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class performing artists and entertainers to tour Sydney, Melbourne... Australia
- 9th November 2012 Performing
artists and entertainers upcoming Australian tours: Mick Foley, Mike Tyson, Fozzy,
Pink, Jennifer Lopez, KISS with Mötley Crüe, Black Sabbath, Blondie,
Journey with Deep Purple and more; Promoters include Live Nation; What gigs will
sell out or do well, News media reactions, predications, backgrounds and updates... The
Media Man agency has another in depth
report on the upcoming tours set to his Australian soil in early 2013. Mick
Foley and Brendon Burns: Good God Almighty!... 
Ex
WWE World Heavyweight Champion wrestler / pro wrestling living legend and world
class comedian Brendon Burns are coming down under to Australia to perform stand
up comedy together! Foley, who you probably know as Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude
Love from the squarded circle is a New York Times bestselling author and has been
doing stand-up comedy for over a year now, having performed with Burns at the
Montreal Just for Laughs festival in 2012. Burns, a wrestling fan met Foley on
his UK tour and will now join him onstage for Good God Almighty! Wrestling laughs,
stories from the road and much more. You don't have to be a hard core wrestling
fan to enjoy the show, but it will help. Get ready to be bodyslammed into laughter.
WrestleMania might not be coming to Australia but this WrestleMania calibre headliner
along with his funny as mate are, so check em out, and as Mick says 'Have a nice
day'!
www.realmickfoley.com 'Iron'
Mike Tyson to entertain Aussie fans... 
The
man formally known as 'The Baddest Man On The Planet' is ready to entertain, inform
and education Australian fans (and even non fans). This gig will offer lots more
than just pro boxing stories, but true boxing fans will of course lap up what
Mike has to share. Head of Markson Sparks!, Max Markson, is the mastermind behind
the Australian tour. The Aussie leg is going ahead, but unfortunately for Kiwi's,
the New Zealand leg is now happening due to political and visa issues. The 'Day
Of Champions' promo reads "Behind The Headlines And The 'Drama' Is The Real
Mike Tyson. A Man Who Is Dedicated, Hard Working, Courageous,Intelligent, Insightful
And Funny... He
is coming to Australia to share his story from his perspective - to share his
demons, his victories, his life experiences - and to pass these stories on, not
as a man on a pedestal, not holding himself up as an example of how to live, but
to share a very real, very powerful, human story that will profoundly affect everyone
who hears it. But That's Not All... The
'Day Of The Champions' show also features some of the finest entrepreneurs on
the planet - and you will hear their stories firsthand. These
entrepreneurs are real people who are making great money in the current economy
by embracing savvy investment opportunities, new online business strategies or
implementing clever marketing techniques to traditional ' bricks and mortar' businesses. Sure,
we all know its pretty tough at the moment, but this is not the time to bunker
down or put your head in the sand - this is the time for innovation, reinvention
and tenacity- its a time where real champions are made. Mike
Tyson's 'Day Of The Champions' Will Inspire Anyone Who Aspires To Be More Than
They Are,So Secure Your Ticket NOW
*tour starts in Brisbane on 16th November.
See the official website for full details.
www.dayofchampions.com.au
www.marksonsparks.com.au
Jennifer Lopez; JLO to tour down under in Australia: Dance Again World Tour...
Jennifer
Lopez is hot hot hot. Celebrity
is an often a strange thing, but Lopez has long lived an interesting life, since
getting her break as a dancer on US TV show In Living Colour in the early '90s.
In the ensuing years, through her many hit albums (On the 6, J.Lo, This Is Me...
Then), occasional hit movies (1998's Out Of Sight was good!) and a navel-bearing
Versace dress that garnered world attention just thought it was pretty"),
she's become a global superstar. At
43, she's enjoying something of a career revival. Her two seasons as a judge on
American Idol (she was the nice, nurturing, constructive one) reintroduced her
to the public and reinvigorated her career, which had floundered for much of the
past decade. Thanks
to the show, her recording career has taken off again, too, and her 2011 single
'On the Floor' became her most successful in eight years. It was also the most
viewed video on YouTube that year. "American
Idol made people look at me differently, which surprised me because I always thought
people knew how I was," she explains. "I'd always get confused when
the media would paint me to be different - it was so weird to me. But with reality
TV, you really are exposed for who and what you are. I was lucky people saw the
real me, and that changed some people's opinion of who I was." For
the past year, she's been dating her former back-up dancer Casper Smart, 25, who's
now the choreographer on her Dance Again World Tour, which heads to Australia
in December. "We work well together creatively. He inspires me, I inspire
him, and we can do something that someone who doesn't have that kind of love for
you can't", she told media outlet News Limited. It's
another reason she left American Idol this year (happy to let Mariah Carey and
Nicki Minaj duke it out at the judge's table), despite advice it would hurt her
career. "I loved Idol, but I had to go with my gut that it was time to get
back to doing what I do," she says. "It's fun to be a judge and it was
a great thing for me. But, creatively, it wasn't fulfilling to me as a person." And
that means going back on tour, kids in tow. "They watch the show almost every
night - they love it, they're excited by it." Max and Emme, it seems, are
starting to show signs of their parents' talent. Jennifer
Lopez brings her Dance Again World Tour to Australia from December 6 to 18. For
more information, visit www.ticketek.com.au
www.jenniferlopez.com
KISS and Motley Crue rumoured Australian tour for March 2013...
KISS
and Motley Crue‘s heavily rumoured Australian tour in early 2013 is likely
to be happening in March, rather than January or Feb at this stage of the game. A
post on a tour fanpage – crediting ‘Brett Bartlett’ as the source
– indicates the heavy rock titans’ joint tour will now be happening
in March, not January as has been predicted all along. KISS
will be touring in March...pushed back from January. Rumours
of the Kiss and Motley Crue tour first surfaced in September when Motley drummer
Tommy Lee mentioned on his Facebook page that he had "A little break till
Jan 2013 then off to Australia with Kiss n Motley”. Fans
on the KISS Army Australia forum are speculating that the tour could include an
appearance at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 V8 Supercars Race, which also takes
place in March. The live music lineup for the weekend of racing is to be announced
in the near future.
www.kissonline.com
www.motley.com
Black Sabbath to tour Australia...
One
of the most influential bands of all time have announced their widely rumored
and highly anticipated reunion for their first Australian shows in nearly 40 years.
Original band members - the Prince of Darkness himself: Ozzy Osbourne, bassist
Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi will make a thunderous return in April
2013. Tickets
for these once-in-a-lifetime shows will go on sale at midday on Thursday, November
8th. In June,
2012 Black Sabbath headlined the 10th Download Festival at Donington before a
crowd of 100,000. The group followed that show in August with a headlining set
at 2012’s sold-out Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. Black
Sabbath is currently recording the band's first new studio album in more than
33 years, helmed by seven-time Grammy winning producer, Rick Rubin. The album
is due for release in April 2013. 4/25
BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
4/27 SYDNEY ALLPHONES ARENA
5/1 MELBOURNE
ROD LAVER ARENA
5/4 PERTH PERTH ARENA
www.blacksabbath.com
Blondie to tour Australia...
Blondie
is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris
Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of
the mid-1970s. Heart
of Glass, Atomic, Rapture, Hanging On The Telephone, Call Me, One Way Or Another,
Picture This, Rip Her To Shreds, Maria, Denis, In The Flesh, Dreaming, Union City
Blue and The Tide Is High... all super hits from the one and only Blondie aka
Deborah Harry. If
your a fan of the 80's this is a can't miss as Blondie was one of the hottest
acts in the world and still maintains her universal appeal, even as we approach
2013. 6th Dec
2012 SYDNEY ENMORE THEATRE
8th Dec 2012 SYDNEY THE DOMAIN, ROYAL BOTANIC
GARDEN (HOMEBAKE 2012)
*Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide concerts also likely
to go ahead. Visit the official website for updates.
www.blondie.net
Deep Purple and Journey to tour Australia together...
English
rock pioneers Deep Purple are heading down under in 2013, bringing four decades
worth of music to our shores. Deep
Purple's classics such as Smoke on the Water, Hush, and Highway Star are all going
to be played, as well as a few not so well known numbers. Journey
background... If
you didn't already know, Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San
Francisco by former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band has
gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between
1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded. During that period, the band
released a series of hit songs, including 1981's "Don't Stop Believin'",
which became in 2009 the top-selling catalog track in iTunes history. Australia
is blessed to have them performing in early 2013, so seriously consider checking
them out as they tour with Deep Purple. Dates:
Tue. 02.26.13 Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Fri. 03.01.13
Melbourne, Australia Rod Laver Arena
Sat. 03.02.13 Sydney, Australia Sydney
Entertainment Centre
Mon. 03.04.13 Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Entertainment
Centre
Thu. 03.07.13 Perth, Australia Perth Arena www.deeppurple.com
www.journeymusic.com
More Entertainment - Australia December 2012...
RUSSELL
BRAND – I AM A WALRUS... AUSTRALIA
& NEW ZEALAND TOUR 2012 
Inc
Sydney Entertainment Centre - 8th December 2012 Superstar
comedian Russell Brand returns to Australia for his first full national tour in
December! Russell
Brand shot to fame in the U.S. in 2008 when he was seen as rocker 'Aldous Snow'
in the Judd Apatow-produced comedy FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Since then, the
British star has become an international comedic success. Beginning
his career as a stand-up comedian, Brand rose to fame in the UK in 2003 for his
“Big Brother” spin-off, “Big Brother’s Big Mouth.” He
launched his first nationwide UK tour, Shame, in 2006; the show was released on
DVD as Russell Brand: Live. Brand launched his second nationwide UK tour in 2007,
Russell Brand: Only Joking; released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin’ Life.
He brought his stand-up comedy tour to the United States and Australia with his
tour, Russell Brand: Scandalous.
www.russellbrand.tv
Australian Artist News...Delta Goodrem injured; Will still perform Australian
shows...
Singer
Delta Goodrem has advised Aussie fans she will be fit enough to perform at her
scheduled concerts, despite suffering nasty burns to her legs in an accident last
Friday. Ms Goodrem was forced to abandon a concert at Sydney's State Theatre on
Friday night, after succumbing to the injuries suffered when she spilt boiling
water from a humidifier onto herself. "Unfortunately the pain and effects
from treating the burns got greater and greater as the night progressed and ultimately
there came a point that I could not continue performing," Ms Goodrem said
in an official statement. "I want everyone to know that I am recovering well
and will be in fine form for my forthcoming Melbourne shows next week. Thank you
again for your support and understanding." Australian based Promoter, Paul
Dainty, advised patrons at the Sydney concert would be entitled to a generous
50 per cent refund. "Delta showed incredible courage and dedication to her
fans by soldiering on through the pain and dizziness to perform a brilliant first
hour of her show to a full house at the Sydney State Theatre," Mr Dainty
said. "We are all just so proud of her trying to do the best for her fans
and at least deliver half of her show under such difficult circumstances."
Ticket agency Ticketmaster will contact all patrons regarding the refund procedure.
Ms Goodrem is due to play at the Hamer Hall at the Melbourne Arts Centre on Wednesday,
November 7 and Thursday, November 8.
www.deltagoodrem.com
Celeb rumour of the day: The
Rock will not be on 'I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here'...
'I'm
a Celebrity': The Rock issues denial... WWE
and pro wrestling living legend and Hollywood actor The Rock has issued a denial
of his involvement in I'm a Celebrity on Twitter. Retweeting a comment from a
fan about him taking part in the ITV1 show, The Rock, real name Dwayne Johnson,
wrote: "Garbage rumour." 'The Rock' will however be in the upcoming
reality TV program which he helped produce: 'The Hero'.
Wrap Up - The Last Word...
Fans,
thanks for reading our update on the hot acts that will be touring the land down
under of Australia. Time a moment to reflect on the great Aussie and Yankee promoters
who help put these gigs together, as well as the unsung heroes - the roadies who
travel from city to city, busting there backs, erecting and packing up the stages
et al. Stay tuned
- Don't change your dial... Watch
this space fans as the Media Man team will be providing reviews to most, if not
all of the above gigs. Your fan contributions are also welcome, and also be watching
out for more hot upcoming events. Rock on! News Stan
Lee Media sues Disney for billions over Marvel copyright et al - 10th October
2012 
Pop
culture and comic icon Stan Lee fighting Disney re Marvel; Not a Marvel video
game!; Stan Lee takes gamble on legal fight with Disney... Stan
Lee Media (SLM) has launched info a multi-billion dollar legal lawsuit VS entertainment
and media giant Disney claiming the entertainment king does not own the rights
to the Marvel Comics characters depicted in its films. Huge claim, we know. The
company, which Stan Lee himself is no longer associated with, claims that the
comic book icon signed over the rights to the superheroes and villains he created
to its corporate predecessor in a deal inked back to 1998. SLM
claims that an amended version of that agreement was filed with the US Securities
and Exchange Commission in March 2000 - that's almost a decade before Disney acquired
Marvel Entertainment, online publisher Deadline reports. The
company is seeking $5.5 billion in damages, an amount calculated based on the
profits from movies such as The Avengers, X-Men: First Class and Thor, as well
as the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. These are some of the most
popular movies of the current Hollywood era. "Defendant
The Walt Disney Company has represented to the public that it, in fact, owns the
copyright to these characters as well as to hundreds of other characters created
by Stan Lee," read SLM's complaint. "Those
representations made to the public by The Walt Disney Company are false." Disney,
which acquired Marvel in a massive financial deal in 2009, is yet to respond to
the allegations. Stay
tuned to the Media Man agency for more news as it comes to hand true believers. News Movie,
celebrity, entertainment and gaming news: James Bond, WWE, Wrestling...
-
6th October 2012 Entertainment
news, WWE, Hollywood, Australia, Sin City, Las Vegas, gaming and more... What
an exciting time for entertainment, movies, gaming and wrestling fans. WWE
new angles and storylines, plus Main Event hits Australian TV, Bwin.Party
has just released a new game, and you must check out the new Marvel Heroes online
game. We've also got Hollywood box office reports, pro wrestling
scoops, celebrity news and lots more. The Media
Man agency with the latest... James
Bond new documentary... The
highs and lows of the James Bond film franchise have been brought into the spotlight
with the release of a new documentary. 'Everything
or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007' charts the story behind the movie franchise
and has been launched to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the films. Director
Steven Riley told Reuters he was pleased the producers let him delve into the
story behind the stories. 'I
wanted to tell a real truthful history of the franchise, so I had requested that
we could tackle some of the tricky areas, some of the hard luck story of Bond
and they were thankfully very open about that,' he said. 'There
were many obstacles in the way, there were changing times to cope with changing
generations, tastes, there were changing relations - well personal struggles and
personal relationship failures and really how did the films survive despite those
obstacles in the way was something I really wanted to get to the root of.' Riley
said. The documentary
interviews five of the six official bond actors with the original Bond, Sean Connery,
a noticeable absence after turning down interview requests. Former
Bond girls mingled with the biggest names in James Bond at the premier screening
in London earlier this week. Among
the guests were the children of the pioneering producers of the film franchise
Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. 'Well
you know it's our baby and we feel very very protective over the Bond franchise,
it's something our father started over 50 years ago and he had great passion for
it and we have just been carrying the flame.' Cubby's daughter Barbara Broccoli
told Reuters. 'Everything
or Nothing' was released in theatres on Friday October 5, branded 'Global James
Bond Day'. Adele's
Bond theme tops iTunes...
Adele's theme for the new Bond film Skyfall has shot to the top of the iTunes
chart within hours of its release today.
The
track is hotly tipped to become the first 007 theme to make it to number one in
the official chart when it is announced on Sunday. The
song - also called Skyfall is her first new material since her career exploded
following the success of second album 21 early last year.
Vince McMahon returning to WWE television on Monday's Raw (U.S Report)...
WWE
head Vince McMahon will return to WWE television on Monday's Raw. WWE said Friday
that McMahon will deliver a "State of WWE Address." Potential
topics hinted at by WWE include Raw GM A.J. Lee's job performance, McMahon's future
in WWE (storyline-wise), and the fictional Board of Directors. McMahon's
return to television follows a typical pattern. When WWE Raw TV ratings slide
to alarmingly-low levels, which was the case this week, it usually leads to McMahon
returning to television. The
pattern was in-play this spring when Raw slipped below a 3.0 rating during the
post-WrestleMania lull period, which prompted McMahon to return to television.
