Another Optimistic Bunch, Determined to Live Forever
Of course. After three “High School Musical” installments, “Bandslam” and the Fox series “Glee,” “Fame” — the 1980 film that spawned a stage show and a television series or two — was due for a makeover. The new version, like the first, covers four years at a New York performing-arts high school. And while the movie, the feature debut of the choreographer and video director Kevin Tancharoen, suffers from a surfeit of flash, it nonetheless offers the undeniable power of young performers pursuing art at peak dexterity.
“Fame” revisits some of the original’s sequences, including a spontaneous lunchroom dance jam and an attempted subway suicide. But primarily it offers new predicaments for its students, among them Marco (Asher Book), an easygoing John Mayer look- and sound-alike; Jenny (Kay Panabaker), Marco’s girlfriend and a repressed actress; Neil (Paul Iacono), a goofy film director trying to finance a short; and Alice (Kherington Payne), an upper-crust dancer. Ahead of the pack are Naturi Naughton, as a classical pianist whose father disapproves of her pop-singing aspirations, and Collins Pennie, as an intense rapper-actor from the projects.
Codgers can savor the glimpses of the teachers, played self-effacingly by Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth, few of whom are flattered by the camera (though Ms. Neuwirth looks great). From the original, only the actress-choreographer Debbie Allen returns, as the principal.
The 1980 “Fame,” directed by Alan Parker, melded fantastical sequences with quasi-vérité visuals, brisk editing and urban grime. It also addressed issues like stage mothers, coming out of the closet, racial competition, teenage pregnancy and demands for screen nudity.
For grit, the 2009 “Fame” offers a desaturated palette. Alice’s affair with a working-class composer merely glances at class tensions; the most daunting peril is the casting couch. Rebellion? A first-time drinker is inebriated, vomits and vows never to touch alcohol again.
A closing multidisciplinary extravaganza lets Mr. Tancharoen and his cast flaunt their chops, and viewers, as with “Hair” 42 years ago, can celebrate the glorious image of youth in full creative flower. Yet when Ms. Mullally gives a speech about why her character left show business, you’re compelled to ask: Whatever became of Irene Cara and the other stars of the first “Fame”?
“Fame” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has skeptical, repressive parents.
FAME
Opens on Friday nationwide.
Directed by Kenny Tancharoen; written by Allison Burnett, based on the motion picture “Fame” written by Christopher Gore; director of photography, Scott Kevan; edited by Myron Kerstein; music by Mark Isham; choreography by Marguerite Derricks; production designer, Paul Eads; produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright and Mark Canton; released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes.
WITH: Asher Book (Marco), Kristy Flores (Rosie), Paul Iacono (Neil), Paul McGill (Kevin), Naturi Naughton (Denise), Kay Panabaker (Jenny), Kherington Payne (Alice), Collins Pennie (Malik), Walter Perez (Victor), Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Joy), Debbie Allen (Angela Simms), Charles S. Dutton (James Dowd), Kelsey Grammer (Martin Cranston), Megan Mullally (Fran Rowan) and Bebe Neuwirth (Lynn Kraft).
Sep 27, 2009
Fame': Where are they now?
Sep 26, 2009
Review: Surrogates Returns Bruce Willis to Smart-Guy Sci-Fi
Review in a Hurry: If you're thinking that Bruce Willis + guns + robots + based on comic book = big action movie, you may be disappointed. What we have here is more like T3 director Jonathan Mostow's most outlandish, rejected Terminator sequel concepts, superimposed onto a Fahrenheit 451-style cautionary sci-fi satire (same screenwriters as T3, too). And it's fun for what it is.
The Bigger Picture: Willis still takes a beating better than any action star in the business. But there are really only two significant action sequences in what's otherwise a murder mystery set in a future world. Oh, and pretty much everyone now owns a surrogate robot body—usually a blandly prettier version of themselves—through which they can live vicariously, feeling everything good that the surrogate experiences, but insulated from any damage it might sustain.
Those who don't choose to live this way are confined to a ghetto and dubbed "dreads," possibly because they are led by a dreadlocked leader named The Prophet (Ving Rhames) whose optimism for change is portrayed in some eerily familiar iconic posters.
Against this backdrop, society gets shaken up when a couple of dead bodies appear, who seem to have died at the exact moment their surrogates were killed—a Nightmare on Sim Street, if you will. Willis is on the case, in CG-face-lifted, artificially bewigged form (he wouldn't look out of place in Robert Zemeckis' animated Beowulf).
Though the movie appears, at first glance, to be using the same modern-futuristic, all-digital-displays template of I, Robot; Minority Report; and The Sixth Day (from which it also borrows a distinctive face clamp), the strongest aspect of Surrogates is how much more well-thought-out the world of the movie is than usual. From the Japanese electronics store that sells cut-rate models to the addictive, bong-shaped devices that deliver orgasmic charges when applied to surrogate bodies.
One gets the sense that there are plenty of other interesting stories going on, apart from the one we're watching.
Perhaps most subversive, though, is the way the film tries to push home the point that wrinkles are sexy. The perfected bodies of the surrogates become slightly unsettling after a while, even as Willis, James Cromwell and (in some scenes) a relatively makeup-free Radha Mitchell are shot to make every line in their faces look like a work of art. Not exactly what you're used to from Hollywood. And when surrogate flesh is peeled back to reveal grinning robot skulls, well, it's only mildly less subtle than the face-stretching in Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
Fans of actual sci-fi literature will probably enjoy this more than fans of slam-bang action. But at less than 90 minutes, it's not long enough to bore the haters too badly.
The 180—a Second Opinion: "Technology is bad and scary" is really an overly obvious moral at this point. And if everyone uses surrogates all the time for just about everything, wouldn't most of the users get morbidly obese and die young, as the recent Gamer implied?
Actor Randy Quaid freed on bail
Actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have been freed on bail after being arrested for allegedly failing to pay a hotel bill of more than $10,000 (£6,245).
The couple are accused of using a credit card they knew to be invalid at a hotel in Santa Barbara, California.
