Gomorra, Film Poster

At the 2008 European Film Festival, in Sevilla, Spain, director Matteo Garrone’s film will be presented during the festival’s opening night.

The film, called “Gomorra”, is based on the book with the same name, written by the Italian journalist Roberto Saviano.

Underneath the fictional elements, the film shows the underworld of the Italian Mafia, and there is nothing pretty about it: no heroes, no pretty actors, nothing to hide the violence associated with this social phenomenon. The film shows reality as it is, and how the Camorra affects the lives of people living in Naples.

Garrone decided to make this film years ago, even before the book became a best-seller and even before the Camorra threatened to kill its author. He says the film is neither a critic, nor a praise. It just tells things as they are nowadays in Naples.

The film received the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival and has been chosen to represent Italy at the Oscars, in the Best Foreign Language Film.

Britney Spears

Britney has come back, and made it big! She is not only looking great, she has also won the MTV Europe prize for best album of the year with “Blackout”, an album that surpassed those of Coldplay and Duffy.

She was also voted the artist with the best performance of 2008.

Spears could not attend the Liverpool gala, as she is already intensely working to finish her latest album, called “Circus”, which will be out on the market in only a few weeks.

The other focus point of the night was Sir Paul McCartney, who was honored with the Ultimate Legend Prize, for his evolution and contribution to world musical culture. To honor him even more, this year’s MTV Europe Awards gala  was held in Liverpool, his place of birth.

Other trophies went to Rick Astley (best performance of all times), Katy Perry (best new artist), 30 Seconds to Mars (best rock or alternative artist), and Tokio Hotel (best live acting band).

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

US TV show host, Ellen DeGeneres, was deeply displeased to find out about the results of the California gay marriage voting.

DeGeneres, who married to actress Portia de Rossi in August 2008, does not know what to say about this law. After America has just chosen its first Black president, they put a ban on same-sex marriages, although they had allowed it in the past.

The TV host is happy that she did manage to legally get married with her life partner, but she is sad when she thinks of all the other gay couples out there who had planned their wedding for this year.

She had given 100,000 dollars to the gay rights movement who was fighting against Proposition 8, but all their hopes were gone yesterday, when the Court amended the state constitution and prohibited same-sex marriages.

Will.i.am

Rapper Will.i.am has openly supported the candidate of the Democratic Party at the Presidency of the United States, now also known as Barack Obama, the new president of the US.

The Black Eyed Peas member dedicated himself body and soul to expressing his support and his joy, so while Obama was counting votes, Will.i.am was editing the final version of his newest play called “It’s A New Day”.

The song, which is scheduled to be released on the Internet this week, is dedicated to President Obama, but also to all the American citizens who have voted for him and saw that he can change things in America.

This is not the first time the rapper makes a song for Obama; he did the same in February, when people were still thinking about who to vote. He used a part of one of the new president’s speeches and put it on his music. The song, called “Yes We Can” was a major hit.

For “It’s a New Day” Will.i.am wished to collaborate with several other celebrities who had openly endorsed Obama; so, he got Scarlet Johansson, jazz star Herbie Hancock and Nicole from Pussycat Dolls.

Winehouse and Husband

Amy Winehouse is once again in the headlines; but this time she is not alone anymore, because husband Blake Fielder-Civil was released from jail last Wednesday.

He spent one year in the Edmun Hill prison (in Suffolk, South-East of England), and was charged of attacking the owner of a London pub and trying to pay him to drop his complaint and leave the country.

After getting out of jail, Amy Winehouse’s husband had to go to a drug rehabilitation centre, as one of his parole conditions.

After declaring himself a drug addict, he will spend a couple of months in the rehab center, away from temptation.

Winehouse, aged 25, and Fielder-Civil, aged 26, got married in Miami, in 2007. He was a camera operator and they hit it off instantly. Some of their common points are their addictions to alcohol and drugs and their passion for a crazy life style.

Whilst her husband was away, Amy could not seem to be able to handle the situation anymore; she was hospitalized several times and there were moments when things were looking very gloomy for the singer.

