Unfortunately more serious casino news out of Australia.
News Limited and wires report the latest in a string of attacks and bashings in and around Australia's land based casinos and gambling dens.
FORMER AFL star Jonathan Hay was attacked and kicked in the face in an apparently random attack at Crown casino.
Hay was celebrating his 30th birthday with friends when a gang of seven thugs forced him to the ground just after 2am Sunday.
The former All-Australian fullback suffered bruising and a cut to the head in the latest episode of mindless CBD violence.
It would appear on the surface that online casinos, online casino portals and the like, are gaining another advantage from their land based cousins by default. Of course online casino don't have actual muggers, however one still needs to watch out for online casino stings and low acts, like they type that were documented on the United States version of 60 Minutes last year.
I would like to see Crown Casino offer an online casino portfolio, perhaps showcased by a Kerry Packer themed game. PartyGaming of course has a Frank Sinatra and The Godfather slot, so why not a Packer game?
PartyGaming's PartyPoker, Noble Poker, and Euro Partners Titan Poker, and a few other brands, are offering satellites to the Poker Cup at Crown Casino later this year beginning in September. Let's just hope the live events are incident free. Insiders are looking to confirm if Mike Sexton, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and Tony G are likely to attend. Those individuals may or may not add to aggressive play et al on location. Folks are extremely interested to see if poker Doyle Brunson will turn up, as Mr Brunson has been in a war of words with some of the folks at Party over the past few years, and the word on the street is that Party is interested to talk serious shop with the powers that be at Crown (and Star City). It's got all the makings of a real life battle royal, and a serious mix of personalities. You can bet that Crown's James Packer will have security at an all time high, comparative to when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes stayed at Crown a few months ago.
It's in Crown's best interest to beef up security to protect its customers, visitors and reputation.
Greg Tingle, Special Contributor to Gambling911.com (be sure to check Greg's commentary out regularly at Media Man Australia Here) (Credit: Gambling911)
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
World Poker Tour to sell after 'superior offer' from PartyGaming - BizJournals - 25th August 2009
World Poker Tour - WPT Enterprises Inc is to be purchased by igaming and gaming powerhouse, PartyGaming. The story has attracted significant national and international media and gaming media interest. BizJournals report:
WPT Enterprises Inc., parent company of the World Poker Tour, is moving forward with a deal to sell its assets, but, will instead sell to Peerless Media Ltd., a division of PartyGaming plc.
Peerless Media will pay Long Angeles-based WPTE $12.3 million and will pay WPTE an ongoing 5 percent participation in gaming and other revenue generated by the assets, which include WPTE's television library, intellectual property rights, brand names, trade names, certain assumed contracts and tangible personal property.
WPTE will retain its cash and cash equivalents, investments in debt securities and put rights, certain other investment and litigation assets, and future license revenues from certain existing sponsorship deals for season seven of the World Poker Tour.
The World Poker Tour will have its first televised tournament from the Dayton/Cincinnati region next spring when it has a $10,000 buy-in tournament from Hollywood Casino in just across the state line in Lawrenceburg, Ind.
The acquisition deal, announced Tuesday, kills off a previously announced bid of $9.075 million from Gamynia Ltd.
"The Board of Directors has determined that PartyGaming's acquisition proposal is financially superior and we look forward to working with one of the pioneers and leaders in the poker and online gaming markets to provide a strong vehicle for the WPT brand to continue its global expansion and return to online gaming," Steve Lipscomb, president and chief executive officer of WPTE, said in a statement.
Both the PartyGaming and Gamynia bids are far cries from Doyle Brunson's $700 million bid for the company in 2005. Brunson's bid was eventually investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Credit: BizJournals)
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WPT Enterprises Inc., parent company of the World Poker Tour, is moving forward with a deal to sell its assets, but, will instead sell to Peerless Media Ltd., a division of PartyGaming plc.
Peerless Media will pay Long Angeles-based WPTE $12.3 million and will pay WPTE an ongoing 5 percent participation in gaming and other revenue generated by the assets, which include WPTE's television library, intellectual property rights, brand names, trade names, certain assumed contracts and tangible personal property.
WPTE will retain its cash and cash equivalents, investments in debt securities and put rights, certain other investment and litigation assets, and future license revenues from certain existing sponsorship deals for season seven of the World Poker Tour.
The World Poker Tour will have its first televised tournament from the Dayton/Cincinnati region next spring when it has a $10,000 buy-in tournament from Hollywood Casino in just across the state line in Lawrenceburg, Ind.
The acquisition deal, announced Tuesday, kills off a previously announced bid of $9.075 million from Gamynia Ltd.
"The Board of Directors has determined that PartyGaming's acquisition proposal is financially superior and we look forward to working with one of the pioneers and leaders in the poker and online gaming markets to provide a strong vehicle for the WPT brand to continue its global expansion and return to online gaming," Steve Lipscomb, president and chief executive officer of WPTE, said in a statement.
Both the PartyGaming and Gamynia bids are far cries from Doyle Brunson's $700 million bid for the company in 2005. Brunson's bid was eventually investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Credit: BizJournals)
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
PartyGaming Plc - Agreement to acquire the World Poker Tour
PartyGaming, the world’s leading listed online gaming company, has agreed to acquire the business and substantially all of the assets of WPT Enterprises Inc. (“WPT”) for a cash consideration of $12.3 million and an ongoing revenue share relating to the purchased assets under which PartyGaming will make a minimum aggregate payment of $3m over the next three years.
Subject to formal approval by the shareholders of WPT, the acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009.
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Subject to formal approval by the shareholders of WPT, the acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Poker News Cup
Win your seat at one of Australia’s biggest poker tournaments
Melbourne’s Crown Casino is the place to be this September when the PokerNews Cup returns for 2009. With a guaranteed first prize of $200,000, you’ll want to join us at the heart of the action.
We’ve got two great ways for you to qualify for this fantastic event. Each PokerNews Cup prize package includes:
The main event buy-in ($1,850)
Six night's accommodation at the Crown Promenade hotel
Spending money ($3,500 Package= $200. $5,000 package= $1,700)
You are free to play in either qualifying structure but you can only win one package through our PokerNews Cup satellites.
Australian-based players
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed
$6
Daily at 02:55, 05:05, 06:40
1 in 8 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed Rebuy
$2
Daily at 00:55, 01:55, 03:55, 05:55
For every $40 in the prizepool an entry is awarded to the next PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier
PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier
$38 + $2
Daily at 04:55 ET
Sundays (Speed) at 01:55 ET
1 in 10 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite
PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite
$350 + $30
Sundays at 04:55 ET
1 in 10 players will win a $3,500 PokerNews Cup Package.
Rest of the world players
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed
$8
Daily
1 in 8 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed Rebuy
$2
Daily
For every $58 in the prizepool an entry is awarded to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier
$53.50 + $4.50
Daily at 15:20 ET
Sundays (Speed) at 12:20 ET
1 in 10 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite
PokerNews Cup Satellite
$500 + $35
Sundays at 15:20 ET
1 in 10 players will win a $5,000 PokerNews Cup Package.
Join us at one of the largest and most dazzling casinos in the southern hemisphere: qualify for the PokerNews Cup today.
Please note:
All amounts stated are in American dollars (USD)
There is no cash alternative for prize packages
Visas and travel arrangements are the sole responsibility of package winners
Players are free to play in either qualifying structure
Players can only win one prize package to the PokerNews Cup
The PokerNews cup takes place between September 27th – October 5th 2009 with the main event starting on 2nd October.
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Melbourne’s Crown Casino is the place to be this September when the PokerNews Cup returns for 2009. With a guaranteed first prize of $200,000, you’ll want to join us at the heart of the action.
We’ve got two great ways for you to qualify for this fantastic event. Each PokerNews Cup prize package includes:
The main event buy-in ($1,850)
Six night's accommodation at the Crown Promenade hotel
Spending money ($3,500 Package= $200. $5,000 package= $1,700)
You are free to play in either qualifying structure but you can only win one package through our PokerNews Cup satellites.
Australian-based players
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed
$6
Daily at 02:55, 05:05, 06:40
1 in 8 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed Rebuy
$2
Daily at 00:55, 01:55, 03:55, 05:55
For every $40 in the prizepool an entry is awarded to the next PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier
PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite Qualifier
$38 + $2
Daily at 04:55 ET
Sundays (Speed) at 01:55 ET
1 in 10 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite
PokerNews Cup Aussie Friendly Satellite
$350 + $30
Sundays at 04:55 ET
1 in 10 players will win a $3,500 PokerNews Cup Package.
Rest of the world players
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed
$8
Daily
1 in 8 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Sub Qualifier Speed Rebuy
$2
Daily
For every $58 in the prizepool an entry is awarded to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier.
PokerNews Cup Satellite Qualifier
$53.50 + $4.50
Daily at 15:20 ET
Sundays (Speed) at 12:20 ET
1 in 10 players will gain entry to the next PokerNews Cup Satellite
PokerNews Cup Satellite
$500 + $35
Sundays at 15:20 ET
1 in 10 players will win a $5,000 PokerNews Cup Package.
Join us at one of the largest and most dazzling casinos in the southern hemisphere: qualify for the PokerNews Cup today.
Please note:
All amounts stated are in American dollars (USD)
There is no cash alternative for prize packages
Visas and travel arrangements are the sole responsibility of package winners
Players are free to play in either qualifying structure
Players can only win one prize package to the PokerNews Cup
The PokerNews cup takes place between September 27th – October 5th 2009 with the main event starting on 2nd October.
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Commerce Casino To Host New Autumn Tournament Series, by Earl Burton - Poker News Daily - 17th August 2009
After moving the extremely popular California State Poker Championship to May earlier this year, the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, CA, was left with a gap in its schedule of poker events in the fall when the CSPC traditionally was held. To cover up that gap and offer some innovations to the poker tournament world, the Commerce announced last Friday that the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series would take place from September 10th to September 25th.
The Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will feature sixteen tournaments that offer buy-ins from as low as $220 up to the $2500 buy-in for the Championship Event. In a departure from most tournaments, nearly each event will have guaranteed prize pool ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 guaranteed for the players. The $335 No Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament and a $1065 Pot Limit Hold’em event will not have guaranteed prize pools and other tournaments that do not have guarantees will offer seats to the $2500 Championship Event to the victors. Along with a wealth of cash, there are other innovations that will be tested during the run of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series.
One of the best innovations is offered to players in the first tournament on the series, the $220 No Limit Hold’em tournament with a $500,000 guarantee. Slated to have three Day Ones and be a four day tournament, a player who is eliminated on Day 1A has the option to come back and buy in again to play on Day 1B. Any players eliminated on Day 1B will also have the option to buy in again and play Day 1C. The potential exists for a player to take three shots at the $500K prize pool, which should exceed the guaranteed amount.
Other interesting tweaks to tournament poker can be found later in the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series schedule. The Commerce will put a twist to the Heads Up format when they offer the $545 Double Elimination (meaning that a player has to lose twice before they are eliminated) Heads Up Championship on September 22nd, which will feature a seat into the $2500 Championship Event for the eventual winner in addition to the cash prize. Also on the 22nd, the first ever $335 Knockout Bounty Tournament with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool will play out. For each player that a competitor eliminates in that tournament, the winning player will get $100 on the spot from the Commerce Casino.
On September 23rd, arguably the most original event of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will take place with the $1600 Ironman Challenge. The tournament, which will have $10,000 added to the final prize pool, will truly be a test, as it has no scheduled breaks and will test the abilities of the players under extreme and unrelenting pressure. While the tournament does not deny the players the opportunity to leave the felt, the tournament does not stop and the player’s stack continues to be in play and blinded off. The payout of the event is also like no other tournament, as 50% of the prize pool is paid to first place and no deals are allowed at the final table.
Some of the new twists on tournaments are courtesy of the gentleman considered the finest tournament director around today, Commerce Casino’s very own Matt Savage. “The series will feature huge guarantees and unique tournaments that have never been seen before in poker,” Savage commented during the announcement of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series. “The diversity of events and unusual formats will continue to make Hold’em tournaments at Commerce Casino exciting, stimulating and rewarding for our players.”
With the fall schedule a little slow in the poker community, Commerce Casino’s Hold’em Series should offer different innovations for players and plenty of guaranteed money for the winners. For a full look at the schedule of events or other information, visit the Commerce Casino website to learn more. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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The Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will feature sixteen tournaments that offer buy-ins from as low as $220 up to the $2500 buy-in for the Championship Event. In a departure from most tournaments, nearly each event will have guaranteed prize pool ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 guaranteed for the players. The $335 No Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament and a $1065 Pot Limit Hold’em event will not have guaranteed prize pools and other tournaments that do not have guarantees will offer seats to the $2500 Championship Event to the victors. Along with a wealth of cash, there are other innovations that will be tested during the run of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series.
One of the best innovations is offered to players in the first tournament on the series, the $220 No Limit Hold’em tournament with a $500,000 guarantee. Slated to have three Day Ones and be a four day tournament, a player who is eliminated on Day 1A has the option to come back and buy in again to play on Day 1B. Any players eliminated on Day 1B will also have the option to buy in again and play Day 1C. The potential exists for a player to take three shots at the $500K prize pool, which should exceed the guaranteed amount.
Other interesting tweaks to tournament poker can be found later in the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series schedule. The Commerce will put a twist to the Heads Up format when they offer the $545 Double Elimination (meaning that a player has to lose twice before they are eliminated) Heads Up Championship on September 22nd, which will feature a seat into the $2500 Championship Event for the eventual winner in addition to the cash prize. Also on the 22nd, the first ever $335 Knockout Bounty Tournament with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool will play out. For each player that a competitor eliminates in that tournament, the winning player will get $100 on the spot from the Commerce Casino.
On September 23rd, arguably the most original event of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will take place with the $1600 Ironman Challenge. The tournament, which will have $10,000 added to the final prize pool, will truly be a test, as it has no scheduled breaks and will test the abilities of the players under extreme and unrelenting pressure. While the tournament does not deny the players the opportunity to leave the felt, the tournament does not stop and the player’s stack continues to be in play and blinded off. The payout of the event is also like no other tournament, as 50% of the prize pool is paid to first place and no deals are allowed at the final table.
Some of the new twists on tournaments are courtesy of the gentleman considered the finest tournament director around today, Commerce Casino’s very own Matt Savage. “The series will feature huge guarantees and unique tournaments that have never been seen before in poker,” Savage commented during the announcement of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series. “The diversity of events and unusual formats will continue to make Hold’em tournaments at Commerce Casino exciting, stimulating and rewarding for our players.”
