Jackass 3.5 Launches Digitally in March 2011

Paramount Digital Entertainment in association with MTV, both part of Viacom Inc. announced today that it plans to add another original project to its popular digital programming line-up: Jackass 3.5, which will premiere in March 2011.

The third installment of Jackass from Paramount Pictures and MTV Films - Jackass 3D - hit theaters on October 15, 2010 and has already grossed over $155 million at the worldwide box office. The film stars Johnny Knoxville and the boys and was produced by Dickhouse Production's Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze, along with Knoxville. Jackass 3.5, which was tailor-made for launch in digital media, will feature all new content, including never-before-seen stunts, pranks and other side-splitting antics by the Jackass crew. New stunts and antics from Jackass 3.5 will be released online weekly and then packaged together as a feature length film distributed digitally followed by other platforms including home video.

"I don't want to say that the Jackass guys invented the Internet, but they were doing viral videos before most people had even heard the term. That distinguished heritage makes Jackass the perfect franchise for digital," said Thomas Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. "When the Jackass guys went to make Jackass 3D, we proposed that we shoot a follow up to the successful Jackass 2.5 digital feature alongside it, and everyone was up for it. In Jackass 3.5, you are going to see an entire movie's worth of new stunts, new pranks and new gags, on whatever screen you choose."

"For Jackass 3D we shot enough footage for two movies so a lot of great stuff didn't make it in the film. Luckily you will get to see those bits in 3.5. We also shot some additional footage in Europe specifically for 3.5. I have staples in my head right now to prove it. Woo hoo," said Jackass co-founder and star Johnny Knoxville.

"It's been ten years since Jackass first launched on MTV and there is still more poo, stunts and hilarity to go around on every screen imaginable," said Van Toffler, President, MTVN Music/Logo/Films Group. "Whenever the Jackass crew gets together, you know there will be a plethora of valuable fragments of entertainment to satiate their fans, and Jackass 3.5 will not disappoint as the latest installment in this fine franchise."

In 2007, Paramount Digital Entertainment & MTV released Jackass 2.5, the first digital movie released by a studio that quickly became the most successful non-theatrical release in the studio's history. In the first few weeks of launch, the digital property garnered over 20 million views and was the #1 title on iTunes the week it launched.

The Jackass franchise first debuted as an original television series on MTV from 2000 to 2002, launching the careers of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and other now-popular personalities shown performing outrageous stunts and hysterical pranks. Since 2002, three successful Jackass theatrical films have been produced and released by MTV Films and Paramount Pictures. Jackass: The Movie grossed more than $64 million in the United States alone, and finished in the Number 1 spot at the box office in its opening weekend. Jackass Number Two was released in September 2006 and like its predecessor, topped the box office in its debut weekend, and ultimately earned more than $72 million in cumulative box office revenues. Jackass 3D, released this October 2010 dominated the weekend box office opening to $50 million in ticket sales, setting several records such as becoming the biggest opening ever for a non-scripted/documentary-esque film, the 10th highest opening comedy of all-time, notching the record for an October midnight gross with $2.5 million, making it a special event for throngs of moviegoers.

The Jackass franchise also includes a Jackass: The Game video game for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. Its numerous DVD releases include Jackass, Vol. 1, Jackass - Vol. 2, Jackass: The Movie, Jackass, Vol. 3, Jackass - The Box Set, Jackass Number Two DVD, Jackass 2.5, Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel DVD, and Jackass: The Lost Tapes.

Jackass 3.5 comes to theaters in 2011 and stars Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Jason Acuña, Preston Lacy, Dave England. The film is directed by Jeff Tremaine.

Jackass 3D was released October 15th, 2010 and stars Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Spike Jonze, Chris Pontius, Jason Acuña, Ryan Dunn. The film is directed by Jeff Tremaine.

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James Franco and Anne Hathaway Hosting The 83rd Academy Awards

James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities.

