Director Lee Daniels pays tribute to African Americans in his latest film The Butler.
The film presents the evolution and struggle of the black woman and man as seen through the eyes of a butler, Cecil Gaines (played by Forrest Whitaker).
Not only is this film about a butler’s brutal journey to make a life by overcoming intense hardship, but also his internal struggle to join the fight for civil rights alongside his son Louis Gaines (played by David Oyelowo) who is the hero of this film.
Louis Gaines is portrayed in The Butler by David Oyelowo
While Cecil Gaines is a butler who is serving eight presidents, he is unable to protect his son Louis who is a freedom fighter.
Louis Gaines is being beaten up in Alabama and Tennessee where he has been incarcerated at least 16 times. An understated motion picture makes this true story work. Violence is brief and in flashes.
However, director Lee Daniels juxtaposed the violence with scenes of family life.
President Viktor Yanukovych has offered the position of Ukraine’s prime minister to one of the opposition leaders, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
The offer came after talks on Saturday with opposition leaders in a new effort to end the worsening unrest that has spread across Ukraine.
Earlier, protesters in Kiev tried to occupy the energy ministry.
The protests began in November after Ukraine decided not to sign an accord on more co-operation with the EU.
Instead, the government opted to deepen ties with neighboring Russia.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is the parliamentary leader of Ukraine’s second biggest party, Fatherland
The crisis escalated this week when two activists were killed, and another was found dead with torture marks in a forest near the capital.
A fourth, 45-year-old protester is said to have died in a Kiev hospital on Saturday, after sustaining injuries in earlier violence.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, parliamentary leader of the country’s second biggest party, Fatherland, has not commented on the president’s offer.
He is an ally of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko.
Viktor Yanukovych has also offered the post of deputy prime minister for humanitarian issues to the former boxer, Vitali Klitschko, who is leader of the Udar (Punch) movement.
In addition, Ukrainian media report that Viktor Yanukovych has said he is ready to amend the constitution to reduce the president’s powers.
The opposition has previously demanded that Viktor Yanukovych step down.
France’s President Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from Valerie Trierweiler.
Francois Hollande told the French news agency AFP that their “shared life” had ended.
Earlier, his office at the Elysee Palace denied split reports.
Two weeks ago Closer magazine published photos which appeared to show Francois Hollande had been having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.
Valerie Trierweiler spent a week in hospital after the revelations.
Francois Hollande, who has never denied having an affair with Julie Gayet, has admitted to a “difficult moment” in his relationship with Valerie Trierweiler.
At the time, he promised to clarify the situation before his official visit to Washington on February 11.
Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from Valerie Trierweiler
Francois Hollande told AFP he was speaking in a personal capacity and not as the head of state.
“I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler,” the president said.
On Thursday, Valerie Trierweiler sacked her lawyer for saying she was seeking to end her relationship with Francois Hollande “with the greatest possible dignity”.
Valerie Trierweiler, who has continued to work as a journalist for the glossy magazine Paris-Match, is travelling to India on Sunday in support of the work of the French charity Action Against Hunger.
Since she left hospital, Valerie Trierweiler has been staying at an official residence, La Lanterne, near Versailles.
“He [Francois Hollande] has consulted her and brought her up to date, she accepts the situation as a fait accompli, but she is leaving it to him to take the initiative,” a member of Valerie Trierweiler’s entourage told the newspaper Le Parisien.
Valerie Trierweiler and Francois Hollande have never married.
Canadian customs have seized a shipment of Marmite and Irn-Bru bound for a British foods shop in Canada in a crackdown on banned additives.
Tony Badger, who owns Brit Foods in Saskatoon in central Canada, said he lost more than 20,000 CAD when the cargo from the UK was seized.
Irn-Bru contains the Ponceau 4R food coloring, while Marmite is enriched with vitamins and minerals which are unacceptable to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Lucozade, Penguin bars, and Bovril were also in the package and seized, as they all fall foul of the country’s food laws. The CFIA is believed to be clamping down on foods that breach its laws.
Tony Badger told Canada talk radio station CKOM he had been importing and selling the products since 1997.