With the fall schedule a little slow in the poker community, Commerce Casino’s Hold’em Series should offer different innovations for players and plenty of guaranteed money for the winners. For a full look at the schedule of events or other information, visit the Commerce Casino website to learn more. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
One tribe proposing legalization of Internet poker in California, by Jim Miller - The Press Enterprise - 12th August 2009
SACRAMENTO - The Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning is at the forefront of an effort to craft legislation legalizing online poker in California.
The influential Inland tribe, which runs a successful casino off Interstate 10, has collaborated with some Southern California card clubs on a proposal to create a "tribal intrastate Internet poker consortium." It aims to make California the first state with online poker that complies with federal law.
"This would be a game for Californians, run by Californians," said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the tribe. Participating tribes, card clubs and the cash-strapped state would share in the revenue, but an exact split hasn't been determined, he said.
There are an estimated 2,300 online poker sites generating $4 billion in revenue. An estimated 1 million Californians play online poker.
The sites avoid 2006 federal restrictions on online poker by operating outside the U.S. Under some legal interpretations, federal law would allow online poker when players are in the same state as computer servers hosting the games.
No bill has emerged and there is no author for the proposal so far. Any measure would be considered during the final four weeks of the legislative year after lawmakers return Monday from their summer recess.
Already, though, the idea has received a cool reception by some other tribes with casinos.
The California Tribal Business Alliance, which includes several wealthy tribes with casinos, this week announced its opposition to the idea.
In a letter, the group called the online card game proposal "ill-conceived" and warned that it could lead to "the wholesale expansion of non-Indian, off-reservation gambling in California" by potentially bringing casino-style machines to card rooms.
"It's way too complicated to rush something through at the end of session," said Alison Harvey, the alliance's executive director.
In the Inland area, the Morongo tribe belongs to the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, which includes several tribes with casinos in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The normally tightknit group has taken no position on the online card game proposal. Two nearby group members with large casinos -- the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians near San Bernardino and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in the Coachella Valley -- also are neutral.
Morongo officials have been briefing tribal leaders from around the state in recent days. No other tribes have endorsed the proposal, Dorinson said.
The two legislators whose districts include the Morongo reservation and casino have not been approached about the tribe's proposal.
State Sen. John J. Benoit, R-Bermuda Dunes, questioned if there would be enough time to consider online poker legislation before lawmakers adjourn their regular session Sept. 11. Prison reform and water are expected to dominate the end-of-session agenda.
"I'm all ears. But it certainly would be an uphill battle to get it done in the time frame they're talking about," Benoit said.
Federal legislation
The online poker proposal has been in the works for several months. Talk of its introduction as a bill comes as the U.S. Senate prepares to consider related legislation.
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez introduced a measure last week to regulate online poker and other games. In a news release, the senator's office said the legislation could raise up to $3 billion in revenue while protecting players from unscrupulous offshore poker sites.
"Pulling Internet poker out of the shadows and into the light of the law, we have the opportunity to help our economy while protecting our families," Menendez said in a statement.
Dorinson said the California proposal would ensure that revenue from online poker played here would help the state.
At least one online poker group is skeptical about the idea.
John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, said the California proposal would give a monopoly to just a few entities. California, he said, instead should license a variety of online poker sites or host its own games. The players alliance is funded by the Canada-based Interactive Gaming Council, which represents online poker sites.
The Schwarzenegger administration does not have a position on online poker, a spokeswoman said.
Last summer, the Legislature considered a bill that would have legalized online poker. It stalled after major opposition from some tribes and tribal organizations, including the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations.
Political fights
Underlying the latest proposal is the recent acrimony between some of the groups involved.
In 2004, tribal casinos defeated a ballot measure pushed by card clubs and horse tracks that would have ended the tribes' monopoly on slot machines.
In 2007 and 2008, some members of the tribal business alliance spent millions in an unsuccessful campaign to overturn 2006 casino-expansion agreements between the state and the Morongo tribe, along with several others.
Last year, the tribes joined forces to push through legislation to ban devices in some nontribal bingo halls run by various charities. Critics called the devices illegal slot machines. But opponents of the bill said it hurt the charities' fundraising. (Credit: The Press Enterprise)
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The influential Inland tribe, which runs a successful casino off Interstate 10, has collaborated with some Southern California card clubs on a proposal to create a "tribal intrastate Internet poker consortium." It aims to make California the first state with online poker that complies with federal law.
"This would be a game for Californians, run by Californians," said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the tribe. Participating tribes, card clubs and the cash-strapped state would share in the revenue, but an exact split hasn't been determined, he said.
There are an estimated 2,300 online poker sites generating $4 billion in revenue. An estimated 1 million Californians play online poker.
The sites avoid 2006 federal restrictions on online poker by operating outside the U.S. Under some legal interpretations, federal law would allow online poker when players are in the same state as computer servers hosting the games.
No bill has emerged and there is no author for the proposal so far. Any measure would be considered during the final four weeks of the legislative year after lawmakers return Monday from their summer recess.
Already, though, the idea has received a cool reception by some other tribes with casinos.
The California Tribal Business Alliance, which includes several wealthy tribes with casinos, this week announced its opposition to the idea.
In a letter, the group called the online card game proposal "ill-conceived" and warned that it could lead to "the wholesale expansion of non-Indian, off-reservation gambling in California" by potentially bringing casino-style machines to card rooms.
"It's way too complicated to rush something through at the end of session," said Alison Harvey, the alliance's executive director.
In the Inland area, the Morongo tribe belongs to the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, which includes several tribes with casinos in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The normally tightknit group has taken no position on the online card game proposal. Two nearby group members with large casinos -- the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians near San Bernardino and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in the Coachella Valley -- also are neutral.
Morongo officials have been briefing tribal leaders from around the state in recent days. No other tribes have endorsed the proposal, Dorinson said.
The two legislators whose districts include the Morongo reservation and casino have not been approached about the tribe's proposal.
State Sen. John J. Benoit, R-Bermuda Dunes, questioned if there would be enough time to consider online poker legislation before lawmakers adjourn their regular session Sept. 11. Prison reform and water are expected to dominate the end-of-session agenda.
"I'm all ears. But it certainly would be an uphill battle to get it done in the time frame they're talking about," Benoit said.
Federal legislation
The online poker proposal has been in the works for several months. Talk of its introduction as a bill comes as the U.S. Senate prepares to consider related legislation.
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez introduced a measure last week to regulate online poker and other games. In a news release, the senator's office said the legislation could raise up to $3 billion in revenue while protecting players from unscrupulous offshore poker sites.
"Pulling Internet poker out of the shadows and into the light of the law, we have the opportunity to help our economy while protecting our families," Menendez said in a statement.
Dorinson said the California proposal would ensure that revenue from online poker played here would help the state.
At least one online poker group is skeptical about the idea.
John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, said the California proposal would give a monopoly to just a few entities. California, he said, instead should license a variety of online poker sites or host its own games. The players alliance is funded by the Canada-based Interactive Gaming Council, which represents online poker sites.
The Schwarzenegger administration does not have a position on online poker, a spokeswoman said.
Last summer, the Legislature considered a bill that would have legalized online poker. It stalled after major opposition from some tribes and tribal organizations, including the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations.
Political fights
Underlying the latest proposal is the recent acrimony between some of the groups involved.
In 2004, tribal casinos defeated a ballot measure pushed by card clubs and horse tracks that would have ended the tribes' monopoly on slot machines.
In 2007 and 2008, some members of the tribal business alliance spent millions in an unsuccessful campaign to overturn 2006 casino-expansion agreements between the state and the Morongo tribe, along with several others.
Last year, the tribes joined forces to push through legislation to ban devices in some nontribal bingo halls run by various charities. Critics called the devices illegal slot machines. But opponents of the bill said it hurt the charities' fundraising. (Credit: The Press Enterprise)
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Win Multiple Summer Jackpot Prizes at Titan Poker
12th August 2009
This summer players can enjoy three incredible jackpot promotions with generous cash prizes at Titan Poker
The $50,000 Summer Jackpot Race (http://www.titanpoker.com/summer_jackpot.html) is based on daily and weekly races where points are accumulated and placed on a leader-board. The top 50 players at the end of the month will share in a jackpot prize of $30,000. The Summer Jackpot takes place on four consecutive days and if a player finishes in the top 10 for four days in a row they will be rewarded a prize of $500. All players have an equal chance of winning their share in the weekly and monthly prizes, as well as the side-pot jackpot.
The Titan Double Tournament (http://www.titanpoker.com/titan_double.html) takes place every night, just five minutes apart. If a Titan Poker player wins two tournaments on the same night they will be rewarded with the Titan Double Progressive Jackpot. This jackpot continuously increases until the pot is won.
Fort Knox - Jackpot Sit 'N' Go Tournament (http://www.titanpoker.com/fortknox.html) will reward players who win six Tournaments in a row with a grand prize starting at $50,000. The Fort Knox is a six-player, $50 + $9 sit 'n' go tournament. As soon as six players sit down at the table, the action begins. The Jackpot is progressive and grows larger each week until claimed.
Titan Poker invites both amateur and skilled poker players to take part in these three superb Summer Jackpots. This promotion is for a limited time -- the earlier players join, the sooner they can start to reap the rewards.
About Titanpoker.com:
TitanPoker.com is Europe's number one online poker room and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments. Titan Poker VIP players enjoy the highest online poker rewards. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively by Euro Partners (http://www.europartners.com).
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This summer players can enjoy three incredible jackpot promotions with generous cash prizes at Titan Poker
The $50,000 Summer Jackpot Race (http://www.titanpoker.com/summer_jackpot.html) is based on daily and weekly races where points are accumulated and placed on a leader-board. The top 50 players at the end of the month will share in a jackpot prize of $30,000. The Summer Jackpot takes place on four consecutive days and if a player finishes in the top 10 for four days in a row they will be rewarded a prize of $500. All players have an equal chance of winning their share in the weekly and monthly prizes, as well as the side-pot jackpot.
The Titan Double Tournament (http://www.titanpoker.com/titan_double.html) takes place every night, just five minutes apart. If a Titan Poker player wins two tournaments on the same night they will be rewarded with the Titan Double Progressive Jackpot. This jackpot continuously increases until the pot is won.
Fort Knox - Jackpot Sit 'N' Go Tournament (http://www.titanpoker.com/fortknox.html) will reward players who win six Tournaments in a row with a grand prize starting at $50,000. The Fort Knox is a six-player, $50 + $9 sit 'n' go tournament. As soon as six players sit down at the table, the action begins. The Jackpot is progressive and grows larger each week until claimed.
Titan Poker invites both amateur and skilled poker players to take part in these three superb Summer Jackpots. This promotion is for a limited time -- the earlier players join, the sooner they can start to reap the rewards.
About Titanpoker.com:
TitanPoker.com is Europe's number one online poker room and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments. Titan Poker VIP players enjoy the highest online poker rewards. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively by Euro Partners (http://www.europartners.com).
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Poker In The Park Hits London
For the third year running London’s Leicester Square will play host to Europe’s largest Poker festival.
Poker in the Park will take place on Thursday 13th of August and continue until Friday 14th.
Join poker enthusiasts from across Europe as they descend on Leicester Square for free poker lessons and tutorials as well as hourly free poker tournaments. With stalls selling discounted poker gear and books and with the UK’s biggest poker leagues in attendance you won’t want to miss out on this spectacular poker event.
Come along and you’ll also get a chance to meet some of the UK’s biggest celebrity players. If that’s not enough former WSOP Main Event Winner Jamie Gold will be hosting a charity tournament and current WSOP Champion will also be there giving lectures on improving your game. This years Poker in the Park promises to be a fantastic event so be sure to get down there and take part.
Thursday 13th of August – (17:00 - 21:30)
Friday 14th of August – (12:00 - 21:30)
PKR Headline Sponsor At Poker In The Park!
PKR are, for a second year in a row, lead sponsors of Poker in the Park, Europe’s largest poker festival. Held on the 13th & 14 of August in Leicester Square, PKR will be hosting one of the festival’s main attractions, The Poker Dome.
PKR will be welcoming an array of Pub Poker Leagues into the Poker Dome to host their respective tournaments during the festival. Each league will run an hour-long No Limit Hold’em Tournament with a maximum of 80 runners. These tournaments are free to play and open to anyone who registers at the PKR Poker Dome.
PKR will also be teaming up with glamorous massage company Xhilarate, who will have their own space within the Poker Dome and will offer an exclusive massage therapy service to attendees of the festival.
Also present at the Poker Dome will be members of Team PKR Pro, recently back from the WSOP and happy to join in on the festivities at Poker in the Park.
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Poker in the Park will take place on Thursday 13th of August and continue until Friday 14th.
Join poker enthusiasts from across Europe as they descend on Leicester Square for free poker lessons and tutorials as well as hourly free poker tournaments. With stalls selling discounted poker gear and books and with the UK’s biggest poker leagues in attendance you won’t want to miss out on this spectacular poker event.
Come along and you’ll also get a chance to meet some of the UK’s biggest celebrity players. If that’s not enough former WSOP Main Event Winner Jamie Gold will be hosting a charity tournament and current WSOP Champion will also be there giving lectures on improving your game. This years Poker in the Park promises to be a fantastic event so be sure to get down there and take part.
Thursday 13th of August – (17:00 - 21:30)
Friday 14th of August – (12:00 - 21:30)
PKR Headline Sponsor At Poker In The Park!
PKR are, for a second year in a row, lead sponsors of Poker in the Park, Europe’s largest poker festival. Held on the 13th & 14 of August in Leicester Square, PKR will be hosting one of the festival’s main attractions, The Poker Dome.
PKR will be welcoming an array of Pub Poker Leagues into the Poker Dome to host their respective tournaments during the festival. Each league will run an hour-long No Limit Hold’em Tournament with a maximum of 80 runners. These tournaments are free to play and open to anyone who registers at the PKR Poker Dome.
PKR will also be teaming up with glamorous massage company Xhilarate, who will have their own space within the Poker Dome and will offer an exclusive massage therapy service to attendees of the festival.
Also present at the Poker Dome will be members of Team PKR Pro, recently back from the WSOP and happy to join in on the festivities at Poker in the Park.
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Friday, August 07, 2009
PartyPoker's Satellite Series Announced
We've teamed up with the world's best poker rooms to bring you some unbelievable satellites to the PokerNews Cup Australia. Packages will contain some great offerings including Main Event Entry, cash for travel, luxurious accommodation at the fabulous host venue hotel, cash for travel, party invites and exclusive excursions.
Stay tuned to Media Man Australia as we continue to bring you more rooms to qualify on!
PartyPoker
PartyPoker.com is yet another room to bring you an incredible Satellite Series to the 2009 PokerNews Cup Australia. The series awards two different types of packages - $3,500 and $5,000. Qualify through daily sub satellites starting from as low as $2. Alternatively, you can buy-in direct to the Super Satellite for $380 (1 in 10 players win a $3,500 package) or $535 (1 in 10 players win a $5,000 package) running on Sundays.
