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Singer Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 27 Maret 2013 | 09.04

(Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick has filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey, citing tax liabilities she has attributed to financial mismanagement, her publicist said on Monday.

Warwick, 72, known for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and other popular songs, filed the petition on March 21 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, the state where she was born and currently lives. She listed total assets of $25,500 and total liabilities of more than $10.7 million, nearly all tax claims by the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California, according to the filing.

The personal bankruptcy filing was due to "negligent and gross financial mismanagement" in the late 1980s through mid-1990s, Warwick's publicist, Kevin Sasaki, said in a statement.

The IRS and California tax claims total more than $10.2 million, mostly from the 1990s, according to the petition, which listed Warwick's average monthly income as $20,950 and expenses at $20,940.

Sasaki said the actual back taxes owed had already been paid, but the penalties and interest has continued to accrue.

"In light of the magnitude of her tax liabilities, Warwick has repeatedly attempted to offer re-payment plans and proposals to the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for taxes owed," Sasaki said. "These plans were not accepted, resulting in escalating interest and penalties."

A five-time Grammy winner, Warwick took her first in 1968 for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and her second two years later for the album "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

(Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)


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Actress Judi Dench rules on stage despite age taking toll

By Belinda Goldsmith

LONDON (Reuters) - Actress Judi Dench may be battling deteriorating eyesight and a failing memory but the veteran performer showed no sign of faltering when she teamed up with fellow James Bond star Ben Whishaw on a London stage on Monday.

Dench, 78, one of Britain's most-respected actresses, has tackled a list of stage and film roles over her career, at ease with Shakespeare as in Hollywood, playing M in seven Bond movies before bowing out of 007's life in last year's "Skyfall".

It emerged a year ago that Dench was suffering from macular degeneration, the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 60, and she relied on friends to read scripts to her.

This month she told a television interview she took fish oil tablets daily to boost her memory and remember her lines but said she had no intention of slowing down or stopping acting.

Dench won nothing but praise on Tuesday for joining 32-year-old Whishaw, the gadget guy Q in James Bond, in a new play, "Peter and Alice", by American playwright John Logan who co-wrote "Skyfall".

"(Dench) lends to Alice her brilliance at combining a sense of tart, witty combativeness with a reverberant depth of bruised humanity," wrote critic Paul Taylor in the Independent although he was less enamored with the play, giving it three stars out of five.

"Dench is unmatchable," raved the Times critic Libby Purves, giving the play that "breaks your heart open" five stars.

Logan's play imagines a real-life meeting between an elderly Alice Liddell Hargreaves and 30-something Peter Llewellyn Davies at a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932, the people who inspired Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan".

As the two start talking and look back to their childhoods, the gaps start to emerge between the fantasies of the stories they inspired and the harsh reality they faced as adults, confronting loss, death, illness and alcoholism.

The 90-minute play, painfully moving, was described as a tenderly sketched portrait of life's challenges.

TRAGEDY

"No one expresses that pain and resilience quite as acutely yet stoically as Judi Dench, and she is ideally partnered by the more depressively hang-dog presence of Ben Whishaw for a beautiful study in contrasts of how they deal with life's blows," wrote critic Mark Shenton in the Stage.

The true story of the five Davies brothers, whom Barrie befriended, is tragic. The eldest, George, died in the trenches of World War I, while Michael, the second youngest, committed suicide aged 20, and Peter, the middle child, killed himself by throwing himself in front of a London train in 1960 aged 63.

The case of Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell) is almost as sad. She lost two of her three sons in World War I and ended up broke after her husband's death, selling off the original 1864 "Alice" manuscript to raise cash. She died in 1934.

"One of Judi Dench's great strengths, seen in countless Shakespearean heroines such as Viola and Beatrice, is her ability to combine ecstasy and melancholy, witnessed in abundance here," wrote the Guardian's critic Michael Billington, giving the play four stars.

"Peter and Alice", running at London's Noel Coward theatre until June 1, is Logan's first new play since "Red" which opened in London in 2009 and went on to win six Tony awards, Broadway's highest honors, in 2010.

(Editing by Sophie Hares)


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Pop star Bieber can't keep his clothes on at Polish airport

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...


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"Avatar" director donates dive craft, says 3D movie due in fall

By John Gaudiosi

(Reuters) - Film director James Cameron is donating the Deepsea Challenger craft he used to make a record-setting solo dive a year ago to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to speed research into the deepest parts of the world's oceans.

Cameron, who is focused now on pre-production for the sequels to his blockbuster movie "Avatar," said he hoped the donation to the non-profit research facility in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, would bring the technology he developed for the undersea craft into the mainstream.

In a telephone interview marking the one-year anniversary of his nearly 7-mile-deep (11.2-km-deep) dive in the western Pacific, the Oscar-winning director said that scientists had identified more than 60 new species, including bacteria, from material he brought back.