Marmite is enriched with vitamins and minerals which are unacceptable to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
“We’ve been bringing Irn-Bru in since the very beginning. I haven’t heard of anyone dying from consuming Irn-Bru in Scotland or Britain.
“All we’re looking for is fair and equitable treatment. If a product is banned and they show us in writing it’s banned, then we’ll understand, it’s banned and this is the reason.”
Tony Badger said last October the shipment was detained for inspection, and he began to ask questions when the process took longer than usual.
CFIA officials then came to his store last Thursday and seized the remaining product from his shelves.
Shoppers describe the ban on Marmite and Irn-Bru as “insanity” in a country that allows the sale of “firearms, guns and bullets”.
AG Barr, the Scottish company which manufactures Irn-Bru, produces a Canada-specific product that does not contain Ponceau 4R.
The colorant is being removed voluntarily from its European recipe, following a request from the UK Food Standards Agency , which investigated concerns over links to hyperactivity in children.
Google has patented a way of linking online ads to free or discounted taxi rides to the advertising restaurant, shop or entertainment venue.
The transport-linked ad service could encourage consumers to respond more often to location-based special offers, experts say.
Algorithms would work out the customer’s location, the best route and form of transport, Google says.
Advertisers will mine huge databases recording people’s habits, likes and preferences so that ads can be highly targeted.
Google says, in future, customers could be driven to restaurants, bars, shops and venues by driverless cars
Combining this information with location data gleaned from Wi-Fi, cellular and GPS tracking will enable businesses to tailor their ads and special offers according to where people are, the time of day and their schedules.
The addition of free or cheap travel to the location will be the icing on the cake, Google hopes.
In August, Google’s venture capital arm invested $258 million in Uber, the San Francisco-based car hire network.
In the same way that advertisers bid against each other for the rights to Google keywords online, the company sees them competing on transport costs too.
The real-time system would help advertisers work out the costs of offering the transport sweetener versus the potential profit margins, Google said.
“Getting a potential customer to a business location in order to conduct a sale may be one of the most difficult tasks for a business or advertiser,” Google says in its US patent for the “transportation-aware physical advertising conversions” system.
Madonna will perform at this year’s Grammy awards on January 26, CBS network confirmed.
The network also said that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and Miranda Lambert – both nominated for Grammys this year – will perform a duet in tribute to Everly Brothers musician Phil Everly, who died earlier this year.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Juicy J have also been added to the performers’ slate, with Steve Coogan, Jeremy Renner.
Madonna will perform at this year’s Grammy awards on January 26
Julia Roberts and Charlie Wilson added to the presenters’ roster.
The newly announced performers join a slate that already included Sara Bareilles, Carole King, Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Robin Thicke and numerous others.
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26.
Syrian government and opposition representatives have met briefly face to face in Geneva in what is being hailed a small but significant step in talks aimed at “saving Syria”.
The initial gathering in Geneva lasted half an hour mediated by the UN’s Lakhdar Brahimi.
Delegates in Geneva are aiming at small concessions, not a full peace deal.
“Ending terrorism and violence” is the top priority, Syrian officials say. They insist it is too early to discuss President Bashar al-Assad’s position.
The two delegations filed in through separate doors into one room in the UN Geneva Headquarters, and sat down at the same U-shaped table, but said nothing to each other.
Lakhdar Brahimi spoke for half an hour. Then they all filed out again.
Ahead of the next face-to-face meeting, Lakhdar Brahimi will shuttle between the delegations, trying to build confidence with small achievements like localized ceasefires, release of detainees and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
There is hope that minor progress will pave the way for the discussion of wider issues like political transition next week, although there has been no sign of common ground on this so far.
Syrian government delegation has said the main issue of the Geneva talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed terrorism
Shortly after the initial meeting, the chief of staff to the leader of Syria’s National Coalition, Monzer Akbik, claimed that the transition process had started in earnest.
“Today we had the chance to speak directly to regime… You know dictators usually, they don’t like to listen. But today they had to listen to us and to the voice of the Syrian people that they want transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
However Syria’s Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jafari – part of the government delegation – said it was “too early” to talk of President Bashar al-Assad stepping down and that the issue was “not the priority”.
