Findcate

Indy’s back after a 19 year break and not much has changed. Indiana Jones first came to the screen in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark and then returned in 1984 for The Temple of Doom, and finally The Last Crusade in 1989. Last time Indy was on the screen, he was in the 1930’s and they have kept time and date by replacing the 30’s setting with a 50’s setting on this fourth Indiana Jones installment.

Harrison Ford returns as Indy. He’s a little bit older, but still the same old Indy and Ford delivers. Much was discussed about his age, but he fits right back into the role beautifully. Karen Allen, who played Marion Ravenwood in Raiders is back as a former love of Indy who now has a son, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LeBeouf. Many were concerned with the casting of Shia, but he holds his own sharing screen time with the legend Harrison Ford. Adding to newcomer Shia, is the main villain played by Cate Blanchett. Cate is an excellent actress and plays a Russian villain extremely well. Overall, wonderful new casting adds to the already solid original cast that returned.

The fourth Indy flick involves the Russian KGB kidnapping Jones to enlist his services in finding a cargo crate with mysterious contents. Indy eventually escapes only to get tangled back up with the Russians later on, when it is revealed that Indy’s old friend has been captured by them over a powerful artifact, the Crystal Skull. Indy sets out to free his friend and reveal the mystery of the Crystal Skull.

To avoid spoilers on the movie, I’ve been and will be relatively vague in this review. One of the main plot points that isn’t really a secret is that Mutt(LeBeouf) is actually Indy’s son. This particular plot elements really brings the movie up as Shia and Harrison have a on screen chemistry reminiscent of the chemistry between Harrison and Sean Connery who played his father in The Last Crusade. I always enjoyed the emotional and funny connections made between father and son in the Last Crusade and it is a welcome addition to the new flick.

The only thing better would have been to have Sean Connery in there as well, but Mr. Connery turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as he doesn’t want to come out of retirement. Luckily, they brought back Karen Allen who is absolutely marvelous reprising the role of Marion Ravenwood. From the moment she is introduced, the movie feels complete. Indy and Marion back on screen together is magic in itself, especially if you are a fan of the first Indy flick, which is the best one.

Overall, the story is great. It feels like it could have been better, but they did such a great job making the script play older to fit in with the previous Indiana Jones movies, while also updating enough to play to modern audiences that a few dragging points and interesting story choices don’t ruin it for me. Coupled with a great story and wonderful actors/actresses, the only thing left is a great director and who better than Steven Spielburg. Spielburg did such a great job with the first three Indiana Jones movies that I’m so glad that he choose to return for the 4th. It wouldn’t quite be Indiana Jones without the trademarked Spielburg directing style and flare. He really shows his knack for action and adventure thrills in this flick. From exciting chases, gun play, and killer ants, Spielburg films them all with the utmost care to detail and thrills.

There are so many wonderful action sequences and thrills that Indy keeps your attention on the screen. The movie is literally jam packed with great moments, lines, and nostalgia. If you have watched any of the previous Indiana Jones movies and liked/loved them, you’ll most likely like/love this new flick. If you didn’t like the original films, then we don’t talk to you. If you haven’t seen the originals, don’t cheat yourself! Go watch the originals in the order they were released and then go see Crystal Skull. I don’t remember what Indiana Jones film I saw first. I remember in my later years that I watched the whole trilogy at once, but I’m sure I had seen some of not all of them before that.

Either way, my favorite of the series, including the Crystal Skull, is the classic first one, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Coming in second is The Last Crusade, with Crystal Skull popping in right underneath the Last Crusade, almost tying it. The Temple of Doom comes in just slightly underneath them all. I stick Crystal Skull so close to The Last Crusade because it’s hard for me to choose which one I like better. There is a definite first place and last place winner, but the two other flicks just float in between. Now to say that The Temple of Doom is my least favorite of the Jones Trilogy is still quite a compliment. I rate the Jones Trilogy pretty high and that includes the extremely good Temple of Doom. It’s just when you have four excellent films fighting for your favorite spot, one has to come last even if it is a marvelous film.