Cameron expects to release a long-awaited 3D movie of the dive in movie theaters in the fall of 2013.

Cameron also directed the 1997 movie "Titanic" as well as undertaking and filming several underwater expeditions exploring the wreck of the ship in the North Atlantic.

Q: What impact do you hope the Deepsea Challenger's transfer to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will have on continued research?

A: It drives public attention to the need for new technology and funding for deep ocean work, which WHOI is the leader of in this country. It will have a very specific and immediate effect of new vehicles and new vehicle platforms, our cameras, our communications, our syntactic foam and battery systems, they'll incorporate into their future stuff. The way we solved problems is so outside the box, they're eager to bring that into their projects.

I could leave the sub in my barn, but that's not going to do anybody any good while I'm off making "Avatar" films for the next few years. I want this technology to be out there and dynamic and adaptive.

Q: What are some of the new species and findings that have come from this dive?

A: I met with Doug Bartlett out of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (who was the chief scientist on the dive expedition) and he said there are at least 68 new species coming out of this, and that includes a number of arthropods and invertebrate animals and a lot of new bacteria.

Q: What will audiences experience when your 3D movie of this dive is released.

A: "The Deepsea Challenge" is coming out this fall. You go on the journey. It's about the team of these young guys and how they tackled the problems and overcame a lot of hurdles and set-backs. They got to see some pretty amazing stuff and got to bring back the footage in 3D. You'll feel like you've been through the whole thing, including actually diving inside the sub. I was jammed into this 42-inch (106 centimeter) sphere with all this equipment and a 3D camera with me at all time.

Q: How has filming underwater in 3D with this dive and past Titanic dives helped you as a Hollywood director?

A: There's always been a good synergy between the technology that's been developed for these expeditions and the technology that's used for the films. "Avatar" was shot with a second generation of the 3D cameras that were built for my 2001 Titanic expedition. We're constantly building and improving the technology. Some of the things that went into building the Deepsea Challenger cameras, which had to be so tiny, will probably be used in action cameras in the next "Avatar" films.

The odds are other filmmakers will use this technology before me because my company, Cameron Pace Group, supplies cameras to most of the big movies that are shooting in 3D. We develop something new, I use it on an expedition, and while I go off and write and design and fool around in pre-production, five other movies have gone out and used the cameras in the meantime. That was the case even when I had made "Avatar," a number of other films had already used those cameras.

(Reporting By John Gaudiosi in North Carolina, editing by Jill Serjeant and Cynthia Osterman)


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Will Smith rejected 'Django Unchained' because role wasn't big enough

By Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Will Smith is blunt about his reasons for rejecting the role of Django in "Django Unchained."

Smith told Entertainment Weekly that the lead part, a slave out for revenge, wasn't big enough.

"Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead," Smith said. "The other character was the lead!"

As EW points out, Smith disagrees with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which bestowed a Best Supporting Actor prize on Christoph Waltz for his role as a suave bounty hunter in the Quentin Tarantino film.

The Weinstein Company, which distributed the film, pushed Jamie Foxx in the lead actor category for playing Django. But he wasn't nominated.

The film, which is filled with antebellum brutality and the n-word, would have been a departure for Smith. He tends to favor more mainstream fare like "Hancock" and the "Men in Black" movies.

His latest explanation for rejecting the role differs from an earlier one. Last year, he told Empire Magazine it was a scheduling issue.

"I came really close, it was one of the most amazing screenplays I had ever ever seen," Smith said. "I was in the middle of 'Men In Black 3' and was ready to go, and I just couldn't sit with him and get through the issues, so I didn't want to hold him up. That thing's going to be ridiculous. It is a genius screenplay."

Smith will next be seen in the futuristic adventure "After Earth," which hits theaters this summer.


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Animals rock veteran Eric Burdon writing memoir

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eric Burdon, the singer of the 1960s blues-rock band The Animals, is writing a memoir detailing his five decades in the music industry, publisher Alfred Music said on Tuesday.

The book, entitled "Breathless," will be released late this year, the publisher said.

Burdon, 71, best known for merging U.S. blues music with 1960s British rock and roll, said the book will be a way for him to recall and recount the many details of his musical life.

"I'm writing this book to help myself remember the past, acknowledge the present and help the new generation to discover their own truth," Burdon said in a statement.

Burdon and The Animals rose to prominence and scored a No. 1 hit with his menacing and intense singing on "The House of the Rising Sun" in 1964, turning it into a definitive rendition of the American folk song.

The Animals, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, broke up in 1968 after five years together and reformed at times in the 1970s and 1980s. Burdon helped found the U.S. funk band War in 1969.

His latest solo album "'Til Your River Runs Dry" was released in January and was his first album of new material since 2006.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and David Brunnstrom)


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Justin Bieber flies back to Los Angeles and into more trouble

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop sensation Justin Bieber flew from Europe back to his Los Angeles area home on Tuesday and into an argument with one of his neighbors - the latest in a series of odd incidents involving the teen singer.

