BERLIN (AP) — A union representing German train drivers says they have voted to go on strike in a pay dispute with the state-owned national railway and smaller private operators.
The GDL union said Monday more than 90 percent of members who voted in a ballot supported strikes. The DAPD news agency said it didn't specify when they would walk out.
The union already has staged several …
NEW YORK (AP) — Treasury prices mostly dipped Wednesday after tepid demand at an auction of $35 billion in five-year notes.
The price of the 10-year Treasury note slipped 25 cents per $100 invested. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction, rose to 3.49 percent from 3.46 percent late Tuesday.
Short-term and medium-term bonds pared back their gains from Tuesday, when concerns over escalating tension in Libya led traders to seek safer investments. The 30-year bond still drew interest, pushing its price higher.
Investors are also considering the potential economic effects of a spike in oil prices caused by spreading unrest in North Africa and the Middle …
IN HIS FIRST YEAR AS CEO OF GIANT BNY MELLON CORP., ROBERT KELLY IS NOT ONLY NAVIGATING THE TRICKY LIQUIDITY AND CREDIT TERRAIN WROUGHT BY THE SUBPRIME CRISIS, BUT HE IS ALSO EXECUTING A MEGAMERGER. SOUNDS TOUGH. BUT SIMPLICITY IS A VIRTUE, AND KELLY IS PROVING THAT DOING A COUPLE OF COMPLEMENTARY THINGS GLOBALLY-AND EXTREMELY WELL-CAN GENERATE TOP-FLIGHT PERFORMANCE.
Robert Kelly has been a CEO for little more than two years, but few people know the ins and outs of financial markets-or how to pull off a successful big merger-better than the head of the recently merged Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
While running Toronto Dominion Bank's European trading desk in the 1980s, …
The national average price for regular gasoline rose about 15 cents in the last two weeks, according to a survey.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline on Friday was $3.62 a gallon, up 15 cents from two weeks ago. Mid-grade was at $3.74 and premium was $3.85. That's all according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 stations nationwide released Sunday.
Regular gasoline is up 55 cents since 2008 began.
…
Civil servants staged a 24-hour strike Thursday against austerity measures and expected job cuts by Greece's crisis-plagued government, while the EU's statistics agency added to the financially stricken country's woes, revising its budget deficit upwards.
Eurostat said Greece's budget deficit in 2009 was 13.6 percent of gross domestic product, instead of the previously predicted 12.9 percent, while the ratio of government debt to GDP stood at 115.1 percent, the second highest in the EU after Italy.
The agency also expressed "a reservation on the quality of the data reported by Greece," and said the 2009 figures could be revised further, to the …
It's an ordinary office in a Chicago suburb until Richard W.Gilbert unfolds his big map of the Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly you areback in 1492 on the pitching deck of the Santa Maria with ChristopherColumbus.
Or just as suddenly you're in 1992, in the near future, aboardthe ketch Empresa with Gilbert and five friends, retracing Columbus'first voyage to the New World.
This is no ordinary map in Gilbert's hands. This one gives thespeed and direction of the currents and the winds at various pointsin the Atlantic.
Gilbert and pals, all good amateur sailors, intend to use thistype chart when they sail from the harbor of Palos de la Frontera,Spain, exactly 500 …
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Less than two years after going 12-4 and winning the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers have become the front-runner in a much different competition: Securing the worst record in the NFL and the ensuing top pick in the draft.
After an offseason youth movement that's produced shockingly little depth and the league's worst offense, the Panthers (1-9) sunk to the bottom of the NFL on Sunday in a day of new lows.
There was the sight of journeyman Brian St. Pierre becoming the first quarterback in seven years to have interceptions returned for touchdowns on consecutive passes in the 37-13 loss to Baltimore. Perhaps an even uglier display for owner Jerry …
The union representing British Airways cabin crew said Wednesday that it would not call a strike during the busy Easter holiday period in April.
Cabin crew represented by the Unite union will vote next week on whether to authorize a strike in their dispute with the airline about pay, job security and working conditions.
Unite has not announced date for a strike, if authorized, but media reports suggested that it would come during the holiday.
The airline went to court to successfully stop the union from …
"In Atlanta, they played (soccer) year-round, and that was whenit became a big thing. In Florida, it was only two or three monthsout of the year." INTERNATIONALLY: Member of the United States' under-23 team. Scoredfive goals in 26 games as a member of the 1997 under-20 team thatadvanced to the round of 16 at the under-20 world championships …
NEW YORK (AP) — Producers of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" have agreed to pay royalties to the hit Broadway musical's former director Julie Taymor as part of a settlement to end a bitter legal dispute.
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the show's producers, 8 Legged Productions LLC, announced the deal Thursday. No amount was disclosed.
Under the deal, producers …
A Swedish feminist party has burned 100,000 Swedish kronor ($13,000) at a barbecue in a protest against unequal pay for men and women.
The Feminist Initiative party says the money set ablaze on the Swedish island of Gotland on Tuesday represents the amount of money the country's women miss out on every minute in comparison to men.
Party leader Gudrun Schyman says "it may …
As gasoline prices continued to climb Tuesday, Mayor Daleyimplored everyone from President Bush to neighborhood residents to dosomething about it.
In a letter to Bush, Daley urged him to find "the real cause forthe price increases" here and nationwide and to reject gasolineindustry claims that cleaner-fuel regulations are responsible.
The mayor also sent three department heads to a noisy newsconference on a downtown L platform to ask citizens to fight higherpump prices by lowering demand.
How? By walking, bicycling or taking public transit wheneverpossible.
In an unpleasant reminder of last summer, gas prices have topped$2 a gallon at some stations. …
TCF Financial Corp., Wayzata, Minn., has announced its board of directors have designated Lynn A. Nagorske, president and chief operating officer, to succeed William A. Cooper as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2006. Cooper will remain chairman through 2008.