Raw then received an artificial boost leading into the Raw 1,000 episode. Following
the Raw 1,000 episode on July 23, Raw's TV ratings sunk back to the 3.0-ratings
level. Raw then dipped below a 3.0 rating the previous four weeks against football
before tumbling to a 2.5 rating this week.
WWE News: WWE and Ion release "Main Event" TV ratings info - how did
the premiere episode fare? (U.S Report)...
WWE
and Ion Television issued a press release Thursday evening announcing they are
pleased with the ratings performance for the premiere episode "WWE Main Event"
on Wednesday, October 3, which featured WWE champion C.M. Punk vs. World Hvt.
champion Sheamus. The
press release did not provide an official TV rating, but noted average male viewership
was 876,000 and average female viewership was 518,000. It translates to an average
audience of about 1.4 million viewers. Additional information provided: -
Main Event drew the "highest male audience in the last year" on Ion
Network in males 18-49 (422,000 viewers on-average) and males 25-54 (444,000 average
viewers). - Main
Event ranked #4 during its time period among males 18-34 & males 18-49. The
show ranked #5 in males 25-54. -
WWE and Ion claim Main Event topped the MLB regular season finales on ESPN and
ESPN2 among key male and adult demos. -
Main Event topped most female cable networks with the average female viewing audience
of 518,000. WWE
CEO Vince McMahon commented in the press release: "Our partnership with ION
Television is off to a strong start. We expect our fans will make WWE Main Event
the number one show on the network as they have done for WWE programs with all
of our other TV Partners.” The
press release also slipped in a note about "Main Event" being comparable
to the U.S. presidential debate between U.S. president Barack Obama and Mitt Romney,
which immediately followed WWE's show. The release headlines: "Obama vs.
Romney was not the only match viewers tuned into on Wednesday night."
The Rock on: Dwayne Johnson’s new competition series, The Hero; U.S auditions...
Dwayne
"The Rock" Johnson will headline and executive-produce a new competition
series, The Hero, set to premiere in the summer of 2013 on TNT. Producers are
going on a seven-city U.S. casting call for the series, searching for “competitors
who display the physical, mental and emotional strength to participate in a battle
of brains, brawn and morality, resulting in one winner being named the ultimate
hero.” The
show will host Dallas auditions on Oct. 20 at the new Studio Movie Grill, 13933
N. Central Expressway at Spring Valley Road, Far North Dallas. For more information,
visit theherotnt.com. The
show will “bring together 10 ordinary people in a house, and then assign
them various missions … [it] will challenge the competitors to prove that
they’ve got what it takes to be heroes, pushing them to the limits to see
what they are willing (and able) to overcome, undergo or sacrifice for their fellow
contestants,” the press release continues. “Johnson will serve as The
Hero‘s mentor and motivator. … In a unique twist on the reality-competition
format, The Hero will incorporate social media into every facet of the show, from
pre-production and casting to on-location shooting and live broadcasts. Through
the show’s interactive digital platform, viewers will be able to vote each
week for the contestant they consider to be the most heroic.”
Off beat festival fires up...
A
Tasmanian festival combining music and art has been launched with a drumming performance
in Hobart's River Derwent. A
drummer wearing zebra print gumboots strode into the water in front of Hobart's
Museum of Old and New Art, to launch the upcoming MONA FOMA Festival. She
played for about ten minutes on a drum kit in the river. The
upcoming festival will include Indian bongo drums, theatre performances and quirky
art installations all over Hobart. Curator
Brian Ritchie is expecting a big crowd and says last week's Helpmann Award for
best contemporary music festival in Australia is likely to boost numbers. "We
have seen steady growth of visitors coming for MONA FOMA and we would expect that
to increase," he said. The
festival runs from the 16th to the 20th of January.
Former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista weighs in for MMA fight...
Former
WWE Superstar Dave
Bautista weighed in at 265.5 lbs. for his MMA debut tomorrow against Vince
Lucero (20-22), who weighed in at 300 pounds. The two heavyweights will square
off at "Real Pain" from The Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. "I'm
doing this for my love and passion of MMA, not for personal reasons," Bautista
said of the fight. "I'm tired of talking about myself at this point, but
I want to thank everyone who has supported me and supported this event." Batista
also spoke to "The Nick and Artie Show" to promote tomorrow's fight,
you can listen to the interview below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eKZAfZ-nq8&feature=player_embedded
Arnie admits cheating with Stallone's ex-wife...
Arnold
Schwarzenegger had an affair with Brigitte Nielsen shortly before she wed
Sylvester Stallone. The
philandering actor has revealed he had a steamy fling with the actress - who was
once married to his good pal Sylvester - during the early years of his relationship
with now ex-wife Maria Shriver. Arnold
has confessed to having an affair with the Danish actress while he was dating
Maria in his new autobiography, according to US gossip website TMZ. He
wrote that he and Brigitte became close while filming 'Red Sonja' together in
1985; the same year she married Sylvester. The
'Terminator' film star's admission comes more than a year after Brigitte originally
blew the whistle on their "outrageous affair" in her own memoir 'You
Only Get One Life', in which she claimed she didn't know he was living with Maria
at the time. Maria
is said to be furious with the actor for doing an interview about her reaction
to his new book on '60 Minutes' because she did not receive an advance copy of
his tell-all and was not contacted by the show to give her own reaction before
their interview. He
has also reportedly told Maria that she should not expect a share of the profits
from his autobiography, 'Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story', even
though much of the book is about their relationship. Arnold
recently admitted his affair was the "stupidest thing" he ever did in
his marriage. He
said: "I think it was the stupidest thing I've done in the whole relationship.
It was terrible. I inflicted tremendous pain on Maria and unbelievable pain on
the kids."
WWE Studios 'The Day' positive movie reviews...
"The
Day" hit theaters this week and the positive reviews are in on WWE
Studios and Anchor Bay Films' chilling horror film about a day in the lives
of a group of people living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Variety
by Marc Graser "
'The Day' is one of the most effective horror movies made in years, successfully
delivering a feeling of dread that so many films in the genre lack these days,
along with a unique story and captivating characters. Douglas Aarniokoski doesn’t
take the easy out in his direction and never relies on camp or amps up the gore
quotient to thrill audiences. He’s an impressive filmmaker who is worth keeping
an eye on." HollywoodLife.com
by Russ Weakland "WWE
Studios and Anchor Bay Films have always delivered films all over the spectrum
and with 'The Day' they continue to entertain us with a story of humanity torn
by war, destroying civilizations and most of all life on earth, which makes those
that are the survivors realize they must do whatever it takes to stay alive."
... "So if
you want to go out and see a film that will make you think and give you some jumps
and chills 'The Day' is your movie. You will not be disappointed!" The
Los Angeles Times by Mark Olsen "Luke
Passmore's screenplay is stingy with his explanations about who these people are
or how the world came to be in this state, and that turns out to be one of the
film's greatest strengths." ... "As
Mary, the most recent enlistee to the tribe, [Ashley] Bell has a secretive reserve
and steely resolve."
The Rock 'foils would-be burglars in London'...
The
Rock has apparently foiled an attempted burglary in London The
actor - also known as Dwayne Johnson - was working on his new movie Fast and Furious
6 in Hackney when he spotted the group of would-be thieves as they attempted to
break into vans. Johnson,
who was dressed as an FBI agent for filming, was said to have abandoned a fight
scene mid-take in order to confront the group. "It
was so funny. The Rock looked like an action hero because he had his flak jacket
on and an FBI badge in his hand," an insider recalled to The Sun. "All
of a sudden, there was loads of gunfire and this giant dressed as a copper was
about to mow them down. The lads jumped out of their skin and scarpered down the
canal path and left the crew in peace. "It
was like the Only Fools [and Horses] 'Batman' sequence - they must have thought
they were in the middle of a real-life action movie." The
source also quipped that the crew have suggested that actor - wrestler Johnson
should be single-handedly responsible for security on the Fast and Furious 6 set. The
source said: “It was so funny. The Rock looked like an action hero because
he had his flak jacket on and an FBI badge in his hand. All of a sudden there
was loads of gunfire and this giant dressed as a copper was about to mow them
down. The lads jumped out of their skin and scarpered down the canal path and
left the crew in peace. “It
was like the Only Fools Batman sequence — they must have thought they were
in the middle of a real-life action movie. “Now
the crew are joking that they should drop security and just have The Rock do it.”
Dwayne Johnson wards off burglars...
London
- Dwayne 'The Rock'
Johnson scared off a gang of would-be thieves on the set of his latest film. The
40-year-old actor spotted a group of youths breaking into a warehouse in Hackney,
East London while filming The Fast and the Furious 6 and stormed off the set mid-scene
- dressed in full FBI agent costume - to chase the burglars away. A
source told The Sun newspaper: "It was so funny. The Rock looked like an
action hero because he had his flak jacket on and an FBI badge in his hand. Quick
thinking "All
of a sudden there was loads of gunfire and this giant dressed as a copper was
about to mow them down. "The
lads jumped out of their skin and scarpered down the canal path and left the crew
in peace. They must have thought they were in the middle of a real-life action
movie. "Now
the crew are joking that they should drop security and just have The Rock do it." The
former wrestler managed to prevent the theft of expensive equipment thanks to
his quick thinking and his impressive 6'5" frame. The
Fast and the Furious 6 also stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and singer Rihanna,
who is set to play a villain in the popular film franchise.
Box Office results for new WWE movie...
WWE
Studios's latest movie, "The Day," drew an estimated $10,100 in its
first full weekend in theaters. The movie, which was shown in 12 theaters, ranked
52 out of 54 movies tracked over the weekend, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
(Pro Wrestling Torch) - U.S news report
No Holds Barred star facing prison time...
Tommy
"Tiny" Lister, who was back in the spotlight this summer when WWE re-released
"No Holds Barred" on DVD, faces up to five years of prison time for
alleged mortgage fraud. Lister, who played Zeus in the WWE movie, pled guilty
to "conspiring to commit mortgage fraud" in federal court on Friday,
according to a TMZ report. According
to the plea agreement, Lister and other individuals conspired to obtain mortgages
worth $5.7 million, costing lenders $2.6 million. Lister was also accused of defrauding
lenders of another $1.1 million. Lister is due back in court in September for
sentencing, which could be up to five years in federal prison. David
Otunga talks WWE and movies... WWE
wrestler David Otunga said in a recent interview that he hopes to eventually advance
to the top of the card in WWE. "I am very goal oriented and want to see my
character go to the top. I am hoping to have the creative freedom to do that and
let it pan out the way I would like. It’s exciting for sure and hopefully
in the next few weeks my character continues to grow," Otunga told ChicagoNow.com
promoting Raw. Otunga
also discussed his recent movie role for WWE Studios's "The Hive." Otunga
said, "The film was unbelievably fun because it came to me second nature.
With the WWE, the acting classes, and the improv I do it was very easy to blend
in. The only major difference was me having to shave. I haven’t shaved in
many, many years but it had to be done and it helped me get into character."
WWE Interested In Lingerie Football Star...
The
WWE NXT website has added a profile for Summer Rae and in that profile they acknowledge
her past career with the Lingerie Football League. On a related note, WWE apparently
has interest in another LFL star - Zipporah Chase. NWA
documentary news... Charleston
Post & Courier columnist Mike Mooneyham's Sunday column features a review
of a new NWA documentary,
"History and Tradition: The Story of the National Wrestling Alliance,"
which focuses heavily on the history and prestige of the NWA World Title. The
story also reviews the current state of the NWA, which is being re-organized by
R. Bruce Tharpe after buying the rights to the organization. Included are quotes
from PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell on the history of and state of the
NWA and his view on whether the organization has a place in today's wrestling
era.
WWE News: Jericho details WWE's lack of long-term planning & day-of-TV-changes
in interview on his 2012 WWE run...
In
an interview with the Busted Open satellite radio show, Chris
Jericho highlighted WWE's lack of long-term planning and changes on the day
of TV tapings, which has been exacerbated by Raw shifting to three hours, in a
review of his 2012 WWE run. Notably,
Jericho said he did not find out about his "Contract vs. Contract" send-off
match against Dolph Ziggler on the August 20 Raw the night after Summerslam until
ten minutes before Raw started. "I
didn’t know until the day I showed up, actually ten minutes before Raw started
in Fresno that we were doing this contract vs. contract thing. So, I didn’t
even know this was going to happen. I just figured I would have a match with Dolph
and that would be the end of it," Jericho said. "So,
people who think that there is some long, drawn-out, plan, it really wasn’t.
It was about ten minutes before the show started and I was like 'Oh, we are doing
a contract vs contract thing? Oh okay.' So there you go, a little special behind
the scenes look." Jericho
also said WWE did not have a plan for his feud with Dolph Ziggler when it started
after the Money in the Bank PPV in July. Jericho said he pressed for a back-story
to their feud before their strong opening promo. "I
couldn’t wait to work with Dolph but I needed a story. What’s the story?
They said, 'we will think of one later.' I said, 'I don’t like that.' I need
to think of one now since I have a promo tonight with Dolph. We can't think about
this next week," Jericho said. Jericho
added, "That’s when I came up with the concept of everyone was bitching
that Jericho never won a match on PPV... I thought it would be real interesting
to go with the 'you can’t win the big one' scenario. But sometimes the writers
will write 'this old broken down guy who is on the last legs of his career.' I’m
like, 'Wait a second, broken down? I’m in the best shape of my life, never
been hurt, I’ve never missed a match...' I wanted to focus on the storyline
of 'he can’t win the big one.' It gave us a great place to go." Jericho
has said in recent interviews that he wasn't supposed to feud with Ziggler in
his send-off program culminating at Summerslam. Jericho expanded on his reaction
to being told he wouldn't be feuding with the other candidates, Sheamus and Daniel
Bryan. "Originally
I was supposed to feud with Sheamus, and then it was Daniel Bryan. Then the day
of Raw, they said I was doing something with Dolph. I was like, 'What happened
to Daniel Bryan and Sheamus?' They said it changed and I was fine with it. I’ve
been doing this long enough that I roll with the punches," Jericho said. Regarding
future stars on the roster replacing the old guard, Jericho talked about the uphill
battle that wrestlers like Ziggler and Miz have in front of them not being having
well-rounded wrestling experience outside of WWE. Jericho said, "When that
light bulb comes on and they already have ninety percent, but that last ten percent
is what makes you a great performer; some guys never figure out that last ten
percent and when the guys do, that’s when they become guys you can base companies
around and put in main events." Specifically
on whether Ziggler can be a future main-eventer, Jericho said, "Dolph is
one of the best guys on the roster, but he is still learning as are a lot of the
other guys. People say, 'Oh, Damien Sandow is the next guy or Kofi.' These guys
are still learning. In time, I think these guys will be amazing, amazing performers.
But, right now they are still on their way up the learning tree. So, yes, I think
Dolph is going to be an amazing performer. Yes, I think the Miz is going to be
a great performer. Lots of guys are getting into that zone, but they are still
learning... It’s a different world out there right now than the way it used
to be. There is a lot of great, great performers or potential great performers
that are on the way to getting there." [ FYI: Busted Open with Dave Lagreca
and Doug Mortman can be heard from 2:00 to 4:00 EST on Sirius 94, XM 208, and
Sportszone 860 on the Internet ] (Pro Wrestling Torch)
Ric Flair Comments On 'Hangover 3' Campaign And His Daughter Working For WWE NXT...
We
noted before that fans online are trying to get WWE Hall of Famer Ric
Flair a cameo appearance in The Hangover 3 movie. Scott Fishman of The Miami
Herald spoke with Flair this weekend about the campaign and The Nature Boy is
perfectly fine with it. "Oh
man, I love my fans. So cool they started this whole campaign. I could play anything,
as long as I'm not the guy getting married." Flair
also says he's proud of his daughter Ashley, who is currently working as Charlotte
in WWE NXT. Flair said: "It's
my hope that people see that her accomplishments aren't a result of me. She's
worked extremely hard for this. It's a very physically and mentally demanding
business, and I really just couldn't be more proud." You
can check out the full article by clicking here.http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/01/2980014/hangover-suits-wwe-hall-of-famer.html
Ric Flair going through fourth divorce, waiting for WWE call up...