"James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons- fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27," said Cohen and Mischer. "We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that."

Franco, who currently can be seen in 127 Hours, will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include Eat, Pray, Love, Date Night, Milk and Pineapple Express. Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in Alice in Wonderland and currently can be seen in Love and Other Drugs. Hathaway's other film credits include Bride Wars, Becoming Jane, The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries. She was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in Rachel Getting Married.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The Academy Awards episode 83.1, "The 83rd Annual Academy Awards" airs on ABC February 27th, 2011. The episode stars James Franco, Anne Hathaway.

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Ghostbusters 3 Casting Rumors Confirmed by Dan Aykroyd

It was rumored on Wednesday that Anna Faris and Bill Hader were up for roles in the long awaited sequel Ghostbusters 3. Now, franchise creator Dan Aykroyd has come forward to confirm those rumors.

Bloody Disgusting learned from a reader that Aykroyd had appeared on WGN Radio in Chicago this past week, where he commented about the casting process on Ghostbusters 3. He stated that they definitely want to bring in some "fresh faces", and that Faris and Hader are at the top of his list for future Ghostbusters. Eliza Dushku's name was also mentioned, as previously rumored, and Dan confirmed that Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver will definitely return for this third movie.

No "official" casting announcements were made by Aykroyd in regards to the new Ghostbusters coming in to take over for Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, and himself. The comedian said that it was still too early to tell who will round out the cast. Columbia Pictures is eyeing a May 2011 start date for Ghostbusters 3. So expect an official announcement soon.

Ghostbusters 3 comes to theaters in 2012 and stars Sigourney Weaver, Anna Faris, Bill Murray, Eliza Dushku, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman.

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Ghostbusters 3 Eyeing Anna Farris

The Australian site What's Playing discovered a casting call from Feature Film Auditions which notes that Anna Faris has signed onto play a young Ghostbuster in Ghostbusters 3.

The notice revealed that casting is currently under way to find more of the younger replacement Ghostbusters for the sequel. We reported in October that Dan Aykroyd was writing the script, which would feature new Ghostbusters being mentored by the original members of the team. We also reported a few weeks ago that Ghostbusters 3 will start shooting in May 2011, which was confirmed by this casting notice. The movie will be released in December of 2012.

What's Playing reached out to Sony for confirmation on Anna Faris' involvement, and while their source couldn't confirm her casting, Saturday Night Live actors Will Forte and Bill Hader were mentioned as possible Ghostbusters 3 actors.

Regardless, the casting for Ghostbusters 3 is currently happening and we'll be sure to keep you posted with any further details on this highly-anticipated project as soon as we have more information.

Ghostbusters 3 comes to theaters in 2012 and stars Sigourney Weaver, Anna Faris, Bill Murray, Eliza Dushku, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman.

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Monte Carlo and Moneyball Get New Release Dates

The girl-centric romantic comedy Monte Carlo has been bumped from its earnest Valentine's date in February to the more brutal playground of July 1st, where it will now go up against Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Tom Hanks' Joe Versus the Volcano-esque comedy Larry Crowne.

20th Century Fox moved the drama, which centers on three girls (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy) assuming fake identities in Paris, so that it wouldn't have to content with Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which is aiming for the exact same audience. The Jennifer Aniston-Adam Sandler romantic comedy Just Go with It and the Disney animated romance Gnomeo and Juliet are also slated to open on Monte Carlo's original date of February 11th.

In other release news, the Brad Pitt drama Moneyball, which also stars Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, has been tagged with a September 23rd debut date. The real-life tale recounts Oakland A manager Billy Beane's record breaking winning streak in professional sports.

Because of this new release date announcement, Roland Emmerich's latest thriller Anonymous has been bucked from its original September 23rd date to a week later, where it will open on September 30th. It will now have to face the Daniel Craig thriller Dream House.