TCF has also promoted James S. Broucek to senior vice president and treasurer. He has been senior vice president and chief investment officer.
After 19 books and thousands of articles and other writings over 70-plus years, the question is how many undiscovered nuggets of insight researchers may yet find in the private papers of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
Quite a few, according to the curator of manuscripts at the New York Public Library, which recently acquired from Schlesinger's estate a trove of materials belonging to the noted historian, who died this year at age 89.
Schlesinger received a National Book Award for "Robert Kennedy and His Times" and a National Book Award and a Pulitzer for "A Thousand Days," his memoir of President John F. Kennedy's administration.
"Though Schlesinger drew on his journals as a source for his books on JFK and RFK, they will continue to be a valuable resource," said curator William Stingone. "It is likely that a vast majority of the 6,000 pages of his journal remain untapped if not unread."
Historians agree.
"What he has in those documents is a marvelous collection of judgments of a liberal Democrat historian-academic who met everyone from Lauren Bacall to major baseball players to Marilyn Monroe," said Henry Graff, a history professor emeritus at Columbia University and personal friend of Schlesinger.
Scholars are likely to be particularly interested in Schlesinger's personal diaries from 1961 to 1997, especially his three-year tenure as speechwriter, presidential adviser and fly-on-the-wall observer in the Kennedy administration.
Pages chosen from the neatly typed, double-spaced journals offer stunning dramatic accounts of events during the tumultuous Kennedy period, by an unabashed JFK admirer.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, 1962, Schlesinger is "beckoned" to meet privately with U.N. ambassador Adlai Stevenson in Washington.
"I don't want to talk in front of the chauffeur," Stevenson says, then asks Schlesinger whether he knows what "the secret discussions this week" have been about.
Unaware of any such discussions, Schlesinger makes what he calls "a poor guess."
"Berlin?"
"No, Cuba," says Stevenson.
In this way Schlesinger learns that the Soviet Union is installing offensive missiles 90 miles (145 kilometers) from American territory, threatening to turn the Cold War into World War III and triggering a secret debate within the White House whether to negotiate with Moscow or launch a pre-emptive air strike.
Stevenson asks Schlesinger to start working on a speech that he must deliver to the U.N. Security Council, and "a sense of excitement and anticipation began to flood Washington," Schlesinger says.
Robert Kennedy argues against bombing the missile sites, saying the first president to launch a "Pearl Harbor attack on Sunday morning ... would not be forgiven by history, by his own people, or by the world."
In the end, the crisis is defused when Soviet leader Nikita Khruschchev agrees to withdraw the missiles.
Not everything in the collection contains high drama, but it "brings up the 1960s and 1970s in a really strong way," said Stingone, who visited Schlesinger at his Manhattan home shortly before he died last February.
In addition to the diaries, the library acquired 100 boxes of personal correspondence with what seems like every boldface name of the time _ in theater, literature, film, politics, international affairs, journalism and academia.
Well, not every: Such noted conservatives as Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and William F. Buckley are missing from a "partial list of prominent correspondents" provided by Stingone.
But that list of 100 names is not short on variety. Between former Secretary of State Dean Acheson and historian C. Vann Woodward, it includes Lauren Bacall, Truman Capote, Bill Clinton, Walter Cronkite, Marlene Dietrich, John Kenneth Galbraith, Allen Ginsburg, Albert Gore Sr. and Jr., Lillian Hellman, Hubert Humphrey, Alfred Kazin, Henry Kissinger, Norman Mailer, George McGovern, Ralph Nader, Gore Vidal and Kurt Vonnegut.
While only a sampling of the letters was available to examine, a fleeting look revealed how Schlesinger freely offered opinions and did not hesitate to take issue with what others had written or said.
In a 1967 letter discussing candidates for the board of a civil liberties group, Schlesinger suggests it should include "more Negroes" and "more women."
In yet another letter, Schlesinger complains about a movie rating system "so irrational as to place a film like `All the Presidents' Men' in the same category with a film of such insensate and morbid violence as `Taxi Driver.'"
Library spokeswoman Gayle Snible declined to divulge the price paid for the Schlesinger collection. Other Schlesinger papers are at the Kennedy presidential library in Boston.
Bruce Schulman, a history professor at Boston University, believes the documents will be very valuable for researchers.
Schlesinger was "far more than a prolific and important historian," Schulman said. "He was present at the creation of the post-World War II liberal order."
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LOS ANGELES - The original Capt. Kirk is disheartened he won't get to boldly go anywhere with his old pal Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie. While Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as the pointy-eared Vulcan in next year's science-fiction flick, William Shatner is not on board as Kirk.
"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner, 76, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."
Director J.J. Abrams announced last summer that Nimoy would reprise the role he originated opposite Shatner in the 1960s television show and played again in six big-screen adventures.
Abrams said Shatner probably would have a part in the film, which is due in theaters in December 2008. But while Shatner said he had a couple of meetings with Abrams, nothing came of it.
Abrams' "Trek" film, whose plot is being kept under wraps by distributor Paramount, recounts an early adventure for the crew of the starship Enterprise, with Chris Pines as the young Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock.
The cast includes Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Simon Pegg as engineer Scott, John Cho as helmsman Sulu, Zoe Saldana as communications officer Uhura and Anton Yelchin as navigator Chekov, roles respectively originated by DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig.
Past "Trek" films presented an obstacle to the revival of Shatner's Kirk, who died at the end of 1994's "Star Trek: Generations."
But in science fiction, you can never truly say die. Spock was killed off in 1982's "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" then resurrected in 1984's "Star Trek: The Search for Spock," with Nimoy's Vulcan living on to co-star in three more films, two episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and now Abrams' new movie.
"I've got a lot to do," said Shatner, whose current work includes the TV show "Boston Legal," narration for the Christmas spoof "Stalking Santa" due on DVD on Nov. 6, and the prequel "Star Trek: Academy - Collision Course," a novel chronicling Kirk and Spock's first meeting.