Michael Crichton

Family, friends and millions of fans grieve for the death of one of the most famous best-sellers author, Michael Crichton.

His family announced he died of cancer at the age of 66, yesterday, in his Los Angeles residence.

Crichton, who graduated from Harvard Medical School and had an MD diploma, did not practice medicine, but he did use his knowledge in his books.

The author of “Jurassic Park” is considered one of the precursors of a literary style called “techno-thriller”, which combines pseudo-scientific elements with adventure or police stories.

He wrote his first book, “Odds On”, in 1966 and his first great success was in 1969 with “The Andromeda Strain”.

The stories that brought him world fame were “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World”, but also the TV series “ER” (Emergency Room).

His works have been translated into 36 languages and the movies made after them had millions of spectators, and they remain amongst some of the classics of modern times.

Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister

Berlusconi’s latest planned budget cut has not let people indifferent.

Singers Bono, Annie Lenox, Jovanotti, Miguel Bose, Antonello Venditti and actors Colin Firth, Scarlet Johansson and Gael Garcia Bernal have sent an open letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi regarding his intention of drastically cutting the amount of money Italy gives to poor countries every year.The letter was published in the business newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore” and makes an appeal to Berlusconi’s sense of responsibility.

The senders point out that cutting those funds will cause a great loss of credibility for Italy, which would be quite prejudicial; especially that Italy is scheduled to host a G-8 summit next summer.

This year, Italy has already reduced funds for the development of poor countries by 170 million euros and Berlusconi’s plan would mean a reduction of other 400 million.

The artists have mentioned that, despite the world crisis, other countries of G-8, such as France and Spain, have respected the norms established and kept the funds at the level they are supposed to be.

Hudson Family Funeral

Actress Jennifer Hudson’s relatives have been buried yesterday in Chicago.

Hundreds of people have attended the service to support the young woman in her grief and so have fellow actors.

The three caskets were carrying the bodies of her mother, Darnell, her brother and her nephew, Julian King. They were all shot dead; the first two in their Chicago residence, on the 24th of October, and her nephew was found dead three days later in an abandoned car.

Amongst the famous faces who attended the funeral were Sarah Jessica Parker and Oprah Winfrey. Also, at the service came to perform Fantasia, the winner of the American Idol competition.

No arrests have been made yet, although Hudson’s brother in law had been in custody for questioning for a couple of days.

Las Meninas, by Velasquez

The famous auction house Christie’s has announced the selling of the famous blue diamond Margarita Teresa wore when she was painted by the Spanish paintor Velasquez.

The spectacular blue diamond was one of the jewels Philip IV offered as a present in 1664 to his daughter, Margarita Teresa, the main character in Velasquez’s painting “Las Meninas”.

The king himself had chosen the precious stone for his daughter, on the occasion of her engagement with Leopold I of Austria, future emperor.

The gem which, apart from its obvious historical value, is to be appreciated for its extremely rare color and the 35,56 karats will be taken out for auction on the 10th of December and specialists estimate it will be sold for a price higher than 11 million dollars.

The stone, also known as the Wittelsback Diamond, is one of the few blue diamonds that still exist nowadays, along with the Kohinoor (property of the British Crown), the Regent (currently preserved at The Louvre) and the Orlov (property of the Russian Government).

Christina Aguilera

Singer Christina Aguilera comes back on the spotlight with a new look and a new album.

After spending 8 months away from the scene, in order to take care of her newborn son, Christina returns with a new, provocative and sexy look and a new video called “Keeps Getting Better”.Moreover, we will see her with blue hair and driving a convertible in the first video of her anniversary album called “A Decade of Hits”.

The new album is a compilation of her greatest hits and a clear image of her musical and personal evolution over the past ten years.

Fans will be able to find the CD on sale starting the 10th of November.

It definitely seems maternity has brought out the best in Christina. Ever since she got pregnant she has declared on various occasions that motherhood makes her feel a lot more feminine and sexy and that it is the best thing that could have happened to her.

We will all see the positive attitude and Christina’s newly rediscovered sensuality on her anniversary album “A Decade of Hits”.