Details
are scarce at the moment, but Dave Meltzer, in this week's Wrestling Observer
Newsletter, reported that Ric
Flair is currently going through a divorce, his fourth one, with his current
wife, Jacqueline Beems. Apparently, Flair is the one who filed for divorce and
cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their break up. The
news is unsurprising as less than two months ago Flair was assaulted by Beems
at his home, according to a local police report. This wasn't the first such incident
during their marriage together, as Beems was arrested for simple assault on February
21st, 2010 after getting into a fight with Flair upon their return to their residence
after a night out. They managed to patch things up after that highly publicised
and embarrassing affair, but obviously the second fight that required police intervention
was the straw that broke the camel's back. The
cause of their second fight together never came out publicly. But Ric Flair still
living The Nature Boy lifestyle and their money problems worsening, what with
Flair losing his job with TNA, were all likely at least partly to blame. Ric's
adultery was at the heart of his divorce with second wife, Beth; while third wife,
Tiffany VanDemark, quickly "had enough" of his inability to retire gracefully
and lead a more normal lifestyle with her. Expect
a fifth marriage in the not too distant future for Flair, as he obviously has
a psychological need to be in a serious relationship at all times, even though
he clearly finds it difficult to fully commit to a partner and amend his behaviour
to ensure that a marriage lasts the test of time. Meltzer
also had the latest on his status with WWE: There
was talk surfacing of Flair replacing [Vickie] Guerrero with [Dolph] Ziggler but
I don't know how serious that is. Plus, even though Flair can legally start with
WWE on 9/10, WWE has yet to sign anyone from TNA since the lawsuit was filed. This
may explain why Ziggler is currently in a holding pattern of putting over the
likes of Randy Orton and Sheamus on a seemingly weekly basis. WWE may not want
to pull the trigger on him cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase and winning
the World Heavyweight Championship until TNA's lawsuit against them for contract
tampering has been dealt with and Flair can return to WWE as his manager. I
have mixed feelings on Flair becoming Ziggler's new manager. Though it should
help Ziggler to be taken more seriously, there is the risk that he will be overshadowed
by Flair and make it more difficult for him to get heel heat. At least being managed
by Vickie ensures plenty of boos. Personally, I think Flair would be much better
utilised in an onscreen figurehead role - what do you think Cagesiders? (Cageside
Seats)
Joss Whedon: 'The Avengers isn't a perfect movie'...
Joss
Whedon has claimed that The
Avengers isn't "a great movie". The
film has met with critical acclaim and outstanding commercial success, becoming
the third highest-grossing film of all time in just a few months, but Whedon,
the superhero blockbuster's writer and director, is determined to keep his feet
on the ground. In
an interview with Vulture, the 48-year-old claimed that the box office numbers
became, ultimately, "meaningless". He
said: "They're large, and you can't really count that high." Describing
what his goals were with The Avengers, he claimed: "I felt like I had a particular
mission in making what I felt was a slightly old-fashioned movie, because I grew
up wanting to make summer movies and wanting to make superhero movies, and I got
to do both at once. "I
felt like summer movies haven't been what I remember them to be, so I felt like
I would love to evoke something that's less hip and ironic and more heartfelt
and character-driven, and apparently, other people cared about that in a large
way." The
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator then conceded: "I don't think
it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great
time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't
go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within,
unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying." Whedon
will oversee a Marvel-produced SHIELD television show for ABC, before starting
work on the Avengers sequel, due for a summer 2015 release.
The Avengers Crosses $1.5 Billion At Worldwide Box Office...
While
the re-release of The
Avengers at the U.S. box office might have failed to break into the top ten
Labor Day weekend movies, it did help The Avengers reach another major milestone.
The Avengers has become the third movie in history to cross the $1.5 billion mark
at the worldwide box office. While
retaining its number three position on the worldwide box office list, The Avengers
took in another estimated $1.7 million over Labor Day weekend, which brought The
Avengers U.S. box office total to $619.5 million and The Avengers worldwide box
office total to $1.501 billion. Interestingly
enough, The Dark Knight Rises also reached a milestone today, surpassing $1 billion
at the worldwide box office, which means that combined The Avengers and The Dark
Knight Rises have accounted for $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office this
year. If you add in The Amazing Spider-Man, which currently sits at number four
on the 2012 worldwide box office list with $734.9 million, then the total rises
to $3.2 billion. It’s definitely a good time to be in the superhero movie
making business.
Jim Carrey joins Kick-Ass 2 cast...
Jim
Carrey has been offered the role of Colonel Stars in Jeff Wadlow's superhero comedy,
director Jeff Wadlow has strongly hinted. Director
Jeff Wadlow and creator Mark Millar have hinted that the 50-year-old funnyman
has landed the coveted role of Colonel Stars in the sequel to 2010's wacky superhero
comedy. Jeff tweeted:
"6 days till we start shooting... and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty
f'n then! @ChloeGMoretz @MintzPlasse @donald_faison #kickass2. (sic)" After
Christopher Mintz-Plasse replied asking who his new co-star was going to be, the
original comic book's author Mark replied: "Clue - he lives with 200 raccoons
and parrots, owns the mask of Loki and named by spielberg as a genius. (sic)" During
Jim's 1994 film 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective', which sees him play the titular
character, his alter-ego is a private investigator who specialises in the retrieval
of captive animals. 'The
Mask' star Jim is reportedly a big fan of the original 'Kick-Ass' film by Matthew
Vaughn and was being courted to play the born again Christian superhero, who assembles
a motley crew of superheroes to help fight evil. The
sequel will see several new additions to the cast, including 'Scrubs' actor Donald
Faison as Doctor Gravity and John Leguizamo as Red Mist's bodyguard, Javier. The
comedy will begin shooting this Friday (07.08.12) and sees Aaron Johnson returning
as the lead Kick-Ass, while co-stars Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz and
Nicolas Cage are also reprising their roles from the first film. 'Kick-Ass
2' is set for release in June 2013.
Aussie actors Crowe and Jackman at war...
Russell
Crowe and Hugh Jackman are at war! According
to various news reports, the actors having been fighting like catty tween girls
while shooting the new Les Miserables movie. “They
refuse to be in the same room – trying to get them to promote a film together
is a nightmare,” a source tells Star magazine. “They’ve
known each other for a decade, but during this shoot, any shred of civility was
thrown aside. They can’t stand each other, each calling the other an embarrassment
to the profession. “Russell
sneers at Hugh’s musical-theater background. But Hugh says Russell embarrassed
his country with his bad reputation in Hollywood.” Costar
Anne Hathaway has tried to mend fences, but the actors won’t budge. “Producers
hope she can convince them to come to a truce, but it’s not looking very
promising,” said the source Idea
of the moment: Crowe VS Jackman at WWE WrestleMania (Jackman is a known massive
WWE fan and has participated in a physical WWE angle in the past, so here's hoping).
Howzat: Kerry Packer's war on cricket may be missing Dennis Lillee...
Many
in media and sports circles are now buzzing that the true founding father of one-day
cricket was not Kerry
Packer but Dennis Lillee - yet the TV smash Howzat! whitewashes him from history,
one of the original World Series directors has revealed. In
an rocket on Channel 9's ratings blockbuster, World Series Cricket director Austin
Robertson - who also featured as a character in the mini-series - said Australians
should thank Lillee for creating the one-day game. In
response, the show's producers launched a broadside of their own, claiming they
asked Lillee to contribute but the bowling superstar refused to because he wouldn't
get any money. Mr
Robertson, who worked closely with the former Nine king and the rebel team, also
defended "the Big Fella" and said he was not the bully he was portrayed
to be. Nor was the late batting star David Hookes the simpering and indecisive
vacillator depicted in the show. Mr
Robertson said Howzat! was great entertainment and brilliantly produced but riddled
with inaccuracies. "The
producers made a nonsense of the way they treated the man really responsible for
the whole thing - Dennis Lillee," he said. "Dennis
was visible enough but he is not given the acknowledgement for having the idea
in the first place, and his contribution in putting the entire thing together.
Other people have put their hands up for having the brainchild of WSC but I am
here to say that, without Lillee, it would never have happened at the time. "Though
Packer was determined to get the precious television rights, they would never
have been delivered at that time without having the best fast bowler in the world
in his corner. "Curiously,
the producers of the show, in the curtain-call of the program, in the segment
'Where are the main players today,' DKL was again overlooked. "I
had to ask myself, why did they do that? It was Lillee who delivered the players
and, while it was great to be playing on the Packer team, without Lillee it would
have never got off the ground." Southern
Star producer John Edwards, who made the show, hit back at Mr Robertson. He said
Lillee boycotted the show and "shut down" Mr Robertson after learning
no money was on offer.: "He (Robertson) was invited. There's nothing more
to say really. He was mad keen on being involved and Dennis got to him and he
was shut down. Dennis wanted money. "We
tried to speak to everybody and not everybody wanted to speak. Some people had
grievances and grudges. "(Writer)
Chris Lee tried to involve them as much as as possible in the story and they chose
not to be involved." Mr
Robertson confirmed he and Lillee had been approached but declined to take part.
He declined to comment further or say whether money was an issue. Lillee
could not be reached but he has consistently refused to comment on Howzat!. Mr
Robertson praised Mr Packer and revealed the media tycoon was not as aggressive
as the show portrayed: "The portrayal of Kerry as a constant bully and user
of foul language is far from the truth. He could bully. I saw him on many occasions
rise up like an out-of-control bull elephant and reduce a grown man to tears.
I heard him swear like a storm trooper when out of control. But I never saw him
chuck a plate of food. "I
thought Kerry was in the main a humble man, often revealing great compassion,
a gentle giant who would talk issues out for hours before making a decision, and
then following it through. "The
mini-series gave everybody the impression he was a loud, foul- mouthed bully and
we saw precious little of his other side." Channel
9 declined to comment however sources at the network said they felt the show was
spot on in capturing Mr Packer. Mr
Robertson also rejected Howzat!'s portrayal of friend David Hookes, who died after
an altercation with a bouncer in Melbourne in 2004. "David
was not a weak, indecisive and nervous character who 'spilled the beans' to The
Age's Peter McFarline." And
as for his own portrayal Mr Robertson said: "From birth, and throughout the
many years I have enjoyed on the earth I have never had a moustache."
Prince Harry; casino tycoon Steve Wynn and fun and games in Las Vegas and beyond...
As
the UK's Daily Mail states it's a rare man who walks away from Las Vegas with
nothing to regret. Prince
Harry counts the cost of his escapades in Sin City, he may just be coming to regret
the day he ever made the acquaintance of casino tycoon Steve
Wynn. Wynn,
the self-proclaimed King of Las Vegas, is the billionaire owner of the five-star
Encore Wynn resort, the opulent hotel-casino in whose eight-room, £5,100-a-night
suite the prince was photographed playing strip billiards. Unsubstantiated
reports this week have suggested that cocaine was snorted in the suite, and that
a known prostitute was among the guests. There are even rumours of a video tape
capturing the night's events. So how did the third-in-line to the throne come
to meet – even befriend – a septuagenarian gambling mogul? Steve
Wynn, a flamboyant showman with a surgically-enhanced, wrinkle-free face, carefully
coiffed hair, a volcanic temper and a trophy wife, is famous for befriending celebrities
whose patronage would be good for business. Last
November, 70-year-old Wynn was spotted having dinner with the prince in one of
his Vegas steakhouses while the Prince was enjoying a weekend break from an advanced
helicopter training course in Arizona. Waiving
the bills of celebrities is common practice in Vegas, and it remains unclear who
paid the estimated £30,000 bill for Harry's recent stay. According to Wynn's
spokesman, the tab was not picked up by either the tycoon or his hotel. Is
the prince welcome to return? I can't see why not,' the spokesman said. Wynn
is unlikely to be perturbed by Harry's naked shenanigans, but if drugs do turn
out to have been involved, he may swiftly seek to distance himself from the events.
He may be Las Vegas's most revered casino owner, but he still has his gambling
licence and his reputation to think about. It is a reputation that Wynn is eager
to protect. He has worked hard to erase the stains of the past. Today,
he is widely credited as the man who single-handedly cleaned up' Vegas and made
it into a place in which Wall Street could invest and young families could holiday
(if parents don't mind their children collecting the prostitutes' calling cards
which litter the pavement). Yet
for all his denials, Wynn, who is worth $2.5 billion, has never shaken off accusations
that he was linked for many years to the mobsters who once ruled Las Vegas. He
has weathered successive U.S. investigations over everything from drug-dealing
to money-laundering, and has never been found to have committed any wrong-doing. In
Britain, the authorities have proved harder to convince. When he tried to open
a casino in London to exploit the influx of rich Arabs in the early Eighties,
Scotland Yard denied him a licence. But in the desert city of Las Vegas, he remains
a swaggering icon. He has a reputation for being sophisticated' but that's by
Vegas standards. This
is a man who bought Impressionist masterpieces only to hang them on the walls
of his casinos; who reputedly blew his finger off while playing with a gun given
to him by a former Mob hitman, and who boasts that his wife Andrea has the greatest
butt in the world'. Money
is no object. In 2005, Wynn sank $2.7 billion into building just one hotel the
curved glass and steel Wynn Las Vegas. He then did the same again a few years
later with the Encore. So
enamoured is he with the idea of himself as Sin City royalty that he arranged
his wedding last year to coincide with that of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Hollywood
star Clint Eastwood was best man and lingerie model Caprice a bridesmaid. The
reception, held in the ballroom of Wynn's Encore resort, boasted a 500-strong
guest list which included Sylvester Stallone, Steven Spielberg, Lionel Richie,
Sir Philip Green and Celine Dion. Each
guest left with a five-inch high replica of the tiered wedding cake, but it's
unlikely Wynn or his rake-thin new wife enjoyed much of the banquet. Both are
vegans, and the youth-obsessed Wynn, who exists on a diet of vitamin pills, liquidised
walnuts and the occasional indulgent dribble of olive oil, boasts that he still
has a 32in waistline. After
years of hard graft and wheeler-dealing, he has earned the right to behave as
he wishes. The son of an East Coast bingo parlour operator and hardened gambler,
the brash and handsome Wynn Jnr expanded the family business to Las Vegas with
a string of clever investments and ambitious hustling. In
the Seventies and Eighties, when Wynn was building his empire, Las Vegas was full
of the mobsters who had originally built its gambling industry. Some
say it was impossible to work in the city and not come into contact with mafiosi,
even unwittingly. Others have suggested that, even so, Wynn had an unusually large
number of brushes with the Mob. Wynn
himself has vigorously denied any involvement with the Mob, and none of the numerous
law enforcement investigations for gambling licences have ever concluded that
he worked for or with organised crime. In
1967, he was with some business associates of noted mobsters on a private yacht
cruise on a lake in Nevada when a naked young woman somehow fell over the back
of the boat and was chopped almost in half by the propeller blades. Her death
prompted an investigation, but everyone on board denied having seen the incident. And
he had trouble with officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1986 after investigators
discovered mobster Tony Castelbuono, a friend of Wynn, was laundering the profits
of heroin trafficking at his gambling tables. Wynn almost lost his gambling licence. Today,
such tales of the Mob are just water under the bridge. Wynn has re-invented himself
as the business genius who demolished seedy gambling joints along the Vegas Strip
and replaced them with slick hotel-casinos such as the Mirage (the city's first
3,000-bed hotel), the Treasure Island and the Bellagio. Part
of his success has been his ability to turn on the charm with important people.
