| Rome condemns Queen Elizabeth again - this time over film of her reign
A Vatican-backed historian has attacked the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age as a "distorted anti-papal travesty" that risks dividing the West just when it should be rediscovering its "common Christian roots" in the face of Islam. Writing in Avvenire, the official organ of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Franco Cardini said that the film formed part of a "concerted attack on Catholicism" by atheists and "apocalyptic Christians". Professor Cardini, who holds the chair of medieval history at Florence University and formerly taught at the Lateran University in Rome, a Vatican body, said that its aim was to "secularise and de-Christianise" Europe. Elizabeth: The Golden Age stars Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth, Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham, her spymaster, and Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh.
Recap of top stories for the week of Oct 29th
Contact Music reports: Linda Stein, the former manager of The Ramones and real estate agent to the stars, has been murdered in her New York home. Stein was found dead in the kitchen of her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday night (30Oct07). She was 62. Police have launched a homicide investigation, after an autopsy revealed she had died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck. There were no signs of forced entry to her Fifth Avenue home. Stein managed legendary rockers The Ramones during their 1970s heyday, through her marriage to the Warner Brothers Vice President and Sire Records head, Seymour Stein. Following the breakdown of her marriage, she left her career in artist management and turned to real estate, with clients including actors Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, and singers Sting and Billy Joel.- more on this story More on Ramones - Ramones CDs - Ramones Tour Dates/Tickets - MP3s - Comments .
Enchanted
Once upon a time in 2001, in a kingdom called Dreamworks, the people behind "Shrek" cornered the "fractured fairy tale" market. Not only did the playful spin on fables yank the box office rug right out from under Disney that year, it poked fun at the animated giant as well. This time it's Disney's turn. And it playfully takes jabs at itself with "Enchanted," deftly blending an animated and predictable fable with a real-life romantic comedy. Bill Kelly's clever script for "Enchanted" is magically delightful -- and not just for kids. Amy Adams plays the lovely and innocent Giselle in true Disney fashion, annoyingly bursting into song at the drop of a glass slipper, and enlisting creatures from the forest to do her bidding (mainly cleaning and sewing).
Let the holiday movie season begin!
With the start of the holiday season, Hollywood stops holding back. Between now and year's end, studios will be unwrapping their biggest and weightiest Academy Award contenders — the movies that they hope will not only lure you away from the mall and into a theater, but that will also bring in a few Oscar statuettes to add to their cachet and prestige. Here is a list of some of the movies due for release between now and December. All dates are subject to change. WEDNESDAY "August Rush": With the aid of a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), a musical prodigy (Freddie Highmore) seeks out the parents (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Keri Russell) who abandoned him at birth. "Enchanted": This family-friendly fantasy answers the long-burning question: What would happen if one of Walt Disney's animated sing-song princess-heroines (think Sleeping Beauty or Snow White) was suddenly plopped into modern-day, flesh-and-blood, steel-and-concrete New York City? "Hitman": Timothy Olyphant is a hired killer who goes by the name 47 — and has it tattooed on his neck, apparently so he won't forget it.
Swat is newest front line in the battle between Islamic militants: NYT
Peshawar, Nov 2 : The North West Frontier Province's (NWFP) Swat district, which has been a popular destination for tourists owing to its great natural beauty, has become the newest front line in the battle between Islamic militants. According to The New York Times, the Islamic militants in the picturesque valley are sympathetic to the Taliban and al Qaeda, and Pakistan's nervous security forces. In a report by Jane Perlez, the paper today said that for the first time, heavy fighting has moved beyond Pakistan's tribal fringe and into more settled areas of the country. "The battles are part of what has become an expanding insurgency within Pakistan, aimed directly at the government of General Pervez Musharraf, the President, rather than at the NATO and American forces across the Afghan border who have been the target for several years," said the daily.
Getting gorgeous like the stars
When it comes to planning their wedding day, it's no surprise that women want to look their absolute best. According to a recent survey of women, looking fabulous was a top concern; beat out only by getting through the actual vows. However, the number one wedding day beauty fear is that they will look too much like their everyday selves, so it is easy to see why 61 percent want to have the look of a celebrity bride. .
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