বুধবার, ৪ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Hu: Hostile forces seek to westernize, split China (AP)

BEIJING ? Chinese President Hu Jintao has told Communist Party members that hostile forces abroad are trying to westernize and divide the country with their cultural influence and that officials must remain vigilant against such efforts.

The party magazine Seeking Truth this week published an excerpt of a speech by Hu to party leaders in October in which he said China is facing a difficult ideological struggle.

"We must clearly see that international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of westernizing and dividing China, and ideological and cultural fields are the focal areas of their long-term infiltration," Hu said.

Hu did not specify who the hostile forces are, but Chinese leaders have tried to bolster their legitimacy with a more demanding public by depicting China as being engaged in an ideological and cultural war with the West.

Hu's remarks are part of the Communist Party's broader push to reinforce socialist principles in an attempt to counter calls by liberal Chinese for "universal values" such as freedom of expression, which state media often portray as Western concepts unsuited to China's unique circumstances.

Chinese leaders are under pressure from a public that is upset over income inequality, corruption and other ills of rapid growth and that feels empowered by rising prosperity and social media to criticize the government.

To compete for ideological influence, party leaders have said China must create more cultural products like books, films and art to attract Chinese and foreign audiences. As part of efforts to wrest back Communist Party control over cultural industries, China also recently said it would limit reality TV shows and other light fare shown on satellite television stations.

"We should deeply understand the seriousness and complexity of the ideological struggle, always sound the alarms and remain vigilant, and take forceful measures to be on guard and respond," Hu said in the speech, made at an annual policy meeting of the party's Central Committee ? 365 members of the power elite.

China has stepped up a campaign to boost its influence by making movies that promote Chinese culture or the Communist Party's legitimacy. These include "Beginning of the Great Revival," a film to celebrate the Communist Party's 90th anniversary, and the 2009 blockbuster "The Founding of a Republic" marking 60 years of Communist rule.

The government also has mounted concerted efforts to police the Internet and, after "Arab spring" protests ousted autocrats in Egypt and Tunisia, to intimidate Chinese political activists from launching a similar movement.

Last month, Beijing and other city authorities ordered Internet microblogs to require users to register with their real names, a tightening of rules aimed at controlling China's rapidly growing social networks. Last year, microblogs helped mobilize 12,000 people in the northeastern city of Dalian to successfully demand the relocation of a petrochemical factory.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120103/ap_on_re_as/as_china_culture

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মঙ্গলবার, ৩ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

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  • Year: 2001 (51)
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  • Mileage: 115,000
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97% The Artist

