Capsule reviews of new releases (AP)

"Arthur Christmas" ? This pleasant holiday treat from Aardman, the British animation outfit behind "Chicken Run" and the "Wallace and Gromit" cartoons, has the old-fashioned spirit of Christmas at heart, spinning a snowflake-light tale with warmth, energy and goofy humor. The movie unveils the vast high-tech enterprise run by Santa to deliver all those presents as his big-hearted but bumbling younger son, Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy), races to deliver a single gift that fell through the cracks. The delightful, drolly funny voice cast includes Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen. Director Sarah Smith offers a fresh look at the Santa legend with a flawed Claus whose family is as dysfunctional as everyone else's. There are lulls and comic misfires that feel like stocking stuffers thrown in to pad the simple story to feature length, and the manic banter comes a bit too fast for viewers to digest it all. Still, the visual gags will carry youngsters along, while there are plenty of clever wisecracks to keep their parents occupied. PG for some mild rude humor. 97 minutes. Three stars out of four.

? David Germain, AP Movie Writer

___

"The Descendants" ? Alexander Payne makes movies about men on the brink ? of a nervous breakdown, of personal or professional ruin and, ultimately, maybe even some hard-earned peace. That's certainly true of George Clooney here. As real-estate lawyer Matt King, he finds everything in his life is in flux and on the verge of collapse simultaneously. This isn't any easier even though he lives in Hawaii, a place that's supposed to be paradise. Clooney being Clooney, though, makes every stage of his character's arc believable, from grief through anger and eventual acceptance, and he gives a performance that's so understated as to appear effortless. Matt's wife, Elizabeth, is lying in a hospital bed in a coma following a boating accident. Matt, who hasn't been the most available or hands-on father, must now take care of the couple's two daughters on his own: 17-year-old boarding school rebel Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10-year-old troublemaker Scottie (Amara Miller). Then Alexandra drops another bombshell on her father: Elizabeth was having an affair at the time of her accident. As if all this weren't enough to handle, Matt's enormous family has put him in charge of deciding what to do with the 25,000 acres of pristine land on Kauai that they've inherited from their royal Hawaiian ancestors. Payne's pacing is often so languid that we don't feel the sort of mounting tension that we should. But the story keeps us guessing as to where it will go, and it features some piercing moments of emotional truth. R for language including some sexual references. 115 minutes. Three stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

___

"Happy Feet Two" ? The dancing, singing penguins are as adorable as ever. Yet a couple of shrimplike krill almost steal the show in this animated sequel that sticks to the formula of the original while adding enough variety to give it a life of its own. It helps to have Brad Pitt and Matt Damon voicing the krill with great companionability as they join a vocal cast that includes returning stars Elijah Wood and Robin Williams. Wood's tap-dancing penguin now is a dad dealing with a misfit, runaway son embarrassed over his own lack of rhythm. Director and co-writer George Miller, who handled the same chores on the 2006 Academy Award-winning first film, keeps the focus on penguins in peril while adding an interesting nature-in-perspective angle with the side journey of those tiny krill trying to find their place in a world of bigger, hungrier things. The sequel delivers the key ingredients that made its predecessor such a hit: lovable characters, a rich blend of pop tunes employed in showstopping song-and-dance numbers and remarkable Antarctic landscapes whose bleak beauty pops off the screen even more than in the original, thanks to some of the finest use of 3-D animation since the digital age brought an extra dimension to the screen. PG for some rude humor and mild peril. 99 minutes. Three stars out of four.

? David Germain, AP Movie Writer

___

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 1" ? "Laughable" probably isn't the word the filmmakers were aiming for, but there it is; laughter, at all the wrong places. The fourth movie in the freakishly popular girl-vamp-wolf love triangle series is so self-serious, it's hard not to cackle at it. The dialogue is, of course, ridiculous and the acting ranges from stiff to mopey. But moments that should be pulsating with tension are usually hilarious because the special effects are still just so distractingly cheesy. This latest installment has yet another new director: Bill Condon, a man capable of both panache ("Dreamgirls") and serious artistry ("Gods and Monsters"), little of which you'll see here. The first of two films adapted from the final book in Stephenie Meyer's series (with part two coming next year), this serves as a placeholder for the ultimate finale but is jam-packed with developments in its own right. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire beau, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), marry in a lavish, romantic outdoor ceremony. Bella's childhood best friend and the other man in the equation, werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), stops by as a gesture of goodwill. Finally, Bella and Edward can have sex, the thing she has wanted all along but he has been reluctant to do for fear that deflowering her will, you know, kill her. And he may have been right. He impregnates her on the honeymoon and the resulting hybrid spawn threatens to destroy her from inside. PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements. 117 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_en_mo/us_film_capsules