Deputies were called to the 19-year-old's house in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday morning after a neighbor claimed that he had been threatened and struck by Bieber, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

A police report alleging battery and threats by Bieber had been filed and was being investigated, Whitmore said. No charges have been filed against the Canadian pop star and Whitmore declined to give details, citing an ongoing investigation.

Under California law, a misdemeanor battery charge can include unwanted touching or spitting.

The alleged altercation took place after the "Boyfriend" singer flew overnight from Poland, startling photographers and Lodz airport officials by stripping off his shirt on a freezing evening as he walked through security and to his private jet.

Bieber's publicist did not return calls for comment on Tuesday's incident, which follows odd behavior by the singer during his European tour, including turning up late for a London concert and wearing a gas mask on a night out.

A source close to the star said the Calabasas dispute stemmed from a neighbor who came by to complain about parties at the house while Bieber was away. Words were exchanged but no physical altercation took place, the source said, citing the singer's security detail.

Celebrity website TMZ.com said the dispute was provoked by Bieber driving a newly delivered Ferrari up and down the street at high speed early on Tuesday morning. The Bieber source disagreed with that claim.

Bieber has been playing concerts around Europe for his "Believe" tour for several weeks, and his next concert is scheduled for Munich, Germany, on March 28.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)


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'Good Morning America' anchor Robin Roberts to be honored with courage award at 2013 ESPYS

By Greg Gilman

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts, who was one of the first women to anchor ESPN's "SportsCenter" and "NFL Primetime," will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2013 ESPYS, ESPN announced on Tuesday.

The award is given annually to individuals whose contributions transcend sports. While Roberts is credited for blazing the trail for women in broadcasting, she has also inspired viewers by overcoming not one, but two life-threatening illnesses.

In 2007, two years after becoming co-anchor of "GMA," Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer and chose to turn the cameras on herself so viewers could follow her journey to beat the disease.

In 2012, Roberts announced on the air that she was suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood and bone marrow disease. She vowed to beat it and a few months later, once again turned the camera on herself while receiving treatment.

Following a successful bone marrow transplant and 174-day medical leave from the ABC morning news programs, Roberts returned to work February 20.

"Robin brings an amazing amount of energy, compassion and determination to everything she does. Those qualities made her an incredible asset during her time here at ESPN, and they have served her well as she battled the terrible health challenges that she's had to face," said ESPN president John Skipper. "Robin's accomplishments in so many areas - as an athlete, a broadcaster, a cancer survivor and more - demonstrate her ability to shine regardless of adversity and we could not be more proud to honor her as the recipient of this year's Arthur Ashe Courage Award."

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is described by ESPN as the emotional pinnacle of the ceremony honoring athletic achievement. Recent winners have included Nelson Mandela, boxer Dewey Bozella and women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in 2011.

The ESPYS will be broadcast live from the L.A.'s Nokia Theatre on July 17.


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France's Bruni makes emotional defense of husband Sarkozy

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French first lady Carla Bruni took up a passionate defense of her husband Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday, saying it was unthinkable he could have tricked an old lady out of millions of euros.

In a blitz of interviews with French media, Bruni said a formal investigation of the ex-president opened last week for allegedly exploiting the mental frailty of 90-year-old L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt was causing her great pain.

"It's impossible to imagine that this man could have abused the frailty of a lady the age of his mother... It's unthinkable," Bruni told RTL radio in a shaky voice.

Sarkozy, who retreated from front-line politics after losing his re-election bid last May, rejects accusations that he took advantage of Bettencourt, France's richest woman, in 2007 to raise funds for his first election campaign. He wrote on Facebook this week that the probe against him was "unfair and unfounded".

The case could scupper any political comeback for Sarkozy, whose remains a popular figure for center-right voters and has said he would consider running for president again in 2017.

His lawyer, Thierry Herzog, has said he would seek to have the case thrown out on grounds that the investigation conducted by judge Jean-Michel Gentil was biased against Sarkozy.

Singer-songwriter and former model Bruni played a restrained role as first lady while Sarkozy was in power but has since returned to the media spotlight, performing last week at the ECHO Music Awards in Berlin.

Her public defense of Sarkozy coincides with her promotion of a new album due for release on April 1.

Bruni's 2008 marriage to Sarkozy after a whirlwind courtship irritated many French people who felt the high-profile romance blurred the lines between the president's private and public lives.

Asked if she was tempted to fight back publicly against the accusations and "show her claws", Bruni said: "Yes, I want to but I don't dare. It is difficult for me to talk about this, it's painful for my family."

(Reporting by Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Toby Chopra)


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Rapper Gucci Mane jailed for alleged assault with bottle

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...


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