They were arrested in Marfa, Texas on Thursday following the issue of a warrant in California.
While in custody, a local sheriff drove 58-year-old Quaid to a bank so he could withdraw the bail money.
"I like to help everybody out," said Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez. "It's a small town."
The Brokeback Mountain star remained in his custody during the trip but was not handcuffed. The sheriff said the actor received no special treatment.
The Quaids face charges of burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy in June, according to the arrest warrant.
Josh Lynn, the chief trial deputy for the Santa Barbara District Attorney's office, told the Associated Press news agency that prosecutors were waiting to learn what court date would be assigned to the Quaids by Texas authorities.
"To the extent that they've tried to complete any restitution payment to the business in question, I'm sure that will help to resolve the case," Mr Lynn said.
He did not provide any further details.
Quaid, the elder brother of fellow actor Dennis, is best known for his roles in National Lampoon's Vacation, Independence Day and The Last Detail.
He won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in 1980s TV movie LBJ: The Early Years.
Record-breaking baby
A three-day-old baby boy weighing 8.7 kilograms (left) lies next to an average size newborn baby at a hospital in Kisaran, North Sumatra, on Thursday. A woman gave birth to the 62-centimeter-long unnamed baby boy by Caesarean section on Sept. 21. He is the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said. AP/Andi Anshari
Jul 30, 2009
Jackson mother 'agrees custody'
A lawyer for Michael Jackson's mother has told US TV that an agreement has been reached over the custody of the late pop star's three children.
Londell McMillan told CBS News that Katherine Jackson is to be awarded custody of Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II, seven.
He said Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two elder children, would have "meaningful visitation rights".
A court hearing to formalise custody is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles.
Katherine Jackson was granted temporary custody of the children after the star's death on 25 June.
The biological mother of Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket, has never been revealed.
"It's an agreement, an agreement for the best interests of the children. This is not a money deal - this is not about money," Mr McMillan said in an interview on The Early Show.
"All of the parties are resolved - there is no situation better for these children than for them to be raised and reared in the loving care of Mrs Katherine Jackson," he said.
Custody rights
Jackson stated in his 2002 will that he wanted his mother to care for the children if he died.
Debbie Rowe gave up custody rights following her divorce from Jackson in 2000, but sought them again in 2005.
She and Jackson agreed a settlement in 2006 but the terms were never disclosed.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County coroner's office has said the release of Jackson's autopsy results have been delayed until next week.
The results were due to be revealed this week, amid speculation about the possible role prescription drugs played in the singer's death.
County coroner assistant chief Ed Winter did not discuss the reasons for the delay.
Jul 28, 2009
Police Search Home of Jackson’s Doctor
guardian.co.uk
Police Search Home of Jackson's Doctor
New York Times - Steve Friess, Solomon Moore - 1 hour ago
LAS VEGAS - The police searched the home and office of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, here on Tuesday morning.
Video: Police Raid Home of MJ's Doctor CBS
By STEVE FRIESS and SOLOMON MOORE
Published: July 28, 2009
LAS VEGAS — The police searched the home and office of Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, here on Tuesday morning.
Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles bureau of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department served search warrant at the locations, less than one week after the authorities in Houston searched Dr. Murray’s office and storage unit in that city.
Dr. Murray, a cardiologist, is the focus of a manslaughter investigation in the death of Mr. Jackson, according to court documents filed by Los Angeles police in Texas. The physician was among the last people to see Mr. Jackson alive and attempted to resuscitate him at the singer’s Los Angeles home shortly before his death on June 25.
Toxicology reports are expected this week.
It was impossible from outside the gated community where Dr. Murray lives to see the swarm of Drug Enforcement Administration agents descending, or what they might have removed, but neighbors leaving the complex said the agents were with Las Vegas police officers. “It’s exactly as you imagine it, said a neighbor, Sherryl Stevens. “Pretty frightening.”
Agents also were seen entering Dr. Murray’s medical office in Las Vegas, Global Cardiovascular Associates. Las Vegas police source said they were looking for documents and records.
Investigators with the Los Angeles police carried away computer files, phone receipts and other evidence from Dr. Murray’s Houston office last week.
The police impounded Dr. Murray’s car shortly after Mr. Jackson’s death, and officials with the coroner’s office removed several large bags of medical equipment and prescription drugs from Mr. Jackson’s home in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles.
Dr. Murray, a native of Houston and the son of a prominent local physician, was suspended from Doctors Hospital there last year for allegedly failing to complete medical records in a timely manner.
Steve Friess reported from Las Vegas and Solomon Moore from Los Angeles.
AP source: Michael Jackson's inner sanctum chaotic
By THOMAS WATKINS (AP)
LOS ANGELES — With towering ceilings and an elaborate facade, Michael Jackson's rented Beverly Hills mansion was the epitome of opulence.
Inside, on the top floor, the scene was less elegant, according to a law enforcement official.
Clothes and other items were strewn about and handwritten notes stuck on the walls. One read: "children are sweet and innocent." And no one working in the house was allowed upstairs to clean up the mess.
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The description of Jackson's private sanctum provides a glimpse into how the pop star was living in the weeks before he died. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, also told The Associated Press on Monday that Jackson's personal doctor administered a powerful anesthetic to help him sleep, and authorities believe the drug killed the pop singer.
Authorities arrived at the singer's house after his death to find a chaotic scene. The temperature upstairs was stiflingly hot, with gas fireplaces and the heating system on high because Jackson always complained of feeling cold, the official said.
The singer's bedroom was a mess, with items seemingly thrown about and some 20 handwritten notes stuck on the walls.
A porcelain girl doll wearing a dress was found on top of the covers of the bed where he slept, the official said.
The official said Jackson regularly received propofol to sleep, relying on the drug like an alarm clock. A doctor would administer it when he went to sleep, then stop the intravenous drip when he wanted to wake up. On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr. Conrad Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.
Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor "didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson." When asked Monday about the law enforcement official's statements he said: "We will not be commenting on rumors, innuendo or unnamed sources."
