20 Jul 2014

Gossip column: Rodriguez, Balotelli, Carroll, Vermaelen

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Colombia World Cup star James Rodriguez, 23, looks to be on the verge of a move to Real Madrid after he told Monaco he did not want to play in a pre-season friendly for them because he fears getting injured ahead of his possible transfer. AS (in Spanish)
Arsenal have had a £24m bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, 22, rejected by the Portuguese club. Sunday Express

She's been through a myriad of emotions on the last few episodes of ITV2 reality show, TOWIE, so it's great to see that Ferne McCann is smiling once again.

The 23-year-old was pictured leaving her co-star Gemma Collins's house on Saturday, where the pair had been catching up while filming a gossip session for the show.

Dejan Lovren will be the next player to join Liverpool as Brendan Rodgers takes his spending close to £90m, according to The Mirror.

The Reds have reportedly moved a big step closer to landing Southampton’s Croatian international defender, who has already expressed his desire to swap St Mary’s for Merseyside.

Lovren will cost £20m and the Saints have identified Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar as a replacement.

The Mirror also claim the Reds are ready to rescue James Milner from Manchester City.

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set for a shock return to Stamford Bridge on a one-year deal, according to reports in France.

The 36-year-old has spent the last 18 months at Galatasaray having left Chelsea in 2012, but with his contract at the Turkish club expiring this summer, French newspaper L'Equipe indicates he is set for a return to West London per Eurosport:

L'Equipe suggest that Drogba is relishing the opportunity to work with Jose Mourinho once more following his free transfer from Galatasaray.

Spurs look at have beaten Liverpool in the race to sign Ben Davies, according to The Mirror.

The London club have reportedly agreed an £8m fee with Swansea City for the defender.

Davies had been swaying towards a move to Merseyside, but it would appear that Spurs have now edged ahead in the chase for his signature.

New Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal told reporters he'll wait before making any new signings. But that hasn't stopped the transfer rumour mill from churning out some high-profile names.

Among them is Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani. However, following a disappointing season at both club and international level, United fans might not be too excited about the Uruguayan's potential arrival.

However, those same supporters should be encouraged by positive news concerning mooted new defensive recruits. Latest reports indicate United are still in with a chance to sign Dutch stoppers Daley Blind and Stefan De Vrij.

The following is a schedule of events and activities for the 2014 New Jersey Festival of Ballooning. The schedule is subject to change.

Friday, July 25

1 p.m. Gates open.

Garner died of natural causes at his Brentwood, L.A., home, police say

Actor James Garner, whose whimsical style in the 1950s TV Western Maverick led to a stellar career in TV and films such as The Rockford Files and his Oscar-nominated Murphy's Romance, has died, police said. He was 86.

He was found dead of natural causes at his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles Saturday evening, Los Angeles police officer Alonzo Iniquez said early Sunday.

With all the exciting events going on this summer, the possibilities are practically endless. Here’s a look at what’s coming up this week, from July 21 to July 27. In the “Main Attractions” section, you’ll find the region’s biggest festivals, concerts and other events. “A Week’s Worth of Fun” offers ideas for close-to-home fun for the family most days of the week. Finally, “Ongoing Adventures” is your guide to museums, parks and other attractions ripe for a summer visit with your family. Enjoy the summer!

MAIN ATTRACTIONS

Tuesday-Sunday, July 22-27: Broome County Fair, offers summer fun with amusement rides, games, food, grandstand music acts and fun for the entire family. Don't miss the parade, demolition derby, truck and horse pulls, bull riding, petting zoo and more. $5 adults $2 children 5-12. Fairgrounds Road, Whitney Point. broomecountyfairny.com

DETROIT, MI -- Plans have surfaced for the new Detroit Red Wings arena and accompanying entertainment district that are both reportedly expected to be open by summer 2017.

The Detroit Free Press and Crain's Detroit Business both broke news of the $650 million plan online Sunday morning and provided artist renderings of the unnamed arena and district with housing and retail.