Shatner says of "Star Trek": "Having been in on the creation of it, I was hoping to be in on the re-creation."
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Thursday for solidarity with pro-democracy activists in Belarus as the wave of protest that has spread through the Arab world extends to Europe's last autocratic stronghold.
On the first leg of a trip taking her to two European nations that democratized in the world's last great series of liberal upheavals, when the Iron Curtain came down in 1989, Clinton spoke emphatically for democracies to stand together and do what they can to expand their club.
She said emerging democracies from Europe to Latin America to Asia can help Egypt, Tunisia and other Arab countries in transition. And all should "show solidarity with those in the streets of Belarus, in Libya and around the world," she added.
The secretary spoke at the inauguration of a human rights institute in Budapest honoring the late Congressman Tom Lantos of California. Clinton's predecessor as America's top diplomat, Condoleezza Rice, also attended the ceremony for the Lantos Institute, named after the Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who died in 2008.
In a wide-ranging speech, Clinton expressed veiled concerns about China, expressly rejecting the creed of those countries "trumpeting national economic growth over freedom and human rights." And at a news conference afterward she cautiously chastised the host Hungarian government over constitutional changes and a new media law that have been criticized in Europe.
Clinton is expected to elaborate on the same themes when she arrives later Thursday for the two-day "Community of Democracies" gathering in Vilnius, Lithuania. She will also visit Spain before returning to Washington on Saturday.
"As we struggle to help new democracies emerge, we cannot let any democracy anywhere backslide," Clinton said. "The stakes are too high."
Senior administration officials traveling with Clinton highlighted Belarus as a nation of growing concern. They noted that repression has increased in the country, and said the U.S. and European governments were adopting a two-pronged approach to try to spur change. Travel bans, asset freezes and other sanctions are being directed at officials culpable in human rights abuses, while funds are being directed to promote economic development and travel opportunities for private Belarusian citizens and civil society members.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Clinton's trip to Vilnius, near Lithuania's border with Belarus. Life inside President Alexander Lukashenko's country will probably be a major topic of discussion there.
On Wednesday, Belarusian police violently dispersed the latest peaceful rally by thousands of people protesting Lukashenko's regime and the country's worst financial crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago.
The Vesna rights advocacy group said police arrested more than 100 and beat many with truncheons. It is the latest crackdown from the government of Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 10 million people with an iron hand for nearly 17 years, earning the nickname of "Europe's last dictator."
In Budapest, where the focus was on Lantos' legacy, officials and family members from Hungary and the United States offered their tributes.
Clinton noted how the Democrat founded Congress' human rights caucus in 1983, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Lantos represented the love of freedom shared by the U.S. and his country. Orban, however, also used the event to also warn about the far-reaching effects of economic turmoil.
"Indebtedness, whether that of households or entire countries, clearly limits freedoms," Orban said. He borrowed the words of President John Adams, who said there are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation — by the sword and by debt.
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Associated Press writer Pablo Gorondi contributed to this report.
Billionaire Warren Buffett will likely use a few lines in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders to welcome new investors the company acquired along with BNSF railroad. But he'll also have a busy year at the company's 80-odd subsidiaries to explain when the letter is released this weekend.
The shareholder letter Buffett writes remains one of the best-read and most-quoted business documents every year because so many people follow Buffett, the so-called Oracle of Omaha.
But analyst Justin Fuller, who writes about Berkshire online at http://www.buffettologist.com, says the letter may be losing some of its impact because Buffett grants more interviews than he used to do.
In years past, Buffett avoided interviews and public comments so the annual letters and Berkshire's shareholder meetings were about the only times investors could count on hearing from Buffett.
Not anymore.
"You get a lot more access to Buffett's view of the world through his various interviews," said Fuller, who works with Midway Capital Research & Management in Chicago.
For example, two days after releasing his annual letter, Buffett plans to spend three hours answering questions on a cable business news network. And Buffett just did a round of interviews Monday about the lunch he auctions off for charity each year.
But analysts and many investors will still be eager to read Buffett's explanation of how Berkshire's businesses fared in 2009. Investors also want to know more about what led to Berkshire's roughly $26.7 billion acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, and whether Buffett will offer any new clues about his successor.
Buffett's letter and Berkshire's 2009 annual report will be posted online at http://www.berkshirehathaway.com on Saturday morning.
Many of the companies Berkshire owns have been hard hit in the recession, and units like Acme Brick, Shaw Carpet and NetJets aren't likely to improve significantly until the economy does.
But even if Berkshire's retail operating businesses continued to struggle, its insurance and utility businesses will still contribute strong numbers. The insurance unit alone, which includes Geico and reinsurance giant General Re, regularly accounts for more than one-third of Berkshire's net income.
And Berkshire's portfolio of derivatives contracts, some of which are tied to credit defaults and some of which are tied to equity markets will likely provide a big boost to Berkshire's reported earnings.
Berkshire's derivatives contracts are all long-term bets that won't mature for years, so it won't be clear whether those deals are profitable until much later. But Berkshire is required to estimate their value each quarter, and that estimate is almost certain to be a positive force in the fourth quarter because the stock markets improved significantly last year.
For instance, in last year's third quarter Berkshire recorded an unrealized $1.1 billion gain on its derivatives.
Andy Kilpatrick, the stockbroker-author of "Of Permanent Value, the Story of Warren Buffett," predicted that Berkshire results will impress.
"I think it's going to be good enough that some people are going to say, 'Whoa,'" Kilpatrick said.
The three analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Berkshire to report fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1,208.33 on average. Those analysts also expect full year earnings per share of $4,712.47.