“Item number one should be putting an end to the terrorism and to the violence,” he said.
The envoy said the common ground between the parties “should be that we should talk about everything, everything, without any selectivity… and no preconditions and no hidden agendas”.
But he accused the coalition delegation of harboring “personal hatreds towards the government for whatever reasons”.
The opposition and government are fundamentally divided over the aims of the conference.
The government delegation has said the main issue of the talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed “terrorism”, by which it means the whole of the armed opposition.
The opposition, however, had insisted that the regime commit in writing to the 2012 Geneva I communiqué, which called for a transition process.
The communiqué urged Syria to form a transitional governing authority that “could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups”.
Syria’s civil conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives since it began in 2011.
The Philippines’ government has agreed the final section of a peace deal with Muslim rebels fighting a long-running insurgency in the south of the country.
It is the fourth part of a roadmap for peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front set out in October 2012.
The accord details how the rebels will hand over their weapons in exchange for self-rule in parts of the south.
The agreement, reached in Kuala Lumpur, paves the way for a final and comprehensive peace treaty.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed over the past four decades of separatist fighting.
The government’s chief negotiator, Miriam Coronhel Ferrer, said the agreement marked the effective end of the formal negotiations.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front was created after a split with another rebel group in 1977
Her counterpart from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Monagher Iqbal, said certain steps had to be taken: “To pave for peace, real peace in Mindanao, we have to decommission our forces and put them beyond use.
“As for the number of combatants that are involved in the decommissioning process – it’s part of the verification and validation which will be undertaken by the independent decommissioning body.”
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, created after a split with another rebel group in 1977, originally wanted an independent Muslim state, but dropped this demand.
The Philippines has faced separatist movements for decades in Mindanao, where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is based, and in Jolo, home to the radical Islamist Abu Sayyaf group, which is reputedly linked to al-Qaeda.
The Elysee Palace has contradicted media reports that President Francois Hollande would officially announce his separation from his partner, Valerie Trierweiler, on Saturday.
The president’s office said “false rumors” had been circulating in the French media.
Two weeks ago Closer magazine published photos apparently showing Francois Hollande’s affair with actress Julie Gayet.
Valerie Trierweiler spent a week in hospital after the revelations.
Francois Hollande, who has never denied having an affair with Julie Gayet, has admitted to a “difficult moment” in his relationship with Valerie Trierweiler.
On Thursday, Valerie Trierweiler sacked her lawyer for saying she was seeking to end her relationship with Francois Hollande “with the greatest possible dignity”.
The Elysee Palace has contradicted media reports that President Francois Hollande would officially announce his separation from Valerie Trierweiler
Sources close to Francois Hollande told French media the presidency would make an official announcement on Saturday.
Valerie Trierweiler, who has continued to work as a journalist for the glossy magazine Paris-Match, is travelling to India on Sunday in support of the work of the French charity Action Against Hunger.
Since she left hospital, Valerie Trierweiler has been staying at an official residence, La Lanterne, near Versailles.
“He [Francois Hollande] has consulted her and brought her up to date, she accepts the situation as a fait accompli, but she is leaving it to him to take the initiative,” a member of Valerie Trierweiler’s entourage told the newspaper Le Parisien.
Valerie Trierweiler and Francois Hollande have never married. She announced their relationship six months after he left his previous partner, one-time French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, with whom he has four children.
For her part, Julie Gayet has announced she is suing Closer magazine, which published the original reports, for breach of privacy.
Genetically modified purple tomato large-scale production is now under way in Canada with the first 1,200 litres of purple tomato juice ready for shipping.
The dark pigment, known as anthocyanin, is intended to give tomatoes the same potential health benefits as fruit such as blueberries.
Anthocyanin is an antioxidant which studies on animals show could help fight cancer.
Scientists say the new tomatoes, first developed in Britain, could improve the nutritional value of everything from ketchup to pizza topping.
The tomatoes were developed at the John Innes Centre in Norwich where Prof. Cathie Martin hopes the first delivery of large quantities of juice will allow researchers to investigate its potential.
They are part of a new generation of GM plants designed to appeal to consumers – the first types were aimed specifically at farmers as new tools in agriculture.
