Katy Perry & Russell Brand Plan a Present-less Christmas

Deciding to go against the grain this year, Katy Perry and Russell Brand have opted against engaging in the common practice of giving one other Christmas presents.
The “Firework” singer and the “Get Him to the Greek” actor have said that they want to focus on creating “an experience” for their first holiday season as husband and wife.

Perry explained, "Honestly, we're not doing presents this year because we're going to do an experience instead. My whole life has been an experience, especially in these past few years and this year in particular."
She went on to say that she plans to donate some of her clothes to charity to help out those in need over the holiday season.

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Scarlett Johansson & Ryan Reynolds File for Divorce

Ruling out any lingering hope of a reconciliation, reports tell that Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson have initiated the divorce process.
The "Green Lantern" actor and his "Iron Man 2" actress ex both submitted legal papers at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (December 23), with the move coming just weeks after the pair confirmed their breakup.

Looking as if things may go smoothly, neither Ryan nor Scarlett are seeking spousal support with both having agreed to December 14th as the date of their split.
While there were various rumors of significant others and poor treatment of one another, more reliable sources indicate that the two merely grew apart and are parting on "good" terms.

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Report: Brett Favre Asked Jenn Sterger For Masturbation Video

Former New York Jets employee Jenn Sterger, who was allegedly sent photos of Brett Favre's penis (maybe you heard), also got a text from the NFL star.
A text in which he asks her for a video of her masturbating.
That's according to sources connected to NFL's investigation into the star's conduct in 2008. The video request reportedly came months after the pics.

THUMBS UP: I'm a fan. Now how 'bout pleasuring yourself on tape?

It's not clear if Jenn Sterger turned over the masturbation video request to the NFL, which has yet to decide if Favre violated its personal conduct policy.
Even if he violated a cardinal rule by texting his small junk, according to Charles Barkley, it's becoming clear that Brett Favre is a wild, sexual freak.
He admitted hollering at Sterger, as heard on the voicemail leaked online, and while he denies sending any photos of his wang, you have to wonder.
Who the heck knows what specifics are true, but between this and Rex Ryan's foot fetish video, the Jets PR department has a lot on its plate lately.

Paris Hilton Sex Tape II? Doug Reinhardt Denies, Threatens Lawsuit Over Rumor

As the sex tape rumor mill turns ... there's a story floating around online that Doug Reinhardt co-starred in a NEW Paris Hilton sex tape.
But Doug, who broke up with the HO-tel heiress earlier this year, says the story, first reported by ZachTaylor (dot) com, is totally bogus.
His rep Amanda Ruisi, who's surely really busy lately, says "Doug says a sex tape with Paris and him doesn't exist and never existed."

THE DOUG DAYS ARE OVER: But they were, like, so hot ...

Reinhardt fired off a cease and desist letter to the website that claims he's shopping a sex tape telling them to take the story down or he'll sue.
In the letter, Doug's lawyer says the story that he boned, filmed and shopped is "false in every respect and ... defamatory to Mr. Reinhardt."
Good to see Doug has some dignity. Then again, Rick Salomon made $10 million from the original Paris Hilton sex tape, which is really the only reason she got famous, so maybe he should stoke the rumor a little. Just a thought.

Joe Francis Off The Hook! Jayde Nicole Officially Settles Lawsuit

Maybe she's just ready to forgive and forget.
Sources have spoken to Jayde Nicole's lawyer who has confirmed that his client has decided to end her civil lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis. You'll recall that Jayde was suing Joe for attacking her at an El Lay nightclub. (You remember the video, don't you? He grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground!)
Anyway, he wouldn't comment on exactly what his client got from settling the $1 million lawsuit, he did imply that Jayde is ready to move on. In the official statment, her attorney explains:
"The terms of the settlement agreement are strictly confidential, so there will be no comment whatsoever as to the terms.
Generally speaking, my client would never settle cases that are close to trial that she initiates unless she was thrilled, delighted, and overjoyed with the resolution. She wishes Joe all the best and is glad this matter is behind them.
Always at the end of the year, parties generally like to close out loose ends, my client is enjoying her holiday and is looking forward to shopping in America's best stores."
Tis the season to be forgiving, we guess!
[Image via WENN.]