The new installment of Indiana Jones is a don’t miss event. This is a great film throughout and is well worth the price of admission. This is a wonderful new film and it’s a grand experience hanging out with some old friends and seeing what they have been up to over the past 19 years, only to find out, they are still doing what they love and causing trouble.

Tags: action sequences, actress, cate, cate blanchett, crystal skull, father and son, ford, harrison ford, indiana jones, indy, job, karen allen, last crusade, marion ravenwood, mutt, original cast, plot elements, plot points, price of admission, raiders of the lost ark, russian kgb, screen chemistry, screen time, sean connery, shia lebeouf, temple of doom, time and date, welcome addition

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No, this buzz is all about hot new Hollywood in the shape of a 21-year-old actor whose name confuses the most intelligent reader, Shia LaBeouf.

So when he eventually bounds into the hotel where we’ve arranged to meet, it’s something of an anticlimax to find that he’s, well, just a 21-year-old guy, who’s desperate for a smoke. He immediately asks that we move all conversation to the patio, so he can puff.

“Yes, I smoke,” he admits shamefacedly. “It’s probably the worst thing I do. I leave wet towels on the floor, too. I don’t think I’m the Find Cate Mandigo quintessential guy to look up to right now because I’m still building myself.”

He shouldn’t be too concerned, though. Films such as I, Robot, Disturbia and last year’s smash-hit, Transformers, have already built the foundation for what looks to be a career in a million. His role in Crystal Skull could catapult him into rarefied Brad Pitt or Will Smith territory, although, right now, he’s intriguingly not at liberty to say exactly what that role is.

Rumour has it he plays Indiana Jones’ son (albeit under the name Mutt Williams), but he simply takes another puff and says, “I can’t confirm or deny that.” What he can confirm – most vocally – is that working with Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and Cate Blanchett has been the most incredible ride.

His bond with Harrison is particularly interesting, with LaBeouf talking fondly and Find Cate Mandigo reverently of him as a father figure.

The actor’s own French-Cajun father, Jeffrey, was a clown from San Francisco who was also a heroin addict.

Their relationship was non-existent until LaBeouf landed a role on US TV series Even Stevens when he was 13 and needed a legal guardian onset. He says wistfully, “I had to rent my father back.”

Bad though it sounds, drug-free father and son now share a deep bond, formed over the nine years LaBeouf has spent playing the role of family breadwinner.

“He’s not necessarily the father I wanted, but I wouldn’t want anybody else,” he reveals. “He’s my best friend – as is my mother – they’re both wise people. But pain is the foundation of my father’s growth and I draw from him every time I do what I do.”

Cigarette smoked, LaBeouf asks to move inside. Looking all-American in his navy-blue, long-sleeve T-shirt and low-slung jeans, he takes a long gulp of vitamin water from the bottle he’s been carrying.

“Finance is a big reason that my family split up and that’s not a worry any more, but Dad was gone for a long time. I was five when my parents separated. I hated him for a long time, but from 13 years old to this point – it’s now a love affair. I’m lucky, because supporting my family has been a blessing.”

The Los Angeles native comes from a long line of artists and performers. As well as a clown for a dad, his mum, Shayna, was a dancer who studied ballet with the famous Martha Graham.

LaBeouf’s dad used to dress up the family as clowns and the three of them would perform and sell hot dogs in LA’s Echo Park.

However, nobody called LaBeouf found any real success until Shia took up acting. He made the decision, aged 10, after talking to a boy in Malibu, who was wearing all the latest designer gear, thanks to a role on Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. LaBeouf’s schoolboy yearning for brand-name clothing paid off.

“My lineage is constant artwork never seen by the public, or just fluttered out,” he explains.

“My great-grandmother was a piano player on Lucky Luciano’s gambling boat; my grandmother was a lesbian beatnik poet who used to run with Allen Ginsberg – her poetry was never discovered. My father is this amazing pantomime clown, but nobody has heard of him and my mother is this amazing visual artist who danced and nobody has heard of her. My career is a culmination of a lot of prayers and a lot of work.”

That said, he admits that he looks towards others to fill the more Find Cate Mandigo traditional roles in his life. Harrison Ford is the latest addition to LaBeouf’s role models, alongside past co-stars, John Voight and John Hurt.