The $5,000 package includes:
Entry to the Main Event
Accommodation at the host venue hotel
$1,500 cash for travel
The $3,500 package includes:
Entry to the Main Event
Accommodation at the host venue hotel
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Stay tuned to Media Man Australia as we continue to bring you more rooms to qualify on!
PartyPoker
PartyPoker.com is yet another room to bring you an incredible Satellite Series to the 2009 PokerNews Cup Australia. The series awards two different types of packages - $3,500 and $5,000. Qualify through daily sub satellites starting from as low as $2. Alternatively, you can buy-in direct to the Super Satellite for $380 (1 in 10 players win a $3,500 package) or $535 (1 in 10 players win a $5,000 package) running on Sundays.
The $5,000 package includes:
Entry to the Main Event
Accommodation at the host venue hotel
$1,500 cash for travel
The $3,500 package includes:
Entry to the Main Event
Accommodation at the host venue hotel
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PartyPoker.com
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Crown Casino
Casino Travel
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Thursday, August 06, 2009
Media Man Group Blog: Wrestling News
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Wrestling News
WWE star Rhonda Rousey tipped to leave WWE soon; May return to UFC - July 2023
“This was always, always, always the plan. What screwed it up, and admittedly, and everyone will admit this, as far as it was screwed up – when I was telling everyone a long time ago, hey, Ronda and Shayna are gonna win the tag team titles, it kept getting delayed and then Ronda got hurt.
“The thing was, and I don’t know the date, it might be SummerSlam, it might be a little bit after. The deal is that Ronda has a hard out. She gave a date, ‘This is my last date’.
“Because I remember talking to somebody there and it’s like, well, I know they’re gonna do this, make the big match for WrestleMania, and it’s like, ‘No, her hard out is long before WrestleMania’.
“The point is that, whatever it is that they’re planning to do… they wanna do a feud. The whole tag team was to set up Ronda and Shayna doing a feud. Ronda wanted to do this feud with Shayna, she got what she wanted. She’s always wanted to do it because Shayna’s the one that got her basically into pro-wrestling.
“Shayna developed Ronda’s love for professional wrestling, so to her pay her back, they’re gonna do a program. I don’t know if it’s one match, I don’t know if it’s two or three, but based on whenever that out is, they had to get it done now.
“This was the latest they could go. They wanted a long title reign to build it up and to do the whole thing where you can see the (turn) coming, the little teases and everything – they didn’t have time.” - Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer
Boxing News: Jake Paul speaks on PPVs
Boxing: "Piracy is rampant, competition for eyeballs non-stop. "Doing a million buys today is like doing two million buys 10 years ago." "current PPV movers no matter the opponent" are Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez and self. One of boxing's top 3 PPV attractions; Believes that he is one of the top attractions with Tyson Fury & Canelo Alvarez. "Selling PPV is really hard". "Less than 10 fighters in the world can truly move six figures on their own consistently: Jake Paul
Wagering, TV bodies slam proposed gambling ads ban; AFL wary of impact - June 28th, 2023
Some of Australia’s biggest bookmakers have decried a potential ban on gambling advertisements as an ineffective and short-sighted way to remediate gambling harm, after a parliamentary inquiry report recommended the Albanese government commit to a comprehensive ban across all sectors within the next three years.
Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) is the body that represents gambling giants including Sportsbet, PointsBet and Ladbrokes. It said the proposal, one of 31 recommendations raised by the House of Representatives standing committee on social policy and legal affairs, was a step too far and jeopardised the future of sporting codes and local broadcasters.
“Other more measured options which could be considered by the government include capping the numbers of gambling ads to be shown,” RWA chief Kai Cantwell said on Wednesday.
“By doing this, the expectations of the community to see less advertising would be met, while also maintaining the crucial support to sporting codes and local broadcasters.”
Tabcorp, which is not a member of RWA, welcomed the proposal after previously joining advocates in supporting a total ban on gambling broadcast advertising.
Tabcorp chief Adam Rytenskild said the report’s release marked an important moment for the sustainability of the wagering industry, reiterating a point from the inquiry’s hearing that the proliferation of gambling advertising is excessive.
“Tabcorp welcomes the committee’s recommendation for a nationally consistent regulatory framework. All wagering operators should have to adhere to the same regulations.”
Tabcorp’s stance is motivated by a keenness to protect its market share, according to rivals, and Rytenskild’s comments offer a stark contrast to RWA chief Cantwell who said the recommendations fail to consider the evidence from the committee hearings earlier this year.
“RWA recognises community concerns around online wagering advertising and there are more effective ways of meeting community expectations,” Cantwell said.
RWA and Free TV Australia, which has acted on behalf of Seven, Ten and Nine (the owner of this masthead), have argued for frequency caps on the number of ads shown across different channels, rather than a blanket ban.
Cantwell said by capping the number of ads, the community’s expectations to see less advertising would be met, while maintaining the support to sporting codes and local broadcasters.
He added a blanket ban through a phased roll-out was “short-sighted, ineffective and not the answer”, and could lead to more Australians turning to illegal offshore markets.
The AFL’s chief financial officer and general manager of broadcasting and clubs, Travis Auld, said on Wednesday it was too early for the league to have a response, and it had been consulting with the federal government about changes that could work.
“Any changes we make and the consequences of those changes need to be well thought through and well understood. There are some significant decisions within there that have impacts potentially on our industry,” Auld said.
He said that money from wagering firms was part of the AFL’s infrastructure, helping the competition keep its prices low, as well as invest in the game at a grassroots level. The AFL has an $8 million a year deal with Sportsbet.
“Of course money is part of it. It’s what allows us to keep our prices where we are, it’s what allows us to invest in boys and girls playing football at this level,” said Auld.
Despite a record $4.5 billion broadcast agreement signed with Seven Network and Foxtel in 2022, Auld said the AFL and both of its partners would represent themselves independently in any conversations around potential financial impacts.
“The commerciality from their point of view will remain known to them. I think we’ve been clear on the impacts on us.”
Free TV Australia’s CEO, Bridget Fair, warned a “kneejerk move” to implement an outright ban “will ultimately hurt viewers and the television services they love”.
“Many of the sports broadcasting deals have been agreed to beyond the three-year phase-out
period for advertising,” Fair said.
An NRL spokesperson said it recognised the significant stakeholder and community interest in gambling, saying it is committed to ensuring the NRL’s approach reflects this interest, “while also encouraging a holistic, evidence-based approach to mitigate the risks of gambling harm more broadly”.
A report earlier this year from the Australian Gambling Research Centre found most Australians (64 per cent) believe governments should play the biggest role in how wagering is advertised.
Dr Kei Sakata, the research centre’s acting executive manager, welcomed the report’s recommendations, saying it is a crucial step in reducing gambling harm.
Sakata also welcomed the committee’s recommendations of a national classifications scheme and effective warning labels for simulated gambling games and loot boxes, as well ongoing funding for gambling research.
(The Sydney Morning Herald)
WWE Money in The Bank breaks records - 2023
WWE Money in the Bank 2023 set a huge company record, as did this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown.
Both the June 30 SmackDown episode and the July 1 WWE premium live event emanated from the O2 Arena in London, England.
Both shows were eventful, with passionate UK fans filling the arena on both nights.
During the post-show press conference, Triple H revealed that Money in the Bank 2023 was the highest-grossing arena show in WWE history.
Triple H didn’t specify how much WWE brought in, but this would mean that the show earned more than any other WWE event to take place in an indoor arena.
The Chief Content Officer also revealed that the previous night’s edition of SmackDown was the highest-grossing SmackDown in WWE history.
He did state that over 37,000 fans were in attendance at the O2 Arena across both nights, noting that WWE is proud of the success of SmackDown and Money in the Bank.
As far as attendance figures go, WrestleTix previously reported that 17,617 tickets had been distributed for the sold out Money in the Bank event.
The premium live event was certainly eventful, with Jey Uso pinning Roman Reigns in the Usos vs Reigns & Solo Sikoa Bloodline Civil War.
This marked Reigns’ first pinfall loss since December 2019.
Reading restrictions imposed on Twitter users - July 2, 2023
Elon Musk has imposed temporary reading restrictions for Twitter users, announcing paying customers will be allowed to see more tweets than unverified accounts.
Mr Musk says extreme levels of data scraping has prompted the social media company to limit users to reading 6,000 posts per day.
Accounts without a blue tick will be restricted to 600 posts per day.
New accounts yet to be verified will be capped at 300 tweets.
Several US Agencies Set Up New Crypto Task Force in Arizona to Combat Illegal Online Activity - June 2023
Federal agencies have joined forces to combat crimes involving cryptocurrencies in Arizona after seeing an increase in digital transactions related to narcotics, firearms, and other illicit activity.
On June 15, Homeland Security Investigations in Arizona and representatives from four other federal agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the “Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Crimes Task Force,” according to a June 20 press release by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The other agencies who signed the agreement are the IRS, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.
Over the past several years, federal agencies have seen an increase in the use of the internet to facilitate illegal transactions involving narcotics, personal information, firearms, and other contraband, the report said, adding that the use of digital currency to facilitate these transactions has also risen.
The task force aims to “disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that exploit the appearance of anonymity on the darknet or use digital currency to facilitate criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, theft of personal information, and child exploitation.”
The new task force is expected to serve the needs of Arizona.
Darknets are internet-based networks that require special software and authorization to access. They’re designed to provide anonymity, making them a haven for criminal activity.
Illicit Crypto Activity
According to a February 2023 report by forensic cryptocurrency firm Chainalysis (pdf), the illicit transaction volume in the cryptocurrency market rose to $20.6 billion in 2022 from $18.1 billion in 2021 and $8.4 billion in 2020.
The share of illicit activity in the overall cryptocurrency activity stood at 0.24 percent. Although this is the second-lowest number in six years, it is up from 0.12 percent in 2021.
Darknet markets and fraud shops made an estimated $1.5 billion in 2022, down from $3.1 billion in 2021, the report said. The reason for the drop is attributed to the shutdown of Hydra Market, a leading darknet marketplace.
“Hydra’s closure prompted a sector-wide decline in darknet market revenues, with average daily revenue for all markets falling from $4.2 million just prior to its closure and to $447,000 immediately after. While drug markets’ collective revenue hasn’t recovered fully, it climbed slowly back toward previous levels in the second half of 2022. Fraud shops, however, have continued to decline,” the report said.
When it comes to scams, U.S. victims of cryptocurrency scams lost five times more money in 2022 compared to other types of internet crimes, according to a June 6 study by cybersecurity company Surfshark.
Each American victim is estimated to have lost an average of $86,000 per year due to cryptocurrency scams compared to the average loss of $16,000 per year in scams involving traditional payment methods.
In total, over $2.3 billion worth of cryptocurrencies are calculated to have been lost to internet crimes across the United States last year.
Crypto Use by Sanctioned Entities
The Chainalysis report also pointed out that 43 percent of 2022’s illicit transaction volume came from activity associated with sanctioned entities. It gave the example of cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which accounted for the majority of the sanctions-related transaction volume last year.
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Garantex in April 2022, but “as a Russia-based business, the exchange has been able to continue operating with impunity,” the report said.
“Transactions associated with Garantex or any other sanctioned crypto service represent, at the very least, substantial compliance risk for businesses that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction, including fines and potential criminal charges.”
America’s rivals like China and North Korea also use cryptocurrency for illicit activities. A June 11 report from The Wall Street Journal claimed that North Korea stole more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency and used it to fund about half of its ballistic missile program.
A May 23 report by Elliptic highlighted China’s use of cryptocurrencies in its fentanyl trafficking operations.
“Elliptic’s blockchain analysis shows that the cryptocurrency wallets used by these [Chinese fentanyl precursor] companies have received thousands of payments, totaling just over $27 million, and that the number of transactions has increased by 450 percent year-on-year,” the study said.
“$27 million would purchase enough precursor to produce fentanyl pills with a street value of approximately $54 billion,” it said.
What's going on at Twitter? Elon Musk's latest controversial decision is 'read limits' - 3rd July 2023
As Twitter imposes limits on the number of tweets users can view, we look back at Elon Musk's tumultuous and confusing ownership of the social media platform.
KEY POINTS
Twitter has limited the number of tweets an unverified user can read to 1,000 a day.
The decision has been taken to reportedly limit data scraping.
Owner Elon Musk has cut the company's value by more than half since October.
Twitter owner Elon Musk has introduced a limit on how many tweets users can view, meaning verified accounts will have a 'read limit' of 10,000 posts a day and unverified accounts can only read 1,000 posts a day.
Twitter's decision was made to discourage "extreme levels" of data scraping and system manipulation by actors, including AI companies, Mr Musk wrote on the platform.
It's the latest eyebrow-raising move at the company since the billionaire bought the company for US$44 billion ($66 billion) and took over in October last year, with many wondering what his strategy is.
Here's a look back at the confusing and controversial decisions at the company, which even Mr Musk admits is now worth far less than what he bought it for - he reportedly sent a memo to staff suggesting it was worth US$20 billion ($30 billion).
Why did Elon Musk fire so much of Twitter's workforce?
One of Mr Musk's first decisions at the company was to sack thousands of workers globally, allegedly to reduce costs.
He has since said around 80 per cent of staff have gone from the company, meaning its books now have around 1,500 staff, compared to over 8,000 before his takeover.
The purge included former chief executive Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal and other executives, and also led to mass sackings of curators and moderators which has had knock-on effects to the product's algorithm and advertisers abandoning it.
Twitter's Australia operation lost most of its workers.
Linda Yaccarino was appointed to take over the reins in May.
Many at the company were hoping the former ad executive would help bring back advertisers who had abandoned the platform since the Musk takeover.
What happened when Twitter introduced verified accounts?
Twitter began charging $12 a month for the iconic blue tick in a 'Twitter Blue' subscription, again under the banner of eliminating data scraping and managing bots.
The tick was once known as a symbol to verify one's identity and granted to high-profile figures such as celebrities, politicians and journalists for free, but those who declined to pay for the new subscription have since lost their ticks.
Mr Musk said that those who have a Twitter Blue subscription are being prioritised in the algorithm.
Twitter Blue users also get access to posting longer videos, the ability to edit tweets and an ad-free experience.
Is Twitter allowing hate speech to go unchecked?
Australia's eSafety Commission has issued Twitter a warning and threat of hefty fines if it does not deal with a surge of online hate.
Mr Musk allowed 62,000 banned or suspended users to be reinstated to the platform, many of which had been banned for hate speech.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in June there have been more complaints about online hate on Twitter in the past year than any other platform, and complaints have spiked since October.
Ms Inman Grant said Twitter's policies prohibited hateful conduct on the platform but rising complaints to eSafety and reports of the toxic content remaining on the platform show that Twitter was probably not enforcing its own rules.
