AP – During Buddhist monk Ly Van Aggadipo’s final days, he wrote often in a notebook. Temple followers knew the nonagenarian spiritual mentor to many local Cambodian refugees was recording some sort of personal history, but they weren’t sure what.
AP – The children’s animated TV series “Handy Manny Big Race” is going prime time Saturday night with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
AP – Having disappeared from Lincoln Center for a season, New York City Opera is taking tiny steps toward recovery.
Tributes have been paid to a singer songwriter who recorded alongside musical giants including Dusty Springfield, Pink Floyd and Ringo Star.
Most residents on the isle of Mull were unaware of the musical past of Lesley Cox, formerly Duncan, which emerged after the 66-year-old died last Friday.
Her career took off in 1970 when Sir Elton John recorded her "Love Song" on his album, Tumbleweed Collection.
Sir Elton sent a floral tribute and David Bowie also sent his condolences.
The mother-of-two will be remembered as one of Britain’s top session singers.
Her vocals are on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, on Sir Elton’s Madman Across the Water LP and she can also be heard in the chorus of the Jesus Christ Superstar album.
"She was a very popular figure in Tobermory but I think few people knew about her career"
Tony Cox
On her own 1971 album, Sing Children Sing, Sir Elton can be heard playing piano, Chris Spedding is on guitar and Pentangle’s Terry Cox is on drums.
But on Mull, few locals knew about her past.
Councillor Gordon Chalmers said: "I am sure that there were only a few people who knew about it.
"She was so self effacing about it, she would never say that she had met all these people and been to all these places.
"She kept it to herself, she never advertised the fact, I don’t think she was widely known in the community for her music work, she was not a publicity seeker, she was just the wee woman who did her garden at Aros Lodge."
Mrs Cox’s husband, Tony, said the couple moved to Mull 13 years ago.
"She was a very popular figure in Tobermory but I think few people knew about her career, she was popular for being a cheerful, smiling person," he said.
"After a private burial we will be celebrating her life and music."
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
John Hurt is to receive an lifetime achievement award at an international film festival later.
The 70-year-old actor will be given the Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF) accolade for his career that has spanned more than six decades.
The star of Alien and The Elephant Man will be given his award at the city’s National Media Museum by BIFF artistic director, Tony Earnshaw.
The festival runs until 28 March at venues across Bradford and Yorkshire.
Audience questions
Hurt will be interviewed on stage by Mr Earnshaw before receiving his award.
Audience members will also be invited to ask questions, followed by a screening of The Elephant Man.
Mr Earnshaw said: "John Hurt has been leading man, supporting player and scene-stealer.
"Always he has breathed vivid life into believable, plausible and credible characters, often against a backdrop of fancy, whimsy or plain bafflement.
"He appears in the final films in the Harry Potter franchise, thus enchanting an entirely new generation of admirers. It’s what going to the cinema is all about."
Films shown during the festival include Sinful Davey, 10 Rillington Place, Alan Parker’s Midnight Express, David Lynch’s The Elephant Man, 1984, Scandal, Love and Death on Long Island, Jim Sheridan’s The Field, Shooting Dogs and Alien.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
A photographer has been chosen as the nation’s official artist for the coming general election.
Simon Roberts has been commissioned by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art to document campaigning activity in the run-up to polling day.
Mr Roberts will be given special access to the campaign trail and his images will join the House of Commons Parliamentary Art Collection.
He will also ask the public to send in photographs for a parallel exhibition.
They are being asked to use digital cameras or mobile phones to capture local campaigns for an online gallery, with some images selected for display at the official Commons exhibition after the election.
"Getting the public involved in the project also emphasises the democratic process Simon is documenting"
Works of Art Committee Chairman Hugo Swire
Mr Roberts said: "I’m thrilled to receive this commission and be able to play a role in documenting what’s likely to be one of the most exciting and historically significant elections since 1997."
He will spend three weeks travelling in a motor home, capturing the relationship between canvassing politicians and the voting public.
Election battle-buses, village greens, polling stations and shopping centres will provide the backdrop to many of the shots, taken using a traditional 5in by 4in plate camera.
"I’m particularly interested in the relationship between politicians and the public," said Mr Roberts.
"With the internet age, will there be politicians hitting the streets or will it all be done via mobile phones and call centres That’s the key for me."
‘Inspiration’
There have been two previous election commissions. Jonathan Yeo’s Proportional Representation was a series of three portraits of the party leaders, painted for the 2001 election.
In 2005, David Godbold’s Forward not backward was a series of 18 drawings. However, he later claimed there had been attempts to censor his work and that he would not work for Parliament again.
Works of Art Committee chairman Hugo Swire said: "Since the days of Hogarth, elections have provided artists with a rich source of inspiration.
"This is the first time we have commissioned a photographer to follow the election and we are therefore very excited about what Simon Roberts is going to produce.
"Getting the public involved in the project also emphasises the democratic process Simon is documenting."
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Special episodes of Ashes to Ashes, Masterchef and Mock the Week will feature as part of the BBC’s Sport Relief broadcast.
Celebrities and the public are getting involved in the charity event, which raises money for global causes.
Gavin and Stacey’s James Corden has filmed skits with stars including Andy Murray and David Beckham.
Gary Lineker and Christine Bleakly are among the presenters for the marathon show, which starts at 1900 GMT.
The One Show’s Bleakley has already water skied across the English Channel as part of a Sport Relief challenge, while celebrities including David Walliams and Davina McCall cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End.
In September, comedian Eddie Izzard completed his endurance feat of 43 marathons in 51 days for the charity.
Cult BBC children’s classic We Are The Champions is being revived with Paddy McGuinness as host, the Match of the Day team are taking part in a special edition of Masterchef and comedian Frank Skinner will host a Question Of Sport special.
People at home are also being encouraged to get involved by walking or running the Sport Relief Mile on 21 March.
Coverage from the event will be shown during The Sport Relief Mile Show in the evening on BBC One.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Reuters – Storied Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer may opt for a stand-alone plan if bids disappoint, and creditors are expected to meet early next week as the company sifts through expected offers, sources said.
Reuters – Universal Music Group (UMG) is embarking on one of the most ambitious efforts yet to boost U.S. CD sales, with the test of a new pricing structure designed to sell most new releases by current artists at $10 or less at retail.
Rocketnews is a leader in live news stories, a resource for daily news feeds. Rocketnews delivers the top stories and the latest RSS news feeds for:
| Business
Entertainment Financial Health Politics Religion Science |
Sports
Stock Market News Technology Top Stories Travel World RocketNews |