Genetically modified purple tomato large-scale production is now under way in Canada
The purple pigment is the result of the transfer of a gene from a snapdragon plant – the modification triggers a process within the tomato plant allowing the anthocyanin to develop.
Although the invention is British, Prof. Cathie Martin says EU restrictions on GM encouraged her to look abroad to develop the technology.
Canadian regulations are seen as more supportive of GM and that led to a deal with an Ontario company, New Energy Farms, which is now producing enough purple tomatoes in a 5,000sq ft greenhouse to make 440 gallons of juice.
The first 1,200 litres are due to be shipped to Norwich shortly – and because all the seeds will have been removed, there is no genetic material to risk any contamination.
The aim is to use the juice in research to conduct a wide range of tests including examining whether the anthocyanin has positive effects on humans. Earlier studies show benefits as an anti-inflammatory and in slowing cancers in mice.
A key question is whether a GM product that may have health benefits will influence public opinion.
A major survey across the EU in 2010 found opponents outnumbered supporters by roughly three to one. The last approval for a GM food crop in the EU came in 1998.
Prof. Cathie Martin hopes that the purple tomato juice will have a good chance of being approved for sale to consumers in North America in as little as two years’ time.
A day after his DUI arrest in Miami Beach, Justin Bieber took to his Twitter to address concerned fans.
Justin Bieber, 19, wrote to his fans: “YOU ARE ALL WORTHY NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS.”
The singer then alluded to a Bible verse: “BE STRONG GOD IS WITH US ALL.”
“MY BELIEBERS CHANGED MY LIFE> I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL.”
Justin Bieber was arrested early Thursday in Miami Beach for driving with an expired license and driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.
The arresting officer also said the teen cussed repeatedly as he resisted arrest.
Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach for driving with an expired license and DUI
Hours after his arrest, Justin Bieber made a solemn appearance in court wearing a red jumpsuit, where his bond was set at $2,500.
On Friday, Justin Bieber posted a split-screen Instagram photo comparing himself to Michael Jackson.
His manager, Scooter Braun, also broke his silence Friday and wrote a direct tweet at Justin Bieber: “@justinbieber love you and I will act in the manner of someone who truly cares.”
“That is all I have to say. Thanks for all those concerned.”
“Bottom line is we are defined by how we handle adversity. Be there when it counts. Love fully in good times and bad.”
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick has quietly listed their current home in Calabasas, California, for sale.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are asking $3.499 million for the designer pad that was “dramatically reimagined” by celebrity decorator Jeff Andrews. That’s more than double what the reality stars paid for the home in December 2010.
Built in 2004, the East Coast traditional offers a comfortable four bedrooms and four full bathrooms. However, in recent months, the celebrity family has found that they have simply outgrown the 5,400-square-foot home.
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick has quietly listed their current home in Calabasas, California, for sale
“Our family is bigger since we moved in,” Kourtney Kardashian told Domaine.
“I’d like to have a guest room and more space outside for the kids.”
Bathed in black and white, the interiors feature colorful accents clearly aimed at drawing the eye. The style is especially prevalent in the living and the office, where various accessories and finishes pop in the modern surroundings.
In addition to its luxury touches, the designer living space features an open floor plan containing an entry breezeway, a gourmet kitchen and a master suite complete with a private sitting area, balcony, two walk-in closets and a spa-like spa sheathed in marble accents. Outside, a swimming pool, patio and loggia frame mountain and city views.
Courtney Love did not defame her former lawyer Rhonda Holmes in a 2010 Twitter post, a jury said on Friday.
The verdict comes after an eight-day trial that centered on Courtney Love’s statements against San Diego-based lawyer Rhonda Holmes.
Courtney Love, 49, hired Rhonda Holmes to pursue a case against the estate of her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The case was never filed and Rhonda Holmes said Courtney Love fired her.
Courtney Love did not defame her former lawyer Rhonda Holmes in a 2010 Twitter post
Courtney Love’s tweet suggested that Rhonda Holmes had been “bought off”.
Attorneys for Courtney Love maintained that she meant for the post to be a private message and few people saw it.
Rhonda Holmes’ lawyers sought $8 million in damages.