Monte Carlo comes to theaters July 1st, 2011 and stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy, Andie MacDowell, Cory Monteith. The film is directed by Thomas Bezucha.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon comes to theaters July 1st, 2011 and stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Alan Tudyk, John Malkovich. The film is directed by Michael Bay.

Larry Crowne comes to theaters July 1st, 2011 and stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Taraji P. Henson, Bryan Cranston, George Takei, Peter Scolari, Cedric the Entertainer. The film is directed by Tom Hanks.

Moneyball comes to theaters September 23rd, 2011 and stars Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathryn Morris, Rick Yudt, Frankie Ingrassia, Renee Diamond. The film is directed by Bennett Miller.

Anonymous comes to theaters September 30th, 2011 and stars Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis, Edward Hogg, Julian Bleach, Tony Way, Robert Emms. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich.

Dream House comes to theaters September 30th, 2011 and stars Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Marton Csokas, Claire Geare, Taylor Geare, Rachel G. Fox, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Potts. The film is directed by Jim Sheridan.

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Relativity Media Picks Up 3D Shark Movie

Relativity Media has announced its completion of a deal securing domestic rights to the film, The Untitled David R. Ellis 3D Shark Thriller (previously titled Shark Night 3D), from Sierra Pictures and partner Incentive Filmed Entertainment. The studio plans for a wide release of the film in 2011. The film is currently in post-production, with the partners planning for a new title to the film and a specific release date, both to be announced shortly.

The film is directed by David R. Ellis (The Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Cellular) and stars Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Katharine McPhee, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz, Joel Moore, Donal Logue, Sinqua Walls and Chris Zylka. The Sierra Pictures and Incentive Filmed Entertainment project was penned by Jesse Studenberg and Will Hayes and is being produced by Chris Briggs and Mike Fleiss via their NextFilms banner, and Lynette Howell via the Silverwood Films banner. The plot surrounds a group of college friends spending a weekend at a house on the lake, only to find that danger lurks beneath its waters.

The announcement today follows shortly after Sierra's success during this year's 2010 American Film Market at which the company sold the rights to Ellis' film in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Benelux, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, CIS and the Baltics. They were also successful in closing deals in multiple international territories for the comedy Darling Companion, the crime thrillers Rampart and Catch .44.

The distribution agreement was negotiated on behalf of Sierra and Incentive by Nick Meyer, President and CEO of Sierra with the filmmakers being represented by Graham Taylor of WME Global.

Shark Night 3D comes to theaters in 2011 and stars Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Katharine McPhee, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz, Joel Moore, Donal Logue, Sinqua Walls. The film is directed by David R. Ellis.

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Japan's first 3D television series "Tokyo Control"

       Three-dimensional technology has become increasingly mainstream with Japanese electronics makers releasing 3-D television sets, riding on the popularity of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Avatar".

　　Japan's first 3-D television series -- an airport drama called "Tokyo Control" -- will air from January on a satellite television channel, Fuji Television Network Inc. said.

　　Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. will broadcast the 10-episode drama about Tokyo's air traffic control centre, said Fuji Television, which produces the drama.

      "3-D will give us a more vigorous and realistic impact," said actress Ayako Kawahara, who plays the main role. "I think (viewers) can feel like they are actually in there."

　　Three-dimensional technology has become increasingly mainstream with Japanese electronics makers releasing 3-D television sets, riding on the popularity of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Avatar".

　　Fuji will also launch a new midnight Sunday 3D slot on its broadcast satellite BS Fuji channel that will feature sports, documentaries and music programs. It will begin with three specials on Jan. 1, 2 and 3, and then commence regular broadcasts from Jan. 9.

　　The series will be titled 3D*3D – pronounced sande sande – a play on the Japanese word for three (san) and the English word Sunday.

　　Sony is partnering with Fuji, Japan’s biggest network, to produce the 3D for both series.

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Superman Casting Begins!