This Week In Celebrity Twitpics

CLICK HERE for an awesome pHOto gallery of all the best pics that your favorite celebs were Twitpic-ing this week!
CLICK HERE for an awesome pHOto gallery of all the best pics that your favorite celebs were Twitpic-ing this week!
CLICK HERE for an awesome pHOto gallery of all the best pics that your favorite celebs were Twitpic-ing this week!

BJP demands early interrogation of Kalmadi

Pune, Dec 5 (PTI) BJP today demanded an early interrogation of Suresh Kalmadi for his alleged role in financial irregularities during the conduct of Commonwealth Games and said it wanted JPC to go into both 2G and CWG scams to unearth the truth. Party General Secretary and MP Ravishankar Prasad said here,"Kalmadi has not been interrogated so far by the investigating agencies and we want this to happen as early as possible.

" Prasad also criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for his "inaction" in not stopping both the scams and alleged that there was a "conspiracy of silence" on part of Singh. Prasad said Singh owed an answer to the nation as to why he failed to act to stop the biggest ever scam in independent India.
"BJP wants a JPC to be constituted to go into both 2-G and CWG scams. If we had not built up pressure in Parliament, A Raja would not have resigned," he added.
Asked whether BJP was adopting double standards on the issue of corruption by shielding Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyuruppa who is facing land grab charges, Prasad said,"The main issue there is de-notification of government land and the Lakayukta is conducting an inquiry into the whole matter". PTI HBJ ABC.

Microsoft developing shape-memory display: report

When you think of touch screen devices these days, Apple and Google-powered products are usually at the top of the list. Microsoft has probably had it with other vendors taking credit for the concept—especially since Microsoft has produced tablet PCs for almost a decade, and since it's also the company behind Surface, the awesome multi-touch UI concept that first appeared in May 2007.
But in some ways, the lack of consumer recognition it's Microsoft's own fault. Aside from hewing too closely to its Windows desktop software UI, and not treating tablet PCs and smartphones as unique devices with their own requirements, Microsoft also relied on older, pressure-sensitive, plastic resistive screens for years. Plastic resistive displays require stiff finger presses or a stylus for optimal performance. Newer glass capacitive displays work differently; they consist of just one layer instead of two, are more accurate and sensitive to finger touches, and dispense with the need for a stylus entirely.

Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 devices finally have glass capacitive displays. But behind closed doors, it turns out the company may be working on display technology that could trump all others. Microsoft has also applied for a patent for a new kind of touch screen display that offers genuine tactile feedback, according to Thinq. The patent, entitled "Light-induced shape-memory polymer display screen," came to light when the US Patents and Trademarks Office published it yesterday, although Microsoft first filed the application in May 2009. The patent covers a touch screen design that includes what's called a shape-memory layer. When activated via a specific frequency of ultraviolet light, individual pixels can be raised or lowered, which would lend the displayed image some physical texture, the report said.
The possibilities are endless, but one would be immediately gratifying: imagine an on-screen keyboard with individual raised "keys" that depress when you touch them. That's light-years ahead of haptic feedback, which induces mild vibrations whenever you touch the screen on a smartphone or other touch-enabled device. Still, this one application alone could do away with hardware QWERTY keyboards forever.
Back in October 2008, Microsoft Research unveiled SecondLight, a technology that added a second dimension to Surface, letting users slide lens over the display in order to manipulate on-screen models. That technology still projected images onto a display like Surface, but also employed a switchable diffuser that aligned liquid crystal molecules and let light pass through whenever a voltage was applied.
There's no word yet on when we'll see the first shape-memory displays from Microsoft, though an obvious early route would be another upgrade to Microsoft Surface.

Scientists reverse old age symptoms in mice

In case they were feeling old, some lucky lab rats found their decrepit organs rejuvenated back to youth in an experiment conducted by a group of Harvard scientists, with far-reaching implications for human ageing.
The youth elixir in this experiment is an enzyme called telomerase, which prevents the natural deterioration of telomeres, a protective cap found at the tip of chromosomes.
Most ageing occurs because of the deterioration of telomeres. Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize last year for the discovery of telomerase.
In the experiement, led by Dr. Ronald DePinho, a cancer geneticist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, scientists took six-month-old mice and engineered them with a telomerase gene, which could be toggled on or off through artificial means. When turned off, the mice manifested typical symptoms of age often seen in humans in their 80s and 90s, such as barrenness, shrunken brains, and loss of smell.