Courtney Love attended and testified at the trial but was not present when the verdict was read.
Kim Kardashian shared an adorable picture of her 7-month-old daughter North West with Kourtney’s 18-month-old girl Penelope.
Kim Kardashian shared an adorable picture of her 7-month-old daughter North West with Kourtney’s 18-month-old girl Penelope
Baby North West is seen sitting in front of her older cousin. She’s sporting a white onesie, yellow bib, and has her light brown locks swept across her forehead.
Kourtney Kardashian and Scot Disick’s daughter meanwhile, is wearing a grey sweater while wrapping her arms around Nori.
At least seven people died during violent clashes between supporters and opponents of the military-backed government as Egypt marks the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising which ended with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
Police broke up anti-government protests with tear gas, and arrests were reported in Cairo and Alexandria.
Hundreds have died since July when the army deposed President Mohamed Morsi.
The government has said extra security measures are in place for Saturday.
Egyptian Interior Minister Muhammad Ibrahim urged Egyptians not to be afraid to go to events marking the anniversary of the uprising.
Egypt marks the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising which ended with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak
Thousands of supporters of the military and the government have gathered in high-profile locations including Tahrir Square – the focal point of the 18-day 2011 popular revolt.
Participants waved Egyptian flags and banners showing army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whom many urged to run for president.
But police dealt harshly with anti-government protesters in Cairo and elsewhere. At least seven people have died – four in the greater Cairo area, two in the southern city of Minya and a woman in Egypt’s second city, Alexandria.
Shortly before 8 a.m. on Saturday, a bomb was thrown at the wall of the police training academy in the Cairo suburb of Ain Shams, reportedly injuring one person.
Six people died in four bombings in Cairo on Friday, along with at least another dozen people killed in clashes with security forces.
Meanwhile on Saturday, an army helicopter crashed in the restive Sinai peninsula, with an unconfirmed report that its crew of five soldiers was dead.
Animal studies suggest that high-fat diet during pregnancy has the potential to alter a baby’s developing brain and increase its chances of obesity later in life.
The team at Yale School of Medicine showed diet could change the structure of mice brains.
They argue this could explain why the children of obese parents are more likely to become grossly overweight.
Animal studies suggest that high-fat diet during pregnancy has the potential to alter a baby’s developing brain and increase its chances of obesity later in life
Experts said the study had merit, but brain changes in humans were unproven.
Obesity can run in families and shared eating habits are a major factor.
However, there is evidence that diet during pregnancy can also influence a child’s future waistline, such as through changes to DNA.
The latest foray into the field, published in the journal Cell, shows the structure of the brain itself may be changed.
The experiments on mice showed that mothers on a high-fat diet had pups with an altered hypothalamus, a part of the brain important for regulating metabolism.
These mouse pups were more likely to become overweight and develop type 2 diabetes than the pups of mothers given a normal diet.
Prof. Tamas Horvath, from Yale, says a healthy diet during pregnancy may help to break the cycle of obese parents having obese children.
The Associated Press news agency is demanding George Zimmerman to halt the sale of a painting it says he copied from one of its photos.
George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.
He is seeking buyers for his portrait of Florida prosecutor Angela Corey that closely resembles a photograph shot by the Associated Press.
George Zimmerman sold a painting on eBay in December for $100,099.
In 2013, a jury found George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, 17, in self-defense.
The painting, advertised on Twitter by George Zimmerman’s brother Robert, depicts Florida prosecutor Angela Corey holding her fingers together, with an apparently fictitious quote reading: “I have this much respect for the American judicial system.”
AP news agency says George Zimmerman directly copied a photo taken during the press conference in April 2012 in which Angela Corey announced he would face murder charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin
Robert Zimmerman has said he and his brother were in negotiations with potential buyers.
On Friday, an Associated Press spokesman said George Zimmerman “clearly directly copied an AP photo” taken during the press conference in April 2012 in which Angela Corey announced Zimmerman would face murder charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
The news agency has sent a letter to George Zimmerman’s former lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, calling for the sale of the painting to be halted, or for damages to be paid in the event of a sale.
