London | StaunchUSA

Father of Madonna’s Adopted Daughter, Mercy Wants to See Her

On August 9, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

THE BIOLOGICAL father of Madonna’s adopted daughter has begged the superstar to allow him to see a photograph of her.

James Kambewa, 26, who works as a waiter in South Africa, wanted to see the photographs of five year old Mercy who he has never met. Mercy’s mother died during childbirth aged 14.

Now Kambewa has made a public plea for the singer to forward him pictures of Mercy and he plans on being reunited with his biological child one day.

Kambewa told the ‘Daily Mail’, “I would appreciate if Madonna could send me pictures of how she looks like now as I don’t get any pleasure of being with her.

“It’s emotionally painful for me as a father. I’m very happy that Madonna is taking care of her. But as a parent, from the moment I heard that she was still alive, I wanted to meet her and I’m hopeful that I’ll meet her one day.”

According to Kambewa he was unaware that Mercy was still alive and thought she had died with her mother, until his friend revealed to him that she was alive and being brought up in an orphanage.

Madonna and Mercy were pictured yesterday on (August on the set of ‘W.E’ a film, which she will be directing in London.

Thanks The Voice. UK.

Woody Allen NOT Impressed by Carla Bruni’s Acting

On August 9, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

France’s First Lady Carla Bruni always struck us as ever-ready for her closeup, but apparently that’s not the case when it comes to acting. Some pretty hilarious reports are coming out of Paris where the stunning wife of Nicolas Sarkozy is doing a bit part as a museum curator in Woody Allen’s new film, “Midnight in Paris.”

According to London’s Mail Online website, Bruni required at least 35 takes to film a dialogue-free scene that required her to simply walk in and out of a grocery store clutching a baguette.

An onlooker quoted in the story says Bruni sacre-blew it because she was “struggling to avoid looking directly into the camera, which didn’t impress Woody Allen.” The source added: “The baguette scene could not have been simpler, but Carla wanted to make it a big one.” If she gave Allen a big headache instead, the director downplayed it. He reportedly “was very careful to show a lot of respect” to Bruni, “especially since she was surrounded by bodyguards.”

Allen was “particularly low-key” when Sarkozy himself showed up to check out his wife’s performance. According to the Mail, “he did not look particularly enthused by Carla’s acting.”

Thanks NY Daily News.

Tagged with: carla bruni • London • Midnight in Paris • Nicolas Sarkozy • takes • Woody Allen

Madonna Cited for Noise Pollution in London?

On July 20, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

Pop superstar Madonna has been cited for noise pollution by London authorities after staff at her home in the British capital threw a party in the singer’s absence.

The “Material Girl” was out of the country on June 27, when officials from Westminister City Council were called to investigate neighbors’ noise complaints.

They found the music and singing coming from the property loud enough to be considered “statutory nuisance” and an official notice was posted through the letterbox, prompting Madonna’s staff to put an end to the party antics.

But their raucous activities have landed their famous boss in trouble with local councilors leaving her facing a possible court case and a fine of up to $5,000 (3,330 pound sterling) if she is cited for similar offenses in the future.

Councillor Ed Argar says, “We take the issue of noise pollution very seriously and treat every case alike and fairly, regardless of who owns the property concerned.

If people want to hold a party, regardless of the time of day or night, they need to show some common courtesy to their neighbors, who should not have to pay the price for others’ selfish behavior.” However, a Westminister City Council spokesperson insists the case is unlikely to end up in court.

Thanks Peace FM.

Tagged with: British • home • London • Madonna • material girl • NOISE POLLUTION • WESTMINISTER

Goldie Hawn Partying TOO MUCH?

On July 4, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

She has done some serious globe-trotting in the past few weeks.

And it appears that travelling across so many time-zones might have taken its toll on Goldie Hawn.

Or perhaps the 64-year-old actress was just trying a little to hard to keep up with her hard-partying pals on this occasion.

Either way, Miss Hawn looked exhausted during her trip to London on Wednesday night, following a long dinner with supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Dressed in a low cut floral gown, her head was lolling and she looked a little bleary-eyed as she left the exclusive C restaurant in Mayfair.