It is weird that ever since I became a journalist, I find myself actually defending certain sections of journalism a lot more than I ever did before. It is with this in mind that I come to a strong bother of mine – one that I have battled repeatedly over the past few years: the interest in pop culture/entertainment news. More specifically, it has to do with what other people declare is a necessity for a push of “actual” or “real” news.

Today, while scrolling through my Twitter, I noticed that someone had reposted a tweet of someone calling out a website for speaking about LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian’s ongoing clashes with paparazzi. “Sorry guys,” it read, “I know there’s some real news happening, but let’s focus on what’s really important.”

DETROIT, MI -- The Detroit Free Press appears to have a big exclusive pertaining to the Detroit Red Wings that's so big the newspaper teased it a day early.

It is expected to unveil Sunday plans for the new $650 million Red Wings arena and adjacent entertainment district that will eventually replace Joe Louis Arena, the team's current home.

Today’s entertainment picks:

v “Hairspray, the Musical,” 3 p.m.: The fun musical with a social message at Kent-Trumbull Theater, 4314 Mahoning Ave. NW, Champion; 330-675-8887.

v “The Wizard of Oz,” 2 p.m.: A non- musical youth production at Victorian Players Theater, 702 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown; 330-746-5455.

v Jazz in the Park, 3 to 7 p.m.: Jazz ensemble B-3 will perform in this free outdoor show at the B&O Station, 530 Mahoning Ave., Youngs-town.

As the cop guided his vehicle away from the chaos, making his third emergency run of the night to University of Colorado Hospital, he could hear the labored breathing of the injured young man in his back seat — "the most god-awful sound," as he would later describe it.

That 23-year-old victim, Caleb Medley, was bleeding from the head after a shotgun blast from a gunman whose July 2012 rampage through an Aurora movie theater would leave a dozen dead and dozens more wounded.

In the back seat, Caleb's blood mingled with that of victims from the previous two trips until, by the end of the night, the cop could hear a horrid sloshing emanate from the vehicle's floorboards.

Several small Finnish towns will be showing this Sunday’s live performance of the classic comedy troupe’s farewell show in movie theatres. Professor Seppo Knuuttila says that the value of humour in upbringing cannot be understated.

To many in the English-speaking world, the British comedy sketch group Monty Python may be a household name. But Finns, too, appreciate the wacky and perplexing style of the group’s comedic antics, according to professor emeritus Seppo Knuuttila.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Two Winston-Salem State University graduates, Anthony “Chico” Bean and Brian “B-Daht” McLaughlin, are appearing regularly on MTV2’s “Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out,” according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

The improvisational comedy show airs at 11 p.m. on Wednesdays. The shows were taped in New York City earlier this year.

“Wild ‘N Out” is in its sixth season. This is Bean’s second season with the show. McLaughlin made his first appearance Wednesday. He is also the interim host on WJMH 102 Jamz Morning Show.

An acerbic farce by Kansas City playwright Jesse Ray Metcalf gets the best possible showcase at KC Fringe, principally because Metcalf and his co-director, J. Will Fritz, put together a superior cast.

The simple truth is that “(Virgin.)” features some of the best comic performances by young actresses you’re likely to see at the Fringe or anywhere else. Metcalf has a wild, audacious and unapologetically broad sense of humor and these performers get the most out of the material.

This is the story of Mary Sue (Kenna Hall) and her journey from childhood to adolescence, at which point her religious-yet-fashion-conscious Mother (Ellen Kirk) decides that the best way to curb her daughter’s budding sexuality is to fit her with a chastity belt.

MOUNTAIN IRON — The Arrowhead Library System will present Sit Down with Stand Up, a free comedy writing workshop being offered at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at the Hibbing Public Library.

