17 AUGUST 2007.- ED LIMATO JOINS MORRIS
Source: New York Times
In a significant strengthening of its motion picture department, the William Morris Agency completed an expensive deal to hire Ed Limato, the longtime agent to A-list actors like Denzel Washington and Mel Gibson.
Nearly all of Mr. Limato's major clients, who also include Steve Martin and Richard Gere, have agreed to follow him to the agency from its competitor, International Creative Management. "This is a game changer for us," said Jim Wiatt, chief executive of William Morris. "It's rare that anybody of Ed's stature becomes available."
Mr. Limato, 71, had been embroiled in a contract dispute with I.C.M. since early July, when the agency demoted him from his position as co-president as part of a management overhaul.
On Monday, Mr. Limato won the right to leave I.C.M. despite his contract when an arbitrator ruled that a California labor statute made parts of the agreement void.
"William Morris is by far the best place for me and all of my clients to continue to excel in the business at the highest level," Mr. Limato said, adding, "I expect additional clients to be joining me."
Among Mr. Limato's undecided clients are Billy Crystal, Liam Neeson and James Caviezel.
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17 AUGUST 2007.- HOLLYWOOD RANCH I
Hollywood, the most famous town in America, got its name in 1886 when a retired couple moved to California and built a ranch. The movies hadnīt yet been born and the couple chose the location because they liked the wide open spaces around the small but bustling city of Los Angeles
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"CHINESE THEATER" Click on the Image to see new photos by this artist
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Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a world-famous movie theatre located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922. Built over 18 months beginning in January 1926 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the theater opened May 18, 1927 with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings. It has since become one of Southern California's most well known landmarks and is steeped in Hollywood lore, having been home to numerous premieres, birthday parties, corporate junkets and two Academy Awards ceremonies.
Among the theater's most famous traits are the autographed cement blocks that reside in the forecourt, which bear the signatures and markings of many of Hollywood's most revered stars.
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From 1973 through 2001, the theatre was known as Mann's Chinese Theatre, owing to its acquisition by Mann Theatres in 1973. In the wake of Mann's bankruptcy, the Chinese, along with the other Mann properties, was sold in 2000 to a partnership comprising Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, who also acquired the Mann brand name.[2] In 2002 the original name was restored to the cinema palace, although the other theatres in the attached Hollywood and Highland mall retain and continue to operate under the name Mann's Chinese 6 Theatre.
Ceremony #158, August 23, 1993
MEL GIBSON
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20 AUGUST 2007.- FASCINATING!!!
WE CANīT RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO POST THIS FASCINATING THEORY, "MEL GIBSONīS FUTURE". ENJOY!
Source: Daily Express (UK)
Mel Gibson is about to head for a quiet life in a tropical paradise.
The film actor and director will be seeking solitude on a remote ranch in Central America.
The star has sold two of his houses in the United States in what is thought to be preparation for a move to Costa Rica, where he recently bought a Ģ12million 400-acre ranch.
"Mel loves the country and the people and feels he can live there out of the spotlight and away from trouble," a source said. "He's planning to live there for much of the year."
The ranch is well away from temptation, located more than 300 miles from Costa Rica's capital, San Jose.
The country's president, Oscar Arias, has already welcomed Gibson personally. They met in July to discuss a donation the star is offering to help native groups.
Gibson is planning to return later this month to make the final arrangements.
He has visited Costa Rica several times in recent years and last month was pictured enjoying himself in a bar in the town of Nicoya. The visit came while he was scouting locations for his next film, an epic about the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez De Balboa.
Gibson's move will endear him to a nation that is big on conservation. Costa Rica is famed for the richness and variety of its rainforest and wildlife and is home to five per cent of the world's flora and fauna.
The move is a further sign that the star is losing interest in keeping up his status as an A-list leading man and is beginning to turn his back on Hollywood.
It is five years since his last appearance as a leading actor in Signs, and he has no projects lined up for the immediate future. The success of The Passion of the Christ, which grossed more than Ģ300million, means Gibson no longer has to rely on Hollywood's big pay cheques, enabling him to focus on his true love, directing.
He financed Apocalypto, an epic about the Mayan civilisation and his last film as director, entirely from his own pocket.
Gibson, who has seven children with his wife of 27 years, Robyn Moore, still owns a California mansion and a ranch in Australia. He also owns Mago, a private island near Fiji, which he bought in 2004 from Japan's Tokyu Corporation for Ģ9million.