Buffett's preferred performance measure involves comparing Berkshire's book value _ assets minus liabilities _ against the performance of the S&P 500 index, which Berkshire recently joined. Berkshire's book value declined in 2008 for only the second time under Buffett when it slid 9.6 percent to $70,350 per share.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index may provide a tough comparison in 2009 because it gained 23.5 percent for its best showing since 2003.
The three analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters estimated that Berkshire's book value per share at the end of 2009 would be $83,391.44.
Worrying about who will take over for the 79-year-old Buffett is a common pastime for Berkshire investors. Buffett has previously laid out the basics of the company's succession plan, but won't discuss details.
Last year, speculation swirled around Berkshire executive David Sokol after Buffett picked Sokol to lead NetJets. Sokol was already the current chairman of Berkshire's Des Moines, Iowa-based utility company MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.
To replace Buffett, Berkshire plans to split his job into three parts _ chief executive officer, chief investment officer and chairman. Buffett, however, has indicated that he has no plans to retire, and he says he loves his work and remains in good health.
Morningstar analyst Bill Bergman said he thinks Berkshire's core principles and operating practices may be more well ingrained than most people realize. And Berkshire's operating subsidiaries are allowed to mostly run themselves except that Berkshire decides centrally how to invest capital.
"I think the succession risk has been overplayed," Bergman said.
Berkshire owns roughly 80 subsidiaries, including clothing, furniture, jewelry and corporate jet firms, but its insurance and utility businesses typically account for more than half of the company's revenue. It also has major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.
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Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com
DIJON, France (AP) — Chelsea winger Gael Kakuta has joined Dijon on loan until the end of the season.
The 20-year-old Frenchman has not made a league appearance for Chelsea this season, and briefly went on loan to Bolton.
Last season, Chelsea loaned the France under-21 international to Fulham, where he scored once in seven appearances.
Dijon announced the loan on its website but did not give more details. Kakuta's contract at Chelsea runs out in 2015.
On his jazzy "What's Wrong With This Picture?," Van Morrisonindulges a lifelong affection for jazz and blues, ruminates on loveand loneliness and assails tabloids. In his only U.S. interview,conducted by e-mail, the Irish singer, 58, discusses music and media.
Q. How did "Picture" evolve toward jazz?
A. In the past, I've been working with either rock musicians ormodern jazz players, or funk-jazz. My inclination was always towardthe older-style R&B, soul and even New Orleans jazz. With a lot ofthe concepts I was working in, I was really frustrated that Icouldn't address some of these areas. So it was a conscientiouseffort to find musicians that were more compatible with the styles Ienvisioned playing.
Q. Did you sign with Blue Note because its jazz-blues bent suitsyou artistically or philosophically?
A. Blue Note wasn't a conscious move. I really didn't know whereto go, because the mainstream labels all seemed to have the sameagenda, which was marketing pop music. I was very frustrated workingwith major labels because they were promoting me in relation to thecurrent pop situation, so they would either pay lip service to havingme on the label or they would ignore [my work] and not know how tomarket it, not even want to market it in some situations. So I feltthat there was no point in being with a major label when their onlyobjective was to promote current trends in pop music. I've neverreally felt like I fit into this category, anyway.
Q. How did you cope or adjust?
A. Sometimes when I'd write songs, I wouldn't want to play thembecause they didn't fit or evolve in a live context. They were morejazz as opposed to rock or blues or soul and so it was becoming moreof a problem. Then the live thing became more integrated with thewriting and recording. I feel that the current album isrepresentative of where I'm at, in the overall picture.
Q. Has your approach to songwriting changed or gotten easier overtime?
A. It varies with each song. Some songs are easier; other onesaren't so easy. There's no set rule. These [11 originals] werewritten over a two- to three-year period. Writing songs is veryrandom. I don't know when I'm going to get the inspiration I need toget it kicked off, but they're basically all written one at a time.Sometimes I might get on a roll and I might write two or three songsin a one-month period or whatever and then not write any for sixmonths.
Q. Are the songs dealing with fame meant to counter misconceptionsperpetuated by the press?
A. It's a way of deconstructing the mythology on me. It's notgeneral; it's specifically addressing how I feel about the situation,and basically it's my concept of freedom of speech to address thissituation. But it's nothing new. The concepts on "Too Many Myths" and"Goldfish Bowl" I've said so many times over the years. As long asI've been famous, I've been saying these things. Now I've started toput them into songs.
Q. Why not write an autobiography to set the record straight?
A. I'd consider writing a biographical record in relation to mymusic when I have the time. It would be a long process.
Gannett News Service
A federal appeals court has upheld a $156 million judgment against three Palestinian charities accused of bankrolling terrorism. But it has dropped the lone individual from the long-running civil suit.
The opinion was filed over the killing by Hamas terrorists of American-born student David Boim. It says donors to charities are liable if those charities engage in terrorist acts.
But the court is dropping donor Muhammad Salah from the case. It says he was in jail when an anti-terrorism charity law was passed so he could not have violated it.
Boim was fatally shot in May 1996 while standing at a bus stop in a West Bank town near Jerusalem.
Dark times call for dark comedy.
With the economy in tatters and the last decade's prosperity appearing a sham, some of the most influential tastemakers in comedy are turning to black humor and delusional characters to match the disaffected times.
"Observe and Report," which opened last week and stars Seth Rogen as a brutality-bent security guard who dreams of vengeful glory, has more in common with "Taxi Driver" than "Knocked Up." One of the darkest widely released comedies in years, "Observe and Report" makes direct references to the recession-era Martin Scorsese 1976 film that celebrates its psychotic hero.
The film, written and directed by Jody Hill, follows "Eastbound & Down," the pitch-black HBO series about a washed-up baseball player, played by Danny McBride.
Will Ferrell and collaborator Adam McKay _ a year removed from their most twisted film, "Step Brothers" _ just finished a Broadway run of "You're Welcome, America," in which Ferrell played President George W. Bush.