But Wynn is notorious, too, for his temper. In 1991, he reached an out-of-court
settlement for an undisclosed sum with the former president of Wynn's Golden Nugget
casino, who described Wynn as a womanising, brutal boss. In
allegations made in documents lodged at court, it was said that he would get so
angry that his eyes bulged and he started screaming at the top of his lungs and
banging his head on the table'. There was no admission of liability by Wynn, who
denied the allegations. His
mother Zelma claims his tyrannical behaviour is the result of frustration over
his failing eyesight. The tycoon suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive
genetic disease which effectively gives him tunnel vision by destroying his ability
to see peripheral images. In a dark room, he is completely blind. His
vision may be failing, but for years he was infamous for his roving eye, keeping
keys to empty rooms at his various hotels for trysts. He was known to favour his
female blackjack croupiers. All
that came to a stop when he met the beautiful Mrs Wynn. Usually described as a
British socialite, 48-year-old Andrea was, in fact, born in New York but, as her
proud husband likes to stress, was raised in England and France. Tres sophistique. It
all sounds rather less chic when you learn that the family moved to France because
her father, a wheeler-dealer named Victor Danenza, fled there in 1976 to escape
an FBI fraud investigation. Before
becoming the second Mrs Wynn, Andrea had lived in London with her first husband,
Texan banker Robert Hissom, a former polo-playing friend of Prince Charles. She
met Wynn in 2008 in St Tropez, where he keeps a yacht, and the couple began a
very public romance. Wynn divorced his long-suffering first wife Elaine, after
46 years of marriage, and wed Andrea last year. Elaine
made around $740 million from the settlement one of the biggest payouts in U.S.
divorce history. The costly divorce appears not to have troubled Mr Wynn, who
is delighted with his new wife. It's
like God made a woman for me,' he once said, before pointing out the part of his
wife he most admired the greatest butt in the world'. It
all goes to show that money can buy you neither taste nor manners. Even Wynn's
attempts to acquire a collection of old masterpieces have invited accusations
that he was vulgar and greedily acquisitive. He
has, since the late Nineties, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on paintings
by Picasso and Degas, Caravaggio and Titian. He has several times scooped the
world's great galleries at auction, only to horrify the art world by hanging his
purchases in his casinos. At
70, he shows no sign of slowing down though controversy continues to dog him.
He was until recently embroiled in a three-year court battle with Joe Francis,
founder of the soft porn video empire Girls Gone Wild. In
documents lodged at court, Francis claims Wynn threatened in an email that he
would kill him over a $2 million gambling debt. Wynn is alleged to have written
that he would hit Francis in the back of the head with a shovel'. Wynn
denies the allegations and claims no such email exists. In
Asia, where Wynn now earns 70 per cent of his profits from the gambling mecca
of Macau, a resort on the South China Sea, he is embroiled in a battle with a
former business partner, Kazuo Okada. This
week, Okada sued Wynn for $140 million for libel after each accused the other
of paying bribes within the Asian gambling industry. No amount of black marble
and old masters can hide the sleaziness at the heart of Las Vegas. It
is hard to believe Wynn when he claims he could just as easily have gone into
family theme parks if Walt Disney hadn't done it first. Indeed, it seems about
as likely as Prince Harry settling for free entry to Sleeping Beauty's Castle
rather than a weekend with his colourful acquaintances in Sin City. One
ponders if the prince may be planning to visit in any casino - hotels in the near
future, and little doubt that Australia's The Star or Crown Melbourne would love
to have him. The smart money say's Prince Harry will no be stepping into any casino
in Australia or anywhere else in the near future, perhaps more positive PR appearances
will be on the cards however.
Bwin.party losing its poker face...
LONDON
(SHARECAST) - Online gaming titan bwin.party says revenues in the first half of
2012 grew at its casino
and gaming offerings but poker has been hit by strong competitors and difficulties
in southern Europe. The
group was formed last year by the merger between German outfit bwin Interactive
Entertainment and British firm PartyGaming and still has co-Chief Executives Norbert
Teufelberger and Jim Ryan. On
a pro forma basis (comparing the results of both companies before the merger),
total revenue increased by 3% to €410.0m (2011: €398.0m). This was achieved
despite an 11% increase in gaming taxes so that the pro forma “clean”
earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased 13% to
€92.3m (2011: €81.9m). This is better than the forecast of €89m
made by analysts at Peel Hunt. Bwin.party
has also had to take a nasty one-off charge of €31.5m after the Spanish authorities
contacted all of the major online gaming operators making clear any online operator
that had ever accepted customers from Spain had an obligation to pay Spanish taxes.
The group offers
four online “experiences”: sports betting produced revenues of €128.1m
in the first half, versus €125.7m in 2011; casino
and games delivered €139.7m, against €124.3m in the prior year; bingo
was down from €33m to €31.5m; while the weakest performance was from
poker, which fell
from €104.9m to €96.4m. In
a joint statement, Ryan and Teufelberger said they were "determined to return
[poker] to growth through execution of a detailed plan that includes pooling our
poker liquidity as well as repositioning our flagship PartyPoker
brand.” The
interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 1.72p per share although the company
warned that net gaming revenue since June has fallen 8% as the end of the Euro
2012 Championships and a late start to the Bundesliga hit takings.
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment: PartyCasino gets new 'Under the Sea' slot game...
Check
out PartyCasino
via the Media Man network for more on
this exciting new slot game which can be played for free or played for money.
Bwin.Party is one of the most financially stable gaming companies on the planet
and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They also high security and high excitment
online poker, sports betting and more.
New Trailer For Marvel Heroes..
Gazillion
Entertainment is proud to show off a new trailer for Marvel Heroes. The new trailer
announces 3 new playable heroes in the game – Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel
Girl. The trailer made its debut at the Marvel Heroes panel at PAX 2012. The panel
featured Gazillion President David Brevik (one of the creators of Diablo!), legendary
Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man! Avengers vs. X-Men! And)
and Marvel’s mighty VP of Games Production TQ Jefferson. If you look closely,
you’ll also see a bunch of villains were also revealed in the trailer, including
Mr. Fisk the notorious crime lord. Website:
http://www.youtube.com/marvelheroesonline About
Marvel Heroes... Marvel
Heroes is a FREE-TO-PLAY action-packed massively multiplayer online game created
by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the iconic Marvel
Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core game-play style of Diablo and MMOs with
the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. In the game, players
can collect and play as their favorite Marvel Superheroes (including Iron Man,
Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America and many others). Team up with
friends and try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power
of the Cosmic Cube in a story crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael
Bendis.
The Top 10 best MMA fights of the rest of 2012...
There
are plenty of exciting fights to look forward to before 2013. Here’s a look
at our top 10 (barring injuries): 10.
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le (UFC on Fuel TV 6, Nov. 10 in Macau)
This one isn’t
as much about the fight as it is about the significance of the event – the
UFC’s first in China. Neither of these guys is currently in their prime,
but they always give crowd-pleasing performances. Le, a native of Vietnam, should
have a massive Asian following. 9.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Patricky Freire (Bellator 76, Oct. 12 in Windsor, Ontario)
Alvarez might have dropped the Bellator title last year to Michael Chandler, but
he’s still one of the top 15 lightweights in the world. This also could be
his last Bellator fight with his contract expiring – don’t be surprised
if he’s in the UFC in 2013. Explosive knockout artist Freire will be a game
opponent. 8. Joseph
Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson, UFC flyweight title (UFC 152, Sept. 22 in Toronto)
Don’t blink. These are two of the fastest guys in MMA and both challenged
for the bantamweight title before the UFC created its flyweight division. This
bout will determine the company’s first-ever flyweight champion and these
are legitimately the top two guys in the world at 125. 7.
Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson (TUF 16 finale, Dec. 15 in Las Vegas)
There’s
very little chance this one leaves the first round. Carwin and Nelson love to
slug it out and after coaching against one another on “The Ultimate Fighter”
they probably won’t be too friendly. It’ll be nice to see Carwin, a
former heavyweight top contender, back in the cage. 6.
Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir (Strikeforce: Mir vs. Cormier, Oct. 27 in TBA)
This might be a Strikeforce fight, but it has UFC implications. Mir, the former
UFC heavyweight champion, takes on Strikeforce champ Cormier in somewhat of a
crossover matchup. But Cormier will be in the UFC right after this fight courtesy
of Strikeforce's heavyweight division being disbanded and a win here puts him
on path for a title shot in 2013. 5.
BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC on Fox 5, Dec. 8 in Seattle)
The trash talk
has already been fun between the two, but things will really heat up when they
enter the Octagon. Think of this as something of a passing of the torch fight.
Penn, in the twilight of his career, will put up a strong challenge against the
young lion, but the multi-faceted MacDonald is nearing superstardom in the welterweight
division. 4. Benson
Henderson (c) vs. Nate Diaz, UFC lightweight title (UFC on Fox 5, Dec. 8 in Seattle)
This could easily be a Fight of the Year candidate if it goes how it’s supposed
to. Neither of these guys gives an inch – both Henderson and Diaz are perpetually
moving forward. A win here, against a superior standup fighter in Diaz, would
put Henderson’s name among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. 3.
Jose Aldo (c) vs. Frankie Edgar, UFC featherweight title (UFC 153, Oct. 13 in
Rio)
Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Aldo was supposed to defend his title
against Erik Koch, but Koch had to pull out with an injury and his loss is the
fans’ gain. Edgar was the UFC lightweight champion for more than a year and
his last two losses were by the slimmest of margins. Aldo, meanwhile, is a buzzsaw
– one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. This is, indeed,
a superfight. 2.
Georges St. Pierre (c) vs. Carlos Condit, UFC welterweight unification (UFC 154,
Nov. 17 in Montreal)
It seems like it’s been forever since St. Pierre
has fought. One of the best MMA fighters of all time has not competed in more
than a year and a half due to injuries, including a torn ACL. He returns to face
red-hot Carlos Condit, who is coming off a win over Nick Diaz in January. St.
Pierre, a dominant champ, has never faced anyone with the combination of speed,
athleticism and technique that Condit has. 1.
Junior dos Santos (c) vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC heavyweight title (UFC 155, Dec.
29 in Las Vegas) This
time, we’ll get the incredible battle of wills that we were promised last
year. Velasquez lost his title to dos Santos last November in just over a minute
via stunning knockout. To make matters worse, it was the UFC’s first show
on Fox and the company took undeserved criticism for the quick, flash KO. Who
knew that dos Santos-Velasquez wouldn’t be a war? This one will make up for
it, closing the year on a huge high note – the two best heavyweights in the
world trading in the center of the cage. Only one will be standing at the end.
(New York Post) News WWE
Live RAW Tour: Event Results From Sydney, Australia - 31st August 2012, by Greg
Tingle 
C.M
Punk VS Daniel Bryan - Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia Pro
wrestling WWE style - Sports Entertainment returns to Sydney, Australia...
WrestleMania (Australian style) returned to Sydney on Friday night and the show
did not disappoint.
Pro
wrestling fans young and old got their fix of WWE grapplers. The
WWE marketing and media machine can be attributed to what looked to be a 90 percent
full Allphones Arena - making it a crowd of approximately 15,000. It's unclear
how much of the crowd was papered (unpaid), but the smart money says it was fans
who parted with their hard earned money. A
mixed crowd of both hardcore fans, casual fans and families, who were pretty vocal
and hyped up for the show. The
show commenced with Brodus Clay VS Jack Swagger. Naomi was with Brodus, no Cameron.
Swagger got some good heat, but Brodus got his hand raised quick. Entertaining
and fun, but not a classic wrestling match - nor was it supposed to be. Kids just
love Clay. Next
was the divas (ladies) match. WWE Divas Champion Layla defeated Rosa Mendes. We
appreciated the effort of the ladies but its safe to say the WWE should raise
the bar in the Diva's division. Maybe bring in a few Japanese lady pro wrestlers
as well as snatch some of TNA Wrestling's best also. WWE have so much TV time
to fill up, so ramp up the Diva's for the female and male fans in the WWE Universe. WWE
Tag Team Champions R-Truth and Kingston beat Primo and Epico in a solid match.
R-Truth was on fire, both with in-ring skills and the mic, and 'Little Jimmy'
was over big time with young and old. The
Miz defeated Alex Riley to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The Miz got
strong heat. Nice mic work telling everyone he wasn't "awful", but "awesome".
AR was surprisingly over. Maybe because he's a pretty strong worker and Australian
fans are not overexposed to the WWE product (with live shows), like rather spoilt
American fans. Lot's of Wooooo's! (for the chops), respecting Ric Flair, who most
fans want to see return to his rightful home - WWE. Zack
Ryder defeated Tensai. Zack Ryder got a huge pop and Tensai got pretty decent
heat and reactions. At least Tensai looks like a pro wrestling "monster"
- he has the look and size, and moves well for a big man. Younger fans seem to
be scared of Tensai and went nuts when Ryder got the win. Santino
defeated David Otunga. Decent heat for Otunga. Santino is over in Australia, but
not as much as he is in the U.S. Keep WWE belts off both these guys... they don't
need them. They worked the crowd fairly well and Santino is funny, but this was
not a classic wrestling match - and it was never expected to be. Passable - just. CM
Punk defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in an awesome match
which went for almost 30 minutes. Stalling by both at first, but the crowd was
pretty into it. Established characters can stall for ages with little fan backlash
- the way the late Randy "Macho Man" Randy Savage and living legends
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair used to do. CM Punk worked as a face and was over big
time. "Yes" chant all throughout the match as well. Tons of fan signs
for both and lots of fans bought their t-shirts. John
Cena defeated The Big Show and John Laurinaitis in the main event. Decent match
for these guys. After the match Laurinaitis attacked Cena with a chair, but Cena
turned around and hit him with an attitude adjustment to finish the show. Overall
strong show - especially for an Australian WWE show, which were mixed in the past.
We're giving it 8 out of 10 and it was value for money. Strongest
pops: John Cena
CM Punk
Zack Ryder Most
heat: The Miz
The Big Show
Jack Swagger Match
Of The Show: C.M
Punk VS Daniel Brian Room
for improvement: More strong WWE Divas, bring back Ric Flair urgently (1000s of
fans did the Woooooo!), bring Ziggler and Randy Orton to the next Australian show,
have 2 top line NXT talents on the next down under show. It would be nice to see
Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan back with the WWE. Strong rumours Flair will be back
within a month or two, so hopefully he makes the next Australian tour. Wooooo! News Australasian
Gaming Expo report from Sydney; Australia - Day 3 - 23rd August 2012 
Creative
arts for Paltronics by Human Statue
Bodyart Photo
by Eva Rinaldi Photography Today
was the 3rd day for the most high profile and successful gaming expo in Australia
- the Australasian Gaming Expo, which is being hosted by the Sydney Convention
Centre at Darling Harbour. It's gaming, gambling, technology, sales...even creative
arts elements and much more.
It's a key time for the gaming industry in Australia
with all the regulation elements, responsible gambling initiatives and such, and
most of the big boys of the industry were on hand to show off their wares, with
some exhibitors demonstrating significant creative flair to help showoff their
latest and greatest wares. Our
friends at Human Statue Bodyart were back again and they had a couple of body
models made up in bodypaint (Anastasia as a butterfly and Victoria as a panda)
- complete with wings and sparkles, for leading gaming brand Paltronics and its
latest game 'Jungle Madness'. The
expo centre itself is huge - 15,000 square metres (about the size of an Aussie
Rules football oval) and this provided more than ample opportunity for over 750
slot games on display. The
Australasian Gaming Expo is by far the largest event of its type in Australia
and one of the world’s biggest. We
learned through the grapevine that a trip for 2 to Las Vegas will be won by a
lucky visitor on each of the 3 days of the Expo, and this is compliments of the
Gaming Technologies Association which owns the event. It's understood the winner
of the trip will be named later this afternoon. It's
tipped over 20,000 people have walked through the games expo thus far, with those
in the business being the majority, and no doubt a few punters, checked through
the gates (but note that the games on display do not accept coins or notes). Well
done to everyone associated with the success of the expo and we'll see you there
again next year. Websites
Australasian Gaming Expo www.austgamingexpo.com
Gaming Technologies Association www.gamingta.com
PALtronics Australasia www.paltronics.com.au
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre www.scec.com.au
Human Statue Bodyart www.humanstatuebodyart.com.au
Human Statue Bodyart Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/humanstatuebodyart
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com
Casino News Media www.casinonewsmedia.com Media Casino
Life Magazine, Street Corner, Media Man News Marvel
Entertainment Movies: Amazing Spider-Man, Thor 2, The Avengers Et Al Boost Popularity
Of Marvel Slot Games... The
Media Man agency reports that Marvel
themed online slot games across the network, and featured at partner PartyCasino,
are boosting the popularity of the superhero themed online slot games. Bwin.Party
currently offers The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic
Four, with more expected to soon hit the popular gaming and entertainment website
destination.
News
Entertainment
news, WWE current and future legends, NWO, Hollywood, Australia, Sin City, Las
Vegas, Olympics, gaming and more... - 30th July 2012 Kevin
Nash teases NWO - New World Order return... Kevin
Nash, who was likely joking, teased an nWo reunion on his Twitter account recently,
writing, "A lot of you wanted an NWO reunion,there will be one.As you know
we only come in take over mode.Stay tuned!!!" The message was then re-tweeted
by TNA Executive Eric Bischoff.