Deadline reports that casting for the highly-anticipated Superman movie has begun, with speculation that actors such as Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Joe Manganiello (True Blood) and Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) may be up to play Clark Kent .

We reported a few weeks ago that Joe Manganiello is being considered for the lead role, although there is no indication that Armie Hammer or Ian Somerhalder have taken meetings or expressed interest in the part. It seems, though, that Warner Bros., producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder want to create a new star with their Superman, as they hope to cast a movie or TV actor who isn't a household name yet.

They are looking for actors who are between the ages of 28 and 32 for this new Man of Steel, and it was said they will cast a, "wide net" to find the right Superman. Zack Snyder will direct from a script by David S. Goyer, which they are both polishing at this time. Production is said to start next June.

We'll be sure to keep you posted on any Superman updates as soon as we have more information.

Superman comes to theaters in 2012. The film is directed by Zack Snyder.

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The wedding of Prince William

　　Prince William (Bauer Griffin) Prince William is off the market! The royal, who's second in line to throne behind his father the Prince of Wales, will marry 28-year-old Kate Middleton next year following a secret engagement during a holiday to Kenya last month, Clarence House have confirmed.

　　A statement read: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.

　　“The wedding will take place in either spring or summer next year in London. Further details about the date and venue will be released in due course.”

　　The pair began dating eight years ago while they both studied at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland.

　　William, the eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, has previously revealed he planned to get married at the age of 28 or 29, although later said he regretted the statement.

　　He said: “I was young, I'd had a few drinks... what can I say? I wish I had kept my big mouth shut!"

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New app of Star Wars game for iPhone

　　It is the dream app for anyone still harbouring unfulfilled fantasies of being Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

　　A new game for iPhone lets users take the controls of the Millennium Falcon and battle enemy spaceships using the phone's built-in camera to create the backdrop.

　　The new app uses whatever the camera is seeing as the backdrop to the game, in this case the skyscrapers of Manhattan in New york.

　　The app, which is due to be released later this month, is one of the first games to use 'augmented reality', when meshes real-life environments with virtual additions.

　　Augmented reality places layers of virtual information over real-life locations and is expected to be widely used to enhance tourist sites with the new generation of smartphones.

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Hatsune Miku has taken the music scene

　　She is cute, stylish and has had a number one chart-topping single. But Japan’s newest and biggest pop star differs from most of her peers in one crucial aspect: she is a hologram.

　　Hatsune Miku has taken the music scene by storm in her native Japan where her concerts are always sold out and are full of screaming, adoring fans. Now, like something out of a science fiction film, videos have emerged which show Miku on tour in Japan, singing a selection of hits.

　　Miku is a digital avatar created by Japanese technology firm Crypton Future Media that customers can purchase and then program to perform any song on their computer. She is supposed to be 16 years old and five foot two inches tall but her makers have given little away about her personality. Crypton uses voices recorded by actors and then puts them through Yamaha’s Vocaloid software to create its characters.

　　Miku's voice was created by taking vocal samples from the voice actress Saki Fujita. All of the samples contained a single Japanese sound which when strung together would create full words and phrases.

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Emma Watson finished filming Harry Potter

　　Emma Watson just finished filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I and II, the seventh and eighth movies in the wizarding franchise, and the end of the life-changing experience is still sinking in.

　　She said: “I’m going to say something really sad. Knowing that there's still more to come from me -- it feels very strange to feel like you're retiring when you're 20 years old. But it does feel that way. I've spent 10 years making these movies and I just hope that the second part of my life is as incredible as the first half.”

　　Though she is sad about the end of filming, Emma will have a permanent reminder of her stint after revealing she has a “serious collection” of bibles which she is often sent by well-meaning fans.

　　She explained on UK TV show Daybreak: “I think people just think we need guidance, you know? It is slightly strange, I do have quite a serious collection of them now.”

　　The brunette beauty also spoke about how much she is enjoying student life at Brown University.