In a more detailed statement posted online late Monday, Chernoff added that "things tend to shake out when all the facts are made known, and I'm sure that will happen here as well."
Toxicology reports are still pending, but investigators are working under the theory that propofol caused Jackson's heart to stop, the official said. Jackson is believed to have been using the drug for about two years and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, the official said.
Murray, 51, has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation, and authorities last week raided his office and a storage unit in Houston. Police say Murray is cooperating and have not labeled him a suspect.
Using propofol to sleep exceeds the drug's intended purpose. The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure. Because of the risks, propofol is supposed to be administered only in medical settings by trained personnel.
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Lynn Elber in Tustin, Calif., Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee, and Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles.
Jul 26, 2009
Jul 19, 2009
Countering Riots, China Rounds Up Hundreds
Nurmen Met held photographs of his sons, 19 and 21, who he said had been taken by riot officers as they entered the public bathhouse his family owns.
URUMQI, China — The two boys were seized while kneading dough at a sidewalk bakery.
he livery driver went out to get a drink of water and did not come home.
Tuer Shunjal, a vegetable vendor, was bundled off with four of his neighbors when he made the mistake of peering out from a hallway bathroom during a police sweep of his building. “They threw a shirt over his head and led him away without saying a word,” said his wife, Resuangul.
In the two weeks since ethnic riots tore through Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, killing more than 190 people and injuring more than 1,700, security forces have been combing the city and detaining hundreds of people, many of them Uighur men whom the authorities blame for much of the slaughter.
The Chinese government has promised harsh punishment for those who had a hand in the violence, which erupted July 5 after a rally by ethnic Uighurs angry over the murder of two factory workers in a distant province. First came the packs of young Uighurs, then the Han Chinese mobs seeking revenge.
“To those who have committed crimes with cruel means, we will execute them,” Li Zhi, the top Communist Party official in Urumqi, said July 8.
The vow, broadcast repeatedly, has struck fear into Xiangyang Po, a grimy quarter of the city dominated by Uighurs, Turkic-speaking Muslims who have often had an uneasy relationship with China’s Han majority. Uighurs are the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang, but in Urumqi, Han make up more than 70 percent of the 2.3 million residents.
It was here on the streets of Xiangyang Po, amid the densely packed tenements and stalls selling thick noodles and lamb kebabs, that many Han were killed. As young Uighur men marauded through the streets, residents huddled inside their homes or shops, they said; others claim they gave refuge to Han neighbors.
“It was horrible for everyone,” said Leitipa Yusufajan, 40, who spent the night cowering at the back of her grocery store with her 10-year-old daughter. “The rioters were not from here. Our people would not behave so brutally.”
But to security officials, the neighborhood has long been a haven for those bent on violently cleaving Xinjiang, a northwest region, from China. Last year, during a raid on an apartment, the authorities fatally shot two men they said were part of a terrorist group making homemade explosives. Last Monday, police officers killed two men and wounded a third, the authorities said, after the men tried to attack officers on patrol.
“This is not a safe place,” said Mao Daqing, the local police chief.
Local residents disagree, saying the neighborhood is made up of poor but law-abiding people, most of them farmers who came to Urumqi seeking a slice of the city’s prosperity. Interviews with two dozen people showed vehement condemnation of the rioters. “Those people are nothing but human trash,” one man said, spitting on the ground.
Still, the police response has been indiscriminate, they said. Nurmen Met, 54, said his two sons, 19 and 21, were nabbed as riot officers entered the public bathhouse his family owns. “They weren’t even outside on the day of the troubles,” he said, holding up photos of his sons. “They are good, honest boys.”
Many people said they feared that their family members might be swallowed up by a penal system that is vast and notoriously opaque. Last year, in the months leading to the Beijing Olympics, the authorities arrested and tried more than 1,100 people in Xinjiang during a campaign against what they called “religious extremists and separatists.”
Shortly after the arrests, Wang Lequan, the region’s Communist Party secretary, described the crackdown as a “life and death” struggle.
Uighur exile groups and human rights advocates say the government sometimes uses such charges to silence those who press for greater religious and political freedoms. Trials, they say, are often cursory. “Justice is pretty rough in Xinjiang,” said James Seymour, a senior research fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
In a sign of the sensitivities surrounding the unrest, the Bureau for Legal Affairs in Beijing has warned lawyers to stay away from cases in Xinjiang, suggesting that those who assist anyone accused of rioting pose a threat to national unity. Officials on Friday shut down the Open Constitution Initiative, a consortium of volunteer lawyers who have taken on cases that challenge the government and other powerful interests. Separately, the bureau canceled the licenses of 53 lawyers, some of whom had offered to help Tibetans accused of rioting last year in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Jul 13, 2009
Book: Jackson told daughter he was dying
Unmasked cover.component
The star had become skeletal, and some thought he was anorexic
"Unmasked" by Ian Halperin is a sympathetic portrait of Michael Jackson that explores Jackson’s prescription drug use, ties to Scientology, multiple plastic surgeries, skin bleaching, sexual identity and the lineage of his three children. In this excerpt, Halperin writes about Jackson's waning health in the months leading up to his death.
Before long, however, 10 concerts had turned into 50 and the potential revenues had skyrocketed. But those who knew Jackson best knew he was in no shape to perform 10 shows, let alone 50. “We knew it was a disaster waiting to happen,” said one aide. “I don’t think anybody predicted it would actually kill him but literally nobody believed he would end up performing.” Their doubts were underscored when Jackson collapsed during only his second rehearsal. “Collapse might be overstating it,” said the aide. “He needed medical attention and couldn’t go on. Not sure what caused it.”