Earlier in the day, the star had flown in from the United States especially to host the Elephant Parade fundraiser in Chelsea’s Royal Hospital Gardens.

The Private Benjamin star is an official patron of the Elephant Family charity, who are raising money to protect the endangered Asian elephant.

She was joined at the charity event by Liz Hurley, Trinny Woodall and young royals Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

However, notably absent was Hawn’s fellow patron Sarah Ferguson, who is keeping a low-profile since she was caught on camera allegedly filmed asking for money in return for being introduced to her ex-husband Prince Andrew.

There was also no sign of her partner, actor Kurt Russell, 59. The pair have been together for 25 years.

The couple, who have never married, were snapped enjoying a sunshine break in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik two weeks ago, before returning home to the States.

Over the past few weeks, over 250 elephant sculptures – each decorated differently by a host of famous names including Diane Von Furstenberg, Paul Smith and John Rocha – have been placed all over London at tourist spots such as outside St Paul’s Cathedral and Trafalgar Square.

thanks Daily Online.

Tagged with: Goldie Hawn • London • naomi campbell • United States

Madonna Casts Natalie Dormer in her Directorial Debut

On July 4, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

London, July 04 : Queen of pop Madonna has signed Natalie Dormer to portray Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in a film about the Edward VIII abdication crisis. ormer appeared naked as Anne Boleyn in the television series The Tudors.

“This country tends to remember the Queen Mother as a rather wrinkly 97 year-old, but I am playing her when she was quite an enchanting, engaging twenty and thirty something,” the Telegraph quoted Dormer as saying.

She added: “She was quite a savage and savvy game player.”

Thanks India Talkies.

Tagged with: anne boleyn • London • Madonna • natalie dormer • queen elizabeth

Woody Allen says he Squandered his Career

On June 28, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

In a typically self-deprecating interview with The Times in London, Woody Allen reveals that he feels he’s pretty much wasted his career despite having total artistic freedom.

Out of 40 films I should have 30 masterpieces, eight noble failures and two embarrassments, but it hasn’t worked out that way.

Allen says he’s no Bergman, Fellini or Buñuel — and he’s right — but he seems to have forgotten some of the things he’s accomplished. Picking his favorite six of his films, Allen lists “Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Match Point,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Zelig,” “Husbands and Wives” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

That’s right. No “Manhattan.” No “Annie Hall.” No mid-career masterpieces “Hannah and Her Sisters” or “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” of which “Match Point” is merely an inferior shadow. And “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”? Come on, even Woody’s attempt at a musical, “Everyone Says I Love You,” is better.

Thanks Bam’s Blog.

Tagged with: Annie Hall • bergman • fellini • London • match point • purple rose of cairo • The Times • Woody • Woody Allen • zelig

Britain BANS Dr. Andrew Wakefield who Linked Autism to Vaccine

On May 24, 2010, in Life/Culture, Political, by admin

AP Medical Writer LONDON Britain’s top medical group banned a doctor who was the first to publish peer-reviewed research suggesting a connection between a common vaccine and autism from practicing in the country, finding him guilty Monday of serious professional misconduct.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s research led to millions of parents worldwide abandoning the shot for measles, mumps and rubella, even though the study was later widely discredited.

Wakefield, 53, then moved to the U.S. and set up an autism center in Texas, where he has a wide following, but faces similar skepticism from the medical community. The ruling in Britain only applies to his right to practice medicine in the U.K., not in other countries.

Wakefield was not immediately available for comment. He has the right to appeal the ruling, which takes effect within 28 days.

Vaccination rates in Britain have never recovered since Wakefield’s research was published in 1998 and there are measles outbreaks in the country every year. The disease is also on the rise in the U.S.

Numerous other studies have been conducted since then and none have found a connection between autism and any vaccine.

Wakefield has been a central figure in the anti-vaccine lobby and has garnered much support from parents suspicious of vaccines, including some Hollywood celebrities. In February, U.S. actress Jenny McCarthy, who has an autistic son, issued a statement with her former partner Jim Carrey.

“It is our most sincere belief that Dr. Wakefield and parents of children with autism around the world are being subjected to a remarkable media campaign engineered by vaccine manufacturers,” McCarthy and Carrey said in February. “Dr. Wakefield is being vilified through a well-orchestrated smear campaign.”