"In this state we flipped the [telomerase] gene back on," DePinho explained to PCMag. "We expected to see a slowing of the ageing process, but instead what we witnessed was a dramatic reversal." For instance, the mice's coat hairs were restored to sheen, fertility enhanced, and smell restored. Since the findings were first published yesterday in Nature magazine, other scientists have warned that artificially turning on and off a telomerase switch in humans could actually trigger cancer cells. DePinho added that decreasing telomere reserves was just "one of many factors" that can damage cells, and that "just correcting one factor won't necessarily extend lifespan."
Furthermore, a human application is still at least a decade away, he predicts. Instead, the biggest take-home from the experiment is that ageing cells can be rejuvenated.
"It teaches us that if the underlying cause of ageing is eliminated, that tissues retain a remarkable capacity to rejuvenate—so there is a point of return on the ageing process."

Methane laptops could be on the way

If there's one problem with the current generation of laptops, it's their battery life. And one of the most likely ways to overcome this is by using fuel cells. In addition to providing more power, these cells also have the added benefit of being environmentally friendly, as they utilize methane gas. Traditionally these types of cells have been both too expensive and too hot to be practical, but scientists at Harvard say that may soon change.

According to Shriram Ramanathan, the lead researcher behind the project at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, solid-oxide fuel cells (or SOFCs) may soon be the most common form of power for portable devices. The team has developed a thin SOFC that eschews using platinum, making it both a cheaper and more reliable alternative. This only leaves the high temperature as an issue.

"Low temperature is a holy grail in this field," Ramanathan told Science Daily. "If you can realize high-performance solid-oxide fuel cells that operate in the 300-500°C range, you can use them in transportation vehicles and portable electronics, and with different types of fuels."

Research is ongoing, and Ramanathan says that one of the main goals is to find "affordable, earth-abundant materials that can help lower the operating temperature even further."

Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.

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China claims supercomputer crown

The Tianhe-1A supercomputer is about 50% faster than its closest rival.

 

China has claimed the top spot on the list of the world's supercomputers.

The title has gone to China's Tianhe-1A supercomputer that is capable of carrying out more than 2.5 thousand trillion calculations a second.
To reach such high speeds the machine draws on more than 7,000 graphics processors and 14,000 Intel chips.
The claim to be the fastest machine on the planet has been ratified by the Top 500 Organisation which maintains a list of the most powerful machines.
High power China's Tianhe-1A (Milky Way) has taken over the top spot from America's XT5 Jaguar at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee that can carry out only 1.75 petaflops per second. One petaflop is the equivalent of 1,000 trillion calculations per second.
The news about the machine broke just before the publication of the biennial Top 500 Supercomputer list which ranks the world's most powerful machines.
Prof Jack Dongarra from the University of Tennessee, one of the computer scientists who helps to compile the list, said China's claim was legitimate.
"This is all true," he told BBC News. "I was in China last week and talked with the designers, saw the system, and verified the results."
He added: "I would say it's 47% faster than the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's machine, 1.7 Pflops (ORNL system) to 2.5 Pflops (Chinese system)."
Tianhe-1A is unusual in that it unites thousands of Intel processors with thousands of graphics cards made by Nvidia.
The chips inside graphics cards are typically made up of small arithmetical units that can carry out simple sums very quickly. By contrast, Intel chips are typically used to carry out more complicated mathematical operations.
The machine houses its processors in more than 100 fridge-sized cabinets and together these weigh more than 155 tonnes.
Based in China's National Center for Supercomputing in the city of Tianjin, the computer has already started to do work for the local weather service and the National Offshore Oil Corporation.

Japan and China 'agree to improve ties'

Japan's foreign minister, Seiji Maehara, said the private meeting was calm

 

The foreign ministers of China and Japan have met on the sidelines of the Asean summit in a move that could help ease tensions between their countries.

