andPOP » France

Canada Loses Out on Michael Jackson Documentary

andPOP Staff — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:18:28 +0000

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Canadian audiences missed out on a piece of Michael Jackson history by not being able to see the documentary “Gone Too Soon.” Now the owners of the film are going after the distributor who did not live up to his contractual obligation.

TMZ reports Objective Films, LLC has filed a lawsuit against a company headed by Pierre Turgeon. In the lawsuit Objective claims they sold the French and Canadian distribution rights to Pierre’s company in exchange for $100k back in 2009.

Objective claims they received $50,000 but Pierre reneged on the other half. Objective was able to get the flick distributed in France … Canada wasn’t so lucky. Objective further claims Turgeon never really wanted to do legitimate business with Objective, however he just wanted the MJ affiliation to inflate his stock price.

Turgeon tells a different story to TMZ — saying, “The movie was bad … so we applied the clause (in our contract) that enabled us to not pick up the rights to the movie.”

He adds, “We paid in advance in good faith $50,000 for the project … We plan to get back our $50,000.”

Paris Hilton Caught in France Drug Bust

andPOP Staff — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:06:50 +0000

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Paris Hilton was detained by French police on the island of Corsica after being caught with cannabis in her handbag.

FoxNews reports Hilton was detained Friday night at the airport in Figari on a private jet from Paris. As there was less than a gram found, she was released without charge.

A local newspaper says she was traveling with “people close to power in Malaysia,” and was supposed to travel by yacht to the luxury resort of Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy.

Lindsay Lohan On Her Way Back To Los Angeles

andPOP Staff — Sat, 22 May 2010 16:01:03 +0000

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TMZ is reporting that Lindsay Lohan is on a plane headed back to the United States.

This past week an arrest warrant was issued for Lindsay after she missed a court date. The actresses’ lawyer appeared on her behalf in court explaining that Lindsay’s passport had been stolen, leaving her stranded in Cannes, France. The Judge unfortunately didn’t buy the story.

Lohan will be in court Monday to appear in front of the Judge. However she did enjoy her last night in Cannes with a stroll, along with every celebrity photographer in France.

Clint Eastwood Honoured in France

Vanessa Baker — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:08:19 +0000

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Clint Eastwood was made a commander in France’s Legion of Honour for his contributions to cinema, reports CBC. French President Nicolas Sarkozy helped celebrate the 79-year-old at an awards ceremony Friday in Paris.

Two years ago, Eastwood was made a knight in the Legion of Honour. He is now at the third level of five for accolades in the Legion.

“I love France, I love movies, and I love the appreciation that the French people have for movies,” Eastwood said.

Roman Polanski Complicated Arrest Could Lead to Release

Emma Renda — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:14:26 +0000

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After 32 years on the run from the American government, Academy Award-winning film director Roman Polanski, 76, could finally see a resolution to his outstanding charges. He was finally detained in Switzerland where border officials acted on an American arrest warrant from 1977, but that move could lead to Polanski’s release.

In the seventies, Polanski pleaded guilty to charges for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor (Samantha Geimer, 13.) After he fled the country, American investigators have been passively keeping tabs on him, waiting for their chance to pounce.

Polanski fled to France before he was formally sentenced and has been on the lam ever since. His capture now could lead to extradition to the U.S. but now that the American, French and Swiss governments involved, the whole process could be fuddled. Polanski could be released entirely, or his time served prior to the initial court case will translate to his sentence.

Either way, resolution will hopefully be reached in the exhausted case. There was a public outcry in response tPolanski’s arrest, as film stars across the globe called for his release, according to Perez Hilton. Incidentally, his biggest supporter is Harvey Weinstein.

“We’re calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation,” said Weinstein.

A petition has also been launched, and signed by Monica Belucci (The Matrix Reloaded, Passion of the Christ) and Fanny Ardant (Paris, Je T’aime). Even French president Nikolas Sarkozy is said to be paying attention to the case, and Samantha Geimer, the defendant, is calling for the case to be dropped as well.

Polanski, director of The Pianist, Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby, was at the centre of another high profile court case forty years ago when his wife, actress Sharon Tate, was brutally murdered by Charles Manson’s followers when she was eight months pregnant. Polanski’s mother was killed in Auschwitz during the Second World War, and he narrowly escaped the Jewish ghetto in Krakow.