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Stocks sink; Spain becomes latest worry in Europe

Trader Christopher Drummond, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Stock indexes edged lower in early trading Thursday as spiking bond yields in Spain overshadowed the latest signs of growth in the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Christopher Drummond, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Stock indexes edged lower in early trading Thursday as spiking bond yields in Spain overshadowed the latest signs of growth in the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange watches a television monitor of Occupy Wall Street activities, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Stock indexes edged lower in early trading Thursday as spiking bond yields in Spain overshadowed the latest signs of growth in the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange watch a television monitor of Occupy Wall Street activities, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Stock indexes edged lower in early trading Thursday as spiking bond yields in Spain overshadowed the latest signs of growth in the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

(AP) ? A spike in borrowing costs for the Spanish government renewed worries about Europe's debt crisis and pushed stocks lower for the second day in a row.

A stalemate in Congress over cutting the budget deficit also pulled the market down Thursday. Technology stocks sank after NetApp and Applied Materials predicted weaker earnings.

In Spain, an auction of 10-year bonds left the country paying interest rates of nearly 7 percent, the highest rate since 1997. Economists see that level as unsustainable because it would make the interest payments on Spain's debt so high that the government would barely be able to afford them. Greece and Ireland were forced to seek rescue loans from the European Union after their bond yields jumped above the same level.

Concerns about Europe's debt crisis overshadowed better economic reports in the U.S. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in 7 months, a sign layoffs are easing.

"The economic data in the U.S. has been improving," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial in Westport, Conn. "If it weren't for Europe, I think equity markets would be doing much better right now."

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 134.86 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 11,770.73. The index wavered most of the morning, then turned sharply lower shortly after noon. It fell as many as 229 points at 2:30 p.m.

Spain has more than twice the amount of debt as Greece and Ireland combined, which would make it difficult for other countries to rescue. Like Italy, whose main borrowing rate also spiked above 7 percent in the last week, the country is trying to pay down its debts as its economy slows.

The Spanish bond auction came a day after Fitch Ratings warned that major U.S. banks could be "greatly affected" if Europe's debt crisis continues to spread beyond the financially troubled Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

Another looming concern for investors is that a Congressional supercomittee will fail to agree on $1.2 trillion in budget cuts before a Nov. 23 deadline. If they don't, huge cuts to government spending are scheduled to kick in across the board.

"I get the impression we're watching a slow-motion train wreck," said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Federated Investors.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 20.75, or 1.7 percent, to 1,216.16. The index fell below its average over the past 100 days. That's a bearish signal because many traders wait until indexes fall below such technical levels before deciding to unload their positions.

Technology stocks fell more than the rest of the market. The Nasdaq slid 51.62, or 2 percent, to 2,587.99. All three major indexes are now down more than 3 percent for the week.

NetApp Inc. plunged 12.3 percent, the most in the S&P 500 index, after the data storage company forecast earnings below Wall Street's estimates. Applied Materials Inc. also said its earnings for the current quarter would be weaker than analysts' forecasts. The stock fell 7.5 percent.

In corporate news:

? Consumer review site Angie's List soared 25 percent on the company's first day of trading. Angie's List Inc., which runs reviews of veterinarians, plumbers and other local services, priced its initial public offering of 8.8 million shares at $13 late Wednesday.

? The mutual fund company Legg Mason Inc. said the well-known money manager Bill Miller will step down from its flagship mutual fund next year. Legg Mason's stock dropped 2.8 percent.

? Sears Holdings Corp. fell 4.6 percent after its third-quarter results missed Wall Street's expectations. The retailer's sales were dragged down by declining consumer electronics sales and softer sales at its Kmart stores.