“Harrison and I became close on set, but he’s the kind of guy where you have to earn the hug,” he smiles.

“The day I got my first hug from Harrison was a big day. The hug came about through work and results. It’s not easy making these kinds of action movies – they’re very physical and emotional.

“Finding the right tone is the hardest part and once you find it, Harrison’s all over you.”

An important lesson LaBeouf has learnt from Ford is to not give away too much. The original Indy is notoriously private where LaBeouf, until now, has been happy to spill his guts.

“I have to stop that,” he says, looking at the tape recorder. “When I was younger, I was happy to tell people stuff because I was anxious to please. Now I realise that my favourite actors don’t give much away; they maintain a level of mystery and I think I have to work on that.”

He has spoken many times about his past relationship with China Brezner, the daughter of The Greatest Game Ever Played producer, Larry Brezner, whom he met while shooting the movie in 2004. His first real love, they were together until early last year.

“I was very open about my relationship with China. I’m sure that’s hurt her so I’m going to stop talking about it. Sure I have time for girls, but nothing is very serious right now. There’s no specifics.”

Would he say he’s a romantic kind of guy? “Oh yeah, I get into poetry and songwriting,” he laughs.

“I’ve flown across the country with flowers to hand-deliver, and I’ve made trails out of rose petals and put on the Jodeci music. I’ve also been known to put on some Meatloaf, which is so cheesy. I won’t say if it worked or not, but it was very funny!”

Being the next big thing probably makes it easier to get the girls, but it comes at a price. (Although, when I mention his ‘next big thing’ status, LaBeouf is quick to point out “some days I’m the next big thing, some days I’m the next worst thing”.)

His brushes with the law are well-documented. He was arrested in 2005 after ramming a neighbour’s car and threatening him with a knife; the second was last November, for trespassing in a pharmacy in Chicago. No charges were pressed for either incident.

He simply says, “I’m at ease at this point. I’ve had my moments and I guess the biggest lesson I’ve learnt with the press is to never say never.”

He makes eye contact and says, “I’ve had a couple of run-ins, but I can definitely say that I don’t want that kind of life. I surround myself with good people, but I’m 21 and I make mistakes. I’m learning to cope. I didn’t get into this business to be Captain America.”

So does he take downtime? “Why would I?” he counters. “I enjoy every moment and the bad things come up when you’re not working. The negative aspects of this industry happen in the off-time.”

But surely there has to be some time when he’s not onset? “I’ve spent more time at home recently because the last two movies I shot have been made in LA so, yes, I’ve had some time at home. I hang out with my dog, read and I’m into my sports. I have about five close friends and we sit and Find Cate Mandigo talk a lot.”

He shifts in his seat, before revealing that a lot of his old friends have fallen by the wayside. “You see, the people I’ve known for a long time, their mindset changed and they stopped being friends with me and started being friends with what I do.”

He pauses to contemplate the situation. “That’s been the hardest decision, losing friends and getting rid of the people who are bad eggs. But that’s what happens with transition. I could never have foreseen what was going to happen. Fame is a drug, it’s addictive. But this isn’t who I am, it’s what I do. You have to maintain separation or you lose your mind.”

Taking all that into consideration, is he prepared for what will surely be global Indiana Jones-mania?

“I don’t imagine things will change too much,” he says modestly. “I have a lot of people around me who keep me centred because I get haywire, too – but I’m pretty calm right now.” He laughs remembering how amazing it was to find himself on the set of such a hotly anticipated movie.

“Every day was like, ‘Omigod, I’m on the set of Indiana Jones!’ That feeling of excitement never went away, it just became something I would channel into the work. Steven (Spielberg) was amazing. He gives you a lot of room and trusts you to do exactly what he hired you for. There were never any bumps.”

Indeed, Spielberg, who suggested LaBeouf for the lead role in Michael Bay’s Transformers, returns the compliment, stating, “His talent has impressed not only his audiences, but the directors, producers and fellow actors who have worked with him.”