Joaquin Phoenix

Oscar-nominated actor, Joaquin Phoenix, has decided to quit his acting career in favour of a musical one.

His spokeswoman has made an official announcement of the actor’s decision. She told the press “Two Lovers” is his last performance as an actor.

To those who are close to him this comes as no surprise. Late River Phoenix’s younger brother has always had a soft spot for music and he has dedicated much time over the past few years to directing videos.

Joaquin Phoenix, 34, also made a public announcement of his intentions on the US TV show “Extra”, a few days ago.

Ever since he became famous with “To Die For” in 1995, by co-starring a film with Nicole Kidman, Phoenix has played in several other movies, some of which even brought him Oscar nominations (“Gladiator”, in 2001).

His latest and last film is a romantic drama, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and is expected to arrive in theatres all over the world starting early next year.

Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize Winner

The son of Studs Terkel – the Pulitzer award-winning American author- has announced that his father had passed away yesterday, in Chicago, at the age of 96.

He was born in 1912 in New York, and his family moved to Chicago eight years later.

Studs Terkel is famous for books such as “Working” and “Division Street: America”. He won the appreciation of a large audience through his personalized description of US history, and he won a Pulitzer prize in 1985 for his oral history called “The Good War”.

Most people have come to know him by listening to one of his radio shows that he hosted for more than forty years in Chicago.

He was a charming and charismatic presence, even tempestuous, but he knew how to live his life and that is how his loved ones like to remember him.

Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's Nephew

Julian King, the nephew of actress Jennifer Hudson, was declared missing since last Friday.

On Monday, the police discovered the body of a seven year old boy in a white Chevrolet Suburban, in the West Side of Chicago, but they could not say for sure whether it was Julian King.

The actress, who had offered a $100,000 reward for her nephew’s safe return, had to go identify his body on Monday. It was confirmed that it was indeed Julian King’s body.

The corpse was taken to Chicago’s Cook County medical examiner’s office and sources say the boy died as consequence of being shot multiple times. They performed an autopsy, but they did not give any details regarding the time of death and location of the gunshots on the body.

Until now, the only person arrested is Julian’s stepfather, William Balfour. He has been detained on Friday for questioning and has, since then, transferred to prison on a parole violation charge.

Marine Corps Marathon Logo

This Sunday, in Washington, took place the 33rd annual Marine Corps Marathon and about 33,000 had put their names on the runners’ list.

The race started in Arlington, and continued into Northwest Washington, around the National Mall and then back to Arlington. Long before the race started and until 13:30 hours all the affected streets have been closed.

This year’s edition was won by a young graduate, Andrew Dumm, who managed to finish in approximately two hours and a half. The first woman to cross the finish line was Cate Fenster, 37, a resident of Worcester, Ohio.

Even the mayor of Washington DC, Adrian Fenty, participated in the race and he finished in three hours and forty minutes. He was happy to join the marathon, as he is a free time jogger.

He told the press he had been a bit worried that the marathon couldn’t be kept under good weather conditions, and expressed his gratitude towards the people who came to support all the 30,000 runners.  He also said he was aware that, apart from the joy of running, there was also that of admiring Washington’s greatest monuments on the way: the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol.

William Balfour(left) and Julia Hudson(middle)

After the shocking discovery made in Illinois, the Police are now investigating the murder of Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother, and the disappearance of her nephew – Julian King – as well.

The police have already started questioning suspects and amongst the first on the list was William Balfour, the husband of Julia Hudson, Jennifer’s sister. Julian King, the 7 year old boy, is his stepson.

The suspect’s mother, Michelle Davis-Balfour complained to the press that the police have not allowed her and her daughter, Sensuous, to see him.

When asked, police spokesman Daniel O’Brien did not make any comments regarding the situation. However, sources say William Balfour has been in custody since Friday night.

Balfour, 27, has quite a criminal record, and is now released on parole after having spent seven years in prison on charges of attempted murder, car hijacking, and possession of stolen goods.

The police have issued an Amber Alert for the actress’ nephew, who was reportedly wearing a brown polo shirt and khaki pants, and have issued a search warrant for a white Chevrolet Suburban.