"Now that the whole system has collapsed and been shown for what it is, if you went and did a comedy like `The Animal' or `Wayne's World' _ a great comedy _ it wouldn't work now," said McKay. "If you're going to do comedy about (today's times), you better get a little dangerous and ugly."
The turn comes on the heels of a dominant run by lovable losers and earnest outsiders, highlighted by "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Old School," "Knocked Up," "Pineapple Express," "Wedding Crashers," "Superbad," "Talladega Nights" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."
Often with Judd Apatow or McKay behind the camera, the films have come from an overlapping and likable group of actor-comedians including Ferrell, Rogen, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Jonah Hill. On TV, Tina Fey's "30 Rock" and the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" have similarly featured a brand of comedy that suggested you could be both funny and nice.
But there's been a disturbance in the force.
"We like starting with a character that you're disgusted by and hate," McBride says, "but somehow you can't take your eyes off watching his story and seeing where it goes."
No one is pushing comedy into darker territory more than McBride, Hill and their other writing partner, Ben Best. The three went to film school in North Carolina together and first collaborated on the cult comedy "The Foot Fist Way," in which McBride played an arrogant tae kwon do instructor.
In "Eastbound & Down," McBride stars as Kenny Powers, a foul-mouthed relief pitcher, whose 'roid rage and declining fastball boot him out of baseball and bring him back to his hometown as a substitute teacher. Despite a big league ego, he's a small-town failure, resorting to drugs and strippers.
If anyone, Powers is the face of the new dark comedy.
"We don't play the comedy for laughs," said Hill, who also co-wrote and co-directed "Eastbound & Down." "A lot of the stuff that people maybe are going to be shocked about or think `That's dark, they went too far' _ I think that's just funny."
Hill believes "Observe and Report" is best viewed as a serious film with comedy in it. He dislikes broad comedies, and instead cites `70s anti-hero character-driven films like Martin Scorsese's "The King of Comedy" and Sam Peckinpah movies.
"The Sopranos," Hill said, was "funnier than a comedy."
Clearly, the visions of McBride and Hill appeal to other comedians. Ferrell and McKay's production company picked up "Foot Fist Way" and the two were executive producers on "Eastbound & Down."
"You're seeing more characters who are way out of touch with their lack of success and come down almost in a death thrall," said McKay. "The shading has gotten a little darker, there's no question."
Fans of Rogen who come to "Observe and Report" expecting something in the Apatow vein are bound to be surprised.
"It's always exciting when you find something you really like that you can tell is not what you're doing," said Rogen. "Our movies have some shocking stuff in them but I would never really describe them as dark. `Pineapple Express' has tons of people getting murdered, but I really would never call it a dark movie by any stretch of the imagination. A violent one, but it's all light and in good fun."
Black comedy has never had the reputation of tremendous commercial appeal. Good ones can have staying power, their bitterness still powerful years later _ movies like Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964), Sidney Lumet's "Network" (1976) and Alexander Payne's "Election" (1999).
But persuading studios to bankroll darker material isn't always easy. After all, the more palatable Apatow formula still appears to be working: The recently released bromance, "I Love You, Man," with Rudd and Segel, has grossed $50 million in its first three weeks of release.
An early lesson in commercial success for Apatow was the 1996 dark comedy "The Cable Guy," which he co-wrote and produced. Though the Jim Carrey film made $60 million, it was considered a flop.
Instead, Apatow pursued realistic, warmhearted comedy in the tradition of "Terms of Endearment." This summer, he'll release his most dramatic film yet: "Funny People," in which Adam Sandler plays a standup with terminal cancer.
"Step Brothers," starring Ferrell and John C. Reilly as middle-aged boys still living with their parents, took the comic standby of adolescent adulthood further than it had ever been taken. It grossed just over $100 million, suggesting moviegoers might follow their comic heroes' darker flights of fancy.
McKay and Ferrell are preparing a movie _ already bought by Sony _ tentatively titled "B-Team," to star Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as cops. Said McKay: "Crime has been turned upside down, so we're trying to play with those kind of ideas."
McBride acknowledges that HBO might not have been quite aware of what it was getting when it signed on for "Eastbound & Down." Their pitch, McBride said, suggested his character would learn from his young students.
HBO was initially "very split" on "Eastbound & Down," McKay said. But ratings continually increased for the six-episode series and last week, HBO announced the show will return for a second season next year.
Hill gives every credit to Warner Bros. for giving him freedom on "Observe and Report." But he acknowledges that he has had to listen "a lot" to executives concerned about offending various demographics. In its first weekend of release, it took in $11.1 million, a fair but unremarkable debut.
"Hopefully what `Eastbound & Down' and now this movie does, it will (be like how) Elvis Presley is not shocking anymore," said Hill. "Somebody else or we'll try something new that will take things up a level again."
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Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos emerged the winner Thursday inthe hard-fought battle for the $15 million Hyatt Hotels Corp.advertising account.
The Boston and New York-based agency takes over from J. WalterThompson U.S.A., Chicago. JWT originally had been included in theaccount review, but withdrew when management realized the odds werestrongly against its retaining the account.
Tatham-Laird & Kudner, Ogilvy & Mather and Young & Rubicam onthe local front and Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis, were the otheragencies in the competition, and each considered the win importantbecause of the prestige and visibility connected with the hotelchain's advertising.
JWT's most recent campaign for Hyatt, "Faraway Places,"spotlighted the exotic locales of Hyatt resorts.
Hill Holliday, with about $265 million in billings before theHyatt win, has been attracting attention and awards for its campaignsfor clients, including John Hancock Cos. financial services and WangLaboratories computer systems. `MOLLY MC BUTTER' TO BBDO CHICAGO
BBDO Chicago has added the $3 million Alberto-Culver productMolly McButter, which will be introduced later this year.
Grey Chicago, still the primary Alberto-Culver ad agency,originally was working on the upcoming product, because neitherAlberto nor the agency considered it to be a conflict with theadvertising for real butter, which the New York office handles onbehalf of the National Dairy Research Board.