"We are also aware of reports that the reinstatement of some of these previously banned accounts has emboldened extreme polarisers, peddlers of outrage and hate, including neo-Nazis both in Australia and overseas," Ms Inman Grant said.
US advocacy group GLAAD has designated Twitter as the most hateful platform towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Research by the UK-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate demonstrated that slurs against African Americans showed up on Twitter an average of 1,282 times a day before Mr Musk took over the platform. Afterwards, they more than doubled to an average of 3,876 times a day.
Reversing ban on COVID-19 misinformation
Similarly, Twitter's terms and conditions were changed to reverse a ban on posting misinformation related to COVID-19.
"Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy," the terms said.
Public health officials condemned the decision and said it could lead to more false claims about the virus or the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
With additional reporting by AAP.
Breaking News! Online Poker Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate
New Bill Is Separate from Barney Frank's Similar Online Gambling Bill, with a Higher-Profile Position in the Senate
August 6, 2009 (CAP Newswire) -- New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez has just introduced into the U.S. Senate a brand new piece of legislation designed to legalize and regulate Internet poker.
"To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing by the Secretary of the Treasury of Internet poker and other games that are predominantly of skill, to provide for consumer protections on the Internet, to enforce the tax code, and for other purposes," the bill begins.
The bill would establish a new legal regulatory framework for Internet poker in the United States, and also put in place certain consumer protections such as age restrictions. Officially entitled S.8309, the Internet Poker and Games of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, it was introduced today.
No matter what success this bill meets with, it represents another huge milestone in the nationwide struggle to reclassify poker from gambling to a game of skill. This movement seeks to enable online poker to be not only legalized but also change the way it is regarded in popular culture.
That movement has gained a lot of transaction over the past year, with smaller court victories in states such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and with Representative Barney Frank’s recent efforts to legalize and regulate certain sectors of online gambling with his own legislation (which is separate from this bill).
Home to the original U.S. gaming resort destination, Atlantic City, New Jersey has long had its own internal struggles regarding the legality of gaming, and has recently clashed with the federal government on this basis. So it makes sense that the author of this new legislation is is from New Jersey — and a Democrat, the party that is apparently more open to the idea of fully legalized online gambling. (Although it technically has bipartisan support, the vast majority of supporters of Barney Frank’s recent pro-Internet gambling efforts have been Democrats.)
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) not only supports the new bill, but has provided a copy of it at its website. Check it out here. (Credit: CAP)
Greg Tingle comment...
This online poker bill is most welcome news, and has been a long time coming.
Down under in Australia poker and I dare say, online poker, is already a strong part of our popular culture, just as are kangaroos, meat pies and Holden cars, and having a punt on the (horse) races and a bit of a spin on the pokies. By the way, Sportingbet is introducing V8Bet, so punters can be on the V8 Supercar racing, (Holden and Ford).
Some may not like this, and some will, but there's strong rumblings that sports betting might try to significantly ride off the back of this poker bill, as there could be legal arguments that there certainly are elements of skill (knowledge etc) in picking sports bet winners. A similar scenario of sorts with the game known as "Spot The Ball", which has long been a part of British culture, with numerous British newspapers running Spot The Ball competitions. Property listing companies such as Play4Property.com are taking the Spot The Ball game internationally, which isn't that hard to do with the internet as an medium of media, backed up by traditional media, journalism, marketing et al.
Friends, the rules have changed, and will continue to, in regards to online poker, online games of skill, online gambling, and the way business is conducted between people, corporations, media companies et al.
A few apt quotes from some gentlemen with some good ideas and track record of success, getting things done, and changing the world, and the rules of play!
James Packer - "Internet is like electricity"
Rupert Murdoch - "Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow"
Charles Darwin - "In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed"
My tip, look to California to plug into online poker, online sports betting, and quite likely, online gambling as a whole. They have been pro active and early adopters on other social issues such as the environment, poverty and health.
You can bet that Harrah's Entertainment and their chain of hotel - casino - resorts will be watching this space, as will Macau's Cotai Strip, and even Parliament House down under in Canberra, Australia.
In this space, I'm sure glad to be a journalist, media agent and website portal developer, rather than an owner of a casino or online casino. The online poker and online casino happenings are most certainly extremely newsworthy items to cover. It's of course part of the larger civil liberties and freedom of speech - censorship debate. We should have the right to do what we like in our homes, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Also remember, sometimes the law is an ass, so just because something is legal or illegal, doesn't mean it is necessarily right or wrong. It just means its (current) law, some of which get changed for the better, some not.
As always, know your limits, bet with your head, not over it. If the gambling, or poker playing stops being enjoyable, its likely time to stop. Have fun, whether poker, pokies, spot the ball, or some other game tickles your fancy.
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August 6, 2009 (CAP Newswire) -- New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez has just introduced into the U.S. Senate a brand new piece of legislation designed to legalize and regulate Internet poker.
"To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing by the Secretary of the Treasury of Internet poker and other games that are predominantly of skill, to provide for consumer protections on the Internet, to enforce the tax code, and for other purposes," the bill begins.
The bill would establish a new legal regulatory framework for Internet poker in the United States, and also put in place certain consumer protections such as age restrictions. Officially entitled S.8309, the Internet Poker and Games of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, it was introduced today.
No matter what success this bill meets with, it represents another huge milestone in the nationwide struggle to reclassify poker from gambling to a game of skill. This movement seeks to enable online poker to be not only legalized but also change the way it is regarded in popular culture.
That movement has gained a lot of transaction over the past year, with smaller court victories in states such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and with Representative Barney Frank’s recent efforts to legalize and regulate certain sectors of online gambling with his own legislation (which is separate from this bill).
Home to the original U.S. gaming resort destination, Atlantic City, New Jersey has long had its own internal struggles regarding the legality of gaming, and has recently clashed with the federal government on this basis. So it makes sense that the author of this new legislation is is from New Jersey — and a Democrat, the party that is apparently more open to the idea of fully legalized online gambling. (Although it technically has bipartisan support, the vast majority of supporters of Barney Frank’s recent pro-Internet gambling efforts have been Democrats.)
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) not only supports the new bill, but has provided a copy of it at its website. Check it out here. (Credit: CAP)
Greg Tingle comment...
This online poker bill is most welcome news, and has been a long time coming.
Down under in Australia poker and I dare say, online poker, is already a strong part of our popular culture, just as are kangaroos, meat pies and Holden cars, and having a punt on the (horse) races and a bit of a spin on the pokies. By the way, Sportingbet is introducing V8Bet, so punters can be on the V8 Supercar racing, (Holden and Ford).
Some may not like this, and some will, but there's strong rumblings that sports betting might try to significantly ride off the back of this poker bill, as there could be legal arguments that there certainly are elements of skill (knowledge etc) in picking sports bet winners. A similar scenario of sorts with the game known as "Spot The Ball", which has long been a part of British culture, with numerous British newspapers running Spot The Ball competitions. Property listing companies such as Play4Property.com are taking the Spot The Ball game internationally, which isn't that hard to do with the internet as an medium of media, backed up by traditional media, journalism, marketing et al.
Friends, the rules have changed, and will continue to, in regards to online poker, online games of skill, online gambling, and the way business is conducted between people, corporations, media companies et al.
A few apt quotes from some gentlemen with some good ideas and track record of success, getting things done, and changing the world, and the rules of play!
James Packer - "Internet is like electricity"
Rupert Murdoch - "Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow"
Charles Darwin - "In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed"
My tip, look to California to plug into online poker, online sports betting, and quite likely, online gambling as a whole. They have been pro active and early adopters on other social issues such as the environment, poverty and health.
You can bet that Harrah's Entertainment and their chain of hotel - casino - resorts will be watching this space, as will Macau's Cotai Strip, and even Parliament House down under in Canberra, Australia.
In this space, I'm sure glad to be a journalist, media agent and website portal developer, rather than an owner of a casino or online casino. The online poker and online casino happenings are most certainly extremely newsworthy items to cover. It's of course part of the larger civil liberties and freedom of speech - censorship debate. We should have the right to do what we like in our homes, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Also remember, sometimes the law is an ass, so just because something is legal or illegal, doesn't mean it is necessarily right or wrong. It just means its (current) law, some of which get changed for the better, some not.
As always, know your limits, bet with your head, not over it. If the gambling, or poker playing stops being enjoyable, its likely time to stop. Have fun, whether poker, pokies, spot the ball, or some other game tickles your fancy.
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
ECPokerTour.com Selects Destination City for its Upcoming Tournament
TitanPoker.com players will compete for seats at the prestigious Euro City Poker Tour, to be held this November at the Casino di Venezia in Vittoriosa, Malta.
July 30, 2009 (CAP PR Wire) -- Titan Poker, the leading online poker room in Europe, will send a large delegation of talented poker players to the ECPokerTour (Euro City Poker Tour, http://ecpokertour.com) event in Malta this November.
TitanPoker.com (www.titanpoker.com) has just launched its ECPokerTour Malta tournament series. Winning players at the weekly Super Satellite tournaments will be awarded a $5,000 prize package, including €1,500 buy-in to the ECPokerTour Main Event tournament, which will be staged at the Casino di Venezia in Vittoriosa, Malta, starting November 13, 2009.
Qualifying players will be treated royally with four nights of luxurious accommodation at the Excelsior Grand Hotel in Malta, and will receive up to €700 for flights and spending money.
The ECPokerTour Malta tournament is the latest event in the Euro City Poker Tour, Europe’s most prestigious poker tournament series. Previous ECPokerTour events were staged in May in Salzburg, and in Madrid last year.
Member players at www.titanpoker.com are regularly awarded seats to major poker events around the world, including the World Series of Poker, the Asian Poker Tour, the Aussie Millions and the Irish Open. Titan Poker invites both amateur and skilled poker players to enjoy the benefits of the improved Club Titan, the most rewarding VIP Poker Club online.
About Titanpoker.com:
TitanPoker.com is Europe's number one online poker room and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively by Euro Partners.
About Euro Partners:
Euro Partners is an affiliate marketing company that is an industry leader for a variety of reasons. We offer the highest converting gaming products on the internet (casino, poker and bingo). Our affiliate program earns you maximum commissions, provides timely payouts and personal account management.
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July 30, 2009 (CAP PR Wire) -- Titan Poker, the leading online poker room in Europe, will send a large delegation of talented poker players to the ECPokerTour (Euro City Poker Tour, http://ecpokertour.com) event in Malta this November.
TitanPoker.com (www.titanpoker.com) has just launched its ECPokerTour Malta tournament series. Winning players at the weekly Super Satellite tournaments will be awarded a $5,000 prize package, including €1,500 buy-in to the ECPokerTour Main Event tournament, which will be staged at the Casino di Venezia in Vittoriosa, Malta, starting November 13, 2009.
Qualifying players will be treated royally with four nights of luxurious accommodation at the Excelsior Grand Hotel in Malta, and will receive up to €700 for flights and spending money.
The ECPokerTour Malta tournament is the latest event in the Euro City Poker Tour, Europe’s most prestigious poker tournament series. Previous ECPokerTour events were staged in May in Salzburg, and in Madrid last year.
Member players at www.titanpoker.com are regularly awarded seats to major poker events around the world, including the World Series of Poker, the Asian Poker Tour, the Aussie Millions and the Irish Open. Titan Poker invites both amateur and skilled poker players to enjoy the benefits of the improved Club Titan, the most rewarding VIP Poker Club online.
About Titanpoker.com:
TitanPoker.com is Europe's number one online poker room and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively by Euro Partners.
About Euro Partners:
Euro Partners is an affiliate marketing company that is an industry leader for a variety of reasons. We offer the highest converting gaming products on the internet (casino, poker and bingo). Our affiliate program earns you maximum commissions, provides timely payouts and personal account management.
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Final Chance To Win Your Macau Seat
Players hoping to win their seat into the main event of next month's Asian Poker Tour (APT) Macau Festival are being given one last chance this weekend through a series of satellites at PartyPoker.com and the iPoker Network.
This year's APT Macau Festival will run from August 12 to 23 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel And Casino in the former Portuguese colony with its main event featuring a buy-in set at $4,438.
However, those short of the cash for this buy-in can win their seat for next month's tournament courtesy of leading online poker site PartyPoker.com and the iPoker Network.
Last year's six-day event has been transformed into a record-breaking twelve-day extravaganza creating Asia's first festival of poker. The APT Macau Festival will also feature the largest range of side events ever seen in Asia with high-limit games and sit-and-go tables running throughout.
The APT Macau Festival will also serve as the backdrop for the first Chinese-language poker film, provisionally entitled Poker King, which is due to star A-list Chinese actors and pop stars.
"Next month's APT Macau Festival will be bigger and better with twelve days of non-stop poker action and fun," said Chris Parker, Chief Executive Officer for the APT.
"The APT Macau Festival will feature a side events schedule never seen in Asia before including several new formats that will stir the curiosity of poker enthusiasts at all levels. For those that have not yet reserved their seat to what is sure to be a very memorable event, this weekend marks the last chance for players to qualify through PartyPoker.com and the iPoker Network. Make sure you don't miss out on your APT Macau experience and the chance to win some life-changing prizes."
In 2008, the event attracted some of the most famous names in the game including Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, Johnny Chan, John Juanda, Huck Seed, Liz Lieu, Todd Brunson, Kenny Tran and Poker Pack members Nam Le, Quinn Do, JC Tran, Steve Sung, David ‘Chino' Rheem and Kwang Soo Lee.
Full details on the upcoming APT Macau Festival can be found at AsianPT.com.
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This year's APT Macau Festival will run from August 12 to 23 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel And Casino in the former Portuguese colony with its main event featuring a buy-in set at $4,438.
However, those short of the cash for this buy-in can win their seat for next month's tournament courtesy of leading online poker site PartyPoker.com and the iPoker Network.
Last year's six-day event has been transformed into a record-breaking twelve-day extravaganza creating Asia's first festival of poker. The APT Macau Festival will also feature the largest range of side events ever seen in Asia with high-limit games and sit-and-go tables running throughout.
The APT Macau Festival will also serve as the backdrop for the first Chinese-language poker film, provisionally entitled Poker King, which is due to star A-list Chinese actors and pop stars.
"Next month's APT Macau Festival will be bigger and better with twelve days of non-stop poker action and fun," said Chris Parker, Chief Executive Officer for the APT.
"The APT Macau Festival will feature a side events schedule never seen in Asia before including several new formats that will stir the curiosity of poker enthusiasts at all levels. For those that have not yet reserved their seat to what is sure to be a very memorable event, this weekend marks the last chance for players to qualify through PartyPoker.com and the iPoker Network. Make sure you don't miss out on your APT Macau experience and the chance to win some life-changing prizes."
In 2008, the event attracted some of the most famous names in the game including Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, Johnny Chan, John Juanda, Huck Seed, Liz Lieu, Todd Brunson, Kenny Tran and Poker Pack members Nam Le, Quinn Do, JC Tran, Steve Sung, David ‘Chino' Rheem and Kwang Soo Lee.