Meanwhile, everybody around him noticed that Jackson had lost an astonishing amount of weight in the months leading up to the London concerts. His medical team even believed he had become anorexic. “He goes days at a time hardly eating a thing and at one point his doctor was asking people around him if he had been throwing up after meals,” one staff member told me in May. “He suspected bulimia but when we said he hardly eats any meals, the doc thought it’s probably anorexia nervosa. He seemed alarmed and at one point said, ‘People die from that all the time. You’ve got to get him to eat.’” Indeed, one of the known consequences of anorexia is cardiac arrest. This is what killed another iconic pop singer, Karen Carpenter, who admitted to suffering from anorexia shortly before her death in 1983
After spotting him leave one of his rehearsals, Fox News reported that “Michael Jackson’s skeletal physique is so bad that he might not be able to moonwalk anymore.”
“I never saw anybody weigh him, but he couldn’t have weighed more than [100 pounds] in the last month,” says one member of his L.A. staff who saw him every day. At Jackson’s official height of five foot ten inches, that represents a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 14.3 which, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, may indicate anorexia. The normal BMI for somebody Jackson’s height is between 18.5 and 24.9, meaning Jackson is at least 25% under the normal weight for a healthy male. Anything over 15% falls within the category of a potential anorexic. Although eating disorders such as anorexia are much more prevalent in women and girls than men, according to the association, as many as one million men suffer from the disease, which, curiously, is twice as prevalent in gay men. By any definition, Jackson’s rapid weight loss clearly indicated something was wrong.
For the first time, those in Jackson’s inner circle began to urge him to cancel the shows, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
“There was just too much money at stake,” recalls one aide. “The people who had his ear told him he would be a laughingstock if he cancelled. They had to have known he was in no shape to go on, he was so frail, he kept canceling rehearsals. We wondered if somebody was going to cash in whether or not he performed. It just didn’t make any sense. I know his family was concerned, especially his brother Jermaine, but Michael was kept very isolated during those last weeks.”
One of Jackson’s closest friends claimed a month before Jackson died that Michael told his daughter Paris he only had weeks to live. “He called her into his room and told her not to get mad at him if he didn’t make it to Father’s Day. He had a premonition that his days were numbered. He felt extremely ill. Unfortunately, no one wanted to help him. His closest advisers tried to control him with medication, drugs and false hopes. They wanted to make sure he didn’t bail on the O2 gigs and that they would not be paid the money Jackson owed them.”
The friend said that Jackson spent the final months of his life writing extensively. He thinks it was a long farewell, and not that Jackson simply wanted to write to his fans. “He’d hole himself up in his room for hours, sometimes days and not move,” the source said. “I asked him if he was writing a novel. He replied ‘just some thoughts on my journey on this earth. I want to leave something to my children.’” This alarmed the friend. “After he told me that, I was concerned Michael was suicidal and that he was writing a long note to say farewell. His emotions during his last few weeks were completely erratic; I had never seen him more depressed. He knew he could not comeback because of his failing health and that he wouldn’t be able to pay all his debts. He told me three times that he felt like dying. At first I thought he was joking. Michael always liked to play the victim and convince people he was terminally ill. This time he was serious, he seemed to be convinced that he was dying. I wish I had taken him more seriously and tried to get him help. Unfortunately, Michael was like the boy who cried wolf — anytime he complained there was always doubt about his authenticity. He had spent years and years fooling people.”
Although the financial details of his arrangement with AEG won’t fully emerge until the estate is settled in 2010 and beyond, most of Jackson’s long-time inner circle suspect that the people who had the most to benefit from the London concert were those associated with the complex web of businesses associated with Tohme, including the giant real estate firm Colony Capital LLC. Colony Capital had saved Neverland from foreclosure more than a year earlier by purchasing a $23.5 million credit note in a deal brokered by Tohme. Somehow this action allowed Jackson to retain his prized estate.
On May 20, 2009 concert organizers suddenly announced that the first London concerts had been delayed for five days while the remainder have been pushed back until March 2010. At the time, they denied that the postponements were health-related, explaining that they needed more time to mount the complex technical production, though skepticism immediately erupted among ticketholders. Their doubts were well placed.
Michael Jackson's father: Singer couldn't have done 50 concerts
Telegraph.co.uk
Joe Jackson is stoking controversy again. The father of late pop icon Michael Jackson, who died of undetermined causes June 25 at age 50, told ABC News today that his son was not physically capable of performing the 50 shows slated for his This Is It comeback concerts in London. "I was worried about his health because all the shows that I'm seeing—no artist can do those many shows you know, back to back like that," said he elder Jackson, who's been criticized for comments he's made in the wake of his son's shocking death. "I knew Michael couldn't do all those shows." Joe Jackson asserts that the singer initially agreed to do only 10 shows, but that concert promoter AEG Live added dates when the concert series proved enormously popular. In a statement released today AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips acknowledged that tour dates were added, but put the initial figure closer to 31. (AEG previously released video footage of Jackson rehearsing for the concerts just days before his death, moving a bit slower than he had in the past but seeming ready to perform.) Phillips also maintained that with the concerts spread out until February of next year the pace would have been manageable for Jackson. "If [50] was too many, then one would have been too many," he said. The King of Pop's This Is It tour was slated to begin today.
How 'Song' is leading style a merry dance
A view of Song Design’s Phnom Penh boutique (above); and Cameron Diaz wears Song for Vogue (left). Store Photo By Holly Pham
An eco-friendly emerging Vietnamese fashion label is making waves on the local and international style scenes, with a bump by Vogue and Cameron Diaz
In June, Vogue magazine's Green Issue introduced the world's fashion circuit to a new name - Song, an eco-conscious high-end clothing line owned by French-born designer Valerie Gregori McKenzie.
Song, literally means "to live" or "life" in Vietnamese, was inspired by the founder's desire to create fashion beyond collections - one that could link to a way of life.
"A brand that embodies and celebrates life," says Valerie via email.
"For me life is about innovation [in alignment with] ecological sustainability - the reach toward others' and our social impact," she added.
Aesthetic choice
This principle is reflected throughout Song's choices of materials and aesthetics, as seen in products made from modern and traditional fabrics such as bamboo fiber, silk, and hemp.