Catherine Zeta Jones

Catherine Zeta Jones comes back under the spotlight with a new musical, in which she is to play the character of Egypt’s most famous queen, Cleopatra.

The film, which will be directed by Steven Soderbergh, will be based on the life of the queen, especially on her stories with Anthony and Caesar.

Rather than being yet another classic Cleopatra movie, this musical will be set in America, in the early 1920s, not in the ancient Egypt. Hugh Jackman, one of the X-Men stars, is negotiating whether he will play the lead role or not.

The director has never worked with this type of movie up until now; he won his reputation with dramas such as ‘Erin Brockovich’ and ‘Traffic’, which brought him an Oscar award.

The most famous Cleopatra movie was a historical epic released in 1963 and its cast included some of the greatest names of cinematography: Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton.

Jennifer Hudson and her mother, Darnell Donerson

Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson was totally shattered by the news of her mother and brother being shot to death. Moreover, her nephew is missing ever since the terrible happening.

On Friday, the Police attended the Chicago home of the actress’ mother, Darnell Donerson, and was confronted with a shocking discovery. Inside they found the lifeless bodies of the woman and of her son, Jason Hudson. They had been shot to death. The seven-year-old son of Jason was nowhere to be found and had been declared missing.

Lisa Kasteler, the publicist of the actress, has officially confirmed the incident, but has not given any details about where she is located.

The police representatives have declared that they suspect the young boy has been kidnapped and that they have already arrested a possible suspect. They have also given details about the crime scene; the body of the mother has been found on the ground floor and the brother’s in the bedroom.

The young actress, who is currently involved in several projects, has not given any details regarding any of them.

Superenalotto Ticket

Playing the lottery has turned into a national sport for Italians, especially in the last few months in which nobody has won the big prize.

The jackpot now stands at 95 million Euros, which is determining more and more Italians to buy lottery tickets.

As much as this prize attracts the population, there are some who are against it; the Codacons group, a consumer rights organizations, is fighting in court to obtain the seizure of the country’s national lottery grand prize.

They say such a large amount of money only helps to encourage the Italians’ passion for gambling.
And they do have a point; the grand prize has not been won since April, and only last weekend 100 million tickets were sold to the population.

Codacons says the SuperEnalotto is making people bet more and more money every time and, in extreme cases they even spend all their life savings. The group suggests that the best way to deal with this situation would be to seize the money and distribute it to other types of lottery games, seeing that the chances to win the big prize are of 600 million to one anyway.

Britney Behind the Wheel

Last August, Britney Spears “hit it one more time”….this time in a parking lot, and it was a classic case of hit and run. Unfortunately for her, the whole incident was caught on camera and the case went to court.

After many hours of deliberations, the jury could not reach a verdict as not all of the members were of the same opinion regarding this incident.

It is more than possible that some of them did not want to see one of their favorite singers in jail for six months and also paying a fine.

The surprise of this trial comes when one takes a look at the charges brought to the singer. She was not accused of causing an accident; she was trialed for not having a California driving licence when she is actually living in Beverly Hills.

As the jury could not make their mind, Superior Court Judge James A. Steele has ruled this as a mistrial and it is not sure whether this case will be trialed again.

Rudy Ray Moore, aka Dolemite

Dolemite, the unique comedian, has passed away on Sunday, at his home in Akron, Ohio. The 81 year old was suffering of diabetes and when complications appeared, he could not fight death any longer. The press was informed by his daughter, Yvette “Rusty” Wesson.

Rudy Ray Moore became known mostly through the comedy film “Dolemite” , dating from 1975 and its sequel “The Human Tornado”. He was from then on perceived like the pimp-like comedian and he released many comedy records in the 60s and 70s.

Due to his very explicit language and quite rude style, his records were not a big hit in television and radio, but his number of fans was growing every day.

In 2008 Rudy celebrated the 30th anniversary of the life of another famous character he played, Petey Wheatstraw. It was also this year that he collaborated with Blowfly and Daniel Jordan.

The funeral will take place in Toledo, Ohio and as well in Spokane, Washington, where all his relatives are buried.