Alberto does not look at Molly McButter as a butter substitute,especially because it contains real butter, a company executive said.The new product is positioned as a condiment, and it will be sold, asis its Mrs. Dash product, in the seasonings section of thesupermarket.
According to an Alberto executive, the account switch was madeto avoid the controversy of the perception of a conflict with thereal-butter business. BBDO earlier this year got its firstAlberto-Culver assignments. FCB EARNINGS UP IN QUARTER, HALF
Foote, Cone & Belding Communications, Chicago, reported anearnings increase of 9 percent in the second quarter and 6 percentfor the first half of this year.
For the quarter ended June 30, net income was $5.7 million,compared with $5.2 million last year, on revenues of $85.4 million,an increase of 3.9 percent.
For the first six months, net income was $7.7 million, or $1.85per share, compared with $7.2 million, or $1.74 per share.
First-half revenues declined 1 percent due to divestitures ofthree operating units late in 1986, which accounted for 8 percent ofthe company's revenue base.
Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Norman Brown said,"we are generally pleased with our financial performance during thefirst six months, but we continue to step up our program to moretightly control expenses."
Despite new business wins, FCB's Chicago office earlier thisyear experienced a 4 percent staff reduction. JWT EXEC'S STORMY TENURE MAY END
The stormy tenure of JWT/Chicago's Executive Vice President andGeneral Manager Don Sullivan may be coming to an end, sources say.Sullivan, who is on vacation until late this month in a remoteMontana location, is likely to return to a different job.
Steve Bowen, who heads the ad agency's U.S. operation, said thatwhile it is "not true" that Sullivan will not be returning to JWT, hewould not comment on whether Sullivan would be keeping his currenttitle.
With the new management team, including Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer Burt Manning in the WPP-owned J. Walter ThompsonCo., Bowen said, "there will be some changes in a variety of places."
Nancy Millman writes Monday through Friday.
Parting Glances
Then & Now
For curious reasons of church-sponsored, right-wing endorsed, myopic-enduced vision, some wilting violet types don't want to be, or want to remain, gay. (There's no accounting for bad taste.)
It appears to me (20/20) going straight's no rose garden, given so much available access to internet FTD (free to deflower) same-sex "rose bud" delivery, enticing online high-resolution outdoor, indoor pixals, and YouTube, X-Tube, Facebook landscaping.
Oh, to be young again! As Alice in Wonderland says: It all gets curiouser and curiouser. (And, adds this feisty old Red Queen, Off with their heads!)
I find the Ex-gayola narrow stance - and publicity wide one - in the long run mostly affects Hell-bullied fundygelicals. (I, myself, live my life delightfully attuned to my brain's same-sex DNA synapses, playful childhood Nature vs. Nurturing instincts, teenage amatory, fumble about in the garage, experiences, and adult bar hopping, petal plucking, come ons.)
That I'm teeter-tottering on the brink of senescence is neither here nor there, neither up nor down, neither top nor bottom. (As my sainted mom advised when I turned 3 9 for the second, third, or fourth go around, "Enjoy yourself. Who gives a gosh darnation if you're not really a bona fide 39 stud muffin?")
I've my own take on why those not in their honest-to-God-gay dar amygdala would chose to go "the other way," (especially given this country's sky rocketing divorce rate and daily trough feeding of TV reality squabbles, refereed by the likes of Judge Judy, whose yearly salary is in the $6 million-plus ballpark. And she's permanently benched.)
Yes, in spite of too many you' ve-got-to-be-kidding-me examples of straight role modeling (and mentally sclerotic, tithe-to-my-bank-account TV preachers who occasionally get caught with their hand in the ATM nookie jar), there are some who feel the grass - second syllable underlined - is greener on the other side.
It tain't. Too much fertilizer. Too many dandelions. Not enough daisy chains.
If you know somebody who's paying high fees for fundygelical power mowing, give him a copy of "500 Fun Things to Do Before Going Straight," by Garland-Lane Garp (Boner & Nightshade Press, 2009).
Garp sampling: "God bless you for hoping to go straight. No copout bisexuality for you. Just the basic Adam & Eve fig-leaf hanky panky. But be sure that's what YOU want - not what your hallelujah drill sarge wants, not what your nagging mom worrying about grandkids wants, not what your neighborhood paperboy wants.
"Yes, give yourself lotsa time - say 10 years - before tip-toeing down the primrose path. (It'll take that long to Ex-gay wilt away, anyway.)
"Being straight's not all it's cracked up to be. (Smoked or poked.) There's nerdy in-laws, testy nights of 'The only oral I like is Roberts, Buster,' countless, ugh! throw-away diapers, dozens of parental alphabivouacking with hormonal kids, and annual butt-whacking football games to feign yardage by yardage, tight-end, macho interest in."
My favorite 500 Fun Things to Do includes: Learn A Kick Boxing Dance Routine (It helps!); Bake a Prize-Winning Kiwi Lime Pie; Join an Over 21 Shake-and-Bake Cookie Club; Sing Alto in a Gay Men's Chorus; Knit a Rainbow Cumber Bun; Attend a Farewell Cher Concert in Redneck City, America; and, Visit Oscar Wilde's Tomb in Gay Paree, for a Belated, Have a Blessed 'Comme Ca' Day.
"The Gospel truth," according Garland-Lane Garp - who says he's a proud second-generation, Botox-free Metro sexual - "is that life's a beach. It tides you in, blows you out. Straight, gay, in between, you'll get crabs in your docking space soon enough. Numero 500! When all else fails, pad your swim trunks. And pray for your luck to change."
[Sidebar]
I, myself, live my life delightfully attuned to my brain's same-sex DNA synapses...