The French-born McKenzie graduated from ESMOD Paris and held design and creative positions with fashion companies in Europe and the US, including Taverniti and Vuarnet.
She founded the luxury resort-wear fashion label in 1996, and since then the label has been consistent with the "fashion and ecology must walk hand in hand" philosophy. Song chooses organic over chemically treated materials and 100 percent handmade over machine-based embroidery in all operation and production decisions, "[to add] a little soul supplement and preciousness over generic garments," said Valerie.
Song adopts traditional Vietnamese silk techniques and is 100 percent handmade, making it even more exclusive and luxurious.
Indochina ambience
Based in Hanoi, Song embraces the "Indochina" imagery ambiance, reflected on the store decorations in contrast with the modern collections.
Since its launch in Cambodia last December, Song has been primarily offering a wide range of evening dresses and ball gowns, thus appeals more to the sophisticated and high-end audience rather than the ordinary lifestyle that the label is better known for.
Song has a store in Singapore and two outlets in Cambodia, one in Phnom Penh and one in Siem Riep. The label has gained a growing number of local followers, according to Song's store manager in Phnom Penh.
Perhaps it's fortunate that Song is enjoying growing international market appeal, as Cambodia is too small a fashion market.
Local connections
As McKenzie told the Post's Peter Olszewski earlier this year, she encourages incorporating Cambodian elements into her range, but will not do so "unless I find beautiful Khmer fabric that could also be produced on a large scale.
"The difficulty is to work with artisans while also being able to stay reactive and up to the international market demand. We already do this in Vietnam and while I have no connections yet to do it Cambodia, I welcome them."
Nonetheless, with Cameron Diaz's endorsement on Vogue this month and the growing middle class in Cambodia, market penetration is only a matter of time.
Storms Threaten Monday Launch of Space Shuttle
Space shuttle Endeavour sits on Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral,
By Brian Wagner
Miami
pace shuttle Endeavour is set to launch on a mission to the International Space Station, after a series of weather delays.
The seven-member crew of Endeavour is hoping the weather will clear at Kennedy Space Center for the latest launch attempt Tuesday evening.
NASA officials called off the last attempt late Sunday, only minutes before they had hoped to send the shuttle on its way to the International Space Station. A series of lightning strikes near the launch pad forced officials to delay the launch attempt on Saturday.
Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said officials must monitor conditions very closely around the shuttle facilities.
"Our primary concern on launch day is the thunderstorms and showers that could be in the area, particularly within 20 nautical miles [37 kilometers] of the shuttle landing facility and 10 nautical miles [19 kilometers] of the launch pad," Winters said.
Endeavour is running a month behind schedule, due to a hydrogen leak on the launch pad. NASA officials say they have fixed that problem in the shuttle's external fuel tanks.
The main objective of the Endeavour mission is to deliver the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science laboratory. The Kibo module will expand work space on the station and allow astronauts to expose experiments to the vacuum of space.
The Endeavour crew will spend nearly two weeks at the station to install Kibo and perform other maintenance tasks, such as swapping out batteries in the station. Astronaut Tim Copra will replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who has been living aboard the station since March.
While the shuttle is docked to the station, the number of astronauts will rise to 13 - the most in space at one time during the station's history.
After Endeavour returns to Earth, only seven shuttle missions will remain before NASA plans to retire the fleet next year.
Soldiers of the Royal Thai Army in the streets of Bangkok on the day after the coup.
A country of southeast Asia on the Gulf of Thailand (formerly the Gulf of Siam), an arm of the South China Sea. Various Thai kingdoms were founded from the 13th century on, frequently coming into conflict with neighboring Burmese and Cambodian powers. Siam remained an absolute monarchy until 1932, when the king was compelled to accept a constitution, and the country was renamed Thailand in 1939. Thailand was occupied by the Japanese in World War II, and most of its numerous postwar governments were controlled by the military. Bangkok is the capital and the largest city. Population: 65,100,000.
ountry, mainland Southeast Asia. Area: 198,116 sq mi (513,119 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 64,186,000. Capital: Bangkok. The population is predominantly Thai, with significant Chinese, Khmer, and Malay minorities. Language: Thai (official). Religions: Buddhism (official); also Islam. Currency: Thai baht. The country encompasses forested hills and mountains, a central plain containing the Chao Phraya River delta, and a plateau in the northeast. Its market economy is based largely on services (notably trade) and light industries; agriculture employs a large proportion of the workforce. Thailand is a major producer of tungsten and tin. Among its chief agricultural products are rice, corn, rubber, soybeans, and pineapples; manufactures include clothing, canned goods, electronic equipment, and cement. Tourism is also important. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister. The region of Thailand has been continuously occupied for 20,000 years. It was part of the Mon and Khmer kingdoms from the 9th century AD. Thai-speaking peoples immigrated from China c. the 10th century. During the 13th century two Thai states emerged: the Sukhothai kingdom, founded c. 1220 after a successful revolt against the Khmer, and Chiang Mai (which evolved into the kingdom of Lan Na with Chiang Mai as its capital), founded in 1296 after defeating the Mon. In 1351 the Tai kingdom of Ayutthaya (Siam) succeeded the Sukhothai. Myanmar (Burma) was its most powerful rival, Burman armies occupying it briefly in the 16th century and destroying it in 1767. The Chakri dynasty came to power in 1782, moved the capital to Bangkok, and extended its empire along the Malay Peninsula and into Laos and Cambodia. The empire was formally named Siam in 1856. Although Western influence increased during the 19th century, Siam's rulers avoided colonization by granting concessions to European countries; it was the only Southeast Asian country able to do so. In 1917 Siam entered World War I on the side of the Allies. Following a military coup in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and was officially renamed Thailand in 1939. It was occupied by Japan in World War II. It participated in the Korean War as a member of the UN forces and was allied with South Vietnam in the Vietnam War. The country subsequently became a regional economic powerhouse, though serious social problems also emerged, including a growing gap between rich and poor and a major AIDS epidemic.
