of myself.”
Jessica Simpson has starred in her first advert for the diet programme, filmed back in July as she got stuck into her weight loss regime
The advert focuses on Jessica Simpson’s upper body, with close-ups of her face.
Talking on Katie Couric’s new chat show yesterday, the singer and actress admitted that at the time she wasn’t comfortable revealing her whole frame.
Since the clip was filmed Jessica Simpson, 32, has continued on her healthy eating plan – taking her total weight loss to an impressive 40 lbs.
But she still isn’t at her goal, after her weight hit more than 170 lbs while she was pregnant.
Talking on the debut episode of Katie Couric yesterday Jessica Simpson explained why the Weight Watchers programme is working for her.
“You have to track every bit, and you can’t get away with the bites because they add up,” she said.
“You have to be completely honest with yourself, and I think just creating that relationship of honesty with yourself is so good.”
Along with tracking her food Jessica Simpson is also working out.
And now she is 10 lbs away from her goal weight, she’s using her daughter to get there.
“I basically take her with me, whether it’s strapping her on me or strolling around the neighborhood,” she said.
