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Monday, January 9, 2012

Grisham gives positive brief on 'The Firm'

John Grisham is helping bring his book, "The Firm," to TV.

By Randee Dawn

Those who remember the 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's thriller "The Firm" may remember Tom Cruise's beleaguered character Mitch McDeere doing a lot of running around and hiding out from his fellow lawyers and bosses -- who wanted to make sure he wasn't sharing his company's criminal activities with the Feds. He was, and it changed his life.

"The Firm" also changed the life of its author, John Grisham, who spoke with TODAY's Matt Lauer Friday about the upcoming TV series adaptation on NBC, with independent film vet Josh Lucas in the Cruise role. At first, Grisham told Lauer, he couldn't get a book deal for his novel, but someone bootlegged the manuscript and started passing it around Hollywood.

"The first phone call I got for 'The Firm' was in January of 1990 and my agent said, 'Hey, we just sold the film rights.' I said, 'What about the book rights?'" recalled the author.

Naturally, with a film in the making, a book contract was quickly forthcoming; now, "The Firm" is a TV series that picks up where the story left off. The McDeere family has been in witness protection for ten years, and wants to resume living a normal life. If they could, there wouldn't be much fodder for a series so ... things start to go wrong.

"I would not be here if I didn't like it," said Grisham, giving his stamp of approval on the book and calling Lucas "a movie star. This guy's got the presence, charisma, talent."

And he would know if a series isn't going to go well: His novel, "The Client," was made into a film in 1994 and a TV series that only ran for a season in 1995.

"I've had a bad experience on television," said Grisham. "'The Firm' is another story. This is going to be a hit."

The two-hour premiere of "The Firm" airs on NBC on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 9 p.m.

Legendary author John Grisham talks to TODAY's Matt Lauer the new TV series based on "The Firm," the book that helped launch his superstar author career.

Will you watch? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

Also in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/06/10004983-john-grisham-gives-a-positive-brief-on-new-series-the-firm

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Saluting Canada's soldiers

Salute to Soldiers held at Barrie Legion

By Ian McInroy

Posted 2 hours ago

Cheyenne Hall has a personal connection with Canada's soldiers from the Great War and she shared her story during Salute to Soldiers, held at the Barrie Royal Canadian Legion Sunday afternoon.

Hosted by the Barrie and District Irish Claddagh Club, Salute to Soldiers was intended to highlight the importance of Canadian veterans of all conflicts and the sacrifices they have made.

Canadian Armed Forces Capt. Mehdi Imtiaz, of Innisfil, described his experiences after 33 years in the Canadian Armed forces, including tours in Afghanistan, the Sudan and others.

"As a serviceman, I appreciate what the Royal Canadian Legion does. It stands up for us," he said, adding that he is proud of what our troops accomplished in Afghanistan.

The country isn't necessarily perfect now that the Canadians have left, he said.

"Did (Canadians) make it a better place? Yes. You do what you can to help and that's all any of us can do."

Eastview Secondary School teacher and veterans expert Clint Lovell also spoke to the crowd.

Lovell is organizing another veterans-oriented trip to Europe ? Vimy 2012 ? from Apr. 4 to 12 and is inviting other area students interested in going to contact him.

The students and other Barrie and area residents will visit Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam and the nearby Vught concentration camp.

From there it's on to Flanders where the famous poem by John McCrae was written. Students will take part in a torch relay with the McCrae family. They will also visit Somme, where the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was wiped out.

They will get a first-hand look at Juno Beach and also take part in 95th anniversary services at the Vimy Ridge monument.

Eastview student Cheyenne Hall, 15, is travelling with the group in April.

She is keen on learning more about Canada's participation and contributions in the First World War.

"I want to trace my ancestors' footsteps and where they fought. It's important to know how you got here. They (all veterans) fought for your freedom," she said.

Hall read a poem written by her great grandfather, Corp John Clark, to a fallen friend and soldier during the First World War, one of thousands of men who gave their lives.

"It was a poem he wrote about Pvt. John Lee when he died in 1916," she said. Lee is buried in Belgium while Clark survived the war.

"They were best friends when they were growing up together in Scotland," she said. "Everybody (all the soldiers) had an important part to play."

Angie Chisholm, of the Irish Claddagh Club, was inspired to organize the event by her father-in-law Donald Chisholm, who was one of the first radar operators in the Second World War.

Canada is the great country it is because of the sacrifices veterans have made in conflicts around the world, she said.

"These are the people who have put their life on the line. And while they won't admit it, they are heroes."

imcinroy@thebarrieexaminer.com

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Source: http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3428986

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The 'CES curse?' Gadget show has poor record

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2011 file photo, Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer gives his Keynote speech for the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. The International Consumer Electronics Show is getting a track record as the launch pad for products that fall flat. The annual conclave kicks off next week in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, attendees watch a 3-D HDTV presentation by Panasonic at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. The International Consumer Electronics Show is getting a track record as the launch pad for products that fall flat. The annual conclave kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The largest trade show in the Americas must be a great place to show off new products, right? Wrong. The International Consumer Electronics Show is quickly becoming a launch pad for products that fall flat.