For more information on Thailand, visit Britannica.com.
ormerly known as Siam, Thailand became a constitutional democracy in 1932. Buddhism (almost entirely of the Theravāda form) plays a leading role in all aspects of national life, and since the Saṃgha Administration Act of 1902 has enjoyed constitutional status as the official religion. Under this measure a religious hierarchy was created presided over by a supreme patriarch (saṃgha-rāja) who is appointed by the king. Because of this link between Buddhism and nationalism, it is traditional for all young men to spend a short period of time as monks, usually during the three-month rainy-season retreat. Most parents would consider it a great honour should their son wish to prolong his stay and take up the religious life on a permanent basis, but for most it is a kind of ‘national service’ forming a step on the way to an alternative professional career.
The Pāli chronicles refer to Thailand as Sāmindavisaya, and speak of a close relationship between it and Sri Lanka dating back to the Middle Ages. Monks were sent from Thailand to restore the ordination lineage in Sri Lanka when Buddhism had fallen into decline there. The original inhabitants of the region were the Mons, who may have been introduced to Theravāda Buddhism in the early centuries ce by missionaries sent from India by Aśoka. It became firmly established in those areas of the Mon kingdom known as Haripuñjaya and Dvāravatī. From the 5th to the 15th century, an important power in the area was the Khmer Empire, in which various forms of Hinduism and Mahāyāna Buddhism were also popular. In the 11th century, missionaries were sent from Burma, and the Thai people arrived in the region having been displaced from China by the Mongols. They found the Theravāda form of Buddhism congenial and it began to displace Mahāyāna forms. Around 1260 the kingdom of Sukhothai became independent from the Khmers and King Rama Khamheng (1275-1317) declared Theravāda the state religion. Sukhothai fell in 1492 and was replaced by the kingdom of Ayudhya, which ruled until 1767. During this time an edition of the Pāli Canon was produced by King Songdharm (r. 1610-28) and relations between the Saṃgha and the crown became closer. Ayudhya was overthrown by Rama I (1782-1809) who founded the Chakri dynasty and devoted himself to the purification of the Saṃgha. One of his successors, Mongkut (Rama IV, r. 1851-78) was himself a monk for 27 years before becoming king. Having been a member of the strict Thammayut order (which he himself founded) he decreed on becoming king that all monks, including those of the majority Mahānikai (Pāli, Mahānikāya) should henceforth observe the stricter disciplinary practices. Although monks are the main source of religious authority, lay groups have also been established in recent times, and many Thais are pressing for a more modern outlook on the part of the clergy and an updating of the ancient teachings to make them more relevant to the problems of contemporary life.
Jul 6, 2009
Business booming for Aussie Jackson impersonator
Michael Jackson impersonator Jason Jackson (right) performs beside a wax portrait of his idol, in 1999
By Amy Coopes
SYDNEY (AFP) — He may be mourning the death of his idol but business is booming for Jason Jackson, Australia's answer to the late King of Pop.
The tribute artist, who has turned his Sydney home into a mini-Neverland Ranch, said he had been inundated with booking requests since the star's death.
"Before Michael Jackson's passing I was, I would say, 50 to 70 percent booked," he said. "Now I'm 200 percent."
Jackson, 35, changed his name by deed poll from Jason Zamprogno aged 18 and credits the "Thriller" icon with curing him of bone cancer.
He said the phone in his suburban home -- decked out with concrete tigers, rhinos and elephants in homage to Neverland's famous zoo -- had been ringing off the hook.
Hundreds of managers and agencies from Las Vegas to Beijing had called to make bookings, said Jackson, who performed an emotional moonwalk at a memorial concert on Saturday.
"It's been quite a rollercoaster for me, what happened with Michael. I was in such shock when the news broke out, I didn't want to believe it," he told AFP.
"Everyone wanted to sign me up and all I wanted to do was grieve for Michael and it's been very hard for me."
Jason Jackson has pursued his career since the tender age of 10, bringing the star's trademark moves, tunes and costumes to weddings, nightclubs and corporate events.
Diagnosed with bone cancer as a baby, the impersonator's obsession began during a trip to hospital for treatment, when "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" came over the car radio.
Inspired by the man he considered a "second father," Jackson studied the pop legend's footwork and taught himself to sing and dance.
"I saw him doing Billie Jean and I thought 'I want to be just like him,' so I started to do talent quests, and I got over my cancer because of Michael," said Jackson.
"I had so much passion and I've built this (show) from nothing to something. Michael Jackson gave me the strength to do that."
Jackson's "Michael Jackson Dance Spectacular" has played thousands of venues, including many of Sydney's major arenas, and he believes the show will now be more popular than ever.
"There's something fantastic, it's spectacle," he explained.
"When people go to one of his concerts they expect the best showmanship that Michael can give, it's amazing to watch, he's got so much talent and so much charisma."
His promotional material boasts an "uncanny likeness to the King of Pop himself," but it's the spirit of his hero that Jackson values most.
"I am not Michael Jackson but people look at me and go 'oh this guy's got talent, this guy's got the same thing as Michael,' and it makes me happy to show what Michael can do," he said.
"I am very blessed and very honoured to pay tribute to him, the biggest artist in the world."
Jackson's estate could be a thriller of a profit machine
Times Online
The singer's valuable share of a music catalog including songs by the Beatles and careful management of his image in the future could expand the vast fortune he leaves behind.
By Harriet Ryan and Chris Lee
Michael Jackson was one of the most famous people on Earth and also one of the most famously broke. Many who crossed paths with the performer in the final years of his life -- business advisors, lawyers, a Tennessee art dealer and even a Bahraini sheik -- accused him of skipping out on bills. Jackson came within days of losing Neverland Ranch to a foreclosure auction last year, and he died owing more than $400 million to various financial institutions.
But the reality, those familiar with his finances say, can be summed up by the title of a Beatles' song he counted among his possessions: "Baby, You're A Rich Man."
Jackson's assets outweigh his debt by at least $200 million, according to people knowledgeable about his business holdings. Determining a precise figure is difficult, they said, given the complexities of his finances.