Stage For Madonna Concert Collapses, Killing One

Ilan Mester — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:05:50 +0000

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A person was killed Thursday (July 16) when the stage for Madonna’s Marseille, France, concert collapsed, according to the Associated Press who reported that an additional six workers were injured due to the accident.

The stage for the queen of pop’s Sticky and Sweet show fell apart at the Stade Vélodrome while under construction at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time, according to reports. The identities of the individuals affected by the incident were not released immediately.

TMZ is reporting that Madonna issued the following statement regarding the incident: “I am devastated to have just received this tragic news. My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news.”

According to BBC News, Maurice Di Nocera, Marseille city councilor, said the frame of the stage “started shaking and collapsing” prior to the accident.

Fans from Marseille won’t be seeing Madonna perform in concert as it has been cancelled in the wake of the collapse.

Sports Column: Lay off Zidane

andPOP Staff — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:35:38 +0000

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In the crazy, testosterone — driven world of sports — shit happens. And just as often as shit happens, boneheaded broadcasters will spend eternity demonizing and chastising incidents which, for the players involved, were in the heat of the moment? and for the broadcasters, in the heat of their cushy seats in the press box.

Case and point: Sunday?s World Cup finale.

Why the random leap into the deep end of World Cup madness? I can?t stand by as Zinedine Zidane?s good name is sullied from one headbutt that was, although ill-advised, in the heat of the moment.

This happens all the time. Many great players, including Michael Jordan, have lost their cool in crucial games due to trash-talking defenders. If you talk trash (yes, I?m looking at you, Gary Payton), you have to understand there is a chance that you?re going to get a fresh fist across the noggin — or in the case of soccer players, a headbutt in your chest.

The difference between the sports? If a guy gets cheeky with you in basketball, hockey or American football, you fight back when that first punch is thrown — and the referees get involved to defuse the situation. In soccer, however, the slightest gust of air from an opposing team member?s flailing limb sends these poor gentlemen flying to the ground like sacks of grass-loving potatoes. Not to say Zidane?s headbutt wasn?t vicious, but that poor Italian defender (Materazzi) looked as if he?d just been run over by the Juggernaut.

It?s also important to establish this isn?t speculation. It?s clear upon reviewing the incident that there was indeed a heated conversation between the two players, and if you look closely enough, it appears as if Materazzi actually gives Zidane a ?purple nurple? before the headbutt counter-offensive.

It has also been reported by FOXSports.com, that Materazzi may have used a racial slur which provoked the headbutt. Even with this news surfacing, the headlines across the globe are filled with words like ?regrettable? and ?stupid? smeared across bolded headlines. If Materazzi did indeed racially offend and nipple-twist Zidane — I?d say the headbutt was almost justifiable. He?d be lucky that?s all that happened! Just try twisting Charles Oakley?s nipple and see what happens!

I also have to vent about how annoying it was to watch Italy pack it in on defense. From halftime on, the ball was on Italy?s side the majority of the time. France was really working hard on offense, and it?s no wonder? Italy had almost every fielded player playing defense! Every time France would make a move, that one white shirt would be flanked by three or four blue shirts. The strategy became clear: Italy wanted no part of this being an exciting game with goals and the like. It was unlikely there would be a single goal coming out of half time. All of Italy?s players were defending, so France couldn?t score. And as such, Italy wouldn?t be able to score as they had but one player on offense! Doesn?t that bother anyone other than me? Sure it?s perfectly legal, but Italy might as well have jumped on each other?s backs and constructed a human wall in front of the goal.

It?s like that annoying kid you used to play Mortal Kombat with. He?d habitually choose Sub-Zero, and his move repertoire would consist of two things: freeze then uppercut, freeze then uppercut, freeze then uppercut. Sure it?s perfectly legal, but it?s cheap as hell and pretty damn annoying. I commend those of you, like France, who took the Johnny Cage approach and wielded a more balanced attack.

The fact is France outplayed Italy in the second half of that game. And just think of all the energy the French team expended on offense trying to crack Italy?s Sub-Zero defense. It?s no wonder studs like Thierry Henri weren?t available for the final shootout.

Italy has two things to thank for their World Cup final victory: Firstly, their cheap tactics on defense (to which I don?t accept the excuse ?that?s the way they play, they play tough defense.? France also played superior defense and picked at the ball all game. The difference, however, is they also put effort into their offense. And the second and most prevalent factor in Italy?s ?victory?? Luck. And when the Vatican is in your country, it should come as no surprise that luck would be on your side.