Nash later wrote, "Rock will never walk
out of the Rumble with the belt we got Phils back... Sorry @CMPunk we got your
back!!!!" Nash
also stated that Punk would be the leader and that the nWo army would be there
"to protect the gold."
Wrestling legend Rey wants Pacquiao-Floyd in WWE ring...
During
Rey Mysterio's tour stop in Manila, Philippines, Mysterio teased a mixed tag match
with top boxing stars Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who "competed"
at WrestleMania 24 four years ago. “I love Manny. In fact, Manny, if you’re
watching right now, I’m inviting you to join forces with Rey Mysterio in
the WWE to take on “Money” (Floyd) Mayweather," Rey said on Manila
TV, playing off Mayweather and Pacquiao unable to come together on a dream boxing
fight. "I know you don’t need me to take him on but this is just a teaser:
me and you versus him and Alberto Del Rio."
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and 'Iron' Mike Tyson at WWE Summerslam weekend function...
WWE
Hall of Famers "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Mike Tyson are scheduled
to attend a Summerslam Weekend function in Los Angeles, according to WWE announcer
Jim Ross. Ross wrote in his latest blog on jrsbarbq.com: "If you see me wandering
around L.A. Summerslam weekend, I'm there for a major, THQ function at the Grammy
Museum the night before the PPV. Among those scheduled to attend the private affair
are @steveaustinBSR and @miketyson, among many others."
WWE Announcer Legend Jim Ross Blog Update...
WWE
Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with his latest blog about Monday's 1,000th episode
of RAW, here are just a few highlights: RAW
1000: "Memorable week especially kicking it off with RAW1000 in St Louis.
No guarantees that any of us will be around for RAW2000 so I particularly enjoyed
my experiences Monday night. "The
reality of the matter is this...it is highly unlikely, thanks Gorilla, that exact
collection of performers will EVER be under the same roof again. I look back upon
my attendance at RAW1000 as a privilege and am grateful to have had the opportunity
to see so many old friends that have meant a great deal to me over my long career." Inducting
Mick Foley in the WWE Hall of Fame: "@RealMickFoley when asked who would
induct him if/when Mick goes into the WWE HOF mentioned Terry Funk and yours truly.
While I would love to honor Mick on that special occasion, there is no way that
I would ever put myself in the same category with Terry Funk. Terry mentored Mick
and treated Mick like a son. While I'd love to induct Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy into
the WWE HOF, I think that Terry Funk is the best choice. However, I stand ready
if called upon." If
CM Punk would reform the nWo: "A follower on @JRsBBQ on Twitter asked if
I thought @CMPunk would reform the nWo. I have no idea if this topic is any thing
more than speculation based on my friend Kevin Nash having some fun with the subject
on Twitter. Bottom line is that I don't know but I would be surprised if Punk
headed up a faction at this time because he seems to be such a solitary man. The
only way that I see that ever happening at this stage of Punk's career is if he
had complete control on who comprised the group."
Pro Wrestling giant Great Khali has tumor removed...
WWE
wrestler Great Khali (Dalip Singh) had a tumor removed on Wednesday, which will
put him out of action for 2-3 months. The tumor was on Khali's pituitary gland,
which caused him to increase in height to over seven-feet-tall. However, if left
untreated, the tumor could have been fatal, according to WWE's chief medical director,
Dr. Joseph Maroon. It's the same issue that affected Andre the Giant. Surgery
was performed at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, Pa.
TNA Video: Funny or Die Olympic training featuring Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam...
TNA
stars Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam are featured in Funny or Die video. The theme
is Angle returning to the Olympics with RVD as his trainer. You can check out
the video at Funnyordie.com/videos/636c3d08e1/olympic-trials-with-kurt-angle?playlist=featured_videos
‘Squirrelly’ move puts U.S. wrestler on map...
LONDON
— It began as a goof — two brothers horsing around, dreaming up exotic
wrestling moves straight out of the Vince McMahon WWE handbook and trying them
out on each other. The
move has since gone viral as a YouTube sensation, become a nickname and, before
the 2012 London Games are over, it might become part of U.S. Olympic lore —
a highlight burned into our minds forever. Ellis
Coleman and his older brother, Lillashawn, used to wrestle with each other at
their high school outside of Chicago when they would dial up crazy moves to use
on each other. The
best of them was called the “Flying Squirrel.’’ Ellis never forgot
it, and now has turned it into a cottage industry for himself. Coleman,
at age 21 the youngest member of the six-man U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling
team, has used the move about a dozen times in competition. Perhaps
the highest profile time he used it was in last year’s Junior World Championships
to come back and beat his opponent in the semifinals. ESPN ranked the move third
on its “Best of the Best Highlights’’ for 2011. “It’s
been crazy,’’ Coleman said yesterday. “Every time someone sees
it, kids are reaching out to me on Facebook and Twitter asking me to show them
the move.’’ In
the words of Coleman, one of a host of athletes at these Olympic Games representing
the New York Athletic Club, here’s how the move is executed: “You snap
the opponent’s head down, leap over him and, as you land on your feet, you
grab his waist, pull him over, pick him up and throw him down.’’ In
Greco-Roman wrestling, the competitors get points for their various moves. Five
points is the most you can get for one move. Coleman said he has used the move
about a dozen times and usually gets at least three points for it. He
first unveiled it out of desperation in a match he was losing, stunned his opponent
with it and went on to win it. Coleman
said he likes to use the move as an element of surprise and isn’t sure if
he will use it in the Olympics. “If
I’m losing, though, you’ll definitely see it,’’ he said. “It’s
a risky move. It’s a spur-of-the-moment thing. It’s so sudden you can’t
stop it. I always pictured myself, even in the Olympic setting and losing in the
finals match, third period with 15 seconds left, hitting the ‘Flying Squirrel’
and everyone going crazy. I still picture it.” Though
Coleman’s teammates chide him for the move, they also embrace his guts for
using it. “They
should probably put him on medication for even trying that,” teammate Justin
Lester said jokingly. “He’s crazy for doing it, but that’s what’s
going to make him good in the long run. You’ve got guys like him who are
innovative and aren’t afraid to wrestle.’’ “It’s
definitely a move of desperation,’’ said Dremiel Byers, the elder statesman
and heavyweight of the Greco-Roman team at age 37. “It’s
his wild card. It lets the opponent know he’ll do anything to win.’’ U.S.
Wrestling Greco-Roman coach Steve Fraser said Coleman’s flash has “brought
a lot of attention to wrestling and Greco. He’s talented, hungry and young
… and a pleasure to work with. He’s a very coachable kid. We love him.” The
“Flying Squirrel’’ craze reached such a pitch that Coleman recently
bought himself a live flying squirrel pet and named him Rocky, who is about 45
days old and eats lot of apples and seeds. “They
bond with their owners,’’ Coleman said. “He sleeps during the day
and is very nocturnal, so I’ll take him out of his cage and he’ll crawl
on me and fly to the curtains. Eventually, when he bonds with me, I’ll be
able to take him out in my pocket and he’ll stay there without flying away.’’ Coleman
dreams of flying away from these Olympics with some hardware. Something gold,
perhaps. (The New York Post)
NSW govt investigates 'floating casino'...
The
NSW government is investigating whether cruise company P&O operated an illegal
floating casino off the NSW coast. Hospitality
Minister George Souris on Wednesday said a government authority was investigating
an allegation that passengers could play blackjack, pontoon, poker and roulette
on a cruise that left Sydney on Friday night. The
cruise ship also had 40 poker machines onboard and let passengers charge $5000
on their credit cards for gambling, News Ltd reported. "I've
asked the Office of Liquor and Gaming to investigate whether a casino operation
was under way in NSW territorial waters or whether gambling operations were under
way in commonwealth waters," he told reporters in Sydney. "It
may be that NSW jurisdiction was breached, it may be that the commonwealth jurisdiction
was breached. It may be even that both were breached." He
said NSW had no jurisdiction beyond 12 nautical miles from shore. "Those
are international waters," he said. "In
international shipping after the 12-nautical-mile limit it opens boats to gambling
but also to duty-free liquor sales."
James Packer to speak at tourism conference in Canberra...
Billionare
James Packer will be the drawcard for hoteliers, resort operators and owners attending
a tourism conference in Canberra in late October. Mr Packer will open the Tourism
& Transport Forum's annual "Leadership 2012" conference. The
gaming tycoon is a major tourism player given his Crown resorts in Perth and Melbourne
attract 25 million visitors a year...
Jackman to Begin Filming ‘Wolverine’ in Australia...
Hollywood
star Hugh Jackman will begin filming the next installment of his “X-Men”
spin-off movies in Sydney next week, even though the female lead is yet to be
confirmed. Jackman,
who admitted struggling to get into shape after packing on the pounds to play
Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” said his role as Wolverine, which
he first played 12 years ago, was “the backbone of my career.” “I
love the character. I still love the character,” he said. “I had no
choice at the time, I was going to take anything that came along, but I happened
to have walked into probably the most interesting and complex of the superhero
characters.” “I’ve
always loved playing it and when I stop loving it I’ll stop doing it,”
he added.
Melco Crown Project Gets Red Light on Casino...
Macau
casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. MPEL +2.32% still doesn't have
permission to build a casino at its latest project, according to a revised government
contract published Wednesday. The
Macao Studio City project, in which Melco Crown has a 60% equity interest, is
designated for a five-star hotel and film facilities, indicates the latest government
contract detailing various revisions to the agreement. But the document doesn't
mention any casino facilities despite the company's earlier statements they hope
to open up to 400 gambling tables at the property. It's possible the government
could give the green-light on a casino later, but the uncertainty could complicate
the company's efforts to finance the project. Melco
Crown, backed by Lawrence Ho and James Packer—the sons of Macau gambling
tycoon Stanley Ho and the late Australian casino-and-media magnate Kerry Packer—is
one of six casino license holders in Macau, where it already runs two casino-resort
properties in the world's largest gambling hub. A
representative for Melco Crown didn't respond to requests for comment. In
June 2011, Melco Crown signed a $360 million deal to gain control over the Macao
Studio City project, resolving a bitter dispute between the project's earlier
partners that had escalated to the Hong Kong courts, stalling development for
years. New Cotai Holdings LLC, an arm of U.S. investment firms Oaktree Capital
Management L.P. and Silver Point Capital L.P., retained its 40% stake in the project. Earlier
this month Melco Crown announced plans to enter the burgeoning Philippines market
by teaming up with local property developer Belle Corp. BEL.PH -0.20% to partner
on a casino resort that will cost at least $1 billion in an area the Philippines
hopes will become Manila's version of the Las Vegas Strip. (The Wall Street Journal)
First Second unveils André the Giant comic...
First
Second has confirmed its André the Giant biography. Cartoonist
Box Brown is working on the book charting the life of the professional wrestler
and actor, reports ICv2. André
Roussimoff was a star and one-time champion of the World Wrestling Federation
(now WWE). He
is also known for his role in cult classic movie The Princess Bride. Roussimoff
has the condition acromegaly, which saw him grow to 7'4" in height. He died
of heart failure in 1993 at the age of 46. Box
is the author of Xeric grant-funded graphic novel Love Is a Peculiar Type of Thing. The
untitled André the Giant biography is scheduled for release in 2014. (Digital
Spy)
The Expendables 2 slapped with R rating for extreme violence...
Action
star-laden sequel The Expendables 2 has been given an R rating for its violent
and sexual content in the US. Bruce
Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and co will even be throwing
some bad language into the mix as they bat off hostile attackers in this follow-up
to the 2010 action-packed extravaganza. Lionsgate
was rumoured to have been considering a PG-13 rating for the film, which is due
for release in the States on August 17th. Once
again, Stallone assembles his hardened team of old-school mercenaries for a special
mission - taking revenge after one of their squad is murdered on the job. Director
Simon West was never in any doubt that the film would receive such a high rating,
given the 'very hard' violence and language perpetrated by the all-star cast throughout
the film. 'I'm
sure there were some financial people who wanted it to be PG-13 because they thought
it would somehow make more money or have a broader audience, but there was no
way,' he told wegotthiscovered.com. 'When
you get these guys on the set, they can't say a line without putting the F-bomb
in it, and they can't pick up a gun without blowing several limbs off.' (Metro) News Official
Marvel's The Avengers Blu-ray and DVD Announcement Press
Release (U.S)... Coming
this fall, the third highest-grossing movie of all time and the #1 movie in the
world, “Marvel’s The Avengers” assembles as you’ve never seen
it before on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital and On-Demand platforms
on September 25, 2012. In anticipation of this release, Marvel is also launching
an all-new App in July - “The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen
App” (available for the first time on iPhone) – that gives fans unprecedented
access to exclusive content building up to the home entertainment release. The
announcement comes as “Marvel’s The Avengers” crossed the incredible
$600 million domestic box office threshold on June 26 – only the third film
in history to do so. It has now grossed an estimated $1.44 billion globally. Providing
viewers with the ultimate in-home experience, the premium 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo
Pack provides 5-unique ways to enjoy “Marvel’s The Avengers” (on
Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy and Digital Download of “Avengers
Assembled” Music from and inspired by the film) and brings to life the Super
Hero team-up of a lifetime in a whole new dimension on Blu-ray hi-def with stunning
visual effects, superior sound and unparalleled bonus content. Extras
include a gag reel, a first for a Marvel Studios film, the chance to hear from
the cast and Joss Whedon on their experiences in bringing these larger than life
characters to the big screen, a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking visual
effects and stunning cinematography, the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier,
Soundgarden’s “Live to Rise” Music Video, deleted scenes and more! Also
for the first time ever, fans will be able to enjoy even more of the Marvel Universe
via the all-new “The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen App.”
By downloading this onto a secondary device, consumers will be able to gain unprecedented
access to exclusive content building up to the home entertainment release on September
25. Pieces will be unleashed bi-weekly in July & August and weekly in September
leading up to a full immersive experience accompanying the film on Blu-ray. Content
includes special access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent, invitations to “special missions” either remotely or in the field,
links to character profiles, stories and scenes, interactive Marvel digital reader
comic books and more. App owners will receive push notifications whenever new
content is uploaded and available for their viewing. The
suggested retail price for “Marvel's The Avengers” is: 4-Disc Blu-ray
Combo Pack = $49.99 U.S./$59.99 Canada; 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack =$39.99 U.S./$46.99
Canada; 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada. And for Digital & On-Demand
platforms, please check with your television provider or favorite digital retailer
for pricing. Source:
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
June 29, 2012 News Supanova
Pop Culture Expo Hits Sydney, Australia - 16th June 2012 The
Supanova pop culture expo has returned to Sydney, Australia, and has warmly embraced
the pop culture phenom which is taking place at Olympic Park, Homebush, in Sydney's
west. It's
a 3 day pop culture mania bringing together fans, actors, game players, information
and tons of merchandise and collectibles. Make no mistake - this is big business,
but also lots of fun. It brings out the kid lurking inside all of us, no matter
what our age. Witnessing
the general public dress up as their favourite hero, heroine or monster was just
as much fun as the official exhibitions. Coming
to the expo to join in the fun (and big business) are over 40 international stars
from various shows, films, franchises and worlds including Christopher Lloyd (Back
To The Future’s Doc Brown), Yvonne Craig (the original Batgirl), Natalia
Tena (Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter series, Osha in Game Of Thrones) and
Verne Troyer (Mini-Me from the Austin Powers films). Even
our favorite real life superheroes of Australian pro wrestling - AWF Wrestling
turned up and put on some very solid chain wrestling and brawling to the delight
of the crowd. The wrestlers were also a big favorite with the media and the brawlers
got somewhat crowd mobbed with famed actor Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) from 'Austin
Powers' fame joining in the fun and games. The
Christopher Lloyd question and answer session was very entertaining and educational,
and was a much sought after attraction for both news media and fans. Lloyd shared
stories from his illustrious acting and show business career, much of which has
been pop culture included such as 'Back To The Future' franchise, where he portrayed
Dr. Emmett Brown. Lloyd even talked about the cult film fav 'Suburban Commando',
which also featured pro wrestling living legend, Hulk Hogan (not known for great
acting), but a very entertaining showman, none the less. Lloyd told the crowd
of 500 plus that he enjoyed working with Hulk and that he was a really nice guy
and didn't pretend to be a great actor. One lucky fan asked Lloyd if he could
have a "high five", and the actor obliged, which got a nice reaction
from the jam packed crowd. More
news... Buffy
Star also at Supanova Sydney... Star
of Buffy, Mercedes McNab, has come Down Under for Supernova and is loving it. The
blonde is in Sydney for the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at Sydney Showground, Olympic
Park. Best
known for playing mean girl Harmony Kendall on 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', McNab
has enjoyed a successful career as a modern day scream queen. From
the popular Hatchet horror movie franchise to spooky shows such as Buffy and Angel,
the 32-year-old says she has come to feel comfortable within the genre and loves
"a good death scene". "It’s
hilarious. I never thought I’d be considered a scream queen, but I guess
I’ll take it. "I
think I gravitate more towards comedy and comedy can sometimes be in a darker
vein, like sarcasm." The
edgy stuff started early for McNab, with her big screen debut opposite Christina
Ricci's Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movie and its sequel. At
the age of 16 she auditioned for a supporting role on Joss Whedon's Buffy The
Vampire Slayer, a move that would change her life. "We
were on a brand new network and the show was based off a B-movie," she says. "No
one expected a spin-off to come of it or such a great fan reaction. No one could
anticipate how welcomed and received the show was. "In
the beginning we never knew whether if we were going to get killed off. "You’d
get the script and skip to the end to make sure you weren’t going to die." McNab
experienced quite a character turn on Buffy when her superficial character was
transformed into a vampire and eventually went on to join the spin-off series
Angel. "I
was flattered". "To
have Joss call you and have him ask you to be a part of anything he does is pretty
awesome." Now
that Whedon has found mainstream and box-office success with the hit of the year
- 'The Avengers' - McNab says his loyal friends couldn't be happier. "He’s
such a genius. He's just proved to the industry what he can do." Supanova
Pop Culture Expo is on today and Sunday at Sydney Showground, Olympic Park.