Those calculations do not include his posthumous earning power, which seems immense based on the enormous public appetite for his music and memorabilia in recent days. Moreover, his death removed the biggest drain on Jackson's finances: his legendary spending.
Who will control his estate's great existing wealth and the massive fortune that licensing his name, recordings and likeness may bring is at the heart of a hearing today in a downtown L.A. courtroom. Lawyers for Jackson's mother, Katherine, 79, filed papers last week asking that she oversee the estate, but 48 hours later, two longtime Jackson associates filed a will the performer signed in 2002 naming them as executors.
At the hearing, which is expected to attract media from around the world, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff is to take up the issue of who should have authority to handle Jackson's affairs.
Collecting fees
The need for control is as plain as Jackson's distinctive face on numerous memorial T-shirts and commemorative plates being hawked around the world. Images of the pop icon would appear to be the intellectual property of his estate, but no one is empowered to crack down on unlicensed vendors or collect fees.
The executors, leading entertainment attorney John Branca and veteran music executive John McClain, have urged the judge to clear them immediately to address another pressing matter: resolving issues related to Jackson's canceled comeback concerts.
Whoever the judge names will be running an estate for Jackson's children and perhaps other beneficiaries. Katherine Jackson's attorneys wrote in court documents that the pop star's two sons, ages 12 and 7, and daughter, 11, should inherit all of his assets. The 2002 will transfers his property into the Michael Jackson Family Trust. People familiar with the trust said that under its terms, 40% of Jackson's assets go to his children, another 40% to his mother and the remaining 20% to charities working with children.
Jackson's most valuable asset is his 50% share in the Sony-ATV Music Publishing catalog, which people with knowledge of the partnership value at between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. The partnership itself has about $600 million in debt, one person said. In what is recognized as the shrewdest business move of his career, the singer bought the catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million. Earlier this decade, he borrowed $300 million against the catalog. That puts the value of Jackson's share at between $150 million and $400 million.
The Beatles catalog includes music written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Sony-ATV administers nearly all of the Beatles' greatest hits with the exception of the group's songs from the movies "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!"
It also oversees the publishing of some 750,000 artists -- performers such as Elvis Presley, Destiny's Child, Hank Williams, Joni Mitchell, System of a Down, Eminem, Neil Diamond and Bjork. The catalog has continued to acquire song catalogs into the 21st century, and Sony-ATV is reportedly the fourth-largest music publisher in the world.
"Certain catalogs are considered prizes. There's nothing like them in the world in terms of generating licenses and income," said Lance Grode, adjunct professor at USC Law School who worked at the law firm that brokered Jackson's acquisition of the catalog when the deal was struck in 1985. "The Sony-ATV catalog, it's going to be exploited forever. It's probably the premium catalog in the world."
The catalog generated between $13 million and $20 million for Jackson annually, said people close to Jackson. Under the terms of the agreement, Jackson's estate and Sony are to reassess the partnership next year. They could enter into a new agreement, Sony could buy Jackson's share or the performer's estate could buy Sony's stake. A second catalog, Mijac Music Publishing, includes Jackson's music as a solo artist as well as songs by other acts, including Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield and Ray Charles, among others. Jackson used the catalog as collateral for a $73-million loan. People close to Jackson estimated its worth about $100 million, but it is difficult to place a current value on it because of the tremendous sales of Jackson's music in the days since he died.
Last week, Jackson albums occupied nine of the top 10 positions on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Catalog chart. Eight were solo recordings. One was by the Jackson 5. Fans downloaded 2.6 million Jackson songs, including some he recorded with the Jacksons and the Jackson 5, according to Keith Caulfield, senior chart manager for the magazine. The week before his death, Jackson sold 48,000 digital downloads.
Thanks to the unusual and lucrative recording contract structured with Sony at the peak of the entertainer's fame by Branca, Jackson's longtime entertainment attorney, Jackson receives half the profits from U.S. sales in addition to an approximately 25% royalty rate. Most acts sign deals with a 12% royalty.
Jackson is also among a handful of megastars who have commanded so-called reversion rights to their music. Under the terms he negotiated with the label, Jackson's estate will assume control over his master recordings at some point in the next few years and could potentially distribute its own greatest hits CDs and DVDs -- or spark a bidding war by offering to license the music to one of Sony's competitors.
Also in the entertainer's portfolio is a profit-sharing agreement with Colony Capital, the private equity firm that bought the note on Neverland Ranch when Jackson defaulted on payment of a $24.5-million loan. The terms of the agreement are not clear. Nor is the future of the 2,600-acre Santa Barbara County ranch, which could sell for a reported $70 million to $90 million. Tom Barrack, Colony's chairman and chief executive, called Neverland a "Hope diamond" and told The Times the current focus is on restoring the property.
"The burden we have is to provide stewardship to this timeless asset and an elegant and timely transition," Barrack said.
Who's Smiling and Who's Frowning About the Palin News
Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, on election night last year. She may be aiming for more time on the national stage. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
By Chris Cillizza
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to resign at the end of this month is one of the most surprising, perplexing and just plain fascinating moves from a national politician in recent memory.
As such, it produces any number of consequences -- intended and otherwise -- in the political world. (Like it or not, Palin is a prime mover on the national scene; she acts and others react.)
In the wake of Palin's announcement Friday, the Fix reached out to a handful of senior-level strategists in both parties for their assessment of who won and, more deliciously, who lost as a result of the Palin bombshell.
Winners
Mark Sanford: Just when it looked as if the South Carolina governor was headed -- whether he liked it or not -- toward a resignation announcement, a fellow Republican chief executive swooped in and diverted the attention of every political reporter in the country. Timing is everything in politics, and Sanford benefited from a very fortunate bit of it. Can he survive? Perhaps -- unless he decides to conduct another confessional interview with a news outlet.