　　She said: “I work hard, I work really hard. I do really enjoy it so that helps.”

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Jen Aniston pose nude in her new movie

　　Working on the raunchy Judd Apatow comedy Wanderlust, actress Malin Ackerman was mightily impressed with costar Jen Aniston, she tells UsMagazine.com.

　　Aniston, 41, is "amazing", Ackerman gushed to Us Tuesday at the People's Choice Awards 2011 nominee announcements in West Hollywood.

　　In the flick, Aniston is rumored to go topless. True? "There's a very big maybe, yes...One of the cast members is a nudist," Ackerman teased, adding, "I am not the nudist!"

　　Despite staying vague on the topless talk, Ackerman couldn't stop praising her famous colleague. "She is an incredible woman in every area of life," she said of Aniston. "She's just so giving and wonderful with both feet on the ground. Just lovely, really exceptional."

　　In Wanderlust, Ackerman plays a member of a "hippie" commune which Aniston and onscreen husband Paul Rudd mistake for a bed and breakfast.

　　One nutty sequence, she said, involves characters "tripping" on a "crazy peyote-like drug." 　　

      The cast really had fun off-set, too. "It was an amazing love fest," Ackerman noted of the production, which shot in rural Georgia. "We all really got along, and it was nice to be in such a small town and you end up having dinner together and hanging out. Lot of karaoke!"

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Zooey Deschanel in the role of Betty Brandt of Spider-Man

　　Sony is starting to cast the secondary characters for Marc Webb's upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Reboot, also known as Spider-Man 2.0. According to Showbizspy.com, Webbwants his former (500) Days of Summer star Zooey Deschanel in the role of Betty Brandt.

　　Brandt is the sexy personal assistant of Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson, who has yet to be cast. As previouslyreported, Mad Men star John Slattery and Sam Elliott are both still being considered for the role.

　　While Betty Brandt only had a small role in the original trilogy, as played by Elizabeth Banks in all three Sam Raimidirected Spider-Man movies, an insider close to the production stated:

　　"Marc Webb has big plans for her. He wants a strong performer to carry the role and Zooey Deschanel fits the bill perfectly. The role is hers if she wants it."

　　Official casting announcements for Betty Brandt, J. Jonah Jameson, and Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's biological parents, are expected soon.

　　Untitled Spider-Man Reboot comes to theaters July 3rd, 2012 and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone,Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen. The film is directed by Marc Webb.

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Iran will arrest suntanned women and girls

      Iran has warned suntanned women and girls who looked like "walking mannequins" will be arrested as part of a new drive to enforce the Islamic dress code.

　　"The public expects us to act firmly and swiftly if we see any social misbehaviour by women, and men, who defy our Islamic values. In some areas of north Tehran we can see many suntanned women and young girls who look like walking mannequins. We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison them," said Brig Hossien Sajedinia, Tehran's police chief.

　　Iran's Islamic leadership has in recent weeks launched a campaign to persuade the population that vice is sweeping the streets of the capital. National law stipulates that women wear headscarves and shape shrouding cloaks but many women, particularly in the capital, spend heavily on fashions that barely adhere to the regulations.

　　The announcement came shortly after a leading cleric warned that women who dressed immodestly disturbed young men and the consequent agitation caused earthquakes.

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Remarks of President Barack Obama

This week, Americans across the country cast their votes and made their voices heard.  And your message was clear.
 
You’re rightly frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery.  So am I.
 
You’re fed up with partisan politics and want results.  I do too.
 
So I congratulate all of this week’s winners – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  But now, the campaign season is over.  And it’s time to focus on our shared responsibilities to work together and deliver those results: speeding up our economic recovery, creating jobs, and strengthening the middle class so that the American Dream feels like it’s back within reach.
 
That’s why I’ve asked to sit down soon with leaders of both parties so that we can have an extended discussion about what we can do together to move this country forward.
 