However, he remains tight-lipped on whether or not LaBeouf will continue to run with the Indy torch, saying simply, “We’ll see. He still has multiple Transformers films to do.”

The actor proved his commitment to Spielberg and the Indiana Jones franchise by going on a strict diet and fitness regimen, but his heart went out to co-star Cate Blanchett, who was pregnant while filming her very physical villain scenes.

“She’s kind, but the minute ‘action’ is called, she’s not Cate any more. She’s mean. She was pregnant and doing these crazy swordfights, but she held her own for hours. Honestly, she’s a bad ass.”

At 21, he has an old head on his shoulders. “I hope this year holds more of the same, and I hope that I have a lot more smiles and Find Cate Mandigo laughs. If it continues as it is now, I think I’m going to really enjoy my year.”

Tags: brad pitt, cate, cate blanchett, crystal skull, father and son, Find Cate, Find Cate Mandigo, ford, franchise, harrison ford, hero, hollywood, indiana jones, indy, mutt, rbi, shia labeouf, smile, spielberg, steven spielberg

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The giant winger %26ndash; who switched from league with the Bradford Bulls to professional rugby at Gloucester %26ndash; flew back to New Zealand from the UK after dad Solomone Vainikolo died from organ failure.
He had also been home before Christmas after his brother Kava died of a heart attack on November 25.
Lesley, 28, was at the family%26rsquo;s Mangere home where Solomone%26rsquo;s body lay in the lounge %26ndash; a Tongan custom for family and friends to honour him for a day %26ndash; when his manager rang on Wednesday to say he%26rsquo;d made the England squad for union%26rsquo;s Six Nations tournament.
%26quot;I went straight in and told my dad before I told anyone else,%26rsquo;%26rsquo; an emotional Lesley told Sunday News. %26quot;I told dad, %26#39;I%26rsquo;ve got a bit of good news%26#39;.
%26quot;I told him, %26#39;I made it to the England team. I just want to let you know, and thank you for everything you did for me. I just want to share with you because I know you%26rsquo;re going to be there in support. I told him and my brother Kava to give me the strength and the power to (succeed in his new sport).%26quot;
Lesley has vowed to play every game, club or international, in honour of his father and big brother for the next year.
Picked for England after just nine games and nine tries for Gloucester, the 111kg, 188cm Tongan-born powerhouse is being tipped to erupt in the Six Nations.
His debut could be as early as February 2, against Wales.
England head coach Brian Ashton said Vainikolo has the %26quot;X-Factor%26quot;. The most devastating finisher in Super League history, Lesley scored 149 tries in 152 games for the Bulls before switching to union.
His emotional rollercoaster began on November 25, when he received a call from his big brother Kava%26#39;s wife Celina.
%26quot;She said, %26#39;Kava%26#39;s gone%26#39;. She wouldn%26#39;t say dead,%26quot; Lesley said.
%26quot;It took me a while to click. I thought she was crying that he%26#39;s gone somewhere. But then I clicked that he died. I broke down.
%26quot;I rang my wife, Sienna. I went home and one of my best friends was there, (former Bradford team-mate) Shontayne Hape. He and his wife came down for the weekend. He calmed me down and my wife packed my bags and I rang my coach and I came home (to NZ) for Kava%26#39;s funeral.%26quot;
Kava, a former Bay of Plenty rugby rep, died of a heart attack at just 37. He had been taken to Waikato Hospital with chest pains and collapsed in the reception area. Doctors were unable to revive him.