Promo...
Our
Hero is no longer Expendable. Eric Roberts is “The Master” of Supanova! In
a career spanning five decades, Eric Roberts has become recognisable to millions
of film and TV fans. He has appeared in almost 200 movies and in countless TV
shows including Heroes, The Drew Carey Show, Frasier, Oz, Touched By An Angel,
Law & Order: SVU and even in a Doctor Who telemovie as the Doctor’s nemesis,
The Master. He
has filmed in over 17 countries, including Australia (in The Coca-Cola Kid), and
received critical acclaim for his performances in Star 80, It’s My Party
and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. In 2008, Eric joined the cast of Batman:
The Dark Knight as Gotham gangster Sal Marone; in 2010 he appeared alongside Stallone,
Lundgren, Statham and Li in The Expendables. Fans
of comics and animation know him as the voice of Mongul in the Justice League
cartoons. He’s such a familiar face that he has appeared as himself in 63
productions, often making light of his notoriously chequered movie-star lifestyle.
Brother to Julia Roberts and father of teen actress Emma Roberts, Eric is a true
Hollywood veteran. He’s
therefore also the perfect guest to kick off festivities for Supanova’s TENTH
ANNIVERSARY at the Sydney expo, in addition to the Perth expo the following weekend,
with an exclusive Q&A and special appearance at each of our Friday evening
Preview Nights which are exclusively for full weekend ticket holders (SUPA FAN
PASS), in helping us celebrate a decade of successful Supanova Expos; something
we couldn’t have done without your wonderful support. Eric
will then spend the weekends meeting fans, signing autographs and posing for studio
portraits. (Supernova)
Nintendo Flies High at Supanova with Kid Icarus: Uprising!...
If
you’re heading to Supanova this weekend, Nintendo are hosting a Kid Icarus:
Uprising Multiplayer Battle Challenge! Bring along your Nintendo 3DS and copy
of Kid Icarus as it’s the perfect opportunity to StreetPass with other Nintendo
3DS owners and enjoy some friendly multiplayer fun with the Nintendo community. Nintendo
3DS consoles and Kid Icarus: Uprising games will also be available to use on the
day so everyone is welcome to join in the fun! Exclusive
Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Cards only available at this event will be a special bonus
for those who play. These AR cards are very exclusive and availability is strictly
limited so please ensure you are there early to ensure you get your hands on one. Some
25 years after the original Kid Icarus game for NES captured the hearts and imaginations
of gamers worldwide, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this
beloved series to new heights – and new visual dimensions – on the Nintendo
3DS system. The dark goddess Medusa and her Underworld Army have returned, and
they’ve got their sights set on the heroic angel Pit. With the aid of Palutena,
goddess of light and guardian of the human race, Pit must fend off this malevolent
threat. The richly immersive graphics of the Nintendo 3DS system offer incredible
depth as Pit battles enemies by air and by land. (Supernova)
Special guests appearing at Supernova Sydney and Perth include:
Jeffrey
‘Chamba’ Cruz
Street Fighter II: Turbo, Udon Comics, Stanislav
Ianevski
Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Bevan
McGuinness
Slave of Sondelle Jim
Cheung
Scion, New Avengers, Avengers: The Childrens Crusade Suzie
Plakson
Lt. Selar, K'Ehleyr, the Female Q, Tarah, in TNG, Voyager and Enterprise David
Mack
Artist on Kabuki, Daredevil, Avengers Andrew
Constant
Author of Torn. Wolfgang
Bylsma
Gestalt Comics Juliet
Marillier
Author of the 'Seven waters' trilogy. Yvonne
Craig
Batgirl in the 60's Batman Series, Orion Slave girl 'Marta' in Star
trek John
Viener
Family Guy, The Cleveland Show. Garth
Nix
Author of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen.
Artists Alley promo...
Supanova
is all about supporting the local industry and providing a spotlight for the local
comic creators. That spotlight is Artists Alley; the place where the fans can
meet the creators and explore worlds they may never have known existed before.
Whether its a 25 page self-printed black and white comic, or a full color, fully
bound graphic novel, or even stunning computer art prints, you’ll find something
to astonish in Artists Alley. The
artists are approachable and always willing to give constructive feedback on artwork.
As such, Artists Alley can be a fantastic tool for the emerging artist to improve
their skills or make new connections and possibly take their first leap into the
professional industry! (Supernova) Special
thanks... Thank
you to all involved in the promotion and success of Supernova. We look forward
to seeing you all out there again tomorrow. As Marvel Comics living legend Stan
Lee says, Excelsior! Websites Supernova
Pop Culture Expo AWE
Wrestling Media
Man Int News The
Voice news media report; Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, Sydney, Australia - 12th
June 2012
The
Voice enjoyed a media conference at Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, this morning,
with Voice coaches and finalists there to help promote the smash hit TV show,
as the finals approach via Channel Nine.
Update... The
culling of eight singers from The Voice last night has set the stage for a controversial
finale Channel Nine's talent comp. Rachael
Leahcar, Sarah De Bono, Darren Percival, and Karise Eden will battle it out in
next week's grand final. Only
one singer per team was permitted to go through and critics and viewers took to
Twitter to complain about the final line-up. The
ruling meant fan favourites on the same team were culled. Both
Leahcar and Percival battled a virus as well as the high-pressure nerves, which
told in their limited vocal performances last night. Good
Charlotte rock god Joel Madden, who had culled Prinnie Stevens and Layken Heperi,
chose Sarah DeBono over popular lad Ben Hazlewood. During
the show's preamble, Madden likened the semi-final line-up to The X Men: "We
all have super powers. No one is better than anyone else." The
final performances will be on Sunday, with each contender performing one cover
and one original song. The winner revealed on Monday night, no doubt to massive
TV ratings, the likes of which have not been seen by Nine for years, is the inside
word. Each
contender will perform one cover and one original song. May
the best man or woman win, and hopefully its also a win for the Australian entertainment
industry.
News...
Australian
TV Report With Ratings - The Voice leads... The
Voice leaped to 2.13 million viewers as the talent show heads towards to its finale. That
figure (based on actual broadcast time - not the preliminary figure of 2.15 million)
is up on last Monday's 1.90 million audience in the capital cities and it appears
the two finales on Sunday and Monday should hit around three million viewers for
Nine. The
program gave Nine a 29.6 per cent channel share against Seven's 21.0 per cent
and ABC1's 13.3 per cent, with its current affairs line-up led by 736,000 viewers
for PM Julia Gillard's appearance on Q&A. A
key result for Nine was Tricky Business's performance into its fifth week. Preliminary
figures from OzTAM demonstrate the Aussie drama rose to 1.091 million viewers,
higher than its launch episode in May. But the actual figures based on broadcast
times show the drama starring Gigi Edgley averaged 682,000 viewers with its number
rocketed by The Voice's over-run as "Team Seal" decided its contestant
for Sunday and Monday's finale. Seven
News came in second for the night with 1.55 million viewers and rare wins over
Nine in Sydney and Melbourne. The Block continued to build for Nine, up to 1.49
million in the 7pm slot, besting Masterchef Australia (1.08 million), ABC News
(1.05 million) and Home and Away (1.01 million). Revenge
continued its awesome run for Seven with 1.218 million viewers. ABC1
had a stronger Monday night than usual, led by Q&A. Four Corners was up to
734,000 viewers, Australian Story 719,000 and Media Watch 712,000, all well up
on their 2012 averages in the 600,000 region. Fox
Sports Monday Night Football match between the Panthers and Warriors bested the
platform, with 278,000 viewers while 210,000 watched the afternoon AFL match between
Melbourne and Collingwood. Seven's AFL figures were not yet available for publication.
OZTAM
OVERNIGHT RANKINGS FOR MONDAY JUNE 11, 2012 1
THE VOICE Nine 2,154,000 2
SEVEN NEWS 1,549,000 3
THE BLOCK Nine 1,485,000 4
TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,296,000 5
NINE NEWS 1,279,000 6
REVENGE Seven 1,218,000 7
A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,137,000 8
TRICKY BUSINESS Nine 1,091,000 9
MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,082,000 10
ABC NEWS ABC1 1,053,000 11
HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,006,000 12
THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 998,000 13
BORDER SECURITY - AUSTRALIA'S FRONT LINE Seven 14
TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 837,000 15
BILLY CONNOLLY'S ROUTE 66 SNEAK PEEK Seven 799,000 Media
Man does not represent The Voice, Shine Australia or Channel Nine News Entertainment,
Celebrity And Gaming News; Australia, Hollywood And Internet World - 24th March
2012 Hugh
"The Wolverine" Jackman punches Russell "The Gladiator" Crowe
in play... Hugh
Jackman tried to punch Russell Crowe as many times as possible during rehearsals
for theatre production Les Miserables. The
Australian star keeps asking to re-shoot fight scenes where he knocks Crowe out,
because he enjoys it so much. A
source told The Sun newspaper: "The crew find it hilarious as Crowe would
obviously sweep the floor with Jackman in real life. "Hugh
keeps ribbing Russell and winding him up but he's been getting his own back by
calling Hugh a twirlie, which is showbiz speak for a singer/dancer." Although
Jackman has always had to be in good shape to play muscular superhero Wolverine
in the X-Men films, he was recently told he had to bulk up to play the character
in the next movie, The Wolverine, as he had lost so many pounds while appearing
in Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway. He
said: "The studio wants me to bulk up. Singing and dancing makes the suits
nervous because weight just falls off me, but I'd rather sing and dance on Broadway
than make movies." Crowe
is also no stranger to long fight scenes, having undergone gruelling shoots against
Michael Shannon in Superman: Man of Steel, in which he played the titular superhero's
father. He tweeted:
"15km bike ride, umpteen hours fighting Michael Shannon. He's very hard to
put down. Hard to tell who wins, we are still fighting tomorrow. (sic)"
The Star Casino Nightclub To Lure Paris Hilton, Boyfriend And Clique - End Of
Month...
It's
been mixed headlines for The Star over the past month, but the powers that be
are hoping the ship will turn around after re pushing the celebrity card, now
looking to have netted Paris Hilton and friends. The
Star in 'Sin City' Sydney will fly in some big name celebs to help launch its
new nightclub, Marquee. It
sounds like its going to be a huge night come March 30, and one of the hottest
tickets in town we bet. Dutch
producer and DJ Afrojack (Nick van de Wall) is signed up, and Paris Hilton is
as close to 100% as you can get. The
heiress recently fuelled the rumours when she posted this message on Twitter:
"Congrats @NoahTepperberg on@MarqueeSydney! @DJAfrojack is gonna kill it
at the opening party down there! I love #Australia!" The
casino is looking to throw off the negative press that came its way re the the
surprise departure of former boss Sid Vaikunta. Marquee
is a joint venture with Tao Group, which is responsible for America's biggest
nightclubs, including Tao in Las Vegas and New York, and Marquee Nightclub and
Dayclub in Las Vegas. Marquee's
Vegas managed to snatch the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce, Chris Martin and Gwyneth
Paltrow, and 'Sin City' version is hoping to at least equal that.
Are Bruce Willis And Sylvester Stallone’s Wives Joining Season 3 Of Real
Housewives of Beverly Wills?...
Maybe!
There has been many rumors that Sylvester Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin
was asked to join season 3 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills but no confirmation
just yet. The National Enquirer is now reporting that Jennifer is "heavily
recruiting" close friend and Bruce Willis wife Emma Heming to join the show
as well! A Hollywood pal told The Enquirer, "They know each other from their
modeling days, and Jen thinks the two of them together can ‘take over’
the show – and she loves that their hubbies are friends too!" So
how exactly does Bruce and Sly feel about this? The leak says, "While Jennifer
says Sly is totally supportive of the idea, she’s trying to get Emma to convince
Bruce that this would be a good thing. He’s wary because Emma is about to
become a first-time mom. He’s also not thrilled about having a reality TV
crew following them everywhere." The two couples were seen having dinner
last week and apparently "Bruce told Jennifer he would consider the idea.
But first he wants to get past the impending arrival of his new baby."
Brummer 'acted in self-defence' during nightclub scuffle...
The
former Home and Away heart-throb allegedly attempted to bite one man, and punched
and kicked another in the scuffle at the city's Crown Casino after the actor was
turned away from a Logie Awards afterparty in May (11). Brummer
appeared in court in Melbourne on Friday (23 Mar 12) to face charges of unlawful
assault and attempting to commit an indictable offence for allegedly trying to
bite the security guard. However
the actor's lawyer, Andrew Dickenson, argued the incident was "largely a
case of self-defence" as Brummer was being restrained by up to five guards
and had his hands tied. Dickenson
asked for the case to be reviewed at a diversion hearing, which allows first-time
offenders to escape a conviction by making amends for their actions. The
magistrate granted the request and the diversion hearing will be held on 1 May
(12).
Soapies star tried to bite bouncer - court...
Former
soapie star Dieter Brummer will reappear in court in May for allegedly trying
to bite, push and kick Crown Casino security guards on Logies night. Brummer,
36, was outside a Logies after-party at Melbourne's Crown Casino on May 2 last
year when he was restrained by up to five security guards aka "gorillas in
suits". Melbourne
Magistrates Court heard Brummer tried to bite one of the guards and pushed and
kicked another. But
his lawyer argued he was acting in self-defence. Brummer,
who shot to stardom on Home and Away and more recently starred in two Underbelly
series, appeared in court on Friday facing nine charges. Defence
lawyer Andrew Dickenson said Brummer had been restrained by up to five security
guards during the scuffle, had a bloodied nose and his hands tied when he lashed
out. "Largely
this is a case of self-defence, but whether or not it's reasonable under the circumstances"
he told the court. The
court heard Brummer had drugs in his possession but they were later found to be
prescription medication. Mr
Dickenson asked for the matter to be referred for a diversion hearing, given the
circumstances. Magistrate
Ann Collins initially had reservations, but agreed after hearing Brummer's claim
of self-defence. "Clearly
these sorts of incidents are not the sort of incidents that would be diverted,"
she said. The
prosecution said the security guards were 'amenable' to the matter proceeding
as a diversion. Two
of the nine charges will proceed: attempting to commit an indictable offence and
unlawful assault. Brummer
was ordered to reappear in court on May 1 for a diversion hearing, under a program
which allows first-time offenders to avoid a criminal conviction. Brummer,
a winner of two silver Logie awards, walked from the court with his lawyer without
speaking to news media.
Red Dog Film To Become Musical; Set For The Star Lyric Theatre Sydney...