Have you been told you are funny? Have you ever considered becoming a stand-up comedian? Or thought of writing comedy routines? Then attend Sit Down with a Stand Up, Scott Novotny’s comedy writing program that incorporates the history and culture of stand-up comedy in Minnesota and its development since the 1970’s. Scott recently celebrated his 30th anniversary of being a full-time professional stand-up comedian. Over that time, he has had people laughing from coast to coast with his clean, non-offensive, very funny observations and humor.

IF YOU thought your first time was awkward, just wait until you hear how these celebrities lost their virginity.

From “borrowing” their dad’s girlfriend to hooking up in a Volvo, this is how some of the world’s biggest stars lost their V-plates:

The fashion designer treated Coco to some pink nails today, and she looked really, really impressed (not)

Pretty paw

Victoria Beckham never looks anything less than perfection when she steps out, so her pet dog has to have exactly the same treatment.

The fashion designer posted a snap of lovable dog Coco today with a paw of pink nails.

Who doesn't like a good party every once in a while!

No one, that's who!

But sometimes, celebs get a taste of the party life and they never wanna stop!

Fans rarely get the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite celebrities, but when they do, some try to take advantage.

Country music superstar Tim McGraw was performing at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta on Sunday when a female fan grabbed him, ripping his jeans in the process. Video footage obtained by TMZ shows McGraw forcefully slapping the fan in response, causing her head to snap back.

SickKids Hospital is getting a boost today as celebrities head to Muskoka this weekend for a special fundraiser.

The stars teamed with up with little ones for a scavenger hunt on the water.

The second-annual Boat Rally for Kids with Cancer welcomed celebrity navigators with a song. And NHL superstar P.K. Subban says the kids and the fun keep him coming back.

The City Swim Barracudas showed off their moves, and some high-profile people helped support the program.

More than 60 Barracudas — and a few local celebrities — raced up the lanes Saturday at the Booker T. Washington Park pool, marking a second solid summer of introducing city kids to the water.

The parents of Trayvon Martin were scheduled to host a "peace walk and peace talk" Saturday at Crenshaw High School through a foundation they set up in memory of their son.

The unarmed 17-year-old was shot to death by a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Fla., as he walked from a store carrying a bag of candy on the night of Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the case.

Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 Saturday to take the lead after 36 holes, and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada.

Roenick has a two-day total of 48 points in the modified Stableford scoring system with Pfeifer in second at 44 and former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien next at 43.

Sorenstam has 42 points and is tied for fourth place with 2011 champion, actor Jack Wagner.

Celebrity Cruises has announced the final ingredients for its "Top Chef at Sea" cruises – and the kitchen crusaders who will be joining passengers on the special sailings this year.

The Chef'testants from the Emmy-award winning Bravo TV show include Paul Qui (Season 9 winner), Tiffany Faison (Runner Up Season 1), Brooke Williamson (Runner Up Season 10) and Nina Compton (Runner Up Season 11).

Everyone from Carol Voderman to countless soap stars arrived for the TV star's big day, as she weds long-term partner Paul Jessup

Denise Welch lead a whole host of celebrity guests as they arrived to celebrate Loose Women star Lisa Maxwell's wedding to long-term partner Paul Jessup today.

Michael Hogan reviews the finale of Celebrity MasterChef

As storm clouds gathered over Britain, some semi-famous faces were indoors cooking up a storm. This was the final of the shiny, shouty celebrity cook-off and the right contestant won.

LOS ANGELES—Lost. Sons of Anarchy. Grey’s Anatomy. 30 Rock. The Office. Justified. Glee. Parks and Recreation. They are some of the best, most celebrated, and longest-running shows of recent years. But they also have something else in common: even their most ardent fans would agree that each of these shows had their strongest, most memorable seasons in the second or third year of their respective runs.

And while most of the actors and producers dream that the new shows they are promoting to reporters at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour will be on the air for many years to come, the truth is that more often then not, those shows will peak creatively sooner rather than later.

Actress Surveen Chawla, last seen as a host on 'Comedy Circus ke Superstars' in 2010, says she would like to make a comeback on TV with seasonal shows like '24' and 'Yudh'.