Ever since it charmed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival, The Artist has been one hot commodity. The Weinstein Company snapped up the film rights though they have a bit of a hard sell. The movie takes place in the era of silent movies and it also happens to be a silent movie itself. Ignoring Mel Brooks' unsung efforts, asking paying customers to sit through 100 minutes of silence, albeit accompanied by a musical score, may be a risky financial bet. That's where the appeal of being an award-winner comes into play. The Artist has been racking up awards since Cannes and has been tagged by many as the favorite to take home a Best Picture Oscar. This celebration of the Hollywood of old is a nostalgic trip through the ages, but I'm doubtful that the film is deserving of the gushing admiration. I think this would have been better had it been one of them new-fangled talkies. In 1927, the biggest star in Hollywood is George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). His latest spy caper is knocking them dead. He's prancing before a sea of photographers when he bumps into Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). He graciously brings her into the act and the two pose for pictures. "Who's the new girl?" demands the newspaper headlines. Peppy is given her big break as George's co-star in his spy series. Peppy is a natural and over the course of two years she becomes a bona fide star. Also over those two years Hollywood has undergone a drastic makeover. New "talkies" are all the rage with the public, who now demand to hear their favorite actors speak. George is adamant that talking pictures are only a fad and he plunks his personal fortune to bankroll his directorial debut. The movie is a flop. George is viewed as a has-been; yet Peppy has been keeping a watchful eye on her old friend and waiting for the time to reveal her love for the fallen star. The Artist is a completely silent movie except for two key sequences; one of them a nightmare where George hears objects make noise. The film is an unabashed love letter to old Hollywood, and writer/director Michel Hazanavicius makes witty use of the storytelling techniques of the silent era. Much relies on editing and reactions for shaping the narrative. The story, therefore, is broken down to its simplest incarnation. Peppy Miller's star rises, as George's grows fainter. Still, The Artist has many recognizable pieces for fans of the silent era. George even has a trusted Jack Russell Terrier at his side, a clever pooch with keen mimicking abilities. There's a cute moment where Peppy slips her arm into George's coat hanging on a coat rack and pretends to caress her self as him. It's a small yet slyly tender moment. It's not a prerequisite to be well versed on silent cinema, though it helps. While a French film (a foreign designation seems superfluous when it's silent), the movie was shot in Los Angeles and is stocked with English stars like John Goodman (TV's Treme) as a film director, James Cromwell (Babe) as George's dutiful butler, Penelope Ann Miller (Flipped) as George's unhappy wife, Missi Pyle (Big Fish) as a silent film co-star, Beth Grant (Donnie Darko) as a maid, Ken Davitian (Borat) as a pawnbroker, and Malcolm McDowell (Halloween II) as a dismissive old man in a chair (the role he was bon to play). It almost becomes a side game of cameos. It's a sprightly, charming, sometimes enchanting little experiment, but in the end an experiment is all the movie turns out to be. The Artist is no great story; in fact it's pretty much the 80th rendition of A Star is Born. The transition between silent films and talkies is a subject rife with drama, and a lead character who sees his fame and fortune crumble by being left behind in a changing society, well that should be interesting. What's surprising to me the most about this film is how little you invest with it. I don't know if it's the silent gimmick or just the idle characterization, but I found myself never really engaging with the movie, always a step removed. The characters were nice but I neither celebrated their triumphs nor bemoaned their hardships. The entire affair has such a slight feel to it; the movie is a confection, a sweet treat that melts away instantly after viewing. If you strip away all the old Hollywood nostalgia, there is very little substance here. Praise Hazanavicius for his dedication to silent filmmaking techniques, but let's be reasonable here because The Artist is a pleasant experiment but nothing more. The characters and story do not bear scrutiny. This story would have been more interesting had the movie been a traditional talky. Alas, we are limited to a handful of title cards with single lines of dialogue and extreme amounts of pantomiming. If you took away the central gimmick, would anyone be interested in this movie? I wanted to be swept away by The Artist after reading all the fawning accolades, but I wasn't. The commitment of the artists on screen is commendable, but the finished product is little more than an amusing trifle of a movie. Dujardin (OSS: Lost in Rio) and Bejo (Modern Love) look like they stepped off the screen from an old Hollywood movie, al la Purple Rose of Cairo. Dujardin is a suave presence with great comedic physicality at his disposal. There's a poignant moment where George, broken down and washed up, looks into a tuxedo store window, seeing his reflection appear above the neck of the tuxedo. He gingerly smiles, wistful of times gone by, and in that sad, face crinkling little moment, Dujardin reveals more about the man behind the flashbulbs than the script ever will. Even without a word spoken, you can tell that Dujardin and Bejo have great chemistry. Bejo, the wife of the director by the way, matches Dujardin note for note in terms of star wattage. She's got a terrific smile and one of those classic faces for an Age When They Had Faces. It's a shame that the characters don't have more interaction. The Artist is a fine film but ultimately disappointing given the hype. The saddest part about my reaction to The Artist is how little I find myself having to say about this much-ballyhooed silent film. It's an exercise in nostalgic back-patting, but if you strip away the silent movie gimmick I feel like there's so little at heart here. I walked away liking the movie, being charmed by the actors but feeling unengaged and mildly indifferent. The threadbare story is too familiar, the characterization is slight, and the movie ultimately becomes light, airy, and insubstantial. The novelty eventually does wear off and you may find yourself adding a mental commentary to the film to fill in the blanks. You'd have to be a Scrooge to resist the film's whimsy and the talents of the charismatic performers, but I'm scratching my head at the adulation give to The Artist. In a year heavy with reminiscence, The Artist overdoses on feel-good Hollywood nostalgia, and in a down year at the movies, perhaps that's enough when it comes time for awards. Nate's Grade: B

December 28, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_artist/

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সোমবার, ২ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Jennifer Hudson credits dead brother for comeback (Reuters)

Jennifer Hudson surprised many when, just months after a family tragedy that saw her mother, brother and nephew murdered, she returned to the stage to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XLIII.

But as the "Dreamgirls" star and former "American Idol" favorite sees it, she didn't have a choice -- her murdered brother wouldn't have it any other way.

Hudson appears on the January 8 edition of NBC's "Dateline" to discuss the tragedy, among other topics, and tells the show's Lester Holt that she heard her brother Jason's voice, which urged her to undertake the comeback performance.

"I felt as though I had to," Hudson tells Holt. "ust the same as I hear my mother's voice in my head, I can hear my brother's voice in my head. And he-- they, like, everybody, it's like, is she ever gonna sing again? Is she gonna-- you know? And what was I gonna say to that-- I could hear him, like, 'Jennifer--' he would always say, 'Knock it off, Jenny,' if I was cryin' about somethin' or if I was upset, discouraged, mad, 'Jenny, knock it off.' That's what I hear in my head. And it's like, 'Okay, well, what they want me to do? I can either just sit here and mope around, or do what I know that would make them proud.' And that's what I did."