The Japanese foreign minister, Seiji Maehara, said he and his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, had agreed to make efforts to improve bilateral ties.
A bitter diplomatic row flared up last month over a group of disputed islands.
The regional summit in Vietnam has so far been dominated by discussions about next month's elections in Burma.
On Thursday, diplomats demanded that the country's military government release immediately the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years imprisoned or under house arrest.
But Burma reportedly would not say whether she would be freed when her detention expires on 13 November, six days after the polls.
'Good atmosphere' During the summit in Hanoi on Friday, the Japanese and Chinese envoys met privately in a bid to repair relations soured when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese patrol boats near a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The islands - known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu - are controlled by Japan, but claimed by China. They are close to key shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits

"The discussion took place in a good atmosphere. It was held calmly while both sides said what we should say. I believe it is likely that the leaders of China and Japan will hold a meeting here in Hanoi," Mr Maehara told reporters afterwards.
There has been speculation over whether Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will hold direct talks with Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan.
Both countries had agreed to improve ties and "press forward the strategic, mutually beneficial relationship", Mr Maehara added.
He also said he had asked Mr Yang to unblock the export of rare earth minerals and reopen talks on the joint development of a gas field in the East China Sea - called Shirakaba by Japan and Chunxiao by China - and that he had replied that both requests would be considered.
China suspended talks about the gas field last month, but has denied also stopping the export to Japanese businesses of rare earths, which are used to produce electronic items such as mobile phones.
Other territorial disputes involving China and its neighbours are expected to be discussed during the summit, which will broaden to include other leaders from Asia, the US and Russia.

Nissan recalls 2.1 million vehicles

The recalled vehicles include the Nissan Cube, March and Tiida made between 2003 and 2006

 

Japanese carmaker Nissan is recalling 2.1 million vehicles worldwide because of an ignition problem.

The recall includes nearly 84,000 Micra and Infiniti models that were built at Nissan's Sunderland factory between January 2004 and March 2006.
Nissan said there had been no reports of accidents caused by the fault, which can lead the engine to stall while running.
The global recall involves nine models including the Cube, March and Tiida.

Owners have been told to take their vehicle to a dealer for checks.

Nissan told the BBC it would be contacting the owners of affected vehicles for the work to be carried out.
It says this will take around 20 minutes and will be at no cost to the customer.
Free exchange In Europe, 354,170 vehicles are being recalled, but the majority affected are in Japan itself and North America.
In Japan alone, Nissan will recall a total of 834,759 vehicles with another 762,000 units being called back in the US and Canada.
A further 194,409 are being recalled in China and Taiwan.
The company will exchange for free defective parts on certain models, as the fault may cause the engine to stall while running.
Earlier this year, Nissan recalled about 76,000 cars in Japan and more than 2,000 overseas due to a defect that may cause engine failure.

Sony profits on PC and game sales

Mr Stringer has good reason to feel pleased with himself after a five-year struggle as chief executive

Japanese electronics company Sony Corp has returned to profit thanks to strong sales of Vaio laptops and PlayStations.

The firm made 31bn yen ($386m, £242m) in the three months to September, compared with a 26.3bn loss a year ago.
The figures, which were released after the close of trading in Tokyo, were much stronger than analysts expected.

It is quite a turnaround for Sony's Welsh chief executive, Howard Stringer, who joined five years ago promising to integrate businesses and cut costs.

Lost in conversion Sony's operating profits, reported at 69bn yen in its quarterly results, were double expectations.
The company upped its full-year forecast for operating profits by 11% to 200bn yen.
However, Sony said it was lowering its full-year sales forecast slightly to 7.4tn yen due to the strong yen, which would depress the value of foreign revenues when converted into the reporting currency.
The yen is slightly more than 1% away from its all-time high of 79.7 yen to the dollar.
Sony said its PC sales rose more than 60% to 2.3 million.
It shipped 3.5 million PlayStation 3 consoles, up 9% from the second quarter last year, with sales boosted by the launch of the Move motion-sensing game controller.
"Sony has overtaken Nintendo in game consoles," said Shi Yong-Ping, investment manager at HSBC in Taipei. "Nintendo has been losing momentum in the market for some time."
Web TV However, Sony's TV business did less well, despite strong demand for flatscreens.
The company hopes to improve with the launch of "connected televisions" in partnership with Google, which will allow users to surf the web via their TV.
Sales at its music division also fell back after a spike in demand for Michael Jackson's music in the wake of his death petered out.

Nature talks heading for success, delegates say

Delicate coral reefs, rich in different types of marine life, are among the areas most under threat

UN talks on a new deal aimed at protecting nature and equitably sharing in its benefits seem to be on course for a positive conclusion.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting saw intense diplomacy in its final hours as delegates tried to iron out remaining differences.
The Japanese hosts in particular have been desperate for a successful end.
Western nations appear to have given ground on the thorniest issue - sharing of natural genetic resources.