Like
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - and Strictly Ballroom next
year - the hit Australian film Red Dog is to become a stage musical. Theatrical
producer John Frost and film producer Nelson Woss will meet next week to thrash
out ideas for Red Dog the Musical. Frost,
who has An Officer and a Gentleman opening at Sydney's Lyric theatre in May, says
the new show (''music by Bach?'') is at least two years away. He thinks the story
is likely to stay "pretty close" to the warm-hearted film, which was
based on a true story about a free-spirited red Kelpie who united an outback mining
community in the 1970s. And he hopes to do what Woss managed with the film - attract
such big mining companies as Rio Tinto and Woodside as investors. "These
shows cost 7 or 8 million dollars," he told The Herald's Garry Maddox. "It's
a lot of money to raise. It'll probably end up costing more than the film cost,
as did Priscilla." The
Media Man publicity and internet agency just loves the idea. "Ruff and ready,
and should make a motza of money for any half decent theatre that takes it on",
a insider was overhead saying. The
Star Casino Fun And Games... Timing
is everything, as management at The Star discovered when the millions spent on
flashy parties and celebrities backfired after boss Sid Vaikunta was sacked for
inappropriate behaviour. Now the casino has yet another big-name party to launch
its new nightclub Marquee, sister club to its racy Las Vegas counterpart famed
for celebrity high jinks. Enlisted for the launch next Friday are Afrojack, Bobby
Burns and Redfoo, of LMFAO fame and the hit song Sexy and I Know It. Team Media
Man and Music News Australia is pretty keen to come to the afterparty, and we're
not that hard to find kids.
Marc Webb Talks Amazing Spider-Man...
Director
Marc Webb reveals several details for the upcoming reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. Talking
at the WonderCon that is currently being held in Anaheim, California, check out
what director Marc Webb has to say regarding the upcoming movie, The Amazing Spider-Man.. The
Amazing Spider-Man follows Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), a teenager who is an
outcast from high school and abandoned by his parents when he was young and is
now living with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field), spends
his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past and winning the heart of
his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase
belonging to his dad which leads him to his dad's former partner, Dr. Connors
(Rhys Ifans). The discovery of his father's secret will ultimately shape his destiny
of becoming "Spider-Man" and bring him face to face with Connors"
alter ego, the Lizard. Under the direction of Marc Webb, the movie will swing
in to theaters on July 3, 2012.
Official Marvel Avengers Colognes Hit the Online Marketplace...
After
debuting at the International Toy Fair, Avengers colognes become available for
public purchase online and at select comic stores throughout the U.S. and Canada HUNT
VALLEY, Md., March 22, 2012 - After debuting at the International Toy Fair in
true Super Hero fashion, JADS International, LLC, a company producing fine fragrances
worldwide, is proud to announce that official Marvel's The Avengers Colognes are
now available for public purchase through the company's online marketplace (www.jadsinternational.com).
Anticipation and excitement for the colognes and perfume has been building as
the May 4 premiere of Marvel's The Avengers draws near. "Demand
for our official Avengers cologne and perfume has been, pardon the pun, out of
this world and we are happy to report that fans can now get their hands on our
products before the film premieres," said Andrew Levine, Chief Executive
Officer of JADS. "Everyone has conventional cologne and perfume at home,
but we take it to another level by offering supernatural scents that will empower
and bring out the Super Hero in all of us." The
JADS Spring 2012 Line for Marvel's The Avengers is most accessible online and
includes: The
Avengers Cologne Set (four 60ml Eud du Toilette Vaporisateur Spray Colognes, $59.99).
Set includes four heroic fragrances: Patriot
Cologne, Your Attack Plan: inspired by Captain America, pays homage to the confident,
stand-up to bullies, hard working average Joe in everyman. The cologne features
hints of green lime and white pepper with finishes of dry oak wood, sandalwood
and tequila. Mark
VII Cologne, Armor Up: inspired by Iron Man, combines mandarin and jasmine with
light patchouli to create a contemporary expression of "I don't play well
with others" confidence; leaving you ready for whatever a genius, billionaire,
playboy-philanthropist might encounter throughout their day. Worthy
Cologne, Posses the Power: inspired by Thor, is a woody citrus cologne with a
combination of bergamot, frozen ginger and wheatgrass blended with a hint of fresh
natural grapefruit and layered with cypress; creating a deep dry masculine almost
"God-like" musk. SMASH!,
Be Angry: inspired by Hulk, is a clean scent with clear top notes of water lily
and nutmeg, which carries on an intense woody dry down, enriched with Indian sandalwood,
dry musk and warm cedar. Complimentary to full range emotions, it wears well at
work, in the lab, or an evening out on the town.
Additional Scents: Black
Widow Perfume (50ml Vaporisateur Eau de Parfum, $29.99) – Russian spy, trained
assassin, world-class ballerina, girl from legal department. This perfume has
a clear shot of citrus slowly giving way to sensual caramel and honey. The scent
dries down with a blend of bitter chocolate, clear patchouli and praline. Infinity
Formula Cologne (100ml Eud du Toilette Vaporisateur Spray Cologne, $29.99) –
Inspired by Nick Fury, CIC of S.H.I.E.L.D., this cologne is a seductive fragrance
for not just any man; but only for those who will risk everything to keep the
dream of freedom alive. And sure, you could describe it as a citron cocktail smoothed
over with a couple of stiff shots of tonka bean and guaiac wood; or you could
just put it on and know it makes you smell good. Mischief
Cologne (100ml Eud du Toilette Vaporisateur Spray Cologne, $29.99) – Inspired
by Thor's bad brother, Loki, this unisex fragrance combines a base of green tea
and amber with bergamot and cardamom in a dangerous-sexy, yet playful way that
wears well on anyone; day or night.
All fragrances are made in the U.S., never
tested on animals and are cruelty free. More
information and additional comic inspired cologne and perfume lines are available
on www.jadsinternational.com. The website also supplies a list of comic retailers
selling the products. About
Marvel's The Avengers Marvel Studios presents "Marvel's The Avengers"—the
Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man,
The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected
enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of
the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in
need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the
globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans,
Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L.
Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, "Marvel's The Avengers"
is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers,"
first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself
for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects,
when "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012. About
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The
Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment
companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety
of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment,
licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com. Super Hero(es)
is a co-owned registered trademark. About
JADS International, LLC. JADS is a worldwide fragrance company built on the principles
of developing and marketing niche high quality products and providing exceptional
service at a fair price. Our diversified product range continues to grow by setting
trends, improving our standard products, and most importantly, listening to the
customer to exceed their expectations. Well known JADS fragrance collections include
Star Trek (Tiberius Cologne for Men, Pon Farr Perfume for Her, Red Shirt Cologne,
Shirtless Kirk Cologne and Sulu Pour Homme), Star Wars (Slave Leia Perfume, Eau
Lando Cologne), and Marvel (The Avengers, Spiderman Cologne and Deadpool Cologne).
For more information, visit www.jadsinternational.com.
The Godfather Movie Franchise Turns 40...
Francis
Ford Coppola's The Godfather turns 40 this weekend, a surprisingly ripe old age
for a movie that hasn't aged a bit. One
of the great American movies, The Godfather hasn't stopped influencing popular
culture since the day it was released. Martin
Scorsese owes much of his career to it, The Sopranos wouldn't have made sense
without it, and VH1's reality show Mob Wives is a winking travesty of it. The
film's alluring portrait of the mob as Old World charmers with ice-cold hearts
appears again and again in crime films, comedies, video games, comic books, hip-hop
videos - the list goes on. In fact, nearly anything that focuses on organized
crime, corporate gamesmanship or the glories of patriarchy - from HBO's The Wire
to AMC's Mad Men - seems unable to escape the long, broad-shouldered shadow of
The Godfather. You can even play The Godfather online slot game at Bwin.Party
Digital Entertainment owned PartyCasino.com
Tell 'em the Media Man sent you. But
for all its heavy themes (immigration, politics, business, the American dream),
The Godfather is also vastly entertaining. It's a grand, macho soap opera full
of unfettered ids, violently settled scores and men wearing enviable suits. And
talk about a bromance: Have you ever seen so many guys hugging and kissing in
a Hollywood movie?
Miranda Kerr and Jen Hawkins among richest models in the world...
Australian
models Miranda Kerr, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Jennifer Hawkins and Elle Macpherson have
all made Grazia's model rich list. The
magazine published a list of the 11 highest paid models in the world in its latest
issue and listed Kershaw's earnings as more than the royals. They
reported the Melbourne-born model earns $100, 000 a week, making her one of the
highest paid models on the planet. Supermodel
mum Kerr has a net worth of $11.4 million, while Hawkins earns $5 million a year. However,
industry veteran Macpherson dwarfs all of their salaries with a total worth of
$57 million. Kathy
Ireland was listed as the richest model in the world with a fortune of $333 million.
Controversial supermodel Kate Moss is worth $75 million, while her rival Naomi
Campbell has $47 million. Tipped
by Forbes to become the "world's first billionaire supermodel", Gisele
Bundchen is well on her way with an estimated fortune of $238 million. Runway
stalwarts Claudia Schiffer and Heidi Klum are worth $52 and $68 million respectively. TV
personality Tyra Banks is another one of the big earners with profits from her
television and beauty empire worth $85 million.
Producer Offers Update On Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’...
After
a ton of casting news followed by some very basic set photos, all’s been
quiet on the Django Unchained front for some time now. That’s because writer/director
Quentin Tarantino has been working hard with his amazing cast (Jamie Foxx, Kerry
Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Samuel
L. Jackson, Anthony LaPaglia) to complete the film, which is aimed at a December
25 release date. I’ve
seen some stuff and it’s amazing. We’re still shooting and my partner
Stacey [Sher] is producing with Pilar Savone who worked for Quentin and Reggie
Hudlin. I’m exec-producing and we’re like, maybe, half-way through.
You have no idea. It’s the most amazing film cause, as you know, it’s
a spaghetti western about slavery and Quentin’s vocabulary is such that it’s
just pure entertainment, Leonardo’s the bad guy, it’s gonna be awesome. That’s
the update on a film that’s still in production but Shamberg not only produced
Pulp Fiction for Tarantino, he’s also did The Big Chill, Reality Bites, A
Fish Called Wanda, Out of Sight, Contagion and many more. Not a bad track record.
And it’s good to know they’re about half way done. In
the film Jamie Foxx plays Django, a slave freed by a bounty hunter named Dr. King
Schultz (Christoph Waltz). The pair team up to free Django’s wife Broomhilda
(Kerry Washington) who is held captive by plantation owner and slave runner Calvin
Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Smelly Leo DiCaprio not a shower man, says girlfriend Erin Heatherton...
Leonardo
DiCaprio reportedly refuses to use deodorants, while his girlfriend, model Erin
Heatherton, wants him to clean up a bit and be hygiene-conscious. "Leo
has let his love for the environment take over his whole world and it's killing
his love life, he only showers a couple of days a week to conserve water and he
considers deodorant to be unnatural," the showbizspy.com website quoted a
source as saying. "Erin
loves him dearly but is starting to feel like Leo loves the environment more than
her. Erin has warned him to clean up his act and his hygiene. If not, he may wind
up chasing off the woman of his dream."
WWE® Studios and Anchor Bay Films to Distribute The Day - 23rd March 2012...
WWE®
Studios WWE and Anchor Bay Films today announced a partnership to co-distribute
the provocative action thriller, The Day. WWE Studios secured the U.S. distribution
rights to the film immediately after the film's initial audience screening at
the Toronto Film Festival. The
Day was one of the most buzzed-about films at the 2011 Toronto International Film
Festival’s Midnight Madness section. The film stars a stunning cast that
includes Shawn Ashmore (The X-Men trilogy), Dominic Monaghan (“Lost”
and The Lord of the Rings), Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight’s Tale, 40 Days and
40 Nights) and Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism). “With
the incredible audience reaction it saw at Toronto, we knew that The Day would
be a great addition to our brand,” said WWE Studios President, Michael Luisi.
“By combining the marketing power of our television, digital/social media
and print assets with Anchor Bay’s tremendous distribution capabilities and
successful track record, we look forward to bringing this film to a broad audience.” “We
are extremely excited that we are partnering with WWE Studios in this venture,”
commented Kevin Kasha, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions.
“The film’s production team has created a truly fresh story and brought
in top young talent to bring it to life. Audiences will be thrilled, thoroughly
entertained and will be left hungry for more.” About
WWE Studios WWE
Studios continues to strategically diversify its slate of films, which include
theatrical releases and direct-to-home premieres, under the guidance of President
Michael Luisi. Upcoming films for WWE Studios includes: No One Lives starring
Luke Evans and WWE Superstar Brodus Clay which was co-produced with Pathé
Films; and Barricade starring Eric McCormack. About
WWE WWE, a publicly
traded company WWE, is an integrated media organization and recognized leader
in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that
create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE
is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view,
digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than
145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide.
The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los
Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Stacy Keibler to judge X Factor?...
Stacy
Keibler is in talks to join 'The X Factor'. The
former professional wrestler - who is the main squeeze aka girlfriend of actor
George Clooney - has reportedly been involved in a series of secret meetings about
the possibility of becoming a judge on the upcoming second series of the US version
of Simon Cowell's pop star search TV show. While
the blonde beauty and pop superstar Britney Spears are believed to be filling
the two panel slots left vacant by axed judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger,
insiders have suggested Stacy's "lack of experience" in the music industry
means she could be more likely to take over from former host Steve Jones. An
leak said: "Stacy Keibler is also in talks to join the show, but her lack
of experience in the music business may make her more appropriate as a host. She
looks fantastic and has bags of charisma." Although
Britney is believed to have been offered a deal worth $10 million to become a
judge, it is alleged she is demanding "a lot more money". A
source added to the New York Post newspaper: "Talks are still ongoing with
Britney and she is asking for a lot more money than was originally offered. But
producers are confident Britney will realise this is a great opportunity for her
to reinvent herself and accept their deal." Show
boss Simon - who is joined on the judging panel by record label chief L.A. Reid
- has previously admitted he is keen for the presenter of the series to not come
from a hosting background. He
said: "I always wanted a boy and a girl to host the show. And I like hosts
who don't kind of have a hosting background, it's a different kind of dynamic."
HBO cancels Luck after horse deaths...
It's
Dustin Hoffman's television series Luck, which earned some of its critical acclaim
for its portrayal of thoroughbreds racing around the racetracks of southern California. Off
camera however the show has had some very bad luck. The
horseracing drama series Luck has been cancelled after the deaths of three horses,
TV network HBO and producers say. HBO,
which is currently filming the drama's second series, has abruptly suspended the
use of horses on its set following the sudden death of yet another one of its
equine performers. The
series won't return for the second season run that began production last month,
it said. A horse
was put down on Tuesday after it reared, fell over backwards, and hit its head. The
incident, which occurred on location at Santa Anita racetrack north of Los Angeles,
was the third fatal accident involving horses in Luck's short history. Animal
rights activists are understood to be outraged by the development, and have called
for police to launch an investigation into possible breaches of welfare laws.
They blamed the
"outrageous" deaths on "sloppy oversights" by the makers of
the show, created by the Hollywood director, Michael Mann. HBO,
for its part, can barely afford more negative publicity for the expensive show,
which recently debuted in the UK on Sky. Though
heavily marketed, and despite receiving positive reviews, Luck has underperformed
commercially, attracting just 625,000 viewers in the US. In
a statement, the network said it was "deeply saddened" by the horse's
death. It promised
"full co-operation" with an investigation by the American Humane Association
[AHA]. "Recent
assertions of lax attitudes or negligence could not be further from the truth,"
it read. "We
will not be filming horses until AHA completes its inquiry." This
week's fatal accident was witnessed by Gary Beck, a vet. "The
horse was on her way back to the stall when she reared, flipped over backwards,
and struck her head on the ground," he said, in a statement. Since
the injury was too serious to respond to treatment, euthanasia the only appropriate
move, he added. The
California Horse Racing Board, which has allowed HBO to use Santa Anita during
its off-season, said that a full post mortem will now be carried out on the creature. "Unfortunately,
we see several of these injuries in the stable area every year," said its
equine medical director, Rick Arthur. "They
are more common than people realise." Hollywood's
local animal welfare lobby is unlikely to be impressed with the statement. Even
before this week's events, they were investigating Luck's treatment of its equine
stars, alleging that two other horses who suffered fatal accidents during the
filming of the show's first series should never have been allowed on set. The
first season of Luck premiered in Australia on Showcase last Sunday.
Celebrity real estate: Sinatra, Cruise homes hit market...