Full details on the upcoming APT Macau Festival can be found at AsianPT.com.
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Media Man Group: Pop culture flashback
Media Man Group Blog
Pop Culture flashback
Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising. - Mark Twain
Pop Culture Flashback
Visual Effects Society Lauds Stan Lee - Comic book icon to receive Lifetime Achievement Award. - 19th October 2011
Comic book publisher and entrepreneur Stan Lee has been selected by the VES Board of Directors as the recipient of the VES 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at the 10th Annual VES Awards, which will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on February 7, 2012.
The VES Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals whose "lifetime body of work has made a significant and lasting contribution to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry by way of artistry, invention and/or groundbreaking work." Stan Lee is known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel Comics to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. His famous co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, The Avengers, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange, among many others.
Lee first became publisher of Marvel Comics in 1972 and is presently the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. and a member of the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics. In 1977, he introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper strip that went on to become the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips. Spider-Man now appears in more than 500 newspapers worldwide -- making it the longest running of all Super Hero strips. Lee founded, and is currently Chief Creative Officer, of POW! Entertainment, where he continues to write and create new characters.
"Stan Lee's imagination has created a completely original and profitable niche in the entertainment world and has allowed visual effects to flex its muscle in service to it!" said VES Chair Jeffrey A. Okun. "Thanks to Mr. Lee's fantastic creations and amazing stories he not only created a future filled with gadgets and inventions that we aspire to create for real – but all while inspiring the minds and imaginations of storytellers, visual effects artists and computer wizards everywhere," added Okun.
"As a writer there is nothing more rewarding than to see your creations brought to life on the screen and I am indebted to all of the incredibly talented artists who have contributed to my projects," said Lee. "Visual effects have played a pivotal role in the ongoing success of Marvel's characters and allowed fans to experience their stories in an entirely new way. It is truly a great honor to receive this award from the Visual Effects Society."
Without question, Stan 'the Man' Lee has exerted more influence over the comic book industry than anyone in history. He created or co-created 90 percent of Marvel's recognized characters, which have been successfully licensed and marketed since 1965. The numbers are staggering -- more than 2 billion of his comic books have been published in 75 countries and in 25 languages.
In 1981 Stan Lee transformed his Spider-Man and Hulk creations into Saturday morning and syndicated television cartoons. When Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions were acquired by New World Entertainment in 1986, Stan's horizons expanded even further, giving him the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the creation and development of filmed projects for both the big and small screen. He supervised such diverse animated series as X-Men, Spider-Man and The Hulk. To date, Stan's characters have populated over 24 separate television series, all of which continue in syndication around the world.
In 2001, Stan founded POW! Entertainment, Inc., a multi-media entertainment company, where he is creating a myriad of new characters, stories and franchises for traditional and emerging media.
Previous recipients of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award are George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Dennis Muren, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, James Cameron and Ray Harryhausen.
Pop Culture Flashback
Spider-Man Marvel News; Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Poker Probe, Spider-Man Gaming, by Greg Tingle - 8th August 2011
'Amazing Spider-Man' Sequel Release Set For May 2014...
"The Amazing Spider-Man" has already set the release date for its sequel.
Our friends at Sony Pictures must know something we here at Media Man do not.
The studio announced that "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will be spinning into US theaters on May 2, 2014, to kick off that year's summer blockbuster season. So far, Sony is the only superhero-producing studio to plan that far ahead, as neither Marvel nor Warner Bros. has announced any of their upcoming comic book adaptations for three years down the road.
In March, "The Amazing Spider-Man" screenwriter James Vanderbilt was hired to pen the sequel. It seems as though Sony is impressed with the drafts he has brought in, considering they green-lit his second "Spider-Man" film 11 months before "The Amazing Spider-Man" hits theaters.
"I think it speaks volumes about our confidence in what we are seeing on the new film and our desire to move quickly on the next installment," a Sony executive told Deadline Hollywood.
The trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man" premiered on July 20 to mixed responses. One part in particular that had fans doubtful was a scene at the end of the teaser where the camera switches to a first-person, Spidey Vision perspective. But despite the skepticism, Sony seems confident that their reboot of the "Spider-Man" franchise will premiere as a success.
At San Diego Comic-Con, director Marc Webb explained to MTV News that the effect was an attempt to play around with the "experimental process of 3-D." While the movie itself features a lot of realistic stunt work that wasn't accomplished with CG trickery, Webb also explained that he wanted the 3-D element of the movie to be an integral part of it.
"We shot and conceived of this film in 3-D," he said, "and I wanted there to be moments where you really feel and see the world through Spider-Man's eyes. I wanted to get that visceral feeling. In 3-D, I thought there was something about the experiential process, in a big theatrical environment, that was really special that I had seen. I was like, 'If I'm going to do a movie in 3-D, I want to give the audience that experience.'"
Maguire’s poker suit heads to trial...
Hollywood actor Tobey Maguire’s legal battle against the bankrupt trustees of convicted conman Bradley Ruderman is heading to trial in January 2012.
The Spider-Man star is accused of beating Ruderman in a series of unlicensed poker games in California, taking more than $300,000 in winnings from the bankrupt hedge fund manager, who is currently serving time in prison after being convicted of operating a fraudulent Ponzi scheme.
Bankruptcy trustees filed suit against Maguire in June in a bid to recoup money that Ruderman claims to have lost in the illegal games.
The actor has fired back with a countersuit, insisting the card games were never controlled and did not feature a regular roster of celebrities - as initially reported. Maguire also argued that he should not have to hand back any winnings because he lost just as much money to Ruderman.
The case will go before a trial judge at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles on the week of January 30, reports Eonline.com.
Ads and Fees Lift Viacom to a 37% Increase in Profit...
Viacom, the owner of MTV and Paramount Pictures, on Friday reported a 37 percent increase in profits for the quarter that ended in June.
The company’s net earnings of $574 million, or 97 cents a share, were up from $420 million, or 69 cents a share, in the same quarter last year. The company reported revenues of $3.77 billion, up from $3.27 billion.
Like the other major media companies that reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations this week, Viacom credited a sturdy television advertising market, solid revenues from subscriber fees and emerging revenues from digital distributors like Netflix.
“We have always thrived on competition in the distribution arena, and there’s now more competition than there has ever been, and it’s growing,” said Philippe Dauman, the chief executive of Viacom. He added that there was increasing competition for digital distribution in international markets as well as in the United States.
Media companies like Viacom are increasingly accepting online distributors like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu as new bidders for their content — especially for the old content in their libraries that does not compete directly with what is currently on their television channels. Viacom already has licensing deals with Netflix and Hulu, and Mr. Dauman said Friday that discussions were under way with other potential licensees.
“As a result of these new deals, we have set a new higher base for our affiliate revenues this year and we expect to continue to increase those revenues from this higher base at a high single- to low double-digit annual rate every year for the foreseeable future,” Mr. Dauman said on a conference call with analysts.
In the quarter, Viacom’s cable networks had revenues of $2.39 billion, up 16 percent versus the same quarter last year, in large part because of the strength in advertising.
Mr. Dauman singled out several scripted television series for praise, like TV Land’s “Happily Divorced” and VH1’s “Single Ladies,” and he noted that the ratings at MTV had increased year-over-year even though new episodes of “Jersey Shore,” the channel’s biggest show, were not televised in the United States in the quarter. (Both this year and last year, the series skipped the spring quarter.)
Profit growth was up sharply in the cable division, but down in the Paramount filmed entertainment division, largely because of the “timing and mix of theatrical releases,” the company said in its earnings statement. Still, revenues for filmed entertainment were up 13 percent, to $1.4 billion.
Looking ahead, Mr. Dauman acknowledged that Viacom was preparing for an end to its film distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation, which started in 2006 and is expected to end in 2012. Last month, Viacom said it would start its own animation division. “We are proceeding on the operating assumption that we will not be extending the DreamWorks Animation deal beyond next year,” Mr. Dauman said Friday.
Asked about perceived friction with the DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mr. Dauman dismissed it: “The relationship is very good,” he said, “and the only issue is what DreamWorks Animation wants to do strategically as this deal expires, and how that fits in with our own strategic objectives.”
As Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!
'The Wolverine' movie wraps up in Australia; Now shooting in Japan; Jackman swaps hair for suit...
'The Wolverine' movie wraps up in Australia; Now shooting in Japan; Jackman swaps hair for suit...
After wrapping the filming in Australia, "The Wolverine" has officially kicked off its production in Japan. Unveiling a first look at lead actor Hugh Jackman on the Tokyo set of the Marvel film, a set of photos featuring the Australian hunk as he filmed a scene at the Zojoji Temple have made their round onto the web.
Instead of sporting unkempt long hair and scruffy look just like when he was filming in Australia, Jackman was spotted rocking Wolverine's trademark haircut and beard. Looking dapper, he donned an all-black ensemble while filming a scene with a number of Japanese men at the said Buddhist temple.
Per Comic Book Movie, the scene Jackman was filming happened to be a "grand funeral." There were no further details about whose funeral the actor's character attended. It was said that the filming at the temple was wrapped on Sunday, September 2 and Jackman was expected to continue filming in Hiroshima next.
Taking its cue from the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller miniseries, "The Wolverine" finds Logan (Jackman), the eternal warrior and outsider, in Japan. There, samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed. Serving behind the lens is James Mangold.
Jackman has stressed that the upcoming film will be a standalone one and won't be related to 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". He told Total Film, "We've deliberately not called it Wolverine 2 because we want it to be placed and feel like a standalone picture. With an all-new cast and setting in Japan, it's going to give us a whole new visual aesthetic."
"The approach to character means we won't be overloaded with mutants and teams and the like, so it'll be more character-based," he claimed, before adding, "I think in my ways it will feel like a completely different X-Men film."
The anticipated movie is scheduled to open wide in the U.S. on July 26, 2013.
Joss Whedon: 'The Avengers isn't a perfect movie'...
Joss Whedon has claimed that The Avengers isn't "a great movie".
The film has met with critical acclaim and outstanding commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time in just a few months, but Whedon, the superhero blockbuster's writer and director, is determined to keep his feet on the ground.
In an interview with Vulture, the 48-year-old claimed that the box office numbers became, ultimately, "meaningless".
He said: "They're large, and you can't really count that high."
Describing what his goals were with The Avengers, he claimed: "I felt like I had a particular mission in making what I felt was a slightly old-fashioned movie, because I grew up wanting to make summer movies and wanting to make superhero movies, and I got to do both at once.
"I felt like summer movies haven't been what I remember them to be, so I felt like I would love to evoke something that's less hip and ironic and more heartfelt and character-driven, and apparently, other people cared about that in a large way."
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator then conceded: "I don't think it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within, unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying."
The film is set to increase its box office even further this weekend, after being re-released in the US to take advantage of the Labour Day holiday.
Whedon will oversee a Marvel-produced SHIELD television show for ABC, before starting work on the Avengers sequel, due for a summer 2015 release.
The Avengers Crosses $1.5 Billion At Worldwide Box Office...
While the re-release of The Avengers at the U.S. box office might have failed to break into the top ten Labor Day weekend movies, it did help The Avengers reach another major milestone. The Avengers has become the third movie in history to cross the $1.5 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
While retaining its number three position on the worldwide box office list, The Avengers took in another estimated $1.7 million over Labor Day weekend, which brought The Avengers U.S. box office total to $619.5 million and The Avengers worldwide box office total to $1.501 billion.
Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises also reached a milestone today, surpassing $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which means that combined The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises have accounted for $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office this year. If you add in The Amazing Spider-Man, which currently sits at number four on the 2012 worldwide box office list with $734.9 million, then the total rises to $3.2 billion. It’s definitely a good time to be in the superhero movie making business.
Expendables blitzes box office...
Explosions, guns and hand-to-hand fighting seem to be the flavour of the month on Australian cinema screens, with The Expendables 2 debuting at the top of the box office.
The film, packed with 1990s action stars (and Liam Hemsworth) took $2.962 million at the weekend, according to figures released by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
The Bourne Legacy held on to its No.2 position on the box office charts while last week's top place-getter, Total Recall, fell to third place.
Feel-good Aussie movie The Sapphires fell one spot to fourth but still managed to pull in $1.146 million, while ageing rom-com Hope Springs also dropped a spot to finish fifth.
The Dark Knight Rises is still in the Top Ten after seven weeks and more than $41 million, at sixth place, while Finding Nemo 3D debuted in seventh.
Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom dropped one place to eighth, Will Ferrell's latest comedy The Campaign finished ninth and Step Up 4: Miami Heat rounded out the Top Ten.
Top 10 at the Australian Box Office this weekend:
1. The Expendables 2 - $2.962 million (Roadshow)
2. The Bourne Legacy - $1.273 million (Universal)
3. Total Recall - $1.166 million (Sony)
4. The Sapphires - $1.146 million (Eone/Hopscotch)
5. Hope Springs - $868,207 million (Roadshow)
6. The Dark Knight Rises - $570,846 (Warner Bros)
7. Finding Nemo 3D - $403,700 (Walt Disney)
8. Moonrise Kingdom - $393,824 (Universal)
9. The Campaign - $283,950 (Warner Bros)
10. Step Up 4: Miami Heat - $139,801 (Universal)
2012 Box Office News (U.S Report)...
The summer movie season started out with a bang, and then it…
Say, did we mention it started out with a bang?
It wasn't exactly all downhill after The Avengers kicked things off in record fashion, but it was close. Overall domestic ticket revenue this summer will top out at $4.3 billion, down 2.2 percent from last summer, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The Avengers' big return to theaters: a Titanic surprise?
Here are more findings from the season, which concludes this holiday weekend:
The Avengers Wasn't the Most Powerful Movie: Well, all right, it was, but it didn't make 16 times its production budget. That honor goes to Channing Tatum's Magic Mike, which cost $7 million and made $113 million domestically, per BoxOfficeMojo.com stats. Other bottom-line wonders: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which made 13 times its $10 million budget for a worldwide total of $131 million; and, hey—whaddya know?—The Avengers, which did its $220 million budget about seven times better with a worldwide gross of $1.5 billion.
Men in Black 3 Was the Most-Valuable Movie: Per a rundown of the studios' latest fiscal reports, Sony was about the only major player that saw a significant uptick in ticket revenue, and that was due to the not-especially beloved MiB sequel, which grossed $624 million worldwide.
The Dark Knight Rises Outgrossed The Dark Knight…Briefly: We've noted it before, but it's worth noting again. In the pre-Aurora world, The Dark Knight Rises scored $30.6 million from opening-day midnight screenings, and towered above its predecessor, which debuted to $18.5 million in 2008. In the post-Aurora world, the movie ran behind The Dark Knight in each and every successive major box-office period.