Surveen started off her showbiz career with daily soap 'Kahin To Hoga' and after gaining the popularity as Charu Sinha on the show, she went on to star in other TV serials 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay' and 'Kaajjal'.

Here’s a quick, subjective survey of the live-action movies and TV shows Batman has inspired:

BATMAN (1943): This 15-part, Saturday matinee serial was the first live-action interpretation of the comic strip. It starred Lewis Wilson as the Caped Crusader and Douglas Croft as Robin. There was an anti-Japanese, wartime propaganda vibe to it, and it apparently showed the Batcave before it appeared in the comics. I’ve seen a few episodes, and remember them looking like something I could have made in my basement – and that Robin needed a haircut.

When diehard fans watched TV shows and went, "Well, I can do that better" and took to the omnipotent internet to publish their fictionalised stories on already fictional characters, the incorrigible world of fan fiction was created.

Fan fiction was originally popularized by Trekkies, who dedicated themselves to filling the holes left by the plot of the original Star Trek TV series. And "fill in the holes" they did, as a huge chunk of these fan fictions focus on cavalier sex involving every character combination imaginable.

The most invested fans, frustrated with the fading out of characters after some tasteful kissing, quickly rush to their keyboards to pound out a scene of physical intimacy with all its gory details, often unsullied by familial relationship, age, sex or even species.

Friday, July 18, 2014 ratings — New episodes: What Would You Do?, Dateline and Crossbones. Reruns: 20/20, Shark Tank, MasterChef, 24: Live Another Day, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Backpackers, Seed, CSI, Hawaii Five-0, and Blue Bloods.

Every year at this time, the nation’s television critics descend upon the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (“a glamorous posh oasis,” it calls itself) for two or three weeks of sitting around a hotel ballroom and taking press tours, meeting and greeting TV stars and executives and writing about the fabulously great shows planned in the coming season.

If I had to do this, I would jump off a cliff.

However, I love reading what the critics write. I love this even though I hardly ever watch any of these shows until they show up on Netflix and usually not then, either. After a certain number of years on this planet, you find that you no longer are the sort of person to whom advertisers want to sell stuff so nothing that they sponsor appeals to you. This is actually something of a relief.

“BAPs,” St. Louis’ latest foray into reality TV, is ready for its national debut.

The Lifetime series follows a group of affluent African-American friends over the course of six hour-long episodes beginning Wednesday.

The cast proclaims itself as BAPs or Black American Princesses and Princes, a description that has raised the ire of some potential viewers. (The show has no connection to the 1997 Halle Berry comedy “B.A.P.S.”)

With the recent success of the Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six, Dynamite is taking the obvious next step and giving the Bionic Woman a fourth season in comics. Series writer Brandon Jerwa sat down with Byron Brewer to talk about what he has in mind for Jamie Sommers.

BYRON BREWER: This will be the second Bionic Woman series from Dynamite, the first being in continuity with its re-imagined Bionic Man series. But this is the actual continuation of the popular TV series, right? A fourth “season”?

A thoroughly depressing 'comedy' vehicle for the four-legged Britain's Got Talent winner

Look, I'm as ready as the next man to be entertained by the sight of a dog standing on its hind legs doing pirouettes, or a pig dressed as a chicken attempting to lay an egg and accidentally taking a dump. But nothing can explain (or excuse) the sheer skull-scraping ugliness of this relentlessly tacky Britain's Got Talent spin-off. The story nominally follows a dysfunctional family's move to the country with a sausage-hungry dog (abysmally voiced by David Walliams) in tow, and a lairy lord of the manor (John Sessions, channelling Uncle Monty) in waiting.

DENVER — The suburb of Aurora, Colo., will hold a Day of Remembrance on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the slaughter of 12 people in a local movie theater.