? J.M. Smucker Co. lost 1.8 percent after reporting that rising costs for ingredients were cutting into profits.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-17-Wall%20Street/id-b633d748e014440294db6c552e413a4d

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Why Hiring Billy Crystal Isn't Enough: 10 Changes the Oscars Must Make (ContributorNetwork)

Over the past few months, the Oscars' fall from grace has gone from gradual to precipitous. Things started to get ugly with this year's broadcast, on Feb. 27, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' pathetic attempt to bait young viewers by hiring James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host backfired. Apparently gluttons for punishment, the Academy made another lame attempt at wooing the young viewers who don't (and may never) care about the Oscars by hiring director Brett Ratner to produce the 2012 broadcast. Ratner is notoriously crass, but he's got a populist touch, and he delivered his pal Eddie Murphy as host. Predictably, however, Ratner talked himself out of the job by saying characteristically obnoxious things in public. So out Ratner went, and with him went Murphy.

How did the Academy respond to this embarrassment? By abandoning its campaign to entice young viewers and hiring a pair of showbiz veterans old enough to be grandparents: megaproducer Brian Grazer and host Billy Crystal. If the Academy wanted to send a message that their show is now intended exclusively for gray-haired movie fans, they couldn't have done so more clearly.

It need not be so. People still love movies, and they're still fascinated by movie stars, so making younger moviegoers excited about the Oscars is not impossible. More to the point, getting these young fans into the habit of watching the Academy Awards is an absolute necessity if the show is to survive into the foreseeable future. In that spirit, here are 10 modest proposals for making the Oscars matter again.

1. Ditch the Format. The most obvious change is also the most radical: Stop presenting the Oscars as an old-school variety show. Erase the forced patter, except for comedians. And please, please, please annihilate all traces of fake sincerity. We're in an ironic era, so old-school fakery doesn't impress anyone anymore. Today's Oscars should be an exciting, fast-moving barrage of celebrities and movie clips, promising and delivering just one thing: more stars in one place than any other broadcast.

2. Cut the Show to Two Hours. The days when viewers had the patience for a three- or four-hour Oscar show are long gone. Get in, get out, and leave people wanting more. If the Academy is looking for things to cut, they should start with the interminable song-and-dance numbers. In fact, deleting all musical performances would be smart. With all due respect to the great Randy Newman, hearing one more sickly-sweet Disney/Pixar tune might cause viewers to shoot their TVs. Get rid of elements that aren't relevant anymore, and bringing the whole program in under two hours becomes achievable.

3. Stars, Stars, Stars. Admittedly, luring celebrity presenters is the one area in which the Oscars still generally trump other awards shows, but the Academy can do better. There's no reason why every major actor in Hollywood can't be enticed to participate, whether it's in person or in a video package. (See Suggestion No. 4.) Give the people what they want, which means Brad and Angie giving out one award, and Carell and Carrey giving out the next. The barrage of big names should be relentless.

4. Take a Cue from Andy Samberg. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels doesn't keep "D--k in a Box" mastermind Samberg around SNL for his brilliant participation in live sketches; rather, Samberg earns his keep by generating a new "SNL Digital Short" almost every week. Many bomb, but the ones that connect are killer, in part because of dazzling celebrity cameos. Copying this device would be one of the best decisions the Academy ever made, because if the Oscars are going to stay relevant in the Internet age, each Oscar show should generate a handful of hilarious shorts that keep people talking about the broadcast for weeks afterward. It's all about the downloads these days.

5. Show Old Hollywood the Door. It pains me to say this, but the long tradition of honoring aging veterans at the Oscars has become a drag on the show's running time. The Academy recently took a bold step with its controversial decision to present lifetime-achievement awards during a non-broadcast ceremony (which is why Oprah Winfrey just got her honorary Oscar, even though the rest of the Academy Awards won't be handed out until February), but now the Academy needs to commit wholeheartedly to its future. Anyone who isn't a current or upcoming star should stay home on Oscar night, unless that person is nominated for something. Forcing aging actors to struggle through scripted chatter is a pointless endeavor that delivers uncomfortable results.

6. Ditch the Technical Awards. This one pains me as well, but everybody knows that awards for things like cinematography and sound editing provide opportunities for viewers to hit the bathroom or throw more popcorn into the microwave. The simple solution to this problem involves taking a page from the Grammys: Hand out technical awards, plus prizes for documentaries and short films, during a non-telecast ceremony before the big show begins. Then, periodically throughout the broadcast, run brief clips revealing who won. While it's true that winners in some of these second-string races often deliver the most heartfelt speeches, sitting through a dozen rambling thank-you messages in the hopes of discovering one pithy remark makes for dull viewing. Keep it moving!

