Archives for December 2008

Wii-gamers in the States are getting pretty fed up with delays from Harmonix, first with delays of Rock Band 2, and now with delays on its DLC.The game was eventually released on Nintendo's platform on 18 December. Three months after the other versions were available.

Now downloadable songs, confirmed in October and promised to arrive alongside the title, are also delayed until some time in 2009. To ease the anger of Rock Band fans swamping forums with Harmonix hate-mail, the company has promised that the content is "in the final testing stages" and will be available "as early in 2009 as possible".

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PCB Chief Operating Officer Salim Altaf is optimistic that Pakistan cricket team will play enough cricket next year despite India's refusal to play a series in Pakistan in January-February 2009.Pakistan has played little cricket over the last year, hit by postponements and cancellations. The latest blow was India's withdrawal from their January 2009 tour.

"We have reached an agreement with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to play a series to fill the gap after refusal from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to send their team under FTP programme. We re confident that Sri Lankan team will reach Pakistan on January 20 as per the schedule," Salim said.

Talking to this scribe, Salim looked confident and said that after a one year break in playing Test match, Pakistan team will resume its Test cricket ties in 2009 with a three-match series against Sri Lanka starting in January.

When pointed out that Sri Lankan tour was in jeopardy after dissolution of the Sri Lanka Cricket Ad hoc committee, Salim said that they had agreed with the Sri Lanka Cricket not with a person so the Lankan Board would send their team as per the board to board agreement.

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In assembling his Cabinet lineup at a faster pace than any of his predecessors, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has once again proved he is still the "No Drama" guy who prefers stability and pragmatism at a volatile time.

By the day before he started a 12-day Christmas vacation in Hawaii on Dec. 20, seven weeks after his election, Obama had managed to fill almost all of the key posts in his White House. According to the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan group that studies presidential hand-overs, the president-elect outpaced every predecessor in forming his cabinet.

What's more impressive to many observers is that Obama named his top advisers and secretaries in a very balanced way that reflects comprehensive deliberations and hints at a practical, way of-the-middle governing style.

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The duo of Dravid and Gambhir resumed batting with their overnight score of 179/1 on Saturday and added 314 runs for the second wicket. This was the highest partnership by any Indian pair for the second wicket.Their stay frustrated English bowlers who went wicketless in the first session.

However, they bowlers were rewarded for their hard work and picked four wickets after lunch. England spinner Graeme Swann not only broke the lethal partnership but also picked three wickets.The first to depart was the Indian opener Gambhir. Gambhir came out to drive a short pitched delivery but the ball took the top edge of his bat and flew into the hands of Alastair Cook at short third man region for 179 runs.

Dravid fell 22 balls later as Swann's next victim when he tried to clear the long-on boundary through the aerial route. He lofted the ball across the line to find Monty Panesar at mid-off. He went for 136 runs. Their dismissal brought 'hero' of the Chennai Test Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman out in the middle.

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 Salma Hayek, Amy Poehler and Seth Rogen have been set as presenters at “The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards,” Access Hollywood has confirmed. They join previously announced presenters Jennifer Lopez, Simon Baker, Drew Barrymore and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Leading this year’s nominees are the films “Doubt,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Frost/Nixon,” with five nominations apiece.VIEW THE PHOTOS: 2009 Golden Globes: Movie Nominees Steven Spielberg will receive this year’s Cecil B.

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The 92nd Street Y’s chamber music series began as an East Side echo of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and it has long seemed a paler, or at least homier, version of Lincoln Center’s. But in important ways Chamber Music at the Y has maintained the Chamber Music Society’s original spirit better than the society has.

The society began as a recombinant troupe of “artist members”  the violinist Jaime Laredo, who now directs the Y series, was one  but these days its roster is regularly juggled and expanded, and it sometimes bypasses its members in favor of outside ensembles.

At the Y Mr. Laredo quickly established the trio in which he performs, with the pianist Joseph Kalichstein and the cellist Sharon Robinson (to whom Mr. Laredo is married), as the core ensemble. Members of the trio perform at every concert, with guest players expanding the instrumental palette and keeping the repertory varied.

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Enthralling viewers with its innovative programming,  the leading Hindi GEC Star Plus is now geared to entertain its viewers, albeit the young ones this time!  Introducing a unique award show just for kids and by the kids, the Surf Excel LI’LSTAR AWARDS SHOW. It will air this Sunday, Dec.14 ,1 pm Only on Star Plus

Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Surf Excel LI’LStar Awards promises to leave viewers wanting for more incredible acts, gags and performances as for the first time, children under the age of 18 vote for their favorite actor, actress, mom, friend, best film etc in 19 categories.

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PETA came full force after Britney Spears this week for the use of live animals in her recent music video titled ‘Circus’.

“In order to force elephants to perform silly tricks like those in the music video, trainers shock the animals with electric prods or gouge sharp, steel-tipped bull hooks into the most sensitive parts of the elephants’ bodies,” PETA’s press release reads. They then went on to single out the trainers of the elephants saying,”Gary and Kari Johnson … have gone so far as to defend the use of cruel electric prods on elephants.”

Now, the Johnsons are fighting back — insisting that not only do they care deeply about the welfare of their animals, but that an American Humane Association rep was on hand to ensure such treatment. From the article,.

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Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has been circuitously connected with Bollywood, owing to his liaisons with actors Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone says if he ever decides to act, he would love to do a film like "Garam Masala" with Akshay Kumar.

"If I ever enter Bollywood, I would love to work with Akshay, since he too is a Punjabi and I gel very well with him.

I would like to do a film like 'Garam Masala' with him," said Yuvraj.Asked about the leading lady, he said: "I have always liked Kajol as an actress so I would like to work with her as well.

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The Grammy Museum will open downtown this weekend, but on Wednesday night the venerable awards brand was trying to prove it's no relic in this "American Idol" era.The nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday not at some early morning news conference  as they have been.

In the past  but sprinkled in a one hour prime-time special featuring performances by Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and other stars singing classic songs at the Nokia Theatre.It was a move that could be considered an entrenchment bid by a show that pulled its third-lowest audience ever this last February and its all-time lowest number in 2006.

We are evaluating everything and, as this new nomination concert show proves, we are very open to doing new things that reach an audience and celebrate music," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said.

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