The event is to remember “individuals who lost their lives, but also all of those who witnessed this tragedy,” Ernest Duff, program director of the Aurora Strong Resilience Center told the Denver Post. “It honors their lives and it honors the community’s commitment to remaining resilient and finding new ways to adapt in the face of tragedy.”

The center was set up to help residents deal with the trauma of the mass shooting, and a therapist from Aurora Mental Health will be available for counseling sessions.

On July 20, 2012, a gunman wearing body armor killed 12 people and injured 70 during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” at Aurora’s Century 16 theater.

James Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shootings. His attorneys say he was gripped by a psychotic episode.

Movie Trailer Power Rankings: 'Gone Girl' Tops Our Kick-Off List

The cliche is that the best part of going to movies is watching the trailers. Or rather, it used to be, back when trailers weren't widely available on the web and the movies weren't a monument to Jean-Paul Sartre. But trailers remain pretty great, and with promotional campaigns getting more and more extended, we spend a lot of time looking at the same ones. Which is why the best ones deserve to be lauded.

Every week here at The Wire, we're going to bring you an up-to-date ranking of the best, most effective trailers out there. New ones will attempt to knock the old ones off their perch, and, inevitably, our enthusiasms will wax and wane. Our methodology involves staff-wide rankings and YouTube views, blended together with the Colonel's herbs and spices. What we're trying to say is: if you want trailers, you came to the right place.

Maria Sole Tognazzi's Italian dramedy is two star offering, but has some escapist appeal.Margherita Buy stars in ‘A Five Star Live.’

You won't find much heft in Maria Sole Tognazzi's Italian dramedy, but it'll make for a decent mini-vacation if you could use a brief escape.

If you thought Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was low-res before, just wait until you see this version.

A Star Wars fan is recreating the classic movie entirely out of stills from Minecraft. The painstaking process has already been three years in the making, and some of the individual scenes took six months to build.

See also: 25 'Minecraft' Creations That Will Blow Your Flippin' Mind

Director, writer and voice actor David Hayter has revealed that he has penned a script for a Black Widow movie.

Hayter, best know for voicing Snake in Metal Gear Solid, told Latino Review that he is planning on approaching Marvel about the film again in the future.

He said: ‘For Black Widow I wrote [a script] ten years ago and I was attached to direct it then. Then a few female action movies came out and they didn’t do very well. And the movie got shelved. It’s on IMDB and I’m going to talk to Marvel about possibly re-igniting that project.

PALIC, Serbia, July 19 (Xinhua) -- International audience at the Lake Palic in Serbia will have a chance to watch 64 European movies that represent best productions in 2013 and 2014.

The week-long European Film Festival Palic opened Saturday with the screening of the Hungarian movie "White God" directed by Kornel Mundruczo and will close on Friday with the Turkish drama film "Winter Sleep" directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, a movie that won Palme d'Or-winner at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal — CHICAGO — My family attended the first morning screening of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” which won last weekend’s box office with a $73 million debut.

According to Lucas Shaw’s recent article “Hispanic Women Are This Summer’s Most Avid Moviegoers” on the entertainment news site TheWrap, we are propping up the movie industry.

Marvel cinematic universe movies up until 2019 have now been dated...

Hardly surprising this, but Disney has confirmed dates that map out when we can expect Marvel movies through to the middle of 2019.

What about summertime fun does not elicit spending a sweltering evening inside a heavily air-conditioned movie theater? Whether it be an action-packed box office smash, an existential art film, or a heart-thumping mega-thriller, there are plenty of must-see movies coming to theaters each week this August that will appease any gaggle of friends or summer night first dates, and the trailers for each are here. Heck, the must-see movies in August are so great, why not go out on a first date each week?!

Big screen
Opening Friday
Boyhood (R): Director Richard Linklater spent 12 years filming the coming-of-age tale of a boy named Mason. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette play his divorced parents.

And So It Goes (PG-13): Michael Douglas is a selfish real-estate agent who relies on the help of his neighbor (Diane Keaton) to raise the granddaughter he never knew he had.

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