7. Keep the Montages Modern. Groovy as they are for old-school film fans, the Academy's signature montages, like those celebrating the horror or romance genres, are so random that they don't serve any real purpose. Each Oscar broadcast should be a celebration of the previous year in filmmaking, not an arbitrary salute to the entire previous century in filmmaking. The Academy should try putting together a package featuring the best scary moments of the year, and one for the funniest punchlines of the year, and one for the most romantic kisses of the year, and so on. The goal is making viewers excited about what the movies are today, instead of suggesting that Hollywood's best days are in the past.

8. Pull Back the Curtain. Why not show more of what it's like to be at the Oscars? Periodically, the broadcast should cut to the backstage areas, lounges, and press rooms to show stars mingling in unexpected situations. Did two former costars just reunite by the bar for a quick chat? Show it! Did a newly minted Oscar winner just bust out a happy dance while chatting with reporters? Show it! As the liquored-up shenanigans of recent Golden Globes broadcasts have proven, spontaneity goes a long way toward making an awards show lively.

9. Introduce New Categories. The people behind the Screen Actors Guild Awards had the right idea by introducing a Best Ensemble Cast award, and the Academy should shamelessly steal this idea. Other prizes the Academy should add: Best First Feature (given to the year's breakout director); Best Debut Performance; Best Juvenile Performance (for performers under age 16, who shouldn't be put into the same categories as adults); and Best Cameo Performance (because some of us are still trying to figure out how Judi Dench's mini-performance in Shakespeare in Love merited an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). None of these awards are cheap or pandering (leave Best Kiss and Best Villain to the MTV Movie Awards), but they would fill the broadcast with of-the-moment actors.

10. Find a Relevant Host. Crystal was a wonderful Oscar host back in the day, and it was clear from his cameo at this year's show that he's eager for more, so chances are he'll come out swinging for his ninth appearance and deliver the goods. He also gets to be the hero of the day by stepping in after Murphy bailed. Following Crystal's (hopefully) triumphant return, however, it's time for the Oscars to dig into Hollywood's deep talent pool and find a young star who's ready to commit to a long relationship with the Academy. Letting a host develop his or her chops over several years would create continuity, ending the "Who's Hosting?" sweepstakes that results in failures as often as it results in winners. The aforementioned Steve Carell comes to mind as a great possibility. So do Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Emma Stone, and Justin Timberlake.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111115/en_ac/10439795_why_hiring_billy_crystal_isnt_enough_10_changes_the_oscars_must_make

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Sony PlayStation 3D Display Lightning Review: The Perfect Small TV for the Rich Gamers [TV]

Online console gaming is the status quo, but nothing will ever usurp the joys of throwing your controller in disgust, cursing, and punching your friends in the arm during couch multiplayer. Sony has a magical, magical reinvention of offline competition. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4HC0YE5-PCU/sony-playstation-3d-display-lightning-review-the-perfect-small-tv-for-the-rich-gamers

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Oprah Winfrey receives 'unimaginable' Oscar (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Oprah Winfrey received an honorary Oscar for her charitable work on Saturday in what she called an unimaginable moment for a black woman who grew up poor in Mississippi and rose to the top of Hollywood stardom.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually bestows its Governors Awards on people who have made an impact in the industry. This year, the honorary Oscars went to Winfrey, actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Simon at a black-tie affair that brought out stars such as John Travolta, Glenn Close and Alec Baldwin.

Talk show host and film actress Winfrey, who was nominated for a supporting-actress Academy Award in 1985's "The Color Purple," was given a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by a young woman who was sent through high school on a financial grant she earned from Winfrey's foundation.

Winfrey teared up when accepting her honorary Oscar and described the moment as "unimaginable" given her humble roots growing up in Mississippi.

"All of us can make a difference through the life we lead," Winfrey said. "We're all here to help each other."

She talked of her career as a TV chat show host and her movie work, and said it was "The Color Purple" that paved the way to stardom which, ultimately, led to philanthropy.

That movie "door opened to me through the magic and majesty of film," she said.

James Earl Jones was given his honorary Oscar for a body of acting work that ranges from his Academy Award-nominated performance as a boxer in "The Great White Hope" to voicing the role of the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies.