Britain’s General Medical Council struck Wakefield from the medical register Monday and found him guilty of “serious professional misconduct.” The council was investigating how Wakefield and colleagues carried out their research, not the science behind it.

Wakefield and colleagues published a study in the medical journal Lancet in 1998 alleging a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

At the time, Wakefield was working as a gastroenterologist at London’s Royal Free Hospital and did not have the ethical approval to conduct the study. He had also been paid to advise lawyers representing parents who believed their children had been hurt by the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Ten of the study’s authors later renounced its conclusions and it was retracted by the Lancet in February.

In 2005, Wakefield founded a nonprofit autism center in Austin, Texas, but quit earlier this year.

In January, Britain’s medical council ruled that Wakefield and two other doctors acted unethically and showed a “callous disregard” for the children in their study. The medical body said Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son’s birthday party, paying them 5 pounds (today worth $7.20) each and later joked about the incident.

In a statement then, Wakefield said the medical council’s investigation was an effort to “discredit and silence” him to “shield the government from exposure on the (measles) vaccine scandal.”

In Monday’s ruling, the medical council said Wakefield abused his position as a doctor and “brought the medical profession into disrepute.”

In the U.S., several court rulings have found no connection between vaccines and autism. More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation for children believed to have been hurt by the measles vaccine.

At least a dozen British medical associations including the Royal College of Physicians, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust have issued statements verifying the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

“I hope this ruling will finally persuade the public and some misguided journalists that Dr. Wakefield behaved irresponsibly,” said Dr. Jennifer Best, a virologist at King’s College University in London. “(The measles) vaccine is a safe vaccine.”

Thanks Breitbart.

Tagged with: andrew wakefield • autism • Britain • London • measles • Medical • millions • mumps • rubella • Texas • UK • US • wakefield

Dame Helen Mirren: British Actors are Lazier than American Actors

On April 26, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

The star, 64, was in both the British and US versions of A Month in the Country in the 90s.

She said: “They were wonderful casts. But in England at the rehearsal a lot were not on top of their lines. We finished at 2pm so everyone could learn.

“In America, by the second week the cast had their lines down and did a full day’s rehearsal.”

In London she starred with John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes but neither was singled out for criticism.

Dame Helen, due to star with Russell Brand in Arthur, was at the Brit Film and TV Week in LA.

She said: “I’ve always loved US actors’ commitment.”

Thanks Mirror UK.

Tagged with: America • British • England • Helen Mirren • JOHN HURT • JOSEPH FIENNES • London • US

Two German Women Try to Smuggle a Corpse onto Flight

On April 6, 2010, in Life/Culture, by admin

Police have arrested two women at an British airport after they reportedly tried to smuggle a corpse onto a flight.

Police said Tuesday the women were detained at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport “on suspicion of failing to give notification of death” of a 91-year-old man.

The BBC and other British media reported that the women placed the man, a relative of theirs, into a wheelchair and covered his face with sunglasses in a bid to get him aboard a flight to Berlin.

The women, aged 41 and 66, were detained Saturday and have been released on bail. They have not been charged and police say inquiries are continuing.

Thanks My Way.

Tagged with: bbc • Berlin • British • Corpse • john lennon • liverpool • London • Police

Pink Floyd Crushes EMI in Court over Battle of Online Sales

On March 11, 2010, in Celebrity, by admin

Album lovers may rejoice a little at last: a British court says Pink Floyd, purveyor of iTunes-unfriendly concept records, cannot be unbundled.

The High Court ruled Thursday that record label EMI Group Ltd. can’t sell Pink Floyd tracks individually without the band’s permission. A judge said that the band’s contract applied both to physical albums and Internet sales.

Experts said the ruling offers another brick in the wall supporting artists’ control of their own work—and a boost for music fans dismayed by the power of online music retailers to slice and dice albums into individual tracks.

The ruling comes in a long-running legal case that saw Pink Floyd sue its record label, saying its contract prohibited selling songs “unbundled” from their original album setting.

The band’s lawyer, Robert Howe, said the band was known for producing “seamless” pieces of music on albums like “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall,” and wanted to retain artistic control.

