Monday, June 23, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
MMA award for Pyramid Saimira group
Chennai, June 20: The Pyramid Saimira group has been selected by the jury of the Madras Management Association (MMA) for the prestigious MMA Award for Managerial Excellence for 2008.The award, called the 7th MMA Award for Managerial Excellence 2008, will be given away at a function in Chennai on June 27, 2008.Congratulating group chairman and managing director, P S Saminathan, MMA president S Gopal said the award was for the company’s work in the services sector category.The award will be given away during the valedictory preceding MMA’s 52nd annual general meeting scheduled for Friday, 27 June 2008, in Chennai.In the communication to Saminathan, Gopal requested him to present “their best practices in a seminar on ‘Managerial Excellence’ which precedes the awards function for a duration of about 20 to 25 mins followed by interaction with the audience for about 10 minutes”.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Jamie Lynn Spears gives birth to Baby Girl
Britney Spears has become an aunt--her teenage sister Jamie Lynn has given birth to a baby girl. The Zoey 101 actress, 17, is reported to have checked into the Mississippi Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb, Mississippi, at 4 a.m. local time on Thursday, where she welcomed the unnamed tot, according to The National Enquirer. And Britney was on hand to help--she was photographed arriving at the hospital early that morning. The baby is Jamie Lynn and her fiancé Casey Aldridge's firstborn. The teen star stunned the Spears family when she announced her pregnancy news last year, at the age of 16.Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Poster of most expected flick, 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is an upcoming American adventure film that follows The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. It is slated for release on August 1, 2008.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is directed by Rob Cohen and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Bob Ducsay, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and James Jacks produce the film.
Plot
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor stars Brendan Fraser as explorer Rick O’Connell, along with his son Alex (Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the character from Rachel Weisz) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). They must stop the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li), a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service with his Terracotta Army.
Production
In November 2001, director Stephen Sommers, who directed the previous Mummy films, said about directing a third Mummy film, "There's a demand for it, but most of the gang would only be up for it again if we could find a way to make it bigger and better." In May 2004, Sommers expressed his doubts about having the energy to make a third Mummy, though the cast of previous films had expressed interest in returning. In December 2005, a review of a script written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar was about a Chinese mummy (China's first emperor, who wants to take over the world with his army of accursed warriors in 1940. The idea of the Han Emperor and his army is based on the real-life Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was buried amidst 10,000 painstakingly-carved terra cotta soldiers, called the Terracotta Army, believed to date back to 210 BC.
Cast
In March 2006, actor Oded Fehr said Sommers had told him a third film was in development and being written, with only Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's characters returning for the sequel. The following September, director Joe Johnston was offered the helm by Universal Pictures, who hoped to start filming early in 2007. Later in the month, Weisz expressed interest in reprising her role. 
In January 2007, Universal announced that Stephen Sommers, director of the first two Mummy films would not be attached to direct the third film. It was then announced that Universal entered talks with director Rob Cohen to take the helm from Sommers as the director of the third Mummy. Later in the month, the story was revealed to center around Brendan Fraser's and Rachel Weisz's characters, as well as their now grown-up son. Negotiations with the actors were in progress at that time. In February, casting began for the role of Alex O'Connell. In addition, the character of Jonathan, and previously portrayed by John Hannah, will return for the sequel. Also in February, director Rob Cohen mentioned that Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh will star in the movie although the official confirmation was not published until May.
In April, Fraser re-joined the cast for The Mummy 3, though Weisz did not due to the script issues. The film was shot in Montreal and China. The movie was reported to be titled The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. In April, Luke Ford was cast as Alex O'Connell, and in May, Maria Bello was cast to replace Weisz in the role of Evelyn. Bello reported during an interview that the new "Evy" is different from the original "Evy". "She has the same name, but she's quite a different character." said Bello.
Marketing
The Mummy Movie Prequel: The Rise & Fall of Xango's Ax, a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing, will be published to promote the film. The comic explores the relationship between Rick and his son Alex. Sierra will make a game version of the Mummy 3 which will be released in July of 2008 in North America. The trailer for the film debuted on May 16, 2008.
Music
The score is composed by veteran composer Randy Edelman. The soundtrack will feature numerous different Chinese and Middle Eastern ethnic instruments along with classic British folklore, and is expected to be released sometime in July or August before the film's initial release. The trailer music, DNA Reaction, is better known as one of the musics in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix trailer.