Lesley was especially close to Kava, the second of the five Vainikolo brothers. Lesley is the youngest, and smallest.
%26quot;(Kava) was a soulmate and a best friend, a brother. He was the rock of the family,%26quot; Lesley said.
Returning to England, Lesley had a t-shirt made with his brother%26#39;s face and name on it.
He wore it in every match warm-up as a dedication.
He also planned an even more touching tribute.
%26quot;My wife is seven months pregnant,%26quot; Lesley said. %26quot;If it%26#39;s a boy, I%26#39;m going to call him Kava.%26quot;
Tragedy struck again, on January 4, when Solomone died one day after his 68th birthday.
%26quot;I was training,%26quot; Lesley said. %26quot;I came to check on my phone, there were eight missed calls and they were all from my brothers.
%26quot;I rang (one) and he said, `Dad%26#39;s in hospital and he%26#39;s not doing well%26#39;.%26quot; Hours later he received the tragic news.
%26quot;I couldn%26#39;t talk, I was crying and crying,%26quot; Lesley said. %26quot;My wife calmed me down and she was crying as well. I rang my coach, told him, and booked my ticket and came straight home.%26quot;
Lesley said Solomone, a factory worker, was a loving father and husband to Melenaite, 61.
%26quot;He was the best dad. He was hardworking, he was kind and respectful, he gave us a lot of advice. The only way we can pay him back is to hold on to the advice Dad gave us,%26quot; he said.
%26quot;We are a very close family. I describe our family as the circle of life … the only way to break it is through death. But I know (Solomone and Kava%26#39;s) spirits will still be with us.%26quot;
Father and son are now buried at Waikaraka Cemetery, in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga where the family%26#39;s Tongan Methodist Church is based.
A devout Christian, Lesley plays football with a wrist band with the letters WWJ Walk With Jesus. His constant companion is a bible given him by his parents for his 17th birthday shortly before he signed with the Canberra Raiders.
Before each game he reads out a passage from the bible, to %26quot;bless the jersey, bless myself and the team, and the other team as well … and go out there and do the business.%26quot;
Lesley played rugby as a youngster in the Tongan capital of Nukualofa before the family moved to New Zealand when he was six. He continued with the 15-man game at Mangere Primary and Intermediate before switching to league at south Auckland%26#39;s De La Salle College after being inspired by Kangaroos legend Mal Meninga, who later offered him a contract with Canberra.
Lesley was also a star sprinter, running the 100m in 10.6sec to make the World Junior Athletics Championships beating future All Blacks speedster Doug Howlett along the way.
Lesley who scored 35 tries for the Raiders and 14 for the Kiwis said he made the switch back again to rugby for %26quot;the challenge%26quot;.
%26quot;I was still hungry for success and I%26#39;ve achieved all the things you can achieve in league,%26quot; he said. %26quot;I broke records, won championships and represented my country. I wanted to test myself and see how good I am, not just in one sport.
%26quot;I love it, every second of it (rugby). I went to the right club, Gloucester, the coaching staff were good, the players were awesome.%26quot;
He would give his all for England, where he has lived for six years.
%26quot;I%26#39;m living in England, and like they say, whoever puts food on the table you%26#39;ve got to give everything you%26#39;ve got,%26quot; he said.
Lesley has been billed as rugby%26#39;s Jonah Lomu tribute act.
%26quot;It feels good when people (dub) you that,%26quot; he said. %26quot;But I%26#39;m Lesley Vainikolo, I%26#39;m not Jonah.%26quot;