Avengers alternate opening revealed
Total Recall Outgrossed Total Recall…Once: The pricey Colin Farrell reboot opened to a soft $26 million, but averaged more per screen ($7,103) than a one-theater-only rerelease of the 1990 original ($5,788). And thus concludes the positive things to take away from the pricey Colin Farrell reboot.
Spider-Man Isn't British for Nothing: With Andrew Garfield behind the mask, nearly two-thirds of The Amazing Spider-Man's $705 million worldwide take came from overseas audiences, the largest percentage yet for a big-screen Spider-Man.
The Hunger Games Competed: This was a nifty trick, as The Hunger Games was not a summer movie, having opened back in March. But the blockbuster played and played and played, and from the start of the movie summer, on May 4, through Wednesday, it grossed another $33 million domestically, a total that on its own was roughly as big as Adam Sandler's That's My Boy, which, no, was not big at all.
Adam Sandler's That's My Boy Was Not an "Unfortunate, Large Miss": That precise distinction belongs to Battleship, which was branded as such by the chairman of Comcast, which runs Universal Pictures. (E! and Universal are both part of the NBCUniversal family, which is owned by Comcast.) The $200 million Battleship did make back its reported budget, grossing about $300 million worldwide. The same can't be said of Sandler's That's My Boy ($70 million budget; $50 million worldwide gross). Or Tom Cruise's Rock of Ages ($75 million budget, $50 million worldwide gross). Or Ben Stiller's The Watch ($68 million budget; $37 million worldwide).
Sequels for Prometheus, Snow White, Magic Mike, more?
What to Expect When You're Expecting Was No Prometheus: Prometheus, like a number of summer movies, including Snow White and the Huntsman, Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows and the aforementioned Battleship and Total Recall, failed to match or surpass their budgets from domestic ticket sales alone. The unheralded Jennifer Lopez-led ensemble comedy, however, grossed $41 million domestically, and $80 million worldwide, from a $40 million budget.
Ray Romano Is King of the World, Practically: Among the summer's animated films, the latest Ice Age sequel, Continental Drift, ran behind Brave and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted—domestically. Internationally, the Romano-voiced wooly mammoth stood alone, grossing a whopping $660 million-plus for a worldwide total of about $815 million. That made Continental Drift the third-biggest overall hit of the season after The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. This is par for the course for the Ice Age movies that probably have their own postage stamps in countries such as Germany, Finland and Brazil.
Here's a rundown of the summer's Top 10-grossing films heading into Labor Day weekend, per domestic stats from BoxOfficeMojo and The Numbers:
The Avengers, $617.8 million
The Dark Knight Rises, $425 million
The Amazing Spider-Man, $258.6 million
Brave, $230 million
Ted, $215.2 million
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, $213.9 million
Men in Black 3, $178.5 million
Snow White and the Huntsman, $155 million
Ice Age: Contiental Drift, $154.3 million
Prometheus, $126.3 million (E! Online)
‘Global James Bond Day’ - 3rd September 2012...
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise on the anniversary of “Dr. No,” which enjoyed its world film premiere in London on October 5, 1962, and in anticipation of the worldwide release of the 23rd James Bond adventure “Skyfall,” Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today that October 5, 2012 will be “Global James Bond Day,” a day-long series of events for Bond fans around the world.
A new feature documentary from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Passion Pictures and Red Box Films, “Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007,” will be also be unveiled, country-specific details to follow. Directed by Stevan Riley (“Fire In Babylon”), “Everything or Nothing” focuses on three men with a shared dream – Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman and author Ian Fleming. It’s the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history which began in 1962.
Further worldwide events celebrating Bond’s golden anniversary include a global online and live auction charity event of 50 lots to benefit twelve charitable institutions organized by Christie´s in London (full details at www.christies.com/bond), a global survey to discover the favorite Bond film by country, a film retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a “Music of Bond” night in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and an exhibition, “Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style,” at TIFF in Toronto.
Leading up to “Global James Bond Day,” for the first time ever fans can own all 22 films in the franchise on Blu-ray Disc in one comprehensive collection with “BOND 50,” releasing worldwide beginning September 24. Further updates by country will be announced in due course on 007.com and facebook/JamesBond007.
Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in “Skyfall,” the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time.
Jim Carrey joins Kick-Ass 2 cast...
Jim Carrey has been offered the role of Colonel Stars in Jeff Wadlow's superhero comedy, director Jeff Wadlow has strongly hinted.
Director Jeff Wadlow and creator Mark Millar have hinted that the 50-year-old funnyman has landed the coveted role of Colonel Stars in the sequel to 2010's wacky superhero comedy.
Jeff tweeted: "6 days till we start shooting... and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty f'n then! @ChloeGMoretz @MintzPlasse @donald_faison #kickass2. (sic)"
After Christopher Mintz-Plasse replied asking who his new co-star was going to be, the original comic book's author Mark replied: "Clue - he lives with 200 raccoons and parrots, owns the mask of Loki and named by spielberg as a genius. (sic)"
During Jim's 1994 film 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective', which sees him play the titular character, his alter-ego is a private investigator who specialises in the retrieval of captive animals.
'The Mask' star Jim is reportedly a big fan of the original 'Kick-Ass' film by Matthew Vaughn and was being courted to play the born again Christian superhero, who assembles a motley crew of superheroes to help fight evil.
The sequel will see several new additions to the cast, including 'Scrubs' actor Donald Faison as Doctor Gravity and John Leguizamo as Red Mist's bodyguard, Javier.
The comedy will begin shooting this Friday (07.08.12) and sees Aaron Johnson returning as the lead Kick-Ass, while co-stars Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage are also reprising their roles from the first film.
'Kick-Ass 2' is set for release in June 2013.
US actor Michael Clarke Duncan dies - 4th September 2012...
Michael Clarke Duncan's fiancee says the Oscar nominee for The Green Mile has died while being hospitalised following a July heart attack.
Publicist Joy Fehily released a statement from Clarke's fiance, the Reverend Omarosa Manigault, saying the 54-year-old actor died on Monday morning in a Los Angeles hospital after nearly two months of treatment following the July 13 heart attack.
The 196-centimetre tall, 136 kilogram Duncan appeared in dozens of films, including such box office hits as Armageddon, Planet of the Apes and Kung Fu Panda.
Duncan had a handful of minor roles before The Green Mile brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.
The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s.
Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer.
Russell Crowe bailed out by Coast Guard...
Russell Crowe needed some help from the U.S. Coast Guard late Saturday night during a kayaking trip that went awry off New York's Long Island.
The actor was enjoying some water recreation in Long Island, where he's filming -- irony alert! -- the Darren Aronofsky epic "Noah" (as in Ark). He took off in a kayak from Cold Spring Harbor Saturday afternoon, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Swieciki told the Associated Press. When it got dark, he and a friend apparently got lost but managed to make their way to shore, beaching their kayaks in Huntington Bay -- nearly 10 miles from where they had set out.
The coast guard was patrolling the area and heard the 48-year-old actor calling out from the shore around 10 p.m. According to Swiecki, the officer did not recognize the actor but paddled over and brought them to Huntington Harbor.
"It wasn't really a rescue," Swieciki told the AP. "Really, more of just giving someone a lift."
The two men were wearing life vests and sustained no injuries.
For his part, Crowe was grateful for the assistance, tweeting at 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning, "Thanks to Seth and the boys from the US Coast Guard for guiding the way ... 4 hrs 30 mins, 7m(11.2km)."
And he later expounded, writing, "We knew where exactly where we were, paddling around from csh into wind, we ran out of day. Grand adventure eh."
Aussie actors Crowe and Jackman at war...
Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman are at war!
According to various news reports, the actors having been fighting like catty tween girls while shooting the new Les Miserables movie.
“They refuse to be in the same room – trying to get them to promote a film together is a nightmare,” a source tells Star magazine.
“They’ve known each other for a decade, but during this shoot, any shred of civility was thrown aside. They can’t stand each other, each calling the other an embarrassment to the profession.
“Russell sneers at Hugh’s musical-theater background. But Hugh says Russell embarrassed his country with his bad reputation in Hollywood.”
Costar Anne Hathaway has tried to mend fences, but the actors won’t budge.
“Producers hope she can convince them to come to a truce, but it’s not looking very promising,” said the source.
Idea of the moment: Crowe VS Jackman at WWE WrestleMania (Jackman is a known massive WWE fan and has participated in a physical WWE angle in the past, so here's hoping).
Howzat: Kerry Packer's war on cricket may be missing Dennis Lillee...
Many in media and sports circles are now buzzing that the true founding father of one-day cricket was not Kerry Packer but Dennis Lillee - yet the TV smash Howzat! whitewashes him from history, one of the original World Series directors has revealed.
In an rocket on Channel 9's ratings blockbuster, World Series Cricket director Austin Robertson - who also featured as a character in the mini-series - said Australians should thank Lillee for creating the one-day game.
In response, the show's producers launched a broadside of their own, claiming they asked Lillee to contribute but the bowling superstar refused to because he wouldn't get any money.
Mr Robertson, who worked closely with the former Nine king and the rebel team, also defended "the Big Fella" and said he was not the bully he was portrayed to be. Nor was the late batting star David Hookes the simpering and indecisive vacillator depicted in the show.
Mr Robertson said Howzat! was great entertainment and brilliantly produced but riddled with inaccuracies.
"The producers made a nonsense of the way they treated the man really responsible for the whole thing - Dennis Lillee," he said.
"Dennis was visible enough but he is not given the acknowledgement for having the idea in the first place, and his contribution in putting the entire thing together. Other people have put their hands up for having the brainchild of WSC but I am here to say that, without Lillee, it would never have happened at the time.
"Though Packer was determined to get the precious television rights, they would never have been delivered at that time without having the best fast bowler in the world in his corner.
"Curiously, the producers of the show, in the curtain-call of the program, in the segment 'Where are the main players today,' DKL was again overlooked.
"I had to ask myself, why did they do that? It was Lillee who delivered the players and, while it was great to be playing on the Packer team, without Lillee it would have never got off the ground."
Southern Star producer John Edwards, who made the show, hit back at Mr Robertson. He said Lillee boycotted the show and "shut down" Mr Robertson after learning no money was on offer.: "He (Robertson) was invited. There's nothing more to say really. He was mad keen on being involved and Dennis got to him and he was shut down. Dennis wanted money.
"We tried to speak to everybody and not everybody wanted to speak. Some people had grievances and grudges.
"(Writer) Chris Lee tried to involve them as much as as possible in the story and they chose not to be involved."
Mr Robertson confirmed he and Lillee had been approached but declined to take part. He declined to comment further or say whether money was an issue.
Lillee could not be reached but he has consistently refused to comment on Howzat!.
Mr Robertson praised Mr Packer and revealed the media tycoon was not as aggressive as the show portrayed: "The portrayal of Kerry as a constant bully and user of foul language is far from the truth. He could bully. I saw him on many occasions rise up like an out-of-control bull elephant and reduce a grown man to tears. I heard him swear like a storm trooper when out of control. But I never saw him chuck a plate of food.
"I thought Kerry was in the main a humble man, often revealing great compassion, a gentle giant who would talk issues out for hours before making a decision, and then following it through.
"The mini-series gave everybody the impression he was a loud, foul- mouthed bully and we saw precious little of his other side."
Channel 9 declined to comment however sources at the network said they felt the show was spot on in capturing Mr Packer.
Mr Robertson also rejected Howzat!'s portrayal of friend David Hookes, who died after an altercation with a bouncer in Melbourne in 2004.
"David was not a weak, indecisive and nervous character who 'spilled the beans' to The Age's Peter McFarline."
And as for his own portrayal Mr Robertson said: "From birth, and throughout the many years I have enjoyed on the earth I have never had a moustache."
Prince Harry; casino tycoon Steve Wynn and fun and games in Las Vegas and beyond...
As the UK's Daily Mail states it's a rare man who walks away from Las Vegas with nothing to regret.
Prince Harry counts the cost of his escapades in Sin City, he may just be coming to regret the day he ever made the acquaintance of casino tycoon Steve Wynn.
Wynn, the self-proclaimed King of Las Vegas, is the billionaire owner of the five-star Encore Wynn resort, the opulent hotel-casino in whose eight-room, £5,100-a-night suite the prince was photographed playing strip billiards.
Unsubstantiated reports this week have suggested that cocaine was snorted in the suite, and that a known prostitute was among the guests. There are even rumours of a video tape capturing the night's events. So how did the third-in-line to the throne come to meet – even befriend – a septuagenarian gambling mogul?
Steve Wynn, a flamboyant showman with a surgically-enhanced, wrinkle-free face, carefully coiffed hair, a volcanic temper and a trophy wife, is famous for befriending celebrities whose patronage would be good for business.
Last November, 70-year-old Wynn was spotted having dinner with the prince in one of his Vegas steakhouses while the Prince was enjoying a weekend break from an advanced helicopter training course in Arizona.
Waiving the bills of celebrities is common practice in Vegas, and it remains unclear who paid the estimated £30,000 bill for Harry's recent stay. According to Wynn's spokesman, the tab was not picked up by either the tycoon or his hotel.
Is the prince welcome to return? I can't see why not,' the spokesman said.
Wynn is unlikely to be perturbed by Harry's naked shenanigans, but if drugs do turn out to have been involved, he may swiftly seek to distance himself from the events. He may be Las Vegas's most revered casino owner, but he still has his gambling licence and his reputation to think about. It is a reputation that Wynn is eager to protect. He has worked hard to erase the stains of the past.
Today, he is widely credited as the man who single-handedly cleaned up' Vegas and made it into a place in which Wall Street could invest and young families could holiday (if parents don't mind their children collecting the prostitutes' calling cards which litter the pavement).
Yet for all his denials, Wynn, who is worth $2.5 billion, has never shaken off accusations that he was linked for many years to the mobsters who once ruled Las Vegas.
He has weathered successive U.S. investigations over everything from drug-dealing to money-laundering, and has never been found to have committed any wrong-doing.
In Britain, the authorities have proved harder to convince. When he tried to open a casino in London to exploit the influx of rich Arabs in the early Eighties, Scotland Yard denied him a licence. But in the desert city of Las Vegas, he remains a swaggering icon. He has a reputation for being sophisticated' but that's by Vegas standards.
This is a man who bought Impressionist masterpieces only to hang them on the walls of his casinos; who reputedly blew his finger off while playing with a gun given to him by a former Mob hitman, and who boasts that his wife Andrea has the greatest butt in the world'.
Money is no object. In 2005, Wynn sank $2.7 billion into building just one hotel the curved glass and steel Wynn Las Vegas. He then did the same again a few years later with the Encore.
