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Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-5 13:40:08

NEW BATWOMAN IS ...Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet.DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. The 5-foot-10 superhero comes with flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a form-fitting black outfit."We decided to give her a different point of view," explained Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. "We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction." (<a href="http://javascript:CN*Video('play','/video/moos/2006/06/01/moos.gay.batwoman.affl','2006/07/01');" target="_blank">Watch people on the streets react -- 2:17</a>)(DC Comics, like CN*, is a division of Time Warner.)The original Batwoman was started in 1956, and killed off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original alter ego, Kathy Kane. And the new Batwoman arrives with ties to others in the Gotham City world."She's a socialite from Gotham high society," DiDio said. "She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya."Montoya, in the "52" comic book series, is a former police detective. Wayne, of course, is Batman's true identity -- but he has disappeared, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, leaving Gotham a more dangerous place.The "52" series is a collaboration of four acclaimed writers, with one episode per week for one year. The comics will introduce other diverse characters as the story plays out."This is not just about having a gay character," DiDio said. "We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world."The outing of Batwoman created a furor of opinions on Web sites devoted to DC Comics. Opinions ranged from outrage to approval. Others took a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the announcement."Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"DiDio asked that people wait until the new Batwoman's appearance in the series before they pass judgment."You know what? Judge us by the story and character we create," he said. "We are confident that we are telling a great story with a strong, complex character."DiDio spent most of the morning fielding phone calls from media intrigued by the Batwoman reinvention."It's kind of weird," he said. "We had a feeling it would attract some attention, but we're a little surprised it did this much."

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-5 13:41:01

Katie Couric gets 'Today' send-offWith co-host Matt Lauer bringing the tissues, the "Today" show threw a going-away party Wednesday for 15-year host Katie Couric, who is leaving to become the next anchor of the "CBS Evening News.""I'm feeling happy and sad and completely out of control," Couric said, "and you know how much I like that."Forty-two minutes into the show, Couric couldn't hold back the tears any longer.The first tear was spotted in the corner of her eye as "Today" talked to six people she had interviewed -- an inspiring school principal, a woman brutally raped in Central Park, survivors of the Columbine school shooting and the World Trade Center bombing and parents of a boy who had died of brain cancer."In meeting her and talking to her, I felt that it helped heal me as well," said Lauren Manning, who was burned during the terrorist attack.Couric's parents and two daughters were also in the audience Wednesday for what Couric jokingly called the "celebration of moi."At the end of three hours worth of tributes, Couric raised a glass of champagne and said, "to everyone in TV land, thanks so much."Couric's long goodbye began April 5, the 15th anniversary of her first day as Bryant Gumbel's co-host on "Today," when she announced that she would be leaving to accept CBS' offer to replace Bob Schieffer on the evening news. She said the time was right for a new challenge."Today" has dominated morning television for more than 10 years, never losing a week in the ratings, and is the most profitable show on television in advertising revenue.Couric said it was "the best job on television" and poked fun at Lauer, her TV mate since he replaced Gumbel in 1997."I know I'll never have a partner like you," she said, "because I won't be working with a partner."Lauer said he'll most remember all the laughs they shared, on and off the air."People talk about chemistry," Lauer said. "I have never been able to define it. From my end it came from genuine love and respect and I'm going to miss you."During her time on the air, "Today" fans watched as Couric, 49, grew from a chipper young reporter, to a mother with two girls and a young widow when her husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer. She underwent an on-air colonoscopy that encouraged thousands of Americans to do the same, which doctors called the "Couric Effect."She called her work on colon cancer prevention by far her proudest accomplishment."Today" has had some troubles in recent years, going through three executive producers and nearly being dethroned by ABC's "Good Morning America" as Couric's increasingly glamorous on-air appearance turned some viewers off. But it has rebounded strongly in the past year.NBC is shutting down its streetside Rockefeller Center studio after Couric leaves for a summer makeover, preparing for Meredith Vieira of "The View" to take over as her successor in the fall. "Today" will spend the summer in an outside studio nearby."Today" began its tribute showing Couric awakened by an alarm clock at 5 a.m., followed by a back-up wakeup call from her driver. Al Roker joked how Couric sometimes made it to work with only about 15 minutes to spare.She recalled her first day with Gumbel, when she was five months pregnant and still trying to decide whether to be identified as Katherine. "I got up, threw up and came to work," she said.The first film clips of her career emphasized hard-nosed interviews of politicians like Ross Perot, the first President Bush and Colin Powell, perhaps offering a message to critics who questioned her news credentials after working on a show that mixed in so much lighter fare.But "Today" also showed Couric's off-key singing with guests Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett."Some of the things I did -- whoa!" Couric said."We could do a whole three hours on that," Lauer replied.

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-5 13:42:27

Disney to sell first-run movie downloadsLOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Disney films such as "Glory Road" and the animated "Chicken Little" will soon be available to own via computer download from the Internet-based movie site CinemaNow, but the movies can't be played on a standalone DVD player.The companies were expected to announce Wednesday that CinemaNow will sell the films for $19.95 and in June will allow consumers to transfer films to a portable device running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media software.In a deal similar to others announced in April, The Walt Disney Co. will sell its films online the same day they become available on DVD, thus closing the gap between DVD sales and video-on-demand by several months. The deal includes new releases plus some library titles.Consumers will be able to watch their films on up to three devices and will be able to make a backup DVD copy that will only play on a computer.CinemaNow will offer the option of transferring the film to a portable device later in June.Major Hollywood studios have not yet allowed films to be burned onto a DVD that can be played on a standard DVD player, although adult entertainment company Vivid Entertainment has started doing just that through CinemaNow.In April, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM began selling some first-run and older titles on Movielink, a PC-only download service jointly owned by five Hollywood studios.Those films are priced between $20 and $30.Sony and Lionsgate have also begun selling some films on CinemaNow, which is partly owned by Microsoft, Lionsgate, Cisco Systems Inc. and Blockbuster Inc. Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.CinemaNow said it is negotiating with other studios to offer films on the site. Announcements of similar deals could come as early as this week.Portability is a key factor for studios such as Disney, whose films are watched as often by children riding in cars as college students on their computers. Disney's deal with CinemaNow is it's first foray into the download-to-own market, although it rents its films online.Portability also makes it easier to transfer a movie from a computer in a den or bedroom to a large TV screen in the living room, where most people prefer to watch films.Movielink does not yet offer transfer of films to portable devices, although the company said it hopes to have that feature within a year.

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-5 14:44:33

I haven't read foreign newspapers for years..............

tauringhuang. · 发表于 2007-2-4 19:48:49

希望有用

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