Sequel
Actress Maria Bello stated in an interview that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she has already signed on.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is directed by Rob Cohen and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Bob Ducsay, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and James Jacks produce the film.
Plot
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor stars Brendan Fraser as explorer Rick O’Connell, along with his son Alex (Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the character from Rachel Weisz) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). They must stop the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li), a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service with his Terracotta Army.Production
In November 2001, director Stephen Sommers, who directed the previous Mummy films, said about directing a third Mummy film, "There's a demand for it, but most of the gang would only be up for it again if we could find a way to make it bigger and better." In May 2004, Sommers expressed his doubts about having the energy to make a third Mummy, though the cast of previous films had expressed interest in returning. In December 2005, a review of a script written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar was about a Chinese mummy (China's first emperor, who wants to take over the world with his army of accursed warriors in 1940. The idea of the Han Emperor and his army is based on the real-life Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was buried amidst 10,000 painstakingly-carved terra cotta soldiers, called the Terracotta Army, believed to date back to 210 BC.
Cast
In March 2006, actor Oded Fehr said Sommers had told him a third film was in development and being written, with only Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's characters returning for the sequel. The following September, director Joe Johnston was offered the helm by Universal Pictures, who hoped to start filming early in 2007. Later in the month, Weisz expressed interest in reprising her role. In January 2007, Universal announced that Stephen Sommers, director of the first two Mummy films would not be attached to direct the third film. It was then announced that Universal entered talks with director Rob Cohen to take the helm from Sommers as the director of the third Mummy. Later in the month, the story was revealed to center around Brendan Fraser's and Rachel Weisz's characters, as well as their now grown-up son. Negotiations with the actors were in progress at that time. In February, casting began for the role of Alex O'Connell. In addition, the character of Jonathan, and previously portrayed by John Hannah, will return for the sequel. Also in February, director Rob Cohen mentioned that Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh will star in the movie although the official confirmation was not published until May.In April, Fraser re-joined the cast for The Mummy 3, though Weisz did not due to the script issues. The film was shot in Montreal and China. The movie was reported to be titled The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. In April, Luke Ford was cast as Alex O'Connell, and in May, Maria Bello was cast to replace Weisz in the role of Evelyn. Bello reported during an interview that the new "Evy" is different from the original "Evy". "She has the same name, but she's quite a different character." said Bello.
Marketing
The Mummy Movie Prequel: The Rise & Fall of Xango's Ax, a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing, will be published to promote the film. The comic explores the relationship between Rick and his son Alex. Sierra will make a game version of the Mummy 3 which will be released in July of 2008 in North America. The trailer for the film debuted on May 16, 2008.Music
The score is composed by veteran composer Randy Edelman. The soundtrack will feature numerous different Chinese and Middle Eastern ethnic instruments along with classic British folklore, and is expected to be released sometime in July or August before the film's initial release. The trailer music, DNA Reaction, is better known as one of the musics in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix trailer.Sequel
Actress Maria Bello stated in an interview that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she has already signed on.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Universal Studios reopens after fire accident
Universal City, Calif(USA): Tourists applauded firefighters Monday as Universal Studios reopened, while investigators examined the ruins of some of the most famous sets in Hollywood to find the cause of the spectacular weekend blaze. Massive fire at Universal Studios 
A massive fire on last Sunday at Universal Studios that destroyed a giant sound stage, a video library and several movie sets is under control, say fire officials in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County fire Insp. Daryl Jacobs said that as many as three blocks of movie facades as well as the courthouse square set used in the Michael J. Fox movie Back to the Future have been destroyed.
"The facades are constructed of heavy timber and they tend to burn quite freely," said Jacobs.
At a news conference, Los Angeles County fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said the fire began on what's described as the "New York street" set, moved on to the King Kong exhibit and then over to buildings housing a sound stage and video library.
"A total of five structures within the New York exhibit, including one sound stage, were lost," said L.A. County fire inspector Frank Garrido,
Various reports say either the video vault or the King Kong building are still burning as plumes of smoke continue to blacken the skies above L.A.
Firefighters were able to rescue hundreds and hundreds of video canisters. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels were damaged.