When the annual conclave kicks off next week, organizers expect more than 140,000 people ? roughly the population of Syracuse, N.Y. ? to descend on Las Vegas. They will mill around 1.8 million square feet of booths and exhibits, equivalent to 31 football fields.

The 2,800 or so exhibitors are hoping to set the tone for the year by showing off tons of tablet computers, throngs of 3-D TVs and untold numbers of slim, light laptops called ultrabooks.

But a look back at the products heavily promoted at CES in recent years reveals few successes.

? In 2009, "netbooks" ? tiny, cheap laptops ? were a hot category at the show. They did have a good year, but interest was already waning when Apple Inc. obliterated the category with the launch of the iPad in 2010.

Another big, eagerly awaited launch at the 2009 CES was Palm Inc.'s webOS software, running on a new generation of smartphones. Those devices debuted later that year to good reviews and dismal sales. A year later, Palm was sold to Hewlett-Packard Co., which killed the product line in 2011.

? In 2010, TV makers made a big push with 3-D sets, hoping to ride the popularity of 3-D movies such as "Avatar." Sales turned out to be disappointing as buyers balked at wearing glasses and found little to watch in 3-D. The technology isn't going away, but 3-D looks to be just another feature among many of today's high-end TVs.

Other manufacturers at that show hoped to ride the success of Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle with their own e-readers. They failed, though Barnes & Noble Inc. made some inroads later in the year with its Nook. That rivalry played out away from CES.

? In 2011, there were more than 100 brands of tablet computers on display, all trying to ride the coattails of the iPad. Many of them didn't even make it to the market; those that did couldn't make a dent in Apple's market share.

Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet did start to crack Apple's hegemony late in the year, but it wasn't shown at CES.

Verizon Wireless got attention at the 2011 show with the first consumer devices to use its ultra-fast "4G LTE" data network. Although those did well over the year, the company upstaged itself by announcing, a week after the show, that it would start selling the iPhone.

A big part of the "curse" of the show is that the company that has been driving trends in the industry, Apple, doesn't show products there. It doesn't have a booth, and its executives don't give speeches. It hasn't had an official presence at all since the 90s, though some of its employees go.

It's not that Apple dislikes CES in particular. It just doesn't do trade shows. When it has something new to sell, it puts on its own press conference. That way, it can control everything.

Microsoft Corp. seems to be adopting the same strategy. It revealed last month that the 2012 show will be the last one that its CEO will kick off with a keynote speech. That ends a run of 15 straight years. It's also the last time Microsoft has a booth at the show.

The problem with the show's timing will be acute for Microsoft this year. A new version of Windows won't be ready until the fall. In his keynote speech Monday evening, CEO Steve Ballmer can, at best, show very raw prototypes of the products that will run Windows 8.

What's left in the show booths are companies that don't quite have the clout or money to draw people to their own events, plus ones that put out new products at a reliable annual pace, such as TV and car makers.

The Consumer Electronics Association, an industry trade group, has organized the show since 1967. Its president, Gary Shapiro, disputes the idea that it's losing relevance.

"Nearly every consumer electronics innovation in the history of our industry was unveiled at CES," he said.

Among recent product successes revealed at CES, he mentions Samsung's Flex-Duo smart oven, Eye-Fi's memory cards that upload photos wirelessly, GM's OnStar service, Parrot's AR remote-control flying drone, Microsoft's Kinect Avatar, Samsung's LED TVs, Sonos' wireless music system and Corning's Gorilla Glass for smartphones.

"With some 20,000 products introduced at each show, many can and should be failures. That is the American way," Shapiro said.

And besides, attendance is up. The show is set for its third year of growth from the recession-stripped nadir of 2009 and could touch the record numbers hit in 2006.

That matters because the attendees are all industry people. Consumers aren't allowed in. Having everyone who matters in Vegas for a couple of days in the year makes it easy to set up face-to-face meetings that would take weeks to organize otherwise. In that context, it matters less that the show hasn't been a great staging ground for new products.

"I'm pretty comfortable that we're the most important event for technology in the world," Shapiro said. "It's difficult to come out with someone really important who's not there."

Apple CEO Tim Cook's absence may make him the exception. His predecessor, Steve Jobs, was certainly never caught loitering on the show floor. But the company contingent will probably be strong. Last year, the Apple's retail store division alone sent 159 people, according to the CEA.

So what potential flops will be hyped at the show this year?

? Windows 8 will be an important new product in 2012, but the late-year launch means PC and tablet makers hoping for a CES boost have to wait.