And over the next few weeks, we’re going to have a chance to work together in the brief upcoming session of Congress. 
 
Here’s why this lame duck session is so important.  Early in the last decade, President Bush and Congress enacted a series of tax cuts that were designed to expire at the end of this year.
 
What that means is, if Congress doesn’t act by New Year’s Eve, middle-class families will see their taxes go up starting on New Year’s Day.
 
But the last thing we should do is raise taxes on middle-class families.  For the past decade, they saw their costs rise, their incomes fall, and too many jobs go overseas.  They’re the ones bearing the brunt of the recession.  They’re the ones having trouble making ends meet. They are the ones who need relief right now.
 
So something’s got to be done.  And I believe there’s room for us to compromise and get it done together.
 
Let’s start where we agree.  All of us want certainty for middle-class Americans.  None of us want them to wake up on January 1st with a higher tax bill.  That’s why I believe we should permanently extend the Bush tax cuts for all families making less than $250,000 a year.  That’s 98 percent of the American people. 
 
We also agree on the need to start cutting spending and bringing down our deficit.  That’s going to require everyone to make some tough choices.  In fact, if Congress were to implement my proposal to freeze non-security discretionary spending for three years, it would bring this spending down to its lowest level as share of the economy in 50 years.
 
But at a time when we are going to ask folks across the board to make such difficult sacrifices, I don’t see how we can afford to borrow an additional $700 billion from other countries to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent, even for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.  We’d be digging ourselves into an even deeper fiscal hole and passing the burden on to our children.
 
I recognize that both parties are going to have to work together and compromise to get something done here.  But I want to make my priorities clear from the start.  One: middle class families need permanent tax relief. And two: I believe we can’t afford to borrow and spend another $700 billion on permanent tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
 
There are new public servants in Washington, but we still face the same challenges.  And you made it clear that it’s time for results. This a great opportunity to show everyone that we got the message and that we’re willing, in this post-election season, to come together and do what’s best for the country we all love.
 
Thanks.

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Harry Potter has been blamed for the dwindling number of wild owls in India

Harry Potter has been blamed for the dwindling number of wild owls in India, according to the country’s Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh.

Mr Ramesh said the craze for Harry Potter in India had led to an increase in people buying owls from illegal bird traders.

"Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls," Mr Ramesh told the BBC.

A report by conservation group Traffic suggested tough measures should be put in place to protect owls from an upcoming Hindu festival – Diwali - because thousands of owls are sacrificed on Hindu "auspicious occasions".

The author of the report, Abrar Ahmed, decided to investigate the owl trade after being asked to get a white owl for a boy's Harry Potter-themed 10th birthday.

"This was probably one of the strangest demands made to me as an ornithologist," he wrote.

Mr Ahmed found that endangered owls are being caught, traded or sacrificed in black magic rituals, while others are killed for medicine.

"The sacrifice of owls on auspicious occasions appears to be a regular practice and [there could be] a possible increase in trade and sacrifices around Diwali," the Imperilled Custodians of the Night report says.

Harry Potter publishers Bloomsbury declined to comment on the BBC report.

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The Social Network

Perhaps only a brilliant genius who is simply utterly lacking in social etiquette or awareness could have created a computer program to reductively encapsulate all social connections like Facebook. As David Fincher’s The Social Network sees him, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook was a guy who viewed just about everything in black and white or 0s and 1s and found a way to apply that to social interactions. To those he knew in his own social circles, his constant 1 and 0 was that he is right and anyone else is wrong.

Quite refreshingly, the movie begins not with a typical shot that captures the movie’s setting but with a seven-minute long conversation in a bar between Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) and his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara). He praises the virtues of Harvard final clubs and his condescension towards her is almost unbearable to watch. He hardly allows her a chance to complete a responsive thought. She is finally fed up with his constant sense of territoriality in intelligence (“You will get to meet people you will not meet otherwise”) and an even harsher, licentious accusation that she promptly breaks up with him.