So enamoured is he with the idea of himself as Sin City royalty that he arranged his wedding last year to coincide with that of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Hollywood star Clint Eastwood was best man and lingerie model Caprice a bridesmaid. The reception, held in the ballroom of Wynn's Encore resort, boasted a 500-strong guest list which included Sylvester Stallone, Steven Spielberg, Lionel Richie, Sir Philip Green and Celine Dion.
Each guest left with a five-inch high replica of the tiered wedding cake, but it's unlikely Wynn or his rake-thin new wife enjoyed much of the banquet. Both are vegans, and the youth-obsessed Wynn, who exists on a diet of vitamin pills, liquidised walnuts and the occasional indulgent dribble of olive oil, boasts that he still has a 32in waistline.
After years of hard graft and wheeler-dealing, he has earned the right to behave as he wishes. The son of an East Coast bingo parlour operator and hardened gambler, the brash and handsome Wynn Jnr expanded the family business to Las Vegas with a string of clever investments and ambitious hustling.
In the Seventies and Eighties, when Wynn was building his empire, Las Vegas was full of the mobsters who had originally built its gambling industry.
Some say it was impossible to work in the city and not come into contact with mafiosi, even unwittingly. Others have suggested that, even so, Wynn had an unusually large number of brushes with the Mob.
Wynn himself has vigorously denied any involvement with the Mob, and none of the numerous law enforcement investigations for gambling licences have ever concluded that he worked for or with organised crime.
In 1967, he was with some business associates of noted mobsters on a private yacht cruise on a lake in Nevada when a naked young woman somehow fell over the back of the boat and was chopped almost in half by the propeller blades. Her death prompted an investigation, but everyone on board denied having seen the incident.
And he had trouble with officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1986 after investigators discovered mobster Tony Castelbuono, a friend of Wynn, was laundering the profits of heroin trafficking at his gambling tables. Wynn almost lost his gambling licence.
Today, such tales of the Mob are just water under the bridge. Wynn has re-invented himself as the business genius who demolished seedy gambling joints along the Vegas Strip and replaced them with slick hotel-casinos such as the Mirage (the city's first 3,000-bed hotel), the Treasure Island and the Bellagio.
Part of his success has been his ability to turn on the charm with important people. But Wynn is notorious, too, for his temper. In 1991, he reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum with the former president of Wynn's Golden Nugget casino, who described Wynn as a womanising, brutal boss.
In allegations made in documents lodged at court, it was said that he would get so angry that his eyes bulged and he started screaming at the top of his lungs and banging his head on the table'. There was no admission of liability by Wynn, who denied the allegations.
His mother Zelma claims his tyrannical behaviour is the result of frustration over his failing eyesight. The tycoon suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive genetic disease which effectively gives him tunnel vision by destroying his ability to see peripheral images. In a dark room, he is completely blind.
His vision may be failing, but for years he was infamous for his roving eye, keeping keys to empty rooms at his various hotels for trysts. He was known to favour his female blackjack croupiers.
All that came to a stop when he met the beautiful Mrs Wynn. Usually described as a British socialite, 48-year-old Andrea was, in fact, born in New York but, as her proud husband likes to stress, was raised in England and France. Tres sophistique.
It all sounds rather less chic when you learn that the family moved to France because her father, a wheeler-dealer named Victor Danenza, fled there in 1976 to escape an FBI fraud investigation.
Before becoming the second Mrs Wynn, Andrea had lived in London with her first husband, Texan banker Robert Hissom, a former polo-playing friend of Prince Charles.
She met Wynn in 2008 in St Tropez, where he keeps a yacht, and the couple began a very public romance. Wynn divorced his long-suffering first wife Elaine, after 46 years of marriage, and wed Andrea last year.
Elaine made around $740 million from the settlement one of the biggest payouts in U.S. divorce history. The costly divorce appears not to have troubled Mr Wynn, who is delighted with his new wife.
It's like God made a woman for me,' he once said, before pointing out the part of his wife he most admired the greatest butt in the world'.
It all goes to show that money can buy you neither taste nor manners. Even Wynn's attempts to acquire a collection of old masterpieces have invited accusastions that he was vulgar and greedily acquisitive.
He has, since the late Nineties, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on paintings by Picasso and Degas, Caravaggio and Titian. He has several times scooped the world's great galleries at auction, only to horrify the art world by hanging his purchases in his casinos.
At 70, he shows no sign of slowing down though controversy continues to dog him. He is embroiled in a three-year court battle with Joe Francis, founder of the soft porn video empire Girls Gone Wild.
In documents lodged at court, Francis claims Wynn threatened in an email that he would kill him over a $2 million gambling debt. Wynn is alleged to have written that he would hit Francis in the back of the head with a shovel'.
Wynn denies the allegations and claims no such email exists.
In Asia, where Wynn now earns 70 per cent of his profits from the gambling mecca of Macau, a resort on the South China Sea, he is embroiled in a battle with a former business partner, Kazuo Okada.
This week, Okada sued Wynn for $140 millino for libel after each accused the other of paying bribes within the Asian gambling industry. No amount of black marble and old masters can hide the sleaziness at the heart of Las Vegas.
It is hard to believe Wynn when he claims he could just as easily have gone into family theme parks if Walt Disney hadn't done it first. Indeed, it seems about as likely as Prince Harry settling for free entry to Sleeping Beauty's Castle rather than a weekend with his colourful acquaintances in Sin City.
One ponders if the prince may be planning to visit in any casino - hotels in the near future, and little doubt that Australia's The Star or Crown Melbourne would love to have him. The smart money say's Prince Harry will no be stepping into any casino in Australia or anywhere else in the near future, perhaps more positive PR appearances will be on the cards however.
Soprano tops bill for Ten Days festival...
Internationally-renowned soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will perform at next year's Ten Days on the Island Festival in Tasmania.
The New Zealand singer is one of two top international acts secured by the organisers.
Dame Kiri will perform in Launceston, Hobart and Burnie during the festival next March.
Festival director Jo Duffy says the Tasmanian performances will give the acclaimed performer a very intimate experience.
"She's performed at the Royal Albert Hall, she's won Grammy awards, she's performed at La Scala, she's performed for the Queen and various members of the Royal Family," she said.
"But really a lot of performers, when they reach a certain stage in their career, they want to almost get back to were they began, to be able to look their audiences in the eye and really relate to them very closely."
Award-winning New York theatre company Elevator Repair Service will open the festival with a performance based on an Ernest Hemingway novel.
Ms Duffy says interest is already huge.
"We have already had people interested in coming to Tasmania specifically to see this show."
"It's only doing six performances and it's travelled around the world to many of the very large international arts festivals and it's not been to anywhere else in Australia."
Zionist casino mogul Sheldon Adelson rocks Israeli media...
The loss-making 60-year old Israeli daily Maariv plans to stop appearing as a weekday newspaper and convert to a digital-only edition unless a major new injection of investment can be found to sustain it in printed form.
But its plight also likely to cast a fresh spotlight on the runaway success—at least in circulation terms—of its newest competitor, the right-wing free paper Israel Hayom, which is financially backed by US casino magnate, Sheldon Adelson.
While the paper is likely to continue printing a weekend edition for the foreseeable future, the planned move comes amid fears by journalists at the paper of significant possible layoffs.
Nir Hefetz, Maariv’s editor-in chief told Army Radio yesterday: "We've been looking at the digital direction for a number of months and it's all just a matter of timing. If we won't have any oxygen, we will be forced to make the move quickly."
Discount Investments, which has a 62 per cent holding in the paper and is part of the financially troubled IDB conglomerate has agreed to back a £2.3m bank loan, but one which is apparently conditional on a halt to weekday printing and other cost cutting measures.
Israel Hayom, which strongly supports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is owned and funded by Mr Adelson, the American casino billionaire who is a major Republican Party benefactor, and opponent of a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After supporting the unsuccessful GOP primary candidate Newt Gingrich, he indicated he could spend up to $100m on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
While Israel Hayom also has paid delivery to homes it is handed out for free by seemingly ubiquitous newsboys across the country. It says that "reaching every citizen and every venue in Israel is one of the key tenets of the paper’s mission.2
The paper survived an unsuccessful attempt in 2009 by Knesset members to block majority newspaper ownership by foreigners. An unnamed Yedhiot Ahronot executive was recently quoted in the business daily Globes saying: "Adelson has simply brought ruin to the Israeli newspaper market, and the Israeli politicians who benefit from its flattering coverage have allowed this unprecedented phenomenon to occur."
While the paper has a range of established columnists and is highly professionally produced, it was criticised over its deletion of an insulting reference to Mr Netanyahu in its report of the letter left by Moshe Silman, who set fire to himself during a social protest in Tel Aviv in July.
Like other media, Israel Hayom provided readers with an illustration of the letter written by Mr Silman, who later died of his injuries. And it said that Mr Netanyahu and his finance minister Yuval Steinitz were among those Mr Silman blamed for his financial plight. But unlike other media it displayed an image which failed to include the letter’s two lines describing the two politicians as “scumbags”—or literally “stinking dead bodies.”
According to the latest authoritative survey by the market research organisation TGI Israel Hayom, which boasts a weekday distribution of 275,000 copies, has a 38.1 per cent share of that market, compared to its closest rival, Yedhiot Ahronot, with 36.1 per cent and Maariv with 11.1 per cent. The left-leaning daily Haaretz has a market share of 7.2 per cent. (Belfast Telegraph)
Sam Razavi Wins 2012 APPT Melbourne Main Event - 03 Sep 2012
The second Main Event of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) wrapped up this weekend at the famed Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia as the final nine players competed for the AUD $326,125 first prize. In the end, it was England’s Samad “Sam” Razavi who emerged triumphant for his first ever APPT title.
Razavi entered the nine-handed final table second in chips with 1.318 million, one of four players over the million chip mark. He had a bit of a gap to make up, though, as Tom Grigg led the remaining field with 2.271 million chips.
It took Razavi about three hours to make his big move, but as they say, good things come to those who wait, right? Throughout much of the final table, he was basically just one of the crowd, not really doing much to distinguish himself aside from eliminating Brendon Rubie in 9th place, but Rubie was down to just 30,000 chips at that point, anyway. In the meantime, other players had made runs at the top, including Wayne Bentley and Keith Walker. But finally, with just four players remaining, Razavi made his move.
Bentley raised pre-flop to 60,000 and Razavi called. Razavi then check-called a 150,000 bet after the flop landed Q diamonds-6 diamonds-4 diamonds. The check-bet-call pattern was the same on the turn A hearts and river 8 clubs (but for 250,000 and 400,000 chips, respectively). Apparently, Razavi wasn’t too worried about losing the hand, quickly revealing Q spades-T clubs for just second pair (or maybe he wanted to end the pain quickly, like tearing off a bandage). If that was confidence, it was spot on, as Bentley mucked, handing the sizable pot to Razavi. That hand sent Razavi’s stack up to 2.5 million, while Bentley’s fell to 1.1 million.
Twenty minutes later, Razavi grabbed another 200,000 chips, this time from Grigg, who was seeing his fortunes decline. Just a few minutes later, though, Grigg took a large sum of chips while eliminating Wayne Bentley in 4th place. Bentley had gotten all of his chips in on the turn with a flush draw and Grigg had made the call with top pair. The flush, obviously, never came to fruition.
Going into three-handed play, it was a very close race with Razavi holding 2.74 million chips, Grigg claiming ownership to 2.6 million, and Walker clutching 2.2 million. After more than an hour, it looked like Grigg was going to run away with the tournament, as his stack was up to 5 million, while Razavi had 1.5 million and Walker had just 1.2 million.
But Razavi doubled-up with 9-9 versus Grigg’s A-K, followed by Walker winning an 800,000 chip pot from Grigg. And then, just like that, it was Sam Razavi’s tournament. In what may have been the turning point of the tournament, Grigg opened pre-flop to 105,000 and Razavi called. Grigg again bet 105,000 on the K-T-T flop and Razavi again called. They both checked the 4 on the turn and Grigg checked the 3 on the river, but Razavi bet 500,000. Grigg went deep into the tank and finally made the call, though his cards were never revealed as Razavi flipped over 3-3 for a rivered full house. That was nearly a one million chip pot for Razavi, sending him up to 2.65 million chips.
And then, after having led for much of the final table, Tom Grigg was gone. Grigg raised a hand pre-flop to 100,000 and was once again called by Razavi. Just like before, Grigg bet 105,000 on the 7-7-5 flop and Razavi called. When a Queen landed on the turn, Grigg threw down 215,000 chips and Razavi made the call. The river was a 3 and Grigg checked, only to be shocked when Razavi moved all-in. Obviously a huge decision, Grigg pondered it so long that Razavi had to call clock on him. Grigg eventually made the (crying) call and Razavi instantly showed that he had 5-5 and flopped a boat. Grigg was eliminated and Razavi took a 5.9 million to 1.8 million chip lead into heads-up play against Keith Walker.
Heads-up play was short and sweet. On one of the opening hands, Walker three-bet all-in pre-flop with pocket Jacks and Razavi called with K-T of spades. The flop presented two spades, giving Razavi a flush draw, and the turn brought third, clinching the hand and the tournament title for Sam Razavi.
The AUD $326,125 first prize is the largest cash of Razavi’s career. He has had success in the past, placing sixth in the 2011 Aussie Millions Main Event for $222,530 and winning the 2011 UK & Ireland Poker Tour – Cork Main Event for $100,628. He has now earned over $800,000 on the live tournament circuit.
2012 Asia Pacific Poker Tour Melbourne – Final Table Results (AUD$)
1. Sam Razavi – $326,125
2. Keith Walker – $205,345
3. Tom Grigg – $114,750
4. Wayne Bentley – $87,575
5. Gary Benson – $72,475
6. James Bills – $57,375
7. Kristian Lunardi – $45,300
8. Nigel Andrews – $36,240
9. Brendon Rubie – $27,175 (Poker News Daily)
New Trailer For Marvel Heroes...
Gazillion Entertainment is proud to show off a new trailer for Marvel Heroes. The new trailer announces 3 new playable heroes in the game – Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel Girl. The trailer made its debut at the Marvel Heroes panel at PAX 2012. The panel featured Gazillion President David Brevik (one of the creators of Diablo!), legendary Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man! Avengers vs. X-Men! And) and Marvel’s mighty VP of Games Production TQ Jefferson. If you look closely, you’ll also see a bunch of villains were also revealed in the trailer, including Mr. Fisk the notorious crime lord.
Website:
http://www.youtube.com/marvelheroesonline
About Marvel Heroes...
Marvel Heroes is a FREE-TO-PLAY action-packed massively multiplayer online game created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the iconic Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core game-play style of Diablo and MMOs with the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. In the game, players can collect and play as their favorite Marvel Superheroes (including Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America and many others). Team up with friends and try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube in a story crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis.
The Main Event's top 10 best MMA fights of the rest of 2012...
This weekend has been more about the fight that didn’t happen than any that did.