Tags: brother, champion, father and son, Food, ford, zeal

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Wife Louise and their 16-year-old daughter Belinda, willing participants in Sir Eds dream, died in 1975.

Friend Peter Mulgrew, whose widow June became Sir Eds wife, was nearly killed in Nepal and then there is the sad story of Hillary and his son Peter.

In a country as small as New Zealand, being the child of someone famous has always been a heavy burden; for Peter, born 19 months after his dads achievement, it was crushing.

A young and unknown Ed Hillary met Louise through her father, the then president of the New Zealand Alpine Club. A talented violinist, she left New Zealand to study at the Sydney Conservatorium. On his way to Everest Hillary called by Sydney to see her.

Then on May 29, 1953, he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the Everest summit and the two were global heroes.

Coming home he called back at Sydney and proposed to Louise. They married in Auckland, with a ceremonial arch provided by icepicks.

Three children followed: Peter, Sarah and Belinda.

Sarah Hillary, who has escaped the public attention, is an art conservator, and in Metro magazine she told of a childhood of adventuring and recalling her fathers strength.

He could lift anything and often ended up lugging the majority of the gear and food required for family tramping trips.

Louise Hillary quickly embraced his work for Nepal, despite an almost pathological fear of flying.

In 1975 Hillarys Himalayan Trust was involved in one of its biggest aid projects, a hospital at Phaphlu. Eds brother Rex was there, as was Sir Ed. He was to be joined by Louise and Belinda. At Kathmandu the two met June Mulgrew and her daughter Robyn, who were returning from the mountains for New Zealand.

The same aircraft that had taken them to Kathmandu, a single-engine Platus, was to be used to fly Louise and Belinda to Phaphlu.

On March 31, 1975, New Zealand pilot Peter Shand took off, unaware that a securing pin on one of the wing flaps was still in place. The aircraft plunged into the ground, killing all five aboard.

Ed flew to the scene.

From the large circle of local people I could tell where the crash was, he wrote in a book later. They parted to let me through and there they were - the battered remains of the two people I loved most in the world.

In 1961 Ed and Peter Mulgrew had been part of an assault on Makalu. Hillary had a stroke and was taken down the mountain as the expedition pushed on. Near the summit Mulgrew suffered a severe bout of altitude sickness and frostbite and nearly died. He lost both legs and much of his character in the drama.

On November 29, 1979, Mulgrew was a commentator on an Air New Zealand flight over Antarctica. It flew into the side of Mount Erebus, killing all 257 aboard.

When Prime Minister David Lange in 1985 appointed Hillary New Zealands envoy to India, June went along as the social secretary.

After four years they came home, to their separate homes.

Even though June was only a mile away, it seemed a rather lonely existence. It was our children who solved the problem for us.

They married.

In 1990 Peter Hillary became the 279th person behind his father to scale Everest. He was with fellow countryman Rob Hall who, in 1996, was to die just below the summit - one of nine to die in a single storm.

Father and son spoke to each other by phone from the peak; the conversation, awkward and embarrassing, was carried live on radio. Ed later said it was the longest chat he had had with his son for years.

For television Peter Hillary was again on the peak this year and phoned his seeming impassive father. Peter broke down.

Peter Hillary had led a Himalayan traverse between 1979 and 1984 that was to cost the lives of five people.

His father said his son was always trying to set up things that were extremely difficult: He has always been impatient and can be almost aggressive in his attitude.

Tags: attitude, brother, commentator, father and son, Food, hero, zeal

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Wife Louise and their 16-year-old daughter Belinda, willing participants in Sir Eds dream, died in 1975.

Friend Peter Mulgrew, whose widow June became Sir Eds wife, was nearly killed in Nepal and then there is the troubled relationship between Hillary and his son Peter.

In a country as small as New Zealand, being the child of someone famous has always been a heavy burden; for Peter, born 19 months after his dads achievement, it was crushing.

A young and unknown Ed Hillary met Louise through her father, the then president of the New Zealand Alpine Club. A talented violinist, she left New Zealand to study at the Sydney Conservatorium. On his way to Everest Hillary called by Sydney to see her.

Then on May 29, 1953, he and Sherpa Tensing Norgay reached the Everest summit and the two were global heroes.

Coming home he called back at Sydney and proposed to Louise. They married in Auckland, with a ceremonial arch provided by icepicks.

Three children followed: Peter, Sarah and Belinda.

Sarah Hillary, who has escaped the public attention, is an art conservator, and in Metro magazine she told of a childhood of adventuring and recalling her fathers strength.

He could lift anything and often ended up lugging the majority of the gear and food required for family tramping trips.

Louise Hillary quickly embraced her husbands work for Nepal, despite an almost pathological fear of flying.

In 1975 Hillarys Himalayan Trust was involved in one of its biggest aid projects, a hospital at Phaphlu. Eds brother Rex was there, as was Sir Ed. He was to be joined by Louise and Belinda.

At Kathmandu the two met June Mulgrew and her daughter Robyn, who were returning from the mountains for New Zealand.

The same aircraft that had taken them to Kathmandu, a single-engine Platus, was to be used to fly Louise and Belinda to Phaphlu.

On March 31, 1975, New Zealand pilot Peter Shand took off, unaware that a securing pin on one of the wing flaps was still in place. The aircraft plunged into the ground, killing all five aboard.