It is not yet clear how - or even if - resolution has been reached on other outstanding points, such as how much of the Earth's lands and oceans should be placed under protection.

China has been criticised by environment campaigners for insisting that the agreement in Nagoya should call for protection of no more than 6% of the marine environment - and none at all outside coastal waters.
The current global target is 10%.
The other outstanding issue has been money, with Brazil and its allies arguing that by 2020, $200bn (£125bn) per year should be made available for biodiversity conservation.
BBC News understands that a deal has been reached under which countries will agree to have such a plan in place by 2012, when Brazil will host the second Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Continue reading the main story

Guide to biodiversity

Biodiversity is the term used to describe the incredible variety of life that has evolved on our planet over billions of years. So far 1.75m present day species have been recorded, but there maybe as many as 13m in total.

The term "biodiversity" refers to diversity of ecosystems, species and genes. In wetlands, for example, you might find different types of fish, frogs, crabs and snails; and within each species, differences in the genes which determine disease resistance, diet and body size. Research shows that ecosytems containing more variety are more productive and more robust.

Biodiversity loss affects most of the major branches of life on Earth. Amphibians and corals are among some of the most threatened. Rising human populations, habitat loss, invasive species and climate change all take their toll.

Around half of the planet's natural environments had been converted for human use by 1990. The IUCN projects that a further 10-20% of grass and forest land could be converted by 2050.

Deforestation represents one of the most serious threats to biodiversity. The map shows the extent of the planet's remaining frontier forests - which exist in a state untouched by human interference - and the original extent of forest cover.

The rising population and economic growth mean that natural resources are used at less and less sustainable rates. WWF calculates that by 2050, humanity's resource use would need two-and-a-half Earths to be sustainable.

 

The genetic resources issue - known as Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) - kept delegates working through Thursday night, with their ministers picking up the baton on Friday morning for an intense round of diplomacy.

Valuable words The ABS protocol is intended to ensure that developing countries receive recompense when products are made from genetic material of organisms from their territory - known as Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS).
Hugo Schally, EU lead negotiator on the issue, outlined why the wording mattered so much.
"These words are not just words, they mean differences in economic circumstances," he told BBC News.
"That means in terms of research-based industry, in terms of... economic exchanges - they're literally worth billions of dollars or euros or pounds, or whatever you want."
In essence, developing nations have been demanding that the agreement cover anything made from this genetic material - technically known as "derivatives" - whereas Western nations, where the world's pharmaceutical giants are principally based, want a far smaller scope.
It appears that the EU and its allies - among which Switzerland, with its powerful pharmaceutical sector, ranks highly - had given way on most of the major points.
EU leaders had told African and Asian countries it was the best deal they could ever hope to get.

Zutons singer sentenced over Liverpool assault

 

Dave McCabe was found guilty of assault in September

The lead singer of The Zutons has been sentenced for breaking a man's nose in a row outside a Liverpool bar.

Dave McCabe, 29, butted Peter Appleby after his girlfriend was insulted outside Korova bar on Hope Street, on 21 February.
McCabe denied assault claiming he acted in self-defence but was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court last month.
He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay the victim £1,500 in compensation.
He was also told to pay court costs of £3,500.
The Zutons formed in 2001 and have released three albums.
McCabe wrote the band's hit song Valerie, which was covered by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson.
During his trial the court heard how he reacted violently after one of Mr Appleby's friends mocked his girlfriend's fur-collared coat, saying it looked like she had a beard.
He had been at the bar with his girlfriend, two brothers and other friends after attending his mother's 60th birthday party.

Top Gear 'speciale needs' joke offensive, says Ofcom

 

Jeremy Clarkson (L) was 'poking fun' at Ferrari owner James May, the BBC said

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson caused offence when he described a car as "speciale needs" - a play on its proper name, Ferrari F430 Speciale.

Media regulator Ofcom investigated after receiving two complaints.
However, it did not censure the BBC as the broadcaster had deleted the comment from repeats and the iPlayer version, and apologised for causing offence.
Clarkson described the car owned by co-presenter James May as looking "like a simpleton".