The new operating system is built for touch screens, the kind made popular by iPhones and iPads. Windows 8 will also run on cellphone-style processing chips, the type used in most tablets. That should improve battery life considerably over the PC-type chips that Windows runs on today. However, many analysts believe Microsoft has already lost this market to Apple.

? As a stopgap, PC makers will show off ultrabooks. They're essentially Windows versions of the MacBook Air laptop, which uses chips instead of a spinning hard drive for storage. That makes the machines lighter and thinner but also more expensive. Expectations for ultrabooks are modest ? Gary Balter at Credit Suisse believes they could make up 10 percent of laptops sales this year.

? Having failed to catch the iPad wave last year with $500 tablets, some tablet makers will try to catch the Kindle Fire wave with smaller, cheaper tablets. But the profit margins are tiny at that price, so bigger Asian manufacturers are setting their sights on the tablet version of Windows 8, hoping it will provide them better opportunities, said Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli.

? TV makers will be talking about "smart," Internet-connected sets, but they're not exactly new.

However, we'll see the first full-size TVs that use organic light-emitting diodes in place of LCDs. LG Electronics has confirmed that it will be showing off a 55-inch set, to be sold late in the year. The price hasn't been disclosed, but is likely to be high. OLED sets can be painfully thin ? in LG's case, less than a third of an inch ? and should boast improved image quality as well.

We'll also see TVs that are "smart" in the sense that they respond to gestures or spoken commands. However, until cable set-top boxes get smart, too, we won't be able to abandon remotes.

Paul Gagnon, an analyst at DisplaySearch, said TV manufacturers are trying to get ahead of Apple. He and other analysts believe the company is working on a TV set that could be introduced this year. Some speculate that "Siri," the voice-control application in the latest iPhone, is a dry run for a voice-controlled TV.

Apple hasn't commented on the speculation. It has agreements with Hollywood studios for sales and rentals of movies through iTunes, but to create a TV that's unmistakably "Apple," it would likely require broader agreements with content providers, such as rights to stream live TV. Even Apple might not be able to challenge the content industry's way of business.

"They've been able to break down those digital barriers with music and other applications, but TV is going to be one of the tougher areas," Gagnon said.

In other words, an Apple TV could be an expensive flop. Staying away from CES is no guarantee for success.

___

Peter Svensson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/petersvensson

___

Online:

http://cesweb.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-06-Gadget%20Show/id-c79c78fd346a4f57a0c030ad2b58f32b

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Saturday, January 7, 2012

Defending Snooki ... no, really!

Noel Vasquez / Getty Images Contributor

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi isn't really so bad.

By Ree Hines

The fifth season of "Jersey Shore" kicks off Jan. 5, and that means it's time for all the usual Seaside Heights fun, including hookups, fights and alcohol-filled parties ? most, if not all, of which will revolve around Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, otherwise known as the unofficial star of the show.

That also means many viewers and even more non-viewers will resume their seasonal pastime of Snooki-bashing, which seems to involve criticizing the Princess of Poughkeepsie for almost every mundane move and outrageous act that she makes.

But why?

OK, sure. She can't hold her liquor, as evidenced by her boozy beach arrest in season three, repeated "kooka" flashings and nearly every fight she's ever had with her boyfriend, Jionni. And, yes, she's used the house minifridge to cool her itchy backside alongside the Cheez-its and Red Bull when a new tanning cream left her a little rashy. And it's true that even outside of "Shore" she's given dieting advice that's included drinking vodka and recommended kitty litter as a beauty product. But then again, aren't some of these things what make Snooki so great?

Great? Yeah, great. Well, not the public drunkenness maybe, but the general over-the-top behavior is part of?what makes Snooki worth watching. She's like a cartoon character come to life, ready to do and say what most others won't and probably shouldn't. It's part of her appeal, and it's part of why she's worth defending against her many detractors.

Besides, Snooki's appeal goes far beyond her diminutive, do-anything routine. Those who look past some of her embarrassing habits might just notice her winning qualities, such as the fact she's a loyal friend to the women in her life (minus the occasional Sammi mess and that whole thing with Angelina, but hey, they had it coming) and she won't let anyone tear her down.

The latter might just make up her best quality. See, despite all the requisite bashing, for the most part, Snooki takes it in stride. She doesn't get overly mad or offended. She refuses to be shamed for her behavior. And if a swipe is crafted with a sense of humor, she even seems to appreciate it. ??

If there's a Snooki-related joke to be made, she's either making it or she's among those laughing the loudest.

Heck, when Bobby Moynihan repeatedly poked fun?at her on "Saturday Night Live," she didn't simply approve of the send-up. She teamed up with him for some dueling-Snookis action on MTV.