UFC 151 was canceled Aug. 23 and the the finger of blame has been pointed in every which direction. The basics are that Dan Henderson partially tore his MCL and was unable to compete in the main event against Jon Jones. Jones was given a fill-in opponent in Chael Sonnen, but turned it down, causing the UFC to cancel the show altogether and inciting president Dana White to go all medievel on Jones in a media conference call.
White blames Jones and his coach Greg Jackson. Jones has blamed the UFC, himself and Henderson (or “that old man,” according to a tweet Saturday). There’s more finger pointing here than in the Republic National Convention. Just not as many empty chairs or old, senile actors.
But what’s done is done. Jones will face Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 on Sept. 22. UFC 151 will forever be known as the event that wasn’t and it’s time to move on.
There are plenty of exciting fights to look forward to before 2013. Here’s a look at our top 10 (barring injuries):
10. Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le (UFC on Fuel TV 6, Nov. 10 in Macau)
This one isn’t as much about the fight as it is about the significance of the event – the UFC’s first in China. Neither of these guys is currently in their prime, but they always give crowd-pleasing performances. Le, a native of Vietnam, should have a massive Asian following.
9. Eddie Alvarez vs. Patricky Freire (Bellator 76, Oct. 12 in Windsor, Ontario)
Alvarez might have dropped the Bellator title last year to Michael Chandler, but he’s still one of the top 15 lightweights in the world. This also could be his last Bellator fight with his contract expiring – don’t be surprised if he’s in the UFC in 2013. Explosive knockout artist Freire will be a game opponent.
8. Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson, UFC flyweight title (UFC 152, Sept. 22 in Toronto)
Don’t blink. These are two of the fastest guys in MMA and both challenged for the bantamweight title before the UFC created its flyweight division. This bout will determine the company’s first-ever flyweight champion and these are legitimately the top two guys in the world at 125.
7. Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson (TUF 16 finale, Dec. 15 in Las Vegas)
There’s very little chance this one leaves the first round. Carwin and Nelson love to slug it out and after coaching against one another on “The Ultimate Fighter” they probably won’t be too friendly. It’ll be nice to see Carwin, a former heavyweight top contender, back in the cage.
6. Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir (Strikeforce: Mir vs. Cormier, Oct. 27 in TBA)
This might be a Strikeforce fight, but it has UFC implications. Mir, the former UFC heavyweight champion, takes on Strikeforce champ Cormier in somewhat of a crossover matchup. But Cormier will be in the UFC right after this fight courtesy of Strikeforce's heavyweight division being disbanded and a win here puts him on path for a title shot in 2013.
5. BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC on Fox 5, Dec. 8 in Seattle)
The trash talk has already been fun between the two, but things will really heat up when they enter the Octagon. Think of this as something of a passing of the torch fight. Penn, in the twilight of his career, will put up a strong challenge against the young lion, but the multi-faceted MacDonald is nearing superstardom in the welterweight division.
4. Benson Henderson (c) vs. Nate Diaz, UFC lightweight title (UFC on Fox 5, Dec. 8 in Seattle)
This could easily be a Fight of the Year candidate if it goes how it’s supposed to. Neither of these guys gives an inch – both Henderson and Diaz are perpetually moving forward. A win here, against a superior standup fighter in Diaz, would put Henderson’s name among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
3. Jose Aldo (c) vs. Frankie Edgar, UFC featherweight title (UFC 153, Oct. 13 in Rio)
Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Aldo was supposed to defend his title against Erik Koch, but Koch had to pull out with an injury and his loss is the fans’ gain. Edgar was the UFC lightweight champion for more than a year and his last two losses were by the slimmest of margins. Aldo, meanwhile, is a buzzsaw – one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. This is, indeed, a superfight.
2. Georges St. Pierre (c) vs. Carlos Condit, UFC welterweight unification (UFC 154, Nov. 17 in Montreal)
It seems like it’s been forever since St. Pierre has fought. One of the best MMA fighters of all time has not competed in more than a year and a half due to injuries, including a torn ACL. He returns to face red-hot Carlos Condit, who is coming off a win over Nick Diaz in January. St. Pierre, a dominant champ, has never faced anyone with the combination of speed, athleticism and technique that Condit has.
1. Junior dos Santos (c) vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC heavyweight title (UFC 155, Dec. 29 in Las Vegas)
This time, we’ll get the incredible battle of wills that we were promised last year. Velasquez lost his title to dos Santos last November in just over a minute via stunning knockout. To make matters worse, it was the UFC’s first show on Fox and the company took undeserved criticism for the quick, flash KO.
Who knew that dos Santos-Velasquez wouldn’t be a war? This one will make up for it, closing the year on a huge high note – the two best heavyweights in the world trading in the center of the cage. Only one will be standing at the end. (New York Post)
Captains agree it's Manly or Dogs to win - 3rd September 2012...
The NRL competition is a two-horse race between last year's premiers and this year's minor premiers, according to the eight captains taking part.
The pair, going head to head at ANZ Stadium in a qualifying final, were the overwhelming favourites in a poll of the team leaders at Monday's captains' call.
Premiership favourites the Sea Eagles were favoured by Canterbury's Michael Ennis and Cronulla's Paul Gallen as the team to beat, while North Queensland's Johnathan Thurston and Canberra's Terry Campese like the chances of this year's minor premiers.
'I can't go past Manly obviously with the side that they've got,' Gallen said.
'It's a pretty good side and they've been there and done it before.'
South Sydney's Michael Crocker summed up this year's premiership race perfectly when he admitted he couldn't pick a favourite between the two.
The Raiders only just squeezed into the finals on the back of a five-game winning streak, but they've been dubbed the dark horse of the competition, alongside the Rabbitohs, who emerged from a slump with two wins to finish the regular season.
'Souths have got a really good style of play and I reckon they're the smokies,' Thurston said.
'They've flown under the radar.
'Every team goes through a period like that (where they lose a few) but they've bounced back.'
After witnessing the Raiders pile on 36 unanswered points against last year's grand finalists the Warriors, Crocker admits he will be keeping one eye on the Green Machine.
'The way the Raiders have been playing, they're a scary prospect,' he said.
'If you look at their performance in the second half yesterday, when they were 22-6 down at halftime, to come out and score 36 points, they've got that ability and so many class players across the park.'
Ben Barba was unanimously anointed this year's Dally M Medal winner for his scintillating season with the Bulldogs, and was tied with Thurston on two votes a piece as the player most oppositions will fear these finals.
Manly's Jason King declined the opportunity to participate in the poll.
Beachley Classic Women's World Tour Surfing: Dee Why, Sydney, Australia - 21st April 2012
Courtney Conlogue Claims the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Crown...
DEE WHY, Sydney NSW/AUS (Saturday, April 21, 2012) – Courtney Conlogue (USA), 19, has won the prestigious 2012 Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, over Malia Manuel (HAW), 18, at Dee Why beach today. In clean, but challenging two-to-three foot (1.5 meter) waves, the world’s best female surfers battled head-to-head for the biggest prize purse on the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, with Conlogue taking home USD$30,000.
Stop No. 4 of 7 on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, run by seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley, has caused some interesting twists and turns in the race for the coveted ASP Women’s World Title. Yesterday saw the early exit of reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW), 19. Then today the current ASP Women’s World No. 1 and 2 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, both bowed out in the Quarterfinals.
Conlogue who has won multiple ASP 6-Star events, today claimed her maiden win on the elite ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, a feat that sees her jump to 4th on the ratings. Conlogue and Manuel battled through the stacked field of competitors to reach the Final. The dying swell made conditions difficult, but Conlogue found the best waves that allowed her to execute multiple powerful turns.
“I’m speechless right now!” Conlogue said. “It’s been two years on the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour where I kept losing in the Quarterfinals. Then today after winning my Quarterfinal I just tried to go and win the thing. Malia (Manuel) was surfing great in the Final, even though the waves were tricky. I’m really stoked to have won this event! I love Steph (Gilmore) and Sally (Fitzgibbons) and to have them chair me up the beach was absolutely amazing!”
Manuel’s run to the Final wasn’t easy, defeating Gilmore and Tyler Wright (AUS), 18, in the morning’s Quarterfinal and Semifinal. Manuel’s smooth style and tail drifting turns saw her earn big scores and new fans all event. Her red-hot run was only ended by Conlogue’s superior wave selection. Manuel is now equal 6th on the ASP World Championship Tour, and she is now the highest ranked 2012 rookie.
“I’m really relieved to get a good result here at Dee Why,” Manuel said. “I’m happy to move up the ratings. It’s a great confidence boost going into the next three events. I’m really stoked to make a final in my rookie year. I hope the battle for ASP Rookie Of The Year goes down to the last contest. It’s really close between me and Lakey (Peterson). I’m not going to count her out.”
Rebecca Woods (AUS), 28, and Wright were the highest placed Australian surfers, both finishing equal 3rd place. Wright has placed 3rd three times this year, but this is Woods’ best result of the 2012 season and is sure to help her requalification campaign.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling at the moment,” Woods said. “I’ve had a few last places this year, so in some regards I was just happy to put it together for a few heats. I’ve made about nine Semifinals in my life and still never made it into that elusive Final. It’s good to be pushed by the younger girls. I woke up this morning and thought Courtney (Conlogue) was going to win today, then she was on my side of the draw and I cursed myself for putting that in my head. Then she beat me and won the contest, so I was right.”
Gilmore, four-time ASP Women’s World Champion, suffered a shock early exit at the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic today. Gilmore has had three final appearances in the first three events of the year, and today added a respectable equal 5th place finish to her tally. In testing conditions Gilmore was bested by an in-form Manuel, who also defeated her in their non-elimination Round 3 match-up yesterday.
“It’s disappointing,” Gilmore said. “But it’s not a terrible result for me. I feel really strong. When there’s great waves on offer I feel like I’m surfing great. It’s just a matter of getting those waves and I didn’t get them today. I’m looking forward to heading over to Brazil and finding the form I had in the first few events.”
Fitzgibbons went down in the Quarterfinals to eventual event winner Conlogue. Fitzgibbons held an early lead with two mid-range scores, but Conlogue snared the best wave of the heat and tore it apart with some impressive turns, netting a 9.00 (out of a possible 10) and won the heat.
“This is the worst part about what we do,” Fitzgibbons said. “Today I just wasn’t good enough. When you’re feeling strong, you really want to progress through to that Final. I got some early scores and it was really challenging out there. That one wave popped up for Courtney (Conlogue) and she grabbed a 9.00, which is the highest score of the day. I’m really happy for her. She’s a good friend and she trains and surfs really hard and that paid off today.”
More info www.ASPWorldTour.com
COMMONWEALTH BANK BEACHLEY CLASSIC FINAL RESULTS:
1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.17
2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.56
COMMONWEALTH BANK BEACHLEY CLASSIC SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.67 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 10.50
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.33 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.10
COMMONWEALTH BANK BEACHLEY CLASSIC QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 14.43 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 12.50
QF 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.00 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.47
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.73 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 8.73
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.97 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.34
CURRENT ASP WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR TOP 6 (after the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic):
1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
3: Tyler Wright (AUS)
4: Courtney Conlogue (USA)
5: Carissa Moore (HAW)
6: Laura Enever (AUS)
6: Malia Manuel (HAW)
The Bourne Legacy red carpet premiere at State Theatre, Sydney, Australia
The Bourne Legacy tonight enjoyed its Sydney, Australia red carpet premiere (and a bike stunt) at the world famous State Theatre.
Megastar Jeremy Renner has seen his career take off in recent years after appearing in a string of popular movies including 'The Hurt Locker', 'Avengers' and 'The Bourne Legacy'. The 41-year-old says it is impossible for him to pick a favourite out of the vast number of films he's starred in.
"My favourite movie... it's difficult to say," Jeremy admitted to Sydney radio's Kyle and Jackie O. "It's a bit like having to choose which is your favourite child."
Renner features in the latest Bourne movie following the departure of Matt Damon. He found it tough to abide by some of the rules surrounding the top secret nature of The Bourne Legacy's script.
"They flew the script in at midnight and you were allowed to look at it for two hours before they flew it back. I'm a slow reader anyway so I felt pressured," Jeremy explained. "I had to really rifle through it! I mean what were they going to do, have it burst into flames on me or something?!"
Although he felt stressed, Jeremy agrees with the concept. The actor respects the need for secrecy with storylines in the film industry.
"We are in the age where nothing is sacred or private anymore. It gets to the point where no one wants to come see movies if they know the ending anymore so why spoil it for people?" Jeremy continued. "Especially in a big franchise like Bourne where there is a big fan base."
Story...
After agent Jason Bourne goes rogue as seen in the original "Bourne" trilogy--CIA agent Eric Byer (Edward Norton), head of the government's secret Outcome program which has used a chemical process to create super agents, decides to end that program by killing all the agents in the field. One such agent, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) manages to survive the culling and with the help of biochemist Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) goes on the run from Byers' agents as he tries to get the chemicals he needs to survive.
"The Bourne Legacy" is a very interesting approach to reviving a franchise because it's not a reboot as much as a sequel that takes place concurrently and overlapping with "The Bourne Ultimatum." This idea is the brainchild of Tony Gilroy, who was involved in the the first three "Bourne" movies before directing "Michael Clayton" and "Duplicity." He returns to the "Bourne" franchise.
In The Bourne Legacy, writer/director Tony GIlroy expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.
For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles.
The buzz is that this is an awesome film, so be watching out for release dates in your region.
Release Date: August 10, 2012
Genre: Action-Thriller
Studio: Universal
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Albert Finney, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Oscar Isaac
Directed By: Tony Gilroy
Written By: Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy
Produced By: Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Jeffrey M. Weiner, Ben Smith
Full Cast List:
Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross
Rachel Weisz as Dr. Marta Shearing
Scott Glenn as Ezra Kramer
Stacy Keach as Retired Adm. Mark Turso, USN
Edward Norton as Retired Col. Eric Byer, USAF
Donna Murphy as Dita Mandy
Michael Chernus as Arthur Ingram
Corey Stoll as Zev Vendel
Prue Lewarne as CNN Reporter
Tony Guida as Dr. Benezara
Sonnie Brown as Dr. Lieberburg
Neil Brooks Cunningham as Dr. Dan Hillcott
Zeljko Ivanek as Dr. Donald Foite
Robert Christopher Riley as Outcome #6 (as Rob Riley)
Albert Finney as Dr. Albert Hirsch
Dennis Boutsikaris as Terrence Ward
Oscar Isaac as Outcome #3
David Strathairn as Noah Vosen
Corey Johnson as Ray Wills
Jennifer Kim as Outcome #4
Page Leong as Mrs. Yun
Joan Allen as Pam Landy
John Arcilla as Joseph
Clayton J. Barber as Gene (as Clayton Barber)
Michael Berresse as Leonard
Elizabeth Marvel as Dr. Connie Dowd
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