 

In response to Ofcom's inquiry, the BBC said his description was a "light hearted reference to the look of the car (the front of which has the appearance of a broad smile) in contrast to a newer model, which was praised by Mr Clarkson."

In its ruling, Ofcom said: "The BBC said that it was the car itself that was the subject of the fun being poked at and its owner... James May."
The episode of the popular motoring show was broadcast at 2130 BST on 1 August - a fact Ofcom took into account, saying that viewers should expect programmes "to contain more challenging content and humour after the watershed".
Ofcom ruled that "the comments made by Jeremy Clarkson in this instance were capable of causing offence."
It went on: "While obviously intended as a joke and not aimed directly at an individual with learning difficulties, the comment could easily be understood as ridiculing people in society with a particular physical disability or learning difficulty."
'Irreverent style' It said it acknowledged that Top Gear was "well known for its irreverent style and sometimes outspoken humour and banter between the presenters".
In concluding that the investigation was resolved, it said that the BBC had acted immediately and voluntarily in removing the comment from repeat screenings and the iPlayer.
"It had also apologised for any offence caused by the comments, underlining that there was no intent to make fun of those with special needs."
Ofcom frequently receives complaints about Top Gear.
Last year it censured the show for depicting a graphic - albeit spoof - suicide.
The previous year complaints about another joke by Clarkson, about lorry drivers killing prostitutes, were not upheld.

Avatar sequels get confirmed release dates

 

Cameron said he was "looking forward to returning to Pandora"

The first sequel to blockbuster hit Avatar will be released in December 2014 with a second to follow 12 months later, 20th Century Fox has announced.

James Cameron will start writing the scripts early next year and said the films will be "self-contained stories that also fulfil a greater story arc".
"We will not back off the throttle of Avatar's visual and emotional horse-power," the director continued.
Avatar has earned $2.77 billion (£1.76 billion) at the global box office.
It holds for the record for the highest-grossing film ever, having exceeded Titanic's international takings of $1.84bn (£1.16bn) in January.
Like the first film, the Avatar sequels will be set on the distant moon of Pandora and will be shot in 3D.
Cameron, 56, has yet to decide whether he will make the films separately or back to back.
In a news release, the Oscar-winning director said the Avatar sequels would "continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world".
He said he was "looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."

 

Avatar overtook Cameron's own Titanic to become the highest-grossing film ever

Cameron has already revealed his intention to set some of the sequels' action in the moon's oceans.
But when asked last week to elaborate on what else might be in store for audiences, he said plot details were "classified".
Avatar used innovative special effects to follow the fortunes of a paraplegic ex-marine who takes the form of a 10-foot tall, blue-skinned alien.
It is not known whether any of its cast members - among them Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana - will reprise their roles in the sequels.
20th Century Fox executives Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman have expressed their pleasure with the plans to continue the studio's lucrative franchise.
"We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of Avatar," they said in a joint statement.

Fifa 2010 Best shots

Protests delay Rome film festival launch, latest news

 

Protesters took over the traditional red carpet at the gala event

Actresses Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes sidestepped the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival opening

after protesters picketed the event.

As actors, directors and screenwriters demonstrated against the Italian government's cuts to arts funding, the stars used a side entrance to enter Rome's Auditorium Parco Della Musica.
The showing of their latest movie, Last Night, began almost two hours late.
The festival is scheduled to run until 5 November.
Last Night director Massy Tadjedin told demonstrators she was sympathetic to their demands.
"We are pleased to renounce the red carpet and support you," she was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.
In the movie, Knightley plays a woman who becomes jealous when she meets her husband's new colleague, played by Mendes.

The stars and director (centre) expressed solidarity with the protesters

After bumping into a former boyfriend, she finds herself faced with the same dilemmas about cheating as her husband.
"I think everyone can recognise the scenarios that happen within this piece," said Knightley ahead of the premiere.
"I think that most people have at least been one person, if not all four, at some point in their life.
"In most films there are goodies and baddies. What I liked about this script is that it did not take a standpoint, that there is no conclusion."
The movie also stars Sam Worthington from Avatar and French actor Guillaume Canet.
Other events to take place during the festival include a screening of a digitally remastered version of La Dolce Vita, to be attended by US director Martin Scorsese.
Jim Loach, son of British director Ken, is also set to unveil his film debut, Oranges and Sunshine.