The fire did not affect another film vault, which contains archival footage.
A massive fire on last Sunday at Universal Studios that destroyed a giant sound stage, a video library and several movie sets is under control, say fire officials in Los Angeles.Los Angeles County fire Insp. Daryl Jacobs said that as many as three blocks of movie facades as well as the courthouse square set used in the Michael J. Fox movie Back to the Future have been destroyed.
"The facades are constructed of heavy timber and they tend to burn quite freely," said Jacobs.
At a news conference, Los Angeles County fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said the fire began on what's described as the "New York street" set, moved on to the King Kong exhibit and then over to buildings housing a sound stage and video library.
"A total of five structures within the New York exhibit, including one sound stage, were lost," said L.A. County fire inspector Frank Garrido,
Various reports say either the video vault or the King Kong building are still burning as plumes of smoke continue to blacken the skies above L.A.
Firefighters were able to rescue hundreds and hundreds of video canisters. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels were damaged.The fire did not affect another film vault, which contains archival footage.
Ghost Whisperer sets damaged 
The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Fire officials say they have concerns about the malfunction of internal sprinklers, which prevented firefighters from battling the blaze from the inside.
Universal president Ron Meyer said the fire damaged two sets for the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer and obliterated the set used by the Clint Eastwood-directed film The Changeling, which premiered last month at the Cannes Film Festival.
Meyer also said a commercial had been shooting this weekend on the lot's New York street. The executive went on to praise the Los Angeles and Burbank fire departments.
"They are real heroes, they contained a fire which could have burned horribly out of control … We were very lucky today."
Some 400 firefighters went to the scene to keep the fire from spreading. Three firefighters went to hospital with minor injuries.
Universal City — a 180-hectare site which includes sound stages, outdoor sets and a theme park — sits 15 kilometres northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The Universal Studio lot was founded in 1915 and has now experienced a total of seven fires.
Studio spokesman Eliot Sekuler confirmed the King Kong exhibit is destroyed. The exhibit — featuring a giant ape which bellows — is a stop on the studio's tram tour. The theme park will still open on Sunday although the studio tour may be affected.
Two mock New York and New England streets used for movie making and tourist displays were "a total loss," he said.
According to Meyer, "the entire property will be open for business as usual on Monday."
"Nothing irreplaceable was lost. We have duplicates of everything that was lost," said Meyer, who confirmed that two locations for TV series were affected but did not divulge any other details.
Fire Capt. Frank Reynoso says the blaze broke out just before dawn Sunday and at least one explosion was heard.
Many famous films such as Psycho, ET, Transformers and Jurassic Park have used the studios. It's also the setting for shows such as Desperate Housewives, Scrubs and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Fire officials say they have concerns about the malfunction of internal sprinklers, which prevented firefighters from battling the blaze from the inside.Universal president Ron Meyer said the fire damaged two sets for the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer and obliterated the set used by the Clint Eastwood-directed film The Changeling, which premiered last month at the Cannes Film Festival.
Meyer also said a commercial had been shooting this weekend on the lot's New York street. The executive went on to praise the Los Angeles and Burbank fire departments.
"They are real heroes, they contained a fire which could have burned horribly out of control … We were very lucky today."Some 400 firefighters went to the scene to keep the fire from spreading. Three firefighters went to hospital with minor injuries.
Universal City — a 180-hectare site which includes sound stages, outdoor sets and a theme park — sits 15 kilometres northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The Universal Studio lot was founded in 1915 and has now experienced a total of seven fires.Studio spokesman Eliot Sekuler confirmed the King Kong exhibit is destroyed. The exhibit — featuring a giant ape which bellows — is a stop on the studio's tram tour. The theme park will still open on Sunday although the studio tour may be affected.
Two mock New York and New England streets used for movie making and tourist displays were "a total loss," he said.According to Meyer, "the entire property will be open for business as usual on Monday."
"Nothing irreplaceable was lost. We have duplicates of everything that was lost," said Meyer, who confirmed that two locations for TV series were affected but did not divulge any other details.Fire Capt. Frank Reynoso says the blaze broke out just before dawn Sunday and at least one explosion was heard.
Many famous films such as Psycho, ET, Transformers and Jurassic Park have used the studios. It's also the setting for shows such as Desperate Housewives, Scrubs and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
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