Alicia
Keys is moving on from her gorgeous Manhattan apartment, Frank Sinatra's former
home is for sale, and the former rental home of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as
well as Russell Crowe is available for lease. Alicia
Keys lists 'Empire-State-of-Mind' penthouse Forget
about moving on up. Singer and New York native Alicia Keys did that a long time
ago, trading her childhood residence at the artist-friendly Manhattan Plaza apartment
complex in Hell's Kitchen for a slick SoHo real estate market triplex. Now
Keys and her producer husband Swizz Beatz have listed their Crosby Street penthouse
for $17.95 million only two years after the couple bought the place from funk/soul/rocker
Lenny Kravitz for $12.5 million. According
to Sotheby's International, which holds the listing, the apartment boasts five
bedrooms, four bathrooms, four powder rooms and an enormous state-of-the-art,
windowed, gourmet eat-in kitchen with walk-in butler's pantry. And separate formal
dining room that faces east encased in a glass solarium. That's
only the start of the grand tour of a pad once rented by Nicole Kidman and Denzel
Washington. The place also has an expansive living room with fireplace and library/media
room that are all surrounded by undoubtedly one of the most beautiful private
terraces in all of SoHo. Upstairs, there's a separate private master suite complete
with spa, pass-through dressing area and private terrace. Owner
of former Sinatra home didn't stay long When
Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Brad Grey bought Frank Sinatra's former Los
Angeles home in November 2010 for $18.5 million, the famous Hollywood producer
had big plans to restore and renovate the brick ranch that sits on a parklike
2.3 acres. Turns
out that, in the end, the Sinatra house that inspired Grey's dreams was merely
a nice set for Grey's wedding in April 2011 to his new wife, Cassandra. The wedding
was called lavish, and attended by the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Jennifer
Lopez. The couple has since moved to Bel Air, making Grey's ownership stint a
lot like Sinatra's. "My
client still owns (the Sinatra house) but I sold him another property. He didn't
want to go through the process of renovating the house,'' said Stephen Shapiro,
who holds the listing at Westside Estate Agency. The
property has been back on the market since September, when Grey listed the Holmby
Hills residence for $23.5 million. After a price drop on March 15, the former
Sinatra home at 320 N. Carolwood Drive was re-listed for its current list price
of $19,995,000. According
to the Sinatra biography "The Voice,'' by James Kaplan, Sinatra bought the
house in 1948 for $250,000 at a time when his career was at a low ebb. Sinatra
had built a dream home in Palm Springs, and was strapped for cash and on the verge
of divorce. Rent
like Tom Cruise or Russell Crowe for $100K a month... What
do Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Russell Crowe have in common? Besides
star status and high-paying movie roles, all three have at some point, for at
least a little while, called 918 N. Alpine Drive home in Los Angeles. The
Tudor-style home was rented by Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise for $55,000 a month
and then leased by Russell Crowe while he filmed "State of Play." In
2001, the nearly three-acre estate was also the filming location for several scenes
in the movie "Blow" starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. And
for someone with a celebrity-sized housing budget, the home is available again
— this time for a whopping monthly rental price of $100,000. Available
as a short or long-term lease, the Beverly Hills rental is set back from the street
— perfect for privacy-seeking celebrity tenants. With almost three acres
of landscaped property, 6,685 square feet of living space and three separate guest
apartments, the estate also has enough room for the star with the biggest entourage
of stylists, security personnel and various and sundry assistants.
WWE signs Australian Wrestler...
WWE
has signed an Aussie! Sonny Elliot (formally Danny Bolton). Sonny was South Australian
based and trained with Lance Storm in Canada. He was recently added to the main
FCW roster. We wish Sonny well as his career continues. News Australia
To Get Sports Stadiums Branded By Gambling and Gaming Companies, by Greg Tingle
- 15th January 2011 G'day
punters, journos, high rollers, sports news, entertainment news junkies, politicians,
insiders, outsiders... one and all. Today we probe the situation where a number
of Australian sports grounds could soon be named after gaming and gambling companies.
How do like the sound of Betfair Stadium, Centrebet Park and PartyGaming Cricket
Ground? Don't laugh, this type of scenario is on the cards, with local gaming
brands likely the first to pounce, followed by international powerhouses. Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com and Gambling911
with another ground breaking news report from the land of world class casino,
media companies and sports arenas... Australia
Will Get Gambling Arenas; Aussie Aussie Aussie; Oi Oi Oi... With
Australia being in the world's top 10 gambling nations, it shouldn't shock or
surprise that we're tipped to soon have a number of sporting arenas and grounds
named after gambling and gaming companies, both national and international brands.
Yep, money will talk where B.S sometimes walks. James
Packer's Betfair is understood to build upon their Betfair Park branding, Europe's
PartyGaming is keen, and currently Centrebet looks to be leading the charge, with
many insiders saying its a case of when, not if, for the household name brand. Centrebet
already has significant branding, thanks in part to a swag of TV and online adverts,
plus who can forget the Centrebet branded part of Network Nine's 'The Footy Show'. The
gambling companies already have a number of key targets, and many cash strapped
and / or cash handy NRL team and home grounds are near the top of the hit list. For
instance NRL team, The Penrith Panthers, are seriously considering having their
home stadium named Centrebet Stadium. We kid you not punters. If
the deal goes through, they will make history becoming the first major Australian
sporting team to snatch a betting firm as the naming-rights partner for a playing
venue. Horse
Racing already has some naming rights deals with tracks and in the mix such as
Betfair Park and then you have races named after gambling brands such as the Lasseters
Cup, Lasseters known for its hotel - casino up in Australia's top end. The
forecast Betfair deal comes as a police continue to probe the NRL gambling scandal
that from last season following a number of "irregular" wagers was picked
up in the Canterbury Bulldogs VS North Queensland Cowboys match up. The
Panthers, Centrebet and a swag of gambling companies, have rather pissed off the
gambling and gaming haters, who continues to get organised into lobby groups. A
Media Man spokesperson such "Many
people in and out of news media and gaming, the general public, are starting to
get really pissed off at the gaming, gambling and sports betting haters. The bible
bashers. Who do they think they are trying to push their beliefs onto others.
Many Australians just love a punt, and that's the way it is. Some of the gaming
haters have strong ties to church groups and there appears to be some sort of
brainwashing system going on. They keep discussing the 'evils of gambling'. I
mean, seriously, come on. People know not to over-do it on on the slots, sports
events, poker and the like, but the haters keep trying to be the thought police.
Gambling companies in Australia have a very high focus on responsible gambling
with warnings everywhere. It's great to see the gambling and gaming industry place
so much focus on safe better. The sports stadiums will be great for business,
, but no one is forcing anyone to have a bet. It's a personal decision, as it
always has been. 2011 is going to be a very exciting year for punters, especially
those who like to have a bet of sports matches, and television and online website
portals and brands will bring it all together nicely". Back
to the first prime target #1...The modest 22,500-capacity sports ground, owned
by Penrith City Council, was in a past life known as CUA Stadium. What's up is
that the club's contract with the Brisbane financial services company has expired,
and negotiations between Panthers, the footy club and Centrebet have been taking
place, even prior to Christmas about renaming the stadium. Other clubs and stadiums
have also caught the buzz and are opening chequebooks and crunching the numbers. The
first of its kind business agreement between the club and Centrebet is just about
a done deal, and ink is expecting to try on contracts sooner rather than later,
possibly within a fortnight. An exciting, if not controversial type of announcement
is fully expected by the Panthers in the coming week. Sports and gambling commentators
are quick to point out that Penrith already has ties to Centrebet, the gambling
brand being lit up across the top of the video screen at the stadium. This kind
of exposure has also been very good for their mobile - hand held device sector. Anti-gambling
campaigner Senator Nick Xenophon is especially unhappy with the development of
the gambling branded sports stadiums in Australia. He went on recent with: "How
can a footy code currently embroiled in a betting scandal possibly allow a stadium
to be named after a betting agency? There was a time when rugby league was all
about the game. Now it's all about the odds, and that is ruining the game". Over
the last couple of years the NRL (and AFL) has watered down its laws and regulations
relating to clubs' deals and partnerships with gambling - sports betting firms,
allowing them to be branded on footy jerseys for a virgin time. Cronulla Sharks
have sponsor PokerStars (.net) on their jersey sleeves while cashed up Manly Sea
Eagles are tipped to have Centrebet's signage on the back of their jerseys this
season after a widely reported $1 million plus deal with the Northern Territory
based betting outfit announced just before Christmas. Yep, it looks like a few
clubs and stadiums will be getting their Christmas presents and will have lots
to celebrate, while the gambling haters will be spewing in Grinch like fashion. The
National Rugby League of course also has corporate ties with TAB Sportsbet, and
is understood to snatch a 5% "product fee" via the company's rugby league
betting profit. NRL
spokesman John Brady advised he would not comment on individual clubs' sponsorship
agreements but maintained there was no concern about the prospect of gambling
agencies assuming naming rights for the game's venues, at least from his take
on the situation. "It's
an area that was relaxed last year. As such there are a number of betting sponsorships
that are available to clubs in terms of jerseys and other opportunities,"
Brady said. He
advised any and all betting firms involved with the NRL via sponsorship of clubs
were made to sign "integrity agreements" to ensure transparency. The
majority of NRL clubs now have corporate deals with betting agencies. Centrebet
sponsors five teams: Penrith, Manly, Parramatta, St George Illawarra and North
Queensland. "Comon' Betfair and PartyGaming, pull you're finger out",
a Media Man sports journalist was overheard shouting when he found out the news
of Centrebet's ongoing infiltration of the sport. Penrith's
stadium pending name change has been intertwined we understand by some to the
financial problems that have hit the football club's parent body, Panthers Group. The
licensed club is no longer quite the licence to print money as it was in the 90s
Some audited figures about to do public by the conclusion of the month are expected
to show black and white confirmation of a Murdoch - News Limited news story of
last February that said Panthers were due to report a rather embarrassing net
loss of $11 million bucks. Panthers
are not afraid to speak on the record about their on and off field performance,
which has seen better days. Ric
Simpson, Panthers Group chief exec since last July, said a culture change and
"renewal of process" across Panthers clubs had improved their situation.
Analysts question that was a PR line or absolute truth. Mind you, we don't blame
club for trying to focus on positives. "We're probably looking at reducing
that loss by somewhere in the order of $8-$9 million," Simpson said. A
Media Man spokesperson said "At
this stage of the gaming the overseas trend of seeing sports groups and football
teams pick up sponsorship and strong branding for gambling, gaming... sports betting
companies looks to be moving full speed ahead down under in Australia. Centrebet
might become the Bwin of Australia. PartyGaming is said to be currently crunching
numbers to see if an Australian sports ground deal is viable. They already have
a Aussie Millions former champion sponsored by their poker brand and a couple
of Aussie poker players signed up, so anything is possible. James Packer's Betfair,
a direct competitor of Centrebet is not likely to take the situation lying down
either. Betfair is 50% Packer owned and wants to keep building their sports betting
brand, as well as opening up many online casino games in Australia, poker and
more. Could an Australian sports stadium ever be known as PartyGaming stadium
or WPT Stadium? Not overnight, but never say never, stranger things have happened.
It's all going to add a lot of money into the game and business of sport and entertainment,
and already our firm is starting to experience some positive spin off benefits.
It's all very exciting and profitable". News Richard
Branson Expanding Virgin Gaming iGaming Empire, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2010
Gaming, gambling and iGaming fans, have we got some news hot of the press for
you. Our bat phone has been running hot hot hot!
For
the past few months Media Man and Gambling911
have been keeping you updated on all sorts of exciting developments at Richard
Branson's Virgin Group, namely Virgin
Casino, Virgin Games, Virgin Poker, Virgin Bingo, and offshoot, AWOMO (A World
Of My Own), with a GDI (Game Domain International) tie in. Last week Branson's
Virgin Racing also sponsored Full
Tilt Poker. Richard
Branson will unleash the Virgin return to the video gaming sector at the E3 event
in Los Angeles, USA, in June. We
understand that a hard launch is being orchestrated, with Sir Branson, the one
and only, in attendance. Can't wait to see what the man and his army wear and
what sorts of stunts they have up their sleeve, but Branson isn't usually one
to disappoint. Virgin
was one of the most successful brands to have ever competed in the video gaming
industry, albeit over a decade ago, but 2010 is looking to be a record breaking
year for the brands re birth, pardon the pun. RB
was one of the first pioneers - visionaries to see the massive potential of computer
software as a global Virgin entertainment business, establishing Virgin Games
in downtown London circa 1984. He later moved the core of the operation to Guernsey
which has lower overheads and is understood to be more igaming industry friendly! A
Bit Of History The
company acquired Mastertronic and rolled Sega's Master System across the European
region. Sega
Europe continued to power along, then Virgin Interactive Entertainment. In
1994 it lost its Virginity, being acquired by Blockbuster for a cool $250 million,
then was purchased by media powerhouse Viacom (which owns about half the media
world). Virgin
Interactive Entertainment reached its financial global revenue peak in 1997, bringing
home the bacon to the tune of $210 million. Circa
94 - 98 it shared market dominance with EA (Electronic Arts). Virgin
saw partners and affiliates come on board including such greats Westwood, Bethesda,
Capcom, LucasArts and Disney. Since
2004 Virgin Games has been V's staple gaming brand, other gaming ventures basically
on ice... until now! The
new gaming "start up" (of sorts), expected to go public at E3 will see
Virgin pro actively exploring partnerships with publishers, content owners, and
you get the idea. The timing looks to be right with 'Avatar' type technologies
all the rage, movies being adapted to games in record time, and the availability
of broadband internet at reasonable prices. Internet,
console formats and more will see the big V feature red hot games, both classics
and newbies. Think Space Invaders to Cleo to Avatar, and their cousins. Gamers
are calling for interactive slot games, tournaments, TV and movie brands, and
more casino and poker type experiences, in addition to what they already enjoy. Insiders
expect some sort of firm announcement from Virgin at the expo or soon after re
return to the mainstream games market. Punters,
fire up the consoles...Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, multi-player PC gaming
and more is just around the corner from the man who brought you Virgin Records,
V Festival and Virgin Galactic... be excited... we sure as hell are. At
the moment Americans and Australians are not able to play casino, poker or bingo
games at Virgin, however with the expansion of Virgin
Games, and the push to clear up any gray areas in regions such as the U.S
and down under in Australia, the whole suite of Virgin Games may go global sooner
rather than later. Competitors
of sorts, PartyGaming - including PartyCasino
and poker brands, Betfair
and Centrebet,
are all said to be watching this space closely. Australia's Fairfax Media, publisher
of The Sydney Morning Herald and News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph
and The Australian, are also following for both potential deal opportunities and
in a journalistic (journalism) capacity. Foxtel has only just got wind of the
news, putting out its own gaming related press release less than 24 hours before
this publication. Yep,
gamers and igamers... Tomb Raider, Rome Total War, Cleopatra, Flatout, WarHammer
Mark Of Chaos, Pain Killer: Black Edition, maybe even Dan Dare and who knows what
surprises will be jumping out of your computer once Team Branson turns on the
turbo and blasts off Virgin Galactic style. TNA Wrestling, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair,
Bill Goldberg, UFC, NASCAR, F1 and Bull Run are all understood to also want to
talk turkey and potential deals with Branson and 'V'. Marvel
Entertainment, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Playtech, IGT, World Poker Tour,
WSOP, SKY, Harrah's Entertainment, Trump Casinos, Infinity Ward, Sony and Sega
remain tight lipped on the Virgin developments. Virgin
Games, AWOMO (A World Of My Own), bring in on... faster than you can say Virgin
Racing Inks Deal With Full Tilt Poker! Read about the life and times of Branson
and his world of planes, trains and automobiles (and spaceships) on the Media
Man International website portal. Hours of entertainment for free. Virgin
remains one of dozens of corporate tech and communications giants seeking clarity
on Australian censorship laws, both online and offline. *Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com is
primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is
just one of a dozen of industry sectors they cover
*The writer
is has conducted business with a number of arms of the Virgin Group and is a pro
active member of Virgin Unite 
Hulkamania:
Let the Battle Begin, Australia - November 2009 Australia
is home to some of the best events and live entertainment in the world. We have
compiled a list of some of the "can't miss" attractions. Note, this
list is not complete by any means, namely because there are so many events, however,
it's a useful guide. For additional event and live entertainment listings, we
recommend Google, the newspapers, and personal
recommendation.
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