[Author Affiliation]
Charles@pridesource.com
Rehoboth Beach in Delaware isn't a topless beach _ but a few transgender men caused a stir by treating it like one. Police say passers-by complained after the men removed their tops and revealed their surgically enhanced breasts over Memorial Day weekend. A lifeguard asked them to put their tops back on. The men initially refused, but covered up before police arrived.
Even if they hadn't, though, Police Chief Keith Banks notes the men were doing nothing illegal. Since they have male genitalia, they can't be charged with indecent exposure for showing their breasts. Banks says there's no need for a specific law to address the issue.
Rehoboth Beach commissioner Kathy McGuiness isn't so sure. She says the matter will be discussed at a town hall meeting next week.
___
Information from: The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal, http://www.delawareonline.com
Weekend Wow! - Legendary Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, revered artist, educator, author, civic leader and co-founder of the DuSable Museum, will be honored when the Chicago Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority presents "Gallery D'Estee 2008," a weekend of artistic expression; exposure and excitement" on Feb. 29, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., and March 1, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. The 6th annual free art exhibit wilibe held at the chapter's headquarters, 4525 S. King Drive. Additionally, Felicia Grant Preston, one of Chicago's most illustrious fine artists, will be featured, and other artists whose lithographs, pastels, oils, sculptures and photographs will be on exhibit for the two-day celebration include the following: Samuel Akinyah, Andre Guichard, Marva Jolly, Tamara Natalie Madden, Tony Smith, Abiola Akintola, Laurel Duplessis, Debra Hand, Jason E. Jones, Joyce Owens, Tony Wade, Floyd Atkins, Frank Frazier, Bruce Jefferson, Adedayo Laoye, Deborah Shederick, Alice Gatewood Waddell, Stacey Brown and Gerald Grifffin.
Coordinating this annual art extravaganza is the Arts & Letters Committee, chaired by Linda Murray and Pamela Hamb. Expectations for the '08 event are even higher than last year's record breaker in attendance and sales. "Gallery D'Estee" continues to be the must attend showing of the year, says LaVerne Weatherly, chapter president.
Newsy Names - Congrats to awardwinning actress and playwright Regina Taylor, Goodman Theatre Co.'s distinguished artistic associate, who won the prestigious NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, so named for her portrayal of Molly Blane in the hit CBS series, The Unit.
Regina, gorgeous in bright red, was escorted to the live 39th annual televised showcase in Beverly Hills, Calif. by bon vivant Les Coney, vice president of Meisrow Financial Corp. and former Goodman board chair. . . A fave pal, Atty. Jerome Butler, chief operating officer at the Ill. Dept. of Human Services and former Chicago Defender vice president, has perhaps embarked on a brand new career. Butler provided the "voice over" for the video presentation "Can You Believe?" at the Chicago Urban League's Annual Report Luncheon at the Sheraton-Chicago. . .Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theatre's founder and executive director, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at "Showtime 2008," a celebration of Chicago theater, on March 31 at the Auditorium Theatre hosted by the League of Chicago Theatres. The evening includes gourmet dining, dancing on the historic stage, performances by top Chicago stars, comedy by Second City actors, amazing auction prizes (vacations, theatre tickets, jewelry and celebrity access). Call (312) 554-9800 for info. . . .Illinois Senate President and Mrs. Emil Jones (she's Dr. Lorrie Stone) won first place steppin' dance contest honors at Schoop Elementary School's Class of '49 reunion party at the Double Tree Hotel in Alsip. We hear they were steppin' like a couple of teenagers. Schoop is Pr�z Jones' alma mater. . . .William "Bill" Williams, vice president of the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau and a Chicago Rat Packer, heads to the Democratic National Convention this summer as a Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) delegate after voters gave him a winning nod. . . .The Million Pound Challenges' Dr. Ian K. Smith, health/diet expert, author, media personality and State Farm spokesman, is the "cover guy" on the current issue of Urban Influence, the mag that targets the business, community and urban lifestyle. And inside: his "Wake-Up Call to Action," designed to help Black America lose more than weight. The Nation of Islam's Min. Louis Farrakhan delivers his annual Saviors' Day message, "The Gods at War: The Future Is All About Y.O.U.th. (Youth Organized & United to Help)" on Sunday, 2 p.m., at McCormick Place. Admission: $20, $50, $100. Doors open at noon.
Milestones - Happy golden anniversary to Davis and Roberta Fair who celebrated 50 years of togetherness on Saturday, repeating 1958 marriage vows during a mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica Catholic Church followed by a lovely dinner in the church hall. The retired duo's family and friends from Arkansas, Nevada, Georgia and other far away locales came for the lovely affair. . . Condolences to the family of Jesse Davis, 75, of Matteson, a retired 23-year employee with the Chicago Public Schools (a drafting teacher at Englewood High) and a 30-year retiree from the U.S. Postal Service. His service is Thursday at Leak & Sons, 184th and Pulaski (wake, 10 a.m.; funeral, 10:30 a.m.). The graduate of Arkansas AM&N University and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is survived by his wife, Alsenior, also a retired teacher; daughter, Dr. Valeria Davis; and son, Andre. . . .Some 200 folks stopped by Montgomery Place on Saturday to celebrate the 108th birthday of Ethel B. Darden, oldest living Alpha Kappa Alpha soror, oldest living Wiley College alum and oldest Montgomery Place resident. Among special guests: Barbara Carter of Dallas, an AKA and Wiley grad, area AKAs along with former students and parents from Howalton Day School where "the birthday girl" taught for many years. Coordinating the soiree: Josie Childs, Ralph Metcalfe Jr., Jocelyn DiPasalegne and Theresa Knighten ... Oops! Happy belated b'day to Maurice McNeil, retired Kennedy-King English professor.