Mitt Romney: The Republican Party establishment worries openly about the prospect of a matchup between Palin and President Obama, believing that such a showdown would result in a reelection landslide for the Democrat. That fear could well rally institutional support behind the former Massachusetts governor, who, despite what he says, is running for the nomination in 2012.
Don Young: The ascension of Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell to the governorship removes a potential primary challenger to the embattled Republican House member. Young defeated Parnell by 152 votes in the 2008 GOP primary, and Parnell was considering another run. With Parnell now ensconced as governor, Young is likely to face an easier path to reelection, despite the constant swirl of ethics trouble around him.
Fred Malek: Malek, a major player in Republican money circles, has emerged as Palin's most prominent supporter and defender in recent weeks. Malek has also been working with the soon-to-be-former Alaska governor to introduce her to the smart set in Washington; he recently organized a foreign-policy-themed lunch at Palin's request in which the guests included former secretary of defense Frank Carlucci and former deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott.
Jul 5, 2009
Scores Killed in Clashes in Western China
A photograph taken by a local citizen. Protesters clashed with the police Sunday in a Uighur part of Xinjiang
By EDWARD WONG
BEIJING — The Chinese state news agency reported Monday that at least 140 people were killed and 816 injured when rioters clashed with the police in a regional capital in western China after days of rising tensions between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese.
The casualty toll, if confirmed, would make this the deadliest outbreak of violence in China in many years.
The rioting broke out Sunday afternoon in a large market area of Urumqi, the capital of the vast, restive desert region of Xinjiang, and lasted for several hours before riot police officers and paramilitary or military troops locked down the Uighur quarter of the city, according to witnesses and photographs of the riot.
At least 1,000 rioters took to the streets, throwing stones at the police and setting vehicles on fire. Plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, while police officers used fire hoses and batons to beat back rioters and detain Uighurs who appeared to be leading the protest, witnesses said.
The casualty numbers appeared to be murky and shifting on Monday. A one-line report by Xinhua, the state news agency, giving the estimate of 129 dead and 816 injured attributed the numbers to the regional police department, but did not quote officials by name and did not have any details. Earlier, Xinhua had reported that three civilians and one police officer had been killed.
One regional official reached by telephone put the death toll at 105 and said at least 800 people had been injured. One American who watched the rioting at its height said he did not see people being killed or corpses in the streets, though he said he did see Uighurs shoving or kicking a few Han Chinese. Images of the rioting on state television showed some bloody people lying in the streets and cars burning.
Dozens of Uighur men were led into police stations on Sunday evening with their hands behind their backs and shirts pulled over their heads, one witness said. Early Monday, the local government announced a curfew banning all traffic in the city until 8 p.m.
The riot was the largest ethnic clash in China since the Tibetan uprising of March 2008, and perhaps the biggest protest in Xinjiang in years. Like the Tibetan unrest, it highlighted the deep-seated frustrations felt by some ethnic minorities in western China over the policies of the Communist Party, and how that can quickly turn into ethnic violence. Last year, in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, at least 19 people were killed, most of them Han civilians, according to government statistics.
Many Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim group, resent rule by the Han Chinese, and Chinese security forces have tried to keep oil-rich Xinjiang under tight control since the 1990s, when cities there were struck by waves of protests, riots and bombings. Last summer, attacks on security forces took place in several cities in Xinjiang; the Chinese government blamed separatist groups.
Early Monday, Chinese officials said the latest riots were started by Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur human rights advocate who had been imprisoned in China and now lives in Washington, Xinhua reported. As with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, Chinese officials often blame Ms. Kadeer for ethnic unrest; she denies the charges.
The clashes on Sunday began when the police confronted a protest march held by Uighurs to demand a full government investigation of a brawl between Uighur and Han workers that erupted in Guangdong Province overnight on June 25 and June 26. The brawl took place in a toy factory and left 2 Uighurs dead and 118 people injured. The police later arrested a bitter ex-employee of the factory who had ignited the fight by starting a rumor that 6 Uighur men had raped 2 Han women at the work site, Xinhua reported.
There was also a rumor circulating on Sunday in Urumqi that a Han man had killed a Uighur in the city earlier in the day, said Adam Grode, an English teacher living in the neighborhood where the rioting took place.
“This is just crazy,” Mr. Grode said by telephone Sunday night. “There was a lot of tear gas in the streets, and I almost couldn’t get back to my apartment. There’s a huge police presence.”
Mr. Grode said he saw a few Han civilians being harassed by Uighurs. Rumors of Uighurs attacking Han Chinese spread quickly through parts of Urumqi, adding to the panic. A worker at the Texas Restaurant, a few hundred yards from the site of the rioting, said her manager had urged the restaurant workers to stay inside. Xinhua reported few details of the riot on Sunday night. It said that “an unknown number of people gathered Sunday afternoon” in Urumqi, “attacking passers-by and setting fire to vehicles.”
Uighurs are the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang but are a minority in Urumqi, where Han Chinese make up more than 70 percent of the population of two million or so. The Chinese government has encouraged Han migration to the city and other parts of Xinjiang, fueling resentment among the Uighurs. Urumqi is a deeply segregated city, with Han Chinese there rarely venturing into the Uighur quarter.
The Uighur neighborhood is centered in a warren of narrow alleyways, food markets and a large shopping area called the Grand Bazaar or the Erdaoqiao Market, where the rioting reached its peak on Sunday.
Mr. Grode, who lives in an apartment there, said he went outside when he first heard commotion around 6 p.m. He saw hundreds of Uighurs in the streets; that quickly swelled to more than 1,000, he said.
Police officers soon arrived. Around 7 p.m., protesters began hurling rocks and vegetables from the market at the police, Mr. Grode said. Traffic had ground to a halt. An hour later, as the riot surged toward the center of the market, troops in green uniforms and full riot gear showed up, as did armored vehicles. Chinese government officials often deploy the People’s Armed Police, a paramilitary force, to quell riots.
By midnight, Mr. Grode said, some of the armored vehicles had begun to leave, but bursts of gunfire could still be heard.
Huang Yuanxi contributed research.
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