And when South Park portrayed the "Shore" star as a rusty colored, hunched-back, whiskered beast who creeped around in constant pursuit of "smoosh-smoosh," she took it as a sign of her success.

"Snooki want smoosh smoosh," she tweetedthe night the episode aired. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight. lmao!!! We've officially made it. Goodnite my b----es ?"

That's an indomitable spirit, and it's all too rare in real life or reality TV.

See the latest from Snooki and the rest of the Seaside Heights gang when "Jersey Shore" returns to MTV Thursday, Jan. 5., at 10 p.m.

What do you think is the dumbest/funniest thing Snooki has ever done? Sound off on our Facebook page.

Is she worth defending?

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APNewsBreak: Ex-Mexico president claims immunity (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? Former Mexico President Ernesto Zedillo claims in court documents filed Friday that his status as a former national leader gives him immunity from a lawsuit filed in Connecticut over the 1997 killings of 45 people in a Mexican village.

Zedillo's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Hartford. A copy of the motion was obtained by The Associated Press.

Zedillo, now an international studies professor at Yale University, also denied the allegations that he bears responsibility for the massacre by paramilitary groups in Acteal, in the southern state of Chiapas, and that he tried to cover up the killings.

Ten unnamed plaintiffs sued Zedillo in September accusing him of crimes against humanity. They are seeking $50 million in damages.

"The plaintiffs' lawsuit against President Zedillo amounts to no more than a misguided effort to impugn the reputation of someone widely regarded by international leaders and scholars as the architect of historic reforms that led Mexico into a new dawn of electoral freedom, respect for human rights, and a flourishing economy," Zedillo's motion says.

"Those who disagree cannot use this court as a vehicle for political revenge," the document says. "The law of sovereign immunity is designed to protect the leaders of our allies from the indignity and expense of defending against just such attacks."

Zedillo was president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs said Friday that Zedillo's claims are false.

"Mr. Zedillo has not been the head of the Mexican government for a number of years and his immunity expired a year after he left office," attorney Roger Kobert said.

Kobert said he was still reviewing the more than 190 pages of documents filed by Zedillo's lawyers on Friday.

The massacre in Acteal on Dec. 22, 1997, was the worst instance of violence during a conflict that began when the Zapatista movement staged a brief armed uprising in early 1994 to demand more rights for Indians in Chiapas.

Paramilitaries with alleged government ties attacked Roman Catholic activists who sympathized with the rebels during a prayer meeting in Acteal. The assailants killed 45 people over several hours, including children as young as 2 months old.

After the killings, Zedillo denounced them as criminal and urged government and human rights officials to investigate.

The plaintiffs' lawsuit, however, alleges that Zedillo's administration ended peace talks with the Zapatistas and launched a plan to arm and train local militias to fight against them. It also claims Zedillo was aware of the actions in Acteal, covered them up and broke international human rights laws under the Geneva Conventions as well as a host of other laws.

The lawsuit says Zedillo "knew or should have known that his subordinates were committing human rights abuses, and he failed to prevent the abuses or punish those responsible."

Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who included people injured in the attack and relatives of some of the dead, have said their clients don't want their names revealed because they fear for their safety.

Sixty people convicted in the massacre have been freed after judges found irregularities in their prosecutions. Thirty-five convicts remain in prison.

Zedillo's lawyers say they have no knowledge of the U.S. ever rejecting a former head of state's claim for immunity from a lawsuit involving official acts.

State Department officials have been asked to issue an opinion on whether they believe Zedillo has immunity from the lawsuit. Once agency officials issue an opinion or announce they've declined to review the matter, the plaintiffs are then expected to file documents opposing the motion to dismiss.

Zedillo's lawyers said a quick dismissal of the case is vital.

"So long as this case remains on the docket, nations around the world will appropriately question whether their former heads of state can travel to the United States without being forced to defend official actions they took in their own countries," the motion to dismiss says.

"In return, foreign governments and foreign courts may doubt the U.S. commitment to reciprocity on immunity, leaving our own nation's former officials ? including our former presidents ? stripped of the assurance of immunity that they ordinarily enjoy in foreign nations," it says.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120106/ap_on_re_us/us_mexico_massacre_zedillo

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Yearly roundup of world currencies: The yen, the rupee, and everything in between

How 14 of the world's largest currencies fared against the dollar in 2011.

It has become something of an annual tradition at this blog to summarize the yearly movement of a number of important currencies. This year, most currencies didn't change very dramatically against the U.S. dollar for the year as a whole. 5 currencies rose, three of which (the Australian and New Zealand dollars and the U.K. pound) only marginally. Only the yen and the yuan rose significantly, but far from dramatically. The other fell, but it was only the Brazilian real and the Indian rupee that did so in a really significant way.

Skip to next paragraph Stefan Karlsson

Stefan is an economist currently working in Sweden.