In November, George Zimmerman was arrested after reportedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. Prosecutors later declined to file domestic violence charges against him in the incident after the girlfriend refused to co-operate.
He was also briefly detained following a domestic disturbance at the home of his estranged wife, Shellie, in September.
George Zimmerman’s acquittal on a charge of second-degree murder over the February 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin also sparked a fierce debate about racial profiling and gun culture in the US.
He said the teenager, who was unarmed and walking at night toward his father’s house, attacked him when he confronted him about his presence in the neighborhood.
George Zimmerman said he shot Trayvon Martin in the chest in self-defense.
Nintendo World Championships, super-rare Nintendo game, is expected to fetch thousands of dollars in an eBay auction.
Only 116 copies of Nintendo World Championships were ever made, as part of a special event in 1990.
The first bid came in at $4,999, but the game is likely to fetch more, one Nintendo expert said.
Unfortunately for collectors, the cartridge is in poor condition – with a ripped label and “Mario” written on it in ballpoint pen.
“This is quite unfortunate but happened many decades ago,” explained the seller in his description of the “super-rare” item, adding that whoever wrote on the label did not have “a clue what they actually had”.
Nintendo World Championships was designed for a competition, and never went on general sale
Created for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo World Championships was designed for a competition, and never went on general sale.
The game features shortened versions of three classics – Super Mario, Tetris and Rad Racer.
Competition entrants were given six minutes to amass points on the games, with whoever came top winning a trophy, a trip to Universal Studios and various other prizes.
Each of the 90 semi-finalists was given a grey cartridge like the one now up for auction.
Rarer still are the “golden” cartridges of the same game, sent out as part of a separate competition by Nintendo Power magazine.
Genuine copies of the game are hard to come by, and so the poor condition would not be too much of a deterrent to keen collectors, predicted Chris Scullion, games editor for Computer and Video Games.
Prince has announced a number of concerts in London for next month.
The musician will play a number of “iconic venues in and around London”, after arriving on February 3, according to a statement.
Details will be announced in a press conference, set to be held in the flat of UK soul singer Lianne LaHavas.
The dates are in support of a new album, PlectrumElectrum, recorded with his all-female band, 3rdEyeGirl.
“Details about the event are very hush-hush at this time but as we find out more, you will be the 2nd ones to know,” said a press release.
Lianne LaHavas won a Mercury Prize nomination for her debut album Is Your Love Big Enough?.
Prince has announced a number of concerts in London for next month
“This 24-year-old singer-songwriter met Prince last year during LaHavas’ tour of America,” the press release explained.
“They jammed together at Prince’s Paisley Park Studio in Minneapolis and have kept in touch ever since.
“When Prince told Lianne he was coming to London to launch his new project, Ms LaHavas jokingly offered her flat as the location for the press conference.”
Prince, 55, has a habit of playing “hit and run” shows, often announced just days in advance.
Recent gigs have focused on his guitar-playing, backed by the powerhouse 3rdEyeGirl – three women he found online or through recommendations, and started playing with last January.
Guitarist Donna Grantis, drummer Hannah Ford and bassist Ida Neilsen have pushed harder tracks like Bambi and I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man to the front of his set-list.
Poppier moments, such as She’s Always In My Hair, have been retro-fitted with blazing guitar solos in the style of Jimi Hendrix and Santana.
However, it is not yet known what material will make the final cut of the PlectrumElectrum album.
China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to a fast-food restaurant last month was reported across the globe, and has now inspired a song too.
Wu Songjin, a Guangzhou-based composer, said his new song Pork Bun Shop was inspired by footage of President Xi Jinping queuing up to order a reasonably-priced meal, according to Sichuan newspaper West China City Daily.
The visit was part of the president’s campaign to put his party back in touch with the people.
Pork Bun Shop song was inspired by footage of President Xi Jinping queuing up to order a reasonably-priced meal
Wu Songjin says he was “moved” by the spectacle, and wrote the song with lyricist Zou Dangrong just in ten days.
Three singers recorded different versions of the song, all of which were popular with customers at the Beijing shop when Wu Songjin played them some samples. One customer said the “lyrics are simple, it’s down-to-earth and spreads positive energy”.