Money Matters - Hats off to The Sutton Auto Team of south suburban Matteson who donated $100,000 to DuSable Museum on Saturday during its annual fundraiser, "A Night of 100 Stars," which honored Barbara Bowles, founder of The Kenwood Group; Jim Lowry, president of The Boston Group; Dr. James Bowman, University of Chicago Hospital pathologist who specializes in genetics; Bill LaMar, McDonald Corp. vice president; and Reuben Cannon, casting pioneer and president of Tyler Perry Studios. Also, the Law Firm of Freeborn & Peters LLC gave $5,000 to the museum during the charity extravaganza chaired by Abe Thompson. ABC 7's Hosea Sanders and Roz Varon were emcees.
Podium Power - Judge Timothy Evans, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, keynoted the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Area Project, at the Chicago Symphony Center. Judge Evans, noted for making innovative and compassionate changes to the court system, has been^appointed administrator of. . . . the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. "I come hat in hand," he said. "I need your help. There are wonderful things we can do at that detention center." Also present: David E. Whittaker. CAP's executive director; Andrea Zopp, board chair; Margaret Watts, Hallie Amey, Dr. Alma E. Buckner, John Box, Tom James and Steven Tomashefsky.
[Author Affiliation]
by Theresa Fambro Hooks
email : teesee@chicagodefender.com
Spartech Acquires BASF's Polystyrenes
BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has sold its specialty polystyrene business, which includes flame retardants and antistatic polystyrene specialty products, to Spartech Corp.'s (St. Louis, MO; www.spartech. com) subsidiary, Spartech Polycom SAS. Polystyrene production will be transferred from BASF's Ludwigshafen plant to Spartech's Donchery, France-based facility.
Albetnarle Augments Catalyst Assets
By the end of 2004, Albemarle Corp. (Richmond, VA; www.albemarle.com) will close a deal through which it will acquire Akzo Nobel's catalyst business for around $750 million in cash. Albemarle will transfer its current catalyst products into this business unit, which will operate independently alongside its fine-chemical and polymer-chemical groups. Polymer additives and flame retardants will be incorporated into the polymer chemical group, now called the "polymer additives" segment.
Police in Chechnya say that rebels have killed four local police officers in two separate attacks.
The regional branch of Russia's Interior Ministry says three policemen have been killed when rebels detonated a radio-controlled landmine.
It says in a statement that the explosion occurred early Sunday in the village of Sadovyi near the provincial capital, Grozny.
The regional Interior Ministry branch also says that another police officer was killed late Saturday by rebels who ambushed his vehicle near the southern village of Gekhi.
Large-scale battles in Chechnya ended years ago, but militants continue to stage ambushes and landmine explosions against authorities. Violence also has often spilled into neighboring provinces.
Kosovo's president has named an ethnic Albanian police colonel as the first head of the country's intelligence service.
Bashkim Smakaj, 32, will lead the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, an organization investigates activities such as international terrorism and organized crime.
Unlike the recently selected head of Kosovo's new security force, who came from the ranks of former rebel fighters, Smakaj belongs to the new generation of Kosovo officers serving in the country's multiethnic Rule of Law agency. He takes the post after months of delay due to a rigorous screening process.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February.
Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
GAB gives Asi, Pena go-signal.(Sports)Byline: edgard hilario
THE GAMES and Amusement Board agreed to release the license of both Asi Taulava and Dorian Pena after representatives of Talk N Text and San Miguel Beer relented to have the two cagers undergo rehabilitation in a facility to be picked by the GAB.
Emerging from a long meeting with representatives of the two teams yesterday afternoon, GAB chairman Eduardo Villanueva said both Taulava and Pena agreed to comply to the GAB resolution, paving the way for the release of the cagers professional license.
However, the rehabilitation program Villanueva was referring to was in reality no more than counseling, meaning the two first-time drug offenders will be asked to report to a counselor two or three times a week and will not be holed up in a treatment center.
(Taulava and Pena) will be made to report to a facility two or three times a week for the next six months, Villanueva said in a telephone interview.
With the agreement, the GAB is set to release the license of both Taulava and Pena, making them eligible to play in Sundays game between the Beermen and the Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala had suspended Taulava and Pena for two games after traces of marijuana was found in their urine samples, but the league balked when the GAB came out with the resolution seeking rehabilitation for the cagers.
Still, Villanueva insisted that it is the GAB not the PBA which has the right to rule on such cases.
Meanwhile, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra clash today in a meeting of unbeaten leaders when the 2003 Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup brings its act to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Ginebra could be our big test so far in the conference. It is stronger and more complete than before. It should be a really good match-up but we welcome the challenge, said coach Tim Cone of the Aces.
The Kings, in their finest season campaign in years, has won their first two games reason enough for coach Allan Caidic to be optimistic going into the match against the Aces.
My players are really starting to step up, the team is now playing efficiently. I just hope we can continue playing like this, said Caidic.
Ginebra, Alaska and idle defending champion Coca-Cola are the only unbeaten teams with 2-0 won-loss cards in the eliminations.
FedEx, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a recent loss when it plays hard-luck Sta. Lucia at 7:30 p.m.
The Express dropped their first assignment to Batang Red Bull, 71-79, on Friday while the Realtors are 0-2.
The Kings, with Jun Limpot dishing out back-to-back court gems, are the slight favorites against the Aces.
Jun is more versatile right now. He could give us a big trouble especially now that hes got more support from his teammates, offered Cone.
With Limpot at the helm, Ginebra clawed back from 21 points down in the second half to pull off a big 84-76 win over Purefoods on Feb. 26 then thrilled its loyal fans more by beating Sta. Lucia Realty, 89-82, on March 1 in Baguio City.
After Limpot, the best performers for the Kings in these games were Mark Caguioa, Elmer Lago and rookie Sunday Salvacion.
Alaska moved up in the standings by beating Sta. Lucia, 91-82, on Feb. 23 before scoring a 96-78 rout of Talk N Text on March 2.
Ali Peek got much needed support from Don Camaso, Don Allado and rookie Mike Cortez in the Aces back-to-back wins.