EMI claimed the clause in the band’s contract—negotiated more than a decade ago, before the advent of iTunes and other online retailers—did not apply to Internet sales.

But judge Andrew Morritt backed the band, saying the contract protected “the artistic integrity of the albums” in both physical and online form.

He ruled that EMI is “not entitled to exploit recordings by online distribution or by any other means other than the complete original album without Pink Floyd’s consent.”

Thursday’s judgment is not the end of the case—merely a a clarification on the part of the judge about what the band’s contract with EMI means.

The judge also ruled on a second issue, the level of royalties paid to the band. That section of the judgment was made in private after EMI argued the information was covered by commercial confidentiality.

EMI said the ruling was not an end to the complex case, and that the judge’s decision was not an order to stop selling single Pink Floyd tracks. They were still available individually from iTunes on Thursday.

“There are further arguments to be heard and the case will go on for some time,” an EMI spokeswoman said, on condition of anonymity in line with corporate policy. The label said it continued to sell Pink Floyd’s music “digitally and in other formats.”

Lawyers for the two sides refused to further clarify the matter.

London music-industry analyst Claire Enders said the ruling was expected.

“It would have been extraordinary if the judge had overturned pre-existing rights of artists to control their work,” she said.

The judgment is more bad news for cash-strapped EMI, which has struggled financially since it was bought in 2007 for 2.4 billion pounds by private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners.

The company, whose artists include Coldplay, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams, is currently trying to raise 120 million pounds ($180 million) by mid-June to meet its commitments on loans from Citigroup.

Enders said the ruling would not be a huge financial hit for the company, but “it’s not good news that EMI’s relationship with an artist, especially an artist as prominent as Pink Floyd, should have come into the legal domain.”

Pink Floyd’s spokesman said the band had no comment on the judgment.

Pink Floyd was formed in 1965 and soon became stars of London’s psychedelic scene. The band went on to release a series of best-selling albums, including 1967′s “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and 1973′s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which has sold more than 40 million copies.

The band signed with EMI in 1967 and became one of its most lucrative acts, with its back catalog outsold only by The Beatles.

Online sales make up an increasing portion of music companies’ profits and are a growing area of dispute.

The surviving members of The Beatles have yet to agree a deal to allow their music to be sold online.

Hard-rock band AC/DC also has withheld its music from iTunes, saying the group is not interested in selling individual tracks.

British alternative band Radiohead boycotted iTunes for years, saying it wanted fans to buy whole albums, but relented in 2008 in the face of the growing power of digital downloads.

Legal downloads, which rely heavily on selling individual tracks, now account for a more than a quarter of global music industry revenue, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Illegal downloads take a vastly bigger share.

In the United States album sales—both physical and virtual—fell almost 13 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Luke Lewis, editor of music Web site NME.com, praised Pink Floyd for sticking up for the album.

“It’s a noble last stand,” he said. “ITunes is such a market leader it can bully bands into doing what it wants. It’s good a band like Pink Floyd can use their own clout to fight back.

Thanks Breitbart.

Tagged with: aLBUM • emi • itunes • London • Music • online • permission • pink floyd • records • robert howe • royalties • the dark side of the moon • the wall

Hillary Clinton Hailed a Landmark Deal in Northern Ireland

On March 10, 2010, in Political, by admin

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed a landmark deal on transferring police and justice powers from London to Northern Ireland, saying it will help cement the decade-old peace process.

In a statement, Clinton, who visited Belfast in October to try to break the deadlock on the powers transfer, said she planned to host talks in Washington next week with Northern Ireland’s leaders about “the way forward.”

On Tuesday members of the Northern Ireland Assembly voted 88 in favor of the devolution deal and 17 against, the latter all unionists who want the province to remain part of Britain.

The chief US diplomat commended the lawmakers for endorsing the deal, which she called an “important step for the peaceful and prosperous future for all of the people of Northern Ireland for generations to come.”

Devolution will “mark a major milestone” in achieving the aims of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the 2006 Saint Andrews Agreement and “will help cement the hard-won gains of the past decade,” Clinton said.

“The journey is not over, and real challenges remain,” she warned.

“I encourage all parties to work together in a spirit of cooperation and compromise as they continue the road toward a full and lasting peace,” she added.