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20 AUGUST 2007.- PERU EARTHQUAKE
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21 AUGUST 2007.- HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON
Mel Gibson is one of the investors
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If you're eager to have anything in common with your fav. actor/ director and producer, there's a good chance that your dream comes true. In the not too distant future, you'll be able to share shares with MEL GIBSON.
Green Rubber Global, the Malaysian tire recycling company bringing its U.S. headquarters to Albuquerque, is "seriously considering" an initial public offering, CEO Vinod Sekhar told London's the Independent newspaper. The company's investors include actors Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis.
BE WISE, INVEST IN GREEN RUBBER GLOBAL! You can make a lot of money by investing in GRG and at the same time help to save the planet!
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24 AUGUST 2007.- ONCE UPON A TIME...
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24 AUGUST 2007.- GIBSON PRAISED IN DUI HEARING
MEL GIBSON is doing wonderfully
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Mel Gibson has met the conditions set by a court as punishment for his drunken driving arrest last year, his attorney told a judge on Thursday.
Gibson's attorney Blair Berk appeared at a hearing in Malibu, a posh seaside community outside Los Angeles, and presented a judge with documents showing the actor paid his fines, attended AA meetings and complied with his probation.
Judge Lawrence Mira ruled that Gibson, who has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings up to five times a week as part of his probation, was no longer required to go to AA meetings after confirming the Braveheart star had attended a minimum of five group sessions a week for 18 weeks after his sentence last August and then at least three times a week for the balance of the 12-month period.
"At this point it converts to voluntary," Judge Mira said.
"I prefer frankly AA meetings voluntary anyhow - it seems to work a lot better."
Judge Mira also added that Gibson, who did not appear at the hearing yesterday and has rarely attended court, must be present at the next hearing on February 15.
Gibson's lawyer Blair Berk said the Oscar-winning director was fully committed to his recovery.
"He is doing wonderfully," Ms Berk told News Limited at the hearing.
She refused to comment on why Gibson had not attended court or confirm whether he was in Los Angeles.
A large contingent of paparazzi waited outside the court yesterday, hoping for a glimpse of the star.
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24 AUGUST 2007.- GIBSON, THE THIRD
Gibson looks great in the bath
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Source: PRNewswire
Think you are the only one who does more than just wash while you're in the shower? Think again. GROHE -- a leading manufacturer of bath, shower and kitchen products -- recently conducted a survey that found while the majority of both American and Canadian respondents reported using their showers for obvious reasons, many indicated tendencies toward more unconventional habits.
Among the highlights of the survey were statistics that reveal that things are getting steamy in today's showers. Nearly a quarter of both U.S. (22%) and Canadian respondents (22%) indicated that they have sex in their showers. Of these respondents, more U.S. males (26%) reported having sex in the shower than their female counterparts (18%), while more Canadian females (24%) reported having sex in the shower than male Canadian respondents (19%).
As for what celebrities respondents would like to see steaming up their showers, Americans and Canadians were in total agreement. Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba and Pamela Anderson topped the U.S. and Canadian lists of favorite female celebrity showerers. On the male side, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Johnny Depp captured the top three spots in both the U.S. and Canada. Mel Gibson tied with Depp in Canada.
While the majority of respondents focus on washing their hair and bodies, 20 percent of U.S. respondents and 24 percent of Canadian respondents spend their shower time cleaning their showers as well. Other top multitasking activities include shaving (43% U.S./40% Canada), brushing teeth (17% U.S./14% Canada) and singing (18% U.S./15% Canada).
When asked to name their favorite song to sing in the shower, "Singing in the Rain" topped the responses in both the U.S. and Canada. Other top tunes included: 1. "Singing in the Rain", 2. "Amazing Grace", 3. "Splish, Splash", 4. "Hey Jude" and 5. Original tunes
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27 AUGUST 2007.- READING THE SUN SIGN, "CAPRICORN"
Source: Cosmic Connections
Because of its life-giving quality, the sun is believed by astrologers to be the heavens' most powerful predictor of character. Thus the sun sign- determined by the sun's place in the zodiaz at the time of one's birth -is the astrological designation almost everybody knows. Many people see their characters perfectly delineated in traits ascribed to their sun signs. Perhaps this is so because astrology expresses some mythic truth. Or it could result from the ease of fitting one's personality into the vague, elastic terms of most astrological languages. A person who broods may be described as a typical Taurus, as might a jolly extrovert. In this way conflicting qualities often rest confortably within a single sign. Over the years, however, astrologers have come to some general agreement on what each sign means, this presumed meaning is presented in the following page: CAPRICORN (from December 21 to January 19).