The newspaper reports that Professor Zhao Shilin, of Minzu Central University, claimed the song was reflective of a cult of personality, and “seriously damaged the leader’s image”.
Pork Bun Shop goes on sale at the end of January, to mark Chinese Lunar New Year. Singers from various regions of China are reportedly recording dialect versions already.
France’s First Lady Valerie Trierweiler is to visit India as uncertainty continues over her ties with President Francois Hollande.
Valerie Trierweiler will be in Mumbai on Sunday and Monday for a visit organized and funded by a French aid agency, Action Against Hunger.
She was invited in her official capacity, AFP news agency reports.
Doubts have arisen over her status since allegations that Francois Hollande was having an affair emerged.
Valerie Trierweiler and Francois Hollande are unmarried.
She was admitted to hospital immediately after the allegations surfaced on January 10 in Closer magazine, along with photos seeming to show him secretly meeting actress Julie Gayet.
Since leaving the clinic last Sunday, Valerie Trierweiler has not commented on the allegations but has been staying at a presidential retreat in Versailles, La Lanterne.
Valerie Trierweiler is to visit India as uncertainty continues over her ties with President Francois Hollande
Valerie Trierweiler and Francois Hollande are scheduled to make their next official foreign visit together on February 11, a state visit to the US.
On Friday, President Francois Hollande visited Pope Francis at the Vatican on his own.
Valerie Trierweiler, 48, last visited India just under a year ago, in the company of the president, 59, when she saw a shelter for street children in the capital Delhi.
In Mumbai, Valerie Trierweiler will be shown around by French actress Charlotte Valandrey, who is involved in the cause of promoting organ donations and transplants.
She will visit a slum and attend a charity gala dinner at a hotel, The Taj Mahal Palace.
According to Action Against Hunger, the visit was planned “long in advance”.
It will be Valerie Trierweiler’s first appearance in the public eye since before the allegations of the affair.
The announcement of the Indian trip astonished some members of staff at the Elysee Palace, Le Parisien reported.
JPMorgan chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon will be paid $20 million for the past year’s work.
Jamie Dimon’s pay was cut to $11.5 million in 2012 following huge trading losses. This was half the $23 million he received in 2011.
JPMorgan’s profits fell 16% last year, after costs resulting from legal issues dented the bank’s figures.
For 2013, Jamie Dimon was paid $1.5 million as a basic salary, and an additional $18.5 million in shares, the company said.
Over the past year, JPMorgan has paid around $20 billion to regulators for various violations relating to the US financial crisis.
JPMorgan chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon will be paid $20 million for the past year’s work
Jamie Dimon’s pay was initially cut after the so called “London Whale” trading loss, in which a single JPMorgan trader wracked up losses of $6 billion.
JPMorgan has also been caught up in another high-profile banking scandal – the manipulation of a key interest rate, the London inter-bank offered rate, or Libor.
It also had to pay fines totaling $2.6 billion to settle government and private claims resulting from its handling of the accounts of the convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff. The bank was accused of not reporting its concerns about Bernard Madoff’s investment scheme.
JPMorgan’s net income fell 7.3% for the fourth quarter of 2013 to $5.3 billion, from $5.7 billion in the final quarter of 2012.
American Hustle director David O. Russell is to make his first TV drama.
David O. Russell has co-written a 13-part series for the ABC network about a private country club and will also act as executive producer.
The drama has already been scheduled for a serial without a pilot episode.
David O. Russell is in contention for best director and best original screenplay at the Academy Awards, which take place in Los Angeles on March 2.
David O. Russell has co-written a 13-part series for the ABC network about a private country club and will also act as executive producer
Last year, he scored nominations for best director and adapted screenplay for Silver Linings Playbook.
In 2011, The Fighter gained David O. Russell nods for best picture and director.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Russell co-wrote the story for the new TV series with Erin Brockovich screenwriter Susannah Grant. Erin Brockovich won Julia Roberts a best actress Oscar in 2001.
The magazine also reported that David O. Russell was previously attached to a television drama which did not air.
ABC has yet to announce casting and a broadcast date for the drama, described as telling the lives of both the staff and members of the country club.