This sets the tone for the movie as a breathless series of conversations played like a chess game with verbal offenses. This is a stamp of screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, who specializes in dialogue between characters who throw words like daggers, but a bit surprising from director, David Fincher, who is an almost tightly wound, rigorous visual stylist. Their collaboration gels here though into a fascinating whole without one upstaging the other.

After the break-up, Mark goes back to his Harvard dorm, gets a little drunk and blogs defamatory remarks about his ex-girlfriend. He also creates a program called “Facemash,” which will hack in and find all photos of college females in the Harvard dorms, compare two of them at a time side by side, and allow the user to pick which one is hotter. To complete this, he gets the help of his roommate and best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who had previously invented an algorithm for ranking chess players. The program becomes such a sensation that it ultimately crashes the university servers.

This places Mark in a judicial board hearing but also draws the attention of the twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), who propose to work with him on building a dating network site called Harvard connection. He does not have any interest in working with them but runs with the potential on his own and expands it beyond dating to create “The Facebook.” Eduardo, who is a business major, puts his own money in to back the site and works with Mark as CFO.

The movie tells the founding story in 2003 linearly but also in flashback from scenes interjected in between set in 2006 where Eduardo, the Winklevoss twins and Divya have all filed civil lawsuits against Mark. Eduardo is suing for being refused co-founder credit while the twins and Divya are suing for Mark stealing their own idea. There is also the involvement of the founder of Napster, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) whose ideas and advice immediately click with Mark’s even if he leads a radically different, more carefree lifestyle.

With Sorkin’s razor-sharp dialogue, Fincher turns this story of personal, corporate and legal reversals into a very strong and confident actor’s movie. Jesse Eisenberg is, of course, built for this kind of arrogant, socially awkward genius role and, while some feel that he plays the same character all the time, I find him very watchable because he can inject a subtle sense of insecurity in his demeanor. Andrew Garfield, as the film’s conscience, also does a fine job at different emotional speeds of cocksure confidence and vulnerability and somehow making us see why he would be friends with Mark for a while. Also, in perhaps the trickiest role where Fincher also gets to show his technical wizardry, Armie Hammer plays his dual twin roles so invisibly that we instantly forget that it is the same actor creating two different characters.

The real surprise scene-stealer, however, is Justin Timberlake. He, of course, has shown he can act in the past, but here he gives an electric performance as the slyly intelligent Sean Parker. He has more dialogue than Eisenberg’s Mark in their scenes together and, as he becomes a suave social outlet for Mark’s ideas for a time, Timberlake never misses a beat in balancing his role between book smart and social smart, and also the hedonistic lifestyle that eventually bursts his bubble.

The movie is not quite perfect. For all the snap and verve of the first opening scene, the fictional character of Erica Albright is a bit too schematic when she serves as a kind of simplified character explanation for Mark to push on further with his Facebook. The film also does not quite have an ending and, while I know the story is not one that requires a resolution (since it does not contain a conventional dramatic arc), there should be more of a sense of closure to it all.

What is most accomplished, however, is how the movie cuts away from the line of most conventional factual character studies. Yes, it plays fast and loose with many facts, but it does so to support an unflattering portrait of its protagonist. Rather, in a way, nearly all of the likable characters are around him looking in and trying to make sense of him somehow. That drive of the story is what may also draw in those who do not normally like Jesse Eisenberg as an actor, as the goal of Fincher’s movie is to make his character far from admirable but not unsympathetic.

All of which brings us back to Mark Zuckerberg himself. As the movie portrays him, there is certainly a hint of Asperger’s syndrome as he incessantly imparts his intellectual knowledge well beyond the point of interest and/or caring of anyone else (which is much quicker than anyone else, as he does so in a patronizing fashion, too). And while he made just about everyone around him proceed to socially “un-like” him, he focused intently on his own permanent social foothold. He invented Facebook.