She pledged continued US support for a peaceful, prosperous and shared Northern Ireland, saying there will be deeper cultural exchanges and business relationships.

Clinton said the US economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly, is working to promote economic growth, international investment, and “other new opportunities” in the British province.

“And I look forward to meeting with Northern Ireland?s leaders next week in Washington to discuss the way forward together,” Clinton said, apparently referring to Peter Robinson, the first minister and his deputy, Martin McGuinness.

Thanks AFP.

Tagged with: Belfast • Britain • Clinton • decade • generations • Hillary Clinton • London • Northern Ireland • Police • unionists • US • US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Goldie Hawn in Talks to Setting up Schools in England

On March 8, 2010, in Celebrity, Life/Culture, Religion, by admin

The Tories are in talks with foreign educational groups – including one run by Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn – to set up state schools in England.

Shadow Children’s Secretary Michael Gove says he is talking to the French government and a Swedish schools chain.

And he told The Sunday Times his team had also spoken to Ms Hawn’s charity, which promotes Buddhist values.

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker questioned how the plan could be funded without “cuts to existing schools”.

The Tories want parents, charities and companies to take over failing schools or set up new ones if they win power.

‘Creationism’

Mr Gove told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show he wanted to give state schools the same “freedom” as fee-paying schools to set their own curriculums, which he claimed would boost the chances of pupils from poorer backgrounds reaching top universities.

“What we want to do, for example, is to allow organisations like a Swedish company, the International English School, the chance to come here to teach the sort of rigorous academic curriculum which too many students, particularly students in poorer parts of the country, are denied.”

He said an independent body would scrutinise anyone that wants to set up a school “to make sure that extremist organisations, or people who have a dark agenda, are prevented from doing so. The other thing that we will make sure is that schools are inspected rigorously”.

And he stressed that he did not want to see schools teaching “creationism”, which rejects scientific explanations for life on earth in favour of religious beliefs.

“To my mind you cannot have a school which teaches creationism and one thing that we will make absolutely clear is that you cannot have schools which are set up, which teach people things which are clearly at variance with what we know to be scientific fact.”

But if schools are properly inspected and regulated “anyone who teaches in a way which undermines our democratic values can be brought to light, challenged and if necessary, closed down”.

He said “hundreds” of parents and groups of teachers had been in touch with the Conservatives to express an interest in the plans.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Gove said he wanted Sweden’s International English School to take over failing schools if the Conservatives win the election and his team had held talks with the French government about establishing state schools based on the Lycée Français in South Kensington, London.

Breathing exercises

The Lycée Français is a private institution which provides a French education for French expatriates and British parents who want their children to grow up bilingual.

“Under our plans you could have UK citizens sending their children to the Lycée at no cost because it would be fully integrated into the state sector,” he told the Sunday Times.

Mr Gove said his team had also recently met actress Goldie Hawn, whose Hawn Foundation charity runs schools in America and Canada and is said to be keen to open a school in the UK.

The Hawn Foundation teaches the Buddhist technique of Mindfulness training, which emphasises social and emotional progress over academic testing and the use of simple breathing exercises to boost learning power.

Mr Gove told The Sunday Times he could not see any serious barrier to her setting up a school within the English state system.

“We are going to have another meeting to discuss how she might be able to help and influence education here.”

‘Extra running costs’

He added: “Some parents would want a rigorous traditional academic education for their children with desks neatly marshalled and traditional football. Others will want something that is more flexible, more imaginative.”

But Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: “For the first time, Michael Gove has admitted that the Swedish schools he wants to open with 220,000 additional surplus places would involve extra running costs.”

He challenged Mr Gove to “explain to parents where the estimated £1.8bn costs of these new surplus places would come from without big cuts to existing schools”.

Mr Coaker said: “Michael Gove’s claim that these reforms raised standards has been undermined in the last week by the Swedish Ofsted and international studies which have shown a big drop in school standards in Sweden.

“Now his claim that there would be no extra costs has been blown apart by his own admission he would need to find money from elsewhere to fund them.”

Thanks BBC.

Tagged with: bbc • buddhist • conservatives • creationism • Democratic • education • England • French • Goldie Hawn • Hollywood • London • SWEDISH • tories