Click on the images to enlarge and read text
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28 AUGUST 2007.- GIBSON LENDS SUPPORT TO RAINFOREST CONSERVATION
Source: Bernama
Award-winning actor and director Mel Gibson has thrown his support behind the Petra Group's funding for research and conservation work at the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah.
Gibson, a staunch advocate of rainforest protection and on a brief holiday here, attended the sponsorship signing ceremony of Petra Foundation, the charitable arm of Petra Group, where it pledged over RM8 million for the Royal Society's South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP) in Danum Valley.
"I am proud of this partnership which shows Petra Group's commitment in environmental causes. This is a good cause, not only to promote rainforest protection, but also the endangered species and millions of other species which have not been discovered in the rainforest," he said at the news conference.
Petra Foundation was represented by its chairman Datuk Vinod Sekhar and the Royal Society, by research coordinator Prof Rory Walsh.
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by the chairman of the Board of Trustes of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, Lord John Selborne.
The fund will be used for international research, training and educational programmes in rainforest ecology at the Danum Valley for eight years beginning next year.
Meanwhile, Vinod said the sponsorship would encourage more research programmes to be carried out on the tropical rainforest, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of the natural heritage.
"In addition, it will help promote training of young Malaysian researchers and technical staff as they assist and learn from an international group of scientists and researchers."
He said research conducted at the centre would also be shared and combined with work carried out at the Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon conservation areas in Sabah, the Bulungan-Malinau region of northern Kalimantan in Indonesia and other areas in northern Borneo.
Covering almost 450 sq km, Danum Valley is one of the largest and most protected areas of pristine lowland rainforest in this region, besides being recognised as one of the top five tropical research forests in the world.
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29 AUGUST 2007.- DANUM VALLEY
Source: nst.com
KUALA LUMPUR: It was a busman's holiday for Hollywood star Mel Gibson yesterday as he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the environment.
His presence at the event aimed at promoting conservation at the Danum Valley in Sabah came as no surprise to those who know of his passion for an issue close to his heart.
The Australian-born actor was there to lend his name to the effort by the Petra Foundation and The Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme at the Danum Valley Field Centre.
The foundation through its UK-based subsidiary, Green Rubber Global, will support a research, training and environmental education programme at the Danum Valley Field Centre.
The Petra Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Petra Group, will provide RM8 million towards the centre over eight years.
Gibson said that there were only two choices when it came to the environment: Repair it or don't impact it at all.
"The environment is a precious gift that we need to preserve," said Gibson who has emerged as a spokesman for the environmental cause recently.
He said there was a real need to protect animal species endemic to specific parts of the world.
"There are nearly eight and a half million species yet to be identified in rainforests," added the actor who is in Malaysia on a two-week holiday.
SEARRP, established in 1985, is a programme involving collaborative research by leading British and European scientists and Malaysian scientists with a primary focus on the Danum Valley.
Foundation chairman Datuk Vinod Sekhar said the sponsorship was part of the foundation's long-term focus to create alternatives to unplanned and indiscriminate logging.
"Let's face it. Logging is not going to go away. But much can be done to improve the practice of logging so that it can be done in a sustainable manner," he said.
Safeguarding key areas such as the Danum Valley will create and provide a far greater value than short term indiscriminate logging, he said.
According to SEARRP Programme manager Dr Glen Reynolds, most of the money would go towards the running of the centre, especially in terms of increasing staff salary and improving living facilities.
There are about 15 research assistants from Sabah who form the core of the centre's staff.
The funding will also be used to provide scholarships to qualified Malaysian students to study in the United Kingdom and conduct field studies in Danum Valley.
Covering almost 450 square kilometres, Danum Valley is recognised as one of the top five tropical research forests in the world.
It is also one of the largest and most important protected areas of pristine lowland rainforest in south east Asia.
Petra Group has contributed in a small way to the programme Gibson now supports in Guatemala.
Gibson reportedly donated US$500,000 to a group - comprising environmentalists and archaeologists - that is battling to establish into a national park a 525,000-acre tropical forest that is home to extensive Mayan ruins.
Petra expects to eventually expand its support to other research centres in Sabah and Borneo, including the Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon Conservation Areas.
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29 AUGUST 2007.- MADELEINE
Madeleine McCann, the little girl kidnapped from her family's hotel room in Portugal in April. She is still missing.
PLEASE, DONīT FORGET HER!!!
MADELEINEīS EYE
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Madeleine's Eye Holds Vital Clue
Madeleine McCann's family believe a new picture of the missing four-year-old could play a vital role in the search for her.
The photo of the youngster shows clearly her distinctive right eye, where the pupil runs into the blue-green iris.
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