Jones was not on hand because he is in working in London, but he spoke to the Los Angeles audience in a speech that was taped earlier on Saturday.

He said he was "deeply honored, mighty grateful and just plain gobsmacked," using British slang for being astounded.

Finally, the "Godfather of makeup" Dick Simon was given an honorary Oscar for his behind-the-scenes work using makeup and prosthetics to make actors look old, young, sick, dying and dead in films ranging from "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather."

Simon gave a tearful and heartfelt acceptance speech in which he said he has loved every minute of his work in the movie business. "This kind of puts the crowning cap on all that," Simon said.

The Oscars, or Academy Awards, for the films of 2011 will be given out in a ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 26.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111114/india_nm/india604948

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Ask and Answer Questions About Online Privacy [Help Yourself]

Ask and Answer Questions About Online PrivacyEvery day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.

More and more personal information is making it onto the internet, and this makes privacy and personal security an increasingly important subject. Everyone should be taking simples steps to protect their online privacy, but it can be tough to decide just how careful you need to be. Ask and answer questions about protecting your personal information and your online privacy in the comments.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TuAPwqt3bCE/ask-and-answer-questions-about-online-privacy

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Oil firms cut petrol prices; may help ease inflation (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? State oil refiners cut petrol prices by about 3.2 percent from Wednesday, the first reduction in three years as well as since pricing controls ended 18 months ago, in a move that could help to ease inflation now near double digits.

Petrol prices will be 1.85 rupees a litre lower, excluding local taxes that vary regionally, and oil firm will now revise prices and pass on changes to customers fortnightly. The fuel will now cost 2.22 rupees cheaper at 66.42 rupees/lt in Delhi.

The cut in prices comes after the government faced criticism when state firms -- Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum -- raised petrol prices earlier this month, the sixth major rise since June 2010.

The price cut, implemented ahead of the next parliament session, could help improve the image of the ruling Congress party, with elections next year in Uttar Pradesh, a key state.

But oil firms said there had been no pressure to cut prices.

"The reduction has been possible as a result of favourable impact of the slide down both in the international prices of gasoline and in the Rupee/Dollar parity," oil companies said in a statement.

The rupee/dollar exchange rate came down marginally and was almost stable at around 49.30 rupees to a dollar in the first fortnight of this month, the basis for the current reduction.

"If the rupee/dollar parity remains at this level or moves further away, its impact would get reflected in the next pricing cycle," the statement said, referring to a falling rupee.

FORTNIGHTLY REVISION

The rupee has been Asia's worst performing currency this year and continued to trade at its lowest level in nearly 32 months at 50.67/68 per dollar.

"If the Singapore gasoline prices maintain at this range or soften, there might not be any hike in retail prices. However, if rupee depreciates further, the companies may compensate that by going in for a small hike," said a leading Asian oil trader.

Fuel retailers usually meet once a fortnight to consider petrol prices but prefer to wait for a considerable change before passing any change to customers.

"From now on every fortnight we will change petrol price instead of waiting for a considerable build up in desired price. It could go up or go down but that will bring transparency in the system," said BPCL chairman R. K. Singh.

Such a step could reflect more accurately in the country's headline inflation, which has stayed above the 9 percent mark for the eleventh straight month, in spite of 13 interest rate rises by the RBI over the past year and a half.

Petrol is nowhere near as widely used as diesel in India -- accounting for around 10 percent of fuel demand compared with about 40 percent for diesel -- but it is high-profile because it powers many of the cars owned by the growing middle class.

A reduction in petrol prices could give the government some respite as the fuel has 1.09 percent weighting in the inflation index.

The widening price gap between the two fuels has slowed the growth of gasoline consumption, which has recently fallen behind that of diesel, which is subsidised by the government.

The Asian trader said the latest reduction in prices may not impact demand as the price gap between the two fuels has narrowed only marginally.

Profitability at state-run oil refiners has been hurt as the government has held back on raising prices of subsidised fuels -- diesel, kerosene, and cooking gas -- since June despite rising global crude oil prices.

The oil firms are likely to suffer a revenue loss of 1.30 trillion rupees on their sales of subsidised fuels in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

IOC said its revenue loss on the sale of a litre of diesel widened to 10.17 rupees from 8.58 rupees in the fortnight ended Tuesday as global prices of the fuel have firmed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111115/india_nm/india605398

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