During the interview, Hudson also reveals how she would have been on the scene at the time of the murders were it not for her fiance, professional wrestler David Otunga.

"I remember it like yesterday," Hudson recalls. "I was literally pickin' up my bags to walk out the door to go to my mother's house. And he called me, like, 'Can you come out here instead of going, you know?' And I was like, 'Okay, sure.' And that one decision, that one thing, I wouldn't be sittin' here."

Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, along with her brother Jason, were found shot to death in Donerson's Chicago home on October 24, 2008; Donerson was 57, and Jason 29. After a search, Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found in a parked car, after dying of what the medical examiner's office determined to be multiple gunshot wounds. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia, pleaded not guilty to the murders and awaits trial in February.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/music_nm/us_jenniferhudson

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Romney son jokes about Obama's birth certificate (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa ? One of Mitt Romney's sons has an answer for those who say his father should release his tax returns. He jokes that President Barack Obama should go first and release his birth certificate and other records.

Matt Romney's wisecrack came before an audience in New Hampshire on Friday. In response on Twitter, the Obama campaign tweeted, in part, "Guess he doesn't have one of our mugs?"

The Obama campaign sells mugs with a picture of Obama's birth certificate.

Matt Romney was appearing with three of his brothers when he said in regard to the tax return question: "I heard that someone suggested that as soon as President Obama releases his grades, and birth certificate, and a sort of a long list of things, then maybe he will."

Brother Tagg Romney jumped in and said, "That was not my dad who said that."

Matt Romney later tweeted regret that he'd repeated what he called "a dumb joke."

Mitt Romney has refused to release his tax returns but says he'd reconsider if he were the GOP nominee for president. Obama released his tax returns during the 2008 Democratic primary and in each year of his presidency.

The Romney campaign took a different kind of swipe at Obama, calling via a new website for $18 donations as a response to Obama playing golf while on vacation in Hawaii ? a dollar a hole.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_obama_s_birth_certificate

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রবিবার, ১ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Holiday - University Closed Dec 26-30, 2011

WSU is closed for the holidays from Monday, December 26, through Friday,?December 30, 2011.

For more information about this event, please contact Office of the Registrar at 313.577.3541 or registrar@wayne.edu.

Source: http://events.wayne.edu/main/2011/12/29/holiday-university-closed-32266/

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Designer behind Apple's products knighted in UK (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Fans of the clean, inviting look of the iPhone, iPad and other blockbuster Apple products are legion, and that includes Queen Elizabeth II.

The British monarch has awarded a knighthood to Jonathan Paul Ive, a Brit and head of Apple Inc.'s design team since the mid-'90s.

Ive received a KBE, short for Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The honor was announced Saturday for services to design and enterprise.

"To be recognized with this honor is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful," Ive said in a statement. "I discovered at an early age that all I've ever wanted to do is design. I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple."

Ive is credited with helping the late Steve Jobs bring the consumer-electronics company back from the brink of financial ruin in the late 1990s with his whimsical design for the iMac computer, which originally came in bright colors at a time bland shades dominated the PC world.

He later helped transform Apple into a consumer-electronics powerhouse and the envy of Silicon Valley with the iPod, the iPhone and, most recently, the iPad.

The knighthood is the second royal honor Ive has received. He was awarded a Commander of the British Empire honor in 2006 for achievements in British design and innovation.

Britain's honors are bestowed twice a year by the monarch ? at New Year's and on her official birthday in June. Recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.

Most of the honors go to people who are not in the limelight, for services to community or industry, but they also reward a sprinkling of famous faces.

Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter and music producer Steve Lillywhite were among those included with Ive in the queen's New Year honors list for 2012.

Ive started out far from Apple Inc.'s Cupertino headquarters. He grew up outside London and studied design at Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University) in Newcastle, England. After finishing school, he co-founded a London-based design company called Tangerine. There, he designed a range of products including combs and power tools. It was through Tangerine that he first got to work with Apple.

In 1992, while Jobs was still in the midst of a 12-year exile from Apple, Ive was hired as a senior designer.

After Jobs returned, he and Ive worked closely, ushering in products that are sleek and stylish, with rounded corners, few buttons, brushed aluminum surfaces and plenty of slick glass.

Apple's pride in this work is evident even in the packaging: Open up any iPhone box, for example, and see Apple proudly proclaim, "Designed by Apple in California." Six of Ive's works, including the original iPod, are part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Design, as well as software that makes the gadgets easy to use, is a crucial part of setting Apple products apart from those of its rivals. Apple didn't make the first music player or smartphone, but it dominated the market by making ones that looked cool and worked well.

Now, Apple's products are more popular than ever, vaulting it past rival Microsoft Corp. in 2010 as the most valuable technology company in the world.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_apple_designer_knighted

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