Ed flew to the scene.

From the large circle of local people I could tell where the crash was, he wrote in a book later. They parted to let me through and there they were - the battered remains of the two people I loved most in the world.

In 1961 Ed and Peter Mulgrew had been part of an assault on Makalu. Hillary had a stroke and was taken down the mountain as the expedition pushed on.

Near the summit Mulgrew suffered a severe bout of altitude sickness and frostbite and nearly died. He lost both legs and much of his character in the drama.

On November 29, 1979, Mulgrew was a commentator on an Air New Zealand flight over Antarctica. It flew into the side of Mount Erebus, killing all 257 aboard.

When Prime Minister David Lange in 1985 appointed Hillary New Zealands envoy to India, Mulgrews widow June went along as the social secretary.

After four years they came home, to their separate homes.

Even though June was only a mile away, it seemed a rather lonely existence. It was our children who solved the problem for us.

They married.

In 1990 Peter Hillary became the 279th person behind his father to scale Everest. He was with fellow countryman Rob Hall who, in 1996, was to die just below the summit - one of nine to die in a single storm.

Father and son spoke to each other by phone from the peak; the conversation, awkward and embarrassing, was carried live on radio. Ed later said it was the longest chat he had had with his son for years.

For television Peter Hillary was again on the peak last year and phoned his seeming impassive father. Peter broke down.

Peter Hillary had led a Himalayan traverse between 1979 and 1984 that was to cost the lives of five people.

His father said his son was always trying to set up things that were extremely difficult: He has always been impatient and can be almost aggressive in his attitude.

Tags: attitude, brother, commentator, father and son, Food, hero, zeal

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HOLLYWOOD‘S hottest dad-to-be, Brad Pitt, stood up Australian star Cate Blanchett in Cannes last night to stay by pregnant Angelina Jolie’s side.

Pitt decided against travelling to Cannes in France, because of the imminent arrival of his baby in Africa.

Pitt stars with Blanchett in the powerful new film Babel, which is one of the favourites for the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival.

Graphic: Cannes contenders %26raquo;

While Blanchett strolled the red carpet and attended a press conference as part of the publicity drive for the film, Pitt was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, an email from him was read out to journalists overnight before the briefing began.

“With the imminent arrival of the newest addition to our family, I am unable to join Alejandro (Gonzalez Inarritu), Cate, Gael (Garcia Bernal) and the rest of the cast and crew in introducing the film,” he wrote.

But he added that he was “tremendously proud” of Babel.

Blanchett’s words about working with Pitt were even warmer.

“In terms of working with Brad, it’s like chocolate. He’s glorious and wonderful and I really wanted to work with him for a long time.”

Babel is one of three South American films among the 20 in competition in Cannes this year.

Director Inarritu provides an examination of linguistic, cultural and personal barriers that sweeps across three continents and tackles terrorism, immigration and suicide.

Pitt and Blanchett portray a couple on holiday in Morocco when tragedy strikes, and their story is linked to that of two shepherd boys living in a remote village.

A third narrative takes the audience to the US-Mexican border where a trusted nanny becomes embroiled in a terrifying journey of her own, and in Japan, a deaf and mute girl struggles to get over her mother’s death and break down social prejudice.

Inarritu weaves the plots together into a rich cinematic tapestry, where established actors like Pitt, Blanchett, Mexico’s Bernal and Japan’s Koji Yakusho appear alongside little known actors from northern Africa.

Misunderstanding and miscommunication appear on every level, between father and son, husband and wife, police and civilians and country to country.

For Inarritu, the main theme of the film was not language. Its title is taken from the Biblical story of people seeking to build a tower to God who are punished by being divided through language.

“For me that (language) is not the problem,” he said. “Language can be very easy to break.

“For me the problem is the ideas and the preconceptions we have from one to another which really pull us apart. I want this film to be basically about not what separates us but what gets us together.

“We see the other always as a threat. Being different means being dangerous.”

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Tags: angelina jolie, brad pitt, cannes, cannes film festival, cast and crew, cate, cate blanchett, contenders, father and son, gossip, hollywood, journalist, red carpet

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